I became a mafia member of the Academy, Chapter 56
That's right. I had momentarily forgotten.
The Callione Family.
A global organization that brings in numerous families under its wing and forms relationships akin to family.
Their characteristic... was that they treated people of the same family as real family.
"Yujin! Do you remember Uncle? The one who gave you a ride on the horse when you were little!"
"Hey! How old were you then to remember? Yujin! Do you remember the pocket money I used to give you?"
"Damn brats! Can't you see that Yujin's face is stiff? Shut up and be quiet!"
The calm atmosphere of just a moment ago vanished instantly as the banquet hall became noisy with my appearance.
When I was at a loss and couldn't do anything about the commotion,
Clap clap—
The sound of applause dominated the noisy banquet hall.
It was light, yet overwhelming.
Though it passed by in an instant, no one could miss that sound.
The sudden silence.
"Enough."
Of course.
No matter what, they wouldn't remain quiet in front of Father while being so noisy.
"Our Yujin must have been surprised, people. Sit here, Yujin. You must be hungry, so let's eat."
I had forgotten.
The fact that Vito Callione was more of a doting parent than I thought.
"…Yes."
I awkwardly took the empty seat next to Father.
Meanwhile, as Farnello, who had moved behind Father at some point, clapped his hands a couple of times, the doors on both sides opened, and carts loaded with food began to enter one after another.
The proper banquet had finally begun.
As the dishes were placed on the table one by one, and soon the entire table was filled with food,
Father tapped his glass a few times with a spoon, drawing everyone's attention again.
"Everyone, I'm truly grateful that you've come to celebrate our Yujin. Since we've gathered after a long time, there must be stories to share and questions to ask. So, let's be open and comfortable—"
"–Dad! Ji-yoon is hungry!"
Ji-yoon, who had burst into the dining room, making a commotion and opening the door, interrupted Father's speech.
Seeing her, the other family bosses made expressions of adoration, and Father, with a satisfied look, embraced Ji-yoon, who was running towards him, and said,
"Let's eat."
The atmosphere of the banquet hall transformed to the level of a family gathering during a holiday.
"Really, Don. These days, if you talk too much, kids call you a fossil."
"Hey! What kind of habit is this with Don! Don, can I hold Ji-yoon for a moment?"
"Ji-yoon! Come to Uncle, not that rascal! Right!"
Indeed, it seemed that nothing could surpass Ji-yoon's cuteness, as most of the attention that had been on me just a moment ago shifted to her.
Feeling satisfied, I continued eating.
"Isn't it interesting? These bosses of families can be so silly."
Father's voice came from beside me.
"Actually, it feels like meeting close relatives, so I'm comfortable."
This was true.
Who would have thought that a family banquet would be like this?
I had even prepared an antacid, fearing that I might have to verify my qualifications or eat in a solemn and heavy atmosphere.
But... it was such a light-hearted gathering. I felt like I had been unnecessarily nervous.
"Actually, these guys aren't usually so light-hearted. They are the ones who, more than anyone, act as bosses responsible for their own families in recent council meetings and in their work. But today's 'banquet' is different."
A space where people meet, eat, and converse.
A gathering to celebrate, not for business.
"We are all family before we are members of a family."
Most of the bosses gathered here had been with Father since the past, building the organization together and overcoming adversities as a family.
"Since they've come today to celebrate you, I hope you can also treat them comfortably."
I could guess what Father was worried about.
He was worried that I might see Callione as just an organization. That I might not understand why it's called a 'family.'
And I wanted Father to be less worried.
"As a member of the family, I consider everyone as family."
"…Is that so? Then that's good enough."
Father lightly patted my shoulder.
After a while, Ji-yoon, who had been eating various foods handed to her by the uncles, mumbled, 'I'm full…' and left the banquet hall, and the attention returned to me.
"I heard you're in the same club as my son."
The first to speak to me was Antonio Vivaldi, the boss of the Vivaldi Family and Jin-woo's father.
"Yes, you have a wonderful son. I received a lot of help from Jin-woo today."
Hearing my words, Antonio seemed to recall something and chuckled.
"That kid suddenly started pestering me to teach him how to use bloodline abilities. So, that's why."
"Ah, of course I didn't force him."
"Hahaha! Of course not. I can tell from what my son says. That dense kid still hasn't caught on… I guess, watching you, he must have realized something. He's a talented kid, so he'll be a great help to you."
Antonio smiled warmly and spoke to me.
Feeling curious, I decided to ask him about something.
"By the way, I have a question."
"If I can answer it, of course I will."
"Can I ask why you didn't tell Jin-woo about my identity?"
Jin-woo was a student at the Academy, but also the successor of the Vivaldi Family and a member of Callione.
Antonio must have been worried that Jin-woo might make a mistake with me.
But today, and even before, Jin-woo's reaction seemed to indicate that he didn't know I was the successor of Callione.
"It seemed that you hadn't told Jin-woo, so I didn't either. You must have had your reasons, right?"
From his matter-of-fact tone, I could tell what kind of person Antonio was.
"…Yes. Thank you for your consideration."
"Haha! No, it's natural. Please take good care of our son in the future."
With that, Antonio bowed and returned to his seat.
The next person to approach was a middle-aged man who had just tried to give Ji-yoon 1 million credits as pocket money.
"Ha-ha-ha! Nephew! Already a cadre, that's impressive!"
If this had been an official event of the organization, I might have felt differently, but since Father had called it a 'family banquet' rather than a 'Callione' event, hearing 'nephew' didn't feel bad at all.
"Thank you, Uncle."
I didn't need to be overly humble.
I just needed to think of myself as Father's son, having dinner with his friends.
The man who spoke to me was Michele Milano.
A member of the family active in Europe, and someone who had returned to Korea at Father's call.
"Really, I heard you entered the Academy as the second-in-command. Ha-ha! I'm so proud! So proud!"
Michele, who was patting my back and laughing, suddenly stopped and stiffened.
"Wait a moment, is this… a suit made by Maestro?"
He noticed by tapping the suit a few times?
I'm not sure if it's because the suit is that good or if this guy's senses are that sharp, but one thing was certain: everyone in the banquet hall started looking at me.
"Ah… yes. It's a suit Father gave me as a gift."
"Good grief… You're spoiling him. I haven't even been able to place an order with Maestro, and your father has already used his influence, hasn't he?"
"Yes. I heard Father used his influence."
Hearing my words, Michele glanced at Father.
"Don, how much do you dote on your son? A suit by Maestro. I heard Maestro's health isn't good these days, and he's been giving us apprentices' works recently."
Father cleared his throat and looked away.
"Well, the apprentices are skilled enough… and you guys don't really need such things anymore. It should go to those who need it."
"Ha… You're such a doting parent. Hmph! How cheap. Now, the gift I prepared seems insignificant!"
Huh? A gift?
"I didn't have such things when I was young, but I heard that students at the Academy often engage in sparring. So, Uncle used some influence."
Saying that, Michele suddenly put his hand inside his suit. A moment later, a large box popped out of his inner pocket.
…What is it? Is it a suit combined with a subspace artifact?
After receiving the box in a daze and opening it, I saw neatly stacked glass bottles inside.
"These are holy water blessed by the cardinals and the saint in Vatican. They say it heals illnesses and wounds quickly, with no side effects and is better for the body than potions."
This was an item I had used a few times in the game.
The highest-grade holy water, classified as S-rank.
Since it was a rare item in the game, I could roughly guess how valuable it was in this world.
"Thank you very much. I'll repay you later."
"Repay? Just take it because Uncle loves you. Thank you~ and take it!"
Thus, starting with Michele, the other family bosses began to one by one present me with gifts.
Most of the gifts were elixirs or potions, likely because of the news that I had entered the Academy.
In this way, a mountain of gifts as tall as me was piled up next to me before the gift-giving finally stopped.
The next conversations were nothing special.
Things like, "If there's work, I'll call you, come and help once," "Stay healthy," "If you need help, let me know anytime," and so on.
It really was just a family gathering, but on a larger scale.
Of course, the scale made it somewhat overwhelming and tiring.
Finally, after the banquet ended and all the family bosses returned to their positions, the silence that followed enveloped the mansion as if it were familiar.
"You did a good job mingling with the old men."
On the way to the study with Father, he suddenly spoke.
"Even though you met them today as uncles and nephews, one day they will come to your aid in the name of Callione. Think of them as your people, and always keep that in mind."
I nodded silently in response to Father's words.
Don Callione, one of the positions I must reach to see the ending of this game world.
And as Father said, one day they would move for me.
"Tomorrow is also a day you go to the Academy, right? Rest well today. If I have something to ask you, I'll let you know through Farnello."
"Understood. Father, you should also go in and rest well."
"Alright."
After escorting Father to his bedroom,
I stood dazed in the empty corridor as the servants left to clean up the banquet hall.
Another event has ended like this.
But I didn't have time to be dazed.
Tomorrow, another big event awaited at the Academy.
I sighed, thinking about the 'Class Ranking Tournament' that would start tomorrow.