Chapter 34: The DeCapio Famiglia

Vito and Iris adjourned to his cabin to work. Iris checked on the dragon egg to make sure it was still safe. They set up a nest and a heating magic stone, guided by Elion, to foster positive growth.

They worked through the night to read every document their friends recovered from Renaudin’s office. They made careful notes about their discoveries to provide an accurate summary of what they found. Many things angered and frightened them, and more than a few left them confused.

At noon, as the sun dominated the center of the sky, Vito called for a guild-wide meeting in front of the headquarters to reveal his findings. Iris stood beside him and looked out at the worried guild members.

“Lord Renaudin’s conspiracy ran deeper than we initially thought,” he began. “He was working with a noble faction to start a war with the Aitraethen Empire. The dragon attack on Orinis was meant to look like an unprovoked attack by the Empire’s Dragon Knights. He would have framed us as martyrs, innocent adventurers who tried to stop a cowardly attack, and used our names and the Silver Oak Guild itself to justify a military campaign.”

“A lot of what we found was encoded, but we do know that this faction has its sights set on the Avreoran royal family,” he concluded their report.

“I’ve heard that some nobles write in code. It’ll take some work, but I’m sure we can find the key to reading the encoded documents,” Iris explained.

“This is more than we can handle, Vito,” a guild member told him. “We should leave and build anew somewhere else. We have more than enough to settle in another country, even as far as Khemía or Yamato.”

“Running isn’t an option. We can’t let this country fall to ruin,” Vito countered. “Besides, we’ll be safe once we take Darkmourn Manor. We’ll present the evidence we found directly to the king when he grants us an audience to present our noble status.”

“Greye would want us to survive, and not to worry about glory or titles,” another guild member argued. “Besides, the king will never listen to a group of outcasts, even with proper evidence.”

“He would want us to stand and fight, to defend those who can’t defend themselves. Orinis may still be a target, and Darkmourn Manor is close enough to protect it,” Vito pressed. “As it stands, we’re the only ones who know about the plot. If we run, Avreora falls, and evil prevails. We can’t let that be Greye’s legacy,” Vito declared.

The guild members mumbled amongst themselves and dispersed. Vito sighed and realized that one of his predictions would come true.

“Vito, I trust you, but we really need to revisit that plan,” Delwyn stated.

“There’s a reason I wanted those sacred wards,” he replied.

Iris’s face lit up. “Indeed. Lord Renaudin’s wards are of the highest quality. S-Rank and A-Rank monsters would be weakened, and anything B-Rank and below would be pushed away.”

“Exactly. I’ll get the plans from the Adventurers’ Association when I register the DeCapio Famiglia guild. That’ll help us find the phylactery so we won’t be forced into a full battle. We just have to fight defensively until it’s found and destroyed,” Vito explained.

Delwyn laughed and slapped Vito’s back. “A simple and clean plan, I like it!”

“I thought you might like it,” he said. “Prepare for our departure. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“We?” Delwyn asked.

Iris proudly stepped forward. “I’m going to register as an adventurer.”

“Oh? Well, good luck.” Delwyn locked eyes with her and patted her shoulder with a smile. “I’ll gather supplies for the long trip and the life-threatening battle against the undead sage that will surely kill us all.”

Vito shook his head. “Shall we?”

Iris nodded and walked beside him as they left the hamlet. Vito motioned to a few of his friends, prompting them to leave through different areas.

The association hall was emptier than usual. Vito assumed that adventurers were using branch locations to avoid being anywhere near Renaudin’s manor. They passed through the hall and walked through an employee-only entrance.

Vito knocked on the vice leader’s door.

“What is it?!” A deep voice barked from within.

Vito and Iris walked inside. “Good afternoon, Marus,” he greeted the angry man. “I thought you would be happy. Someone pulled a thorn from your side.”

Marus glowered from his desk. His office was decorated with fine artwork and statues, suggesting a greedy soul. However, the weapons were used in battle at some point, hinting that he was a brave warrior at one point. His muscles were somewhat diminished thanks to his desk work and self-aggrandizing lifestyle.

“What are you talking about? Who are you?!”

Vito and Iris sat on his sofa and set a stack of documents on the table before them. “My name is Vito, and his lovely priestess is Iris,” he introduced them. “And we’re here to discuss Lord Renaudin’s blackmail material. We obtained it sometime after his…unfortunate demise.”

Marus became pale as he rushed to the table and looked through the documents.

“I don’t think Ivalis would easily forgive you for what you’ve done. You sold out your own adventurers and took undeserved credit for their deeds,” Iris gently chided him.

“Not to mention aiding in the slave trade. Tsk, tsk,” Vito added.

Marus glared at them. “I’ll kill you, and no one will see this.”

Vito smirked. “I have three people running out there with copies. A fourth has the originals. They’ll go straight to the royal guards in ten minutes if we don’t call them off.”

No one could speak falsehoods in certain rooms within the Adventurers’ Association building. Marus knew this and crumbled onto the sofa opposite Vito and Iris in defeat. “What do you want?”

Vito sat back on the sofa. “Lord Renaudin asked you to do terrible things, didn’t he? Don’t worry, I have no taste for such things,” he began. “First,” Iris set another stack of documents on the table. “You’ll follow these instructions to bring certain villains to justice and make up for the sins he had you commit. Not only will innocent people be spared, but you’ll be a hero.”

Marus quickly read over the documents. “That’s it?”

Vito shook his head. “No. I want you to fast-track registrations for a new guild and her adventurer’s license. I also want the plans for Darkmourn Manor.”

Marus eyed him with suspicion.

“Lastly, I want you to act as an informant. Tell us when you come across something of interest, or gather information as I request. That will be all. You can start by keeping an eye on the investigation into the Silver Oak Guild.”

The vice leader was visibly confused. “That’s it?” he repeated.

“That’s it. See? I have no taste for Renaudin’s evil.”

Marus rose from his seat and gathered an orb, a blank license, and some documents. “Fine,” he said, presenting the orb to Iris. “Place your hand here to begin the registration process.”

Vito filled out some documents to register his new guild. Once filled out, he returned them and his license to Marus.

Marus completed the documents and cast a spell to fill out the licenses. The Silver Oak Guild was replaced by the DeCapio Famiglia, and the tree was replaced by an outline of Sicily with a knife crossed over it. Vito received the Guild Leader and DeCapio Famiglia Boss titles. These titles multiply his strength by the number of guild members fighting alongside him.

Iris happily looked over her new license. “B-Rank. People work a long time to get even that high.” Her rank was higher than Vito’s, but he didn’t care much. They held their licenses together, which recruited Iris into his guild.

“Wait downstairs, I’ll bring the Darkmourn Manor plans to you,” Marus instructed them.

“Thank you,” Vito and Iris rose from their seats while Marus filed the documents away. Vito recovered the copied blackmail material, just to highlight that Marus was still on a leash, even if it was more of a generous leash.