I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 56

Yes, I had momentarily forgotten.

The Calione Family.

An international organization that brings numerous families under its wing, forming relationships akin to family.

Their characteristic was... treating people from the same family as real family.

"Yoojin! Do you remember your uncle? The one who used to give you piggyback rides when you were little!"

"Hey, that was ages ago, how could he remember? Yoojin! Do you remember the pocket money your uncle used to give you?"

"You rotten bastards! Can't you see how stiff Yoojin's face is! Shut up and sit still!"

The calm atmosphere from moments ago was gone, and the banquet hall became boisterous the moment I appeared.

As I stood there, bewildered by the scene unfolding before me.

Clap clap—

Amidst the noisy banquet hall, the sound of clapping took command.

Light, yet overwhelming.

It swept through in an instant, yet no one missed the sound.

A sudden silence descended.

"Enough."

As expected.

No matter what, there's no way he would stay quiet with all this noise in front of his father.

"Our Yoojin must have been startled, everyone. Sit here, Yoojin. You must be hungry, let's eat quickly."

I had forgotten.

That Vito Calione was more of a doting father than I thought.

"...Yes."

Breaking through the awkward atmosphere, I quietly sit in the empty seat next to my father.

At the same time, Parnello, who had moved behind my father at some point, clapped his hands a couple of times, and the doors on both sides opened, allowing carts loaded with food to enter in a line.

Finally, the real banquet began.

One by one, dishes were placed on the table. Soon, the entire table was filled with food.

My father tapped his glass a few times with a spoon to regain everyone's attention.

"Everyone, thank you so much for coming to celebrate our Yoojin. As it's been a while since we gathered, there must be pent-up stories, and things you're curious about. So let's speak openly and comfortably────"

"──Papa! Ji-yoon is hungry!"

In the middle of my father's speech, Ji-yoon burst into the dining room, making a loud noise as she opened the door.

Seeing her, the bosses from other families made faces that seemed to die of cuteness, and my father, looking pleased, hugged Ji-yoon as she ran towards him and said,

"Let's eat."

At the same time, the atmosphere of the banquet hall transformed into that of relatives meeting on a holiday.

"Good grief, Don. Kids these days call you old if you talk too much."

"Oh my! What kind of language is that to the Don! More importantly, Don, may I also hold Ji-yoon for a bit?"

"Ji-yoon! Come to your uncle, not that bad guy! Right!"

It seems that Ji-yoon's charm is truly unmatched, as the attention that had been focused on me just moments ago shifted to her.

As I watched the scene with satisfaction and started eating.

"Isn't it amusing? These guys, who are bosses of their families, behaving so boisterously."

I heard my father's voice beside me.

"On the contrary, it feels like meeting close relatives, so I'm comfortable."

That was true.

Who would have thought that a family banquet would be like this?

I was even prepared with digestive medicine, expecting to be tested for qualifications or to have a solemn and heavy meal.

But... it turned out to be such a light-hearted gathering. It made me feel like I had been tense for no reason.

"In fact, these people are not usually this light-hearted. They are the ones who move as bosses, taking responsibility for their own families at executive meetings or work-related matters. But today's 'banquet' is different."

A place where people meet to eat and talk.

Not something official related to work, but a place to celebrate.

"Before we were members of the same family, we were family members."

Most of the bosses gathered here were people who had built the organization with my father from the past and had overcome hardships and trials together as family.

"Today, they came here not for work, but solely to celebrate you, so I hope you treat them comfortably as well."

I think I understood what my father was worried about.

He was concerned.

That I might only see the Calione as an organization. That I might not understand why it's called a 'family'.

And I wanted my father to worry less about that.

"As a member of the family, I consider everyone as family."

"...Is that so? That's good then."

My father lightly patted my shoulder.

A while later, after Ji-yoon, who had been eating various dishes handed to her by the uncles, murmured, "I'm full..." and left the banquet hall, everyone's attention turned back to me.

"I heard you are in the same club as my son."

The first person to speak to me was Antonio Vivaldi, the boss of the Vivaldi Family and Jinwoo's father.

"Yes, you have a wonderful son. I received a lot of help from Jinwoo today."

At my words, Antonio seemed to recall something and chuckled.

"That boy suddenly begged me to teach him how to use his bloodline ability, so there was a reason for that."

"Ah, of course, I didn't force him or anything."

"Hahaha! Of course. I can tell just by hearing him talk. That dense kid still hasn't realized, it seems... Maybe he learned something by watching you, the young master. He's a talented kid, so he'll be a great help to you."

Antonio spoke to me with a pleased smile.

Seeing that, I decided to ask about something I had been curious about.

"There's something I'm curious about."

"If it's something I can answer, I'll certainly do so."

"May I ask why you didn't tell Jinwoo about my true identity?"

Jinwoo was a student at the academy, but before that, he was the successor of the Vivaldi Family and a member of the Calione.

From Antonio's perspective, he must have been anxious that Jinwoo might make a mistake with me.

But today, as well as before, Jinwoo's reaction showed he still didn't know that I was the successor of the Calione.

"Since the young master didn't tell Jinwoo, I kept it hidden as well. Did you not have any particular thoughts about it?"

From the way he spoke so naturally, I felt I understood what kind of person Antonio was.

"...You're right. Thank you for your consideration."

"Haha! It's only natural. I'll be counting on you to take care of my son in the future."

With that, Antonio bowed slightly and returned to his original seat.

The next person to approach was a middle-aged man who had just tried to give Ji-yoon a million credits as pocket money.

"Uhahaha! Nephew! You're already an executive, impressive!"

If it had been an official organization event, I might not have felt good about being called a nephew, but since my father called it a 'family banquet' rather than a 'Calione event', the feeling wasn't bad.

"Thank you, uncle."

It meant I didn't have to be modest.

I could just think of myself as my father's son, dining with my father's friends.

The name of the man who spoke to me was Mikela Milan.

A member of a family active in Europe, and someone who had returned to Korea upon my father's call.

"By the way, I heard you entered the academy as the second place? Haha! That's admirable! Very admirable!"

Mikela laughed as he patted my back. Suddenly, he stopped his arm and his expression hardened.

"Wait a minute, this... is this a suit made by the Maestro?"

He noticed it just by tapping the suit a few times?

Whether it was because the suit was that good or his senses were that sharp, I couldn't tell, but what was clear was that everyone in the banquet hall started looking at me after his words.

"Uh... yes. It's a suit my father gave me as a gift."

"Wow... crazy, absolutely crazy. I haven't even managed to place an order with the Maestro yet, and your father must have pulled some strings."

"Yes. I heard my father pulled some strings for it."

At my words, Mikela glanced at my father.

"Don, how much do you dote on your son? A suit by the Maestro? His health hasn't been good lately, so he's been giving us works by his apprentices, hasn't he?"

At Mikela's words, my father coughed and looked away.

"Well, the apprentices are skilled enough... and you guys don't really need such things anymore, right? It should go to someone who needs it."

"Ha... you're not just a doting father, huh. Humph! That's unfair. Now, the gift I prepared seems insignificant in comparison!"

Huh? A gift?

"Back in my day, we didn't have such things, but I heard that when you attend the academy, you often engage in sparring. So, this uncle pulled some strings."

As he said this, Mikela suddenly reached inside his jacket. After a moment, a large box emerged from his pocket.

...What's this? Is it a suit with a subspace artifact attached?

For now, I dazedly accepted the box and opened it, and inside, I saw neatly packed glass bottles.

"These are holy waters blessed by the cardinals in Vatican with the saint herself. They say it heals wounds and ailments quickly, with no side effects like potions, and it's even better for the body."

This was an item I had used a few times in the game as well.

Among the holy waters, this was an S-grade, top-tier holy water.

Since it was a precious item even in the game, I could roughly guess how valuable it was in this world.

"Thank you very much. I will repay you later."

"Repay? No need, it's just a gift from your uncle because he loves you, so just say thank you and take it!"

And so, starting with Mikela, the bosses of other families also began handing me gifts one by one.

Most of the gifts were elixirs or potions, probably because of the news that I had entered the academy.

Eventually, a mountain of gifts as tall as me piled up next to me before the gift-giving spree ended.

After that, there wasn't much else to do.

They told me to come help if there's work next time, to stay healthy, and to speak up if I need any help - just ordinary conversations.

It really was just a family event, albeit on a larger scale.

Of course, the scale was overwhelming at times, and the sheer number made me feel tired, but that's all.

Finally, as the banquet ended, and all the family bosses returned to their respective positions, the silence that ensued quickly enveloped the mansion, as if it were familiar.

"You went through a lot of trouble mingling with the old men."

As I walked to the study with my father, he suddenly spoke up.

"Though today we met as uncles and nephews, one day they will come to help you in the name of Calione. So, remember them as your people, and always think of them."

I nodded silently at my father's words.

One of the positions I must ascend to see the ending of this game world, the Don of Calione.

And as my father said, they would one day move for my sake.

"You're going to the academy tomorrow, right? Rest well today. If I need to ask you for anything, I'll pass it through Parnello."

"Understood. You should also go in and rest well, Father."

"Alright."

After seeing my father to his room.

I stood blankly in the now empty hallway as the servants left to clean up after the banquet.

Another event ended like this.

But I couldn't just stand there dazed.

Because another big event awaited me at the academy tomorrow.

I sighed as I thought about the 'class ranking tournament' starting tomorrow.

"No rest days, really."