Chapter 177
“Foreign witches from distant lands greet the masters of House Corleone, rulers of the Underworld!”
Flying on brooms from the rising moon, the witches landed in front of us with a natural grace, removing their long hats and bowing respectfully.
“You’re always working hard.”
As if he’s used to their greetings, my father removes his bowler hat and inclines his head.
The witches giggle, seemingly amused by the sight.
“As always, the Lord of Corleone is a gentleman!”
“If only the others were a little more like the Don!”
“Alas, alas. After we have served Corleone, we poor folk will be despised and discriminated against by others.”
“Filthy whores who have sold their bodies and souls to the devil!”
“But we’re fine! Isn’t that true?
Giggles──
Their gestures and movements, as if watching a musical, were eye-catching.
After all, the witches of CS were extremely beautiful.
“Oh my God. The invitation says that there’s one more person!”
“What could this be? Don Corleone. And Lord Parnello.”
“Oh, really? There’s one more person!”
With exaggerated gestures, the witches begin to crowd around me.
“And who is this handsome gentleman?”
“Well…… he looks a lot like Don Corleone, could it be Corleone Junior?”
“Corleone Junior, what a treat to meet you, how nice to see you, Corleone Junior!”
“You don’t happen to have a witch servant, do you? Next to the devil, I’d give you my soul!”
As they begin to giggle, leaning in closer and closer, my father puts his hand on my shoulder.
“I vouch for the qualifications of my son, Eugene Han Corleone, and I will take responsibility for any liability that may arise. That should be a sufficient explanation for the others.”
Like balloons blown away by the wind, the witches who had stepped back nodded at father’s intervention.
“Of course, and on whose word!”
“If it comes from Don Corleone, it will convince anyone else!”
“If you say it is, who would dare to disagree?”
Once again, as I watched them being summed up by father’s words, I realized the power of the name Corleone.
Witches, the craziest of crazies, the most unintelligible of NPCs, and the most unpleasant of NPCs to deal with in-game, could be persuaded so simply.
Even when I was a magical girl, I tried to be friendly, but they tried to pull pranks whenever they could…….
Problem is, those pranks were never typical.
You know, like the ones where the minions suddenly bite your head off, or the ones where they try to sell you some weird demonic stuff called entropy.
That’s the kind of evil they are.
It’s exhilarating.
It was clear that this was a world of strength, power, and connections.
“Gentlemen, gather round!”
“Now is the time for our witches’ festival!”
“Gentlemen, please join us and look forward to the festivities to come!”
“Now, my sisters and brothers, gather round, and let us show the gentlemen our dance!”
The witches in a circle around me, my father, and Parnello hold each other’s hands and begin to twirl around us in a large circle.
“Please make yourself at home!”
“Don’t forget us!”
“We’ll spread the word that Master Corleone is handsome!”
“All handsome men are brothers!”
There seemed to be an interruption, but……it would be weird to talk here.
I thought it would be a funny situation if I were the only one who was talking while my father and Parnello were standing still.
Slowly, the witches surrounding us begin to move faster.
Colorful mana, like a rainbow stretched thinly around us, begins to cover us, and finally our bodies.
It was a teleportation between continents that I had only seen in games until now.
When the mana that began to pour from them formed a dome, blocking all vision
────Bang!
I began to feel my stomach twist under the immense gravitational pull, as if I were being squeezed from above.
“Shut it off!”
I clench my fists and grit my teeth to hold on, and then a huge hand is placed on my shoulder.
“If you keep your back and head as straight as possible, it’ll be easier to hold on.”
I struggle to get a word out, but he’s giving me tips in a very relaxed manner.
Even I, who was used to the recoil of teleportation, was at a loss as to how to withstand this much force.
Still, I couldn’t show them I was struggling in front of them.
The last thing I needed was to be seen lying on the ground, ugly as hell.
I stare straight ahead with my legs and neck craned as high as I can.
I taste iron in my mouth, but I don’t care.
At that moment
Zhiyi yi yi yi yi ying───
The loud noises that had been filling the surroundings until now faded away, and the glow began to fade.
In response, Parnello’s voice is heard.
“Looks like we’ll be here soon.”
Yes.
We are finally entering the gathering of the world’s greatest underworld tycoons.
Kwah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
With a loud explosion around us, the cluster of lights completely disappeared, and the landscape around, which had been Corleone garden just a moment ago, changed completely.
Huge trees and manicured lawns filled the surroundings.
And then there were the colorful lights.
“Welcome to The Hague. Don Corleone, Lord Parnello, and……the new guy over there must be Corleone Junior.”
An elderly man in a monocle bows and greets us in a respectful manner.
He raises his head, glances this way and that, and then opens his mouth.
“There are others waiting for you. Let me lead you to them.”
With that, he turns and walks away.
The scenery around us was nothing short of spectacular.
It looked like a park in a typical European city center but the unlit area is filled with magical, colorful lights.
The flickering lights look like wind chimes and ghostly lights.
It’s a rare sight, like entering another world.
When I looked closely, I saw an engraving on each light.
If it looks like that, it must be a ritual to isolate a space from its surroundings. The fact that this number of lights had to be imprinted on each and every one of them showed how much effort was put into security, not to mention the price.
“This must be the Bos forest in Den Haag,” I thought, “European forests definitely have a different feel to them than Korea.”
Parnello nods and looks around, knowing the location in an instant just by looking at his surroundings.
How can a forest be named Bos, even if the meaning is different?
Still, I suppose it’s a fitting name for this place.
“Here we are.”
Dad says as I see a bright array of lights in the distance.
Lights and decorations adorned the surroundings in a way that would make anyone think it was a banquet hall.
There were crowds of people milling about, dishes piled high on tables.
“It really is a party.”
The sight of the gathering I remembered unfolding before me stirred something in my heart.
Was it nostalgia?
No, in this case, happiness and fulfillment. And I could tell I was getting a little overwhelmed.
──♬ ───♪
Glowing fairies fly over the tables in the garden, and a band plays on the stage, creating a cheerful atmosphere around them.
In the sky, witches fly around on brooms, creating new lights or repairing old ones, and in the banquet hall in the garden, people dressed in their own personal style or in immaculate attire mingle and chat.
This is Walpurgis Night.
“Please, I hope you will have a good time.”
The usher who led us to the front of the banquet hall bowed and walked off into the woods, disappearing from sight.
‘Is this the end?’
Before we were fully inside the ballroom I looked at the people already inside, eating and talking.
“Looks like we’re almost last in line, huh?”
Looking at the people already here I ask, knowing that the nature of Walpurgis Night prevents a large crowd from gathering, but Parnello’s answer is one that seems so obvious.
“Because it would be absurd for Don to wait for others.”
“……It certainly does.”
He was the one who kept everyone else waiting, not us.
“Let’s go.”
Silence fell over the once-bustling ballroom as my father, Parnello, and I walked into the ballroom.
It wasn’t stares or surprise or anything like that.
“Don Corleone.”
“Don Corleone.”
“Don Corleone.”
“Don Corleone.”
They were just being polite as if it was a given.
As we walked by, many people took off their hats and held them in front of their chests, greeting us softly.
As if he was used to seeing them, my father made brief eye contact with each of them and continued onward in silence.
His destination was not far away and he was walking in silence toward the man who sat there.
As we stood in front of the dais, the man who had been sitting there in silence rose from his chair and slowly made his way down the aisle, bowing softly.
“Don Corleone.”
“Dr. Faust.”
I swallowed hard as I watched him take the hand my father offered.
This is the man who leads this Night of Walpurgis.
The man who had won the only battle with the devil and is considered the greatest mind in Europe, Dr. Faust.
After shaking my father’s hand, Faust rolls his jade eyes and looks at me, standing behind him.
“I remember sending invitations to Don Corleone and Lord Parnello, but I don’t recall calling the young man behind……if I may ask who he is.”
He had an uncanny sense of seeing through people.
Part of me wanted to avoid his gaze for the moment, but knowing that in times like these, I had to be strong, I gave him a rather laid-back smile.
After all, he was the one who asked the question, not me.
“My son.”
“Oh.”
“Is that a problem?”
At father’s words, he smiled and waved his hands in the air as if to say something.
“Of course not, he is the Crown Prince Corleone, and no one else. I would rather express my deep gratitude that you have come to grace this occasion.”
Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk.
He casually walks past my father, smiles, and offers his hand.
“I’m Dr. Faust. I’ve heard many stories about the crown prince of the Corleone family.”
I never thought he’d offer to shake my hand in front of all these people.
It was a sign of respect for my father and respect for the Corleone family, so I put on my best fresh-faced smile and replied as usual.
“Eugene Han Corleone. I, too, have heard many stories about Dr. Faust.”
“Ho-ho, you mean my story?”
He looked pleasantly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected his story to come out of my mouth.
“Can you tell me what stories you’ve heard?”
“Oh. It’s not much, but I’ll tell you if you don’t mind.”
Dr. Faust.
“That you have joined hands with the League of Villains.”
Let’s start with the killing blow, shall we?
