~A few days ago in a darkened conference room~
-You an to tell you about our techniques?
"Uh, yeah. Like how to fight in the darkness, how to control the darkness. That's your specialty."
That's how it was with Dark Spirit in the first place, because he was one of the best in the world at utilizing the darkness.
And he was able to do so because of his Dark Elental's unique skills.
-Do, Master. Even you, Master, can't do that…….
"What?"
He bowed his head deeply and muttered in a timid voice, as if my request was too much for him.
"Hard? Because I'm human?"
-No, that's not why, it's just that it's a skill that's only passed down to our kind, and we're careful not to divulge it…….
"Really?"
Apparently, our ‘Black Hand' didn't understand properly.
Well, that's as it should be.
……I'll have to resort to the traditional thod.
First, I walk slowly behind Black Hand, so that he can focus on the sound of my footsteps.
I want him to feel uneasy with each step I take.
Next, I put my hand on his shoulder and slowly squeeze it to the point of pain and coolness and everything in between.
Slowly.
Slowly.
Then, in a low voice, recite his mistaken beliefs.
"Your kind, you an, including the ones who abandoned you?"
-No. The race I'm referring to are the dark spirits.
"Really? Why, because humans can't learn?"
-No, not really. Anyone who can feel mana can learn.
I can tell from the fingers on his shoulder that he's tense.
[Additional effect of [Heir to the Dark House], an offer you can't refuse is being activated.]
[1. An Offer You Can't Refuse – Negotiation ability increases slightly; 2. Negotiation ability increases significantly, limited to those that fear you.]
From the mont he entered Corleone.
From the mont he told his true na.
He had no choice but to fear , so this was a foregone conclusion.
"In other words, it's hard to tell simply because I'm not one of the Dark Spirits."
-……I'm sorry.
"But aren't we already family?"
-……Yes?
"How long have we been under contract, and you've already forgotten that?"
I knew this was coming, so I pulled out the copy of the contract I'd packed and unfolded it.
"Here, what does it say?"
-……It says that all dark spirits in the Darkness Family beco part of Corleone.
"Right?"
-Ha, but that's not what it ans by family──
"──Family ans one thing in Corleone. A real family, not a group by necessity. So if it's the family's job, I'll do it as if it's my job. I guess you don't feel that way to you?"
-No, I didn't.
"Didn't we? It felt like a real family, didn't it?"
-Yes. Family, family, yes.
Okay, we're getting there.
"So let ask you this, are you more of a clan or a family?"
-Family! Family.
"Family, right? So, this thing. Can you tell about it?"
-I'd love to tell you, of course, but……the elders are against it──
"Do you want to convince them?"
-I'll……try to convince them.
"Yes, please."
And so a new skill was added to Corleone’s curriculum.
* * *
At the edge of Gangwon province, completely cut off from civilization, the helicopter slowly lowered its altitude and began to prepare for landing.
"Hey, Young Boss, we're in the middle of the forest."
Muttering, "What the hell……are we doing in the middle of the forest?" Jin-woo grabs the handle of the helicopter.
"We can't fly in from here, so we have no choice. We can't make a full landing, so get ready to jump."
"What?! Jump? You're giving us parachutes, right?"
Latte aka "Mickey" says in a tone of incredulity.
"Most Awakened don't die from falling, so why don't you just jump?"
"Ha, but──"
"Do you want to push you?"
"Pfft, pfft!"
The one who finally opens the door and jumps out first.
"Mickey."
"Yes, Master?"
"We're not low enough to jump yet, are we?"
"Uh……huh?"
As if to prove how high it was, there was a scream from below.
-Hmm.
"He's not dead, is he?"
"No. Oh, he's alive and well over there."
I look in the direction Latte pointed and see a human form swinging its arms in this direction.
Now that I think about it, his ability is to control the wind.
I'm already worried that he's going to get hurt before we even started the training, but thankfully he doesn't seem to be in any trouble.
Anyway,
-We're about to reach an altitude where we can jump!
Soon we reach an altitude where it's okay to jump.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
And just like that, we're out the door, and we land safely in the middle of the forest.
"Eek! Eek! Huh?! Oh, co on!"
Upon landing, Jin-woo scrambled to his feet and began dusting himself off.
"Do you mind if we go right away?"
"What? , ? Gee, it's okay, breathe!"
He suddenly bursts into tears and starts nodding his head incessantly.
……This must be the first or second ti he's done this.
Shaking my head, I unfold the map Black Hand gave .
I see that we're heading in an ‘S' direction…….
"Follow ."
My companions start running through the forest, with the map in the lead. Since we're still in the beginning of the forest, I will explain what to look out for.
"This is an area of overwhelmingly high mana compared to the rest of the forest. There are a lot of mutations in the flora and fauna, so if you see sothing strange or unfamiliar, ignore it."
"Mutations……you an?"
Sasha is the first to ask. But it was Latte, running alongside , who answered the question.
"We recently saw a rabbit chewing on a bear~ a fly digesting a deer~ and……."
"……an elk attacking with sonic booms."
"Ah, yes, the sonic attacking elk. You'd better be careful with that one, we have a mber of our organization who heard that scream without being prepared and went straight to the hospital."
A strange sound was heard in the distance.
"That's it, it's far enough away now, but if you see an animal like a deer close by, you'd better protect your ears first."
At first, I freaked out too.
I hadn't seen one in a long ti, so I was happy to see one, but I didn't know that it existed.
Luckily, there were no mutants or monsters along the way.
Latte, who had released the rats beforehand, made sure to check the area for dangers.
According to her, the DMZ environnt is very conducive to rats.
We walked for what seed like tens of minutes.
As I slowly slowed down, everyone else began to slow down to match my pace.
In the distance, a forest appeared, with a landscape unlike any other.
"……What kind of trees are so long?"
I hear Jin-woo mutter from the back.
He's not wrong.
And their strange twisting, as if trying to block out the sky, makes them look alien.
It was a bizarre landscape that, from the forest's outer periter, can only be seen as a magical landscape.
The sight was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those who first saw it.
"That's the Black Forest, the ho of the Darkness Family."
Sasha shakes her head at my explanation.
"It's a fitting na, since there's certainly no sun in that place."
"Yes, that's why it's the best land for them to operate in."
I said, and looked at Jin-woo and Sasha.
"What you're about to see and hear is only known at the highest levels in Corleone. So you must never divulge anything to the outside world."
"…… I'll keep that in mind."
"I will never tell."
The kids tensed up and answered my question straight away.
Latte watched them and started giggling.
"Well, you can tell when your mouth is itching, because I can take care of it before then……."
The kids squird once again at those words.
Just looking at her like this, Latte seems like a pretty scary person…
She's usually just like a timid hamster though.
"Mickey, stop scaring the kids. Black Hand will be waiting."
"Yep. Oh, there it is."
Latte waves her hand in the air, looking toward the edge of the forest and the other children's gazes follow suit.
The figure of a man wrapped in cloth, like a desert nomad, with black smoke billowing from his every movent, gave off a suspicious aura.
Soon, he was in front of us.
-Hello, Master, and……family.
He had a low, gravelly voice reminiscent of a cave.
Even though it was just a simple greeting, Jin-woo and Sasha swallowed hard, the tension in their bodies rising.
Oh no, they're already so tense.
Maybe I should step in and loosen them up a bit.
"He's Black Hand, the Don of the fledgling Darkness Family."
Their eyes widen at the sudden appearance of a new Don, and they quickly bow their heads.
"I'm Jin-woo Bevalt, Don Black Hand?"
-……Black Hand is enough.
"Ah, yes. Black Hand."
"……I'm Sasha Pivoakova."
-Nice to et you. Indeed, perhaps it's because you've been brought here by master, but your deanor is quite different. It's been a while since I've engaged in the act of ‘teaching' myself…but I'm already looking forward to it.
Since he is the head of an organization, he has good eyes.
After recognizing the potential of the people I had brought with , he smiled in amusent, turned around, and gestured to the children behind him.
-The training grounds are this way, follow .
The training grounds were inside the darkness we were heading towards.
The interior was filled with newly trained dark spirits.
“Spirits?"
"And this number……."
The children were once again stunned by the sight. But we ignored their reactions and continued on our way.
And then, standing tall in the middle of the empty training ground, Black Hand turned to face Sasha and Jin-woo.
-What you will be learning from now on are the combat techniques used by my family, and they will have a lot to do with the darkness. I wonder if any of you are afraid of the dark.
The two shook their heads at his question.
Did they find it amusing? Nodding once, Black Hand extended both of his hands in front of him.
-All right, then, before we get started, let's warm up a bit, shall we? For starters…….
Ah, finally.
-──I will only take away three senses.
The two reacted loudly at the sa ti as Black Hand spoke.
"Uh, eyes. Huh? What, what, why can't I hear anything……."
Jin-woo imdiately starts to fumble around, while Sasha exhales harshly and slumps to the floor.
……Yes, I know from experience that this training is going to be tough.
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