Chapter 23: Riina family [2]

He glanced at Salvatore, who still had one hand resting on his shoulder.

"Sir Salvatore..." Marcus forced himself to speak. "I didn’t expect to see you here."

"Likewise, Captain Marcus."

Salvatore smiled politely, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Now, if you would kindly remove your men from my young master’s immediate vicinity, I would greatly appreciate it."

Marcus stiffened.

"Your young master is a witness to a terrorist attack. We need to question him and establish what happened inside this building."

"Of course."

Salvatore nodded as though Marcus had just made a perfectly reasonable request.

"However, my young master is injured and has just endured a rather unpleasant experience. I believe it would be best to let him rest before conducting any questioning."

"That’s not your decision to make."

The moment those words left his mouth, Marcus regretted them.

Salvatore’s smile widened slightly.

"Is that so?"

The pressure in the room increased.

Several government Awakeners immediately felt their knees weaken. Some struggled to breathe, while others instinctively stepped backward.

Marcus, however, remained standing.

He was an A-ranked Awakener, after all. Although he couldn’t compare to an S-ranked Saint, he wasn’t someone who would collapse simply because another Awakener released a little pressure.

Still, he could feel the difference between them.

It was like standing before a mountain and pretending that he could move it with his bare hands.

"Salvatore," Marcus said carefully, "I’m not trying to cause trouble for your family. But this is a serious incident. Eight terrorists are dead, numerous civilians are injured, and their leader has been subjected to extreme torture."

His eyes briefly shifted toward the mutilated corpse.

"Regardless of who your young master is, we need to understand what happened here."

For the first time, Salvatore’s smile faded.

"Understandable."

He removed his hand from Marcus’s shoulder.

The captain immediately regained control of his body, though the sensation of being completely helpless lingered.

Salvatore adjusted his cuffs.

"Then you should investigate the terrorists. My young master was one of their victims, and he defended himself while protecting the other hostages. If you have questions about the incident, I’m sure the relevant footage and witness statements will provide the answers you need."

"That doesn’t explain the condition of their leader."

"No?"

Salvatore turned his head toward the corpse.

For a brief moment, he studied the mutilated body.

Then he looked back at Marcus.

"Perhaps you should ask him why he thought it was a good idea to threaten the heir of the Riina family."

Silence descended upon the dining hall.

Several officers exchanged uneasy glances.

Marcus’s expression changed.

Heir?

He had suspected it already, but hearing Salvatore confirm it made the situation considerably worse.

Lorenzo Riina.

The seventeen-year-old son of Don Aldric Riina.

The same young man whose family possessed enough power to make even the World Government think twice before taking action against them.

Marcus had read the reports about Lorenzo before. Most of them described him as a spoiled, arrogant young man who relied on his family’s influence to get whatever he wanted.

"Captain!"

One of Marcus’s subordinates approached him cautiously.

"Sir, we’ve received confirmation from the teams outside. Overlord Aldric Riina’s personal forces have surrounded the building."

Marcus closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Of course they have.

"What about the perimeter?"

"They’ve blocked off several streets. Our personnel are being asked to withdraw from the immediate vicinity."

"Being asked?"

The subordinate hesitated.

"Well... they’re not exactly asking anymore."

Marcus slowly opened his eyes.

He could already imagine what was happening outside.

The Riina family didn’t negotiate when it came to their own.

And Lorenzo wasn’t just another member of the family.

He was Aldric’s son.

His only surviving son.

Marcus rubbed his forehead.

"Tell our people not to provoke them. Nobody fires a weapon unless I give the order. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinate hurried away.

Marcus then turned toward Salvatore.

"You’re putting us in a difficult position."

"Am I?"

"Your people have surrounded a government-controlled crime scene, and your young master is a key witness to a terrorist attack. I can’t simply pretend none of this happened."

Salvatore regarded him silently.

Then, from behind him, a faint voice interrupted their conversation.

"Salvatore."

Everyone turned.

Lorenzo had finally spoken.

His voice was quiet, almost indifferent.

Yet the moment it reached Salvatore’s ears, the older man’s entire demeanor changed.

He immediately turned around and bowed his head.

"Young Master."

"Where is my father?"

Gulp!

At the mention of Overlord Aldric Riina, Marcus Scout flinched and swallowed nervously.

Salvatore had a troubled expression on his face.

"Don was with us, but on our way here, we encountered Dreck Storms, the Sword Saint. He wouldn’t let Don pass, so the two of them went to the Spirit Realm, a world beyond ours, to settle things."

Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Dreck Storms?"

Salvatore nodded.

"Yes, Young Master. The Sword Saint personally intercepted Don Aldric on his way here. Apparently, he was concerned about the possibility of a conflict between the Riina family and the World Government."

He paused before continuing.

"Don Aldric wasn’t particularly pleased about being stopped."

Marcus’s mouth twitched.

Not particularly pleased?

That was one way to describe it.

If the reports were accurate, Aldric Riina had once destroyed an entire mountain range during a territorial dispute in spirit realm with another Overlord.

And now, the Sword Saint had decided to stand in his way.

Those two lunatics are going to destroy half the Spirit Realm.

Marcus silently prayed for the safety of whoever happened to be nearby.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo remained quiet.

He wasn’t particularly concerned about his father.

After all, Aldric Riina was one of the most powerful beings in the world. Even the Sword Saint couldn’t easily defeat him.

However, there was something else that caught his attention.

"Dreck Storms came personally?"

"Yes, Young Master."

Salvatore hesitated before adding, "He apparently received news of the incident shortly after it began. When the World Government learned that Don Aldric was heading here in a fit of rage, they requested that the Sword Saint intercept him."

Lorenzo glanced at Captain Marcus.

"Salvatore, it’s fine. I’ll go with them."

"But, Young Master—!"

"It’s okay. Everyone is doing their job. Let’s be civil, shall we?"

Salvatore said nothing. He wasn’t pleased with his young master’s decision, but he didn’t voice his concerns.

"Just take care of Sofia for me."

"As you command, Young Master."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Lorenzo walked past the officers and headed toward the exit.

"Let’s go."