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Chapter 77
Since Messina became head of the Rezetta Family, this was her first failed assassination.
In a way, it was inevitable. After all, their target was Killian.
“Seeing as you sent Cézanne as a spy, I guess you knew from the start that I’d be coming to assassinate you?”
At Messina’s words, Killian nodded and pulled out a cigarette.
The Starr Family had been monitoring the Crown Prince’s movements for months. Especially since he had joined hands with the Giuliano organization, they had no choice but to stay alert.
“I didn’t expect them to use your family as a pawn, though.”
Killian chuckled and lit a match.
The Crown Prince’s obsession with Emily was abnormal. It wasn’t as if they had known each other for long, nor were they even dating.
But he had been granted the very best from the moment he was born. He always got what he wanted.
Perhaps the one thing in his life as Crown Prince that he failed to obtain was Emily’s affection.
So if Killian was the one responsible for that failure, it was only natural that he’d want Killian dead.
The only problem was that Killian wasn’t someone who would die so easily.
In any case, the Starr organization had intervened in Lucius’ plans even before he tracked down the Rezetta Family’s hideout.
The first thing they did was to turn Cézanne into a double agent.
That part was easy. The Crown Prince still wandered around Emily under the guise of coincidence.
Because of that, Cézanne—who accompanied Emily as her escort on outings—often ran into him. And then, one day…
“Your Highness.”
Lucius looked startled when Cézanne, who had always been wary of him, suddenly spoke to him.
“Please keep the fact that I’m approaching you like this a secret.”
“…What is this about?”
This time, he looked at Cézanne suspiciously.
“Do you still harbor feelings for my lady?”
“Why else do you think I’m doing all this?”
Lucius scowled irritably.
“In that case, I can help you.”
“You expect me to believe that all of a sudden?”
“It’s true. In fact, I hate that bastard Killian.”
She then smoothly lied, claiming that Killian had killed her benefactor, Claude, and fooled him completely.
Manipulating the naive Crown Prince at an opportune moment was easy. But deceiving the Rezetta Family was harder.
So Cézanne deliberately leaked information—about clubs, casinos, and properties Killian planned to contract—through the Crown Prince, building trust.
The problem was that Messina was naturally suspicious, so she never disclosed assassination dates or locations easily.
“They’ll definitely use guns, that’s for sure.”
In response to that, Pete suggested that Killian wear armor on a daily basis.
“But how do we protect the head?”
Nox frowned and thought hard. It was obvious they would aim for the head to ensure success.
“If only there was some super tough hat that could deflect bullets.”
Hearing that, Pete slapped his knee.
“Nox, I can’t believe you came up with something that clever!”
“…Is that supposed to be a big idea?”
Nox looked sour, but he couldn’t deny it felt good to be praised for once.
“People like us, with highly developed brains, tend to overlook simple solutions.”
“Oh great, now I understand why you were complimenting me…”
Pete ignored Nox’s grumbled curses and headed straight to the weapons dealer to place an order.
“So… you want me to make armor that looks like a silk hat or felt hat?”
The weaponsmith looked dumbfounded by Pete’s request.
“To make armor in that shape, I’d need a new mold, and designing a brim isn’t simple. You think I’m a fashion designer?”
“You’ll be paid well. This is the deposit.”
Pete showed him a bag full of cash.
“And if you succeed, I’ll double that.”
“…I’ll do it.”
But finishing the hat within the promised time was no easy task.
It had to be light enough for the head, unlike chest armor, and since the materials weren’t meant for hats, it didn’t fit the head properly.
After several failed attempts, the weaponsmith finally spoke with confidence.
“Just give me a little more time and I’ll have the perfect hat within a week.”
He even developed a new material—extracting magically resistant fibers and compressing them into a dense mesh.
The plan was to use the principle that magical bullets would get caught in the mesh instead of piercing through, turning it into a defensive helmet.
“It won’t absorb shock completely, so you might faint temporarily. But the magic bullet will never penetrate your skull.”
The problem was time.
If the Rezetta Family attempted the assassination within the week, they would be defenseless.
So Cézanne increased contact with them to find out the precise timing.
Then one day, she entered Starr headquarters with a bright expression.
“Killian! I just found out Rezetta’s schedule!”
Emily had been a huge help.
Cézanne overheard the assassination date during a conversation between Emily and Marlene, and intentionally leaked it back to Messina.
As expected, Messina postponed the plan in fear of exposure.
That bought enough time for the hat to be completed.
Unaware that Killian was now armored from head to toe, the Rezetta Family celebrated prematurely, believing their assassination succeeded.
That was when Cézanne struck.
She waited until they relaxed and packed their things.
And the moment no one was visibly armed, she launched a firework into the sky—the signal.
At Cézanne’s cue, Starr members—already armed—stormed the Rezetta hideout.
To prevent retaliation, Johan lit incense that paralyzed limbs.
The Starr members—including Cézanne—were unaffected because they had trained to become immune.
Although most Rezetta members were semi-conscious, Messina, who had A-rank magic, recovered quickly after adjusting to the scent.
“Wait—so the part about you killing Claude was fake?!”
At Messina’s question, Cézanne answered instead:
“Yes. Claude died of illness. It had nothing to do with Killian.”
Messina’s jaw dropped.
“Killian, did you raise mafia soldiers or actors? Her performance was so good I was impressed!”
Cézanne blushed.
“That wasn’t a compliment. Don’t look shy.”
Messina snapped.
“Anyway, I thought you were the most ungrateful bastard alive, but if that’s not true, then fine. I’m glad I didn’t kill you.”
Killian narrowed his eyes.
“You mean that?”
“I do. It’s a shame I couldn’t make Lucas a noble, but I’m not the kind of person who breaks mafia codes for personal gain.”
Her gaze was firm as she said it.
“Hey, I’m a victim here too, you know. You’re not planning to kill us, are you?”
“Hm. I’ll have to think about it.”
Encouraged by Killian’s response, Messina shuffled forward on her knees.
“My next plan is to deal with those Giuliano bastards. Want in?”
That caught Killian’s interest. He raised a brow.
“How?”
“I can’t tell yet. Just shake my hand. I’ll repay the debt with this. We weren’t on bad terms, were we?”
The Gotio Family was already allied after the funeral incident. If Rezetta joined as well, taking down Giuliano would only be a matter of time.
“And how do I trust you?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that, you scammer?”
Messina glared at Cézanne and Killian, fuming.
Killian casually dusted off his clothes and changed the subject.
“But if people know you’ve joined hands with me, the Crown Prince won’t leave you alone.”
“Of course we’ll keep it secret. Even if he blames me for failing the assassination, he can’t say much.”
After all, the first assassination had already failed thanks to Lucius’ loose lips. And if Cézanne was exposed as a double agent from the start, he’d look even worse.
“If we need to meet, I’ll visit you as a fellow parent… Heh, this is getting fun!”
At that, Killian’s face stiffened.
“What’s that look for?”
Right on cue, Giovanni cut in, as if grateful the topic came up.
“Killian plans to divorce the lady, so meeting as fellow parents may not be possible.”
“…What?”
Messina made a grotesque face.
“What do you mean? When I saw you two before, the whole family—no, you two—looked like you were getting along great.”
Grumbling to herself, she squirmed.
“Can you untie me already? Let’s talk sitting comfortably. I’ve never knelt this long in my life.”
They had already confiscated the Rezetta Family’s weapons and searched Messina, so Killian signaled for Cézanne to untie her.
“Ahh—finally.”
Groaning as she stretched her cramped legs, Messina continued.
“So go on. You’re breaking up with Emily?”
Killian glared at Giovanni once, sighed, and said:
“Why should I discuss that with you? Mind your own business and let’s talk about Giuliano.”
“Is that really the issue right now?”
Messina clicked her tongue.
“Killian, I can guess why you’re trying to throw away a hard-earned marriage at this point.”
For once, her expression was serious.
She’d actually been quite shocked during that visit to the Starr mansion. She never imagined Killian was capable of such warmth.
And the way Emily looked at him—there had been real affection.
‘Is this idiot really unaware? Or pretending not to be?’
Looking straight into Killian’s eyes despite her frustration tightening in her chest, Messina spoke sharply.
Her analysis was spot on.
“Think carefully. Divorcing Emily won’t erase your weakness.”
