My Second Life as a Mafia Tyrant

Chapter 5: A Player in the Drug Trade

　My mother’s funeral began that very day.

　But what was on Heinrich’s mind was not grief for his wife; rather, he intended to use this occasion to introduce his son to the executives of the Wolf Cartel and other drug cartels. That was what Alois didn’t like.

　Didn’t Father love Mother? He couldn’t help but think so.

“Alois. Come here.”

“Yes, Father.”

Alois slipped into his black suit—his mourning attire—tied a black tie, and followed Heinrich. A large crowd had gathered for his mother’s funeral.

　Most of them were half-breeds of Snow Elves and South Elves—black hair and tanned skin. Everyone wore uniformly sorrowful expressions.

But there was no way to know how genuinely sad they really were.

The residents of this village, Neue Netesheim, were likely truly grieving. Mother had continued to support the underprivileged farmers living here, helping them grow enough crops to make a living. My mother was a botanist and had a wealth of knowledge in that field.

Come to think of it, perhaps my father married her for her knowledge.

It’s easy to tell who isn’t from the village—they clearly stand out.

Expensive suits and shoes. Sports cars that look like they’re meant to be shown off. A bodyguard for each of them. The bulges in the bodyguards’ chests are from the guns they’re hiding.

　They arrive and offer their condolences to Heinrich.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Heinrich.”

“Yes. It’s a tragedy.”

It’s a lie. A lie. A lie. No one truly regrets my mother’s death.

It’s nothing more than an excuse to set the stage for negotiations.

“Let me introduce my son, Alois. Alois, this is Dominic, the boss of the Schwarz Cartel. I expect you’ll be dealing with him for a long time to come.”

“Dominic Teutrich. Nice to meet you, young master.”

The man was accompanied by burly bodyguards and dressed in mourning clothes, but around his neck was a tattoo of a collar being shattered into pieces.

　How ironic. The Schwarz Cartel, once thought to be the most unshakable, was crushed first in his first life precisely because of its sheer presence. Dominik was constantly hunted by the police and the military, only to be killed in the end like a stray dog. And yet, a tattoo of a collar being destroyed!

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Dominic.”

Alois simply suppressed his emotions and shook his hand.

The Schwarz Cartel was annihilated in his first life. What would happen in his second?

As Dominic left, the next man arrived.

“I’m truly sorry about your wife.”

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

Next was Werner Vislitzney, the boss of the Kuste Cartel. The Kuste Cartel’s current position is strictly under the Wolf Cartel’s umbrella. Perhaps because of that, he wore no conspicuous tattoos or suits.

　However, he knows that in his first life, the Kuste Cartel caused trouble, and the Wolf Cartel got dragged into that mess. He knows that the death toll kept rising, and Alois ended up mentally worn down.

“Let me introduce Alois. He’s my son.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Alois greets him politely. His face remains expressionless, but his tone is respectful.

“I’m Werner Vislitzney. Nice to meet you, young master.”

Werner acts like a friendly relative. He’s probably trying to win Alois over so that the Kuste Cartel’s position will be secured in the future.

“Nice to meet you.”

Alois was already growing sick of this ridiculous funeral that showed no respect for the dead.

Money and violence. The power derived from them. This was a gathering of people who wanted nothing more than that. Ridiculous. Their hands were stained with the money they’d earned from the drug trade, and they were covered in blood. He didn’t want such people at the place where he was saying goodbye to his mother.

“Boss. It’s a shame about this one.”

“Yeah. It is a shame.”

Another person driven by greed has arrived.

A man with a tattoo of an Asian dragon stretching all the way to the back of his hand.

“Alois. This is Norbert Nauyoks, one of our executives. He’s also a long-time business partner of mine. Remember him well.”

I have a faint memory of Norbert.

　I remember him playing with me when I was a kid because he was supposedly a relative.

Now even that memory is stained with the blood brought on by drugs. What a shitty story.

“Long time no see, Mr. Norbert.”

“I’m honored you remember me. You’re here to assist the Boss, right? If you ever run into trouble, feel free to come talk to me anytime.”

　Norbert is a typical yes-man—no, a remora.

He’s solidified his position by living off the crumbs from the boss, Heinrich. Though he’s a veteran executive, he doesn’t know how to take initiative. He might be able to offer advice to others, but he lacks the courage to do anything on his own.

“Is Karl absent?”

“We’ve only received a telegram.”

“I really need to patch things up with him at some point.”

Alois thinks it’s pointless.

Karl will betray him. But Heinrich trusts Karl. It’s ridiculous that a man who trusts nothing trusts the man most likely to become his enemy. In his first life, a lot of blood was spilled because of Karl.

Alois was determined not to let that happen this time.

“Did you memorize the names of the executives?”

“Yes.”

I’ve been dealing with those shitty bastards for ten years. There’s no way I could forget. That’s what Alois thought.

Dominik screwed up and is six feet under. Werner is the cause of the feud. Norbert is a brown-noser. Karl is a traitor. They’re all nothing but a bunch of assholes, aren’t they?

“Then, say your final words to your wife.”

It was the doctor who spoke the final words to Mom. Dad didn’t even come to check on her, and I had simply resolved myself to face whatever lay ahead.

　Only the doctor was there to witness Mom’s final moments, Alois whispered to himself.

I should have been there for her. It was a mistake to let Mom pass away alone. She’s dead now, and she’s not coming back. Instead of dealing with these guys who are so deep in the drug business, I should have spent more time with Mom.

Alois looked at his mother’s face in the coffin and felt that regret.

　A “Federation” funeral is no different from one held by the “National Union.” On the first day, people spend time with the deceased and talk with those who were their friends. On the second day, the deceased is cremated, and only the family is present to place the ashes in an urn. Then, the burial takes place. Everyone attends to witness the urn containing the ashes being buried in the ancestral grave. Prayers are offered at this time.

　But were the people here really Alois’s mother’s friends?

They seemed like nothing more than vermin drawn here by drug money. At least, that’s what Alois thought. They weren’t his mother’s friends. They weren’t the kind of people worthy of sharing memories of the deceased.

　In his first life, Alois had been so intimidated by the drug trade and the people involved that he had simply cowered in fear, but now he could see it clearly. They were scum, murderers. He didn’t even want them anywhere near his mother’s body.

But I’m sorry, Mom.

I’m going to end up joining their ranks.