act21side

I hope that one day, you can just be a regular carwash worker here in Siracusa. One who never has to hold a weapon, ever again.

October 19th

How I yearn to unload everything on my chest in a speech.

But, I cannot.

I have to convince them that I decided to take revenge on the famiglie because of Carracci's death.

Plus, there are some words that cannot be spoken yet.

I'm not here to usher in a new era. I'm not arrogant enough to think that.

I don't even know how many hearts my words will be able to reach.

But, I believe that as long as this country still has people like me, Carracci, and Lavinia...

Then there is still hope for Siracusa.

So, I will write what I wanted to say here:

Having said so much about Carracci, the reality is, as you may realize, I'm not here to talk about Carracci.

I'm here to talk about myself. And all of us, my dear citizens.

We live in a cage called the famiglie.

They may not always directly affect our lives, but they are always a part of it.

Every ordinary person in Siracusa, over the course of their lives, will come to gain their own understanding of the famiglie through various ways.

And eventually, they get used to it.

However, I hope you can take a good look at the people around you, and look back at your own life.

There is one thing we all should understand—

We are human beings. Our lives are very much real. We are not livestock in a pen.

And above all, we are powerful.

Our power comes from the very lives we have created.

The lives the mafiosi relish in were also created by our hands.

This is the country we've built, brick by brick.

Judge Lavinia, am I dreaming? Why is my father... talking with a hitman like that?

No, father! He's in danger!

Lavinia feels tears welling up in her eyes.

But she does not have time to wipe them, because she already has a premonition in her heart.

She moves to Rubio's daughter and gently covers her ears.

The inhabitants of Volsinii will never forget this day.

On a clear morning, the crisp clarion call of a pistol's muzzle reverberates across Volsinii through every radio.

Former Volsinii Segretario di Sicurezza Alimentare Rubio died during his inaugural speech, taking over as Ministro dei Lavori Pubblici.

The chaos that ensued, though it would be subdued before half a day's time, in fact became the first step toward a new era for Siracusa.

Ugh, my tail's all wet.

Nothing's changed at all. Neither these filthy streets, nor this damned rain.

Dunno what it is, but even though the snow in Ursus can kill people, the rain here's somehow more unpleasant.

Hope there's a hairdryer at my master's place...

Her master's house is located at the end of this alley. Years ago, Crownslayer stormed off in a rage to prove that she was strong enough to take revenge on the conspiracies looming over her.

Now, Lyudmila has returned once more. Whether or not her efforts have poked a hole through that gloomy sky, she cannot yet say.

Possibly, nothing at all has changed. Possibly, she has become an accomplice to an even greater calamity.

But luckily, Lyudmila is still able to return to this place. She thinks to herself, surely her teacher will be able to tell her what to do next.

At that moment, she suddenly feels a chill.

At first, Lyudmila assumes it is because she is nervous about facing her teacher again.

But just as quickly, she realizes that she was wrong.

She starts to shake uncontrollably, on the spot.

Maestro!

The thick, inescapable stench of blood.

Her teacher lies face-up on the ground, fresh blood still flowing outward and spreading.

A small knife has been dropped nearby.

Lyudmila tries to approach and stifle her teacher's still-bleeding wound, but she finds herself unable to move a single step, unable to even tear away her gaze.

From the shadows wafts an aura that is both familiar and terrifying to her.

A wolf with gray hair, wearing a red hoodie.

The true wolf is dead. I did as Grandmother asked.

It's you.

What... have you done?!

I am a wolf hunter. I do as Grandmother asks.

The true wolf is dead. The true wolf did not fight.

Cazzo!

I'll kill you!

Hm... I promised Kal'tsit to only kill wolves. You are not a wolf.

Hm. Was she your Kal'tsit? That's why you smell of wolf.

*gasp*... *gasp*... You know she couldn't fight anymore, so why?!

Grandmother said. These are the rules of the game.

And now, she's out.

I have to go. There are other wolves here. I have to find them.

(Sniffs the air.)

But, another wolf is out of the game. Is someone faster than me?

Don't you dare leave!

The wolf in the red hoodie does not respond to Lyudmila's cries. She hums a fragmented ditty, flitting past Lyudmila with brisk steps.

Lyudmila's outstretched hand grasps only thin air.

She suddenly remembers what her teacher once told her:

'Lyudmila, do you know what it means to be my student?'

'I'm become decrepit and weak now. Are you still willing to be my student, and my tool?'

'We will both regret it, ragazza.'

Lyudmila falls to her knees.

'Drink deep of the suffering of the deceased'...

A performance worthy of Signorina Caterina! Well worth the wait!

So we finally know that Cellinia, the ideal Siracusan, was just a fantasy concocted by the collective Siracusan consciousness.

But because she was so well-known by the public as a symbol of perfection, her existence was reasonable enough to explain away through the common imagination.

I was blown away by the big reveal at the end. She never existed at all!

What a profound conclusion.

After the incident with that broadcast a while ago, and everything that followed over the next twelve hours, I thought that was going to be the end of Volsinii.

But despite all that, here we are enjoying such a fantastic production. Così è la vita!

You can say that again.

Phew, I thought the sky was going to fall.

Who would've ever expected things to unfold like that?

So, are you planning to move over to the new city?

Depends. But, if Signorina Caterina's plays are still available over in the new city, I could see myself heading over.

A city without famiglie, huh? Growing up, I never even dared to imagine a future like that.

Now that you mention it...

Did you know that Signorina Caterina is working on something completely new?

A new production?

That's right. The title of it alone is enough to get my blood pumping.

It's called: 'I Siracusani.'

A shovel digs into the dirt. Then again.

Leontuzzo is struggling to dig a grave in the cemetery.

Next to him is a coffin in which his father, Bernardo, sleeps.

Today is the funeral of Bernardo, the former don of Famiglia Bellone.

A funeral for one of the Dodici dons should have seen the entire cemetery packed to the fences.

But, not a single soul will mourn the passing of a man who betrayed his famiglia, his city, and his society.