You don't even want to call me godfather

"I think I should explain this."

Just when Angelina didn't know how to explain, Koshe walked out from behind her and revealed herself to the man.

"Godson..." The man subconsciously took a small step back, then stood firm and swallowed, "Godson, why are you here?"

His previous high spirits disappeared without a trace in an instant.

"This messenger is my friend. I am also responsible for the cargo issue. If you are dissatisfied with this matter, you can come to me for accountability," Koshe stepped forward, stretched out his hand and said, "Don't worry about your status. Treat me as your friend. I believe in friendship, and I am willing to express my friendship first."

The man looked at the hand that Koshe extended, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to shake it.

"To be honest, Godson, I have already asked you for help once before," the man just shook his hand, then let go and said frankly, "as a friend."

“Hmm?” Koshe took his hand back. “Please go ahead. I was a bit busy recently and I can’t remember all the people who asked me for help.”

"It was about my daughter's request. She was beaten to disability by several youths. I thought the government and the court would sentence them to a longer sentence, but when they appeared in front of me again without any injuries, it was only a month later, and my daughter was still lying in the hospital bed, unable to open her eyes."

"I remember this incident. It took a lot of effort," Koshe thought for a moment and recalled the man in front of him. "Those young men have some connections. It's really difficult to solve it with my power without relying on the Godfather."

"Yes, at that time, Father Cascade refused my request on the grounds that he was busy, so I had to ask you for help. Fortunately, God blesses me, and with a saint like you, my daughter was able to get justice."

The man had a look of gratitude on his face. It was hard to imagine what the scene would be like with his big and strong appearance and that expression, but Koshe witnessed it, or rather, he was already somewhat accustomed to it.

Almost every time he met someone he had helped, they treated him like this, and even praised him as a saint.

Although he doesn't really like this title.

"That's all for the thanks," Koshe interrupted the man at the right time, and turned his head to wink at Angelina. "Angelina should have other orders to deliver, so we'll leave first."

"Ah? Oh, yes. If I'm late for delivery again, my boss will definitely kick me out of the company."

Angelina understood and quickly added.

"Then I won't nag you any more, Godson. And Miss Messenger, if you are Godson's friend, there is no need to pursue such a trivial matter. I am glad to meet you."

The man also realized that he had talked too much and ended the topic.

"Then we will leave first, sir. May you and your wife and daughter usher in a new day and new grace."

With Koshei's prayer, the man closed the door.

Walking aimlessly on the deserted street, Angelina glanced at Koshei standing beside her hesitantly from time to time.

"What's wrong, Angelina?" Koshe noticed Angelina's abnormality and asked, "You look like you have something to ask me."

"Well... it's about what the gentleman just said," Angelina clenched her staff with both hands, "Mr. Koshe is really amazing. He has helped others so much that he is even called a saint..."

Angelina felt like she was dizzy. It had only been a short time and yet she acted like she had a good relationship with Koshe. If she hadn't heard what the man said, she might have almost forgotten the difference in status between her and Koshe.

"What saint? He was just given such a title for helping them get justice. It's really an exaggeration," Koshe said with some dissatisfaction. "If it was my father, godfather, he might deserve the title. He is God's agent in Syracuse, but now I am just a godson."

"Mr. Koshei... don't you want to be respected by the people of Syracuse?"

"Respect? Of course I hope they can respect me, but not because they need anything from me or just because I'm their godson," Koshe said with emotion. "When people care more about their differences than their commonalities, bad things will always happen. I hope for the same future as you do, that this country can be peaceful and equal."

"Mr. Koche..."

"This country is beautiful, but it is also destined to be cruel. The night in Syracuse is the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, but who knows how many acnes and old wounds will quietly grow in the corners that we cannot see behind this tranquility? If I can, I don't want to sit in this position..."

In the short two days that she had known Koshe, Angelina had already heard a lot of words like this from him.

He repeated over and over that his identity was not that important, and hoped that others would treat him as an equal friend, or an ordinary person, instead of putting him on a high position and looking up to him.

At the same time, Angelina could vaguely feel that Koshe seemed to be burdened with some heavy burden, and his attitude in front of her was completely different from that in front of others. Only in the short period of time after he came into contact with her Originium skills did he seem relatively free.

"Thinking too much makes one tired, and worrying too much makes one suffer. My mother told me this before I left home. Mr. Koshei, please stop thinking about so many troublesome things now," Angelina said, now she relaxed her hands that had been tightly holding the staff. "After all, your path is ultimately chosen by you, isn't it?"

"My path..." Koshe paused for a moment before he murmured, "Why should I choose?"

From the very beginning, he had no choice. This was an indisputable fact, from the day he was born as a godson.

“Dulululu——”

Suddenly, Koshei's cell phone rang. He took the phone out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID on the screen, frowned slightly, turned his back, and answered the call.

"Hey, Javi, it's me, what's going on?"

"..."

"I understand. You, Osta and Brocka, seal off the scene first. Don't let any suspicious people approach. I'll be there shortly."

"Di."

Koshe hung up the phone.

"Mr. Koshei, what happened?"

Angelina asked worriedly.

"I'm very sorry, Angelina, I may not be able to accompany you for the rest of the day. Something happened in the family and I have to go take care of it."

Koshe said apologetically.

"Yeah, it's okay. Mr. Koshei, go ahead and do your work."

"Well, let's get together again sometime later."

After saying goodbye to Angelina, Koshe went alone to the repair shop where Javi and others were.

At the same time, his mind was occupied with the emergency situation that Javi had just informed him of.

Why...who dares to attack the Cascade family's followers?

Chapter 8: The Inverted Cross

Under a church in Syracuse.

On the side of the church, a boy squatted there, in a daze. On the ground in front of him was a dying bird.

"What are you doing squatting here?"

A puzzled voice came from behind the boy. It was a girl who stood there with her head slightly tilted.

"A bird hit the church window and it looked very distressed."

The boy just turned his head and looked at her, then turned back and stared at the bird flapping its wings on the ground.

"Bird?" The girl walked forward and stood next to the boy. After watching the bird struggle for a while, she said, "It's too late to save it."

"I know."

The boy said without looking up.

"So what are you looking at? Watching it struggle?"

"I'm waiting for it to die and then bury it."

"Huh? Why go to all that trouble?"

The girl was puzzled by the boy's behavior, so she picked up the bird from the ground before he could react.

The bird tilted its neck, bent its two claws, and cried in pain.

"what are you up to?"

Looking at the girl's appearance, the boy asked.

"End its suffering."

"Click."

As the girl spoke, she grasped the bird's head, twisted her hands, and completely broke its neck.

"What are you doing!"

The boy quickly stood up, snatched the bird's body from the girl and questioned her.

"Instead of letting it continue to suffer like this, it is better to kill it immediately. This will at least reduce the torture for a while."

The girl was pushed two steps by him, but she didn't feel that she had done anything wrong, so she explained.

"That's not what I meant," the boy said, holding the dead bird. "This is a church. How can you kill someone next to a church?"

"Huh?" The girl was obviously stunned by the boy's answer, and then she laughed out loud, "Pfft, are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious. Killing is a big taboo, especially within the confines of a church."

"Okay, okay, okay, I get it. Really, you're such a weird person," the girl waved her hands, not paying attention to the boy's seriousness. She just sighed to herself, "Hey, what's your name? This is the first time I've met someone who reacts like you."

"Cascade, Kosh'e Cascade."

"Oh, that surname sounds familiar. Which family is he from?" The girl stroked her chin, trying to recall, but gave up after a moment and said, "Lappland, even though it's just a surname, you can just call me Lappland."

This was the first time Koshe and Laplande met, and it was a strange acquaintance for the two children.

……

Putting the strange memories behind him, Koshei had already arrived near the repair shop where Javi and others were.

Why did you suddenly think of Lapland?

When Koshei learned in the bar a few days ago that Lapland was carrying out her "cleansing", he warned her not to take action against the Cascade family, but now, only two days have passed, and such a thing has happened.

"Hey - Second in Command!"

As soon as he stepped into the evacuated area, Javi's voice came into his ears, coming from far away.

In a few seconds, Javi appeared in front of him with an expression that always made people feel a little uncomfortable.

"Javi, when are you going to change that outfit? You don't look like a family member at all."

Looking at Javi's outfit that looked like a street thug, Koshe couldn't help but complain.

"Well, why bother about such a small matter? Anyway, I won't go and rob people with you guys, so it doesn't matter."

Javi waved his hands, tilting his head slightly with a playful expression on his face.

It was because of this expression that Javi suffered a lot when he first joined the family. Some of the more hot-tempered members even took this as a provocation and targeted him everywhere.

Even the Godfather granted the Javi family the status of a member of the party only after Koshei pleaded with him.

Although on the day Javi was baptized by his godfather, he was kicked out of the window.

"What do you mean by robbery? What kind of misunderstanding do you have about the family..." Koshei was a little helpless, but he immediately brought the topic back on track, "Let's not talk about this. Javi, what exactly is going on?"

"This... maybe you, the Second in Command, should come and see it yourself."

Under Javi's guidance, Koshe followed him to a car repair shop. Just as the two were about to enter the shop, a loud roar was heard, followed by a chainsaw that blocked their way.

"Broca! Calm down, it's me and the Second in Command!"

Javi shouted quickly, and the sound of the chainsaw stopped. Baroque walked out from behind the door of the repair shop with hostility in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Godson Cascade, you told us not to let anyone get close, so I chose this method."

Brocka apologized, but the hostility in him did not dissipate at all.

"It's okay. It's good to be cautious, especially after something like this. No one can be trusted."

When Koshe walked into the repair shop, he was greeted by a strong smell of blood, which was even a little pungent.

"We went out to purchase parts tonight, and when we came back the garage had already become like this," Javi said, covering his nose and pointing at a body nailed to the wall. "Osta has already gone to inform the Godfather, and Brocka and I have not left the scene since we received the order from the Second in Command."

Upon hearing this, Koshe walked towards the body.

He took a pair of gloves from Javi and put them on, then squatted down and briefly observed the man's death.

He was hung upside down and nailed to the wall, with his palms and soles fixed with nails, deliberately forming an inverted cross shape.

Blood dripped down his head, gathered on the ground, and formed a cross along the gaps in the floor tiles.

There was a badge on his clothes, which was the emblem of the Cascade family. Based on the pattern of this badge, Koshe recognized the body in front of him.

"He is a cadre of the family."

He said.

"What? That... this is a big deal. Fortunately, Osta informed the Godfather in advance."

Javi couldn't help but feel shocked. The killing of family cadres was no small matter. It could even be said to be clearly targeted.

Koshe turned over the clothes of the corpse and found multiple knife wounds. The knife was extremely skillful. Almost every knife wound was not fatal, but it could make a person lose the ability to move.

It seemed as if he had gone through a long period of torture before being nailed here.