You don't even want to call me godfather

"The reconstruction of Syracuse Street has been on track for a long time. At the current construction speed, it will take about half a month to complete the work."

Loft placed his hands on the table and clasped his fingers together. There was some obvious dust on his hands, probably from joining the reconstruction work.

"Yeah, very good," Koshe replied absentmindedly. After a few seconds of silence, he asked again, "How are Jose and the others now?"

"...I'm sorry, Godfather, they haven't come back yet." Loft hesitated for a moment before telling the truth. "They have missed the agreed return time, and there has been no letters or news. Perhaps... they have encountered trouble in Colombia."

After Kosher returned to Syracuse, facing Colombia's actions that could almost be called a declaration of war, Kosher chose to implement a conservative strategy.

The people of Syracuse need him to stay in the country to stabilize the people's hearts, so he cannot leave the country in a short period of time, but he cannot leave Colombia alone either.

Therefore, some loyal party members led by Jose put forward a request. They hoped to organize an advance team to go to Colombia to gather intelligence and report the national conditions and current situation of Colombia to Koshe while avoiding war as much as possible.

Koshe agreed, and the next day after he returned home, Jose and more than a dozen other gang members, carrying several semi-automatic rifles smuggled from Lateran, set out for Colombia as the vanguard.

The batch of firearms that Sheffield had taken over earlier included fifteen machine guns and twenty-five semi-automatic rifles. Although they caused some trouble to Koshei in the beginning, they can finally be put to use now.

This batch of goods that once made them terrified was the last gift Adam left for Koshe.

"Is this so..."

Koshe was somewhat disappointed and at the same time very worried.

Perhaps José does lack the ability to be a cadre, but if he is just a thug, José's strength should not be underestimated, not to mention that there are more than a dozen family members with him.

Koshe currently had almost no intelligence about Colombia. He was not sure what situation Jose and his men would encounter, nor could he imagine why they had not returned yet.

"Perhaps we can form another advance team, Godfather," Loft suggested after seeing Koshe's disappointed attitude. "There are many party members who are willing to join the team heading to Colombia, and there are also many capable people among them. As long as you give the order, they can--"

"Loft."

Koshe suddenly interrupted Loft's words.

"…I'm sorry, Godfather."

Loft also realized his gaffe, he lowered his head and apologized.

Koshe could see that the recent busyness made Loft very tired and even a little impatient, but the matter regarding Colombia was not something that could be rushed. Loft was not calm enough, which was a very fatal situation.

In addition, Loft is the most senior and influential cadre in the family. If even he cannot remain calm, it will easily affect the emotions of the party members.

After his experience in Lateran, Koshe also understood the consequences of bringing personal emotions into national events, so he would not act rashly.

But now everyone in Syracuse is in a panic, including the party members, who are extremely nervous. He is young and has no experience in dealing with such situations. At present, he can only try his best to calm people down, and he has no idea of ​​any other strategy.

"Forget it," Koshe scratched his forehead with the back of his thumb and asked Loft, "What is the current attitude of the other families?"

"The Bligh family and the Sheffield family, who have the best relationship with our Cascade family, have already sent people to assist with the aftermath and reconstruction work. The Solomons family and the Manchester family are on the sidelines," Loft thought for a moment and replied, "Besides that, our family is still staying in Victoria and has no plans to return home."

"That's it..."

Koshe held his forehead with his hand. It was not unexpected that even those business families would have different ways of dealing with the situation.

But what really concerned him was...

"Speaking of Victoria, Godfather," Loft suddenly thought of something and interrupted Koshe's thoughts, "The Glasgow gang from Victoria has been applying to see you for several days in a row. Considering their performance during the invasion of Colombia, do you need to..."

"I know," Koshe waved his hand, agreeing with Loft's idea. "Next time they apply, we will arrange a meeting. You will help me plan the location and time of the meeting, Loft."

"Yes, understand."

Loft lowered his head slightly and accepted Koshe's order. Compared with the Syracuse-related matters that needed to be dealt with at the moment, arranging a meeting was too easy.

"Speaking of which, how's Iris doing lately?"

Koshe's thoughts had drifted away without him realizing it. He turned his head sideways and looked outside through the study window.

"Since Godfather returned to Syracuse, Iris has been staying in the welfare home. Apart from purchasing daily necessities, she has hardly ever gone out," Loft felt Koshe's concern for Iris, but still reminded him, "Regarding this matter, I hope Godfather can talk to Iris. She is now the leader of the Wolf Hunters, but she has neglected the training of the Wolf Hunters. With Syracuse's current national strength, before the comprehensive quality of the party members rises to a sufficient level, the Wolf Hunters will be Syracuse's highest combat power. I also understand Iris's fatigue, but such laziness is extremely disadvantageous to Syracuse."

Koshe let out a long sigh. He roughly understood Iris's thoughts and also knew the reason why she lived a secluded life. But Loft was right. Syracuse now needed the contributions of everyone, especially the wolf hunters. Even Iris was no exception.

At the same time, he couldn't mention what happened in Lateran to anyone, not even Loft, as this would affect the party members' views of Lateran. Given their current mental state, they could no longer be provoked.

"Okay, got it." Finally, Koshe had to compromise and promised Loft, "I will communicate with Iris, but it will only be me. I hope no one will interfere in Iris' affairs."

"Yes, I understand."

Loft lowered his head again and said so.

Chapter 4: Follow Your Heart

Today, it seems that someone will move into the welfare home.

Some of the books that were originally placed in the empty room may have to be moved to the library.

In the "East" welfare home, Iris was holding a pile of books, walking down the stairs and entering the library.

She placed the books on the table, sorted them one by one, and arranged them on the bookshelf.

The guests would probably be arriving for a while, so maybe there was still time to take care of the vegetable and flower gardens before then.

After all, once people arrive, things may get busy, and by then, I don’t know when I will have time to take care of the flowers and plants.

With this in mind, Iris had already sorted all the books. Looking at the neatly arranged books on the bookshelf, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was at this time that her eyes moved to the drawing board and picture books placed in the corner of the library.

After Destiny's death, she seemed to have no free time to paint since she took over the position of head of the wolf hunters. All her time was devoted to the big and small things in Koshea and Syracuse.

In addition to taking care of Lisa on weekdays, the wolf hunters also have to conduct regular training and testing. Syracuse's overall strength is low, and after the collapse of the original government, it lacks the main force to protect the country. Naturally, the wolf hunters have become an indispensable force.

but……

"You still can't be too arbitrary..."

Iris walked to the corner and picked up the sketchpad and picture book.

It’s not a good thing to always dwell on the past, so why not... just throw it away.

With this thought in mind, Iris opened the picture book.

Looking at the paintings on page after page of the picture book, the style that has gradually evolved from immature to skilled is the result of her years of practice.

She just stood there, flipping through the pages until the last page was blank.

Even though so many years had passed since that incident, she still couldn't bear to fill in the last page of the picture book. But now, she had found a new direction in life, and it was time to abandon this rotten and smelly past.

"Finally, let's draw it again."

Iris talked to herself as she held her picture book and drawing board, pushed open the back door of the library, and walked to the platform by the river.

She walked through the vegetable and flower gardens, brushed the accumulated dust off a chair on the terrace, and sat down.

Looking at the scenery on the river bank, which seemed different from the past but was imperceptible, she took a deep breath and picked up the paintbrush.

When immersed in the world of painting, time seemed to pass very quickly, and noon came in the blink of an eye. The paintings drawn by Iris with her somewhat rusty painting skills did not look special, but were full of emotions that were difficult to express.

Saying goodbye to the past so simply was probably the first time she had done something that could be considered impulsive.

"call……"

Iris let out a breath. She looked at the riverside landscape painting which she had painted who knows how many times, and her mood was indescribably complicated.

"Hey, it's a nice painting."

At this moment, a voice sounded from behind her.

Iris shuddered, but soon calmed down. This was not the first time she had been so absorbed in herself that she ignored what was happening around her.

"This is a clumsy work. I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Iris put down her paintbrush, stood up, laid the picture book flat on the chair, and turned to look at the person behind her.

"When I was in Rutland, I met a classmate in the military academy. She has a friend who is in a wheelchair due to an accident. She also paints in her spare time. If you have the opportunity to go to Rutland again in the future, perhaps you can get to know each other." The man smiled and extended a hand to Iris. "Although this is not the first time we meet, I will still need your guidance in the future, Miss Iris."

Looking at the hand extended to her, a hint of barely perceptible loneliness flashed across Iris's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Well, please give me your guidance, Miss Boye."

After a moment's silence, Iris reached out her hand as well and shook it with hers.

……

"Godfather, where are we going now?"

On the streets of Syracuse, two figures were walking in the same direction, one after the other.

"Orphanage," Koshei, who was walking in front, responded to Sheffield behind him, "Let me take care of some personal matters first, and then I'll talk business with you."

Sheffield scratched his head. He vaguely felt that something was wrong with Koshei's mood, so he chose to follow behind without saying a word.

Although it was Koshe who summoned him and did not say what specific matter he wanted to see him about, Sheffield always behaved very obediently in front of Koshe out of respect for him, and naturally would not say too much or ask too many questions.

As long as Koshe said something, he would carry it out unconditionally. This was what Sheffield had decided from the beginning after he came into contact with the Cascade family as he wished.

After spending some time together, both Koshei and other people in the parliament basically knew about Sheffield's admiration and loyalty to Koshei.

This is no longer the era where problems can be solved solely by personal connections, so people like Sheffield are truly rare.

"We're here." Just as Sheffield was thinking with his head down, Koshei suddenly stopped and said to him, "Wait outside first, I'll take care of it soon."

"Yes, Godfather."

Sheffield lowered his head slightly and accepted the order. After watching Koshe enter the gate of the welfare home, he turned around and stood at the door, acting as a guard.

Chapter 5 Her Garden

"Huh... we've finally finished moving everything." In the dormitory on the second floor of the welfare home, Bo Ye raised his arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He looked at the room that had been cleaned and tidied, and turned to look at Iris, who had helped a lot. "So what should we do next? Does Miss Iris have any work today?"

"I don't have any reservations," Iris answered nonchalantly, sitting on the edge of the newly made bed, playing with a marble she found on the floor, "My job is to do nothing."

"Eh?"

Bo Ye was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted. Iris, who even had time to sit by the river and paint, looked very free. The vegetable garden and flower beds that she had noticed earlier also proved what her life was like in Syracuse.

"I'll take this opportunity to tell you what you need to know about living here," Iris said again, seeing Bo Ye lost in thought. "You have to take care of your own meals and food every day. No one here will prepare meals in advance. You can put your clothes in the basket at the bathroom door at the end of the second-floor corridor. I will wash them every night. But if you have time, it's best to wash them by hand. The washing machine hasn't been replaced or repaired for many years, so there may be problems."

"Um..." Bo Ye interrupted Iris for a moment and asked in confusion, "Where are all the children here? When I received the notice from Koshei earlier, I heard that this was an orphanage, so I brought some toys for the children."

Bo Ye pointed to a half-open cardboard box under the windowsill, which contained the toy she was talking about.

"...Thank you for your concern, but unfortunately, there is only one child with special circumstances living here. I will introduce him to you later." Iris' heart dropped for a moment when she heard Bo Ye's question, but she continued to explain, "Every night, some wolf hunters will stay here overnight. Koshei should have mentioned the existence and nature of wolf hunters to you. Other than that, just don't make too much noise."

"That's it..."

Bo Ye felt a little disappointed. It seemed that some situations in Syracuse were far beyond her expectations. However, she noticed Iris's low mood and didn't say much. Since she had to stay here, she could only accept the reality.

But this box of toys may have been prepared in vain.

"Dong dong."

Just when the atmosphere between the two was a little awkward and depressing, someone stood at the door and knocked on the open door.

"Can I come in?" Koshe met the two people's gazes and walked in without waiting for their response. "Hi, Bo Ye and Iris, how are you doing recently?"

"Thanks to you, Godfather."

Iris raised her head and looked at Koshei, then lowered it again, as if dodging.

Since the Lateran group passed, Koshei and Iris both noticed the distance and relationship between them.

It is a good thing for two people to rely on each other, but for them, this is a relationship that came at a very inappropriate time.

One is the king of a country, and the other is the protector of the country. The heavy burdens on their shoulders do not allow anything to happen between them.

It is for this reason that after returning to Syracuse, Iris has been hiding in the orphanage and keeping a distance from Koshe.

"You look much better than before." Koshe also knew the reason, but he could only pretend to be unaware of his feelings in order to continue this relationship. "If you need anything here, you can tell me. I will bring it to you every time I come."

"It's okay, please don't worry about it."

Iris lowered her head and didn't look directly into Koshe's eyes.

Bo Yi, who was standing aside, quietly watched the two people's way of getting along, which made everyone else feel uncomfortable, and felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart.

She suddenly walked from the window towards Koshei, and in the latter's slightly puzzled look, she grabbed his shoulders with both hands, turned his body over, and then pushed his back and pushed him out of the door.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

Feeling the push from behind, Koshe was half-forced to move out. He turned his head to look at Boye, only to find that she was secretly winking at him.

"Godfather, please go first." Bo Ye stopped only after Koshei left Iris's sight. She stood outside the door, made eye contact with Koshei, and deliberately raised her voice so that Iris inside the house could hear her. "Miss Iris has been helping me tidy up the room for quite a while, and she must be very tired. If Godfather has anything to say, please wait two days before talking to me."

"Okay, I understand." Koshe straightened his collar that had been pushed askew and nodded to Bo Ye knowingly, "Then I'll leave the iris to you."