Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 141: Plans and Pawns

Laxus quickly understood the signal and exited the study in haste.

Just as Jet had warned, the +ead of the Don Ferocelli family returned mere seconds later.

Laxus and Jet hid in the shadows, watching as the head briefly checked his surroundings before entering the study.

A faint smirk tugged at Laxus’s lips.

Checking for other presences before entering the room was practically an admission of guilt.

It seemed that the suspicions his father had voiced earlier were more than just speculation.

...

"At least we’ve narrowed down the prime suspect behind the mastermind," his father had said with a wry smile just before Laxus had collapsed.

Most of those people present at the meeting had likely come to the same conclusion about the identity of the mastermind.

After all, this person had been a known topic of conversation in the criminal underworld—someone whose eventual move had long been anticipated.

"The mastermind... could it really be... ’the Noble’?" Laxus whispered under his breath.

He strolled leisurely down the empty hallway, his voice laced with faint irritation.

Jet who is walking beside him, began to fidget nervously, clearly picking up on Laxus’s mood.

In response, Laxus offered him a reassuring, albeit practiced, smile.

"Don’t worry. I’m not angry," Laxus said lightly. "I’m just... a little disappointed."

Why was it that people in power failed to grasp the meaning of the term "dual worlds"? Those who stood at the top should understand its significance better than anyone.

The boundary between the surface world and the underworld existed for a reason, and the two were never meant to intersect.

It wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp.

Still, Laxus admitted there was some inevitability to the situation.

After all, the so-called "Noble" in question were members of the family who hadn’t been chosen to rule.

"Once you’ve been cast down, you should stay down. But no—those who lose never seem to know when to give up," Laxus muttered, his tone sharp with disdain. "It’s such a nuisance for those of us forced to clean up after their messes."

Laxus muttered softly to himself, his voice barely audible.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, catching a glimpse of a shadow flitting past the window.

The source of the shadow was a small bird.

Perched right in the center of the window frame as if on cue, the bird tapped lightly on the glass with its tiny beak.

Before Laxus could fully register that this was no ordinary bird, Jet had already sprung into action.

He cracked the window open just enough for the bird’s faint chirping to be heard.

Jet turned back to face Laxus after listening to the bird’s sounds.

"An urgent report?" Laxus asked.

Jet nodded firmly before releasing the bird to the sky and shutting the window.

Lowering the cloth that covered his mouth, Jet spoke in a hoarse voice, a rare occurrence.

"...It’s from Warren. He found Vaan gravely injured at the Senza Nome Graveyard."

"Vaan?" Laxus mused. "Oh, you mean Georgio the Hyena’s brother-in-law?"

No, wait.

That wasn’t right.

Didn’t Georgio’s sister die before they got married?

Laxus shrugged his shoulder, exhaling a small sigh.

Well, it didn’t matter.

So, that man had been targeted to be silenced too.

Now that Laxus thought about it, Vaan had been told to attend the meeting as an important witness, but he hadn’t shown up.

It wasn’t surprising, though.

While Georgio was the only one who’d faced the mastermind directly, Vaan himself hadn’t gotten particularly close to the truth.

From Laxus’s perspective, the man wasn’t a particularly critical witness.

So, whatever happened to him wasn’t of much consequence.

However, Vaan was Liek a family to Georgio, who happened to be one of Rocco’s favorites.

If leaving Vaan’s situation unaddressed were to result in Rocco crying,

it would only make Laxus’s efforts to secure the approval for his and Rocco’s marriage even more difficult.

And that was unacceptable.

It’s ot because Laxus harbored any particular feelings for Rocco, of course.

However, the thought of Rocco married someone else was enough to make Laxus’s blood boil.

For his own peace of mind, Laxus couldn’t allow any situation to unfold that would deepen the groundwork for someone else to take Rocco away.

"Hmm. That man—Vaan—is he still alive?" Laxus asked, tilting his head slightly.

"...Barely. He’s in one piece, at least," Jet replied.

"Fine, then. Make sure his wounds are treated. After that, you can leave him be," Laxus said coolly.

So, the mastermind hadn’t killed Vaan.

It was more of a warning—a display meant to discourage further pursuit.

A lenient gesture, perhaps, or perhaps a crueler one depending on how one looked at it.

If they’d killed him outright, Vaan could have at least been reunited with the woman he loved.

"Well, if he survived, so be it. He seems to have some talent for reconnaissance. He might be useful as a disposable pawn," Laxus mused.

Vaan, after all, had managed to outwit an Assassin Guild in an information battle and come out victorious.

If nothing else, he could serve as bait.

From what Laxus had heard, Vaan had become a shell of himself after watching his target for revenge be easily killed right before his eyes.

People in such states were the easiest to manipulate into becoming loyal pawns.

A broken heart could be mended with a new romance.

A lost hatred could be replaced with a new vendetta.

Simply telling someone that their true enemy still lived was often enough to fill them with a blind and foolish determination.

"Let him work for the sake of my future wife," Laxus remarked with a sly grin.

After all, Rocco Di Malvento was like a fragile, timid little rabbit—weak, scared, and prone to tears.

That silly, adorably naive demeanor could only be seen in a peaceful world, safely tucked away in a sheltered environment.

This dangerous, turmoil-filled world would surely dim that light over time.

Seeing Rocco in their innocent state brought Laxus a peculiar sense of calm.