"Many people saw it, without Corporal Jay, the guards outside wouldn't have stood a chance against the Mafia's assault."
"But it seems like only Corporal Jay was impressive. The rest of the Marine didn't perform well at all… not a single Mafia thug was killed by them, just as expected."
After the butler finished speaking, Tessa's eyes lit up.
"Then bring him back to protect me immediately! Oh, and I must reward him handsomely!"
It wasn't long before Jay and the other Marine soldiers stood before Miss Tessa once again.
But this time, Tessa didn't give them the usual arrogant glare. Instead, she was composed, graceful, even gentle, displaying the elegance befitting a noble lady.
"Corporal Jay, this is a small token of appreciation from our lady. We ask for your continued support in protecting her."
One million Berries!
Just like that, it was handed over without hesitation.
"Miss Tessa, you're too generous. Rest assured, as long as we are here, no scoundrel will lay a finger on you."
Jay spoke with righteous conviction, though if he had hesitated even slightly while accepting the money, it might have seemed more convincing.
He immediately distributed the money, 100,000 to Buck, 50,000 to each of the others, and kept the remaining 500,000 for himself without the slightest shame.
No one had any complaints.
After all, if Jay hadn't taken down so many Mafia thugs, this estate would have already fallen.
If they had lost their lives, what use would extra cash have been anyway?
"Come to think of it, Corporal Jay's name sounds familiar."
"Nova Jay… wasn't there a Nova family that was stripped of nobility recently? I think the last heir was named that too."
"Hehehe, what a coincidence! If Corporal Jay had shown up earlier, maybe he could've pretended to be that guy and claimed the Nova family's inheritance!"
Hearing this, Jay, who had just stashed away his money, suddenly looked up and flashed a big grin.
"Ever considered the possibility that I am that unfortunate bastard from the Nova family?"
"Huh?!"
Tessa was stunned. No way, was it really that coincidental?
Jay let out a chuckle.
"Just joking. If that Nova family hadn't been stripped of their title, I really would've tried my luck and cashed in."
"Whew! Corporal Jay, you're quite the comedian~ You almost fooled me for a second."
Tessa rolled her eyes playfully, then continued:
"But even if the Nova family were still around, there wouldn't be much left for you. Even their only plantation was taken over and couldn't be saved."
"That bad, huh?"
"Not too bad, actually. I heard the last heir at least managed to escape with his life… no one knows where he disappeared to. Oh, and the noble who secretly seized their plantation? His entire family was wiped out by pirates. The Marine eventually solved the case and sent the pirates' corpses to the royal palace as proof."
Even though this was his own backstory, Jay still found it entertaining to listen to.
Perhaps Tessa had been cooped up for too long, once she saw Jay was interested, she enthusiastically spilled all kinds of noble gossip.
Who fathered an illegitimate child, who cheated on whom, which nobles got into fistfights over love affairs, the dirt was endless.
Most of it was completely new to Jay.
After all, by the time his generation came around, his family had already fallen from grace, so he had never been privy to the scandals of high society.
As the conversation grew livelier, Tessa even ordered a grand banquet.
She genuinely enjoyed their chat, as if it had lifted the heavy weight of fear she had been carrying these past days.
By the afternoon, news from the royal palace finally arrived.
Colonel Hammond had negotiated an agreement with several Mafia families.
The deal?
The nobles of both nations would not interfere in the conflict between the Capone family and four other Mafia groups.
In return, the targeted attacks on noble families would come to an end.
And with that, the entire affair was officially closed, no one was allowed to seek further revenge.
Simply put
If you died, tough luck.
If you survived, forget about revenge.
Of course, personal grudges could never truly be erased.
Anyone seeking revenge would have to bear the consequences themselves.
In fact, the Mafia welcomed it, if a noble came looking for trouble, they'd just seize everything they owned in retaliation.
As long as the nobles stayed divided, the Mafia wasn't worried at all.
When the news was confirmed, the entire Toledo family was overwhelmed with relief and joy.
Even Tessa, who had been trying to stay composed, couldn't hide her excitement.
The crisis was finally over!
Only she knew how terrifying these past few days had been.
"Looks like our mission is complete."
Jay was satisfied with the outcome.
However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
The Mafia's actions had been strange.
From the reports, all the targeted nobles had been attacked simultaneously.
This spread their forces too thin, meaning they failed to wipe out any major noble families.
Instead, the only ones who actually died were those who either hadn't hired Marine protection or had hired low-tier security.
Meanwhile, nobles who paid top dollar for elite protection had spent the entire attack sipping wine and enjoying steak, completely untouched.
In hindsight, Jay couldn't figure out why the Mafia had done this.
If they had focused their firepower instead of spreading out, even with Marine protection, the nobles would have suffered heavy casualties, surviving with just half their number would have been considered lucky.
So why did they hold back?
As for the final and biggest mystery...
"Does Colonel Hammond really have that much influence?"
Jay found it hard to believe.
He had originally planned to lead his team back to base immediately.
However, under Miss Tessa's enthusiastic invitation, he decided to stay one more night, relax, and head back tomorrow instead.
This thrilled Buck and the others.
Fine wine, delicious food, they indulged freely!
Of course, Miss Tessa didn't mind the small expense.
And Jay had no intention of spoiling the mood either.
The mission was already complete.
So why not enjoy himself?
After all, even the Mafia had a reputation to uphold, they wouldn't go back on their word so soon and contradict themselves.
But crises often strike without warning!
Splat!
Splat!
Two guards collapsed into pools of blood, one had been stabbed through the heart from behind, the other had his throat sliced open.
From the shadows, a tall, muscular man stepped forward.
He was clad in monk-style martial robes, and on either side of his chest was an emblem of a snake.
Under the moonlight, his chiseled face was barely visible, cold and sharp like a blade.