Is it wrong to try to build a criminal Empire?

chapter 17

"Your fight is meaningless; your defeat is assured."

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Inside a dimly lit bar owned by the Soma Familia, the air carried the tang of cheap alcohol and the murmurs of depressed conversation between fellow members.

Scum and poor souls alike gathered here, drowning their sorrows in cheap beer, dreaming of one day tasting the divine drink again.

At one particular table sat three members of the Soma Familia, their weary faces betraying the toll of their latest dungeon expedition. For rookie Level Ones, survival was no small feat.

"That disgusting frog almost got me. Thanks for the save again, Coco. I can't imagine what it could have done to me with that disgusting tongue," Tsukinokami Kaede, a Hume Bunny, shuddered at the thought, her arms wrapped protectively around her katana.

Sitting beside her, Coco Collins, a Pallum girl with short hair and a withdrawn demeanor, took a sip of her beer before muttering almost inaudibly, "Call me Senpai." Her voice lacked heat but carried a small note of annoyance. She hated that her juniors didn't acknowledge her as their senior.

But Kaede ignored her, as usual, favoring a change in topic from the dungeon to the surface.

"Yesterday was really scary! To think we were this close to getting eaten by monsters. If it weren't for Momiji making us late, we could have died!" Kaede exclaimed, her voice trembling slightly.

On the other side of the table, Shinonome Momiji, a Renard with fox ears and Kaede's childhood friend, sighed lightly. "To think such a barbaric practice is allowed... A festival for taming monsters? It was only a matter of time before something like this happened," she said, her golden eyes narrowing in disdain.

"Oh, c'mon, Momiji! It was probably fun, you know... minus the part where you get eaten." Kaede shuddered, the realization that their near-death experience hadn't happened in the dungeon but on the surface sinking in uncomfortably.

"Don't be foolish. It was—" Momiji began, but her words dissolved into their native Far Eastern tongue as she grew more animated.

The two started bickering, their voices rising and falling in sharp bursts of their homeland language. Coco paid them little attention. She didn't understand their language and had no interest in their antics. Instead, her eyes scanned the bar, taking in the depressed atmosphere and familiar faces.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the spot where Canoe and his usual pack of lackeys often sat. The man wasn't present tonight—nor had he been for the past few nights—and she felt a flicker of relief.

Perhaps the scum had finally met his end in the dungeon. Coco wasn't one to wish harm on others, but for Canoe, she could make an exception.

Just as her thoughts drifted, a familiar voice pulled her back.

"Coco, can we talk?"

The soft yet distinct voice made her head snap up. Her eyes landed on Liliruca Arde standing a short distance away. The Pallum girl's usual oversized backpack hung off her shoulders, but her face was more downcast than Coco remembered. Her expression was unnervingly neutral—emotionless.

Coco's breath hitched. It had been a while since she last saw Liliruca. They had met during Coco's first dive into the dungeon, bonding briefly over their shared Familia and heritage as Pallums. They'd even run a few dives together. But one day, Lili stopped showing up—no explanation given.

Coco suspected Canoe had something to do with it, though she never dared to pry too deeply.

Kaede and Momiji, now silent, stared at Liliruca with open curiosity. It was rare for their quiet and reserved senpai to have friends, let alone someone seeking her out.