Grief

She remembered that Exusiai was also a very warm-hearted person.

After a few drinks and dealing with the other person's curious questions about Maria's origins, age, favorite foods, and when she would officially start working—a series of strange and disjointed questions— Maria finally turned to ask the question she was most curious about.

"So... what exactly is the Gray Hall?"

"Gray Hall is just Gray Hall."

The Sankta girl clearly wasn't a good drinker; she became quite tipsy after just a few drinks. This made Maria think that the guy's offer to treat her to food was just a ploy to find a sucker to take her away while she was drunk.

"It's an organization established by the priest and his wife, mainly to keep an eye on these families and prevent them from causing too much trouble."

After downing another glass, the Sankta woman was already somewhat dazed. She didn't even seem to care why Maria didn't know about the Gray Hall, and continued talking.

"But don't worry, we don't actually have that much work on a daily basis. Those family guys have already been beaten into submission. As long as you reveal your identity, they generally won't dare to lay a hand on you."

"That's true, none of these guys are good people, and sometimes when they cause trouble, they really give you a headache."

"... Um."

Maria nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked the question that had been bothering her.

"Since families are difficult to control, then... why not abolish them altogether?"

Chapter 234 Tragedy

That happened a long time ago.

The Sankta girl didn't know exactly when it happened.

She had simply heard that about fifty years ago, Siracusa was a chaotic place filled with violence, killing, and intrigue, and in some ways, it even resembled the hell described in the Sankta doctrine.

But it was during this chaotic period that a strange Siracusa woman came to Laterano and had a pleasant conversation with Father Agniel, who was not yet a priest at the time, and they made a pact.

The priest followed the other side, bringing violence and rules, weapons and laws, Guns and Order to Siracusa.

They want to establish a new order in Siracusa!

But how could the other families, who were already accustomed to wielding power, simply stand by and watch these newcomers succeed?

Assassinations targeting them continued one after another.

Later on, if they didn't have five or six assassination attempts a day, they would start to wonder if there was some major festival in Siracusa that had caused the family assassins to temporarily cease operations.

But even in such a harsh environment, they withstood everyone's pressure and survived... and demonstrated their abilities to other families.

Almost every family, large and small, was thoroughly dealt with from top to bottom.

That was a day the Siracusa called the Age of Reckoning.

Almost every day, one could see family members, even those at the level of the family head, being executed.

After nearly three years of back-and-forth, the seemingly weaker side ultimately emerged victorious. The family chose to compromise and actively supported the other side in establishing the Gray Hall, which served as the Law authority for the entire Siracusa.

But... that's what it sounds like, but in reality, it's more like a large family meeting place.

In this community, all violence was organized, and intense conflicts were replaced by meetings and dinners... Although this still couldn't stop the struggles between families that had accumulated hatred for over a century, at least there were far fewer real fights between the major families.

According to the Gray Hall Accord, an attack on another family without the permission of half of the Gray Hall family heads will be considered a challenge to the Gray Hall.

This agreement was initially just an agreement, but after several families were actually purged because of it, people realized just how powerful it truly was.

Many people have learned to control themselves... which has made life much better for ordinary people in Siracusa.

At least, they no longer have to worry about dying in a surprise attack targeting other important figures.

Within these rules, the existence of the family remains deeply rooted, even irreplaceable... This is a choice made out of necessity.

After all, Siracusa had been deeply controlled by the families for a long time. These family heads were like giant trees, spreading their roots to every corner of the region.

It is almost indestructible.

Moreover, even if the purge is carried out, how to fill the void left by the power held by the family is a huge problem.

Therefore, the family still has its own value and must survive—even though dealing with these guys was one of the purposes of establishing the Gray Hall.

After a few more drinks, the Sankta woman was so drunk she was almost passing out; she was so dazed that she needed to hook her arm around Maria's shoulder to keep herself upright.

Even so, she still smiled.

He even moved closer to Maria and took a deep sniff.

"Mmm~ It smells so good, sister, what perfume are you wearing?"

"... incense that someone prepared for me."

The woman's words were disjointed, even somewhat incomprehensible.

But considering that the other party was already drunk, Maria thought for a moment and then, without dwelling on it, honestly revealed the secret of her body odor.

"Hey~ Someone actually went out of their way to arrange this? Who is it? Your fiancée?"

"Hmm?" Maria turned her head in surprise. "Logically speaking, shouldn't it be her fiancé?"

"Hahaha~" the Sankta girl laughed loudly, "I'm very good at judging people~ You're no ordinary person."

The Sankta girl said, turning her head slightly away.

Slightly tipsy, her face was flushed, exuding an alluring charm.

Tilting her head, she slowly reached out and gently stroked Maria's cheek, her dreamy eyes gazing at Maria's slightly aloof features as if admiring a work of art.

"You're a strong-willed person... it's unlikely you'll find someone even stronger than you. A woman might be a better fit for you than a man."

"So... what kind of girl mixed the incense for you?"

She spoke, her words mumbled, yet each syllable was clear.

This left Maria momentarily unsure whether the other person was genuinely drunk or faking it.

However, after thinking for a moment, Maria didn't bother to think about the problem anymore and simply took a sip of her drink.

"It's... a friend of mine from a very, very long time ago."

"Ha~ Still won't say whether it's a boy or a girl~"

Upon hearing Maria's explanation, the Sankta girl, who was completely drunk, smiled and shook her head.

She covered her mouth with both hands again, let out a burp, and then her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned her head and looked at Maria again.

"Speaking of which... there's actually a hidden rumor behind what I just mentioned~"

"Hidden... rumors?"

"The Gray Hall has been established!"

The Sankta girls seem to be very fond of such rumors.

After calming her thoughts, she looked at Maria again and spoke with a grin.

"Didn't I just say that Father Agniel and his party weren't very welcome when they first arrived? So we used a little, less-than-pleasant method."

As the girl spoke, she raised her hand and gestured slightly.

But Maria was certain that these methods were probably not the more stable type.

"And it was also during this time that Siracusa experienced a great deal of turmoil... It's said that Siracusa used to have twenty-four families, not twelve!"

"Well, in the end, only these twelve will remain."

"But... did you know another story... legend has it that the twenty-four families were reduced to twelve families entirely because of one child~"

"A child?" Maria turned her head to look at the other person.

The girl continued talking excitedly.

"Actually, I don't know much about this... I've only heard that the disappearance of those families wasn't actually caused by Father Agniel and his group, but because of a child,"

"However, the rumors surrounding this are quite complicated. Some say that a child dealt with those families... Others say that the child died because her mother took revenge for her. There are even rumors that the Gray Hall was actually built to cover up the woman who committed the murders in the night."

The girl from Sankta chattered on about the secret rumors she knew.

But Maria slowly fell silent at this moment.

She seemed to have figured out why these people's clothes were so similar to hers...

The Gray Hall that establishes order, the mysterious woman who rules Siracusa, the clothing that closely resembles his own, and the Angels from Laterano...

All of this points to one person...

Silently, she took out the pendant from her neck and gently stroked it.

"Madam Sicily..."

She whispered, her eyes seeming to flicker.

After a moment, she hesitated and turned her head away.

"About..."

Maria wanted to ask some more questions, but when she turned her head, she found that the girl next to her had already fallen asleep.

Just as Maria initially suspected, this guy... probably wanted to drink alone but was afraid of going home alone, so he found someone else?

Maria looked at the other person, remained silent for a few seconds, and then smiled helplessly.

She doesn't have any money.

After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head and looked at the bartender beside her.

"It's her again."

The other person seemed to recognize Sankta and shook their head helplessly.

"Just take her back. This girl spends money recklessly. If you pay for it for her, who knows when she'll be able to pay it back..."

After saying that, he waved his hand, indicating that Maria could leave directly.

Maria didn't say much, just nodded slightly, then gently picked up the girl and carried her out of the tavern.

But as soon as Maria stepped out of the tavern, she was still considering which secluded corner to rest in for the night.

A small voice sounded again from the side.

"Are you... the lady from before?"

A soft voice came from the side, and Maria turned her head in surprise.

Right next to her, the little girl she had met a few times during the day was walking alone on the street, carrying several thick books in her arms.

Maria was indeed surprised when she saw that the other person was alone.

She looked around hesitantly, but did not see any of the guards she had seen during the day.

This puzzled her.

The girl beside Maria seemed to sense her confusion, lowered her head, and spoke hesitantly.

"Um... I actually have no connection with the Bellone Family."

"I only know Leontuso."

The girl's voice was delicate, and one could even faintly detect a hint of inferiority.

But Maria only glanced at her a few times before her eyes drooped slightly.

"You don't need to explain anything to me."

I don't care.

After saying that, she turned around and prepared to leave.

The little girl seemed very hesitant.

After pausing for a few seconds, she jogged off again and caught up with Maria.

"Um... are you planning to find a place to rest?"

"Um."

"Um... although my place isn't very nice, perhaps you could come and rest for a while?"

The little girl mustered her courage and extended an invitation to Maria.

Maria stopped at that moment.