Passione, Part Two

The story itself was simple enough. The man was a timber merchant, hardworking and honest, with a love for life and a reasonably comfortable home. He had a daughter and a son. Though both were ordinary people with zero Soul Power, being born into a family like his gave them a decent future.

It had happened near Suotuo Intermediate Soul Master Academy. The girl's beauty had caught the attention of some young Soul Masters, who whistled at her and put their hands on her. Her brother had tried to protect her, and an argument had broken out. To be honest, Jodio struggled to understand why the boy had argued. He should have just pulled his sister away. When you were weak, lowering your head—even backing down outright—was sometimes necessary. It was a matter of survival, a skill the weak had to learn.

But Jodio soon understood what that "argument" had probably been about. Those Soul Master scum had likely tried to drag the girl away for something vile, provoking her brother to fight back. Jodio had seen it happen before. Back in the era of Soul Land 2, a Soul Master could often force a woman to spend the night with him for a few copper coins.

Even the father did not dare say that outright. He could not be sure Jodio would stand against those Soul Masters. Jodio might act over an argument, but would he seek revenge over an accusation that damaged a Soul Master's reputation? The father could not say. After all, Mr. Jodio was a Soul Master himself, and Soul Masters always sided with their own.

"I've worked hard all my life. I've never offended anyone. I've lived like most people in the Balak Kingdom. I never imagined something like this would happen! Ah! Lord Jodio, do you know what they did to my son? They broke both his hands, cut off his left foot, and tore out his tongue. If our family hadn't hired a Healing Soul Master, he might have died that very day!" The middle-aged man went on through his sobs.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun were both moved. They were still children. Though they had learned a great deal about the world and how adults thought from Jodio, they remained naive. Jodio had never let Ma Hongjun get involved with women, either, so he was hardly corrupted. Both boys were much better than they had been in the original story, with values that closely matched Jodio's.

"I—I pleaded with the Knights, like any citizen of Balak would. But after they took those Soul Masters in, they ordered them to pay just five silver soul coins for treatment and let them go! Lord Jodio! Those pieces of shit even smiled at me on their way out!"

"No way. Isn't beating someone against the law?" Ma Hongjun whispered to Oscar, bewildered.

"No. They probably have connections." Oscar's guess was sound. However exalted Soul Masters might be, they could not usually do something so vicious and make it disappear without paying dearly to the city lord and the nobles. If a few silver soul coins had settled it, those men were probably connected to someone important.

"So... so I went home and told my wife there was nothing else we could do. Only Lord Jodio Joestar could see justice done for us," the middle-aged man said respectfully.

Jodio gave no answer for a long while. He simply sat in the shadows with his arms folded. The curtain kept the middle-aged man from seeing his face. At a slight wave of Jodio's hand, the female Soul Master seated on the nearby sofa rose and poured the man a glass of wine, signaling that he could have a drink to soothe his throat.

"Why did you go to those Knights instead of coming to me first?" Jodio asked calmly.

The middle-aged man thought he caught sight of the eyes behind the curtain. They were intimidating eyes, with small, blood-red pupils. A chill ran down his spine as he suddenly remembered who he was dealing with: the leader of a gang, the boss of Passione, an organization that had lately become famous throughout Suotuo City.

"Tell me what you need me to do! Anything! But please, you must help me get revenge!" the middle-aged man said fervently.

"What would revenge mean to you?" Jodio asked, his voice cold.

"Do you want him dead? No, you probably wouldn't dare kill a Soul Master." Jodio rose and turned his back on the middle-aged man. The man saw the birthmark on the back of Jodio's neck: a star. His nerves tightened, and he no longer knew what to say.

"Let's speak plainly. Your name is... Maventi, isn't it?" Jodio continued in a voice that was cold yet pleasant. It carried the authority and chill of an emperor, but also a trace of hope. Yes, Maventi no longer knew anyone else who could help him.

"Maventi, you own the timber shop on this street. You're forty-seven. When I founded Passione half a month ago, you merely sent one of your employees over with a small gift to congratulate me. Am I wrong?" Jodio asked.

"I'll give you anything you want. Please." Maventi was so desperate and anxious he nearly sprang from his seat.

"Maventi, Passione isn't a tool for you to hire to kill someone. I founded it to give ordinary people justice, and that's what it does. We've never even asked the locals for protection money. We only take a commission when they come to us with a problem, to cover the cost of handling it." Jodio slowly paced behind the middle-aged man as he spoke.

"This happened a week ago. I was performing surgery outside the Medical Clinic at the end of the street. Little Ma and I both saw you carrying your son, frantically finding a carriage and rushing away. Even then, it never occurred to you to ask me for help. Maventi, what did I do wrong to earn so little respect from you? What made you so afraid of me?"

Jodio asked in a soft murmur, like a ghost. To Maventi, it sounded like the low growl of a monster, a voice he never wanted to hear, not even in his dreams.

"Business is good. You never offend anyone, and you're always accommodating. You always pay your taxes on time. Whenever the Lord or the Knights hold a celebratory banquet, you're among the first to arrive with your most heartfelt gift, though they never invite you to stay for a meal."

"You live well, and you're an honest man. You thought giving those powerful people gifts on time would make them help you, so you didn't need someone like me as a friend. You didn't think you needed me to see justice done. But now you're here, saying, 'Lord Jodio, please give me justice.' Justice? You won't even call me Boss." A note of hurt and displeasure entered Jodio's voice.

"How much money do you want—"

Maventi could not finish. A knight-like figure had suddenly appeared beside Jodio. Majestic and terrifying, it held a sharp blade and watched Maventi from just behind Jodio. In an instant, all words failed him. He could only feel his legs trembling.

"Maventi, Maventi. If you'd come to me as your Boss, I'd have made sure that scum died without a place to be buried. I'd have made his death so satisfying you could eat a hundred Devil-Spicy Lamb Skewers. I admire men like you. If they crossed you, they crossed me. I'd have made them fear you the way they fear me. But even now, you insult me by offering money, like a customer insulting a prostitute. Like a cat bursting into a henhouse and tearing chickens apart for sport."

"Now, what should you call me?" Jodio asked calmly, his back still turned.

"Lord Jodio, please give me justice." Maventi bowed, took Jodio's hand, and spoke with utter sincerity.

"My dearest Boss."