An Offer He Couldn't Refuse

Carter, who had been knocking at the door, was driven away by Councilman Wood's two bodyguards.

Raphael shoved open the carriage door and jumped down with an arrogant look on his face. As he passed the townhouse's courtyard gate, he casually snapped off a piece of wood and hurled it at the two bodyguards by the entrance.

The two bodyguards reacted immediately, reaching into their coats for their guns.

With their free hands, they prepared to block the flying piece of wood.

But how could two ordinary men withstand an attack from a Sequence 7 Beyonder?

Thud!

The piece of wood Raphael had thrown actually pierced one bodyguard's chest.

The bodyguard stared in disbelief at the wood embedded in his chest, staggered back two steps, and collapsed to the ground.

Carter had already lunged forward to stop the other bodyguard from drawing his gun. However, he wasn't as strong as the bodyguard and was shoved away.

Still, this bought Raphael enough time. His eyes suddenly turned brown, and the nail on his left index finger lengthened. With a ripping sound, he slashed open the bodyguard's belly, spilling his intestines and other organs.

Ever since he had begun practicing the Wolf Fang Art, Raphael had been able to transform only parts of his body, such as briefly growing two or three wolf claws.

Amid the maid's screams, Raphael strode inside, his eyes returning to normal. Wiping the blood from his finger, he told her, "Please take us to Mr. Wood. We have something very important to discuss."

"Y-yes, of course." The panicked maid hurried upstairs.

After ordering one of his subordinates to watch the two gravely wounded bodyguards, Raphael followed her upstairs.

Wagner, dressed as a Mafia enforcer, followed behind with an appreciative smile. A second before Raphael had attacked, he had still been joking with Wagner, yet the instant he opened the carriage door, his entire demeanor seemed to change. There was restraint beneath his arrogance, and tranquility beneath his brutality.

Wagner could also now be certain that Raphael was a Beyonder.

The maid led Raphael to the second floor. Wood had heard the commotion downstairs and had already put on a dressing gown and seated himself behind his desk.

When he saw Raphael, Wood smiled contemptuously. "Your Excellency Collins, are you going to break my legs too?"

Raphael sat down opposite Wood and took out a cigarette. Carter immediately stepped forward to light it.

He took an unhurried drag before saying mildly, "I hope you'll stop targeting me, Mr. Wood, and express nothing more than your condolences over Holm's death."

"Ha ha ha, you barbarians!" Wood sneered. "Don't think a few words will frighten me. You're finished. The charge will be threatening a Loen councilman.

"Do you know what powers the Constitution of Loen grants councilmen? You sons of bitches, go back and read the constitution. Then you'll know you're all finished."

Raphael showed no anger at all. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Hear my terms first. I'm sure you won't be able to turn them down.

"I hear you're very fond of keeping Dalmatians, Councilman?"

Wood replied coldly, "Do you think there's any point in trying to make small talk with me?"

Raphael smiled. "Perhaps you should first look at the gift I brought."

As he spoke, he gestured to his subordinates.

One of them immediately handed over a large, elegant gift box.

Wood said, "Even if you've filled that box with gold pounds, I won't let you off!"

"Oh, I don't have that much money," Raphael said with a smile. "But this gift is far more interesting than gold pounds. I think you'll love it."

He chuckled twice. "I'm really looking forward to seeing your face when you see this gift."

Frowning, Wood opened the gift box with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Inside was the severed head of a Dalmatian-his favorite dog.

"Aaah!"

Wood screamed, whether from shock, terror, or both.

"Ha ha ha!" Raphael laughed heartily, savoring the expression on his face.

The screams mingled with the laughter, making a shrill, unnerving sound.

Wagner applauded. He could tell that Wood had already broken inside.

More than half a minute passed before Wood stopped screaming. Now, there was fear in his eyes as he looked at Raphael.

Only then did Raphael say with a pleasant smile, "I'm a good, law-abiding citizen. Of course I wouldn't do anything to harm a Loen councilman.

"But if I remember correctly, your parents, your wife, and your eldest son, who's already an adult, all have heads. And their heads don't seem any harder than this Dalmatian's."

He rose to his feet. "A Loen councilman's office belongs to Loen, but his life belongs to him."

With that, he quickly left with his men.

In the carriage, Wagner lavished praise on Raphael. "I never imagined that breaking someone inside could be so satisfying."

Raphael smiled. "The fact that you like the way I do things tells me your organization is precisely the home I've been searching for."

A little after four that afternoon, Raphael took Carter and Wagner to visit Isaacs. This time, it was an official visit at the Backlund Police Department, and he had made an appointment.

Isaacs knew Raphael was the Mafia's boss. More accurately, he was well acquainted with the gang leaders in every district of Backlund. Visits like this generally meant someone wanted a favor, and he certainly wouldn't turn away anyone coming to give him money.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Raphael explained why he had come. "I hear someone's planning to come after me."

"Maybe someone is, maybe not," Isaacs replied indifferently.

Raphael shook his head. "I really dislike answers like that. Still, we don't know each other well yet. Once we do, I hope you won't give me that sort of answer again."

Isaacs's expression soured. The young man before him was far too arrogant, and he was already considering teaching him a lesson.

But he soon abandoned that thought, because Raphael continued, "As far as I know, the Stinger Gang in the Bridge District is a criminal organization backed by the Feysac embassy. They've been secretly gathering intelligence for Feysac all along."

Raphael spread his hands. "With international tensions running so high, cracking a major espionage case should give you quite an advantage in your current competition."

Isaacs froze for a moment, then said seriously, "I need sufficient evidence. Preferably a few witnesses as well."

Raphael smiled. "No problem."

"What do you want in return?" Isaacs asked next.

Raphael said, "I believe some deaths are purely accidental and have nothing to do with anyone else."

"Whose deaths, for example?" Isaacs asked.

Raphael leaned back in his chair. "Some merchants, for instance. Some gang members."

"No problem." To Isaacs, this was no great matter. "Here's to a successful partnership."

"To a successful partnership." At that moment, Raphael suddenly felt that a substantial portion of his Unwinged Angel Potion had been digested.

His smile grew more genuine. So this was what it meant to keep company with evil and join the tide of wicked desires.