"Cocytus -Ballerina Under the Moonlight" Episode 8

"Cocytus. A river in the underworld of Greek mythology. A frozen hell that spares no traitors."

The plane carrying her took off. Once he saw it leave, Nathan followed the summons and drove to the ancient castle, "Rocca di Luce."

This castle, standing on the mountainside, has an entrance that is hard to find and a labyrinthine interior. It is, after all, a fortress.

After crossing the drawbridge, Nathan stopped the car and walked into the castle. The corridor, surrounded by stone walls, was dimly lit, with shadows stretching out and footsteps echoing.

As he continued down the hallway, he reached a grand hall adorned with luxurious decorations. The floor was made of flat stone slabs, surrounded by intricately carved stones arranged in a regular pattern.

The columns resembled those of a Greek temple, with knights carved into them. This hall was once used for royal tournaments when kings visited. Perhaps because of this, a palpable tension lingered, as if the sounds of clashing swords could still be heard.

Waiting for him there were Augusto and his aides. Augusto maintained his usual poised demeanor, dressed in an elegant black suit, a black shirt, and a smoothly shining navy tie. His dignified presence was truly fitting for the lord of this castle.

The aides, all in matching black suits, bore the signature scars on their arms, a mark of loyalty to the Clan Gelo and, by extension, to Augusto. Nathan rolled up his sleeves, revealing three lines similar to theirs—one slightly longer than the others, reminiscent of ice.

The bracelet he wore swayed, brushing against the scars.

“I suppose I should ask. How did it go?”

Nathan locked eyes with Augusto and showed him an image on his smartphone.

“You had your subordinate infiltrate the client's party, right? Thanks to that, things almost went south.”

“Ah, that guy… did he mess up?”

“Exactly. The clients are upper-class people. If something happened at the hotel, the police would rush in, and both I and my subordinate would end up arrested.”

“Hmph. So, what happened to him?”

“He quietly got taken away by an ambulance to prison.”

Following Nathan's instructions, he had contacted the police, who then sent an ambulance to apprehend Augusto's subordinate. This way, the commotion would be minimized, and there would be no criminal implications.

“Well thought out. I like that about you. But what about that Beatrice? Without her, I can’t open this laptop. At this rate, we won’t be able to work. If the police find us, it’s game over.”

Augusto pointed to the laptop on the desk. It belonged to Matteo, the former executive.

He had recorded all sorts of information there, including client details of Clan Gero, past incidents, weapon smuggling, criminal activities, and under-the-table accounts. However, he had plotted a betrayal, seeking to sell that information to the police in exchange for favors.

Augusto realized the betrayal and dealt with him, but the critical password had been hidden away. Upon checking the wiretaps, it was revealed that the last person he had called was a police officer.

“I wrote the password behind the painting! I’m going to be killed soon, please help me quickly!”

A voice trembled with fear remained. Unfortunately, it was a bad time, as they were about to sell paintings for money laundering. Several paintings were up for sale, one of which was the gold-leafed Beatrice.

From the position Matteo had fallen and the timing of the paintings being sold, it became clear that this painting concealed the password, but it was already in the hands of a Japanese art buyer.

“...It was a complete failure. I misjudged the timing of the shipping.”

“Oh? A failure, you say? You were the one who said to stop killing her because you would set a honey trap.”

“The Japanese police are competent. They would see through a murder disguised as an accident in no time. It would be troublesome to turn them into enemies across borders.”

“That’s true. That’s why I entrusted it to you. You seemed to get along quite well with her, didn’t you? I thought with your exotic and charming looks, it would be easy for you to handle a woman. So why couldn’t you steal even a single painting?”

Augusto's eyes held a harsh light. Nathan met his gaze in silence, simply staring back.

As silence fell, the aides began to shift nervously. Eventually, one of the aides whispered to Augusto.

During that time, the two did not avert their eyes from each other, but finally, Augusto spoke.

“...By the way, the one you had hidden in the hotel left a parting message that there was a traitor.”

Augusto crossed his legs and lightly stroked his intellectual forehead.

“Nateo, do you have any idea who it could be?”

Nathan did not respond, watching his every move without missing a beat.

“...Hmph, well, it doesn’t suit you to be distracted by a woman. Nateo, make amends for your failure. Dispose of him.”

Although it was usually a low-level task, Nathan nodded quietly. The person brought in was Leonardo, the accountant. He was a lanky man with glasses, looking clumsy and harmless.

"They say he’s a police officer. Even though I’ve been taking care of those guys, what a betrayal"

Augusto glanced at his subordinates, who all laughed dryly in agreement.

"Not everyone is like that… Don’t underestimate us!" Leonardo’s voice was surprisingly clear and strong.

Nathan looked at him.

"This is a warning to the police. Yell all you want; you’ll be in Inferno soon enough."

"How about you!" Leonardo retorted, spitting at Augusto. It hit Augusto’s cheek—he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off and moved closer to Leonardo, stuffing the cloth into his mouth.

"You have some guts. Such a shame you’re a wasted talent," Augusto said. Leonardo’s face turned bright red, his eyes bulging. He was on the verge of choking.

"Augusto, you can’t hide the cause of death," Nathan said quietly, and Augusto chuckled, pulling out the handkerchief again.

"It wouldn’t be interesting if that were the cause of death; this is meant to be a warning. Nateo, it’s your turn."

They stepped into the courtyard. With Augusto and the executives watching from the grand hall's windows, Nathan faced Leonardo, who was tied to a chair. Although he had tears in his eyes, he remained calm.

"Nathan, let me say one last thing," Leonardo said.

"Go ahead."

He loaded the bullets—one, two, three…

"I just wanted to see Livia one last time."

"Are you joking? Would a police officer say something like that?"

Livia was one of the executives of Clan Gelo, an alluring beauty whose age was indeterminate, but she had a long-standing relationship with Augusto. She currently lived in Monaco and rarely showed her face here… at least not directly.

"It doesn’t matter; her eyes, her waist… everything is beautiful. Like the goddess Venus."

(Goddess…)

Nathan suddenly thought of Shunka. The image of her twisting her naked body on his lap was more beautiful than any statue of a goddess. He accepted that love makes everyone feel similarly, and Nathan nodded.

"Alright, I’ll let Livia know."

"Really?!"

"That you had a passionate fan."

Leonardo let out a big sigh. Despite being about to die, he seemed remarkably composed. Had he been prepared for this infiltration all along?

"Leonardo, it’s late, but I’ve come to like you." With that, Nathan pulled the trigger.

"To be continued"→ "Cocytus -Ballerina Under the Moonlight" Episode 9

Additionally, those who have obtained the password can also access the special page from here →Thank you! Please enjoy the special content.