Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 117: Unraveling Lies

"Your kid took the lead on this mess, so as their guardian, you’ll have to take responsibility," said the Guildmaster of the Assassin Guild.

"Responsibility?" Marcus replied coldly.

"Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten. A conflict between the guild and the mafia is strictly taboo. If an outsider like your kid meddles, the guild can’t just stand by and let it happen."

The tension was palpable, the air crackling between them like a drawn blade.

Marcus and the Guildmaster were locked in a fierce staring contest, neither of them willing to give an inch.

Don’t their eyes get tired...?

Rocco thought nervously as he watched the silent standoff.

The heavy atmosphere seemed contagious, prompting Rocco to seal his lips tightly.

He glanced around cautiously, noticing that everyone else appeared to be reacting in a similar, subdued way.

Even Georgio, who was deeply involved in the incident, seemed uninterested and indifferent, while his companion Vaan looked bewildered, observing the situation from the sidelines.

Honestly, why did his completely innocent father have to endure being chastised by this intimidating man?

Well... maybe not completely innocent.

Half of this was Rocco’s fault, after all.

A bead of cold sweat trailed down his forehead.

Still, something had to be done.

At the very least, Rocco needed to address the unfairness of his father being scolded like this.

Should he take a gamble and shout, "My father’s not to blame! It’s my fault!"?

However, then again, the Assassin Guild probably wouldn’t care.

To them, it must seem like "the unrelated Di Malvento have stuck their noses where they don’t belong."

"Responsibility? Don’t make me laugh," Marcus sneered, his voice cold like ice. "If anything, it is you who should take responsibility. Do you realize how disruptive it was to have one of my most promising subordinates being targeted out of the blue? We cannot remain silent on this matter."

"Ha! What a pathetic excuse," the Guildmaster retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "It was your subordinate who made the first move."

The words flowed effortlessly from Marcus, sharp and calculated, invoking terms like "promising" that Rocco could hardly believe were coming from his usually unflappable parent.

Georgio who is the one at the center of the conversation, looked thoroughly unsettled.

His expression was one of sheer disbelief as he stared at Marcus, his eyes practically screaming what is wrong with this guy?

Sure, it was chilling, but did he really have to look that freaked out?

Still, Rocco couldn’t help but wonder why his father had suddenly resorted to such a blatantly obvious lie.

As Rocco silently observed, his father’s lips curled ever so slightly when the Guildmaster finally responded.

"...Oh? So, you’re admitting to having interfered with something that belongs to the Di Malvento family," he said, his voice dripping with icy calm.

A few seconds of stunned silence followed before the Guildmaster let out a dry, nervous laugh.

He was clearly trying to mask his discomfort, but even Rocco could detect the subtle panic beneath the surface.

The man took a step back, shaking his head in denial.

"W-What are you even talking about? Sure, maybe that’s how it turned out, but it was an accident! We were acting in self-defense! It’s an indisputable fact that your subordinate attacking us first!"

Rocco couldn’t help but inwardly tilt his head at the display.

Was this Guildmaster... incompetent?

Even Rocco, who wasn’t particularly sharp in these situations, could see how flustered and sloppy he was.

All the man had to do was remain calm and deflect.

Instead, his panicked reaction made him seem even guiltier.

As Rocco shot a pitiful, almost pitying glance toward the Guildmaster, his father pulled him closer in a firm embrace.

The smile on his father’s face was angelic in its beauty—except it was the kind of angel that heralded doom.

"Word has already spread," Marcus said, his voice smooth but cutting, "that the Assassin Guild is no longer a trustworthy organization. A group that violates the unspoken rules of our world."

The leader’s eyes widened in shock, his composure crumbling further.

"W-What are you saying...!?" he stammered, his voice shaking.

Rocco sighed inwardly.

This man was clearly out of his depth.

Far from being outplayed by his father’s masterful manipulation, it seemed like the Guildmaster’s incompetence was doing most of the work.

In the original story, the Assassin Guild had been presented as a formidable and enigmatic group, the one that rarely interfered in mafia affairs.

However, seeing them in person... they were nothing like Rocco had imagined.

How on earth, Rocco wondered, had the original Georgio fallen prey to someone this inept?

Georgio was reputed to be the strongest fighter in the slums, yet this man had managed not only to kill Georgio’s sister in front of his eyes but also to take his arm.

...Something about this didn’t add up. Something felt off.

"The Assassin Guild that once led the shadows," Rocco’s father sneered, "has now devolved into a group of incompetents after a change in leadership."

The Guildmaster scowled at the mocking tone, his face twisted with rage.

His retorts were clumsy and childish, and each was effortlessly countered by Marcus.

Frustrated and at a loss for words, the Guildmaster could only sputter incoherently.

Rocco couldn’t help but notice again how much this man contradicted the Assassin Guild he’d read about in the novel—a secretive, highly competent organization that rarely made mistakes.

That this man could lead the guild and drive Georgio into a corner twice seemed utterly implausible.

What exactly was this strange discrepancy?

As Rocco mulled it over, resting in his father’s arms, the Guildmaster’s anguished voice broke his thoughts.

Rocco glanced up instinctively to see the man crying out, as though speaking to himself.

"Damn it, what’s going on?! Nobody told me the Di Malvento family would interfere!"

Rocco wasn’t the only one who froze in response to the outburst.

His father, Georgio, and Georgio’s companion, Vaan, all narrowed their eyes in unison.

The air shifted as every key figure in the room seemed to come to a troubling realization.