Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

Venice, Italy. The city of water, romance and... mafia. The mafia was a small group nowadays after the rise of hunters, but they still existed in the shadows. Silas wasn’t part of that shadowy group, his mother, however, was a friend of the Don and his wife.

Which was why Silas was currently in the most luxurious mansion in Venice. At a dining table with a feast in front of him. Anna sat next to him, looking like a goddess in a red dress. She smiled at her son and patted his hand on top of the table.

“My little bambino, I’m so happy you could make it. I was worried you got eaten by your job, eh?” She teased.

The Don, a big burly man in a suit laughed, the rings on his fingers shining.

“Anna, don’t embarrass the ragazzo, he is an important man, a family man now. He must have better things to do than visit you. No?” The Don’s accent was heavy.

Silas forced a smile. His thoughts were elsewhere: on Eve, on the prison, on Henry and those kids with the glasses.

Anna squeezed his thigh under the table, getting his attention.

He cleared his throat and raised his glass to the host. The red wine was expensive but didn’t taste like anything special to him.

“You honor me with this meal, Don Ricci. Thank you.” His words sounded fake even to his ears.

Ricci waved his hand dismissively. “Psh, I owe you for all you’ve done for Italy back in the day. I still remember when I was just a lowly Capo. Now look at me, sitting with legends. It’s like the movies, no?” He laughed again, the sound deep.

His wife smiled from his other side, a young pretty woman with red lips. She was his second wife and a lot more attractive than the first, who was currently in jail because she tried to poison her husband. It could’ve worked if the Don wasn’t an A-ranker.

Silas ate his pasta without saying much. His eyes wandered around the room and he noticed a few maids looking at him with interest. It must be because of his looks. Or his fame.

“Silas, my boy, you seem distracted. What has you thinking so hard huh? Is it your wife not giving you enough bambinos at home?” Anna giggled and pinched his cheek hard.

Why was she pretending to be Italian? We are from New York mom. He thought as she continued to speak in that fake accent.

He gently removed her fingers from his face.

“You know it is nothing like that. The school is keeping me busy and Liz is a great wife, the best,” he defended his Liz without hesitation.

Ricci nodded, taking a sip of his wine.

“Ah, a good woman is worth more than gold. You are a lucky man Silas. A beautiful wife and beautiful girls, eh? They are like the stars you reach out in space. I have three sons and no beauty in the family. I pray to Dio for my next generation to be a daughter, so I can spoil them like you do with yours. Bella figlie.” He smiled and the red lipped woman kissed his cheek.

Silas’s thoughts went to his daughters again, his face relaxing a bit. Yes, his two little stars were worth everything. Even if they wanted to start a revolution against him. He would deal with that soon. After he found out about the glasses and who made them.

They finished their dinner and the Don dragged Silas to the garden for a walk. It had a large fountain and a maze made of bushes.

Ricci lit up a cigar and offered one to Silas, who declined. They walked for a few moments in silence, enjoying the night air and the moonlight on the garden.

Then Ricci spoke, his voice low. “Silas, I have a favor I need to ask.”

That was not a good way to start a conversation.

The young man stopped walking.

“If its drugs or human trafficking—”

The Don raised his hands in surrender and chuckled. “No, no, nothing so... messy. It’s personal. About my son, Matteo.”

Ah, the firstborn. The one destined to take after his father, though Silas unwillingly heard he wanted to be a hunter.

“He wants out,” Ricci continued. “Said he doesn’t fit the business anymore and he wants to open his own place. I told him to wait until his sister can take over but the ragazzo won’t listen. You know kids these days, eh?”

Silas hummed. He couldn’t relate, his girls were perfect. Yup. Perfect little angels. Not rebellious at all...

“Okay, I get it. He is an adult after all. What does this have to do with me? I’m not gonna force the mafia out of him.” He shrugged.

The cigar smoke was blown out of the other man’s nose as Ricci shook his head.

“No, I want to ask if you can keep an eye out for him at your Academy. Make sure he doesn’t get involved with the wrong people.”

Raising his eyebrow, Silas thought, The pot calling the kettle black much?

“No can do Don, I already have my hands full with my family. Besides he is a grown man, he can take care of himself.”

The older man sighed, rubbing his balding head.

“Fine, fine. I thought you would help an old friend but I guess we are not friends anymore, eh?” Ricco gave him a fake sad look.

His body tensed. The Don picked the wrong day to try and guilt-trip him.

A purple glow surrounded Silas’s eyes as he turned around, glaring at Ricci who took a step back.

The pressure in the air was palpable.

“Ricci. My mom is your friend. I tolerate you because of her. Don’t push it. I have my limits and today is not the day to play with them.”

The S-rank mana leaked out of his body in a suffocating way, like he was going to crush the man under his invisible grip. But then he reined it in. It wasn’t worth it. This guy was just a regular A-ranked mage after all.

The man wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, his face pale.

“I-I am sorry Silas. I meant it as a joke.”

He didn’t reply. He just walked back inside to his mother who was talking to Ricci’s wife like they were the besties. The women noticed the tense atmosphere.

Anna raised an eyebrow at her son. “Something the matter, bambino mio?”

“Let’s go home now mom,” he said without looking at her.

She pouted. They just came here.

Silas grabbed her arm and dragged her to where she had her shoes.

Anna huffed. Fine. This boy needed some motherly love.

Once outside the mansion and in their rented car, she turned the radio down as they drove through the dark streets of Venice. The night breeze felt nice and Silas rolled down his window, letting it hit his face. Anna looked at his side profile for a moment.

He had a frown, his violet eyes staring into the nothingness.

“Okay what the hell was that? You ruined my night with my friend. Spill the pasta.”

He didn’t look at her. Just stared at the road.

“Mom... why do you keep making friends with criminals, mafia bosses? The Yakuza, The Cartel, Triads... I mean come on.” He complained, his frustration finally coming through.

Anna rolled her eyes and puffed out her chest. What was wrong in having criminal friends?

“What’s your problem Silas? My life is mine to live. I like these people. They respect me, you know for my strength unlike you. They treat me like a proper space user. You just treat me like a fragile doll that needs protecting.” She huffed.

She didn’t like where this conversation was going: it was too much like their old fights before the awakening.

His stomach quivered. He hated that tone of her voice. Grabbing the steering wheel harder he said, “I know you are strong Mom. But sometimes that just isn’t enough...”

Trailing off, he thought back to all the friends they lost because they simply weren’t strong enough in the dungeons, or they made a small mistake that got them killed. His mistakes cost them their lives. Too many people thought power equaled being untouchable and it didn’t work that way.

He glanced at the side mirror, the moonlight reflecting off it. His face was grim. Anna was quiet as she stared at her own hands. She didn’t fight in the dungeons because she awakened later when it was safer and the first gen already cleared the worst dungeons and most of the outbreaks.

She sighed and put her hand on Silas’s thigh.

“You never told me what really happened to you all those years ago did you?” She looked ahead.

Silas didn’t answer. There was no point in digging that up; they were in the past now. All he needed to protect now was his family. His wife, daughters... Hailey, Lisa and his mom too of course.

“I did what I had to do to protect you. Let’s leave it at that Mom.” He patted the hand on his thigh, his eyes finally leaving the road and looking into her violet ones.

Tears pooled at the corner of the beautiful woman’s eyes and her lips quivered. She teleported them into her hotel room, overlooking the Grand Canal. The car was left on the road.

“Mom...?” Silas looked at the mess that was his mother, who had thrown her shoes and was now clinging to him, crying.

He hugged her, rubbing her back. She sobbed in his chest.

The faint scent of lavender from her perfume mingled with the salty air of Venice as her voice cracked with sorrow. “I’m so sorry Silas...” she choked out the words.

Kissing the top of her head, he stroked her hair, brushing it gently.

“There is nothing to be sorry for mom. You did nothing wrong, it all falls on my head.” He reassured her but she only cried harder.

The wet spot on his shirt grew bigger, sending a cold sensation to his chest.

“Shhh it’s okay.”

They stood like that for ten minutes, Anna letting out all of the pent-up feelings while her son held her, his mind wandering to the day the world ended—He didn’t want to remember.

She finally calmed down and looked up at him with teary eyes.

“I should’ve said this a long time ago,” she whispered.

“Thank you, Silas... for everything you did... you’re my hero.” Her voice was small and fragile.

Silas swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Hero huh...

“If you knew what I really did... I doubt you would think that,” he replied, a self-derisive scoff escaping his lips.

But he was hugged tighter, his mother shaking her head.

“I don’t care about any of that... you protected me. And that makes you a hero in my book.”

She sniffled.

His vision blurred. He couldn’t hold back the emotions anymore. His own tears fell onto her soft silver hair as he whispered back, “Thanks Mom I needed that.”