Liberi Reader

March 5th

I ran into Carracci at a restaurant. We had a drink for the first time in a long while.

Reminiscing about old times, I couldn't help but to get teary-eyed.

May 3rd

......

Just resolved a small case, but it touched me deeply.

There's a problem that everyone is unaware of. Or, should I say, is turning a blind eye to.

Why, even in the age of Signora Sicilia, does Siracusa have two different sets of rules at once—one internal, and one external?

The brutality and greed of the famiglie have long been documented, but as brutal and greedy as they may be, they have chosen not to control things themselves.

There's a reason for this.

It's actually quite simple.

Population.

The institution of a famiglia is based on bloodline or personal identity.

And this inefficient organization means that the numbers in any given famiglia will never reach the order of magnitude required to manage even a nomadic city.

This means they must rely on a system established by the common citizenry, and they can only seize control of a behemoth such as Siracusa by manipulating this system behind the scenes.

Signora Sicilia was acutely aware of this fact, so after she rose to power, she drew an even more pronounced line between mafiosi and ordinary folk.

And by emphasizing her absolute might and control, she, over the past few decades, has gotten everyone in Siracusa to believe that in Siracusa, 'the existence of two orders, internal and external, is taken for granted.'

To the extent that everyone was forced to forget how the establishment of Siracusa's underground order was only made possible by the consistency of the outward-facing order.

This cannot be called anything other than a manifestation of political wisdom.

October 15th

I met with that judge, Lavinia.

From the way people talk about her, I imagined someone like Carracci, a righteous person who wasn't willing to throw away her integrity.

Meeting her only confirmed that.

There's no way she's unaware of the futility of what she's doing, in our current landscape.

There's no way she's unaware of the fact that should she ever cross any of the famiglia, her life would be in grave danger.

The irony of all this is, the rights of ordinary people that she strives to protect as a judge mean nothing in the eyes of the famiglie.

They mean so little to them that she has not been snuffed out on her path forward.

Talking to her was torture, because I had to hold back my admiration for her and treat her like I would anyone else.

Carracci once joked that my position made him feel at ease because even if he died, he knew I would be there to pick up the torch.

But... what if I also died?

It's not as if I haven't cultivated and won over a number of youths, but they've never had a leader with any real sway like Carracci.

And undoubtedly, Judge Lavinia would make an ideal successor.

Of course, I can't push my ideas on her.

But, I'm afraid I don't have much time left either.

There is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of me. I don't have time to convey each and every one of my thoughts to her.

I do believe, however, that if my plan goes well, Judge Lavinia will at least be willing to look after my daughter.

Alas... Carracci, my old friend, let me put your death to good use.

If our souls can meet once more, I'll have to apologize to you again.

—But, a noble soul like yours probably won't end up in the same place as mine, haha.

October 19th

How I yearn to unload everything on my chest in a speech.

But, I cannot.

I have to convince them that I decided to take revenge on the famiglie because of Carracci's death.

Plus, there are some words that cannot be spoken yet.

I'm not here to usher in a new era. I'm not arrogant enough to think that.

I don't even know how many hearts my words will be able to reach.

But, I believe that as long as this country still has people like me, Carracci, and Lavinia...

Then there is still hope for Siracusa.

So, I will write what I wanted to say here:

Having said so much about Carracci, the reality is, as you may realize, I'm not here to talk about Carracci.

I'm here to talk about myself. And all of us, my dear citizens.

We live in a cage called the famiglie.

They may not always directly affect our lives, but they are always a part of it.

Every ordinary person in Siracusa, over the course of their lives, will come to gain their own understanding of the famiglie through various ways.

And eventually, they get used to it.

However, I hope you can take a good look at the people around you, and look back at your own life.

There is one thing we all should understand—

We are human beings. Our lives are very much real. We are not livestock in a pen.

And above all, we are powerful.

Our power comes from the very lives we have created.

The lives the mafiosi relish in were also created by our hands.

This is the country we've built, brick by brick.