Genius Warlock - Episode 44
44. Beggar gang (1)
After completing his self-introduction, Oliver went to the beggar's den where he lived with Cant's colleagues..
It was an abandoned building with few people, but it seemed like not everyone was welcoming Oliver..
“No, why on earth did you bring in such an awkward guy??!”
A stocky man shouted..
He was called King Fist, and although he was dressed like a beggar, his fists were big and he looked fierce. Cant calmed him down with a shameless smile..
“well·····. Why? I was in a good mood today because my income was pretty good, and I happened to meet that guy. Even if one of them wasn't there, I wouldn't have brought it... Isn’t this God’s will??”
“It's not God... There are already so many useless mouths, so why bother adding more??.”
“Hey, don't get so worked up. I'm just following the will of my predecessor. If you have any complaints, tell them to the man who left me his will. Because I don’t really feel like it either..”
“No, then you don't have to do it.!”
“Ah, this is my friend. How can you so easily break a promise just because you don’t like it??”
“It's a promise... I was just asking..”
Cant rub his cheek. After a long moment of silence, he took out a bundle of money from his arms..
“·····. Come on, stop nagging me now. I just got back and I'm tired. Are you curious about how much you earned today??”
Money has magic.
What Joseph said also applied here, and as soon as Wangjusuk saw the bundle of money, his anger subsided..
Then, as if possessed, he stretched out his hand towards the bundle of money, but Cant took it back..
“ah·····.”
“For your information, it is true that I am the one who received the money, but they are the ones who created the trash worth the money. Those who called you useless mouths····.”
Wangjumuk kept his mouth shut. Still, she seemed to have something she wanted to say..
Dark emotions such as greed and frustration. I saw it all in Oliver's eyes.
“Didn't I bring you too? He has now become the person I can rely on the most... This guy will be able to pay for his meals as well..”
Cant said, patting Oliver on the head..
In the end, Wangjumuk reluctantly opened his mouth..
“·····. yes. sorry. I spoke a bit carelessly..”
“Thank you for your understanding. thank you! Now, here's the money. Let’s all check it out and then bring it back. I'll put it in the communal safe..”
“Yes, I understand····. But what was that kid’s name??”
“It's Oliver. Oliver. He said he had no parents and was from Weinham. I can roughly understand the story.?”
“Well, yeah.”
“oliver?”
“yes?”
“Say hello. They are the sticks that protect our gang of beggars..”
“A club?”
“Yes, a club. A slang term for those who protect the beggar gang they belong to..”
“ah···. hello?”
Oliver bowed. However, sturdy beggars, including Wangjumuk, did not look at it very favorably..
Wariness toward others and discomfort at taking on a new burden shined through..
What should I say... It was similar yet different from when Oliver first went to the Joseph Family..
“·····.”
“·····.”
“Okay then. Now that the greetings are over, I will guide the others. Follow me.”
Oliver followed Cant's lead..
There were the red-nosed, blond-haired boy, the blind old man, and the girl I had met on the way there..
“These two met on the way and know each other.?”
“yes····. Mr. Red Nose and Mr. Harmonica····.”
Red Nose burst out laughing hahahaha.
“‘'Mr.' I don't know how long it has been since I've been called 'Mr.' in my life. He's gloomy, but he's really polite.!”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
As the conversation with Red Nose ended, Cant spoke again..
“This person is the old man, and this is his grandson... Just call me old man and grandson..”
“·····. He's my grandson.?”
“okay.”
“It's a woman, why is it my grandson??”
Then everyone looked at Oliver in slight surprise..
It was Red Nose who opened his mouth first..
“This guy... I thought he was a poor guy, but he has a pretty good sense of perspective.?”
“How did you know?”
Oliver shrugged..
If you roughly look at the emotions, you can tell whether it's a woman or a man, but that doesn't mean you can't say it straight away..
“uh···. Just?”
Cant looked at Oliver for a moment and then spoke again..
“·····. Yes, the grandson is a girl. However, please do not blurt out such stories in the future. The streets are a difficult place for women to live. If she dares to open her mouth, know that you will hit her on the muzzle..”
Oliver nodded, knowing that Cant meant what he said. Not only was there anger, but there was also concern about the child, the grandson..
He seemed to really care about the people here..
“Well... these are professional matchmakers, the harmonica plays the harmonica, and the red nose sells matches with his unique eloquence. The old man and his grandson walk around the streets together begging..”
Oliver nodded mechanically..
Cant wondered if Oliver understood correctly, but didn't bother to explain again..
“They regularly provide our beggar group with a source of income through begging. In other words, they are precious beings that prevent us from starving. So treat yourself with respect when you're here..”
“Yes, I understand.”
Cant look at Oliver silently. He was silent for a moment, then took Oliver to a corner..
It showed a living quarters on one side of an abandoned building, but the living quarters consisted of only a roughly constructed tent and old household items..
There were about fifteen beggars, and among them there were some old men, women, and children..
Another unusual thing was the piles of trash wrapped around both walls..
“These are ordinary beggars from our beggar gang... Although there is no fixed role, it is no different from the people we met before. Our beggar gang comrades.”
“is that so?”
“Yes, they also give alms when needed, and fight together when an intruder appears..”
“An intruder?”
“okay····. Landa is not very kind to the poor. It's the same everywhere else, but it's even worse here. Don't worry though. She hasn't had much trouble until recently..”
Until recently... It seemed like an unsettling word..
“hmm····. Well, that's all I'll explain. You have to work with them from now on. Anyway, he ended up joining our gang. Just in case you don't know, don't whine because it's hard. I don't know about you, but joining the gang of beggars isn't easy. So, pay the price as hard as you can..”
Oliver could tell it was true.
There was no cunning or falsehood in Cant's feelings..
“yes·····. I will work hard no matter what. But, what should I do specifically?.”
“Well, if there's a lot to do, there's a lot to do. Sorting through trash, receiving relief money, receiving used clothes, running errands... Since it's your first time, I'll teach you the easy ones first..”
“yes. All right.”
“Is there anything else you want to ask? Again, I'm glad I accepted you into my gang, but you'll have to do your part too..”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
“Heh, good attitude. Let’s see how long that good attitude will last..”
As Cant was about to leave, Oliver stopped him..
“Oh, wait a minute. Cant.”
“huh?”
“Didn't you say earlier that if you have any questions??”
“Okay···. It's just something I said, but why? What are you curious about??”
“·····. Why did you help me like this? Really?”
“······.”
Cant looked at Oliver without saying anything, and Oliver also looked at him as if waiting for an answer..
After such a short silence, Cant opened his mouth..
“····. I'll let you know when you become someone who does one's share..”
Sincerity. Oliver nodded his head and answered.
“Yes, I understand. I will do my best.”
***
From that day on, Oliver's unintentional life as a beggar began..
It wasn't my intention at all, but it wasn't that bad..
From the beginning, there was only a vague purpose and no compass or map..
I thought it would be better to learn about life in this city..
Even though I lived a beggar life, I guess I could learn anything.?
And it wasn't entirely wrong.
“Hey wake up... what? I'm already up?”
A fellow beggar who came to wake Oliver up looked at him and said,.
He looked quite surprised.
“Yes, he told me to wake up early.····.”
“Oh, that's right. Still, it's rare for someone to wake up early... That's amazing?”
“I usually wake up early... Now, what can I do??”
“We must go straight to the church almshouse. We're giving out bread today. I got dressed and came out right away..”
“Yes, I understand.”
As soon as Oliver answered, he turned over the rags he had folded next to him..
I received it after joining the Cant gang, and although it wasn't particularly useful, I was definitely able to pay for it..
Without even washing his face, Oliver immediately followed the senior beggars to a place called the church almshouse..
Among them, a beggar two or three years older than Oliver muttered..
“Ugh... I'm sleepy. The sun hasn't appeared yet. Hey, newbie. you are not tired?”
“yes? ah····. I'm tired.”
Oliver answered like that, but it was actually a lie..
Although sleeping, eating, and washing were incomparably worse than when I was with the family, it wasn't that much of an inconvenience..
Even Oliver didn't know exactly why..
I didn't feel much discomfort, perhaps because I came from an orphanage or mine that was used to harsh environments, or because I just naturally didn't care much..
Well, Oliver wasn't interested in such things to begin with, so he didn't think much about it..
If there's one thing I regret, it's that I can't wash it, but I soon got used to this after some time..
Therefore, Oliver was neither very uncomfortable nor dissatisfied with his life as a beggar..
Rather, I even thought that there would be some benefit if I calculated the little knowledge I learned every day..
“Is this a workhouse??”
asked Oliver, looking at the building with its brown bricks, dusty windows and rusting iron cross..
It looked like three boxes put together, and there was a black iron fence around the building..
However, what was more noticeable than the bleak building was the numerous beggars waiting near the fence..
“Yes, this is the workhouse. There are so many people.”
“iced coffee····. Iknow, right. Damn everyone, they're being so diligent..”
“Well, it's time to get hungry... Let's stop zoning out and stand in line..”
At his urging, Oliver lined up with his fellow beggars. Actually, it wasn't a line, it was just standing near the door..
Everyone was wearing tattered clothes, clutching their hungry stomachs, and standing still waiting for the workhouse to open. Oliver suddenly felt curious and asked:.
“But why do they give out bread or money in the workhouse? That too for free?”
The old beggar raised his finger and said.
“Our heavenly Father considers it a virtue to be kind to the poor..”
“oh····.”
“Instead, we have to humbly say that we love our father that much..”
a young beggar interjected sarcastically..
The old beggar spoke again.
“But why are you curious about that??”
“ah···. This is my first time coming to a workhouse..”
“Oh right. So far, you've only been looking through and organizing trash, right? By the way, isn’t there a workhouse in Weinham??”
“····. well. I wasn't interested at that time..”
“Tsk tsk... This is why kids these days. If you live so carelessly, you won't become a beggar like us. It's not like your parents will take care of you for the rest of your life, so you need to quickly look around and learn how to live in the world..”
“yes···. I feel it too.”
Oliver said with sincerity..
I didn't know how little I knew when I was at the orphanage and mine, but,
After going through the warlock organization and now coming out into the world alone, he realized how ignorant he was of the world..
In a way, he could be said to be more ignorant than a beggar..
The beggars seemed embarrassed by Oliver's sincere answer and did not harass him any further..
Originally, everyone thought he was disapproving because he came in unexpectedly, but he had done everything he was asked to do so far without making a fuss, so they soon developed at least some affection for him..
Of course, there were some who weren't..
Oliver asked.
“So, does God give out bread like this because he thinks it's a virtue??”
“ah····. That's the official reason, but there's also a more direct and secular reason..”
“Direct secular reasons.?”
“Yeah, that's what it is·····.”
Dang- Dang- Dang-
At that time, a bell rang from the church almshouse..
Then the beggars who had been waiting blankly raised their heads like dogs whose meal was coming..
Workers bringing bread out of the workhouse.
The smell was faint, perhaps due to old bread, but all the beggars were drooling, and then a person wearing a stiff priest's uniform came out..
“We will implement rationing..”
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