Genius Warlock - Episode 45
45. Beggar gang (2)
The fence opened according to the priest's words..
The black door made a clanging sound, and the beggars who were hanging out outside poured in all at once..
It's like water draining into a sewer..
Oliver was also swept into the crowd and entered the workhouse, and after a few hesitations, he was able to get in line..
“thank god. At first glance, I think we can get it.···.”
“It’s been a while since I ate bread.”
“That's right.”
The beggars in line saw the pile of bread and each said something..
But it was just a whisper and not loud enough to be annoying..
I looked around and saw that everyone was looking at the workhouse staff distributing bread and the priest in charge..
Not surprisingly, both the workhouse staff and the priests had a feeling of disgust, displeasure, and a strange sense of superiority toward beggars..
Even if you pretend to be, if you offend them, they will kick you out..
“Hey... Don't stare so hard.”
The old beggar forced Oliver's head down and said,.
“Bow your head. Just look at the ground. Just the land... I don't like making eye contact or stealing glances. In the first place, you shouldn't give something that could get you caught..”
Oliver did as he was told and lowered his eyes. However, the curiosity was not resolved..
“···Can I ask you a question??”
“question···? Keep it short.”
The old beggar looked at the priest and said.
“You said earlier that there was a secular reason for distributing bread... what is that?”
“······I want to know that now?”
“yes please.”
The beggar grunted as if he was moved by the polite yet sincere request..
Then, as the line narrowed, I looked at the priest's expression as he got closer..
“Grump... I'll explain later. later.”
“thank you Mr. Botti.”
“This bastard... Strangely, it makes it difficult for me to reject people..”
Meanwhile, the line got shorter and it was Oliver and his group's turn..
Oliver followed Boty and bowed his head and lowered his head, looking at the ground..
Still, I was able to look away from time to time and see the staff and priest sharing bread..
Is it because the distance has gotten closer? I felt their feelings of contempt more clearly..
“······.”
“Five minutes? It's here.”
Ten loaves of bread were given for each person working at the workhouse..
Botti put the bread in a sack prepared in advance and said thank you..
“Mahalla. thank you thank you You will definitely be blessed.”
“······.”
priest without answer.
However, as if he was used to it, Botti took his group out of the workhouse..
“Hwihew... Thank goodness. There isn't much bread left. If I had done it wrong, I would have wasted it..”
“Waste of money? What happens if we run out of bread??”
“What happens, what happens? If you don't receive it, you just go back... There are so many things I’m curious about..”
“ah······. But does it really just go away??”
“yes. There's no bread, so what can I do? You should suck your fingers. Do you think I said let’s go before the sun rises for no reason? Even beggars cannot be lazy. After that, it's perfect to go to bed after getting hungry..”
“iced coffee···. okay.”
Oliver nodded and answered.
Certainly, Cant's group of beggars was far from lazy..
The beggars, Harmonica, Red Nose, the old man and his grandson, always went to beg at set times.,
Other common beggars collected trash here and there through the back alleys or collected edible food waste..
At best, leisure is like a stick to protect a gang of beggars.?
Contrary to the contents of the journal seen in Joseph's study, Cant's beggar gang was very diligent and sound..
In the book, it is described as a foolish and greedy creature that does not hesitate to commit all kinds of terrible crimes, such as selling a friend for a small amount of money..
So it's good for warlocks to use it..
However, the reality Oliver encountered was not like that..
It was a pretty interesting part. The gap between books and reality.
“Oh, everyone stop.”
Boti suddenly stopped and said.
He looked outside. There were quite a few people walking around outside..
“this···. It must have been a while. Let's turn around.”
“yes? Turn around?”
“Yes, if we go on a long walk and take the wrong pictures, we will get tired. I have to go back a long way, but that's better.”
Everyone frowned at Botti's words, but no one denied it..
I've seen it a few times before.
When picking up trash, beggars avoided crowded places and usually moved to deserted back alleys..
This is because if you are seen by people, you become the target of crackdown.?
“Come on, let's move on while we're complaining. Anyway, you're lucky that you didn't waste anything and got bread today, right? Let's go quickly... Oh right. oliver.”
“yes?”
“I asked this question earlier, but for secular reasons?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I'll only tell you this once, so listen carefully. Since you are also part of our group, I am telling you something special..”
“yes.”
“That's because they want to tell the world that they are God's representative and savior.···.”
“Savior...?”
“Yes, bread is precious to a hungry person. I have no choice but to listen to the person distributing the bread... In addition, they can create a good image of helping the poor..”
“ah···. But the priest didn't seem to view us favorably.?”
“Hey, I said it. This guy has a really good sense of humor..”
“Individuals have to follow the overall flow of the organization even if they don't want to. There are surprisingly many people like that... Even worse, there are people who steal relief supplies for the poor for their own gain..”
“like···.”
Oliver exclaimed in admiration at the obvious yet new fact..
A paladin was surprisingly clean and clear, but a priest was different on the outside and inside than I thought..
Of course, Oliver didn't meet all the paladins and priests, but that's what he saw right away... It was pretty fun.
Would you say it's fun to learn new facts??
The best part about this fun was that new questions arose..
“But, does everyone know that??”
“huh···. It's no big deal. I was talking smugly, but I heard it too..”
“From whom??”
“I'm a head priest······.”
“Priest.?”
“I don't know if he was a real priest, but that's what we called him... He's passed away now, but he brought us together and taught us things. he was a good guy.”
Oliver saw respect in Botti's feelings. The same was true for others, but it was at a rare level..
The dead are respected. It's over when I die.
As if to prove this, someone said.
“I don't know if he's real or not, but he's a great person anyway. Because you mediate with the other beggars without fighting, and even bring Mr. Cant with you..”
“Mr. Cant?”
“Uh, actually. It was the priest who brought Mr. Cant. He's a lot more moody now, but he wasn't very playful at first..”
“Is that so?”
“uh. It was like a living corpse, and at the slightest touch it would throw a fit of anger. It's different now.”
It's different now. Oliver was suddenly intrigued..
It was so different from the fun it is now. I wanted to know the reason.
Just as I was about to ask him more questions, Botti suddenly interrupted..
“Okay, enough of that story. Let's not talk about others behind their backs. Especially beggars like us. For a human being who rolled onto this floor, there is no story. Everyone stop talking.”
Everyone was silent at Botti's words, and even Oliver was silent..
Even at first glance, it seemed like a sensitive issue. Nevertheless, Oliver wanted to somehow resolve his curiosity..
Don't you have to scratch the itch?.
“uh···. What is there??”
One of the group said, pointing to a narrow street in the distance..
There were some beggars gathered there..
“That is···?”
“gang of moles······.”
Boti spoke quietly..
mole.
People who only hear it a few times but don't know exactly who it is.
Oliver took a quick look at them to satisfy his curiosity..
There were many people whose fists looked as fierce as kings, and among them was an old man who had a large dog..
Why was the atmosphere unusual?.
Should we call it prestige or should we call it survival?.
They looked more like gangsters than beggars, and in fact some of the beggars who had been caught were having some of the bread they had received from the workhouse taken from them..
Oliver observed them in silence..
“······.”
“···Maybe it's good, right? Boty? Shall we go back??”
“hmm······. No, I went too deep, and we even made eye contact. If you show that you're scared here, it could actually be more dangerous. Move forward confidently.”
With those words, Boti walked forward..
It was obvious that they were trying to pretend to be strong, but it seemed like they were that dangerous..
Now that I think about it, I remembered that when I first met Cant, those who followed Oliver were also very wary of the mole..
“stop there.”
A large man with a bushy beard stopped Oliver and his group..
He was wearing a fedora with the brim torn off..
“You have to pay a toll here. You're all on your way back from the workhouse, right? Give me half each.”
A ridiculously confident attitude. Botti objected..
“I've been on this street for over 30 years, but I have to pay a toll. what does that mean?”
“her···! You've been a beggar for a long time. They talk like it's something to brag about.”
“You are not a beggar either?”
“Not just any beggar. Don't put me in the same row because it makes me feel bad... Anyway, there was no owner in this alley until recently, but not anymore. You have to pay a toll to pass.”
“How can there be an owner in the alley??”
“From now on. That’s right, our mole team. how is it? Give it to me and have it all taken away? Or, if it doesn't fit, should I only give half of it? Personally, I like the former. Because my hands are itching.”
The beggar in the fedora clapped his hands as if threatening..
The way they acted was reminiscent of the Dominic family, and Botti was courageous even though he was scared inside..
“Hey, how dare you do that-”
“-wait for a sec.”
An old man with a bowler hat and a sort of beggar intervened..
He was squatting with several large dogs by his side..
All dogs made a panting sound when petted..
the old man said.
“······You priests... no, aren't you a gang of cants??”
Botti hastily answered..
“exactly···. Your dog is not old.?”
“okay···. Hey, just let Henry go. Cant gang.”
“cant? Ah... I can't tell if you're a quarter staff member or a troubleshooter.?”
“Okay, send it to me..”
The fedora beggar named Henry narrowed his eyes, brought his face closer, and said:.
“Quarter staff cant... Somehow, compared to what I heard, my subordinates are not that young, and they all look like weaklings. Especially that guy.”
The fedora beggar said, pointing at Oliver..
Well, if you look at it from the outside, it was somewhat true..
“Only the ones below are like that... Just let me go. Because the mole has no intention of colliding yet..”
Things seemed to be going well, but the fedora beggar opened his mouth in dissatisfaction..
“Oh, I'd like to, but I don't like the look of this old man's eyes.?”
he said, looking down at Botti..
“He treated me like I was the same as him. Inspiration.”
“It's a beggar, right??”
“It's not just a beggar... Is this a high-paying job? I just feel dirty, so why not touch it once? Inspiration?”
At those words, other beggars who were watching the situation began to surround him with clubs and clenched fists..
“······I don't know. The mole said not to do it. I'm against it.”
“So what if I do it on my own??”
“under···. Do whatever you feel like. Because I don't know. More than that, why is this guy whining so much??”
An old man petting a whining dog and looking the other way.
The fedora beggar said, tilting his hat forward..
“Hey did you hear? Do whatever you want.”
Before you know it, beggars surround you. Everyone was tense, and then, just like that. Just right. I heard a sound.
“Okay, feel free to do whatever you want. I'm curious?”
Cant has emerged from the other side..
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