Beggar Siblings - The Rauno Family
The following day, Leo attempted to approach the Rauno Family through Cassia.
“Do you know Ober?”
Cassia, who always slept in during the mornings, had just woken up and asked in a husky voice.
Leo made up an excuse on the spot.
“Yes, I heard from some beggars.”
A beggar had mentioned Ober before when Leo was looking for Cassia at the leather district.
Ober was an enforcer for the Rauno Family, collecting protection money from the small business owners in the leather district and keeping other gangs away.
As far as Leo could tell, he seemed to hold a fairly high position within the Rauno Family.
“Ah… Right. I heard Uncle Ober used to be a beggar too.”
Cassia fixed her messy hair and shifted her position.
“Are you trying to become a gangster?”
“Yes.”
At Leo’s short reply, Cassia looked him up and down.
Scrawny. So skinny and small that he looks like a boy despite being of age. He's too weak to be a gangster.
Worried, Cassia rolled her eyes and spoke in a negative tone.
“They won’t just accept anyone.”
“It’s fine. Just put in a good word for me.”
Leo pushed forward resolutely. This woman has feelings for me.
She'll never refuse me.
His guess was right, as Cassia flinched as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to tell him to give up.
“…Alright. What should I tell him?”
Cassia readily agreed to Leo’s request and led him to Ober.
The place she took him was a desolate one-story building near the entrance of the leather district, without even a proper door.
It wasn’t a shop, but a place with only chairs and tables scattered about, clearly a hangout for gangsters to kill time.
There, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly was exercising, his thick muscles shaking with every move.
“Mister, I’m here.”
Ober was shouting, “Huff! Huff!” when he saw Cassia and smiled brightly, getting up.
"Oh, Cassia. What brings you here at this hour? Did you hear something... Who's that next to you?"
"He's someone I've been hiding."
"He's too big to be your son, isn't he?"
"Of course not. He's someone who lives with me."
“Boyfriend?”
At his question, Cassia blushed and shook her head.
“No. He’s my younger brother that I’ve been hiding. Get him a job.”
“Why come to me for that? You should go to Mr. Dalun.”
“He wants to be a gangster.”
“This little guy?”
Ober looked down at the small boy standing next to Cassia and burst into laughter, finding it absurd.
Skinny Leo wasn’t even half the size of the large and plump Ober, so his reaction was only natural. However, Leo spoke in a confident tone.
“I may not look like it, but I’ve learned swordsmanship. Please let me work.”
“Hey kid. Go drink more of your mommy's milk and… Ouch!”
Leo didn’t feel the need to argue and poked Ober next to his Adam’s apple with his middle finger.
It wasn’t a painful jab. His fingertip lightly pressed against the flesh, but Ober was startled and quickly stepped back. If Leo had wanted to, it would have been a killing blow severing his carotid artery.
Leo asked again in a low voice.
“Please, at least give me a test.”
“…Where did the little guy learn to be so bold.”
Ober craned his neck left and right, examining the boy in front of him again.
He’s not ordinary. I didn’t see the initial movement of the boy about to pounce.
It was true that he had been off guard, but that was no excuse for a gangster. In the world of gangsters, it didn’t matter what method you used, as long as you killed your opponent, you won. If acting harmless due to his small physique was a skill, it was a remarkable one.
As if his pride was hurt, he grumbled and asked.
“What weapon should I give you?”
"A two-handed sword."
"A two-handed sword, huh? You're an unusual one."
Ober rummaged through the drawers behind him and pulled out a one-handed sword.
He seemed to be out of practice swords, as he brought out a real sword.
“Don’t have one. Use this one.”
Leo nonchalantly accepted the offered one-handed sword as if it didn’t matter. But he couldn’t help the faint smile spreading across his lips. As he gripped the sword, it felt incredibly familiar, and his heart calmed.
While Leo was enjoying his quiet joy, Ober pulled out a roughly-hewn wooden club.
It was what he used to beat up and punish other gangsters. Wary of Leo, Ober also grabbed a small shield he didn’t usually use.
“Come at me.”
Leo obliged and approached, observing him.
Ober held the shield close to his chest and pointed the club at Leo. But to Leo’s eyes, the way Ober held the club looked clumsy.
A weapon had to form a solid bond with its user.
As Leo swung the sword horizontally with a light but powerful stroke, the club in Ober’s hand was sliced in half.
- Crack! Thud…
The wooden club, its shape difficult to define as either a pentagon or hexagon, fell apart. Silence fell upon the three people in the room.
Ober stared blankly at the club with only the handle remaining, while Cassia looked at Leo with surprised eyes. He, unexpectedly, had a bitter look on his face.
‘Is this how the Swordmaster felt when facing me?’
Recalling the terrifying pressure he felt back then, Leo shut his mouth tightly and shuddered.
I never want to meet him again.