6. Beggar Siblings – Beggar

As before, Minseo’s mind slipped away, and the weary spirit of Leo filled the void.

The stench of filth pierced his nose, and the damp alley floor licked at Leo’s rear.

“Oppa… I’m hungry…”

“Uhhh? Le…na?”

The filthy ground seemed of no concern to Lena, who leaned back against the wall and looked up at him.

Her golden, shining eyes and delicate features caught his attention, yet the sight was far from presentable.

Her face and hair were caked with grime, and her ears were crusted with dirt like scabs. With no tissue to wipe her runny nose, the area above her lip was stark white. Around her mouth… it was as if she had picked up something unknown to eat.

Leo wanted to wipe her face clean, but he had no sleeves to pull up.

Checking his clothes, he found that Lena’s face appeared cleaner in comparison. He was dressed in filthy rags that looked like they could develop hives at any moment.

Lena was also wearing a dirty single dress that looked as if it had become a rag, showing sad patches of skin through the holes.

Having no other choice, he rubbed his pitch-black hands together to shake off some dirt and removed a few specks from Lena’s face.

What difference did it make? It was a matter of the heart.

Leo couldn’t understand why he had left his sister’s face in such a state. Looking around, it seemed it had just rained, so a shower… No, that thought was even too extravagant. Getting wet in the rain could lead to a cold, or worse, death.

“Oppa. My throat is dry…”

Lena whined with a parched voice, her eyes closing weakly.

Leo understood her plight.

He felt like his stomach might implode from hunger. A warning echoed in his hollow belly that he would die if he didn’t eat something right away.

Now that he paid attention, his own condition was appalling. There was no flesh on his limbs, and the spaces between his finger joints were as dry as twigs, causing his knobby joints to protrude alarmingly. His twig-like fingers were a wonder to him as they moved.

Having been in the strong body of Leo Dexter, adjusting to this state was not easy. This version of Leo was the shortest he had ever been compared to his experiences in the village of Demos and Abrival Castle. Surely a result of insufficient food intake.

He grasped his trembling legs and pulled himself up.

If he stayed here, he would die.

Earlier in the intro video, he had seen that a market was nearby. Memorizing the direction, he needed to somehow procure something to eat there.

He gently ruffled his sister’s hair as she clenched her mouth tight, trying to stave off her hunger.

“Hey, Lena, can you stay here for a moment? I’ll bring back something to eat.”

Instinctively, Leo knew he was Lena’s real older brother.

Without a word, she nodded.

Stumbling as he exited the short alley, Leo leaned against the wall to walk. He understood why beggars clung so closely to the walls.

His vision flickered black due to hunger.

Driven by his instinct that he needed to grab something to eat at all costs, his eyes scanned the ground and trash bins indiscriminately. If possible, he wanted to eat dirt.

Recalling the intro video, he turned left and right down the alley, and the vibrant market unfolded before him.

The aroma was tantalizing.

‘Food!’

The array of food spread out on the stalls provoked him. Without even realizing it, he found himself approaching roasted chicken, extending his arm forward.

However, all the surrounding merchants noticed Leo’s approach.

‘Of all places, he comes here. What a bother.’

The Chicken Shop Owner frowned.

The beggar boys often pretended to walk weakly before suddenly jumping up to steal something and run away.

Blocking the path ahead was the best strategy.

The merchant sprang to his feet.

Wielding a club to tenderize the chicken, he obstructed the approaching beggar boy.

“Hey. Scram while I’m still being nice.”

Leo looked up at the man blocking his path, who was menacingly thumping the club against his thigh. One whack would surely leave him unable to get back up.

Filled with fear, Leo swallowed hard and pleaded for forgiveness as he wet his dry throat.

“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to steal.”

“Just scram already.”

He felt frozen solid in the cold atmosphere.

Leo stealthily scanned the surrounding area.

The merchants were all keeping a close eye on the situation. If he retreated now, those merchants would undoubtedly chase him away just the same.

With gritted teeth, he begged, “Um… is there anything I could take? I promise to repay you.”

“Ugh! I don’t need that, just get lost. Do you want a smack?”

The merchant even mimicked raising his club as if ready to strike, yet the beggar didn’t move back.

If Leo retreated here, both he and Lena would die!

Desperation pushed Leo forward. He lifted his chin and stared straight at the merchant.

“How about chicken heads or feet… even raw, just to get rid of them? Please.”

Chicken is classified as a type of meat where only preliminary processing is done during slaughtering. Usually, the entrails and feathers are removed, and they tend to be distributed without dividing the parts, making it quite rare for heads and feet to be cut off during this time.

Leo knew this well. The chicken shop undoubtedly had heaps of chicken heads and feet.

The merchant scratched his head awkwardly.

It was indeed rare to encounter such a bold beggar. The most troublesome type, a beggar boy who hadn’t yet resorted to crime, often exhibited such bold behavior. Those who had committed crimes would avoid merchants out of fearful consequences.

“Hey, if I give you that, the other merchants will curse me. Do you understand? I’d be persecuted for raising beggars like you.”

“I know I’m being unreasonable. I’m really sorry, but I think I’m going to die. I have my little sister here too. I’ll never forget your kindness. Please.”

The merchant looked troubled.

If a beggar started sniveling and kneeling here, the atmosphere would intensify, and it would seem permissible to drag the beggar away. In such uproar, if the merchant treated the beggar a bit harshly, it wouldn’t matter. He could escape with fewer curses for resolving a noisy situation quickly.

Then he could say something like, “It’s unfortunate, but I can’t dig up the ground to do business…”

and throw out, “I feel for you, but there’s nothing I can do,” to get sympathy.

But this kid just stood there, talking stoutly without budging. Making him move against his will would turn him into the bad guy, potentially harming his business.

The merchant glanced around to sense the atmosphere.

Bystanders had gathered around, watching the situation unfold. He waited for someone to step up and offer help, but no one appeared.

‘Ugh, I really stepped in it.’

“Just wait here. If you touch me…”

The merchant grumbled and stepped back.

Soon coming out with a basket filled with chicken scraps, he looked at the beggar again with a scowl.

‘Ah, wait. I didn’t have to take this. I’m supposed to give away the basket, too. What a total mess.’

Leo accepted the basket and bowed his head in thanks to the merchant, who was glaring down at him with a face like he’d bitten into a worm. He left quickly; if he lingered, he felt he might just collapse on the spot.

Behind him, several merchants approached the Chicken Shop Owner, looking like they had something to say, but it was no longer Leo’s concern.

Stumbling back to Lena, she brightened when she saw what he was holding.

The siblings hurriedly scraped the chicken heads and feet from the dirty alley. They gnawed on eyeballs, combs, and even the cartilage, leaving nothing uneaten.

It was better than the rotting food from the trash. Sure, the flesh was not the best, but at least it had been slaughtered within the last few days.

Now, with their bellies filled, the next worry became water. Clean water in a city was not something that could be handed out as readily as chicken scraps.

Often, areas surrounding such cities had rivers or streams, but in the worst cases, a city could only have a well. Beggars couldn’t access wells, making it difficult to survive in such places.

However, the city Leo had seen in the intro video was massive. Given the size, there should certainly be a river nearby, so he needed to find where to draw water from.

“Lena, do you know where we can find water?”

His sister shook her head vigorously.

Judging by the questioning look in her eyes, it seemed she had absolutely no idea.

Just putting something in his mouth made his thirst increase.

Lena must be thirsty too.

While there was a slight pool of water pooling on the ground, it looked too filthy to drink without getting sick.

With no other option, Leo licked the exterior wall of a building. Drinking rainwater running down the wall, Lena followed suit and licked the wall, then stared at him as if to ask what on earth he was doing.

That expression raised a question in his mind.

‘Has she never drunk like this before? Then she must have found water somewhere, but why does she act like she doesn’t know?’

This was a dilemma Leo faced every time the scenario began.

Leo had no memories of the past.

Yet it was awkward to ask his sister about it.

‘What is this?’

As he awkwardly quenched his thirst, he felt the necklace hanging around his neck.

On the white metal, some sort of symbol was engraved in relief, and Lena was wearing the same thing around her neck. It felt significant, but there was nothing he could do with it right now.

For now, he decided to focus on what he could immediately do.

Leo led his sister around, rummaging through trash bins wherever he spotted them.

Occasionally he found food that, at a glance, looked mostly spoiled, but if there was a portion that seemed okay, he cautiously scraped it up with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. If he was lucky enough to find something intact, he would give it to Lena. He even managed to snag a few scraps of fabric.

“Oppa, my legs hurt… can we go home now?”

Lena tugged on his clothes, looking weary.

The sun was nearly setting.

Leo acknowledged her but didn’t know where home was, so he couldn’t lead the way. Lena rubbed her tired eyes and insisted.

“Are we not going? It’s getting dark…”

“Yeah, we should go. But I’ve lost my way. Where are we?”

“Hehe. Oppa, you can’t do anything either. I’ll show you.”

Lena seemed genuinely happy to help her brother and guided him, smiling brightly. Their home wasn’t very far from where they first started.

Behind one building, there appeared to be what looked like the siblings’ home.

This building sported a small arch protruding from the façade meant for decoration. The siblings had taken that protrusion and leaned a wooden board against it, casually covering it with rags.

Scattered around were odds and ends appearing to be household items, and a small cup sitting outside was filled with rainwater.

‘Why do we live in such a place?’

They were next to a perfectly livable building, yet building a home against this structure was perilous.

If the owner were to find out, they would certainly run over to demolish their home and beat them up.

Moreover, it seemed odd that the siblings lived alone.

In a city of this size, there were likely quite a few beggars who had set up their own homes to gather and live together. That way, they would reduce the chances of being beaten by residents and could still scavenge for something together.

In many respects, living among beggars would be much better, yet they did not do so.

‘Have they just become beggars recently?’

A question floated in his mind, but he followed Lena into their home.

Their home was so small that lying down straight was impossible. They had to curl up together to sleep.

Before going to bed, he decided to wash his sister first. She was so dirty that it had pained him to look at her.

Initially, he thought of using the little cup of water outside, but he quickly dropped that idea. That was their drinking water for tomorrow.

Soaking a rag he had gathered in the water pooled on the floor, he carefully wiped Lena’s face clean.

Immediately, all his questions were answered.