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40. Beggar Siblings – Rauno Family

The next day, Leo attempted to approach the Rauno Family through Kasia.

“Do you know Oberg?”

Kasia, who always slept in during the mornings, just woke up and asked with a hoarse voice.

Leo vaguely responded.

“Yeah. I heard it from some beggars.”

When he was looking for Kasia at the leather street before, a beggar had mentioned Oberg.

Oberg was a thug for the Rauno Family, collecting protection fees from local small businesses in the leather street and preventing nearby ruffians from causing trouble.

From Leo’s perspective, he seemed to hold quite a high position within the Rauno Family.

“Ah… right. Oberg uncle said he used to be a beggar back in the day.”

As Kasia tidied her messy hair, she adjusted her seat.

“Are you trying to become a thug?”

“Yeah.”

At Leo’s short answer, Kasia scanned him up and down.

He was skinny. Too skinny and small to look like an adult; he resembled a boy instead. It seemed too much for him to become a thug.

Worrying about him, Kasia rolled her eyes and spoke in a negative tone.

“They won’t accept just anyone.”

“It’s okay. Just introduce me.”

Leo pressed firmly. This woman had an affinity for me.

There’s no way she would reject me.

His guess was right; Kasia seemed to want to say something but couldn’t bring herself to say stop.

“…Alright. What should I say?”

Kasia obediently agreed to Leo’s request and led him to find Oberg.

The place they found was a desolate one-story building near the entrance of the leather street, not even having a door.

It wasn’t a store, but rather a place filled with chairs and tables, clearly a hangout for thugs.

There, a middle-aged man with a bulging belly was exercising while shaking his thick muscles.

“Uncle, I’m here.”

Oberg, shouting, “Heugh! Hah!” looked at Kasia and smiled broadly as he got up.

“Oh, Kasia. What’s going on at this hour? Did you hear something… Who’s next to you?”

“This is my hidden kid.”

“Too big to be your son, right?”

“Of course not. He’s a kid living with me.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Kasia blushed at his question and replied.

“No. He’s my younger brother I’ve been hiding. Please help him get a job.”

“Why come to me for that? If it’s that, you should go to Mr. Darun.”

“He wants to become a thug.”

“This little brat?”

Oberg looked down at the tiny boy standing beside Kasia, chuckling in disbelief.

Leo, being too skinny to even match a fraction of Oberg’s size, made his reaction understandable, but Leo spoke confidently.

“Even so, I’ve learned swordsmanship. Please let me work.”

“Kid, go drink your mom’s milk or… Ugh!”

Leo felt no need to use words and poked Oberg’s neck with his finger.

It didn’t hurt, just a gentle press, but Oberg was startled and quickly stepped back. This was a place where one could get stabbed right in the carotid artery.

Leo lowered his voice and requested again.

“Please at least let me take a test.”

“…How did this little brat learn about vital points?”

Oberg swiveled his head from side to side as he examined the boy in front of him again.

This kid is unusual. I didn’t see him preparing for that bounce just now.

Though he was unprepared, being a thug doesn’t allow for excuses. Winning meant doing whatever it took to take someone down. If he could get through with his small body, that was an impressive ability.

Seemingly disgruntled, he asked.

“What kind of weapon should I give you?”

“A two-handed sword.”

“What’s with the two-handed sword? You’re an odd one.”

Oberg rummaged through a drawer in the back and pulled out a one-handed sword.

It seemed he couldn’t find a practice sword, as the one he pulled out was a real sword.

“Not available. Use a one-handed sword.”

Leo received the one-handed sword nonchalantly, acting as if he didn’t care. However, he soon found it hard to suppress the gentle smile spreading across his lips. The sword in his hand felt incredibly familiar, calming his heart.

As Leo was enjoying his quiet joy, Oberg took out a rough wooden club.

Usually used to beat up thugs, Oberg also grabbed a small shield that he wouldn’t normally use, keeping wary of Leo.

“Come here.”

Leo approached without hesitation and examined him.

Oberg held the shield close to his chest, extending the club toward Leo, which appeared quite flimsy in Leo’s eyes.

After all, a weapon must have a solid bond with its user.

With a light yet powerful swing, Leo struck the weapon, and Oberg’s club was severed in half.

– Thunk! Thud…

As the oddly shaped wooden club fell, silence flowed among the three people in the room.

Oberg stared blankly at the handle that was all that remained, while Kasia looked at Leo with wide, surprised eyes. Quite unexpectedly, he wore a bitter expression.

‘Was this the feeling when a Swordmaster faced me?’

Recalling the terrifying pressure from that time, Leo tightly clamped his mouth shut and shivered.

Never want to meet again.

*

On the day Leo sparred with Oberg, he entered the Rauno Family.

Kasia conveyed the lie Leo had instructed while verifying the siblings’ identities.

But it was Lena who made a decisive impact in gaining Rauno Family’s trust.

The family executives who rushed over upon hearing Oberg’s words relaxed instantly when they saw Lena at the shoe store. Protecting an exceptionally beautiful younger sister, the possibility of them being spies from another family seemed implausible.

However, with their doubts now cleared, even if Oberg’s words indicated that he had great skill, they still had to give Leo a bit of a test.

They were curious if Leo could indeed get his hands dirty, and Leo startled the family executives by casually taking out a few thugs.

[ Achievement: First Murder – Leo feels less guilty about killing. ]

Oberg boasted to the executives, “I told you, right? It wasn’t a joke when he stabbed me,” and then proudly led the siblings to a grand mansion.

“Here it is. Show proper respect as the Boss is here.”

Lena was left in the living room of the mansion while Leo was called separately. Oberg, swaggering, advised him to mind his manners and vanished.

As Leo opened a door engraved with several deep sword marks, a shadow of a man stretching from the fireplace enveloped Leo.

[ Achievement: First Encounter with Family Boss – Thugs slightly trust your words. ]

A man who looked to be entering old age approached slowly, extending a hand for a handshake.

He was Joseph Rauno, the boss of the Rauno Family. Although his family wasn’t noble, they had carried the name Rauno for generations.

Even they didn’t know the origin of the name.

Joseph’s grandfather and his grandfather’s grandfather were all Raunos, so it became a mere tradition that they continued to uphold.

Joseph looked younger than his graying hair, with kind smile lines around his eyes, but he had thick lips that were pressed cruelly.

He welcomed Leo warmly and readily permitted the protection of his sister.

Leo was accepted into the internal family.

Being let into the ‘inside’ was a significant privilege. Most thugs in the family were categorized as ‘outside.’

Joseph extended his hand once more for a handshake, declaring firmly.

“If you become our family and work hard for the family, we will do our utmost for you and your younger sister as well.”

His outstretched hand was broad and filled with goodwill, and Leo took it.

*

The siblings were given a room in the mansion. Seeing the modest yet fully furnished room, Lena couldn’t hide her surprise and exclaimed.

“Wow! Is this our room?”

Leo smiled warmly watching his sister thoroughly inspect the room.

“Nope. This is your room, so make yourself comfortable.”

“What about you?”

“I decided to take the room next door.”

“Hmph… Can’t we share a room?”

“It’s not that we can’t, but there’s no need to share if we can have two rooms, right? I’ll visit often since it’s just next door.”

He gently pacified his whining sister, who kept insisting on sharing, relishing the feeling of the pent-up emotions finally being released.

He hoped Lena would see only good things and that good things would happen to her.

No, he would make that happen.

As the siblings took turns exploring each other’s rooms, they were called down for dinner.

The central hall of the family mansion seemed to serve as a dining room with several large tables.

Three massive doors lined in the front opened up, showcasing an openness that connected the garden outside to the hall.

This mansion was where the families of the internal organization members lived, forming the family’s base with several connected buildings. The complex pathways could leave first-time visitors lost for a while, and Leo and Lena too would need guidance for some time.

When the siblings descended, they found over eighty thugs and their families bustling around, sitting in groups, many scurrying about carrying dishes.

Once everyone settled down, Oberg stood up and cleared his throat.

Just as Leo expected, Oberg held a high rank. However, he was of an age to retire, managing the closest leather street while passing the time in the mansion.

Placing his hand on the siblings’ shoulders, Oberg said.

“This is our new family. This is the older brother Leo. Don’t underestimate him just because he’s skinny. And this is the younger sister, Lena.”

“I’m Leo. Nice to meet you.”

“…I’m Lena.”

Leo stood up and bowed while greeting, while Lena felt shy and quickly sank back into her chair.

The people gathered in the hall applauded.

“Whoa! Are they siblings? They said the younger sister is pretty… Oh my.”

“Oh my! How can they be this beautiful and handsome? Nice to meet you.”

Leo was pleased with the family’s warm welcome.

It seemed he made the right choice coming here. It felt like the perfect place for Lena to grow up, as there were many ladies, children, and the elderly around, providing an environment for her to hide and flourish. In this large family, Lena would surely grow up well.

Even if all the men were thugs, so what? What they did was just their job, and they must each be dedicated husbands and fathers to their families.

As thugs crowded around Leo, offering him drinks, Lena was doted on by family members.

Some ladies even came bearing gifts, and each time, Lena rushed over to ask her brother if it was okay for her to accept them, eliciting laughter from everyone.

The next day, Leo got up early and headed straight for his sister’s room. Lena might feel uneasy if I’m not there when she wakes up.

This time, he planned not to leave Lena behind. One mistake was enough.

As he opened the door and entered, he saw Lena stirring slightly as if slowly waking up. He gently patted her head.

My pretty little sister.

Like a doting father, Leo playfully touched her nose and lips until she finally woke up, and they had breakfast together.

Then, he felt relieved once he found peers around Lena among the family.

Now they could play together and learn how to live here.

Finally, Leo sought out the boss.

Joseph Rauno assigned a thug to him, saying.

“Take your time starting work. You’ll have time to learn from this friend.”

He didn’t seem to have any rush to use Leo urgently, allowing him several months to learn from the new member.

What Leo learned included market management, but mainly involved things related to contract killing.

It was a task that he would have to face in the future.