Chapter 13: The Strange Old Man (2)
Beggar.
A term referring to those who beg and live off others for free.
While people are naturally expected to earn their keep and make a living, these individuals called beggars were mostly found sitting on the streets without the ability or will to work, thus liked by no one.
However, Harang was different.
He didn't know the concept of a beggar itself.
It couldn't be helped.
The stories he heard from Jack and Matthew were mostly about rcenaries, knights, swordsn, and noble ladies, and what he heard from Carter was all about thugs and food.
Harang, with his absolute lack of worldly experience, was incredibly ignorant about things they hadn't told him.
What was unique was that he was more proactive than anyone in overcoming his ignorance, and he held no prejudice whatsoever.
Thanks to this, the old beggar sensed that the young man before him wasn't mocking him, and despite his puzzled expression, he readily responded.
“How did I do that, what are you referring to?”
“That thing, you know. That……”
“That?”
“Receiving money.”
“Money?”
“Yes. How did you receive that?”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence ensued for a while.
It wasn't easy for the beggar to grasp the young man's intention behind the question, and the young man lacked the confidence to explain it better to the beggar.
Of course, the silence didn't last forever.
The relatively quick-witted old beggar organized his thoughts based on his own speculation.
“So, are you asking why people give money?”
“Ah, yes. Exactly.”
“Young friend, your way with words is disastrous.”
“That’s the first ti I’ve heard that”
“You seem rather oblivious too…… Perhaps you don't have many friends?”
“I don’t have friends.”
“……My apologies. I misspoke.”
“Huh? What are you sorry about?”
“That’s truly a relief. It seems you’re not just oblivious but also thick-skinned…… Continue living strong like that. As a token of my apology, let answer you; it’s nothing much. People probably see an old beggar, feel pity, and want to give alms.”
“Beggar? Alms?”
“……What? You don’t know what a beggar is?”
“I don’t know what alms are either.”
Harang stated confidently, and the old beggar lowered his head and sighed.
A mont later, when the old man lifted his head to look at the young man, his eyes held no trace of expectation.
“You’re uneducated. Not being sarcastic, literally uneducated.”
“I have learned various things, though.”
“No. An educated person couldn’t possibly lack common sense like this. I can imagine what an unfortunate childhood you must have had. This old man’s life has been tough enough not to lose out anywhere, but yours seems to have been just as harsh. I feel like crying……”
“I suppose I am rather unfortunate.”
“Right. Despite such unfortunate circumstances, you grew up so soundly, so what does lacking a bit of common sense matter? You can just fill it in gradually from now on. In that sense, this old man will explain to you what kind of existence a beggar is.”
“Thank you!”
It was welco news.
Harang plopped down in front of the old man, ready to listen, and the old man smiled with satisfaction seeing the young man's attentive posture.
Beggars were always lonely and solitary, so if a young friend ca willingly to listen to his story, he couldn't ask for more.
“So, about beggars……”
Thus began the Introduction to Beggar Studies, which, despite its na, mostly consisted of the old man's lantations about his own pitiful and unfortunate life.
A story that could have ended in a few sentences if kept short dragged on for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and continued ceaselessly even after an hour.
The fortunate thing was that even the parts useless to others were quite helpful to Harang, who lacked common sense.
Naturally, he also ca to properly understand what a beggar was.
However, not all his questions were resolved.
Harang interrupted the old man's words and threw a question.
“It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“Being pitiful. And people giving money because soone is pitiful.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Being pitiful ans looking inferior and weaker than oneself, and on my way to Marzen, several people looked at that way.”
“You do look a bit shabby. Your fra is decent, but after exchanging a few words, definitely…… So?”
“Those people tried to kill . Because they coveted what I had.”
“…….”
“So I don’t quite understand. Being pitiful ans looking weak, but from my experience, there weren't many people who were kind to the weak…… Why that expression?”
“……No. It’s nothing. Hmm.”
The old beggar gently closed his eyes.
Harang looked puzzled.
He couldn't grasp what to do when the person who had been carrying on the conversation more excitedly than anyone suddenly acted like this.
Fortunately, the awkward mont didn't last long.
A mont later, the answer to his question flowed from the lips of the old man who opened his eyes.
“I’ve thought about it a bit, and there’s a huge difference between a beggar and you. The difference in people's attitudes stemd from that.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yes. Earlier, I joked about you looking shabby, but that's not true. In my eyes, you are a decent enough person. Of course, so might look down on you more depending on the person, but even they probably wouldn’t treat you like a truly worthless simpleton with absolutely nothing. Doesn't it an you are at least worth targeting? Whether it’s the money you have, your knowledge, or your body to sell into slavery.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. On the other hand, a beggar is different. A beggar cannot be just moderately shabby. They must be much, much more inferior than others. Soone from whom there’s nothing to gain even if killed, nothing to find even if robbed. Like a mayfly or an earthworm you see on the street, if you show a pathetic and weak appearance that doesn't even make people think of bothering to harm you…… people won't harbor any hostility. Furthermore, they inevitably show a gap in their heart without realizing it.”
“A gap in their heart?”
“That’s right. You can think of beggars as targeting that gap in the heart to receive alms. Now, watch carefully what I do.”
Finishing his words, the beggar gestured for Harang to move away.
Harang did as told.
From an alley far away from the old man, he watched what he did.
And he was startled.
In less than a minute, money began to pile up in his empty bowl.
“What, it’s a beggar? A pitiful person……”
Clink
“Sigh, an old man suffering so much……”
Clink Clink
“Poor fellow…… Use this to help yourself.”
Clink Clink
Clink Clink Clink Clink Clink……
Coins piling up in an instant!
Of course, since most of them were the smallest currency unit, Cooper, the amount wasn't large, but to Harang's eyes, it felt far more magical than any street magic he had seen.
His mouth wide open, he approached the old man.
To him, who was gleefully gathering the coins into his bosom, Harang asked.
“How did you do that?”
“Didn't I tell you? I targeted the gap in their heart.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“I’ve already explained everything. I even showed you a demonstration. Asking to spoon-feed you more detail is an unreasonable demand. Are you planning to threaten ? This utterly pitiful beggar?”
“……I’ll give you money.”
Harang, who had paused for a mont, made a new offer.
Yes. Just asking for information wasn't his way.
Give and take. If he induced a clean and honest transaction, the old man should have no complaints.
However, that was just his thought. Shaking his head, the old man stood up.
“Do you know what’s convenient about being a beggar? You lose greed in your heart. Of course, there are those who aren't like that, but I am.”
“But, if you have a lot of money, you can eat delicious steak?”
“Hoho…… When you get old, you lose your appetite. What I earned today is enough for .”
With those words, the old beggar left the plaza, and Harang couldn't catch the receding figure.
From that point on, it would truly be coercion and force.
Threatening soone who didn't want to teach more would make him no different from the village folks.
“…….”
Thus, Harang was left utterly alone.
Now that the event sparked by montary curiosity was over, he should have resud Carter's request, but he wasn't in the right mind for it.
His head was completely filled with thoughts about the old beggar's words and actions.
Standing as if nailed to the plaza for a mont, Harang suddenly vanished sowhere.
A mont later.
He returned with a bowl similar to the one the old man had, sat down on the plaza floor, and began begging.
However, the result was disastrous.
“What? A young punk begging? Ptooey……”
“Is that really a beggar? Why are his clothes so clean for a beggar?”
“It’s the end of the world. A beggar holding his head up so stiffly, making direct eye contact……”
“…….”
Failure.
Failure.
And more failures.
In the end, Harang had to suffer the humiliation of returning to his lodging after two hours without receiving a single penny in alms.
* * *
“Hoo, this is hard.”
A groan escaped the mouth of the employee collecting laundry.
It had been two years since he shed his trainee tag and officially beca part of the inn family.
He had reached a level where he could handle his duties even with his eyes closed, but dealing with guests was sothing he never got used to, no matter how much ti passed.
‘The world is full of various weirdos.’
He had experienced a crazy bisexual bastard who, not content with groping won's butts, tried to grope n's butts too.
He had also experienced a madman who ordered iced tea in the middle of winter, and after being asked two or three tis if he really wanted it cold, complained why it wasn't served warm.
One of the guests who arrived in the last few days was also quite the weirdo; this gentleman deliberately wore dirty clothes when going out in the morning, returned late at night in the sa attire, and enjoyed a bath.
Yet, he maintained the sa shabby appearance when going out the next morning, repeating this crazy behavior for three days.
“What on earth does that person do?”
“How would I know? Don’t pay him any mind. I heard he’s been asking around if people know Eddy.”
“Hic…… I-is that okay?”
“Well, we received the money upfront. At that level, he’s still relatively harmlessly crazy.”
Even the innkeeper, saying this, couldn't help but shake his head.
Despite being gossiped about by various people like this, Harang paid no heed.
That was his nature.
A person who saw nothing else once fixated on sothing until he succeeded.
That was the driving force that allowed him to endure in Godok Village.
Of course, the problem was that the point he was fixated on this ti was extrely peculiar…… but Harang was a person without prejudice.
Therefore, he did his best to beco an excellent beggar like the old man.
Rip Rrrrip
Crash Bang!
“Hmm, is this enough?”
Wondering if his appearance was the problem, he tore his clothes into rags and sared dirt on his body.
Growl
“Ugh…… I’m hungry.”
Wondering if looking too healthy was the problem, he even went out begging after skipping two als.
But it was a failure.
Although soone threw him 1 Cooper once every few hours, receiving a shower of countless alms like the old beggar had shown was still far out of reach.
“Struck out again today.”
Twilight approached.
Harang, having experienced another crushing defeat today, returned to the inn and washed himself.
Bathing and eating refreshed his body, but his mind was still uneasy.
Why was he so obsessed with begging?
He himself wondered, but couldn't find an answer.
Thus, Harang once again looked forward to tomorrow, falling asleep while thinking about the begging that seed to have no end in sight.
“…….”
For the first ti since coming to the outside world, he dread a dream related to the ‘village’.
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