40. Beggar Siblings – Rauno Family

The next day, Leo attempted to approach the Rauno family through Cassia.

“Do you know Ober?”

Cassia, who always slept in the morning, asked in a hoarse voice as she had just woken up.

Leo gave a vague answer.

“Yes. I heard from some beggars.”

When he had previously searched for Cassia in the leather street, a beggar had mentioned Ober.

Ober was a thug from the Rauno family, who collected protection fees from small businesses in the leather street and kept other thugs away.

To Leo, Ober seemed to hold a fairly high position in the Rauno family.

Cassia straightened her messy hair and sat up properly.

“Are you trying to become a thug?”

“Yes.”

At Leo's brief reply, Cassia looked him up and down.

He was scrawny. Too thin and small, he looked like a boy despite being of age. It seemed impossible for him to become a thug.

Worried, Cassia spoke in a negative tone, her eyes glistening.

“They won't just accept anyone.”

“It’s okay. Just introduce me.”

Leo pushed firmly. This woman likes me.

She will never refuse.

His guess was right as Cassia, who seemed like she wanted to say something, hesitated but couldn’t bring herself to tell him to stop.

“...Alright. What should I say?”

Cassia obediently accepted Leo's request and led him to find Ober.

The place they found was a barren first-floor building near the entrance of the leather street, without even a door.

It wasn't a shop, just filled with chairs and tables, clearly a place where thugs hung out.

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

“Uncle, I'm here.”

Ober, chanting "Huh! Heh!" in his workout, looked at Cassia and smiled, standing up.

“Oh, Cassia. What brings you here at this hour? Heard anything... who’s this?”

“He’s someone I’ve been hiding.”

“He's too big to be your son.”

“Of course not. He lives with me.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

At his question, Cassia shook her head, her face turning red.

“No. He’s a brother I’ve been hiding. Get him a job.”

“Why did you come to me for that? If it's something like that, you should go to Mr. Dahrun.”

“He wants to become a thug.”

“This little kid?”

Ober looked down at the small boy standing beside Cassia and laughed in disbelief.

Scrawny Leo was less than a quarter of Ober's size, so his reaction was natural, but Leo spoke confidently.

“Despite how I look, I’ve learned swordsmanship. Let me work.”

“Kid, go home and drink more milk... Ow!”

Leo, feeling no need to argue, poked Ober's neck with his middle finger.

He didn’t poke hard. It was just a light touch on the skin, but Ober was startled and hurriedly stepped back. This was a spot where one would stab to sever the carotid artery.

Leo asked again in a low voice.

“Let me at least take a test.”

“...This kid knows where to hit.”

Ober cracked his neck and reexamined the boy in front of him.

He's no ordinary kid. He didn’t notice any preparatory movements from the boy before he sprang forward.

Although he had let his guard down, it was no excuse for a thug. In the world of thugs, it didn’t matter how you did it, killing to win was all that mattered. Being less suspicious because of his small size was a remarkable ability.

Feeling a bit humiliated, Ober grumbled and asked.

“What weapon should I give you?”

“A two-handed sword.”

“What a strange choice. Alright.”

Ober rummaged through a drawer behind him and pulled out a single-handed sword, as there were no practice wooden swords available.

“There’s no two-handed sword. Use this.”

Leo accepted the single-handed sword nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter. But soon, he had to suppress a smile that spread across his lips. The sword in his hand felt very familiar, and his mind calmed.

While Leo was enjoying his quiet joy, Ober picked up a roughly hewn wooden club.

It was something he used to beat up thugs, but due to his caution towards Leo, he also grabbed a small shield he normally didn't use.

“Come on.”

Without hesitation, Leo approached and observed him.

Ober held the shield close to his chest and pointed the club at Leo, but to Leo's eyes, the way he held the club looked sloppy.

A weapon must form a strong bond with its user.

With a light but forceful horizontal swing, Leo cut Ober’s club in half.

- Thunk! Dududud...

The silence that fell among the three people in the room was palpable as the wooden club, which seemed like a pentagon or a hexagon, dropped to the floor.

Ober stared dumbly at the handle that remained in his hand, and Cassia looked at Leo with wide eyes. Unexpectedly, Leo had a bitter expression.

'Did the Sword Master feel like this when he faced me?'

Recalling the terrifying pressure of that time, Leo pressed his lips together and trembled.

He never wanted to meet him again.

On the day he dueled with Ober, Leo joined the Rauno family.

Cassia relayed the lie Leo had instructed, vouching for the siblings' identities.

However, it was Lena who had the decisive impact on earning the Rauno family’s trust.

When the family executives, alerted by Ober's words, saw Lena at the shoe store, they immediately let their guard down. A brother trying to protect his incredibly beautiful sister didn't seem like a spy sent by another family.

Though their suspicions were eased, and despite recognizing Leo's extraordinary skills as Ober mentioned, a slight test was still necessary.

They wanted to see if Leo was capable of shedding blood, and Leo, without hesitation, struck down several thugs, astonishing the family executives.

[Achievement: First Kill - Leo feels less guilt about murder.]

Ober, proud of himself, boasted to the executives, “See? I told you, he wasn’t playing around when he tried to stab my neck.” He then led the siblings to a large mansion.

“This is the place. Make sure to greet the boss properly.”

Lena was left in the mansion’s living room, while Leo was called separately. Ober, strutting importantly, reminded him to be polite and then disappeared.

When Leo opened the door, deeply scarred by knife marks, and entered, the shadow of a man by the fireplace enveloped him.

[Achievement: First Meeting with the Family Boss - Thugs mildly trust your words.]

A man, stepping from middle age into old age, approached slowly and offered a handshake.

He was Joseph Rauno, the boss of the Rauno family. Although his family wasn't noble, they had always carried the surname Rauno for generations.

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

Joseph’s grandfather and even his grandfather's grandfather were Raunos, so they continued the tradition.

Joseph appeared much younger than his graying hair suggested, with kind wrinkles around his eyes, but he had thick lips that closed cruelly.

Welcoming Leo, he gladly agreed to protect his sister.

He brought Leo into the “inner” family.

Granting him “inner” status was a significant privilege. Most of the numerous subordinates under the families were classified as “outer.”

Joseph extended his hand for another handshake, sealing the deal.

“If you become our family and strive for us, we will do our best for you and your sister.”

Joseph's outstretched hand was wide and filled with goodwill, and Leo took it.

The siblings were provided with rooms in the mansion. Although not large, the rooms were fully equipped, and Lena couldn't hide her surprise.

“Wow! Is this our room?”

Leo smiled contentedly as he watched his sister exploring the room.

“No. This is your room to use alone, so make yourself comfortable.”

“What about you, brother?”

“I’ll be using the room next door.”

“Aww... can’t we share a room?”

“We could, but there's no need to use only one room when we can use two. I’ll come over often since it’s right next door.”

He comforted his whining sister, who kept asking to share the room, enjoying the feeling of their accumulated sorrows being relieved.

He wished for Lena to see only good things and to experience only good things.

No, he would make sure of it.

The siblings roamed between each other's rooms, but when evening came, they were called downstairs.

The central hall of the family mansion, used as a dining room, had several large tables.

With three large doors lined up at the front, it created an open feel, connecting the garden in front of the doors to the hall.

This mansion was a base where the families of internal members lived together, comprising several buildings connected as one. The complex corridors would be confusing for first-time visitors, and Lena and Leo also needed guidance for a while.

When the siblings came down, over eighty thugs and their families were seated in the hall, and many were busy carrying dishes.

Once everyone was seated, Ober stood up and cleared his throat.

As Leo had expected, Ober held a high rank. However, he was of an age to retire from active duty and managed the nearby leather street as a hobby.

Ober placed a hand on the siblings' shoulders as they sat and said,

“They are our new family. This is Leo, the brother. Don’t underestimate him because he's skinny. And this is his sister, Lena.”

“I am Leo. Please take care of me.”

“...I'm Lena.”

Leo stood up and bowed his head in greeting, while Lena, shy, quickly sat back down.

The people in the hall applauded.

“Whoo! Are they siblings? I heard the sister was pretty... my goodness.”

“Oh my! How can they be so beautiful and handsome? Welcome.”

Leo appreciated the family’s warm reception.

He was glad they had joined. There were women, children, and elderly people here, making it an ideal place for his sister to hide and grow. In this large family, Lena would grow up well.

Even though all the men were thugs, what did it matter? Their job was just that, but they were devoted husbands and fathers to their families.

Thugs gathered around Leo, offering him drinks. While he answered typical questions from the men, Lena charmed the family members.

Some women gave her gifts, and each time, Lena would run to her brother, asking if she could accept them, bringing smiles to everyone.

The next day, Leo got up early and went straight to his sister's room. She might feel anxious if she woke up and he wasn’t there.

He had no intention of neglecting her again. Once was enough.

Entering the room, he found Lena, who was just waking up, twitching slightly. He patted her head.

My lovely sister.

Like a doting father, he touched her nose and lips, eventually waking her up, and they had breakfast together.

Then he reassured himself by introducing her to other kids her age within the family.

They would learn the ways of this place while playing together.

Only then did Leo seek out the boss.

Joseph Rauno assigned a thug to Leo and said,

“Start work slowly. Take your time learning from him.”

He didn’t seem in a hurry to use Leo, offering him a few months to learn despite his skills.

Leo learned not only about managing commercial districts but mainly about assassination.

It was the job he was destined to do.