16. A Boy Caring for His Sick Single Mother in the Back Alleys of the Red Evil Mercenaries
Theo felt like today was his luckiest day ever. After all, he'd earned a whopping ten silver coins on his very first job of the day. Ten silver coins—an amount he'd never even dreamed of. He stared blankly at the coins stamped with the number ten, fiddling with them absentmindedly.
"With this..."
His father, who spent his days wandering the streets gambling until he dropped dead in the gutter. And yet, the man's drunken temper had been so foul that every time he got wasted, he'd turn violent on his own wife and child. When that bastard finally keeled over on the roadside, Theo thought peace might finally come. But no—even in death, the worthless prick caused nothing but trouble.
He'd lived off gambling and booze with no money to his name, so how had he survived? Turns out, he'd racked up debts all over town. They had to sell their house and move to a shack in the back alleys. But even that wasn't enough to pay off the loans, so Theo's mother worked herself to the bone. Still, the debts never shrank, forcing her into a desperate choice: sell the only thing of value she had left—her body.
She sacrificed herself willingly, figuring it was worth it if it meant a comfortable life for her and her son. That is, until some filthy bastard gave her a mystery venereal disease.
Once infected, Theo's mother took to her sickbed, wasting away. No one was looking for a whore with an unknown STD. Treatment wasn't easy, either—priests didn't come cheap. Even the cheaper medicines were out of reach for their dire straits. If not for the debts, maybe they could've afforded care...
As their lives grew ever more destitute, Theo realized it was time for him to care for his mother. In his precarious situation, he started doing what other kids did: guiding travelers around the city. At just nine years old, he grew up fast.
And today, he'd hit the jackpot with some generous, handsome customers.
"What should I do first..."
Ten silver coins opened up so many possibilities. He could summon a priest to cure his mother's illness right away.
"Yeah, first thing—take Mom to a priest."
After that, they could eat their fill, and maybe even move to something better than this back-alley hovel.
Theo turned to dash home, buzzing with excitement. That's when a voice called out.
"Hey, you. Kid. Get over here."
"...Ah."
It was one of the local thugs infesting the alleys—one who always bullied Theo. The guy had a habit of extorting whatever pitiful earnings Theo scraped together. If he had money, they'd take it all; if not, they'd beat him senseless. A real piece of work. Theo figured he'd lost at least two silver coins to them over time.
He bit his lip, glaring at the thug. 'Why now, of all times...'
They said fortune turned to misfortune, that even good luck had its devil. Why did this have to happen right now?
As Theo hesitated, another thug grabbed him by the collar.
"Fuckin' come when you're called, you little shit."
"S-sorry!"
Even as he was dragged along, Theo's mind raced: Can't let them take the silver. He quickly stuffed the coins into the back of his underwear.
They'd strip him bare if they saw them.
The thug hurled Theo in front of his crew. The scrawny, malnourished boy's body flopped to the ground like a bundle of straw. The clean clothes he'd hand-washed at the well every dawn—to look presentable for guiding tourists—were instantly caked in filth. His elbows and knees scraped raw.
A faint groan escaped Theo's lips. "Ugh..."
The thug squatted in front of the fallen boy.
"You looked pretty pleased just now. How much'd you make today?"
"Huh? Oh, uh... N-not much. Total bust today."
Theo shook his head furiously, denying it. The thug sneered with a kick of laughter, then swung a fist into Theo's cheek.
"Gah... Fuck..."
His mouth burst open. Blood mixed with shards of baby teeth from his already broken molars spilled out.
A normal person might pity a little kid coughing up blood. But there were no normal people among back-alley thugs.
The one who'd punched him spat in Theo's face, then yanked his matted, barely-washed hair.
"Bullshit. A kid who struck out ain't grinning like an idiot and heading home early. Sometimes you make me feel like a goddamn moron, you know? Right?"
"You are a moron."
"Heh heh... Kid's got balls, huh? Kalben, ain't you just dickbait?"
"Ha, you fuckin' mutts."
Irritated by his friends' mocking laughs, the thug slammed Theo's head into the dirt, then yanked it back up.
"Agh!"
"Fuck, for real?"
"Y-yes...?"
"Yes? Yes? Holy shit, I'm speechless..."
Crack!
"Agh!"
The thug kept beating Theo senseless. When he finally stopped, the boy's face was a bloody pulp.
"So, how much'd you make today?"
"N-none... R-real..."
"What, really nothing?"
"Y-yes... R-really n-nothing..."
Seeing the thug buy it, Theo shook his head desperately.
"Fine, guess there's nothing for it."
The thug stood, seeming ready to leave. Theo sighed inwardly in relief. Thank god. It'll heal if I rest a few days.
Then—thud! A kick straight to the gut. The boy's body flew back.
"Gaaack!"
"This little shit still thinks I'm a pussy."
"Wh-what? I r-really don't have any..."
"Cut the crap. You got silver from those suckers today, didn't you?"
Theo's body froze like stone.
"H-how..."
"Think we didn't see?"
The thugs hadn't believed him from the start. They'd watched him grinning as he pocketed the shiny silver from the adventurers in that carriage.
"We were gonna let you off if you handed it over nice, but nah? Hiding it to the end? That's why you're gettin' extra."
The thug kicked Theo's stomach a few more times until he was on the verge of blacking out, then rummaged through his clothes and found the silver.
"Fuckin' gross... Hiding it in your shitty undies? Tsk. But hey... Not just one silver—ten? Those suckers must be loaded."
"What? Ten silvers? Damn... That's booze for days."
"Booze only? Shit, we could round up every whore in the alleys and fuck 'em silly."
"Heh heh... Fuck, just thinkin' about it makes my dick itch."
The thugs cackled, trading filthy jokes. Theo, barely clinging to consciousness, grabbed one thug's leg and begged.
"N-no, please... M-my mom's treatment..."
"Ha, this little fucker's tough."
Crack!
One final kick to the face, and darkness claimed him. In the back alleys, the weak couldn't hold onto what they had—it was just taken. Cold, harsh reality.
The thugs sauntered off, laughing.
How much time passed? One drop, two. Rain began to pour.
Drenched by the cold downpour, Theo's swollen face cracked open his eyes. He staggered to his feet, every inch of him screaming in agony, and dragged his broken body home to where his mother waited.
"Mom...?"
When he arrived, his mother lay cold.
"Mom, why... why..."
Somehow, he'd thought his luck had turned today.
The next day, after a long carriage journey, I'd slept off the fatigue with plenty of food, rest, and fucking. I woke refreshed and sat up in bed. Beside me sprawled two alluring women—one with red hair, the other black—both buck naked.
"Snoooore..."
"Zzz..."
Cheong-ah curled up asleep, and Bella wrapped around her, snoring away.
...When did they get so chummy?
I chuckled softly at the sight and got up. We had to head out soon, so I should check on the carriage beforehand. The inn handled maintenance, but better safe than sorry.
Stepping out the inn door—
"...Huh?"
Maybe from last night's rain? A boy, soaked like a drowned rat, huddled outside. He looked familiar...
Up close, it was Theo, the kid who'd guided us to the inn yesterday.
"Hey, aren't you Theo?"
"Y-yesh, shir..."
His speech was all slurred, unlike yesterday. Lifting his head, his face was a mess of bruises and swelling.
"...What the hell happened to your face?"
"N-nothing, shir. B-but... Shir..."
"Yeah? What?"
"Don't adventherer guildsh do anything for requeshts?"
"Requests? Oh, yeah... We take jobs and handle whatever we can. Most things, anyway. Why?"
In response, Theo fixed me with eyes far too old for his age, his voice dripping with murderous intent. His words came out clear now, no slurring.
"There are some bastards I want you to kill for me..."