The Wicked Hobby of a Vile Rich Man

The death of a human being is always a sorrowful affair. It is not merely the tears shed for the loss of a loved one that sting; the costs required to send the departed off in a final, elegant, and beautiful manner are equally terrifying. Between the grief of never seeing the departed again and the anxiety over the expenses of the funeral, which one weighs more heavily on the hearts of the survivors? Some weep, saying that while the dead are gone, the burden of finding a large sum of money for a proper send-off in their already dire circumstances is the more painful reality. It cannot be helped. Compared to the death of someone who lived a long, ordinary life, the shockwave caused by the death of a young man—who was the sole provider for his frail parents and an immature younger sibling—is far more devastating to a household. How is a family, already struggling to make ends meet, supposed to cope with such a sudden disaster?

Though it is impossible to bring the dead back to life, there was one way to at least lighten the burden on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those left behind. The person who conceived of this was a kind-hearted village elder. "Just like paying taxes, let us collect a very small amount of money—even if it is just a pittance—from every villager. Let us pile it up in a safe, coin by coin. If we use this money solely for the funerals of those who pass away so suddenly, we can surely reduce the burden." The idea was that since no one knew when such misfortune might strike, everyone should contribute a manageable amount in advance ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to help families who suffered such a tragedy. The intention was noble. However, it is truly easy and swift for things started with good intentions to degenerate into something wicked.

"Is it really necessary to collect money only for the funerals of the dead? Could we not apply this to people who are injured in ordinary accidents as well?"

"People injured in accidents, hmm. It isn't just people who get damaged in accidents, is it? Could this not be applied to large buildings or even massive amounts of cargo being transported by sea or river? If we put our heads together just a little..."

What began as a communal effort to help neighbors in need and overcome hardships together emerged under the name of 'insurance,' a new means of making money.

Through clever wordplay, they created countless scenarios where, despite it clearly being a situation requiring compensation, a subtle technicality made it unnecessary to pay. It was an unreasonable and difficult contract where one had to satisfy extremely stringent conditions, and even then, satisfying only part of them resulted in receiving only a fraction of the payout. People were furious at the tyranny of the insurance sharks who took their money but refused to pay, yet they could not fight against the insurance agents who kept menacing bodyguards. Moreover, the Prime Minister himself was raking in a fortune from it. And the Prime Minister devised even more vicious methods. Many people utilized those vicious methods even better than the Prime Minister could have imagined.

"You really are... You got married much faster than your brother, don't you feel sorry for him, potentially becoming an old bachelor who can't even get married?"

The man, who had come to protest after discovering that an insurance policy he knew nothing about had been taken out—and that he wasn't even the beneficiary—could no longer hold back. The resentment he had built up from seeing them always favor his brother acted like oil poured onto a pile of straw, turning into a burning, explosive rage. "You are no longer my parents, my family, or anything to me!" The man threw a punch at his father and mother; as a result, his mother lost several teeth, and his father's nose was crushed. If it ended here, it would just be a family ruined by money, but it did not end there. The parents, who had taken out several other insurance policies, received a sum that more than covered the medical bills. The middle-aged couple rejoiced at receiving more money than expected, while cursing their son for being a degenerate child they had raised poorly.

This is one of the common occurrences born of filthy greed, but in truth, this was a mild ending. No one had actually died, and no one had suffered injuries that made rehabilitation impossible or left them crippled.

"I'm sorry, my son. You must make a sacrifice for the sake of the family."

"Dad, please! Please! Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!"

Ignoring the piercing screams, the man severed his young son's fingers. In some household, a father cut off his son's fingers for money. Such things are common. But among them, how many actually receive the money?

"If you promise a large sum of money if a family member dies of an unfortunate accident or illness after a period of one year, many people will wait patiently and then try to kill or maim their own family members."

"That is correct. Even the home, the one sanctuary where those who return from the harsh, grueling work outside can finally stretch out and rest, is no longer safe. Even if they signed up with good intentions, they begin to doubt and distrust their own family. The Queen desires this hell of distrust, where family members view each other only as a means of profit and eventually harm one another, does she not?"

"But if you distribute it like this to everyone, wouldn't the financial loss be immense?"

To the Black Queen's question, Shylock slowly shook his head and answered.

"There is no need to worry, Black Queen in the mirror. We hire a vast number of investigators to point out every single suspicious detail, delaying or refusing payment. Those who truly commit such acts will eventually be caught, despite paying the premiums in hopes of a windfall. And for those who have truly gone to great lengths to make it look legitimate, or for the few ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who have genuinely suffered misfortune, we pay the insurance money as per the contract. Furthermore, we select only a few of those who were sloppy enough to be caught and pay them as well."

"Even if most do not receive it, the existence of a few who did causes others to be blinded by money, leading them to kill their children as soon as they are born or maim themselves. Even without a guarantee that they will receive it, the number of foolish people increases. If you bury the stories of those who didn't get paid and inflate the tales of those who did, eventually, people will emerge who want to kill their children and cut their own bodies to turn them into money. Even though they have no guarantee they will receive it. Pain and resentment swirl and circulate endlessly."

"Is that not a clown show of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the foolish, sufficient for the Queen to watch and enjoy? To think they would try to kill each other over such money, hahahahaha!"

The old Prime Minister, the richest man aside from the Snow Queen who owns everything in the world, laughs. But he is not laughing because he is genuinely enjoying himself. Behind that frivolous laughter, which does not suit a dignified, albeit short, elderly gentleman, hides a sorrow that cannot be concealed by anything. There is no ease born of the abundance that the wealthy should display. Though he mocks the desperate, filthy actions of the poor people who are driven mad by money as a "clown show of the foolish," he is nothing more than the Queen's old jester.

"That is a truly nasty hobby."

The Black Queen mocks the old man betrayed by his family upon seeing that laughter.

"If I may be so bold, are you not similar, Black Queen? Enjoying a nasty hobby, even if it is on a smaller scale than mine."

Shylock stops laughing as he looks at the mocking Black Queen and points out that she is exactly the same.

"Hmm, perhaps so. Well, let us end that conversation here, and I shall deliver the orders and the gift bestowed by the Queen. First, the gift."

Instead of answering Shylock's point, the Black Queen changes the subject and pulls a small box from within the mirror, handing it to Shylock. What could possibly be inside?

"Giving me an empty box because you are too lazy to tell me directly that I am no longer needed... No, that is not it. There is something inside. It is light, but what is it?"

"Rather than me telling you, judge for yourself by looking at the contents. The Queen has kindly written the instructions inside as well. I have taken a look myself, and I am certain it is an item that will be to your liking."

If it were a gift from someone with equally nasty hobbies, he could not be trusted, but if it were a gift from the real Snow Queen, not this Black Queen, it was worth believing. Thus, Shylock slowly opened the box, confirmed the contents—a tool for using some form of magic—and read the instructions. As he carefully examined the letters written in the manual one by one, Shylock began to giggle. Has the old man, driven mad by greed, finally lost his mind?

"Hehehe, hahahahaha! I, this old Shylock, swear my loyalty once again, grateful for this gift bestowed by the merciful Queen! Until the moment this flesh rots and crumbles, even if my soul is squeezed dry until nothing remains! Hahahahaha!"

When a person's sorrow exceeds a certain limit, they often laugh instead of crying, even while tears stream down their face. A few tears fall down Shylock's cheeks, but he laughs. Aside from those tears, one could not imagine sorrow in his appearance.

"There will be quite a large disturbance in Bremen."

Having heard enough of the undignified laughter, the Black Queen decides to move on from the gift delivery and return to the main point. Shylock stops laughing and straightens his posture. It was not difficult to notice that this was the real order given by the Snow Queen.

"I have been told to send the Hungry Wolf, the Cowardly Lion, and the Knight Commander to respond to the events that will unfold."

"Is that not overkill?"

"Those who will cause the incident are likely Robin Hood's children, the broken mechanical doll of Geppetto they have snatched, and in addition, that girl who might become dog food at any moment. She said it was a 'lonely wolf...-like bitch' wandering here and there, and said that bitch would also arrive in Bremen."

"Ah, I see. You mean Little Red Riding Hood. By mentioning that girl whom you said to leave alone, do you mean to eliminate her entirely this time? And if Bremen is the stage this time, should I also dispose of that fellow called Painkiller, who has been particularly noisy lately?"

"She said if the opportunity arises, kill her, but it is not absolutely necessary to kill her desperately. The ones you must keep in check the most are Robin Hood's children. And that broken mechanical doll as well."

"Understood. I will prepare a stage that the Queen will enjoy watching."

It seems a pile of trials is about to be poured onto the heroes who have overcome one ordeal. Can Hansel and Gretel, who have decided to stand against the world, and the mechanical doll who has realized her heart, stand against the hell the Queen has created?