Dagger 40 Different Fathers, Different Worlds

Allen was still trying to catch up the pickpocket kid. Sometimes, the latter made used of the objects on the way to hinder the former. With Allen's speed, he could actually slowly catch up to the kid. However, the obstacles prevented him from doing so and maintained the same distance between them.

Seeing that Allen was still on his tail, the kid panicked and entered an alley, followed by the former.

As soon as Allen entered the end of the alley, the kid was already on the top of the alley wall and slowly went to the other side.

When the kid saw Allen, he was greatly frightened and hastily crossed the wall. Meanwhile, Allen immediately climbed up the wall at a shocking speed. With the boost of his bodily strength and experience of climbing walls for many years, he quickly reached the other side.

The pickpocket widened his eyes and started to run away again, but before he got away, Allen grabbed hold of the former's shirt and forced him to sit down on the dusty ground in front of the alley wall.

"Take back your money, please don't take me to the guards!", the kid threw the measly two bronze coins to Allen and backed off to the alley wall.

Allen inwardly sighed. This was one of the situations that would perfectly show what poor people would do in times of hardship. He has been doing the same thing for many years. Now that he was technically rich, he stopped being a pickpocket.

"Here...", Allen took out eight more bronze coins. Including the two bronze coins, Allen was now holding ten of them.

"W... what?", the kid was surprised.

"Here, take it.", Allen crouched down beside the kid and handed him the bronze coins.

On the other hand, the kid slowly took it with his dirty hands while looking cautiously at Allen.

When the kid got hold of the ten bronze coins on Allen's hands, the former immediately took it and put it in his own pockets. Seeing that Allen wasn't really joking, he relaxed his guard down.

Ten bronze coins was already worth a lot for Allen when he was still a pickpocket. It could already buy a loaf of good bread which could be rationed for several weeks per one person.

"What are you planning to buy with that money?", Allen asked.

"Food.", the kid shyly answered.

"Alright, be good to your family.", Allen stood up and was about to leave when he saw that the kid's body shook and started crying.

'Huh, did I say something wrong?', Allen crouched back down and asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... it's just that I remember them.", the kid swiped off the tears of his face.

"You mean...", Allen stopped his words and didn't continue talking about the subject.

"Yes, I'm alone now. My father and grandfather recently died, and my mother hasn't come back yet.", the kid answered the unsaid question. After which, the kid stood up and pa.s.sed by Allen.

"Hey kid, wait!", Allen called out.

"What is it?", the kid asked.

Allen opened his hands, and showed ten bronze coins to the kid.

The kid widened his eyes and checked his pockets, but didn't find the coins that Allen gave him earlier.

"Take it... sorry about that, it's an occupational disease, hehe...", Allen said. The kid took the money again.

"Hmm, how about I teach you the key principles of how to steal on other people's pockets?", Allen suggested.

"Ehh... alright.", the kid didn't refuse.

Afterwards, Allen taught the kid the rules of how to pick on other people's pockets. The kid sometimes even gasped in surprise as he realized that he just tried to pick a true pickpocket's pocket. After the talk, it was as if, the kid was enlightened.

"Thank you mister!", the kid said.

Allen's mouth twitched and immediately said, "I'm probably just a bit older than you, so don't call me mister."

"Oh, alright.", the kid excitedly ran away to try the new things he learned, but stopped and turned around. "I forgot to ask your name."

"My name's Allen, what's your's?", Allen asked.

"My name's Edwin. Thank you again for everything.", Edwin exited the alleyway.

On the other hand, Allen's look was blank, he was trying to remember something.

"H... he's the son of that man?", Allen remembered the letter that the man he killed when he just became an a.s.sa.s.sin.

"No... but then, the chief guard, has died already?", Allen pondered.

After a few moments, he walked out of the alley and went to the Three Heads Tavern.

***

Inside the Three Heads Tavern...

Allen arrived in the tavern, and saw Drake and Kate preparing for a new day.

"It's only a few minutes before opening. You woke up early today.", Kate remarked.

"Hey, what's with that face?", Drake saw Allen's depressed face.

"It's nothing, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.", Allen said.

"Alright, get prepared then, the day's about to start.", Drake said.

"Uh-huh.", Allen nodded.

...

As soon as they opened for business, some customers had already arrived on the front door and entered at once.

"I'll have fish soup and a bread.", a customer said.

"Alright.", Allen wrote the order down and approached an another customer to take his order.

After getting three orders, he pa.s.sed them to Drake and the latter immediately cooked the food. When the food was cooked, Kate delivered it to the customers.

***

Near afternoon, at the Morgan Residence...

William was climbing up the stair with a book after he was back from a temporary excursion.

Marco entered the door and saw William walking up the stairs, the former asked, "Is Allen in here?

"No, he's working somewhere called Three Heads Tavern.", William answered. He has been doing his own investigations about Allen's condition these days. However, he really couldn't understand why he would return back at midnight or leave for at least a month.

Marco didn't waste anymore time and left.

***

Afternoon at Three Heads Tavern...

The trio was as busy as ever doing what they're doing to attend to the needs of the customers. There were a lot of customers by this time. It could be seen that the dishes in the establishment was liked by the locals.

"What would you like to eat, sir?", Allen asked to an old man with a cane.

"You're new here?", the old man asked. It was obvious that he was one of the loyal customers of the tavern.

"Yes.", Allen nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, I want a salad.", the old man said.

The kid wrote down the order and delivered the paper to Drake.

The door of the tavern opened, and Marco walked inside the tavern.

Allen noticed his father walking in the tavern, and so the former greeted the latter.
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"Father, what do you want?", Allen asked. He also noticed that his father was a bit drunk.

"Oh?", Marco noticed Allen and immediately said, "I need money... so I could play again."

"Huh, but father I already gave you 200 bronze coins.", Allen said.

"It doesn't matter! Just give me more!", Marco's tone rose up a bit, which attracted the attention of the nearby customers.

Allen immediately gave 5 bronze coins, which was the only money left in his pockets.

"Are you kidding me? Give me more!", Marco angrily shouted. His shout attracted everybody in the tavern.

"Is that Allen's father? What's he doing?", Kate muttered.

"But I don't have more money!", Allen said.

"What did you work for this past month then?", Marco angrily asked.

"I... I still have money, but...", before Allen could finish his words, Marco intercepted him and said, "So you're actually hiding money from me... your father?!"

"No! I didn't mean it like that!", Allen said.

Suddenly, Marco took hold of the cane of the old man beside him and bashed Allen's head with it. The cane hit the kid, but he wasn't moved from his position.

Marco kept hitting Allen's skull, until the latter's head bled. The kid didn't even dodge or move from his orginal position. On the other hand, Marco has no intentions to stop!

"Useless!"

"Unscrupulous!"

"Immoral!"

Each words that Marco said, he also hit Allen with the cane."

The customers were astonished by the sight. Those who brought their children covered their eyes and ears, some tried to ignore it but couldn't do so, some were even angry within themselves.

"Young man! Stop what you're doing!", the old man who was the owner of the cane reprimanded Marco.

"You have no rights to stop me from punishing my son!", Marco shouted angrily.

"Punishing? Is what your doing even punishing?!", the old man angrily berated. He was also a father, in fact, he also has punished his sons and daughters for their misbehavior. However, it wasn't to the point of making them bleed, specially in a public place!

As the bystanders were about to jump in to stop Marco, Allen suddenly grasped the cane which was coming right at him again.

When he took hold of it, Marco tried to get it out of the kid's grasp but couldn't so.

"I have been the one getting us money for the past years, yet you only go gamble and get drunk with that money I earn.", Allen suddenly spoke out with a shaky voice.

"For many years, I have been... no, me and William have been tolerating what you've been doing, specially me!", tears trickled down from the kid's hair covered upper face.

"I've suffered just to uplift our life! You don't even know how much did I do. I... I... last night...", Allen didn't continue the last sentence. His grip on the came became shakier and shakier, until the cane broke in half!

As they saw that Allen was about to throw the cane towards Marco, they've all prepared for the outcome. However, the kid only threw the cane on the ground and said, "I regret what I did last night... I hope you could've died instead!"

Allen turned around and walked out of the backdoor of the tavern and closed it loudly.

Everybody in the tavern was stunned, specially by Allen's last sentence. They didn't know what it meant, but just hearing the latter part of the last sentence, they only thought that the kid was extremely angry at his father.

"Why... that kid had already learn to speak like that!", the fury in Marco's eyes became brighter and brighter. As he was about to go after Allen, a voice could suddenly be heard by everyone in the tavern.

"Get out.", a calm voice came from a man on the stairs. It was none other than Mr. Sanchez!

"You can't force me to get out because I'm...", before Marco finished his sentence, Mr. Sanchez intercepted him and ridiculed, "You're his father? I thought you're a sc.u.mbag. Now get out, you're stepping on my land... or else we'll force you out of here!"

One may think that the tavern owner's voice was angry right now, but in fact, he was still calm! Contradicting the words he just said!

Marco looked around him and saw the grim faces of the customers of the tavern. Finally he gave up, "Alright, I'll get out of your sh**** tavern!" He then immediately went out of the tavern.

After he got out, the people in the tavern started to whisper to each other about what happened.

"What kind of a father that man is?"

"I know right, he deserves to be beaten up!"

"Hais, what an unlucky son that boy is."

"My walking cane. I guess I better get a new one."

Kate was about to go to Allen but was stopped by Mr. Sanchez.

"You still have work to do.", the tavern owner said.

Kate couldn't do anything and obeyed Mr. Sanchez.

On the other hand, Mr. Sanchez walked out of the backdoor and saw Allen crouching down beside the walls of the tavern while sobbing. The former approached the latter and said, "Kid, we should get your injury healed."

However, Allen didn't respond and kept sobbing.

Mr. Sanchez took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood and tears off from Allen's face.

"It's alright kid... it's alright."

Meanwhile, Allen felt, that some sort of burden was lifted up from him.