Unimportant details
Chapter 22 :wonderfull taste of stolen food
Author: Of all the things you could have asked, you went with "Which of you knows how to use a gun?" Like, seriously? They're retired military, not security guards.
Vira: I think you kinda forgot, but yeah, I don't have much contact with humans. Also, I wanna learn to shoot, so I ask who knows how to use it. If they all respond, I choose one. Why bother overcomplicating it?
Author: To not sound dumb? Or to—
Vira: You think I care what these guys think? —Vira interrupted, cutting the author off mid-sentence.
Unfortunately for Vira, he might have thought that the question was simple and to the point, but these half-drunk men seemed to think otherwise. Most of them remained silent, staring at him oddly, but a few responded teasingly.
One of the retired soldiers raised his eyebrows and said, "Son, we all do. That's like asking a chef if they know how to use a knife."
Others chimed in, saying things like, "You think we spent years in the service without learning how to handle a firearm?" or "Define 'know how to use.' If you mean 'can hit a target,' only half of us qualify."
They were clearly filled with the intent to tease or joke. The military discipline Vira had envisioned was quickly dashed. These unkempt, disheveled soldiers were not only undisciplined in appearance but also in action. The seriousness and professionalism he had expected were nowhere to be found.
As more of them began teasing, the atmosphere seemed to explode, and soon everyone was muttering one word after another, poking fun at Vira's question.
Not getting a straightforward answer and seeing the men grow more and more out of line, Vira snapped, shouting loudly, "Shut the f*** up! And you compare yourselves to a chef? At least a chef can cook food and feed their family! What about you? You're in a dump—who knows where your family is? Why are you in this dump? Or wait, I don't give a s***…"
But before Vira could continue, the soldiers seemed to have been struck by the first few lines. Then, hearing the words "Why are you in this dump?" it was as if they had finally found someone to vent their frustrations on. Uncaring of Vira's harsh words, which were about to become harsher, they began shouting like drunks at a bar after a dozen bottles of beer, pouring out their frustrations.
Some of the soldiers insulted the government, saying, "That sh** officer said I didn't have enough documents for my pension. They didn't want one when I went in!"
Another interrupted, "Even if you had enough, those pieces of trash would take forever. I've been waiting for mine for three years!"
While many were focused on insulting the government for their troubles, some, though drunk, seemed to see the situation they were in as their own fault.
One soldier muttered, "Well, I lied about my age to join the military. Then, when I got out, I couldn't get a job without a degree, and the pension wasn't enough for sh**."
Another added, "The boss kept insulting me, so I left, but couldn't find a job."
One soldier replied, "You got lucky. At least you didn't have to tolerate those assholes for long."
"Hmm, why's that?"
"Even after I tolerated that piece of sh**, the recession hit me hard and left me unemployed."
Hearing all these sad cries seemed to annoy Vira a lot, especially when Viper was translating the noise in his head. His headache began to worsen in minutes, so he backed away, gesturing for Peter to come over.
Without delay, Peter approached, and as soon as he got near, Vira ordered, "Go and get me a military... one that teaches recruits, if there's one in there. If there's no one, just grab a silent one."
"I really don't want to deal with these wrecks," Vira said in a tired voice.
Hearing Vira's words, Peter reluctantly said, "Yes."
His reluctance was understandable, as it seemed the soldiers weren't done pouring out their suffering and weren't likely to stop anytime soon. Some of them were so absorbed in their misery that they started hugging each other and somehow pulled out alcohol from... well, God forbid, I don't want to say.
But still, unlike most of the people Vira sheltered, Peter was one who listened to Vira. It might have been because Peter didn't have the burden of listening to a kid who looked like he was five, but I'd say his experience played a major role.
Having run away from the orphanage that abused him at age 11, and suffering for nearly six years on the streets of Leicester, Peter's ego and pride were long gone. He didn't care whether the person he followed was a five-year-old or a one-year-old. All he knew was that he should listen to Vira, who gave him food, shelter, and, most importantly, companions who shared similar experiences to empathize with.
It was the same for the other members of Vira's "theft brigade"—a name they chose for themselves. James, Steve, and the other 17 people who followed Vira to steal were all abandoned children who were lucky enough to keep their arms and legs intact.
As for the adults, they still clung to their pride, or their pitiful egos that should have long since been crushed into dust. Unfortunately, that sliver of ego had survived. Now, after being well-fed and kept, it had grown so much that they began to forget the one who had provided it all.
Naturally, they were not ungrateful or pieces of human trash, but their egos and pride didn't allow them to follow a kid. Fortunately, it seemed that they were ashamed of such thoughts. Most of them were hardworking. While they didn't completely listen to Vira or follow him to steal, they still took care of the camp—whether it was looking after those with bad limbs or being kind to the children, providing these orphans and abandoned kids the love they very much needed.
This was probably one of the reasons why Vira, although having no intention to form a gang, still kept gathering and providing for them with food and other necessities. To be honest, it didn't even cost much—he could earn enough to keep them well-fed and clothed for months with just a few thefts.
While the majority of the reasons for the existence of such a crude mass of people remained a mystery, the ones I could observe had made it warm enough for the loyalty of people like Peter and the others.
Speaking of Peter, he seemed to have returned successfully, bringing someone with him.
Peter: "This is James. He said he was an instructor before. We also asked him to monitor our exercises."
Vira, surprised: "You guys exercise? James too... not this one, but the lazy guy who runs slow?"
Peter: "He was the one who found this guy as an instructor, saying his name is trustworthy. Also, he's slow because he's too greedy and carries too much."
Vira: "Oh, is that so! But I already separated the valuables for everyone to carry. Where does he find more?"
Peter, awkwardly: "He steals food. Says stolen food is more delicious."
Vira was rendered speechless, but considering how all his food was stolen, he said nothing. Turning to Instructor James, Vira asked, "You know this gun?" and showed him the gun he took from Stefan.
Seems like this one is a bit more reliable, as he doesn't talk much nonsense and speaks directly: "It's a Smith and Wesson. Should be a Model 10, with a .38 Special caliber. It's strong and reliable."
While Vira had no way of verifying it, seeing how confidently the man spoke, he simply asked him to teach him how to use it in the evening and turned to go outside to wander around. But when he saw the soldiers drinking and looking like a mess, he turned back to Peter and said, "What do you think? We don't give them alcohol?"
Before Peter could say anything, Instructor James spoke first.
"NO."
THE END OF CHAPTER
THANKS FOR READING
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also i got review with one of the sentence being slow paced to which i would ask you to listen to my excuse "i dont wanna keep bringing vira's reason for his character or force{organization} and keep giving reason when i actually get started with the magical world"which is same for no magic till now "no muggle child has been shown having magical ability aside from one or two weird things happening around or on them" just take harry for example before the age of 11 all magic he showed was his hair and few weird things so till mc gets hogwarts letter "magic world is magic" and
" muggle world is muggle" now is the muggle section and just like how i am using vira's magical abilities as help in his power growth i will be using vira's muggle influence to aid in his magical endevours
PS i dont understand what you mean when you say "but there are somethings with which author has taken some... creative liberty, especially humans around him, which i dont like much." so if you are still reading it as you said
can you pls expand/simplify