Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 032. Dolos Family (3)

The entire Dolos Family blinked.

They wondered if they were dreaming.

No matter how famous a practitioner had become recently, speaking like that under their roof?

It was so absurd, so unexpected, that they were at a loss.

Should they get angry? Scold him? Or show that rude brat a bitter lesson?

As they all hesitated on what to do, Razonia stepped forward.

“Haha. My apologies. That was not something we should’ve discussed with guests present.”

Shockingly, the family head, Razonia, apologized to Anagin, the one who had spoken rudely.

Spanich’s uncle shouted.

“Father!”

“Is he wrong? Talking about money, money all the time doesn’t match the dignity of a practitioner's family. Especially not in front of guests. Enough.”

Since the head of the family said so, the two sons could no longer argue.

The family head’s word was absolute law.

Razonia sealed it with another apology.

“We’ve been rude to our guest. But I hope you’ll understand. Once you become a family of practitioners, there’s a lot you must consider.”

“I understand. Providing for a family is difficult, and protecting someone is even harder. I was the rude one for running my mouth. I’ve got a bad temper, please overlook it.”

Since Razonia apologized so readily, Anagin also responded with proper courtesy—so much so that one might wonder if he was the same person as earlier.

“Haha. Since we’re at it, may I ask you something about yourself?”

“Me?”

“Yes. A guest has arrived; it would be impolite not to ask even the basics, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, if it’s something I can answer.”

Razonia grinned.

“My grandson tells me you don’t really know where you came from. Is that true?”

“Yes. I lived deep in a forest.”

“That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

One of Spanich’s cousins frowned.

He dismissed it as lies or bragging—wanting to look special.

There were practitioners like that.

“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“You must have left the forest at some point. Then you should know where you ended up.”

“My master helped me, so I don’t know.”

“Helped you? How?”

“He threw me. Said he’d help me leave the forest quickly. So I don’t know where I landed.”

Everyone grimaced at the absurdity.

Throwing a person out of a forest?

But Anagin had nothing more to add. It was simply the truth.

“Hm… could it have been magic?”

Razonia turned to the butler, pouring his drink.

“Well, perhaps. It could have been magic. Magic has many forms and effects.”

‘So the butler might be a mage?’

Anagin wondered, watching the butler explain.

Now that he thought about it, the ice under the fruits—something impossible to see in spring—might not have been winter ice preserved. It might have been made with magic.

“If not magic?”

“Then he must’ve been an extremely strong Gigant.”

“Oh…! So either way, he wasn’t ordinary. Magic or strength, throwing a person that far isn’t something normal folk do. Was he a mage, or a Gigant?”

“He was probably a Gigant.”

“Probably?”

“I’m sure he was a Gigant, but it wouldn’t be strange if he were a mage too.”

His master had said he couldn’t use magic, but Anagin wasn’t convinced.

That man claimed he couldn’t use magic, but honestly… even if he could, it wouldn’t be surprising.

He might’ve just said that because he couldn’t be bothered. Whatever the case—

Razonia laughed in disbelief.

“Haha… You don’t know your own master? Isn’t that a bit unfilial?”

“I didn’t want to become his disciple. Anyway, he was definitely a Gigant.”

Absurd as it sounded, it didn’t feel like a lie.

“That answer is beyond what I imagined. Can I at least know his name?”

“I don’t know his name.”

“You don’t?”

“He didn’t tell me, and I wasn’t particularly curious. But he was a man of many talents. Farming, livestock, brewing, painting, music—he taught those to the villagers.”

“And what did you learn?”

“Mostly fighting. Physically.”

“You mean sparring?”

“Yes.”

Anagin unconsciously grimaced. The memory of sparring with his master surfaced.

Normally, time beautifies memories.

But that memory could never be beautified.

It was far too shitty for that.

“Oh? I’m curious. Would you like to spar with me?" Fınd the newest release on novel~fire~net

A woman who had been quietly listening suddenly made the suggestion.

It was Daria, Spanich’s cousin.

“We spar frequently, too. There’s a training yard over there. Want to go for a round after we eat? Help with digestion?”

The only woman of the Dolos Family spoke casually, clearly wanting to see Anagin’s skill for herself.

The others’ eyes also sparkled.

They wanted to witness firsthand the abilities of the rising star known as the Hero of the Outskirts.

However, Anagin could not meet their enthusiasm.

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I’m pretty sure what you mean by ‘sparring’ is very different from what I mean by it.”

“Ha?”

Daria let out a disbelieving sound.

She thought Anagin was looking down on her.

Considering how he’d acted earlier, she figured defeating a few villains had made him arrogant.

The family head stepped in, mediating.

“Your master must have trained you harshly. Those who go through that usually avoid sparring.”

“To be honest, yes.”

“I don’t know who he is, but I’d like to meet him someday. He seems incredible in many ways.”

“I agree that he’s incredible. He’s far more extreme than I am.”

“Then how about a toast to him? Thanks to him, we’ve been able to meet like this.”

It was a sudden suggestion, but Anagin accepted it without hesitation.

Even though his master had beaten him, slashed him with swords, chopped at him with axes, clubbed him, stabbed him with spears, fed him poison, attacked him while he slept, attacked him while he ate, and just attacked him whenever—he was still his master.

And he was also the one who, though an outsider, helped the village to the very end when a plague struck.

Razonia likely made the toast to lighten the atmosphere, but Anagin gladly raised his cup for his master.

* * *

“He says he would like to speak with you privately.”

After the meal, the butler approached Anagin and whispered to him.

Following him led to Razonia’s room.

Naturally, Razonia was inside.

“Welcome.”

Now dressed in his nightclothes, Razonia poured himself a drink and greeted Anagin cheerfully.

“I called you because there are things I wish to discuss with you alone. I hope you’ll understand.”

“I got a delicious meal, so there’s nothing to complain about. What’s this about?”

"I like your straightforwardness. Please, have a seat."

Razonia gestured for him to sit and placed a bottle on the table.

Anagin sat where the drink had been set.

Razonia began.

“To be blunt. What is it that you want from us?”

"Was it too sudden? As one gets older, patience thins, but the ability to read people improves. As I see it, you don't seem like someone who came here frivolously."

Oh… so the old man really does know how to read people.

“I just wanted to get some meals.”

“Meals?”

“I eat a lot. And I’m picky.”

“Haha… Well, was the food satisfactory?”

“Very. I ate my fill. I even tried that fruit, the watermelon.”

Anagin brought up the day’s most impressive fruit.

That luscious red flesh, crisp and refreshing texture, sweet fragrance—

He wanted to eat it again someday.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Watermelon is quite expensive, you know.”

“But meals aren’t the only reason I’m here.”

“Ah, here comes the real reason. So what brought you?”

“Curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

“I wanted to see with my own eyes what a practitioner family is like.”

“Hm, that’s hard to grasp.”

“It’s literal. In case you didn’t hear, I’ve been a practitioner for only about ten days.”

“I heard.”

Of course.

Spanich’s reaction earlier made Anagin suspect he’d told his grandfather, and he was right.

“So I don’t know much about practitioners. My master taught me, sure, but I let most of it go in one ear and out the other.”

Anagin said without shame. He never intended to become a practitioner in the first place, so he felt no embarrassment.

“I see. I understand. There are plenty like that. People who decide to become practitioners yet know little about what a true practitioner is, or what one must do to become one.”

To become a true practitioner, one usually went to the Temple of Delphi to receive a god’s selection, or take on a mission to earn it.

That was the proper path.

But some wandered off it through ignorance or stubbornness—idiots who pursued strange personal methods.

Razonia assumed Anagin was one of those.

Not a bad thing. Sometimes, those idiots became great.

“Hmm… Anagin, let me ask plainly. Would you consider staying with us?”

“No.”

Razonia offered the bait for recruitment, but Anagin rejected it instantly, so cleanly it was almost rude.

“…Without even hearing the terms?”

“Even if I hear them, my answer won’t change. So it’s pointless.”

Razonia clicked his tongue in disappointment, then quickly let it go.

Confidence was a privilege of the young, and there was no point forcing fate.

Still, he felt it was a pity.

If Anagin agreed to help them, it would’ve greatly aided the expansion into the Witch’s Territory…

Razonia, thinking “might as well try,” presented the terms anyway.

“We could teach you how practitioners train. A practitioner family’s advantage is that it can pass down accumulated knowledge for generations.”

“No need. I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Hm… then what about teaching you how to handle Energy(Γι)?”

Anagin paused.

Inside, Razonia shouted, I knew it.

“I can tell you’re no ordinary fighter. But it seems you cannot properly control your Energy(Γι).”

Razonia deduced this from his grandson’s report and his conversation with Anagin.

Anagin mentioned having a great master, but all he’d done was sparring.

Unfortunately, Energy(Γι) was not something one could learn through mere sparring.

“So you’re offering to teach Pariisphero (parĕisphĕrō) and Eulogia (εὐλογία)?”

The power of Gigants—Energy(Γι).

Pariisphero, concentrating Energy(Γι) into a part of the body.

Eulogia, imbuing that concentrated Energy into objects to strengthen them.

Razonia shook his head.

“Energy control is profound. That’s not the end of it.”

He continued explaining other techniques for controlling Energy(Γι):

Sending Energy outside the body — Ekpémpein (ἐκπέμπειν).

Molding outside Energy into tools — Plássein (πλάσσειν).

Imbuing properties into Energy — Dídōmi (δίδωμι).

To hide one’s Energy and erase one’s presence entirely — Krypto (κρύπτω).

They were called Pa (πα), Yul (εὐ), Ek (ἐκ), Pl (πλ), Di (δί), and Kr (κρ), respectively.

Energy(Γι) could be handled in many ways like this.

“Pa, Yul, Ek, Pl, Di, Kr… interesting.”

“That is only the basics. With these as a foundation, one can exert far greater power. Naturally, our family knows all of this.”

It was an obvious point.

A practitioner family made up of Gigants absolutely had to inherit and preserve the techniques of Energy cultivation.

They could pass these techniques down through generations, and also use them as leverage to gain favor with other practitioners.

Just like right now.

“If you help us, we will teach you. Not a bad deal, is it? While aiding us, you would receive instruction as well.”

“Hm… it is an attractive offer.”

Anagin admitted it honestly.

With no ties or backing, it wasn’t easy for him to receive formal guidance in controlling Energy(Γι).

However…

“I still have no intention of accepting.”

“……Why not?”

“No special reason. I’m just not feeling it.”

“…Hah.”

Razonia exhaled a deflated sound, unable to comprehend him.

The very first barrier a Gigant must overcome is learning to control Energy(Γι), yet this man rejected the opportunity simply because he “didn’t feel like it”…

Completely incomprehensible.

But there was one thing Razonia understood:

He and this man called Anagin were simply not meant to be.

So he chose not to dwell on it.

Desirable or not, fate was fate.

Besides, today’s greatest harvest wasn’t Anagin anyway.

Anagin was merely incidental; Razonia’s true interest lay elsewhere.

“Phew… what a shame. I thought we might form a good bond.”

“I already think we have. Since I got a great meal.”

“When do you plan to leave?”

Having no more business with him, Razonia asked when he would depart.

He wasn’t particularly disappointed.

“I’ll leave right after breakfast tomorrow. I originally only came to get some food.”

“Would you mind if I asked your companion to stay?”

Companion? Ah, he must mean the robed woman.

“Mages are valuable assets. If she agrees, I’d like to hire her. If that offends you—”

“—Do as you like.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. She’s not exactly my ‘companion,’ more like someone who just traveled with me for a bit. If she wants to stay, I don’t mind.”

Razonia recalled what his grandson had said:

That Anagin lacked basic common sense.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t so easily give up someone as valuable as a mage.

A mage was someone one should keep close at all costs.

'Well, it's not bad for us.'

“Thank you for yielding.”

“You shouldn’t thank me yet. You haven’t even asked her.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“If we’re done, may I leave now?”

Sleepiness was hitting Anagin.

Since they were finished, Razonia had no reason to keep him.

“Of course. Thank you for indulging me.”

Anagin bowed his head lightly and stood.

As he was about to exit the room, Razonia asked one last question.

“Sir, let me ask one more thing. What do you think should be done about monsters?”

A strange question.

What should be done about monsters?

It sounded like a trick question, but Anagin answered in his usual blunt, simple way:

“Any beast that ruins the fields should be beaten to death. All of them.”