Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 051. Guiding the Way (2)

A city shrouded in darkness.

A single carriage was racing along.

The carriage rattled with every clip-clop of the moving horses.

“Is it far?”

“W-we’ll arrive soon!”

Driving a carriage at night was something only a select few with official permission were allowed to do.

However, this carriage did not have any official authorization.

Even so, it boldly crossed through the city.

This was because, although it lacked formal approval, a portion of the enormous profits earned through illegal business had been offered up to a high-ranking individual, granting it unofficial permission of sorts.

“What a mess.”

Anagin, riding inside the carriage, passed judgment after hearing the explanation.

He had heard that the city as a whole was a mess, but somehow, Stas Polis seemed even more of a mess than expected.

Still, it wasn’t as though Stas Polis had no excuse at all.

The larger a city was, the higher its growth rate, and the greater its floating population, the more incidents and accidents it was bound to have.

It was much like how all kinds of insects gathered around a fragrant flower.

Anagin knew this as well, having heard it from his master, but even so, his impression that it was a mess didn’t change.

For the city’s ruler to be in bed with scum who trafficked people…. In many ways, it was downright absurd.

“W-we’ve arrived.”

The carriage carrying Anagin came to a stop in a back alley of the city’s newly developed district.

It was an area built recently as Stas Polis expanded. At a glance, it looked like an ordinary residential and warehouse district, but it was unmistakably the territory of the Thieves’ Guild.

As if to prove it, the moment the coachman who had brought Anagin appeared, another guard approached as though he had been waiting.

“You’re late? …Hey, but why are you alone? Where’s the guy who went with you? Wait—who beat you up?”

Sensing something was off, the guard immediately fired off questions.

Naturally so. The companion who was supposed to be with him was nowhere to be seen, and the coachman clearly bore signs of having been beaten.

Their wariness was rising. But it didn't really matter. From here on out, all he had to do was follow the plan.

“Hey? I asked you what—”

Crunch-!

In the middle of the guard’s shout.

From inside the covered carriage, Anagin hurled the Giant’s Bed.

It was a magical tool bed he had obtained after dealing with Procrustes, and as expected, it was excellent for throwing.

Hiiiiiing—!”

As the massive bed went flying and smashed into someone’s head, the horses pulling the carriage panicked and screamed.

All the once-quiet presences around them turned their attention this way.

Whether they watched or not, Anagin stepped down from the carriage and walked over to the fallen thug.

The thug’s face looked like a burst tomato. Given that he’d been hit square in the face by a bed, it was only natural.

“Fuck, what the hell?! What’s all this commotion?!”

Before long, armed men began pouring out one by one from the back alleys and nearby buildings.

Some were still in their work clothes, others had thrown on pajamas—their outfits were all over the place.

They were all back-alley lowlifes employed by the Thieves’ Guild.

With so many people, it seemed the Thieves' Guild in this place was indeed having success with human trafficking.

“Who the hell are you? Do you even know where you are?!”

“If you confess honestly, I’ll at least leave your limbs intact!”

Once their numbers had gathered, the thugs advanced menacingly, pressing Anagin about who he was and what his purpose was.

Surrounded, Anagin let out a note of admiration.

“Oh, how kind.”

He’d expected the Thieves’ Guild to be the type who swung fists faster than words, but here they were asking questions first.

Truly kind.

Unlike him.

“What kind of bullshit are you—”

-Crunch!!

In the middle of the thug’s question.

Anagin grabbed the side of the Giant’s Bed lying on the ground with both hands and swung it as is.

As a result, the thug who had been questioning him had his face crushed before he could even finish speaking.

Struck in the face by a bed swung with both hands.

A face dyed red as if it had burst, with eyeballs and jaw dangling loose.

He felt a little sorry, but it couldn’t be helped.

Unlike the kind Thieves’ Guild, Anagin preferred fists over words.

They were far more effective, too.

Still gripping the side of the bed, Anagin swung the Giant’s Bed once more.

* * *

“W-wait a sec—”

Before the thug could even finish speaking, he was struck by the bed, sent flying, and slammed into a building wall.

Even with the mattress portion removed, the bed itself was so heavy that the thug’s waist bent into a ㄱ shape as he lost consciousness. Or maybe he died.

Either way, not a single person cared.

Because every time Anagin swung the Giant’s Bed left, and right, four or five more people ended up just like that.

By its sheer size and weight alone, the bed was a deadly weapon—as long as you could swing it.

“You bastard!!”

As people were being crushed and flung aside right before their eyes, most were terrified and ran away, but a few brave souls tried to exploit an opening and rush to Anagin.

Anagin responded by swinging the bed even faster.

Crunch-!

When the massive, heavy, sturdy bed moved at an even higher speed, the group of charging thugs was swept away and sent flying far off into the distance.

As if they’d been struck by a boulder.

It looked like they’d been hit by an out-of-spec object that simply couldn’t be stopped.

‘As I thought, my eyes weren’t wrong. The Giant’s Bed is a good weapon. Although, it’s not really a weapon.’

A bed was originally furniture, not a weapon.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

What mattered was that the Giant’s Bed was sturdy enough to withstand Anagin’s strength.

No matter its original purpose, if you discovered a better use for it, that was more than enough.

Fired up even more, Anagin swung the Giant’s Bed faster still, literally plowing through the Thieves’ Guild lackeys.

Even without any technique—just swinging it simply with the bed’s size, weight, and power—the thugs’ heads caved in, limbs snapped, and waists and spines shattered to pieces. Four or five at a time.

At this rate, the Stas branch of the Thieves’ Guild would be annihilated.

However, the Stas branch of the Thieves’ Guild was still an organization with its own system.

Seeing Anagin’s strength and weapon that defied common sense, they immediately gave up on close combat and switched to ranged attacks.

“This monster…!”

From second-floor windows and rooftops, thugs wielding crossbows popped out and fired bolts at Anagin.

They seemed to have practiced, as the shots flew accurately, but Anagin used the bed’s cover portion as a shield and blocked every single bolt.

Thwack! Tick-!

The bolts, blocked with laughable ease, couldn’t even scratch the Giant’s Bed.

Just as Sphinx had said, it was insanely sturdy.

‘They say magical tools themselves have high durability…. Then it makes sense that the Giant’s Bed, with its binding property, would be even sturdier.’

Of course, it wasn’t something he could judge definitively. Blocking ordinary bolts alone wasn’t enough to prove its true durability. Still, by Anagin’s instincts, it felt extremely tough.

Tough enough to handle being used roughly.

“Fuck, where did a guy like that even come from…!”

Seeing Anagin not only swing the massive bed but also handle it freely like a shield, a crossbow thug spat out a curse.

Instinctively, he realized it was something they couldn’t stop with their own strength. But they couldn’t just sit there and take it either. Life here was way too comfortable for that.

Mustering his courage, the crossbow thug reloaded his weapon. Since he was on a high place, there was no immediate fear of being attacked.

Just as he was about to fire again—

Anagin hurled the Giant’s Bed straight at the second-floor building where the crossbow thug was.

The bed itself.

The Giant’s Bed pierced through the building’s outer wall and smashed into the crossbow thug behind it. Along with the wall, the thug’s entire body was blown apart.

A sight as horrific as being struck by a boulder.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Thanks to that, Anagin was now empty-handed.

The thugs who had been fleeing from Anagin stopped running.

No matter how strong he was, facing this many people bare-handed would be tough.

A few of them might die, but if they could stab him with blades in the meantime, they judged they could deal some damage.

Typical thinking for back-alley scum hardened by a rough life.

Just as they were about to counterattack—

[Bind and restrain]

Anagin stretched out his arm toward the bed embedded in the second-floor wall and chanted a command.

Chrrrrk—!

At the chant, chains burst out from the corner of the Giant’s Bed lodged in the building, binding the arm Anagin had extended.

In that state—

"Hup-cha!"

He yanked on the chains, pulling the Giant’s Bed free from the wall. Originally meant for binding, the chains were now being used as a handle.

The Giant’s Bed fell down, and Anagin swung the chains like a flail, hoisting the bed high into the air.

“…H-huh…?”

The Giant’s Bed rose high into the sky, suspended by chains.

The thugs could practically see the next scene play out in their minds—and soon, it became reality.

KWA─ANG!!!

Anagin brought the Giant’s Bed crashing straight down onto the thugs’ heads.

The bed’s weight, Anagin’s strength, and added acceleration combined, turning it into something like a falling boulder that pulverized everything around it.

The thugs, the ground—everything.

Even thugs and objects outside the impact range were unable to withstand the shockwave and were blown away.

Truly an absurdly brute force.

But more astonishing than that brute force was the fact that, despite being used this violently, the bed itself was perfectly fine.

A magical tool meant to bind Giants (Gigants).

That was the Giant’s Bed.

“I really like this thing.”

Anagin once again admired the bed's durability. He had a feeling about it when he first saw it, but it exceeded his expectations.

This alone made everything that had happened today feel fully worth it.

"Heeeek...! Run away!!"

But unlike the pleased Anagin, the thugs screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.

Even those born in the back alleys were utterly horrified by the unreal strength and brutal attacks Anagin had displayed.

Honestly, this was more than enough, but Anagin didn’t stop and continued his assault.

Moving the arm bound by chains, he swung the Giant’s Bed like a flail, mercilessly attacking not only the fleeing thugs but also those on the rooftops.

Thanks to the chains extending freely, all of them were within his attack range.

KWA─ANG!!!

Every time Anagin swung his arm, the ground trembled with a thunderous roar, and not only the thugs, but the roads and building walls were smashed apart.

“Mm—?!”

“Hngh…! Hup!! Hup!!!”

Just then, a building wall collapsed, revealing people who had been trapped inside. Caught up in the sudden situation, the people who had been bound and imprisoned inside the building widened their eyes and shouted something.

The only one who could respond was Anagin.

However, Anagin ignored the trapped people and continued beating down the thugs.

After Anagin thoroughly crushed every last one of them by swinging the Giant’s Bed like a flail, he asked the coachman who had guided him here.

“Where do I go if I want to meet your boss?”

Hearing the question, the coachman awkwardly climbed down from beneath the carriage, as stiff as if frozen, and began to lead the way.

“Th-this way…….”

Anagin followed in the direction the coachman pointed.

At that moment, he paused briefly. As if something had just come back to him. Then, he tossed a knife lying on the ground toward the people trapped inside the building.

Telling them to cut the ropes themselves and escape if they wanted or not.

* * *

A narrow alley.

Guided by the coachman, Anagin headed inside.

He said this was where the Thieves’ Guild’s base was located.

“P-please believe me. I-I swear it’s really in here…!”

Perhaps having been terrified by Anagin’s earlier fight, the coachman desperately begged him to trust him.

And it was understandable. The farther they went in, the more complex and narrower the paths became, giving off an unmistakably suspicious atmosphere.

A situation worth doubting. However, Anagin showed that he didn’t mind.

If he was lying, he could just beat him down.

“G-gulp…!”

The coachman swallowed hard and hastened his steps, even more frightened.

Of course, that didn’t mean Anagin had let his guard down.

It was indeed terrain perfect for an ambush, so he didn’t relax his vigilance.

Even at this very moment, he could sense the presence of thugs inside the buildings and within the gaps.

Most of them were simply watching, having been frightened by Anagin.

“Die!”

Among them, a few brave ones jumped out and attempted an ambush, but Anagin countered by slightly shifting the Giant’s Bed resting on his shoulder, killing them off.

The massive bed was powerful enough to smash a man’s head with just a slight movement. Naturally so, since the bed itself was nothing less than an insanely heavy blunt weapon.

After going on like that for some time, the coachman’s steps came to a halt.

Looking ahead, a group of people came into view.

Before any introductions were exchanged, Anagin instinctively knew that they were the Thieves’ Guild—more specifically, its core members.

“Stop.”

When Anagin tried to move forward again, a demand to halt came from their side.

For now, he did as told.

Not only that, but he also set the Giant’s Bed he had been carrying on his shoulder down onto the ground—a kind of gesture showing he had no intention of attacking.

Perhaps the gesture worked, as the air in the alley, which had been taut with tension, eased slightly.

With the tension loosened, if only a little, only shallow breathing echoed around them.

As only those breaths filled the air, Anagin asked the coachman who had been guiding him.

“Who’s the boss? Of the Thieves’ Guild.”

The coachman couldn’t answer recklessly.

He had guided Anagin here because his life was on the line, but now that he was facing his comrades, he worried about what would come afterward.

A situation where he’d die either way.

In that moment, someone stepped in to save the coachman.

“I am the Branch Head here.”

“Branch Head? Not the Guild Master? Well, whatever. Either way, you’re the boss around here, right?”

“That is correct.”

The branch head nodded.

Anagin slowly nodded as well, then grabbed the bed with both hands and hurled it straight at the branch head.