Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 054. Unexpected Invitation (3)

“Argonaut Expedition Team?”

Anagin echoed the words without realizing it.

He felt like he had heard of it once from his master, but he couldn’t remember.

Either he’d heard it after a sparring session (after getting beaten senseless), or he’d simply not listened at all because he wasn’t interested.

Just as he was regretting not having paid attention, Sanchonius corrected him.

“No, it’s the New Argonaut Expedition Team. It’s a new organization formed by those who aspire to become great heroes, just like the Argonaut Expedition Team of legendary heroes.”

It sounded suspiciously like a knockoff or an imitation group, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

If it were, the City Lord wouldn’t have bothered dealing with them.

Anagin’s gaze naturally shifted to the City Lord, who also rose naturally and offered a greeting.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Poritora, the City Lord of Stas Polis.”

“I’m Anagin.”

At Anagin’s much shorter greeting compared to the City Lord’s, not only the captain of the city guard but even the City Lord’s expression stiffened. Still, they didn’t openly show it.

Instinctively, Anagin knew the reason wasn’t himself, but the man named Sanchonius.

“You must be someone important?”

Curious about Sanchonius’s identity, Anagin blurted it out without hesitation.

At Anagin’s blunt tone, the City Lord and the guard captain both flinched.

‘They’re not exactly afraid, but they are uncomfortable.’

It was strange. Sanchonius didn’t seem like someone who warranted that kind of reaction. To begin with, if he were that kind of person, he wouldn’t have been caught by back-alley thugs.

‘Is it not him, but his background?’

Anagin guessed. Sanchonius immediately confirmed that the guess was correct.

“No! No! I’m not that important at all! It’s just that the ‘Chiron Tower’ and the ‘New Argonaut Expedition Team’ that I belong to are important!”

As he said this, Sanchonius pulled a metal plaque from his clothes.

It seemed to be an identification badge of his organization. It certainly caught the eye.

The gold-colored metal, tinged with red, looked valuable at a glance, and the engraving at its center—an upper body of a human and a lower body of a horse—was exquisitely detailed.

‘A centaur?’

A half-man, half-horse, with a human upper body and a horse lower body.

A race said to be as strong as horses and as cunning as humans, primarily inhabiting a place called the Northern Grasslands.

‘Fuck, why do I even know this?’

Anagin was startled by the centaur knowledge that surfaced so naturally.

He had tried so hard not to listen to his master’s stories—had that effort failed after all?

“Before the New Argonaut Expedition Team arrives, I came to this city carrying this glorious badge to gather information and request cooperation.”

Sanchonius proudly displayed the badge.

Anagin didn’t know much about it, but judging by how the city’s authorities didn’t dare act carelessly, it was clearly a powerful organization. That made it puzzling.

“…Then why were you captured by thugs?”

At Anagin’s question, the City Lord and the guard captain flinched once again. Sanchonius also made a troubled face.

“Ah, well, that’s because I….”

“It’s because he fell victim to the cunning schemes of the local Thieves’ Guild.”

The City Lord cut in, speaking in Sanchonius’s stead as he trailed off.

“The Thieves’ Guild here abducts people using all sorts of underhanded methods. It’s troublesome enough that even our guards struggle when searching for victims.”

Though the City Lord spoke solemnly, Anagin felt no particular emotion.

For something that was supposedly “troublesome,” the guild was operating far too brazenly within the city—and above all, the City Lord’s illegitimate son had been there.

Of course, families can be estranged and not speak, but even so, it was hard to believe they had truly made an effort to search. Pretending to search, perhaps.

“In any case, you have my thanks. You eliminated those villains in our stead. We owe you greatly. It was a performance worthy of your reputation as the Hero of the Outskirts.”

“You know me?”

“Stas Polis receives not only people from Hellas, but also many from Anapik, which is still a developing region.”

Sanchonius interjected.

“I also heard from City Lord Poritora about the fame of Sir Anagin, who has recently been making a name for himself in Western Anapik. I hear you saved an exploited city and even defeated a Monster Merchant?”

"Haven't you heard anything else?"

Anagin was referring to how he had destroyed a practitioner family and was therefore called a Practitioner Killer.

Ironically, the City Lord defended him.

“No one here believes that sort of thing. Any practitioner family that expanded into Anapik was nothing but a greedy bunch obsessed with claiming land.”

“I agree with the City Lord. The world of practitioners is harsh and dangerous, and misunderstandings happen easily. I believe there must be some kind of mistake.”

Perhaps because Anagin had saved him, Sanchonius chose to trust him.

Honestly, it didn’t feel bad.

Anagin had no desire to make enemies for no reason. If the other side approached him amicably, that was preferable. He wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of explaining everything in detail.

Still, it didn’t seem like Sanchonius was saying all this simply because he liked Anagin.

“So why did you call me here? To praise me?”

It was Sanchonius who spoke first.

“Ah, first of all, I wanted to express my gratitude for saving me. My life itself may not matter much, but the mission must not fail.”

“You mentioned an investigation earlier. What exactly is it?”

“It concerns the ominous rumors circulating in Western Anapik. About the Forest Brotherhood.”

Anagin felt as though pieces were clicking into place.

Soon, the City Lord confirmed that it wasn’t just a feeling.

“There’s a ridiculous rumor going around that the Forest Brotherhood is trying to establish a country of their own in Western Anapik.”

It was the same story he had heard from Paia the boar, now resurfacing in this city.

“Bandits forming a country… It’s laughable nonsense, but the situation itself is far from trivial. Centered around ‘Periphetes the Clubber,’ along with ‘Sinis of the Pine,’ ‘Sciron the Fallen Noble,’ ‘Paia the Boar,’ and other formidable—”

“You can leave out the last one.”

“What?”

“I said you can leave out the last one. I killed him. With my own hands.”

“…What?”

* * *

At first, the City Lord couldn’t believe Anagin’s words.

He had heard of his exploits, yes, but it was hard to believe that a boy even younger than his own son had defeated one of the executives of the Forest Brotherhood.

Instead of explaining in painstaking detail, Anagin pulled a boar hide from his Interspatial Bag. Split neatly into two pieces.

“This is…?”

“That’s the boar hide that Paia used to wear.”

No one present had seen Paia in person, so it was difficult to believe immediately.

But no one could refute it either. The hide was unusually large, and it radiated a strange aura. It was too convincing to be fake.

Sanchonius asked,

“How did you meet Paia?”

“I had some business with the practitioner family called the Aoi Family and met him by chance. That’s how we fought. Well… and this is what happened.”

Anagin pointed to the boar hide, split precisely in half from the crown of its head.

Through it, one could indirectly, and yet directly, know what had happened to Paia.

“The corpse?”

The City Lord asked cautiously.

Understandably so; a corpse would have been more conclusive evidence than a boar hide. It would have been even more valuable.

“I left it there. Carrying a corpse around, especially split in half, is inconvenient. Besides, I have no hobby of hauling corpses around.”

“…….”

The City Lord’s expression stiffened. It was unclear whether he regretted the lack of solid evidence or the absence of the corpse.

At that moment, Sanchonius exclaimed in delight,

“Amazing!”

Everyone, including Anagin, turned their gaze toward Sanchonius.

“The New Argonaut Expedition Team is advancing into Anapik, attacking the base of the bandits along the way. They are leaving no place for them to escape, aiming to wipe them out completely.”

Anagin listened without much enthusiasm. He truly had no interest.

He wasn't particularly interested in the Forest Brotherhood’s plan to establish a country or the exploits of this New Argonaut Expedition Team he had never heard of.

Of course, he did have some curiosity about the Forest Brotherhood itself.

“Yet already someone here has taken down an executive of the Forest Brotherhood. It’s as if the gods are lending their aid… So, I’d like to ask, would you consider joining me and the New Argonaut Expedition Team?”

Sanchonius asked excitedly, wondering if Anagin would join them in the fight against the Forest Brotherhood.

It was a sudden proposal, but considering Sanchonius’ nature—excited at the sight of a hero—and the current circumstances, it wasn’t such a strange offer.

“Our New Argonaut Expedition Team isn’t the only ones responding to the suspicious movements of the Forest Brotherhood. I’ve heard that the practitioner families in Western Anapik, the city and village militias, and bounty hunters are also mobilizing.”

“The scale is bigger than I thought.”

“Yes. If you intend to continue fighting the Forest Brotherhood, I believe it would be more effective to join us.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Being part of a group was certainly more efficient than working alone. There’s a reason why two can carry a sheet more easily than one.

However, there was one condition that concerned him.

“I only ask that one condition be accepted.”

“What is it?”

“I have no intention of following anyone’s orders, and if necessary, I will withdraw.”

It was true that joining an organization made things easier, but the drawback was that one’s freedom was restricted.

An organization is structured around those who give orders and those who follow them. Naturally, if Anagin joined, they would expect him to obey.

So he made it clear: he would follow no orders and would leave if needed. Better to clarify now than cause a scene later.

It was a rude stance, but Sanchonius surprisingly agreed—well, not exactly agreed.

“Hmm… Honestly, I can’t give permission myself. But I will pass your message along.”

“To whom?”

“To the instructor leading the Argonaut Expedition Team. He will likely grant permission.”

“Thanks, but is that really okay?”

Anagin was concerned by his enthusiasm. Taking someone along who openly declared, “I won’t follow orders and will leave if I want,” seemed risky.

Sanchonius replied confidently,

“Don’t worry. The instructor favors young people with the presence of a hero. I’m sure he will welcome you.”

That was reassuring, though it carried a subtle unease. Favoring young people with the presence of a hero? That sounded slightly ominous.

Still, it was too late to back out, so Anagin simply said, understood.

Once the conversation wrapped up, the City Lord cleared his throat.

“Hmm… Then, as I said, I will provide shelter and supplies when the New Argonaut Expedition Team comes here, along with my knowledge of the Forest Brotherhood’s movements.”

“Thank you, City Lord! The instructor will be pleased as well!”

Sanchonius nodded happily.

The City Lord, hearing the response he wanted, seemed relieved.

Then Anagin spoke.

“Then, will you agree to my condition as well?”

“What?”

The City Lord’s expression betrayed disbelief.

It seemed he hadn’t expected Anagin to say something like this. Sanchonius was equally surprised.

“Suddenly… what do you mean?”

“I’ve defeated the Thieves’ Guild, and I’m going to join the New Argonaut Expedition Team, so I figured I might be allowed a request or two.”

Practitioners often helped others and received rewards along the way, but it was rare to demand anything first—especially so openly.

Thus, the City Lord was understandably shocked. Here was someone who had caused destruction while defeating the Thieves’ Guild, asking for a favor.

Yet with Sanchonius present, he couldn’t dismiss it outright.

“Haa… What is it you want?”

“A room to rest in for a day and some meals. My companions and I haven’t had proper rest since arriving in this city, thanks to the Thieves’ Guild.”