Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 055. Prisoner (1)

“Is this really okay?”

The sun was high in the sky.

Sphinx, sitting at the dining table, spoke cautiously.

As Anagin had said, she, who had been waiting outside the city, followed Anagin back to visit Stas Polis’ city hall.

Honestly, it was closer to a palace than a city hall, but that wasn’t what mattered.

What mattered was what Anagin had said.

'You can stay here for about a day. They're giving us nice bedrooms, so everyone sleep until you're satisfied, wake up, eat, and then we'll leave immediately.'

The unexpected words surprised not only Kori and Pais, who were still half-asleep, but also Sphinx.

They had been invited by the city guards, but “invited” was a loose term—the form had been closer to being escorted.

And now, suddenly, they were being treated as honored guests…

Before going to bed, Sphinx had asked Anagin what had happened, and she had received a brief explanation.

That someone caught by the Thieves’ Guild belonged to the New Argonaut Expedition Team, that they were fighting the Forest Brotherhood, and that the City Lord found them troublesome.

'I don't know the specifics, but don't worry. With the eyes of Sancho, that guy, on him, he won't be able to pull any tricks. For now, just sleep.'

The conversation ended there.

Sphinx went to the guest room provided by the City Lord and slept soundly alone for the first time in a long while.

As Anagin had said, she slept as much as she wanted. Around the same time, Kori, Pais, and Anagin woke up and gathered at the dining table.

While shoving food into his mouth, Anagin asked again.

"Are you uncomfortable, perhaps? Going with that guy, Sancho?"

Sphinx’s question, “Is this really okay?” was answered with a counter-question from Anagin.

The New Argonaut Expedition Team was a group of practitioners dreaming of heroism, and Sphinx was a monster.

Honestly, saying it wasn’t uncomfortable would have been a lie.

‘And on top of that, they’re Chiron’s disciples…’

Sphinx tasted bitterness in her mouth but shook her head, saying it was fine.

Anagin’s decision was rational, and if anything went wrong, there was always a way to escape.

“…No. Why would I be uncomfortable? I have no worries.”

“Good. I thought you might act foolish, but you know better.”

Anagin smirked and continued shoving food into his mouth.

Grilled lamb chops with seasoning, pork loin marinated in wine, roasted deer leg, charcoal-grilled beef, smoked goat meat, bear paw dish, seasoned roasted goose, sausage made from wild boar, meat pies, and countless other dishes.

“That’s exactly why I asked if this is okay!”

Sphinx, briefly lost in thought, returned to reality and pointed it out.

Even if Stas Polis' economy had been good recently, was it okay to eat this much?

Just the amount eaten now could empty the food stores of a decent village.

Look—aren’t the attendants serving the food looking at us like we’re some kind of ghosts?

“This is a reward for dealing with the Thieves’ Guild, so eat happily.”

Anagin shamelessly made a statement he himself didn’t believe.

It wasn’t officially confirmed, but the circumstances suggested a collusion between the City Lord and the Thieves’ Guild.

There was no reason to be grateful to Anagin for destroying the Thieves’ Guild. Yet, for appearances, they were being served.

Knowing this, Anagin acted shamelessly anyway.

“Besides, you’ve eaten quite a lot too.”

He pointed to the pile of empty plates in front of Sphinx.

Not as much as Anagin, but a significant amount had been eaten.

Sphinx, realizing this, made an embarrassed face.

"I shouldn't... leave any food behind. And it tastes good."

"Exactly. So, we should eat a lot. They cooked it deliciously so we'd eat a lot, so it would be rude not to eat it. Don't you think?"

Anagin asked Kori and Pais.

They happily ate and nodded in agreement.

The attendants nearby were quietly shocked as the children asked for more.

How much time had passed?

By the time the empty plates had formed a mountain over a mountain range, the meal was over.

“I… I can’t eat anymore…”

“Me too…”

Having eaten too much, Pais surrendered in agony, and Kori also stopped, slightly pained.

Being children, they couldn’t control themselves and had overeaten.

In contrast, Sphinx and Anagin were fine. Especially Anagin, who seemed slightly disappointed, as if it wasn’t enough.

“Then, I’ll stop here too.”

“You can eat more?”

Sphinx was surprised, and the attendant was simultaneously shocked and relieved.

If Anagin had eaten more, the city hall’s storage would really have been emptied.

“Now, let’s get ready to leave.”

“What?”

Pais, too full to move, was startled.

However, Anagin merely tilted his head.

“I told you, right? We'd sleep until we were satisfied, wake up, eat, and leave immediately."

That was right. When Anagin had gone to find Sphinx and the siblings last night, he had said it exactly like that.

Today, they would sleep well at the city hall, eat, and depart immediately.

Of course, everyone had heard and remembered. They were just too full to move right away.

“Big brother, just a little…”

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

Pais and Kori flinched at Anagin’s firm tone.

“Revenge means enduring hardships, but also enduring comforts. If you can’t handle it, you don’t have to do it.”

The expressions of the two children, which had softened due to the comfortable beds and delicious meal, hardened with determination again.

At that moment, a third voice, absent from the table, intervened.

“Was your meal satisfactory?”

It was Sanchonius who had dined separately with the City Lord.

Thanks to clothes and supplies from the City Lord, he looked neat and proper, unlike when they first met.

“Ah, the meal… seems to have been good.”

Even without a response, Sanchonius inferred from the stacked plates that they had eaten well.

“Yes, it was. Shall we leave immediately?”

“Yes… We can depart shortly. If necessary, we could stay one more night.”

Sanchonius suggested this even though there was no time for leisure.

The two children traveling with Anagin had eaten too much to move.

It was his way of being considerate. But Anagin declined.

“It’s fine. It might be a bit hard to move, but that’s their own fault.”

He pointed at Kori and Pais.

Still, rather harsh words for the children.

Just as Sanchonius was about to say it was fine, Pais spoke loudly.

“I’m fine! I’ll get ready right away.”

“Me too!”

Pais and Kori ran off quickly, like children afraid of being abandoned.

Sanchonius looked at Anagin, and Anagin, showing empty hands as if to ask, “What now?”, went to gather the luggage.

* * *

“I would like to formally introduce myself. My name is Sanchonius. I am an attendant assisting the New Argonaut Expedition Team. It is an honor to be here with all of you.”

“I’m Anagin, this one is Pinku-Pinku, and these two are Kori and Pais.”

Unlike the formal Sanchonius, Anagin just tapped his hand lightly while introducing the names.

Even so, Sanchonius only smiled politely. Even when hearing the strange name Pinku-Pinku, he didn’t bat an eye; instead, he complimented it.

“You all have lovely names.”

“Really?”

Anagin, surprised, asked in a casual tone. Pinku-Pinku’s name really was pretty?

Sphinx glared at Anagin with a look that said, 'Are you kidding me?'

“I’m serious. More than that….”

Sanchonius paused for a moment, then approached the siblings, Kori and Pais, making eye contact.

“I’ve heard your story. I offer my condolences for what you’ve experienced, and at the same time, I express my respect for your resolve.”

Looking at Kori and Pais, Sanchonius asked Anagin about the two children, and Anagin briefly shared their story.

Before officially departing, Sanchonius mentioned this, so as to avoid any presumptuous remarks later.

Perhaps unexpectedly, Kori and Pais accepted his words awkwardly.

“And Pinku-Pinku, you're a mage?”

“I’m probably useless. I can only do laundry.”

“Even so, mages are precious talents. It’s an honor to be with you.”

“…More polite than mister?”

“Why? I’m polite too. I even greeted the City Lord before leaving, saying I had eaten well.”

Before leaving Stas Polis, Anagin had politely told the City Lord he had eaten well.

The City Lord replied that it was fortunate.

Well, after consuming more than half of the city hall’s food storage, it was only fair to have eaten well.

“Finally, I sincerely thank you, Anagin. Even though this was a sudden invitation, you accepted….”

“I’m coming because it seems beneficial for me as well, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“Please speak freely. You, Anagin, are already a renowned hero, and I am just a mere attendant.”

“Sorry, but I’m not a hero. I didn’t bother to correct people one by one, but since I’m accompanying you, I’ll tell you directly.”

Sanchonius hesitated for a moment at Anagin’s denial of being a hero.

He had never encountered such a situation before and wasn’t sure how to act.

“I just beat up the bastards I meet along the way, and people talk nonsense on their own. I have no interest in being a hero, nor do I want to be one. But I’ll speak casually.”

Naturally, Anagin spoke in a casual tone.

Sanchonius nodded.

“Very well. Then, let’s depart. I will guide you.”

As if to ease the awkward situation, Sanchonius led the way.

Their first entry into the civilized land of Hellas.

Honestly, it wasn’t much different from Anapik.

Sure, the Horion River was large, but it would be strange if crossing it caused anything dramatically different.

Still, traveling with Sanchonius wasn’t bad; in fact, it was pleasant.

As a self-proclaimed attendant to heroes, he knew the roads well and guided them through relatively easy paths.

“Let's go this way. We have to go a little out of the way, but it's a gentle slope.”

Beyond that, he smoothly handled all the tedious but necessary chores, like preparing the campsite and meals.

Even faster than Kori, Pais, and Sphinx combined.

“It's nothing much. Everyone, please rest for a while.”

Thanks to him, Sphinx could rest comfortably without having to suffer with meal preparation or washing dishes during camping.

It was the first time this had happened since she started traveling with Anagin!

“Sis, are you crying?”

“No, I’m not.”

Seeing Sphinx wipe her eyes, Pais asked worriedly.

Then Kori cautiously asked Anagin.

“Um… are you okay, big brother?”

“No, I’m not. I’m irritated seeing Sphinx do nothing and just rest.”

“……”

Kori stared at Anagin with the same eyes as Sphinx.

Was that contempt?

Anyway, despite such incidents, just having Sanchonius join made Anagin’s party’s journey incredibly comfortable.

This made Anagin curious.

What exactly are Chiron Tower and the New Argonaut Expedition Team, that such a competent person exists?

If even a City Lord bows, it’s clearly not an ordinary organization.

Anagin asked Sanchonius directly.

“What is Chiron Tower?”

For someone usually so polite, he couldn’t hide his surprise.

But it wasn’t Sanchonius’ fault.

Chiron Tower was so famous that even ordinary people knew of it, not knowing it would actually be strange.

“Really? You knew about this?”

Anagin asked Sphinx, Kori, and Pais.

All three nodded. Though their understanding differed in depth, they had heard the name before.

Kori spoke cautiously.

“Um… I heard that all the heroes in the world come from there.”

“Oh, you’re well-informed, little lady.”

Hearing the fame of Chiron Tower, Sanchonius brightened.

“Of course! Chiron, the mentor of heroes, resides in that tower. Every year, countless people come to learn from him! Nobles, magnates, even royalty themselves!!”

A Tower where Chiron, who had trained countless heroes… Anagin’s interest was piqued.

“…Does he also teach how to handle Energy(Γι)?”

“Pardon?”

“Does he teach how to handle the giant's power, Energy(Γι)?”

“Of course. Not just Pa(pa), Yul(εὐ), Ek(ek), Peul(pl), Di(pl), and Keu(k), but even deeper levels are taught.”

Oh… even deeper than that, Anagin was intrigued. He felt the need to systematically learn how to handle Energ himself. Perhaps, he could learn it here?

Though desire stirred, Anagin didn’t ask. Sanchonius wouldn’t have the answer anyway. No need to reveal what he wanted just yet.

So Anagin asked something else—for instance, about the Argonaut Expedition Team.

Hearing of a New Argonaut Expedition Team modeled after them, it seemed like quite a formidable group.

Sanchonius, in turn, was even more astonished than when he didn’t know about Chiron Tower.

“You really don't know? The Argonaut Expedition Team, where countless great heroes gathered?”

“I haven’t been a practitioner for long, and I left my hometown not too long ago either.”

Through Anagin’s words, Sanchonius inferred that his hometown was a remote place untouched by most people. Otherwise, it would be impossible not to know the Argonaut Expedition Team.

“Hmm… I don’t know where to start.”

“If it’s troublesome, there’s no need to explain.”

“No! Not at all. Well, the Argonaut Expedition Team is an organization of fifty heroes. Of course, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it a real organization. It’s more like they have no strict system. They gather and disperse as they see fit.”

It sounded contradictory, but Anagin accepted it without difficulty.

If it was a place only composed of humans called heroes, that was rather more natural.

From the start, heroes are people who don't listen to others and act according to their own will.

That fifty such individuals gathered was remarkable in itself.

“How did they come together? It doesn’t seem like they just happened to gather.”

“Ah! Good question. They came together to seek the Golden Fleece.”

“The Golden Fleece?”

“A legendary treasure. It is said to bring wealth and prosperity just by possessing it…! Though none of us have seen it directly, countless great heroes gathered for it. Great heroes like ‘The Great Warrior Atalanta,’ ‘Meleager the Immortal,’ ‘Jason of the One Sandal.’

Sanchonius listed numerous heroes, sharing their heroic tales along the way.

Kori and Pais listened joyfully, asking questions intermittently. Before long, the conversation shifted from the Argonaut Expedition Team to the stories of heroes.

“You really love heroes, huh?”

Sanchonius, who had been talking enthusiastically, blushed.

“Ah, yes. I’m an attendant assisting heroes, after all.”

“…Are you a practitioner as well?”

Anagin asked.

It was strange to ask if an attendant, not a hero, was a practitioner.

A practitioner works to achieve a goal, and that goal could be anything—even for an attendant.

Judging by Sanchonius’ skill, it would be stranger if he weren’t a practitioner.

“Ah.... that's right. I am a practitioner who aims to become the best attendant to excellently assist heroes.”

Sanchonius, who had been talking cheerfully, looked embarrassed.

The reason soon became clear.

“It's embarrassing. A practitioner whose goal is to be an attendant.... How did you know I was a practitioner?”

“Just a feeling. And what's embarrassing?”

“Pardon?”

“Why should you be embarrassed? Goals are set by the individual. Who’s to judge?”

It was an obvious truth, but Anagin stated it boldly, as if to dismiss it.

Strangely, Sanchonius felt some comfort from that.

“Thank you… If it’s alright, may I ask you a question too?”

“What?”

“What goal led you to become a practitioner, Anagin?”

As usual, Anagin was about to answer without much thought when suddenly…

……!

Something burst through the bushes.

A massive shape… a horse.

A horse with a rider.

It wasn’t strange that a horse appeared suddenly, but this one was peculiar.

Because the sound of the horse's breathing, its neighing, the sound of its hooves, and even the sound of it moving through the bushes were not heard at all.

All sounds around the horse seemed to be cut away.

In that state, the horse charged swiftly toward Anagin and his group, as if being pursued.

So Anagin swung his fist and struck the horse down.

“Ah, damn. That startled me.”