Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 057. The New Argonaut Expedition Team (1)

Sciron.

A fallen noble who joined the Forest Brotherhood after his family collapsed.

A man who rose through the ranks by having his brains recognized rather than his martial strength.

As if to prove that, the guy was no ordinary schemer.

Even after waking up from being knocked out, he showed no sign of it, carefully reading the situation and continuing to pretend he was unconscious.

His plan was to use the commotion between Anagin and the Good Friends as an opening to escape.

Of course, that shoddy plan was immediately seen through by Anagin and fell apart.

A situation embarrassing enough by any standard. Even so, perhaps his skin was just that thick—he didn’t give up.

You could practically hear the gears grinding as he worked his head.

“Haah, my luck really couldn’t be worse.”

Even after being caught scheming, the guy put on an air of composure and started wagging his tongue. Then, out of the blue, he spoke to Anagin as if they were acquainted.

“To think I’d run into you of all people.”

Just in case, it should be said beforehand—this was the first time Anagin and Sciron had ever met.

And yet, the guy rattled on as if he knew Anagin.

It was rather strange. But then again, thinking about it, it wasn’t all that strange either.

This was their first face-to-face meeting, but Anagin had already made his existence known to the Forest Brotherhood.

By wiping out Paia’s gang and deliberately letting only the rookie bandit live, sending him back.

That rookie bandit would naturally have reported what he experienced to the Forest Brotherhood, so it wasn’t strange at all that Sciron knew of Anagin.

“That’s a relief. Looks like that brat properly delivered my declaration of war?”

“Hah! A declaration of war? Isn’t that a bit grandiose? Do you really think you’re the only fool gutsy enough to pull something like that?”

“Who knows. I don’t really care about that, but at the very least, I think I’m the only one who’s ever caught you.”

At that bullseye of a remark, Sciron’s mocking expression stiffened again. He didn’t seem to have a good comeback.

Still, a commander was a commander. Sciron once more put on a tough act and blustered.

“Fine, I’ll concede that point. You’re the first one to capture me. But that was purely thanks to luck. If my base’s location hadn’t been exposed, you wouldn’t have even caught a glimpse of my shadow. With that in mind, let me propose a deal.”

“Yeah, no.”

Just as Sciron was about to ease into the main point, Anagin didn’t even listen. He picked up a stone lying on the ground and smashed it into Sciron’s head again.

Sciron was knocked out once more before he could even get to the heart of the matter.

* * *

Drrrk... Drrrk... Drrrk.....

After Sciron was knocked out.

Guided by the Good Friends, Anagin headed for Sciron’s secret mountain base, where the New Argonaut Expedition Team was stationed.

Naturally, Sciron was dragged along with his foot held in Anagin’s grip, and thanks to that, his head was being ground against the dirt in real time.

At moments like this, one might even think that being unconscious was a stroke of luck.

Along the way, Anagin casually asked Philos, the captain of the Good Friends, about the overall situation. Simply getting a guide felt like a waste.

“What’s this guy’s base like?”

“It’s impressive. Calling it a mountain hideout doesn’t do it justice; it’s practically a fortress. But what’s even more astonishing than its scale is its location. It’s built in such a cunning spot that we couldn’t find it at all…. Without the New Argonaut Expedition Team, we never would have discovered it.”

Philos answered kindly, living up to the name Good Friends.

“Well, by now it’s probably been occupied. As a vigilante, I couldn’t be happier.”

Perhaps because they were a vigilante group supported by nearby villages and cities, the Good Friends looked genuinely delighted about the bandit subjugation.

It was quite an informative conversation.

“Are you happy because peace will be restored to this area?”

“Peace is nice, but the enormous spoils are even nicer.”

It was clear that Philos wasn’t a liar who only spoke empty pleasantries.

When Anagin asked about his true feelings, he answered honestly instead of giving some half-baked lie.

It wasn’t that Philos didn’t want order and safety, but those weren’t the only reasons he fought the Forest Brotherhood.

The biggest reason Philos fought them was the massive wealth the Forest Brotherhood possessed.

The enormous riches they’d amassed through banditry.

‘Well, even organizations like vigilantes are ultimately armed groups. They’re probably hungrier for spoils than for peace.’

If you take a normal person’s property, it’s looting. If you take a bandit’s property, it’s justice. And if you can get away with it, it’s the cleanest kind of profit.

On top of that, the Forest Brotherhood in this region had been planning to found a country, so there was a very high chance they possessed wealth beyond imagination.

‘They wouldn’t dare challenge a massive organization spread across all of Hellas without that much backing. Still, there’s one thing that bothers me.’

Anagin couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“Isn’t this too reckless?”

“Pardon?”

“No matter how much there is to eat, once a lot of people get involved, the division gets messy. In the end, the tastiest portion always goes to the side with the biggest name, and everyone else just picks up the crumbs, right?”

From what Anagin had heard, the side with the biggest name was the New Argonaut Expedition Team. Naturally, the Good Friends would be on the other side.

Meaning, the Good Friends could end up doing all the hard work and still not get their share.

When Anagin pointed this out, Philos answered without hesitation.

“That won’t be a problem. What the New Argonaut Expedition Team wants is fame, not spoils. They’ll take some loot, sure, but they won’t cling to it greedily.”

In other words, as long as they cooperated well, they wouldn’t be left with crumbs, but could take a sizable chunk.

Anagin nodded without saying much. If the person involved said so himself, there was no reason for Anagin to press the issue.

Still, another thing nagged at him.

It was a bit odd for him to ask, given that he’d started the questioning, but—why was Philos answering so readily? They’d only just met.

He soon learned the reason.

Philos also had something he wanted to ask Anagin.

“There’s something I’m curious about as well. Is it true that you declared war on the Forest Brotherhood?”

Even though he’d just heard it with his own ears, Philos asked to be sure—just in case.

Declaring war on the Forest Brotherhood without any backing or faction.

From Philos’s perspective, who had calculated carefully before challenging them, Anagin’s story made even less sense.

It went beyond recklessness, edging into the realm of madness.

And his expectation wasn’t wrong.

“Yes.”

“Really? By yourself?”

At the overly brief answer, Philos asked again, doubtful.

Anagin thought for a moment, then replied.

“Not by myself. As you can see, I’ve got companions.”

Anagin gestured behind him with his thumb, pointing at Sphinx and the siblings Kori and Pais, who were following along.

A suspicious woman wrapped in a robe, and two children.

Honestly, it was a lineup too embarrassing to even call combat strength.

Philos wondered if Anagin was joking, but one look at his face told him he wasn’t. Every word was sincere. It made his head feel light.

It was just too far outside common sense.

In any case, Philos felt relieved that he hadn’t fought Anagin earlier.

If he’d gotten greedy and clashed with a madman who’d declared war on the Forest Brotherhood while dragging along a woman and two children, there was a very high chance it would have ended in pointless bloodshed.

Of course, losing Sciron was regrettable, but he decided not to be too greedy.

Even by his own judgment, there was a high chance they would have lost him anyway—and there was still plenty left to eat.

Sciron was the kind of prize that would be great to have, and only deeply disappointing if missed.

‘…More than anything, dealing with someone like this is better suited for the Argonaut Expedition Team than for us.’

Thinking that, Philos looked ahead.

Just as expected, Sciron’s secret mountain base lay there, already subdued, corpses strewn everywhere.

“You’re back already?”

The base looked like it had just finished a battle.

The first to greet Philos was a red-haired woman sitting atop a tall wooden palisade, an arrow in hand.

And on the palisade lay bandits presumed to have fallen to her arrows, sprawled like hunted beasts.

Anagin instinctively knew that she was a member of the New Argonaut Expedition Team.

* * *

“We’ve captured Sciron. Though, to be precise, I wasn’t the one who caught him.”

Perhaps she truly hadn’t expected Sciron to be brought in at all. The red-haired woman’s eyes widened slightly at Philos’s report.

Then she jumped down from atop the tall palisade. It was a height where a bad landing could easily break a leg.

Just as her feet were about to touch the ground—

Whooosh—!

A gust of wind rose around her.

Thanks to that, she defied gravity and landed safely.

“Woooow…….”

At the mystical sight, Pais exclaimed in admiration, and the horses whinnied in surprise.

The mounted riders looked impressed as well…. And Anagin was no exception.

“Is that magic?”

Unsure whether the wind was magic or not, Anagin asked Sphinx. It looked like magic, but also felt somehow different.

His guess was on point.

“It’s a blessing.”

“A blessing?”

“A special power granted by a god.”

Anagin wanted to ask more, but the conversation didn’t continue.

Philos gestured to Anagin to show Sciron.

There was an order to things. Anagin tossed Sciron over first.

Bound tightly with rope, Sciron dropped at the red-haired woman’s feet like a shrimp.

Thud!

“Guhhh….”

Whether he was pretending to be unconscious again or had woken from the impact, Sciron let out a groan.

The red-haired woman checked Sciron’s face as he writhed in pain, then smiled.

“Oh my, it really is Sciron…. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t think you’d actually bring him in.”

She sounded impressed as she looked at Sciron.

But rather than joy, there was something irritating about her tone—an oddly dismissive nuance beneath it.

Anagin wasn’t the only one who felt that way; Philos’s expression tightened slightly.

As if she’d noticed, the red-haired woman added in a defensive tone,

“Sciron is notoriously good at running and hiding, after all.”

“…I agree, Princess.”

This time, the red-haired woman frowned slightly.

“I told you, don’t call me Princess, call me by my name, Irida. I’m currently operating as a member of the New Argonaut Expedition Team.”

“My apologies, Irida. In any case, while Sciron was captured, it wasn’t by us, the Good Friends. This man here is the one who caught him.”

Philos smoothly introduced Anagin.

The red-haired woman showed interest.

“Who is he? Someone you brought along, Philos?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s not that I brought him—”

“—I brought him!”

Sanchonius, who had been watching for an opening, finally raised his hand and cut in.

“Sanchonius?”

Irida reacted as if only now noticing him.

“Yes. I’ve returned after completing my mission. I secured the cooperation of Stas Polis.”

“That’s good news. S—no, the Instructor will be pleased as well.”

“Thank you! To be of help to all of you who will become heroes, I couldn't be happier!”

Sanchonius rejoiced at Irida’s praise in his characteristically exaggerated tone.

It was so over the top that the accompanying Good Friends grimaced, and even Anagin frowned slightly.

But there was a difference.

The Good Friends frowned because they thought Sanchonius was just a flatterer.

Anagin frowned because he could tell Sanchonius was being completely sincere.

Sanchonius was the type who genuinely took pride and joy in supporting heroes—at least, that was how it looked to Anagin.

“……Thanks to Sir Anagin’s help, we were able to save our lives and secure the city’s cooperation. That’s why I extended the invitation.”

While Anagin was lost in thought, Sanchonius, ever the attendant, explained how he had met Anagin and why he had invited him.

Judging by Irida’s expression, he had delivered only the key points, and accurately at that.

“Hmm, I understand.”

“Then….”

“Let’s not rush. Whether you join us is a matter for the Instructor to decide.”

“I understand.”

As expected.

Although Sanchonius had extended the invitation, it seemed that formal acceptance into their ranks required the approval of others.

Well, it was expected, so it wasn’t particularly disappointing.

Granting immediate membership based solely on an attendant’s invitation would be laughable. At the very least, having brought in Sciron, they wouldn’t just tell him to get lost.

Anagin decided to be satisfied with that for now.

‘I came here to see what kind of people the New Argonaut Expedition Team really are.’

From what he’d heard, they seemed to be quite formidable individuals. Perhaps they might even help with Anagin’s still-vague path as a practitioner.

Just as Anagin was trying to look on the bright side of the world—

“Hmm, you’re quite handsome.”

Irida suddenly leaned her face close to Anagin and said it.

It didn’t sound like a question, but Anagin replied out of politeness.

“I know. I’m handsome.”

A perfectly obvious fact.