Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 059. The New Argonaut Expedition Team (3)

Irida, a member of the New Argonaut Expedition Team.

She knew very well how others defined her.

Ten out of ten people would first say that she was a princess of the Kingdom of Arcadia.

Specifically, the second princess of the Kingdom of Arcadia, a land famous for its many mountains, vast forests, and pastures flowing with milk and honey.

She wasn't without complaints, but she didn't think it was unfair.

The royalty of Hellas was simply extraordinary. Especially so in Hellas, the land chosen by the gods—a special existence among the specially chosen…….

So Irida thought it was unavoidable that she would be defined first as a princess.

However, unavoidable did not mean she had no complaints.

Rather than being introduced as the daughter of Iasos, King of Arcadia, she wanted to be introduced as one person named Irida.

Just like her proud elder sister, The Great Warrior Atalanta, who earned fame as a great female warrior.

Perhaps it was only natural that Irida wished to be called Irida rather than princess.

Having seen an elder sister who stood shoulder to shoulder with other heroes despite being a woman, how could one be satisfied with being merely a princess? Had she never seen it, that would be one thing—but once seen, one could not help but dream.

To become not a princess who relied only on her birth, but a hero who proved herself.

That was why Irida entered Chiron Tower and became a practitioner. With the goal of becoming a hero.

She became a disciple of Chiron, who, by the command of the great chief god Zeus, had been charged with raising heroes to protect humanity from countless monsters, villains, and evil gods.

And the other companions were not much different.

Tramachus, the cousin of “Meleager the Immortal,” was of royal blood even if from a collateral line. Even so, he did not settle for the blessings of birth and entered Chiron Tower to polish himself.

Thyreos, who carried heroic blood, took the lead more than anyone with the shield on his back, and Lynceus supported his comrades with his great eyes.

All of them were born into environments lacking nothing, yet they entered Chiron Tower to prove themselves and trained alongside Irida.

Then they caught the eye of the Great Master Chiron, became members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team, and were given a chance.

A chance to prove themselves!

After endless effort and training!

That was why Irida could not help but frown at the current situation.

The resolve and effort she had put into becoming a hero, not a princess, were considered lighter than that of those little kids…. It felt like an insult.

Just as Irida was about to lose her reason in anger, Tramachus spoke up first. Thanks to that, Irida didn’t have to raise her voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what you heard. It means that these two kids have a far heavier resolve than you when it comes to fighting the Forest Brotherhood. What, is there something difficult to understand?”

At the indifferent tone, as if stating a simple fact, Irida and Tramachus were left dumbfounded.

Losing one’s grandfather and wanting revenge was pitiable and admirable, but the affairs of the world could not be resolved by feelings alone.

For two kids who together barely seemed over twenty to seek revenge against the Forest Brotherhood was not courage but recklessness, nothing more than childish petulance born of ignorance, surrendering themselves to impulsive emotion.

“Petulance is something you use when you don’t know anything. These kids aren’t like that. They know exactly what they’re trying to do.”

“What do they know?”

“That they can die. And horribly, at that. I slaughtered Paia and his whole gang right in front of them. Losing means death.”

Sphinx, who had been listening quietly, recalled that moment.

When Anagin split Paia vertically and killed everyone but one bandit. Then showed the corpses to the children.

Was that… in preparation for something like this?

Sphinx was skeptical yet found it plausible.

“I showed them what a fight really is, and told them I had no intention of protecting them. More than anything, I told them what their dead grandfather truly wanted. Even so, they chose revenge.”

“They’re still just kids.”

“And those kids have steeled themselves more than you.”

Just as the handsome youth Tramachus was about to explode, unable to endure the humiliation, Irida spoke first.

“On what basis do you say those kids have a heavier resolve than we do?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was low and cold.

The anger of having her pride trampled was embedded in it.

To provoke the temperament of someone who had initially approached in goodwill so thoroughly—if that was a talent, then it was a talent.

Regardless, Anagin said what he wanted to say. Just as he always had.

“You came here to make a name for yourselves, didn’t you? Born into a good life, with power to boot. Just catching a few easy bandits to feel like heroes, right?”

“…….”

“Meanwhile, these kids have nothing, yet they came here to stake their lives for their family’s revenge. Comparing the two is ridiculous.”

“…….”

Irida couldn’t say a word.

If it were up to her feelings, she wanted to shout that it wasn’t true, to say that she only intended to subjugate the Forest Brotherhood in the name of justice.

But for some reason, she couldn’t.

Anagin’s oddly provoking voice seemed to pierce straight into Irida’s true feelings buried deep inside.

Then, Anagin dug into that very truth he had pierced.

“Oh? Nothing to say? Is it because I was too accurate? You’ve got a conscience after all.”

While skirting the line, Anagin kept stabbing relentlessly.

Just as Irida, who had been exercising patience, was about to snap, Tramachus beside her cut in.

“Have you lost your mind from getting some worthless fame? Or are you pretending to be insane to get some worthless fame?”

Tramachus took Anagin’s behavior as a provocation.

Like those third-rate practitioners who tried to gain fame by picking fights with practitioners of Chiron Tower, which had produced countless heroes.

It happened often enough. Simply clashing with more accomplished practitioners tended to raise one’s name.

“Do you think I’m like you? Obsessing over that kind of crap.”

Bang!

Unable to hold back at Anagin’s words that scraped at people’s insides, Tramachus slammed the table.

The air grew taut with killing intent.

However, Anagin didn’t stop and crooked a finger at Tramachus provocatively.

It was a gesture telling him to stop running his mouth and come at him.

Just as Tramachus, unable to contain his rage, was about to cause an incident—

“That’s enough.”

The Instructor raised a hand and stopped Tramachus.

Tramachus, who had been on the verge of lunging as if to kill, stopped, and the tense air loosened.

And that wasn’t all.

The Instructor looked at the group and said,

“All of you, get out.”

“Huh? But—”

“—Out.”

At the repeated command, everyone reluctantly obeyed.

In terms of position, the Instructor might be a superior, but even considering that, he had the New Argonaut Expedition Team firmly under control.

“You guys go out too.”

Seeing the instructor send people away, Anagin sent Sphinx and the kids outside as well.

Then Philos of the vigilante group, who had been silently observing alone, also went out.

Left alone were Anagin and the instructor.

They stared at each other in silence. After a long while, the instructor spoke.

“Are you, by any chance, looking to kill yourself?”

“Do I look like it?”

“You act like someone who wants to die. The Bender Caravan of Dysis Polis, Deodia of the Ruin Village, the Monster Merchant, the Harpy Witch, the Dolos Family, Paia the Boar, the Forest Brotherhood, and now even us…. Do you have some illness where you die if you don’t cause trouble?”

“I do have a condition where I have to beat the shit out of assholes when I see them.”

“A good condition. Practitioners need that kind of rebellious streak. Usually doesn’t lead to a long life, though.”

“Then I’ll live a long time. I’ve never been called ordinary in my life.”

The instructor neither denied nor affirmed it. Instead, he said something else.

“If you want, you may join us.”

“Is that alright?”

“You insulted our kids, but our kids also insulted yours. Let’s say you traded one punch each.”

“No, not that. I mean this. You said you’d leave the decision to join up to your kids.”

“I’ll take it back, then.”

The instructor shrugged and contradicted himself in the same breath.

It was a mischievous look, like taking back a toy given to a child. It contrasted with the solemn attitude he’d shown at first. Somehow, this seemed closer to his true nature.

Not bad.

It wasn't bad. Anagin's interest in the New Argonaut Expedition Team had plummeted drastically until just now, but upon seeing this side, his interest began to revive.

“However, there’s a condition. The kids need to have roles too. We can’t go around dragging along kids who can’t do anything.”

“Don’t worry. They’re damn good at slingshotting. They’ll pull their weight.”

That wasn’t just talk.

Whether it was thanks to Anagin’s merciless training or the magic Sphinx taught them, Kori and Pais’s sling shot skills had risen to a level Anagin found fairly decent.

Calling it “damn good” might be a bit of an exaggeration, but isn’t it customary to add a little embellishment in situations like this?

Apparently satisfied with the answer he wanted, the instructor moved to wrap up the conversation.

Anagin, satisfied as well, was about to rise from his seat—

When the instructor suddenly asked,

“She really is your younger sister, right?”

Whether the robed woman really was his younger sister.

Anagin answered without batting an eye.

“Yes. She’s my younger sister.”

* * *

The civilized land of Hellas and the barbaric land of Barbarland.

The land caught in between was called Anapik, meaning a land to expand and grow.

Anapik was broadly divided into four regions: East, West, South, and North, and among them, the least distinct and weakest land was the West.

The “West” was neither wealthy like the “South” that bordered the sea, nor militarily advanced like the “North” with Chiron Tower, nor rich in ruins or treasures like the “East.”

The West was simply a land of utter mediocrity, lacking any notable features.

Yet, some saw that very mediocrity as a charm.

Whether it was migrants seeking a new home, ambitious individuals aiming to establish a city in Anapik, or even Periphetes intending to found a country.

That Periphetes had come into the dense forest in search of a man.

“Boldly showing your face, aren’t you?”

The man muttered, clearly bewildered, upon seeing Periphetes.

“What do you mean by ‘bold,’ Sinis?”

Sinis.

That was the man’s name.

Like Periphetes, he was also an executive of the Forest Brotherhood.

Coincidentally, unlike Periphetes, he was not a leader commanding a bandit group but a lone troubleshooter wandering from place to place. The difference being that he was a mage, not a Gigant.

“What do you mean? You made this absurd plan to found a country, dragged everyone in, and then spectacularly messed it up.”

A rather ridiculous plan to establish a country in the weakly controlled West of Anapik.

And the one who devised this plan was none other than Periphetes himself.

A gigant over 2.3 meters tall.

Even within the Forest Brotherhood, his sheer force was remarkable, drawing in Sinis and other executives to participate.

Greed often clouds judgment.

Soon enough, it became clear that the plan was utterly absurd, as they ran into immense difficulties.

Various surrounding powers, sensing unusual activity, came to check and disrupt them.

The greatest harm came from practitioners from Chiron Tower—the self-proclaimed New Argonaut Expedition Team, aspiring heroes.

“Fools full of hot air with no clue what they’re doing.”

Periphetes dismissed the New Argonaut Expedition Team.

Normally, Sinis would have echoed him, but unfortunately, he could not do so now.

“You realize that those fools are causing us the most damage, right? Countless minor bandit groups have fallen, and other powers, upon hearing the news, are joining in. We’re on the defensive. Because of that bastard Sciron!”

Sinis spat a curse in anger at the end of his words.

The Forest Brotherhood’s greatest strengths were numbers and stealth.

But the clever idiot Sciron, taken as a prisoner, had lost their stealth—he revealed everything to survive.

Sciron’s participation in the overall plan made this situation even more critical.

Thanks to this, the bandits of Western Hellas and Western Anapik were suffering historically severe losses.

“What if he was caught on purpose?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“When you planned to found a country, what worried you the most? How to divide governance, right?”

“Exactly. Too many heads to manage. You don’t mean….”

“Exactly. That Sciron was caught intentionally. To intimidate those with nothing but numbers and to identify threatening enemies.”

Sinis wondered if Periphetes was just bluffing—rambling as the situation worsened…

Yet, ironically, he could not completely dismiss it.

Though many had fallen to the ambush, true to the Forest Brotherhood’s nature, survivors were numerous, and they were now gathering under Periphetes.

Numbers may have dwindled, but organizational strength had increased.

“Soon, Sciron will bring the enemies right into our backyard. Even though they might suspect it's a trap….”

“…They’ll believe it anyway.”

Thanks to the intelligence from Sciron, they would gain the upper hand easily, leaving no choice but to come, even if suspicion lingered.

“No, no. It won’t be easy. Many have already gathered on their side because of their consecutive victories.”

“We still have enough numbers. You, Sinis, are here too.”

“And the practitioners from Chiron Tower are here as well.”

“I alone would be enough…. But you're still uneasy, aren't you?”

Sinis remained silent, as if to say, “Why are you asking what’s obvious?”

Periphetes chuckled without offense.

“I also want to reassure you about that. We have a very reliable trump card now. An unbeatable one.”

“? What is it?”

“‘He’ is coming here.”

“…!”

Sinis nearly jumped up in shock.

In the Forest Brotherhood—a union of countless bandit groups—only one person was addressed with the honorific “He.”

The monster who founded the Forest Brotherhood, the predator who devoured countless heroes, the great villain, even the greatest heroes failed to capture, the rebel who bared teeth to the gods.

“Lord Erysichthon, the Devourer, will soon arrive here.”