Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 071. Beyond the Heavens (5)

“Ah, damn it, this is embarrassing.”

Like a wild boar driven into a hunt, Erysichthon, riddled with arrows and spears, tore the massive shafts embedded in his body free and rose to his feet.

At some point, a man and a woman had appeared.

‘The Great Warrior Atalanta’ and ‘Meleager the Immortal’ faced him calmly, not even surprised, as if they had expected this.

Koo-woong!

Throwing aside a pillar-like arrow, Erysichthon stood up and first inspected his torn clothes.

“Ah, these were new clothes too…….”

He muttered as if the torn clothes annoyed him more than being pierced by arrows and spears.

And indeed, as if it were only natural, the wounds from the arrows and spears had already vanished as though washed away.

Erysichthon twisted the gem on the necklace around his neck, restoring his ripped clothes.

“Wow, I’m jealous.”

Anagin couldn’t help but admire the self-repairing jewel.

It even had an Interspatial Bag attached, and the gem itself seemed to be the source of magic—if possible, he really wanted to steal it.

As the people around looked at Anagin in disbelief at his carefree remark, Erysichthon asked,

“Why are you guys even here?”

The ones being questioned were Atalanta and Meleager. The real Argonaut Expedition Team.

Erysichthon asked as if they were people who shouldn't be here.

On that point, Anagin agreed as well. Their sudden appearance out of thin air had been extremely bewildering.

“Did you call them?”

Erysichthon asked, looking at the instructor who had been sitting perfectly still through all this.

“No, I was just watching. Those two who love their younger siblings probably made preparations on their own.”

As if something clicked, Irida and Tramachus looked surprised.

It seemed the two famous heroes had each taken some measures to protect their beloved younger siblings—perhaps magical tools that sent signals in times of crisis.

Erysichthon also seemed to grasp the situation and let it slide, but he frowned over a new problem.

“Haa, this is troublesome. I didn’t come here to fight today, I came to have fun. What should I do?”

He muttered while looking at Atalanta and Meleager. As he pondered, light flowed from his necklace.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.”

“Trying to run away?”

Meleager taunted him, pulling one of the many spears stuck in his back as Erysichthon turned to leave.

Erysichthon laughed.

“Hahahaha! Scary, very scary! Two heroes are coming after me at once. And not just any two, the famous duo, the Lioness and the Firewood.”

‘The Lioness and the Firewood?’

Anagin carefully noted the strange pair of words. Nicknames, perhaps?

“I’ve got somewhere to be anyway, but if you really want to play with me that badly, I suppose I can indulge you. How about it?”

Erysichthon cracked his fingers.

Atalanta nocked an arrow, Meleager leveled his spear.

As tension thickened the air, the instructor intervened.

“That’s enough.”

The man who had been sitting like a stone statue suddenly stood up.

“What’s this? Weren't you supposed to just watch? Why the sudden change? Though, I guess you are at the age for dementia.”

Though he claimed he hadn’t come to fight, Erysichthon clearly had every intention of doing so, as he provoked the instructor.

“Since outsiders have intervened, the evaluation is over. And if the evaluation is over, I have my own job to do. Or would you like to take us all on, including me?”

The instructor spoke without hesitation. As if genuinely asking whether he wanted to try.

Erysichthon’s expression hardened far more than when he had faced Atalanta and Meleager.

If Atalanta and Meleager were bothersome, the instructor was downright troublesome.

“Hmmm…….”

As Erysichthon seriously considered—

“Master.”

Meleager the Immortal addressed the instructor.

‘Wait, Master? Not instructor?’

Anagin didn’t know much about Chiron Tower, but its master should be Chiron. Yet he was being called “Master”?

“Even encountering one of the traitors is no easy matter.”

“So you want to capture him now? Without my help, can the two of you manage? While protecting your younger siblings, too?”

“…….”

“Enough. Haste makes waste. If it’s your destiny, the proper course will come. Today is not the day.”

At the dignified words of the instructor, the heroes who had just struck Erysichthon fell silent.

Anagin thought there had been an unusual number of surprises today. To see such famed heroes acting like children.

Erysichthon seemed to think the same and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Well-behaved kids are easy to handle. Then, let’s meet again when there’s a chance. Ah, though maybe one of you will have a hard time alone?”

He threw a meaningful remark at Atalanta, then took a gem from the belt at his waist and crushed it in his hand.

As the gem crumbled, the magic within activated, forming a small portal, and Erysichthon was sucked into it and vanished.

“Haaah…….”

A few seconds after he disappeared completely, everyone let out a breath from deep within their bellies.

It was pure relief at having survived.

No one even bothered to reorganize like when they had defeated Periphetes the Clubber; they were simply relieved and happy to be alive.

A narrow escape, by all accounts.

But exceptions exist everywhere.

Anagin had somehow taken a defensive stance against the New Argonaut Expedition Team and the real Argonaut Expedition Team, with Sphinx behind him.

That’s right. The matter of Sphinx had yet to be resolved. Before it could be settled, Periphetes attacked, and then Erysichthon followed.

Thinking about it, it had been insanely busy.

“Hoo…….”

Exhausted, Anagin sighed.

Interpreting it as a sign, Sphinx spoke in a tiny voice.

“Brother…….”

“Why is your voice so small?!!”

Anagin suddenly raised his voice, like scolding a child.

When Sphinx looked up at him in surprise, Anagin raised his voice again.

“Lift your head! The one who saved the humans here wasn’t me or them—it was you! You! So be proud. Lift your head.”

“…….”

Sphinx wore a subtle expression, shocked, perhaps even moved.

To Anagin, it was absurd. He’d only said the obvious—do wrong and get punished, do right and get rewarded. That was how things should be.

“Hey, what is that monster?”

Meleager the Immortal cut in.

“Hold on. Me first.”

Anagin raised his palm, stopping him.

“First of all, I don’t know exactly who you are, but thanks for the help.”

Anagin decided to acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment.

If these two hadn’t come, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to die at Erysichthon’s hands.

He had used every card he had, and his stamina was nearly gone. Surviving at all was a miracle.

At his straightforward thanks, Sphinx and everyone around widened their eyes in surprise.

Anagin wondered to himself, 'Just what kind of image do they have of me?'

Meleager, the Immortal of the Argonaut Expedition Team, accepted the thanks.

“I’ll accept it. Now then, answer my question. What is that monster?”

“My little sister.”

Anagin answered instantly, like a spinal reflex, without even a second’s hesitation.

The people who had been looking at him in a good kind of surprise now looked at him in a bad kind. Their faces practically said, ‘Isn’t that crossing a line, you bastard?’

Sphinx was included among them.

“Little sister, brother?”

“If I introduced you as my little sister, I have to stick with it.”

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Shut up, our hair colors are similar. And you call me brother too.”

Overwhelmed by Anagin’s shamelessness, Sphinx, who had been whispering, was left speechless.

“Are you messing with us right now?”

“Do I look like I’m messing around?”

Gulp.

Silence fell, broken only by the sound of someone swallowing.

A new fight was about to break out here.

It could only be described as madness.

After fighting Erysichthon, just standing was practically a miracle, and now another fight? With the Argonaut Expedition Team?

But Anagin didn’t care about that at all. If he had cared, he wouldn’t have fought Erysichthon in the first place.

Just as things reached their peak—

“A familiar!”

Sanchonius, who had been reading the room, shouted loudly.

“That’s why you called her your little sister…! Because she’s a familiar, right?!”

Scraping together every bit of courage he had, Sanchonius showed Anagin a way out that didn’t involve fighting.

“Yeah.”

Anagin immediately grabbed onto it—boldly, shamelessly.

* * *

A bustling district of a certain crime city in Hellas.

Countless meetings took place here.

Ordinary people exchanging pleasantries, young men and women (or old men and women) enjoying secret trysts, merchants seeking deals, and thieves plotting theft, fences trading in stolen goods, even politicians weaving conspiracies—the variety was endless.

People usually thought clandestine matters were conducted in secluded places, but that wasn’t always the case.

In a sense, secluded places stood out more.

Like the saying about hiding a tree in a forest, meeting amid a crowd like this could be safer.

Of course, if the tree stood out too much, then one had no choice but to meet somewhere out of the way.

For example, a famous villain over three meters tall.

“Welcome.”

A secret tavern operated by the Brokers’ Guild.

There, a man sat alone at an enormous table, drinking, as he greeted a massive man standing three meters tall.

The two shared the same goal and belonged to the same organization—well, not quite colleagues, more like business partners.

They weren’t close enough to be called comrades.

Even so, they frequently exchanged necessary information. Since each intended to make use of the other, they aligned well in that regard.

In any case, having met again after a long time, the two began with a light exchange of greetings.

“Yes, I’ve come. I can’t even tell how many years it’s been.”

The three-meter giant, Erysichthon, spoke plainly.

He couldn’t even remember how many years it had been since he last met the relaxed human drinking in front of him.

He had left, saying he had something to look for, then vanished without a trace. And then, after experiencing some utterly ridiculous incident, he finally made contact again.

Of course, Erysichthon felt no displeasure over it. He had something he wanted to confirm as well.

Erysichthon sat down across from the man. Shortly after, the door opened, and the tavern staff began bringing out vast amounts of food.

Herb-seasoned roast pork, blood sausage stuffed with liver and entrails, charcoal-grilled lamb skewers, smoked duck, marinated olives and salted figs, eggplant stewed with herbs and garlic, dried cheese, grape leaves stuffed and seasoned with onions and parsley, a whole young goat roasted over charcoal, eel skewers glazed with honey sauce, and more.

It was enough food for an entire village to feast for days on end.

As if explaining why such a massive table existed, the staff began placing the dishes upon it.

Erysichthon naturally stuffed the food into his mouth, devouring it as casually as drinking water.

Whenever an empty plate appeared, the staff, clearly accustomed to this, stacked it to the side and brought out new dishes.

After hours of eating like this—

The plates were piled high enough to fill the entire room. Naturally, the cost of the food would be beyond imagination.

Yet not a single staff member looked worried. Soon, the reason became clear.

The man sitting across from Erysichthon removed the leather glove from his hand and lightly tapped the stack of empty plates beside him.

In that instant, the plates turned into gold.

Hundreds of golden plates!

The staff gathered the golden plates—worth hundreds of times the cost of the food—and withdrew.

That was why this secret tavern had reserved such a large space just for these two guests, and why no matter how much they ate, there was no concern over payment.

“I didn’t miss you, but I did miss that hand.”

Erysichthon offered praise that was hardly praise.

The man across from him put the glove back on and replied,

“If you want it, shall I give it to you?”

“Hmph!”

Erysichthon snorted instead of answering. The man wasn’t someone who would easily give up his own hand, and the curse bound to that hand still wasn’t quite at a level worth coveting.

It bore a curse just as dreadful as the one afflicting Erysichthon himself. It was tempting, but devouring it would require more time.

“I came back to say hello after a long time. It took longer than I expected.”

“Wait.”

Erysichthon cut him off and rummaged through his clothes.

After digging around for quite a while, he finally seemed to find what he was looking for and tossed over a gleaming gold ingot.

The man caught the gold ingot and narrowed his eyes.

“Just tell me this. The reason you disappeared for years, this is related to that, isn’t it? Midas.”

The man—no, Midas—smiled faintly.

“It seems this will be a long story.”

__________________

__________________

__________________

(T/N): I’ll be changing the ‘Mister’ to ‘Brother’