Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 104

Anagin thought to himself.The journey to the Kingdom of Arcadia was more troublesome than he had expected.

At first, it seemed they would go all the way by airship, but at the border, they had to disembark and transfer to carriages.

Something about security regulations preventing the airship from flying directly to the royal city.

Well, it wasn’t that he was dissatisfied.

It was just inconvenient to transfer, not that he disliked it.

When they got off the airship, three carriages were waiting.

Anagin boarded the last one together with Kori, Pais, Sphinx, and Thyreos.

He had thought he would end up riding with Ponytail, but at Tramachus’ suggestion, they switched seats.

Maybe that was why.

The chatter-filled journey had somehow grown quiet.

To begin with, Thyreos was not the talkative type, and Kori and Pais seemed uncomfortable around him, eventually pressing their lips shut.

Well, considering what had happened at Chiron Tower, it wasn’t strange.

‘Hmm, I’m glad I brought them along. I was wondering whether I should leave these kids at Chiron Tower, but that might’ve been difficult.’

Anagin, too, fell silent as he mulled over various thoughts, and as a result, a suffocating stillness settled inside the carriage.

At least Sphinx spoke from time to time, giving everyone room to breathe.

“Oh! This must be the Ancient Forest. Look.”

Inside the carriage.

Sphinx, seated with Kori and Pais, deliberately pointed outside in a bright voice.

At some point, the grasslands had disappeared, replaced by a dense forest.

“The Ancient Forest?”

Perhaps noticing Sphinx’s effort to keep things lively, Kori quickly played along and asked.

Just as Sphinx was about to explain about the Ancient Forest, a low, weighty voice cut in.

“It’s the landmark that represents the Kingdom of Arcadia.”

It was Thyreos.

Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, Kori hesitated for a moment.

Proof that people from Chiron Tower were still difficult for her.

Whether Thyreos realized it or not, he showed a faintly uncomfortable expression, yet continued his explanation.

“It’s a sacred forest, practically the symbol of the Kingdom of Arcadia.”

Thyreos went on to describe the various rare game that came from the Ancient Forest, explaining how the Kingdom of Arcadia accumulated wealth by hunting them and maintained good relations with numerous factions.

Allowing others to hunt in the Ancient Forest was considered quite a fine form of hospitality.

“Have you hunted there?”

Anagin, who had been listening quietly, tossed the question out casually.

Had he hunted in the Ancient Forest?

“I’ve tried it.”

“Oh? What did you catch?”

“Deer and wild boar…”

The results were more modest than expected. Thyreos added,

“I don’t particularly like hunting.”

It sounded almost like an excuse at first glance, but Anagin believed him.

Just by looking at him, Thyreos didn’t seem like someone who would enjoy hunting.

Tramachus or Lynceus might, though.

“Do you like hunting?”

Thyreos asked in return.

Anagin pondered for a moment before answering.

“Hmm, I enjoy it when I do it, but I’m not the type to go out of my way for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about when I lived in my hometown. There were a lot of large beasts. It was usually my job to deal with them. I enjoyed the work, but I didn’t go around stirring things up first. I only moved after they caused harm to the village.”

Thyreos nodded as if he understood.

Gigants born in small villages often lived that kind of life.

Protecting the village from external threats.

Still, it was somewhat unexpected that Anagin had lived such a life as well.

“Were there any special beasts in the village where you lived?”

As the conversation began to flow, Pais asked. It seemed the silence until now had been hard to endure.

Anagin replied that aside from being large, there was nothing particularly special, and suggested that he should instead ask Thyreos what kind of beasts lived in the Ancient Forest.

From what he’d heard, the creatures caught there were quite rare.

Pais glanced at Thyreos in embarrassment.

He was the most intimidating person in the carriage at the moment.

“Um, I didn’t catch them myself, but is it alright if I talk about what others caught?”

But then, surprisingly.

Thyreos awkwardly opened his mouth and began speaking about the beasts found in the Ancient Forest.

There was a furred lizard that generated heat on its own, a rabbit whose hide brought good fortune, a medicinal horned deer effective against all illnesses, an eagle blessed by the wind, and many other kinds of game.

Each had a special effect, and each was rare.

“That’s why quite a few poachers come looking for them.”

“Is that okay?”

“There’s no need to worry. The hunters of the Kingdom of Arcadia are also excellent wardens of the forest. Most poachers end up being hunted instead.”

His tone was blunt, but the careful explanation drew small exclamations from everyone.

When he finished, Sphinx took the lead in thanking him for the interesting story.

“You two should thank Lord Thyreos for the good story as well.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Th-thank you…”

The two little ones stammered their thanks.

Then, Thyreos spoke again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Pardon?”

“Kori, Pais. I want to apologize to you both. What happened at the Tower… it was unfair and shameful.”

“……”

The heartfelt apology came at an unexpected moment.

Both Kori and Pais stared in astonishment. Their minds couldn’t quite keep up with the situation.

The same went for Sphinx.

“And I want to apologize to you as well.”

“To me?”

“When you were being interrogated as a monster, at the very least, once the fight with Erysichthon had ended, I should have said it was wrong. I’m sorry I failed to do that.”

“…Ha, it’s alright. It’s already in the past.”

Sphinx gave a small smile and accepted Thyreos’ apology.

If she accepted it willingly, Thyreos might later offer various forms of help, such as restoring her identity. Given a hero’s character, he would likely want to make amends.

More than anything, she personally had wanted an apology.

She could feel the sincerity in it, and it felt as though he was acknowledging her as an individual.

It wasn’t bad at all.

“Thank you for accepting my apology. I should have done it sooner, but I was late.”

“No, really, it’s fine, so please don’t worry about it. Honestly, I never even imagined I’d receive an apology. What about you two?”

When asked, Kori and Pais could only make flustered “uh, uh” sounds.

They, too, had never imagined receiving an apology from someone of Thyreos’ stature, so their reaction was only natural.

Sphinx asked the flustered children,

“He apologized to you in person like this. What will you do?”

Would they accept the apology or not?

Now that they understood what they were supposed to do, the two children, who had been at a loss, regained their composure and, after briefly meeting each other’s eyes, answered.

“We’ll accept your apology. Thank you for apologizing.”

“Me too.”

Thyreos smiled faintly, seemingly pleased that his apology had been accepted.

Before anyone realized it, the inside of the carriage was filled with a warm, ticklish feeling that was hard to put into words.

And in that shy yet not unpleasant atmosphere.

Anagin suddenly threw open the carriage window.

“Brother?”

Sphinx called out to Anagin, who leaned his body out the window and began spinning his sling.

Instead of answering, Anagin swung the sling and hurled a stone.

Whoosh— Crack!

A moment later, the sound of a skull splitting echoed out.

“Yoohoo—! Got one!!”

It was the sound of Anagin bringing down the White Deer, said to exist only in legends.

* * *

“Showing up at someone else’s house empty-handed feels a bit wrong, doesn’t it?”

After getting off the carriage.

When Sphinx asked why he had caught the White Deer, Anagin answered like that.

“Empty-handed?”

“Yeah. I don’t know, it just feels awkward. You should at least bring something.”

She more or less understood what he meant, but since it was still a reason she hadn’t expected at all, Sphinx felt flustered for the first time in a while.

The others weren’t any different.

Meleager and Atalanta, who had been riding in the lead carriage.

Irida, Tramachus, Lynceus, and Ponytail in the second carriage.

It was only natural.

Wasn’t it absurd in more ways than one?

It was already shocking enough just to see a White Deer—practically a creature of legend—today, and yet Anagin had casually taken it down.

Especially Irida, Tramachus, Lynceus, and Ponytail, who had spotted the White Deer first, were even more dumbfounded.

For a fleeting moment, they had been captivated by the noble bearing of the White Deer.

And then Anagin had killed it with a stone lying by the roadside.

It felt like watching a farce.

And a third-rate one at that.

Perhaps because of that.

With its antlers gripped like handles and its tongue lolling out, the White Deer no longer looked like a sacred spirit beast, but merely an animal carcass.

Anagin held the carcass out to Atalanta.

“Judging by everyone’s reaction, I must’ve caught the right thing. Here.”

Anagin began his first conversation with Atalanta in an informal tone.

Since he had spoken casually to Meleager as well, he figured it was only right to do the same with Atalanta.

Fortunately, Atalanta did not take issue with his manner of speaking. However…

“Are you really giving it to me?”

“What, would I give it to you as a joke?”

His tone remained unchanged, even before a great hero.

A brief silence passed, and Atalanta laughed.

“…Pfft.”

“Sister?”

At the sound of her sister’s laughter, Irida flinched in surprise.

It had been a long time since she had seen her sister laugh.

“…You’re interesting.”

“I was the funniest person in my hometown, you know. More importantly, aren’t you going to take it? My arm’s about to fall off.”

Anagin shook the White Deer, urging her to accept it.

Atalanta shook her head.

“I appreciate the thought, but if you’re giving it as a gift, present it directly to my father. Gifts like that are meant for the head of the household.”

She took out a large cloth from a small pouch at her waist and handed it over before returning to her own carriage.

It was a Fresh Wrap. One that preserved the freshness of a hunted beast’s carcass.

Though it was troublesome, she wasn’t wrong, so Anagin wrapped the White Deer in the cloth.

“Ah, carrying this is such a hassle.”

Grumbling, Anagin finished wrapping the deer.

Just then, Irida thanked him.

“…Thank you.”

“Suddenly?”

“It’s been a long time since sister laughed… I guess you were so absurd that it made her laugh.”

Not knowing the exact reason her sister had laughed, Irida said so.

She didn’t know the specific cause, but just seeing her sister laugh made her feel good.

“Seems like you really like your sister?”

“Of course. She’s my sister… Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s good when siblings get along.”

At those unexpectedly sincere words from Anagin, Irida hesitated. She had expected him to tease or mock her.

The brief lull in conversation felt awkward, and to dispel it, Irida spoke again for no particular reason.

“Hm, more importantly, that’s unexpected. I didn’t think you were the type to prepare gifts.”

“What are you talking about? I was raised with excellent family values.”

Anagin declared proudly, but the reactions around him were unanimously negative.

Not just the New Argonaut Expedition Team, but also Sphinx and the siblings Kori and Pais.

Ponytail, in particular, deliberately exaggerated his expression as he flatly denied Anagin’s claim.

“Why is everyone reacting like that? That’s rude.”

“If you reflect on your usual conduct, wouldn’t you understand? Put your hand on your conscience and say that again.”

It seemed his mouth had been itching to say something, as Ponytail seized the opportunity to fire back.

Instead of hitting the cheeky Ponytail, Anagin placed his hand over his heart.

“That’s fine, because they deserved it. When someone’s an asshole, you treat them like one. My conscience is clear.”

Anagin insisted that every rude thing he had done so far had been justified, rationalizing that those on the receiving end had it coming.

For reference, those “deserving people” included everyone present here.

Memories of what they had suffered at Anagin’s hands surfaced in each of their minds, and an uncomfortable silence fell.

It felt like being cursed to their faces.

They wanted to argue, but it was hard to.

After finishing the wrapping, Anagin slung the White Deer over his shoulder and stood up.

“Ah, of course, I’m bringing a gift now because I’ve got my own little motive.”

“Motive?”

“I want to see what kind of face this so-called king has. Something I heard about kings suddenly came back to me… But why am I even remembering that?”

Grumbling about how his master’s teachings had resurfaced in his mind, Anagin climbed back onto the carriage.

To go see the king.

* * *

The king.

More precisely, the King of Hellas.

His master had explained that kings were special beings chosen by the gods to govern the human world in their stead.

Of course, Anagin had asked such an absurd question, listening half-heartedly.

Back then, he had no interest in anything beyond his village, and naturally, no interest in kings either.

There was nothing more meaningless than taking an interest in someone he would never cross paths with in his lifetime.

But somehow, Anagin had left his village.

And since things had turned out this way, he figured he might as well meet this so-called king once.

Now that he had become a practitioner, he might actually have the chance to meet one.

If he was going to meet one anyway, it was better for Anagin to be the one choosing it first.

Besides, he had suddenly grown curious.

Among the Hellenes chosen by the gods, what kind of person was this especially chosen human?

“His Majesty will see you now.”

He felt a slight sense of anticipation.

Perhaps because of that?

When he finally saw the king—

“Pleased to meet you.”

He was… somewhat disappointing.