Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 95

The deal was struck.Anagin provided the Orichalcum ingots, the bronze statue finished with Orichalcum, and the records containing information about the bronze statue workshop.

In return, Grumbal agreed to repair the Beast Cleaver and the Giant’s Bed. And he would also enhance the three magical tools Anagin had requested.

However.......

“As for the enhancements, we’ll need to adjust the conditions.”

Grumbal insisted.

Whether it was the number of items or their functions, the conditions for enhancing the magical tools would be decided through consultation with him.

“You understand why we need to adjust the terms, right?”

Anagin nodded readily.

Although what he had provided was valuable, he had never thought he would receive everything he demanded.

He had simply pushed his luck first, intending to negotiate the enhancements further afterward.

He might need Grumbal’s help again in the future, so it was best to keep things reasonable.

“Now you’re speaking some sense.... What do you want to enhance?”

Anagin began taking items out of his Interspatial Bag one by one.

The first was the self-repairing cloak.

It was something he had secured from Deodia’s hideout. To be precise, it was a cloak that repaired itself by draining the user’s Energy.

Its only function was self-repair. Other than that, it had no special abilities.

Because of that, Ponytail had once evaluated it as nothing remarkable.

But Anagin had once put it to good use.

It was during his fight with the Harpy Witch.

Anagin had used the cloak as a shield to block all the feathers she fired at him and had even thrown it to cover her eyes.

Even when torn and riddled with holes, it would recover as long as Energy was supplied, allowing it to be used repeatedly. Moreover, if torn apart and then restored, the number of pieces could even be increased.

‘Of course, it drained several times more Energy.’

After the cloak, Anagin took out some strange bird feathers and a bird hide wrapped in cloth.

Coincidentally, both belonged to the Harpy Witch.

After defeating her, Anagin had plucked her feathers and skinned her hide.

He had thought they might be useful someday. That day seemed to be now.

“Use these two as materials to enhance the cloak. Divide the cloak into two, embed the feathers densely into them, and make them so they can be worn around both arms.”

Instead of draping the cloak over his shoulders, Anagin planned to wrap it around both arms.

It seemed far more practical that way.

And if the Harpy Witch’s feathers were added, all the better.

Just in case, he had asked Sphinx, and she had given a positive response.

The witch’s feathers retained traces of the Harpy Witch’s magic, so if handled well, they might even be transformed to become as hard as steel.

If that worked, it would be like gaining a shield.

Even if that failed, being able to pluck and throw the feathers instantly would still provide a decent attack method.

The cloak, the harpy’s hide, the feathers.

After examining the combination of the three items, Grumbal pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Not a bad combination. Doesn’t seem that difficult, either.”

Satisfied with the positive answer, Anagin immediately brought out the next item for enhancement.

It was the Infinite-Length Magic Rope and a piece of Orichalcum.

“Orichalcum?”

“I had plenty, so I kept one.”

“You little—.......”

Grumbal felt a flicker of irritation but said nothing.

Given the considerable number of Orichalcum ingots Anagin had handed over, along with the bronze statue and the Ruin materials, it was difficult to complain about him keeping one aside.

‘This bastard is surprisingly good at making deals.... Did someone teach him?’

Thinking that to himself, Grumbal asked what he wanted. He could roughly guess, but....

“Can you enhance this rope with Orichalcum?”

Grumbal’s prediction was correct.

If metal was being added to a rope, it meant he wanted its strength increased.

Naturally, the answer was predetermined.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Anagin pressed.

Compared to the first request, this seemed far simpler.

“Enhancing something with Orichalcum is extremely difficult.”

Anagin accepted that immediately.

It was entirely possible that the level of the material significantly increased the workload. In that case.......

“If we lower the metal’s grade, would it be possible? Iron, perhaps, or bronze.”

“Bronze would be better. In some ways, it’s easier to imbue bronze with magic or Energy.”

Anagin followed Grumbal’s opinion and changed it to bronze.

Considering his final request, it was best to concede as much as possible here.

Then Anagin took out the last item. It was.......

“This.”

What Anagin pulled from his Interspatial Bag were a boar hide split into two and the Interspatial Cloak.

The boar hide belonged to Paia the Boar.

It had been split in two because he had cleaved Paia from head to rump.

“Both are fairly high-level magical tools. Especially this cloak—it has a strong consciousness.... Where did you get it?”

When Grumbal showed curiosity, Anagin gave a brief explanation.

He had obtained it from Miscellaneous Doll Neiron in the Ruin.

Grumbal flinched slightly in surprise. He knew of Neiron to some extent. He was not someone to be underestimated.

“......Wait, then what about the dolls?”

“You’re interested in the dolls?”

The bronze statue was one thing, but the dolls too?

Anagin shot him a slightly cold look, as if put off.

Grumbal bristled.

“Watch your eyes! Dolls are worth researching and can be used as materials.”

“Ah.... There were some, but I buried them all.”

“What?”

“They were dolls made from people, so I buried them.”

Grumbal understood what that meant—and at the same time felt regret.

Among dolls, those made from people were the most valuable.......

At least from the perspective of magical tool materials.

If Neiron had turned them into dolls, they would not have been ordinary people. Naturally, their value as magical materials would have been high. And with Neiron’s techniques and Yeom added to them.......

Grumbal asked,

“Why would you do that?”

“? What nonsense are you talking about? If there’s a human corpse, you bury it first.”

“.......”

Grumbal stared at Anagin silently, as if he found him truly unexpected.

After a brief silence, Grumbal spoke.

“So, you want me to enhance the Interspatial Cloak with this boar hide? Seems inefficient.”

“That’s not it. I want you to use those two as materials to enhance this.”

Anagin lifted the Interspatial Bag at his waist and dropped it onto the floor with a thud.

Thud!

The Interspatial Bag hit the ground with a heavy sound, making the floor tremble slightly.

Grumbal was startled.

“What is that?”

“An Interspatial Bag. However, it retains its weight.”

“What?!”

Grumbal shouted in disbelief.

An Interspatial Bag was meant for easily transporting large amounts of cargo.

Though its performance varied depending on the mage who made it, the direction of its function was always the same.

It could hold a large quantity of items without increasing their weight.

But if the full weight of its contents was reflected? That was not a proper Interspatial Bag. It was closer to a half-finished item unworthy of the name.

When he pointed this out, Anagin merely smiled.

“Hah, interesting. You’re saying the same thing as the one who gave it to me.”

“You accepted it knowing that? Do you have some perverse hobby?”

“There are advantages to keeping the weight. It’s good for swinging around, for example. Anyway, can you enhance it?”

Anagin explained the specific form he wanted.

He wanted the Interspatial Cloak, which had a strong consciousness, to be overlaid onto the Interspatial Bag together with the boar hide, so that the Interspatial Bag would gain a consciousness and be able to transform into a boar.

It was a somewhat absurd idea—but not entirely.

Ironically, it was Neiron who had inspired this idea.

The worm-like Interspatial doll Neiron had used.

It had been grotesque, but undeniably useful.

If the Interspatial Bag itself could think and move on its own, how convenient would that be?

Like during this Ruin exploration, when there was no one to entrust it to, it had been quite troublesome. But if the Interspatial Bag could think and move independently, it would be safe even when left alone.

Above all, if this heavy Interspatial Bag could transform into a boar and be controlled, it would be quite helpful in combat.

No matter how he thought about it, doing it was far better than not doing it.

That was why he requested it.

In any case, it was unlikely he would find separate uses for the boar hide or the Interspatial Cloak otherwise.

The problem was the difficulty of production.

Anagin waited for Grumbal’s decision.

Honestly, he expected a refusal.......

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“?!”

Contrary to expectations, Grumbal accepted easily, and Anagin was startled.

Has he gone mad?

“However, I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to handle it properly. That’s on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Magical tools each have their own will, to varying degrees. When mixed together, no one can guarantee what form they’ll take. Not even the one making it.... The bag might try to run you over and kill you.”

“Ah, that won’t be a problem, so let’s move on.”

It was absolutely a problem, but Anagin was sincere.

If necessary, he would just beat it into submission.

“Bring out the remaining items. The ones to repair.”

Grumbal mentioned the Beast Cleaver and the Giant’s Bed.

Anagin took out the broken Beast Cleaver and a bronze club to be used as repair material.

It was the bronze club of Periphetes the Clubber.

‘Longbald and the bronze club alike. That guy Periphetes just keeps leaving me gifts.’

Recalling his memories with Periphetes, Anagin offered a small gratitude for his sacrifice.

If the dead Periphetes heard that, he would rise from his grave in outrage, but regardless, Anagin took out the next item.

The cracked Giant’s Bed and the Gate Shield full of holes.

“What’s this?”

Seeing the Gate Shield, Grumbal tilted his head. It looked vaguely familiar.......

It was not strange for him to feel that way.

Because it was practically a set with the bronze statue Anagin had given him. It was even finished with Orichalcum on the outside.

When Anagin explained this, Grumbal praised him.

“You swindler bastard!”

* * *

Grumbal shouted at the top of his lungs, calling him a swindler.

After all, Anagin had conveniently left out the Gate Shield that was practically a set with the bronze statue.

And on top of that, he had told him to use it as repair material for the Giant’s Bed.

But a deal was a deal, and Grumbal was a man who understood the value of one.

He had firmly agreed to repair the Beast Cleaver and the Giant’s Bed, so after hurling a string of curses, he ultimately agreed to fix them.

Of course, he did assign homework in return.

“Hmm.......”

After leaving the forge, Anagin stood in the corridor, staring intently at a sheet of paper.

Five phrases were written on it.

1. 「I skin beasts, slice their flesh, and sever their bones.」

2. 「I am the bed that enforces stillness; even a giant’s thrashing cannot break me.」

3. 「I am an endless knot; I shall continue to extend.」

4. 「I am but an ordinary cloak; however, so long as I have a master, I will continue to mend myself.」

5. 「I do not grow lighter, yet I swallow all and do not break.」

All of these phrases were inscriptions engraved upon the magical tools Anagin possessed.

The Beast Cleaver, the Giant’s Bed, the Infinite-Length Magic Rope, the self-repairing cloak, and the Interspatial Bag.

Except for the Beast Cleaver, he had not even known such inscriptions existed. He had only learned of them because Grumbal told him.

The reason Anagin was now studying them was that he had to compose new phrases or add to them.

Whether repaired or enhanced, the magical tools would remain the same in essence, but they would also become something different, and thus required new inscriptions befitting their transformed nature.

Anagin had been given the task of writing those phrases as homework. As soon as possible.

Anagin found that reasoning sound, so he accepted it without complaint. Even so, difficult was still difficult.

“Got any good ideas?”

Anagin asked Sphinx for help.

“Well? I could think up a few words, but it wouldn’t help. It can’t just be wordplay. It has to contain the user’s sincerity.”

“That’s a nice sentiment, but in the end, you’re not helping.”

“I think you should learn to hold back one comment. Or just keep your mouth shut.”

Sphinx gently placed a hand on Anagin’s shoulder and offered her sincere advice.

“More importantly, are you just going to keep standing here?”

“Why? Got something to do?”

“No, not really, but we should at least let the others know we’re back. And.... Don’t you feel like everyone’s watching us?”

Anagin glanced around.

In truth, he had known even before Sphinx mentioned it. He had simply ignored it.

“They’ve been staring ever since I camped out in front of the forge.”

“No, it feels a bit different from that. How should I put it—”

“Ah, there you are?”

Irida emerged from the crowd.

Irida of the Wind, the sole woman of the New Argonaut Expedition Team.

She approached Anagin and Sphinx as if pleased to see them.

No—perhaps not pleased. It felt more like she had business with them.

“I’ve... been waiting for you.”

“Oh? What’s going on? Doesn’t sound like good news.”

Anagin guessed from Irida’s expression and demeanor.

There was an unmistakable trace of discomfort and unease.

As if confirming his guess, Irida nodded.

“That’s right. It’s not good news. Someone’s been detained.”

“...Who?”

Sphinx asked, an odd sense of anxiety creeping over her.

That anxiety soon became reality.

The grandson of the old carriage driver who had given Anagin a ride when he first left the village.......

“Pais. The boy who came with you. He’s currently under arrest.”