Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 159.  Rescue (2)

Anagin ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍opened his eyes.

It ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍felt like he had fallen into a deep sleep and then woken up.

The ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍refreshing sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time, along with hunger, was proof of that.

Perhaps ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍because of it, even though he woke up in an unfamiliar place, Anagin did not panic and calmly examined his surroundings.

“………”

The ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍first thing that caught his eye was an unfamiliar ceiling.

It was a roof made of wooden frames and waterproof tarps.

Seeing that the walls were also made of tarps, he could tell he was inside a tent.

Next, he noticed the bedding he was lying on and the blanket covering him.

It smelled faintly of mold, but it was quite warm, and he could tell that someone had taken care with it.

Then he noticed the dried bread and fruit, a small amount of nuts, and a water flask set beside him.

Without hesitation, Anagin put the dried bread, fruit, and nuts into his mouth, chewed, and washed them down with water.

They must have been left there for him to eat.

Around the time his hunger was soothed—

“Mmm… you’re awake?”

“You too.”

Anagin greeted Sphinx, who had been sleeping while sitting against one side of the tent.

Perhaps because she had slept sitting up, Sphinx looked quite exhausted.

“Sorry, but I was hungry, so I ate everything that was here.”

For someone who had been pierced through the chest by a spear and come back from the brink of death, Anagin sounded far too nonchalant.

Sphinx pointed that out.

“That easygoing appearance is just like you, Brother, but aren’t you being a bit too nonchalant?”

“I’ve been through this kind of thing too many times.”

Anagin replied, having nearly died and come back every time he sparred with his master.

“And besides, if this were a dangerous place, you wouldn’t be sitting around like this.”

“How do you always have to get a word in edgewise, even at a time like this?”

“That’s just who I am. But at the same time, I’m a man who knows how to acknowledge what needs acknowledging. Thanks for saving me.”

“Haa… judging by how lively your mouth is, it looks like your body’s all better… how much do you remember?”

“Up to the moment when Tramachus’s spear hit my chest and exploded, just as I was about to finish off that bastard Orpheus.”

Anagin finished while tapping his right chest.

In other words, he remembered practically everything.

“After that, I think I passed out. What happened after that?”

Anagin asked in return.

Sphinx answered without hesitation.

How she had watched Anagin and Orpheus fight while hiding, and the moment the New Argonaut Expedition Trio intervened, she cooperated with Pairon to rescue Anagin.

“With Pairon?”

“Why?”

“I didn’t think he’d go that far to save me.”

It sounded like a joke, but half of it was sincere.

After all, right after being created, Pairon had overturned Chiron Tower and tried to escape in search of freedom, so Anagin had assumed that if he ever got the chance, he would run.

He had calmed down when Anagin appeared, but it felt more like submission to force than relief or affection, so Anagin hadn’t expected him to rescue him like this.

“He does give off that kind of vibe, but he’s still loyal to his owner. If Pairon hadn’t cooperated, we wouldn’t have been able to get you out safely. We might’ve had to abandon some of your weapons there, too.”

“Ah.”

Anagin recalled the weapons he had been using, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

The Beast Devourer and the Giant’s Cutting Board.

Fortunately, it seemed that Pairon had taken care of collecting them before fleeing.

“Hah, my foresight in reinforcing him into an Interspatial Boar beforehand… I seriously deserve praise.”

“Ah, that mouth of yours……”

Unable to view Anagin’s mouth favorably, no matter how hard she tried, Sphinx sighed, but at the same time felt relieved.

She had seen not a few practitioners with great potential collapse after minor trials, so she had worried that Anagin might be the same, but it seemed her concern had been unfounded.

Come to think of it, it really wouldn’t have been like Anagin to be discouraged just because of something like this.

Perhaps because of that, she grew worried about something else. For example……

“Are you going to get revenge?”

“Revenge?”

“On Orpheus… and the New Argonaut Expedition Team.”

Sphinx asked carefully.

Considering Anagin’s personality, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had declared he’d seek bloody vengeance right away.

“I don’t have any plans for now.”

“R-really?”

The unexpected answer made Sphinx tilt her head.

She even suspected that Anagin might be lying.

But thinking about it calmly, there was no reason for Anagin to lie. If he wanted to do something, he was the kind of man who would just do it.

Seeing her reaction, Anagin explained.

“Maybe it’s because I slept so well, but my mood isn’t all that bad right now… that aside, I do plan to mess up Orpheus someday.”

“Well, he could attack again—”

“—That’s not why.”

“……?”

Sphinx looked at him as if asking what he meant, but Anagin was serious.

It was true that he disliked Orpheus attacking him to accumulate merit, but it wasn’t enough reason to go hunt him down and beat him up.

He didn’t like it, but it was something he could just let slide because it was annoying.

When they fought, Anagin had already planned to beat Orpheus down and strip him of everything anyway.

The real reason Anagin wanted to beat Orpheus later was because of the filthy illusion he had shown him.

“Illusion? Ah……”

Recalling the moment when Anagin had frozen briefly, Sphinx exclaimed.

“What kind of illusion did you see?”

“An illusion of having breakfast with my dead family.”

“………”

“It was scarily realistic.”

“……How did you realize it was fake?”

Whether magic or a blessing, the first requirement to escape an illusion by one’s own power was realizing that one was in an illusion.

You had to recognize the problem before you could take the next step.

The problem was that the higher the level of the illusion, the harder it was. Sweet illusions were the worst of all—there were even cases where people knew it was an illusion but refused to break out of it.

“My father was flattering me.”

“Flattering?”

“A guy who would nag me no matter what, even on his deathbed, suddenly started agreeing with everything I said, saying I was right. That’s how I knew it was an illusion.”

“That’s flattering? Maybe he just changed his mind.”

“Even I can tell my way of life is a mess. My father would never agree with it, even if he came back from the dead.”

“That sounds complicated.”

“I think so too.”

Perhaps because of that brief glimpse into his family affairs, silence fell for a moment.

To break the awkward silence, Sphinx cleared her throat.

“Ahem, ahem… if you don’t mind, can I ask how you got out of the illusion?”

“I grabbed the fake father by the neck and snapped it.”

“……That is the most reliable method.”

“Maybe that’s why it still pissed me off all the same. I’ll definitely make that bastard Orpheus cry.”

“Fair enough. Then, what about the New Argonaut Expedition Trio?”

It might have been poking a sore spot, but Sphinx asked. Personally, she hated the New Argonaut Expedition Team even more than Orpheus, who had initiated the fight.

To suddenly appear and throw a spear without checking the situation. And they had called him a friend with their own mouths.

Because of that, Sphinx had felt a sense of betrayal from them for the first time in a long while—a feeling she truly despised.

When she said so honestly, Anagin merely shrugged.

“Well, the guy who got hit is the idiot.”

“Are you serious?”

“Aren’t practitioners just like that?”

Anagin still didn’t even know exactly what a practitioner truly was, yet he spoke shamelessly. And amusingly enough, his words weren’t entirely wrong.

A practitioner was someone who accumulated merit and walked their own path.

Because of that, at times they could clash with friends and even strike down those closest to them.

All of it was their own choice and their merit.

“If we meet again, I might beat them up depending on my mood. But I’m not going to chase them down right now. Got a problem with that?”

“……No. It’s your business, Brother. You’ll handle it your way.”

“Glad we’re on the same page. Now then, answer my question. Where are we?”

After roughly answering what Sphinx was curious about, Anagin asked what he wanted to know.

He was curious where exactly this unfamiliar place he had awakened in was.

Sphinx, as if expecting the question, was about to answer when—

Tap. Tap.

“May I come in?”

Along with the sound of a stick tapping the ground, a voice came from outside the tent.

A very familiar voice at that.

“Uma?”

It was Uma of the Pebble Traveling Troupe.

* * *

The Pebble Traveling Troupe.

As the name suggests, they were people who wandered from place to place, making a living by putting on performances.

However, their true identity was that of mages belonging to the mage organization Magno.

Well, even so, they were only capable of imitating animals, so they weren’t much of a fighting force. But anyway, that wasn’t the important part.

What mattered was what Sphinx had said: while fleeing down the river, they had run into the Pebble Traveling Troupe and taken refuge with them.

“I needed a place for you to rest, given the state of your body.”

“No way? There’s no way I’m such a weakling. You’re lying! Stop lying!!”

“…I really want to hit you.”

“Lady Sphinx is correct, Sir Anagin.”

Having come back from the brink of death yet spouting nonsense, Anagin was pushing Sphinx’s patience to its limit, and Uma took Sphinx’s side.

Even then, Anagin kept saying pointless things.

“‘Lady Sphinx’?”

“We got a little closer while you were sleeping, Sir Anagin.”

When Anagin looked at her as if asking whether that was true, Sphinx nodded.

“We received a lot of help.”

The “lot of help” Sphinx referred to was obtaining a place where they could rest without worry.

However, an even greater help than that was removing the embers lodged in Anagin’s wound.

“Embers? Ah, Tramachus?”

When Anagin asked, recalling the memory of the spear embedded in his chest exploding, Sphinx nodded.

“Maybe it was a newly received blessing, but the embers kept lingering and interfering with the wound’s recovery. They looked like they were about to go out but wouldn’t, and with Uma’s help, we barely managed to deal with it.”

“Oh, you had skills like that, too?”

Anagin asked in a tone closer to interrogation than admiration.

After all, extinguishing flames created by a blessing didn’t seem like something that could be done with a simple trick.

There were even rumors that blessings received at the Temple of Delphi were especially potent.

However, Uma merely bowed her head and responded modestly.

“It was nothing special. I happened to obtain some very effective medicinal ingredients.”

As she said that, Uma took out a small jar from her robes.

“You carry something like that around?”

“Haha, take a look.”

Casually brushing off Anagin’s remark, Uma opened the jar.

Inside was a dust-like powder. Pitch-black powder.

“It’s something that can neutralize the effects of magic or blessings.”

“Sounds like a valuable item.”

Anagin immediately grasped its worth.

If it could remove embers that even Sphinx couldn’t deal with, it was obviously no ordinary item.

“I was fortunate.”

Uma replied briefly, as if she had no intention of persuading him further.

Well, even if they were just doing menial work, they were still affiliated with Magno, a mage organization. There might well have been opportunities to acquire rare items.

Anagin didn’t feel the need to pry further.

No matter how shameless Anagin was, he wasn’t shameless enough to nitpick after receiving help—at least when it came to genuine goodwill.

“If my calculations are correct, the embers remaining in your body have been completely removed. If you rest well for a few days, your vitality should fully recover.”

“It already has. I’m full of energy.”

Anagin raised both arms, showing off his health.

There was some exaggeration, but it wasn’t a lie.

“If that’s true, then your recovery ability is remarkable.”

“I grew up in an environment where you die if your recovery’s bad. So I’ll be heading out now.”

“Pardon?”

When Anagin suddenly said he was leaving, Uma asked back in surprise.

Why was she so surprised?

Anagin reassured her.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not planning to just take your help and leave. If it’s money, I’ll pay whatever you want.”

Anagin said confidently, having amassed wealth by turning the tables on countless bandits, raiders, and thieves.

If they wanted, he could even hand over all the money he had.

Since bandits and thieves were everywhere in the world, he was confident he could earn as much money as he wanted.

However, Uma seemed uninterested in money.

“Hmm, even so, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed a few more days and kept an eye on your condition? If something were to go wrong, it would be serious, wouldn’t it?”

“Come on, how could that happen? If I stay here, you could get dragged into unnecessary trouble. Do you not know who I fought?”

“I heard. From Lady Sphinx. I don’t know the details, but you were attacked by Lord Orpheus?”

“Strictly speaking, I was about to win. If those damn bastards hadn’t interfered. The New Argonaut Expedition Team, they’re called…… but are you sure it’s okay?”

Anagin told her that he was being pursued by renowned practitioners.

In other words, if things went wrong, the traveling troupe could be lumped in and suffer collateral damage.

Normally, she should have asked him to leave—but Uma was not normal.

“You needn’t worry about that. As long as we don’t move and stay deep in the forest, there’s almost no chance of being discovered.”

“There’s a mage in the troupe who can blend the traveling troupe into the forest. They’re quite skilled.”

Sphinx praised the ability of the troupe’s mage.

They certainly didn’t seem ordinary.

“There’s someone with that kind of skill?”

“Yes. The downside is that they can only use that kind of magic.”

“Magic is usually like that. It’s influenced by a mage’s disposition. Sometimes they can use only one kind of magic at an exceptional level. The trade-off is that they’re useless at everything else.”

Perhaps having collected herself, Sphinx had started lecturing again like a teacher. But that wasn’t the important point.

“Even so, I can’t keep staying. I can’t let you guys be put in danger because of me.”

“Thank you for worrying about us, but we’re truly fine. Our first meeting may have been a bit rough, but you sent us delicious food and paid us generously for the performance, so now everyone likes you, Lord Anagin.”

“So you’re saying it’s pure goodwill. That I can just rest up and leave? Just like that??”

Growing tired of all the roundabout conversation, Anagin cut straight to the point.

Just as he suspected.

“Actually, there is one thing we’d like to ask of you.”

Uma brought up the real matter.

Anagin let out a “Ha.” and pointed at the empty plate.

“Let’s talk while we eat.”