Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 203. Greeting (3)

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Nereid Fishing Village was fairly large, even setting aside the fact that it had been built in Anapik. It was called a fishing village, but in reality, it was practically the size of a city.

There ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was nothing particularly strange about that.

The ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Nereid Fishing Village had once received the blessing of a mermaid, and now it had become a den for those who had betrayed that very mermaid and thrown in their lot with the Barbaroi Cult.

In ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍exchange for their conscience and humanity, they had obtained prosperity.

In ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍a way, you could even call them clever. That is, if comfort was the only thing you valued in life.

They ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍had sold what should never have been sold, and in return, they had gotten what they wanted.

But nothing in this world came for free.

“Don’t let a single one escape! Every last one of those who worship the barbarian god is a sinner!!”

“Aaagh...!”

Perhaps that was why. Even as he watched the Nereid Fishing Village fall under the assault of an armed force, Anagin wasn’t surprised. If anything, he simply thought that what was bound to happen had finally happened.

Because cleverness—or rather, shallow tricks—always came with a price in the end.

Tap.

Amid the chaos, the boat Anagin had been rowing reached the village, and he reflexively stepped onto land.

“Brother, do we really need to get off here?”

Sphinx, who had gotten off after him, voiced her doubt. Did they really have to disembark at the Nereid Fishing Village? One look was enough to tell they would get caught up in the commotion.

“Ah, right. I got distracted and made a mistake.”

Anagin admitted that he’d gotten off without thinking because he’d been watching the village under attack. More accurately, though, he’d been watching the armed force attacking the village.

They didn’t look like ordinary bandits or raiders.

Their armor and weapons were far too standardized for that.

They weren’t even on the level of an ordinary town guard. They were above that—closer to the royal guards of the Kingdom of Arcadia.

It wasn’t easy to equip an entire force with armor and weapons that well-made.

Anagin briefly wondered who they were, and before he knew it, he had stepped off the boat and wandered into the village.

“Seriously?”

Hearing that he’d walked straight into the middle of a battlefield because he’d been lost in thought, Sphinx gave him a dumbfounded look.

But what was she expecting him to say? It was the truth.

“Should we just get back on the boat?”

As Anagin asked the grumbling Sphinx, someone spotted him.

“F-Found him! Lord Anagin! Lord Anagin!!”

Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, someone desperately called out to Anagin.

Despite the desperate cry, Anagin merely turned his head with an indifferent expression.

Though there was a hint of confusion as well. He had absolutely no idea why they were calling for him.

Not that he had the slightest intention of helping.

Regardless, the person calling out to him hurried over.

It was the village chief of the Nereid Fishing Village.

“There he is! It’s the village chief! Everyone, over here!”

Perhaps he had been hiding, because the moment the village chief revealed himself, the armed force shouted in unison.

At the sound of their voices, the village chief ran even more desperately, dropped to his knees right in front of Anagin, and immediately started spouting nonsense.

“Please help us! Please testify that we stood against the Barbaroi Cult and fought back!”

“......?”

Hearing such nonsense, Anagin frowned.

Fought back?

Who did?

Sure, they had helped a little after some persuasion because they needed extra hands, but could that really be described that way?

Anagin certainly didn’t think so. Unless you were out of your mind.......

Then again, after thinking about it, maybe this guy really could see it that way. If this was the mindset of people who would even sell out the goddess who had blessed them, then no way of thinking would seem strange anymore.

“Hey, you. Who are you?”

While Anagin was listening to the village chief’s nonsense, one of the armed men pointed at him and asked. Perhaps because he had just seen bloodshed, there was a noticeable edge of excitement in his voice.

“Anagin.”

Anagin casually raised a hand and gave his name.

He then tried to introduce his companions as well.

“This one’s Pinku-Pinku. And this one is... Where’d he go?”

Anagin looked around in search of the missing Horse-head.

For a moment, he wondered if the guy had run away. Considering how utterly devoted he was to the princess, Anagin hadn’t thought he’d be the type to flee.

“I’m over here.”

At that moment, the now tiny Horse-head poked his face out from inside Sphinx’s hood, making his presence known.

“Why are you hiding?”

“It’s embarrassing if people find out I’m your familiar.”

“That’s kind of hurtful.”

Anagin honestly expressed how he felt after Horse-head’s blunt remark.

Still, he didn’t bother pulling him out to introduce him. There was no reason to.

Apparently, however, it looked rather strange to everyone watching.

“Is that guy missing a few screws?”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“No, wait. Didn’t he say his name was Anagin?”

One of the armed men, who had been making snide remarks, suddenly spoke up as though he’d heard the name somewhere before.

“That’s right! He said Anagin!”

Once they confirmed they had heard correctly, they asked,

“Are you... Anagin the Practitioner Protector? The new hero who defeated a bishop of the Barbaroi Cult alongside the heroes of the Kingdom of Arcadia?”

“To be precise, he wasn’t actually a real bishop, and I’m even less of a new hero. But yes, I’m probably the Anagin you’re talking about.”

Judging that things weren’t about to turn hostile, Anagin answered with appropriate courtesy.

Seeing that, Sphinx let out a sigh of relief.

She had been worried Anagin might suddenly grab someone by the wrist, snap it, and throw them.

It wasn’t an unreasonable concern.

If the armed force had tried to seize Anagin, that was exactly what would have happened.

Even so, she couldn’t relax completely.

Although the armed men were clearly surprised by Anagin’s name, they still looked suspicious.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to impersonate famous practitioners.

Still not entirely convinced, the armed men exchanged glances before introducing themselves.

“Greetings. I am Rosris, vice captain of the Chain Mercenary Company, currently under the employ of Corinthos.”

“Corinthos?”

Anagin muttered the name as though he had never heard it before.

Because he genuinely hadn’t.

“A merchant nation in southern Hellas. Very wealthy and very powerful.”

“Ah....... So?”

After hearing Sphinx’s explanation, Anagin responded with obvious indifference as he looked back at the mercenaries.

After all, if they were introducing themselves, they clearly had something they wanted.

His guess was correct.

“Would you care to join us for a meal? There are a few things we’d like to ask you. For example, whether this pit of sin truly repented and fought against the Barbaroi Cult, as that man claims.......”

The village chief looked up at Anagin desperately, as though he had finally found a way to survive.

It seemed he believed that, depending on what Anagin said, both he and the village could be saved.

But he was mistaken.

To begin with, Anagin had absolutely no intention of helping them.

More importantly, they were lying.

No matter what Anagin said, the village’s fate was unlikely to change much.

He could practically hear the gears turning in their heads.

They had invited him only to confirm whether he really was the genuine Anagin.

They were still suspicious.

Anagin had no intention of playing along.

He didn’t even want to listen to the sound of them scheming.

“No, thank you.”

The suspicion in the mercenaries’ eyes deepened.

“May I ask why you’re refusing?”

“Do I need a reason? If I don’t feel like going, then I don’t go.”

“How strange. There aren’t many practitioners who refuse an invitation from Corinthos.”

“So what?”

As the mercenary’s probing tone became more obvious, Anagin’s replies grew shorter as well.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant situation.

Still, part of Anagin welcomed it.

How quick and straightforward.

Perhaps sensing where things were headed, murmurs rose from behind Anagin.

“Don’t tell me he’s planning to fight?”

“He probably is.”

Horse-head sounded shocked, while Sphinx merely sounded accustomed to it.

For the record, Horse-head’s reaction was perfectly natural.

Even if they were mercenaries, these men had been hired by Corinthos. At this point, they were effectively no different from a regular army.

Even practitioners generally avoided provoking such people without good reason.

Doing so meant disrupting the order of Hellas.

The order established by the gods.

Yet that was exactly what Anagin was about to do.

Without any particularly compelling reason.

“We merely invited you to a meal, yet you’re becoming increasingly suspicious.”

“Whether you find me suspicious or not, why should I care?”

Just as both sides were about to cast aside all pretense and show their true colors—

“......Lord Anagin?”

A voice he hadn’t heard in a very long time called out from somewhere.

When he turned his head, he saw a face he truly hadn’t seen in ages.

“...Spanich?”

* * *

Spanich.

To be precise, Spanich Dolos.

Anagin had met him not long after becoming a practitioner.

That was after he had destroyed the Bender Caravan, failed to kill the Monster Merchant, and while he was traveling with Sphinx on his way to beat up the annoying Harpy Witch.

’Come to think of it, it feels like all I’ve done since becoming a practitioner is fight.’

In any case, Spanich had introduced himself as a member of the Dolos practitioner family.

Unlike practitioners who wandered alone to accumulate merit, practitioner families were assigned missions as a household and settled down in a single place.

Their primary duty, he had explained, was to settle in unexplored regions beyond the reach of nations and temples, protecting the people there in the name of the gods.

The Dolos family, to which Spanich belonged, was a textbook example of such a practitioner family.

And thanks to Anagin, they had failed in that duty.

Because Anagin had beaten every single member of the family into the ground.

“The world’s a lot smaller than it seems.”

Inside the tent of the Chain Mercenary Company.

Spanich spoke as he personally poured wine for them. Surprisingly, he filled not only Anagin’s cup, but Sphinx’s as well.

“Th-Thank you.”

Sphinx accepted the cup Spanich offered and thanked him awkwardly.

It had been a long time, but Spanich and his family had once tried to capture Sphinx, so her reaction was only natural.

Of course, that had ended with Anagin destroying their family.

’Hmm... Looking at it again, this situation is really awkward.’

If anyone was to blame, the Dolos family had been the ones who started it.

Still, even Anagin felt a little guilty about beating up the family who had treated him as an honored guest.

Besides, he had personally liked Spanich.

Yet now that they had met again and Spanich was treating him with such kindness, it only made things even more awkward.

Honestly, it would have been less awkward if Spanich had charged at him screaming for revenge.

“Why are you here?”

Anagin asked bluntly.

There were many things he wanted to ask, but what puzzled him the most was why someone from a practitioner family in western Anapik was in southern Hellas, and in a mercenary company no less.

Spanich’s answer was simple.

“To atone.”

“Atone?”

“Yes. Because my rash and immature actions brought great harm upon my family.”

Anagin didn’t ask what those ”rash and immature actions” referred to.

Nine times out of ten, it meant inviting Anagin into his home.

“After my family was all but ruined, I went to a temple to seek a way to atone for my sins.”

“The Temple of Delphi?”

“No, another temple. Reaching the Temple of Delphi isn’t exactly easy, and... I didn’t think I could endure the wait before getting there.”

Anagin more or less understood what he meant.

Whether it was guilt or a sense of responsibility, he simply hadn’t had the peace of mind to travel all the way to the Temple of Delphi.

“I visited the temple and asked how I could repay the wrongs I had committed. The oracle instructed me to go and serve Corinthos. And...... here I am.”

To put it simply, he had once been the young master of a fairly well-off family, but after his household fell on hard times, he ended up working for someone else.

And the people responsible for that were sitting right in front of him.

Anagin and Sphinx.

’And yet... I don’t sense any resentment from him.’

Anagin quietly observed Spanich.

At first, he had thought Spanich was simply hiding his desire for revenge.

But that didn’t seem to be the case.

If he was hiding it this well, then being fooled would practically be the only polite response.

“Why Corinthos?”

“Who knows? The oracle only told me to go there. It never explained why. Though now that I’ve met all of you here... perhaps it was fate.”

What kind of fate?

To get revenge?

As Anagin entertained the thought half-jokingly, Spanich turned to Sphinx and met her eyes.

“I would like to apologize to you.”

“To me?”

Sphinx’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting those words.

“Yes. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I wasn’t pursuing you to fulfill my duty as a practitioner. I was driven by nothing more than my own selfish desires. I understand that now, and though it may be too late, I wanted to apologize.”

Sphinx’s eyes grew even wider, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer.

There were plenty of practitioners who hunted monsters.

But none who apologized to one.

She simply had no idea how to respond.

Anagin, however, wasn’t particularly surprised.

Even back when the Dolos family had been hunting Sphinx, Spanich alone had shown hesitation.

He had probably sensed, even subconsciously, that Sphinx was innocent.

’Still, admitting your mistake and apologizing makes all the difference.’

It seemed Spanich had been through quite a lot himself.

Just as Anagin’s curiosity got the better of him and he was about to ask what had happened, a man walked into the tent.

“Ah, so this is where you were. A pleasure to meet you! I am Halysis, captain of the Chain Mercenary Company! It is an honor to meet the Practitioner Protector.”

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