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Anagin Chronicles
Chapter 205 · Nov 01, 2026
Chapter List (206)
Chapter 205. To Delphi (1)
“What kind of bullshit is this all of a sudden?”
Anagin bluntly voiced his honest opinion without filtering it.
He had already guessed Halysis had an ulterior motive the moment he started rambling after bringing up the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi, but this was beyond what he’d imagined.
Seeing Anagin’s expression, Halysis tried to smooth things over with a laugh.
“Haha, you told me to get to the point, so I simply did......”
“Even taking that into account, it’s still complete bullshit.”
“Then tell me which part sounds like bullshit, and I’ll do my best to explain.”
Without losing his smile, Halysis said he would answer whatever questions Anagin had as best he could.
Anagin decided to humor him for the moment. After all......
“Why is Corinthos participating in the campaign against Midas?”
He genuinely wanted to know why a kingdom would involve itself in the campaign against Midas.
He had heard that merchant companies and nobles from the Freedom’s Thread were supplying materials, but he still couldn’t understand why an entire kingdom would step in.
“Didn’t you say you heard that the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi turned into gold?”
“I did. I also heard the whole place went into chaos because of it. But I don’t understand what that has to do with Corinthos participating.”
“Huh...... Right now, the renowned royalty and nobles of Hellas are all marching with their private armies to hunt down Midas.”
“......?”
When Anagin frowned and silently demanded further explanation, Halysis caught the hint and continued.
“I don’t think you fully understand yet, but killing the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi wasn’t merely murder. It was a challenge to the order of Hellas, and an act of rebellion against the gods!”
An act of rebellion......
The title ’Rebels’ really suits them.
He didn’t know who Midas was, but all of a sudden, Anagin had a feeling the man was probably quite competent.
“It’s not something only practitioners have to concern themselves with. The royalty and nobility can’t ignore it either.”
“Is it some kind of obligation?”
“That too, but they’re also after the blessings.”
Halysis gave a brief explanation.
The unprecedented attack on the Temple of Delphi.
As a result, countless famous practitioners and promising young practitioners were gathering to hunt Midas.
Up to that point, Anagin understood.
If they distinguished themselves by taking down the one who had harmed the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi, there was a good chance they would receive a great blessing.
“And it’s no different for royalty and nobles.”
“They’re after blessings too?”
“They want blessings as well, but more than that, they need fame.”
“What kind of fame?”
“The kind that raises their stature as rulers! Ironically enough, fame is the hardest thing for the royalty and nobles of Hellas to earn.”
According to Halysis, unless they ruled border territories that shared frontiers with foreign lands, royalty and nobles who lived in the heart of Hellas had very few opportunities to build fame.
After all, fame required turmoil, and because the gods’ order prevailed throughout Hellas, such turmoil was rare.
Of course, Hellas wasn’t some perfect utopia, so incidents still occurred from time to time, but compared to elsewhere, they were relatively few.
Anagin more or less understood what he meant, but he still had doubts.
After all, he knew princes and princesses who had become practitioners precisely to earn fame.
“Those people are the unusual ones! Seriously, if your life is guaranteed just by staying put, who would willingly become a practitioner and risk their life?”
Wanting fame while refusing to do the difficult and dangerous work required to earn it......
Contradictory, yet undeniably human. Anagin found himself nodding before he realized it.
Suddenly, he found the members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team rather impressive. Whatever the outcome, they had at least tried to prove themselves through their own strength.
“So, does that mean hunting Midas is easier than it sounds?”
“Hoooo...... Not at all.”
Halysis shook his head, his expression turning serious.
That single reaction alone conveyed just how dangerous hunting Midas truly was.
“It’s been quite some time since Midas disappeared, so people have begun underestimating the danger he poses, but he’s an extremely dangerous man.”
“You seem to know quite a bit about him.”
“Not really, but I know enough. After all, isn’t the fact that he still lives despite opposing the gods proof enough of how dangerous he is?”
The logic made perfect sense, and Anagin accepted it.
Come to think of it, simply assuming Midas was on the same level as Erysichthon was enough to imagine how dangerous he must be.
“But you said royalty and nobles are joining the campaign?”
“I already told you. A great many famous practitioners are participating. They think that makes it safe enough. They’re just trying to hitch a ride.”
“Hmm......”
“And it’s not only royalty and nobles. Famous merchant companies are also supplying resources, so their names will be associated with the campaign against Midas. If the campaign succeeds, they’ll gain tremendous prestige, and there’s even the possibility that blessings will descend upon their companies, kingdoms, or noble houses.”
“And you think it’s going to fail?”
Anagin asked, having read Halysis’s true thoughts.
If there was really that much to gain, he wouldn’t be trying to send Anagin after meeting him only yesterday.
True to a nation of merchants, they’d be looking for any opportunity to get involved themselves.
“Haha, we simply prefer certain profit over uncertain gains.”
“Liar. If you’re really merchants, you’d participate even if it meant taking risks.”
“You know merchants well?”
“No. I just heard a few things. But I do know you’re lying.”
“Your speech suddenly became rather informal.”
“I don’t bother being polite to people who keep scheming. It pisses me off.”
The moment Anagin cast aside the mask of courtesy and made his attitude perfectly clear, the ever-smiling Halysis also dropped his grin.
Then......
“To be honest, I believe the campaign will fail. I believe those rebels who have survived despite opposing the gods possess strength beyond our imagination. No fool would attack the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi without a plan! Even so, I still wanted to send you because I didn’t want to earn the gods’ displeasure by sitting idly by.”
He openly admitted that while everyone else was helping with the campaign against Midas, he intended to use Anagin so Corinthos wouldn’t be branded for doing nothing.
Naturally, that did nothing to lessen Anagin’s irritation.
“So I looked that much like an idiot to you? You thought if you treated me well and sweet-talked me a little, I’d join as Corinthos’s representative?”
“I believed it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. You’re a practitioner, so surely you’d want to participate.”
“Not really.”
“You’re serious? Someone of your caliber should at least be tempted. Even if you don’t defeat Midas yourself, you might still receive a blessing if things go well.”
“I don’t care about blessings. More precisely, I don’t care about blessings you have to beg the gods for.”
“......?”
Halysis narrowed his eyes, clearly unable to understand what Anagin meant.
Anagin had no intention of explaining. There was no reason to.
Since Anagin refused to elaborate, Halysis simply let the matter drop.
“Hmm, what a pity. Had you accepted, we would’ve paid a considerable price......”
“Can a mere mercenary really decide something like that?”
“How many years do you think my men and I have been employed by Corinthos? We may be called mercenaries, but we’re practically part of their regular army. Besides, we’ve already received approval from the homeland.”
Oh.
So he hadn’t simply gotten carried away on his own after all.
“You’re truly not interested? If you participate as Corinthos’s representative, your reputation will rise as well.”
“I don’t care about fame...... Though I have been considering making a trip to the Temple of Delphi.”
“Have you now?”
“It’s not that I’m dying to go. I’m just... a little interested.”
It wasn’t as though Anagin had no interest in what had happened at the Temple of Delphi.
People in the Freedom’s Thread had been making such a huge fuss about it that it had made him curious enough to visit. And that was still true now.
The problem, however, was the distance and the time it would take.
“If that’s your concern, then don’t worry. If necessary, we’ll lend you an airship for a while.”
“I already have an airship.”
“Seriously?!”
Halysis’s pride took a direct hit as genuine shock spread across his face.
Then again, that reaction wasn’t strange.
Very few nations even possessed airships, much less individual practitioners.
Even the New Argonaut Expedition Team still had to ride aboard their mentor Chiron’s airship.
Had Anagin not defeated the fisherman mage and seized his airship, there was no telling how long it would have taken him to acquire one.
“There is one problem, though. Not a single one of us knows how to fly it.”
Anagin shot a sidelong glance at Sphinx and Horse Head, who was hiding beneath her hood, as though he himself wasn’t the problem at all.
Faced with such an outrageous accusation, Sphinx and Horse Head were so dumbfounded they couldn’t even respond.
Airships were rare, and naturally, so were people who knew how to pilot them.
Expecting them to know was what truly lacked common sense.
Even the mercenary captain defended Sphinx.
“I understand what you’re saying, but that’s an unreasonable thing to expect. Knowing how to pilot an airship is rarer than the airship itself. Unless someone teaches you personally......”
“Your tone just changed.”
“That’s because I just thought of a rather attractive deal...... What if we taught one of your companions how to pilot an airship? That’s a skill just as valuable as owning one.”
That proposal genuinely piqued Anagin’s interest.
It was ridiculous to own an airship and be unable to use it.
Besides, traveling to the Temple of Delphi was something he’d already been considering.
Even so, he had no desire to participate in the campaign against Midas as Corinthos’s representative.
He simply wasn’t interested.
“Fine. Let’s hear it first. Who’s going to teach them?”
“Someone you already know.”
Halysis smiled broadly once again.
* * *
Surprisingly, the one who knew how to pilot an airship was Spanich.
The very same Spanich who had left his hometown because of Anagin and was now serving Corinthos.
Apparently, so much had happened after fighting Anagin that he had even learned how to pilot an airship while serving in Corinthos.
“Well, piloting one isn’t all that difficult. If you put your mind to it, you might learn faster than you think.”
“You heard him, Pinku-Pinku.”
“Brother, are you a lunatic?”
Jokes aside.
Now that they had offered something Anagin actually wanted, he decided to seriously consider the proposal, and the two sides began negotiating over breakfast.
Or rather, they negotiated around Anagin’s terms.
“If I absolutely have to represent Corinthos, then I’ll pass.”
“Then what do you propose?”
“I’ll go to the Temple of Delphi first. If I feel like joining the campaign against Midas after I get there, then I’ll participate as Corinthos’s representative. That is, if I feel like it.”
In short, everything would happen entirely on Anagin’s terms.
Whether he joined the campaign against Midas or even represented Corinthos.
Even in Corinthos, the nation of shameless merchants, it was rare to see someone this brazen. Halysis briefly wondered if Anagin was joking, but he was completely serious.
Learning how to pilot an airship—well, for Sphinx and Horse Head—was certainly tempting, but that didn’t mean he intended to accept a deal that would put a leash around his neck.
The moment Halysis realized Anagin wasn’t joking, he thought for a while before changing the terms.
He removed the monetary reward he had originally intended to offer and agreed to do nothing more than teach them how to pilot an airship.
“If things go well, they’ll have learned by the time you reach the Temple of Delphi.”
“You heard him, Pinku-Pinku.”
“Bother, I’m telling you, you’ve lost your mind.”
“And if you do decide to join the campaign against Midas after arriving at the Temple of Delphi, I’d appreciate it if you could represent Corinthos whenever possible.”
“And if I decide I don’t want to?”
“Then at least say that we were the ones who sent you.”
“That much...... I can do.”
Halysis accepted that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Anagin and simply adjusted the terms from his side.
That didn’t make Anagin particularly grateful for the consideration.
He already knew Halysis had intended to use him from the beginning, so he was simply using Halysis in return.
“Now then, explain what happened at the Temple of Delphi.”
“Didn’t I tell you earlier?”
“You just rambled about rumors without saying anything substantial. Tell me something proper. First of all, who exactly is this Midas? Is he someone like Erysichthon?”
Having met Erysichthon before, Anagin used him as the point of comparison.
Since they were both Rebels, it was only natural.
“No. Erysichthon is an enormous giant, whereas Midas has a fairly ordinary build. If I had to name a distinguishing feature...... it’d be his blond hair. And his beard. Just like yours.”
Blond hair and a blond beard......
Anagin didn’t pay much attention to that.
After all, Sphinx had blond hair too.
But what came next was impossible to ignore.
After all......
“Oh, one more thing. According to the survivors who encountered Midas, he was wearing a rather strange pair of gloves.”
“Gloves......?”
“Yes. Gloves. Flesh-colored leather gloves.”
The face of his Master immediately came to mind.
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