Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 112

Thud.Anagin stepped out of the room where everyone had gathered.

After closing the door, he fell into thought for a moment.

‘Did I go a little too far?’

Ah, of course, not for long—only for a brief instant did he look back on his own behavior.

After that fleeting moment passed, Anagin concluded he didn’t regret it.

To begin with, if he hadn’t spoken that harshly, they wouldn’t have understood a damn thing.

He’d said it before, and it still made his mouth hurt to repeat it, but Anagin found this whole Groom Tournament utterly fucking ridiculous.

Wasn’t it a damn event that no one wanted except the living corpse sitting on the throne?

Even Anagin, who had absolutely nothing to do with it, frowned at the sight of it—so there was no need to mention how the person involved and those close to her must feel.

That was how disgusting this event was.

And yet not a single person spoke out. All because they were watching the living corpse’s mood.

In some sense, Anagin found their behavior even more fucking disgusting than the Groom Tournament itself.

Watching them stare blankly ahead, mouths tightly shut, while their beloved sister, lover, or friend was being pushed into a corner—it was torture just to watch.

Of course, Anagin had also kept his mouth shut.

But his case was different.

To be blunt, it was questionable whether Atalanta and Anagin could even be called acquaintances.

So despite the instinctive disgust he felt, Anagin simply stayed still. There was no reason for him to step in.

Getting angry over someone who was barely even an acquaintance would’ve been ridiculous.

Then Hippomenes appeared—the suspicious man whose face occasionally turned into that of a pig.

Anagin told them about it.

He thought that if they knew, they’d come to their senses and start moving.

No matter what, if someone said your beloved sister, lover, or friend was about to marry a pig, the normal reaction would be to gather the courage to act, wouldn’t it?

But here in Hellas, Anagin’s common sense was denied.

Even though they didn’t dismiss his words as nonsense and actually took them somewhat seriously, they still tried to use a method that was obviously doomed to fail.

Begging for help from a living corpse who saw his daughters as nothing more than merchandise…

At that moment, Anagin decided he wouldn’t cooperate any longer.

If he stayed any longer, he was certain he’d either die from sheer frustration or end up becoming an idiot like them.

Anagin gave up on further cooperation and decided to beat Hippomenes down on his own.

It felt like he had to—and while he was at it, he could test the performance of the Beast Devourer as well.

Yeah, if anything, it felt like things had worked out nicely.

To know whether the Beast Devourer was a success or a failure, he had to use it eventually. And now seemed like the perfect time.

Almost like fate.

“Brother!”

A voice called out and stopped Anagin halfway down the corridor.

When he turned around, Sphinx was running toward him, sweating and gasping for breath. Kori and Pais, the siblings, were with her as well.

Huff… huff…

In the strangely quiet corridor, only the breathing of Sphinx and the Kori–Pais siblings echoed softly.

When their breathing finally settled, Sphinx spoke cautiously.

“Maybe… maybe you should calm down a little?”

“I’m extremely calm.”

Sphinx didn’t argue with that.

Even though Anagin often looked like he acted recklessly, she knew he usually moved after calculating things in his own way.

Even so, she had to stop him this time.

“I know how calm you are, Brother, and I’m sure you’ve thought things through in your own way… but this time it’s different.”

Touching a candidate in the Groom Tournament was practically the same as challenging the Kingdom of Arcadia itself. It could even be seen as a challenge to all the participants.

And if it was someone who had practically already secured victory, that went without saying.

Even if he was a suspicious man whose face turned into a pig, that was still only Anagin’s claim.

They needed to watch the situation more carefully.

“We still have a day or two, so maybe we should wait and see a little longer—”

Anagin firmly shook his head.

"—That's a delusion. That living corpse might tell Atalanta to announce her groom as early as tomorrow morning. He's itching for it; would he give her time?"

Sphinx couldn’t say anything for a moment and simply opened and closed her mouth.

Just as Anagin said, the belief that they had a day or two was nothing more than hope.

If Isos pressured her tomorrow morning to announce the groom, no one knew what would happen.

Once the groom was announced, it would truly be over.

…No, perhaps everyone already knew that. They just couldn’t bring themselves to say it out loud.

But Anagin alone dragged that uncomfortable truth into the open without hesitation.

“Therefore, if you’re going to move, you move now. If you hesitate, you’ll just get dragged along.”

“Even so, you can’t act. Leaving everything else aside, most of the guests here are incredibly skilled. No matter how strong you are, Brother, it’s dangerous.”

“If everyone here tried to kill me at once, yeah, that’d be pretty damn dangerous.”

Anagin neither bluffed nor spoke with baseless optimism. He properly acknowledged the danger.

But he didn’t change his decision.

“Even so, I have to do it.”

“Why? The reason we came here in the first place was to find a clue about Jacheon, wasn’t it? To catch Erysichthon’s assassin.”

“That’s exactly why.”

Anagin pointed at Sphinx as if she’d just given the correct answer.

It was as if he were saying the answer was in her words.

“To become the god I’m aiming to be, I feel like I can’t step back here. That’s just how it feels.”

That damn feeling.

Sphinx shouted inwardly.

It was the same reason he had saved her.

In the first place, because of that personality of his, Sphinx, Kori, and Pais were even able to be here now.

What kind of insane madman would fight a witch and the Forest Brotherhood for the sake of a monster and children he’d just met?

She had to admit it.

Stopping Anagin now would be no different from denying her own current existence.

Which meant there was only one thing Sphinx could do now.

“…Then I’ll help too!”

“W-We’ll help too!!”

Having decided she couldn’t stop Anagin, Sphinx offered to help. Kori and Pais followed right after.

As if thinking that since Anagin had helped them until now, it was their turn this time.

But…

“No need. You’d just get in the way.”

Anagin refused their help.

And the reason he gave left no room for argument.

Then he refused Sphinx as well, though for a different reason.

“You too.”

“I could help—”

“—That’s not what I mean. Why are you trying to help?”

Anagin asked the fundamental question.

Why?

Why help?

Sphinx needed a moment before answering.

“…I-I’m your familiar, aren’t I?”

“That just happened by chance, idiot. You’ve got something else you want.”

“……”

“You said you wanted to know, didn’t you? Why do monsters and humans fight? When monsters started eating humans, and when humans started hunting monsters and offering them to the gods. But you’re going to leave that aside and help me right now? You might even die. Is your goal really just that small?”

Faced with those blunt questions, Sphinx couldn’t say anything.

Being with Anagin had been so chaotic that she’d briefly forgotten—but what Sphinx wanted was never something light.

It was something serious and heavy enough that she had abandoned her mother and siblings to pursue it.

“No matter what anyone says, my goal comes first. I can take a short detour sometimes, but nothing beyond that. So you should think about yourselves first, too.”

Sphinx and the children fell silent at Anagin’s resolve.

Leaving them behind, Anagin activated the Invisibility Bracelet.

A magical tool he had obtained from the practitioner who attacked him in the ruins.

His figure gradually vanished.

And in that state, Anagin set off to find Hippomenes.

* * *

The Groom Tournament had, in truth, already ended, and the gathering had shifted into an after-party atmosphere.

Overall, the mood was fairly good.

The thrill-seekers who had come half for amusement chattered away while wearing the golden ornaments Hippomenes had given them, saying how fun and fascinating the Groom Tournament had been.

Even the story alone—of Hippomenes conquering Barbarland and returning with a mountain of gold to propose—would be more than enough gossip for the rest of the year.

And it wasn’t just the gossip-loving onlookers who were excited.

The nobles and officials from various countries were equally stirred up, though for somewhat different reasons.

They had thought Arcadia’s next king would be decided here, yet everything had returned to square one.

Not only that, the political interests involved had grown far more complicated.

If Isos’s illness could be cured with the golden apple—and if he could even gain a son on top of that—and his eldest daughter married the wealthy conqueror of Barbarland…

Then perhaps the Kingdom of Arcadia might take on one of the major roles in Hellas’s grand cause of advancing into Barbarland.

Or perhaps Arcadia would grow rich from its immense wealth and shift the balance of power in Hellas.

Naturally, the merchants who were sensitive to the scent of money were just as troubled.

They smelled profit and wanted to invest somehow.

Then Hippomenes’s attendants approached them and made a proposal.

A sweet offer—to let them place a finger into Hippomenes’s conquest of Barbarland.

Normally, it would have sounded like the words of swindlers and been ignored.

But since everyone was already wearing the jewelry they had received from Hippomenes, they decided to at least hear it out.

The contents weren’t anything special.

If they provided support—whether investment funds, soldiers, or supplies—they would receive appropriate rights and honor in the lands he conquered.

A typical story.

The only difference was that it sounded extremely appealing.

Hippomenes had already proven himself.

The risk would be low…

Who knew? This might become an unexpected opportunity.

The scattered conversations about investing in the conquest of Barbarland soon became the center of the after-party.

And the already excited atmosphere began to heat up even further.

Greed was always like that.

While everyone else gave themselves over to desire, two men were having a conversation in a cool forest far away.

One was a member of the Argonaut Expedition Team and a Great Hero—Meleager.

The other was the conqueror of Barbarland and the victor of the Groom Tournament—Hippomenes.

Too distant to be called friends… yet too entangled to simply be acquaintances.

The two men faced each other silently.

For a long while, only the sounds of insects crying and grass rustling filled the air.

Then, finally, someone spoke.

“Life really is unpredictable, isn’t it?”

It was Hippomenes.

“When I left Chiron’s Tower, I thought we’d never meet again. Yet here we are.”

Meleager did not ignore his words.

He seemed to have quite a lot he wanted to say as well.

“I’d like to say otherwise, but honestly, it is surprising. I thought you wouldn’t make it back.”

Though Meleager was called a Great Hero, even he could not treat Barbarland lightly.

He had once faced a bishop of the Barbaroi Cult in Barbarland.

Because of that, he had unconsciously assumed Hippomenes would never return.

“But I did return.”

“I know. It’s impressive. I’ll admit it honestly.”

“You admit it too easily.”

“Recognizing what deserves recognition, that’s the attitude a hero should have.”

Meleager brought up the fundamental reason he was here in this deeply uncomfortable place instead of participating in Atalanta’s Groom Tournament.

Because he was a prince destined to inherit the throne—and a hero.

Someone who must fulfill his responsibilities, rule the country steadily, and set an example so people could feel secure.

Meleager intended to fulfill his duty to the end.

Because it was the path he himself had chosen.

But Hippomenes merely laughed at him.

“Ha. Amazing. Truly amazing. I couldn’t do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. I couldn’t accept it. The fact that I lagged behind you. The fact that I wasn’t chosen by the gods.”

Meleager almost nodded without realizing it.

Because of Atalanta, the two had never become friends—but they had been fellow trainees.

They knew each other to some degree.

Hippomenes could not accept his fate.

Not the fact that he was weaker than Meleager and Atalanta.

Not the fact that he had not been chosen by the gods.

Not the fact that he would never end up with Atalanta.

That was why he had challenged Meleager to a duel and declared he would return when he left Chiron’s Tower.

“……”

And yet, ironically, the very man who couldn’t accept reality had returned.

With a mountain of gold.

With the achievement of conquering Barbarland.

And he had even created a situation where he stood on the verge of claiming Atalanta.

Knowing that fact better than anyone, Hippomenes smiled.

“I used to resent you. It felt like you had taken the place that should have been mine. But now… I’m even grateful.”

“Because you went to Barbarland because of me?”

“Well, yes. If I hadn’t had a reason to leave Chiron’s Tower, why would I ever have gone there? But that’s not the only reason.”

A meaningful remark.

Meleager’s heart pounded as a certain intuition stirred.

A suspicion he had held for some time, but had never dared to voice.

What he needed now was the certainty to speak that suspicion aloud.

“What reason?”

“That my eyes were opened. I can see the world properly now.”

“…And how does the world look to you?”

“Why ask something like that? You’re proof enough.”

Meleager stiffened for a moment.

“You love Atalanta like I do. And unlike me, you had the power to approach her, but you didn’t. Because of your position as a prince.”

It was a bitter story.

But it was true.

Meleager also had feelings for Atalanta.

Enough that he wished to take her as his wife.

But he couldn’t.

Unlike Hippomenes, he had both the power and the qualification.

Yet because he was a prince—more precisely, the prince destined to inherit Calydon—he couldn’t act.

Arcadia’s heir was Atalanta, since the kingdom had no son.

Meleager was also the heir to Calydon.

The union of the two was realistically impossible.

It would mean merging two kingdoms into one.

And so Meleager remained beside Atalanta, but never went further than that.

As a result, Hippomenes had appeared.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? You two can’t marry because the two kingdoms must not merge. All because of some incomprehensible reason that the order made by the gods would be disturbed.”

“You must have stayed in Barbarland too long to speak such blasphemy… or else.”

“Or else?”

Hippomenes asked confidently, as if he had something to rely on.

“Are you asking whether I met with the Barbaroi Cult and received something from them?”

Hippomenes spoke the very suspicion Meleager had wanted to voice.

After a long silence, Hippomenes smiled faintly.

“As if. Even if I stayed in Barbarland for a long time, do you really think I’d do something like that? Of course, even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you the truth anyway.”

It was a vile victor’s smile that seemed to mock the other person.

“In that sense, I suppose there’s no way to know for sure. After all, there’s no way to confirm it.”

Hippomenes continued provoking Meleager.

As though he had long awaited this very moment.

“The only thing certain right now is that there’s nothing you can do. Bound by pretty titles like hero and prince, you could never lay a hand on m—”

—CRACK!

Just as Hippomenes was finishing his sentence, his side bent sideways, and he was sent flying far away.

It looked as if he had been struck by an invisible bull.

Well… it wasn’t that different.

Right after Hippomenes flew off, Anagin gradually revealed himself, like a transparent shell peeling away.

Anagin had sent Hippomenes flying with a punch.

In a situation that was unbelievable even when seen with one's own eyes, Anagin made a proposal to Meleager.

“How about pretending you got knocked out for a bit?”

And then he casually swung a punch at Meleager.