Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 103

It was a subtle choice of words.“Sounds like it would be pretty interesting.”

Wasn’t that so?

People don’t usually say something “Sounds like it would be pretty interesting” when they mean to praise it.

If anything, it leans closer to mockery.

Yet no one, including Irida, took issue with it.

They simply let it pass.

Because it was Anagin who said it. And this wasn’t the first or second time.

Besides, there was a more urgent matter at hand.

“Then let’s all attend Lady Atalanta’s Groom Tournament. Irida and I will each inform our elder brothers. You report to Master and ask for his help.”

Under Tramachus’ lead, they decided to share “Erysichthon’s scheme” with everyone and seek assistance from their master, Chiron.

The New Argonaut Expedition Team moved immediately after he finished speaking.

It wasn’t just a matter of passing along words; over the next few days, the New Argonaut Expedition Team bustled about busily.

They visited the top of Chiron Tower several times to speak with Chiron, and at other times were guided by the butler to the library.

Ah, of course, Anagin was quite busy as well during that time.

He had to continue ignoring Ponytail’s whining about being sold out, and also ignore the displeased glares of the disciples of Chiron Tower.

In the midst of that, Grumbal summoned Anagin.

“Here.”

Grumbal handed over the completed Beast Devourer.

It felt finished far sooner than his earlier words had suggested.

Perhaps because of that, Grumbal looked more haggard than before.

"Mind your business. It's always like this."

“Yes.”

Anagin answered without a second’s hesitation.

At the moment, his interest lay more in the Beast Devourer before him.

He examined the newly reborn Beast Devourer.

“The blade has gotten quite a bit thicker?”

It had already been on the thicker side before, but even taking that into account, the blade was now noticeably thicker.

Almost double, or nearly triple by feel.

It now felt closer to an axe than a sword.

Naturally, it was heavier than before.

“Do you have a complaint?”

“No, I like it.”

It wasn’t empty flattery. He truly liked it.

Perhaps because he was a Gigant, Anagin preferred heavier weapons over those that were too light.

There was a certain satisfaction in swinging them.

From that perspective, the Beast Devourer had previously been just barely within the comfortable range for a sword.

“Still, aside from that, I don’t feel anything else.”

He hadn’t expected some extraordinary experience from a single blade, but he had harbored a faint hope.

Like feeling absolute certainty that he could cut through anything the moment he grasped it.......

But aside from becoming heavier, there was nothing particularly different.

“Are you saying I failed?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then watch your tone.”

Grumbal, looking tired, moistened his throat with liquor as he gave the warning, but Anagin shook his head firmly.

He could be flexible when he needed to ask for a favor, but since this had already been promised, he had no intention of adjusting himself.

If he needed help later? That would be a problem for his future self.

Anagin made it clear he had no intention of changing his tone, and Grumbal did not make a big issue of it.

Grumbal, too, had grown accustomed to Anagin’s temperament.

“You damned brat.... Fine. You’ll have a chance to confirm it when the time comes. Whether my work is a success or a failure.”

“What do you mean?”

“A magical tool, especially a superior one, reveals its true worth only when used in the proper situation.”

“When will that moment come?”

“That depends on you.”

At the vague answer, Anagin frowned.

He disliked this kind of abstract talk.

He wanted to snap at him to speak plainly, but since he still had items entrusted to him, he held back.

Instead, he delivered the newly drafted inscriptions.

They were the phrases to be engraved onto the Giant’s Bed, the Infinite-Length Magic Rope, the Self-Repairing Cloak, and the Interspatial Bag.

He would have preferred to take more time to think them over, but it seemed more efficient to hand them over before departing for the Kingdom of Arcadia.

He couldn’t stay here forever, after all.

Anagin handed over the slip of paper with the inscriptions, and Grumbal checked it.

“Hm....... Not bad. Have you ever tried something like this before?”

“No.”

Anagin answered briefly and left.

The next day, they departed for the Kingdom of Arcadia.

The New Argonaut Expedition Team, the Original Argonaut Expedition Team, and Sphinx, along with siblings Kori & Pais, and even Ponytail, came along.

“Why are you following us?”

“I’m not following you. I’m being dragged along.”

* * *

Just as he said, Ponytail wasn’t so much following them as being dragged along.

The reason was simple.

Tramachus judged that there was more information to be extracted from Ponytail.

As a trainee reporter, he had written an article that took up an entire page of Talaria Weekly, and now, as a junior reporter, he casually tossed out unsettling bits of information. It would have been stranger if he weren’t suspicious.

He might even be an illegitimate child of someone high up in Talaria.

Such cases were not uncommon over there.......

In any case, on the grounds that he might prove useful, Ponytail rode in a carriage bound for the Kingdom of Arcadia.

“Ahh, let me off. I want to get off. This is insanely awkward.”

“.......”

“Couldn’t we have just ridden the airship all the way to the royal palace instead of getting off at the border? Did we really have to switch to a carriage?”

“If you’re a Talaria reporter, you should at least know that airships can’t fly directly into a kingdom’s capital. Can you stop whining now?”

Unable to endure Ponytail’s constant grumbling, Tramachus finally spoke up.

But Ponytail didn’t listen.

Normally, people shared a carriage with those they were close to, yet Ponytail was riding not with Anagin’s group, but with Tramachus, Irida, and Lynceus.

People with whom it was unbearably awkward to sit together.

Originally, Thyreos—also a member of the New Argonaut Expedition Team—should have been in Ponytail’s place, but at Tramachus’ suggestion, the two had switched seats.

They had decided to narrow down the candidates for the assailant sent by Erysichthon inside the carriage.

Thyreos would silently follow the plan without offering opinions, so he wasn’t immediately necessary, whereas Ponytail still had information to be squeezed out.

Tramachus had frankly explained why they switched, but Ponytail refused to accept it.

“I told you, I don’t know anything about that side, geez.”

Tramachus was just as stubborn.

“Then look at it as someone who doesn’t know.”

More precisely, it wasn’t that he wasn’t listening—he simply didn’t believe him.

How could someone who knew of Erysichthon’s scheme not know the person presumed to be sent by Erysichthon?

With near obstinacy, Tramachus thrust forward the list of Erysichthon’s subordinates he had received from Master.

Perhaps realizing resistance was futile, Ponytail eventually offered a compromise.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll take a look. But could we at least stop the carriage for a moment and switch seats?”

He pointed to the carriage following behind.

The one carrying Anagin, Thyreos, Sphinx, Kori, and Pais..

Tramachus naturally intended to refuse.

They needed him in the same carriage to observe his immediate, instinctive reactions.

Only by observing those reactions could they tell whether Ponytail was lying or hiding something.

So refusal would have been proper.

However, a flat rejection would only provoke backlash, so Tramachus offered his own compromise.

Not a refusal, but a counter-question.

“Why? The carriage is the same. The ride shouldn’t feel any different.”

“On a journey, your companions matter more. I’m more comfortable over there. It’s awkward having to use formal speech with all of you.......”

“Then speak casually with us.”

Tramachus suggested he talk to them the way he spoke to Anagin.

And he didn’t stop there—he offered something difficult to refuse.

“If you cooperate this time, I’ll grant you exclusive interview rights whenever you want. Not just with me, but with all of us. Fair?”

Tramachus put forward the interview rights of Irida, Lynceus, and Thyreos as compensation.

Exclusive interviews were quite valuable to reporters, and the more promising the subject, the greater the value.

The general consensus was that the New Argonaut Expedition Team consisted of promising practitioners.

For a Talaria reporter who sought blessing through quality articles, it was a right worth securing.

Given the situation, everyone, including Irida, agreed.

“Oh, that’s a pretty strong offer?”

Ponytail reacted much the same.

At this level, he ought to cooperate.

Yet something felt off.

He didn’t seem as pleased as expected.

It wasn’t easy for a junior reporter to secure exclusive interview rights.

‘As I thought, suspicious.’

Growing more certain, Tramachus handed over the list from Master.

A document compiled at Chiron Tower containing candidates among Erysichthon’s subordinates.

Erysichthon the Devourer was called a patron of villains, having fostered and supported countless criminals, including the Forest Brotherhood, so the exact scope and identities of his subordinates were unclear.

At least with Master’s investigation, they could grasp some direction.

“Wow, Chiron Tower’s information network is no joke. Not just bandits like Periphetes, but smugglers, thugs, poachers.... There’s even information we haven’t uncovered on our side?”

The Ponytail, who claimed he knew nothing, was now offering information.

Brazen, but within expectations.

Rather than waste time on trivialities, Tramachus began exchanging information with him.

“Not this one. He’s confirmed to be elsewhere. Same with this one.”

“Then what about this one?”

“No, no. He’s strong, sure, but not the type who could operate effectively inside a city. If anything, someone like this guy.”

As though acknowledging Tramachus’ stubborn insistence, Ponytail provided surprisingly plausible information, allowing them to narrow down several candidates from the list obtained from Chiron.

However, no single individual stood out as the definite culprit.

Which was only natural, but still disappointing.

It felt as though with just a little more effort, they might narrow it down further.......

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s take a short break.”

Ponytail declared a rest.

“I don’t usually use my brain like this. I overdid it today. My head hurts.”

Though disappointed by the sudden break, Tramachus didn’t press him.

He had already concluded that pushing him would not yield cooperation. Better to coax than to force.

“Fine, let’s rest. We should be arriving at the royal palace soon anyway. Right?”

Irida looked out of the carriage and nodded.

“Yes. A little further, but we’ll arrive soon. We’ve passed the grasslands and entered the forest.”

“Oh! Is this the famous Ancient Forest of Arcadia?”

Having finished his task, Ponytail instantly turned into a tourist, admiring the forest outside the carriage.

Irida asked, somewhat surprised,

“You’re interested in this sort of thing?”

“I’m not interested in hunting, but I am interested in what comes out of the forest. Ah, I can speak casually now, right?”

“Go ahead. So what are you interested in?”

Irida asked, as though considering whether she might provide it depending on the item.

“Mountain goat testicles. I heard they’re excellent as a stamina booster.”

“Too bad. That’s not something I can easily give.”

“Ahh, is that because there’s high demand?”

Mountain goat testicles from the Kingdom of Arcadia were prized delicacies sought after by royalty and nobles, so Ponytail accepted it with disappointment.

“That’s part of it, but mountain goats aren’t that numerous. They’re hard to encounter, and sometimes hunting them is restricted depending on their population.”

“That’s disappointing. I thought prey would be overflowing like sardines in the Ancient Forest.”

“As if.”

Irida responded with both exasperation and familiarity.

Outsiders often assumed valuable game overflowed in the Ancient Forest, but that was a misconception.

Even in the Ancient Forest, valuable prey remained valuable.

Just as the conversation was about to end.......

“I was surprised too at first. I thought rare beasts would be abundant in the Ancient Forest.”

Lynceus interjected.

Specializing in support and assistance, he once again revived the dying embers of the conversation.

“Oh, you’ve hunted here before?”

“Of course. Hunting is my hobby.”

“With those eyes, I bet it was fun. Wait—does that mean there was prey even your farsight couldn’t easily find?”

“It’s not that there’s none at all, but truly rare prey are definitely hard to find. Lucky Rabbits, Fur Lizards, Medicinal-Horn Deer.”

“Ah, no wonder they’re rare even on the black market. It’s not that they’re hoarded—the supply just isn’t there. What’s the most impressive prey you’ve caught?”

“Well.......”

Once the conversation flowed, Ponytail’s tongue grew smoother.

If they kept this up, cooperation would come easily.

Then—

“......Oh, interesting. So what’s the rarest prey?”

At Ponytail’s question, the conversation paused.

Not because it was strange, but because it required thought.

Even Lynceus and Tramachus, experienced hunters, might disagree.

At that moment, Irida—princess of Arcadia and more familiar with the Ancient Forest than anyone there—settled the matter.

“The White Deer.”

“The White Deer?”

Tramachus and Lynceus asked at the same time.

Though they had come to Arcadia to hunt on occasion, they had never heard of it.

“It’s the most precious beast. I’ve never seen it myself.”

The White Deer.

In truth, it was closer to legend than to the rarest prey.

A legendary animal said to reveal itself when a great hero or king destined to leave their name in history appeared.

Of course, it was a legend; Irida had never met anyone who had actually seen it.

The only references to the White Deer were in ancient records, and nowadays they were all dismissed as legend or fabrication.

The one peculiar thing was that every record described it the same way.

“Is it perhaps far larger than an ordinary deer, with a slender body, fur pure white, antlers delicate like carefully trimmed branches, and eyes sky-blue, carrying an air of dignity and divinity?”

Irida was startled.

Ponytail’s description matched exactly what was written in the records.

“How do you know that so well? Did you already know?”

“No, it’s right there.”

As Ponytail pointed with his fingertip, everyone turned their heads at once.

At first, they thought it was a joke.

But it wasn’t.

In the distance, between the trees, a deer with pure white fur stood alone in noble stillness.

The White Deer of legend.

As they stared, momentarily entranced by the appearance of the creature known only from stories—

Whoosh— Crack!

A stone flew from behind and struck the deer squarely in the head.

“Yoohoo—! Got one!!”

Anagin’s voice rang out.