Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Dolos Family (2)

“Ohh! You really came!”

Razonia, Head of the Dolos family.

The moment he laid eyes on his grandson Spanichi, he pulled him into a tight embrace.

He’d heard the news that Spanichi had defeated the Witch and arrived ahead of the others, but he hadn’t expected it to actually be true…

It was a truly wonderful day. Not only had they successfully hunted the monster boar, but his grandson—entrusted with a great task—had returned safe and sound.

“I’m overjoyed to see you unharmed.”

“It’s thanks to your excellent teaching, Grandfather.”

“Hohoho! This boy certainly has a way with words. Don’t you all agree?”

Razonia spoke as he looked at the people trailing in behind them.

They were Razonia’s sons, grandsons, and granddaughters.

They were approaching with the enormous monster boar hoisted onto their shoulders.

“Yes, indeed. Father.”

“Haha. You’ve come of age and proven your ability. If need be, I could hand the family over to you this very moment!”

“What are you saying? You’re still perfectly hale and hearty, Grandfather. Please don’t say such things, even in jest.”

At the mention of being handed the family—skipping right past his father and uncles—Spanichi recoiled and declined. Even as a joke, it was far too much.

But his grandfather hadn’t been speaking empty flattery.

Just as Spanichi said, Razonia was still going strong.

Past seventy, but as a Giant less affected by aging, his back was still ramrod straight and his muscles firm. Were it not for the wrinkles on his face, one could easily believe he was a young man.

For a Head in such condition to hand over the family—no wonder Spanichi was alarmed.

“You brat! I’m handing it to my eldest grandson, so what’s there to decline?! You even brought back the Witch from up there!”

Spanichi made an embarrassed expression. Surely he hadn’t forgotten?

“Grandfather. The truth is, I didn’t defeat the Witch by my own strength alone. To my shame, I received help.”

“I heard the gist of it. But luck is also a skill. Is it those two?”

Razonia asked, looking at the two people standing a few paces away.

It was Anagin and Robe Girl.

Spanichi nodded and introduced his companions.

“Yes, this young lady is a mage who gave me various advice on the way to the Witch. About traps and magic. And this person is—”

“—The Hero of the Fringe everyone’s been talking about lately?”

Razonia said Anagin’s nickname, as if he’d already heard the story.

As Spanichi tried to answer yes, Razonia covered his grandson’s mouth and asked Anagin directly.

“I want to hear it from you. Are you the Hero of the Fringe?”

Razonia asked, pointing at Anagin directly.

Anagin thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“I don’t know about the Hero of the Fringe part, but if you’re asking whether I’m the one who gave Bander, Diodia, and the Monster Merchant a good beating—that’s me. Call me Anagin.”

“Kahahahahahat—! I like the snappy self-introduction. Very well. I am Razonia, Head of the Dolos family. You are welcome here. Please stay as long as you like and make yourself comfortable.”

The Head of the Dolos family spread both arms and formally welcomed Anagin.

“Thank you.”

Anagin accepted calmly.

---

“You all take care of the boar. Spanichi, you come with me and explain what happened. I’m curious.”

After inviting Anagin as a formal guest.

Razonia ordered his sons and grandsons to butcher the boar, then took Spanichi and disappeared inside.

On top of that, Robe Girl had suddenly said she was feeling drained and retreated to the guest room first.

Thanks to that, Anagin was left all by himself.

After briefly wondering what to do, Anagin decided to look around the manor on his own.

He figured exploring the large manor would be more fun than holing up alone in a room. And it actually was fun.

‘This really is no different from a fortress.’

The manor that had looked like a fortress from the outside turned out to be a fortress through and through once he examined it closely. It was his first time seeing a fortress in person, but he’d heard about them from Master.

The walls were tall and thick, and each corner was designed with something like watchtowers to monitor the village at a glance.

On top of that, the manor housed not just the butler and servants but ten armed personnel stationed there. A weapons storehouse was a given.

It seemed almost excessive for the purpose of guarding a single village.

“So here you are… Is there something you’re curious about?”

Just then, he ran into the butler.

He seemed to have read something from Anagin’s expression as he looked around the manor, and asked if there was anything he wanted to know.

“Ah, it’s nothing much. The manor is impressive. It’s large, and you can see the whole village at a glance.”

“Thank you for the compliment. It was expanded when the village was established. To provide quarters for the village guards and to watch for any potential intruders.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“This is Anapic, after all—bordering Babaland.”

“So that’s why there are so many guards?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s a bit surprising. The entire Dolos family seems to be Giants, so with that many of you, wouldn’t you not need guards?”

The butler paused. Just for a moment. Brief enough that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice, but Anagin could feel it.

“It’s for efficient village security. Just as you wouldn’t use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, it’s better for ordinary people like us to handle the minor guard duties. That way, the Giants can focus on greater matters.”

Whether that was the real reason or not, Anagin couldn’t tell, but it didn’t sound half bad to him.

Perhaps because back in his hometown, Anagin had handled all the village guard duties himself.

Well, he had no complaints. Doing that had earned him free bread, alcohol, and honey.

Though he did think it would be nice if someone else could take over even that. After all, the more honey you licked, the better.

“By the way, what brings you to see me?”

“Ah, I came to deliver a message. We’ll be holding a small celebration this evening, and I’d like to ask that you attend.”

A celebration… Probably for Spanichi’s safe return.

There was a good chance the food would be excellent.

Anagin, ever interested in a free meal, accepted gladly.

“Of course I’ll attend.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll see you in two hours. I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

---

Two hours later, at sundown.

The butler hadn’t lied.

Fitting for a large manor and a family of nine, the celebration feast table was extravagantly lavish.

Centered around a whole roasted monster boar that Razonia had caught, the table was laden with honey-glazed roast fowl, sausages, ham, boiled eggs, salad, roasted vegetables, meat soup, freshly baked white bread with fresh cream, butter, and jam—all in generous portions.

And that was considering the appetites of Giants.

‘At least there’s no chance of running out of food.’

Anagin thought as he looked at the mountain of food on the table.

What Anagin was dissatisfied with at most meals was the lack of quantity, but this time he felt he could eat his fill.

Was it because it was a Giant household?

‘Maybe this is the answer…’

Anagin felt something click. A way to turn a hungry journey into a full one.

It was to visit the homes of Giants and get fed.

Of course, he wasn’t a beggar, so he’d need to be formally invited.

‘Hmm, what’s a way to get formally invited to a Giant’s home? No, can I even meet Giants often?’

Anagin pondered. Master had said Giants weren’t exactly rare, but they weren’t plentiful either.

How could he get invited into Giants’ homes and get fed?

“Everyone, thank you for gathering here.”

A voice cut through his rather serious deliberation.

It was the voice of Razonia, Head of the Dolos family. He had begun a speech. Naturally, Razonia’s two sons, their wives, and his grandchildren straightened up and focused on his words. Anagin, by contrast, only pretended to listen after Robe Girl poked him in the ribs.

“Today is a meaningful day. We caught the monster boar that appeared out of nowhere and caused havoc, without any trouble. This must be the will of Lord Ares. That this spring will pass without incident.”

Anagin looked at the whole roasted boar at the center of the table. It was big, but compared to the ones back in his hometown, it was small.

The boars in Anagin’s hometown were mostly the size of houses, whereas the boars here were only slightly larger than a person. Well, he didn’t bother saying that out loud—Anagin knew the manners of a guest being fed.

“But I believe it means more than that. Our family’s eldest grandson has proudly taken his first step.”

“First step?”

“An Ascetic’s first assigned mission is called their first step.”

When Anagin muttered, Robe Girl whispered quietly to inform him.

“I believe this is a kind of revelation. That this year, our family will not merely pass safely—we will grow a step further and prosper! Our family, founded by Dolos—my father, your grandfather, your great-grandfather.”

The Head spoke, looking at his two sons and his grandchildren.

At that, everyone smiled. Though some smiled notably more than others.

‘A inheritance dispute?’

Anagin guessed.

A tree with many branches catches the wind—and a family with many members has many inheritance disputes.

Even Anagin’s humble hometown was no exception. Much less an Ascetic Family living in a grand manor.

People really were the same everywhere.

“I also sincerely welcome our two guests. I hear you helped our lacking eldest grandson a great deal?”

Having apparently heard about Anagin from Spanichi as well, Razonia asked in a tone suggesting he knew something.

Anagin gave a slight nod.

“We received help as well.”

“And humble, too! Once again, I welcome our two guests who brought good news. Now, this old man’s speech ends here! Let’s fill our bellies.”

Perhaps because of his robust health, Razonia—unlike other old men—didn’t drag out his words and cut off at just the right moment. He tore off a large bite of bread as if signaling the start of the meal.

Once the Head began eating, the rest of the family followed suit, and Anagin and Robe Girl could finally put food in their mouths.

Anagin first downed a bowl of meat soup thick with chunks of meat to settle his stomach, then slathered bread generously with butter, cream, and jam and stuffed it into his mouth.

He’d spread so much that butter, cream, and jam oozed out the sides of his lips, but he paid it no mind and licked it up. Then he popped a piece of roasted fowl into his mouth and chewed it up bones and all.

The bird’s bones were soft, so it was easier to just chew than to debone it. It was fairly savory, too.

“So, the Witch’s village has asked our family for protection—all of them?”

Partway through the meal, a man questioned Spanichi.

It was presumably Spanichi’s uncle.

The reason being that even after hearing of Spanichi’s exploits, he hadn’t shown much joy. After all, a capable relative was a disadvantage when it came to inheritance disputes.

Spanichi answered.

“Yes, they said they’d send someone soon.”

“Good. They said they’d follow us willingly.”

“They have no choice. The Witch’s disappearance isn’t the end of it, so they have no choice but to find another protector.”

At Razonia’s words, Spanichi’s uncle spoke cynically.

“The question is how we protect them now. Whether we just protect them as things are, or establish a branch family and settle people there.”

The expressions of Razonia and his two sons turned serious. The other family members around them were the same.

Anagin also listened to their conversation. He wanted to know what an Ascetic Family was really like.

“Hmm, what do you two think would be best?”

Razonia asked his two sons.

Spanichi’s uncle spoke first.

“For now, a branch family seems premature.”

“Why is that?”

“Splitting off a branch family would tear our family apart, and the reduced numbers would mean reduced strength.”

“I disagree.”

Spanichi’s father offered the opposing view.

“And you? Why?”

“If we’re going to do it, we should do it properly. It’s not extremely far, but from here it’s difficult to properly protect that village. If we’re going to do it, we should divide the family and settle them there.”

“If we’re not careful, we could be defeated piecemeal by outside threats. Brother. And establishing a branch family would cost considerable wealth, wouldn’t it?”

Razonia nodded.

“That’s true. However, it’s not as though there’s no way. The shortfall in strength can be resolved by receiving a blessing.”

“A blessing?”

Spanichi’s uncle asked, as if to say what nonsense was that.

And rightly so—a ‘blessing’ wasn’t something one could easily receive. It could only be obtained by achieving a clear, verifiable merit. Nothing less would do. They had defeated the Harpy Witch under the temple’s order, but that alone wasn’t enough to earn a blessing.

“I believe we can receive one, if things go well.”

Razonia spoke in a tone full of conviction.

The family members around them showed interest. Their reaction suggested they wondered if the Head had some basis for confidence. However, they couldn’t openly ask. Doing so would look like doubting the Head…

“Father. Even if we replenish our strength with a blessing, we lack the wealth. We can’t send off a branch family with nothing but their bare bodies, can we?”

“That’s something we’ll have to endure. Isn’t hardship a daily occurrence for an Ascetic?”

“But Father…”

“If we leave it be, another Ascetic Family will take it in the end.”

Another Ascetic Family… It seemed Razonia’s repeated mention of a branch family wasn’t solely for the sake of the village’s people. It seemed to be about keeping another Ascetic Family from claiming that land.

Once Razonia had said that much, Spanichi’s uncle could no longer press the matter.

“It’s a shame the Witch’s Tower was destroyed.”

Spanichi’s uncle grumbled.

“If the Witch’s Tower hadn’t been destroyed, all that wealth would have been ours. Then establishing a branch family would be much easier, too.”

“Ah, about that…”

Spanichi looked guilty at his uncle’s complaint.

He tried to say something in excuse, but Anagin cut in first.

“Ah, that was me. If you’ve got a complaint, say it to my face.”

At his blunt tone, everyone’s eyes turned to Anagin.

“…What did you say?”

“The Witch’s Tower. I’m saying I destroyed it. I said if you’ve got a complaint, tell me. Is that part too hard to understand?”

Spanichi’s uncle, who had asked again thinking he’d misheard, realized he hadn’t misheard at all.

Across Spanichi’s uncle’s face, emotions flickered in sequence—bewilderment, displeasure, irritation, anger. And then, his son asked.

“…Didn’t you destroy it together with Spanichi?”

“We defeated the Witch together. But the Tower—I destroyed that alone.”

“This is… rather embarrassing.”

Someone spoke up in warning. Don’t get carried away.

But Anagin didn’t pay it any mind. Because no one else was paying it any mind either.

As proof of that, he said this.

“I’m embarrassed too. An Ascetic Family that keeps going on and on about money, money. Is this really an Ascetic Family?”