Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Dolos Family (3)

The whole Dolos family blinked in unison.

Was this a dream?

Even if he was an Ascetic who'd made a name for himself lately, to dare speak like that under their own roof?

It was so absurd it left them flustered.

Should they get angry? Should they shout him down? Or should they teach that insolent brat a lesson?

While everyone was stewing over what to do, Razonia stepped forward.

"Heh heh. I apologize. That wasn't something to say in front of a guest."

Astonishingly, Razonia—the Head himself—apologized to Anagin, the one who'd committed the rudeness.

Spanichi's uncle shouted.

"Father!"

"Am I wrong? It's true that harping on money doesn't suit the dignity of an Ascetic Family. And even less so in front of a guest. That's enough."

With the Head saying so, his two sons could no longer press the matter.

The Head's word was that absolute.

Razonia apologized, as if driving the nail in.

"I'm sorry for the rudeness shown to a guest. But I'd appreciate it if you understood. Once you've built a family, there's a great deal more to consider."

"I understand. Supporting a family is hard, and protecting someone is even harder. I'm the one who ran my mouth insolently. My temper's foul, so please understand."

Just as Razonia apologized readily, Anagin responded with proper courtesy. It was enough to make one doubt he was the same person as before.

"Haha. Speaking of which—might I ask you a few things?"

"Me?"

"That's right. A guest has come, and it'd be another breach of manners not to at least do a simple background check."

"Well, if it's something I can answer."

Razonia grinned.

"I heard from my grandson that you don't really know where you came from. Is that true?"

"Yes. I lived in a very deep forest."

"Does that even make sense?"

One of Spanichi's cousins scowled.

He'd written it off as a lie, a bluff.

Wanting to seem special.

There were Ascetics like that.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"You must have come out of the forest somehow, no? Then you'd know where you are, wouldn't you?"

"My Master helped me, so I don't really know."

"Helped you? How?"

"He picked me up and threw me. Said he'd get me out of the forest quickly. So I don't know where I ended up."

Everyone frowned at the absurd story.

Picking a person up and throwing them out of a forest?

But Anagin had nothing more to offer. It was the truth.

"Hmm... Could it be magic?"

Razonia asked the butler, who was pouring drinks nearby.

"Hard to say. It could be magic. Magic has many forms and effects, after all."

'Is he not an ordinary butler, but a mage?'

Watching the butler explain things to Razonia, Anagin made a guess.

Come to think of it, the ice laid over the fruit wasn't something you'd see in spring. He'd assumed it was ice preserved from winter. It could have been made by magic.

"And if it wasn't magic?"

"Then he'd be a Giant of tremendous strength."

"Hah...! Either way, that means he's no ordinary fellow.... Whether by magic or strength, to throw a person that far. Were you a mage, or a Giant?"

"Probably a Giant."

"Probably?"

"I'm certain he's a Giant, but it wouldn't be strange if he were a mage too."

The Master had clearly said he couldn't use magic, but Anagin wasn't certain.

The man had said with his own mouth that he couldn't use magic, but honestly, it wouldn't have surprised Anagin if he could.

Maybe he'd just said he couldn't because it was a hassle. Either way.

Razonia laughed as if dumbfounded.

"Heh heh... You don't even know your own teacher? Isn't that a bit unfilial?"

"I didn't become his disciple by choice. Anyway, I'm certain he's a Giant."

It was absurd—and precisely because it was, it didn't feel like a lie.

"Your answers are beyond anything I imagined, so I'm thrown. Might I at least have his name?"

"I don't know that either."

"Not even his name?"

"He never told me. And I wasn't particularly curious. But he was a man of many talents. He taught the villagers farming, herding, brewing, painting, music—things like that."

"And what did you learn?"

"Mostly how to fight. Hands-on."

"You mean sparring?"

"Yes."

Anagin unconsciously frowned. It was because thoughts of sparring with his Master came back to him.

Usually memories soften into beautiful ones with time, but those particular memories refused to.

They were far too shitty to be beautified.

"Oh, I'm curious—want to spar with me too?"

The woman who'd been listening quietly made an offer. It was Daria, Spanichi's cousin.

"We spar a lot here too. There's a training grounds over there—want to go a round after we eat? Work off some of the meal?"

The lone woman of the Dolos family made the offer breezily. She seemed to want to see Anagin's skill.

The others' eyes lit up as well. They wanted to see with their own eyes the skill of the rising star called the Hero of the Fringe.

But Anagin didn't live up to that interest.

"I'll decline."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure how to put it, but the sparring you're talking about and the sparring I'm talking about are probably very different."

"Hah?"

Daria let out a sound of disbelief. She thought Anagin was looking down on her.

His earlier attitude too. He seemed far too puffed up just because he'd beaten a few thugs.

The Head, who'd been watching, stepped in to mediate.

"Your Master's teachings must have been harsh. Most people don't spar at all after that."

"Honestly, yes."

"I don't know who he is, but I'd like to meet him. He sounds like a remarkable person in many ways."

"I'll agree he's remarkable. He's got something more to him than I do."

"Then how about a toast to him? Thanks to him, we've all met like this."

It was an abrupt suggestion, but Anagin accepted it without complaint.

His Master had beaten him, slashed him with swords, hacked at him with axes, walloped him with clubs, stabbed him with spears, fed him poison, ambushed him in his sleep, ambushed him during meals, ambushed him just because—but he was still his Master.

He was also the one who, though an outsider, had stayed to the end to help when the village was dying of plague.

Razonia had probably said it just to lighten the mood, but Anagin gladly raised his glass to his Master.

---

"He says he'd like to have a word with you."

After the meal, the butler approached Anagin and whispered.

Following him, Anagin arrived at Razonia's room.

Naturally, Razonia was inside.

"Come in."

Razonia, having changed into nightclothes, poured drinks and welcomed Anagin.

"I've called you because there's something I'd like to discuss with you alone. Please understand."

"You fed me a fine meal—what's there to mind? What's this about?"

"I like how straightforward you are. Have a seat."

Razonia gestured for him to sit and set the bottle on the table.

Anagin sat where the drink was placed.

Razonia spoke.

"I'll ask you bluntly. What is it you want from us?"

"That's sudden."

"Too sudden? Patience thins with age—but one's eye for people sharpens too. From what I can see, you're not someone who came here for no reason."

Ho.... So his eye for people really was sharp—the old man's boast wasn't empty.

"I came to get a meal."

"A meal?"

"I eat a lot. And I'm picky."

"Heh heh.... And was the food to your satisfaction?"

"It was. I ate my fill. I even got to try a fruit called watermelon."

Anagin mentioned the most impressive fruit of the day.

Luscious red flesh, a refreshing bite, a sweet fragrance.

He wanted to eat it again.

"I'm glad you ate well. Watermelon's quite expensive, you know."

"That said, I didn't come only for the food."

"Ah, now we're getting to it. What did you come for?"

"Curiosity."

"Curiosity?"

"I wanted to see with my own eyes what an Ascetic Family is like."

"Hm, that's hard to follow."

"It's exactly as I said. You may have heard, but it's been about ten days since I became an Ascetic."

"I heard."

As expected.

Spanichi had looked surprised, so Anagin had guessed he'd told his grandfather—and his guess was right.

"So there's not much I know about Ascetics. My Master taught me, but I mostly let it go in one ear and out the other."

Anagin said it without shame. He'd never intended to become an Ascetic in the first place, so there was nothing embarrassing about it.

"I see. Understood. Then again, there are quite a few like you. Friends who decided to become Ascetics but don't know much about them. What a true Ascetic is, what you must do to become one."

To become a true Ascetic, one normally had to go to Delphi Temple, be chosen by a god, or receive a task to be chosen.

That was the Righteous Path.

But there were those who strayed from the Righteous Path through ignorance and stubbornness. Fools who knew nothing and pursued only their own way.

Razonia figured Anagin was one of those.

It wasn't bad. Among such fools, some occasionally achieved greatness.

"Hmm.... Listen, Anagin. Let me ask you one thing, bluntly. Would you consider staying with us?"

"No."

Razonia tossed out a lure to persuade him, but Anagin refused so flatly it was almost awkward. Without a single moment's hesitation.

"...Without even hearing the terms?"

"Hearing them wouldn't change my answer, so there's no point."

Razonia smacked his lips as if regretful, but soon shook it off.

Confidence was a young man's privilege, and he could simply think of it as a connection that was never meant to be.

Still, he felt a slight pang of regret.

If Anagin agreed to help, it would be a great boon for expanding the family into the Witch's domain....

Razonia decided to lay out terms—nice if it worked, no loss if it didn't.

"I can teach you how to carry out ascetic training. The advantage of an Ascetic Family is that knowledge accumulates across generations."

"I'm fine. I'll look into it myself."

"Hmm.... Then how about I teach you how to handle Gi?"

Anagin paused.

Razonia shouted inwardly, 'Just as I thought.'

"I can tell you're no ordinary fighter. But you don't seem able to handle Gi properly."

Razonia had deduced this from his grandson's report and from talking with Anagin.

The man claimed to have a great Master, but all he'd done was spar.

Unfortunately, Gi wasn't something you could learn that way.

"You're saying you'll teach me Pareisphere and Eulogia?"

The giant's power, Gi.

Pareisphere, which concentrates that Gi into one part of the body.

Eulogia, which imbues concentrated Gi into objects to strengthen them.

Razonia shook his head.

"The handling of Gi is profound. That's not the end of it."

Razonia shook his head and explained the other ways of handling Gi.

Ekpempein, which expels Gi outside the body.

Plassein, which forges Gi outside the body into a tool.

Didomi, which grants Gi a property.

Kryfto, which hides Gi and erases one's presence entirely.

They were called Pa, Yul, Ek, Pl, Di, and Kr, respectively.

In this way, Gi could be handled in many ways.

"Pa, Yul, Ek, Pl, Di, Kr.... Interesting, at least."

"Those are only the basics. From there, you can produce even greater power. Naturally, our family knows how."

It was an obvious thing to say.

An Ascetic Family made up of Giants would necessarily pass down and preserve the methods of training Gi.

Not only did they pass the techniques down through generations, they could also use them as a bargaining chip to indebt other Ascetics.

Just like right now.

"If you help us, I'll teach you. It's not a bad deal, is it? While you help us, you receive instruction in return."

"Hm.... It's a tempting offer."

Anagin admitted it readily.

For someone with no ties like him, being taught how to handle Gi wouldn't come easily. But....

"Still, I'm not interested."

"...Why?"

"No real reason. I just don't feel like it."

"Hah...."

Razonia let out a deflating sound, as if he couldn't understand.

The first gate any Giant had to pass was the handling of Gi—and to refuse it just because he didn't feel like it....

He truly couldn't understand. But one thing, he felt he did know.

That he and this man Anagin truly were not meant to be connected.

So he decided not to feel too regretful about it. The man was tempting, but what wasn't meant to be wasn't meant to be.

More than anything, today's greatest prize wasn't him.

Anagin was a side matter anyway. What Razonia was truly interested in was something else.

"Whew.... What a shame. I thought we'd make a fine connection."

"I think we've already made one. You fed me well, after all."

"When will you leave?"

Razonia asked when he'd depart, since there was no business left.

He didn't feel particularly disappointed.

"I'll leave right after breakfast tomorrow morning. I'd originally planned to just get a meal and go."

"Would it be all right if I asked your companion whether she'd like to stay here?"

Companion? Did he mean the Robe Girl?

"Mages are precious talent. If it's all right with her, I'd like to hire her. If that offends you—"

"—Do as you like."

"...You mean it?"

"Yes. She's less a companion and more someone traveling alongside me. We've only been together a short while. If she's fine with it, I don't mind."

Razonia recalled his grandson's words.

That Anagin lacked basic common sense.

Otherwise, there was no way he'd give up talent like a mage so easily.

A mage was someone you kept in your company if you possibly could.

'Well, no skin off our back.'

"Thank you for conceding."

"Don't thank me. You haven't even heard her own wishes yet, have you?"

"Well, that's true, but...."

"If you're finished, may I get up now?"

Anagin asked, growing sleepy.

Razonia, his business finished, didn't bother holding him back.

"Of course. Thank you for humoring me."

Anagin gave a slight bow and rose.

As Anagin was about to leave the room, Razonia asked one last thing to confirm.

"Listen. One more question. What do you think should be done about Monsters?"

Razonia asked a strange question.

What should be done about Monsters?

Anagin wondered if it was some kind of trick question, but as always, his answer was simple and direct.

"Any beast that ruins the fields should be beaten to death. Every last one."