Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Come On, Seriously (1)

The next morning.

Anagin woke up feeling refreshed.

That was only natural, after sleeping on a full stomach in a warm bed.

He stepped outside half-lidded, scratching his belly.

Scratch—! Scratch—!

People were already up and about.

Servants bustled to and fro carrying water buckets, while hired guards trained by striking wooden dummies.

It seemed everyone had started their day before Anagin even woke.

'Everyone's sure diligent...'

Anagin kept scratching his belly, staring blankly at the scene before him. Then something surfaced in his mind. His hometown, perhaps, from before the plague swept through...

His mother and younger sister preparing breakfast, his father heading off to work.

The scenery of those days flickered past.

'...Was I too warm and too full?'

Anagin shook his head at the memories that had welled up unbidden.

It left him feeling soft, and he didn't much care for it. Still, he decided to let it be. He was leaving today anyway.

"You're awake?"

Spanichi appeared with his cousins, all drenched in sweat.

Judging by the look of them, they'd been training since morning too.

"Haah~ Yes."

Anagin answered with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"I'm glad you slept well."

Unlike his cousins, who were increasingly eyeing Anagin with suspicion over his sloppy demeanor, Spanichi smiled at him.

That was because, unlike his cousins, he'd seen Anagin fight firsthand.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Good timing on waking up."

"Good. I didn't want to be so shameless as to overstay at someone else's house past mealtime."

Whether his concept of shamelessness differed from most people's, Anagin said this with complete confidence.

"You should wash before eating."

"Actually, there's still some time before that... How about it? Would you spar with us?"

Competitive spirit? Or confidence? Spanichi's cousin proposed another match.

They'd all heard about Anagin's exploits from Spanichi, but honestly, they didn't believe it. So they wanted to see it with their own eyes.

Anagin waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't like sparring and that sort of thing."

Anagin, who had spent a lifetime sparring with his Master, refused.

At that, they prodded him lightly.

"Could it be there's another reason you're refusing?"

An indirect way of asking if he was scared.

Spanichi nudged his cousin, telling him to stop.

But Anagin didn't care.

Weren't people always brave before they got hit? He could do crazy things all he liked. Besides, he was leaving today. It didn't matter what they said. He just wanted a good meal and then to be on his way.

Anagin looked at the four sweating men and spoke.

"Do you know a stream where I can wash up?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You lot should wash first. I don't like waiting."

"No, you're our guest—"

"It's fine. I'm not so shameless as that. Just point me to a place to wash."

---

Spanichi tried repeatedly to yield to Anagin, but Anagin refused.

In the end, Spanichi told him where he could wash, and Anagin headed there.

"I didn't know you had a peeping hobby, oppa."

"What the hell are you talking about."

When Anagin arrived, the Robe Girl was there, just finishing getting dressed.

Seeing the wet golden hair poking out from her robe, it seemed she'd washed here too.

"Why are you washing out here like some pitiful thing?"

"I was out for a walk and figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. What about you, oppa?"

"I'm here to wash."

"Didn't you just say that was pitiful?"

"When I do it, it's got class."

"......"

At his shamelessness, which surpassed all imagination, the Robe Girl stared at Anagin with a deadpan look. She'd traveled and met all sorts of people, but never anyone this infuriating.

"What are you looking at?"

"Just thinking you're something else."

"Why state the obvious? If you're done with your business, go on. I'm going to wash. I'm shy."

Anagin pulled off his shirt as he finished speaking.

The kind of behavior that made you doubt he even knew the meaning of shy.

The Robe Girl grumbled and tried to leave.

"Haah~ You really are inconsiderate. No wonder your little sister hates you."

"Don't be ridiculous. She adored me."

"You're not lying?"

"I bluff, but I don't lie. My little sister loving me is one of my many bragging points."

That sounded off, so the Robe Girl paused and tilted her head.

Normally, wouldn't you say "one of my few bragging points"? The phrasing was strange, and the way he was subtly bragging grated on her.

Was that why? She wanted to tease him.

"Then why'd you leave that little sister behind and come out here?"

"Why'd you leave your mother's arms?"

"I told you, didn't I? To seek knowledge."

"I asked because it sounded like a lie. My instincts are pretty good. Good enough to hear the gears turning in that head of yours."

Anagin, shirtless, tapped his temple.

Idiot or genius, they all had gears grinding away—and he could hear it.

Whirr. Whirr.

The Robe Girl, apparently struck a nerve, changed the subject.

"Go wash up. In a bit, you'll get to eat the meal oppa loves so much."

"I love delicious food."

"I'm not cooking for you."

"Whatever you make would probably taste bad, so I won't eat it."

"I'm a great cook!"

"Don't lie. I hate lies."

"Why would I lie!? You were the one trying to make me cook!"

"I asked knowing you'd refuse. Because I'm smart. Why didn't you even figure that out?"

As Anagin chided her, the Robe Girl looked at him again with an exasperated expression. With a look that said, Does this kind of person even exist...?

Perhaps he was a genius at nothing but pissing people off.

While the Robe Girl was thinking that—

Anagin stripped off his pants too and lowered himself into the stream, speaking.

"Besides, how could you cook for me when we're about to part ways?"

"Huh...?"

"Don't you remember? You and I are only temporary travel companions. From leaving the Witch's domain until arriving at the village. That time is now."

Anagin was right.

He and the Robe Girl were, quite literally, companions.

They had left the Witch's domain and arrived at the village. Which meant it was time to part.

The Robe Girl seemed to realize this only now—her voice dropped slightly.

"Oh... Right. That's a shame. It was short, but fun."

"Where there are meetings, there are partings."

"You're so cold."

"It's best not to get tangled up with each other. We both have our own goals, don't we?"

Anagin said. It sounded like a convenient deflection, but it struck exactly at the crux of the matter.

Anagin, who became an Ascetic to become a God. The Robe Girl, who came out into the world to seek knowledge.

Both had concrete goals. Though he didn't know what knowledge the Robe Girl sought—well, she probably knew herself.

Since what they pursued differed, they weren't suited to travel together long.

Even people with the same goal walked different paths; how much more so for those with different goals.

The Robe Girl seemed to understand, as she stopped complaining.

"Where will you go?"

She asked Anagin, sounding regretful.

Anagin, soaking in the stream, answered as he washed his face.

"Wherever the wind blows. Where will you go?"

"Why ask all of a sudden?"

The Robe Girl looked taken aback.

Why was he asking something like that when he'd been so indifferent?

Still, she answered.

"Well, I haven't decided yet. Why are you really asking?"

"Mr. Razonia wants to hire you."

"What...?"

"Mages are precious talent, apparently. Interested?"

---

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest at all."

A pleasant breakfast table.

The table was full of cheer.

Toast soaked in egg and milk and grilled in butter, sausages, boiled eggs, mushrooms sautéed in butter, and more...

Being breakfast, it was modest compared to last night's feast, but it was still an excellent meal. Plenty of it, too.

At that pleasant table, when Razonia casually floated a hiring offer to the Robe Girl, she turned it down flat.

She said she had no interest at all.

Razonia seemed not to have expected such a firm refusal.

"Hoh... Is that so?"

His son and grandsons wore displeased expressions, but the Robe Girl was unmoved.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I have no intention of settling down anywhere for the time being."

"I haven't even mentioned the terms yet."

Whether he coveted her or had some other reason, Razonia pressed persistently.

'I suppose having a mage around would be convenient.'

Anagin thought, recalling the Robe Girl who'd washed his clothes to look new.

The whole reason he'd allowed her to tag along in the first place was because of the laundry.

Anagin decided to understand why Razonia was trying so hard to hire her.

Though the Robe Girl didn't seem inclined to accept.

"I'm sure the terms are generous, but I must respectfully decline. The truth is, I want to keep moving for a while."

"Why is that? Being hired on good terms is what most mages want."

"I'm a scholar before I'm a mage. I pursue intellectual satisfaction over physical comfort."

Whether her words were sincere was unclear, but it was certain she had no intention of accepting Razonia's offer.

Still, perhaps because she'd been treated well, she left a little room.

"If I feel I've studied enough, I'll visit again. Or if someone else expresses interest in hiring me."

It was the kind of honeyed lip service meant to soften the blow, but it was something.

She was at least trying to preserve his dignity. Anagin hadn't even done that much.

Razonia seemed to judge it would be hard to persuade her, as he stopped trying. Instead, he asked.

"Then when do you plan to leave, young lady?"

"Today. I feel staying any longer would be rude."

"...Where do you plan to go?"

"I'm not sure. I thought I'd go wherever the wind blows. I think I'll travel with this oppa here at least until we're out of the village."

The Robe Girl said, pointing at Anagin. Without asking for his agreement.

Hearing the answer, Razonia let out a hollow laugh.

"Haha... Well now. It's disconcerting that our precious guests are leaving at the same time. Was our hospitality lacking?"

"It was excellent. I just don't want to keep freeloading and run someone else's household into the ground."

Anagin answered, glancing around.

A few expressions had turned sour, and several armed men stood at the entrance.

"The host's heart wishes to treat you longer, but..."

"It's also the guest's prerogative to leave while it's still appropriate."

Anagin answered, shoving toast into his mouth.

The toast was awfully sweet.

The meal was slowly winding down.

A subtle tension began to flow through the air.

Anagin didn't miss it and moved to rise from his seat, and the Robe Girl moved to stand with him.

Razonia looked at the two of them and spoke.

"Do you remember yesterday's conversation?"

"...I'm not the type to keep track of every little thing."

"Then I'll ask again now. Anagin, what do you think of monsters? As an Ascetic."

An abrupt question.

But strangely, the weight of that question was considerable.

So heavy that the surroundings went quiet, and everyone pricked up their ears.

In the air, taut with tension—

Anagin pointed at the Robe Girl and asked.

"Is it because of her? Because she's a monster?"

"?!"

Anagin dropped the bombshell as casually as anything.

Razonia asked.

"...You knew?"

It seemed Razonia wasn't the only one who wanted to ask.

Spanichi stared at Anagin in shock, and even the Robe Girl herself—the person in question—gazed at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know?"

Whether she was truly that astonished, the Robe Girl asked instead of denying it. Though the mood wasn't one where denying it would've been believed anyway.

"I've got a good nose. I can tell human scent from non-human. And my eyes aren't broken either."

Anagin mentioned the faint beast-scent he'd caught the first time, her fingernails and toenails that glinted with an unusual sharpness, and the tail that shuffled around near her rear.

She'd apparently thought she was hiding it well, but it wasn't enough to fool Anagin completely.

"Why did you pretend not to know?"

Whether she grasped the situation or not, the Robe Girl asked with a carefree air. Ah, carefree wasn't quite right—there was a note of betrayal in her voice.

"What do you mean, pretend. I wasn't pretending not to know—I just wasn't acting like I did."

"That's what I—"

"—Quiet."

Seeing the conversation was about to drag on, Anagin silenced the Robe Girl.

The kid was smart, but there was something endearingly airheaded about her too. Did her curiosity really seem like the priority right now?

The priority wasn't satisfying her curiosity—it was Razonia.

'No, is it the Dolos family?'

Anagin flexed his muscles and looked at the gathered Dolos family, eyes glinting.

The noncombatants—the wives—had already vacated their seats, and only the Giants remained.

Razonia pressed Anagin for an answer.

"You knew, and still protected her?"

"She did my laundry. Is that important?"

"True, that's not important... I have a proposal."

"I think I know what it is, and to save time, may I make my own proposal instead?"

Anagin offered a counter-proposal to cut the waste of time.

In truth, he suspected this too would be a waste of time, but as repayment for the meal, he decided to hear it out.

"...If you just let her and me go, we'll leave quietly. How about it?"

To a proposal far removed from common sense, a heavy silence answered.

No—there was one more thing.

Daria, the lone woman of the Dolos family, kicked the dining table and sent it flying at Anagin.

Watching the table hurtle toward him, Anagin said,

"Come on, seriously—what the fuck."