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Chapter 39: A New Destination (2)
Sphinx cooked a fresh pot of stew, and after they finished eating it—
Anagin led his new companions out of the Old Castle.
Once outside, he understood why they had asked for help.
Most of the captives had grabbed whatever valuables Sphinx left behind and fled, but a few were taking revenge on the Watchers of the Old Castle with broken legs.
“Heheh! Didn’t I say I’d be watching?!” “Kraaagh… stop…!”
They must have had a lot of pent-up grudges, because they were stabbing and slashing men who couldn’t even resist with two broken legs. The result was the stench of blood hanging in the air.
“Eek, big sister….”
The frightened girls clung to the older ones.
“Let’s go.”
Anagin stepped forward regardless.
Straight through the corpses with two broken legs and the people who had made them.
When Anagin moved, Sphinx followed, and then the others did too.
“…….”
The ones in the middle of their revenge silently watched him.
Whether it was because they’d escaped or because they’d seen blood, they were all worked up. And yet their thoughts seemed complicated. Wariness, suspicion—that sort of thing.
‘Usually at times like this….’
“Are you the one who saved us?”
Ah, there it is. Someone testing the waters.
“Thank you for your help. I—”
“Move.”
Anagin spoke to the man who had stepped out and blocked his path.
Don’t block the road. Get lost.
The man flinched, showing fear and anger at the same time.
He was scared of Anagin, who had wiped out all the Watchers of the Old Castle, yet furious at being told to get lost out of nowhere.
The nameless man and Anagin locked eyes briefly.
“S-sorry….”
The man quietly opened the way.
Anagin walked on, and Sphinx and the rest followed.
“It looked like he was trying to thank you. Did you really have to do that?”
Sphinx asked after they had passed the city gate and walked a while.
Anagin answered with a question of his own.
“You think someone who starts taking revenge the moment they’re out is going to give a pure-hearted thank-you?”
“Hmm……”
Sphinx had nothing to say, so she only hummed.
Fair enough. A normal person would have run first, and anyone with a shred of gratitude would have come to Anagin before anyone else to thank him. But someone who goes straight to revenge on a man with broken legs? The odds of pure gratitude were low. Not zero, maybe, but he didn’t particularly want thanks from someone like that anyway.
“Doesn’t matter either way. I hate hassle more than anything.”
“Hmm….”
Sphinx looked back at the girls trailing behind them with pity.
They had ears too, and they’d heard Anagin’s words unfiltered, so they were even more careful about reading the mood.
If Anagin suddenly abandoned them, it would be a disaster.
As they walked in awkward silence, one girl spoke up.
It was the black-haired girl, the one who had first asked Anagin to take them to their village.
“Um, may I ask what business you have with the Aoi family?”
“Why?”
“I thought it might help, maybe….”
The black-haired girl spoke preemptively, worried Anagin might change his mind. She was saying that they might be useful, so please don’t abandon them. Of course, that wouldn’t stop Anagin from abandoning them if he wanted to, but it was better than doing nothing. At the very least, it could ease the girls’ anxiety.
“Didn’t you say you don’t know anything?”
At Anagin’s thoughtless reply, the girl bowed her head again.
The mood sank once more.
Seeing that, Anagin tossed out a casual remark.
“We’re heading the same way anyway, so don’t worry about it. After we arrive, though, I make no promises.”
The black-haired girl and a few others lifted their heads slightly.
“So, are you all from the same village?”
“Ah, yes.”
“How did you get caught?”
The girl hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“One day they suddenly raided our village and took us.”
“There’s an Ascetic Family nearby. Don’t they protect you?”
“Our village is poor…. We can’t pay tribute.”
Ah, he roughly understood.
They couldn’t afford protection fees, so they got no protection.
“That’s probably why this happens so often. Thieves showing up out of nowhere, raiders attacking. So….”
The girl trailed off.
As she spoke, grief she hadn’t intended to show welled up in her.
“…….”
Anagin had no interest and nothing to offer, so he said nothing and simply kept walking. The girls followed in silence.
After they had walked for quite a while, the youngest child appealed in a weak voice.
“Big sister, how much farther do we have to go…?”
She was clearly exhausted, whining about how long they’d been walking.
She wasn’t the only one struggling.
The other children were tired too, even if they didn’t say it. Even the black-haired girl, the oldest of them, looked fairly worn out.
Then again, they’d been locked up, suddenly freed, and force-marched all this way. It would’ve been stranger if they weren’t exhausted.
Anagin looked at the sky. It seemed like they could walk a bit more, but—
“Stop. We sleep here and go tomorrow.”
At Anagin’s declaration of rest, everyone let out an involuntary cry of joy. They really were exhausted.
A few collapsed where they stood, and Anagin pulled a pot, knife, cutting board, and ingredients from his subspace bag.
“Pinku Pinku.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll cook.”
Whether she had finally accepted her calling, Sphinx gathered the cooking tools and began preparing dinner.
A few of the girls got up to help.
“We’ll help too!”
They gathered branches from around them and lit the fire, helping Sphinx. Meanwhile, Anagin took out a tent and several blankets.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“We eat, then sleep right away. We leave the moment the sun rises.”
“Okaaay….”
“You decide among yourselves who sleeps in the tent.”
“……Ah, yes!”
When he yielded the single tent to them, the black-haired girl thanked him a beat late. She was surprised by the unexpected consideration.
Sphinx, now able to rest thanks to the girls, walked up to Anagin and poked him in the side.
“Heh, you’ve got a warm side that doesn’t match your looks…. I wish you’d been like that with me too.”
“Pinku Pinku.”
“What? Embarrassed?”
“Go cook.”
“…….”
After that, nothing much happened.
Sphinx cooked, they ate the food appreciatively, then Sphinx and the girls did the dishes. Anagin cheered them on. After the dishes, everyone fell asleep, and when the sun rose they got up again, Sphinx cooked, they ate, then dishes, cheering, and packing up the tent.
“This is bad. I think I’m starting to regret traveling with you more and more, Oppa.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine?”
“I said it’s fine.”
“…Can I get mad?”
When Anagin and Sphinx had that exchange before setting out, a few people burst out laughing.
Thanks to that, the mood lightened considerably, and conversation flowed naturally.
“I don’t have much to tell you about the village.”
“There isn’t really anything…….”
“Figured.”
“…Actually, not long before we were kidnapped, some outsiders came to the village.”
“Outsiders?”
“Not just one or two, but several. I don’t know the details exactly. They said something about protecting us, but it didn’t sound like a good deal. The adults were worried enough to hold meetings several times.”
From what he heard, outsiders had recently come to Pond Village.
It wasn’t all that rare, she said.
In Anapic, where there was plenty of masterless land, there were quite a few who came around to extort people like that.
He understood to a degree. Even a city like Disis Polis had been shaken down by the Bander Peddler Band.
“But this seemed a bit different. They said they’d protect us, but they demanded not only grain and livestock as tribute, but cooperation as well.”
He didn’t know what it was, but from Anagin’s perspective, it seemed more demanding than tribute of grain and livestock, not less.
‘Well, probably none of my business.’
Anagin decided to write it off as nothing important.
Bluntly put, this was just a stopover. Not something he needed to get deeply involved in.
Once he reached that conclusion, the village appeared before he knew it.
“Th-there it is!”
When they reached a village nestled between the forest and a pond, the girls joyfully broke into a run.
A village smaller and poorer than he’d imagined. As the girls entered, it quickly grew noisy.
Their daughters, whom they’d thought they’d never see again after the kidnapping, had returned—of course it grew noisy.
“That person helped us!”
When the rejoicing had calmed somewhat, the black-haired girl pointed at Anagin and told them he had saved them.
Everyone in the village looked at Anagin, and Anagin looked back at them.
He could see why the kids had been kidnapped.
Never mind that the village’s men were few—most of them had no fight in their eyes. They looked like you could knock them over with a single punch.
Personally, not Anagin’s type at all.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing much. Just the first time I’ve seen a village poorer than mine.”
It was a roundabout way of saying he couldn’t just tell them their whole village looked pathetic, but he meant it.
Disis Polis, the Ruins Village, Dolos Village—most of the places Anagin had been so far were wealthier than his hometown. Even the Witch’s domain.
So he’d assumed the whole outside world was prosperous, but Pond Village wasn’t, and that threw him a little. The atmosphere was gloomy too.
“That’s normal.”
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you think it’d be different?”
Sphinx corrected the unconscious bias Anagin held. She didn’t know where his hometown was, but people’s lives were similar everywhere.
“Welcome, hero. I heard the story. I sincerely thank you for saving our children.”
An old man who appeared to be the village chief approached Anagin and greeted him politely. Perhaps because he was the chief, there was a bit of strength in his eyes.
“We are a poor village, so we have little to offer, but please, give us the chance to repay your kindness.”
Anagin didn’t answer, only looked down at the chief steadily. Then he surveyed the village.
“Hero?”
“I’m not a hero.”
Seems there was a misunderstanding, so Anagin cleared up his position first. So they wouldn’t get their hopes up.
“Smashing those whatever-they-were from the Old Castle was personal. And I brought those kids here just so they’d guide me. I’ve got business to attend to.”
“What business would you have with our village……”
“I don’t care about this village. My business is with the Aoi family up the hill from here.”
“If it’s not rude to ask, may I know what business?”
“I want them to lift my bounty.”
“…Bounty?”
“Those bastards put a bounty on me. Called me an Ascetic killer.”
Contrary to expectations, when Anagin said he was an Ascetic killer, the chief of Pond Village was taken aback but not greatly afraid.
Ironically, having been exposed to so many threats and dangers, they were rather unswayed by such rumors.
What mattered more than rumors was the person standing before them.
To the chief, the fact that Anagin had saved their villagers mattered more than the label of Ascetic killer.
“Is the food to your liking?”
So the chief invited Anagin into his home and served him food.
Though it was only thin soup, coarse bread, and scrawny chicken.
“…It’s good.”
Honestly, it wasn’t very tasty, and the portions weren’t satisfying, but Anagin lied. Whatever the reason, this man had invited him into his home and shared his food.
The chief nodded as if relieved.
“That’s a relief. I was worried the hospitality wouldn’t be enough…. Thank you for saying so.”
“If you’re grateful, can you tell me about it now? The Aoi family.”
After the meal, Anagin went straight to the point.
He hadn’t come here to rest in the first place.
The chief told him willingly. About the Aoi family.
If you followed the main road uphill from where they’d entered the village, you’d reach Aoi Village, and the estate built on the highest hill there was the Aoi family’s home.
Ascetic Families really did seem to love high places.
“Honestly, I don’t know much either. We’ve never had dealings with the Aoi family.”
That was expected, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
They couldn’t pay tribute, and so they received no protection. Meeting them would have been even more unthinkable.
Still, since they lived nearby, he knew the Aoi family’s numbers and characteristics well.
“They’re not Giants?”
“No…. As far as I know, they’re not Giants—they only hold the blessing of the gods.”
“Huh…, now I’m curious.”
“It’s a family centered on women, and most are called Madame. Great Madame, Little Madame. Titles like Young Lady.”
“How many are there?”
“Quite a few. One Great Madame, three Little Madames, and I’ve heard there are seven Young Ladies….”
Interestingly, the Aoi family’s combat personnel all seemed to be women. It was a form he’d never imagined, so it was a bit fascinating.
‘If they’re women, maybe we can talk?’
Anagin mulled it over. There might be a chance.
If they were women, they’d have less pointless pride than men. At least, that was his experience.
“…If things don’t go well, what do you plan to do?”
“That’s not something you need to worry about….”
Anagin trailed off. Since he was visiting, it wasn’t entirely not their concern, was it? Hmm….
“…I’ll make sure there’s no harm to your side.”
“…….”
“Or I can leave right now.”
“That’s not what I meant to ask. I was simply curious.”
‘Doesn’t seem like it….’
Anagin eyed him suspiciously, and the chief soon confessed.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask.”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I can.”
He made his refusal clear before the chief could even speak.
The chief pleaded earnestly.
“…Could you at least hear me out?”
“It’s about the outsiders, isn’t it? They’re making your lives difficult?”
The chief shut his mouth in surprise.
“I heard bits and pieces on the way here. Sorry, but I don’t have the time for that. I’ve got plenty of other places to stop besides here.”
There were many Ascetic Families that had placed bounties on Anagin, and beyond Ascetic Families, there were plenty of plain Ascetics too. Just sorting all of that out would take considerable time. He didn’t want to waste time elsewhere.
More than anything, even if he helped now, judging by the state of the village, it would only be temporary. It was obvious the same thing would happen again. In short, it was a waste of effort.
If it were his own village, maybe. But he had no desire to waste effort on a village he’d never known.
“I see….”
Once the chief confirmed Anagin’s resolve, he quickly gave up on making his request.
The story ends there.
Anagin got up from his seat and went to the guest room, and Robe Girl followed after him. Since the Village Chief’s house had only one guest room, they had no choice but to share it.
“Oppa.”
“The story’s already over. If you’re not going to sleep outside, then we’re just sleeping together.”
“That’s not what I meant….”
Sphinx let out a single sigh, then spoke again.
“Can’t you at least hear them out?”
“Hear what?”
“The request for help. You can at least listen to what they want, can’t you?”
“Giving people false hope isn’t my style. It’s a pain, too.”
“What if I turn you in? Even if you get one thing, people resent not getting another—that’s just human nature.”
“You’ve got a twisted view of people, huh?”
“Hearing that from you, Oppa, honestly hurts.”
“Go ahead and turn me in. Then we just fight right here.”
It was a simple conclusion. A decision only a Giant confident in his own strength could make.
Sphinx seemed used to this by now, and said no more.
“You’re leaving after breakfast tomorrow, right?”
“No, skip breakfast. It’s obvious you’re short on food as it is. You already ate one of your few chickens.”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’ve got at least that much sense.”
“Who said anything? I was just thinking about what’ll happen tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?”
“Once we reach the Aoi family, isn’t it obvious? You’ll fight them, just like the Dolos family, won’t you?”
“Why do you think that?”
“What kind of insane Ascetic Family would drop a bounty just because the wanted criminal showed up in person?”
“I can just explain things properly, can’t I?”
“You? …Even if you explain it well, it won’t be easy. It’s a matter of pride. For an Ascetic to go back on something they’ve done, they need a plausible justification. Otherwise they end up looking ridiculous.”
“Ascetics are a real pain in the ass.”
Said Anagin—who had become an Ascetic himself, yet still had no clue what being one actually meant. Then again, he’d never intended to become an Ascetic in the first place.
“Anyway, you’re the last person who’d ever go back on his word, Oppa. Never. If anything, that’s exactly why you won’t—because backing down now would make you look scared.”
“I don’t think so.”
Anagin denied what Sphinx said.
“Why not?”
“There’s no such thing as never in this world.”
That statement proved true.
The next morning, Anagin didn’t have to fight the Aoi family.
Because a member of the Bandit Alliance—the Forest Brotherhood—had come to visit the village.
“Everyone, come out and look at this!”
Holding the severed head of the Aoi family.
“You’re all free now!”
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