Anagin Chronicles

Chapter 141

The reason he knew the scroll's destination was near the Temple of Delphi was thanks to the coordinates written on the scroll.The coordinates pointed to the Temple of Delphi ... more accurately, to Mount Parnassus, where the Temple of Delphi was located.

One of the most massive mountains in Hellas.

However, the coordinates on a teleportation magic scroll only served as a central axis; they couldn't provide a precise location.

That was why Sanchonius had explained it simply as a scroll that moved one near the Temple of Delphi.

Well, those minor details weren't much of a problem.

Whether it went straight to the temple or just nearby, it was honestly one and the same. Anagin naturally began to imagine what the surroundings of the Temple of Delphi would look like.

It was as natural as thinking of a menu the moment someone mentions dinner.

Surely, it would be a place that exuded a quiet and reverent atmosphere, wouldn't it? Like a holy land.

After all, since it was a place practitioners visited to receive a blessing from a god, that was the natural inference.

Thus, Anagin hadn't asked any questions regarding the Temple of Delphi or its vicinity. He didn't think there was much worth asking.

But…

“What is this?”

Anagin shifted his gaze here and there, scanning his surroundings.

Massive, colorful tents spread out like ceilings and walls.

The musty air from a lack of ventilation.

The scent of human sweat and beast fur mixed within it.

Flashy clothes and masks that stage actors might wear.

He didn't know where this was, but he could say one thing for certain.

No matter how he looked at it, this place did not suit the holy land Anagin knew.

‘Is it a trap? Trying to catch me off guard and exploit an opening.’

While Anagin was entertaining such absurd thoughts due to the completely unexpected scene, Sphinx, still in the form of a cat, muttered.

“Looks like… a traveling troupe?”

“A traveling troupe?”

“A troupe that wanders from place to place performing plays. I’ve stayed with one before, so I know.”

“Why is there a traveling troupe near the Temple of Delphi?”

Still unable to shake off his preconceptions, Anagin pressed the question.

Tramachus explained.

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. The Temple of Delphi has always been like this.”

“A chaotic and noisy back alley?”

“No, it’s just a place where every day is a festival.”

* * *

Unlike Anagin, the New Argonaut Expedition Trio did not seem particularly surprised.

There was only one reason. They had been to the Temple of Delphi before.

Naturally, they were familiar with both the Temple of Delphi itself and the atmosphere surrounding it, and they explained it to Anagin.

“The Temple of Delphi is as boisterous as a festival 365 days a year. It’s even louder during actual festivals.”

“Why?”

Anagin asked back, feeling a small shock at his preconceived notions being shattered.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t a reaction he should have had, but still, wasn’t it natural to be curious?

Why did the area around a temple look like a place to eat, drink, and have fun?

Thyreos explained that part.

“Rather than hollow piety, truly savoring the blessings granted by the gods is real worship and gratitude.”

“And there are enough visitors to justify holding a festival every day.”

Lynceus added a realistic reason.

It was something that made sense with even a little thought.

To repeat, practitioners who wished to obtain blessings usually had to come to the Temple of Delphi. Only then would they even have a chance to be chosen by a god.

That meant countless practitioners visited the Temple of Delphi every day, and practitioners were generally quite wealthy.

Naturally, merchants flocked in to sell them beds, food, alcohol, sacrifices and offerings, and all kinds of entertainment.

Moreover, if it was a temple renowned enough to attract innumerable practitioners, then others were bound to come as well. Royalty, nobles, and wealthy classes, such as merchants.

Anagin accepted and understood these facts immediately. He still felt as though his common sense had been shaken, but refusing to accept it wouldn’t change anything anyway.

So then, the problem now was.......

“Is this traveling troupe Magno as well?”

He couldn’t jump to conclusions. It would be strange for a mage affiliated with Magno to make a living by running a troupe, so it might be a cover.

No, before that, it wasn’t even certain that the mages Anagin had taken down were Magno in the first place.

There was no identification in the mages’ belongings saying, ‘I am a member of the mage organization Magno,’ so there was no proper way to know from the outset.

At best, it was only an assumption that they were Magno.

‘If there had been even a single Freedom’s Thread, it would have been easier to speculate, but there wasn’t.’

Anagin suddenly recalled that there was no Freedom’s Thread among the spoils he had acquired.

Well, it wasn’t particularly disappointing, but it did raise questions.

If you thought about it, most of the looters there must have come after the Freedom’s Thread, yet there wasn’t a single one in their baggage....... It felt a bit unnatural.

As his thoughts briefly drifted down that side path.

“Uh?”

Some kid walked in and locked eyes with him.

About thirteen years old. A boy, and at a glance, he looked like a kid who made a living doing odd jobs for the troupe.

“W-who are you?”

The kid spoke informally despite it being their first meeting.

A detail that suggested troupe life was rougher than expected.

“Who are you?”

Anagin spoke on behalf of the group. It was a rather shameless thing for an intruder to say, but since this was the destination of the mages’ teleportation scroll, it was a perfectly reasonable question from Anagin’s perspective.

Depending on the situation, these guys could also be lowlife bandits who had planned to rob Anagin.

“Just wait right there!”

The kid, instead of being scared, threatened them and ran out.

Obviously, he was going to call others.

Anagin sat down on one of the nearby chairs and waited.

“Is it really okay to let him go like that?”

“Why wouldn’t it be. He’s gone to bring someone to talk.”

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the kid reappeared, leading people with him.

They were workers and actors from the troupe, and at the very front came a large, heavily built man. With his thick beard, he looked like a bear.......

Coincidentally, in one of the bear-like man’s hands was a growling bear mask.

“Who the hell are you, people?!”

The bear-like man roared.

Anagin didn’t answer, and instead asked a question.

“Are you Magno?”

“......!”

“Then you are Magno.”

Seeing the troupe members’ reactions, Anagin was certain. They were Magno.

Since he had already been about 90 percent sure, it wasn’t particularly shocking.

The problem was what Anagin should do with them.

Whether Magno was near the Temple of Delphi or not was none of Anagin’s business, but these guys might also have played a hand in trying to rob him.

‘It’s a bit awkward to just beat them down, but doing nothing doesn’t sit right either... Is there a way to use them appropriately?’

As he mulled this over, thankfully, the bear-like man made the first move.

“Grrrr….”

When the bear-like man put on the bear mask he was holding, his clothes tore as his body grew larger. Fur sprouted from his body, and the mask fused with his face, turning him into a real bear.

That said, he could still speak human language.

“You barge in all of a sudden and spout nonsense— keh!”

From his seated position, Anagin extended his hand and grabbed the now bear-transformed brute.

How?

By creating a Giant’s Hand.

Drawing on his experience practicing the Giant’s Fist, he used Pa (pa) and Ek (ek) and Pl (pl) to form a massive hand, which grabbed the bear-like man as he was.

“Guaaaah…….”

Despite his bold transformation, the bear-like man was unable to put up any meaningful resistance and was on the verge of passing out.

Apparently, he hadn’t truly transformed into a real bear, but merely imitated the appearance.

After all, the Giant’s Hand Anagin created was not yet fully perfected.

It was one thing to use it for quick strikes, but simply holding something was still impractical in real combat. In other words, that bear-like man was weak, someone who only copied the outward form.

Well, regardless of those inner details, he had achieved his objective.

“Eh? Uh......?”

Seeing the bear-like man subdued in an instant, the Magno traveling troupe went pale and froze.

They had realized the overwhelming difference in power.

Just as Anagin was about to press the advantage and threaten them again.

“Yes, we are Magno.”

A woman entered. Her eyes were covered with cloth, and she carried a staff.

She appeared to be blind.

“Lady Uma?!”

“You shouldn’t come here.”

“Please, run away...!”

Judging by their reactions, she seemed to be the one in charge here.

And someone quite respected, at that.

However, for someone like that, her personality was quite interesting.

“You should have said that before I showed up. And how exactly were you planning to resolve this yourselves?”

“Ah....”

“Ghk......!”

The woman named Uma used a tone that was polite yet quite sharp. Even though she seemed blind, she precisely faced the direction where people were standing.

“A traveling troupe, huh. Interesting.”

Anagin muttered as he looked at the scene before him.

“I’m glad you think so. For people who make their living through theater, that’s the highest praise. So please, would you release Ark? He’s one of our core actors.”

“You’re shameless. Why should I grant the request of a low-life bandit?”

“Bandit? Ah, I think I know what you mean. However, being part of Magno doesn't mean we all have the same intentions. As you can see, we are just people who make a living day to day with plays. For magic, we can only use flimsy magic that mimics appearances. Even that, we barely manage with the help of masks.”

“Auuu... huck!”

The bear-like man, floating helplessly in the air, held by the Giant’s Hand, looked like he was about to cry.

Uma's words had become a dagger and pierced the bear-like man's chest.

Even to Anagin's ears, the words were a bit harsh.

So he loosened his grip just a little.

However, he wasn’t about to let this situation slide peacefully.

“Then why did the bastards who attacked me have a scroll that leads here?”

“Hmm.... I’m sorry, but may I ask who you are? Who are you that you say you were attacked?”

“Well? Guess. If you do, I’ll let him go.”

As always, Anagin veered off into a crooked path and made an unreasonable demand.

Once the balance of power was decided, this approach was effective. If you pressured people relentlessly, most would reveal a weakness or do as they were told.

But what was this?

Uma reacted cheerfully.

“Oh my, really? Thank you, Mr. Anagin.”

“Huh?”

“Then I suppose I guessed correctly.”

“How did you know?”

Anagin asked, still holding onto the bear-like man. She answered as if she had been waiting for it, meaning she had known from the start that he was Anagin.

Was this a trap after all?

As Anagin raised his guard, some of the actors shouted for him to release the bear-like man as promised. Uma stopped them.

“Enough. If he makes up his mind, we all die.”

After calming her companions, Uma answered Anagin’s question.

“I speculated. Because there aren’t many people who travel together with members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team.”

Anagin looked silently at the New Argonaut Expedition trio, as if scolding them, saying this was their fault.

Naturally, the New Argonaut Expedition trio glared back as if to say, don’t spout nonsense.

‘It’s your fault.’

‘Don’t talk nonsense.’

Anyway, now he understood how Uma had seen through his identity so quickly.

“You seem to have an unusually wide network.”

“Fufu, the weaker you are, the more other talents you need to survive. That’s why third-rate mages like us ended up joining Magno....... No, receiving Magno’s help, that is.”

It sounded like simple boasting, but Anagin noticed the deliberate attempt to draw a line between themselves and Magno.

We are different from Magno, and we have no intention of opposing you, so please don’t harm us....... That sort of message.

However, there was a problem.

“I’m torn. No matter how you slice it, you’re on the same side as the ones who attacked me. What should I do about that?”

“As I said earlier, being part of Magno doesn't mean we all have the same intentions.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that?”

“Well, perhaps because I once requested a deal?”

A deal?

Anagin tilted his head, then suddenly remembered something.

Pointing with his finger, Anagin asked.

“The Witch of Dust?”

“Yes.”

The Witch of Dust nodded, revealing her identity.

Anagin released the bear-like man from his grasp.