Anagin Chronicles Chapter 120

Chapter 120. The Forgotten Guest (1)

After separating Hippones’s body and head.

The Beast Devourer absorbed Hippones’s blood and the surrounding flas together.

The only thing left was the charred shell of the pig giant that had burned pitch black.

One of the Groom Tournant participants who saw the scene asked a question.

“What just happened?”

It was an annoying question, but since they had fought together to so extent, Anagin answered kindly.

“It doesn’t an anything. I just wanted to call him Pignes, so I nad him that.”

“Brother, I don’t think that’s what they’re asking.”

Seeing Anagin give such an absurd answer, Sphinx offered so advice. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly good, so that kind of reply didn’t seem very appropriate.

However, Anagin’s response went beyond common sense.

“I know.”

Anagin admitted that he had knowingly said sothing absurd.

What a crooked human.

Sphinx sighed, thinking, ‘I really should have just let him get hit by those arrows.’

“Did you defeat Hippones?”

While Anagin and Sphinx were exchanging their crooked conversation, Atalanta approached and asked calmly.

It seed she still hadn’t accepted Hippones’s death.

Well, they probably hadn’t been able to see properly because of the flas, so it was understandable.

Anagin answered a bit more sincerely than before.

“Yeah, it gave so trouble, but I cut off his head. Just like I expected, the main body was hiding inside his stomach.”

Anagin briefly explained how he had butchered the pig giant, pulled out Hippones’s main body from inside, and separated the head from the body.

After hearing the explanation, Atalanta made a subtle expression.

Neither happy nor sad—truly subtle…

Then again, people’s hearts were complicated. Even when it was ti to be happy, all sorts of thoughts tended to co to mind.

Just as Anagin was wondering whether he should at least give her the severed head, Tramachus carefully interjected.

“......What was that earlier?”

“What was what?”

“Your sword… It looked like it absorbed the flas. Is that right?”

“Uh....... probably?”

Anagin didn't know for sure himself, so he couldn't give a definitive answer.

Certainly, it had absorbed the fire.

When Anagin cut off Hippones’s head, the Beast Devourer absorbed Hippones’s blood and energy, and it also sucked in the surrounding fire.

In other words, the flas created by leager and Tramachus through their blessing.

He didn’t know the principle behind it, but Anagin had clearly seen it with his own eyes.

The reason he couldn’t answer right away was that Anagin himself hadn’t known it had such a function.

He had nad it Beast Devourer just to make it sound strong, but who knew it would actually devour things?

Anagin checked again the red pattern engraved on the lower part of the sword blade of the Beast Devourer.

A pig in flas.

There was no way it had been engraved just for style.

No matter what, it was a magical tool…

Still, just in case, he asked.

“Hey, Pinku-Pinku. Do you know what kind of function got added?”

“No, even I don’t know everything, Brother.”

“What the hell, that’s disappointing.”

When Anagin openly showed his disappointnt, Sphinx was also visibly exasperated.

What did he expect her to say when he suddenly asked sothing like that? And after she had co all this way to help him, too.

At that mont, a third voice interjected. A devilishly annoying voice just from hearing it.

“Want to take a look?”

“Ah, damn! You startled . Where did you even co from?”

It was Ponytail.

This guy hadn’t shown even the tip of his nose when things were busy, and only appeared after everything had been settled. What a clever bastard.

“Why are you all staring? I’m a reporter. Fighting isn’t my specialty. I wouldn’t have been any help anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“Hey, don’t agree with that so quickly… Anyway, want to take a look?”

There was no reason to refuse, so Anagin showed him the Beast Devourer.

The flaming pig pattern engraved on the lower part of the blade.

Ponytail stared at it closely…

“Whoa, this is amazing. It looks like it absorbs the power of the opponent it defeats. That’s quite a rare item. Is it because of this phrase here? Did you co up with it?”

Only then did Anagin recall the phrase he had added to the Beast Devourer.

「I skin beasts, slice their flesh, and sever their bones. And then I devour that beast.」

A phrase he had attached, hoping the Beast Devourer could grow stronger on its own without help from others.

“Oh.......”

Anagin couldn’t help but admire it.

It had developed in a completely unexpected direction, but no matter what, it had beco the kind of magical tool Anagin had hoped for.

He had only wished for it to beco a bit tougher and sharper, but it seed to have beco sothing beyond that.

“Items like this usually allow the user to temporarily use the power of the opponent it devoured.”

“You know more than I thought. Can you tell just by looking?”

“I try to tell you sothing, and you still complain... It's because I've seen a few magical tools of this type before. They're all rare and powerful. Of course, there are issues, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like many powerful magical tools, if their ego grows too strong, they might try to devour their owner as well.”

It was entirely possible.

Magical tools had egos, and the stronger the magical tool, the stronger its ego tended to beco. If the function itself were vicious, it could even harm its owner.

Anagin had already heard of such things several tis.

However, he wasn’t particularly worried.

Partly because he thought, ‘What could a sword possibly do to a person?’ and partly because worrying about such problems already felt foolish.

Rather than worrying about an uncertain future, Anagin decided to focus on what he had just obtained.

Things in the future would be handled by his future self… Well, if it failed, it couldn’t be helped.

“How do you use it?”

“You’re asking too much… Try infusing it with Energy (Γι). Or feed it beast blood or human blood. The activation conditions differ depending on the magical tool.”

“Huh?”

Anagin tilted his head.

Infusing Energy or feeding it beast blood was one thing, but feeding it human blood…

Wasn’t that a bit ssed up?

It seed he would have to experint.

Since he had gotten a good weapon, he should figure out how to use it and practice with it. If it really required human blood, he would also need to think of a solution.

‘Maybe Grumbal could help?’

“Alright, can I ask my question now?”

“What question all of a sudden?”

At Ponytail’s sudden words, Anagin frowned.

“Co on, what’s with that? Did you think I’d just cooperate for free? I helped because I was curious about sothing too. Let’s help each other out.”

A reasonable point.

Anagin asked what he was curious about.

“Wasn’t there anything inside that pig’s stomach?”

“Is there sothing you’re hoping to find?”

“Well? If possible, sothing like gold?”

Gold.

At that word, Anagin suddenly paused.

Hippones, who had devoured gold, ca to mind.

Naturally, he had assud the gold had been absorbed.

However, thinking about it carefully, there was also a possibility that it hadn’t.

In fact, the possibility might be quite high.

After all, it wasn’t Hippones’s own ability that controlled the gold—it was the power of the golden bracelet Hippones had been wearing.

Anagin approached the pig giant and examined it, then walked over to the corpse of Hippones, whose neck had been cut.

The corpse, drained of blood and cooked by the flas, looked like nothing more than a pitch-black shell—just like the pig giant over there.

At least on the outside.

With a certain guess, no, conviction, Anagin sliced open the belly with the Beast Devourer.

Seeing this, the people around him showed complicated reactions.

Even though he was a Barbaroi Cultist, Hippones was still a Hellenes, so they wondered if it was right to desecrate his corpse like that.

However, that hesitation lasted only a mont, because everyone soon noticed sothing strange.

Clatterrrr—!

Dozens of gold coins poured out through the split stomach of Hippones, sparkling brightly as they spilled out.

It was an unexpected sight, but Anagin instinctively knew that those gold coins were the countless pieces of gold Hippones had swallowed. There was no other reason for gold to be there.

Anagin examined the gold carefully.

The coins were heavy. On the front was a hand wearing a crown, and on the back was a donkey engraved.

Just as he was wondering what it was—

“Coins of Greed.”

Soone spoke about the identity of the coins.

* * *

Coins of Greed.

That was the official na of the coins that had co out of Hippones’s stomach.

The fact that there was an official na ant that many identical items already existed.

Anagin asked what the Coins of Greed were and why they were called that.

“It’s nothing special. They’re called Coins of Greed because there are many people who covet them enough to kill others for them. And the reason they covet them is.......”

“......Because you can obtain a blessing without the help of a god.”

Before Ponytail could finish dragging it out, Atalanta explained instead.

The Coins of Greed were not simply coins made of expensive gold, but a type of magical tool.

A miraculous, magical tool that granted blessings to whoever possessed it.

“There are various types of blessings, and you can use them just by holding the coin. That’s why everyone covets them. From ordinary practitioners, to practitioners who were not chosen by the gods, and even common people.”

“Hooo... Why did no one tell such things existed?”

Even though information about cultivation wasn’t simply taught to others, Anagin still grumbled. Wasn’t that rather an?

Thinking that, Anagin picked up one of the Coins of Greed.

Looking at it again, it was a strange coin. It also felt oddly familiar.

“.......”

Anagin examined the images engraved on the coin.

He understood the hand engraved on the front, but the donkey engraved on the back was a little harder to understand.

The hand had a certain style and fit the feeling of greed, but the donkey had neither style nor a clear aning. Was there so hidden symbolism? Or was it satire?

“Surely you’re not going to keep the co—”

—Ting!

Before Atalanta could finish speaking, Anagin flicked the Coin of Greed with his finger and tossed it onto the ground.

From that natural action, it was obvious that Anagin had no interest in the coin.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t keep it?”

Having no interest was one thing, but since he didn’t know whether there was a reason he shouldn’t keep it, Anagin asked.

After thinking for a mont, Atalanta explained in a blunt yet detailed manner.

“The temples forbid people from possessing Coins of Greed. They consider them sacrilegious items because they grant blessings without passing through the hands of a god.”

“I don’t know about sacrilegious, but it’s definitely proven to be an unlucky item.”

At Anagin’s words, Atalanta nodded.

After all, they had just witnessed that coin devour a person.

Then again, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Just as monsters were often used as materials for magical tools or dicine, practitioners were sotis used as materials for magical tools or dicine as well.

No one knew who made the Coins of Greed, how they were made, or why they were made, which was why various theories circulated.

From the theory that they occurred naturally, to them being the gods’ prank, or magic created by mages.

At least one thing had beco clear at this mont.

Coins of Greed were made from gold that had devoured a practitioner who possessed a blessing.

Just in case, Atalanta asked. The temptation of a blessing could break even soone with the strongest will.

“You really have no interest in the coins?”

“Nope. They’re unlucky.”

A logical yet illogical answer.

But it was convincing enough that Atalanta didn’t press further.

Instead, Anagin questioned her.

“Oh, by the way, why are you suddenly explaining all this to ? It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“It’s my way of showing gratitude. I heard you gave Irida so advice.”

“? No way.”

Anagin feigned ignorance as he stood up.

To be honest, calling it helping would be a stretch—he had just acted according to his temper. No matter how shaless Anagin was, it was a bit embarrassing to hear it put that way. What if they grew fond of him?

(T/N): LOL

Just as he was about to leave, thinking his business here was more or less finished—

“Wait, aren’t you going to take the coins?”

Irida asked Anagin, who was about to leave while leaving the coins behind.

Anagin asked back in disbelief.

“......Didn’t you say we shouldn’t take them?”

“You shouldn’t keep them, but you can bring them to the Temple of Delphi.”

The Temple of Delphi.

It was a word he hadn’t heard in a while.

“If you bring Coins of Greed there, it will be recognized as a great rit. Then the gods might take an interest in you.”

Just as Anagin was about to say he wasn’t interested in that, soone interrupted.

It was one of the guests who had co to the Groom Tournant—leager’s uncle.

“Are you planning to keep all of that for yourself?”

Everyone quietly turned their heads toward leager’s uncle.

As if asking, Is it really your turn to butt in?

But he didn’t give up.

“Didn’t we all work together to defeat it? Of course, we should have our share.”

It was a reasonable statent. If you fought together, you shared the spoils. That was basic.

However, calling it our share was a bit strange when leager’s uncle hadn’t really done much. All he had done was throw his spear a few tis once the situation had already beco safe.

Hearing soone like that spout things like “our share” and “of course,” Anagin felt a slight urge not to comply so easily.

He had no intention of taking them himself, but he didn’t particularly want to give them away either.

However, stepping forward to argue also felt a bit botherso.

While closing his eyes and pondering what to do—

An argunt broke out between Atalanta and leager’s uncle.

It was about the rightful share and distribution of the coins.

Atalanta argued that even if they were divided, the largest share should go to Anagin, who had fought at the forefront, and the next largest share should go to the younger mbers, the New Argonaut Expedition Team.

Of course, leager’s uncle didn’t back down either. He demanded to know why she was deciding that on her own.

The argunt quickly escalated.

Irida took her sister’s side.

“My sister is The Great Warrior Atalanta! Of course she has the right to speak! And she did incredible work too!”

“She’s still just a woman!”

“What did you say?!”

He stopped short of shouting outright, perhaps because he was leager’s uncle, but judging from Irida’s expression, she looked ready to fire an arrow at any mont.

Well, she wasn’t the only one.

At that mont, leager’s uncle shouted.

“Fine! Then let’s settle this according to the law and ask King Isos to give a judgnt! He is the ruler of this land, and you are his daughters!”

He brought the king of the Kingdom of Arcadia into the matter. Whether he had so confidence or not, he seed to think that would work more in his favor.

‘But that person is staying quiet even with all this chaos? Isn’t he supposed to be the head?’

Just as Anagin began to wonder about Isos, who hadn’t even shown his face—

Thud!

Sothing fell to the ground.

A small yet distinct sound, with a faint chill to it.

As if they had made a silent agreent, everyone turned their heads toward the direction the sound had co from.

And they saw it.

The severed head of Isos, the King of Arcadia, rolling on the ground with its neck cut clean off.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Looks like that person isn’t in any condition to hold a trial.”

And standing in front of that head, a woodcutter holding a silver axe.