Chapter 031. Dolos Family (2)
“Ohoh! You really ca back?!”
Razonia, the head of the Dolos Family.
The mont he saw his grandson Spanich, he wrapped him in a tight embrace.
He had heard that Spanich had already returned after defeating the witch, but he hadn’t expected it to be actually true…
It was a truly joyous day. Not only had he successfully hunted the boar, but the grandson he had entrusted with an important mission had returned safely.
“I’m so happy to see you unhard.”
“It was thanks to your teachings, Grandfather.”
“Hohhoh! This boy really does say the sweetest things, doesn’t he? Wouldn’t you agree?”
Razonia said this while looking toward the people walking behind him.
They were his sons, grandsons, and granddaughters.
They were carrying the massive boar on their shoulders.
“Yes, Father, he certainly does.”
“Haha! Now that you’re an adult and have proven your capability… If it ever ca down to it, we could entrust the family to you imdiately!”
“What are you saying? Grandfather, you’re still in excellent condition. Please don’t say things like that, even as a joke.”
Spanich flailed in panic at the idea of being entrusted with the family, bypassing his father and uncles entirely.
Even as a joke, it was too much.
But Razonia wasn’t just saying it to flatter him.
Just as Spanich said, Razonia was still vigorous.
Though over seventy years old, he was a Gigant—little affected by aging. His back was still straight, his muscles firm. If not for the wrinkles on his face, he could easily pass for a young man.
For such a head of house to say he would pass on the family… Spanich’s shock wasn’t unreasonable.
“You rascal! I’d hand it to my eldest grandson, why refuse so stiffly?! You even took down the witch up north!”
Spanich made an embarrassed expression. Had Grandfather not heard properly?
“Grandfather. I didn’t defeat the witch on my own. Embarrassing as it is, I received help.”
“I heard enough. But luck is also a form of skill. Are those two the ones?”
Razonia looked toward the two standing a short distance away.
Anagin and the robed woman.
Spanich nodded and introduced them.
“Yes, this young lady is a mage who offered various advice on the way to the witch, about traps and magic and the like. And this man is—”
“—the Hero of the Outskirts, who’s been the talk of the region lately?”
It seed Razonia had already heard the rumors, for he spoke Anagin’s title himself.
Spanich was about to confirm, but Razonia covered his grandson’s mouth and addressed Anagin directly.
“I want to hear it from you. Are you truly the Hero of the Outskirts?”
Pointing at Anagin, he asked him personally.
Anagin thought for a mont, then shrugged.
“I don’t know about ‘Hero of the Outskirts,’ but if you’re asking whether I’m the guy who beat up the Bender Caravan, Deodia, and the Monster rchant, then yes. Please call Anagin.”
“Kahahahahaha! Now that’s the kind of fiery introduction I like! I am Razonia, head of the Dolos Family. I welco you. Please stay as comfortably as you wish, for as long as you wish.”
Spreading both arms wide, the head of the Dolos Family formally welcod Anagin.
“Thank you.”
Anagin accepted it calmly.
* * *
“Handle the boar, all of you. And Spanich, co with and explain what happened. I’m curious.”
After formally inviting Anagin as a guest, Razonia ordered his sons and grandsons to deal with the boar, then took Spanich with him and disappeared inside.
On top of that, the robed woman suddenly said she felt her energy drained and went into the guest room first.
Thanks to that, Anagin was left standing alone.
After briefly wondering what to do, Anagin decided to walk around the mansion by himself.
Sitting alone in a room felt boring; exploring the huge mansion seed more interesting. And indeed, it was interesting.
‘This is basically a fortress.’
The mansion, which had already looked like a fortress from the outside, revealed itself to be one in every detail upon closer inspection.
This was his first ti seeing a real fortress, but he had heard enough from his master.
The walls were tall and thick, and each corner was built like a watchtower overseeing the whole village.
Inside the mansion, not only the butler and servants lived there, but ten ard guards were stationed permanently. There was even an armory.
It felt excessive for guarding a single village.
“So you were here… Is there sothing you’re curious about?”
He happened to run into the butler.
Reading sothing in Anagin’s expression as he looked around the mansion, the butler politely asked if he had any questions.
“Ah, nothing big. The mansion is just impressive. It’s huge, and you can see the whole village from here.”
“Thank you for the complint. We expanded it when the village was established. To provide lodgings for the village guards, and to watch for any potential intruders.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“This is Anapik overlapped with Barbarland, after all.”
“So that’s why there are so many guards?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“That’s a bit unexpected. It seems the entire Dolos Family is Gigants—wouldn’t that many guards be unnecessary?”
The butler froze. Just for a mont. A normal person wouldn’t have noticed, but Anagin did.
“For efficient village defense, of course. Just as you wouldn’t use a bull-killing knife to slaughter a chicken, it’s better for minor guard duties to be handled by people like us, ordinary folk. That way, the Gigants can focus on greater matters.”
Whether that was true or not, Anagin found the explanation reasonable.
Probably because back in his hotown, Anagin had taken care of village security by himself.
Not that he complained—doing that got him free bread, ale, and honey.
But if soone else had replaced him back then, that would’ve been nice too. Honey is sothing you can never have too much of.
“By the way, why were you looking for ?”
“Ah, I ca to deliver a ssage. We will soon be holding a small celebratory gathering this evening, and we humbly ask that you attend.”
A celebration… no doubt for Spanich’s safe return.
Which ant the food would likely be good.
Anagin, ever interested in als, accepted imdiately.
“Of course I’ll attend.”
“Thank you. Then I shall see you in two hours. We will make sure not to disappoint.”
* * *
Two hours later, in the evening, after the sun had set.
The butler had not lied.
The banquet table, befitting a grand mansion and a large family of nine, was extravagantly lavish.
At the center was a massive roasted wild boar brought by Razonia, surrounded by honey-glazed roasted birds, sausages, ham, boiled eggs, salads, roasted vegetables, at soup, freshly baked white bread with cream, butter, and jam, all served in abundance.
Even considering the hearty appetites of the Gigants, it was more than enough.
‘At least we won’t run out of food while eating.’
Anagin thought as he looked at the mountain of food.
He usually found most als insufficient in quantity, but this ti, it seed he could eat his fill.
Perhaps it was because it was a Gigant household?
‘Maybe this is the answer…’
Anagin seed to have a sudden spark of an idea: a way to turn a hungry journey into a well-fed one.
That ant visiting a house where Gigants lived and receiving a al.
Of course, he wasn’t a beggar, so he would have to be formally invited.
‘Hmm, what’s the proper way to be formally invited to a Gigant household? Or, can one even et Gigants often?’
Anagin pondered. His master had said that Gigants were not nurous, but neither were they rare.
How could he be invited into a Gigant ho to get a proper al?
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
A voice interrupted his contemplations.
It was Razonia, head of the Dolos Family. He began to speak.
Naturally, Razonia’s two sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren straightened their postures and paid attention.
Anagin, on the other hand, only pretended to listen after the robed woman poked him in the side.
“Today is a aningful day. We have successfully captured the rampaging monstrous wild boar that suddenly appeared. This must be by Lord Ares’ revelation. It ans this spring will pass without incident.”
Anagin looked at the roasted boar at the center of the table.
It was large, but small compared to the ones from his hotown.
The wild boars from Anagin’s holand were mostly the size of a house, whereas this one was only slightly bigger than a human.
He didn’t ntion it, but he understood the etiquette of a guest: eat without complaint.
“However, I think it’s more than that. Our family’s eldest grandson has boldly taken his first step.”
“First step?”
“A practitioner’s first mission is called the first step,” the robed woman whispered to him quietly.
“I consider this a kind of revelation. That this year will not only pass safely but that our family, founded by Dolos, who is my father and your grandfather and your great-grandfather, will grow and prosper one step further!"
The head of the family looked at his two sons and grandchildren as he spoke.
Everyone smiled. So more warmly than others.
'A fight over assets?'
Anagin speculated.
With a large family, disputes over inheritance were inevitable.
Even his humble hotown was no exception. And a practitioner family living in a grand mansion would be no different.
It seed human affairs were much the sa everywhere.
"I also sincerely welco our two guests. I hear you helped our slightly inadequate eldest grandson a lot?"
Razonia asked with a knowing tone, having heard about Anagin from Spanich.
Anagin nodded.
"I received help as well."
“Such humility! Once again, we welco the two guests who bring good news. Now, enough of the old man’s stories! Let us fill our stomachs.”
Perhaps due to his robust health, Razonia did not drag his speech like other elders.
He signaled the start of the al by taking a big bite of bread.
As the family followed his lead, Anagin and the robed woman were able to eat.
Anagin first drank a hearty portion of at soup filled with chunks of at, loosening his stomach, then slathered bread with butter, cream, and jam, and put it into his mouth.
He had spread so much that so spilled onto the corner of his lips, but he licked it off without care.
Next, he took a bite of roasted bird, chewing and swallowing even the bones.
The bird’s bones were weak, so chewing them was easier than picking the at off, and it was rather savory.
“Then, did the witch’s villages request protection from our family entirely?”
While they were eating, a man asked Spanich.
He seed to be Spanich’s uncle.
The reason was that he did not react with much joy even after hearing of Spanich’s exploits.
After all, a successful relative could be a disadvantage in inheritance disputes.
Spanich answered.
"Yes, they said they would send people soon."
“That’s good. So they agreed to follow us willingly.”
“They have no choice. The disappearance of the witch does not an the end, they have to find another protector.”
At Razonia’s words, Spanich’s uncle spoke cynically.
“The real issue now is how we protect them. Do we protect them as is, or do we establish a branch and settle there?”
The expressions of Razonia and his two sons grew serious. The surrounding family mbers likewise focused on the conversation.
Anagin also listened closely, eager to understand what a practitioner family truly was.
“Hmm, in your opinions, what do you think would be the best course of action?”
Razonia asked his two sons.
Spanich’s uncle spoke first.
“For now, establishing a branch seems premature.”
“Why?”
“If we split the family, we weaken ourselves as our numbers shrink.”
“I disagree.”
Spanich’s father voiced his opposing opinion.
“And why do you say that?”
“If we’re going to do it, we must do it properly. It’s not very far, but from here it would be difficult to protect that area effectively. If we are to proceed, we must divide a part of the family and settle them there.”
“If we make a mistake, we could be individually defeated by external threats, older brother. Also, creating a branch family will require a substantial amount of wealth, won't it?”
Razonia nodded.
“That’s true. However, it’s not impossible. Any lack of strength can be compensated for with blessings.”
“Blessings?”
Spanich’s uncle asked, as if puzzled by what he ant.
“Understandable, since receiving a ‘blessing’ isn’t sothing easily done. One must achieve a truly significant feat without embellishnt to earn it.
Though they had defeated the Harpy Witch under the temple’s command, that alone wasn’t enough to receive a blessing.
“It seems we can earn it if done properly,” Razonia said with conviction.
The surrounding family mbers showed interest. When the head of the family spoke like that, it suggested there was so reliability behind his words.
However, no one dared ask directly—that would appear as if they doubted the family head…
“Father, even if we bolster our strength with blessings, our resources are still insufficient. We cannot just send a family to branch out without enough provisions.”
“That must be endured. Such hardships are everyday life for a practitioner, aren’t they?”
“But father…”
“If we leave it as is, another practitioner's family will eventually claim it.”
Another practitioner family… It seed Razonia wasn’t speaking of branching out solely for the sake of the villagers.
It was likely to prevent other practitioner families from taking over that land.
Once Razonia spoke to that extent, Spanich’s uncle could no longer argue.
“It’s a pity that the witch’s tower was destroyed,” Spanich’s uncle complained grumpily.
“If the witch's tower hadn't been destroyed, all that wealth would have been ours. Then, forming a branch would have been easier.”
“Ah, well…”
Spanich looked guilty at his uncle’s complaint.
Before he could offer an excuse, Anagin stepped in first.
“Oh, that was . If you have complaints, speak to .”
All eyes turned to Anagin due to his blunt tone.
“...What did you say?”
“The witch’s tower. I destroyed it. I told you to complain to if you have a problem. Is that too difficult to understand?”
Spanich’s uncle, thinking he must have misheard, soon realized he hadn’t.
A sequence of emotions passed across his face: surprise, displeasure, irritation, then anger. At that mont, his son asked.
“...Didn’t you destroy it together with Spanich?”
“We caught the witch together, yes. But I destroyed the tower alone.”
“This is... embarrassing.”
Soone spoke cautiously, as if warning him not to provoke trouble.
However, Anagin didn't give a damn. Because he truly didn't care.
He confird it with these words:
“I'm embarrassed, too. Because a practitioner's family keeps talking about money, money. Is this really a practitioner family?”
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