Chapter 162. Drrrk (3)
The drrrk sound of gears turning in one’s head.
Naturally, it didn’t mean an actual sound could be heard.
It was merely a figurative expression, a kind of instinctive sense used to determine whether the person in front of you had ulterior motives or not.
And there were many ways to tell if someone had hidden intentions.
Their gaze while speaking, the tone and tremor of their voice, their gestures and posture, even subtle movements of the nose, these tiny details revealed it.
Surprisingly, this kind of physical language was often more honest than the words coming out of one’s mouth.
Of course, the most important factor was Anagin’s personal intuition.
To others, it might seem like an unreasonable and highly subjective element, but Anagin didn’t care.
Most of the time, his instincts were right.
And based on that experience, the captured subordinate of the priest was also turning her gears right now.
“What? I already told you everything.”
With sky-colored hair and eyes, marble-like skin, and a fairly strong-looking physique, the woman spoke with a confident voice.
Anagin didn’t respond and instead went over her story in his head.
She was from a poor fishing village.
Because of that poverty, the village had gradually been overtaken by the Barbaroi Cult.
They had promised help if the villagers believed in the fish god they worshipped.
Since it was a village influenced by Hellas, they had initially resisted worshipping such a god, but as their situation worsened, they eventually gave in.
After that, the atmosphere of the village began to grow strange.
Unable to endure it, the woman had tried to escape with her younger sisters, but they were caught.
Now, with her sisters held hostage, she had no choice but to serve as a subordinate.
It was quite a pitiful story.
“She also received a large sum of money.”
One of the mages listening nearby sneered.
Apparently, when she was captured, she had been carrying a considerable amount of money.
Well, it made sense. If you were luring people in from elsewhere, you’d need money.
When Anagin said as much, the mage sneered again.
“It wasn’t just ‘some.’ It was far more than that.”
“Oh, really?”
In truth, it didn’t matter.
Whether she became a subordinate for money or for her sisters.
What mattered was that drrrk sound coming from her head. Though he couldn’t tell exactly what she was thinking.
‘Well, I guess it’s natural. She was captured against her will.’
As Anagin was thinking that—
“Anything else to discuss?”
The fisherman mage approached and spoke.
He didn’t say it outright, but it felt like he was telling him to wrap up the conversation here.
Well, she was a kind of asset to them—continued contact might make them uneasy.
Anagin decided to be understanding. For now, they were working together, so it was only right to show some consideration.
“No.”
“Good. I’ve more or less finished discussing things with my comrades as well. About your conditions.”
For a brief moment, the fisherman mage’s eyes gleamed strangely.
It was probably because of the private deal they had made—accepting Anagin’s conditions in exchange for helping him personally seize the magical tool the priest possessed.
Naturally, that deal was a secret.
“…My comrades have agreed.”
Both his voice and his gaze seemed to say, ‘thanks to me.’
“That’s good.”
“In return, you’ll need to show us some respect as well. And if we see someone with high research value, you’ll help capture them instead of killing them. That’s acceptable, right?”
“That much is fine.”
Anagin accepted without resistance. It was within expectations.
The atmosphere eased somewhat, and Anagin decided it was time to move on to the real matter.
“Then, can I hear the plan now? How are we going to capture the priest?”
* * *
Anagin’s reason for asking about the plan to capture the Barbaroi Cult priest was simple.
He genuinely couldn’t picture how they were going to pull it off.
Sure, the Barbaroi Cult had spread its influence through several fishing villages in Western Anapik, but their real base was an island.
An island floating out at sea.
If the priest had set up camp in one of the fishing villages, there’d have been no need to ask about a plan. He could’ve just gone and beaten them down.
But an island was a different story.
Getting there in the first place was difficult.
One might think, why not just take a boat? But… well.
It didn’t seem that simple.
After all, they were people who worshipped a fish god.
“The first idea was to go to the island, but we concluded it was too dangerous. Since they worship a fish god, the sea is basically their backyard.”
As expected.
Fighting on the sea was dangerous.
Even for Anagin, it wasn’t somewhere he’d want to fight unless absolutely necessary.
He wasn’t enough of a masochist to deliberately fight in terrain where the enemy had the advantage.
Fortunately, the mages weren’t masochists either, and they did have a plan.
Though Anagin didn’t like it much.
“We’ll aim for when the priest comes onto land.”
“And when is that?”
“Prayer day. Apparently, he visits one fishing village at random each month to offer prayers. That’s when we plan to strike… Why that expression? Is there a problem with our plan?”
A problem?
Yes.
First of all, the fact that the plan was passive didn’t sit well with him.
And the idea of randomly visiting fishing villages was also unsatisfactory. How were they supposed to know which one?
When Anagin pointed this out, the fisherman mage replied.
“We say random, but we’re gradually finding a pattern. I’m confident we can predict where he’ll appear next time.”
“Still don’t like it. More than anything, there’s something bothering me. Where did that information come from? Her, right?”
Anagin pointed at the subordinate woman.
The fisherman mage nodded.
“Is there a problem?”
“Yeah.”
Though it sounded like a courtesy question, Anagin answered honestly.
The fisherman mage didn’t bother hiding his displeasure.
“What exactly is the issue?”
“Because of her.”
Anagin pointed at the woman again and explained.
That she had been making that drrrk sound in her head this whole time.
It was obvious, but the mages didn’t take his words seriously at all.
“I understand you trust your instincts, but something that trivial isn’t enough to—”
“Why did you even bring me in?”
“……”
A moment of silence fell.
Anagin continued.
“Wasn’t it because you read the newspaper about me taking down Hippomenes? That’s what I think.”
No one denied it.
His guess was correct.
It was something Anagin had been thinking about ever since he was waiting with the Pebble Traveling Troupe.
Why him, of all people?
There were plenty of practitioners in the world—so why him?
Maybe he was just convenient, but the more he thought about it, the less it added up.
After all, Anagin and Magno were, strictly speaking, closer to enemies.
At the Ruin with the bronze statue, Anagin had messed with the Magno mage Miscellaneous Doll Neiron. Later, another Magno mage had tried to take his Coins of Greed—only to get robbed instead.
In short, they had a hostile relationship.
And yet Magno had recruited him anyway.
It must have been a decision that hurt their pride, and there had to be a reason for it.
Anagin believed that reason was his experience fighting a bishop-level member of the Barbaroi Cult.
Fortunately, the mages admitted it themselves.
“Can’t deny that. It’s rare to find a practitioner who’s fought a bishop-level member of the Barbaroi Cult.”
“Then wouldn’t it be wise to listen to my opinion a bit?”
“But we value your combat strength against a Barbaroi Cult bishop, not anything else. This is a different matter.”
Fair enough.
Strength and planning were two different things.
But there was something the mages didn’t know.
“It wasn’t in the newspaper, but I was the one who exposed Hippomenes’ identity.”
Anagin revealed a fact that hadn’t been reported.
That he had sensed something off about Hippomenes, ambushed him without hesitation, and exposed him as a member of the Barbaroi Cult.
That he had publicly revealed the man’s pig-faced identity.
Since it hadn’t been reported, the mages seemed skeptical, but they couldn’t dismiss it outright.
After all, Anagin’s accomplishments were officially recognized.
“…What are you getting at?”
“I want to revise the plan. Instead of waiting around to see which village he shows up in, let’s do something more proactive and more certain.”
“What would that be?”
“Well? What if we start raiding the villages already under the Barbaroi Cult’s control, one by one?”
“That’s insane! What if they flee?!”
The mages reacted like he had just suggested throwing rocks into a fishing spot.
And honestly, it wasn’t an overreaction; the Barbaroi Cult was known to flee or hide when they sensed danger.
“Really? Pigmenes was pretty bold.”
“That was a special case.”
“This could be one too.”
“They probably won’t be able to hide so easily.”
As Anagin and the mages argued back and forth, a third voice cut in.
It was the subordinate woman, whose gag had been removed earlier.
“Ah, we forgot to gag her again. More importantly, what do you mean?”
“I said they won’t be able to hide easily.”
Despite being a prisoner, the woman maintained her composure as she spoke.
The mages shot her sharp glares, clearly displeased.
“Shut up.”
“Why? I want to hear it.”
“It's obvious she's playing tricks.”
“So what? Listening doesn’t cost anything.”
Some of the mages voiced their disapproval, annoyed that the woman seemed to be siding with Anagin, but he insisted on hearing her out.
Then the fisherman mage spoke first.
“They’re excavating a Ruin on the island.”
Ruin.
Not exactly the first time hearing the word—but still, it had been a while.
A place like a training ground for practitioners, filled with trials and treasures. As if to prove that, it always seemed to appear just when you’d almost forgotten about it.
“Why didn’t you mention that? If the Barbaroi Cult is excavating it, it’s no ordinary Ruin.”
“I simply forgot to say it. It’s not like I was hiding it. It’s outside our interest.”
The fisherman mage spoke confidently, but to Anagin, it sounded questionable.
Not something he had desperately hidden, but definitely something he had glossed over.
Still, Anagin didn’t bother pressing the issue. He hadn’t trusted the mages completely from the start anyway.
What mattered now was that he had gained a card to push his argument.
“With such a reliable informant saying that, how about we try things my way for now?”
“You just said you heard her gears turning.”
“Yeah, which is why I want to check it myself. See what she’s plotting. Besides, you built your plan based on her words, too, didn’t you?”
That hit the mark, and the mages had no immediate rebuttal.
At that moment, the fisherman mage cut in.
“If we follow your plan and the Barbaroi Cult escapes, what then?”
He pointed out the risk.
If they stirred things up instead of waiting patiently, and the fish slipped away, what then?
On that point, even Anagin didn’t have much to say.
Too bad, I guess?
Of course, he wasn’t actually worried.
From what he’d heard, the Barbaroi Cult had set up something big. Fleeing just because of a little probing would be irrational.
And he had a gut feeling they wouldn’t flee.
‘Is it because of the Ruin? Maybe.’
He could’ve listed reasons, but he didn’t bother.
Arguments like that wouldn’t be very persuasive anyway.
“Then let me ask you this instead. What will you do if you waste time pointlessly and miss the chance to catch him?”
“……”
“I don’t really care either way, but if that happens, I get to do things my way from then on, right?”
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