Chapter 168. Disguise (6)
Whooosh... shaaah…
A chilling wind. Then, the sound of the night sea.
Those sounds felt like a ceasefire horn announcing that the battle with the Barbaroi Cult, which had struck without warning, was over.
Everything had happened so suddenly that for a moment it felt as if it had all been a dream.
But the countless corpses of fish-men and other sea creatures-men strewn about made it clear that this was no dream, but reality.
Bodies that had been sliced, torn apart, crushed, and pierced told just how desperate the fight had been. Fortunately, there were no fatalities on this side.
Though they had been overwhelmingly outnumbered, the skilled fighters had coordinated well and pulled through.
That didn’t mean it had been easy.
The mages of Magno, having unleashed magic indiscriminately, now wore half-vacant expressions as they slumped where they stood.
“Uuugh.......”
“Uuuk...!”
Seeing some clutch their heads and complain of headaches, while others covered their mouths to suppress retching, made it obvious this wasn’t mere exhaustion.
It was the side effect of overusing Yeom, the mental force that serves as the source of magic.
Now he understood why they had gone out of their way to involve Anagin in this affair.
Magic was not something you could just throw around without paying a heavy price afterward.
‘This doesn’t look like something a little rest will fix.’
Anagin thought as he examined the mages’ condition.
Headaches, dizziness, cold sweats....... It was beyond simple fatigue; their bodies had clearly taken damage.
Successfully repelling the Barbaroi Cult’s ambush was certainly praiseworthy, but in that state, it was doubtful they could fight properly again if something else happened.
Of course, Anagin wasn’t really in a position to say that lightly.
“What was that earlier?”
Splash. Splash.
The fisherman mage, effectively the leader among the mages, emerged from the sea and asked.
Instead of answering right away, Anagin checked his now-quiet right chest, then turned his gaze to the fisherman mage.
Along with Anagin, who had held off the horse-head alone, he was the one who had made the greatest contribution to stopping this ambush by blocking the giant monster crab.
Actually, in a sense, he had contributed more than Anagin.
Anagin had merely stalled the horse-head, but the fisherman mage had cracked the monster crab’s shell, forcing it to retreat.
Perhaps because of that, the fisherman mage pressed Anagin again.
“Didn’t you hear me? I asked what that was earlier.”
By “that,” he meant the flames that had flared up from Anagin’s right chest.
“...It’s a wound I took in a previous battle.”
“A wound?”
The fisherman mage twisted his eyebrows unevenly, as if troubled.
In truth, it really was troublesome.
Just as he was about to subdue the horse-head with Longbald, flames had surged from his right chest, causing him to miss his chance.
The intense burning pain that erupted there had frozen Anagin’s movements for an instant, and in that opening, the horse-head had escaped.
As a result, the fight between Anagin and the horse-head dragged on longer than expected, and the Barbaroi Cult managed to retreat safely.
If he had finished off the horse-head, they might have been able to stop the Barbaroi Cult’s escape.
‘That aside, the fisherman bastard really noticed that even while fighting.’
Anagin felt a bit of admiration for the fisherman mage’s exceptional field of vision and observational skill. He almost wondered if mages were naturally gifted with such kinetic vision.
Or maybe the fight with the monster crab had been more relaxed than it looked.
“Why didn’t you say you were injured?”
“Because I didn’t know myself. I thought it had been treated.”
“Then.......”
“Don’t worry. Earlier, it was my mistake for not knowing. It won’t trip me up again.”
Anagin cut in first, stopping the fisherman mage before he could voice his concern.
But apparently, that wasn’t what he meant.
“No, that’s not what I was going to say.”
“Then what?”
“I was going to say I think I can treat it.”
“You can do that too?”
Anagin asked, surprised at the fisherman mage’s versatility.
Perhaps finding explanations bothersome, the fisherman mage pointed at his fellow mages.
“I’ll just show you. It’s better to see it once than hear it explained a hundred times.”
* * *
The fisherman mage spoke with great confidence.
Not empty bravado, either—he took his fellow mages and went near the sea.
After sweeping the surroundings once with detection magic, just in case the Barbaroi Cult was hiding nearby.
Splash!
He dumped one of the mages straight into the seawater.
Gurgle, gurgle.
After a few seconds had passed, the fisherman mage pulled the mage back out.
The mage who emerged from the sea was visibly improved, even if only a little.
“Hoo.......”
Color returned to the face that had been deathly pale, and the breathing grew calmer.
It wasn’t a full recovery, but the aftereffects of overusing Yeom(念) seemed to have subsided.
In that state, with a bit of rest, they could participate in the next battle without much trouble.
“Sorry. Brother.”
As the fisherman mage dunked each companion into the seawater to heal them, Sphinx quietly approached and apologized.
Anagin replied in a tone that asked what kind of stupid nonsense she was talking about.
“What are you sorry for?”
“The chest wound. I thought it was completely healed."
Sphinx apologized for not realizing that Uma hadn’t fully healed Anagin, saying that as someone well-versed in magic, she should have noticed.
It was the proper attitude for a familiar, but Anagin instead scolded her for apologizing.
“What kind of dumb shit are you saying? How is that your fault?”
Strictly speaking, this was Anagin’s fault.
From beginning to end.
Allowing Tramachus’s attack to land, and failing to notice his own condition despite it being his own body—all of it.
If Sphinx apologized, Anagin would just become an idiot blaming others. So she shouldn’t apologize.
When Anagin explained this, Sphinx spoke with a voice noticeably lighter of guilt, grumbling.
“Hoo, and here I was apologizing properly.”
“I like rejecting other people’s sincere apologies.”
“Seriously, you’re twisted.... Why do you think the flames flared up again?”
After trading a bit of banter, Sphinx asked again, concern showing.
To think that Tramachus's flames had not subsided.
Anagin shrugged his shoulders.
“No idea. Probably because I used too much Energy(Γι).”
Anagin couldn’t be sure, but recalling the situation when the flames had surged in his chest, he made the following guess.
When Energy(Γι) was used excessively, or when a battle dragged on too long.
It might not be right, but for now, it was the best explanation he had.
“That’s not a good situation.”
Sphinx said it while recalling the fight with the horse-head.
Just as Anagin was about to effectively finish it off under pressure from Longbald, the flames in his right chest had caused him to miss the chance.
Having narrowly escaped death, the horse-head switched to hit-and-run tactics, and Anagin, suffering intense burning pain in his right chest, ended up being dragged along.
It wasn’t just heat—it drained stamina and shattered concentration.
Then the fisherman mage defeated the monster crab, and with the Barbaroi Cult retreating, the battle came to an end.
“Well, it'll be over once I get treated anyway. Mages really do have a lot of tricks.”
“Yeah, they do. Strangely so.”
Sphinx muttered while watching the fisherman mage heal his companions.
There seemed to be some hidden meaning in her mutter, but Anagin didn’t ask.
Because now, it was Anagin’s turn to be treated.
“All right, now it’s your turn.”
The treated mages came out of the seawater, and Anagin went in.
Being treated by the fisherman mage felt a bit uncomfortable, but refusing for that reason alone would be ridiculous, so he decided to accept it.
He never knew when he’d have to fight the Barbaroi Cult again, and refusing treatment would be dereliction of duty.
As long as they were working together, he intended to do his best—unless the other side stabbed him in the back first.
‘Besides, it’s not like even I enjoy a burning pain.’
Anagin thought of the searing agony blooming in his right chest.
“Ready?”
The fisherman mage asked before starting the treatment, and Anagin nodded.
The moment he got his answer, the fisherman mage grabbed Anagin by both shoulders and plunged him straight into the seawater, just as he had done with the others.
Salty seawater seeped between Anagin’s lips.
Having grown up in a remote village, this was Anagin’s first time entering the sea.
He never imagined his first time would be like this. Well, he’d never cared much about such things anyway.
Gloop—gloop—bubble... thump. Thump.
In the seawater, Anagin heard the surging sound of the sea and the sound of air escaping, along with the beating of his own heart.
‘It’s nothing special.......’
He had expected something extraordinary from healing magic, but finding nothing in particular, he was just starting to feel disappointed—
When, centered on the fisherman mage’s hands resting on his shoulders, a certain aura slowly made itself felt.
How to put it...... the aura of the sea?
Even without anyone explaining it, that was the phrase that came to Anagin’s mind.
The aura of the sea.
An aura both cold and warm gently caressed Anagin’s body.
It felt as if the sea itself were examining him, and soon, as if it had identified the problem, the sea’s aura gathered toward Anagin’s right chest.
Like hands wrapping around it, the sea’s aura swirled, slowly trying to wash away the flames lingering in his chest.
Whoosh!
The flames remaining in Anagin’s chest rejected the sea’s aura and flared up once more.
“Ah, damn it...!”
* * *
“Ah, it’s hot.”
Anagin came out of the seawater, frowning as he complained at the fisherman mage, the searing pain still lingering.
After claiming he would heal him, the man had dumped him into the sea, and instead of treating him, he had reignited the flames that had only just settled. The anger was justified.
Yet the fisherman mage showed no sign of remorse, as if human conscience were something he lacked.
“It’s not my fault I couldn’t treat it. The flames lodged in your chest are just that vicious.”
Look at that. Instead of apologizing, he was pinning the blame elsewhere.
Still, there was a part Anagin agreed with.
Tramachus’s flames were indeed vicious.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a blessing obtained from the Temple of Delphi—one that was genuinely potent.
If it was a flame that lingered like poison and refused to disappear, anyone would hesitate to fight, regardless of victory or defeat.
‘Hm, it’s settled down a bit now.’
As Anagin calmed himself, the flames in his chest slowly subsided as well.
It seemed that going forward, he would need to restrain his use of Energy(Γι) and avoid getting worked up whenever possible.
Which made things awkward.
If this continued, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to bring out his full strength.
How was he supposed to not get excited in a fight?
The fisherman mage seemed concerned about this as well and asked carefully.
“Can you fight properly in that state?”
Whether he was worried that the expensive mercenary he had hired wouldn’t do his job, or that Anagin wouldn’t be able to keep a secret deal they’d made, Anagin couldn’t tell. Either way, he told him not to worry.
"This much isn't a big problem, so don't mind it."
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, I didn’t let that horse-head get past me, did I? If I’d known I was in this state, I wouldn’t have let him go.”
It sounded like a bit of bravado, but the fisherman mage didn’t deny or argue.
Whatever the case, it was true that Anagin had properly held off the horse-head. And besides, excluding Anagin now would be nothing but a loss.
“If I start dragging you down, you can throw me away. Don’t worry about it.”
With Anagin going that far, the fisherman mage decided not to argue further on the matter.
Once basic recovery and situational assessment were done, the mages began collecting the spoils of war.
It might seem questionable whether there were any spoils at all, but there were.
Namely, the corpses of the seacreatures-men under the Barbaroi Cult.
“Collect everything. Prioritize the fresh ones and those with intact forms.”
The mages said the bodies of the Barbaroi Cult’s mixed-bloods were valuable research specimens, and beyond that, excellent materials for magical tools.
So Anagin took a bit as well.
Fish-man scale hide, tendons, bones, webbing, hermit crab shells—and then.......
“I’m taking this too.”
Anagin pointed at the monster crab that had died with its shell shattered.
Naturally, the mages objected.
“Who decided that?”
A monster of that size had countless uses, whether as research material or as material for magical tools.
Anagin knew that too, but he pressed the issue anyway. Even if he couldn’t have it, there was no harm in trying.
“Why? You guys took way more of the fish-men.”
“Then you can take more too.”
“I don’t feel like taking a lot. It leaves a bad taste.”
Listening quietly from the side, Sphinx cautiously voiced a question.
“Brother, you didn’t hesitate with the harpy witch, though.”
“That one was a talking beast, but these fish-men are this gross mix of people and something unpleasant. It feels different.”
Anagin’s standards—shared by absolutely no one.
At that moment, the fisherman mage stepped in.
“We’ll divide it after this is over.”
“Why later?”
Anagin questioned him, but the fisherman mage answered as if it were nothing.
“This isn’t the right situation to dismantle it.”
“Dismantle it? We can just break it up and split it.”
“Nonsense. Do that, and the quality of the materials will plummet. Something of that caliber needs to be properly dismantled.”
It didn’t sound like a lie, so Anagin agreed.
He hadn’t intended to take it all in the first place.
If the mages had offered everything, he would’ve gladly taken it, but with them pushing back this much, he didn’t feel like forcing the issue.
“But we don’t have an Interspatial Bag big enough to store something that size right now, do we?”
One of the mages said cautiously to the fisherman mage.
They did have Interspatial Bag magical tools, but nothing capable of holding such a massive and heavy monster corpse.
“Ah, don’t worry about that.”
Anagin spoke up, pulling out Pairon from his waist.
Once removed, Pairon transformed into the shape of a giant wild boar, and Anagin ordered it to swallow the monster crab.
The moment Pairon heard the command, it stared at Anagin with eyes that clearly said, ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’
But Anagin wasn’t about to retract the order just because of a look, so he urged it again. Wearing the most wronged expression imaginable, Pairon nonetheless began swallowing the giant monster crab like a snake.
One bite. Then another. With great effort.
“This is the first time I’ve ever felt sympathy for a magical tool.”
“At that rate, it’s going to take a while to swallow everything.”
“What’s a bit of time matter? It’s not like we’re in a relaxed situation anyway.”
As they gathered the scattered fish-man corpses and took a breather, the mages exchanged words tinged with lament.
After all, while they had successfully repelled the Barbaroi Cult’s ambush, they had achieved nothing beyond that.
They hadn’t captured any of the attackers, nor gained any useful information. If anything, they’d only heightened the enemy’s vigilance—hardly wrong to call it a net loss.
That was when.
“Oh, I figured out where the Barbaroi Cult is headed next.”
Anagin said casually.
Everyone turned to look at him as if to ask what he was talking about.
When would he have had the chance to learn that?
Eventually, someone asked.
“How did you find that out?”
“By asking.”
“...Asking who?”
“The horse-head.”
“......That horse-head? You’re saying he told you just because you asked?”
The mages asked again, wondering if Anagin was joking.
It wasn’t unreasonable, so Anagin explained it in a way they could understand.
“Yeah. When I brought up that woman, he told me.”
Anagin pointed at the Barbaroi Cult subordinate woman they had taken prisoner.
The mysterious woman whose true identity remained unknown.
“He seemed to care about her quite a lot.”
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