Chapter 178. Reorganization (4)
It wasn’t as though Anagin fought without thinking.
Even if he usually looked like he recklessly charged in headfirst, those actions were still based on calculations of his own.
It was a style only possible because of a Gigant’s naturally durable body, powerful regenerative abilities, and sharp instincts, allowing him to fight even if he took a certain amount of damage.
Of course, getting hurt still hurt all the same, but compared to what he could gain, it was nothing significant.
If he charged in aggressively and mindlessly, opponents instinctively flinched back and adjusted their movements under the assumption that Anagin was reckless.
In other words, by feeding the enemy false information, he could naturally seize control of the fight. It also allowed him to exploit openings.
Occasionally, bad luck caused things to go wrong, but in those cases, he could simply retreat quickly and reorganize.
Anyway, what Anagin wanted to say was that while he might appear reckless at first glance—and sometimes genuinely was—he absolutely wasn’t someone who fought without calculation.
Which was why he naturally couldn’t help but worry about the upcoming battle with the Barbaroi Cult.
There was a high chance the second battle would also take place around the sea. If luck turned against them, they might even end up fighting in the middle of the ocean.
And it wasn’t just Ugly One he might have to face. He could also end up fighting the fisherman mage, along with however many fish-men there were.
The fisherman mage, who had once been part of their side’s strength, had now switched over to the enemy.
From Anagin’s perspective, that made the enemy’s combat power feel three or four times greater than before.
Their side had weakened while the enemy side had grown stronger.
Which meant the first thing they needed to do was make up for their lacking strength.
“......So I’d like you to help.”
Anagin explained why he wanted Sphinx to fight alongside him.
Sphinx didn’t answer immediately.
It wasn’t unexpected, so Anagin wasn’t disappointed or offended.
For reasons he didn’t fully understand, Sphinx simply didn’t like fighting very much. Especially fighting humans—she seemed to avoid it almost obsessively.
She even sealed away her own power and went as far as pleasing humans who weren’t even worth a fistful.
And now he was asking someone like that to fight.......
No matter how thick-skinned Anagin was, even he understood he was making an unreasonable request.
So he neither rushed her for an answer nor tried to persuade her further.
He simply waited.
And after some time, slowly passed, Sphinx finally opened her mouth.
“Hm, this is strange....... Normally, requests like this just annoy me, but hearing Brother ask for help somehow makes me happy.”
“That sounds kinda perverted.”
“Is that really something the person asking for help should say?”
“I can’t lie.”
Even while saying such shameless nonsense, Anagin made Sphinx wear a complicated expression that mixed exasperation with familiarity.
Sphinx shook her head side to side before speaking again.
“It’s surprising to hear Brother ask for help, but I understand why this situation calls for it. Just in case I should ask, you’re not considering retreating for now, right?”
“Of course not.”
It wasn’t as though Anagin thought running away was inherently bad.
He even acknowledged the concept of a strategic retreat.
However, depending on the nature of the battle and the situation, there were times when retreating simply wasn’t an option.
And Anagin believed this was one of those times.
He felt something close to certainty—a gut instinct telling him that he absolutely could not back down here.
If he ran away because he was afraid of mere fish and a traitor, he would never reach his goal.
At that point, there would’ve been no reason not to just kill himself instead of leaving the village alive.
If that were the case, dying here would’ve been better.
“You’re way too extreme....... Fine. I’ll help.”
“Really?”
“For starters, I’m your familiar, Brother. And besides, something’s caught my interest too. That Ruin.”
Anagin let out an “Ah.”
Even during the last Ruin they explored together, Sphinx had shown considerable interest in
Ruins, to the point that she repeatedly asked Anagin for things.
“But even so, the fact that I’m doing you a favor still stands, doesn’t it?”
Sphinx started laying the groundwork to say something.
It wasn’t anything serious.
It was more like playful teasing.
She found it amusing and fascinating seeing Anagin, who rarely asked anyone for anything, actually asking for help.
She wanted to see how he would react.
“So what are you going to do for me? I already handle all kinds of chores for you—cleaning, laundry, cooking, gathering firewood, all that stuff.”
After saying it out loud, Sphinx became depressed herself, while waiting to hear what Anagin would say.
“So now Brother’s going to split the laundry and cooking with me?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Faced with such an extremely reasonable and fair proposal, Anagin firmly shook his head.
As though such a thing should never happen under any circumstances.
Sphinx nearly flared up at his resolute attitude, but Anagin spoke first.
“Instead, just once. If you ask me for help, I’ll help you no matter the situation or who the opponent is. Whether it's fighting or anything else.”
“......Brother, promises aren’t something you make lightly.”
Unlike before, Sphinx warned him in an incredibly serious tone.
Promises were that frightening.
“Do I look like the kind of person who makes those lightly?”
Sphinx couldn’t answer yes and instead fell silent.
Because even if Anagin sometimes looked frivolous on the surface, she knew that wasn’t actually true.
Anagin interpreted the silence as agreement and extended his hand.
A handshake to signify the deal had been made.
Sphinx slowly stretched out her clawed hand, and Anagin grabbed it, hooking pinkies with her as he smiled.
“Promise.”
* * *
Sphinx is joining the battle.
With this, the first step had been settled.
They had filled the gap in their lacking combat strength.
If Sphinx had refused, his headache would’ve gotten much worse.
Some might’ve argued that since she was his familiar, he should’ve simply forced her to fight, but that went against Anagin’s way of doing things.
Even if he forced someone unwilling onto the battlefield, there was little chance they would properly fulfill their role.
Fortunately, Sphinx accepted.
And with that, Anagin could move on to the next step.
Which was.......
“I’m going to eat, then sleep like a log. Wake me if something happens, and if nothing happens, don’t wake me.”
After saying that to the mages, who had already finished eating and were resting ahead of him, Anagin immediately went to rest.
After completely wiping out one of the village’s food warehouses by himself (this was not an exaggeration but a literal fact), he collapsed straight onto a bed.
Being tired was one thing, but recovering from the wounds he sustained during battle was the priority.
By the time he woke up, an entire day had already passed, and while washing his face, the mages came to see him.
“We have something to discuss. About the island.”
“You’re suddenly pretty motivated.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. What’s the matter?”
Thanks to the power of proper food and rest, the mages had regained their motivation.
They began explaining methods to reach the abandoned island where the Barbaroi Cult was located.
“Abandoned island?”
“That’s what everyone around here calls it. It’s just a tiny rocky island no one cares about.”
To think there was a Ruin in a place like that....
Anyway, the explanation continued.
“As you probably expected already, getting to the abandoned island won’t be easy. The Barbaroi Cult set up defenses around it.”
They said fish-men, various sea creatures soldiers, and the Barbaroi Cult’s sinister magic were all stationed there.
Fishing boats and merchant ships that accidentally wandered too close would sink without leaving a trace behind.
“Do we have a way through?”
“We’ve thought of at least one.”
As expected, the mages didn’t merely point out the obstacles.
They had also prepared a solution to overcome them.
Reviving the mages’ motivation really had been the right choice.
Thanks to that, they could save both time and effort.
Of course, whether it was actually a good idea was something to judge after hearing it.
“I’ll explain from here.”
The doll mage stepped forward.
Apparently, he was the key figure in this matter.
Anagin jokingly asked,
“Why? We're riding fish dolls or something?”
“Yes.”
“...Huh?”
When the doll mage answered his joke seriously, Anagin unconsciously let out a sound.
Before anyone could say something unnecessary, the doll mage quickly explained his plan.
“At first, I considered using eagle dolls, but I judged it too dangerous.”
Anagin nodded in agreement.
Even with the element of surprise, they had been helplessly brought down by the fisherman mage’s net. And besides, it wasn’t as though the enemy lacked ways to attack targets in the air.
“Then there’s only one option. The sea.”
“Ships are dangerous... so you’re saying we ride fish instead?”
“That’s right. We’ll use one of the fish controlled by the Barbaroi Cult. Conveniently enough, there’s a suitable one available.”
Anagin had a rough idea of what he meant.
There were still several giant fish once controlled by the Barbaroi Cult left in the fishing harbor.
“Can we really use those?”
“That depends on how we modify them. Moving something that massive won’t be easy, so it’ll take quite a bit of time.”
“We don’t have much time.”
Coming from someone who had slept an entire day straight, the words sounded questionable, but it was still true.
The mages didn’t deny it.
However.......
“Rushing won’t make it happen faster. Unless we have more hands to help.”
“Don’t we?”
“Where?”
“The people in this village.”
* * *
It wasn’t like the mages had never considered mobilizing the villagers.
The problem was that the villagers had fallen to their knees, begging them not to do such a thing.
‘You’re seriously reluctant just because they begged? Are you out of your minds?’
‘That’s only because you don’t understand magic. If you force unwilling people to work, negative resentment seeps into the process, and that greatly increases the chances of problems occurring.’
Excuses...
From Anagin’s perspective, they simply had no talent for handling people.
What else could he do? Once again, Anagin decided to step in himself.
He would persuade the villagers to willingly help create the fish doll for transportation.
“P-Please, we beg you! If we help with even that, there’s no telling what will happen to this village!!”
The village chief of the Nereid Fishing Village rambled tearfully, just like when they first met. Whether it was his nature or an act, Anagin couldn’t tell, but if it was acting, the man could’ve become an actor.
“If we help with something like that, this village will truly be doomed. The Barbaroi Cult will brand us traitors and punish us!”
“What kind of punishment?”
“I-I cannot even imagine it. Not just the men, but the women, children, elderly... perhaps the entire village may be killed.”
The village chief was the type who constantly whined, but this time, Anagin believed him.
After all, if they were the kind of bastards who worshipped fish and created fish-men, then that outcome sounded more believable.
Still, Anagin didn’t particularly care what happened to them.
Men, women, children, elderly. Whether they died or not meant absolutely nothing to him.
If they were livestock who sold out their neighbors in exchange for survival and prosperity, then naturally, they should’ve been prepared to die from their master’s wrath.
That said, he didn’t voice those thoughts aloud.
It was annoying to say, and more importantly, he still needed their labor.
So instead of criticism, Anagin chose persuasion.
“Seems like you’re misunderstanding something.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve already been marked by the Barbaroi Cult. Whether you help us or not won’t make much difference anymore.”
Believing persuasion was about momentum rather than logic, Anagin spoke whatever came to mind.
Naturally, the village chief denied it.
“N-No. I don’t think that’s true. We may be punished, but...”
“Do I sound like I’m just making shit up?”
Anagin casually continued.
“I heard the Ugly One babbling something while we fought. About how she’d never forgive you people for causing trouble at such an important time.”
Anagin lied without the slightest hesitation.
And strictly speaking, the village chief hadn’t actually done anything wrong. The one who screwed up was the Ugly One, who had approached carelessly and exposed their location.
If one had to point out the village chief’s crime, it was simply that he lacked power, and the same applied here.
Whether the village was guilty or not, Nereid Fishing Village could still be punished depending entirely on the Ugly One’s mood.
Perhaps because he had experienced something similar before, the village chief faltered for a moment. But he still refused to bend.
“E-Even so, we cannot help you. You people can simply leave afterward, but we must continue living here... Rather, rather just kill us!”
The village chief shouted for them to kill the villagers.
As though he had steeled himself for death.
‘What a joke.’
Anagin scoffed inwardly.
If the man were truly prepared to die, things never would’ve reached this point in the first place.
The village chief was acting.
He was calculating that if he pushed this far, Anagin’s side would back down first.
Anagin genuinely considered killing a few people. The moment several died, the act would immediately stop.
But he chose not to.
There was too much to do already, and he didn’t want unnecessary trouble.
Besides, they weren’t people Anagin needed to dirty his own hands with anyway.
“Alright. Then I’ll kill you.”
The village chief stiffened in shock, though he still tried to act brave. He couldn’t completely hide his fear.
“...You truly mean that?”
“Yeah. If you want to die, I should kill you. Though I can’t do it personally.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by...”
“It means I’ll have someone else kill you instead.”
As he spoke, Anagin pulled out the Thread of Freedom he had prepared beforehand.
A magic tool that allowed communication between those possessing the same artifact.
After briefly explaining the tool, Anagin continued.
“Through this, I’ll spread the word that not only this village but all the nearby fishing villages have been collaborating with the Barbaroi Cult.”
“Why...?!”
“Why else? To reveal the truth. Or maybe I could spread a rumor that the Barbaroi Cult hid treasure here. That might work even better! All the treasure-crazed idiots would come swarming.”
The village chief merely opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to say anything.
Perhaps because he had served beneath the Barbaroi Cult, he seemed to understand just how terrifying greed-driven practitioners could be.
“Why... why are you doing this to us?”
“Because you don’t seem to understand. The moment you sided with those fish bastards, there was never any safe path left for you.”
“But we told you! We had no choice!!”
“I don’t have a choice either. If you don’t cooperate, things are obviously going to get messy. So decide. Cooperate with me and at least gain a sliver of a chance to survive, or die for certain.”
“.......”
“Right now.”
* * *
After Anagin’s heartfelt persuasion, the village chief ultimately agreed to help the mages.
If they helped now, they might suffer retaliation from the Barbaroi Cult, but there was still room to make excuses. Refusing to help Anagin, on the other hand, guaranteed immediate danger.
The village chief persuaded the fishermen, and once the manpower was secured, the mages got to work.
They selected fish of appropriate size, hollowed out the flesh, treated them with preservatives, and processed them into puppets.
“Bring out the crab.”
The doll mage asked Anagin to retrieve the monstrous crab Pairon had swallowed.
Apparently, he felt uneasy relying solely on the fish, so he planned to dismantle the crab shell and use it as armor plating.
It certainly would make things sturdier.
Anagin ordered Pairon to spit out the monstrous crab, and Pairon obeyed.
Once the gigantic crab emerged, the mages dismantled it and selected the usable sections for armor.
Watching them work like professionals was impressive, though honestly, Anagin wasn’t sure how much it would help.
“Even so, if we get caught out at sea, this still feels like nothing more than a way to buy time.”
“I think the same thing, but what choice do we have?”
The doll mage didn’t deny it either. Still, as he said, there weren’t many alternatives.
They had to reach the island somehow.
“I need to think about this some more. Fighting in the middle of the sea isn’t an option anymore.”
Anagin spoke as he pondered. As the saying went, if you keep knocking, eventually a path might open.
That was when—
“Take this.”
The doll mage handed him a bundle of scrolls.
“What’s this?”
“Scrolls containing the spells ‘Water Walking,’ ‘Underwater Breathing,’ and ‘Teleportation.’”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Not exactly. These were originally meant for Aides to use.”
Aides. The name of the dead transformation mage.
“Since we were dealing with the fish Barbaroi Cult, he prepared them just in case. Now you should use them instead. You’ve already experienced Water Walking and Underwater Breathing once, haven’t you? Just be careful of the time limit.”
“And this one?”
“A Teleportation Scroll. It guides everyone within a five-meter radius to the nearest landmass. Use it if the situation turns bad.”
A lifeline that could save their lives once during a crisis.
Faced with a gift far beyond expectations, Anagin sincerely thanked him.
“Oh, thanks. This is way more than I expected.”
Perhaps embarrassed by the genuine gratitude, the mage awkwardly changed the subject.
“But do you really think there’s another method?”
“We have to look. Honestly, traveling by fish alone is too risky. If we get spotted, we’ll just get attacked one-sidedly. Especially with the fisherman mage around, someone who already knows all your methods.”
The doll mage couldn’t deny that. The fisherman mage’s betrayal had caused more damage than expected.
Not only had their combat power decreased, but even their means of reaching the island had effectively been blocked.
Anagin rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To ask if there’s another way.”
Anagin went to find the subordinate woman again.
Perhaps because the betrayal by the fisherman mage had left such a strong impression, the mages no longer paid much attention to keeping the subordinate woman restrained.
‘Well, not knowing she’s a self-proclaimed god probably helps too. Better keep that a secret.’
So, unlike before, the subordinate woman was now moving around relatively freely without restraints.
Though all she really did was squat near the shoreline.
For Anagin, that wasn’t a bad situation.
If she could’ve attempted escape but didn’t, then it likely meant there was still something she wanted here.
Which meant there was still a good chance she intended to continue negotiating with him.
“What do you want?”
As Anagin approached, the subordinate woman asked.
She didn’t even turn her head, making it obvious she was still sulking, but the fact she spoke at all suggested she still needed him too.
Well, if what she said was true, then Anagin was probably the one most likely to rescue her younger sisters.
“I want to continue the negotiation we had earlier.”
Anagin got straight to the point. He was in a hurry too.
“So you decided to accept the blessing?”
“No. I’m not taking that crap. If you want to give it to me, then kneel beneath me and beg.”
“.......”
Was it really that humiliating?
The subordinate woman glared at Anagin like she wanted to kill him.
“Or we can change the terms of the deal.”
“......To what?”
“Do you know a way to secretly approach the island?”
Anagin had come up with a brilliant method for secretly approaching the island.
Namely, asking someone else for the answer.
As the saying went, smart people borrow other people’s brains, so this was clearly the correct approach.
Of course, she was still just some self-proclaimed god, making her hard to trust—
“I do.”
“Seriously?”
Even Anagin sounded surprised after asking.
He hadn’t expected the answer to come so easily.
“You really are...”
The subordinate woman started boiling with anger again, as though her patience had reached its limit once more.
Right before she exploded, Anagin quickly redirected the conversation.
“That’s good then. I’ll rescue your younger sisters, so tell me the method instead of giving me a blessing.”
“.........That’s really enough?”
The subordinate woman asked again, sounding deeply suspicious. Had she really been scammed that many times? She was far too distrustful.
“Yeah. That’ll help me more.”
The subordinate woman stared at Anagin for a while before finally speaking.
“Hippocampus. You can come out now.”
The moment she spoke, the seawater in front of her bubbled, and Horse-head emerged.
The very bastard that had briefly given Anagin trouble before.
“Good to see you, Horse-head.”
Anagin casually greeted it.
Horse-head answered back.
“My name is Hippocampus.”
“No. From now on, you’re Horsehead. You Horse-head bastard.”
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