Chapter 209

Chapter 209. Joining Forces (2)

Contrary ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍to expectations, Meleager did not get worked up by Anagin's words.

Silence ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍fell over the tent, creating an uncomfortable stillness, but that was all.

Well, ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍that was only natural. If someone told you that every one of you would lose before the fight had even begun, this was about the mildest reaction possible.

The ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍fact that he stayed calm instead of arguing was worthy of praise in itself.

The ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍one who did object was not Meleager, but his cousin, Tramachus. Then again, he had always deeply admired his cousin.

“Sorry, ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍but why are you so certain? You saw it too, didn't you? The moment my cousin and Lady Atalanta appeared, Erysichthon, one of the Rebels, retreated—”

“Hold on.”

Anagin raised a hand, cutting Tramachus off mid-sentence.

Then he got straight to the point.

“I'm not going to say anything more about this. You asked, so I answered. I wasn't trying to convince you. No matter what I say from here on, it'll be meaningless.”

Tramachus started to say something, only to stop. The others reacted the same way. They all agreed with Anagin.

Even if they argued, Anagin would never change his opinion. Then they would argue back again...

It was obvious the discussion would end in a pointless back-and-forth. Recognizing that, everyone held their tongues despite having countless questions.

Pleased with their restraint, Anagin decided to give them a small gift in return.

Not because he was worried dinner would become awkward if the conversation ended here.

“If my opinion changes later, I'll let you know. And if it's about my master, I'll tell you whatever I know, anytime, anywhere.”

“No, don't.”

Unexpectedly, Meleager refused Anagin's goodwill.

Well, not exactly refused.

“You're not going to ask?”

“No, that's not what I mean. I'll ask questions, but only when we're among ourselves.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you should keep it a secret that you're Midas's disciple. There will be people who become hostile toward you for that fact alone.”

Anagin didn't particularly care, but he understood the point well enough and agreed.

No need to stir up unnecessary trouble.

Once the conversation was more or less finished, Anagin picked up the last piece of roasted boar and stuffed it into his mouth.

“So what do we do now?”

“Nothing much. We wait here.”

“Wait?”

“Ah, let me explain.”

Meleager reacted as though he had momentarily forgotten, then explained the current alliance formed to subjugate Midas.

Originally, they had been divided into several groups, but recently they had united into one force and were now carrying out separate assignments.

“Our group has been tasked with protecting the Temple of Delphi and the new Oracle. Until Midas's hiding place is found.”

“A new Oracle?”

“Yes. The previous Oracle has passed away, but we couldn't leave the position vacant forever.”

“Ah...”

Anagin let out an involuntary sound of realization.

It felt... somewhat cold.

Like she had been replaced far too easily.

However, Meleager interpreted his reaction differently.

“Unfortunately, you can't meet the new Oracle. For security reasons.”

Anagin had no desire to meet her anyway, so he didn't bother correcting him.

It sounded like more trouble than it was worth.

“So exactly how long do we have to wait?”

“I can't give you an exact timeframe, but we should be moving soon. The kings say they've almost found where Midas is hiding.”

“The kings? The ones who seriously intend to capture my master?”

“That's right.”

Now that caught Anagin's interest.

Kings who genuinely intended to capture his master. They had to be people of considerable ability.

Come to think of it, Meleager had never answered this question earlier.

Anagin asked again.

“So... could you tell me who those kings are? I'm curious who's trying to capture my master.”

* * *

Meleager seemed to have cast aside much of his suspicion toward Anagin, answering his questions without any further attempts to evade them.

He did, however, attach one small condition.

"One day you'll meet the kings, so mind your manners."

It was a safety measure in case Anagin ended up doing something rude.

True to himself, Anagin promised,

"I'll do my best."

It wasn't exactly a satisfying answer, but Meleager decided to let it slide. Strictly speaking, they were the ones at a disadvantage. Where else would they get information about Midas?

In any case, Meleager explained the kings who were after Midas one by one.

There were four of them.

Eurystheus, King of Mycenae.

Tantalus, King of Lydia.

Hippocoon, King of Sparta.

Minos, the former King of Crete.

They were all kings of powerful kingdoms, and each was said to be fully determined to capture Midas. Every one of them had their own reason for doing so.

Curious, Anagin asked, and Meleager seriously explained those reasons. However, Anagin wasn't particularly impressed.

No, more than that, he became even more skeptical that they had any chance of capturing his master.

Because from Anagin's perspective, their reasons were utterly laughable.

For example, Eurystheus, King of Mycenae, sought to make up for his lack of glory, while Tantalus, King of Lydia, wished to earn forgiveness for the divine punishment inflicted upon him.

Hippoocoon, who had become king through rebellion, had come with his twelve mighty sons to strengthen his shaky legitimacy, while Minos, the former King of Crete, had joined the campaign against Midas in hopes of reclaiming his kingdom with the aid of the gods.

Each of them dressed their motives up as desperate reasons, but... well. To Anagin, they all seemed to have joined for reasons that were far too complacent.

They were treating his master like some sort of prize or merely a stepping stone, and to Anagin, who had dealt with his master to the point of exhaustion, that wasn't merely complacent—it was downright carefree.

You'd be lucky to succeed even if you approached him believing you might die at any moment. Yet they were taking victory for granted...

All Anagin could think was that they were asking to get themselves killed.

Still, Anagin kept those thoughts to himself.

There was no point offering unsolicited opinions.

If someone asked, he'd answer. He'd probably get angry while doing it, though.

Until then, he intended to keep quiet.

"That's Anagin?"

Ah, correction. It seemed he was already too late to stay quiet.

"Yeah. They say he beat up the New Argonaut Expedition Team the moment he saw them."

They said rumors traveled fast, and apparently they did. News that Anagin had given the Tramachus trio a light beating had already spread everywhere.

"So he's really as violent as they say. The New Argonaut Expedition Team?"

"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong? Weren't their brothers there too? How could anyone..."

Anagin was dumbfounded. What exactly had he done to deserve everyone whispering about him like this?

"I saw it myself. He charged in without warning, kicked Tramachus in the stomach, punched Lynceus in the jaw, and hit Thyreos in the gut! They didn't even resist...! He even tried to keep beating them!"

Well, he had done all that, but he still felt it was unfair since there had been perfectly good reasons for it.

Even so, he made no attempt to explain himself to them.

He knew all too well that trying to explain something like this would only lead to more misunderstandings.

Explaining himself would only be adding firewood to the flames. It was better to leave it alone and wait for the rumors to die down on their own.

Besides, this false rumor wasn't entirely bad.

Because people believed he was violent enough to beat up members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team, no one dared bother him. It did create a few minor issues when interacting with others, though.

Who would've thought he'd even get kicked out of a gambling den that accepted anyone as long as they had money?

"That's a good thing. Why are you complaining?"

After Anagin was practically thrown out of the gambling den, Sphinx listened to his complaints and looked at him as if he were talking complete nonsense.

"What's good about it?"

"Not being able to gamble."

"Why is that a good thing?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

Sphinx's expression shifted from exasperation to outright contempt.

"There are all kinds of reasons men ruin their lives, but gambling is one of the worst."

"What would you know about it?"

"Why wouldn't I know? Did you forget I've traveled?"

"What does traveling have to do with gambling?"

Sphinx froze for a moment.

Then she confessed honestly.

"...I was short on travel money a few times, so I earned some at gambling houses."

“Are you a crazy kid?”

Though she'd tried to phrase it differently, Sphinx had just admitted she'd earned travel money through gambling herself, prompting Anagin to ask the obvious.

What was that? It's romance when I do it, but adultery when someone else does?

Knowing she had every reason to be embarrassed, Sphinx exploded.

"I really didn't have a choice back then...!"

"I didn't have a choice either. There's no better place than a gambling den to gather information."

It wasn't exactly wrong.

In a gambling den, where emotions ran high, even the most rational people often said things they normally never would.

The reason Anagin had frequented gambling dens in the past was also to investigate the reclusive Oracle.

However, Sphinx, who firmly believed in ‘it's romance when I do it, adultery when someone else does’, refused to believe him.

"Stop lying! You came back bragging about winning a fortune and looked so happy—!"

"I wasn't happy because I won money. I was happy because I wiped out someone else's fortune and plunged them into misery!"

"That's even worse!"

Unable to win the argument, the shameless Sphinx simply shouted at the top of her lungs.

It was truly tragic that she couldn't understand Anagin's profound intention of ruining gamblers so thoroughly that they could never gamble again.

Whether she understood his feelings or not, Sphinx let out a long, weary sigh.

"Haah... Besides, we've already gathered plenty of information. Do you really need to keep hanging around gambling dens?"

"Since when is there ever enough information? Then why are you using the Freedom's Thread?"

Anagin pointed accusingly at Sphinx, who was searching for information through the old scroll, the Freedom's Thread.

In truth, Sphinx already knew.

No matter how much information you had, it was never enough. And information coming from only one side could never be fully trusted.

It wasn't that they distrusted the Argonaut Expedition Team or the New Argonaut Expedition Team, but there was no reason to trust them completely either.

It was always best to gather information from multiple sources.

“I'm just doing it because I'm bored.”

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. I've already solved the problem."

"What problem?"

"If I can't go to the gambling den, I can just send someone else."

"...Who did you send?"

"Spanich."

"Are you insane?"

Sphinx was horrified that Anagin had thrown an honest young man into a gambling den.

But Anagin remained shameless to the very end.

"It can't be helped because of the rumors. I'm the victim here."

"How are you the victim?! The victims are the people who got beaten up— Ah, never mind."

Sphinx stopped herself from saying that the beaten members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team were the real victims.

It was unfortunate that they had lost face after being beaten in front of everyone, but considering what they had done to Anagin, even that wasn't nearly enough.

The fact that they were working together again in the first place made no sense.

Yet Anagin had somehow settled the issue with a few kicks and punches. In a way, it was an incredible talent.

Perhaps the reason the members of the New Argonaut Expedition Team remained silent despite suffering humiliation that any practitioner would desperately avoid was precisely because of that side of Anagin.

Just as the conversation was beginning to trail off, Spanich returned to the tent.

Judging by how exhausted he looked, he had just come back from gambling. As for the result...

"I'm sorry, Lord Anagin. I didn't gain anything worthwhile. I just lost money."

Anagin still had a conscience, so he had given Spanich his own money before sending him. To begin with, since Halysis hadn't provided any support, Spanich barely had any money of his own.

"Ah, it's fine. I only told you to give it a try just in case. Did you at least have fun?"

"No. I don't think gambling suits me."

Hearing that Spanich hadn't found gambling enjoyable at all, Sphinx let out a sigh of relief.

It would've weighed too heavily on her conscience if such a diligent and upright person had gone down the wrong path after meeting the wrong person.

Sphinx sincerely felt relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with that guilty conscience.

"Still, I did hear one thing. It's nothing major, but apparently the new Oracle is quite young."

Anagin showed no particular reaction to what sounded like a trivial piece of information.

"I heard several practitioners requested an audience with the Oracle, but the priests refused for safety reasons. Apparently only people like Lord Meleager were granted an audience."

"Oh my, that's actually pretty useful information."

Anagin was about to ask, "How?", but Sphinx seemed to anticipate it and smacked him on the arm, telling him to shut up.

Seriously, why did these crazy people keep hitting him?

As Anagin looked at Sphinx with eyes full of grievance, Spanich asked,

"Did you find anything interesting as well, Miss Sphinx?"

"Ah, I just found something."

"What is it?"

"It's not anything important. The odds just changed."

"The odds?"

"There's currently a betting pool running on the Freedom's Thread."

"That's possible?"

"I guess people sometimes bet on major events. It seems to be organized by someone believed to be a broker. They accept information as wagers in addition to money. But that's not the important part."

"Then what is?"

"The odds for the subjugation force suddenly dropped very quickly."

"That means someone placed a huge wager on Midas."

"That's right. And it's happening in real time. More and more people are selling related information, but I don't really have anything worth trading."

Anagin was about to tell her to try making a trade.

Something didn't feel right.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—he soon had a reason not to.

Bwooooooom—!

The reason Midas's odds had risen had just appeared.

"We're under attack! A herd of Minotaurs has appeared!"

An army of more than a hundred Minotaurs had suddenly appeared in the Festival Village.

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