Raising the Daughters to Overcome My Failure

Chapter 12. Anticus (4)

Magic is divided into tiers 1 through 10 according to its power.

If a simple magic that can light a fire on one's hand is 1st-tier,

‘6th-tier magic is a high-level magic that can instantly turn a small village into ashes.’

It was a magic that could barely be learned in the latter half of the game.

When I raised her, 5th-tier magic was the limit at this point.

And that was the result of frantically focusing only on magic cultivation.

‘What on earth did she do to be able to learn magic so quickly? Is the DLC somehow different from the original? With a little more effort, she'll soon become a force greater than a sage.’

Above that, 7th-tier magic could only be used by someone around the level of a sage, and 8th-tier or 9th-tier magic was only passed down through legends.

‘There's a setting that 10th-tier magic is impossible for humans to use at all.’

No. That wasn't what I was curious about right now.

“Didn't you say with your own mouth that you used the 7th-tier magic, Dragon Thunder, when you faced Anticus?”

“That's right. That's also true.”

What? It felt like I was having a Zen dialogue.

The curiosity was soon resolved.

“That was the power of a one-time-use artifact I happened to pick up in a ruin.”

“A one-time-use artifact?”

“Yes. Once you use it, you can never use it again.”

“And the ruin is?”

“You know, the place we conquered with Dad before? I often stopped by to check if there were any hidden rooms, and it's something I found there.”

I didn't know which ruin she was talking about.

There were countless ruins scattered throughout PP, and I had no memories of Frank's past.

Anyway, her passive skill was Future Foresight.

If she had already mastered 6th-tier magic on top of that, her ability was higher than I could imagine.

‘Even just the 6th-tier is not just simple firepower. It's a stage called the pinnacle of strategic magic. The fact that she has learned this makes her an unparalleled asset.’

I slowly nodded my head and changed the subject.

“By any chance, do you know where Iris is?”

If Noemi had foresight, she might know where Iris was.

But Noemi quietly shook her head.

“My foresight has never been activated in relation to sister Iris.”

“I see. I wonder where on earth she is.”

Noemi held my hand tightly and said.

“Don't worry too much. Sister will come back someday too. Because when we fought the Demon King, sister Iris was with us too.”

If that was the case, then that was a relief.

If Noemi could use 6th-tier magic, dealing with the remnants of the old demon tribe that would soon appear would be a piece of cake.

The magic those guys use is,

‘At best, it will be 5th-tier magic.’

Of course, 5th-tier was by no means an easy magic to deal with.

At my current level, I wouldn't even be able to find my bones after one hit.

‘I’ll ask Adel to protect me, and if I put Noemi on the front line to wipe them out, there should be no problem.’

The formation was a bit strange, but in terms of effectiveness, that was the best.

But who would have known.

I didn't even get a chance to see the faces of those old demon tribe guys.

Because Noemi had already finished all the preparations.

***

The continent of Ista, to which the Benedict Kingdom belonged, was divided into north and south by a huge river that cut through its center.

The north was mainly inhabited by white people, and the south by yellow people.

The peculiar thing was that while the north was divided into several countries, the south was ruled by a single unified empire.

That was the Durani Empire.

The underworld of this vast empire, ten times larger than the Benedict Kingdom, was on the verge of being seized by a red-haired white woman who had suddenly appeared one day.

“Only the last faction remains now.”

“You worked hard.”

“But the resistance is formidable.”

Iris slowly nodded her head.

“It would be. Because those guys are supported by the empire's nobles.”

“The easiest way is to kill all the imperial nobles related to them. Why are you trying to take the long way around when there's an easy path?”

“You fool. Then the source of money disappears, doesn't it?”

“Source of money?”

At the masked man's question, Iris smirked and continued.

“What I want to become is not the emperor of the empire. Just a great merchant who dominates this place.”

“If you become the emperor, you'll be able to get your hands on all sorts of treasures, won't you?”

“That’s not it!”

“Hmm. If you want to live long, you'd better fix that temper of yours first.”

The man disappeared from sight with a sharp gaze.

Iris stared out the window and muttered to herself.

‘Because I need money to go back there. And to get revenge on that man.’

It was a past she didn't want to remember.

Hellish days where she was treated worse than a human and only learned about making money.

But now it was different.

‘Now I have money and power. As long as the Unseen Ones are here, no one will be able to treat me carelessly.’

Soon, her plan would pass the first gateway.

Iris clenched her fists and resolved.

That she couldn't stop here.

That she had to move forward.

But suddenly, the sky darkened.

Just a moment ago, the clear day had continued without a single cloud, ‘What is it?’

When she stuck her head out the window, a huge number of dragons were flying towards the north.

At the forefront was a huge black dragon that looked three times larger than the other dragons.

‘Anticus?’

To her, who grew up in Rarc Village, Anticus was a familiar existence.

An ancient dragon more fearsome than the Demon King.

To think that Anticus, who could never go outside the Elburz Mountains according to a long-standing contract, appeared here leading hundreds of dragons.

She quickly turned around and shouted into the empty air.

“This is an emergency! Investigate what happened in Rarc Village immediately!”

“Understood.”

The voice coming from the empty space soon vanished.

However, Iris did not doubt that they would soon get news about this and return.

Because they were beings who were everywhere and nowhere.

***

On the exact seventh day since Anticus left Rarc Village.

Adel looked up at the sky all day, but she couldn't detect any change.

‘I can't wait any longer. I have to report this to the kingdom.’

The moment she was about to write a letter, the outside of the mansion became noisy.

A soldier came in, panting for breath, and said, “Lady Adel! I think you need to come outside right now!”

“What's wrong?”

“Th-the dragons are coming back!”

Dragons, not dragon?

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Adel quickly went outside.

Once outside, she couldn't close her mouth.

Because a huge flock of dragons was flying towards this place from the southern sky.

An uncountable number of dragons were filling the southern sky.

While Adel was flustered, not knowing what to do.

Her father, who had approached her side at some point, threw out a meaningful remark.

“They're finally here.”

What? Finally here?

Could it be that her father already knew this would happen?

But just a few days ago, hadn't he avoided her gaze and kept his mouth shut?

Adel looked straight at her father and asked.

“What on earth is this?”

“It’s nothing. It's just that what's supposed to happen is happening.”

“Please explain properly!”

“Follow me.”

“Father!”

Her father turned his back and went into the room, then without hesitation, he opened the secret passage door and went inside.

The two of them walked through the dark underground passage and walked and walked along the endless mountain path.

“Did you meet Anticus through this path?”

“Yes.”

A somehow cold response.

Was he displeased because she had been monitoring him recently?

It felt like he had returned to the cold father of the past.

Adel followed behind her father with her lips firmly shut.

It was a distance that seemed reachable if she just stretched out her hand, but, ‘Why does it feel so far away.’

Even while walking alongside him, Adel was seized by a frustration of not knowing what to do.

It was suffocating.

***

It wasn't that I was in a bad mood.

It was just,

‘I don't know what to say.’

My relationship with Adel had recently become awkward.

We could have been together all day, but it was more of a relationship between a监视者 and a suspect than a father and daughter.

I even had to endure her murderous gaze when I went to the bathroom.

‘I couldn't even tell if the food was going into my nose or my mouth.’

In this situation, it was also awkward to suddenly act friendly.

The other person was looking at whatever I said with suspicion, so if I were to just smile by myself, wouldn't I look like a fool?

No. She didn't even allow me to get close.

She just watched me, always maintaining a certain distance.

Instead, I was able to become very close with Noemi.

Now, I had come to know in detail what she liked and what she disliked.

‘Noemi trusted me without a doubt. But Adel's cold gaze seemed to be observing me. As if she believed I was hiding something bigger.’

On the other hand, Noemi was relying on me.

Such a Noemi was the ideal daughter I wanted.

She was even skilled at magic, so I even thought I could finish the conquest with just Noemi alone.

Of course, that would be impossible.

‘The difficulty must have increased dramatically since I have to raise three instead of one. There must have been a lot of new episodes and characters I don't know about added.’

In times like these, it would be better to move cautiously.

Just like now.

Anticus, who had no reason to leave the Elburz Mountains, was suddenly returning with her subordinates.

I didn't know what would happen in the future, so it would be best to be as careful as possible and utilize all the cards I could currently use.

‘Above all, this is reality. In a game, if you get stuck, you can just do it again, but here, if you die once, it's the end.’

Should I call it a brutal world that pursues the ultimate reality where you only have one life?

No. This is no longer a game.

Since I enjoyed PP for a long time, it would be better to fix the habit of still thinking of this world as a game.

‘Right. I am Frank, and Frank is me. I can't distinguish between the two anymore.’

As I walked with that resolve, the entrance to the cave came into view.

The moment I was about to enter the cave, a girl suddenly appeared.

It was Anticus.

‘It’s the same situation as before. It feels like she knows where I am.’

She smiled at me, then frowned when she saw Adel behind me.

“Who did you bring this time?”

“She is my daughter.”

“Daughter? Then is she also a child of the gods?”

“That is correct.”

As soon as those words finished, Anticus disappeared from sight.

Soon, I felt a presence next to me.

At some point, she was standing between me and Adel.

“Wh-what!”

A surprised Adel drew her sword, but Anticus just looked at her calmly.

“Hmm, she certainly smells of the goddess. How many daughters are you raising now?”

“Three in total.”

“Three? One was the mage I saw last time, this child is the second. What about the last one?”

“She left home for a while due to circumstances.”

“Is that so? Let's talk about the details inside.”

Anticus disappeared again and was standing at the cave entrance at some point.

Flashing east, flashing west.

She wasn't Hong Gildong, but she certainly had a mysterious skill.

I pointed at the sword of Adel, who was standing there with a blank face, and slowly shook my head.

“If possible, I recommend not drawing your sword.”

I couldn't lose my precious daughter here, could I?

***

‘It's uncomfortable. It's so uncomfortable I can't stand it.’

This situation was one thing, but her father's cold reaction was making her mind go blank.

‘Are we going to go back to how we were before?’

She was the one who made the relationship awkward by becoming"a monitor", so she had no room for excuses.

Adel followed her father into the cave with a gloomy face.

While Anticus sat leisurely in the seat of honor, her father sat on the opposite side as if he were used to it.

As she hesitated, not knowing where to sit, her father said something.

“What are you doing? Hurry and sit down.”

“Ah. Yes!”

In the end, Adel sat between her father and Anticus.

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

The one who spoke first was her father.

“I was surprised that you disappeared without a word. You even brought other dragons with you.”

“Do I need to get your permission to move?”

In that moment, all the hairs on her body stood on end.

Because a terrifying killing intent covered the surroundings.

But her father answered calmly.

“That's not it, but thanks to you, there was a big commotion in the village. It would be nice if you could tell me in advance next time.”

“I'll keep it in mind.”

Huh? She agrees so easily?

Her father was a former hero, but the opponent was an ancient dragon that was said to surpass even the Demon King.

The shock didn't end there.

“Then I will reveal it now. I plan to make this place a paradise for dragons.”

Anticus' sudden shocking declaration.

While she was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

Her father tilted his head and asked back.

“Is there a reason?”

“I've stayed here for a thousand years and watched how foolish humans and the demon tribe are. There's no reason to waste my time for them anymore. Now I want to create a home for myself and my own kind.”

“It's a wonderful idea, but we need a detailed plan so as not to cause anxiety to the residents. I will mediate and create an adjustment plan.”

“I'll leave it to you.”

“I also have something to say.”

“Speak.”

He continued with a serious face.

“I'm going to start developing the mine. I would like you to give a heads-up to your subordinates in advance. It could become a problem if the dragons threaten the residents.”

“No problem. I've already emphasized this several times before coming here.”

“Thank you. You are indeed a thoughtful person.”

“You too.”

The two of them smirked and exchanged subtle glances.

What on earth was this conversation about?

Adel couldn't understand it at all.

What was this paradise of dragons, and why was her father so indifferent?

If only she could get inside her father's head, she would have no other wish.