Raising the Daughters to Overcome My Failure

Chapter 16. Anceps (1)

The Benedict Kingdom's emergency meeting showed no signs of ending, even after several days.

“Not only has Anticus left her nest, but she's returned with other dragons?”

“And what is this talk about building a paradise for dragons?”

“A gold mine? Did I just hear that correctly?”

The high-ranking nobles just shouted noisily.

Not a single one of them could offer a plausible solution.

To act rashly could endanger not only their own lives but also the kingdom.

Furthermore, the entirety of humanity could be at risk.

Finally, the king opened his mouth.

“According to Adel's report, Anticus has agreed to cooperate with Baron Frank. In other words, can we not assume she has no intention of being hostile towards us?”

At that, Marquis Moltke, who held the position of Lord Chief Justice, spoke cautiously.

“Your Majesty, Anticus alone is dangerous enough, but with other dragons present, there are too many concerns.”

The nobles chimed in, agreeing with his opinion.

“That's right, Your Majesty. It's already dangerous enough that our land borders the demon territory, and now we have to build a paradise for dragons?”

“We must drive them out immediately. What will other countries think of this?”

“Even if it's Baron Frank's land, is it not ultimately the kingdom's territory? You must refuse.”

Bruno, the new Finance Minister who had been watching the situation, also added a word.

“We must summon Baron Frank at once and question him about the details! If he has been plotting things with Anticus on his own, he deserves to be punished!”

Everyone agreed with Bruno's opinion, but Saintess Isabel was different.

She presented a counterargument with a cold face.

“Count Bruno seems to think Anticus is quite the pushover.”

“No, Saintess, what do you mean by that?”

“Anticus is a more terrifying existence than the Demon King. Do you really think Baron Frank could have moved Anticus to orchestrate this? I think not. There must have been other circumstances we are not aware of.”

Bruno shook his head with an awkward expression.

“However, does not Adel's report state that the mining rights to the gold mine belong to the Baron? This is clearly……”

“The location of the gold mine is within the barony. The mining rights there are naturally under the authority of the respective lord. If I am mistaken about the kingdom's laws, would you please correct me, Marquis Moltke?”

When Isabel looked at Moltke and asked, he gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“The Saintess is correct.”

Isabel continued to speak with a triumphant attitude.

“What is important now is not to blame Baron Frank, but Anticus. Wouldn't it be right to speak with her first?”

No one could easily open their mouths at Isabel's sharp rebuke.

She looked around the meeting hall once more and raised her voice.

“You who are gathered here know better than anyone how reckless it is to try and drive out a dragon. It would be better to discuss how to cooperate with them instead. I believe this is an opportunity to keep the demon tribe in check.”

The king asked with an interested face.

“In what way?”

“The northern part of the Elburz Mountains borders the demon territory. Do you think the demon tribe could easily cross that place where dragons are holding out? I think not.”

“Indeed. I agree with the Saintess' opinion. Are there any other opinions?”

Only then did some of the nobles agree with the king and the Saintess' opinion.

“Come to think of it, that makes sense.”

“I too agree with Your Majesty and the Saintess' opinion.”

While Marquis Moltke remained silent with his lips firmly sealed, Bruno gritted his teeth and thought to himself.

‘Damn it. I was going to use this to push Frank into a corner, but it's not going as I planned. I forgot that the Saintess is his patron.’

Moreover, a gold mine was discovered on his land.

His plan to pressure Frank by tightening his purse strings was about to go up in smoke.

‘I must find a way to hold Frank accountable. My mind won't be at ease if I leave Frank as he is.’

The topic of the dragons' paradise, which was related to the survival of the kingdom, had long since disappeared from Bruno's mind.

A way to deal a blow to Frank no matter what.

That was the only thing that filled his head.

***

While I sent the villagers to the gold mine to construct the mine, I introduced Anticus to the people.

Of course, I kept her true identity a secret.

“Let me introduce her. Her name is Anonymous. She is a distant relative of mine. She will be staying with us here for a while, so I hope you will welcome her warmly.”

While the majority welcomed her with applause, only Elliot could not relax his heavy expression.

It was a few days ago.

“Elliot. Anticus will be living with us here for a while.”

“M-Master?”

“It's understandable to be surprised. But you must not reveal this to anyone. The fate of all humanity is at stake.”

I briefly explained the threat of the Unseen Ones and why Anticus had to stay at our house.

“So that's what happened. I will keep it in mind.”

Still, Elliot could not let his guard down.

It was no wonder.

The true identity of that innocent-looking girl was Anticus.

Who could have ever imagined it?

“Where should we prepare her room?”

“Iris' room is empty, so we can have her use that one.”

“Will that be alright? The second young lady won't stand for it if she finds out.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“It's the fault of the one who left home. Besides, wouldn't it be a hassle to bring in new furniture in this backwater place?”

“You are right, Master. I will do so.”

We could not just put shoddy furniture in the room where Anticus was staying.

On the other hand, Iris' room was plastered with luxury goods, so Anticus would be satisfied.

In fact, the quality was better than the furniture in my own room.

Meanwhile, my two daughters, excluding the servants, already knew Anonymous' true identity.

Both of them had seen her directly.

Anticus, no, Anonymous, showed great interest in my daughters from the first day she came to our house.

“Hmm. I can teach Adel swordsmanship and Noemi magic. When would be a good time? Any time is fine with me, so just let me know.”

At that, Belita spoke with a bitter smile.

“Miss Anonymous, those two are older than you. You should be polite.”

A startled Adel waved her hands saying it was fine, but Belita stubbornly said.

“Repeat after me. Adel-unni, Noemi-unni, may I ask you a favor? You have to do it like this.”

Fortunately, Anonymous found this situation amusing.

“Ah, I grew up in the countryside, so I didn't know there was such an etiquette. Hehe. Adel-unni, Noemi-unni, would you grant me my request?”

Belita nodded her head in satisfaction.

“Very well done. The master of this place, Lord Frank, is a Baron, so it's best to maintain a minimum level of etiquette.”

Unlike the nonchalant Noemi, Adel looked at me with a flustered expression.

But I just shrugged my shoulders.

The fact that Anonymous was Anticus was a secret that must not be revealed to anyone.

***

Meanwhile, at that moment.

In the underground treasury of Frank's mansion, a man's voice and a woman's voice echoed alternately.

However, it was not a voice that was actually heard.

It was a voice imbued with a special magic that only the two of them could hear.

The identities of the two voices were the demon swords sealed here, Anceps.

They were swords, each with its own ego.

The sword on the left had a female ego named An, and the sword on the right had a male ego named Ceps.

The one who had spoken to Adel when she visited this place last time was An.

An soothed Ceps and let out a long sigh.

Anceps had been the Demon King's swords for generations.

They had passed through the hands of several Demon Kings, but this was the first time they had been sealed by human hands.

Because Frank had brought them here and spouted some nonsense like, "Without you, there might be no Demon King."

Anceps' ability was to take over the host's body and go on a rampage of indiscriminate slaughter.

However, if the one holding the sword had no power, they could not be corrupted.

The stronger the opponent's power, the more easily they fall for the temptation.

In that respect, the previous Demon King's curse was poison to Anceps.

Because they could not corrupt Frank, whose powers had been sealed.

An and Ceps eagerly wished for Adel to visit again.

But who would have known?

They could not have even imagined that a terrifying ancient dragon, more fearsome than the Demon King, would be with her.

***

“Hah, hah.”

“You're soft. At this rate, you won't be able to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings, let alone the Demon King.”

“I am someone who has defeated the Knight Commander!”

“Pfft. What's so great about a Knight Commander? Go drink some more of your mother's milk. No, wait, your mother is in the sky, so it would be difficult to drink her milk. Keke.”

Enraged by Anonymous' taunts, Adel swung her sword with all her might, but she could not even touch a single strand of her hair.

Even though Adel was using a real sword and Anonymous was using a wooden one, she was no match for her.

“The youngest is so outstanding that there's nothing more to teach, but the eldest is full of flaws. What should I do with this.”

“I am not incompetent! Take back what you said right now!”

Adel brought down her sword as if her life depended on it, but Anonymous just chuckled and lightly dodged it.

Instead, she instantly dug into her space and,

“Your side is open.”

Thwack.

Adel, who was hit in the side in an instant, had to roll on the ground.

She could not even breathe properly.

‘S-strong. Is this the power of an ancient dragon?’

Nevertheless, she never let go of the twin swords from her hands.

This sword was a gift from her father when he first came here.

However, Anonymous, who had approached at some point, snatched the twin swords without permission.

“It's not a bad sword, but it's not a good one either. You won't be able to touch a single hair on my head with this.”

She threw the twin swords far away as if they were useless objects.

Then she took out the one-handed sword slung at her waist and sneered.

“It seems you don't have an eye for good swords. Seeing as you carry around trash like this.”

She split Levatein in two with a single stroke.

“No!!”

Levatein was a sword bestowed upon her by the king as a reward for passing the knight exam at the top of her class.

Adel despaired as such a sword was shattered to pieces before her eyes.

Whether she did or not.

Anonymous continued to mutter to herself with her arms crossed.

“You need to first develop an eye for good swords. A hero's child doesn't even know what ‘gear-dependent’ means. Tsk.”

At that moment, a sword came to Adel's mind.

If it was that sword she had discovered in the underground treasury of the mansion,

‘I might be able to suppress that arrogant ancient dragon at once.’

Adel gritted her teeth and looked straight at Anonymous.

“I know where to find a sword that will satisfy you!”

“Huh? There's something like that? Then why didn't you show it to me?”

“Because I need my father's permission!”

“Really? Then hurry up and get permission and bring it. No. It would be better to go together. It would be troublesome if you brought another strange sword.”

Adel nodded her head and went to find her father with her.

She needed her father's permission to get the key to the treasury.

A sense of anxiety that she might not get permission flickered in a corner of her mind, but she tried to suppress it.

‘This time, I will never bend my will.’

Adel headed to her father's room with a determined expression.

A strong resolve to obtain that sword, no matter the cost, was leading her on.