Raising the Daughters to Overcome My Failure

Chapter 17. Anceps (2)

“You want the key to the treasury?”

“Yes! I need the sword that’s in there.”

“I’m not sure which sword you’re referring to.”

Adel had suddenly thrown the door wide open, appearing with Anonymous and asking for the key to the treasury.

Since Adel had never done something like this before, I was speechless for a moment.

“Wait a minute, a sword?”

“Yes!”

“Which sword is it?”

“The twin swords chained to the floor.”

The twin swords bound in chains?

Could she possibly mean Anceps?

The sword of the previous Demon King.

Come to think of it, Anceps was indeed dormant in our family’s treasury.

Frank had stealthily taken it as a spoil of war after subjugating the Demon King.

He had said that he didn't know the causal relationship—whether the one who wielded it became the Demon King, or the one who became the Demon King took it—but that without it, a new Demon King might not appear.

Anyway, this really…

‘Feels like a scene from the route to make my daughter the Demon King, doesn’t it?’

The moment one wielded Anceps, they would transform into a berserker.

They would be reduced to a killing machine.

But my daughters were the children of gods.

They would even defeat the Demon King and eventually rise to the throne of the demon tribe themselves.

Because countless lives were lost in the process, no sane user would turn their daughter into the Demon King.

Even I, after clearing the Demon King ending just once, never looked at it again.

‘Surely she hasn't made contact with it already, right?’

That was probably not the case.

If it were, I would be lying in a coffin by now.

No. The people who would bury me in a coffin would also be dead and gone.

But Adel had specifically mentioned Anceps.

‘It seems she heard Anceps' voice when she went down to the treasury last time. There was a scene like this in the game, too.’

I shook my head grimly.

“I don't know exactly what sword you're talking about, but if it's the cursed sword I'm thinking of, it's dangerous.”

At that, Anonymous, who had been listening quietly from behind, asked with an indifferent face.

“What in the world is it that you’re making such a fuss?”

“You would know it as well. It is a cursed sword called Anceps.”

“Anceps? You mean the Demon King's sword?”

With a heavy expression, I slowly nodded.

But then, Anonymous' eyes twinkled as she said this.

“Anceps is here? My goodness, how many hundreds of years has it been? Show it to me, quickly!”

“You know of that sword?”

“Of course. I was the one who made it.”

“Excuse me?”

Was that part of the lore?

I found it hard to close my mouth.

***

The life of a dragon is long.

They can live from hundreds to thousands of years, sometimes even ten thousand.

This was even more true for an ancient dragon like Anonymous.

During that long time, she had taken an interest in all sorts of things.

“Was it about 800 years ago? I was really into blacksmithing back then.”

“You know metallurgy as well?”

At Frank's question, Anonymous scoffed and said.

“Just metallurgy? Every skill in this world is a subject of my inquiry. There is nothing I cannot do.”

“Then why did you create such a cursed sword?”

“Well, you see.”

She gave a bitter smile and hesitated for a moment, before finally confessing the truth.

“It was actually a failure.”

“A failure? But isn't that the Demon King's sword?”

“It just happened to turn out that way. It wasn't my intention. I had hoped that weak humans could draw out more of their own potential.”

Her intention was simple.

She wanted to make humans capable of dealing with the Demon King themselves.

Being a hero didn't guarantee victory against the Demon King.

Furthermore, unlike humans who simply feared dragons, the demon tribe possessed a challenging spirit towards them.

“I thought it would be troublesome if the demon tribe wasn't kept in check, so I made the cursed sword.”

“What do you mean by troublesome?”

“Once they gained the upper hand in their war with humans, they would invariably try to challenge me. That was a real nuisance.”

Frank asked back with a dumbfounded look.

“For a reason as simple as that?”

“Yes. The reason was to draw out human potential and have them stand against the demon tribe. Why? Did I do something wrong?”

As she asked with a confident attitude, Frank gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“But then why did the sword you made become the Demon King’s sword?”

“Unfortunately, humans couldn’t control its power. It ended up becoming a more suitable weapon for the demon tribe.”

“What an ironic story.”

“Indeed. That’s why it was a sword I had forgotten about, but to think I’d hear its name again here. You really do see all sorts of things if you live long enough.”

Humans had managed to defeat the Demon King who wielded the cursed sword and restore peace even without a cursed sword of their own.

But it couldn't be left as it was.

It was an undeniable fact that countless humans had been massacred because of the failure she created.

“I wanted humans to become stronger. Their weakness was always a target for the demon tribe to exploit. But I will not deny that my intention to compensate for that weakness ultimately created the greatest disaster. Therefore, I must destroy that sword with my own hands. It is my mistake, so I will resolve it with my own hands.”

But what was this?

Adel raised her voice.

“You can’t!”

“What? What is the reason?”

“Because it’s the sword I need!”

Anonymous wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Did you not just hear me? That thing takes over a human’s body and incites the urge to kill.”

“But your original intention was to draw out human potential to fight the Demon King, wasn’t it? I’m sure I can control Anceps.”

“Interesting. Are you saying you’ll challenge something that no one in history has ever accomplished?”

“Yes! With that cursed sword you created, I will defeat you for sure.”

A hollow laugh escaped Anonymous.

No one had ever said such a thing to her before.

“Haha. Is that what you were thinking inside? Truly interesting. You are indeed worthy of being called that man's daughter. But isn't the standard response here to ask me to forge a new sword for you? Since I know how to make swords.”

However, Adel shook her head firmly.

“No. It’s only meaningful if I defeat you with the sword you called a failure. Even if you made me the strongest sword, I don’t want to defeat you with that.”

“You say strange things. But I like it. That challenge, I accept.”

Frank shot up from his seat and shouted.

“O Lofty ancient dragon! You must not!”

Frank tried his best to intervene, but his persuasion was no longer getting through.

Both she and Adel were averting his gaze.

“Adel, I know your determination is great. But my refusal to allow you this sword is not simple protection. You are a child of the gods, but at the same time, this could become the strongest trap to corrupt you.”

“I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Adel…….”

He let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.

“It can't be helped. However, you must promise to stop Adel immediately if it seems like she is about to lose her body to Anceps. If you do not promise, I cannot give you the key.”

“I will.”

Frank looked at Adel with an affectionate gaze and said.

“Will you be really all right?”

“Yes, Father! My mind won’t change. I will definitely prove my ability by controlling the sword she called a failure.”

“If things go wrong, you could lose your true self.”

“She will stop that from happening, won't she? I am confident.”

Anonymous, seeming tired of the father-daughter conversation, brought up something else.

“This is a sight I can hardly bear to watch. Enough of that, I will also add one condition.”

Frank and Adel looked at her at the same time.

“A condition?”

“What is it?”

Anonymous flashed a sardonic smile.

“Whether you control Anceps or not, if you lose to me, you will call me Master during our lessons. Except for when we train, I’ll be sure to call you ‘older sister’ as well. A certain maid in this house emphasizes manners to a sickening degree.”

“I understand. It's a fact that you are stronger than me. I will do so.”

Adel, for some strange reason, never called her Master.

What was it she said? That she couldn’t call someone she didn’t sincerely respect a Master or something.

It was one of the reasons she treated Adel harshly.

‘She’s such a stubborn child. But there’s a certain satisfaction in teaching her.’

Adel’s swordsmanship improved noticeably every day.

It still didn’t meet her standards, but at this rate, she would soon run out of things to teach.

Her talent was that outstanding.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing if she can control my cursed sword.’

If Adel managed to do it, she was thinking of formally accepting her as a disciple.

Of course, even if she couldn’t, she intended to take her as a disciple by force.

Unlike the always-indifferent Noemi, she was a child who was fun to provoke.

***

Before going down to the treasury.

I briefly dismissed the two of them and called for Noemi.

“You were looking for me, Dad?”

“Yes. Have you by any chance had a future foresight recently?”

Noemi tilted her head with a clueless expression.

“Recently?”

“About today or the near future.”

Noemi quietly shook her head.

“There hasn’t been anything like that. It’s not something I can see just because I want to.”

“I see.”

“I’m not sure what you’re worried about, but I can say this for certain.”

“What is it?”

“My older sisters, and I as well. In the battle against the Demon King, all of us will fight on your side, Dad.”

Noemi’s eyes were filled with conviction.

With a gentle smile, I quietly stroked her head.

“Thank you. I feel much more at ease thanks to you.”

“Not at all, Dad. You know, right?”

“Know what?”

“I’m always on your side, Dad. If you have any worries, please come find me just like you did now.”

Could there be another daughter as dependable as this?

I left her with a word of thanks and remained alone in the room, lost in thought.

‘If Noemi’s words are true, then nothing terrible will happen to Adel today. That’s right. For now, I have to trust and support Adel.’

Thinking of her safety, the right thing to do was to say no, but doing so would leave Adel gripped by great disappointment.

Above all, Adel’s appearance as she confronted Anticus was just as she had always been.

‘This must be Adel’s true nature.’

To push through with her own will until the end, no matter how strong the opponent.

That was probably the reason I chose Adel as my first daughter.

And we also have Anticus by our side.

With her power, she should be able to suppress any situation with ease.

Besides, to think that she was the one who created Anceps.

Just how many behind-the-scenes stories did the developers of this game hide in various places?

The more I peel back, the more it feels like an onion.

What in the world is waiting at the end of this world?

***

As soon as Adel entered the treasury, Ceps spoke to her without hesitation.

It was a lighthearted phrase, but Anceps' voice contained a power that paralyzed the opponent’s reason.

The moment one heard that sound, they were bound to clutch at them, as if wandering through a dream.

But this time was different.

“Last time it was a woman’s voice, but this time it’s a man’s? What are you two? Does each sword have its own ego?”

“That’s right! I am Adel, the daughter of the hero Frank and a child of the gods! I will never give you my body!”

However, An had been silent from a while ago.

This was the first time a human had resisted like this; could it be that it wasn't interested?

In that instant, Ceps sensed it too.

It felt another strong aura besides Adel’s.

No sooner had those words ended.

A familiar voice was heard.

“Huhu. Where have you been wandering to have ended up here? How truly pathetic. I made you for humans, and you dare to side with the demon tribe?”

To An and Ceps, those words sounded like the voice of the grim reaper.

“You’ve grown up. You even know how to talk back.”

Just then, when they were out of their minds.

Adel strode forward and grabbed the hilts.

Of her own accord, without them having to tempt her.

An and Ceps were flustered, but they couldn't miss this chance.

Soon, Adel’s eyes began to dye red.

The moment of domination, which no one had ever been able to escape, was about to unfold.