Raising the Daughters to Overcome My Failure

Chapter 15. Unseen Ones (3)

The hobby of Rude, known as the great archmage and sage, was, unusually, insect observation.

Of course, not common types like ants or bees.

He only felt interest in rare insects at least on the level of the Hercules beetle.

The rare insect Rude had recently discovered was the Luisa King Butterfly.

This creature, with a single wingspan of 30cm, was incredibly fast despite its large body,

so it was rarely seen by people.

The last recorded observation was already more than 20 years ago.

‘This is the first time it has been discovered in a desert, not the Fairy Forest. I must confirm its ecology.’

He was engrossed in chasing the Luisa King Butterfly and was even using the Magic Crystal Ball to observe it.

This artifact had a function that allowed one to view a marked creature—unfortunately,

humans were an exception—like a CCTV within a 10km radius.

Then, at that very moment.

The moment the butterfly was about to mate on the desert sands was captured.

“Ooh! Finally!!”

However, his stomach had been aching since earlier, as if he had eaten something bad.

‘Ugh. Was it the food I ate this morning?’

Unable to miss the important moment, he ran towards the restroom with the crystal ball in hand.

Just as he was focusing all his nerves on the crystal ball.

Suddenly, the image of the butterfly disappeared, and the faces of Frank and Adel appeared.

The two people stared at him with horrified faces.

Rude’s face turned as red as a blazing volcano.

“A-are you crazy! I'm in the middle of doing my business! Turn it off now!”

He hung up hastily with an annoyed remark, but it was after he had already shown them an unsightly scene.

When he let out a long sigh as if the ground would collapse and looked for the butterfly again, their mating had already ended.

“Damn it. Why now of all times.”

Shaking his head, Rude came out of the restroom and, after long deliberation, grabbed the crystal ball again.

Soon, the figures of Frank and Adel were reflected in the crystal ball.

“……”

“……”

A silence flowed for a while.

It was Rude who broke the silence first.

“You haven’t contacted me once since the Demon King subjugation, so what’s with the sudden call?”

He asked bluntly, but the other party asked where he was now.

“Are you done with your business?”

“Yes.”

“It wouldn't happen to be that place from before, would it?”

Rude suppressed his anger and showed his surroundings.

“Of course not! Who do you think I am, an idiot!”

“My apologies. Is it alright to talk now?”

“Tsk. Of course it's fine, that's why we're talking now.”

However, Rude soon had to let go of his sulking expression and focus on the other party's story.

Because the story of the Unseen Ones and Anticus flowed from Frank's mouth.

***

“The Unseen Ones were watching you and Adel?”

“Yes. One of them was even spying on Anticus and got caught by her.”

“Crazy! But why?”

“I contacted you because I don't know. Do you have any guesses?”

This was a serious problem.

Despite their extraordinary abilities, the Unseen Ones' sphere of activity was mainly in the southern part of the continent.

That is, it was confined to the Durani Empire. But for them to have infiltrated the Benedict Kingdom, located in the far north, and even

approached Anticus.

‘It definitely means there's something they're after. What on earth could it be?’

Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.

“Don't tell me Iris isn't there right now?”

“How did you know?”

Seeing Frank's reaction, Rude had a hunch.

That Iris might be absent because of what he had said.

‘How should I explain this? If I say it wrong, I might get beaten to death by Frank.’

Frank had entrusted his daughters' magic education to him.

He had asked him to ensure they all learned up to at least 3rd-Circle magic, regardless of their magical aptitude.

As a result, did he end up teaching them harshly without realizing it?

Of course, unlike the strict Frank, he did provide them with some breathing room.

After the designated magic education was over, he would soothe them by telling them various stories.

Iris, in particular, was a brilliant child.

Although her aptitude for magic was low, if you taught her one thing, she quickly understood two.

One day, he happened to bring up the story of the Durani Empire.

“The Durani Empire may seem to be ruled by a powerful emperor, but in reality, that's not the case.”

“Do you mean there's someone else behind the scenes?”

“Huhu. As expected, Iris is smart. Correct. A faction called the Unseen Ones has been controlling the empire from behind for a long time.”

Iris' eyes sparkled.

“Please tell me more, Master!”

“It was already more than 10 years ago. I confirmed their existence in a history book and began to investigate whether it was true.”

“And so?”

“After a long period of trial and error, I came to face them. They had secret passages all over the empire that only they could use, and they identified each other only by a secret phrase.”

“A secret phrase? What is it?”

Rude replied with a gentle smile.

“We are everywhere, and we are nowhere. It's an expression that truly describes the Unseen Ones well.”

Rude told Iris various stories related to the Unseen Ones.

Experiences where he almost died after approaching them out of curiosity,And even a warning that one should never get involved with them.

He also emphasized that attempting to use their power was even more dangerous.

But what was this?

Iris said with a peculiar smile.

“If I use their power, becoming the world's greatest merchant would be a piece of cake!”

“Well, I suppose so……. Wait, did you hear me correctly?”

“Of course. I was just curious, so I asked.”

“I repeat, you must never think of contacting them.”

“Hehe, I understand, Master!”

The smile Iris showed that day was somewhat strange.

It seemed like she was thinking something else inside.

He should have guessed then.

‘Did I blabber on too much unnecessarily? They say a wealth of knowledge is also a curse.’

After finishing his recollection, Rude let out a long sigh and confessed the matter honestly.

He did not know what face to make when he saw Frank and Adel.

He was worried that Frank, let alone Adel, might beat him to death.

***

After finishing the call with Rude, I sent Adel away and was lost in thought alone.

‘If Rude is right, Iris is definitely with the Unseen Ones. But why did she seek them out?’

Is her goal to become the greatest merchant in the world?

That was too dangerous for that.

They were the most mysterious beings in the world of PP.

No, ‘They are beings who could even subjugate the Demon King if they set their minds to it. The risk is too high.’

Rude said he would come here at once and told me to rely on Anticus in the meantime.

He said there was no better ally than her when dealing with the Unseen Ones.

‘For now, there's no other way. Just raising my daughters is overwhelming enough, but too many variables are popping up.’

My head was throbbing.

It was a series of events I had never experienced when I was just enjoying the game.

The next day.

I headed to the gold mine to meet her again.

Anticus appeared quickly, as usual.

“You're not planning to come for a daily morning greeting, are you? Aren't you showing yourself too often?”

She showed a very pleased face, as if she was happy I had come.

‘I must not be fooled.’

Her appearance was that of an innocent teenage girl, but inside was an ancient dragon that had lived for over 3,000 years.

It was to the point where I wanted to grab the person who designed Anticus and ask them.

Why they made her look like this, confusing people.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I didn't particularly come to see you.”

Anticus' eyes narrowed.

“Then?”

“To start the mine development, it's necessary to investigate this place in detail beforehand.”

“Why is the lord stepping up himself, leaving his men below?”

“Who other than me would dare to face you?”

Anticus suddenly clutched her stomach and laughed out loud.

“Haha! That's true. I almost misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood?”

“I thought you were visiting me every day because you were interested in me.”

Excuse me, if you say that with that appearance, in my world, you’d hear someone say, ‘Gotcha, you creep!’.

Your appearance is that of a teenage girl, after all.

The sinister smile of Podori came to mind, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Nevertheless.

I was in a position to ask her for a favor.

‘There's no need to hurt her feelings unnecessarily.’

I forced a smile and threw a joke.

“Is there a reason I shouldn't?”

“Whaat?”

In that moment, Anticus' expression turned serious as if she could not believe it.

Her change in attitude was too fast.

Did she still have something like a human heart left in her?

Finding it amusing, I continued to provoke her.

“There is no one around here who receives more attention than you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Because everyone is curious about you. Aren't you the de facto king of this place and a living witness to history who has lived longer than anyone? I, too, have many stories I want to hear from you.”

“Is that as a lord, or as an individual?”

I replied with a gentle smile.

“Both. I am curious about you both as a lord and as an individual.”

“……?!”

Anticus suddenly turned her back and said nothing.

Did I tease her too much?

I hope there are no repercussions.

***

Anticus' face was burning so much that she could not possibly show her face to her counterpart.

‘What did he just say? Is he saying he likes me?’

Since Arus, the first hero, he was the first to say such things to her.

Barely composing herself, Anticus opened her mouth with her back still turned.

“If you're trying to tease me, cut it out. Should you be teasing an elder?”

But the other party was unmoving.

He had no intention of changing his attitude.

“How could that be possible. If I did, not only I but all of humanity would be in danger.”

“Then, are you saying you're serious?”

“Of course. My feelings towards you are always sincere.”

Thump.

Could there be a line as powerful as this?

She barely held onto her consciousness, which was about to fly off to Andromeda, and managed to move her lips.

“Your time and my time are different.”

“What does something like that matter? I always just do my best in the present moment.”

“Ha?”

There was no smooth talker like this smooth talker.

There was a mountain of work to do to make this place a paradise for dragons, but if she were to give her heart to a human, ‘The subordinates won't tolerate this, what should I do?’

As she was fidgeting, the other party thankfully changed the subject.

“What did you do with the one you captured?”

Only then could Anticus turn around and face him.

“He committed suicide while I was distracted for a moment.”

“Suicide?”

“Yes. The Freezing magic is a spell that freezes even the mouth. I released it for a moment to have a conversation, and he bit down on poison hidden in his tooth and died. Hmph. He said something like this is just the beginning.”

Anticus furtively observed his expression.

She was wondering if this incident had interfered with his plans.

Fortunately, there was no particular change in the fellow's expression.

He continued to speak nonchalantly.

“It's unfortunate, but we can't turn back the past. So, the body?”

“I burned it immediately. I didn't want to keep such a thing in my territory.”

“I see.”

He seemed to be thinking for a moment, then suddenly threw a straight ball.

“Would you perhaps consider staying at my house for a while?”

“Wha-what did you say? This quickly?”

“It is not fast. In a sense, one could say it is quite late.”

What kind of guy was this?

But it was not that she disliked it.

‘I like his decisive attitude and his proactive demeanor.’

The problem was what her subordinates would think of this.

Even back in Arus' time, how much opposition had there been?

As she was having complex thoughts, all her delusions were shattered in vain by his single remark.

“We don't know when the Unseen Ones might approach again. It might be different if you were alone, but my subjects and I have no power. Please stay at my mansion and protect us.”

“What?”

“We don't know how their movements will affect this region and the paradise of dragons in the future. We need to move cautiously.”

So that was it.

It was all just a misunderstanding.

Anticus gave a bitter smile and nodded her head.

If she got angry here, her dignity as an ancient dragon would be in tatters.

“To make this place a paradise for dragons, I will need your cooperation. I understand.”

“Thank you, O Lofty Ancient Dragon.”

“But there is one condition.”

“A condition?”

Anticus paused for a moment and then uttered these words.

“According to a long tradition, you take in the Children of God and raise them as your daughters, correct?”

“That is correct, but?”

“Then while I stay, I will become their teacher and instruct them. The Children of God areas noble as dragons, after all.”

This was not just a simple tantrum, nor was it a baseless excuse.

For Anticus, the Children of God had always been a subject of curiosity.

Frank, on the contrary, was delighted and bowed his head.

“If you would do that for us, there would be nothing more to wish for. I'll be in your care.”

Phew. Why did he have to be so handsome too?

Even though she was a dragon who had lived for 3,000 years, she was also a woman.

‘I'm weak to a handsome man's smile. Tsk.’

Anticus resolved not to fall for the fellow's face again, but strangely, her eyes kept being drawn to him.

A full spring breeze brushed past the tip of her nose.