novelraw Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23. Iris (3)
Adel lifted Anceps with a tense face.
Its appearance was the same, but the aura it exuded was completely different.
‘The ominous feeling from before is completely gone. Instead, it feels like a sacred energy is flowing.’
As Adel looked at the sword with wonder, Anonymous snorted and spoke.
"The feeling is different, isn't it? It's now closer to a holy sword than a demonic sword."
"A holy sword? Do you mean you changed its attribute?"
Adel wore a look of disbelief.
It was common sense that the attribute imbued in a weapon did not change.
No. In recent times, there were hardly any craftsmen who could even bestow an attribute on a weapon.
Anonymous shrugged indifferently.
"Bestowing an attribute is just the basics. Changing an attribute isn't that difficult either. The reason you don't know is because the dwarves have almost disappeared these days."
"Aren't dwarves a legendary existence that one might see once in a lifetime, if at all?"
"Hoot. At least when I learned metallurgy, dwarves were not so rare. The reason they disappeared, when you think about it, is because of you humans' desire for territory."
Adel gulped down her dry saliva, asking if that was so.
"Even so, to change a dark attribute to light. So this was really possible."
"The dark attribute isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the energy that was tempting you was the problem. So I switched it to the light attribute. Anceps will no longer sway you."
"Thank you for your consideration, Master."
At Adel's words, Anonymous nodded with a satisfied face.
"I've enhanced various other performances as well, so you can check them out during our training. By the way, what is that?"
Anonymous pointed to the dish her father had made and licked her lips.
Adel, as if she had made it herself, raised her nose and replied.
"It's a dish my father made for me himself."
"Ho-oh, the appearance and smell are not bad."
"Please try some. It's really delicious!"
However, Anonymous snorted.
"How many dishes do you think I've tasted in my time? Some mere human's cooking."
"It's not like that! I guarantee you, Master, once you taste it, you'll never be able to get away from it."
At Adel's repeated requests, Anonymous nodded with a face that said she couldn't help it.
"Fine. Since it's my disciple's request, I'll indulge in just one bite."
Then she threw a meaningful gaze at her father.
It was a look that said she wouldn't stand for it if he disappointed her.
***
The next morning.
For some reason, Anonymous was the first one out in the hall.
As soon as she saw me, she spoke bluntly.
"That food I ate yesterday. You called it so-ya?"
"That's right, but?"
"Then bring it to me right now. It reminded me of the dishes I used to enjoy with the dwarves of old."
What do you mean, a dish enjoyed by dwarves.
That's a soul food of 21st-century Koreans.
I put on a troubled expression and replied that it would be difficult.
"We've run out of ingredients, so it's difficult today, O Lofty Ancient Dragon."
"What?"
Only then did Anonymous make an expression befitting her young appearance.
With a gloomy face, she started to whine, asking if there was any way.
"I can stir-fry sausages and vegetables in oil for you, but it's difficult to make the same sauce as yesterday."
"What's the reason?"
"As I said, we've run out of ingredients."
"Then go gather the ingredients at once. I want to eat only that all day long."
Anonymous stared at me resolutely, as if she would refuse any refusal.
‘Was Anticus like this?’ A bitter smile formed on my face.
In the game, she was always in a position of power.
When I asked for something, she would either grant it or become the Demon King herself and confront my daughters. But the only thing she says is that she wants to eat so-ya every day.
At this rate, she was no different from a 10-year-old child.
‘As expected, this isn't a game, but reality. Not just her actions, but her usual personality and hidden lore are also very different from what I knew.’
Take Anceps, for example.
It was just a demonic sword that had no use except for the Demon King ending, but the lore that Anticus was the one who made it has been added.
‘And now it’s even become Adel’s most cherished sword.’
If things continued this way, I couldn't rule out the possibility that even the final boss might not be the new demon tribe I knew.
‘I need a different strategy from the original.’
After barely placating Anonymous, I quietly watched Adel and Anonymous' training.
Adel didn't close her eyes like before, but now she could clearly see Anonymous' movements and responded with great speed.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Moreover, she wasn't just focusing on defense but could even launch counterattacks, and thanks to that, Anonymous was also concentrating on the training with a much more satisfied face than before.
"Not bad. Then how about this?"
"Whatever it is, I'm different from before!"
"Hoot. You'd better be prepared."
In an instant, a terrifying killing intent erupted from Anonymous' body.
At the same time, like the sword-ki control technique from a martial arts novel, the wooden sword in her hand floated in the air and began to move on its own.
The wooden sword flew towards Adel at the speed of light.
Nevertheless.
Adel responded with agility and nullified all of the wooden sword's attacks.
But that was all.
"You're foolishly focusing only on the wooden sword."
"Ah!"
Anonymous, who had moved behind Adel in an instant, struck Adel's nape hard with one hand.
Thud.
Adel collapsed to the floor.
Startled, I was about to run to Adel's side, but Anonymous stopped me, saying the training wasn't over yet.
"You're still focusing only on the sword in front of you! Get up and grab your sword again!"
"Kuhk."
Adel, as if it didn't even hurt, immediately got up and took her stance.
That hellish training continued for a whole hour.
After Adel left for the guard post.
I knocked on Anonymous' door.
"Come in."
An arrogant attitude as if she were the master of this place.
I carefully opened the door and went inside.
"What is it?"
Anonymous looked me up and down and tilted her head.
"I have something to tell you."
Her gaze changed in an instant.
"Have you already found all the ingredients for so-ya?"
"That's not it."
She immediately put on a sullen face.
If I didn't find the sauce soon, something really big might happen.
I cleared my throat and got to the point.
"What do you think of Adel's current skills?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I am her father and guardian."
She seemed to think for a moment and then said this.
"For a human, she's not bad. Being a child of God, she certainly learns quickly."
My shoulders straightened on their own.
It was praise for my daughter, but it sounded like she was praising me.
But that wasn't what I wanted to hear.
"If she were to fight the Demon King, what do you think her chances of winning would be?"
"Ha? The Demon King? Are you kidding me?"
But she saw my serious gaze and dropped her smile.
"Less than five percent. It might be a different story if it were one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
As soon as I heard her answer, I smiled.
"I see. It's just as I expected."
Anonymous stared at me for a moment and tilted her head.
"Is it so joyful to hear that your daughter's chances of winning against the Demon King are less than five percent?"
I deliberately nodded my head slowly and said.
"I'm quite satisfied with this rate of growth. To already be on par with the Four Heavenly Kings, isn't that amazing?"
She wore a puzzled expression but didn't ask any further.
‘She’s definitely showing a much faster growth rate compared to when I played the game.’
We were only about halfway through, and yet she was already on par with the Four Heavenly Kings.
It meant that defeating Bern, the Knight Commander, was by no means a coincidence.
‘Something’s strange. At a normal pace, she shouldn’t have reached that level already. Is it the effect of skipping the five-year development process?’
In the original version where skipping wasn't possible, the best one could do at this point was to imbue a sword with magical power.
Barely enough to defeat one high-ranking demon, you could say? But to be at the level of a Heavenly King already.
I strongly felt that this world was different in many ways from the PP I knew.
‘I think it’s best to completely revise my plan. The final boss might not be the one I knew either.’
That's how DLCs are.
Not only are characters and episodes added in large numbers, but the final boss is also bound to be stronger than before.
Adel's growth rate was surprisingly fast, but this alone might not be enough.
Having hardened my resolve, I subtly made a suggestion.
"I'd like to start teaching Adel about real combat."
"Real combat?"
"Yes. She's excellent now, but it's not a battlefield where you kill or be killed."
Anonymous chuckled and retorted.
"Are you asking me to increase the intensity of the training even more? If I do that, Adel might really die."
"No. That's not what I'm talking about. I mean we should change the enemy and the location."
"The enemy and the location?"
"I think we need to visit the demon territory."
The tension that had been absent from Anonymous' face, which had been cynical throughout except when talking about food, finally began to show.
***
In a high tower with a panoramic view of the outside of the castle.
From there, Iris silently watched Rude and Noemi leave.
She had wanted the two of them to stay here a little longer, but they left in just four days.
Suddenly, a dull voice came from behind.
"Are you sad?"
It was Number 1.
Iris, without even turning her back, quietly shook her head.
"Not at all."
"Your words and actions are different."
"It was my decision."
Number 1's voice continued.
"Do you hate your father?"
Only then did Iris look at Number 1.
With sharp eyes, as if she would eat him alive.
"Don't even mention the 'f' in father in front of me."
But Number 1 was confident.
"You are lucky."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't even know who my parents are. When I came to my senses, I had become a killing machine and was killing people."
"Hmph. I don't want to know about your past."
"But you at least had someone to put you to bed and feed you. Don't you think that alone is a blessing?"
Iris knew too.
That many children in this world lived as orphans without parents, or even if they had parents, they lived under harsh violence.
But Frank was harsh to her in a different sense.
‘He never once showed me a gentle smile. He didn’t think of me as a daughter.’
He just taught her lessons to become a merchant.
It was a far cry from being a parent and child.
Those words were still unforgettable in her mind.
‘He told me to earn a lot of money and support Adel and Noemi. He said it wouldn't be long before the kingdom's support funds were cut off.’
Iris hated Frank.
He would occasionally give Adel and Noemi various pieces of advice, but not only did he not exchange a single word with her, he told her to just support the two of them.
For the proud Iris, it was a huge wound.
Iris showed her disgust as if she didn't even want to recall Frank's face.
"You're annoying me, so would you please leave?"
But Number 1 was strange today.
Normally, he would have disappeared by now, but he was still standing right in front of her.
Then he brought up an unexpected topic.
"Who do you think is the mastermind of this world?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I will not leave until I hear an answer."
At Number 1's firm attitude, Iris' anger flared up, but she suppressed it and slowly opened her mouth.
"It's obviously the Demon King."
"One-dimensional."
"Tsk. Then, it's you guys. You guys are the true masterminds of this world, aren't you?"
"That's also wrong."
"What on earth do you want to hear from my mouth?"
At Iris' frustration, Number 1 whispered lowly.
"The real enemy is someone else. A person who cannot be compared to the likes of the Demon King. It's also the reason why we chose you as our master."
"Aish. I can't understand you, so can you please explain it kindly?"
"Primus. We were organized to stop him."
"What did you say?"
Iris' eyes widened as if they would burst.