LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 1
“Hey, mongrel. You believe that human male called your father will protect you?”
Taylor, her cousin who always tormented Jaina, was picking a fight even on the day of departure.
But this was the last time. Despite Taylor’s harsh words, Jaina continued packing her bags with an expressionless face.
“The adults said he’s your parent, but honestly, how can a father be the same as the mother who gave birth to you? If you’re going to say he caused your existence, you should compare that to the food you ate this morning or the land you stand on.”
Taylor’s lips twisted cruelly.
“Besides, you don’t seem to know, but that human male is notorious for his cold-hearted and arrogant nature, even towards children…”
“I know.”
“You know? Then how can you be so calm in this situation where other dragons are trying to kill you?”
Taylor raised her voice and roughly grabbed Jaina’s shoulders so she couldn’t avoid her.
“Let me ask again. Do you really think that human male called your father will protect you?”
Flinch.
Taylor hastily let Jaina go.
Even though she was the one who barked at her, Jaina’s eyes that met hers were surprisingly calm and clear.
“No.”
The relatives had told Jaina that her father was unaware of her existence, and certainly the two had never met.
But Jaina already knew about her father. And not just because he was famous for his outstanding magical abilities.
Her biological father, Diamid Bellafanian, the lord of the Magic Tower.
[Just as your birth brought me no emotion, your death will also hold no meaning to me.]
He was the final boss of the novel’s world, with blood cold enough to turn a blind eye even knowing his own daughter would die.
* * *
Jaina was born with the memory of her past life.
The days when she was a high school student named Min Pobae in Korea.
But if asked if that was a good thing, well… She wanted to shake her head.
‘How could it be good to remember a time filled with abuse.’
The reason Jaina died in her previous life was brain trauma.
And the one who struck her head with a chair was none other than her biological father. The man who habitually hurled verbal and physical abuse had finally gone too far.
As she closed her eyes for the last time, she thought her wretched life was finally over, but when she came to her senses, it was a new world.
‘Jaina? Is that what they’re calling me?’
She was so shocked when her vision cleared after some time passed. Her body had scales, and the creatures around her weren’t human either.
‘I’ve been reincarnated as a race called the dragon tribe, I see.’
The dragon tribe had two forms – a dragon form and a human form, and could freely shift between the two.
They didn’t have the ability to breathe fire, but their appearance was similar to the dragons that often appeared in medieval-style Korean games.
Besides the change in race, there was one more important fact.
From what she heard, her mother had died not long after giving birth to her.
“If other dragons see this child, they’ll surely try to kill her, so let’s keep her existence strictly hidden.”
As Jaina learned the language of this world, she realized.
That she was a bit special compared to the other dragons.
‘I wondered why I was the only one with black hair and blue eyes when everyone else had black hair and black eyes…’
She had noticed long ago but tried her best to ignore it, but as expected… Just because she was reborn, her unfortunate life wouldn’t suddenly become smooth.
It turned out the different hair and eye color was proof that she wasn’t a pureblood dragon but a lowly hybrid.
One mixed with the blood of a lowly human male at that, making her the lowest of the low.
Without a mother, Jaina had no choice but to be passed around and entrusted to relatives, where she always had to endure all sorts of humiliation for being a half-breed.
“You are a symbol of impurity. Realize that and be ashamed of your existence.”
But Jaina didn’t care. Since her mother had also passed away early in her previous life, she was used to living under the grudging care of others and letting their words go in one ear and out the other.
Come to think of it, the memories of her past life weren’t entirely useless.
If she had been an ordinary young child, the sharp words directed at her would have left deep wounds.
‘Ah, and one more thing.’
Thanks to her past life’s memories, Jaina was able to easily figure out that this world was the world of the fantasy novel
The place names and character names mentioned in the book, and the bits and pieces of events she overheard all matched the novel’s contents that she knew.
However, the surprise didn’t last long.
After all, all the events in the novel took place in human society.
Jaina, living in a village of the dragon tribe, thought it had nothing to do with her and didn’t pay much attention to it. But…
“We can no longer take care of you.”
One day, the relatives who had been taking care of Jaina suddenly announced that they could no longer be responsible for her.
The relatives had thoroughly hidden Jaina’s existence, as her being a half-breed with a human would greatly tarnish the clan’s honor if it became known to outsiders.
But as the clan’s circumstances worsened, it seemed their patience had reached its limit.
“We can’t live burdened with you forever. Don’t resent us. Raising you was originally your mother’s responsibility.”
And then they said.
“You had another blood relative besides your dead mother.”
Unlike humans, the dragon tribe had no concept of a married couple, so when a child was born, the female raised it alone.
But as the situation became unfavorable, they suddenly brought up the concept of a ‘father’ that didn’t exist for dragons and unilaterally announced they would send Jaina to him.
“That human male is said to be a powerful archmage. If that’s true, he should be able to protect you from the other dragons.”
A father and daughter?
She never imagined she would get entangled with the final boss of the novel in this way.
‘Well, there are few humans connected to the dragon tribe… I was too complacent in my thinking so far.’
“Get along well with your father.”
At the relative’s following words, Jaina gave a wry smile.
Was he saying that knowingly or unknowingly?
As if there was anyone in the world who could get along with Diamid Bellafanian.
Jaina, who had read the novel, knew him all too well.
During the period when the world was overrun with evil spirits due to the Demon King’s curse.
Diamid was a young man with outstanding abilities but an overly kind nature. Before the final battle, in order to avoid wavering, he seals away his emotions.
And before that seal becomes complete, he meets Jaina’s mother, Bezrice.
A subjugation team gathered the continent’s skilled individuals to face the Demon King.
The two met as members of that team and fell in love as if by fate while traveling together. And soon after, they even promised to marry.
If asked whether his hardening emotions melted again, that wasn’t the case. If so, Diamid wouldn’t have become the final boss of the novel.
During the expedition, Bezrice realizes she has been cursed by the Demon King and her lifespan is dwindling.
She bids farewell to Diamid, hiding the fact that she is carrying his child. Out of concern that her death would wound him.
And Diamid is hurt by Bezrice’s mocking words and misunderstands that he was merely a ‘one-night stand’ to her.
After that, Diamid’s heart completely freezes over, and he gains renown as an inhuman and fiercely selfish archmage.
Despite having superhuman power, if something doesn’t benefit him, he wouldn’t bat an eye even if a child was dying right in front of him. That’s the kind of person he became.
‘And that person is my father…’
It was only after Jaina turned ten and heard she would be sent to her father that she could finally recall how she was portrayed in the book.
[Diamid had a past where he turned a blind eye even as his biological daughter Jaina was brutally murdered by her fellow dragon tribe. To him, who couldn’t feel attachment even to his blood relation, other people were merely pawns.]
‘I read the novel multiple times but missed that it was my story since it was only briefly mentioned.’
Diamid, unmoved even by his own daughter, was numb to evil deeds and unhesitatingly acted on anything that benefited him.
The respected archmage who defeated the Demon King has become corrupted.
And the story of the protagonist avenging his mother’s death against such a Diamid was the main plot of the novel
‘Of course, that’s a story from several years later, and it’ll be a while before the protagonist’s mother dies, but…’
The novel’s timeline wasn’t very important to Jaina. Because she would already be dead by then.
She kept agonizing over how to survive, but no suitable answer came to mind.
Even if she was stronger than a same-age human due to her dragon blood, that was useless before an adult dragon.
Moreover, Jaina was too young to have awakened the true power of the dragon tribe.
If she couldn’t fend off the dragon tribe with her own strength, she needed to get help from outside somehow. However…
‘It’s impossible to gain protection from my father like the relatives said.’
Diamid clearly wouldn’t protect her from the dragons trying to perform an ‘honor killing’ as he did in the original story. She’d be lucky if he didn’t cast her out, claiming she wasn’t his daughter.
They say it’s not the cold wind but the warm sunlight that melts ice.
An affectionate and sweet attitude, a soft and gentle smile.
The so-called factors that make a father dote on his daughter.
But Jaina had none of that. No, it was more accurate to say she couldn’t do it.
Because love was something only those who had received it could give.
Moreover, the other party wasn’t an ordinary person. It was none other than the novel’s villain who could barely feel emotions, Diamid Bellafanian. No matter how much she struggled, he wouldn’t feel any emotion.
So before going to the Magic Tower, Jaina decided.
Not to make any effort to gain Diamid’s favor. To calmly accept her death.
Rather than suffering and feeling wronged, it would be better to acknowledge reality and enjoy herself.
If there was any silver lining, it was that the dragon tribe’s ‘honor killing’ wasn’t happening anytime soon.
‘I have seven years left.’
In
For the long-lived dragon tribe whose sense of time differed from humans, 7 years felt like a blink.
This seemed enough time to indulge in small luxuries she couldn’t enjoy in her past life and go without much lingering attachment to life.