Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“Cast aside your paltry moral sense. Discard the complicated thoughts that cloud your mind.”

“…Tower Lord.”

“You too will realize how much of a luxury pity is once you’ve overcome a brush with death.”

A greenhouse flower.

Diamid had referred to Mikael as such on more than one occasion.

His inability to endure hardships was simply because he had been raised too comfortably.

Undoubtedly, as Diamid said, Mikael had never experienced a near-death situation.

He couldn’t even fathom what Diamid went through when he departed to subdue the Demon King. However…

‘Pity?’

Mikael inwardly scoffed.

Objectively speaking, he was someone far removed from affection or kindness.

His approach toward Jaina was merely born out of discomfort toward dragons and curiosity, nothing more or less.

It remained the same now. His concern wasn’t out of fondness for the child, but rather…

‘Simply… worrying…’

Biting his lip as he remained silent, Mikael raised his head.

“Then if I develop a parental verification spell…”

“Did I ever ask you to do such a thing?”

“…”

“That’s enough.”

Mikael’s mouth opened slightly at Diamid’s firm words.

He knew Diamid well, and unfortunately, his intuition was never wrong.

“That dragon is trying to manipulate others into moving me as well.”

Diamid regarded Mikael with a cold gaze, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

“I clearly told you to handle it yourself. Are you speaking as a magician of this Magic Tower now?”

Mikael flinched and spoke more cautiously.

“I only wanted to observe the dragon’s ecology…”

“Don’t trouble me with such trivialities.”

“If you allow me, I will handle it myself. Just loosen the Magic Tower’s rules slightly…”

“Now you want a mixed-blood sibling? Don’t be bound by blood ties. I didn’t keep you by my side because you are my nephew. You know this well, don’t you?”

Diamid looked at him with impassive eyes, no different from gazing at a roadside pebble.

“It seems I have overestimated you.”

Mikael spoke as he suppressed the rising emotions.

“I don’t understand that reasoning.”

“I’ve seen the fool, abandoning his goals to be caught up in hostages. You will soon become the same.”

Mikael furrowed his brow, knowing exactly who Diamid referred to as ‘that fool.’

“Taking in an orphaned nephew is not an obligation for an uncle, just a kind act. But, but…”

It was different for a father taking in his daughter, wasn’t it?

Yet the words trailed off as Mikael found himself unable to continue.

It was because of the look in Diamid’s eyes.

A look that said he knew exactly what Mikael intended to say.

And what followed was…

Cold contempt.

“…!”

In that moment when Mikael felt Diamid was looking down on him from an incomprehensible height…

Bam!

Diamid grabbed Mikael by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Heuk!”

In the blink of an eye, Diamid lifted Mikael with one hand.

Yet he showed no signs of exertion.

As Diamid raised his arm, his loose sleeve slid smoothly down his toned forearm.

“Uckhh, keuk!”

“Succumbing to weakness upon weakness.”

Despite his nephew’s choking gasps, a monotonous voice continued.

When Mikael’s eyes reddened and he truly seemed on the verge of death…

Only then did Diamid release his grip.

Thud!

As Diamid let go of his collar, Mikael immediately collapsed.

“And I will say it again, that dragon is not my daughter.”

“Haah, haah…”

Despite the mere few steps, Diamid’s retreating footsteps sounded deafening.

Mikael steadied his staggering body as he gasped for breath.

The world spun, and a throbbing pain rose from his gut.

But in this moment, what tormented Mikael most was not his labored breathing, the aching in his chest, or his own frailty.

‘To end so futilely.’

The fact that he couldn’t change anything.

That was unbearably agonizing for him.

Mikael closed his eyes.

* * *

“If the show is over, all of you clear out.”

At Hilvenzia’s words, the magicians hurriedly dispersed. Left alone in the hallway, Hilvenzia gazed silently down at Jaina.

‘Seeing her collapsed state, I can roughly guess how this situation came about…’

The exam period was when rule-breaking magicians appeared most frequently at the Magic Tower.

It seemed some magician had discovered Jaina’s dragon heritage and attempted to use her as an experimental subject.

‘Processing’ those magicians who violated the rules was her responsibility, so resolving this would suffice. However…

Despite it being a commonplace, unexceptional situation, one aspect nagged at her.

‘Strictly speaking, is Jaina not a member of the Magic Tower? The penalty for instigating disorder applies, but does it hold if the other party is not a tower member?’

Conflicted, Hilvenzia stared intently at Jaina.

The blue eyes that usually met Hilvenzia’s calm gaze were quietly closed.

It was the first time she had seen Jaina asleep.

She had thought Jaina’s face looked mature, but now she appeared no different from a ten-year-old child.

Perhaps it was her usual indifferent expression that gave that impression.

‘Quite the peculiar child.’

It went beyond simply carrying Diamid’s blood.

Like Mikael, Hilvenzia too had grown softer toward Jaina over time.

The bright, gentle expression Jaina made when eating her dishes.

-Am I supposed to be afraid?

-Please call me Jaina. That’s my real name given by my mother, not my relatives.

Hilvenzia tilted her head lazily, a strange light gracing her smooth lips.

Perhaps to Jaina, she and that magician appeared no different. She too had prattled on about reagents and holy swords before her.

‘I don’t like being lumped with the likes of them… Since I’ve been harsh on her, I should do her a kindness from time to time.’

Having reached the pinnacle of alchemy, Hilvenzia could live longer than most. But there had been few joys in her long life.

‘So I should cherish such an intriguing existence.’

Regardless of Diamid’s intentions, she wanted to take Jaina with her.

Even if it meant facing punishment later for causing trouble, she didn’t want to lose this special child.

Even in the worst case where Diamid sought to kill her, she had no regrets. She had already lived a long life, and her curiosity about Jaina outweighed any fear of Diamid.

She greatly anticipated the fascinating aspects Jaina might display, unlike ordinary humans.

Ending her brief contemplation, Hilvenzia manipulated her mana to levitate Jaina.

But just as she was about to depart, it happened.

“Mom…”

Hilvenzia started in surprise.

She had heard that Jaina’s dragon mother Bezrice died shortly after her birth. Yet in this moment, she called for her mother.

Of course, as a dragon, Jaina may have memories from her infancy unlike humans… But surely the time they spent together must have been extremely brief.

Hilvenzia gazed pensively into the air.

Ordinarily, a young child would certainly have been comforted in their parent’s embrace, tears wiped away with every reassurance.

But this child had no parents…

Considering Jaina’s life, Hilvenzia slowly lowered her eyes.

‘It reminds me of my own childhood.’

Hilvenzia herself was from the orphanage attached to a shrine.

Though she grew up without receiving sufficient love and support, she was fortunately gifted with intelligence.

Without any formal instruction, she taught herself how to use mana, and was eventually adopted into a Baron’s family.

She had thought everything would change afterwards, but it was a misjudgment. To them, Hilvenzia was merely an investment, devoid of love.

After becoming an alchemist, Hilvenzia never contacted them again. When she rose to fame as the famous alchemist, they clung to her seeking gratitude, but she coldly turned them away.

Whenever she recalled them, all she could remember was ‘discrimination.’

‘Childhood memories gnaw at you for life.’

Naturally, she began frequenting kitchens after choosing the path of alchemy. Perhaps the lack of family meals in her childhood motivated her to start cooking.

As she reminisced about her early years, Jaina’s childhood gradually overlapped with her own memories.

However, the child before her was far younger than Hilvenzia could remember.

Moreover, unlike herself who was an orphan from birth, Jaina had been abandoned by her own father.

It was one thing to have never had hope, but to have it dashed was far more agonizing.

She had come to the Magic Tower because her father was there, but would she truly be alright?

“I can’t tell if coming to the Magic Tower was a blessing or misfortune for you.”

* * *

“In the time Jaina was unconscious, I sought cooperation from the other magicians. Based on the circumstances, it seems a magician named Moben was the culprit.”

Of course, Hilvenzia’s ‘cooperation’ wasn’t mere cooperation – no one could lie in front of her.

Hilvenzia quietly recounted the events as Mikael’s voice grew gruff upon listening.

“So a rulebreaking bastard is to blame for her collapsing then. But why isn’t she waking up?”

Mikael glared at Jaina with a deeply furrowed expression, his gaze piercing not her outward appearance but her inner condition. Fortunately, it seemed she would regain consciousness soon.

“Jaina did open her mouth a little while after collapsing. She was calling for her mother.”

“So she spoke at that time?”

Mikael placed his hands on his hips irritably.

“Dammit, why is she calling for someone who doesn’t even exist?”

“If that mother were alive, would she have awakened if brought to her side?”

“She called for her mother with her father right before her. This kid knows he’s just as good as gone too.”

Mikael scoffed derisively.