Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“You came all the way to the marketplace, yet you can’t even buy your little sister a single candy? How stingy.”

The vendor now addressed Jaina directly.

“Tell your big brother to buy you this candy. It tastes even better when you try it yourself.”

The vendor smiled widely.

“Go on, nag your brother to buy it for you!”

“Cough, cough!”

Mikael, who had been clearing his throat, now broke into a genuine coughing fit.

As his coughing worsened, Jaina patted his back with her small hand.

Pat pat!

It came from a pure place of concern for Mikael, devoid of any ulterior motive.

“Are you alright, sir Mikael?”

“What’s this ‘sir Mikael’? Wasn’t I your big brother?”

The vendor spoke in a perplexed tone.

“I must have misspoken. You two seemed a bit awkward, yet I thought you were close since you were laughing together…”

As Jaina listened absentmindedly, Mikael’s coughing subsided before he snapped irritably:

“I am her big brother, who says I’m not?”

“Oh, no need to get so upset… Anyway, my mistake. I’m sorry.”

The vendor seemed to realize Mikael was a prickly, troublesome customer and tried to back away immediately.

But Mikael didn’t seem inclined to let it go. He appeared thoroughly miffed about something.

‘Surely he won’t cause more trouble than with Datrich earlier?’

What if he really did take a life? She had happily come out for a rare market excursion.

‘Though I’m not sure, he must be angry because the vendor poked fun at him?’

Perhaps she should divert Mikael’s attention elsewhere.

Something that would make him think, ‘This brat has finally lost it.’

After a brief contemplation, Jaina decided to sacrifice herself momentarily.

Tugging on Mikael’s sleeve, Jaina smiled sweetly at him.

“Big brother, buy me this!”

In that moment…

The look of sheer shock that filled Mikael’s previously confused, blinking eyes.

“Wh-wh-wh-what?!”

Mikael’s face flushed an alarmingly rapid shade of red, astonishing to witness.

And he wasn’t the only one flustered.

Jaina too blinked in surprise at Mikael’s intense reaction.

‘Why is he reacting like this?’

Fortunately, Jaina’s ploy succeeded.

Mikael looked utterly dazed, his hostility toward the vendor completely dispelled.

No, it went beyond that – he seemed to have erased the vendor’s very existence.

“Why, why suddenly…”

Mikael began mumbling incoherently. Jaina struggled to compose her puzzled expression. Pointing out his current state might incur severe backlash.

‘I don’t know. In any case, my intention worked.’

Jaina spoke as calmly as she could while avoiding looking at Mikael.

“Since I’m a dragon who eats a lot, please give me two.”

* * *

‘I didn’t expect him to actually buy them.’

Jaina walked on, holding candies in both hands. She was still slightly dazed.

Yes, she had asked for candy.

She had said she ate a lot.

But she had specified two… What was this?

“Even if I bought a lot, you know not to eat them all in one day, right?”

Not only had Mikael bought all the candies sold by the vendor, but also those from nearby stalls.

“…Thank you for the candies.”

She hadn’t needed this veritable mountain of sweets.

In contrast to the flustered Jaina, Mikael looked immensely pleased with himself.

He snickered as he spoke:

“Since you know to be grateful, why don’t you show off a trick here?”

From his words, it seemed Mikael had reverted to his usual rude, brash demeanor.

Jaina preferred this; it was easier to handle.

“You want me to do some amazing feat?”

Jaina lightly dismissed Mikael’s request. In response, he sulked petulantly.

“I’ll give you one a day. Can’t have your teeth rotting, now can I?”

‘He’s not worried about rotting teeth, but happy to have found a means to control me.’

“Can’t I have three?”

“Hmm… Since you ask so earnestly, I’ll consider two.”

‘Success.’

Jaina readily conceded. Her original goal had been to increase the candies from one to two.

The candies were large, colorful lollipops.

The perfect size to fill Jaina’s tiny mouth.

Having been purchased from various shops, each flavor was distinct.

If he gave her two a day, how long would it take to taste all the candies bought today?

‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’

Such small joys brought happiness. Jaina smiled softly.

For some reason, the slightly giddy Mikael spoke up.

“You said earlier you don’t know any usable magic, so why don’t I teach you a bit?”

“Huh?”

“What’s with that incredulous look? Do you think I’m lying right now?”

“No, it’s not that…”

For a magician, sharing magical knowledge was no ordinary matter.

Having to disclose their research findings or invest precious time teaching others – these were things magicians greatly disliked. Even close acquaintances would rarely teach each other.

It was an unspoken rule known even to non-magicians. Yet…

The man destined to become the black-robed boss’s right hand was now offering to teach Jaina magic.

‘Is this for real?’

It was baffling. But from Mikael’s words, it didn’t seem to be a lie.

The two soon found a nearby vacant lot.

“Manipulating people at will like I did earlier would be difficult, but watch closely.”

No sooner had he spoken than Mikael’s hair began fluttering in the wind.

The mana within him was reacting with the surrounding mana.

With a self-assured expression, Mikael extended his hand toward the empty space. The previously still air chilled palpably.

“Heh, I’ll start with the basics out of special consideration for you.”

Whiiiiing!

Wind began swirling forth from Mikael’s hand.

Its gentle initial force intensified as Mikael poured in more mana.

“Magicians have affinities, making other magic aside from their strongest affinity difficult to use. But you can still try mimicking it. Maybe wind suits you.”

Mikael then taught Jaina a few incantation phrases and spells.

Woooong!

Having watched Mikael pensively, Jaina cautiously extended her hand into the empty space.

A refreshing energy seemed to gradually emanate.

“Like this?”

“Yes, as a descendant of the black night, you may struggle with anything besides dark affinity magic… Eh? Uwak…!”

Whiiiiiiing!

The wind formed in Jaina’s hand instantly grew larger than Mikael’s, rapidly escalating into a violent gale.

Mikael’s vision was filled with the wind Jaina had created.

To him, the strands of mana were clearly visible within the gales.

‘This mana affinity… Is this normal for dragons?’

But something felt off. While unfamiliar with dragon traits, this didn’t seem like a mere racial characteristic.

And before long, a familiar scent reached Mikael’s nose.

Mikael’s head snapped up.

If not a racial trait, could it be…?

‘Because she’s the Tower Lord’s daughter?’

Lost in thought for a moment…

“Hm?”

Just as Mikael sensed something amiss and looked up…

Whiiiiiish!

Jaina was shooting through the blue sky like an arrow.

* * *

All she had done was casually lower her hand slightly.

Yet her body had suddenly soared into the sky…

‘I never imagined flying like this.’

Whiiiiish!

The sky was exceptionally blue today. Who could have foreseen soaring through the skies she had once flown as a dragon, but now in human form?

Though the sentiments were novel, it wasn’t the time for appreciation.

A bad fall could severely injure her, or worse, prove fatal.

‘It’s still a long way until I turn seventeen. To die not by dragon hands, but from misusing magic and falling…’

Momentarily flustered, Jaina quickly regained her composure.

Staying calm was crucial in perilous situations.

Jaina focused all her concentration on controlling the wind she had created.

Whiiiiiish!

However, it was her first time creating wind, and its intensity made it difficult to control.

Moreover, the more mana she used, the stronger she felt the wind rejecting her power.

‘Is it as Mikael said, because I’m of the Black Night tribe…?’

“Hey! Relax your body! And slowly release the wind into the air!”

Then, Mikael’s shouts reached her from below.

Following his words, Jaina slowly relaxed her body while gently releasing the wind she had created into the air.

“Huff, huff…”

As the wind dispersed into the air, she felt its force gradually weakening.

‘Now I just need to stabilize my center of gravity.’

The moment Jaina looked down to prepare for landing, her body began plummeting rapidly.

“What do I do now?”

“Wind, shoot the wind downward!”

Jaina gathered the remaining wind and blasted it downward with all her might to cushion her fall’s impact.

Thankfully, her speed decreased, but… Unable to stabilize her center of gravity, Jaina ended up crashing into the ground instead of landing properly.

Bam!

“Ungh…”

Fortunately, she had reflexively enveloped herself in wind just before impact, avoiding fatal injury. But the force was tremendous, cratering the ground deeply.

“Didn’t someone just fall over there?”

“A magician, perhaps?”

“Looks like they collided with that guy earlier…”

‘Collided with someone?’

Having barely risen, Jaina surveyed her surroundings. As the dust cleared, the chaotic scene around her came into view.

Judging by the visible stalls, she seemed to have landed in the marketplace district.

Luckily, having fallen in the vacant lot caused no damage, but a young boy lay sprawled a few steps away.

‘Could he be… dead?’

Had she unintentionally taken a life?