Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“What are you all staring at!”

After barking at the onlookers, Mikael swiftly scooped Jaina up, cradling her thighs.

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Jaina’s eyes widened.

At this closer proximity, Mikael’s golden hair shone with unprecedented brilliance.

Even under the darkened, overcast sky, he radiated like sunshine.

“Sir Mikael?”

“So the tracking spell wouldn’t work on you because you’re a dragon? Thanks to that, I had to predict the path of your wind mana and get here through that disturbance…”

Tracking spells didn’t work on dragons.

Jaina listened blankly as Mikael rattled off magical knowledge.

Having not asked for an explanation, Mikael glanced at Jaina before letting out a sigh.

“Never mind. I’m just glad you’re safe… I was worried when it started raining, but shorty managed to buy a cloak and put it on properly. Not bad.”

“I didn’t buy this.”

“What?”

Jaina raised her hand and rubbed the cloak’s fabric, its soft texture caressing her palm.

“Some older brother gave it to me and left.”

“What? What big brother?”

Mikael latched onto Jaina’s words insistently, though it was unclear if he was mocking or angry.

“What big brother?”

“What’s wrong, sir Mikael?”

He seemed offended, but Jaina couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason.

However, Mikael only grew more riled by her bewildered response.

“You foolish dragon, do you know what I was asked when I inquired about finding you?”

Mikael’s face contorted with exasperation.

“They asked if I was looking for my daughter!”

“Pfft.”

“Did you just laugh? Did you laugh?!”

Raging, Mikael raised a hand and mercilessly pinched Jaina’s cheek.

“Oooww, ooowww!”

Mikael was eighteen this year, eight years older than Jaina.

Yet with his tall stature and broad shoulders exceeding his peers, he could easily pass for a young adult at first glance.

In any case, his striking, dazzling features… even with a lingering childlike air, it was understandable to mistake him.

“Insolent brat. Is this how you repay kindness?”

“Sowwy.”

In Mikael’s other hand was the teddy bear Jaina had received as a prize.

‘Even though it must have been embarrassing for him, he kept carrying it…’

But when Mikael tried supporting Jaina with just one arm, her balance wavered. Moreover, he was relentlessly tormenting her from above.

To avoid falling, Jaina wrapped her arms tightly around Mikael’s shoulders.

“…Eh?”

The sudden contact halted Mikael’s movements.

Having unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut, Jaina slowly opened them.

Mikael’s face, closer than usual, had taken on a strange expression.

He gazed intently at her. Unaccustomed to such prolonged silence, Jaina could only blink.

“Looking at you like this…”

His eyes, fringed by long lashes, curved softly as Jaina’s face reflected in his clear blue irises.

“Your foolish face is actually quite visible. Hmm, not bad at all.”

Mikael let out a chuckle before firmly securing Jaina’s body with his arm.

More accurately, her cheek was pressed flush against his chest.

“…”

“You feel toasty warm, like a little kid.”

Mikael adjusted his hold, cradling Jaina more comfortably.

In contrast to his mocking, gruff tone, his motions were tender and careful.

“You know, in front of that bastard Moben… you kept calling me ‘brother’ so naturally.”

“Huh?”

“Since it would make others less likely to bother you, just keep calling me that from now on.”

What was he talking about? As Jaina stared at him perplexed, Mikael uncharacteristically stumbled over his words.

“No! I, I can’t have a brat like you calling me ‘uncle.’ Um, to avoid any misunderstandings, I guess I have no choice…”

And that day, Mikael didn’t put Jaina down, keeping her cradled against him the entire time despite clearly tiring from expending so much mana.

Jaina found it quite strange.

“Anyway, if you call me ‘sir Mikael’ again, you’re dead, got it?”

At least until she dozed off in his embrace.

* * *

Observing the eighth magician who had averted their gaze from her, Jaina realized her reasoning was correct.

‘My hunch was right, after all.’

Jaina’s intuition was keen, even in her past life, and especially after being reborn as a dragon.

Hence, after the Moben incident, she had quickly sensed the subtle atmosphere pervading the Magic Tower.

The magicians who had previously regarded her with curiosity now looked upon her with trepidation and consternation.

‘I didn’t do anything… so what happened?’

Only one answer presented itself.

Jaina slowly lowered her gaze.

The words Mikael and Hilvenzia had spoken when she awoke still resonated vividly in her mind.

-You don’t need to worry about Moben anymore.

Mikael and Hilvenzia must have taken measures unbeknownst to her.

As long as she remained wary of Tower Lord Diamid, there would be no further danger within the Magic Tower.

Sunlight streaming through the large window revealed hazy, floating dust motes. On this leisurely afternoon, Jaina quietly walked down the corridor.

“You’re here?”

Entering the dining hall, Mikael had already claimed a seat, awaiting Jaina as if it were a given.

Seeing him, she felt an odd tickle in her heart.

Though the scenery was no different from usual, Jaina hesitated in her steps.

It was because she recalled Mikael’s previous words.

“Hello.”

Ordinarily, she would have said, ‘Hello, sir Mikael’. But since Mikael had made that strange remark about her calling him ‘big brother’, she didn’t know how to address him anymore.

So she omitted the honorific…

“…”

Propping his chin on the table, Mikael lazily turned his gaze toward her.

‘Is he dissatisfied with how I addressed him? But I’ve never called anyone a big brother before.’

In this world, the term wasn’t used unless for blood relations. Moreover, being an only child in her past life, she had never referred to anyone as such, making the honorific ‘big brother’ feel unnatural.

Yet she couldn’t greet him casually like her cousins with a ‘Hey there’ either…

Jaina rolled her eyes, deviating from her usual composure as she wavered slightly.

“I told you to call me by my name, but have you completely forgotten?”

Mikael muttered in a nonchalant grumble.

‘So he is dissatisfied with the honorific.’

How should she respond… As Jaina deliberated, Mikael continued speaking.

“Hey, I couldn’t say this yesterday since you fell asleep…”

‘What is he going to bring up now…’

Though the conversation had shifted from honorifics to the previous day’s events, her unease persisted.

‘I’m not a baby to just doze off after being carried.’

Hoping her cheeks wouldn’t redden, Jaina nodded.

“You couldn’t properly control the wind, causing that whole fiasco yesterday, right?”

Mikael crossed his arms.

“Why don’t you take this chance to study wind attribute magic?”

Jaina lacked even the most fundamental magical basics. Although her high mana affinity had allowed her to use magic until now, advanced spells were impossible to achieve through sheer luck.

“The Magic Tower has an open space for magic training.”

Mikael led Jaina to the training grounds beside the garden.

“Now, try channeling your mana like yesterday.”

Jaina did as instructed and channeled her mana. Immediately, Mikael’s curt orders followed.

“Again!”

“Again!”

Jaina shot him a look implying she had followed his directions, but Mikael feigned ignorance, only letting out a low murmur.

Then, with a somewhat embarrassed expression, Mikael let out another soft sigh.

“Ah, you don’t even know how much mana you should channel. I forgot to explain something so basic since I’m dealing with an idiot. When instructing fools, I should adjust to their level.”

Then he should have explained from the start. Jaina pursed her lips, her mood souring.

‘I wonder if Mikael can really teach me well.’

Afterwards, Mikael continued speaking in a way Jaina couldn’t comprehend at all.

He seemed to have talent for magic, but not for teaching.

“Mana control is crucial. Didn’t you think drawing more mana would create stronger winds?”

“Yes. But how do I regulate that amount…”

“Carefully!”

“Huh?”

“Carefully, precisely, focus…”

“…”

Jaina decided to simply figure out the control aspect on her own.

She posed her next question.

“What is the optimal mana amount for casting spells efficiently? Like when using wind to lift objects, wouldn’t the mana differ for light and heavy objects?”

After pondering deeply, Mikael replied:

“Just… an appropriate… suitable amount…”

“…”

“Can’t you just get a feel for it by looking at the object?”

After a momentary pause, Jaina asked:

“How did you initially learn mana control, Mikael?”

“I just roughly did it… Can’t you do the same?”

Jaina could tell. Mikael’s recent words weren’t his usual provocations, but genuine questions born of curiosity.

‘They say geniuses make poor teachers. What was I even expecting from Mikael?’

Jaina’s expression turned emotionlessly cold.

Belatedly realizing her displeasure, Mikael protested with a flushed face.

“You’re the idiot, not me being unable to teach!”

“My apologies for being a foolish idiot unable to keep up with your advanced tutelage, sir Mikael.”

“Are you mocking me now?”

And at that moment…

Beep beep!

Mikael was startled by an incoming communication spell, interrupting whatever he intended to say next to Jaina.