Father, I Won’t Do Anything

* * *

Unexpectedly, Mikael wasn’t the only one entangled with ribbons.

‘Oh.’

Wearing a large ribbon headband, Jaina accidentally crossed paths with Diamid.

“Good day, Tower Lord.”

Their eyes met, and Jaina politely bowed her head.

She intended to quickly leave before unsettling him, but found she couldn’t.

Diamid’s gaze was piercingly fixed on her – specifically, the ribbon headband she wore.

‘Why is he staring so intently? Did I do something wrong?’

The moment to brush it off had already passed. His overpowering presence made ignoring him impossible.

With the Tower Lord halting in his tracks to stare at her so intensely, Jaina felt a tinge of unease.

‘Could he think I’m indulging in luxury with the money he provided?’

That wasn’t the case. To clear the misunderstanding, Jaina spoke up.

“The jewel on this ribbon… Izren won it in a duel against another noble lady. It wasn’t purchased with the money you gave me, Tower Lord.”

Upon Jaina’s explanation, Diamid’s face furrowed – a rare display of expression that struck her as even more startling.

“I’m not angered by the ribbon headband.”

“Then have I done something else to trouble you, Tower Lord?”

“Why did you assume from the start that I was angry?”

Though he still seemed displeased… Jaina had been about to respond but simply closed her mouth instead.

‘If not, then not. Prolonging this conversation would serve no good, as he is hardly an amicable party.’

Jaina searched for an exit. There was no point in facing the Tower Lord any longer than necessary.

“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to.”

As Jaina tried to take her leave, Diamid unexpectedly held her back.

“Are you… afraid of me?”

Jaina tilted her head, unable to discern why he was suddenly asking such a question.

She didn’t particularly fear him. She had been prepared to die upon coming to the Magic Tower.

However, his unanticipated inquiry left her unsure how to respond.

Jaina had been about to say she wasn’t afraid, but worried it might come across as being disrespectful to the Tower Lord, so she replied vaguely instead.

“I am too lacking to be a proper conversation partner for you, Tower Lord.”

While not stating she was afraid, it ultimately implied to Diamid that she found him unsettling.

With a slight bow, Jaina vanished from before Diamid.

Yet even after her departure, Diamid remained rooted in place.

‘She still seems to fear me… Not surprising, I suppose.’

He had simply watched her because the ribbon headband was an unusual sight on her.

It had even suited her quite well.

But it appeared to have burdened the child.

‘More time may be needed…’

Without realizing how intently he had observed Jaina, Diamid left with those thoughts.

* * *

The Magic Tower’s residents, taking after their reclusive Tower Lord Diamid, tended to be quite insular.

One aspect was their extreme vigilance against outside entry.

Yurika, the maid, had said she had to reside within the Magic Tower’s dormitories to have her meals and lodging.

-I can go outside, but every time… No, never mind.

Though Yurika refrained from elaborating out of consideration for Jaina being a child, Jaina could infer that mentioning the Magic Tower’s affairs risked punishment.

‘The Magic Tower’s security is airtight… Well, that’s probably how they’ve maintained this massive organization for so long.’

Relieved that her life seemed safe for now, Jaina headed to the courtyard.

“The weather is really nice today, isn’t it, Miss?”

“Indeed. The sky is so clear and blue.”

While the Magic Tower’s windows could display various weathers and locations, Yurika remarked there was no substitute for natural scenery.

“Though that may just be my personal feeling.”

Under the warmly shining sun in the courtyard, Jaina and Yurika enjoyed fruit sandwiches.

“Mmm.”

The sandwiches were generously stuffed with cream and strawberries to the point of being difficult to eat. They had been made to Jaina’s tastes.

After fully savoring the sweet treats, Jaina returned inside the Magic Tower.

However, unlike her leisure, the other magicians seemed quite busy.

“Salamander eyes, Nayge horns, Fasrnia hides. Is this all we were able to procure this month?”

“What about the Puni herbs?”

“The northern weather has been warmer this year, so we couldn’t meet the quantity.”

“Then I told you to at least bring the Alkendra sap!”

“Wasn’t the Alkendra sap the culprit behind the explosion last time?”

The Magic Tower was unprecedentedly noisy. Jaina curiously observed the clamorous commotion reminiscent of a marketplace.

“It’s the day they bring in materials needed for magical research.”

Explaining that wandering amid the magicians would only disrupt them, Yurika carefully led Jaina inward.

“Hold my hand tightly so you don’t bump into any magicians.”

Like a toddling infant, Jaina cautiously followed Yurika’s guiding hand.

As they passed by the magicians, something imperceptibly scattered through the air around them – an extremely fine powder, like dust.

Swish.

It gradually seeped into Yurika, but the two remained completely unaware as they continued forward.

* * *

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at Jaina’s door.

“Miss, I’ve brought a surprise snack.”

Upon opening it, a sweet, fragrant aroma wafted over.

In Yurika’s smiling hands were a milk tea, cranberry scones, and cocoa cookies.

Through the window, the warm sunlight caused the milk tea’s steam to swirl hazily.

“Please set it down quickly. It must be heavy.”

Jaina promptly led Yurika to the sunlit table.

Beside a vase of multicolored tulips, the two enjoyed an afternoon tea time snack.

“I’m glad to see you enjoying it so much, Miss.”

Chuckling at Jaina’s chipmunk-like stuffed cheeks, Yurika remarked:

“While not as skilled as Hilvenzia, the other head chefs are quite talented too.”

“Please convey my gratitude to them.”

The cranberry scones were crisp on the outside yet moist inside, while the cocoa cookies, not overly sweetened, paired perfectly with the sweet milk tea.

“But why doesn’t Yurika have any milk tea?”

“The milk tea was brought with you in mind, Miss.”

Yurika usually enjoyed both black tea and milk, separately.

‘But it seems she dislikes the combination in milk tea. Humans’ tastes truly are delicate.’

Jaina inwardly mused as understanding dawned.

‘In fact, the milk tea is a bit… too sweet for my liking as well.’

Was there too much sugar added? Beyond the sweetness, there was an underlying gritty sensation of undissolved sugar granules.

“It was delicious.”

However, Jaina didn’t let on, setting down the teacup with a neutral expression to avoid embarrassing Yurika.

‘It’s fortunate I was the only one drinking the milk tea.’

Having eaten lunch and now this rather hefty snack, Jaina felt quite full.

Seeming to notice, Yurika smiled suggestively.

“Shall we go for a stroll? The upper floors of the Magic Tower are quite marvelous.”

“You’ve been to the upper floors?”

Those floors weren’t areas Jaina or the other magicians could freely access.

Tilting her head in puzzlement, Yurika gave an enigmatic smile.

“I’d like to show you something interesting.”

“Did you have business on the upper floors, Yurika?”

However, Yurika simply turned away, her lack of response deciding the matter.

It seemed a stroll to the upper floors had been unilaterally settled.

‘This is the first time Yurika has been so proactive in taking the initiative.’

She had always sought Jaina’s agreement before, yet this time she appeared quite insistent on the stroll.

“Nyaa.”

Awoken from his nap in the afternoon sunbeam, Izren yawned and stretched in typical cat fashion.

Then, without reverting his transformation, he trotted after Jaina.

Ever since Charlotte had expelled him from the lesson for being disruptive, Izren had been following in cat form. Apparently, he felt it better aided his role as escort.

‘In that form, he could assist me if any danger arose. Though the Magic Tower seems generally safe.’

Jaina and Yurika exited the room, heading upwards in the Magic Tower.

The spiraling staircase wound endlessly upward.

After climbing a few floors, Jaina glanced down.

“We’re going quite high, aren’t we?”

“With such nice weather, I thought you might enjoy seeing the sky through the Magic Tower’s ceiling hatch.”

Hadn’t she seen enough of the sky earlier?

However, Jaina wasn’t so inconsiderate as to voice such thoughts aloud.

‘I wonder if it’s difficult for Izren to climb the stairs in cat form?’

Jaina stole a glance back at the following Izren before turning away.

She too was gradually becoming breathless from the continuous ascent.

Being part dragon, this much was manageable, but an ordinary child would have collapsed long ago.

‘The other magicians seem to fly about instead of using the stairs…’

Suddenly, Jaina noticed Yurika showed no signs of fatigue.

‘Wait? Come to think of it, is Yurika alright? This should be strenuous for an ordinary human.’

Just as Jaina was about to ask if Yurika was struggling, the maid turned with a strange smile.

“Can you see the sky well?”

Jaina looked up at the open ceiling hatch Yurika gestured toward.

While the sky was somewhat clearer from this height, the lofty tower meant there was little difference from viewing it below.

“What a pity. Since this is the last time, I wanted to show you a better view.”

And with those words, Yurika lunged at Jaina, seizing her by the collar.

Thwack!

The sudden attack caught Jaina off guard. But that wasn’t all.

Yurika moved at a speed Jaina’s eyes could hardly follow.

And displayed a grip strength capable of effortlessly lifting a child like Jaina with one hand!

“Ugh…”

Jaina choked as Yurika’s grip tightened around her collar, her vision blurring as a menacing smirk crossed Yurika’s unfamiliar face.

‘…That’s not Yurika.’

The realization struck, but in that breathless moment, Jaina could do nothing.

It was then that a shout rang out.

“Miss!”

Reverting from his cat form, Izren charged at the false Yurika.