Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“Of course, it may look like I’m being neglected from the outside, but I’m a dragon who doesn’t need protection. I’m sturdier than humans.”

Jaina’s expressionless eyes curved gently as she gave a faint smile.

“The Magic Tower also has Brother Mikael, Hilvenzia, as well as Izren and Yurika. Brother Mikael may be fussy, but he’s full of affection for me. Hilvenzia is a kind soul who always cooks for me. And also…”

Quietly listening to Jaina, Seiden seemed to realize something and interrupted to ask her a question.

“Then how does Diamid think of you?”

“Huh?”

“The people you just mentioned all seem to have goodwill towards you. Then what about Diamid? Do you think he gave you those things based on goodwill for you too?”

Jaina’s gently curved eyes turned piercingly expressionless. After a long silence, she gave a short answer.

“No.”

Unlike her innocent responses until now, it was a cynical, indifferent reply.

To Diamid, that single word felt like a dagger piercing him.

Jaina quietly looked at Seiden and continued speaking.

“You’re quite perceptive, Lord Seiden.”

“Jaina, is it not because of Diamid that you want to stay at the Magic Tower?”

“That’s correct. The reason I want to stay at the Magic Tower isn’t because of the Tower Lord, but because of the people around me. It’s true that I owe the Tower Lord a debt of gratitude, but I don’t think it’s because of any affection or goodwill towards me.”

At those words, Diamid felt as if his heart had dropped.

He stood rooted to the spot, unable to sense Seiden’s gaze shifting towards where he was hiding, as his last shred of hope vanished.

How his heart had pounded with joy when he heard her say she wanted to stay at the Magic Tower, that the Tower Lord had treated her well.

But she didn’t want to remain at the Magic Tower because of any expectations or mixed feelings towards him.

It was because of Mikael, Hilvenzia, Izren… and even the maid who had only been assigned to her recently.

‘There is no room for me in Jaina’s heart.’

Whether it was hatred, anger, or a desire for revenge.

“I’m truly grateful for the offer you made, Lord Seiden. I know it’s because you’re thinking of me… But I don’t want to part with the precious people I have at the Magic Tower.”

“Then if you had only recently arrived at the Magic Tower, would you have accepted my offer?”

Jaina responded simply:

“Yes.”

* * *

Feeling reluctant to leave it at that, Seiden suggested going for one last walk with Jaina.

“If you insist so strongly, I won’t force you. But I’d like to visit you from time to time, is that alright?”

“I’ll be glad if you come visit, Lord Seiden.”

“If you say so, then I’m the one who’s grateful.”

Seiden smiled gently.

Though his face showed no wrinkles outwardly, his smiling expression seemed to convey the passage of time.

After a long silence, Seiden carefully broached a topic.

“How much do you know about the Demon Scourge?”

Despite the abrupt change of subject, Jaina respectfully answered after tilting her head.

“Only that they enter and move within the bodies of the dead?”

“Yes, that’s a brief way to put it. But when you actually encounter them, they can’t be described so simply. The Demon Scourge were… truly demonic. Not only did they attack humans, but they also turned people against each other.”

Seiden’s eyes seemed to gaze into the distance, as if reminiscing about the past.

Jaina quietly watched him, unable to say anything.

It didn’t seem like Seiden was expecting any particular response from Jaina either.

“The dead came back to life, and people called it a miracle. But the moment they realized it wasn’t a miracle, but the Demon Scourge possessing them, people fell into despair and hurled curses and blame at us for trying to exterminate the Demon Scourge.”

“…”

“Even if they couldn’t speak or move properly, they were still family, lovers, friends to those people… They believed we killed their loved ones. We who had vowed to sacrifice our lives to save the world were branded murderers in an instant.”

Seiden gave a cynical laugh.

“To defeat the Demon King that sought to devour the world, we had to eliminate its minions, the Demon Scourge first. That was the right thing to do… but people looked at us with nothing but resentment instead of gratitude.”

Jaina felt that Seiden seemed to have become numb from suffering too many wounds.

It was at that moment, as Jaina gazed at him with a pitying expression, that he said:

“And the one who struggled with it the most was Diamid.”

Jaina couldn’t help but flinch in surprise.

Of course, she knew from reading novels that Diamid had sealed away his emotions due to anguish. But while she was aware that Bezrice’s betrayal had been the catalyst for his emotions being completely sealed, she didn’t know the exact circumstances.

“I can still vividly recall the expression on Diamid’s face when the Demon Scourge possessing a child would beg to be spared. Among us, Diamid was the most tender-hearted. He was emotional and would feel pain even for wilted flowers or trampled seedlings. In the end, after killing that child, Diamid spent several sleepless nights.”

Seiden continued with a sigh.

“Once the Demon Scourge possessing the dead child disappeared, the child’s body collapsed lifelessly once more. Upon witnessing that, the child’s parents viciously accosted Diamid, calling him a murderer. They even slapped him repeatedly and beat him mercilessly with their fists, but Diamid just took it all.”

“Why…?”

“He said that at least by doing so, it might ease their resentment somewhat. That having someone to resent would make it easier for them to overcome their pain… How heartbroken must he have been, to have witnessed a child die twice?”

“…”

“He was such a fool. A kind-hearted fool who kept hesitating instead of eliminating the Demon Scourge, until it was too late and his lover Bezrice was endangered. Blaming himself for everything, he even went so far as to seal away his own emotions. He was hardly suited for the profession of a magician.”

Seiden forced a distorted smile.

“Isn’t he really laughable? Yes, I think so too. That’s why I was all the more enraged. That same man who was kind and affectionate even towards the children of others… I couldn’t believe he would neglect his own child.”

“…”

“Perhaps I’m thinking too highly of him because he was my old comrade… but I get the feeling he doesn’t actually dislike you.”

As Jaina silently listened to Seiden’s words, her blue eyes seemed to ripple slightly. However, she didn’t say anything until the end.

“So please, give Diamid another chance, even if he is clumsy and inadequate. He’s a first-time father too, after all…”

* * *

Seiden walked over to where Diamid was hiding behind the pillar.

Then, with his arms crossed and a defiant attitude, he asked:

“The so-called hero who saved the world is eavesdropping… Tell me honestly, what do you really think of that child?”

“…Does my opinion matter?”

“You fool.”

Seiden’s eyes were filled with pity and contempt.

Diamid knew that despite Seiden’s carefree and scatterbrained appearance, he was actually the most righteous of their comrades, cherishing his family and companions.

“Don’t you know why I’m going to such lengths? Do you want to end up like a pitiful dog, begging after everything is completely lost?”

It was because Seiden had lost his family to the Demon Scourge in the past.

“Isn’t it time for you to be honest? You do consider that child your real daughter, don’t you? From what I can see, you don’t seem to dislike Jaina.”

“…”

“Even if I told Jaina this was your first time as a father, any responsible person wouldn’t have neglected a child like that.”

“…I know.”

“You know, and yet you still act this way?”

Seiden sneered in disbelief.

But Diamid only maintained his silence.

Seiden realized that this silence wasn’t meant to avoid the current situation. With a deep sigh, he tried to continue the conversation.

“It must feel overwhelming. Of course, I understand. But the hopeful thing is, Jaina doesn’t seem to dislike you…”

“Yes, she doesn’t hate me.”

An intense emotion surfaced in Diamid’s previously dull eyes, causing Seiden to flinch in surprise.

“But can that really be seen as a positive thing?”

“Considering what you’ve done, the fact that she doesn’t hate you is…”

“A child who lost her mother came looking for her father. But that father rejected her, saying she wasn’t his daughter. Isn’t it normal for her to hate and resent him then?”

Seiden shuddered as he watched Diamid’s self-deprecating demeanor.

“I told that child I didn’t consider her my daughter and treated her harshly, even telling her to never show her face to me again. And yet, that child bears no resentment towards me.”

“…”

“Seiden, you said indifference is the opposite of love? That child doesn’t even have enough concern for me to hate me.”

Diamid continued, spreading his empty hands.

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve already strayed too far.”

Diamid’s magical power rippled, creating a mirror in the air that showed Jaina playing with Yurika.

“Just look at that child, acting so familiar with a maid who has only recently been assigned to her, someone not even related by blood. And yet I, who shares her blood, cannot take even a single step towards her.”

“Diamid…”

“Seiden, would it really be for that child’s sake if I asked for her forgiveness? Or would it just be selfishness, to ease my own heart? She doesn’t need me.”

Covering his face with both hands, Seiden said:

“You foolish, pitiful man.”

“I know.”

Seiden ruffled his hair as he let out a deep sigh.

‘If he’s talking to me like this, he must already be utterly heartbroken.’

The blue eyes that Bezrice had loved seemed to ripple with a dull light.