Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“Whose idea was it to use the temple to push her into a predicament? Ah?”

“Quiet.”

“How amusing. You were even noisier when I escaped the Magic Tower’s prison.”

After the demons were annihilated, Raikis had to endure Sitail’s taunts.

‘That uncivilized brat.’

As if seizing an opportunity, Sitail incessantly chattered.

“Who was it that said she was proof of impurity, that she couldn’t be easily killed?”

“…”

“What art is there in simply killing, instead of witnessing her wallow in agony?”

“It was you, Sitail, who brought up the humiliation of being imprisoned by humans, unable to simply kill her.”

“No, it wasn’t that. Weren’t you also wary of that human male, whose prowess was formidable enough to make even you think direct confrontation was unwise?”

Sitail thrust his face right up to Raikis’.

“A human male with enough skill to leave me in a wretched state. The moment you heard that, didn’t you realize the direct approach wouldn’t work?”

“You talk too much.”

“So what if I do?”

Raikis glared at Sitail, struggling against the surging emotions within him.

But in that moment, his gaze fell upon the same hair and eye color as his own.

Ah, yes, no matter how much he scorned himself, the male before him was of the same dragon clan.

“Perhaps we’ve encountered a more formidable adversary than we anticipated. It’s possible the two of us alone may not be enough to overcome this.”

“Damn it, we sent all the demons from our clan’s mountain range down to the human world. Surely that should stir up enough chaos.”

Though irritated, a flicker of fear passed through Sitail’s eyes for an instant.

“In fact, it was me who cooperated in manipulating that human female, Countess Milpres or whatever… Because even I view that human male as a formidable obstacle.”

Raikis silently awaited Sitail’s words. For a dragon being with immense pride to admit a human male was a difficult adversary was humiliating.

‘Wait a minute.’

Raikis, who had been gnawing on his lips, suddenly raised his lowered head as a thought occurred to him.

“Raikis, we need to settle things with that human male before he acknowledges the half-breed as his daughter. Hey, are you listening?”

“…Hold on, Sitail. What exactly was the prophecy the High Priest foresaw?”

“I don’t know the details either, just that this Jaina or whatever didn’t exist in it.”

“Find out the precise details.”

“Are you giving me an order?”

Raikis gazed at him with a serious expression. Sensing this wasn’t the time for provocation, Sitail’s face hardened as well.

“The only reason we’re struggling to kill this half-breed brat is because of that human male.”

“Is there a way to eliminate that human male?”

Raikis shook his head. At some point, a smirk had returned to his face.

“No, something even better than that.”

* * *

Raikis recalled the memories of giving Jaina harpsichord lessons.

The blue eyes he had met then were like a clear blue ocean. So pristine that not a hint of darkness could be seen in their transparence.

Yet in contrast, her hair was a jet-black hue that didn’t change even under sunlight.

‘That human male also had black hair and blue eyes.’

The differing hair and eye colors were a clear indication of being a mixed-blood.

In that case…

A half-breed must be of either the Black Night clan or the Blue Sky clan.

‘Could it be that the human male protects the half-breed because she’s his own daughter?’

Let’s return to the starting point.

It wasn’t as if there had never been dragons who became intimate with human males or females before.

However, for a child to be born from such a union was tantamount to a miracle.

Dragons wouldn’t conceive a child unless it was with someone they truly loved.

In other words, it was difficult for dragons to develop sincere bonds with humans they encountered during external activities out of necessity. Moreover, dragons viewed humans as insignificant as insects, unable to perceive any difference.

‘Among the dragons with frequent contact with the Tower Lord male, yet not dismissive enough to be insignificant…’

Raikis traced his hazy memories.

‘I believe it was mentioned as being from the Black Night clan…’

Bezrice.

A woman offered as a sacrifice by the dragon cln during the war against the Demon King.

* * *

Transforming into a dragon, Raikis took to the skies.

Wheeeing-

The wind whipping against his body was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Raikis headed straight for the mountain range where the Black Night clan resided.

“Who goes there!”

“You cannot simply barge in!”

As Raikis, a dragon from another clan, suddenly appeared in their skies, the Black Night clan fiercely stood guard. The formation of multiple dragons surrounding and glaring at him was undoubtedly intimidating to any observer.

However, Raikis showed no signs of fear before the dragons that had manifested. Rather, he leisurely surveyed the assembled dragons.

“Is this how you treat a fellow dragon?”

“Don’t think you can sweet-talk your way out of this.”

“Are you hiding something, perhaps?”

“Does the Golden Star clan lack manners like you?”

“I wonder if the Black Night clan even knows the meaning of honor.”

Raikis smiled slyly as he spoke.

“Tell me, if ‘proof of impurity’ were to be born between your clan and another race, what would you do?”

“…!”

Silent shock surfaced on the Black Night dragons’ faces. Unawares, they exchanged furtive glances with each other.

“…That is.”

Only belatedly did they realize their reaction was essentially an admission, but it was already too late.

Of course, they weren’t so naive as to be swayed by mere words. It was simply bewilderment at having a secret they thought would never be exposed come to light.

“Wh-what nonsense are you spouting!”

“Are you saying a half-breed was born into our clan!”

“No, I didn’t quite say that.”

Raikis’s composure stemmed from having grasped their weakness.

“Ah, did you say that, though?”

“You bastard!”

There was no way he would have flown all the way to another clan’s dwelling for no reason. Without even attempting to conceal himself, he had deliberately made his presence known.

“…What do you want?”

Eventually, one of the Black Night dragons glared sharply as they stepped forward.

“She’s no longer a child, already seventeen years old.”

A hush fell among the Black Night dragons. Raikis truly knew everything.

Carefully observing their reactions, Raikis continued.

“Not many know about her yet. If you wish to keep it from the Golden Star clan, the Blue Sky clan, or the White Moon clan, you can remain silent. But in my opinion, it would be better to speak up obediently.”

“…”

“You know, if the Patriarch intervenes instead of me, this won’t end well. The Black Night clan will undoubtedly be held accountable.”

They gritted their teeth, for they knew Raikis spoke the truth.

The Black Night clan’s magic was somewhat different from other clans. Unlike the other clans who wielded magic upfront or launched powerful attacks, their magic centered around concealment and casting curses from the shadows. As a result, even among fellow dragons, they frequently clashed, seen as unbecoming of a dragon’s dignity.

Given such circumstances, the Black Night clan desired to improve their reputation. That was the reason they had been the first to lend their aid during the war against the Demon King.

‘Though only recorded as a ‘Black Night dragon’ in the history books, with no individual names mentioned, it must have been to elevate their clan’s reputation, not personal glory.’

Fortunately, Raikis knew her name. He had glimpsed it in passing once before.

‘Her eyes didn’t have that distinct clarity typical of dragon beings.’

Raikis spoke.

“Bring forth the female named ‘Bezrice’. I have questions for her.”

“Why are you seeking Bezrice?”

“Isn’t that half-breed the daughter of Bezrice and the Tower Lord?”

“…”

Seeing the Black Night dragons’ silence, Raikis mocked them.

“How admirable, concealing this proof of impurity. Truly befitting of the Black Night clan.”

“…Are you saying we should have killed the child as soon as she was born?”

“Since when have you been so compassionate? Aren’t you just afraid of being exposed, with dragons’ names being etched into the Central Tower upon death? Worried about disgracing your clan’s honor?”

Their dark intentions laid bare, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“If you don’t wish to escalate this situation further, it would be wise to obediently present that female now.”

“…That’s not possible. Bezrice is dead. She fell to the Demon King’s curse.”

Raikis asked in puzzlement.

“Then what became of the child?”

“Though she could have lived by abandoning the child, in the end, she chose the child instead. A foolish decision. And she made us swear to protect the child, claiming we owed her a debt since she risked her life to defeat the Demon King.”

However, there was a loophole in that vow…

“But in reality, you didn’t have to actually raise her, did you?”

As Raikis calmly watched, the Black Night dragons squirmed before answering.

“We didn’t raise her. That child was strangely perceptive from a young age, able to fend for herself by finding food when we starved her, or teaching herself magic without our instruction.”

So despite indirectly attempting to kill her through neglect, she hadn’t perished.

“That’s why Ashrid was sent to her father, the Tower Lord, figuring he would surely dissect and dispose of a dragon. So the child must be at the Magic Tower now.”

“The Tower Lord was indeed her father, then.”

“But I heard her name was Jaina, not Ashrid?”

“Bezrice had named her that, but we couldn’t very well call her by such a human-reeking name. She’s already a filthy half-breed as it is…”

Raikis nodded.

“That’s enough.”

“Are you certain, without meeting Bezrice…?”

Raikis had originally come to meet Bezrice, hoping to find a weakness to exploit against the Tower Lord.

“I had planned to simultaneously accuse Bezrice of bearing a half-breed and use that as leverage for blackmail. But since she’s dead, there’s nothing to be done.”

Even so, he had now grasped the weakness.

It was laughable that she had fallen in love with a mere human male, but the fact that a child had been born meant the other party had genuinely loved Bezrice as well.

Bezrice’s willingness to sacrifice her own life to give birth to the child supported this.

‘Having confirmed that Bezrice and the Tower Lord were in an intense, mutual love…’

Curving his lips into a smirk, Raikis contacted Sitail as he flew towards the Magic Tower.

“I’ve made some progress. But just in case, be prepared near the Magic Tower.”

Transformed into a human near the Magic Tower, he addressed the gatekeeper.

“I am Lady Jaina’s harpsichord tutor. I wish to meet with the Tower Lord and Lady Jaina.”