Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“…”

Amidst the chaos, Jaina blankly blinked her eyes.

‘Even with the mana-suppressing reagent, for it to grow to this extent… The academy’s standards seem lower than expected.’

She had simply used magic based on the Magic Tower’s criteria, unaware it would draw such attention.

‘I suppose the training under Brother Mikael paid off, but it seems the days ahead will only grow more wearisome…’

Jaina turned her head. The students gaped at her, unable to close their mouths, while Professor Ellen looked down at her with sparkling eyes, uttering exclamations of ‘Incredible!’

“Jaina! You, you’re amazing! Had you been systematically studying magic even before enrolling at the academy?”

“Ah… Yes.”

“Remarkable! To possess such skill, you must be from a prestigious lineage of magicians, or trained at the level of a Magic Tower magician…”

Though Ellen seemed to have many questions for Jaina, she could only part her lips, unable to easily voice them.

For Jaina lacked a surname.

Lacking a surname implied either concealing one’s household due to secrecy or being a commoner. However, it was unthinkable for a commoner family to produce a magician of Jaina’s caliber at such a young age.

“Jaina, could you perhaps be from the Magic Tower…?”

At that moment, the bell signaling the end of class rang out.

“Yes…?”

“Ah, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss this later. Let’s end the class here for today.”

Jaina bowed and rose from her seat to gather her belongings.

Professor Ellen, who had been scratching her head before Jaina, clapped to briefly announce the next class’s experiment before gathering her own materials.

Even so, her gaze remained fixated on Jaina.

* * *

Ever since the luminous flower experiment, the bullying efforts against Jaina had completely disappeared.

The disdainful attitudes of her Department of Magic peers, who had looked down on her for seemingly lacking even basic magical knowledge, had changed.

“Apparently, even that research-obsessed Professor Ellen couldn’t stop praising her.”

“There are also rumors she’s from the Magic Tower.”

“What? Then she must be an elite among elites!”

Not only due to her skills, but with rumors subtly circulating about her being from the Magic Tower, the ringleaders of the ‘Subdue Jaina’ effort – Amelia, Margalie, and their inner circle – began avoiding Jaina altogether. Meanwhile, those like Cecil, who had harbored positive impressions of Jaina, started seeking her out during breaks to ask her all sorts of questions.

“Is it true you attended a concert with the Tower Lord, Jaina?”

“Then you must have witnessed the Tower Lord’s abilities too?”

Without realizing it, Jaina was gradually becoming a figure of renown within the department.

‘It’s good that the bullies are gone, but…’

Jaina found the entire situation rather awkward.

“What do you think about combining Annerdo’s formula with Neyne’s formula? Apparently, it’s a rising formula at the Magic Tower these days, but my skills are too lacking to attempt it!”

“Don’t you think the recently published Beichen formula consumes excessive mana?”

She had never considered her own abilities exceptional.

As a child, she had learned magic surreptitiously from her dragon relatives. From the age of ten, she had studied magic under the tutelage of Mikael and Hilvenzia, diligently following their guidance.

Moreover, having frequented the Magic Tower’s library incessantly, witnessing the magicians there, her standards had naturally become higher than those of ordinary adult magicians.

But Jaina had simply accepted it as normal.

‘Is this why they emphasize the importance of one’s upbringing…?’

Having barely extricated herself from the students proposing magical discussions, Jaina left the department building and headed for the walking trails.

She had suddenly longed to hear Mikael and Hilvenzia’s voices.

After ensuring no one was around, Jaina cast a soundproofing spell and retrieved a mana bird from her pocket.

“Cheep cheep.”

The mana bird, previously used like an intercom at the Magic Tower, had been modified by Mikael after the recent overnight incident, allowing long-distance communication akin to a telephone.

‘We already have communication crystals, so why did he need to modify the mana bird as well? It’s a bit bulky, but not to the point of being unable to carry it around.’

However, recalling the previous incident, she realized Mikael hadn’t acted unreasonably.

‘Well, thanks to this, I can use the mana bird to monitor other students… And it’s not burdensome to carry at all, so it’s quite convenient.’

After carefully surveying her surroundings once more, Jaina cautiously released the mana bird. Being caught with a Magic Tower artifact could cause an uproar throughout the entire academy.

—Huff, huff. You little rascal!

After a few failed attempts, Mikael’s voice came through, sounding as if he had rushed to answer a phone call.

“Brother Mikael, have you been well?”

—Oh, I’ve been great. Absolutely great. Without your troublesome presence, life has been too enjoyable.

“Then I’m glad to hear it.”

—…Are you serious?

Mikael’s voice grew quieter. Sensing the sullen tone, Jaina felt a pang of guilt.

Her abrupt announcement about attending the academy must have taken him by surprise.

While inwardly resolving to buy Mikael a generous gift he would enjoy upon her return, Jaina began asking about a matter she had been curious about.

“Say, Brother Mikael. How much stronger do you think I am compared to the academy students?”

—It’s not even a comparison. At your current level, you surpass most Magic Tower magicians. In terms of skill alone, you’ve already exceeded graduation level. But why the sudden question?

Sensing something amiss in Jaina’s words, Mikael probed cautiously.

—…Did something happen?

“Of course not.”

—…

Though Mikael maintained a silence as if scrutinizing her, when Jaina didn’t take the bait, he let out a sigh-like response.

—Since I skipped the academy and came straight to the Magic Tower, I don’t know the details, but the Department of Magic is a stronghold for noble snobbery. Just a bunch of mediocre abilities, nothing to be concerned about, but still, be cautious.

Uncharacteristically grave, Mikael’s tone caused Jaina to swallow the welling emotions within.

“…Thank you.”

—If anyone gives you trouble, let me know right away, got it? I’ll march right into their family and raze it to the ground.

“Yes, I understand.”

—That old hag Hilvenzia might have complained, but you should have just gone to the academy from the start…

As Mikael grumbled under his breath, Jaina, as if suddenly remembering, asked a question.

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard the Tower Lord also graduated from the Melbel Academy’s Department of Magic. Is that true?”

—…Hmm.

After an awkward cough, Mikael continued in an unnatural tone.

—In the old days, the Magic Tower’s standards were pitiful. When it came to magic, the imperial Melbel Academy was the place. It was the Tower Lord who elevated the Magic Tower to its current level.

“I see…”

A momentary silence ensued. While Mikael struggled to find the right words to add, Jaina’s thoughts drifted to Diamid.

‘I hadn’t realized the Tower Lord was a Melbel Academy graduate…’

She had deliberately come to the academy to sort out her thoughts, but the more time she spent there, the more frequently Diamid occupied her mind.

Even decades after his graduation, Diamid’s traces remained abundant throughout the academy grounds.

From the statue honoring him as a ‘Proud Graduate Who Defended the Empire’ to his photo and accomplishments prominently featured in the Introduction to Magic and Imperial Mage textbooks.

Though the exterior hadn’t changed much, whenever Jaina saw his brightly smiling face in those images, she felt a complex tangle of emotions.

After a prolonged silence, Jaina suddenly realized it was nearly time for the afternoon classes and hurriedly called out to the mana bird.

“Ah, Brother, I have an afternoon class soon. I’ll call you again later!”

However, Jaina found she couldn’t simply end the call.

—What? Who said you could hang up? It’s been so long since we’ve talked. You did as you pleased with the call, but I’ll decide when to end it. Understood?

For Mikael’s words were laced with thorns that pricked incessantly.

‘This might take a while…’

After enduring Mikael’s laments such as ‘I want to demolish the Magic Tower,’ ‘I should have followed you,’ and ‘Hilvenzia’s hysterics have only worsened without you,’ Jaina could only end the call after extensively reassuring him of how much she missed him and he meant to her.

‘Come to think of it, he did say, ‘I should have followed you,’ didn’t he?’

Jaina tilted her head, mulling over Mikael’s words.

‘Didn’t Hilvenzia also mention a ‘welcome face’ would be visiting me?’

Was someone supposed to come to the academy?

As Jaina pondered this, the voices of female students nearby reached her ears.

“Isn’t he incredibly young?”

“Young would be an understatement, he’s practically a child. To be an academy professor at twenty-three… Isn’t that nearly unprecedented? Truly remarkable.”

“What’s truly remarkable is that face of his. Ahh…”

“Apparently, the headmaster personally recommended him. I heard he was appointed as a professor in the Department of Swordsmanship.”

The students seemed to be discussing a newly appointed professor.

Though she had no way of knowing someone skilled enough to become an academy professor, the more she listened, the more familiar it felt.

Jaina pricked up her ears, focusing on the incoming sounds.

“A jewel has arrived at our academy. Swoon.”

“To what extent?”

“The Swordsmanship students say his skills are even comparable to His Highness Prince Rosian?”

“Come to think of it, didn’t he face off against His Highness in the martial arts tournament as well?”

“Exactly, in the finals no less.”

Faced off against His Highness in the finals?

Could it be…?