Father, I Won’t Do Anything

‘Was the person Hilvenzia mentioned Izren?’

Jaina couldn’t understand. After serving as her personal guard for several years and finally attaining the rank of full knight, there was no reason for him to relinquish his knighthood to become an academy professor.

Moreover, despite outwardly promoting equality, the academy was a place rife with discrimination like no other. It made no sense for Izren, a non-human, to voluntarily take a professorship there.

‘And to be recommended by Lord Seiden…’

There was no way Hilvenzia could have connections with Seiden, so the Tower Lord’s influence was undoubtedly involved.

Izren had become her guard on the Tower Lord’s orders, not out of his own volition, after all.

Realizing Izren had come to the Melbel Academy because of her, Jaina’s heart raced as she hurriedly ran towards the source of the voices.

Leaving the walking trail and nearing the academy grounds, a familiar figure surrounded by the students’ gazes came into view.

“Izren.”

“Jaina?”

Like a fog lifting to reveal the sun, a bright smile spread across his previously impassive face. The passing female students gasped in awe.

“I missed you!”

Upon spotting Jaina, Izren rushed over, but even his childlike innocence couldn’t elicit a smile from her.

“Me too. But, Izren… how did you end up at the academy?”

Izren responded with a beaming smile.

“I became a professor here.”

“A professor? Just like that?”

“Well, the previous Swordsmanship professor suddenly took a leave of absence, creating a vacancy. Lord Seiden, the headmaster, recommended me for the position.”

He explained that Seiden, having witnessed his achievements at the martial arts tournament, had invited him to become an academy professor.

However, Jaina found it difficult to accept his words at face value.

Regardless of skill level, it was an exceedingly rare occurrence in imperial history for a newly appointed full knight to be recruited as a professor.

Moreover, as a non-human subject to disdain, the nobles and academy faculty would have undoubtedly vehemently opposed his appointment, beyond the headmaster’s sole authority to override.

The Tower Lord and Princess Elia’s intervention was undoubtedly involved.

Rather than beating around the bush, Jaina decided to directly ask Izren, as this matter concerned his future.

“I heard it from Hilvenzia. The Tower Lord sent you, didn’t he?”

“…”

“Izren, you’ve finally attained the knighthood you desired so dearly. You don’t need to suffer further on my account. I’ll explain the situation to the Tower Lord myself, so…”

As Jaina spoke with a remorseful expression, Izren wore a troubled look.

“No, Jaina. That’s not it. While it’s true I came here on the Tower Lord’s orders, I was the one who first requested this arrangement from him.”

“You requested it…?”

“Yes, as a full knight, I can determine my own posting – whether to remain where I had served as a junior knight or move elsewhere. As I was contemplating my future, I happened to learn you had enrolled at the academy and told the Tower Lord I wished to go there. Though I didn’t expect to be appointed as a professor.”

Upon hearing Izren had come to the academy of his own volition, Jaina asked in bewilderment.

“Why…?”

“I guess I was worried about you.”

“…”

“After that unpleasant incident recently.”

Jaina blinked blankly. She had never mentioned the dragons to Izren.

‘The only ones aware I had nearly been killed by dragons are the Tower Lord, Brother Mikael, and Hilvenzia…’

There was no way those two, who disliked Izren, would have told him about the dragons.

He must have received separate instructions from the Tower Lord.

Had he been so concerned about her to the extent of defying opposition and appointing the non-human Izren as a Melbel Academy professor?

Jaina suddenly wondered what the Tower Lord had said about her when sending Izren to the academy.

“By any chance, did the Tower Lord say anything specific about me?”

“…Take good care of her.”

“Pardon…?”

“Those were his exact words – to take good care of you while you’re at the academy.”

Upon hearing Izren’s words, Jaina fell silent for a while.

After the Tower Lord had asked her to become his daughter, instead of avoiding the issue, he had simply left a message through Rosian about her enrolling at the academy, as if making a mere notification. Yet, rather than expressing anger, he had simply said, ‘Take good care of her.’

And what of the non-human before her? He could have remained comfortably at the Magic Tower, but out of concern for her, he had come to this place where he would face daily injustice and discrimination.

Jaina bit the inside of her lip.

An indescribable emotion seemed to be welling up within her.

Until now, she had wanted to ignore and avoid confronting this surging feeling.

But if his feelings towards her were sincere…

Not out of necessity, not as atonement for Bezrice, but a genuine concern like the non-human before her…

If she had been mistaken all along…

Jaina hurriedly asked Izren.

“Could you perhaps share what happened at the Magic Tower after I came to the academy?”

However, Izren feigned ignorance, pretending not to hear her.

“…Hmm?”

“Don’t evade me.”

Jaina had wanted to learn the details of what had occurred at the Magic Tower, but the timing wasn’t right.

Just as she was about to press Izren further, the academy students began streaming out after their classes ended.

“Isn’t that Jaina from the Department of Magic? Seems she’s acquainted with that non-human.”

“Don’t call him a non-human. He’s a professor in the Department of Swordsmanship.”

“Since when did you care about non-human rights?”

As the surroundings grew increasingly noisy, Jaina closed her lips tightly.

She couldn’t discuss sensitive matters related to the Magic Tower in front of so many people.

Seizing the opportunity, Izren dejectedly addressed Jaina with a sullen expression.

“It’s tough, you know, with the students here glaring at me like that.”

His downcast face resembled a puppy caught in the rain.

No, since he could transform into a cat, perhaps a kitten was more apt?

“The students are glaring at you? Ah…”

Looking around, Jaina noticed students averting their gazes, mostly female students.

She tilted her head in confusion.

‘While some may be discriminating, it seems they’re currently just ogling his good looks…’

Unlike the Magic Tower mages, too absorbed in their research to pay much attention to others, the academy was different.

Most were like gossipy kittens, eagerly gawking at any source of interest and whispering rumors.

Receiving such admiring gazes for the first time, Izren seemed to be misinterpreting the situation.

After taking a deep breath, Izren spoke.

“It feels like they’re hunting me.”

“…Well, that’s not entirely inaccurate.”

“Really?”

At that moment, Izren’s sparkling gem-like eyes widened.

He murmured despondently as he tapped the sword sheathed at his waist.

“I’m glad I learned the sword.”

“It might not be advisable for a professor to draw their sword against a student, though.”

“Then I’ll pretend I don’t understand the imperial language and run away.”

Izren responded with a fluency and pace far surpassing his initial arrival at the Magic Tower.

“I don’t think that would work very well now.”

“Really? Then what should I do?”

In the end, instead of resolving her curiosity about Diamid, Jaina found herself lending an ear to Izren’s concerns.

“What if I say something like, ‘Me no speak imperial language good?'”

Jaina flatly stated.

“Your expressions give away everything you’re thinking, Izren.”

“Aaah…”

Covering his face with both hands, Izren descended into despair.

* * *

“This is a magic devised by the current Tower Lord, Diamid Bellafanian.”

One of the professors smiled with sincere admiration as he spoke.

“As magicians, we must truly respect him. For without him, none of us, including myself and all of you, would exist today.”

As the professor spoke, Jaina scanned the textbook.

Diamid Bellafanian, Diamid Bellafanian, Diamid Bellafanian…

‘At this rate, coming to the academy seems meaningless.’

Magics devised by Diamid, quotes from books written by Diamid, Diamid’s achievements, and so on.

She had come to the academy to sort out her thoughts, but the more time she spent there, the more cluttered her mind seemed to become, even more so than at the Magic Tower.

-With human blood mixed in, how could you possibly wield magic properly?

‘Not only can I wield it properly, but it seems I’m excessively adept at it.’

It must have been Diamid’s bloodline that allowed her, a half-human, to wield magic on par with the dragons despite her mixed heritage.

Recalling her earlier conversation with Izren, Jaina began reading the textbook carefully.

Within its pages, Diamid was portrayed as a brave and admirable hero.

However, according to Seiden’s account, Diamid had simply been a youth of that age, with a sensitivity beyond the average person.

Yet the book made no mention of the anguish or suffering he must have endured. Jaina silently gazed at the blank spaces on the pages, wondering how she would have written this book.

“Since the Tower Lord Diamid Bellafanian himself graduated from this Melbel Academy, we students should strive to learn more about him. He is our esteemed senior, after all.”

Most professors spoke highly of Diamid with great respect.

As magicians dedicated to the pursuit of power and truth, this was only natural.

With nearly everyone offering positive assessments and praise, Jaina had initially assumed all Melbel Academy professors would view him favorably.

However, that was a misconception.

“However, there is one fact unknown to you regarding the war against the Demon King. It was because of the Tower Lord Diamid Bellafanian that this world nearly faced annihilation.”