Father, I Won’t Do Anything

‘Is what I’m witnessing reality…?’

Jaina doubted her own eyes. The place they had entered was undoubtedly the academy’s training grounds.

Yet before them stood an existence that should not have been present.

‘Draconic soldiers, who can only be summoned by dragons, within the academy’s training grounds…’

It confirmed the presence of an insider conspiring with the dragons.

Draconic soldiers.

Beings born from dragon fangs, fashioned from dragon flesh, their strength unmatched by any demonic beast.

They frequently appeared in dragon legends, serving as allies or foes to the protagonists, but shared one commonality – immense power.

Whichever side commanded draconic soldiers could decisively turn the tides of war with their formidable might.

In other words, the dragons had undoubtedly resolved to kill Jaina here.

And not just any dragons, but her own kin.

‘Only darkness attribute magic can birth draconic soldiers. This must be the work of Black Night clan…’

The disdainful faces of her relatives who had always scorned her flashed through Jaina’s mind.

-How dare you hold your head so high? You’re nothing but a blight upon our clan. If I were you, I’d commit suicide.

-What harm have I caused you? No, what harm have you caused our dragon race?

-Just looking at your contemptible blue eyes makes me feel unclean.

Her cousin Taylor’s constant taunts had merely echoed the words of their elders.

-Don’t you realize your mere existence is a sin, you fool?

-Do you expect me to call you by the name reeking of human stench?

-How amusing that you walk with your head held high when you killed your own mother upon birth. You should have perished in the womb. No, you should never have existed at all.

Malice.

Her clan had regarded her with pure malice. And the draconic soldiers they had summoned exuded the same sentiment towards her.

“Kaaak!”

Despite their distance, their mere presence exuded an overwhelming tension.

‘Even as a dragon myself… I can’t possibly contend against them.’

One or two might have been manageable, but the sheer number of draconic soldiers far exceeded Jaina’s capabilities as a young dragonling.

Giving up on counting their numbers, Jaina lowered her head in resignation.

‘Is this how I die?’

When she still had so much left to do…?

At that moment, Rosian grasped Jaina’s dazed arm and pulled her behind him.

“Your Highness?”

“Miss Jaina, I may not understand what those beings are, but don’t worry too much. I’ll find a way to ensure your safety, at the very least.”

“What do you mean? If we survive, we must do so together. Don’t speak such ill-omened words!”

Jaina bit her lip. Rosian’s words had jolted her back to her senses.

‘I can’t simply resign myself. I must find a way, somehow.’

To inflict any meaningful damage upon the countless draconic soldiers, she would need to employ a large-scale spell.

However, like with the gargoyles, the effectiveness of her magic remained uncertain.

No matter how formidable the gargoyles had been, could they truly compare to the draconic soldiers?

‘I have no choice. There is no other way.’

Biting her lip once more, Jaina began combining formulas. Rosian watched her with concern etched upon his features.

“Kiaaa!”

“Kiaak!”

The draconic soldiers’ piercing cries were eerie and unsettling, enough to chill even the most resolute individuals.

However, Rosian adopted a combat stance as if utterly unfazed, infusing his sword with mana before unleashing a strike without hesitation.

Baaaang!

‘Ugh…’

Seizing the momentary smoke screen, Rosian launched himself forward.

Despite his swift advance immediately after the strike, the draconic soldiers seemed prepared, effortlessly deflecting Rosian’s attack.

“Kiaaak!”

Moreover, their durability was akin to steel. No matter how powerfully he struck, only the resounding clang of clashing metal echoed.

‘This is bad…’

As Rosian retreated, the draconic soldiers seized the opportunity, one of them swinging its sword.

Baang!

Despite anticipating the attack, Rosian nearly lost his grip on the sword, such was the force behind the blow.

‘If this hadn’t been the weapon forged from Miss Jaina’s fangs… I might have…’

For an instant, a grim vision flashed through Rosian’s mind, but he shook his head, dispelling the thought.

‘Focus on the positive. At least I can deflect their attacks.’

Infusing his sword with mana once more, Rosian charged the draconic soldiers again.

Alternating between relentless strikes and evasive maneuvers, he maintained a seamless cycle of offense and defense.

Bang!

Bang!

With their overwhelming numbers, even a momentary lapse could prove fatal. Forcing his weary legs to move, Rosian persisted.

‘I need to buy more time.’

Rosian muttered under his breath as he deflected the draconic soldiers’ incessant attacks.

Initially overwhelming them with a barrage before retreating and adopting a defensive stance to counter, Rosian gradually found even maintaining his guard increasingly taxing as time passed.

The earlier exertion against the gargoyles had begun to deplete his stamina.

‘At this rate, can I hold out until Jaina completes her spell…?’

Rosian was no weakling. He was the reigning champion of the Empire’s martial arts tournament, open to commoners and nobles alike, regardless of age or gender.

However, his opponents were simply too formidable. And more importantly, their numbers were overwhelming.

Black mana seeped from the draconic soldiers’ eyes like smoke.

Realizing once more that his foes were not human, a creeping dread began to consume Rosian from the soles of his feet.

Snapping out of his daze, Rosian fixed his gaze forward with determination.

‘Even if I perish, I must ensure Miss Jaina’s safety.’

For if not, his reason for taking up the sword would be lost.

Clenching his jaw, Rosian charged ahead.

This was no foe to be faced with complacency. He had to be prepared to sacrifice at least a limb or two. With grim resolve, Rosian lunged forward.

“Ha!”

Bbagang!

The blade’s aura sliced through a draconic soldier’s waist. Rosian then plunged his sword into another’s torso, infusing it with mana.

Baaang!

An explosion erupted from within the draconic soldier’s body. Kicking the fallen soldier aside, Rosian swung his sword with tremendous force.

Swoosh!

Rosian channeled every last ounce of mana into his footwork. With each swing of his blade, draconic soldiers collapsed in droves.

“Ha!”

Abandoning all defensive measures, Rosian charged headlong into the draconic soldiers’ midst, relentlessly attacking.

“Your Highness!”

Startled by Rosian’s reckless offensive stance, Jaina cried out from behind as she prepared her spell.

“Don’t worry, the best defense is a good offense, isn’t it?”

Before the draconic soldiers could adapt to his movements, Rosian swiftly wielded his blade. Wherever his sword struck, draconic limbs, faces, and bodies scattered.

Clangg!

Rosian swept a nearby soldier’s legs before slashing another’s shoulder in a diagonal arc.

“Heup!”

However, the draconic soldiers wouldn’t remain passive victims indefinitely.

One of the soldiers closest to Rosian suddenly charged with maddened fury, black smoke billowing from its eyes.

“Kiaaak!”

“Ugh!”

Rosian hastily retreated, but the soldier’s speed was overwhelming.

Its sword slashed across Rosian’s chest, instantly drawing copious amounts of blood.

“Your Highness!”

“It’s just a shallow cut, so focus on your spell!”

Despite the incessant bleeding from his chest, Rosian showed no intention of staunching the wound, continuing his swift movements.

Though pained by his harrowing state, Jaina could do nothing but focus on completing her spell.

‘The quickest way to aid His Highness is to finish the spell as soon as possible…’

Once more, Jaina concentrated deeply, gathering her mana. It was the first time she had attempted to combine formulas so rapidly since birth.

Yet amidst her efforts, guilt and self-reproach lingered in her mind.

‘If only I were stronger…’

Even a wide-area spell offered no guarantee of resolving this situation.

‘If another mage were here instead of me… If the Tower Lord were here… Would the outcome differ?’

For a fleeting moment, Jaina envisioned the mightiest magician she knew. One who could effortlessly annihilate even mighty celestial dragons might easily overcome these draconic soldiers.

‘After fleeing the Tower Lord to the academy, I now long for his aid…’

-Could you grant me just one chance? To be able to look after you whenever you’re unwell, to gaze upon you whenever I wish. To be able to love and protect you in this world bereft of your mother…

Jaina squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

Even to her own mind, such thoughts seemed utterly shameless.

Diamid had wished for her to lean on him and depend on him in times of hardship. But how could she, after having misunderstood and hurt him for so long, just as he had misunderstood and hurt her?

‘It’s too late. The Tower Lord must have already abandoned any expectations of me.’

Accepting her resignation brought forth a bitter laugh. It seemed she had finally recognized the sincerity hidden beneath her petty pride.

‘Perhaps I had been waiting for him to reach out to me first.’

She couldn’t pinpoint when exactly.

But Jaina now clearly realized that, deep within, she had acknowledged him as a ‘father’ figure and longed to depend on him.

“How pathetic… this life, as well.”

Having nearly completed her spell preparations, Jaina turned her gaze towards Rosian. His heaving chest was evident as he single-handedly confronted the draconic soldiers.

‘His Highness also seems to be nearing his limit…’

The mana he had recklessly expended appeared to be depleting rapidly.

His stamina was another concern, evident from the increasing wounds as enemy attacks became harder to discern.

“Kaaak!”

At that moment, as Rosian hastily bent backwards, a draconic soldier’s sword deeply gouged his left shoulder.

Mindful of disrupting Jaina’s concentration, Rosian stifled any cries of anguish, gritting his teeth through the searing pain.

‘I can’t falter here!’

Clenching his jaw, Rosian steadied his stance once more.

‘Huh?’

Undoubtedly, one of the draconic soldiers he had diagonally slashed seemed to be approaching with an unsettling gait.

Yes, he had seen it.

However, his depleted stamina left him unable to evade the incoming attack.

Ultimately, he could only raise his weighty left arm in a futile attempt to mitigate a fatal blow, but the draconic soldier seemed to mock his efforts, swinging its sword downwards.

Grruck.

That familiar sound reverberated unnaturally loud.

The same sound Rosian’s sword had produced countless times, slicing through draconic flesh and bone.

Yet a chill ran down his spine.

The sound hadn’t originated from his opponent.

His own left arm seemed to move in an eerie, slow-motion as it was sliced, crushed, and severed.

‘No… Without my left arm, I won’t be able to wield the sword forged from Miss Jaina’s fangs.’

And with that thought, his – no, what had been Rosian’s left arm – dropped to the ground with a thud.