Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“Lady Jaina, would you be my partner?”

“…”

“I ardently wish to accompany you to Lady Resnell’s concert.”

The third man proffered an invitation.

His unexpected arrival prompted the previous two to regard him with narrowed, hostile eyes.

“A moment, who are you to so brazenly offer Lady Jaina an invitation?”

“Might you address her as Lady Bellafanian? You seem to lack any familiarity with her.”

To have three strange men suddenly vie for her affections was a disconcerting development, far from mere coincidence.

‘Ah, but this is the nature of high society, isn’t it?’

High society ultimately served as a means to acquire power and influence.

Regardless of noble parentage, attaining a title proved nigh impossible without descending from the highest aristocratic lineages.

Thus, the alternative lay in marrying into a renowned, prestigious family.

A union with her could potentially lead to inheriting the Bellafanian Duchy, or at the very least, access the Magic Tower’s formidable resources to further one’s ambitions.

The three men undoubtedly harbored such intentions.

‘So this is the consequence of my connection to the Tower Lord being revealed, especially with His Highness Rosian’s absence.’

Jaina’s assessment proved accurate.

Previously deterred by Rosian’s presence, once rumors of a rift in their relationship began circulating due to his absence from the hunting contest, these three had seized the opportunity to insinuate themselves.

“Withdraw from Lady Jaina at once!”

“Who are you to order me away, you wretch?”

“And just who might you be?”

“Enough, all of you, leave Lady Jaina’s presence!”

It was an utter mess.

Jaina found her isolated position amidst the bickering men utterly funny.

‘I feel like a mere object of desire.’

Pursing her lips tightly, she strode towards the raucous trio and spoke with firm resolution.

“Have you not thought to seek my opinion before engaging in this senseless quarrel?”

Sensing Jaina’s shift in demeanor, the loudly squabbling three immediately fell silent.

“La-Lady…?”

“That is to say…”

“If you truly wished to express your admiration, you should have done so respectfully and with consideration for the recipient. Do you believe it acceptable to impose your feelings so brazenly upon another, without any regard for propriety?”

“My sincerest apologies for this disturbance. That wasn’t my intent.”

“It’s all this fool’s fault…”

“I must take my leave for now.”

As the men attempted to shift blame onto one another, Jaina turned to depart, prompting their urgent pleas.

“Then, might the victor of the hunting contest be permitted to offer you an invitation, Lady Jaina?”

“I suppose that would be preferable.”

“Since this quarrel seems unlikely to cease otherwise…”

‘Utterly incorrigible. No wonder they lack partners.’

Though their continued underhanded mutterings reached her ears, Jaina paid them no heed, returning to rejoin her friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, the three men who had ardently pursued Jaina rode ahead, alternating between boasting and snarling about outperforming one another in slaying demonic beasts.

“Rather than mere rabbits, we speak of demonic beasts. Best turn back before disgracing yourselves by failing to fell even one.”

“You would do well to gaze into a mirror before attempting to woo Lady Jaina. Know your place…”

“One who can’t even properly wield a sword dares run his mouth so boldly? Retreat now, lest you sustain injuries you’ll soon regret.”

“What was that? To hear you, one might mistake you for Melbel Academy alumni.”

“Hmph, Melbel Academy, was it? More like tutored by one of their graduates, I’d wager. Haha.”

Now devoid of any surrounding audience, the three men began openly disparaging one another.

“Ieik! Lord Pograth and Baron Neide, are you mocking my skills? You worthless, titleless louts simply crave the privilege of Lady Jaina’s company!”

“And what of you? I hear your recent excessive debts have rendered your estate forfeit – are you not equally coveting the Magic Tower’s wealth?”

“A mere Baron dares insult me, a Viscount?”

“Are you not also a Viscount yourself? Don’t speak as if exempt. And what importance holds a mere nominal Viscount, I ask you?”

As their verbal exchanges escalated, their voices rose in tandem, resonating through the dense forest.

So engrossed were they in denigrating one another that they had forgotten their location – the domain of demonic beasts.

“Take that back. Have you finished speaking your piece?”

“I’ve said my fill, so what of it?”

“You dare dismiss my words so readily?”

It was at that moment–

“Kiiiii!”

“Kiiit!”

A shrill, rending screech, impossible for any human to produce, pierced their ears. The three men finally registered their surroundings.

The Melanje Mountain Range.

An area the hunt parties had failed to properly clear of the emerging demonic beasts.

‘Come to think of it… They had explicitly warned against venturing too deeply…’

A chill ran down their spines as they hastily surveyed their unfamiliar environs, relinquishing the reins.

The dense foliage, scarcely penetrated by sunlight, indicated they had strayed well beyond the outskirts.

‘We had ridden so deeply into the mountains without even realizing…’

‘Curse it, I need to string my bow…’

Yet paralyzed by the prospect of imminent death, their bodies refused to obey.

Truth be told, despite their earlier bravado before Jaina, none had truly battled demonic beasts – their experience extended only to dispatching minor ones.

“Uu, uuuu…”

Thus, confronted by beasts towering several times their height, they could only tremble helplessly where they stood.

‘We, we must flee.’

Belatedly gathering their wits, the three attempted to turn their mounts and escape, but the horses wouldn’t listen.

“Wh-Why won’t they…?”

Glancing downwards, their horses’ hooves appeared to be sinking into the very earth.

“Kiiiii!”

“Kiiiii!”

‘Could these be mid-tier demon…?’

Among their ranks were those capable of wielding magic akin to humans.

While their repertoire was limited, it posed a significant threat to unskilled magicians or novice knights.

Utterly incapacitated, the three stood rooted in place when–

Swoooosh!

An arrow came hurtling from some unseen location, striking one of the beasts.

“Kiiit!”

Followed by a second, then a third volley, the arrows unerringly pierced the demonic beasts’ vital points.

‘Have reinforcements arrived to rescue us?’

‘The imperial forces must have prepared for such perilous scenarios in advance!’

Heaving sighs of relief at their apparent salvation, the three dismounted and allowed their tense bodies to relax.

“Whew, I nearly soiled myself.”

“Well, had you watched where you were going, we wouldn’t have ventured so deeply in the first place.”

“Excuse me? If you hadn’t been so insufferably stubborn, we wouldn’t have quarreled to begin with!”

However, their respite proved premature, for the wounded demonic beasts soon began thrashing in agonized spasms, the arrows having struck their vitals.

Seeking the source of the projectiles assailing them, they commenced violently flailing about.

In the ensuing chaos, the three men naturally became embroiled as unintended targets.

“Hiiik!”

“Uuaaaahk!”

“Aaack!”

Letting out undignified shrieks, they fled erratically, evading the demonic beasts’ frenzied attacks with no semblance of cooperation or noble bearing.

Strangely, though, once the beasts began convulsing, no further arrows seemed forthcoming.

“Wh-Where did our archer go? Help us, we’re about to perish!”

“…Wasn’t it the imperial army? We’ll reward you handsomely, just assist us!”

Baaaang!

A sickle-shaped claw, belonging to a mantis-like demonic beast, lashed out menacingly. The man narrowly dodged, tumbling across the ground.

“Kiiit!”

“Uuaack!”

No matter how far they fled, the mantis-beasts relentlessly pursued, until the three men eventually collapsed, their legs giving out.

In their frantic bid to escape the demonic beasts, they had unwittingly ventured even deeper, the scant sunlight filtering through the trees gradually fading into utter darkness.

“B-But why aren’t they just killing us…?”

“Could that beast be the dreaded ‘Hephairos’ – the mightiest of mid-tier demonic beasts? The one said to torment its prey before devouring them?”

“Impossible!”

The three men screamed in sheer terror. Yet at the very moment they had resigned themselves to death, another arrow flew from the shadows.

Swoooosh!

However, this one narrowly grazed one of the men’s necks before striking its intended demonic beast target.

“Kiiit!”

Though the arrow found its mark, the man who had nearly perished clutched his bloodied neck, trembling uncontrollably.

“Is this not a demonic beast at all, but someone intentionally trying to kill us?”

“Come to think of it, didn’t those beasts start convulsing due to the earlier arrows provoking them?”

If slaying the demonic beasts had been the intent, they seemed to have become unintended casualties instead.

As the three muttered bitterly, a figure brandishing a bow gradually emerged from the distance.

“You, you are…”

“My apologies, it seems my skills have grown rusty.”

Yet his expression betrayed no sincere remorse as he offered that apology.

“The, the Tower Lord Diamid?”

“Admittedly, relying solely on magic has dulled my archery skills. I brought a bow, but having not used one in ages, my accuracy suffers. I hope you understand.”

He nocked another mana-infused arrow to his bowstring.

Kwareurung!

Crackling with lightning’s fury, the loosed shaft streaked through the air.

“Krik!”

However, the arrow merely grazed the man’s shoulder, the searing heat alone leaving a scorched trail up to his neck.

As the man winced in pain, bracing himself–

Baaang!

The arrow that had narrowly missed him instantly incinerated a nearby tree.

“My apologies. I had intended a precise shot, but it seems my breathing wavered.”

‘The Tower Lord’s breathing wavered? Preposterous.’

The three men paled at the horrific display, yet Diamid remained utterly unfazed, nocking another arrow.

Baaang!

“Kiiiiit!”

“Kiiit!”

The subsequent volley grazed their heads, shoulders, sides, and thighs in rapid succession.

Yet the men dared not reproach Diamid.

Not only was he the Magic Tower’s sovereign leader, but his arrows consistently found their mark, felling the demonic beasts.

“Surely you gentlemen can overlook my negligible errors?”

‘Lies! What negligence?’

‘His archery stance betrays no inexperience – this is undoubtedly intentional!’

‘What wrong have we committed to deserve this…?’

Unless deliberately aimed elsewhere, such ‘coincidences’ were virtually impossible. Nevertheless, the three men vigorously nodded their assent.

“Y-Yes, of course!”

Treated like mere prey, quivering with terror yet unable to avert their gazes from the man before them, they had no choice but capitulation.