Father, I Won’t Do Anything

‘Unable to shoot arrows, my foot – his every shot is accurately striking the demonic beasts despite being a mere magician!’

With each subsequent arrow, the men sustained fresh wounds.

“Kiiit!”

“Uuaaahk!”

“Errhuhk!”

“Aaack!”

Their agonized groans seemed to outweigh even the demonic beasts’ death throes.

“Hmm, archery does prove rather challenging.”

Yet Diamid muttered this dispassionate aside as if utterly disconnected from the proceedings.

By this point, his intentions had become unmistakably suspicious.

‘Could he be trying to kill us?’

The dense, sparsely populated forest.

The erratic emergence of demonic beasts.

A figure of the Tower Lord’s stature could undoubtedly eliminate them without leaving a trace.

‘But he has no reason to do so…’

They had no association with the Magic Tower residents, instead endeavoring to forge connections by pursuing his daughter Jaina.

‘…Could this be the reason?’

Undoubtedly, the Tower Lord had witnessed their advances towards Jaina from afar, seizing the opportunity once they had ventured too deeply.

While rumors had circulated about his closeness with his daughter, they hadn’t anticipated such overt protectiveness.

The three men exchanged feral, bloodshot glares.

‘If these buffoons hadn’t intervened, this wouldn’t have happened…!’

‘Damn it, is this how I’ll die?’

‘Should I beg for mercy on my knees?’

As the men contemplated their plight, Diamid’s cutting voice reached their ears.

“Hmm, it seems your wits are finally returning.”

The moment their ashen faces turned towards him–

Shooooshoooosh!

Three arrows rapidly streaked forth.

Grazing their groins, the lightning-infused shafts precisely struck the demonic beasts.

Baaang!

Baaang!

Baaang!

The towering beasts collapsed simultaneously with the men, who fainted where they stood.

After casually surveying the trio, Diamid averted his gaze, his expression slightly contorted with distaste.

“Disgusting.”

Pooled beneath them lay an unidentifiable viscous liquid – originating from the demonic beasts or the men themselves.

Thus, Diamid departed, leaving them to be eventually discovered by imperial knights once the hunting contest concluded.

“Utterly vile. If you fear demonic beasts so greatly, don’t participate, or at the very least, avoid straying so deeply. Yet some insist on causing such unnecessary trouble.”

“They must have ventured forth in hopes of impressing the ladies. Still, I’ve never witnessed such dread of demonic beasts before.”

“By the way, did you hear? The Tower Lord single-handedly obliterated all the demonic beasts himself.”

In the entire hunting contest, only three participants had successfully slain demonic beasts – the lowest number on record.

Considering over a hundred had entered, this result seemed inexplicable – until the reason came to light.

Tower Lord Diamid alone had vanquished 259 demonic beasts.

“It was all thanks to my daughter Jaina’s encouragement.”

Standing upon the award podium, Diamid proudly displayed the ribbon Jaina had gifted him, crediting her for his unprecedented achievement.

This incident sparked a trend of adorning weapons with ribbons throughout the Empire, while high society endlessly gossiped about Diamid and Jaina’s relationship.

Though ladies enviously wished for fathers like Diamid, noblemen would visibly tremble whenever his tales surfaced.

This was due to the three men divulging their harrowing experience upon regaining consciousness, adamantly revealing the truth.

“…So the Tower Lord doesn’t take kindly to those approaching his daughter?”

“Remember Sir Setun, who danced with Lady Jaina at the last event? He hasn’t slept properly for days, they say.”

“Truly? Surely the Tower Lord hasn’t gone so far for revenge…”

Initially disbelieved, the persistent incidents of men pursuing Jaina inexplicably collapsing eventually lent credence to these rumors.

“Father, have you heard those rumors circulating among the noblemen…?”

“Mere coincidence.”

Though Diamid vehemently denied any involvement.

As the Empire’s noblemen grappled with insomnia, Diamid, contrary to his usual demeanor, wore a satisfied smile as he busied himself with preparations.

He was eagerly anticipating his first outing with Jaina.

‘It would be unacceptable for a father to have never tailored an outfit for his daughter.’

Diamid intended to commission a new dress for Jaina, tailored specifically for their inaugural outing.

Her recent growth spurt necessitated new attire to accommodate her increased stature.

‘I wish to gift her something truly spectacular…’

Since the birthday cake incident had piqued his interest in ‘surprise gifts,’ Diamid desired to present Jaina with a custom-tailored dress rather than ready-made clothes.

The sole issue was that, having worn robes his entire life, the concept of ‘dresses’ proved utterly foreign to Diamid.

Yet he couldn’t, as before, seek Hilvenzia or Elia’s assistance, for they would undoubtedly recommend outmoded, unfashionable designs.

‘I can’t have Jaina attired like a noble matron… But what alternative is there…?’

After lengthy contemplation, Diamid activated his magic communication crystal.

‘Marilyn of the Bondrewd Count household, was it…?’

He had contacted the Bondrewd estate to enlist Marilyn’s aid, being Jaina’s closest friend.

“Keep this discreet from Jaina and come to the Magic Tower quietly.”

Unsurprisingly, Diamid’s sudden summons prompted an uproar from the doting Count Bondrewd.

“Marilyn, my child. Have you perhaps committed some transgression against the Tower Lord…?”

“No, not at all! In fact, he gifted me a magical artifact.”

“Are you certain? Reflect carefully.”

“Unless declining his birthday invitation and inquiring about him during the hunt count as offenses…”

Though the ashen-faced mother and daughter racked their brains, they couldn’t discern any plausible reason for the summons.

‘He must have an unsavory motive, undoubtedly…’

Finally, as if reaching a grave decision, Count Bondrewd rose and addressed Marilyn solemnly.

“I will accompany you. Even the Tower Lord can’t overstep boundaries in my presence.”

Thus, the duo departed for the Magic Tower with trepidation.

However, contrary to their expectations, the Tower Lord’s request proved surprisingly innocuous.

“…You want to commission a dress for Lady Jaina?”

“That’s right. Are you well-versed in such matters, Count Bondrewd?”

“Well… That is…”

Flustered yet rendered speechless by Diamid’s impassive, slightly tilted gaze, a single misstep seemed to risk dire consequences.

In contrast, Marilyn regarded Diamid with keen interest.

“Wow, Jaina will be absolutely delighted! So the rumors of the Tower Lord’s attentiveness towards her are true!”

“Ma-Marilyn…!”

“She spoke of me in such terms?”

Before her father could intervene, Diamid inquired.

In that moment, Count Bondrewd resented his daughter’s lack of discretion yet didn’t dare to voice it.

‘Surely he doesn’t intend to take advantage of Marilyn under the pretext of this commission?’

After heaving a sigh, as he inhaled deeply, Marilyn continued prattling excitedly.

“Yes, she boasted about your upcoming outing as well!”

“I see.”

A faint smile graced Diamid’s otherwise expressionless visage.

Count Bondrewd gazed at him in astonished disbelief.

‘Did the Tower Lord just… smile?’

“There’s an atelier I’ve long wished to reserve – their creations are sure to meet your standards! They spearhead the latest fashion trends.”

“The atelier’s name?”

“Blanche Atelier!”

“Very well, let’s reserve it, then. Do you have any specific designs in mind?”

Unable to comprehend the situation’s rapid progression, Count Bondrewd could only glance about in bewilderment.

* * *

With Marilyn’s assistance securing a reservation at Blanche Atelier, Diamid and Jaina journeyed to the capital city.

“I’ve pre-ordered clothes, so you need only try it on.”

Though she frequented another atelier, Jaina yearned to experience a fresh style, her heart racing with anticipation as she opened the doors.

“Welcome to Blanche Atelier.”

The rows of attendants greeted Diamid and Jaina warmly.

‘So this is the renowned Blanche Atelier I’ve heard so much about? How did Father discover this place?’

Jaina had overheard friends mentioning that, like all upscale capital ateliers, the immensely popular Blanche Atelier seldom accepted noble clients out of sheer pride in their ‘unparalleled’ caliber.

Undoubtedly, had it not been for Diamid, even a glimpse inside would have been unattainable.

‘Thanks to Father, I’ve been granted this opportunity.’

Jaina gazed up at Diamid with a satisfied smile.

‘Father truly is remarkable by any measure.’

His ageless, unlined visage belied the presence of an adult daughter. Combined with his chiseled jawline, towering stature, and broad shoulders…

Though exuding an intellectual, steely aura when impassive, that acute edge softened in her presence.

Yet Jaina found his fathomless, ocean-deep eyes the most captivating of all.

Sensing Jaina’s lingering gaze, Diamid peered down at her with a hushed inquiry.

“Is there something you want?”

“No, I was just admiring how beautiful Father’s eyes are.”

Somewhat abashed, Diamid tilted his head – a compliment on his appearance, however frequent in his youth, felt distinctly novel coming from Jaina’s lips.

For reasons unbeknownst to him, her words resonated with profound warmth this day.

“…Aren’t yours the very same hue?”

“Which is precisely why I like them most. I resemble you in that regard.”

A myriad of thoughts crossed Diamid’s mind, yet he couldn’t voice them, his lips unmoving.

Jaina’s past ostracization by her dragon kin, solely due to her blue eyes, had resurfaced.

“…Yet had you not inherited my eyes, you would have been spared such suffering.”

Bezrice, too, could have concealed bearing a half-human child.

“Father.”

Perceiving the deep remorse clouding his cerulean gaze, Jaina spoke softly.

“The reason the dragon beings despised me wasn’t my eye color, but the human blood I inherited – the very essence they looked down upon. So please, don’t burden yourself with guilt.”

Jaina curved her eyes in an endearing smile, causing Diamid’s eyes to subtly tremble.

“Even if I could have concealed being a half-dragon, I wouldn’t have attained the happiness I now possess.”

Jaina could no longer imagine a life without Diamid.

Not merely due to their shared bloodline, but an indescribable, tingling warmth she felt whenever in his presence.

“Don’t you feel the same, Father?”