FIDA 03

Chapter 3

In the novel, the scene when Jaina first visited the Mage Tower wasn’t described in much detail, but Jaina knew not only the outcome, she even knew what Diamid would say.

After all, her father, who had killed her in her previous life, had said the exact same words.

• “Your relatives left you with me because they wanted something from me! Those cunning bastards!”

• “How would I know if that woman gave birth to you by another man?”

• “Even your face and personality… You resemble your mother so unpleasantly, it turns me off every time I look at you.”

In both her previous life and this one, her mother had given her life and a name, but what her father gave her was mockery, contempt, ridicule. And death.

“…….”

Jaina’s eyes were calm. Though she was only ten years old, she showed no sign of trembling.

‘It doesn’t look like she froze out of fear…’

Mikael frowned, clearly puzzled by Jaina’s reaction, but she didn’t care.

“Come to think of it, I almost forgot to mention something important.”

After a while, Mikael spoke again.

“I don’t think you or your relatives are lying, but… you haven’t officially been recognized as the Mage Tower Lord’s daughter yet, right? It’s best to be careful.”

He was right. A child without a guardian is in danger—especially a dragon. Her relatives had been too busy neglecting her to tell her anything, but having read The Sword of Vengeance, Jaina already possessed some knowledge about this world.

“They say the earliest elixirs contained dragon blood. The holy swords passed down in temples are made from dragon bones.”

Mikael looked at her face, seemingly trying to gauge her reaction.

“Dragons are valuable. But holy dragons are strong, so people usually target unawakened young dragons. That’s why holy dragons are protected until they awaken. And you… have no guardian.”

Jaina simply nodded, her expression as indifferent as before.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll just have to accept it. Thank you for worrying.”

“……Well, there aren’t many foolish enough to stir up trouble without the Mage Tower Lord’s permission.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But I’m not entirely joking. Occasionally, crazy people show up in this tower.”

This time, Mikael expected her to flinch, but Jaina remained calm.

‘Ha, anyone watching would think it’s someone else—or another dragon—being threatened by a fellow of their kind.’

Mikael, baffled by her reaction, raised his voice unconsciously.

“You don’t seem like a ten-year-old. Very mature for your age. I was expecting a cute little sister to look after, but there’s nothing I can do for you.”

“I’m glad I’m not causing you trouble.”

Her youthful voice, her small frame, her plump cheeks untouched by thinness, and her big round eyes—she looked every bit like a chick peeping around.

‘But her behavior is completely different from how she looks.’

Mikael had expected her to be cute, but Jaina’s expression remained unshaken.

‘Maybe she’s too young to understand sarcasm?’

Since there were no children in the Mage Tower, he might have set his expectations too high.

‘But if she’s innocent enough not to notice, that’s a kind of wound in itself…’

She had been denied by her own father and threatened by other wizards. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange for her to burst into tears—or at least appear downtrodden. Yet Jaina’s calm, seemingly accustomed reaction left Mikael completely unprepared.

‘It almost makes the one causing trouble look ridiculous…’

He narrowed his eyes. The situation displeased him, but he had nothing more to say.

“Fine. Then I’ll show you around the Mage Tower.”

Reluctantly, Mikael had no choice but to step back.

‘What’s with this kid…’

The daughter of the Mage Tower Lord, entrusted by dragons. He had imagined many things about her, but she was nothing like what he expected.

‘…Well, personality doesn’t matter. That’s not important. This kid is a dragon.’

As he had told her earlier, no experiments could be conducted in the Mage Tower without Diamid’s approval. That didn’t mean research was forbidden entirely. Watching from the side, he could gather information about dragons, whose ecology was barely understood.

There were no instructions on what to do with her, so taking her along wouldn’t be a problem.

‘Maybe that’s actually a good thing for this young dragon.’

She hadn’t even brought a single relative to protect her during the long journey to the Mage Tower. The dragons had practically abandoned her, and Diamid’s claim that she was evidence of injustice seemed accurate. She clearly had nowhere else to go.

She wasn’t being physically harmed, so merely observing her would be fine.

‘Let’s keep her in the tower, just out of the Mage Tower Lord’s sight.’

And with that, Mikael quickly decided her fate.

Jaina walked alongside Mikael, lost in thought.

‘Well, in the novel, I died while in the Mage Tower anyway.’

She worried about what would happen to her next, but Mikael—who hadn’t been especially kind—was now leading her through the tower as if performing a favor.

But the process wasn’t entirely pleasant.

‘Are all cousins like this?’

In the dragon village, Taylor had been desperate to get at her, and now Mikael was openly speaking harshly. She wondered why everyone seemed so eager to pick a fight, only to lose interest once she didn’t react.

For now, they were only interested because she was the Mage Tower Lord’s daughter and a dragon, but in the novel, Mikael wasn’t the type to care long about a “living being.”

‘Without memories of my past life, I probably would have been happily toyed with, thinking I had a good family…’

The problem wasn’t just her cousins. Nobody liked an outcast. Even those related by blood weren’t fond of her.

‘Can I even call this bad luck with people? That’s exhausting…’

To make matters worse, she had come to the Mage Tower—a place where wizards obsessed with magic would do anything for research. Wizards were naturally power-obsessed, and being separated from family from a young age to focus solely on skill made it hard to find any humanity among them.

It wasn’t surprising that Diamid and his followers became the story’s villainous faction. A bunch of personality-deficient people with power was a recipe for disaster.

Yet Jaina felt no anxiety. She already knew from the novel who was dangerous and what to watch out for.

Most importantly, she had no intention of doing anything. She didn’t want her father to acknowledge her existence, nor would she struggle to survive. As long as she didn’t act first, she wouldn’t fall into danger.

‘Most wizards can’t cause trouble because of the tower’s rules.’

Unless they were famous villain candidates, most wizards wouldn’t bother a child. They weren’t motivated by protection, just indifference toward weaklings. Even Mikael, notorious for his twisted nature, stepped back without a fuss, so as long as she didn’t reveal herself as a dragon, she wouldn’t be a target.

‘My goal is just a bit of personal luxury.’

By the time Jaina finished her mental preparation, they had reached the dining hall. Mikael gestured arrogantly toward her.

“This is the dining hall.”

It was already evening, and food was being served. The fragrant smells reached her nose.

‘So we can just take food and eat freely?’

Though it was prime mealtime, the hall was quiet. Only a few wizards picked at their food at the wide tables.

‘Just as I read in the novel. Wizards don’t care about food.’

Despite the food, they ate absentmindedly, studying their research books or barely noticing what they were putting in their mouths.

‘Well, this is actually civilized compared to usual.’

Some wizards didn’t come to eat at all, or substituted meals with elixirs, claiming research couldn’t be interrupted. Jaina soon turned her attention to the food.

“What’s a kid doing in the Mage Tower?”
“Is that Mikael with a little one? What’s going on?”

The sudden arrival of Jaina drew murmurs from the wizards. Though faint, the sounds were perceptible to Jaina, whose dragon blood ran strong, and Mikael, who possessed powerful magic.

Unlike Jaina, Mikael’s eyes narrowed at the murmuring wizards.

“You’re way too curious about others’ business.”

Snap.

The wizards went silent immediately. Mikael stared them down for a long moment before finally turning his gaze to Jaina, who had picked up some food.

“Hey. Why are you holding bread in your hands? Don’t you see it?”

“Ah.”

Mikael shouted in dismay at her small frame holding a pile of bread.

“There’s a plate and tongs right next to you. Look at your clothes covered in crumbs. Seriously messy.”

Contrary to Jaina’s expectation that they would part ways in the dining hall, Mikael instead took a seat in front of her. Apparently, it wasn’t out of goodwill.