FIDA 14

Chapter 14

“Abandon your petty sense of morality. Rid yourself of the complicated thoughts that clutter your mind.”

“…Master Diamid.”

“Once you survive a life-threatening situation, you’ll realize how luxurious notions like compassion really are.”

The greenhouse plants.

Diamid had called out to Michael like that several times before.

Saying that those who couldn’t endure hardship had simply been raised too comfortably.

And indeed, as Diamid had said, Michael had never faced a brush with death.

The same scenario that unfolded when Diamid went to hunt the Demon King—he couldn’t even imagine it. But…

‘Compassion, huh.’

Michael chuckled softly to himself.

Objectively, he was a long way from being kind or gentle.

His approach to Jaina had only been driven by discomfort with dragons and curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even now, it was the same. His interest in that little girl was not exactly affection, but…

‘It’s just… I’m concerned, that’s all…’

Biting his lip, Michael lifted his head silently.

“Then I could develop a paternity verification spell…”

“Did I ask you to do that?”

“…”

“Stop.”

At Diamid’s firm words, Michael’s mouth opened slightly.

He knew Diamid well enough, and unfortunately, his instincts were never wrong.

“That dragon tries to manipulate me by charming others, too.”

Diamid’s cold gaze fixed on Michael, devoid of any emotion.

“I specifically told you to handle this at your level. Are you speaking now as a mage of the Tower?”

Michael flinched and spoke even more cautiously.

“I was only trying to observe the dragon’s ecology…”

“Don’t make me care about such trivial things.”

“If you leave it to me, I’ll handle it myself. Though perhaps the Tower’s rules could be relaxed a little…”

“Now you want a sibling with dragon blood? Don’t be bound by bloodlines. I didn’t keep you by my side because of family. You know that, don’t you?”

Diamid looked at him with a completely emotionless gaze, as if staring at a pebble on the ground.

“Perhaps I overestimated you.”

Michael swallowed the surge of emotions in his chest and spoke.

“I don’t understand that standard.”

“I’ve seen fools who let hostages dictate their actions and abandon their objectives. You’ll soon be the same.”

Michael furrowed his brows. He knew exactly who Diamid meant by “that fool.”

“An uncle taking in a parentless niece or nephew is not a duty. It’s merely considered a noble act. But, but…”

If it were a father taking in his daughter, it would be different.

But as Michael tried to continue, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Diamid’s eyes said it all.

He knew exactly what Michael was trying to say.

And what followed was…

Cold contempt.

“…!”

In that moment, Michael felt as if Diamid was looking down at him from an incomprehensibly high place.

Bang!

Diamid grabbed Michael by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Ugh!”

It happened in the blink of an eye. Diamid lifted Michael effortlessly with one hand.

Yet he showed no sign of strain.

As Diamid raised his arm, the wide sleeve of his robe slipped down over his solid arm.

“Ugh, ugh!”

“You’re weak, yet you fall for the weaker one.”

Even as his nephew struggled to breathe, Diamid’s voice remained monotonous.

When Michael’s eyes reddened and he reached the brink of death, Diamid finally released his grip.

Thunk!

As Diamid let go, Michael collapsed to the floor.

“And once again, that dragon is not my daughter.”

“Hah… hah…”

Even just a few steps away, Diamid’s retreating footsteps sounded heavy.

Michael struggled to steady his collapsing body, gasping for air.

The world spun, nausea rose, and pain spread through his chest.

But at this moment, the most agonizing thing for Michael was… not the heavy breathing, not the pain in his chest, nor his fragile body.

‘To end so futilely.’

To have changed nothing.

It was unbearably painful.

Michael closed his eyes.

“Now that the show’s over, why don’t you all leave?”

At Hilbenzia’s single command, the mages hurriedly stepped back. Alone in the corridor, Hilbenzia gazed down at Jaina.

‘Seeing her collapsed like this, I can roughly guess how this situation came about…’

The exam period was when mages most frequently broke the Tower’s rules.

It seemed that some mage had discovered Jaina was a dragon and intended to use her as experimental material.

It was Hilbenzia’s responsibility to deal with mages who violated rules. Once resolved, that would be the end.

Yet, there was one thing that caught her attention despite it being a routine matter.

‘Strictly speaking, Jaina isn’t part of the Tower, right? Punishment applies if she causes trouble, but does it still hold if the other party isn’t a Tower member?’

Hilbenzia pondered quietly, observing Jaina.

Her usually calm blue eyes were now gently closed.

It was the first time Hilbenzia had seen Jaina asleep.

She had thought Jaina looked mature for her age, but now she seemed no older than ten.

Perhaps her usual indifferent expression had made her appear older.

‘A truly unique little one.’

It wasn’t just about Diamid’s blood flowing through her.

Like Michael, Hilbenzia had also softened toward Jaina over time.

The moment she ate her meal, her expression brightened more than ever.

• “Should I be afraid of you?”

• “Please call me Jaina. That’s my real name, given by my mother, not relatives.”

Hilbenzia tilted her head lazily, her smooth lips glinting subtly.

Perhaps Jaina saw her and the mage as the same. After all, Hilbenzia had once lectured endlessly about reagents and sacred swords in front of her.

‘I don’t like being lumped with that kind of mage… Since I’ve been harsh, maybe it’s time to do something good for her.’

Having mastered alchemy, she enjoyed a long life but few true joys.

‘So I must cherish this interesting being.’

Regardless of Diamid’s intentions, she wanted to take Jaina with her.

Even if trouble arose and punishment followed, she didn’t want to lose this special child.

Even if Diamid tried to kill her in the worst-case scenario, it wouldn’t matter. She had lived long enough, and her curiosity about Jaina outweighed any fear of Diamid.

She was eager to see how Jaina would display abilities unlike ordinary humans.

Finishing her brief reflection, Hilbenzia used magic to lift Jaina into the air.

And just as she was about to step forward…

“Mom…”

Hilbenzia flinched.

She had heard that Jaina’s mother, the dragon Bezriche, died shortly after giving birth. And yet, she was calling for her mother now.

Of course, as a dragon, Jaina might retain some memory of her birth, though it would have been fleeting.

Hilbenzia stared into the air, lost in thought.

Normally, a child in her position would have cried into their parents’ arms, receiving comfort.

But this child had no parents…

Hilbenzia’s gaze softened slightly as she considered Jaina’s life.

‘It reminds me of my childhood.’

Hilbenzia had grown up in a temple-affiliated orphanage.

Although she lacked love and support, she was naturally intelligent.

She had learned to use magic on her own without formal training and was later adopted by a baronial family.

She had thought everything would change after that, but it was a misjudgment. To them, she was merely an investment, not a loved one.

Since becoming an alchemist, she had never contacted them. When they tried to cling to her after she became famous as the Verdant Hilbenzia, she turned them away coldly.

All she remembered from her childhood was discrimination.

‘Childhood memories can gnaw at you for a lifetime.’

After choosing the path of alchemy, she naturally began frequenting the kitchen. Perhaps having never shared meals with a family drove her toward cooking.

Recalling her childhood, she began to see reflections of herself in Jaina.

Yet the child before her was much younger than she remembered herself being.

And unlike Hilbenzia, who was a stranger to her family, Jaina had been abandoned by her own father.

If she had never known him, it might have been easier, but dashed hopes made it worse.

She must have come to the Tower because of her father, but would it really be all right?

“Coming to the Tower… I wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad thing for you.”

“While Jaina was unconscious, I sought cooperation from other mages. From the aftermath, it seems the culprit was a mage named Moben.”

Of course, Hilbenzia’s ‘cooperation’ was more like control; no one could lie in her presence.

She quietly explained what had happened. Listening, Michael’s voice grew rough.

“So, she fainted because of some bastard who broke the rules. And yet she hasn’t opened her eyes?”

Michael frowned deeply, observing not Jaina’s appearance but her insides. Luckily, she seemed on the verge of waking.

“She did speak shortly after collapsing. She was looking for her mother.”

“So she did talk, huh?”

Irritated, Michael placed a hand on his waist.

“Damn it, why is she calling for a mother who doesn’t exist?”

“If her mother were alive and had been by her side, would she have woken up?”

“She has her father right in front of her, yet she calls for her mother. Even she knows it doesn’t matter.”

Michael sneered.