Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“Here are and .”

“, is this correct?”

Jaina first opened the books Professor Peyron had recommended for her report. Seemingly untouched for a while, they were coated in dust.

As she dusted them off and flipped through the pages one by one, Jaina abruptly closed the book.

There was no need to read further.

The contents were so biased, blatantly condemning Diamid, that continuing seemed pointless.

‘Just a few pages in, and their dislike for the Tower Lord is glaringly apparent.’

Some information even appeared to be fabricated.

‘If I hadn’t lived at the Magic Tower, I might have been deceived. Is it acceptable to publish such books?’

Haah, Jaina let out a deep sigh.

It seemed these books lacked the information she sought.

‘What should I do now?’

As Jaina sighed in contemplation, Rosian and Izren approached her cautiously.

“Jaina, did something happen regarding the Tower Lord?”

“Feel free to share with us.”

Jaina hesitated to respond immediately.

Divulging such personal matters to others was unfamiliar territory for her.

However, time was of the essence.

After a brief pause, Jaina raised her head and met their gazes. Two pairs of eyes brimming with trust were fixed upon her.

‘I can trust these people, who are already aware of my relationship with the Tower Lord.’

Rosian, who had endured a solitary life to escape his parents’ shadows.

Izren, the non-human who had swallowed his pride and sought knighthood at the Magic Tower despite facing contempt and discrimination.

Not only were they privy to her secrets, but they could empathize with her plight better than anyone else. Jaina realized this anew.

After some hesitation, Jaina mustered her courage and began slowly recounting the events to them.

“In truth, Professor Peyron publicly denigrated the Tower Lord during his lecture.”

Upon hearing Jaina’s explanation of the history class incident, the two men’s expressions grew grave. No, they even seemed angered, more so than Jaina herself.

“This cannot be left as is.”

“I agree.”

Their vehement reactions were more pronounced than Jaina’s, leaving her somewhat disconcerted.

“Miss Jaina, dismiss the ramblings of such a person. The Tower Lord’s immense contributions are well-known facts.”

“It seems fortuitous that Izren became an academy professor. If he hadn’t, we might never have learned about this incident involving you.”

After their initial outbursts, Rosian and Izren naturally huddled together, pondering the matter as if it were their own concern.

“Professor, do you have any good ideas?”

“Why ‘professor’ now? As the son of a hero, shouldn’t Your Highness have some brilliant solutions?”

Observing their camaraderie, Jaina smiled wryly.

‘…Thank you.’

She still didn’t understand why she had abruptly stood and raised her voice, or why her insides had felt so unsettled and uneasy, as if afflicted.

Thank you for not asking.

In this moment, she was immensely grateful for their presence by her side.

* * *

In the end, the three decided to search further for books related to the ‘Crimson Valley’ incident, diligently scouring the bookshelves.

However, apart from the books recommended by Professor Peyron, there were hardly any volumes covering the ‘Crimson Valley’ event.

While occasionally mentioned in works detailing the war against the Demon King, they only briefly noted the outcome and significance, without delving into the specifics of the process.

“Doesn’t this seem odd?”

As Rosian, deep in thought, voiced his opinion, Jaina and Izren, who had been perusing books, raised their heads to look at him.

“What part?”

“I was taught that after escaping the ‘Crimson Valley,’ the expedition force launched a counterattack, forcing the Demon King into a corner.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. Though the losses were severe, the expedition force ultimately broke through the demon’s encirclement and escaped the valley, turning the tide of the war.”

Nodding as if grasping a clue, Izren added:

“Indeed. For such a pivotal battle, the lack of detailed accounts is rather strange.”

“That’s… No, you’re right, Professor. It feels as if someone intentionally concealed the details.”

“Come to think of it, all the books I’ve read so far only state that the expedition force suffered a crushing defeat, leading to the valley’s name of ‘Crimson,'” Jaina remarked.

“Exactly, Miss Jaina. Apart from the books Professor Peyron recommended, there’s hardly any mention of the Tower Lord.”

Perplexed by the apparent emphasis on negative aspects while positive ones seemed intentionally obscured, the three fell into deep contemplation.

“Could Professor Peyron have orchestrated this? I’ve heard he’s harbored ill feelings towards the Tower Lord for a long time. He also managed the library for a while, didn’t he?”

“If that were the case, Rosian, it would have been discussed among the professors long ago. Since taking up this position, I’ve never heard any negative rumors about Professor Peyron, even from the Department of Magic faculty.”

As the two debated, wandering between the bookshelves, Jaina urgently called out to them.

“Take a look at this for a moment.”

Jaina held an aged book, its title indecipherable.

As Rosian and Izren sat around her, Jaina pointed to a passage and began reading aloud.

[Upon encountering the demon’s vast forces, the expedition force fell into a dilemma – whether to proceed through the valley or across the plains.

At that moment, Diamid, the expedition force’s sole grand magician, raised his hand.

Claiming he had a way to cross the plains unscathed, he asked for four days.

With their unwavering faith in him, the members agreed to a brief respite.

However, on the third night, the expedition force had no choice but to head towards the valley without proper preparation, as the demons’ movements had grown increasingly suspicious.

A rumor of an infiltrator spread within the expedition force but was soon buried, for hell awaited them.]

“…There was an infiltrator?”

Jaina recalled Professor Peyron’s words.

-I’m not criticizing his overconfidence leading to research failure, but rather his ‘weakness.’ Do you know why he brought up his ongoing formula magic research and asked them to wait?

-The Tower Lord was afraid of killing demons disguised as humans. So he used the incomplete magic as an excuse to flee.

Professor Peyron had clearly stated that many lives were lost in the valley due to Diamid.

But an infiltrator…? Had he been unaware of the infiltrator’s existence? Or had he intentionally concealed it? Jaina clutched her throbbing head as she spoke.

“Could it be that Professor Peyron didn’t mention the infiltrator because he was unaware?”

“More likely, differing opinions existed within the expedition force, so he chose not to include details unfavorable to his stance.”

As Izren added this perspective, Jaina and Rosian nodded in agreement.

“Then even if we mention the infiltrator, Professor Peyron likely won’t be convinced.”

All three concurred that in addition to their suspicion of an infiltrator’s existence, conclusive evidence was needed.

“But we can’t simply ask the Tower Lord if he could combine three formulas…”

Having essentially run away to the academy, they couldn’t brazenly contact him with such a question.

As Jaina contemplated further, Rosian, who had been pondering with a clenched fist, suddenly addressed her.

“I have a good idea, Miss Jaina. If we have my mother, the Tower Lord’s former comrade, provide testimony, even a noble like Professor Peyron couldn’t refute it, could he?”

“But would it be alright to trouble Princess Elia, who is already quite occupied?”

“What nonsense. This is Miss Jaina we’re talking about, not just anyone.”

Rosian grinned mischievously at Jaina.

“Sometimes I wonder if my mother favors you over me.”

“Still…”

“Moreover, if a former comrade has been insulted, once my mother learns of this, she won’t simply stand by. It wouldn’t be surprising for her to rush over immediately, as teaching incorrect history at the imperial academy is unacceptable.”

Convinced by Rosian’s explanation, Jaina nodded. Rosian then rummaged through his spatial storage pouch before retrieving the communication crystal linked to Princess Elia.

Chizhi-zhi-

Infusing it with mana caused the crystal to glow as a familiar voice resounded.

—Rosian?

“Mother.”

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“I pay my respects, Your Highness.”

—It’s good to see you, Jaina. And Professor Izren, who became an academy professor this time, is with you as well. For the three of you to gather, it must be no trivial matter… What’s this about?

Rosian began explaining the reason for his call.

“…So that’s why I’m asking. Did the Tower Lord truly lie to avoid the situation?”

—Diamid? Preposterous. This Professor Peyron seems excessively malicious towards him.

Princess Elia immediately refuted Professor Peyron’s claims.

—Diamid’s research on combining three formulas was nearing completion. Do you think we would have waited without verifying that? His request for time wasn’t made in vain.

The reason they couldn’t wait as Diamid had asked, as written in the books, was due to the infiltrator.

—While we lacked concrete evidence, the demon’s large-scale troop movements, despite their previous inactivity, undoubtedly signaled an information leak from within.

With a complex expression, as if recalling those events, Princess Elia sighed deeply before continuing her account.

—So we had no choice but to hastily mobilize, despite being ill-prepared. For if we had been encircled, we could have faced total annihilation. Thus, the expedition force headed towards the Espalt Mountain Range instead of the Heian Plains where the enemy was stationed, intending to pierce their defenses. But…

Elia’s expression grew sorrowful as she continued.

—At the time, none of us realized it was the enemy’s trap.