Father, I Won’t Do Anything

* * *

‘Indeed, young children have a great ability to absorb things. Or maybe it’s because he’s the main character of a novel.’

Jaina stuck out her tongue as she watched Rosian, who had memorized all the movements in just two tries.

“Like this in this part… Right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

How much time had passed? Jaina looked at Rosian with a surprised expression, who had memorized the pronunciation of the song despite not knowing its meaning.

‘As expected, not just anyone can be the main character…’

Seeing how he became the world’s strongest despite starting swordsmanship later than others, his brilliance was extraordinary.

Clap! Clap!

There was no hesitation in the clapping palms. He was already moving on to the next step, knowing it in advance.

‘Actually, there were some movements that I mumbled through vaguely.’

But Rosian was doing all of those as clear, distinct movements.

“This is fun. Miss Jaina, you know a lot.”

“Next time, I’ll teach you something called ‘spinning thread.'”

“‘Spinning thread?’ That’s an interesting pronunciation.”

As the number of times they clapped their hands while singing increased, Jaina felt a sense of discomfort.

‘His hands are too big, so it’s difficult…’

And in the brief moment she took her eye off Rosian-

Clap!

Jaina, who was overwhelmed by Rosian’s fast hand movements, staggered with her small body.

‘Even though there’s an age gap, I’m still a dragon…’

Jaina was inwardly shocked.

Rosian, who had promptly caught the unbalanced Jaina, said in a flustered manner:

“I’m really sorry, Miss Jaina! I thought it would be okay since I wasn’t using much force…”

“…You’re stronger than I thought, which surprised me. It’s not Your Highness’s fault. I’ll just grow up quickly.”

Rosian stroked Jaina’s head and said:

“From now on, I’ll be more careful. You can come at me with that same speed.”

After glancing at Jaina’s disheveled hair, Rosian gently fixed it again and said:

“Since I messed up your hair, I’ll tie it back for you.”

“Your Highness is going to tie my hair?”

“Yes, I’m good at it.”

And that statement was true. Rosian, who had bought a red ribbon nearby, skillfully tied half of Jaina’s hair back, letting the rest hang loose.

“Miss Jaina, you have nice hair.”

As a dragon born, it was the first time Jaina had her hair half-tied, and she spun her body around with the loose strands swaying.

It was a look that suited her clothes, which had a reddish glow to them.

However, Rosian seemed somewhat unsatisfied. As he gently ran his fingers through Jaina’s hair, he clicked his tongue.

“It’s a pity they didn’t sell anything else besides ribbons nearby. I think other things would suit you well too.”

“Since I have short hair, a ribbon seems like the best option, but are there other choices?”

“Oh, there are many. There are headbands, decorated pins…”

As Rosian said that, he noticed a side alley with a marketplace and grinned.

“Miss Jaina, want to go there for a bit?”

Following Rosian’s lead, Jaina headed towards the side alley. She thought it would be a secluded area, but it turned out to be a rather spacious place.

‘It’s not as complicated as expected, but not deserted either.’

However, all the people who entered the marketplace couldn’t easily move around.

‘What’s going on?’

The items for sale were all different kinds. Jaina felt a strange sense of familiarity about this place.

While Jaina was looking around, Rosian, who had already bought a handful of hairpins at the entrance of the marketplace, said:

“Actually, the shops at the entrance of the marketplace aren’t worth much attention. They mostly sell ‘failed products’ and ‘discarded items.’ The ‘real’ stuff is deeper inside.”

“The ‘real’ stuff?”

“Yes, ‘treasures’ are sometimes found here. My father is a prime example. He bought an item imbued with a spirit’s power and awakened as a spirit magician, or something like that.”

Rosian’s eyes shone with excitement.

Jaina glanced at the items laid out. Rosian whispered playfully:

“To be honest, hairpins can be bought elsewhere too, but the reason I came here is because of Miss Jaina. I was wondering if you could sense something that ordinary humans can’t.”

Rosian told Jaina to pick one without worrying about the cost, as he would buy it for her.

Just as Jaina was about to decline out of habit-

“Isn’t it customary for the woman to not pay on dates?”

Rosian exaggeratedly winked and turned around, causing Jaina’s mouth to open slightly.

“That’s sly.”

Rosian replied innocently:

“Should I buy some pickles too?”

Thanks to Rosian’s playful banter, Jaina felt lighter and decided to look around.

Pottery with fine cracks, shattered mirror fragments, a tea cup with peeling gold lacquer…

There were all sorts of items, so Jaina walked slowly.

It was a different sight from those who stretched their necks, looking for potential treasures.

‘If it were a real treasure, it wouldn’t be easy to find, would it?’

As soon as Jaina thought that, something came to her mind.

‘Come to think of it, if this is where Rosian’s father became a spirit magician…’

In the early part of the novel, when Rosian lost his mother and staggered through the streets, it was here.

As the main character, he coincidentally obtains a magic artifact, but given the timing, that item wouldn’t be here…

‘Then, would those items be here?’

Unknown to Rosian, this marketplace had treasures of the dragon tribe and the necklace that was said to have been used by Queen Leanne.

Jaina’s eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed that she might be able to find one of them with her abilities.

“Oh, there’s a place like this too?”

Rosian looked around as he walked with Jaina. The tangled paths might be confusing, but Jaina was walking as if she knew the way.

“Do you sense something?”

“It’s faint, but I can feel some energy.”

And Jaina stopped at a particular place. Among the shops in this historic marketplace, this one had an especially ancient atmosphere.

Ding-

“Welcome.”

Even before the bell rang, an old man with crossed legs greeted the two children, as if he knew customers were coming.

“Yesterday, I saw two small presences at the star-gazing spot. As expected, they were just little kids.”

“Those small presences weren’t us, but something else. We’re not such insignificant people.”

Despite using respectful language with commoners, Rosian spoke rudely to the old man, perhaps offended by his words.

At that moment, a strange look flickered in the old man’s eyes but quickly disappeared.

“Oh, are you a young master and lady from a wealthy family? The items in our shop aren’t sold simply for money. You need to have the right qualifications.”

“I’ll pay you double, no, triple the amount you want.”

“Hmm, what would I do with money at this old age? First, take a look at what you want to buy.”

Jaina closed her eyes. She sensed a faint presence here, but it was murky, making it difficult to pinpoint which item it was coming from.

However, as she calmly raised her mana, she felt something reacting to her own mana.

“That jar.”

“What?”

The old man was startled when Jaina pointed at the jar with her finger.

‘She recognized what it is and picked it out? But even if they’re wealthy kids, they couldn’t afford a suitable price for the jar…’

No matter how rich the kids were, they were just sneaking out for a bit of fun, so how much money could they have?

“You’ve surprisingly identified a good item. But this is something you can’t afford…”

“Will this do?”

Rosian smiled slyly and presented a pouch of gold coins. The old man’s expression changed instantly upon seeing it.

“Later, if your parents come complaining about why you bought it…”

“My mother wouldn’t make a fuss about a gift I gave while on a date, would she?”

The old man cleared his throat and quickly pocketed the pouch of gold coins. However, he still grumbled as if unsatisfied:

“Do you even know the true value of that item? It’s something I’ve inherited and kept for three generations, and all I know is that it has some hidden power, but I’m not sure exactly…”

At that moment, Jaina, who was holding the jar, interrupted the old man’s words and answered:

“Yes, I know.”

The old man rubbed his eyes and looked ahead.

For a brief moment, it seemed like an indescribable energy was gushing out from the jar.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

He clutched the pouch of gold coins tightly and pondered.

‘Surely, I couldn’t have sensed nothing during the three generations it was kept.’

The old man eventually burst into a hearty laugh.

“Well, since you’ve paid the price, there’s no need to dwell on it.”

As peculiar as their appearance and demeanor were, the old man decided to brush it off, as there was no way the children could sense something he couldn’t.

And some time later.

Ding-

“Let’s pick the most promising one here.”

“Hey, grandpa. Is that how you greet customers?”

Two other customers entered, opening the door.

The old man shrugged, thinking:

‘The two small presences weren’t those little customers after all.’

* * *

“Miss Jaina, is that one enough for you?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Thanks to you, I really obtained a valuable treasure. Thank you.”

‘To obtain a sacred relic here is a great harvest.’

If Mikael was right and the dragon tribe’s power was declining, then each sacred relic would be precious to them.

Perhaps if she brought this to her dragon tribe relatives, they would be delighted. She would be credited for her achievement.

Her reputation as a troublemaker, a half-breed, and a disgrace to the tribe might even improve a little.

‘But since I’ve been exiled, do I really need to do favors for them?’

Jaina pondered what to do with the sacred relic she had obtained.

It was certainly valuable, but she didn’t need it right away.

“Jaina, shall we… Cough.”

And as they were walking down the street after leaving the shop, that’s when it happened.

“What’s that?”

A pungent smoke-like substance was rising from beyond the horizon. Following that, screams echoed throughout the entire marketplace.

“Please, help us!”

“Save us!”

Running down the path, they saw smoke rising from a burning building, and people stood by with anguished faces, unable to do anything.