Father, I Won’t Do Anything

Professor Peyron, who taught , spoke with a sardonic tone as he crossed his legs.

“If not for Princess Elia and Headmaster Seiden, they would have failed to seal the Demon King.”

The remark defying common knowledge caused the students to stir.

“Professor Peyron. What do you mean by that? The Tower Lord is renowned as one of the Empire’s heroes, is he not?”

“Yes. I’ve heard he played a pivotal role in sealing the Demon King…”

“Oh, my, it seems even the Department of Magic students have trouble believing it. But it’s the truth. While the portrays him as a composed and magnanimous figure, in reality, he was a timid and cowardly individual. Due to his nature, he nearly caused his comrades to fall into peril on more than one occasion.”

Professor Peyron nodded his head reminiscently with folded arms, as if recalling his academy days.

At this, a student raised their hand with a skeptical expression and asked:

“Professor, how do you know so much about the Tower Lord?”

“Because I was his classmate in the department. That’s why I know him better than anyone. Shall I give you an example? You all know of the place called the ‘Crimson Valley,’ don’t you? It originally had a different name. But at some point, it came to be called the ‘Crimson Valley.’ Do you know why? It was because of Duke Diamid Bellafanian.”

According to Professor Peyron’s account, the expedition force had to choose between two routes. The Espalt Mountain Range and the Heian Plains.

The Espalt Mountain Range had narrow passages, particularly through valleys, raising concerns about potential ambushes. The Heian Plains presented no major geographical issues as flat terrain but would require confronting numerous demons.

Unable to decide, the expedition force fell into a dilemma.

Should they risk the dangers but swiftly advance towards the Demon King’s stronghold, or endure civilian casualties while slowly progressing through the demons?

Both options had clear pros and cons.

At that moment, the usually reticent Diamid suddenly raised his hand and proposed a solution, claiming he could minimize casualties while swiftly reaching the Demon King’s stronghold if they trusted him.

“Which route do you think the Tower Lord chose?”

As Professor Peyron paused his story to pose this question, the students, including Jaina, contemplated deeply with furrowed brows.

‘Which path would the Tower Lord have chosen?’

began its narrative after the Demon King’s sealing, so the preceding events weren’t described in detail in the original work. Naturally, Jaina could only speculate.

‘If it were now, he would likely have headed for the plains…’

No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than a voice piped up from nearby.

“Given his exceptional magical prowess back then, might he have unleashed a large-scale offensive spell before proceeding to the plains?”

“True. Considering the Tower Lord’s nature, it doesn’t seem like he would have taken a detour through the valleys using flight or other supplementary magics.”

Having briefly recalled Diamid’s recent battle against the dragons, Jaina unwittingly nodded in agreement.

However, Professor Peyron, who had been silently listening to the students’ opinions, shook his head with a bitter smile.

“No, you’re all mistaken. Our great Tower Lord, Diamid Bellafanian, didn’t choose either path.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Murmurs of disbelief grew louder at the unexpected response.

Jaina, too, widened her eyes and looked towards Professor Peyron.

After a prolonged pause, Professor Peyron began his account.

“At the time, Diamid was researching a method to combine three formulas. He claimed that if his research succeeded, they could pass through the plains unscathed. He asked for a few more days to complete it.”

The moment ‘three formulas’ was mentioned, the previously quiet classroom erupted into a clamor. Even accomplished grand magicians struggled to combine more than two formulas, so the prospect of combining three formulas seemed unbelievable.

“Is it even possible for a human to combine three formulas at once?”

“…Succeeding with just two would be considered genius-level.”

“Quiet! Quiet! Let’s hear him out first. You might change your minds after listening to the full story.”

Having silenced the students, Professor Peyron continued his tale.

“…The expedition force trusted Diamid’s words and waited, but even after three days had passed, there was no news from him. In other words, the research he had been so confident about had failed. Belatedly, the expedition force decided to cross through the valley, but by then, the enemy had completed their preparations and launched a night ambush, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing a retreat. All because of one person’s misstep in timing the attack.”

After the long story, silence fell upon the classroom for a while.

Having heard the other side of someone they had considered an ‘Hero of the Empire,’ the students seemed shaken.

However, some still wore expressions of disbelief – those who generally disliked Professor Peyron’s lectures.

One of those students raised their hand abruptly and voiced their opinion.

“But Professor, magical research doesn’t always proceed as intended, does it? While the Tower Lord may have overestimated his abilities and acted rashly, he shouldn’t be condemned for unfavorable results.”

As a rebuttal was raised, Peyron nodded as if anticipating it and responded.

“Ah, a fair point from the student. Most react that way upon hearing this story. As I mentioned earlier, 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? Student?”

“I’m, not sure…”

“Demons possess the bodies of deceased humans, disguising themselves as people. In other words, the Tower Lord was afraid of killing demons disguised as humans. So he used the incomplete magic as an excuse to flee.”

“But… his research might have truly been in its final stages…”

“As a student of the Department of Magic, shouldn’t you know better? Has there ever been a published case of someone successfully combining three formulas simultaneously in academia?”

“Ah, no.”

As Professor Peyron frowned and pressed the issue, the hesitant student lowered their head in defeat.

“You see? That’s proof his claim was a lie.”

Some students nodded in agreement with Professor Peyron’s words.

“True, I’ve never heard of the Tower Lord successfully combining three formulas.”

“It must have been an impossible attempt from the outset.”

“As the professor said, it seems the Tower Lord caused unnecessary bloodshed…”

Professor Peyron eagerly called out the murmuring students’ names one by one with a satisfied expression.

“You’ve been diligently attending my lectures, I see. What is your name, student?”

“Yu, Yujin de Ardant.”

“Lily de Genalde.”

“Ah, as expected of the esteemed imperial nobles. How astute you are.”

Cecil, seated beside Jaina, leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“Professor Peyron has a strong dislike for the Tower Lord, so he tends to give higher scores to those who speak ill of him.”

“…”

As Cecil, aware of Jaina’s connection to the Magic Tower, offered consolation, Jaina shook her head and parted her lips, intending to reassure her that she was alright.

However-

“So don’t make that face, Jaina.”

Jaina flinched at Cecil’s following words.

‘That face? What kind of expression am I making right now?’

Jaina raised her hand to feel her face and even checked with a hand mirror.

But she couldn’t discern any difference from her usual demeanor.

‘Cecil must have misunderstood.’

Whether the Tower Lord received positive or negative assessments was irrelevant to her.

Just as before, it shouldn’t bother her in the slightest.

As Jaina inwardly consoled herself and looked up again, her gaze fell upon Professor Peyron, emboldened by the students’ agreement as he continued speaking.

For some inexplicable reason, an unpleasant feeling and irritation welled up within Jaina upon seeing him.

“No matter how much he is lauded as a hero, his faults must be clearly illuminated. While he was indeed a member of the expedition force that sealed the Demon King, we could have regained peace much sooner without him.”

After a brief pause to catch his breath, Professor Peyron continued.

“Just look at the present. Since becoming the Tower Lord, has he done anything to aid the Empire? He acts like a neutral nation, only pursuing self-interest, does he not? His survival against the Demon King and ascension to Tower Lord were only possible thanks to the Empire’s heroes who paved the way.”

As Professor Peyron finished speaking and stroked his beard with a hearty laugh, the students gradually began voicing their agreement.

“That’s right. Her Highness put a complete stop to the human trafficking that had been occurring in secret!”

“She also eradicated the pirates plaguing the southern coasts!”

“She even wrote a book detailing the weaknesses of demonic beasts!”

“You’re well-informed. But in comparison to her, the Tower Lord has… done nothing. That’s the kind of person he is. Weak, selfish, an opportunist.”

And it was at that precise moment, as Peyron added his final remark, that Jaina abruptly stood up from her seat.

“…I believe your words have gone too far.”

Even as Cecil beside her called out in bewilderment, Jaina’s gaze remained fixated on a single individual.