Chapter 1
“Hey, hybrid. Do you really think that so-called human male who’s your father will protect you?”
Taylor, Jeina’s cousin who always tormented her, was even picking a fight on the day he was leaving.
But this time, it was the last. Despite Taylor’s harsh words, Jeina calmly continued packing her things without flinching.
“The elders say he’s your parent, but honestly… can a father ever be the same as the mother who gave birth to you? If you’re going to claim he gave you life, then compare it to the food you ate this morning or the ground you stand on.”
Taylor’s mouth twisted cruelly.
“Besides, I don’t think you know, but that human male is famous for being cold and arrogant. Even toward children…”
“I know.”
“You know? Then how can you stay so calm while other dragons are trying to kill you?”
Taylor raised his voice and roughly grabbed Jeina by the shoulder, leaving her no way to escape.
“Let me ask you again. Do you really think your so-called human father will protect you?”
Flinch.
Taylor hastily released her. Even though he had shouted, the eyes of Jeina, calm and clear, staring back at him, made him hesitate.
“No.”
Her relatives had told Jeina that her father didn’t even know of her existence, and indeed, the two had never met.
But Jeina already knew him—not just because of his renowned magical prowess.
Her biological father, Diamid Belafanian, Master of the Mage Tower.
[Just as your birth meant nothing to me, your death will also hold no meaning.]
He was the cold-blooded final boss of this novel’s world, capable of turning away even from his own daughter’s impending death.
Jeina was unique—she was born remembering her previous life.
The life of Min Bo-bae, a high school student in Korea.
But was that a blessing? She wanted to shake her head.
‘Why would it be good to retain memories of the times I was abused?’
Jeina had died from a concussion in her past life.
And the one who slammed her head with a chair was none other than her own father—a man who had regularly verbally and physically abused her.
As she closed her eyes for the last time, she thought her miserable life was finally over. Yet, when she regained consciousness, she was in a new world.
“Jeina? Is that my name?”
When her vision cleared, she was stunned. Her body was covered in scales, and the creatures around her were not human.
‘I’ve been reincarnated as a dragon.’
Dragons had two forms—human and dragon—and could switch freely.
She couldn’t breathe fire, but her appearance resembled dragons often seen in medieval-style Korean games.
Beyond her changed species, there was one more important fact. Her mother had apparently died shortly after giving birth to her.
“If other dragons see her, they’ll surely try to kill her. We must hide her existence carefully.”
Learning the language of this world, Jeina realized she was slightly different from the other dragons.
‘Everyone has black hair and black eyes… so that’s why I have blue eyes too.’
She had already noticed but chose to ignore it. As expected, her rebirth didn’t guarantee a smooth life. The difference in eye and hair color meant she was a hybrid—part human, part dragon—a lowly being in the dragon hierarchy.
Without her mother, Jeina was passed around to relatives, constantly humiliated for being a hybrid.
“You are a symbol of impurity. Realize it and be ashamed of your existence.”
But Jeina paid no mind. In her past life, she had already been used to eating the scraps of life and ignoring sharp words, so this was nothing new.
In fact, her past life’s memories weren’t entirely useless. If she were a normal child, these words could have hurt her deeply.
‘Ah, and one more thing.’
Thanks to her memories, Jeina quickly realized this world was that of the fantasy novel The Sword of Vengeance.
The places, names, and events she overheard matched those from the book.
But her surprise didn’t last. After all, the novel’s events mostly involved human society. Jeina, living in a dragon village, thought it didn’t concern her much.
…Until one day.
“I can no longer take care of you.”
Suddenly, her relatives who had been raising her declared they could no longer keep her.
They had hidden Jeina, the human-dragon hybrid, to protect the family’s honor. But now, their patience had reached its limit.
“We can’t take care of you forever. Don’t resent us. Raising you was your mother’s responsibility.”
And then:
“You have another blood relative besides your late mother.”
Unlike humans, dragons had no concept of marriage, so children were raised solely by the mother.
But now, the relatives invoked the non-existent concept of a ‘father’ and sent Jeina to him.
“That human male is said to be a powerful archmage. If that’s true, he’ll protect you from the other dragons.”
Father and daughter?
Jeina never imagined being entangled with the final boss of a novel in this way.
‘Of course… few humans have ties to dragons. I’ve been too naive.’
“Get along with your father.”
Jeina gave a bitter smile at her relative’s words. Did they say it knowingly, or ignorantly?
Who in the world could get along with Diamid Belafanian?
She remembered him well from the novel.
During the time when the Demon King’s curse filled the world with evil spirits, Diamid was a young man of extraordinary skill but exceptionally kind nature. Before a decisive battle, he sealed his emotions to stay focused.
Before the seal was complete, he met Jeina’s mother, Bezriche.
They traveled together as part of a campaign to defeat the Demon King and fell in love, promising to marry.
But Diamid’s emotions never fully thawed. If they had, he wouldn’t have become the novel’s final boss.
During the campaign, Bezriche was cursed and realized she would die soon. She secretly left Diamid, hiding the fact she was carrying his child, fearing her death would hurt him.
Diamid misunderstood her cynicism as rejection and became a cold, cruel, and selfish archmage.
Despite his powers, he would not flinch even if a child died before him.
‘That man is my father…’
Only when she turned ten and was told she would be sent to her father did Jeina recall how she had been depicted in the novel:
[Diamid once ignored his biological daughter, Jeina, being cruelly killed by her own kind. To him, others were mere chess pieces.]
Though she had read the novel many times, this detail had been brief, so she hadn’t realized it referred to her.
Diamid was unfeeling toward his daughter, acting without hesitation if it benefited him.
The novel’s main story revolved around a protagonist avenging her mother, lost to Diamid’s cruelty.
‘The timeline doesn’t matter much to me. I’ll be dead before then.’
Jeina constantly wondered how to survive.
Her dragon blood made her stronger than human peers, but against adult dragons, it was useless.
She hadn’t awakened her true dragon power yet, and could not defend herself alone. She needed external help.
But, as her relatives said, protection from her father was impossible.
In the original story, Diamid would not protect her from dragons seeking an “honor killing.” He might even reject her for not being his daughter.
Ice is not melted by cold winds, but by warm sunlight. Affection, smiles, gentle words—these make a father soft.
But Jeina had none of that, nor could she. Love is for those who’ve experienced it.
Moreover, her father was no ordinary man. He was the emotionless villain of the novel, Diamid Belafanian. No matter how she struggled, he would feel nothing.
So Jeina resolved before going to the Mage Tower: she would make no effort to win Diamid’s favor. She would calmly accept her fate.
Better to enjoy reality than suffer in denial.
The only relief: the dragon “honor killings” wouldn’t happen soon.
‘My remaining time: seven years.’
In The Sword of Vengeance, dragons start targeting her when she turns seventeen.
To a dragon living a thousand years, seven years is a mere moment.
It was enough time to enjoy the small luxuries of life she never had in her past life.
