There’s No Way I Can Raise a Dragon Daughter

“Hey. Did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“There’s a big tavern up in the upper town. They say they’re raising a demon child there?”

“What? A demon child?”

“Yeah. It’s a girl, apparently.”

“Oh man. What is this, a zoo?”

A lively tavern.

The topic of conversation among the people clinking their glasses was always the Ryuba Tavern.

It was the center of controversy that attracted a full gathering of heretic examiners.

“A demon child? I’m kind of curious too. I’ve seen a few adult demons that look ferocious, but I’ve never seen a child.”

“They say she’s really cute.”

“Ugh. If she’s a baby, of course she’s cute. Even beasts are cute when they’re babies.”

“If she’s cute, then that’s it.”

“This is the end of days. No matter how much of a demon she is, why treat a child like a spectacle and make her work in a tavern?”

“I heard she’s not being made to work; one of the staff is raising her.”

“Can you believe that?”

In the southern region, demons were rarely seen.

Most people lived their whole lives without ever seeing a demon.

However, when news of a demon child suddenly spread, what arose in people’s hearts was not resentment but curiosity.

They had learned their whole lives that demons were cruel and terrible beings, but applying that image to a child was quite difficult.

“Anyway, the heretic examiners showed up, and do you know what that staff member said?”

“What did she say?”

“She said she’s a holy maiden! She told them to try to exam her if they can!”

“Hahaha! A holy maiden? Then I’m a holy grandfather!”

Laughter erupted from all around the tavern.

The sound that interrupted the laughter was none other than a glass shattering loudly against the wall.

“What? A holy maiden? What was the color of her hair?”

“…”

The young man who threw his glass against the wall stood up and staggered toward the table.

The drunkards gathered there frowned, their laughter vanishing.

It was a usual occurrence.

Normally, he would quietly drink alone in a corner, but sometimes he would cause a scene like this.

However, the drunkards avoided his gaze and lowered their heads, showing no signs of protest.

That was because many had ended up in the hospital after confronting him.

The young man closed in, removed his hat, and slammed his hands down on the table.

“What color was it?!”

“They said it was silver. Silver hair with a blue tint, you idiot. Stop being a drunken fool and just drink quietly!”

“…”

At the drunkard’s angry words, the tavern went cold in an instant.

Everyone had seen how saying the wrong thing led to broken limbs and crying drunks crawling out of the tavern.

The young man stood silently for a moment, as if pondering where to strike.

As he suddenly reached out, the drunkards shut their eyes tightly, expecting a dull sound of breaking bones.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“Uh…?”

But the words that came from the young man were completely unexpected.

The drunkard took his outstretched hand and shook it.

It was a bewildering feeling.

Had this guy finally managed to control his anger?

After shaking the drunkard’s hand for a while, the young man staggered toward the entrance.

“Thanks a lot! Really, I’m so grateful!”

“Eh?”

“What the heck. Why is this guy causing a ruckus in the middle of the road?”

“Ugh!”

Of course, he didn’t forget to punch the unsuspecting customer who encountered him at the entrance.

Leaving a faintly unconscious customer behind, his figure nonchalantly walked away, leaving the drunkards to shake their heads in disbelief.

Wherever it was, they could only wish for the luck of the people who would have to deal with him.

Trouble always followed him.

Usually, trouble of the unpleasant kind.

*

“Have you really never seen a demon before, innkeeper?”

“I’ve seen them a few times from a distance. There are some nobles with strange tastes who keep them as slaves. But what I know about demons is only that they resemble humans and have two horns on their heads; that’s it.”

“I see…”

“Sorry. I can’t be of more help.”

“No, it’s fine, innkeeper.”

I shook my head and gently patted the shoulder of the innkeeper, knowing how hard he worked.

He wasn’t someone to be underestimated as just a simple tavern owner.

Moreover, when I checked my salary from yesterday, there was a hefty bonus included.

Indeed, the person who pays me is the most precious person to me.

“Ah! Julia! Haven’t you packed up your things yet?”

“Huh? Packed? What pack?”

“You said you were quitting the shop on payday! Oh! It’s already past? You should hurry and pack up and leave!”

“Stop teasing me…”

The moment I saw Irina’s smirking face, I realized she was just making fun of me.

I hid my flushed face and quickly ran out.

After all the fuss about quitting, I ultimately decided not to leave the shop.

With no reason to go, I decided to stay despite the embarrassment.

When the innkeeper or Irina teased me, I felt the urge to quit right away, but I gritted my teeth and held back.

Everyone was just joking, so it was bearable.

“Oh, by the way. Where’s Tia?”

“She’s singing over there on the stage.”

“By the brook! A tadpole! Swimming around!”

“That’s right! Great job!”

“I’m reserving the next song for ‘Three Bears!'”

“Who is this! Where’s the reservations! Tia sings as she pleases, and we listen quietly!”

And Tia had become somewhat of the shop’s mascot.

Even now, she was sitting on stage, hugging the microphone and singing clumsy children’s songs, while piles of bills floated down from all around.

“Oh Tia! You look like a devil, but your actions are those of an angel! Total Lucifer!!!”

“Encore! Encore! Encore!”

“Tia is sleepy. I want to go to sleep.”

“Uh…?”

“You’re kidding, right? Tia?”

Suddenly, Tia stopped singing and gathered up the bills that had fallen to the ground, hugging them to her chest.

She came down to sing a little when she was bored, but when she got sleepy or hungry, she would turn back without hesitation, taking her “break” time.

To be fair, it wasn’t really a job, but the money Tia earned in a day was enough to rival mine.

Even though her earnings had increased, it didn’t feel particularly significant.

Because I had to spend a considerable amount on bribery to get my citizen’s identification.

Since I didn’t have anyone who could vouch for my identity, such as being from here or having relatives, it was impossible for me to get it through proper means.

Most problems can be solved with money.

“Julia. Julia!”

“Oh, yes, Irina.”

“Remember that half of your salary you gave me? I sent 1 million to the guards, and the rest went to the immigration office. Since it’s divided, I probably have to send that same amount for another two months.”

“Hm. Thanks, Irina.”

I should probably check later at the guards and immigration office to make sure the money went through properly.

I couldn’t fully trust Irina.

After all, she might run away with my money at any time…

“Tia. Are you going to sleep on the second floor?”

“…”

I called out to Tia, who was walking past me while rubbing her eyes.

But Tia didn’t even glance my way and continued on her path.

There’s no way she didn’t hear me.

I was ignored.

Right then, I had no choice but to draw that conclusion.

‘Is she mad at me?’

Was it because I had secretly eaten the leftover pancakes while she was sleeping last time?

Or maybe it was because I refused to chase her during tag and chose to drink instead?

As I thought about it, there were so many possibilities that I couldn’t pin down which it could be.

“Are you going to quit here once you get your citizen’s ID?”

“Um. I would probably quit then?”

“Is it that bad here? But isn’t it easier to work nowadays? Thanks to Tia, the troublesome customers have decreased.”

“That’s true, but it just feels wrong here. It doesn’t suit me.”

Although I was popular due to my naturally charming physique, this job was entirely unsuited for someone who used to be a man like me.

I didn’t want to disparage the profession itself, but it was an undeniable fact that social perceptions were poor.

There were reasons I simply couldn’t endure, and it wasn’t good for Tia’s upbringing, so ultimately, this was a place I had to leave someday.

If you asked where I would go after leaving, it was hard to answer.

I didn’t know enough to formulate concrete plans.

For now, I was considering getting a more typical job to earn some money and perhaps enrolling in a university to learn magic and transition into a sorcerer.

That would probably be the best way for a woman in this world to achieve financial independence while also climbing socially.

Without the condition of economic independence, there was a quick and easy way to marry into a lower noble house, but for some physiological reason, I had to take that option off the table.

‘Wait. Does that mean I would be gay here?’

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind, complicating my feelings.

It was natural for a man to have romantic feelings for a woman, but looking back, it would mean having the body of a woman, effectively making it a same-sex attraction.

Same-sex attraction was a bit concerning.

Of course, it was much less repulsive than dating a man.

“What’s with you? Why are you staring at me all of a sudden?”

“Nothing…”

I gazed at Irina for a moment.

When she frowned, she often looked like a third-rate villain, but when she smiled occasionally, that decadent smile was irresistibly charming.

Imagining a future where our relationship developed into something romantic wasn’t difficult.

The problem was that I didn’t feel any lust toward Irina at all.

Perhaps due to her slender physique, it was more natural for me to find common ground rather than differences with Irina.

I turned my gaze toward Sasha, who was diligently serving.

“Um…”

Sasha had a full chest and bottom that were in no way comparable to Irina.

Despite her small stature, she was exactly the type that guys liked—adorable without being overly plump.

‘This is bad.’

I realized I felt no lust at all at the sight of Sasha.

It definitely wasn’t because of that massive unicorn horn.

She was pretty and cute, but…

That was all it was.

It seemed it might have to do with having a completely different hormonal system than with men.

‘What the hell…’

Thanks to that, I found myself in a difficult position.

I felt romantic affection for women, but I couldn’t feel any lust.

There might be a term like platonic love, but honestly, how many people in the world can separate sexual desire from love aside from Jesus and Buddha?

It seemed I was destined never to be able to love someone forever.

But what was the big deal about love?

I had dated a few times, but it didn’t seem like anything special.

While marriage is essential if I didn’t want to grow old and die lonely, I already had Tia, so that didn’t apply to me.

‘Now Tia has become a part of my life.’

I felt troubled.

The creature I had reluctantly decided to raise had become a part of my life and my driving force.

“I’m going to take a break because I have a headache.”

“But you’re going to be called back at the next location anyway?”

“I’ll just take a short nap for ten minutes and come back.”

I went upstairs for a moment to take a break.

Today, many people seemed busy even at midday, as the sound of creaking beds rang loudly through the door.

Opening the door, I found Tia’s back as she looked out the window.

Tia glanced at me for a moment before turning her head back without a word.

Right. She was mad at me.

“Mom’s here.”

“…”

Even knocking on the open door and speaking yielded no response.

I sighed deeply and entered, first letting down my tied-up hair.

Just then, my head started to throb, and I couldn’t help but wince.

Slowly brushing my hair with a comb to ease the static, I glanced at Tia.

Draped over the window, Tia had thrown her hat aside and was fidgeting with her horn repeatedly.

“If you keep that up, people will see you. Wear your hat.”

“Hat? Why should I wear it?”

“I told you. You can’t be seen.”

“I’ve already been spotted.”

“Still, it’s not good to attract attention. Hurry and wear it.”

“Mom…”

Tia turned around and faced me.

Her face was now drenched in tears.

“Why am I different? What are these horns? Who am I?”

“…”

Tia touched her horns with both hands, her voice trembling.

At her unexpected questions, I found myself at a loss for words.

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