Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104
“So you stayed at the mansion the whole time and didn’t go anywhere? Then why didn’t you come out?”
I tilted my head in confusion while conversing with Father.
Since this entire mansion fell within Father’s perceptual range, he surely would have noticed my arrival.
‘He always used to appear so suddenly.’
Usually, before I even arrived, Father would be waiting in the reception room or by the old Fountain in front of the building.
I enjoyed that feeling of being awaited so much that there were days I hurried home from school even faster.
Father wiped his face as though annoyed.
I could see irritation flicker across his expression.
“I was merely cleaning up a mess.”
“A mess?”
“The troublemaker you brought with you.”
I naturally glanced at Ekion, then let out an awkward laugh. Aha.
I had a good idea what this was about.
‘Hmm, did one of the Retainers here recognize Ekion again?’
In truth, over the past five years, Father and I did our best, but we could never completely avoid small mistakes or incidents.
It was impossible from the start.
When was that? About three years ago.
A Retainer once harbored suspicions about Ekion’s true identity by chance.
‘The only Retainers here were those who brought Father’s meals and ingredients.’
I had been careful to prevent Ekion from encountering them, but coincidences piled up and a small mistake occurred.
In the end, it was resolved well when Rayla stepped forward on Father’s orders.
‘The friend I know is a Rakshasa-type humanoid.’
Rakshasa-type humanoids possessed the special ability of ‘hypnosis.’
Though they were typically a very closed-off family that didn’t interact with anyone.
I was impressed that Rayla had such connections.
‘Does Father only take on subordinates with abilities like his own?’
After that, I concluded that concealment alone wasn’t the answer.
Ekion received a new identity and became a Young Boy living in the mansion.
Rayla was his legal guardian.
“So you met Ilia Beluga.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
I curled my lips and smirked.
“We need to start moving soon. You know too, right? We have to go to the funeral soon.”
“I know. You mean Baian Aquasiadel’s funeral.”
“Yeah.”
I tapped Father’s shoulder cheerfully.
The more I thought about it, he died well.
“Mark my words—he won’t find peace even in hell. The people who died unjustly because of him won’t let him rest.”
“….”
The funeral hall.
There must be a reason why Lirivel held such a grand funeral for Baian, whom she had killed.
I quietly pondered this reason.
“First, I’ll attend the funeral and leave, then meet with Illia again. I’m sure I’ll hear a very interesting story at that time.”
A mischievous smile crossed my face.
Lirivel, I’m sorry, but.
Before your wings even fully unfold, would it be alright to break just one?
Ah, of course, I don’t need permission.
* * *
The day of the funeral arrived.
No, “arrived” was a strange way to put it. The funeral had already been underway since yesterday.
It was simply the day we would visit.
Father, and Agenor, and I.
We entered the large building dressed in black clothes we had coordinated together.
It was a building rarely used otherwise, but it served as a cathedral when the direct family held funerals.
As we passed through the door, a faint floral scent drifted out.
I could see purple flowers held in people’s hands.
‘Here, the water lily serves the same role as white chrysanthemums in Korea, doesn’t it?’
Purple water lilies.
Befitting a funeral for aquatic animal-kin, even the flowers were aquatic plants.
I had already caught a glimpse of the purple flowers piled abundantly near the coffin.
Funerals in this place were conducted with an understated, almost light atmosphere.
Because the orcas were warriors.
Unless it was an accident or murder, if it was death in a rightful battle, everyone accepted it as such.
‘But today feels a bit different.’
The atmosphere was somehow gloomy.
It was only natural.
‘With Baian’s death, the rope connecting them has snapped.’
How crucial was rope-holding for the branch families.
It was a matter of life and death.
Yet from Rodesen’s generation to Baian, they had held onto that rope for nearly twenty years at minimum.
Though it had become precarious, the successor they had barely trusted suddenly died?
“Wow. Father, it looks like they’re so anxious they might die.”
“….”
“They’re scared now that the rope is cut. Right? This is quite a sight.”
I felt no pangs of conscience.
Why? These people enthusiastically defended Baian when he used violence against the weak.
“It does appear so.”
Father regarded me with a questioning gaze.
“At this volume, they’ll hear you over there.”
“Listen to it.”
“I don’t mind, but weren’t you hiding it?”
I had told Agenor about it in confidence, yet here was Father humming that persistently catchy tune without restraint.
I made an odd expression.
Wow, it really doesn’t suit him.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s revealed.”
I had no intention of hiding it anymore.
Sure enough, several distant relatives who heard my blunt words were shooting me sidelong glances.
I smirked and glared right back at them.
“What are you looking at?”
They flinched at my confident attitude, but when they even started to show hostility, I gently tugged at Father’s sleeve.
“Father, if my body loosens up, will you take care of the outer robe? Dede and Misa worked hard to make it.”
“Of course. Do you need any help?”
“Help? Would I need that?”
“….”
“Whose disciple am I?”
Father smiled slightly and lifted me into his arms. The water rippled to the side.
“Next time, instead of that, I’d like to hear you ask whose daughter you are.”
“Haven’t I heard that often enough over the past five years?”
“Even so, it’s something I want to hear again.”
“…Doesn’t it embarrass you?”
“Why should it embarrass me when I’m just stating the obvious?”
“….”
To think he could say such things.
I wondered why he had kept his mouth shut in the past.
And how exactly had he been with Mother?
I became curious anew, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Go fetch the flowers.”
Father set me down and, as if that weren’t enough, went to get the flowers himself.
I could see the surrounding attendants were surprised, but there was nothing strange about it anymore.
‘In five years, he had only shown his face at mid-tier institutions and family meetings.’
It wouldn’t be strange if there were still people who found this awkward.
Sometimes when I see Father, I remember our first meeting and feel the same strangeness.
“Young Lady, do you think people change?”
“What are you suddenly saying? Oh, Father?”
“Well….”
It seemed he had just been thinking something similar to me.
A soft laugh escaped me.
“I find it strange too, honestly. But people can change, can’t they?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If I experienced something truly monumental—something that would fundamentally alter the course of my life—then perhaps I could change.”
I spoke while recalling the regressions I had endured.
I had spoken without much thought, yet surprisingly, Agenor’s expression grew contemplative.
“Why do you say that?”
I tilted my head at an expression I rarely saw on him—his eyes were usually gleaming with fervent longing and obsession.
“No, it’s just. Thinking about change made me remember certain people.”
“Certain people?”
“Well, my younger sister. Do you remember? What I asked of you five years ago.”
“You mean when you asked me to let you take ten hits?”
“I still hope for that!! But no, that’s not what I meant….”
Agenor hesitated before speaking with sudden seriousness.
“It’s about Atlant.”
The moment Agenor said this.
Someone grabbed my hand from behind, squeezing it firmly.
The instant I felt their warmth, I yanked my hand away.
Simultaneously, I spun around, seized the back of the person’s neck, and struck their leg sharply.
Thud. A low vibration echoed through the air.
“Ow, ow, ow… Noble Lady, it hurts… sniff.”
I immediately released the back of the neck I was gripping, startled by the pristine white hair now visible.
It was instinct.
“Gasp, hey. Are you alright? Why would you approach from behind like that? I told you not to do that.”
“Because my older brother is foolish. The clever Ruga wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Who are you calling foolish? I’m the older brother, aren’t I? Ow, ow….”
Beside the young boy groaning beneath me, another boy with identical white hair suddenly appeared.
“Ruga, Ruba.”
The Lugaluba twins.
Five years had passed, and it wasn’t only Agenor who had grown. The twins had reached twelve years old by now.
Due to the nature of Beluga physiology, their growth rate wasn’t as rapid as that of orcas.
Their appearance still carried a distinctly childlike quality.
“Hehe, Noble Lady!”
Ruba sprang up cheerfully as if he hadn’t just been knocked down by my hand.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m sturdy!”
“Your forehead hasn’t even hardened yet, and you speak so boldly.”
“Sniff, but it’s true.”
“So you two came as well.”
“Yes, Mother and Father went to gather flowers!”
“Listen, you two.”
I frowned slightly.
“You’re too close. Please step back a bit.”
“It’s not Dubiduva!”
“Would the Noble Lady like us to change it?”
“Change what? Don’t say strange things.”
“But Father and Mother said they would change our names too.”
“That’s right, the Noble Lady really loves us.”
“…Since it seems like you really might do it. Could you please not?”
Ruga glanced at me and broke into a broad grin.
“The Noble Lady didn’t meet us for five years. But she still loves us.”
“Even though she stopped by the estate a few days ago and we didn’t see her!”
“…”
These children were already sharp-witted, and five years had made them even more cunning.
They were circling around their request for me to favor their family more with such roundabout words.
I let out a small sigh and raised my hand.
“I’m already scheduled to meet with Illia this week anyway.”
“Wow, please come to my room!”
“Not your room—our room!”
As the Lugaluba Twins chattered away excitedly, all eyes naturally turned toward us.
“Agenor, hello!”
“You’re cool today too!”
“What did I tell you to call me?”
“The Noble Lady’s Retainer Number One!”
“Number One!”
“Smart. I like it. You two are my junior followers number one forever.”
“Yay!”
Agenor answered while vigilantly scanning his surroundings like a seal standing guard.
Well, not so much scanning as glaring and driving others away.
‘Sigh, even the academy told him to stop doing that. And here he goes again.’
He had done the same thing in my class. What a thug.
‘I’ll admit orcas can be thugs, but I’d prefer to be a somewhat conscientious one, you know?’
Somehow, even though I’ve left kindergarten behind, being around these kids still makes me feel like the top dog of kindergarten despite five years passing.
‘When is Grandmother arriving?’
Today was the day of the formal funeral, so once the Matriarch arrived and performed the ritual to send off Baian.
The coffin would be buried.
As I turned my head thinking this, a long shadow fell over me.
“…”
I tilted my head at the approaching shadow and looked up.
A familiar face was before me.
Short-cropped hair, the distinctive hair of the direct orca lineage.
The only one among the siblings with bright red eyes.
“Move.”
A voice grinding out words with barely contained fury.
It was Atlant.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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