Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 158

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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 158
After we finished sharing all our plans, we each headed in different directions.
I boarded the carriage with Second Brother. The coachman and one knight who accompanied us wore bewildered expressions.
But having witnessed what I was capable of thus far, they obediently followed.
“The remaining two of you—guard the room thoroughly. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone inside. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
Since the Orca clan operated by the logic of strength, they found nothing strange about taking orders from a child like me.
Rather, a faint blush colored their faces. It was anticipation for battle.
Of course, only the one knight accompanying me wore such an expression, while the other two watched him with envy.
Such were the Orcas, after all.
I clicked my tongue inwardly, but on the other hand, I understood them.
Had I not possessed the vital purpose of rescuing Tus, I would have anticipated combat just as eagerly as they did.
“Guard it well.”
“Yes!”
“And load him quickly!”
“Yes!”
In the cargo hold of the carriage we boarded, there was another passenger.
It was Assel, bound tightly.
His face, just being loaded into the hold, glared at me as though he wished me dead, but I remained unmoved and simply smiled.
The remaining Black Panther knights would still be restrained where we left them.
As the carriage traveled farther, Atlant’s power would weaken, and eventually they would break free and cause a commotion.
‘That is precisely what I desire.’
By now, some of those I had beaten down would likely be regaining consciousness.
I hadn’t struck them hard enough to keep them unconscious for long.
With time running short, I hurried through the inspection and attempted to board the carriage.
“Hey, look over there.”
Atlant had already boarded, and as I was about to climb up, he nudged me and gestured toward one spot.
When I turned around, Levai was standing there.
“What is it, Levai? Why are you here? You were supposed to be following the plan….”
“I happened to pass by and stopped in. It won’t make us late, so please don’t worry. I remember the instructions well.”
Levai spoke hurriedly. His expression seemed urgent, so I refrained from reproaching him further.
“There was one thing I forgot to ask. You told me to judge autonomously in most cases, but this is something I must ask you about.”
“What is it?”
“Is it acceptable if someone dies?”
“An innocent person?”
“No, we won’t touch those. I mean the parties involved.”
I stared at Levai before answering.
“What do you think?”
Levai also held my gaze without looking away, then slowly nodded.
“…I see. That answers it.”
My expression alone served as the answer. Then I turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment.
“If I may be so bold, might I make one request?”
“What is it?”
Hesitation flickered behind those round, cold eyes behind the spectacles.
“Once this matter is resolved safely, I wish to know why the Noble Lady understands me so thoroughly.”
It was an unexpected request.
“How do you know everything about me—as if you’ve been watching from my side all along—even the secrets I intended to carry to my grave? Will you tell me the reason?”
The words flowed out smoothly, as though he had been pondering this for quite some time. He must have truly wrestled with it.
When to bring this up. I knew he would eventually, but I hadn’t expected it to be now.
‘And he’s trying to bargain with me over this?’
I tilted my head slightly and let out a soft laugh.
“My, my—trying to pry into someone else’s trade secrets so easily?”
“….”
Even at my teasing demeanor, Levai’s gaze remained unwavering.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Fine. If you succeed.”
“…!”
Leaving those final words, I boarded the carriage.
“I’ll give you a hint, at least.”
* * *
Inside the moving carriage, it raced faster than ever before.
The streets were empty, which allowed it to move all the faster. Everyone must have gone to Peseum to watch Father’s fight.
Having drawn attention so loudly, they couldn’t have stayed away.
“Hey.”
When I turned my head, Atlant sitting across from me wore a displeased expression.
“You’re not actually going to tell that Dolphin everything, are you?”
The way he threw out his complaint the moment I looked back suggested he’d been quite bothered by this.
“Tell him what?”
“Don’t play dumb. You’re clever enough—you understood every word.”
“It’s strange how you always get angry while acknowledging me at the same time.”
That look said: stop with the unnecessary talk.
I shrugged my shoulders. I wore a playful expression.
Tell Levai everything?
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll tell him if we really succeed.”
“Hey!”
“Be quiet. I won’t tell him.”
“….”
“So stop worrying. Your face is rotting away. All that matters is that the task gets done.”
“….”
“Our past wasn’t exactly a pleasant one, was it?”
People say that if the ending is good, it’s a happy ending. No matter how difficult the process, they acknowledge it if the conclusion is satisfactory.
Then what of our ending, which concluded in tragedy? I erased the memory of my third life from my mind.
A more crucial battle awaited ahead.
“Let’s discuss something more important instead. Stop getting distracted.”
I wiped away my smile and adopted a serious expression.
“Second Brother, when we arrive at Peseum, you must….”
By the time I finished reminding him of what needed to be done, we had arrived at Peseum.
* * *
‘If I run at full speed using the power of water, it would take about ten minutes, or perhaps fifteen?’
The distance from the Dragon Duke’s castle to Peseum was not far.
It seemed the Dragon Duke had deliberately built it near the castle long ago, perhaps because it was a place where he once enjoyed his leisure.
Of course, that was only considering a straight-line distance, and in reality, traveling by carriage meant taking a roundabout route, making it roughly a twenty-minute journey.
The massive arena felt majestic simply by looking at it.
It truly reminded me of the Colosseum from Earth.
Enormous cheers echoed the moment we arrived at the entrance. The sheer scale was overwhelming.
“You go back.”
“Pardon? But….”
“No, guard the room.”
The Orca Knight who had come with me looked dejected, his hopes of having a chance to fight dashed by my order to return.
His expression was somewhat amusing.
I gazed quietly at the sky for a moment, then quickened my pace.
“Let’s go.”
Behind me, I heard the sound of the carriage turning back, and beside me, the sound of Atlant walking alongside.
Entering the arena proved uncomplicated. Though I spotted several Black Panther Knights and what appeared to be Dragon Duke’s Knights along the way.
Perhaps because both Atlant and I wore robes, we didn’t attract much attention.
There were many others in robes as well, and besides, there were simply too many people present.
“I didn’t realize so many people lived in the Dragon’s City.”
“Why do you speak as if you didn’t know? The Dragon’s City is considered the second-largest city after the capital.”
“Well, I suppose knowing something and seeing it are different things, aren’t they?”
Despite the time constraints, the Black Panther Duke had remarkably orchestrated this duel quite convincingly as the Dragon Duke’s proxy.
Though he was an enemy, I had to acknowledge his administrative capabilities. Looking down, a duel was already underway.
“Ah! Did you see that? Goodness, the crocodile Beastkin Croca! He cannot get up! This is his fiftieth victory!! He rose so easily through the tournament, yet he is no match for this opponent!!”
The resonant voice echoing through the arena suggested they had even stationed a caster and commentator.
‘They’ve recreated it properly.’
I had heard that the last duel held at Peseum was a very long time ago.
I descended the second floor and approached the railing.
Atlant beside me grimaced due to his constraints but managed to keep up well.
Down below, Father was being showered with falling paper flowers. These flowers resembled snow.
‘If Father had been healthy, this would have been a sight he could easily witness.’
Since snow rarely fell in the Aquasiadel territory, seeing Father covered in snow like this was certainly a rare sight.
The cheers of the crowd, their joy, their glory—I had often wondered about such things.
Did Father not desire the position of Matriarch?
In that moment, Father’s head, which had been peacefully receiving the paper flowers, snapped toward me.
‘Ah.’
Father stared at me as though it were a lie, finding me among this sea of people.
At first, I thought it was a mistake.
Father’s lips moved.
‘Calypso.’
My name. I laughed, forgetting the situation entirely, then suddenly leaped to my feet.
“Ack, what—what is this!”
“Young boy? You’re standing on the railing!”
“Child, that’s dangerous…!!”
The people nearby stumbled backward in shock at the sight of me standing on the railing, but I paid them no mind and kept my gaze fixed downward.
Atlant stood beside me.
‘Now, finally it’s showtime.’
I thought of Levai, who by now should have begun something near the Dragon’s castle, where Tus was located.
“Let’s go.”
I pressed my hat down firmly and kicked off the railing with my feet.
As I leaped down, the spectators nearby screamed. Some of those on the lower levels squeezed their eyes shut or covered them.
Yet I did not fall.
Streams of water lifted me gently, as though defying reality.
I landed lightly.
Right in the center of the arena.
“….”
The heat gradually faded and the murmuring grew louder. I waved my hand amid the noise.
“Hello, Father.”
Father showed no confusion. Even though this was not the planned moment, he simply gazed at me calmly and spoke.
“Has the time come?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s finally here.”
“A bit early, isn’t it?”
Isn’t it?
I slowly turned my head.
‘Yes, I knew you’d be here.’
Debana Panterion, the Black Panther Duke, sat in the place of honor in this arena.
The best seat to view the games—ordinarily where the Dragon Duke or the Emperor would sit.
He was acting as though he were clearly the master of this city.
The surroundings grew even noisier. Some jeered.
Most of it was about what this young boy who suddenly appeared was doing here.
I slowly removed my hat.
“Father. Can you amplify the sound?”
“Of course.”
“Ah, ahhh.”
My clear voice rang out across the entire arena.
“Hello, everyone. I am the current Dragon’s Bride.”
The moment my voice spread, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
I spoke with satisfaction, surveying the crowd around me.
“I have come to this place to expose a truly horrific incident that occurred at the Dragon’s Castle today.”
Now, what is the best way to escalate a situation dramatically?
Conspiracy and slander, of course.
“We orcas, and especially myself, came merely to meet the Dragon Duke. My father was perhaps a bit overzealous, but…”
I felt Father’s gaze at that moment. I pretended not to notice.
“While my father, the strongest knight protecting me, was away, I came here myself to escape a group attacking the defenseless me.”
My voice gradually shifted into the manner of speech of a young child.
Then I glanced briefly toward Atlant and cleared my throat.
“A vicious and wicked group attacked the Dragon’s Bride.”
I spoke deliberately slowly, looking toward the spectators.
“Or rather, I should say kidnapping and attempted murder.”
The matter was far too grave to be delivered in such a bright tone.
Sure enough, the previously silent surroundings erupted into chaos.
I waited for this commotion to subside slightly before continuing quickly.
“I take this opportunity to ask.”
I turned, and finally fixed my gaze on one place—the very apex of the best seat in this arena.
“Dragon Duke Panterion, why did the Black Panther attack me?”
The Dragon Duke Panterion had been sitting calmly until the very mention of attacking the Dragon’s Bride.
But when I pointed to him, his expression darkened.
Soon after, a low and sonorous voice rang out across the arena.
“Why does the Dragon’s Bride slander us with baseless accusations?”
It was the Dragon Duke Panterion.
I couldn’t help but smile at his pretense of propriety while dodging the question. Yes, this level of frowning is merely the beginning. This is what I expected.
Yes, I knew you would say that.
“It may be hard to believe, but I have evidence.”
I gestured toward Atlant.
Second Brother had been carrying a large sack on his shoulder the entire time.
And what was inside this sack?
The rope loosened and the sack slid down smoothly.
Tada.
“In fact, I have brought the very leader of the vicious group that attacked me.”
“What?”
Fresh from the Dragon’s Castle! Is this your son?
If you take him now, I’ll give you a discount. The gift is your family’s shame and infamy.
“Sob, sob—I was so scared.”
While my cries echoed through the hall, no one dared speak.
Because inside the sack lay the Black Panther Successor, bound and trussed up tight.
The Dragon Duke shot to his feet. Watching him, I felt a surge of satisfaction.

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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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