Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 192

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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 192
At first, I couldn’t fathom what Agenor was saying.
Surrounded? Here of all places?
“Hm?”
Third Brother continued, his expression brimming with hostility.
“The Matriarch is looking for you specifically. What should we do?”
His face suggested he’d charge forward the moment I gave the signal.
Without thinking, I reached toward his head, only to realize that even on my tiptoes, I couldn’t reach it anymore.
Third Brother tilted his head in confusion, then belatedly understood the reason for my gesture and lowered his head slightly for me.
‘He used to bow his head reflexively whenever I reached out. I forgot.’
I was suddenly struck by the reality that Third Brother had no memory of this.
Atlant, who remembered the third cycle. Levai, who had no memories yet sometimes acted so similarly to his past self that I’d forget.
Even Ekion and Tus, who acted naturally despite knowing I was a returnee…
Surrounded by such people, I only truly grasped it when dealing with Third Brother.
Like now.
I lifted my gaze, suppressing the shallow tide of emotion washing over me.
“I figured she’d come around this time.”
“Huh, you’re going?”
“What, should I start an internal war instead?”
Third Brother’s expression turned noticeably displeased.
It seemed he expected me to stand and fight.
I had no intention of staging a rebellion right now, so why?
“Teacher—or rather, Father has recovered now, hasn’t he? Why worry about appearances?”
Ah.
“Well, that’s true.”
“Right?? Should I go decapitate the bastard right now?”
“Oh, that sounds like something Second Brother would say.”
“Don’t say it like that. Or should I just assassinate her quietly instead?”
Yes, now that’s more like you.
I let out a small laugh.
Third Brother, still offering his crown to me as if waiting for my touch, spoke earnestly, which struck me as somewhat amusing.
I stroked the offered crown once, then pushed it away.
“A large-scale battle or internal rebellion to seize power isn’t a bad option. But I don’t prefer it. At this point, the current Matriarch has the support of major branch families, so the side effects would be considerable.”
“What does it matter? Eventually they’ll all acknowledge your strength anyway, right?”
“True. If the principle is that the strong consume everything…”
It would be enough to announce that Father had overcome his illness and gather people by leveraging his power.
And if I staged an internal rebellion, the odds would be roughly even.
‘Or perhaps six to four?’
But ultimately, we would win.
Yet even so, to everyone living here, it would only look like we’d removed a tyrant just to install another tyrant in waiting.
“Third Brother, do you know that the Matriarch became one through internal rebellion?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t know. Was that what happened?”
I have no desire to obtain that position the same way the Orca Family Matriarch did.
As I was about to explain further to Third Brother, I felt another sensation in my hand.
Slightly startled, I glanced to the side.
Ekion had taken my hand and placed it on top of his head.
I let out a soft laugh.
I stopped petting his soft blue hair and gazed out the window.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan for everything.”
* * *
‘Wow, he brought quite a lot of them.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I looked at the crowd gathered in front of the mansion.
“I’ll ask again. Are you really going?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, Father.”
A patient who should still be resting followed me around.
Though truthfully, Father could hardly be called a patient anymore.
Whale’s treatment had been truly flawless, and the doctor who resided at Father’s mansion had acknowledged it.
Still, as his daughter, I wanted him to rest well since he had been ill.
“I want to go with you.”
But Father seemed to have other thoughts.
“No, I need to go and hear something directly myself.”
Father deliberated before speaking.
“Thirty minutes. If you don’t return within that time, I’ll come get you.”
“Huh? Okay.”
“And if that happens, it won’t be a peaceful reception.”
At the faintly ominous surge of water power, I laughed awkwardly.
So this is what it feels like to have an overpowered father.
Including my previous life, I had never met anyone stronger than me as a Matriarch three times over, and it was a strange feeling.
This time around, there are two of them.
I nodded to Father and then fixed my gaze on Ekion, who had followed along.
“Ekion, I’m asking to confirm just in case. What you told me—it’s true, right? About granting my wish?”
“Yes.”
Good. I clenched and unclenched my fist before departing the mansion.
The crowd gathered in front of the mansion consisted of Orca Family Knights who followed the Matriarch and the military forces of the Orca Family’s cadet branches.
While we were in the rift of time, two or three days had apparently passed.
After we returned, while I was busy treating Father, the Orca Family Matriarch opened her eyes the very next day after returning from the rift of time.
Tus said it was quite remarkable.
Normally, if an ordinary beastkin gets caught in a rift of time and survives, they usually remain unconscious for a week to a month.
‘Even rotten fish is still fish.’
In any case, though only a few days had passed, the Matriarch entered this mansion and hasn’t been seen since.
Moreover, the Matriarch who emerged from Father’s estate seemed decidedly uncomfortable.
Right then, I thought a fight would break out, so I took it upon myself to surround this place.
Though it wasn’t a direct order from Grandmother.
“Utterly foolish.”
“The Matriarch left this estate with her clothes torn, I hear. And the Matriarch would never let a beastkin who harmed her go unpunished.”
Surprisingly, it was an unexpected person who calmed the forces that seemed ready to flip this entire estate upside down at any moment.
“She must have gotten excited thinking she could rampage as much as she wanted.”
The person walking beside me right now—my Eldest Brother, Bellus.
About half a day after we entered the gap in time, the branch families came flooding to the estate.
Atlant called for Bellus.
“He’s the best one to handle the situation at that point.”
What was he relying on?
My Eldest Brother hadn’t even sworn loyalty to me like Third Brother had.
Atlant said he just had a feeling about it, his expression not particularly pleased as he mentioned calling Bellus.
“That bastard, I know him best.”
Since he lived by intuition, it wasn’t a bad judgment.
As a result, Bellus not only tidied up the situation but also bought me several more days by delaying matters.
That Eldest Brother had shamelessly lied to the Matriarch’s summons, saying I was ill.
“I also went to challenge Calypso Aquasiadel to a duel, but I was unwell and couldn’t fight. Unfortunately.”
Grandmother, knowing that Bellus and I were usually cold to each other, apparently let it slide without comment?
‘If he hadn’t bought me time, I might have left without seeing Father wake up. Plus, dealing with those rampaging fools would have been annoying.’
He even dealt with those who were constantly watching for an opportunity to fight in front of Father’s estate.
‘So this is what a potential ally looks like.’
I soon stopped in front of the Matriarch’s office.
My Eldest Brother, who came with me, glanced at me and warned quietly.
“…The Matriarch seems a bit strange.”
Strange? Well, I’ve seen all sorts of things in the gap in time with her.
She couldn’t help but be different from before.
“I have a favor to ask—could you stand here and block Father for about five minutes if he happens to come this far?”
“You’re speaking as if a fight is guaranteed to happen. And you’re making an awfully difficult request on top of that.”
I shrugged.
“You’re going to do it anyway, right?”
Or not.
My gaze shifted and settled on Bellus’s beautiful and elegant face.
“I don’t like half measures. Make your position clear now. Will you stand with me or become my enemy?”
After all, he helped me without being asked, so at this point, he’s clearly riding my coattails, isn’t he?
I grasped the door handle. A very faint breath brushed past my ear.
It was a familiar laugh.
“Fine, good. I’ll do it.”
Before I knew it, I was smiling along with him as I opened the door.
When I entered the office, the Retainer who was always like a shadow beside the Matriarch—the Anchovy Beastkin—was nowhere to be seen.
The Matriarch sat alone in the vast chamber.
The way she held her position seemed larger than usual.
The Matriarch kept her head lowered, not looking in my direction.
In her massive hand, she held a cup that fit perfectly in her palm.
‘…Alcohol?’
On the table before the sofa, various expensive spirits were lined up.
One bottle lay overturned.
After observing the exquisite bottles, I finally noticed the golden liquid dripping steadily from the last one.
A golden droplet fell—drip.
“Sit.”
Despite hearing this command, I remained standing.
“State your business, Matriarch.”
“…”
Then the Matriarch slowly lifted her head.
I met her gaze—those brilliant teal eyes gleaming between hair that hung limp like seaweed in the deep ocean.
“Matriarch?”
Why was it that despite her sitting there massive and imposing, I felt as though I were looking at a whale pierced by a harpoon?
A beast remained a beast even when harpooned. The more wounded it became, the fiercer it grew.
‘This is dangerous.’
Sensing the Matriarch’s current state, I maintained a calm expression while subtly widening my stance.
Ready to throw a punch at a moment’s notice.
The Matriarch let out a short laugh.
“Where did that insolent tone of yours go?”
“If you wish, I can bring it back, but this space is different from that one. At minimum, I should show respect.”
“…”
“It’s what one does as a human.”
Did the Matriarch enjoy drinking? Well, whether she did or not was none of my concern.
My pretenses were already exposed anyway, so I stood there brazenly.
Even if I lacked strength for now, hadn’t Ekion provided me with a good option?
What was strange was that the Matriarch’s gaze held more than just anger. I didn’t know what she was furious about.
‘She’s angry about the fact that there’s something she can’t control.’
Those eyes were filled with incomprehensible things.
The Matriarch stared at me intently before speaking bluntly.
“Do you still want this position?”
It was an odd question. Suddenly?
Well, since I had tried to become the successor, it was natural she would think that way.
“I’m asking if you still want the position I currently hold.”
“I don’t understand why you’re speaking of a whale devouring shrimp. It’s obvious.”
I swept my gaze over the Matriarch, who still appeared fierce and raw as if struck, before opening my mouth.
The moment I thought Ekion could grant my wish, it came to me.
“Let’s fight.”
The leader of an orca pod is always the strongest and wisest among them.
Then who in this family possessed the most strength and accumulated knowledge?
Me.
I tilted my head arrogantly and flicked my hand.
It was a clear provocation.
“If I win, you step down from that position.”

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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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