Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 240

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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 240
Bringing only the two of us was unavoidable.
Everyone else had their own duties to attend to.
‘First, since this concerns dragons, the Dragon Duke is essential. And I need at least one more person capable of wielding force besides myself.’
In this process, Levai was naturally excluded, and someone needed to stay behind to contact Aquasiadel and command in my absence.
After considering various factors, Hauser was the one selected.
“That’s favoritism.”
“…Where exactly?”
Well, the strategist did have these minor complaints.
I scratched my cheek.
“This place really is a complicated maze. It’d be easy to get lost.”
“There are many wild animals as well.”
“Yeah, true.”
Though I hadn’t walked through the tropical rainforest for very long, the forest was incredibly dense.
The path we came by would be forgotten in an instant given its complexity. Yet simultaneously, it displayed nature’s grandeur and beauty in full splendor.
‘If I weren’t in such a hurry, I’d want to explore this place.’
Come to think of it, I’d dreamed of becoming an ecologist, and though my favorite was marine animals and whales.
I’d always wanted to visit a lush jungle like this someday, perhaps the Amazon itself.
A nature documentary I’d watched in childhood had left quite an impression.
‘I’ve forgotten about Earth for quite a long time now.’
A strange sensation washed over me. Before bitterness could settle in, I quickly shook my head.
“Which way do we go from here?”
The Dragon Duke turned his head in one direction.
“…That way.”
The Dragon Duke guided the path without hesitation. It felt like watching a state-of-the-art navigation system in action.
He even found the way through places that didn’t look like paths at all. I was tempted to ask if he’d ever lived in this forest.
‘Well, I know that’s not the case.’
When I asked, he said it was the memory of the first dragon that knew the way.
“To think there’s a tomb in a place like this—do some dragons among you enjoy wandering?”
“It likely varies by individual.”
“By individual? Or do you have separate species as well?”
“Species?”
“For instance, when you say whale, they’re divided into orcas or humpback whales like the ones here, right?”
“If that’s what you mean… dragons are divided too.”
“How?”
“By scale color.”
I blinked. Scales? But wouldn’t you be born as a beastkin—where would these scales come from?
“When we go berserk or become excited, scales appear on our spine or back. I’ve heard that the color of those scales determines the temperament differences among dragons.”
“Oh, really? So among such dragons, there are those with a personality that enjoys wandering?”
“Probably….”
The Dragon Duke wasn’t particularly skilled at storytelling, but he answered my questions with sincerity.
Hauser didn’t interject at all during my conversation with the Dragon Duke.
It wasn’t unusual—he’d never been the type to readily join conversations with other subordinates anyway.
‘Now that I think about it, I came here with some pretty taciturn ones.’
Come to think of it, today the Dragon Duke didn’t emit that peculiar unease I usually felt from him.
Rather, it was almost as if I were conversing with Ekion instead….
My pace slowed for a moment.
“We’ve arrived.”
When I lifted my head, an enormous cave came into view. It was a place that seemed oddly out of place in this tropical rainforest.
“I sense a peculiar power.”
From the cave emanated a familiar yet strange aura. It was the same sensation I’d felt during the third cycle when I faced the rampaging Dragon Duke.
Hauser seemed to have sensed something similar, as his expression darkened considerably.
“Did you sense the power of a rampaging dragon?”
“Well, that too, but more than that….”
“Hmm?”
“Matriarch. Do you perhaps remember the day we raided the monkeys’ research facility together?”
Of course I remembered. Those monkeys were quite troublesome even among the imperial subordinates.
For us, they were like the Orca—possessing specialized talents devoted to invention.
But they were vicious creatures who didn’t hesitate to conduct human experimentation, as evidenced by their insect development.
“There, together with Kaireta and Mamata, we destroyed some kind of device… and the moment that device shattered, it felt exactly like this.”
The ones he mentioned were a crayfish and a crab beastkin respectively. They were names I missed.
“…It’s been a while since I’ve heard those names.”
“They’re doing well.”
“Are they?”
Mamata was a bold-spirited female commander. She led the crabs and wielded tremendous strength when needed, serving as a general.
As a familiar face surfaced in my mind, longing surged through me.
“When did you last see them?”
“I’ve checked in on them from time to time.”
“Why?”
“Because someday, if you missed them, I wanted to be able to tell you.”
….
I gazed at my surroundings for a moment.
In the third cycle, I had many subordinates. Initially, lacking Orca branch members who followed me, I’d indiscriminately recruited them.
Gradually, rumors spread that I “accepted even the weak,” and capable subordinates began seeking me out.
Before I knew it, countless people were following me.
‘It’s the same now, but….’
Back then, my surroundings were always bustling. My quarters were so filled with subordinates coming and going that one couldn’t tell if it was an antechamber or a training ground.
I’d grumbled that they were bothersome each time, but I think I actually enjoyed that liveliness.
Even when I discovered that Atlant had memories, and when Bellus said he remembered his previous life.
I didn’t particularly think back to the third cycle.
But from the moment Hauser appeared and Levai confessed his secret.
I occasionally found myself picturing that time from the third loop—when all my subordinates were alive and the place bustled with activity—as if it were a phantom vision.
There had been quite a number of them.
‘Those kids should all be alive right now.’
Why did I keep remembering that time?
“Matriarch…?”
When I turned my head, I saw Hauser staring intently at me.
Between his bristling hair, his sharp eyes held a concern rooted in obsession.
“No, I just remembered that time for a moment. You’re quite devoted, aren’t you? Even though you didn’t get along particularly well with them.”
“Not getting along well was one thing, but I didn’t dislike my comrades. Actually, I think I liked them in my own way.”
“…”
“Some truths can only be understood after death. Unfortunately, that is.”
“Should we go in?”
The Dragon Duke suddenly interjected into our conversation. I quickly nodded.
‘Oh, that startled me.’
Without realizing it, I recalled the third loop again. This time, even more vividly.
My sentimental nature had long since vanished in the bitter years of the third loop.
I prided myself on not being the type to indulge in emotions now.
As we entered the cave, strangely enough, it wasn’t dark. Jewel-like objects embedded throughout the walls emitted light.
‘So this is natural lighting?’
We walked for a while before stopping at the cave’s end.
At the cave’s end, there were traces of human habitation. However, they were worn and decayed like very ancient ruins.
I saw what had once resembled a carpet but was now rotting fabric, then turned my gaze toward the wall.
I saw bones.
“…Are these remains?”
They were human bones. Strangely, a particularly large bone fragment was visible near the rib cage.
It was as if a dragon’s bone had been mixed among human bones.
Ekion calmly explained that when a dragon dies, a bone fragment like that emerges.
“We should take that bone with us.”
“Huh? Are you going to bury it somewhere else?”
When I lifted it with a stream of water, it was quite heavy. The claim about it being a dragon’s bone might have been an exaggeration, but it was certainly large and heavy.
“No, that. We should be able to extract the dragon’s power from it.”
“Hmm? What would you use the extracted power for?”
“We could use it as the power of time, or it could become infinite kinetic energy.”
I blinked.
“Really? That sounds like a complete dream.”
I focused on the bone fragment because something had occurred to me.
‘Then… if I keep collecting things like this and accumulate power, could I stop my regression?’
Besides this, we looked around the dwelling, but only found worn or broken furnishings.
Apart from one large bone fragment, I buried the remaining bones in the ground.
While aquatic creatures perform water burial by casting corpses into the depths, I wondered if this person would have preferred to be laid to rest in the place where she lived.
I decided to step outside the cave for a brief rest before heading back.
After that, we came out of the cave, rested a bit, and decided to head back.
“Are you tired?”
“Hmm? No. Not really…”
I’d simply been staring at the bone fragments for a while. I felt no fatigue.
But then a large hand settled upon my shoulder.
“You have wrinkles between your brows.”
“Do I?”
“Shall I give you a massage?”
“…”
When I lifted my head, I saw Hauser’s face looking down at me.
“It’s been a while.”
When I didn’t respond, Hauser’s hands moved with familiar gentleness.
“In my previous life, I had to win rock-paper-scissors ten times to earn this privilege. I realize how empty things have become when I notice such things.”
“Right. That rock-paper-scissors thing was honestly such a pain. As if a massage was that important.”
“We all just wanted to be favored by the Matriarch. That was all.”
“…”
“Do you miss them?”
In the quiet forest, I could almost hear the cheerful laughter echoing in my ears.
If you ask whether I’m happy now, the answer is yes. I am happy.
And I’m sorry for being happy.
To all my subordinates from the third cycle who died for me.
“If you do miss them, and if I could restore those days for you, would you accept?”
Even the air seemed to sink.
At the same time, someone approached with heavy footsteps.
“I sense a presence.”
It was the sharp voice of the Dragon Duke.

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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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