Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 296

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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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Side Story: Act 21
Atlant felt deeply wronged.
In truth, when he had said he would come here, he faced fierce opposition.
“I oppose sending Atlant Aquasiadel.”
“Ah, when will you finally stop attaching his full name like that, Brother?”
“Oh, I also oppose Second Brother, who gets upset over something so trivial!”
Bellus objected point by point with his reasons. Though he had no memories from his previous life, Agenor immediately voiced his swift opposition, always igniting a sense of rivalry the moment he saw Atlant.
Those who retained their memories were Bellus and Atlant. Hauser and Levai.
And Calypso.
The Dragon Duke possessed memories, but they proved useless.
The reason for mentioning this was that only those with memories could travel to where Cali was, excluding Ekion who needed to conserve his strength.
“Well, Atlant… you’re somewhat…”
“…”
Hauser, who had been in the same assault unit, frustrated him with his clumsy attempt at circumlocution.
That strategist dolphin seemed to silently agree with Hauser’s assessment.
“Fine, you go.”
Surprisingly, the only one who took his side was the Matriarch—no, his younger sister Calypso.
“Calypso, this is a matter that requires careful consideration.”
“Yes, younger sister, I shouldn’t say this, but is it really okay to send Second Brother?”
“Calypso.”
Bellus, Agenor, and Hauser expressed their concerns in turn, and Whale also wore a worried expression.
Only Pierre offered his support with a single remark—”You must have your reasons”—and raised Calypso’s hand.
“Have you forgotten? Atlant may lack brains, but his intuition is sharper than anyone’s. The fact that he repeatedly struck enemy positions by sheer instinct during battles is remarkable in itself. Moreover, this situation requires intuition more than ever before. Who else is suited for this?”
“…Is that an insult or praise?”
“So you won’t go?”
“I will! I’ll go!”
Atlant felt embarrassed.
His younger sister—no, the Matriarch—had always been this way. She knew how to use him effectively, despite his only asset being brute strength.
“You go too. I think you might uncover clues I haven’t considered.”
If she truly believed otherwise, she would have refused no matter how much he insisted.
“I will definitely bring back my nephew.”
“No, even finding a single thread of the truth would be a great achievement. Don’t burden yourself with that.”
“…”
“There will be one last chance.”
Atlant pressed his lips firmly shut.
He understood it himself. When he carried too much burden, there were times he failed to fulfill his role properly.
He might serve as a mindless assault captain, but he lacked the capacity to be a true leader.
“I will go on the final attempt.”
In the silence, someone quietly raised their hand.
It was Levai.
Calypso gazed at her strategist, the Dolphin, for a long moment before offering a faint smile.
“Very well.”
* * *
‘I said finding even a single clue would be good enough, but wouldn’t it be even better if I brought Cali back with me??’
Atlant’s chest swelled with grand ambitions and the brilliant future that awaited upon his successful return.
‘First, I should see my niece before meeting the Matriarch.’
But then.
I had rushed over in a single bound upon spotting my niece from afar, which was fine.
“He’s gone mad!! Atlant is hitting the child!!”
Instead, I found myself the subject of a bizarre misunderstanding!
‘I’ve never laid a hand on a child in my life!’
I have no interest in the weak. Now, crushing the strong is another matter entirely! It was truly an infuriating misunderstanding.
“What’s going on?”
As the commotion grew louder, Calypso approached as well. The Crab Beastkin Matata had been shrieking incessantly.
Atlant, now at a loss, lowered his gaze and rubbed his face vigorously.
This Matata was really something.
“I’m hearing strange noises… Who’s hitting whom?”
Atlant was prepared to prove his innocence. Recalling what he had endured from Levai, he would speak with that same logical precision.
Yes, that was his intention.
But then…
“…What is it, Second Brother.”
I truly had intended to do so.
“Are you… crying?”
The moment I saw her—the dignified Calypso from my memories, the Matriarch I had once respected above all others—tears spilled unbidden from my eyes.
I wiped them away, but it was already too late.
“…Were you really that wronged?”
Calypso murmured with a hint of awkwardness.
“Matata, it seems there was quite the misunderstanding? You must have been very upset to cry like this.”
“…Ah, well, yes, I suppose?”
This wasn’t what I intended. Damn it.
If there was one silver lining to these unintended tears, it was that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
In the end, I was completely exonerated of all false accusations.
But that wasn’t all.
Calypso said she had misjudged me and even recognized me as a temporary caretaker.
She had made this decision after seeing how Cali clung to my side.
Of course, to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, she had stationed Camula—my adjutant and handler—right beside me, along with Matata, who had originally been caring for Cali.
But this was sufficient.
Atlant held the child, warm with life, and let out a long, deep sigh.
“Uncle cried, he cried!”
“…Sigh.”
Atlant waved his hand weakly, and a barrier of water rose around him and Cali.
Camula and Matata, who had been conversing nearby, glanced at the two of them.
But after confirming that Cali was smiling, they resumed their conversation.
Atlant’s crimson eyes lingered on Camula for the briefest moment. It was but a flash.
“You crybaby!”
He tapped his niece’s head as he exhaled.
“I understand now, so stop talking about it.”
“But it’s embarrassing! So embarrassing!”
….
This conversation would never leave this place. Atlant sighed once more.
‘I’m going to tease her relentlessly when we get back.’
Cali, this mischievous niece of mine, would definitely run straight to her mother and tell her everything. Agenor would find out too.
But for that to happen, this child would have to return home.
My niece, who inherited her mother’s sharp intuition and clever mind, quickly turned her head and whispered in a lowered voice.
“You’re my ‘real’ uncle, right?”
“Yes.”
Cali, who had stopped teasing, brightened her eyes.
“Did you come to travel too, Uncle?”
Travel… Well, that’s not entirely wrong. He looked around at the all-too-familiar place.
But this wasn’t a journey he wanted to repeat. He knew how it ended.
And there was no time.
“Niece, you’re smart, so let me explain the situation to you.”
“Huh?”
“We need to find a way to end this journey soon.”
He almost said they needed to find a way to return home, but caught himself.
Calypso had emphasized that the child shouldn’t feel trapped here.
The child tilted her head.
“Is it because Cali is having a hard time?”
“What?”
“Cali doesn’t think it’s hard.”
The child smiled innocently.
“It’s okay. Mom and Dad, and Grandfather… Uncle will come rescue us!”
….
…Right, she was this clever. Even knowing her situation, she could perceive it as a ‘journey.’
“…You seem smarter than me.”
“Mom said that too!”
That was a bit disappointing. Atlant chuckled softly. He looked around once more.
Then he decided to bring up something he needed to say quietly.
“You asked if Uncle came to travel too, right? That’s not wrong. There was a time when I really missed this place.”
A fact only Calypso knew.
Atlant possessed a stronger spirit than I had anticipated.
He clearly understood that everything in this place was the past. When he saw Calypso, tears streamed down his face, but only for a brief moment.
Atlant harbored no regrets about his death in place of the Matriarch.
“Truly, even in my dreams I longed for this. But now it’s alright. Your uncle has found a happier place.”
A place where no one dies and everyone laughs.
Thinking of that place, my resolve to return with Cali surged forth anew.
Yet at the same time, an indescribable emotion kept welling up from within me.
Hauser, that Orca, must have felt the same way.
Because this is a time with an irreversible end.
“Your uncle is telling you this so that no matter what happens during your journey, you won’t grieve, but rather accept it as it is.”
And Atlant grasped the thread just as Calypso wished. By exercising his animal instincts.
‘Now that I’m here, I understand.’
The plan I had devised beforehand couldn’t be executed one hundred percent.
I had to inform this small niece in a way that wouldn’t shock her, so she could safely complete her ‘journey’.
“I don’t understand what you mean, Uncle.”
“It’s because your uncle isn’t very clever. But remember this.”
….
“The key point is your mother.”

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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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