Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 32
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 32
Atlant, the Second Brother.
Broadly speaking, this man possessed a temperament similar to Baian, whom I’d cursed earlier.
Quick to anger, violent, hot-blooded, and even cruel.
‘The difference, if I had to point one out, was that Atlant had more of a playful streak.’
Where Agenor, the Third Brother, waited for the strong to let their guard down and schemed to overturn the hierarchy, this one enjoyed toying with the strong.
Especially the blood that flowed in combat. If I’m being precise, he was a madman who preferred battles he could win without taking a hit, yet deliberately took the blows just to shed blood before claiming victory.
Why did this family have so many lunatics? It was truly an irritating place.
‘Madness and insanity are separated by just a thread.’
Had he taken even one more step in that direction, I would have simply written Atlant off as completely unhinged.
But this man thought things through with meticulous care, so he didn’t indulge his love of blood to the point where it would threaten his position.
That was truly the mark of a calculating Orca.
Having finished my thoughts, I stretched languidly.
For now, I decided to simply file away Agenor’s mad ramblings.
‘At any rate, there’s no reason I’d encounter Atlant anytime soon.’
Like Agenor, Atlant was currently at the Intermediate Institution.
Being roughly in the middle grades, there was no chance our paths would cross.
“Ruga.”
“Yes! Young Master!”
“Where’s Ruba?”
“Here. Why don’t you sit down too?”
I called over the Beluga Twins, who had been busy running around with a toy train model, and had them sit beside me.
Sensing they were in an energetic mood and would likely squirm around even while sitting, I quickly opened my mouth before they could escape.
“You two are twins, right? And you get along so well.”
“We don’t get along!”
“We don’t get along!”
“You don’t?”
Ruga and Ruba looked at each other and nodded.
“Father says we should get along, but… Ruba always says he’s the older one.”
“I am the older one, aren’t I?”
“Look at this. Look. I’m the mature one here, so I’m holding back.”
“That’s ridiculous. Young Master, Ruga always lies!”
“Don’t I?”
“Don’t you?”
“Well, uh…”
Hey, you two, don’t fight. Whoa, whoa. Calm down.
I suddenly felt the crisis that I might inadvertently cause the harmonious twins to quarrel.
I quickly wedged myself between them to separate them.
The Lugaluba Brothers laughed merrily as if they’d never argued, each taking one of my hands.
“Wow, when we bicker, the Young Master holds our hands?”
“You’re helping us out!”
“Don’t learn from them. These cunning creatures.”
“Hehe.”
I let out a deep sigh.
“Do you two happen to have any other siblings?”
“No. Mother says she doesn’t want to have any more.”
“Being a family head is too busy!”
“Is that so?”
It wasn’t uncommon for family heads to have fewer children than average.
The Orca Family Matriarch was something of an exception.
“But we have lots of cousins!”
“So many!”
“Really?”
Noticing our conversation, the whale children playing nearby gradually gathered around us.
While they were here, I singled out the ones who had siblings.
“My older brother always steals our snacks and eats them!”
“My older brother is really nice to us!”
“How old is your brother?”
“Twenty years old!”
“Rejected. Next.”
“I have a younger brother, but Mother only likes my younger brother…”
After having these deeper conversations, I concluded that in our class, children who generally got along well with their older siblings were rare unless there was a significant age gap.
Still, it wasn’t at the level of wanting to be beaten like Third Brother did—they bickered normally but had plenty of affection for their siblings.
“But today Caron didn’t come again.”
“He didn’t come.”
“Ah. I see.”
I was gathering data, thinking about what to discuss with Agenor next.
Worried about Third Brother’s character, I lifted my head.
‘He was absent today, wasn’t he?’
Caron had been absent for several days now.
It started after what happened between us.
I was the only one who knew the reason, but I didn’t let the Beluga Twins catch on.
“Are you relieved that Caron isn’t here?”
At that, Lugaluba looked at each other and hesitated.
Their faces clearly said yes, but they seemed reluctant to answer.
“Does Caron not want to see the Teacher?”
“I think I’d like to see the Teacher.”
Despite the teachers educating the children in quite a hands-off manner, the children genuinely loved their teachers.
Watching the twin brothers think of Caron even after being bullied by him stirred something odd in my chest.
‘If I were them, I think I’d hope he never came back. Though I suppose I’d still feel regret about not being able to take revenge with my own hands.’
Is this the innocence I’ve lost, or something like that?
I swept my gaze across the entire classroom.
Since Caron’s absence, the atmosphere among the Orca Family’s branch members had become rather peculiar.
Originally, they seemed to move about as one unified group, but now they’d subtly split into two factions.
Moreover, the groups seemed to subtly reject and harbor hostility toward each other.
For an atmosphere formed over just a few days, it was remarkably strange and curious.
‘What’s the criterion dividing them?’
Since I hadn’t conversed with them enough to know them well, nor had I paid them much attention, I could only tilt my head in confusion.
And honestly, it wasn’t worth my time to concern myself with those who posed no threat.
* * *
“Good day, Noble Lady.”
On my way back after all lessons that day.
I encountered a familiar person in front of the classroom. It was Rayla.
“Mm. Do you need something from me?”
The way she stood there, as if she’d been waiting for me, sparked my curiosity.
“No, it’s not like that. I simply came to discuss something with this class’s teacher.”
That made it even stranger.
Wouldn’t she just summon the teacher to her office? Didn’t she usually do that?
From what I knew, Rayla rarely left her director’s office.
Now that I think about it, we’ve been running into each other quite unusually often, haven’t we?
“Then why not summon the teacher?”
“Ah, sometimes there are matters that require seeing things directly.”
I paused briefly before asking.
“Is this about the Orca Family faction?”
“….”
At that, Rayla, who had been silent, offered a faint smile.
“Most of what I do is likely related to the Orca Family.”
She dodges it so skillfully.
I shrugged. Truth be told, I’d wanted to have a conversation with Rayla at some point, but today didn’t seem like the right time.
The children hadn’t all left yet, and they were watching with curious eyes.
Her claim about coming to see the teacher wasn’t entirely false—Camille was waiting over there, fidgeting restlessly.
“Noble Lady.”
“What?”
Just as I was about to turn and leave, Rayla suddenly called out to me.
“Are you aware that there’s a family meeting coming up soon?”
A family meeting. I already knew about it from the Herring Sisters.
As I nodded, a flicker of surprise and curiosity crossed Rayla’s face.
“Did Pierre tell you, then?”
“Not from him, but I do have another source.”
“Not from him, you say? Your information network is quite efficient.”
Is that so? I thought it was common knowledge since the Herring Sisters were talking about it so casually.
Isn’t everyone aware of it?
I shrugged my shoulders.
Rayla swept her gaze across the corridor before fixing her eyes intently on me.
Then she gracefully bent her knees to meet my eye level.
“Please be careful, Noble Lady.”
Her voice was lowered softly.
As she tilted her head and whispered near my ear, a voice so quiet that only I could hear it said this:
“It has been quite common for all promising prospects to disappear just before the family council.”
I was not alarmed.
Instead, I turned my clear eyes toward Rayla.
Soon a beautiful smile bloomed across my face.
“It’s fine. Father will protect me.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Rayla smiled back, but soon erased her smile and spoke.
“However, do not let your guard down, Noble Lady. This vast family has far too many gaps.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
Though I said this, since Father would never protect me, I became somewhat serious.
‘It seems Rayla warned me directly because something might happen.’
As I approached the stairs, the Lugaluba Brothers thrust their heads out as if they had been waiting.
Oh, you startled me.
The twins, as if they had been waiting for this moment all day, lifted me up and rushed me down the stairs.
…I’m getting used to this now.
“Thanks, you two. Be careful on your way.”
“Yes! See you tomorrow, Protagonist!”
“See you tomorrow, Protagonist!”
Today was not the day their father came to pick them up, so someone else took the twins away.
As I turned my head, I froze in place.
“Wow, you startled me.”
There stood Agenor in comfortable attire.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————