Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 40

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 40
Agenor was already at his seat when I arrived, and I spotted him immediately.
The moment our eyes met, he waved his hand loosely at me.
The casual gesture sent ripples of murmuring through those nearby.
“Did Agenor just wave at us so warmly?”
“My goodness, he doesn’t even get along with his own siblings…”
“The princes under Pierre don’t even speak to each other. From what I hear, they only fight whenever they cross paths.”
I scanned the meeting hall and my gaze finally settled on one location.
Familiar faces sat directly across from my seat.
Baian and his faction.
Whether they’d been glaring at me before I even looked their way, their eyes burned with lethal intensity.
‘Those are the eyes of someone who wants to tear me apart.’
I smirked.
Grinning widely, I even raised my middle finger for them.
Whatever the meaning, they certainly wouldn’t appreciate it.
My gaze drifted from the indignant Baian to the composed-looking woman seated beside him.
‘As expected, my uncle didn’t come.’
They said a parent had to attend. Either one would suffice.
That woman was my Orca Family Matriarch.
‘This is bad. It might have been better if my uncle came directly.’
The Orca Family Matriarch with her composed demeanor remained unshaken no matter how chaotic this place became, no matter who her son glared at. She seemed to exist in a different space entirely.
Her gray hair was elegantly pinned up.
She was also an orca.
A cadet branch of the family.
Still, the mere fact that Baian himself couldn’t attend the family council would deal them a devastating blow.
‘My grandmother loves flaunting her influence at the family council.’
It wasn’t just any gathering where all the retainers assembled and focused their attention.
Every major and minor decision was made and carried out there.
Being excluded from that place meant never truly entering the center of this aquatic collective.
‘I really wanted to go this time, but it’s unfortunate.’
With Baian absent, it seemed my uncle Rhodesen would go and become my grandmother’s lapdog.
I chuckled at the image that formed in my mind.
‘Ah, my uncle really does shake that bell well.’
Time passed. It was now the hour for the disciplinary committee to begin.
Somewhere else at that same moment, the family council was convening.
‘Now it begins.’
This place was an enormous meeting hall.
A semicircular table, and a chairman’s seat fashioned like a judge’s bench.
At the semicircular table sat the parties involved—myself and Agenor among others—along with our parents, though the seating was sparse.
Besides them were the retainers serving as jurors.
And seated in the chairperson’s position were two others besides Rayla, and Calypso had no difficulty recognizing that one of them was the director of the Intermediate Institution.
‘Who is the other one? Their face seems strangely familiar.’
“Everyone, please maintain order. We will now commence the Highest Disciplinary Committee hearing.”
When Rayla, seated at the head position, spoke, the hall fell silent at once.
“I am Rayla, serving as both moderator and chairperson. In this proceeding, all present shall dedicate themselves to the discussion regardless of rank, and I ask that you swear by the name of the sea to speak only truth throughout this hearing. First, Lord Baian, who is both a party and the accused in this matter.”
“…I swear by the sea.”
“And Calypso, who is both a party and the victim in this matter.”
“I swear by the sea.”
“Agenor.”
“I swear by the sea.”
Beyond this, Rayla administered oaths to all parties involved, and only after the younger members had sworn did she sweep her calm gaze across the hall.
When her gaze turned toward Calypso, someone other than Rayla opened their mouth.
It was the director of the Intermediate Institution, who had remained silent until now.
“Before we begin, I am Chaya, one of the chairpersons. As a chairperson, I have a question.”
Chaya, who raised her hand, was an elderly woman with drooping eyes.
Yet her gaze alone carried a sharp, overwhelming force.
“This hearing concerns the conduct of a minor student from an Educational Institution, and therefore… I understand we were notified in advance that a guardian’s attendance was mandatory.”
She was an orca warrior who had crossed through countless battles alongside the current Matriarch, and was now dedicating her efforts to nurturing the next generation.
“Why, then, do Calypso and Agenor have no guardians present beside them?”
Calypso felt a slight prick of discomfort internally. But it was brief.
So it comes.
Yes, it had simply come as expected.
‘I thought Rayla would help it slip by naturally.’
This was likely Rayla’s own consideration.
She probably thought it strange as well, but she hadn’t brought it up at all during the greeting.
“Is there a delay, perhaps?”
At the forceful voice, Calypso turned her gaze.
Calypso met Chaya’s sharp eyes boldly and directly.
A flicker of surprise crossed Chaya’s eyes, but only for a moment.
“I have no guardian.”
At Calypso’s confident declaration, everyone in the hall froze.
Even Chaya, who had posed the question, stiffened.
“The reason for a guardian’s presence is to receive their assistance in consideration of our inexperience as minors. Is that correct, Chairperson?”
“…That is correct.”
Rayla nodded. Calypso turned her gaze.
“Agenor and I will be our own advocates.”
A guardian would only be a nuisance. Their absence is fine.
I can navigate this myself.
The three chairpersons’ section and the jury benches where the attendants sat erupted into commotion.
The general sentiment was whether Calypso’s position could be accepted.
“Even if I were to lack a guardian, that would be a disadvantage for Agenor and me—not for the opposing side. Therefore, I wish to proceed as planned.”
However, because Calypso had spoken with such crisp decisiveness, everyone seemed to nod along, thinking perhaps she was right.
Everyone except one person.
“I object! This proceeding was initiated under strict legal codes and regulations. How can we conduct a hearing against a party that has failed to observe even the most basic rules?”
It was Chaya who objected, her voice sharp enough to make the room reverberate.
Chaya admired Calypso’s unflinching resolve, but she herself was an absolute stickler for principles and procedure.
‘Ah, she was the Orca Family Matriarch’s friend, or colleague, wasn’t she? Not helpful at all….’
Because Chaya’s argument was so forceful, the observers’ opinions split into two camps, though the atmosphere tilted ever so slightly in her favor.
“We can take the time. Summon the guardian, Calypso.”
Agenor turned toward Calypso. His gaze asked: what will you do now?
Calypso’s eyes narrowed slightly.
In truth, she had considered this possibility.
But the solution she was now contemplating was something even she would rather not employ.
“…According to rumor, isn’t the Noble Lady on good terms with Pierre?”
“I’ve heard that rumor too. They say she treasures him dearly….”
“But why isn’t he here?”
“Could he be ill?”
The whispers struck her ears like sharp needles.
If she made one wrong move here, Calypso risked being exposed for the lie she had told, placing herself in a precarious position.
Baian, who had been watching, let out a soft chuckle.
“Why not just proceed? She says she has no father, so what’s the problem?”
“Haha, Lord Baian is right.”
“Let’s just start, Chairperson.”
“Right. Let’s get the family hearing underway quickly.”
Chaya’s expression twisted in frustration.
At this rate, the proceedings would begin with all legal codes cast aside.
Yet if the current flowed this way, it was difficult for her to press her objection further.
Calypso watched the shifting atmosphere and held back a sigh.
Even if the disciplinary hearing concluded well, she could not escape rumors of discord with Pierre.
‘It’s unfortunate, but there’s no help for it.’
Calypso resigned herself and requested once more to proceed without a guardian.
“Then Calypso and Agenor shall proceed without a guardian….”
“That’s not what I intend.”
Calypso’s eyes widened.
…It was a voice that should not have been heard in this place.
“Rules are rules.”
As she slowly turned her head, she saw my mentor—who had entered silently, opening the door without a sound.
A tall, lean silhouette. The teacher who always wore loose garments was nowhere to be found.
“They must naturally be upheld.”
Calypso’s eyes opened wide.
“Guardian of my daughter and son, present.”
Dressed in formal attire with impeccable precision, she wore the same shade of blue as Calypso’s own garment, as though they had been tailored to match.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————