Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 82

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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 82
You and I can help each other.
You need to escape this place too. I’ll help you.
-Tus likes Calypso. Calypso is a good beastkin.
“Yes, thank you. So what do you think of my proposal?”
-Calypso is right. Tus found someone to help. Calypso is good. It’s okay. But….
“But?”
Tus seemed to hesitate before shaking his head.
-When does Calypso leave here?
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
“If you wish, we could leave right now.”
I came to this place to see the Dragon Duke anyway.
It’s a shame to miss the festival, but judging from the sentries’ conversation earlier, the festival won’t be held anyway. So there’s really nothing to regret.
-Really? Leave right away?
Tus’s face brightened.
It seemed the timing of departure had been weighing on him.
-Then that’s good, the Dragon Duke must learn in a good place. Good!
His excited voice was filled with loyalty and affection toward the Dragon Duke.
I turned my gaze to the young boy for a moment.
‘Is not learning emotions the same as not feeling emotions?’
There was a being right beside me radiating affection with his entire body like this.
Perhaps in the previous cycle, the Dragon Duke became someone like the original narrative described precisely because Tus was there?
But I couldn’t leave him in this environment as is.
“Alright, now that we’ve decided, let’s move quickly.”
Then I suddenly realized I was still holding the Dragon Duke’s hand.
I tried to let go, but this time he grasped my hand tightly.
I understood immediately.
‘He’s mimicking exactly what I did.’
I blinked and smiled.
“What’s your name?”
“…What’s your name?”
“I am Calypso Aquasiadel.”
“Calypso Aquasiadel.”
“That’s right.”
“….”
The hand grasping mine kneaded it gently. My name came from his small lips once more, and I affirmed it.
“Calypso Aquasiadel.”
“Yes. Calypso.”
“Calypso.”
Again and again.
I held the earnest wish that the Dragon Duke would remember my name first and foremost.
I thought about raising him well and returning home together.
“Alright, now that it’s decided, I need to move forward.”
Instead of voicing the secret hope I harbored, I brushed the dust from my hands.
There would come a moment to discuss this again with the Dragon Duke.
‘For now, I can’t take the Dragon Duke away immediately.’
My heart yearned to seize his hand right then and there and make my escape, but.
Hadn’t I already seen it? Outside, a Hyena beastkin—a apex predator—and a Chameleon beastkin stood guard. I couldn’t ignore them, perfectly positioned as they were for surveillance.
‘And that Hyena, he’s far stronger than ordinary.’
I could sense it faintly just by looking at him.
In my current state, if I engaged him, I couldn’t even guarantee my own escape.
Moreover, as I mentioned before, the Dragon Duke is slightly larger than me. So I’m uncertain whether he could fit through the hole I crawled out of.
With so many unclear variables, I couldn’t simply drag him out recklessly.
‘I have to think of this as a one-time opportunity.’
If those outside—if the Imperial Palace—discovered that I intended to flee with the Dragon Duke, I had to assume such an opportunity would never come again.
“Tus, you’ll stay here, right?”
-Yes! Tus stay next to the Duke!
I nodded.
While I wished Tus could come along, I couldn’t bear to separate this young serpent from his master again, not when he’d just reunited with him and looked so happy.
Besides, even if Tus came with me, it wouldn’t solve our fundamental problem.
“Tus, I want to ask you one thing—if I come near this building, will you be able to sense me? For instance, if I speak to you in my mind like I did before, will you hear me?”
-Yes! It will work! This castle is the Dragon’s domain. Tus can sense you!
“Really?”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
I reached a conclusion.
‘Indeed, I can’t do this alone.’
…The scale of this undertaking is far too grand to handle by myself.
‘I absolutely cannot do this alone.’
Moreover, even if by some miracle in a million I managed to bring the Dragon Duke out on my own, there remained another problem.
What would I say when I encountered Father and that bastard Bellus back at the lodgings?
I let out a heavy sigh, but my mind was already working frantically on how to persuade Father.
‘If I can just convince Father, then Bellus….’
I could ask Father to intimidate him with force. Fine.
“Tus, I’ll come back tomorrow then. When I return, it will be after I’m prepared to take the Duke with me.”
I wasn’t sure if I could persuade Father within a single day, but I decided to try regardless.
After all, if it was certain the Dragon’s Festival wouldn’t be held, the Orca Family had no reason to remain here any longer.
“Just in case, even if we’re not ready by tomorrow, you remember the hole we entered through today, right?”
-Yes! I remember!
“I’ll call you from there and explain the situation. When and how we’ll take the Duke away.”
-Yes! Tus likes this!
Tus sat in the Dragon Duke’s palm, wagging his tail contentedly.
He looked absolutely delighted.
I chuckled softly and turned my head away.
“….”
I wasn’t sure when he’d started watching, but the Dragon Duke was staring at me intently.
His gaze was hazy and unfocused. When he noticed my attention, I watched his head tilt in confusion—it was rather endearing.
“Come with me.”
“…Come with me.”
“Let’s go.”
“Go?”
I let out a short laugh and shared my observation.
“You’re like a parrot.”
Being this small, perhaps a baby parrot? It hardly suited a dragon.
‘I don’t have time. I need to return.’
I had to get back to my chambers before the night ended.
Just as I was about to turn away, my hand was suddenly grasped.
At first, the grip was incredibly weak, but I felt it gradually grow stronger.
The Dragon Duke moved his mouth.
“Calypso.”
“Hmm?”
I blinked.
Then I grinned.
“That’s right. I’m Calypso. And I’ll come back.”
I gently pried the Dragon Duke’s hand away, but instead of simply setting it down, I gave it a firm squeeze.
Though his case was different from mine, I once had a subordinate with severe emotional deprivation.
“Let’s see each other again then.”
I remembered how much he’d loved holding hands like this.
“Perhaps it was simply the novelty of being able to feel someone’s warmth.”
“Matriarch, sometimes another’s warmth brings far more than one might expect.”
I waved my hand and opened the Dragon Duke’s door.
The door was heavy.
The Duke had opened it so easily earlier—was I mistaken?
“So please be careful.”
“Matriarch, you are sometimes excessively kind.”
My subordinate’s voice echoed faintly through my mind, but I paid it no mind.
Finally, I found him!
I walked down the corridor, humming softly to myself.
Of course, I remained cautious, carefully observing my surroundings in case I encountered the handmaidens again.
‘Let’s get back quickly.’
Fortunately, I made it back without encountering either the Hyena or the Chameleon beastkin.
* * *
The next morning.
‘Ugh, I’m so tired.’
I’d returned to my room just as dawn was breaking.
It had taken time to enter the Dragon Duke’s Castle, then I’d spent considerable time inside, and the journey back had taken longer than expected.
Fortunately, I hadn’t encountered the Hyena or Chameleon beastkin on the way back.
‘As soon as I came out a bit, the guards were everywhere, weren’t they?’
There had been far more regular sentries than when I’d entered, so I’d been delayed slipping past them on my return.
From what I’d gathered on the way back, the surveillance wasn’t just near the building where the Dragon Duke resided—it was strict starting from a distance away.
‘So the Dragon Duke doesn’t want his residence to be known.’
And he probably didn’t want anyone getting close to his domain to hide his condition either.
I was somewhat fatigued from all the movement.
Truth be told, even after returning home, I hadn’t been able to sleep before breakfast, worrying about what to tell Father.
‘Honestly, I think I spent the most energy on this part.’
With a good meal, the fatigue would disappear quickly enough.
What’s the advantage of being young? This incredible recovery power!
Bellus wasn’t at the breakfast table.
Naturally, Father and I were eating earnestly together.
I wondered if that was actually for the best.
‘I need to talk to Father. About the Dragon Duke…’
While aquatic animal beastkin typically ate meals composed mainly of fish, the food provided at the Dragon Duke’s Castle consisted largely of meat.
Perhaps because Father had established proper discipline on the first day, the Retainer hadn’t played any tricks with the food or service.
If he had tried anything, this time he might have experienced firsthand how an Orca tears a beastkin apart.
I watched for an opening while eating earnestly.
The sooner I spoke, the better.
‘The Knights and Handmaidens have just been sent to eat.’

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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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