Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 89

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

Chapter 89
In this moment, the young boy who had only just begun to speak my name simply tilted his head in confusion.
Watching his hazy, innocent face, I smiled.
“I look forward to working with you.”
As I continued to observe the Dragon Duke Ekion, I noticed the boy trembling ever so slightly.
‘Oh dear, is he cold?’
Turning my gaze, I saw cold air streaming through the window that still stood wide open.
Now that I thought about it, reptiles were indeed weak to the cold.
Strictly speaking, dragons were also reptiles… or perhaps giant lizards?
Amused by the thought that the first Dragon would have been appalled, I closed the window and returned with a neatly folded blanket from the corner of the room.
‘When will Father come in?’
Remarkably, it was a beautiful shade of blue that matched Ekion’s hair perfectly.
Ekion blinked in bewilderment as I draped the blanket over his head.
“Are you cold? At least cover yourself with this for now. Or you could lie in bed and pull the blankets over you. You could even take a short nap if you’d like.”
“Cold?”
“Yes. That shaking you were doing earlier—that was because you were cold.”
When I lowered the blanket to drape it across his shoulders, the trembling stopped.
“Warm now, isn’t it? Dragon Duke, this is for you.”
“…Warm?”
“Yes. This is warm. It’s yours.”
“Mine.”
“Yes, it’s yours.”
When I turned my gaze toward the window, I could see the fading edge of dawn painting the sky beyond the glass.
I frowned slightly as I watched the sky grow brighter.
‘Father is taking rather long, isn’t he?’
* * *
Sunrise.
Just as the morning sun began to rise, the area near the gates of the City of Dragons appeared busy from the early hours.
The city where the revered Dragon Duke dwelled.
Moreover, with the Dragon’s Festival approaching, countless carriages had been coming and going, but since yesterday, only those leaving had been passing through the castle gates, with almost none entering.
It was early for anyone to be leaving the city, yet the appearance of departing carriages was not unusual.
After all, the Dragon’s Festival had been cancelled.
This news had reached the Knights who protected the city, and soon all the demi-humans of the Empire came to know of it.
For all demi-humans living in the City of Dragons who admired and revered the Dragon Duke, it was news that brought not just disappointment but also concern.
“That carriage—I haven’t seen it before. Who is it?”
“Ah. You came from deep inland, didn’t you? It’s the Aquasiadel. You know, the Orca Family. The most powerful and renowned aquatic clan leaders among all water-dwelling creatures.”
“Ah.”
Amid the general gloom, the Aquasiadel’s carriage passed through the gates without incident.
They had been added to the list of departing guests, and the departure time had already been shared with the Dragon’s Castle, so there was truly nothing problematic about it.
“The fish are leaving the Dragon’s Castle—now that’s good news.”
“Well, that’s true. They’re not suited for the City of Dragons.”
“Listen, you’re lucky you didn’t say that in front of them. Didn’t you hear what happened in the Dragon’s Castle dining hall? The legendary Fire Bear couldn’t last even a second before getting thrown out…!”
The Knights exchanged a few mocking remarks before departing.
Thus, the Aquasiadel Family’s carriage disappeared into the distance without any interference.
The Knights remained unaware that the Dragon Duke—whom they so revered yet knew nothing of his actual life—was inside that very carriage.
Kwaarrr. Bang!
The castle gates closed.
And two weeks from this day, a massive explosion erupted at the Dragon Duke’s Castle.
* * *
“Teacher, are you really not going to tell me? What were you doing out there?”
Bellus sat quietly in the carriage, too busy observing.
Two days ago, we had departed for Aquasiadel.
It was now afternoon—quite late afternoon at that.
“You’ll understand once time passes.”
“Why won’t you tell me? How many days has it been since you started asking like this? Days. So how much longer until you tell me?”
“Well… if things go as expected, about two weeks, or a week if we’re lucky, but I doubt it’ll be quick.”
“Ugh, this isn’t a riddle game.”
Something had subtly changed. That’s what Bellus felt.
Bellus’s intuition had rarely been wrong up until now.
‘The feeling that something has shifted between these two people is no illusion either.’
But what could have changed in merely a few days?
In fact, on the day Pierre brought the Dragon Duke to his quarters, he had already taken precautions near Bellus’s room.
Because of that, Bellus hadn’t known what happened outside his room.
As expected, the cause of this anomaly was….
‘That must be it.’
At the end of Bellus’s gaze was Ekion, completely wrapped in a robe.
A pale blue blanket was clutched tightly in his arms as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
‘Who exactly is that?’
For days, he’d remained in that state, barely speaking.
“Calypso Aquasiadel.”
That was undoubtedly the source of the subtle tension between Calypso and Pierre.
“When are you finally going to explain?”
At that, Calypso’s chattering voice stopped abruptly, as if someone had cut off a gramophone.
Calypso’s azure eyes turned toward Bellus.
Calypso thought to herself.
‘Finally, it’s here.’
For Bellus, a few days was quite a long time to hold back.
In fact, Calypso had been surprised internally.
She had expected him to pester her, yet he’d held out until now.
Thanks to that, we were now quite far from the City of Dragons.
“Father, let me explain this to Bellus myself.”
“An explanation won’t convince him. I think it’s best to remind him that what you’ve done is far more insane than he realizes.”
“…I just hope you won’t hit him too hard, even if whale bone is durable.”
When Pierre offered his advice before departure, Calypso laughed with amusement.
“I’m not planning to rely on persuasion alone either, Teacher. If that fool gets angry, resists, or shows any unnecessary resistance…then I’ll need you to intimidate him. I’m counting on a brilliant threat! You’ve got this!”
“Very well.”
I had solid backing prepared.
“Well, before you answer…Bellus Aquasiadel.”
Calypso continued while observing Bellus carefully.
“You definitely said before we left that you’d turn a blind eye once.”
Calypso didn’t expect things to go smoothly.
There was no way to trust a promise that wasn’t even a sea oath.
“I haven’t changed my mind about that. So what exactly is this?”
Bellus gestured with his head.
‘Hmm, would he be shocked if I told him that thing he’s pointing at with his head is the Dragon Duke?’
I immediately shook my head. No. He was nothing like that.
‘There’s no avoiding revealing his identity.’
Regardless of other matters, the Dragon Duke’s distinctive appearance was already widely known.
‘At least during this journey, Father can continue to watch over and intimidate him.’
If I hid the Dragon Duke in Pierre’s residence afterward, I could even evade the Matriarch’s eyes.
The problem was Bellus.
What if he ran straight to the Matriarch and reported everything upon arriving at the Aquasiadel territory?
‘It would be ruined.’
Just reporting it alone would be stealing credit.
Moreover, since the Dragon Duke couldn’t express his own will, who would believe it even if the Imperial schemes were exposed?
Tus, the Dragon’s servant who was the only one capable of testifying, couldn’t communicate with anyone except Calypso.
To reveal the truth, Ekion’s sense of self needed to solidify and he needed to be able to express his will clearly.
Time was necessary.
‘I told Tus seven years, but couldn’t it happen faster?’
From what I’d observed over two days, the Dragon Duke was intelligent. Moreover, I had Tus’s notebook in hand.
“Ekion, I’m going to remove your hat.”
As I reached out, Ekion obediently offered his head.
‘He must have been frustrated all this time, yet he’s so well-behaved.’
When I removed Ekion’s robe and hat, revealing his face, Bellus’s eyes widened in silence.
“You…!!”
“Say hello. This is the Dragon Duke. Lord Ekion Pontus.”
“Are you insane?”
“Yeah, I do tend to play on a grand scale.”
While Bellus gaped in shock, Calypso grinned wickedly.
“As an Orca, you won’t speak out of both sides of your mouth, right? …Though I suppose there are already too many living like this anyway.”
I’m talking about guys like Baian, Caron, and Sorte.
“So Bellus, what will you do? Will you keep your word?”
“You’re saying that in the face of this absurd situation?”
“As expected, it’s hard to accept easily, isn’t it?”
A sharp aura emanated from Calypso’s body.
Bellus flinched.
He felt Pierre’s cold gaze bearing down on him.
It felt as though the Grim Reaper’s scythe was drawing near to his throat.
‘Is this a threat?’
It was a threat that didn’t need to be spoken aloud.
“As I said, I don’t dislike you. I also hope you live your life well in your own way.”
“….”
“I think if we cooperate just a little with each other, we can both live comfortably.”
Calypso smiled softly and placed her hand beneath her chin.
“As you can see, I’m excellent. How would it be if I helped you?”
“You’d make me the Matriarch?”
A radiant smile bloomed across Calypso’s face.
“If I wish it, it’s possible, you know?”
Have you heard of the Matriarch attribute course for returnees?

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