Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 9
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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 9
‘Ugh, I’m exhausted….’
The carriage had been running for quite some time.
By the time I opened my eyes, I was standing in a new building.
Before me stood a woman with a stern expression and gray hair.
‘Gray hair without any markings…. She must be from a branch of the Orca Family.’
The Retainer handed me over to the woman.
“I entrust the young lady to your care.”
“Yes, we will provide excellent education in our class.”
I watched as the Retainer bowed and turned to leave.
Before parting, he mentioned he would return when the education session ended.
The woman walked for a moment before setting me down in the corridor.
‘So I’m entering here.’
During my previous three lives, I had only come to this place once.
In my first and second lives, the Orca Family Matriarch deemed me unworthy of education from the start.
I was branded as a discarded piece and lived in near confinement before being sold off.
In my third life, I somehow managed to set foot in the Educational Institution, but….
‘I only received contempt and ridicule before being expelled.’
For an Orca Family direct descendant to be expelled was a tremendous disgrace.
After all, they were the masters of this land.
Yet I surveyed my surroundings without much regret.
It wasn’t much different from my third life.
“Young lady, I’ve heard much about you.”
I turned my gaze toward the woman who had spoken. Indeed, she had a stern expression.
I had met this woman in my previous life as well.
“I am Rayla, the administrator overseeing the entire Aquatic Creature Beginner Education Institute.”
This woman was the administrator of the Elementary Education Institution.
She was something like a principal or headmaster.
‘She was a sharp one….’
I held no particular grudge against this woman.
Because of what happened in my immediately previous life.
There was a time when I fell victim to pranks by some of the worst branch family members.
When I came to my senses, I had been framed as a thief who stole someone’s belongings—a truly shameful affair for a direct descendant.
“That young lady stole my precious jewel! It’s a family treasure!”
“That’s right, it came out of her bag!”
As the matter escalated, a meeting was held with all the administrators of the Elementary Institution present.
Naturally, the meeting turned against me. There was no one to take my side.
“So the classroom was empty. Is there anyone who witnessed Calypso stealing it?”
“What? Administrator Rayla, but it came out of Calypso’s bag!”
“This is an Educational Institution, not some common place. She deserves to be addressed properly as a young lady. Alfonso.”
“…Ugh!”
That’s when I first met this woman.
“There’s no evidence that Calypso didn’t do it, but there’s also no evidence that she did. The fact that anyone could have placed something in Calypso’s bag has been proven by the open door.”
Sharp and cold eyes.
This was not the face of someone taking my side.
“I cannot impose discipline on a matter with insufficient evidence. This meeting is adjourned.”
A rational face that merely listed the facts as they were.
She left a deep impression on me, but when I returned years later to become the Family Head, this woman was no longer here.
“It’s good to see you, Rayla.”
As I greeted her with careful enunciation, Rayla’s black eyes widened slightly before returning to normal.
“I’ve heard the stories, but… it’s remarkable. To think you possess such perfect pronunciation at merely three years of age.”
Yet her admiration ended there.
“Please follow me. I’ll guide you to your assigned class. I plan to observe your education throughout today, so please keep that in mind.”
Rayla turned around, and I followed.
‘…Huh? Her pace….’
The height difference between Rayla and me was like that between an adult and a baby.
Yet it wasn’t difficult to keep up. She was adjusting her stride to match mine with that rational expression.
‘Come to think of it… I never got to thank her in my previous life.’
Why had she been driven out?
It was just speculation, but she probably wasn’t the type of talent that superiors would favor. Perhaps she was cast aside.
“Here we are.”
After walking briskly, I arrived at the class I had been assigned to.
* * *
That afternoon.
Rayla, the director of the Aquatic Creature Beginner Education Institute, could not hide her astonishment.
‘Just who is this person….’
The purpose of the Aquatic Creature Beginner Education Institute was clear.
It was to gather young aquatic creature humanoids and identify the most talented among them.
These children would one day contribute greatly to the prosperity of aquatic creatures.
As the gatekeeper of this first selection process, Rayla took great pride in her work.
The most important duty here was managing the children of whale humanoids, the masters of these waters.
Particularly, the children of the Orca Family—the masters of this land—who entered this institution according to the Family’s wishes received systematic management, whether they were direct or branch lineage.
Management was merely another name for surveillance.
Rayla had held this position for the past twenty years, and she had always prided herself on never being wrong in her assessments.
This was equally true of the newly admitted direct lineage young lady, Calypso.
“Did you hear, Rayla? The young lady recognized by the Family Head has been admitted to our institute.”
“Hmm, are you sure she was truly recognized? According to rumors, she can’t even control the power of water?”
“That’s why she was supposed to be sold off as the Dragon’s Bride.”
For a direct descendant of the Orca Family to be unable to control the power of water was no different than being born without a hand or foot.
Unlike the branch lineage who awakened the power of water through effort.
A substandard existence fallen among the proud and arrogant.
Normally, this would mean confinement and eventual disposal—the natural course of events.
In Calypso’s case, she was the Dragon’s Bride. A being meant to be sent as an offering to the dragon.
“But I heard she’s remarkably intelligent. Is that true?”
“There’s also talk that she uses precise language? Isn’t that why the Family Head acknowledged her?”
“It’s really strange….”
Yet from the moment Calypso, who had survived to age three, met the Family Head, everything changed completely.
Rayla believed the fact that Calypso had received the Family Head’s acknowledgment was half truth and half lie.
The notion that she could speak language perfectly was absurd.
Whales are viviparous creatures even among aquatic beings.
Because of this, their growth was slow before becoming powerful, and in particular, all whale children commonly couldn’t speak until they reached seven or eight years old.
“Uuaaua?”
“Au, au!”
That’s right. Children like Calypso, around three or four years old, could only express their intentions through actions and glances.
But….
“Huh? You want to play with blocks? Sorry, but I don’t do such childish games.”
“Uuuuu! Uuuu!”
“Now, now, crying won’t help. A noble orca doesn’t cry. There.”
“Hick! Tuu!”
“There, there. You have real potential.”
The rumor that everyone had doubted, or rather, most believed couldn’t possibly be true, was in fact the truth.
“Nice to meet you, Rayla.”
When she pronounced her name precisely in greeting, Rayla felt a sense of incongruity.
This was no falsehood—Calypso was far too alien for a three-and-a-half-year-old.
“Um, Miss Rayla….”
The one who cautiously approached Rayla, standing quietly in the corner of the classroom, was none other than Hanya, the instructor for the Whale 3-4 Class C.
“W-What should we do?”
“Is something the matter?”
“As you can see… we need to conduct today’s activity, but the children won’t leave the young lady’s side.”
That was it. What Calypso had demonstrated wasn’t merely remarkable language proficiency.
“When I tried to separate them, they cried….”
“The class can’t proceed…!”
Calypso had walked in confidently this morning and sat down, passing by the children with an air of dignity.
But the children, naturally curious about anything new, began to approach her.
Remarkably, in an instant, she bound them to her side with some inexplicable ability—whether it was leadership or magnetism.
“Abu, abubu!”
“I don’t eat candy someone else left behind. You eat it.”
“Buaa! Buang!”
“Oh, is this plankton candy? I’ll gratefully accept it.”
“Kyaaang!”
Calypso gently stroked the child she had just handed candy to.
Remarkably, this child had only recently enrolled and was so painfully shy that even the instructors struggled with her—yet here she was, accepting treats without hesitation.
‘Children are typically selective about appearances, and if anything, they judge far more harshly because of their youth.’
Based on this reasoning, Calypso’s appearance was undeniably striking.
She was so beautiful that one might wonder why someone with such looks hadn’t awakened the power of water.
Her beauty alone was enough to convince anyone that she had inherited Father’s strength intact.
“…Wow, the newly arrived young lady. You really are beautiful—truly beautiful.”
Henny, the assistant instructor, murmured under her breath.
“Still, if things continue like this, lessons will be difficult. What should we do, Rayla?”
The Elementary Education Institution didn’t operate haphazardly just because of its name.
Rather, as the most foundational education, it proceeded with strict standards matched to the students’ level.
There were mandatory quotas that had to be completed each day.
‘If things continue this way, here…’
Had she been wrong in her assessment?
In truth, Rayla had also believed the rumors were either false or exaggerated by over ninety percent, and she’d thought the young lady’s level was sufficient for this institution.
‘She cannot stay here. Absolutely not in the Whale 3-4 Class C. But then, which class should I place her in?’
It was the moment Rayla’s eyes narrowed in thought.
As if on cue, Calypso suddenly turned her head and fixed her gaze directly on Rayla.
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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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