Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 94

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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 94
“Ekion?”
Ekion glanced at his own hand once before reaching it toward my cheek again.
An unfamiliar touch pressed and brushed against the corners of my eyes.
It was an awkward, clumsy hand—as if attempting something for the first time, lacking any finesse.
Yet my tears stopped naturally. Remarkably so.
“Wipe Calypso’s tears.”
“Huh?”
“Tus.”
I blinked.
Ah, now that I think about it, that’s right….
“Hey, why don’t you wipe your subordinate’s tears? She’s crying so sadly.”
I had said something like that when I first met Ekion.
I remember scolding him because he was just watching Tus cry so miserably.
I made a bewildered expression, then smiled.
“Wow, thank you, Ekion. I was so startled that my tears stopped.”
I took Ekion’s hand and shook it.
“And you even remembered what I said? You really do learn fast.”
“Calypso.”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to the day we can have a real conversation.”
After saying this, I released his hand.
At that same moment, a quiet voice dropped from above my head.
When I lifted my gaze, Father was muttering with a serious expression.
“…So tears stop when you’re startled? I should have thrown her from a tree instead.”
“Father, it seems you need to relearn parenting from the beginning.”
With Father’s remark, I finally felt my feet plant firmly back in reality.
Of course, I couldn’t remain lost in sorrow and melancholy forever.
Naturally, thinking of Father and Mother on Earth made my chest ache.
How could I possibly be fine in just a few days?
But I… made a choice.
To trust in this new bond one last time.
‘This is relying on the very uncertainty I hate most.’
I lifted my head and gazed at Father.
Sensing my gaze, he looked at me, then casually patted my head with his hand before pulling away.
‘I’ll trust you.’
I shifted my gaze from Father to Ekion, who stood blankly beside me.
Yes, I bear the responsibility of bringing that child here.
I made that promise with Tus.
For that reason, Tus remained in a place where unknown dangers might lurk. He chose to sacrifice himself.
I had to remember that nobility.
‘A human might question how one could make such a decision for someone they’ve only known for a few days.’
But Tus was not human, and because of that, the promise we made was all the purer.
I wanted to keep my promises with good-hearted beings.
‘Have I found a new purpose, then?’
Yet calling it a purpose felt too grand.
The Dragon Duke would grow rapidly simply by escaping that abusive environment.
Even now, with only days having passed, look at how he commands words.
It wouldn’t take long before he could speak properly.
‘So what am I supposed to do now?’
I was staring blankly at the campfire again when a large hand suddenly appeared and covered my eyes.
“What are you doing, Father?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just… how to live going forward…”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
I tried to grab Father’s hand and pull away.
Wait, why was he applying more pressure? Let go, let go!
Strangely, it didn’t hurt, but no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free.
Well, could I really win a strength contest against this mightiest of orcas? Still, frustration welled up inside me.
Ugh, how humiliating…
Father spoke while keeping my eyes covered, and his quiet voice came through even clearer.
“Stop thinking such thoughts. Don’t.”
“What do you mean? I have to think—about what comes next—”
“Not those thoughts. Just rest for now.”
“…”
“You’re allowed to rest.”
I blinked my eyes, my vision obscured by Father’s hand.
Oh, is that so?
“I’m allowed to rest?”
“Yes. Until you find something else you want.”
“…”
“I will protect you so nothing happens. Rest.”
“…You’ll protect Ekion too, right?”
“Yes. If that’s what you wish.”
The moment I heard those words, my head grew light as if by magic, and sleep poured over me like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
In the darkness created by Father’s hand—a darkness that felt strangely comforting—I blinked once, twice, several more times.
Then I surrendered to the drowsiness that came over me.
Strange. Just ten minutes ago…
I had no intention of sleeping, afraid that closing my eyes would bring nightmares.
Yet this darkness felt not like the beginning of nightmares, but rather like a warm night—peaceful and safe.
So before I knew it, I surrendered myself to the darkness and slowly closed my eyes.
“…Thank you, it’s all thanks to you. Dragon Duke.”
With Father’s voice, barely audible, as the last thing I heard.
Then came darkness.
* * *
The next afternoon.
I gazed blankly out the window as the landscape blurred past.
‘Wow, yesterday feels like it was all a lie.’
I was no longer melancholic or drowning in despair like I had been until yesterday.
My chest still ached, but I found myself facing reality this way.
Yes, speaking of reality.
I glanced sideways.
Ekion on my left, Father on my right.
I looked at Father first.
‘That’s right, he’s become my father.’
Now that I’ve acknowledged it, there’s no taking it back. I won’t be able to change my mind.
…Somehow, if I tried to reverse it, I feel like that’s when I’d finally witness Father’s true power.
But separate from that, no matter how much I tried to steel myself, there was a hollow feeling.
What will I do when I return now?
Just wait for Ekion to grow up, and then hand him over to Tus?
What about me?
In this place, my life has never been without a goal.
I’ve always lived fiercely. That’s why this emptiness felt so unfamiliar.
I wasn’t feeling gloomy anymore, but perhaps others saw it differently.
Ekion would come hold my hand, and Father would occasionally stroke my head.
‘You don’t need to worry.’
And….
Following last night, my forehead was still throbbing.
This was all because that bastard Bellus kept staring at me from across the way.
I don’t understand why he always puts away the book he was reading and does this.
The journey, which was supposed to conclude today, was unexpectedly delayed due to an unforeseen problem.
“There’s a problem with the carriage wheel?”
“Yes, Pierre.”
I crouched down at a distance and watched Father exchange words with the Knight.
‘Huh, why does it look so strange seeing him converse normally with a Knight.’
It must be because that Father has an air of noble aloofness, as if he could live well on his own.
Besides, somehow, he seems like the type of person who, no matter where you throw him, would have followers without doing anything.
As if he could command people with just a glance.
‘So there are cases where ability overshadows appearance.’
He certainly is handsome though.
Among our group, only the handmaidens and Misa were the type to react so enthusiastically to such things.
However, at the moment, they were marveling at something else entirely.
“Oh my, oh my, the blue suits you so beautifully…!”
“Try this one too!”
“It doesn’t fit, sister!”
“When we get back, I’ll have to make one. How about matching it with our adorable Noble Lady?”
“That would be perfect!”
Surrounding Ekion, they giggled and chattered away with such excitement.
On top of that, they had already brought over the larger garments and robes from my wardrobe to try on him.
The gentle Dragon Duke simply stood still whenever they held something up to him, or he would eagerly raise his arms whenever a maid asked.
‘Ever since he began using words, it seems he understands what we’re saying to some degree.’
At first, he looked at me with anxious eyes, but seeing how close I had grown to the handmaidens during our travels, he adapted quickly.
“The… Dragon Duke? That, a dragon? Really a dragon?”
“Yes, the Dragon Duke—that kind of dragon.”
“Eeeek, really, really?”
I could still see the shocked expressions the handmaidens and Misa had worn this morning when I revealed the truth.
But that was brief—led by Misa, they all grew serious and said this:
“Um, Noble Lady. We may not understand everything… but this is something we need to keep secret, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you for trusting us with this. I want to give you my trust in return. I will take the oath of the sea.”
“Oh, me too, me too!”
“I’ll do it as well!”
I had actually been planning to ask them, so I was somewhat surprised they offered first.
Misa certainly had a way of mediating among the handmaidens and leading them well.
‘So she really was the kind of talent that caught the Dolphin’s eye in the third loop.’
It felt a bit wasteful to keep such talent quietly by my side.
‘No, that won’t do. She’s already mine.’
I let my eyes shine quietly with resolve.

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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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