Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 158

158

After sharing all the plans, we headed in different directions.

I got into the carriage with the Second. The coachman and the knight who came with us had bewildered expressions, but they obediently followed, having seen what they had seen.

“The other two, guard the room thoroughly. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone in. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand!”

In the Orca family, where the logic of power reigns, they didn’t find it strange that even a young child like me was giving orders.

Rather, a faint blush spread across their faces. It was anticipation for battle.

Of course, only the knight going with me had such an expression; the other two enviously watched the one following me.

Honestly, these Orcas.

I clicked my tongue inwardly, but on the other hand, I understood.

If there wasn’t the important goal of rescuing Tus, I would have been no different from them, looking forward to a fight.

“Guard well.”

“Yes!”

“And load it up quickly!”

“Yes!”

Another guy was with us in the luggage compartment of the carriage.

It was Asel, tightly bound.

The face he made as he was being loaded into the luggage compartment glared at me as if to kill, but I remained unmoved, simply smiling.

The remaining Black Leopard knights would still be tied up in that spot.

As the carriage moved further away, Atlan’s power would weaken, and eventually, they would break free and cause a commotion.

‘That’s exactly what I want.’

Perhaps some of the guys I beat up would have already woken up by now.

I didn’t knock them out for too long.

I was in a hurry, so I quickly finished the inspection and was about to get on the carriage.

“Hey, look over there.”

Atlan got in first, and as I was about to climb in, he nudged me and gestured towards one place.

Levi was standing there.

“What, Levi? Why are you here? You clearly have a plan…….”

“I stopped by on the way. Don’t worry, I won’t be late. I remember the instructions well.”

Levi said quickly. His expression seemed somewhat urgent, so I didn’t reprimand him any further.

“I forgot to ask one thing. You told me to make autonomous decisions whenever possible, but I need to ask about this.”

“What is it?”

“Is it okay if people die?”

“Innocent people?”

“No, I wouldn’t touch those people. I mean the ones involved.”

I stared at Levi intently before answering.

“What do you think?”

Levi also kept his gaze fixed on me, then slowly nodded.

“……I see. That answers my question.”

As if my expression alone had given him the answer. He was about to turn around immediately but hesitated for a moment.

“If I may be so bold, could I ask for one thing?”

“What is it?”

Hesitation flickered within the round but cold eyes behind his glasses.

“If we successfully complete this mission, I would like to know why you know me so well.”

It was an unexpected request.

“Everything about me, as if you’ve been watching me from the side, even the things about my life that I intended to keep secret until I die, I want to know why you know all of it.”

The words flowed out smoothly, as if he had been contemplating it for quite some time. He probably had been thinking about when to bring it up. I knew he would bring it up eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be now.

‘And he’s trying to bargain like this?’

I tilted my head slightly and chuckled.

“Wow, you’re trying to easily steal someone else’s trade secrets?”

“…….”

Even with my flippant attitude, Levi’s gaze remained unwavering.

I shrugged.

“Okay. If you succeed.”

“……!”

Leaving those last words, I got into the carriage.

“I’ll give you a hint.”

* * *

Inside the moving carriage, it sped faster than ever.

The streets were deserted, allowing it to travel even faster. Everyone must have gone to Peseum to watch Dad’s fight.

After such a flamboyant display of drawing aggro [drawing attention], they couldn’t have resisted going.

“Hey.”

Turning my head, I saw Atlan sitting across from me with an unhappy expression.

Seeing him throw out his complaints as soon as I looked at him, it seemed he was quite bothered.

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’re smart, you understood everything.”

“You’re strangely always acknowledging me while getting angry?”

Oh, he’s giving me a look that says to stop with the useless talk.

I shrugged, wearing a playful expression.

Giving Levi everything?

“Who knows? Should I tell him if he really succeeds?”

“Hey!”

“Quiet. I won’t tell him.”

“…….”

“So, don’t worry about it. Your expression is getting worse. It’s something you’d only regret knowing.”

“…….”

“Our past wasn’t a happy one, was it?”

People say that if the ending is good, it’s a happy ending. No matter how difficult the process was, they’ll acknowledge it if the ending is good.

Then, what about our ending that ended in tragedy? I recalled the third timeline and erased it from my mind.

There was a more important battle ahead.

“Let’s talk about something more important. Stop getting distracted too.”

I erased my smile and put on a serious expression.

“Second, when we arrive in Peseum, you…….”

While I was reiterating what he needed to do, we arrived in Peseum.

* * *

‘If I use the power of water to run at full speed, it would take 10 minutes, no, maybe 15 minutes?’

The distance from the Dragon’s Castle to Peseum wasn’t that far.

Perhaps it was built near the castle on purpose since the Dragon Duke used to enjoy entertainment there long ago.

However, that’s only when considering the straight-line distance; in reality, coming by carriage involves some detours, so it was about a 20-minute journey.

The massive stadium felt grand just by looking at it.

It truly reminded me of the Colosseum on Earth.

We had only arrived in front, but I could already hear a huge roar. Its size alone was overwhelming.

“You go back.”

“Yes? But.”

“No, guard the room.”

The Orca knight who came with me seemed disappointed at the words to return, as his expectations of having a fight were shattered.

His expression was a little funny.

I quietly looked at the sky and quickened my pace.

“Let’s go.”

Behind me, I could hear the sound of the carriage turning around and Atlan walking alongside me.

It wasn’t difficult to enter the stadium. I saw quite a few people who appeared to be Black Leopard knights or Dragon’s Castle knights along the way.

Perhaps because both Atlan and I were wearing robes, we didn’t attract much attention.

There were actually many people wearing robes, and more than that, there were a great number of people.

“I didn’t know so many people lived in the Dragon’s City.”

“Are you saying that like you didn’t know? The Dragon’s City is considered the second-largest city after the capital.”

“No, well……. Knowing and seeing are different, aren’t they?”

Despite the tight schedule, surprisingly, the Black Leopard Duke, acting as the Dragon Duke’s proxy, had plausibly arranged this duel.

Although he was an enemy, I acknowledged his administrative abilities. Looking down, I could see the duel was in full swing.

“Ah, did you see that? Oh my goodness, Croca the Crocodile beastman! He can’t get up! That’s his fifty-second victory!! He easily made it through the tournament, but he’s no match!”

Moreover, hearing the voice echoing through the stadium, it seemed they had also set up a caster and commentator.

‘They’ve implemented it properly.’

I heard that the last duel held in Peseum was a very long time ago.

I went down to the second floor and approached the railing.

Atlan was next to me, frowning due to the restrictions, but he followed well.

Below, Dad was being showered with fluttering paper flowers. These flowers looked like snow.

‘If Dad were healthy, this would be a sight he could easily see.’

Since it doesn’t snow often in the Aquasia del territory, seeing Dad covered in snow like this was definitely a rare sight.

The cheers, joy, and glory of the people. I sometimes wondered.

Did Dad not want the position of head of the family?

At that moment, Dad’s head, which had been peacefully accepting the paper flowers, turned sharply.

‘Ah.’

Dad was staring at me as if it were a lie. He found me in this crowd of people.

At first, I thought it was a mistake, but.

Dad’s lips moved.

‘Calypso.’

My name. I forgot the situation and smiled, then quickly jumped up.

“Ugh, wh-what!”

“Kid? She’s standing on the railing!”

“Young lady, it’s dangerous……!!”

The people nearby were surprised and fell back at the sight of me standing on the railing, but I didn’t care and only stared below.

Atlan was with me.

‘Alright, it’s showtime.’

I thought of Levi, who would have started something near the building where Tus was in the Dragon’s Castle by now.

“Let’s go.”

I pressed down on my hat and kicked off the railing.

The nearby spectators screamed at the sight of me jumping down. Some of those on the lower floor closed their eyes or covered them.

However, I didn’t fall.

Streams of water floated me up as if it were a lie.

I landed lightly.

Right in the middle of the arena.

“…….”

The heat gradually disappeared, and the murmuring grew louder. I waved my hand in the noise.

“Hello, Dad.”

Dad wasn’t flustered. Even though it wasn’t a planned situation, he simply looked at me calmly and spoke.

“Is it time?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s finally here.”

“A little early.”

“Isn’t it?”

I slowly turned my head.

‘Yeah, I knew you’d be here.’

Devana Pantereon. The Black Leopard Duke was sitting in the upper seats of the stadium.

The seat with the best view of the match. Usually, it was a seat for the Dragon Duke or the Emperor.

He was completely acting like the owner of this city.

Before I knew it, the surroundings became even noisier. There were also those who were jeering.

Most of them were wondering who this little kid who suddenly appeared was.

I slowly took off my hat.

“Dad. Can you amplify my voice?”

“Of course.”

“Ah, ahem.”

My clear voice echoed throughout the stadium.

“Hello, everyone. I am the Dragon’s Bride for this year.”

At the same time as my voice spread, the surroundings became as silent as death.

I looked around with satisfaction and said.

“I am here today to expose a very terrible incident that happened in the Dragon’s Castle.”

Now, what is the best thing to escalate the situation?

Conspiracy and slander.

“We Orcas, especially me, only came to see the Dragon Duke, and although my dad was a bit extreme…….”

I could feel Dad’s gaze here. I pretended not to notice.

“While my dad, the strongest knight protecting me, was away, I had to come to this place myself to avoid a group attacking my vulnerable self.”

My voice became more childlike as it went on.

Then, I glanced at Atlan and cleared my throat.

“Some heinous and bad group attacked the Dragon’s Bride.”

I looked at the audience and said slowly on purpose.

“No, I should say kidnapping and attempted murder.”

It was too heavy of an issue to be echoed in a clear tone.

As expected, the quiet surroundings went wild as if they had gone crazy.

I waited for this commotion to subside for a moment and quickly continued.

“I ask this, taking this opportunity.”

I turned around and finally faced one place. Towards the best seat, the apex of this stadium.

“Duke Pantereon, why did the Black Leopard attack me?”

Duke Pantereon had been sitting calmly until the statement that the Dragon’s Bride had been attacked for the first time.

However, his expression soured when he was pointed out.

Soon after, a low and heavy voice echoed through the stadium.

“Why is the Dragon’s Bride slandering us with baseless accusations?”

It was Duke Pantereon.

I chuckled at the sight of him pretending to be polite and making excuses. Oh yeah, this is just a frown, right?

Yeah, I knew you’d say that.

“It may be hard to believe, but there is evidence.”

I gestured to Atlan.

The Second had been carrying a large sack on his shoulder the whole time.

And what’s in this sack?

The string is released, and the sack slides down.

Tada.

“Even so, I directly caught the leader of the heinous group that attacked me.”

“What?”

Freshly delivered! No, direct from the Dragon’s Castle! Is this your son?

If you take him now, you’ll get a discount. The free gifts are your disgrace and infamy.

“Sob, I was so scared.”

While my crying echoed, no one could say anything.

Because, the Black Leopard’s heir was lying tied up in the sack.

Duke Pantereon jumped up from his seat. I felt a sense of pleasure watching that.