Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 199

199. The Secret Weapon

Summoned, Lilibel did nothing but grumble.

‘After not calling me for so long, why suddenly now…?’

Honestly, she felt a bit hurt and resentful.

*When* did you say you wanted me and told me to join your ranks!

Her lord, Calypso, who had returned from the City of Dragons, didn’t even bother to call her separately, only issuing a single order.

An order to stand by.

That it wouldn’t be good to contact her right now?

No, if you were going to leave me like this, why did you even take me in?

‘Maybe I should just take over her position.’

Lilibel shook her head after thinking this far.

‘Don’t even think about it.’

After considering it in many ways, it was impossible to take the place of ‘Calypso Aquasialdel.’

‘That crazy human.’

Her eyes hadn’t been wrong.

To think she would beat the Clan Lord.

At first, everyone thought it was a lie. They said it couldn’t be true, treating it as a rumor.

But the moment the Clan Lord, no, the ‘former Clan Lord’ Ocula Aquasialdel, declared it herself, the rumor was proven true.

Had there ever been such a peaceful change of Clan Lord in Orca history?

Orcas are greedy.

The successive Clan Lords were old, ugly, and filthy. They tried to hold onto their positions until the very end.

In the end, they were forcibly dragged down by young and strong successors. It was like a tradition.

But Ocula, even the strongest, most selfish, and greedy tyrant among the past Clan Lords, stepped down on her own.

Even if they couldn’t say it openly, the Orcas gathered in groups of three or five and gossiped.

“How could an eight-year-old beat the Clan Lord?”

“Didn’t she just use a trick to pass on the successor position?”

“But why would the Clan Lord do that? She can do whatever she wants?”

That’s what they said until ‘Pierre Aquasialdel’ rose to the position of the next Clan Lord.

When Pierre took office, all the rumors died down.

Some who fervently followed Ocula continued to raise doubts until the news that Pierre’s illness had been cured silenced even them.

Following that, rumors spread that Calypso Aquasialdel had used up all her energy in the duel with the Clan Lord and had fallen into a long sleep.

People began to treat this as just a rumor to put Calypso in the position of the next Clan Lord after Pierre.

No matter how strong she was, everyone considered Calypso’s victory ‘impossible.’

They thought the duel between Pierre and Ocula had been misrepresented.

Since no one corrected it, the rumor spread as if it were the truth.

It was around this time that Lilibel received the summons.

“I should have killed her sooner….”

“……”

“I should have let her die faster. Why did she have to get better?”

Her mother, Haila, muttered while looking in the mirror.

After Pierre rose to the position of Clan Lord, Pierre’s brothers, Rhodesen and Bior’s camps, were put on high alert.

It was only natural. It was like chasing a school of salmon but not being able to eat a single one.

It was also natural for Haila to darkly regret Pierre’s assassination attempt.

Lilibel secretly slipped out of the mansion, heading to a discreet location to avoid surveillance.

When Lilibel finally arrived, someone was already standing there.

A long braid of hair swayed.

“You came?”

It was Calypso. Calypso smiled brightly.

“Lilibel.”

* * *

It had been a while since she had seen Lilibel, but nothing had changed.

Well, it had only been a few months. If anything was noticeable, it was that she had grown taller.

‘It’s the time when Orca kids grow quickly.’

Agenor and Atlant, who were of similar age, were growing like bean sprouts day by day.

Lilibel, approaching, had a dissatisfied expression.

“You managed to find me. I thought you had completely forgotten about me.”

Her voice was sharp, and her face was full of complaints. Calypso fully understood why she was like this.

“Why, did you feel bad because I seemed to have abandoned you?”

When she spoke in a somewhat affectionate voice, Lilibel’s face softened a little.

“Yeah. By the way, I heard you collapsed after a battle, using up all your might. You’re awake and well?”

“Hey, you heard all the messages I sent, right?”

She had secretly left a message for Lilibel through the Herring merman.

That she hadn’t collapsed and had something to give her, so come secretly.

Lilibel’s expression softened, but she didn’t seem completely relieved.

“Just be careful. Things are very chaotic because your dad became the Clan Lord.”

“I guess so. An impossible thing happened according to Orca common sense, right?”

The Clan Lord of the Orcas is supposed to be the strongest female merman. This premise has been broken.

It was something that had hardly ever been broken in their long history, so everyone was confused while keeping quiet.

‘I guess the term temporary Clan Lord didn’t really work.’

“My mother is grinding her teeth.”

“Ah, if it’s Great Aunt, I figured she would.”

“Don’t take it lightly. Now that your dad’s illness is cured, we can’t do anything about it with force anymore. But why is tradition tradition?”

“Yeah, I know. It wasn’t an easy decision for me either.”

She shrugged lightly. Then she nodded.

“Let’s go in for now. I have something to give you.”

Lilibel still had a dissatisfied expression, but she quietly followed her.

The place they headed to was a familiar space for Lilibel.

It was her dad’s mansion’s underground space.

As soon as Lilibel entered, she was startled by the objects scattered all over the floor.

“W-What is this?”

“Ah, it’s messy, right? Uh-oh. Don’t step on it. It’s important.”

*It will save your life.*

Among the scattered objects, she fixed her eyes on the huge ivory that exuded overwhelming majesty.

She stared at it intently and fell into thought for a moment.

She had briefly visited the Crack of Time [a dangerous, unstable dimensional rift].

She went in with Ekion.

They were together when collecting essential materials, including parts of extinct animals, inside the Crack of Time.

However, Ekion would have a ‘penalty’ when re-entering after exiting, so only she had briefly come out to bring Lilibel’s materials.

Therefore, after today’s treatment and a few simple errands, she would return to the Crack of Time with Tuss.

And she would spend three years in earnest.

“Why does it smell so grassy….”

Lilibel frowned, but she moved carefully, perhaps because of the order.

*There’s a reason for that.*

After a while, Lilibel soon faced Whale, who was sitting on the underground sofa, and distorted her pretty face.

However, when she told her to hold hands for a ‘diagnosis,’ her expression soon became strange.

“Whale, please.”

“Okay.”

Whale nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate.

‘Unfortunately, even with the same disease, the specific materials may be slightly different.’

She was lost in thought for a moment, watching the pure white light bloom.

Fortunately, the materials needed for Lilibel’s treatment were almost the same as her dad’s, including the main materials.

Even if there were new materials, they were within the materials they had prepared in advance.

Even if they didn’t have them, now that they could use the Clan Lord’s warehouse comfortably, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find anything.

“It’s within the expected range.”

“Really?”

The newly appeared materials were also among the materials they had prepared in advance.

If they didn’t have them, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find anything since they could now use the Clan Lord’s warehouse comfortably.

“Can we start treatment right away?”

“Yeah, we can. Shall we do it?”

Whale slightly curved his eyes towards her. She paused, looking at Whale.

‘Has he always smiled like that?’

She had to start explaining to Lilibel, but she forgot about it for a moment.

Whale had a blunt appearance and didn’t smile often, so it caught her attention.

She thought he had smiled faintly even when he did smile.

“I was surprised. Not that it’s bad… but your smile seems to have changed?”

“Ah, um… is it obvious?”

“Is it?”

“Do you like it?”

“Does it have to be to my liking?”

“Um….”

Whale seemed to be contemplating for a moment, then blushed slightly and smiled.

“Third Brother… said it might work if I did this….”

“…Third? Agenor? When did you guys get so close?”

Hadn’t he kept a wall between everyone except Levi?

Their conversation wasn’t long.

“Excuse me, Calypso Aquasialdel? Can you put your love play aside and explain? So, what do I have to do?”

At the sharp voice, she quickly shook her head.

Lilibel said this, but she seemed a little anxious. After all, she had seen her ‘dad’ with the same disease being diagnosed.

Besides, she would have heard that her dad’s illness had been completely cured.

As someone with the same disease, it was natural to be nervous.

“What do you have to do? Just stay still.”

“……”

“I promised, didn’t I? That I would cure you.”

Looking at Whale, Whale slowly nodded.

When Whale reached out again, Lilibel’s hands trembled.

It wasn’t out of fear, but as if she couldn’t believe this situation.

“……Me.”

Lilibel’s lips trembled.

Lilibel bit her lip tightly and opened her mouth again.

“……Can I live?”

Forcibly holding back tears would show this child’s strong pride and stubborn personality.

She was young, but she had matured early. It was an inevitable survival instinct and a desperate result.

*Why do only I have to suffer?*

*Why do only I have to die early?*

How much worry and anguish had she gone through?

She briefly looked at her relative with compassionate eyes and nodded coolly.

“Tell me your impressions at the moment you start a new life.”

“……”

“Close your eyes.”

The treatment began.

* * *

“How is it? How does it feel to be reborn?”

She smiled brightly, facing Lilibel, who had opened her eyes.

Was it because her condition was weaker than her dad’s, or because she hadn’t suffered from the disease for as long as her dad?

Unlike her dad, Lilibel didn’t fall asleep even after the treatment was over.

Lilibel looked at her coldly with her unique cold and haughty expression.

But if you looked closely, it was no longer sharp or edgy.

“……Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“Th-Thank you!”

Lilibel shouted, then gasped and quickly elegantly covered her mouth.

Her cheeks, flushed red, looked like a girl her age, making her laugh.

“Be quiet. The one who cured you is asleep.”

Currently, Whale was fast asleep, leaning on her after the treatment was over.

When she put her index finger to her lips, Lilibel blushed even more but quietly closed her mouth.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, she slowly knelt gracefully in front of her.

“……Thank you.”

She seemed to be contemplating for a moment what to call her.

Then she looked at her with clear and distinct eyes.

“Clan Lord.”

She had sent Levi out when she started the treatment, and no one was allowed into this space, so the only ones here were the sleeping Whale, her, and Lilibel.

Looking at the once only friend and the versatile Orca who had betrayed her, she smiled slightly.

“Yeah.”

“……I didn’t think you could really cure me. From now on, I will only follow you, Clan Lord.”

“Shouldn’t you already be doing that even if you don’t say that? You swore, didn’t you?”

“……It’s about riding the atmosphere. The atmosphere.”

Lilibel didn’t change her posture while looking at her askew.

“Okay, Lilibel. Then shall we start our calculations?”

At her words, Lilibel stopped glaring and made a serious face.

*I saved you, and I gained loyalty.*

And…….

“You will have to work as a secret weapon in earnest from now on.”