Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 201

201

However, by the time the merman remembered who the boy was, he was long gone.

The helped, weaker mermen felt regret for not properly expressing their gratitude.

“We should have at least given him something to eat…….”

“I know. Well, won’t we see him again? He seems to be wandering around this area.”

But they also knew.

That the wasteland was quite vast, so it might take a while before they saw him again.

“By the way, is that child really a humpback whale merman?”

One of the mermen tilted his head.

“Why would a whale merman be here instead of in Aquasialdel [a major merman city]? Especially a child.”

“Right. A recently displaced minnow merman said he saw schools of dolphins moving. Are the humpback whale mermen also relocating?”

Humpbacks had traditionally served the orcas around them for generations.

“If fate allows, we’ll see him again. That little boy really knows how to fight.”

One of the mermen smacked his lips, feeling regretful.

Meanwhile, the humpback whale boy, who had been walking with soft steps, collapsed.

He leaned against a nearby rock, exhaling.

The boy’s hair was so long that it covered his eyes.

If the mermen had seen him earlier, they would have wondered how he fought with his eyes covered like that.

“…….”

The boy’s curly and unkempt hair gave him an even more gloomy impression.

However, the boy didn’t care about his appearance.

Because the only person he wanted to see him wasn’t looking.

The boy quietly raised his head, facing one direction.

If he went straight, it would be towards the Aquasialdel territory.

The boy’s jaw, revealed beneath his hair, was neat and trim.

Between his hair, his gloomy eyes stared at the sky for a long time.

His lips slowly opened.

“……Lord.”

The boy muttered softly and stood up.

Then, he staggered forward.

Towards the next place.

His lord always said it wasn’t true, but he was good and righteous.

He couldn’t stand to see the weak being oppressed.

So, the shark factions here that exploited the weak mermen were valuable enough to use to become stronger.

If he became stronger, if he became stronger…….

The boy, the humpback whale merman ‘ হাউজার [ হাউজার is likely the boy’s name]’, staggered to his feet and walked.

There was something he definitely wanted to give you.

In the boy’s hand, a necklace with a mysterious gem dangled.

* * *

‘Okay, it seems like everything’s mostly settled, right?’

If a house gets dusty and cold even when the owner is away for just three days.

What would happen to a family whose master has been away for three years?

Many things might change.

But I decided to be prepared for this.

The last people I would spend time with were Riribel and my dad’s benefactor.

A gray head wriggled before my eyes.

“So, you made this?”

I chewed on the food Whale made, stuffing it into my mouth.

Since I couldn’t let anyone see me, I simply brought a chair and placed it deep in the forest near my dad’s mansion.

It was a lackluster spot.

“Oh, it’s delicious?”

Whale nodded slowly.

“I’m good at housework.”

I barely managed to stop myself from spitting it out.

“Um, I see.”

You shouldn’t spit out something that someone worked hard to make.

“Isn’t Levai also good at housework?”

“Yeah, I learned from my brother. I’m still not as good as him…… but I’ll get better soon.”

“I see.”

I brushed off the crumbs from my mouth and nodded.

Then, I said calmly.

“Whale, if I go to the Crack of Time this time.”

“Yeah.”

I had explained to Whale, step by step, why I was going. Whale said he didn’t care.

Since we’ll be seeing each other for a long time anyway, he could wait about three years.

‘For a moment, I felt like I was going to the military and Whale was the girlfriend waiting for me.’

People usually call this kind of relationship ‘곰신과 군화’ [Gomshin and Gunhwa – Rubber shoes (곰신) and Military boots (군화), referring to a girlfriend waiting for her boyfriend to finish military service], but I never imagined I’d be in the soldier’s position.

Behind my indifferent expression, I looked at the handsome boy’s face and got to the point.

“I’m going to see if there’s a way to give you back the 10 years of lifespan you sacrificed for me. If there’s a way.”

“…….”

“It’s not that I feel burdened by what you did. It’s just, I guess this is how I am.”

I adjusted my fork.

“It’s okay for me to give, but it’s a little difficult for me to receive. Especially the price of sacrificing yourself.”

I said calmly. Whale seemed speechless for a moment at my words, which flowed out as if I had prepared them.

“And I want you to think about it for three years too. You’ll have many things happen to you during that time, and the way you like me might change into something else, right?”

Like a friend. The boy’s face stiffened as if he understood the unspoken meaning.

“Because Levai raised you as a younger brother. Besides, you’re perceptive and smart, so I think you know what I mean.”

“……Okay.”

Whale nodded obediently.

Then, his straight gaze turned to me.

“So, you’re saying that if I don’t change after three years, you’ll believe me then. My feelings.”

Um, did I accidentally press some kind of switch on this kid? I smiled awkwardly.

That’s right, who knows what will happen during those three years.

The last moments passed peacefully.

* * *

I said goodbye to everyone and spent time with my dad too.

Of course, it was just a brief greeting.

‘We’re going to see each other again anyway, so this is enough.’

When I said this, the third one said, “Where did those disappointing words come from?”

Maybe it’s because I’ve wandered through too many lives. Sometimes I feel like I have no sense of time.

“Then, I’ll go now, Dad.”

The only one seeing me off was my dad.

Because that’s what I wanted.

Tooth was sitting on my shoulder in his true form, and all that was left was to depart.

But my dad, who should have answered, remained silent.

Instead, when my dad’s mouth opened, unexpected words flowed out.

“There’s someone who wants to see you one last time. Will you see them?”

Exactly 30 minutes.

The time I was supposed to go to the Crack of Time was delayed a little longer.

It was an underground space.

A place that wouldn’t budge even if a big fight broke out, and my dad would be waiting outside the door.

If I focused my senses, I could feel the power of water that my dad possessed filling this space.

‘It feels so refreshing.’

He looks like a tired mafia, but he’s as far from refreshing as the North and South Poles are from each other.

“So, what do you want to say?”

I stared ahead.

Looking at the former head of the family, Ocula Aquasialdel, who had requested the interview.

* * *

Ocula paused at Calypso’s words.

It wasn’t out of disregard, but because she was contemplating how best to begin.

The interview had been her request.

“You must have considered the implications of appointing Pierre as the head of the family, haven’t you?”

Ocula frowned. This wasn’t how she intended to start.

Time was truly frightening.

Now, all she could do was speak arrogantly and confrontationally.

Softness? Sensitivity? It had been decades since she dismissed them as the traits of the weak.

Ocula was displeased with herself for being so anxious in front of this small being.

The dark circles under her eyes were as dark as someone who hadn’t slept in a long time.

In the battle with Calypso, she hadn’t shown Calypso any leniency.

She had lost cleanly.

She didn’t feel resentment, but rather emptiness.

Was it because of the Dragon Duke’s curse?

Looking at her now, her granddaughter was always the same. Smaller and weaker-looking than her peers.

Only, in the past, she trembled, and now she sat upright.

Whether she was frightened or not, she was an child who always met her eyes in a strangely way.

“Of course. Do you think I wouldn’t consider such implications?”

“The family will be a mess.”

The influence of a male orca becoming the head of the family would be greater than expected.

It wasn’t for nothing that Ocula hadn’t decided on a successor until the very last moment.

Because until Calypso began to stand out, all she had were dark-hearted grandsons.

“And aren’t you afraid? That I might leave the family as it is and join hands with those sharks in the wasteland.”

“Ah. Are you going to become a new force?”

If you excluded the content, it was a conversation conducted in a calm voice.

“Whether Dad takes over and it becomes a mess, gets damaged, or gets taken away by someone else. I have the confidence to restore it to its original state at any time, and the confidence to take it back.”

“Seeing that you’re taking three years, it seems like you’re going somewhere.”

“It doesn’t matter, does it?”

Ocula was silent. The elderly orca, who had been staring at the table, slowly opened her mouth.

Her face was youthful despite her age, but her eyes held the passage of time.

“I was going to make you my successor.”

She tried to smooth out her raspy voice as much as possible and tried to show even a hint of softness.

“Originally, orcas are taught by their grandmothers.”

Ocula briefly imagined herself placing her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder.

It had been so long since she had imagined anything that the old function creaked and groaned.

“Would you like to become the head of the family?”

“…….”

In the silence, Ocula spoke again.

“I would have said this.”

In her imagination, she reached out to her small granddaughter, and the small hand reached out and grabbed her even smaller, pebble-like hand.

Only, in her imagination, she held her hand.

That’s what she meant.

“Really? I see.”

Calypso’s face was extremely calm, even cold.

Ocula stared at Calypso for a long time with a hollow and tired face.

The layers of time were truly frightening.

Yes, frightening.

Ocula took out the word fear from her dictionary for the first time in a long time.

Her lips moved slightly.

“……I’m sorry.”

Ocula’s lips moved again.

“If I apologize like this, will you accept it?”

Calypso raised her eyes. They were smooth eyes.

Her expression, which contained nothing, tilted her head.

“Why would I?”