Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 89

Chapter 89

At this moment, the child, who had only just managed to say his own name, simply tilted his head, looking puzzled.

I smiled at his clear, innocent face.

“Please take care of me in the future.”

As I watched the Dragon Duke Ekion, I noticed that the child was trembling slightly.

‘…Oh, is he cold?’

I turned my head and saw a cold breeze coming in through the still-open window.

‘Come to think of it, reptiles are vulnerable to the cold.’

Strictly speaking, dragons are also reptiles… I guess? A giant lizard?

I chuckled at the thought of how the first dragon would react if he heard that, then closed the window and returned with a neatly folded blanket from one side of the room.

‘I wonder when Father will be back?’

Strangely enough, it was a beautiful blue, exactly the same color as Ekion’s hair.

Ekion blinked, looking clueless even with the blanket over his head.

“Are you cold? Cover yourself with this for now. Or you can lie down on the bed and cover yourself with the blanket. You can take a nap, too.”

“Are you cold?”

“Yes. You were shivering like this earlier because you were cold.”

The trembling stopped when I put the blanket around his shoulders.

“Warm, right? This is for you, Dragon Duke.”

“…Warm, right?”

“Yes. This is warm. It’s yours.”

“Mine.”

“Yes, it’s yours.”

Turning my gaze, I saw the edge of the morning sky, already tinged with light, beyond the window.

I frowned slightly, watching the sky brighten.

‘Isn’t Father a bit late?’

* * *

Sunrise.

Around the time the morning sun was rising, the Dragon City’s gates were bustling with activity.

This was the city where the Dragon Duke, revered by all, lived.

Moreover, with the festival approaching, many carriages came and went. However, since yesterday, there were hardly any carriages entering the city, only those leaving.

It was early to leave the city, but the sight of carriages departing wasn’t unusual.

That’s because the Dragon Festival had been canceled.

This news was conveyed to the knights guarding the city and soon became known to all the beastmen in the empire.

For those who admired and worshiped the Dragon Duke, as did all the beastmen living in the Dragon City, it was news that brought not only disappointment but even concern.

“I haven’t seen that carriage before. Who is it?”

“Ah, you came from the innermost part of the mainland, right? It’s Aquasidel. You know, the Orca family. The strongest and most famous leader family among aquatic beastmen.”

“Ah.”

Amid the overall gloom, the Aquasidel carriage passed through the city gates without any problems.

It was listed on the manifest of departing guests, and the departure time had already been shared with the Dragon’s Castle, so there was virtually nothing to worry about.

“It’s good that the fish are leaving the Dragon’s Castle.”

“Well, that’s true. They are not suitable for the Dragon City.”

“Hey, you should be glad you didn’t say that in front of them. Didn’t you hear what happened in the Dragon’s Castle’s dining hall? The story of how the mighty Brown Bear [a powerful beastman] couldn’t last even a second and was thrown out…!”

The knights shared mocking stories for a while before returning to their posts.

Thus, the Aquasidel family’s carriage moved far away without any hindrance.

The knights did not even know that the Dragon Duke, whom they so worshiped but had no idea how he lived, was inside.

Clatter. Bang!

The city gates closed.

And two weeks later, a massive explosion occurred in the Dragon Duke’s castle.

* * *

“Master, are you really not going to tell me? What did you do?”

Belus was sitting quietly in the carriage, busy observing.

Two days ago, they had departed for Aquasidel.

It was currently afternoon, quite late in the afternoon.

“You will know in time.”

“Why won’t you tell me? How many days have I been asking? How many days? So how long do I have to wait to find out?”

“Well… if things go as expected, about two weeks, or a week at the earliest, but I don’t think things will be quick.”

“Ugh, it’s not like you’re trying to be mysterious.”

Something was subtly different. Belus felt this.

Belus’s senses had rarely been wrong until now.

‘The feeling that something has changed in their relationship is not a delusion, either.’

But how could anything change in just a few days?

In fact, on the day Pierre brought the Dragon Duke to the lodging, he had taken measures near Belus’s room in advance.

Therefore, Belus did not know what had happened outside his room.

As expected, the cause of this phenomenon is….

‘Is that it.’

At the end of Belus’s gaze was Ekion, who was deeply covered in a robe.

In his arms was a bright blue blanket, which he hugged tightly as if someone would take it away.

‘Who the hell is that?’

He had been in that state for several days and barely spoke.

“Calypso Aquasidel.”

Clearly, that was the cause of the subtle change between Calypso and Pierre.

“When are you going to explain it?”

Then, Calypso’s chattering voice stopped as if a gramophone had been switched off.

Calypso’s blue eyes turned to Belus.

Calypso thought.

‘Finally, what was coming has come.’

For Belus, a few days was quite a long time to endure.

In fact, Calypso was surprised inside.

He thought he would be badgering him, but he had endured until this time.

Thanks to that, they were quite far from the Dragon City.

“Father, let me explain to Belus.”

“He won’t be convinced with an explanation, will he? You should remember that what you did was more insane than you think.”

“…I hope you don’t hit him too much, even though whale bones are strong.”

When Pierre advised him before departure, Calypso smiled.

“I’m not just thinking of persuading him, either, Master. If that guy gets angry, resists, or shows more resistance than necessary… Master, threaten him. I’m expecting a great threat then! Good luck!”

“I will.”

With a reliable backup prepared.

“Um, before answering… Belus Aquasidel.”

Calypso carefully examined Belus and continued.

“You clearly said you would turn a blind eye once before we left.”

Calypso didn’t think things would be easy.

How could he trust a promise that wasn’t even a vow of the sea [a sacred oath among aquatic beastmen]?

“I don’t intend to change that. So what the hell is that?”

Belus gestured.

‘Hmm, would that guy be surprised if I told him that what he pointed at with his gesture is the Dragon Duke?’

He shook his head. No. He wouldn’t be surprised at all.

‘I can’t avoid revealing his identity for now.’

More than anything else, the Dragon Duke’s appearance was already widely known.

‘Father can continue to monitor and threaten him throughout this journey.’

Even after that, if he hid the Dragon Duke in Pierre’s residence, he could avoid even the head of the family’s eyes.

The problem was Belus.

What if he ran to the head of the family as soon as they arrived at the Aquasidel territory and reported it?

‘It’s over.’

Just reporting it would be taking credit for free.

Moreover, the Dragon Duke was unable to express his intentions, so even if he revealed the imperial family’s scheme, who would believe it?

The only Dragon kin who could testify, Tus, was impossible to communicate with except for Calypso.

To reveal the truth, at least Ekion’s ego had to be solid and able to express his intentions clearly.

Time was needed.

‘I told Tus it would take seven years, but isn’t it possible to do it faster?’

As a result of watching him for two days, the Dragon Duke was smart. Moreover, he had Tus’s notebook in his hand.

“Ekion, I’m going to take off your hat.”

As he reached out, Ekion obediently offered his head.

‘He must have been uncomfortable all this time; he’s so kind.’

When Ekion’s robe and hat were removed and his face was revealed, Belus’s eyes widened, who had been silent.

“You…!!”

“Say hello. This is the Dragon Duke, Ekion Pontus.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Yeah, I usually play big.”

While Belus was gaping in surprise, Calypso grinned.

“You’re not going to say one thing and do another, are you, for an Orca? …But there are already too many guys living like that.”

Like Bian, or Caron. Sorthe.

“So Belus, what are you going to do? Are you going to keep your word?”

“Are you saying that in the face of this ridiculous situation?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to accept easily, right?”

Toughness emanated from Calypso’s body.

Belus flinched.

It was because he felt Pierre looking down at him coldly.

It felt like the Grim Reaper’s scythe was approaching his neck.

‘Is this a threat?’

It was a threat he could understand without being told.

“I don’t hate you, as I said. I hope you live your life well in your own way.”

“…….”

“I think we can each live comfortably if we cooperate a little.”

Calypso smiled and put his hand under his chin.

“As you can see, I’m excellent. How about I help you?”

“Are you going to make me the head of the family?”

A bright smile bloomed on Calypso’s face.

“I could if I wanted to?”

Have you ever heard of the Regressor’s Family Head Course?