“Right, my child.”
Lady Ocula rested her chin on her hand and smiled leisurely.
It was a subtly softened tone, unlike what had been seen so far.
“Today, your tongue is as smooth as ever.”
“It’s an exaggeration.”
“Yes, it is.”
Ocula straightened her back.
“I’m sure everyone is curious, if not cursing, about the whim of this old woman today.”
“I can’t imagine that, Mother.”
A timid voice was heard.
It was Calypso’s little father, Bior, who had remained quiet until now.
He was an individual known for being even more dim-witted than his elder brother and counterpart, Rodessen.
“Yes.”
Ocula nodded slightly.
“As far as I’ve heard, something interesting happened at our family’s educational institution?”
“…”
“All those involved, come forward.”
The direct attendants moved like clockwork.
“Please come forward, Lady.”
And so, Calypso had to stand up again shortly after sitting down.
“No, why did they seat me here if this was going to happen? So obvious. This grandmother loves a good fight here and there.”
She wasn’t clueless about the reason. Her father, who hadn’t shown his face in a long time, probably didn’t like it. They had purposely placed her here to stir things up.
“If we’re talking about seats, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing?”
“It will cease to exist at some point.”
Calypso immediately understood what Pierre meant.
“Yes, from now on.”
Lady Ocula crossed her legs.
“Well, you little ones with no blood on your heads.”
The old woman’s voice, which had been so relaxed until now, suddenly turned icy.
“Would anyone dare to tell me why there was a brawl in the prestigious educational institution that I oversee?”
* * *
I fell silent for a moment.
I was seated in the spot assigned to Agénor.
Naturally, I ended up facing Bayan and his entourage across from me.
While I remained silent, Bayan raised his hand and spoke up.
“Uh, Grandmother. No, Lady…!”
At the same time, he stood up from his seat.
It seemed like he quickly spoke because he thought he had obtained his grandmother’s tacit approval.
“About the brawl, well, I don’t know why it’s been exaggerated like this, but it was just a minor ‘incident.’ Somehow, this small incident escalated and reached Lady’s ears. Rumors can be quite scary.”
Bayan’s voice grew louder and clearer as he continued to speak.
As he thought his grandmother was quietly listening, he became even more confident.
“It was an incident?”
“Yes! That’s right. How could this not be an accident? As you know, dear grandmother, our whalefolk’s lives are battles, wars, and struggles. But to think that the highest disciplinary committee had to convene just for a minor scuffle? It’s truly incomprehensible.”
The claim was being proudly flaunted without considering the fact that the opponent in this ‘scuffle’ was a three-year-old.
“Even plankton might be smarter than this kid.”
From my perspective, it was not only absurd but also believable that there was shrimp excrement in their brains.
Well, with me here, it could be considered a fight. If I were an ordinary whale or a bit weaker, it would have turned into one-sided violence rather than a fight.
“But then again, if it were like that, I wouldn’t have made it to this place, lying down or dead.”
“Well, Bayan, he didn’t just occupy that seat for nothing. He’s using his tongue diligently. Oh, dear.”
Bayan had now become a great orator, even putting his hand over his heart.
What was even more absurd was the proud look on his elder brother, who seemed to be saying that he was very proud of his son.
Instead of making any facial expressions, Lady Ocula slowly clapped her hands.
“Do you know the rumors that have spread about my family, including the educational institution, for the past few days?”
“Yes, I do.”
Bayan hesitated but quickly nodded.
“Do you know what rumors I’m referring to? I’ve heard them too. However, dear grandmother, it’s extremely unfortunate that such exaggerated and blatantly false rumors have spread as far as you know.”
Next to his elder brother was the lady I had seen earlier at the highest disciplinary committee.
Beside her sat a pretty girl with a ribbon tied in her hair. She was their father’s daughter.
Nearby, her little father, his eldest son Sorte, and a few other boys were watching, their expressions either indifferent or puzzled, but they didn’t seem to be causing any trouble.
“Is it all just baseless rumors?”
“Yes. In those rumors, I appear as an incompetent fool who only knows how to use his fists.”
Bayan vehemently shook his head.
“The ones who spread the rumors are undoubtedly clueless!”
“Is that so? Then what are the actual circumstances?”
In response, Bayan’s black eyes gleamed.
I recognized that expression. It was the look of someone who had seized the advantage.
“First of all, I need to explain the events of that day from the beginning. It’s true that I took my beloved friends and juniors to the elementary institution. But it wasn’t to start a fight like the current rumor suggests; it was simply because… I wanted to see my new cousin, who had been the subject of rumors for a while.”
You’re quite amusing; you’re just a little fish in a big pond. Where are you going without a care in the world, lying through your teeth?
“Oh, it’s nothing special, but I’d rather not have any annoying matters at the family meeting. Come along. Refusing… well, you’ll end up looking like a fool with your tiny head exploding.”
He’s the one who wanted to either make me unable to use my hands again or kill me with just those words.
But it was clear.
As expected, this was his territory, and a friendly atmosphere was sensed toward him.
Furthermore, even though I didn’t know what kind of puppet she was, Lady Ocula was silently listening to all his nonsense.
“But there’s more.”
Just with that alone, it gave those who weren’t on Bayan’s side and even Lady Ocula room to consider siding with him.
“When I finally met my cousin, who had been rumored about for a while, she… looked at me with disdain and insulted me. She even insulted my father. What’s the meaning of that?”
“…”
Bayan’s eyes were now on my side, on my father.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“She probably wanted to show off, thinking she’s the daughter of Pierre, who is closest to being the strongest in the Whalefolk family.”
What did he say, that little…?
“Oh, really? Alright then. Fine. He’s not even the child of that Pierre guy.”
Padripp started the banter.
I knew it already, but he had a filthy mouth.
The guy continued shamelessly with his smoothly woven lies.
“Well, I can understand. The rumor that my father, who never cared about anything in the world, strangely took an interest in his cousin’s little sister also spread. Now that I see it, it seems that this rumor was true. However, dear grandmother, it’s okay if they insult me. But insulting my father, who has lived a splendid life, was unbearable!”
When should I step forward? I narrowed my eyes.
I glanced sideways, and Agénor was frowning.
Looking at my father afterward, he had the same expression as always, emotionless.
“Furthermore, my dear friends and juniors who accompanied me were insulted by their parents just because they were with me. No matter how different the status between direct and collateral descendants is, isn’t that child an ‘unseen figure’ who hasn’t even been officially introduced yet?”
“That’s right.”
“Yes, grandmother. My friends and juniors may be collateral descendants, but they are recognized for their excellence in the intermediate institution. It’s clear who is useful in this family.”
Instead of stopping Bayan’s words, Lady Ocula leisurely inserted comments like “Oh, really?” and “Is that so?” in between.
As a result, Bayan’s face became increasingly smug, bordering on arrogance.
“Alright, the situation has been explained. The story can get long if we continue, and, well, your argument is what it is.”
“…”
“Do you have any evidence to support your claim?”
In response to his grandmother’s piercing question, Bayan flinched momentarily but then nodded confidently.
“Of course, grandmother. How could I dare to come here without even preparing evidence in front of someone as distinguished as you? I would like to summon a witness to support my argument. Please grant me permission.”
“Permission granted.”
Witness? I frowned slightly.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on December, 14.
Want to read more?
