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“Ack! But brother Mikard said you didn’t need it!”
“…It seems we need to have a heartfelt father-son talk.”
Huh? Just now, I thought I heard the Admiral grinding his teeth.
‘Hmm… Maybe he feels left out since he’s the only one who didn’t get any.’
I made a mental note to be more considerate next time.
As I climbed up to the deck, I suddenly realized that land was no longer in sight.
“We’ve come far!”
“From here on, this is the route dolphins take. They like to jump over the waves created by large ships.”
“Wow.”
I thought they wouldn’t like the noise from the ship, but I guess that’s not always the case.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ explains that just as people have different personalities, dolphins do too.]
[Dolphins generally have the intelligence of a young child. Some older ones or the leaders of pods can be exceptionally smart. So, naturally, they all have their own preferences.]
So, there are dolphins that dislike loud noises, while others enjoy them!
Understanding this, I curiously scanned the waves, wondering where the dolphins might be.
“Do you want to see dolphins?”
“Yes!”
“I’ll call them for you.”
How?!
The Admiral and my brothers all seem to know dolphins.
‘I don’t, though.’
Feeling a little envious, I started wondering how I could become acquainted with dolphins too.
“Alright, I’ll call them!”
“Go ahead.”
As the Admiral casually lifted his hand, a woman with bright brown hair confidently stepped forward.
She had her hair tied up in a single bun, and she turned to smile at me…
And then—splash!
She jumped into the water.
“S-She fell in!”
“She’s diving. Lieutenant Commander Rachel is an awakened one, capable of communicating with dolphins and whales.”
“….……!”
“She’s the only person who understands their language system and can even use their dialects. She’s an incredible talent.”
That’s so cool!
I was startled at first, but now my heart was pounding with excitement.
‘Being on a ship lets you see and learn so much more than staying at home.’
I want to join the Navy too!
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ adds an explanation.]
[Whales also have different language systems depending on their pods. The ones living in the Arctic Ocean speak differently from those in the seas of Pashayen.]
Well, that makes sense—humans have different languages based on their countries, so whales would too.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ explains about clicks.]
[Whales communicate by making dozens of short clicking sounds. These are called clicks.]
‘Got it!’
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ explains about Coda.]
[Coda is when those clicks form a specific rhythm and tempo.]
‘So, is Coda like a sentence?’
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ shakes their head.]
[Clicks are phonemes, Coda is a syllable, and when these syllables combine, they form a sentence. For example, if a whale wanted to say, “There is an abundance of food here,” it would take them much longer to say it compared to humans.]
I had always thought whales simply communicated through echolocation, but that’s not the case!
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ states that whales are the intellectuals of the sea.]
[Another fascinating fact is that whales live in a matriarchal society. Traditional knowledge is passed from mother to daughter, and the eldest grandmother whale leads the pod.]
Then… does that mean the ancestor whale is a grandmother?
As I pondered over this, suddenly—
“Kyah!”
A pod of dolphins leaped into the air in unison.
Splash! Splash!
They jumped gracefully as if performing a dance, and each time they splashed back into the water, droplets hit my face.
I giggled at the fun of it, but then my eyes widened as I noticed mermaids appearing alongside the dolphins.
“Gasp! Look, mermaids!”
And at the front of the group… I think it’s the same mermaid I saw before in Grandfather’s ocean garden!
“The Scarlet Pearl Tribe has arrived. The one leading them is Calliote, the daughter of their chieftain.”
Then, with a powerful flick of their tails, the mermaids soared through the air and waved toward me.
I waved back just as energetically.
“The Scarlet Pearl Tribe is very friendly toward humans.”
“Could there be mermaids that aren’t friendly?”
“The Blue Claw Tribe doesn’t like humans much. The Green Fin Tribe outright despises humans. But thanks to the peace treaty, things are fine for now.”
As the Admiral spoke, his profile looked resolute—steady and unwavering, like a rock standing firm against any storm.
“Although there are different mermaid tribes, they all follow a single king.”
At that moment, Round Uncle—no, the Chief Engineer—suddenly chimed in with an explanation.
“In the past, relations between mermaids and humans were terrible. But when His Excellency turned ten! He personally ventured into the deep sea and fought against the Mermaid King.”
“Whaaaat? Really?!”
“Of course! And at just ten years old, he fought the Mermaid King to a standstill. Since then, the mermaids stopped attacking humans.”
As the explanation ended, the Admiral cleared his throat briefly and raised an eyebrow.
“It wasn’t anything remarkable.”
“Wow… Wooooow… I want to do that too! How many nights do I have to sleep before I turn ten…?”
I spread out my chubby fingers, counting one by one as I mumbled.
“One hundred nights times one hundred…”
Just then, the mermaids and the pod of dolphins leaped into the air in a grand display.
Amid the shimmering water shadows, Diegon’s violet eyes filled with shock.
“What… did you just say…?”
His breath hitched.
With his heart pounding, Diegon tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke again.
“Say that one more time, little one.”
“Hm? I have to sleep a hundred nights a hundred times.”
“A hundred nights… a hundred times.”
As the ship rocked from the dolphins and mermaids’ movement, Diegon barely managed to catch his daughter, who nearly tumbled forward with a loud ‘Wahhh!’
One hundred nights, one hundred times…
That phrase was something Aurora used to say often.
When Elzen would get frustrated, wondering when he could become like his older brother Mikard, Aurora would smile and say.
‘Just sleep a hundred nights a hundred times.’
On days when things didn’t go well and he felt angry, Aurora would calmly tell him.
‘Egon, if you sleep a hundred nights a hundred times, things will be resolved. Some things just take time. Give yourself a little space.’
But now, how was that very same phrase coming from the mouth of this little girl?
‘At this point, isn’t it obvious that you’re Luarel?’
There was overwhelming circumstantial evidence—like a flood. The only thing missing was definitive proof, as scarce as water in a drought.
Still, Cedric and Carmen were investigating curses that could revert someone’s body to a younger state or erase memories. Soon, they would have an answer.
An answer confirming that Shupetty was, indeed, Luarel.
“Admiral! Show me the sea dragon!”
“…Alright.”
How wonderful it would be if you called me ‘Dad’ instead.
When will you finally see me as your father?
I know it’s the responsibility of an adult to earn a child’s trust, and I understand that it takes time. But the more I think about Shupetty being my lost daughter, the more impatient I become.
‘It’s your rightful place to call me ‘Dad.’’
Aurora would probably laugh at me again.
She would place a finger on my lips and say.
Wait as long as it takes to sleep a hundred nights a hundred times.
“Watch carefully. This is my special ability—Sea Dragon Summoning.”
“Kyah!”
But if you really are my daughter… then what about Aurora?
If you know that phrase, doesn’t that mean Aurora raised you?
‘Could she… could she still be alive?’
At that moment, a whirlpool formed in the calm sea.
The ship rocked violently, far more than before.
The crew rushed to furl the sails, securing themselves with ropes. Those who couldn’t withstand the turbulence retreated into the cabins, locking the doors tightly.
Once everyone was ready to welcome the sea dragon—
CRACK!
The sea split apart.
There was no other way to describe it.
A massive dragon rose from the pitch-black ocean, carried by towering columns of water.
It was as if it had emerged straight from the Admiral’s chest—an enormous, dangerous hope, just on the verge of bursting forth.
This creature, wild and fierce, was strong enough to sink hundreds of ships in an instant.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“It’s so cool! I’m not scared at all!”
