Chapter 54

# Chapter 54. <Thinking>

Kael really didn’t want to see Tunka’s smirking face. However, Amir calmly and earnestly explained.

“Viper is from the Viper Kingdom. He’s a tribesman from a small coastal village. He said he went out to sea to catch fish and somehow ended up drifting.”

“Yes, he’s a simple man who lives a quiet life catching small fish. Hahaha, I wonder how this happened.”

He was going to live a simple life. It was an absurd statement. Amir, unaware of Kael’s thoughts, continued.

“So, he helped us search last night by being on the boat with us.”

Amir’s gaze towards the tribesman was pure. Kael glanced around. Unlike Amir, some people were giving Tunka looks of disapproval.

A tribesman from the Viper Kingdom. The look was one of a barbarian. Kael casually scanned the gazes and then met Tunka’s eyes. Tunka smirked.

“I heard that the young master protected everyone in the capital with a large shield. I heard you were powerful and wanted to meet you, so I asked the young lady to let me come along.”

Tunka’s eyes narrowed, not fitting his large build. At that moment, Kael had a gut feeling.

It’s dangerous.

Kael’s mouth immediately opened.

“So, I’m recuperating.”

“…Recuperating?”

“Yeah, I’m not strong. I’m weak.”

Amir chimed in.

“That’s right. He used too much strength and is now on a recuperation trip.”

Amir looked at Kael with a mix of pity and admiration, but Tunka was different.

“Oh, is that so?”

His expression became disinterested. He glanced Kael up and down and then looked away.

‘Yeah, that’s Tunka for you.’

Sacrifice for others? Hero? He had no interest in such things. Only strength. He was obsessed with it and would ignore or even kill a weak ally if the situation called for it.

That’s why he was a tyrant.

“Shall we go?”

Kael nodded at Amir’s words. At that moment, Tunka’s muttering voice reached his ears.

“That’s strange. I can smell something strong nearby.”

Indeed, he’s a devil. Kael looked up.

-I don’t smell.

The voice of the black dragon, who had turned invisible, echoed in his mind. Tunka had a stronger intuition than the merfolk. Kael decided he needed to act weaker today than ever before.

***

“We are currently investigating how the whirlpool suddenly disappeared. My father and the mages within the territory are expected to arrive soon.”

Kael nodded in agreement while looking at the calm sea from the central island.

“Is that so? That’s a relief. I hope they find out why it happened soon.”

-You’re a good liar.

Kael easily ignored the black dragon’s comment. He looked at the sea with a calm gaze. It was very chaotic. All the village fishermen had come out, and the people who had arrived to build the naval base were conducting investigations and discussions.

The noise from the whirlpools and the people’s voices combined to make a very loud environment. Seeing this, Kael added,

“I hope the other whirlpools disappear soon too.”

-You’re lying again. The human said the whirlpools would last for at least a year, didn’t he?

Kael once again easily ignored the dragon’s words. Amir nodded firmly at Kael’s words.

“Yes, we will definitely find the cause and eliminate the other whirlpools. We must seize the opportunity that has been given to us.”

Seeing Amir’s passionate demeanor, Kael felt a bit guilty and spoke.

“With Young Lady Amir and the Ubar family, I’m sure you will succeed.”

“…Thank you. Your words, Young Master Kael, give me confidence.”

Amir’s warm gaze, filled with a calm smile, turned to Kael. Kael, with a serious face, replied,

“I feel a bit dizzy from the sun. Can I rest in the shade for a while?”

Tunka’s gaze, who was on the same boat with the fishermen and the investigation team, was felt. From a distance, Tunka occasionally glanced at Kael, still searching for that strong smell. But Tunka couldn’t detect the black dragon. It was the limitation of someone who couldn’t sense aura or mana.

“Oh, of course. Since you’re recuperating, don’t overexert yourself and take a good rest.”

“Yes, I will.”

Kael leisurely headed towards the forest on the central island. Amir watched him as he walked towards the shade. Despite being in recuperation, Kael was definitely different from the past. Though he said he was sick, he didn’t look frail. He just looked tired.

“That’s what’s impressive.”

Amir, who aspired to be the next lord, thought she needed to have such a firm stance. Her calm eyes filled with passion, and she approached the investigation team.

Meanwhile, Kael headed to the opposite side of the central island. There were no investigation teams there, and it was a good place to pass the time.

-Are you not scared of the corpse there? You’re quite bold.

Kael ignored the black dragon’s words again and arrived at the opposite shore. He stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.

“What is this?”

-I didn’t do it! I didn’t!

The black dragon vehemently denied it. But this time, Kael didn’t have the leisure to listen. He approached the rocks where the mermaid’s corpse had been. He had to stop walking near the rocks.

‘…Did Paseon do this?’

The rocks were shattered.

“What happened to the mermaid’s corpse…”

The mermaid’s corpse had turned to powder. Kael knew it was a corpse because he had seen it, but others would have thought it was just rock powder.

This immense power.

It was definitely the work of a whale.

And it was the power of an enraged whale.

Splash, splash. Suddenly, the sea began to ripple. The black dragon’s voice echoed in Kael’s mind.

-Something is coming from under the sea. Very fast!

Kael looked up at the sea and took a step back in surprise.

Whoosh. A massive something broke through the water and emerged. A dark gray something. It was a living creature. Its eyes turned towards Kael.

It was a whale.

A humpback whale.

Called the guardian of the sea, protecting weaker creatures, the humpback whale. For generations, the whale king was a humpback whale.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Kael’s heart beat. The whale’s eyes, filled with a mix of hostility, curiosity, instinct, and reason, stared directly at Kael. Kael, for the first time in this world, faced the gaze of a superior being. The superior being was examining Kael, looking down on him.

Then,

-Is he crazy!

The black dragon’s angry voice echoed in Kael’s mind. At the same time, an invisible force created a wave in the air. The whale’s eyes, which had been on Kael, turned towards the wave.

-How dare you look at my weak human like that?

Mana began to ripple in the air, and the sea began to churn. But the humpback whale didn’t budge. Instead, the 15-meter whale lifted its tail and struck the sea. Splash. The sea surface violently shook.

Kael instinctively knew.

This is definitely a whale shapeshifter.

Thump. Thump. Kael calmed his racing heart. The vitality of his heart, sensing danger, began to surge, and the unbreakable shield reacted. The ancient power prioritized its master. The ancient power was always ready to unleash its strength.

Kael turned his head towards the direction where the black dragon was, where the mana was rippling. He opened his mouth, but another voice was heard first.

“I don’t want to fight.”

A beautiful voice, like a legendary siren. Kael turned his gaze. The humpback whale slowly revealed its face above the water.

“Wow.”

Kael’s exclamation escaped. It was huge and terrifying. If the whale’s face alone were to smash into him, Kael would surely die.

-Why are you showing your face? You’ve been trying to fight this whole time! A lowly whale!

Kael sighed at the voice echoing in his mind and reached out his hand towards the rippling mana. A four-year-old’s anger is scary.

The mana, which had been rippling as if it could destroy anything, cleared a path for Kael’s hand. The whale’s eyes sparkled.

A round something touched his fingertips. It was the dragon’s head. Kael absentmindedly stroked it.

“Don’t get angry. You might hurt yourself.”

The rippling mana rapidly decreased. A small voice was heard.

-I won’t get hurt. I’m strong.

“I know. I know. But you still need to be careful.”

It’s hard to soothe a four-year-old. But the dragon seemed to understand Kael’s words.

-You be careful, weak human.

The mana wave subsided. Kael finally turned his gaze to the whale. The whale slowly lowered its massive head towards Kael. Kael was startled by its size but stood still. The hostility in the whale’s eyes had disappeared.

The humpback whale’s massive mouth opened right in front of Kael.

“Can I ask one thing-”

At that moment,

A small whale was cutting through the water, coming here from the horizon.

Compared to the 15-meter whale, it looked