TBSOOC 29

 Chapter 29

At first glance, it sounded like nothing more than a question, but there were thorns hidden within it nonetheless. A veiled jab asking why he was neglecting his own duty.

It was a fact known to every member of the Killer Whale family. That Daxton and Kaidek, the same age, did not get along well.

The two had competed for top and second place since their academy days, and their personalities were as different as their appearances. Unlike Daxton, who was sensitive and sharp, Kaidek was straightforward and broad-minded.

‘Sister, look over there. That murderous look in his eyes.’
‘Are they going to throw a punch?’
‘If they’re going to fight anyway, I hope Kaidek wins……’
‘Maybe we could pretend to break it up and land a few hits ourselves.’

Sara and Dara, being sisters, communicated through eye contact alone. Because of what had just happened, both of them were rooting for Kaidek. Not that they had any particular friendship with him, of course.

“I don’t have any obligation to report to you, do I? You’re not my superior.”

Kaidek replied nonchalantly.

“Whatever you report, I’ll end up hearing it anyway.”

“Believe it or not, I’m here to speak with the Patriarch, so why don’t you step aside?”

“If it’s important enough for you to abandon your duty as reconnaissance commander and come here, then we might as well hold the meeting here—”

“Daxton.”

“Yes, Patriarch.”

As always, the only person who could end their bickering was the Patriarch, Harold.

“Step outside for a moment. Before we weigh the importance of matters, hearing the report comes first.”

“……Yes. As you command.”

Sara and Dara heard it clearly. The sound of Daxton grinding his teeth.

And so Daxton was sent out of the Patriarch’s temporary quarters. Of course, not just him, but Sara, Dara, and the young masters’ personal servants as well.

Dara asked Sara in an urgent tone.

“Sister, where should we start looking? Should we split up? Ugh, I feel like we’ve already checked everywhere we could……”

For some reason, Sara hesitated, deep in thought, and did not answer readily. Dara didn’t rush her and waited in silence.

Unlike herself, who was action-oriented and impulsive, her older sister Sara was cautious and calm. She knew from experience that in times like this, it was best to follow Sara’s judgment.

After a moment, the answer from Sara was completely unexpected.

“First, let’s wait here a little while.”

“What? No, that’s not what you said earlier! You said it was better to search for the Baby than to argue back there……!”

“I know. I did say that. But that was before Kaidek arrived.”

“Kaidek? What does he have to do with us?”

Dara couldn’t even begin to guess her sister’s thoughts. Kaidek had come to report something to the Patriarch. She couldn’t understand how that related to the Baby they were searching for.

“Think about it. Kaidek is the commander of the reconnaissance unit. His usual post is the front lines.”

“I know that. But so what?”

“What do you think it means for a man like him to come here?”

Dara answered.

“……When our territory has been invaded?”

“Exactly.”

“What are you saying?! A war? You don’t mean…… those cunning Great White Sharks are taking advantage of our weakness after the disaster to attack……!”

“Calm down. If that were the case, Kaidek wouldn’t have come so discreetly.”

Only then did Dara let out a sigh of relief.

“Ha…… You scared me. Then what is it? If it’s not a war, what reason does Kaidek have to see the Patriarch?”

“Think of it the opposite way. It’s simple. If it’s not an invasion from the outside—”

Sara took a breath before answering.

“Then something has escaped.”

“Escaped? What could have escaped…… Ah, no, surely…… No, that can’t be……”

Dara realized the meaning behind Sara’s words a moment too late.

“Th-that’s ridiculous. Are you saying the Baby escaped from this island? That’s impossible! There’s no way with that tiny body of hers! Besides, the waves around here are so fierce, there’s no way that frail little tail could swim even three hundred meters!”

The mere thought was horrifying. The vast Emerald Coast. And within it, the waters surrounding the Orcadan family’s residence were notoriously rough. Not only were the waves high, but the depths were great as well. On days when the currents were strong, swimming against them could easily get you killed.

That was a huge barrier making it difficult for other species to settle here as their home, but for at least one species, it was not. For the strong, massive Killer Whale clan, rough waters were no problem at all. Thanks to that, the island where the Orcadan family resided was practically a natural fortress, using the waves as its barrier.

While it was safe from invasion, conversely, it was also difficult to escape unless you were a Killer Whale beastman.

“No, there’s no way the Baby escaped on her own. The rough waves would have swallowed her up in one gulp!”

Dara forced the words out.

“It’s possible. Because the Baby…… wasn’t alone.”

“……What?”

“As you said, Dara, it would have been impossible if the Baby was alone. But think. Who was the Baby with?”

“Sister, you don’t mean…… the young masters?”

Dara read the answer in Sara’s expression.

“The young masters took the Baby and escaped from here? That can’t be. Why all of a sudden? For what reason? There’s no good reason……!”

“Look at this. I found it under the Baby’s bed earlier.”

“This is……”

Dara carefully unfolded the crumpled piece of paper Sara handed her. On it, in crooked handwriting, was written:

[…Blue Cobalt is definitely
…… on the great island
plan……
this evening
lots of emergency rations.]

Anyone could see it was the handwriting of a young child who had just learned the common language. It was barely legible, and parts of it were even erased.

But who were Sara and Dara? They had had a younger brother that age, and had even taught him to write, so they could recognize it. On top of that, they had been with the Baby through every single thing she did! Which meant that at least within the Orcadan family, there were no servants who knew the Baby as well as they did.

“It’s certain. This is…… the Baby’s handwriting.”

“Yes.”

“Blue Cobalt? My goodness. You mean, she left for that distant island because of this? But sister, why are you only showing me this important note now?”

“……I was hoping I was wrong. I prayed that this note had been written today.”

The note clearly said “this evening.” So there was no time to waste showing it to anyone. If she hadn’t already left, she was likely just about to leave.

“But…… it seems it wasn’t today after all. They must have left yesterday evening.”

“Ha…… Then let’s show this to the Patriarch right now! Huh? We have to find the Baby, so……!”

“No. If we show this to the Patriarch, something terrible might happen.”

“What? What terrible thing? What could be worse than the Baby going missing!”

“Calm down, Dara. We have a duty to protect the Baby.”

Sara’s response was resolute.

“We can’t show this to the Patriarch. He might think that the Baby took the young masters away. Things are already tense; he’s been looking at her unfavorably lately.”

“…….”

Dara knew it too, of course.

The day Dalia had disappeared before. Since that day, the Patriarch’s attitude toward Dalia had changed. And then, starting from the day the tidal wave struck, the Patriarch acted as if he had completely turned away from Dalia. Something had happened in young master Ennio’s study, but as mere sisters, there was no way for them to know.

“……You’re right, sister. The Baby might get kicked out for good.”

It was obvious just from the fact that the sisters, who had been the Baby’s personal attendants, had been reassigned to other duties, even if the excuse was a lack of hands. It meant they no longer intended to assign anyone to look after that baby sea otter.