Chapter: 12
I folded the clothes and put them into the wardrobe. The large tools and equipment went into that huge storage box. I’d been given all kinds of instructions, but no one had ever told me how to deal with something like this.
Even so, I couldn’t just throw it away on my own.
The moment Pierre turned his head and looked at the handkerchief, I saw my father’s expression subtly twist for the first time.
“Throw it away.”
His tone was firm.
Yet, ironically, it carried more complicated emotions than I’d ever heard from him before.
‘Betting all four of my lifetimes, this is absolutely something that will cause trouble if I throw it away!’
I’m an orca who’s especially good at reading the room.
That’s what years of surviving by watching people’s moods will do to you.
“Okay. I’ll throw it away.”
But Pierre’s gaze was so unwavering that it felt like I’d be in trouble if I didn’t throw it away right now.
So I casually walked over to the trash bin and pretended to toss it away…
Then, the moment his attention shifted, I quickly slipped it into my pocket.
When I looked back, Pierre had already turned his eyes away from me.
As I continued organizing the room, I asked casually,
“What was that handkerchief just now? It doesn’t belong to you, Master?”
“…That’s right.”
I expected him to ignore the pointless question or scold me for asking.
Instead, he answered surprisingly readily.
I had just picked up a gigantic hammerâone that I couldn’t imagine why anyone would keep in a bedroomâwhen I froze.
‘Whoa. That startled me. I almost dropped this thing on my foot.’
Still holding the hammer, I blinked innocently.
“Then whose is it?”
“It belonged to my wife.”
This time I really almost dropped the hammer.
‘Good grief, that came out of nowhere.’
It had been my mother’s.
I had never expected that answer.
I didn’t know why he’d answered so honestly, but I was suddenly glad I hadn’t actually thrown it away.
‘Whatever happened between them, there must be a reason he told me to throw it away in that voice…’
Even though I’d lived the same life repeatedly, everything I knew about the woman who gave birth to me amounted to only two facts.
She had been an orca beastkin.
And she had been a kind person.
That was it.
‘Because no one ever told me anything.’
Even in my previous life, after my older brothers became my subordinates, I never learned anything more about her.
Maybe I’d been spacing out for too long.
“It seems the work was too easy for you.”
“H-Huh?”
I immediately paid the price.
I watched as water suddenly appeared in midair and gently lifted the tool chest.
“A master’s duty includes understanding the level of their disciple.”
Then everything inside came crashing out.
“Organize it.”
…You damned old man!
By then I’d already forgotten about Mother’s handkerchief and was silently cursing while frantically sorting through the tools.
‘Seriously, why are there so many giant hammers in this room?!’
Still…
It wasn’t completely pointless.
As I worked, I started getting the hang of moving heavy objects.
‘So it wasn’t a lie that using water in different ways helps you improve your control.’
Compared to just running or repeatedly doing squats, I genuinely felt stronger and quicker.
Unfortunately, Pierre kept finding one excuse after another to knock things over again, so I ended up spending almost the entire day busily cleaning his room.
Because of that, I never noticed…
That at some point, Pierre had stopped looking out the window and was watching me instead.
Or that a faint, almost invisible smile had appeared on his lips.
‘Ugh… My whole body aches…’
The next morning.
Just like yesterday, I rode in a carriage with my attendant to the academy.
Before arriving, I made sure to report my situation.
“You’ll be entering the eight-year-old class… and the Alpha Class at that?”
“Yeah.”
The attendant accompanying me was also Grandmother’s closest aide.
Which meant this news would definitely reach her ears.
‘Actually… maybe she was already informed yesterday.’
This wasn’t just an ordinary promotion.
I’d skipped straight into the highest-ranked class.
And it had only been possible because Laila, the head of the elementary academy, had personally approved it.
In other words, I’d earned Laila’s recognition.
Anyone who knew how strict she was would never overlook news like that.
Grandmother certainly wouldn’t.
‘I told you to wait and see, Grandma.’
But this was only the beginning.
Smiling brightly, I turned to the attendant.
“Oh, and I have one request…”
The attendant, who still couldn’t get over how clearly I spoke, immediately nodded.
After hearing my request, she tilted her head.
“…You don’t wish to move to the main residence? Understood. I’ll report that to those above.”
Normally, around this time, I would have moved into the main estate.
But if I did that, visiting Pierre would become difficultâor even impossible.
I wasn’t fond of my shabby room, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘Besides, Misa, the new maid, seems to be good at cleaning.’
Speaking of cleaning…
‘Maybe I should ask Misa for some cleaning tips.’
Yesterday, I hadn’t just cleaned Pierre’s room.
After countless trips back and forth, I finally finished organizing everything.
Then, unbelievably, he took me into another room and had me sweep the dust there too!
“Next time, you’ll do the laundry.”
When he said that before we parted, I nearly fainted.
‘I seriously considered not going today.’
Thanks to that, at the tender age of three, I learned much earlier than expected what exhaustion from manual labor felt like.
‘Come to think of it… isn’t this happening because I keep doing everything he tells me so well…?’
Should I have slacked off more?
But if I did, he’d probably kick me out.
I was finally approaching the truth when I erased the thought after seeing the person standing before me.
“Good morning, Young Lady.”
“Laila.”
Laila bowed gracefully.
With her glasses perched neatly on her face, she looked just as strict as ever.
“Come with me. As yesterday, I’ll personally escort you to your classroom.”
She seemed oddly more respectful than yesterday.
She wasn’t someone who bowed easily to power, so perhaps my story about Pierre yesterday had left a strong impression.
Any orca beastkin would admire my father and his overwhelming strength.
“You’ve become quite famous after only a single day.”
“Huh? Me?”
Laila said this as we walked after parting with my attendant.
The comment made me tilt my head.
‘All I did yesterday was organize tools, sweep dust, and… sweep more dust. It was basically nothing but manual labor…’
The overwhelming memories of hard labor nearly brought tears to my eyes.
I pushed them aside and looked at Laila.
I had a rough idea why she was saying this.
‘Yesterday was when I talked about Father in front of Laila.’
Not only had I shown off my language skills…
I’d also dragged Father into the conversation and carried out my little rumor-spreading strategy.
Spread the story long enough, and someday it’ll become the truth…
‘Besides, he did take me as his disciple, so it’s not exactly a lie. We have gotten closer.’
As far as I remembered, Pierre had never been close to anyone until the day he died.
So even I didn’t fully understand it, but becoming his disciple was already an incredible achievement.
Besides, Laila hadn’t been the only one there yesterday.
The infant-class teachers had been there too, silently making a huge fuss.
I’d thought their reactions were rather dramatic.
So the rumors had spread that far already?
“It seems the story has reached at least sixteen of the orca branch families.”
“Cough! Cough!”
At those words, I stumbled and couldn’t suppress my coughing.
‘W-What?’
Orcas weren’t animals that naturally lived in enormous groups.
To be precise, they formed family-centered pods, and the strongest grandmother usually led the group.
Even among members of the same species, different pods weren’t especially friendly.
Our beastkin society had inherited those same traits.
The leader of the orcasâ
In other words, my grandmother’s familyâbecame the main house and direct lineage.
The other orca pods established themselves as branch families or independent vassal houses.
Accordingly, each branch or vassal family also had its own leader.
‘If I remember correctly, there were about thirty-two families altogether, including the vassal houses…’
There was a reason I always compared our family to a gang.
Each individual was already powerful.
Together, they became an even more terrifying force.
‘But over half of them already heard about me? And all because of something that happened yesterday?’
At this point, I had to wonder how the elementary academy managed to keep any secrets at all.
Maybe my shock showed too clearly on my face, because Laila let out a small cough.
“The teachers who were there yesterday… each of them tends to talk a little.”
“No, just how loose-lipped do they have to be for it to spread this fast?”
“…Apparently, one of their fathers is a flying fish beastkin.”
