The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 13: A Glitch in the System (II)

Theodore took his eyes off Suradel and turned his back.

“Now that I’ve checked your participation, I’ll make a move.”

It didn’t take long before he disappeared from our sight in a carriage.

I couldn’t unfurrow my eyebrows until the carriage he was riding turned into a dot and disappeared.

All of a sudden, Suradel pushed his face in front of my nose.

“Lia, are you okay?”

“How do I look now?”

“Like a bunch of angry dust.”

Dust. It was a trivial expression that could never be accepted.

When I was a penguin, people would run away in a panic if I were to rush in with wide-open eyes and frantically flapping wings!

‘Is this innocent face the problem?’

“Think about it. Isn’t there a more threatening expression?”

“Explosive dust?”

“…Fine. What does he want from you?”

I asked what I was curious about, inwardly vowing to study makeup that could create a strong impression sooner or later.

“More than that, what’s the prize for this hunting competition? And why is he even asking if you’re going to participate?”

“Half-elixir.”

“Elixir?”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

‘If it’s an elixir, Isn’t it the legendary potion that can cure any disease?’

As if reading my thoughts, Suradel continued speaking, explaining what it was about.

“Because it is literally a ‘half,’ it is not a cure-all like the elixir in the legend. However, quite a number of external and internal injuries can be treated immediately. The detoxifying effect is also top-notch.”

“Then can it treat something like an infectious disease?”

I hurriedly asked with anticipation, but Suradel shook his head.

“It’s created through magic, so a half-elixir can’t solve anything that can’t be cured with magic.”

Disappointment flooded in. If it could solve the epidemic, I would try to steal it somehow… 

As expected, the plague that wiped out pure-blooded humans could not be so easily fixed with just a half-elixir.

“Wait a minute. Doesn’t it mean that someone made it by magic?”

Suradel answered in a questionable manner, as if asking if there was any problem.

“Right…?”

“Doesn’t the Wolfe family have enough money to buy it?”

I wasn’t sure of the details, but since it’s the main character’s family, they must have a lot of money.

Did he have to obtain it with difficulty as a prize for winning a hunting competition? Must he ask if Suradel would be participating?

“Aside from being difficult to make, half-elixirs are not for sale. No matter how much you offer, you can’t get it because the producers don’t sell it.”

“Then how did it become the winning prize?”

“It’s the producers’ donation.”

“Aha. They’re using the half-elixir for political purposes.”

At my guess, Suradel replied with a grumpy gaze.

“Hmm. Couldn’t he just decide so?”

“Who is the producer…?”

As if he had been waiting for this question, he pointed at himself, his eyes slowly folding as he grinned.

“Me.”

‘…Isn’t this complete nonsense?’

After putting it out as the prize, he was going to win so no one could take it?

No wonder Theodore had a rotten expression when Suradel said earlier that he was also interested in the item.

“You really stink.”

As I sighed and shook my head, he confidently retorted like he was asking me to see it like he does. 

“But there’s no rule that the donor can’t win.”

“Still, the donor doesn’t usually take it.”

“I didn’t mean to give it to them in the first place. The other demibeasts haven’t done anything for us, so I don’t feel like donating something pretty.”

“…What?”

Suradel smiled at my displeased reaction.

“You know that most demibeasts don’t like pure-blooded humans very much, right?”

Yes.

The reason why my father, a pure-blooded human, hated demibeasts in the first place was because he has a history of being persecuted by them since he was a child.

Now, thanks to the Magic Tower’s tremendous power, demibeasts no longer openly discriminate against pure-blooded humans.

“It’s similar for the Weil family.”

“…What? The demibeast Weil family were also persecuted like pure-blooded humans?”

“It might not be as much as what pure-blooded humans went through, but when the Weil family was first made, we were ignored.”

“This is shocking information…”

Pure-blooded humans still had the old negative standing of being considered a lower race, but even the Weil family was ignored.

Suradel continued with a relatively calm face.

“Historically, demibeasts who live in the sea have never advanced to the center.”

“Because of innate limitations?”

“Yes. Since they always have to stay close to the sea.”

“But the Weil family overcame that with the power of magic.”

Come to think of it… 

Unlike the original, where magic was the exclusive domain of pure-blooded humans, I thought it was simply because of the special characteristics of the whales here.

Did the whale demibeasts have different species characteristics in the original?

That’s why they didn’t make it to the center?

…However, the species characteristics would be determined from birth.

No matter how much I thought about it, there must be a different reason for the original story to change.

At that moment, Suradel’s voice broke the deepening thoughts.

“The gazes of other demibeasts toward the Weils were not pretty. People have a tendency to reject things that are different from themselves.”

The corners of his mouth curl up crookedly.

“Still, as time passed and the other demibeasts learned of the Weil family’s magical abilities, no one could ignore us.”

Suddenly, a chill appeared in Suradel’s eyes. He was smiling, but his eyes were strangely cold.

“When my father first founded the Weil family, I was by his side. The discrimination and insults I heard back then are still embedded in my brain.”

“Yes… I see.”

‘Is this why my father maintained a relatively finite relationship with the Weil family?’

They would have respected each other more because they shared the same pain.

I had assumed there were frequent exchanges solely because only pure-blooded humans and the Weils could use magic.

I never thought there would be such a hidden story.

“Lia, can I tell you an interesting fact?”

“…What?”

“To preserve peace, you must have greater power than those who do not want peace.”

A force for peace.

It was an extremely obvious statement, but it also sounded paradoxical.

‘As expected, the reality is that the fist is closer and faster than the law.’

“Lia, I hope the Weil family will never be ignored again.”

I stared at Suradel.

Considering House Weil’s current position, even if they wanted to be ignored, the others wouldn’t be able to.

The continent’s current dependence on magic was very high.

However, as pure-blooded humans and House Weil monopolize the magic market, their social position was absolute.

There was no place where magic was not used, starting from daily life to various movements and battles.

Even water and electricity were replaced by magic items.

Of course, the number of people dealing with magic was small, so all of the above could be enjoyed only by the vested interests.

Trying to relieve Suradel’s anger, I hit him in the stomach.

‘Well. I like that it’s solid.’

“…Lia?”

“It will be fine.”

I grinned and stared into his shaky, golden eyes.

“Because there’s Suradel in Weil.”

Using common sense, who would ignore Weil in the face of a madman? Especially when you have no idea how he would explode?

The unknown strength. It was like an archmage at hand, no different from a walking combat weapon.

Perhaps Suradel interpreted my words in a positive way, the strength in his eyes slowly loosened.

He then raised his eyebrows and looked at me with a moved expression.

“Lia…”

Anyway.

Even if it couldn’t cure the plague, a half-elixir would help Theodore when he’s fatally shot at the hunting competition.

With my broad generosity, I was determined to go rescue Theodore, the original male lead, but… 

Unlike the female lead, Anemone, I had no magical abilities, so it’s a tall order to save him.

‘I think I’ll need a half-elixir to make sure he’s alive.’

‘Hmm. How can I convince Suradel to rip off the Half Elixir?’

While I was thinking very silly thoughts, Suradel spoke with seriousness in his eyes.

“Lia. It’s all good, but you can’t speak so prettily anywhere. If it’s someone else, he would have been seduced and already fallen in love with you.”

‘That… I think you’re seduced because it’s you.’

I tried to refute it with a dumbfounded gaze, but a question flowed out of my mouth instead as a thought suddenly came to mind.

“Hold on. So, is it okay if you can’t retrieve the half-elixir you donated?”

Suradel shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t care.

“It’s okay. Our penguin lady who is missing is more important than that.”

Hearing that made me, the penguin that was more important than the half-elixir, feel a strange emotion that could not be explained in words.

…’Our’ penguin lady.

‘Who says it’s yours? Me, I’m mine.’