The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 17: A Glitch in the System (VI)

“Magic? Yes. You can use it.”

At Suradel’s cool answer, I stared at him, my eyes shining.

Excited, I tried to ask if I had mana in my body, just like the pure-blooded humans and the whales.

If it wasn’t for his continued words.

“Isn’t Lia a killer whale? It goes without saying that you can use magic if you put in the effort.”

My heart was pounding.

I almost made the big mistake of talking to the same whale like I was a different species.

Even after I was caught by Primo, the reaction was quite favorable, so I must have become careless.

Suradel, unaware of my inner circumstances, smiled calmly.

“Looking at your eyes, you seem to have a strong will to learn.”

“Yes, using magic is cool.”

“…Really?”

“I’ve always dreamed of wielding a fancy magic wand.”

I thought while insincerely responding to his question.

‘In the end, I still can’t figure out why Primo reacted strangely to me…’

With regret, I lightly clenched my fist and opened it. It was an unpleasant feeling.

Magic was magic, but I wanted to make sure that the source of Suradel’s favor was really my mana.

“Then it wouldn’t be bad to go to the library tomorrow to read a basic magic book. I told you that you can go in and out of the mansion anywhere, so make yourself at home.”

I was a bit skeptical of his suggestion.

“You speak as if you will not follow me tomorrow.”

He scratched his chin with an apologetic look.

“Well, I have something urgent to do, so I won’t be able to spend time with you for a while.”

“…Are you going to find that missing penguin?”

“Yes. I liked it a lot. And Lord Reynos, Adelia’s father, is asking me for help.”

“Ah…”

I tried hard not to think of it.

The words that my father was looking for me stabbed me in the chest again like a dagger.

I forcibly raised the corners of my mouth, pretending it was nothing.

“That’s good, it’s uncomfortable to have you sticking with me all day.”

“Lia. You’re free to do whatever you want, but don’t do anything too risky while I’m gone.”

“Where’s the danger in the Weil mansion?”

“But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think Lia will stay still.”

“Don’t you believe me?”

Instead of responding to my words, Suradel lightly flicked his fingers and summoned a subspace.

What Suradel took out from subspace was a luxuriously crafted platinum ring.

“Is this design okay, Lia?”

At the unexpected appearance of the ring, I spat out my appreciation as soon as I saw it.

“It’s just plain and pretty.”

“I’d like to give it to you with a pretty jewel on it, but this is the only magic tool I have that can be resized.”

“Why a ring, so suddenly?”

“I’ll put a summoning spell on this, so wear it and call me immediately if something big happens.”

‘Haha. You’re sure I’m going to get into some kind of accident.’

“What’s your favorite starter, Lia?”

“Starter?”

“Yes. Lia can’t use magic yet, so I’m going to make the magic activate automatically when you say the trigger word while touching the ring.”

It was a really convenient and innovative magic tool.

I answered brightly, thinking without conscience that I could move a little more boldly during the hunting competition.

“Then, ‘Go, Kim Su, I choose you’ please!”

Hearing my starter, Suradel burst out laughing and asked.

“Lia. Thank you for calling me by my nickname, but…”

“Thank you?”

“…There are no letters for ‘Kim’ anywhere in the name Suradel, so where in the world did it come from?”

“Just… Attaching it makes it sound more stable and familiar.”
(TL/N: I guess ‘go, kim su!’ rolls off the tongue better than ‘go, su!’? There’s no pokemon name in korean that starts with ‘kim’.)

Suradel blinked and stared at me, then burst into a wide smile.

“I got a good idea. How about this?”

He whispered something in my ear as if it was a big secret.

I replied without hesitation.

“Rejected.”

“I’m glad you like it too, Lia.”

As I watched Suradel smile and pretend to sweep his chest, my face was filled with question marks.

‘What, give it back, hey.’

“…If you’re going to decide as you please, why did you ask?”

“But I’m an opportunist. How could I miss the opportunity to be called that by Lia?”

At this point, I, who had maintained an iron wall, couldn’t help but click my tongue at his constant flirting.

Tsk, terrible.

“Oh right. This is a one-time use, so please refrain from using it as a joke.”

I smiled broadly at his request and eased his worries.

“Even if it’s a joke or something, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say it, so don’t worry.”

Suradel laughed, going ‘ahahaha’, saying that it would be better to not have to use it, and quickly casted a spell on the ring.

It really seemed like he was using ‘it’ as the starter.

He got down on one knee in front of me, holding up the finished ring and humorously smiling, his eyes curving.

“I fell in love with the lady at first sight. It may be sudden, but would you like to hang out with me?”

“No, I will not go out with you.”

When the concept of a young lord who had fallen in love at first sight didn’t work, he immediately turned his attitude around and raised his eyebrows.

“Boss, this is all I stole this week. Ah, it’s an expensive item that the noble’s wife loved very much, so please be kind…”

This time, it was a concept I really liked.

Elegantly, I looked down at the ring, then put my hand out in front of the ring he held out.

“Hmm. Not bad.”

“It’s an honor.”

After saying that, Suradel placed the ring on my index finger with an expression of ecstasy.

Then the loose ring shrunk to fit my hand.

“Ah…”

Before I knew it, Suradel got up from his kneeling position, pleasantlyy looking at me and asked.

“Lia. It’s bedtime soon, can I touch your forehead for a moment before we part?”

“Now you’re openly saying you’re going to do skinship?”

“No. I just want to see if you’re having a fever. It’s unstable because it hasn’t been long since you humanized.”

With utmost ‘sincerity’, he stared at me with eyes as innocent as a deer.

“…If Lia doesn’t like it, I won’t force you. Instead, as I said this morning, don’t be sick alone like yesterday and come to me. Understand?”

I looked at Suradel in silence, then took his hand and brought it to my forehead.

It was an extremely impulsive action.

“…Lia?”

He flinched, as if shocked by my sudden action. I shrugged and gazed up at him, suggesting it was okay.

Watching Suradel’s cheeks glow reddish, I was a bit surprised.

‘Are you embarrassed?’

“It’s okay since you checked that there’s no heat, right?”

The hand on my forehead felt soft and fine, as if he had never done hard work in his life.

‘Plus, why is it so cold?’ It was cool, as if it had just been soaked in ice water and taken out.

“…Lia, your forehead seems a little hot.”

“Your hands are cold.”

“Right. I am naturally cold.”

I furrowed my eyebrows in dissatisfaction.

“Why did you say it like I’m sick and feverish?”

Suradel smiled bashfully and confessed honestly.

“I thought if I said so, we could stay together for a little longer. Lia’s body temperature is warm and nice.”

I abruptly dropped his hand with a rotten expression as if I had met a rare pervert.

This killer whale jerk.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

As Suradel said yesterday, he left the mansion early in the morning.

“The penguin you are looking for is in your house.”

Silly.

I warmed up by stretching lightly. I slept poorly yesterday and my whole body was sore.

Actually, a fever rose last night, and after returning to my penguin form, I was sick for a long time.

I guess it was fortunate that I did not hallucinate or faint like the day before.

It wasn’t a very good experience, but I learned a fact from suffering consecutively.

That I, who was still unstable in humanization, would go back to being a penguin when I am psychologically weak.

The evidence was that I was fine in the morning, but was only sick at night when I was left alone and had a lot of thoughts.

It seemed more so because I was lying on the bed alone in a large room.

‘Isn’t it perfect to recall my previous life when in a lonely surrounding environment?’

Ever since I reincarnated as a penguin, my dad and Iprus had always been by my side.

“Is it a lack of affection…”

I got up from my seat, caressing the ring on my index finger.

Since Suradel directly said that it was okay to go anywhere in the mansion, today I was going to look around the mansion to make it easier to escape later.

“Since I don’t know the structure of the mansion well, I should ask Sir Hanu to go with me.”

As soon as I thought that, like a ghost, someone knocked on the door. Then came Hanu’s voice.

“Lady Lia, I’m here to do what you commanded.”

Have I ever ordered anything from Hanu?

I asked to see Iprus, but I don’t think he could have brought her this soon.

Knowing that Iprus’ stubbornness was unusual, I allowed him in with some doubt.

“Come in.”

“Did you sleep well last night, Lady Lia? Good morning.”

Hanu opened the door and came in with a mysterious huge sack.

“Yes. Good morning. But Sir Hanu, what the heck is that sack…?”

“This is Lady Lia’s request.”

Something I requested, huh?

Before I could ask what it was, Hanu started opening the sack with a proud expression.

“I thought about it, but I couldn’t persuade and bring it, so I caught it off guard and brought it in a sack.”

…Uh. Does that mean…?