The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 27: The Best Incentive (X)

Iprus put her hand on my shoulder and replied with a confident expression.

“Since the lady trusted me and confided in me a big secret, I should try to live up to it.”

Perhaps a little embarrassed after saying so, Iprus rubbed the back of her neck and said jokingly,

“What am I going to do with my good connections? I have to suck it up to the bone marrow. Isn’t life originally about blood ties, school ties, delay, and chaos?”

It was a pretty cheesy remark. Besides, there seemed to be something strange at the end… 

I decided not to risk spoiling this touching atmosphere.

Straightening her expression, Iprus slowly drew closer and hugged me.

“Like how you took over my faults and protected me from Lord Reynos in the past, I will protect you this time.”

My stiff hand wandered, lost and aimless, and then I awkwardly hugged her.

My heart pounded as I recalled the time a few days ago when I resented my position as a penguin demibeast.

Why did I forget?

I already had someone who didn’t change and loved me, no matter what I was and how I looked.

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After parting with Lia, Iprus headed home, deep in thought.

The lady looked tough on the outside, but in fact, she was a delicate penguin who was easily hurt by small things.

“I want to help as much as possible…”

Iprus had succeeded in submitting a letter of resignation to the Magic Tower and receiving a letter of recommendation required for employment in another family.

Upon hearing that she did not want to remain any longer in the Magic Tower without Adelia, the master of the tower, Reynos, accepted her resignation letter without saying anything.

Indeed, the bond between her and the lady was deep.

Plus, he knew how much she cried and frantically searched for the lady when she went missing.

She had a letter of recommendation handwritten by Reynos, so it wouldn’t be difficult for her to get a job in the Weil family, which had frequent exchanges with the Magic Tower.

But there was a problem…

“That crazy penguin fan will surely get suspicious when he sees me next to the lady.”

This was why she had no choice but to secretly meet with the lady as if they had accidentally bumped into each other outside.

“It’s a little thrilling to think of it as a secret meeting…”

It was then. A long shadow under the sunset stopped in front of Iprus, who was walking while looking down.

Instinctively, she raised her head and looked at the person blocking her path.

“Ah…?”

Suradel, the killer whale demibeast of the Weil family.

The one who she just called a ‘crazy penguin fan’. 

He raised the corners of his mouth.

“Hi.”

After encountering an unexpected person, Iprus swallowed and squeezed the parasol in her hand.

Maybe it was because it was the first time she faced Suradel alone.

The fear that she had grown accustomed to from seeing his face while next to the penguin lady for years surfaced.

A more primitive and larger fear that she didn’t have even when she saw Theodore, who was said to have been endowed with the strongest power ever in the Wulf family.

Iprus tried to suppress the tremors and parted her lips, asking,

“Do you have something to do with me?”

Suradel tilted his head to one side and replied with a curious voice.

“You’re not looking for your master anymore?”

“Isn’t Sir Suradel the one who gave up on finding Lady Adelia? You looked too good to be hanging on like that.”

“Ahahahaha!”

Suradel let out a laugh as if he had heard something funny. Then he replied with a grin.

“Lia is doing well at my house, so why should I go look for her?”

“…Yes?”

Iprus doubted what she had just heard.

Blankly, her mouth hung open. But after a while, she came to her senses, and asked clearly.

“…You knew?”

“It’s strange not to know. Anyone can see that it’s Lia. Didn’t you notice right away?”

Iprus bit down on her lower lip, her pride hurt.

To her shame, she herself did not recognize her lady.

She went through a minimum of several verification procedures before she finally believed that Lia was the penguin lady she was serving.

Wait a minute.

“Then, the whole time you were helping Lord Reynos to find the lady…?”

“I was making a surprise for Lia while pretending to be looking for the penguin.”

Iprus massaged her forehead.

This meant… in just three days, the lady’s true identity was found out by Suradel, the head of the Weil family, and even her younger brother.

‘It means that everyone except Bella discovered the truth.’

It seemed more difficult to get caught by so many people in such a short amount of time.

If there was a positive part, it was that the lady didn’t seem to have to worry about being kicked out of the Weil residence.

As though there was no need to say anything trivial, Suradel brought up the main topic.

“So, when are you going to quit working for the Magic Tower? You should return to your master soon.”

What’s his plan?

Curious about his intentions, Iprus answered truthfully.

“I have already submitted my resignation to the Magic Tower. It’s just that I didn’t get a job with the Weil family because I was afraid that the lady’s identity would be revealed.”

“Then there’s no problem now. As soon as you come in, I’ll assign you as Lia’s maid in charge, so do well. I’ll try to explain it nicely so Lia doesn’t suspect anything.”

“…Why do you want to put me next to her?”

With a bitter smile, Suradel replied.

“I think Lia will be more stable with you by her side.”

“…Stable?”

“It hasn’t been long since she has humanized. Every night, I secretly check that she is not sick… she seems to be very distraught these days.”

Even if it wasn’t so, Iprus could feel the girl’s emotional ups and downs after the hunting competition.

“The lady…”

Her heart ached as she remembered the young lady who must have swallowed her tears alone.

Suradel looked at such an Iprus and muttered as if he had suddenly remembered it.

“Oh right. Everything we said here today is a secret from Lia, yes?”

With those words, Iprus realized that she had to keep the conversation she was having with Suradel a secret from the lady.

Unknowingly, she was caught up in his pace. He was a scary person.

She glared at him fiercely.

“Do you think I will keep a secret from Lia?”

“It doesn’t really matter if you say it, but wouldn’t it be better to rethink that idea?”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?”

“No, really, you can tell Lia everything you talked about with me. but…”

His eyes curved gently.

“Aren’t you curious about Lia’s expression when she finds out I know she’s a penguin?”

Inadvertently, Iprus imagined it, and her body trembled.

“I don’t think the secret will last long anyway. And I also kind of hope that Lia will notice soon.”

“But I can’t keep a secret from her…”

“Ah. You look flustered and at a loss for what to do, it’s sort of cute.”

“C-Cute…”

“Maybe, your face will be stained red.”

As if those words became a counter, Iprus erased her embarrassment and drew a business smile on her lips.

“If you get caught in my absence, please give me detailed testimony and description.”

“Of course. If I get a chance, I’ll leave it in the photo tool.”

Iprus thought with a small admiration.

‘A prepared stalker is indeed different.’

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The next day.

I moved with Iprus and Hanu to the place the former had told me about.

I planned to meet the information guild’s master, an acquaintance of Iprus.

Since we had to go to the outskirts, which was quite far from the Weil’s mansion, we rode in a carriage.

Around an hour passed…

Tired of staring out the window, I asked Iprus and Hanu.

“I’m bored. Do you have anything interesting to say?”

Iprus reacted quickly when asked if there was anything interesting.

“Come to think of it, I heard something from a servant who works for the Wulfs. She told me to keep it to myself.”

It was a typical habit of the ones who worked for the rich.

I asked what it was, thinking that the information would spread around sooner or later anyway; I was curious.

“What is it?”

“The day after the hunting competition, the Wulf family announced, ‘There was a misunderstanding because there was blood on his clothes. He wasn’t poisoned or fatally injured,’ right?”

“Yes.”

Iprus glanced at Hanu, sort of conscious of him as he didn’t know the whole story, then immediately continued.

“But strangely enough, Sir Theodore has locked himself in his room since that day and doesn’t come out.”

“…Huh?”

Why?

There was no reason for him to be confined to his room when he was in good health.

Even if he was really injured, if he was able to move, he would have to go about his schedule as usual to show other families that he was alive and well.

Since he was the heir to the great Wulf family.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a good reason why he had locked himself in the room, so I spat out anything.

“Uh… Was he embarrassed that he was unconscious in front of so many people?”

“It would be less embarrassing if it was a sword wound, perhaps it’s because of the bruise on his forehead.”

“Why? What’s wrong with being hit by a blunt weapon?”

“It’s not cool.”

Hanu, who had been watching us make ridiculous assumptions, put forth his opinion with a serious expression.

“It looks like the injury is serious. He said he’s fine on the surface, but he probably has trouble moving.”

“…….”

“…….”

Iprus and I both stared at Hanu, then turned our heads at the same time like we had planned it earlier, and continued the conversation.

“My lady, could it be that?”

“…Is it? But that can’t be it. I definitely checked.”

The black bull demibeast who was ignored as naturally as flowing water raised his eyebrows and stretched out his arms vaguely.

“H-Hey, those words…”