The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 47: It’s Best to Play (III)

When Suradel opened the door to the office, Bella, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, looked at him with complicated eyes.

As soon as he came in, she let go of her tightly pursed lips as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“I told you the other day. Not Lia.”

Suradel silently listened to her words, his steps unhesitating.

“I’ll say it again, if you don’t mean it, stop right now. If you approached Lia with a light heart, even a little bit…”

Dun.

Before Bella realized it, Suradel was right in front of her, smiling as usual.

“I have a question for you, Mother.”

“…Okay.”

“You mean it can’t be done because Lia is a killer whale? Or…?”

Bella closed her eyes and let out a sigh, which sounded like it was dragged out of her lungs.

“If only one of the two were true, I wouldn’t have stopped you. Rather, I would have cheered for you.”

“Cheer?”

“Yes. But the current situation is unfortunately a situation where both are applicable.”

“Ah.”

Suradel gave off a bright smile that didn’t fit the serious situation.

“If that’s the case, I’m glad. Lia is not a killer whale.”

Bella’s eyes narrowed at the shocking truth that was spoken out calmly.

“…What do you mean?”

“Adélie penguin. The penguin raised by the owner of the Magic Tower, Lord Reynos, has successfully humanized.”

It was so sudden and confusing that Bella was speechless.

Whether or not he knew her feelings, Suradel put his hand on her chest with a flushed face.

“Mom, I like Lia. As a person of the opposite sex.”

“What? What else are you… wait, wait! My head is bursting because of the series of shocking words. I can’t keep up.”

Grabbing her head, she looked at Suradel’s face.

It was to determine whether it was a joke or serious.

Eyes that seemed to be lost somewhere. A countenance full of excitement. Uneven breathing.

Bella was sure he meant it.

It was the first time that Suradel, who had been living a life of bore, showed such intense emotions.

“Suradel, are you really…”

“I know what Mother is worried about. But I will never push Lia away, even if she pushes me away.”

What she had been concerned about was if Suradel thought of Lia as a fleeting pastime.

However, if Lia was not a killer whale beast, and if Suradel’s feelings for Lia were sincere, the situation would be different.

One in which Suradel desperately wanted to connect with Lia.

“If you think about it, it makes sense. Mother knows better than anyone why I love the penguin that Lord Reynos raises.”

Suradel’s eyes curved with glee.

“How can I not love her when she becomes a human being?”

Indeed, Bella knew well why Suradel was so obsessed with the penguin that Lord Reynos was raising.

He was the son who even wanted to give up his life because of his terrible loneliness.

The only living creature that was not afraid of Suradel.

It was Adelia.

Even pure-blooded humans who had no fear of predators were different in front of Suradel.

They were also afraid of Suradel, although to a lesser degree compared to the demibeasts.

Strangely, however, only Reynos’ penguin, Adelia, did not seem to have any terror of him.

It didn’t seem like a big deal, but Adelia’s presence must have been a salvation to Suradel.

Putting everything together like a puzzle, Bella finally understood his strange behavior.

“I see. So from the first time you saw Lia…”

Since the penguin became a human, perhaps it was only natural that Suradel fell in love with her, as he said.

Bella was still disoriented by the sudden truth, but that wasn’t what was important right now.

“Let me ask you one thing, Suradel.”

It said with caution, suppressing the complex emotions of tension, fear, and even hesitation.

“Is Lia the reason for your life?”

Unlike the hesitant question, Suradel answered very quickly.

“Yes.”

As soon as he answered, Bella buried her face in her hands.

The years of fear and worry flashed quickly through her mind, and tears welled up on their own.

“That’s a relief. I… you, you… I’m afraid you’ll really end your life after the promise I made…”

She was so nervous that she choked up.

Suradel knew his mother would be happy, but he deliberately asked because he wanted to hear it.

“Are you okay with Lia not being a killer whale? You were happy to find Lia.”

“There’s something more gratifying than continuing the killer whale species, what can I not be okay about?”

Bella gave Suradel a crushing hug, as if comparing the two of them didn’t even make sense.

“You are my son. There is nothing more important than you except my husband, who is in the same family.”

Suradel laughed softly at Bella’s firm response.

He knew the reaction would be such, but he was even more delighted to hear it in person.

“Furthermore… Since you said that you like Lia as a person of the opposite sex, if only you two can connect, I can expect a killer whale grandchild.”

“Grand… child?”

“Yes, grandchild. The odds are not much different from when I thought Lia was a killer whale.”

Suradel replied with a low laugh.

“The child is too far into the future, Mother.”

“What. You don’t have plans for children?”

“To think of a child… we’re not even dating yet. Besides, Lia may not want a child with me.”

At Suradel’s ambiguous reaction, Bella raised one eyebrow in displeasure.

“So you’re just going to watch someone take Lia away?”

“It can’t be.”

Like the answer was satisfactory, a smile appeared on Bella’s lips.

“It should be. Now that this has happened, seduce her with all your heart.”

“I already am, but… I will try a little harder.”

“Come to think of it, if Lia and you do well, you will become a rare thief. You’re my son, but the thought is disgusting.”

“Isn’t it nice for the thief to be your son.”

“It’s good. You’ve been dirty inside since the old days.”

Suradel shrugged his shoulders lightly and looked away.

“By the way… I guess Father wanted to see Mother a lot.”

Where his gaze landed, there were stacks of papers piled up like a mountain in one corner of the office.

It was obvious without looking.

This was most definitely a trace left by Primo when he, who had been left alone in the Weil family estate because of work, ran to the center to see Bella after handling only urgent matters.

Perhaps, when the days of staying in the Weil family’s territory become longer, he would abandon the work of the center and come here.

Bella handed a note to Suradel, who was thinking of throwing the documents at Primo.

“What note is this?”

“Primo told me to give this to you should you sigh in the office.”

Suradel silently opened the folded note, swiftly scanning it.

In it, there were suggestions on where to go on a date with a lover in the Weil family territory, as well as boutiques and dessert shops that Bella liked.

‘According to the note, there’s a night market around…’

‘I guess father had already noticed that I like Lia.’

Suradel chuckled as he put the note in his pocket.

“I have no choice but to admit I’ve lost this time.”

Bella, who thought he would go to the center and say a word right away, showed interest in the unexpected reaction.

“What’s written on it?”

“It’s a men’s secret.”

“Since when did you care about that?”

“Since today.”

Bella glared at Suradel, her eyes thin and deadly, but quickly gave up when he showed no signs of giving in.

“I don’t think Primo would have said anything very nutritious, so it’s okay. I’m not going to leave.”

As Bella rose from her seat, Suradel smiled and held her arm.

“Where are you going?”

“To see our pretty Lia.”

“It’s cheap to play alone. Besides, it was left behind by Father, so Mother is also responsible.”

“…What do you want to say? Don’t beat around the bush, speak directly.”

“Mother should take care of it with me.”

Suradel nodded at the stack of papers.

Then Bella’s face contorted like a crumpled piece of paper.

“I am not going out to play either. I will personally teach Lia how to animalize.”

“That’s what I’m going to do. Shouldn’t you cheer for your son’s love, Mother?”

“…This is daylight robbery.”

Suradel was ‘upgraded’ from a thief to one committing daylight robbery.

When Bella murmured in a low, sort of indignant voice, Suradel replied leisurely.

“Lia thinks Mother doesn’t know who she is. She would be more comfortable with me.”

“But I want to see Lia turn into a penguin and panic right in front of me.”

Seeing Bella say the same thing as he did, Suradel burst out laughing.

“I guess we really are mother and son. How could you have the same thoughts as me?”

“It’s said that when people live together for a long time, their thoughts start to resemble each other’s.”

“That doesn’t feel bad.”

The two smiled at the same time.

“But Lia wanted to tell Mother herself rather than get caught, so please be patient.”

“Do you know when Lia will reveal her identity to me?”

“But if Lia and I had nothing to do with each other, you would have been disappointed to hear that she is not a killer whale, right?”

“That’s right. But I wouldn’t have changed my attitude towards Lia. In the first place, it isn’t because she’s a killer whale that I took her in.”

“I know that well, so I wasn’t too concerned about it, but Lia is very anxious.”

Suradel laughed bitterly when he remembered Lia packing her things.

“That’s why I’m telling you in advance. I didn’t want you to show the slightest sign of disappointment in front of Lia later.”

Credits goes to ZZZZ for raw providing and Ame for translating.