Episode 8
“You only live once, so what if you die?”
Calypso did not know.
“Mister, people die eventually anyway.”
She didn’t realize that her own eyes glistened with a touch of madness as she spoke those words.
Surprisingly, this was successful in drawing Pierre Aquasiadel’s interest.
Even considering she was a direct descendant of the Killer Whale family—the strongest of aquatic shifters—she was a child born with top-tier looks.
However, despite having the appearance of a world-class adorable child, her eyes alone were no different from warriors who did not fear death.
‘How on earth are they raising kids these days for her to be this out of her mind?’
That thought didn’t belong in Pierre Aquasiadel’s head, given that he himself was also out of his mind.
But humans who are perfectly objective about themselves are a rare breed.
“I fail to see the correlation between the primary educational institution and learning the power of water.”
“Why wouldn’t there be? Mister, to become the boss, that power is obviously essential. Are you an idiot, Mister?”
“…….”
“Um, you might not know. So don’t glare at me.”
Calypso quickly rolled her eyes.
It was only for a moment, but she felt the pressure exerted by the power of water.
“And if I don’t become the boss, Dad will be disappointed.”
Pierre Aquasiadel was curious.
Why does she tell such blatant lies even while knowing he is her father?
I don’t have even a shred of interest in you.
“Help me. Mister. Okay? Since Dad loves me very much. He’ll definitely want me to become a strong killer whale who becomes the boss.”
“…….”
“My dad is…… Ugh!”
He became curious about how these contradictory, inconsistent words would end.
Just like the words of the subordinate who had reported on Calypso, Pierre Aquasiadel had no aversion to teaching someone.
Except, there was a condition that the subject must, very rarely, pique his interest.
Calypso’s eyes widened.
‘Water!’
Water was surging all around her.
Pierre Aquasiadel was floating her with the power of water!
“One who leaves your wounds as they are while not leaving those who caused them alive.”
“…U—ung?”
“Do you really think a person who wants you to grow strong but provides no help at all loves you?”
“…….”
The child’s dark blue eyes stared blankly at Pierre Aquasiadel.
Soon, the child smiled prettily.
“Of course. Dad loves me incredibly much. To me, Dad is the best.”
Pierre Aquasiadel became curious.
About how this lie would end.
“You may set the time yourself. I’m telling you in advance, I will not take age into account. It would have been the same whether you were younger or older.”
“……!”
“Come out here every day at the same time.”
“……!!”
For the first time, a smile that looked like a real smile crossed Calypso’s eyes.
“Great, so what should I call you? Mister? Want me to call you Master?”
“As you wish.”
“Then, Master!”
While floating around, Calypso busily opened her bag.
Her tiny hands fumbled and pulled something out.
“Ah!”
The thing that slipped from Calypso’s hand and floated in the air was none other than a candy.
And it was a plankton-flavored candy.
“This is really delicious, I’ve been hiding it. I treasure it, but I’ll give it to you, Mister.”
Feeling that Pierre Aquasiadel’s eyes were not leaving her, Calypso spoke excitedly.
“It’s a bribe. Master!”
Calypso confidently thought that this would become a step she wouldn’t regret in the future.
* * *
‘……I regret it!’
Five days later, Calypso regretted it deeply.
Very deeply!
‘What a disaster. I didn’t know he was a human with this little common sense……!’
To be precise, Pierre Aquasiadel kept his word.
He truly started teaching Calypso the power of water.
The problem was that the method of teaching that power was not ordinary.
‘Wow, it’s certain. My age clearly isn’t registered in the father’s brain.’
Calypso had once awakened the power of water with the help of a treasure in her previous life.
However, because awakening the power of water isn’t the end, she needed a way to handle it.
Fortunately, after awakening, Calypso met a certain eccentric and learned how to handle the power.
According to the story she heard from that eccentric, even a killer whale who cannot awaken the power of water has an increased chance of awakening if they are continuously exposed to the power of water.
It was a theoretical story at best, but considering this eccentric was a killer whale shifter who had run away several generations ago, it wouldn’t be wrong.
The problem was that Calypso only knew this method and hadn’t experienced it; Pierre Aquasiadel applied this to practical use.
“Let’s start by exposing you to the power of water.”
“U—ung?”
“Dive.”
“Huh……?”
“Dive.”
Pierre Aquasiadel abruptly filled the broken fountain with water.
Since it was water filled with the power of water, it was no different from special water, but she was expected to just dive into it raw. Even…….
“There are often cases where one awakens under the threat of death.”
“U—ung?”
“Dive until just before you drown.”
“Huh……?”
Pierre Aquasiadel is a killer whale too, so she thought he wouldn’t be a normal human…… but he was a man who strictly kept his word.
“Or, would you prefer to be exposed to pressure like last time? There are many choices.”
“……What else is there?”
After hearing all the choices, Calypso.
……Just chose to dive that day.
This was Calypso’s first ordeal during the past five days.
In addition to this, Calypso had to do one more thing.
“There are various ways to apply the power of water. First, Fear—a method of intimidating kin or prey weaker than yourself.”
“The thing you keep using when you scold me, Master?”
“…….”
“You don’t have to go out of your way to teach me with your body like this.”
“You seem like the type to learn through the body.”
“…….”
Surprisingly, as a teacher, Pierre Aquasiadel possessed qualities that weren’t bad.
“Second is manifesting water. Like filling this fountain. Floating a person in the air with a stream of water also belongs here. Third is enabling aquatic creatures to use their strength as if they were in the water. It’s a supportive ability, a kind of buff.”
At least in terms of theory.
“And fourth. Strengthening the body with the power of water.”
“I know that!”
“Is that so? Then run.”
“……Huh?”
“Run.”
“…….”
Pierre Aquasiadel cleared the area around the fountain with his power and made an open space.
Then he made Calypso run. He said the probability of awakening increases if one uses physical abilities in a place where the power of water is scattered.
Apparently, it was a treatment that didn’t take into account at all that Calypso was a baby not even 30 months old.
Calypso didn’t know, but there was a cause for this within Calypso herself.
Since the soul inside was a 4th-round regressor who had been through everything, Calypso endured with an extremely un-childlike mindset of ‘Right, if they tell me to do it, I have to do it.’
It was truly the result of a fantastic combination of a father who didn’t know children and a regressor daughter who had forgotten how to be a child.
‘Ugh…… muscle paiin.’
Thanks to that, Calypso came to experience muscle pain—which wasn’t in her destiny—from the age of three.
“……Are you perhaps an amoeba?”
“What?”
“No, even an amoeba would react to this much stimulation. It means your talent for awakening the power of water is at a level lower than an amoeba.”
“Master, just because you hit with words doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. You understand?”
The result was minimal since it had only been 5 days.
Even though Pierre Aquasiadel looked at her with eyes saying ‘How can there be such a talentless killer whale……’ in just those 5 days.
Pierre Aquasiadel determined from the start that the probability of Calypso awakening was not zero.
‘That’s a relief. Because if there were really no chance, he would have told me. Just like in the previous rounds…….’
Outstanding killer whales like Pierre Aquasiadel or the Family Head could recognize if the child before them would be unable to awaken the power of water.
This point alone was a great relief.
It meant that what she gained was not nothing.
‘It’s very slight, but I felt something moving inside my body.’
It’s a point she realized after running and running again, but Calypso found that she ran better than an average three-year-old killer whale.
She hypothesized that she might be unknowingly using the power of water for endurance.
If it can be applied to endurance, wouldn’t it be possible for physical strength too?
So, just in case, she tried hitting a stone…….
‘My hand hurt, but there was a result, right?’
Surprisingly, there was a change, albeit a very small one.
Of course, compared to her brothers who were famous for being geniuses, it was still far too insufficient, and it was ambiguous to say she had awakened.
Because one can only be said to have ‘awakened’ once they can manifest water.
‘Bravo 4th round! A munchkin life is just around the corner!’
Yes, it’s good. It’s really good, but…….
‘I wonder if I’ll die from overwork first?’
In this life, the plan was definitely to somehow use Pierre Aquasiadel as a guardian and hold out well until around age 10, then be sold off as the Dragon’s Bride to negotiate with the dragon and return home.
“Young Lady, are you ready?”
When she raised her head, there was the familiar servant.
It was the same servant who had taken Calypso to the Family Head.
Unlike the day he had taken Calypso away roughly, he bowed his head extremely politely.
“I will guide you to the primary educational institution.”
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