Chapter: 08
“You only live once. So what if you die?”
Calypso didn’t realize it.
“Sir, people die one way or another anyway.”
She had no idea that her eyes gleamed with madness as she said those words.
Surprisingly, it was enough to catch Pierre’s attention.
Even considering she was a direct descendant of the strongest aquatic beastkin—the killer whales—she was an exceptionally beautiful child.
Yet despite her adorable appearance, her eyes were no different from those of warriors who had long since accepted death.
‘What kind of upbringing produces a kid this completely unhinged these days?’
Of course, Pierre wasn’t exactly in a position to judge anyone’s sanity.
But people who can evaluate themselves with perfect objectivity were rare.
“I fail to see the connection between an elementary educational institution and learning the power of water.”
“How can there not be one? Mister, if you want to become the strongest, of course you need that power. Are you dumb?”
“…”
“Hmm, I guess you might not know. So don’t glare at me.”
Calypso quickly darted her eyes away.
It lasted only a moment, but she had felt the pressure emitted by his power over water.
“And if I don’t become the strongest, Dad will be disappointed.”
Pierre was curious.
Why was she telling such an obvious lie when she knew he was her father?
I don’t have even the slightest interest in you.
“Please help me, Mister. Okay? Dad loves me so much. I’m sure he wants me to become a strong, unbeatable killer whale.”
“…”
“My dad is…”
“Ah!”
Pierre suddenly found himself curious about how this bundle of contradictions intended to finish that sentence.
Just as his subordinate had reported, Pierre had no objection to teaching someone.
There was only one condition.
The student had to be one of the very few people capable of sparking his interest.
Calypso’s eyes widened.
‘Water!’
Water swirled all around her.
Pierre was lifting her into the air with the power of water.
“The one who leaves your wounds untreated, yet refuses to let the one who wounded you live.”
“…Huh?”
“The one who wishes for you to become stronger but offers no help whatsoever… do you truly believe that person loves you?”
“…”
The child stared straight into Pierre’s dark blue eyes.
Then she smiled brightly.
“Of course. Dad loves me more than anything. To me, Dad’s the best.”
Pierre became curious.
How would this lie end?
“You may choose the time yourself. But let me make one thing clear—I won’t take your age into consideration. Whether you were younger or older wouldn’t change anything.”
“…!”
“Come here every day at the same time.”
“…!!”
For the first time, a genuine smile spread across Calypso’s face.
“Great! Then what should I call you? Mister? Or should I call you Master?”
“As you like.”
“Then, Master!”
Still floating in midair, Calypso eagerly opened her little bag.
Her tiny hands rummaged around before pulling something out.
“Ah!”
What floated gently into the air after slipping from her hands was a piece of candy.
Plankton-flavored candy.
“This is super delicious. I hid it so no one would find it. It’s one of my favorites, but I’ll give it to you.”
Noticing that Pierre’s gaze remained fixed on her, Calypso grinned.
“It’s a bribe, Master!”
Calypso confidently believed that this decision would become one she would never regret.
‘…I regret it!’
Five days later, Calypso regretted it with all her heart.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
‘This is a disaster. I never imagined he had this little common sense…!’
To be precise, Pierre had kept his word.
He had genuinely begun teaching her how to use the power of water.
The problem was that his teaching methods were anything but normal.
‘I’m certain now. There’s absolutely no concept of my age inside that man’s head.’
In her previous life, Calypso had awakened the power of water with the help of a treasure.
But awakening wasn’t the end.
She still had to learn how to control it.
Fortunately, after awakening, she had met an eccentric who taught her how to wield the power.
According to him, even killer whale beastkin who had yet to awaken their water affinity could increase their chances by being continuously exposed to the power of water.
It was only a theory.
Still, considering the eccentric himself had been descended from a killer whale beastkin several generations back, it probably wasn’t wrong.
The problem was that Calypso had only known about the method.
She had never actually experienced it.
Pierre, however, was putting that theory directly into practice.
“First, you’ll be exposed to the power of water.”
“Huh?”
“Dive.”
“…Huh?”
“Dive.”
Without warning, Pierre filled the broken fountain to the brim.
Because it had been created through the power of water, it was no ordinary water.
And now she was expected to dive straight into it.
On top of that…
“People sometimes awaken when faced with mortal danger.”
“Huh?”
“Stay submerged until you’re about to drown.”
“…Huh?”
She had known Pierre wasn’t an ordinary person—after all, he was a killer whale beastkin.
But…
He was the type who followed through on every word he said.
“Or would you rather be exposed to pressure like last time? There are plenty of options.”
“…What other options are there?”
After hearing every single option…
Calypso immediately chose drowning practice.
That had been the first trial of her past five days.
There was one more thing she had to do as well.
“There are several ways to utilize the power of water. First is fear—using it to intimidate weaker members of your own kind or your prey.”
“Like when you keep scolding me, Master?”
“…”
“You really don’t have to demonstrate it physically.”
“You seem like the type who learns with your body.”
“…”
Surprisingly, Pierre wasn’t a bad teacher.
“The second method is materializing water, like how I filled this fountain. Lifting people with streams of water also falls into this category. Third is allowing aquatic creatures to use their abilities as though they were underwater. Think of it as a support-type buff.”
At least, when it came to theory.
“And fourth—enhancing your body with the power of water.”
“I know that one!”
“Really? Then run.”
“…Huh?”
“Run.”
“…”
Pierre personally cleared the area around the fountain, creating an open training ground.
Then he made Calypso run.
Apparently, forcing her to use her body in an area saturated with the power of water would increase the likelihood of awakening.
It never once occurred to him that Calypso was still a baby who wasn’t even thirty months old.
What Calypso didn’t know was that she herself was partly responsible.
Inside that tiny body was someone living her fourth life, having survived countless hardships.
So instead of acting like a normal toddler, Calypso simply accepted everything with the mindset:
If he says do it, then I’ll do it.
It was truly the perfect combination—
A father who knew nothing about children,
and a reincarnated daughter who had long forgotten how to act like one.
‘Ugh… my muscles…’
As a result, Calypso experienced muscle soreness at the age of three.
“…Could it be that you’re an amoeba?”
“What?”
“No… even an amoeba would react to this much stimulation. Your talent for awakening the power of water is worse than an amoeba’s.”
“Master, just because you’re hitting me with words doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, you know.”
The results after only five days were naturally minimal.
Even so, Pierre looked at her with an expression that practically screamed,
How can a killer whale have so little talent…?
Still, from the very beginning, Pierre had concluded that Calypso’s chances of awakening weren’t zero.
‘Thank goodness. If there had truly been no hope, he would have told me… just like in my previous lives.’
Talented killer whales like Pierre or the family head could tell whether a child standing before them had any chance of awakening the power of water.
At least that much was reassuring.
It wasn’t as though she had gained nothing.
‘It’s only a tiny bit… but I could feel something moving inside my body.’
After running over and over, Calypso realized something.
She could run better than an ordinary three-year-old killer whale.
Maybe, without realizing it, she had already been using the power of water to enhance her stamina.
If she could apply it to endurance…
Could she apply it to strength as well?
Just in case, she punched a rock.
‘My hand hurt… but it worked, didn’t it?’
Surprisingly, there had been a very slight change.
Of course, compared to her genius older brothers, it was still nowhere near enough.
It was even difficult to call it an awakening.
After all, true awakening only began once you could materialize water.
‘Bravo, Fourth Life! This time I’m only one step away from becoming overpowered!’
Yes.
That was great.
Really great…
‘At this rate, won’t I die from overwork first?’
Her plan this life had been simple:
Somehow survive under Pierre’s protection until she turned about ten.
Then get sold off as the Dragon’s Bride, negotiate with the dragon, and come back home.
“My Lady, are you ready?”
When she looked up, she saw a familiar servant.
It was the same servant who had once taken her to meet the family head.
Unlike that day, when he had dragged her away roughly, he now bowed with utmost respect.
“I shall escort you to the elementary educational institution.”
