Chapter 130: The Worries of the First-in-Line Heir's Attendant
"Oh, it seems you haven't realized this problem. Makes sense, Amphelite has no reason to chat with you about this. She's always had plans to become my stepmother, and who knows, she might actually take the position one day.
According to your tribe's generational seniority, you have to call her 'great-grandmother', right? That makes me your grandmother."
Seeing that Alber hadn't grasped the meaning behind her words, Nanamo simply pointed it out directly. Her intuition told her that this matter was probably going to happen soon anyway.
"...If you insist I address you that way, it's not impossible."
"Huh? You really don't care about this kind of thing at all!"
Alber's flat reaction instead made Nanamo somewhat unaccustomed, completely preventing her from continuing her following words.
"I believe that everything in battle is solely for the sake of winning. As long as one can achieve victory, the process and methods are unimportant, and tools are also unimportant.
The same goes for verbal sparring; these words that can't even scratch my skin have no effect on me."
Gripping his dumbbells tightly once again, Alber continued swinging them, completely uncaring about these issues of generational seniority.
"Well said. Only those left alive are fit to discuss such things. In a life-and-death struggle, winning is the key—unless you possess strength like Big Bro's.
My respected Princess, there is nothing wrong with Alber's combat mindset. Would you like me to teach you how to launch sneak attacks on your opponents? This is something Big Bro cannot teach you."
Sebastian, who had just finished his teaching session nearby, strongly agreed with Alber's words. Because his fish species' ability was invisibility, he even had quite a lot of experience in this area.
As for Nereus himself, it wasn't that he couldn't use stealth. Nereus's infiltration skills were almost unmatched; using Observation Haki to mask his aura, combined with his Devil Fruit ability, he could sneak into almost anywhere.
But on a head-on battlefield, there was almost no one who could force him to use these methods. Therefore, his experience in this specific area was far inferior to Sebastian's.
"The schedule my old man arranged for me is already quite full. Uncle Sebastian, are you trying to steal my old man's classes?"
"If Big Bro has made arrangements, I won't interfere. If you ever want extra training, you can find me anytime."
"Just thinking about it sounds terrifying... I'm still just a child."
"Big Bro is doing it for your own good. Being born here and enjoying the resources and benefits Big Bro brings, responsibilities will naturally entangle you as well. The people Big Bro has to deal with are no simple characters.
You are his daughter and could be targeted at any time. Only if you become strong enough can Big Bro act with more peace of mind. During that operation in Mary Geoise, he kept you locked down on Fish-man Island and didn't let you out precisely because of this mindset.
Young Miss, you are 17 years old this year and can be considered an adult. Even if you haven't grown much taller, you shouldn't be as playful as a child anymore."
Sebastian was different from the other major executives. Because Big Pan had some minor intellectual defects, whenever there were no extra orders, he just played around blindly with Nanamo.
Sunbell and Babel would also spoil her like elders; for example, when Nanamo held concerts, the two of them were frequent attendees.
Sebastian, on the other hand, was much stricter. The object of his loyalty was Nereus. Although Nanamo was Nereus's daughter, she was not the one he directly served.
While there wouldn't be any defiance against her, he acted much more sternly, and their interactions mostly revolved around training.
"Is it that I don't want to grow taller?! Is this a problem I can control?! This is innate, what can I do about it!"
She had grown quite a bit older, but in appearance, Nanamo was no different from when she was on Beehive Island; she still retained that petite form.
Judging by her parents' height, this wasn't very logical, but the growth proportions on this sea were inherently bizarre. Sometimes, people in their twenties looked like four- or five-year-old kids.
But in just one year's time, it would be as if they had undergone a metamorphosis, suddenly turning into adults.
Saldeath of Impel Down was a prime example.
Originally, Nanamo grew very quickly, reaching a height of 1.4 meters by the time she was four or five. Now, over a decade later, she had only just broken the 1.5-meter mark.
The issue Babel didn't want to face was baldness, while Nanamo hated issues regarding her height.
"Besides, I know all this. Aren't I strictly following the schedule my old man set...? Right now is rest time...
Maybe it's precisely because I've trained too much that I haven't grown taller."
"Princess Nanamo, I feel that a diligent heir would be much more favored by Lord Nereus. Perhaps you should show a bit more diligence?"
"Hermes, the role you are currently playing is a sofa, and sofas do not speak. Please continue to follow the rules of your roleplay."
Sebastian was considered an elder, so Nanamo couldn't really say much and usually just 'uh-huh'-ed her way through his nagging.
But as for Hermes... Nanamo certainly didn't like him echoing Sebastian's words at a time like this.
Being lectured by one person was fine, but having another person chiming in from the sidelines bred an annoying feeling.
Casually kicking her leg to express her attitude, Hermes stopped talking. However, a complex emotion surfaced on his cloud-composed face.
[My Princess... you really have absolutely no sense of urgency. If you end up having a little brother or sister in the future...]
As her most loyal attendant, Hermes strongly supported Nanamo. Unfortunately, as the master, Nanamo had absolutely zero interest in such things.
This situation... perfectly mirrored the old saying: The emperor isn't worried, but his eunuchs are anxious to death.
While Nanamo was still resting over here, the schools of Fish-man Island had ended their break, ushering in their own opening day.
Over three years, it wasn't just the military that was expanding; the scale of the schools was also enlarging.
An academy district sub-island, built connected to the main body of Fish-man Island, now undertook the educational work for the entirety of Fish-man Island. Other schools had also been relocated here for unified management.
As the domestic situation of Fish-man Island became increasingly stable, the number of newly enrolled students also increased.
Currently, the requirements for academic classes here were still not very high; grasping basic reading, writing, and simple arithmetic was considered a passing grade.
Physical education was a mandatory core subject here, while academics ironically became the domain of "specialized students." Generally, only those whose constitutions were poor and couldn't keep up with physical training would go on to specialize in academic courses.
Meals must be eaten one bite at a time, and steps shouldn't be taken too broadly all at once. In some areas of Fish-man Island, literacy campaigns still needed to be carried out; the current state was already no small improvement.
The very first day for new students involved physical testing to conduct an initial baseline assessment. However, within the senior classes, a minor issue had occurred.
Looking at the roll call ledger in his hand, their homeroom teacher was currently feeling a little nervous.
"Class, can anyone tell me... where did Kawamatsu go?"
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