Chapter 125: Male Zerg Star Pirate × Female Zerg Undercover Agent (9): Ulysses Watches This Female Zerg Walk Toward His End, Trapped Inside the Prison Woven by the

This female Zerg even believed the male Zerg would return to the Zerg Federation with him.

Reading the events unfolding in the story, a trace of mockery flashed through Ulysses' eyes.

Perhaps this was the most tragic protagonist that His Lordship had ever written.

The male Zerg had never told him a single truthful word.

He had been deceived from beginning to end.

The entire Zerg Federation—even the Heavenly Garuda readers—were watching him stumble deeper and deeper into the lie.

Just like the divorce trial that had once captivated the entire Federation.

Would the male Zerg eventually send him to the tribunal?

Or perhaps something even worse.

Perhaps, after growing tired of him, the male Zerg would simply kill him.

Ulysses didn't believe that any male Zerg capable of becoming the leader of a pirate crew could possibly be a kind-hearted person.

He watched this female Zerg trapped inside the prison the male Zerg had woven around him.

Walking steadily toward his own ruin.

...

["The female Zerg officially proposed taking him back to the Zerg Federation.

Uriel looked at the little mechanical bug he'd just finished making on the table, poked its tiny head with a finger, and asked,

"Is going back really that important? We can live here too. I can support you."

The idea of a male Zerg supporting a female Zerg sounded like pure fantasy.

But His Lordship truly possessed the skills to do it.

Avis guessed His Lordship must have graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

There seemed to be no machine he couldn't design or build.

He could even hand-build a terminal.

If a spacecraft broke down, he could repair it himself.

His practical skills were even better than Avis's, despite Avis having spent years undercover among star pirates.

He couldn't understand what had suddenly made His Lordship hesitate.

But safely bringing His Lordship back to the Federation had always been his mission.

"Zergs belong among their own kind," Avis said.

A noble male Zerg like His Lordship ought to live on the Federation's most prosperous worlds, protected by countless female Zergs.

Not here...

Not on this barren planet...

Not worrying about how to make a living for the two of them.

Uriel quietly looked at Avis.

He was a female Zerg born and raised within the Federation.

He longed to live among his own people.

He possessed a deep attachment to both his race and his homeland.

He had even said before that he became a pirate simply to earn enough money to return home and marry a male Zerg.

"...Alright."

Uriel let out a soft sigh.

"I'll go back with you."

Only then did Avis finally relax a little.

For some reason, even after escaping the Wolf Crew, an inexplicable uneasiness had never left him.

Hearing His Lordship's answer eased his heart somewhat.

But until the very last moment...

He still couldn't fully relax.

The longer they delayed, the more likely something unexpected would happen.

Avis immediately began packing.

He planned to leave that very night.

He packed every one of His Lordship's belongings.

His clothes.

The pillow and blanket he was used to sleeping with.

Although...

Once they returned to the Federation...

His Lordship would probably never want these things again.

Even so...

Avis carefully packed each one away.

As though preserving the memories they'd shared.

As though desperately holding onto everything he still could.

When he finished packing and returned, he found His Lordship dismantling the machines he'd built and throwing them away.

Avis stopped.

He walked over and picked one up.

"My Lord? Didn't you build these yourself? Why are you throwing them away?"

"We don't need to trade them for money anymore."

Uriel answered casually.

"There's no point keeping this junk."

Avis lowered his eyes to the mechanical bug that had been dismantled into scattered pieces.

After a long silence, he asked softly,

"...May I have it?"

Uriel looked puzzled, but nodded.

"Sure. If you like it, I can always build you something better."

"No need."

Avis smiled faintly.

"These are already perfect."

He knew he shouldn't ask for too much.

Being able to pick up even a discarded fragment of His Lordship's affection was already more than enough.

He stored the broken machine inside his spatial storage.

Then he fastened a windproof cloak around His Lordship's shoulders and led him outside.

The sun was already setting.

The crimson glow dyed half the sky blood-red, making the evening strangely beautiful.

To avoid pursuit, Avis had deliberately chosen an extremely remote place to stay.

There was still quite a distance to the spaceport.

Flying an aircraft would have been too conspicuous, so he hadn't brought one.

Their only means of travel now were their legs...

And wings.

"My Lord, please hold onto me."

The moment Avis finished speaking, the male Zerg wrapped both arms and legs around him.

Nestling comfortably against his chest, the male Zerg rubbed against him before looking up.

"Like this?"

"...Mm."

Avis's eyes flickered.

He answered quietly.

One arm circled the male Zerg's waist.

The other protected his head and hood.

Then he spread his wings...

...and lifted into the sky.

Uriel stared in amazement at the enormous wings that seemed capable of covering the sun itself.

Wolf Beastmen had nothing like them.

They could carry him across forests and plains.

They could run faster than the wind.

Their leaps almost resembled flight.

But they never truly flew.

He himself had wings.

But they were thin...

Fragile...

Completely incapable of flight.

Back then, his adoptive father and brothers had worried endlessly.

They'd thought it was because none of them possessed wings themselves, so they simply didn't know how to teach him.

Only after spending more time with the Zerg race had they learned that male Zerg wings had long since degenerated and lost the ability to fly.

Even their original courtship function was gradually disappearing.

Male Zergs simply never revealed their wings anymore.

Watching Avis carry him through the sky on those magnificent wings...

Uriel suddenly felt an itch spreading across his own back.

Something wanted to emerge.

He bit his lip and forcibly suppressed the impulse.

If he exposed those thin, useless wings before a female...

Wouldn't he be disliked?

Wouldn't it seem like a disability?

That was why male Zergs never displayed their wings in public.

Such delicate little wings...

They would only become a disadvantage during courtship.

Males ought to be stronger.

Thinking of that, Uriel felt rather frustrated.

Perhaps because of inborn genetics...

No matter how hard he trained, he could never build muscles like a male wolf beastman.

Even female wolf beastmen were stronger than he was.

The muscles on their arms were thicker than his head.

One slap from them could shatter a super-alloy steel plate.

Back when he competed to become Alpha...

He had won only through surprise.

Using psychic power, he defeated every wolf and claimed leadership.

Fortunately...

Whether among Zergs or wolves...

Raw strength wasn't what mattered most during courtship.

As long as you could move a female's heart...

As long as you could make her happy...

That was enough.

Uriel secretly kissed Avis beneath the jaw.

A tiny feeling of satisfaction quietly bloomed inside him.

He knew exactly how to act in a way females liked.

Avis's wings suddenly trembled violently.

He beat them at astonishing speed...

Then abruptly dived straight toward the ground.

Uriel hugged him tightly.

He trusted Avis completely.

There wasn't even a trace of fear.

Sure enough...

Just before reaching the ground, Avis suddenly pulled upward again, executed a beautiful aerial spin, and landed smoothly inside the spaceport.

Uriel had been protected so carefully that even his cloak hadn't been blown off.

His cheeks beneath the hood were flushed bright red.

"I'm sorry, My Lord..."

The first thing Avis did was apologize for briefly losing control.

Instead...

He was kissed.

"Again!"

The male Zerg's eyes sparkled.

...]

[Enough! I said enough! Stop already!]

[I refuse to believe it. This has to be the female Zerg's dying fantasy!]

[I get it now. His Lordship is only sweet-talking Avis so he can use him to enter the Zerg Federation and obtain official citizenship!]

[My theory is even crueler. Once they're aboard the ship and He's extracted all the information he wants, His Lordship will reveal his true nature, have his way with Avis, and then kill him.]

[(black bug question-mark face) Even before killing him, he's giving him one last reward?]

How could a pirate male Zerg genuinely love a female Zerg?

From beginning to end...

The entire relationship had to be nothing but an act.

That was the common belief among female Zergs.

They believed male Zergs weren't evil.

They believed there must have been circumstances forcing His Lordship into piracy.

But they simply couldn't believe his feelings.

[His Lordship even admitted he knows how to act the way female Zergs like. It's all performance!]

[His Lordship's acting is absolutely divine. (crying)]

[Though His Lordship really has an incredible misunderstanding about Zergs. He actually thinks male Zerg wings are a disadvantage during courtship. My heavens—that's a male Zerg's wings!!!]

[His Lordship definitely hasn't read An-shen's novels. Once he returns to the Federation, he'll catch up on them.]

...

[Again.

And again.

And again.

Avis felt as though he'd completely lost his mind.

The alien races below looked up into the sky.

Watching the Zerg repeatedly showing off impossible aerial maneuvers.

"Is he teaching a hatchling to fly?"

"What kind of flying lesson uses moves that difficult...?"

"Maybe he's torturing prey? Did the thing he caught confess yet?"

"That's terrible."

"The Zerg really are cruel."

The reputation of the Zerg race as overwhelmingly powerful and merciless was famous throughout the universe.

Only the Heavenly Garuda rivaled them.

It wasn't until departure time drew near that Avis's overheated brain finally cooled down.

Only then did he carry the still-excited male Zerg into the spaceport and board the spacecraft.

It was a private vessel he'd purchased with energy ore.

There were no other passengers aboard.

After arranging a room for His Lordship, Avis headed toward the cockpit.

But the male Zerg still hadn't calmed down.

He insisted on following him.

In the end...

Both of them ended up in the cockpit together.

"Avis."

Uriel sat comfortably in a floating chair.

With practiced ease, he navigated through a complicated control panel and started playing music.

"Tell me more about yourself. I know far too little about your past."

Avis focused on piloting the spacecraft.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how naturally the male Zerg operated the controls.

He paused briefly.

Then silently looked away again.

"My past isn't particularly interesting."

"I was just an ordinary female Zerg."

"I was born into a traditional Zerg family."

"I entered military academy."

"And in the end..."

"I became a military female."

Ordinary?

Uriel grumbled silently to himself.

Then, pretending to be surprised, he asked,

"Huh? Then why would a military female become a star pirate?"

"...Could it be military females can't even save enough money to get married?"

He dramatically covered his face.

His expression was irresistibly adorable.

Even Avis, who had been feeling rather heavy after bringing up the subject, couldn't help smiling.

Perhaps the atmosphere was simply too comfortable.

Or perhaps...

He had long since stopped wanting to hide things from His Lordship.

So Avis answered honestly.

"...Actually..."

"It was an undercover mission."

"Oh?"

Uriel turned to look at him.

Quietly...

He held Avis's gaze.