Chapter 170: Take the Male Zerg on More Dates: Holding on to Ulysses and Refusing to Let Go

Whether it was a Zerg egg or a Heavenly Garuda egg, healthy development required a male Zerg's pheromones and Psychic Soothing.

Since Enzo had just arrived to take over guard duty, An Ruo helped incubate the egg for the day while satisfying his own curiosity about Axel's egg.

Afraid of dropping it, he even made a small cloth pouch, strapped it across his chest, and carried the egg in front of him.

When Ulysses came to visit, An Ruo was holding the egg.

When he made his routine ward rounds, he was still holding the egg.

Since Ulysses happened to be there, they went downstairs together so he could visit his female parent along the way, stopping first at Room No. 1.

As usual, Selerus was lying on the sofa with "his egg" in his arms. His wings and tail draped lazily over the edge of the couch.

The moment he sensed them approaching, Selerus immediately opened his eyes, sat up with elegant composure, and folded his wings and tail neatly behind him.

His gaze swept across the two Zergs standing together before stopping on the egg in the male Zerg's arms.

It remained there.

As a high-ranking female Zerg, his instincts were exceptionally keen. He was certain he couldn't sense any bloodline connection from that egg. Ulysses had visited him several times recently without showing the slightest sign of pregnancy.

This wasn't Ulysses' hatchling.

Yet the male Zerg was cradling it in his arms, carefully wrapped in a cloth pouch and tied securely against his body, treating it with obvious care.

Even with their own eggs, male Zergs rarely treasured them this much.

Any hatchling a male Zerg was willing to hold in his arms or personally incubate, even for a little while, was one they loved dearly.

Selerus felt conflicted. Seeing that Ulysses didn't appear upset, he reluctantly offered,

"...Congratulations."

An Ruo blinked.

"?"

"This isn't my egg. It's General Enzo's," he explained.

Then he realized that wasn't quite accurate either.

After thinking for a moment, he added,

"It's an orphan brought back from the battlefield."

Only then did Selerus' expression soften naturally.

He invited them inside to sit.

An Ruo waved his hand.

"No, you two talk. I still have other patients to check on."

He didn't want to interrupt a reunion between father and son.

But the moment An Ruo turned to leave, Ulysses followed after him.

He simply couldn't relax knowing the male Zerg would be visiting mentally unstable female Zergs alone.

Fortunately, Enzo arrived just then.

With a proper reason at last, An Ruo sent Ulysses back, telling him to spend time with his female parent instead.

Looking at Enzo hurrying over because of the male egg, Ulysses still wasn't completely reassured.

Nevertheless, at the male Zerg's insistence, he returned the protection duty that had originally belonged to Enzo.

Only then did he go into his female parent's room.

The rooms weren't far apart anyway.

If anything unexpected happened, he could reach him immediately.

Seeing his son in low spirits, Selerus tried to comfort him.

"It's never easy for a high-ranking Zerg to conceive an egg. Your rank is especially high, so this kind of thing can't be rushed."

"..."

Ulysses couldn't very well admit that they hadn't even slept together yet.

He simply answered quietly,

"...Mm."

Affection between female Zergs was generally reserved.

They had also been separated for far too many years.

By the time they reunited, Ulysses was already an adult, long past the age of clinging to his female parent.

Selerus had missed his hatchling's entire childhood.

No matter how much he wanted to be closer, he couldn't kiss him, hug him, or lift him into the air the way he could have when he was little.

Knowing how much Ulysses cared about that male Zerg, Selerus could only offer advice.

"Don't stay in prison all the time. Take the male Zerg out on more dates. Staying here—even sleeping together—feels like another Psychic Soothing assignment. It's impossible to get into the mood."

"If the male Zerg starts associating you with all those female Zergs who come for Psychic Soothing, that's not a good thing."

"You need to take him out more often. Create a romantic atmosphere. Grow closer to him somewhere pleasant."

"Later, whenever the male Zerg thinks of you, he'll remember happy experiences. If he starts associating you with happiness, that's the kind of relationship that lasts."

Something clicked for Ulysses.

Looking back...

He truly hadn't done enough.

In fact, he had done everything wrong.

In the male Zerg's eyes, he wasn't merely associated with female Zergs receiving Psychic Soothing.

He was one of the patients receiving Psychic Soothing.

The male had soothed him three separate times.

To him...

He was probably just another troublesome patient.

There wasn't the slightest connection to happiness.

No wonder the male Zerg showed absolutely no sexual interest in him.

Selerus added,

"Of course, that only works with decent male Zergs. If you run into a scumbag, there's no reasoning with them."

Ulysses fell silent.

After a while, he simply said,

"The male Zerg who seized your property lost everything through poor management. After everything that happened, no female Zerg dared marry him anymore, so he could no longer acquire wealth through marriage. He now makes a living selling pheromones on the black market and performing Psychic Soothing."

For the first time in a very long while, Selerus heard news about that male Zerg.

He froze for a moment.

He tried matching the description to the male in his fragmented memories, but those memories had become so blurred that it sounded like the story of a complete stranger.

"...That's good, then."

Remembering something, he hurriedly asked,

"He hasn't caused you any trouble, has he?"

"No."

After Ulysses had become a General, that male Zerg had come looking for him once.

Ulysses had arranged for him to stay in a rehabilitation facility for several years.

Later, after spreading rumors, he was invited by Military Intelligence for "tea" several times.

After that, he finally behaved himself.

Annoying.

But nothing more.

He wasn't capable of causing any real trouble.

Because of that previous experience, Ulysses had been especially careful when handling the other male Zerg's affairs.

The prison had gone into complete lockdown.

All information was sealed.

No one was allowed to investigate.

It also kept away those who had immediately distanced themselves when trouble arose, only to try getting close again after discovering the male Zerg's rank had increased.

To sever every possible connection completely, Ulysses even spent some of his own money and transferred all of that male Zerg's remaining assets away as well.

Their relationship was cut off entirely.

No blind fool would ever appear before his god and become a nuisance.

Ulysses never mentioned any of this to the male Zerg.

There was no need.

...

After finishing his rounds, An Ruo found Ulysses waiting quietly in the corridor.

Dressed in full military uniform, with his long black hair flowing behind him, the Marshal looked imposing.

An Ruo glanced at Enzo beside him, then at himself, before walking over.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Mm."

Ulysses answered softly.

With his lowered eyes and gentle expression, he radiated quiet tenderness.

So An Ruo handed Axel's egg back to Enzo and left together with Ulysses.

"Is your female parent's condition improving?" he asked. "I feel like his thinking has become much clearer. He seems to be getting better."

Ulysses nodded.

"It's all thanks to you."

In truth, An Ruo didn't think he'd done much.

Selerus had originally been the most severe patient among them, yet he had also stabilized the fastest.

That had a lot to do with Ulysses visiting him so often and cooperating so diligently with treatment.

He had even given Selerus an egg.

Originally, An Ruo had only mentioned that idea casually in the treatment manual.

He had never expected anyone to actually do it.

Only afterward did he learn that Ulysses had personally prepared it.

Specifically...

...a miniature version of himself.

Selerus called it "Little Ulysses."

The one standing before him now...

...was Big Ulysses.

An Ruo found the whole thing irresistibly amusing.

Whenever he went for follow-up examinations, he couldn't resist giving Little Ulysses Egg a little pat.

Selerus was remarkably generous about it.

He let An Ruo touch it however he liked and even said that if he wanted, he could take it away to play with.

Naturally, An Ruo wasn't about to steal the comfort object that helped stabilize a patient's mind.

He merely indulged himself by handling it during examinations.

An ordinary fake egg and the "Ulysses Egg" truly were completely different things.

Before he knew its identity, he hadn't cared about it at all.

It had just been another therapeutic prop.

Now that he knew...

The more he looked at it, the cuter it became.

Of course...

The one walking beside him was even cuter.

Although it was difficult to associate the word "cute" with an adult female Zerg, An Ruo simply chose to wear his own filter.

Noticing the male Zerg looking at him from time to time, Ulysses looked back in confusion.

He caught the smile that hadn't quite disappeared from the corner of the male's lips.

"...Is there something wrong with me?"

he asked uncertainly.

He didn't believe he was the kind of Zerg who could make a male Zerg happy.

Perhaps something about him looked ridiculous.

"No, no. You look handsome. Dignified. Very cool."

An Ruo praised him in rapid succession.

"Oh?"

Dignified?

Ulysses was puzzled.

Had his disguise not been convincing enough?

No male Zerg liked dignified female Zergs.

Male Zergs preferred gentle, obedient ones.

Female Zergs who lowered their eyes respectfully, behaved well, and posed no threat.

Ulysses lowered his gaze thoughtfully.

As they talked, they arrived outside An Ruo's room.

It was time to part.

An Ruo stopped and thanked him for escorting him back.

Ulysses pressed his lips together.

After hesitating for a long moment, he finally asked the question he had been preparing for.

"...Do you like marine life?"

"The ocean planet where Axel and Enzo went on their date in your novel has become a popular tourist destination."

"Would you like to visit it?"

"It also happens to be the breeding season for several intelligent marine species."

An Ruo stood frozen for a moment before realizing what he meant.

His eyes instantly widened.

Marine life?

Mermaids?!

They actually exist?!

Of course An Ruo liked them.

Of course he wanted to see them.

What person from Earth wouldn't be fascinated by real mermaids?

Every legend about the sea was born from humanity's imagination of mermaids.

He was dying of curiosity.

But...

"I'm still serving my sentence."

"I can't just leave prison whenever I want, can I?"

he asked regretfully.

In Ulysses' eyes, remaining in prison was merely another one of his god's chosen ways to experience the world.

He could leave whenever he wished.

Nothing in existence was truly capable of restraining him.

But clearly...

His god had established his own rules for this game.

So Ulysses simply played along.

"Prisoners are entitled to holidays and rest periods."

"They may also leave the prison temporarily for recreation."

"And those with outstanding conduct may even receive early parole."

What he said was actually several different regulations stitched together.

Every sentence was true.

It merely depended on how one interpreted them.

An Ruo knew nothing about the finer details of prison regulations.

His eyes lit up.

"So I can leave prison for a while..."

"...go have fun..."

"...and then come back?"

"Yes."

"Of course you can."

"That's wonderful!"

"I want to see mermaids!"

"Do I need to request leave or book tickets?"

he asked excitedly.

Mermaids.

Ulysses silently remembered the term.

"You don't need to worry about any of that."

"Leave those trivial matters to me."

"That would be far too much trouble for you."

Making the Marshal handle things like booking a trip made An Ruo genuinely feel embarrassed.

"It isn't troublesome."

"Serving you is my honor."

Ulysses placed a hand over his chest.

What a model public servant.

If someone took a picture now, it would make excellent publicity material.

Except...

There weren't any media cameras here.

Thinking carefully, An Ruo realized that Ulysses really did seem to enjoy taking care of him.

He often asked whether An Ruo needed someone to attend to him.

There was certainly an element of performance.

But it wasn't only performance.

Ulysses truly treated him very, very well.

He had even taken over many responsibilities that originally belonged to Uriel.

Whether it was coordinating with various organizations to develop the game...

...or countless other things.

Without An Ruo noticing, Ulysses had gradually become an important part of his everyday life.

Was it only because of his Psychic Soothing abilities and his identity as an author?

It seemed like that...

Yet somehow it wasn't entirely that, either.

Unable to figure it out, An Ruo simply looked forward to the upcoming outing.

First, though, he had to arrange his schedule.

StarNet was still buzzing with discussion about the virtual game.

Until the closed beta ended, An Ruo had no intention of starting a new novel.

He wanted to keep a close eye on both the game's development and public opinion on StarNet.

Besides...

It was a good opportunity to take a short break.

They scheduled the trip for Saturday morning.

Ulysses would accompany him.

An Ruo finished all of that day's Psychic Soothing sessions in advance before returning to his room to change clothes.

Since they were going out, he naturally wanted to wear something suitable for traveling.

He couldn't very well dress the same way he did inside the prison—either in uniform or pajamas.

He changed into casual clothes.

Then he sent Ulysses a message telling him he was ready.

A spatial passage unfolded.

Ulysses appeared directly inside his room.

It was the first time he had ever seen the male Zerg dressed so casually.

Even the simplest clothes looked runway-worthy on him.

Ulysses stared for a moment before slowly extending his hand.

Traveling through spatial passages avoided attracting attention while also eliminating travel time altogether.

An Ruo was extremely satisfied with the arrangement.

Spatial abilities really were amazing.

Except during dreams.

Whenever Ulysses appeared in his dreams...

...it was usually terrifying.

An Ruo placed his hand in Ulysses'.

Guided by him, he stepped into the spatial passage.

It had been so long since he'd experienced spatial transportation that he lost his footing.

He stumbled forward into something soft.

Ulysses naturally caught him in his arms.

When An Ruo opened his eyes again...

...they were already inside a transparent panoramic sightseeing submarine.

On every side stretched nothing but deep blue seawater.

An Ruo instinctively held his breath.

His limbs went weak.

A chill spread through his body.

It felt as though he were falling into the deepest part of the ocean, about to suffocate.

Somewhere far away, he vaguely heard Ulysses calling his name.

Like someone clutching at a lifeline, An Ruo turned around and buried himself in Ulysses' embrace.

He wrapped both arms tightly around him.

Only against Ulysses' chest did he finally dare to breathe.

Ulysses immediately realized what had happened.

He instantly switched off the submarine's panoramic mode, reducing the visible area to the smallest possible view before piloting it rapidly toward the surface.

"My Lord..."

"Are you alright?"

he asked anxiously.

An Ruo's face was pale.

He reluctantly lifted his head from Ulysses' chest and glanced to the side.

The endless deep sea was gone.

The only remaining display now showed the ocean surface.

His racing heartbeat gradually settled.

His breathing slowly returned to normal.

An Ruo took several deep, hurried breaths, reassuring himself that he hadn't actually inhaled seawater.

His legs were still so weak that he could only remain standing by leaning against Ulysses.

He had overlooked one important detail.

Apparently...

He had thalassophobia.

Could he still see the mermaids now?

He wanted to see them.

He was terrified.

So he could only cling tightly to Ulysses...

...and refuse to let go.