Chapter 172: Let’s Sleep Together: The Bed’s Big Enough for Both of Us

An Ruo had no idea what to do under everyone's gaze.

Ulysses swept his eyes across the merfolk singing courtship songs, displeasure flashing in his gaze.

These merfolk were actually singing mating songs at a male.

They weren't even the same species, yet they had so little shame.

Ulysses instinctively ignored the fact that he and the male weren't technically the same species either. At least they looked alike—two eyes, one nose, two legs, and no fish tails.

If the male weren't here, Ulysses would have stepped out of the submarine and driven every last one of the merfolk away, making sure they never dared approach these waters again.

Or he could simply fire a few torpedoes from the submarine and blow them all to pieces. A sightseeing submarine being equipped with torpedoes sounded perfectly reasonable.

Unfortunately, the male was here.

He couldn't leave the male alone inside the submarine, nor could he reveal such a ruthless side of himself in front of him.

Keeping a calm expression, Ulysses stood up, pulled the male into his arms, and coldly swept his gaze over each merfolk.

"Hm?"

An Ruo froze for a moment. He wanted to tell Ulysses that he wasn't dizzy anymore and didn't feel unwell.

Instead, Ulysses gently pressed his head against his chest, one hand shielding the side of his face so he couldn't look outside.

An Ruo knew this was simply Ulysses showing concern for him.

Coincidentally, he wasn't comfortable being surrounded by a crowd of cheering merfolk anyway. His social anxiety was about to kick in, so he simply buried his face and hid.

He had buried himself in Ulysses' arms before, but back then he'd been feeling so awful that he could barely concentrate. His attention had been completely scattered.

Now, nestled against that firm, full, warm body, An Ruo belatedly realized how hot his face had become.

The merfolk's singing filtered through the submarine's barrier. Its unique frequency resonated with the mind, stirring instinctive urges for battle and reproduction.

An Ruo gripped Ulysses' waist, feeling a faint restlessness and discomfort.

His heart pounded heavily. The song sounded like war drums, making his chest tremble.

Ulysses immediately noticed something was wrong and instantly blocked out all outside sound for him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..."

An Ruo realized the singing had stopped and turned to look outside.

The merfolk, seeing the two pressed closely together, dispersed into small groups and began fighting one another.

Two of them were even battling directly above their submarine, their tails slapping against the transparent observation glass.

An Ruo stared in stunned silence.

He instinctively took a step backward.

Ulysses immediately followed, steadying him while keeping him close against himself.

An Ruo looked at him in confusion.

"We have to stay close together. Otherwise, we'll attract the merfolk's courtship."

Ulysses explained,

"These merfolk aren't picky. They'll court creatures of other species as well. Only when they think a pair is already fighting or mating will they shift their attention elsewhere."

Mainly because the male was simply too beautiful.

And his psychic power was far too strong.

It naturally attracted merfolk capable of weaving psychic power into their songs.

Some of them had even abandoned members of their own species just to gather around him.

Without the submarine separating them, Ulysses would have had to fight them first.

An Ruo was dumbfounded.

"So... those merfolk think we're... we're..."

He lowered his head and looked at where their waists and hips were pressed together.

The hem of Ulysses' shirt had become slightly disheveled around his waist, though his black trousers remained impeccably neat, the metal belt reflecting a bright, cold gleam.

His thoughts ground to a halt.

He wanted to step away, yet wasn't sure whether he should.

"You don't need to feel burdened."

Ulysses comforted him.

"We're only putting on an act for the merfolk. This is something many tourists who come here to observe the merfolk experience."

"Really?"

An Ruo asked in shock.

But when he imagined countless other Zerg having to cuddle together just like they were, he immediately felt much better. Contact like this suddenly seemed completely ordinary.

"Of course."

Ulysses nodded.

"There are plenty of reviews about it on StarNet."

The ocean planet was universally recognized as the ultimate dating destination.

Those who came here were almost always couples or married pairs.

The Zerg had always been open-minded. Faced with the magnificent spectacle of the merfolk's breeding season, most male Zergs didn't mind enjoying an intimate encounter with the female Zerg beside them.

The female Zergs, naturally, were more than willing.

An Ruo assumed everyone else dealt with the merfolk by cuddling together just as they were.

The reality, however, was that there was no such thing as "just cuddling" between adult male and female Zergs.

They went all the way.

Outside, the merfolk fought fiercely.

The tips of An Ruo's ears grew hot, and he didn't know where to look anymore.

He had originally wanted to take pictures of the merfolk.

In the end, the only photos he managed to take were adorable pictures of juvenile merfolk happily eating fish.

As for the adults...

The scene was simply too chaotic.

He couldn't find a single frame worth photographing.

It was either far too violent...

...or far too erotic.

Perhaps breeding season simply wasn't the right time to come watch merfolk.

Once he'd gotten his photos, An Ruo expressed his wish to leave.

He had no intention of staying to watch the entire spectacle.

Ulysses piloted the submarine back.

After they had put plenty of distance between themselves and the merfolk, An Ruo finally slipped out of Ulysses' embrace, let out a long sigh of relief, and sat down to calm himself.

Looking perfectly composed, Ulysses prepared drinks and desserts for the male.

Then, while steering the submarine, he casually browsed StarNet.

According to the reviews, the ocean planet's merfolk sightseeing attraction had a one hundred percent dating success rate.

This so-called "dating success" meant successfully ending up in bed with a male Zerg.

Now...

That perfect record had been broken.

Ulysses hadn't held much hope to begin with.

Still, seeing everyone else succeed while he alone had failed inevitably left him feeling somewhat unbalanced.

Naturally, this wasn't his fault.

Nor was it the male's.

That meant the false advertising was to blame.

What "ultimate dating destination"?

What "one hundred percent success rate"?

It wasn't nearly as miraculous as they claimed.

Ulysses anonymously left a one-star review.

...

Ulysses took An Ruo to the hotel to rest.

After stepping off the submarine, An Ruo wondered whether he should cover his face.

Both he and Ulysses were simply too recognizable.

One was the Marshal.

The other was a psychic soother who had appeared at the Legion Ceremony—and also Ulysses' "former" partner.

If someone photographed them together, unpleasant rumors might spread.

Yet the entire journey passed without them encountering a single Zerg.

It was even the weekend.

Despite being a famous tourist destination, the place was completely deserted.

It was so quiet it felt as though only the two of them existed.

An Ruo extended his psychic power to investigate.

The only people he sensed were guards in military uniforms stationed throughout the area, along with hotel staff working in kitchens and other designated facilities.

Only after a moment did he realize...

Ulysses had reserved the entire place in advance.

Well...

He was the Marshal, after all.

Someone in such a position naturally ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) required greater security.

If an assassin or spy had slipped in...

Actually, he couldn't even finish that thought.

Who in their right mind would try to assassinate Ulysses?

They'd probably be killed instantly.

Then An Ruo remembered something he'd once told Ulysses.

For the sake of Ulysses' reputation, whenever he used this identity, they should keep their distance in front of others and avoid appearing too close.

Perhaps because of those words...

Today he hadn't seen a single "outsider."

Only Ulysses remained at his side.

Dinner was served inside an underwater suite.

Once again, it was just the two of them.

Light filtered through the seawater and panoramic glass, filling the room with soft blue reflections while schools of fish drifted outside.

Beyond the glass lay both their room and dining table.

The dishes were exquisite and abundant, and the atmosphere was perfect.

The scenery outside was equally beautiful.

Countless varieties of fish swam past in dazzling numbers.

Still...

After watching for too long, he found himself feeling slightly suffocated.

Whenever that happened, he simply turned his head and looked at Ulysses for a while instead, calming himself.

It was as though Ulysses were his medicine.

Secretly...

He had started treating Ulysses like a cure.

And while he was at it, he happily used that handsome face as an accompaniment to his meal.

Ulysses noticed the male spent more time looking at his face than at the food.

Although he was delighted by the male's attention, after being watched for so long he couldn't help wondering whether he'd done something wrong.

"Does the food suit your taste?" Ulysses asked.

An Ruo nodded.

"The fish is wonderfully tender, and the porridge is delicious."

As he spoke, he suddenly paused.

Staring at the various seafood dishes covering the table, he looked across at the female Zerg in horror.

"You... don't eat merfolk, do you?!"

"We don't."

Seeing that he'd frightened him, Ulysses immediately reassured him.

"We don't consume any intelligent species."

Devouring didn't count.

Though there was no need for that anymore.

That had been part of the Zerg's evolution tens of thousands of years ago.

Now they stood at the top of the food chain and no longer required such methods.

Hearing that, An Ruo finally let out a relieved sigh and resumed eating without worry.

After dinner, Ulysses suggested they stay the night and return to the Military Region the following morning.

With space abilities, getting back would be easy.

Nothing important would be delayed.

"The underwater king-size suite is the hotel's signature attraction. Many Zerg come here specifically for it. It would be a shame not to experience it."

An Ruo thought that made sense.

More importantly...

The money had already been spent.

Well, technically Ulysses had paid.

But however he looked at it, part of that money was his.

After all...

He had already given all of his money to Ulysses.

An Ruo walked into the bedroom.

The bedroom offered an even better view than the dining room.

The bed stood beside an enormous glass wall.

Lying on it, one could gaze directly into the underwater world, where the sea resembled a star-filled sky.

Knowing An Ruo feared the deep sea, Ulysses had deliberately chosen a room where part of the view was shielded.

It wasn't surrounded by water on all sides.

The room's holographic simulation had also been turned off in advance.

Everything was carefully adjusted to remain just within An Ruo's comfort zone.

Ulysses followed him into the bedroom.

Only then did An Ruo realize something.

He looked toward the enormous bed.

It was huge.

Big enough for him to roll around on without reaching the edge.

But...

There was only one bed.

He looked at the bed.

Then at Ulysses.

Ulysses immediately said he could sleep on the sofa.

There was no reason for the one who had paid for everything to be the one sleeping on the sofa.

Besides...

That sofa didn't look comfortable at all.

An Ruo hesitated for less than a second before saying,

"Let's sleep together. The bed's big enough for both of us."

"...Alright."

Ulysses agreed, suppressing the smile threatening to curve his lips upward.

"I'll take a shower first."

He walked into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, An Ruo hugged a pillow and sank into the sofa to rest.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

Ulysses had reserved the entire hotel.

He could sleep in any room he wanted.

There was absolutely no need for them to share one bed.

The next moment, An Ruo glanced toward the seawater beyond the glass.

He immediately abandoned that idea.

...And quickly looked away.

If Ulysses weren't here...

There was no way he'd dare sleep while surrounded by all that seawater.

He wouldn't be able to stop imagining the glass shattering...

The ocean flooding in...

Swallowing him whole...

Drowning him in an instant.

Considering his uncanny tendency for whatever he wrote to somehow come true...

He was honestly afraid his own imagination might end up killing him.

The more An Ruo thought about it, the more frightened he became.

Clutching the pillow, he slowly shuffled over to the bathroom door and stood guard outside it.

His legs felt a little weak.

He simply wanted to stay closer to Ulysses.

If anything happened...

Ulysses would have time to save him.

The bathroom door was made of frosted glass, decorated with raised wave patterns.

Light filtered through it, revealing only a vague silhouette.

The sound of running water stopped.

A moment later, Ulysses called from inside.

"Would you like to come in?"

"??!"

An Ruo's eyes widened.

No! That's not it! I wasn't—I was just—

He tried to explain.

But the words stuck in his throat.

Embarrassment left him unable to say anything.

The next instant, the door he had been leaning against suddenly swung open.

An Ruo stumbled straight into a warm embrace still carrying the lingering heat and steam of the bath.

"I'm sorry."

Ulysses wrapped an arm around him, his voice filled with self-reproach.

"I was careless. I shouldn't have left you outside by yourself for so long."

Ah...

So he thought his deep-sea phobia had flared up again.

Well...

That wasn't entirely wrong.

An Ruo thought while remaining in his arms.

But...

Put some clothes on first!!!

Save that bathrobe collar!

Close it already!