Chapter 176: Ulysses Wants to Get Married?: Why Is the Final Boss Interested in the Bouquet?

StarNet had been especially lively these past few days, with entertaining livestreams everywhere.

Whether it was Philor's family's undercover mission storyline, the handsome photo collections shared by the male Lords, or the romance stories shared by unmarried female soldiers, every stream attracted enormous attention.

Netizens bounced from one livestream to another every day.

No matter how much they watched, it was never enough.

Among all these streams, one particularly unfortunate fellow stood out.

He had been turned into a pirate, had never even caught a glimpse of a male Lord, and spent every day keeping a single mermaid company.

Compared to the overwhelming atmosphere of romance everywhere else, he was like a breath of fresh air.

Even the viewers pitied him.

While laughing until they cried, they showered him with tips in gratitude for providing such wonderful entertainment.

The unlucky female soldier had been furious at first.

Every day he argued fiercely with the audience in chat.

Eventually...

He reached enlightenment.

It had been so long since he'd seen a male Lord that now he even thought a mermaid looked rather pleasing to the eye.

Meanwhile—

Philor, serving as an undercover agent for the first time in his life, successfully obtained classified information under the guidance of StarNet users.

The process was unbelievably simple.

He asked.

His Female Lord answered.

The intelligence was acquired.

Philor had prepared an enormous amount of groundwork beforehand, so he was completely dumbfounded.

Cyril simply had no guard up around him.

He treated everything as though he were merely sharing game dialogue.

After being thoroughly pleased, he became even less capable of thinking about anything complicated.

Only after logging out and seeing clipped livestream recordings on StarNet did he discover that the real undercover agent had been his own Male Lord.

His worldview shattered instantly.

Of course, the actual intelligence-gathering process had never been livestreamed.

But everyone saw the mission rewards Philor proudly showed off afterward.

That alone told them the General had ultimately failed to withstand the "spy" and had fallen into his trap.

Even the normally calm, rational General Cyril had failed to notice anything and had been deceived by an "undercover agent."

That was enough to demonstrate just how terrifying male Zerg spies could be.

Fortunately, this had only happened inside a game.

If it happened in reality...

Given how hopelessly lovestruck female Zergs were, every single one of them would fall.

Of course, the possibility of male Zergs actually becoming spies was practically nonexistent.

As for foreign males...

Even the Heavenly Garuda would never bear to send their high-ranking males to become spies unless they expected an enormous payoff—such as bringing down the Zerg Marshal or one of his trusted Generals in a single strike.

As for males from other races...

They simply weren't attractive to female Zergs, so there was no need to consider them.

The entire incident remained nothing more than amusing entertainment.

It caused no real consequences.

Nevertheless, the military immediately strengthened its counterintelligence training to improve female soldiers' awareness of operational secrecy.

General Cyril found himself busy throughout his vacation as a result.

As the one responsible for everything...

Philor felt terribly guilty.

He obediently went to apologize to his Female Lord.

"I shouldn't have livestreamed. I shouldn't have tricked you into revealing information."

Seeing the male Zerg lowering his head, his pretty pink curls drooping lifelessly without any spirit, Cyril sighed helplessly.

"This has nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong."

Philor hadn't actually streamed much.

He rarely even appeared on camera.

Everything had merely been deduced by viewers based on the mission.

If anyone was truly at fault...

Cyril believed it was himself.

He genuinely had never considered that a male Zerg could possibly be a "spy."

That stemmed both from his trust in Philor and from female Zergs' long-standing tendency to underestimate male Zerg abilities.

To female Zergs...

Male Zergs were generally little creatures incapable of accomplishing anything on their own, always requiring female Zergs to handle everything.

The word "spy" simply didn't belong in the same sentence.

That made it all too easy to lower one's guard.

He had been too arrogant.

Male Zergs were arrogant and reckless.

Female Zergs were equally arrogant in many matters.

"The military really should strengthen this area of training," Cyril said.

"It is just as important as pheromone resistance training."

Remaining rational under every circumstance...

That was what truly defined a military female.

"Oh, right."

Remembering something, Cyril asked,

"Where's that troublesome one at home?"

Philor thought for a moment.

"I saw him packing earlier... I think he said he was going on... a business trip?"

"He just got back and he's already leaving again?"

Cyril instinctively sensed something wasn't right.

"Ask whether he'll be home for dinner."

"Okay."

Philor opened his terminal.

"He says he won't be eating dinner."

"...Nor breakfast tomorrow."

"He says he's going on a long voyage."

Philor looked completely confused.

What was a long voyage?

It sounded incredibly cool.

"..."

Cyril was speechless.

Back when that fellow had still been serving in the military, he used to spout endless nonsense.

He'd always claimed that if his Male Lord turned out to be difficult after marriage, he'd take the hatchlings and go on a long voyage...

Become a star pirate instead.

Now all three of his hatchlings had grown into adults.

At least he no longer needed to run away with children.

This wasn't something suitable to tell his Male Lord.

It would only create misunderstandings.

Cyril opened his terminal and contacted him personally.

He ordered him to remain away for no more than one week.

If he failed to return after a week...

Cyril would personally go and drag him back.

...

The principal looked at the message and felt that his "long voyage" had received far too little respect.

He was becoming a star pirate!

Not going on vacation!

He boarded a luxurious tourist starship departing the Zerg Federation.

A young male Zerg sat in the neighboring seat.

He looked as though he'd only recently graduated.

Confidence and youthful pride filled his features.

He possessed the natural arrogance of a male Zerg while still retaining the clarity of someone untouched by the harsher parts of society.

As a school principal, he was well aware that newly graduated students loved going on graduation trips.

There was nothing unusual about that.

But this starship was leaving Federation territory.

A lone male Zerg.

No family accompanying him.

Traveling abroad by himself.

No matter how one looked at it...

It wasn't safe.

The lingering instincts left over from being both a principal and a female parent prompted him to strike up a conversation.

He asked where the male Zerg planned to go.

Why he was traveling alone.

Whether anyone was accompanying him.

The result...

The male Zerg glared at him viciously.

Then he called over a flight attendant and had the principal escorted out of the private cabin.

Principal: "?"

Did he really look that much like a criminal?

...

An Ruo kept an eye on the discussions surrounding the game on StarNet.

Occasionally, he logged in himself to play.

He was naturally a homebody and disliked going out.

His previous outing with Ulysses had actually been a wonderful experience.

Ulysses had arranged absolutely everything.

His spatial ability eliminated all the boring travel time.

And throughout the entire trip, nobody disturbed them.

An experience like that was incredibly rare.

Normally...

An Ruo would still rather stay inside the prison.

At most, he'd stroll through the garden.

Now he had one additional option.

Traveling inside the game.

With a single click, he could switch maps, wander through beautiful natural landscapes, then instantly return to his room whenever he became bored.

It almost felt like possessing Ulysses' spatial ability himself.

Having spatial abilities really was wonderful.

An Ruo never logged into the game at fixed times.

Sometimes it was in the morning.

Sometimes in the afternoon.

Sometimes at night.

Even the duration of each session varied.

Ulysses, whose work kept him extremely busy...

Needed an entire week before finally encountering him.

It looked exactly like a carefully orchestrated chance meeting.

Just as An Ruo was about to switch maps...

He saw Ulysses walking out of the upstairs bedroom.

He blinked blankly.

"What a coincidence. You're here too," Ulysses said as he walked over.

"...Yeah."

"What a coincidence."

An Ruo hadn't expected Ulysses to continue playing the game.

Was it for testing purposes?

The Marshal personally conducting testing...

He was truly dedicated.

"I received a wedding invitation."

"Would you like to attend with me?"

Ulysses asked.

"A wedding?"

An Ruo froze for a moment.

He thought Ulysses meant a real wedding.

Before he could wonder further...

Ulysses showed him an in-game wedding invitation.

An island wedding.

Roy and Morris's wedding event?!

An Ruo's eyes widened in surprise.

He looked toward Ulysses questioningly.

Receiving a confirming nod in return.

A wedding he had personally written...

And now he could attend it himself.

Who could possibly resist such temptation?

Although it wasn't the protagonists' own wedding...

This was the famous scene where Morris caught the bouquet!

Of course An Ruo was going.

The wedding was scheduled for the following day.

He and Ulysses agreed on a login time before heading there together.

An Ruo didn't want to appear before the protagonists.

He was afraid of interfering with the story.

So he and Ulysses arrived early and waited on the second floor of the island villa.

The ceremony would take place in the garden downstairs.

From the second floor, they overlooked the entire venue.

The view was perfect.

Guests gradually began arriving.

An Ruo looked outside repeatedly in anticipation, watching every aircraft landing on the island.

He was looking out the window.

Ulysses was looking at him.

Meanwhile...

Everyone else inside the villa was looking at them.

Two exceptionally outstanding high-ranking Zergs naturally attracted enormous attention.

One possessed beauty beyond anything ordinary.

The other was handsome, imposing, and radiated overwhelming authority.

Guests quietly speculated about the identities of these extraordinary individuals.

Both families assumed they belonged to the other side.

Each was secretly astonished that the other actually knew such remarkable people.

Even the newlyweds themselves were equally confused.

The game automatically rationalized their identities.

It merely described them as military superiors.

Since they were military officers...

Naturally they had to be treated with utmost courtesy.

Seeing the two of them talking together, no one dared disturb them casually.

Later, both families compared the guest list.

There were actually quite a few unfamiliar names.

Since the wedding had been organized on a grand scale, inviting distinguished guests from every walk of life, unfamiliar names weren't particularly unusual.

As the ceremony approached, everyone became busy with preparations.

Nobody had time to pay attention elsewhere.

Roy...

Morris...

Philor...

Cyril...

Hill...

Iso...

They had all arrived.

An Ruo recognized Roy immediately.

He was the very first Zerg An Ruo had ever created in this world.

The memory remained especially vivid.

Now...

He stood before him alive.

Beside him stood a young military officer with black hair and green eyes.

That was Morris.

There were also Hill and Iso, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

So many familiar faces.

Seeing An Ruo's eyes sparkling with excitement, Ulysses asked,

"You enjoy attending weddings?"

"Not exactly."

"It's mainly because everyone gathers together."

"You get to witness happiness."

An Ruo smiled.

"Then..."

"When Enzo and Axel get married someday, shall we attend together as well?"

"There will be many people we're familiar with."

Ulysses asked tentatively.

"Sure."

An Ruo answered instinctively.

Then he immediately realized...

Axel was still only an egg.

Everything remained uncertain.

"...Maybe we shouldn't say things like that."

"They might not end up together."

An Ruo felt somewhat embarrassed.

Mainly because Axel was still far too young.

Talking about marriage now wasn't really appropriate.

"And besides..."

"Enzo already said that novels are only novels."

Not everything he wrote would necessarily become reality.

Just like the machine insect late-night snack that never arrived.

Or...

"Ulysses tripping over flat ground."

As long as Enzo remained firm in his beliefs...

That future would never come true.

An Ruo also looked forward to the future.

He wanted to witness the final outcome himself.

Whatever that outcome might be.

So he said to Ulysses,

"No matter whose wedding it is..."

"Let's attend together."

At first, Ulysses had been slightly disappointed.

He thought the male Zerg simply didn't want to appear together with him.

After all...

Those who attended weddings together usually shared an especially close relationship.

But after hearing the additional sentence...

A smile finally appeared on his lips.

"All right."

"We'll attend together."

Truthfully...

He didn't actually care who ended up marrying whom.

As long as the male Zerg was willing to go with him.

Cheers erupted from downstairs.

The newlyweds exchanged rings.

Then kissed.

Next came the bouquet toss.

According to tradition...

Whoever caught the bouquet would receive a blessing and become the next person to marry.

Ulysses stared fixedly at the pink-and-purple bouquet in the groom's hands.

Across the venue...

The eyes of countless female Zergs landed on it simultaneously.

Every unmarried female Zerg was eager to try.

Philor quietly remarked,

"That bouquet is so beautiful."

Cyril, who hadn't cared at all until then, immediately straightened in his seat after hearing those words and looked toward it.

The bouquet soared high into the air.

Ulysses' hand, resting on the table, moved slightly.

An Ruo instantly sensed something.

Before he could even think, his body reacted first.

He grabbed Ulysses' hand and stopped him.

Are you kidding?!

If the final boss joined the competition...

No one else would have any chance!

The opportunity for his protagonists to finally break the ice would disappear!

Who knew how much longer Roy and Morris would continue misunderstanding each other before finally recognizing their feelings?

Ulysses froze.

Downstairs...

Morris and Cyril had already started fighting over the bouquet.

Afraid he wouldn't be able to stop him otherwise...

An Ruo sat beside Ulysses and tightly hugged his arm, refusing to let him move.

"Listen to me!"

"There's nothing special about that bouquet."

"If you like it..."

"I'll buy you as many bouquets as you want!"

An Ruo spoke hurriedly.

His racing mind finally recovered enough clarity to think.

Why...

Why had the final boss suddenly become interested in a bouquet?

Did he simply want to spar with the Generals under his command...

Or...

Did he want to get married?