Chapter 184: Washing the Ulysses Plushie: While Washing the Plushie, He Uses Psychic Input to Write His Novel

[Our Lord would never fall for a Heavenly Garuda, even if it were some member of the Heavenly Garuda imperial family!]

[If you run into royalty, run! Who knows how chaotic and twisted the Heavenly Garuda royal family is? The previous Heavenly Garuda Emperor even locked up his own male twin brother in a golden birdcage inside the imperial harem! An actual prison made entirely of gold!]

[Seriously? That's disgusting.]

[I heard it was to use the male as leverage against his twin younger brother outside... who was the Heavenly Garuda General Ares at the time.]

[It was only because of that relationship that the previous Emperor never actually touched the male prince. Otherwise, with how depraved the Heavenly Garuda royal family is, he'd have slept with him long ago. But being able to look without touching only made him even more twisted. The level of depravity was beyond imagination.]

[Later, the Emperor disappeared on the battlefield. General Ares seized the opportunity, staged a coup, ascended the throne, slaughtered every remaining member of the royal family except his twin elder brother, and then kept that brother inside the palace as his own.]

[Just the usual Heavenly Garuda royal family.]

[Slander! It's all slander!]

Although similar rumors circulated within the Heavenly Garuda Empire itself, they absolutely couldn't acknowledge unverified stories like that to outsiders.

[The moment His Majesty took the throne, he conferred the title of Prince upon his male elder brother! The first male Prince in history! A position of supreme honor, unmatched by any Heavenly Garuda!]

Male members of the Heavenly Garuda royal family had always held only the title of "Prince." Actual noble ranks carrying political authority were reserved for females, let alone the unique rank of "Prince."

It was the highest noble title in the Heavenly Garuda Empire.

Ordinarily, granting that title signified the establishment of the Empire's first heir in line, equivalent to naming the Crown Prince.

However, Heavenly Garuda males had no succession rights.

To the public, the current male Prince's title was viewed more as an honorary distinction.

The Heavenly Garuda brought up the ennoblement only to prove that His Majesty respected his elder brother deeply, and certainly wasn't keeping him inside the palace for anything filthy.

[Lie to us if you want, but don't fool yourselves too. (eye roll) Heavenly Garuda males are supposed to marry once they come of age. The Prince has been an adult for ages. Forget the years he spent imprisoned by the former Emperor—even after the new Emperor has ruled this long, there's still no sign of marrying him off. And you're saying His Majesty isn't keeping him for himself?]

[Protect our Male Lord.]

[The novel is the novel. Keep fiction and reality separate. (heart)]

[Even the Male Lord in the novel would never lay eggs with a Heavenly Garuda Emperor! Those Heavenly Garuda nobles can marry multiple males, let alone their Emperor! Unless he spends his whole life as a wild male on a deserted planet, getting taken back by the Heavenly Garuda is basically a death sentence.]

[Even if he stays a wild male on a deserted planet, he still shouldn't lay eggs with a Heavenly Garuda! Can a Heavenly Garuda really take good care of a Male Lord? Would they know how to care about him?]

[Exhibit A: flood rescue, roasted meat, hot water, camp bed, glowstones...]

[(Shocked) Wait... that's actually true. Could the Heavenly Garuda Emperor really be one of the good ones?]

[Wake up! Everything he's done is the absolute bare minimum. If a female Zerg did the same, they wouldn't even get a passing grade. Yet when a Heavenly Garuda does it, suddenly he's "one of the good ones"? Have some standards!]

[He actually dared yell at our Male Lord and even threatened to kill him. That's an automatic minus 100 points!]

[Your Male Lord deserves minus 1,000! (eye roll) He's so arrogant and overbearing, nothing like a proper male. He doesn't even know how to treat females. If he really married His Majesty, he'd first need a month in a behavioral correction institute.]

[Personally training him would have its own special appeal. (heart) Though at worst, the palace etiquette instructors could handle it. No need to send him to a correction institute. Once he enters the palace, he'd already be an Imperial Consort. Sending him there afterward would look bad.]

[Ugh, Heavenly Garuda! Today only one of us survives! Keyboard, come to me—]

[Forget the keyboard! Let's fight in real life! @HeavenlyGaruda Come to the Deep Space Unclaimed Zone. Fight me to the death. If you don't come, you're a coward.]

[Bring it on. Who's afraid? The Deep Space Zone isn't governed by any nation's laws. You'd better pray you never run into me, or I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!]

[Tear apart the Heavenly Garuda!]

[Tear apart the Zergs!]

[Stop making things worse... There's really a Male Lord from the Federation missing somewhere in the Deep Space Unclaimed Zone. What good does attracting Heavenly Garuda there do?]

The Heavenly Garuda immediately lit up.

Why hadn't they thought of that before?

The hot-headed Heavenly Garuda:

[Charge!!!]

The more rational ones:

[The entire area is full of Zerg search-and-rescue teams now. Even the military has been deployed. Going there now is just asking to die.]

[Fortune favors the bold!]

[The flower language of Male Zergs is: whoever hesitates loses!]

[Deep Space is huge. I might not run into the Zerg military... but I just might run into the Male Lord.]

[Time to test our luck.]

Ever since news spread that a Male Zerg had gone missing, nearby Heavenly Garuda had already attempted to enter Deep Space in search of him. Even Heavenly Garuda military units had ventured inside, though finding the Male Zerg wasn't their only objective.

No matter the era, Male Zergs were treasures coveted by every faction.

Now everything had simply been brought into the open.

...

Heavenly Garuda Empire, Imperial Palace.

The Prince reread the latest chapter several times before finally stopping at the signal sent by the Heavenly Garuda Emperor.

Reason told him it was only a novel.

And one written by a Zerg author, at that.

Believing it might well be walking straight into a Zerg trap.

Then he chuckled to himself.

If the Zergs truly knew the Heavenly Garuda Emperor had gone missing, would they bother with such a convoluted scheme? They'd have already launched a military offensive.

Perhaps it was a male's keen intuition.

Or perhaps something else.

Either way, he decided to gamble on it.

He issued an order for the search teams to pay particular attention to any abnormal energy fluctuations within Deep Space.

Meanwhile.

Zerg Federation, Marshal's Office.

Ulysses was half-collapsed over his desk, drenched in sweat, his entire body soaked as though he had just been pulled from water. Pheromones filled the room.

His unfocused gaze landed on the floating holographic screen, barely making out the words upon it.

He needed a shower before he could continue handling the rest of his work.

Only after gathering his energy twice did he successfully open a spatial passage. Following the familiar spatial coordinates, he returned home.

...

Military Region Prison.

Having just finished another chapter, An Ruo let out a slow breath.

Then he realized something felt off about the plushie.

It felt... damp?

Had it gotten humid?

Was the prison really that damp?

Or was it because the Sky Garden was right next door?

Unsure, An Ruo squeezed the plushie.

His fingers slid across the plushie's thigh.

Yeah.

Definitely damp.

...

Inside the bathroom, Ulysses nearly stumbled.

Only his incredible combat instincts allowed him to brace himself against the wall before falling.

His silver-gray pupils contracted sharply before dilating again.

His breathing stopped.

His body froze.

His pheromones had long since slipped completely out of control.

He couldn't tell whether this was God's blessing...

Or God's punishment.

Everything about him lay within God's control.

God's embrace was both warm and cool.

The fingers descending upon him carried the weight of warning...

Yet also another kind of comfort.

He completely lost control beneath those fingertips, left utterly disheveled.

...

An Ruo confirmed that the cotton plushie had become damp.

It was probably time to wash it.

He lifted it closer and sniffed.

There was a faint fragrance lingering on it.

It smelled like the scent unique to Ulysses.

The plushie had been given to him by Ulysses, so naturally it carried his scent.

When An Ruo hugged it while sleeping, he could always faintly smell that same fragrance.

Still...

It needed washing.

An Ruo couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

But there was no helping it.

If a damp plushie wasn't washed and dried properly, it would grow mold.

He carried the adorable Ulysses plushie into the washroom, filled the sink with water, and gently placed it inside.

Oh.

Its clothes had to come off too.

Those needed washing as well.

An Ruo removed the little bathrobe from the plushie and washed it separately.

Floating on the water, the now-naked Ulysses plushie looked unexpectedly adorable.

Its pale skin, soaked by the water, had taken on a faint pink tint.

Something about it struck An Ruo as irresistibly cute.

Unable to resist, he lightly poked the plushie with a finger before smiling softly and beginning the wash in earnest.

He worked a thick layer of soft white foam over the plushie.

The more he washed, the more bubbles appeared.

Soon the entire room was filled with a pleasant fragrance.

In high spirits, An Ruo quietly hummed to himself.

Ideas bubbled up in his mind one after another, just like the soap bubbles before him.

While washing the plushie...

He used psychic input to continue writing his novel.

The holographic screen floated beside him, words racing across it at astonishing speed.

...

Carl was becoming more and more accustomed to life as a wild male.

That included, but was certainly not limited to, eating roasted meat without seasoning, bathing out in the open, walking barefoot across the grass, and collapsing to sleep inside a cave...

It was rather different from the graduation adventure he had imagined.

Yet somehow, it had arrived at the same destination by another path.

Except for one thing.

He still didn't know whether he would ever be able to return home.

Before, he'd only worried that his male parent and female parent would scold and punish him once he got back.

Now...

He had to wonder whether he would ever see them again.

Carl tried his best to stay optimistic.

Always looking forward to tomorrow.

He had gradually become used to living alongside the Heavenly Garuda Emperor.

Although this Heavenly Garuda was proud and domineering, instinctively putting Carl on guard.

He was too much like a Male Zerg.

Not enough like a female.

Too similar to Carl himself.

Like a stronger, more outstanding version of himself.

That similarity created an instinctive sense of rivalry.

But after actually living together...

He found him far less unbearable than he'd expected.

He enjoyed everything the Emperor provided.

His protection.

The food he brought.

And his companionship.

Even though he still felt awkward about it, he could no longer honestly say anything bad about him.

A deserted planet was unbearably lonely.

He was the only intelligent lifeform beside him.

The only person... Heavenly Garuda... he could talk to.

No matter how reluctant he was to admit it...

He had come to rely on him.

Ares was polishing something on the rocky bank beside the stream.

Carl walked over for a closer look.

He discovered all kinds of arrowheads.

Some made from bone.

Some from wood.

Others from stone and metal.

These were what Ares used for hunting.

For a Heavenly Garuda military female equipped with advanced weapons and overwhelming physical strength, making such primitive tools served no practical purpose whatsoever.

After thinking it over, Carl concluded that Ares was simply bored.

This was how he passed the time.

Seeing Carl watching beside him the whole time, Ares glanced at him.

He reached into his spatial storage and casually tossed him a bundle of wild fruit wrapped in leaves.

...He was being fed again.

Did the Heavenly Garuda really see him as nothing more than some hungry creature that only knew how to open its mouth waiting for food?

Carl stood there blankly, clutching the bundle of fruit.

The Heavenly Garuda Emperor had given him fruit several times before.

Each time it had been different.

But Carl had never dared eat any of it.

Looking at the unfamiliar fruit in his arms, he admitted honestly,

"I can't just eat random fruits and plants. They could be poisonous."

Ares glanced back at him.

"They're not."

"We're different," Carl said helplessly. "You're female. Of course you can eat almost anything. You could probably chew rocks if you wanted. Your stomach's like a super reactor. I'm a fragile Male Zerg. There are plenty of things I can't eat."

Ares repeated,

"I tested them. They're not poisonous."

He had tested them himself.

He had also tried them on many different kinds of small animals.

Only after confirming they were safe had he brought them back.

Tested them...

Not poisonous.

Carl wasn't stupid.

He understood immediately.

He looked at Ares in astonishment.

The Heavenly Garuda had actually gone out of his way to test fruits just so he could safely eat them?

"Then... those fruits before..."

Carl asked cautiously.

"They weren't poisonous either."

Ares' face darkened.

The Male Zerg hadn't eaten any of the previous fruit.

He had assumed Carl simply disliked them, so he'd gone searching for different kinds.

Thinking back now...

This Male Zerg had been afraid he'd poison him to death.

Just how little did he trust him?

Carl was speechless.

He had never imagined a Heavenly Garuda would do something like this.

The roasted meat...

That had seemed like casually sharing part of his own meal, simply making sure Carl didn't starve.

But fruit was different.

Carefully selecting fruit that a Male Zerg could safely eat...

Carl remained silent for a long while.

Looking at the dark-faced Heavenly Garuda beside him, he thought for a moment before finally speaking.

"I've actually wanted to ask this for a while."

"Is your mental condition... a little unstable?"

Ares said nothing.

His brows drew together slightly.

He didn't seem pleased.

Carl had no choice but to explain more clearly.

"I mean... thank you for the fruit, and for taking care of me all this time. If you need it... I could help take a look at your Psychic Domain."

"I'm not guaranteeing a cure."

Then he added,

"It's also for the sake of us getting along in the future... and for my own safety."

"Living beside a mentally unstable Heavenly Garuda..."

"...is dangerous."

He really didn't want to perform Psychic Soothing on a Heavenly Garuda.

He was only considering it...

For the sake of safety.

And stability.