Chapter 42: Male School Heartthrob x Military Academy Student (7): "This Is the Military Female I Fancy. You Can Marry Him Too."

[What does this mean? Isi never had a genetic disease?]

With that one sentence from Lord Hill, the matter was completely settled.

But readers only became even more confused.

[Did Isi lie?]

[His headache looked fake, but the way he counted the number of times seemed real.]

[Even if a hatchling with inherited memories has immature intelligence, they shouldn't misremember something like that.]

[No matter what, it's good that the hatchling doesn't have a genetic disease. But Hill was basically tricked into coming here. No male Zerg can tolerate deception.]

As soon as the topic reached this point, the atmosphere in the comments turned gloomy.

They could already imagine the consequences of a male Zerg's anger.

[The best outcome would be Iso taking the Male Lord's wrath upon himself and protecting the hatchling. With the regenerative abilities of an adult high-level female Zerg, as long as the foundation isn't damaged, he'll recover.]

[Iso lives in the Underground District and inside a heavy mecha. There must be plenty of weapons. Lord Hill can punish to his heart's content. Once he's vented his anger, things will be fine.]

That was easy to say, but every female Zerg could imagine what a difficult night it would be.

All they could do now was pray that the soundproofing inside the mecha was good enough not to frighten the hatchling.

The male Zerg readers: "???"

Why had things suddenly entered blood-and-gore mode again?

[No? Hill already discovered that the hatchling's Psychic Domain was fine back at the hotel. He still voluntarily proposed going to the Underground District with Iso. If he truly cared that much about this matter, he would've exploded long ago. Why wait until now?]

[Of course, punishment is still necessary. A beating should do.]

[Hill's still a student. He's probably never even used a whip. He might hurt himself. Making him kneel for a night should be enough.]

[I think sleeping with him once would be better. An S-rank potential holder with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and in a dangerous place like the Underground District. Whether for safety or something else, it'd be more reassuring to mark him quickly.]

The male Zerg readers discussed various forms of punishment.

In any case, punishment was necessary, but nobody thought it was a particularly serious matter. There was no need to make it overly tragic.

[You're all insane! In a lawless place like the Underground District, it's not certain who'd punish whom! Hurry up and bed that high-level male Zerg!

Take away his communication device, put a psychic suppressor on him, train him for ten days or half a month, then take him out to register the marriage. After that, you can openly hide him at home!

Then you'll have a hatchling to play with and a male Zerg to sleep with. Perfect!]

[...]

[Didn't I say there are more and more fake Zergs on StarNet?]

[@Moderator, how did a comment like this pass review? Delete it quickly, don't scare Lord Hill.]

[StarNet has practically been riddled with holes by those Tenga climbing over the firewall to read books. (eye-roll)]

[When is the Marshal going to conquer the Tenga? I really can't stand these people.]

[Conquer them? Absolutely not. Fighting is one thing, but if you conquer them you'll have to govern them. Then the entire Zerg race will be infected by this Tenga virus. (disgusted) (retching)]

The Zerg race's opinions toward the Tenga were remarkably unified:

Viruses. Maniacs. Butchers. Criminals...

It would be best if they all went extinct.

Oh, except the males.

Their hearts softened when thinking about those pitiful abused little males.

The Tenga's opinions of the Zergs were equally unified:

They're sick. Masochists. Idiots. Slaves who let little male pets ride on their heads and act tyrannically.

Hard to fight, though. Tough bones...

The male Zergs are beautiful.

Very tempting.

Too fierce, but that only stimulates the bloodthirst and desire for conquest of Tenga females.

Sooner or later, they'll unify them.

No wonder they were mortal enemies.

They had split off from branches of the same bloodline descended from the Insect Queen, only to ultimately walk completely different paths, yet both became cosmic bosses.

The grudges between the Zergs and the Tenga ran deeper and more complicated than with any other race.

Even when facing the same novel, their reactions could make them start fighting.

...

["It's so late. Baby Isi should sleep now. Sleepy."

Putting down his fruit milk, Isidore lay across Hill's knees and acted spoiled. The sight of him yawning with narrowed eyes was enough to melt anyone's heart.

Unfortunately, the ones sitting here weren't the experienced parents who had raised him for three and a half years, but University Student Version Hill and Iso Raising a Hatchling.

Cute as he was, Hill wasn't going to manage a hatchling's bedtime schedule.

Zergs could go days without sleeping anyway.

"Isi, does your head still hurt?"

Hill lightly pinched the back of the little hatchling's neck.

With his fate held in that hand, Isidore obediently answered,

"It doesn't hurt now, but if I can't see Male Parent, I feel sad. And when I'm sad, my head hurts."

Isidore never lied.

He simply chose what to say or exaggerated certain things.

This was a common trick hatchlings used to attract attention.

Just as Hill was about to speak, the female Zerg beside him suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.

Hill: "???"

Isidore: "???!"

"Lord Hill, if you wish to punish someone, punish me! I misjudged Isi's condition and rashly invited you here."

Staring at the hand on the hatchling's neck, Iso had gone deathly pale, wishing he could take the hatchling's place and bear the male lord's wrath himself.

"...Get up first."

Hill suffered ten thousand points of emotional damage. If the hatchling hadn't still been lying on his lap, he'd have bounced right off the sofa.

Even Isidore couldn't understand what was happening.

What happened?

Why was Female Parent kneeling?

He had never seen Female Parent kneel before.

Was Male Parent going to punish Female Parent?

Good heavens, was this the family corporal punishment the other little hatchlings had talked about?

Quickly hugging Male Parent's leg, Isidore cried dry tears.

"Male Parent, don't punish Female Parent. Punish Isi instead. Isi will wash Male Parent's pants."

This was Isidore's understanding of punishment.

He had once caught Female Parent being punished by Male Parent and hand-washing pants.

"What are you talking about? Who's punishing him? What washing..."

Red-faced, Hill hurriedly covered the hatchling's mouth. In the end, he simply stuffed the hatchling into the female Zerg's arms and made both of them get up and stand aside.

Rising to his feet, Iso obediently stood behind the male lord holding the hatchling and covered the hatchling's mouth.

Blinking blankly in his arms, Isidore thought:

Male Parent really seems angry.

Maybe he could discuss it with Female Parent and split the pants fifty-fifty.

If things got worse and Female Parent got kicked out of the bedroom, he could even share half his little bed with him.

Wait.

There was only one bedroom and one bed in the house.

It's over.

He and Female Parent would have to squeeze onto the sofa.

Hill paced around the room, inexplicably restless.

The identical golden eyes of the two female Zergs followed him in unison.

Hill: "..."

Taking a deep breath, he turned around and faced the father and son.

"Punishment is still necessary. We can't indulge a hatchling's nonsense. He needs to be taught. Nobody can take punishment in someone else's place."

Iso's pupils contracted instantly.

In the dim mecha lounge, his golden eyes nearly turned into vertical slits.

Even Hill could feel the sudden drop in pressure.

A cold and handsome guy.

But hopelessly doting on his hatchling.

He could kneel to a stranger for the hatchling.

He could even allow that unrelated male Zerg to punish him.

Despite being the strongest one here.

If he refused, Hill wouldn't even be able to touch a single hair on the hatchling.

His feelings complicated, Hill braced himself and called:

"Isidore."

"Wuh... Present!"

Hearing his full name, Isi grew nervous and hurriedly pushed away Female Parent's hand to answer.

"Your punishment is to finish the rest of your fruit milk."

Keeping a straight face, Hill announced.

Isidore instantly understood the punishment.

He jumped down from Female Parent's arms with incredible agility, ran around the sofa, grabbed the half-finished bottle of fruit milk on the table, and drank it all in one breath.

Then he turned the bottle upside down and proudly showed Male Parent that he'd finished every drop.

"Very good. Go back to your room and sleep."

Hill nodded.

Obediently, Isidore headed to his room, but before leaving, he shot Female Parent a meaningful look that said, Take care of yourself.

Iso: "..."

Iso had completely shut down.

He couldn't understand anything anymore.

Was that punishment?

Hill's gaze fell on him, and the female Zerg instinctively tensed.

"You don't need to treat me this way."

Helplessly, Hill said,

"We don't have a marriage relationship. You don't need to obey me at all."

After looking at him for a moment, Iso began taking off his clothes.

"Do you want to mark me? If being marked will reassure you that you have control over me."

He needed to make the male lord feel secure.

Offering his body to a male Zerg he barely knew gave Iso some psychological resistance.

But for the hatchling, nothing mattered.

"Wait—what?!"

Hill rushed over and grabbed his hand.

The female Zerg was wearing tight training clothes that could only be removed from below.

In just those few moments, the shirt had already been lifted to his chest.

The height difference between them left Hill unsure where to look.

Suppressing his embarrassment, he hastily pulled the shirt back down for him.

It even bounced a little.

Hill's face was on the verge of smoking. Covering his face with his hands, he tried to calm himself down.

Iso [N O V E L I G H T] was only twenty years old.

Before this, he had never even been alone in a room with a male Zerg.

Earlier, when he had resolved to sacrifice himself for the hatchling, his mind had been full of righteousness and self-sacrifice.

He didn't think much of it.

But seeing the reddened tips of the male lord's ears, he suddenly became aware of the ambiguous atmosphere.

An enclosed room.

A young female Zerg and a young male Zerg.

Nothing had happened, yet it already felt as though pheromones filled the air.

Iso himself grew restless, and even his normally cold face heated up.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hill. I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's okay..."

After calming himself down, Hill looked up and suppressed his embarrassment.

"I understand how much you care about the hatchling. But Isi belongs partly to me as well. Please trust me. I won't abandon him."

No need to sacrifice himself.

No need for marking.

No need to do things he didn't like or force himself into things he didn't want.

"Yes. Thank you very much, Lord Hill."

Iso sincerely thanked him.

Yet he also realized something.

The male Zerg had no physical interest in him.

Perhaps they would never become the happy family Isidore dreamed of.

They would only be partners raising a hatchling.

And yet...

That was already the best outcome he had ever imagined.

Iso couldn't understand where the slight bitterness and regret in his heart came from.

The old clock on the wall struck midnight.

It was very late.

"Will you stay the night?" Iso asked.

Realizing the ambiguity of inviting a male Zerg to stay overnight, he hurriedly added:

"The master bedroom has a large bed. It's new. You can sleep there alone."

He had bought it for the hatchling.

Iso never spared expenses when it came to the hatchling.

And he was grateful he'd changed the furniture.

At least there was still a bed suitable for the male lord.

The day's events had overwhelmed Hill.

He was exhausted and didn't want to travel home in the middle of the night.

So he nodded.

Leading him to the bedroom, Iso entered first and lifted the sleeping hatchling from the bed, intending to carry him away.

Not sleeping deeply, Isidore woke drowsily.

Seeing Female Parent and then Male Parent behind him, he asked,

"Female Parent, Male Parent... did you make up?"

Iso secretly glanced at Lord Hill, whose expression remained normal, and softly soothed the hatchling.

"Mm, we made up."

"Then can we sleep together?" Isidore asked.

"No."

Iso lowered his voice, sounding somewhat serious.

Pouting, Isidore reached toward Hill.

"I want Male Parent to read me a bedtime story."

"I'll read to you," Iso said.

"Female Parent reads badly."

Even the smart voice assistant was more entertaining.

Female Parent's stories weren't fun at all.

"It's fine. Let him stay. I'll read."

Hill said.

Reading bedtime stories to a hatchling was a novel experience to him.

He was willing to try.

So Iso put the hatchling back.

More time together would strengthen their relationship.

There was no reason to refuse.

"Thank you, Lord Hill."

Hill glanced at him.

Such a distant title.

They already had a hatchling, yet he still called him "Lord."

Their relationship really was complicated.

Quietly, Iso left.

Half-lying on one side of the bed, Hill opened his terminal and searched for bedtime stories.

The hatchling crawled into his arms and buried his face in his clothes.

"Male Parent, I missed you so much."

Patting the fluffy black hair, Hill really did feel affection.

"Good boy. What story do you want?"

"As long as Male Parent reads it, anything is fine."

So Hill picked an animal story.

"...And later, the powerful Black Wolf King left his pack and lived together with his special White Snake partner."

When he finished, he lowered his head and found himself staring into Isidore's bright, wide-open eyes.

"I want another one! What happened next? Will the Wolf King and White Snake have little snakes?"

"There is no next. That's already the ninth story. You should sleep."

Hill pinched his forehead.

Was reading bedtime stories really this exhausting?

"Okay. Isi will sleep obediently. Good night, Male Parent."

"Good night, good night."

Hill only wanted him to hurry up and fall asleep.

Ten minutes later, he and Isidore's wide eyes met again.

"I can't sleep..."

Little Isi whispered weakly.

Pulling him into his arms, Hill said,

"Close your eyes."

Once the hatchling obeyed, Hill poured Psychic Power into his mind and gave him a full Psychic Soothing, making the already perfect and orderly Psychic Domain even more flawless.

Bathed in comfort and drowsiness, Isidore finally fell asleep.

Hill suddenly understood why his future self had performed Psychic Soothing so many times.

A male parent's doting was one reason.

But wanting the hatchling to hurry up and sleep definitely played a role too.

He didn't know which reason weighed more.

Future him definitely loved Isi very much.

After all...

He was the hatchling born from the one he loved.

He had felt puzzled the moment he first heard the name "Isi."

And after seeing the photos on Isi's terminal, all his doubts had been answered.

It was a very happy family.

Hill could see the love in his own eyes.

That surprised him.

He never expected himself to fall for a female Zerg like that.

A military female.

His family already had enough military females.

His female parent, his male parent's favorite female consort, and several of his older brothers were all military females.

Living among military females for so long, it was difficult to view them in a special way.

He had always thought he would prefer a gentler sub-female.

Someone artistic.

He loved painting.

He loved the stars.

He wanted to travel to uninhabited places and use his brush and Psychic Power to paint the magnificent starry sky.

Surely a sensitive sub-female would understand him better.

Cold military females seemed completely incompatible.

And yet...

Had he really followed his male parent's path?

That sounded utterly hopeless.

Hill had a nightmare.

In the dream, his female lord Iso returned home wearing the same general's uniform as his female parent.

And beside him was an exceptionally beautiful military female subordinate.

Introducing him proudly, Iso said:

"This is the military female I've taken a liking to. You can marry him too."

And just like his male parent, he happily replied:

"Sure, sure."

...]