Chapter 87: Heavenly Garuda Male x Zerg Military Officer (10): The Zerg Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Heavenly Garuda Embassy

That day, among the races that maintained diplomatic relations with the Zerg Federation, another wave of Heavenly Garudas began offering high prices to buy StarNet accounts.

The various alien races were utterly baffled.

Had the war between the Zergs and the Heavenly Garudas now spread onto StarNet?

Fight offline first...

Then continue online?

While buying accounts, the Heavenly Garuda females comforted the well-behaved males waiting at home.

"Don't worry. There'll definitely be another chapter tonight."

The male hugged a pillow and lay sprawled across the bed in an emo mood.

Hearing that, he puffed out his cheeks and said,

"From now on, don't post on the Zerg StarNet anymore. I'll do it."

The female considered it.

She hesitated.

"Every time you post, the account gets banned. This is already the third one."

Even if they didn't actually start arguing with Zergs online, simply speaking was enough for Zergs to suspect they were fake accounts.

The Zergs loved playing the "spot the fake account" game and would report them until their accounts were deleted.

Sometimes...

They'd be reported just for typing punctuation.

It was so outrageous that the Heavenly Garudas began wondering whether the accounts they purchased were cursed.

Now that the male suggested it...

They were actually starting to waver.

In the end, they installed the newly purchased account onto the male's terminal.

Every Heavenly Garuda male had his own exclusive male terminal.

It wasn't much different from the children's terminals used by other races.

The software and content installed on it were all strictly screened.

It was also supervised through the Female Lord's terminal, allowing usage restrictions to be imposed at any time, as well as real-time location tracking.

Through the terminal, the Female Lord could also monitor the male's heart rate, blood oxygen, pheromone levels, exercise data...

If the male's pheromones suddenly spiked while he was outside the Female Lord's vicinity, every Female Lord in the household would immediately receive a notification.

The developers claimed this existed to comprehensively protect the safety of male Heavenly Garudas.

Preventing females other than the Female Lord from secretly bullying them.

The females all agreed the feature was necessary.

Although it rarely became useful...

It was good insurance.

After all...

Their males were genuinely fragile.

And extremely precious.

...

Recently, Philor had made a new male Zerg friend online.

Like him, the other male came from a large family.

All the females in his household were military females.

Even better...

They all belonged to the same legion!

—What? You married every female from a single legion?

Of course, that was an exaggeration.

It simply meant there were females from that legion serving in every position imaginable.

Male Zergs generally didn't understand military appointments very well, so they usually judged things by rank.

General.

Lieutenant General.

Major General.

Colonel.

Lieutenant Colonel.

Major.

Everything was represented!

Of course...

Even having a single general-ranked female in a household was exceptionally rare.

Generals possessed both the pride and the strength, wealth, and resources that matched their status.

Most aimed to become the Female Lord of a high-ranking male.

Only when none of those unmarried high-ranking males suited them would they reluctantly settle for becoming a Female Attendant to an exceptionally outstanding high-ranking male instead.

It wasn't much of a loss.

Although they'd gone from Female Lord to Female Attendant...

The range and quality of males available to them increased dramatically.

Within Zerg families, the status difference between Female Lords and Female Attendants wasn't actually that great.

What mattered most was capability...

And how much the male favored them.

Almost every Female Attendant in Philor's household had originally been brought in by the Female Lord.

The Zerg race admired strength.

The higher one's rank...

The more attractive one became...

And the more followers gathered around them.

Whether male or female.

—His Female Lord's practically a succubus. He completed the entire collection for him.

Philor also knew his new friend's family didn't include any especially high-ranking officers.

But being able to marry an entire group of military females from the same legion was still incredibly unusual!

Instantly, Philor felt as though he'd found a kindred spirit.

He regretted not meeting him sooner.

Surprisingly...

The little male didn't understand his excitement at all.

He simply said that kind of thing was very common where he came from.

Philor: Huh?

Was it some remote military planet?

A military district headquarters?

Was marrying multiple military females from one legion actually fashionable there?

Come to think of it...

The little male's wording was rather strange.

Like Zerg-machine translation.

Almost as though everything had been translated by one of those ancient automatic translation programs.

Then again...

Considering he came from some tiny remote planet...

It wasn't all that strange.

The Zerg Federation's territory was enormous.

There were several star systems.

Even more planets.

Every planet had slightly different customs and cultures.

The farther from Capital Star...

The more obvious those differences became.

As a high-ranking male from Capital Star, Philor never put on airs over his status.

Completely unconcerned about the difference in their backgrounds, he happily introduced his new online friend to all sorts of things.

[Philor]: Have you read this novel? It's about my male.

[Philor]: What? You haven't?!

I thought every Zerg who hadn't read it had already gone extinct. Even the Marshal is following it! My Female Lord told me.

[Philor]: I solemnly recommend it to you. You absolutely have to read it! It's really, really good! Even though the family structure isn't quite like ours, isn't it fun to experience something different once in a while?

[Philor]: Oh right, I haven't properly introduced myself yet. Although you already know my name, I'm Philor. It means "Flower." My Female Lord loves me very much. He also loves my name. I'm the most beautiful flower he treasures.

[Little Flower Bud]: My name is Nokas. Where I'm from, it means... flower bud.

Philor stared at the name his new friend had typed.

Then looked at the display name above his avatar.

"..."

See?

His new friend was incredibly "Zerg-machine."

StarNet required real-name verification!

Were the staff really this unreliable?

Just what kind of remote planet was that?

They'd actually registered the little male's official name as "Little Flower Bud."

Sure...

The meanings were similar.

But visually...

They were worlds apart.

[Philor]: All right then, Little Flower Bud... I mean, Nokas. Nice to meet you.

[Little Flower Bud]: Nice to meet you too~

—

Heavenly Garuda Empire.

Inside a standard residence assigned to a mid-ranking military officer.

Hearing the door open, the male hurriedly closed his terminal before throwing himself into his Female Lord's arms.

The female blinked in surprise.

Lifting him into his embrace, he asked,

"Did you read the next chapter yet?"

"Not yet. I wanted to wait until you came home so we could read it together."

The male rubbed affectionately against the Female Lord's neck.

Actually...

He'd been busy making a new friend while reading the novel.

"All right.

We'll read it together."

The female Heavenly Garuda carried the male onto the bed, settled him onto his lap, wrapped both arms around him, and opened the terminal's holographic screen.

...

【Axel's courtship period lasted an entire week.

Enzo wasn't actually sure whether it had been exactly a week.

The male kept clinging to him and asking for him.

So Enzo simply kept satisfying him.

Only after a full week had passed...

When Axel was still sticking to him...

Did Enzo realize something wasn't right.

He called in the family doctor to examine Axel.

The conclusion was simple.

"His Lordship's courtship period has already ended. His pheromones have stabilized. There are no other problems."

Enzo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

He'd been worried Axel had fallen ill.

After seeing the doctor out, Enzo looked toward Axel, who sat gloomily on the sofa, and asked whether he wanted something to eat.

Axel was indeed a little hungry.

But...

There was something else bothering him much more.

"Now that your courtship period is over...

Will you still sleep with me?"

So that was what he was worried about.

Enzo sighed softly to himself.

He bent down and crouched before the male.

Looking sincerely into the eyes of the male seated on the sofa, he said seriously,

"As long as Your Lordship is willing to let me serve you."

Axel felt something about that sounded slightly...

Wrong.

"Y-You should stand up first."

Then he hurriedly added,

"Of course I'm willing to let you...

...let you enjoy me."

Enzo drew a deep breath.

Lowering his eyes obediently, he replied gently,

"I'll serve Your Lordship well and make sure you're satisfied."

Axel hurriedly answered,

"I'll work hard to serve you too!"

Enzo: "..."

It's over.

...】

The Zerg readers were the ones who were truly doomed.

Their sky had collapsed.

[Enzo, are you even capable of functioning?! You actually let a male say he'd serve you? Is there something wrong with your thinking? Should the Federal Intelligence Bureau investigate you?]

[The male had only completed his physiological awakening a week ago, and he spent that entire week serving you! You must be over the moon!]

Who could spend an entire week sleeping beside a male...

Only to have that male still reluctant to leave afterward?

Even the Heavenly Garudas were jealous.

Ordinary Heavenly Garuda males also belonged to the entire household.

Very few females could monopolize a male's entire courtship period.

Let alone receive an entire week's worth of the male's passionate devotion.

Everyone knew...

During a male's courtship period, he became especially affectionate.

He needed companionship more than ever.

He depended intensely on the female who stayed beside him.

Whenever a male's courtship period approached, Heavenly Garuda females would request leave in advance so they could accompany him through it.

Not every Heavenly Garuda household was harmonious, either.

There was only one male.

Competing for his attention was unavoidable.

Yet Enzo...

Had monopolized the male's entire courtship period.

They also knew that female Zergs held low status within their families.

They had to flatter males.

Bow and scrape before them.

They could even be beaten, scolded, or punished.

But Enzo's situation clearly wasn't anything like an ordinary Zerg household.

He was practically living the life of an upper-class Heavenly Garuda noble.

He monopolized a single male.

The male doted on him.

Served him.

There were no whips.

No knives.

No punishments.

No beatings.

The male eagerly worked to please him.

Every drop of the male's pheromones belonged to him.

So much that they overflowed.

Even Heavenly Garudas couldn't help turning green with envy.

[Those damned Zergs! They stole our males! They occupied our resources!]

The unmarried Heavenly Garudas could no longer restrain themselves.

Although this was only a novel...

The war with the Zergs had ended not long ago.

The Zergs really had occupied part of their territory.

Because of it...

They'd lost a number of Heavenly Garuda eggs.

Some of them might even have been male eggs.

Thinking about it that way...

Their curses became heartfelt.

The married Heavenly Garudas glanced at the male resting in their arms...

Then silently muted themselves.

Protecting their accounts was more important.

Besides...

Unlike those who couldn't even hold a male...

They already had one of their own.

They were fairly satisfied with their current lives.

They didn't feel such overwhelming possessiveness toward males who didn't belong to them.

Female Heavenly Garudas who regularly received psychic soothing from males also tended to enjoy much more stable mental states.

They were less irritable.

Less prone to anger.

The Zergs certainly weren't going to tolerate Heavenly Garudas throwing a tantrum.

They were already irritated enough seeing Enzo being "served" by a male...

Being called "Female Lord" by a male...

And now these Heavenly Garudas dared make noise?

Keyboard warriors, assemble—

...

【Enzo and Axel completed their marriage registration first.

The wedding was scheduled for the end of next month.

The guest list required careful planning.

Axel's friends and classmates all had to be invited.

The staff from the orphanage and Axel's childhood companions belonged on the list as well.

Then there were Enzo's comrades, colleagues, important military and political figures, distinguished members of society...

And most importantly...

The Marshal...

And that Lordship.

Enzo carefully considered every name on the invitation list.

He was incomparably cautious, not daring to overlook a single detail.

Meanwhile...

On the sofa opposite him...

Axel sat staring foolishly at his personal profile, grinning at the name "Enzo" listed beneath Female Lord.

Enzo glanced at the little male who completely lacked any awareness of his position as a Male Lord.

Helplessly, he looked away.

Resigned...

He took responsibility for everything himself.

But...

He was actually rather happy.

After the enormous weight pressing on his heart finally disappeared...

What remained wasn't destruction.

It was relief.

A new beginning.

He had been given the chance to spend the rest of his life beside his male.

Even if it meant bearing infamy.

Even if he would forever carry guilt toward the young male...

He accepted it willingly.

"Huh?"

Axel suddenly sat upright.

His eyes sparkled with both excitement and nervousness.

"Enzo!

I got a job!

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants me to report for work tomorrow...

Hm?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

Had he ever applied there?

Originally, he'd wanted to study and care for marine life.

That way he wouldn't have to interact with too many female Zergs.

Besides...

He loved the sea.

The sunshine.

The salty scent of the ocean breeze.

Enzo walked over and glanced at the invitation.

It really had come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It wasn't surprising.

The Ministry had had its eye on his male for years.

The last few times Enzo attended meetings at Central Headquarters, the Foreign Minister had repeatedly tested the waters.

If Axel hadn't still been underage back then...

They probably would've shown up to steal him away already.

"If you don't like it, you can refuse."

Enzo said.

He actually understood the Ministry's intentions.

But in his eyes...

Nothing mattered more than his male.

Axel hesitated.

This wasn't part of his original plan.

Still...

The invitation mentioned opportunities to interact with ocean-dwelling alien races.

The most mysterious...

And most powerful...

Marine species in the galaxy.

That actually sounded rather interesting.

Just as he was thinking about it...

Another invitation arrived.

This one...

Was from the Heavenly Garuda Embassy.

Axel: ?

He was absolutely certain he'd never even considered this job.

The Heavenly Garuda Embassy...

That sounded like it would be full of Heavenly Garuda females!

Axel hurriedly rejected the offer.

Even though the salary was astonishingly high by male standards.

Even though every word in the letter was respectful.

It even used honorific language.

But...

Just imagining Heavenly Garuda females was terrifying!

The instant he declined...

Another message arrived.

This time it explained that they also employed male Heavenly Garuda diplomats.

Furthermore...

A new group of male diplomatic officers would soon be arriving in Zerg territory.

Male... Heavenly Garudas?

Axel froze.

That didn't match the Heavenly Garudas from his inherited memories.

But then he remembered the years of diplomatic exchanges between the Zergs and the Heavenly Garudas.

Their jointly produced films.

And suddenly...

This version seemed more believable.

The political landscape throughout the galaxy had changed far too much over the years.

Having never truly entered society...

Axel found the world strangely unfamiliar.

He'd experienced that feeling once before.

Back when he'd first hatched from his egg...

And begun living among the Zergs.

This...

Was the second time.

Leaving the shelter of Enzo's wings...

Stepping into society for real...

For Axel...

This would be his second "hatching."

He decided...

He needed to think carefully.

Whether it was the Zerg Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

Or the Heavenly Garuda Embassy.】