Chapter 93: Heavenly Garuda Male x Zerg Military Officer (14): A Zerg Egg Needs the Male Father’s Pheromones

["Whoever wins gets to be the 'Female Lord' tonight"... I'm crying. Baby, you said Female Lord, but you're the male.]

[Axel never wanted to win. He just wanted his Female Lord.]

[Someone else just got emotionally devastated, but I won't say who. (Putting on sunglasses.)]

[Enzo, what do you mean by "Is there even any suspense?" Were you seriously planning to fight the little male???]

[He's already lost himself in the dream of being the Female Lord. He no longer knows heaven from earth.]

Among the Heavenly Garuda, females also competed in duels with one another.

Whoever won got to sleep beside the male that night.

But since when had the duel become one between a female and a male?

Enzo was even worse than the Heavenly Garuda!

[If they really fought, Enzo could let the male have both legs and nine fingers. He could stop the little male with a single finger pressed against his forehead. The little male could struggle with all his might and still never get close.]

[No, no—even if he gave up everything, it wouldn't matter. Tie up both his hands and feet, and I still can't think of any way he'd lose.]

[The only way he could lose would be to expose his own vital point and let the male's weapon strike it for an instant kill.]

[Please let me die like that. I want to cross blades with a male and hold out for half a star-hour before being conquered by his thrust.]

[Ah, no. You wouldn't last that long. Five seconds. No more.]

[Looking at it this way, Enzo's position as the "Female Lord" isn't all that secure.]

[Right. As long as Enzo throws the match harder than the amount of water on this ocean planet.]

...

【The aquarium's water-bed suite was located beneath the sea.

Its enormous spherical panoramic glass walls clearly displayed countless marine creatures swimming outside, while the deep blue ocean and lights cast a dim aquatic glow throughout the room.

Lying flat on the bed, Axel watched the sea creatures gliding overhead.

It felt like a dream.

"Enzo, give me a little pheromone!"

Axel demanded confidently.

The reinforced glass completely blocked scents.

Being surrounded by the ocean was only missing one thing—

The smell of the sea breeze.

Enzo had just come out of the bathroom wearing a white bathrobe.

The ocean's blue light reflected through the glass, tinting even his robe the same color as the sea.

Hearing the request, he replied,

"Come get it yourself."

How outrageous!

Axel rolled off the bed.

He was determined to squeeze every last trace of Enzo's pheromones out of him!

"Let's duel!"

Axel issued his challenge.

After only a brief exchange...

The female Zerg tackled him onto the bed.

Then Axel immediately began calling him "Female Lord."

The moment Enzo heard that title, he realized he had made a terrible mistake.

There was nothing he could do.

The little male had enthusiastically thrown himself at him, biting and nipping at him.

He simply couldn't endure it.

Regretting his lack of self-control was pointless now.

All Enzo could do while serving the male was gently coax him.

"Call me Female Consort."

"Female Consort."

Axel obediently repeated it.

Then Enzo's muscles tightened again...

And Axel immediately went back to calling him "Female Lord."

Enzo couldn't control details like that.

No female Zerg could maintain perfect self-control in front of a male.

All he could do was patiently remind the male over and over to use the proper title.

But things only became more chaotic.

Eventually even "Female Parent" came out.

Enzo was so embarrassed that his face burned bright red.

Fortunately, beneath the blue light filtering through the seawater, it wasn't obvious.

He covered the little male's mouth.

He wasn't going to let him keep talking.

...

Late that night, Axel lay on top of Enzo, resting against his chest, and quietly asked,

"Will you hate me?"

Enzo, who had nearly fallen asleep, lowered his eyes to him.

He gently brushed a hand through the male's soft hair.

"No.

Why would you ask that?"

"I'm {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} awful.

Back then I kept forcing you to accept me...

To marry me..."

Axel's voice gradually grew quieter.

His eyelashes lowered as well.

Softly, he continued,

"...Actually...

What you really wanted was a hatchling, wasn't it?"

Looking back now...

Even Axel felt he'd gone too far.

He had thrown himself into it recklessly.

The truth was...

Enzo hadn't wanted him.

Whether as a Male Consort or a Male Lord, he had never been Enzo's choice.

During that time...

Enzo must have suffered terribly.

Even what he had ultimately gained...

Had only come because he'd taken advantage of Enzo when he was vulnerable.

He knew it had been wrong.

But if he hadn't taken another step...

Enzo would never have walked toward him.

In their relationship...

Enzo had always been destined to remain standing where he was.

He would watch Axel either charge forward in madness...

Or walk away.

He would never reach out first.

So Axel had done something truly terrible.

While Enzo had been unconscious and unable to resist...

He had claimed him.

Forced Enzo into having no choice except accepting him.

Now that he thought about it...

Axel felt like a truly awful person.

He had taken away Enzo's hatchling...

And forced him to accept a male instead.

Enzo didn't know how to answer such a question.

He had never believed Axel had done anything wrong.

Even if someone had been at fault...

It could only have been himself.

The only thing he had ever feared...

Was that one day Axel would regret everything.

"So...

Are you clear-headed now?"

Enzo asked quietly.

"...Mm."

Perhaps.

Axel answered gloomily.

Enzo asked nothing more.

The male's mating period had already passed.

Perhaps even the last lingering traces of dependence on his guide had faded away.

Axel had regained his senses.

And...

He regretted it.

For a single instant...

Something inside Enzo became completely hollow.

He had always known this ending would come.

Yet when the moment finally arrived...

He discovered he still hadn't prepared himself enough.

Perhaps everything had happened too quickly.

After experiencing the most dazzling happiness...

They had gone on dates together.

Searched for intelligent sea creatures together.

Held each other close inside an underwater suite.

At the very moment their feelings had burned the brightest...

Axel had told him...

He had come to his senses.

The sudden emptiness left Enzo unable to recover.

Neither of them spoke another word that night.

After an entire day of playing, Axel was exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Enzo held him for a long time.

Finally, with great reluctance, he carefully lifted him from his arms and laid him gently on the soft bed.

His fingers brushed across that fair, beautiful face.

He tucked a few loose strands of hair behind the male's ear.

He wanted to touch him once more...

But ultimately forced himself to stop.

Then he quietly went into the bathroom.

Beneath the bathroom's bright white lights...

Enzo stared at his own reflection in the mirror.

Somewhat dazed.

The ache inside his chest felt unfamiliar.

Only now...

Did he finally realize.

He had truly fallen in love with Axel.

Not as a guardian loved a hatchling.

But as a female Zerg loved a male.

Only...

Everything was already over.

Everything had come too late.

Female Zergs always fell far too quickly for males.

Fortunately...

He still had enough reason left not to make things too ugly.

Perhaps ending it sooner was better.

They had spent a long time together.

But loved each other for only a very short while.

When Axel looked back someday...

His memories wouldn't consist entirely of hatred toward him.

They hadn't even had time to hold the wedding...

Maybe that was for the best.

There was no need to hold one anymore.

Axel wouldn't want to give a wedding to an old female Zerg.

Fortunately, the invitations hadn't been sent yet.

There was still time to cancel everything.

At least it wouldn't become a public embarrassment.

Axel was a good child.

He wouldn't strip him of his position as Female Consort and demote him to Female Attendant over this.

If he found his true love someday...

That might be another matter.

Enzo lowered his eyes toward his still-flat abdomen.

In the end...

He hadn't managed to keep anything.

Not Axel.

Nor anything else.

Back during their blind date...

Axel had asked how many hatchlings he wanted.

Enzo hadn't dared ask for too much.

He had only said one.

But before he even had the chance to become pregnant...

He had already lost that opportunity.

The rest of his life...

Was destined to be lonely.

...】

[Wait... what? Hold on! That escalated way too fast! I haven't even processed it yet!]

The readers were completely stunned.

Earlier they had been emotionally devastated by how well the male treated Enzo.

Now...

They were shattered all over again in an entirely different way.

[You all said you didn't want science fiction. Well? Now it's become realistic!]

[I know this development is actually the realistic one... but I was wrong. An-shen, please give me another bite of science fiction. This hurts. It hurts too much!]

[I'll never criticize Enzo again. Please... don't let him suffer like this.]

When Enzo had been happy, everyone had envied him.

But seeing Enzo miserable...

It felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.

It was no different from being abandoned by a male themselves.

[I know a female Zerg becoming the "Female Lord" isn't realistic, and being passionately pursued and loved by a male isn't realistic either... but at least let Enzo keep something. At least don't let it end so quickly... Going from a perfect date straight to losing everything—who could possibly bear that?]

[Even giving him an egg would be enough. Enzo loves hatchlings more than anything. He raised Axel, poured all his feelings into him, and he even said earlier that he wanted one hatchling... If he at least had a hatchling to keep him company, he wouldn't be this heartbroken.]

[Tears in my eyes.]

That night...

Not a single Zerg managed to sleep.

Then, early the next morning, a new chapter was released.

[Is An-shen trying to stab me again? (Throws myself at the knife.)]

[Even if it's another knife, I'm eating it all the way to the bottom! (Nom nom nom.)]

[It's okay. I can still take it. I'm a female Zerg. Our recovery ability is strong. (Wipes away blood.)]

...

【Axel discovered that Enzo had become much colder toward him.

The pressure surrounding him was so overwhelming that Axel didn't even dare approach him.

Originally, he had wanted to go over for hugs and kisses.

In the end...

He stopped himself.

Instead, he quietly followed behind Enzo like an obedient little tail.

Enzo kept saying he didn't hate him.

But...

He clearly did hate him now.

Axel desperately wondered how he could make up for it.

Then he heard Enzo say,

"I'll be staying at military headquarters for the next few days. I won't be coming home."

"Huh?!"

Axel looked up in panic.

"I-Is there... something really important?"

"There is..."

Enzo answered quietly.

Without looking at him.

So...

He really was being hated.

Enzo drove him home.

Then immediately piloted the flyer away.

He didn't even step inside the house.

Left behind by himself...

Axel stood there completely bewildered.

He seriously suspected Enzo was trying to run away from the marriage.

They had already gotten their marriage certificate.

If Enzo really ran away...

Then...

Then he'd go cry right inside Enzo's Legion headquarters.

Counting down the days until the wedding, Axel became increasingly depressed.

It didn't take long for everyone in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office to notice the little male's gloomy mood.

"Did your date fail?

The reward-and-punishment method I taught you didn't work?"

the older male asked in confusion.

"Not exactly.

It worked really well...

It's just...

I did some really terrible things before."

Being hated was only natural.

Axel lowered his head.

"What terrible things?"

the older male asked.

Axel glanced toward the office entrance.

He walked over, closed the door to his small office, and only then confided in his senior.

"I forced him to be with me.

Forced him to marry me."

The older male: "?"

"I took advantage of him during his mating period and slept with him."

"??"

"And while we were on our date, I kept calling him by a title he didn't like."

"???"

The older male's head filled with question marks.

Were those even problems?

A female Zerg had received comfort from a male during his mating period.

Received the male's marriage proposal.

Received the opportunity to date the male.

And then dared to give the male attitude?

"I think you've just been too good to him.

For a female like that...

Tie him up, make him kneel in front of you, give him a few lashes...

If you don't dare use a whip, just kick him a couple of times.

Kick him wherever he's most sensitive.

He'll surrender on his own."

The older male casually offered Axel several suggestions before hurrying away.

Problems at this level weren't even worth making him think.

Axel felt that wasn't right.

What he wanted...

Was for Enzo to love him.

Not surrender to him.

Besides...

He couldn't even see Enzo now.

Enzo wasn't coming home anymore.

Sometimes, when he woke up, he faintly felt traces of Enzo's scent lingering.

He wasn't even sure whether he was imagining it.

There wasn't much work that day.

Axel headed home early.

The moment he stepped inside, he sensed something unusual.

Quietly, he made his way upstairs.

Using his psychic power, he concealed himself.

"No one can detect me."

he whispered silently to himself.

He walked all the way upstairs and entered the bedroom.

The bed was messy.

He clearly remembered making it that morning.

Now the blankets had been disturbed, and obvious signs showed that someone had been lying there.

Axel looked toward the bathroom, whose door stood slightly ajar.

Walking over, he suddenly pushed it open.

Enzo, crouching beside the laundry basket with a bundle of clothes in his hands, looked up in surprise.

He instantly stood, hiding both hands behind his back.

His pupils widened from nervousness.

At first Axel didn't understand what he was doing.

But seeing how tense he was...

He knew something was definitely wrong.

"You're holding my clothes."

Axel pointed out.

Enzo immediately replied,

"I saw they hadn't been washed.

I was going to wash them."

"The washer-dryer broke a few days ago."

"I called a repair robot, but for some reason no one ever came.

The new one I ordered hasn't arrived yet either."

Halfway through speaking, Axel suddenly realized something.

Any one of those things alone might not mean much.

But taken together...

They all pointed directly at Enzo.

"What do you need my clothes for?"

Axel asked in confusion.

"You were sleeping in my bed just now too, weren't you?

And you've been making breakfast these past few days, haven't you?

I could tell it wasn't the housekeeping robot's cooking."

Enzo's face turned pale.

He couldn't answer.

He'd been caught red-handed.

Axel's clothes were still in his hands.

The evidence throughout the room hadn't even been cleaned up yet.

There was no way to explain it away.

Axel caught a faint scent that felt... wrong.

Like unstable pheromones.

He slowly walked closer.

As he approached, he realized Enzo's entire body was tense enough to tremble.

Pressing him gently against the bathroom counter, Axel heard a restrained, muffled sound escape him.

When he looked up—

Enzo had already pressed his lips tightly together and turned his eyes away.

Axel pulled the clothes from behind Enzo's back.

Enzo instinctively tightened his grip.

But in the end...

He let go.

"Is your mating period happening again?"

Axel asked in confusion.

Had it become that irregular?

Otherwise...

He couldn't understand why Enzo would steal his clothes and secretly sleep in his bed while he was away.

It looked as though he wanted Axel's pheromones.

But...

He could have simply asked.

"It's not my mating period."

Enzo answered quietly.

"Then what is it?"

Axel asked, looking straight into his eyes.

Enzo slowly raised a hand and placed it over his abdomen.

His fingers curled slightly.

"I'm pregnant."

Axel's eyes flew wide open.

"The egg needs its male father's pheromones.

I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Lowering his eyes, Enzo spoke softly.

"If possible...

I'd like one of your clothes...

Or...

If you could allow me to stay in your room for a little while.

Before I leave, I'll return everything exactly as it was."

"Wait."

Axel still hadn't recovered from the shock of hearing the word pregnant.

But instinctively...

He knew something wasn't right.

"If it's pheromones you need...

Then why didn't you just ask me directly?"

Enzo parted his lips.

His eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

"You...

Don't have to force yourself."

Axel: "???"

"I insist on forcing myself!"

Fuming, Axel reached out and started tugging at Enzo's trousers.

...】