The readers started arguing over whether it had been a punishment or a reward.
And the way they argued was... by sending tips?
An Ruo: ?
As expected, wealthy bugs had no sense of bug nature.
But he had already written the second half together with the burst of inspiration.
He only wrote what he wanted to write. No matter how much they argued, he wasn't going to change his mind.
To prevent the readers from fighting even harder, he simply uploaded the latter half as well.
...
[The shower automatically shut off after being used for too long, and the pheromone purification and air circulation systems kicked in.
Neither bug in the bathroom had any sense of time anymore. Their only way of keeping track was Claire's increasingly slurred count.
By the end, even Xi'an felt Claire was just randomly shouting numbers.
There's no way I hit him that many times, right?
Xi'an thought hazily.
The tingling heat in his palms made him strangely guilty.
He secretly glanced at Claire.
He liked symmetry, so he was fair with both sides, neither favoring one over the other. The redness was evenly spread, like ripe fruit.
The shower restarted, washing away the pheromones that the purifier couldn't eliminate.
Xi'an grabbed a towel and dried himself, then reached out to help Claire.
“No need. I can still walk.”
Supporting himself against the wall, Claire's voice was hoarse and dry from not speaking for so long. His body swayed slightly when he took a step, his expression absent and dazed.
As an outstanding military female, Claire had endured countless harsh trainings. His body possessed extraordinary resistance.
He could withstand a direct impact from a starship and endure the heat of magma.
He had never understood why strong, resilient military females would end up begging Male Zergs for mercy.
No matter how skilled Male Zerg methods were, could they really compare to the training they'd gone through or the torture methods of Tianga?
Now he knew.
They were completely different.
Female Zergs had no resistance at all against either the pleasure or pain bestowed by Male Zergs.
If the Male Zerg hadn't said he'd stop once Claire begged, Claire would have cried and begged him to continue.
Even so, when he walked out of the bathroom, Claire felt like he was stepping on clouds. His footsteps were light and unreal.
Xi'an followed behind in a bathrobe and secretly glanced at the tall female's back.
He thought Claire had probably been spanked silly, the kind where his brain had turned into mush. Otherwise, how could he not even notice he wasn't wearing clothes?
But Xi'an had no intention of reminding him.
This was their home. There were only the two of them. Claire could run around naked all he wanted.
Besides...
Xi'an's gaze fell on Claire's flushed rear.
Thinking about what he planned to do next, there was even less reason to remind him.
As they neared the bedroom, Xi'an hurried ahead, opened the door for Claire, and had him lie face down on the bed.
Claire's soul was still floating somewhere. He had no objections to the Male Zerg's arrangements and obediently lay down, burying his face in the pillow and waiting for whatever was coming.
Cool ointment on the Male Zerg's fingers touched him.
The cool sensation cleared Claire's head somewhat.
His first thought was that female Zergs had pheromones. They didn't need ointment. His body had already made all the necessary preparations.
Only afterward did he realize something was wrong with the location.
Confused, Claire turned around and saw the Male Zerg seriously applying medicine to him.
“...”
His expression went blank for several seconds. He wondered whether the Male Zerg had some misunderstanding about female Zerg physique.
His feelings were complicated. He wanted to speak but hesitated. In the end, he couldn't help saying:
“Female Zergs have excellent physiques. This is nothing. It'll recover soon. There's no need to apply medicine.”
The reason it hadn't recovered immediately was because he wanted the Male Zerg's marks to remain longer, deliberately suppressing part of his body's self-healing ability.
“Mhm, mhm, I know you're amazing.”
Xi'an answered casually, but his hands didn't stop. He applied the ointment with incredible gentleness, like feathers brushing over him.
It made a bug's heart itch.
Claire buried his face again and exhaled deeply.
The restraint expected of a military female, and the dignity required of a Female Lord, prevented him from openly asking the Male Zerg for affection.
That would seem far too wanton.
After finishing, Xi'an poked Claire's waist and asked:
“You're not rejecting my pheromones anymore?”
Earlier, he'd gotten his pheromones all over Claire's back, and Claire neither dodged nor kicked him.
Although his reaction had still been intense—he'd trembled badly—it wasn't the kind of intensity that came from rejecting him.
It had never been rejection.
Claire thought.
As his mind stabilized, his fragmented memories became whole again, and he finally understood the reason for those reactions.
The isolation training he'd received had been withdrawal training from Xi'an's pheromones.
Three months of withdrawal had made him associate his desire for Xi'an's pheromones—and even Xi'an himself—with pain and injury.
Injury to Xi'an.
Pain and injury to himself.
He couldn't touch Xi'an, and he didn't dare.
Xi'an had saved him.
Xi'an had given him a marriage, given him the position of Female Lord, allowing him to have the right to approach him.
He'd given him psychic soothing.
And he'd even given him... a mark, restoring clarity to his mind.
“Because you've left yourself inside my mind.”
Claire spoke softly.
It sounded especially romantic, like a confession.
But Xi'an knew what the female, who possessed not a single romantic cell, actually meant.
“You mean the me inside your mental landscape?”
“Mhm.”
Claire answered softly.
Yes, and no.
It was the original “Xi'an” that had formed inside his mental landscape, but after merging with Xi'an's psychic power, it had changed.
Claire couldn't explain the feeling.
He simply felt...
That it had become the real Xi'an.
Xi'an had permanently left a part of himself inside Claire's mental landscape to accompany him.
Allowing him to suppress the instincts left behind by withdrawal and accept Xi'an.
Xi'an could also sense the connection between them.
Ever since the embarrassing things they'd done in Claire's mental landscape the night before, he'd become extraordinarily sensitive to Claire's emotions and thoughts.
In the Male Zerg's perception, a powerful connection tied him to Claire.
It felt as though...
Claire belonged to him.
Belonged solely to him.
That made Xi'an incredibly happy.
Avoiding the freshly medicated area, he lay on Claire's back and rested his chin on his shoulder, cuddling against him.
“Claire, do you... maybe like me just a little bit?”
Ever since this morning, Claire's mood had been cheerful.
In the kitchen.
In the training room.
Even in the bathroom while being spanked, his emotions had been excited.
A little shame mixed with enthusiastic anticipation and indulgent willingness.
And it tasted especially delicious.
Claire tilted his head slightly at the question.
He wasn't good at expressing love.
Otherwise, their relationship wouldn't have become such a mess.
But Xi'an's words were so exaggerated that he couldn't help speaking.
“How could it only be a little...”
“Huh?”
Xi'an was even more surprised.
So there wasn't just a little.
There was quite a lot?
“Then two little bits?”
Xi'an rubbed the muscles of Claire's shoulder and arm and carefully asked.
He didn't dare say too much.
After all, Claire had only married him for psychic soothing.
Claire sensed the fleeting bitterness.
And his own heart ached with the same sour pain.
He didn't understand where the emotion came from, but it made him panic.
“Male Lord...”
He tried to turn around to see Xi'an behind him.
“Hey, hey, be careful! Don't move around.”
Xi'an worried about his injuries and tried to stop him.
But Claire had already turned over, leaving Xi'an lying on top of his chest.
His butt was going to bloom lying like this!
“It's fine. Forget about that. It's already healed. It doesn't hurt at all.”
Claire grabbed the Male Zerg who wanted to inspect him, embraced him, looked into his eyes, and said seriously:
“You are my Male Lord, my everything.”
He made it sound like an oath of loyalty.
Xi'an didn't understand at first.
Then, seeing the persistence in Claire's eyes, he suddenly realized Claire was answering his previous question.
Claire meant...
His feelings weren't one or two little bits.
They were everything.
All of it.
Xi'an had never imagined he'd receive such an answer and froze.
This wasn't right.
It shouldn't be.
Claire had long forgotten him and never cared about that promise from the little Male Zerg. After their reunion, Xi'an had only caused him trouble and held him back. Claire had only married him for psychic soothing. Most of what he felt should have been responsibility as a superior and duty as a Female Lord.
Even if there was a little affection from pheromones and familiarity, it shouldn't have been much.
Yet Claire's eyes and emotions told him this was the answer.
He was his everything.
Warm emotions surged in Xi'an's chest, so full they nearly brought tears.
Crying in front of a female would be too embarrassing.
Caring deeply about his image in front of the bug he loved, Xi'an forcefully held back the tears until his eyes turned red.
“Male Lord?”
Claire was alarmed by his red eyes.
Xi'an looked down at him.
He had always been the type to push his luck.
Claire had said he liked him more than a little, so he'd dared ask whether it was two little bits.
And now Claire had said he was his everything.
Then...
“Is it only because I'm your Male Lord?”
Lying on top of him, Xi'an unreasonably pressed further.
“If any Male Zerg became your Male Lord, would he become your everything?”
“No.”
Claire answered immediately.
“Only you.”
His tone sounded as natural and absolute as a law of nature.
Planets revolved around their stars.
Claire only loved Xi'an.
Xi'an felt like he was floating.
Yet he still refused to stop.
“When did you start liking me? Was it because I gave you psychic soothing?”
“No.”
Claire paused.
Embarrassment and difficulty flashed across his face, but he still answered.
“It was... from the first time we met.”
“Ah??!”
Xi'an was stunned.
“When you first came to the Ninth Legion...”
After hiding his feelings in his heart for so long, Claire wasn't used to exposing them like this. He felt terribly uncomfortable and didn't dare meet Xi'an's eyes.
“All the military females in the Ninth Legion were your admirers.”
Claire said softly.
He was no exception.
Xi'an had been an exceptional Male Zerg. Anyone would be attracted to him.
And Claire had been his instructor, personally responsible for training him.
Although he'd liked Xi'an from their first meeting, he had originally wanted to persuade him to quit.
The Ninth Legion's environment was too harsh.
It wasn't suitable for Male Zergs.
There was no need for a pampered young master from Capital Star to come here and suffer.
During the three months of pre-service training, he had shown absolutely no mercy.
Yet the Male Zerg endured it.
Even after being trained to collapse onto the ground from exhaustion, his eyes burned stubbornly whenever he looked at {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Claire.
Only later did Claire realize.
The Male Zerg had become determined to fight him to the end.
A proud Male Zerg who had grown up having everything go his way had probably never been treated like that before.
He must have hated Claire enough to grind his teeth.
His pride and rebellious spirit had been ignited, forcing himself to continue opposing him.
Giving Xi'an such a terrible impression had never been Claire's intention.
But by the time he wanted to fix things, it was too late.
The Male Zerg stayed behind with outstanding results and even joined his unit, officially becoming his soldier.
Many bugs liked Xi'an.
They brought him meals.
Confessed to him.
Gathered around him.
Only Claire could do nothing.
He was the only bug without the right to love Xi'an.
Xi'an hated him.
If he laid everything bare before Xi'an, he would not only be humiliated and mocked, he might even lose the identities of superior and soldier.
So he kept to his place and served as Xi'an's commander for three years.
More precisely, two years and one month.
Afterward, he went on expedition, and Xi'an was transferred under another officer.
Though it was temporary, when Claire returned, his mental condition had deteriorated to the extreme.
He knew Xi'an was better off with someone else.
Claire had reached the end of his road.
Xi'an still had a long future ahead.
He couldn't hold him back.
The final outcome was beyond his expectations.
It was as though fate had played a joke on him and gifted him the greatest blessing imaginable.
Xi'an married him.
They became husband and wife.
Xi'an carefully pieced him back together and gave him the chance to stand again.
The Male Zerg he'd loved had always been a very, very good bug.
...
Xi'an was completely stunned by Claire's words.
He'd liked him ever since he first arrived at the Ninth Legion...
Though that wasn't actually their first meeting, was it really that early???
Wait.
Did Claire look like he liked him back then?
He'd tortured him to death.
Trained him like a dog.
So this is how female Zergs like Male Zergs?
Huh???
...]
Not only Xi'an couldn't understand.
Even the female readers couldn't understand.
[So that was love? I thought Claire was frigid and had Male-Zerg-phobia.]
[Military females really are terrible at expressing feelings.]
[My stereotypes about military females have deepened.]
[Hey, don't lump us all together! Claire doesn't represent everyone. We normal military females are very passionate when pursuing a Male Zerg!]
[Passionately bringing Lord Xi'an meals, saving his favorite seat, then making every seat around him full. To get closer to Lord Xi'an, we'd even fight over good spots and determine the order through strength.]
[Wow, that sounds weirdly realistic.]
[Seriously, Claire's the abnormal one. So why did Lord Xi'an fall for exactly this type?]
[Not necessarily. If Claire had pursued Lord Xi'an normally, they'd probably have eggs by now. Don't forget, one of the biggest reasons Lord Xi'an came to the Ninth Legion was because of Claire.]
Though the novel never explicitly said it, choosing the Ninth Legion—a place that harsh—for military service was already abnormal for a Male Zerg.
Combined with Lord Xi'an's childhood promise to Claire, it was easy to connect the dots.
Lord Xi'an had probably come to the Ninth Legion intending to fulfill his promise and marry Claire.
And before he even got the chance to confess to his “dream bug,” he'd already been trained like a dog by his demon instructor.
[By the way, what's a dog?]
[I looked it up. It's an alien pet that can be domesticated. Loyal by nature.]
[Damn you, Claire! Look what you did to the noble Lord Xi'an! You trained him like a lower lifeform! I'm reporting this to the Male Protection Association!]
[Calm down, that's just an exaggeration. Don't forget Claire also said he's Lord Xi'an's dog.]
[€€€€ He could command him as his superior, yet he should kneel at his feet like a dog.]
[Holy crap, why does that relationship sound so good?]
[Claire's already in heaven. Lord Xi'an punished him in the bathroom and an Ultra-S-Class female became so blissful he couldn't even walk straight.]
[Was that really punishment? That's clearly a reward!]
[When the Male Lord's palm came down, the pheromones arrived first... Claire was probably so far gone he couldn't even count correctly.]
[Exactly! I definitely wouldn't miscount if Lord Xi'an punished me.]
[Stop dreaming, you flirt. If you actually smelled a high-ranking Male Zerg's pheromones, you'd forget who you were, let alone remember numbers.]
[Then how do you explain Claire, an Ultra-S-Class female, pretending to be injured and lying on the bed for the Male Lord to apply medicine?]
[Still don't get it? That's the scheming of married females. Deliberately preserving the marks left by the Male Lord so he can see them. It makes him feel sorry for you while also using those marks to show that you've been claimed, proving the intimacy between you and your Male Lord and making him love you more. There's an entire science behind it!]
The unmarried females were shocked and hurriedly took notes.
[I never expected that cold-looking Claire would have such schemes!]
[Learned something new. Truly, you learn as long as you live. I've been married for three hundred years and never tried this with my Male Lord. I'm going to try it right now.]
[Wait! Don't act rashly! This technique depends on feelings and character settings!]
[After three hundred years of marriage, if you can still seduce your Male Zerg into bed, you're worried about feelings and character settings?]
[...Good point.]
[Seriously? I can't even scroll through comments without getting showered with affection?]