An inexperienced young hatchling would never lie about emotions. When Luo said he liked someone, it meant he truly, deeply liked them.
Gu Yuan pressed his lips together awkwardly, that thought surfacing in his mind.
But this wasn’t right. Luo shouldn’t like him.
Luo had no idea how much turbulence his simple words had stirred within Gu Yuan.
To him, it was nothing more than a way of securing his little cake. After planting that kiss, he happily picked up his schoolbag, waiting for Gu Yuan to take him to school, leaving Gu Yuan standing there in a daze.
“Yuanyuan, let’s go! Time for school!”
Well then, it turned out he was the only one who had taken the child’s words seriously from beginning to end.
Gu Yuan let out a bitter smile, rubbing at his unconsciously furrowed brow.
There was no helping it. Luo simply didn’t resemble a hatchling at all. Coupled with the fact that Gu Yuan had personally witnessed the extraordinary power Luo possessed, something far beyond that of ordinary zergs, there were times when he truly couldn’t bring himself to regard Luo entirely as a child.
“I’m coming. I’ll take you to school and I’ll pick you up after classes. I’ve already applied to Principal Charles for special permission for you to carry a terminal. If anything happens at school and you need me, just call me directly…”
Gu Yuan rambled on, listing all the things Luo should keep in mind after arriving at school.
It was he who had agreed to send Luo there and he had already asked Principal Charles to take extra care of him yet at the moment of departure, countless worries still surged uncontrollably within his heart.
Really… just a few days ago, when he had been patrolling around that massive zerg egg, he had even privately complained that this unknown little male zerg was delaying his frontline duties.
Never in his wildest imagination had he expected that, in less than a week, Luo would already occupy an irreplaceable place in his heart.
Luo listened quietly the entire time.
In truth, he had never been a particularly patient person but Gu Yuan’s voice was low and gentle and when speaking to him, it would unconsciously soften even further, somewhat similar to the tone he used when entangled by the tendrils.
It sounded pleasant. Luo liked listening to it. He could stay quiet and listen slowly.
Thus, amidst Gu Yuan’s continuous murmuring, the starship came to a stop at the gates of the Empire’s First Military Academy.
Gu Yuan stepped down from the pilot’s seat, knelt on one knee to unfasten Luo’s seatbelt, then took his hand and helped him down from the starship.
Principal Charles, along with the school’s board members, had already been waiting outside the gates for quite some time.
A red carpet stretched all the way from the starship to the entrance and the display screen above the gate continuously flashed a message in oversized characters.
“Welcome, His Highness Luo, to our academy for a three year course of study!”
The enormous characters appeared only two at a time. Luo stood there, craning his head upward, taking quite a while to finish reading the entire sentence.
The moment he saw him, Principal Charles hurried forward enthusiastically.
“Hello there, Your Highness Luo. Do you still remember me?”
Luo had a particularly strong impression of his snowy white beard. His voice was bright and cheerful. “I remember, Grandpa Charles.”
The surrounding female zergs burst into laughter at that “Grandpa.” One of the younger ones patted Charles on the shoulder, laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath.
“Hahaha… Your Highness Luo really calls you Grandpa! You weren’t bragging after all!”
Charles puffed up his beard and glared. “I told you it was true! Do I look like the kind of zerg who makes things up?”
The moment he said that, another wave of laughter rippled through the crowd.
Hm? Why was everyone laughing?
Had he said something wrong?
Luo stood among the female zergs, utterly puzzled, unable to figure out what exactly they found so amusing.
Behind him, Gu Yuan saw that Luo seemed to be adapting well and only then did he reluctantly feel at ease. Crouching down, he said,
“Then I’ll be heading to work now. Luo, be good at school and listen to the principal.”
Luo nodded. “Then Yuanyuan has to remember to come pick me up after school.”
He had only just secured his little cake, if it ran away after just one day of school, that would be a huge loss for him.
Gu Yuan smiled and agreed. After thanking Principal Charles once more, he turned and boarded the starship, heading toward the military headquarters.
As Gu Yuan departed, Principal Charles managed to calm the lively commotion behind him. With a smile, he extended his hand toward Luo.
“Your Highness Luo, I’ll take you inside the school and give you a simple introduction along the way, shall I?”
Luo didn’t take Charles’s hand.
“Luo can walk on his own.”
He said it plainly.
It wasn’t that he needed anyone’s help to walk. He simply liked the indulgent yet helpless expression Gu Yuan showed him, liked the way Gu Yuan would take his hand in public, even when he seemed unwilling yet couldn’t refuse him.
That quiet favoritism, that was what he liked.
Charles didn’t pay it much mind. He simply smiled and withdrew his hand, stepping slightly closer to Luo to ensure that if anything unexpected happened, he would be close enough to offer support.
“This is the main gate of the academy. The name ‘Empire’s First Military Academy’ above it was personally inscribed by our current Zerg Emperor and the fountain just inside, was a trophy seized by the Empire’s second Silver General, Berkeley Alwen, during the decisive battle against the Federation…”
“This here is the dormitory building for the general classes. The standard arrangement is bunk beds with desks below, eight zergs per room…”
“And over there is Guiyu Lake…”
“That building is Academic Hall A1…”
“Oh, right, earlier, the one laughing the loudest is the youngest instructor of mental power studies in our academy, Ye Wen. Most of his classes are held in that building. Though he looks young, he’s already over a hundred years old. Luo can call him Grandpa as well.”
Charles chuckled as he casually pointed toward the young looking female zerg who had been laughing and patting his shoulder earlier.
In a race with an average lifespan of three hundred years, a hundred could hardly be considered “old.” Even for Luo, who had just hatched, calling him “Grandpa” was clearly an inappropriate form of address.
Ye Wen feigned annoyance. “Don’t teach His Highness Luo like that. If anything, he should call me Grandma!”
Oh, right. Ye Wen was a female zerg. According to what the livestream had said, female zergs were the equivalent of the female sex among zergs. He really should be using something like “Grandma” as a form of address.
Only then did Luo realize something was off.
Principal Charles was also a female zerg yet he had been calling him “Grandpa” all this time.
No wonder the principal had been laughing every time he heard it since their first meeting, it turned out he had been using the wrong term all along.
Why hadn’t anyone corrected him back then?!
Sensing Luo’s embarrassment, Ye Wen stepped closer with a smile.
“Your Highness Luo, there’s no need to worry. Calling Principal Charles ‘Grandpa’ is completely fine. He doesn’t mind at all, in fact, it makes him quite happy.”
Eh?
But Principal Charles was clearly a female zerg. Luo could smell it.
Looking at the puzzled expression in Luo’s eyes, Ye Wen’s desire to teach surged to its peak in that instant.
This was simply too adorable, no female zerg could possibly resist such an innocent and curious gaze from a young male zerg!
Just as he was about to begin explaining, a cold voice cut in from the side:
“That’s because Principal Charles is the Empire’s first transgender individual. His gland was destroyed by stray fire during the Sunset War against the Federation and since then he has lost the pheromones of a female zerg. He has identified as genderless ever since.”
“In a sense, your form of address isn’t wrong. Now, could you put away that nauseating, feigned look of ignorance on your face?”
“I truly don’t understand how the Empire’s first S class male zerg could be someone like you, a hatchling who knows nothing. Could it be that the Male Protection Association’s testing equipment was faulty?”
Luo: ?
Where did this lunatic come from?
He just wasn’t very fluent in speaking yet, that didn’t mean he was actually a hatchling, okay?!
Charles and the others fell into a fluster, while Luo precisely followed the direction of the voice and looked over. There stood a golden haired, blue eyed male zerg.
This male zerg didn’t look much older than Luo. He wore an exquisite white shirt with lace trimmed puffed sleeves, paired with a black tailcoat vest and shorts. His expression was arrogant, his posture full of self importance.
When Luo looked at him, he didn’t avoid the gaze at all, meeting it head on.
“First time meeting you. I am Fast Alwen, an A rank male zerg of the Alwen family and the future head of the Alwen lineage. Silver General Berkeley Alwen is my great female progenitor.”
“I dislike you very much. That’s why I requested permission from my male parent to attend the Empire’s First Military Academy. I will surpass you completely and prove that I am stronger than you!”
Luo: ?
Where did this hot blooded idiot come from?
Author’s Note:
Fast isn’t a villain, he’s a future little follower, haha. Luo attracts both males and females alike.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Coffee is technically a form of emotional support.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · It’s Hatching!Chapter 2 · Mealtime!Chapter 3 · Angry!Chapter 4 · F.. Found Out!Chapter 5 · SpeakingChapter 6 · RiceChapter 7 · Live BroadcastChapter 8 · XiongbaohuiChapter 9 · Bullet CommentsChapter 10 · I’m sleepyChapter 11 · WrongedChapter 12 · Going to SchoolChapter 13 · ChoiceChapter 14 · Knock KnockChapter 15 · NoisyChapter 16 · AccidentChapter 17 · WingsChapter 18 · CrowChapter 19 · General is blushingChapter 20 · RiotChapter 21 · The Insect EmperorChapter 22 · Good BoyChapter 23 · UnconsciousChapter 24 · DisappearanceChapter 25 · Tail HookChapter 26 · ReturningChapter 27 · DepartureChapter 28 · ReunionChapter 29 · Played with by tentaclesChapter 30 · Moist, Damp EyesChapter 31 Part 1 · Gu Yuan, do you like me?Chapter 31 Part 2 · Gu Yuan, do you like me?Chapter 32 · Don’t cry, sweetieChapter 33 · Reproductive tentaclesChapter 34 · Even if you kill me, I won’t grow backChapter 35 · Lord Evil GodChapter 36 · Why not refuse?Chapter 37 · He can cry; he’s not a monster.Chapter 38 · Some alternative ways of boiling waterChapter 39 · Why aren’t you kissing me?Chapter 40 · Here, my command is the highest orderChapter 41 · The Evil God’s Disguise Makes its Grand DebutChapter 42 · Be the breeding ground for my eggs.Chapter 43 · Carrying EggsChapter 44 · MasterChapter 45 · CryingChapter 46 · InterrogationChapter 47 · LikeChapter 48 · The TruthChapter 49 · ConfessionChapter 50 · Identity ExposedChapter 51 · BackgroundChapter 52 · SuspicionChapter 53 · The Feeling of HungerChapter 54 · SleepingChapter 55 · The NameChapter 56 · Memories (1)Chapter 57 · Memories (2)Chapter 58 · Memories (3)Chapter 59 · Gu YuanChapter 60 · A Falling KissChapter 61 · MonsterChapter 62 · RabitChapter 63 · Bathroom