Maurice watched Eliotte leave, still clutching the mecha that carried Eliotte’s lingering scent in his hand.
According to his original intention, he had wanted Eliotte to take the mecha with him. He knew that with his physical grade as a fragile male worm cub, even if he underwent metamorphosis ten times, he would never reach the standard required to pilot a high-grade mecha. However, Eliotte had insisted on forcing the mecha into his chubby little hand.
“Keep it. Upon my return to the Imperial Capital Planet this time, I will be matched to a male worm by my Royal Brother. A matched female worm is forbidden from engaging in social labor and earning compensation; this is the law of the Empire.”
When Eliotte said this, not a single trace of humiliation or sorrow surfaced on his face. He merely gathered the worm cub into his embrace, his slightly cool fingers gently stroking the cub’s curling black hair. His features were as gentle as a painting, though a hint of lingering attachment lay hidden in the depths of his golden eyes.
Aside from his initial loss of composure when he mentioned the cub breaking the promise, he seemed to accept the cub’s arrangement with utter serenity, as if he realized this was the optimal solution for both himself and the cub.
Yet, his serenity was a quiet current masking a whirlpool, causing Maurice’s heart to sink to rock bottom.
Something was entirely, terribly wrong. Inexplicable warning bells clanged frantically inside the cub’s mind, making his brain throb with pain. He had to repeatedly emphasize to himself that this is the most beneficial arrangement for Eliotte, is it not? He cannot drag Eliotte into his own troubles, and he is powerless to help Eliotte escape the effects of Pheromone Deprivation Syndrome. Only a fully developed male worm can help him, and only his Royal Brother can help him.
Of course, he knew that Eliotte’s Royal Brother was no good. Maurice was no fool, so he naturally noticed that whenever the Worm Emperor was mentioned, Eliotte’s face would always turn pale. But Maurice was even more aware of his own incompetence. Some of the System’s words had been harsh, but they were also the truth; he was a worm cub devoid of male capabilities, and he was useless to Eliotte. The marking could only be completed by another male worm.
This thought was undoubtedly highly rational, yet it tainted the cub’s internal organs with a sticky, poisonous venom, as if corroding him from the inside out. He did not understand why. Although he possessed the identity of a male worm, due to his skin color and his reclusive lifestyle, he had never truly integrated himself into the social role of a male worm. Furthermore, he had never defined his relationship with Eliotte as one between a male worm and a female worm; to Eliotte, that would undoubtedly be a desecration, and Maurice swore he had never thought of it that way.
But when his vitals burned because Eliotte was going to be marked by another male worm, the university student also realized that something was profoundly wrong. For the first time in his life, the university student, who had always prided himself on his pursuit of truth, could not look his own heart in the eye. He forced himself to concentrate his energy on more pressing matters.
He sent Eliotte off in near silence. Holding Eliotte’s spatial button in his hand, he, who was usually so talkative, could not even bring himself to utter a lame word of comfort. He had promised to stay by Eliotte’s side, yet everything had changed so quickly, making all his promises and enthusiasm appear so hypocritical.
Once Eliotte boarded the First Army’s airship, Maurice stared at the approaching dawn sky for a long time. When he finally turned around, his chubby little face had already darkened into a gloomy expression. Without a word, he stepped onto the airship bound for the Duke’s estate.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Your Crown. Rest assured, His Highness Eliotte will certainly return to the Imperial Capital Planet safely. Sky City has just released the news regarding the marriage alliances between the various female worm Highnesses and the nobility. This is a good thing for His Highness Eliotte; you also know that his illness brooks no delay.”
Lim’s voice was very gentle. Beside him, Adam sported a pair of dark circles under his eyes, staring venomously at the worm cub. Maurice, however, slacked to even give the idiot a direct look.
“Sister-in-law, there is no need for high-sounding words. You know that is not what he wants. If submitting to this world could have traded for everything, he would not have fallen to his current state today. And can you truly accept your own choice with such calm complacency?”
Maurice closed his eyes, halting his somewhat sharp voice. He did not intend to attack Lim; it was just that his mind kept replaying the scene of Eliotte’s departure. Given the speed of the military airship, they must have already escaped this planet’s gravity and entered the starship in outer space, which meant he was drifting further and further away from him.
The worm cub clenched his chubby paws and lowered his head. He thought to himself that it was fortunate Adam’s IQ was severely lacking, rendering him unable to hear the hidden implications behind these words.
“I am sorry. I do not know why Father wants to see me, so I am feeling restless. The unknown is never a good thing.”
“You filthy fallen breed! Getting a bargain and still playing the victim! You are simply shameless! You clearly know that Father wants to pass the inheritance rights to you. Pui! You will not get your way. With your grey skin and those malicious things you have done, the House of Nobles will never tolerate you inheriting the title!”
Adam’s words echoed abruptly in the cabin. Neither Lim nor Maurice had any intention of taking this shallow, naive thought to heart; they both knew that was absolutely not Count Schmidt’s true intention. Maurice scrutinized Lim, discerning a trace of pity beneath his well-concealed composure.
Lim gently drew his male master into his embrace, half-soothingly stroking Adam’s back. The movement was tender and deep with affection, yet there was a degree of casual indifference in his expression.
“Male master, nothing is set in stone yet. Do not lose your composure.”
Adam grunted twice and quickly leaned against his female lord’s embrace, falling still. He had been so angered by his father’s inexplicable arrangements that he had not slept well for two nights, and he was exhausted right now. His female lord happened to know exactly how to soothe his body.
Maurice watched all of this in silence, trying his best to interpret it through a more impartial lens, rather than a human perspective. Lim and Adam represented an atypical female lord and male master relationship in this world. This was, of course, because Adam lacked tyrannical tendencies and lacked the intellect to dominate a crowd of female worms and sub-worms. However, this relationship still maintained the basic template: the female lord wholeheartedly protected and cared for the male master, while the male master granted the female lord a modicum of preferential treatment.
This was not a partner in the eyes of an Earthling, nor was it love.
“I have nothing to regret, Your Crown.”
Maurice froze for a moment before realizing that this was Lim answering his prior question.
“I obtained safety and protection; this is something I earned myself. I do not need to seek a way to survive on a barren planet like the Rebel Army, nor do I need to dance in shackles like His Highness Eliotte. They are both worthy of respect, but I am merely a survivor. My male master is my lifeline and my savior; he is my everything.”
Lim spoke gently. Although his eyes were cast down upon Adam in his arms, there was nothing akin to love in the depths of his eyes, only a sheet of rationality and calmness. Yet, Adam remained completely oblivious. His fair face flushed slightly with embarrassment as he muttered a few low scoldings at Lim, though he lay comfortably and securely in the female worm’s arms.
Maurice reminded himself that he could not impose his own values onto the Worm Race, but he still felt a profound sense of sorrow.
“You are very smart, Sister-in-law. You know this is not all there is to life.”
“Of course I understand.”
Lim remained very calm.
“The Rebel Army clamors to overturn the world, and their songs echo through the clouds. But why does this world remain completely unmoved? Why does the Empire prosper eternally, while the traitors among them can betray so easily?”
“Because they fundamentally do not understand that while heaven and earth might be altered, the suffering inflicted upon female worms and sub-worms will never change. Pheromone Deprivation Syndrome and physical defects are mountains they cannot climb over. The Church carries the oracle of the Mother Goddess; they say we are born sinful, which is why depending on male worms is our only way to live. The Rebel Army can burn down the Church’s Sky Star, but they cannot change the fact that from the moment we break from our shells, our fates have long been sealed.”
“The Rebel Army can straighten their backs and live righteously for once, but the freedom and respect they seek look like a joke in the face of Pheromone Deprivation Syndrome and life itself; it is destined to be a castle in the air. Your Crown, you male worms have never faced a situation where you had to count your remaining days in this lifetime, have you? But high-grade military female worms count them every single day, hoping and praying. If we do not receive redemption from a Son of God by our final day, we are certain to die.”
“Straightening one’s back, and staying alive; which one is more important? Your Crown has the answer in your heart, and His Highness Eliotte has it in his as well. Everyone in this world has their own solution. I have already walked to this step today and am among the outstanding elite of the fortunate ones. It is impossible for me to betray my male master and betray my own life for something illusory. Can you understand?”
“I understand,” Maurice responded in a low voice.
For the first time, he saw the cold ruthlessness and cleverness hidden behind the female worm’s submissive mask with absolute clarity. He knew that Lim was not wrong at all. Female worms and sub-worms who wanted to be or had already been marked by a male worm could only afford to hold one stance: obedience. They were already the fortunate ones chosen out of tens of thousands; they had escaped the claws of the Grim Reaper and possessed a certain status in this deformed society. The only thing they needed to tolerate was their own male master.
And Lim did it exceptionally well. He made his male master, Adam, inseparable from him; this could be considered the highest honor a female worm or sub-worm could achieve. He was also extremely lucky; his male master was not cruel. Even if he were to lose favor in the future, he would most likely have a peaceful end to his life.
He and those female worms and sub-worms bitterly struggling in the mire seemed to no longer belong to the same category. His words also served as a covert warning to Maurice: he knew what the old Count intended to do, and he would not go against the old Count’s wishes.
“You did the right thing, and you did it well. You are the wisest female worm I have ever seen; you can survive anywhere,” Maurice said, sticking to the facts.
“Sometimes, I truly wish Eliotte were just like you. I always think that there is always a way out in adversity, even if it is a dog hole. As long as it keeps you alive, it is nothing to be ashamed of.”
The worm cub curled the corners of his mouth, trying to block out the image of Eliotte’s solitary yet stubbornly proud silhouette from his mind, but he failed.
“But he cannot do it; I know he cannot. I do not understand him, just as I do not understand you, Sister-in-law. If I were to judge either of you, I would become an absolute hypocrite, because I am a male worm who has never experienced suffering.”
“But Sister-in-law, a merciful executioner is still an executioner, a lenient slave owner is still a slave owner, and a male worm remains a male worm. When the world tilts, the sober are always lonely. The clever hold themselves aloof, allowing the wildfire to spread, while the fools test the law with their own bodies, facing death ten thousand times without regret. Yet, if there were no fools to stir up the waves, the high platform of the wise would also be destroyed by the raging flames, simply because there are deities above the wise. A flawless method of self-preservation is merely a mirage, ultimately adding to the laughter.”
“Sister-in-law, if I were you, I would rejoice that fools like Eliotte still exist in this world. It is his foolhardy advancement that trades for your untainted stability. It is his stubborn, hot blood that buys you a brief moment to breathe. He wants to protect you, to protect us. He is not smart at all, and he does not understand the logic of staying aloof.”
“But he ignited me.”
The cub’s crisp, childlike voice echoed in Lim’s ears. His hand, which had been gently stroking Adam’s spine, abruptly dropped back onto his knees. As his eyes lowered, a violent upheaval flickered deep within his gaze.
“…”
For a moment, silence filled the cabin. When the airship finally touched down on the landing pad of the Count’s estate, Lim suddenly spoke:
“Your Crown, you must watch your step.”