Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Would a male apologize?

To be honest, it’s rare but not unheard of for lower-class males to apologize after offending higher-class ones. However, an A-grade male offering an apology is something almost no insect has ever witnessed.

After all, even when they’re in the wrong, A-grade males always push the blame onto others. At most, they might scoff and minimize the trouble they cause—which, in their eyes, already counts as being generous.

But in this vast world, unusual occurrences happen all the time, so nothing should really come as a surprise.

Hearing the words of the male he had served for half his life, the old steward was stunned for a moment before he allowed himself a small smile.

Without asking further or saying anything more—lest he provoke the prideful lord before him—the steward quietly proceeded to the storage room in the backyard.

Though the main residence of the Toras family housed few masters, the presence of a high-ranking male meant the mansion was still filled with all sorts of assorted items.

Items the male particularly favored were kept in his own room, while those he didn’t care for as much or rarely used were neatly catalogued and stored in the backyard storage room.

In truth, though it was called a storage room, the building contained several smaller rooms. Each held different items, with the central one housing small decorative pieces that Yi Jia Fa occasionally used.

But aside from ordinary decorations, one wall of this room was dedicated to storing punishment tools the male employed when disciplining females—chains, thorned rings, wing restraints… and whips.

Yi Jia Fa possessed multiple whips. Compared to other disciplinary tools, he preferred these lightweight varieties. Even if he didn’t use every whip, collecting and comparing such items was among the pastimes in a male’s life.

Thus, some of these whips weren’t even purchased by the male himself but were gifts from females seeking to gain favor—including the black, barbed whip from yesterday.

Wearing gloves, the steward carefully removed the whip from the display cabinet.

After Yi Jia Fa had discarded it on the ground yesterday, the steward had personally cleaned off the lingering bloodstains. Yet, even so, running his fingers over the whip’s fine barbs, the steward couldn’t help but wince.

"Destroy all these whips, as per Lord Yi Jia Fa’s orders."

"...Understood."

Taking the whip, the attendant tightened his grip slightly before bowing deeply and took his leave.

Watching as the remaining whips in the cabinet were carried away and destroyed, the steward surveyed the now emptier shelves and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

With Lord Yi Jia Fa willing to compromise, the young master would surely revert to his former demeanor soon.

Truth be told, when the attendants saw the destruction of the various whips Yi Jia Fa had once favored, their initial response wasn’t relief at no longer having to fear being whipped. Instead, they couldn’t help but wonder about His Highness Fei Luo’s reaction.

If His Highness Fei Luo learned of this, he would surely regain his cheer—or so nearly every attendant thought. But in truth, it wasn’t just the attendants. Standing in the second-floor corridor, Yi Jia Fa couldn't help thinking the same.

Yet, though he thought so, actually crossing the threshold…

*Beep—*

The smart door chimed. Turning his head, Yi Jia Fa met Zhousha’s eyes, and the latter merely smiled without a word.

Not giving Yi Jia Fa a chance to take out his irritation on the female, the previously locked door soon slid open before them.

Clenching his fists, the male—who had never felt so awkward and at a loss for words in his life—took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the small box in his hand, and stepped inside.

Inside the room, the male who had just opened the door didn’t immediately look up. Instead, with his head lowered, he seemed absorbed in documenting what he was studying.

But then—

*Ahem.*

Entering the room without calling out the male’s name, Yi Jia Fa raised a fist to his mouth as if clearing his throat, and then…

The studying male finally lifted his head and looked toward the visitor.

Just like yesterday, the gaze that fell upon Yi Jia Fa held no resentment or anger. Yet even so—

"This… ear clasp. The gemstone on it is quite rare. Try it on."

……

This line was, in a way, expected.

Smiling as he stepped forward, Zhousha watched as Fei Luo’s eyes followed Yi Jia Fa’s words to the gift box in his hand, and he explained for him.

"Fei Luo, this is an ear clasp your father is quite fond of. He’s sorry for accidentally hurting you yesterday."

*Ahem, ahem!*

Another round of dry coughs. The male’s throat seemed particularly irritated at the moment, his face even growing unusually flushed. But ultimately, he didn’t refute Zhousha’s words.

Deactivating the recorder in his hand, Fei Luo straightened up silently, in no rush to speak, though his gaze remained fixed on the gift box the other male held.

The scrutiny lasted a tad too long. Gritting his teeth, Yi Jia Fa finally looked up after a moment of silence and spoke quickly.

"Yours got lost yesterday, so I just happened to—"

His words cut off abruptly the moment his eyes landed on the male’s face.

The corrosive solvent had left burns, and since males healed slower than females, the mottled brown scarring stood out starkly against Fei Luo’s pale skin, looking all the more ghastly.

Were the injuries… this severe?

His fingers twitched slightly, the previously stiff arm now losing tension. Parting his lips, Yi Jia Fa’s voice grew hoarse as he observed Fei Luo's resemblance—so similar to his own in hair and eye color.

"Those attendants from yesterday… have all been treated in the med-bay."

"And the whips… I had the steward burn them."

"In the future… if those—those attendants make mistakes again, I’ll ask you first. Generally… I can’t be bothered with them anyway."

The further he spoke, the softer and slower his voice became.

Yet even so, watching the male—likely setting aside his pride for the first time—avoid his gaze, Fei Luo lowered his eyes briefly before—

"Then it’s settled. If you lash out again next time, Father, I’ll leave home."

Taking the gift box from the male’s hand, Fei Luo—who had been silent just a moment ago—allowed a small smile, showing no intention of pressing the matter further.

Turning his gaze back, Yi Jia Fa—who had been frowning—stared at the male now smiling at him again, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

Noticing his daze, Fei Luo raised a brow bluntly.

"I mean it."

Mean it?

Mean what?

Still somewhat dazed, the male stared at his son—who seemed both easy and difficult to appease—and found himself at a loss for words.

“...Understood.”

No, that didn’t sound very authoritative for a sire.

But straightening up and looking at the joking male before him, Yi Jia Fa couldn’t help but finally let a smile show. Anyway, it was good that things had settled this time.

The first dispute between the two males of the Tulas family since their meeting had thus come to a relatively peaceful conclusion.

Crossing his arms, the now-calm male stood in the room, bantering with his two parents as usual. Seeing the atmosphere return to normal, Yi Jia Fa finally gave a final concerned look at the scars on the male’s face before leaving Philo’s room.

As the door closed, Yi Jia Fa—now in a much better mood—seemed eager to escape the stifling room. He turned and leisurely headed downstairs to his favorite garden for afternoon tea.

Meanwhile, inside the room, the male sat back at his desk and opened the gift box, his gaze on the ear clasp less relaxed than before.

But—

Closing the lid and carefully storing the box in a drawer, Philo turned on his recorder and resumed reviewing the material he had studied that morning.

Yet, with his mind unsettled, his efficiency remained low.

Frowning, the male rubbed his temples and forced himself to continue.

Admittedly, the aftermath of the incident with the beaten attendant might have passed quickly for the other insects, but for the young male, his focus had noticeably worsened.

For several days in a row, even after the scars on his face had faded, even as he returned to his usual mischievous self—

“The formula is wrong. The particle decay thresholds are mixed up with quantum interactions.”

“The materials used for passenger spacecraft and transport warship hulls differ from those of combat warships. The latter’s corrosion resistance and tensile strength are entirely different from the former’s.”

“No, Mofasolo’s theory doesn’t apply to Earth-like planets. You’ve confused the distinctions and implications of different planetary positions and compositions again.”

Unlike his previous rapid progress, despite still possessing the intellect of the insect race, despite his memory and comprehension remaining intact, the male’s mistakes in daily tests only seemed to multiply.

And yet, Philo was spending even more time on extra study sessions than before.

By now, he could even hold simple conversations in Galactic Common without relying entirely on a translator. As a result, the time he spent on language learning had decreased significantly, not to mention how little he had been gaming lately.

With this schedule, logically, his learning progress should have skyrocketed. But...

Setting down the recorder, Philo rubbed his forehead, his forehead creased.

Watching his expression and having just reviewed the test results on his recorder, Gore’s expression darkened gradually.

Taking a steadying breath, Philo, growing more agitated, clenched his fists. Just as he was about to tell the female across from him that he was ready to continue—

“Philo.”

“You need rest.”

The same words, as though the other had said them not long ago.

Frowning, this time the male seemed to understand why the other had said it. Yet, some things couldn’t be resolved by rest alone.

With a slight smile, Philo didn’t respond to the suggestion, simply saying,

“Let’s continue. I’ll just review the material a few more times.”

If his mind couldn’t settle, he’d read it twice more—it would just take a bit longer. Besides, he’d been struggling with insomnia lately and staying up late anyway.

With that, without another glance at Gore, he picked up the recorder again—

Only for it to be snatched from his grasp. Though entrusted by Zhousha to counsel the male during this time, the inarticulate military female could only act and state her advice plainly.

“You need rest.”

Rest...

“The military academy exams are coming up soon. I’ll rest after this busy period.”

“Your efficiency has dropped by at least thirty to forty percent. Time-wise, I suggest you use the wasted hours to adjust your mindset instead of persisting in this unproductive state.”

As she spoke, a hint of confusion passed through the blue-haired female’s eyes.

If the male was upset over the conflict with his sire, that didn’t make sense—after all, the two had already resolved their dispute. But aside from Yi Jia Fa, no other insect would dare trouble him, so...

“Perhaps you could tell me what’s troubling you?”

Yes, *trouble*. More than anger, what lingered around the male was a strange anxiety and gloom.

Her blue eyes locked onto his, the female earnestly offered to hear him out. But alas—

“I’m really fine.”

Looking at the confiscated recorder, meeting the female’s gaze, and hearing her question, Philo paused, then gave a weak smile—yet still said nothing.

But when it came to patience, a male might not outlast a military female. And in stubbornness, Philo was no match for this female, whose obstinacy had earned her the disdain of nearly every male in the capital.

After a brief standoff, the male’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he gave the female a rare resigned look.

“Fine, I’ll rest. But can I rest alone?”

*Alone?*

At that word, Gore frowned and said bluntly,

“Do you mean to study alone? Given your current state, I don’t recommend it.”

Philo: “...”

Alright.

He was at his wit's end.

Seeing the speechless male, Gore hesitated, then suggested instead,

“Or, I could take you out to the streets again? That Floating Star Insect Race flight sim arena you liked last time—they’ve now designed special wristbands for males. You could try it this time.”

*Out?*

At this, the male glanced at the female but didn’t say no right away.

“That could work, but...”

Standing up, Philo said with a light chuckle, “I’d prefer to go alone, Gore. You don’t need to accompany me. It’s still early—you should go back and rest. You’ve been coaching me constantly lately and haven’t taken a proper break in a while.”

That was true enough.

Logically speaking, female Zerg returning to the capital planet from border planets for troop rotation should all be seizing this time to rest and recuperate. It could be said that during this period, the entertainment venues frequented by female Zerg in the capital planet are the liveliest. Only Gore would spend half of each day tutoring a young lord.

Even teachers on Earth have two-day weekends, but here, there isn’t even a single day of vacation.

Frowning, the blue-haired female Zerg clearly wasn't bothered by the scarce downtime, but unfortunately, the male Zerg’s attitude was firm this time, offering no room for protest.

As he boarded the flier, today Philo expressed a desire to go out. Even though Yi Jia Fa knew he was still carrying a disguise device and didn’t want to bring any attendants or guards, the male Zerg didn’t dare to voice any further objections this time.

After all, as long as he remained within the capital planet, even if something unexpected happened, Philo only needed to reveal his identity as a male Zerg, and there would be no shortage of female Zerg willing to protect him.

Moreover, the worst that could happen to a male Zerg was being kidnapped and hidden away by some fanatical female Zerg. But as long as his identity wasn’t exposed, this wasn’t a concern. There had been cases before of male Zerg sneaking out alone in disguise.

Soon, aboard the flier from the Torras family with its emblem concealed, the male Zerg swiftly headed toward the commercial district of the capital planet.

Today, the female Zerg from the family’s guard team was responsible for piloting the flier. As for Gore, though Philo had considered giving him a ride back, he had arrived in his own flier.

Thus, upon stepping off and noticing how excessively subservient the guard team female Zerg trailing him was—enough to make the surrounding Zerg realize his special status—Philo curtly ordered the guard to wait in the flier until his return.

Without delay, the male Zerg strode out of the flier docking area and headed straight for the commercial district alone.

This was the male Zerg’s second time roaming the capital planet. Though only a few days had passed since his last visit, Philo clearly had none of his earlier wide-eyed curiosity.

Even when passing by the simulated flight shop Gore had mentioned—now equipped with bracelets specifically for male Zerg—Philo merely gave it a passing look from the opposite sidewalk before losing interest.

Turning around, he opened the live holomap on his communicator. It seemed the male Zerg already had a destination in mind, and that location was—

"Sir, here’s your Sark nectar and stimulant-glazed biscuits. Please enjoy."

"Thank you. Also, I’d like to rent one of your shared recording devices. A small handheld one, please."

"Of course, one moment."

Bowing slightly, the attendant at the worker drones' preferred respite café quietly melted back into the establishment. Before long, the same attendant returned with a recording device. Though not of the highest quality, it fulfilled basic functions.

After finishing a few stimulant-glazed biscuits, Philo thanked the attendant again, activated the dataslate, switched his communicator to secure channel, and opened all the backup military cadet examination modules. The male Zerg quietly resumed his studies.

It was no wonder the male Zerg hadn’t wanted company today. Though Gore likely wouldn’t have guessed that Philo’s solo outing was part of such a plan.

With no mind for distractions, the male Zerg immersed himself in the familiar emotions of recent days.

Since it wasn’t a holiday and most Zerg were at work, the café—usually bustling with worker drones—stood nearly empty save for Philo at this early hour.

But for this very reason, the male Zerg remained undisturbed.

Time passed minute by minute. The initially calm male Zerg now wore a faint frown. Noticing his distress, a female Zerg who had just entered the café tracked him with predatory interest before—

"What a coincidence, sir."

A hand abruptly rested on the table. The visitor’s sleeves were half-rolled up, revealing toned forearms that exuded strength.

If this were a greeting between acquaintances, it would suggest at least some familiarity. But this gentleman…

Lifting his gaze from the recorder, Philo studied the female Zerg before him—a face so ordinary it was practically the Zerg equivalent of "genetic baseline features," save for the striking vermillion irises like blood moons.

Eyes like those…

"Forgotten me? We just met at the gladiatorial coliseum." As if sensing the lack of recognition, the female Zerg offered a prompt.

Hearing this, Philo released the recorder and vaguely recalled their encounter.

At the gladiatorial coliseum, in the VIP corridor—this was the individual who had been walking beside the female Zerg Song Emperor back then.

Because the auricular implant Yi Jia Fa had gifted him was too eye-catching, Philo had opted for his old disguise device this time. Not bothering to adjust the appearance settings, he looked identical to how he had at the coliseum days prior.

Still, that didn’t mean they were acquainted.

With a polite nod, Philo neither denied their prior meeting nor engaged further, subtly projecting clear disengagement.

Unfortunately, today’s female Zerg wasn’t here by chance either.

"The young master of House Torras, daring to stroll alone? You're either brave or foolish."

Ignoring the male Zerg’s implicit refusal, the female Zerg smirked, leaning closer. Those smoldering oculars locked onto the now visibly bristling male Zerg as they casually revealed his identity.

Philo: …

"Need something?"

Rather than asking how he’d been recognized, Philo—now cold and detached—quickly deduced that this individual had either learned about him from Song Emperor or, like Li Qi, identified him through his attendant.

If it were the former, it wasn’t too strange—he’d only disguised his appearance, not his voice. But if it were the latter, then that gladiatorial coliseum…

"I’ve run into some trouble. Was just figuring out how to get back when luck brought me to you, young master."

Though the term "young master" was used, the way it rolled off this Zerg’s tongue carried a venomous lilt unlike any other female Zerg’s respect.

Remaining seated, Philo calmly turned off the open recorder screen before glancing outside. Only then did he notice the heightened patrol density of uniformed Peacekeeper squad members patrolling the streets.

"They’re after you? What did you do?"

The capital planet’s Peacekeeper squad was akin to Earth’s police force—highly authorized and armed. For them to mobilize in broad daylight like this, it couldn’t be over something minor.

"Hah, I’m an upstanding hive member. Just happened to offend a certain young master and anger him."

As if unaware that he was speaking to another young master—or that his current behavior hardly painted him as "hive-compliant"—the female Zerg’s gaze flicked past the window before settling back on the black-haired male Zerg.

"So, my lord? Just escort me home—surely that’s no trouble?"

"And if I said it was?"

"Song Emperor likes you. I doubt you’re the type to refuse me."

With that, the crimson-eyed female Zerg smiled, gripping the male Zerg’s wrist like a friend. A black bracelet snapped into place around Philo’s wrist as the female Zerg chuckled.

"Let’s go, young master. Sefrin Street—I’m sure you’ll find it interesting."

A silver glint flashed across the bracelet’s surface. Simultaneously, Philo’s arm on the table twitched. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his head.

The sensation of neural pulse—apparently, even Zerg found it unbearable. Worse, if his estimation was correct, a few settings higher and this current could stop his heart.

How perfectly ironic. A female Zerg willing to threaten a male Zerg’s life for personal gain—what a way to make an introduction.

Regaining his strength shortly after, Philo stood precisely as the Peacekeeper squad neared the café.

Outside, the black-haired male Zerg and red-eyed female Zerg were soon stopped. But displaying his pheromone sigil on his communicator’s biometric registry, Philo prevented the team from scanning their disguised faces.

Snarling to rigid attention, the previously stern Peacekeeper squad members instinctively moved to salute the unnamed aristocrat.

Dismissing them with a flick, like any proud male Zerg would, Philo—today in commoner's guise—led his retainer past the crowd toward the thoroughfare's perimeter.

Almost the moment Philo disappeared into the crossway, Peacekeeper squad captain Li Qi—having finished searching another street—finally arrived at this high-traffic sector.