Chapter 111

Chapter 111

"That's impossible?! How could they... How could they get into trouble?" Kaisisen almost instinctively retorted, his body tensing.

"I don't want to believe it either, but the intelligence we've received is that when the Grand Commander went to explore a newly discovered unnamed primitive star for resources, the star's core exploded without warning, and the overflowing energy even triggered explosions in surrounding planets. The Grand Commander has since... lost contact. The chances of survival are extremely low."

Even though high-ranking females are physically strong, with exceptional physical qualities and recovery abilities, that's only compared to ordinary females.

No matter how high-ranked a female is, they are still flesh and blood—how could they withstand a star core explosion comparable to Source Energy? Even if the Grand Commander was fortunate enough to be inside a small starship at the time and activated the defense mode in time, the outcome would likely be grim.

An explosion of that magnitude could only be withstood by large main starships, but as everyone knows, large main starships cannot enter ordinary planets.

Koit's voice was cold and grave. Even though Kaisisen hadn't enabled video communication, he could easily imagine how grim his female parent's expression must be right now.

"Ha, and what's even more coincidental," Koit let out a cold laugh, "is that there was an intelligence error on the Second Prince's side. What was supposed to be a new wave of mid-level Star Beast tides turned into a massive Star Beast tide, and the legion sent to provide support was coincidentally blocked by another wave of Star Beasts. The Second Prince and his subordinates are currently missing as well."

Kaisisen's grip on his communicator tightened unconsciously, a chilling sensation creeping up his spine.

What a carefully calculated scheme!

With the Grand Commander's current status and power, he wouldn't need to personally lead resource exploration missions.

He would only personally go when a primitive star was suspected to contain some extremely scarce, specially supplied high-grade medicinal ingredients.

This was an open secret among the privileged class.

The Third Prince's brain domain had suffered severe damage, and his mental energy was already dissipating—a terminal condition that the Empire was virtually helpless to treat.

Only a special medicine administered monthly could sustain his mental energy; otherwise, once the mental energy dissipated to a certain degree, the individual's brain function would cease, and even if the body still showed vital signs, they would be nothing more than a living corpse with no hope of recovery.

But this special medicine specifically used to sustain mental energy was extremely rare and expensive. The reason was that the herbs used to make it were extremely delicate, with extremely demanding growth conditions, and could not be cultivated by insects. Even though the Insect Empire's territory was vast, it seemed unsuitable for these herbs to grow, with barely any to be found.

Only on undeveloped primitive stars was the probability of their appearance relatively higher.

And the Third Prince had been in a coma for nearly twenty years now, requiring an astronomical amount of the secret medicine for mental energy.

Even the royal family clearly didn't have that much of the medicine.

That was why the Grand Commander had spent years stationed at the border, resisting Star Beast tides while continuously expanding the Empire's territory—all for the sake of the medicine the Third Prince needed.

It wasn't that there weren't heartless insects who objected, but at most they'd whisper about it privately.

No insect dared to voice their opinions in front of His Excellency and the Grand Commander.

As the youngest son of the two Excellencies, the Third Prince was naturally doted on, and his looks were a perfect inheritance from the Insect Emperor—golden hair and blue eyes. He was adorable as a child, with a lively personality and a penchant for being spoiled and cute.

His Excellency could still maintain his strict father image, but the Grand Commander was completely unable to resist the youngest son who resembled his Male Master so closely, clinging to him and acting spoiled. Thus, the Third Prince was practically spoiled rotten by the Grand Commander.

The Third Prince's accident back then was a devastating blow to both His Excellency and the Grand Commander.

The reason for the Third Prince's angry departure from home back then had become a secret that the privileged class dared not discuss. Kaisisen naturally didn't know the details; he'd only heard his female parent vaguely mention that the families indirectly responsible for the Third Prince's departure had all been swept up in the fury of His Excellency and the Grand Commander, and were destroyed with swift and merciless force. Now, the younger generation of those families had never even heard of these once-famous names among the privileged class.

Not only that, but it seemed that a rift had also formed between the Grand Commander and His Excellency over the Third Prince.

Of course, these were just rumors—no insect dared to look into or question them.

Furthermore, the insects capable of easily tricking the Grand Commander into exploring a primitive star and feeding false intelligence to the Second Prince were definitely their trusted inner circle.

And how could an insect become a trusted confidant overnight? Gaining the trust of the Grand Commander and the Second Prince was no small task.

That was why Kaisisen felt a chill creep up his spine.

The scheming and planning of the mastermind behind this was clearly a long-term scheme!

"The capital star is about to fall into chaos. Your eldest brother and I won't be able to look after you for now. Your second brother is already on his way back to the old estate. Don't waste any time—get back there immediately! I've already activated maximum security defense mode at the old estate. It should be safe in the short term. But if the situation takes a turn for the worse..."

"Female parent!" Kaisisen instinctively cut in, trying to stop his female parent from continuing.

But Koit just paused to catch his breath, then continued in a tone that brooked no argument: "I'll send an emergency signal to you and your second brother. Don't hesitate—leave the capital star and lie low. Understood?!"

Kaisisen's throat felt dry and tight. He opened his mouth, and after a long pause, managed to respond in a hoarse voice, "...I understand, female parent."

Hearing Kaisisen's reply, Koit's voice on the other end of the communicator softened slightly, though his tone remained stiff: "I still have work to do here, so I'll hang up now. Don't delay—get back to the old estate quickly, and be safe on the way..."

"Female parent!" Sensing his female parent about to end the call, Kaisisen's mind raced and he immediately spoke up to stop him.

"Hm?"

"Female parent, you haven't met my Male Master yet... When you come back, I'll formally introduce my Male Master and the children to you." Kaisisen forced a light tone.

Koit's breathing, which had been slightly rapid, suddenly paused. He was silent for a few moments, and his previously cold and hard tone suddenly softened. "Alright. I still have the Emperor's direct legion here, so don't worry. As for your side, be extra careful."

When he heard his female parent agree, Kaisisen's eyes reddened. He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes. The sinking unease and dread in his chest didn't ease at all despite his female parent's promise.

He knew only too well that his female parent was only saying these things to comfort him.

A mastermind who could easily scheme against multiple royal members and even the Grand Commander—how could such a person be simple?

As the head of the royalist faction, his female parent couldn't back down. This mission was extremely dangerous, and his female parent probably didn't have much confidence in stabilizing the situation himself.

Otherwise, his female parent wouldn't have just been giving detailed instructions as if he were saying goodbye for the last time.

"Female parent, stay safe... Take care!"

Kaisisen's throat tightened. A thousand words he wanted to say were reduced to this brief yet weighty plea.

"Alright! You all stay safe too. We'll... see each other later." Koit's voice sounded somewhat distant amid the increasingly chaotic background noise.

In this moment, facing the uncertainty of life and death ahead, the long-suppressed conflicts and estrangement between father and son seemed to melt away.

Even after his female parent Koit had already ended the call, Kaisisen remained lost in thought for a long time, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Scenes from the past flashed through Kaisisen's mind like a movie reel.

His female parent's control, strictness, disapproval, secrecy, and stubbornness.

He hadn't forgotten any of it, nor could he convince himself to let go of it completely.

Towards his female parent, he had always harbored deep resentment and blame—even hatred.

But at this moment, only one simple thought filled his mind.

He hoped his female parent would come back safely.

"Aesop, what happened?" A somewhat anxious voice brought Kaisisen back to reality.

Kaisisen turned his head to see that his Male Master's relaxed, carefree expression had vanished, replaced by worry and unease.

Kaisisen's strange behavior was too obvious. Even though Nevi couldn't hear what Koit was saying on the other end of the line, the fragments of words Kaisisen had spoken were already enough to send a chill down any insect's spine.

This also caused Nevi to instinctively call out the name 'Aesop,' which he rarely used these days.

Ever since Kaisisen returned and Nevi learned Kaisisen's true name, 'Aesop' had become a term of endearment that Nevi would only blurt out when his emotions ran high—whether in anger, panic, or tender moments.

Kaisisen tightened his grip on Nevi's palm to reassure him, let out a deep breath, and then said with a seriousness he'd never shown before, "Male Master, we can't stay here any longer. We must leave immediately and return to my family's old residence. The security and protection there are top-notch."

Seeing his Male Master's shocked and confused expression, Kaisisen paused and lowered his voice, "Something's happened with the royal family. The Crown Prince went missing a short while ago, and now the Grand Commander and the Second Prince at the border are also missing, their fate unknown. Their misfortunes one after another are clearly no accident. The capital star is about to see big changes. My family, being loyalists to the crown and with long-standing political enemies, may face retaliation when things fall apart."

Kaisisen's sudden news struck like a thunderbolt, going off with a bang in Nevi's mind, leaving Nevi's mind completely blank.

He watched as Kaisisen held him anxiously, his lips moving as if he were saying something, but he couldn't hear a word—only a sharp ringing echoed in his ears, making Nevi's head spin.

"...Male Master, Nevi, Nai Nai, are you alright? Don't be scared!"

It wasn't until Nevi finally heard Kaisisen's panicked voice that he realized he had nearly gone limp in Kaisisen's arms, relying entirely on him for support.

Nevi's face was deathly pale, and immense grief threatened to drown him entirely.

His lips trembling, he choked out in a barely coherent whisper, "Why... why has it come to this..."

Kaisisen held Nevi with a pained heart, assuming his Male Master was simply terrified by the sudden turn of events. He had no suspicions whatsoever.

Because not just his Male Master—even he himself was mostly filled with confusion and unease.

But Kaisisen couldn't show it at all. He only kept stroking Nevi's back to comfort him, saying, "Male Master, don't be afraid. I'm here. We'll be fine, and I'll protect you and the little ones. If the situation truly becomes irreparable, I'll take you and the children to temporarily leave the capital star to lie low. Don't worry—I'll handle everything."

Nevi rested his chin against Kaisisen's neck, closed his eyes, bit his lip hard to hold back the sobs rising in his throat, and tears streamed down his face.

It took a long while before he managed a hoarse "Okay."

Once Nevi's emotions had calmed considerably, he suddenly asked in a somewhat distant voice, "If... I mean, if the situation truly reaches an irreparable point, what will happen to the rest of the royal family... Will they die?"

His voice trembled at the word "die."

"No, they won't." Kaisisen shook his head decisively without much thought. "The royal family has always had an excellent reputation. Both the Insect Emperor and the Crown Prince have been dedicated to advancing the Empire's development, doing plenty of practical good for the Empire and its citizens. And the Grand Commander has been fighting tirelessly at the border, maintaining the Empire's stability—he's the pillar of support in the hearts of the Empire's people. Those hidden villains lurking in the shadows only seek to control the royal family, turning them into mere puppets to seize enormous profits and power."

Kaisisen paused and let out a cold laugh. "They would never dare to directly overthrow the royal family. If they did, the overwhelming public sentiment and the fury of rebel forces across the land would easily destroy them. Even their moves against the royal family have to be done in secret. If evidence of their deeds were exposed, it would be enough to finish them off. So, even if they dare to strike at the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Grand Commander, they absolutely wouldn't dare—nor could they—lay a hand on the remaining royal members."

Nevi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his body relaxed a bit, the deathly pallor on his face easing somewhat.

"Th-then that's good." Nevi murmured softly. Yet the deep sorrow and confusion in his hazy eyes showed no sign of dissipating.

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Author's note: Moving on to the main plot now—don't worry, it won't be too angsty~