Nero summoned the medical officer and had Asaga, who had fainted, carried onto a stretcher.
In the center of the tribunal, there was only a large, radiating splash of scarlet blood left, a truly shocking sight. The military trial quietly concluded amidst a hushed silence.
Nero rose from the throne and boarded the shuttle with the Wolf Knights and Heidrich.
Before the cabin door closed, he received a report that Asaga had suddenly jumped off the hovering stretcher and fled.
“He suddenly ran into the cleaning area and locked himself in, and no matter how much we shouted he wouldn’t respond!” the medical officer reported, sweating profusely. “He just received a flogging; if we don’t bandage and stop the bleeding promptly, it could leave permanent damage!”
“Leave him be,” Nero replied.
He had seen Asaga’s rapid healing ability and was sure that by the time he returned to the throne, Asaga would be up and about again.
Yet, he couldn’t understand why the man had fainted from the flogging.
Asaga’s Zerg blood was still a secret within the Empire.
Asaga likely understood the implications, which is why he fled before undergoing medical examination.
Nero sat in the shuttle’s soft seat, rubbing his wrist and flexing his fingers.
After the flogging, his own wrist was cramping. Removing his insulated gloves revealed his once pale palms now swollen and red, stinging with every touch.
“General, once the Heka Star System’s military camp is back on track, I’ll return to the Capital. Even for a western inspection tour, a few months is too long.”
Nero slightly curled his fingers and looked up at Heidrich.
“I’ll leave the matters of establishing a legion in Heka Star System entirely to you. I plan to use the funds from the direct territories to continue planning the Anchor Point defense system.”
He spoke halfway before noticing that something seemed off with the two men in the cabin.
The White Wolf Knight, who had been silent since boarding, was bent over, diligently wiping the bloodstains from Asaga off Nero’s boots.
Heidrich stood by the ventilation panel, setting the air purification system to maximum, trying to eliminate all odors in the cabin.
The atmosphere around them was inexplicably gloomy.
“What’s the matter?” Nero asked, perplexed, watching the White Wolf Knight move from one boot to the other.
“Is there a problem?”
“… Nothing, Your Majesty. Asaga was disrespectful before you, leaving some of his pheromones on you.”
The White Wolf Knight, still bent over Nero’s boots, spoke with a barely concealed irritation in his voice. “When we return, I’ll immediately prepare a bath for you.”
Nero, hearing this, raised his sleeve to sniff.
Indeed, there was a faint, violent scent of incense on him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Before he could get a proper whiff, the White Wolf Knight, as if startled, gently pressed his wrist down, stopping him.
Cr jc ecvloofgfcaljafv Ciqtj, Rfgb’r rfcrlalnlas ab qtfgbwbcfr kjr ibk. Po tf mbeiv rwfii Crjuj’r qtfgbwbcfr, tf mbeivc’a lwjulcf tbk lcafcrf atf rmfca wera yf obg atf oeiis wjaegf Ciqtjr, atf Qtlaf Qbio Bcluta jcv Lflvglmt.
“Llr qtfgbwbcfr yfmjwf fggjalm veglcu atf oibuulcu, mjerlcu tlw ab ibrf mbcagbi jcv gfifjrf j ijguf jwbeca. Pa kjrc’a lcafcalbcji vlrgfrqfma.”
Nero, not being an Omega, didn’t care much about it.
Besides, in the military camp full of Alphas, during daily training and combat, it wasn’t uncommon for people to get sprayed with each other’s blood and sweat. Nobody would jump up to take a shower immediately.
“More importantly, with the Black Gate’s new leader killed, their organization is in chaos. Errol’s former subordinates are gathering forces, searching for Scorpion Tail. Given the changing situation, I believe we need to significantly adjust the strategic goals for the upcoming western drills… What is wrong with you two?”
Nero’s speech was interrupted as Heidrich, who had been pacing around the cabin, seemed more agitated than ever, a rare sight of gloom and irritation on his face.
He looked like an Alpha who had caught the scent of another Alpha on their Omega.
An Alpha spraying their pheromones on an Omega carried very subtle sexual connotations.
Any Alpha with normal physiological functions cannot tolerate their territory being coveted. They will do whatever it takes to expel and kill intruders—
This is a nature buried in Alpha genes and the root cause of many Alpha dueling incidents.
When the former Emperor Karagu entered his susceptible period, he would take the Queen and leave the Capital, clearing the entire Mirror Spring Palace and leaving only the Wolf Knights to guard the galaxy’s edge.
Otherwise, his own formidable mental power would indiscriminately harm anyone who approached.
The real scene of Alphas fighting over an Omega is much more intense and bloody than this. The black-haired general was merely pacing irritably but still managed to suppress his emotions. He finally sat down on the opposite cabin seat and said in a restrained voice:
“Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty. Perhaps it’s because the air quality in the cabin is not good. The scent of that insolent alien slave’s pheromones is truly unpleasant.”
Nero frowned, raising his sleeve again to smell it, curious about how bad it really was.
This time, before the White Wolf Knight could reach out, Heidrich suddenly stood up and grabbed Nero’s wrist, preventing him from sniffing further.
Nero instinctively tried to pull his hand back but failed.
The White Wolf Knight reacted swiftly and slapped Heidrich’s hand away with a resounding ‘smack.’
“Watch your manners, General,” the White Wolf Knight said slowly, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. “Touching His Majesty directly at any time is an affront to the royal dignity. Do you want to face a flogging in the tribunal in front of all the soldiers?”
The White Wolf Knight, clad in armor from fingertips to battle boots, struck with such force that Heidrich’s hand turned red.
Heidrich stood before the cabin seat, his usually calm and indifferent blue eyes now showing a venomous cold light.
“As you said, Sir Knight, I overstepped,” Heidrich said, his lips curling slightly, his tone slow and deliberate.
“But at least I will repent for it because I firmly believe that His Majesty’s dignity is inviolable. It is better than being a hypocrite who, while pretending to uphold the Emperor’s innocence and trust, achieves unspeakable dirty goals, yet still uses so-called rules and oaths as an excuse, secretly rejoicing while claiming loyalty to His Majesty.”
Nero’s face showed signs of offense just hearing the man say he was innocent, and he darkly asked, “What?”
Before he could finish, the White Wolf Knight, who had been crouching by his side, sprang up like an enraged beast and slammed Heidrich against the opposite wall of the cabin with a ‘bang!’
The shuttle, which had been traveling steadily, shook from the impact. The Wolf Knights in the front cockpit immediately became alert, getting up and knocking on the cabin door:
“Your Majesty? What happened? White Wolf, is there a situation in the cabin? Do you need support?”
“It seems my suspicions were correct,” Heidrich said, held by his collar against the wall, his hands slightly spread to show Nero he had no intention of resisting.
But from Nero’s blind spot, his blue eyes, facing the White Wolf Knight, were fierce and ominous like a stormy night.
“Your entire suit of armor and your knightly code all come from His Majesty’s deceased relatives, from the Kaises Family. You take advantage of your long-standing acquaintance with His Majesty, sneaking in when he was undifferentiated. I’m genuinely curious, when you use your knightly code as an excuse, do you remember the Royal Family entrusting His Majesty to you, and do you feel the intense burn of guilt?”
His voice was low, ensuring only the White Wolf Knight could hear.
The White Wolf Knight gritted his teeth, his grip tightening:
“This is none of your concern. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your filthy thoughts about His Majesty, Hermann Heidrich. I’ve only refrained from acting against you to avoid disturbing His Majesty. I advise you to remember the limits of a general’s duties, because even without the Wolf Knights, your delusions will never come true!”
A flash of pain crossed Heidrich’s blue eyes, clearly showing that the attack had hit a nerve.
But within half a second, he swiftly concealed the pain.
His mocking smile turned into pity:
“Sir Knight, I am merely a general loyal to the Empire. Given my position, I must remind you, His Majesty cannot remain ignorant forever; one day, he will understand what you have done to him—revealed by the true consort of the Empire. Do you wonder what His Majesty’s feelings will be when he realizes that his most trusted knight has been deceiving him, using him to fulfill his private desires, all while pretending to uphold knightly honor?”
The White Wolf Knight growled, “… Shut up! Don’t taint my relationship with His Majesty with your filthy thoughts!”
Despite roaring under his helmet, the man’s words undoubtedly struck the White Wolf Knight’s most shameful secret.
His hand, gripping Heidrich’s collar, began to tremble. Heidrich, however, immediately pushed him back hard.
Nero said, “Enough.”
The already agitated White Wolf Knight nearly stumbled against the opposite wall.
He pressed a hand against the wall, his armor humming. The metal plates stood up, ready to retract from his neck, looking like an enraged giant wolf.
Heidrich coldly tore off his already disheveled tie and removed his military jacket.
“Let’s continue.” he coldly stared at the knight, his fists tightly clenched in white gloves, his muscles taut under his uniform shirt.
“Take off your armor. That’s the only way it will be fair.”
The White Wolf Knight touched the back of his neck, about to remove his armor to fight.
Nero shouted, “Enough!”
The silver-haired Emperor’s stern command made both men freeze in place.
Nero turned his head and responded to the Wolf Knight in the cockpit, “Nothing happened. Continue flying.”
Nero then raised a hand and pointed to the farthest corner of the cabin: “Heidrich, sit over there.”
Heidrich hesitated, “Your Majesty, I…”
Nero’s red eyes turned icy cold, “Go!”
The black-haired general swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Finally, he silently bowed his head, picked up his military jacket, and slowly walked to the corner.
The White Wolf Knight’s chest heaved for a while before the raised armor plates on his body gradually settled down.
He then knelt on one knee in front of Nero, picked up a military boot, and softly said to Nero:
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I lost my composure in front of you. I swear I won’t…”
Nero coldly interrupted him, “Did I permit you to touch me?”
The White Wolf Knight looked up at him, stunned.
Moving the boot from his hand, Nero, with his cold and radiant features, leaned toward him, his rose-petal soft lips releasing words that were as icy as frost: “Sit over there.”
He pointed to another corner of the cabin.
The White Wolf Knight didn’t want to go, quickly raising his eyes to Nero:
“Your Majesty, please calm down. I swear I will never again in front of you—”
Nero: “Don’t make me repeat myself, White Wolf.”
The White Wolf Knight froze again.
After a long pause, he gently set down Nero’s boot, dragging his heavy steps to the opposite corner of the passenger cabin.
Now forced to sit at opposite corners, Nero opened a holoscreen in the middle and began his usual work.
The atmosphere in the cabin remained tense and oppressive.
The young Emperor, after drafting a few edicts, couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose.
…Damn it.
They were not children. Acting like this, what kind of image did it present!
face the wall and reflect!!! LOL just like in kindergarden
lolololol at each other’s throats author is cooking
Haha I really wonder how these four gongs will handle their jealousy in the end