MRG Chapter 35: High Level Hunter

Translator: Kii

Editor: yuki_shuichi

Merfolks were originally creatures that resided in the deep sea. The long-term dark environment allowed them to evolve superhuman keen vision. At the same time, they also didn’t like the glaring light, especially during sensitive periods such as the mating period.

Currently, anywhere that light could pass through had been tightly blocked by heavy curtains. In the big bedroom, only a small warm orange table lamp was on. In the dim and claustrophobic room, the “fortress” made of heavy bedding and clothes became a comfortable and safe nest for the merman.

But for the “prey” that was dragged into the nest, it was a different story.

Under the faint yellow light, Mu Chen saw the few strands of hair that scattered on Light’s forehead. The man in front of him was clutching the mattress under him with his bony palms, and the veins on the back of his hands were faintly visible due to his restraint.

Light had a high, prominent nose bridge and extremely thin lips, giving him a handsome and noble appearance. No matter the occasion, his shirts were always impeccably pressed and neatly fitted, with not a single flaw in his attire. His tall and striking figure, even if glimpsed from a distance, evoked the image of the “Eagle of the Empire.” It was hard for ladies to not be captivated by him.

But right now, he has been messed up everywhere by him.

The upright woolen military uniform was stained with water and wrinkled by his fishtail, and a never-before-seen expression appeared on his usually stern and solemn face because of him.

The pheromones produced during the mating period were attracted by the scene in front of him and surged everywhere. Mu Chen’s heartbeat and blood flow began to quicken uncontrollably. The bad desires were like seeds buried in the soil, beginning to take root and sprout.

Those dark blue pupils dazedly stared at the person in front of him, appearing a bit darker than before.

He wanted to ruin his clothes.

He wanted to ruin him even more so…

If Mu Chen’s eyes were the ocean, then the blue at this moment was the stormy sea surface with lightning. With a sizzling sound, his ear fins and dorsal fin of his fish tail were fully opened.

The merfolks’ mating period signal was more like entering attack mode in the humans’ eyes.

The increasingly tightening fishtail made Light’s pupils contract, and his muscles tensed instinctively. At this moment, he frowned, looking at the merman in front of him who seemed completely transformed. That cold, piercing gaze brought to mind a bloodless snake. The other’s forceful oppression and the fear of the unknown in the dark, confined space made Light instinctively resist everything before him.

The atmosphere turned silent for a moment. He opened his thin lips, squeezing out two words from his lips with difficulty—

“Let go…”

This cold tone sounded unfamiliar. Ever since Mu Chen entered the palace at fourteen, Light had never used such a tone to speak to him.

Looking at the other’s resisting eyes, Mu Chen’s fish tail stopped moving for a moment, then slowly untangled it.

The air pouring from the crack dispelled the heat on Mu Chen’s skin and the faint pain in his stomach brought back some of Mu Chen’s consciousness.

Or it could also be because he hadn’t eaten in a long time, drank too much cold water, and took an excessive dose of suppressant, so there was an empty and burning sensation in his stomach. At first, it was not so obvious due to the restlessness and agitation of the mating period, but as time went by, the suppressant seemed to gradually seep into his bloodstream, slowly taking effect.

His stomach pain caused Mu Chen to gradually calm down. Looking at the cold sweat on the man’s forehead due to his restraint and forbearance, he retracted his tail bit by bit from his body.

He liked watching Light giving in and breaking his own rules again and again for him, but the other party also had his own dignity and pride. Light was the crown prince of the Oz Empire, the Eagle of the Empire, and the guardian of the border. He liked Light, including the other person’s inherent unyielding nature and stubbornness.

The difference between the average hunter and a top-notch hunter didn’t lie in speed and power, but rather, in the ability to seize the perfect timing and patience. Rather than forcibly marking the prey, they prefer to wait for the prey to enter the net on its own initiative.

Coincidentally, what Mu Chen lacked the least was patience.

In the next second, Mu Chen completely loosened the fish tail that was binding the other party.

Immediately afterward, Light left the bed. In his haste, he also brought along the clothes that were piled on the bed.

The sudden empty mattress made Mu Chen somewhat unable to adapt for a moment. Without the tightly stacked clothes, his little nest seemed a little empty. The surrounding atmosphere seemed to gradually drop in temperature, and the uncomfortableness in his stomach became even more prominent; the surging stomach acid was like boiling magma, making him nauseous and wanting to vomit.

He bent his upper body, the fingers tightly holding the bedding faintly turned white. His half-opened eyes reflected Light’s retreating back figure. Mu Chen slowly closed his eyes.

He hadn’t been in this much pain in such a long time…

Escaping the merman’s nest was Light’s instinctive reaction. That nameless oppression, the chilling sensation flowing like an ocean current, and the inescapable restraints all made him instinctively want to flee. By the time he came to his senses, he had already reached the doorway.

Looking at the doorknob that was close at hand, Light’s emotions gradually calmed down. He reached out a hand to pull at his crooked collar. His blond hair was messily scattered on his forehead, his eyes half-closed looking a little absent-minded.

Mu Chen’s appearance earlier was indeed unfamiliar to him.

Kole also said that during the mating period, merfolks were somewhat aggressive, and the best thing to do was to isolate them and wait for the mating symptoms to subside.

Light lifted his gaze, his hand placed on the doorknob. Perhaps he should leave first, then find a professional doctor to come have a look.

But…

The hand holding the door knob was reluctant to turn it. An image of the restless merman emerged in Light’s mind. Mu Chen asked him to leave first, and even if there was coldness in his blue eyes, he finally let go of him on his own initiative.

If it weren’t because of the mating period, he probably wouldn’t have lost control, right?

Light spun on his toes and turned around. Through the clothes scattered on the floor, he saw Mu Chen’s curled-up tail and his face buried in the soft pillow. His long hair covered half of his face, revealing only a little pale skin, which looked bloodless.

His fingers curled slightly at his side, and his heart was filled with a little aching from worrying about the other person’s emotions…

He must be feeling very uncomfortable to be sitting in this position. Was he in a lot of pain now?

If it weren’t because he really couldn’t control himself, Mu Chen wouldn’t have done something like that to him.

Could it be a lack of security that he would pile his clothes into a nest?

……

All kinds of complicated thoughts lingered in Light’s mind. At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten the other’s chilling look just now. Looking at the merman’s pale face, the only thing left in his mind was the little merman who always liked to pester him and act coquettishly, wanted to be hugged by him since he felt unwell.

After hesitating for a moment, he took a step forward, and then walked toward the edge of the bed.

The merman lying on the bed seemed especially calm, as if he had fallen asleep. The fish tail had transformed into legs at some point. He was covered with a thick blanket with only a bit of his pale ankle sticking out.

Light didn’t sit on the bed this time, he stood beside the drawer and reached out to touch Mu Chen’s cheek tentatively. “Uncomfortable?”

Mu Chen didn’t move, allowing Light to touch his cheek. He moved his lips slightly and squeezed out a word stiffly, “Stomachache.”

Hearing this Light pushed aside the scattered on Mu Chen’s forehead. He looked at the eyebrows that were furrowed tightly, his face full of sweat, and was in a complete daze.

Soon enough, he furrowed his own brow. “I’ll call a doctor right now.”

There was a hint of anxiety in his urgent tone.

When he said this, Light reached a hand to make a call on the terminal but was held by Mu Chen.

Mu Chen frowned and grumbled. He held Light’s hand against his chest. It was obvious that this didn’t relieve the discomfort in his stomach, but he refused to let go, like a willful child throwing a tantrum.

Light couldn’t do anything with how he looked now. He sighed, half helpless and half distressed. He could only use one hand to open the terminal to send a message to the doctor.

There were always one or two court doctors ready in the palace, so they arrived quickly.

After a series of diagnoses, the doctor concluded that Mu Chen had indeed consumed too many suppressants. This kind of medicine was best to not be taken on an empty stomach, and excessive use would cause a certain degree of damage to the stomach lining. Fortunately, Mu Chen’s physical condition was better than ordinary people, so it hadn’t reached the point where gastric lavage was necessary. They prescribed some stomach medicine for him and advised him to watch his diet over the next few days, avoiding any spicy food.

Hearing the doctor’s words, Light’s complexion slowly darkened, but he couldn’t bear to blame the latter as he looked at him lying on the bed with a pale face.

After the doctor left, he poured Mu Chen a cup of warm water and put the medicine on the bedside table. “Eat the medicine, you’ll feel a bit better.”

“Mm…”

The person on the bed still had his eyes half closed, and after a long time, he very slowly sat up.

Mu Chen was wearing a loose white shirt, his silver hair sliding down from his shoulders, and his pale lips made his entire being look somewhat haggard. He looked down at the medicine placed on the table, and when he reached out his hand to grab the hot water, he suddenly frowned, looking as if he was feeling very uncomfortable.

He reached out his hand to hold his stomach, his complexion becoming all the more unsightly.

Light was stunned for a moment, and when he wanted to ask the other party “What’s wrong,” he saw Mu Chen getting up from the bed, rushing straight to the bathroom, and vomiting into the sink.

With a loud bang, the heavy door slammed shut, blocking Light outside.

The atmosphere in the room quieted down like never before, as if the air had been drained from around them.

After a while—

Mu Chen opened the door, the water droplets slid down his pale cheeks. He reached out to wipe off the water stains on his chin. Looking at the solemn look of the person outside the door, Mu Chen was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile at Light. “I’m fine, Gege…I feel better now.”

Light asked him, “Does your stomach still hurt?”

Mu Chen shook his head. He trudged back to the bed, curled up his body in the blanket, and wrapped himself tightly like a fish roll. Then, he suddenly seemed to remember something, looking up at Light. “May I…sleep here?”

It was like someone had just eaten a free meal, then walked up to the other person and asked, “Is it okay for me to do this?” as if Light could really kick him out.

Light helped him tuck him. “You may.”

“Just sleep if you’re sleepy.”

“Mm.”

In the cozy nest, Mu Chen closed his eyes.

……

Mu Chen slept from the afternoon to the evening. When he woke up, the sky had already darkened.

His stomach pain had mostly gone away, leaving only an empty and sour feeling.

He casually put on a loose sweatshirt and walked out of the bedroom.

When he opened the door of the living room, Light seemed to be sitting at the desk checking the messages on the terminal. When he heard a noise coming from over there, he immediately put down the terminal and turned to look at Mu Chen.

“Awake?”

“Do you still feel unwell?”

Mu Chen walked over and sat next to Light. He leaned toward the other person as if he had no bones.

Light used the back of his hand to check the temperature of his forehead, and when he was about to retract it, it was grabbed by Mu Chen.

Mu Chen lifted up his own sweatshirt and held Light’s as he directly placed it on his abdominal muscles.

He was still wearing a T-shirt; Light didn’t directly touch his skin, but the sudden warm touch still made the latter’s knuckles stiffen.

Mu Chen, while holding Light’s wrist, rubbed his own stomach. He frowned as he said, “My stomach is still a little uncomfortable, Gege.”

“Don’t eat medicine like that next time.”

Hearing what Mu Chen said, Light knitted his brows slightly and took the initiative to reach out and rub it for him.

Mu Chen half-closed his eyes in contentment, resting his head on Light’s shoulder, his entire demeanor like a big cat lounging in the sunlight, waiting for someone to pet him.

Light’s massaging was neither light nor heavy; it made him feel comfortable.

Mu Chen complained, “But the mating period is really too tough. If I don’t find a partner within this month, will it be even more uncomfortable later… What should I do, Gege?”

As soon as the words fell, Mu Chen felt the other’s movement stopped. He half-opened his eyes and saw the man’s dazed appearance. The corners of Mu Chen’s mouth curled up slightly, and then he heard the party say—

“I will discuss this with my father. Starting tomorrow, we’ll hold banquets in the palace until you find a suitable partner.”

“…”

The atmosphere turned quiet for a while, and then Mu Chen asked, “Are you going to look for a partner for me, Gege?”

Light nodded. “Yes.”

Rather than handing over Mu Chen to a stranger, he would feel more relieved if he was familiar with the other person.

And once he found a partner, situations like today won’t happen again.

When Light was in the middle of thinking, he suddenly felt a tightness on his wrist; it was grabbed by someone.

Light was stunned. He slightly lowered his eyes, only to see Mu Chen holding his wrist and taking it off from his shirt.

“What’s wrong?”

Mu Chen looked at him, his blue eyes were tinged with a deeper color, He pursed his lips, saying word by word—

“Nothing, I think it’s a good idea…”

As long as Gege doesn’t regret it.

As he spoke, Mu Chen’s hot breath fell on Light’s lips, causing a slightly itching sensation. After he finished speaking, he got up from his seat and left.