Chapter 36: The Heat That Comes With Love
Working was better than being together with someone like this.
"No."
His clothes were grabbed.
"What is it? I have work to do. Let go already."
"No. Solin too, here, watching Qiong Xing!"
Lunios didn’t want to take his eyes off Qiong Xing, but apparently he didn’t want to watch alone either.
"Haa... then why don’t you just ask him next time you meet him to make you his family too?"
"Huh?"
It might be strange for a god to want to become someone’s family, but just saying it was free, he thought.
Qiong Xing was kind, so he probably wouldn’t refuse Lunios request, though on the other hand he might decline out of humility, thinking someone like himself was unworthy.
Even so, if he accepted them, then Solinos would join in as well.
"It’s not like there’s any special procedure needed. As long as Qiong Xing agrees, you can become family. There are already three people (+ one animal). Adding two more at this point wouldn’t change much, right?"
He casually included himself in the count.
"...I see... yeah, you’re right. Okay, I get it. I’ll ask him next time we meet♪"
Well, there was no telling when that "next time" would actually be.
However, since Lunios seemed to be in a better mood, it was best not to point that out.
"See, it’d be the worst if you missed your chance because you were busy working when the time came. I’ll help you, so let’s just finish this up."
"Okaaay♪"
After Solinos saw Lunios head off to work in such high spirits, he then took a long sigh.
"At this rate, the future really doesn’t look promising."
If this was how troublesome things were just from becoming mates and adding a few family members, there was no telling how many more headaches lay ahead.
"If they have a child, at least let me hold them."
If Solinos didn’t think like that, he wouldn’t be able to keep going.
After holding onto that thought, Solinos headed back to work while looking forward to that day.
...
After confirming their affection as a family, having dinner, and taking a bath, all that was left was to go to sleep.
To Qiong Xing’s surprise, Mayo ate just about anything, so the worry that he might need to go catch mice for it turned out to be unnecessary.
Even so, strongly seasoned foods were avoided, and Mayo was given vegetables and fruits as much as possible.
"Cari, I have something to talk about with Qiong Xing, so can you go to sleep with Mayo first?"
After he said that, Elias tried to lead Cari toward the bedroom.
Cari looked back at them with a lonely expression, but when Qiong Xing told him they would come properly later and gave him a goodnight kiss on the forehead, Cari obediently went into the room.
"So, what is it that you want to talk about?"
When Qiong Xing asked, wondering if it was some kind of request, Leander who had been made to sit beside Elias also looked at Elias with a puzzled expression.
After putting Cari to bed and returning, Elias, for some reason, did not sit in his usual spot next to Qiong Xing. Instead, he sat down in the chair across the table, directly facing him.
Leander who apparently had not been told anything either looked dissatisfied but he still ended up sitting beside Elias as if he had been dragged there.
"Qiong Xing, you told us you wanted us to be your mates, right? I’m not doubting those feelings, and there’s no way I could ever let you go now, but even so, let me ask you one more time. Will you really become my... No, our mate?"
At Elias’s serious question, Qiong Xing was taken aback, and Leander, whose face had looked dissatisfied just moments ago, now gazed at Qiong Xing with a serious expression as well.
"Yes. No matter how many times you ask, my answer will not change. The only people I want to stay with forever are you and Leander—you two. Of course, that includes Cari and Mayo as well, but as mates, as spouses, the ones I want to be with are only you."
Answering without hesitation while looking straight into both of their eyes, Qiong Xing finally made Elias relax his shoulders.
Leander also looked at him happily.
"Thank you. I’m truly happy that you are my mate. Please take care of me from now on too."
"I’m happy too. I’ll definitely make you happy Qiong Xing, I swear."
Elias looked a bit exasperated at Leander’s overly confident declaration, but this was also one of Leander’s good points.
It reassured him, as if Leander were showing how unwavering his heart was.
"...Then I can finally say this without worry. I said before that a beastman’s love is heavy, but unlike humans, there’s something that comes regularly, separate from everyday affection and something only beastmen have."
"Something that comes?"
Was it some kind of attack or episode?
But Qiong Xing didn’t recall them mentioning any such chronic condition before.
"It’s a heat period."
"A... heat period?"
Leander who explained everything with a delighted expression had his eyes gleaming fiercely, he looked like as though he might pounce on Qiong Xing at any moment.
Of course, that seemed impossible since Elias was firmly holding him by the scruff of the neck.
"Beastmen are, as you can see, half beast. There comes a time when they are forcibly driven into heat in order to bear children and leave behind offspring. That’s why, when a beastman has a mate, the partner ends up having a hard time."
Apparently, beastmen experienced periodic heat cycles.
There was no particular problem with the heat itself, and if they had no partner, it would end simply by shutting themselves away in a room for a while.
However, that was not the case when they did have a partner or a mate.
They would crave their mate from the bottom of their hearts and, until the impulse subsided, they would mindlessly devour them.