Chapter 64: Could you teach me?

Lorcan found the situation both amusing and slightly troubling. He had released so much pheromone during the day that Oisín had practically been surrounded by the citrus scent.

He walked around the general’s character, but Oisín didn’t react.

Finally, Lorcan reached out and poked his shoulder.

A hand immediately caught his.

Oisín’s character frowned and looked down at Lorcan’s character. His expression was cold, and his voice was calm.

"What are you doing?"

Lorcan hesitated. "Well... I wanted to invite you to play a match."

Oisín glanced at his account name.

An Orange Lord had become quite popular recently. Even Oisín had heard about the player.

He looked at Lorcan and spoke calmly. "Your skills have improved a great deal. I noticed it the first time we were matched together."

Lorcan was surprised.

"You remember me?"

He had only just created his account back then.

"Of course," Oisín replied. He studied Lorcan’s character before continuing.

"Your first match was terrible. You held your gun incorrectly, and your movements were a mess. At the time, I thought that if I were your general, I would never send you into battle. You would only be throwing your life away. I even considered advising you to quit before you wasted any more time on such a pointless hobby."

Lorcan fell silent.

"Really?"

Oisín had never been so direct with him before.

The general nodded.

"But your improvement from the second match onward was remarkable. You learned how to handle your weapon in only two matches. You also quickly understood dodging and positioning. I still remember how you managed to shoot off my cufflink in the last match."

He added a simple compliment.

"Very impressive."

Lorcan could only reply, "...Thank you."

Oisín waved his hand, and several combat videos appeared. They were recordings of An Orange Lord’s recent performances.

"I’ve watched your matches and studied your recordings. I’ve come to the conclusion that you no longer need to spend so much time practising ordinary matches. You’re already among the top one percent of military players. There are plenty of majors who wouldn’t be able to keep up with you."

Lorcan didn’t know what to say.

He had been treating the military training system as though it were just a game. He had almost forgotten that it was designed to prepare soldiers for actual combat.

Oisín continued, "If you want to improve further, you should start practising with the flight control system. Learning to fly is just as important as improving your combat skills."

Lorcan had never piloted a spaceship before.

"I don’t know how to use it. Could you teach me?"

Oisín nodded. "Certainly. I’d be happy to help a junior who is willing to learn."

The two of them switched systems at the same time and entered the flight-control simulator.

Lorcan was familiar with shooting games, but he knew almost nothing about piloting spaceships. The control panel of a Zerg military vessel was complicated, with countless buttons and switches.

Oisín reached over, took hold of Lorcan’s hand, and guided him through the controls. He showed him how to lower the control stick and activate the dashboard before explaining the different functions one by one.

"If you encounter a magnetic storm, press these controls to stabilise the ship and get through it. If you accidentally drift into a planetary ring..."

Oisín’s expression remained serious, and his voice was as calm as ever. However, he explained everything patiently and carefully.

Lorcan had a very good memory. After listening to the explanation once, he had already understood most of the basic controls.

When Oisín finished, he released the control stick and looked at him.

"All right. Try it yourself."

The simulator created a difficult space environment. An asteroid belt surrounded them, while cosmic rays and powerful magnetic fields made the area dangerous. Whenever the ship approached one of these hazards, the control panel sounded a sharp warning.

Lorcan took a deep breath and began piloting.

Two minutes later, his ship crashed.

Beside him, Oisín sat perfectly upright. His posture was as straight as a soldier’s, and his gloved hands rested neatly together. His military boots covered his lower legs, and his serious appearance made him look like a strict instructor.

Lorcan couldn’t help feeling nervous.

Is he going to scold me?

Instead, Oisín gave a quiet sigh.

"You’re too tense. There’s no reason to rush. Everyone finds it difficult at first. When I tried flying for the first time, I also crashed after two minutes."

Lorcan looked at him.

"Did someone teach you the same way you’re teaching me?"

"Of course."

Oisín turned his gaze toward the artificial sky in the distance. Electronic planets hung above them, forming a wide ring that resembled a cloud. His expression softened slightly as he remembered the past.

"When I first joined the military, my instructor was also a major general. He was an excellent pilot. I remember one time he flew directly into a planetary ring and managed to come out safely, even with rocks and minerals moving around him at incredible speeds."

Lorcan became curious.

"Is he still serving in the Third Army?"

As far as Lorcan remembered, the highest-ranking officer in the Third Army was currently a major general. If Oisín’s instructor had already held that rank when Oisín first joined, he should have been promoted to something higher by now.

Oisín was silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"Yes. He’s still here, and he always will be." They continued practising together for another hour.

Gradually, Lorcan began to understand the basic techniques. He learned how to avoid the larger asteroids and make smoother turns and drifts inside the simulator.

Oisín praised him generously, just like a patient mentor encouraging a student.

"Very good. I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield someday."

Lorcan felt a little embarrassed and rubbed his nose.

After a while, he told Oisín that it was getting late. They said goodbye and logged out. Before leaving, they exchanged their account details and agreed to continue practising together in the future.

It had been a long and exhausting day, so Lorcan prepared to go to bed.

Before sleeping, he checked his light brain out of habit.

Oisín usually sent him a goodnight message every evening. The wording was always the same: "Goodnight, Esteemed Third Prince."

It was so regular that it almost felt like a game character repeating a fixed line whenever someone wanted to increase their favourability.

Lorcan never replied. The Third Prince wasn’t supposed to respond to such messages. Still, as someone experiencing his first relationship, Lorcan had developed a quiet attachment to Oisín.

He might not answer, but he always checked for the message before going to sleep.

Tonight, however, there was nothing.

Lorcan refreshed the page, thinking it might not have loaded properly.

But the message still wasn’t there.

Oisín hadn’t even confessed his feelings yet, and he was already skipping their usual goodnight exchange.

Besides, males were supposed to be carefree. No matter how unreasonable or wilful Lorcan acted, it wouldn’t seem out of character for the Third Prince.

So he opened their chat and sent a message in an annoyed tone.

"Major General, where is my goodnight message?"

The chat window lit up almost immediately.

It was as though Oisín had been sitting in front of the screen, waiting for him to send something. The typing indicator appeared and remained there for nearly half a minute.

Finally, a message arrived.

This time, Oisín didn’t use his usual formal title.

He simply wrote: ’Goodnight, my Prince.’

System 016 suddenly announced, "The Major General has changed his profile picture."

The profile pictures on the Zerg messaging system were displayed in such a small size that it was difficult to see the details without opening them.

Lorcan clicked on the picture.

Oisín was dressed in his formal Major General’s uniform, complete with decorative sashes and shoulder straps. He was kneeling on one knee, his right hand placed against his chest in a proper knightly salute.

His posture was respectful and almost reverent, as though he were making a solemn pledge of loyalty.