"I can't find him anymore." Neferpitou tried once more to sense that human, but the presence had completely vanished.
It was a stark contrast to earlier, when he had practically announced to the whole world, "I'm right here."
"Was that all just to lure me over on purpose?"
But then he didn't kill her… and he seemed close with those two people around the Queen.
She thought about it for a moment and decided to head back to the nest.
Next time, I'll find another strong human to play with~
…
Within the borders of NGL, small villages dotted the landscape. Some had already been abandoned by the time Cyr and the others arrived.
Others, due to their remote locations and sparse populations, still remained intact.
But with no flow of information, these villagers were completely unaware of the existence of the Chimera Ants.
Here, people still traveled on horseback—or in carts made of nailed-together wooden planks.
Aimei and Eili, the two non-human siblings, continued to quietly follow Cyr. They never spoke, never made a sound—not even footsteps or breathing. There wasn't even a heartbeat.
They didn't look like humans, and in truth, they weren't.
Shouldn't the two of them have followed that cat-like Chimera Ant back to continue observing the ants?
To Cyr, these two felt like the type of kids who, when they were younger, would squat on the side of the road to watch ants move their colony—or slowly track a snail and maybe even give it a little push to speed it up.
"Shouldn't you two be with the ants?" Cyr side-eyed the pair with no particular kindness in his voice.
Why were they following him, anyway? Did they actually think he was more interesting to observe?
"You're more interesting than the Chimera or humans. We want to observe what you'll do next," Aime said seriously, dressed in that strange purple robe.
Like he wasn't human or something…
Cyr mocked them silently in his head but turned his attention elsewhere.
In the corner, a few bees were trembling through the air. They looked like ordinary bees.
But—there was residual aura on them.
Bees raised by a Hunter? It didn't seem like something NGL locals would be capable of. That meant they were from a Hunter who entered the country?
Huh. So a Hunter had noticed the situation in NGL and come in.
But… that didn't really concern him.
At least, not until he returned to the airship landing site—where he saw Maro and Sora waiting for him. And also—
A girl with blue hair, wearing a pink-and-white stitched cap, frozen solid inside a block of ice.
And a boy with a purple hat and light flaxen hair, currently being pinned to the ground by the white tiger beast, lazily pushed around like a plaything.
Even his bow and arrows—his weapons—had been flung to the side.
The two of them… really knew how to find their own way to pass the time, huh?
"Let me go!" Pokkle struggled, but the size difference made it impossible for him to escape the white tiger's paw.
"…." The tiger beast, holding him down effortlessly with just one paw, yawned with a flick of its tail. But suddenly, it froze—its mouth snapped shut, paw lifting off Pokkle as it darted toward a new direction.
Taking the chance, Pokkle rolled forward, grabbed his fallen bow, and half-knelt into a shooting stance.
He aimed his arrow in the direction the beast had jumped. But then—he saw a figure.
His pupils widened, though he didn't lower the bow.
"You two… having fun?" Cyr looked at Maro and Sora with an unreadable expression, then casually patted Sora's head.
Sora squinted, head ducked in submission, taking the hits with a quiet thump thump, not daring to show even a hint of defiance.
Seeing this, Maro thawed the frozen girl and stood quietly behind Cyr—like a silent shadow.
"Ponzu." Pokkle let out a breath of relief as he saw the girl freed from the ice.
"This guy…" Ponzu came to stand beside Pokkle, her wary expression tinged with something else.
They had just recognized some familiar faces—well, a familiar human and a familiar tiger—and came over to say hi. Maybe swap some intel.
But the moment they showed up, the human and the tiger didn't let them speak at all. They got captured instantly.
Way too much.
"You two came to NGL to investigate?" Cyr turned toward them. "You both look… kinda familiar."
Hadn't he seen them before?
"Familiar?" Sora lay on the ground, chin resting on Cyr's shoe, blinking his eyes and wagging his tail.
Didn't feel like it. No memory.
"Do we know them?" Maro asked with a puzzled, hesitant look.
Really? Didn't ring a bell. No impression at all.
Pokkle and Ponzu were stunned.
Huh? The proctor from the Hunter Exam doesn't remember us at all?
That was… kind of a crushing blow.
"We were examinees in the 287th Hunter Exam," Pokkle said.
"Ah—right. I think there were two like you." Cyr suddenly had an epiphany.
Knew they looked familiar. Good, no need to dig through memories now.
"I've been working as a Magical Beast Hunter," Pokkle added.
Why come to NGL? Was it the unspoiled landscape, the rustic simplicity, the authentic food? Of course not.
It was because NGL had untouched ecosystems, full of diverse creatures.
"Oh, it's you—the beekeeper." Cyr looked at Ponzu thoughtfully.
He remembered there was a beekeeper back in the exams. Also someone who raised snakes, right?
And then the beekeeper killed the snake-keeper? It had been a whole thing.
"..." Ponzu's face twitched, not remembering ever being called a "beekeeper" before.
"You guys… really don't remember us at all?" Pokkle said, half-defeated.
"Well… do you have anything worth remembering you by?" Cyr asked in return.
Maro and Sora, who had been visibly nervous, instantly relaxed. Right! Even if they don't remember those two, it's not a big deal.
It's not their fault. Those two just weren't memorable enough.
"This place isn't suited for the weak. You should leave while you still can," Cyr said, for once offering a rare warning.
Honestly, most of the time, he thought of himself as a good person.
"…" Pokkle and Ponzu, however, looked visibly downcast.
Nobody would feel great being called weak to their face.
Especially when the one saying it had been their examiner two years ago.
"Oh, but it's too late to leave now," Cyr suddenly looked up toward the sky.
Everyone else followed his gaze—but saw nothing.
"Is something up there?" Pokkle asked warily, tightening his grip on his bow.
"Just a swarm of flying ants," the white-haired boy said casually.
"Let's go." He walked into the tent he'd set up earlier.
Pokkle and the others cautiously tried to follow… only to crash headfirst into something.
"What… is this?" Pokkle and Ponzu reached out toward the empty air.
There was clearly nothing visible, yet they were touching something solid—like a wall—that barred their way forward.
Meanwhile, their two former examiners and the magical beast had passed through effortlessly, their silhouettes vanishing before them.
Pokkle, Ponzu, and the sibling duo outside exchanged confused glances.
"Ah, I forgot about you," Cyr said, glancing back at the four who were stuck. With a snap of his fingers, he dispelled the current barrier and set up a new one.
This time, Pokkle and the others were included inside.
They finally saw what had been just out of reach this whole time—the airship, looming right there in front of them.
"This is…" Pokkle's expression turned serious.
This was… the white-haired boy's ability?
°°°
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