Ants are creatures with no experience of the wider world—or at least they used to be.
The Ant King had moved again. Originally, he just wanted to explore, to see if humans were really as strong as claimed. So he set off from NGL, heading toward nearby countries. When he passed through the Republic of East Gorteau, he discovered the royal palace there was larger, more lavishly decorated, full of people… and most importantly, it had internet.
So, without hesitation, he claimed it as his new home.
Now that they had phones and an abundance of human books, the ants had become worldly.
'Gone for three days, and look how they've changed.' thought Cyr.
His main takeaway?
The Ant King had become harder to manipulate.
Back then, just saying humans had many kings had been enough to leave the Ant King visibly shaken by the sheer number of powerful individuals among humans. Now?
The Ant King wasn't buying it anymore. From NGL to East Gorteau, he'd killed so many people that it became obvious—human strength was overrated. There weren't as many powerful fighters as he'd been led to believe. Even the number of humans with any kind of special ability was surprisingly low.
Once wary of human strength and hesitant to expand further, the Ant King changed course after claiming the East Gorteau palace. He issued a new command to Neferpitou.
Pitou would control soldiers to kill people. Those killed would then be controlled by Pitou. The numbers just kept growing.
Eventually, humans would be wiped out, and ants would rule the world.
"But if all the humans are dead, what will the ants eat?" Cyr twirled a chess piece between his fingers, showing no surprise or emotion at the Ant King's command. He asked the question as if out of genuine curiosity.
"Once you get used to the taste of humans, it's hard to go back to anything else," he added lazily, placing the chess piece on the board.
The game they played, "Military Chess," was similar to the chess he'd once learned, but with differences—it belonged to the Hunter World.
Not that it mattered. This was the Ant King's first time playing too. Their skill levels were roughly equal, and their matches often ended in stalemates.
While other humans were out there fighting ants in bloody battles, Cyr was inside the palace playing chess with the Ant King.
Anyone who saw this would probably curse him as a human traitor.
"In that case, we'll build a human breeding zone, where they can live and reproduce," the Ant King said, full of pride.
He genuinely believed this was a benevolent decision—a generous act toward humanity.
"…You really understand the rules of sustainable development," Cyr commented dryly.
It wasn't a bad idea, actually. Like how humans raise pigs or cattle, the Ant King's thinking made sense. After all, he wasn't human.
Humans didn't exactly feel guilty about raising livestock for slaughter either.
"…Kinda craving hotpot," Cyr suddenly muttered under his breath. Then he turned his head and called out, "Hey, blondie—bring out the food!"
The Ant King ate on schedule every day, but his food… Cyr couldn't stomach it.
The meals were just meatballs made from various types of flesh—completely unseasoned. For all he knew, some of them were made from human meat.
And honestly? No seasoning just tasted bad.
Even though Cyr was now more in sync with Sukuna, eating humans still crossed a line for him. He couldn't do it. Not even a bite.
So his daily routine involved bossing around the King's three Royal Guards right in front of him, having them prepare food for Cyr.
His catchphrase was always:
"His Majesty wants to eat."
And they'd prepare everything he asked for, down to the last detail.
Of course, Cyr never shared a hotpot with the Ant King.
Because—
Just imagine: you're cooking beef and lamb slices in a pot, and the guy across from you suddenly dunks in a chunk of human meat…
Instantly, all his appetite vanished.
The worst part of Cyr's high compatibility with Sukuna was that his first reaction upon seeing a person now… was analyzing the texture and flavor of their flesh.
More than once, curiosity had almost led him to dine with the Ant King.
The Ant King had even casually asked if he wanted someone to prepare the same dish for him, already speaking as if Cyr weren't human at all.
Cyr sighed and gently touched the small, hidden eyes beneath his normal pair.
The humans probably wouldn't consider him human anymore either. They might even assume he'd been turned into an ant.
So, for the sake of everyone's safety, he hadn't gone back to the human world lately.
He'd been quietly observing his own changes and had recently discovered a new ability—he could grow mouths anywhere on his body.
Very weird. Very inhuman.
Thankfully, like the eyes, he could keep them hidden, so they didn't randomly pop out.
"…Kinda bored," Cyr muttered, dropping a chess piece to the board and giving up on the game entirely.
"Go find something else to amuse His Majesty. These games are getting old," he declared shamelessly to the Ant King's guards.
What a brazen, shameless human!
Was it really the King who was bored, or him? Did he think they couldn't tell?!
"This can't go on," said the blond ant gravely.
The King was growing too close to a human—and that could only spell trouble.
Even if… that "human" didn't quite seem like one anymore.
"Yeah, I feel the same, nya~" Neferpitou said, tail swishing lazily. Everything she did had a feline charm to it. "I just have this feeling that human will end up influencing the King."
That guy was trouble.
They couldn't expect a human—any human—to truly stand on the ants' side.
Logically speaking, someone with that much potential for harm should've been eliminated early on, not allowed to sit around and chat with the King like it was nothing.
In fact, if they could've killed him, the three Royal Guards would've done it already.
"But that guy's way too strong, we totally can't beat him, nya~" Neferpitou sat cross-legged, tail swaying nonstop.
"…We need to think carefully," the blond ant—Shaiapouf—murmured, pulling out a violin.
One way or another, they had to find a solution—for the King's sake.
"Another match," the Ant King said coldly, eyes locked onto Cyr.
He had a strong sense that Cyr hadn't been taking things seriously. Winning felt hollow.
"…Go find someone else to play with," Cyr replied, deflecting the tension with casual indifference. He had no special love for chess and couldn't take it seriously.
Two games was his limit—any more and his brain would start short-circuiting. Literally.
He was walking around with a permanent debuff, after all. Chess took brainpower, and bleeding from the eyes while trying to think several moves ahead? No thank you.
"Ah, you've already taken over this country, haven't you?" Cyr's tone suddenly brightened. "Then how about this—issue a Royal Edict."
A Royal Edict, or in other words… a proclamation from the throne!
"I've already got the wording in mind," Cyr said with a sly grin.
'Announce a royal decree summoning skilled chess players to the palace. Those who beat the King will receive generous rewards.'"
He egged the Ant King on with enthusiasm.
The Ant King thought for a moment, then nodded, accepting the suggestion.
There were plenty of humans in this country.
How hard could it be to find someone to play chess?
He immediately ordered Neferpitou to spread the message to the human population.
Anyone who could play was invited to challenge him.
Neferpitou accepted the command with a respectful bow.
And within a single day, the King's proclamation had spread across the nation.
But then—
For a whole day, the Ant King sat at the chessboard, waiting for a challenger. From sunrise to sunset, not a single soul came.
"Why has no one come? Don't tell me… there isn't a single person in this country who knows how to play chess?" His voice was low and heavy, his expression visibly displeased.
"Considering how long it takes an average person to travel here, and the fact that ordinary humans would be terrified of entering the royal palace—fearing they might offend someone powerful and get executed or worse—I'd say it'll take a few days before someone is brave enough to test the waters. But I can help speed things up," Cyr said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
Most people were scared to die.
To them, the palace—and the creatures inside it—were man-eating monsters. Who would dare walk in of their own free will?
But once one person went in and came out safe—with rewards in hand—others would surely follow.
°°°
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