Chapter 141: The Most Regrettable Decision of a Lifetime
Royal Palace of East Gorteau.
Neferpitou sat atop the highest structure in the palace, gazing into the unknown distance. She pressed a finger to her lips, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Who... is interfering behind the scenes? Meow."
"This is already the nth time. Now it's the southeast—the puppets' movements have been blocked. So fast! Just earlier, they were in the due east."
"The opponent is elusive... impossible to track."
Neferpitou closed her eyes, deep in thought.
"An assassin?"
"But they're acting alone."
"Could it be a decoy?"
"Mmm..."
"So annoying, meow!"
Neferpitou threw her hands up in the air and complained loudly, "I really want to take them out, meow!"
"That's the enemy's... diversion tactic," said Shaiapouf, who had appeared beside her unnoticed, playing his violin. "We mustn't fall for it."
"Really? But judging by their actions, it doesn't seem like a diversion, meow." To Neferpitou, the opponent didn't appear to be bluffing but genuinely confident.
"Perhaps they want you to think exactly that. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. But ah..." Shaiapouf began to dance gracefully to the melody of his violin, completely immersed. "How sweet it is to lose oneself in unanswered questions, to ponder endlessly. That is the true allure of thought, nothing more."
"Mhmm..." Neferpitou nodded repeatedly.
Though she considered her companion a peculiar individual, she trusted Shaiapouf's judgment and strength as a fellow Royal Guard.
"The answer is simple. Our mission is to protect the King. Everything else is secondary. If the army numbers dwindle, we can always make more. Humans are as plentiful as grains of sand in the Ganges."
Protecting the King was the innate duty of the Royal Guards.
No matter how much Neferpitou wished to leave, she ultimately chose to stay.
This too was well within Mord's expectations.
Of course, if Cat Girl could come alone, that would truly be a pleasant surprise.
It wasn't just Mord.
After discovering the true intentions of the King of Ants and his followers, Morel and Knuckle also began participating in this operation.
This way, civilian casualties in the Republic of East Gorteau were minimized before the final battle.
"Great Commander-in-Chief Ming Jol-ik has an urgent announcement!"
"To ensure all citizens can clearly hear the Commander-in-Chief's decree, please turn all regional broadcast speakers to maximum volume!"
Mord looked up, listening to the broadcast coming from the speakers lining the deserted streets after the selection process.
"Repeat! Great Commander-in-Chief Ming Jol-ik has an urgent announcement!"
"To ensure all citizens can clearly hear the Commander-in-Chief's decree, please adjust all regional broadcast speakers to maximum volume!"
"Good evening, my dear compatriots. This is Ming Jol-ik. I am now declaring martial law across all regions of the Republic of East Gorteau!"
"Rebellious activities by dangerous elements have been discovered within our country, and we will suppress them. Please minimize outdoor activities and secure your doors and windows. Anyone venturing out without authorization will be considered a rebel and dealt with accordingly!"
"Please do not believe rumors spread by the enemy, and be sure to follow my instructions. Additionally, the elite troops of Ming Jol-ik's army will conduct door-to-door investigations for hidden traitors. Other than this, do not open your doors casually!"
Hearing the broadcast content.
A slight smile touched Mord's lips as he remarked, "What a swift response."
This must have been pre-planned by Shaiapouf and the others; otherwise, the reaction wouldn't be so rapid nor the preparations so thorough.
Meaning they had prepared two contingency plans from the start: if the selection process went unnoticed by citizens, that would suffice, but being discovered was even better.
This gave them pretext to deploy troops extensively, facilitating the selection process under martial law.
"Excellent, I haven't yet faced modern military forces." Mord's lips curved into a faint smile. "Whether tanks or fighter jets, they will all meet their end here!"
...
In the palace.
The newly born King of Ants was voraciously absorbing knowledge about this world.
He chose board games as his entry point.
He had just defeated a national Go champion moments earlier.
"Your Majesty's progress is astonishingly rapid. This humble servant is utterly impressed." Shaiapouf, standing nearby, bowed respectfully. "To think you mastered Go in half the time it took to learn Shogi."
Surrounded by piles of various books, the King of Ants picked up a black stone from the Go board and calmly stated, "I simply found the correct methodology."
"Chess, Go, Shogi... while their rules differ, all masters exhibit unique breathing patterns during gameplay. Thus, disrupting the opponent's breathing becomes key to victory."
The King of Ants clenched his right fist.
"Understanding the opponent's strategy equates to grasping their breathing pattern. Then one simply needs to find the method that makes it difficult for them to breathe."
Shaiapouf said respectfully, "This might be the ultimate truth of all competitions... Since you've already comprehended to such a profound level, what remains are merely games with minor variations. I thought you might find them dull, so perhaps we should..."
Before the words "end here" could leave Shaiapouf's lips, the King of Ants crushed the black piece in his hand into powder and interrupted, "What haven't we played yet?"
Shaiapouf could only swallow his unspoken words. Little did he know, this would become the decision he'd regret most in his entire life.
If he could foresee the future, even at the risk of angering the King of Ants, he would absolutely have spoken up to stop it.
But at this moment, he remained unaware—fate sometimes writes its footnotes in our lives when we least expect it.
Shaiapouf carefully reviewed the documents in his hands and replied, "There's one more certified game in this country—a board competition called Gungi. Originating from East Gorteau, virtually all citizens know how to play it."
"Give me the rulebook," the King of Ants extended his hand.
Shaiapouf handed over the manual and added, "The world championship has been held for fifteen years, and the East Gorteau representative has never lost. The current champion is the third generation, having won five consecutive tournaments."
The King of Ants took the rulebook and said, "Hmm... So if I defeat the champion, I'll be the world's best, right?"
"This would make a perfect conclusion to our games. Bring the person in."
As his words faded, a little girl with closed eyes and a runny nose, leaning on a cane, slowly entered from outside.
The girl walked slowly but steadily.
With perfect spatial awareness, she stopped precisely before the board opposite the King of Ants, immediately kneeling and kowtowing. "I... I'm deeply honored by the Commander's invitation..."
"Skip the formalities. Let's determine superiority through Gungi." The King of Ants immersed himself in learning the rules, reading at astonishing speed. "I need to memorize the rules first. Wait a moment."
The most terrifying aspect of these advanced Chimera Ants was actually their learning capability.
This was true for Cat Girl, and even more so for the King of Ants.