"So, no matter what happens, the national assembly will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 pm, without delay."
Knov, having infiltrated the royal palace of the capital earlier, immediately turned back upon sensing an unfamiliar aura.
He then specifically inquired with the former squadron leader, Colt, for more detailed information about the three royal guards.
It was then that he learned the aura he had sensed earlier belonged to Shaiapouf.
For some unknown reason, Neferpitou, the catgirl, had withdrawn her puppet soldiers and En, entrusting their defense to Shaiapouf.
This gave Knov the opportunity to infiltrate.
Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the Republic of East Gorteau: "Should we withdraw the puppet soldiers?"
Neferpitou, who was clearly more perceptive than Shaiapouf, asked him.
"At this critical juncture, it's a battle of psychological tactics between both sides. Let's not withdraw for now."
Shaiapouf slowly shook his head. "Allowing the enemy to be completely unmonitored would be too risky."
Considering the threat, Neferpitou decided to keep the puppet soldiers directing the citizens moving towards the palace.
In the shadows, Morel observed the situation and quickly returned to the mansion.
"I estimate that in another hour, the entire city will be empty."
Upon returning, he immediately twisted open a water bottle on the floor, take large gulps, while glancing at the detailed visual map of the palace that Knov had already prepared for them.
"There are six rooms connected to the palace exits, and the three royal guards have already noticed that an enemy has infiltrated the crowd. They're likely to monitor the area more carefully, so we must avoid the front."
Morel quickly marked three locations on the map: "Stand by at the palace's rear at positions A, B, and C."
"Once we enter the mansion, we'll only be able to exit through the palace's internal exits."
Knov quickly corrected him: "If we enter the room too early, we'll have to wait until midnight to proceed."
"Phones also interfere with the Chimera Ants' communication signals, and they would detect it, so we can't use them near the palace. This means we'll be completely cut off from the outside world..."
At this point, Knov couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Leave this to me."
"I'm the only one who can enter the four-level mansion from anywhere."
"If there's an anomaly, I'll notify you. The rest of you should rest for now."
"I know more about the palace surroundings than anyone."
With a sigh, Knov continued: "As long as the palace perimeter isn't within Neferpitou's En, I'm good."
He self-deprecatingly added: "I won't overestimate myself. With my current mindset, I wouldn't be able to face those guys again."
Even though his mindset wasn't completely shattered, Knov knew that if he were to face the Ant King and the three royal guards, he would likely be terrified by their presence right away.
At that moment, he would be unable to offer any assistance and might even become a liability to his side.
Knov was somewhat relieved that he had realized his limitations in time.
If he hadn't figured this out, he might have fallen apart at a crucial moment and become a burden, potentially putting the entire Chimera Ant Extermination Team at risk.
So, for now, all he could do was stay vigilant and, once the battle started, look for his apprentice, Palm.
It was a far cry from his original experience when he had hidden in the bushes, helplessly watching his apprentice Palm fall into danger, unable to do anything. He could only cry on the ground, apologizing and regretting his inability to help her.
At least now, he still had the motivation to save his apprentice.
This situation was already much better than before.
In the capital city of the Republic of East Gorteau, as time passed, the citizens marched in formation towards the palace.
Anyone who strayed from the formation would be shot on sight.
There were also many soldiers driving tanks, supervising and urging the citizens to move forward.
Meanwhile, inside the palace's grand hall:
The Ant King, sitting on his throne, summoned Neferpitou.
"You should've known that she was being attacked by the eagle, right?"
Meruem spoke indifferently. During this time, he had come to understand some things.
When Neferpitou activated her En, she had been fully aware of everything happening within the palace's covered range.
So, it was clear he would have known about the incident with the eagle attacking Komugi.
"Yes."
Neferpitou knelt on one knee and spoke frankly: "I was using En for surveillance, and since I didn't think the eagle posed a threat to his majesty, I chose to ignore it."
Meruem gave a special order: "I won't pursue this matter further, but from now on, Komugi must remain within the surveillance range. We can't allow her to be in any danger."
"... Understood!"
Neferpitou paused for a moment before responding obediently, ready to execute the order.
Even though, in her eyes, this command suggested that the king had been clearly influenced, she didn't speak out. This was the essence of her and Shaiapouf's nature: to avoid overthinking, never questioning, and just faithfully carrying out his majesty's commands.
As such, Neferpitou silently included the blind girl, who had been playing chess, in the surveillance range as well.
Time flowed again, and the sun began to set.
A formation of tens of thousands of people moved steadily towards the Ant King's palace.
In the twilight, their figures shrank into small black dots.
From the sky, they resembled ants…
No, more accurately, they looked like suicidal lemmings.
The darkening sky was almost upon them, but nothing unexpected occurred.
"It should be time to notify Morel and the others."
Knov, still keeping watch, observed everything closely. After confirming the situation, he prepared to return to the four-level mansion.
But just as he was about to head back…
"Hmm?!"
Knov's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Shaiapouf flying high above the crowd.
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