Inside the egg. Before he was even born, Beru was enclosed within a thick shell, and he heard the Queen's voice.
[For the kingdom.] 'For the kingdom.' [Make the enemies who stand before us tremble with fear.] 'Make the enemies who stand before us tremble with fear.'
He had to become stronger. He had to be strong. That was the first mission given to Beru, who was sleeping in an embryonic state.
And the Queen's obsession with making the kingdom prosper finally created a terrifying monster.
[Keaaaaa!]
The young combat ant who broke out of the egg and let out a roar was incomparable to any other ant, from the fierce killing intent in its eyes to everything else.
Trembling. The Queen was moved by the masterpiece she had created.
'If it's this child, those humans with that strange power will surely...'
Just before the Queen, whose eyes were shining, gave her first command to the strongest soldier who had just hatched, Beru, feeling hungry, did what he wanted to do.
Snap. The wrist of a worker ant that had been helping him hatch was grabbed by Beru.
'......?'
Before the worker ant could even realize what was happening, Beru crunched it from head to toe and swallowed it. Crunch, crunch.
[......!]
Even the Queen was taken aback by Beru's unexpected behavior, but she was so overwhelmed by his presence that she didn't even think to stop him. Having wiped out one of his own kind from the world in an instant, Beru stood before the Queen.
The bodily fluids of his own kind dripping from his mouth were quite eerie.
'The fear of enemies...'
But a powerful object of fear also brings terror to allies. The Queen, who realized this fact late, looked around.
The brave soldiers of the kingdom were trembling with fear. The emotions they felt were conveyed to her, who could command them all, just as they were.
It passed. As expected, the strongest soldier she had given birth to was a masterpiece.
[Grow even stronger.]
The Queen gave Beru his next order to invade the land of humans.
[So that no one can stop you.]
* * *
Beru devoured everything on the island. When food was scarce, he didn't hesitate to catch and eat his own kind. From small creatures on the ground like earthworms and caterpillars to large fish and mammals in the sea.
As he greedily ate every living thing before his eyes, he came to realize one fact.
Even creatures with deadly poison, even those with massive builds, trembled with fear when they met him.
Survival was the minimum and maximum goal of every living being.
In front of an absolute existence that could shake that goal to its core, the look in the eyes of all living things was the same.
'......'
Beru finally reached a conclusion after countless confirmations that he stood at the top of the food chain.
'I was...'
I was created from the beginning to be the apex predator. If so. Beru, who had been submerged in the ocean, stuck his head out of the water.
In the far distance at the edge of the sea, land could be seen.
A whole different, vast world was unfolding there.
'I wonder how strong the power of those humans Mother is wary of is?'
He grew curious.
Were there enemies so strong that I, the apex predator, had to hold back like this?
How much of my power would they be able to handle?
He turned his gaze toward the land several times.
[It's still too early.]
The Queen's firm voice, which could peer into Beru's mind, never failed to block his curiosity.
Left with no choice. Beru, who had been staring blankly at the land, let his gaze sink back beneath the waves.
Yes, when the time came, he would find out.
'......'
Following the Queen's orders, Beru held his breath and waited for the right moment.
And finally.
They set foot on this land. Beru got his first chance to test his true power.
It was...
"Wh-what are you?" "Aaaah!"
It wasn't a fight. It was just a one-sided hunt.
A familiar daily routine.
Beru discovered the 'fear' in the eyes of the dying Hunters and couldn't hide his disappointment.
'To fight against ones like these...'
Was I waiting for so long just for this?
The extreme stench of fear emanating from the bodies of the prey.
Beru had only once again confirmed through the Hunters that he was at the very top of the food chain.
It was boring.
At the very moment the creature at the top of the ecosystem tried to establish his definition of humans in his mind.
Then. For the first time, a human appeared who wasn't scared even with him right in front of their eyes.
Beru's heart began to pound like never before in a situation he had never experienced.
'Human... you're not afraid of me?'
Somehow, it felt like a waste to just snap his neck in one go, so Beru spoke.
"Are you the king of humans?"
And he answered.
"Even a bug can talk."
* * *
It was probably the first time since then. A living creature looking at him with a gaze other than fear.
Sparkling.
'......'
Beru broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the young Little Monarch, who was sending him intense, bright eyes. Even when he tried to move to escape the overwhelming atmosphere.
"Kyami! Kyami!"
Even if he flew up into the sky, unable to bear it.
"Kyami! Kyami!"
Before he knew it, when he looked back, the Little Monarch was standing right there.
'......'
Of course, if he really tried, losing a baby was nothing, but... the problem was that baby was his Lord's child.
If he forced himself to escape and the Little Monarch got hurt in the process, how would he ever answer for that?
"Kyami!"
In the end, it naturally became Beru's job among the three Legion Commanders to help the guardian mother Hae-In and take care of Su-Ho.
"......"
After confirming that Su-Ho was asleep, Beru quietly returned to the 'Domain of Rest'. As he vanished into the shadows, a world of infinite darkness unfolded.
Some might find it frightening, but Beru felt at ease in this place that belonged to his Lord's authority.
While heading toward the Ant Legion's dwelling, Beru fell deep into thought.
'Why does the Little Monarch always look for me?'
...He couldn't figure it out no matter what.
He had always been an object of fear, and that fact still didn't seem much different now.
When the question that suddenly came to mind wasn't easily resolved, Beru changed direction.
Was there anything as helpful as a human's advice for understanding the human heart?
His Lord didn't like using people as shadow soldiers, so there weren't many human-origin soldiers left...
Fortunately, there was one human-origin soldier Beru knew.
It was Legion Commander Igrit.
After explaining the whole story to Igrit, the answer came quickly.
"There's no way he could hate you." [......?]
Igrit nodded and quickly added his explanation.
"A kid would love an ant that's bigger than a person, can fly, and can talk. What kid could possibly hate that?" [......]
It was a fresh perspective he had never considered. Beru headed back to the Ant Legion's domain, chewing over the answer he'd heard from Igrit.
That the Little Monarch liked me because I'm bigger than a person, can fly, and can talk.
If something could be liked for such a simple reason, wouldn't it also be hard to dislike for a simple reason?
Come to think of it, he'd heard that adults who liked bugs were almost nonexistent.
When his thoughts reached that point, his mood sank for some reason.
He was already used to looks of revulsion, but the thought that even the Little Monarch might change to such a gaze made him a little bitter.
'......'
Flying silently, Beru changed direction again.
This time, he arrived at a construction site.
Following Beru's plan, the bearded dwarves and ant soldiers who were building a giant statue of their Lord here in the 'Domain of Rest' saw Beru and bowed their heads in unison.
The elder in charge of the site ran out to greet Beru.
"Commander, you're here."
Nod, nod.
Beru, who had been inspecting the progress of the work, spoke to the elder.
[I'd like to make a few changes to the plan.] "Wh-what?"
The elder, perhaps reluctant to abandon what they had worked so hard on, hurriedly protested even while trembling with fear.
"This 'Sacred Statue of Our Lord' production plan was something the Commander started severalThe request was rejected because it was considered high risk