Chương 101: Chapter : 101

Sayma walked right beside Princess Iris. She had her small notebook out, constantly checking her notes and pushing her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"According to the informant, the entrance to the Blood Fault Dungeon is just over this next ridge. We need to stay completely alert. We know the 16th Princess is looking for the same target, and we still do not know who the third Royal team in this race is." Princess Iris nodded, her violet eyes totally focused.

"Keep your weapons ready. If the other teams are already there, we might have to fight our way inside." The 13th Unit finally reached the top of the rocky ridge. They looked down into a large, dusty canyon. Right in the center of the canyon was a massive, gaping hole in the earth. It looked like a giant monster had taken a huge bite out of the ground. Dark, jagged rocks surrounded the opening, and a strange, heavy mist was slowly floating up from the darkness inside. It was the entrance to the Blood Fault Dungeon.

It looked incredibly creepy. Ken took one look at the dark cave and immediately shook his head.

"Nope. Absolutely not. That cave looks like it smells like wet dogs and bad life choices. I am officially waiting out here. You guys go inside, grab the shiny core, and I will guard the entrance from... uh... aggressive butterflies."

"You are going inside with us, Ken," Naomi ordered, grabbing the back of his dark blue jacket to make sure he didn't try to run away. But Sayma suddenly held up her hand, signaling the entire team to stop. Her polite face turned very serious.

"Wait. Look down there, right by the entrance." The girls all stopped talking and looked down. There was already a group of people standing right in front of the dark cave. It was a full Royal unit. There were nine servants standing in a tight group, and one Prince standing at the front. Naomi instantly pulled her daggers out, her green eyes flashing with competitive anger.

"Is it Princess Hestia? Did her perfect little team beat us here?"

"No," Sayma said, squinting her eyes to get a better look at the group below.

"Look at their uniforms. They are not wearing spotless white silk like the 16th Unit." Ken peeked over Zinia's broad shoulders to look at the rival team. He blinked his sleepy eyes in total surprise. Sayma was completely right. The people standing by the cave entrance did not look anything like the arrogant, shiny nobles Ken had seen at the Upper Council building. In fact, they didn't look like fighters at all. The rival servants were wearing heavy, thick leather aprons over simple brown clothes.

They had large toolbelts strapped around their waists, filled with wrenches, hammers, and strange magical measuring devices. Their faces and hands were covered in dark streaks of black soot and grease. They looked like they had been awake for three days straight working in a factory. They were slouching, stretching their sore backs, and rubbing their tired eyes. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Whoa," Ken said out loud, a genuine, goofy smile appearing on his face.

"Are those guys plumbers? Did the dungeon's toilet break? Because they look exactly like my dad's friends back in the Iron Rose District." Laxmi tilted her head, looking completely confused.

"They don't look like an elite Royal vanguard. They look like a bunch of mechanics. Why are they carrying wrenches to a monster fight?" Sayma finally recognized the emblem stitched onto their leather aprons. It was a silver hammer crossing a golden gear.

"I know who that is," Sayma said quietly, lowering her notebook.

"That is the 9th Unit. We are racing against the 9th Prince, Hephaestus Belmontia." Princess Iris let out a soft breath, her shoulders relaxing just a tiny bit.

"My brother Hephaestus? I haven't seen him in years."

"Is he dangerous?" Zinia asked, keeping her fists clenched just in case.

"Prince Hephaestus is... different from the rest of the Royal family," Sayma explained to the group.

"He doesn't care about politics, and he doesn't care about looking fancy. He is a genius inventor. His magical ability is called Molecular Fusion. He can literally fuse raw metals together to instantly build complex machines or weapons right on the battlefield. His servants aren't traditional knights. They are brilliant engineers and researchers who help him build his projects." Ken's eyes lit up. He instantly liked these guys.

"So they are just tired, hardworking guys who hate dressing up? That is amazing! Finally, some people I can actually relate to! Look at them! Half of their shirts are untucked, too! They are my people!"

"Do not get too relaxed, Ken," Naomi warned him, keeping her daggers out.

"They might look like tired mechanics, but they are still our enemies in this race. If they find the Core of Luminus before we do, we lose five points. We have to treat them as hostile."

"Oh, come on, boss lady," Ken argued, waving his hand dismissively.

"Look at the guy standing in the front. He looks like he just wants a cup of coffee and a nap. I bet we could just ask them nicely to let us win." The man standing at the front of the 9th Unit was indeed Prince Hephaestus. He didn't wear a crown, and he didn't wear a fancy, flowing cape. He was a stocky, broad-chested man with shaggy, messy brown hair. He was wearing a simple gray shirt covered in grease stains, and he had a pair of heavy, dark welding goggles resting on his forehead.

Just like his servants, he walked like a completely normal, everyday commoner. There was absolutely no arrogant strut or royal pride in his steps. One of the engineers with soot on his face tapped Prince Hephaestus on the shoulder and pointed up at the rocky ridge. The 9th Prince looked up and saw Princess Iris and her team standing there. Instead of drawing a weapon or yelling an insult, Prince Hephaestus just offered a friendly, tired wave.

"Looks like they spotted us," Laxmi said, cracking her knuckles.

"What is the plan, Princess? Do we charge down there and fight them for the entrance?" Princess Iris shook her head immediately. She put her silver rapier back into its sheath.

"No. We walk down there peacefully. My brother Hephaestus is not a cruel man. We will greet him properly." Naomi looked unsure, but she trusted Iris completely. She slid her daggers back into their holsters.

"Alright. But keep your guard up, everyone." The 13th Unit slowly walked down the rocky path toward the bottom of the canyon. Ken happily dragged his feet at the back of the group, completely unworried. He was actually excited to meet a Prince who didn't act like a total snob. As they reached the flat ground in front of the massive, dark cave entrance, the two Royal units finally stood face-to-face. The contrast between them was funny. On one side were the fierce, combat-ready girls of the 13th Unit.

On the other side were the messy, exhausted engineers of the 9th Unit holding their wrenches.