Chương 119: Chapter : 119

"The 1st Prince and the 5th Prince are pulling ahead of us," Princess Iris said softly, her violet eyes filled with deep disappointment. She wasn't angry at her team; she was just incredibly sad.

"They are securing their positions at the top of the board, while we are slipping backward."

"It gets worse," Grandmaster Finlay added, his deep voice rumbling.

"The Upper Council monitors momentum. If a Royal unit shows weakness or starts losing points early in the war, the other nobles and politicians will stop supporting them. They will stop sending resources. Your claim to the throne is in severe jeopardy, Princess. If we do not recover these points quickly, the 13th Unit will be seen as a failing faction." Ira stared blankly at the wall.

"Statistically, units that fall behind in the first week of the Succession War have a ninety-five percent chance of complete elimination before the second month."

"Thank you for those incredibly depressing statistics, Ira," Zinia muttered, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Just what we needed to hear." The crushing reality of the math was impossible to ignore. They weren't just playing a game where they could try again tomorrow. They were fighting for the future of the Empire, and right now, they were losing badly. If Princess Iris was eliminated, her dream of saving the commoners and stopping the corruption in the Inner City would be completely destroyed.

"This is my fault," Naomi whispered, looking down at her empty hands.

"I am the vanguard leader. I should have been faster. I should have grabbed the Core before the 9th Unit's engineers even appeared under that stealth cloak. I let the Princess down."

"Do not say that, Naomi," Princess Iris said immediately, her voice firm and full of warmth. She reached across the table and placed her hand over Naomi's.

"You fought brilliantly today. You all did. You held off a Lamia boss and stood your ground against Hestia's entire formation. You did not fail me. The situation was simply out of our control." Sayma nodded gently, offering her friend a supportive smile.

"The Princess is right. We cannot change the past. The math is brutal, but fifteen points is still better than zero. We just have to work twice as hard on our next mission to make up for the loss."

"I am going to train all night," Laxmi declared, her fiery spirit slowly starting to return.

"Next time we see a shiny magical rock, I am going to grab it, and if anyone tries to take it from me, I will roast their eyebrows off." While the girls were trying to comfort each other and rebuild their confidence, a loud, highly annoying chewing sound echoed from the back of the room. Smack. Smack. Smack. Everyone turned their heads toward the tall wooden bookshelf in the corner. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ken poked his head out from behind the books. He had a goofy, totally oblivious smile on his face, and his cheeks were stuffed full of the last turkey and cheese sandwich.

"I am just saying," Ken mumbled through his food, swallowing loudly.

"If we are losing points for failing to find a rock, we should just tell the Emperor that the dog ate our homework. It is a classic excuse. It works at least forty percent of the time. Plus, if we drop out of the war, we don't have to wake up at five in the morning anymore. I see this as an absolute win for my sleep schedule." Naomi closed her eyes and took a very long, very deep breath. She was trying incredibly hard not to let her anger take over again.

"Ken," Naomi said, her voice strained and tight.

"You are completely useless. Please just stay behind the bookshelf for the rest of the day. If I have to look at your untucked shirt right now, I am going to lose my mind."

"You got it, boss lady!" Ken cheered happily, giving her a sloppy salute.

"I am going to take a nap back here. If anyone brings dessert into the room, please wake me up. Otherwise, pretend I am a piece of furniture." Ken ducked his head back behind the bookshelf, completely disappearing from view. He sat down on the floor, leaning his back comfortably against the wall. He let out a quiet, content sigh, popping the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. To the rest of the room, he was just a clueless, lazy idiot who didn't understand how serious the situation was.

He didn't care about the points, the leaderboard, or the throne. He just cared about taking a nap and avoiding extra chores. As the elite girls and the Grandmaster went back to discussing their grim, difficult future, Ken simply closed his eyes and got comfortable on the floor. He was perfectly happy to let them worry about the brutal mathematics, as long as it meant he could finally get some peace and quiet.

It was late at night, and the rest of the 13th Unit had finally gone to sleep after a completely miserable and exhausting day. The crushing five-point penalty from the Upper Council had left a gloomy cloud over the estate. Ken was just about to push his bedroom door open when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Naomi walking down the hall. She wasn't wearing her combat gear anymore.

Instead, she had on a simple, comfortable sweater, and her bright red hair was tied back in a loose, messy ponytail. She was holding a small, foil-wrapped package in her hand.

"Hey," Naomi said softly, stopping a few feet away from him. Her voice didn't have its usual bossy, shouting tone. She just sounded completely exhausted, but there was a warm, friendly look in her green eyes. Ken gave her a lazy, goofy smile.

"Hey, boss lady. Are you patrolling the hallways? Because if you are looking for volunteers for the night watch, my schedule is completely booked with sleeping." Naomi actually let out a small, tired laugh. She shook her head and held out the foil package.

"No, I am not making you do guard duty tonight, Ken. I just wanted to give you this." Ken blinked, taking the package. It felt warm. He peeled back a corner of the foil and his eyes instantly lit up. It was a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich.

"I noticed you didn't eat much at dinner," Naomi explained, crossing her arms loosely.

"And since you basically complained the entire walk back from the dungeon, I figured you were starving. Just eat it and go to sleep. Don't stay up all night reading those weird comic books of yours." Ken looked at the sandwich, then looked up at Naomi. A genuine smile spread across his face. Ever since the incident where he threw himself in front of the spear for her, her attitude toward him had completely shifted.

She was still strict, and she still scolded him when his shirt was untucked, but it felt totally different now. It felt like she was just managing a naughty, annoying friend rather than yelling at a useless servant.