Chương 136: Chapter : 136

But then, a small, highly amused smile broke across her face. She couldn't help it. His absolute refusal to take anything seriously was exactly why she respected him so much. He was completely immune to everyone and everything.

"You are an incredibly frustrating man, my Master," Leviathan chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"I try my best," Ken mumbled sleepily into his pillow.

"Turn the lights out when you leave." Leviathan offered a deep, elegant bow to his back, even though he couldn't see her.

"Rest well, my Sovereign," she whispered gracefully. With a soft, rushing sound like water pulling away from a shoreline, Leviathan stepped backward. The freezing shadows wrapped around her beautiful form, pulling her down into the darkness. In the blink of an eye, the Demon Queen of Serpents completely vanished from the bedroom. The unnatural cold immediately lifted from the air, replaced by the normal, slightly dusty warmth of the old estate. Ken let out a long, happy sigh.

He wiggled his toes under the blanket, finally getting perfectly comfortable on the mattress. The annoying politics of Dr. Raven were a problem for tomorrow. The jealousy of an ancient demon was a problem for never. Right now, the only thing Ken cared about was picking up right where he left off in his dream about the potato farm. The room went completely silent, and within two minutes, the lazy boy was fast asleep, totally unbothered by the crazy, magical world spinning out of control all around him.

Ken Eliot stood in the middle of the 13th Unit's courtyard, chewing loudly on a piece of burnt toast. He looked around and let out a very long, highly exaggerated sigh.

"Is there a convention going on that I didn't know about?" Ken mumbled, taking another bite.

"Because our front yard is currently at maximum capacity. I barely had enough room to walk out of the front door without stepping on somebody's shiny boots." The estate was absolutely packed. Princess Iris had called an emergency joint assembly, and both of the allied Royal teams had actually shown up. On the right side of the courtyard stood the 16th Unit. Princess Hestia and her nine elite servants looked absolutely flawless.

They wore their spotless white and gold combat uniforms, their posture completely rigid and perfect. They looked like they had just stepped out of a high-fashion magazine, completely ignoring the dust and cracked stones of the old courtyard. On the left side stood the 9th Unit. Prince Hephaestus and his team of engineers looked exactly the opposite. They were wearing thick leather aprons covered in dark grease stains.

Most of them were slouching, rubbing their tired eyes, and drinking black coffee out of dented metal thermoses. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. And right in the middle was the 13th Unit. Laxmi was stretching her arms, grinning excitedly. Luna was leaning heavily against Zinia's shoulder, literally sleeping while standing up. Sayma was flipping through her notebook, and Ira was staring blankly at a spot on the wall.

Naomi walked over to Ken. She didn't glare at him with absolute disgust like she used to. Instead, she just shook her head and lightly smacked the back of his arm, exactly like a strict older sister dealing with a naughty friend.

"Chew with your mouth closed, Ken," Naomi scolded him gently.

"And try to stand up straight. We are hosting two other Royal families right now. You look like a walking laundry pile. Your tie is literally hanging over your left shoulder." Ken gave her a goofy, relaxed smile and swallowed his toast.

"Hey, boss lady. I am just trying to conserve my energy. If I stand up straight, my back muscles have to work. That is a terrible waste of calories. Plus, the shiny people over there are already doing enough standing up straight for all of us." Zaima, the bitter lookalike of Sayma from Hestia's team, overheard him. She turned her head and glared at Ken with pure hatred.

"Keep your voice down, you messy idiot. The fact that my Princess has to stand in this dirty, ruined courtyard is already insulting enough. Do not make it worse by opening your mouth." Ken didn't even flinch. He just gave Zaima a lazy, two-finger salute.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Sunshine! By the way, careful where you step. Laxmi dropped a piece of sticky candy on the ground over there yesterday, and it will totally ruin your nice white shoes." Zaima instantly looked down at her pristine boots in a panic, taking a quick step backward. Naomi couldn't help it; she let out a short, quiet snort of laughter before quickly covering her mouth to hide it. She nudged Ken's shoulder again.

"Stop teasing them before they actually try to stab you," she whispered, though she was clearly amused.

"I am just being a helpful host," Ken whispered back. He looked over at the 9th Unit. Heart, the tough Vice-Captain of the engineers, was taking a massive gulp of coffee. Ken raised his hand and waved at her.

"Hey! Heart! Is there any extra coffee in that thermos? I am operating on three hours of sleep, and my brain feels like mashed potatoes." Heart lowered her thermos and gave Ken a tired, highly relatable smirk.

"Sorry, kid. We drank the whole pot at three in the morning. We were up all night fixing a broken engine valve. You are going to have to survive on your own."

"Tragic," Ken complained, slouching his shoulders even further.

"This alliance is completely failing to meet my breakfast needs." Before Ken could ask anyone else for snacks, the heavy wooden doors of the estate swung open. The casual talking and arguing in the courtyard instantly stopped. Everyone stood at attention. Walking out into the morning sun were Princess Iris, Princess Hestia, and Prince Hephaestus. But they were not alone.

Stepping out right behind the Royal siblings were the two highest-ranking military minds in the entire alliance: Grandmaster Finlay and Grandmaster Yukihime. The contrast between the two Advisors was incredible. Finlay was a towering mountain of muscle covered in thick silver armor, looking like a human tank. Yukihime was sleek, elegant, and chillingly quiet, wearing a spotless white martial arts tunic with a long katana strapped to her hip. The two Grandmasters walked to the very center of the courtyard.

The sheer, overwhelming aura of discipline and authority they radiated made even Ken stand just a tiny bit straighter. Yukihime stepped forward first. Her icy blue eyes swept across the three gathered units. The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the wind blowing through the trees.

"Listen closely," Grandmaster Yukihime announced. Her voice was smooth, elegant, and completely deadly.

"Last night, the 13th Princess and the 9th Prince requested that my intelligence network track down the masked mercenaries who interfered with our mission in the Blood Fault Dungeon. I am pleased to report that the Black Viper thieves did not cover their tracks as well as they thought they did." Princess Hestia smiled proudly, crossing her arms over her pristine silk dress.

"I told you my Advisor was the best in the Empire. Nobody can hide from her."