Chương 139: Chapter : 139

"This is completely ridiculous," Elma complained in a harsh whisper as they crept down the dark, metallic hallway. She stepped carefully over a puddle of oily water, lifting her nose in the air.

"I cannot believe Princess Hestia is forcing me to crawl through a dirty metal tube with a bunch of rejects. Look at this rust! If I get a single stain on my uniform, I am going to hold you all personally responsible." Naomi rolled her green eyes, keeping her focus on the shadows ahead.

"Keep your voice down, Elma. We are inside a hostile bunker. Nobody cares about your laundry right now." Raja, the quiet engineer, swallowed nervously and pulled a small, glowing scanner from his toolbelt.

"She is right, please be quiet," Raja mumbled, looking down at his screen.

"I am picking up a lot of security sensors in the walls. If we trip an alarm, they are going to lock the doors and flood this hallway with toxic gas." Ken let out a loud, highly dramatic sigh from the back of the group. His cheap shoes made a quiet scuffing sound against the metal floor grids.

"I am just saying, this floor is terrible for my knees," Ken complained casually, totally ignoring the fact that they were in a deadly stealth mission.

"I literally just got this suit tailored yesterday. It is highly fashionable. Now I have to crouch in a dark tunnel that smells like old pennies and wet metal. It is a total fashion disaster. Raja, do you have any snacks in that giant toolbelt of yours? Maybe a granola bar?" Raja looked over his shoulder, blinking in sheer confusion.

"Uh... no? I have wire cutters, a laser torch, and a thermal detonator." Ken groaned miserably.

"A detonator? You can't eat a detonator. This alliance is a complete failure." Elma stopped walking and spun around to glare at Ken. She gripped the handles of her twin silver swords.

"Why did you even come with us?! You are nothing but dead weight! All you do is complain about your clothes and your stomach! You don't even have a weapon!" Naomi immediately stepped between them, holding her hand out to block Elma. She didn't glare at Ken with pure disgust anymore. Ever since Ken had saved her life in the dungeon yesterday, Naomi treated him more like a naughty, incredibly annoying friend who needed constant supervision.

"Leave him alone, Elma," Naomi scolded softly, though she quickly turned to give Ken a strict look.

"And you, zip your lips. We need to get through this corridor without waking up the entire guard force."

"My lips are officially zipped," Ken promised, making a locking motion over his mouth and throwing the invisible key over his shoulder. They continued moving silently down the dark hallway. The only lights came from flickering, broken bulbs on the ceiling. The air was thick and humid, making the metal walls sweat with condensation. They eventually reached a massive, heavy security door that was completely blocking their path. There was no handle, just a complicated digital keypad glowing with a harsh red light.

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"I got this," Raja whispered, quickly stepping up to the door. He pulled a small screwdriver and a hacking device from his belt. He popped the metal cover off the keypad and started furiously connecting wires.

"Give me three minutes. I just need to bypass the mainframe without triggering the silent alarm." Naomi and Elma took positions on either side of the hallway, keeping their eyes peeled for any approaching guards. Ken just leaned his back against the cold metal wall, letting out a soft, bored yawn, and watched Raja work. As they stood there in the quiet, flickering light of the corridor, Elma turned her head. She looked closely at Naomi.

Because they were standing still, Elma finally had a chance to really look at the red-haired girl from the 13th Unit. Elma's snooty, arrogant expression slowly faded away. Her eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise. She tilted her head, staring at the way Naomi held her daggers, the specific stance of her combat boots, and the intense focus in her green eyes.

"Wait a second," Elma said softly, completely breaking the silence. She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Naomi.

"I know you." Naomi blinked, keeping her daggers raised.

"What are you talking about? We just met yesterday."

"No, not from yesterday," Elma insisted, her voice losing its mocking edge. She sounded absolutely shocked.

"I recognize your fighting stance. I recognize your face. You are Naomi. From the Royal Knight Academy." Naomi's posture instantly went rigid. The fierce, confident look on her face faltered. She quickly looked down at the metal floor, her grip tightening nervously on her weapons. Ken peeked open one sleepy eye. He stopped slouching quite as much, sensing a sudden, heavy shift in the atmosphere. The tension in the hallway had completely changed from standard mission anxiety to something deeply personal.

"The Royal Knight Academy?" Raja whispered, briefly looking away from his hacking device.

"That is the most prestigious military school in the entire Empire. Only the absolute best nobles get accepted there."

"Exactly," Elma said, taking a slow step toward Naomi.

"I was a first-year student when you were in your final year. I used to watch you in the training yard. You were the absolute top of your class. Your dagger techniques were completely flawless. The instructors said you were a prodigy. They said you were guaranteed to become a top-ranking commander for the Imperial Guard." Elma lowered her silver swords, her face filled with deep, profound confusion.

"But then, a few months before graduation, you just vanished," Elma continued, staring at the red-haired girl.

"You completely dropped out. The instructors wouldn't talk about it. Nobody knew where you went. And now... now I find you here? Working for the 13th Princess? A Royal who has no money, no political power, and an estate that is literally falling apart?" Naomi refused to look at her. She stared hard at the metal floor grids.

"Why did you leave?" Elma asked, her voice pushing for an answer. For a girl obsessed with perfection and status, quitting the most elite academy in the world made absolutely no logical sense.

"You threw away a perfect, shiny career to become a nobody. Why would you do something so completely foolish?" Naomi swallowed hard. The fierce, tough exterior she wore every single day was crumbling. Ken watched her closely from the wall. He remembered the quiet, emotional conversation they had shared in the courtyard the other night. He knew exactly why she had left. She had refused to serve the cruel, corrupt Royals, and her proud family had completely disowned her for it.

"Timing is different for everyone," Naomi finally answered quietly. Her voice was tight, and she sounded incredibly uncomfortable.

"The Academy... it just wasn't the right path for me anymore." Elma scoffed, shaking her head.

"That is not a real answer. You had everything! You could have been a legend!"