Chương 157: Chapter : 157

The next morning, after the absolute chaos of the previous day, nobody was in the mood to do any serious training. The elite girls of the vanguard were scattered around the yard, enjoying a very rare moment of peace. Laxmi was sitting cross-legged on a wooden bench, casually tossing a small, orange flame between her hands like a baseball. Zinia was stretching her arms, letting out a loud groan as her sore muscles finally popped.

Sayma sat at a small outdoor table, quietly reviewing her neatly organized notebook, while Ira stood completely still beside her, staring blankly at a passing cloud. Luna was literally asleep while standing up, her shoulder resting comfortably against a stone pillar. And then there was Ken Eliot. Ken was currently sprawled out on the ground, lying flat on his back right in the middle of the courtyard. His dark blue servant uniform was wrinkled beyond repair.

His shirt was completely untucked, his tie was thrown loosely over his left shoulder, and he was using a folded-up jacket as a makeshift pillow. He looked like a guy who had just given up on the concept of standing entirely. Naomi walked out of the main house carrying a small basket of fresh apples. She didn't stomp her boots, and she didn't wear her usual, strict scowl. She stopped right next to Ken's head, looking down at his messy, sprawled-out form.

A few days ago, seeing him lie on the dirty ground would have made her scream at him for an hour. Today, she just let out a soft, amused sigh and shook her head.

"You look like a dropped pile of laundry, Ken," Naomi said playfully, nudging his shoe with the toe of her boot.

"Are you planning to sleep on the pavement all day, or are you actually going to join the land of the living?" Ken slowly opened one sleepy eye. He looked up at her and gave a goofy, totally relaxed smile.

"I am currently merging with the earth, Naomi," Ken mumbled lazily, not moving a single inch.

"Zinia told me earth magic is all about feeling the ground. I am just practicing. It is highly advanced training. Plus, walking requires moving my legs, and my legs are officially on strike after all the running we did yesterday." Naomi couldn't help but laugh. It was a bright, genuine sound. She reached into her basket and tossed a red apple perfectly into the air, letting it drop right onto his stomach.

"Catch, slacker," Naomi smiled, treating him exactly like a highly annoying but incredibly fun friend.

"Eat some breakfast before you completely waste away. You complain way too much for a guy who spent half the battle hiding." Ken grabbed the apple and took a loud, crunchy bite without even sitting up.

"Hiding is an art form, boss lady. It takes a lot of skill to find the most comfortable rock in a dark cave." The comfortable, joking banter between the two of them was a massive change from their usual arguments. The rest of the girls noticed it, too. Laxmi threw a totally harmless spark of fire toward Ken's foot just to make him flinch, laughing loudly when he yelled and pulled his leg away. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

But the relaxed, playful mood came to a sudden halt. The large front gates of the estate swung open with a loud, metallic clank. Grandmaster Finlay marched into the courtyard. The giant, imposing knight wore his shining silver armor, and his face was set in a deep, serious frown. In his massive, gauntleted hand, he held a crisp, white envelope sealed with the bright red wax stamp of the Upper Council. The laughter died instantly. Laxmi extinguished her flame. Luna woke up, blinking her tired eyes.

Sayma closed her notebook and stood up straight. Naomi's smile vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, undeniable anxiety. Ken slowly sat up, crossing his legs and chewing on his apple. He looked at the white envelope. He knew exactly what it was, but he decided to play along with the suspense.

"Uh oh," Ken said out loud, swallowing his food.

"That looks like official government mail. Did we get a parking ticket? Because I told you guys we shouldn't have parked the transport car so close to the dungeon entrance."

"Be quiet, Ken," Sayma whispered politely, her hands nervously adjusting her thick glasses.

"That is the official mission ruling from the Emperor's judges." Princess Iris quickly stepped out of the main house, walking into the courtyard to meet her Advisor. Her violet eyes were wide with worry. She knew exactly what was at stake. The day before, the 13th Unit had been hit with a mandatory five-point penalty for failing the initial race.

They had managed to grab a broken piece of the Core of Luminus, but they had spent the entire night wondering if the Upper Council would actually accept their crazy diplomatic loophole. If the judges rejected the broken piece, the 13th Unit would be stuck at a miserable fifteen points. They would fall to the absolute bottom of the Royal leaderboard, making them a prime target for elimination.

"Grandmaster Finlay," Princess Iris greeted him, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

"Is that the final verdict?" Finlay stopped in the center of the courtyard. He looked at the Princess, and then he looked around at the incredibly nervous faces of the vanguard.

"It is, Your Highness," Finlay rumbled, his deep voice carrying across the quiet space. He broke the red wax seal with his thumb and pulled out the thick piece of parchment.

"The Upper Council debated your submission until dawn. The judges were furious. The 1st Prince's supporters argued that bringing back a shattered artifact was a complete insult to the Emperor's challenge. They demanded that all three participating units be disqualified and hit with a massive point deduction for destroying a priceless item." Naomi groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"I knew it. I knew they wouldn't accept a broken rock. We are totally doomed." Laxmi kicked a small pebble across the yard in pure frustration.

"This is so unfair! We did the work! We fought the giant snake boss!"

"Please, allow me to finish," Finlay said firmly, raising his hand to silence the complaining. He looked down at the parchment again. A very rare, almost invisible smirk actually touched the corner of the giant knight's mouth.

"The 1st Prince's supporters argued fiercely," Finlay continued, his tone shifting just a fraction.

"However, the Head Judge intervened. He pulled up the exact, written wording of the original mission file. The Emperor's command simply stated: 'Secure the Core of Luminus.' It did not specify the condition of the core. It did not demand the entire core. It simply demanded the material." Princess Iris took a small step forward, her heart starting to beat wildly in her chest.

"Does that mean...?"

"It means," Finlay announced, his voice booming with undeniable pride, "that the diplomatic loophole has been officially accepted. Because the 13th Unit presented a genuine, glowing fragment of the Core to the Council, the mission is marked as a complete success."