Chương 165: Chapter : 165

Ken cracked one sleepy eye open. Naomi was standing right next to his chair. She was holding a clean cloth, casually wiping down the handles of her twin daggers. She didn't look angry, and she certainly didn't look disgusted by his messy appearance like she used to. Instead, she just bumped his shoulder with her elbow, treating him exactly like a highly annoying but amusing friend.

"I am not drooling," Ken mumbled, refusing to sit up straight.

"I am just resting my eyes. If I sit up, my spine has to do actual work, and my spine is currently on vacation until Monday. Please respect my schedule, Naomi." Naomi just rolled her green eyes and let out a soft, entertained chuckle.

"Your entire life is a vacation, Ken. But you better sit up anyway. Grandmaster Finlay called a meeting, and he sounded very serious." Around the strategy room, the rest of the elite girls were gathering. They all looked incredibly refreshed after two days of doing absolutely nothing. Laxmi was sitting on the edge of the large wooden table, swinging her legs and grinning. Zinia was stretching her arms, popping her knuckles with a loud, satisfying crack.

Sayma sat down with her neat notebook, pushing her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose, while Ira stood completely perfectly still by the window, staring blankly at the glass. Luna shuffled into the room last, rubbing her eyes and yawning so wide her jaw popped.

"Why are we having a meeting?" Luna complained, resting her head flat on the table right next to Ken.

"I was having a fantastic dream about a giant, very fluffy pillow."

"I totally agree," Ken chimed in, giving Luna a lazy high-five.

"Meetings are a massive drain on my energy. Can we just send an email instead?" Before anyone could answer his ridiculous question, the sturdy wooden door of the strategy room swung wide open. Grandmaster Finlay marched inside. The giant, imposing knight wore his shining silver armor, and his massive boots clanked loudly against the floorboards. His face was set in a deep, dark frown that immediately wiped the relaxed smiles off the girls' faces.

Princess Iris walked in right behind him, her violet eyes wide with a very sharp, very noticeable anxiety. The fun, lazy break was officially over.

"Attention, 13th Unit," Grandmaster Finlay announced. His booming voice echoed across the walls, making Ken wince and cover his ears.

"The rest period has concluded. I have just returned from the Upper Council building. The Emperor has issued a brand-new, highly alarming directive." Laxmi jumped off the table, her eyes lighting up with competitive excitement.

"A new mission? Finally! I was getting bored just sitting around the house. What are we doing? Hunting down another criminal organization? Exploring a dark cave?" Finlay shook his massive head. He walked over to the center of the table and slammed a crisp, white envelope down on the wood. The red wax seal was already broken. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"It is not a scavenger hunt, and it is not a dungeon raid," Finlay stated, his tone incredibly strict.

"The Emperor has grown tired of watching the Royal units avoid each other. He wants to force a direct confrontation. The upcoming mission is an official, highly publicized combat tournament. We have been selected for a direct, head-to-head match against another Royal family." The room buzzed with sudden energy.

"A direct match?" Zinia asked, crossing her strong arms and grinning.

"You mean a straight-up fight? No sneaking around, no looking for hidden clues? Just us against them?"

"Exactly," Princess Iris said, stepping forward. She did not share Zinia's excitement. She looked incredibly stressed.

"The Upper Council has set a massive prize for this tournament. The winning unit will secure exactly ten points. It is an incredible opportunity to climb the leaderboard."

"Ten points just for winning a fight?" Naomi asked, her green eyes sparking with confidence.

"We can absolutely do that. Our vanguard is flawless. We took down a Lamia boss and stopped a massive underground conspiracy. A straightforward tournament is going to be easy for us." Ken slouched further into his chair, letting out a loud, dramatic groan.

"Easy for you, maybe! I am highly allergic to tournaments! Tournaments mean people are watching, and when people watch, I actually have to pretend I am doing something! Can I be the team cheerleader? I have great vocal projection!"

"You are fighting with us, idiot," Naomi said, lightly smacking the back of his head.

"I wish it were that simple," Grandmaster Finlay interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. He looked at every single person in the room, making sure they understood the absolute severity of his next words.

"The ten points are incredibly tempting. But the Emperor attached a severe, unprecedented condition to this specific tournament. It is a strict, undeniable legal requirement." Sayma frowned, opening her notebook and grabbing her pen.

"What kind of requirement, Grandmaster?" Finlay took a deep breath.

"In order to step foot into the arena and participate in the match, every single Royal unit is legally required to field a complete, full roster. You must have exactly nine active servants present on the battlefield. If a unit shows up with even one person missing, they are instantly disqualified from the match." The entire strategy room went completely, totally, uncomfortably silent. Ken blinked his sleepy eyes.

He slowly lifted his hand and started counting on his fingers, mumbling out loud so everyone could hear his math.

"Okay, let me check the numbers," Ken said casually.

"Sayma is one. Naomi is two. Laxmi, Zinia, Luna, Ira... that is six. Plus me, the absolute star of the show. That makes seven." Ken dropped his hand and looked at the Grandmaster.

"Mr. Giant Silver Man, I am not a math professor, but seven is definitely less than nine. Are we allowed to bring a couple of cardboard cutouts and put hats on them?" Nobody laughed at his joke. The realization hit the elite girls like a physical punch to the stomach. Until now, the 13th Unit had never really worried about their missing members. They had managed to clear the slum dungeon and the underground bunker using only seven people.

They were a small, tight-knit group, and they functioned perfectly on their own. But this new mandate from the Emperor threw everything into absolute, undeniable panic.

"Disqualified?" Naomi gasped, her confident grin completely vanishing.

"If we don't have nine people, we don't even get to fight? We just lose the ten points by default?"

"Yes," Princess Iris answered, her voice trembling slightly.

"The Emperor is testing our administrative capabilities. He wants to see if we can manage a full army, not just a small strike team. If we cannot produce nine servants by the time the tournament begins, we forfeit the match. And worse, we will look incredibly weak to the rest of the capital." Sayma pushed her glasses up, her analytical mind spinning rapidly.

"This is a massive tactical disaster. We have always operated under capacity. We need to fill those two empty spots immediately."