Chương 172: Chapter : 172

"Ira is correct," Sayma sighed, closing the thick rulebook with a depressing thud.

"Why would any Prince or Princess help us? If they refuse to loan us a servant, we get disqualified, we lose the ten points, and we drop to the bottom of the leaderboard. By doing absolutely nothing, they eliminate a competitor. It is the smartest political move they can make." Laxmi threw her hands in the air, groaning in pure frustration.

"What about the 9th Prince? Prince Hephaestus likes us! We shared that underground mission with him! He would definitely lend us one of his engineers for the day!"

"Hephaestus is a kind man," Princess Iris agreed gently.

"But his engineers are not combat-ready for a tournament arena. More importantly, he has his own matches to fight. He needs every single member of his team just to survive his own bracket. He cannot spare anyone."

"What about the 8th Prince? I thought you have somewhat good relations with him." Zinia suggested.

"He is currently conducting naval drills at sea," Sayma countered instantly.

"We cannot reach him in time."

"What about Princess Hestia?" Ken joked loudly from the end of the table, offering a goofy, totally sarcastic grin.

"I bet she would love to help us. She is so sweet and friendly. We could just ask her nicely and bring her a fruit basket." Naomi rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him.

"Ken, Princess Hestia would rather eat a bowl of dirt than lift a single finger to help us. She hates this unit. She hates our messy estate, and she especially hates you."

"Hey, my charm is an acquired taste," Ken defended himself proudly, popping his collar. The brief spark of hope that the mercenary loophole had provided was completely extinguished. The elite girls looked around the table at each other, totally out of ideas. They had found the perfect rule to save their match, but they were surrounded by enemies who wanted nothing more than to see them fail. They were trapped. Sayma slowly took her glasses off, rubbing her eyes in pure exhaustion.

"It is over. We have no allies with available fighters. We have no one to ask. We are going to have to accept the disqualification and figure out how to recover from the point deficit next week." Laxmi kicked the leg of the table, looking incredibly bitter. Zinia slouched in her chair. Naomi stared at the floor, absolutely hating the feeling of surrendering without a fight. The grim, miserable mood was back, and this time, it felt permanent.

"Well, look on the bright side," Ken said lazily, stretching his arms high above his head and letting out a loud yawn.

"Since we have tomorrow off, we should plan a fun group activity. Does anyone want to go to the market and buy an excessive amount of ice cream? I am totally willing to eat my feelings." Just as Ken finished his sentence, a loud, sharp noise echoed through the estate. Stolen novel; please report. Clack. Clack. Clack. Someone was knocking firmly on the front gates of the courtyard. The entire unit stopped talking. Naomi instantly stood up, her hand dropping instinctively to the hilt of her dagger.

Sayma quickly put her glasses back on.

"Are we expecting a delivery?" Luna asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"No," Princess Iris said, standing up from her chair.

"Let us see who it is." The team walked out of the strategy room, marching together down the dusty wooden hallway and out the front doors. They stepped into the bright, sunny courtyard, curious and slightly defensive. Zinia walked forward and pulled the large iron gates open. Standing in the gateway, completely alone, was a girl. She was wearing a pristine, spotless white and gold combat uniform.

Her blonde hair was perfectly styled in elegant curls, and two razor-sharp silver short-swords hung securely at her hips. She stood with her chin held high, projecting an aura of absolute, undeniable superiority. But despite her proud posture, she looked incredibly uncomfortable. Her cheeks were flushed a bright, vibrant pink, and she was currently sporting an awkward, highly defensive, incredibly haughty scowl. It was Elma. The elite, vain swordswoman from the 16th Unit. The 13th Unit stopped dead in their tracks.

Laxmi's jaw literally dropped open. Naomi blinked her green eyes in total, absolute shock. They stared at the rival servant, completely unable to process why Princess Hestia's most arrogant fighter was standing at their front door. Elma refused to look at Naomi. She definitely refused to look at Ken, who was currently slouching near a stone pillar with his hands in his pockets. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed firmly on the brick wall of the estate. Elma cleared her throat, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"I heard a rather pathetic rumor that you are missing a fighter for your upcoming tournament match," Elma announced, her voice incredibly sharp and defensive, though the blush on her face completely ruined the tough attitude. She took a slow step into the courtyard, raising her chin even higher.

"Consider yourselves incredibly lucky," Elma declared loudly, still refusing to make eye contact with the messy boy in the blue suit.

"Because I am officially offering myself as your temporary ninth member."

The entire 13th Unit stood completely frozen in the middle of the dusty courtyard, staring at the front gates in absolute, stunned disbelief. Elma, the fiercely arrogant, twin-sword-wielding servant from the 16th Unit, was standing right there. Her pristine white and gold combat uniform was completely spotless, and her blonde hair was perfectly styled. But her usual haughty, superior attitude was nowhere to be found.

Instead, her cheeks were glowing a very bright, vibrant pink, and she was shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other. She refused to make eye contact with anyone, especially the messy, untucked boy slouching near the stone pillar. Naomi was the first one to break the absolute silence. She immediately stepped forward, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Her green eyes narrowed with deep, intense suspicion.

"What kind of trick is this, Elma?" Naomi demanded, her voice sharp and entirely untrusting.

"You expect us to believe that Princess Hestia just willingly sent her best fighter over here to help us? Princess Hestia absolutely hates us. She insulted our entire unit in the palace hallway just a few days ago. There is zero chance she would ever agree to loan you out to save us from disqualification."

"Yeah, this definitely feels like a trap," Laxmi agreed, stepping up right next to Naomi. The hot-headed fire user cracked her knuckles, a small, warning spark of orange flame popping between her fingers.

"Did she send you here to spy on us? Because if you are going to report our strategies back to your boss, you can turn around and walk right back out that gate." Elma's face turned an even brighter shade of pink. She looked incredibly flustered and totally out of her element. She opened her mouth to argue back, but the words seemed to get completely stuck in her throat.