Chương 344: Chapter : 344

"This is absolutely fantastic," Ken thought to himself. A massive, lazy smile spread across his face.

"I am getting elite bodyguards for free. They are going to do all my fighting for me. I will never have to lift a finger again. This is the absolute peak of the slacker lifestyle. I love this game." He reached into the bag and grabbed another handful of chips. The argument continued loudly in the bright morning sun. Ken sat by the fountain, totally relaxed, completely enjoying the absurd, hilarious show playing out right in front of him.

Ken Eliot stared straight up at the ceiling. A long, yellow wooden pencil wobbled dangerously on the very tip of his nose. He did not blink. He barely breathed. He held his arms out to his sides for perfect balance. He sat in his usual wooden chair at the end of the strategy room table. He wore his navy blue suit pants and a white dress shirt. The shirt hung completely untucked. He did not wear a tie today. His black hair stuck out in a messy, confused style.

"You are going to drop it," Laxmi teased. She leaned against the wooden table. She tossed a tiny orange flame between her fingers.

"It is leaning to the left."

"I will not drop it," Ken whispered carefully. He did not move his lips very much.

"I am setting a new personal record. I have been balancing this pencil for three entire minutes. It is a massive display of focus and dedication."

"It is a massive display of doing absolutely nothing," Naomi corrected him. She stood near the window. She crossed her arms and smiled. She did not yell at him today. She just watched him play his silly game. She treated him like a highly entertaining, slightly annoying friend.

"You should be cleaning your room, Ken. It looks like a tornado went through your closet."

"Cleaning requires standing up," Ken mumbled, keeping his eyes crossed to look at the pencil.

"Standing up requires energy. Energy is a very precious resource. I must conserve it." Zinia chuckled deeply from the corner of the room. The strong earth mage was stretching her arms.

"You conserve enough energy to power an entire city, Ken. I have never seen anyone work so hard to avoid actual work." Luna lay flat on a long wooden bench near the wall. She was fast asleep. A soft, knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She snored quietly. Risa sat on the floor next to the bench. The sweet pink-haired healer colored a picture in a small sketchbook. She drew a bright yellow sun and some green trees. Ira stood perfectly still by the door. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, balancing a wooden writing utensil on your face provides zero tactical benefits in a combat scenario."

"It builds character, Ira," Ken argued lazily. Suddenly, the door to the strategy room swung wide open. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The fun, relaxed atmosphere in the room completely shattered in a single second. The playful mood vanished. Princess Iris and Vice-Captain Sayma walked into the room. They looked incredibly distressed. They looked overwhelmingly anxious.

Princess Iris kept her back straight, but her violet eyes were full of deep concern. She wrung her hands together nervously. Sayma looked even worse. The highly intelligent, polite tactician was pale. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose with a shaking finger. She held a crisp, expensive-looking white envelope in her hand. The envelope featured a bright red wax seal. The girls in the room immediately noticed the shift in the mood. Laxmi extinguished her flame. Zinia stopped stretching.

Naomi stood up perfectly straight. Her green eyes scanned the hallway behind the Princess to check for danger.

"Princess?" Naomi asked. Her voice was full of concern.

"What is wrong? Did the Upper Council issue a new penalty? Did another Royal unit challenge us?" Sayma walked slowly to the wooden table. She pulled out a chair and sat down. She placed the white envelope on the wood. She stared at it like it was a poisonous snake. She let out a long, very sad sigh.

"It is not the Upper Council," Sayma stated quietly. Her voice lacked its usual confident, polite tone. It sounded defeated.

"And it is not a tournament challenge. It is much worse." Ken lost his concentration. He turned his head to look at Sayma. The yellow pencil slipped off his nose. It fell and bounced on the wooden table with a soft clatter.

"What is worse than a tournament challenge?" Ken asked lazily. He slouched his shoulders and rested his chin on his hands.

"Did the grocery store run out of potato chips? Because that is an absolute disaster." Naomi nudged his shoulder with her elbow.

"Be quiet, Ken. Look at her face. This is serious." Princess Iris walked over and placed a comforting hand on Sayma's shoulder. Iris looked at her vanguard team.

"Sayma just received a direct message from her family in the Inner City," Princess Iris explained softly.

"Her parents sent an official decree. They have aggressively orchestrated a high-profile marriage proposal for her. They want her to return home immediately to begin the arrangements." The entire room went totally silent. Laxmi's jaw dropped wide open. Zinia frowned deeply. Naomi uncrossed her arms and stared at the white envelope in pure shock.

"A marriage proposal?" Laxmi gasped. She pointed at the letter.

"Are you kidding me? Right in the middle of the Succession War? We are incredibly busy right now! We are fighting for the throne! You cannot just leave and get married!" Sayma took off her glasses. She rubbed her tired eyes.

"I know, Laxmi. But my family does not care about the 13th Unit. They never wanted me to serve Princess Iris in the first place. They think this unit is a complete joke. They want to use me for their own political gain." Sayma picked up the letter and opened it. She pulled out a fancy, gold-trimmed piece of paper.

"My parents found a very prominent nobleman," Sayma read from the letter. Her voice dripped with bitter resentment.

"His name is Scott. He comes from an incredibly wealthy, highly influential family. My parents believe that marrying him will secure a massive political advantage for our bloodline. They want to form an unbreakable alliance with his house." Ira stood perfectly still. Her pale eyes stared at the letter.

"Statistically speaking, arranged marriages among the high nobility are utilized in eighty-five percent of political treaties. It is a highly common transaction of human assets."

"I am not a human asset!" Sayma snapped. It was a very rare display of anger from the calm Vice-Captain. She slammed the letter back onto the table. Her eyes burned with fierce independence.

"I am a tactician. I am a warrior. I chose my own path when I joined Princess Iris. I refuse to be a pawn in their silly political games." Naomi nodded in absolute agreement. Her green eyes flashed with supportive anger.

"You tell them no, Sayma. You are our Vice-Captain. You do not have to listen to them. They cannot force you to marry some random snob from the Inner City."