Chương 356: Chapter : 356

"Ira is totally right," Ken agreed cheerfully. He pointed a finger at the ceiling.

"Bullies are always full of massive blind spots. They spend too much time laughing at you. They forget to actually win the game. We just need to annoy him. If we annoy him, he will make a huge mistake." Naomi chuckled quietly. She looked at Ken with genuine appreciation.

"You are an absolute expert at annoying people, Ken. You are definitely our secret weapon for this match."

"I aim to please," Ken smiled lazily. He let his chair drop forward. The front legs hit the floorboards with a soft thud. Grandmaster Finlay cleared his throat. The loud sound silenced the room again. He looked at the team with a very grim expression.

"Julian's cruelty is not our only problem," Finlay announced. He tapped the rolled-up scroll on the table.

"The Upper Council included a very strict reminder in this directive. We are facing a direct, head-to-head arena match. The rules of the tournament have not changed." Sayma instantly turned pale. She stopped clicking her pen. She looked up at the Grandmaster.

"The roster rule."

"Yes," Finlay nodded slowly.

"The Emperor legally mandates a full roster for this specific match format. We must field exactly nine servants in the arena tomorrow. If we are missing even a single person, we will be instantly disqualified. We will lose the match by default." Laxmi threw her hands in the air.

"Are you kidding me?! We are dealing with this ridiculous rule again?!" Luna mumbled sleepily from her wooden bench. She did not open her eyes.

"I thought we fixed this problem. Did Olivia finally make it back from the border provinces? Can she fight with us tomorrow?" Princess Iris shook her head gently. She looked very sad.

"I received a message from Olivia last night. The bridge reconstruction is taking much longer than anticipated. She is still trapped on the other side of the ravine. She will not return to the capital for another three weeks."

"Three days is too late," Zinia stated. She rubbed her strong jaw.

"The match is tomorrow morning. We are short one person again." The strategy room filled with a very intense, strict mood. The 13th Unit only had eight active servants. Sayma, Naomi, Laxmi, Zinia, Ira, Luna, Risa, and Ken. They were incomplete. They could not enter the stadium. Ken grabbed another potato chip. He popped it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. He looked around at the stressed faces of his teammates.

"Well, this is very easy to solve," Ken suggested lazily. He wiped some salt off his fingers.

"We just use the exact same trick we used last time. We invoke the mercenary clause. We borrow a player from another team." Naomi looked at him. She crossed her arms.

"Borrow someone? Ken, we only know one person who is willing to fight for us. And she belongs to our absolute worst rival." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Elma is not that bad," Ken smiled goofily. He thought about the fancy chocolate cakes and the strawberry candies.

"She buys excellent snacks. I think she is a fantastic teammate. We should just call her up." Sayma pushed her glasses up. She looked at Princess Iris.

"Ken is logically correct. We have no other options. We do not have any political allies in the capital. The 16th Unit is the only team with a proven mercenary track record with us. We must ask Princess Hestia to loan Elma to us for a second time." Princess Iris closed her violet eyes. She took a deep, steady breath. She absolutely hated dealing with her arrogant sister. She knew Hestia would use this opportunity to mock her. But Iris also knew she had a duty to her unit.

She could not let her team get disqualified.

"You are right, Sayma," Princess Iris decided. Her voice sounded very brave. She opened her eyes.

"We will invoke the mercenary clause. Please bring me the magical communication mirror. I will contact Hestia right now." Sayma quickly walked over to a secure cabinet. She pulled out a large, silver-framed mirror. The mirror surface looked like smooth, dark glass. Sayma placed the mirror gently onto the center of the wooden table. Ken leaned forward. He watched the dark glass. He found magical communication very interesting. It was like a highly advanced video call.

"I hope Hestia is in a good mood," Ken joked lazily.

"Maybe she just took a very nice nap. Naps always make people friendlier."

"Hestia is never friendly," Naomi warned him softly. She stood close to Ken. She prepared herself for a very unpleasant conversation. Sayma tapped the edge of the mirror three times. She fed a tiny spark of mana into the silver frame. The dark glass instantly glowed with a bright, swirling blue light. The blue light pulsed softly. The 13th Unit waited in complete silence. They stared at the glowing mirror. The fate of their entire tournament match depended on this single phone call. They needed Elma.

They needed a ninth servant. And they were about to ask the most arrogant Princess in the Empire for a massive favor.

The swirling blue light on the communication mirror finally stabilized. The blurry image sharpened into a perfectly clear, high-definition picture. Princess Hestia appeared on the glass. Hestia sat in a lavish, pristine white parlor. She wore a stunning white silk dress with gold embroidery. Her auburn hair was styled in flawless, elegant curls. She held a delicate porcelain teacup in her hand. She took a slow, highly polite sip of her tea. She looked completely relaxed. She looked absolutely superior.

Standing directly behind Hestia's fancy chair was Zaima. The bitter, scowling servant wore her spotless white and gold uniform. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She glared through the mirror at the 13th Unit.

"Iris," Princess Hestia greeted smoothly. Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. She set her teacup down onto a glass table.

"What a completely expected surprise. I knew you would call me today." Princess Iris maintained her regal composure. She stood perfectly straight. She did not let her sister's arrogant tone bother her.

"Good morning, Hestia. I am glad you are available." Hestia let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Of course I am available. I have been waiting for your call all morning. You look incredibly stressed, little sister. Are you struggling to manage your messy little team again?" Zaima sneered loudly in the background. She pointed a sharp finger at the mirror.

"Look at them, Princess Hestia. They look like absolute beggars. That lazy commoner does not even have his shirt tucked in." Ken noticed Zaima pointing at him. He slouched his shoulders even further. He raised his hand and gave the mirror a massive, goofy, very energetic wave.

"Hey, Zaima!" Ken yelled cheerfully. He totally ignored her insult.

"Your hair looks very nice today! Are you having a good morning? Because I am having a fantastic morning! I just ate a bag of potato chips!" Zaima's face instantly turned bright red with pure anger.

"Shut up, you useless slacker! Do not speak to me!" Naomi chuckled softly. She nudged Ken's arm again.

"Good job," she whispered with a warm smile.