Chương 451: Chapter : 451

Naomi sat across from him. She smiled a warm, friendly smile. She playfully nudged his knee with her combat boot.

"We are here, Ken. You can stop sleeping now." Ken slouched his shoulders.

"I was not sleeping, Naomi. I was resting my eyes. The carriage ride was very bumpy. My spine is currently filing a formal complaint."

"You snored the entire time," Laxmi laughed cheerfully. She tossed a tiny orange spark between her fingers.

"Let us get outside. I want to stretch my legs." They stepped out of the carriage. The 13th Unit stood on the paved streets of Mira. Mira was a large, strategic city. It usually looked vibrant and busy. Today, it looked completely different. Thick gray smoke rose into the sky. Many buildings showed massive damage. Stone walls were smashed into pieces. Wooden carts lay broken on the sidewalks. The local defense forces ran frantically down the street. The soldiers looked exhausted. They carried injured comrades.

The citizens of Mira were hiding indoors. Princess Iris looked around. Her violet eyes filled with deep concern. She gripped her silver rapier.

"The damage is extensive," Princess Iris said softly. She watched a group of local guards retreat.

"The invasion has already reached the city limits." Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook.

"Our intelligence reports were accurate. The Lion King is attacking Mira. His forces are incredibly aggressive."

"A Lion King?" Ken mumbled lazily. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"Does he have a mane? I really do not want to fight a giant cat. Cats are very fast. They scratch people. I am allergic to scratching." Naomi chuckled softly. She bumped her shoulder against his arm.

"He is not an actual lion, Ken. He is a warlord. He leads a massive army. Stay close to us. You will be perfectly safe."

"I plan to stay extremely safe," Ken agreed happily. He pulled a wrapped strawberry candy from his pocket. He popped it into his mouth.

"I am going to find a very comfortable rock. I will sit there until the fighting stops." Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage looked at the ruined buildings.

"We cannot stand out here in the open. The enemy forces could arrive at any minute. We need a secure location. We need to set up a forward operational base."

"Zinia is correct," Princess Iris ordered calmly.

"We must coordinate our counteroffensive. We cannot fight blindly. We need a safe zone." They walked down the damaged street. They found an abandoned tavern. The windows were shattered. The wooden sign was broken. But the stone walls were completely intact. The building looked very sturdy.

"This will work," Sayma noted politely. She walked inside the tavern.

"The structure is solid. We can establish our command center here." Stolen story; please report. The 13th Unit walked inside. The tavern was dark and dusty. Overturned chairs littered the floor. A large wooden table sat in the center of the room. Ken immediately spotted a long, padded booth in the corner. His sleepy eyes lit up with pure joy. He shuffled over to the booth. His cheap shoes scuffed the wooden floorboards. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He collapsed onto the soft cushions.

He slouched his shoulders and let out a long sigh of absolute comfort.

"I call dibs on this booth," Ken announced lazily. He crossed his ankles.

"This is my official tactical position. Please do not ask me to move. I am very busy testing the cushion density." Luna walked over to the same booth. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive yawn. She sat down right next to Ken. She rested her head against the wooden wall.

"I will help you test the cushions. I am incredibly tired." Risa walked into the tavern. The sweet pink-haired healer carried her medical bag. She looked at the broken glass on the floor. She looked very sad.

"The people in this city must be so scared. The Lion King ruined their homes." Princess Iris placed a gentle hand on Risa's shoulder.

"We will stop him, Risa. We will protect this city. Zinia, please secure the perimeter."

"Right away, Princess," Zinia replied firmly. The earth mage stomped her boots on the floor. She placed her hands against the stone walls. She used her magic to reinforce the building. Thick slabs of solid rock covered the broken windows. The rock sealed the back doors. The tavern became a highly secure fortress. Laxmi walked around the dark room. She held a bright orange flame in her palm. The fire illuminated the space. She lit several old lanterns on the walls. The tavern filled with a warm, flickering light.

"The base is secure," Zinia reported. She dusted off her hands.

"Nobody is getting inside without our permission." Sayma walked to the large wooden table in the center of the room. She cleared away the broken cups. She set her notebook down. She reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small, glowing blue magical crystal.

"I will activate the reconnaissance feed," Sayma stated politely. She placed the crystal on the table. The blue crystal projected a bright holographic map into the air. The map showed the entire city of Mira. It also showed the surrounding fields. Tiny red dots moved across the map. The red dots represented the invading army. Naomi walked over to the table. She rested her hands on her hips. She looked at the moving red dots.

"They are moving very fast. They are completely ignoring the local barricades."

"The local defenses are entirely shattered," Sayma explained. She pushed her glasses up again.

"The civilian infrastructure took a massive hit. The Lion King is using a very aggressive deployment strategy. He wants to overwhelm the city before the central government sends more troops." Princess Iris stared at the holographic map. Her violet eyes were incredibly focused. She analyzed the enemy movements.

"We cannot let them reach the inner city sectors. There are too many innocent civilians hiding there. We must intercept them."

"I agree," Naomi smiled a confident, brave smile. She spun her twin silver daggers.

"We need to hit them hard. We need to stop their advance right now." Ken watched the glowing map from his comfortable booth. He chewed his strawberry candy loudly. He slouched his posture. He did not care about the tactical map. He did not care about the invading army. He just wanted a nice, quiet afternoon.

"You guys are talking about running again," Ken complained lazily. He pointed a finger at the table.

"Running is a terrible idea. We just got here. The carriage ride was exhausting. We should order some local takeout food. We should eat first. You cannot fight a warlord on an empty stomach." Laxmi laughed out loud. She walked over to the booth. She playfully tossed a tiny spark of fire near his shoe. Ken quickly pulled his foot back with a goofy yelp.

"You are always hungry, Ken," Laxmi teased cheerfully.

"We do not have time for takeout. We have to save the city."