Chương 88: Chapter : 88

"Hey! I said gentle!" Ken yelped, stumbling backward and wiping the water out of his eyes.

"That felt like a rubber band snapping against my head! You are supposed to be the calm one!"

"You are clean now," Ira said in her usual deadpan, robotic voice. She turned around and walked away without another word. Laxmi burst into a fit of loud laughter, leaning against a stone pillar.

"Ira is right, farm boy! You look much better. You only have a little bit of ash on your chin now. It makes you look like you have a very weird beard."

"I don't want a beard," Ken grumbled, trying to wipe his chin with the wet towel. He slouched his shoulders and let his untucked shirt hang loosely over his belt.

"I just want to go back inside, sit on a comfortable chair, and eat a giant bowl of cereal. We have done way too much cardio today, and it is not even breakfast time yet." Zinia, who was doing deep squats to warm up her legs, rolled her eyes.

"You ran in circles for three minutes, Ken. That does not count as a workout. Stop whining." Before Ken could argue back and demand a snack, a loud, heavy sound echoed across the courtyard. Clank. Clank. Clank. The heavy wooden doors of the estate swung wide open. Grandmaster Finlay marched into the courtyard, his massive silver armor shining brightly in the morning sun. His heavy metal boots made the ground shake just a little bit with every step he took.

Princess Iris walked right beside him, looking completely rested and very serious. Sayma and the rest of the girls followed closely behind them, their faces set in strict, professional expressions.

"Attention, 13th Unit!" Grandmaster Finlay's massive voice boomed across the yard. It was so loud it sounded like a sudden clap of thunder. Ken immediately winced and covered his ears with his hands.

"Ow, ow, ow! Volume control, please! We are all standing right here in the same yard! There is absolutely no need to shout! My ears are ringing!" Naomi stepped up right beside Ken and smacked him hard on the back of the shoulder.

"Stand up straight, Ken! The Grandmaster is talking!" Ken let out a miserable groan, slowly pushing his shoulders back and letting his arms hang by his sides. He gave the Grandmaster a goofy, tired smile, hoping this was just a quick morning greeting so he could finally go eat. Princess Iris stepped forward. Her violet eyes scanned the group of elite girls, and then she looked at Ken.

"I know you are all hoping for a day of rest after clearing the Doom Tower yesterday. You all fought bravely, and you earned a break."

"Yes! Finally, someone who understands me!" Ken cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Thank you, Princess! I am going to go take a nap right now. Wake me up when it's time for dinner." Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"However," Princess Iris continued, completely ignoring Ken's happy cheering.

"We do not have time to rest. The Upper Council has just issued a brand-new mission." The entire courtyard went completely silent. Ken slowly lowered his hands, his jaw dropping open in a look of total, genuine annoyance.

"Another mission?!" Naomi asked, her green eyes going wide with surprise.

"Already? But the war just started yesterday! Usually, Royal units get at least a few days to recover after completing a major B-rank task!" Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose, her mind already analyzing the situation.

"The Emperor is moving faster than usual. He must want to keep the pressure on all the candidates. He does not want anyone getting too comfortable in their estates."

"Comfortable is my favorite word!" Ken whined, stomping his cheap shoe on the stone floor.

"Why does the Emperor hate comfort? This is highly unfair! We just saved the city yesterday! Can't we just use some of our sick days?"

"There are no sick days in a war, Eliot," Grandmaster Finlay rumbled, crossing his giant arms over his chest. He looked at Ken like he was a very annoying, very loud insect.

"And you need to listen carefully, because this task is very different from the fight in the slums. This is not a standard combat mission." Laxmi stopped laughing and stepped forward, a small spark of fire popping in her hand. She looked excited.

"If it's not a combat mission, what is it? Do we have to guard a boring politician? Or escort a shiny carriage across town?"

"Neither," Finlay said, his voice dropping to a serious, heavy tone.

"This specific mission has been assigned to three different Royal units at the exact same time. It is a direct race." The girls exchanged shocked looks. Even Luna, who had been leaning against a wall half-asleep, opened her eyes fully.

"A race?" Zinia asked, crossing her strong arms.

"You mean we are going to be put on the exact same battlefield as two other Princes or Princesses?"

"Yes," Sayma answered, stepping forward to explain.

"Normally, the Upper Council gives each Royal a separate target to avoid direct conflict in the early stages of the war. But if they are intentionally sending three units to the exact same place for the exact same goal, it means the Emperor wants us to clash. He wants to see how we handle fighting other Royal teams." Ken threw his hands on top of his head, acting completely panicked.

"A surprise race?! That sounds like the absolute worst party game ever! I am terrible at racing! My legs are too short, and my shoes have zero grip! Can I just stay here and be the referee? I am very good at blowing a whistle and doing absolutely nothing!"

"You are going with us, and you are going to help," Naomi ordered, pointing a strict finger right at his nose.

"We cannot afford to leave anyone behind if we are facing other Royal units. Some of the other Princes have incredibly dangerous servants. We need all hands on deck."

"But my hands are tired!" Ken complained, showing her his palms.

"Look at them! They are exhausted from holding that wet towel!" Princess Iris gave Ken a soft, patient smile.

"I know it is sudden, Ken. But we have no choice. If we win this race, it will prove to the entire Empire that our victory previously was not just a lucky accident. We have to show them that the 13th Unit is a real threat." Ken slouched back down, letting out a massive sigh.

"Fine. But I am demanding double snacks for this. If I have to run against fancy knights from the Inner City, I need extra fuel."

"We can discuss your snacks later," Finlay barked, bringing the attention back to the mission.

"Right now, we need to talk about the target. Because winning this race is not going to be easy, and the stakes are completely different this time."