Chương 89: Chapter : 89

"So, what is the target?" Laxmi asked eagerly, punching her open palm.

"If it is a race, what are we trying to catch? Is it a rare monster? Because if it is a monster, I call dibs on roasting it first." Grandmaster Finlay reached into a small leather pouch on his belt. He pulled out a single, thin piece of paper and handed it to Sayma.

"It is not a monster," Finlay said flatly.

"Your objective is to find and secure a mysterious artifact. It is called the Core of Luminus." Sayma took the paper and adjusted her glasses, reading the text very carefully. After a few seconds, she frowned. She flipped the paper over to check the back, but it was completely blank.

"Grandmaster," Sayma said, looking up with a very confused expression.

"This file is almost empty. It just has the name of the artifact and the starting location. There are no details here. What does the Core of Luminus actually look like? Is it a weapon? Is it a piece of jewelry? Is it a giant statue?"

"The Emperor's files do not explain what the Core looks like, or what it actually does," Finlay answered, his voice completely steady.

"Wait, hold on," Ken interrupted, taking a step forward and waving his hands.

"You are telling me we have to go on a highly dangerous, high-speed race against two other Royal teams to find an object, and we don't even know what the object looks like? That is not a mission! That is the worst scavenger hunt in history!" Naomi crossed her arms, looking just as frustrated as Ken.

"He actually has a point. How are we supposed to find it if we don't know what we are looking for? We could walk right past it and never even know."

"Maybe it's a giant, glowing piece of fruit," Ken guessed lazily, rubbing his chin.

"Or maybe it's invisible! Ooh, if it's invisible, we can just say we found it, hand them an empty box, and go home early!"

"Nobody is handing the Emperor an empty box, you idiot," Naomi snapped, glaring at him. Princess Iris stepped forward, folding her hands neatly in front of her.

"My father is doing this on purpose. He is testing our resourcefulness. He wants to see which Royal unit is smart enough to figure out the mystery on their own. We have to do our own research before we even step onto the battlefield." Sayma nodded slowly, tapping the paper.

"It is an information war. The team that figures out what the Core is first will have a massive tactical advantage. We will need to gather clues quickly before the other teams beat us to it."

"Exactly," Finlay agreed.

"And you must act fast, because the scoring for this mission is very strict. Completing this task and bringing the Core back to the Upper Council will reward the winning team with exactly 10 points." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Laxmi's jaw dropped.

"Only ten points?! Are you kidding me? We got twenty points yesterday for beating up Vane and his entire army of thugs! Why are we getting fewer points for fighting two other Royal units?"

"Because of the penalty," Finlay explained, his voice growing incredibly serious. The giant knight looked at every single member of the team, making sure they understood the danger.

"Any team that participates in this mission and fails to secure the artifact will suffer a 5-point deduction penalty." The courtyard went completely silent again. The girls stared at the Grandmaster in shock. Ken blinked his sleepy eyes and let out a loud, dramatic groan.

"Okay, now the math is just getting insulting. You want us to race two other teams, look for an invisible object, and if we lose, we actually lose points? Negative five? Does that mean I owe the Emperor points? Do I have to pay him out of my own pocket?"

"It means we drop down the leaderboard, Ken," Sayma said quietly, her face turning pale.

"If we fail, we don't just stay in place. We actively fall behind the other Royal families. If we lose too many points, Princess Iris could be eliminated from the Succession War entirely."

"This is a massive trap," Zinia realized, shaking her head.

"The Emperor is forcing us to gamble our current score. If we win, we get a small boost. But if we lose, we are heavily punished." Ira stared blankly ahead.

"There are three teams in this race. Only one can win. That means two teams are guaranteed to lose points today."

"Well, then let's just not play!" Ken suggested happily, throwing his hands up in a lazy shrug.

"Let's just stay home! We keep our twenty points from yesterday, we don't lose anything, and we can spend the whole afternoon playing card games in the living room. It is a foolproof plan! Who is with me?"

"We cannot stay home, Ken," Princess Iris said, her violet eyes shining with fierce determination.

"If we refuse a direct challenge from the Upper Council, we look like cowards. The other nobles will say the 13th Unit is scared of a real fight. We have to go out there, and we have to win." Naomi pulled her dagger out, the metal making a sharp clicking sound. She spun it in her hand, her competitive fire completely returning.

"The Princess is right. We aren't going to hide in this crumbling house while the other Royals take our points. I don't care who we are racing against. We are going to find that Core, and we are going to snatch it right out from under them." Laxmi grinned wildly, bumping her fists together.

"That's the spirit! Let them try to beat us! We'll just run them over!" Ken slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He looked at the highly motivated girls and let out a long, miserable whine. His plan to avoid work had completely failed once again.

"You guys have way too much energy for this time of the morning," Ken complained, dragging his feet across the stone floor.

"Fine. We can go on your terrible scavenger hunt. But if I can't find my own socks in the morning, do not expect me to find a mysterious magical artifact. I am just going to follow you guys around and complain the entire time."

"We wouldn't expect anything else from you, farm boy," Naomi sighed, shaking her head.

"Prepare your gear," Grandmaster Finlay ordered, turning around to walk back into the estate.

"You have a few hours to get ready. Then, you head into the city to start your hunt. Do not let the other Royals take this victory." The elite girls immediately broke off and rushed toward their rooms to grab their weapons and supplies. They were focused, organized, and ready to face the challenge head-on. Ken Eliot was the last one left standing in the courtyard. He casually scratched the back of his messy black hair and yawned loudly.