Chapter : 158
Chapter : 158
The courtyard was frozen in absolute, stunned silence for three seconds.
"Furthermore," Finlay read the final line of the letter, "the mandatory five-point penalty has been erased. The 13th Unit is hereby awarded the full ten points for completing a high-level competitive race against rival factions. Your total score is now officially thirty points."
"YES!" Laxmi screamed at the top of her lungs.
The hot-headed fire user literally jumped into the air, pumping both of her fists toward the sky. Bright orange sparks popped like fireworks above her head. Zinia let out a massive, joyful cheer, grabbing Laxmi by the shoulders and shaking her happily. Luna actually smiled, clapping her hands together with surprising energy. Even Ira, who never showed a single ounce of emotion, blinked twice and gave a very small, crisp nod of approval.
Naomi let out a breath that sounded like a sob of pure relief. She leaned against a stone pillar, covering her eyes as a massive, crushing weight completely lifted off her shoulders. They hadn't failed. They weren't at the bottom of the leaderboard. They were sitting pretty at thirty points, keeping them right in the middle of the incredibly fierce Succession War.
Princess Iris closed her eyes. A bright, beautiful smile spread across her face. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling a profound sense of peace. Her dream of saving the outer districts and fixing the corrupt Empire was still entirely alive.
Ken took another loud bite of his apple, chewing happily as he watched the girls celebrate.
"See? I told you guys," Ken mumbled with his mouth full, completely unfazed by the dramatic news. "Reading the fine print always pays off. And they say lazy people don't know how to follow directions. We followed them perfectly! Just in pieces!"
The celebration continued for a few more minutes. The girls chattered excitedly, completely energized by the incredible news. They had survived their first major clash against other Royal families, and they had walked away as undeniable winners.
But Princess Iris knew exactly how they had managed to pull off the impossible victory. She knew that without one specific, completely ridiculous moment of sheer clumsiness, they would have been locked in a brutal, unending war with Princess Hestia.
Iris gently raised her hands, asking her team for quiet.
The girls quickly calmed down, turning their attention back to their leader. They expected her to give a classic, inspiring speech about teamwork and determination. They expected her to praise the vanguard for their flawless combat skills.
Instead, Princess Iris turned completely away from the elite fighters.
She walked right past Sayma. She walked right past Naomi. She walked straight over to the boy sitting in the dirt with an untucked shirt and a half-eaten apple in his hand.
Princess Iris stopped right in front of Ken Eliot, and she gave him a look of absolute, undeniable gratitude.
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"We need to be completely honest about what happened yesterday," Princess Iris said, her clear voice carrying across the quiet courtyard. "We fought brilliantly against the dungeon monsters. We held our ground against the other royal vanguards. But none of our combat training solved the final problem in that vault."
Iris looked directly down at Ken. Her violet eyes were shining with a warm, genuine appreciation.
"We wouldn't have these points if it weren't for you, Ken," Iris stated openly, making sure every single person in the unit heard her.
Ken stopped chewing his apple. He blinked his sleepy eyes, looking genuinely surprised by the sudden spotlight. He hated being the center of attention. It usually meant someone was about to assign him a chore.
"Me?" Ken asked, pointing a finger at his own chest. He let out a lazy, nervous laugh. "Princess, I think the cave dust messed with your memory. I didn't do anything heroic. I literally just tripped over my own shoe. The floor in that vault was incredibly slippery. Someone should definitely sue the original architect for creating a massive slipping hazard."
"It was not just a trip," Iris smiled, shaking her head. "Princess Hestia was completely unwilling to share the prize. She was ready to order her spotless army to tear us apart. If you hadn't stumbled at that exact second—if you hadn't bumped into her arm and caused the stone to drop—we would have been locked in a terrible, destructive fight. Someone would have been severely hurt, and we likely would have lost the artifact entirely."
Iris placed her hands neatly in front of her, her posture radiating graceful leadership. "Your perfectly timed clumsiness forced a fair split. You broke the tension, and you secured the diplomatic loophole that saved our score. I do not care if it was an accident. You saved us, Ken. Thank you."
The courtyard was completely silent for a moment. Ken sat there, holding his apple, trying to figure out how to deflect the massive amount of praise coming his way. He just wanted to be the background clown. He didn't want them thinking he was some kind of tactical genius.
"Wow, they are really giving me a lot of credit for a fake trip," Ken thought to himself, completely amused by the situation. "This is actually great. If they think my extreme clumsiness is a valuable asset, I can totally use this to get out of doing the dishes later. I will just tell them I might accidentally drop the plates to save the Empire."
But before Ken could make a silly joke out loud, Sayma stepped forward.
The highly intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She looked at Ken, a fond, polite smile touching her lips.
"The Princess is absolutely correct," Sayma agreed smoothly. "I ran the numbers last night. The mathematical probability of you tripping at that exact second, bumping into Princess Hestia at the perfect angle, and splitting the stone into exactly three even pieces without shattering it completely is astronomically low. It defies all known laws of physics."
Sayma offered a respectful nod. "Whether it was sheer, impossible luck or just your natural talent for causing chaos, it was exactly what we needed. You have my gratitude, Ken."
Laxmi burst out laughing, leaning against Zinia’s shoulder. She pointed a finger at Ken. "I don't care if it was luck! It was the absolute funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life! The look on Hestia’s face when that rock hit the floor was totally priceless! Your clumsiness is officially a secret weapon, farm boy!"
Zinia chuckled deeply, crossing her strong arms over her chest. "You might be a complete slacker, Ken. You complain about walking, and your clothes are always a disaster. But when things get messy, you somehow always end up right where we need you to be. You are our slacker, and we are glad you are here."
Luna, who was still leaning against the pillar, let out a massive, highly dramatic yawn. "You are like a good luck charm that never shuts up," she mumbled sleepily. "Just try not to trip over my bed when I am sleeping, okay?"