Chapter : 358
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Chapter : 358
Princess Iris smiled warmly at her chaotic, fiercely loyal team. The extortionate fee was a massive blow, but their spirit was completely unbroken. They had their nine-person roster. They were officially locked in for the match. They were entirely ready to face the cruel 7th Prince and claim their ultimate victory.
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Footsteps clicked against the smooth white marble floor. The 13th Unit walked down the wide corridor of the Upper Council building. Bright sunlight shined through the large glass windows. The building looked absolutely pristine. Everything was perfectly clean and sparkling.
Ken Eliot slid across the polished floor in his socks. He had taken his shoes off. He held his cheap shoes in his left hand. He pushed off the wall and glided forward.
"This floor is amazing," Ken announced lazily. He slid past Princess Iris. "It has zero friction. I do not even have to move my legs. I am just floating. We should install this floor in our living room."
Naomi walked right beside him. She did not yell at him. She just smiled a warm, friendly smile. She bumped her shoulder against his arm to stop his sliding.
"Put your shoes back on, Ken," Naomi teased playfully. She pointed down the hallway. "People are staring at us. You look like a lost tourist."
"I am conserving my energy," Ken argued. He stopped sliding and dropped his shoes onto the marble. He slowly slipped his feet back into them. He did not bother tying the laces properly. "Walking takes too much effort. I need to save my strength for lunch."
Laxmi crossed her arms. She let out a loud groan. "How can you think about food right now? We are literally broke. We just spent fifteen thousand Bels. It was all of our money. Our treasury is completely empty."
Zinia patted Laxmi on the back. The strong earth mage offered a confident grin. "Do not worry about the money, Laxmi. We paid the fee. We secured our roster. We are going to win the match tomorrow and get our points."
Sayma walked near the front of the group. She held a stack of official documents. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Zinia is correct. The paperwork is finalized. Elma is officially registered as our ninth member for the upcoming match. We avoided disqualification."
Elma walked a few steps away from the rest of the group. The blonde servant from the 16th Unit wore her spotless white and gold uniform. She looked very uncomfortable. She kept her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She refused to look directly at Ken. Her cheeks were slightly pink.
"I am only doing this because my Princess ordered it," Elma stated defensively. Her voice pitched up just a little bit. "Do not expect me to socialize with you. I will fight in the arena, and then I will go back to my own mansion. Your group is way too noisy."
"You are secretly thrilled to be here," Laxmi laughed loudly. "Admit it. Our unit is way more fun than your boring white mansion."
"I am not thrilled!" Elma shouted back quickly. She turned her face away. "I prefer quiet environments!"
Luna let out a massive yawn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She leaned against Zinia. "I also prefer quiet environments. Can we please stop yelling? The echo in this hallway is making my head hurt. I just want to go home and sleep on a soft pillow."
Ira walked perfectly straight. Her face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, the acoustic design of this corridor amplifies human voices by twenty percent. It is a highly inefficient place for loud conversations."
Princess Iris smiled warmly at her team. She felt a deep sense of relief. The terrifying roster crisis was over. They had paid an extortionate price, but they were still in the Succession War. Her violet eyes looked forward. They just needed to walk out of the building and return to their estate.
"Stay close, everyone," Princess Iris instructed gently. "We will head to the transit station. We have a lot of planning to do for tomorrow."
Ken slouched his shoulders. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his wrinkled navy blue suit pants. His white shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He let out another lazy yawn.
"I vote we stop for ice cream on the way home," Ken suggested cheerfully. "Ice cream is very good for team morale. It is a scientific fact."
The group turned a wide corner in the marble corridor. They expected to see the main exit doors.
Instead, they walked right into another Royal unit.
The 13th Unit stopped dead in their tracks. The relaxed, joking atmosphere vanished in a single second. The air in the hallway suddenly turned very cold.
Standing right in front of them was the 7th Prince, Julian Belmontia.
Julian looked incredibly arrogant. He wore a flashy, highly polished gold breastplate over an expensive silk shirt. A long red cape draped over his shoulders. His chestnut hair was styled perfectly. A nasty, cruel smirk covered his face.
Behind Julian stood his elite vanguard. They were a group of highly trained, dangerous-looking fighters. They wore matching gold and red armor. They stared at Princess Iris and her team with pure disdain.
Princess Iris stood her ground. Her posture remained flawless and regal. She did not show a single ounce of fear.
"Julian," Princess Iris greeted him calmly. "We did not expect to see you here."
"Obviously," Julian scoffed loudly. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "If you knew I was here, you would have run away and hidden in a closet. I saw the tournament bracket, Iris. We are fighting each other tomorrow. I came to the Upper Council to make sure the judges arranged the arena properly. I want a nice, open space so everyone can watch me crush your pathetic little team."
Naomi stepped forward. Her green eyes flashed with fierce determination. Her hands dropped to the hilts of her twin silver daggers. "You are not going to crush anyone. We are fully prepared for the match."
Julian looked at Naomi. He sneered in absolute disgust. "You are nothing but a disgraced knight. You do not scare me."
Julian’s eyes swept across the rest of the 13th Unit. He looked at Laxmi, Zinia, and Sayma. He laughed again. He clearly thought they were a complete joke.
Then, Julian’s eyes landed on Ken.
Ken was standing near the back of the group. He was slouching lazily. He popped a piece of hard candy into his mouth. He chewed it loudly. He gave the 7th Prince a goofy, completely relaxed wave.
"Hey, Julian," Ken said cheerfully. "Your armor is very shiny today. Does it come with sunglasses? Because the glare is kind of hurting my eyes."
Julian completely froze. His mocking smile vanished.
The 7th Prince remembered Ken perfectly. He remembered the day in the Iron Rose District. He remembered his massive, armored Royal Guard trying to attack an old man. He remembered this messy, untucked boy casually walking up and touching his guard. He did not know Ken used secret mind-control magic that day. Julian just remembered Ken acting like a total weirdo and aggressively shaking his guard's hand.