Chapter : 635

He held a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips in his lap. He reached his right hand into the bag. He pulled out a crispy chip. He tossed the chip high into the air. He opened his mouth. He caught the chip perfectly on his tongue.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He chewed his food lazily. He let out a massive, dramatic sigh.

"This glowing rock is entirely too bright," Ken complained loudly. He squinted his dark, sleepy eyes. "It is hurting my vision. I need sunglasses. Why do all magical artifacts have to glow? A nice, dull gray rock would be much better for my eyes. It would not cause a massive headache."

Naomi stood right next to his chair. She wore her dark combat pants and a simple gray shirt. Her bright red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She did not scowl at him. She did not tell him to tuck his shirt in. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection.

"The glow means it is working, Ken," Naomi teased softly. She reached into his bag and took a potato chip. She popped it into her mouth. "We finally have the weather relic. Princess Iris can save the farms now. You should be happy."

"I am happy for the potato farms," Ken agreed casually. He grabbed another chip. "But I am very sad for my retinas. I am going to see white spots for a week."

Sayma stood on the other side of the table. The intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She did not smile. She held her neat notebook. She clicked her pen rapidly. She looked incredibly serious.

"The relic is secure," Sayma stated politely. Her voice was firm. "But we cannot celebrate yet. We need to discuss the events inside the sunken labyrinth. The situation has changed completely."

Laxmi sat on the edge of the table. The fire user tossed a tiny orange spark between her fingers. She grinned a wild, excited grin. "What is there to discuss? We beat the aquatic monsters. We beat the 4th Unit. We got the shiny rock. It was a massive victory."

Zinia crossed her strong, muscular arms over her chest. The earth mage shook her head slowly. "Laxmi, you are forgetting the assassin. You are forgetting the dark dome."

The room went entirely silent. The joyful mood vanished instantly.

Princess Iris looked at her team. Her violet eyes were full of deep concern. She remembered the pitch-black darkness. She remembered the terrifying assassin named Reddy.

"Zinia is correct," Princess Iris announced smoothly. She placed her hands flat on the table. "We entered this tournament to fight our siblings. We expected to fight the other Princes and Princesses for points. But Reddy was not part of the 4th Unit. He was a foreign assassin from ZulFarah."

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Sayma opened her notebook. She flipped to a fresh page. "The presence of a foreign assassin changes all our tactical parameters. Reddy explicitly stated he was hired by an Anti-Empire faction. He was paid a massive fortune to eliminate the Royal candidates."

Ira stood perfectly still near the doorway. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, the introduction of a third-party assassination squad alters the tournament rules entirely. We are no longer simply competing for a score on a leaderboard. We are actively defending against outside saboteurs."

Luna lay flat on a long wooden bench near the wall. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. A soft knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She let out a massive yawn.

"This is incredibly annoying," Luna mumbled lazily. She closed her eyes again. "I signed up for a simple contest. Now we have secret spies trying to stab us in the dark. It sounds like way too much work. Can we just lock the front gates and take a long nap?"

Risa sat on the rug next to Luna. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly. She looked very nervous. "The ninja man was very scary. He wanted to hurt the Princess. I do not want him to come back."

"He will not come back, Risa," Princess Iris promised gently. She offered a comforting smile. "We defeated him. But there will be others. The corrupt politicians want to destroy this Empire. They will send more mercenaries. We must be prepared."

Ken stopped chewing his potato chip. He looked at the ceiling. He slouched his shoulders even further. He let out another loud, exaggerated groan.

"This is exactly what I was talking about," Ken announced casually. He pointed a lazy finger into the air. "This is classic anime pacing. We just finished the fun tournament arc. Now the writers are forcing us straight into the dark invasion arc. The bad guys always interrupt the tournament. They always blow up the stadium. It is a massive cliché."

Naomi chuckled softly. She looked down at him. "You and your cartoons, Ken. This is real life."

"Cartoons are highly educational, Naomi," Ken argued playfully. He popped a chip into his mouth. "The plot always follows the same rules. The villains sneak in. The heroes get totally surprised. We need to skip the invasion arc. We should just go straight to the beach episode. I want to drink coconut juice out of a coconut."

Olivia marched into the center of the strategy room.

The strict spear user wore her spotless dark blue uniform. Her dark hair rested in a tight, perfect bun. She did not laugh at Ken's joke. She did not smile. Her dark eyes flashed with intense, strict determination. She gripped her silver-tipped spear tightly.

"This is not a joke, Ken," Olivia commanded coldly. Her voice echoed across the room. "The Princess is entirely correct. We are facing lethal assassins. We are fighting trained killers who strike from the shadows. Our survival depends on absolute, flawless discipline."

Olivia turned her head. She glared directly at Ken. She looked at his untucked white shirt. She looked at his messy hair. She looked at the bag of potato chips resting on his lap.

"We barely survived the sunken labyrinth," Olivia stated firmly. She pointed a sharp finger at him. "And you are our absolute biggest liability."

Ken blinked his sleepy dark eyes. He tilted his head to the side. "Me? A liability? I am a tactical genius. I provided excellent moral support. I cheered very loudly from behind a rock."

"You did not fight," Olivia scolded fiercely. She stepped closer to his chair. "You hid behind Naomi. You tripped over a puddle. You threw yourself onto the floor. You have absolutely zero defensive magic. You do not carry a sword. You are completely, utterly fragile."

Naomi stopped smiling. She stepped slightly in front of Ken. She wanted to protect her friend. "Olivia, back off. Ken did exactly what he was supposed to do. He stayed out of the way. He did not get hurt."