Chapter : 25

  As the morning went on, the tension in the Great Hall only grew worse. The Royals continued to greet each other. They smiled with their mouths, but their eyes promised violence. They made polite comments about the weather, while secretly trying to figure out how many points the other teams were going to earn.

  Ken stood in the background, fulfilling his role perfectly as the lazy, useless servant. He leaned against a marble pillar, letting out a loud yawn every few minutes to make sure everyone thought he was bored out of his mind. He even pretended to pick his nose when a very fancy Duke walked by, just to make the man look away in disgust.

  But behind his sleepy, half-closed eyes, the "Unfazed Boss" was wide awake.

  Ken was memorizing everything. He was memorizing the faces of the enemy servants. He was checking the magical aura of the other Princes and Princesses. He was treating the entire Great Hall like a giant chessboard, figuring out exactly where every piece belonged.

  “This is going to be a massive headache,” Ken thought, letting out a real sigh this time. “Twenty enemies. Hundreds of highly trained knights. Assassins, mages, and arrogant snobs everywhere. And I am right in the middle of it. If any of them try to hurt the Princess, I am going to have to put on that itchy black mask again.”

  Suddenly, a loud, magical bell rang through the Great Hall. BONG. BONG. BONG.

  An old man in a long white robe walked to the top of the grand staircase at the end of the hall. He was the Grand Chancellor of the Empire. The room instantly went completely silent. The real business was about to begin.

  "Attention, Royal Candidates!" the Chancellor announced, his voice magically amplified so everyone could hear. "The registration period is now officially open! Princes and Princesses, please prepare to present your units to the Upper Council!"

  The air in the room became so tense it was hard to breathe. The fake smiles disappeared. The Royals all glared at each other, their hands resting on their swords and magic staffs. The game for the throne had officially moved from the shadows into the light.

  Ken Eliot, the strongest being on the planet, just scratched his messy black hair and stared at the ceiling.

  “Great,” Ken thought lazily. “More talking. I wonder how long I have to stand here before I can finally get a sandwich.”

  ----

  Back in the Great Hall, the Grand Chancellor of the Empire was still talking. He was an old man with a very loud, magically amplified voice, and he was explaining the long, boring rules of the Succession War. Ken Eliot stood near a giant marble pillar, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open. He let out a long, quiet sigh.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Great," Ken thought to himself, his stomach giving a tiny rumble. "More talking. I wonder how long I have to stand here before I can finally get a sandwich. I was promised good food, and so far, I have only received death glares from angry people in shiny capes."

  Finally, after what felt like an entire year, the Chancellor hit his staff against the marble floor. "The Royal Candidates will now remain in the Great Hall for the private council meeting! All Servants are dismissed to the Waiting Pavilion! You will stay there until your Royal masters call for you. Dismissed!"

  Ken instantly perked up. His sleepy eyes opened just a little bit wider. "Yes! Freedom! Snack time is finally here!"

  The massive wooden doors on the side of the Great Hall opened, and the servants began to file out. Princess Iris turned to her team. She gave them a tired but hopeful smile. "Go on, everyone. Take a break. I will come and get you when the meeting is over. Please, just try to stay out of trouble."

  Naomi, the red-haired girl with the quick dagger, crossed her arms and glared directly at Ken. "Did you hear that, farm boy? Do not cause trouble. Do not embarrass us. And for the love of magic, please tuck your shirt in. You look like you slept in a garbage can."

  Ken gave her a bright, goofy smile and a completely crooked salute. "Don't worry, boss lady! I will be on my best behavior. I plan to be so invisible that people will think I am a ghost. A very hungry ghost."

  Sayma, the smart Vice-Captain with the thick glasses, just chuckled softly. "Just relax, Ken. And Naomi, let him be. We all need to save our energy today."

  The 13th Unit joined the massive crowd of servants walking down a wide, beautifully decorated hallway. There were almost two hundred servants in total. Ken looked around as he walked, dragging his cheap shoes on the expensive carpets. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

  Ken realized very quickly that this was not a normal crowd of people. In the Belmontia Empire, being a servant to a Royal was a massive honor. Because of this, almost every single servant in the crowd was somebody important. There were children of rich merchants wearing silk suits. There were noble knights from famous families wearing heavy, polished armor. There were elite mages holding magical staffs that glowed with expensive crystals.

  They all walked with their heads held high. They looked proud, serious, and very arrogant.

  "This is basically a high school cafeteria for rich kids," Ken thought, scratching the back of his messy black hair. "If this was an anime, these would be the background characters who laugh at the main character before getting totally destroyed in the tournament arc. So many giant egos in one room. It is making me sleepy just looking at them."

  They finally reached the Waiting Pavilion. It was another massive, beautiful room, but instead of thrones and banners, this room was designed for relaxing. There were soft velvet couches, crystal tables, and most importantly to Ken, a giant buffet table stretching across the entire back wall.

  The moment they walked in, the servants naturally split into different groups. The elite knights stood together in a corner, loudly bragging about their sword skills. The rich nobles stood near the center, drinking expensive wine from crystal glasses and laughing at polite jokes.

  Naomi, Sayma, and the rest of the girls from the 13th Unit found a quiet couch near the window and sat down to talk strategy.

  Ken did not join them. He had a much more important mission. He made a straight line for the buffet table.

  When he got there, his jaw dropped. The table was covered in food, but it was all completely ridiculous. There were no normal sandwiches or bags of potato chips. There were only tiny, complicated foods. There was a cracker with a single, shiny fish egg on it. There was a tiny piece of bread with a micro-slice of cheese folded into the shape of a swan.