Chapter : 673

"Sugar!" Laxmi yelled happily with a full mouth. "This is what I need! I burned way too much energy at the gala! I want to fight someone right now! Let us go to the training yard!"

Zinia walked in slowly behind her. The strong earth mage stretched her muscular arms. She grabbed a small cream puff. "Do not fight anyone in the living room, Laxmi. You will break the television. We just bought a new one. The Princess will be very angry."

Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. The intelligent Vice-Captain took a very small, precise piece of cake. "Zinia is correct. Indoor combat violates our lease agreement. We cannot afford another security deposit. We must maintain a peaceful environment."

Luna lay flat on the floor rug. She rested her head on a soft, fluffy pillow. She opened one sleepy eye. She looked at the pink pastry box. She pointed a lazy finger at the food.

"Can someone hand me a cream puff?" Luna asked sleepily. She yawned a massive, dramatic yawn. "I do not want to stand up. Standing up is too much work. My legs are officially on strike."

Ken nodded in total agreement. "I understand, Luna. Gravity is our worst enemy. Gravity wants us to exercise. We must resist."

Ken grabbed a vanilla cream puff. He tossed it gently through the air. Luna caught the pastry perfectly with one hand. She ate it while lying flat on her back. She closed her eyes again. She smiled a happy, sleepy smile.

Ira stood perfectly still near the large glass window. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She wore a simple dark blue dress. She looked at the pastry box with blank eyes.

"Statistically speaking, eating excessive amounts of refined sugar leads to a massive energy crash," Ira stated flatly. Her voice sounded like a robot. "It reduces our overall combat efficiency by twenty percent. We should consume protein instead."

"This is a filler episode, Ira," Ken explained lazily. He ate his second strawberry tart. He slouched back into the sofa cushions. "We do not need combat efficiency today. We just defeated the bad guys at the gala. We survived the scary magic. Now we enter the official cooldown phase."

Elma sat down on a small wooden chair across from the sofa. She smoothed her pristine white uniform. She watched Ken eat. She felt very happy. She liked watching him enjoy her gifts.

"What is a filler episode?" Elma asked curiously. She tilted her blonde head.

"It is a very important anime concept," Ken answered casually. He stretched his legs out. "The main characters fight a huge, stressful battle. They get very tired. The writers need to save their animation budget. So they write an episode where everyone just sits in a room. They eat delicious food. They talk about their daily routines. Nobody throws any fireballs. Nobody summons any demons. It is peaceful. I love filler episodes. They require zero cardio."

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Princess Iris walked into the living room. She wore a simple, elegant silver dress. She looked relaxed. She did not carry her silver rapier today. She smiled a bright, warm smile at her team.

"Hello, Elma," Iris greeted politely. She saw the empty pink boxes on the table. "Thank you for bringing treats for everyone. That is very kind of you."

"You are very welcome, Princess Iris," Elma smiled back respectfully.

Iris sat gracefully in an armchair. She held a small cup of warm tea. She took a slow sip. "Ken is right. We all need a long break. We survived a very chaotic week. We secured our points in the Succession War. We kept the civilians safe from the blood magic. We deserve a quiet, boring afternoon."

Ken nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. We should just play video games until tomorrow morning. We can order a massive pizza later. I want extra cheese and zero vegetables. Vegetables ruin the pizza aesthetic."

Laxmi finished her eclairs. She tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her fingers. She grinned a wide, excited grin.

"But fighting is fun!" Laxmi complained happily. "I like throwing fire! I want the next tournament challenge to start right now! I want to burn some bad guys!"

Ken looked at Laxmi. He shook his head slowly. He pointed a lazy finger at her.

"You suffer from severe battle addiction, Laxmi," Ken joked lazily. He popped a piece of crust into his mouth. "You need to learn the delicate art of doing nothing. It is a very rare skill. It takes years of intense practice to master. I am currently giving a masterclass on the sofa."

"You are definitely a grandmaster of doing nothing," Zinia laughed a deep, booming laugh. She flexed her strong, muscular arm. "I do not know how you stay in shape. You only eat junk food. You never lift weights."

Ken patted his stomach proudly. "I have a flawless metabolism. And I walk to the kitchen very fast when I am hungry. That is my daily workout routine. It is highly effective."

Naomi laughed a soft, musical laugh. She leaned back against the sofa cushions. She felt very peaceful. She liked listening to Ken talk about his silly theories. She liked sitting next to him. The living room felt perfectly safe. She did not want to be anywhere else.

Elma listened to the casual chatter. She looked around the room at the 13th Unit. She saw how close they all were. She saw how they treated Ken. They teased him. They laughed with his jokes. He was not a useless servant to them. He was simply family.

Elma felt a warm flutter deep inside her chest. She remembered the dark underground facility from weeks ago. She remembered the scary centipede monster. She remembered Ken shoving her out of the way. He took the hit. He saved her life. He did not ask for a shiny medal. He did not ask for money. He just asked for cake. He was unique. He was not like the arrogant, cruel nobles in the capital city. He was genuine.

Risa sat on the floor near Ken's feet. The sweet pink-haired healer held her stuffed teddy bear. She wore a light pink dress. She looked at Ken with wide, innocent green eyes. She listened to him talk about his video games. She smiled a very soft, smile.

The conversation slowly shifted naturally. They talked about their normal daily routines. Zinia talked about lifting heavy rocks in the courtyard to build muscle. Sayma talked about organizing the new library books by alphabetical order. Luna talked about discovering the best sunny spots for her afternoon naps.

Ken just listened. He ate another chocolate eclair. He enjoyed the quiet, lazy afternoon. He hoped the peace lasted forever. He hated loud noises. He hated political schemes. He just wanted to eat pastries and play his games. He was unprepared for the sudden, massive emotional event that was about to happen right in front of him.

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