Chapter : 684

Princess Iris stood a few feet away. She wore an elegant silver dress. She looked calm. She did not yell. She did not panic. She simply watched the politicians argue. The 13th Unit now ranked in the Top 10 Imperial Units. They earned the right to attend this exclusive meeting. They stood proudly in their designated spot.

Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. The intelligent Vice-Captain held her neat notebook. She clicked her silver pen rapidly. Click. Click. Click.

"The panic is mathematically justified," Sayma stated politely. She looked at her notes. "The Imperial Vault is the most secure location in the entire continent. It possesses one hundred distinct magical locks. It requires five separate Royal blood seals to open. It is located deep beneath the capital city. A breach is statistically impossible."

Laxmi punched her open palm. The fire user wore bright orange clothes. A tiny spark of fire popped between her fingers. She grinned a wild, excited grin.

"Someone broke into the giant vault!" Laxmi cheered loudly. "That means we get to punch a master thief! I have always wanted to catch a thief! We can set traps! I will roast his sneaky boots!"

"We do not know if it is a single thief, Laxmi," Zinia corrected smoothly. The strong earth mage cracked her knuckles. "You cannot break through thick stone walls alone. The vault walls are made of solid granite. They are reinforced with titanium. The assailant needed a massive team. They needed advanced tools."

Ira stood perfectly still next to Zinia. Her pale face showed zero emotion. Her robotic voice cut through the air.

"Statistically speaking, an external breach holds a zero percent probability," Ira analyzed flatly. "The vault has no windows. The ventilation shafts are too small for a human. The perimeter has constant guard patrols. The only logical conclusion is an internal compromise. Someone opened the door from the inside."

Ken stopped eating his popcorn. He pointed a lazy finger at Ira.

"Ira is right," Ken agreed cheerfully. "It is a classic inside job. The security guard always turns off the cameras. Then the thief uses a laser cutter. Then they escape through the elevator shaft. It is a flawless plot device. It happens in every single spy anime."

Luna lay flat on the floor behind Ken's chair. She used a rolled-up jacket as a pillow. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn.

"They are too loud," Luna mumbled lazily. "I do not care about the vault. I just want to take a nap. Can we ask the politicians to yell more quietly?"

Risa stood near Princess Iris. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly. She looked around the massive room with wide, nervous green eyes. She did not like the angry shouts. She stayed very quiet.

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A tall, older man walked into the center of the marble floor. He wore a dark purple suit. He had a silver beard. He was Senator Vance. He looked furious. His face was bright red.

"Silence!" Senator Vance roared at the top of his lungs.

The room slowly quieted down. The politicians stopped waving their arms. They turned to look at the angry Senator.

"This is an disgrace!" Senator Vance yelled. He pointed a shaking finger at the Imperial Guard commander. "The Imperial Vault was compromised! The legendary artifact was stolen right out from under our noses! How could an artifact of this magnitude be taken from the very heart of the empire?"

The Guard commander looked at the floor. He looked very ashamed. "We do not know, Senator. The magical alarms did not trigger. The blood seals were bypassed. The assailant left no physical evidence."

Senator Vance slammed his fist onto a wooden podium. "No evidence! You are useless! The Ode to a Black Phoenix is gone! The entire capital city is in massive danger!"

Ken tilted his head. He looked at Sayma.

"What is an Ode to a Black Phoenix?" Ken asked lazily. He tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth. "It sounds like a terrible poetry book. Why are they so mad about a book? They can just go buy another one at the library."

Sayma pushed her glasses up again. She flipped a page in her notebook. She looked very serious.

"It is not a poetry book, Ken," Sayma explained politely. "It is a legendary artifact. It is an ancient, highly unstable magical core. The artifact holds immense, concentrated dark energy. It predates the Belmontia Empire. It is said to possess the power to corrupt entire landscapes."

Naomi frowned deeply. She crossed her arms. "If it is that dangerous, why did they keep it in the city? They should have destroyed it."

"It cannot be destroyed," Sayma answered softly. "Legend says it regenerates from its own ashes. That is why it is called a Phoenix. The Imperial Vault was the only place strong enough to contain its radiation. Now, it is missing."

Ken nodded slowly. He ran the information through his flawless anime logic.

"Okay, I understand ," Ken analyzed casually. He drooped his shoulders even more. "It is the ultimate MacGuffin. The villains stole the shiny, dangerous object. They are going to use it to power a giant super-weapon. They always steal the shiny object in season two. This means the plot is moving forward. We are definitely going to get a new mission soon."

Another politician stepped forward. She wore a long green dress. She looked deeply alarmed.

"The theft is only half the problem," the female politician stated loudly. "The assailant infiltrated the highest security sector. They walked through our defenses. They bypassed our blood seals. This means the thief has intimate knowledge of our imperial protocols. We have a traitor. The threat is inside this very building."

The room erupted into shouts again. The politicians accused each other. They pointed fingers. They demanded investigations. The entire government was tearing itself apart in paranoia.

Ken let out a long, quiet sigh. He looked at his popcorn bucket. It was half empty.

"Paranoia is very exhausting," Ken complained to Naomi. He offered her the bucket. "Everyone thinks everyone else is the bad guy. It is just like those mystery games. The imposter is hiding in the group. I hate those games. I always get voted out first because I just stand in the corner and do nothing."

Naomi laughed a soft, musical laugh. She took another piece of popcorn. "You do stand in the corner a lot, Ken. But you are definitely not the imposter."

Princess Iris listened to the angry politicians. Her violet eyes scanned the room. She looked at the other Top 10 Units.

The 1st Prince, Zeus Belmontia, stood near the front. He wore his pristine white military uniform. He looked annoyed. He hated incompetence. He glared at the Guard commander.

The 4th Prince, Ares Belmontia, stood nearby. He wore rough combat trousers. He crossed his muscular arms. He smiled a bloodthirsty smile. He did not care about the vault. He just wanted to find the thief and punch them.