"Chairperson of the Association! Hello!"

Tie sprang up from the mat and hurriedly bowed, carefully folding her hands over her stomach.

Ardiana’s eyes widened.

Tie silently counted to three, and only then straightened up with a satisfied look.

'I know who the real chairperson is!'

In fairy tales, it was written that princesses must be treated very, very, very politely.

"I have been well, King of the Dead."

Replying softly, Ardiana lowered her gaze to Tie’s hand.

"By the way, Tesetan of Tregava... no. Now you are already the deputy squad leader of Agavert. The hand you injured during the duel—has it fully healed?"

"Yes!"

"That is good."

Ardiana smiled faintly.

Rising to her feet, she slowly looked around.

The newly recruited mercenaries who had been making noise in the garden had already dispersed on their own.

With a light smile on her lips, Ardiana looked back at Tie.

"I came today because there is something urgent to deliver. There are only two days left before the mission begins."

Tie nodded.

She remembered that Basto had mentioned the mission with the clock tower a few days ago.

The assignment that had been postponed because of the duel was now pressing close again.

"A new participant has joined the combined unit."

Tie’s eyes widened again.

Until now, two sides had been supposed to take part in the clock tower mission.

The Holy Knights of the Luminel family and Tie’s mercenary squad Agavert.

And now someone else was being added.

"Who is it?"

Ardiana glanced at the steward standing behind her and continued.

"I am."

"Eh... eee?!"

Tie jumped in shock.

The child looked back and forth between Ardiana and the steward in confusion.

"But!"

"......"

"Even though there is that huge and terrifying vine-type magic crystal inside the clock tower...?"

This time, the target of the siege was another unprecedented magic crystal.

It was larger than ordinary large crystals and had an unusual shape—it resembled a plant.

The squad members had spoken about it like this.

'This will not be an easy siege. If the Association brought together the Luminel family and us, then the difficulty is high.'

'Still, we have to try. Those Tregava types may be arrogant, but since they joined, they should at least be of some use.'

'Tie. Just in case, always keep your barrier up. If you feel your concentration slipping, recall the spirits. You understand, right?'

"Yees!"

Even as she answered brightly, Tie still felt a little nervous.

'Back then, when we destroyed the sea magic crystal in Pearlcity, it was the same.'

Whenever people started saying the crystal was unprecedented and something no one had ever seen before, Tie would somehow start to feel nervous too.

She looked at Ardiana uneasily.

'But the princess is going there too...?'

Why?

Tie went through all the princesses she knew in her head.

Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, the princess from Tanipang...

After thinking for a while, Tie’s face fell.

'It looks like the chairperson princess is being bullied at home...'

According to Tie’s knowledge, happy princesses usually lived in shining palaces.

They had many wonderful friends, wardrobes full of beautiful clothes.

And delicious sweets every day.

But if such princesses left the palace and went to dangerous places, then...

'It’s because their stepmother is bullying them!'

With a serious expression, Tie began studying Ardiana’s face.

She wanted to ask why the princess had to go to such a dangerous place.

But according to the instructions of the grandmother from Room 107, she could not interfere in other people’s matters so easily.

After hesitating, Tie finally opened her mouth.

"Then... how many subordinates will you take...?"

If a princess was going to a dangerous place, she should at least have several dozen subordinates!

But Ardiana answered calmly:

"I will take five."

"Eh?!"

An expression of extreme shock appeared on Tie’s face again.

"Why so few? When you go to siege a magic crystal, there are so many magical creatures! Even small ones, like sparrows, can injure a person badly like this!"

Ardiana smiled bitterly.

"Who knows."

She sank into thought without realizing it.

In truth, she could have taken more guards.

Originally, the Empress and Fides had suggested more than twenty people.

'I was the one who insisted on reducing it to five.'

Ardiana had already understood.

When the siege began and the situation became complicated, the guards sent by the Empress and Fides would take the opportunity and turn their weapons on her.

Because their goal had always been the same—to eliminate her.

'And as for hiring other, trustworthy guards...'

She bitterly admitted that there was no one in the palace she could truly call her own.

With difficulty, Ardiana smiled.

"I will be fine. Five is enough..."

"Tie will find them!"

At that moment, Astie suddenly shouted brightly.

An unexpected firmness appeared on the girl’s face.

"Tie knows a grandmother, and she has a lot of very strong knights!"

And that was not all.

Tie had a hidden trump card.

Selina’s parents.

Tie neatly rolled up the mat she had been lying on.

Tucking it under her arm, she said proudly:

"Chairperson! Over here!"

A few minutes later.

A bright voice came from Tie’s pink communicator.

"Oh, really? A soldier strong enough to handle seventeen alone... I think we can find someone like that."

"Tie! Don’t worry! We are on some island near the Northern Continent right now, and the soldiers here are twice as big as the soldiers of the Tallocium Empire! Their heads are twice as big too! And their bodies!"

"Shh, Selina. Mother is speaking."

"......"

Tie swallowed and spoke to Katrin again.

"Thank you, Selina’s mother! Then when will those super strong soldiers arrive?"

"You said in two days at the ruins of the northern palace, correct? I will send them there immediately. I will try to make it in time, but I cannot guarantee we will not be late."

"It is okay if they are a little late!"

The siege would not begin immediately after arrival anyway.

First there would be reconnaissance and role assignments.

Tie politely thanked her once again.

"Mother, thank you very much!"

After ending the call, Tie immediately pressed another button.

After a short signal, a familiar voice sounded.

"Astie?"

"Ji-jonggan!"

Regent Marianna laughed on the other end.

"My goodness, what happened? Did the people Mother sent last time arrive safely? Are you healthy? Nothing hurts? Are Raul and Enzo doing well in the squad too?"

Tie answered the stream of questions brightly, without the slightest irritation.

"Yees! Tie has a request! The people from Grandmother Weivril have arrived, Tie is not sick, and Raul and Enzo have become very strong!"

"Ah... that is wonderful!"

Tie smiled along with Marianna and got to the point.

"But, Ji-jonggan, Tie needs very strong knights. The kind who can defeat seventeen alone!"

Marianna spoke thoughtfully.

"You mean formally knighted knights? Not Holy Knights, but our house does have several elite units. Mother is nearby right now, I will ask her."

The line went quiet for a moment.

Soon, Marianna’s voice returned.

"Where and when should they be sent?"

Tie smiled brightly and turned around.

In the reception room, at a small table, Ardiana was sitting with an absent expression.

Standing beside her, Secretary Cadia gently took the princess’s hand.

Ardiana slowly turned her head.

In her eyes, as if words had been lost, remained frozen surprise and faint confusion.