The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1155: Over His Head

"What?"

The eldest heir of House Nox stared at the wall of a man before him as though the laws governing language had abruptly ceased to function, because surely those words couldn’t possibly have been arranged in that particular order.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t the slightest hint that any of it had been a joke.

Jax was completely, wholeheartedly serious.

Which left Killian grappling with any possible response.

"What does any of that have to do with overthinking in the first place?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

Weren’t they talking about overthinking? About strangers, gambles, and possible irrational decisions? So where in the world did kissing even come from?

Just how unpredictable was this guy?

"Huh? Well, a lot."

The redhead answered so naturally that Killian almost wondered whether he was the one who’d somehow gotten lost halfway through the conversation.

He tried tracing the logic backward, but every path somehow ended with the same impossible conclusion. Yet the person in front of him looked completely unmoved, as though everything he’d just said naturally followed the previous sentence.

"I was just thinking," Jax continued, meeting Killian’s eyes with that same open expression that always made it seem as though he genuinely wanted the other person to simply read whatever was on his mind, "that you, of all people, wouldn’t keep taking a gamble on me if you thought you were losing every single time."

"..."

Sure enough, he really should’ve stopped him the moment he’d begun with, "I was just thinking."

Because—

Whoa there, Buster.

Let’s not start digging all the way to the planet’s core with these extremely hot takes.

Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t thought that through, and now there was simply no graceful way to interrupt whatever alarmingly sincere train of thought Jax had already set in motion.

"Between the two of us, you’re the smarter one. So if you’ve kept betting over and over again despite having every opportunity to stop..." Jax shrugged as though the conclusion were obvious. "Then doesn’t that mean it’s not entirely hopeless?"

The young official found himself at a complete loss for words.

Meanwhile, the towering cadet took every opportunity to run with it, smiling warmly as he casually dropped yet another bombshell.

"I’m not asking for outright confirmation. Since that’s probably not a good idea right now...

"All I’m asking... is that you keep gambling on me."

There it was again.

That absurd confidence.

His words sounded almost tentative, as though he were carefully piecing his thoughts together one by one...

But the look in those eyes?

They held not even the faintest trace of doubt. And it stole the wind straight from Killian’s lungs.

"I shouldn’t promise huge winnings," the redhead admitted after a moment’s thought, stopping just short of scratching at his head. "Kyle says that’s bad for business and makes people sound like scammers. But I think I should also disclose that I’ve never really lost a bet since I was little!"

He gave a firm nod to himself, seemingly satisfied that he’d just presented irrefutable evidence of his own integrity and ability.

"...?!"

"But because that’s exactly what a swindler would say, I’ll just promise relatively increasing returns!"

He looked at Killian with unmistakable anticipation, as though patiently waiting for the official to acknowledge what he clearly believed was a flawless compromise.

Now, how the hell was the self-respecting yet admittedly indulgent Nox supposed to respond to that?

Unfortunately, for all the lessons he’d received growing up, not one of them had ever covered what to do when he himself proved embarrassingly susceptible to suggestions that made absolutely no sense. Or what to do when faced with advances he wasn’t sure he wanted to ward off.

Worse, he was somehow certain that if he gave in now, then he would lose any right to tell the redhead to exercise restraint.

Yet every time the conflicted Killian thought about pushing him away, he found himself imagining the inevitable sulking face that would follow.

That unnecessarily huge pup... having no real business looking all so pitiful. And yet somehow, he just knew that was exactly what Jax would end up looking like.

And who would have to deal with that?

Him.

Because in the end, there was simply no way he could sit in his office working, knowing he’d left the redhead looking like that.

"..."

"..."

He really was going to hell, wasn’t he?

Not like he didn’t feel it happening, but acknowledging the observation truly had a different sort of power.

To the point that instead of following the path that the old Killian Nox undoubtedly would’ve chosen, the increasingly compromised version standing here quietly accepted what honestly felt like yet another gamble.

He didn’t step away.

Didn’t look away.

Instead, he remained where he was, as if resolutely waiting as Jax drifted even closer, understanding and somehow accepting what it would mean to allow him to close the distance.

Only...

Nothing happened.

The allegedly inevitable kiss never came.

Instead, the redhead who’d just spent the last several minutes dismantling every single one of Killian’s arguments suddenly tipped forward without warning.

Straight into his arms.

Fast asleep.

"..."

"..."

Killian simply stood there holding him.

After making him question his judgment, his morality, and possibly the future destination of his soul...

This absolute dingus had the audacity to fall asleep.

Honestly...

Couldn’t he have fallen asleep before giving him an existential crisis?!

A few minutes earlier would’ve let him preserve his peace. But no.

Of all times... he actually chose the moment Killian had come to some sort of decision.

The young official quietly closed his eyes, let out a slow breath, and shook his head once, in what felt suspiciously like surrender.

Still, after making certain that Jax had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion, Killian did what any responsible person should.

He carefully carried the redhead over to a room with an empty bed before gently pulling the blanket over him.

Everyone outside would still be waiting.

And much as a part of him wanted to remain hidden inside this room forever, he couldn’t exactly run away from the rest of the world.

Halfway to the door, his steps unexpectedly came to a halt.

"..."

For some inexplicable reason, he found himself doubling back, only to notice that the blanket had somehow slipped down a little.

At least, he was fairly certain it had.

Either way, with a sigh that seemed to carry the accumulated exhaustion of an entire generation, Killian returned to the bedside, bent down, and quietly pulled the blanket back into place before his gaze inevitably settled on the sleeping face beneath it.

"..."

"..."

"..."

He told himself that acknowledging the decision for what it was constituted the best compromise he could make right now.

So, without pretending it had been a freak accident or making even more excuses for himself, he leaned down and pressed the gentlest, most fleeting kiss against Jax’s forehead.

Almost immediately, the faint crease lingering between the sleeping redhead’s brows disappeared.

Really... what was he supposed to do with this one?

Killian stood there for another quiet moment before finally muttering softly enough that only the unconscious cadet could’ve heard.

"Fine, you rascal.

"...Give it your best shot."

Killian quietly walked away, his steps carrying a different kind of resolve as he finally admitted to himself that he was, beyond all reasonable doubt, completely in over his head.

The true offender, meanwhile, continued to sleep with infuriating serenity, blissfully unaware of just how thoroughly he’d upended someone else’s world.