The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1162: The Great Injustice

Now, for the most part, the guardian beast’s account wasn’t exactly inaccurate.

It simply contained considerably more of his personal opinions than objective reality.

Because had he been looking at the situation through everyone else’s eyes instead of his own admittedly biased perspective, Pan-pan’s changes would’ve deserved far more than being dismissed as merely ridiculous.

Well, sure, perhaps still fit.

Only because the mere fact that any of this was happening, if at all, was truly absurd.

But nobody should deny that after consuming a single serving of the Luxury Pet Food, several of Pan-pan’s feathers began to glow with intense radiance.

It wasn’t an exaggeration either.

No, this was literal.

Every time light struck her plumage, parts of it shimmered brilliantly enough to make people squint. If she’d once looked like the leader of a major gang, now she resembled an exceptionally offended aristocrat, ready to challenge anyone to a duel for breathing incorrectly.

Unfortunately, the feathers weren’t even the most worrying part.

She’d also developed a new call.

It began innocently enough with a rather dramatic, "Bok booooook," before tapering into several thoughtful, "Cluck, cluck, cluck..." only to abruptly conclude with an explosive, "PUCK-AUH!"

Nobody knew what possessed her to end on such a powerful note.

What everyone know was that D-29 immediately chimed in with a report saying the chickens back at the coop had begun acting strangely. Upon switching over to the surveillance feed, they found the entire flock standing unnaturally still, every chicken facing the same direction as though patiently awaiting further instructions.

"!!!"

Prince Elior, a man who’d survived his own murderous twin brother, endured exile, and escaped enough near-death experiences to fill several lifetimes, actually found himself breaking into a cold sweat.

Did that chicken...

Really need even more authority?

Frankly, did any of the already overpowered spiritual beasts require another blessing?

Thankfully, not every upgrade looked nearly as terrifying.

Queen Lulu, for instance, simply appeared healthier after receiving her portion. She’d grown noticeably plumper, her glossy coat looking even softer than before, while Elder Pao Xi, after checking the quality of her milk, admitted that it had become significantly richer than it had been earlier.

Naturally, one particular blonde immediately forgot every pressing concern he’d had moments ago.

"Wow!" Ollie exclaimed, staring at Queen Lulu with unconcealed admiration. "If she gets another serving, would it become even better? But it’s already the best! How could something that’s already the best become even better?"

The cow, who apparently understood the possibility of receiving another serving, immediately unleashed every ounce of grace she possessed, blinking those impossibly gentle eyes before letting out the softest, sweetest moo imaginable.

Kyle didn’t even hesitate.

One large hand promptly covered Ollie’s eyes.

"No."

"Huh?"

"You’re not looking."

Because everyone knew exactly where this would end.

Queen Lulu would convince Ollie.

Ollie would convince Luca.

Luca would eventually convince himself.

And before long, they’d somehow find themselves conducting another round of what was rapidly proving to be an alarmingly unpredictable lottery.

Thankfully, Queen Lulu accepted reality with remarkable dignity. One serving had apparently become today’s limit, but judging by the graceful flick of her tail, she looked perfectly content waiting for another opportunity to present herself.

Billy, unfortunately...

Billy inspired considerably less confidence.

Objectively speaking, his blessing wasn’t particularly dramatic. His horns had simply grown larger and smoother, while his body had become denser and sturdier, the sort of subtle improvement that would’ve gone unnoticed under ordinary circumstances.

Unfortunately...

Billy had never been an ordinary circumstance.

Heck, had he not been acting like a goat consistently, they would’ve taken him for something else!

And so, giving stronger horns to the goat responsible for most of the escape attempts inside the dungeon space struck everyone with functioning common sense as an incredibly questionable investment in public safety.

Luca certainly looked worried, as did everyone else who’d ever been forced to chase Billy across the settlement.

Apparently sensing the growing reluctance to hand out future servings, Tortie slowly stepped forward, then narrowed his eyes at the shameless goat in unmistakable warning. His meaning couldn’t have been clearer even without words.

If Billy dared cause more trouble...

He’d personally deal with him.

Having settled that matter to his own satisfaction, the guardian beast shifted his attention back toward the humans.

Now, with discipline apparently secured, there was obviously no longer any reason to postpone the truly important matter.

Namely...

His own serving.

The little Queen requiring parental approval from his currently sleeping favorite servant was understandable enough.

But if everyone else had already received theirs...

Wouldn’t leaving the great Tortie empty-shelled be the greatest injustice of all?

The guardian beast, for his part, made his opinion abundantly clear through his actions.

It was fine.

Luca, noticing how the guardian beast had deliberately stepped forward and glared at Billy, couldn’t help asking, "Are you sure, Tortie? You really mean it?"

Ugh. He didn’t quite like that this was taking far longer than anticipated, so to get it all going, the guardian beast simply answered with another pointed glance toward Billy, one that left absolutely no room for negotiation.

Surprisingly, the threat worked.

Billy immediately lowered his head and behaved himself.

Seeing that, Luca’s face brightened considerably. Completely misunderstanding the exchange as Tortie generously taking responsibility for being the eldest among them, the dungeon owner felt that such a dependable guardian beast deserved nothing less than his long-awaited reward.

"Good boy," Luca praised with complete sincerity before finally handing over Tortie’s serving.

Ah...

But apparently, the guardian beast truly deserved it.

Because, unbeknownst to the golden-eyed dungeon owner, Tortie’s reward was about to become Luca’s as well.

The great guardian beast wasted absolutely no time. The instant the Luxury Pet Food entered his line of sight, he snatched it up, threw open his maw, and swallowed it in what felt like a single seamless motion, refusing to leave even the slightest opportunity for anyone to snatch it away before it disappeared into his stomach.

Only after feeling it safely settle inside did Tortie finally relax and wait for what should be a pleasant upgrade.

Truth be told, the guardian beast somehow managed to radiate the unmistakable energy of a magical girl waiting for her transformation sequence to begin. He stood there with all the dignity befitting an ancient guardian beast, almost looking as though the heavens themselves ought to acknowledge his magnificence before granting him the inevitable blessing.

And the changes certainly didn’t disappoint.

His shell suddenly began to glow with an almost blinding brilliance, its surface shining as brightly as a polished diamond before intricate patterns gradually spread across it, one after another. Ancient-looking markings, more like squiggles, traced themselves along the shell, each line pulsing softly with spiritual energy until the entire thing looked far grander than before.

Everyone watched in fascinated silence.

Only...

Just when they thought the transformation had finished came an unmistakable—

The ballooning little sound echoed across the clearing.

At first, nobody quite understood where it’d come from.

Then they looked toward Tortie.

More specifically...

Toward the top of his shell.

There, swaying gently as though it’d always belonged there, was the sudden addition of a single plump mushroom.

"!!!"

Seeing the surprise on the humans’ faces, Tortie crossed his eyes upward, trying and utterly failing to catch a proper glimpse of whatever had suddenly decided to grow on his back and was apparently responsible for all those strange looks.

The Elders, meanwhile, reacted very differently.

The instant they recognized the mushroom, several pairs of eyes widened in unmistakable realization before slowly turning toward Luca.

Luca followed their gazes.

From the mushroom...

To Tortie...

Then back to the mushroom again.

A dangerous sort of enlightenment gradually dawned on the little chipmunk.

The kind that generally resulted in extremely profitable ideas.

It was at that exact moment that Luca Kyros, proud dungeon owner and self-imposed money-grubber, unknowingly discovered one hell of an incredible use for the supposedly magnificent guardian beast.

Tortie, on the other hand, gradually began sensing that something about the way everyone was staring at him felt profoundly unsettling.

Wait.

Why...

Why were they all looking at the great him like that?

More importantly...

Just what exactly did these people think they were planning to do with him?!