The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1200: A Leisurely Stroll

Initially, the younger ones had been reluctant to leave after figuring there were still things left to do.

Fortunately, the more experienced officials had long since learned that the easiest way to shoo them away was to give them yet another task.

In this case, that task involved bringing the confiscated incense burner over to the Elders for examination, together with Luca, who genuinely needed another checkup but stubbornly refused to separate from everyone else.

Sure enough, they eventually relented.

The members of DG had always taken their leader’s safety seriously, especially because Luca’s definition of being "fine" had never exactly aligned with everyone else’s.

He had an absurdly high tolerance for just about everything.

Everything except spending money.

Asking Luca how he felt rarely painted an accurate picture because the very same condition he casually dismissed as "fine" would’ve sent almost anyone else straight into a coma.

That was precisely why they wanted the Elders to examine him again. Maybe even thrice more for good measure.

They’d already managed to give him a quick checkup earlier, right after Xavier had nearly suffered a heart attack upon discovering exactly what his beloved had decided to emulate. But given the Guide’s track record, coupled with how everyone had been forced to rush the examination for fear that the ability might leave lasting effects on the master mechanics, another thorough checkup was more than warranted.

Sure, Luca had made reversing the effects of the twins’ bloodline ability look surprisingly easy, but the look on his face and the way his shoulders tensed every time he approached one of the dazed victims didn’t sit right with his intensely observant husband.

Despite how anticlimactic the whole process of freeing the victims appeared, Xavier couldn’t shake the suspicion that the lingering sensation was far more unpleasant than Luca let on. Yet even then, the only concerns his beloved ever voiced were those involving everyone else’s safety.

Truly, Xavier still didn’t know of anyone who deserved someone like Luca Kyros. If anything, he had a feeling he’d spend the rest of his life striving to become someone worthy of walking beside him.

Then again, if the day ever came when the wolfish prince stumbled or failed to keep pace with his ever-evolving partner, Xavier had little doubt his wife would stubbornly refuse to leave him behind, even if it meant carrying him on that slender back of his.

Geez.

Meeting this person must’ve used up every bit of luck he’d saved across all his lifetimes. Yet somehow, even after being fortunate enough to end up with Luca, Xavier still found himself wanting to do even more—not because his beloved expected it, but because letting him settle for anything less simply wouldn’t satisfy the admittedly selfish prince.

See, anyone privy to his thoughts—like the poor guardian mecha—would’ve already known that Xavier was hopelessly obsessed as it was, so how could his little chipmunk possibly think he could push him any further?

It was truly a cute sentiment, though.

But to be fair, who wouldn’t be hopelessly partial to Luca?

He was about as unique as a person could get and as beautiful as anyone could possibly be, even at his very worst.

Moreover, he clearly possessed more than enough power to achieve whatever he set his mind to, yet when handed another means of amassing even greater control—one capable of stripping away another person’s autonomy almost on a whim—wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

Not that he was thinking of this because he was thoroughly surrounded by scum but realistically speaking, there were undoubtedly countless people who would’ve welcomed an opportunity like that, especially when it came packaged so conveniently.

Heck, if he himself encountered this problem but had never known Luca in this life, who was to say he wouldn’t have thought about how an ability like that could benefit his people?

He was certain he’d have justified it with good intentions, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that he’d still have entertained the idea of keeping and using it.

Annoyingly enough, the universe wasn’t always particularly gentle to the kind ones.

As fortunate as that was for everyone except their enemies, Xavier couldn’t help but find the situation both unfair and deeply ironic.

Luca wanted absolutely nothing to do with that ability, and using it clearly came at a cost. Yet he still chose to shoulder that burden simply because he happened to be the only one capable of undoing what the twins had done.

It spared them from having to negotiate with the Aerun twins, who almost certainly would’ve used the situation as leverage—whether to sweep the incident under the rug or demand concessions in exchange for lifting the effects themselves.

Without Luca, there simply wasn’t another way to resolve the situation and keep the Empire from losing some sort of ground, especially when even their most advanced technology couldn’t detect, let alone undo, that kind of mental tampering.

Worse, even if the culprits themselves eventually declared the master mechanics free of their influence as part of a negotiated deal, that lingering uncertainty would’ve remained. Trust would’ve been shaken, and in the end, that alone would’ve been yet another blow to the Empire.

That thought continued to grate on Xavier. They really owed Luca far more than they could ever properly repay. And while Jax most certainly deserved praise despite the recklessness of what he’d done, even his ability to pull it off ultimately traced back to Luca’s unwavering habit of sharing everything he had with the people around him. But had the Queen Bee never chosen Jax, Xavier wasn’t sure the redhead would’ve walked away from such an ordeal unscathed.

But shamefully, everything had unfolded so quickly that Xavier had barely been given the chance to properly look after the one person who always insisted on looking after everyone else.

So, as the person who had sworn to remain closest to his wife, correcting that embarrassing oversight was only natural.

...Or perhaps that was merely the convenient excuse he’d chosen.

Either way, because Luca claimed he felt more comfortable wearing the sleeping mask, Xavier was finally able to carry him around without a single word of protest.

No wonder Kyle seemed to enjoy doing the same thing for the mop despite how ridiculous they looked.

Having Luca comfortably draped against him felt reassuring in a way Xavier hadn’t expected.

Shared warmth seeped through their clothes, while soft strands of black hair occasionally brushed against his neck with every unhurried step. Luca’s head rested against his shoulder, his calm breathing and faint heartbeat close enough for Xavier to feel, and everything about it put his mind at great ease.

It was such an ordinary thing.

And yet, Xavier found himself wishing the walk would last just a little longer.

It wasn’t as though he couldn’t actually carry him whenever he wanted. They had definitely had their moments, and in private, he’d certainly done a lot of carrying—but still, he’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t mind having more of this.

The catch was that he, of all people, knew just how hard Luca had fought to regain the ability to walk on his own two feet and how much pride he took in doing so. So, as much as the proverbial wolf within Xavier selfishly longed to keep him in his arms whenever possible, he always forced himself to respect that determination.

Moments like this, however, were different.

This time, the normally restless little chipmunk had all but handed him the perfect excuse, and he fully intended to make the most of it.

So even though the two of them could’ve teleported straight to the Elders, Xavier calmly sent everyone else off with one task after another.

Some were reminded to prepare for tomorrow, while others were instructed to report to the little girls before the questionable plans undoubtedly already brewing in their heads had the chance to escalate.

Naturally, the mop looked ready to argue the moment Xavier mentioned taking Luca to the Elders by himself.

"I’m coming too."

"You have an exam tomorrow."

"Then I’ll sleep after—"

"You’ll be running on barely any sleep."

"..."

The blonde opened his mouth again, only to slowly deflate beneath the combined stares of everyone present.

"...Fine," he muttered, looking every bit like a thoroughly drenched mop. "But I’m finishing the last day as fast as I possibly can. Then I’m sticking to my brother all day. No one’s stopping me!"

He declared it with enough conviction to make it sound like a solemn vow before finally shuffling off, not without first leaving behind six more sleeping masks of increasingly questionable designs.

Only after making sure everyone had somewhere else to be besides being with them, did the Prince quietly choose to walk instead. As slowly as he possibly could.

It was a rare moment of peace for the two of them, who’d been so busy lately that they’d barely had the chance to enjoy something as simple as a leisurely stroll together.

Only, while the Prince found himself thinking just how romantic the moment was, the little wife nestled in his arms was busy imagining all sorts of trouble he could possibly be in.

After all, with them walking this slowly, the extremely imaginative returnee, aided by an equally unreliable system, was beginning to suspect that he was actually being escorted toward the slaughterhouse!