The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1247: Employee Retention

Maybe not much?

Just a minor cardiac arrest scare that had the terminal of someone who was supposed to be relatively young suddenly beeping in alarm as his heart nearly lurched out of his chest upon coming face-to-face with two cadets who definitely hadn’t been scheduled to be there earlier!

"Oh, holy hmmmph—!"

Curtis practically jumped.

He hadn’t sensed anyone else in the room at all, so suddenly seeing two additional people standing there nearly sent his soul straight out of his body. But right as a very inappropriate curse was about to escape his mouth, the Deputy Officer finally registered exactly who he was looking at.

The Imperial Crown Prince.

And his wife.

Curtis’s mouth immediately snapped shut as he swallowed whatever he’d been about to say.

Okay.

Fine.

It was just those two.

Nothing to panic about.

Unfortunately, that brief moment of relief lasted only until his brain caught up with the rest of the situation and reminded him of the scandalous question Marshal Julian had just asked them.

Curtis froze.

Wait.

Had the literal future monarch of the Empire been standing there the entire time while Curtis basically admitted that his loyalty to the Crown wasn’t absolute?!

The Marshal’s right hand, who’d faithfully served his boss with his all for several years, immediately shot Julian a look filled with pure betrayal.

Marshal Julian, meanwhile, suddenly found everything else in the room extremely interesting.

The wall.

The ceiling.

That one particularly fascinating corner of his desk.

Anything except Curtis.

The Deputy Officer couldn’t believe it.

This bastard was actually abandoning him!

But before Curtis could even begin explaining himself, or perhaps start drafting his last will and testament, someone suddenly rushed right up to him.

"!"

The Deputy Officer looked down in surprise when Luca Kyros abruptly took both his hands and clasped them tightly between his own.

"Lord Curtis!"

"Y-yes?"

Luca looked genuinely distressed.

"Being loyal to the Crown is great! And being loyal to my husband is also great!"

The unfortunate soldier named Curtis blinked in uncertainty.

"And if you’re worried about benefits, that’s negotiable too! I swear!"

The officer had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to respond, especially when the newest addition to the Imperial Family looked so genuinely desperate about the whole thing.

If only he knew just how serious Luca actually was.

Because after overhearing their earlier conversation, the little money-grubber had somehow concluded that better compensation was a perfectly reasonable solution if it meant keeping capable people by his husband’s side. Especially when said husband was apparently far too kind to care that he was losing perfectly good vassals right then and there!

That was unacceptable!

And even D-29 agreed that a crashout under such circumstances was completely understandable. If spending a little more money was all it took to retain great employees, then obviously they should spend it!

"???"

Curtis opened his mouth, intending to say something, only for his gaze to instinctively drift over Luca’s head.

Straight toward the Imperial Crown Prince.

And judging by the look Xavier was giving him, Curtis practically received a telepathic order to simply indulge his wife for as long as needed.

Of course.

So now Curtis was somehow trapped between one pair of earnest, sparkling golden eyes practically begging him not to betray Xavier and another pair silently promising that the eyes currently sitting quite comfortably inside Curtis’s skull might not remain there much longer if he made Xavier’s wife fuss any further.

If those two wanted to be affectionate, was it really necessary to drag innocent bystanders into it?!

Still, maybe Curtis serving as the sacrificial lamb wasn’t entirely pointless.

Because while he was busy being emotionally held hostage by the Imperial couple, Eden had remained strangely quiet beside him.

The Tech Specialist’s eyes moved from Luca to Xavier.

Then to Marshal Julian.

Then back to Luca.

And just as Curtis was starting to wonder whether her brain had finally overheated from everything they’d experienced today, Eden suddenly reached over, planted a hand against his face, and shoved him aside.

"Mmfh?!"

Curtis stumbled backward.

But before he could complain, Eden stepped directly in front of Luca.

Then she knelt.

"??!"

Curtis stared.

Luca stared even harder.

The golden-eyed cadet’s hands immediately shot up in alarm as he looked down at the woman who’d suddenly knelt before him.

"L-Lady Eden?! Why are you on the floor?!"

The Tech Specialist didn’t answer right away.

Because unlike Curtis, who’d been far too busy fighting for his life to think much further, she’d finally managed to put everything together.

Marshal Julian hadn’t really been asking whether they were willing to betray the Crown.

He’d been asking whether they could place something else above it if the two ever came into conflict.

And judging by Xavier’s reaction when Luca started desperately trying to preserve Curtis’s loyalty to instead of securing it for himself, Eden finally understood exactly where the Imperial Crown Prince wanted their allegiance directed.

Not toward Xavier.

Not toward the Crown.

Toward Luca.

So Eden lowered her head.

"I swear my loyalty and service to you. My strength, my abilities, and everything I have to protect, I’ll place them at your disposal."

"!!!"

The golden-eyed cadet looked absolutely horrified.

From the corner of her eye, Eden caught the almost imperceptible shift in Xavier’s expression.

Barely noticeable.

But enough to confirm she’d gotten it right.

Unfortunately, the person she’d just sworn herself to seemed considerably less prepared to accept it!

"Oh no! No, no! There’s no need for this!"

Luca immediately reached for her, practically hauling the woman back to her feet before she could take things any further.

As far as he was concerned, the most serious agreement they needed was a pinky promise. Not some one-sided pledge where Eden swore herself to him, but something that would bind them equally to each other.

"A pinky promise?" Eden repeated, sounding genuinely confused.

"Yes! A pinky promise!"

Luca, meanwhile, looked absolutely delighted by the idea.

__

Never in her life had Eden Harcrest imagined that one of the most important pacts she’d ever entered into would involve a bunch of outstretched pinkies instead of some grand blood covenant.

And yet there she was.

The Tech Specialist stared down at her little finger, which she could’ve sworn had glowed ever so faintly earlier, still trying to process the fact that she’d just sworn absolute secrecy and, surprisingly enough, mutual protection through an oath that even the Marshal himself had apparently once taken.

She couldn’t help but replay the moment in her head.

Luca Kyros had earnestly promised that they would commit to protecting one another from any possible harm. There hadn’t been any demand for blind obedience or some expectation that Eden and Curtis would simply put themselves in danger for him.

He actually wanted it to be mutual.

And when Luca beamed at her afterward as if he didn’t find taking responsibility for two more people troublesome in the slightest, Eden couldn’t help but stare at him for a little longer.

For just a moment, she’d actually seen a little bit of her older brother in him.

Ah.

To think she was going to be the demon standing next to all these freaking angels!

She had long liked Luca as a person, but the more she got to know him, the more she understood why Xavier was willing to go that far for him.

But just when Eden thought the pinky promise, along with Luca’s sincere commitment to help find her older brother, had already become the highlight of her day, she certainly hadn’t expected to suddenly disappear from the confines of the Marshal’s office.

"!"

She barely had time to register the abrupt shift beneath her feet before everything around her changed, leaving her standing somewhere completely unrecognizable.

Curtis appeared right beside her, equally stunned.

__

Now, under normal circumstances, a person’s first glimpse of the dungeon space would’ve been more than enough to reduce them to tears, hysterics, or at least some form of temporary mental shutdown.

There was simply no amount of warning that could’ve adequately prepared anyone for it.

The sheer concentration of spiritual energy alone was enough to make every breath feel different, and that wasn’t even touching on the fact that the cold, polished floors of Marshal Julian’s office had suddenly been replaced by soft grass beneath their feet.

Eden’s instincts immediately went into overdrive.

Where were they?!

And what in the world was with all that spiritual energy?!

Unfortunately, neither she nor Curtis even got the chance to ask.

Because before either of them could properly look around, take another breath, or begin comprehending the impossible place they’d suddenly been dropped into, something enormous materialized right in front of them.

"!!!"

Both nearly fell on their asses.

A massive prompt appeared before their eyes, bright enough and large enough that it completely hijacked whatever thoughts they’d been trying to form.

[BRIDGING CONNECTION REQUEST DETECTED...]

[ALLOW CONNECTION?]

[YES]　[NO]