The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1349: Finders, Keepers!

Meanwhile, the group making their way through the underground facility had concluded that they needed to finish their task as quickly as possible.

Sure, it would’ve been best to secure the suspected corrupted materials and apprehend the pirates responsible, but considering the danger their other friends were facing, they needed to prioritize locating the raw materials.

That way, even if the terrorists attempted to cover their tracks by blowing up the facility, they wouldn’t have to worry about the resulting explosion causing permanent damage to Caldris Minor-7!

Because yes, while Luca was perfectly capable of removing corruption, that didn’t necessarily mean he could restore everything it had already consumed.

And if the damage spread across a significant portion of the planet, they’d have an entirely different problem on their hands.

How on Solaris were they supposed to explain suddenly cleaning up such a massive disaster?!

With so many potential witnesses, pretending nothing had happened would be nearly impossible. Worse, if the people behind the operation knew exactly what they’d been working with, then they’d surely become suspicious when the expected devastation failed to occur.

At times like this, Luca couldn’t help feeling conflicted. He knew everyone was going out of their way to protect him and the dungeon, but after everything they’d been through recently, he also understood why they had to be careful about what they revealed to others.

"Huuu..."

Luca let out a soft sigh, shaking his head slightly as he tried to push those troublesome possibilities aside.

For now, they needed to concentrate on what they could actually do.

And fortunately, it seemed they’d finally reached their destination.

"It’s supposed to be here," Kyle announced, slowing his pace as he examined their surroundings.

They’d followed almost the same route Princess Kira had taken earlier, although instead of squeezing themselves through the cramped ventilation shafts, they’d made their way through the facility’s main tunnel.

Eventually, the passage led them toward the holding cells where the rescued captives had apparently been imprisoned only moments earlier.

"..."

The lingering stench that greeted them was so terrible that Luca and Ollie almost immediately felt their eyes watering.

But for the golden-eyed cadet, it wasn’t simply a matter of being unable to tolerate the foul odor.

There was something about the cold walls and miserable conditions of those cramped cells that reminded him of a time in his own life when he’d known exactly what it felt like to be trapped behind bars.

Only, back then, he’d also known that the world waiting for him outside wasn’t necessarily any better, so it had been easier to look forward to the end than to hope for an escape.

"..."

Luca quietly looked around the abandoned holding area, his expression growing increasingly subdued.

Perhaps this wasn’t the lighthearted field trip he’d originally envisioned when they first arrived on Caldris Minor-7.

But if they hadn’t come here...

If Battalion 9 and Princess Kira hadn’t decided to investigate this particular area in the first place...

Then what would’ve happened to all those innocent people?

He didn’t even want to imagine.

The golden-eyed cadet glanced back one last time, only to feel something gently brush against his hand.

It was Xavier.

His husband hadn’t even turned to look at him, his attention still focused on their surroundings, but somehow, his pinky had quietly found Luca’s, curling around it in a fleeting, reassuring touch.

"..."

It was such a small gesture, yet Luca couldn’t help feeling comforted by it.

After a brief moment, he drew a breath and gave Xavier’s pinky a gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting go.

They still had something important to do.

However, just as the group prepared to head toward the manufacturing and storage areas indicated by the freed captives, his husband suddenly raised a hand, bringing everyone to an immediate halt!

"...!"

The Crown Prince didn’t utter a single word.

Instead, his expression sharpened as he turned slightly toward the others, his lips moving in a silent warning.

"?!"

__

"Hurry up! We need to move before someone else thinks of the same thing!"

The urgent whisper came from a rather scruffy-looking pirate wearing a faded brown jacket who’d been practically dragging his two companions along as they hurried through one of the facility’s corridors.

Behind him, a lanky man with a crooked nose kept glancing over his shoulder, nervously adjusting the collar of his gray uniform.

"Oi, are you sure this is even going to work?"

"..."

The third pirate, a broad-shouldered fellow wearing a sleeveless black vest, turned to look at him.

"You’re asking that now? When we’re already here?"

"I’m just saying! What if someone finds out?"

"Of course it’ll work, provided no one’s stupid enough to say shit! So you’d better make damn sure you’re not that stupid!"

The man in the brown jacket didn’t even bother slowing down as he spoke.

"Besides, you heard ’em! They’re clearing this whole place out! So what if we say some of the materials got blown to shit along with the hideout? What’re they gonna do, dig through the rubble to check?! Why d’you think we turned back the second we overheard those new orders? If they’re already planning to blow the whole damn place up, who’s gonna notice a few things going missing?! I’m telling you, the timing couldn’t be more perfect!"

"..."

The lanky pirate hesitated.

"But what’s the point if we can’t even use it?"

"Stupid! You ain’t gonna use it! You’re gonna sell it! Even if they put us through that truth-telling shit, we wouldn’t be lying! This stuff’s as authentic as it gets! And if you’re that scared, just say you’re selling raw materials! Everyone’s gonna find out about this shit sooner or later anyway!"

The man in the black vest sounded almost offended that he even had to explain something so obvious.

"Ah, but I’m telling you right now... if we get to those lockers and find someone’s stash, then it’s finders, keepers before this whole place goes boom! And don’t any of you come giving me shit if I get lucky and pick the right lockers!"

"Exactly!" the first pirate agreed, grinning as he continued walking briskly. "Think about it! Who knows how long those bastards have been hoarding the good stuff for themselves, and now they’re just gonna blow it all to shit? What a fucking waste! Bet it’s ’cause they know they can get their hands on more whenever they want!"

The lanky pirate opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, only to receive a rather enthusiastic smack to the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Stop whining! You’re already here, aren’t you? You’re clearly just as desperate for more of this stuff!"

"..."

The pirate in the brown jacket gave him a knowing look.

"Ain’t that ’cause someone you know got contaminated?"

"...!"

"Don’t look at me like that! Everyone knows about it! Besides, they say this stuff works wonders for those guys. Heard it even helps with severe spiritual imbalance! Bet the bastards back in Fortune’s End are raking in a fortune by now!"

The lanky pirate’s expression changed.

For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to say something, but after grinding his teeth, he simply lowered his head and continued following the other two.