The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 467: Compromise

Ollie woke up fine.

Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

But by lunchtime, the poor blonde had been regretting everything.

Maybe he shouldn’t have set such conditions last night. Or maybe he should’ve negotiated for a different period. Because right now, he was feeling all kinds of horrible.

You see, last night, Ollie gave in to curiosity and officially availed himself of what could only be called the Nox Free Trial—a limited-time offer courtesy of an overly helpful older grandpa named Killian, who really should be punished for speaking without a filter.

He still remembered how the conversation that got them late to dinner started. It was after the nearly extinguished star asked Kyle about his reasons for liking him. Ollie had a momentary thought that was enough to silence the amused adjutant.

When Ollie had finally blurted out that he’d give it a try, Kyle had gone completely still. He hadn’t expected it. And that made Ollie feel even more like he was doing something terrifying.

But he’d said it anyway.

"Two weeks," he declared with the most conviction he could muster, chin raised as if daring the Empire to challenge him.

Kyle, though initially stunned, managed to recover after realizing what this was all about. And he, ever the strategist, countered with, "One month."

At first, Ollie had sputtered, "Too long! What if it turns out badly?! Then that’d be too long!" But Kyle had calmly listed reasons:

"I saw your schedule. With everything Luca’s packed in there, two weeks won’t even be enough time for more than a couple of actual interactions outside tutoring sessions. That’s not even a decent baseline."

"!!!"

It was something he overlooked, and as much as Ollie hated to admit it, he was right.

But that wasn’t even the core problem.

No, the real issue was that Ollie’s curiosity had officially become his worst enemy. He thought a trial-and-error situation sounded reasonable.

Except, in proper scientific trials, you were supposed to have a control.

And the little scientist did not have a control.

What did normal feel like again? Because he couldn’t help but remember thinking about something Kyle once said:

What they were already doing...wasn’t exactly what friends or brothers should be doing.

And now, that idea was stuck in his head like a particularly catchy tune with dangerous implications.

He stabbed his lunch with his fork and sighed into his tray.

"I’m doomed," he muttered.

And somewhere in a training hall, a certain adjutant sneezed.

Possibly in satisfaction. (not)

It probably sounded absurd.

Ridiculous, even.

But when the little star, face half-hidden behind his hand and nerves, told Kyle that he wanted a control period before their "trial" relationship, he honestly expected laughter.

Or maybe a teasing quip.

Or maybe the man would drop him.

But to the blonde’s surprise, Kyle had nodded like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"Really? You think it’s the right thing to do?" Ollie asked, voice small, uncertain.

"Yeah," Kyle replied without hesitation. "You’re right. You probably forgot what it was like when we were really just friends. So, I suppose it’s only fair you get the chance to compare."

The adjutant blinked. "Then...how do you want to do it?"

Ollie squirmed a bit, then took a deep breath. "Until after the exams. We’ll just be friends. Then we’ll start the trial."

It sounded so simple when he said it, like he was just stating facts. Like, this was a plan laid out for a science project. After all, everyone always said students should focus on their studies before exams. This gave them four days—just four days—to reset the baseline.

Kyle had agreed to it, thinking it was perfect timing, because even he thought that it made sense, and he’d already gotten his one month, so it would be right to do this according to Ollie’s wishes.

Back to square one.

In theory.

But in reality, it was anything but.

Because now, back in the present, the despondent blonde was staring at his terminal with the distinct expression of someone who had just realized he’d signed up for a four-day silent treatment.

The blonde mechanic buried his face in his arms on the table, groaning into his sleeve.

"What was I thinking?" he mumbled.

Trial and error, he’d said.

But this wasn’t chemistry, and there wasn’t even any boom.

Apparently, it was so bad that even Luca couldn’t help but notice.

Especially after D-29, ever the faithful observer, hovered in the dungeon owner’s mind, saying, "Host! This is the seventh sigh since lunch began."

Luca looked around, slightly alarmed. "Brother, what’s wrong?" he asked, glancing over at his brother, who looked completely drained.

"Are your subjects too difficult?"

"No, brother...It’s just that..." Ollie straightened abruptly and looked around, then leaned in closer. Luca’s eyes widened slightly. He knew that look now. His brother wanted to be discreet, wanted privacy.

It was subtle, but this was the same thing Xavier would do before leaning in to give him a fleeting kiss, just less obvious.

Luca, typically the oblivious one, had learned to recognize these signs. Slowly but surely, he’d been trained to watch out for them. And he was right again. A small win.

"Thank you, brother," whispered the taller guy, relieved upon seeing a spiritual barrier. "I was worried people would hear."

Luca smiled softly. "Then would you be able to say what’s wrong now?"

Ollie nodded slowly, eyes heavy with weariness and thought. "Kyle and I...we’re just friends for now."

Luca gasped lightly. And for a moment, the blonde thought that his brother truly understood him, until he suddenly said, "Wait, were you enemies before?!"

"..."

"N-no brother!" Ollie whispered urgently. "It’s not that! It’s just that I don’t know what ’just friends’ means anymore!" freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Ollie explained the story, the agreement, the control period—everything. Four days. Four silent, distant, pillowless days.

Luca’s eyes widened. "Is the deal that bad?"

"It sounded like a good idea," Ollie said, defeated. "But now I’m trying to figure out the differences. I haven’t seen or heard from Kyle since dinner yesterday, for one. Also, there were no morning alarms. No messages. And no wake-up call. So I woke up late!"

"You didn’t sleep well?" Luca asked, concerned.

"I couldn’t use my temporary pillow," Ollie grumbled. "At first, I complained because I just didn’t understand why the pillow was being punished. But then he said that I could try using Jax’s shirt for comfort...And well, that didn’t seem proper. I think I understood why I shouldn’t after that."

Luca stared, pitying his brother who had such a grave expression.

"And then breakfast!" Ollie continued. "The usual extra dessert? Gone. My favorite portions? Not reserved. When I asked where Kyle was, Xavier just said he started his routine early. And if I needed something, I should just message him."

The guild leader winced in sympathy, golden eyes trembling as if he were imagining this sickening scenario for himself. "That’s so depressing."

"It is!"

He gave his brother a reassuring pat on the back.

But perhaps he shouldn’t have.

Because Luca, who had now decided his brother needed to focus on something else, believed the best cure for emotional confusion was—more studying.

And hell just got hotter for a poor mechanic already suffering from homesickness. Ehem.

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