The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 975: Eyes on the Stairway

Luca looked extremely solemn as he walked, and to the riveted crowd watching the ascent, they couldn’t help but speculate about what could possibly be going on in the minds of people like the members of DG.

After all, the golden-eyed cadet moved with such composed grace that the scene almost felt solemn.

His posture was straight, his expression calm, and the layered fabric draped across his shoulder shifted fluidly with every step he took up the palace stairs. Whenever the palace lights caught the unusual stones resting across his body and bare back, they shimmered faintly, making his already striking figure look almost otherworldly.

From the perspective of the cameras and the millions of viewers watching the broadcast, the moment looked incredibly dignified.

Almost sacred.

Naturally, people began forming all kinds of theories and started sharing their opinions about the inner workings of such individuals.

Well... they probably would’ve been far less impressed if they knew the truth. In fact, they would have been scandalized by everyone’s thoughts.

The golden-eyed cadet, for one, was actually focusing very hard on something much simpler.

Specifically, he was trying to cushion his heel from striking the steps too harshly.

The stairs were polished.

Very polished.

And Luca had absolutely no intention of accidentally scratching them with the footwear he had been persuaded into wearing. So he adjusted his steps carefully, letting a faint layer of spiritual energy soften each movement.

Coincidentally, that subtle cushioning made the way he walked appear unusually light.

Graceful.

Almost celestial.

Then there was Xavier. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

From the outside, the top student appeared even more intimidating than usual. He was extremely handsome, but his expression was controlled, and his gaze was incredibly steady as he walked beside Luca with the unmistakable presence of someone with their guard up.

Many observers assumed he must be thinking about the countless matters awaiting him inside the palace.

The selection of the Cup participants.

Public relations.

Resisting pressure from heavily interested parties.

Unfortunately, the truth was significantly less dignified.

Because Xavier was currently trying very hard not to think about his little wife’s back.

Or his waist.

Or the way the fabric barely draped around him whenever he moved.

So it was hardly surprising that the hidden Crown Prince looked particularly menacing as he walked beside his one and only chipmunk.

Kyle, meanwhile, was mentally preparing himself for the evening ahead. If anything, his thoughts roughly aligned with what several people were envisioning he was thinking about.

However, it was only roughly.

Like extremely roughly.

Because he wasn’t particularly out there making calculations, in actuality, a lot of his thinking was just about praying for the best-case scenario.

See, it wasn’t as if he wanted anything to happen tonight.

But realistically speaking, what were the odds of nothing happening in a situation like this?

Especially when he couldn’t even convince his mop not to wear some sort of heels despite the very obvious probability that his feet would start aching halfway through the banquet.

But what could he do?

The lighthouse simply refused to suffer the indignity of appearing too short amidst a sea of legitimate towers.

Then again, for the moment, said Ollie Mylor was doing pretty great.

Normally, he disliked events like this because banquets tended to involve a lot of standing around with nothing interesting to do before the main event began. But this time, the prospect of actually being served good food had significantly improved his mood.

The Imperial family had actually asked Luca if they could source goods for the banquet. Not only would it drastically improve the event, but it would also show those attempting to create rifts that, clearly, the ruling monarchs were well aware of DG’s endeavors.

Ollie’s insanely good brother actually wanted to do it for free because of their family ties, but the Imperials were adamant about paying, and sure enough, it was probably the right call with the scale of the banquet.

And judging by the blonde’s expression—

They were about to have a rather pleasant snack time!

As one could expect, Jax’s spirits weren’t too bad either. Despite losing a bit of farming time, he was definitely being powered by the desire to taste all those drinks that Luca said were prepared for today’s event.

So he simply looked dashing and easy-going as he walked behind his friends.

As for the others, Ada had her own concerns weighing on her mind. Each step they took brought them closer to the palace’s interior, which also meant drawing closer to King Garrick.

Originally, that would have been welcome news, because it also meant she could see her parents, but considering everything that happened, maybe not so much.

Because at that moment, encountering them came with the very real possibility that the Orc King might notice how his child would make extremely obvious googly eyes at a certain Elven Prince who had arrived with his own delegation.

Princess Kira, however, appeared to be in a perfectly good mood.

As far as she was concerned, even if the world decided to end today, it certainly wasn’t going to happen that very second.

So, of course, she would be taking everything in stride. Also, after beating up the elves who dared harm her Bunbun and the even smaller Bun, she was feeling rather satisfied.

If anything, the ones who seemed the most overwhelmed by the moment were Noah and Theo.

Never in their lives had they imagined stepping into the Imperial Palace as honored guests. Of course, they had dreams—everyone did—but they had never once imagined arriving like this, walking through the palace grounds while wearing adornments that could easily be classified as planetary treasures.

And now they were about to enter the hall itself.

For the very first time.

Sure enough, the moment the towering doors opened before them and the vast interior halls came into view, it became immediately clear why this place had always been described as the heart of their Empire.

Because once they crossed that threshold, it would be very difficult to associate it with anything else.