The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 1144

Chapter 1144: Try Harder

Unfortunately for the already bedridden official, there was no time to succumb to a migraine.

There were far more pressing matters looming over them, and whether he wanted to deal with them or not, Killian simply had no choice but to trudge onward.

He dragged a hand over his face until it completely covered his eyes before saying with the sigh of someone already re-thinking the next few minutes of his life, "I think we should at least get the Elders. Or maybe Luca."

"Huh?" Jax looked genuinely contemplative. "Why? What’s wrong? If it’s an emergency, then maybe we can tell them to try harder."

Killian slowly lowered his hand.

It was now his turn to wonder what exactly that was supposed to mean.

Bracing himself because experience had already taught him that absolutely nothing straightforward ever followed whenever Jax said something that sounded completely ordinary, he asked carefully, "What do you mean... try harder?"

"Oh."

The redhead blinked as though just remembering something important after getting sidetracked by everything else that had happened.

"It’s because they couldn’t really get in here."

"Huh?"

"I called everyone over after you fainted." Jax casually pointed toward the room’s entrance. "They all rushed here."

Killian frowned.

That...

Didn’t sound right.

He slowly looked around the room.

There were definitely only the two of them.

"...Expound."

"They’re all outside."

"WHAT?"

Killian practically lurched upright despite having only just regained consciousness.

"And you couldn’t have started with that?!"

"Oops."

Jax clicked his tongue before scratching the back of his head, looking almost sheepish.

"Sorry. I forgot. I figured I should apologize first because what if you fainted again?"

Killian stared at him for a long moment before simply waving a tired hand.

"No, it’s... fine."

It wasn’t.

It really wasn’t.

But at some point over the past several days, he’d apparently exhausted his usual quota for surprises.

Besides, when it came to things entirely beyond his control, wouldn’t it be better to simply leave them to fate? If even the likes of the Elders, or Luca for that matter, occasionally had to "try harder," then what more could someone like himself possibly do?

So, in the end...

It should be fine.

Right?

Rubbing at his temple, he instead asked the more important question.

"But why are they stuck outside?"

"The bees have been really agitated ever since you fainted. In fact, quite a few of them left the room this time," Jax explained. "And every time someone tried to come any closer, they’d detach from the walls. They just kept flying around and buzzing like they were trying to stop everyone from getting in."

Killian’s brows slowly drew together.

That wasn’t exactly the most reassuring thing he’d ever heard.

If anything, it sounded suspicious enough that under normal circumstances, he’d already be preparing for several contingency plans. But just as he was beginning to wonder what exactly could’ve provoked that sort of reaction from the swarm, another thought quietly crossed his mind.

Because if everyone else had been unable to get inside...

Then...

What about the other way around?

__

Unfortunately, the inverse was apparently true.

Killian frowned.

"...What?"

"The dreams."

"What dreams?"

"Well..." Jax scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "The other day... did you actually move your two o’clock schedule around? And finish a meeting in under five minutes so you could make it back to the dungeon space on time?"

Killian’s eyes widened.

Slowly, almost mechanically, his entire body turned to fully face the redhead.

Up until that point, Jax had answered with the same straightforward honesty he’d shown all along. It was only when he reached the next topic that a trace of hesitation finally crept into his voice.

"And yesterday..." he said a little more slowly. "Those honey lemonade popsicles that I desperately hoped for... you really went to the Captain and asked him to freeze them for me?"

A cough escaped Killian’s chest before he could stop it.

Then another.

Not because he was sick.

But because now that someone was putting those things into words, he couldn’t help but think how ridiculous they sounded.

Unfortunately, before he could even begin figuring out how to explain any of that, the redhead, standing in all his tall, poised glory, suddenly smiled. His eyes squinted into easy crescents as he looked at Killian with the sort of uncomplicated fondness that somehow made everything even worse.

"How could you be so cute?"

"..."

"..."

He could swear that the words got catapulted straight at his head, causing the young official to nearly choke on air.

Was this how he was going to die?

Who the hell was cute?

More importantly...

What kind of fresh hell was this?