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

Now who wouldn’t hightail from that?!

It was one of those moments when Sam realized that surviving Zone Four didn’t mean they were safe, because death by invitation was suddenly very much on the table.

Thankfully, the same young lord who had just sent them to the metaphorical guillotine also calmly added that participants in the Zone Four battle had received invitations as a token of appreciation from DG.

The instant those words left Luca’s mouth, the intensity of the gazes around them shifted. It didn’t diminish, but this time, people nodded instead of just staring like predators.

One attendee even said approvingly, ”No wonder you rushed over to help. That’s good. Very good.”

But before Sam could respond, a small voice cut in with unexpected seriousness.

”Mister,” the child asked, looking innocently yet determinedly between the two soldiers, ”what are you getting?”

The adults nearby paused.

The parents stiffened.

Sam and Marco both froze.

”I want to be a soldier too,” the child continued earnestly. ”So I want to know for inspiration.”

Luca smiled, warm and completely unbothered. ”The soldiers will be receiving a three-hour date.”

Silence followed.

The child blinked. ”A date?”

”Yes,” Luca replied cheerfully. ”It’s a great way to bond and improve a relationship.”

Every head slowly turned toward Sam and Marco.

Sam felt his soul attempt to leave his body.

He opened his mouth, ready to deny everything, to explain, to clarify that this was not what it sounded like.

But the shining eyes of the crowd, combined with the child’s reverent stare, crushed all resistance.

”Yep,” Sam said stiffly. ”Just like he said.”

Then he grabbed Marco by the arm.

”It’s right about our booking time!” Sam blurted. ”So we have to go in now!”

And with that, he dragged Marco toward the entrance before anyone could ask follow-up questions.

Once they were a safe distance away, Marco chuckled. ”You ran.”

”You try answering next time!” Sam hissed back, ears burning.

Marco stretched lazily as they walked. ”Sure. What’s so hard about telling the truth? This is a date after all.”

”How could this even be a da—?” Sam started, then stopped when he noticed that the man beside him looked odd.

Marco had frozen.

He was staring ahead, eyes wide.

Sam followed his gaze.

And then he felt it before he saw it.

A sudden wave of spiritual energy washed over him.

Sam’s shoulders tensed first. He drew in a sharp breath, chest tightening as the air itself seemed heavier. For a brief moment, his vision blurred and his thoughts scattered, as if his senses had been knocked out of alignment.

He blinked hard and forced himself to refocus, only to shock himself further.

”...Damn,” Sam muttered under his breath. ”This might actually be a date.”

The space beyond the threshold burst open before them.

A vast domed greenhouse unfolded in every direction, layered both vertically and horizontally. Greenery rose in terraces and balconies that curved along the glass walls, plants cascading downward in rich waves of color and life, a sight Sam had only seen in historical picture books.

Sunlight poured through the segmented dome above, bright and golden, refracted through leaves and branches until the air itself seemed to glow.

A shallow waterway ran through the center of the hall, wide and calm, a stark contrast to how he and everyone else would feel the moment they entered.

Broad stone slabs floated just above the surface, forming a gentle crossing. The water reflected everything. Glass. Leaves. Movement. People.

It also reflected how completely dumbfounded they were.

But maybe what got him really wondering about the place was how he could definitely see furniture all over.

Low couches were arranged in relaxed clusters along the walkways, their frames smooth and understated. Some were curved gently, following the lines of the space itself.

What was this place supposed to be?

And since when did such a place become part of the expo hall?

Sam stood there, unable to move, until his eyes finally caught on something else ahead.

People were gathered neatly near a sign that read:

Reception Table.

Sam swallowed but pushed forward.

However, before they even reached the table, a loud gasp sounded behind them.

Sam paused and turned.

A young boy stood frozen a few steps back, hands clenched at his sides, eyes stretched wide as if he had just seen something sacred. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find words that could keep up with what he was feeling.

”I... it’s...” the boy tried, voice wobbling.

His parents looked just as stunned. One of them bent slightly, placing a steadying hand on the child’s shoulder, while the other simply stared ahead with an expression that suggested their thoughts had completely derailed.

Sam exchanged a glance with Marco.

They understood.

Because even the man at the counter ahead of them was still standing there, posture slack, eyes unfocused, as if he had forgotten how to blink.

And how could Reeve possibly be done with anything when he had just been handed a map of the place?

He stared down at it, then back up, then down again, his mind struggling to connect what he was seeing to anything that made sense. Paths. Levels. Sections branching into other sections. None of it felt like it should fit inside an expo hall, and apparently, it really didn’t. For he’d just been told they weren’t even inside the hall itself.

Then again, he wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

By now, the same disbelief had spread outward, carried by the livestream audience that grew from tens to hundreds of thousands in only a few minutes.

Honestly, when Reeve first entered, he had walked in with a free mind. A mind still heavily occupied by thoughts of the food he had just eaten. But then the distracted intern nearly tripped when the tunnel opened into something so utterly unrealistic.

It would be embarrassing to admit, but before he even reached the reception desk, he wandered around touching things like a lunatic. Walls. Railings. Leaves. Even the edge of a table.

He needed to be sure.

None of it was a holoprojection.

Everything was solid. Real. Tangible beneath his fingers.

The novelty of it all hit him at once, so overwhelming that when the staff politely asked if he had a plus one, Reeve excused himself and rushed back outside to call for backup.

And it turned out to be the correct decision.

He was not fit to assess the situation alone.

It was only when Thea arrived that the scale of the place truly sank in. She came in flustered and clearly irritated, but the moment she crossed the threshold, her anger evaporated. Her eyes widened, breath catching, and she nearly jumped at Reeve as she grabbed his arm.

”This place,” she hissed, voice low and awed. ”It’s spiritually energized.”

That was when she suggested livestreaming.

Reeve hesitated. He was a journalist, not a live streamer.

But Thea crossed her arms and looked at him flatly. She told him that his photos and videos would probably be borrowed and misrepresented by their seniors anyway. If he were allowed to stream, even briefly, with himself clearly present, then no one could dispute where the footage came from.

That made him pause.

In the end, he agreed.

They just had not expected the numbers to rise so fast.

At first, their stream titled ”DG’s Annual Expo Booth” was flooded with accusations of it being fake.

[Lol okay but this is obviously fake.]

[Nice holo background bro!]

[Congratulations on the imagination, though!]

Reeve couldn’t even blame them. He had thought the same thing at first.

But the comments fell into stunned silence the moment the camera turned.

Because filling the screen was a very familiar face.

Kyle Nox smiled politely at the terminal, hands folded neatly as he said, ”Welcome back, customer. Is this lady your plus one for today?”

And from that alone, Reeve’s entire account blew up.