The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 873

Chapter 873: Beyond the Surface

When the prince woke up, he didn’t particularly feel any different just yet.

But in hindsight, perhaps he should have. Or at the very least, he might have realized something was off had he not been far too busy staring into a pair of golden eyes fluttering right in front of his face.

Of course, that face deserved every bit of attention it received. Still, he really ought to consider how thoroughly it distracted him, enough that if such a greeting were ever attempted in public, a routine or entirely preventable assassination might actually succeed.

The prince couldn’t help but acknowledge that he very clearly needed to cultivate far greater self-restraint and a truly delayed sense of gratification.

Ahem.

As such, the self-aware husband didn’t go into detail later when describing how he woke up. The world didn’t need to know that Luca always woke him by pressing his face directly against his, nuzzling and unconsciously sending him signals that they didn’t really need to wake up and separate.

Even while lying on the ground, that had apparently remained true.

Only this time, something was wrong.

Because when the prince tilted his head to check the time, as he usually did after cuddling with his wife, the newly awakened perch realized that—contrary to what he had assumed—he hadn’t been lying on the hard ground after all.

Huh?

The realization came a beat too late. And in stark contrast to his usual warm reaction after receiving Luca’s beaming smile, Xavier promptly lost his composure when he noticed two things at once.

First, he was levitating several inches above the floor.

Second, he wasn’t merely levitating. He was even looking at himself.

A much more solid version of himself, very much still on the ground.

"!!!"

Keeping calm at that point was an ambitious goal at best.

Especially when he took a quick glance around and realized that everyone else was still completely asleep.

Not lightly dozing. Not stirring. Asleep.

The mop, unsurprisingly, had managed to take up an impressive amount of space, sprawled out as if the ground itself had personally invited him to get comfortable. Jax, on the other hand, looked like he had fully committed to embracing nature, limbs stretched out with careless abandon as though sleeping directly on the soil was a conscious lifestyle choice. Kyle lay on his side, one arm curved protectively in front of him, as if unconsciously making room for someone who wasn’t even there.

Off to the side, Cece was similarly face down on the ground, unmoving and utterly unbothered, while nearby, his younger sister Nina slept soundly with her white hair completely covering her face, enough to make her look less like a princess and more like an abandoned pile of fluff.

It looked less like a cultivation aftermath and more like a group of drunkards gathered together.

But at least they all seemed comfortable and right at home inside their own bodies.

So what about them?

However, just as panic crawled up Xavier’s spine, the disgruntled husband had to forcibly swallow it back.

Because Luca, eyes glowing faintly and looking far too delighted for the situation, suddenly exclaimed, "It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do this! Wow!"

What?!

Xavier stared at him.

Then, slowly, as the logical side of his brain finally caught up with his consciousness, something clicked.

"...Was this what you meant," he asked carefully, "when you said you simply hid in the dungeon space using only your consciousness?"

The little chipmunk nodded eagerly.

And that was when it hit him just how alive this felt. Despite the fact that, in essence, they were little more than ghosts hovering above their own bodies.

Xavier trusted his wife implicitly. Even when the instructions defied logic and the conclusions seemed completely out of this world, he trusted Luca’s judgment regardless.

But there were times when he didn’t trust himself.

Especially in cases like this where potent medical ingredients were notorious for having cognitive effects, and he wouldn’t have been the first person to hallucinate vividly after ingesting something powerful. So he checked.

Once. Twice.

Their bodies were still there. Chests rising and falling steadily. Breathing slow and even.

And somehow, that alarmed him more.

Gods.

He needed to keep it together.

He especially needed to stay strong when, instead of staying put and waiting until they could return to their bodies, his little daredevil of a wife declared that it was time to take a look around.

What time to look around?!

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