The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 976

Chapter 976: The First Wave

The moment the towering doors parted completely, the banquet hall finally came into view.

And Luca stopped breathing for a second.

The space beyond them stretched so far that it almost looked unreal. Vaulted arches rose high above the guests’ heads in elegant, repeating patterns that disappeared into the distance like the ribs of some enormous cathedral. Each arch was traced with delicate lines of luminous blue light that ran along the structure like veins, forming intricate patterns that shimmered softly against the polished surfaces.

But what truly captured Luca’s attention was the ceiling.

Instead of just stone or metal like the ones in the Kyros Manor, the vast expanse above them looked like the night sky itself.

Galaxies drifted slowly across the immense dome, their colors shifting between violet, gold, and deep indigo as distant stars flickered into existence and faded away again. Nebulas stretched across the ceiling like painted clouds of cosmic dust, while tiny constellations sparkled and shifted as if the heavens themselves had been pulled down and carefully arranged overhead.

Floating lanterns drifted lazily through the air beneath that artificial sky.

Hundreds of them.

Perhaps thousands.

Small golden lights hovered weightlessly, moving slowly as if guided by gentle currents that no one could see. Some rose toward the arches before drifting back down, while others glided between the towering pillars, casting warm reflections across the mirror-like marble floor below.

The polished surface reflected everything.

The lights.

The arches.

The people.

The entire hall looked as though it had been duplicated beneath their feet, creating the illusion that the guests were walking through a world suspended between two skies.

And yet, despite how magical the entire place appeared, Luca could immediately tell that much of it was the result of extremely sophisticated technology rather than spiritual energy.

The glowing architectural lines embedded within the arches.

The controlled drones that acted as pretty floating lanterns.

The projection systems woven seamlessly into the dome that rendered the moving galaxies above them with almost impossible clarity.

It wasn’t just decoration.

It was engineering.

Ridiculously expensive engineering. The kind that the baby D-64 apparently wanted to play with according to D-29.

"..."

Well, that wasn’t currently possible because wayward lanterns would definitely be too suspicious. So Luca thought about maybe asking to see one later.

Like much later.

For now, the first-timer simply looked around the enormous hall, his golden eyes reflecting the endless lights and drifting stars.

He had seen a lot of incredible places since he returned, and some of them he had even helped build.

And yet...

He was genuinely impressed.

For a brief moment, the small dungeon owner could only stare at the vast hall before them while one simple thought crossed his mind.

Their guild base must have really shocked his friends.

Of course, unbeknownst to the insan—intense penny pincher, "shock" was actually an understatement for how they felt about the rickety old shack, but it was already good enough that one Luca Kyros was starting to see the light.

But how could he not come to such a realization after fully understanding that this was seriously someone’s house.

Wow.

Beside him, Xavier cast a brief glance across the enormous hall.

The Imperial Crown Prince had not seen this space in a very long time. His gaze passed over the glowing arches, the floating lanterns, and the drifting constellations with quiet familiarity.

It looked like the palace staff had truly gone all out tonight. Sure, the structure was the same, but the interior had changed so much he wondered how long it took to come up with this.

The lighting.

The sky projections.

The mobile lanterns.

He personally thought they did a pretty good job.

But despite noticing all of that, Xavier wasn’t particularly interested in further studying the decorations.

Instead, his attention shifted almost immediately toward Luca.

Because in the end, it didn’t really matter whether the nobles liked the hall.

Or the cadets.

Or the foreign delegates.

What mattered was what Luca thought.

After all, while it might still be far too early to worry about such things, even for the normally confident Crown Prince, the quiet truth was that he couldn’t help wondering about the house he would one day present to his wife.

So naturally—

What mattered most was his little wife’s opinion.

Just as Xavier began to lift a hand, intending to quietly ask what Luca thought of the place—

The Imperial Crown Prince suddenly pivoted.

His movement was sharp, instinctive, and protective.

Because in that exact moment, he felt something barreling.

Further back, and needing a bit of space as she too happened to be a royal, followed Princess Kira, Ada, Theo, and Noah.

None of them were doing anything particularly dramatic.

They weren’t speaking loudly or making grand gestures.

And yet the simple act of them walking together through the hall produced an unmistakable presence that made people pause. From the staff to the officials, there was an inexplicable instinct to pause and look.

Even those who had originally been deep in conversation found their attention drifting toward the entrance.

Naturally, this kind of attention didn’t go unnoticed.

Across the hall, many nobles exchanged subtle glances with one another.

Then something interesting happened.

Several of them began looking at each other.

Not in confusion, but in silent communication. Though honestly, it was really more of a silent competition.

For families hoping to climb higher within the Empire’s social hierarchy, survival was rarely left to chance. Plans were drawn, alliances were considered, and opportunities were seized whenever they appeared.

Particularly for those who didn’t manage to produce prodigies for several generations, they would have to resort to intricate strategies.

And right now, an opportunity had just walked through the door.

Several extraordinary ones.

After all, the individuals who had just entered were not only talented, powerful, and widely admired across the Empire.

They were also available.

And mostly very noble.

Which meant that several possibilities were still open.

So, almost as if guided by an unspoken signal, the nobles began moving.

Well, technically, not themselves.

That would have been far too obvious and far too distasteful.

Instead, they sent in the first wave.

Noble children.

Oh, and not the ones capable of asking people out, but the really tiny ones who would roll every twenty steps.

Yeah, those little critters.

But why?

For a very important reason such as the older and more dangerous one running over while screeching, "Oh my god! Martie! Come back here!"