The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 863: The Morning After Victory

Technically, if they were going to talk about "fine," then last night was fine.

Actually, it was more than fine. It was so far beyond fine that Princess Kira still felt a little unsteady thinking about it. After what felt like forever, they had finally reunited with their people.

She still remembered how desperate they had been back then. How they searched for every possible way to stay, only to end up volunteering to go home so they could fight alongside their own.

What a ridiculous turn of events.

In the end, it was her very own father who ordered them to stay put.

Who would have thought?

Thankfully, with the help of their friends, everything had been resolved. There were losses, yes, but nothing close to the complete annihilation that could have befallen their family and people. Hearing about victory was one thing. Seeing everyone alive, standing before her, was another entirely.

And that had happened yesterday.

So many things happened yesterday that it honestly felt like an entire month had been crammed into a single day. But when she finally met her father, Ada’s parents, and their loyal subordinates, a strange warmth settled in her chest.

She felt revitalized in a way she had not in a long time.

As expected of orcs, there were not many words exchanged. No long speeches. No drawn-out declarations. Instead, there were grateful bows, clasped forearms, and extremely strong punches as a sign of respect for those who had endured and for those who had fallen.

After all, as the Orc Princess, their blood was still on her hands.

It was the weight of royalty.

And she hoped to carry less of it by doing something meaningful.

Like helping mend the relationship between humans and orcs.

From what she could tell, it was working. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She could hear it in the voices of her father’s subordinates as they spoke among themselves, surprised and almost shy about the reception they had received since arriving in the capital.

One of them sniffed the air thoughtfully and muttered, "Even this room smells good."

"Right? Just like the rooms we got this time around," the first clarified, nodding.

A third chimed in, clearly pleased. "I don’t know how they did it, but at least we don’t have to keep on leaving and returning to find suitable air."

"And did you notice?" another added, lowering his voice. "People aren’t staring at us like they want to start a fight."

Earnest nods followed and they continued to talk about their experiences.

The orcish princess smiled quietly to herself.

Of course, there would always be reservations when visiting the Empire’s capital. Even for royalty. But having grown more aware about the position and views of the leaders of the Empire, she felt that everything would be alright.

And they really were.

Apparently, Kyle’s older brother had taken particular care with the logistical arrangements involving the orcs. He had personally overseen accommodations and security, and he was even the one who secured a private venue for their first proper gathering in a very long while.

She heard more chatter after that. Excited voices talking about DG’s booth. About food. About things they absolutely needed to brag about once they returned home.

Princess Kira giggled softly as she listened.

Still, she didn’t need to look very far to see proof of DG’s impact.

Her father and Ada’s parents were seated nearby, finally sampling the desserts they had made with all their green hearts. The pride radiating off them was so intense it felt like it could cause minor seismic activity.

But such pride came with little bites.

Like extremely little bites.

The rationing was admittedly impressive.

Princess Kira watched in disbelief as her father personally portioned out dessert with the solemn focus of a general distributing wartime supplies. For her, he scooped a generous serving. A proper one. The kind that clearly communicated love, pride, and unrestrained indulgence.

For himself?

A bite.

Not a slice. Not a spoonful.

A bite.

The Orc King stared at the remaining dessert for a long moment, nodded once in satisfaction, and carefully sealed it back inside a portable freezer that had been purchased solely for this purpose. Said freezer hummed quietly, cradling the precious cargo like a sacred artifact. Apparently he had intended to make it last until the next lifetime.

Ada’s parents watched with the same reverence as they similarly rationed what they had worked hard to make, only letting Ada eat a generous serving.

Princess Kira bit into her own dessert and nearly laughed.

This, she realized, was what victory looked like.

Of course, such intense rationing was only possible because the desserts were not meant to be their actual meal. They were simply something to brag about endlessly once they returned home.

Because when it came to actual food, Luca and the others had already taken care of everything.

Even though Kira couldn’t bring everyone into the dungeon space itself, and using pocket dimensions would have been far too obvious with the daycare supposedly being on Planet Nova, Luca had still found a way.

After the already overwhelming dinner at DG’s restaurant, more food arrived at the venue of their gathering. More than enough to feed everyone and more.

It was a reunion filled with warmth, laughter, and full stomachs.

A fantastic and hard-won reunion.

Unfortunately, good fortune apparently demanded compensation.

And it demanded it fast.

Just a few hours later, they woke to troubling news.

The other guild members were still down for the count.

Deeply asleep. Unreachable. Ideally not to be woken before they do so themselves.

Which meant that for one orc princess and her most loyal aide, things were most definitely not fine.

Because it quickly became clear that they couldn’t simply close up shop or maybe look the other way as people from all over swarmed their guild’s expo booth.

And swarming was the polite way of putting it.

Because instead of seeing a bundle of toothpicks lining up for their booth, there was practically a whole palace made of sticks waiting for them.

There were so many tiny humans!

And for reasons she couldn’t comprehend, they had all arrived at such an ungodly hour?!

Just when were they supposed to prepare for this?

Okay. Fine. In truth, there was not much to prepare. Everything had been done in advance. Supplies were stored neatly in the dungeon inventory. Freshness preserved. Logistics optimized.

D-64 had already been roped into dispensing items, which meant mini pancakes could be handled without issue.

But what about mental preparation?

Psychological readiness?

What about practicing smiles that would not terrify children?

Princess Tharkira Zulgara was not made for crying children. She would rather charge into a battlefield than figure out how to soften her breathing so it would not sound intimidating.

Children were small. Fragile. Easily frightened.

Or so she thought.

Because the moment she stepped forward, she froze.

The little toothpicks were staring at her.

Not with fear.

With shining eyes.

Wide. Bright. Filled with unmistakable awe.

It was blinding and ultimately too convincing!

Then again, what could she expect when in the course of one day, their popularity had soared and now the children were most definitely looking at her with great affection.

"...?!"