The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 933: A Sharp Eye

While recruitment and delegation for frontline positions still echoed the standards set by the Imperial military to a certain degree, it was an entirely different ball game for those hoping to work at the manor.

Truthfully, there shouldn’t have been any standards to begin with.

Because the Duke and Duchess of House Kyros had never intended to hire more people in the first place.

If anything, they only made room for those who were already part of their house. Medically discharged officers who refused to retire. Children who’d grown up within the manor’s walls and never really left. People whose loyalty had already been proven by time.

Unfortunately, Prince Elior and Rahil were none of those.

At least not at first.

Not until they managed to live another year without incident as foster children under Governess Agnes.

"Apparently, people from House Kyros were aware of all the visits we made when we first tried to apply for work."

"Eh?" someone blurted out.

Elior nodded, recalling the moment clearly.

Lady Agnes had casually dropped that particular revelation while knitting, as though she were commenting on the weather.

It hadn’t been comforting.

Those knitting needles were enormous. In her hands, they looked less like tools and more like potential weapons.

To say the two teens froze would’ve been an understatement. Elior distinctly remembered feeling like he might actually soil himself.

And then, as if it were nothing, the kindly grandmother had added that they’d done well over the past two years.

Done well.

They’d been stunned.

Lady Agnes had paused her knitting then, the needles still in her hands as she lifted her gaze toward the two rigid teens seated across from her.

Her expression had been calm. She even smiled warmly.

"Are you still interested in working for House Kyros?" she’d asked.

They could’ve fainted right there.

"Next thing we knew," Elior continued, "at sixteen, we found ourselves seated in front of Duke Leander, whom most people believed had long since fallen ill."

At that point, they’d imagined what that day might look like. They’d rehearsed responses in their heads. Prepared explanations. Worried about what to say if asked about their past, their skills, and their intentions.

Surprisingly, none of it mattered.

Consider them surprised when many of the usual procedures they expected had been skipped to discuss their job offer.

"...?"

Because apparently, they’d already been interviewing for over two years.

From the day they stood before the gates of the manor asking for employment, to the time they ended up at the orphanage, someone had been watching.

They weren’t the first desperate people to approach House Kyros.

And with the number of threats constantly directed at the house, along with the steady stream of infiltrators attempting to slip through the cracks, the family couldn’t afford to take chances.

But what truly opened the door for them wasn’t their glowing credentials but how they had been going about their lives. This was something they would learn about over time, but it definitely stuck until today.

Apparently, it was how they reacted during the kidnapping.

They didn’t abandon the younger children.

They didn’t abandon each other.

And they didn’t sell anyone out under pressure.

It hadn’t been an orchestrated test.

No one had wanted that attack to happen.

If Governess Agnes hadn’t witnessed their actions by chance, they likely would’ve been evaluated through some other means.

But she had seen it.

And Agnes had always been known for having a sharp eye for people.

The two elven teens had captured her attention.

However, given the nature of the job they were eventually entrusted with and the identity of the person they were meant to guard, no one would’ve felt at ease if Governess Agnes hadn’t evaluated them up close and personally.

So, for her personal peace of mind, aside from just tending to their health and wounds, she had them stay with her for an entire year to see just what kind of people they were.

"Would we pry information out of her? Would we snoop around her home? Would we disobey even the most basic ground rules she set?"

She never really said much and barely gave them any unreasonable rules that challenged their free will. In that way, they would be able to do as they wanted.

Even now, saying it aloud sounded absurd.

But when he factored in Luca’s secret, the heir who had to be protected at all costs, Elior couldn’t deny that the method made sense.

If anything, it only proved how sincerely everyone involved cared for their leaders.

"Oh no! She did something like that?" Luca asked, visibly worried. "Wouldn’t that have been dangerous? What if she ended up with people who had bad intentions?"

Off to the side, Rahil almost wanted to laugh.

"She once said she’d be fine," he answered calmly. "And at the time, it was difficult not to believe her."

Because anyone with bad intentions would’ve been dead.

And the kind-looking grandmother wouldn’t have thought twice before returning to her knitting with a very clean house.

Governess Agnes wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Violence didn’t match her warm, grandmotherly image, but it would’ve been impossible to hold her position for so long if she’d been ordinary.

There was truth in the old saying.

Beware of the old woman in a profession where men die young.

Still, even heroes couldn’t live forever.

And painstakingly choosing Prince Elior and Rahil had apparently been one of the last gifts she could give to the child she couldn’t fully watch over.

She might not have been able to teach him everything she wanted. She might not have lived long enough to see him return as they believed he would.

But she’d done what she could.

On the day she finally explained how and why they’d been selected for such a sensitive position, Governess Agnes passed peacefully, surrounded by the people who had become her family.

__

"That was a turning point for us," Elior continued, his voice steadier now. "Or at least for me."

"When she passed, we were about two months into me working as Luca’s body double, while Rahil had begun acting as the heir’s confidante and caretaker."

They had been proud.

They had been grateful.

But they had also been stumped.

"While we were relieved to finally work for House Kyros, that had been our goal since we got there, we were crushed to learn that the rumors about the Duke weren’t entirely true. It wasn’t him who was ill."

It would take another year before Duke Leander would begin contending with contamination.

Back then, the seclusion had been for the heir.

And the heir’s condition had been nothing like Elior’s.

"We definitely didn’t wish illness upon anyone," Elior clarified quickly. "But at that time, learning the truth left us unsure of what to do next."

Their initial motivation had been survival.

Then curiosity.

And suddenly, it became something heavier.

"But Governess Agnes’s sincerity pushed us forward," he admitted. "If nothing else, we would take our work seriously while we were at it."

They could do that much for her.

But just as Prince Elior cruised through memory lane, a prompt sounded.

"Host," the mouthy little system suddenly chimed in, needing advice on productivity, "is that why, soon after, there were suddenly so many articles about romantic affairs?"

The room went silent.

Several gazes turned slowly toward Elior.

Squarely.

Waiting.

Which words was he even supposed to use to talk about philandering?!