The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 468: Mock Exam Mayhem

"39%."

"45%."

"33%."

"27%, 55%, 61%, 74%."

Wham!

Everyone flinched as Kyle slammed his hand on the table.

But more than anyone else, it was Kyle himself who looked like he was about to develop a debilitating headache. The normally composed adjutant pinched the bridge of his nose and let out the most tired sigh this makeshift classroom had ever heard.

"Just how—how—are you all scoring like this when the actual exam is in three days?" he asked, his voice trembling on the edge of disbelief.

He gestured toward the glowing projections on the holoboard. "The closest person to passing is Ada! And even then, she only got a 74!"

The students winced collectively.

"Guys!" Kyle looked personally betrayed. "She’s an Orc! And while they need to learn the history of the Empire, how is it possible that she could score much higher than people actually attempting to serve the Empire’s military?!"

He paused and glanced at specific names. Luca, Noah, Theo...

Okay, maybe he understood those ones.

After all, Luca hadn’t even heard of the Empire of Solaris until a few months ago, and Noah and Theo came from commoner backgrounds where memorizing the lineage of noble houses wasn’t exactly a survival skill.

Still, Luca’s 61% was impressive in that context. Alarming—but impressive.

From across the room, Jax raised his hand like he was about to deliver an important national announcement.

"You should know I can’t really use my skills on a mock exam," he declared confidently. "I only work my magic when it’s the real thing!"

The temporary lecturer wanted to gut him, but knew that this was practically a fact, or else, how could that guy have gotten to this point?

Princess Kira, sitting nearby, made popping sounds from her lips. Pop! "These noble names are like eighty syllables long. Why would anyone want to memorize a family tree that sounds like a witch’s curse?"

Kyle resisted the urge to scream.

And then there was Ollie.

The blonde had gotten almost every name correct.

Which should’ve been a win, except he also managed to pick the most underhanded, suspiciously wrong but actually factual answers for anything that didn’t involve names. It was just that they weren’t the correct answers according to the historical texts. After all, who wants to be written up for death by a spoon?

"Brother," Luca whispered from the side, leaning toward Ollie. "Why did you put down ’political assassination by a spoon’ for the cause of one of the earliest emperors’ first abdication?"

Ollie frowned. "Because that’s what Uncle said during the party last year."

"Really?"

"Yes, really..." then proceeded to murmur just what kind of spoon was used.

Kyle dragged his hand down his face.

This was going to be a long week.

But he wasn’t the only one who probably needed a strong drink. Because, for some reason, it was like his good brother had an apprentice who was just as terrifying and as dubious when it came to studying.

Kyle.

By the fourth hour of oral reviews, the blonde mechanic’s lower lip had begun to tremble with concerning frequency. His eyes were watery, his cheeks puffed up in indignation, and his brows had knit themselves together like a sweater unraveling midwinter.

Across from him, the usually amused guy who carried him everywhere stood tall, tablet in hand, wearing the face of a military instructor condemned to teach a class of sleeping cats.

And then—finally, mercifully—Kyle’s terminal pinged.

"I have to take this," he muttered, stepping out of the room.

The wrecked blonde watched him go with a desperation usually reserved for drama finales. And once the door shut?

He broke.

"I can’t do it anymore!" Ollie practically wailed, slumping over the desk like a fallen starfish. "He’s so intense! Why is he like this?!"

Princess Kira tilted her head. "Like what?"

"Like that! Like that!" Ollie gestured vaguely in all directions. "Does he always glare like he’s calculating your probability of survival based on your typing speed?!"

The princess tilted her head thoughtfully. "Huh? Isn’t that just normal, Kyle? Actually...he’s nicer now."

Ollie lifted his head slowly, like a ghost realizing it hadn’t passed on. "What do you mean, nicer?"

"He’s a demon every morning," Princess Kira said matter-of-factly. "We call it the Dawn of Death Hour."

Jax leaned over from his spot, nodding solemnly. "Even when the Captain isn’t around, you can’t relax. Kyle will find you."

"He once chased me down a hallway full sprint," Kira added.

Ollie sat upright. "What?!"

"Uh-huh," they nodded in unison.

The blonde looked horrified. "But he’s always...He’s always patient with me. And even offers treats sometimes."

Kira looked at him knowingly. "Because he likes you."

Ollie immediately combusted. "B-but! Not right now, he doesn’t! Right now, we’re just friends! We made a deal!" ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"A deal?" Kira’s ears twitched, eyes sparkling with weaponized curiosity.

"Y-yes!" Ollie stammered, flailing slightly. "We’re friends until after the exams. Then... we’ll start a...trial." He blushed furiously. "A trial-thing!"

"A trial-thing," Kira repeated, delighted eyes sparkling like she had heard something sacred. "Then what about now, is this also a trial-thing?"

"It’s an experiment!" Ollie shouted, flustered. "To see the difference between friendship and romance!"

The room went quiet.

Then Kira leaned back, grinning. "Then prepare yourself."

Ollie blinked. "Prepare for what?"

"To meet Adjutant Kyle Nox." She clapped her hands ominously. "Not your personal knight. Not your pillow. But the actual, terrifying, no-mercy, does-500-pushups-before-class version of Kyle."

A chill ran down Ollie’s spine.

He suddenly realized he may have made a critical mistake in choosing now—exam week—to test out this little trial theory.

Because while he thought school was hard, it was apparently harder with no cushions on.

Well, Princess Kira wasn’t kidding. Because the grievances began to pile up.

Kyle wasn’t mean. He didn’t yell or belittle anyone. But he treated Ollie exactly the same way he treated everybody else—and Ollie’s spirit was not having it.

By the next day, after the initial shock of this new treatment wore off, Ollie had begun to learn what it was really like to be on the receiving end of Kyle’s normal mode.

Apparently, Kyle had always had a ton of work, especially now, with the Orc King’s looming arrival. It was only then that Ollie, looking worn down and curious, asked Luca where Kyle could be found today. Not that he would go see him, but you know, he was just curious.

Yes. Just curious.

"Oh, you can check his schedule," Luca said casually, tapping his own terminal. "I have been receiving a copy since we coordinated food logistics."

Ollie looked at the projection.

And nearly fell out of his seat.

"This—what’s this?!"

Luca peered over. "That’s Kyle’s daily work calendar. Or at least, one of them. Usually, he and Xavier run similar schedules since they apparently handle a lot of admin work together. But this one’s been updated recently."

"What do you mean, updated?" Ollie asked, eyes narrowing.

"Well...back when you were still outside working on the Aquaponics Complex, Kyle started shifting his blocks around. He volunteered to deliver your meals, too, remember?"

Ollie blinked. "Wait...so he changed his workload?"

"Oh no, brother," Luca said, solemn. "He condensed them."

The blonde, whose hair antenna stood at attention, just gawked at the screen, watching color-coded blocks crammed tightly into impossible, back-to-back time slots.

This wasn’t rescheduling. It was compressing. An entire day’s worth of tasks forced into half the time.

"What kind of insanity is this?" he muttered, staring at the jam-packed schedule.

He thought of his own schedule, which mostly consisted of to-do lists, general task deadlines, and Luca occasionally reminding him to eat or sleep. That was normal.

This?

This was a time crunch. What was he? A president?!

"I asked him about it once," Luca said softly. "Because I was supposed to deliver the meals. But he said no. He insisted. Said you might need the company."

Ollie’s mouth parted. The weight of that hit harder than he expected.

"What was he thinking? He barely had any time..." he whispered.

Luca shrugged. "I said the same thing, brother. But Kyle just smiled and said, ’It’s okay. I’ll make time.’"

As if anyone could just manufacture time.

But maybe if there were people who could do it, Kyle might just be one of them.

But even if he couldn’t. Actually, especially if he couldn’t, it was okay. Because it seemed like it was enough to make someone’s little heart skip a beat.

Or two.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on fre𝒆web(n)ovel.co(m)