The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 511: Betrayal

This wasn’t for the faint of heart.

Luca wasn’t new to brutality. He’d seen his share of bloodshed, cruelty, and punishment. But it was his first time seeing violence that carried so much grief.

Every hit. Every sickening thunk of flesh against stone was heavy, weighted by a father’s rage and a brother’s sorrow.

Only now was Luca beginning to understand.

How would he feel if he were in King Garick’s or Princess Kira’s place?

Devastated.

And that was saying something, considering how he himself had been hurt, abused, and abandoned before. But those wounds came from strangers or people in whom he’d never placed his trust.

This was different.

This betrayal had been committed by someone the King and his daughter had treated like family.

Worse, that misplaced trust had cost them the life of another loved one and had nearly resulted in a war that could have cost the lives of millions.

All because of someone’s morbid beliefs.

The thought alone left Luca suffocated. And he didn’t even notice how hard he’d clenched his own hands into fists until a cool hand enveloped them.

Xavier.

Wordlessly, the prince moved closer, resting an arm around him as if to comfort his troubled soul.

Luca let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

For a fleeting moment, he almost thought it would have been better if the orc traitor, Grakkar, had succeeded in destroying himself earlier.

It wouldn’t have been pretty, but it could have spared the King and Princess this agony. So maybe he shouldn’t have interfered.

But the thought didn’t stick.

Because Luca, of all people, knew what it was like to carry false guilt, to live confused and somewhat lost because you didn’t know the full truth.

Just as others once told him he’d been unloved and abandoned, only for him to later learn just how fiercely his family and house had loved him all along.

Here too, King Garick was just now learning that it hadn’t been the humans who’d caused his sister’s death. It was his own kin, this traitor. And by the looks of it, so many other Orcs.

The King’s growl snapped Luca back to the present.

Grakkar, bound and bloodied before him, was still sneering despite his broken body. Every question King Garick hurled was met with silence or mocking laughter.

"I’ll ask you one last time," the King snarled, voice low and dangerous. "Who else is involved? How far does this go?"

But Grakkar only spat blood to the side, grinning through cracked teeth.

"Even if I told you... What good would it do? You’re too late, uncle."

Uncle. That must have stung. And the word alone was laced with so much poison that it felt deadly as it was.

The King struck him again, hard enough that a human would likely have lost their head upon getting hit.

The chamber was silent save for the heavy thud of boots and the wet sound of fists. No one moved to stop him. Because frankly, many of them would have volunteered to join, not for the fun of it, but to at least avenge the people and the Orcs who couldn’t do the same.

Finally, Garick straightened, chest heaving. His sharp gaze swept the room before settling on Duke Leander and Duchess Amelia.

"I’ll need time," he said, his voice thick with restrained fury and clear grief.

"This is something I must finish myself. Could I trouble you to watch over the children, as well as Kira and Ada, while I handle this? I will repay the favor later. Just in case he’s not working alone."

But Duke Leander merely gave a faint smile, as though the idea of repayment was absurd.

"There is no debt," the Duke replied evenly. "We would have done so regardless."

Amelia’s eyes were just as calm, though her grip on her blade had only just loosened.

"We’ll see to them," she assured him. "Do what you must."

Garick gave a terse nod of gratitude and turned back to his prey, knuckles tightening once more.

And so, one by one, they all left the chamber, leaving the King alone with the traitor.

As they filed out, Luca cast one last glance over his shoulder.

He didn’t look away immediately.

He wanted to remember this scene — to engrave the weight of it in his mind.

Because this was what it meant to face betrayal, and this was what it meant to stand firm, no matter how much it broke you inside.

__

Back in one of the lounge rooms, Princess Kira was sprawled across the couch, one arm thrown over her eyes as if the problem would disappear if she couldn’t see it.

What probably made this scene unusual was the untouched table, which was loaded with both snacks and drinks.

That alone told everyone just how bad this was.

For the first time since any of them had met her, Princess Kira had said no to food.

Even Ollie, who usually knew better than to poke a brooding orc princess, gave in to his concern and absolute horror. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and gave her a careful look.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly. "It might help. Maybe."

Kira stayed silent for a long moment.

Then she laughed. It was quiet, bitter, and full of something that someone like Ollie, who had lived a rather peaceful life, couldn’t understand. She lowered her arm and stared at the ceiling.

"I guess it wouldn’t hurt," she muttered.

She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. The usual spark in her golden eyes was gone, replaced by something darker.

"My aunt," she began, her voice flat, "was someone everyone said loved life. I never met her. She died before I was born. But the stories... they always made her sound like she could make even the grumpiest orc laugh."

Her lips twitched faintly, but it wasn’t a smile.

"They said my father was different back then. Kinder. Happier. Like someone whose anger wasn’t his main personality."

"That was back when she was alive. Before he started hating humans."

She rested her chin on her knees, her voice quiet.

"You know... before the humans came along, our biggest rivals were the elves. We fought them all the time. It was almost tradition. But when my aunt died... it all changed. Suddenly, the humans became the enemy. His whole world became about hating them."

Her fingers curled tightly around her sleeves.

"But now that I think about it... Maybe that was what they wanted all along. At that time, the humans were already weak. Contamination was eating at them. They didn’t have enough soldiers to protect what little they had left. It wouldn’t surprise me if some orc somewhere thought it’d be smart to blame them and steal what they had left."

"Or, well, you. I forgot you guys are human too." Her voice wavered.

"Anyway, all this time... it feels like my whole life was built on a lie."

She breathed in slowly, as if she were trying to steady herself.

"But I was lucky," she said quietly. "I didn’t turn out like him. I still came here, even when people called me a traitor. Even when they said I was a disgrace to my kind. But of course, that was because those who said it openly didn’t really survive to see the light."

Her eyes softened, staring into nothing.

"But that was me. My father couldn’t really do the same, or we’d likely lose half the population. But now, seeing him like that, broken like that..."

She fell silent, then said, almost to herself:

"Maybe I should just go home. Help him clean house."

The words hung there. Everyone stared. Even Ollie looked up from the floor, wide-eyed.

Then, before anyone could speak, the door creaked open with a deliberate, heavy click.

They all turned.

King Garick stood there.

He was cleaned up now, though his jaw was tight and his eyes were still faintly red.

"No," he said, his voice sharp and sure.

Kira froze.

The King stepped inside, arms crossed as he looked at her.

"No," he said again. "And yes, I hear how strange that sounds, coming from me. But you’re going to listen to me this time."

He let out a breath, his gaze locking on hers like steel.

"The best thing you can do for me is stay here. I need to know you’re somewhere safe. Safer than what’s waiting back home."

The room went dead silent.

Kira just stared at him, mouth slightly open, wide-eyed and stunned into absolute silence.

Even Ollie, in the corner, mouthed a silent what before coughing into his fist.

For once, Princess Kira had nothing to say. And the sight of her gawking at her father was something no one in the room would soon forget.

After all, they had gone through so much just to convince him to let them stay there, only to end up being forced to do so because going home was now the worst option.