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

Chapter 1083: The Beginner Beekeeper

"This is what we really need to wear?" Kyle verified, looking down at the bulky beekeeping ensemble covering him from head to toe.

Though honestly, there was probably no point in asking anymore, considering he was already fully dressed in the thing, but even so, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that they looked utterly ridiculous.

They were people who routinely wore advanced combat suits, military-grade exploration gear, and equipment designed to survive outright hostile environments without sacrificing mobility. But now?

Not only did he feel like a cultist about to embark on something insane, but he even looked the part.

"Yeah," Luca answered while flipping through the physical manual in his hands.

Unlike the others, the future beekeeper looked perfectly content bundled inside the stark white suit, almost vibrating with excitement despite resembling an overprotected marshmallow.

"It’s definitely bulkier than the exploration suits, which would probably protect us just fine," Luca admitted. "But I think it’s better to wear the recommended gear since we don’t know how those suits might smell to the bees."

The golden-eyed cadet looked up from the book with such firm determination that Kyle instinctively felt there had to be a very good explanation behind all of this.

"The manual says they’re sensitive to scent. It even mentions that we shouldn’t wash the suits with strong chemicals because the bees might get agitated."

At the mention of such an extremely important detail, Jax unexpectedly perked up.

Everyone immediately stared.

Because the redhead looked genuinely invested.

"So...does that mean we all need to read the manual before handling the bees?" he asked seriously.

The blonde nearby practically suffered spiritual damage.

Ollie stared at Jax in complete disbelief because the man had voluntarily offered to read.

Read.

On purpose.

Unfortunately for the mop, his good brother didn’t even seem shocked. Instead, he looked delighted.

"Well, about that..." Luca scratched awkwardly at the sleeve of his suit, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed. "It’d honestly be good for everyone to read it. But I don’t think that’ll really be possible because, like Xavier pointed out earlier..."

He coughed lightly.

"This is written in Tessarian."

"..."

"Oh."

Jax looked visibly disappointed for approximately two seconds before recovering surprisingly quickly.

"Then what if you just translate the important parts?" he suggested.

Luca, who had almost gotten distracted earlier by several deeply concerning thoughts regarding why the Trove somehow carried Tessarian beekeeping manuals, immediately brightened again.

Thankfully, he didn’t have enough free time right now to spiral over that particular issue. There were currently many more urgent matters.

Like bees.

The important preparations needed to receive said bees.

And Jax, who made Luca absurdly happy because he seemed excited to learn about beekeeping with him, who was also a newbie.

"Of course!" he answered immediately with a wide grin.

With such a show of determination, the three suspiciously excited cadets continued bonding over bees they technically hadn’t even met yet.

Meanwhile, Elder Pao Xi, the Elder volunteer for this operation, silently observed the group.

Beside him stood Kyle and Xavier, who had somehow become the automatic and apparently lifetime chaperones of this increasingly questionable expedition.

And the three of them could only watch the jumpy group in silence.

"..."

"..."

__

Just moments before their trek—done manually rather than through teleportation so they could properly inspect the surroundings—toward the environment they were eyeing for the bees, the large beach gathering temporarily split apart.

After all, they only had six complimentary beekeeping suits.

And unfortunately, for the devastated children—and a number of individuals who were allegedly only children at heart—that number apparently wasn’t enough to accommodate an entire overly excited audience.

The younger ones immediately insisted they could simply stand very, very far away and watch quietly. Surprisingly, this time, Luca could not be swayed at all.

Normally, the children’s large pleading eyes were enough to critically damage his resolve.

Today, however?

The future beekeeper stood firm.

"For now, you can all watch from the projection," Luca promised gently while crouching slightly so he could speak to them properly. "And I promise I’ll bring everyone another time once we get suits that fit you properly..."

The children immediately looked despondent.

Then, as if trying their absolute best, two small faces turned toward him with the sort of heartbreakingly practiced disappointment that usually worked far more often than it should have.

And honestly?

That almost succeeded again.

But only almost.

Because, unlike before, this time there was an actual danger involved, and there was simply no way Luca would take such unnecessary risks when safer and better options were available.

"I’m sorry, kids," said the apologetic big brother. "But while these bees are relatively gentle creatures, it’s still not unusual for them to get defensive or agitated when disturbed, especially by unfamiliar people. They’re a lot like our other animals in that sense."

The children listened attentively despite their obvious pouting.

"However," Luca continued carefully, "unlike most animals here, these bees are willing to sacrifice themselves just to protect their home and their Queen."

"Huh?" Marin gasped in shock.

"Yes." Luca nodded. "Their main way of defending themselves is by stinging threats."

"Now, for us, that would already be painful. And in some cases, people can even have dangerous allergic reactions, which is something we really need to watch out for since most of us are completely new to this."

Then his expression softened slightly.

"But for them..."

Luca paused and instinctively glanced toward Xavier and Prince Elior.

He wasn’t sure how specific he should get with the explanation that sounded rather gruesome even to him. Yet both princes simply nodded at him, silently encouraging him to continue.

At times like this, Luca thought that being royals responsible for people in such a harsh place really forced children to mature much earlier.

Then again, hiding the truth from them when they’d likely already faced far worse things would’ve been an insult to their strength, so after a brief moment of deliberation, he ultimately chose to continue honestly.

"For the bees, it wouldn’t just be painful. Usually, it’d be deadly."

The children froze.

"Detaching from their stingers often causes other important organs to get pulled out as well," Luca explained softly. "So after stinging something, there is a high probability of dying afterward."

The children gasped again as they absorbed those shocking words.

Their small brows furrowed deeply as they processed that information.

Then, almost immediately, their earlier disappointment gave way to determination.

"If it’s like that, then Brother Chipmunk, we’ll just stay here and watch from the projection!" Princess Nina declared while clenching her tiny fist seriously.

"Yes!" Princess Marin added with matching resolve. "We’ll behave and stay back here!"

The others—like the suddenly extremely respectful yet deeply mortified Princess Kira—quickly nodded along as well. In her mind, patriotic individuals like them absolutely deserved the level of careful consideration Luca was giving them.

Meanwhile, seeing their agreeable reactions, the golden-eyed cadet visibly relaxed, gently patting the obedient children on the head.

Then, after making sure everyone was settled, he finally downed the drink Xavier had handed him earlier in preparation for their next endeavor.

Although honestly?

Maybe he should’ve asked for at least two more glasses.

Because who would’ve thought there were this many things to consider when it came to beekeeping?!

Before they could even head out to inspect the area, they’d already spent so much time running around preparing food first.

His initial reaction had been surprise.

Because wasn’t that supposed to be honey?

Well, sure.

But which homeless bees were supposed to magically produce honey the moment they arrived?

"!!!"