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

Chapter 1103: The Sweetness of Memory

"Um... Your Highness, how should we take this?"

At last, one of the attendants voiced the question that had been lingering in everyone’s minds ever since the Divine Heir had first looked at the strange item.

Because when the gate spat out the goods they had just purchased, everyone had been genuinely surprised.

First, there was the size.

The things they were looking at were...

Tiny.

Extremely tiny.

Heck, even the largest hexagon and the accompanying crates looked ridiculously small.

Especially when compared to the massive beast carcasses, rare materials, medicinal resources, and even weapons they used to obtain from the vendors who once traded through the gate.

Yet today, what greeted them were containers and crates so small and delicate that they almost felt the need to handle them with extreme care.

Who knew what they contained, after all?

If there was one thing they were certain about, it was how every single item practically reeked of pure and surprisingly clean spiritual energy.

And despite the bloodshed surrounding them, despite the lingering stench of corruption and battle, an enticing yet muted aroma still managed to reach their noses.

Which only made them even more cautious.

Something too good could always be a trap.

So they couldn’t simply open the items inside the already at-risk makeshift settlement.

What if they were dangerous?

So no.

It would be far safer to conduct a few tests outside first.

__

Honestly, everyone had already prepared themselves for the usual routine of guessing what the products were supposed to do.

That was how it had always been.

Buy it.

Poke it.

Experiment with it.

Pray no one exploded.

Then hopefully figure out its purpose.

Yet this time, something unexpected happened.

A prompt appeared.

Not a small one either.

A large projection materialized before them, filled with symbols, images, and what looked to be entire descriptions written in an unfamiliar language.

That was...

Rather thoughtful even if they couldn’t understand anything at first glance.

They had become so accustomed to blindly experimenting with imported goods that seeing actual instructions felt almost novel.

Unfortunately, just as expected, the writing was completely unrecognizable.

The Divine Heir studied the symbols in silence.

Not Celestari.

Definitely not.

As the future ruler of the Dominion, few people possessed a broader understanding of foreign languages than he did. Entire sections of his education had been dedicated to such things.

Yet he could not identify even a single character.

At that realization, he couldn’t help but wonder.

Just how far had those things managed to travel?

At the very least, they had clearly succeeded in crossing beyond their realm.

Still, that question could wait.

The items before them were far more important.

The Divine Heir’s gaze lingered on the floating prompt.

"...D-0, is it possible to translate the characters?"

The usually reliable companion remained silent for a brief moment.

Then it responded.

"I apologize, Your Highness. That does not appear possible with my current database."

"I see."

The Divine Heir nodded calmly, having predicted something like that to happen anyway.

"It’s fine."

After all, disappointment implied expectation.

And they had long since expected nothing.

If anything, this was already far more than what they normally received.

His eyes shifted back toward the strange images and symbols.

"No matter."

"We’ll start with this first."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"...Having something is clearly better than having nothing."

And compared to the countless purchases that required them to blindly stumble their way through discovery...

This was already an incredible improvement.

__

It looked confusing at first, but eventually someone noticed that the drawings—that felt more like hieroglyphics—on the bottles appeared to match the more realistic images displayed on the projection.

"Is that what the vendor looks like?" someone innocently asked.

The question caused everyone to pause.

They looked between the smiling figure displayed on the projection—an image that had, unbeknownst to them, been created by combining the features of several cadets—and the strange containers now resting in their hands.

"Very youthful?"

"The ears are surprisingly humanoid too."

The Divine Heir was actually curious about that himself. However, if those figures truly represented the sellers, then perhaps understanding the images would be easier than they initially thought.

Sure enough, another attendant suddenly pointed toward the projection.

"Your Highness, the second-to-last image on the first row! The creature put it in its mouth!"

Everyone immediately looked over.

"I don’t understand what the final image means... because what exactly is that raised thumb supposed to represent?" the attendant admitted. "But the creature appears to be smiling."

"Such small teeth..."

"...?"

Ahem!

"Sorry..."

A brief silence followed.

Then someone spoke the possibility that had just entered everyone’s mind.

"Then... does that mean this is edible?"

"Is it actually food?"

"FOOD?!"

The reaction was immediate.

Several people looked toward the jars with widened eyes while others turned toward the Divine Heir as though asking him to confirm it immediately.

Even the Divine Heir himself felt his heart skip.

Food.

Tangible sustenance.

It was one of the main reasons their population had remained stagnant or steadily declined ever since dwelling above ground became impossible.

Back in their Dominion, reaching adulthood meant attaining a state in which they would never again require the things mortal bodies typically needed, proudly sustaining themselves on spiritual energy that would allow them to grow stronger over time.

However, the downfall of beings who had lived as immortals for so long was that, in the face of immense pressure, they had seemingly forgotten what it took to reach that point in the first place.

Just because it had ceased being essential to them, it hadn’t been given as big of a priority.

As one could imagine, that had been a grave mistake, one they had to pay for dearly even to this day.

No wonder the people around him were visibly agitated now, their eyes practically boring holes through the containers as they tried to uncover the truth behind what they had purchased.

The Divine Heir understood exactly how they felt.

After all, he wanted the answer just as much.

"I’ll open one," he finally decided. "Everyone, prepare defensive measures."

The attendant and the onlookers immediately complied.

The smallest container was brought forward and carefully placed into the Divine Heir’s hands.

It was unlike the capsule containers they normally used.

There were no buttons to press, recessed or otherwise, nor were there any visible mechanisms suggesting other ways to use it.

Just a simple container with a lid.

One of the earlier images showed a pair of hands twisting the top, so the Prince followed the instructions exactly as depicted.

A soft pop sounded.

The lid separated from the container, and the Divine Heir nearly stepped back.

"!"

But not because of an attack...

But because of the scent.

The aroma that escaped was unlike anything he had encountered before.

Even within the vast Celestari Dominion, he could not recall ever smelling something so enticing.

For a fleeting moment, he almost felt powerless before it.

And because of that, he immediately became wary.

Things that appeared too perfect were often dangerous.

Thankfully, as someone of his cultivation and standing, even if this turned out to be poison, there were very few substances capable of threatening him immediately. Short of consuming corruption itself, he would most likely survive.

The others clearly understood this as well; therefore, not a single person offered to taste it on his behalf.

Instead, they silently watched as he studied the projection again.

There was a large red X mark over fingers entering the container, while several green symbols appeared next to unidentifiable tools being used instead.

Unfortunately, they possessed neither of the tools shown.

After a brief moment of consideration, the Divine Heir simply extended a spiritual tendril and lifted a tiny droplet into the air.

Everyone unconsciously held their breath.

The droplet resembled liquid gold.

It floated steadily toward his lips before finally disappearing into his mouth.

The attendants waited.

Then continued waiting.

Seconds passed.

No one dared speak.

Until someone noticed the tears.

"Your Highness?"

The Divine Heir remained perfectly still.

His eyes were open, but they seemed distant.

Stunned.

And before he even realized it himself, tears were already streaming down his face.

The taste lingered.

Warm.

Sweet.

Like the colorful memories of childhood he once had.

It spread through him so gently that it almost hurt.

The sensation felt both foreign and familiar as he kept remembering something precious that had been lost for so long he had forgotten its shape.

Hope.

Not that such an abstract concept would have a tangible shape.

Not to mention how they couldn’t even read all those words and had no idea what these things were.

And yet, after ages...

If someone were to ask him what hope tasted like, then he would definitely look back and remember this thing.

The Divine Heir drew in a shaky breath.

"Your Highness...?"

Concern had begun spreading through the gathered crowd, but before anyone could ask again, he finally spoke.

"Prepare to return."

Everyone froze.

"We need to reassess the most secure area underground and designate a location specifically for these goods."

His attendant stared at him.

"Is it actually—?"

"Yes."

The answer came immediately.

"Yes, it is."

The Divine Heir looked down at the container in his hand.

"We need to inform everyone else."

A strange warmth continued to spread throughout his body.

It had been so long since he last needed food that he had forgotten what it felt like to truly appreciate it.

Perhaps that was true for all of them gathered around.

Before the tragedy, sustenance had always existed, available to those who weren’t "disciplined" enough to still need worldly things.

Ha!

Which was probably why they could never have imagined that such things could just disappear.

Then they did.

And eventually realized what that actually meant for them and the future generation...

Some called it fate.

Others called it punishment.

Still others believed it was simply the inevitable consequence of surviving when so many others had not.

But standing there now with that tiny container in his hand, the Divine Heir couldn’t help feeling that life had finally shown them a measure of mercy.

One final chance.

__

Well, there was that.

A psychological revolution that would likely result in several fanatical honey-related movements in the near future.

But to think they hadn’t even reached the stack of crates filled with juicy red fruits patiently lying in wait, no?