Chapter 306: Questions and Lectures

Words : 1336 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Chapter 306: Questions and Lectures Apparently, long enough to face even bigger challenges. Imperial Crown Prince Xavier Thoren Solaris would have preferred facing off against the demon incarnate by himself if it meant escaping his current predicament. Yeah, that bad. And in this, his guardian mecha was of the same mind. One-on-one with the great one? That could seriously be arranged. Fighting a corrupted beast? Doable. Navigating a political minefield? Manageable. But this? This was uncharted territory. Because what Xavier hadn’t counted on was being cornered by three women in a cramped subterranean tunnel while being interrogated about one particular someone. And not just any someone. Their Young Lord. Her son. And his wife, Luca. It had all gone downhill after they reached the underground base—a rough, but resourceful safe zone carved into the earth. Faint traces of past habitation lingered: makeshift bunk areas, low-hanging lanterns powered by residual energy, and scribbled notes posted along crystalline walls. They barely had a moment before Duchess Amelia led them toward a narrow tunnel network that extended beyond the chamber. "No time to linger," she’d said. "We follow the hollow path until it reaches the surface near the barren lands." She gestured to the dwarf striding ahead of them. "This is Cece. She’s the one who carved most of the tunnel system. Used to be a surface-dwelling excavator before the dungeon dragged her in." Cece raised a hand in greeting, her goggles pushed up into her wild hair, a small pickaxe bouncing on her belt. "Dead zones make for easy digging. Nothing grows here, not even that blasted tree’s roots," she said. "Hmm." Xavier just slowly nodded, eyeing the collapsing walls with narrowed eyes. "Looks rugged, but this is actually safer than the other options," Cece shrugged. "Trust me, I’ve mapped every damn crack in this part of the underbelly. You just watch where you step and follow my lead." Even if it were as rickety as their guild base, he would have to follow anyway, because he did promise to do this in Luca’s stead. They pressed forward. The tunnel curved ahead in tight, winding bends. The echoes of their footsteps mingled with the faint hum of dormant dungeon energy embedded in the walls. Lady Gisella—Butler Gary’s younger sister—was the first to speak after a long, companionable silence. "Your Grace," she began, glancing at the Duchess, "forgive me, but... where did you go all this time? And those new challengers—you’re saying they’re all human this time?" At that, even Cece slowed her pace. She had seen her share of strange things in the dungeon, in fact she was once one that was sucked in just like this new kid they had with them. Amelia nodded. "Yes. Human. But more than just random ones," she said, her voice threaded with awe and a quiet ache. "I found Gary. Alive and well." Gisella’s breath caught, but she proceeded to diss her older brother like always, "I bet that old geezer’s even greyer now." Duchess Amelia chuckled, expecting something like this, but had to unfortunately inform her that, "Actually, we might be looking more rugged than them. It’s apparently only been six months outside of this dungeon." "???" "!!!" "Wait, WHAT—?" The two women simultaneously looked at her with incredulous eyes, wondering if that were really possible. "Yeah, and in that span of time, my son had apparently come back," the Duchess continued, her expression softening. "In fact, he was right there. Just moments ago, we were together." A hush fell over the group. Cece blinked. "Wait. The Luca Kyros? The one you always talked about like he was some little angel?" "The one from the sacred photo?!" Gisella clutched her datapad like a lifeline. "Your Grace...really?! Is that true?!" Amelia nodded, slower now. "He was just a child when we last saw him move—before everything. But you’ll know the moment you see his eyes." "Wow, " Gisella was in awe. "It’s been too long. But... is he still as cute as before?" There was a beat of silence. Then both Xavier and the Duchess answered with fierce, wordless nods—so synchronized and passionate that Cece almost tripped. She stared, especially at that giant young man who had until now spoken with the brevity of a terminally stoic rock. Cece raised a brow at him. Xavier blinked, straightened his posture, and looked away, face unreadable. But he didn’t deny it. "He’s...still Luca," Amelia said fondly, with just a hint of mist in her voice. "But now he’s also something else entirely." "And what’s he like?" Gisella asked, hope brightening her eyes. "What does he do? What’s he into?" "We didn’t have time to talk. I’m telling you I’m wiping out that monster, hell or high water." She said as she narrowed her eyes in complete annoyance. But then the three women seemed to remember something as they all looked at Xavier expectantly. The Prince would usually ignore such pointed stares, but this was technically her mother-in-law, so his word allocation must definitely be re-allocated. Xavier finally sighed, the kind of sigh that carried the weight of both admiration and resignation. "He likes... cooking. Eating. And most of all—earning." "Earning?" Cece echoed. "Coins. Points. Credits. Resources. If it has value, he likes to look at it." Every night. But he’d rather not say that unless he wanted an early death. "Oh no! Do we have enough richness in the Duchy? After all, we stopped so many of our financial endeavors!" Gisella worried as she remembered what had happened in the recent decade. "Yes, and even then, Luca likes making his own money. As of now, we’re able to do it easier with the help of our guild and its enterprise." "A guild? Did he have to join one of those academy guilds?! Which affiliated house did he join?!" Gisella had to know because this had a lot of implications, and she had to make sure that the Young Lord wouldn’t be bullied there! Only to be surprised by the knowledge that he didn’t join one. He started one. "My son started a guild?!" Amelia was flabbergasted. "Two months and he’s already done that?!" "Yes, that and so much more." Xavier nodded. Luca had done so much more than what one could possibly imagine. "And we’ve been in close affiliation with the Duchy of Kyros for this. Duke Leander and many of the House’s people are involved one way or the other." "Duke Leander?!" Gisella blinked. "Isn’t that your husband, Lia?" asked Cece, who was a bit confused as to how someone who was supposed to be on his deathbed would be helping out to earn money? "Butler, Gary did say that he had been cured." Said the Duchess, who even now had her hands trembling at the notion that her husband was now fine. "Had my brother gone senile? Or was he lucid when he said that?!" Duchess Amelia also wasn’t sure, but Xavier decided to just inform them of the truth. "It’s true. He’s been cured and is back to leading the duchy." Everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head, and for once, he thought it was understandable. "Wow. Lia, your husband promised to survive the Spiritual Imbalance Disorder and actually followed through." Cece exclaimed. "Meanwhile, my husband vowed to stay loyal and didn’t even last a week!" She added. "Kid, are you in a relationship?" Cece looked at Xavier, who almost skidded to a stop. He wasn’t sure if it was right to answer her, but he did. The prince managed a nod. "Then this applies to you. You better shape up and don’t promise your wife something you can’t fulfill!" Lectured the dwarf, who clearly held a lot of grievances. "I know. I won’t break my promises." He said to them and to himself. "Good, good!" It’s just that Xavier didn’t expect to be lectured on behalf of the male population for hours. Sid pitied his master but decided that this was better than immediate death.

Chapter 306: Questions and Lectures

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