The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 760

Chapter 760: The Beginning of the Divide

The Aetheryon Royal Family, the current ruling family of the elven race, who mainly resided in the Lumira Galaxy, actually lorded over several galaxy groups.

It sounded impressive on paper. Grand, majestic, powerful. The kind of thing one could be proud of.

But the truth was far less glamorous.

Because fortunately or unfortunately, the current members of the family could only trace their roots to the relatives of the last pure-blooded Aetheryons.

As a story that could fill history books, most would be aware that the true main branch had been gone for generations.

Elior personally thought this was a blessing. Because really, who would ever want to be fully related to that insane Elven King?

Certainly not him. He thanked the stars every day that his bloodline was diluted enough to keep him sane.

Of course, his ancestors probably had their own issues they were guilty of; after all, fighting between the orcs and the elves didn’t really die down until the dawn of corruption. But from what he knew, it shouldn’t be as repulsive as that beheaded elven King.

Then again, not everyone shared his sentiment. There were always those who obsessed over bloodlines and purity.

And because he knew what was at stake, he could also understand their frustration. To many elves, their diluted bloodline meant their leaders no longer had guaranteed access to the ancestral bloodline ability that was supposed to legitimize their rule. And to the elders, that felt like their race was being abandoned by the gods.

And who would like that, right? Especially when the other leaders of the other races seemed to be doing fine with passing on their bloodline abilities.

Sure, the current royals technically had Aetheryon blood. They were by no means fake in that regard. Still, as a branch family whose ancestors had manifested the sacred ability maybe three times in their entire history, the connection was significantly less impressive. Especially when compared to the extinct main branch, whose members all possessed it.

But then, up until some time ago, it had never been the biggest concern. It was not as though better candidates were hiding somewhere, because even the naysayers couldn’t wield the bloodline either. Most of them were even more distantly related and had nothing to back up their complaints except loud opinions.

So everything had been fine. Not spectacular, but at least things were fine.

If only it had stayed like that.

Because it all came crashing down when the unsuspecting Elior accidentally manifested the controversial ability.

It happened when they were much younger, back when he and Eren actually shared an enviable brotherly relationship. The kind that made tutors sigh in relief and elders feel proud. Back when they were simply two mischievous boys who thought the universe would forgive anything they did.

On that ill-fated day, they had decided to escape their lessons. A brilliant idea, according to seven-year-old logic. After all, what could go wrong when the teachers were boring, and the palace hallways were wide open?

Their tiny feet carried them deep into the forest, giggling, arguing, and daring each other to go farther and farther until they stumbled across a crystal cave they had never seen in all their seven years of life.

The cave was breathtaking.

Columns of translucent crystal jutted from the ground like ancient pillars, each one glowing faintly with soft hues of blue and lavender.

The walls, on the other hand, shimmered with delicate fractures that caught the faintest light and scattered it like stardust. While pools of clear water reflected the entire cavern upward, as if an inverted sky lived beneath the surface.

To the two children, it felt like entering a secret world. With something that inviting, how could they possibly resist the temptation to look?

And as children would, they eagerly went inside, absolutely convinced that nothing bad could possibly happen to them.

Nothing did, at least not while they were going in. They ran around, touched everything shiny, poked anything that sparkled, and laughed at their reflections in the mirrored pools.

The trouble began when they tried to go back.

Something in the cave made them sick. It was slow at first, like dizziness. But it grew stronger and heavier, settling into their bones like poison.

Eren passed out first.

And as the elder brother twin, even if it was only by minutes, Elior tried his best to stay awake. He staggered. He crawled. He dragged Eren inch by inch toward the exit, refusing to leave him behind.

By the time they reached the outside, the entire palace had already been thrown into a frenzy searching for them. Patrol beasts were deployed. Guards were shouting their names. Lights from the sky fleets swept the forest floor.

Apparently, during that period of disappearance, their terminals could not be contacted or tracked at all, and it nearly pushed the extremists into using the incident as an excuse to start another war.

Elior could still remember the relief that washed over him when he saw people running toward them. Even years later, even after everything changed, he could not forget that moment.

But why?

Perhaps because everything changed after that day.

Because what came after the relief was Elior passing out. He remained ill for an entire week with a fever so high that healers feared he might never wake.

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