The Coming-of-Age Ball (1)

Time passed.

Dante's life grew steadily more stable. First and foremost, his parents returned home.

"Kids~!"

It had been a full five years since they'd last seen each other.

"Mom~!"

"Dad~!"

Everyone except Dante rushed into their parents' arms, tears streaming down their faces.

"Dante."

Lennon smiled warmly at him with his eyes.

"You're not coming?"

"I feel like I'm past that age."

"Hahaha! Already fifteen, huh? All grown up, are we?"

Dante chuckled and approached his father. Lennon pulled him into a gentle embrace. His father's arms were firm and warm.

"I'm glad you're back, Father."

"Seeing you healthy fills me with joy too, Dante."

They left Grandpa's house, where they'd stayed for five years, and returned to their real home. The mansion sparkled with bright lights after so long. Laughter bloomed around the dinner table amid big and small stories.

"I heard about it, Dante. You even dueled for Sara's sake?"

"It just kinda happened that way."

"Haha! Winning like that means you haven't slacked on your studies."

A lot had happened over those five years. Sara's debut and Dante's duel were natural topics of conversation, of course. But the experiences of Elena and Lennon in the New World provided even more stories.

"So, Father, does this mean you're officially taking over the Aision family business now?"

"Well, yeah."

Lennon gave a wry smile.

"I've swung a sword my whole life, and now trying to handle paperwork feels awkward and exhausting."

"Don't say that, dear."

Elena habitually kissed Lennon. It was easy to imagine how they'd spent those five years without the kids...

"You're doing great at it now, aren't you?"

"...Yeah. I'm not bad at it anymore."

In the New World, Lennon had studied overseas trade. Over five years, he'd mastered what goods were produced locally, how they were distributed, and how to manage them effectively. Lennon's father, the current head of the Aision count family, had entrusted him with one trading fleet.

"You've been to the debut ball, so have you met the imperial princess?"

"Yes. She visits our house pretty often."

"...?"

"She became friends with Sara at the debut ball. She knows me a bit too."

"Oh my, oh my."

Elena seemed utterly delighted that her son and daughter were close to the princess.

"Sitting here eating together like this... I can't tell you how wonderful it feels."

"Right? I'm so happy."

The Aisions laughed. Dante smiled too. Living a prosperous family life with a happy childhood—what better second chance at life could there be?

Time flew by frighteningly fast.

Letters frequently arrived at the Aision mansion for Dante.

"What's that one, Father?"

"Just another generic enrollment invitation. They're probably just trying to get you in to squeeze some sponsorship money out of us."

Academy enrollment invitations. The empire was full of academies, and every one with a decent reputation sent invitations to the Aision family. For the reason Lennon suspected: eyeing the Aision gold.

"Dante, do you want to enroll in an academy?"

"Nah?"

"Then let's use it as kindling."

Sorry, Earth. Dante thought as he tossed the letter into the fireplace.

I really have no idea...

It was becoming clearer year by year. This world was definitely a fantasy world. There was mana, monsters, knights, and wizards. But it didn't quite feel like a traditional fantasy world. There were phones and trains, yet people still wrote letters religiously... Young lords and ladies entered academies hand in hand in groups... And nobles with proper titles casually abandoned their territories to hang out in the capital without a second thought.

In this bizarre world, Dante wondered if he'd possessed a novel he'd read long ago. For a while, he frequented the library, gathering knowledge about the world.

His conclusion? This was just a slightly weird world. The setting and worldview felt like a romance fantasy with bizarre historical accuracy.

But was there an original novel? No clue. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't recall any story matching this world exactly!

So Dante... simply stopped thinking about it altogether.

Who cares?

Original story or not, it didn't matter. Living each day faithfully was enough.

Dante meditated in the forest, spent time with his bugs, practiced bug magic, and passed the days. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also started other forms of exercise.

As usual, heading to the forest for meditation, Lennon Aision gave him a strange look.

"Dante, you..."

"Yes?"

"Are you training to become a knight by any chance?"

"...? No?"

Dante was baffled. Lennon tilted his head.

"Aren't you accumulating too much mana? I figured you knew what you were doing, but for a wizard, mana capacity isn't that important."

Then Dante understood what his father meant. Indeed, Dante had far more mana than a typical wizard. And as Lennon said... for wizards, mana capacity wasn't crucial. Analyzing a mana's wavelength deeply and perfectly was far more important, even with just a handful. There wasn't time for crude knight-style mana accumulation when research already filled their days.

At that moment, a red honeybee's abdomen peeked from Dante's collar.

Dante chuckled softly.

Your doing, huh.

Yeah. As long as you're happy...

The red honeybees, the Noon Fairies, saw Dante as their hive. They constantly gathered mana and stored it in him whenever they felt like it. He hadn't even wanted to accumulate mana, yet it overflowed thanks to the bees.

"Dante, too much accumulated mana can make you sick."

Lennon said worriedly. As a former knight, he vividly remembered comrades who'd ruined their bodies pushing to increase mana capacity. Mana was a form of energy. Hoarding it was like stockpiling fat—essential for intense activity, but harmful if just piled up. Mana obesity, in a word.

"Want to exercise with me?"

"Exercise?"

"You're a noble son. Learning swordsmanship or martial arts would be good for you."

"Yes! Sounds great!"

And so Dante learned exercise from his father. He chose martial arts. He'd considered swordsmanship but gave it up for several reasons.

First, even if he learned it, he'd rarely use it. Dante was a wizard. In a crisis, he'd rely on magic over swordplay, right?

Second, swordsmanship required a sword. Carrying one everywhere screamed, "I'm a trained swordsman~" He didn't want that reputation. No matter how much he trained, beating knights who'd started young would be tough. To be useful, it'd have to be a surprise joker card. Short daggers aside, bare-handed martial arts were better.

And third.

Martial arts were advantageous for social activities. The empire had several "gentlemen's clubs." Despite the name, they were places to brawl, drink, and carouse.

As the eldest son of the Aision family, a count's heir, joining a noble gathering or two wouldn't hurt.

Under his father's guidance, Dante's martial arts skills improved rapidly. He also sparred appropriately at gentlemen's clubs every weekend.

"Hey! Dante! Everyone, come out! Look who's here!"

"Boxer Dante!"

"This guy said he needed a break, but here he is again!"

"Hahaha!"

Among the young lords of the western district, Dante was more famous as "Boxer Dante" than "Bug Tamer Dante." It made sense—no one had really seen his bug magic. It wasn't the kind of magic to show off, nor was there reason to.

This was a romance-fantasy(?) world where nobles strutted in fine, beautiful clothes. Bug magic, which unleashed gross(...) bugs the moment it activated, had almost no use. And as the Aision eldest son, a count's heir—how often would he even need to cast spells?

18... 19... and 20.

Dante had become an adult last year.

"Dante~ My friend Dante~"

"Here you are again, Esilia."

"Yes! She's here again~!"

And for five straight years—Esilia the princess had come and gone from the Aision mansion, building a friendship with Dante. She came ostensibly to "play with Sara," but she sought out Dante too.

Not that it was all play.

"The other day, I found some suspicious folks."

"Suspicious folks?"

More suspicious than you, Princess? He held back the joke, figuring she wouldn't appreciate it. Good call—lately, she was busy with imperial duties every day. The princess was an adult now too. It wouldn't be odd for her to handle royal affairs.

As expected, her next words were deadly serious.

"Have you heard of the Hand of Authority?"

"No, first time."

"They're calling it an unauthorized religious group... a cult, basically."

Cult or not, the empire had a ton of such "unauthorized religious groups." They couldn't approve every single one, so groups just operated without permission.

As the name "empire" suggested, it embraced diverse ethnicities and nations. Local lizard god worship was technically a "cult" too—unauthorized by the empire.

"But this group... something's really off about them."

"In what way?"

"Their true nature and scale are murky... and they're linked to an absurd number of organizations. I've identified over five myself. If those five connect to even more..."

"Not just a simple unauthorized cult, then."

Esilia's intelligence network strengthened year by year. As the queen bee over all noble ladies, rumors flowed to her even without leaving the palace.

Even she couldn't fully grasp the Hand of Authority's scale. Definitely suspicious.

"Honestly, there are more than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one or two shady things."

"Like what?"

"For example..."

Esilia furrowed her brow. The 19-year-old princess was breathtakingly beautiful no matter when you saw her. Even frowning in thought was like a painting.

"Some parts of the Hand of Authority seem to be in contact with the prime minister..."

"You mean the prime minister?"

"No hard evidence, of course. Just a hunch that his subordinates or lower groups are connecting with them in the shadows."

Her info-gathering was top-notch. But limited to noble ladies and high society. Beyond the noble world, it weakened sharply. The empire was vast, full of shadows. She couldn't grasp everything outside the palace and nobility. She wasn't emperor yet.

"Dante Aision."

The princess said.

"Lend me your magic."

She propped her chin, smiling naturally. At some point, she stopped using her fan around him.

"When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the time comes, I want to appoint you as my secret inspector."

"..."

A royal secret inspector—someone who secretly observed and reported on the world under royal orders.

"I'm a girl, and royalty to boot. Hard to learn about things outside the capital~"

"Why me?"

"You really have to ask? I think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you're perfect for this."

"..."

"Bug magic is rare, so no other wizards will track you. And if they do, the Aison family can handle it."

"..."

"Plus, the Aisons are my close friends! Sara, you... I can trust you~!"

The princess gave a sly eye-smile. Dante wanted to look away.

Was it this romance-fantasy world? ...Her beauty could make anyone fall at first sight.

"Actually, I've detected shady movements ahead of the upcoming coming-of-age ball."

"Shady movements?"

"The Carmelton Liberators."

"...The Carmelton I know?"

The princess grinned.

"Yes. The Carmelton Kingdom—the one the empire calls the Carmelton Archduchy."

Carmelton Kingdom, or Carmelton Archduchy. Names varied, but most called it the land of the Northern Archduke.

"I think the Hand of Authority is backing the Carmelton Liberation Army."

"What's your evidence?"

"I'll share the files later. That's not the point..."

"?"

Dante lost his words at her next remark.

"I think I'm going to get kidnapped at the coming-of-age ball?"

"...Pardon?"

"The Carmelton Liberation Army seems to be plotting it~"

The princess laughed, like a child with a fun prank in store.

"For this ball, you'll have to protect me, Dante~?"