The Provocation and the Duel (4)
As Dante watched the approaching young nobles, he narrowed his eyes.
'Prince faction nobles, huh.'
They were familiar faces. Now firmly in the Princess faction, Dante had crossed paths with these Prince faction nobles—positioned at the opposite end of the spectrum—in various gatherings, big and small, committing their faces to memory.
'That one's new, though.'
Just one among them. A stranger stood out. It wasn't all that surprising. Followers of royalty came and went like the wind.
The unfamiliar young noble spotted Dante and shouted,
"I can't believe my eyes! Dante Aision!"
"…"
"Molesting a lady with magic in broad daylight! Is that why you trained in magic—to pull off such depraved acts?!"
Dante felt a flicker of absurdity.
'What's with this guy's speech?'
A year younger than him, the 19-year-old's manner of speaking was downright peculiar. It was as if he'd meticulously studied his parents' stern scoldings... or was mimicking the dialogue of knights from some play.
Either way, it struck Dante as profoundly awkward, but...
'What refined provocation!'
'That's how a noble ought to speak!'
The other nobles seemed to accept it without batting an eye. Why? ...Because they were all 19 too. Less like fully formed adults and more like kids imitating grown-ups.
"If I may ask, who might you be?"
Dante inquired, and the stranger grinned as if he'd been waiting for it.
"Evan Taven of the Taven Count family!"
'A southerner.'
Dante pieced it together the moment he heard the name.
'New face today. A southern house, far from the capital...'
And then he guessed.
'A mercenary hired by the Prince faction nobles.'
That explanation made the situation crystal clear. Unable to provoke Dante directly, the Prince faction had enlisted Evan Taven as their proxy—some kind of hired gun—in exchange for compensation.
Evan bellowed,
"Dante Aision! You skipped last year's ball, yet here you are this year, toying with ladies! Surely you didn't flee to the younger girls out of fear of your peers!"
"!"
"!"
Lady Bolean—and Sara herself—gasped in shock.
Such blatant insults were rare in noble society! This was someone who'd come expressly to pick a fight with Dante, out in the open!
"I-is he insane?!"
Sara muttered in disbelief, but the Prince faction nobles were high-fiving among themselves, chattering nonsense like, "That was savage!" "Totally shredded him! Good call handing it to Evan!"
"Your words go too far."
Dante replied coolly.
"Step aside before you hear worse!"
Evan crowed triumphantly.
Dante stared at him silently, then spoke.
"Is picking nits from the outset the Taven Count family's way?"
"…!"
As Dante spoke slowly, Evan flinched in surprise. Lady Bolean and Sara's eyes sparkled as they watched him.
A bit cowed (...), Evan shouted,
"Wh-what do you mean, nitpicking?! You skipped last year's ball and showed up this year—that's fact!"
"Sure. So what?"
"Y-you were scared—uncomfortable around nobles your age, so you hid among the younger ones—"
"Enough."
"…"
"I won't tolerate further insults. I'll overlook that one as a mistake. Withdraw."
"…"
As Dante fixed him with his gaze, Evan glanced at the other young nobles again.
'Should I keep going...?'
They nodded.
'Keep at it.'
'Damn it...!'
Just as Evan stood his ground in confrontation with Dante—
"As expected of the Adulthood Ball! Such youthful vigor even in broad daylight!"
"!"
"!"
Lady Bolean and her friends hurriedly bowed their heads.
A man appeared, flanked by guards on either side. The empire's crown prince, Kahelrian, had arrived.
Dante bowed mechanically, thinking,
'So that's what this was about. He's the real player here.'
With Prince Kahelrian's entrance, the puzzle clicked into place.
'The prince is backing this.'
Unlike Princess Esilia's meticulous nature, Prince Kahelrian was far more lax, rarely plotting in the shadows. So this was likely—
'The supporters' scheme.'
The Prince faction nobles had orchestrated it, and the prince had gone along.
"Dante Aision."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I've seen clearly how you've been insulted. As the eldest son of the Aision family, you'd naturally wish to defend your honor after such an affront, wouldn't you?"
'A duel. That's the goal.'
Dante understood why this Evan had lunged so suddenly. The prince's supporters... probably wanted to witness his magic, deliberately provoking a fight.
'Fine by me.'
It was an effective approach. Picking a public fight right in front of everyone—if he backed down now, he might get labeled a coward who fled after taking the insult.
...Truth be told, Dante didn't much care about other nobles' opinions. But he was still the Aision heir. Gossip wasn't pleasant.
And... Dante wouldn't lose. Absolutely not.
'Haven't been exercising enough lately. Perfect timing.'
"If Your Highness permits, I'd even stake a duel for my honor."
"Hahaha! Excellent! So spirited! Dante Aision!"
The prince snapped his fingers and declared,
"Both of you—to the dueling ring!"
The dueling ring tucked in the corner of the ballroom had been set up precisely because so many 19-year-old hotheads couldn't resist throwing punches.
"What?! A duel?!"
"A fight? I've gotta see this!"
Nobles weren't about to miss such prime entertainment. Word spread like wildfire that Dante and Evan were dueling, drawing a massive crowd.
As Dante stretched—
Evan basked in praise from his fellow nobles.
"Great job, Evan!"
"We'll pay you handsomely!"
"Hahaha!"
Just as Dante had predicted—Evan was a disposable missile for the event, a mercenary of sorts summoned for the occasion.
He was perfect for the role. For one, he had an arranged marriage waiting. Wrecking the ball wouldn't derail it! Plus, from a classic southern rural count family with little interest in politics. Do the job, collect the fee, and vanish!
"Enough—let's talk after!"
Evan stretched and took his place in the ring. His objective was already met. Hired by Prince faction nobles on the condition that he'd force a duel with Dante, no matter what.
Yes—the duel itself was the goal. Win or lose? Irrelevant.
"Heh heh heh... Dante Aision...!"
"Insolent bug tamer brat!"
The Prince faction nobles smirked darkly. They had plenty of grudges against Dante.
First off, he'd rejected all their recruitment attempts.
Dante was a guy. Naturally, he should hang with fellow guys his age!
But no—that arrogant bug tamer wouldn't play with the Prince faction (?) and kept cozying up to the princess and her ladies!
That irked the Prince faction nobles. Why was this dude always hanging with the girls? Was he... you know (?), maybe?
Of course, they knew nothing of the tangled backstory with Dante, Esilia, and Sara. They just figured he must like girls' company since he acted kinda girly (?).
They'd invited him multiple times: "Hang out next time~!"
But Dante's response was always the same.
'Gotta play with my sister and the princess. Can't.'
So the Prince faction nobles... were pissed. They'd swallowed their pride first, only to get shot down the same way every time? Infuriating!
That spawned their second grievance.
"Oh my, is that Lord Dante?"
"Yeah! Saw him at the princess's gathering last time—super kind and fun!"
"My goodness~ So different from those immature young lords~"
"No wonder he's the princess's close aide!"
The ladies in the spectator seats, watching the duel up close. Most of them—nearly all—were sneaking peeks at Dante, pretending not to.
Dante was a romance-fantasy noble (?). Just as he thought of beauties like Princess Esilia, 'Damn, she's gorgeous,' the ladies felt the same about him.
'He's seriously hot...'
And he was, in fact, handsome. In a romance-fantasy world, noble guys being hot was just common sense!
Normally, ladies didn't mingle much with boys their age until turning 19. The debut ball was girls-only. From 14 to 19, it was natural for girls to stick together.
But Dante was different. Always around Sara, Charlotte, and Princess Esilia, he'd become acquainted—wittingly or not—with quite a few ladies.
To them, he was the "super handsome family friend big bro."
The Prince faction nobles... hated that.
Not hanging much with guys, yet lapping up girls' attention? Jealousy brewed!
"Heh heh... Once the duel starts, he'll have to use bug magic!"
"Let's see if the ladies still swoon over him with those gross bugs swarming everywhere!"
They'd told the prince, "We'll uncover the secrets of Dante's bug magic!"
But really... the Prince faction just wanted everyone to see Dante summon his bugs.
To shatter his popularity (!)
Imagine hundreds of creepy bugs buzzing around mid-duel! What would the ladies watching think?
'Eek—gross!'
'A bug tamer... total disgust!'
'How could the princess keep such a repulsive mage close? What's she thinking?'
'He must be plotting something shady!'
Win or lose for Evan, the Prince faction didn't care much.
The goal was Dante summoning his loathsome bugs to attack Evan. That spectacle alone.
If all the nobles witnessed the horror of bug magic in action... Dante Aision's image would plummet!
Of course—the prince had his own interest in observing Dante's bug magic.
Kahelrian crossed his legs leisurely, watching the ring.
'The bug tamer my sister keeps so tightly under wraps... Show me what you've got.'
Bug tamers were rare. Hard to gauge what spells they cast or how. Even the prince knew that.
Dante Aision was Esilia's hidden ace—a joker card. Unpredictable, hence nagging at him.
Intentional or not—Esilia had moved fast upon learning Dante was a bug tamer. Approached the Aision family, befriended Sara, built ties with Dante.
As a kid, it hadn't registered. But as an adult, the prince now realized how swiftly she'd secured that rare asset.
Dante belonged to Princess Esilia. Undeniable.
Learning his magic in advance would allow countermeasures.
"Ready?"
The prince asked, and the two men in the ring nodded.
Dante Aision and Evan Taven.
"Begin the duel!"
At the prince's command, Evan assumed a defensive stance, waiting for Dante to summon bugs.
'Show me your tricks, whatever they are!'
The prince watched Dante with eager eyes.
He could reprise that bizarre feat from the dueling ring at 15. The more you scout a secret weapon, the better!
In that instant—Dante shrugged off his suit jacket, revealing a crisp shirt with a stiff white collar.
"Sara."
"Got it!"
Sara snatched her brother's jacket.
Dante guarded his upper body with both arms, settling into stance. His solidly trained chest and arm muscles gleamed.
Evan stared blankly, dumbfounded.
'Boxing...?'
Yes—boxing stance.
The Prince faction nobles shot to their feet in disbelief.
"Boxing...? He's gonna fight Evan with that?!"
"…"
Even the prince felt a twinge of bafflement.
Dante Aision. Aren't you a bug tamer? No bugs...?
The only ones thrilled were the noble ladies who'd come to spectate.
"Kyaa~!"
"Lord Dante! This lady cheers for you~!"
"…"
"…"
The Prince faction nobles glared at the stands, but the girls' cheers showed no sign of fading…