Debut Preparations (1)
I'd originally planned for eight years. But after just two, Kracto headed back to his homeland.
"I'm outta here~ you shitty continent~!!!"
Not just Kracto—plenty of other lizardmen were returning to Bangkatoria. They all wore the same expression: pure relief at bidding farewell to this shitty continent.
"Teacher! Safe travels—!!!"
"See you later, Dante!!!"
Dante waved until Kracto was out of sight. Now, Kracto had shed all his burdens.
"Ahh~ heading home~! Back to my beloved homeland~!"
He danced and sang all night with his fellow lizardmen, celebrating their liberation from the shitty continent.
A few weeks of sailing later, the continent of Bangkatoria revealed its stunning beauty.
"Ooh…!"
Some lizardmen shed tears of emotion. How many times had they dreamed of this sight?
No sooner had they disembarked than alpha-lizardmen started kissing the ground. The continent blushed shyly in response, bathed in the red glow of sunset at the afternoon port.
"Kracto!"
"Haha! Friend! How've you been!"
Kracto moved to embrace his rushing friend warmly, then froze. His friend's face was deadly serious.
"Why'd you come back so soon!!!"
"…Is my return really that unwelcome?"
"No! There's a contract! A contract! You signed an eight-year deal—don't tell me you forgot?!"
Kracto flashed a knowing smile.
"That issue's already been settled."
"How?"
"With the young master over there. I left him a nice gift~"
"…A nice gift?"
His friend yelled out of sheer worry for Kracto. As a bug tamer, Kracto was bound by guild rules. And in Bangkatoria, lizardmen bug tamers were… insanely common. Unlike humans, nearly half of lizardmen mages were bug tamers.
Kracto was a registered member of the bug tamers' guild, and his contract had been through them. Breaking it unilaterally would bring guild retaliation. That's why his friend was grilling him.
"Let's head to the guild first."
"Uh, uh… yeah…"
Kracto went to report his return. Sure enough, the guild erupted in chaos.
"What?! You broke the contract on your own?!"
"Even if the young master told you to come back—!"
"You actually listened to a twelve-year-old kid?!"
Kracto let their shouts flow in one ear and out the other. Bunch of lazy asses sucking honey on comfy sofas—what did they know about Dante Aision?
"I know. That's why I left a gift."
"What gift…"
"Noon Fairy."
"!!!"
"!!!"
"I gave it to him."
Horror swept across the lizardmen mages' faces.
"Th-the Noon Fairy…!"
"The red bee…! You gave it away…?! To a human?!"
Kracto replied calmly.
"Yep."
"You mad bastard!!!"
"We slaved away for ten years trying to catch one—did you forget?!"
"I know. But it was mine. So I gave it away."
Urk…! Ack…! Mages clutched their necks and collapsed left and right.
Only the guild master kept his composure.
"If you handed over a Noon Fairy… you'd more than cover the contract fee. Hell, maybe we should be paying you."
"It's done. My disciple and I parted on good terms, with fond memories."
"…If you say so."
The guild master asked,
"No regrets, Kracto?"
"About what?"
"Your most powerful bug. You gave it to some human kid. Catching another Noon Fairy-level one might take another ten years."
Kracto chuckled.
"Felt like he needed it more than me."
"…?"
"Cortkus, man… it's brutal. Nothing there at all… I started worrying if my disciple could even survive."
"Survive?"
Kracto trailed off, mumbling almost to himself.
"The human world… way harsher than I thought. Noble squabbles and all that crap…"
"…"
"Better than watching the disciple I poured everything into die."
The guild master nodded.
"Welcome home, Kracto."
"Ahh—! Yeah! I'm diving into the mud pit for the next 25 hours straight!!! Don't come looking for me! Got it?!"
Bam! The door slammed shut.
Thus ended one lizardman bug tamer's homecoming.
After Kracto left, Dante spent his days practicing magic alone, just like before. Of course, his efficiency had skyrocketed.
Kracto was an exceptional bug tamer. Every little tip he'd shared was treasure to Dante.
'Shitty-ass Cortkus.'
At the time, Dante hadn't gotten it when Kracto grumbled. But the deeper he delved into bug magic, the clearer it became.
Cortkus was… a truly shitty place. Bugs weren't diverse at all. Bug tamers? Good luck finding one. Magic books? Not sold anywhere.
Just… nothing!
How shitty must it have seemed to a lizardman like Kracto!
'I've come this far… can't switch paths now.'
Dante already hosted dozens of symbiotic bugs inside him—inherited from his birth mother even before he was born. He'd even used them to tame the red bee Kracto had given him as a servant.
Kracto had taught him everything about raising it.
[That one's a queen bee.]
The Noon Fairy, a red honeybee variant. Once a normal honeybee gathering nectar, but after awakening to mana, it could survive on mana alone.
[Put her in your body, and she'll produce worker bees on her own.]
With so many symbiotic bugs, hosting insects was a breeze. The red honeybee queen settled in the center of Dante's chest and started laying eggs.
Larvae soon hatched and wriggled around. They crawled under his skin, absorbing his mana. The bees matured safely into adults.
They burst through his skin here and there.
"Whoa."
Red honeybees swirled around Dante. They saw him as their hive. If enemies approached, they'd attack mercilessly.
"…What're you doing?"
And not just that. By day, the bees roamed the forest collecting mana. At night, they fed it back to Dante.
"…?"
Dante's mana reserves exploded day by day. Mages usually didn't bother stockpiling mana. It wasn't about sheer quantity—precision in detecting and applying mana wavelengths mattered far more.
Mana efficiency, basically.
Warriors and knights, on the other hand, needed raw volume. They didn't finesse mana; they just slammed it in brute-force style.
Same 100 mana: a mage gets 1000 output, a knight barely 100.
So mages didn't hoard mana—efficiency covered them. Knights trained like hell to max reserves, compensating for crap efficiency.
But Dante's mana pool was getting ridiculously huge. Anyone would mistake him for a hardcore knight trainee.
"Hey. Don't you guys get sick of collecting mana every day? Maybe ease up…?"
He asked the bees, but they buzzed in protest.
[Is mana just for us?! You eat too! Queen eats! Symbiote family eats! Gotta stock up for everyone!]
[You use it, we'll gather more!]
"…"
Even as mana-eating bugs, honeybees gonna honeybee. Hoarding was in their blood, so Dante let them be. Wasn't hurting him.
"Still…"
Was this for real? The collection rate was terrifying. Hope they didn't get sick. The thought crossed his mind.
Teacher Kracto… what the hell bug did you give me…? Just a normal gift, right…?
Pure-blooded Cortkus human Dante had never heard of a Noon Fairy. Just… cute red bee, that's all.
"Eh."
He built a hive and started beekeeping(?). Excess mana wasn't always good—sudden surges could strain the body. Mana-related illnesses existed too.
"Live here, come back when it's right."
[Sure~!]
The bees happily went gathering. That was their life's joy.
Thus, Dante spent three years tending bees(?). He turned fifteen.
"Oppa—! Oppa oppa oppa oppa—!"
Sara wailed dramatically for Dante.
"What?"
"Big news!!! Mom and Dad are coming back this year!!!"
Ah, about time? Yeah, five years gone. Due soon.
"Around July!"
"Coming up fast."
Still winter, chilly winds blowing.
…The season Teacher Kracto hated with a passion.
Dante paused, lost in memory—
"Hey. Your debut ball—isn't it in April?"
"…Huh?"
Sara feigned ignorance. Dante's temper flared; he flicked her forehead.
"Why didn't you say anything!"
"Ow! I said I'd handle it!!!"
"Handle what! What've you prepped? Spill!"
"St-stop nagging!!!"
Sara still hadn't grasped she was a noble lady. Other girls were taking 'how to smile like a noble' lessons with friends…! Was she clueless or just airheaded?! Still thought she'd be babied forever!
"Got an escort?! Mom and Dad aren't back! Dress? Ride?"
"Dr-dress is ordered! Shabrilla lady's dropping me at the hall!"
"Partner?"
"…"
Like all noble events—but women needed a male partner. Men could go solo. But for women's events, ladies required one.
Enter alone? Instant vicious ostracism…!
Ah, one exception: royalty could solo. They ignored all rules.
"Haven't, huh."
Not a casual friend hangout—this was the debutante ball. Usually, fathers, uncles, or older cousins escorted.
That important.
"Told Grandpa?"
"…No."
Sara pouted. Dante itched to slap that lip…
"Less than three months left. Great job."
"…"
"Who'll clear their April for you on short notice?"
Sara was definitely a 14-year-old kid. No other way she'd live so planlessly…!
Sigh. With parents away, Dante had to handle Sara.
Then Sara mumbled,
"You exist, oppa."
"What?"
She yanked his collar, yelling,
"You! Just go with me!"
"…?"
Me? Him? Dante pointed at himself, dumbfounded—but Sara was dead serious.
"Family's fine! So be my partner!"
"You blockhead… almost said it."
"…"
"Listen, you dimwit. I'm fifteen now? Everyone brings adult partners—you with a 15-year-old kid? Weird, right?"
Sara shot back sharply.
"Yeah. Not weird?"
"…"
"You're family! What's weird about debuting with family!"
Right, Sara'd never deal with nobles again… She'd bomb the debut spectacularly!
Then Sara sniffled,
"If you don't help, my debut's ruined anyway!"
"…"
"Who else now…! You could help…!"
Whew. Dante sighed inwardly. That pesky late-autumn mosquito… almost said it.
No choice. Sara was his sister. Big bro duty.
"Let's go together."
"…Really?"
"But I know zero about debut balls? Don't blame me for screw-ups."
"Shabrilla lady's teaching everything!"
Sara grabbed his hand, beaming.
"Oppa! From now till the ball—stay at Shabrilla lady's with me!"
"Sh-should we…?"
"Duh! We know nothing—gotta learn!"
Dante nodded. If helping, see it through.