Debut Preparations (2)
Shabrilla Petaconia, the Countess. She was a noble lady from a merchant family even more famous for the Petaconia Merchant Company—and the close friend of Dante's mother, Elena.
"Oho ho ho ho-!"
A young lady with golden rolled-up hair appeared in a red dress.
"Auntie Shabrilla!"
"Oh my, Sara! I'm a young laaaady~!"
"Yes! Auntie!"
"…"
To be precise, Shabrilla was an auntie. To a 14-year-old like Sara, she was around her mother's age. An aunt or an auntie—someone who deserved that kind of title. But Shabrilla stubbornly ignored the "auntie" label. Because... it was sad! She hadn't changed a bit from her days as a twenty-year-old lady! Her heart was still that of a girl, forever young and fresh! But her body aged day by day. The children grew taller by the day. Time was merciless, giving her not even a speck of consideration.
"Dante Aision?"
"Yes. Countess Shabrilla."
"Oho ho ho~ You can call me young laaaady~!"
Dante smiled faintly.
"Yes, young lady."
Shabrilla's mood lifted instantly...! That newborn baby from back then—when had he grown into such a handsome young man!
"Oho ho ho! I'm so glad you both came! Until the debutante ball begins, treat this place like your own home and rest up~!"
"Yes! Auntie!"
"Thank you, young lady."
Clap! Clap!
"Miss Charlotte~! Won't you come greet our guests~?"
Then, from the top of the mansion's stairs, a girl Sara's age appeared. Golden rolled-up hair, red dress. She looked exactly like Shabrilla stamped out of a mold.
"O ho ho ho~!"
Even her laugh was identical. It was such perfect sync that you could claim she was a clone and people might believe it.
"Have you all been well~? Brother Dante, and my friend Sara~?"
"Hi! Charlotte!"
"Doing good?"
Since Elena and Shabrilla were friends, the kids knew each other too. Whenever the two mothers met, the children would play together. Though the exchanges had grown sparse since Elena left for the New Continent with her husband.
It had been nearly three years since Dante last saw Charlotte.
"Rest up today, and starting tomorrow, we'll begin the real preparations!"
"Yes!"
Dante ended up staying at Countess Shabrilla's house for almost a full month.
The Shabrilla Mansion was, in a word, luxurious.
"Oho ho ho~"
Countess Shabrilla was the head of the Petaconia Merchant Company. From childhood, she'd dabbled in all sorts of businesses, honing her knack for making money. Now as family head, she'd extended her reach into every corner of the kingdom's commerce, expanding stores until there wasn't a place without a Petaconia chain outlet.
Thanks to that, the mansion brimmed with expensive, rare treasures.
"Look~! This chair is made from the finest imported hardwood, all the way from distant Bangkatoria~!"
"Wow, it's so cool!"
"…"
Sara, being a girl, seemed very interested in the interior decor. But Dante had zero interest in furniture or objects.
Tap tap.
Dante knocked on the chair and spoke.
"Young Lady Shabrilla."
"Yes~?"
"There's termites inside this chair."
"!!!"
Shabrilla, who had been proudly showing off the chair moments ago, jumped in shock and nearly had a fit. Termites! In my luxurious chair... termites!
Shabrilla was stunned, but Sara calmly crouched down next to her brother.
"Really? Brother?"
Charlotte freaked out and tried to stop her friend.
"D-Dangerous-!!!"
"?"
"Sara, stay with me! Don't go near those creepy bugs!"
"???"
Sara tilted her head. Termites were dangerous? Did these people... not even know what termites were?
"Brother. Are termites dangerous?"
"Not at all. They're just primitive cockroaches that love eating wood."
"!!!"
Shabrilla and Charlotte clutched each other, trembling...
Mother, did you just hear... c-c-cock... Yes! You just heard c-c-cock...!!!
To the shivering mother-daughter duo, Dante said,
"If you leave them be, they'll breed and chew through the furniture."
"Kyaaack!!!"
"Kyaaack!!!"
"…I'll chase them outside."
Snap!
Dante flicked his fingers. Then, from the crevices of the beautiful chair... pure white termites began crawling out, wriggling.
"Ah...!"
Charlotte clutched her forehead and collapsed. Mother... I've seen something too awful... This young lady will faint...
But Shabrilla was faster.
"Aaah...!"
Shabrilla thud...
"M-Mother?!"
Indeed. Shabrilla's young lady power was far superior, so she'd fainted first—before her daughter!
Shabrilla could rejoice. Even past thirty, she was still a young lady...!
"Oh my, are you okay?!"
Sara, startled, supported Shabrilla. Fainting just from seeing some bugs...! How delicately had she been raised! Sara had seen over a hundred such bugs as a kid! (All thanks to Dante.)
While the young ladies put on their show, Dante gathered the termites in his hand and relocated them to the forest.
They were insects from the Bangkatoria continent, but with luck, they might thrive in Cortkus too. Of course, if they became pests, he'd exterminate them himself. He just hoped they'd blend moderately into the local ecosystem.
When Dante returned, Shabrilla had come to. Her young lady power had reacted to the insects, causing a shock-induced faint—but nothing more.
"D-Dante?! The termites...?"
"I released them into the forest."
"!"
Shabrilla asked, still trembling.
"Shouldn't we... exterminate them all?"
"? Why?"
"Th-They'll breed...! And overrun the forest...!"
Kyaaack-! Just imagining it made her scream.
But Dante smiled and replied,
"The forest has its own ecosystem. A few termites won't displace the native insects."
"I-Is that so...?"
"If they cause problems, I'll handle it."
Dante was a Bug Tamer. Trivial swarms were child's play—even with his eyes closed.
"For anything bug-related, just leave it to Brother!"
Sara said, hanging on Dante's shoulder.
"He learned bug magic from the lizardman teacher from Bangkatoria!"
"!"
"!"
Shabrilla was impressed. So that's how he spotted the termites so quickly...? Lizardman bug tamers were famous enough that even Shabrilla had heard the rumors. Learning directly from one...! It couldn't be amateur level.
"D-Dante! Are there any other bugs in the mansion besides termites?"
"You mean ants or cockroaches!"
"Kyaaaaack-! C-C-Cock, don't say the name-!!!"
"Then I'll call them Cockroach Teacher."
"…"
It didn't sound like a teacher at all. But it was a hundred times better than hearing the horrifying, spine-chilling name "cockroach" directly...
Dante declared refreshingly,
"The mansion interior is clean. It's well-maintained."
"Phew..."
"That said, with the forest so close, Cockroach Teachers might wander in through the first floor. Just keep an eye on that."
It was a utterly commonplace warning. But it was plenty to terrify Shabrilla and Charlotte.
"Mother... Just thinking about it is too much..."
"Yes... Let's hurry and have some black tea and roll cake... while touching pretty, sparkly things...!"
Sara looked at the pitiful duo with pity.
"Don't you have zero bug resistance?"
"You hate cockroaches too."
"I hate them! But I can kill them!"
Thanks to(?) Dante, Sara had high bug resistance. From childhood, he'd wandered around covered in bugs... She'd screamed so much that now she had no screams left.
"Brother's okay with cockroaches?"
"Of course."
"…That's kinda gross."
Lizardman teacher Kracto straight-up munched cockroaches like snacks. Even seeing that, Dante felt nothing. He just wondered if Bangkatoria or Cortkus cockroaches tasted better to his teacher~.
"Cake...! Cookies...! Cute, pretty things...!"
"We have to fill our heads with pretty memories quick-!"
Dante shrugged at the quivering mother-daughter pair. Guess I shouldn't bring out bugs in this mansion, he thought.
"One! Two! Three! Again! One! Two! Three!"
For that month at the Shabrilla Mansion, Dante spent his time reviewing court etiquette and practicing social dances.
Why am I doing this... Sage moments hit him midway, but he couldn't quit—Sara's debut would be ruined if he did.
"Hehe. Good job, Brother."
Dante's dance partner was, naturally, Sara. Maybe inheriting their father's blood, Sara's steps were light and quick. Even Dante struggled to keep up.
No. She was definitely better at dancing than him. He'd always thought her personality was lively—but with dance skills like this, she wouldn't be a wallflower at the ball.
"Thanks, Charlotte too."
"What are you saying! Sara's my friend! Helping a friend is only natural for a young lady! O ho ho ho-!"
Dante could be Sara's partner thanks largely to the mother-daughter duo's help. Shabrilla's business connections meant she'd lined up people to explain away questions like, "Why's Sara here with her brother instead of her father?" with lines like, "Count Lennon is currently in the New Continent."
No one would nitpick with that excuse. And with Countess Shabrilla backing them, no one could nitpick.
They practiced dances diligently, perfected etiquette. Debutante ball prep progressed smoothly.
"My friend Sara!"
Charlotte called to Sara.
"Where did you order your gown?"
"From Madam Benishu's shop?"
"Got it. I'll stop by while I'm out today~!"
The date was drawing near. For final checks, Charlotte went to pick up Sara's dress.
"…"
And—she froze.
"What's wrong? Is something off?"
Madam Benishu asked worriedly, but Charlotte slowly shook her head.
"No... It's perfect. Thank you, Madam."
"Ho ho ho! Come again~!"
On the carriage ride home, Charlotte fell deep in thought. ...Should I say something?
It might just stir up trouble. The rest of the prep was flawless. Worrying about the dress now might be overkill.
"My friend Sara!"
"Back?"
Charlotte presented the dress. An elegant gown of deep, sea-blue that matched Sara's silver hair perfectly.
"Yeah. Looks great!"
Sara nodded, satisfied. Charlotte watched her face, then ventured,
"My friend Sara. Um, just wondering..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you have... another dress besides this one...?"
"I have a backup, but I doubt we'll need it!"
"…"
Charlotte agreed. This blue dress suited Sara too well.
It'll be fine... right?
Yes. Just needless worry.
If anything happens, I can help.
With that, Charlotte smiled and took Sara's hand.
"It suits you so well!"
"Thanks! My friend Charlotte!"
"My friend Sara!"
"My friend Charlotte!"
Haha ho ho. Dante, meditating outside the mansion, heard the young ladies' lively laughter. They'll have fun at the event, he thought.