The Old Man's Obsession with Ellen (3)
Roni's in danger? What the hell does that mean? I frowned and shot back at my master.
"Is Lord Artis plotting something?"
"Didn't you toss your glove during our talk? He'd applied a curse to it."
"That sneaky bastard..."
A cheap trick before the duel even started? I hurried to ask more.
"Master, did you figure out what kind of curse it is?"
"I have a rough idea."
As expected of my master. She continued her explanation.
"It's a flesh idol-type curse, the kind that synchronizes with the diseased."
"Tch, can we not break it?"
"The moment she picked up the glove, she accepted the ritual. It's too late. A clever deception."
What, Roni turns into a cripple just for picking up the wrong damn thing? As my face hardened, Master added,
"The effect won't last long. The malicious timing is the problem, though."
"At least that's something... Whew..."
My original plan was for me to step in as champion instead. That's why Roni hadn't even brought her weapon. This asshole was scheming to drag her onto the stage no matter what dirty tricks he had to pull.
And sure enough, Count Artis bellowed in a booming voice.
"Esteemed guests, allow me to clarify something on this occasion! For the past twelve years, I have expressed my heartfelt respect to the Solaris territory!"
The obsessive freak from earlier was gone. Count Artis raised a finger with a voice full of pathos, launching into his speech.
"This was based on the long-standing exchanges between our houses—a sacred, if unofficial, betrothal promise!!"
"Lies! I've never received anything like that!"
Ellen shot back, but the count was ready, opening his mouth as if he'd been waiting.
"Twelve years and fifteen days ago... I sent a letter every week. That's 578 in total! Do you really expect us to believe she never received a single one?"
The surrounding nobles snickered. Objectively, it was a ridiculous situation. A fifty-year-old man courting Ellen for twelve years? But the count leveraged it masterfully to his advantage. Nobles were creatures who lived for whatever amused them... They watched with gleaming eyes, like an audience at a play, egging him on for more.
Count Artis strained his neck veins, pleading desperately. His teary eyes screamed that he was the innocent victim. True or not, he flipped the mood. To the thrill-seeking crowd, Count Artis was the star performer.
His servants chimed in with a chorus.
"Hear, hear! Who's spreading lies?!"
"The count is innocent!"
Throughout history, the loudest voice wins arguments. Lord Artis seized the flow and swung it his way.
"Ahh...! You mustn't misunderstand!! Would the pure and delicate Lady Solaris ever lie?"
"The lies are coming from you—!"
As Roni tried to retort, he cut her off and attacked.
"Exactly!! It must be this scheming fraud Bell's doing! Of course! The lady is blameless!"
Roni responded calmly.
"If you're accusing us of something that never happened, show some solid proof first, Count."
Then came the emotional flood. Spittle flew from his mouth like a sprinkler as he ranted.
"Proof...? Proof? You want me to prove my pure devotion after you trampled and tore it apart? What a vile hobby!!"
The content was pure sophistry, but his pathos electrified the air. If you believed it hard enough, it became reality. His denial of facts turned into unwitting method acting, drawing the nobles in.
This was bad. Roni and Ellen might not realize it yet, but from a distance, it was clear. The banquet hall was no longer about right or wrong. Only winners and losers mattered. The audience craved bigger thrills and sided with the momentum. Even the young ladies who'd been friendly to Ellen earlier were giggling excitedly, stamping their feet.
What the hell are nobles, anyway...!
Something in the plan had gone seriously off the rails. The count, veins bulging in his eyes, shouted,
"By ancient noble law, any who court a lady with a prior betrothal must... answer to the honor of the first house!!"
He jabbed a finger at Roni.
"This duel isn't mere bickering. It's a sacred contest over rights with this filthy thief Bell, who dares steal my fiancée's place...!"
He sucked in a deep breath and roared.
"Between him and me! Esteemed guests!!"
The shameless lord's fervor drew applause from the crowd.
[Bravo!]
[This'll be entertaining...!!]
My head spun with dizziness. It defied all common sense I knew. Somehow, the lord was now calling himself Ellen's fiancé. Everyone knew it was blatant fabrication, an impossible match... but Roni's head was already on the chopping block.
They'd cheer for her outwardly, but deep down, they hoped for her ruin. That madness wafted from the nobles' rotten, fishy eyes.
Lord Artis's obsession had already dominated the space. Roni and Ellen were trapped in the monster's maw.
Whew... Every last one of them was disgusting scum.
The situation looked grim. Master's expression darkened. She didn't need to say it—I could tell she grasped the undercurrents perfectly.
"Meticulous and vicious. His tactics are utterly vile...!"
"Master, can't we just ignore him?"
"Child, you can't treat a titled noble that way."
Master met my eyes steadily and explained calmly.
"Public opinion and honor are their driving force and justification. Fleeing now would affirm his claims."
"What a headache."
Solaris was already politically weakened, stripped of many interests by Lord Artis. Fail to turn this around, and it'd bite us in the ass somehow. Since we'd provoked first, he'd go even wilder. We had to end this decisively.
Lord Artis, sensing his advantage, strode forward boldly.
"Duel! Bell! You filthy wretch!! Come fight and die!"
"Hmph... Count, stepping up yourself?"
But a sneer came back.
"Heh heh... Lowborn scum! I have a proper champion to bear my honor!"
"Hah, then I don't need to step up either. We have a champion on our—"
"Absurd!!"
Count Artis clenched his fist in protest.
"The Solaris house's knights were disbanded! How dare you... deploy unrelated mercenaries in this sacred duel?!"
"That's...!"
Ellen fell silent, at a loss. Officially, they had no authority to form a knight order. My temporary knights, including me, were outsiders in formal settings. We'd been careless. Sebastian and I weren't nobles, so the plan had blind spots.
Honor and justification? Caught flat-footed where we least expected!
By the flow, Roni would have to risk her life unarmed and cursed. Master muttered anxiously.
"If this lady exposed the curse... Sigh, I don't know."
A gamble. She knew it too. It could backfire spectacularly. Not in the plan, but it was my turn to step up.
"No, Master. I have a plan in mind."
The nobles were already dissecting the drama like gossip fodder. Treating it as theater regardless of truth? Fine. Time to recast the lead.
I'll give them a bigger thrill than that beggar bastard.
Theoretically perfect. But... whew... Truth be told, I really didn't want to use this. It was an idea, but failure meant I'd look like an idiot. Still, it was the only way. The single path for me to intervene while securing honor and justification!
I hypnotized myself. Acting. This is just acting. Whew... I steadied my mind, took a deep breath, circulated mana through my throat, and shouted.
"I object!"
My voice echoed through the banquet hall. All eyes turned to me.
"Dodo...!"
Roni called my name with a puzzled look—desperate yet hopeful. But she still didn't get it. Why this absurd situation? Why the nobles bought it so easily.
Roni came from fallen nobility, but she was cut from different cloth. If their thinking differed, just match it. Enough dopamine, and even wild cards worked.
I shot Roni an intense gaze. Please get the act, for fuck's sake. This time, you follow my lead, Roni!!
Viscount Artis yelled at me.
"Who the hell are you?! Know your place, you lowly mercenary!"
"No, I have every right!"
I stared at Roni with burning passion, eyes aflame, and cried out.
"Bell, light of my life! Flame of my soul... my sin! My spirit...!"
"Wha... wh-what? Dodo?"
Silence fell. Gasps rippled through; the hall drowned in quiet.
I clutched my chest, twisting my face in agony like I was wringing my heart. I strode to Roni, placed a hand on her shoulder, and confessed.
"From the moment we met six years ago... I've held you in my heart!"
"Do... Dodo! Don't do this...!"
"No! I have to!!!"
I kept signaling to the flustered Roni, who couldn't meet my eyes—tapping her shoulder, nudging with my knee. But beyond not getting it, she looked genuinely distressed. Making that girly face I'd never seen before!
"I... I'm...!"
Then she trailed off and hung her head... Ah, fuck…! This bitch, no way? No, goddamn it! …Roni, you fucking queer!! Why the hell are you blushing like that!!! Pissing me off for real!! You crazy asshole!!!!
Just pick up on it already! Ugh, if even you fall for it, what then?!
My mood soured; I lost control of my expression. I whipped around, pointed at Lord Artis.
"I... kn-know...!"
Seeing him confused, I declared boldly.
"I know our love can never be! But I wanted my true feelings to reach you like this... Bell!"
I cut off there, scanning the room. Ellen's jaw hung slack. Master was...
Why was she slumped on the floor, dazed? Uh... you get it, right?
The other young ladies reacted as hoped. My passionate performance left them all entranced.
"Ah... uh..."
"My god..."
Even the guys, who I'd expected to just laugh, gave surprising praise...
"Kuh, can't watch without tears."
"Is this... brotherhood? Ahh..."
What the... hell? Noble sensibilities were beyond me.
I spoke before the magic faded.
"Lord Artis, any who knows love will accept me as her champion!"
"So noble...! Damn it!"
He tried to resist, but his side reacted better than expected. I'd braced for mockery. I just wanted to feed the nobles dopamine and justification... Why buy into this crap?
Things smoothed over too easily; I got chills. Count Artis conceded.
"Grrrh...! Fine!! So be it!"
Grudging, but he'd acknowledged my intervention. I'd saved Roni from crisis, staking my reputation.
Roni, that punk...
"Ah, ahh!"
Whew. Finally catching on, she played along. Clearly different from her earlier panic. Theatrical tone now.
"Dodo, I...!"
"No need to answer. Just be happy your way."
"H... heh... kuh heh...!!"
Now she ducked her head, stifling laughs. Once she snapped to it, hilarious, right? I desperately held back my own laughter.
The audience, meanwhile, was the opposite—fully immersed in our gay-ass act.
Sobs from the young ladies nearby.
[Ahh... so tragic.]
[What's that knight's name...!]
Time for introductions, onto the next phase.
"I, Lee Dodo, stand as Bell's champion!"
Count Artis clicked his tongue, ordering his attendant.
"Call forth Chandor."
The floor rumbled. Soon, a hulking knight in heavy plate burst through the back door.
At least a head taller than me—2.3 meters easy. He glared down, growling like a beast.
"Grrrrr..."
I grinned back, unfazed. Found the source of that nauseating stench Master mentioned.
This bastard.