"Why did you let them escape!" Deacon shouted at the slightly trembling Darius, ignorant of the fear Darius was currently feeling.
"I-I've gotten bored of picking on stupid fatasses like him, now if you'll excuse me I'll s-spruce up myself a bit. The duel has left me a bit s-sweaty" Darius made excuses as he tried to calm his trembling fear.
"C-Continue the party without me" He added as he went up to his room.
Only Silvan and Hugh knew what really happened.
*Phew* [So I wasn't the only one] Silvan sighed as he watched Darius have the same reaction to seeing Duke's Draconic Awakenings.
[Amazing...] Hugh couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration as he saw Duke leave the party with his dignity intact. If it were another noble, they would've cried and bawled from the humiliation of being forced to pick up coins from the floor that were lent to you by someone who had humiliated and insulted you.
But Duke, on the other hand, didn't let Darius humiliate him any further as he nonchalantly picked up the coins and heroically muttered: "I will be sure to repay you for this"
Hugh's admiration of Duke skyrocketed.
["I will be sure to repay you for this"] Duke's words and his actions made Hugh shudder in excitement.
[It's like I'm watching a Hero's origin story...] Hugh sighed in his mind, he too was a big nerd and a great fan of novels.
Hugh knew from the moment Duke let out signs of releasing aura that he would become someone great in the future.
[The Great Dragon's grandson, huh...] Hugh tried to imagine the waves Duke would cause in the future.
Now all he had to do was watch things unfold.
"D-Duke?" Vivian slightly blushed as she was taken away by Duke. His firm hands kind of made her feel safe as they escaped from the immediate area where the party was held.
Duke stopped in a safe alley still lowering his head.
"..." Vivian watched him feeling guilty of her thoughts inside the party.
"I'm sorry I let you experience that... If I only knew how cruel they were I would've..." Vivian stopped in the middle of her words as Duke suddenly held her two hands that were shaking from the cold night.
"Don't worry Vivian, all I'm glad about, is your safe" Duke comforted her.
"Duke!" Vivian called out to him as she hugged him tightly, [My first and maybe only friend in this world...] Vivian gently hugged Duke (Oof, Duke been friend-zoned again)
"And look Vivian! I got it! Every single coin that bastard had!" Duke proudly showed Vivian the sack of gold coins as his smile beamed at her.
The excited duo began to count the money they had on that street.
""four-hundred and forty-nine, four-hundred-fifty!"" The two exclaimed as if they were the only ones in their own happy little world.
"W-We did it Vivian!" Duke happily smiled at Vivian.
"Yes we did. We did it... WE DID IT!!!" Vivian too couldn't control her excitement as she shouted in victory.
"Sh-Shhhhh! We shouldn't be shouting too loudly. Starting from now, like a seed, we'll quietly grow stronger and stronger. Slowly... Then BAM! We'll have our revenge at everyone who laughed at us!" Duke with his comically constipated-looking fierce-face gestured to Vivian.
*pfft* "Hahaha" Vivian couldn't help but giggle at Duke's expression as he tried to sound cool.
[How could Duke's earlier fierceness be changed to constipation, I simply wonder] Vivian thought as she continued to giggle from Duke, who was currently doing weird actions to make her laugh.
With that sweet giggle of her's that Duke would've given up the world for.
[Well I guess what he said did sound cool] Vivian thought, telling Duke:
"A seed huh, I like that! Where did you hear that quote from?" Vivian asked.
"From-"
"Milord!!!" Duke's sentence was cut midway by Byran who ran to greet Duke and Vivian.
"There you are milord!"
"Byran what are you doing here?" Duke asked.
"I couldn't help but feel nervous so I rushed here after you two left, but when I got to the party you weren't there anymore!" Byran cried.
"Byran! We got the loan!" Duke victoriously showed Byran the sack of Gold.
"O-Oh! Congratulations Duke!" Byran only called Duke by his name when they were on the battlefield, or when he was too excited to think of manner.
"Me and the Knights will hold a celebration party! Don't worry we'll pay! Gahaha" Byran invited Duke to party for real this time.
The Knights happily nodded as they knew what the loan meant for Maine. Getting the loan was a win-all/lose-all situation for them and now that they got it, Maine was sure to receive great prosperity again.
"We'll even get some good booze! What do ya say?" Byran happily drooled as he thought of liquor.
"?" Duke wondered why the Knights behind Byran were swinging their heads in refusal, but Duke ignored Dan and Bardis who were shaking their head towards him and agreed to Byran's words.
"Yeah, let's get the best beer in town!"
*Pak!* Dan and Bardis slapped their foreheads as they thought at the same time [Oh no...]
"Let's go guys! Let's hurry home to get that party started!" Byran enthusiastically shouted.
"Come on Duke, let's go" Vivian gestured to Duke who was still standing around.
"You guys go on ahead first, I'll walk here for a while" Duke gently told Vivian as he subconsciously tightened his grasp on Vivian's hand.
"O-Okay, but make sure to return by tomorrow" Vivian slightly blushed as she immediately removed her hand from Duke. Feeling conscious of his manly hands.
"W-We'll go ahead first, be careful going home" Vivian bid Duke farewell.
She wanted to go home with Duke but she was currently a tad bit conscious of him for some reason.
"Haaaaa" Duke let out a long sigh as his black eyes turned primordial gold as he thought of Darius and Deacon with a cold glare that would've made anyone shudder dye to the sheer amount of hate within those eyes. He didn't want Vivian to see this despicable side of him, blinded by revenge, and so he asked them to go ahead without him.
Duke planned to walk off his frustrations. But then he was angry walk was disturbed by an old man rummaging through the trash for food.
"B-Benjamin?!"
The old man made an embarrassed and silly smile back to Duke.
...It was Benjamin Kastark.
Inside the carriage, Vivian told the Knights that she would sleep for the time being and covered her head and body with a blanket as she slept upright.
The Knights happily laughed and told each other stories as the carriage moved towards Maine.
Little did they know that their lady who was currently sleeping inside the carriage was making the most cruel smile.
Vivian was currently lavishing herself in victory.
[How should I go about ending them?] Vivian cruelly thought as she planned different scenarios to end the people at that party.
She would end them in the most cruel and degrading way they could possibly think of.
Vivian cynically thanked Darius for his stupidity and arrogance. Vivian would've never have given a loan to her already bankrupt enemies.
How Darius would lament if he only knew that he was the one who provided the cause of his tragic and well-deserved downfall the chance or the money to grow.
The moment Vivian obtained the loan...
The battle was already over:
She had already won...