"Move" Duke ordered Deacon who was still stubbornly blocking his path.
"Why should I? Your men were late, us other Nobles should at least be compensated for you making us wait, right?" Deacon snarked, obviously looking to pick a fight.
"Huh?! Ohhh, so if it's your rich buddy Silvan who's late, everything's forgiven. But if it's little ol' me then I suddenly have to pay you Medici-Ass-Lickers, huh?" Duke retorted, unflinching in front of the group of teenage Nobles in front of him.
"Huhhh? Ever since that party you've been pretty ballsy, huh Duke?! You actually think you're on the same level as the Medicis?" Deacon taunted. Pointing out the difference between the number of troops Duke brought, which was 200, versus the 2000 men the Medici's brought.
*Tch* Silvan who suddenly heard Duke bring the Medici name into the argument uncharacteristically kept quiet despite his past pride when it came to the Medici name.
"I don't have time to waste here... I'm going back to my uncle" Silvan quietly murmured to the also uncharacteristically quiet Darius who was next to him.
"What? Aren't you going to stay and help us beat up this fatass?" Darius asked in suspense as if he was afraid to face Duke with only Deacon and the other lackeys. And who could blame him? The Duke he met at the party, although still bulliable, was already almost able to make him piss his pants. The Duke right now on the other hand felt a hundred times more intense to Darius. And besides, Silvan, The Spear Genius of their young generation was much stronger than he was, and was also considered to be in the top 10 during the time Duke graduated from the Academy. Of course, the fact that Silvan was knocked out in one shot by both Jugurta and Bermont speaks volumes of their immensely legendary strengths.
For reference, if Duke right now was almost about to break out of Aura Regeneration (Peak 1st level), Darius during the party was at mid-level Aura Regeneration, Silvan is at early Aura Strengthening (Early 2nd level), and of course, Jugurta was at a much much higher level at the 4th level of Aura Forging, while Bermont was even more of a monster at the 5th level of Aura Command as expected of the Sea Dragon himself.
Aura Regeneration > Aura Strengthening > Aura Expulsion > Aura Forging > Aura Command
[Ha... Silvan's right, what am I doing? Am I actually acting afraid in front of this fat ass?!] Darius regained some of his confidence after Silvan pointed out the illogical fear and behavior he's been showing.
Silvan backed out of the argument, but as he was about to leave, Duke specifically targeted him, saying:
"Ohh, what's this? Where are you running off to without your lackeys, Silvan?! Don't think for a moment I forgot the humiliation my wife suffered in your hands! How low can you get?! You fucking scoundrel, harassing someone weaker than you! And a lady at that!" Duke furiously shouted at Silvan, directing intense murderous intent towards him...
"Ha... haha... Harassment? You're wife? That devil witch?! YOU Think 'I' harassed 'HER'!?!" Silvan began to go crazy from the obviously falsified story Duke was weaving in front of him.
Of course Silvan was gonna go crazy, as far as he could remember, if his memories served him correctly (You know, the very same memories he had experienced first hand), it was him that who was tricked, humiliated, and beaten half to death because of Vivian's antics. And even worse was the fact that since he failed to pull through a deal that was already basically given to him by his father and all he needed to do was get the papers signed, Silvan lost all credibility within the Medici family overnight.
Losing his status as heir to the Medici throne. A status he worked hard for, for almost 10 years now, more than half of Silvan's life, was gone just like that.
And he couldn't even defend nor justify the loss due to the sheer resources and time the Medici put to get that deal. They basically won a whole trade-war for him, and all he had to do, as the heir, was get to it signed and get all the sweet credit. Reinforcing his position as heir, getting acknowledged by his supporters, and maintaining the stability of the Medici family politics along with it.
But instead, he was met with a sly snake who wiggled through every miraculous crevice stealing the credit right in front of his eyes.
A sly snake named Vivian.
[And now that very same sly snake's pig husband is calling ME the scoundrel?! Me?!] Silvan started losing it.
Duke noticed Silvan's exponentially increasing hostility as he readied to fight for Vivian's honor...
Poor Duke, Vivian didn't exactly tell him most of what happened in Lyons. All Duke got was a slightly abridged version:
["Ohh~ Duke, I was incredibly humiliated back there! If not for aunt Nuir help and Lord Bermont's upright judgment, we might've never gotten the contract!"
*Woo hoo hoo* Vivian pretended to cry.
"T-then that scar on your hand?!" Duke shook in rage as he asked Vivian about the healing scab that she had on one arm.
"E-eh... This scar?... Uhh, ah! It was that scoundrel, Silvan! He attacked me with his spear just because he didn't get the contract! That scoundrel... Thankfully Jugurta and Bermont were there to protect me..." Vivian started to sweat in embarrassment as she smiled at Duke, showing Duke the scar she got after accidentally tumbling down the carriage on the way home... due to her own clumsiness of course... not that she could admit that now to Duke who seemed incredibly passionate about revenge.
"Silvan!!! Don't worry Vivian, when I see that bastard I'll make sure to pay him back tenfold for this humiliation!" Duke angrily roared filled with vigor.
"Ahh, haha... yes... t-thanks" [I hope Duke never meets that scoundrel again...] Vivian quietly blushed.
Although she was touched by Duke's response, even Vivian wasn't shameless enough to not blush after blaming her own clumsiness to the poor unaware Silvan...]
"HAHAHA. I'm the scoundrel, huh?! ME, Silvan De Medici! A scoundrel!" Silvan began laughing maniacally as his eyes became intensely fixated on Duke.
Duke readied himself as the group of nobles in front of him were about to attack.
*Swingg* Silvan took out a sword as his legendary Golden Spear was confiscated. Darius followed suit, and so did Deacon who shamelessly proclaimed:
"As nobles of Brune, it is our duty ta' punish you for being late, fat ass-" Deacon shouted as he made up a justification for them ganging up on Duke. They didn't want to look like the bad guys to the soldiers watching around them, now would they...
But before Deacon could finish his flimsy attempt for justifying their assault, a loud boom came from within the tent, stopping the fight just before Duke could release his aura.
"The way you talk... I didn't know you were suddenly promoted to Commander-General of this Army, huh Deacon?" The voice was neither shouting nor particularly angry, but the sheer aura behind the voice made his voice loud and eerily clear to everyone within a hundred meters.
"I thought only the Commander-General had the right to 'punish' disobedience? Was I wrong?" The voice boomed once again in a voice that was not at all angry but still sounded menacing all the same.
"Come in... All of you" The voice ordered.
And with that loud voice, everyone resheathed their weapons, even Silvan who reorganized his slick hair, as they all entered the Commander's Tent.
And so the meeting for the reinforcement of Konigsberg started.