He gave the boy and the three girls a sneering, condescending look and focused his attention on Sora as if he'd just noticed him. Hoshino's face was blank, and his eyes, normally full of life, were pale, as if the life had drained out of them.
— Who do we have here? — A mocking voice sounded almost in silence and a "You're all dirt under my feet and you're shit" look stabbed into the Asian.
Sora didn't react at all, his eyes didn't even turn to De Reverdy. His gaze slid from one guard to the other, not reacting to the situation, not showing any emotion.
— Jacques, my friend, he is deaf! — said the ringleader with feigned surprise, and his group immediately grinned and giggled. — Hey, — Louis Baptiste De Reverdy swung his luxurious cane a few times and clicked the heel of an expensive shoe. — Etiquette, — he said slowly, deliberately stretching his words. — You must greet me like an elder and keep your back straight until I say so. Continue. — Another imperious swing of his cane, which everyone knew concealed a thin blade.
Most of the people were watching now, trying to follow the unfolding spectacle with their ears. Sora slowly shifted his gaze to the Duke's heir, studying the condescending, haughty grin beneath his decorated triangle for a few seconds. Then he turned calmly to his companions. His voice was heard by many.
— Who is this man and why is he behaving like this? — Genuine bewilderment and slight confusion were clearly visible.
— It's... — Angelique had just begun to speak, but was interrupted.
— Louis Baptiste De Reverdy, heir to the Reverdy family and the ducal title. — came the voice of one of the servants. — You must bow to express your respect and gratitude just to be noticed by such a noble personage! — At this, the leader just nodded to the sycophant and continued to smile his wicked grin.
— Is that so? — Sora said thoughtfully and fell silent with a blank face.
There was a stunned silence for a minute, everyone was interested in what was going on and afraid of missing something. Interesting! Funny! Meanwhile, the Heir maintained his grin, though the most observant could see that the expression had become more strained.
— I am still waiting. — These words of Louis Baptiste seemed somehow... pathetic or something?
— Hmm? — The man from the East tilted his head back slightly, feigning surprise.
— It seems that he's not only ignorant of etiquette, but also stupid! — The De Reverdy heir raised his voice slightly to be heard better by the audience, and then suddenly took a step forward, approaching Sora.
The sisters had seen a few of his training sessions, so they knew how fast he could move (or so they thought), so they tensed up, expecting him to show some unexpected aggression. But nothing happened... right away. Without looking, the braggart reached back, handed the stick to the walker, and as soon as he did, he snatched the long blade from Sora's belt. Even without conventions, this behavior is a concrete insult. But the boy didn't even move.
— Beautiful work... — Studying the scabbard, covered with a rich pattern of fire, trees and clouds, covered with a shiny lacquer. — It is astonishing that such a thing should have fallen into the hands of an illiterate nigger in a woman's dress.... — Louis Baptiste grinned, not taking his eyes off the scabbard.
Sora was still unresponsive. But then Gabrielle, one of the very, very few, noticed Sora's lip twitch slightly as the blade extended with a click. De Reverdy grasped the red-black hilt and pulled the katana partially back, admiring the play of metal.
— A fine sword. — The heir nodded, returned the blade to its sheath with a click, and grasped the sheath again with both hands, admiring the design. — Barbarians, and they make such wonderful things. — The boy shook his head.
— You know, — Sora's distant, slightly wistful voice sounded, attracting attention. — Do you know that touching another man's katana is a deadly insult that still gets you killed in Japan?
— I don't give a damn about your barbaric island. — The man shrugged, not taking his eyes off the scabbard.
— You must apologize formally or I will be forced to challenge you to a duel to the death. — Hoshino said with the same impassive expression.
— I don't care about you, mortal! Who are you that a person of my status should lower himself to you? Your business is to serve me and give me what I want. — Louis Baptiste smiled broadly, condescension in his voice.
— Well, if that is your decision, then I am within my rights....
As soon as the last words were uttered, Sora was literally smeared by a shadow, and in the next instant, a wide streak shot up and down. Next, Sora drew back his blade with one hand, and with the other, he caught the scabbard with De Reverdy's hands hanging from it.
The audience froze, even the now crippled man himself didn't immediately realize what had happened. "Why is there no blood?" — ran through the minds of many around him.
A second later, red fire ran in sparse petals across the scabbard, and a moment later it burst into yellow flame, literally incinerating the severed flesh. Louis Baptiste watched with wild eyes as the greasy ash from his hands fell to the ground. He wanted to scream, but his throat was tight and he could not feel his arms until they reached his shoulders.
— I don't condone killing for mere touch, but the katana is part of my culture and I have no moral right to let such behavior go unpunished. — He whispered in the cripple's ear so that few could hear his words. — Your ancestors, Mudblood, were still kneading dung when my clan was old.
Be glad that I was merciful enough to take only your hands. If you are caught again, I'll take your head. — Then he struck the cripple in the chest with his open palm, causing him to fall to his heels.
Tears flowed from the eyes of the crippled boy, he was pale, trembling, and could not take his eyes off the back of the man who had just ruined his life. Sora Hoshino walked through the crowd in sepulchral silence. For a minute, the silence was thick, and no one rushed to help the man who had ruined more than one fate with his title.