We talked for a bit more until a commotion pulled my attention away, I spotted Alexander's gimmick outfit in the middle of it all.
"Excuse me for a bit,"
"Yes, master,"
"You don't have to call me that," I waved my hand and left.
The countless nobles gathered at the center of the room and only opened the path when they saw me.
'*Sigh*what did that obsessive guy get himself into now,'
Johan held Alexander's arm in the air and wouldn't let go as Alexander struggled to no avail. The sick smile on Johan's face pissed me off but it wasn't time for a fight yet.
I cut through the crowds and grabbed Johan's hand, twisting down and squeezing until he released Alexander's.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm John Solus Gray," I looked him dead in the eyes.
"Some strength you got there, John. I'm Johan Valant Gray." He looked back at me with a death stare of his own.
The crowding nobles were terrified, trying their best to avoid our eyes as much as they could.
"Thank you for the compliment, Black Tiger," I called him by his official title.
"Don't mention it.. I can't seem to recall your title,"
"I don't have one yet, I'm afraid."
"Never mind that how's your Aura?" He suddenly released his Aura to the max while he was talking. Its black energy spreading everywhere.
"Quite good, thank you for asking!" I unleashed my silver Aura and it clashed with his causing a booming sound.
The Auras fought fiercely in the Aura causing the surrounding crowd to be thrown into the walls and pushed away. Strangely, I was only barely winning the battle of Auras.
"Umm guys, you can't fight here-" Alexander tried to cut in.
"Fighting? Never. Johan here was just praising my strength and even worried about my energy."
"Don't mention it, but I will say, you should keep your distance from my fiance, lest the lower class spread some rumors." Johan pushed his Aura further.
His words managed to tick me off slightly and I unconsciously pushed out more of my Aura.
*BOOM!* as the energies intertwined an explosion was unleashed and the hall shook.
The roof was blown and huge pieces of stone fell from it.
"Run! It's falling!"
A huge boulder descended on me and Johan and countless smaller ones headed for the people around us.
I grabbed the clip off of my tie, and at the same time, Johan covered his fist in mana and struck the boulder descending towards us, only the part on his side was affected and cracked into pieces.
I focused my Aura on the metal clip and with several slashes filled with my mastery of the sword, all of the falling rocks turned to mere dust. A wave of my Aura-covered hand blew the dust away from the people and things finally settled down.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Chief Elric arrived at that moment and upon seeing the hole in the roof he sighed.
"We just exchanged greetings." We replied.
"*Sigh*As the chief of the Ville it's not my place to reprimand you two but as your older cousin, John, and a direct superior to the both of you, I'm deeply disappointed." He ended his words to us there and turned to the rest.
"The main event cannot happen tonight. The ball will be organized tomorrow night, you may all leave." He announced.
I helped Alexander up and patted the dust off of him.
"Stop finding trouble," I told him.
Johan looked at me with a strange expression.
"The two bastards sounds better than the three monsters." He said as he left.
Astel in the corner chuckled, the first time I had seen him react in any way since the day I met him.
"How pleasant." I searched for Jean but couldn't find her.
In the end, I left with Alexander and planned to sleep early. At least I planned to.
.
.
.
We were halfway through dinner when the doorbell rang. I set down my fork, already feeling the weight of annoyance. Who could be bothering us at this hour? Lucy, our maid, glanced at me before hurrying toward the door. I tried to resume eating, but something about the sudden silence gnawed at me.
Moments later, Lucy returned, looking flustered. "I couldn't stop him, sir," she said, her voice trembling. Before I could ask what she meant, Damian stepped into the room. His clothes were rumpled, and his face was pale and drawn.
"I ran away," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have nowhere to go."
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Of course, it was him. "Fine," I said, after a long pause. "You can move in. Sit and eat." I gestured to the table, pushing away the thoughts of the mess I landed myself in for the moment. There would be time for regrets later.
Alexander kept asking Damian questions and then looking towards me in awe, it seemed like my actions surprised him.
The rest of the night was relaxed, we settled Damian into his living quarters and I lay on the bed in silence for a bit.
"Fiancé… why are the women that pull at my heart always complicated.."
I couldn't find an answer but it happened too often for it to be a coincidence.
"It's time to stop playing around and make some preparations. Status."
The status panel appeared:
[John Gray]
[GIFT]-[The Heart]
[SWORD RANK]-3⭐️
[MAGIC RANK]-4th Circle
[STATS]: PHYSICAL-128 MANA-97
CHARM-54 AURA-94
[POINTS]-130
[SPECIAL]:[Anti-Mana], [Gray Winter].
[SKILLS]:[Status Check],[Cold Heart], [Dragon Heart],[Golden Tongue],[True Martial Physique],[Heart Of The Smith],[Medical Knowledge],[Sword Mind].
"Let's start by regaining some old friends,"
…