Some were curious, others eager, and a few seemed skeptical.
"Isn't that the Duke's talentless son?" One voice whispered from the crowd, the words cutting through the murmur like a dagger.
Gon's pulse faltered for just a fraction of a second, but he quickly masked the brief moment of discomfort, his expression unchanged.
It wasn't the first time he had heard that kind of remark, but it still stung every time.
"Yes, I wonder why he's going to the front," another voice chimed in, more curious than mocking.
The question hung in the air, light but pointed.
Gon could hear the doubt beneath the words, a subtle skepticism that echoed through the crowd.
I heard he's no longer talentless!" a third voice added.
The murmur of skepticism in the crowd began to blend with a new, tentative interest.
