Dante’s Immortality – Chapter 27

The cracking of wooden swords striking together rang out as he and Will practiced in the yard.

The two of them weren’t really sparring, just drilling through their sword forms with each other. If they had been taking the fight seriously, Will would have been raining down blows that felt like sledgehammer strikes, and He would be outmaneuvering the attacks with his much higher speed.

Even though he usually won those fights, he couldn’t do it without taking at least a few of Will’s jarring attacks. So, when Will suggested they spar after their manipulation orb training, he was quick to suggest a mock fight.

It was actually far more useful for him than a regular fight would have been anyways. Compared to Will, who had practiced sword forms for years with tutors, he was far behind in actual sword fighting.

After a few more exchanges Will spoke up. “I heard you are going to the party at the Wise Prince tonight.”

The sudden statement and Will’s serious expression was so unexpected that as soon as Dante registered what Will had said, his form slipped and Will’s sword slid between his guard. The unanticipated strike to his thigh caught him off-guard, and he hissed in pain. “Where did you hear that?”

His question caused Will to wince. “Have you met Jack of House Daynard?”

Their swords continued to collide while he thought it over. After scanning through all of the nobles that he had met, and their house names, he concluded that he hadn’t. “I don’t think I’ve even heard of that house before.”

“He seems to know you rather well… Jack and the House Syrus twins talk about you a lot. Mostly spreading rumors about your, um… heritage.” Will paused as he saw the recognition on Dante’s face. “But recently, they are saying that you're, uh…” A look of hesitation crossed Will’s face. “getting played by Kayla Stavins.”

Dante’s lip curled up into a slight smile involuntarily, surprising Will, who had been trying to break the news to him carefully.

Will’s voluntary warning about the party meant that teaching Will over the past few days was already paying off. Even if he was already aware of everything that Will had been warned him about, if he hadn’t been, it might have been an enormous help. Not only that, but he was also quite confident that the three people he was talking about were the three he had met at the seamstress shop, knowing their names could be a massive help in the future. “Thanks for the warning, but I should be fine.”

His words seemed to disgruntle Will. So, in an effort to maintain whatever relationship they might have formed, he quickly followed up his statement. “I already knew Kayla has ulterior motives for inviting me to the party, but I accepted anyways because it may be beneficial to me.”

This time Will’s concentration faltered in the midst of the conversation, allowing Dante to slip inside of his guard and get revenge for earlier. Of course, Will shrugged the attack off like it didn’t happen. “How could going to the party with Kayla be beneficial to you?”

That question shut him up. He wasn’t sure how much he should tell Will. He didn’t trust Will enough to tell him everything, or really anything, but at the same time telling him nothing would sew distrust between them. Deciding it would be best to say something, he tried to keep it vague. “I think she might have helped someone deceive me, so I’m trying to find out who.”

That elicited a laugh from Will. “That’s what happens when you get involved with nobles.” He seemed to be in a better mood now. “I would suggest you don’t get too tangled up in our scheming though, it would be dangerous for you.”

That was fairly obvious, but Will didn’t seem to be done handing out advice, so he prodded further. “How so?”

The question made Will’s expression far more serious. “All choices that a noble might make are based almost completely on two things; advantage and deterrence. You, for example, are almost completely advantageous to try and control. I’m not sure what your actual Classifications are, but based on your speed, strength, and resiliency, someone would have to be a fool not to see your potential. The problem is; all you have is potential.” Will stopped the mock fight.

“You have nothing to deter someone from taking advantage of you, you have no allies, and you are too weak to protect yourself.” Will paused to let out a sigh. “It wouldn’t be a problem if you allied yourself with someone who could protect you, but you have nothing to offer in return for their protection… It would be equivalent to enslaving yourself. A true alliance, or even just a mutual agreement, can only be made when two parties are of equal power. Otherwise, the weaker side will always be at a disadvantage.”

“Your problem is different though. It is no secret that House Calman has been trying to recruit you. Setting you up in Housing District 1, as well as so obviously hiding your Classification, was warning enough for others to stay away from you.” Will’s tone of voice was as if he was stating the obvious. “If you get involved with someone other than House Calman, you go from being a complete advantage to a potential threat.”

Dante just stared at him blankly. It didn’t seem conceivable that the Will he knew, and the Will who just gave him that explanation were the same person.

Regardless, if he thought about his current situation in that light, everything made more sense… and everything also became much more dangerous. Even though he was pretty sure someone from House Calman had organized his fight with Greggory, so going with Kayla wouldn’t be a problem, there was still House Ailloss to consider.

Edward Ailloss basically asked him to join his house outright. If anyone from House Calman or House Ailloss found out about the other, they might take steps to make sure he didn’t cause problems in the future…

He hadn’t even thought of any of that before Will brought it up. “Thank you for explaining that to me.”

Will just nodded, then continued. “You need to keep it in mind. Most nobles won’t do anything for you if you aren’t useful to them. Even in agreements like the one we have, if you were dealing with anyone else, they wouldn’t have felt a need to repay your services.” Will smirked. "Luckily for you, I am at least somewhat honest."

He had definitely underestimated Will. He had thought that Will was straightforward and would be unaware of any subtleties, like the lessons he was giving him for free in order to gain some form of an ally.

Dante couldn’t help but let out a sigh, it seemed like no one he had met since he left Alazel was who they appeared to be on the surface.