Serpico bringing the duel to a head isn't soooo odd to me, but still, since the trolls and what not, he has more than once commented on how much Farnese is growing and changing as a person-- how she would put herself in danger to help another, how she smiles now, when she never really did before. It's not as if he's unaware of the positive effects on Farnese of being in the group.
It seemed to me that he must want to remove Guts from the picture for more selfish reasons. When he got the wind-cape and sword he commented on how ironic it was, since he was so "bound" and the wind was so free, and again during the troll attack, he commented on how he hasn't really been able to move forward with Farnese into the new space she's entering, that they only shared their twisted sort of past. Bascially, it seems to me that under the guise of helping Farnese's social position with the Vandimions, he's really serving himself. He doesn't want her to change, even though he recoginizes at times how much good it's done her, because he doesn't feel capable of moving with her into that new space.
He gave everything to be her slave, basically. I mean, this is a guy who burnt his own mother at the stake for her (or did Farnese do it?-- either way, a traumatic experience). Farnese is his whole world-- losing that would lead to just the sort of desperation he seems to be showing in the duel. Of course, Guts' appearance at the ball does pretty much mean "social/political suicide" for her, but I'm not so sure she really cares about that anymore. I mean, she's been traveling with the Black Swordsman of her own free will-- talk about sacrilige.
It seemed to me that he must want to remove Guts from the picture for more selfish reasons. When he got the wind-cape and sword he commented on how ironic it was, since he was so "bound" and the wind was so free, and again during the troll attack, he commented on how he hasn't really been able to move forward with Farnese into the new space she's entering, that they only shared their twisted sort of past. Bascially, it seems to me that under the guise of helping Farnese's social position with the Vandimions, he's really serving himself. He doesn't want her to change, even though he recoginizes at times how much good it's done her, because he doesn't feel capable of moving with her into that new space.
He gave everything to be her slave, basically. I mean, this is a guy who burnt his own mother at the stake for her (or did Farnese do it?-- either way, a traumatic experience). Farnese is his whole world-- losing that would lead to just the sort of desperation he seems to be showing in the duel. Of course, Guts' appearance at the ball does pretty much mean "social/political suicide" for her, but I'm not so sure she really cares about that anymore. I mean, she's been traveling with the Black Swordsman of her own free will-- talk about sacrilige.