 Cubic covering from few ordinary lines

If a finite planar point set has at most $Kn$ ordinary lines, its points can be covered by $O(K+1)$ possibly reducible cubics. The Euler defect identity for a projective line arrangement gives $O(Kn)$ bad edges in the dual. Bounded-radius propagation of edge defects and averaging select one dual line with $O(K+1)$ unsafe edges. Cubic propagation along a triangular strip covers each safe run; each exceptional intersection vertex represents a primal line, covered by a degenerate cubic containing a line. A dual line with very few intersection vertices instead yields a direct covering by few primal lines.