Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Pachelbel, Canon (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The left hand presses down on the keys.
A chord spreads softly.
The right hand dances, light and crisp as if shaking dew from a leaf, yet it gently tickles the ear.
Aria's lips slowly parted.
Her gaze was fixed on the stage.
Chasing the performer's every move.
The melody that had drifted in from outside the window every night.
The performance she could only barely hear by concentrating her entire being.
That phantom-like scene was now vividly resurrected.
The sound seeped into her skin, piercing deep into her chest.
Memories rose like clouds on a summer day.
Aria frowned, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.
And yet.
She prayed it wouldn't end.
That this moment would never end.
She clasped her hands together and prayed to the Goddess.
The melody, which had been slowly repeating, began to accelerate.
The calm waves suddenly swelled into a raging tsunami.
And then, she suddenly came to her senses.
"Aria?"
"Huh...?"
Everything had stopped.
Was that tears streaming down her cheeks?
The world reflected in her vision felt utterly alien, as if she had been reborn.
The smell of the theater, the texture of the chair under her hand.
Everything was unfamiliar.
The other children were already gone; not a single one remained.
"You must have really enjoyed the performance."
The Director spoke.
And then.
"Thank you."
The Performer's low voice reached her.
Thank you?
She had done nothing but sit quietly until the performance ended.
Aria rose from her seat.
She reached out with both arms and took the Performer's hands.
She had read it in a book once.
How to show proper courtesy and gratitude.
Aria awkwardly knelt on one knee.
And then, she kissed the back of the Performer's warm hand.
"Thank you."
It was an awkward, yet more sincere greeting than ever before.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Erdi."
"Yes, Young Master."
When he returned home, Erdi was, as expected, already there waiting.
They went up to the room together.
"What is the matter, Young Master? You've been staring at the ceiling ever since you got back."
"Music is truly a wonderful thing. Don't you agree?"
"...That is certainly true, but..."
Erdi hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"For some reason, your expression is different from usual."
"Something happened."
To receive gratitude imbued with the pure heart of a child...
How exhilarating.
A smile kept creeping onto his face.
"Hehe."
It felt as if a buff had been cast over his entire body.
A more definite effect than a Saint's healing magic.
"Young Master?"
"By the way, Erdi."
He quickly changed the topic, afraid he'd be treated like a madman if he continued to space out.
"Take this."
He handed Erdi a pouch filled with gold coins.
"This is your share."
He had received help from Erdi on more than one occasion.
From the sheet music to providing ideas.
Even though Erdi possessed outstanding skills himself, he had no reservations about doing the grunt work.
Effort deserves proper compensation.
"Is... is all of this for me?"
"Is it too little?"
"Not at all. It's far too much."
"Just know that an anonymous noble sponsored a large sum."
"That person must have the heart of a sage."
You can say that again.
He bought hundreds of copies of the sheet music, after all.
He's a true great man.
"I'm in a great mood today, so I'll have to slice up some boar meat. Let's go, Erdi!"
"Yes!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A room settled in silence.
A single candle illuminated the darkness.
Edward, sitting at a table and reviewing the ledger, let out a gasp of admiration.
This is incredible.
The theater's profits had recently increased dramatically.
It wasn't just a slight increase.
It was a new high, updated every single day.
It's all thanks to the Young Master.
Every single performance was sold out, and the two sets of sheet music published so far each became bestsellers in less than a day.
It was no exaggeration to say they were raking in money.
Noble families were lining up to sponsor the Young Master, and letters trying to dig up information on the next performance arrived every day.
Now, there was no one in the capital who didn't know the name Anton Tilberg.
But it was too early to be merely surprised.
What truly moved Edward was his attitude toward music.
He had taken performances, once the exclusive property of the nobles, and made them public to spread them to the commoners, and he had invited the children from the poor orphanage to the theater without asking for anything in return.
He didn't take a single coin.
He hadn't even hesitated.
Edward had met many performers, but he had never seen a case like this.
The only goal for those who lived by their art was to be recognized in high society.
Everyone hid it, but it was obvious.
If they weren't performing for the nobles and patrons who visited the theater, then who were they performing for?
It was natural to ignore the commoners, who offered no benefit to their prestige.
It was custom, an unwritten rule.
But the Young Master was different.
"Aren't they the people who love my music? What does it matter what their status is?"
He didn't discriminate based on who they were.
Perhaps that is the difference between the Young Master and Lord Korsolin.
Victor Korsolin was also a promising performer, but he only enjoyed popularity among the nobles; he was a non-entity to the commoners.
Has there ever been a performer so loved by all the citizens of the Empire?
Edward once again recalled the unbelievable scene he had witnessed that morning.
The sight of a young girl bowing her head and kissing the Young Master's hand.
It was the highest form of courtesy, one that involved lowering oneself to show gratitude.
An act reserved for a benefactor to whom one owed their life.
Was she saved by the Young Master's performance?
Edward's thoughts deepened.
If that's the case, I can't just let this end here.
He had seen with his own two eyes a scene where music connects people and changes someone's future.
If the Young Master's goal is to let more people hear good music.
If the world could truly change because of it.
Then it was his duty to pave the way for him.
The next morning.
Edward left the theater with a heart full of excitement.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"What brings you here?"
Edward had come to the mansion.
It was rare to meet him anywhere other than the theater.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you for a moment."
"It must be quite urgent."
Despite his words, his expression looked bright.
He would have liked to treat him to a meal if possible, but given the time, he guided him to the drawing room first.
"Young Master."
"Yes."
Edward, sitting on the sofa, spoke first.
"How about we try pushing for a regional tour?"
"...Pardon?"
A regional tour.
The idea was to visit distant fiefs from the capital and hold performances there.
In short, a nationwide tour.
"Your music is not only popular in the capital. Just counting the number of regional lords who visit for each solo performance tells you that."
"That is certainly true."
"Then, instead of calling them to our theater, why don't we do the opposite?"
The conclusion was a regional tour.
It was a pretty good idea.
The more regions he visited, the more audiences he could spread his music to.
And one more thing.
I'm also curious about what other regions look like.
Having never left the vicinity of the capital, Edward's proposal gave him an indescribable thrill.
It was a tour in name, but a journey in spirit.
"Come to think of it, the procedures seem quite complicated."
However, there were a few problems that needed to be solved first to realize this plan.
The first major hurdle was moving the grand piano, which weighed several hundred kilograms, every time.
Finding a suitable theater to hold the performance was also a chore.
"Please leave the transportation to me. I know a fine coachman."
"Then all we need to do is figure out the theater."
"Is it absolutely necessary to have a theater?"
"...Pardon?"
He didn't think that was something a theater owner would say.
He decided to keep listening for now.
"We can use a church or a plaza. We could also rent out a lord's mansion."
"Rent a lord's mansion?"
Is that even possible?
That would be no different from holding a performance at his own house or Count Harborland's residence.
"You can just leave that to me as well."
Edward spoke with complete confidence.
He could probably trust him.
There didn't seem to be any downside.
Moreover, the fact that Edward was pushing this so passionately meant he had a plan.
He was a businessman before he was a theater owner.
"Let's give it a try!"
"There is one more thing."
Edward's expression hardened as he lowered his voice.
"What is it?"
"For this tour, I'm thinking of drastically lowering the ticket price."
"How much?"
"One silver coin per person."
"...Are you insane?"
That was practically giving it away for free.
The only things you could buy for a silver coin in the capital were newspapers or thin, cheap magazines.
Of course, he was fine with it.
He had some leeway recently, and he wasn't holding performances for the money in the first place.
However, Edward's losses would be quite significant.
Take back what he said about him being a businessman.
"That way, not only the nobles but also the commoners will be able to come listen to the Young Master's performance. It's an opportunity to spread the beauty of music to even more people."
"Have you decided to go bankrupt?"
"I'm not at the point of going broke just yet."
Edward corrected his posture and took a sip of tea.
"You said it yourself, Young Master. It isn't true culture if only the nobles can enjoy it."
That was indeed what he had said.
He remembered.
"Now, you are the culture of the Empire. I feel a sense of duty to spread you to as many people as possible."
A heavy silence fell as soon as Edward finished speaking.
He had no intention of refuting him.
However.
"The nobles will react strongly. In fact, I saw in the morning paper that someone was even holding a protest in front of the cathedral because we let the orphanage children into the theater."
"And here I was having a good mood. Now it's ruined."
"Exactly."
"Besides, you don't care about things like that anyway, do you, Young Master?"
That's also true.
He was just testing the waters.
Anyway.
If Edward was going to go this far for him, there was no reason to refuse.
"I'll need to prepare a few new songs."
"Excellent."
And so, the preparations for the regional tour began.