Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Balcares Academy 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The northern part of the Empire.
A cradle that would later nurture the talent to lead the future of the Flovia Empire and lay its foundation.
Valcares Academy.
“This makes no sense.”
A man was tearing his hair out in a lab illuminated by candlelight.
He held a musical score in his hand.
His eyes followed the notes drawn on the staff.
Just then.
A noise that shattered the silence of the lab.
Creeak—
The door opened, and someone entered.
A woman with dark brown hair.
“Professor?”
“I can’t find the answer.”
“Pardon?”
“I really can’t find the answer.”
“Professor?”
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
She had called out to him several times, but he kept muttering to himself.
‘Does he not realize I’m here?’
The woman with brown hair shouted loudly.
“Professor!”
“Hm?”
Only then did he turn around.
“When did you get here?”
“Are you researching again?”
“I had something to check for a moment.”
“For a moment? You’ve been holed up for five hours already.”
The woman strode over to the table.
She snatched the musical score from the man’s hand and examined it slowly.
The title was Canon.
The publisher was Anton Tilberg.
“I knew you’d be looking at this.”
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t get it. How can he create such a harmony? And the melody, for that matter.”
“You’re praising him quite sincerely. For someone who was driven out of the capital because of Anton Tilberg.”
“Driven out? I came here of my own will. Besides, the Academy proposed the professor position to me first.”
“If you say so. Professor Victor Korsolin.”
“Hey, Matael, go to the library and see if any more of Anton Tilberg’s scores have been published.”
“Me?”
“You’re my assistant, so you can do that much, can’t you?”
Matael made an unpleasant face at Victor’s words, but soon nodded as if she understood.
“Ah! Don’t forget you have a piano lesson tonight! Actually, that’s why I came to tell you.”
“Thanks.”
The moment she left, he grabbed the score again.
“If I can just decode this soon, I can do lectures or whatever...”
Victor Korsolin.
He was originally considered one of the most promising performers in the capital.
A genius who possessed both composition and performance skills.
But.
Everything changed after Anton Tilberg appeared.
His scheduled performances dwindled day by day, and his musical score sales, which never missed the bestseller list, plummeted.
At that point, he seriously considered quitting his career as a performer and returning to his territory to live by farming.
That’s when he received a professor position offer from the Academy.
He couldn't refuse.
After all, he had lived his whole life playing the piano.
Quitting music was no different from saying he would die.
However, as with all things, his life at the Academy was not smooth either.
He had conducted a piano performance test to gauge the students' skill levels.
He expected his own pieces to come out at least once.
But that was a delusion.
Moments Musicaux, Humoresque, and Arietta.
‘Damn it. It’s all Anton Tilberg.’
That wasn’t the end of it.
“Professor, could you please teach us using Anton Tilberg’s scores today?”
Anton Tilberg had changed the world.
Music.
That word now referred to the performance pieces Anton Tilberg had released.
Anton Tilberg = Music
‘Does this even make sense?’
How can you ask someone to teach about a perfectly living person as if it were a history lesson?
At this point, Victor Korsolin had no choice.
‘I have to research.’
What is a professor?
A profession that must develop themselves while teaching students.
Several months passed like that.
Before he knew it, he had become known as the Academy’s foremost authority on Anton Tilberg.
And yet, there was one score he still hadn't been able to decipher.
That was Canon.
‘This meticulous and harmonious progression of chords.’
It feels like looking at a formula perfectly designed with mathematics.
‘Is music mathematics?’
His head throbbed.
An eight-bar sustained bass in D major.
It repeats continuously, forming a kind of skeleton.
At first, a I chord, then a V chord.... a VI chord.
‘So, how did he make this?’
It feels as if each chord is placed exactly where it should be.
Is it possible to conceive such an absurd progression without receiving a revelation from God?
Isn't this a level that transcends civilization?
‘If he were right in front of me, I’d ask him immediately.’
What was his method of inspiration, and how did he transfer it to a score?
He wanted to know everything.
Perhaps it was a curiosity not as a professor, but as a fellow performer.
“Professor!”
As he was wracking his brain, Matael burst in.
Had she already been to the library?
“Did you find any scores?”
“Th-That’s not it!”
“Why?”
“A-Anton Tilberg is coming to the Academy h-himself!”
“What!”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Music.
It was an essential part of a noble's education.
So, teaching music as a regular subject at an Academy where noble children enroll is, in a way, a given.
In that situation.
The rumor that the man who was music itself was entering the Academy was enough to throw the students into a great frenzy.
“God has descended!”
“Finally, I can receive teachings from the light of the Empire!”
All sorts of blasphemy ran rampant.
However, there were a few who expressed negative opinions.
“Hmm, is he really that big of a deal?”
“Still, isn't the Professor's standing higher?”
Selena Winter, a freshman watching those seniors, made a meaningful expression.
‘They only say that because they haven’t seen him in person.’
She had already attended two of Anton Tilberg’s solo recitals.
If those seniors had been there, they would have surely had the same reaction as her.
“...What are you doing, Selena?”
“Preparing to get an autograph.”
She held a score in her left hand and a pen in her right.
At the recitals, he would always just say hello and leave, so it was hard to get close to him.
But inside the Academy, things would be different.
‘He’ll at least sign for me, right?’
Selena’s heart swelled with anticipation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“It’s been a while.”
“It’s truly a pleasure to have you come out to greet me personally, Duke.”
We arrived at the Academy.
Someone was waiting at the entrance, and when I looked closely, it was Duke Montella.
I had met him once at a performance competition.
‘He’s the Crown Prince’s Academy instructor, I believe.’
Is he still maintaining his professor position?
Anyway.
Meeting an acquaintance made me feel much more at ease.
“I heard from the Dean that you were coming.”
“If I had known you’d be here, I would have prepared a gift. I apologize for coming empty-handed.”
“Hahaha.”
He still had a kind-hearted laugh.
He personally guided us inside.
Huge buildings caught my eye.
It definitely felt like a university.
In the center, there was a garden, a small pond, and a fountain.
“Shall we meet the Dean first?”
Duke Montella asked.
“Yes. Please.”
“This way.”
I entered a building with him.
“Everyone is in class right now, so it should be quiet.”
It certainly was.
You couldn’t hear a single small sound.
It seemed the soundproofing was perfect.
The Dean's office was on the fifth floor.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. If you need any help, feel free to come find me anytime.”
Duke Montella said that and disappeared.
It seemed he wasn't going to stay with us the whole time.
I knocked on the Dean's office door.
A young man with a plain appearance appeared.
He was wearing the Academy's uniform.
The sharp fit was similar to a modern suit.
There was a design on his chest.
A student?
The man, noticing us, bowed his head slightly.
“Are you guests?”
“We have an appointment with the Dean. I am Anton Tilberg from the capital.”
“Til-berg!”
What was that?
It sounded like he just bit his tongue.
The man hurriedly flung the door open.
“Please, come in!”
“Thank you.”
The Dean, who had just gotten up from the sofa, welcomed us.
“Welcome.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
After greeting him politely, I took a seat.
“This is Edward and Erdi. They are accompanying me to the recital.”
I introduced my companions first.
The Dean smiled and shook hands with them.
Then, he signaled with his eyes to the man standing behind him.
“I will take my leave now.”
So he was being told to leave.
Anyway.
The Dean was a middle-aged man with a mustache like a Soviet army officer.
“We are renovating the Academy's auditorium for you.”
“I have caused you trouble.”
“Not at all. It’s a necessary step to hold a proper recital. It may be lacking compared to a theater, but I’ve put in my best effort, so don’t worry.”
To be honest, just being able to perform indoors was a tearful joy.
“I will do my best to prepare.”
After coordinating the schedule, we went outside.
The conversation ended sooner than I expected.
Someone was waiting in front of the door.
“I will guide you to your guest room.”
It was the man from before.
By his disciplined attitude, he was indeed a student.
I followed him to another building.
“This is the dormitory used by the students. The fifth floor is reserved for guests, so please feel free to stay. If you need anything, find Oscar Zelman on the first floor.”
Oscar Zelman.
I made sure to remember that.
“I will see you at dinnertime then.”
I was in urgent need of rest, so I immediately went to the room Oscar had told me about.
Erdi and Edward were assigned the rooms next to mine and the one after that.
By the way, the coachman said he would stay at a nearby inn, so I let him.
‘It’s a real dormitory.’
There was a small table in the center, and a bed and window further inside.
I changed my clothes and sat on the bed.
There were still about three or four hours until dinner.
I should just sleep.
The score?
I’m too tired to look at it.
If I don’t wake up, someone will come wake me up eventually.
Thinking that, I flopped down onto the bed.
Knock, knock—
A knocking sound was heard.
‘Who is it?’
When I opened the door, Oscar was standing there.
“Shall I show you around the Academy?”
“No, I’m fine.”
He looked quite disappointed by my answer.
My heart softened slightly.
I was planning on enrolling in the Academy soon anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to build a friendship now.
“Understood. Let's go.”
I followed him out.