Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Unexpected Problem (1)
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Academy Main Building, Top Floor.
He had summoned the three of them to a place originally created as a lounge for professors.
From the left, Azabella.
Next to her, Dirk and Beatrice.
The first successful candidates for the intensive class.
Azabella was the only one he had picked; the other two were Victor's choices.
Regardless.
He had many questions.
First, Azabella.
From her appearance alone, she was unmistakably a teenage girl.
Deep black hair and pale skin.
Her pupils were a bright gold.
Her build was so slender that it felt as if he were facing a model.
It goes without saying that such a profession doesn't exist in this world, but.
The hair cascading down to her shoulders was incredibly alluring.
Wasn't she the second daughter of the Baron Vivant household?
"Lady Vivant."
"Yes, Professor."
A calm voice.
A tone that seemed to be very formal.
It was clear and distinct, yet quite low-pitched.
If anything, it exuded an intellectual atmosphere.
"Was the piece you played today one you composed yourself?"
"That is correct. After researching the scores you released from beginning to end, I added my own interpretation to weave a new melody."
As I thought.
The music she presented was unfamiliar even to me.
I have consumed all the scores available on the market; there is no piece I don't know.
The conclusion is one thing only.
An original composition.
‘The audacity to pull out an original composition on a test.’
It is an impossible challenge unless one has tremendous confidence in one's own skill.
And that's not all.
If she were to fail, it was a choice that could lead to being criticized twice as much.
Of course, I would have given a high score to that attitude itself, but.
From the perspective of the one being evaluated, she probably didn't think that far.
Why didn't she choose a safe path where she could show off her skills properly?
She had to be prepared to hear those words, in case she failed.
However.
If she succeeded, she would receive twice the praise in return.
And Azabella belonged to the latter case.
So he couldn't help but ask.
"Why did you prepare an original composition instead of a pre-existing piece?"
"At the very least, I believe a student aspiring to be a musician should be evaluated through their own art."
My.
That hit me hard.
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I have no words to say to that.
‘A musician should be evaluated through their own art.’
That is correct.
Azabella's answer was the correct one.
It's just that, by coincidence.
‘First of all, I myself am a human being who does not conform to that.’
All I have done in this world is not creation, but imitation.
Even if there was a nice excuse to raise the quality of the culture, the meaning of the act itself does not change.
In the end.
According to Azabella's theory, it means I am not a true musician.
‘I can't refute that.’
The public's evaluation seems to be a bit different, but if I look back on myself, the answer comes out.
I always felt a strange sense of dissonance.
Of course, that doesn't mean I intend to explain all the circumstances in detail.
It's too complicated.
I plan to remain a plagiarizing composer forever.
However, if there is one thing I must correct.
It's not a composer, but a missionary.
That might be the more appropriate expression.
And, of course.
I don't feel particularly guilty.
Unfortunately.
If I had such feelings, I wouldn't have come this far.
Moreover.
It's a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but if I hadn't spread the classics of my previous life, the music of this world would have remained at the level of a primitive keyboard for a long time.
It's not arrogance.
It means it wasn't such a bad choice.
I meet Azabella's eyes once again.
She still has a confident posture.
A self-assured expression and an unwavering gaze.
A face filled with pure passion.
If there is such a thing as the qualification to be called an artist, she would be the one who fits the bill.
Good.
Erdi and Diana.
And now Azabella as well.
Having more people like this was what I wanted.
Perhaps someday, when the time comes.
I will disappear to the back of history.
I am already waiting for that day.
The day when Anton Tilberg no longer has to represent the music of the capital.
Let's end the monologue here.
"It's a structure of a 1-4 chord in C major, with 2 and 5 repeating. Is there a reason you conceived the progression this way?"
"I was greatly inspired by your scores, Professor. Rather than relying on novelty, you led the music using a few familiar themes. I thought it was truly charming. As for my understanding of chords, I referenced a textbook for beginners. Of course, the one you published..."
Answering up to that point, Azabella shyly blushed her cheeks.
Did she feel she had spoken too much?
Regardless.
I got the answer to the question I asked, so that's fine.
"If I have the opportunity, I would like to see another piece... especially the score of the work you showed yesterday. If it is not too much to ask."
"That will happen sooner or later."
Probably not long from now.
Her technique was flawless as well.
If anything, she could be called a finished product.
It was different from when I first saw Erdi.
He was the type to push through with instinct.
Conversely, Azabella gave a strong impression of having reached this point through effort.
I don't know about her innate talent.
This is perhaps.
‘If Diana continues to work hard in the future, she might become like Azabella.’
The stage where one has mastered all the basics and finally enters the stage of creation.
Azabella is standing at that point.
If there is anything I, and the Academy, can do for her.
It is simply to show her more samples of music.
So that she can broaden her spectrum.
"From now on, Professor Erdi will be teaching Lady Vivant."
"Uh...? Huh? Won't I be receiving lectures directly from you, Professor?"
A flustered expression.
I explained the intensive class system to her.
"Lady Vivant's skill is excellent even now, but there is room for further development in terms of technique. Professor Erdi specializes in that area."
"Th-then, if I learn everything..."
I can tell what she wants to ask without even hearing it.
"Of course, I will be teaching Lady Vivant directly."
Just the two of us.
Intimately.
And that's not all.
I could show her all the scores I have created so far.
I had only allowed Erdi and Diana to see them.
It's a privilege only for those who have entered my treasure chest.
Of course, it doesn't mean I intend to discriminate against other students.
Anyone can have that right as long as they have the skill.
My job is to share knowledge so that everyone can reach that level.
And that is the reason the Academy exists.
Azabella was simply a little faster than the others.
"Thank you. I will work hard to learn."
The fidgety demeanor she had just a moment ago was gone, and she answered with the same confident and elegant attitude as before.
She seems to have been strictly educated.
My household was also a barony until recently.
Why are they so different?
It might just be that her personality is like that.
I will conclude the interview with her here.
Next are the Vendelin siblings.
Dirk and Beatrice.
There was something he absolutely had to ask them.
‘They said they were from a vassal family at the southern end of the territory.’
As it happens, I know someone in the south, Aiolin Seneca.
They might be related to her.
When I asked that, the two of them nodded immediately.
"I've definitely heard of her."
"But our family does not serve her."
Just like siblings, they split the answer between them.
I've never seen characters like this before.
"Then that's that. To be honest, that's what I was most curious about."
"Ah."
As for their skill, Victor saw it, not me, so I have nothing to say about that part.
I could ask them to play again here, but that would look like I didn't trust Victor's judgment.
I have no choice but to trust him.
Since they were selected from over a hundred people, there is no room to doubt his discernment.
They are surely skillful, just like Azabella.
"Then I wish all three of you a wonderful experience at the Academy."
And the next day.
Just as expected, a problem arose.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I had just finished my morning lecture and entered the lounge to rest when Erdi came to find me.
"Are you done too... Have you finished, Professor?"
"...Please speak comfortably, Young Master."
We've been close for so long, so perhaps that's why.
I was the one who made Erdi a professor, but my words keep slipping.
In the end, we agreed to act like we used to when we were alone.
"How are things on your end? Especially the Vendelin siblings."
"I was just about to talk about that."
"Is their skill incredible?"
"Their skill is good. But how should I put it... they don't listen."
"They don't listen? How so?"
Erdi explained what had happened in the morning.
"Oh ho..."
Apparently, Azabella listened to the class without a single word of complaint.
She would follow instructions immediately no matter what he asked, and her thirst for knowledge was so high that Erdi was the one who got tired.
That seemed about right.
That side is fine.
The problem was the Vendelin siblings.
"They are only full of ambition and do not try to listen to me at all. I was trying to explain the technique of changing the timbre with finger position, but they kept pushing to move on to the next step, saying they already know it... Moreover, they have a tendency to look down on the other students."
It was a mistake.
"So they think that because they are in the intensive class, they are different from the others?"
"That is exactly it."
"Why didn't I think of this? I should have kept this in mind from the moment I created the intensive class."
It was a clear mistake.
My intention was to separate the students who didn't need to learn the basics and teach them the advanced course right away.
For the Vendelin siblings, that wasn't a distinction but a privilege.
Moreover, if.
If the other students also think this way, it becomes a headache.
It might be a privilege for the Vendelin siblings, but from the opposite perspective, it's discrimination.
Of course, this is by no means discrimination.
As I said before.
Anyone can enter the intensive class.
As long as they have the skill.
How can teaching them based on skill distinction be discrimination?
It's certainly not a privilege.
But if it appears that way right now, it's a problem.
That won't do.
"I need to rethink this intensive class system."