Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Academy Festival (15)
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The intermission was again twenty minutes.
Only Aria remained for the final stage.
Since it was the closing performance, they had prepared something special, so they took a longer break this time.
There were more than one or two devices to set up.
While waiting with Aria, Victor approached.
"Well, well! If it isn't Aria, the one so popular among the orthodox music connoisseurs!"
What is he talking about?
Victor had already met Aria before.
Through my introduction, naturally.
Yet for some reason, he greeted her as if meeting her for the first time, with exaggerated flair.
"Oh, my... how embarrassing..."
Aria, though embarrassed, seemed pleased, twisting her body around.
I was wondering what had gotten into him, but he was doing this on purpose?
It seemed he had instantly grasped Aria's personality—she melts when praised.
I wonder if he has a little sister back home.
Anyway.
"Orthodox music connoisseurs? Such a thing exists?"
"You didn't know?"
Victor began to explain.
The hobbies available to the people here are limited.
And of those, almost all are music.
99% of them love music.
Among them are those who research this field far deeper than others, digging into it as more than just a hobby.
They don't become performers; they simply listen and evaluate music, sharing their assessments with those around them as if it were their main job.
It feels like critics in the modern era.
In high society, these people are referred to as connoisseurs.
Incidentally, the term "orthodox" was just tacked on by Victor himself.
He said it sounded more weighty or something.
According to him, there are even gatherings akin to modern clubs hosted by these people.
"It's a social gathering where they meet periodically to share their impressions of music."
"How did you come to know of such a thing?"
Considering you've almost turned your back on high society lately.
Of course, I didn't voice the last part.
I wasn't trying to ignore him, just curious.
"I overheard the students talking."
"Ah."
They are all sons and daughters of noble households, regardless of rank.
They must have seen and heard things.
Or perhaps he was a member of that club himself.
Victor added one more thing.
"The person who is the main topic of conversation in that social gathering is none other than Aria. The child the Professor is taking care of."
"Oh-ho."
I thought he was just making that up to make her feel good, but it was actually true?
In other words, Aria is the queen of the gallery in this world's music forum.
But.
'Why exactly?'
Why is it Aria and not me?
This isn't jealousy, just pure curiosity.
When you think of piano and music, isn't it Anton?
It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but I'm still perfectly active; it's not exactly time for a generational change yet.
This seems like a matter I shouldn't take too seriously.
There must be a reason why Aria is mentioned more than I am in those social gatherings.
There is something that comes to mind.
Right after Aria's debut, the number of people recognizing her skyrocketed.
If that was a prelude, then it was.
Some even went as far as visiting the mansion.
They were lunatics.
According to Theo's report, there are still some who send letters occasionally, though the number has decreased significantly.
The contents were nothing special.
Pure fan letters asking how she was doing or when the next concert would be.
Of course, I played a part in how things turned out.
When we originally released "Jubel," we bundled it with a limited edition containing her voice message.
"Thank you so much for loving my voice! I'll sing even harder for you all!"
Just something like that.
But nobles and commoners alike went crazy wanting it.
It was a huge success in the end.
We turned a massive profit.
We used that money to establish the Academy.
And on the stage of the festival held there, Aria stands once more...
'Is this the butterfly effect?'
Anyway.
Aria was once the capital's idol, and that trend seems to be ongoing.
Now, music is no longer a word limited to just the piano.
Because there is song.
The problem is that Aria is the only singer, but that fact seems to make her even more special.
The phrase "piano means Anton" is practically a joke.
But for Aria, it isn't.
For now, she is the song itself.
Because there is no substitute.
It's like how in ancient Greece, if you said doctor, you automatically thought of Hippocrates.
If you said philosopher, you automatically thought of Socrates.
Sing, and it's Aria.
Plus, she's cute.
There are times I want to pinch her because she's a bit cheeky, but if you look at her quietly, she's just a round, steamed bun.
People who don't know the reality would naturally be drawn to Aria.
It's natural.
Why is her story mentioned more than mine among the connoisseurs?
Thinking about it, it's not that strange.
I glanced at Aria, who was trembling her lips beside me.
Lip trill.
A technique to relax vocal cord tension and stabilize the voice, a kind of warm-up.
I had picked up somewhere that singers often use it for vocal training and tension relief, so I taught it to her.
At first, she couldn't even last a few seconds.
Now she can easily do it for 20 to 30 seconds.
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Then she stood up abruptly and stretched.
She stretched her arms up high, but they still only reached around my shoulders.
She twisted her body this way and that a few times, then looked up at me as if she was ready.
"Shall we go up soon?"
"Yeah! Ah, yes!"
Where on earth did she learn to answer like that?
Let's let it slide.
If I keep letting these things slide, she'll get spoiled, but she must just be really excited.
It's been a while since she's been on stage, after all.
I went with her underneath the stage.
This time, it wasn't behind the curtain, but literally right under the real stage.
A hole had been dug into the floor, part of a dramatic device.
It was blocked by the piano until just now.
Aria would go up through this tunnel.
"Good luck."
I'll be right behind her as the accompanist, but cheering her on should be fine.
Aria stood before the entrance with a bright smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A tension filled the theater.
The nobles who had been chanting Aria's name again after Anton's exit now had their mouths tightly shut.
A thin sheet covered the stained glass ceiling, and no one knew when it had been put there.
Moonlight could not enter.
The audience, staring at the dark stage, furrowed their brows.
And then.
From both sides of the stage, faint candlelight began to flicker.
It spread out, eventually filling the entire stage with a bright light.
At the same time, the curtain behind opened, revealing a giant painting.
A temple.
No, something that looked like a temple.
Whoever painted it, it was quite elaborate.
It made one feel as if they had truly entered a sacred place.
At that moment, very faintly.
A high note from the keyboard rang out quietly.
As if hinting at someone's arrival.
The performer was not visible.
They were probably playing the piano behind the curtain.
As I thought that and listened to the flowing melody...
The floor of the stage slowly opened, and a girl in a white dress walked out.
No sound came from the audience seats.
They were captivated.
As she completely stepped onto the center of the stage, the entrance closed again.
The candlelight illuminating the stage brightly shone upon Aria's face.
"I see the world through a fantasy
>A place where true and warm dreams bloom
>The soul flies freely through the sky
>Drifting leisurely like clouds"
The deep, clear voice contrasted with her small frame, instantly silencing the theater.
Her voice flowed softly over the piano accompaniment, and every note melted into the background painting, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
She looked like an angel descended upon a temple, or a similar being.
Aria's voice harmonized with the piano and flowed on.
Pianissimo.
Extremely gentle.
The audience couldn't easily understand how such a weak, delicate voice could hold such intense power.
But it was too early to be surprised.
Aria's arms lifted lightly, and soon a warm timbre poured out like sunlight shining through clouds, gently shaking the candlelight.
An extremely delicate portamento.
A vocal technique connecting notes as one, the extreme of legato.
The song soon entered its middle section, and the calm voice finally began to carry power.
It created tension with a trembling vibrato while pouring out emotions deep enough to hurt the heart.
"Oh..."
"Would you look at that..."
The audience's hearts pounded with the rising melody.
Everyone felt it, though they didn't say it out loud.
Awe and reverence.
The piano sound grew louder.
Crescendo.
Matching this, Aria also raised her voice with full emotion, and the two sounds filled the stage with a rich harmony, supporting each other.
The performance was heading towards its end.