Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Elven Kingdom (3)
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"Haa... What am I even doing here?"
Shapiron let out a sigh as she waited with her teammates in an open clearing on one side of the academy for Harris.
He had spoken so confidently, claiming he needed to prepare some things and asking for a day, but as the promised time approached, there was still no sign of him.
'That guy... I really don't like him.'
Harris, the man her proud father had picked up on the Ion Continent, didn't sit well with her in any way.
Not only did that listless, droopy face of his whenever she saw him rub her the wrong way...
'He's a mercenary, right? They take a bit of coin to run errands for others, then turn into bandits the moment things go south.'
Her knowledge was based on fragments from storybooks and rumors, but right now, that hardly mattered to her.
'On top of that, he said he only recently learned spirit arts, so his skills can't be that impressive.'
For Shapiron, born into a good family and displaying exceptional talent from a young age, the level of one's spirit arts was synonymous with their power.
In elven society, spirits were inseparable companions anyway, so it wasn't entirely wrong.
'Sure, I acknowledge he scraped by surviving in that harsh Ion Continent, but that just makes him an uneducated savage.'
In her mind, everywhere outside the Elven Kingdom with its World Tree was little more than barren wilderness.
Of course, she knew other continents had formidable forces.
Their sizes and military might differed greatly, after all.
But she took pride in the Elven Kingdom being the world's pinnacle in cultural aspects.
Music, art, architecture, literature...
'Of course, dwarves are a tad— just a tiny bit— superior in sculpture and architecture... but that's just a difference in direction, not that we're lacking!'
A thorough bone-deep ethnocentrism.
Having grown up in a warm greenhouse, surrounded only by consideration and love, hearing only pleasant words, it was perhaps inevitable.
So Shapiron had little interest in the song Harris claimed to have prepared.
How amazing could a song passed down from some cultural backwater be?
'But... why on earth do Father and the World Tree hold that man in such regard...!'
Thinking about it again made her anger bubble up.
She was one of the chosen.
Her mother from a prestigious family that had been there since the founding, her father a High Elf.
She herself had inherited the aptitude for High Elf, dazzling those around her with her talent from childhood and bearing all their expectations.
Thus, she never doubted she would become a High Elf.
She was undoubtedly the center of the world, the protagonist to lead a new era!
'Father's bracelet... fine, whatever! It irks me it's in that man's hands, but he said it was fair payment, so nothing to be done.'
It was compensation from the mission, so the nation could reimburse it.
What truly enraged her was something else.
'...I've never received that much attention from the World Tree myself! ...Hmph!'
Not like Cecily, who already qualified as a High Elf, but this guy with the same mere aptitude had gone and received a branch directly from the World Tree.
'I'm superior to that man in every way...'
That ignited the jealousy stemming from her strong pride.
She fiddled incessantly with the ring on her left middle finger, quietly calming her anger.
"Ah! There he is, Harris! You're late! We've been waiting!"
At that moment, Timer—who had been fidgeting awkwardly between the gloomy Shapiron and the timid female teammate Curie—brightened up and waved his hand.
Harris approached from afar, his usual languid expression on his face, something strapped to his back.
"Ah, sorry about that. It took a bit longer to prepare beforehand. Really sorry for making you wait."
"No, it's fine! We haven't been waiting that long anyway. Just got a little bored!"
Watching the two chat amiably made Shapiron's mood sour even more.
"We don't have any more time to waste. We still haven't decided on the stage setup. Let's see what you've prepared first."
With that, she summoned a mid-level wind spirit to block out sounds around the clearing.
It was a gesture of goodwill, in her own way.
She didn't want a teammate embarrassed in front of others, after all.
She truly held no expectations for Harris.
Since he'd brought something, she figured she'd just formally glance at it and move on.
'There's a limit to pandering. If he seems decent enough, I can teach him at least the harmonies and put him on stage...'
Dead serious about music, Shapiron pondered how a beginner could blend in without standing out, mentally designing the stage on her own.
"Whoa! What's this? Some instrument I've never seen—looks kinda like a lute..."
"Ah, this is a guitar from my homeland..."
She heard Harris and Timer chattering as they prepped over there, but lost in her own thoughts, she ignored it.
"Thank you for waiting. I did bring an instrument, but it's not enough to fully enjoy this song."
Only then did Shapiron snap out of it, crossing her arms and staring at him.
She planned to gauge his level first to decide on the stage composition.
"So I prepared a magic tool that records instrument sounds. Of course, it won't help with spirit communion, but since this is just a demo..."
She smirked inwardly, eyeing him coolly.
He held a bead-shaped magic tool in one hand, a lute-like instrument slung over his shoulder.
'...Huh? What's that instrument? It looks pretty.'
Her mind, well-versed in instruments, wavered for a moment, but she gritted her teeth and kept a straight face.
'Should've asked earlier! ...Too late now?'
Resigned to sneakily ask later, she focused on maintaining her composure.
"The title is 'Adventure to Find Myself.' A song by Viz, a famous bard from my homeland... my father loved it dearly."
With that, Harris summoned his spirits, activated the magic tool in his hand, and set it down nearby.
"Then... let's begin."
And...
-Ziiing~♪ Jing~♪
A sharp sound leaked from the magic tool.
The utterly unfamiliar instrument made Shapiron's brow furrow instantly.
She'd never heard an instrument like that.
'And the music's progression... it's so unique?'
~♪
Harris's strummed instrument wove into the sounds from the magic tool.
Each pluck of the strings spread natural energy, resonating with the surroundings.
And those vibrations slowly harmonized with the summoned spirits around him.
As the atmosphere gradually built...
"To~ the end of that white sandy beach~♪"
The song began with upbeat music.
The resonant power in that vigorous voice made the ambient energy writhe and surge.
Thrilling music and its addictive timbre enveloped the clearing.
The other teammates, who had tilted their heads at the novel style, slowly widened their eyes.
'Hmm? This is...?'
And Shapiron was no different.
It was completely different in texture from any music they'd done before.
A radical style that conservatives fixated on tradition and formality would inevitably reject.
But...
~♪
Her heartbeat quickened in sync with his powerful voice.
The lively rhythm made her shoulders bounce unconsciously, and the aggressive sounds resonated with the natural forces, shaking her heart.
'Wait, something's off? My emotions are this stirred? No way...?'
Like spirits, elves were inherently deeply affected by natural forces.
That wasn't why they served the World Tree and took spirits as companions for nothing.
Yet the energy waves originating from this Harris surpassed the everyday norm.
The emotions in the song spread via natural forces, forcibly assimilating the sensitive elves into them.
'Ah... How can a song wield natural forces this much...?'
Unlike his usual listless demeanor, Harris now brimmed with vitality through the music, exuding life force from his entire body.
And the song's immersive pull ruthlessly shook everything around.
Emotions swung wildly, an inexplicable force seemed to suck her into the music...
And... she was just having a blast.
~♪
Lightning and fire spirits flashed brilliantly, wind spirits whipped up whirlwinds spreading sound.
Captured by the same emotions, the spirits synced with the smiling Harris at center stage, broadcasting their presence around.
"Whoa! Awesome!"
"......!!"
Before she knew it, the other two spectators excluding her were swept up, waving at him and cheering excitedly.
'...His skill is impressive, but our Elven Kingdom's songs are still superior...!'
As she desperately tried to stay composed.
Her sound-blocking spirit began fidgeting, resonating with the song's energy.
Not enough to break the barrier, but a mid-level spirit reacting to another's song—not even its summoner.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
~♪
But unbeknownst to her, her ears twitched rhythmically to the beat.
'...Not bad on second listen. Different direction, that's all! Judging art for superiority is foolish anyway.'
She unwittingly denied her former self, but now it was a trivial matter.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Wow, elven voices are straight-up cheat codes.'
Harris wrapped up the final verse, inwardly marveling.
He could see why they took such pride in their singing.
Not just the timbre—their vocal structure differed from humans, letting them traverse ranges freely, and his affinity carried through their voices amplified the effect by syncing with natural forces.
'Though that's probably thanks to 'Child of the World Tree.'
His already potent natural affinity was further boosted through song as a medium.
Naturally, the original goal of spirit communion was highly successful.
He could feel their responses via connections, writhing as if ready to grow any moment.
'Didn't expect it to hit this hard, though.'
He'd practiced a few times before coming, but this was his first full go.
Time zones with Earth meant recording the song on the magic tool, sourcing a new guitar, tweaking lyrics—all had eaten up time.
"Wow! Harris, that was amazing! I've never been so immersed in a song! So fresh, and exciting—I love it!"
As the song ended, Timer and Curie approached, eyes sparkling, gushing praise.
'Didn't expect such a great reaction.'
Picking the song had taken much deliberation.
Elven songs trended melodic and lyrical, so similar genres wouldn't satisfy.
'That's why I went with something upbeat they'd never heard in the Elven Kingdom.'
He'd been irked by Shapiron's attitude, but hadn't planned to feature the song on stage.
More efficient for three to adapt to one familiar song than vice versa.
He just wanted to shock them with something novel and show his chops...
"Let's do this one! On a proper stage, you singing this will draw massive attention!"
Nod nod!
"We can mimic the instrument sounds with wind spirits and natural forces! I think I can handle the drum parts too!"
Timer raved excitedly, Curie nodding silently beside.
They seemed hooked, the song lodged firmly in their heads amid Harris's emotions.
In that moment, a spark flashed in his mind.
'Karma is granted based on influence on the world.'
What kind of influence?
'Anything.'
Positive, negative, violent, gentle.
With force, politics, wealth...
Or even 'culture'—anything went.
'Song and dance are part of elven life. What if I influence that? And through them, spread it across the entire world?'
As seen now, syncing natural forces via 'Child of the World Tree' definitely worked on elves.
On a proper stage, he could force a trend.
Become the protagonist, reforming the world not with the sword, but art.
If done right, it'd be the most efficient karma farm.
'This... has potential.'
The start was right here.
Timer chattering nonstop before him, Curie in sync.
Even Shapiron approaching hesitantly from afar.
A thick smile slowly spread across Harris's lips.
"Alright then... Shall we seriously discuss how to set up the stage?"
In the meeting that followed, the festival song was unanimously decided, and stage planning proceeded smoothly with everyone's cooperation.
Only 5 days remained until the festival.