Agnes and Riel's Music Drama (3)
"So this is the count's atelier..."
Cecilia gazed around the space in wonder. It was a vast, luxurious room that felt like three or four ordinary Pantheon classrooms combined.
And it came equipped with all sorts of conveniences no mere cadet could dream of using. Cecilia's eyes widened in shock when she spotted the lounge area and even a private bath inside.
"You could practically live here. The bed's big enough for two... and it's way bigger than our place..."
In truth, the tobacco shop where the Cecilia sisters had lived was unusually cramped. It had been smaller than Cecilia's own workshop, even.
Cecilia's golden eyes seemed to double in size.
"May I take a look around?"
"We still have time before the performance starts, so go ahead."
The premiere theater was right here in Hesos Hall, so they could stroll over without needing a carriage.
At Yulian's response, Cecilia's eyes sparkled. She explored every corner of the atelier.
"What's this?"
She even peered into the far recesses of the workbench and display shelves, pulling out one item to show him. A pitch-black wooden club.
Did I even have something like this?
Yulian hadn't devoted himself to art as intensely as some, so the atelier held plenty of forgotten odds and ends whose purposes escaped him.
Being petite, Cecilia easily spotted things beyond his usual line of sight.
"Let me see... This is... hmm."
He faltered for a moment. The material differed slightly, but it resembled the prototype of the black jade wand he'd gifted Rozette.
In other words, a dildo. He answered calmly.
"I once experimented with a new design for a magic wand suited to witches. That's the prototype."
"Amazing... If Count Yulian made it, it must be something extraordinary."
Rozette had instantly recognized the inspiration behind the black jade wand, but Cecilia seemed more innocent. She clearly had little familiarity with the male anatomy.
A dragon raised for over a century in the Demon King's palace. She'd probably snuck peeks at human books there too.
But even if she'd read descriptions of penises, mistaking this oversized item for one would be natural for a virgin like Cecilia.
Well... it is an extraordinary item.
His tyrant was prodigiously virile, after all—not wrong at all. Rozette had put the black jade wand to good use, too.
"There are plenty of other things here besides that. Want to take a look?"
He deftly redirected Cecilia's curiosity. Right next to where she'd found it lurked a subtly abalone-shaped artwork.
Perverted bastard. Made it as a set with the black jade wand?
That lewd creation from his body's previous owner. He carefully concealed it from Cecilia's view.
As Cecilia browsed the confusion of erotic artworks, her gaze halted at one spot.
"Hm? This one's style is different from the others. Did you paint this one yourself too, Count?"
She stopped before a painting. It was unfamiliar—an easel holding a portrait of a single figure.
Now he recognized it.
Eirin painted this.
During his lectures or training, he'd given Eirin free time. She usually spent it painting in the atelier or visiting Cecilia.
"Young master, that's—!!"
Eirin hurriedly covered the painting, her face flushing with embarrassment. Cecilia tilted her head curiously.
"Miss Eirin? It's so well done—why hide it?"
"N-no, Miss Cecilia. It's not good enough to show anyone..."
But Yulian had already seen it. A portrait of his own face. And now, with his muscular, well-defined body, it was a nude of his upper torso.
There was good reason Eirin had never wanted him to see this painting.
"Count Yulian... you have such a sturdy build...! All that muscle. As expected of a combat division swordsman. My sister Lucia from the same division isn't this ripped..."
"I... see."
"How do you know Count Yulian's bare body so well, Miss Eirin? Did he model for you...?"
"That's... um..."
They tumbled naked together endlessly, so of course she knew it intimately. But Eirin's face grew redder under Cecilia's innocent questioning.
Anyone could see the painting brimmed with ulterior motives—a semi-nude loaded with affection. Eirin desperately changed the subject.
Still, she paints beautifully.
Like Cecilia, Eirin had signed a contract with the Aiterne Merchant Group through Chloe.
If the group valued her exceptional skill highly, his Artist trait would gain proficiency too.
The trait needs to rise steadily to unlock Jedin's divine power.
To boost synergy with his Pantheon Cadet title, he'd registered Eirin as an auditing student in the arts division.
With permission from an arts professor for paintings sold to Aiterne, she'd soon become an official Pantheon cadet like Cecilia.
Meanwhile, Eirin swiftly draped a cloth over his portrait. She then showed a painting prepped for submission to Aiterne.
Eirin's work was so masterful Cecilia's jaw dropped.
"Wow... incredible... I've never seen anything like this."
"It's nothing special."
Blushing at the praise, Eirin hurried off to fetch the tea.
They shared it as time slipped away.
"It's about time. Shall we head to the theater?"
***
The theater held only a small audience. Aside from the actors in the premiere, most were troupe executives.
They approached Yulian one by one, offering polite greetings.
"Count Yulian, it's an honor that you accepted our invitation and came in person."
"May the great bard Riel's grace be upon you! You resemble him so—you're angelic in beauty!"
"Truly... you look exactly like Riel. There've always been baseless rumors slandering Riel and Agnes. But anyone who's even glimpsed Riel would see him in your face. Blood will tell!"
Among them were troupe executives—high priests from the arts division, professors even. Some claimed they'd worked alongside his birth father, Riel, in their youth.
So Yulian's looks do take after Riel.
Agnes, daughter of the far-northern margrave of exalted status. To seduce a battle division nun devoted to martial worship, Riel's appearance must have been extraordinary.
Riel bore the moniker "demon bard," yet his looks rivaled an angel's beauty, they said.
Though inside, he was a demon—a Demon King contracted with multiple archdukes, no less.
The Hesos troupe welcomed Riel's son and one of their key patrons with open arms. No—practically worshipful fervor, bordering on overwhelming.
A few actors were celebrities even in the imperial capital—modern equivalents of idols.
Chloe watched Yulian bask in praise, fuming. The Aiterne Merchant Group was another major sponsor, yet all eyes fixed on him.
Compared to me, she's getting the cold shoulder.
The executives escorted Yulian—and his guests Eirin and Cecilia—to VIP seats, treating them courteously.
Chloe, however, remained sidelined amid the fuss over him. They took her to VIP too, but his group was VVIP while she was merely VIP.
As Chloe hid behind her fan, seated above him, Yulian remarked,
"Chloe. Planning to sit higher than me? Wrong seat, no?"
"N-no! This spot has a better view... sorry!"
He'd crushed her petty bid to salvage her pride.
Chloe slunk forward, crestfallen. Well-trained, at least—she obeyed promptly.
Eirin, beside him, watched with interest. Expressionless, but quietly satisfied.
Cecilia to his left barely stifled laughter at Chloe's humiliation.
Thus surrounded by beauties, any ordinary man would palpitate just sitting there.
But Yulian intently studied the pamphlet—a special gift from the executives, exchanged for his ticket.
Scores.
The front detailed the troupe and a brief on this music drama, Teria's Lovers.
The back held scores for the main songs.
Hmm...
Riel was an unprecedented musical genius in Iseland. Yet his heir, Yulian, had zero talent for it.
He'd tried learning art and music...
Yulian had even tested Riel's famous songs via his Artist trait. But he was more tone-deaf and rhythm-blind than pre-possession.
A pitiful talent, unworthy of a single hair from his father.
This is a problem.
The scores baffled him entirely. Yet the system marked this pamphlet—and its scores—Unique, a tier above the ticket.
An executive had hinted as he handed it over.
"These scores are Riel's signature works. Every one in the pamphlet is his handwritten original—not copies. Priceless at auction. But the troupe decided to gift them to you, Count Yulian, for supporting Teria's Lovers. They belong with you anyway."
Handwritten originals, not transcriptions. Undoubtedly key items.
Riel's final score... there must be clues here. Hmm...
Riel's Final Score. No player had ever obtained it.
But a Demon King Slayer player dissected item logs and posted on the community forums. Rare items lingering in system logs.
The highest acquirable grade: Epic.
Mythic items existed too, log-only—no player claimed one.
Among them, "Riel's Final Score"—Epic grade.
With so few Epics in Demon King Slayer, this legacy would prove vital for survival.
Noticing his blank stare, Eirin spoke up.
"These are... Riel's scores. Hmm~ Hm~."
She hummed a melody lightly. Cecilia, recognizing it, chimed in.
"That song! Maiden of Plauen!"
"Exactly, Miss Cecilia. One of Riel's three great lyric poems."
The two discussed the scores animatedly across him. They knew far more than he did.
Artists and artisans both... wait. I don't have to decipher them myself.
They might uncover hints. Both A+ Fate heroines.
He swapped seats subtly. Side by side, they delved deeper.
Meanwhile, the troupe finished preparations. At last—the music drama of Agnes and Riel. Teria's Lovers.
The premiere began.
***
The production was masterful. Hesos Troupe, Iseland's finest.
Riel's innovative music drama blended opera and musical theater exquisitely.
Its stars: Riel and Agnes. Yulian, knowing their tale from the Demon King Slayer DLC, experienced it anew onstage.
Agnes, northern Essenmont nun. At twenty, she left the margraviate for the central Roia division in the holy capital Teria—not yet the imperial capital.
Pre-Great War, under the previous emperor, the Holy Ramir Empire basked in its zenith.
Kaotic Gates had raged long before, but this era marked their weakest since debut.
Humanity seemed triumphant over monsters—the empire had pushed back the threat.
Merely illusion... the calm before the storm.
Cultural hub Teria outshone even the old capital. There dwelt a rising young bard: Riel.
Angelic visage, angelic voice—a genius bard fawned over by Teria's women.
Yet he fell for a northern country girl visiting his theater.
Vast Essenmont was rural compared to old capital and Teria—fair game for teasing.
Agnes was a duke's daughter, yet dressed plainly, unladylike. The music drama captured this faithfully.
Made by those who worked with Riel—they know Agnes well.
Unlike history's saintly image, country-girl Agnes was a vicious tsundere.
The refined beauty Riel—unlike rough northern men—drew her inwardly, yet she spurned his advances.
But Agnes neared peerless beauty by human standards. To elf-aesthetic Riel, she captivated.
He composed songs for her despite endless rejections. Actors portrayed her heart thawing.
They sang Riel's hits, building their romance crescendo.
Cecilia watched rapt, unblinking. Eirin's stoic face swirled with rare emotion.
The climax neared.
Near holy capital Teria: the imperial capital—now old capital—summoned the fifth Kaotic Gate.
"The Demon King summoned the Kaotic Gate!"
An actor bellowed.
In truth, not Riel/Luciphel's doing. Unknowing, they followed public lore, blaming the Demon King.
Their romance hurtled toward tragedy.
Oracle named Agnes Jedin's next saintess. Margrave's daughter, she readied for crusade against monsters and demon army.
Riel's troupe teetered on closure amid chaos and war.
Fate sundered them. Their final night—highlight—yielded Yulian; watching stirred complex feelings.
They parted. The curtain fell. Sparse audience erupted in thunderous applause.
Cecilia sobbed freely. Eirin fought tears. Composed, she asked,
"Are you all right, young master?"
He was fine—puzzled by her concern. Then he felt it: tears streaming unwittingly from his eyes.
What... why tears...?
One droplet hit the pamphlet in his hand. Riel's handwritten score began to resonate.