Episode 743
Episode 743
"Ah. Senior."
Lee Han was surprised to see a familiar face as he entered the tower.
Illeg of the Chaegla family, the bear-kin priest student with glasses, was waiting for him with a gentle expression.
Of course, Lee Han wasn't fooled by the man's mild and kind demeanor.
The superhuman strength this priest senior had displayed during their last Library Club meeting was still vividly etched in his memory.
"Wardanaz. Good to see you. How's school treating you? Not overworking yourself, I hope?"
"I think I'm managing fine. As for overwork... hmm..."
Lee Han hesitated.
In all honesty, it felt a bit disingenuous to claim he wasn't overworking himself.
"By the way, are you interested in Music Magic too, Senior?"
"Yes. I'm particularly interested in certain characteristics of Music Magic."
"But Music Magic probably isn't very efficient, like other forms of Primitive Magic."
"Ah, but it has irreplaceable advantages."
Illeg's eyes sparkled as he spoke. True to his status as a fifth-year student, Illeg didn't easily lose interest even in things that didn't show immediate efficiency or results.
This Library Club member was fascinated by the spatial control aspects inherent in Music Magic.
The idea of casting magic over an entire area without using verbal incantations, Unique Worlds, or various grand magics was quite appealing.
"Of course, with most scores being lost to time, it's limited in scope, and without efficiency studies, the effects are probably weak... That's precisely why I prepared this tower. The Tower of Echoes will amplify the magic."
Illeg pointed at the structure with his massive, muscle-flexing arm.
While researching Music Magic this semester, Illeg planned to restore several lost musical scores and use them to cast Music Magic in certain locations within Einrogard.
His ultimate goal: recreating semi-permanent Music Magic effects!
'Oh.'
Lee Han found himself intrigued by his muscular senior's words.
Indeed, having a fifth-year senior systematically organize things and set clear goals made certain aspects appear more tangible.
While Music Magic still seemed too restrictive and limited, if they could restore scores and enhance efficiency as Illeg suggested, they might truly be able to imbue desired locations with specific effects.
'Hmm. If possible... First, a stamina recovery effect in my personal lounge. A concentration boost in the second-year common lounge. No, that wouldn't be enough. I'd also need a curse music that causes pain to anyone who misbehaves. An intelligence boost for the base. Growth acceleration for the cabin...'
"Wardanaz. I heard you know how to perform one Music Magic spell. Would you be willing to demonstrate?"
Even if Lee Han hadn't known any Music Magic, with a senior of Illeg's stature making the request, he would have learned one on the spot.
Fortunately, Lee Han did know one Music Magic spell.
"I do know one, but the song is a bit... unusual. Its effects amplify Dark Element and..."
"Wardanaz! That alone is impressive enough."
Illeg nodded in agreement, not out of kindness but as if other students interested in Music Magic would concur.
Given that Music Magic currently needed to be rebuilt from the ground up, simply knowing how to properly cast one complete spell—like Lee Han did—was already a tremendous help to students.
The bard Ifadur seemed to share this sentiment as he encouraged Lee Han.
"Student Wardanaz. In the Empire, there's no such thing as a strange song. Whether it's a concerto, satire, symphony, or rhapsody—all music is beautiful in its own right."
Receiving encouragement from both seniors and the bard, Lee Han realized he'd been thinking about it wrong.
'Right. That's true.'
The Music Magic Lee Han had practiced during winter break might sound a bit unusual, but it was still perfectly good magic.
The effect of amplifying Dark Element to alter the nature of an area could prove useful in countless situations...
"Though it's mainly limited to Black Magic, still."
"Then I'll give it a try."
To repay their warm encouragement, Lee Han took out his violin and began playing a hymn of praise.
"Praise the sacrifice of the freshman, O mages..."
"?"
"??"
"What have your seniors witnessed? They saw the demons of hell and those demons walking abou—"
"???"
"????"
The lyrics were so unexpectedly peculiar that the students couldn't focus on the changes occurring around them.
Despite having brightly lit the surroundings, the area grew darker as the concentration of Dark Element steadily thickened.
Yet the students continued whispering among themselves about the lyrics.
"What kind of lyrics are these? It sounds like music from the Three Kingdoms era..."
"Was Einrogard even around back then?"
"The buildings probably were. Wait—more importantly, are those lyrics based on actual experiences?"
"Surely not... That can't be. Unless he's the unluckiest bastard in the Empire..."
Finishing his performance, Lee Han observed how the Dark Element in the room had amplified and lingered far longer than expected, marveling aloud.
"Truly, the Tower's effect is remarkable! I had no idea the amplification would last this long."
"......"
"......"
"Seniors?"
Finally snapping out of it, Illeg was the first to recover, clapping thunderously before subtly signaling the others.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
"That was a moving song!"
"Music Magic's effectiveness is clearly proven now!"
"Wardanaz, having a junior like you truly brings us joy!"
Burying their questions about the lyrics deep down, the seniors swiftly shifted to praising their junior.
Lee Han bowed his head, swelling with pride.
"Thank you. I didn't expect such praise."
"Then shall we all practice together?"
Illeg addressed the group.
The best way to learn magic was, after all, to cast it firsthand.
And luckily, their junior had already prepared a full score—making practice all the more convenient.
"Hey, junior."
"Yes?"
"About these lyrics..."
"Is the song still strange?"
"No! Not at all! Absolutely not! I was just curious about the meaning! What does 'they saw the demons of hell and those demons walking about' refer to?"
"Oh, that's something I experienced last year..."
"......"
"O mages..."
"Huh. They're singing."
"Does Music Magic have practical use?"
"I'm not sure. But if Senior Illeg is researching it, there must be some potential, right?"
Having finished their work, the Stonemason Club students heading back paused involuntarily upon hearing the music drifting from the Tower of Echoes, ears perking up.
Now that they thought about it, such refined luxury was a rare indulgence in Einrogard.
Outside, one could listen to magically recorded music—but who would dare do such a thing here?
"Nice..."
"I'd love to request the 'Lich Subjugation Overture' later if possible. I really like that piece."
"A fine opera. The moral about liches being vanquished is excellent too."
"—What have your seniors witnessed? They saw the demons of hell and those demons walking abou—"
"?"
"???"
The Stonemason Club students, initially entranced by the melody, belatedly processed the lyrics and looked up.
Through the Tower of Echoes' windows, darkness pulsed ominously.
"...Should we leave?"
"Let's."
On second thought, no matter how good the music was, lingering near a magic research workshop probably wasn't wise.
"Who knew we'd see results so quickly?"
The students gathered for Music Magic were flushed with excitement.
At first, the unfamiliar lyrics had felt awkward, but with practice, the strangeness faded. If anything, they were lyrics any Einrogard student could relate to.
"Thank you, Wardanaz. We should practice this periodically!"
"We should let the other students hear it too. The effect might be weak, but the melody alone is impressive enough."
"I'm glad you feel that way."
As all the seniors expressed their fondness for the piece, Lee Han felt joy bubbling up from the depths of his heart.
Perhaps this was what artists felt.
'They did think the lyrics were a bit odd, but it seems fine after all.'
"Alright, everyone. Could you gather around?"
Illeg, who had prepared hot cocoa from a kettle for the students gathered for Music Magic even on a weekend, gestured toward the bookshelves.
The shelves were densely packed with books and sheet music so aged their publication years were indiscernible.
"These are Music Magic scores I've collected from the library. Not many are complete—some will need restoration—but there are a few in decent condition you can start learning right away. Here, Master Ifadur will assist you in playing and singing these scores."
At the senior's words, the students' eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation.
Since they were all interested in Music Magic and had gathered to learn and utilize it, they couldn't help but be intrigued by the accumulated scores.
"Master Ifadur."
"Mmm."
The elderly turtle-kin minstrel nodded and stood up. He then began pulling out the well-preserved scores one by one and reading them.
"The Rain-Summoning Lizard—this seems to be a piece for pan flute. It likely has water-element effects... The performance difficulty is around intermediate level."
In Music Magic, performance was as crucial as magical gestures, so naturally, spells with higher performance difficulty were more challenging overall.
The students listened carefully while cautiously assessing which instruments they could handle well and the difficulty levels.
"Next is Iactus's Expedition. This is a drum piece—it probably wouldn't suit anything other than percussion. It might have combat effects..."
"I'd like to try learning this one!"
One of the seniors raised their hand and shouted.
At that, Illeg shook his head.
"We'll be selecting pieces differently."
"Huh? How?"
As if he'd been waiting for the question, Illeg pulled out folded paper slips shaped like swallows.
The students looked bewildered.
"Are we drawing lots for this?"
"Yep. Otherwise, everyone would just flock to the popular pieces. Don't we need to practice as diversely as possible to leave records?"
Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
Of course, from a research standpoint, it was advantageous to cover as broad a range as possible to gather information.
It was important to collect data—which scores were good, which were mediocre, which had special effects, and so on.
But the students gathered to learn Music Magic each had their own limited instruments and preferred songs.
Wouldn't unfamiliar music types take much longer to practice?
"Won't mismatched pieces take too much time to practice?"
"Exactly. Senior Illeg, really."
At Lee Han's question, another senior nearby nodded in agreement. Since everyone seemed to share the sentiment, comments poured out one after another.
"This just raises the already high difficulty."
"It's barely manageable even within the tower's limits."
After some back-and-forth, the seniors, seemingly having reached a consensus, called out to Illeg in unison.
"Senior!"
"What is it?"
Lee Han tensed slightly, even though he hadn't been the one to call out.
How would Senior Illeg react to the juniors' defiance?
"Please proceed quickly! We want to see the scores we'll be playing!"
"Alright! Just wait a moment."
Illeg laughed and began shuffling the paper slips.
When Lee Han stared at them in disbelief, unable to comprehend the sudden shift, the seniors calmly explained.
"We can't exactly defy Senior Illeg's word."
"Right. As long as we grumbled a bit among ourselves, that's enough."
"......"
Lee Han was left speechless, utterly impressed by the seniors' masterful social maneuvering.