#83
Elven Kingdom (3)
“Haa… What the heck is this.”
Shapiron was waiting for Harris with his crew, sighing, in an empty lot near the Academy.
He had asked for a day to prepare for the topic he had confidently mentioned, but as the appointed time approached, there was no sign of him showing up.
‘That guy… I don’t like him.’
Harris, the man her proud father had picked up on the continent of Ion, was not up to her standards in many ways.
I don’t like that languid, drooping face every time I see it…
‘That’s what mercenaries are. They’re a group of people who run errands for a few bucks, but then turn into thieves when they’re not satisfied.’
Her knowledge was based on fragments of information she had heard only from storybooks and rumors, but that didn’t really matter to her now.
‘Besides, you said that you only learned spirit magic for a short time, so your skills probably aren’t that great.’
For Shapiron, who was born into a good family and showed outstanding talent from a young age, the level of his elemental magic could only be considered powerlessness.
In the first place, spirits were inseparable companions in elven society, so it wasn’t exactly a wrong idea.
‘I admit that I survived on that harsh continent of Ion, but even so, I was just a savage who didn’t receive proper education.’
In her mind, any region other than the Elven Kingdom where the World Tree was located was nothing more than a barren wasteland.
Of course, I knew that the powers of other continents were strong.
Because the size of the continents and even the scale of their military power were quite different.
However, she was proud that in terms of culture, the Elven Kingdom was the best in the world.
Music and art, architecture and literature…
‘Of course, in areas like sculpture and architecture, dwarves are a bit, very bit, exceptionally talented… but that’s just a different direction, and it’s not that we’re lacking at all!’
An ideology that is truly steeped in ethnocentrism to the core.
It was only natural, in a way, for her to live in a warm greenhouse, receiving only the consideration and love of those around her, and hearing only nice things to see and hear.
So Shapiron wasn’t particularly interested in the song Harris had prepared.
How great would it be if a song passed down from such a cultural outskirts were so great?
‘But… But why did Father and the World Tree choose such a man…!’
Thinking about him made me feel angry again.
She was the chosen one.
A mother from a prestigious family who has been with the country since its founding, and a father who is a high elf.
I, too, was born with the aptitude of a high elf, and from a young age, I showed off my talent and lived up to the expectations of those around me.
Because of this, she had no doubt that she would become a high elf.
Because he was undoubtedly the center of the world and the leading figure who would lead the new era!
‘Father’s bracelet… Well, that’s okay! It’s a shame that it fell into the hands of such a man, but he said it was a fair price, so there’s nothing I can do.’
It could be compensated at the national level as it is a cost incurred during the mission.
What really made her angry was something else.
‘···I’ve never received that much attention from the World Tree! ···Hehe!’
Unlike Cecily, she was not already qualified to be a high elf, and was given a branch by the World Tree herself, despite having the same aptitude as herself.
‘I’m better than that guy in every way…’
That fueled her jealousy, which was due to her strong self-esteem.
She quietly controlled her anger while constantly fiddling with the ring on her left middle finger.
“Ah! It’s Harris. You’re late! I waited for you!”
At that moment, Timer, who was twisting and turning alone between the low-pressure Shapiron and the timid female assistant Curie, waved his hand in delight.
On the other side, Harris, with his usual languid expression, was approaching with something on his back.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It took some time to prepare in advance. I’m really sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“No, it’s okay! Actually, I didn’t wait that long. I was just a little bored!”
Seeing the two conversing amicably, Shapiron’s judgment became even more distorted.
“We don’t have any more time. We haven’t even decided what kind of stage we’re going to put on yet. Let’s take a look at what you’ve prepared first.”
As she spoke, she summoned an intermediate wind spirit to block out the sounds around the clearing.
This was an act of goodwill.
Still, it was awkward for my teammates to be embarrassed in front of other people.
She really didn’t expect anything from Harris.
Since I had already prepared everything, I couldn’t just pass it over without looking at it, so I just thought of checking it out as a formality and moving on.
‘It’s only meaningful if you match them to a certain level. But if you think they’re good enough, you can at least teach them the harmony and have them perform on stage…’
Shapiron, who is serious about music, started to plan the stage on his own, wondering how he could get by without being noticed by a beginner.
“Wow! What is this? It’s an instrument I’ve never seen before, but it looks a bit like a lute…”
“Oh, this is the guitar I used in my hometown···.”
Harris, who was preparing a demonstration over there, heard Timer talking about something, but she was lost in her own thoughts and paid no attention to it.
“Thank you for waiting. Actually, I brought my instrument, but it’s not enough to fully enjoy this song.”
Only then did Shapiron stop his musings and stare at him with his arms crossed.
In order to decide for sure how to structure the stage, I thought I would first check his level.
“So I prepared a magic tool that recorded the sounds of musical instruments. Of course, this won’t help in communicating with the spirits, but for now, I’m here to demonstrate.”
She looked at Harris with cold eyes, snorting inwardly.
He held a bead-shaped magical tool in one hand and carried the strings of a lute-like instrument on his shoulder.
‘···Huh? What’s that instrument? It’s pretty?’
Her mind was momentarily distracted, as she was quite skilled at playing musical instruments, but she gritted her teeth and maintained a blank expression.
‘I wish I had asked earlier! … It’s probably too late now, right?’
I had no choice but to ask later when I had the chance, and for now, I focused on maintaining my sense of gravity.
“The title is ‘An Adventure to Find Myself.’ It’s a song by a famous bard from my hometown named Biz… It’s a song that my father loved very much.”
Having said that, Harris summoned his spirits, activated the magical tool in his hand, and placed it aside.
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“Okay, let’s begin.”
and···.
-Jiing~♪ Jing~♪
A sharp sound began to leak out from the magic tool.
Shapiron’s brow furrowed momentarily at the sound of the extremely unfamiliar instrument.
I’ve never heard an instrument that made a sound like that.
‘And the way the music unfolds… is unusual?’
~♪
The sound of Harris’s instrument mixed in with the sounds coming from the magic tool.
Every time the string was plucked from his hand, natural power spread out and resonated with the surroundings.
And the waves gradually harmonized with the spirits summoned around him.
In an atmosphere that was gradually becoming more intense…
“To the end of the white sandy beach~♪”
The song began with upbeat music.
The surrounding energy began to stir and sway due to the sensitivity contained in that powerful voice.
Exciting music and a devilish tone to match filled the empty lot where they were.
The eyes of the other group members, who had been tilting their heads at the music they were hearing for the first time, gradually grew wider.
‘Huh? What is this…?’
And it was no different for Shapiron.
It was completely different from the music they had done before.
This is unconventional music that conservative people who adhere to tradition and formality cannot help but feel resistance to.
but···.
~♪
My heartbeat slowly began to quicken in unison with his powerful voice.
The brisk beat made her shoulders move without her knowing, and the violent sound shook her heart as it resonated with the natural forces around her.
‘Wait, something’s strange? Emotions can move to this extent? No way···?’
Like spirits, elves were creatures who were greatly influenced by the forces of nature from birth.
It was not for nothing that they served the World Tree and considered the spirits their companions.
But the wave of energy that started from that man named Harris went beyond the ordinary.
The emotions contained in the song spread through the forces of nature, forcibly assimilating the elves, who could not help but be sensitive to them, into those emotions.
‘Ah… This is, how can nature’s power be this powerful just by singing…?’
Unlike his usual appearance, where he always seemed listless, Harris now seemed to be radiating life from his entire body along with the music.
And the suction power contained in that song shook the surroundings without mercy.
My emotions were running wild, and it felt like some unknown force was sucking me into the music…
And… I was just so excited.
~♪
Lightning and fire spirits that flash and emit brilliant light, and wind spirits that swirl and make sounds around them.
Likewise, the spirits who were overcome with emotion were in sympathy with Harris, who was smiling pleasantly at the center of the stage, and were spreading their presence around them.
“Oh! Wow!”
“······!!”
Before she knew it, the other two audience members, excluding her, were so intoxicated by the emotion that they were waving their hands at him and cheering excitedly.
‘···I acknowledge their skills, but the song itself is better than our Elven Kingdom’s···!’
When she tried hard to remain calm.
Her spirit, which had been blocking out the surrounding sounds, began to stir little by little in sympathy with the energy contained in the song.
It wasn’t enough to disturb the soundproofing, but a being that was as good as a mid-level spirit was responding to the song of someone other than the summoner.
She frowned slightly.
~♪
But without her even realizing it, her ears were constantly perking to the beat.
‘···Now that I hear it, it’s not that bad. After all, the direction is different! In the first place, it’s stupid to judge which is better in art.’
I had been unconsciously having thoughts of denying my former self, but now it was just a minor problem.
***
‘Wow, the elf voice is really deceptive.’
Harris finished the last verse with a deep sigh of admiration.
I guess I understand why they took pride in their singing.
Not only his timbre, but even his vocal cord structure seems to be different from that of a human, allowing him to freely move between vocal ranges, and his affinity that flows through his voice harmonizes with the natural forces around him, further amplifying the effect.
‘Actually, I think it’s thanks to the “Child of the World Tree.”
The already strong affinity for nature was further amplified through the medium of song.
Of course, the original goal of communicating with the spirits was also very successful.
I could already feel the response coming through the connection, the feeling of it wriggling as if it would grow at any moment.
‘Still, I never expected it to be this bad.’
I had sung it a few times for practice before coming here, but this was the first time I tried it for real.
Because of the time difference with Earth, there wasn’t enough time to record the song on the Madougu, get a new guitar, and just work on the lyrics.
“Wow! Harris is amazing! I’ve never been this immersed in a song before! The song is new to me, but it’s exciting and great!”
After the song ended, Timer and Curie approached him and kept exclaiming in admiration with sparkling eyes.
‘I didn’t expect the reaction to be this good.’
There was a lot of thought put into the process of selecting the songs.
Since the elves’ songs have a lot of sweet and lyrical aspects, I thought it would be difficult to satisfy them with similar genres.
‘That’s why I deliberately chose exciting songs that you haven’t seen before in Elven Kingdom.’
Although he was moved by Shapiro’s attitude and performed the song, he did not think he would be able to perform it on stage.
After all, wouldn’t it be more efficient for one to tune to the other three than for three to tune to a song they’re hearing for the first time?
I just wanted to shock people with a different song and show that I’m good at this.
“Let’s do this, this! If Harris sings this song on a properly prepared stage, he’ll get a ton of attention!”
Nod nod!
“I can mimic the sounds of instruments using the wind spirit and the power of nature! I think I can make the sound of the drums there!”
Timer is making a fuss, and Curie is silently nodding next to him.
As I was swept away by Harris’ emotions, the song seemed to become firmly lodged in my head.
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
‘Karma is given according to the impact one has had on the world.’
So what is the impact?
‘Anything.’
Whether positive or negative, violent or moderate.
Whether it be through force, political power, or wielding money…
Or whatever it was, ‘culture’, whatever it was.
‘Dance and song are part of the elven life. What if we could influence that? And not stop there, but spread the culture throughout the world through them?’
As you can see from looking at them now, the ability to synchronize with the power of nature through the “Child of the World Tree” was a talent that was definitely popular with the elves.
If used on the right stage, it could even be possible to force a trend.
Become the protagonist and lead the transformation of the world with art, not a sword.
If done properly, it would be the most efficient source of karma.
‘This… is good?’
These were the beginning.
Timer keeps nagging in front of him and Curie agrees with him.
Even the Shapiron, who was approaching from a distance, was timid.
A deep smile slowly formed on Harris’ lips.
“Well then… shall we start talking in earnest about how we should decorate the stage?”
In the meeting that followed, the songs to be performed at the festival were unanimously decided, and the stage layout also proceeded very smoothly with everyone’s cooperation.
There were now only five days left until the festival.
