[V9C22] Resounding Song of Joy

The prelude was set by the solemn notes of a piano, accompanied by the gentle melody of a violin.

Meanwhile, Rosey’s face contorted with a mix of emotions, as if she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

(…You’re actually pretty good for a so-called amateur.)

Elliott glanced at Rosey while playing the violin. The sight of his nasty smirk drove Rosey to stick her tongue out, before taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with air.

It’s not often that you get to sing alongside such a splendid accompaniment. She might never get the chance again.

(In that case, I might as well sing with everything I have. It’d be a waste not to try.)

And so, the Songstress began her song. A hymn for celebrating spring, and offering gratitude to the wind.

Ride the wind, and reach every corner of town——such was her wish.

＊　＊　＊

The town was assaulted by roaring winds and heavy downpour. And yet, two figures could be seen outside in the storm.

The white dragon Thule and the ice spirit Pikeh, both in human form and clad in ethnic attire. They danced joyously through the otherwise deserted town.

“I heard Monica’s voice.”

“I did too.”

“What’s going to happen next? I’m so excited.”

“Thule, look.”

Pikeh pointed to the sky.

There was something colorful flying against the backdrop of the gray clouds. Flower petals.

Sparkling winds were carrying the flowers of spring into town, in complete disregard of the ongoing storm.

The two reached out to the fluttering petals as they listened to the lovely singing accompanied by a piano and violin.

“Wow. Look Pikeh, it’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad we left the mountain. Being around Cyril is always so fun.”

“Yeah.”

Despite getting drenched in the rain, the dragon and spirit frolicked around, gathering the scattered petals. Then, they tossed the petals onto each other’s heads with glee.

＊　＊　＊

In the main hall of the lord’s mansion, all of the guests were looking out the windows in marvel.

“Is this the magic of the Silent Witch?”

“I’ve heard of sound manipulation magic before, but to think it could be done on such a grand scale!”

“Look, flower petals are falling from the sky. How stunning…”

“I should try requesting her for a magical dedication in my territory’s festivals.”

Cyril, too, was captivated by the miraculous scene outside the window.

The pounding rains of the storm were nothing compared to the sparkling winds from the Spirit King, carrying flowers throughout town.

Monica was controlling these winds, slicing through the storm itself as she sent them down each street.

And she must be orchestrating this for the entire town. Cyril couldn’t even fathom how much calculation would be required for this feat.

In addition, the performance of piano and violin could be heard, followed by the singing of the Songstress. She had a powerful voice that refused to yield to the wind and rain.

Was Monica relaying this music throughout the entire town as well? If so, it must have required an unimaginable amount of skill.

Carrying flowers with the wind and the magic for relaying sound were highly advanced techniques that involved delicate mana manipulation.

That said, more than the miraculous magecraft, what astonished Cyril most was…

“These flowers are a gift from Lord Elliott. May his blessings be carried on the winds, and the town be dyed in the colors of spring. Please enjoy.”

A dignified voice echoed amidst the musical interlude——Monica’s voice.

Her solemn tone conveyed a strength of character befitting one of the Seven Sages.

(…She must have grown so much to reach this point.)

Cyril still remembered Monica as the timid girl from their days at Serendia Academy.

She had never been particularly eloquent, but back then, she couldn’t even manage a proper self-introduction.

Yet look at her now. The current Monica was performing a magical dedication in front of an entire town, with the proper conduct expected of a Sage.

Cyril wanted to boast, “See that? That’s my junior!” A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth as he continued watching the scene from the window.

＊　＊　＊

Monica was currently maintaining two highly advanced spells: the magical wind of the Spirit King for carrying flowers, and the spell for relaying the sounds inside the barrier to the rest of town.

Meanwhile, she was also internally coaching herself.

(I am Bridget-sama, I am Bridget-sama, I am Bridget-sama… Ugh, my stomach… But Bridget-sama wouldn’t clutch her stomach. I need to be more composed… I am Bridget-sama, Bridget-sama…)

To tell the truth, she was actually quite overwhelmed.

Bridget Greyham was the young lady who served as secretary in the Serendia Academy Student Council, as well as one of the most noble and beautiful women that Monica knew. Thus, whenever Monica needed to conduct herself as a proper Sage, she always thought back to Bridget.

Especially now, when she couldn’t afford to fumble her lines.

“These flowers are a gift from Lord Elliott. May his blessings be carried on the winds, and the town be dyed in the colors of spring. Please enjoy.”

She said it! And without biting her tongue! Monica was silently applauding herself for this.

This almost appeared on her face, but Monica took another deep breath and tightened her expression.

She was here as a member of the Seven Sages, called upon by Lord Elliott Howard for a magical dedication.

If the esteemed Sage came off as a clumsy young girl who stumbled over her words, she would be disappointing all the townspeople and the priests, which would cause trouble for Elliott.

So far, the performance was going well.

Monica was currently maintaining two spells: the Spirit King Summoning and the barrier surrounding the plaza.

These were originally two different spells, but the magical circles she had inscribed throughout town allowed her to link them together.

(The winds have passed through points 2, 7, and 13… Ten seconds later, they should pass through points 6 and 19. Still synchronized. Continue with this timing.)

Summoning the Spirit King of Wind calls forth a powerful wind infused with an immense amount of mana. However, the caster has the ability to transform this wind into whichever form they see fit.

For example, Monica could compress it into spears or arrows for shooting down foes, or instead create a tornado.

To perform this magical dedication, she had divided the wind into several parts to have them transport flower petals evenly. And in order to reach every corner of town, she needed to have a perfect mental map of the entire town’s topography.

The magical circles also assisted with this. By using them as landmarks, she could have the wind move to certain locations in a fixed order. That said, they also served as relay points.

(Barrier and sound magic, no issues. Continue as is.)

The small-scale barrier enveloping Monica and the others were connected to the magical circles inscribed throughout the town. This was how Monica transmitted the sounds from the barrier to the town.

Ever since seeing Ryn deliver her voice from distant locations, as well as Raul’s magic from hearing distant sounds through flowers, Monica had been considering how she might employ these techniques.

That said, magic for collecting and amplifying sounds was extremely complex and consumed a ton of mana. It was only possible on a large scale because of Monica’s complete understanding of the theory, combined with the extraordinary computational power of her brain.

And in addition to Spirit King Summoning and the sound relay magic, Monica had also summoned Bridget Greyham into her head to speak on her behalf. Under such mental strain, not even Monica could keep this going forever.

“——Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪.”

Right as the first song came to an end, a woman stepped forward and began to hum. It was the beautiful wind spirit dressed in a maid’s uniform, Rynzbelfied.

“How very delightful and enjoyable,” she said, though her face seemed to lack much emotion.

Ryn began to dance, spinning in place with the skirt of her maid outfit fluttering in the air.

She became enveloped in a bright green light, and once it disappeared, there was a young man in ancient priest robes standing where she had been.

Elliott paused his violin performance and stared wide-eyed at Ryn’s new form.

“You’re…”

“I am simply following your teaching of ‘wearing appropriate attire for the occasion’, Elliott-bocchama.”

Ryn kicked off the ground and flew into the air. She, or rather, he passed through Monica’s barrier, soaring higher and higher into the sky.

＊　＊　＊

Ryn reached the clouds and began a lively song. And unlike human songs, the singing of spirits held the same meaning as the incantations of mages.

The spirit’s song called forth a sparkling green wind, pushing back the storm.

“Rynzbelfied-niisama!”

Rubelmeria flew towards Ryn with an expressionless face, constantly furrowing his brows and then relaxing them.

Ryn knew that this was how Rubelmeria behaved when in high spirits, so he continued to sing. Meanwhile, Rubelmeria caught up and sang alongside his brother.

In the language of spirits, they sang a song calling forth the shining wind, expressing the overflowing joy in their hearts.

——We are spirits birthed from the storms of spring ♪.

——Listen to our song of joy ♪.

——Blessings for all, blessings for all ♪.

——Let our song of joy be heard ♪.

——May the good tidings of our King reach the children of man ♪.

The wind spun by the siblings dispersed the gray clouds, bringing forth the sun and blue sky.

Ryn suddenly recalled that human laws prohibited any magecraft that significantly altered the weather. Either way, they were spirits, and this wasn’t human magecraft, so it didn’t particularly matter to them.

The townspeople taking shelter in their homes could be seen opening their doors and windows, gazing up at the sky in surprise.

Then, someone took up an instrument. One by one, the residents of Rainfield picked up their instruments and began playing along with the singing of the Songstress.

Others began to sing and dance to the music.

The performance of the young Songstress, the cheerful notes of the piano, the slightly high-tempo violin… the song of the spirits overlapped with the music from the entire town.

(How lovely it is.)

Ryn unintentionally hummed in the language of humans.

“Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪. That’s what it is.”

＊　＊　＊

The Hymn Dedication came to end as Benjamin played the final notes on his piano.

While listening to the lingering echo, Elliott looked up at the sky.

The rain had already stopped, and the blue sky was visible through the scattered gray clouds. A large rainbow arched across the cloud cover in the distance.

The summoning gate of the Spirit King closed without a sound, dissolving into the sky.

(What incredible magic…)

Who was responsible for the miraculous scene of dancing flower petals and relaying music to the entire town? The same petite girl who he had always referred to as Little Squirrel.

Monica stood there with a staff in hand, wearing a dignified expression. It was similar to the emotionless demeanor she displayed when facing a chessboard, and the makeup only added to it.

(So this is the pinnacle of magic… The power of the Seven Sages…)

Then, a figure silently descended from the sky in front of Monica.

He was a handsome young man dressed in priestly attire, with a face closely resembling the maid who Elliott jokingly called Nanny. The priestly man turned to Elliott and placed a hand on his chest.

“I must confess that I have been hiding something from you, Elliott-bocchama.”

Elliott put on a wry smile. It was already obvious that the man’s true identity was a spirit.

“Your beloved Nanny was also a Gramps,” Ryn continued.

“…”

“Please address me in whichever manner you see fit.”

Elliott let out an exhausted sigh. That was clearly not the issue.

Meanwhile, Monica reverted to her usual ‘Little Squirrel’ face and awkwardly interjected.

“Um, well, y-you see, Ryn-san was hiding her identity… for important reasons…”

“Yes, I was originally supposed to conceal my identity… But it seems I got a bit carried away with how fun the festival was. The excitement led me to lose my composure.”

This headache-inducing statement erased any doubt about this man being the same ‘Nanny’ as before.

Elliott facepalmed with a sigh, as Benjamin arched back with a hearty laugh.

“Hahahaha! To think I would get the chance to perform with the same Envoy of Wind from ten years ago! What incredible luck! What honor! This splendid moment will remain in my memory for as long as I hold breath! My eternal gratitude to the esteemed Spirit King and his Envoy!”

Benjamin began running his fingers across the piano again. He seems to have made a complete recovery from his slump.

The spirit nodded in approval at the cheerful Benjamin’s performance.

“Your music was so splendid that I could not contain my excitement. You have my praise, Benjamin Mordin-sama.”

Elliott involuntarily shouted “sama!?” at the sight of Ryn applying the honorific to Benjamin.

Meanwhile, Ryn paid no maid to the resentful gaze of Elliott-bocchama, next turning to the Songstress.

“Songstress-dono, your singing voice was truly lovely.”

“Oh, um… T-Thank you, I’m honored.”

To her and the priests, Ryn was very important, being the Envoy of the Spirit King they worshiped. The praise caused Rosey to blush bright red, fidgeting with excitement.

Either way, what was with this disparity in treatment? Mordin-sama, followed by Songstress-dono, and then Elliott-bocchama?

“Elliott-bocchama.”

“…What is it now, Nanny?”

“I’m looking forward to the festival in ten years.”

The spirit’s words caused Rosey’s face to light up in anticipation. In contrast, Elliott crossed his arms and replied in a displeased tone.

“Three years.”

The Songstress and priests stared at Elliott in surprise. After enjoying their reaction, Elliott narrowed his droopy eyes and smirked.

“The next festival will be in three years. You better not run, Songstress.”

So what if the temple embezzled funds during the last festival? Elliott had learned several techniques for monitoring and cracking down on fraud during his time at Serendia Academy.

Three years from now, Elliott will probably still be gritting his teeth over his inadequacies.

But this was duty. No matter how much shame or frustration he has to suffer, giving it his all was his duty as the lord of Rainfield.

Ryn nodded at Elliott’s confident grin, replying in a monotone voice that somehow seemed tinged with emotion.

“Elliott-bocchama, your droopy eyes are more radiant than usual today.”

“Why bring that up now?”

Elliott silently made another pledge in his heart. Three years from now, this maid will be calling him ‘Elliott-sama’.

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