“I heard the technicians from the Ras Mos Merchant Group have safely crossed the border.”
“That is a relief.”
“You went through a lot of trouble.”
Persian hung his coat on a rack and sat in his chair.
“However, I’m told there are over thirty technicians who wish to migrate to Delos. The leader of the Ras Mos Merchant Group mentioned that all the technicians who were helped when escaping the Imperial Capital chose to follow him. Since the group is larger than expected, it might take a bit more time for them to reach the capital.”
“Wouldn’t it be for the best if Delos had many talented magi-engineers?”
“Indeed. I spoke with Commander Teris through the communication device yesterday, and he said it would probably take about fifteen days. Oh, and Teris mentioned that the merchant leader has a rather prickly personality.”
“Hahaha, many genius scientists are eccentric, after all.”
“I have no idea how you managed to persuade a man like that.”
“Hahaha. It was only possible because our offer of treatment was so good.”
“The treatment was good, but…”
Dien did not explain the events in the Imperial Capital in detail. At his vague response, Persian’s eyes began to narrow.
“By the way, don’t you think your report was a bit lacking in detail?”
“Hehehe, what do you mean, Chancellor?”
“Rumor has it that you single-handedly held off numerous swordsmen to secure an escape route.”
“Chancellor! How could I possibly report something like that to you?”
“Hmm? What do you mean, Dien?”
Persian straightened his posture at the confusing remark.
“How could I brag to you about slaughtering Imperial swordsmen with my superior swordsmanship? You are a High Knight! I didn’t say anything because I was afraid you would think I was being ridiculous. If you were ignorant of the sword, I would have told you and puffed it up quite a bit…”
“Khahat! You’ve certainly grown bold since your return! It seems your swordsmanship has improved quite a bit, though. I’ll have to personally test you soon. Regardless, you did a great job.”
“Hahaha, it was nothing.”
The sound of their laughter began to fill the office, just as it always did.
“His Majesty has entrusted you with the matters regarding the residence and treatment of the Ras Mos technicians. So, keep a close eye on them from now on.”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Captain? Hahaha.”
Dien stood tall and performed a formal salute, cupping his hand over his fist. Persian joined in the joke and returned the salute.
After a brief conversation, Persian, who had been smiling at Dien, left the room for his official business. Dien also began to move, planning to distribute snacks to the staff as usual.
And so, Dien’s daily life began once more.
***
Today, the five elders of Enopoy gathered around the round table once again.
Their physiques were so robust it was hard to guess their ages, and their gazes remained sharp.
“Dien Portran has rejected our offer.”
One of the elders sitting at the table raised the topic in a low voice. At his words, the other elders clicked their tongues.
“Hmph… What a foolish child.”
“He is inviting disaster upon himself.”
Their voices were uniformly eerie. Was this how the voices of those who defied time sounded? If one were to listen to their conversation with their ears alone, they might mistake it for the voice of a single person.
“He was a child with intelligent eyes. He possessed a boldness that didn’t match his age.”
“He is dangerous.”
“Even so, isn’t he merely an academy student?”
Their eyes shifted toward the elder who spoke accurately even in the windowless room where not a single ray of light entered.
“He is no ordinary fellow. The young thing wasn’t afraid of me at all, even after looking me in the eye. We must cut such sprouts early.”
The elder who had met Dien personally raised his voice. He felt strongly that Dien would become a great calamity for Enopoy.
“We will consider how to handle Dien Portran in due time. There is something more urgent to deal with first.”
“The bridge!”
When the matter of Dien was postponed, some showed discomfort while others nodded.
“The Kurl River Bridge?”
“Correct. The Kurl River Bridge is scheduled to be completed soon.”
“If Delos starts trading with Dinaf, the food shortage will be resolved, won’t it?”
“Then the sacrifices…”
“As food prices drop, the number of criminals coming to the Stone Mountain will decrease. They will no longer commit crimes out of hunger.”
“That cannot happen.”
“Lord Beelzebub will surely be furious.”
They spoke of Beelzebub, one of the Ten Great Demons, with high honor. If anyone had heard their conversation, they would have been too shocked to speak. The names of demons were being mentioned by the mouths of the most powerful people in Delos.
“How about destroying the bridge and spreading rumors throughout the kingdom? Tell them that grain trade with Dinaf will ruin the farmers of Delos.”
“We should also contact the church on the Dinaf side to prevent the trade.”
“If we spread rumors that Delos is a kingdom without substance that can’t even build a single bridge, Dinaf won’t be active in trading either.”
Their conversation felt more like individual monologues rather than a dialogue. Soon, a red aura began to swirl in their eyes, and at the same time, steam began to rise from the deepest basement of the hall.
“Destroy the bridge.”
One of the elders looked down at the stairs leading to the basement.
*Ssssh*
As soon as the elder spoke, a black figure rose from the basement. The entity began to descend as if falling toward the bottom of the Stone Mountain.
***
“Oh, Nue! You’re getting the hang of those high chords now.”
“I’ve practiced so hard!”
“Hmm, well done! You should be able to handle most songs now.”
Liveliness had returned to the House of Portran since Dien’s return. After a long time, Dien was checking on Nue’s guitar playing.
“Young Lord! I think I might start street performances too! The disciple of the Central Plaza street musician has appeared and started performing! How about it? Don’t you think the capital will be abuzz?”
“Ooh. Nue! You’re still a bit lacking in skill to follow in my footsteps.”
“Hmph, when will I be able to play the guitar as well as you, Young Lord?”
“Hmm… It might take three years to become like me. But you could do street performances before then. Nue, when your skills improve more, let’s go to the Central Plaza and perform together.”
“Really? You’ll perform with me?”
Nue’s mouth hung open in surprise at Dien’s words.
“Of course! But there’s a condition!”
“What is it?”
“Even if you become successful through street performances, you can’t leave the House of Portran!”
“Young Lord! I’m already part of the family! Even if you tell me to leave, I’ll stick right by your side!”
“Hahaha, alright.”
Dien patted her head, finding her reaction adorable. The maids of the House of Portran also felt their moods lift at the sound of Dien’s laughter echoing through the mansion.
Just then.
“Young Lord Dien, you’ve finally returned!”
The front door of the House of Portran swung open, and a voice desperately calling for Dien rang out.
The maids who hurried to greet the guest returned to their places with calm faces as soon as they realized who it was.
It was because the person who visited the House of Portran several times a week, searching for Dien, was the Court Musician, Pablo Gentler.
“The Young Lord is in his room…”
*Tap, tap, tap!*
As if he had been waiting for those words, Pablo ran toward Dien’s room before the maid could even finish her sentence.
***
“Young Lord!”
Pablo shouted as he naturally opened the door to Dien’s room. One could tell just by looking at his face how glad he was to see him.
“Court Musician, have you been well?”
Before Dien could even stand up to greet him, Pablo rushed to stand in front of him.
“Going on a field trip all of a sudden! I was so surprised!”
“Hahaha, I apologize. Everything was so hectic that I left without even telling the Baron.”
“I was truly waiting with bated breath.”
A pleasant smile played on Dien’s lips at Pablo’s words.
“Since you, the source of my inspiration, weren’t in the capital, I couldn’t write a single song.”
“You flatter me! Oh, the new song presentation is coming up soon, right?”
Pablo had to hold a new song presentation every two months. Dien knew well the stress he faced, and since learning Dien’s true identity, Pablo sought him out whenever he lacked inspiration.
He claimed that listening to Dien play the guitar strangely brought brilliant musical ideas to mind.
“I have a song I’ve composed… but it feels like something is missing. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“It’s a song about the lonely feeling of having to leave a loved one behind, but I can’t seem to capture the deep atmosphere.”
Pablo clutched his head. He suffered from an obsession with producing a brilliant piece every single time.
“Nue, could you give me the guitar?”
Dien took the guitar from Nue after hearing Pablo’s words. He fell into thought for a moment.
‘Which song would be good…’
He searched for a song among the many love songs he knew that had a similar emotional line to Pablo’s new piece—a song that might help his new composition.
After much deliberation, Dien began to pluck the strings.
“I hope this helps.”
With those words, the intro of Dien’s song echoed through the room.
“Yesterday, all day long…”
Dien’s voice layered over the guitar accompaniment. Pablo and Nue closed their eyes at the beautiful voice that filled the room.
It was as if the lyrics Dien spat out were being painted in Pablo’s mind. He let out a gasp of admiration at Dien’s incredible emotional delivery.
“Wow.”
“Young Lord!”
When Dien’s song ended, Pablo was unable to speak, overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotion.
“Young Lord! This song is amazing!”
“I knew you would like it, Nue.”
Nue stood up, clapping her hands. She had an ecstatic expression on her face. Dien gave her a bright smile and then began to check the reaction of the dazed Pablo.
“Court Musician?”
“Ah! Young Lord!”
Pablo, barely managing to pull his drifting consciousness back, hurriedly grabbed Dien’s hands.
“Young Lord! How can you create such songs every single time?”
“Hahaha, as I’ve told you before, I didn’t create this song.”
“An existing song? There’s no way I wouldn’t know such a masterpiece!”
Although it had been a long time since he had sung it, he fortunately seemed to have captured the song’s sentiment perfectly.
“I hope it helps with the presentation of your new song, Pablo.”
“Of course. I am overflowing with emotion thanks to your song. If I refine my new piece with this feeling, it will surely result in a magnificent melody.”
“That’s a relief.”
Afterward, Pablo began to create the sheet music for the song Dien had sung. He wanted to let the orchestra members hear Dien’s song as well.
“Oh, right! Young Lord! His Majesty also wishes to hear you sing. I’ve praised you so much in front of him!”
“Wh-what?! Why… would you do that?”
Dien’s reaction was contrary to expectations. Since being recognized by the King was every musician’s dream, Pablo found Dien’s reaction strange.
“When I told him you were also talented in music, he was very surprised.”
“Was he?”
“Indeed! He even said he would have to hear you sing for himself!”
“Hahaha.”
Pablo was excited on his own. Dien felt burdened just by the thought of singing in front of Lonas.
“Since it’s come to this, how about you showcase your skills to His Majesty first during this new song presentation? I’ll put your performance at the very end of the program…”
“No! No, some other time… I’ll do it when I have the chance next time.”
Dien hurriedly rejected Pablo’s suggestion. If he ended up in a private meeting with Lonas again, Oren’s nightmare-like etiquette lessons would surely begin again as well.
“That is a shame.”
Pablo finished the sheet music while talking with Dien. Seeing this, Dien hastily stood up.
“Court Musician, I just remembered I have urgent business… And please, try not to talk about me to His Majesty if possible…”
“Eh?”
“Hahaha, never mind. Let’s call it a day.”
“I understand. I’ve taken up too much of your busy time, Young Lord. You’ve been a great help again today.”
“Hahaha, I’m glad I could help.”
Pablo bowed deeply toward Dien. Dien escorted him to the door.
‘Whether in my past life or this one, high-ranking superiors are such a burden.’
Dien already had Lonas’s attention, but to him, that interest was nothing but a heavy burden.