A strangely subdued voice. A height similar to the shadow of a tree.
‘It’ looked like a man.
Just as the man’s hand was getting strong, Luce instinctively threw his hand away and backed away.
“Strictly speaking, you should say you’re sorry because you came up to me while I was still and hit me.”
Luce, who threw out a word, wondered when she saw his clothes.
‘What’s this? Why is the arm of the cardigan sticking out? Did it scratch with nails? Did it get caught while running in a hurry?’
Fortunately, there seemed to be no injuries.
Luce, who was about to take it off, was startled by the sudden chill and put on the cardigan again.
Is it because it’s night? But why is it so cold all of a sudden?
“Haha, I don’t usually apologize first.”
It’s strange that such a rude answer came with such a polite tone.
Who wants to apologize? Luce crumpled her face.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to practice at this point.”
“Why are you here?”
‘What?’
Bushes blocked both sides, and the man almost blocked the entrance, so it was hard to ignore him and leave.
Luce, who sighed, answered briefly.
“I don’t like crowded places.”
“That’s great, me too.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to find another empty space? I’m a human too.”
It meant going anywhere, no matter where it was.
But the man’s answer was a little unclear, either because he couldn’t understand the words or because he had a habit of only talking about himself.
“As you see, people don’t like me very much.”
As you see?
Only then did the man’s face come into Luce’s eyes as she raised her head.
Long silver hair in a rough ponytail, and—.
Reddish-brown eyes.
‘…Because of the color of the eyes?’
The man raised his eyebrows.
Luce’s will, meant to go out even through the bushes, was broken instantly.
Not many people can leave their place immediately after hearing these words.
Even more so if she had seen a close friend get through a tough situation for a similar reason.
“You look like you don’t know what to answer.”
“You know what to say in affirmation and in denial… No matter what answer I give, I’m the only one who becomes a bad person.”
“Isn’t that right?”
The man raised the corner of his mouth.
It’s an ambiguous smile that appears to be both smiling and not.
Luce leaned against the bush with the intention of mixing up some words.
She held the necklace tight in her hand in case Rev called her.
“To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve been treated like this. They usually get scared when they see me.”
Luce wasn’t particularly scared or afraid of this man who asked her questions as if he was checking her.
Of course, she was surprised when something black came out of nowhere and bumped into her at first, but that was all.
Even if the color of his eyes is something that can’t be helped, this man’s clothes are the biggest problem.
Wouldn’t it be better to wear bright clothes instead of that long black robe?
Luce, who was thinking about it, replied indifferently.
“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not an aristocrat or anything like that, are you?”
“I’m a little far from noble. I’m just a guest.”
“Are you here to see the festival?”
“I came here because I thought it would be fun, but as expected, it’s interesting.”
He said he hates crowds, but he thought festivals would be fun. Just what kind of extrovert and introvert is he?
She looked up at the man while he was looking at her. It’s a little burdensome because he’s staring at her so hard.
“…What do you find interesting?”
“Observing.”
“What did you observe?”
“It’s just that people look happy. Everyone who lives a short life has their own taste and their eyes are on different places—isn’t it amazing?”
She thought he was pretty good at talking, but the conversation with this man didn’t flow smoothly.
It’s choppy and short.
Luce had a hunch.
It felt like a trap had been set, and she was being led toward it.
This man is not someone who is bad at talking. On the contrary, he is very good at this kind of conversation.
“Like the different places where the gaze goes?”
He asked as if Luce knew.
“For example, like a person watching the audience when everyone else is watching the musicians.”
“….”
“Go and see it once. Once you know it, you won’t be able to return to the time you didn’t know. When you see it well, you’ll know it’s amazing.”
“Why are you telling me this story?”
Luce chose to strike the trap.
“It’s like a return for the warm hospitality.”
After answering that, the man took a step back.
As if opening a trap.
Luce slowly walked through the bush maze without looking back.
‘Who is that man? What does that man mean? And why did he talk to me? Why? For what?’
She saw her necklace. It was still not shining.
She closed her eyes tightly as she looked nervously at the magic tool.
‘Ignore the words of that suspicious man, wait for Rev to come out, and then return home, it will be safe.’
But she will be curious for the rest of her life.
She will be frustrated, she will make guesses, and she will want to know.
Just like her head was on the verge of bursting while deducing the contents of <The Cruelty of the Vladin Empire>.
‘No, it’s not good that there are more mysteries!’
Luce, who rushed to the left tower, looked over the window.
The Baron and the orchestra are still playing.
Catering food is placed in the back of Felice Hall, and audiences are seated in the front.
Luce knew most of the people who were sitting in the audience.
The people of Rodante, the residents of Xenon, including Vincent, Franz, Angel, and the Dukes of Ximel’s family.
“It’s like a person watching the audience when everyone else is watching the musicians.”
Why watch the audience? Because she wants to know about the audience.
‘Like I observed the people of the Duke of Ximel a while ago.’
But why did the man say this was a return of warm hospitality?
‘Return of warm hospitality. Does that mean that it benefits me? To find someone looking at the audience when everyone is looking at the musicians?’
That means she should focus on people who didn’t look at the audience in the first place. People who have a job in this banquet hall. And people who do something different.
It’s not a guard. They are the ones who are supposed to see the audience.
It is neither the conductor nor the performer on stage. The conductor was conducting with his back turned to the audience, and all the musicians were looking up at the conductor and keeping the beat.
Luce’s gaze, which was nervously biting her lips and examining the people, stopped at the right end.
It was the seat of the Baron.
To be precise, the man standing right next to the Baron playing the piano.
It was a page-turner.
‘Of course, if you want to turn the sheet music to match the beat, you have to see the musician and the sheet music.’
“I had a hard time gathering the orchestra members, but today’s concert was more than I expected.”
If it’s hard for the Lord to gather them, it means that he doesn’t know them well and hasn’t worked with them much.
But why is that guy staring at the audience? Will the gaze stay in only one place?
Focusing on the performer would be good to match the teamwork with an unfamiliar performer!
Luce, who was watching where the page-turner was looking, closed her eyes.
He was looking at the boy of the Duke of Ximel. Not even once, without taking his eyes off it.
‘Could it be that the page turner is targeting the boy?’
Luce’s mind was rolling wildly.
‘What kind of situation do I want to avoid the most right now?’
Run into the Duke of Ximel?
Luce shook her head. That situation has already happened. There is no turning back.
What should be avoided more than that?
‘Getting involved with the affairs of the capital without even knowing it properly!’
It wasn’t clear why the mysterious man was talking to her.
If she knew about the threat of assassination in advance, wouldn’t it be safer and quicker to tell the guards or knights?
But even if that’s the case, the audience the man was talking about was the Duke of Ximel’s family.
If someone involved in a music night festival is aiming for an audience, and if that success.
‘Since the high-ranking aristocrat is dead, investigators will come to find the culprit. Right from the capital.’
The blood runs cold.
The village will be destroyed, and everyone who attended the festival will be investigated.
Baron Felice, who was responsible for failing to prevent the assassination, will be subjected to the most intense investigation, and it is unclear whether his position as a nobleman will be preserved.
If he takes damage, if another noble descends from the capital as a new Lord.
‘Let alone studying pharmacology, my current peaceful life will be over.’
But how? How does she catch it?
She can only see a page-turner, but there could be a secret helper.
What’s the most effective way in a situation where she doesn’t know how behind it is?
It was then.
「Luce? Luce, can you hear me?」
“Rev!”
It was that moment.
As soon as she heard Rev’s voice, it was like a light came into her head.
「I was worried because you didn’t come back, Luce. I was able to contact you only after the lecture was over. Where are you now?」
“Where are you? Is it the hall where the academic festival is held?”
「Mmh. Is it difficult to tell where you are?」
“No, Rev. It doesn’t matter where I am now. Your position matters.”
Luce looked at the right tower. A bluish light is seen.
Then Luce hurriedly whispered this.
“Go to the right tower right now.”
*****
The Baron, who was playing the fifth song of the second act, glanced at him.
It’s good that he remembered all the songs he wrote because today’s performance would have been a disaster if it had been someone else’s song.
That’s because the page-turner isn’t doing his job.
‘Is he an apprentice?’
He was the one who arrived last among those who were hired in a hurry to meet the budget.
He didn’t seem to be completely clueless about the music sheet because he turned the page at the right time, but the beat was slightly off.
Is it because it’s his first time turning pages at such a big event?
‘He should be compassionate and understanding with the heart of a senior who is walking the same path.’
It was when the performance came to an end.
‘No matter what it is, this…’
He didn’t turn the next page.
The Baron quickly turned the pages of the sheet music, narrowed his eyes, and looked at him, but the page-turner had his whole body turned toward the audience.
“You! What are you doing!’
He called him in a low voice, but he didn’t even pretend to hear.
Eventually, the page-turner completely removed his hands from the sheet music and put his hands inside his jacket.
What the hell is he doing? Did he want to ruin the concert? The cold ran down his spine.
“You!”
It was when the Baron called him anxiously.
“Now!”
‘What do you mean now?’
The lights went out before he could even think that the voice he heard suddenly sounded familiar.
“Oh my, the lighting!”
“What happened!”
In a different sense, the Baron felt chills run down his spine.
Is there a problem with the equipment connected to the lights?
The main event was to reveal the equipment!
When the Baron stopped playing, the orchestra members also stopped playing.
There is only the sound of people screaming in the wide hall, and the sound of footsteps moving randomly.
The Baron cleared his throat.
“Ah, there’s a problem with the lights for a moment—”
It was when he was out of luck.
Pat—!
“Ack!”
“What—!”
The lights turned on, and what he witnessed was an awful scene.
A strangely subdued voice. A height similar to the shadow of a tree.
‘It’ looked like a man.
Just as the man’s hand was getting strong, Luce instinctively threw his hand away and backed away.
“Strictly speaking, you should say you’re sorry because you came up to me while I was still and hit me.”
Luce, who threw out a word, wondered when she saw his clothes.
‘What’s this? Why is the arm of the cardigan sticking out? Did it scratch with nails? Did it get caught while running in a hurry?’
Fortunately, there seemed to be no injuries.
Luce, who was about to take it off, was startled by the sudden chill and put on the cardigan again.
Is it because it’s night? But why is it so cold all of a sudden?
“Haha, I don’t usually apologize first.”
It’s strange that such a rude answer came with such a polite tone.
Who wants to apologize? Luce crumpled her face.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to practice at this point.”
“Why are you here?”
‘What?’
Bushes blocked both sides, and the man almost blocked the entrance, so it was hard to ignore him and leave.
Luce, who sighed, answered briefly.
“I don’t like crowded places.”
“That’s great, me too.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to find another empty space? I’m a human too.”
It meant going anywhere, no matter where it was.
But the man’s answer was a little unclear, either because he couldn’t understand the words or because he had a habit of only talking about himself.
“As you see, people don’t like me very much.”
As you see?
Only then did the man’s face come into Luce’s eyes as she raised her head.
Long silver hair in a rough ponytail, and—.
Reddish-brown eyes.
‘…Because of the color of the eyes?’
The man raised his eyebrows.
Luce’s will, meant to go out even through the bushes, was broken instantly.
Not many people can leave their place immediately after hearing these words.
Even more so if she had seen a close friend get through a tough situation for a similar reason.
“You look like you don’t know what to answer.”
“You know what to say in affirmation and in denial… No matter what answer I give, I’m the only one who becomes a bad person.”
“Isn’t that right?”
The man raised the corner of his mouth.
It’s an ambiguous smile that appears to be both smiling and not.
Luce leaned against the bush with the intention of mixing up some words.
She held the necklace tight in her hand in case Rev called her.
“To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve been treated like this. They usually get scared when they see me.”
Luce wasn’t particularly scared or afraid of this man who asked her questions as if he was checking her.
Of course, she was surprised when something black came out of nowhere and bumped into her at first, but that was all.
Even if the color of his eyes is something that can’t be helped, this man’s clothes are the biggest problem.
Wouldn’t it be better to wear bright clothes instead of that long black robe?
Luce, who was thinking about it, replied indifferently.
“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not an aristocrat or anything like that, are you?”
“I’m a little far from noble. I’m just a guest.”
“Are you here to see the festival?”
“I came here because I thought it would be fun, but as expected, it’s interesting.”
He said he hates crowds, but he thought festivals would be fun. Just what kind of extrovert and introvert is he?
She looked up at the man while he was looking at her. It’s a little burdensome because he’s staring at her so hard.
“…What do you find interesting?”
“Observing.”
“What did you observe?”
“It’s just that people look happy. Everyone who lives a short life has their own taste and their eyes are on different places—isn’t it amazing?”
She thought he was pretty good at talking, but the conversation with this man didn’t flow smoothly.
It’s choppy and short.
Luce had a hunch.
It felt like a trap had been set, and she was being led toward it.
This man is not someone who is bad at talking. On the contrary, he is very good at this kind of conversation.
“Like the different places where the gaze goes?”
He asked as if Luce knew.
“For example, like a person watching the audience when everyone else is watching the musicians.”
“….”
“Go and see it once. Once you know it, you won’t be able to return to the time you didn’t know. When you see it well, you’ll know it’s amazing.”
“Why are you telling me this story?”
Luce chose to strike the trap.
“It’s like a return for the warm hospitality.”
After answering that, the man took a step back.
As if opening a trap.
Luce slowly walked through the bush maze without looking back.
‘Who is that man? What does that man mean? And why did he talk to me? Why? For what?’
She saw her necklace. It was still not shining.
She closed her eyes tightly as she looked nervously at the magic tool.
‘Ignore the words of that suspicious man, wait for Rev to come out, and then return home, it will be safe.’
But she will be curious for the rest of her life.
She will be frustrated, she will make guesses, and she will want to know.
Just like her head was on the verge of bursting while deducing the contents of <The Cruelty of the Vladin Empire>.
‘No, it’s not good that there are more mysteries!’
Luce, who rushed to the left tower, looked over the window.
The Baron and the orchestra are still playing.
Catering food is placed in the back of Felice Hall, and audiences are seated in the front.
Luce knew most of the people who were sitting in the audience.
The people of Rodante, the residents of Xenon, including Vincent, Franz, Angel, and the Dukes of Ximel’s family.
“It’s like a person watching the audience when everyone else is watching the musicians.”
Why watch the audience? Because she wants to know about the audience.
‘Like I observed the people of the Duke of Ximel a while ago.’
But why did the man say this was a return of warm hospitality?
‘Return of warm hospitality. Does that mean that it benefits me? To find someone looking at the audience when everyone is looking at the musicians?’
That means she should focus on people who didn’t look at the audience in the first place. People who have a job in this banquet hall. And people who do something different.
It’s not a guard. They are the ones who are supposed to see the audience.
It is neither the conductor nor the performer on stage. The conductor was conducting with his back turned to the audience, and all the musicians were looking up at the conductor and keeping the beat.
Luce’s gaze, which was nervously biting her lips and examining the people, stopped at the right end.
It was the seat of the Baron.
To be precise, the man standing right next to the Baron playing the piano.
It was a page-turner.
‘Of course, if you want to turn the sheet music to match the beat, you have to see the musician and the sheet music.’
“I had a hard time gathering the orchestra members, but today’s concert was more than I expected.”
If it’s hard for the Lord to gather them, it means that he doesn’t know them well and hasn’t worked with them much.
But why is that guy staring at the audience? Will the gaze stay in only one place?
Focusing on the performer would be good to match the teamwork with an unfamiliar performer!
Luce, who was watching where the page-turner was looking, closed her eyes.
He was looking at the boy of the Duke of Ximel. Not even once, without taking his eyes off it.
‘Could it be that the page turner is targeting the boy?’
Luce’s mind was rolling wildly.
‘What kind of situation do I want to avoid the most right now?’
Run into the Duke of Ximel?
Luce shook her head. That situation has already happened. There is no turning back.
What should be avoided more than that?
‘Getting involved with the affairs of the capital without even knowing it properly!’
It wasn’t clear why the mysterious man was talking to her.
If she knew about the threat of assassination in advance, wouldn’t it be safer and quicker to tell the guards or knights?
But even if that’s the case, the audience the man was talking about was the Duke of Ximel’s family.
If someone involved in a music night festival is aiming for an audience, and if that success.
‘Since the high-ranking aristocrat is dead, investigators will come to find the culprit. Right from the capital.’
The blood runs cold.
The village will be destroyed, and everyone who attended the festival will be investigated.
Baron Felice, who was responsible for failing to prevent the assassination, will be subjected to the most intense investigation, and it is unclear whether his position as a nobleman will be preserved.
If he takes damage, if another noble descends from the capital as a new Lord.
‘Let alone studying pharmacology, my current peaceful life will be over.’
But how? How does she catch it?
She can only see a page-turner, but there could be a secret helper.
What’s the most effective way in a situation where she doesn’t know how behind it is?
It was then.
「Luce? Luce, can you hear me?」
“Rev!”
It was that moment.
As soon as she heard Rev’s voice, it was like a light came into her head.
「I was worried because you didn’t come back, Luce. I was able to contact you only after the lecture was over. Where are you now?」
“Where are you? Is it the hall where the academic festival is held?”
「Mmh. Is it difficult to tell where you are?」
“No, Rev. It doesn’t matter where I am now. Your position matters.”
Luce looked at the right tower. A bluish light is seen.
Then Luce hurriedly whispered this.
“Go to the right tower right now.”
*****
The Baron, who was playing the fifth song of the second act, glanced at him.
It’s good that he remembered all the songs he wrote because today’s performance would have been a disaster if it had been someone else’s song.
That’s because the page-turner isn’t doing his job.
‘Is he an apprentice?’
He was the one who arrived last among those who were hired in a hurry to meet the budget.
He didn’t seem to be completely clueless about the music sheet because he turned the page at the right time, but the beat was slightly off.
Is it because it’s his first time turning pages at such a big event?
‘He should be compassionate and understanding with the heart of a senior who is walking the same path.’
It was when the performance came to an end.
‘No matter what it is, this…’
He didn’t turn the next page.
The Baron quickly turned the pages of the sheet music, narrowed his eyes, and looked at him, but the page-turner had his whole body turned toward the audience.
“You! What are you doing!’
He called him in a low voice, but he didn’t even pretend to hear.
Eventually, the page-turner completely removed his hands from the sheet music and put his hands inside his jacket.
What the hell is he doing? Did he want to ruin the concert? The cold ran down his spine.
“You!”
It was when the Baron called him anxiously.
“Now!”
‘What do you mean now?’
The lights went out before he could even think that the voice he heard suddenly sounded familiar.
“Oh my, the lighting!”
“What happened!”
In a different sense, the Baron felt chills run down his spine.
Is there a problem with the equipment connected to the lights?
The main event was to reveal the equipment!
When the Baron stopped playing, the orchestra members also stopped playing.
There is only the sound of people screaming in the wide hall, and the sound of footsteps moving randomly.
The Baron cleared his throat.
“Ah, there’s a problem with the lights for a moment—”
It was when he was out of luck.
Pat—!
“Ack!”
“What—!”
The lights turned on, and what he witnessed was an awful scene.
