episode_0099

A simple first note.

When it rang, the noisy audience was immediately engulfed in silence.

At the same time, all eyes of the audience turned to the performer in the center.

Has the performance started?

The thought occurred to him, but the musician had not yet started playing.

It was just a matter of pressing a single key, and that alone drew the attention of the audience.

Then the musician started playing.

A soft note follows.

The performer’s hands moved slowly.

Fingertips that convey emotion in each movement push the keyboard.

Each time the keyboard was pushed, a note steeped in emotion rang out and began to form a melody.

The melody, which continued naturally without a single unnatural sound, was so perfect that it gave me goosebumps.

I felt a sense of awe at music I had never heard before.

A feeling of hair standing on end all over the body.

‘This was created simply by playing it on the piano?’

In the past, I have seen noble people play the piano at social parties and famous people, but there was such a big gap that it was nothing compared to the piano I hear now.

What on earth is it?

I just stared blankly at the music, which I could not believe had been created by humans.

“Isn’t it huge?”

The old man seemed to think the same thing as me and said with a faint smile.

“It’s huge.”

It’s not just that it’s huge.

A talent of this level would be enough to make one famous all over the world.

‘Isn’t it a village for artists for no reason?’

If the first batter is like this, what about the next batter?

Of course, I don’t think the next hitter will perform at this level, but at least the expectations I initially thought were much higher.

What on earth will it show?

As I watched the music with heightened anticipation, the piano performance that left a long lasting impression came to an end.

Then the next person appeared, and at this moment, I

I listened to a lot of beautiful music that I had never heard before in my life.

***

Immediately after the performance ended.

I still haven’t been able to get out of the long afterglow.

This is because each performer had amazing skills.

How is it that everyone has jaw-dropping skills?

My ears were so powerful that they almost flew off as I listened to it in succession, which is something I’ve never heard before in my life.

Then an old man smiles and talks to me.

“It looks like you really enjoyed it.”

“After all, each and every one of them has great skills.”

“There are many amazing people in the original artists’ village.”

I heard it through rumors, so I also knew it.

There has always been a rumor that there are countless outstanding musicians in this town of bards and artists.

However, I couldn’t help but be quite surprised because I never thought it would be like this.

‘It doesn’t have to be me.’

If anyone who hasn’t come to the artists’ village comes and listens, they will all have the same reaction as me.

That’s how amazing their music was.

“By the way, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Gelton. I am a bard.”

He introduced me with a good impression, so I tried to introduce myself as well.

“My name is… ”

“You are a warrior.”

However, I let out a laugh when I heard that he was a hero who interrupted the conversation.

Of course you knew.

It seemed that the feeling from earlier was not simply an illusion.

“You knew.”

“I was able to recognize it because I had a lot of experiences while wandering the world. By the way, may I know why you came to the artists’ village?”

I took a look at Gelton.

It was a task to check whether the being in front of me was truly trustworthy.

‘I don’t see anything particularly related to magic.’

Other than that, there was nothing particularly suspicious.

I opened my mouth, thinking that I could trust it to some extent.

“The traces of the demon and the traces of the person I was looking for were found at the same time near the village. So the thought came to me that there might be some connection to this village. Do you know anything about this?”

The encounter is short, but it is so intense.

I had a feeling that the person in front of me was no ordinary bard.

Although I had not met other bards, the atmosphere I felt was similar and the eyes filled with age were deep.

“Would you like to follow me?”

Gelton said.

I nodded slightly as he seemed to want to change places even though he had something to say.

“Good.”

“Follow me.”

I followed him as he walked.

The sound of singing is heard intermittently.

As I listen to that, he says.

“Do you know how the word bard was derived?”

“I don’t know.”

There were no records of where or how they got there.

If I were to be specific about the story, it would be that someone created a song about a certain hero and spread it, and as a result, more and more people wanted to make stories about heroes.

I didn’t even know this accurately because there were so many vague details.

“I feel bad saying this, but bards have their own separate gods.

My eyes widened when I first heard the news.

“Are you talking about the god you serve?”

“Yes. We bards have special powers because we serve the God of Music and receive his power. In some ways, it can be said to be similar to the warrior and the saint, but it is a little different. Every bard has one. You can think of it as similar to a kind of divine power.”

“Can you guess what that special ability is?”

“Of course. What we have in common is the ability to feel and understand the other person’s life.”

Feel life and understand it.

When I only saw these sentences, it was a little difficult to understand.

“You look like you don’t understand.”

Gelton sees my expression and laughs.

He gave him a puzzled look.

“Because it’s a vague statement.”

“I understand. To put it a little more simply, this means that you can know what kind of life the other person has lived without having to know anything about their life. Of course, I don’t know it as vividly and in detail as I remember. What we feel are only the emotions that person felt during their life.”

You don’t know the other person’s life.

However, what the other person felt while living their life is replaced by emotions.

Gelton says he doesn’t know vivid details, but…

‘There’s nothing more certain than that.’

In the end, life is a series of emotions.

Feeling and understanding such emotions even without knowing the other person’s life was virtually safe to say that one had experienced the other person’s life.

‘I don’t know exactly how I feel, so I can’t say for sure.’

Whatever it was, it was clear that it was a considerable ability.

Being able to understand the emotions that the other person felt during their life means that you can understand them better.

While I was inwardly admiring this, Gelton spoke again.

“And there is one more thing. And there is an ability that can be considered the ability of a true bard. Even the warrior knows.”

I know?

I thought about the things about the bard, but I couldn’t find anything that could be called an ability.

When I looked at him asking what on earth he was looking at, he answered.

“The stories we spread soon become strength.”

“Yes?”

I ended up asking questions that were completely unexpected.

This is because it is safe to say that what Gelton said was beyond imagination.

“It’s just like I said. The story-telling songs we create soon give strength to that person. It’s like the more the story of God spreads and the more believers there are, the stronger its power becomes. Of course, anyone’s story is naturally impossible. Only those who have achieved achievements close to those of great people gain strength from the stories we spread.”

He smiled and turned his back.

“We bards feel and understand life. The song created that way contains the emotions we felt. Naturally, those who heard the song spread it to others, and the songs that spread become dreams and hopes for some people and objects of admiration for others.”

Gelton’s eyes turned to me.

“Also, it will remain in people’s memories. The reason we make songs about them is so that we don’t forget those people who devoted themselves to this world, not just their strength. Our God is also a power given in that sense.”

Truths that would cause quite an uproar if revealed to the public.

As they unfolded one after another, I couldn’t say anything.

It was because I didn’t know what to say.

“You look confused. I understand. Even among bards, very few people know this fact. The reason is that only a very small number of bards are able to create songs and gain the power that comes with them.”

Well, if all bards had such an ability, there would be room for it to be misused, so it would be better if only a very few knew how to do it.

“But many people knew this in the past. Therefore, there were many people who wanted to abuse it. This is because those who have accumulated a certain level of karma gain great power simply by spreading the story. And in order to prevent this situation, His Majesty at the time concealed information and severely punished those who revealed it.

Only then did I realize what Gelton meant.

“That means… ”

“Yes. I think that perhaps a being with traces of being related to demons came to take advantage of it. At that time, there was a record of being targeted by demons, so there is a high probability that they would know.”

Now I feel like I know roughly how the situation unfolded.

‘If the demons came in targeting the bard, Ares fought to stop it.’

I don’t know the detailed circumstances, but I thought that was the closest guess to the current situation. However, looking at the situation at the time, it is assumed that Ares was defeated.

In that case, there was also the possibility that someone related to the demons had already kidnapped the bard.

“Is there a bard who has disappeared?”

“It’s difficult to say that accurately. Even if they are in the same village, their true nature is that of bards, so they do not show themselves often. However, one thing is certain: if you go to Area 4, you might be able to get the information you want.”

I noticed that was a hint he was giving.

At this level, a lot of information has been obtained.

I bowed my head slightly and headed straight to Area 4 he mentioned.