Before the Festival (1)
Noah Lucille. He was waving his hand as he walked through the campus of Endex. His smiling face was unsettling, and his friendly words were ominous.
“Long time no see~?”
I immediately retorted.
“Why are you here?”
“What do you mean. -Gulp.”
He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the hotteok whole.
“I came to enjoy the festival too.”
“Then you got the date wrong. It starts next Wednesday.”
What is he planning to do at the festival?
Unfortunately, it’s a future I don’t know. From April, I was receiving intensive cancer treatment.
Of course, it could already be a future twisted by me.
“Actually, I came to see you.”
Noah said. This time, it seemed to be because of me.
Of course, the reason why he came is-
“I think there’s going to be a kidnapping.”
……But surprisingly, he told me straight away. I licked my lips and asked again.
“Kidnapping?”
“Yeah. There are some guys in the underworld who are short of money. Do you know Berhalsi?”
Berhalsi. It’s a mercenary organization active in the underworld. As usual with the guys in the underworld, they seem a bit loose, but their individual power is commendable.
Among them, Berhalsi is a B-grade monster with quite a name in the underworld. Currently, they can crush one at my level with a single punch, probably at the same level as the college board manager.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. They’re targeting the festival.”
The Magic High Festival attracts security personnel, including knights and police. Kidnapping someone during such a season might seem crazy.
On the contrary, it’s the opposite.
The festival ‘sucks in’ the security forces of the area. Because manpower cannot be stretched or reduced like a rubber band as needed. If the festival concentrates manpower, on the other hand, the ‘surrounding’ becomes hollow.
“Berhalsi also proposed to us. They said let’s split it 5:5. But the target was quite a big shot.”
“…….”
I closed my mouth. It was a silence with some intention.
“…….”
Noah also looked at me without saying a word. It was a silence that said, tell me your intention.
I finally spoke.
“Tell me.”
He gladly told me.
“Someone close to you.”
“Close?”
“Yeah. You’re doing a play.”
Someone who is doing a play with me, someone close.
It came to mind right away.
Well, she was close to me in Recordark.
Noah looked at my face and chuckled.
“You seem to know who it is?”
“……How could I not know.”
There’s a woman who suffers from various incidents due to the ambition of her family, which is trying to stand politically. A person who suffered numerous kidnappings, attempted assassinations, and even bombing of her private plane before regression.
Elise Petra.
“So, are you also involved in this?”
“I decided not to. Thanks to the child who believed in my innocence.”
Child.
Something about the tone feels strange.
A ‘child’ who trusted me?
“……Child? Is that me by any chance?”
“You’re a child to me. Would you like to be an adult then?”
Noah grinned.
Is he insane? Judging by the life he’s lived, we’re not so different.
“Today, I came to tell you this. Shall we meet again later?”
“Meet for what?”
Noah turned around without a word.
“Hey. Meet for what?”
The figure waving his hand above his head becomes blurry. Fzzt- Like a TV screen cutting out, he flickers, and in the blink of an eye, he disappears.
“…Damn, it’s suffocating.”
I scratched my back.
If Berhalsi really is after Elise, it’s probably because of me. More accurately, because of the ‘play’ we put on.
If it was the Elise before my regression, she wouldn’t have had time to be kidnapped, let alone put on a play. She would have been too busy studying or training in seclusion. There’s still more than half a year until the election.
“I wonder what she’s doing.”
Elise. What could she be doing right now?
Without any other option, I picked up my smartphone.
[Hey. What are you doing right now?]
At the same time, Elise was staring at her smartphone screen with a serious expression.
[Jade, the second son of Libra… Expected to attend the Endex school festival]
Suddenly, articles about Jade of Libra attending the festival were popping up in the media.
Ding-
[Trash: Hey. What are you doing right now?]
She ignored Trash’s message without a second thought.
Regardless of Jade’s reputation and abilities, he’s a big shot. He doesn’t have a clear job, but being the direct descendant and second son of Libra, his name alone far surpasses any average Senator.
If we were to compare him to a celebrity, he would be a superstar. His actual antics are also close to those of a celebrity.
“Why would Jade suddenly… Could it be?”
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.
That monkey-like human? Did Shion the monkey invite Jade?
Elise read the news in detail.
“…30 minutes.”
The running time of the play is 90 minutes, but he says he’ll only stay for exactly 30 minutes.
Of course, that’s enough time to gather people. The ticket prices will naturally rise, and the level of celebrity will suddenly increase. Not only Senators, entrepreneurs, and almost-famous celebrities who want to exchange a word with Jade, but also ordinary people who want to see his rumored perfect face will flock.
Ding- Ding- Ding-
Her smartphone spat out alerts as if in agreement. It was obvious without looking. They would be messages asking for tickets.
“…Sigh.”
What a mess for a high school festival. Elise sighed.
“There are only three days left.”
Although she suddenly felt tired because of Jade, this was also an opportunity to showcase herself.
She had to do well.
She had to do better than anyone else.
Because her father might come.
Of course, she had already memorized all the lines. She had already planned all the movements. She had matched the harmony every day. She had prepared the magic Artifact to enhance the stage.
The preparation for the play itself was perfect.
However, if there was one problem….
“…”
Elise picked up the sheet music.
「The Bard」 itself is conducted in Edsilla common language, but there is a part where they sing in Latinel.
La Vercit.
The pronunciation of this song keeps tripping me up. As the level of celebrities increases, so will the number of people who recognize Latinel proficiency.
If I make a mistake, it will be spun around in a very elegant manner in their social circles.
“…I have no choice.”
She picked up her smartphone, ignoring the messages that had piled up like a trash can.
[Latinel Tutor]
She found the tutor in her contacts. Initially, she thought of calling him.
However….
A thought crossed her mind.
She scrolled down a bit more.
At the very end of her contacts, a certain ‘company’ that she had saved a while ago.
Elise looked over her shoulder for no reason and sent a message.
[Can I ask something?]
The reply came back immediately.
[At Your Service: Please speak.]
“At Your Service”.
The place that ghostwrote Layla’s Latinel assignment.
It’s nerve-wracking to actually put in a request, but it’s anonymous anyway.
[I am a student majoring in vocal music. I have to sing a specific Latinel song for this college entrance exam, could you possibly write down the pronunciation for me?]
[Sheet Music File]
[This is the song.]
Elise sent the request while hiding her identity.
[At Your Service: It’s possible. I can write down the pronunciation of La Vercit in Edsilla common language and send it to you. The advance payment is 1,000 Ren, and the completion payment is 1,000 Ren.]
It hurts her pride, but it’s the easiest and quickest way to learn the pronunciation by attribute.
“…….”
Elise was about to reply immediately but paused for a moment.
She fiddled with her smartphone screen for no reason, pulling the scroll up and down.
[Could you possibly sing the song directly and send it as a file? I can send you the MR file.]
In the end, she added more to the message.
Seeing is believing. Hearing it directly and reading it as a character have a heavenly difference.
Of course, there were pop singers who sang La Vercit, and she had obtained that file, but the pronunciation was not quite right.
“……There’s no reply.”
Also, Elise still harbors some suspicion towards this 「At Your Service」.
She subtly asked other magic high guys, but this company was not in other magic highs.
In other words, it only exists in Endex, so the possibility that the person behind this is an Endex student is not zero.
Rather, it’s the most likely.
The candidate is, at least as far as Elise knows, only one.
A person who is very good at Latinel, but is so poor that they can indiscriminately sell Latinel-related knowledge.
Shion Ascal.
Ding-
[At Your Service: That’s possible, but it will cost an additional 10,000 Ren.]
A total of 12,000 Ren.
That’s about half of her monthly allowance.
[I’ll pay.]
[At Your Service: Please send the advance payment of 6,000 Ren in the form of a department store gift card.]
Elise made the payment through her smartphone and sent it.
[At Your Service: Payment confirmed.]
[How long will it take?]
[At Your Service: Due to a backlog of orders, it could take a day or two. However, if you want priority, you can pay an additional 3,000 Ren and it will be done within 1-2 hours.]
[I’ll pay.]
It’s a bit unsettling to give an advance of 9,000 Ren to a company whose face she doesn’t know, but Layla has been using this service for every Latinel class.
The reliability is sufficient.
She made an additional payment of 3,000 Ren in department store gift cards.
[At Your Service: Please wait a maximum of 2 hours.]
Elise sank into her chair. She waited, staring at the ticking clock.
“…It can’t really be him.”
A student at Endex who is so good at Latinel. No matter how much she thinks about it, she can’t think of anyone else.
If he is the owner of ‘At Your Service’-
[At Your Service: It’s complete. Here are the voice file of La Vercit and the sheet music file with the pronunciation in the common language.]
[Voice File]
[Image File]
It arrived in just an hour. Elise first plugged earphones into her ears. She immediately played the voice file. With her arms crossed, she listened, analyzing the pronunciation and song.
“….”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“…What’s with this voice.”
It’s not so amazing that she would exclaim in admiration, but above all, the timbre is deep and the pronunciation is perfect.
At least it’s not Shion Ascal.
It’s good enough to be used as her own textbook.
Elise put one hand to her ear. With the other hand, she took notes on the sheet music while listening to the song from [At Your Service].
