I entered the store and tried to confirm that it was Alice, but the people of the city were flocking to the entrance like moths to a flame, probably because they were so fascinated by her singing voice.
Even a glimpse of the store showed that it was packed.
One would normally think, there’s no way I can get in there.
“Please wait a moment, and I’ll have a seat made for you.'”
Zoe seemed to think so too, and she reached into her pocket, grabbed the money, and started to move to reserve the seat.
“Wait.”
“Master?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But ……”
I ignored Zoe and broke through the crowd and proceeded to the other side of it.
Ducking through the entrance, I stepped over the threshold of the establishment.
Inside, the place was completely packed, and not a single seat was available.
An apologetic-looking waitress came in almost as soon as we entered.
“As you can see, the establishment is full…….”
“I see.”
I nodded and was about to turn around when one more waiter came rushing in from the back and gave the first waiter an earful.
He nodded a few times and then gave me a business smile.
“Sir customer, it seems that another customer just left. I can guide you there.”
“I understand. Please.”
Nodding, the clerks retreated into the store for a moment.
Next to me, Zoe had a curious look on her face, so I turned around and explained in a whisper.
“This coincidence is a set-up. If this was their idea, then they wouldn’t make it so that I couldn’t enter because they didn’t have a seat for me.”
“I see. …… indeed, Master. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
Smiling at Zoe, I turned around once again and looked at the inside of the establishment, which was filled with singing voices.
“Mmm.”
“Is something wrong?”
Zoe asked with a curious look on her face.
I wondered what to say.
I took a quick look around and spotted a few people.
3 people, who were obviously not there for the songs as their eyes were on the stage, but their attention was on me.
I could tell by the signs that three guys were already in the mix to keep an eye on me.
But I can’t just tell Zoe that as it is.
It is more effective to tell only the truth to deceive people.
For me and Zoe as well.
So, I chose my words carefully and said to Zoe.
“We got a convenient seat at the table.”
I said this, and turned my gaze to the seat that had just been “vacated”.
I notice the people observing us.
And thought for a moment.
I won’t lie to fool.
“A good seat was conveniently left.”
And this time I spoke in a normal tone.
Zoe’s eyes widened as if she had been momentarily struck dumb.
I wondered what it was because her impression of my words was so opposite to what I had just said.
But in an instant, she understood and gasped.
She didn’t change her expression or say anything else, but her eyes widened and I could see that she was momentarily aware of her surroundings.
She understood and could react in that way.
Zoe also seems to have grown up a lot compared to when she first became my maid.
“Because it’s Master.”
“Right.”
We waited with appropriate exchanges.
After a while, a clerk showed me to my seat.
It was a seat at the very back of the restaurant, slightly elevated, in the middle, with a direct view of the stage.
It was undeniably the best seat in this place.
I chuckled to myself.
It was too deliberate to be a coincidence.
I didn’t point that out and took my seat.
Zoe stood next to me.
I then listen to Alice singing.
She’s gotten a little better at it again.
To improve in art, a few things suffice.
First of all, one must continuously do it.
And then, have a clear goal.
Finally, no worries about patronage.
Alice had the first two things from the time we first met.
Then I took away all her worries, including those about her mother.
And so, Alice has – and still is – improving every time I see her.
Almost everyone, both inside and outside the restaurant, was listening to Alice’s singing voice.
The only ones who weren’t would be those who were keeping tabs on me.
Songs and tunes have “waves” to them.
All the people were swaying to the singing voice, carried by the wave that the singer intended.
The customers were brought back to reality from the dreamy singing voice buzzing through the restaurant.
And as the buzz became louder, Alice was in trouble on the stage.
Her white clear fingers glide over the harp’s remaining strings.
The broken string was the most important one, and even as her finger slides over it, it is clear that a note is missing.
It would take a long time to repair it, and it would go into the water as it was.
–It would be a waste.
I called Fuwawa.
Fuwawa, who was in my bracelet, materialized, taking in my consciousness.
It became a long transverse flute.
I held it up and gently put my mouth to it.
The improvised flute produced the tone I intended.
There was a stir in the store for a moment.
Alice was puzzled – surprised when she noticed me.
I blew the flute.
Alice was “rushed” by the tune.
She understood the melody and flicked her hand to the harp again.
She improvised the tune and sang along, trying not to use the broken strings.
My flute made up for the missing notes.
“Woaa……”
Zoe, who was standing next to me, let out an exclamation.
The audience was puzzled for a moment but listened to the music as much as before.
When the song ended, the audience burst into thunderous applause.
Zoe was applauding as well.
“Awesome work, Master!”
“I see.”
It wasn’t me playing though, it was Bahamut.
I let Bahamut possess me, and I let it move my fingers and mouth.
Just as I reproduced sword, fist, and other fighting techniques, I simulated and reproduced the movements of the performance that Bahamut knew.
It worked.
As expected, there was no way they could continue the performance with just first aid, and it was announced that the performance was over for the time being.
As the guests left the restaurant one by one.
“There was no one else here, huh”
“Eh? What is it?”
I silently raised my hand and pointed to the three men who were still sitting there stunned.
Then, in a whisper.
“The ones that were spying on us.”
“Eh?”
“I put magic into the tune I just played. It makes those with hostile or harmful intent react more to it, and they’re shocked and stunned for some time.”
“T-That can be done!?”
“Yeah. By the way, it can even kill people.”
“Ehh!?
“On the contrary, if you push them to the limit, their blood pressure rises and they can induce a stroke.”
“Ah, ……”
Zoe is intelligent.
She didn’t ask “You can do that !?” this time.
She knows that there are always two sides to things and that if one can be done, the opposite is also possible.
So she just use one phrase,
“As expected, Master is awesome.”
She only said that.
☆
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Inside the guild, two young men were facing each other.
The smaller man was furious at the report and angrily knocked a fine teacup to the floor and broke it.
The taller man remained calm, sipping at his tea and pondering.
They are the sons of the guild’s head and number two, respectively.
Since these two men have been in charge of the scene, the number of traffickers and tax cheats has increased year by year, and they are the real ringleaders, so to speak.
“Calm down. There is nothing you can do if you get upset here, is there?”
“I can’t keep calm about this! ’I’m in town for a while because I was invited by a diva who didn’t accept anyone’s advances’! Don’t screw with me!”[TN: Diva here means songstress or singer/performer]
The smaller man became even more enraged, kicking the table and overturning it in a heaping heap.
The other, younger man remained only calm and looked thoughtful.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. The bait was bit.”
“Get your asses back home if you have taken the bait! With him here, I can’t d my trafficking. It would be a loss of 100,000 reens if it stops for a day!”
“……”
The graceful looking man’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
His partner had a point.
The smuggling of salt has been temporarily halted to prevent that man from coming to investigate under the emperor’s secret orders.
And that smuggling is now a business that has grown to a profit of more than 100,000 reens in a day.
The man’s presence is costing them 100,000 reens per day.
“I can’t stand it any longer! I’m gonna kill him!”
“……As someone who’s received the Emperor’s secret orders, isn’t it premature to say that?”
“I don’t care! It doesn’t matter as long as you throw money around! What do you think I pay tribute to the 3rd and 10th princes regularly for?”
“……, yeah, right.”
The graceful looking man thought for a moment and quietly nodded his head.