As the venue was overcome with pin-drop silence, Amelia slowly made her way to the center of the stage. Standing before her zither, she then turned her gaze toward me.
Our eyes locked.
I felt like she was trying to convey something to me through her gaze—something clear and firm, far from the guilt and timidness she had shown me before.
Slowly, I nodded. Was this the right response? I wasn’t quite sure—I’d just done it as a sort of signal for her to start.
A gentle smile formed on Amelia’s lips, and she finally sat in front of her zither. Her hands gracefully reached toward the strings—but before plucking any, Amelia took in a breath and began to sing.
Caught off guard, I turned stiff in my seat. Her voice was more beautiful and more mesmerizing than any tune an instrument could hope to play.
“So she begins her performance a cappella,” Lardon mused.
Her melodious voice—pure and unaccompanied—struck right through me like lightning, numbing my brain and sending a shudder through my body.
Finally, as the enthralling opener came to an end, Amelia took the quickest of breaths before setting her fingers on her zither and continuing the song with accompaniment.
I had no words for what came next.
Her sweet voice. The perfect instrument. This venue made just for her.
All of these came together to give me the most overwhelming experience of my life. In this dreamlike haze, none of the simplistic words my mind could muster would have done her performance justice.
I hardly remembered anything after that. Only the raw and unbridled emotion, carved directly into my soul and resounding deeply in my heart.
Later that night, the streets of the nightless city were filled with more cheer and vigor than usual. Drinks were passed around, lively chatter melded in the air, and monsters and humans alike made merry together.
I’d only ever seen celebrations of this caliber during the harvest festival or a saint’s birthday. This one, however, was a consequence of Amelia’s concert. Her stunning performance naturally boosted everyone’s moods, leading to this lively postconcert party.
Meanwhile, away from all the merriment, gazing at them from a terrace in the palace, was me.
“Are you still out of it?” Lardon asked.
“Lardon... No, I’m back now. Uh, mostly. I’m still in bliss, though...”
“I’m afraid I can’t quite relate... From everyone’s reactions, it must have been quite the performance.”
“Yeah, that was...perfection. All my preparations were totally worth it.”
“Hmm... So, what now?”
“Huh?”
“I am asking about that girl.”
“Well... Don’t ask me. It’s up to Amelia what she wants to do.”
“Oh? You’re certain about this?” For some reason, Lardon sounded genuinely surprised.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hah... So you haven’t noticed? Well, well... This is rather amusing.”
“What?” I was only getting more confused by the second.
It sounded like she’d noticed something that she was also expecting me to. The answer probably lay somewhere in the concert. Had I missed something obvious? Frowning, I retraced my memories...but unfortunately, nothing really came to mind.
“How surprising. I never would have thought that would slip past you.”
“What did? Explain it to me.”
“I ask you again: Did you not notice anything...related to magic?”
“To magic...?” That cleared my mind a bit. If this thing I’d failed to notice was related to magic, then Lardon’s disbelief made a whole lot of sense now. “Sorry... I really have no clue.”
“Hmm... Was that song truly that mesmerizing?”
“What was it? Can you tell me?”
“Very well. It was your mana.”
“My mana...?” I directed my attention inward, to the mana circulating within me. Nothing was amiss—it was the same as usual.
“Not now,” Lardon said. “When you were listening to the song.”
“Something happened to my mana during the song...?”
“Indeed.” Lardon huffed. “It seems you truly didn’t realize... Very well. While listening to that song, your mana was amplified.”
“What?” My eyes blew wide in shock. “You mean...that happened while she was singing?”
“Correct. It was as if you’d chanted an aria. And so I’d thought you’d be considering stacking the effects of your aria and that girl’s song by now.”
My jaw dropped. I was dumbfounded beyond belief.