57 - 68

Chapter 57: Take Fate by the Throat

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Eleven twenty in the morning, inside the director's office in the Musicians' Association.

"You gotta pick one out now. These are all your good works from the past," said Othello with his eyebrows frowning, "We've been waiting for you for about twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Othello…Can… can I have some more time?" Victor's face had a deadly paleness. His dim eyes had been losing focus for a while, and the musical notes were not making sense at all to him.

Wolf was there as well, sitting right across the desk with Director Othello. A contemptuous smile appeared on his face, "Stop struggling, my friend. Just randomly pick one out, after all, they look pretty much the same to me. Mr. Othello still needs to have lunch with Her Highness later."

"Well…" Othello took out his pocket watch, "The lunch will be at one o'clock. I will give you… another ten minutes. If you still can't make a decision by then, I'm afraid the association might need to have someone else for the concert. Wolf just came back from Ratacia Palace. He should be able to handle this."

Ratacia Palace was the royal concert hall of the Duchy of Orvarit.

Wolf couldn't hold his excitement back, "Victor, I'm sorry to see you struggling. But we, as the musicians in our association, we should regard the interest of our association as the top priority. What do you think?"

Victor did not say anything. After another two minutes, Victor fell back into the chair and pointed at a piece of paper, "That one then."

The three words took away all his strength, but he also felt a bit relaxed. Victor did not want to spend more time and effort pursuing the piece of work which he had been working on for nine years.

"Maybe it's a good thing." Victor thought to himself.

"Good," Othello clapped his hands, "I'm glad you finally made the decision. I have some medicines that may be helpful your to mental state, but they can have some side effects. Anyway, I gotta take a little nap, you guys can leave now."

After they left the office, Wolf threw a bitter glance at Victor, "Enjoy your last chance playing in the Psalm Hall. Don't let your wife down in heaven."

"You…" Victor's face was a bit distorted with anger.

"Me?" Wolf snorted, "It is you who will disappoint your wife, not me."

Then he quickly walked downstairs.

Victor felt very sick and his head became dizzy. Lott, Felicia and Herodotus, who were waiting outside, quickly came close to their teacher.

"Are you all right?" Felicia asked worriedly.

"I'm okay. Just need some rest. We'll start practicing this afternoon." Victor answered in a weak voice.

......

Lucien was running in the heavy rain.

He had not fully recovered from his injury. Holding the umbrella, the wind was preventing him from running faster, but he had to. The earlier he could get to the association, the better his chances would be to give Mr. Victor the new piece of work before the princess saw the song list.

Finally, he folded his umbrella under his arm, so he could run faster.

He just wanted to try his best, he didn't want any regrets.

......

It only took Lucien six minutes to get to the association from Victor's place, a quarter of the usual time.

Twelve forty-one in the afternoon. Lucien pushed open the gate, soaked wet, with water drops falling down from his face on the floor.

"Lucien!" Elena approached him in a hurry from the counter, "are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Elena. Where's Mr. Victor?" Lucien asked without delay.

"Should be in his own office. I saw Felicia brought him lunch," answered Elena.

"Thanks!" Leaving his umbrella at the gate, Lucien rushed upstairs.

"What is going on there?" Elena wondered.

......

It was Lott who opened the door, whose face looked pretty gloomy. Lott did not ask Lucien why he was there. He just nodded to Lucien.

Lucien entered Victor's office. He saw Victor was sitting behind his desk, looking very absent-minded. The lunch tray was sitting in front of him, remaining untouched. Lucien saw Rhine was also there.

"Did Mr. Victor hand in the music list for the concert?" asked Lucien.

Lott, Felicia and Herodotus just ignored him. Only Rhine nodded, "Yes, the third one was from Mr. Victor's past work."

Taking a deep breath, Lucien went directly to Victor and said to him aloud, "Mr. Victor. I wrote a great piece of music! I hope you can give me a chance to listen to it! I'm sure my work can give you some inspiration! Can we change the list afterwards?"

Lucien was too urgent and nervous to select his words. He sounded too direct, almost stupid.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Herodotus was shocked.

Lott walked to Lucien and was about to pull Lucien away from Victor's desk.

Hiding his face in his palms, Victor answered weakly, "No, we can't. Director Othello went for lunch with Her Highness ten minutes ago. The list has been sent already. We cannot change it now."

"Mr. Victor, it's raining heavily outside! Mr. Othello can still be on the way. We still got a chance!"

"No, we don't." Victor murmured like being in a dream. He was not listening.

Being pulled back by Lott, Lucien did not know what to say.

The rest of the students had given up as well.

"Stop, Lucien. We tried, and that's it."

"It's too late. Mr. Othello must be in Ratacia Palace now."

"Even if he's not there yet, it is too late to write a new piece of symphony. We'd better just practice what we have now… it can still be a success."

"..." Lucien took a few steps back, feeling rather tired. Maybe it was the arrangement of God. Maybe it was God who prevented him from going to work in the association today.

"Anyway, it's not my concert, not my business." Lucien thought to himself, and became gloomy as well, like the rest of the people in the office.

However, when Lucien was sitting in the couch, images of Mr. Victor teaching him, taking care of him, and encouraging him for the past several months suddenly hit Lucien's mind. He was reminded of the hard work Mr. Victor, the other students and he had to practice for the concert, and of his effortful running in the pouring rain.

However, looking at these people in the room now, why their efforts couldn't bear fruits?

Lucien did not want to end up like this.

As long as there was still a slight of chance, he couldn't just give up like this and accept the result. As long as they were still there, there had to be something else they could do instead of just complaining. As long as he still had hope and faith, he should keep fighting until the last second.

And this was not the last second yet.

Taking a deep breath, Lucien looked around the office and walked to the piano.

"What are you doing, Lucien?" Lott yelled at him.

Lucien did not answer him. Sitting in front of the piano, Lucien laid both of his hands on the keyboard.

Even Rhine was very surprised. He had no idea what kind of music Lucien, as a new music learner, would present.

However, the first several notes shocked all the people in the office.

The notes were more powerful than ever. Victor raised his head up and turned to look at the piano, looking confused.

The following several bars of the symphony came like an overwhelming storm, fast, intense and fierce. They were like the misfortunes in life, one after another, like huge raging waves in the ocean, like the continuous call to the battlefield, and like countless enemies coming for you.

There were some bars of relief, but they were followed by even more intense and desperate struggles.

However, the fight of the warriors never stopped. No one ever gave up. They kept fighting: Sailors were fighting against the monster-like waves on top of their ships; Soldiers were fighting against their enemies in the battlefield. People died in waves and arrows, in tears and blood, but there were more newcomers following.

The students were shocked. Rhine stood up from the couch.

Lucien kept playing with all his effort.

Why give up? Why?

They still had time. They could catch up with Baron Othello. If it failed, they could still persuade Princess Natasha with the charm of the symphony.

Why give up?

There was still a glimmer of hope. They couldn't just give up!

The first chapter of the symphony grew more and more vehement. Lott and Felicia were shaking with both fear and excitement.

Was it fate that made you give up, or was it yourself?

Was it fate that beat you, or was it the difficulties and obstacles?

The music was asking. The player was asking.

Victor stood up straight. He felt the questioning. The question was addressed to him as well.

Lucien's soul had just been entirely devoted to the music. More thoughts rose in everyone's mind:

"I want to have a peaceful life. I miss my family. But I somehow came to this world and lost everything.

"I saw people here burning a woman to death.

"I went through the sewers.

"I wanted to learn how to read and wanted a better life, but I was beaten by gangsters.

"I wanted to learn magic to protect myself, but being a sorcerer here in Aalto meant I had to risk my life everyday, wandering between light and darkness.

"Did I give up? Do I want to give up?

"No!

"I'll keep fighting against the so-called fate until the last second of my life!

"I can change the fate. I can change my life!"

Lucien almost had a heart attack. He just let all his emotion out. He wanted to speak out loud:

"Was it fate that made you lose hope, or was it yourself?

"Was it fate that made you lower your head, or was it yourself?

"Is it fate that decides your life, or do you choose your own destiny?

"Me, Lucien, Xiafeng, will never give in to fate.

"I'll take fate by the throat and beat all the difficulties. I'll never stop moving forward!"

Victor stood up from his chair, both of his fists clenching tightly.

P.S.

The author: Thank you to my friend, Cheese Cat. It was he who wrote the many questions towards fate in this chapter. He did a better work than I did. Many thanks.

Chapter 58: This Is Fate

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

It was the first time Lucien, a shy and rather introverted guy, expressed his emotions completely through music. Lucien's persistence and faith were on full display in his playing.

Although Lucien was still a bit unskilled, it did not affect the audiences in the room. Felicia, Lott, Herodotus, Rhine and, of course, Victor, all felt what Lucien wanted to tell them, while they had different understandings.

Felicia, as the only girl present, was holding her hands and twisting her fingers together. Her father did not inherit the family's title, so she almost gave up her music dream and married a random noble. She often doubted herself, asking herself if she could really make her dream come true, if her choice was right.

Hearing Lucien's fully dedicated playing, all her worries came to her mind:

"Can I overcome all the difficulties and become a female musician?

"Will I be respected because of my own achievements and be able to choose my own love?"

She did not know. The music thrilled her.

Lott and Herodotus also had their own pressure in the family, and their fates were doomed as well ― they would not be able to inherit the titles. They could indulge themselves hopelessly in wine and women, or they could do something greater, such as becoming great musicians.

Lott's hands were shaking. The music reminded him of his cousin, Mekanzi.

Herodotus took a few steps back. He had always been weak among his family.

Even Rhine was feeling something. His face, which was always serene, was now lightened with excitement. He was beating time with the music, feeling the long-lost intense emotion.

Victor was the most excited one among them all. His hands were clenching, his face was slightly distorted, and his whole body was shaking. The music reminded him of so many things in the past: his first failed concert; the encouragement from his wife; his hard work and his successful second performance. He thought of the great grief when his wife passed away, and of all his effort and the hard time Wolf and Othello gave him…

The music notes were like sharp arrows, going directly to his heart.

Victor could tell the sense of insistence and stiffness in it.

"I failed so many times, and I recovered the same amount of times.

"Then, why give up this time?

"Winnie, is that you encouraging me?"

Lucien started feeling tired. He knew it was because of the injury he got, but he couldn't stop playing. As a musician, or just a music student for now, it was his responsibility to finish the whole work.

"I'll let Mr. Victor feel it!" He thought to himself.

His listeners could tell he was exhausted, feeling rather worried. Lucien's playing was like walking on a tightrope, but it did not stop.

Lucien seized the chance to have a bit of rest through the relatively softer and slow rhythm in the end of the first movement. And then the intense part came back again, which was just like a long battle.

The second movement was more soothing, like sunlight driving away dark clouds and the raging waves in the ocean calming down, like the soldiers going back to their campsite for a short rest during the break.

The following third and fourth movements were interwoven with each other, and the tune became pressing and overwhelming again.

The sunlight disappeared and the dark clouds came back again; the seemingly quiet ocean was secretly building even bigger waves; The soldiers picked up their weapons and headed toward the battlefield.

The greatest and final battle was about to come.

The feeling of anxiety, worry and fear gradually accumulated with the development of the music.

Eventually the storm came, throwing a fishing boat up above the raging waves and, in the next second, fiercely dropping it down. Faced with the power of nature, the little boat seemed so helpless and weak; In the battlefield, the final round was about to decide the fate of the soldiers, who were fighting, killing or being killed, but they were still brave.

The fishing boat did not give in to the roaring waves; The soldiers were beating back their enemies.

In the last movement, the music became gentle again, which sounded a bit grieved, as if the soldiers were lamenting their dead comrades in the battlefield, as if the sailors were missing their families in the waves.

There came the darkest hour before the dawn. The listeners felt nervous again.

What was waiting for them in the end? Failure or victory?

Did they overcome the difficulties, or get completely defeated by the difficulties?

Did they finally take fate by the throat?

Or did they give in to fate?

Suddenly, the exciting and splendid chapter arrived and directly struck the listeners' hearts. That was a chapter of great victory!

Feeling excited and encouraged, Victor could not stop himself from raising his arm. He wanted to cheer, cheer for the sunlight driving away the dark clouds, for the sailors surviving on the fishing ship, for the soldiers successfully protecting their land!

The rest of the listeners were feeling gratified and excited as well, as if they got the faith and power for themselves to fight against their own sufferings.

Rhine, who always looked calmer than others, was also smiling.

Lucien moved his hands from the keyboard and wanted to stand up, but found himself so weak. The playing consumed all his strength and energy.

"This is…" murmured Victor, as if he was asking Lucien, or asking himself.

Rhine, Lott, Felicia and Herodotus all looked at Lucien, waiting for his answer.

"This is fate." Lucien tried hard to stand up, and replied him.

Rhine was the first one applauding, then followed by the rest of the students. Victor also joined them, applauding hard.

"This is music, genuine music!" Victor walked close to Lucien and commented.

Lucien smiled, and he said sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Victor. Since you like my composition, I wonder if I could have the honor of having you revise it for me. We can tell Mr. Othello and Her Highness that we want to alter the list. I'm sure they would agree and you will find it a good piece of work for your concert, Mr. Victor."

Lucien's intention was clear to everyone in the room ― he wanted to give his work to Victor and he was willing to give up the honor and fame he deserved. They turned their eyes on Victor, waiting excitedly for his response.

A mixture of emotions spread over Victor's face: ecstasy, relief, excitement, greed, hesitation… An inner struggle was going on in his mind.

"You can put my name on the second position, if you want. I cannot refine it, and your work will be really important, Mr. Victor." Lucien tried to make his teacher feel less guilty for taking his student's work.

After a while, with a long sigh, a smile appeared on Victor's face and he turned to Lucien.

"No, I won't. It is yours. This is your great work. I already can see your name being registered in the history of music. Apart from God and Winnie, who are supporting me, I still have my moral creed. That's what Winnie appreciated most."

This was Mr. Victor, his music teacher. Lucien could feel the tears in his own eyes.

Chapter 59: Confirmation

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

"Mr. Victor!" Lott and Herodotus couldn't believe that their teacher refused to accept this precious gift.

Although there were still some problems with Lucien's playing, this was still a great piece of work. If Victor was willing to revise it and recompose it into a symphony, it could possibly become one of the greatest works in the music history, the most brilliant gem on the crown of symphony! Even Felicia felt that what Mr. Victor just said was unbelievable.

Waving his right hand, Victor stopped them and turned to Lucien again.

"Mr. Victor…" Lucien realized that he couldn't persuade his teacher unless he cast a spell on him. He did not know what to say.

"Thank you, Lucien. Thanks God." Holding his hand over his heart, Victor smiled, "It is the most touching music I've ever heard. Thank you. Now I have a new understanding toward music. And… can I have the honor to present this great piece of work on the concert as conductor?"

"Thank you for your comment, Mr. Victor… Wait, conductor?" Lucien was very surprised, "I don't get it… It's your concert."

"Did anyone say that I cannot be a conductor on my own concert?" Victor grinned.

"Idiot…" Felicia commented in a very low voice, "Mr. Victor is going to introduce your work to all the distinguished audiences on his concert." She envied Lucien for having such a great chance of gaining much fame within a short period of time. However, she also admitted that Lucien's talent did deserve this chance.

After hearing Felicia's words, Lucien hurriedly said to Victor, "It is my great pleasure."

"I have a question for you, Lucien." Herodotus asked him from a distance, with his hands holding tightly, "Does the work really come from you? Yes, or no?"

The rest of the people in the room just now realize that Lucien was only a very inexperienced music student. How did he manage to compose such an exciting, brilliant solo?

Was he really a genius, a hidden gem?

Everyone was looking at Lucien.

Lucien did not know how to explain to them, and he also couldn't. With regard to being righteous and honest, he was no way close to his music teacher.

Now, there was only one thing Lucien could do ― stick to his plan.

"Yes," answered Lucien, "The inspiration of the solo came to my mind a long time ago. At that time, I had not received any formal music education before I met Mr. Victor. I had no idea how to write down the pieces of tunes in my head."

Victor looked at Lucien and nodded.

"The inspiration came from my daily life, from poverty, desperation and struggle. Every time I saw other people dressing decently, or having fancy dishes, I wonder why that was not my life. I want to fight for my own future."

"That's why you came to look for Mr. Victor?" asked Rhine.

"That's right. But becoming Mr. Victor's music student was something out of my expectation. I never thought I could be so lucky. After all, I started from learning how to read, not music." Lucien answered, "Although I met lots of difficulties in the past several months, I'm really grateful for all the support and encouragement you gave me, Mr. Victor."

Lucien's real experiences and lies mixed together, which made his words sound more persuasive, "I've been working on this for more than three weeks, and I was trying to make lots of improvement during these days. Lott, Felicia and Herodotus are my witnesses."

Rhine and Victor turned to look at the rest of the students, wondering why they never found the value of Lucien's work.

"Well…" Felicia looked at Lucien with a mixed feeling, "Probably it was our prejudice that made us deaf. Actually, I can recall some of the pieces that I heard while Lucien was composing and practicing. At that time, Lucien was still working on it, and his playing was pretty… awful. So we did not really pay attention to it."

Only Lucien himself knew that his awful playing was made on purpose.

"As Felicia said, our prejudice deafened us." Lott admitted, "Lucien, you are a genius. A great song like this usually takes months or even years of hard work."

Lott was very impressed with Lucien's playing. If his work had not been this good, maybe he would still feel a bit jealousy and angry, but now he saw the huge gap between himself and Lucien. He was well aware of the fact that being mean and hostile towards a possible great musician in the future couldn't bring him any benefit.

"Thank you, Lott. But I am not a genius… It also took me many years…" Lucien tried to explain.

"It's okay to just accept praise from others, Lucien." Victor smiled, "I've never heard anything similar to this before. I believe it's your own work."

Rhine also nodded, "I've been traveling in many countries. It's also my first time hearing it. I believe it is your tough life which gives you the inspiration. Suffering made you a genius. Thank you for bringing this to us, Lucien."

Lucien's face blushed. While other people thought he was just being shy, Lucien knew that he was feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

"I agree with Rhine. Sometimes, without the many boundaries and limits in mind, a new learner might be able to better release his or her feelings and inspiration and create great works, flying free in the world of music." Victor took over the words from Rhine, "I've been working on my fourth symphony for nine years in memory of my wife, Winnie, but I was having a hard time since I was constrained by my past experience and what I learned from my teachers. I thought a symphony was not suitable for expressing personal emotions, but serious religious theme instead. Thank you, Lucien, You provided me with a new insight of my work."

Then Victor turned around and clapped his hands with satisfaction, "All right, Lucien. Carefully write your work down and I will revamp it for you and turn it into a symphony. I will also talk to Mr. Othello to change the list. Then we need to do a lot of practice for the coming concert."

Chapter 60: Lucien in Suit

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Although this was not his original plan, Lucien nodded, "No problem, Mr. Victor."

As long as no one would suspect him of being involved with sorcery or heresy stuff, Lucien did not really care if some people would accuse him of plagiarizing.

In many of the religious books in the library, music was compared to a treasure that God gave to people, the most powerful weapon that people had in fighting against all the difficulties. Thus, music was always regarded as a symbol of light and hope, having nothing to do with darkness and evil.

Besides, from the books he read and the conversations among Lott, Felicia and Herodotus, Lucien noticed the barrier between the church and the nobles. Although the nobles still revered God, the idea that religion and government should work separately started emerging in Aalto, the city where the church dominated almost everything..

Therefore, Lucien was pretty sure that the church would not easily suspect a new musician from the association, which had a close relationship with both the nobles and the church.

Lucien's only concern was that he might need to go through security inspection in the future, when being invited to attend concerts or evening parties. However, Lucien believed that if he could be relatively famous, there would be rare or even no security inspection toward him.

Rhine took up a pile of paper and a quill from the desk and handed them to Lucien.

Lucien grabbed the quill. Before he had the chance to write anything down, he suddenly sneezed. His hair was still wet, and several drops of water fell onto the paper.

Victor just noticed that Lucien's clothes were still wet, "You didn't bring an umbrella?"

Felicia's face slightly blushed, since she could see Lucien's fit body underneath his wet shirt.

"I did. But the rain was too heavy. I ran all the way," answered Lucien.

Victor was moved, "Let's find you some dry clothes first, Lucien. I got several suits here. Some of them should fit you well."

"I can do part of the work for you first, " urged Rhine. He took away the quill in Lucien's hand, "Go and change your clothes."

At that moment, Rhine's fingers touched Lucien's hand. Lucien surprisedly noticed that Rhine's hand was even colder than his.

…

In the changing room, Lucian dried his hair and put on Victor's white shirt, black coat, pants and leather shoes. By then he looked brand new―black hair, black eyes. In the mirror stood a good-looking young man.

"Look at you, Lucien! You look really good in this suit!" Victor nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing Lucien in this decent suit, Felicia, Lott and Herodotus felt somehow Lucien looked more reliable now.

Judging a person by one's appearance did not only happen on Earth.

"Lucien, come and check if this part Mr. Rhine just wrote down is correct," asked Victor.

When Lucien passed Lott, the latter said to him in a low voice with his standard, polite smile, "Hope we can exchange our ideas more often in the future."

"Sure," replied Lucien politely as well.

Hearing their conversation, Felicia bit her lips with her white teeth a bit and made a tough decision, "Lucien, you have my apology. I am sorry that I was being really mean to you because of my prejudice. I hope we can get along well and help each other in the future."

Her face blushed again.

Only Herodotus was still standing on the other side, his head lowered and his eyes staring at the feet, without saying anything.

"Not a problem, Felicia." Lucien nodded and then walked toward Rhine and Victor.

…

Three o'clock in the afternoon, Felicia saw that Baron Othello's coach stopped in front of the association building.

Victor looked very pleasant, "Great work, everyone! We are such an efficient group, aren't we? The excitement I felt from the music is still lingering upon my mind. Although the rewriting hasn't been finished yet, the rest of the work is pretty detailed. I feel like it's ready to be registered with the association now. And I don't think changing the list will be a problem either."

Lucien knew that his playing just now was still not very skilled, and thus he believed that it was his emotions infused in his playing that moved his listeners.

Following Victor, Lucien came to one of the rooms on the third floor, where an elder gentleman wearing glasses was sitting there.

"You got your work done, Victor?" asked the elder man.

"Joseph, not me, it's my student, Lucien. We want to get his great work registered," Victor answered and then introduced him to Lucien, "This is Mr. Joseph, a very experienced senior music critic. Mr. Joseph knows most of the music works in the world, including those of other nonhuman species like elf's music. At the same time, Mr. Joseph is also a pastor in training. He can tell if you are plagiarizing or it's really you own work. After that, Mr. Joseph will register you work with a time mark using his pastor power. Any work that comes afterwards which is similar to your work will be regarded as plagiarism."

"How long have you been learning music after Victor?" adjusting his glasses, Joseph asked, "A pretty promising young lad, uh…"

"Well… about… three months." Lucien felt a bit embarrassed.

"You must be kidding me." Joseph's eyes were full of surprise, "Three months?"

"Take a look at it first, please." Victor did not say anything else, but stood there with a smile on his face.

"All right. Let's see what are we looking at here." Joseph felt like it was somewhat a joke.

Soon the smile on Joseph's face was replaced by a serious look. His left hand was beating time when he was humming the music notes, as if he entered into a whole new world, or a fascinating story.

About ten minutes later, with a long sigh, Joseph told Victor with excitement, "What a great work! It reminds me of the years when I was helping the knights fighting against the evil creatures in the Dark Mountain Range. Oh those years, with courage, with faith and with hope…"

"I told you, Joseph." Victor looked proud.

"I… I still cannot believe it. You said it's your student's work… from this young lad?" Joseph's glasses were slanted on his nose.

"Lucien's a young lad who knows about tough life," said Victor. Then he shared some of Lucien's stories with Joseph.

"Well… I guess our association's gonna have another gifted musician then." Joseph was very impressed, but still found it unbelievable. He turned around and said to Lucien, "If you want to further prove yoursef, keep working on new music themes. About every two years, you gotta have something new to prove yourself."

"In two years… I would have left Aalto already." Lucien thought to himself, while watching Joseph leaving a time mark with his pastor power on the music sheets.

"Does your work have a name? It's sort of a trend now." Joseph raised his head.

"Fate."

…

After Victor and Lucien finished the registration, they came to the Director's office.

Before entering the office, Victor suddenly smiled.

"I can't wait to see Mr. Othello's reaction to this."

Lucien realized that it had been a couple of months since he last saw this bright smile on Victor's face.

Chapter 61: Questioning

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

There was a knock at the door. Othello raised his head and asked, "Who is that?"

"It's me, Victor." Victor's voice sounded softer now.

"Well, come in then, Victor." Othello seemed to be in quite a good mood.

Othello had failed to awaken the Blessing. In order to secure his title and fortune, he worked hard to please the Grand Duke and also Princess Natasha, who had already inherited the title of Violet Countess.

It seemed like Othello had a pretty good conversation with Her Highness.

Victor slowly opened the door and entered the room, along with Lucien.

Othello raised his head with a bit of a smile on his face, which was very rarely to see. His black suit was still clean and tidy, without any stain from the heavy rain.

"Victor!" Sitting behind the red desk, Othello talked to Victor with excitement, "Her Highness is looking forward to your new concertos this year and the new music instrument, the piano! Do work hard, Victor. You don't want to let Her Highness down. Well, and this is…" Othello noticed the finely dressed young man following Victor, but he already forgot that he had actually met Lucien once before.

"I don't, and I won't, Mr. Othello," answered Victor. Then he slightly pushed Lucien forward and introduced him to Othello, "This is my student, Lucien… Lucien Evans. He just wrote his first piece of music and I am hoping that you can have a look at it. After all, it is known to all that you are such an authority in serious-style music."

Victor wanted Othello to take a careful look at Lucien's work without any prejudice, so he did not tell Othello his actual intention directly.

"When did you have this new student? I never heard that before." Othello was still in his pretty good mood.

When Othello took over the paper file and started reading the sheet music, very soon a serious look appeared on his face.

Othello was very impressed by the beginning part. He could surely say that, in the past couple of decades, he never met a music work like this. After reading the first several bars, Othello could already tell that the following movements were going to be very intense and passionate.

He was clearly aware of the fact that he was old. And he devoted pretty much all his life to religious music. Facing the new music trend in Aalto where many young musicians were trying to express their own feelings through music, he felt quite reluctant and disagreeable since he believed that music should be much more sacred than this.

However, his heart was beating so fiercely when he was reading the sheets of music. After reading the first movement, Othello found the palms of his hands covered in a film of sweat as if he just had a fierce fight.

He did not like this kind of music. He wanted to tear these sheets up to prevent this work from influencing more people. In his mind, authentic music should be way more calm, sacred and serious.

At the same time, he couldn't deny the value of this young man's work. He knew that Music Criticism and Symphony News were holding an open attitude towards the new music style, and so was Princess Natasha.

He also did not want to lose his manner in front of the younger generations, as a renowned, experienced noble musician.

When the silence in the office started becoming more and more torturing, Othello finally dropped the sheets and talked to them, "You're very gifted, Lucien. I'm glad to see that we're having a promising young musician. However, Lucien, what I want to remind you is that music is a sacred tool for us to praise the Lord. Music is something powerful and serious and we're supposed to serve the Lord with music. I hope you can put more thoughts and work into the authentic theme of music."

"I see. Thank you, Director Othello." Lucien was not really paying attention to his comment. In his mind, picturing a magic apprentice like him praising the Lord was a pretty funny joke.

Victor was already satisfied with Othello's reaction. At least Othello did not say Lucien's work was not good. So he decided to take his plan a step forward.

"Sir, I really appreciate Lucien's work, and I believe you can also see the value of it. Therefore, I want to present Lucien's work to everyone in my concert."

"No!" Without even thinking, Othello rejected Victor's proposal directly.

"Why? Mr. Othello?" Victor took a tough stance.

Although Othello was a bit surprised with Victor's attitude, soon enough he believed that he understood Victor's intention. Othello thought that Victor wanted to use his student's work to increase his own fame and reputation.

"I showed Princess Natasha the list already. If we just change the list casually, Her Highness would think the association is not serious, not reliable. You want to do harm to the reputation of our association for your own benefit, Victor?"

"I'm afraid it's just the reverse, Mr. Othello." Victor was very motivated, "If we have a better option, but choose not to present the best work to the Grand Duke and Princess Natasha, that will definitely harm the reputation of our association. And, Mr. Othello, if you insist…" Victor paused a bit, "if you insist, I will bring the music sheets to Ms. Silvia and ask her to take them to Princess Natasha. I will not give up."

"Victor!" Feeling challenged, Othello stood up from his armchair and stared at Victor angrily.

"Mr. Othello," Victor tried to be a bit more gentle, "Grand Duke and Princess Natasha hold no prejudice toward this kind of music style… Actually, they prefer this style. Sir, please think about what their reaction would be after hearing Lucien's work. I believe it's beneficial for you as well."

Othello clearly knew that without the support from many nobles, this new music trend would not have gained its momentum so quickly.

He was old, and none of his offspring had awaken the Blessing. Othello knew that he must prepare a good future for them to make sure the glory of his family could last. Besides, Victor rarely looked so serious and firm before. Even if he insisted on not allowing them to replace that part of the list, Othello believed that they would find another way out.

Taking many factors into consideration, finally, Othello made his compromise, "All right. Two days before the concert, I'll be watching the rehearsal to make sure everything's going on well."

"Of course, Mr. Othello." Victor slightly shook his right fist excitedly.

"Well… I have to say that you have a very talented student." Othello glanced at Lucien, "I wonder why I never heard his name before…"

"He just became my music student three months ago," answered Victor honestly.

"Three months? What do you mean?" Othello was confused.

"Yes. He first started learning music three months ago." Victor was kind of expecting Othello's reaction.

"…" With his mouth half open, Othello was shocked.

After a while, he suddenly stood up again and started yelling at Victor, "Are you kidding?! Are you sure this is his work?!"

"Yes, I'm sure, sir," Victor nodded and said, "My other students witnessed his gradual improvement and Lucien had a dozen of the manuscripts from his past work. Joseph has proved his work as well."

Othello sat back down, panting and murmuring weakly, as if he lost all his strength.

Maybe he was mourning for his past glory in his music achievement.

It took him a while to calm down. Othello waved his hand and motioned them to leave.

When Victor and Lucien left the office, Lucien noticed a very familiar person. When he got closer, Lucien recognized that it was Corella, the high-rank knight squire who fought against the red-eyed mice together with him in the sewers.

Corella was still wearing the silver chain mail and his face looked serious. Following Elena, Corella came straight to Lucien.

Before Lucien said anything to him, Corella asked Lucien directly, "Lucien, tell me why you didn't come to the library this morning."

Both Victor and Elena were surprised. They never thought that the church would care about some random guy being absent from work for a single morning.

Chapter 62: Trouble Solved

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Lucien did not panic. Instead, a series of thoughts came to his mind:

"Did the church find out it was me?

"…No, it can't be. If the church had found this out, they wouldn't have waited until now. I was involved in the witch's trouble before… I must be on their list of suspects, but not on the top."

Lucien paused a bit and answered, "I stood up late to complete the last part of my music work, then I felt very sick in the morning, so I asked for a leave. Now I'm feeling much better. That's it."

"Did you see a doctor? What was wrong with you? Can anyone prove it?" Corella questioned closely.

"No one. I was not sick… I was just really tired," Lucien answered calmly.

"I can prove for him, sir." Victor took a step forward, "Every time when I finished composing, I felt the same tiredness."

"You are…?" Corella glanced at him.

"Mr. Victor is Lucien's music teacher, a musician." Elena introduced, feeling very surprised that Lucien could somehow compose a piece of music so quickly.

Corella took out his quill and quickly wrote something down on his notebook, "I'm sorry, Mr. Victor. You're Lucien's teacher, so your testimony cannot be fully trusted. I wonder if there is anyone else who can prove for him, or I have to take him back to the church to do a physical examination, just in case."

Lucien's face did not show any different, but his mind was being busy with finding possible excuses. For a few seconds, he did not say anything.

"I can also prove for this young man. I'm the director of the association, Baron, Othello." Hearing the noise, Othello came out of his office, "Lucien just finished his first music work. It was great. He must have devoted all his soul and strength to it."

Although Othello disliked this young man's music style, he still admitted Lucien's talent and effort. Besides, the upcoming concert, and also the association, needed Lucien.

Corella nodded, and wrote a line of words on the notebook again.

"With your words, Mr. Baron, I believe it's time for me to leave now."

Actually, Corella himself did not believe that Lucien would be the the one under the wanted-notice either. According to the information from the inquisition, they were looking for a sorcerer at least of the third circle. There was no way that an ordinary young man who was a nobody three months before could turn into an evil and powerful sorcerer so quickly.

The cardinals of the inquisition did not put Lucien's name on the list in the first round either.

Now there was a Baron speaking for Lucien. Pissing off a noble was the last thing he wanted to do before he became a real knight.

Watching Corella leaving, Lucien breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't let this bother you two. I'm gonna be very demanding." Othello nodded to them and went back in his office.

"Oh my god, Lucien, Mr. Othello said you composed your own musical work? Holy…" Elena looked Lucien up and down as if he suddenly became a stranger.

Lucien just nodded with a smile.

"What is going on here? Why are you here, Victor?" It was Wolf, who was walking downstairs.

"Nothing." Victor shook his head, "I just talked to Mr. Othello about a change in one of the pieces of symphony on the list."

Victor knew that Wolf would know this sooner or later anyway, so he did not really care.

Wolf's face suddenly darkened, "You got a new piece of work? It's impossible. You were that desperate several hours before…Wait, how could Mr. Othello allow you to change the list? Did he allow you to?"

With a series of questions, Wolf couldn't wait to figure out what was going on there.

"Since we met Mr. Othello's expectation." Victor shrugged his shoulder pleasantly.

"What requirement? Within several hours, you suddenly can meet Mr. Othello's requirement? It's ridiculous…!"

"Well…" Victor blinked, "If the fact pisses you off, that's too bad. By the way, it was not my work, but my student's work. You said a pauper cannot become a musician. Lucien proved that you're wrong."

Pointing at Lucien, who was standing aside, Wolf laughed as if he heard a rather funny joke, "Are you kidding me, Victor? This poor guy just started to learn music three months ago, and now you're saying that he composed a piece of music work that is qualified to be played in the Psalm Hall? If it's true, I'll fulfill my promise… I will never compose again but only do music criticism. But if it's not, you really have to apologize to me for lying."

"If I were you, I wouldn't say this too soon, Wolf." Victor looked very serious, "You can laugh. But you will see on the concert. And then you will see Lucien's work in the library."

Wolf stopped laughing. He took a glance at Lucien and cursed, "You guys are just lunatic. I'll wait and see how you're going to shame yourself. We'll see if you can make my words come true." Before he left, Wolf glared at Lucien and added fiercely.

Watching Wolf leaving, Victor commented, "Arrogance brings prejudice, and prejudice makes a person an idiot. Lucien, take a rest today and let's get started tomorrow. I'll talk to Mr. Hank and tell him I have to borrow you from him for a while." Victor smiled.

Still feeling tired, Lucien nodded and said his farewell to Mr. Victor.

After grabbing his umbrella, Lucien walked toward the gate together with Elena.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Elena?" Lucien was feeling a bit bothered with Elena's continuous gaze.

"Honestly, I feel like you're not the Lucien I knew before… I always knew that you're talented, but I still can't believe you can compose such a great music work on your own which is appreciated by both Mr. Victor and Mr. Othello."

Lucien slightly waved his hands, "I guess I just got inspired somehow. Maybe my inspiration came from my past experiences."

Elena had no idea of how long it often took a musician to compose a piece of music. She slightly tilted her head and smiled, "Maybe you're really a genius. I always trusted you, Lucien. Don't forget me as a friend when you become a really great musician."

"Of course I won't." Lucien also smiled to her and then left the association.

Watching Lucien leave, Elena stood there for a long time and murmured to herself, "Why he's so talented…?"

......

Seeing Lucien's nice suit, Joel joked with Lucien a bit over dinner for suddenly turning into a gentleman. Then, Lucien went back to his place and fell asleep directly. He did not wake up until nine in the night.

When Lucien woke up, he felt much better. Although he really wanted to start making Revenant Dust right now, Lucien knew he should not act too hastily, or it would be too risky.

Taking another tube of Storm, Lucien felt more energized. Tonight he decided to refine his spiritual power using the power of the star. Hopefully he could become a real magic apprentice tonight.

After becoming a junior apprentice, Lucien would be able to cast one more apprentice spell. The recovery speed of Lucien's spiritual power would be increased by a bit, and the ability to withstand Mind Magic would also be improved.

Chapter 63: The Psalm Hall

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The starry sky was deep and dark. Again, Lucien was using the power of the star to refine his spiritual power in the meditation world.

Among all the stars, Lucien's Host Star was the brightest one, and also the easiest one for him to control.

The light of the star slowly covered Lucien's soul. Lucien could feel his soul was being nurtured by the star and his spiritual power was improving.

With the help of Storm, Lucien was more energetic than ever, so his progress was rapid. Soon, he felt his soul was filled with power. It seemed like the power was outstretching his soul to reach the stars. For the first time, Lucien realized that his soul could be solidified with power.

Finishing the meditation, the illusion of the starry sky also disappeared. Lucien's mind was more sober and clearer than ever, and he knew he had become a junior apprentice. Although the change in his soul was too tiny to be observed by other people, Lucien's soul could now better withstand Mind Magic, recover from common injuries twice faster than before, and be more alert to the surroundings.

However, the damage to his body from taking Storm and achieving the breakthrough was also obvious. Soon Lucien felt exhausted again. Lucien knew that he had to become a real sorcerer to employ certain spells prolonging his lifespan, or he would probably die in his early sixties.

…

In the following several days, with Lucien's help, Victor successfully refined Fate and rewrote it into a piece of symphony work. After countless times of practicing, and also with the support of Rhine, finally their playing impressed Mr. Othello.

Mr. Othello's applause lasted for a while in the music hall, "It's an awesome piece of work. It's gonna make a stir in the audience. Victor, you really have a good student."

"And you, Lucien," Othello turned around, "you're indeed talented. But remember, becoming famous at such young age can be risky."

Othello slightly shook his head, still feeling disappointed that Lucien would not devote himself to religious music, and then he left.

"I think what Othello said was right, Lucien." Victor seemed to be a bit concerned, "You'll be facing lots of pressure, mostly because of me."

"Please do not worry, Mr. Victor." Lucien comforted him, "I'll be driven by pressure and you know I can handle it pretty well."

Lucien had his own plan: If he could really become famous, he would be able to meet more people from higher status. It would be very beneficial for him to get some precious magic materials such as Moonlight Rose Dust and to earn more Thales to support himself.

"I do believe in you," Victor nodded, "and after the concert, your top priority will be practicing piano, which will definitely be your most important skill as a good musician. I'll try my best to help you stay focused."

Then Victor switched the topic, "If you want, Lucien, you can invite some of your families or friends to the concert."

"Really?! But I heard that one ticket for a Psalm Hall Concert is worth at least a Thale… it's like a whole-year saving for a common family." Lucien felt it was too good to be true.

"Yes, it is, but you've made a great contribution to the concert, so you deserve this." Victor smiled, "The leading musician, the conductor and the chief instrumentalist of a Psalm Hall Concert always have some extra tickets for their families and friends. It's pretty nice, isn't it?"

"It's awesome, Mr. Victor! Thanks a lot!" Lucien was very excited, as he still remembered uncle Joel's music dream. "Can I bring five people there?" Lucien was thinking about uncle Joel, auntie Alisa, John, Iven and Elena.

"Well… It seems like you relate pretty well to people, Lucien." Victor grinned, "I got this covered. No worries."

…

"Seriously, the Psalm Hall? The one in Aalto?" Alisa could not believe her ears.

"Yes, it is. Will you go there?" Lucien asked the family again with a smile on his face.

"For sure we will, Lucien." Joel was feeling very excited but also confused, "But we are… we are not qualified for going there, are we? I thought only families and friends of the musicians of the concert were invited."

"Come on, dad! Lucien is Mr. Victor's student!" Iven's eyes were gleaming with excitement, "Oh my god… I'm gonna be the envy of all the kids in Aderon!"

"Actually… I helped Mr. Victor with a piece of music work for the concert, so I can invite some of my families and friends." Lucien was a bit shy to admit.

"What?" Joel's fork dropped on the table, "You did?" As a bard, he seriously understood how hard composing was.

Lucien did not explain directly, "I know it's pretty unexpected, uncle Joel, but you will see."

"Now our little Evans got his own secret!" Joel laughed, "All right, we'll wait and see. And before that, we need to rent some decent clothes."

"Sure. We'll tell John as well." Alisa's face was glowing with pride, "I really hope he'll be able to come."

…

Saturday. Eight o'clock in the evening. The Psalm Hall.

Decent coaches with assorted family insignias gathered in front of the hall. Some of them were luxury and some of them were simple but tasteful, but all were pulled by the strong and fine horses called Dragon Scale.

Finely dressed ladies and gentlemen came out of the coaches, took over the music list for tonight and started greeting each other.

"It's such a pleasure to see you here, sir. I wish you had a pleasant trip coming back to Aalto from your manor." A middle-aged man slight bowed to the earl with red hair. The other nobles around him were also being very respectful, since the earl was the head of one of the most dominant families in Aalto, the Hayne family, and was also Felicia's uncle.

"Mr. Victor is my niece's music teacher. For sure I should attend the concert." Earl Hayne smiled, "Besides, there are many different issues going on in Aalto recently. It is my duty to come back and serve the Grand Duke."

Earl Hayne was in his fifties, but as a level three grand knight with the Blessing of Fire, no one could really tell his age based on his appearance. And his son, Harrington, was an outstanding young man, who just became a level six radiant knight in his early thirties and consolidated the family status.

Other nobles around were all nodding with compliments.

Taking over the music list and quickly glancing over it, Hayne noticed the name on the list, "Lucien Evans? Since when did Victor have such a student who can already compose?"

"Although I haven't seen Felicia for a while," a noble lady named Yvette wondered, "she never mentioned a student whose name's Lucien several months ago when we were on vacation."

"Well, let's wait and see then." Lord Hayne started walking to the hallway. He unbuckled his sword and handed it to the guard, letting them check his other personal belongings.

Since the Grand Duke would be here tonight as well, the security check must be strict.

At the same time, the church laid a very large magic-blocking circle covering the whole Psalm Hall, in which almost all the supernatural magic spells, except legendary spells, were completely blocked. The blocking circle has been the church's greatest work in more than a hundred years.

After Earl Hayne entered the hallway, two fine, dark purple coaches came, followed by two lines of guards in red uniforms with golden stripes.

Chapter 64: The Nobles

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The shade of purple on the coaches was elegant and gentle. Both coaches were emblazoned with the same coat of arms―a strong armored arm grabbing a silver shield, surrounded by many bright purple violets together with fortress-like patterns.

It was the coat of arms of Orvarit Family, which was called the Family of Violet and also the Shield of Truth.

The two coaches stopped in front of the long red carpet. Nobles who had already entered the hall left their seats and came outside again, following Count Hayne and Count Rafati, to welcome the grand duke, while the musicians were standing in the distance to show their respect.

A tall young lady with bright purple hair got off the coach first in her elegant black evening dress.

Her deep eyes were purple like a dream, her eyebrows were heavier and longer than common ladies, and her nose was high and straight, which matched perfectly with her pink, bloom-like lips. The young lady was gorgeous, and her beauty was unique: her beauty was of vitality, confidence, and heroic spirit. If it was appropriate to compare Ms. Silvia to the lily, who was gentle and elegant, the young lady would be a flourishing violet, lively and passionate.

This young lady was the well-known Violet Countess, Natasha.

And the middle-aged woman that Lucien saw last time was standing by Natasha's side.

As a level five grand knight, Natasha was half-head taller than most men. She quickly walked to the other coach and supported her father, the grand duke, with his hand, to get off.

Orvarit also had purple hair, but much lighter than his daughter's. In his early sixties, the grand duke looked weaker than his peers. When he was younger, Orvarit was not as gifted as Natasha, therefore, he had to rely on the many secret potions provided by the church and the family in order to awaken his Blessing, and then he became a level two knight. His health had been damaged by the potions in the early years, and the loss of his wife and the eldest son in the following years were also devastating to him.

Even with all the sufferings, Orvarit was still very handsome and attractive. His love towards his late wife was well-known and touching. Many years before, Orvarit fell in love with the only princess of the Kingdom of Holm across Storm Strait when he was staying there as an ambassador. They overcame countless difficulties together and finally got married. In the following years, he gave all his love to his wife and never had any affair. The love story was still being sung by many bards until today.

Supported by Natasha, the grand duke got off the coach and walked towards the red carpet. In his eyes, the sacred Psalm Hall never changed in his memory, and then he started thinking about his whole life. After so many years, Natasha was now his only concern. Indeed, he was very proud of his daughter, but also felt worried, since Natasha had an even stronger personality than many men.

In front of the splendid and magnificent hall, the nobles were saluting the grand duke and the princess, showing their great respect. Orvarit was smiling to the nobles in his grave and dignified bearing, while Natasha was slightly nodding to them. Even Lucien could tell from a distance that although the princess was more than used to all of these noble manners, she was not much interested in them. However, when she later found Silvia standing among the nobles, a big and lovely smile appeared on her face.

Lucien saw Natasha was slightly bowing to Silvia with her right hand on her chest, which was a typical male greeting.

"That's weird… Um… If I'm not mistaken, there is definitely something between Princess Natasha and Ms. Silvia…" Lucien did not want to gossip about it, but still felt a bit sorry for the noble gentlemen present. After all, both Silvia and Natasha were both very attractive and charming.

"I suggest we go inside and get seated first, your majesty." Count Hayne grinned after saluting the grand duke respectfully, "Let's leave some free space to the young people."

His son Viscount Harrington was talking to Princess Natasha. Harrington was a nice-looking and enthusiastic young man. The concert for tonight was important, and so was the socializing part.

Orvarit only took a quick glance at the young man without too much hope, "We should wait a bit. I believe Cardinal Sard will be here tonight as well."

Hearing the name, many nobles standing close by stopped talking, looking rather surprised.

Sard, the Saint Cardinal, the presider of the church in the Duchy of Orvarit, member of the Episcopal Conference, was known for almost living in seclusion. It was very unexpected that he was attending the concert tonight, which reminded many of the nobles present of the evil ritual previously conducted in Baron Laurent's house.

At this time, a simple coach with the Saint Truth Badge on it stopped in front of the hall. Everyone there could guess it was Sard's coach.

Being helped by a young knight, an old man in his white robe got off the coach. He looked very kind with his totally white hair, just like a loving grandpa. Walking with firm and steady steps, Sard was still in pretty good health. No one could really tell he was actually already over two-hundred years old.

As the old cardinal walked closer, Lucien suddenly felt a warm air gently breezing in his spirit, like his soul was basking in the holy light.

Lucien was very surprised with how powerful the old man's spiritual power was. When his spiritual power got totally blocked by the magic circle laid by the church, the power of the old man's soul was still this influential. He had actually heard Sard's name before, since he was like a legend in this world. In that moment, Lucien finally saw the legend with his own eyes.

It was said that, among all the cardinals in the Saint Truth Church, only about ten of them were Saint Cardinals. According to Lucien's knowledge, taking those people, including the greatest knight commanders, leaders of the inquisition and the monks into consideration, there could be no more than thirty people in this world who had this kind of power like Sard did.

Standing close to Lucien, Rhine narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his brows in concentration as if something was too burning bright for him.

Lucien noticed Rhine's difference and turned to look at him, and his eyes just met Rhine's in that moment. The corner of Rhine's mouth quirked up, putting a casual smile on his face.

It was not the first time that Lucien noticed Rhine was behaving in a weird way. However, Lucien knew that tonight was not a proper time for solving the many questions about Rhine in his mind.

When Cardinal Sard entered the hallway, following the knight manner, Orvarit kissed Sard's right hand respectfully with his knees slightly bent.

"Only truth lives forever," said the grand duke.

It looked like religious authority was still above imperial power in Aalto.

"It's very nice to see you, Your Majesty. I'm glad to see that you're still doing this great, and I'm glad to see our lovely little Natasha is an outstanding knight now." Sard held Orvarit's arm and smiled lovingly.

The grand duke and the cardinal walked into the concert hall hand in hand, with Natasha holding Sard's arm on the other side slightly behind them. They were followed by the nobles walking in the strict rank rules.

"Well… It's time to get prepared in the backstage." Victor smiled, "Lucien, you may want to wait here for your friends and lead them to their seats later."

Lucien nodded and watched Victor and Rhine leaving. Soon Felicia, Lott and Herodotus went into the hall as well, and they would be sitting in the good seats assigned for their families.

Close to the hallway, only Athy and Lucien were still waiting there. Athy was waiting for Victor's relatives and Lucien was waiting for his friends.

A moment later, a plain and fully-loaded coach came. Iven was the first one getting off the coach, followed by his elder brother, John. Iven looked very adorable in his little suit, while John was the same, tall and handsome, whose blonde hair was shining in the light.

Joel and Alisa got off the coach as well. Lucien felt auntie Alisa's dress was pretty tight for her, but her happy smile made her look much younger than usual. Seeing the whole family, Lucien smiled without knowing.

"I thought you wouldn't come." Lucien playfully hit John on his shoulder. The two buddies had not seen each other for a while.

"Come on…!" John also hit Lucien back cheerily, "Your first music work will be played in the Psalm Hall. As your best friend, how can I miss it! By the way, Lucien, I have a good news too." John hugged Lucien and patted him on the back, "I'm a high-rank knight squire now!"

"Wow! That's awesome, John! Good for you!" Lucien grinned.

At this time, Elena also arrived. In her long, light yellow dress, Elena looked like a lovely angel tonight.

"Good for you too, Lucien." Joel took a glance at Elena and nudged Lucien slightly, "She's adorable."

"No… no… we're just friends." Lucien was a bit shy and embarrassed.

Then Lucien led them to the west stand. It was much smaller than the other stands, and could only seat twenty people.

…

The best seats belonged to the distinguished counts and above. After taking his seat, Orvarit slightly leaned forward and asked the cardinal, "Your Eminence, is there any progress in investigating Baron Laurent's case?"

Although the city guards and the intelligence division of the Duchy were also looking into this thing, they could never compete with the great pastors from the inquisition who claimed that they could hear from the God of Truth.

"Well… some." Cardinal Sard was watching the orchestra being prepared on the stage in the front, with a casual smile on his face, "We believe that it has something to do with the duke in the hell. His predecessor was sealed somewhere under the Dark Mountain Range by the ancient magic empire, and he's always been trying to find his predecessor and absorb the power."

"I thought he could have been more careful," Natasha joined their conversation, "and we heard that some sorcerers were involved in it as well."

"That's true." Sard nodded, "God revealed to me that they do have other plans, so we're still gathering more information, especially looking up the ancient documents from Sylvanas Magic Empire. As for the sorcerers, they are just several apprentices with a sorcerer coming from the headquarter of the Congress of Magic. He calls himself 'professor' but he's only a third or fourth circle sorcerer, so we don't have to worry too much about them."

"The headquarter of the Congress of Magic?" the grand duke and the princess asked at the same time with wonder.

Chapter 65: The Concert (1)

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Sard seemed to be a bit slow and his eyes were dull, however, his smile was still very gentle and nice. He did not respond to Orvarit and Natasha's question immediately, but followed his own pace to tell the story.

"Several months ago, some of our night watchers successfully targeted a sorcerer from the congress, which is very rare, since most of them who came to Aalto before never stayed here long, not to mention trying to contact the many hiding sorcerers in Aalto. After all, their shared goal was to find the remains of the ancient magic empire in the Dark Mountain Range."

"Well…" Orvarit rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "maybe they were also trying to have more sorcerers and sorceresses in Aalto to know and join their congress in order to grow and expand. As far as I know, that's something that the congress has been working on for more than two hundred years." As a pious believer, the grand duke definitely knew much more about sorcerers than most other people did.

Several nobles sitting behind were paying close attention to what Sard, the grand duke and the princess were talking about. Their faces looked odd, as if there was something on their mind, but all of them decided to remain silent.

"You're right, Your Highness." Sard adjusted his sitting position a bit and continued, "Unfortunately, the night watchers failed to catch him alive, and the sorcerer destroyed himself." Then he took a glance at the tall and strong saint knight standing beside him, letting the knight continue with the rest of the explanation.

Only the church knights can be called saint knights.

The knight's face was fully covered by his protection mask, through which his dull voice came, "We think the sorcerer who called himself 'professor' came here for the same reason, and maybe also to investigate what happened to the last sorcerer."

Sitting in and leaning against her seat, Natasha looked pretty relaxed. Now she was looking in another direction with a hint of a smile on her face, "It seems like you know a lot about what the sorcerers are doing in Aalto, don't you?"

She was not being disrespectful, actually, her piousness was acknowledged before by Sard himself, and her teacher was the chief commander of Sword Brothers serving the church. However, except when she was praying in front of the God of Truth, Natasha was always quite casual about almost everything.

"Your Highness, the church has been tracking them for years, and the sorcerers never hid themselves in front of the church perfectly," the knight lowered his head, "so did the so-called 'Professor'. Some clues are showing that he follows the contemporary magic system, and that's why we speculate that Professor is from the congress. It seems like he does not really trust the sorcerers in Aalto. He was being very careful, so although we have two people spying on them, what we know about Professor is still relatively limited. The church decided to be more cautious."

In the hundreds of years in Aalto, a few sorcerers betraying their belief and turning to work for the church was not something new. Knowing that the sorcerer groups in Aalto were too small to cause them much trouble, instead of destroying them all at once, the church decided to leave them in Aalto in order to play a long game with the Congress of Magic.

"Well… at this point, the mysterious Professor is not a big deal yet, as far as I'm concerned. What makes me feel worried is Argent Horn. I wonder what they are planning in Aalto." Orvarit cupped his chin in his hand.

"As you wish, your majesty, " the knight slightly bowed, "We will leave the junior night watchers to trace the case of Professor, and the main force of the church keeps investigating the heresy."

"Still haven't found Rosan Aaron?" Twirling her long purple hair with her finger breezily, Natasha asked.

"Not yet. We're trying our best," answered the saint knight.

The orchestra was ready.

At this time, a young, purple-haired man entered the balcony. His facial features were a bit similar to that of Natasha, but he was even taller than her. His suit was emblazoned with the coat of arms of the Violet family.

The young man nodded to the nobles in the balcony, smiling. Then he walked toward the first row of seats in the front, saluting the grand duke and the cardinal respectfully in the knight manner.

"My dear cousin, you're late." Natasha waved to him.

This young man was the nephew of the grand duke, the chief commander of Aalto's city guard, Count Verdi.

"Sorry." He sat down relatively close to Natasha, "Just got some news about Argent Horn, but it turned out to be quite useless… Lucien Evans… the composer of Fate? I never heard this name before."

Count Verdi, at the same time, was also quite famous in the music field.

"Interesting… I don't know this name either," said the grand duke. Hearing Verdi's comment, both Orvarit and Sard picked up the lists.

"The name of the symphony is 'Fate'. I bet this Lucien is a pretty brave and creative composer," Sard responded kindly, "I don't really have a preference between the two music trends."

Natasha grinned. "I happen to know something about this Lucien. Yesterday, Baron Othello came to me and asked for the permission to replace the third piece of music on the list with a new symphony. And here it is, from this Victor's new student, Lucien Evans, who just started to learn music three months ago."

"Three months ago? That's insane." Verdi slightly frowned. Pursuing to be perfect, Verdi was strict with himself and knowing the fact that there was someone even more talented than him was definitely not pleasant.

"Well… Unfortunately, it looks like this guy is pretty talented, even more than you are, although you started to learn music at eight and at nine you were already able to compose. But seriously, don't worry Verdi. He cannot compete with you. I met the guy the other day, and he looked like a woman! I'm quite curious to see what he can do."

"Well, some people are just geniuses, which is not fair per se, but it is the intention of God." Sard commented.

And that reminded Natasha of the story of Sard.

Sard was not a genius, ever. Since the first day he entered Aalto Monastery, he was never able to compete with his smart peers. However, in the end, it was Sard who became the Saint Cardinal, although it took him more than a hundred years.

So he often told the followers, "The faith in God has nothing to do with talent."

"Well, we'll wait and see." Orvarit laughed, "What Natasha said makes me feel curious now, too."

At this time, Victor walked on the stage with a baton in his hand.

Firstly, he bowed in the direction of the grand duke's balcony in a solemn manner, then he bowed to the other nobles and musicians. Finally, he turned around and lowered his head, staring at the baton in his hand.

The playing started. Orvarit closed his eyes and smiled, "This is the best one among Victor's previous work. It's just beautiful."

Everyone stopped talking and immersed themselves in the music.

Looking into each other's eyes, Lucien, Lott and Felicia smiled together behind the backstage. They could tell Victor was in a very good form. Now they had become real classmates, if not yet friends.

The first symphony lasted for about forty minutes, and it went very well. During the break, some of the audiences expressed their concern that if the first symphony was already the best one among Victor's previous work, the rest of them might not be that good.

But Victor proved that they were wrong. The second piece of symphony was actually even better. It was lively, vivid and full of life, like a cool summer breeze, like an autumn field. At the end of it, Orvarit applauded for a long time with satisfaction.

"Victor never stops making progress. He's awesome," commented the grand duke.

"That's true. It's soothing and beautiful," echoed Verdi, although in his mind, he did not really appreciate this kind of country style symphony.

"Well, it's good, but I think Victor is capable of doing an even better job. I didn't feel his passion in it. There's still space for improvement," said Natasha.

Chapter 66: The Concert (2)

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

"My little niece mentioned before that the composition of the second symphony took Victor around two to three years. After knowing that he would be holding a concert in the Psalm Hall, he spent another three months in my younger brother's manor for improvement. And it indeed reminded me of the boundless ripe wheat field in my hometown." Smiling, Earl Hayne introduced the story behind the symphony to the grand duke and the princess, feeling slightly grateful to his niece, Felicia, who he never had fondness for in the past.

Since the eldest son of the previous earl died in a fight against the heretics, a contest started between the second and the youngest son of the Hayne family. At that time, because the second son, who is also the current Earl Hayne, had not awakened his Blessing yet, and Felicia's father was much better-favored by their father, the present earl was in a great anxiety almost all the time.

Then a favorable turn came to the second son, who awoke his Blessing. Furthermore, his son Harrington grew into a very talented young man who wasn't even inferior to Princess Natasha and Earl Verdi. The second son successfully inherited the title and all the land the Hayne family had.

"I feel the same way." Orvarit nodded, "This piece of symphony reminded me of the beautiful country life. Maybe you're right, Natasha, but the concert is already very impressive. Let's wait and see the following two pieces of work."

"The last symphony is from his student, though. I can't believe a new learner who just started learning music three months ago can compose a symphony, and I don't have much expectation on the young lad's so-called talent." Earl Rafati also joined their conversation, a very handsome man seemingly to be in his early thirties.

"Uncle Hart, I believe you're the last person who should claim that talent doesn't mean anything." Natasha laughed in a very non-noble-lady way, "You awoke the Blessing of Sun when you were ten, and became an 8th circle senior-rank holy magus in your sixties. No one is more promising than you are for finally becoming a legendary holy magus."

The seemingly young Earl Rafati was actually way elder than he looked like, and he was a very powerful holy magus. Holy magi were people who awoke their Blessing and therefore were granted with magic power. To differentiate the blessed spellcasters from the notorious sorcerers, people called them magi.

There was also a reason for the great power of the Rafati family. While other noble families were relating to each other by intermarriage, the Rafati family insisted on royal incest to make sure the great family power and the purest blood could be inherited by their younger generations. Although many deformed babies were thus born, the family also had many genius members such as the present earl.

Verdi commented seriously, "Uncle Hart's talent is a gift from God. It's different."

"So is musical talent, I heard." Natasha smiled, "Seriously, I'm quite looking forward to Lucien's work. No matter if it's good or bad, it's gonna be interesting."

"The fourth piece of symphony should be the most impressive and outstanding one for tonight's concert. I hope Victor knows what he's doing." Rafati slightly shook his head.

"Aside Lucien's work, I'm also quite excited about the new musical instrument, the piano." Natasha switched the topic to the following piano concerto.

"I wonder how piano performs compared with harpsichord." Sitting on the chair, Verdi's back was straightened in a serious manner.

......

Now Victor was more relaxed, knowing that his first two pieces of symphonies were acknowledged by the grand duke. During the break, he was chatting with his students casually, while Rhine appeared to be more silent than usual.

Soon it was time for Victor to go back to the stage. This time Rhine would be his designated conductor to direct the orchestra, and Victor would be the one who played the new musical instrument, the piano.

The sound of the piano was rich and resounding. The first note of the piano concerto instantly caught the whole audience's attention. This was a piece of concerto with religious profundity.

"Impressive," Verdi commented with satisfaction and then closed his eyes to listen carefully.

The high sound quality of piano fitted perfectly well with the solemnity and sacredness of the religious music. Several higher pitches were also handled very well by the piano. The whole Psalm Hall was immersed in the majestic melody.

When the concerto came to its end, Cardinal Sard crossed himself and said, "This is an eulogy for God. The success of this concerto is accomplished by this brand new musical instrument."

"It is awesome. It is the best keyboard instrument ever!" Natasha gasped with admiration, "Compared with piano, harpsichord and clavichord are just like toys for girls!"

"You are a girl as well, Natasha." Orvarit's brows were slightly frowned. The grand duke was about to applause when he heard his daughter's improper comment.

Regarding her father with reverence, Natasha mumbled, "Even so, I'm still the most special girl among them all, no inferior to any man."

Hearing Natasha's murmuring, a meaningful smile appeared on Verdi's face, but he did not say anything.

"I saw you, Verdi!" Natasha straightened her back instantly and stared at him seriously, "You don't think so, do you? Or you want a fight outside?"

"Well… I don't want any trouble." Verdi was still smiling.

"All right, Natasha. Symphony of Fate is coming." The grand duke was trying to change the topic between the two.

Taking a glance at the stage, Natasha squinted at Verdi, "My dear cousin, I believe Lucien's work will be better than all of yours."

"Well, at least I have my music works to be compared. While you, my dear Natasha, you're not good at composing at all. With regard to the talent of composing, I believe I'm way more gifted than you are." Verdi instantly fought back.

"That's really true, isn't it? Well… well… then how strange it is that none of your brilliant work has ever been played in the Psalm Hall, while a random guy who just started learning music three months ago somehow managed to do it?" Natasha put on a rather surprised look.

"I just don't want to…" Verdi gnashed his teeth, feeling sort of speechless, "The guy named Lucien… his work can never be better than mine."

"Aha! I heard what you said!" Natasha laughed, "Let's see what will happen if his work indeed is better than yours."

The grand duke also nodded, feeling very expectant like the other nobles, except Wolf. Wolf's face was almost twisted together. Although the success of Victor's concert would not do any harm to him, in Wolf's mind, it was Victor who took away the success he deserved. So Wolf was going to pay very close attention to every single note of the following symphony, finding the tiniest flaws and putting all of them on Music Criticism.

On the small west balcony, Alisa and Joel's hands were grabbing together tightly. Even John was feeling sort of nervous. All of them were waiting for Symphony of Fate, the last piece of work tonight.

......

Standing in front of the orchestra, with the baton in his hand again, Victor's mind churned. He thought back to the failure of his first concert, the great success of the second concert, the many memorable moments between Winnie and him, Winnie's affectionate gaze toward the end of her life, as well as the encouragement from Lucien, Rhine and the rest of his students…

"Winnie, can you hear me?" Victor knew he was ready, and he slowly lifted the baton.

The moment when Victor waved his baton, the beginning of the symphony shocked every audience present. The first few bars of the symphony were like the loud knocks at the door that instantly woke everyone up. Orvarit, Natasha and Verdi opened their eyes at the same time with great surprise.

It was fate that was knocking the door, in an irresistible and fierce manner.

Chapter 67: The Innovator

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

The rhythm, the tone and the accents falling on the beats gripped everyone's heart. No one could hide from the trials of life. The theme of the symphony was revealed directly, without any foreshadowing or implication.

The horns took place before a second theme was introduced, symbolizing the fierce struggling between fate and will. As the first and the second theme interweaved with each other, the audience experienced great tension and pressure, as if they were personally on the battlefield, although they were only sitting in their seats.

The reactions of the audience varied. Grabbing the armrests, the nobles such as the grand duke and Wolf who had never experienced the cruelty of war in person almost couldn't stand the fear in their hearts, while Knight Venn became very engulfed by the memories of the deep fear and horror that he suffered back in the days when he was fighting against the evil creatures and the heretics.

Sard remained relatively calm, but his eyes were open. This time his eyes were no longer dull, instead, they were bright and sharp. He was associating the music work with his own stories back in the day.

Facing the tension and the great pressure coming from the symphony, younger nobles, such as Verdi and Natasha, showed their rising fighting will. Clenching his right fist, Verdi tightened every muscle in his body to be ready for fronting the blows of fate, showing the spirit of the Violet family as the Shield of Truth. Natasha's body was leaning forward, and her face looked serious but also excited. She wanted a good fight to beat the darkness and the so-called fate.

Victor devoted his heart and soul to the conducting. Compared with Lucien's original work, now the symphony was much better developed and even more thrilling. The combination of viola, cello and woodwind in the second movement gave the audience a short break from the intensity, and soon the third movement again threw them back to the front, encountering the overwhelming fear of darkness.

Pain, hope, fear, anger and so many other feelings mixed together. When the light finally beat the darkness, when the final movement of great victory was played in the Psalm Hall, many of the audience spontaneously stood up and cheered with thunderous applause.

The grand duke gave a long sigh of relief and raised his hand to wave, as if he was cheering for his brave knights and soldiers returning home in triumph. With great excitement as well as satisfaction, Natasha left her seat and walked close to the handrail, staring at the orchestra as if she was still immersed in her own world of music.

Leaning comfortably against the back of the seat, Silvia and the other musicians spontaneously exchanged a look. They could tell the great surprise and admiration in each other's eyes.

"This young man… He's probably another genius after Gesu and Twal," Silvia murmured to herself.

Joel's family and Elena were cheering and applauding. Although they did not know a lot about music, they felt from the bottom of their hearts that Lucien's work was truly shocking and touching. They had tears in their eyes.

Joel was tingling with excitement, feeling that his dream was accomplished by Lucien. He was more than proud, regarding Lucien's success and honor as his own.

Grabbing his father's shoulder, John's face flushed with gratification, "Dad, Lucien is such a genius, isn't he?!"

"From now on, we can call him 'Mr. Lucien'…" Elena couldn't believe what just happened in the hall. After all, when she first met Lucien several months ago, this young man was carrying bags of garbage.

Wolf's face turned deathly pale, knowing that he could never deny the greatness of this symphony. And now he finally realized why Victor was willing to have such a pauper as his music student—this poor guy was indeed a genius.

Turning his head restlessly in the tumultuous applause, Wolf relied his last bit of hope on the picky nobles and musicians, wishing that at least a couple of them who always preferred religious music would show their dislike toward the theme of the symphony.

The grand duke joined his daughter, walking toward the front of the balcony to applaud warmly. Being led by the grand duke and the princess, the second round of wild applause with the tumultuous ovation burst out, reverberating through the Psalm Hall.

Without any doubt, the concert was a great success!

After saluting the grand duke and the rest of the audience, Victor trotted back and pulled Lucien out from the backstage. Lucien was prepared, so he calmly followed Victor and came to stand in front of all the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please let me introduce you my student, Lucien Evans. It is Lucien Evans who composed this great piece of symphony," said Victor loudly to all of the balconies.

"What a talent!" The applause from the nobles and the musicians became even louder, showing their great recognition toward this young musician.

"Great music. Great young man." Earl Hayne nodded, "Even a person who knows nothing about music can feel the greatness of his work."

The grand duke commented in a loud voice, "Unparalleled! This young man will grow into a great musician!"

Natasha's mind was full of emotional thoughts, "I was almost speechless. I felt something… very unique. I know it's something that I've been always looking for. Lucien, you're the innovator in the history of music!"

Even Verdi couldn't say anything to refute her at this point.

"You got the soul that never yields. God bless you, young man." Slowly, Sard stood up. He looked at Lucien with a loving smile on his face.

Among all the people, Wolf was the only one who remained slouching in his seat. He felt too weak to even talk.

"Thanks God. This is the gift of God." Lucien saluted the balconies in a gentleman manner, playing his role as a believer with great piety. The great success of the concert would bring him lots of benefits, and one of them would be a higher social status which was very helpful for him to hide his identity. The guards from the church and the sheriffs of the city would not dare to casually arrest or investigate a musician who had received the recognition from the grand duke, the cardinal and the princess.

The cardinal nodded and said to the grand duke, "I'm very glad that I attended the concert tonight. All of the music works tonight are great, and Symphony of Fate is especially the most impressive one. Light conquers darkness. The God of Truth empowers us to fight against difficulties. God bless us all."

"God bless us all." Orvarit lowered his head, putting his palm on his chest.

On the stage, Victor's eyes were wet with tears. How he wished that Winnie could see all of this in heaven.

"How do you feel now, my cousin?" Natasha looked at Verdi and asked pleasantly.

"This piece of work belongs to Lucien, not you, Natasha. And unfortunately, his talent can never be yours as well." Verdi did not answer directly.

"Well… actually the unique theme of his work inspired me a lot. Maybe I should have him to be my music consultant to produce my own music work," said Natasha, tilting her head on one side.

"His success comes from both of his talent and his life experience. And the accumulation of inspiration and good ideas takes time. I don't think it will work, Natasha." Verdi shrugged his shoulders disapprovingly.

"Still worth a shot." Lifting her brows, Natasha chuckled.

…

When the nobles were leaving the Psalm Hall in order, Victor and Lucien came to the backstage. The orchestra members there were still feeling excited.

"Mr. Victor, Mr. Evans, this is the best concert we've ever attended!"

Chapter 68: The Celebration

Translator: Kris_Liu Editor: Vermillion

Some of the members in the orchestra were also relatively well-known musicians in Aalto. Although when practicing, they already had a pretty high expectation on this concert, especially on Symphony of Fate, the heated response from the noble audiences and the many famous musicians tonight was still a great surprise for them.

Victor was also very excited. He walked toward Rhine, his most intimate comrade in these days, and gave him a big hug, "Thank you so much, Mr. Rhine. You helped me with improving the harpsichord. You supported me all the time during the countless times of rehearsal. Without you, this concert could never be this perfect."

Although Rhine remained quite silent all the evening, he was also very gratified by the success of the concert, "Thank you, Victor. It is my honor to work with you, Mr. Victor, and with Lucien as well." He smiled.

"Mr. Evans!" Thomas, the cellist of the orchestra, hugged Lucien with great enthusiasm, "You'll become the most well-known musician in Aalto, no… on the whole continent!"

Lucien felt a bit awkward when people, especially the orchestra members, called his surname with respect.

Lucien's promising future in music was already widely expected by many of the orchestra members when they first started to rehearse the fourth piece of symphony composed by the young music student of Mr. Victor. Now Lucien's talent was acknowledged by the distinguished nobles in the public. Since the grand duke used the word "unparalleled" to comment on Lucien's music work, and the princess Natasha directly called Lucien "the innovator of the music history", Lucien would definitely become the brightest new star in the field of music very soon.

Everyone in the orchestra knew that as long as Lucien could compose another piece of symphony of the same high quality within the following two years, his status in the field of music would be completely fastened. If this new trend of music could be popularized in the future, then Lucien would undoubtedly be a high authority. Thus, the orchestra members showed great respect toward Lucien.

Lucien hugged the members one by one. Although the status and the income of a musician was way higher than the common players in an orchestra, Lucien was clearly aware of the fact that the full cooperation of the players was also one of the key factors in determining the outcome of a concert.

"Lucien," Rhine also gave Lucien a big hug, "I can imagine that, in the near future, more and more pieces of music work will be composed to express human being's feelings and emotions, instead of merely praising God. I shall call you Mr. Evans as well, since you are absolutely the pioneer of the new trend."

Although Lucien was not used to that intimate way of celebrating, he also did not mind it. Lucien also hugged Rhine, "Thank you, Mr. Rhine. Unfortunately, I'm still far away from being a pioneer, after all, even playing piano is still challenging for me. And by the way, your violin playing was awesome, Mr. Rhine, but just lacked some passion."

In Lucien's eyes, Rhine was sometimes a bit weird. Taking this chance, Lucien was trying to test Rhine.

"You're right. Maybe I am too calm most of the time." Rhine released his arms and explained casually. Although Rhine looked pretty lean, Lucien could feel the strength in his arms and his body from the short hug.

Lucien was also supposed to hug his classmates.

"Great work, Lucien." When hugging Lucien, Felicia's face flushed. Lucien's success would bring her lots of benefits as well. She could already picture the scene of she being surrounded by many noble ladies and madams, asking about her talented classmate.

"I'm proud of having you as my classmate, Lucien." Lott offered Lucien a big hug and congratulated him, while Herodotus remained silent when he was hugging Lucien. A while later, Herodotus said to Lucien in a low voice, "You're something."

Victor saved his warmest and biggest hug for Lucien, "I don't know how to express to you my thankfulness, Lucien. You're a gift for me from God. Having you as my student is my great blessing."

"Being your student is my greatest honor, Mr. Victor," said Lucien sincerely.

"Oh, there's one thing…" Victor said to Lucien, "You'll get half of the money tonight. Don't say no, Lucien. With the money, you don't have to live in Aderon anymore. Aderon is not safe."

As far as Lucien knew, ticket for the concerts held in the Psalm Hall was always in high demand. The ticket revenue tonight was three hundred and sixty-five Thales, which was quite a lot. Three hundred and sixty-five Thales was four times the number of Victor's annual income, while the annual income of a noble knight was only about three to five hundred Thale.

According to the regulation of the association, forty percent of the ticket income would be contributed to the church, and thirty percent would be used for the maintenance of the association and the Psalm Hall, as well as paying the whole orchestra. For the remaining thirty percent, about a hundred and ten Thales would be Victor's. In other words, Lucien would earn around thirty to thirty-five Thales.

Thirty to thirty-five Thales equalled several decades of saving for a common person, even a life long effort. With the money, Lucien could move to a decent three-storey house in Purple Lily district, or a relatively old two-storey house with a small garden in Gesu district.

"I can't say no. Thank you very much, Mr. Victor," Lucien answered sincerely, as if he could already see the gold coins shining in front of his eyes. With the money, the dust of Moonlight Rose would not be a dream for Lucien anymore. The only problem was that it was not easy to find Moonlight Rose dust.

A decent place in a decent area was also what Lucien needed, not only because he wanted a better living condition, but also because of the need to stay away from Aderon where he got involved with the other sorcerers using the identity "Professor". With a bigger house, Lucien could also build a bigger and safer magic lab underground.

After the celebration, when Felicia was about to invite everyone present to visit her family's manor tomorrow, the middle-aged lady who always stood by Princess Natasha's side came to the backstage.

"Lady Camil." Felicia, Lott and Herodotus heard her story before. They hurriedly saluted her.

Victor, Lucien and the other people present also followed the manner.

"Mr. Evans," said Lady Camil seriously, "Princess Natasha wants you to be her personal music consultant. About an hour each time, twice a week, in Ratacia Palace. The pay is very decent, two Thale a month."

Her words instantly turned Lucien into the envy of the people present, even including Victor. Only Rhine's eyes dimmed for a moment.

"I… I can't. I'm sorry." Lucien turned down the offer subconsciously, "I just started learning music three months ago. I'm afraid I'm not qualified for this position, and the success this time might just be a random explosion of my accumulated inspiration."

Lucien had another reason that he could not speak out. He was afraid that entering the palace would be too risky and his sorcerer identity might be revealed by the princess, who was a level five grand knight herself, or this lady Camil, a radiant knight.

However, the job was also very alluring. From another perspective, serving Princess Natasha could be his perfect disguise as well.

"The princess doesn't mind. What Her Royal Highness values is the unique skills you employed in your composition and your understanding toward the new theme of music." said Camil emotionlessly, "Would you like to accept the job, Mr. Evans?"

The other people in the room were looking at Lucien with expectation. Finally, Lucien nodded his head.

"It would be my pleasure to serve the princess."

"Thank you, Mr. Evans." Lady Camil said and then left the backstage.

The pay was truly very good. At least before becoming a 1st circle sorcerer, Lucien wouldn't have to worry with the expenses of buying most of the materials.

Also, the job offered Lucien a high social status.

"We really envy you, Lucien." Felicia and Lott congratulated him in a very direct way.

Victor also cast his eyes to Lucien with delight and satisfaction.