Chapter 9: Alto part 2: Victor

Victor was glad that Aegon did not slow down over the several days of learning. Within fifty minutes, he absorbed the rest of the Harmony. He was intelligent and gifted in learning music and had a good memory.

"This kid is talented in more intellectual pursuits. He may even have the talent to be a magus. What a pity that he is following a brute. If only I could have this body. If only there were a way to possess this body," Victor mused.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's have a break. Help yourself to some tea and snack. I gotta jot this down." He was already trotting upstairs when he finished talking.

Picking up the delicate white teacup, Aegon took a sip of the misty green tea.

"Lorelei, when can we go hunting in your family's manor again? I miss the deer and rabbits there so much and also the fresh air."

"I miss the place as well." Lorelei was still sitting straight, answering with her standard smile, "But there are only three months left before Mr Victor's performance. After that, Issac and I have to practice a lot. So I really have no time to go there."

"Yes, we have to practice with Elron, who has luscious hair like strings made of platinum, don't we, Lorelei," Issac chimed in.

Lorelei had gone red by now.

Athy, the steward, came in when Victor was about to continue teaching. He whispered in Victor's ear, "Your guests are here, my Lord."

"Oh! I forgot!" Shaking his right hand, he looked annoyed, "Let them in, please."

Lorelei greeted Elron with a blush on their face. Victor fought back a chuckle. He thought, "Elron would be more interested in Issac than her. What a love triangle, fun, so much fun."

"This is Mr Shavell, the most excellent harpsichord maker in Alto." started introducing the elderly man beside him, "Mr Shavell shall be able to help you with the improvement."

"Mr Shavell, I was hoping the harpsichord could be more sensitive to the pressure of my fingers, so the control of its volume can be more accurate." Watching Shavell open his harpsichord, Victor detailed his request, "My music requires a wider range of tones. More resonant and vigorous, but also delicate and clear."

There were many different components: springs, pivots, plectrums, strings… Since its invention, many makers and musicians have tried to improve the harpsichord, including adding extra pivots and stops, replacing the soundboard, etc.

Slightly frowning his eyebrows, Shevell was carefully checking the parts.

"I'm afraid it's impossible, Mr Victor. Over more than 300 years of upgrades, this instrument has reached its limitation. Even a slight improvement on it would be quite hard."

"Can we… can we turn it into a kind of percussion instrument…? Changing it from plucking to hitting." Aegon suggested. Everyone in the room was momentarily stunned by the kid's suggestion.

"Then what would be the difference between it and a clavichord?" Shevell looked sternly at Aegon, "Yes, you can control the volume with percussion, but the sound's too delicate and the volume too low. It's only suitable for playing at home, not a hall."

"Thank you, Aegon. But it's more complicated than just combining the two." Victor said.

"What a bright kid, pity, what a pity", He mused.

"Such an arrogant fool, a real brute," The noble students were angry about Aegon's interruption.

"With the help of a certain… unit, the finger movement might be enlarged through the process of conduction, so the striking from the hammers inside could be louder."

"Enlarge? Like what?" Shavell's eyes were still stern, and his white eyebrows twisted together. He had heard similar ideas before, but after several failed attempts, they all gave up.

Under their gaze, Aegon took down a flute from the wall. "Once, I saw a farmer who lifted a big rock with a wooden stick and a small rock, like this…." Then, he grabbed an ink bottle, put it under the flute, and started levering.

"I see…" Instead of refuting, Shavell started thinking. Soon he noticed the disadvantage. "But like this, the striking speed would be slower."

"Impressive, Aegon. You are showing us the Lever Principle." Victor observed Aegon's model and took a step closer to him.

He looked at the genius boy in another light. "It wasn't spiritual power that made a magus powerful. Their deductive abilities and insatiable thirst for knowledge made magi terrifying creatures to behold, and this boy was born to be a magus." He thought.

By the time he was done dealing with the tedious Shavell. "I want to kill him," he thought. It was already sundown. He had wanted to chat more with the boy. Instead, he had to waste time with this moron.

The Brute had made it to the top 8 in the competition but ended up losing and had come to take away the genius child back into a life of mediocrity. "What a pity," he thought.

The Brute wanted to talk about something. So Victor sent all the children home and asked was about to ask the housekeepers to bring some tea, but the Brute said there was no need. It would just take a minute.

The Brute spoke, "Aegon, why don't you wait out in the courtyard. I will be done in a minute."

The boy obediently nodded his head and left the room. The Brute spoke in a different tone this time, "I have been ordered to inform you by my boss that your identity has been exposed and that you should leave this place immediately. Some people have taken a keen interest in you; you know people of your kind."

Victor felt terror grip him as he thought, "shit, I had been so careful. But, still, my identity was revealed." He initially thought of denying everything, but then he thought, "what benefit could anyone have by informing me of this?"

Victor composed himself and asked, "A great knight is protecting this city. Even those people would not start a fight here."

The Brute responded, "But, my lord, what if the great knight hands you over those people. There is a lot such people can do for the mayor."

"Shit," Victor thought.

"What would your lord get by Informing me of this," Victor asked, his voice quavering a bit.

The Brute answered, "Is it not your creed of equal exchange? My lord will consider you owe him a favour to be repaid at the time and place of my master's choosing. Moreover, if the mayor hands you over to those people, the mayor will get more powerful. That is something my master would like to avoid."

"If weakening the mayor is your master's interest, why should I owe him a favour?" Victor asked.

"Oh, the favour is not for informing you of your imminent capture. It is to prevent my master from leaking your location again." The Brute said nonchalantly.

By now, Victor was beyond terrified. "He spoke. If he protects me from those people, I will owe him a favour."

The Brute said, devoid of empathy," No, deal. You are not worth my master opposing those people."

Victor felt his heart sink. Finally, he resigned and said, "Fine, I will accept the conditions."

Victor cursed his fate as he watched the boy and brute leave.