TVRWS 35

35: Rhapsody (4) Mage Chapter

Contrary to Count Julian Moore's initial apprehensions, the day began more favorably than anticipated. In the morning, Vivian arrived at the residence. She meticulously selected a few of her dresses. She left a note for her father, assuring him that everything was proceeding smoothly and as she planned.

Whatever that plan may be, he was convinced of his daughter's capabilities and realized it would be a matter of time before she left her mark on the world. But before that, she needed to leave her mark on the Academy.

As he assembled his security detail and moved toward the Academy, he noticed many acquaintances running into him along the way. All, of course, in their own carriage and among their own knights, until they all entered the academy and once again reunited face to face.

Old friends, old rivals, current business partners and competitors, and a great deal of those who wanted to make connections with him.

The name Moore was elevated so much throughout the years only because of the clever investments made by the family. In truth, these investments grew so large to the point where the Moores can be considered to have an economy of their own beneath the nation's economy. The Moores saved the country once from a financial crisis with their financial guarantees in the form of delayed sight bills that were sealed with the family head seal.

In other words, a sort of special money bills, but the Moores would call them the Fire Vouchers.

Since money bills weren't as popular in this era as one would assume, it was because the turbulent times made people feel drawn more towards Gold and Silver. During a time when transferring large sums of money involved the risk of robbery, paper bills served as a secure method of exchange. Among the organizations that could issue their own currency, the Moore Conglomerate stood out as the most reliable and trustworthy. Its international stature and colossal size enabled it to take on this responsibility effectively.

This established the Moore family as the true wallet of the entire Empire and even some of its associates. That is why Lord Julian had to go through a lot of people who came to meet him every time he was out and about, it is also the reason why some factions wanted to limit his movements or even control him.

But today wasn't a day he cared for any of that. He made sure that his coachman would race anyone else to the Academy so that he can get some time for himself before witnessing what surprises today would hold for him.

An hour later, Lord Julian was seated in the VIP area along with the top brass of Elgard as well as ambassadors and guests from across the Northern continent.

The Ceremonial Hall of the First Royal Academy of Elgard is nothing short of a grand arena. While it is built indoors, it was composed of four elevated seating areas from all four directions and a large square space in the middle. This space was almost half the size of a basketball court and it was very customizable depending on what it was intended to be used for.

Aside from the general organization of the large hall, all the seats were made of the finest wood from the eastern colonies of Longdi, decorated with the white ivory from the southern colonies of Sauran, while the fabrics were all gathered from various minor colonies.

The court had a long platform in the center and three seats on a stage not far from the platform. This was the setup for the Martial Performance.

A few minutes later, a large number of students started to flow into the hall and filled most of the seats. The officials and the VIP guests arrived one by one later on. The Ceremonial Hall got too crowded too quickly since this year was a very special year to many.

Count Julian started greeting the other VIPs as they came in which included the Provost of the Academy, Count Albert Morgan, as well as Count Alexander De Clare who serves as the King's treasurer, Count Henry Marshall who serves as the general commander of the His Majesty's Army, and High Mentor Cassius of the Grand Elgardish Temple of Saints. There were also various other nobles but mostly viscounts and barons.

But the real stars of the show tonight, aside from the graduating students, are the judges of the performances. The Judges are usually a Teacher along with two guests invited from outside the academy. For the Martial Performance, the teacher is Sir Cornelius Ashford alongside Lord Henry Marshall and Sir Gerald Fitzwilliams, a renowned Knight of the Royal Family. For the Magic Performance, the Teacher is Anthony Morgan along with Lord Benedict Morgan, the previous head of the family the Chief Court Wizard of the King, and Sir Samuel Gane, the youngest court wizard in Elgard. Finally, the music performance had madame Sophie Dubois, Sir Hans von Steinberg, the best composer in Buren, and Sir Theodore Nightingale, the most illustrated musician and composer in Elgard.

With these big fat cats gathered in one spot, only one spot was left empty at the centermost and forefront of all seats.

The King's.

That seat was not bound to be filled as His Majesty was traveling to the summit of the League of Nations held in St. Athena. For that, one man appeared in the stead of the King and it was none other than the lord chamberlain, Count Nivell Musgrave. He was the one to give the green light for the Graduation Ceremony to begin.

"Fellow lords and ladies of all ages and backgrounds, I, Albert Solomon Morgan, welcome you to the 176th Graduation Ceremony of our Great Elgard's First Royal Academy. As the 11th Provost, I witnessed 14 graduation ceremonies, 10 of them during the reign of His Majesty King August III, some of which were Princes of the House of Harland, while others were the great men and women of Great Elgards noble houses. It fills my heart with joy that this year's students have achieved a new record as the highest success rate in 120 years which only foretells an era of prosperity for our great nation."

Hearing about the high success rate from the Provost made many of the students clap so hard and cheer with joy as it means many of them have passed this year without worry about demotion to the second royal academy.

"Settle down, young ones. This good news is one thing, but what you younglings do with your life after this is another. What I hope from you and what Great Elgard hopes is to become the best men and women you can ever be and one day lead this entire world. And so, show us your excellence in the most important aspects of civilization. Show us your strength, your magic, and your culture. This way we show the world who we are and what we will do. Let the Martial Performance begin!"

With a speech full of fervor, the students clapped once again this time alongside the members of the faculty and the guests of honor. With that, Provost Albert Morgan joined the ranks of the VIPs alongside the guests and the Deans before signaling the Martial Performance to begin.

The first performance was of student Reginald Ashcroft who will perform a shortsword and shield fight against Richard Marshall from the second year.

Both students entered the performance court together and greeted each other with respect. This bout wasn't a duel about winning and losing but rather a show of skill from the two sides, heavily focusing on letting each other show off how skilled the other is in what can be seen as a sword dance of sorts.

While it seemed less interesting than an actual competition, it is known to almost everyone how fast and deadly a duel can be. It only takes a few instances to land a hit and defeat the opponent while a performance may last for a good few minutes.

The judges took their seats in the performance court and so the bout began.

What was most notable was when the two participants ignited their aura together, each showing off their three bronze star Aura. Two Apprentice Knights of the late stage. It was one thing for Reginald Ashcroft to be a 3-star Apprentice Knight but for Richard Marshall to be that as well, despite being a year younger than Reginald, was pleasantly shocking to the crowd.

The two young men drew their swords, each focusing his aura stars on different parts of his body. Reginald had two on his hands and one on his shoulder while Richard had one on his hand, one on his abdomen, and the last on his right foot.

This showing off of ignition was just to please the crowd but real knights don't deliberately make their aura stars radiate like that since it will expose their next move in most cases. That's why when Richard Marshall, who reinforced his right foot, started to move, he crossed the 10-meter distance between him and Reginald in a single step.

Reginald endured Richard's sword strike with his shield as he reinforced his hand to do that and tried to return an upper strike which Richard parried with his shield as he backed a step. Reginald followed up with a left, right, left, and then lower right before changing the trajectory and fainting a blunt bash with his shield that pushed Richard back.

Making an opening, Reginald went for a stab but Richard simply backed away and broke the engagement to catch a breather.

While the fight just now was careful and calculated between the two, it was nonetheless exciting as all of that only happened in the span of five seconds. It was fast-based, very accurate, and done with real sharp weapons. A martial ballet of fighting choreography.

After around three minutes of constant attacking and defending, the two participants backed out and cleared the stage for the judges to declare their judgment.

The three men simply stared at each other and a second later, Sir Gerald Fitzwilliams spoke up.

"Contestant Reginald Ashcroft, Pass!"

As the pass was declared, Richard and Reginald greeted the judges and greeted one another before retreating from the performance court. It couldn't be more joyous for the two since their performance was so good it set a standard for the ones coming after them.

The following performance was more systematic than exciting and the performers did their best to deserve a warm round of applause and did the following ones until the seven martial performances were over.

What varied between most of the performances, aside from the skillfulness of the performers, was the reaction of the judges. While all the performers passed, they were given a specific score that was recorded by each judge on an official log and it wasn't revealed on the spot. This will be done later this evening with the main grades.

After the martial performance comes the magic performance and even Vivian had to come out from the rehearsal room in order to watch the magic bouts.

The Judges took their seats but this time, a magical artifact was installed near the judges, and its control was given to them. This was a barrier artifact that could envelop the whole performance court in order to prevent any wild magic from getting out and harming an outsider.

As the first bout started, two students stood in front of each other and each of them had his own Magic Ring equipped on their fingers.

One student revealed the ability to summon fog and cloud-like constructs while the other could conjure twilight emissions.

Magic abilities varied greatly. While one can be element-based, others can be rather odd and manipulate any kind of energy. More than just magic, Vivian felt this was almost like Superpowers. Once one awakens a superpower, he gets to be limited to its applications but needs to be creative in order to find versatility.

The fog and twilight were a very odd match-up. While Fog is basically condensed vapor in the atmosphere, its caster could thicken in to be as white as clouds and could shape it into large things like a big arm or a giant made of fog. His attacks were a mix of strong wind and a chilling watery effect.

As for his opponent, he used a rather strange power of manipulating dark light, this twilight had arcane properties that defied sense as if it was eating away its opponent's power but it seemed rather limited at what it could be shaped into and the duration it can be kept up.

The twilight mage cast his magic like bolts but the fog was dense enough to let light pass through and finally cornered the twilight mage into a defensive battle until he was cornered and gave up.

This was an impressive match despite the difficult visibility caused by the fog. It set a large amount of hype for the following bouts.

The second magic bout performers were a conjurer of crystal-like objects, that flew freely and formed rough constructs, and a heatwave manipulator.

The third bout performers were both using sonic attacks in varied ways.

It went so on and so forth until the last bout was over between the Morgan twins. With that, the magic performance was over and it seemed like all the excitement was over but the crowd soon started whispering about Prince Edward the same as it happened in the garden just a few hours ago.

It was known that Crown Prince Liam would perform this year alongside his girlfriend, Lady Matilda, not too long after his engagement was broken. For that, people were expecting him to participate in the Magic Performance and finally show off his true capabilities to the world but that didn't seem to be the case this time around.

He was participating in the Music Performance as it seemed since he hadn't shown up yet. While a bit lackluster, Prince Liam is known to dislike grand appearances or showing off. But what was said after that was revealed afterward was a bit shocking.

"I was anticipating His Highness to finally show us his swordsmanship. I feel like I missed a great opportunity to judge his abilities." Lord Henry Marshall spoke with a hint of disappointment after he returned to the VIP area.

"Heh! Count Henry, you surely jest." Lord Nivel Musgrave replied as he turned towards Lord Henry Marshall, "Surely you and others know that His Highness's skills are considered a national secret."

"Yes, I have heard." Lord Henry Marshall replied as he smiled at the chamberlain of the royal family.

The two lords smiled at one another but it seemed that their eyes didn't reflect their smiles as if there was some wicked power struggle between the two of them.

And with that, the Musical Performance commenced. The judges took their seats with Madame Sophie on the left side, Sir Hans on the right side, and Sir Theodore Nightingale on the middle.

"First Performer Isadora Wellesley accompanied by student Johann Stirling."

As the first student was called, a modest-looking beautiful young lady was accompanied by a young man of the same age. Both of them sat in the performance court's new arrangement, where a multitude of musical instruments were laid out. Of course the students who came in had their own instruments with them. In the case of Isadora, she brought her violin while her partner, Johann, was going to play a piano-like instrument called the Harpsichord.

"Isadora and Johann, mes bons élèves, what will you play?" Madame Sophie asked as the two students took position.

"Sun Serenade, first movement." The girl replied.

"Très bien. Begin." Madame Sophie clasped her hands as the starting signal.

And so the music started with the support of the musicians who provided background music for the main play. The duet of virtuoso violinist and masterful harpsichordist took the stage. With each stroke and chord, their serenade weaves a tapestry of love and longing, transcending time itself. The music, an enchanting spell, leaves the audience breathless, lost in the ethereal beauty of their performance.

It didn't take long for the crowd to be enthralled by the beauty of the music composed by a certain man sitting as a judge. He was old and thin but displayed sharp wits and eccentric love for music.

Sir Theodore Nightingale was the composer of the Sun Serenade and a judge witnessing his piece being beautifully played. And as soon as the music ended, he seemed satisfied and smiled at the performers.

This meant well, this meant really well. Theodore Nightingale was known for his vicious criticism of many things but he was a selfish man in regards to his own music, praising his own work without restraint. Why not, since he is the most talented musician in this era?

The second performance began and another piece of Sir Theodore's making was played. The Echoes of Trumpets and Horns was an angelic piece that he made for the Temple of Saints years ago and it is considered to be one of the most played pieces during Temple Prayers after those of Saint Amadeus.

The remaining performances were all the same. The best pieces crafted by Theodore Nightingale. It made the other two judges, whose works are also world-renowned, roll their eyes at how narrow-minded their friend and colleague can be. That, until the sixth performance where even Theodore Nightingale had to stand up for the one entering the performance court.

"Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you at last." Theodore Nightingale greeted the Prince first rather than Madame Sophie, who introduced every student as they went on the stage.

"Sir Theodore, I am but a mere student here. Please, don't stand up for me."

Very politely and humbly, the Prince showed extreme respect to his nation's top musician, and the two men were almost about to kiss each other's asses.

"Splendid, your Highness. We are excited to hear you play." At that time, Sir Hans von Steinberg, the judge from Buren, decided to cut the ass-kissery short.

"Right. What piece will you be playing, your Highness?" Sir Hans asked.

"My partner, Lady Matilda, and I have chosen to play the Light of the Saints." The Prince answered.

Not everyone knew why but a huge smile appeared on the faces of both Madame Sophie and Sir Hans while Sir Theodore Nightingale's expressions couldn't be read.

After all, it is not a piece of his making but rather a very common and known piece that can be said to have been heard a thousand times by everyone. While it is a piece composed by Saint Amadeus, something that has been heard so much becomes rather… mundane.

The judges sat back down and waited for it to be played. Usually, this would be played with a piano and a violin but it could easily be seen that when Prince Liam sat in front of the Piano, Matilda didn't seem to bring a violin or rather pick one. She proceeded to stand directly at the center of the stage and faced the judge.

"Oh! A vocalist?"

With that question, the whole situation flipped on its head. The Light of the Saints was usually an instrumental piece that most vocalists would avoid except those select few that can reach the Whistle Register, which can be considered unattainable for many.

If she can reach such an impressive note then forget about Theodore Nightingale and his shenanigans, he wouldn't be able to voice a word.

In this lightly lit hall draped in silken veils, the prince's fingers caressed the ivory keys of the piano with ethereal grace, conjuring cascades of arpeggios that shimmer like starlight. Each chord resonated with celestial longing, paving the way for Matilda, whose voice ascended to the heavens with an elusive note, piercing every heart and striking every soul. As the Prince's harmonies embrace Matilda's unearthly tones, a symphony of celestial beings seems to awaken, their celestial melodies intertwining in a dance of cosmic harmony. The air hums with the resonance of their collaboration, making a weave of sound that transcends mortal comprehension.

In that ephemeral moment, time stood still, and the audience were transported to a realm where music and magic intertwined. With each note, they were drawn deeper into the enchantment, spellbound by the otherworldly beauty of the duet. And as the final chord faded into the corner of the hall, the echoes of their performance lingered like whispers in the breeze, leaving behind a lingering sense of wonder and awe, one that many wanted to enjoy to never end.

All the clapping and the applause halted for a few seconds until the echoes died and then it started from the first person who woke up from these heavenly visions, it was like none other and nothing was like it.

It was as if God had created another miracle and put it into these two performers to create something this heavenly just as it was intended by Saint Amadeus.

The intense celebration of such a performance struck everyone with awe and left them begging for more as the Prince and his partner walked off the performance court while waving and greeting their newfound fanbase.

Amidst all that and aside from Prince Liam and Matilda, nobody noticed that Vivian was now on the performance standing tall and facing the busy judges. The two musicians, who were with her in the rehearsal, seemed to have lost their will to perform and hid behind the largest instruments found in the court while they braced and waited the storm stirred by the Prince and Matilda to settle.

That performance just now was just too good. Impossibly good, in fact, nothing else should be played after it. Not even Vivian should perform in this kind of atmosphere now. If she had any sensibility.

Vivian remained standing beside the piano that the Prince just used and waited and waited and waited… finally, when someone else took notice, he was Sir Theodore Nightingale, the most feared judge in the performance.

When the man simply raised his hand, all the commotion died down gradually and people took notice of Vivian. There was that indeed, the seventh performance.

"Thank you." Vivian spoke clearly and slightly bowed to Sir Theodore.

Why is she here? A member of the crowd actually voiced that question out loud, displaying the sheer disdain Vivian is facing in the high society.

Others seemed to be complaining as well but they were soon silenced by the fact that this place is the dominion of the Royal Family and House Morgan, nothing here happens by mere chance.

But being all by herself was enough for many to show disdain in their eyes for the girl who had fallen from the position of Princess Consort back to the mere daughter of a count. Even Madame Sophie was having a hard time trying to find words to introduce Vivian with since she is not even one of her students.

"Where is your partner, young lady?"

But without even waiting for Madame Sophie, the old Sir Theodore Nightingale spoke to Vivian right away.

"I was unable to acquire a suitable partner for tonight's performance. I hope you forgive me, my lord." Vivian said while keeping her hands joined and her gaze on the ground, filled with grace and etiquette.

She was a gorgeous and elegant creature despite the antagonism. And since her behavior sounded sure and confident, Sir Theodore couldn't find fault with her right away.

"Are you aware that half of your performance grade comes from your partner?" He asked again.

"Yes. I apologize once again for the inconvenience. However, I may have found a solution for that."

"And what is that?" He asked.

"I shall perform two roles at once. I believe it is not against the rules of the Performance." Vivian replied.

Two roles at once.

Now that's biting more than one can chew.

In such nerve-wracking performances where everyone should show nothing less than perfection, doing two things at once is simply another name for the recipe for disaster.

But it is not against the rules.

"Vivian, mon cher, 're you sure you 're up to this?" At that time, Madame Sophie finally spoke.

"It seems that I have no choice. I hope that I can be judged based on playing two roles if I am not being greedy." Vivian replied.

The judges found the situation baffling. As for Sir Theodor and Sir Hans, they knew well that the First Royal Academy wouldn't bring up a student who has no partner just by mistake. Traditions here are greatly honored and such a situation is surely aimed for.

Also, seeing the complicated face made by Madame Sophie, the two judges were sensible enough to detect the situation Vivian was in. While more details on the situation were needed, so far it must go according to plan.

"What piece will you play?" Sir Hans asked.

"It's an old song I know. Its singer isn't with us in this world, may God rest his soul." Vivian replied.

The judges frowned and it made most of the guests whisper among each other. It made many uncomfortable to hear whatever that was after the epic performance done by Prince Liam and Matilda. Speaking of which, the duet from the last performance had just joined the first row of students and seemed to be asking what was going on.

Vivian was causing a scene again. Showing up without a partner, playing an unknown piece.

Like what can go more wrong?

Many eyes landed on Count Julian Moore, whose face was stiff and solemn, yet the look in his eyes towards his daughter betrayed his solemn face and many could tell that he was feeling sorry for his daughter.

The judges, on the other hand, had a decision to make, whether to call this off or let her play.

It was already a bad situation as it is and nothing can be done.

"Go ahead!"

Vivian was given the green light to perform and her two support musicians found their way to their instrument while completely drenched in cold sweat.

A piano and vocal performance as it seemed just like the previous one with Prince Liam and Matilda. It was simply the worst joke possible at the moment. If it were to go wrong, Vivian and the performers would be booed at and shamed by the audience.

Little did everyone know how much Vivian prepared and how much she trained. In her traits window, right after "Expert Pianist", there was "Adept Vocalist", and she was readier than ever.

She pressed the first note…

🎵 Is the real life… 🎵

Then the second…

🎵 Is this just fantasy… 🎵

And her fingers danced so elegantly repeating the same note…

🎵 Caught in a landslide… 🎵

Then halted and let the following line start before playing while singing…

🎵 No escape from reality… 🎵

And just at that second, when her violet beautiful eyes met with old peepers of Sir Theodore Nightingale, the old musician fell in love.