To achieve my next goal of learning Holy Magic, I had to visit the Church.
However, even though it had been two years, there was a high probability I would be turned away immediately if I went alone, considering I was still technically banned. In times like these, it was best to go with someone who had strong ties to the organization.
Fortunately, a certain person came to mind.
The Fourth Princess, Saria di Saloom.
Among the royal family, she was the one with the deepest relationship with the Church. It wasn't that she was particularly devout; rather, Saria possessed extraordinary musical talent.
Flute, harp, trombone, violin, castanets... she was proficient in every instrument imaginable, but she was a true prodigy on the piano. She had been performing music at the Church since she was a young child. Consequently, the Church relied on her for various events, and Saria’s concerts were a staple of their Holy Communion.
As luck would have it, tomorrow was the day of the Church’s Holy Communion. If I accompanied Saria, the Church officials wouldn't be able to just heartlessly drive me away.
Yes, it was a perfect plan, if I do say so myself.
"The only thing is... Saria-neesan has a bit of a difficult personality."
"Ho? It’s rare to hear Master Lloyd comment on someone's personality. What kind of person is she?"
"To put it simply, she’s the type who loses sight of her surroundings when she concentrates. She’ll play her instruments whenever she has a free moment, not caring if everyone around her thinks she’s being noisy. She won't come even if called for meals. She absolutely refuses to do anything she doesn't want to do... basically, she's an incredibly selfish person."
"...Master Lloyd, are you sure you aren't describing yourself?" Grimo asked, his voice sounding utterly exasperated.
I wonder what he meant by that. Did I really look like such an inconsiderate person? What a truly rude fellow.
Regardless, I couldn't afford to be picky if I wanted to learn Holy Magic. I decided to go find Saria. As I mentioned, she was always practicing, so we rarely crossed paths, but her location was always easy to find. I just had to head toward the music.
"Even so, the castle is huge. There are all kinds of noises, and if she's playing indoors, we might not hear it, right?"
"It’s fine. I’ll hear it if I concentrate."
Magic Focus—by isolating the mana in my entire body and releasing it only through a specific part, that area would emit much stronger mana. A part covered in such intense mana would have its functions significantly enhanced. Specifically, covering the arms boosted strength, the legs boosted speed, and the ears boosted hearing.
I gathered mana only in my ears and focused my consciousness. Suddenly, I could hear more than just the whistling wind and the chirping birds; I heard the voices of maids in the distance and the sounds of cleaning.
Ah, Ren of the Poison Moth was getting scolded by Sylpha over there.
Amidst the flood of noise—Plink ♪
I heard a light, bouncing melody.
"I hear it. That way."
"Eh? What? What do you hear?"
Grimo didn't seem to hear it yet, but the direction of the sound was definitely the wing in the northern part of the castle. As I approached the pure white building, the sound became clearer.
"Oh, even I can hear it now that we've come this far. Hmm, hmmm, that’s quite a wonderful melody."
"Heh, you appreciate music, Grimo?"
"I dabbled in music quite a bit back when I was in the Demon World. Well, guys who play instruments tend to be popular with the ladies. Gehihi."
"...You've tried a lot of things, haven't you?"
And none of them sounded like the kind of things a Majin would do. He was surprisingly human, in a way. Regardless, I stepped into the building. Once inside, the music echoed loudly; the inner walls were clearly soundproofed.
"The sound is coming from the basement."
"Yeah, is that the door?"
Peering down, I saw a massive iron door at the bottom of a spiral staircase. I descended and pushed the door open; it let out an eerie creak as it swung wide.
In a room cluttered with instruments, a woman was playing the piano. She had short black hair, an expressionless face, and wore black-rimmed glasses on a slender frame. She was dressed in a short skirt that looked easy to move in and a baggy top with a hood she could use to hide her face.
This woman, who looked like a commoner at first glance, was the Fourth Princess, Saria di Saloom. She didn't give me so much as a glance, continuing to play with single-minded devotion.
"Hey, aren't you going to call out to her?" Grimo asked as I stood there watching.
"No, it would be a bother to interrupt her when she's so focused."
I would hate it if someone interrupted me while I was researching magic. I wouldn't show it on my face, of course, but I'd be annoyed. Since I was the one asking for a favor, I decided to wait quietly until she finished.
"Fortunately, I have plenty to do while I wait."
Magic Focus—I still hadn't practiced this technique enough. I closed my eyes and began isolating the mana throughout my body. If I could release it over an even narrower range, I should be able to achieve even higher output.
I tried to release mana only from a single fingertip... Guh, it was incredibly difficult.
But I focused. I narrowed it down.
The index finger, then the middle finger, then the ring finger... I tried to move the focus as quickly and smoothly as possible. As I became immersed in the training, the sounds of the room vanished, replaced by total silence.
I devoted myself to my training for quite some time.
"...Master, Master Lloyd!"
I heard a voice. Feeling a wriggling sensation in my palm, I slowly opened my eyes to find Grimo shouting.
"Master Lloyd! You finally opened your eyes! I called you so many times!"
"...What is it, Grimo? I was right in the middle of something."
"The princess has been staring at us for a while now."
Following his gaze, I saw Saria sitting at the piano, staring intently at me. Ah, that's right, I was waiting for her to finish. I had completely forgotten.
"H-Hey, Saria-neesan. It's been a while."
When I spoke, Saria looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke.
"...I remember now. You’re Rodeo, right? My younger brother."
"It's Lloyd."
"Was it?"
Saria didn't seem to care that she’d gotten my name wrong.
"This person doesn't even remember her own brother's name..."
"We’ve only met a few times, after all."
I wasn't very good at remembering names myself, so I wasn't going to judge.
"So, do you need something from me?" Saria asked, her eyes fixed on me.
As I’d noted, Saria was difficult and had no interest in people. With her, trying to smooth things over with flowery words would only backfire. I had to be direct.
"Saria-neesan. You’re going to the Church tomorrow to perform, right? Actually, I want you to take me with you."
"Sure."
"...Right, of course. It was too sudden. But first, let me explain—wait, what?"
"I said sure. Why don't you just come along?" Saria answered, her expression as blank as ever.
"T-Thank you, Saria-neesan!"
"Don't worry about it."
Saria looked away abruptly. I see; it was a case of "I don't care, so do whatever you want." It was a bit anticlimactic, but a welcome outcome nonetheless.
"Lloyd, right... I’m starting to remember, vaguely. A few years ago, when I went to the library to look for sheet music, you were there reading a Magic Book by yourself. Your concentration was so deep you didn't notice me even when I sat next to you; I remember thinking it was impressive for someone so young. And that hasn't changed. If anything, it's even more intense now... yes, this is a good opportunity. It seems Lloyd has developed an interest in music too, so I’ll turn him into a musician. This child has talent. That faint light I saw from his fingertips earlier... that was the 'Hands of Light' that only the most elite performers occasionally display. It's a bit late to start, but he’ll probably overcome a handicap like that easily. I was getting bored since there are almost no musicians in this country who can stand on equal footing with me. If Lloyd grows as a musician and plays a duet with me, we can create songs like nothing the world has ever seen... fufu, this might actually be fun."
Saria muttered to herself, her mouth twisting into a strange, haunting smile. I didn't quite understand what she was rambling about, but I suppose I had cleared the first hurdle.