༺ The Boy Who Couldn’t Offer Comfort ༻
Once the Soul Whisperer, Deus Verdi, began to make his move in earnest, rumors about his presence in Claren, the city of artists, immediately spread throughout the entire region of the Kingdom.
Although the commotion surrounding him had comparatively decreased due to the passage of time since the Great Debate, the fact that he had publicly revealed himself for the first time since he returned to the Academy drew quite a lot of attention in Claren.
Both the bishops and the nobles were equally nervous and paid close attention to his every move.
However, all Deus Verdi actually did in Claren was make a proposal for an event for Artist’s Day, the unique festival of Claren.
Some criticized him, calling him out for pretending to be an artist and behaving thoughtlessly under the guise of being an artist, while intoxicated with self-indulgence and the artist’s syndrome.
Others speculated that Deus might have a hidden motive for revealing himself.
However, the person who was the most dissatisfied with his nonchalant public appearance was a woman staying in the office of a loan shark.
That woman was Dina, the Monstrumancer affiliated with Dante, a secret organization of Dark Mages on a grand mission to save the world.
From Dina’s perspective, the current situation was enough to push her to the brink of rage.
“You bastard! How could you suddenly decide to show your face just like that after hiding all this while?!”
As she smashed her fist against the desk, Bolfras, the owner of the office and the loan shark, had a pained expression on his face. It looked as if he was on the verge of tears.
Bolfras was originally involved in loan sharking. While he wasn’t quite at the level of controlling the entirety of Claren, he was still the leader of a reasonably competitive gang.
However, his life began to change once he caught Dante’s eye.
Claren, the city where the yokai born from the delusions of artists were endlessly produced, was a good prey for Dante, and by establishing a base, they could also play both ends against the middle by extorting funds from loan sharks.
However, they weren’t seizing everything from the loan sharks by force.
From Dante’s perspective, they were actually providing a separate assistance by teaching them how to leave an imprint on the people borrowing money from them.
Thanks to this, the loan sharks could easily track down their debtors, even to the ends of the continent. This had been the main reason Bolfras had been able to achieve a collection rate of 120%.
On a side note, the reason he could achieve a rate of 120% was because they managed to thoroughly strip most of the people who fled, right down to their organs.
Human lives had more value than one might think. Thanks to that, they were able to collect more than the principal amount on a regular basis.
Huh, shouldn’t the remaining money go to the debtor once the debt was paid off?
What was the use of giving those people that money if they had passed away after all their organs had been taken away cleanly?
Even if the debtor could repay the debt by extracting their livers, this place would also rip out their heart and sell it for money.
Nevertheless.
Since Dante’s members visited them occasionally, Bolfras thought it would be a profitable business to just cater to them from time to time.
However, this time, it was different.
Ever since she had learned that the Soul Whisperer, Deus Verdi, was present in Claren, Dina had been staying in this place.
So, now they had to behave with caution on a daily basis. Especially since she hadn’t been in a good mood lately.
“Argh, I was trying to hide this fact from the rest of the members, but now they have all found out! I planned to claim him for myself.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She unilaterally slammed the desk, which was already split in half, shattering it completely.
“Huff, what is it this time? What did he say? What did he do?”
Seeing her crimson eyes glaring at him intensely, Bolfras quickly replied.
“I-I heard they plan to hold a masquerade festival! It’s something where the artists dress up in their own creations and enjoy the festival!”
At first, Bolfras thought that Deus was pushing for this proposal, but it turned out that it received a more favorable reception than expected.
Not only was it a unique festival, but artists were also able to freely showcase their works.
With only a few days remaining, the artists were busy preparing to showcase their works for the event.
“Huh, why does our revered Soul Whisperer have such a peculiar hobby?”
Despite muttering to herself like that, Dina felt a bit suspicious.
“…Is it really because of that?”
This was the very first move the man, revered as the Soul Whisperer, had made since the start of the academy’s vacation. Would he simply show up just because he came up with a good idea for the Artist’s Day celebrations?
“Come to think of it, that bastard is also a Dark Mage like me.”
On top of that, he was rumored to be a Necromancer with extremely sharp senses. He had an insane talent for being able to discern even the weakest souls that ordinary Dark Mages couldn’t perceive properly.
“Then, is he also able to see all the yokai in this land?”
Although Dina could see some of the powerful yokai, not all yokai were visible to her.
That was why she needed the boy who was able to summon the yokai by playing the piano.
“Fu, fufu. I’m not sure what exactly he’s up to, but I think I understand what he’s trying to do.”
Looking out the window, Dina drew a wicked smile on her lips.
She didn’t know which dishes he had prepared on the menu, but she had a feeling she could probably sneak up to the table set by the Soul Whisperer as an uninvited guest.
* * *
“Huff, huff.“
The Artist’s Day was soon approaching.
All the artists in Claren were working hard to showcase their works while making them the very embodiment of themselves.
Thanks to this, there was a brief pause to the music that continuously echoed throughout Claren all year long.
However, regardless of the situation, Owen continued to diligently play the piano.
Since that day, the loan sharks hadn’t particularly bothered him, so little by little, he had been saving the money earned from his performances.
Furthermore, upon hearing Owen’s story, the innkeeper of the Leon Inn allowed him to rent a room at a discounted rate out of sympathy. This allowed the grandson to find some relief after disposing of the hard to maintain house where he used to live with his deceased grandfather.
Perhaps because of this, he was truly able to enjoy playing the piano recently.
He stood beside the piano near the fountain at the center. It was already late at night, so people just passed by without much interest. However, Owen, with his mind clear, decided to sit there.
Even though he didn’t really need it, he still placed the sheet music in front of him. It was just in case any unexpected situation arose.
“Huff.”
He gently closed his eyes and pressed the familiar keys once again.
As one tone emerged, others began to follow, soon forming a melody that permeated the entire city.
Then, the yokai began to appear and filled the surroundings.
The rough breathing of the yokai could already be heard in the vicinity. It was evident that they had been waiting for this.
Although he would normally close his eyes when playing the piano to avoid seeing the eerie appearance of the yokai, the Soul Whisperer’s words brushed through the boy’s mind as he pressed the keys out of habit.
Soon, all the yokai will disappear. Until then, just do your best.
“Do the best I can.”
The boy continued to press the keys as he slowly opened his eyes.
Despite his shoulders shrinking due to the eerie yokai crowding around the piano, Owen knew they wouldn’t cause harm to him or the piano as they only drew closer.
Therefore, Owen cautiously turned his head.
The young boy surveyed the eerie audience that had come to listen to his performance.
Some yokai had their eyes on their hands, others had excessively large teeth unable to close their mouths, there were also yokai with dozens of hands, and so on.
To begin with, they were supernatural beings with frightening appearances, but Owen forced himself to speak.
“Soon, I will part ways with you all.”
The sound of the piano drowned out his muttering, so no one other than those yokai were able to hear it.
The yokai stared at the boy as if they understood.
“The Soul Whisperer said that he would somehow find a way to help you.”
What kind of emotions did they harbor?
They came to listen to his performance in hopes of being annihilated.
What was the reason that led them to come searching for him with such sorrow?
“Ah.”
He unexpectedly found the answer in their eyes. The information in his mind merged with the scene before his eyes, unveiling the truth.
Despite the countless performances and visits, it was only now, as the end drew near, that he realized things he wasn’t able to before.
“So, you knew you were causing harm to yourselves.”
Strange yokai born from a mixture and entanglement of the desires and eager wishes of artists.
If they had a choice, they would have chosen not to be born. They also knew that their existence harmed the dead. Therefore, they desired annihilation.
They sought comfort and naturally disappeared while listening to the melody of the piano.
All they hoped was to be able to end their own lives.
When such thoughts arose in his mind, Owen felt sorry for the yokai crowding around him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfill your wishes.”
He poured his emotions into each key he pressed.
“I’m sorry for my shortcomings.”
Even now, even just a little, perhaps he could at least send off one of them.
Embracing such an eager desire, the boy continued his sincere performance.
Before long, the performance came to an end as he pressed the final keys, and the yokai, as if comforting Owen in return, nodded their heads and dispersed once again.
Until the very end, not a single yokai was comforted by him.
In the end, he couldn’t even properly grant the death that the yokai, who chose death for the sake of others, had desired.
Owen came to a complete realization about his own incompetence and took off his hands from the keys.
“Not a single one….”
The bitter taste lingered on his tongue. Not only were there no yokai left, but there wasn’t even a single person in front of the piano.
Owen finally expressed his honest feelings.
“This is no longer enjoyable.”
It was at that moment that he came to despise the piano he had once loved to play all his life.
