Chapter 31: Sneaking Around
"Ding-dong, welcome to the Requiem Paradise of instruments~"
As night fell, Ciaccona brought the two to a seaside location—a place Aeron had heard of but never visited.
"Requiem Paradise...?"
Rover repeated Ciaccona's words, glancing around the serene environment with slight confusion. Why would such a peaceful place bear such a name?
Aeron remained silent. Explaining settings was never his job—he'd leave that to Ciaccona.
Setting, go!
"The people of Ragunna live by the sea, sleep by the sea, and their souls ultimately flow into the ocean after death."
"For poets, instruments are part of their lives. So they bury them by the shore, letting them embark on a long dream until they finally return to the sea."
"Before being exiled, the poets of the Golden Anthem must have laid their instruments to rest here."
"That's why, in this place, I can better use resonance to determine the authenticity of poetry~"
Alright, let's thank Miss Ciaccona for her detailed explanation of the environment.
"Ciaccona's resonance ability is 'to recreate all things through melody.' As long as there is poetry and music, she can restore what she wishes to uncover."
At this point, Aeron paused briefly, only now realizing—wasn't this bard's theoretical combat power a bit too high?
Aeron shook his head, dismissing his wild thoughts, and turned to Rover:
"Anyway, when she starts performing the movement later, please protect her from any disturbances."
"What about you?"
"Of course, I'll need your protection too."
"?"
Rover furrowed her brows slightly at Aeron's words.
What's with this guy? First, he secretly followed her, then tricked her with a letter he needed to retrieve, and now, even though he could fight, he's hiding behind her.
"Don't look at me like that... Why would you think I have any combat ability?"
"Didn't you just subdue those priests in the library earlier?"
"I told you before, right? That was just some shoddy trickery. Real combat relies on you guys."
It definitely wasn't because he wanted to slack off. Really.
Rover stared into Aeron's eyes, trying to uncover his lies, but all she could see was sincerity radiating from them.
"So, everything from now on depends on you."
"..."
Rover glanced at Aeron speechlessly. This guy really had no qualms about ordering people around.
But since she had already made a promise, she naturally wouldn't go back on her word now.
Still, she couldn't resist rolling her eyes at him one last time.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Mm!"
Ciaccona nodded, then lifted her lute and walked onto the reef washed by the waves. Taking a deep breath, she began plucking the strings with her fingers.
A few melodious notes, transformed by resonance, leaped from her fingertips, and soon after, the music officially began.
The rhythm built layer by layer, the pitch climbing steadily, growing increasingly intense and penetrating.
Vivid green particles of materialized resonance swirled and rose with the music, illuminating the coastline under the night sky. The buried instruments around them began to play in harmony with her melody.
Aeron took half a step back, standing beside Ciaccona to give Rover space to act.
He wanted to see how the savior who rescued civilizations would fight.
It really wasn't because he wanted to slack off, truly.
The Rover placed a hand on her sword hilt, vigilantly observing her surroundings as she awaited the enemy's appearance.
Then, as expected, Echoes gradually emerged from the distant coastline—common Echo combinations in Rinascita like "Cuddle Wuddle," "Diggy Duggy," "Lottie Lost," and "Hocus Pocus."
'...But isn't this number a bit excessive?'
Aeron watched the gathering Echoes not far away, estimating about twenty of them. Did this movement really possess such powerful magic?
"Seems the rumors are livelier than imagined... No choice then, I choose you—go, Rover!"
Without turning back, the Rover let out a silent sigh before her eyes sharpened and she gripped her sword hilt. She stepped forward, precisely positioning herself to shield both Ciaccona, who remained focused on her performance, and Aeron, who clearly had no intention of intervening.
Confronted by the charging Echoes, the Rover moved swiftly but didn't engage head-on. Using incredibly fast footwork, she left afterimages on the beach as the Echo on her hand glowed brightly. Flashes of blade light continuously darted through the Echo horde, leaving marks on every Echo she touched.
Aeron never took his eyes off the Rover for even a second, determined to capture every movement she made.
After weakening the entire group with diffracted resonance power, the Rover returned to face the Echo horde.
She reversed her grip and plunged her longsword into the ground, then formed a loose fist with her left hand. A massive scythe composed of pure dark energy materialized instantly while a single pitch-black wing unfurled behind her shoulder. She charged directly into the Echo horde before her.
What followed was the effortless cleaving through the large group of Echoes as the Rover wielded her scythe like cutting through melons and vegetables.
Just as she herself had claimed—she truly was exceptionally capable in combat.
Witnessing the Rover's absurdly exaggerated combat prowess, Aeron finally breathed a sigh of relief. Though he'd never actually doubted her abilities, seeing it with his own eyes was reassuring.
Well then, what more needed to be said? He could just focus on slacking off!
Just as Aeron relaxed his guard, a Cuddle Wuddle lunged from the opposite direction, spreading its arms as it charged straight toward Ciaccona—
Thwack!
Before it could complete its movement, Arsène shot out from Aeron's shadow, piercing through its chest with sharp claws and cleanly eliminating it. The Echo dissolved into specks of light, its frequency absorbed by the shadows.
"!?"
Startled by the sudden appearance of the shadow beside her, Ciaccona lost her balance momentarily before Aeron immediately reached out to steady her.
"Keep playing! Keep dancing!"
"What, what kind of nonsense are you spouting now!"
Though complaining verbally, Ciaccona still readjusted her rhythm and refocused her attention on the musical movement.
Finally, as the last Echo fell beneath the Rover's scythe, the passionate music by the seaside also reached its conclusion precisely at that moment.
The lingering notes drifted away with the sea breeze as Ciaccona rested her hands on the strings and let out a long exhale.
After confirming there was no danger, Ciaccona approached the fallen Echoes and began examining these possessed entities.
"Hmm... This isn't 'Wraiths'... or rather, it's not the same category as the lingering attachments from Golden Anthem poetry club members."
"Then what is it?"
To answer the Rover's question, Ciaccona plucked her strings, using resonance power to transform the information into audible musical notes.
Yet what it contained was the Ragunna people's fear of the Poetry Society.
"This is...?"
"If this were a 'Wraith,' it would emit the author's voice, but this is merely the Ragunna people's imagination."
Aeron spoke first, explaining Ciaccona's meaning to Rover.
"This movement merely bears the title 'Golden Anthem'—it's not a true poem. The Second Young Lady's plan has fallen through."
"So you mean..."
"Exactly. All that effort for nothing. What a shame."
Facing Rover's slightly resentful gaze alone, Aeron felt completely unperturbed, even somewhat amused.
"Hey! I haven't said anything yet!"
Ciaccona immediately interrupted the mission debriefing and pointed to a lute nearby.
"...What's that?"
"Though it's not the original, just now there were special hidden meanings pointing to it. With luck, this might be the part connecting this movement to the 'Golden Anthem.'"
"Did you just make that up on the spot? Could it be any more abrupt?"
"I'm serious!"
Facing Aeron's skepticism, Ciaccona patted him discontentedly before walking over to the lute and placing her manuscript on it.
"Anyway, shall I give it another try? We might stumble upon something unexpected!"
"Ugh..."
Aeron detested overtime, but with Rover shooting him resentful looks for their wasted efforts, he ultimately had to agree to Ciaccona's suggestion.
After all, he wouldn't be the one doing the work—go for it!
"Let's go. I can't return empty-handed anyway."
"Okay, I'll begin!"
Ciaccona flipped through her manuscript and played the melody originally belonging to this lute—
Then, before they knew it, they found themselves in a shattered world.
Not far away stood a room resembling an interrogation chamber.
"The melody left by the instrument is very faint... We must proceed with caution from now on!"
"Understood."
Rover immediately acknowledged Ciaccona's warning and was about to move when she suddenly noticed something.
She turned to look behind her and saw only Ciaccona following.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"...Where is he?"
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