2.
"So."
The movements of mermaids in water were quite intense.
The water in the bathtub spilled out, and the Black Dragon Master had fill it up again under the Crusader's orders.
"Whoever saw this would think I did something wrong. I helped you clear your quest." The Black Dragon Master mumbled.
[getid]
The Crusader sighed as though she was already used to the Black Dragon Master's shamelessness.
"Why did you bring me here? Is it because you need [Lie Detector]?"
"It's not. I don't need your skill. I need your musical talent."
"…my musical talent?"
The Crusader frowned.
The Black Dragon Master nodded.
"Mhm. You used to play a lot before you joined the Civil Militia. You even earned a lot more than your salary didn't you? Without my exaggeration, wouldn't that mean that it was a waste of money?"
"I don't know why the hell you're talking about that… That's an old story from before I got my title."
Listening to the conversation of the two in front of me, I felt a bit bewildered.
The Crusader. Ranked 7th.
Deputy Head of the Civil Militia in charge of maintaining security in Deungcheon City.
After the Sword Saint announced his retirement, the position of Head of the Civil Militia became vacant, so the Crusader was basically the acting Head.
I knew that she was a Venezuelan refugee and a graduate of a music school, but that was it.
Like my other companions, the Crusader didn't talk about her original past, so I knew very little about the Deputy Head.
"What do you mean earned a lot of money? What are you two talking about?"
"It's nothing. A useless past...."
"It's something that most don't know. This person made a lot of money doing jazz concerts."
Despite the Crusader's efforts to avoid the topic, the Black Dragon Master spoke plainly. The Crusader gave her a deathly glare, but the Black Dragon Master simply shrugged.
"When we first entered the tower, there weren't many interesting things to do. There were a lot of people who got into drinking, doing drugs or other things like that. But whenever the Crusader held a concert, hunters would flock to…."
"Black Dragon Master!"
"I don't know why, but everything we mention that time, she gets angry. So fussy. Ah, at that time, the Crusader's nickname was Night Sky…."
"If you say anything else it'll be declaration of war!"
"Aright. Sorry."
Heh.
This was something I hadn't known before.
Before my return, although it wasn't as much as the Flame Emperor, I had been a big fan of the famous hunters. I collected all the magazines that had the Black Dragon Master, Saintess, or Heretic Questionner as the cover models. However….
'There was very little information on the early days in the tower.'
Like now, there were still many stories that I didn't know.
I delved into my memories.
'Come to think of it, did I have any pictures of the Crusader…?'
She'd never pampered as the cover model for a magazine.
She was a hunter who was responsible for the Tower's consciousness together with the Saintess and the Lord of the Alchemy Castle.
'Was there some kind of hidden secret? Does she cover her face not just for style, but also for a secret reason?'
The fan spirit in me fluttered after a long time.
But I held it in because I didn't want to accidentally violate their privacy.
"...."
When our eyes met, the Crusader coughed slightly.
"…you still haven't told me why you brought me here. Black Dragon Master. If your goal was just to show the Death King that I'd taken the form of a mermaid, I will also expose your dark history."
"Oh my. What kind of dark history do I have?"
"Something you write and publish anonymously whenever you have time...."
"Death King! Show the Crusader that performance from before."
The Black Dragon Master spoke hurriedly.
What was that? Why were there so many secrets that only I didn't know even though we were all comrades? I was really curious.
"What do you write anonymously?"
"Mr. Gong-ja."
The Black Dragon Master grabbed my shoulders.
A dark aura also began to rise up from the Black Dragon Master's body. There was even a strange smile on her lips.
"Everyone has one secret they absolutely wouldn't let others find out about. Don't you agree? Even the Death King sometimes comes up with ridiculous stories about prophets and such."
"Eh."
Did this person know that I was lying!?
"However, I wouldn't question you more than that. Because you are my colleague and my comrade. True friendship isn't about what you say to each other, but about what you don't say to each other."
"Th-, that's good."
"Mr. Gong-ja. Are you our friend?"
I nodded my head with difficulty. The fingers that held my shoulders in a death grip made something as easy s nodding difficult.
"Ye-, Yes. Of course I am your friend."
"Yeah. My best friend."
Somehow, I ended up becoming the Black Dragon Master's best friend.
"I'd be really happy if the Death King showed the Fire Play to the Crusader."
That made me happy.
I couldn't refuse my best friend's request.
"...."
The Crusader was silent the entire time as she watched the fire play.
Early in the morning, the actors were surprised to find a vampire and a mermaid watching their practice. They couldn't help but glance at the large bathtub in the center of the seating area with a mermaid in it
"...indeed."
The Crusader murmured to herself without paying attention to their gazes.
"Amazing. Death King, did you come up with this on your own?"
"No. Fire Plays have always been a thing."
"Really? What about the music and dance that was mixed in?"
"Ah. Not those. I thought it would be nice to introduce choreography and music…."
The Crusader's eyes gleamed.
"Why did you think that?"
"Fire plays were birthed from aura. If they learn choreography based on martial arts techniques, they would become more familiar with utilizing their aura, and if they learn to use their aura to make music, they would become more creative…."
"Ahh, I see. It's a completely different perspective!"
The Crusader's tail fluttered above the surface of the water.
She was probably excited because she'd gotten her own understanding because of it.
"Death King. Do you know how interesting your discovery is?"
The Crusader's eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
It was my first time seeing her like this.
"Wh-, what do you mean?"
"You have created a composite art with aura."
The Crusader excitedly took a deep breath.
"Usually, operas and musicals are viewed as composite arts. However, [music] has always been an unresolved factor. No matter how natural it sounds, no matter how much heart and soul was put in it, music was the one component that had always been separate from the actor."
"Uh…."
What was she talking about?
"There is a saying that actors cannot directly interfere with music."
The Crusader became more excited the more she talked.
"Whether it is background music or an in-house orchestra, the music that played in the theater was not done by the actors. They could sing in musicals, but they were limited to just that."
"Mm…."
I lowered my head in thought.
"The audience is forced to accept the illusion that it was [music unfolding from the story] even though they knew what they were hearing was just [music from the speakers]. It was a basic understanding. But in the fire play you created… the actors can even play the music themselves! With aura!"
The Crusader raised her hand.
"This is an amazing step forward!"
The Crusader flicked her fingers.
Then her aura created a melody in the air.
It was more melodious and soothing than anything I'd ever played.
"Wow."
I was honestly amazed.
Was this what experts were like?
"Ah, right. I want to learn music from the Crusader. So I can play for Raviel…."
"No! That doesn't matter right now!"
The Crusader hit her chest in frustration.
[Something like that].
It was too harsh.
"You need to understand how amazing your discovery is, Death King! Dancing and acting in the music created by someone has its meaning. But being able to supply the music, dance and act, with just one person! It's innovative! Imagine a figure skating athlete not only performing smoothly but also using aura to create music…!"
"I'm sorry, but can you summarize it?"
"Dammit! Now isn't the time!"
After all, if it was just a compliment.
He should've just complimented me.
"Thank you. I wasn't much."
I smiled brightly and scratched the back of my head.
"…unbelievable."
The Crusader couldn't help but lift her head and wonder as she suddenly felt bitter inside.
"I can't believe that the person who made the discovery doesn't know anything… Death King. This might develop into a trend known as [Aura Art] in the future. It's truly incredible."
"What did you say?"
I thought the Crusader was exaggerating too much.
"Isn't it common to strengthen your voice with aura?"
"I'm not saying you created something that was never seen in this world before. It's better to say that you uncovered something that was already in the world but no one noticed"
The Crusader sighed.
"When all the hunters only thought of aura for [combat] or [strengthening the body], you found that it could also be used as an [invisible instrument]. Actors can now raise their inner music as much as they want without needing to rely on props or gadgets. It's not just actors either. Musicians, dancers, singers, everyone...."
"And."
The Black Dragon Master naturally grabbed the Crusader's shoulders and joined the conversation.
"It'll be something to brag about to the outside world."
The Black Dragon Master smiled.
"The outside world badmouths us every day. Saying we're savages who only know how to fight. When we didn't make money, they called us beggars, but the moment we started making money, they only knew how to say vulgar things. Now I want to see what those bastards will say since we've made such an amazing achievement in art. Artists who only know how to make money well? Is that going to become the new insult?"
"Black Dragon Master…."
I felt mixed emotions.
"I don't think I need to say this, but the Black Dragon Master is very competitive when it comes to the outside world. Sometimes, it's a bit sad."
"So noisy. You're only saying that because you don't know how badly our Tower is mistreated."
Her words were harsh but her tone was soft.
The Black Dragon Master turned to look at me… it was as though she was looking at a good luck charm.
With a happy smile, she put her hands on the Crusader and my shoulders at the same time.
"Death King."
"Yeah?"
"Crusader."
"...What is it? I have a bad feeling."
"I… want to promote this on a national level."
The Black Dragon Master smiled angelically.
It was a smile she never showed to her friends. It was the smile she used while doing interviews or taking photos for magazines.
"I thought about it for a while and realized that the Death King, this child, had adapted what he'd been through into the fire play. Isn't the Death King or Tower's beloved rookie and most popular star?"
"...."
"I think it would be good if we took this, performed it back at the Tower of Babel, recorded it, then spread it across the world. Wouldn't the artists outside be so shocked that they would rush over here to learn aura?"
"Umm...."
The expression of the Crusader, who didn't understand at first, changed.
"I got several movie offers but I turned them all down. I think it would ruin the Death King's image if we make a strange adaptation."
Movie offers?
There was something like that too?
"From what I can see, the fire play would be better than a movie. Yeah. It's an art form created by our Tower, showing the story of our top star. How could it not be amazing?"
I was confused.
Why was the scale of this conversation getting even higher than I expected!
"No, wait a minute. I don't…."
"Without a doubt."
The Crusader held her chin as she nodded.
Her flatfish-like tail also moved smoothly in the water.
"Our Tower doesn't have very much in the way of art. There are many who do things like jazz performances or novels, but we have very few large performances."
"That's what I'm saying. I've tried to encourage it a few times but it failed every time. Every time, I can only take movies from the outside and perform them here, but the royalties are enormous. They only pay us more when we make deals on behalf of the Tower. Seriously. Isn't it disgusting?"
"Mm."
"Let's give it a shot. Aura is something only we hunters in the Tower have. Now, we too will move away from being cultural importers and become cultural exporters instead."
"That's not bad…."
Uhh.
The Black Dragon Master and the Crusader both turned to look at me.
"...."
"...."
The two then smiled and nodded.
"Death King, you really are amazing."
"Right. It's clear that the Death King is a genius."
Uhh.
What was this?
Something didn't seem right.
"Wh-, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Are you trying to embarrass me…."
"No. We're serious. You know martial arts, swordsmanship, and aura, don't you? And now you've even touched art. I was ranked second for a long time, but I really can't beat you, Death King."
"Death King… I wonder just how far can go with your talent!"
No.
"The Tower's greatest genius! The greatest rookie of all time! Ahh, talent might be a word created just for the Death King. I can't help but think that whenever I see you…"
"Dammit. Why did the heavens have to put me in the same era as the Death King…!"
I was getting dizzy.
"Wait a minute, everyone… wait…."
"If it weren't for the Death King, we might not have even been able to defeat the 10th floor by now!"
"Seriously… it was the worst… But thanks to the Death King, we were able to skip over the 30th floor without a hitch."
"My words exactly! No wonder I lost my place as second in the rankings. There's no point to someone like me being second."
"As one of the original members of the Tower, I'm a bit ashamed… Death King, you are the one who makes me feel ashamed. If you are the sun then I am a shadow that had no choice but to hide behind something when you started to rise…."
Crazy.
"No... guys, wait...."
I was really dizzy.
"He's really cool. Our Death King. I can't believe he's our comrade. !'m so moved that I can't help but make it a pride of my life"
"Mm. By climbing the Tower with the Death King, I will remain as a legend even if I die, drawing the envy of countless people. It gives me such joy."
"Shit...."
"Awesome!"
"Amazing."
"Colossal!"
"Death King. He is a legend…."
"It's hard to believe!"
"I really can't believe it!"
I had difficulty breathing.
"Th-, thank you. Thanks for the compliments… but that much is…."
"Then should we create an art guild and put the Death King as the leader? Can we borrow the Death King's revered name for a while?"
"Yeah…. Since that's the case, please stop… I feel like I'm going to die…."
"I also plan to be the Vice Leader. You don't have to worry. All the Death King needs to do is give his name. We'll handle the rest on our own. We can't cause trouble for a great person like the Death King."
"I'm dying...."
"Right. Please accept this seal."
Guild Leader.
I didn't know what it was, but I accepted the seal the Black Dragon Master gave to me.
"Thanks, Death King. A lot of money might suddenly appear in your bank account. So don't be too surprised."
"Use it well."
In the midst of my dizziness, I heard a sigh in the background.
-Tch. Such an easy bastard….
-....
And Ssonia stared at us with an incomprehensible expression.