Chapter 162 – Concert of the Monster Girls

With the kitchen facilities now complete and preparations for the concert underway…

Invitations had been sent out, tickets had gone on sale… All that remained was to hold the opening ceremony before the grand debut.

While I was making rounds checking the theater’s various facilities, Forestbird and the others arrived.

“Hello there, Theo-kun.”

“Hey, everyone.”

“We heard there was an opening ceremony, so we came. We also wanted to thank you for the invitations.”

Fitz grinned.

“My, it seems to be incredibly popular!”

Lucian appeared to be in high spirits. The tickets had gone on sale a few days after being announced at the Guild… and to our surprise, lines formed and they sold out on the very first day. Setting up stalls in front of the theater to sell shaved ice and carbonated water had definitely paid off.

Along with the ticket sales, there seemed to be a secondary effect of increased requests at the Adventurer Guild and rising sales at the market near the square. The economic boost was certainly welcome.

“Thank goodness we didn’t have to stand in those lines,” Robin said with a wry smile.

Since Forestbird and the others had consistently taken on the role of escorting Justia and Dominique, they were naturally invited as honored guests.

Between the invited guests’ seats, the sales seats, and the lottery-winning seats, every single spot was filled – a full house.

I expected ticket scalpers and resellers would appear… but there’s only so much one can do about that.

I advised that if transactions were conducted at fixed prices through the Adventurer Guild, seats wouldn’t go to waste if customers couldn’t attend for some reason. It would also help prevent reselling… Well, we’ll see how it goes.

For the opening ceremony, I invited various people who had helped us. I had tables set up in the entrance with food laid out for a banquet.

Rather than something formal and stiff, it was a casual gathering where everyone could come together and enjoy the food. Standing before the assembled crowd, I began with greetings.

“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today. That we’ve reached this day of completion is entirely thanks to the support of everyone present.”

After delivering this and other remarks to conclude my address, applause broke out from those in attendance.

As I bowed and was about to return to my seat, King Melvin spoke up.

“Hmm. It would be rather plain to simply call this ‘the theater’ forever. What do you think? How about formally deciding on a name for this theater here and now?”

He prompted me. Hmm. The theater’s name… A name, huh.

“How about ‘Boundary Theater’?”

This was to express our wish for harmony between the labyrinth and friendly monsters.

There were various candidates… but I declined to mix in my position or name. For me, this theater exists purely for its purpose, so I wanted to return to its founding concept.

Amid renewed applause, I bowed once more and returned to my seat, and this time the banquet truly began.

…Well then. All that remains is for the concert to succeed.

On the actual day, I’ll be operating the magic tool panel from the wings, so I’ve been doing full rehearsals with Irmhild and the others.

Eventually I’d like to find staff specialized in handling these operations… but we’ll see how that goes.

And so the busy days passed by… until the day of the full moon – that is, the day of the concert arrived.

“In the unlikely event of a fire or other emergency, you can exit the theater through the emergency exits indicated on the guidance boards. Please follow the soldiers’ directions for evacuation.”

The theater seats were completely full. Standing on stage, I delivered greetings and explained precautions for watching the performance and evacuation guidance in front of the ceremonial curtain.

In the audience… on the second-floor terrace directly facing the stage, King Melvin and other royal family members, along with heavyweights like the prime minister and ministers, were seated.

The second-floor seats on the right side contained many of my personal acquaintances. In other words, these were seats for my companions and associates this time. Workshop, Moon Temple, and Guild personnel were in the second-floor seats on the left side.

I could see Grace, Ashley, and Marlene. Claudia and… Irmhild’s mother were also visible. I heard she hesitated until the last moment, but it seems she came after all. Irmhild’s mother received VIP treatment. Caduceus was serving as her bodyguard along with my party.

The first-floor seats were for invited industry professionals and nobles interested in watching the performance. In one section of the basement level, orphanage staff and children were seated. Due to the large number of people this time, temporary seats had been added.

With shrine maidens from the Moon Temple and Guild staff offering to help, both admission management and the concession stands seemed to be going well.

For those who offered to help this time, in addition to rewards, we’ll be sending them invitations to the next concert.

After finishing explaining all the precautions, King Melvin began applauding from the second floor. Waves of applause spread throughout the entire audience. Bowing amidst the applause, I retreated to the wings. The rest—was Irmhild and the others’ time.

Waiting for the applause to quiet down, I looked toward Irmhild waiting on stage for the opening moment.

Our eyes met… and she nodded. I dimmed the theater lights.

Sheila, who had been waiting in the wings, pulled a cord, and the curtain quietly rose.

Floating in the darkness was just one point – the figures of Irmhild and Justia, dressed in gowns and standing back-to-back on stage.

The Humanization Spell had been released. Although we had fully disclosed the concert’s contents in our publicity, some audience members who might not have known showed confused expressions.

But—overall, reactions of being captivated by their mystical beauty seemed to prevail.

Irmhild played the harp. Justia played the flute. The audience’s hearts were captured by the stage in just an instant.

The clear singing voice that could be heard along with the quiet melody—came from the audience seating area. I directed a spotlight.

Dominique appeared from the emergency exit on the right, placing a hand on her chest as her voice resonated through the venue.

Spreading her wings, Dominique sang while gracefully dancing through the theater at a slow pace. Dominique’s singing voice—was better described as an instrument rather than mere singing. It had a wide range and solid technique. This was probably something racial or innate.

When Dominique reached the front of the stage, I activated the device. Colorful bubbles chased after her back. It looked like they were chasing her, but the bubbles’ movement path was predetermined, so Dominique was simply moving ahead while tracing that route.

The audience’s faces. Eyes wide, mouths agape. The flying songstress with lighting and bubble effects. From everyday reality to a fantastical space.

Dominique gently descended to center stage—and all three bowed together.

After a few moments, thunderous applause erupted.

Waiting for the applause to quiet down, they bowed again and Dominique picked up the hem of her skirt to curtsy. She introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I am—Dominique the Harpy. Today—I’m truly grateful that so many of you have come. Since this is our first concert, I’m a bit nervous… but I’ll do my very best, and I’d be happy if you could enjoy it to the end.”

With a slightly nervous expression, Dominique continued.

“She is Justia the Siren. And this is Irmhild the Lamia. They’re my precious friends.”

Following Dominique’s introduction, the two played their instruments and bowed. Each time, applause broke out.

After the songstresses’ introductions and remarks concluded—blue lighting illuminated the cyclorama. As bubbles rose from below—the atmosphere transformed into that of the deep ocean floor.

Justia’s singing voice resounded as she switched to a large harp, and the performance resumed.

On stage props resembling reefs, Justia sang.

The singing voice of a Siren, said to charm people. However, this time, no magical power was infused in it. Even so, it possessed an intoxicating beauty.

Each of the three had main and solo parts prepared.

After Justia’s solo ended, Irmhild—now holding a lute—smiled toward the audience and began playing cheerful music, completely shifting from the previous quiet, mystical atmosphere.

The background colors changed too. The two songstresses sang joyfully. Percussion instruments were attached to Justia’s tail. She swung her tail to keep rhythm while Dominique danced through the air with bubbles.

Naturally, Irmhild also had her solo part. Holding her lute, she used her tail as well to play the strings, achieving complex playing techniques impossible for humans. The audience watched with wide eyes.

A vortex of sound. Fantastically intertwining colorful lights. The audience was completely captivated. Irmhild’s mother was also laughing happily.

Irmhild had said she lacked confidence in her singing, but that was probably modesty. Even without being able to perform Cursed Songs, her singing voice was more than beautiful enough. The three voices intertwined in rounds.

When all the performances ended—it became what’s called a standing ovation.

In the end, they responded to three encores, and the first concert concluded with great success. On stage, Auria and Penelope, along with Brad representing the orphanage children, were presenting bouquets. Throughout this, the standing audience continued with cheers and applause—and it simply wouldn’t end.