Chapter 649 – Magical Instruments

Lily’s singing voice was truly remarkable—so rich and clear it was hard to believe it came from her small frame, combined with various vocal techniques. No wonder the Harpies considered it their pride.

At the same time, her joyful singing was quite memorable. Though skilled, her demeanor was endearing, and it was clear everyone was enjoying the Harpies’ hospitality.

After finishing her song, Lily smiled somewhat shyly and approached Dominique.

“Lily, you’ve improved so much since last time.”

“I’ve been practicing ever since Dominique-oneechan disappeared. I hoped if I could properly do what you taught me, you’d be happy when we met again.”

Dominique smiled happily at Lily’s words and hugged her tightly.

So Dominique had been teaching her various things. Dominique continued holding and stroking Lily for a while before finally speaking.

“Next, it’s your big sister’s turn to sing, so watch carefully.”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Then… we shall return your hospitality with our own song.”

“I look forward to it.”

Vera smiled.

So I left the magic tool operation to them. Everyone divided tasks to prepare the magic tools and other arrangements, while Dominique and the others went to the chief’s house to change clothes.

Dominique exchanged glances with Irmhild and the others, nodding in agreement, then stepped forward into the plaza. Under the Harpies’ watchful eyes, Dominique, Irmhild, and Justia stood back-to-back—as particles of light and water bubbles created by the magic tools swirled around them.

For a moment, their figures were hidden by these elements. With a radiant glow as the Humanization Spell was released, the surrounding light and bubbles scattered outward as if bursting.

The three of them, now in dresses with their Humanization Spell undone, floated in the air. Simultaneously, a cheerful melody and singing voices filled the plaza. Both Irmhild and Justia happily created harmonies to accompany Dominique’s singing.

Though we had told them we’d use Magic for the performance, the Harpies widened their eyes momentarily at the spectacle before breaking into smiles.

Matching the song’s climax, Cyrille joined the performance from the side of the plaza, playing the bagpipes. Multicolored bubbles danced up and down as she tapped her hooves to the rhythm, enhancing the atmosphere.

When the song ended, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted. The opening had gone perfectly.

After the Harpies’ excitement settled, the bubbles and light began moving again. The Harpies watched intently as another vortex formed, and with a faint glow, Sheila appeared inside a drum set. She had concealed herself with her cloak, positioned herself, and revealed her presence timed with the performance.

Sheila’s drums and Cyrille’s tap dancing, combined with the bouncing movements of light particles, set the rhythm and energized the venue. Irmhild and the others joined in, layering their voices together.

Both Lamias and Sirens are races no less skilled in singing and performance than Harpies. They had ample practice and experience. The Harpies seemed captivated by their melodies.

“Next, we’ll perform a song passed down among us Sirens.”

At Justia’s words, the Harpies cheered. Since it was a song traditional to Sirens, Justia took the lead while Irmhild and the others supported her.

Amid rising bubbles evoking an underwater image, Justia’s mystical singing voice resonated. This atmosphere was different from the Harpies’—something unique to Sirens. Perhaps because Irmhild and the others had seen Sirens perform and sing in Grantios, their image had become clearer, and they seemed better at creating the Siren song’s ambiance and building excitement.

“Now, please listen to a song passed down in our village.”

Next was Irmhild. The musical pieces from the Labyrinth Village varied widely—some created through gatherings of different races, others directly inherited. Some even came from the Moon Capital via Claudia.

For this performance in the Harpy village, we generally selected cheerful, lively songs, so we matched the staging accordingly. Using magic tools, we created a rainbow, and Irmhild glided along it while playing her lute. Dominique and Justia flew across in intersecting paths, accompanied by light and bubbles.

The Harpies seemed to appreciate such staging, showing considerable excitement.

After the Labyrinth Village-related songs, the next piece featured Dominique as the main performer. This was one of the songs performed at the theater. Then came songs where everyone joined in to build energy, one after another, receiving applause and cheers through several encores until Dominique and the others’s performance concluded.

Even after the return performance ended, the Harpies remained exhilarated. Since it naturally led to them actually touching and playing various instruments found from different places, given their nature, it was inevitable they’d get excited.

They eagerly asked everyone about how to use the instruments, their sounds, and simply enjoyed the melodies.

“Does the Boundary Theater always have such staging?”

Meanwhile, Vera was asking me questions.

“Yes. The staging changes according to the song. Also, Dominique and the others only perform on full moon days. Since adventurers can’t enter the labyrinth on full moons, there’s no healing assistance work available.”

“I see… Well, Dominique looked truly happy. I was worried about how she was doing, but I’d like to express my gratitude again for giving that girl a place to belong.”

Saying this, Vera and Ramona bowed quietly together.

“Not at all. I was concerned about what you might think.”

“No, any Harpy would be delighted by that. Performing together with Lamias and Sirens also looks quite enjoyable. If I weren’t in the position of chief, I’d think so too.”

Vera laughed as she said this. Though joking, I sensed some sincerity mixed in.

Ah, that’s right. There’s something I should discuss with Vera.

“We’ve brought several instruments like this… but there’s one I’d like to offer as a token of friendship.”

“Oh?”

Most of the instruments we brought were personal belongings, but among them was one item we had brought specifically as a gift.

While creating Maxwell’s voice, we conducted various experiments in the workshop, and as a byproduct of that technological flow, something else was produced.

“This is it.”

“This is also an instrument I’ve never seen before.”

“Hmm. This one feels quite different from the others.”

When Ramona spoke with interest, Vera nodded. Though familiar to me, it’s an instrument that doesn’t exist in this world.

What I showed them was an instrument with black and white keys. Similar to a piano but quite different internally. It was a proper magic tool instrument with keys made through Wood Magic and embedded with magic stones imbued with Seraphina’s properties.

Mithril Silver wires ran through its interior, so when the keys were pressed, magical power would flow, and the magic stones would produce corresponding pitched sounds.

It could reproduce several instruments’ sounds and switch between them freely—essentially a Magic Keyboard. Well, it doesn’t have as much functionality as a synthesizer, but it operates by replenishing magical power.

“Originally, I was wondering if we could create an instrument where pressing keys would strike internal strings to produce sound… and I applied that concept using magic tools. Since we had the conditions to easily produce it as a byproduct.”

To create Maxwell’s voice, we needed spell formulas and data to freely change pitch and tone. So we modified the prototype magic stones slightly, and since we obtained large quantities of Mithril Silver wires during the Tears incident, we combined them to create this.

Though the order is reversed, I’d like to try making a piano eventually. They say pianos are very convenient for composition since they can play across a wide range.

When I actually pressed the keys and played a simple melody, Vera and Ramona smiled.

“This is interesting. The scales are clearly separated, and it seems capable of a wide range.”

“When you press these round parts on top—the sound itself changes.”

From piano tones to flute sounds. From flute to lute, to harp tones—it changed variously.

“Oh… C-could we really receive such a wonderful thing…?”

“Yes. I hope it serves as a symbol of friendship.”

Also, since it’s convenient for composition, I hope it contributes to musical culture development. I’ve also gifted Magic Keyboards to the Royal Castle and plan to bring them to Grantios and the Labyrinth Village. For Grantios, if we change the materials slightly, we can create a product that can be played underwater without issues.

“This… might become our treasure. May I try touching it for a moment?”

“Please.”

When I yielded to Vera, she pressed keys from right to left, left to right, changed sounds, and verified various tones. Eventually, she pressed several keys together, producing harmonious sounds.

“Oh… So it’s possible to layer sounds like overlapping singing voices to create depth.”

“Hmm. This is… truly wonderful.”

There are sounds that become more beautiful when layered—harmonies, chords, and such.

Rather, while Vera seemed to be testing key combinations one by one, she was actually playing chords.

This aspect… truly reflects their keen sense of sound and racial musical culture. Indeed, such items are best entrusted to Harpies, Sirens, and Lamias.

“It can be used for performance, but I think it’s also suitable for composition. Please accept it.”

“Ah… We shall treasure this. If it operates on magical power… if we play it, it could function as a Cursed Melody too.”

Saying this, Vera stroked the Magic Keyboard with her slender fingertips.