La la, la la, la la la la la…
The lively, spirited melody of a Serenade in G Major filled the spacious parlor, creating an atmosphere of warmth and festivity. Annick, Lailiya, Spring, and the other apprentices who studied Arcana under Lucian twirled about in elegant dances they imagined aristocrats performing, while sneaking glances at Mr. Evans playing the piano beside them.
In his black evening dress coat, his upper body swayed gently with the light dancing of his ten fingers. His handsome profile was focused and serene, a soft smile on his lips, like a painting capturing the utmost beauty of a piano performance.
When the melody ended, Lucian rose from the piano bench and smiled warmly and cheerfully. "Ladies and gentlemen, Happy New Year."
Heidi and the other apprentices responded in unison: "Happy New Year, Mr. Evans!"
Their voices ranged from clear and bright to low and alluring, from magnetic and rich to raspy and awkward with the onset of puberty. It made Lucian feel quite sentimental—these half-grown children had unknowingly aged another year, with noticeable changes in both body and spirit.
"Today is the first day of the year 818. I hope you'll all make greater progress on the path of Arcane Magic in the new year." Lucian walked back to the dining table, picked up the "Sky Blue" beverage, and raised it toward the apprentices.
Katrina and the others picked up their own glasses and said with cheerful laughter, "We wish Mr. Evans becomes a mid-rank mage in the new year!"
With the arrival of the new year, friends Lucian knew—K., Lazar, Roch, Jerome, Cindy, and the rest—had all returned home to celebrate with their families, so he had invited the apprentices from across the Storm Strait to visit his villa, sparing them the loneliness of staying at the Douglas Magic School by themselves.
Over the past year, Annick, Lailiya, Heidi, Spring, and Katrina, thanks to Lucian's guidance, had all successfully advanced into the senior apprentice class, while Cherry had fully caught up with the coursework and become an official Magic Apprentice.
The pleasant dinner concluded, and the apprentices said goodnight one by one, returning to their guest rooms—earlier excitement had left them feeling a bit exhausted.
Cherry, the last one on the staircase, suddenly turned to look at Lucian and smiled with a hint of shyness. "Mr. Evans, there's something I've been wanting to say for a long time. When you play the piano, you really look like that genius musician from the stories. And whenever I think of him, I think of 'Dedicated to Sylvia,' and of Jacques fighting for the future. It fills my heart with warmth and strength. Mr. Evans… thank you. Thank you for your piano."
"What an enviable love that is," Lucian replied with a teasing smile.
Seeing the maids come in to clear the table and tidy the parlor, Lucian headed upstairs to his study, turned on the arc lamp, settled into his armchair, and opened a letter on his desk.
It had been sent from Altor half a year ago but had only just arrived today. Most of the text was written in a prearranged cipher: "…My Blood Burning Affliction has been completely eliminated, and the bloodline instability brought on by my explosive advancement has also been overcome. I find myself missing the blue skies and white clouds out there. Missing my knight's longsword, those rousing, magnificent battles, the sound of clashing metal that makes the blood boil, and the music that stirs every emotion in the heart."
"…You should have arrived in Allinger by now. I wonder whether the City in the Sky still has all those peculiar sights different from other cities, as I remember…"
"Lucian. Is the food in Holme really as bland as I told you? I've always maintained that it has the worst cuisine on the entire continent. Knowing you'll be stuck with grilled fish, chips, and the like for the foreseeable future, please allow me to offer five minutes of silence in your honor, followed by a few good-hearted laughs…"
"…When I was young, I often nestled by my mother's side, listening to her tell all sorts of fascinating stories about Arcana and Arcane Magic. It was a magnificent, mysterious, and boundless world. I wish that in this world that is truly your own, you could forget the oppression and pain of the past, and learn Arcana and Arcane Magic joyfully. With your talent, I imagine you'll probably become a mid-rank mage within a few years—I have every confidence in my good friend…"
"…Oh, right, Lucian—how is my Uncle Patrick's health? His letters to me are always vague about that, and it gives me a bad feeling…"
"Your friend John has awakened his bloodline power and become a knight, but his bloodline is 'Elimination,' which surprised me a bit. Thank goodness he's not a Holy Knight of the Church and won't be joining the Night Watch—otherwise it would be another cruel twist of fate. No—even if it were fate's doing, I believe you wouldn't bow to it. You'd crush that wretched fate just as I would, and stamp on it ten thousand times. I never blamed fate for what happened with Sylvia, because from beginning to end, it was our own mistakes, one after another. You make your own mistakes and you bear them yourself—that's the simplest truth there is."
"Sorry for letting a bit of my bad mood slip through, but I'll work hard to overcome it—I'm quite tough, you know. Let me move on to happier things. Your Uncle Joel still likes to perform as a street musician on the main roads. According to Aunt Camille, he thoroughly enjoys the happiness that music brings him. Your Aunt Elisa lost her job at the Textile Guild—they didn't dare employ the mother of a knight to do laundry—so she mainly manages the estates for John and you now."
"Little Evan is learning to read and write while also training in horsemanship under Sir Vein. Elena quit her position at the Musicians' Association to focus entirely on studying the violin, hoping to become an accomplished musician. Mr. Victor and young Phyllis finished their travels and returned to Altor. They had high praise for your unconventional yet beautifully elegant 'Moonlight Sonata.' Young Phyllis is starting to prepare for her own concert. Hearing her fight for her dream always gives me a sense of calm, quiet happiness—perhaps part of the meaning of life always lies in one's friends…"
"Mr. Rhein hasn't been seen since after the Altor Music Festival. I don't know what happened inside the city of Altor at that time…"
"The path of Arcane Magic demands focus, but don't forget that life isn't all about magic. There's also music, and good food, and battle, and friends, and love. Heh heh—from getting to know you over time, I've discovered that you, Lucian, have a stubborn belief in love, and you harbor the most sincere, most beautiful feelings deep in your heart. My, what a pure young gentleman, a truly old-fashioned one at that. I hope you'll meet the girl of your dreams soon, and then go after her with courage—advance, advance, advance! Smash through every obstacle head-on, 'defeat' her, 'conquer' her, and don't be shy! If you don't know the first thing about courting a girl, you can always write to me and ask."