<467 - Picnic Healing>
Tears welling up, I hesitantly deactivated my noise-canceling protective gear, just in time to be jolted by a horrifying performance that poked at my nerves.
“Ah~♪ Ah~♪ Ah~♪ Ah↗?”
Does that mean the human throat is also one of the instruments?
A bard even appeared, letting out a sound with their own voice.
It was a high-pitched tone.
Strangely, it was somewhat pleasant to listen to.
If I had to evaluate it, the vocalization was crisp, and it was a joy to my ears.
That made it even more of a problem.
‘The kids’ conversations are being drowned out…!’
Even if taken to a massive concert hall with ten thousand seats, their volume could deliver sound to every seat without a magically enchanted microphone, boasting their talent relentlessly.
The conversations among the children needed to be loud enough to reach even Hitler’s ears.
“Yesterday’s tuna!! It was delicious!!!”
“Adolf, minus one point. Shouting cannot be rated as joyful conversation.”
“Come on. No matter how excited you are, you can’t just shout like that! Hehe.”
“…”
The targeted VIP, Oknodie, was sharper than the other kids in that respect.
Instead of raising her voice, she infused mana into her vocalization process.
She suppressed the flow of sound so that even the softest noise could effectively reach the opponent’s eardrums.
‘It’s a technique needed to relay information calmly and stealthily in a crisis.’
Students lacking in finesse quickly began to imitate Oknodie’s skill and started conversing.
Then the lyrics began to flow from the Blood Band’s bard as well.
“Jace cried. Please save me.”
“I wanted to go home. I won’t say it.”
“I was misled by a hopeful smile.”
“I deceived you perfectly. You can’t go back.”
Sweat began to flow down the children’s faces.
Dissonance intertwined, amplifying their anxious hearts.
They finished their conversation, yet the faces of the children and instructors had long preserved a frozen smile.
“Wahh. I can’t do this.”
“Amy. Minus one point. Don’t let your spirit break. The important thing is an unyielding heart.”
Was the other team’s instructor’s admonition a criticism toward the kids or a comforting spell for themselves?
Hitler thought there was no difference between the two.
“Creak creak. The melody of pain.”
“I’ve gone beyond my limits. An exciting experience.”
“Tear it apart and dismantle it. The song of the body.”
“Ugh, it broke again. A weak toy.”
Just listening to it makes my stomach churn, and I feel like I’m going crazy.
The nonsensical lyrics and the underlying emotion resonate with the excitement of a cold-blooded killer.
This is a kind of mental attack.
It’s a situation that indirectly lets me experience the mindset of a monster that preys on humans.
‘Truly, it’s Professor Demonika’s lecture. As infamous as they come in the academy.’
One timid student cried out that they couldn’t take it anymore.
That student was immediately escorted by the instructor to a safe spot.
Once a dropout emerged, the other students’ eyes grew anxious.
The human heart is truly vile.
If no one had given up, they would have stubbornly held on to their pride.
But as soon as even one person forfeited and found relief, the weaker hearts of the others began to poke up.
You weren’t the only one who forfeited.
Just give up already.
Even if you hold on, forfeit is the same for everyone.
If everyone forfeits, it can ruin the scores fairly.
Excuses to forfeit flooded their minds.
The moment pain and fear surpassed their ambition for grades, like dominoes, students began to raise their hands one after another.
“I can’t take it anymore!”
“I want to leave.”
“Forfeit. Please let me out. Quickly!”
The human heart may be vile, but sometimes it can also be strong.
Despite a flurry of forfeiters, the targeted VIP, Oknodie, and her team didn’t surrender.
“Everyone, open your lunch and focus on my voice while eating. How does a flower shape made of seaweed on top of white rice look? Do you feel the artistry in its beauty? Isn’t the slightly crinkled shape adorable? That feeling will protect you. It’s the lunch you packed with care since morning!”
The instructor, accompanying Hitler, turned to look at him.
Did this statement pass muster?
Hitler signaled for them to let it be.
It was on the edge of a conversation fitting for a picnic.
Oknodie’s timely remark steadied the wavering hearts of the students, even if they didn’t show it.
“The best side dish of a lunchbox is the one someone else packed. How about we exchange our side dishes?”
“O-Oknodie has lost it!! How could she offer her own food to someone else? She must be out of her mind!!!”
Suddenly, a fellow member screamed like someone gone crazy.
“Adolf. Minus one point. Shouting has no place in a Healing Picnic.”
Inside, Hitler cursed.
Stop making a fuss and sit back down immediately.
Your commotion shouldn’t disturb the other students or shake Oknodie.
Unbeknownst to him, he found himself cheering for Oknodie.
No, perhaps it was encouragement for himself.
The one who ultimately failed to advance to the fourth year.
He didn’t want to see the foolish Adolf drag down this test.
“Think of the soft texture of egg ham. Think of the tickling feel of octopus sausages on your tongue. No pain can surpass the joy of taste.”
Oknodie’s campaign put the brakes on the flood of forfeits.
Those who found a reason to hold on dined tenaciously, fighting through.
“The Blood Band’s harp performance, Lumine. This song is where I stop. The fresh fears and courage of the young ones were truly delightful.”
The bard singing looked back at Hitler only through a mirror, bowing gracefully with a skirt held up behind the scenes, where no one else saw.
Perhaps it was an encouragement and cheering for the students who had surprisingly demonstrated patience beyond expectations.
‘So you are indeed human.’
They weren’t just devilish monsters after all.
As Lumine’s song, which she led, came to an end, the melody shifted.
A man with a poker face stepped forward, seizing the key with the serene and calm sound of the violin.
“It’s time for sleep. Anyone who wakes before ten minutes have passed will be disqualified. Of course… you won’t really be able to stay asleep while listening to Lady Bine’s performance.”
The moment Bine’s performance began, the students lying on the mats tightly closed their eyes.
As if being crushed under the foot of a giant, their bodies were rendered immobile.
Even lying on the ground, a primal dread felt like falling from the sky surged within them.
In that conflicting emotion, the students felt extreme fear.
I want to run away.
I can’t escape.
Their bodies trembled as tightly coiled like a spring.
Hitler watching froze him further.
‘High-density mana concentrated to unleash Domain Expansion!’
Such a phenomenon could only be unleashed by the capable upper-level third years once they reached the fourth year, emanating from the instruments of the Blood Band members.
The range encompassed the entire space where the sound reached. The range of the violin performance imbued with mana surpassed at least 200m, even if measured short.
With every note struck using staccato technique, the students’ expressions grew grimmer.
“I can’t breathe.”
“I can’t move my body.”
“I really feel like I’m going to die…!”
In the midst of that extreme pressure, Bine withdrew the domain and declared.
“One minute has passed. From here on, I will play four more pieces of an even worse nightmare. For those not ready, awaken from your early slumber.”
Realizing this permitted forfeits, numerous students scrambled to stand.
“This is insane!”
“I’m quitting right now.”
“You all hurry up and get out. If you keep it up, you’ll actually die!”
Caught in a panic, Adolf hesitated, wrestling with his thoughts.
Without realizing it, Hitler secretly threw his noise-canceling gear at his feet.
“…!”
The instructor in the same group as Hitler looked at him with eyes that said he’s lost his mind, but Hitler couldn’t care less.
The time for exchanging five topics of conversation had already passed.
From now on, even with noise-canceling gear, the instructor would have little chance of incurring penalties for grading.
Hitler was clearly doing something detrimental to himself for the sake of an unfamiliar first-year student.
‘It’s easy to retreat at the thought of it being crazy. I once did that during my fourth-year advancement exam too. But that might be a wise choice, but it’s not the path to strength.’
It was evident that wisdom could never lead one to the path of becoming a fourth-year.
Even though it was the first time seeing them, there was a student who reminded him of his past self, one whom he wanted to support.
He didn’t want to see that timid, overly perceptive kid fail.
‘What does it matter to be in the same situation as the students? I’m a dropout from the third year. Regardless of the Blood Band or anything else, I’ll endure with stubbornness!’
With determination ablaze in his eyes, Hitler suddenly locked gazes with Bine.
A faint smirk sprang up on Bine’s previously expressionless face.
An instructor flaunting bravado in front of me?
I’ll make you regret it.
It was just like that mockery.
Yet the gaze fixating on him wasn’t only from Bine.
The targeted VIP.
Hitler’s watchful eyes.
Oknodie also subtly lifted her head pretending to sleep and glanced at Hitler.
Her fellow members, Andersen and the aristocratic peers, wore burdened expressions, unlike hers, which sparkled with curiosity as if discovering a fascinating toy.
