Chapter: 359
In this world, there are many gifted individuals with outstanding talents.
There are just as many people willing to pay money to see the talents of those gifted individuals.
With such a common understanding, it was almost inevitable that a city would form where numerous talented people gathered to showcase their abilities.
In that city, which eventually came to be known as the city of artists, there was a man who owned a large troupe called the ‘Golden Troupe.’
As the owner of a sizable troupe, he was wealthy.
Most artists in the city envied the wealthy, as they saw themselves merely as spectacles, but the owner of the troupe was an exception.
It was because he genuinely loved art.
He was a strong supporter of poor artists who had talent but had yet to see the light, and he was wise enough to provide jobs for those who chased dreams but fell short due to a lack of talent.
Many artists received his help, which led them to admire and praise him.
He had a regular routine.
“Ah, my lord! What brings you here?”
“Haha, don’t mind me. I was just looking around to see if there are any talents to recruit for our troupe.”
“Haha! You really are consistent. Anyway, thanks for the support you send us. People like you allow us to pursue this passion without going hungry!”
“Stop flattering me, my friend. I’m just here to quietly look around, so please don’t make a fuss.”
What he was doing was wandering around the city, scouting hidden talents for his troupe.
Generally, those who were already known tended to want to join his troupe, which was the best in terms of treatment, so he was looking for hidden gems whose names were not yet recognized.
“Hmmm… No one seems to catch my eye today.”
As a result, his search did not always meet with success.
To be precise, he experienced disappointment far more often than he found success.
He was generally a generous person, but because he was serious about art, he selected performers for his troupe with standards that were stricter than anyone else’s.
So as he was heading back with nothing particularly impressive catching his eye, he saw something.
“Hmm? That child is…”
A small girl crouched in a corner of the street, blankly watching the people pass by. Covered in dirt and looking like a beggar or an orphan, she was in a pitiful state.
Though he was often referred to as a kind-hearted person, he did not always extend a helping hand just because someone appeared to be suffering.
However, he had a personal practice of doing good deeds now and then, as a kind of prayer to the gods, especially on days when he returned empty-handed after a fruitless search, hoping for better meetings in the future.
Moreover, considering the name of his troupe, ‘Golden Troupe,’ and the girl’s somewhat dirty but golden hair and eye color, he felt a peculiar connection.
“… Perhaps this may be divine providence.”
Having decided to help the girl, he murmured to himself and approached her.
“Child, do you have anywhere to go?”
When the man asked, the girl blinked for a moment and then nodded her head.
He nodded back and said to her.
“If you don’t mind, I can offer you a bit of help. How about coming to live with us at the troupe?”
Taking a moment, the girl silently nodded at his words.
The man smiled, satisfied, and asked her.
“So, what is your name?”
When he asked for her name, the girl shook her head as if to say she had none.
He responded kindly.
“I see. Then since we’ve formed this connection, I shall give you a name. Since your hair and eyes are golden, let’s call you Auria.”
Thus, the girl gained the name Auria and a place to call home.
Following the man’s principle that offering free favors could rather ruin a person, Auria began to do cleaning and odd jobs in the troupe.
At first, that is.
Auria’s status as merely a helper changed due to an incident during a celebratory gathering after a performance.
“Ha ha! Well done! Great!”
“Hey! What’s with that one over there? Amazing!!”
That day, the troupe members were passing their time enjoying a talent show at the gathering.
Then one troupe member noticed Auria, who was tucked away in a corner.
Recalling their troupe leader’s words not to mistreat even the helpers as they were part of the troupe, the member decided to create an opportunity for Auria to bond with the others by calling out to her.
“Hey, young one! Come on, join us and show us what you can do!”
“Oh, that sounds fun! Come on, even if you can’t do much!”
Having looked around tentatively, Auria smiled and said.
“Ah, ha ha! Then I’ll sing a song!”
“Oooh! Everyone, quiet! Our little one is going to sing!”
Under the warm gaze of the troupe members eager to see the ‘young one’s performance, Auria began to sing.
And when the song came to an end, the gathering was left in shock.
“…Oh my.”
“What is that voice?”
It was because Auria’s singing ability and tone were extraordinary.
“…When did you learn to sing like that?”
“I just listened a few times and mimicked it…?”
“…No way.”
Even the seasoned talented individuals in the troupe were left speechless by her immense talent.
Auria was fortunate in that the troupe leader also heard her song.
“Oh my, I never knew Auria had such talent!!!”
The man was immensely pleased with Auria’s unexpected gift, exclaiming.
“Great! Let’s do this! From now on, Auria, you shall become my adopted daughter!”
From that day forward, he decided to adopt Auria as his daughter.
He understood that some members of the troupe might develop ill will towards her, and he wanted to protect Auria from that.
After all, who would attempt to harm the troupe leader’s daughter unless they were out of their mind?
Plus, he had no children of his own, so it was a win-win for him.
Anyways, the odd job worker Auria became the adopted daughter of the troupe leader and a full member of the Golden Troupe.
Time passed.
The young girl Auria had blossomed into a graceful young lady and finally graced the stage of the troupe.
On the day Auria first stepped onto the stage, the spotlight of the Golden Troupe shifted to her.
A diva born once in a millennium, the most precious gem of the Golden Troupe.
That was the nickname earned by Auria.
People wept and laughed to the melodies sung by Auria, praising her for the sincerity felt in her songs.
However, Auria found such praises ridiculous.
“Just because I cobbled together a few lines from a book doesn’t mean it’s sincere.”
It was because she was a person detached from the emotions that ordinary people felt, like joy or sorrow.
Twisted, that is how Auria evaluated herself.
From a young age, Auria was aware that she was different from others.
Ordinary people experience joy and sorrow at different moments.
However, when others would typically feel such emotions, Auria felt nothing.
So when people were joyful or sorrowful over something, she could not empathize.
Though Auria was a twisted individual, she was also skilled at fabrication.
She knew that revealing her difference could cause trouble.
Thus, in situations, she would often act out the usual reactions of a typical person.
And so, people had no inkling that Auria harbored such distortions.
To the outside world, Auria appeared to be an ordinary person like them.
Looking at it this way, one could easily misconstrue her as someone who felt no emotions at all. But Auria did experience feelings sometimes, though rarely.
For example, when she came across an oddly captivating object while walking, she would sometimes feel a slight desire for it.
She felt satisfaction when she purchased a desired item with her hard-earned salary.
As a result, Auria’s only hobby was shopping. Recently, however, she had developed a dilemma.
“…I’m not feeling it at all.”
Even items she would have wanted before did not excite her anymore, and that was her dilemma.
Why had such a thing suddenly happened?
The answer could be found in a conversation she had with her father, the troupe leader, not long ago.
“Auria, things that can be obtained easily don’t hold much value. What’s truly valuable is something earned through difficult and arduous paths. Like the good deeds others deem hard or proper actions.”
He might have meant something else, but Auria found some resonance in his words.
Easily obtained things have no value.
The reason she no longer felt drawn to valuable objects was that, unlike before, she could now obtain such items far too easily.
Before, she had to save every single penny to afford something, but now far more expensive items were pouring in as gifts, making her question any sense of value in them.
And so, this created her dilemma.
“…So then, what am I living for now?”
In Auria, who rarely felt emotions, collecting coveted items had been her motivation for living. Now without that, what was she to live for?
For this, she envied others immensely.
“Auria, when you find something you truly love, you’ll feel a thrill in your soul.”
“Why do you smile so much while performing? Ah, I feel born to do this.”
Her father seemed to feel his soul tremble when he witnessed magnificent performances or beautiful artworks.
Other troupe members claimed to feel born to dance or sing.
Yet for Auria, there was none of that.
As a result, she compulsively accumulated items.
Even if she no longer felt anything from them, she longed for something that would ignite her feelings again.
To Auria, her father would tell her.
“…Auria, it’s good to enjoy your hobbies, but don’t place too much significance on the things you collect. Whatever you gather out of desperation will eventually leave your hands.”
Auria could resonate with that.
What meaning was there in things that could never be owned forever?
However, Auria acted stubbornly and continued to spend her days gathering items.
And as she did, a package arrived at her house.
Clang—
“Aah?!”
A young delivery worker accidentally dropped an expensive vase while bringing it into her room.
Auria stared at the now pale delivery worker and asked him.
“…Do you know that’s something you could never pay back in a lifetime?”
“Yikes?! I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!!”
“…Forgive you? Explain to me why I should forgive you.”
“P-please!! I have a sick mother at home, and I need to earn money for her medicine!!”
“Hmmm, a mother….”
As if that was of no concern to her, Auria trailed off. The young delivery worker trembled, realizing that he was trapped. He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“Th-theres someone wealthy I know who buys expensive things just to break them!!”
“…Someone breaks things deliberately?”
“Yes…! They don’t want their things in someone else’s hands! They have enough money that even if they can’t spend it all, it wouldn’t matter…you’re a well-known customer, so you must be rich too! So please, think of it as breaking something like that this time!”
Desperate cries of the young delivery worker, intent on surviving.
His fervent words did not stir Auria’s heart.
Yet the content of those words moved her.
“…Alright. I will forgive you this time.”
“R-really?! Thank you! Thank you! You’ll be blessed!”
Saved by a grateful delivery worker, he bowed repeatedly and quickly dashed away before Auria could change her mind.
Yet Auria had already erased the delivery worker from her mind and muttered.
“…After all, they are things that will leave my hands.”
Gazing at the precious items filling her room.
“…If I break them, I can ensure they won’t go to someone else.”
As Auria uttered those words, she grabbed a painting that hung on the wall.
A piece by a painter who had just begun to gain fame, destined to become outrageously priced in the future.
When evaluating its worth, it would surely be immense.
However, Auria ripped the painting apart.
“…With this, this item is ‘finished.’”
Then, she stared at the completely torn painting.
“…With this, it’s completely, completely mine.”
With her head hung low, Auria trembled, muttering.
“…Father, I think I’ve found it too.”
The twisted girl had finally found her meaning in life.
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