Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Two: Celebration Party 3
“The second piece is a hymn dedicated to the goddess.”
At Sieg’s signal, the children began singing as they played their instruments.
They must be familiar with this piece. Both the playing and singing were skillful. Karen knew it was a religious song also sung in temples and familiar to nobles, but perhaps performing while singing like this was part of noble education.
The children’s clear soprano voices spread through the room like bright particles of light. A song of gratitude and praise for the goddess’s blessing. For children who had suffered from being blessed by bloodline, it must be a complicated song. Still, in this world where praising the goddess was normal for everyone, they had to become able to sing this song without discomfort.
By this point, uncontrollable sobbing was leaking from behind the screen and from the waiting room area, and the children noticed while singing and smiled a little. Encouraged by the presence of the guardians watching over them, the children played their harps powerfully and sang out expansively. The moment they finished singing, applause came not only from Karen and Harald but from all around, and the children looked proud with flushed cheeks.
When she had first seen them, every child had been lying powerlessly in bed. At the sight of these children, Karen’s eyes grew moist too, though not as much as the parents’.
After finishing the song, Sieg stood up with his harp.
“Sister Karen… and also, Master Harald.”
Feeling the children’s gazes on him, Sieg added Harald’s name as if as an afterthought.
“Thank you for coming to the party we’re holding today. This party was something we planned and organized without borrowing our mothers’ help. All of us together thought about what we could give to you, Sister Karen… and to Master Harald too, and we decided to give music and song.”
Saying that, Sieg held up his harp.
“This instrument—commoners apparently don’t know it. This is called an Iris. Playing the Iris is part of noble education, but we couldn’t even sit and maintain our posture, so it was something we couldn’t learn for a long time.”
The children nodded vigorously at Sieg’s words.
“But thanks to Sister Karen, I—and thanks to Sister Karen and Master Harald, they were able to learn what nobles should acquire like this. We became able to study too. Though the ones who dream of becoming knight apprentices or learning dance are apparently being told to wait until their bodies recover a little more.”
The children giggled and looked at each other. Even if they couldn’t do it yet, they could laugh because they knew they would eventually be able to.
“Sister Karen, congratulations on your promotion to D-rank and to C-rank as well. Master Harald, congratulations on your promotion to E-rank too.”
Perhaps because the children understood that Sieg didn’t have much attachment to Harald, they chimed in with "Congratulations!" at that point.
Harald smiled shyly with delight.
“Thank you for returning safely from the dungeon. Congratulations to both of you on ascending the steps. Gratitude to the goddess who discovered Sister Karen and Master Harald. And gratitude to Sister Karen and Master Harald, who saved us. Thanks to you, we can become proud warriors protecting the nation, not miserable, pitiful, unlucky children. We’d be happy if you’re pleased with the music we spun with all our hearts.”
Saying that, Sieg bowed respectfully.
Karen clapped her hands and nodded.
“I was moved. It’s a truly wonderful gift.”
“I-I was also moved!”
At Karen’s words, Sieg looked relieved, and at Harald’s words, the children looked relieved.
“Well then, that’s the end of the performance and song, so—”
“Before moving on, may I say one thing?”
“Sister Karen?”
When Karen raised her hand, Sieg widened his eyes but nodded and sat down in his chair.
Karen stood up from her chair and smiled at Sieg and the children.
“Everyone, thank you for this wonderful celebration today. I’m happy just to see my clients recover, but to have you show me this splendid sight of doing things you became able to do and wanted to do because you got better—that’s an unexpected reward. Thank you for this wonderful celebration… but there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“One more thing?”
“Wasn’t our performance and song enough for a celebration?”
“No, no, that’s not it. Actually, I’ve been promoted to B-rank alchemist.”
“What?! Already?!”
The only one not surprised was Sieg, who received information from his family. The children, who had no way of knowing the confidential information, widened their eyes in adorable surprise, and Karen couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes, so I want one more celebration. I was thinking, as a celebration, I’d like you to grant my wish.”
“…Your wish, Sister Karen?”
Sieg probably didn’t think Karen would make an unreasonable request.
He simply widened his eyes in pure wonder.
The children looked anxious about what might be demanded of them, and Karen scratched her cheek, wondering if she had phrased it poorly.
“To fight for the protection of the nation—that is a noble goal. In this world where no one can live unless someone fights to protect the country, I’m grateful and happy that all of you, born with power, are willing to fight.”
Both Sieg and the children looked puzzled about what Karen was saying.
Surely what she was about to say wasn’t conventional words.
“However, please let me ask that you also fight for your own happiness.”
“Our own… happiness?”
“Now that our Bloodline Blessing is healed, aren’t we already happy? Is it different from that?”
“I caused so much trouble for everyone…”
“Use the power that should be used for the nation for our own happiness?”
The children exchanged confused looks.
Karen smiled wryly at the disparity among the nobles of this country.
The Earthfill Kingdom probably existed thanks to nobles like them here.
While she found those who bore duties worthy of their privileges dazzling and admirable, she also thought of the people who, unless the world turned upside down, could neither shoulder such duties nor receive respect even if they wished to.
“If you’re not happy yourself, you can’t wish for others’ happiness. I want you to become happy, and to the extent you become happy, to become able to wish for the happiness of someone in completely different circumstances from your own.”
Thanks to Harald, they would probably understand better than others that some people suffered from having too much magical power while others suffered from having too little. But telling them "since you suffered too, understand others’ suffering" wasn’t appropriate for a celebration.
So that these children would become happy and become people who could wish for others’ happiness too.
“As a celebration for my promotion to B-rank alchemist, please remember this occasionally.”
Though looking puzzled at Karen’s words, the children nodded.
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