HBWnovel Chapter 15
Chapter 15
“Play something called Ostinato.”
The conductor of the Imperial Orchestra, hastily summoned by the Crown Prince, was taken aback by the strange request.
“Ostinato... you say?”
“Yes. An Ostinato that holds the essence of an eternal, repeating love.”
The conductor wondered if the Crown Prince had eaten something questionable that morning, but he dared not voice such thoughts.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. Ostinato is a musical technique involving the continuous repetition of a particular melody. If Your Highness has a specific tune in mind, we can craft an Ostinato from it and play it for you.”
“...Does that mean there isn’t a pre-existing melody for it?”
“That is correct, Your Highness.”
Sigh.
The conductor silently exhaled.
When they’d been summoned by the Crown Prince—a central figure in the empire’s power structure—the orchestra had eagerly hauled their instruments, anticipating an opportunity to secure more royal support. Instead, they were met with a request about Ostinato of all things.
“Just as I thought,” the conductor mused bitterly.
For those in high positions, music was little more than a pastime, a hobby meant to lend an air of sophistication.
This was especially true in recent times, with the rapid advancement of magitech and the emergence of cutting-edge forms of entertainment. The status of traditional music continued to diminish.
He was just beginning to feel the sting of disappointment, thinking this encounter would be no different, another exercise in futile hope, when—
“Then teach me.”
“...Pardon?”
The conductor questioned his own ears.
“I said, teach me music. Teach me to play Ostinato. Don’t worry—I will ensure the orchestra receives full support in return for your efforts.”
The statement was almost unbelievable.
It wasn’t unheard of for nobles to dabble in learning an instrument, but such pursuits were usually confined to mere hobbies.
Yet here stood the Crown Prince—no less than the heir to the throne—earnestly requesting to be taught and pledging unwavering support for the orchestra.
But this, as it turned out, was merely the tip of the iceberg.
“Is this how one holds the violin?”
“Ostinato... this is quite difficult.”
“Shouldn’t I, at the very least, be able to play my own Ostinato for the woman I love?”
A violin craze swept across the entire continent.
[...]
The movement grew so immense that it even reached the ears of the god of music.
***
"Would you care to dance with me, milady?"
"Of course, my Frog Prince."
In a grand ballroom filled with countless couples, men and women paired off to dance.
For their steps, a familiar melody played repeatedly, resonating throughout the hall.
The men wore their hair slicked back and donned masks, while the women styled their hair like the Saintess.
Within the ballroom, they were Ian and Kate.
As the dances concluded, the men carefully folded the candy wrappers they received from their partners and tucked them into their inner pockets, treating them as precious treasures.
This scene was being repeated across the continent.
***
Divine Realm
The Domain of Ren, the God of Sacrifice
After completing an intense training session, the goddess Ren sat cross-legged, her demeanor calm and focused.
Having begun her training anew to make up for the long, idle years lost to sloth, she was no longer the same as before.
Flash.
Her closed eyes snapped open wide.
"Who’s there?"
Her domain, a space where no one but herself should exist.
Ren grasped her sword and pointed it in a specific direction.
Shff.
From behind a pillar, a man with a familiar figure emerged.
A grizzled mercenary, rough-looking with a thick beard, stepped forward.
He had tested it endlessly.
This was the peak moment, the point when the entire continent’s recognition of Kate was at its strongest, thanks to the release of the new character.
If he missed this opportunity, her memory would inevitably begin to fade from their minds, making today the perfect moment.
This had to succeed. No matter what.
“Why has it failed again!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Ian stomped on the shattered remnants of the device.
His fury, overwhelming his rationality, filled his head with a haze of frustration.
[Destroy it.]
[Crush it all.]
[Wreck this world that refuses to yield to your will.]
Normally, Ian would have already begun gathering the fragments to repair and reactivate the device before more time was lost.
But in his current state, such thoughts were beyond him.
“Bring back my Kate!”
He raised his foot to stomp on the core of the device, intending to shatter it completely when—
Pinch.
A soft hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, gently pinching his cheek.
“Wha—what...?”
In that instant, the enraged voices consuming Ian’s mind vanished completely.
His thoughts, which had been clouded with anger, became eerily calm.
“My frog prince... You’ve become quite angry, haven’t you?”
No. It couldn’t be.
The experiment must have failed.
Ian slowly turned his head.
The hand pinching his cheek led his gaze upward.
Standing before him, smiling, was a woman in a priestess’s robe.
“Is this a new little mischief pouch you’ve grown?”
She held Ian’s cheeks in her hands, playfully tugging at them.
The holy-magitech reaction had undoubtedly ceased.
The process hadn’t reached its critical threshold, making her resurrection impossible.
There was no way she could be here.
This had to be an illusion.
And yet...
“K-Kate...”
Ian clasped the wrists of the woman holding his cheeks.
Why could he feel pain from her pinching? Why could he feel the warmth of her skin in his hands?
“What’s wrong, Ian?”
The woman tilted her head slightly, her expression mischievous.
“How... how are you here...?”
The woman pouted, her lips twitching.
“Really? That’s the first thing you say after seeing me again?”
[The Wrathful Magitech Engineer sheds tears.]
No.
This couldn’t be real.
He had wished for it countless times.
He had imagined it endlessly.
A world where he could meet her again... where he could see her once more.
Ian pulled the woman into an embrace.
“Oh my...”
It was the only dream he had ever chased.
“I missed you... Kate.”
At last, the dream had come true.
Faith born from the illusion of virtual reality had transformed a hollow wish into reality.