CH 294

I’ve been really busy since I came back to the Knighthood… day after day, paperwork, meetings, inspections, research… I’m impressed that this much work keeps coming up one after another.

I’m here today to take a break in the name of an inspection. Cien is the location. In a secret facility on the outskirts of the town, something is going on day and night. This time I came because the project there had taken shape, to some extent.

“Welcome, please enter, Lord Caan.”

“Good day, Mr. Leopolt,” I said. “I understand you have quite a few instruments and songs ready for a demonstration?”

Yes, this is a facility where musical instruments are developed and composed.

In the early days, we were making prototypes of musical instruments in the city, but the locals complained that they were too noisy, so we decided to move to the countryside. Some of the metal processing workshops still exist in the city, but some other musical instrument workshops have moved here as well.

It’s an era where soundproofing doesn’t exist, so if you don’t want to bother people around you, you have no choice but to go to a place where there’s no one else around. As a matter of course, this area was built on the outskirts of Cien and has become like a special zone for composing and developing musical instruments.

Originally, instruments themselves were developed to some extent. Still, it seems that it was made with various developments such as fine-tuning and developing different types of instruments. It seems that the ones that I taught from my vague recollections of my past life were reinvented, and then those spawned derivatives themselves.

In addition, Leopolt and Amadeus, father and son, composed music using these instruments. As for the songs, it seems that they are based on songs that I knew on modern earth, and I hummed them appropriately. It seems that he has also made various original songs, but it would be impossible to say that he should suddenly make an original song with a completely unknown instrument.

So I played some classical music that I vaguely knew, and asked them to arrange it somehow.

There were not only brass instruments, but also various other percussion instruments, and there were piano-like instruments, but there was no piano per se, so I’m proposing something that sounds like a piano.

I came here today to refresh my mood a little under the guise of an inspection or an audition.

I can hardly take a break because of all the work here. I feel like I’m suffocating from my job every day. Together with my wives who were worried about me, we started talking about going on an inspection tour of this Music Research Institute.

If you’re wondering why this place exists, exactly… I wondered if it would be better to start more earnestly researching musical instruments, supporting composition, and training musicians… since we’re going to build schools anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to build a music school that specializes in all those aspects, or a city that specializes in music and art. Should I make a proposal to the relevant departments before I forget?

Aside from that, I walked around the facility guided by Leopolt. This is my first time here, so I don’t know much about the inside. I just gave permission because there was an application to build such a facility in order for the researchers to move to the countryside. This is the first time I’ve been here since it was completed and opened for use.

“Lord Caan! Hello!” a little boy said as he rushed over with a smile.

“Hello, Amadeus,” I replied.

I have no interest in men, but boys are still cute. I don’t think anyone would feel bad about one running over with a big smile on his face.

“Today I’ve come to listen to the song you made for me, Amadeus,” I said.

“Yes! I’ll get it right away!” Amadeus said before he ran off again, in the opposite direction.

He’s really innocent or really cute. I don’t think it’s a proper subordinate’s attitude toward their employer, a viscount, but I don’t plan to say that to a little boy.

“My apologies, Lord Caan! I’ll be strict with Amadeus!” Leopolt said, bowing his head in frustration.

“Well, isn’t it fine?” I said. “Amadeus is still a child, isn’t he? Isn’t that too strict for his age? You wouldn’t normally be offended by a young child being rude.”

With the situation defused, we start walking again. Leopolt said that it would be good to go to the hall they designed for playing music, so there must be a performance hall somewhere.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what happens!” Mikoto said.

“I don’t know much about that sort of thing, but…” Louisa said shyly.

Well… music is not very familiar in this era of the world. Maybe something like a pipe organ in a church, or traditional music played by the participants at festivals and the like.

“Then please have a seat here and wait,” Leopolt said.

“It’s a fairly large hall, isn’t it?” Alexandra said.

“I agree,” I said as I took a middle seat.

It’s not a hall that was built with the acoustics somehow calculated. So perhaps even if you hold a concert in such a situation, it may not sound very good.

In the future, it would be good to build a hall that takes into consideration such things as the size of the hall and the acoustics. I will instruct them to proceed with such calculations and research.

While we sat down and waited, other than Leopolt and Amadeus, people started preparing on the stage. I should have told them that I was coming today, but I wonder if I should tell them about this…

Instruments that would normally have to be set up are laid out first, the person in charge of portable instruments enters with them and tow, and the conductor gives them instructions for what to do… if I have a modern image, I tend to think of concert set up as a matter of course that have no bumps or roughness, but if they don’t have that kind of experience, trial and error will make things like this difficult.

Well, today is not a full-fledged concert. Since it is an inspection and audition, some clumsiness is unavoidable. I’ll let them know how it goes later. When it comes to a concert where I invite people someday, I can’t show this kind of messiness. Even without the fact that I was a modern Japanese person in my previous life, it’s too unsightly.

“We’re ready,” Leopolt said.

“Then please, begin,” I said.

I wonder what’s going on with this… instead of asking me if I’m ready, it would be better to start their greetings and start playing at their place. It’s true that I’m the investor and owner, so I know that they’re considering me first, but…

Most of the people here are metal workers, composers, and people who have been entrusted with playing new musical instruments for the first time. I don’t have the idea of holding a concert with the instruments and songs made here. I just have them play the songs I taught them in this hall. I wonder if it can’t be helped because these are the only people we have…

They must also be taught later. Because I can understand this, I have to visit the site and listen to the people play there. For me, even if I take it for granted standard concert processes, in a world where such manners and styles are not established, such a gap in perceptions of performance and perception occurs, they don’t know they’re performing poorly because they don’t know how they are supposed to.

“Well then…” Leopolt said.

……. Along with Leopolt’s command, a quiet, beautiful tone begins to resonate. But the command is somehow different from my image. After all, it’s probably because the style hasn’t been established in the early days. In the first place, I don’t know any other place that develops and composes musical instruments in earnest outside of ceremonies and festivals.

There is music to some extent, but it’s underdeveloped… mainly, solemn pipe organ tunes for churches and drum and flute tunes for festivals.

“It’s a beautiful piece,” Mikoto said.

“Honestly… it’s lovely…” Louisa said.

At first, it was a quiet song, and when it ended, there was then a rousing song like a marching tune, then a loud attention-grabbing piece, then a quiet melody, and then various other songs played one after another. To me, they all sound like imitations or rip-offs of something I’ve heard somewhere before.

Well, that’s because I taught Leopolt and Amadeus these as bases… but it’s different from Earth’s music. It was finished as a song unique to this world that seemed to be similar but something different.

It may not be finished yet. Or are these songs complete? I don’t know about that, but I think it’s pretty good.

There was a change of performers in the middle, and the Caan Knights Military Band performed. This would be a good feeling when marching in a parade or the like. It’s a new concept that doesn’t exist in this world at the moment, even though it’s still rough. I’m sure everyone will be amazed.

It will also be useful not only in parades but also in actual warfare. Military bands originated from the military playing music as signals to coordinate and act in a disciplined manner on the battlefield. We are also trying to create a military band with the expectation of such a role. There is a possibility that their activities will be directly connected to the activities of the Caan Knights Nation in the future.

“We-Well, how was it?” Leopolt asked, looking nervous.

Of course, he’s anxious. Depending on today’s performance, I, the sponsor, may say that he’s fired. Leopolt and Amadeus would be in trouble if they were told that the research grants would be discontinued. Well, they don’t have to worry about that.

“Right,” I said. “You all did great jobs. I hope you’ll all continue to work hard on new instruments and compositions, for the sake of music.”

“Oh, thank you very much!” Leopolt said, looking relieved as he bows his head.

It’s hard to see what return you can get for music, even though it costs money. Normally, patrons and sponsors would be hard to come by. There may have been a time in Earth’s Europe when there were patrons of the arts to help with such things, but here it’s too early. There is still little understanding of the value of music and the arts.

The reason is simple: only rich people can do that. In the Middle Ages, which was a dark age even in Europe, people were desperate to make ends meet, and there was no time to let loose and indulge in music or art. It is only after the royal and aristocracy became so widely and excessively wealthy that such a thing develops. 1

“What’s the name of that first beautiful song?” Mikoto asked.

“Ah, that’s right…” Leopolt starts.

“It’s called ‘A (BEEP) Dedicated to Lord Caan!’” Amadeus cried happily. 2

“””””…”””””

""

The place froze at Amadeus’ words. I don’t mind it that much, but others might freeze in shock.

“He-Hey! Amadeus!” Leopolt said desperately. “That’s not right! That concerto is…”

He seems to try to say the correct name but he can’t seem to get the shock out of his head.

“Umm… I would prefer the one after that,” Claudia said. “What’s that one called?”

“It’s the ‘Ode to Lord Caan’s (BEEP)!” Amadeus cried proudly.

“Don’t be an idiot, Amadeus! That-That’s not right! That one is…” Leopolt said, his face turning pale.

“””””…”””””

It’s an atmosphere that makes him want to force his son’s mouth closed.

“I-I think the songs played by the soldiers who came out later were good,” Louisa said desperately. “It’s kind of brave and… it gets you in the spirit, right?!”

“That’s the ‘March of the Caan Knights (BEEP)’!”

“Amadeus! Shut up! That’s not right! Lord Caan!” Leopolt yelled.

Ah~…. yeah……. no, I don’t really care, do I? Even in Japan, elementary school students love that sort of thing, right?

And a very famous and great composer on Earth was also a fan of scatological humor… there’s a fine line between being a genius, something, something, so I don’t care… it’s not like I have an understanding or that I have a tolerance for that sort of thing, but if the person himself just likes it, I think he should be free to do so. If you don’t force it on other people, that is…

“I thought it was good music, but it all fell apart in the end,” Katharina said.

“Katharina……”

She’s far too harsh. Isn’t that what children say? Wasn’t it enough to leave it as before?

Well… I should have thought honestly that it was wonderful to listen to good music, but it ended with a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Amadeus was subdued and whisked to the back, and after receiving a desperate apology from Leopolt and the others and an explanation of each song’s name and their actual titles, we left the music research institute.

As for what happened……. certainly, I was able to be refreshed by being released from the usual hard work. I found some great songs. But… with how it played out in the end… there is a vague sense of regret.

No… it’s fine, right? it’s okay? I have no intention of firing Leopolt or Amadeus. I would like them to continue to devote themselves to the development of musical instruments and composition. I want to keep them, but…

“Shall we go home…?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Somehow, we headed back home feeling very disappointed. And later, for some reason, music-related documents piled up on my desk.