Half the day had passed, and Lanevus found himself gradually adjusting to the discordant piano sounds. Just as he began to wonder if his sense of aesthetics had developed some fundamental flaw, he suddenly realized the piano's tone had become... orderly.
Not just orderly, but beginning to coalesce into a melody. Though still filled with various noises and dissonant tones, it was no longer a headache-inducing mess.
'Dammit, is this guy really learning to play?'
Lanevus thought, his mind racing. As a swindler, a high capacity for learning and appreciation was a necessary part of his toolkit to blend into various social circles.
However, Mr. V's "learning" process was simply counter-intuitive. Given the chaotic noise from before and the current mixture of proper melody and random clashing notes, Lanevus doubted the man could even read a musical score.
...
"Dammit! Can't that guy just be quiet for a minute?!"
The next morning, after breakfast, the piano music once again rang through the villa, and Lanevus finally snapped.
It wasn't because Snow's playing had become chaotic again. No, it was because the consciousness of the True Creator was stirring.
Although the music was unlike any existing style, it was a normal piece of music. Yet, this particular tune seemed to strike a nerve, making the True Creator's relatively calm consciousness suddenly become excited.
It wasn't the kind of growth that came from absorbing resentment or hatred. It was more like the focused attention one gave upon hearing a familiar voice.
"To hell with this! What the hell are you playing?!"
Lanevus stormed up to the second-floor music room and roared his question. He no longer cared if he provoked the man. As long as he could make this damn music stop, any punishment was worth it!
But Mr. V, sitting on the piano bench, continued to strike the keys, his body swaying dramatically as if he were conducting a grand symphony.
A series of auditory hallucinations began to bloom in Lanevus's mind. It was no longer just a piano. He heard singing, violins, cellos, wind instruments... it was as if an entire orchestra were performing alongside Mr. V's melody!
It wasn't Mr. V playing. It was the True Creator! Mr. V's performance had seemingly triggered a fragment of the True Creator's memory. Notes rushed in from all sides, enveloping Lanevus.
The skin on his chest began to burn with a sharp pain. Tiny whispers seeped from his flesh, forming a language he couldn't understand, as if they were singing in harmony with Mr. V's piano.
A strange language filled with rolling R's emerged from Lanevus's body. Mr. V accompanied the True Creator's voice, singing along in a tone that was clearly an imitation.
"In the white snow, singing your story; in the storm, everyone is busy fighting..."
The song wasn't unpleasant; in fact, it was quite melodious. But amidst the True Creator's polluted singing, Lanevus's brain felt like it was trembling.
Even more terrifyingly, the language itself seemed to hold some mystical power. Once Mr. V started singing, the [Listener] ability "Whispers" activated. Although it was a power induced by the language, it continuously eroded Lanevus's will, as if pouring some horrifying idea into his mind.
"Stop! Stop it!"
Lanevus clutched his head and tried to flee, but no matter where he ran, no matter how many gramophones he opened or how many Death Metal records he played, the song continued to echo in his mind. It resonated from the muscle patterns on his chest that vaguely formed an inverted cross, and it seeped from his every pore.
"On the frozen earth, white snow covers the wings! Forward we go, chests held high! Storm or not, I see the bright future. Snow or not, what's there to fear!"
The song echoed incessantly. Lanevus felt as though everything around him was producing sound, everything was singing!
Lamps became strings, tables and chairs became drums, and the walls became a resonance chamber. Sound echoed and spread everywhere. The butler, maids, and attendants in the house all seemed to be appreciating the beautiful melody, while he was the only one howling in terror.
However, the True Creator didn't care about Lanevus's roars, as if his pained cries were merely a part of the composition.
Lanevus had been right about one thing,Snow didn't understand musical notes. He couldn't even read sheet music. Neither the [Secret Supplicant] nor the [Listener] pathways had any innate musical talent. However, the "Respondent" ability had given him a powerful capacity for forming conditional reflexes.
In other words, his practice yesterday was to build a direct circuit between his fingers and his thoughts for various key combinations. The result: when his mind thought of a certain tone, his fingers would automatically strike the corresponding keys.
Combined with the memory-enhancing effect of "Dilemmist," Snow could replicate any song he heard once after a day of "brute-forcing" the combinations. While this cheating method wouldn't make him a true pianist, his past life's memories allowed him to play a few high-quality pieces perfectly.
As for explaining the origin of these songs?
Naturally, it was divine inspiration from the Great True Creator!
Since the True Creator's spiritual overflow often leaked its "inner thoughts," it wasn't strange for a devout believer to piece together a song from repeated listening.
Not to mention, the Sequence 5 of the Paradox pathway possessed certain probability-based Beyonder powers.
Snow suspected his excuse wouldn't even be needed. After all, "Ar-Creator" had already started singing along.
But honestly, Ar-Creator's voice wasn't as good as Snow's.
The piece wasn't long,only a few minutes including the intro,but for Lanevus, it was nothing short of a brush with death. Conversely, Mr. V looked as though he had undergone a spiritual ascension, his entire body radiating immense spirituality.
Lanevus knew what that was. It was a blessing from the True Creator, delivered via the [Listener] ability.
The True Creator,both the fragment within him and the main body in the "Divine Kingdom",truly loved this song!
In fact, Lanevus had underestimated just how much the True Creator loved it. Within minutes of Mr. V finishing his performance, every Beyonder in the world who had ever reached the [Listener] stage and established a connection with the True Creator received an oracle.
From that day forward, the Aurora Order had a Holy Hymn.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: "Katyusha" (喀秋莎) - A famous Russian wartime song. In this context, it resonates with the True Creator's past life.
T/N: "Ar-Creator" (阿造) - Snow's informal/affectionate abbreviation for the True Creator.