Chapter 430: A Broken Soldier’s Piece of Warmth

Leofirc’s hands immediately landed on the piano keys the moment Selena commenced the duel.

His fingers moved across them with confidence, and the first notes of his chosen piece flowed into the ears of the audience. The opening was bold, fast, and full of movement, giving people almost no time to settle before the melody had already begun racing forward.

It was clear from the very beginning that Leofirc knew what he was doing.

His hands moved fluidly across the piano, each note following the next with practiced control as the fast-paced piece immediately took hold of the audience.

Several students nodded while listening.

Some even smiled.

As for Ezra...

His plain black eyes remained fixed on the piano keys.

However, his mind was still reading through the information on how to play the piano from the Book of Memories while also going through the music notes of the piece he had chosen.

Ezra placed his fingers over the piano.

For the first few seconds, neither of his hands moved with the speed of Leofirc’s, whose performance had already entered a bold and energetic rhythm.

Ezra’s right hand rested around the middle keys while his left hand remained lower, ready to support the melody.

Then...

His fingers moved.

The opening tone began slowly and gently.

Ezra’s right hand played:

D4 — E4 — F4 — E4

At the same time, his left hand moved across the lower keys:

D3 — A3 — D4

A short pause followed.

The sound from Ezra’s piano didn’t fight against Leofirc’s music.

It simply entered the space beneath it.

Ezra’s right hand resumed.

D4 — A3 — C4 — D4

His left hand followed:

B♭2 — F3 — B♭3

Ezra’s fingers moved again.

At the same moment, Leofirc’s piece seemed to completely dominate the duel.

"Sir Leofirc is already winning this quick."

A female student among the audience said as she listened to Leofirc’s piece with a pleased smile.

"Why would Ezra Ashenlocke start with such a slow opening?"

"Sir Leofirc will win soon."

"I can barely hear Ezra Ashenlocke’s piece."

The audience began whispering among themselves, with almost everyone falling to Leofirc’s side.

The reason was simple.

Leofirc was already leading.

And...

His piece was truly good.

Even Selena had to admit that Leofirc was definitely not average when it came to playing the piano.

His chosen piece was built around a fast tone that began almost immediately. It demanded a great deal from the pianist, especially because there was barely any room for hesitation once the performance began.

Yet Leofirc had started well.

Very well.

That from the way his fingers continued moving without a mistake, Selena could already tell that he wasn’t likely to fail while playing this piece.

However...

Something else began drawing her attention.

Selena’s sharp hearing caught something hidden beneath Leofirc’s fast performance.

And it was the same for the sharp-eared Alchemists present among the audience, as well as some of the members of the Music Heaven standing backstage near the concert area.

Something about Ezra’s piece was drawing them in.

His right hand continued.

E4 — F4 — A4 — G4

His left hand followed at the same time:

C3 — G3 — C4

Ezra’s fingers shifted again.

His right hand played:

F4 — E4 — D4 — C4

His left hand moved with it:

A2 — E3 — A3

The melody remained slow and soft.

Almost lonely.

And the strange feeling Selena had been sensing finally clicked in her heart.

Ezra’s piece wasn’t trying to compete with Leofirc’s music through speed.

It was doing something else.

It was slowly making people listen.

In the audience section.

Vera remained seated quietly, her arms still folded and her legs crossed.

Nina and Lyra had also fallen silent.

Even Leofirc, who was still focused on playing his own piece, didn’t realize when it began happening.

Ezra’s tempo slowly increased.

72 BPM...

Then...

78 BPM.

Ezra’s right hand began moving farther across the piano.

And the moment it did...

His music became more noticeable.

Leofirc noticed it as well.

However, he now had a problem.

Ezra’s right hand moved:

D4 — F4 — A4 — C5

His left hand followed in the same order:

D3 — A3 — D4 — F4

His fingers continued.

A4 — G4 — F4 — E4

The left hand answered:

B♭2 — F3 — B♭3 — D4

Without stopping, Ezra’s fingers moved again.

His right hand played:

F4 — A4 — C5 — D5

His left hand moved across the lower keys:

F2 — C3 — F3 — A3

Then...

Ezra’s right hand returned.

C5 — A4 — G4 — F4

His left hand followed:

C3 — G3 — C4 — E4

The music continued flowing.

And once again...

The tempo rose.

This time, it climbed smoothly from 78 BPM to 84 BPM.

Ezra’s right hand played:

A4 — C5 — D5 — F5

His left hand followed:

D2 — A2 — D3 — F3

Ezra’s fingers moved back down.

His right hand pressed:

E5 — D5 — C5 — A4

His left hand followed:

B♭2 — F3 — B♭3 — D4

Then his right hand crossed the keys again.

C5 — D5 — F5 — A5

His left hand moved beneath it:

C3 — G3 — C4 — E4

And immediately after...

His right hand played:

G5 — F5 — E5 — D5

His left hand answered:

A2 — E3 — A3 — C4

The melody had finally begun rising beyond its quiet opening.

The change was impossible to ignore now.

And the whole area froze.

The audience could only stare at one person.

It wasn’t Leofirc Hawthorne.

It was Ezra Ashenlocke.

Even the guests and students moving around nearby, people who had originally had no reason to visit the Music Heaven Club booth or listen to its concert, gradually began walking toward the area.

Some stopped.

Others turned their heads.

Then they stayed.

The working members of nearby club booths also began slowing down. A few stepped away from their activities and looked toward the Music Heaven Club, trying to figure out who was playing the strange piece that was gradually spreading through the surrounding area.

Selena looked completely lost in the melody.

Vera, however, continued looking at Ezra with her dull black eyes.

To other people...

She might have looked bored.

Her arms were still folded.

Her legs remained crossed.

Her expression barely changed.

But in truth...

Vera was completely lost in the music.

The melody seemed to touch a part of her that she rarely allowed herself to think about.

There had been times when she felt that she might spend her entire life in a world where no one could truly understand her.

No one could understand the difficulty she had with showing emotions.

No one could completely understand what was happening inside her simply by looking at her face.

And because of that...

Loneliness had always been something that quietly followed her.

Ezra’s music somehow drew that feeling out.

Not by force.

Not through some grand and painful melody.

But slowly.

As though someone had quietly sat beside her and understood that the silence had been there all along.

The tempo increased again.

84 BPM...

Then...

92 BPM.

At that moment, Ezra’s fingers began moving faster.

His right hand played:

D5 — F5 — A5 — C6 — A5 — F5 — E5 — D5

His left hand followed:

D2 — A2 — D3 — A3 — D4 — A3 — F3 — A3

His right hand moved again.

C5 — D5 — F5 — A5 — C6 — A5 — G5 — F5

His left hand answered:

B♭2 — F3 — B♭3 — F3 — D4 — F3 — B♭3 — F3

The pace increased again.

The tempo rose from 92 BPM to 100 BPM.

Ezra’s right hand played:

E5 — G5 — B♭5 — A5 — G5 — F5 — E5 — D5

At the same time, his left hand played:

C3 — G3 — C4 — G3 — E4 — G3 — C4 — G3

Ezra didn’t slow down.

Instead, his right hand continued at the same pace.

F5 — A5 — C6 — A5 — G5 — F5 — E5 — D5

His left hand moved with it:

A2 — E3 — A3 — E3 — C4 — E3 — A3 — E3

The two hands moved in opposite directions across the piano.

One carried the melody higher.

The other supported it from below.

Their movements should have been chaotic.

Yet...

They were perfectly connected.

The music suddenly entered a completely different emotional tone.

The tempo slowed.

From 100 BPM...

To 80 BPM.

Ezra’s right hand struck the keys.

A5 — G5 — F5

His left hand followed:

D3 — A3

A brief pause.

His right hand moved again.

E5 — D5

His left hand answered:

B♭2 — F3

Silence settled over the now-crowded area.

Only for a moment.

Ezra’s fingers pressed the keys again.

The tempo remained at 80 BPM.

His right hand played:

F5 — A5 — C6 — A5

His left hand moved beneath it:

D3 — A3 — D4 — F4

Then...

His right hand continued.

G5 — F5 — E5 — D5

His left hand followed:

F2 — C3 — F3 — A3

The melody rose once more.

Not faster.

But heavier.

And that heavier tone made everyone in the crowd feel the music in a way they hadn’t expected.

Ezra’s right hand played:

D5 — F5 — A5 — G5

His left hand moved:

C3 — G3 — C4 — E4

Then...

The right hand played:

F5 — E5 — D5

The left hand followed:

D3 — A2

The tempo of the piece slowly began decreasing.

80 BPM...

Then...

72 BPM.

The melody began returning toward the lower keys.

Ezra’s right hand played:

D5 — C5 — A4 — F4

His left hand followed:

B♭2 — F3 — B♭3 — D4

His fingers continued moving.

The right hand played:

E4 — F4 — A4 — G4

His left hand moved at the same time:

C3 — G3 — C4 — E4

Ezra’s fingers gradually slowed.

His right hand played:

F4 — E4 — D4 — C4

His left hand followed:

A2 — E3 — A3 — C4

Then...

One final rise.

Ezra’s right hand played:

D4 — E4 — F4 — A4

His left hand moved:

D3 — A3 — D4

His right hand moved down again.

G4 — F4 — E4 — D4

And his left hand played:

B♭2 — F3 — A3

Finally...

The final sequence came slowly.

The tempo dropped from 72 BPM...

To 64 BPM.

Ezra’s right hand played:

D4 — C4 — D4

His left hand followed:

A2 — E3 — A3

Then, finally...

Ezra’s right hand pressed:

D4

His left hand played:

D2

The final notes were held.

The sound lingered inside the concert area.

Then it gradually disappeared.

Silence.

For a long while.

"Amazing."

Leofirc, who was supposed to be playing his own piece, suddenly blurted out as he looked at Ezra with tearing eyes.

A single tear dropped down his eyes.

Ezra turned his head slightly.

"You stopped playing, Senior."

He said plainly while stretching his hands and fingers.

The muscles in his fingers felt strained.

After all...

This was the first time he had actually played the piano himself.

"Ehn?"

Leofirc looked dumbfounded.

He quickly cleaned the tears coming out from his eyes, that’s where he finally noticed.

"How... when?"

His eyes moved toward his own hands.

Only now did he realize that they were no longer resting on the piano keys.

Worse...

His entire body had already turned toward Ezra’s side.

He had completely forgotten about his own performance and stopped to listen to Ezra’s piece.

"You stopped when my tempo entered 84 BPM."

Ezra answered flatly.

Leofirc stared at him.

Then his face slowly changed.

"So, that means you won, huh."

His voice carried amazement rather than disappointment.

"That was incredible!"

Cyrus’s voice suddenly echoed loudly from the crowd.

He was clapping hurriedly, with teary eyes.

On his hand was his Zphone 14, which he used to record part of Ezra’s piece.

"You can say that again!"

Veda shouted with a bright smile, but his eyes were seriously wet.

Both boys immediately began clapping.

And suddenly...

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!"

"Amazing piece!"

"That was incredible, Ezra Ashenlocke!"

"I’m seriously crying now!"

"I’m sorry for doubting you!"

The applause exploded.

Cheers and praises rose from every direction as the crowd around the Music Heaven Club booth began clapping for Ezra.

Many were crying, while some tried to stop their tears.

Some students who walked to the concert area with their parents to watch the show had hugged their parents tightly, crying deeply.

Many of the audience looked emotional from listening to the piece.

Ezra turned toward the audience.

He realized that the crowd had become almost twice as large as before.

The noise of praise and cheering filled the entire area.

Yet Ezra merely looked at them with his usual plain expression.

He didn’t seem to react much to the sudden attention.

Selena looked completely lost as she stared at him.

One of her hands slowly covered her mouth.

Her breathing had become noticeably faster.

What...

What was that melody?

Selena asked herself.

Her emerald eyes remained fixed on Ezra.

She remembered the way his face had looked while playing.

The way his fingers had moved.

The music.

The feeling it had left behind.

Her thoughts became confused.

I love him.

The thought suddenly appeared in her mind.

Selena froze.

I really love him.

Ah... I’m going crazy.

She felt completely lost inside that single thought.

At the audience section...

Vera tilted her head slightly as she looked at Ezra with her dull black eyes.

Her left hand slowly rested against her chest.

She lowered her gaze slightly.

Her heartbeat was faster than normal.

A faint warmth slowly appeared on her face.

Then...

Vera’s eyes slowly closed.

A small smile rested on her lips.

It was warm.

Gentle.

And extremely rare.

With everyone focused on cheering for Ezra’s music, almost no one noticed Vera’s expression.

No one saw the smile she had shown.

And even if they had...

They might not have been able to look away from it.

With just how beautiful the Jewel of Ash truly looked when she wasn’t in her usual Plain expression.

Even Lyra and Nina were too focused on clapping for Ezra to notice the rare warmth that had appeared on Vera’s face.

Vera remembered what she had told Becky when she asked her if she truly loved Ezra.

And even though.

Now...

She still didn’t know the true answer.

At this moment.

Vera realized one thing.

Ezra was the only one who could make her lose herself to true warmth.