Chapter 129 — The Melody of the Night

Kael made his way toward the audience hall where the end-of-semester party was being held.

Even from a distance, he could see the decorations covering the academy.

The usually formal corridors had been transformed. Magical lights floated near the ceiling, casting soft colors across the walls. Banners representing the academy hung between the pillars, while tables had been arranged around the central hall.

The academy was brightly lit.

For once, its intimidating atmosphere had disappeared.

The true beauty of the academy could be seen at times like this.

Kael slowed his pace as he approached the entrance.

He could hear music coming from inside.

Laughter.

Conversations.

The clattering of plates and glasses.

The end-of-semester celebration existed for a simple reason: to celebrate surviving the semester.

That was especially important at an academy like this.

First-year students didn’t really understand the full impact of the celebration yet.

For most of them, their first semester had been relatively controlled.

They had attended classes, participated in practical assignments, trained under supervision, and occasionally entered dungeons as part of their class assignments.

Second year was different.

From that point onward, missions became an essential part of academy life.

Students were expected to venture into dungeons, complete assignments, hunt monsters and gather merit points.

Those merit points could eventually influence their standing within the academy.

The academy had always prided itself on self-growth.

Students weren’t simply taught.

They were pushed.

They were expected to discover their limits and surpass them.

But that philosophy came with a price.

Many students graduated from the academy as A-Rank hunters.

The truly exceptional ones graduated as S-Rank individuals.

Yet the same system that created monsters also created casualties.

The academy had one of the highest mortality rates among educational institutions on the continent.

Students were allowed to take dangerous missions.

They were encouraged to challenge stronger opponents.

They were taught that weakness was something to overcome rather than something to accept.

That was why the end-of-semester party had become so important.

It had started as a tradition created by a former Student Council president.

A student-made tradition.

A night where everyone could temporarily forget about rankings, assignments, missions and expectations.

Kael smiled faintly.

"Not a bad tradition."

He stepped into the hall.

The atmosphere immediately surrounded him.

Students from every class could be seen talking with one another.

There was no obvious distinction between nobles and commoners.

No obvious racial barrier.

Humans spoke with elves.

Beast-kin laughed with dwarves.

Mages discussed spells with knights.

Even the usually reclusive dwarven students had joined the festivities.

A pair of dwarves were arm-wrestling at one of the tables while several students cheered them on.

One dwarf slammed his opponent’s hand against the table.

The crowd erupted.

"Again!"

"That wasn’t fair!"

"You lost!"

Kael laughed quietly.

Even some third-year students were present.

That surprised him.

Most third-years spent the majority of their time outside the academy on missions, but even they had returned for the celebration.

Kael stood there for a moment, simply watching.

This wasn’t something the game had ever properly captured.

The game showed the academy as a place where important characters gathered.

It never showed the small conversations.

The jokes.

The friendships.

The students who would never become part of the main story.

For the first time, Kael found himself appreciating them.

He wasn’t looking at NPCs anymore.

He was looking at people.

He walked farther into the hall.

His eyes moved across the crowd.

He recognized several familiar faces.

Charlotte was talking to a group of students near one of the tables.

Verdia was speaking with another group.

Kael didn’t approach them.

Instead, his eyes eventually landed on someone standing alone.

Auriella.

She stood slightly away from the main crowd, holding a drink while observing everyone around her.

Her expression was passive as usual.

Kael smiled.

Of course she would find the quietest corner of the party.

He grabbed a glass for himself and walked over.

"You seem bored," Kael said after pouring himself a drink from the table next to her.

Auriella turned her gaze toward him.

"What can I say? I have better agendas."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

He took a sip.

"Oh, you’re still after my crown."

Auriella didn’t answer immediately.

She shifted her gaze away from him and returned to observing the students.

Kael smiled.

"I take it that you haven’t set a date for the duel yet, and I don’t see Zion anywhere. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"He seemed busy training. I doubt he’ll attend the party."

Kael frowned.

"Why would a genius like that still be training?"

Auriella glanced at him.

"Perhaps because he wants to become stronger."

Kael looked at her.

"That’s annoyingly reasonable."

Auriella ignored him.

Kael took another sip.

"If he has training, then why aren’t you?"

Auriella’s expression remained unchanged.

"Because I’ve already defeated a simulated version of yourself. It just remains defeating the actual you."

Kael smiled.

"I guess we’ve both defeated each other’s simulated versions."

Auriella nodded.

"Yes."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Kael noticed something.

"You know, you’re surprisingly competitive."

"I’ve always been competitive."

"I thought you were just quiet."

"Being quiet doesn’t mean being passive."

Kael chuckled.

"Fair enough."

Auriella looked toward the crowd.

"You’re different tonight."

Kael glanced at her.

"Different how?"

"You seem relaxed."

"Is that strange?"

"For you?"

She paused.

"Yes."

Kael laughed.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn’t."

"Even better."

Auriella’s lips almost moved into a smile.

Almost.

Kael noticed.

He didn’t comment.

Instead, his attention shifted toward the far side of the hall.

A piano sat there.

The previous person playing it had just stepped away.

Kael’s eyes remained fixed on the instrument.

Something about it immediately caught his attention.

Auriella noticed.

"What?"

Kael shook his head.

"Nothing."

He handed her his drink.

"I’d ask you to excuse me."

Auriella looked at the glass in her hand.

Then at Kael.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere."

He walked toward the piano.

Kael had always liked music.

In his previous life, playing the piano had been one of the few hobbies that could completely absorb his attention.

It was strange.

So many memories from his previous life had become distant since arriving in this world.

But music remained.

He sat down.

For a moment, he simply looked at the keys.

He raised one finger.

Tap.

A single note echoed.

Then another.

Kael slowly tapped each key individually.

He wanted to understand the instrument.

Its weight.

Its response.

The subtle differences between the keys.

He placed both hands over the keyboard.

Then he began to play.

The melody was familiar to him.

Very familiar.

But strange to everyone else.

The first few notes were soft.

The conversations in the hall gradually died down.

Someone stopped speaking.

Another student turned around.

Then another.

The melody continued.

Kael’s fingers moved naturally.

He didn’t think about the audience.

He didn’t think about the academy.

He didn’t think about the party.

He simply played.

The music carried a strange emotion.

Something difficult to describe.

It wasn’t simply happiness.

It wasn’t sadness.

It was something closer to euphoria.

A feeling of remembering something precious that had been lost.

Students slowly moved closer.

Some sat down.

Others remained standing.

A few began unconsciously humming along despite never having heard the melody before.

Even the people who didn’t understand music were captivated.

Auriella stood several meters away, watching.

For once, her expression wasn’t completely stoic.

There was genuine surprise in her eyes.

Kael continued playing.

The melody became richer.

His fingers moved faster.

His mana began flowing unconsciously.

The academy’s magical instruments responded to it.

The lights above the hall flickered softly in rhythm with the music.

Kael didn’t notice.

He was somewhere else entirely.

For a few minutes, he wasn’t Kael Draven.

He was simply someone sitting behind a piano, playing a piece from a life that no longer existed.

Eventually, the final note rang through the hall.

Silence followed.

Kael remained motionless.

Then he slowly lowered his hands.

He took several deep breaths.

His expression changed.

He could feel it.

His mana had been drained considerably.

"That’s..."

Kael looked down at his hands.

"I didn’t know it used mana."

Then applause erupted.

The hall exploded with noise.

Kael blinked.

Students were clapping.

Some were cheering.

Others were simply staring at him.

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

"That was unexpected."

He stood.

A voice came from behind him.

"That was a beautiful piece, Kael Draven."

Kael turned.

A young woman approached him.

She carried herself with a calm confidence.

Her expression was steady, but there was a genuine smile on her face.

Kael recognized her immediately.

Sylvia Crest.

The current Student Council president.

"I thought only Sylvia could play music this beautiful."

Kael blinked.

"But you’re really surprising me."

Sylvia smiled.

She noticed the slightly dazed expression on Kael’s face.

"Is this your first time playing?"

Kael hesitated.

"Yeah."

Sylvia’s eyes widened.

"No way."

She looked toward the piano.

"Then it’s no wonder you didn’t know that the instrument drains your mana as you play."

Kael glanced at the piano.

"So that’s why I suddenly feel exhausted."

Sylvia laughed softly.

"Most people don’t realize it the first time."

She extended her hand.

"This would be the first time we are actually meeting. I’m Sylvia Crest, the current Student Council president."

Kael looked at her hand before shaking it.

"Oh, pardon my rudeness. I’m Kael Draven. Although you already knew that."

He smiled.

"It’s a pleasure."

Sylvia’s smile widened.

"The pleasure is mine."

Kael released her hand.

Around them, the party slowly began returning to normal.

But something had changed.

The entire hall now knew that the supposedly lazy top-ranked student could play an instrument none of them had expected him to touch.

Auriella approached from behind.

"You’ve attracted attention again."

Kael sighed.

"I was just trying to play piano."

Sylvia laughed.

"I suppose that’s simply what happens when you’re Kael Draven."

Kael looked at her.

"You make it sound like I’m some kind of natural disaster."

Auriella replied without hesitation.

"Sometimes you are."

Kael stared at her.

"That was unnecessary."

Sylvia laughed again.

For once, Kael didn’t mind the attention.

He looked around the hall.

The music resumed.

Students returned to their conversations.

The party continued.

And somewhere beneath the noise, Kael felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Peace.

For one night, there were no dungeons.

No duels.

No Velvet Gang.

No royal family.

No Demon King.

Just music, food and people enjoying the end of another semester.

Kael smiled.

Maybe this world wasn’t so bad after all.