NOVEL NEXT Chapter 159
The J Bard Guild, responsible for our music, was definitely not a bad guild.
However, they ultimately couldn’t step outside the realm of other world music.
The electric BGM worked much better with my image because it processed memories of my past life, and I had managed to cope with it until now.
But rhythm games were a different story.
To capture the essence of the song in “Jump,” which included K-pop, we needed more music experts.
Not just someone who makes commissioned music, but a super expert who can challenge new music and sing beautifully.
“Ah… wouldn’t it be great if such a song expert just dropped from the sky?”
“If a person falls from the sky, they’ll die, Master.”
In my past life, I had once thought while looking at the sky after work how great it would be if a lottery ticket fell.
When I thought that way about a song expert dropping from the sky, I heard singing.
“I don’t know! ♫ I can’t understand!! ♫…”
It was one of the K-pop songs Julia had sung earlier, one I remembered from my past life.
It was so quiet that it seemed like no one else could hear it except me, who was focused.
I concentrated on that singing.
“You loved me so much!! ♫…”
Following the pure harmony and voice that seemed to be sung by an expert from my past life, the sound was coming from outside the window.
When I opened the window and looked in the direction of the sound, there was Kahi Riana, the protagonist from the Riana Orchestra, singing.
Wait, why is someone who should be singing at a concert singing here!?
Ignoring my confusion, she continued to sing.
“What on earth ♫ is love like!! ♫…”
Is it because she’s the protagonist of a band? Her singing was on a completely different level from our amateurish performance.
If her song was real singing, then the song Julia and I sang felt like a collection of incorrect human harmonies.
What was even more surprising was her voice, different from yesterday.
Yesterday, her singing was beautiful yet empty like the wind, while now it felt as vibrant as sunlight.
Listening to her song, I found myself reminding of the arcade era of the ’90s in my past life. I was certain she was the last piece needed to complete this game.
“Ha… ha………………”
“……………”
After her song ended, our eyes met.
The world was indeed fun.
People with talent come looking for you.
“Congratulations!!!!!!!!!”
I gave a congratulatory sticker to the talent that found me.
No, I forcibly stuck it on her.
*
Afterward, there was a brief commotion because the diva of the popular orchestra was found in front of the Magic Tower, but things sorted out quickly, and I welcomed her in the reception room with Riana and Sylvia.
The reception room buzzed with excitement at the news of the diva’s arrival, but local broadcasts were silenced using mute magic, so it didn’t reach my ears.
I went straight to the point.
“I’ll be direct. I would like Riana to sing songs for our game.”
“Yes! We need your song, Riana!”
From the performance yesterday, I felt Riana was like a spirit.
With her wonderfully transparent silvery hair and serene blue eyes, her gaze was pure itself.
That purity was so intense that it felt somewhat emptiness.
In response to my words, her expression resembled that of a child being taken aback.
What should I say? It was like the gaze of a child who still doesn’t know what she wants.
“Of course, but I will prepare the best compensation.”
I showed her a contract worth 1.5 times the payment of the J Bard Guild.
She didn’t even flinch looking at the contract.
What’s this? Is she the type who takes care of gold like a treasure?
As she remained unresponsive, I was a bit perplexed, but finally, she spoke.
“Um… Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes! Ask away.”
She cautiously posed a question to me.
“When I sang that song from the wizard Yuren’s game, my heart raced. Is that also caused by some kind of magic?”
“Um… no, we haven’t used such magic.”
Magic that touches human emotions is considered a grave crime that could easily lead one to a decade of imprisonment.
Naturally, I hadn’t employed such magic in the game.
“I want to know why my heart races. If I sing the song from wizard Yuren’s game, can I find that out?”
There was no ulterior motive in her words or gaze.
She genuinely seemed to want to know the reason.
After resolving many missions, is this another self-discovery mission? I felt a bit perplexed, sensing my past self, who had lost interest in games, reflected in her.
I thought for a moment and cautiously replied.
“Well, I can’t promise anything since I’m neither a god nor a doctor.”
Upon that, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
I mean, I’m not a psychiatrist or a deity either, but…
“One thing is for sure… it will be fun. Very much.”
I was a game developer.
A game developer who creates games to provide enjoyment and fun.
Upon my words, she seemed to ponder on something, then nodded and said,
“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”
Great!!
I internally cheered as I realized I had resolved the music issue.
But then she looked serious.
“Um… But there is one problem.”
“What problem?”
Showing her droplet necklace, which was the emblem of the Riana Orchestra, she spoke.
“I belong to the Riana Orchestra, so I need approval from the director.”
“Oh! Don’t worry about that at all. We can handle it right away.”
What do I say? At her worry, I hummed a tune and activated the communication crystal ball.
*
I didn’t want to become like those I despised in my past life, so I never recklessly wielded my power.
But that didn’t mean I hated power; it just meant I was in control.
I was officially a knight granted a castle by the royal family, closely connected with the minister’s office and commander’s department, and a noble with two territories.
That meant I could manage something like this.
“Y-you called for me, Sir Yuren!”
“Haha, you came quickly. Please, sit down, Olsson.”
Upon my call, Olsson, the leader of the Riana Orchestra, was summoned to my office.
He looked quite awkward, startled by my sudden summons.
If I were in his position, I would have been surprised too.
From his standpoint, it was a situation where the landlord of the building suddenly requested a meeting.
If he weren’t tense, that would be odd.
“Um… May I ask why you called for me?”
“Ah, it’s nothing else. Your performance yesterday was incredibly moving. I would like to see it again.”
I lightened the mood by discussing the concert from the day before.
Upon my words, his face lit up, and he said to me,
“Ah! Really? It’s such an honor.”
“So, I would like to include the Riana Orchestra’s songs and music in our game. May I ask for your cooperation?”
“Your game’s songs?”
From the conversation with Riana, she had mentioned that the ability of the musicians in her orchestra was no joke.
It was clear that her songs could only become perfect when they were present.
Therefore, I decided to revise the plan to hire the entire Riana Orchestra.
When I spoke, I could actually hear the sound of Olsson’s eyes rolling.
He was startled but probably going through all sorts of thoughts, the biggest being this:
‘How much can we charge for this?’
“It’s an honor for us. However, the performance schedule and labor costs are a bit…”
Once the calculations were done, he took on a visage of a businessman I was well familiar with, and he spoke to me.
I handed him the pre-prepared documents and said,
“Well, how about this?”
“Um… Give me a moment. I think my eyes must be deceiving me…”
After reading my documents, Olsson rubbed his eyes and double-checked.
I calmly sipped my coffee, waiting for his reaction.
“Whaaaat… You’re offering this much money!?”
I hadn’t put down a massive amount.
I just listed a sum equal to the amount the Riana Orchestra earned for the performance x2.
“Additionally, we will cover all accommodation costs if the recording takes longer than planned. What do you think?”
I was planning to take care of food and lodging as well.
People performing well need to eat well and sleep well; that was common sense that had persisted from my past life.
After I finished speaking, he stood up, bowed sharply, and said,
“It’s an honor to be able to contribute to the game I’ve heard rumors about, Sir Yuren!!”
Thus, the music issue was resolved.
It was finally time for the enjoyable game development I had long missed.