Chapter 1232 – #288_Fable (6)

#1226

1.

Looking at the suspicious space, the stairs rising high into the sky, I recall memories from a while ago.

A sense of freedom from all rules and heading towards transcendence.

Although he was hit hard on the head by Erelim and slipped down, Siwoo remembers that feeling.

25th rank.

A state where we do not simply modify the laws of the world, but move towards the laws themselves.

The first time is the most difficult.

Once enlightenment is gained, it does not easily disappear.

If Siwoo follows the crooked stairs that unfold before his eyes, he will soon be able to look down on the world from a similar height.

The sense of omnipotence and freedom I gained the moment I took off the shackles was as sweet as a drug.

Siwoo could become anything, and no bondage or bondage could restrict that freedom.

But.

“There is no need for this.”

Siwoo ignored that path.

With a wave of his hand, the scattered stairs fell down with a rumbling sound.

There is some regret.

Should I say it feels like burning all the paper with future lottery winning numbers written on it?

The lingering feeling that I will never be able to experience that sense of freedom and omnipotence again makes me want to maintain the shape of the stairs until the end.

But he didn’t even pay attention.

Because I already know the price of choosing this path.

A way to forget the faces of your loved one and family.

A path that burns everything only for magical transcendence.

A path that is not freedom, but is swallowed up by chaos that imitates freedom.

For some people, this might be a shortcut they want to get their hands on, but not for Siwoo.

He stretched out his feet toward the new stairs to go up.

The first step is precarious.

As soon as you step on it, the hastily created stairs look like they will collapse at any moment.

If you fall, you will be swallowed by the gaping abyss below.

“It’s reckless.”

“If you don’t want to help, just watch.”

“…”

Erelim, who had been watching Siwoo without taking any action, spoke to her, as if he wanted to see how great she would be as she cheekily teased her mouth her.

However, it is difficult to interpret it as a friendly signal.

If Si-woo fails to show her something and falls into her own abyss, she will not help and will turn her back.

She was also standing on another staircase running parallel to Siwoo’s staircase.

The staircase leading up to the distant sky is different in its completeness and stability from the one that is just being built.

The two climbed the stairs side by side in the same direction.

Since it is parallel, no one can help you and your own path that can never cross.

“… Phew…”

It goes up and up.

Every time you climb a step, the stairs are precarious.

The path to transcendence.

I didn’t think it would be an easy task, but the situation I faced was more dangerous than expected.

Is it really possible to reach even the 24th rank without taking off the bridle? Doubts are rising.

That’s natural.

Because I’m trying to tear up the answer sheet that I’ve already seen once and open up a completely new route.

I honestly have a feeling about the ‘system’.

The problem is that you cannot even access the system unless you reach level 25.

At that time.

The scenery in front of you changes.

The leisurely piano sound in my ears and the sunlight shining on my skin.

Something too vivid to be a fantasy unfolds before your eyes.

One day, the sunlight shining through the milky white curtains penetrates evenly into the interior.

It was in the music room of the Count Zemenai family, where two grand pianos were placed facing each other.

It’s a holiday and the weather will be mild.

Odile and Odette grabbed Siwoo’s wrist and dragged him to the music room.

Odette was lying face down on the sofa, tapping the leaves of a flower pot on the window sill, enjoying a languid afternoon rest, while Odile sat at the piano, humming his song to her.

“Hmm, mmmm”

A humming song that is pleasant to listen to.

Odile closed his eyes and bobbed his head, but managed to play brilliantly on the black and white keys, creating a harmonious melody.

Freely changing scale and arpeggio.

A sense of rhythm that sometimes bounces like playing with notes and sometimes flows like water.

Richly expanded harmonies and unpredictable variations.

A piano solo reminiscent of New York cafe BGM came out from those cute hands. I was so amazed by the sight that I sat still and watched.

The flowing performance suddenly stopped.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and Odile met her gaze and smiled the smile she wanted.

“Assistant? Why are you staring at me like that? Have you suddenly wanted to see the noble lady, Miss Odile, naked and playing the piano? But it’s difficult. This is a music room, so it’s wide open in all directions. If Master sees it, will he scold you?”

“No. “I just like listening to music.”

“Is Naked Odile’s piano performance not very good?”

“Hmm, how can I not sneak in at night?”

Odile opened her eyes round at the nonchalant joke and giggled, saying, ‘You’ve grown up a lot, too, Josu.’ Siu also laughed along with her.

“Isn’t that jazz song just now?”

“Yes, I’m a classical music fan, but when the weather is this nice, jazz isn’t bad either.”

“Sister, lying is bad. “I have to say that since I was worse at playing than Odette, I developed a sense of humor and became a classical music fan.”

Odette appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around her side as if telling me not to leave her alone.

“Hmph, I’m just not interested in that kind of unorthodox music, right? “It’s at most 200 years of history, right?”

“I guess so. Assistant! I am better than my sister! Directly! “I’ll show you how to play!”

“Now, let’s compromise that Odile is a classical genius and Odette is a jazz genius.”

Although I was skillfully mediating the usual bickering, I felt something unexpected.

Seeing Odile taking a step back when they get into an argument, doesn’t that mean that Odette’s performance is actually better?

“Tan, follow, ttan!”

In reality, Odette’s skill her was amazing.

By making a yo ronzo ron sound with her mouth (I later heard it was called a scat), she performed the song that Odile had just played with much more splendid technique and rich resonance.

To Siwoo, who added impromptu variations to his improvisational performance her, it was an ability that was no different from a supernatural power.

As I listened to the two sisters playing, a question suddenly occurred to me.

At the same time, I was working on a charisma project under my eldest mother-in-law and studying various cultures.

“How do you do it?”

“What is it?”

“It’s called jazz improvisation.”

“Oh, if you want to discuss jazz theory with us, it’s going to be a pretty in-depth conversation, right? Are you ready?”

“Well, I’m ready.”

Seeing his eyes her his sparkling, it seems like his mouth his is itching to hear a topic he likes.

Although he didn’t plan on going this deep, Siwoo nodded with a wry smile.

Although they are tomboyish girls, Odile and Odette have received Gehenna-style education for gifted children.

In addition, the Count Zemenai spends a lot of time on music due to their ‘singing magic’.

That’s why I explained it in a way that was easy to understand.

“Jazz is free music, but it is not naturally occurring music. For example, if the assistant just randomly hits the piano, it won’t make for a pleasant performance, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But we have learned information about pitch, harmony, and harmonic movement, right? I have been playing the piano and other instruments since I was 3 years old. “I also learned things like harmonics from the age of 7.”

“Hmm, strictly speaking, the improvisation just wasn’t a completely free performance?”

“You could say that too.”

“Actually, jazz isn’t very free. There are very strict rules and they must be followed. In order for a performance to be free and diverse, it depends on how disciplined the rules are.”

Odette sat down at the piano again and started playing, matching the rhythm with her mouth.

By slightly frowning or tilting his body cutely, he performed a similar but completely different performance.

It was really good to hear.

That’s why these fantasies suddenly appear.

Because there is a hint there.

Enlightenment is surprisingly not something grand.

The act of looking at things taken for granted as unfamiliar.

The act of finding the correct answer from separate events that seem to have no connection at all.

All of that is enlightenment.

Odette continued her explanation.

“It’s a bit paradoxical, isn’t it?”

“Honestly, it’s hard to understand.”

“Hmm… To put it simply, the discipline in jazz is not for restraint and legitimacy. Rather, it is a device to become free. Rather than just mechanically accepting them, we turn these rules into a legend and move toward new creation. “

“If I can internalize this legend and place myself at the center, that is free improvisation.”

Contrary to what Odile said, it wasn’t easy at all, and I didn’t understand it at the time.

But I think I know a little bit now.

A melody that I couldn’t hear reached my ears.

A beautiful melody that makes you want to hum along.

It is magic, it is enlightenment, and it is also a work of art that auralizes Siwoo’s image of looking at magic.

Internalized laws become a means for freedom, not for restraint.

The most important thing is to place ‘me’ at the center.

The rules established in that way are not uniform.

The more it is repeated, the less limited or controlled it becomes.

Infinite possibilities unfold before your eyes.

Therefore, the stairs that were piling up before my eyes were no longer dangerous or shaky.

The steps that were full of doubt and delusion are headed upward with confidence.

“… You…”

Erelim’s eyes grew bigger and bigger, as if she couldn’t believe what she saw.

I can’t believe that his behavior of her, which was so dangerous just a little while ago, has changed so much in such a short period of time.

This step is not just for Shin Si-woo.

It is not a vague transcendence that involves being so stubborn that you mistake indulgence for freedom and say you have to throw off the shackles.

So what is Shin Si-woo’s magic?

What did I decide to go down this path for?

What is the signpost that stands at the center of the magic?

The answer has been decided a long time ago.

Malika. Lovers. People. Myself.

A path to protect.

I wanted to show it to the Duke of Erelim who was stuck in the back and forth.

That path is not full of suffering.

It is not a path that can be achieved only in solitude.

“How is it? Can you see it?”

Isn’t magic this free?

“This is the answer I found.”