Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 157 Chicken Bones and Bread
"Mr. Fenrirbeck, may I try?"

Just as everyone was waiting for Fenrirbeck to announce his dismissal, a faint voice drew everyone's attention.

As the words fell, everyone's eyes turned to the corner of the classroom against the wall. There stood a boy who looked weak and wore glasses. Judging from his plain clothes, he was clearly not from an aristocratic family. He was probably one of the minority students in the music appreciation class.

Haven, who had originally planned to leave with Serena, sat down again when he saw that someone was actually willing to go on stage to perform. Although he appreciated the beauty of music, when it came to true passion, he loved eating and delicious food even more. After all, no one could resist the satisfaction of high-quality carbohydrates and proteins entering the stomach through the mouth.

Some noblemen and women who had originally planned to leave the classroom after Fenrirbeck finished his last few words showed a hint of dissatisfaction when they saw the bespectacled man's actions. For them, this music appreciation class was just a relatively easy way to get credits.

After all, for most noble young masters and ladies, becoming an excellent or even outstanding musician is merely a trivial label in their lives. If they happen to have such talent, it would be a good thing to make a name for themselves at parties, banquets, and in front of others, and increase their prestige.

However, if one does not possess the corresponding talent, for the vast majority of nobles who have everything from birth, all they need to do is say a few words, and top music masters will naturally serve them. The only difficulty for these noble children is that their own titles are enough to invite those masters.

So when they saw someone overestimating themselves and trying to go up to the podium, the young noblemen and ladies, feeling that their time had been wasted, looked at the seemingly cowardly boy with amusement, their expressions like an old cat toying with a mouse.

Clearly, if the bespectacled boy doesn't perform well later, he will be met with merciless ridicule from these noblemen and wealthy women.

"Ah~ Of course, of course you can. This student is really brave. You know, every master in history was a brave person. If you have the courage to step onto the stage and perform in front of an audience, then you have already taken a big step on the road to becoming an excellent musician."

Inspired by Fenribeck, the young man wearing glasses blushed quickly, as if he had received a great encouragement. He stood up abruptly from his seat and, at Fenribeck's beckoning gesture, strode onto the podium, looking at him with admiration.

As one of the Empire's finest pianists, Fenrirbeck saw this brilliance in the eyes of so many young people who loved music—a pure and unadulterated passion for the medium. He immediately reached out and patted the young man on the shoulder, asking:

"Very good, young man. I see a passion for music in your eyes. What's your name?"

The bespectacled young man, his cheeks flushed with excitement, struggled to control his slightly trembling body.

“Marc Sim, Mr. Finleybeck, my name is Marc Sim. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your performance of the Raindrop Prelude was truly wonderful.”

Seeing the excited young man who was somewhat incoherent, Fenribek gently patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay, Sim, I'm glad you appreciate the music. This makes me really look forward to your performance. Can everyone give Sim some encouragement?"

As he spoke, Fenribeck clapped his hands lightly, and then a sparse clapping sound came from the side.

Introverted people are generally more thoughtful and sensitive. Similarly, Maxim, who is usually very quiet, is obviously also a very thoughtful person. As someone who loves music very much, Maxim has had a special ability since childhood: he can hear songs carried by the wind.

After being exposed to music, he became deeply immersed in its world and could not extricate himself. As a natural listener, Maxim can easily hear the emotions that the performer wants to convey in the music.

This performance deeply moved Maxim, and it was this empathy that led him to decide to go on stage after listening to Finley Beck's performance. Normally, Maxim would never have had the courage to do this; he would have stayed in a safe corner and listened attentively to every beautiful sound.

The sparse applause instantly calmed Maxim down from his excited state. He quietly twisted his stiff neck to look down at the desks, where he was met with scrutinizing and amused gazes.

The way he was scrutinizing the object, as if examining every tiny detail, made Maxim's body stiffen instantly. The blood that had rushed to his cheeks quickly subsided, and he became like a puppet without lubrication.

"Sim, are you ready? You may begin your performance."

Feeling the pat on his shoulder, Maxim struggled to lift his head, gave a strained smile to Fenribeck who was looking at him expectantly, and then moved like a soulless zombie toward the piano not far away.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Maxim sat on the finely crafted buffalo leather piano bench, placing his hands on the black and white keys. The icy touch of the keys sent a chill down his spine. This piano, valued at five thousand gold coins, clearly possessed an extraordinary worth, far surpassing the ordinary pianos he played while working in various restaurants.

As his fingers gently brushed across the keys, all the fear and restlessness he had felt earlier vanished. With his mind highly focused, Mark Sim began to recall his state when he played the Raindrop Prelude. For an outstanding performer, adjusting one's own state and infusing emotion into the performance is what distinguishes an ordinary performer from a true artist.

'Ta-da!'

Just like the performance by Finley Becker, the sound of raindrops falling slowly, like a stream of water, gently flowed from the piano.

Unexpectedly, this young man named Max Sim really has some talent. Haven watched the young man playing on the stage with great interest. At this moment, Max Sim, who had relaxed, was completely immersed in his performance. Although the performance was a bit immature, and even at some transitions, you could clearly feel that his fingers were a beat too slow to press the correct position.

Overall, it was still quite good. At least Mark Sim did a good job of incorporating his own emotions into the performance. As for why our Hevent knows so much, you can only say it's because of Louise's parenting efforts.

Of course, from Louise's perspective, her child seemed to learn everything very quickly and efficiently. This kind of nurturing joy was irresistible to anyone. It was only later, when Haven got a bit older and started to realize his mistake, that he began to deliberately stall for time.

Otherwise, Louise wouldn't mind raising her son to be the most outstanding and learned person. However, the subsequent failure of her "tiger parenting" plan saddened her for a long time. After all, the simulation game she had been playing for several years suddenly developed self-awareness and refused to log in. It was like her account had been hacked. This huge sense of disappointment made Louise grit her teeth and feel extremely frustrated whenever she saw Havel's lazy and unproductive behavior.

Soon, Max Sim's performance of "Prelude to Raindrops" came to a close. As his fingertips slowly glided across the keys, a gentle, clear melody, like the sound of sunshine after rain, flowed out. After the last note faded, Max Sim, as if he had just finished a vigorous workout, was drenched in sweat, with fine beads of perspiration on his forehead. Feeling a sense of spiritual satisfaction, Max Sim felt warm and content; there was no better moment than this. At this moment, Fenribeck, who had been quietly listening, slowly approached and exclaimed in admiration:
"You played very well, Sim. As a classic piece, 'Prelude to Raindrops' demands a high level of playing technique and emotional expression. Although there is still much room for improvement in some technical aspects, you have done a very good job in understanding the music and infusing your emotions into it."

Looking at the somewhat shy young man in front of him, Fenrirbeck felt a sense of appreciation for his talent and took out a badge from the pocket of his clothes and gave it to Mark Cissé.

Mark Cissé took the badge and examined it carefully. The exquisitely crafted badge featured a lifelike five-stringed harp carved on its surface, with tiny diamonds adorning its left and right sides.

"This is...this is!"

After a careful examination, Mark Sim's breathing became rapid, clearly recognizing what the badge represented.

"Hehehe~ You can come to the Vienna Music Association to find me anytime in the future. There you can practice with the best instruments, and your skills will improve quickly. Even the most talented performer will not improve their skills if they play on all kinds of instruments of varying quality."

Clearly, as a piano master, Fenribeck could see the reason behind Mark Sim's slightly hesitant playing technique.

Upon receiving the recognition of his most admired piano master, Mark Sim was so moved that he almost shed tears and immediately bowed to Fenribeck.

"Alright, alright, as we just agreed, these two credits will be added to your final grade for this semester. Everyone, please give our student, Cisse, some applause to encourage him."

However, unlike the scattered applause before the performance, this time when Fenribeck asked for applause again, not a single student responded to his request. Instead, the vast majority of people coldly stared at the bespectacled young man standing on the stage.

However, it is not difficult to understand the thoughts of these noble young masters and ladies. Although they do not care about the two credits, they also have an indifferent attitude towards the title of musician or performer.

But that doesn't mean these noble young masters and ladies can accept an ordinary commoner with no background or qualifications showing off in front of them.

Even if this trash called Cisse didn't mean it that way, it didn't matter. They had originally planned to watch a good show, but instead, they witnessed this guy's moment of pride. How could these equally proud noble men and women not swallow their anger?

The lower class should always remain lower class; they should not dream of rising above others, much less of being above them. This is an unspoken belief deep within the hearts of all nobles.

So even though many commoners rise to prominence every year, every month, and every day due to various circumstances, events, or fortuitous encounters, it doesn't mean that some people who are already nobles would not hesitate to suppress any talented commoners if given the opportunity.

Now, a seemingly decent ordinary student has appeared before them. Even though he poses no threat to their status, none of them mind suppressing this musically talented student.

"Tsk tsk tsk~~~ You play so well, Cisse. I'm hosting a party next week, and I think you'd be perfect. Why don't you come to my party next week and be my pianist?"

Mark Sim, who was still basking in the joy of being invited to join the Vienna Music Association, froze on the spot after hearing the gloomy voice from below the stage, his smile seemingly frozen.

"If you perform well, I can introduce you to some other young masters and ladies. I guarantee you can earn a considerable income and then buy yourself a beautiful new outfit."

Mark Cissé stiffly turned his head to look at the person who spoke. Although he was terrified inside, he forced a smile and said to the other person.

“Young Master Angelecasi, you are too kind. How could my skills possibly reach the level of playing at the banquet you are hosting?”

When the heir of the Ampère family heard that this ant in front of him actually wanted to refuse him, his face immediately turned cold. He looked at Mark Cissé, who was already unable to control himself and whose body was beginning to tremble slightly, with a hostile expression.

"Oh? Interesting?! You want to reject me? Well then, since you also think your playing is rubbish, then don't play the piano anymore. It disgusts me."

After speaking, Angelica looked at Mark with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he would make him pay if the other dared to say another word.

Feeling troubled, Mark Cissé turned to Fenribeck standing beside him, hoping to seek some help from the lord.

“Angelicasi, please pay attention to classroom discipline. In addition, according to school regulations, I now have reason to believe that you are bullying Cisse.”

But Angela Cassio, with his legs crossed and leaning back in his chair, paid no attention to Lord Fenribeck, his eyes fixed on Mark Cissé like a predatory wild beast, waiting for his reply.

clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap...

Just as the atmosphere suddenly became a bit cold, a round of applause suddenly rang out, and everyone turned to look.

"I think he played quite well, didn't he?"

(End of this chapter)