Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Papaya was asked to sing the fourth paragraph. The Krakok girl seemed extremely nervous. Once on the stage, she kept moving her hands around her dress, unable to decide where to place them.
Angor failed to hold back his laughter. Last time they met, that little girl did a perfect job pretending to be innocent. He thought she could do better.
“You know Papaya, young mister?” the old priest suddenly asked.
“Yes. She knows how to act, I tell you.”
“Pardon me. Act?”
“Aw, stop calling her girl. Who knows, maybe she’s older than you,” Shadow joked.
The Grand Priest glanced at Angor again. Speaking of age, he never paid close attention to Angor’s age till now. Now that he took a careful look, the wizard sitting next to him had quite an immature appearance.
“I think she’s 17, young mister.”
Angor blushed a little. So Papaya is ACTUALLY one year older than me!
He never realized this because Papaya’s tiny figure easily gave him a false impression.
“See? So, you aren’t even 17 yet?” Shadow joked again. But in truth, the man was really envious of Angor’s achievement right now. Shadow always believed that he was an “elite disciple” from Floating Mech City in the past 30 years. And Angor just ruined his confidence.
Angor humphed against Shadow’s joke.
Shadow’s eyebrows twitched a little. He knew Angor felt embarrassed, but he didn’t know how and whether he should tell more jokes right now.
Three of the four singers had completed their performance, which still failed to trigger anything from the treasure.
It was finally Papaya’s turn. She quickly stepped up while pulling on her green bubble skirt so that it didn’t trip her legs.
She put a hand on her chest and began. However, her first note strayed far off course due to stress.
As she looked around in uncertainty, the other singers snickered at her.
Papaya almost cried out of shame when she suddenly felt a chilly and refreshing power on her forehead, which silenced all noises in the hall.
“Now, go ahead.”
Fiona spoke from her seat. Her voice sounded gentle and comforting, yet Papaya couldn’t help but think about someone else in her mind—a human gentleman.
She looked around again and noticed that no one was laughing at her anymore. She felt calm and peaceful.
The strange power came again. This time, she saw the green field around her village and her beloved grandmother.
“O the fourth warrior… He reveals the sky gate…” Her notes were precise and skillful this time.
“Ohh, such gentlemanly manners!” Shadow spoke through their Spirit Bond. He already saw how Angor helped the Krakok girl by speaking in Fiona’s voice.
“Easy favor, so why not?”
“You know, being too kind to mortals might become your weakness in the future, and your enemies can take advantage of it.”
Shadow suddenly warned him.
“So, are you going to take advantage of me?”
“Heh. I’m not your enemy. We’re all love and peace, eh?”
Angor didn’t answer and decided to keep watching the performance.
Papaya had completed her part as well. The four singers were now waiting for the Grand Priest’s order on the stage.
The old man looked at the unresponsive item and shook his head. “You can go now. Next.”
The singers looked down. They only had one chance at the choir selection in their lives. To Papaya, she had disappointed her village and her grandmother.
Still, the ceremony had to go on. Several clerics came and escorted the crying singers away.
“Aw, shame. I wonder what they’ll look like if someone tells them that it has nothing to do with their voices,” Shadow joked. Despite his words, the man seemed to be enjoying their misfortune.
The old priest looked down in sadness, while Angor didn’t comment.
There weren’t many singers waiting in the palace now.
“What happens if you can’t find anyone?” Angor asked.
The old priest glanced at Fiona. “In that case, the Citadel visitor shall go look for one on her own. She’ll always find someone in time.”
Which meant people from Dark Castle had their own special way of determining a “key singer”.
The current “Citadel visitor”, Fiona, was now a puppet of Shadow, so the priest could only hope that they would be able to find a singer during the ceremony.
He wasn’t disappointed.
Finally, a singer in the remaining groups displayed the bloodline power. The Krakok singer with a birthmark on her face immediately drew the priest’s attention when she started singing.
The dish-like item began to present glowing pulses as if it suddenly started to breathe.
“You wait here. Everyone else, leave.” The old man pointed at the singer.
The chosen girl was shocked. She then grinned in delight; the remaining singers stepped out of the palace hall while sulking.
“Today, you have the chance to join the Sky Choir and become their new member,” the old priest announced. “Yellena, right?”
The Krakok girl called Yellena nodded happily.
“Miss Yellena, please recollect your mood and start your full performance. This will officially determine whether you can join the Sky Choir for real. Make sure you give it your best.”