“Do you dislike opera? Do you think it’s unworthy?”
In response to my question, Arkhangelo was silent for a while. To help him understand the answer, I spoke again.
“The Arkhangelo that I know is not like that. You’re someone full of confidence and assurance of yourself. If such a person like you chose opera, it means you has confidence in yourself as an opera singer too.”
“…Hmm.”
“Moreover, everyone in the city knows how talented Arkhangelo is in opera. Your performances always sell out.”
I looked into Arkhangelo’s eyes and spoke clearly.
“Arkhangelo, you definitely love opera. How can something you love so much be seen as an escape from magic?”
“That’s…”
“On the contrary, Arkhangelo, you didn’t escape from magic, you challenged yourself with opera. Choosing the difficult path of opera as a noble, rather than the easier path of a mage, is commendable.”
“…You’re right.”
Arkhangelo slowly lowered his eyes and spoke.
“I never thought opera was inworthy. I certainly enjoy performing opera. I take pride in my skills. There are so many things to do besides magic, and I have a reason for choosing opera.”
“If you could use magic, would you still choose opera?”
At those words, Arkhangelo finally seemed to realize something. He looked up and met my blue eyes with a strong sense of conviction.
“Yes. I would definitely choose opera.”
“As expected…”
“When I stand on stage, I can see certain things. Even though the audience is in darkness, I am sure there are people out there who came to see me.”
Arkhangelo’s voice flowed softly.
“As I sing, I can feel my skills improving day by day. On good days, I feel like I am singing perfectly.”
Arkhangelo, envisioning the stage, had a joyful expression.
“After singing, the lights come on and the audience stands up, cheering and clapping. They are all cheering just for me. It’s a time when everyone acknowledges and loves me. I can never forget that feeling. So…”
A gentle smile appeared on his lips.
“Even if I had other opportunities, I would have chosen to sing.”
Arkhangelo now looked relieved, having found his answer. I was a bit moved, feeling how much he loved singing.
“Arkhangelo, you are truly amazing. Instead of settling for other recognized work, you ventured into opera and paved a new path.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Yes, Arkhangelo, you are an amazing person who did not settle for reality.”
Looking at my face, Arkhangelo spoke softly.
“…Thank you.”
“Sorry, what did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”
“Ugh, I’m trying to be nice but just ends up being frustrating!”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed joyfully and looked up at the sky.
Seeing the round moon, similar to my world, memories from that world came to mind.
During my university days, I had a close friend who was always with me. Her name was Seongryeong. While I read philosophy books in the library, she would read literature books next to me.
When I told her one day that I would become a math teacher, she was the most surprised.
“But you didn’t like private tutoring. You were against the idea of indoctrinating and imposing knowledge on students. You emphasized the importance of broadening students’ character and thinking through humanities…”
“I have no choice. To make a living, I have to go into private education. And I’m starting with an elementary logical thinking math class. It’s less about rote memorization.”
A year later, Seongryeong and I had this conversation.
“I decided to take on a high school class. I’ll gradually work up to teaching third-year high school students.”
“What? You hated the college entrance exam the most. You said it turned students into mechanical parts of society.”
“Seongryeong, I think I realized it too late.”
What kind of expression did I have when I said that?
“I am also just a part of this society. There is nothing I can change.”
Thus, I climbed up to the position of a top private tutor.
To me, Arkhangelo, who did not conform to reality and pursued his dreams, was admirable and respectable. I had already compromised with reality.
So I couldn’t help but look at the now relieved Arkhangelo with envious eyes.
***
Arkhangelo looked at Seraphina, who was beside him with a peculiar expression.
The girl with the soft lavender hair seemed not to fear him at all.
‘That’s a rare thing.’
When he decided to find Aurora and accompany her, he merely thought it would be an added burden.
He felt a bit sorry for Aurora condition, but Arkhangelo wasn’t someone who sympathized with others for long. Soon, he considered Seraphina as merely a burden.
However, as he spent more time with Seraphina, he began to understand her better.
She said what she wanted and thought she was tempering her words out of politeness. She really wasn’t afraid of anything.
Moreover, despite being a noble lady, she adapted well to uncomfortable situations and even said quirky things like going for a nap in the evening.
It was unusual for a noble lady to not be scared of him and get along so well, but his impression of Seraphina ended there. She wasn’t special to him.
The fact that she awakened her magical abilities after not being able to use them for a long time was interesting, but not particularly significant to Arkhangelo.
However, he couldn’t ignore her when she quickly noticed his mood and spoke to him first.
It had been a long time since someone understood him and kindly embraced his flaws.
“Do you dislike opera?”
More than anything, Seraphina’s words accurately read his mind.
Through his conversations with Seraphina, he could re-realize what kind of person he was.
‘No matter what path I took, I would have done with opera.’
He would have sung and performed on stage, regardless of the circumstances.
He thought that perhaps that was why he was born into this world.
Arkhangelo was a bit impressed by the fact that all these realizations came from Seraphina. Therefore, he made a decision.
‘Hmph, from now on, I suppose I’ll have to treat you as a friend.’
He elevated Seraphina’s status in his mind.
***
After realizing that he would always choose opera, Arkhangelo seemed quite pleased.
Seeing him, I asked.
“Do others not notice how you feel, Arkhangelo?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, they don’t seem to care….”
“Ah, that’s just how they are.”
Arkhangelo spoke indifferently.
“We usually don’t care about each other. We’re friends, but not that close.”
“I see.”
“Besides, these guys are all twisted inside, so they don’t really care about each other.”
His harsh assessment of the other male leads seemed accurate. After all, the male leads of tragic regret novels aren’t exactly sane.
“Maybe we’ve been able to stick together all this time because of Aurora. She kept doing crazy things that made us laugh.”
“I see.”
“Now, it seems like you’ve taken over that role.”
As Arkhangelo said this while looking straight at me, I averted my gaze out of embarrassment.
Just then, Arkhangelo frowned as if he remembered something.
“Speaking of which, I should tell you about it.”
“About what?”
“It’s about Simone.”
Even though we were the only ones outside the inn, Arkhangelo lowered his voice and looked around.
“You need to be careful of Simone.”
“Huh?”
