Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 113 - 110: Onstage and Offstage
Act One opens. On stage, workers carrying wooden crates and barrels move back and forth. Combined with a backdrop of the sea and a sailing ship with its sails furled at anchor, and a score that evokes the crashing waves and the cries of seagulls, the audience learns that this is a story set in a fishing port.
Edmund, an adventurer and merchant returning from a long voyage, arrives in his hometown laden with wealth and curiosities. Full of pride, the actor puffs out his chest as wide as possible and sings:
"Oh, hometown, I have returned! Your waves are as gentle as ever, and the sun is so brilliant. See, I have brought back wealth and treasure from overseas. This is my love for you, my promise to you!"
He is welcomed by everyone at the docks. The longshoremen unload Edmund’s cargo, singing in unison: "Honorable adventurer Edmund! Your courage brings wealth to this harbor!"
A young fisher-girl enters the stage. Her hair is tied up, a clear sign she is used to hard work. However, the sea breeze and labor have not diminished her beauty in the slightest. With every step, she calls out a name.
"Edmund, Edmund! You’ve finally returned! Your promise put my heart at ease, but oh, how the crashing waves and raging storms terrified me! For richer or poorer, I only ask that you stay by my side!"
From the chorus of the dockworkers, the audience learns that the beautiful fisher-girl is the fiancée of the fortunate Edmund.
"Catherine, my love! I’ll stay, I’ll stay! The ocean was my passion and my dream, and now it has been realized. If I have any desire left, it is to embrace you now, and forever!"
The two embrace and spin, the music swelling to its climax. Everyone on stage begins to dance—ballet, it seems.
’No, why is this like a Bollywood production, breaking into dance at the drop of a hat... Rorschach is, after all, a country bumpkin from the Empire, and he was tone-deaf in his previous life, too.’
In fact, opera in the Holy Kingdom was imported from the Southern States. To distinguish it from its origins, large amounts of ballet were incorporated. The Sun King, Charles XIV, was an avid fan. He not only funded the construction of this theater but also frequently took to the stage to dance his heart out.
The stage darkens amidst the song and dance. Everyone exits with light, quick steps. A single spotlight illuminates a lavishly dressed man who enters. His woolen wig tells the audience he is a local nobleman.
The light shines down on him from above, making him appear exceptionally sinister. He brandishes a heavy, gold-tipped cane and sings his soliloquy:
"Oh, I own this harbor! But I can never be satisfied. Money makes me hungry, and that lucky whelp makes me jealous!"
Then a Priest enters, portrayed as a portly old man. There are no specific markings on him to indicate which Divine Spirit he faithfully serves, but this is the Holy Kingdom—it’s self-evident.
"Father, I confess to the Lord! I seek your counsel. Edmund, that favorite of the sea, has brought back wealth that makes me both jealous and salivate. Please, show me the way! Give me a sign!"
"The Lord’s radiance does not shine upon the greedy! But to eliminate this desire and maintain order here, Your Lordship must act!"
Rorschach was surprised that the Priest wasn’t a positive character. The Priest gave the nobleman an idea, suggesting that if he insisted Edmund’s money and goods were smuggled, he could seize them through trickery and force. The two then agreed to a fifty-fifty split.
The first act of the opera ends with the laughter of the two villains.
"How dare they!" The Priest to Dipresy’s right slammed his wine glass on the small table, and the Palace Guard Captain to his left also looked displeased.
The Cardinal summoned a waiter. "How long has this play been running?"
"Today is the seventh day. It’s performed every other day, my lord."
"So that means the first three shows already sold tickets to the public. How’s the attendance and the reception?"
"Both are excellent, my lord. Money and love, triumphing over... unrighteous men. Audiences today love to see that sort of thing." The waiter suddenly realized he needed to change his phrasing for the villains when faced with the four men before him.
"Thank you for your answer. You may go."
"The Royal Palace has been funding this theater! Have they forgotten this is the Royal Grand Theater? To think they’d perform a play that caters to the lower classes in this elegant hall!" the Palace Guard Captain fumed.
Dipresy showed no agitation. "Playwrights, self-proclaimed writers... they have always thrown punches at us from their knees. This is also a necessary ornament for the Holy Kingdom and His Majesty, to demonstrate the Monarch’s magnanimity and benevolence." After speaking, he conferred quietly with the Priest for a few moments.
"My worldly duties are pressing, so I must take my leave. From here on, I’ll trouble you, Lord Priest, to act as my representative." The Lord Chancellor propped himself up with his cane and limped out of the box. Even with Nekker now the one pulling the strings in the Royal Palace, the Kingdom still couldn’t do without the Cardinal’s strenuous efforts to maintain it.
In the second act, Mr. Edmund has been thrown in prison. From his stone-walled cell, he sings an aria recounting his tragic fate after returning home.
His singing attracts the nobleman and his lackey jailers. At the nobleman’s command, the jailers proceed to beat and kick Edmund. The protagonist’s torment fills the audience with righteous indignation, but when Edmund insists on his innocence in the face of a forced confession, they cheer and weep for him.
The reactions of the distinguished guests in the box, however, were far more complex.
’This plot... it feels a little familiar, yet a little different. Please don’t let some old man pop up...’ Just as Rorschach had this thought, a white-bearded old man who looked very wise appeared on stage.
PFFT... COUGH COUGH... Rorschach choked on his drink.
However, the person who appeared on stage wasn’t the helpful fellow inmate Rorschach had been expecting. The white-bearded old man was actually a wandering Wise Man and Mage. He saw through everything and, taking pity on Edmund’s plight, tried to teach him escape Magic.
Kano watched the whole thing with a very mocking expression. He had, of course, seen the reactions of the Guard Captain and the Priest on the other side of the box. He asked Valon, "You little rascal, why did you have the theater put on this show?"
The general manager clutched a handkerchief, then lowered the medicine-dusted silk cloth to take a sip of wine. He found the wine made him feel much better. "Lord Nekker was the one who approved it. I have no authority to change it. However, the Mage’s role was added at his lordship’s suggestion."
"Hoh." ’So the Minister of Finance is deliberately trying to disgust the Bishop and the Guard Captain?’ Kano found himself enjoying the drama both on and off stage even more.
While the male protagonist was learning methods of escape, the female protagonist wasn’t idle either. She found her brother—a man from a fishing family who had studied diligently and eventually became an upright Senior Lawyer, defending the poor.
After learning of her fiancé’s situation from the Mage, Catherine has another aria. But her singing style quickly shifts to become passionate and resolute as she and her brother set out to gather evidence of the nobleman and the Priest’s conspiracy to frame Edmund.
The second act ends at its peak.
The house lights came up, signaling intermission. In the box, waiters brought a four-tiered dessert tower and refilled their drinks. Simple savory snacks were also available upon request.
The audience in the main seating area didn’t receive such fine treatment, but waiters still went around distributing small cups of light purple sparkling water. Many people also took this opportunity to attend to their personal hygiene.
This was Rorschach’s first time inside the grand theater, and he looked around randomly through his opera glasses. He scanned the entire theater, marveling at the enormous crystal chandelier. ’So many shards... if that fell, it would probably kill a lot of people.’
As Rorschach continued to look around, he suddenly saw an out-of-place point of light in a box on the right side of the theater.
’What’s reflecting the light? No, that’s not right.’ Rorschach focused, peering through the lenses. The point of light became a halo—it was the Spiritual Light of Magic. ’Is there another Mage here? Or someone else?’
He hastily used [Communication Skill] to notify Kano in the next box.
