The municipal plaza and several surrounding streets of the Administrative District were swarming with people, their dense masses surging like a dark tide through the night. Some clapped frantically with tears of emotion in their eyes, others called out Lucian Evans's name in fervent, ringing voices. Those who had been crowding close to where the crystal wall had gradually dissolved after the music ceased bore tear-streaked faces, shouting his name over and over: "Lucian Evans!" Never before had any music so moved their souls. It contained everything they could experience in their lives — unbearable suffering, perilous danger, glorious victory, true joy, and music they loved from the depths of their hearts alongside devout hymns of praise. That was why, when Fabrini began singing the opening of the Ode to Joy, they had trembled uncontrollably, from soul to body. This feeling persisted long after the symphony ended, and so, even though they could no longer see the Sacred Hymn Hall or the master who had brought this unparalleled music from the side of the True God into the world, they continued to vent and express their adoration, respect, and love.
Behind this frenzied scene, inside the Sacred Hymn Hall where the crowd could not see, a handful of nobles, priests, and bishops who still retained their rationality could only stare in disbelief as Lucian Evans, dressed in a black tailcoat, slowly collapsed like a fallen angel, carrying an air of elegance yet tragic grandeur. That image was etched into their pupils, seared into their memories. Then, as though a bolt of silver-purple lightning had torn through space, Natasha appeared on the stage in her purple evening gown, catching him before he truly hit the ground. With a push off the stage floor, she flew at tremendous speed back to the VIP box, leaving only the nobles who had been rushing toward the stage standing there dumbfounded. Her reaction was faster than anyone's, and by the time everyone else caught up, it added yet another layer of suggestive speculation.
"Bishop Gose, please treat Lucian!" Natasha maintained the composed calm that everyone was accustomed to, but her tone and eyes still betrayed a trace of anxiety. Her pale, slender right hand was interlocked with Lucian's, refusing to let go. Cardinal Gose solemnly drew a cross upon his chest: "Only the most devout of the True God's believers could create such a sacred and magnificent hymnal symphony. So, Your Highness, rest assured — the True God will not allow Mr. Evans to perish, and I shall do everything in my power to heal him."
Victor, standing nearby, anxiously wanted to confirm Lucian's condition, but Natasha held Lucian in her arms like a mother shielding a child, like a knight guarding her lord, adopting a posture that repelled all others, her hands absolutely refusing to release their grip. This left Victor with no choice but to pace restlessly beside them, watching as the Emblem of Truth clutched by Gose glowed with a milky-white sacred radiance that fell upon Lucian.
Through their tightly clasped hands, Natasha quietly channeled her own power — at the level of a Heavenly Knight — into Lucian's body, forcefully suppressing and concealing the abnormality of his soul. Gose, since Lucian was not yet on the verge of death, only used a standard Divine Arts examination, without unleashing his full power to observe from the inside out. After several tens of seconds, under the worried and anxious gaze of everyone watching, Gose smiled: "Mr. Evans merely fainted due to illness combined with excessive emotional excitement. It's nothing too serious. Of course, if he does not receive treatment and lets it drag on for another week or two, even a knight's constitution would not prevent true death. But now, I believe everything will be fine. The Lord will protect him."
Healing Divine Arts were not omnipotent — at least, in the Church's view, they worked by stimulating the patient's own life force. If a person had lost vitality over a long period of illness and little remained, they would have to be pronounced on the verge of true death, about to receive the Lord's calling. No healing Divine Arts, no matter how powerful, could save them — unless it was the "Resurrection" said to have been performed by the God of Truth in myth and legend. And the words Gose did not voice aloud were these: Lucian Evans appeared to be a Second-level Knight. But thinking of his "relationship" with Natasha, he found it easy to understand.
"But why would Lucian fall ill? As a young knight, unless afflicted by a virulent plague or in extremely poor physical condition, it would be nearly impossible for him to become sick." Once she heard it was not too serious, Natasha calmly asked this question. In truth, she knew perfectly well that this was the fourth-circle Arcane Magic "Plague" spell that Lucian had cast upon himself several weeks ago. After using the "Disease" spell on himself, Lucian had never sought to cure it, relying solely on the self-healing ability of a Second-level Knight to endure it, letting it develop gradually over many days from a magical illness into a lingering natural disease, so that no one would detect anything amiss.
Gose was silent for a few seconds before answering: "Perhaps it is because Mr. Evans had previously suffered internal injuries that were not treated in time."
"I understand. Bishop Gose, please hurry and treat Lucian." Natasha very "clearly" grasped the current situation and did not press further on the cause of the illness. The most important thing right now was Lucian's treatment. Cardinal Gose extended both hands, releasing a pure radiance suffused with sacred significance. When it fell upon Lucian, clouds of black smoke could be clearly seen rising from within his body — smoke that appeared to be composed of countless microscopic "insects" invisible to the naked eye. A third-circle Divine Arts spell, "Remove Disease" — not powerful, not high-ranking, but precisely targeted and efficacious for this very condition.
Still suppressing and concealing Lucian's soul abnormality, Natasha watched those tiny black "insects" slowly dissolve into white wisps within the pure radiance and vanish completely. On her face, she "naturally" displayed a trace of relief and joy. Seeing his daughter's expression, then glancing at their tightly interlocked fingers, Duke Vaolet's emotions were deeply complex — parting with the melancholy and anger every doting father feels upon witnessing his daughter being spirited away by some scoundrel, and parting with the joy of seeing her finally return to normal, no longer fearing that she might be attacked or her bloodline severed.
Seeing the Duke's complicated expression, Count Lafati murmured with a laugh: "A squire-knight is still a knight. At least he's awakened his bloodline power. Much better than just picking some random commoner." The Duke had once confided to Lafati and others that regardless of whether one had awakened bloodline power, regardless of whether one was noble, and regardless of whether one had truly brought Natasha back to the right path — as long as his daughter could appear to marry and have children in a normal fashion, he would turn a blind eye and consent.
"Indeed…" Duke Vaolet let out a long, deep sigh.
After completing "Remove Disease," Gose also cast a fourth-circle Divine Arts spell, "Restoration." Then everyone watched as Lucian slowly opened his eyes, gazing about with a slightly dazed expression: "What happened?"
Victor spoke with a mixture of concern and reproach: "Lucian, you are far too careless with your health! To be composing music while carrying such a serious illness, insisting on holding the concert, and conducting it yourself — was that really necessary? With your current standing, couldn't you have postponed the concert until you recovered? Would people have forgotten you?" This string of questions touched Lucian's emotions, and he answered with a hint of genuine feeling: "I was wrong, Teacher Victor. But you know how it is — once the inspiration strikes, once the creative passion takes hold, I simply cannot stop. I will rest and recuperate properly from now on."
Gose gave a slight nod: "Mr. Evans, your illness and your incompletely healed injuries have been cured, but you have lost and expended too much life force. You will need a prolonged period of rest to recover from your weakened state."
"Ha! Lucian, that little scene just now nearly stopped this old man's heart. But to have heard the Ode to Joy symphony at that price — I'd say it was worth it," Christoph said with half-jest and half-relief, now that he saw Lucian was fine.
Natasha first let out a soft, quiet breath, then spoke to Gose with gravity: "Bishop Gose, I'll take Lucian back first, and then I'd like to have a thorough discussion with you about his injuries."
"Natasha, please relay the news that I'm alright to Franz, Fabrini, and everyone else who saw me collapse. Don't let them worry about me," Lucian turned his head and said to her.
Natasha gave a gentle nod: "Rest easy. I'll have the guards make the announcement. The most important thing for you is to rest and recover properly."
Watching them converse as though no one else existed in the world, seeing the recovered Lucian still resting without resistance in Natasha's arms with their breaths nearly touching, the expressions of everyone in the VIP box — Duke Vaolet, Christoph, Victor, and the others — all became subtly strange and suggestive. It was not until Natasha carried Lucian and flew away that they snapped back to reality, exchanging odd looks of congratulation and stealing glances at Duke Vaolet, which only deepened the Duke's melancholy.
……
Midway through the air, Natasha said triumphantly: "Lucian, once you've 'died,' Father probably won't force me to marry for quite a long time." Then, in a sorrowful tone: "He'll sympathize with the pain of losing two 'lovers' in succession, and understand the blow I've suffered because of it…"
"Natasha, your acting is really quite impressive," Lucian said with genuine admiration.
Natasha giggled: "Of course! It's fantastic! I love watching operas too!"
"But when you first proposed using 'death' to achieve a tacit understanding with the Church after they discovered the truth, you already had this in mind, didn't you? You wanted to use me to escape the pressure the Duke was putting on you?" Lucian gave a knowing chuckle.
Natasha laughed awkwardly: "What? No, no! I just thought of it right now!"
"It's fine. We're good friends, after all. Just be honest, Natasha. I won't be angry." Lucian arched his eyebrows the same way Natasha did.
Natasha glanced around evasively: "Mm, I need to get you home quickly. Then I can go put pressure on Bishop Gose to facilitate your next plan."
Camille flew alongside them, watching the pair with an expressionless face.
……
Inside the Sacred Hymn Hall, upon learning that Lucian Evans had merely fainted from excitement, the nobles collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Then, still carrying their fervent emotions, they slowly filed out. They did not yet know that the scene they had just witnessed — Lucian slowly collapsing amid his bow, amid the frenzied adulation, like a black swan whose wing had broken and fallen from the sky — would be their final impression of this great musician.
After Christoph, Victor, Othello, and the others exited the Sacred Hymn Hall, they saw that the municipal plaza and surrounding streets were still packed with a sea of people, heard their thunderous calls, and could not help but sigh: "I have never witnessed such a frenzied spectacle. I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again before I die."
"Indeed. But the Ode to Joy deserves every bit of it." Othello, who had no resistance to music of such solemn, grand, and sacred character, said with utmost sincerity: "In my view, this is the absolute pinnacle of symphonic composition to date — utterly unmatched!" Even with Master Christoph standing right beside him, he would say no less.