The Myth of Music

<Largo>

“Hmmm, let’s see…”

Lala crossed her arms and pressed a finger against her cheek as she spoke.

“It’s definitely possible that it’s a Dominant. I’m not entirely sure, though. But by spreading this sense of instability among Edgehope’s employees, they might become more adventurous, more willing to take risks—turning them into a real venture-minded workforce. So, shifting back and forth between stability and uncertainty… I see.”

Looking as though something had just dawned on her, Lala drew a “~” mark in her notebook and continued:

“A wave.”

“A wave?”

“Recently, we’ve been importing something called ‘physics’ from that other world, Earth. According to it, sound is apparently made up of waves.”

“Wow, Lala, you sure know a lot.”

“It’s not just sound.”

Lala gave a mischievous grin and cast a magic spell in a feminine voice. The glass in front of her began to tremble, and small ripples spread across the surface of the water, refracting rainbows. After a moment, the water started a light boil.

“That’s beautiful. Is that a wave, too?”

“Yes. Sound, light, heat, magic—even the relationship between Tonic and Dominant—they’re all governed by wave properties. The earth, the trees, us speaking right now… if you break everything down into atomic particles, it all becomes waves.”

“Listening to this, it makes me think that when we use music to cast magic—manipulating matter, producing flames, or influencing people’s hearts—maybe, in time, there’ll be a rational explanation based on waves.”

“Exactly. One day soon, the studies from Earth may unravel the mechanics of magic—why it can’t be used there but can be cast here in our world.”

In our compulsory theology classes, we were taught that God asked humanity which path they wanted to develop their society with: science or magic. Humanity chose magic, and society flourished thanks to it. Meanwhile, on Earth, it’s likely that science advanced in its place.

I wonder when the mystery concealed in that myth will finally be revealed. I feel a thrill of intellectual curiosity, yet it also seems like a possible affront to the gods.

“Well, all this stuff is basically hand-me-down knowledge from my dad.”

“Your dad? You mean Lala’s father?”

“That’s right. My mom’s human, but my dad’s a lizardman. He wanted to be a physicist, but because he’s a demon folk, he was never given the chance to publish his insights in academic papers.”

Lala turned away, as if to hide her expression.

“I want to create a society where people like my dad don’t have to suffer. A society where anyone who wants to pursue knowledge can do so.”

Her voice trembled with tears. It seemed I had inadvertently touched on a painful part of Lala’s past.

“You can do it! If it’s you, Lala, you can make that happen!”

I tried to think of something bright and encouraging to say, something that would comfort her. But I grew worried it might come across as forced, so I swallowed my words. Even so, it seemed my feelings got through.

“Thank you. I’m so glad I’m friends with you, Forlun.”

Lala took my hand.

Then, with a confident look in her eyes, she looked straight into my face.

“We might be able to pull it off—the Override of Polyphonic Magic, Macro Magic.”

“Polyphonic Magic? Override?”

“That’s right. I’d like to talk about it with three of us, including Tenuuto. Are you free after school?”

“Sure, I guess…”

I had a feeling Lala was planning something huge. It was just a hunch, but it was strong.