NOVPUBEvery single light in the theater seemed to be endowed with life. At the moment the music ended, they cast their glow across the entire theater. The pale golden light streamed over the black marble, whispering like a rushing brook in the night.
The back rows of the auditorium.
"I initially thought this classroom assessment was about art, but what it’s actually assessing is the destruction of art. It turns out that destroying art is itself a form of art..."
Lanci exhaled, there was a sense of relief in his voice, and a hint of lightness as if some kind of restraint had been lifted from him.
He was now smiling confidently, as if he couldn’t wait to show off his skills on stage to his classmates.
"..."
Hyperion turned her head to observe Lanci’s state, feeling a lump in her throat.
He seemed to benefit greatly from this Demon Academy.
Some people might be here to challenge the Shadow World.
But Lanci was here to learn.
Logically speaking, Lanci’s wholehearted approach to life should be praised, but… She could not articulate the problem.
"Protect yourself later."
Lanci stood up, dropping this comment as he walked past Hyperion, and then headed towards the stage along the red carpet on the steps.
"Okay."
Hyperion responded.
As for her spell repertoire, it wasn’t suited for this test. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
However, as a jack-of-all-trades support, the weirder the situation, the more comforting Lanci’s spell repertoire felt to her.
Theoretically, Lanci should go before her. Once Lanci passed, they could temporarily exchange purple or lower-level magic cards in the audience and reorganize their spell repertoire to allow Hyperion to also pass.
...
The time for the music assessment had already passed halfway. The classroom was full of an atmosphere intertwined with silence and anticipation. Students who were confident in their abilities had mostly completed their performances.
Those remaining students were either ones of insufficient abilities or were top-notch performers waiting for the right moment.
Since the previous performances, there was a wait after each performance before a demon student voluntarily took the stage.
So this time, when the presiding teacher saw Lanci quickly stand up and raise his hand to indicate his intention to perform, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Accompanied by steady footsteps echoing throughout the theater.
In no time, Lanci got onto the stage. Illuminated by the theater’s light, his figure was particularly noticeable, his aura blending with the entire performance environment, drawing all eyes to him.
"Are you ready?"
The presiding teacher asked standing next to Lanci.
Usually, before an exam, students could express any regulation-compliant needs or queries to the presiding teacher. This was true in any exam room, so the presiding teacher asked first.
If the students had no questions, they could formally start the two-minute performance countdown, and at the same time, students would be granted permission to use spells freely on stage.
"What reward will be given if the Four Music Advisors unanimously approve?"
Lanci nodded slightly, asking with a sense of curiosity and doubt.
"The course has no design that would allow all four of them to approve simultaneously."
The presiding teacher looked at him, shook his head with a laugh; his smile carried an unspeakable authority.
"But what if such a situation arises?"
"If it’s not written in the guide, it doesn’t mean that such a situation was hidden or overlooked. Rather, it’s clear that some combinations in the approval conditions of the four Music Advisors are mutually contradictory and impossible to accomplish simultaneously."
The presiding teacher’s voice slowly fell.
For instance, there’s no music that could lull the Slumbering Demon Spirit to sleep and at the same time have the thrilling quality approved by the poison body and the passionate atmosphere desired by the Ghost Armor.
"Over the years, no student, no matter how outstanding, has been able to gain the approval of all four Music Advisors simultaneously."
The presiding teacher added, hoping that Lanci could understand his meaning - their curriculum design should not be questioned.
"Sir, I think I really can do it."
Lanci looked directly at the presiding teacher.
"If you can do it, then it truly shows that our exam design has an oversight, and your musical level has surpassed our comprehension. It would be an insult to your talents to ask you to be a music advisor."
The presiding teacher’s words almost laughed at Lanci’s foolishness.
After all, this was a public performance being watched by many in the Demon World. If a student repeatedly questions the rules, it’s like deconstructing the stage.
"If approved by all four Music Advisors, you’ll directly be appointed as a faculty member for the music department, is that okay?"
The presiding teacher looked at the audience seats below the stage, raised his voice a bit to announce, then looked at Lanci to ask.
As his words fell, a ripple of laughter swayed through the audience below the stage.
"Sir, are you sure? What if the Music Advisors don’t have enough lucidity to make a judgement after the performance?"
"This is the Devil’s Royal Grant Theater, under the watch of the Magic Eye, and a performance being watched by the Nobility of the Demon World. If anyone dares to go back on his or her words on this stage, even as the music department head of this academy, it would cost my life. Moreover, if the Music Advisors can’t make a judgment, like, for instance, if the Slumbering Demon Spirit falls asleep, I will judge on his behalf according to the standards he has reported to the academy before the performance. Rest assured, I will be fair."
The presiding teacher watched the Magic Eye at the center of the theater above, and passed the microphone to Lanci, feeling slightly amused,
"Alright, do you have any more questions?"
"No more questions, we can start."
Lanci then took the microphone, shook his collar, and walked to the center of the stage.
His gaze had completely changed, like a rising star in the Demon World.
Once he stepped on this stage and entered the performance time, he could use any spell.
Without further ado, Lanci utilized the [Great Love Poet].
At his summon, a gray-haired beauty in a deep red dress appeared on stage, accompanied by a fragrant floral mist.
She opened her eyes as if waking from a dream, her hair and the hem of her dress swaying gently, like a soft summer song, the rustling autumn wind. In an instant, many of the demons below the stage were captivated by her.
The Great Love Poet gazed at everything in the theater with bright eyes, her lips drawn into a smile of either regret or joy. Yet she did not open her mouth to influence any creature’s mind with her Demon Sound.
Since summoning itself is a form of magic, summoning a Servitor with whom one has a soul contract during a performance is not a problem.
"You will be the lead singer in a bit, it’s time to show the Four Advisors and our classmates the fruits of our learning."
Lanci handed the microphone to the Great Love Poet.
The Great Love Poet smiled radiantly, nodded lightly, and her eyes sparkled with an extraordinary confidence.
Lanci then went to an instrument that looked like a piano, a musical instrument of the Demon World. He sat down elegantly and calmly, lifting the piano lid.
Below the stage, somewhere farther.
When Hyperion saw that the Great Love Poet was holding the microphone, her instinct was to run away.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen in the theater, should this summon get on the stage and start singing with full force!
