061-080 · 073-ch66

Chapter 66: A Resolution Decided

When I returned to the base after a while, Selene was already back in her original seat, with a magic tool placed on the desk.

"Sorry for making you wait."

"No, I just finished now myself."

I sat down across from Selene while apologizing.

Looking at her, I could tell she seemed somehow refreshed.

>>Wait, did a date just start on the other side of the screen?

>>A sudden date lol

>>That's totally a date thing

>>Hurry up and play it already. Professor gaga

>>For the bro watching with the Professor, please start soon

The comment section seemed to be in a bit of chaos, but well, I won't worry about it.

Also, who's on a date?

Not to brag, but I'm completely inexperienced in that sort of thing.

"Which one shall we play first?"

"Let's go with mine first. If I can hear Selene's words, I want to be able to concentrate and listen properly from the first time."

Of course, since it's a phonograph, I can play it back repeatedly.

But there's something about the anticipation of the first listen that you can never recreate on the second or third time, right?

"Understood. I'm looking forward to hearing John-san's words as well."

"It's nothing that impressive, so don't make me blush. Though it is annoying that the stream can hear it... well, whatever."

"Alright, here we go," I said after confirming, then pressed the switch on the magic tool to play back what I'd recorded.

While listening, I kept my eyes closed.

If I could tell from Selene's reaction whether she could hear it or not, it would spoil the surprise.

Also, since the content is a bit serious, I wanted to put my heart into it so it would reach the person I wanted it to reach.

The magic tool activated, and after a few seconds of silence, it began playing back the voice I'd recorded.

『Um, hello? Dad, Mom. Sorry for shocking you by suddenly saying I'd become an explorer. And sorry for making you worry when I suddenly stopped coming back from the dungeon. When I came back after 10 years, you two accepted me so normally, even though I thought you'd be furious. Thank you. I'm doing well, as you can see. Take care of yourselves too.』

Then the playback ended, and the magic tool fell silent.

What I'd put into the magic tool were words of gratitude to my parents, who had raised and guided someone like me.

I'm now an explorer in a profession that makes you wonder if I have any common sense, but at least through high school, when my parents were watching over me, I was living a decent life, and if I'd continued living a decent life through college and beyond, I surely would have landed a reasonably good job.

Despite being a poor family, I was raised with enough care to deserve that much.

It's the kind of thing I'd be too embarrassed to say to their faces, which is why I took this opportunity to express my gratitude here, where my parents might occasionally be watching.

>>Wow... John actually has a heart after all

>>I see—from their perspective, he's a problem child who didn't come back from the dungeon for 10 years

>>Your parents actually welcomed you back normally?

>>Don't cause your parents so much trouble

>>The content is so serious it's hard to make fun of

"How was it, Selene?"

When I spoke to her, Selene, who had been listening with her eyes closed, opened them and nodded slightly.

"I heard a language I don't know at all. A strange language... I suppose you could say it doesn't place much emphasis on accent?"

At Selene's words, I couldn't help but pump my fist.

"Alright! So that means you could hear the Japanese properly. I don't know which hypothesis was right, but at least we know that if I record without any intention to convey it, it reaches the other person as just sound. That's huge."

"Indeed, if used well, this could greatly accelerate language learning."

"I truly apologize for the trouble. Thank you so much."

I gave my thanks again to Selene, who was about to say something like "I should be the one..."

Since I'm the one constantly being helped one-sidedly when it comes to language learning, I always make sure to express my gratitude.

>>Ooh, so he could actually hear the Japanese properly

>>I wonder what Japanese sounds like

>>Japanese has beautiful sounds, I think. The expressions are top-notch, at least I think so

>>Alright, now we can hear the common language of that world

>>The Professor has gone silent. Please play it back

Yes, and if my words properly reached Selene's ears, then the reverse is also true.

In other words, I can now hear the language of Selene's world, which I'd never been able to hear even once until now.

All the dangerous people I've met so far communicated through something like telepathy, or were already translated.

This will really be the first time I'm hearing this world's language as actual sound.

"Well then, Selene, I'm counting on you."

"Being watched so closely is a bit embarrassing. Well then, I'll play it."

With that, Selene turned on the switch of the magic tool.

『~~~~~~♪』

What flowed out was... what was it?

I suppose the closest image would be a foreign folk song.

In any case, it wasn't just conversation—it was a song.

That's what I thought.

However, it seemed to be a language with clearly translucent-sounding elements.

At least, I'd heard Latin, German, English, and such in game music, but this definitely didn't fit into any of those categories.

And this rhythm, sung out loud and clear.

Rather than being uplifting, I suppose you could say it was a song that seeps into you.

A folk song that seeps into the skin, rather than modern pop.

Hmm, I'm so bad at putting this into words that I'm losing track of what I'm even thinking.

Well anyway, it was a beautiful song.

And after the song ended, there were some words that probably weren't part of the song.

Since they didn't have a melody like the singing part, that was probably the actual raw language.

Then the magic tool stopped working, and the playback of what Selene had recorded came to an end.

"How was it?"

Selene asked, but there was only one answer I could give.

"I think it was a very beautiful language. The singing part especially was amazing."

>>I've listened to folk songs from various countries, but this is a type of song I've never heard before

>>The Professor went wild and then disappeared somewhere. It was an amazing song. Also, the language sounds beautiful

>>I love this language

>>It was more beautiful than the songs in my country

>>It has such a translucent quality, so beautiful

>>Maybe there are no voiced consonants. Or very few.

>>The arrangement of sounds seems more like a Western language than Japanese

The viewers watching also seemed to sense beauty from Selene's song, one after another.

The beautiful sounds were especially significant.

While Selene's voice being beautiful is certainly part of it, the connections between sounds, the flow, the system?

How should I put it—it was a song that felt beautiful and somehow fleeting.

On the other hand, the part spoken as words felt like a language with very clear resonance.

It had a cheerful, flowing sound without any stagnation.

"Thank you very much. Being praised so much truly makes me happy."

"By the way, can I ask what the content was? Mine was a message of gratitude to people."

I stopped myself from saying "to parents" since it would be insensitive to Selene, who had already lost both of hers.

Well, in that sense, it might not be good to remind Selene of relationships with others since she's lost everyone she was connected to, but since I was asking her, I felt I should share my own as well.

When I asked, Selene answered while holding the magic tool to her chest.

"It's a folk song passed down in my homeland of Nosteria. We all sang it together during the annual festival. And I sent words of gratitude to my people for watching over me once more. And words of farewell."

"...I see. Well, I won't ask for the details. You look somehow refreshed."

Or rather, I can't ask about that—it would be too intrusive.

But the reason she seems somehow refreshed might be that by sending words of farewell to her people once more, she was able to move past the loss of her people.

Thinking that, I probed indirectly.

"While singing, I remembered my people. Until now, I think I was trying to deny my former self somewhere, thinking I had to live as someone who was no longer queen. But I clearly understood that I cannot do that. So I've resolved to live carrying my people's share as well."

She's made up her mind, huh.

Well, how she thinks about her former people is up to her.

But I do think that if she carries too heavy a burden, it becomes hard to see what's around her.

However, on the other hand, while carrying a burden requires more strength, the state of having decided to carry it and continuing to do so is simpler and easier to understand than the state of worrying about whether to put it down or not.

In that sense, it was very good that she was able to decide how to face her past.

It was an experiment I did on a whim, but the results seem to have been quite significant.

"I see. Well then, I'll have to take you to places you can enjoy."

"Hehe, I'm counting on you, John-san."

By the way, after this, I had Selene sing that song again, and I will just say that it was an extremely beautiful song.