CHAPTER 304: THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE [PART 1]

Within the special Fairy Lounge of the Seventh Training Room...

The fairies were currently having a tea party, talking about the recent events that happened in the academy.

"It’s been very peaceful lately," Doh said after she finished drinking her tea. "Most of the students have average musical talents, so none of them stood out too much."

[E/N: Tsk, tsk. You planted your own flag.]

"Indeed." Reh nodded. "I hope something exciting happens! We have exchange students now, so I hope they come here and visit us!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Mii commented. "The Gods might just grant your wish."

Sue smiled faintly. Unlike her friends, she preferred quiet and peaceful days.

Suddenly, their comrade, Lah, burst into their Fairy Lounge, gasping for breath.

"H-He’s here!" Lah declared. "He’s here!"

The Fairies blinked in confusion as they looked at the blue-haired fairy, who had an excited look on her face.

"Calm down, Lah," Tee said. "Explain yourself properly. Who is here?"

"Alex!" Lah shouted. "Alex is here!"

When the other fairies heard her words, the hands holding tea cups all started to tremble.

They shook so badly, tea splashed on the carpeted floor. Though none of the fairies seemed to mind it very much.

The fairies who go by the name, Dew, Lyra, Cello, Zithra, Harpa, Clarina, Fluta, and Picca all had grim expressions on their faces. Anyone who didn’t know better would think the world was about to end.

Just like the other fairies, they had experienced Armageddon after hearing Alex’s singing, and frankly, they still hadn’t recovered from their trauma.

As if waiting for that moment, another fairy entered the room, and was shocked to find the other fairies doing an epileptic dance on the spot.

"What’s happening here?!" Melodina asked in confusion.

"Oh, their PTSD is just acting up after hearing that Alex is headed in the Seventh Training Room," Doh said with an amused smile on her face.

"Finally, something exciting is going to happen." Reh sighed happily. "This is going to be fun!"

Mii nodded in agreement. "Come! Let’s go meet Alex!"

"The Elves are with him, so this is going to be good!" Lah giggled.

Fah and Sue giggled. They were the first Fairies who got traumatized by Alex’s singing, and thanks to their early bird advantage, they had learned to appreciate his songs and were even looking forward to his appearance.

They then left the training room with Melodina, leaving the rest of the fairies convulsing on the floor.

"A-Are you sure we should leave them like that?" Melodina asked with concern.

"Oh, relax. They’ll bounce up after a few hours and suffer from memory loss," Doh replied. "It’s going to be fine."

A few minutes later...

Alex and the rest of the Elves arrived at the Seventh Training Room.

"You guys and girls said that you wish to beat me, so I’ll give you all an opportunity to do so," Alex said to Caelum, Serenya, and the rest of the elves.

Alex had long wanted to make these arrogant kids know how awesome he was. Since Dim Dim reminded him that fighting them in a different kind of duel would be more effective, he decided to take them to the Seventh Training Room.

"Well, then. Do you see that First Year ranking over there?" Alex asked as he pointed at the Leaderboards of the Karaoke King and Battle Choir. "If any of you beat my score, then you win."

"Oh... so this is where your confidence is coming from?" Caelum sneered. "I have heard about the Leaderboard Rankings of Frieden Academy. Frankly, we’re interested in participating and putting our names in your rankings."

"Good." Alex smiled. "Alright then. Go and knock yourselves out."

Suddenly, the Fairies appeared and circled Alex and Dim Dim.

"Alex! Are you here to sing again?" Doh asked, her eyes sparkling like the stars in the sky.

"I’m not the one who will sing," Alex replied. "It will be them. They want to beat me, so I decided to let them beat my ranking in the Leaderboards."

All the Fairies blinked once, then twice, before shifting their gazes at Caelum and the Elves.

Melodina, who was responsible for the Battle Choir, couldn’t help but look at them in pity.

Beat Alex’s rank in the Leaderboards?

Good luck!

You would need all the luck in the world to beat that score!

"Very well. I’ll challenge the Singing King first," Caelum said with confidence as he entered one of the training rooms.

Everyone followed him, and Alex explained what Caelum should do to participate in the challenge.

"I’ll tell you this, but I’m also hailed as a prodigy when it comes to singing," Caelum said with arrogance.

"Famous last words," Melodina commented.

Caelum ignored her as the world around them changed.

Alex and the rest of the elves found themselves seated on the audience seats, while Doh, Reh, Mii, Fah, and Sue, sat on the judges table.

Since they were the judges for the Singing King and Queen, they were duty bound to grade the arrogant elf, who called himself a singing prodigy.

After hearing the Fairies’ instructions, Caelum reached out to hold the orb that was floating in front of him.

A moment later, the stage lit up with shimmering golden lights, and the handsome elf now stood under a magical spotlight.

An enchanted microphone floated gently toward him, glowing faintly, as if testing whether its wielder was worthy.

The elf reached out confidently and grasped it.

"Prepare yourselves," Caelum announced to both fairies and elves alike, "for I shall show you the true voice of the Elves."

Melodina wasn’t a judge of the Singing King and Queen, but she could already see the ending.

With a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

She had seen this pattern before.

It all starts with confidence, arrogance, and then the crushing reality of Alex’s record.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you," Melodina muttered.

Alex smirked from his seat. Oh, this is going to be good.

As the melody began, Caelum raised his voice.

His tone was clear, elegant, and indeed worthy of an elven prodigy. The first verse flowed like a silver river, precise and filled with natural charm.

The elves in the audience nodded approvingly, saying things like "As expected of Caelum."

Even Serenya folded her arms, confident that her companion would easily take the top spot.

But the fairies... the fairies did not look impressed.

Doh was fixing her mascara, while Sue was busy filing her nails.

Reh, Mii, and Fah, just looked at Caelum, wondering if a meteor would fall on the stage and set him on fire.

After hearing Alex’s singing, their criteria for judging had also changed.

It was no longer about whether someone sang well or not.

They were not judging tone or elegance.

They were judging impact!

As the chorus came, Caelum poured more power into his voice.

He thought the room would be enraptured.

Instead, the fairies began tilting their heads, blinking rapidly, as if listening to a bird chirping the same note again and again.

Reh stifled a yawn.

Doh doodled on her score sheet.

Mii plucked a tiny harp string under the table in boredom.

By the second chorus, Sue had actually fallen asleep.

The other elves gawked. How could these fairies be so indifferent to a voice that could charm even woodland spirits?

Finally, the song ended with a dramatic flourish. Caelum lowered the mic with an arrogant smirk, convinced he had secured first place.

"Now," Caelum declared, "show me the results."

The fairies, without a word, raised their scoreboards.

65 Points out of 100.

Caelum froze. "W-What?!"

The elves gasped. Even Serenya’s jaw dropped.

Alex leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, grinning like the devil himself.

As the one and only Singing King, how could this arrogant elf possibly beat his record?

With a look of disbelief on his face, Caelum challenged the fairies why he was given such a low score.

A moment later, the Fairies roasted him and told him that his singing was only good enough to make people fall asleep, which in itself was an achievement that earned him 65 Points.

The Elves were also in uproar, unable to accept this result.

They were a race that also specialized in the Musical Arts and were recognized as one of the best singers in the world.

Although Caelum wasn’t the best singer among them, he still sang incredibly well, which should have earned him a higher point in the rankings.