[Everyone's diva, Rose Melody's glamorous comeback]
This was the content of the front-page article commonly issued in Tirna's newspapers and it brought tremendous impact to Tirna.
"This is truly surprising."
Osian muttered while looking at the quiet streets of the district. Contrary to his expectation that today would also be packed with protesters to the point where vehicles couldn't pass, the streets were far too quiet.
"Who would have thought a single announcement of a concert would lead to this."
Rose Melody's return. Simultaneously, the comeback stage is unfolding on the largest scale.
With just that news alone, everyone was looking forward only to the stage Rose would present. No protesters came out, and therefore only a few of Tirna's guards were patrolling the streets.
It was a scene as if all the recent noisy events were just a dream.
'It's probably because everyone gathered here, in District 31.'
Therefore, District 31 had a considerably liberal atmosphere compared to other districts.
Artists draw pictures on the streets, play instruments, dance, or express their own artistry.
Osian, who was walking down the street, stopped in his tracks for a moment. On the outer wall of the street, a splendid painting was drawn.
It was a painting of him holding a brilliant white sword and confronting the wealthy. It was incomparably more sophisticated and well-made than the childish drawings the protesters had drawn on their pickets. It was so vivid it seemed like it would jump out at any moment.
Osian raised his hand to touch his mouth. The mask to hide his face was properly worn. Osian hastened his steps again. If he was even a little late, there was a risk of being swept up in the massive crowd that would soon come.
'They're probably people coming to see Rose, not me.'
His worry became reality. Even though there was still time before the concert, the main street of District 31 was bustling with crowds. It seemed that all the people who had been protesting had come here.
"Don't push!"
"Everyone line up!"
"I've been here since last night!"
People spoke to each other in warning tones, but for that kind of situation, order was maintained better than expected. While the staff was working hard, those people also didn't want to cause problems. The reason was simple.
'If they cause a disturbance for any reason, they won't be able to see Rose's stage today.'
Everyone's diva, Rose Melody's popularity was just like that. District 31 was filled with tremendous vitality because of just one person.
'District 31 also has symbolic meaning. It's a district where wealthy people can come, but ordinary citizens can also come and go.'
Osian stopped walking for a moment. It was so full of people that it was difficult to move by walking further. He briefly looked up to gaze at the top of buildings. He wondered if he should dash across the rooftops like last time.
'There's no need for that. After all, I have a pass.'
It was a pass issued as Rose's bodyguard. If he just went to a staff member and showed it, he could receive separate guidance. Running on rooftops would invite unnecessary suspicion.
"Oh, oh! Up there!"
Then someone shouted. A person running across the rooftop was visible. There were quite a few people who acted like that because they didn't want to wait in line. But their fate was always the same.
"Stop. This is a restricted movement area."
Staff members were also stationed on the rooftops. They played the role of turning away people who secretly climbed up. But this line-cutter was different from ordinary people.
-Whoosh!
He moved as if flying through the air. The man who leaped over the staff members' heads was truly like the wind. Blue mana flowing from his body remained like an afterimage along his movement trajectory. He was a mana user.
'Well now. A mana user cutting in line.'
Osian sighed inwardly. Whether to call that guy a fool, or say that Rose was so amazing that even mana users were captivated.
Whatever the case, there was no way for the current field staff to catch that person. Since he wasn't causing terrorism or fighting, the usual Osian would have ignored it.
'Even as a bodyguard, I'm ultimately in the same position as the staff who need to ensure the concert ends safely.'
If it was work, there was no choice.
Osian crouched down and then leaped high. He instantly landed on the building rooftop and then sprinted at tremendous speed. With the sound of air tearing, his form shot forward like a bullet.
"Huh?!"
The mana user who felt someone chasing breathed out after looking back. Before long, Osian's figure, who had approached close range, filled his field of vision. Before he could instinctively run away, Osian's rough hand grabbed the back of his head.
"Line-cutting has consequences."
-Crash!
Osian slammed the guy's head straight into the rooftop. Of course, he controlled his strength. If he had been serious, the guy's head would have burst and the building would have collapsed.
Even though he controlled his strength like that, the mana user foamed at the mouth and fainted. Even with mana-enhanced physical strength, a knight's transcendent power was unavoidable.
"Y-you are."
Osian showed his pass to the field staff who came chasing belatedly. The tense expressions of the staff relaxed.
"T-thank you!"
"I'll be going now."
"Ah, let me guide you this way!"
Osian, who handed over the mana user's custody, headed toward the stage with guidance from one staff member.
The massive concert hall standing tall in the center of District 31 was so huge that its grandeur could be recognized even from a distance.
'Just how big is this scale?'
Just when he was curious, the staff member who was guiding opened his mouth.
"Amazing, right? Even searching all of Tirna, there wouldn't be a concert hall of that scale."
"How many people can come?"
"Just the seats alone exceed 120,000. Including standing, the number increases up to 170,000. Even outside, they've made it possible to indirectly watch the performance, so combining everything, it approaches a maximum of 300,000 people."
The largest dome stadium on Earth is AT&T Stadium, which can accommodate 80,000 people. Essentially, District 31's concert hall was about 1.5 times larger than that.
And 300,000 people was the result of including people outside the concert hall at minimum. If you add all the people gathered at more distant locations and those who came to hear Rose's voice even from afar.
'It would exceed 1 million.'
The scale of 1 million was a number you'd only see in old Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Just seeing a scene of 10,000 troops moving in a movie makes your flesh crawl, but what if the actual headcount was 100 times that?
'For just one person, that scale of crowd is gathering.'
Before long, the concert hall grew closer. People were lined up from the entrance, but Osian didn't mind.
"Well then, good work."
The guide staff left while Osian, who had a pass, headed straight to the concert hall.
Since the scale was what it was, the structure inside the concert hall was complex. Without periodic guide signs, he would have gotten lost.
"You there. Stop."
As if proving he had come to the right place, burly men in uniforms and sunglasses blocked Osian's path.
"First time seeing that face. Who are you?"
Instead of answering, Osian showed his pass. The security guards who confirmed it exchanged glances with each other.
"......This is genuine."
"Go in."
He thought they would nitpick, but apparently not. Thanks to that, Osian could arrive at the waiting room where Rose was staying without any particular trouble.
"Ah. You're here?"
Rose, who was earnestly receiving makeup for today's stage, greeted Osian while looking at him through the mirror.
Inside, besides Rose, there were a makeup artist, stylist, and her manager.
"So you're the one. The bodyguard Rose personally hired."
A sharp-featured woman in her mid-30s approached Osian.
"Rose's manager, Eva Brown. Let me tell you, I don't trust you. I don't know what silver tongue you used to seduce our Rose, but......"
Click. Before she finished speaking, Osian removed his mask and deliberately swept up his lowered bangs.
"......I don't trust you."
The moment Eva saw Osian's face, she unconsciously stammered. She was quite shocked by Osian's appearance.
"I'm Osian. I work as a fixer. Today I'm Rose's bodyguard, though."
"......Osian? You're that man?"
Eva's eyes widened when she heard the name. It seemed Rose hadn't mentioned it to her separately. Eva looked back at Rose with a dissatisfied gaze, asking why she didn't mention that. Rose playfully winked through the mirror. Eva said with a sigh.
"Sigh. The most troublesome hero in public. I don't know whether to call this good or not."
"You don't need to worry. I'm reliable when it comes to work."
"That's not the point...... Sigh. Never mind. Anyway, what you need to do today is simple. Guard Rose in case someone might harm her. Got it?"
Osian nodded. Perhaps because that blunt attitude didn't sit well with her, Eva's expression didn't soften.
'She must care for Rose terribly.'
Well, she's the manager of a world-class artist. The pressure and stress she must feel would be indescribable. The fact that she could maintain this position despite that was proof of Eva's outstanding ability. And she must also have a heart that cares terribly for Rose.
"You don't need to worry. I've never failed a request."
"......"
Eva didn't argue further. Osian's ability had already been sufficiently proven by the reputation he had shown.
Osian put his mask back on. With a clicking sound, the mask fitted perfectly and was secured.
With so many people outside, there would be many who would recognize him. Since there was no need to cause unnecessary commotion, the mask was essential.
"......But can I ask you something?"
Eva stopped Osian who was about to leave.
"What?"
"......Have you ever thought about being an entertainer? With that face, you could easily make it."
Worries were worries. Eva thought Osian's appearance was too precious to remain as a problem solver.
District 41's orphanage. The children who had finished their daily routine entered their respective rooms and fell asleep. Only the sound of peaceful sleeping filled the room covered in deep, quiet darkness.
-Rustle.
Amelia rubbed her eyes and sat up from bed. She stared into space with drowsy eyes for a moment, then got up from bed, quietly opened the door, and came outside.
She had drunk too much water before sleeping.
-Swoosh.
After finishing her business in the bathroom, Amelia tried to return to the bedroom. Walking quickly down the corridor, she unconsciously stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze went beyond the translucent glass window. There was a balloon floating there. The balloon was mixed with all sorts of various colors, and Amelia found herself captivated by that balloon without knowing why.
The balloon that had been maintaining a certain altitude disappeared beyond her field of vision. Amelia, with her nose pressed against the window, saw the balloon going somewhere and unconsciously moved hurriedly to follow it.
Coming outside, Amelia looked around.
"Ah."
Just then, the balloon was crossing over the orphanage fence. Amelia became anxious for no reason and chased the balloon through a hole under the fence.
District 41's nights are dangerous. Since security is bad, children shouldn't go outside. Amelia had been sufficiently warned about that. But Amelia chasing the balloon didn't have the capacity to care about that.
The place she finally arrived at was a small vacant lot a little distance from the orphanage. Amelia looked around to find the balloon.
From left to right. Then from right to left again. The moment she turned her gaze once, Amelia's body shuddered.
A bizarre clown was standing in front of her. Holding the balloon she had been searching for.
"Hello. Amelia."
The clown smiled brightly at Amelia.
"Are you looking for this balloon?"
"......"
Amelia nodded silently.
"Oh ho ho. Really? If you really want it, I can give it to you."
"......Really?"
"Of course. Come, this way. Come and take it."
The clown held out the balloon. A white-gloved hand gently beckoned Amelia to come. Amelia hesitated for a moment. She slowly approached the clown, then eventually changed her mind about something and stepped back cautiously.
"S-sister said not to accept things from strange people."
"Amelia? The balloon you so desire is right here."
"S-sorry. But I can't."
At Amelia's firm words, the clown's smiling face hardened coldly. The clown's face turned bizarrely.
"T-this won't do. You need to accept the balloon I'm giving."
His speech became slurred and his voice changed bizarrely like pressed tape. Amelia's complexion turned pale.
"This won't do. But, it doesn't matter."
The clown showed bizarre movements as he approached Amelia. Amelia couldn't even think of running away. The clown who had approached close range looked down at Amelia. His bulk had grown more than three times larger and his limbs had become eerily long. And the clown's mouth split long, revealing the flesh inside.
-Riiiiip.
Just as the clown was about to swallow Amelia whole a golden pillar fell from the sky.
The light pushed away the clown and warmly embraced Amelia's body as if protecting her. Amelia opened her tightly closed eyes.
"Ah! Brother Martinez!"
Martinez placed Amelia behind him, then gazed at the clown with a cold look. Golden flames blazed and burned with anger in his pupils.