Chapter 657: Orchestral Funk House

A bit earlier...

Professor Liliana had barely left the area before the musicians of the Golden Matching Order Band turned their attention towards Ezra Ashenlocke.

The Grand Royal Hall remained filled with conversations, laughter, and the soft sounds of people moving between the tables and dance floor.

The last Dance Core had yet to begin, but the crowd’s attention was already shifting towards the stage.

Several dance pairs had gathered nearby, waiting for the musicians to announce the final performance of the evening.

The Golden Matching Order Band was no ordinary orchestra.

Its members performed at grand events hosted by the Royal Family, High-Status Noble Houses, major companies, and some of the most important industries in Britannia.

Their experience showed in the way they handled their instruments and communicated with one another.

Yet, at that moment, they were gathered around a young Alchemist who had only played the piano once.

"Greetings, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

The leader of the Golden Matching Order Band stepped forward and greeted him with a calm smile.

The other musicians followed.

Some waved at Ezra, while others offered their greetings in person.

A few of them had already heard about him through Selena, but meeting the Young Alchemist of Ash was different from hearing some stories about him.

"Greetings to the musicians of the Golden Matching Order Band."

Ezra lowered his head slightly in return.

He looked across the group, taking note of the different instruments they carried.

There were string instruments, wind instruments, and several others he recognized.

Each musician had their own way of holding their instrument, and some were already checking their equipment while they waited.

"We meet again, Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

Selena Galehart greeted him from beside the Grand Piano.

Her fingers moved slightly above the keyboard, pressing none of the keys.

She seemed ready to play, yet her attention kept returning to Ezra.

"To be honest, I’m not a musician like all of you. I’ve only played once, so I really don’t know if I can perform well."

Ezra spoke honestly.

He did not try to hide his lack of experience or pretend he was more skilled than he was.

"It’s fine."

One of the violinists answered with a relaxed expression.

"We’ve already heard about your experience from Lady Selena. She also spoke highly of your skills."

"Yeah, she said you have a good talent for music."

Another musician nodded in agreement.

Ezra looked at them before giving a small nod.

"Thank you. I’ll try my best."

He lowered his head politely, then moved towards the seat beside Selena.

The seat had been prepared for him so that the two could perform a duet.

The Grand Piano stood before them, its polished surface reflecting the lights hanging from the ceiling.

The surrounding musicians had enough room to arrange themselves, while the open space in front of the stage gave the dance pairs a clear view of the performance.

Ezra pulled out the chair and sat down.

Selena’s fingers stopped moving.

He’s sitting beside me.

She kept her face composed, but her eyes shifted towards him before she could stop herself.

Aunty really managed to get him to sit beside me?

Her thoughts began to run ahead of her.

A music duet with Sir Ezra.

Oh, my Scholars.

Selena lowered her gaze towards the piano keys, trying to keep the smile from growing on her face.

Calm down, Selena.

She took a quiet breath.

You can do this.

Her fingers settled over the keyboard again.

She had performed before large audiences and played music for people whose opinions carried weight across the Kingdom.

None of that should have made this moment difficult.

Yet the young man sitting beside her was the reason she had trouble beginning a simple conversation.

"So..."

Selena turned slightly towards him.

"So, what music piece are we going for?"

Ezra asked the question at almost the same time she did.

Selena blinked.

"Oh... I was about to ask you that."

She quickly recovered, wearing an elegant smile as though nothing had happened.

The leader of the band stepped closer and brought out two sheets of paper.

Both contained the musical notes they had prepared for the Last Dance Core before Professor Liliana changed the arrangements.

"These are the pieces we prepared for the final Dance Core,"

He explained, handing the papers over so Ezra and Selena could examine them.

"However, we could also perform one of Lady Selena Galehart’s best compositions."

He placed a finger against the edge of the papers.

"We have several options. We only need to decide which one suits the occasion."

"Then I would like to play Evening Gale."

A female musician spoke up.

She appeared to be in her late twenties, and her eyes brightened as she looked towards Selena.

"It’s one of my favourite pieces you’ve composed, Lady Selena Galehart."

She moved closer, clearly hoping the others would agree with her choice.

"I think Moonlight Emerald would be a better fit for the Last Dance Core."

Another musician offered his opinion.

He held up his Starlix 12, displaying the notes of Moonlight Emerald on its screen.

The musical piece was also one of Selena’s compositions, and he seemed convinced that its melody would suit the final dance of the evening.

Before the band could reach an agreement, another member suggested a different piece.

"Why not Silver Rain? Its opening would work well for a grand entrance."

"That’s a good piece, but it doesn’t have the right feeling for the final Dance Core."

"Then what about Evening Gale? The rhythm builds naturally."

"Or Moonlight Emerald."

The suggestions continued.

One musician pointed at the notes on the leader’s paper, while another brought up a composition on their Starlix.

A few began comparing the opening sections, discussing how the music would develop and whether the melody would fit the atmosphere of the hall.

They were not arguing out of disrespect.

Quite the opposite.

Each musician had a different idea of what would make the performance memorable, and none of them wanted to settle for something ordinary when it was the final moment of the Royal Academy first Semester Ending Party.

Selena watched them with a small smile.

The Golden Matching Order Band was made up of well-known orchestral musicians.

They had performed at events where a single mistake could become the subject of public discussion for weeks.

Their standards were high, and their interest in her compositions was something she appreciated.

Still, seeing them debate the choice of music had become a little amusing.

They had several excellent pieces to choose from.

Yet the more they discussed their options, the further they seemed to get from making a decision.

Ezra looked down at the papers in his hands.

The notes were well arranged.

He could recognize the care that had gone into preparing them, even though he was not familiar enough with every piece to judge which one would suit the occasion best.

He could also see why the musicians were taking their time.

The Last Dance Core was the final dance of the evening.

It was supposed to leave the guests with something worth remembering.

However, the decision was taking longer than necessary.

"You know we don’t have time for this."

The leader cut into the discussion, his tone becoming more serious.

"The people are already waiting."

He gestured towards the dance floor.

Several pairs stood ready to begin, while others had turned towards the stage to see what the musicians would decide.

Conversations continued around the hall, but the people closest to the performance area were clearly waiting for the final announcement.

The lights above the dance floor shone against the polished tiles.

The tables along the edges of the hall were still occupied, and the Royal Servants moved between them, clearing empty glasses and attending to the guests.

Even so, more and more people had begun looking towards the musicians.

The delay was noticeable.

"The build-up for the Last Dance Core has really become something,"

Selena said, looking at the band members.

"Everyone is looking forward to it."

She rested her hands on the piano for a moment.

The last Dance Core had already attracted plenty of attention.

After the earlier performances, the guests expected something that would make the evening end on a high note.

Choosing another familiar piece might satisfy them, but it would not necessarily give them anything new to talk about.

Selena’s gaze shifted towards Ezra.

"That’s why I believe..."

She paused briefly, allowing the musicians to follow her attention.

"You should give us a piece for this last dance."

Her tone remained calm, but the confidence in her eyes was clear.

The band members stopped discussing their choices.

Ezra looked at her blankly.

For a moment, he considered reminding Selena of the obvious.

I’m not a musician.

He had only played the piano once.

Even if he had managed to produce a decent performance, that did not mean he was ready to compose an entirely new piece for a group of professional musicians.

He could have pointed that out and left the matter there.

But before he spoke, another thought came to mind.

It isn’t a bad idea to give them a piece.

His attention shifted to the Book of Memories.

There were still many musical pieces he had come across in it.

His past-self had listened to different kinds of music, from rock and pop to other genres with distinct rhythms and styles.

There were even lyrics and beat patterns that he could recall from those memories.

He did not need to invent every part of the music from nothing.

He only needed to choose a suitable idea and arrange it in a way that the musicians could perform with the instruments available to them.

There are still plenty of pieces inside the Book of Memories that I can choose from.

Ezra considered the matter for another moment.

Plus, this could also help in the line of gains.

He looked back at Selena.

She was waiting for his answer, her expression composed.

However, the moment she noticed his eyes resting on her, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Her elegant expression almost slipped.

Selena quickly turned her attention towards the piano, adjusting her posture as though she had merely been checking the keyboard.

Ezra did not comment on it.

"Okay."

He stood up from his seat.

The sudden movement drew the musicians’ attention back to him.

"I have a different genre in mind. And I think it could make the whole Last Dance Core worthwhile."

His voice remained calm, as though he had not just agreed to create a new piece in front of an orchestra.

"A different music genre?"

The musicians looked at one another.

Selena also appeared faintly confused.

She had expected Ezra to suggest a familiar piece, perhaps something like the piece he played, when he faced Leofirc Hawthorne.

But she had not expected him to propose an entirely different genre.

Ezra did not keep them waiting.

"I call it Orchestral Funk House."

The name was unfamiliar to everyone present.

A few of the musicians exchanged puzzled looks.

The leader’s brows rose slightly as he tried to work out what sort of music Ezra meant.

Even Selena had no clear picture of what he was proposing.

"Orchestral Funk House?"

One musician repeated under his breath.

Ezra gave a small nod.

"Please, someone hand me a paper and a Quill-pen."

He spoke politely, though his manner remained direct.

One of the band members immediately stepped forward and handed him the materials.

Ezra took the paper and placed it on the seat of a nearby chair.

He leaned over it, holding the Quill-pen in his right hand as he began to write.

His movements were quick.

He did not waste time trying to explain the entire idea through words.

Instead, he started putting the musical notes on paper, arranging the parts in the order he wanted them played.

The melody and rhythm needed to work together, but they also had to leave room for the different instruments to contribute.

The musicians gathered closer as he worked.

At first, they could only see a few lines of notes.

Then more began to appear, filling the page as Ezra moved from one section to the next.

He wrote down the main musical idea, followed by the parts that would support it.

Some notes marked the rhythm, while others showed where the melody would rise or settle.

The arrangement was not simply a piano piece with an orchestra playing behind it.

Each section had a part to perform.

Ezra finished within a few seconds.

He placed the Quill-pen aside, took out his Starlix 11, and snapped a picture of the written music.

With a few quick taps, he transferred the notes onto a wider holographic screen so the band members and Selena could examine them together.

The display appeared before them.

The musicians leaned closer.

"That’s new."

The leader stared at the arrangement, his surprise plain on his face.

He had seen plenty of musical scores during his career.

Some were simple, while others were so complex that a musician needed several rehearsals before understanding how all the parts fitted together.

Ezra’s arrangement caught his attention for a different reason.

The notes were unfamiliar in their structure, but the relationships between the parts were clear enough to follow.

The rhythm was not arranged in the way he expected from a traditional piece meant for a formal dance.

Instead, the repeated patterns and changes in the melody suggested a different kind of movement.

He looked from one section to another.

Then he looked at the musicians standing beside him.

Snap.

One of the members snapped his fingers as he studied the notes.

Snap.

Snap.

Another followed, tapping his neat brown shoe against the tiled floor of the Grand Royal Hall.

"I think I can already picture the music in my head."

He continued snapping, and tapping, testing the rhythm against the pattern displayed on the screen.

His fingers moved in time with the beat he imagined, and his expression changed as the separate parts began to make sense.

"Yeah, me too... and it’s..."

A female musician stopped herself before finishing the sentence.

She lifted her instrument and began shadow-playing the part assigned to it.

She did not produce a full sound yet.

Instead, she moved through the motions, following the notes and checking how the section would fit with the rest of the arrangement.

Another musician joined her.

Soon, the area around the holographic display was filled with small movements.

Fingers tapped against instrument bodies.

Someone quietly counted the beats under his breath, while another musician traced a section of the score with a finger.

The leader continued studying the notes.

He had not heard the piece, yet he could already begin to imagine how it might sound.

The rhythm gave him a sense of direction, while the separate parts offered room for the orchestra to build the music together.

It was unusual.

But unusual did not mean impossible.

Ezra stood beside the chair, watching them examine his work.

Of course, we don’t have a few of the instruments needed to bring out the full Funk sound, but I managed to change some details.

He had noticed the limitation from the beginning.

The band possessed many instruments suited to orchestral performances, but it did not have every instrument commonly associated with the Funk House style he remembered.

That meant he had to work around what they already had.

There was no reason to demand instruments they could not provide at such short notice.

The goal was to bring the central idea to life with the musicians and equipment available, not to reproduce every detail of the original style.

The orchestra could handle the rest.

Thank the Scholars I did more music study with the Book of Memories after playing the piano last time.

His previous experience with the piano had encouraged him to study music more closely.

It had not turned him into a professional musician, but he had gained a better understanding of how notes, rhythms, and different parts could work together.

That knowledge was proving useful now.

He looked at the musicians again.

They were talented people.

He did not need to explain every note or demonstrate each part himself.

Once they understood the structure of the arrangement, they could work out how their instruments should fit into it.

That was the advantage of having an experienced orchestra.

The members were already adapting to the new piece.

One musician quietly followed a line of notes with his finger, while another compared two sections on the holographic display.

The leader pointed at a particular part, asking a colleague something about its rhythm.

Their discussion was no longer about which of Selena’s compositions they should choose.

They were thinking about how to perform Ezra’s.

A few more seconds passed as the musicians continued examining the score.

Then Selena clapped her hands.

"Okay, guys."

The sound drew their attention away from the holographic screen.

She looked at the band first, then turned towards Ezra.

Her expression was serious, but the excitement in her eyes was difficult to hide.

"Let’s make this work."

A bright, elegant smile appeared on her face.

The musicians exchanged looks before turning back towards their instruments.

The leader gave a small nod, already considering how to organize the first run-through.

Some members adjusted their positions, while others prepared to test their assigned parts.

Selena returned to the Grand Piano and settled onto the seat.

Ezra moved back towards the chair beside her.

The final Dance Core was waiting, and the Golden Matching Order Band now had a new piece to bring to life.