As the song ended, silence fell over the camp.
Lambert set down her Hunting Horn with satisfaction and returned to her usual sleepy-looking demeanor, utterly indifferent to the astonished and bewildered stares around her.
Chia and Vari covered their faces, wanting nothing more than to vanish on the spot.
The pair had heard Lambert sing plenty of times. Their reactions had progressed from "Is she insane?" to "Maybe it's not so bad?" and finally to "Actually, once you get used to it, it's surprisingly good..." The human capacity for adaptation was on full display.
That did not change how terrifying Lambert's singing sounded to everyone else, especially beside the two Divas. The contrast was absurd, like a Deviljho barging into an opera house.
Lambert herself did not care in the slightest. She had never considered whether anyone else found her singing pleasant. Whether she played or sang, she did it solely to release her emotions and please herself.
At that moment, however, applause rang out.
Clap, clap, clap...
The one applauding was none other than the Wyverian Diva, whose opening lines Lambert's screaming vocals had just rudely interrupted.
The Young Diva felt the same way. Instead of sharing everyone else's astonishment, she regarded Lambert with heartfelt admiration.
"A voice overflowing with fiery passion. Most impressive." From anyone else, the words might have sounded sarcastic. From the Wyverian Diva, they sounded entirely sincere.
As a Diva capable of conveying her heart through song and connecting souls, she cared little about singing technique or style.
In Lambert's singing, she could feel a blazing, surging life force so powerful that it seemed capable of crushing everything in its path.
Such a voice might be difficult for others to understand, but to the Wyverian Diva, it had already proven a great deal.
The Wyverian Diva looked at Bud and gestured toward Lambert and the Young Diva. "It seems I misunderstood. I am not one of the two Divas who will offer a lullaby to the 'King' on the night of the full moon. The ones meant to sing are Lambert and the Young Diva."
"Huh?" Bud froze for a second, then hastily began, "But..."
"No 'but.' This is the will of the Young Girl in White. We should always do our utmost to honor a listener's request."
"But didn't the Young Girl in White invite the two of you?" Bud persisted, finishing the question she had cut off.
"That was my misunderstanding." The Wyverian Diva smiled. "The Young Girl in White told me that 'two Divas' were to come to the top of the Tower on the night of the full moon and bring repose to the 'King.' I simply assumed that I was one of them.
"Unlike me, Lambert and the Young Diva both received direct invitations from the Young Girl in White. That makes them the true invitees.
"Ha ha. I truly never expected to find such a young Diva among the Hunters."
Everyone looked at the Wyverian Diva in surprise. This was the first time any of them had heard the serene, otherworldly woman laugh aloud.
Altaïr's gaze sharpened. He had caught something else in her words.
The Wyverian Diva likely had some special connection to the "Young Girl in White," perhaps as a spokesperson.
Otherwise, the "Young Girl in White" would have had no reason to tell her about inviting the two Divas to sing at the Tower.
The Wyverian Diva had immediately relayed that information to the Guild, which had promptly arranged a full support detail.
So was the Wyverian Diva some kind of intermediary, a link between the Guild and the "Young Girl in White"? It seemed the two sides had communicated far more than once or twice.
After the Wyverian Diva's explanation, everyone turned back toward Lambert, who was absorbed in adjusting the strings of her Hunting Horn.
Shalan tugged at her ears, her face contorted with disgust. "You want her to sing a lullaby, meow? Forget lulling anyone to sleep. She'd blast even the deepest sleeper awake, meow!"
Bud and the others felt much the same, though none voiced the thought as bluntly as Shalan.
The Wyverian Diva merely smiled and shook her head.
"You remain fixated on singing style and delivery, but those are the least important things. In terms of technique alone, the opera troupe's singers and the choir may be every bit as skilled as I am. If technique were what mattered, why did the Young Girl in White not invite those singers?
"Heart and emotion are what matter.
"To borrow Lambert's earlier description, my voice is like the wind across the sky."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the Young Diva from Mezeporta. "Your voice is like a lush forest, vibrant and teeming with life."
"And yours." Her gaze finally settled on Lambert. "Your voice is the dark, oppressive storm cloud and the thunder about to break.
"None of the three voices is greater or lesser than another.
"As the ancestor of all, the first 'King' has grown tired of my 'voice of the wind' and wishes to hear something with more... power. That is only natural."
"You're always judging what everyone else's voice sounds like. Now someone is judging yours, meow." Ning-Ning, standing beside Lambert, elbowed her thigh.
Chia looked Lambert up and down with exaggerated flair. "Thunder? Is this listless girl with dark circles under her eyes really that impressive?"
The Wyverian Diva looked at the young Hunters with a faint, enigmatic smile. "Dark, heavy clouds gather before a thunderstorm too. Power must build before it can erupt.
"If I am not mistaken, this Young Diva is not exactly... calm in battle either, is she?"
Chia's expression froze. He exchanged a glance with Vari, then laughed dryly. "That's true. Calm is the last word I'd use. Would you believe the one with the horn is our team's main damage dealer?"
Sajji muttered under his breath, "The fact that we're even debating whether a Diva fights calmly or like a berserker is ridiculous enough, meow."
Lambert spread her hands and shrugged.
At first, she had merely respected the legendary Diva without truly admiring her. Now, however, Lambert found herself liking the woman quite a bit more.
Storm clouds and thunder? Not a bad assessment.
She had heard that thunderstorms were common in the Highlands. Once this matter was settled, perhaps she would wander over there.
"I have a question, meow." Totori, the Felyne who always followed the Young Diva from Mezeporta and was called her attendant but acted more like an older sister or even a mother, spoke up.
"I don't doubt Lambert's singing voice or her ability as a Diva. Her singing is certainly... different, but I can feel its power, meow.
"The problem is, if two Divas are to sing together, coordinating their voices will be difficult, meow..."
Silence fell over the group.
This was a genuine practical concern. When Lambert had begun singing moments earlier, both Divas had fallen silent for the simple reason that their voices could not easily blend with hers.
Without a suitable way to harmonize, forcing a duet would produce something far worse than either voice alone.
"Perhaps each could sing a separate song?" Altaïr suggested.
The Wyverian Diva gently shook her head. "Since the Young Girl in White specifically invited both of them, she must hope to hear their voices in harmony."
Excitement lit the Wyverian Diva's face. "I see. So this is the true purpose of my presence here.
"We still have two days. I will find a way to blend the voices of the forest and thunder into one."