“Even when you were that loud?”

He grinned and moved closer to her face.

“I must’ve been so cool you couldn’t resist.”

“It’s not that.”

“Should I interpret this as you accepting my proposal?”

“You heard wrong!”

Then Ed snarkily added,

“Hmm. I too distinctly heard Prodia’s scream.”

Prodia shot back quickly.

“Didn’t I also see Ed dancing about?”

“……On second thought, I didn’t hear anything besides Luca’s singing.”

Looking quickly, Ertis seemed embarrassed, trying to blend into the situation.

Ed hastily shouted,

“Anyway, I’ve seen both of your abilities. I see why Prodia was so confident!”

“Then there’s no problem with our contract?”

“No problem at all. I consider it an honor to have a contract with you.”

He was sincere.

Based on what his eyes and ears had just confirmed, the skill of these two men was unbeatable.

They would certainly dominate the competition.

‘For now, I should maintain this alliance. They’re better than I expected.’

Ed grinned and adjusted his glasses.

Just then, a shadow cast over him.

When he looked up, Prodia was standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

“Prodia…?”

“It’s your turn now, Ed. I’m looking forward to it.”

“What do you… mean?”

“What do I mean?”

She pointed to the spacious room.

“It’s your turn to sing.”

Ed’s singing was surprisingly decent.

Originally, I had planned to scold him if he was terrible.

But for a first-timer, Ed overflowed with skill and poise.

‘Damn. What can’t this guy do?’

But the irritation was short-lived.

Soon enough, Prodia was evaluating him and scheming.

‘A little refinement and he’ll be fine. Ertis as the main vocal, Luca definitely as the center, and Ed as the sub-vocal. Perfect.’

If only we had someone who could dance well.

Even though I was slightly heated by Ed’s sudden request, the outcome wasn’t bad.

Thanks to this, I got to assess everyone’s singing ability.
Moreover, they had come to recognize each other as capable allies.

Prodia had decided to start formal training.

But the problem was that she didn’t know what the first screening event would be.

The choir mentioned in the trust would obviously come much later.

‘There are too many participants for that to be the first competition.’

Tens of thousands couldn’t possibly sing at the same time.

Then the first event must surely be something to filter out the mediocre from the group.

‘Something that can eliminate multiple people at once.’

The answer was, of course, only one.

Something like a public written exam.

Cutting people based on scores was the fastest and most effective way after all.

However, there was no guarantee that the sequence of the competition would proceed as she had speculated.

What’s the use of having a contractor if you’re not going to use them at times like this?

So Prodia called Ed to her office.

“Did you call for me, Prodia?”

Ed entered the office with a beaming face.

Prodia said,

“Now that you’ve seen the abilities of my contractors, I’d like to see your abilities, Ed.”

“Hmm….”

After hesitating for a moment, he smiled again.

“Alright, how should I show you?”

“Find out what the first event of the Buma competition will be.”

“Wouldn’t it be a choir, as stated in the trust?”

This brat, he’s testing me.

Prodia stared at him intently and said,

“You already know that’s not it, Ed.”

At her words, the corners of Ed’s mouth slightly lifted.

“But you could easily find out the first event with your information network.”

“….Of course. But as I’ve already told you, now it’s your turn to show me, Ed.”

His expression did not change, making it impossible for Prodia to read his inner thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Ed responded,

“Alright. But I’ll need to be absent for two days. There’s personal business I need to take care of before the competition.”

“Understood.”

“Then I’ll depart tomorrow.”

Ed bowed slightly and was about to leave the room.

That’s when Prodia stopped him.

“Ed, aren’t you going to tell me why you’re participating in the Buma competition?”

“Oh, it’s not a particularly interesting story.”

His eyes weren’t smiling even though his mouth was.

‘He doesn’t want to tell me.’

Prodia did not press further.

“Alright, go and rest.”

“Yes, then I’ll take my leave.”

He left the office.

Prodia was still troubled by their last exchange.

Ed still did not fully trust her. The feeling was mutual.

‘He’s likely to bring me false information.’

He will try to test me with that.

But she wasn’t overly concerned.

She already had a backup plan in mind.