The old man was a renowned Music Master and an authority on musicals.
He was furious.
He flung his cane onto the stage and then scolded them:
"Don't you dare look down on musicals, you lot!"
Even that didn't seem to satisfy him. He hurried onto the stage and grabbed Jolian by the ear, lecturing him:
"The performance was great, and the music and singing were world-class, so could you young whippersnappers please take this seriously?"
"Don't waste your rare talent!"
"..."
The Music Master picked up his cane and chased Jolian from one side of the stage to the other.
Jolian was a Knight.
The Knight's code told him to respect the old and care for the young, humbly accept criticism, and help his friends whenever he could.
So, as he endured the beating, Jolian took up the microphone and explained to the crowd:
"Everyone, this is an impromptu performance... Ow! We'll do better next time, so please give us a chance!"
"..."
Watching the scene onstage, the theatergoers exchanged bewildered looks.
Before long, they were all doubled over with laughter.
They couldn't even figure out what was going on. They just thought it was hilarious.
The impromptu performance, the out-of-sync stage, the furious Music Master, and the fleeing emcee...
All of it blended into a ridiculous farce that brought simple, ordinary joy.
So whether they were nobles, commoners, or musicians, they all burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing everyone having fun, Jolian couldn't help laughing too.
The Music Master's cane couldn't actually hurt him. He'd only been humoring the old man.
Still, Jolian couldn't help wondering: the performance hadn't been very good, so why were the audience members so happy?
"Because this is music, you little brat!"
The Music Master stopped swinging his cane, planted it on the floor,