Surviving as a Trash Bard in a Game

Skyler was sensitive to smells.

No, to be precise, he had no choice but to become sensitive to smells.

Over thousands of years, human senses had evolved.

Among them, the senses of adventurers had developed in a particularly unique direction.

For survival, they naturally sharpened certain senses and deliberately dulled others.

The old documents of the guildhall recorded this: 'An adventurer's senses are their lifeline. But not all senses are equally useful.'

This was especially true when it came to smell.

Adventurers sometimes had to spend weeks, sometimes months, in the wild. They had to face all kinds of smells.

The stench of rotting corpses, the disgusting body odor of monsters, and above all... they had to battle the smell emanating from their own bodies.

'A clean adventurer is a dead adventurer.' This was a common joke heard in the guild.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Some noble-born adventurers carried portable perfumes or special soaps, and some even found their own methods, like mud baths or milk baths.

Especially after the research results of the mages were announced, the situation changed a lot. After the official declaration from the Magic Tower that 'bathing is not harmful to health, it's just a superstition,' the culture of bathing gradually began to take root among adventurers.

Anyway, despite this long explanation, the essence remained the same.

It was the scent of blood.

A fishy yet sweet, metallic yet strangely life-like scent... Skyler was particularly sensitive to this special smell.

It wasn't just because he was an adventurer. Right now, at this moment, the scent of blood seeping through the crack of Selina's door was so faint that other adventurers would never have noticed it.

But Skyler knew. Recently, Selina had shown him her weak sides.

"...Selina?"

"Y-yes?"

Her voice trembled.

It was an unstable tone that Selina would never have shown in normal circumstances.

Skyler recalled her awkward appearance in the carriage.

Back then, there was also an unstable energy, just like now. A cautious attitude, like a fragile glass bowl, her usual bold appearance completely gone, replaced by a fidgety demeanor.

"..."

"What?"

"No, it's nothing."

Skyler bit his lip slightly.

He originally didn't like digging into other people's secrets. Over the long years as a mage, he had learned the hard way how important it was to respect someone's privacy.

But this time was different.

Beings with bodies are drawn to each other. However, after a being with a body dies, there is no way to find it. Therefore... for Skyler's purpose, Selina had to survive as long as possible.

To face the old karma he had lost, he needed a body.

He himself didn't know why he considered Selina special and cared for her. He only guessed that it was because she resembled 'her'.

He hid another small reason behind the big reason that he didn't want someone he knew to die in front of him.

Creak.

The door opened a little more.

Selina's face was visible at an angle. Her usual confident and rough impression was nowhere to be seen, and her face looked somewhat pale.

The scent of blood became stronger.

"What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing, I said."

"You're making me curious."

Her appearance visible through the crack in the door was unbelievably cute.

Like a frightened rabbit cautiously sticking its head out, it was so different from her usual rough and bold image.

'No, rather than rough and bold...'

Skyler corrected his thoughts. Selina wasn't just rough; in some ways, she was 'manly'. Among the men who risked their lives for adventure, there were few as reckless and foolish as Selina.

But now she was different.

Like a virgin, she was shy and trying hard not to show her room.

"Open it."

"Huh?"

"Isn't it uncomfortable to talk like this?"

"..."

"Open it, I said."

Skyler's voice rose a tone. He was surprised himself. It wasn't his usual calm and rational tone, but a sharp tone filled with emotion.

If asked how he felt about her, he would say he considered her someone whose death would make him uncomfortable.

At best, a tool to meet his karma again, a short companion on a long journey, a woman who strangely resembled his family.

But the heart he thought he had already lost was beating deep in his chest.

His chest tightened with a mixture of anger and worry.

He was angry that she was hiding something, that she was keeping aHe was angry that she was hiding something, that she was keeping a secret that she couldn't even confide in him.

Reason was clearly telling him to see her as a tool, a companion, a stranger.

But the heart he had already lost was raging inside him. He was angry that she was hiding something important from him... angry.

"No, now is a bit difficult—"

Skyler couldn't hold back any longer.

Reason is sometimes utterly helpless in the face of a storm of emotions.

His hand, gripping the doorknob, tightened.

He pushed.

It happened in an instant.

The door opened easily, Selina's resistance futile.

Normally, she would have had a weak strength comparable to Skyler's, but now it was different. As if her stamina was depleted, or as if she had suffered a major injury, her strength was weaker than usual.

And Skyler saw.

It was a moment where time seemed to stand still.

On the bed, blood-stained clothes were scattered haphazardly. The stains, wet with moonlight, shone even more crimson. And in the middle of it all...

Selina, standing there completely naked.

Her arms desperately covering her bare body.

"...Ah."

A small gasp escaped Skyler's lips.

Only then did he seem to realize the magnitude of his mistake. A fatal mistake, driven by the scent of blood and his concern for her.

The moonlight was indifferent.

The faint rays of light seeping through the window perfectly captured the moment, like a spotlight illuminating a stage. Selina's pale skin, her flushed face, and the blood-stained clothes on the bed.

"..."

Silence filled the room.

As if time had stopped, no one moved.

"No, that, this wasn't my intention."

Skyler stammered, for the first time in his life.

It was a clumsy excuse coming from the mouth of a mage who had lived for two hundred years.

He was surprised himself. His reason, which had always analyzed situations logically and coldly, seemed to be completely paralyzed at this moment.

Selina still had her eyes tightly closed. Her face was getting redder and redder.

Was it anger? Shame? Or a complex mixture of both?

Skyler tried to explain his actions.

Why he opened the door, what he was worried about, how the scent of blood made him uneasy... but that was the typical way of thinking of a mage.

Mages who try to explain everything with reason and logic. They could never understand the heart of a woman. Skyler was no exception.

"Get out—!"

A shout that exploded.

She, who had never been truly angry with him before, unleashed her anger for the first time.

It was loud enough to be heard throughout the inn.

Soon, there were murmurs from the surrounding rooms.

The sound of doors opening and closing, footsteps walking down the hallway.

Skyler stumbled out of the room, pushed by Selina's strength.

The piercing gazes of the other guests were directed at him.

Their eyes seemed to say, 'He's a pervert.'

His steps back to his room were heavy. An absurd mistake.

And an irreversible moment.

It was too late for regrets.

***

-

Current Status: Peri...

-

I couldn't bear to look any further and closed the status window.

I had to face reality.

I am not a woman.

This much was certain. At least in spirit.

Even though this body was that of a woman, my soul and memories were clearly those of a man. This much I could be sure of.

But now...

I shivered as the cold moonlight caressed my bare skin. The situation from a moment ago replayed in my mind like a nightmare. Skyler's surprised eyes, and the scene he must have witnessed...

I took a deep breath.

The ancient sages said that when faced with a difficult situation, one should try to put oneself in the other person's shoes.

Let's think about it the other way around. Men also feel shame and embarrassment when their naked bodies are seen by women.

This feeling is not because I am a woman, but a natural human emotion.

'No, in that situation, he might get sued by the woman.'

Why is the man who was naked the perpetrator and not the woman who saw him naked?

It's a bit long to explain.

'But earlier... I screamed... like a complete woman...'

No. There was an excuse for this.

It was definitely my fault for opening the door naked instead of changing into other clothes. But Skyler's fault for forcing the door open was greater. This was clear.

Yes. It's all Skyler's fault. I could just shift the blame entirely onto him.

I sat on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

I could see the shadows created by the moonlight dancing on the wall. And just like those dancing shadows, my mind was also dancing in a dizzying mess.

Then, suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. I felt like I had realized something important.

'...Do I even have clothes right now?'

I slowly looked around. The blood-stained clothes were thrown on the bed. And that was it.

I realized that apart from the basic equipment I received when I first came to this world, I didn't have a single other piece of clothing.

At the same time, I also realized the embarrassing fact that I hadn't done laundry even once.

'Was that why my body felt so icky lately?'

But now was not the time to reflect on hygiene. There was something more urgent.

With trembling hands, I opened the status window.

-

Current Status: Me…

-

I immediately closed the status window from my sight.

The black skirt was relatively less noticeable when it came to blood, and I could just take off the socks. But...

The problem was the panties.

Historically speaking, women in the Middle Ages did not wear underwear. That is a historical fact.

However, this was not just a simple medieval setting, but a fantasy 'game' world. It had to pass at least a minimal level of censorship, and that's why panties existed in this world.

In other words, walking around without panties in this world was an act that would get you branded as a 'slut'.

I am not a slut.

At least, I didn't want to be treated as one.

I felt like screaming.

The moonlight passed through the lace curtains hanging by the window, faintly illuminating the room.

I lay alone on the bed, sighing as I reflected on this absurd situation.

Was it a twist of fate? The only option I had was to wait for Skyler to knock on this door again.

However, I couldn't possibly walk around the inn's narrow corridor in such an inappropriate state.

'Wait a minute, what if I just run really fast?'

I shook my head at the reckless thought that flashed through my mind.

No matter how I thought about it, it was a dangerous gamble. If I ran into someone... just thinking about it made my face burn.

Time passed slowly, as if mocking me. The moonlight visible through the window gradually faded, and the cold air of dawn seeped into the room.

I curled up under the covers and waited for Skyler.

.

.

.

The sunlight shining through the window gradually brightened, signaling the arrival of morning. I could hear the footsteps of the inn's guests in the corridor. But none of those footsteps stopped in front of my room.

Skyler did not come.

I pulled the blanket over my face and let out a desperate sigh. Now it had truly become an emergency.

The chilly air of early dawn filled the room, and I was left alone in this awkward situation, having to think about my next move.

'...Skyler, help me.'