Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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The wagon was as quiet as the deepening night.

Pale moonlight seeped through the window, and Skylar was still deeply asleep, as usual, despite the strange presence.

I moved silently like a thief, wrapping the milk and bread in paper and placing them in my bag. The warm milk still radiated warmth to my fingertips, making it difficult to resist the temptation.

“…It’s late.”

I thought I hadn’t been caught, but it seemed I was found out. No, I was definitely found out.

Skylar spoke to me in a soft voice.

I was floundering to come up with an explanation when I realized that Skylar’s words weren’t continuing. That’s right. He was mumbling in his sleep.

‘…That’s a relief.’

Not wanting to wake a sleeping person for no reason, I did my best to move quietly and finally laid down on the floor of the wagon.

The driver, sitting on the driver’s bench, was still awake but was silent, as if he were nonexistent.

Is he on guard duty?

“Right now, it’s too late. It’s already…”

Skylar still had his eyes closed. He frowned in his sleep, muttering words I didn’t understand, which bothered me slightly.

This was a side I had never seen from him during our travels.

I always went to bed first, and he was the one who got up first. Upon reflection, this was the second time I’d seen Skylar in such an unguarded state.

The first time was, of course, right after he teleporting and lost consciousness.

I felt a bit curious. I might get labeled as having a bad hobby, but I was intrigued. Why was Skylar’s sleep filled with such torment?

I moved a little closer and listened to his mumblings.

“I wish you hadn’t died.”

…What does that mean?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer. The only thing I could ascertain was that someone Skylar had lost always appeared in his dreams.

It’s quite common to dream of someone precious who has passed away.

However, it’s rare for that precious person to appear in dreams every day. And it’s certainly not common for the moment of their death to be repeated night after night.

If such things happened frequently, the world would indeed be a terrible sight.

How much time had passed since then?

I realized that the people who appeared in Skylar’s dreams were not just one person.

“You, you, and you too. Everyone is gone, leaving only me behind. Now, there are less than ten of us left from the old expedition team, including me.”

—That was too detailed.

As if someone was intentionally showing me Skylar’s vulnerable side. His sleep talking was too intricate, too calm and long to be merely dismissed as sleep talking.

Yeah. There’s something artificial and forced about it.

I definitely felt this way before.

‘…It feels similar to when I chose an option in the status window.’

I felt a bit chill. Despite that, I kept my distance from Skylar.

Eavesdropping on someone else’s secret isn’t a good idea. If I were the one who made him speak or remember… even worse.

I closed my eyes and blocked my ears.

After a while, I finally sank into sleep.

–

1. [Can’t wake up.]

2. [Can’t wake up.]

3. [Can’t wake up.]

.

.

.

99. [Can’t wake up.]

–

And as I fell asleep, I found myself facing a blue window in a dark, black room.

*

As dawn approached, Skylar opened his eyes.

In the faint morning light, his gaze wandered around.

Selina was deeply asleep with her back turned in a corner. Her breathing was the only sign of life, quietly echoing.

Skylar let out a quiet sigh.

‘Looks like I came back late yesterday after all.’

No matter how much he insisted, it seemed he ultimately failed to regulate his condition.

With a sigh, Skylar decided to postpone his schedule to the next day. He could just give a little extra to the driver.

While planning an unplanned visit to the Adventurer’s Guild, he briefly considered waking Selina. But waking someone exhausted was not a wise choice.

Although he appeared to be a cold wizard on the outside, he cared for others more than he let on.

‘Especially if I think about the recent events…’

He might have been hiding it, but given that he’d seen her cough up blood twice now, it was already impossible to keep it a secret.

No matter how much she tried to hide it, after witnessing her spit blood twice, it could no longer be called a secret. In Skylar’s mind, Selina had taken on the image of a frail, unfortunate bard with a peculiar temperament. Only one of those evaluations was close to the truth, but who could know that?

‘Let’s finish a useful request from the guild quickly and make some money.’

Skylar started walking toward the guild.

As soon as he opened the guild doors, Skylar was met with a familiar face. It took no time at all for him to recognize it. An unforgettable face, the mediator of his first meeting with Selina.

When he first met Selina, it felt a bit strange to say thanks, but thanks to that, his first impression was a good one.

“Harun.”

“It’s been a while. How’s the bard?”

“…Did you meet him?”

“Yeah. I met him yesterday. Didn’t you come to hear the story?”

“Unfortunately, I heard nothing. It’s already 11 o’clock, and he’s still asleep.”

“Well, since it’s been a while, shall we catch up?”

“There’s time for that. But don’t you think there are more valuable activities than just sitting and chatting? For instance…”

“Just in case someone says you’re not a wizard, you’re fixated on efficiency. Fine. I’ll do one quest with you.”

“That sounds good.”

Although there weren’t any requests on the board, that wasn’t a problem.

If he chatted suitably with the receptionist, they would likely find a request somewhere.

Even in such a peaceful village that could be called a resort, there were always people in need of an adventurer’s help.

As the sun began to set, they finished their quest in the forest near the village.

Dealing with a few monsters that had been ravaging crops, along with some wild boars and moles, was all there was to it.

The pay wasn’t plentiful, but it was enough to be called a day’s wage. They returned to the guild with satisfied steps.

In the dim hall of the guild, Harun ordered drinks and bread.

The beer in the mug spoke for its quality just by its color and foam. It was such poor liquor that even saying it was good would be a compliment.

‘…It can’t be helped.’

This type was all that could be found in a rural village. One had to be grateful for even that. Skylar began to raise the mug without a single complaint.

Just as he tried to grab the handle of the mug,

[Grab.]

Someone clutched Skylar’s mug.

“Harun, what are you doing?”

“You’re not an adult yet.”

In reality, Skylar was an adult.

The fact that he appeared like a child needed a longer explanation.

But that wasn’t a story he could share with others. Ultimately, all he could do was glare at Harun with sharp eyes.

“Ha…”

“Drink when you’re a bit older, kid.”

“My adventurer career is longer than yours.”

“Yeah. Fine, I get it. This is confiscated.”

“Why didn’t you mention that when I ordered it?”

“If I did, there would have only been one drink left.”

Harun grinned and downed his own mug in one go, then snatched Skylar’s cup and dragged it over to himself.

Skylar had thought of Harun as quite a decent person until now.

Though he found it strange that Harun came on to Selina right after they first met, he thought of him as a decent adventurer after solving a quest together near the Singing Woods.

However, that image was now shattering and transforming into a pathetic adult.

The night deepened.

The sky, which had earlier revealed its bare face, was now clad in black satin and dotted with jewels. The moon concealed itself behind dark clouds. Only then did Skylar remember the person he left alone in the wagon.

Hurrying to the wagon, he met the driver, who was still awake with sparkling eyes.

After a light exchange of glances, Skylar turned to the back of the wagon and froze.

What he saw was Selina, still deep in sleep, not having woken up. This was plainly abnormal.

“Selina?”

He cautiously placed his hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. A compulsive fear that he shouldn’t harm her. This feeling felt like someone had forcibly injected it into him—

No, right now, there was something even more important.

Why couldn’t she wake up?

Was there a way to wake her?

What reason was there for her to be in this state?

The answers lay obscured in the darkness.

In the end, all he could do was wait.