Surviving as a Trash Bard in a Game

A girl… or rather, a woman, the color of straw.

Our eyes met, and I felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

The surroundings were suddenly filled with a golden light. Sunlight reflected off droplets and leaves, bathing the field in yellow. It looked like a wave of liquid gold.

The once dark forest was instantly illuminated. Even the sunlight couldn’t penetrate the dense foliage, but she stood there as if she shone brighter than the sun itself.

“Finally.”

“…?”

“I never thought it would take this long. Fate and coincidence can be so cruel.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hmm, the mind is clear and pure… no abnormalities in the body… even the eyes are fine. Although someone did cast an illusion on them.”

“Um, excuse me…”

Snap.

She snapped her fingers. I felt something attached to my eyes fly away.

The foreign sensation disappeared as if I had just removed contact lenses that I had been wearing for a long time, leaving only a refreshing feeling.

“Good. This color suits you better.”

“Hey, could you please listen to me…”

“Oh, I’m late in introducing myself. My name is… what was it? I forgot. Indeed, if someone else doesn’t call my name, I easily forget it. Should I have left a friend behind after all?”

She’s ignoring me from start to finish…

Although I was momentarily lost in the mysterious and overwhelming atmosphere, her human-like behavior made me feel a little less guarded.

I’m not sure what her true identity is, but for now, it seems like she doesn’t intend to harm me… I wonder if it’s okay.

More than that, I’m worried about Skyler. That kid, from the way he looks to the way he talks, is all sharp, but he’s also subtly kind and seems to care a lot.

Alright. Let’s make it clear.

“I don’t know who you are.”

“Has it been that long already? It has indeed been a while.”

“I have a companion. I’m going back. Please send me back.”

Honestly, I didn’t think she would grant my request with just a few words.

She must have had a reason to call me here. Seeing that the ‘judgment’ from the status window hasn’t appeared… does it mean that I can’t resist with my status?

If she had the intention to kill me, she’s had more than enough time to do so. There’s no need for her to ramble on to me.

In other words, she wants something from me.

Then, what does she want?

‘I’ll have to figure that out from now on.’

In this space, my mind seems to be working exceptionally well. There’s no sensation of my thoughts being clouded like they’re in a thick fog. In this space, I existed entirely as myself.

I don’t know how it happened… but for now, it’s a good thing.

“I can’t send you away. Once you’ve entered this space, you must return on your own.”

“Excuse me?”

“Because that’s what I was asked to do.”

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Didn’t you come here knowing about my instrument? Wait a minute, something’s off. I clearly entrusted this to a reliable friend who keeps his contracts well.”

“Instrument? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Ugh… where did it all go wrong?”

She’s been talking about things only she knows since earlier… I’m starting to get annoyed.

Assuming that the time outside flows the same as the time in this place, Skyler should have noticed that I’m gone by now.

Judging by his personality, he doesn’t seem like the type to leave me behind. I hate it when others are put in danger because of me.

I came along after deciding not to be a burden.

‘I wish she would just get to the point and send me back…’

“As I said before, you must return on your own.”

‘Are you reading my thoughts…’

“I apologize for not telling you in advance. I am but a mere bard who lived in the era of ancient myths. A passing minstrel.”

“…And?”

“I was looking for a human worthy of inheriting my instrument. My life was nearing its end, and I was a little impatient at the time.”

“…”

“So I made a decision. I asked the strongest magician I knew to place a blessing on the forest. Along with a rumor about my instrument.”

“But I’ve never heard any rumors about an instrument.”

“That guy was never good with words. It seems the rumor didn’t spread properly. Or perhaps so much time has passed that the rumor of a mere instrument has faded away.”

“A rumor, come to think of it, there was one.”

“Oh?”

“It was said that a bard, famous enough to be recorded in legends, asked their mage friend to cast a curse on the forest…”

After hearing my story, she remained silent for a moment.

I interpreted her expression as ‘serious,’ and I fell into worry, wondering if I had unknowingly touched a nerve.

But it seems my worries were unfounded.

She started laughing.

Very loudly.

After some time, her laughter finally stopped. A faint smile still lingered on her face, as if she had found something incredibly amusing.

“To think there are still people singing about me, it makes me feel… a little happy.”

“…”

“Anyway, I trapped myself in this forest to find someone to receive my instrument. You said it was a curse in the rumor you heard, but it’s a blessing.”

“What kind of blessing is it…?”

“The blessing placed on me and this forest is to never stop singing, forever remaining in this place until a suitable human appears.”

“That sounds like a curse.”

“Since your body is in that state, you’ll soon find out. If I were to tell you in advance… it’s that there’s not much difference between a curse and a blessing.”

“I don’t really understand.”

“Anyway! I can give you the instrument and finally disappear!”

“No, I, I don’t really understand.”

“Hmm? What part?”

She tilted her head as if she truly didn’t understand.

Honestly… there were so many questions.

‘First of all, why hasn’t a suitable human appeared in all these years?’

“That’s obviously… because of the nature of the bard profession.”

“Could you please stop reading my thoughts as you please?”

“How can I help it if I just hear them?”

“Ugh… Anyway, you said it’s because of the nature of the bard profession?”

“Fundamentally, being smart, money-loving, and cowardly are the essence of a ‘bard.’ To enter this forest, one must have lost their fear, be foolish enough to be enchanted by a song, and be more interested in the instrument than money… quite the demanding conditions, wouldn’t you say?”

“Well, I came in because of money. Me.”

“To enter this space, your desire for something other than money must be greater.”

…I think I understand.

Money was a means, not the goal.

Solve the request. Earn money. Buy items. Remove the penalty. Survive. Stay alive. Live and… return.

Yes. I want to live and return.

That’s my goal.

“I think I understand. But why such conditions…? If the conditions were a bit easier, I think the instrument would have found its owner long ago.”

“Ah, that’s because that’s my personality! I thought this guy would be happy to meet an owner similar to me, but it turns out my personality is really rare!”

‘This airhead has a similar personality to me… Ugh… I don’t like it.’

“Hey! Weren’t you just thinking something incredibly rude?”

“N-no, I wasn’t…”

“Yeah. Let’s go with that.”

“…”

“More importantly, you’re traveling with quite an interesting fellow, aren’t you? A sculpture? No… something other than a sculpture? I don’t know. Even after living for so many years, there are still things I don’t know. The world is truly full of surprises.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just think of it as the ramblings of an old woman. Besides… there are more pressing matters to discuss now.”

Her smiling expression turned serious. It was a bit fascinating, like watching a skilled stage actor. So I stared at her for a while longer.

The lute she had been carefully holding in her arms absorbed the light.

The radiant sun… or the starlight illuminating the dark night. The instrument, absorbing a light more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, transformed into various shapes I knew.

Thus, an exclamation escaped my lips without me even realizing it.

“…Ah.”

“This is an instrument with a will. It changes its form as the owner desires, creating different sounds, so the one who possesses this instrument will never feel the need for another.”

“W-wait a minute.”

“Hmm?”

“Are there no other effects? In legends, there are things like… swords that always win… you know, things like that!”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that. This is just an instrument. It only changes its form to other instruments as the owner wishes. The most useful feature is that it can be tuned to the desired tone just by moving your fingers.”

A brief silence followed.

The atmosphere was awkward.

It felt like I had just broken the mood right before something grand was about to happen.

‘I feel a bit… sorry.’

“There’s no need to be sorry. Rather, I’m the peculiar one for asking to place a blessing on the entire forest just to pass on an instrument like this to someone similar to me.”

“…”

“I’ll ask you one last question. This is a qualification. Proof that you are a bard.”

“Yes?”

“There’s no need to be so nervous. It would be a bit sad if the instrument was passed on but never played. I just want you to prove that you are a bard.”

“Yes.”

“What do you desire?”

Upon hearing that question, I felt as if my heart had stopped.

No, to be precise, it felt as if the world had stopped.

Even before being possessed by the game, I honestly didn’t have any particular goals.

At most, it was just about getting by day by day.

Yes. Even back then, I was just living each identical day without any meaning, aiming to survive.

But this time, I wanted to live with meaning.

The goal was still the same. Survive. And return.

However, something had changed. The goal remained the same, but the process was different. There’s no point in surviving without any meaning.

If possible… in this extraordinary situation of surviving in another world… I want to live an extraordinary life.

Did I hate my ordinary self?

I don’t know.

I don’t think I hated it.

Still, wouldn’t an extraordinary life be better than an ordinary one?

That’s all I thought.

My answer is.

“I want to survive.”

“As what?”

“As a bard…”

“You… want attention, don’t you? Your thoughts are quite something. I like it!”

“Huh?”

“It’s okay. No need to be so embarrassed. No matter how much time passes, people with the bard profession never change. Even if they don’t care about money, aren’t afraid, and become less intelligent… the essence is always the same.”

“…”

“Bards are ultimately attention seekers!”

After saying that, she disappeared.

As if I had been in a long dream, I woke up in the dark forest.

…Narcolepsy? Was it just a dream? An illusion?

‘I think narcolepsy was triggered, though…’

What brought certainty to my doubts was… the new lute placed carefully in my arms.

The lute I had been carrying on my back was gone.

Or rather, did the lute I was carrying change into a new form?

I don’t know.

“–Selina!”

“Ah…”

“Where on earth did you go?! Don’t tell me you followed the song? Even after I warned you so many times.”

“No, I’m sorry. I suddenly felt sleepy…”

“Haa…”

Skyler sighed and looked at me.

I simply responded with a smile.

It was time to go home.

The singing no longer reached my ears.

But it hadn’t disappeared.

The song was simply lingering at my fingertips.

“Let’s go back.”

“We didn’t do anything in the end! Let’s split the request fee 8:2! If you have any conscience!”

“Ugh…”

I have nothing to say.