Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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We had just exited the desert and arrived back at the gate, so we started planning our journey.

Since we had done this several times before, it was starting to feel familiar. I felt like a bit of a professional adventurer now.

“Skylar, you’re not seriously thinking of taking the wagon the entire way, are you?”

“Yep.”

“…Alright. So you finally decided to spend some money.”

“This trip has a time limit, so we need to gather as many Body Holders as possible within a year and persuade them to hunt the Mad King. We can’t forget our main goal.”

After laying Auris on the bed to keep Scipio from eavesdropping, I stepped outside.

Fura was curled up in the air, eyes closed, and since the Gray Cat couldn’t talk anyway, it was just Skylar and me who were participating in the meeting.

“Teleportation, how far can we go?”

“It’s not hard to set up a magic circle in the city, so if you want, we can head north right away.”

“Cool. So which cities can do teleportation?”

“A wizard capable of teleportation is different from someone who can just draw the magic circle. You can only find them in cities with branches of the Mage Tower, and they’re pricey.”

“Money shouldn’t be an issue, right?”

“Yep.”

“The fact that you’re dodging the question means there’s something you’re hiding or some kind of problem. Is it both this time?”

“I think you’re getting sharper. Selina.”

“Right on the nose.”

Skylar frowned.

It wasn’t directed at me.

It was just that a problem had arisen that he couldn’t solve on his own, hence the expression.

Maybe it’s because wizards tend to be cocky. The moment something doesn’t go their way, they show their annoyance.

He even sighed.

What on earth could have happened to provoke such a reaction?

“We talked about the Mage Tower before, right?”

“Yeah.”

“A huge organization that collects bodies.”

“…Ah, I see. So the Mage Tower is part of that faction?”

“Exactly. We can’t know how effective the Illusion Scrolls will be against other wizards until we face them ourselves, and even if we’re strong, it’s unrealistic to beat everyone from the Mage Tower.”

“But we have the Emperor backing us, right?”

“The Mage Tower has its own tower master backing them. The Empire, the Tower, and the Church have similar levels of power.”

So, to conveniently fly north using teleportation magic, we need… a Mage Tower that treats Body Holders reasonably, is so incompetent it doesn’t notice Skylar’s Illusion Scroll, and has a high-level wizard who can activate teleportation?

‘…That’s impossible.’

A wizard who can’t even recognize an Illusion Scroll but can activate teleportation.

A high-level but low-tier Mage Tower.

The reason the Mage Tower has split into various factions isn’t because of some noble respect for human rights, but more because of the wizards’ calculating nature.

Even if a Mage Tower with a wizard capable of activating teleportation was open-minded, how they’d react the moment a Body Holder pops up right in front of them is anyone’s guess.

“It’s time to gamble.”

“Selina.”

“Yeah?”

“Do bards usually enjoy gambling?”

“As far as I know, most bards have made a name for themselves through gambling.”

As I said this with a grin, Skylar chuckled softly too.

Watching us, Scipio threw in a casual remark.

“…You two suit each other.”

Skylar and I both jerked our heads around.

We both had our jaws clenched in annoyance.

But for some reason, our faces were turning red… I awkwardly turned away to avoid eye contact.

It felt like humidity was creeping in from somewhere.

Clearing my throat, I moved towards the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I spoke to Skylar, who was still at the desk.

I was talking from what I deemed a ‘safe’ distance.

If I talked too close, Scipio would tease us non-stop.

“It can’t be helped.”

“Yeah.”

“Skylar, how much can you hide with your Illusion Scroll?”

“I can’t hide the attraction between Body Holders, and it’s the same if they’re a wizard stronger than the current me.”

“…Gold Badge?”

“Yeah.”

Gold Badge.

It’s definitely not common, but you might get lucky and meet one. It’s ambiguous.

The tower’s master and his direct descendants are called Platinum, and those just below them are referred to as Cheat Trinitas.

I used to enjoy these complex rankings. Now they just give me a headache.

It’s different when it’s someone else’s story versus when it’s mine.

When I was just a player in a game, memorizing things was easy and fun. Now that I’ve fallen into this world, it’s nothing but complicated concepts that are hard to grasp.

Let’s simplify it: four tiers and three tiers.

Level 4 wizards are on par with Platinum adventurers, and Level 3 wizards are on par with Gold Badge adventurers.

“…They probably won’t notice right away.”

“For that, we’ll have to see for ourselves. Selina, as you know, even among adventurers of the same rank, their strengths can vary.”

“True.”

“It’s the same with wizards. Even among Gold Badge adventurers, some might never catch on while others might figure it out immediately.”

“It’s a continuous gamble.”

“Didn’t you just say a moment ago that you enjoy gambling?”

“…I won’t deny it.”

I do enjoy gambling. Specifically, I enjoy gambling when my chances of winning are high.

Yeah. To put it precisely, I like winning.

Anyone who enjoys losing or gets a thrill from gambling is a lunatic. Doctors who love labeling things would call it a sadist or even give it a fancy name like pleasure insensitivity.

It’s entirely different from trying to teleport without getting caught being a Body Holder in the Mage Tower.

Level 3 wizards can be commonly found in larger Mage Towers. How many disciples does the tower master have? How many more have disciples of those disciples? It’ll at least be over ten.

And the chances are high that a wizard capable of activating teleportation is linked to the tower master.

“Let’s find another way.”

“…Wizards without formal recognition might fail at teleportation.”

“If that happens, just bury me where the sunlight can reach.”

“I’d probably die with you. And if we truly fail, I won’t even be able to bury your body since it’ll be torn to shreds by ‘Hunting Dogs’ in the dimensional rift.”

“Hunting Dogs?”

“…Yeah. Worse than that crazy worm we saw in the desert.”

Hearing Skylar’s words, Scipio’s eyes sparkled with interest from behind.

‘…No way, right?’

There’s no way he’s thinking of picking a fight with a weird creature that can survive in the dimensional rift.

He’s just following the instincts of an adventurer; he can’t be that foolish.

“In the end, there’s only one way.”

“…Yeah.”

“It seems we’re thinking along the same lines.”

“Please, just go ahead and speak first.”

“We sneak into the Mage Tower and you actively activate the teleportation magic circle yourself.”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve said it yourself. A magic circle is a channel through which magic flows. In other words, it operates on a principle akin to a scroll. The challenge with teleportation is that the magic circle consumes immense magical power, is incredibly complex, and is concealed by the Mage Tower.”

“Selina, as you mentioned, if we have the magic circle, we can attempt to activate teleportation. However, the teleportation magic circle located in the north is also managed by the Mage Tower.”

“So even if we succeed in activating it, we would still end up being chased?”

“That’s accurate.”

“So what’s the plan? Are we really going to take over three months to return to the north? Is that your idea?”

The conversation felt far from over. Skylar.

You’re rigid, cautious, and dislike taking risks.

I know your nature by heart.

But right now, we need to make a choice.

My brain isn’t functioning right, so it’s on you. I trust you. Please repay that trust for my foolishness, Skylar.

Skylar fell deep into thought.

I just silently watched him, doing nothing, patiently.

Feeling my gaze, Skylar met my eyes.

Unlike earlier, there was no shyness making him look away. He was staring right back at me.

“…If I can just draw the magic circle, we’ll be able to move to the north. As long as I have the magic circle.”

Skylar’s eyes widened as if he had realized something.

His pupils sparkled.

He started pulling out all the scrolls from his pocket and laid them on the ground.

“Scrolls basically inscribe magic circles that channel power using special ink. They’re consumables created by the Mage Tower. In other words, they’re made from the same materials as the magic circles used and managed by the tower…”

The circuits inscribed on the scrolls began to connect.

If it can’t be done in 2D, stack them in 3D.

Layer the magic circles on top of each other. With dozens, even hundreds of simple scrolls for teleportation magic, we can shape it into existence.

“Since we don’t need to make a round trip, our magic circle can just be for ‘one way.’ Of course, that means we’ll need even more scrolls, but for now—”

“You’re a genius!”

I immediately jumped toward Skylar.

My body is light enough that I wouldn’t get hurt.

Skylar’s face collided with a rather peculiar part of my body.

My chest.

“…That hurt.”

“…No way!”

“I think something bony touched me.”

“No way, that can’t be!”

“Felt a bit soft for a moment—”

I gave Skylar’s head a good smack.

Damn brat.