Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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Just because someone looks like an Emperor doesn’t mean they can use all the techniques of an Emperor.

The skills honed and perfected over a lifetime by a person really boil down to just that.

You can’t just copy the surface and expect to replicate the essence.

Even if it’s called God’s Body, there are limits to that power.

The reason I’m rambling like this is that we’re currently losing.

‘…The Deputy is tied up by Scipio, and just because there’s voice magic doesn’t mean you can penetrate earplugs. The Mad King using magic is unexpected but not surprising. His heart provides an infinite amount of magic power.’

—The only remaining variable now is the Mad King’s brain power.

So, let’s think in the opposite direction. Do we have any cards left?

Common sense would suggest no.

Right now, we’re using all our strength just dealing with the Mad King and his deputy. We’re in no position for leisure. It’s not the time to save our cards.

But if we can just buy enough time…

I shifted my gaze toward Nisha and Propertyius, who were down.

They’re fundamentally clergy.

They might look a bit unruly on the surface, and they’ve even lived the life of adventurers, but they’re clergy nonetheless.

‘In other words, if I can buy enough time, they can recover on their own.’

I could gamble on directly casting healing through my melody, but reinforcements usually show up when the enemy least expects them, yielding the best results.

I dodged the Mad King’s attacks while slowly racking my brains.

I said “attacks,” but calling them that is almost embarrassing. He wasn’t even aiming at me; I was merely avoiding the shockwaves caused by Fura and Skylar fighting the Mad King.

It’s not that the shrimp gets crushed in a whale fight; it’s that I’m just not strong.

All I can manage is to keep my own life intact.

Skylar and Fura were starting to buckle.

They weren’t even classes suited for close combat in the first place.

They were forced to engage in a chicken game, expending scrolls and stamina.

My ears were ringing, and my mouth felt dry. Even as I kept track of my opponent’s movements with my eyes, there was nothing I could do. I was powerless.

My fingertips were trembling. If no variables appeared like this, our defeat would be set in stone.

Bang—!

With a loud noise, Skylar and Fura crashed into the city walls with the defensive barrier.

The distance from the city center to the walls was quite significant.

It would take time to regroup.

Even if they flew over ignoring the terrain, it would be the same.

Simply swinging a sword is enough to push the caster back alongside the barrier.

Who exactly are we up against?

Only then could I properly assess the situation.

Isn’t that the kind of figure you encounter in games when you experience a forced loss event? It felt like I’d buckle.

“You can think of what I can think. My brain is someone else’s.”

“……”

I fell silent.

I didn’t want to give him any assurance by speaking up.

Eyal probably knew that I was counting on Nisha and Propertyius for support.

Our last glimmer of hope was too obvious.

But is he still… uncertain?

Or is he just poking fun at me for formality?

‘No, he might already be certain.’

But what does “my brain is someone else’s” even mean? Is that a bluff? Or is it the truth?

I couldn’t tell. My mind went blank.

The opponent was filled with confidence and certainty while I was mired in distrust and doubt.

This was the first time I felt defeated by someone concerning self-esteem or pride.

Questions were arising.

Why is he going along with this when he knows? —that sort of question.

—

[ Summoning – The Moon, Ruthless Queen of the Night ]

[ NEW! ] [Possibility Search Complete ]

—

…For now, I’ve got one insurance policy.

If things go south, I can just pass everything onto another personality or another version of myself from a different world and make my escape.

Sorry about that, but I’m leaving it to you!

‘It’s a last resort, but.’

Let’s work my still-functioning brain a bit harder. No human is without weakness, and if such a human existed, they’d be a god.

Naturally, since the Mad King isn’t a god, he would paradoxically have weaknesses too.

What if he doesn’t?

…Is that death for daring to challenge a god?

Just like usual, let’s grab the lute and sing.

If a god sings of anger, shouldn’t a poet and bard duly record that anger?

I let my melody resonate.

The song was [ Healing ].

Well, since it seems the opponent has figured it out, it’s all or nothing now. It was time to gamble. Maybe I truly do like gambling like Skylar said.

“Are you doing it?”

“Yeah. I am. What’s your move?”

“You’ve changed quite a bit from when I first saw you. Such a lack of manners.”

“I thought you were a high and mighty figure when I first saw you, so I was a bit cautious. But since you directly mentioned abandoning your territory and people, you’re just a regular person, right? Isn’t that so?”

“…That’s true.”

“Well then, you’re trash.”

“Ha.”

The Mad King chuckled.

I guess he found it amusing, though it was quite absurd.

Even without dice correction and choices, it seems my mouth is effective in making people angry.

Hmm, if he wanted, I could use my mouth in another way to lighten the mood, but I wouldn’t want to.

Maybe I’m just letting loose with some absurd jokes to ease the tension.

I really don’t seem to be in my right mind.

“I wanted to collect you as a beautiful toy, but my mindset has changed a bit.”

“Oh really? If you apologize now, will you let me join your collection?”

“No.”

“…What a pity.”

“If I cut off your arms and legs and tongue so you can only scream and moan, maybe that would be acceptable.”

“Even as a king, you still insist on being polite? The way you speak and act is so low-class that raising your tone only makes it seem further from the mark.”

The Mad King didn’t appear to be angry on the surface.

He might be skilled at hiding his emotions; his expression didn’t change at all.

Or maybe he simply doesn’t care about anything other than himself.

As I rubbed Eyal the wrong way, Skylar and Fura returned.

And, right behind me, was Eyal.

…He moved the moment my eyes wandered.

I know that a moment of negligence can cost one’s life, but honestly, that’s just unfair.

My eyes can track all movements.

They were specially designed for just that.

Being a part of God’s Body means being superior to others’ bodies.

The Mad King had spent ages using his brain and knew this fact better than anyone, so he seized the moment when my gaze slipped away from him.

Smart.

But I don’t think divine brainpower boosts intelligence.

He was still within human limits.

Even if he got close, I had one countermeasure.

That was the sword hidden in my bosom.

It’s slower than Eyal, but that’s fine. He was close enough for me to reach.

What I had to do was catch him. Bind him here, so my allies would have time to arrive.

The melody of [ Healing ], already in place, reached Nisha and Propertyius while Eyal was distracted. The battle was about to get even harder.

I put my life on the line for quite a significant gain for my gamble.

‘If I can just survive, that’d be perfect.’

Unfortunately, that seems impossible.

Skylar, honestly, I didn’t gamble on this because I wanted to die.

You know?

With that expression, it’s making me not want to die a little more.

He shouted towards me.

It sounded like he was calling my name.

But the words didn’t come through clearly.

I looked down.

A sword was protruding from between my ribs.

With shaking hands, I grasped the handle of the sword. I drew the one concealed at my waist and thrust it behind my cloak.

The Mad King, Eyal, smoothly… dodged me as if mocking, grabbing my sword.

And that was it; my sword shattered.

“…That was an expensive sword. You can’t just break it without compensation.”

“In a situation like this, it’s quite a thing to say. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. Your companions will all die, but I’m quite interested in beautiful things. Look at my deputy. Isn’t he quite similar?”

“I’m way better than him.”

The Mad King frowned ever so slightly before pulling out the sword.

I breathed.

Air wasn’t going into my lungs.

My chest felt hollow.

And I mean that literally.

Blood was pouring from my mouth.

My body felt cold, and my vision was fading.

I could see the status window.

—

[ Summoning – The Moon, Ruthless Queen of the Night ]

[ Summoning – The Light of the Sky is Everyone’s Star ]

—

The last resort.

The final gamble.

To entrust myself to others and pass on responsibility.

The only method available to a useless person like me.

Which is to call upon the capable me.