Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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Skylar was sensitive to smells.

No, to put it more accurately, he couldn’t help but be sensitive to them.

Thousands of years have passed, and during that time, human senses have evolved.

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

They naturally honed specific senses for survival, while intentionally dulling others.

The old documents of the guild recorded: “An adventurer’s senses are their lifeline. However, not all senses are useful.”

This was especially true when it came to smell.

Adventurers sometimes spent weeks or even months in the wild. They had to face all kinds of odors.

The stench of rotting corpses, the foul scent of monsters, and above all… they had to fight against the odors 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 with them and found their own methods, like mud baths or milk baths.

Particularly after the research results of wizards were announced, the situation changed significantly. With the Mage Tower’s official declaration that “Bathing is merely a superstition,” bathing culture gradually began to establish itself among adventurers.

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

It was blood scent.

A smell that was both metallic and sweet, yet curiously fragrant with life… Skylar reacted particularly sensitively to that special scent.

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

But Skylar knew. He recalled the weak appearances Selina had recently shown him.

“…Selina?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Her voice trembled.

It was an unstable tone that Selina would never normally show.

Skylar remembered her awkward demeanor he had seen in the wagon.

At that time, just like now, there was a sense of instability around her. Her cautious attitude resembled that of a fragile glass dish, and her usual boldness had completely vanished, leaving only restlessness.

“…”

“Why?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Skylar bit his lip slightly.

He didn’t usually like to pry into other people’s secrets. During his long years as a wizard, he had painfully realized how important it was to respect someone’s privacy.

But this time was different.

Physical beings are drawn to each other. But once a physical being dies, there’s no way to find anything. Therefore… for Skylar’s goal, Selina had to survive for as long as possible.

To confront the bygone karma he had lost, he needed a body.

However, he himself didn’t quite understand why he was so concerned about Selina, whom he thought of as special. He could only guess that it was simply because she resembled ‘her.’

He buried another small reason behind the big one: the wish that someone he knew wouldn’t die right in front of him.

Creak.

The door opened a bit more.

Selina’s face was partially visible. The usual confident and rugged impression was nowhere to be found; her face looked somehow pale.

The blood scent grew stronger.

“What’s going on?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“You’re making me curious.”

The sight of her peeking through the door was unbelievably cute.

Like a frightened rabbit, she cautiously poked her head out, a stark contrast to her usual rough and bold image.

‘No, not rough and bold…’

Skylar mentally corrected himself. Selina was not just rough; in some respects, she resembled a ‘man.’ There weren’t many reckless fools among those who enjoyed dangerous adventures like Selina.

But right now, she was different.

She seemed to be shy like a maiden, desperately trying to hide her room from view.

“Open up.”

“Uh?”

“Don’t you feel uncomfortable talking like this?”

“….”

“Open up.”

Skylar’s voice rose a tone. He was surprised himself. It was not his usual calm and rational tone, but a sharp tone laden with emotion.

If someone were to ask how he viewed her, he would probably say she was someone whose death would make sleeping arrangements awkward.

At best, she was merely a tool to reconnect with his lost karma, a brief companion in a long journey, a woman strangely resembling his family.

Yet, the heart he thought he had already lost was stirring deep inside him.

His chest tightened with a mix of anger and worry.

He was angry that she was hiding something from him, a secret she couldn’t even share with herself.

Surely, reason was screaming that he viewed her as a tool, a companion, and an outsider.

Yet, the heart he thought he had lost was raging at him. It was angry she had concealed something important from him…

“No, now is a bad time—”

Skylar could no longer hold back.

Reason can sometimes be utterly powerless in the face of an emotional storm.

He tightened his grip on the doorknob.

He pushed.

It was a moment.

Against Selina’s resistance, the door opened easily.

Normally, she possessed a strength that could rival his, but now it was different. It was as if she had exhausted all her energy or suffered some serious injury; her strength was weaker than usual.

And Skylar saw it.

It was a moment that felt like time had stopped.

On the bed lay blood-stained clothes scattered about chaotically. The stains glistened a darker red under the moonlight. And in the middle of it all…

Was Selina standing there, completely unclothed.

Desperately trying to cover her nakedness with her arms.

“…Ah.”

A small gasp escaped Skylar’s lips.

At that moment, he realized the enormity of his mistake. Lured by the blood scent, he had worried about her and made a fatal error.

The moonlight was indifferent.

The soft light filtering through the window perfectly captured the moment like stage lighting. Selina’s pale skin, her flushed face, and the blood-stained clothes on the bed.

“…”

Silence filled the room.

As if time had frozen, no one moved.

“No, that wasn’t my intention—”

For the first time in his life, Skylar stuttered.

It was a clumsy excuse coming from someone who had lived for two hundred years.

He was surprised himself. His usual logical and cold analysis of the situation seemed completely paralyzed at this moment.

Selina remained with her eyes tightly shut. Her face was growing redder by the second.

Was it anger? Shame? Or a complex emotion that mixed the two?

Skylar tried to explain his actions.

Why he opened the door, what he was worried about, how much the blood scent troubled him… but that was the typical way of a wizard.

Wizards try to explain everything with reason and logic. They never understood a woman’s heart. Skylar was no exception.

“Get out—!”

A cry erupted like an explosion.

For the first time, Selina, who had never genuinely been upset with him, exploded with anger.

It was a loud enough noise that could be heard throughout the inn.

Soon after, there was a murmur from the nearby rooms.

The sounds of doors opening and closing, footsteps in the corridor.

Skylar was pushed out of the room and stumbled into the hallway.

The stares of the other guests in the vicinity were piercing.

Their expressions seemed to say, “Looks like a pervert.”

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

And an irreversible moment.

Even if he regretted it, it was too late.

*

–

Current state: Alive…

–

He couldn’t bear to look any longer and closed the status window.

He had to face reality.

I am not a woman.

This much was clear. At least in spirit.

Even if this body belonged to a female, my soul and memories were undeniably male. This much he was sure of.

But right now…

The cold moonlight brushed against his bare skin, making his body shiver. The previous situation flashed before him like a nightmare. Skylar’s astonished gaze, and the scene he had witnessed…

He took a deep breath.

An ancient sage once advised that when difficult situations arise, one should try to think from the other person’s perspective.

Let’s think inversely. If a man shows his naked body to a woman, he feels the same embarrassment and shame.

This emotion isn’t because I feel like a woman, but it is a natural human feeling.

‘No, in that situation, the woman might file a complaint.’

Why is the man, who was naked, considered the perpetrator instead of the woman who saw him naked?

It requires a lengthy explanation.

‘More importantly, earlier… I screamed like a complete girl…’

No. There was room for excuses here.

It was undoubtedly my fault for opening the door without changing clothes while being naked. However, the error of Skylar forcibly opening the door was greater. This was clear.

Yes. It’s all Skylar’s fault. If I just shift all the blame onto him, that would be it.

Sitting on the bed, I stared at the ceiling.

I could see shadows created by moonlight dancing along the walls. And like those dancing shadows, the thoughts in my head were spinning chaotically.

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. It felt like I was realizing something significant.

‘…Did I have any clothes on now?’

I slowly glanced around. Blood-stained clothes were thrown on the bed. And that was all.

I realized that aside from the basic gear I received when I first arrived in this world, I had no other clothes whatsoever.

Along with the embarrassing fact that I had never done laundry until now.

‘So that’s why I felt so grungy lately.’

But now wasn’t the time to reflect on my hygiene. There was something more urgent.

With trembling hands, I opened the status window.

–

Current state: Alive…

–

I immediately closed the status window from view.

The black skirt was at least less conspicuous for blood, and I could just take off the socks. But…

The problem was the panties.

In fact, medieval women didn’t wear underwear, making ‘no panties’ historically accurate.

Historically, medieval women did not wear underwear. That’s a historical fact.

But this world was not simply medieval; it was a fantasy ‘game’ world. At the very least, it had to pass minimal censorship, so, panties existed in this world.

Thus, wandering around without panties in this world was an act of being branded a ‘slut.’

I am not a slut.

At least, I didn’t want to be treated that way.

I felt like screaming.

Moonlight gently illuminated the lace curtain hanging by the window, casting a dim light in the room.

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

Was it the prank of fate? The only choice I had was to wait for Skylar to knock on this door again.

However, it was impossible to saunter down the inn’s cramped hallway in such inappropriate attire.

‘Wait a minute, can’t I just run for it?’

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 the thought of it made my face flush.

Time passed cruelly slowly. The moonlight visible outside grew dimmer, and the cold dawn air seeped into the room.

I curled up beneath the blanket, waiting for Skylar.

.
.
.

As sunlight gradually brightened from outside, morning arrived. The sounds of guests moving about in the corridor began to emerge. But none of those footsteps stopped in front of my room.

Skylar did not come.

I pulled the blanket up to my face, letting out a desperate sigh. Now it had truly become an emergency.

The chilly dawn air swirled in the room, and I was left alone in this awkward situation, pondering my next move.

‘…Skylar, help me.’