Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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I turned my head to look back.

There was nothing there.

‘…Am I imagining things?’

No, the white feather that fell from the sky was definitely in my hand. It wasn’t just an illusion; it was real.

“That’s not it.”

It was a refreshing, cool voice. It had a different vibe from what I associated with my own desires for attraction, allure, and protection.

Slowly, I shifted my gaze to the source of the voice.

There was a blue girl, floating in mid-air, watching us.

Blue hair, blue eyes, white skin. And… white wings.

I honestly didn’t think the wing bones would actually be real.

“The Moon’s Bard?”

“Yes?”

“There has been a certain presence stirring up the cities at dawn recently. A peculiar girl who starts performing as soon as it dawns. I expected someone on her route would come straight here, but I never thought she’d be with you.”

“I’m not quite sure whom you’re talking about…”

“…Is it not?”

“Yes.”

“That’s odd. I anticipated she would arrive at this timing. Did my calculations miss the mark? Anyway, nice to meet you.”

What a strange person.

Honestly, I wasn’t normal enough to be making such judgments, but she was definitely weirder than I was.

Speaking of which, a bard singing at dawn?

‘I want to meet her.’

If our paths crossed and she’s that famous… it must mean she’s a real bard, not just those dimwits who think anyone with magic in their music counts as a bard.

“Fura.”

“Yeah. Skylar. You still have your impolite manner of speaking. You have no hesitations in speaking others’ names.”

“…I always show respect to others.”

“Merely on the surface, while you harbor the belief that you’re superior to others. The reason you always use formal language is merely your way of showing you can afford to grant such courtesy to us ‘uncultured’ folk, right?”

“……”

Skylar fell silent.

His expression hit the nail on the head.

Having traveled together for so long, I had become adept at reading his face, and I realized that everything the blue girl named ‘Fura’ said was true.

An awkward silence lingered for a moment before Fura spoke first.

“What brings you to find me?”

“I need help.”

“Of course, you’d need help. It looks like that guy there is also a Body Holder? There’s a resonating feeling. It’s a face I haven’t seen before, though.”

“‘Eye’. I’ve also met with the brain, Achilles’ tendon, right hand, and left hand.”

“…Did you say you met with Eyall? Osidens must have turned you down. As for Propertyius and Nisha, I don’t know.”

“I haven’t even proposed yet. You’re my first proposal.”

“What’s the goal?”

“To collaborate with the Empire’s Emperor to take down the Mad King, Eyall.”

“I refuse.”

A firm rejection without even a moment’s hesitation.

She looked like she wouldn’t budge no matter how much I pleaded.

What lay hidden behind that was… fear.

She was afraid of opposing the Mad King.

To me, who had become sensitive to the feelings of others, it was quite evident. Though she appeared defiant on the outside, internally her heart was wavering like a reed—a compass swaying between fear and conviction.

Should I roll the dice?

‘…There’s still no status window. Should I try sensing her magic with my eyes? Nah, I think just talking it out might work.’

What capabilities do her wing bones possess? That’s the variable.

To think simply, the ability of flight would be the most commonly associated power, but she’s hovering in mid-air without moving her wings, indicating it might be a personal ability.

But would it really make sense to just stand still and wait for Skylar?

I wouldn’t want that.

That’s just not my style.

“Fura… was it?”

“Yeah. You’re ‘Eye’.”

“Please call me Selina.”

“Alright.”

She looked directly into my eyes.

Although I was the one observing her, for some reason I felt like I was being observed as well. The roles had reversed.

There’s an intimidation that comes from looking down on someone.

What I chose was to break through. Whenever I faced a roadblock, and options seemed exhausted, I always chose to move forward, blazing new trails. That’s how I got here.

So, my chosen path this time was the same.

“What ability do your wing bones possess?”

“It’s simple. You’re seeing it right now.”

“…I don’t think ‘just gaining wings’ could be all there is to it.”

“Right. It grants flight ability to the holder.”

“But the wings aren’t even moving. How can you be in the air?”

“That’s what ‘flight’ is. Actually, it’s more akin to ‘levitation’.”

“…I see.”

She began explaining.

Honestly, I wanted to shut my ears, but I listened for the time being.

“Generally, flight requires you to spread your wings and flap around like a clumsy and beautiful bird. But the ability of the wing bones is different.”

“……”

“It allows me to move in the air gracefully without any motion, just like an angel. So it’s close to levitation, rather than flight.”

“Is that so?”

“I explained this, but the first user decided to just call it flight.”

“And who would the first user be?”

“Me.”

…Indeed, I understood now. This person was definitely not normal.

Fura cleared her throat for a moment and slowly descended to the ground.

She seemed about my height or perhaps a bit shorter.

When she looked down at me from above, there was an aura of intimidation, but now that we were close, she seemed no different from an ordinary girl.

A dark shadow was cast over her blue hair, making it look gray.

“The explanation is over.”

“Why did you refuse?”

“Hmm?”

“Forming an alliance against Eyall would be an attractive option for you. Yet you declined. I don’t understand why.”

“I’m tied to the Church. What do you think will happen if the head of the Southern Central Church suddenly disappears?”

“Someone else would fill the space. That someone would likely be a person you dislike.”

“Right. Among the churches, the Southern is the weakest. The reason is simple.”

“They don’t allow collection or use of bodies and receive the least donations. Even if funded, most goes back to the citizens.”

The most altruistic church facing the most oppression and weakness of the times.

She was holding her ground as the one who discovered bodies first… Someone who kept the Church safe even before they decided on the doctrine that forbids the use of bodies.

That’s why she was the only one that could protect this weak Church.

It’s ironic.

The leading figure in one of the Church’s doctrines, who was just flying above the Church without a care, is now the head of the most altruistic sect in this age.

“Do you understand now?”

“…Your reason for not leaving this Church isn’t because you fear it falling into someone else’s hands.”

“…What?”

“To be precise, it’s because you don’t want to go against the Mad King. Let’s be honest; we seem to have mastered reading each other’s expressions.”

Skylar stepped back, creating a stage for me to speak.

It was a cue that he wouldn’t interrupt.

He believed in me.

What I was about to do was not persuasion. It was more about provoking and scratching at her wounds.

“Honestly… let’s be real. I don’t consider you all to have a chance of defeating the Mad King. Why? Because you absolutely can’t.”

“There’s a spear and a sword who have each reached one面. If you, the Body Holder join, that makes at least five, including me.”

“…Five?”

“Eye, right hand, Achilles’ tendon, face, and you, the wing bone.”

“Wait, face?”

A gray cat slowly walked out from behind me.

Body Holders resonate with one another. If they wanted to hide, they could, but this cat was not hiding at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Fura’s two eyes shook.

“Did you implant a body into a cat?!”

“…Huh?”

“No?”

“This is a person. A transformed one.”

“Ah.”

Fura briefly averted her gaze.

Her ears turned red.

She was embarrassed.

Living long doesn’t mean emotions become faint or a sense of time dulls. Turns out reality is a bit different from fantasy genres featuring immortals.

“Don’t you think it’s quite the challenge?”

“…No.”

“Are you perhaps scared?”

“Yes.”

I held my tongue for a moment.

Truthfully, very few people can honestly acknowledge their feelings. Even if they do, I didn’t expect the leader of a group of Body Holders to cleanly admit it.

Given her personality and previous actions, she had a strong aversion to being looked down upon.

Yet, despite risking being underestimated, she openly admitted, ‘I’m frightened.’

Fura just shattered all the intimidation and atmosphere she exhibited moments ago. Then, she started mumbling to herself so fast it was barely understandable.

“I don’t want to fight. It’s been 150 years since I last participated in a battle. I just want to peacefully hang around the church and watch my crystal ball…”

I’ve got her figured out.

She’s desperately pretending to be outgoing, a total recluse.

Skylar averted his gaze, as if he was embarrassed by his old comrade.