Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

---

Skylar stared at her face for a moment before her gaze naturally drifted to the sword at her waist.

And then she mulled over the name.

“Framea, that name sounds familiar… where have I heard it before?”

“Perhaps it’s the one you’re thinking of.”

“Platinum Adventurer, Emperor’s sword…? Why on earth are you taking on such a request?”

“It’s a bit stifling to just sit around inside the building. I’ll be cooped up in the palace all day during the upcoming music contest, so I just wanted to take a look outside for a bit.”

“I see.”

“It’s nice to have a quick conversation. Other Adventurers have been questioning me like they don’t trust me at all.”

“…”

Skylar’s tone suddenly became tense.

Her unique respectful manner of speaking was still there, but she was treating me like someone of a rank higher than a friend or colleague.

I relaxed my clenched jaw.

Skylar was regarding me not as an equal, but as an authority or someone daunting to face. Despite that, I felt a little relieved.

…Why? Why did I feel relieved?

It was a strange feeling. My chest felt tight. That sense of discomfort I thought I had already shaken off returned to nag me.

“Selina, let’s go.”

“Uh, okay.”

I subtly hid my emotions and moved to follow them.

And then, suddenly, my steps froze.

Framea, who had been leading the way, stood stock still in the middle of the path.

She fiddled with the hilt of her sword embedded in its sheath and then pulled it out.

Skylar and I stepped back several paces, tensed up. The moment she drew her sword, the atmosphere shifted.

It was similar to the Mad King, but not quite the same. The air felt a bit lighter. Breathing became easier.

Domination… control… overwhelming strength.

But yet, there was a sense of weakness.

It might take some explanation to describe how overwhelming strength and weakness can coexist, but to simplify it, it was all about ‘relativity.’

Having experienced the Mad King before, I was able to breathe in front of this person.

‘Maybe the reason I could spar with Nisha like that… isn’t just that Nisha let me win?’

As memories of the past flickered in my mind, I stood directly behind Skylar.

…Right. I hid.

“…Um, I hope you are not too frightened.”

“A fellow Adventurer suddenly drew their sword in the middle of nowhere during a request. That action can only mean one thing.”

“I have no need to attack you.”

“In that case, I would like an explanation.”

“It’s a simple reason. There’s a much easier way to catch a giant disguised as a tree than wandering aimlessly through the forest.”

“…Huh?”

What?

Skylar looked at Framea with a complex expression.

I had heard rumors that beings reaching Platinum were often strange eccentrics that defied human comprehension, but still… no way, right?

The saying “hope is the mother of fools” really carried a high degree of truth.

Framea immediately swung her sword.

“Knight’s aspect.”

The world split into two along a white line.

The diagonal slash aimed at the mountain effortlessly felled almost every tree in view. The scene of every tree collapsing at the same speed and angle was reminiscent of a scene from an art film.

Skylar and I stood there dumbfounded, jaws dropped, watching the spectacle.

“How was that?”

“…Asking how it was doesn’t help me know where the giant is.”

“Why?”

“The giant transformed into wood would have been cut down too, you know.”

“Oh, right.”

With the conversation between Skylar and Framea concluded, I immediately began processing and judging what kind of person Framea was.

And the result was quite shocking.

‘…She might have a lower intelligence than me.’

Her character was such that she would simply use a big technique without thought. It seemed she didn’t even bother to read the target’s characteristics stated in the request.

Honestly, I too had acted without thinking when I was foolish, but not to this extent.

My intelligence wasn’t zero but two. Just low enough to be considered among the slower ones in normal terms, not like that dullard… probably.

—Thud.

And then, suddenly, a sound echoed.

We turned our heads toward the direction of the noise, and it didn’t take long to figure out what it was.

“…A giant.”

While it didn’t take the form of a tree as stated in the request, it was undoubtedly a giant of human shape. However… there was one problem.

The giant had a gender. And that giant was male.

Furthermore, to elaborate, giants don’t wear clothes. They fall under a separate race and are remnants of myth.

—No need to elaborate further.

I didn’t want to see that huge monstrosity flopping in front of me any longer.

Except for Skylar and myself, who were watching Framea observe it with apparent interest, I could confidently say that no one here wanted to see that abomination any longer.

“A giant like that sure has something impressive hanging!”

“…Framea, let’s rearrange our formation.”

“Okay, got it. Honestly, it’s the second time something has endured my aspect. It’s a bit surprising.”

There’s another being that managed to withstand a monster-like strike?

Really…?

No, let’s put that thought aside for now. Formation first.

Skylar and I quickly formed a triangular shape centered around Framea.

The party composition was decent enough.

Melee, ranged, support.

I immediately poured my magic into playing the lute.

♩—

a quarter note.

Actually, there was no need for an actual performance. My buffs had improved to the point where simply channeling magic to create sound would suffice.

Magic infused in sound. Meaning is embedded in sounds that would otherwise mean nothing.

“…[Enhance].”

“Hmm, that’s pretty good. About 20% to 30%?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead first.”

Framea disappeared from my sight, and shortly after, a blast resounded. The pressure ripped through the ground.

—Boom!

Just flying off the ground created such shock.

The weight of the name Platinum Adventurer, Emperor’s sword.

Unbeknownst to me, I thought Framea looked cool floating in the air. This was the kind of hero I wanted from the tales. My eyes sparkled.

As she held the sword in mid-air, she took her stance.

Rough winds swirled around her body. The air was on her side.

Playing, I realized I needed to play something.

Good music was needed at this moment.

I felt that way.

A sparkling inspiration. Flickering starlight.

Allegro. Arpeggio.

♬♬-♬♬-𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯—

Faster, even faster.

But calmly.

Connect eight notes at different heights and positions in one beat. Precisely attach them to each other.

4/4

An oddly complicated, mundane, and mediocre practice piece that looked filled with sixteenth notes was completed.

But without any accompaniment, the sound of the lute rode the trembling wind.

That made it extraordinary.

“…[Speed], [Augment], and [Enhance].”

An unnecessary waste of magic I wouldn’t usually do.

Desperately controlling the flow of magic, I returned my focus to my heart and fingertips. I felt like I might recoil. I didn’t want to vomit blood in front of Skylar again.

But isn’t there something more important than that?

In front of me were a giant and a hero.

Hehe.

A smile came to my face.

Doing things I would never normally do in succession, I thought… it felt gratifying. Yeah, it felt refreshing. This is what being a Bard is about.

And finally, the two mythical beings clashed!

***

A dazzling light.

And me, lying on the ground.

“Magic exhaustion. I’ve taken care of you with some supplements, so you should be fine.”

“…Thank you, Skylar.”

“More importantly, why did you use so much magic? That person alone was already sufficient.”

“Well…”

I lay on Skylar’s lap and looked up at the sky.

The sunlight… shines so annoyingly.

I squinted, rubbing my eyes and getting up. My heart and fingers were a bit sore. At least I was glad I didn’t vomit blood.

“You!”

“…Yes?”

“That song was really good. The three auxiliary spells mixed in, incredible!”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Need more?”

“To be honest, a little more would be nice. More thoughts.”

“It felt like a rushed piece, and the winds and currents around me interfered, making it hard to appreciate. To be honest… the timing was slightly off. However, despite all the shortcomings, I can only commend the magic and will expressed in the performance. So overall, it was excellent.”

“Thank you.”

“If possible, I hope to see you again in the music contest. Do you have any plans?”

“For now, yes.”

Skylar pinched my side, but I gritted my teeth and endured the pain.

I wasn’t lying.

No matter what, I wanted to be there.