Surviving as a Trash Bard in a Game

My head is throbbing.

I felt like my intelligence was decreasing in real-time.

…Should I stock up on alcohol, just in case?

‘If things get dangerous, I can just chug it down to raise my intelligence.’

Don’t people usually lose intelligence when they drink? Why am I the opposite? It feels a bit unfair.

Sigh… What’s the point of complaining? It won’t change anything. Let’s find something to do when I wake up tomorrow. I can’t just perform again like yesterday.

I didn’t even get paid for a single performance, and the efficiency is terrible. I guess adventurers get paid a lot because of the hazard pay.

‘…I should also test out the buff songs.’

It wasn’t like activating a skill, but more like a feeling of ‘if I do this, that will happen.’ But the important thing is that I can do it.

More importantly, Skyler is the problem.

‘It feels like we’ve formed a two-person party on a whim, but I still don’t know what he’s after.’

When I first met him, he was a rude brat. The second time, he was a good-natured kid. The last time, he was a suspicious kid.

In the end, all three seemed like brats, but the impressions were slightly different.

A potential danger. A human who might hit me in the back of the head if I’m not careful. Don’t be fooled by his appearance or attitude. All con artists treat you well when you first meet them.

‘I have to be as careful as possible.’

First, I need to tell him about my narcolepsy, discuss how we’ll divide the tasks during the journey, and choose a city to resupply in since the road to the capital is long… Ugh, there’s so much to do.

My head hurts.

I wish someone else could do it all for me.

And so, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Completely forgetting that tomorrow’s me would be no different from today’s me.

I opened my eyes.

Early Bard rises!

A dark landscape came into view.

I carefully opened the curtains, but the strong morning sunlight temporarily blinded me.

Argh…

Frowning like a vampire exposed to sunlight, I groaned and blinked several times to adjust to the light.

I found my instrument and held it in my hand.

I don’t know why, but my previously unstable mental state seemed to have stabilized. Just holding the instrument made such a difference…

I got ready and went outside.

On the first floor of the adventurer’s association, people who were still drunk or suffering from hangovers and eating warm soup occupied the seats.

“I wish there were some mussels nearby.”

“What are you looking for inland? You’re expecting too much.”

“In the association I know, the receptionist on the first floor provided unlimited mussels and crabs.”

People’s chatter and noise pierced my ears.

Even these trivial conversations are information, and at the same time, valuable to me.

‘If only I had a map…’

I had memorized the terrain and major cities of the previous work, but now that I’ve confirmed that there are differences in the setting, I can’t let my guard down.

Moreover, there was no convenient system like ‘fast travel,’ so I couldn’t even get a sense of the actual distances.

Maps were classified as luxury items, so I should be prepared to spend some money.

‘Wait, can’t I just ask Skyler?’

Skyler looked like a young boy on the outside, but he seemed like an adventurer who had been adventuring for quite some time. As an experienced person, he must have a map.

Since we decided to travel together, he’ll probably share the map.

Saved some money.

Then, the only thing left to do is pay the receptionist for the inn.

After falling into this world, roughly calculating, it’s been about 4 days. I don’t have to pay a large amount, but… thinking about the money I earned through all that hardship, it felt a bit wasteful.

“It’s 4 pennies.”

“…Huh.”

“Is something wrong?”

It’s cheaper than… expected.

I was thinking of prices similar to modern hotels, and I even found out that there was a significant price difference between the previous work and the current time.

Honestly, I was prepared to spend a lot of money… This is a relief.

“It’s nothing. Here you go.”

“1 copper… Your change is 7 pennies.”

“Don’t you have any fees here?”

“Excuse me?”

“When I went to the blacksmith before, the blacksmith took some money, saying it was a fee.”

“…We don’t have that here. Usually.”

“Usually?”

“Unless the other party is a traveling merchant or a money changer. Settled merchants don’t usually do business like that. He probably thought he wouldn’t see a wandering adventurer like you again, so he took your money.”

The kind receptionist’s words were a bit shocking.

That damn blacksmith… How dare he scam me. I’ll pay back this grudge someday.

I plan to leave this town today, so it will take a long time to meet again, but a gentleman’s revenge is best served after three years.

I’ll even make a note of it so I don’t forget.

“Thank you for everything.”

“…Yes. I hope we meet again on the path of fate.”

I waved goodbye to the receptionist.

How many people has she sent off, and how many more will she send off in the future?

There must have been adventurers who stayed in one town for years before leaving, and those who left in just a few days.

Did she smile and respond to every one of them? Was there no sense of regret or… loneliness?

One thing is for sure: I can’t make such a clean break.

I’m the type of person who is persistent, like weeds or mud. I hold onto grudges and favors, keeping them hidden deep inside. I’m the type who keeps moving forward even as my body and mind become heavy.

Yes. Let’s follow that person’s face and farewell.

I hope we meet again on the path of fate someday.

I felt a bit of the stuffiness in my heart disappear. I had my first farewell in this world with the receptionist whose name I didn’t even know.

It wasn’t a special relationship, we weren’t close, and we never had a private conversation, but I always feel a sense of regret when parting with someone.

I opened the door of the adventurer’s association and headed outside.

The bright sun greeted me, and a cool breeze tickled my skin.

Against the backlight, that boy was waiting for me.

He looked like he had been waiting… for a while.

“…You’re late. Even more so than last time.”

“Yeah. I am.”

“It’s not ‘Yeah. I am’! At least try to be on time!”

“Sorry.”

“Sigh… Let’s go. The coachman has been waiting for a long time, so he might ask for an additional fee. We’ll talk about the travel route inside.”

“Okay.”

Skyler and I got into the carriage.

I saw the face of the coachman I had briefly seen before when we were heading to the Forest of Songs. He must be an acquaintance of Skyler.

As I sat blankly in the carriage doing nothing, Skyler gave me a look. To be precise, he glared at me.

Even a brat’s glare made me a little scared. The reason, of course, is because of the penalty trait I chose myself. I can’t change it even if I regret it now, so all I can do is sigh.

“…Let’s look at the map first.”

“Okay.”

Skyler unfolded the map.

‘There are so many unfamiliar place names.’

What is ‘Krieg’ in front of the name of the Empire? And what is the Mad King’s Land? Wasn’t there only one Empire? Why is it divided?

Why is the Holy Kingdom inside the Empire? Wasn’t it on a separate continent?

I was full of questions.

‘…The Forest of Songs is huge.’

We didn’t need to spend much time finding our current location.

The Forest of Songs was drawn on the map with a very large size, and the only village around it was the one we were in.

“So, we’re going to go like this.”

Skyler drew a long curve with her finger, starting from our village and going to the capital.

I had one question.

‘Why isn’t it a straight line?’

Even though there was a route that could be taken as the shortest path, Skyler drew a curve that went up a bit. Roughly calculating, it looked like it would take 30% to 50% longer than the straight route.

“Can’t we go like this?”

I drew astraight line from the capital to the village.

Skyler looked at me like, ‘How much more stupid can you get?’

A look that doesn’t see a person as a person, but as something beneath him… a condescending look. I felt a little annoyed, but I didn’t know anything about this world, so I kept my mouth shut for now.

That kid might look like he has a bad personality, but he’s kind enough to explain everything if I just stay still.

“Okay. First of all, the straight route is very dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Because it barely skirts the edge of the Mad King’s Land.”

“…The Mad King?”

“Ah, that was the problem.”

Skyler sighed deeply.

And she glanced at the coachman.

A moment passed, and Skyler burned a scroll. The surrounding sounds were suddenly blocked.

I could see the outside, but it was separated.

‘…A barrier?’

Skyler tapped the air with her finger a few times, and finally opened her mouth to start the story.