Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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Play.

Dance and song.

With these two elements inseparable from a bard, it’s no wonder the theater’s appearance hit me right in the feels.

Honestly, if I had the money, I might have bought this theater—such was my thought.

Chandeliers sparkling crazily from the ceiling and flames of unique hues created by magic.

The countless trinkets of people reflecting in the marble as well.

“Beautiful.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

“Just need to check the prices…!”

“You definitely can’t buy it.”

“Ugh… I want to see the performance.”

“……”

“I’ve never seen a play before! Not even once! Not the me of the past… but right now, I can’t remember anything! My memories are all of traveling with you.”

What I chose was ‘rhetoric,’ attacking Skylar’s mind and emotions.

The wizard who usually left decisions to reason, with a perpetually expressionless and cold demeanor, was different this time.

The early morning atmosphere, the air, and a pretty girl making a teary plea.

Words like “you mean everything to me” were even thrown in.

What kind of person could refuse those words? If someone could, they’d likely be a homosexual or impotent.

Skylar was definitely a guy. A kid, sure, but he did see me as a potential love interest. There wouldn’t be any romantic feelings, of course.

‘…Even if there aren’t romantic feelings, there’s definitely a timing to weaken!’

A very large sigh could be heard.

It was Skylar’s.

Generally, someone else’s sigh might be interpreted as a negative sign, but in this case, Skylar’s sigh carried a different meaning. Especially in this situation.

Whenever he reluctantly conceded to my stubbornness, Skylar always let out a sigh.

“Alright. I have some time to spare now.”

“Yay!”

As soon as Skylar gave his permission, I let out a loud cheer, feeling the sudden attention from the crowd shift onto Skylar and me.

Quickly observing the surroundings, I immediately bowed my head to apologize.

Attractive women could easily win forgiveness by just showing a hint of their faces. What an easy life.

Though the attention seemed to disperse, it quickly regrouped. This time, there were more positive gazes than negative ones.

Skylar and I slowly made our way toward the ticket booth.

I could still feel many eyes and interests directed at me from behind.

Hiding from their view, I couldn’t help but smirk.

I was in a good mood, after all.

Skylar looked at me as if finding my glee pitiful.

“Why?”

“I’m just thinking about what you looked like before you lost your memories.”

“Why go there?”

“Seeing you like this makes me wonder if you were a bard even before you forgot.”

“I’m not so sure. If I was a bard, I must have been famous, right?”

“Really?”

“With such a pretty face, body, voice, and musical talent, there wouldn’t be many like me. I should have been famous. Yet, no one has recognized me during our travels.”

“You’re overflowing with self-awareness.”

“Hey, someone like me can afford a little self-awareness.”

“Not okay. It’s unbearable.”

I instinctively clenched my fist and hit Skylar’s head.

Crack!

A blue flame sparked as my fist stopped in mid-air.

It felt like I hit a wall.

“…Oww!”

“I used the scroll in my pocket to create a barrier. Maybe you should stop hitting other people’s heads.”

“Skylar…!”

“Yes, my name is Skylar. Why call me? Selina.”

“This damned kid.”

I glared at Skylar while cradling my sore fist, and he averted his gaze and whistled.

Before we knew it, our turn had approached.

Skylar placed a gold coin on the counter.

The ticket booth clerk greeted us with a cheerful smile.

“Two adults, please.”

“…Huh?”

At Skylar’s words, the clerk looked perplexed, glancing at both our faces.

I smiled at the clerk.

I did this just to tease Skylar.

“I’m sorry. The kid thinks he’s all grown up now.”

“Oh, I see. One child and one adult, confirmed. Please proceed to payment.”

“Yes.”

I could see Skylar’s expression twist in real-time, while my face rearranged into one full of mockery.

Crunch.

I could hear Skylar’s teeth grinding.

I received one silver coin as change for the gold coin and got two odd tickets with magical writing on them. The ticket’s surface shone like gold.

“That’s interesting.”

“It’s alchemical coating. It doesn’t seem real.”

“If they used real gold for the tickets, they would have gone bankrupt long ago.”

“Exactly.”

“The show starts… soon, right?”

“There’s about 10 minutes left. Should we head in early?”

“Let’s do that.”

At first, Skylar opposed watching the play, but now that we had tickets, he seemed oddly more enthusiastic.

We stepped onto the red carpet and followed the guide to the second floor.

No matter how I looked around, there was not a single spot that wasn’t touched by white.

The whole building was made of marble, with gold leaf decorating the edges, and the floor was covered in luxurious carpets. I couldn’t help but wonder how rich they were.

‘…I wonder if I’d ever be able to earn money like this someday.’

If I continued to get more famous, perhaps one day it might be possible. Though, death or returning to my original world might come before ever achieving such fame.

‘But lately, my negative traits haven’t activated at all.’

Narcolepsy.

Clumsiness habits.

While passive negative traits still kept me frail and lightweight, active ones that functioned once a day hadn’t activated in ages.

I wondered when that had started.

When I recalled, it took me back to that moment I failed to control my magic and filled the whole place with it.

I think I was looking for Fura in that city and heard rumors about the Moon Bard.

‘…I want to meet the Moon Bard.’

To think such an amazing existence crossed paths with me continuously. Why hadn’t I ever seen that person? It wasn’t just crossing paths; our timings matched as well.

If we keep crossing paths, one day I guess I’ll have to meet them.

For now, I should concentrate on the play. It looks like it’ll be starting soon.

I carefully settled into a soft chair made of fabric and sat right next to Skylar.

Since not many people entered early, we managed to secure a nice central seat with a great view. It felt grand.

Usually, in a theater like this, there are a lot of rules—like entering in order, set entry times, or assigned seating.

‘Preconceptions can be scary.’

It felt oddly half-baked. The wrapping was nice, but there seemed to be something missing.

In terms of scale, this city could indeed be classified as a big city. But if you asked whether a Gateway City could be called a big city, it was still ambiguous.

“Skylar.”

“Yes?”

“Did you catch the title of the play?”

“…Huh?”

“I booked it without even looking.”

“It’s probably a clichéd story. The Hero and the Saint’s Demon King defeat, or perhaps the Saint’s second crusade?”

“I see.”

From my perspective, it felt similar to watching a replay of an old story. Was there really a reason to watch something I already know?

Yet, if I thought about it as my past deeds coming to life on stage, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

But thinking back, it seemed like the protagonists had status windows and stats just like in the previous work… Perhaps those abilities were not “eyes” but capabilities that the “players” themselves had.

Clap.

A loud round of applause rang out.

The red curtain descended from above.

A beam of light shone down on the stage. The stage’s base slightly split open, leaving a gap just big enough for a person to emerge. With the focus of the light, a figure stepped into view.

“Hello! This play is the most famous story from Regan! ‘The Four Seasons!’”

As expected.

My predictions were spot on, and the play was essentially just repeating what I already knew in a clumsy manner.

If I had to nitpick, the actors’ performances were decent, and the script adaptation was also acceptable. The songs and dances didn’t annoy me either. In fact, the level of completion was remarkable.

But it made my heart uneasy… No, more like embarrassed.

It felt like everyone was learning about my past deeds.

No, to be precise, the “real” me wasn’t here…

‘…I thought there was no connection between this work and the previous one.’

I felt flushed.

Skylar looked at me curiously as I made that face.

Ultimately, I couldn’t enjoy the play properly, and as soon as it wrapped up, I held Skylar’s hand and hurriedly made my way out of the theater.

Feigning nonchalance, we stepped into the outside air.

The air was cool, and people still bustled around.

Even though it was dawn, the city felt alive.

It was a hot night.

“Shall we head to a restaurant for the last time?”

“…Sure.”

Skylar looked at my face with a slightly dazed expression, then let me lead him toward the door of a fancy restaurant.