Chapter 24: Bard

“Sir, what’s your name? I’m [Caravan].”

“It’s Paul. Just call me Paul.”

For reference, nicknames could be set to private.

So players in <Arcana Chronicles> usually went around with their nicknames set to private.

In this case, unless they were friends or guild members, their nicknames wouldn’t be revealed even if they formed a party.

The cases where a nickname was forcibly revealed were when ‘infamy’ was above a certain level, or when they killed a player or an NPC.

As a penalty, their nickname would automatically appear above their head in red letters for a certain period.

“Paul-nim, where in Batols are you heading? I’m going to Balona…”

“Oh, me too. My housing is over there.”

“Oh, really?! What a coincidence! Then we can go there together! I was so bored anyway. I came here alone because of a quest, but my friends just laugh at me, and they ignore me even when I ask them to come with me…”

Paul just smiled without answering Caravan, who was rambling on with his complaints.

Normally, he would have been fine with accompanying him, but now that Khan was with him, he needed to be careful.

‘I’ll have to politely decline later.’

“I wonder when this ship will arrive in Batols. Are we really taking a shortcut…”

“The captain said so, so what can we do?”

Paul shrugged his shoulders.

“Doesn’t that seem a little suspicious to you?”

“Huh? What part?”

At the sudden words, Paul tilted his head.

Then Caravan moved closer to Paul and lowered his voice.

“I mean, if something like that happened, it would be normal for rumors to spread among the players, right? But I haven’t heard anything like that.

I have a lot of people around me who play at being information brokers, so I know a lot of things. I haven’t heard anything about such a sea route. That’s why those explorer players over there seem a little fishy to me.”

Saying that, he glanced at the explorer players who had been gathered in a corner of the ship, talking amongst themselves since a while ago.

They were moving busily, looking at the sea, then the sky, then the map, then checking the compass.

It looked as if they were waiting for something.

“I feel like… they’re using this ship for some other purpose. You know, it costs a lot of money to get a ship. So they lie about discovering a new sea route and use the NPCs.”

“…That sounds plausible. It’s true that exploring by sea is easier with a veteran NPC who can steer the ship.”

“Exactly. Ugh, well, I just need to get to Balona… as long as this ship doesn’t get shipwrecked.”

The quest Caravan was currently on had a time limit, but there was still some time left.

As long as the ship didn’t get shipwrecked, he would be able to arrive at the quest location at just the right time.

“…But this person is very quiet. I didn’t even know he was here since he hasn’t said a word.”

“He’s, he’s very shy. That’s why!”

“…”

Shudder, a cold chill ran down his spine, and Caravan trembled.

“……I, I see.”

‘To say he’s shy, he seems to be glaring at me, and it feels like the temperature over there has suddenly dropped…!’

‘It’s probably just because it’s still cold in the northern region,’ Caravan tried to brush it off.

But a little later, Caravan would swallow his regret, thinking that he shouldn’t have spoken to the two of them then.

***

<tip!>

In <Arcana Chronicles>, all players travel this world as one [Adventurer].

You gain experience through adventures, and when that experience reaches a certain level, you can choose a desired class. Defense, attack, healing, gathering, crafting, and so on.

Various classes are prepared. There are also cases where the existing class evolves into a special class of its own through the training method.

However, to change a class once chosen, you must either abandon the existing class or find a way for the existing class and the new class to coexist through a quest. Please be careful when choosing a class.

*If choosing a class is difficult, you can receive a recommendation for the class that best suits you under the system’s diagnosis, and you can continue your adventure as an [Adventurer] without necessarily choosing a class.

***

Kee-ruk—. Kee-ruk—.

Leaving Caravan’s suspicions behind, Pamp No. 4, heading for Batols, was cruising smoothly.

In fact, it was so smooth that it was a problem.

“Do you have a fishing rod?”

“…No. Paul-nim?”

“Me neither…”

“What about you?”

Caravan asked Khan, but there was no reply.

Khan had no intention of talking to Caravan.

“…”

“This person doesn’t have one either.”

“I’m so bored I could die…”

That’s right, once the motion sickness subsided, what came next was a terrible boredom.

The ship was cutting through the sea quickly, but just sitting here doing nothing was honestly too boring.

By now, something humanly should have happened.

A pirate ship, a sea monster, anything to break this boredom.

How great would it be if something just ‘popped up!’

At some point, Khan had also stopped looking at the sea, so he must have been feeling just as bored.

“…”

Paul stared blankly at the passing clouds and decided that this wouldn’t do, so he stood up abruptly.

Caravan and Khan’s gazes naturally followed Paul.

“Ah! There was that!”

He had a good idea.

No, he just didn’t know why he had only thought of it now.

Paul rummaged through his bag.

He wasn’t seasick anymore, he had nothing to do, and there was nothing better to spend time on a quiet ship!

Having made up his mind, Paul changed out of the very thick outerwear he had been wearing to prepare for the cold weather in Flora and into a light cloth garment.

It was a type of clothing where the fabric fluttered richly every time he moved.

He hadn’t completely left the north yet, so it was a little chilly, but this much was bearable.

Then he changed his furry boots to shoes with heels and stamped the floor a few times.

‘Tap tap’, a pleasant sound echoed on the quiet deck.

Good sound!

Finally, he took out an instrument resembling a violin from his bag and held it in his hand.

In that state, he looked back at the two of them.

“…Paul-nim, what are you doing?”

“Paul?”

Khan had no idea what Paul was trying to do now.

It was the same for Caravan.

He had suddenly stood up and changed his clothes, so it was only natural to be curious.

But unlike Khan, Caravan saw the instrument Paul had taken out and soon realized what he was about to do.

Receiving their gazes, Paul scratched his chin as if he were embarrassed.

“Waha, it was fine when I was alone, but with people in front of me, it’s a little embarrassing!”

“…Paul, what are you doing?”

“We still have a lot of time before we arrive… and it’s boring because we have nothing to do. I know a good way to spend time at times like this!”

Saying that, Paul placed the instrument under his chin.

And he drew the bow in his right hand long across the strings.

Keeeing—.

“Hmm? Where’s that sound coming from…”

“Is there a bard on this ship?”

“Just in time!”

At that sound, the NPCs who had been idling on the ship reacted.

The sudden music on the quiet ship was enough to attract people’s interest.

The people, who were all bored on the tedious voyage, began to gather one by one towards the back of the ship where the sound was coming from.

If it really was a bard… no, even if it wasn’t a bard, they were hoping for a little fun in this boredom, so it was inevitable that people moved.

Unaware of this fact, Paul flicked the bow a few times and then began to move his hands in earnest.

At the same time, Paul’s feet stamped the deck.

The sound of his stamping feet, tapping in time with the rhythm, echoed across the deck along with the melody.

His cheerful footwork.

The rich fluttering of his clothes every time he spun around stole their attention.

Before they knew it, the people who were watching were also clapping their hands or stamping their feet to the rhythm.

At that sudden intrusion, Paul was startled and tripped.

‘Huh? Why did people suddenly gather?’

He stopped awkwardly and blinked at the gathered people.

“Hey, Mr. Bard! Why did you suddenly stop!”

“Oh my, I guess he was surprised because we suddenly gathered.”

“I’m sorry about that! Just as I was feeling bored, I heard the sound of an instrument, you see? That’s why everyone came over out of curiosity…!”

Paul was flustered.

It was understandable that they mistook him for a bard, but the sight of the unexpected audience was quite bewildering.

It wasn’t just one or two…

It seemed like every single NPC who had been idling on the deck had gathered.

‘Did this skill have a taunt effect or something?’

…What should I do?

Not just NPCs, but a few players were also mixed in with the small commotion.

Realizing that, he felt even more embarrassed for some reason.

“Um, uh… I can’t play as well as other bards…”

He gave a roundabout signal to disperse, but it was no use.

“Hey, that doesn’t matter! Right?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re just trying to kill time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a real bard or not, you know?”

“We’re so bored we could die right now. We’re even hoping a monster will suddenly appear, you know? Let’s just watch you for a bit. Huh?”