The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 29: New Adventurer Bern (27). Lich

When Bern had intentionally fallen into the trap, he was in the process of grinding through the waiting troops.

“Adventurers, halt your movements for a moment! Anyone who resists will be considered a servant of the Lich!!”

With the Guild Master’s declaration, the agents wearing black armbands, who had been focused on controlling the adventurers up until then, simultaneously attacked several of the adventuring parties.

Guild Guards.

Not adventurers who were on a mission, but a violent faction that solely represented the will of the Guild itself.

As the Guild’s blades, aimed at suppressing the adventurers, launched a sudden assault, the adventurers had no time to resist and were soon rolling on the floor.

One of the captured adventurers, blood vessels bulging in his neck, shouted.

“What is this madness!! Has the Guild lost its mind!?”

“You’re the ones who are mad. Do you honestly think you deserve fair treatment as a servant of the Lich?”

“What nonsense is this!?”

“It’s already too late. Every disciple of the Lich who’s been captured has spilled everything. Pretending not to know is useless.”

At the Guild Master’s words, the eyes of the captured adventurers wavered, and the other adventurers looked on in shock and confusion.

In truth, the Guild Master’s words had a bit of deceit mixed in.

While it was true that Bern had extracted all the information from the captured disciple, he didn’t know all the spies’ identities.

Therefore, on the surface, the Guild claimed a grand purge operation was underway while secretly carrying out surveillance and investigation on key adventurers.

About 70% of the identification work had been completed before entering the dungeon, and another 20% was filled through their reactions to the dungeon traps or behaviors.

The remaining 10% needed confirmation.

To secure that last bit of certainty, the Guild Master had boasted, “I already know your identities.”

And the title of Guild Master was enough to make the culprits believe that boast.

“Damn it!! Kill them all!!”

As one of the captured adventurers screamed, a surge of pitch-black magic erupted from his body, throwing one of the agents with the black armband into the air.

Other adventurers, too, scattered black magic and quickly readied themselves for battle.

They attacked their fellow adventurers indiscriminately, and it was only then that the others realized these were truly servants of the Lich. They immediately engaged to intercept.

Clang!

Whoosh!

“What... What’s this... What kind of power...!”

The adventurers who faced off against the Lich’s disciples were horrified.

While the adventurers here were all skilled enough to enhance their bodies with magic, the power of the betrayers, cloaked in black magic, far exceeded their abilities.

The black orbs hidden within their clothing constantly emitted ominous energy, strengthening the betrayers’ bodies and magic.

Had they struck while the adventurers were trapped or in the midst of a tense battle, the damage would have been incalculable.

However, that was not the case now.

Thud.

Suddenly, the Guild Master, who had approached the betrayers, swung his sword.

With a move as casual as a flick, the warrior’s head was sent flying.

The betrayers, in shock, aimed their swords at the Guild Master, but he continued his attack indifferently.

Slash!

The Guild Master’s sword was unstoppable.

It wasn’t that his movements were unrestricted, but that physically, nothing could withstand it.

When his blade met theirs, their swords were severed, and when they raised their shields, both the shield and the wielder were shattered.

Just as a martial artist who had reached the 4th rank easily overwhelmed those below, the Guild Master, having reached the 5th rank, wielded an aura that sliced through the betrayers’ resistance as if it were tofu.

Seeing the situation escalate, some of the mages, knowing their allies might get caught in the crossfire, prepared to cast spells, but even that was not an easy task.

Fwoosh!

“Ugh!?”

The spell Flame of the Burning Tree was one of the most basic and weakest of fire magic.

But even with its low power, a fireball aimed directly at a vital spot, like the face, was something only a mage with absolute composure could unleash.

While the other mages hesitated, tangled in the complex battlefield, Blanca showed no hesitation and immediately targeted the betrayers’ mages with pinpoint accuracy.

Having trained with Bern, facing such chaos was nothing more than a minor hindrance.

The Guild Master shattered the warriors' formation, and thanks to Blanca’s sniping, the mages failed to cast their spells in time.

And that was the end of it.

In the first place, the betrayers had hoped to survive their numerical and positional disadvantage through temporary power boosts. But now that those boosts had failed, there was no chance of victory.

After defeating the betrayers, the Guild Master tried to extract information about the Lich and the captured victims from them, but this was not to be.

From the black orbs in their possession, countless spikes erupted, piercing through the betrayers instantly.

“...It seems someone’s been watching us from somewhere.”

The Guild Master clicked his tongue and, with a sharp gaze, scanned the dungeon. He then approached Blanca and lowered his head.

“Thank you. We were able to extract the core with minimal damage because of you. As for your companions—”

The Guild Master trailed off.

It had been Bern who had volunteered to play the bait, and the Guild Master had agreed to it, but now the situation had become somewhat grim.

Had this been a typical physical trap or ambush, they would have cleared the situation and sent a rescue team immediately. But spatial-translocation traps held no guarantee that they would reach the same place, and they might even lose their lives with each attempt.

Though the Guild Master did not like the situation where he could not send reinforcements to the greatest contributor, he was, after all, the leader guiding the adventurers.

As he was responsible for the safety of the entire team, it was impossible for him to carry out a reckless rescue operation.

Blanca bit her lip but then spoke up.

“It’s fine. If it’s Bern, he’ll be fine. We need to hurry. We must strike before the Lich comes up with new tactics beyond the betrayers.”

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While she wanted to follow Bern immediately, it was Bern himself who had told her before they entered the dungeon to focus on the mission and not to worry if something happened while she acted separately.

Blanca trusted Bern’s judgment more than her own feelings.

“I understand. The reward will be dealt with separately later.”

The Guild Master called out to the adventurers.

“From now on, we increase our pace! I’ll lead the way, follow me!”

With the need to guard the rear no longer necessary, the Guild Master stepped forward and began clearing the path.

Except for the right path, which had been a trap, there were only the left and central routes remaining.

At the enormous door in the central path, where the method of opening was unknown, some members remained behind to keep watch, while the remaining adventurers began to take the left route, where enemies had been reported to be numerous.

The undead blocking the path were powerful, but the adventurers’ strength was greater, and the traps that held them back were vicious, but not enough to steal their composure.

As they ventured deeper into the dungeon, the adventurers’ eyes began to shine with excitement.

‘I still have enough stamina and magic. We can definitely last through the dungeon!’

‘The Lich is likely rank 5. He’ll be stronger since he’s fighting on his home turf, but we have the Guild Master, so victory is possible.’

‘It was unexpected that the betrayer was from our faction, but this is an opportunity. If our party can replace them...!’

Gone were the adventurers who normally played it safe, reluctant to take risks.

Though their motivations were for personal gain or glory, at this moment, the adventurers were truly embarking on an adventure towards the unknown enemy.

Like the heroes of old, sung about by minstrels.

However, they must not forget.

The reason heroes are called heroes and celebrated is... because so many of them die before they ever earn that title.

“─These noisy thieves.”

It was a low voice.

It wasn’t particularly angry, nor was it filled with resentment.

It was simply the sound of someone muttering quietly to themselves.

However, the adventurers who heard those words immediately felt a chill run down their spines.

Because that tiny sound had reached them so clearly.

As though it were whispered directly into their ears.

Ssss...

From all directions.

It didn’t matter where it came from first—purple, venomous mist began to flow from every corner of the dungeon.

The Guild Master squinted and shouted.

“Mages! Push the mist away! Warriors, retreat to avoid letting the mist touch your skin!”

As flames and gusts of wind shot out from the mages’ hands, the purple mist momentarily slowed.

Blanca seized the opportunity and, aiming toward the direction where she sensed intense magical power beyond the mist, fired off her Flame of the Burning Rock repeatedly.

Boom!

Crackling!

“...Ho.”

Through the cracks in the scattered mist, the dungeon’s master revealed himself.

Blanca’s breath caught in her throat.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The death mage who had invaded her hometown when she was young.

The one who had taken her beloved family from her, now looked at her with gleaming eyes, as if intrigued.

The powerless girl who had once been Blanca had grown, and so too had the Lich, who now appeared somewhat different.

His bones, once ashen-gray, had now taken on a faint purple hue, and his skull, which had once been a simple human one, was now grotesquely twisted, with horns growing from it.

The Lich, Mortius Varmore, didn’t even speak before the Guild Master charged toward him.

As a veteran adventurer, the Guild Master knew all too well that giving a mage too much time was a foolish move.

Though the black knight exuding black magic near the Lich was bothersome, the Guild Master didn’t care.

After all, no clumsy swordsmanship could block his aura.

Clang!

However, as though to defy his certainty, the Guild Master’s sword was blocked by the knight’s.

Seeing the murky, oil-like magic on the knight’s blade, the Guild Master muttered under his breath.

“Aura...!”

It wasn’t the pure 5th-rank aura that the Guild Master himself used.

It seemed like a high-density sword energy, treated with some sort of magic.

The incomplete aura screeched and broke with each clash against the Guild Master’s sword, but it was clear that, with a moment’s respite, the Guild Master would soon overpower it. But the Lich wouldn’t just stand by.

From behind the Lich, two more black knights emerged from the purple mist, charging at the Guild Master.

When several skilled individuals at the 4th-rank level joined forces without hesitation, even the Guild Master found himself unable to spare attention for anything else.

“What is this! The blade can’t get through!”

“Wait! My arms—numb...!”

“Don’t breathe in the mist! It’s paralyzing!!”

Meanwhile, other adventurers, who were supposed to support the Guild Master, were also in a dire situation.

The undead forces that emerged with the Lich were stronger than before, and above all, the purple mist greatly restricted their movements.

It wasn’t impossible to force the toxins out of their bodies using physical enhancement, but even among the adventurers present, only a few could manage that.

Crunch.

Blanca gritted her teeth.

The sight, reminiscent of past trauma, wiped away the calmness in her mind.

—Fwoosh!

The purple mist was obliterated by waves of red flames.

A staggering amount of firepower engulfed the entire floor of the dungeon.

About half of the undead were swept away instantly, and the rest were eliminated by the adventurers whose movements were no longer hindered.

The adventurers who had reached the 4th rank quickly moved forward, freeing the Guild Master from the knights that had been holding him back.

The Guild Master, whose body was covered in small wounds, didn’t waste the opportunity they provided and charged straight at the Lich.

The Lich tried to block the attack with a wall of bone, but the blue aura embedded in the sword sliced through the barrier like tofu, rushing toward the Lich.

Slash!

Finally, the Lich’s chest was deeply cut, and the orb in his heart shattered.

With the core of the enemy pierced, the Guild Master was certain of victory, and the other adventurers looked on with triumphant ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) expressions.

“...These worthless fools.”

A growling voice, one that seemed to etch itself into space, sent a chill down their spines.

Just as Blanca shuddered with a sense of foreboding, a tremendous amount of magical power gathered around the Lich’s body.

Then, it exploded.

Boom!

Even from a great distance, the dense surge of curses and poison could be felt.

The Guild Master, his skin darkening and turning blue as if he were poisoned, convulsed violently on the floor.

“What a waste, what a waste. Not only did you waste part of the sacrifice, but you even used your precious heart!”

At the epicenter of the explosion, the purple mist gathered again, slowly taking on a physical form.

A lavish robe. A grotesque staff made from skulls and spines. A twisted skull with glowing blue eyes.

The only part still empty was where the heart should have been, but something powerful, like an ominous object with intense magical energy, flew in from deeper in the dungeon to fill the void.

The resurrected Lich, Mortius Varmore, threw six black orbs toward the Guild Master, who was lying on the floor.

Each orb, meant for the heart, head, and limbs, soon transformed into black armor, completely enveloping the Guild Master’s body.

“Normally, I’d tear your soul and body apart into dust, but your skills have earned you the honor of becoming my servant.”

Clank, with a sound of metal.

The Guild Master, no longer himself but a Death Knight, kneeled before the Lich, swearing fealty.

In the eyes of the adventurers, a different emotion stirred.

It wasn’t anger, nor greed.

It was a pure, raw fear.

Blanca tightly closed her eyes.

‘Bern...!’