The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 5: New Adventurer Bern (3). The Sky-Blue-Haired Adventurer

The commotion Bern caused in the middle of the city quickly became a hot topic in the adventurers’ guild.

A diligent, hard-working rookie had beaten the hell out of some senior adventurers? And not just a light scuffle—he had thrashed them?

“Kuh! I should’ve been there to watch it myself!”

“Hahaha! Yeah, an adventurer should at least have that much guts!”

“Those bastards had it coming! I knew they’d get their asses handed to them sooner or later!”

Hearing the reactions around him, Bern tilted his head in confusion.

Blanca, the guild receptionist who had been explaining the situation, raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just don’t know if this is the right reaction. I mean, isn’t it still a case of a rookie beating up fellow guild members?”

“You must be misunderstanding something. Adventurers don’t really have a sense of camaraderie or loyalty to each other.”

Blanca’s voice was tinged with sarcasm as she gave him an analogy.

“For example, let’s say you’re a regular customer at a well-known trading company. If another customer—one who’s known for being an absolute nuisance—gets beaten up outside the store, would you care?”

“...Are you saying this situation is similar to that?”

“It’s not that different. Just like how customers have to compete for limited stock at a store, adventurers compete for the best commissions. A shop owner might step in if there’s a fight inside the store, but they wouldn’t care about what happens outside. The guild operates the same way.”

“So there won’t be any penalties for this incident?”

“If you had taken the same commission as them and then backstabbed them during the job, that’d be a different story. But in this case, you’re fine.”

“Hm, I see.”

From his shadow, Lucidra spoke.

[You sound almost disappointed. Shouldn’t you be glad?]

‘Well, I was expecting a “How dare this arrogant rookie raise a hand against his mighty seniors?!” kind of scenario.’

[......]

Lucidra stared at him with an icy gaze, but Bern didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he turned to Blanca and gave a slight bow.

“Thank you for answering my questions.”

“It’s no problem. Besides, I needed to call you over anyway.”

“You needed to speak with me?”

With a tap, Blanca placed a wooden plaque slightly smaller than her palm onto the counter.

“This is an adventurer’s badge. Starting from Rank 2, you get one. It means you’re officially recognized as a proper adventurer in the guild.”

“Oh.”

Bern picked it up, his expression slightly excited.

Unlike his usual calm demeanor, this reaction was much more in line with that of an average rookie.

Some of the receptionists watching from behind the counter exchanged amused glances, finding it unexpectedly cute.

The other adventurers in the guild also took notice.

Rank 1 adventurers were basically glorified errand boys, but Rank 2s were real professionals.

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It was at this stage that combat-oriented commissions became the norm.

And at that point, having a competent teammate could mean the difference between life and death.

Bern was a particularly tempting recruit.

He was young, diligent, and didn’t seem difficult to work with.

More importantly, he had taken down five similarly-built men with ease, proving his strength.

As the adventurers subtly sized each other up, preparing to approach him—

“Bern. Want to form a party with me?”

Blanca’s voice rang out from behind the counter.

The adventurers weren’t the only ones stunned—the guild staff also looked completely caught off guard.

“W-Wait a minute. Blanca? What are you saying? A receptionist forming a party?”

“I was only working as a temporary receptionist, and my contract is almost up. There’s nothing wrong with making plans in advance.”

“You’re not renewing your contract? What about the administrator—”

“I’m not renewing.”

Her response was firm.

The guild staff exchanged bewildered glances.

Meanwhile, the adventurers—who had been circling like vultures—began muttering among themselves.

“Hey, what are you all standing around for? If you don’t move now, she’ll snatch him up first!”

“Wait, but she’s Rank 3. And a mage. We can’t exactly just challenge her outright.”

“I heard her recent performance has been bad, though.”

“Even so, Rank 3 is still Rank 3.”

“Ugh, but isn’t it kinda pathetic to be fighting over a rookie?”

Though they lowered their voices, they couldn’t completely suppress their discussion.

With Bern’s sharp hearing, he caught every word.

And though Blanca kept a neutral expression, a slight flush of irritation crept up her cheeks.

Bern finally spoke.

“I can’t give an immediate answer. There are too many eyes on us here. Do you know a more private place where we can talk?”

“...6 p.m. in front of the Echo Inn. If you’re impatient, we can go right now.”

She was so eager that she was willing to abandon her post immediately.

But Bern simply shook his head.

There was no need to rush.

“Understood. I’ll see you then.”

“Alright. See you later.”

As he turned and walked away, Lucidra’s teasing whisper echoed in his mind.

[You’re pretty popular, huh? That woman... She’s been eyeing you for a while. This body might not be as stunning as your real one, but I guess it’s still working for you.]

‘Lucidra.’

[What?]

‘This tendency of yours to overanalyze everything in that way... It’s a disease.’

[You little—!]

***

"Hey, Bern. Since you're at it, why not join our party? We’ll teach you everything from survival skills to combat—you just need to show up."

"No, come to our side instead! Normally, a rookie gets a smaller cut when dividing rewards, but for you, we’ll give you an equal share."

The waiting time before his scheduled meeting.

Many adventurers tried to recruit Bern, but he politely declined, saying he already had prior arrangements.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had already decided to form a party with Blanca.

Judging by the peculiar reactions he had observed in the guild, it was clear that she had some kind of backstory.

It wasn’t difficult to dig up rumors about Blanca, and before his scheduled meeting, Bern managed to gather a general understanding of her situation.

A veteran adventurer in her third year.

A rare magic-user among adventurers, capable of both offensive and healing spells, making her a highly sought-after ace.

Was expected to reach Rank 4 soon, but half a year ago, she made a critical mistake by burning down a noble’s hunting grounds during a commission.

Lost most of her wealth paying for damages and had her primary equipment destroyed in that battle. As a result, the power of her magic significantly weakened.

Was expelled from her Rank 3 party and has since taken commissions with Rank 2 adventurers but struggled to fit in, consistently delivering poor results.

[She’s a wreck.]

Lucidra summed up her thoughts in a single statement.

[She’s technically Rank 3, but her actual skill level is more like Rank 2. And her reputation is pretty bad. If she gets all prideful about her rank, it’s just gonna be annoying for you.]

“Hmm.”

[What is there to even think about? You’d be better off just picking up a fresh newbie and training them instead. At least they’d listen to you.]

"I am a newbie. What newbie would I be training?"

[Oh, shut up. You’re not a real rookie—you’re a fraud just pretending to be one.]

"I’m a rookie as an adventurer. Besides, I’m curious."

[About what?]

"Why she made that offer to me in front of everyone, even at the cost of her own reputation."

From Bern’s perspective, Blanca had essentially destroyed her already fragile reputation just by asking him to join her party.

It was clear she wasn’t well-liked before, but as a receptionist, no one had openly shown hostility toward her. That meant her poor reputation had been more of a whispered issue rather than something widely known.

But now?

By making her move in front of the whole guild, where Rank 2 adventurers had already been eyeing Bern, she had intentionally drawn attention to herself.

And rumors spread fast.

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But surely, Blanca had to know this would happen, right?

She was in her third year as an adventurer. And even if she had only been a temporary receptionist, she had still worked in the position.

Bern was curious about her intentions.

And by the time he heard the reason from Blanca herself, that curiosity had turned into admiration.

"I did it in front of everyone so you’d find me interesting."

"You ruined your own reputation just to get my attention?"

"Well, I had to show you that I was serious."

Her sky-blue eyes locked onto his.

Not only had she insisted on having a private conversation, but she ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) had also brought him straight to her inn room.

At this point, bold barely even described it.

[Hey, run. This woman is definitely the “heavy baggage” type. You’re gonna regret getting involved.]

Lucidra whispered from his shadow, but Bern ignored her.

"You have a rather... unique approach to negotiations. Backing yourself into a corner like this only makes things harder for you."

All the other adventurers who had invited him into their parties had taken the safe approach.

"I’d like to recruit you, but if you refuse, it’s not a big deal."

That was the standard tactic.

It wasn’t wrong. If anything, it was smart.

If you made it clear that you needed them, the other party could exploit you for their own benefit.

"If I did that, I would’ve just been another name on a long list of offers you received. I might not have even gotten this one-on-one conversation with you."

Bern nodded in understanding.

If Blanca had simply asked him like everyone else, he wouldn’t have been particularly interested.

"And I don’t care if it puts me in a disadvantageous position. As long as I can get one thing from you, I’ll accept any price."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

She knew exactly what she was saying.

Her hand trembled slightly as she clenched her fists.

Blanca wasn’t emotionless.

She wasn’t indifferent.

She just had a goal she refused to abandon, no matter what.

"This isn’t just about forming a party and working together, is it? What are you really after?"

"A lich extermination."

Bern’s eyes widened slightly.

"A lich? As in the lich? The kind that’s at least Rank 5 on the continental threat scale? And if they reach Rank 6 or higher, they’re classified as national emergencies?"

"That’s right. The one I’m after hasn’t been a lich for long, so it’s on the weaker side. But it’s still an opponent you have to risk your life against."

Risking your life was putting it lightly.

Liches weren’t just powerful magic casters.

They controlled the dead.

And if you lost to one, you wouldn’t just die—your soul would be enslaved forever.

"What specific information do you have?"

"The guild has records, but neither a receptionist nor a low-ranked adventurer like me can access them. We’d need to be at least Rank 4."

"What about allies or backers?"

"None. I’ll have to gather more from now on."

"Are you secretly a Rank 4 mage pretending to be weak?"

"...Sorry to disappoint, but my actual skill level is only around Rank 2. My staff—the one that amplified my magic—was destroyed."

With each question and answer, Blanca’s shoulders shrank slightly, and her expression darkened.

"I know I’m asking for something ridiculous. But no matter what, I have to kill that thing."

"Why?"

"Because my mentor—my mother—is trapped inside it."

This wasn’t the kind of thing you casually confessed to someone you weren’t even sure would join you.

The fact that she told Bern this much meant that she was placing an incredible amount of trust in him.

Bern remained silent for a moment.

Then, he spoke.

"I have conditions."

Blanca’s expression brightened for a second, then tensed.

"First. I’m still inexperienced as an adventurer. Will you teach me everything you know and support me while I gain experience?"

"I’ll do everything I can."

"Second. There might be times when I use techniques or powers that don’t make sense to you. Can you keep silent about them?"

"I’m already good at keeping secrets."

"Third... well, I don’t have a third one. That should do for now."

Bern extended his right hand.

"Looking forward to working with you, Blanca."

Blanca looked at his hand skeptically, as if questioning whether those were really his only conditions.

But since Bern had said “for now”, she figured he’d probably ask for more later.

So, she grasped his hand firmly.

"Looking forward to it, Bern."