The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character

Episode 20: Rookie Adventurer Bern (18) – A Battle of Nerves

Episode 20: Rookie Adventurer Bern (18) – A Battle of Nerves

There were several differences between the life of an adventurer Bern imagined and the actual life of an adventurer, but if he had to pick the biggest one, it would be the surprising amount of time spent traveling.

Having been a Rank 1 Adventurer, the tasks were mostly errands within the city; travel time rarely exceeded a few dozen minutes on foot. But the goblin extermination, a Rank 2 commission, took more than a day just to reach, and Rank 3 requests often involved renting a wagon and enduring journeys that lasted several days.

More time, in other words, was spent traveling to the destination and returning than actually resolving the commission itself.

And Bern was a man who did not forget the adage that time is gold.

En Route to Frensia.

Having parked the horse and cart rented from the Adventurer’s Guild to one side, he faced Blanca squarely.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Mock battles, repeated every morning and evening during their journey.

Blanca, whose stance gripping the sword now looked considerably practiced, gazed at Bern with cerulean eyes.

A gaze filled with intense resolve, as if determined not to miss a single one of his movements.

Feeling satisfied by this, Bern pushed off the ground with force.

But his body, unlike usual, was oriented not forwards, but backwards.

*Chink.*

The leather pouch attached to Bern’s waist.

Within, pebbles of varying sizes displayed a spectrum of shapes and hues.

Bern grasped a handful of these stones, and flicked them with his thumb, launching them towards Blanca.

But Blanca had already cast two spells.

*『Body Slightly Strengthening Magic』* *『Reaction Slightly Quickening Magic』*

In addition to the enhancement spells she already possessed, she had newly purchased one with the money earned from a commission.

While the former affected strength, endurance, agility, and the like, the latter was a spell that enhanced aspects related to senses, such as dynamic visual acuity and reaction speed.

A common person might have simply thought *something* had flashed by, but Blanca, borrowing the power of magic, calmly deflected the hurled projectiles with her blade.

Blanca recalled what Vern had taught her.

“Body-enhancing magic, often, it’s treated as inferior compared to a warrior’s physical augmentations. When you directly enhance the body with mana, you can strengthen everything, be it muscle strength or senses, according to your will. But mages’ spells, they say, are fragmented, each area is separated. And the mana efficiency is worse, even.”

“However, after comparing directly… well, after consulting with other mages, I’ve confirmed that spells possess a distinct advantage of their own. That is, they guarantee a certain level of effect.”

“The warrior’s method is multiplication. [Base Ability * Enhancement Ratio = Final Result]. The mage’s method is addition. [Base Ability + Spell Grade = Final Result].”

“Therefore, warriors are greatly influenced by their natural physical abilities. It’s exceptionally difficult for a frail woman to overcome a robust young man in physical prowess. But with a spell, it might be possible. Spells simply enhance the body by a fixed amount.”

“Furthermore, unlike warriors who must constantly manage the minute details of enhancement ratios, once a spell is cast, its effect lasts until the time limit expires. There’s no need to fret over how much mana to allocate to which area.”

“Therefore, it is beneficial to learn as many different types of body enhancement spells as possible. Once activated, the effects persist.”

*Thwack!* *Tap-tap!* *Tatap-tap!*

Stones rained down, one after another, giving Blanca no respite.

Again, Blanca either deflected the stones with her sword or dodged the attacks by rolling to the side, but even so, she couldn’t cope perfectly and some attacks landed.

*Thud!*

One to the left shin, one to the right shoulder.

The force was enough to shatter bone, but her body, enhanced by spells, suppressed the damage to a few bruises.

Biting down on her lip at the faintly throbbing pain, Blanca lunged towards Vern.

Vern continued his barrage of projectiles, trying to keep her at bay, but the closer Blanca got, the less his momentum became.

“It is not an absolute *must*, but a mage’s spells tend to increase in attack range and power as their rank goes up. Therefore, the more powerful the spell, the more difficult it is to use on enemies nearby. Low-level spells often take the form of projectiles, making them awkward to use on close targets. The angle of fire becomes difficult.”

“Consider your body and magic as separate domains of action. You must be able to dodge with your body while attacking with spells, and you must be able to heal yourself with restoration spells while wielding a sword. Only then can you fight against higher-level mages.”

Blanca swung her sword at Vern while simultaneously unleashing a series of low-grade fire spells at him.

The close proximity made Blanca herself feel the intense heat, and she was struck in various places by the counterattacks that came her way. Still, trusting in her enhanced body, she somehow endured.

Using ‘Lesser Healing’ magic left her vulnerable, a gap Bern filled by keeping the enemy at bay with his sword, before she unleashed another barrage of offensive spells once the wound was mended.

It was an almost reckless, even brutal, tactic for a woman of Blanka’s delicate appearance, seemingly devoid of any consideration for her own safety.

Yet, Blanka harbored not a single complaint.

Partly because she could feel her skills improving rapidly after adopting Bern’s suggested strategy. But even more than that, she sensed that Bern had custom-tailored this tactic specifically for *her*.

Sword, offensive spells, healing spells.

She could wield them all, but each had once felt disjointed, leaving her only middling in all aspects. Now, in this tactic, all her abilities clicked together like puzzle pieces, each fulfilling its purpose.

‘Just how much effort did he put in, to conceive such a strategy?’

When she’d asked how he’d come up with it, Bern had downplayed it, saying it wasn’t a big deal. But Blanka didn’t believe him.

Bern was a pure swordsman. How much could he really know about magic?

No, he must have researched, agonized, and deliberated for Blanka’s sake, and the result was before her.

Yet he presented it as if it were merely a casual afterthought, readily imparting it to her. Blanka had to fight down ‘something’ that was swelling within her chest.

“Let’s call it a day. Well done. I can feel your skills have improved significantly.”

The mock battle concluded, and Bern extended a hand toward Blanka, who was panting and slumped on the ground.

It was hard to believe that this was the same hand that had been wielding a sword and conjuring flames at her just moments ago; his face was now filled with nothing but pure goodwill and admiration.

He seemed to rejoice in Blanka’s improved skills as if they were his own.

The sheer innocence in his eyes made it difficult to bear, and Blanka instinctively lowered her gaze.

“No, Bern, you’re the one who worked hard. Forcing a swordsman to stand in as a mage, battling with an unfamiliar tactic must have been taxing.”

“Well, it’s not exactly true. I’ve done it quite a bit before.”

Blanka couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

This man, who always appeared so faultless, consistently fumbled with such awkward and clumsy excuses in instances like these.

He himself wasn’t a mage, so of course, he wouldn’t often find himself keeping a wizardly distance.

“Brother! Sister! That was a truly magnificent match! Ah, it’s a shame I was the only one watching, but also, I feel like I’ve been treated to something incredibly special, it’s such a complicated feeling!”

“Lenya. Perhaps it’s about time you underwent some additional training, don’t you think?”

“Aiyo, what you’ve taught me so far is more than enough! Normally a porter, in a pinch, a scout, in the city, an errand boy. Surely, I can earn my keep with just that! Haha!”

Casting a sideways glance at Bern, who was conversing merrily with the fussing Lenya, Blanca once again fell into the familiar throes of contemplation.

‘Just how am I supposed to repay him?’

Through a ring, a treasure beyond compare, he resolved her chronic mana deficiency.

He transformed her, who was destined to spend her life shackled to the guild, paying off debts, back into a respectable adventurer.

He conceived a special tactic only she, the ‘jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none,’ could employ, and aided in her training.

She had received so much, yet repaid so little.

Bern simply stated that her companionship on their adventures was sufficient, but no matter how she considered it, she couldn’t believe that was a fair exchange.

She’d even considered… a different kind of repayment, but Bern had already refused her advances several times, and she couldn’t imagine him accepting something like that now.

Because of his noble character, he would likely find it distasteful, as if she were trying to exploit his guilt.

Or perhaps he thought that Blanca herself, driven by the desperation to save her mother, was simply trying to cling to him.

In truth, she had acted with that intent before, so she couldn’t exactly argue.

‘In the end, the opportunity will come later, then.’

Someday, after they’ve subjugated the Lich.

After freeing her mother from that fiend’s clutches, when she no longer has anything to hesitate over or hold back.

At that time, she truly could, purely, convey these feelings she harbored for him.

*

Days bled together as Bern and his companions finally reached Frenia.

But instead of a warm welcome, they were greeted with thinly veiled resentment.

“Third Rank? After even Rank Four adventurers failed to achieve anything with this request, they send *me* a mere Rank Three! Does the Adventurer’s Guild take me for a fool? How dare they expect to be paid for such shoddy work!? You worthless insects!!”

The Lord of Frenia’s outburst, utterly devoid of any nobility, painted a subtle shift across the faces of Bern’s party.

Behind him, a knight, his face set in a grim mask, echoed the Lord’s sentiments.

“My Lord speaks truly! This is an insult to you, and to Frenia itself! The Guild must be held accountable!”

“Gudrun, your thoughts align perfectly with mine!”

Sensing the foreboding shift in atmosphere, a middle-aged man with spectacles, who introduced himself as the treasurer, frantically tried to placate the Lord.

“P-please, Your Lordship, wait! While these adventurers may only be Rank Three, their skills are said to be on par with Rank Four. The Eastern Branch sent the best they could, and surely had no intention of insulting you.”

“If they are comparable to Rank Four, then they should have sent a proper Rank Four in the first place! Is that not obvious?”

“The Eastern Branch only has one Rank Four party stationed here, the Alsets party. Even if they wanted to, there wasn’t another to send.”

“Hmph. For all the boasting, it seems the Guild is nothing special. Though, what more can you expect from commoners.”

“Y-Your Lordship…”

The treasurer’s gaze darted frantically between the Lord and Bern’s group.

Renya, usually grinning, now wore a hard expression, and Blanca’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Amidst it all, Bern simply blinked, prompting Lucidra, from the shadows, to inquire.

[Hey, these guys, they asked the Adventurer’s Guild for help because they couldn’t solve the missing persons case themselves, right?]

‘Indeed.’

[Then why are they acting so high and mighty when they were the ones who needed help?]

‘Perhaps they don’t consider it a request for help.’

[Huh?]

“Ever seen an employer who hired mercenaries kowtow to them? They’d be all over them to make the most of their coin. This lord before us is the same. He’s already paid the commission, so he treats the guild and the adventurers it sent as his lackeys.”

To top it off, the party he’d originally hired gave up, saying they couldn’t solve it, and the party that came later is supposedly of a lower caliber.

It wasn’t hard to understand why the lord was so openly dissatisfied.

But.

That was the lord’s perspective, and Bern, who simply received a job through the guild and showed up, had no reason to care about being insulted.

“Hmm. It seems that the lord has quite a few complaints about us.”

The lord’s face twisted into a scowl.

More than the content of Bern’s words, his glare seemed to say, ‘Who are you to speak without permission?’

Bern offered him a bright smile.

“Well, what can we do if the client doesn’t like us? We’ll be on our way, and I hope you can solve the problem yourselves. Originally, I’d want compensation for the wasted time and money from this fruitless trip, but I’ll refrain. From the looks of it, the estate is so wretched you can’t even offer a cup of tea to a guest, so how could I possibly take from the impoverished?”