The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character

#22 Rookie Adventurer Bern (20) – Senior

#22 Rookie Adventurer Bern (20) – Senior

While Bern was often told he didn’t quite fit the image of an “adventurer,” he wasn’t particularly averse to the stereotypical adventurer culture.

If adventurer seniors and juniors were to meet and share stories, wouldn’t a tavern, complete with frothy mugs of beer, be a far more fitting locale than sipping tea in some fancy manor?

“Kyah! Frentia might boast some fine eateries, but this place brews the best ale, bar none. Whaddya think, eh?”

Alserus, after downing a massive, wooden tankard near enough in a single gulp, slammed it down with a resounding *thunk*. The sight of it embodied, almost perfectly, the rough-and-tumble adventurer image that Bern vaguely held, and he couldn’t help but be impressed.

Frankly, by his standards, the beer here was lukewarm and lacking any real zing, almost like watery broth. But such was the power of ambiance: if the atmosphere was right, the taste followed suit.

“Aye, it’s… not bad.”

“Tsk, not exactly a glowing review, is it?”

“Well, if it’s a drink bought by a senior, ‘not bad’ could easily transform into ‘quite good’, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hahaha! This one’s got a mild face, but a sly spirit hidden beneath! Now that you mention it, how can I not buy you one! Rest assured, I’m paying for it all, so order away!”

Alserus roared with laughter, seemingly delighted by Bern’s reply.

And so, with the light icebreaker out of the way…

Blanca, who had barely touched her drink, finally spoke.

“So, might we finally get to the matter at hand?”

“Hm. That’s right.”

Alserus stroked his beard for a moment, then blurted out, as if tearing off a bandage.

“Well, to be frank, it’s a handover. When you get down to it, we’re passing on loose ends of a failure to our juniors, ain’t we? If we have to go, we thought it fair to at least lend a hand.”

“…Is that *really* all there is to it?”

A considerable amount of doubt and disbelief clung to Blanca’s voice.

Due to the nature of the adventurer business, where everyone was both a partner and a competitor, any true “generosity” was especially rare.

They might help collaborators on the same quest, perhaps, but there was little to no benefit to them in assisting another party they had no connection to.

It is rare to find a soul amongst the adventurer scum willing to earnestly repay a kindness.

Even if an adventurer *does* intend to, who knows when or where they’ll keel over and die before they can manage it. Either the adventurer themselves, or the one who’s owed the debt.

They know that if a culture of helping those in dire straits took root, the survival rate of the entire trade would increase, ultimately benefiting them too. But expecting that vague reward, that might *never* come, wasn’t their style. Adventurers preferred the quick score, then a clean getaway.

Alsace chuckled, as if understanding Blanca’s unspoken question.

“I know, I know. I understand what the young lady’s thinking. Seeing me alone like this, can’t you guess what happened?”

“Perhaps…a disagreement?”

“Yeah. If you solve what *we* couldn’t, it’d only tarnish *our* reputation, they grumbled. Why should they help? Such petty b*stards. No guts, I tell ya, no guts.”

Alsace, seemingly enraged, downed the remaining half-pint of beer in one gulp, then sidelonged at the owner, who seemed lost in a daze, simply tending the shop out of duty.

“Right now, the owner runs the place alone, but originally, his daughter worked here as a server. People were getting scared, so she wanted the city to be restored to its former state, and pleaded with us to help. Promised to do anything she could, even offered herself as bait. We, struggling with the search, boasted that we’d protect her, and accepted. But as you can see, there’s no server here now.”

Blanca and Renya gasped.

From Alsace, who had seemed like nothing more than a jovial loafer, poured out an undeniable, raw energy of grief and resentment.

“That was the most shameful experience of my entire adventuring career. I wanted to stick to the request and solve it no matter what, but at some point, I had to realize it, whether I wanted to or not. That clinging on, with no real ability to back it up, would only lead to more victims. So we gave up, and as a result, you came. Do I need a better reason to help you?”

Bern, in place of the two who were speechless, opened his mouth to answer.

“No, that seems sufficient. Would you tell us the story, then?”

“Fine by me. I’ll tell you everything. According to our investigation—”

After that, Alsace began to relay the various pieces of information they had learned while staying in this place.

-The intervals between the disappearances are basically random. Sometimes they take one person each day, other times they don’t touch anyone for several days, then suddenly take someone again. But at least one person a week always vanishes.

-The only way to prevent a disappearance is to stay awake. If at least one person in the space with the intended victim remains conscious, nothing happens there.

-Conversely, if all the occupants fall asleep, whatever the defenses that may be set, they can infiltrate without problems and take the victim away. It’s the same even if the entrances are physically sealed off.

-Among the victims, there was even a family that tried to prevent the attack by tying themselves tightly together, but the ropes were easily untied, and the victim disappeared.

-Traps were laid, yet none sprung. Tracks were sought, but the earth yielded no secrets.

-The woods, first suspected as the culprit’s lair, were scoured clean, but held not a single clue.

“As a last resort, we gathered potential victims in a few buildings, setting up rotating watches… Even that failed. In a place unguarded by our own, another watchman succumbed to slumber, and the young women there vanished in an instant. The event has left such a mark that they can barely bring themselves to stand guard together, let alone trust anyone outside their own families.”

When Alseus finished, Renya spoke, a grimace twisting her features.

“Is there even an answer to this? If doors don’t hold, traps fail, and even physically restraining the victims is useless, what are we supposed to do?”

Renya knew of Bern’s overwhelming power.

Whether facing a monster unknown or a sorcerer of wicked arts, she had assumed Bern would prevail, especially with his ability to cleave through knights with simple sword strokes. But, this seemed more twisted than she imagined.

Even with Bern’s might, they had to actually cross blades with the foe to even have a chance.

“Hmm.”

Meanwhile, a strange unease settled over Blanca. She glanced sideways, finding Bern lost in thought, just as she was.

Their eyes met, and Bern gave the barest of nods.

A peculiar satisfaction, like a silent understanding, washed over her. Blanca inquired,

“That person, the one who succumbed to sleep while on watch, where is he now?”

Alseus raised his eyebrows, confusion evident.

“Why do you ask?”

“Even so, it seems odd. To fall asleep on guard duty, knowing everything hinged on vigilance.”

“Sleep is something you cannot command with will alone. Even in the tensest of moments, a lapse in attention can be your undoing.”

“Even if that’s true, it feels worth investigating, at least.”

“Hmm…”

*Tap!*

Then, the proprietor, having approached unnoticed, placed the plates of food on their table, and spoke.

“Malcolm will be in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. Those who lost family or lovers because of him would skin him alive if they saw his face; he couldn’t bear it in the city and was chased out.”

Bern bowed his head politely towards him.

“Thank you for the information.”

“You outsiders are striving to find the culprit, so how could this be anything?”

Having said that, the proprietor looked at Alsus.

“I beg you. Please, don’t let my daughter’s courage be in vain.”

Alsus momentarily wore a bitter expression, but then nodded resolutely.

“Leave it to me. I will cooperate with these friends as much as possible.”

Lenya, having surmised their approximate situation and relationships from what Alsus had said earlier and the proprietor’s current demeanor, rubbed his eyes with a face as if moved to tears.

Blanca, also renewing her will to somehow capture the culprit, Bern downed his beer with an inscrutable face.

[Something seems to displease you, what is it?]

‘I don’t know. Perhaps it’s that the beer doesn’t taste as good as before.’

[What?]

Bern did not answer.

*

“I plan to stay in this city for a while, so call me anytime if you need help. Ah, don’t misunderstand, I’m not asking for any compensation.”

Adding that he was the type who couldn’t stand to lose, Alsus departed.

Lenya spoke with a voice tinged with respect.

“Wow, honestly, I thought adventurers other than you and big sister were just moderately capable thugs, but I guess someone around rank 4 has a certain class. That competitive spirit, sense of responsibility, even that pride. It’s not for nothing that he is the face of the Eastern Branch!”

“Well, this is the first time I’ve spoken with him directly, but I haven’t heard any outright bad stories about him within the Adventurer’s Guild, either.”

Perhaps this was the closest thing to a ‘storybook adventurer’ that Bern had been going on about.

Thinking this, Blanca looked towards Bern, but for some reason, he remained unusually silent.

She tilted her head, a touch perplexed, then fell in step behind Bern, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, shrouding the surroundings in darkness, but as a ball of fire ignited in Blanca’s palm, her vision cleared.

Maintaining a spell in this preparatory state, without actually launching an attack, was rather wasteful of mana, but with her mana reserves having recently and rapidly increased, it wasn’t particularly burdensome for her.

She did wonder, though, what her old self, who had meticulously counted the uses of even the simplest spells, would say if she saw her now. What cynical remark would she offer?

They walked for a while.

“…Whoa. I heard it was abandoned, but this is a bit much.”

Lenya clicked his tongue, clearly disgusted.

As he said, the building before them was in a deplorable state.

Peeling walls. Thick layers of sand and dust. An unsettling atmosphere, hanging heavy in the air.

Perhaps it was partially due to the fact that it was now nighttime, but it certainly didn’t look like a place fit for habitation. Unless it was a bravery test experience, perhaps.

“Mr. Malcolm? Are you there? We’ve come to inquire about the missing persons case.”

Despite the knocking, there was no response.

Four times, five times.

They repeated the knocking and called out his name, to no avail.

“Isn’t he inside?”

“That’s right, brother. No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like anyone would be here.”

Despite the two men’s dissuasion, Bern continued to knock in silence.

It continued for roughly ten minutes, until, at long last, an agitated thumping echoed from within the building.

With a crash, the door flew open as if about to be ripped from its hinges, and a man snarled.

“What is it! What in damnation! Do you have any idea what time it is!?”

Bloodshot eyes. Cheekbones sharp and prominent. The stench of alcohol clinging to him. Crucially, a hatchet gripped in his hand.

An embodiment of danger itself, sending Blanca and Renya into immediate combat stance.

Bern, however, opened his mouth without a hint of concern.

“We’d like to ask about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. Would you be willing to cooperate for a moment?”

“Cooperate, my ass! I’ve got nothing to say, so scram before you—”

“Or will you continue to shoulder the blame like this?”

“—What?”

Malcolm’s body flinched at Bern’s words.

Toward the man now looking thoroughly bewildered, Bern spoke again.

“I know it wasn’t your fault you dozed off during watch. I can clear your name, so cooperate with us.”