The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 18: New Adventurer Bern (16). Rising Star

Swish!

Blanca’s sword sliced through a section of uneven, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) overgrown brush.

Bern, who had been closely observing her stance and the path of her blade, asked a question.

“Have you ever learned swordsmanship?”

“I didn’t have a proper teacher or anything. One of my old party members gave me a few pointers. Is it weird?”

“No, it’s not bad. Better than I expected.”

By Bern’s standards, it wasn’t what you’d call high-level, not even as flattery.

But still, she didn’t have any glaring bad habits or superficial flair that got in the way.

Her form was basic, solid—nothing fancy, but that made her easier to train.

Bern had been ready to rebuild her form from the ground up if needed, but this level was good enough to develop from.

“Sounds like the person who taught you was a decent instructor.”

“...He was one of the two warriors you knocked out. The one with the bushy beard. He was normally a quiet and stubborn man, but after I saved him once with healing magic in a dangerous situation, he became a lot more open. He always said he was more of a blunt weapon specialist, not good with swords, but he still taught me sincerely.”

“Hm? Ah.”

Bern recalled one of the warriors from Karina’s party—specifically, the one who had clearly shown reluctance to fight and couldn’t meet Blanca’s eyes.

So there had been that kind of connection.

“Well then, ma’am, if you saved his life, he basically owes you everything. And he just stood by and watched you get kicked from the party?”

Renya, standing beside them, sighed dramatically, but Blanca only gave a bitter smile. She didn’t look particularly angry.

“He had a big family to support. He couldn’t afford to drag along a party member who was just dead weight.”

“Ahh, truly, your heart is as vast as the sea, ma’am!”

Blanca didn’t react much to Renya’s exaggerated praise—she simply shook her head. She had finally learned that responding to every little thing just made her more tired.

“So, about the training. What exactly are we doing? Are you telling me to hold back on fire magic and focus on body enhancement and swordsmanship?”

“No. You’ve got firepower and control, so there’s no need to throw away your strengths. What I want from you is this—”

With those words, Bern stepped toward her.

Two bold strides—just enough that one more would bring them chest to chest.

“This distance. I want you to be able to hit your target with a spell at this exact range—close enough that you could strike with your sword. And I want you to do it mid-combat, while swinging your blade.”

Blanca imagined the scene in her head for a moment.

Then she frowned.

“Is that even possible? I mean, maybe I could land the spell, but wouldn’t I—?”

“You’d probably get caught in the backlash too. That’s why you’ll mainly use low-tier spells. At worst, they’ll just heat your skin a bit.”

“......”

“But if the situation calls for it, you’ll have to use mid-tier spells—even if it means getting caught in the blast.”

Get in close and attack—even if it means hurting yourself in the process.

Bern’s demand could have easily come off as ruthless, but Blanca didn’t get angry.

Because she knew Bern wouldn’t ask something like this without a reason.

“Can you tell me why?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“The first reason is to get you used to using attack, healing, and enhancement spells all at the same time. Right now, you finish one spell before switching to the next—but doing that wastes your advantage.”

It was like drawing a picture with only your right hand, when using your left and even your feet could get the job done faster.

But the look on Bern’s face said “You can do that much, right?”, and Blanca couldn’t bring herself to tell him to quit spouting nonsense.

“You said ‘first reason.’ So there’s another?”

“That range might feel awkward for you—but for a pure mage, it’s even worse.”

“Ah.”

It was such an obvious statement, yet Blanca blinked.

With some exceptions, mages were ranged damage dealers by nature.

They had powerful, wide-reaching spells, but to avoid being caught in their own blasts, they had to keep a safe distance.

While there were some solo warriors among adventurers, solo mages were extremely rare for the same reason.

You needed someone else to serve as a wall, to keep enemies at bay so you could cast safely.

“Our goal is to take down a lich. So your growth path should align with that goal.”

With Blanca’s current level, there was little chance of winning a head-on magic duel against a lich.

Which meant the only path left was to fight unorthodoxly.

It wasn’t wrong, but still—it was a mage being told to charge in and repeatedly cast spells at point-blank range, possibly blowing herself up.

It wasn’t easy advice to accept.

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“It’ll be fine, Blanca. I know you can do it.”

Bern gave her a warm, trusting smile as he said it.

Blanca looked like she had a lot she wanted to say—but seeing his smiling face, her expression melted into a dazed one, and she slowly nodded.

[...Good grief. How’d I end up stuck with this guy?]

The demon in the shadows gazed at Blanca with pity-filled eyes—though no human was aware of it.

“H-Hey, sir. Then what kind of training do I need to do?”

Renya, looking a little paler than usual, asked in an uncharacteristically nervous tone.

It was clear he was afraid he might be subjected to the same absurd training as Blanca.

“You’ll start by learning how to handle mana. Focus more on sensory perception than physical enhancement.”

“T-That’s it? You’re not going to make me charge at enemies with a sword or anything like that?”

“A scout’s job is to observe without being noticed. Combat skills are useful but not the priority. Of course, if you want to grow stronger, I could also—”

“No, no thank you! I will thoroughly commit myself to the support role! Isn’t that the ideal form of a party—everyone fulfilling their own duties to the best of their ability?”

“...Hm. That’s a good attitude.”

Bern was satisfied, Renya felt relief at having survived, and Blanca quietly grew gloomy over the fact that she couldn’t get away with it that easily herself.

And so began a stretch of time that was either extremely fulfilling—or excruciatingly difficult, depending on who you asked.

***

“Blanca, in swordsmanship, the positioning of your hands and feet is critical. To slash downward again after a downward strike, you first have to raise your sword. But magic is different. Once it’s generated from your palm, you can choose the timing and direction freely. You don’t even have to show your palm to the enemy.”

“Blanca, a seasoned swordsman can deflect or cut down spells flying toward them. They can block an enemy’s sword too. But they only have one sword. That means if you force your opponent to guard against your blade, then hit them with a spell in the gap you’ve created, it puts them in a tight spot. The reverse works too—spell first, then sword.”

“Blanca, widen your awareness. Just because you’re locked in a swordfight with the enemy in front of you doesn’t mean you can ignore the enemies in the distance. If you trap a strong opponent in melee while firing mid-tier spells at distant foes, you fulfill the roles of both tank and DPS at the same time. You avoid hurting yourself with your own magic and simultaneously pressure your close-range opponent.”

“Blanca, are you all right? Good. Don’t worry—even if you make a mistake, you can always try again. That’s the point of training. As long as I’m here, nothing truly dangerous will happen. So be bold. Shall we continue?”

***

Lately, among the adventurers of the Eastern Branch, one particular party was the constant subject of gossip.

“Hey, did you hear about Blanca’s party? Apparently, they cleared the Gruatang region cleanup request in just one day.”

“What? Isn’t Gruatang the place that takes even three Tier 3 parties at least four days to finish? No way they did it in one. They must’ve half-assed it.”

“No, I heard the amount of monster materials they brought back was so massive that the auction house and wholesalers went into a frenzy. Except for being a bit scorched, the quality was top-tier too.”

“Did you hear about the new guy and the receptionist’s party? There was a tribe of over fifty lizardmen that had been kidnapping and eating travelers, and the three of them just marched in and wiped them all out!”

“Wait—weren’t they hunting kobolds like three days ago? Now they’re already fighting lizardmen? When the hell do they rest?”

“Don’t even start. I heard they bought a spell scroll that converts mana into stamina, and since then they’ve been barely sleeping while going around massacring monsters.”

“Pfft, it's all anyone talks about now. Still, they’re just adventurers like us. What’s so amazing?”

“Hey, hey—badmouthing them’s fine, but don’t go picking a fight. Some drunk tried that and got beaten with a sheathed sword, healed with magic, then beaten again with the sheath until he begged in tears. Watching it gave me chills.”

“So, the redhead beats them and the blue-haired one heals them? What a team.”

“No, the blue-haired one did both—beat him and healed him. And she didn’t even look mad. She just calmly kept smacking him like a leatherworker tanning hide.”

“...I didn’t say anything.”

“Man, all those people who laughed at them when they first teamed up, saying they’d fall apart? They’ve all shut up now.”

“If a single member of a party can demolish an entire Tier 3 group, trying to talk trash isn’t pride—it’s a lack of intelligence.”

“Oh, right. What about Karina’s party? Are they sharpening their swords for revenge or something?”

“Nope. They’ve been completely silent since then. Honestly, it’s the smart move.”

“You notice how the receptionists have been in great moods lately? It’s because Bern’s party keeps snatching up all the requests that others avoid for being dangerous or unprofitable.”

“Their request completion rate is three to five times faster than average. Even if the pay per job is low, at that pace, they’re raking it in.”

“Not to mention they’re a three-man team in a field where five-to-six-person parties are the norm for Tier 3. The payout per person must be insane.”

“Tch. Think they’re recruiting? Honestly, I’m way more useful than that brown-noser they’ve got hanging around.”

“Some people already tried to join, but apparently the requirement is to beat that brown-noser in a game of tag.”

“Oh? And?”

“Didn’t even have to hide—he stood right in front of them, and they still flailed around for ten minutes before giving up. I mean, would someone who rolls with those two be normal?”

“Damn it. Nothing ever works out.”

“Hey, hey—did you hear?”

“What now?”

“Bern, Blanca, and that extra guy Renya—they’re about to get promoted to Tier 4.”

“What? Hasn’t it only been a month since Bern became an adventurer? That’s insane.”

“At that level, it’s so absurd that you can’t even be jealous. It’s just impressive.”

“He really is... a rising star.”