The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 33: New Adventurer Bern (31). Blanca’s Resolve

The news of the lich subjugation spread like wildfire—shaking every corner of the continent.

A wicked lich who sought power through the sacrifice of countless living victims, and the guild’s all-out campaign to stop him.

Even though only the very best had been selected, the number of casualties was significant. Among them was even the guild master himself, a long-standing symbol and patriarch of the guild.

They were fortunate to have succeeded. Had the operation failed, it’s likely not a single adventurer would have returned alive.

And the testimonies of the survivors and rescued victims left people even more stunned.

“If it weren’t for the red-haired one—Bern—if he hadn’t volunteered to act as bait, if he hadn’t helped identify the traitors ahead of time, we would’ve taken catastrophic losses. Just thinking about those scum who sold their souls to the lich stabbing us in the back gives me chills.”

“That red-haired adventurer... he was the one who unchained us and helped us escape our cages. If it weren’t for him, we’d all have been sacrifices too.”

“I couldn’t see clearly because of the cursed mist, but judging by the battle scars left behind... he fought off multiple death knights. And one of them was the guild master. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe it—‘amazing’ is the only word I can think of.”

The new adventurer, Bern.

A young man who hadn’t even been in the guild for half a year, yet had already performed feats beyond imagination—and lost his life just as quickly.

Those who heard the news were filled with admiration for his actions, and sorrow over his loss.

If Bern had survived, some said he could’ve replaced the fallen guild master—or even surpassed him and become a legend in his own right.

“Ha! What a load of crap!”

...Of course, as with all things, not everyone agreed with the public sentiment.

At a tavern near the Adventurers' Guild headquarters, a drunken adventurer slammed his mug on the table and raised his voice.

“He dove into the enemy’s trap alone and turned the tide? Took on multiple death knights and overwhelmed them? Please. Why not say he slayed a dragon while you’re at it?”

A few patrons turned to look.

One of his companions at the table frowned and tried to calm him down.

“Keep your voice down. People are listening.”

“What, I’m not allowed to talk now? It doesn’t make any damn sense!”

“There are witnesses, though.”

“Yeah, well, anyone can make up a damn story. If I say I saw a flying plate of spaghetti, does that mean it’s real? No? Thought so.”

“Sigh...”

His companion shook his head. There was no point arguing—he could tell the man wouldn’t listen.

Some of the nearby adventurers glanced their way, but that only made the loudmouth talk louder, as if to be sure everyone heard.

“It’s the guild, I’m telling you! They’re behind this whole thing. Fabricating a tragic hero just to sweep their own failures under the rug!”

There were holes in his argument, of course.

If the guild wanted a tragic hero, they’d have used the fallen guild master’s name—not some unknown rookie like Bern.

But hate doesn’t need logic.

The man just needed a reason to justify his jealousy and resentment toward this ‘young hero’ everyone was praising—and as long as it sounded plausible, that was enough for him. Truth be damned.

Ding-ling!

At that moment, the tavern door opened and two new patrons entered.

But the man, drunk on his own narrative, paid them no mind and continued spinning his conspiracy.

“Or maybe—just maybe—this Bern guy was working with the lich the whole time. It makes more sense than some newbie magically outsmarting the whole damn scheme. Something probably went wrong between them and boom—both of them died.”

“Oho, not a bad theory.”

“Yeah, sure, talented rookies exist, but the way people talk about him? Sounds exaggerated.”

A few others at nearby tables nodded along.

Some, like the original speaker, didn’t like how much attention Bern was getting. Others were just there to gossip.

A hero secretly in league with evil? That was the kind of scandal people loved to tear into.

Truth be told, fewer than one in ten people in the tavern actually agreed—but the man puffed out his chest like the whole place was on his side.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak again—

One of the two new arrivals approached and spoke to him.

“What did you say?”

“Huh? I said that Bern bastard was probably working with the lich, what of it?”

He answered reflexively, but then realized the voice wasn’t a companion’s.

It was a woman’s. A stranger.

“...Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

She had sky-blue hair and eyes.

Average height. A beige cloak hung over a slim figure, a sword resting at her hip. She didn’t look particularly threatening—more fragile than anything, really.

“Take back what you just said.”

Simple. Direct.

If any of her companions had been there, they would’ve known she was barely holding back the fury boiling inside her.

But the drunken man wasn’t sharp enough to notice.

All he saw was a seemingly weak woman pretending to be an adventurer, ordering him around.

“The hell are you, bitch? Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Bern gave everything in the fight against the lich. Thanks to him, many were saved. Stop spreading lies when you don’t know what really happened.”

“Ha! Gave everything, my ass. That dumbass got himself killed for nothing—”

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That was as far as he got.

The woman grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the table.

THUD!

The impact echoed through the tavern, dishes and food jumping into the air before clattering back down.

The man’s body twitched for a moment, then went limp.

“Wh-What the hell!?”

His companion, startled, reached for a weapon—but he couldn’t bring himself to swing it.

It was the woman’s eyes.

Sky-blue eyes were supposed to be cool, serene.

But hers burned like wildfire—blazing with fury.

Faced with those eyes, he froze, like prey cornered by a predator.

The heavy atmosphere weighed on everyone else in the tavern too, silencing them. They held their breath, staring at the woman.

And then—she spoke.

Blanca made her declaration.

“If anyone doubts Bern’s abilities—if anyone questions what he accomplished—come find me. I’ll show you whether the rumors are true or exaggerated... just like I did now.”

Each word struck like a blow. The adventurers swallowed hard.

The ones who had nodded along earlier, trashing Bern just to join the gossip, flinched and averted their eyes.

Even among rough adventurers, none could ignore the murderous pressure radiating from Blanca now.

“Ahem... Let’s leave it at that, ma’am. I think everyone here’s gotten the message loud and clear.”

Renya, who had entered the tavern with Blanca, spoke up to break the tense silence.

Blanca glanced at him and removed her hand from the back of the unconscious man’s head.

Renya handed the tavern owner a small tip and asked him to handle the mess. The anxious proprietor nodded quickly.

The group moved to the tavern’s third floor—a reserved area for special guests. There, they were greeted by the eastern branch’s administrator, who looked at them with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

“Guys... didn’t I specifically tell you not to stir up trouble? The guild’s already on edge. If the headquarters and the eastern branch end up in some kind of conflict, things will spiral out of control.”

Blanca replied flatly.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Then you shouldn’t have called us here for testimonies in the first place. Or, at the very least, make sure no one spreads that kind of garbage.”

“Hey! I only got assigned to lead the eastern branch because of you, and this is how you repay me!?”

“Yup. This is exactly how.”

“You know how adventurers are. Why get so worked up? Are you seriously planning to beat the crap out of every idiot who badmouths Bern from now on?”

“If that’s what it takes, then yes.”

The administrator let out a long, groaning sigh.

His head was clearly throbbing, but deep down, he couldn’t blame her.

Bern had extended a hand to her in her darkest moment.

He had helped her fulfill the lifelong goal of revenge.

He had sacrificed his life to save her.

Any one of those would’ve been enough to earn her gratitude, or even love—but Bern had managed all three.

The administrator still remembered how she’d collapsed from crying too hard, again and again.

Compared to that, this new fire in her eyes was at least... easier to deal with. He convinced himself of that.

“So,” Blanca asked, “how’s the situation at headquarters?”

“Total shitshow.”

The administrator gave a blunt answer.

“Sure, we saved a lot of people, and taking down the lich gave the guild a solid boost in prestige... but we lost a lot too.”

They had lost a large number of elite adventurers.

They had lost the guild’s symbol, its only Tier 5 adventurer—the guild master himself.

And now they had to deal with the cost of the operation, reparations, cleanup...

“Some are saying the guild master acted too rashly. That he should’ve negotiated with the royal family or nobles to secure more support first.”

Blanca narrowed her eyes.

“The lich had already turned several Tier 4 adventurers into his servants and spread them throughout human society. He’d filled dungeons with monsters. If he’d completed the ritual, who knows what kind of disaster would’ve happened?”

“I know. I know. The guild master made a quick decision so we could act fast. If we’d wasted time negotiating with that damn kingdom, they’d have argued over whose problem it was and stalled for years. I get it.”

The administrator lit a pipe, visibly irritated.

“He came from a time when the guild still saw itself as a vigilante corps. That’s why he chose to act—to save lives. And he did save a lot of lives. But the guild also suffered. That’s just /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the truth.”

A breath of smoke curled into the air.

“With the guild master gone, there’s going to be a lot of political infighting. And from the way things are heading... the guild will probably become more ‘rational.’”

Rational.

Blanca knew what that word really meant.

No more risking loss. Every decision calculated for maximum benefit.

No more kindness or compassion—only profit.

Sure, the guild would grow stronger.

But colder, too.

Blanca found herself wondering—

What would Bern think of a guild like that?

A man who once called it “the adventurer’s romance” to fight a mighty monster in return for a single dirt-streaked flower from a little girl.

A man who proudly said that becoming an adventurer was one of his dreams.

Would he still love what adventurers were becoming?

She didn’t think so.

And so, she spoke.

“Is physical strength the only thing that qualifies someone to be guild master?”

“Huh? No, not necessarily. The last guild master had the credentials, the track record, all of that combined. Why?”

“Because I think you should be the next guild master.”

“...What?”

The administrator blinked, dumbfounded.

Blanca continued without hesitation.

“The guild needs a new symbol. Even if there are plenty of Tier 4s, the presence of a Tier 5-level adventurer is critical for the guild’s image. I’ll be that person. So you aim for the top in the administrative side.”

“Ohhh, my lady! Such noble ambition! Renya will serve loyally at your side, to the best of his humble ability!”

“You’ll need to improve your skills, Renya. And we’ll need more members. Maybe we could merge parties with Karina’s group.”

“That would give us a warrior, a scout, a healing mage, a combat mage, and an all-rounder—five members total. A well-balanced team!”

The administrator just stared.

As plans and declarations flew around him, he stood frozen—until he finally muttered, slack-jawed—

“...Why?”

“So Bern’s sacrifice won’t end up looking like a fool’s mistake.”

If the world only rewards selfish, pragmatic choices, then anyone who acts with kindness or goodwill ends up the fool.

And Blanca refused to let Bern be remembered like that.

She wanted to bring the dream he believed in—the adventurer’s romance—into reality.

That was the tribute Blanca would offer to Bern.

That was her vow.

...Goodbye, Bern. Please... wherever you are now, keep watching over me.

***

“Achoo! Guhh... I’ve never caught a cold in this body before...”

[The real question is why it’s only a cold. If you weren’t a devil proficient in soul manipulation and parallel processing, a damaged clone like that could’ve left you a vegetable.]

“Falling off a horse is dangerous, my friend. Could kill a man, just like that. But roll the right way, and sometimes all you get is a bruise. That’s life.”

Far away, in a distant kingdom, a crown prince sneezed—completely unaware of a girl’s misunderstanding... and her vow.