The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 21: New Adventurer Bern (19). Not Even a Duel

No negative emotions could be sensed from Bern.

His face was calm, and his tone and voice were polite and composed.

Therefore, it took a moment for those around him to fully understand the words that came from his mouth.

The first to react was not the lord, but a knight named Gudrun, who was standing by his side.

"You! How dare you insult my lord!!"

A terrifying aura began to emanate from Gudrun’s body.

The setting was the drawing room, and since the lord was present, he had yet to draw his sword, but the magical energy and killing intent spilling from his body would cause even the faint-hearted to feel breathless.

However, Bern easily brushed off the pressure like a gentle breeze.

"‘Insult’ is such an easy word to throw around."

"What?"

"Sending a low-ranked adventurer—insult. You said you didn’t like it and wanted to leave—insult. What’s next, what other insult do you have in mind? Is it an insult that I wasn’t scared of your threats? If so, your subordinates must be pitiful people. They must suffer mental fatigue, always having to react every time you lose your temper."

"You, you...!!"

Swoosh!

Gudrun, his face flushed red with anger, drew his sword.

Bern’s eyes turned cold.

Even though he had provoked him with words, drawing a sword in the presence of the lord, without permission and based on personal emotion, was a clear violation of a knight's conduct.

If Bern had drawn his sword first or had attempted to harm him physically, at least he could have claimed it was for protection. But in this case, that wasn’t the situation at all.

The treasurer, who wore glasses, seemed to realize this as well, and he hurriedly stopped Gudrun.

"St-Stop! Sir Gudrun! What kind of disgrace is this, in front of the lord!!"

"Disgrace? The real disgrace is standing still after hearing insults directed at my lord and me! My lord, please, give your command! I’ll cut this man down and make the foolish guild take responsibility!"

"......"

The lord’s brow furrowed in irritation.

While angry at Bern’s insolence, he was also visibly displeased with Gudrun's behavior.

However, in the end, the hand must bend inward.

"Do as you wish. But I find bloodshed in this place unpleasant. The execution should take place outside."

"Understood, my lord!"

"Hey! You’re really going to—do you intend to fight the guild..."

Blanca, about to explode at the situation spiraling out of control, was stopped by Bern.

"It’s fine."

The weight of words is determined by the one who speaks them.

Though his statement was short and without further explanation, just the fact that it was Bern who said it made Blanca trust him.

At the very least, she couldn’t imagine a scenario where Bern would lose.

***

A little ways away from the lord’s estate, in the training grounds.

"What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered?"

"They say Sir Gudrun is going to execute the adventurer sent by the guild."

"What? Why?"

"How should I know?"

Among the murmuring crowd, Gudrun arrogantly opened his mouth.

"If you kneel and beg for forgiveness now, I might spare you by only cutting off one of your arms."

His tone, as though offering tremendous mercy, caused Bern to scoff.

Just a moment ago, he had acted as if he would chop off his head at any moment, but now, after some time had passed, he seemed to be trying to regain his dignity. It was a ridiculous sight.

"If you still offer counsel in loyalty to my lord, you might at least maintain your honor as a knight."

"You, you...you’re trying to force this all the way to the end!"

Gudrun drew his sword and rushed toward Bern.

There was no mediator, no signal to begin a duel—just one-sided violence.

It was behavior that couldn’t be considered a duel, but Gudrun didn’t care.

In his mind, this was punishment.

Why would he worry about rules when punishing a mere servant?

And that action made Bern’s decision final.

With a whoosh, Gudrun’s body suddenly soared into the air.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The onlookers were filled with confusion, their minds instantly overwhelmed with question marks.

It was rare for anyone to fully grasp that Bern had grabbed Gudrun’s wrist as he charged and tripped him, throwing him into the air, and thus the audience felt like they were reading a torn comic book.

However, Gudrun's shock was nothing compared to the amazement of the spectators.

For a moment, Gudrun floated in the air, dazed, before he realized the ground was rapidly approaching his face. In desperation, he twisted his body to perform a roll, narrowly avoiding a fatal injury. However, his shining armor, once glistening under the sun, was now covered in dirt.

"What... what was that?"

"I don’t know, but Sir Gudrun just shot up into the air and then fell."

"Did that red-haired adventurer do something?"

The whispers of the crowd reached Gudrun, who now wore a face twisted with humiliation.

His killing intent spilled over as he once again pointed his sword at Bern.

As he observed the faint glimmer of aura at the blade’s tip, some of the squire knights widened their eyes in realization.

"Energy attack!"

"Sir Gudrun is serious about this fight."

The boundary between a 3rd-grade and 4th-grade swordsman was marked by the manifestation of sword energy. Just like how a mage with magic imbued in their body can perform feats unimaginable to regular people, weapons imbued with magic become incomparably stronger in terms of lethality.

Even a poorly crafted sword made from cheap iron could, when infused with energy, cut through a knight’s sturdy armor like it was paper.

Just as a 3rd-grade mage cannot defeat a 4th-grade mage in a pure magical duel, a 3rd-grade swordsman could never defeat a 4th-grade swordsman in a fight.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

In a situation where weapons meet, there’s no proper battle if the result is simply being cut to pieces.

"I let my guard down once, but there won’t be a second time."

Gudrun's words went unanswered by Bern, who simply stared at him blankly, showing no sign of drawing his own sword.

At the same moment, Gudrun rushed at him, weaving through complex sword techniques while trying to pressure Bern.

Gudrun’s swordsmanship was a formal, traditional style, honed through systematic training—a skill level far beyond the reach of adventurers, who gained experience only through practical combat.

The shimmering sword energy seemed poised to slice through Bern’s body when—

Whoosh!

Once again, Gudrun was sent soaring into the air.

But this time, he had no time to brace himself, and he crashed into the ground with a low arc.

Crash!

The sight of the massive knight, heavily armored, tumbling to the ground like a discarded tin can, left the spectators wide-eyed.

"Th-this... what the hell..."

Unable to contain his growing frustration, Gudrun twisted his face in anger and charged at Bern once more.

Bern, keeping his distance to prevent Gudrun from attempting any grabbing techniques, swung his sword while trying to create openings with fake moves.

No matter how Gudrun approached, the result was the same.

Gudrun’s body would fly into the air and then come crashing down, rolling across the ground helplessly.

In the repeating actions, Gudrun’s anger turned to disbelief, disbelief turned to shock, and shock eventually reached terror.

Even Gudrun, as stubborn as a wild boar, could no longer ignore the overwhelming gap between him and Bern.

"......"

In just ten minutes, Gudrun had gone from proud knight to a pitiful figure, his confidence shattered as he gazed up at Bern.

Unable to even try attacking any longer, he awkwardly stood, unable to lower his sword either, when the lord of Frencia shouted in frustration.

"Sir Gudrun! What is this disgrace?!"

The truth was, Gudrun wasn’t exactly the perfect knight.

He often lacked foresight, couldn’t control his emotions, and frequently allowed his loyalty to push him into reckless actions.

Nevertheless, he had managed to stay by the lord’s side as Frencia’s representative knight, thanks to his sincere loyalty and formidable skill.

But what was this?

Getting repeatedly thrown to the ground by a mere adventurer, without even drawing his weapon, and now cowering like a frightened dog?

Given that the representative knight was supposed to embody the strength of the land, this was an embarrassing disgrace that tarnished not only Gudrun’s reputation but the lord’s as well.

Gudrun squeezed his eyes shut.

Unable to bear the pressure from his lord any longer, he charged at Bern, knowing it was futile.

He thought that perhaps losing consciousness would be a better outcome.

"...A failing grade would still be too generous."

If there had been someone in his ranks from the Golden Cloud Knights acting like this, he would have broken them himself and thrown them out.

For a brief moment, he thought of his duty as the crown prince, but he swiftly pushed those thoughts away.

With a final motion, Bern took action again.

Gudrun soared higher than ever before—so high that the audience had to crane their necks to follow him—and then crashed into the ground.

Boom!

The sight of Gudrun’s body, just a bit off from crushing Bern under the fall, made the lord’s complexion turn an unusual shade.

Step, step, step.

Bern, approaching the lord, spoke.

"It seems the security in Frencia isn’t very good. There keep being attackers with weapons, so I couldn’t help but use a little self-defense. Please be careful, my lord."

—This wasn’t a duel, and Gudrun wasn’t acting as a knight. He was simply a thug attacking, and I defended myself. But isn’t it your land? Shouldn’t you be managing it properly?

Some of the onlookers didn’t quite understand Bern’s words, while those who did turned pale.

And, among the onlookers, the lord of Frencia belonged to the group that understood.

"......"

After a glance at the silently fuming lord, Bern turned away.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Without a hint of regret, Bern walked off, leaving the lord to swallow his pride and speak reluctantly.

"I... would like to request a favor. I apologize for my earlier rudeness, but may we discuss it again?"

Bern thought to himself.

It seems the disgrace was seen, but perhaps not beyond redemption.

***

Afterward, negotiations with the lord went relatively smoothly.

Despite the embarrassment Bern had caused, his abilities were undeniable, and that was enough to ensure ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the success of the talks.

As the discussion had grown heated, the treasurer, who had looked like he was about to collapse, regained some color and spoke with a respectful tone.

"The first disappearance happened two months ago. At that time, we didn’t realize the severity of the issue and let it slide. Only after the situation worsened did we realize it was the first case."

The first victim was a young woman from an herbal shop, Mary.

She had often ventured into the nearby woods to gather herbs and return, but one day, she simply disappeared without a trace.

"After that, other young women who got close to the woods, like those gathering fruits or firewood, also vanished one by one. The guards searched the woods, but couldn’t find any of the missing. Eventually, it seemed like the issue was dismissed with a warning to stay away from the woods."

However, it didn’t end there.

Even women who hadn’t gone near the woods, such as a baker’s daughter, an inn’s maid, and a village girl who spun thread, started disappearing.

When a merchant’s precious daughter, who had only stopped by Frencia temporarily, also vanished, the case transformed from a problem of the common people to a major incident shaking the entire territory.

"Houses with young women can’t even sleep properly these days. If even one member of the family is awake, it’s fine, but if no one’s awake, the women are abducted no matter how thoroughly they lock the doors. The whole territory is now on edge, exhausted with fear."

There was even a widely spread story of a father who had been staying awake every night to protect his daughter. One moment he dozed off, and she disappeared, causing him to scream in agony. The level of stress and anxiety among the residents was unbearable.

"I beg you. Please, solve this case!"

With that, the group gathered in a small house provided by the lord and began their discussion.

"This is a bizarre and frightening incident. If I were in their shoes, I’d be so worried about my sister that I wouldn’t be able to sleep either."

"Before we think about defeating the enemy, the first problem is finding them. What do you think, Bern?"

"Well, first we should visit the victims and hear about the circumstances. Hmm?"

As Bern turned his head toward the mansion's front door, there was a knock a few seconds later.

Renya quickly opened the door to find a man with gray hair, a beard, and mischievous eyes, who then looked at the group and spoke.

"Hmm, I’m debating whether to say, ‘Excuse me,’ or ‘Welcome to the city,’ but first, let me introduce myself."

The man grinned and declared with a friendly voice.

"Alces Bertraya. Your senior, and unfortunately, the loser who failed the quest and raised the white flag. I’d like to talk for a bit, do you have time?"