The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 22: New Adventurer Bern (20). Senior

Bern, who was often described as "not like an adventurer" by those around him, didn’t particularly dislike the typical adventurer culture.

If an adventurer were to meet with their senior and junior, wouldn’t it be more fitting to sit in a tavern with a beer, rather than discussing over tea in a decent mansion?

"Wow! There are a few good restaurants in Frencia, but this tavern has the best beer, no question. How do you like it?"

Alces lifted a massive wooden mug, downed it without hesitation, and slammed it onto the table. His casual and bold demeanor perfectly captured the image of a rugged adventurer that Bern had vaguely imagined, and Bern couldn't help but feel a bit impressed.

To be honest, from Bern's perspective, the beer here was far too warm and lacked the sharp taste he was used to, almost tasting like water. But, as with many things, when the atmosphere felt right, even the taste seemed to fit.

"Yes, it's not bad."

"Tch, that's a bit of an unclear response."

"If the beer is from my senior, I’d say ‘not bad’ would turn into ‘good’ after a while."

"Hahaha! This one is clever, isn’t he? Looks calm on the outside, but inside he’s scheming! If I don’t buy this round, what kind of senior would I be? Don’t worry, I’ll pay for everything, so order as you please!"

Alces laughed heartily, clearly enjoying the banter, and after the light ice-breaking moment, Blanca, who had barely touched her drink, spoke up.

"So, can we get to the main topic now?"

"Hmm. Right."

Alces stroked his beard thoughtfully before casually saying, "Honestly, this is more of a handover. Technically, we failed, and now we’re leaving the cleanup to you juniors. If I’m going to leave, I thought I should at least help a little."

"...Is that really all?"

Blanca’s voice was tinged with both confusion and disbelief.

In an industry where adventurers were both collaborators and competitors, the concept of "helping" was almost nonexistent.

It was one thing if they were collaborating on the same quest, but there was no incentive to help out someone else’s unrelated party. In a world full of scoundrels, it was rare to find someone who would honestly repay a debt of gratitude.

Even if an adventurer had good intentions, they could die at any moment, leaving any favors they intended to return unfulfilled—whether it was them or the person they owed it to.

If a culture of helping those in need existed, the survival rate of the entire industry would rise, benefiting everyone in the long run. But the adventurer’s mentality leaned toward short, quick gains, avoiding any vague, uncertain future rewards.

Alces seemed to understand Blanca's doubt, letting out a hearty laugh.

"I know, I know. I get what you're thinking. You can probably guess why I’m here all alone, right?"

"Did you have a fight or something...?"

"Yeah. The thing we couldn't solve, you guys solving it would only hurt our reputation. So, they got angry and said, ‘Why should we help?’ They’re such small-minded fools. They’ve got no guts."

Alces grumbled, downing the remainder of his beer, his face taking on an almost hollow look as he glanced at the tavern owner, who was just dutifully watching.

"It’s been a while since I had such a humiliating experience as an adventurer. At first, I wanted to keep going with the quest and try to fix things, but eventually, I realized it was futile. No matter how much I wished, we just didn’t have the skills. We gave up, and now, here you are. I’m helping you, is there any other reason needed?"

Before either of them could speak, Bern answered in their place.

"No, that’s enough. Could you tell us what happened?"

"Sure, I’ll tell you everything."

Alces then began recounting all the information they had gathered while staying there.

The disappearances occur randomly, sometimes one person disappears in a day, and other times, no one disappears for a few days. But at least one person always vanishes every week.

The only way to prevent a disappearance is by staying awake. If even one person remains conscious in the area where a victim is located, nothing will happen.

If everyone falls asleep, however, no matter how well-guarded the location, the victim is taken without any sign of intrusion—even if all the exits are sealed.

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Some victims tried to tie themselves to family members to avoid being taken, but the ropes were easily undone, and they still disappeared.

Traps were set, but none of them triggered. Attempts to follow footprints were also unsuccessful.

The forest, where the culprit was thought to be, was thoroughly searched, but no evidence was found.

"As a last resort, we tried gathering possible victims in different buildings, with people taking turns standing guard, but... that didn’t work either. One of our team members fell asleep again during the watch, and the young women there vanished instantly. It became a trauma for us, and now, it’s hard for us to cooperate even with others. We can only trust family now."

When Alces finished his story, Renya spoke up with a puzzled expression.

"Is there even an answer to this? You can’t lock the doors, set traps, or tie up the victims. What are we supposed to do?"

Renya knew Bern’s overwhelming strength. Regardless of whether the enemy was an unknown monster or a dark sorcerer, she didn’t think Bern could ever lose, having witnessed him easily overpowering even knights. But now, she realized the problem was more complicated than she had anticipated.

No matter how strong Bern was, they still had to face the situation directly to know if they would win or not.

"Hmm."

Blanca, sensing a strange tension, turned her gaze to the side and noticed Bern, deep in thought. Their eyes met, and Bern gave a slight nod.

Feeling as if their thoughts were in sync, Blanca asked, "By the way, where is the person who fell asleep during the watch?"

Alces raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question.

"Why do you ask?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s not just a simple guard duty. They knew everything would end if they fell asleep, but they still did it."

"Sleep is something you can’t control with just willpower. No matter how tense you are, the moment you relax, you’re done for."

"Even so, I think it’s worth investigating."

"Hmm..."

Thunk!

As they were talking, the tavern owner came over to their table and placed plates of food down.

"If it's Malcolm you're looking for, he's probably in the abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. He was chased out of the city because those who lost family or loved ones to him try to kill him as soon as they see him."

Bern politely nodded his head toward the owner.

"Thank you for the information."

"You're outsiders, yet you're working hard to find the culprit. It’s not a big deal to me."

After saying that, the owner glanced at Alces.

"I ask this of you. Please, don’t let my daughter’s courage go to waste."

Alces momentarily wore a bitter expression but then nodded firmly.

"Leave it to me. I’ll cooperate as much as I can with these folks."

Renya, sensing the situation and relationship from what Alces had said earlier and the tavern owner’s tone, rubbed her eyes as if moved.

Blanca, too, renewed her determination to catch the culprit, but Bern, with a face difficult to read, took another drink of his beer.

[He seems like he’s not happy about something. What’s wrong?]

"Well, maybe the beer tastes worse than before. That could be it."

[What?]

Bern didn’t respond.

***

"I’ll be staying in the city for a while, so if you need help, feel free to call me. Ah, and don’t misunderstand—I’m not asking for a reward."

Alces added that he couldn’t live with a loss, and then left.

Renya spoke with a hint of respect in her voice.

"Honestly, I used to think adventurers were just a bunch of thugs who fought now and then. But once you reach level 4, there’s a certain class to it, huh? The competitiveness, responsibility, and pride... No wonder he’s the face of the Eastern Branch!"

"Well, this is the first time I’ve actually spoken with him, but I haven’t heard anything bad about him in the guild either."

Bern was probably the closest to the "adventurer you’d hear about in stories" Alces had mentioned earlier.

As she thought that, Blanca glanced at Bern, but for some reason, he remained silent.

She tilted her head slightly but then began walking toward the outskirts of the city, following Bern.

Although the sun had set, and darkness had enveloped the area, Blanca’s palm soon lit up with a fireball, brightening the surroundings.

It was quite a waste of magical energy to maintain a spell in such a state without using it for an attack, but for Blanca, whose mana had recently increased dramatically, it wasn’t particularly taxing.

If the old her, who would count each use of a low-level spell, could see her now, she wondered what kind of sarcastic remark she would make.

They walked for a while.

"...Wow. I heard it was an abandoned house, but this is a bit much."

Renya clicked his tongue in disbelief.

As he said, the building in front of them was in a serious state.

Peeling walls, thick layers of dust, and a chilling ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) atmosphere filled the air.

It might have been partly because it was nighttime, but it certainly didn’t look like a place where someone could live. Perhaps it could be used for a courage test, but not much else.

"Malcolm? Are you in there? We came to ask about the disappearances."

Despite knocking, there was no answer.

Four times, five times.

They kept knocking and calling his name, but to no avail.

"Isn’t he inside?"

"Looks like it. I don’t think anyone would be living here."

Despite the protests of the others, Bern silently continued knocking.

After about ten minutes, a loud thumping sound came from inside.

The door flung open, almost being torn off its hinges, and a man shouted angrily.

"What the hell! Do you know what time it is!?"

Bloodshot eyes, a swollen face, and the smell of alcohol emanating from him. The most dangerous detail, however, was the handaxe he held.

Blanca and Renya instinctively assumed combat stances.

However, Bern casually spoke up.

"We’d like to ask you about the disappearances. Would you be willing to cooperate for a moment?"

"Cooperate? You want me to cooperate? I’ve got nothing to say! If you don’t want to die, get the hell out of here—"

"Then, are you planning to continue being falsely accused?"

"What?"

The man, Malcolm, flinched at Bern’s words, his body shaking slightly.

Bern, seeing him frozen, spoke again.

"I know it’s not your fault that you fell asleep during the watch. I’ll clear your name, so why don’t you cooperate with us?"