The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 4: New Adventurer Bern (2). The Competent Rookie

There was something one inevitably learned after spending enough time in the adventurers’ guild.

The world was filled with idiots—so staggeringly stupid that one could hardly believe they existed.

And these fools had an infuriating tendency to spout blatant lies, ones that would immediately be exposed the moment someone checked.

So when Bern first claimed to have completed his commission, Blanca had been about to laugh it off.

He looked competent enough, but in reality, he must have been another clueless rookie.

However, the moment she saw the completion token in his hand, Blanca realized this was no laughing matter.

He stole it.

Paul, the warehouse keeper, was an infamously stubborn man.

No rookie adventurer could threaten or bribe him into handing over a token.

Yet Bern was holding one.

Which meant he had somehow acquired it through illicit means.

No—if he had merely stolen it, that would have been a relief.

But what if he had used force?

It was hard to imagine that a mere novice adventurer could overpower that hulking brute, but if Paul had let his guard down and gotten ambushed...

Blanca’s eyes turned cold for a brief moment.

But she quickly erased all emotion from her expression, speaking to Bern as if nothing was wrong.

“Hm. Processing this will take a bit of time. Please have a seat over there and wait. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“Understood.”

Bern complied without protest and took a seat in the waiting area.

Blanca exchanged glances with another receptionist.

The moment the other receptionist gave a slight nod, Blanca swiftly slipped out the back door and headed toward the warehouse.

Rather than summoning someone else to investigate, it was faster to check things herself.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, Blanca was met with an unexpected sight.

Paul was slumped on the ground outside the building.

She immediately shouted,

“Paul! Are you okay? What happened?!”

“Uh....”

Paul looked utterly dazed.

Blanca, who remembered him as the sharp-eyed enforcer who disciplined reckless adventurers, suddenly feared that he had been drugged.

“Was it the rookie the guild sent just now? What did he do to you—?!”

Paul blinked a few times before speaking.

“That adventurer... the work...”

“The work?”

“...He was really good at it.”

“......”

Blanca blinked.

Had he been hit in the head?

“I should get you to the temple for healing.”

“No, no, that’s not it! Just look inside the warehouse!”

Paul, shaking his head, let out a sigh of disbelief.

Blanca, momentarily reassured that he wasn’t physically harmed, still felt skeptical.

What, was he so efficient that Paul got overwhelmed?

But the moment she stepped inside, she was stunned.

“When did you renovate this place?”

“We didn’t. Not a single finger’s width has been added.”

“But then....”

Many guild commissions were of the ‘Gather X amount of Y material’ variety.

Whether it was monster meat, leather, rare herbs, minerals, or even monster cores, adventurers frequently collected supplies on request.

Naturally, storing all of these directly in the guild building was impractical.

So, apart from rare or dangerous materials that required careful handling, most requests were fulfilled using warehouses contracted by the guild.

Paul’s warehouse was one such facility, often used to test the competence of rookie adventurers.

As a result, it mostly stored bulk, low-value items and was notorious for being a disorganized mess.

But now?

It was spotless.

So much so that it felt physically larger.

Paul scratched the back of his head.

“At first, he just followed my instructions, moving things where I told him to. But then, at some point, he started rearranging everything on his own.”

“Are you saying... he reorganized the whole warehouse?”

“He did. And when he finished, he even explained exactly where everything was and why he placed it there. It was like watching a ghost possessed by a master organizer.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Organizing isn’t something you can just brute-force your way through.”

“It wasn’t just brute force. He lifted a crate full of iron swords like it was a paper bag. And his sorting methods were flawless. Do you really think I’d make something like this up?”

“...Well, when you put it that way.”

“I want him back. Even just once a week. My job would be so much easier.”

Watching Paul—who normally grumbled about adventurers—with a delighted expression, Blanca felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

She shook her head and headed back to the guild.

At the back entrance, a few guild guards and staff members were waiting with tense expressions.

They immediately asked her for a report.

“It’s nothing. The warehouse keeper just really liked his work and gave him the token quickly.”

“Huh, seriously? That old hardass? No way.”

“Damn. I was getting ready for a brawl.”

The staff let out sighs of relief.

Subduing a rookie adventurer was easy.

But if that rookie had caused real trouble, it could have meant hours of paperwork and overtime.

When Blanca returned to the reception desk, Bern was still sitting there, arms crossed, eyes closed, waiting patiently.

Something about his relaxed demeanor irked her.

Suppressing the annoyance, she called him over.

“Alright, your completion is confirmed. Here’s your reward.”

She placed a few coins on the counter.

The pay for Rank 1 adventurer commissions was pitifully low.

Hard, rock-like bread. Thin soup that barely had any flavor.

A night in the cheapest shared dormitory.

If an adventurer wanted to climb to Rank 2, they had to complete around thirty commissions.

Assuming they finished one per day, that meant surviving an entire month under miserable conditions—no savings, no luxuries, just scraping by.

And if they made mistakes or caused trouble? The number of required commissions increased.

Veteran adventurers called this period ‘the sieve.’

Anyone with naïve dreams about adventuring, or those lacking the necessary endurance—physical or mental—were inevitably weeded out before reaching Rank 2.

So, in her own way, Blanca was being kind when she said,

“The guild takes a cut of the reward, so manual labor commissions often pay less than what you’d get working directly for an employer. The warehouse keeper was really impressed with you. Have you considered just working for him instead?”

Bern blinked, then smiled.

“Thank you for the advice. But becoming an adventurer is one of my dreams.”

“Ah, I see.”

Blanca didn’t push further.

Nothing taught better than experience.

Sure, he had gotten through the warehouse job smoothly, but once he spent more time at the bottom rung of the adventuring world, he’d figure it out.

“So, are you taking another commission? You have time for one more.”

“I’ll take the sewer cleaning job. I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never been inside one.”

“You’ll wish you never had.”

Watching Bern walk off, Blanca sighed.

“‘Becoming an adventurer is my dream.’”

Of all the jobs in the world, adventurer was probably the one least suited to that kind of sentiment.

She swallowed the words before they could leave her mouth.

***

From that day on, Bern steadily completed commissions as a Rank 1 adventurer.

He hunted rats in the sewers, ran errands delivering small packages around the city, pulled weeds, and even cleaned the streets.

[This is absurd.]

Inside Bern’s shadow, Lucidra clicked her tongue in sheer disbelief.

Without speaking aloud, Bern responded to her telepathically.

‘What is it this time?’

[What’s with that tone?]

‘This is how I normally speak.’

[What are you talking about? You used to sound all high and mighty, like some grand noble.]

‘That’s the crown prince back in the empire. I’m someone entirely different.’

[......]

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Lucidra stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

She knew that if she went back to the main body’s shadow and spoke to that Bern, he would undoubtedly revert to his noble, refined speech.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

But she also knew from experience that arguing with this shameless man would only tire her out. So instead of continuing, she switched topics.

[Why are you going through all this nonsense? Do you enjoy pulling weeds?]

‘Not particularly. But it’s necessary for promotion, so I have no choice.’

[Come on. Instead of going through all this hassle, why not just storm into the guild, unleash your aura once, and let them grovel at your feet?]

After watching for a while, Lucidra had concluded that most of the adventurers here were weak.

Rank 2s were nothing more than well-trained civilians. Rank 3s could channel mana through their bodies for minor enhancements.

If Bern demonstrated aura-infused sword techniques, he could easily earn Rank 4 status on raw power alone.

But Bern disagreed.

‘Adventurers are not street thugs. Strength is important, yes, but what truly matters is reliability and responsibility—proving that you can complete commissions properly. Just flexing my power won’t be enough to get recognized as a high-ranking adventurer.’

[Still, you’d at least get some bonus points, right?]

‘That’s true.’

Bern nodded in agreement but then added,

‘But is there really any need to rush? I don’t know much about the adventurer’s industry, so it’s better to learn everything from the ground up. It will be more useful in the long run.’

[Hah... I can’t understand why you’re so stubborn about doing things the hard way.]

‘Oh dear. You must be addicted to instant gratification. How unfortunate. People should learn to be more patient in life.’

[......]

Lucidra didn’t know exactly what he meant by instant gratification, but she did know he was mocking her.

She was about to snap at him when—

Thud!

While walking down the street, Bern’s shoulder collided with someone.

Or rather, the other person deliberately walked into him despite Bern stepping aside to avoid them.

“Well, well. You bump into me and don’t even apologize? Huh?”

The man who had collided with Bern snarled at him, his expression menacing.

“Hey, hey, take it easy. This guy is just a newbie who hunts rabbits. He might cry.”

“Oi, rookie! Apologize now! You don’t wanna see this guy pissed off!”

The group of men behind him—likely his companions—grinned mockingly, jeering at Bern.

Lucidra asked in mild curiosity,

[Did you piss these guys off while I wasn’t looking?]

‘No. I’ve never spoken to them before.’

[Ah, I see. Then it’s just plain jealousy.]

Bern was completing commissions at an impressive pace, and his work had consistently received high praise.

It wasn’t due to any particularly special technique—he was simply strong, efficient, and diligent.

But even that was enough for the guild to recognize him as a rising talent, with people jokingly calling him the next ace.

And some people simply hated seeing others succeed.

“Hey, say something.”

“The bastard’s scared stiff.”

“See? That’s what happens when you act cocky.”

They snickered, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° hurling insults at him.

Bern blinked.

Then, he lightly pushed the thug’s shoulder.

There was no apparent force behind the movement.

Yet—

THUD!

The thug flew backward as if struck by a charging carriage, crashing into the ground and rolling several times before coming to a limp stop.

He convulsed slightly before going completely still.

The jeering men froze.

Even the bystanders watching the situation unfold were stunned into silence.

Then, Bern calmly said,

“Oh, my apologies for bumping into you.”

“......”

An indescribable silence fell over the street.

From the shadows, Lucidra muttered, still in shock.

[Wait. Didn’t you just say something about following the rules and taking things slow?]

‘I just learned another important rule about adventuring.’

‘If someone acts like trash for no reason, give them a reason.’

...That wasn’t an adventurer’s rule.

That was just his personality.

Lucidra thought that, but she didn’t say it aloud.

There was no need to watch what happened next.

If these idiots had any sense, they would run.

If they chose to fight instead?

Well, that just meant they were too stupid to survive long anyway.

[Hm?]

Lucidra suddenly felt an unusual gaze on them.

A woman with bright sky-blue hair and eyes.

The receptionist, Blanca.

She was staring directly at Bern, watching him casually handle the thugs.

And in her gaze—

A peculiar glint flashed.