Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Rookie Adventurer Bern (14) - Assigning Meaning
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Lucidra had given him what felt like an unreasonable scolding, but Bern didn't mind in the least.
Demons were beings who wagged their sly tongues to beguile humans, after all.
Attaching grand significance to every word from such a creature was just asking to fall into a trap.
[No, this isn't about that at all! Ugh, seriously!]
Ignoring Lucidra as she pounded her chest in frustration—visually a rather harmful sight for any minor witnessing it—the party regrouped at the Adventurer's Guild.
"Can't you lot just... stay out of trouble for even a single day...?"
The guild manager, who somehow looked a year older after just one day, had called them in personally for a talk, but they didn't receive any real reprimand.
The Adventurer's Guild didn't mediate disputes between adventurers in the first place.
At its core, the guild was a brokerage. Adventurers and the guild weren't in a hierarchical relationship but a transactional one.
It was like two regular customers at a convenience store getting into a fistfight outside—the owner wouldn't take sides or punish one of them.
Of course, causing a ruckus inside the guild and damaging people or property, or smacking each other in the back of the head during a commission and tarnishing the guild's reputation, was a different story. But Bern's incident was far from that.
Sure, having Karina's party—ace-level personnel in the eastern branch—out of commission for a while was a real blow. But they'd picked the fight first and got their asses handed to them. Whining about it to Bern or Blanca would be ridiculous.
"Haa... whatever. They've been getting too cocky lately anyway. If this humbles them, it's a net gain in the long run. Blanca, you're okay, right?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes. Thanks to Bern, I'm fine."
"Good, then...?"
The guild manager, about to brush it off casually, lifted his head at the subtle, fluttering lilt in Blanca's voice.
A glance.
Another glance.
Another.
Her eyes constantly flicking to Bern's profile.
Her body fidgeting restlessly.
'What the... who's that?'
The guild manager felt a moment of cognitive dissonance.
He'd known Blanca since she first came to the guild as a child to commission the lich subjugation. He knew better than anyone how many men had approached her, lured by her delicate looks, and how ironclad her defenses had been.
Those rejected suitors had badmouthed her behind her back—calling her stuck-up, saying she looked down on others—which was one reason she still struggled to fit in with Rank 2 adventurers even after being kicked from her Rank 3 party.
And now?
"Ms. Blanca, for your next commission, how about something involving multiple enemies? What do you think?"
"I, I think Bern's right. I mean, we've already handled groups of enemies before, right? So, in that sense..."
"I see. Makes sense—it's easier to adapt something you've experienced."
Bern nodded matter-of-factly, and Blanca's lips twitched upward as if even that pleased her.
She wasn't blindly agreeing without reason, and she tried to keep a straight face instead of grinning openly—efforts that were visible. But to the guild manager, it only made it worse.
'...Not even a country girl crushing on a city boy for the first time acts this bad.'
It was like how he'd feel if his sister—who'd always sworn she'd stay single—suddenly fell head over heels and writhed in lovesick agony.
A mix of absurdity, bewilderment, and a faint loneliness washed over him. Still, he turned to the last member.
He'd seen plenty of parties where romance formed, leaving the odd one out as the problem child.
If there were any signs, as the elder and former boss, he'd take some measures...
"Ohh, bro! Sis! Clearing the forest around the city, prioritizing civilian safety over personal gain with your boundless mercy! This Renya will etch it into his bones and give his all to follow even the tips of your toes!!"
"......"
The guild manager silently pulled out his pipe and lit it.
Now he just wanted to chuck it all and rest.
There's a type of commission called "cleanup."
It refers to jobs centered around civilian areas like villages or cities, wiping out nearby monsters. If there's a forest nearby, it's forest cleanup; a lake, lake cleanup; a swamp, swamp cleanup—the name varies by terrain.
The goal is to preemptively control monster populations before they overrun human habitats.
And for adventurers, this "cleanup" was among the worst—well, not the absolute worst, but pretty unpopular.
These commissions usually come from the local nobility ruling the area, and as everyone knows, Virka's nobles typically possess corruption, incompetence, or both as passive traits.
Those diligent enough to muster soldiers for monster hunts and resource recovery are at least competent, even if corrupt. The rest can't even manage that and dump it on adventurers.
Having a typical five-person adventurer party handle what should take dozens of troops is exhausting from the start.
On top of that, stingy nobles delay until monsters are at critical mass before commissioning, so the numbers snowball.
"The rightful lord of this land and sole head of the Burota family hereby grants you permission to enter his forest possession for three days. He also graciously allows you to claim byproducts from monsters hunted in that time. Be grateful for his lordship's immense benevolence and give your all to the extermination!"
And finally, after the guild's repeated insistence, they reluctantly allow spoils recovery—then boast like it's their grand favor. Even the knight's pompous declaration.
By now, Bern couldn't help a wry chuckle.
"I just can't fathom why these people strut around like nobles. A lord protects his people, and the people pay tribute. How can they be so brazen when they can't even uphold that basic bargain?"
"Is that so? This is just daily life in Virka. Things must be different in the Eisen Empire."
"Well..."
Bern paused mid-reply, about to say of course.
At least according to his main body, the crown prince, the Eisen Empire wasn't this rotten.
But the crown prince's knowledge came from reports. He hadn't seen or experienced it himself.
Could he really say zero chance of graft and corruption below the surface while feeding pretty reports upstairs?
'...I chose distant Virka to experience somewhere new, but maybe I should check the Empire sometime.'
Resolving to something Lucidra would counter with, 'Weren't you making clones to enjoy free time? Why chase more work?', Bern continued.
"Based on what I've seen so far, yes. But there's always the chance of similar issues in unseen corners."
Blanca nodded.
"Right? No country's perfect."
Chatting about how adventurers loathe noble clients, or how nobles near the capital would be toast if not for the royal family—as they walked...
—Uuuuhh... Uuu...
A eerie wail like a woman sobbing reached Bern's ears.
Two beats later, Renya flinched too.
Unlike his usual self, Renya's face was deadly serious. As the party's scout—a ranger type—he had knowledge Bern lacked.
Slower than Bern, but given their skill gap, it was impressive detection.
"Bro, sis. Be careful. It's a Purlfrug pack. Wolf-like monsters that mimic various cries to lure prey while hidden, then ambush up close."
"Much different from regular wolves?"
"Physically a bit stronger. But prolonged exposure to their cries disrupts direction sense, induces drowsiness and hallucinations. Block your hearing if alone, wake each other periodically in a group. If neither works, quick kills are best."
Bern nodded and scanned around.
They were in open plains. Not even at the forest edge, yet monsters were luring them. The forest interior must be monster-saturated.
Ordinary adventurers would balk, but Bern welcomed it.
"Blanca, ignore fire risks—focus solely on finishing enemies. I can handle any flames."
"...Okay. I'll do it."
"Renya, no need to attack. Guard Blanca from ambushes."
"I'll stake my life—no claw touches sis!"
Bern gripped his sword tighter, glaring at the forest ahead.
Hunt time.
Hard to imagine from her looks, but Blanca was decent with a sword.
Not some magic swordsman fantasy—just that her attack spells were only two fire types, so melee was needed often when spamming fire was risky.
Like in forests.
Firing flames amid tinderbox surroundings might kill foes but doom her to the blaze after.
Worse, she'd lose everything even if she survived.
Her guild debt started from torching a noble's hunting ground with runaway magic.
But right now, Blanca didn't need her sword at all.
Thud! Crash! Thump!
Amid the racket, gray-furred wolves piled before Blanca like discarded luggage.
Broken limbs, shattered bodies, twisted grotesquely—but still alive.
Without hesitation, Blanca unleashed her spell on the heap.
Not as potent as when mixed with oil against the goblin lord, but hot enough to char flesh and blood. The flames roasted the Purlfrugs instantly.
Stray embers threatened to spread, but no issue.
Before they ignited, new Purlfrugs dropped atop them, snuffing the sparks with their bodies.
Once enough gathered, another Rock Burning Magic incinerated them.
Repeating this, Blanca trembled in thrill.
Bern's prowess in stacking subdued monsters? Impressive, but after seeing his skill, it awed more than shocked her.
No, the shiver was from something else.
'My mana... isn't dropping!'
Blanca's natural reserves weren't vast.
Mid-tier Rock Burning Magic maxed at twice daily, assuming no other spells.
Yet she'd cast it over ten times, and mana held steady.
It dipped, but recovered faster—more than consumed.
Absorbing essence from defeated foes, granting it to the wearer.
Fills mana if low; expands capacity if full.
Hearing the ring's mechanics (somewhat calmly), she'd thought: 'To boost total mana, defeat without casting first.'
A hassle, but no complaints—this was huge.
But the ring's true power exceeded that.
Blast enemies with mid-tier spells, mana refills instantly from consumption, excess essence boosts max capacity.
Just minutes into hunting, her mana pool had doubled despite nonstop mid-tier casts.
Beyond "efficient."
Even famed houses' mana cultivation paled compared.
How, where did he get this ring?
If not for the contract barring questions on his powers or techniques, she'd pin him down with queries.
No—different.
What she truly wanted to ask him was—
Crunch.
Biting her lip, Blanca shoved the thought away.
Distractions mid-battle? Unfair to Bern, fighting for her now.
He'd said he needed "comrades" and gave the ring.
She'd respond as one.
Yes.
No asking if his gesture meant anything more.
Never.