Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Rookie Adventurer Bern (17) - Promotion Quest
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In the Golden Cloud Palace, where he served the Crown Prince, Sergio—the Chief Secretary overseeing the secretaries—was a veteran bureaucrat with over forty years of experience working within the imperial palace.
He had handled countless duties since the days of the previous emperor, the Crown Prince's grandfather, and had assisted various members of the imperial family in their tasks.
When the emperor handed over some of his duties to the Crown Prince under the pretext of heir training, his colleagues cast worried glances at Sergio, who had been dispatched as an aide.
"The Crown Prince hasn't even finished his heir education yet, has he? There's no way he'd have time to handle actual work. You'll end up doing everything yourself."
"If that's all, you'd be lucky. But if something goes wrong and he dumps the blame on you... Ugh."
The Eisen Empire's imperial education was so grueling that even the ministers, including Sergio, felt it was excessively harsh.
There are limits to how much knowledge and skill a single person can absorb at once, yet they tried to cram in expertise from every conceivable field. Who could endure that?
Thus, imperial family members typically focused intensely only on fields matching their tastes, skimming the rest just enough to save face—or skipping them altogether, which was quite common.
But the current Crown Prince diligently completed every single lesson that others merely pretended to follow, without cutting any corners.
Thanks to him, the instructors—who usually had to coax and cajole unmotivated royals just to get through classes—were thrilled, but the bureaucrats dispatched to serve the Crown Prince, including Sergio, wore darkened expressions.
The duties delegated by the emperor were merely a portion, yet they demanded a workload equivalent to governing an average county.
It was already an overwhelming amount to thrust upon the inexperienced Crown Prince, and on top of that, his regular education had to continue unabated.
No matter how talented and diligent the Crown Prince was, this was physically impossible.
As his colleagues had said, the actual work would fall to the bureaucrats dispatched to the Golden Cloud Palace, with Sergio at the forefront.
And if anything went awry because of that, the blame would fall not on the Crown Prince, but on Sergio.
After all, it was far more rational to sacrifice a mere bureaucrat like Sergio—even a capable one—than to blemish the record of the man destined for the empire's throne.
'This might just end my bureaucratic career.'
With a mix of resignation and resolve, Sergio entered the Crown Prince's service—
"Have them expand the warehouses in this region quickly. Grain must be stockpiled in advance during good harvests to avoid shortages later."
"Review these documents again. Comparing them to others, the delivered stone quantities don't match. If it's just a calculation error, fine—but if someone's embezzling, they need severe punishment."
"That system in the borderlands where they pay taxes in local specialties instead of currency? There are issues with the assigned specialties by region. This place's lake dried up fifty years ago—how can fish still be listed as a specialty? Should we make people trek to other regions to swap goods before paying taxes? It's burdensome for the populace, and the inconsistent quantities hurt the imperial coffers too. We need a full review to update them to current realities. Ideally, unify everything under currency."
—and soon witnessed a new world.
'What... is this?'
The Crown Prince was exceptionally capable.
No, capable didn't even begin to cover it—he seemed born for administrative work.
Of course, being new to practical duties, he wasn't flawless, but any shortcomings were well within what his aides, including Sergio, could cover. And once he spotted a problem, he corrected it swiftly.
He made effective use of his secretaries, including Sergio, without overloading them or shirking responsibility.
Sergio marveled at the Crown Prince's abilities while simultaneously worrying.
'He has so much ahead of him—how long can this initial enthusiasm last?'
Mental fortitude and motivation were invisible resources, easily overlooked, that required recovery just like stamina.
Sergio had seen many eager newcomers burn bright with passion only to end up as ashes.
No need to look far—the current emperor, the Crown Prince's father, had passionately led state affairs upon his ascension but eventually lost interest in politics, sinking into indulgence and sloth.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince had shown his mettle early, and the emperor promptly recognized him and delegated authority. Otherwise, the emperor's many consorts and children might have plunged the empire into chaos.
'To avoid that path, the Crown Prince needs proper rest.'
Sergio knew that those who paced themselves with shrewd shortcuts, rest, and hobbies could work longer and more steadily than workaholics.
From that perspective, the Crown Prince was perilously unbalanced.
Day after day without rest, buried in work—when would he ever recover?
Yet with rumors swirling that the emperor, impressed by his competence, planned to pile on more duties, a mere bureaucrat like Sergio had no way to enforce rest for the Crown Prince.
All he could do was perform his role to the best of his ability.
"Hm, splendid weather today. What a fine day."
However, the Crown Prince showed no signs of fatigue, rendering Sergio's worries moot.
On the contrary, he seemed to grow more vigorous with each passing day.
Sergio couldn't help but be truly awestruck.
With no private life whatsoever, utterly devoted to work— if the Crown Prince drew motivation from that, the source was obvious.
'Ah! His Highness finds joy in leading the nation and caring for its people!'
It was astounding, heart-stirring.
His own white hair, now impossible to hide, felt frustratingly traitorous.
If only he could serve at this man's side even one more day.
At the very least, he'd give his all while he could—Sergio reaffirmed his resolve.
"Kuh, I never knew nurturing talented colleagues could be this enjoyable. Maybe someday I should create a clone just for teaching."
[The ones groveling below don't look like they're having fun at all.]
"Heh, what does a demon know about humans? Leveling up is a universal thrill."
[Even as a demon, I know more than you, you human-obsessed Crown Prince.]
The truth was sometimes best left unknown.
"I'm assigning you a promotion quest to 4th rank."
Adventurer's Guild Eastern Branch.
The Guild Manager's words thickened the already heavy atmosphere.
If 1st rank were small fry, 2nd regular, and 3rd elite, then 4th-rank adventurers were aces—one team per branch, if that.
5th rank was held solely by the Guild Master, who guarded headquarters without taking quests unless in dire straits—making 4th rank the pinnacle of active adventurers.
Blanca stiffened involuntarily at the opportunity she had once held within reach, only to watch it slip away.
Even Renya, who would normally make a fuss, maintained a subdued posture with uncharacteristically tense features.
"Does that mean if we complete the quest, all three of us get registered as 4th-rank adventurers?"
Bern alone remained as aloof as ever.
Facing a position others strove a lifetime for without a flicker of excitement, utterly impassive.
It might seem like disdain for guild ranks at a glance, but the Guild Manager neither took offense nor showed displeasure.
Bern's experience was relatively short, and he'd built achievements as a party, taking time—but purely on skill, he had long surpassed 4th rank.
He could have pressured the guild for a promotion if he'd wanted, yet he'd quietly accumulated quests, earning high marks for character and diligence.
"Exactly. Succeed this time, and it's 4th rank. Failure doesn't bar retrying, but it'd set you back some."
"Understood. What's the specific quest?"
"Head north from here to the Frenzia fief. Young women keep vanishing—solve it however you can; that's the request."
"One moment."
Blanca, who had been listening silently, spoke up.
"Frenzia... isn't that where the Alses Party was dispatched?"
Bern had heard of the Alses Party before.
They were the Eastern Branch's sole 4th-rank team.
The Guild Manager nodded.
"It was originally theirs, but they couldn't find the cause and gave up."
"So you're asking us to solve a quest a 4th-rank party abandoned?"
"No one could object to your promotion then. Your achievements overflow, but your short tenure breeds malcontents everywhere."
Blanca let out a low hum.
A quest without clear instructions like 'defeat this' or 'gather that.'
Finding the cause and devising a solution—all on their own.
Requiring not just combat prowess, but investigation, judgment, and adaptability—it was truly a high-rank quest.
Difficult.
But to obtain the lich information she craved, she had to reach 4th rank somehow.
Meeting Bern's eyes, Blanca nodded, and Bern spoke again.
"Very well. We'll depart immediately."