The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character

Among the adventurers gathered for the lich extermination, many were known for their towering pride.

Third-rank adventurers were already considered elites. By the time one reached the fourth rank, they became coveted assets even outside the guild.

Birka Kingdom might have an especially rotten aristocracy, but under normal circumstances, adventurers of this level would be treated like honorary knights in most factions—and they were well aware of their own worth. Naturally, their heads were held high.

But at this moment—

In front of the middle-aged man standing before the plaza, even these proud adventurers stood silent and respectful.

Guildmaster Tarbon.

Leader of Birka Kingdom’s adventurer guild, the only fifth-tier adventurer in the entire guild, and a legend who had completed countless high-level missions.

In title, in experience, in strength—he lacked nothing to command this gathering. Even the roughest adventurers showed him their version of respect.

“No point in running our mouths when the enemy’s right in front of us, so I’ll keep this brief.”

His tone wasn’t grand or ceremonial—if anything, it was stark and dry. The adventurers listened closely.

“Cramming a bunch of people into a narrow dungeon isn’t going to give us any numerical advantage. So—we’ll split into teams.”

Agents with black armbands dispatched from guild headquarters stepped forward, each carrying documents and large leather pouches.

They began distributing armbands to the adventurers—each one colored either red, blue, or yellow.

“Red and blue armbands mean you're on the assault teams. Two groups, taking turns resting and fighting while we move through the dungeon. Yellow armbands—you're rear guard. Secure the exit, and if anything goes wrong, you’re the rescue squad.”

Cheers erupted from those who received red and blue armbands. Those with yellow ones looked crestfallen, their faces twisted with frustration.

This was a grand mission, pulling together the guild’s entire might—something that might not happen again for decades.

Everyone wanted to shine and be remembered as legends in the adventuring world. Being told to stay behind and wait didn’t sit well.

If the order hadn’t come directly from the Guildmaster himself, there would’ve been a storm of complaints.

Fortunately, Bern and his companions received blue armbands.

Once the red and blue teams entered the dungeon—around eighty people in total—the place felt cramped despite its impressive size.

“Red Team moves ahead. Blue Team, follow at a distance where you can still see them,” came the Guildmaster’s command.

The red-banded adventurers picked up their pace, while the blue-banded team slowed down, widening the gap between them.

Not long after—

“Undead!!”

“Get ready for battle!!”

The shouts from the red team prompted some in the blue team to rush forward, but the Guildmaster raised a hand to stop them.

“We can’t all fight at once anyway. You’ll be up next—save your strength.”

Some members of the blue team scowled at that, but Bern simply nodded.

Dividing forces like this was usually considered a foolish tactic—but it depended on the situation.

In a dungeon of unknown depth, facing enemies of uncertain strength, charging in with everything was wasteful. It made far more sense to alternate between assault and rest teams, preserving energy for the long haul.

As the Guildmaster had said, there wasn’t even enough space for everyone to fight at once.

Still, just in case things took a bad turn, Bern kept his eyes on the battle.

The red team, however, swiftly crushed the undead horde without any major difficulties.

“Hah! So this is the lich’s dungeon? Looks pretty underwhelming!”

“Or maybe we’re just strong. Honestly, with the kind of firepower we’ve got here, we could wipe out most noble armies. Look at how many of us are knight-level or better.”

Clothes were torn and bodies bore minor wounds, but that was all.

No one was seriously injured, and no one seemed dangerously exhausted.

In fact, they were relaxed enough to joke and chat casually.

The Guildmaster gave a signal and called for rotation.

“Good work! Blue Team takes the lead now. Red Team, fall back and follow behind.”

The positions were switched, and now Blue Team surged forward, unleashing their own fury against the undead.

Blanca stood out in particular.

Fwoooosh!

Every time she cast the intermediate fire spell Scorching Stone, the undead ahead of them ignited like dry logs.

She wasn’t using the sword-and-magic hybrid technique she’d practiced with Bern—this was classic, textbook mage combat. But even so, she burned through more than half the enemy ranks by herself.

The other adventurers—especially the mages who were seeing her in action for the first time—looked stunned.

“She’s throwing around intermediate spells like they’re beginner-level!”

“How much mana does she even have?!”

There were mages present from third-rank parties, even some from fourth-rank teams. Blanca wasn’t the only one with firepower.

But most of them were holding back, conserving mana for the real fight against the lich. Meanwhile, Blanca cast spells like she was pouring water from a bucket—her destructive output was in another league.

Her presence was so striking that the Guildmaster, who had been managing personnel between the red and blue teams, approached her directly.

“You’re pushing yourself pretty hard right out the gate. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Blanca nodded.

“No problems.”

“How long can you maintain this pace?”

“For battles like that one just now—more than ten times.”

To be honest, she probably could’ve managed a hundred. But she held that part back intentionally.

She had the Ring of Absorption, which let her regenerate mana during combat, and Bern had warned her not to reveal her true strength unless necessary.

The Guildmaster paused for a moment, then gave new instructions.

“Blue Team stays on point. No more rotation. Anyone need rest?”

None of the Blue Team raised their hands.

Most of them hadn’t even swung their swords—Blanca had incinerated the enemy before they could get close. Everyone still had plenty of energy left.

grrrrrrrr...

BOOM!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Thanks to Blanca’s overwhelming firepower, the group made rapid progress through the dungeon.

After a while—

“A fork.”

Three paths: left, center, right.

Blanca narrowed her eyes. Something about the layout felt strangely familiar, almost fateful.

“I’ll go check, Boss.”

Renya and a few other scouts cautiously split up and headed down each corridor.

Before long, they all returned safely with their reports.

“The left path opens into a wide chamber. The problem is, it’s crawling with undead and all kinds of monsters.”

“There’s a huge door in the center! No handle or keyhole—looks like the kind you open with magic or a hidden mechanism!”

“O-on the right, there was a big holding pen filled with civilians! And, um, the magic circle drawn on the floor of the room was glowing. It looked like something could happen at any moment!”

All eyes turned toward the scout who had gone down the right path.

Compared to the other reports, his sounded clearly urgent.

The Guildmaster scowled.

“Civilians and suspicious magic... Anything else? Guards?”

“There were about ten people in robes hiding their faces! They were chanting something, but I couldn’t make out the details!”

“We have to rescue them right away!”

Someone from Blue Team shouted urgently at «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» the Guildmaster.

Alces Bertraya.

The fourth-rank adventurer from the eastern branch—Bern’s senior—spoke with grave urgency.

“They’re innocent civilians. If they’re already dead, that’s one thing—but if they’re alive, we must save them!”

“You do realize our mission is to exterminate the lich?”

“If they finish the ritual safely, who knows what kind of power the lich might obtain! It’s not just a moral issue—strategically, rescuing the victims is essential!”

Alces’s impassioned argument stirred a wave of support from the other adventurers.

“We don’t have time to debate! If we hesitate, they’ll finish the ritual and it’s over!”

“Rotten nobles are one thing—but we can’t abandon people too!”

The Guildmaster was visibly conflicted when Bern stepped forward.

“I’ll go.”

The Guildmaster's gaze locked onto Bern.

"Your spirit is admirable, but I won’t tolerate reckless, unilateral action."

"If you try to stop me, I’ll go by force. I’m only asking for permission out of courtesy."

"Hmph."

As the Guildmaster hesitated, Alces’s eyes trembled.

He shouted hastily.

"No! You can’t just send Bern alone into that mess!"

"Then are you volunteering to go with him?"

The Guildmaster’s dry response made Alces grit his teeth.

After exchanging glances with his party members, he finally shouted as if he had no choice.

"Understood! Our party will go with him!"

"Then it’s settled. Bern’s party and Alces’s party will go toge—"

"No, I’ll go alone. That’s enough."

Bern’s eyes met the Guildmaster’s.

Before the Guildmaster could say anything, Bern had already sprinted toward the right-hand path. Alces’s party scrambled to follow him.

At the end of the fork, they found exactly what Renya had described.

Civilians locked in cages like animals, surrounded by robed figures muttering eerie incantations.

Slash!

Bern’s blade cut down one of the hooded figures before they could even scream.

And yet, despite seeing one of their own fall, the others didn’t stop chanting.

Even the captives didn’t react to Bern’s appearance. They simply stared blankly at the air, unseeing.

Bern examined the body he’d just felled. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Beneath the robe wasn’t a mage, but a cold, lifeless undead.

The next moment, his vision twisted violently as his body was dragged elsewhere.

A forced teleportation trap.

Thrown into pitch-black darkness where even his hand before his face was invisible, Bern was attacked by someone wielding a blade.

A sudden change in location. Total loss of sight. An ambush in the dark.

Even a skilled warrior would normally falter under such conditions. But Bern blocked the attack without flinching and calmly adjusted his stance.

From the darkness, he heard someone click their tongue and retreat, quick and fluid.

Whoever it was had the means to perceive through the darkness without difficulty.

Faced with the quiet swell of killing intent, Bern spoke.

"A strange feeling. I anticipated this might happen... but I was hoping, just this once, that I’d be wrong."

There was no response.

But Bern didn’t miss the subtle shift, the uneasy ripple in the air.

"Isn’t it time you spoke up? Fourth-rank adventurer from the eastern branch. Or rather—disciple of the lich. Alces Bertraya, and your companions."

After a moment of silence, an annoyed voice answered.

"...You bastard. I had a feeling, but so you really did spill everything, huh."

The voice, unmistakably Alces’s, echoed through the darkness.

He asked Bern coldly.

"When did you catch on?"

"I wasn’t certain. But after hearing how you handled things in Frencia... something felt off."

Bern continued calmly.

"Even if one isn't a mage, there are still methods to investigate the effects of sleep magic—like tracking drug use. But you didn’t even attempt that kind of investigation."

"And about that shared watch rotation you supposedly suggested? If the plan was to post watches, you should’ve assigned multiple people to each shift so they could observe each other. But instead, you created a deliberate gap. That sowed distrust and confusion across the city, making it harder to track the real culprit."

"You claimed you gave up the request because keeping it would’ve caused harm due to incompetence. But in truth, wasn’t it to cover your tracks? You lured in others under the guise of helping catch the culprit, misled the investigation, and made the new adventurers chase shadows—so the guild would eventually abandon the case."

Alces replied with disgust.

"Hah, so you saw through it all from the beginning. And yet you pretended to be clueless, innocent—right to my face?"

"I wouldn’t say it compares to you, pretending to be a kind senior and noble-hearted ally while secretly selling people out to the lich."

......

The killing intent in the darkness grew heavier.

"You smug bastard. That face of yours, like you’ve already figured everything out, always so composed—it’s pissed me off since the first time I saw it. But you got cocky."

Alces chuckled darkly.

"You must’ve realized the hostages were a trap but thought you could handle it anyway, didn’t you? You figured you could escape whenever you wanted. So you walked right in. Sure, we wasted a trap meant to take down dozens of adventurers... but now you’re caught in a trap designed to kill them all—alone."

Step.

A footstep.

Grrr...

A growl.

Clack.

The sound of bones knocking together.

"I’ll tear you apart. And then I’ll show your severed head to your friends. Though honestly, maybe the others have already taken care of them."

Bern didn’t respond.

Alces thought he’d finally wiped that smug look off Bern’s face—and smiled.

WHAM!

The next moment, a hand gripped the back of his head and smashed his face into the ground.

“@%)($!?”

Chaos. Shock. Horror.

As his mind spiraled into confusion, Bern spoke, his voice close and cold by his ear.

“─Ah, my apologies. Striking someone in the middle of a conversation is a barbaric act. I acted on impulse.”

Gone was his usual polite tone.

In its place was overwhelming arrogance. Cold command.

“As an act of goodwill, I’ll let you live—for now—until I deal with the others. Do your worst. You won’t die.”

Then, Bern added:

“But when you’re the last one left, I expect you to answer my questions. Politely. Precisely. And without delay. Because if you don’t—whatever I do to your friends, I’ll do to you. Exactly the same.”