Chapter 16

### Chapter 16: New Adventurer Bern (14) – Meaning Attribution

Though Lucidra’s seemingly (unreasonable?) scolding had been delivered, Bern paid it no heed.

Demons, after all, are creatures that cunningly whisper deceitful words to bewitch humans.

To assign great meaning to each word of such a demon would be an excellent way to fall into a trap.

[No, this isn’t even in that realm of issues, you know? Oh, come on!]

Looking utterly exasperated, Lucidra pounded her chest repeatedly while writhing in agony (a sight that was, visually speaking, highly detrimental to minors). Ignoring her, the group reconvened at the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Can’t you guys just stay calm for even a single day…?”

As it happened, the clerk, who seemed to have aged about a year in just a day, personally summoned them to have a conversation. Nonetheless, they weren’t subjected to any harsh reprimands.

Initially, the Adventurer’s Guild doesn’t mediate disputes among adventurers. The essence of the Guild is brokerage, and the relationship between adventurers and the Guild is closer to a transaction than a hierarchy.

It’s much like two regular customers of a convenience store getting into a fistfight outside; the shop owner wouldn’t take sides or administer any punishment.

Of course, if the commotion occurs within the Guild premises causing harm or property damage, or if they betray each other mid-commission tarnishing the Guild’s reputation, the story might be different. But Bern’s incident was far from such a situation.

Certainly, it was a considerable blow that Karina’s party, one of the top teams in the East Branch, was rendered immobile for a time. However, shouldn’t it be absurd to fault Bern or Blanka after they were provocatively challenged and lost in retaliation?

“Hmm, never mind. I was already thinking that they’ve been too high-and-mighty lately, so it might actually be better in the long run if it makes them realize their position. Blanka, are you feeling okay?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. Thanks to Bern.”

“If so, that’s a relief…?”

The clerk, who had carelessly tried to gloss over the conversation, suddenly looked up, noticing a subtly cheerful vibe in Blanka’s voice.

Peering glances.

Stealthy, repeated glances toward Bern’s profile.

Unsettled, restless physical movements.

‘Who could this be? Who is this person?’

The clerk momentarily felt a sense of cognitive dissonance.

It was the clerk who, from the time Blanka first came to the Guild requesting a Richi extermination, had maintained a long-standing relationship with her. Among those who knew best, this clerk was well-aware of how many people had tried to approach Blanka, mesmerized by her delicate appearance, and how firmly she had rejected them all like a fortress.

The aftereffects of these rejections—accusations like ‘her nose is too high’ and ‘she’s snobbish’—had partly led to her being isolated from other top-tier adventurers after being ousted from a third-grade party.

But now?

“Ms. Blanka, how about we take on the new commission involving handling a large number of enemies? What are your thoughts, Ms. Blanka?”

“I… I agree with Bern. So, um, we’ve already dealt with large groups before, right? In that sense.”

“Indeed. Adapting what you’ve already experienced would naturally be more convenient.”

Bern nodded nonchalantly, and Blanka appeared delighted by even that simple reaction, twitching her lips upward.

Though she wasn’t unconditionally agreeing but was making an effort to provide reasonable grounds, and though trying to maintain a composed expression even if not laughing outright, it still felt counterproductive to the clerk.

‘Even a rural girl experiencing her first crush on an urban man wouldn’t show this much enthusiasm, right?’

It must feel somewhat like watching one’s long-professedly single younger sister suddenly flailing about in a heated romance.

A mix of awkwardness, disbelief, and a strange sense of loneliness washed over the clerk, who then shifted his gaze to the last member of the group. After all, in situations where a romantic relationship forms within a party, the third party who isn’t involved often becomes a complicating factor, and any early warning signs would require some elder statesman-like action…

“Ah, Lord Brother! Miss Sister! Clearing the woods surrounding the city, prioritizing the prevention of civilian damages over personal gain! Truly a heart as bright as the summer sun! This Renya respectfully swears to do my utmost to tread even in the shadows of your noble footsteps!”

“…”

Without a word, the clerk took out a pipe cigarette and lit it.

At this point, he just wanted to abandon everything and rest.

***

There is a type of mission commonly referred to as ‘Cleanup’.

It refers to missions that involve sweeping away the monsters in areas near civilian settlements, such as villages and cities. Detailed naming varies depending on the specific region: forest cleanup if there’s a forest, lake cleanup if there’s a lake, swamp cleanup if there’s a swamp, and so on.

The purpose of the ‘Cleanup’ mission is to control the population of monsters to prevent them from encroaching too far into human-inhabited areas, serving more as a preventive measure.

And this ‘Cleanup’ mission is, though not the worst, definitely among adventurers’ less favorite requests.

Orders for ‘Cleanup’ typically come from the noble ruling the area. As everyone knows, the nobles of Virka usually possess either corruption or incompetence—or both—as passive skills.

Those who have the diligence and mindset to deploy their own soldiers to exterminate monsters and recover their resources belong to the relatively rare but still corrupt yet somewhat competent class. The rest simply dump the aftermath management on adventurers.

What should ideally be an extermination operation handled by mobilizing dozens of units is instead burdened onto adventure parties, usually averaging five members per group, making the task utterly exhausting.

Moreover, the nobles, who begrudge the cost of commissioning the Guild, often let the monster population dangerously swell by sheer neglect. Typically, they only assign the task right before it reaches a saturation point. As a result, the actual amount of monsters that need to be exterminated multiplies significantly.

“The rightful lord of these lands and sole heir of the Bulrota family extends you the right to enter his forest for three days and also permits you to acquire the byproducts from hunting during that period as a manifestation of his great compassion. Thus, with gratitude for the lord’s immense favor, you must dedicate yourselves fully to the extermination!”

Finally, upon repeated requests from the Guild, the nobility reluctantly allowed the recovery of spoils, treating it as their own great beneficence. At this point, even Bern started to chuckle slightly.

“How on earth these folks even dare to act like nobles baffles me. Protecting the people is the lord’s duty, and the people provide the lord with their due in return. How can these ones act so arrogantly when they fail even this basic principle?”

“Is that so? In Virka, this seems almost normal. Is it different in Eisen?”

“Hmm…”

Naturally, Bern was about to say that it is different. Based on the understanding of the ‘Crown Prince,’ Eisen Empire wasn’t this level of a corrupt state.

However, the perception of Eisen Empire that the Crown Prince had was merely based on reports. He had neither seen nor personally experienced it.

Is there really zero possibility of corruption and incompetence festering lower down while only pleasant reports are submitted to high-ranking officials?

‘…Having chosen to experience a distant land like Virka out of eagerness for diversion, I might as well check out the Empire at some point.’

If Lucidra had been listening, she would probably counter with, “Didn’t you create a duplicate to enjoy your free time? Why work again?” With this thought in mind, Bern continued.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, it is this way, but I suppose it’s also possible there could be similar instances that I haven’t witnessed.”

Blanka nodded.

“That’s true, isn’t it? After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect country.”

While exchanging various bits of idle chatter—such as how the most avoided commission recipients for adventurers are nobles or if the nobles near the royal capital weren’t so strong, how they would have been wiped out by adventurers long ago—they continued walking until…

“Uuuhh… Uuu…”

A bizarre weeping sound, almost like a woman crying, caught Bern’s ears.

About two beats later, Renya also flinched.

Unlike his usual demeanor, Renya, who primarily acted as a scout or a sort of ranger among adventurers, had a grave expression on his face. Though he had reacted slightly later than Bern, considering their skill discrepancy, his detection ability was commendable.

Further, Renya possessed knowledge that Bern lacked.

“Lord Brother, Miss Sister, please be cautious. It’s a pack of Purlfrug. They conceal themselves and mimic the cries of various species to lure prey, then ambush them upon approach.”

“Very different from regular wolves?”

“Slightly better physical abilities compared to ordinary wolves. However, listening to their cries for too long can disorient one’s sense of direction and induce a state of drowsiness, accompanied by auditory hallucinations. One should be vigilant. If alone, it’s advisable to block out the auditory senses at the risk of danger, while in a group, periodically wake each other. If both aren’t viable, just resolve quickly.”

After nodding, Bern glanced around.

Their current position was in a plain.

Before they even stepped into the woods, much less at its entrance, if a lure was attempted, it meant that the forest interior was likely already over-saturated with monsters.

This scenario, while something ordinary adventurers would find repulsive, was welcome news to Bern.

“Blanka, don’t worry about the risk of fires starting and focus solely on eliminating enemies. I can easily extinguish any flames that arise.”

“…Yes, I’ll try.”

“Renya, you don’t need to participate in the offense, but remain near Blanka as a precaution against any potential ambushes.”

“I’ll guard Miss with my very life! Not even a single claw will touch her!”

Holding his sword tightly, Bern stared straight at the approaching forest.

The time for hunting had arrived.

***

Though it’s hard to imagine at first glance, Blanka possesses a surprising degree of proficiency with a sword.

Not out of any grand ambition of being a sword-mage, but because she only learned two fire-based offensive spells, situations arose where she couldn’t simply spam magic.

The most representative case occurs in woodland combat.

Surrounded in all directions by flammable material, firing off flame spells during a fight in the woods could easily result not only in defeating the enemy but also in her death due to a spreading wildfire.

Even if her life were spared, her wealth would likely go up in flames.

After all, her current Guild debt stems from a magic overload that burned down a nobleman’s hunting grounds.

But.

For at least this moment, Blanka had no need to use her sword.

THOOM! BOOM! THUD!

With a cacophony of sounds, a pile of gray-furred wolves appeared stacked like a bundle of cargo in front of Blanka.

They may have broken bones, fractures, or contorted limbs, but at least they were still alive.

Without hesitation, Blanka cast her spell on the heap.

“Magic to Burn Rocks”

Though not as powerful as the earlier incident with the Goblin Lord’s lair, where it had been used alongside oil, the flames held more than enough heat to incinerate flesh and blood, turning the Purlfrugs into a barbecue in a single swoop.

The flames spilled over slightly, but that didn’t matter much.

Before the scattered embers could ignite into a full blaze, another Purlfrug dropped onto them, extinguishing the sparks with its body.

And once enough numbers had amassed, she cast “Magic to Burn Rocks” again to incinerate them.

As she repeated this operation, Blanka trembled with a mixture of unease.

Was it because Bern effortlessly subdued the Purlfrugs and stacked them neatly in front of her?

Certainly, it was astonishing, but from Blanka’s perspective, having already witnessed Bern’s capabilities, admirable though it was, it wasn’t enough to elicit shock.

Her trembling arose from a different cause.

‘Mana isn’t… diminishing!’

Not endowed with an overwhelming amount of mana, Blanka considered two daily casts of the intermediate spell “Magic to Burn Rocks” her maximum without using any other magic.

Yet now, she had already surpassed ten casts of the intermediate spell, and her mana was not waning.

In fact, it was increasing even beyond the rate it diminished.

A ring that absorbs the essence of creatures defeated by its user, and grants it to the user.

If mana is depleted, it refills it; if full, it expands the container.

When Bern explained the ring’s detailed function, Blanka (having regained a modest composure) deduced, ‘Then, to increase total mana capacity, I would have to defeat creatures without using magic.’

Though it seemed a somewhat challenging condition, she didn’t complain—it was too much of a gracious favor.

However, the ring’s efficiency in actual use went far beyond this.

After annihilating enemies with her intermediate spell, her used mana was instantly restored, and the excess essence added to her maximum mana capacity.

Despite only having begun hunting for a few dozen minutes, Blanka found herself in a situation where her total mana capacity had doubled, even while continuously casting advanced spells.

It wasn’t something that could be labeled as merely efficient.

Even the mana cultivation methods of distinguished families might pale in comparison to this ring’s performance.

Where, exactly, and how did Bern acquire something like this?

If not for the contract stipulation that prohibited probing into the origin of Bern’s powers and skills, she would have too many questions to ask.

No, it’s different.

What she truly wanted to know from him was—

Gritting her teeth, Blanka forcibly suppressed her wandering thoughts.

Daydreaming during a fight—what an embarrassing thing to do when Bern was working so hard for her.

He had offered her the ring saying he needed a “comrade.”

Thus, it was her role as a comrade to reciprocate.

Right.

Questions about any other meaning behind the act of offering the ring—absolutely off limits.