Chapter 19

### Episode 19: New Adventurer Bern (17) – Upgrade Request

Sergio, the head of the secretaries serving the Crown Prince at the Golden Cloud Palace, or the Chief Secretary, was a veteran bureaucrat with over forty years of experience working within the imperial palace.

Since the time of the previous emperor, the current Crown Prince’s grandfather, Sergio had handled countless tasks and assisted in various duties for numerous members of the royal family.

When the emperor handed over some responsibilities to the Crown Prince under the pretext of successor training, and Sergio was assigned as an advisor, his colleagues looked on with worried expressions.

“Really now, the Crown Prince hasn’t even completed his successor education. How could he possibly have the time to handle duties? Looks like you’ll be the one doing all the work.”

“Just doing the work would be a stroke of luck. If something goes wrong and responsibility falls on us… sigh.”

The royal education for the Aizen Royal Family was brutal, so much so that even the ministers considered it excessively harsh.

There’s a limit to what a person can learn and master at one time, yet they tried to cram in knowledge and skills from every possible field. How could anyone endure that?

Thus, the royal family members usually focused on a few areas of personal interest, while casually skimming through the others, or even skipping them entirely.

However, the current Crown Prince approached all these lessons with unmatched diligence, completing every one with utmost seriousness.

Because of this, teachers who had struggled to motivate their lackadaisical royal students were overjoyed. On the other hand, Sergio and the other officials assigned under the Crown Prince grimaced.

The portion of duties handed over by the emperor required a document-processing ability akin to that of a viscount. Even with that, the Crown Prince’s existing education had to continue.

Even if the Crown Prince was competent and diligent, this was simply physically impossible.

As his colleagues had said, practical responsibilities would fall to Sergio and the other officials sent to the Golden Cloud Palace. If anything went wrong, the blame would surely fall on Sergio, not the Crown Prince.

After all, it would be far more reasonable to get rid of a bureaucrat like Sergio rather than tarnish the record of the future emperor.

‘Perhaps this might be the end of my career as a bureaucrat.’

With this resignation and readiness, Sergio entered under the Crown Prince—and—

“Get a warehouse built in this area as soon as possible. During a year of plenty, we need to store surplus grains in advance to avoid problems later.”

“Take a second look at this document here. Checking against other records, the quantity of delivered stones doesn’t match up. If it’s just a calculation error, fine, but if someone has embezzled the goods, they need to be severely punished.”

“The system of allowing local specialties in lieu of currency for taxation in regions that don’t use money seems problematic. This area, for instance, had its lake dry up fifty years ago, yet fish is still listed as a specialty. Should we really ask the people to exchange goods elsewhere before paying their taxes? It’s hard enough for the citizens, and the fluctuating quantities harm the royal treasury as well. A comprehensive reevaluation is needed to update these specialties based on the current situation. Ideally, unification into a currency system would be the best solution.”

—Sergio saw a new world.

‘What… is this?’

The Crown Prince was capable.

No, he was beyond capable—like someone born solely for the purpose of handling administrative tasks.

Although, as it was his first time getting his hands dirty with practical work, there were certainly some inexperienced parts, but these were within the range that Sergio and the advising team could easily cover. Moreover, once he identified an issue, his speed in rectifying it was impressive.

While utilizing the secretaries, including Sergio, effectively, he never overburdened them or shifted responsibilities.

Sergio was amazed by the Crown Prince’s ability but at the same time, worried.

‘With so much to do in the future, how long will this enthusiasm last?’

Mental strength and motivation are resources that, like physical stamina, require recovery, though they’re less visible and thus often overlooked.

Sergio had seen many enthusiastic new entrants, only for their fiery passion to eventually burn out, leaving only ash.

Even the current emperor, the Crown Prince’s father, had originally shown great passion when he first ascended the throne. But over time, he had gradually lost his drive for politics, succumbing to indulgence and idleness.

If it weren’t for the Crown Prince quickly establishing his own capabilities and the emperor recognizing this early, handing over power, the nation might have plunged into chaos due to the emperor’s numerous affairs and resultant offspring.

‘For that not to happen, His Highness must also take appropriate rest.’

Sergio knew that people who take breaks, manage their energy, and even indulge in hobbies can work longer and more steadily than those who burn themselves out through constant effort.

And from this perspective, the Crown Prince was worryingly on the edge.

Every day, without pause, he continued to work tirelessly. When would he take a break and recover his strength?

Even if he wanted to, with rumors circulating that the emperor was considering entrusting even more duties due to the Crown Prince’s competence, there was little Sergio, just a bureaucrat, could do to help the Crown Prince rest.

All he could do was fulfill his duties as best as possible within the scope of his responsibilities.

“Hmm, the weather is pleasant today. What a fine day.”

Yet, the Crown Prince seemed unaffected by Sergio’s concerns. In fact, as time went on, his energy appeared to grow more vibrant.

Sergio could not help but marvel in awe.

For someone who lived only for work, the source of the Crown Prince’s motivation was all too obvious.

‘Ah! His Majesty finds joy in governing the country and caring for his people!’

Truly, it was astounding and heartwarming.

Sergio felt even his own white hair, which he had once tried to conceal, now seemed disgracefully youthful.

If only he could serve his master longer. Sergio resolved anew to give his all while he still could.

“Ho ho, I never knew nurturing talented colleagues could be this enjoyable. Someday, perhaps I’ll create a second entity to focus on teaching. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

[Don’t the people under you look utterly miserable?]

“Ho ho, what does the devil know about humanity? Leveling up is exciting for everyone.”

[Even if I’m a devil, I know better about this human, Crown Prince, than you.]

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

***

“I want you to handle a request for promotion to Class 4.”

At the Eastern Branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.

When the clerk spoke, the atmosphere grew even heavier.

If Class 1 were rookies, Class 2 regulars, and Class 3 elite adventurers, Class 4 adventurers were the rare aces of each branch, with perhaps only one team per location.

Class 5 adventurers were the Guild Masters, and these masters rarely took requests unless it’s a dire situation, instead focusing solely on maintaining the Guild headquarters. Therefore, Class 4 adventurers essentially represented the top tier of active adventurers.

The very chance that had slipped away once before was now presenting itself again, and Blanka found her muscles stiffen without realizing it.

Even Renya, who usually made a show of excitement, remained unusually tense and sat upright with anticipation.

“Does this mean that all three of us will become Class 4 adventurers if we complete this request?”

Only Bern remained as calm as ever.

Facing a level of achievement that most people strive for their entire lives, his expression remained indifferent and calm, as if it didn’t hold much importance.

Though his attitude may seem dismissive of the Guild’s rankings, the clerk didn’t express any irritation.

Bern, with relatively less experience and whose accomplishments were achieved primarily through party-based missions, had long since surpassed the Class 4 threshold purely through skill. Had Bern insisted, he could have pushed the Guild to expedite his promotion, but his quiet professionalism and integrity were highly respected.

“Indeed. If you succeed in this, you’ll be Class 4. Although failure does not mean the end of your chance to rechallenge, it may set you back somewhat.”

“Understood. What is the specific content of the request?”

“You need to head north from here to a territory called Phrencia. There’s been an ongoing incident where young women keep disappearing, and we need you to resolve it.”

“Hold on a moment.”

At that moment, Blanka, who had quietly been listening, approached to ask.

“Phrencia… isn’t that where the Althes party has been assigned?”

Bern had indeed heard of the Althes party before — the sole Class 4 team at the Eastern Branch.

The clerk confirmed with a nod.

“In fact, this was originally the Althes party’s mission. However, after trying repeatedly, they couldn’t find the cause and ultimately forfeited.”

“You want us to solve a request that a Class 4 party gave up on?”

“Then no one could possibly question your promotion. Though your accomplishments already far exceed the requirements, there are always those who complain about lack of experience.”

Blankah paused for a moment.

This kind of mission, with no clear directives like defeating someone or collecting certain materials, required independent judgment. Finding the cause alone was a challenging task, let alone devising a solution.

It demanded not just combat prowess but investigative skills, judgment, and problem-solving abilities — a fitting high-level mission.

It was difficult.

But to obtain the information about Richi that she sought, she needed to reach Class 4 no matter what.

Blankah exchanged a glance with Bern, nodded, and Bern spoke again.

“Understood. Let’s depart immediately.”