The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100. Restoration (1)
The Whitewolf Territory buzzed with excitement over Seraphia’s recovery.
Joy filled the air—cheers from the people, laughter from children.
Yet all of it lay buried beneath the silence of dawn.
Boom!
Another dull, thunderous sound echoed through the air.
Bernard straightened his clothes and hurried outside.
The brutal winter was passing through the Whitewolf Territory.
The air at dawn remained bitterly cold.
Bernard quickened his pace without even bothering to fasten his collar.
And first of all.
I spotted the soldiers of Count’s Castle who had been standing night watch.
Soldiers standing vacant, torches held aloft.
“Uh, u-ugh…!”
“Huh…!”
The expressions of the soldiers, illuminated by torchlight, were struck with astonishment.
My gaze naturally followed where the soldiers were looking.
And.
“…!!!!”
My eyes widened in shock as well.
The sight before me.
I could not contain my astonishment.
Enormous wooden crates. Grain sacks covered in cloth.
Baskets brimming with fine textiles.
Towering piles of goods stacked high.
That overwhelming spectacle was, without exaggeration—
“This… this is impossible…!!”
It was as if the entire marketplace of Frecce had been transported here wholesale.
* * *
Conner, the merchant lord of the Golden Plains Trading Company.
Conner, a member of the Freche Merchant Guild, primarily dealt in the distribution of grain.
His inventory was diverse—barley, wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, corn, and even precious rice imported from the south.
However, recently an event occurred: the Lawless City of Violess collapsed.
In truth, until then, Violess had controlled multiple trade routes and frequently plundered goods by force.
Conducting commerce to Violess had been unthinkable.
Moreover, the major trade routes in the surrounding areas were effectively cut off.
Therefore, the collapse of Violess.
It signified that trade routes across the Continent had expanded.
With new trade routes opening, commercial activity in the trading city of Caravana flourished, and grain from other regions was imported in massive quantities.
Thus came an oversupply.
Meanwhile, demand remained unchanged, so Conner’s grain had become dead stock, piling up in a corner of the warehouse.
Just as his worries about the future were mounting unbearably.
“Y-you’re saying you’ll buy all of this…?!”
A man with black hair.
The head of the Predator Merchant Company, Adrian Whitewolf.
Thud—!
All his worries vanished in an instant at the sight of the gold coin chest he extended.
Then, as Adrian reached out his hand, whoosh—!
The grain that had been piled up like dead stock in the warehouse disappeared in a single moment.
“Waaaaaahhh?!?”
Conner sprang from his seat—.
“Please send the items that were in short supply to Whitewolf Territory.”
At Adrian’s additional order, Conner lost consciousness entirely.
But it wasn’t just Conner’s experience.
When Violess collapsed, oversupply affected far more than just grain.
Perhaps that’s why.
“Hehehehe! Hahahahahaha!!”
Berald, the fabric merchant next door, couldn’t wipe the grin from his face.
The high-quality silk that had been rotting away endlessly in the warehouse.
It had all been sold to Adrian.
Such scenes played out across the streets of Frecce without pause.
“Here, one hundred bundles of firewood!”
“We’ll bring two hundred rolls of parchment right away!”
The merchants shouted while wiping beads of sweat, and Adrian nodded, drafting contracts.
Bakeries and taverns bustled about restocking their depleted goods.
The blacksmith’s forge roared with an endless stream of orders, flames leaping high.
The savory aroma of food.
The sound of hammers striking steel.
The sound of deals being sealed.
Frecce’s night shone brighter than any daylight.
Beneath the street lamps.
Frecce’s main goods—grain, fabric, medicinal herbs, firewood, and various weapons—were being swept clean from the shelves.
“Three months’ worth of sales in a single day…?”
“G-good heavens…!!”
“Is this really happening?!”
Adrian’s tremendous purchasing power.
It transcended mere consumption, shaking the entire economy of Frecce.
“Hire the finest mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild right now! We need to protect the goods being sent to Whitewolf Territory!”
“No ore for smelting? Then pressure the Miners Guild!!”
“Tell the Gatherers Guild at once! They need to harvest medicinal herbs in massive quantities!”
An unprecedented economic boom.
An economic vitality unlike anything seen before.
Five days passed in this manner.
To the people of Frecce, I was no longer merely the guild master of the Predator Merchant Company.
A new symbol leading Frecce’s prosperity.
The Merchant Guild went without saying.
“Please look this way, Adrian!!”
Now everyone in Frecce bent their waists at a perfect 180-degree angle.
* * *
Endless piles of supplies stacked without end.
Bernard’s eyes swept across the procession of supplies.
And the procession continued endlessly even beyond the Count’s Castle warehouses—
“Ha… haah…!”
A gasp of astonishment so profound that breathing became difficult burst from Bernard’s lips.
Just as his mouth refused to close—
“You’ve arrived at just the right moment.”
A voice suddenly rang out.
“Adrian…?”
It was none other than Adrian.
Adrian walked slowly between the piles of supplies.
As if already aware of Bernard’s presence, Adrian remained composed.
Bernard barely managed to move his gaping mouth.
“W-what is all of this…?”
“Supplies for the stabilization and revitalization of Whitewolf Territory.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“In any case, that’s what it is. The explanation would be complicated, so just understand it that way.”
Adrian gestured with his chin and continued.
“With that in mind, Bernard, gather all the commoners of Whitewolf Territory by tomorrow morning.”
“By commoners, you mean…?”
“Those who are not currently engaged in productive activities.”
Bernard could not answer readily.
“If I may be so bold, might I ask the reason for this?”
Summoning the people of Whitewolf Territory was no simple matter.
Gathering them without cause would naturally breed discontent.
Adrian seemed to understand this, and fortunately provided an explanation.
“Bernard, as you well know, agriculture is impossible in Whitewolf Territory by its very nature.”
Whitewolf Territory, where bitter cold persists throughout all seasons.
A survival threshold region where humans could barely inhabit.
“Similarly, productive activities such as hunting, gathering, and animal husbandry are also impossible.”
The frozen earth could neither grow crops nor sustain livestock.
The only productive activity in Whitewolf Territory was monster hunting.
“That’s why the proportion of women among the residents is so high.”
In other words, the environment wasn’t suitable for women to engage in productive labor.
Just as Adrian said, women made up the vast majority among the territory’s residents.
“Let me see….”
Adrian swept his gaze across empty air once, then continued.
“The population of residents in Whitewolf Territory is 1,148. Among them, women aged 15 to 39 number 410. Women aged 40 to 59 number around 149.”
“H-how did you…?”
Bernard’s eyes widened in shock.
What Adrian had just stated was information impossible to know without precisely understanding the administrative system of Whitewolf Territory.
In territorial administration, understanding the population is paramount.
Population directly reflects a territory’s labor force, economic power, and military strength.
Through this knowledge, one can implement various policies—tax collection, military mobilization, resource management, and public stability.
It was no accident that population surveys were called the foundation of all territorial administration.
Yet it was equally the most difficult aspect of administration to grasp accurately.
Without standardized systems, errors were commonplace, and false reports were frequent due to fear of taxation and conscription.
There was no need to mention the shortage of investigators to conduct such surveys.
Bernard himself hadn’t grasped the details with such precision.
In other words, this was information a wastrel couldn’t possibly know.
Of course, Adrian was no longer a wastrel.
But that hadn’t been the case for long.
Adrian had lived like a wastrel for the past decade.
How could someone who had squandered his time in gambling and debauchery, never learning territorial administration, possibly…?
“A total of 559 women. Excluding those unable to work and those caring for children….”
Adrian swept the air once more and continued.
“That leaves approximately 391.”
“….”
Bernard found himself at a loss for words.
The figure didn’t differ significantly from what he knew.
In other words, Adrian wasn’t simply spouting numbers.
Adrian had grasped the administrative system of Whitewolf Territory with precision.
“I intend to provide them with employment.”
“…Pardon?”
Suddenly?
No, more than that.
“What sort of employment…?”
“Weaving, craftsmanship, pottery, dyeing, textile work, and the creation of ornaments and household goods.”
All productive activities women could readily perform.
However, all of them required a certain degree of expertise.
“I’ve prepared all the necessary equipment and materials here.”
Adrian gestured with his eyes toward the endless procession of supplies stretching into the distance.
“I will provide full support so that each person can discover and learn work suited to their aptitudes and abilities.”
“….”
“I will compensate them for their labor. However, I will also collect taxes accordingly.”
Only then did Bernard grasp Adrian’s true intention.
Not dependence on external sources, but the construction of Whitewolf Territory’s own economic system.
Bernard finally understood what Adrian had meant earlier by “supplies for the normalization and revival of Whitewolf Territory.”
“I will establish the broad framework and structure, Bernard.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
“You handle the detailed implementation.”
“…Are you certain you want me to do this?”
“Do you lack confidence?”
“That’s not quite it….”
Bernard paused to think, then spoke.
“Since most of them are women, I worry I might overlook certain details that require a woman’s perspective.”
The subtle differences in perception that arose from gender differences.
This was an unavoidable limitation.
Bernard’s expression betrayed his concern that such differences might significantly impact the results.
After all, this task was directly connected to Whitewolf Territory’s “revival.”
“Hmm….”
Adrian seemed to acknowledge this, falling silent in thought for a moment.
“Then have Seraphia assist you.”
“You mean Lady Seraphia?”
“…Ah, now that you mention it.”
Adrian asked as if he had just remembered something.
“What happened to Seraphia?”
“Thanks to you, she has recovered safely.”
Bernard answered while bowing his head slightly.
Yet Adrian’s expression seemed unusually grave.
“Did anything strange occur?”
“Strange, you say…?”
“Whether Seraphia’s mind seemed off. Whether she changed after waking compared to before. Or if she displayed speech patterns or attitudes she didn’t have before, or if she cannot remember something….”
Adrian’s concerns continued endlessly.
They poured forth without cessation.
‘He was worried after all.’
Adrian must have been genuinely concerned deep down.
Despite treating Seraphia as if he would kill her on the surface.
Despite claiming with words that he hated and despised her.
Adrian’s true heart was not like that at all.
After all, Seraphia was Adrian’s one and only sister.
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, but there have been no symptoms whatsoever since you regained consciousness.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Adrian exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
The sigh was so profound that the white breath escaping from Adrian’s lips resembled smoke billowing from a chimney.
To anyone watching.
It was the image of an older brother worrying over his one and only sister.
“She’s currently resting, but if you’d like to at least take a quiet look at her face—”
“Never mind. I have no intention of wasting time on such frivolous matters.”
Adrian’s brow furrowed sharply.
It was an expression as though he were regarding something repugnant.
‘He’s embarrassed, isn’t he.’
Bernard could now see that this was certainly not Adrian’s true sentiment.
“In any case, as long as I work alongside Seraphia, there shouldn’t be any problems, correct?”
“Of course.”
Bernard nodded with confidence.
As a lord, Seraphia’s abilities are exceptionally remarkable.
One need only look at how the previous Count entrusted everything of the house to Seraphia to understand this.
Although.
“As I said, I’ll establish the broad framework and systems, so you handle the detailed execution.”
Even if their relationship had now reversed.
“Lady Seraphia will surely be overjoyed.”
The sight of the Whitewolf Territory uniting under Adrian’s command as he regained his senses.
The gradual transformation of the territory as it slowly prospered.
All of it would become great solace and pride for Seraphia.
Bernard could already envision how delighted Seraphia would be upon awakening.
As he imagined the moment she would awaken with a radiant smile, Bernard felt his sense of responsibility surge even more intensely.
Adrian, on the other hand—
“Did the new recruits cause any trouble while I was gone?”
He awkwardly shifted the subject.
“I was concerned that with so many personnel, I wouldn’t be able to maintain proper control, but fortunately, no incidents have occurred.”
“Is that so?”
Adrian nodded once, seeming surprised.
“What about Kai?”
“He’s conducting intensive training with the new recruits.”
“…Intensive training? And what do you mean by intensive?”
“I was told it was a directive you issued directly, sir.”
“I did?”
“Did you not?”
“I only told him to handle the basic training.”
It seemed Kai had made that decision on his own initiative.
A moment of silence fell.
“The recruits didn’t die, did they?”
“….”
Bernard found himself unable to answer Adrian’s question.
* * *
At the Snowy Training Ground, the harsh winter was gradually passing.
Yet despite the relentless cold that persisted year-round, the air remained frozen solid—
“Hngh…!”
“Haaah…!”
Vister’s men were climbing the snow-covered hillside.
Their breath crystallized in the empty air with each exhalation, and as if that weren’t enough, the swirling snow cascaded down upon their faces and bodies.
Then, at that very moment.
“All units, maintain concealment positions!”
Kai, the golden-haired knight leading from the front, bellowed the command.
His voice, amplified by aura, reached the ears of Vister’s men with crystalline clarity.
Every one of them buried their bodies into the cold snow.
Faint wisps of frozen breath dispersed into the air.
Their fingertips and toes were gradually losing sensation, and the pain was excruciating, but….
“Snow is not merely an obstacle. It is an environment that conceals and shields your body. To survive in this place, you must become intimately familiar with snow itself.”
Every one of Vister’s men became one with the snow, not a single muscle twitching.
“Move out again.”
Kai’s command came once more.
Vister’s men rose in perfect unison and resumed their sprint.
And so they continued, ascending and descending the snow-covered slopes of the hillside without end.
“Huff…! Huff…!”
“Haah…! Haah…!”
Their legs trembled and shook, and their soles were already covered in blisters.
“L-Lord…! How much longer…!”
“How much longer must we…!”
“Endure this hellish torment…!”
At last, complaints erupted among Vister’s men—
“I… I don’t… huff…!”
Sarpedon, once the lord of Black Grasp—
“I don’t know either… you damned bastards….”
Could only whimper, his face smeared with snow and ice.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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