The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 103

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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 103. The Forgotten Truth (1)
Six Lords serve The Emperor, and among them stands The Darkness Lord.
The Allied Forces referred to The Darkness Lord as “The One Never Seen.”
Literally—no one had ever observed him.
The Darkness Lord existed beyond all perception and record, erasing his own image from memory and rendering his existence unknowable.
Thus, he was called the Lord of Darkness.
Not a Lord commanding the power of literal darkness.
The meaning was identical to the darkness of the Dark Merchant Company.
In essence, the unknown—Hidden From Knowledge—had been substituted with darkness and affixed as his title.
In truth, the Allied Forces had no such organization as the Dark Merchant Company.
I had exposed its true name: the Fallen Soul Worshippers.
Within the Allied Forces, darkness referred solely to The Darkness Lord.
The Allied Forces could not determine who The Darkness Lord was, where he operated, what he had done, or what abilities he wielded.
Only one thing.
They knew he possessed the “Power of Oblivion”—the ability to immediately erase any recognition of himself from a person’s mind.
And remarkably, that power—
“—had even made me forget.”
Ian, who could stand against The Abyss Lord himself.
Even Ian could not resist the Power of Oblivion.
Fortunately, Ian retained awareness of The Darkness Lord’s existence.
Had it been otherwise, both I and the Allied Forces would have counted only five Lords instead of six.
Regardless, there was no information about The Darkness Lord’s identity.
Who was The Darkness Lord?
The moment such a question arose, all events, circumstances, people, and information connected to him vanished from memory instantly.
An unpredictable variable—when and where it would manifest, no one could say.
In my previous life, I bore an absolute obligation to uncover his true identity.
I conducted thorough investigations, yet failed repeatedly.
Each time, I reached only conclusions that were themselves forgotten.
The One Never Seen.
The darkness surrounding The Darkness Lord could never be lifted.
Yet The Grand Mage of the Allied Forces, Iliana, had said this:
—An unobserved existence cannot exist in this world.
For existence to exist, someone’s observation is absolutely necessary.
—The Darkness Lord is not unobserved.
Only his true nature cannot be observed with precision.
Thus, Iliana referred to The Darkness Lord as:
The Being of Observational Uncertainty.
In other words, he could not be observed beyond a certain threshold of accuracy, but observation itself remained possible.
From Iliana’s counsel,
I conceived of a single stratagem.
It was the inverse approach.
In other words, my reasoning about The Darkness Lord centered on “who is he not?” rather than “who is he?”
Investigating “who is The Darkness Lord?” causes information about him to be forgotten.
However, information about “who is The Darkness Lord not?” remained unforgotten.
Therefore, if I could determine who The Darkness Lord is not and eliminate each possibility one by one, couldn’t I ascertain who The Darkness Lord actually is?
Even if I couldn’t determine it precisely, couldn’t I learn up to a certain level?
Based on this hypothesis, I gathered information about The Darkness Lord.
The hypothesis proved correct, and the information I uncovered was as follows.
1. The Darkness Lord is not transparent.
In other words, he possesses a physical form.
Through this, I could determine that The Darkness Lord is a “tangible being”—something visible and touchable.
2. The Darkness Lord is not a machine.
Through this, I could discern that The Darkness Lord is an “individual with consciousness”—capable of independent thought and action.
3. The Darkness Lord is not a weak existence.
It was obvious information, naturally.
The Emperor acknowledged six Lords—not through breeding and slaughter, but through genuine recognition.
As a “Lord” of Darkness, he could never be weak.
Yet the fact that this information was imprinted upon me meant that, even accounting for his status as a Lord, he was not merely strong—he was exceptionally formidable.
The mightiest of Lords.
I could determine that The Darkness Lord was the most powerful among the six Lords.
A question that naturally arose from this.
If The Darkness Lord were truly so powerful, could he not be the Emperor himself, operating under a false identity for convenience?
This was a point of contention even within the Special Task Force.
The witch who took Ian’s left arm—The Frost Lord.
A Lord surpassing Seraphia was difficult to imagine.
There was only one possibility: The Emperor.
Therefore, could The Emperor be erasing people’s memories as he moves about for operational convenience?
It was a highly plausible deduction.
And the result was—
4. The Darkness Lord is not The Emperor.
I could not recall why I reached this conclusion.
Unfortunately, the memory had been forgotten and no longer existed.
Perhaps… he revealed himself during my final confrontation with The Emperor.
I could only speculate cautiously.
In other words, it was precious information obtained through regression.
Therefore, The Emperor and The Darkness Lord.
There is no doubt that these two are separate entities.
This far—
is the information I uncovered.
Beyond this, all remains shrouded in darkness.
Therefore, if The Darkness Lord is involved with the Battenberg Kingdom, then I cannot possibly know what is happening in the Kingdom Capital at this moment.
“…Now that I think about it.”
Something had felt off.
From The King’s summons to the Royal Court’s social circles.
There was no way I could be completely ignorant of the related information.
The reason I had momentarily forgotten about my father’s will was apparently because of this.
“The Darkness Lord had been interfering.”
The Darkness Lord’s power of oblivion.
Even Ian couldn’t resist it.
Now that I’ve come to understand it, the Player’s Will [EX] was not an ability that granted perfect mental immunity.
It merely reset things once the threshold of mental fortitude was exceeded.
Thinking about it this way….
“…So that’s why.”
Even though I knew about the six Lords serving The Emperor, I couldn’t recall The Darkness Lord.
The Frost Lord, the Beast Lord.
The Immortal Lord, the Abyss Lord.
And the Death Lord.
I could recall all five of them.
But I hadn’t even thought about who the sixth and final Lord was.
I only knew that a sixth Lord existed.
Now that I think back on it.
Those messages that appeared before my eyes whenever I recalled information about the Lords.
When I was wary of the Frost Lord in the Whitewolf Territory.
When I pursued traces of the Beast Lord on Snowy Mountain.
When I reminisced about the Abyss Lord in Frecce.
When I obtained information about the Death Lord in Violess.
◆The Player’s Will [EX] resists the Erased Traces!
◆The Player’s Will [EX] resists the Engulfing Darkness!
◆The Player’s Will [EX] resists the Void of Memory!
◆The Player’s Will [EX] resists the Stolen Cognition!
At that time, I couldn’t perceive anything….
But perhaps… I had recalled it.
It seemed I had naturally thought of The Darkness Lord while recalling the Lords’ information.
Yet even the awareness of having recalled it was immediately ‘forgotten’ and vanished.
Because the Player’s Will [EX] did not grant a state of complete immunity.
However, because the Player’s Will [EX] existed, I was aware of The Darkness Lord’s existence.
“Ian must have been the same.”
That’s why Ian couldn’t uncover The Darkness Lord either.
“But now it’s different.”
Not long ago, through Iliana’s teachings, I obtained the Successor’s Will [EX].
Now, at last, I can truly perceive The Darkness Lord.
The limit of my mental fortitude is Aleph-Null.
In other words, it is infinite.
Because the limit is infinite, I am no longer forgotten.
Even now, I vividly recall The Darkness Lord.
The fact that my memory and cognition are not erased by anything whatsoever is the very proof of this.
When I possessed the Player’s Will [EX], I was forgotten.
But ever since I became the Successor’s Will [EX], I am no longer forgotten.
If The Darkness Lord is interfering in the Battenberg Kingdom, then this time it will surely reveal itself.
“If I can only observe The Darkness Lord from the Kingdom Capital.”
If I can only use the Predator’s Instinct [S].
The darkness concealing The Darkness Lord will be torn asunder, and the forgotten past and truth will be completely laid bare.
And thus, the Emperor’s greatest and most terrible variable will ultimately be placed upon the palm of my hand—
From that moment onward.
Distant Presence (Aucta From Afar).
One who exists far beyond comprehension and cognition.
I will be able to place the Emperor of The Empire upon the board I have laid out.
* * *
Darkness hung thick over Count’s Castle.
Seraphia sat before a small workbench, her needle moving with meticulous care.
Her fingertips bore countless pricks from the needle.
Yet the silk beneath those wounded fingers was gradually being filled with exquisite embroidery.
In the quiet room.
Seraphia’s vibrant rose-pink lips were pressed firmly shut, and an aura of concentration hung about her fingertips and face.
All that could be heard was the soft rustling of thread intertwining with each stitch, when suddenly—
Knock, knock.
—May I come in?
Adrian’s voice came with the knock.
“Eek…!”
Her concentration shattered, and Seraphia’s body trembled violently.
She pressed a hand to her startled chest.
“Oh, yes! Please, come in!”
Seraphia hastily rose to her feet and cleared the items scattered across the workbench.
It was at that very moment Adrian stepped into the room.
“What were you doing?”
“Pardon? I was just….”
Seraphia hurriedly draped a cloth over the workbench.
Adrian’s gaze shifted from the covered cloth to Seraphia.
His eyes asked what she had been doing.
…It seemed I needed to say something.
Yet my mind had gone completely blank, and I couldn’t think of anything at all.
No matter what, I couldn’t possibly tell him that I’d been making a handkerchief for Adrian.
“W-what’s the matter, then?”
I pressed down firmly on the cloth covering my work, trying to deflect.
Fortunately(?), Adrian didn’t press me further.
“A royal messenger came by earlier.”
Adrian got straight to the point.
The warmth of concentration that had flushed my cheeks drained away, replaced by tension.
A royal messenger had visited.
I understood what that meant.
“His Majesty the King has summoned both you and me regarding Father’s will.”
“His Majesty…?”
“Additionally, Her Majesty the Queen has invited you to court society.”
“…I’m sorry?”
My head tilted sharply to the side in confusion.
An invitation to the royal court’s social circles—Adrian’s words.
And it was a direct invitation from Her Majesty the Queen herself.
“Eh…?”
I was having considerable difficulty understanding the situation.
The context had been stripped away so thoroughly that the full picture had vanished entirely.
“So prepare yourself to depart for the Kingdom Capital.”
But Adrian spoke with unwavering resolve.
“We’ll travel by carriage to the capital. We’ll bring only the minimum soldiers necessary for escort and the attendants who will assist you.”
“Does that mean it will be just you and me going, brother?”
“Yes.”
…
“We cannot spare many personnel from the territory right now.”
The Whitewolf Territory had only just begun its restoration.
If we withdrew personnel in such circumstances?
Operations and projects would suffer delays.
That would deal a considerable blow to the territory’s recovery.
“Y-yes, of course. It would be difficult given the territory’s current situation.”
“Bear with the inconvenience.”
“No! That’s not what I meant. It’s just…”
I trailed off and lowered my head.
But I couldn’t help the trembling at the corners of my lips—
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Nothing! It’s nothing at all!”
I waved my hands frantically in denial.
I even cleared my throat awkwardly, stumbling over my words.
Fortunately, Adrian showed little interest in the matter.
“We depart in a week, so prepare without delay.”
With those words, Adrian turned and left.
And as Adrian departed—
Seraphia hastily shut the door, then pressed her back against it while cradling her face in both hands.
‘What do I do…!’
My heart thundered wildly within my chest as if it might burst.
And for good reason—
‘Just the two of us, alone with my brother…!’
Was this truly happening, or merely a dream?
Even at the fastest pace, the journey from Whitewolf Territory to the Kingdom Capital would take at least two weeks.
That meant a month just for the round trip.
It meant I would be traveling with Adrian for a minimum of one month.
And that was the absolute minimum.
Depending on circumstances that arose during the journey, that time could stretch far longer.
And if I added the time spent in the capital…?
‘What am I supposed to do…!!’
Merely thinking about it set my cheeks ablaze with anticipation.
My entire body overflowed with energy, bursting at the seams from imagination alone.
‘C-calm down. Just calm yourself…!’
I tried consciously to suppress my soaring emotions—
‘Kyaaah…!!!’
But my heart’s frantic pounding remained utterly beyond my control.

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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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