The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 108

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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 108. The Capital, Battenberg
Battenberg, the capital of the kingdom.
Located in the heart of the Continent and at the center of the kingdom, Battenberg sat adjacent to the boundary between the Silva River and the mountain range.
Beyond the carriage window, the outlying districts revealed fertile farmlands near the Silva River that supplied water and provisions to the capital.
Livestock farming flourished there as well, sustained by these abundant resources.
As we passed through the outer districts, the Castle Gate of Battenberg came into view.
Steel doors and sturdy stone walls.
Casting sharp shadows beneath the sun, they bore witness to the majesty and history of the kingdom’s final line of defense.
As the carriage drew near—
The capital’s guards stationed atop the Castle Wall instantly aligned their spears and shields in unison.
Had they already known of our arrival?
“House Whitewolf approaches! Open the gates!”
With the briefest of verification procedures, the gates swung open, and the guards saluted in perfect formation.
Soon the carriage entered the bustling streets—
We had crossed into the Outer City of the capital.
The Outer City, where merchants, craftsmen, and common folk primarily dwelt, was bisected by the flowing waters of the Silva River running through its heart.
Merchant vessels with colorful banners fluttered above the waterway—a sight quite different from Frecce.
The capital’s prosperity was of an entirely different magnitude than the Whitewolf Territory.
“Wow!”
Seraphia’s eyes widened as she gazed out the window.
She had rarely ventured beyond the territory.
Recently, the Curse of Bitter Cold had kept her confined even within the Lord’s Residence.
But now she had awakened the power of Bitter Cold itself.
‘The curse’s effects have vanished.’
…I wasn’t quite sure whether to call her Iliana or something else.
Lost in such contemplation—
We soon arrived at the Inner City of the capital.
As befitted a district where nobility, high-ranking officials, and wealthy merchants primarily resided, elegant mansions lined the streets.
Beyond these stood libraries, the Grand Plaza, and the Academy of Scholars.
The nobility regularly hosted traveling bards and held diverse cultural events—music, painting, theater, and more.
Countless scholars and artists visited to share their knowledge and expertise.
This was the heart where the refined culture of the Battenberg Kingdom was born and exchanged.
“Wow wow!”
Seraphia’s eyes grew even wider than before.
Like an excited child, she could not contain her wonder at the unfolding landscape.
Meanwhile, the carriage turned northward and finally entered the elevated terrain where the Royal Palace came into view.
We arrived at the Royal Palace shortly after—
“Wow wow wow!”
Seraphia’s eyes seemed on the verge of bursting wide open—
“Ahhhhhhh!”
It looked precisely like the excessive fuss of a wild beast.
* * *
A door adorned in golden light.
Marble floors gleaming as they caught the radiance.
And the Royal Palace gardens, brimming with fragrant flowers, felt less like reality and more like stepping into a fairy tale world.
“Wow, wow, wow, wow!!”
At the majestic sight before her, Seraphia couldn’t help but cry out in wonder—but….
“Stop making such a fuss and come down.”
“…Yes.”
Seraphia shrank her shoulders as she descended from the carriage.
But the moment her feet touched the ground.
Her eyes widened once more at the grand spectacle of the Royal Palace unfolding before her.
“Wow, this place really is—.”
And there, Seraphia swallowed her words.
Her eyes darted about, gauging Adrian’s expression as he stepped down from the carriage, when it happened.
“Please, come this way. You must be weary from your long journey.”
The palace doors opened, and a man in neat formal attire walked out.
A middle-aged man whose every word and movement exuded grace and refined authority.
“I am Edmund Harens, Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Palace.”
As a Lord Chamberlain who served the royal family, his station was hardly low.
Called a court count, or Pfalzgraf in the old tongue.
In other words, he held the rank of count.
Similarly, the chief lady-in-waiting held the rank of countess.
Conversely, a count of the borderlands was called a Margrave.
House Whitewolf belonged to this category of Margrave.
“I am Seraphia Whitewolf.”
“I am Adrian Whitewolf.”
Seraphia and Adrian bowed respectfully to Edmund in turn.
“His Majesty has heard of your arrival. However….”
Edmund bowed his head slightly.
“He is currently unwell and has conveyed that an audience would be difficult at this time.”
“Then….”
“You may stay in the Guest Chamber until His Majesty regains his strength.”
“The Guest Chamber?!”
Seraphia cried out in surprise despite herself.
And for good reason—the Guest Chamber of the Royal Palace was not a space for just anyone.
It was reserved as lodging for foreign royalty and high-ranking nobility alone.
For two who were not even border counts, and who had yet to formally inherit their titles, such treatment was far too generous.
“Her Majesty the Queen has ordered that the young lady making her debut in society this season, and all members of her household, be shown to the Guest Chamber.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I shall guide you personally.”
At Edmund’s gesture, the Royal Palace attendants and servants bowed in unison to welcome Seraphia and me.
I felt as though I had become a princess from a fairy tale.
“This way, if you please.”
Following Edmund’s guidance, I stepped into the opulent interior of the Royal Palace—and that was precisely when it happened.
“Wait, who is this?”
* * *
A voice rang out suddenly.
Turning my head, I saw a young man with an immature appearance.
An arrogant expression. A rounded jawline.
A calculating smile tinged with coldness.
And an air of familiarity toward me.
Yet his face held no place in my memory.
Activating my Predator’s Instinct [S], information about the man materialized before my eyes.
==【Character Information】==
Name: Walter Batennberg
Classification: Animalia, Mammalia, Hominidae, Homo sapiens
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Distinguishing Features: None
‘Walter, then….’
The third prince of the Battenberg Kingdom.
The second son of Queen Marceline.
Walter strode toward me with confident steps.
He examined me from every angle, much like a serpent coiling around its prey to assess it.
“The infamous rogue of our kingdom—Adrian, isn’t it?”
For a fifteen-year-old, his gaze was remarkably cunning.
Walter knew me as a rogue and seemed intent on exploiting that fact fully.
This made sense, as my name had been deliberately excluded from the Violess incident.
It was known only that Isolde and the Holy Kingdom were responsible.
Of course, the people of Whitewolf Territory knew I was no longer a rogue, but others did not.
Hence the faint smile playing across Walter’s lips.
Within it lay a mixture of light mockery and derision.
It was clear he had come to provoke me.
But was this mere coincidence and impulse?
It felt far too deliberate.
In other words, rather than Walter’s own will….
‘Who instigated this?’
It seemed someone was attempting to provoke me and complicate the situation.
‘It couldn’t be Queen Marceline.’
Her target isn’t me.
It’s Seraphia.
Therefore, precisely because of the royal social gathering that would soon take place, Queen Marceline would be wary of me disrupting the order within the Royal Palace.
Then, who within the palace would be capable of such an act?
‘Could it be Baron Segretus?’
The Kingdom’s Chancellor, Baron Segretus.
Only he could manage it.
It seemed word had reached his ears that I was sponsoring Iliana—
‘Could Baron Segretus truly command the royal family to such a degree?’
As the political leader second only to The King, it was hardly surprising, yet his authority and influence appeared far greater than I had anticipated.
“Your Highness, a distinguished guest from the Royal Court has arrived after a long journey.”
“I know, I know. That’s precisely why I’m so delighted.”
Edmund Harens, the Royal Palace’s Chief Steward, stepped forward, but to no avail.
Walter continued to nod toward me with that mocking expression on his face.
The Royal Knights escorting Walter stood at ease in their positions.
Yet their faces were brimming with ridicule and contempt directed at me.
I, known as the wastrel of House Whitewolf.
It seemed there was no one in the Capital or the Royal Palace who didn’t know of my reputation.
After all, even Avarus, who had used Transmogrification to assume the form of Baron Beneron, had immediately recognized me upon hearing the word “wastrel.”
“How delightful to hear that a wastrel confined to the borderlands has come all the way to the Royal Palace in person.”
Walter made no attempt to conceal his mockery toward me.
The Royal Knights also did nothing to hide the sneers on their faces.
‘So this is how they’re playing it.’
Using the untouchable royal family to provoke me—a cunning ploy.
As befitted the schemers of the Royal Palace, their methods were as devious as they came.
Yet there was one fact that even the cunning Baron Segretus had overlooked—
“But I hear you’ve traveled far, and you’ve brought quite a few women with you. It seems the rumors of your wastrel nature are well-founded; you certainly excel at such pursuits.”
Such provocations were nothing but tiresome noise to me.
Even knowing full well that these were merely handmaidens brought to attend to Seraphia, he persisted regardless.
“It seems your legendary skills shine brighter in the bedchamber than on the battlefield, if the rumors are true.”
Unfortunately, I had endured far too many provocations in my past life to fall for such crude taunts.
Especially the Imperial Army soldiers—they would gnash their teeth whenever they laid eyes on me.
The level of provocation directed at me had reached its zenith, beginning with casual morning greetings like “Hey, you beast bastard!”—
—How did a monster like you, who devours hearts, even come to exist in this world?
—What kind of monster did you mate with?
—We’re so sorry to your family for having such a child as you!
—Hey, your family’s already become crematory powder in the ossuary anyway.
—Bahahahahaha!!
They had hurled all manner of creative insults at me.
‘This too is a kind of memory.’
In any case.
“Your Majesty, it is unseemly to keep the Royal Palace’s honored guest waiting any longer.”
“Yes, yes. The chamberlain certainly is eager, isn’t he?”
At Edmund Harens’ firm intervention, Walter Batennberg casually shrugged his shoulders and stepped aside.
“This way, if you please.”
As I passed Walter—
“But then again, if you’re a nobleman.”
Walter’s voice drifted from behind me, dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s not wise to touch every woman indiscriminately. If you end up with a complicated family tree, it’ll cause problems with succession later.”
But such crude provocation.
Compared to the Imperial Army, it was child’s play—
“If your sister becomes pregnant right now, that child would be both your son and your nephew. Both at once.”
My footsteps halted without my realizing it.
‘Ah.’
…Even the Imperial Army should learn a thing or two from that.
* * *
Adrian’s footsteps suddenly stopped.
A sneer began forming at the corners of Walter’s mouth, but only briefly.
From Adrian, who had turned around, came a soft chuckle.
“Your Majesty, a blacksmith I know well once said this.”
As Adrian slowly turned back—
“Human nobles are so discourteous that they’ll never have a stone axe embedded in their skulls, making them far ruder than primitives.”
“…What?”
Walter’s face went blank with shock.
Adrian’s gaze then passed over Walter.
Adrian scrutinized each of the Royal Knights escorting Walter, then stopped at one in particular.
Ellen, the vice-captain of the Royal Knights.
He was a prodigy knight certain to reach Master rank within the next five years.
Adrian’s eyes fixed on Ellen.
Then came his calm voice.
“The Royal Knights’ primary duty is protecting the royal family. In such a protective role, controlling the protected party so they’re not exposed to danger is basic protocol.”
And yet.
“Your master is ranting like a rabid mammal, reeking of sewage from his mouth.”
“What, what did you—?”
“What’s the vice-captain of the Royal Knights doing, not even keeping your master on a leash?”
“You bastard—!”
It was the moment Walter erupted in fury.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted beside Walter.
It was a roar as if the very air had been cleaved and the earth torn asunder.
It was a deafening roar, as if the very air were being split and the earth torn asunder.
Walter’s head turned slowly to the side.
The spot where Ellen had been standing just moments before.
Adrian was standing there?
Ellen was… flying through the air far away.
CRASH!
Followed by a tremendous impact as Ellen slammed into the Royal Palace wall.
A sharp intake of breath caught in his throat.
Gulp… Walter’s saliva traveled down his throat.
Because who in their right mind would attack the Royal Knights within the Royal Palace itself?
‘Ellen didn’t even react?’
The vice-commander of the Royal Knights had been sent flying without so much as a response.
A genius swordsman destined to reach the Master realm within the next five years, no less.
And at the hands of this reckless fool…?
Walter’s eyes widened in an instant.
Adrian paid Walter no attention whatsoever.
His crimson eyes.
Adrian’s gaze, as if drenched in blood, was fixed solely upon Ellen embedded in the wall—
“Your negligence in duty has just cost your master one death.”
Adrian’s footsteps echoed across the Royal Palace floor as he approached, each step deliberate, as though dozens more deaths awaited.

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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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