The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 132

—————

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

—————

Chapter 132. Variables and Changes (1)
Leon fell into thought, as if recalling a memory.
After a moment, Leon’s eyes darkened for an instant.
“…It’s a sensation difficult to explain in words.”
Leon tapped his fingertips once more, choosing his words carefully.
“His appearance hadn’t changed. His manner of speech, his demeanor—nothing was drastically different from before. And yet….”
Leon exhaled slowly.
Then Leon murmured quietly.
“It was as if he were a puppet acting out the role of Blake.”
“A puppet?”
“Yes. It appeared as though he were consciously performing the role of Blake.”
“I see.”
“But I can’t be certain. For some reason, my memories of Blake are… unclear. I can barely recall what kind of child he was.”
Leon shook his head, looking confused.
Was Blake The Darkness Lord?
This question would only be satisfactorily answered by capturing Blake directly and interrogating him.
It was unfortunate, but we hadn’t gained nothing.
At least we had discovered that Blake was ‘closely’ connected to The Darkness Lord.
Moreover, Blake had been clearly ‘recognized’ by me and Leon.
That is, by the Predator’s Instinct [S] and the Present Time [L].
Blake could no longer hide in the darkness.
He had ceased to function as a variable.
And if Blake were indeed The Darkness Lord, then The Emperor’s greatest and worst variable had been neutralized.
Then.
A distant presence (Aucta From Afar).
One who exists far beyond understanding and recognition.
I would be able to place The Empire’s Emperor in the palm of my hand.
I needed to construct a new game board to draw The Emperor in.
“…Hmm? You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“So suddenly?”
“There’s no reason for me to remain in the Royal Palace any longer, is there? Is there something you need my assistance with?”
“That’s not quite it….”
Leon stopped speaking and picked up a quill, scribbling across parchment.
Then he stamped it with the royal seal with a sharp thud and handed it to me.
“Take this with you.”
“What is this?”
“A royal decree annexing Beneron Barony into Whitewolf Territory.”
“Can you really just give this away so casually?”
“If you’re jealous, become Crown Prince yourself.”
…Is it really the right choice to make him the Crown Prince?
“Are you now openly acting as the Crown Prince?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Prince Walter won’t sit idle.”
“What can Walter do, implicated in treason as he is? Besides, do you think Walter could ever match me?”
…That was true enough.
Walter was a prince only by bloodline; in terms of ability or anything else, he was no match for Leon.
“Blake is still alive, though. If he returns to the Royal Palace—”
“What could he accomplish by returning?”
…That was also true.
The rumors spreading throughout the entire kingdom could not be forgotten, and with us having captured him, his very existence would be difficult to erase.
Thus, a nationwide manhunt had been issued.
Blake now had nowhere to set foot in the Battenberg Kingdom.
With The King bedridden due to Queen Marceline’s scheming, Leon was even handling the regency.
Though not officially appointed as Crown Prince, he wielded authority virtually identical to that of The King.
Leon’s approval was the will of the throne, and the entire kingdom moved at Leon’s command.
If things had come to this, then so be it.
“Then issue a decree ennobling Seraphia as a countess as well.”
“Very well.”
Hm?
He agreed so readily?
“Have you given up?”
“Not at all. Didn’t I tell you before? I said I would propose once I received your permission, so I’m already as good as married to Seraphia.”
“Then why—”
“Once I receive your permission, I’ll simply revoke Seraphia’s countess title and ennoble you as count instead.”
“To treat a countess’s title in such a manner—”
“I’m the Crown Prince, so what of it?”
…Is it really the right choice to make him the Crown Prince?
Leon quickly drafted the decree and handed it to me.
“Is there anything else you’d like to gain points for?”
“Lend me some of the Royal Court’s authority.”
“For what purpose?”
“I’m currently sponsoring someone. Her name is Iliana. She’s the illegitimate daughter of Marquis Segretus.”
“Hmm.”
Leon fell silent in thought for a moment—
“You want the Royal Court’s authority to protect this Iliana from Marquis Segretus?”
No lengthy explanation was needed in the present moment.
This was one of the things I appreciated.
“Precisely.”
Queen Marceline had fallen, but Marquis Segretus remained standing.
But if the Royal Court directly protected her?
No matter how hard Baron Segretus struggled, he wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on Iliana.
“Excellent. We needed to check Baron Segretus anyway, so I’ll leave it to you.”
Leon nodded readily.
“If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“This should suffice.”
“Don’t be like that. Tell me if you need anything.”
He showed no sign of giving up whatsoever.
It seemed he would keep pressing….
‘Ah, that’s right.’
A good idea suddenly occurred to me.
“Your Highness, there is a knight named Kai in my territory.”
“Kai…? Ah, I know of him.”
“You know of Kai?”
“Isn’t he the chief knight of House Whitewolf? Captain Lucas has been eyeing him as a talent, so I’ve kept him in mind.”
It seemed the love calls from the Royal Guard were coming from the Royal Guard itself.
This made things easier.
“Gain Kai’s approval.”
“Hmm?”
“Then I’ll give you the points you ask for.”
“Is that truly the case?”
Leon’s eyes gleamed.
He seemed to take my words at face value—that gaining Kai’s approval was all it would take.
In other words, Leon didn’t know.
That Kai was a madman willing to make an enemy of anyone if it meant protecting Seraphia.
It would have been far easier to simply ask for my permission.
But Leon, unaware of this fact, was brimming with anticipation.
“Among the bribes I received, there was a dwarven-forged sword….”
The situation was rather amusing when viewed this way.
With The Frost Lord between us—.
The envoy of the Allied Forces and the commander of the Frost Legion.
“Ah! Here it is! Take this and give it to Kai as a gift.”
It promised to be quite an entertaining spectacle.
* * *
After leaving Leon’s office.
I returned to the Guest Chamber in the Royal Palace.
With this, all my business in the Capital was concluded.
But not everything was finished.
Blake remained an unresolved concern, and above all, The Emperor would certainly take some stance one way or another.
Perhaps even military intervention.
It was something that might even lead to war.
To orchestrate a new scheme to draw in The Emperor, I needed to prepare accordingly.
◆A player-owned territory exists.
◆Would you like to register the player-owned territory in “Management Mode”?
I had been slightly worried about not inheriting the count’s title, but I could still use the “Management Mode” functions normally.
Thus, the Beneron Barony that Leon had granted me.
Upon registering it in “Management Mode,” it was recognized as my own territory, and text appeared before my eyes.
◆Registering the player-owned territory in “Management Mode”.
◆Loading….
The registration took quite some time.
I took this opportunity to check the newly unlocked [Resources] function and summoned the “Management Mode” information for the existing Whitewolf Territory before my eyes.
==【Whitewolf Territory】==
[Area] – 2,234㎢
[Population] – 4,003
[Prosperity] – Township
[Resources] – Trace
There was a noticeably different aspect compared to last time.
First and foremost, the population had increased dramatically.
It seemed that once the territory quest [Recruit New Soldiers!] was cleared, the Bister recruits were recognized as part of the territory’s population.
As expected.
The soldier population according to occupational distribution had increased from 598 to 2,730.
‘And….’
The newly added [Resources] section.
It was the reward from the territory quest cleared by receiving Leon’s approval.
It appeared that resources were divided into stages according to their distribution, just like the prosperity level.
Upon verification.
Absent < Trace < Scattered < Localized < Abundant < Overwhelming.
The stages were divided in this manner.
Whitewolf Territory was at the 'Trace' stage.
It was the second lowest stage.
In other words, it was quite surprising that it wasn't at the lowest stage of Absent….
◆Native Resources – [Ice], [Moss]
◆Undeveloped Farmland Area – 0㎢
◆No farmland-suitable terrain exists.
◆No abandoned ruins exist.
◆No buried rare minerals exist.
…Well, I hadn't expected much anyway.
Still, having ice was better than nothing.
Ice was a fairly valuable resource in its own right.
◆Registration has been completed.
Soon a completion message appeared, and information about Beneron Barony materialized before my eyes.
==【Whitewolf County 2】==
[Area] – 282㎢
[Population] – 0
[Prosperity] – Ruin
[Resources] – Overwhelming
Whitewolf County 2.
It seemed the name had changed because the designation of Beneron Barony disappeared when it was merged into the County.
…But what in the world was this?
'I can change the territory's name, it seems.'
There was no immediate need to change it, so I left it as it was for now.
'Let me see….'
Generally, a barony was around 10㎢.
Even a large barony was only about 50㎢.
282㎢ far exceeded the standard for a barony.
'Why did he give me so much?'
It seemed Leon had quietly added more to it.
It appeared he had also added Count Edmond's territory—the one who had granted me the barony—since it had become ownerless due to Avarus.
Essentially, he had given me a county.
But that wasn't all.
'Overwhelming?'
The resource distribution level was overwhelming.
This was quite unexpected.
Even for the Frozen Lands, resources weren't typically abundant.
I had expected scattered distribution or at best concentrated areas, but overwhelming?
◆Native Resources – [Birch], [Reindeer], [Moose], [Smelt], [Whitefish], [Cod], [Cranberry]
◆The area of unexploited farmland is 171㎢.
◆Rye, potatoes, barley, and buckwheat can be cultivated.
◆No abandoned ruins exist.
…Indeed, it was different.
Indigenous flora and fauna, and various fish species.
There was also land that could be developed into farmland, and accordingly, crops could be cultivated.
But this alone wasn't enough to justify calling it 'overwhelming'….
◆Buried rare minerals exist.
'Buried rare minerals exist?'
The moment the question arose, new text materialized before my eyes.
◆RuneSteel ore veins exist.
'RuneSteel ore veins!'
My eyes widened involuntarily.
RuneSteel.
A rare metal imbued with magical power—special steel possessing 'mana resistance'.
It doesn't merely resist; it temporarily 'nullifies' mana itself.
As a weapon, therefore, its utility was poor.
Since it nullified mana, it couldn't channel aura or magical power.
But as defensive equipment, its effectiveness was beyond reason.
Because it nullified mana, mages called it a nightmare.
Knights were no different.
The Aura Blade—a Master's symbol.
Since it could withstand even Aura Blades, coordinated knights could bind a Master's feet.
And that wasn't all.
Used on a building's outer walls, it became an impregnable fortress unto itself.
An absurd, game-breaking advantage that overturned the very concept of siege warfare.
Naturally, its value was astronomical.
Impossibly expensive.
Not even gold of equal weight.
More expensive than diamonds of equal weight.
There wasn't enough quantity to use on building exteriors, and that astronomical price was simply unaffordable.
But then.
[Area] – 46.7㎢
[Mineral] – Runesteel Ore
[Reserves] – 1,676,420,552 tons
An absolutely staggering quantity of runesteel lay buried in Whitewolf County 2.
The amount alone reached 1.67 billion tons.
At this scale, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it dominated the entire Continent's runesteel supply.
Truly 'overwhelming'.
Thinking about it this way….
'So that's why Avarus made the vault door entirely from runesteel….'
It must have been for this reason.
The roughly twenty million gold in the vault probably wasn't received from the Dark Merchant Company, but rather profits Avarus earned from selling runesteel.
But.
'Even Avarus didn't know this much runesteel was buried here.'
And for good reason—.
'In my past life, even The Empire didn't possess this much runesteel.'
Even The Empire managed runesteel as a strategic resource, so rare was it.
They'd never secured enough for large-scale armament.
It was used only partially in barriers at key strongholds and critical structures, distributed restrictively to only elite soldiers.
In other words, neither Avarus nor The Empire nor The Emperor knew runesteel of this magnitude was buried in Whitewolf County 2.
Which meant I didn't know either.
Had I known, I would have moved heaven and earth to obtain it.
I probably would have seized Whitewolf County 2 the moment I returned to the past.
Information that neither The Emperor nor I knew.
But I was able to uncover it through Ian's ability, "Management Mode."
Then did Ian know?
'…Ian didn't know either.'
How such a function was even possible… I still couldn't fathom it.
However, even if Ian possessed "Management Mode," he wouldn't have been able to know.
At that time, Whitewolf County 2 was a domain ruled by The Frost Lord.
"Management Mode" is a function limited to territories one "owns."
Therefore, information about County 2 couldn't be provided to Ian.
But now, by my owning Whitewolf County 2, information that was unknowable in my past life has fallen into my hands.
A variable.
One that didn't exist in my previous life.
One capable of placing The Emperor in the palm of my hand—.
The greatest variable has come into my possession.

—————

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

—————