The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 137

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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 137. Fate Is Woven by Heaven, Bonds Are Built by People (3)
Seraphia’s words that my guest had come to visit.
That meant, precisely, that someone had come looking for ‘me’.
Beneron Barony and Father’s will had both been resolved.
At this point, there was only one person who could be called my guest….
‘Ian!’
He had returned.
The rumors that had turned the Battenberg Kingdom upside down.
He had judged that the time had come and sought me out.
I pressed for answers urgently.
“Who is it? No, where are they right now?”
“Since you weren’t here, they left.”
“They left?”
“Yes. They only came to deliver a letter anyway.”
“…A letter?”
“One moment.”
Seraphia rummaged through a drawer and carefully retrieved a sealed envelope.
“It’s a letter from someone named Iliana.”
“Ah.”
So that was the letter she’d mentioned sending frequently.
Though it shouldn’t have been, I couldn’t help but feel a slight disappointment.
I broke the seal and examined the contents.
====
Hello, Adrian.
It’s been a while since I last wrote. I hope you’ve been well?
I’ve been doing incredibly well.
Thanks to you, Adrian!
You know, I tried something called chicken skewers for the first time.
They were absolutely delicious!
The seasoning was so tender and rich that the moment I took a bite, the whole world seemed to light up!
Of course, it doesn’t compare to monster meat.
That Lex meat I had back then was the most delicious thing in the world!!
And thanks to you, Adrian, these days I’m concentrating on my research without a single worry.
I’m learning so many new magical theories, and recently, you see.
I’ve been studying ancient grimoires too.
I think some interesting research results will emerge, and I’ll definitely show you when they do!
There’s so much content that I’m sure you’ll find fascinating!
And there’s something else….
I became an official mage!!
I still can’t believe it! When my name was announced, I thought my heart would stop!
Truly… it’s me.
Every single day lately has been so full of anticipation and happiness.
I wonder if it’s even okay to be this happy.
You know that feeling when waking up every morning is just pure joy?
I’m truly… truly grateful.
I’ll study harder, work harder, and grow even more!
So that I can become a mage worthy of Adrian’s expectations!
When we meet again, I hope to show you a far more impressive version of myself!
Adrian, you must always take care of your health and stay safe!! Promise me!!
I’ll write again soon!
-Iliana-
====
She had truly brightened considerably.
The shift in her tone was so evident that I could feel it even through the letter itself.
Especially Craven, the Stone Seat Mage who had been Iliana’s instructor.
Since Adlern had driven him out, the cautious demeanor that once shadowed his words had vanished entirely.
Iliana had transformed into someone so positive that she laughed at the smallest things.
Moreover, under the protection of the Royal Court, she no longer had to suffer Baron Segretus’s pressure.
But as the saying goes, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
‘Soon enough, the other elder mages will begin to move against Iliana.’
The Langritd Magic Tower—the cradle of all mages across The Continent.
A sacred sanctuary that no external power could easily touch.
In other words, the Royal Court’s authority could not protect against the machinations that occurred within the Tower itself.
The Langritd Magic Tower, where raw talent alone no longer sufficed.
The aspirations of Arcanis Rilsein, the first mage, had long since faded into oblivion.
Therefore, as Iliana grew stronger and gained prominence, the elder mages who envied her would inevitably emerge.
But to prepare for that, Adlern was already methodically gathering evidence.
When the time came, I would detonate the Ghost Merchant Guild while simultaneously striking down all the elder mages.
For this very purpose.
I had to move concealed within the shadows of moonlight.
I carefully folded Iliana’s letter.
Then, suddenly.
My eyes caught on the postscript.
[P.S. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to tell me!!]
‘I should ask her about Extremity.’
If I raised my understanding of Extremity [M], I could create new fusion skills like Monomolecular Blade [S].
So, just as I was thinking about writing a reply to Iliana.
“Who is this? A close friend of yours, brother?”
Seraphia asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
But Iliana wasn’t exactly a close friend.
Commander of the Mage Corps.
My superior.
But I couldn’t explain that.
“Similar.”
“Brother, you had a close friend—!”
Seraphia hastily clapped her hand over her mouth.
Her eyes darted left and right as she let out an awkward laugh.
“W-well… if she’s sending letters, you must be quite close.”
“You could say that.”
Though she was my superior, our bond ran deepest among all.
Unlike the other heroes, we truly were close, but….
“Last time you denied it so vehemently.”
Kai suddenly interjected.
Then he looked at me with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.
“You’re exchanging love letters.”
He spouted absolute nonsense.
Kai, who had seen Iliana in Frecce.
He’d spouted nonsense then too, and here he goes again.
“…Love letters? She was a woman?!”
At Kai’s words, Seraphia’s eyes widened in shock.
Her mind seemed to race through countless theories and imaginings.
“Could she be your girlfriend?!?!”
…Why was she like this?
The Frost Lord and the Frost Legion commander.
As expected of two from the same frozen realm, they were perfectly matched in their absurdity.
“Is she really your girlfriend?!”
A question not worth answering.
In Kai’s parlance, utterly worthless garbage.
I ignored Seraphia and left the office.
“Why…! Why won’t you answer?! Brother! Brother!!”
Seraphia fumbled after me desperately, but I cleanly ignored her.
* * *
The landscape of the Snowy Plain lay blanketed in quiet snow.
Crunch—.
The sound of footsteps crunching through snow spread across the silent expanse.
Thousands of Bister recruits held their breath and swallowed hard.
Then a single figure emerged into view.
‘Is that Adrian…?’
‘He’s changed?’
Adrian, who had departed for the Capital and the Royal Palace.
However, only slightly more than a month had passed.
Therefore, there were no visible changes.
Yet, if I had to call it something—
An overwhelming majesty emanated from Adrian.
It seemed the rumors I’d heard were not mere hearsay.
Thud—
Adrian’s footsteps spread with oppressive weight once more.
Crossing the expanse of the Snowy Plain, Adrian ascended atop the Castle Wall.
Soon, as Adrian looked down upon the Bister forces—
“You are Bister.”
A brief utterance.
Yet all understood its meaning.
“Criminals.”
The atrocities once committed in Violess.
Though you struggled to survive, to live, that does not erase your guilt.
The past cannot be erased.
Time that has passed cannot be undone.
It seemed Adrian was saying precisely this.
You are not soldiers of Whitewolf Territory.
Merely criminals.
Thousands of Bister forces arrayed across the Snowy Plain bowed their heads.
“What does this resemble?”
Adrian’s voice followed.
Looking up at the Castle Wall.
Adrian held something in his hand.
“A… a Solarium, sir.”
Someone ventured an answer.
“Do you know the value of a Solarium?”
“One hundred thousand Gold, sir… or so we understand.”
A fortune vast enough for one person to live idle and comfortable for a lifetime.
Adrian hurled it to the ground.
He trampled it ruthlessly beneath his feet, then asked again.
“Now, what is this?”
“A… Solarium, sir.”
Though filthy earth clung to it, it could be wiped clean.
The Solarium remained a Solarium still.
“What of its value?”
“The same—one hundred thousand Gold…”
“Is that so?”
Adrian clenched his fist and crushed the Solarium.
“Now, what is this?”
“It’s… a lump of gold, sir.”
“What is its value?”
“The same as any lump of gold.”
“How much is that?”
“Around 90,000 Gold…”
It had lost only the value of its craftsmanship; otherwise, it was not much different.
The Solarium was merely a form, after all.
What determined its value was the material itself—gold.
Crumpling it did not change the gold’s composition.
“Even if the form changes, the value of gold does not. In fact, if it were refined more skillfully, it could become even more valuable.”
Adrian’s gaze turned forward.
Meeting thousands of Visters one by one—
“People are the same. You are the same.”
Adrian spoke.
“Being defiled and trampled does not erase your value.”
The Visters’ eyes widened.
Their thoughts froze as if the arteries of their minds had been severed.
“Just as this lump of gold’s value does not change.”
The lump of gold in Adrian’s hand.
It was terribly filthy.
Caked with dirt, trampled beneath feet, it had lost even its luster.
It could no longer be called a jewel.
And so… it resembled me.
Stained by the filth and blemishes of the past, defiled—it looked exactly like us.
“I do not believe you are virtuous. If anyone thinks otherwise, spare me the nonsense.”
Adrian’s eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.
“You are wicked criminals.”
It was a truth that could not be denied, nor should it be.
Yet Adrian spoke on.
“But you will not be criminals going forward.”
That you could change.
The past cannot be altered, but—
“Only two kinds of people say that humans cannot change: those without the will to transform, and those so convinced of their own righteousness that they judge carelessly.”
The path you walk ahead can be changed by your own hands.
“I am your proof of that.”
The wastrel of Count Whitewolf’s House.
The Adrian of the past, spoken of in Whitewolf Territory.
He was an object of contempt.
A wastrel corrupted and broken by drink and indulgence.
Everyone shook their heads, or so it was said.
All had given up, convinced that a delinquent could never change.
Yet, as if to prove them wrong, he transformed.
No one in Whitewolf Territory called Adrian a delinquent anymore.
Now, Adrian was no longer an object of contempt in the territory—he had become a figure of awe and reverence.
“The lives you’ve lived were undoubtedly wrong. Yet your will to survive was unwavering.”
The violence and beatings that repeated daily in Violess.
The days spent searching for scraps of bread among corpses in the streets.
The despair of being unable to obtain even a single medicine when illness struck.
The moments of enduring pain, of fighting against death itself.
In the Lawless City, where survival was at stake, the weak were utterly trampled, and the strong seized everything.
“I cannot say that I would make different choices than you if placed in your circumstances.”
Adrian’s voice, unwavering and resolute.
“Cleanse your tainted bodies. Refine yourselves, and let the value you possess shine brilliantly. Until then, fail ceaselessly and despair without end.”
Each word Adrian spoke.
Embedded itself deeply within the hearts of those from Vister.
“I will bear all responsibility for the consequences.”
A biting wind swept across the Snowy Plain.
Everyone held their breath.
“Are you afraid of causing me harm?”
Adrian continued.
“Do not presume.”
A frigid silence settled heavily over the air.
“Your failures and despair mean nothing to me whatsoever.”
Fail to your heart’s content.
Despair without reservation.
“You are soldiers of Whitewolf Territory.”
With those words, Adrian descended from the Castle Wall.
The place where Adrian had stood.
No one moved.
No one opened their mouth.
Only silence descended upon the Snowy Plain.
And Sarpedon, once an admiral of the Black Grasp.
“J-just so you know in advance…!!”
Sarpedon’s trembling voice shattered the silence, ringing out.
His large eyes.
Glistened with tears that had welled up without warning.
“I-I’m not crying…!! You damn bastards…!!”
Tears streamed abundantly down his fierce, contorted face.
And.
“W-who… who said anything?! *sob*!”
“O-over something like this…! W-who’s even crying?!”
“M-my stomach…! *sniff*! I’ve been stabbed…! So many times…!”
“I… when my mother d-died… I d-didn’t cry…!”
From all directions came the sound of sniffling.
“*whimper*!”
“…I-I’m not crying either…!”
“S-soldiers don’t c-cry…!”
Tears welled up at the corners of their eyes.
The cold wind of the Snowy Plain blew harsh and bitter.
“*sob*…!”
“*sniff*…!”
Yet within their chests burned a fierce, scorching passion that ignited even their tears.
* * *
The jewels worth 2.5 million gold that I’d received from Leon.
One of them was the Solarium.
‘I shouldn’t have gambled on it.’
I’d just wasted 10,000 gold for nothing.
It was precisely as I was indulging in that regret.
◆What was that?! What just happened?!
◆What on earth is this seductive agitation, toying with hearts like that?!
A translucent message suddenly materialized before my eyes.
I’d thought it had been quiet lately, but now it appeared loaded with fanfare…
◆The soldiers’ affection toward you has broken through the limit!!!
Starting with that message, text scrolled across my vision in succession.
◆Close your eyes. It’s dark, right? That’s your military life.
◆…Or rather!
◆Close your eyes. Is it dark? That is the future of this territory without you.
◆…Thus! You have elevated the soldiers’ morale!
◆They say people dedicate their lives to those who acknowledge them!
◆From today on, the soldiers have transcended mere support and become one with you!
◆What do you mean, you ask?
◆The soldiers’ affection toward you has entered the [Loyalty] state of the 「Bond Stage」!!
◆But my goodness!
◆How is this even possible without a Connection Quest?!
◆A shocking event! An astounding occurrence!
◆So utterly astonishing~ I’m fainting!!!
◆You have acquired the Bond Skill, Oath of Loyalty [U]!!
…This one really never changes.
The escalating fanfare with each passing day was quite remarkable.
Anyway.
‘I wasn’t aiming for this.’
There was no Fate Quest, as the saying goes.
I simply received help during my fight with Memoria, and above all, I needed to raise favorability for crafting Runesteel armor.
I couldn’t have them running off with expensive Runesteel equipment I’d given them.
Just don’t betray me.
That was the only thing.
But I never expected their loyalty to burst forth like this.
It must be the effect of the title 【Sovereign of the Underworld】.
The success rate of negotiation, coercion, and persuasion increased by [+250%], and it seemed to be working perfectly—.
◆Oath of Loyalty [U]
: Upon acquiring this skill, the player forms a [strong oath] with targets in [loyal] status through mutual trust and dedication. Sworn targets gain [+20%] to all stats and acquire [immunity] to [fear and confusion] effects.
Additionally, any effects of [betrayal, desertion, command refusal, etc.] directed toward the player are [nullified].
【This skill is acquired as a passive skill and applies permanently.】
It was an excellent skill.
Exactly the effect I wanted.
The additional effects were good too, but most of all, the fact that it was a ‘passive skill’ was perfect.
Fate is woven by heaven, but affection is built by people, or so they say.
The Vister of Violess.
A bond I couldn’t forge in my previous life.
Back then, I wasn’t even given the chance, but in this life, a new connection was beginning to form with them.
With that, I dispersed the text.
“…Bernard?”
Bernard, the head butler, came running from far away.
Bernard, who would soon become a baron.
He didn’t seem to be coming to offer thanks for that.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing else, but….”
Bernard caught his breath and opened his mouth again.
“A guest has just arrived at the territory.”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
“Who? And where are they now?”
“Seraphia is receiving them in the reception room, but….”
Bernard made a strange expression.
“…I think it would be best if you confirmed it yourself.”
He seemed flustered, unsure how to explain it.

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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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