The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 150

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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 150. The Thread of Fate (1)
The landscape of Whitewolf Territory had been completely transformed.
The maidservant’s words about tearing it down and rebuilding it were no exaggeration—the very structure itself had changed.
It was practically a complete recreation.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“It’s been four days now.”
Four days.
Counting the time it took to return to Whitewolf Territory, nearly a week had passed, but….
“And it changed this much?”
In just a few days?
“””Yes!!!”””
The maidservants chirped in unison, their eyes sparkling with delight.
“They renovated all of our homes too!”
“Truly, it’s amazing!”
“There’s no draft, and it’s never cold!”
“Gentle warmth rises from the floor, and it feels like my body might melt away!”
“Once you lie down, you really don’t want to get up.”
The maidservants’ eyes glazed over for a moment.
They were clearly quite pleased.
“And the windows open and close automatically—they shut on their own when it rains or snows!”
“At night, the windows emit a soft glow!”
“It’s truly… like a house built with magic.”
“But apparently no magic was used at all!”
Well, I was already aware of the Engineering Corps’ construction prowess.
The maidservant’s comment about the houses seeming like they were built with magic wasn’t entirely wrong.
“…Arcane Engineering? It’s really incredible, you know!”
Arcane Engineering.
It was a discipline and technique reborn from the fusion of arcane studies with the technology of the Dwarves.
While it derived from arcane studies, it was a technical system that had evolved in an entirely different direction.
In that sense, the power it employed was different as well.
Ether.
A transformed energy derived from Mana Force.
But it had a slightly different quality than mana.
-Strictly speaking, ether should be defined as mana itself.
Iliana had explained it to me with various other details.
Though her explanation was quite apologetic.
Beyond that, I let it go in one ear and out the other—my head was already aching.
After all, I couldn’t use mana anyway, so I had little interest in the matter.
In any case.
“They said they’ll build Count’s Castle to the highest standard!”
The maidservants were utterly beside themselves with excitement.
Well, good news was good news, after all.
“That said—”
I turned my gaze away from the window.
“What about the others? Are they alright?”
“The Dwarf clan leader is gravely injured.”
Broombar, who had clashed directly with the Ogre, was battered across his entire body.
Broombar’s ability, Iron Fortress [A+], merely enhanced his body’s strength and durability. It lacked the rapid regeneration of Recovery [B+].
In other words, it would take considerable time for his shattered bones and ruptured muscles to heal—
“He keeps moving about, insisting there are things that need fixing.”
“The other Dwarves are trying to stop him, but…”
It seems to be in vain.
Then again, who could ever restrain Broombar’s stubbornness?
Whether then or now, obstinacy was his defining trait.
“Sir Kai is unharmed.”
What else could you expect from a madman with Dependent Immortality [E]?
As long as Seraphia lives, Kai cannot die.
“However, the Count still…”
The maidservants’ cheerful expressions darkened in an instant.
“The Count has not yet awakened.”
“Seraphia?”
“…Yes.”
“Where is she now?”
“In her bedchamber.”
I turned and made my way toward Seraphia’s bedchamber.
* * *
Fortunately(?), I did not lose my way.
With ESP’s agility allowing me to perceive the terrain, getting lost was impossible, and the Count’s Castle remained unchanged from my memory—it seemed untouched by any renovations.
Thus I arrived at Seraphia’s bedchamber.
Kai stood before the door.
It appeared he had been tending to Seraphia—
“You’ve awakened? How is your condition?”
“As you can see. But what of Seraphia?”
Kai’s expression darkened.
His eyes trembled with subtle unease.
…It did not bode well.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, I found Seraphia lying upon the bed.
Her face had turned deathly pale.
Her breathing was shallow and irregular.
Her slender fingertips trembled faintly, seized by minute convulsions.
“How long has she been like this?”
“Ever since you lost consciousness, she has remained in this state.”
“…Lost consciousness?”
“You collapsed and immediately fell unconscious, Adrian.”
I had lost consciousness first, so I was unaware of what had transpired.
And then there was Seraphia, who had contained the rampaging energy of the Arcanoheart.
That rampaging energy was a force my body—even after evolving into an Ogre—could not withstand.
Seraphia had already surpassed her limits.
And she had even supported my crumbling body beyond that.
“Has her condition improved?”
Kai shook his head slightly.
From his expression, there seemed to be no signs of recovery whatsoever.
“…It is similar to the incident with the Lycanthrope.”
Seraphia, who had fallen ill after the Lycanthrope incident.
The Seraphia before me now, with her lips drained of color, certainly exhibited symptoms similar to that time.
Let me activate Predator’s Instinct [S].
==【Character Information】==
Name: Seraphia Whitewolf
Classification: Animalia, Mammalia, Hominidae, Human
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Distinctive Feature: Authority of Bitter Cold [P]
…Nothing had changed in particular.
In other words, it was not the Curse of Bitter Cold [P].
To put it differently, the Authority of Bitter Cold [P] was not the cause of the problem, just as it had been with the Lycanthrope incident.
This time, I mixed in Weak Point Detection [U] to examine Seraphia’s condition more carefully.
Constricted blood vessels. Diminished blood circulation.
Slowed heartbeat. Restricted oxygen supply.
Respiratory paralysis and nervous system damage as well.
“It is not that recovery is slow.”
“Then…?”
“Her recovery function has come to a complete halt.”
Seraphia, who had drawn upon an Authority beyond her limits.
Ultimately, the uncontrolled frigid power of that Authority had seeped into Seraphia’s body itself.
And so, every single cell had frozen solid.
As a result, Seraphia’s bodily tissues had been completely destroyed.
The uncontrolled Authority had caused permanent damage to her bodily tissues.
Consequently, it was both not a problem of the Authority and yet a problem of the Authority.
Seraphia’s body was no different from that of a human.
That is to say, her endocrine system—which secretes hormones—possessed an ‘irreversible characteristic’ that could not recover once damaged.
“Then we use the same treatment as last time—”
“It won’t work.”
The same remedy Iliana had used before would be ineffective.
After all, it was a matter of tissue damage.
But as the saying goes, if it truly was a ’tissue damage’ problem.
“Have you tried a recovery potion?”
Kai nodded slightly.
Yet there had been no improvement whatsoever.
Then this wasn’t mere cellular damage—it was cellular destruction.
Perhaps.
‘As Leon said, a force of annihilation was at work.’
If so, this could be classified as cellular annihilation.
In any case, a simple recovery potion wouldn’t suffice.
At minimum, my Regeneration [B+] would be needed.
Perhaps even Super Regeneration [A] would be necessary.
But Super Regeneration [A] requires 3,200 Sanity points.
More importantly, I couldn’t regenerate anyone but myself.
Despair settled heavily across Kai’s face, but….
“Don’t worry. There is a way to treat this.”
It wasn’t as though there were no options.
Strictly speaking, it was far simpler.
So there was little reason to worry.
This Continent possessed an absurdly powerful force capable of regenerating others.
The ultimate aura—Holy Power.
Holy Power, which had finally manifested the divine existence that dwells beyond cognition into reality, transcends the merely absurd and makes even the ‘impossible’ possible.
From small acts of healing to purification, blessing, prophecy, and even resurrection.
All of this is the power of the divine!
It is part of such collective faith.
In other words, I could treat Seraphia’s condition with Holy Power.
Unlike me, Seraphia could receive the effects of Holy Power, so there was no problem whatsoever…but.
‘I’ll likely need the power of a high priest.’
Seraphia’s condition was too severe.
So the first person who came to mind was Isolde.
‘Though Isolde is… complicated.’
For one, I had no personal way to contact her.
The Saint, Isolde—revered and idolized by all.
For me, a ruffian, to even attempt contacting her was problematic in itself.
…And that was just one reason.
The volume of letters pouring into the Papal Palace for Isolde is staggering.
Holy Power, that ultimate aura, had ‘sculpted’ Isolde into the most flawlessly beautiful form humanity could envision.
It had even awakened faith where none existed before, elevating the recruitment rate of the Holy Kingdom Paladins to an all-time high.
Half of the Holy Kingdom Paladins had enlisted because of Isolde.
This was also why the Holy Command had the largest contingent during the Allied Forces era.
As a result.
Even if I reached out personally, my message would never reach Isolde—it would only become kindling for the Papal Palace’s fires.
‘Isolde draws too much attention in every way.’
…It was better not to create unnecessary complications.
‘An Archbishop would be sufficient.’
Of course, summoning an Archbishop was no simple matter either.
‘I could ask Leon.’
If I made the request through the Royal Court’s authority, the Papal Palace would resolve it swiftly.
However, I would need to fabricate a plausible pretext.
If I told Leon that Seraphia was ill?
Leon would drop everything and rush over—that much was certain. And I couldn’t predict what Leon might do in such a state.
…It was better not to create unnecessary complications.
I could simply claim that a plague had broken out in the Whitewolf Territory—.
‘A plague might be too much.’
If rumors spread incorrectly, that would become its own headache.
Then what if I claimed that severe casualties requiring healing had occurred—.
‘That’s too weak.’
It wouldn’t be sufficient justification for requesting an Archbishop’s dispatch.
Then what if I claimed that an unknown curse or mana corruption had occurred in the Whitewolf Territory—.
‘That should work.’
If I elaborated on the magical knowledge I’d learned from Iliana, even Leon’s current understanding wouldn’t be able to see through it.
* * *
The Garden of Divine Brilliance.
This sanctuary, built atop a mountain peak of the Papal Palace, bore a name meaning “a garden where sacred light dwells.”
A space akin to a training ground of sorts.
Typically, priestly training involved no physical movement.
Holy power was rooted in ‘faith’ directed toward the divine.
Therefore, the essence of practice lay in refining one’s inner self through quiet meditation and sincere prayer, rather than through bodily exertion.
Yet the Garden of Divine Brilliance taught a different path.
Lumentius—the founder of Holy Martial Arts and the 27th Saint.
He emphasized the importance of martial prowess, declaring that one must not only harbor light but also be capable of wielding it.
Following his teachings, the Garden of Divine Brilliance was established, and here the Holy Kingdom Paladins trained their holy power through physical discipline.
And the Saints and Saintesses of the Holy Kingdom as well.
They too withdrew from the noise of the secular world, refining Holy Martial Arts in this Garden of Divine Brilliance and awakening to the divine teachings.
This tradition had now spanned 213 generations.
For thousands of years, the practice here had never once been interrupted—.
“Your Majesty, you are not training today?”
“Yes. Today.”
Isolde’s answer was brief.
Yet that single word struck Erdan with shock.
Isolde was someone who had never skipped a single day of practice.
Without special circumstances, she never missed her training.
Even if not the rigorous cultivation of Holy Divine Technique, her unchanging daily routine was to discipline her inner self through meditation and prayer.
But today, she was doing nothing.
She simply sat quietly upon the stone floor bathed in descending light.
…That silence felt utterly unfamiliar.
“Are you unwell?”
“That’s not it. It’s just—.”
Isolde slowly lifted her gaze.
Watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky above, she whispered softly.
“I feel as though I’ve neglected my assignment.”
“An assignment, you say…?”
Isolde offered no further answer.
She did not elaborate on what the assignment concerned, nor whose it was.
Her topaz-like eyes merely followed the drifting clouds.
Erdan fell silent.
The wind passed quietly through the Garden of Divine Brilliance, rustling its leaves.
…At some point.
Isolde had changed.
Her flawless demeanor. Her undisturbed composure.
Sitting quietly upon the stone floor, Isolde resembled a sacred painting.
She remained a noble being radiating light from every direction.
Yet how could one describe it.
Or rather, from which moment should one say it began.
Her voice, always consistent, occasionally carried subtle emotional undercurrents.
Her expression, always stern, sometimes harbored a faint smile.
One might say she had become softer.
Or perhaps, more human.
Isolde remained as noble as ever, yet something distinctly different from before emanated from her presence.
And then.
“Your Majesty, this has just arrived from the Eye of The Pilgrim.”
A practicing priest approached slowly.
A sealed letter rested in his hands.
“Prince Leon of the Battenberg Kingdom has sent it urgently to Your Majesty.”
The Battenberg Kingdom had been in turmoil recently due to matters concerning treason.
Isolde was aware of the news as well.
The priest knelt and presented the letter, and Isolde accepted it, examining its contents.
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[Urgent Letter to Cardinal Isolde]
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Royal Secret Seal of the Battenberg Kingdom
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[Urgent Letter] ──Seal Grade: Highest Priority
: The Princess Consort currently faces a grave illness in critical condition. Given the severity of the situation, we humbly beseech Cardinal Isolde to─.
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The Princess Consort?
…Had Prince Leon married?
I had no recollection of such an event.
Even if Leon had only recently seized true power, a royal marriage would naturally have become public knowledge.
Matters concerning the succession of the royal bloodline were not the sort of thing one could keep secret.
Which meant there was another purpose to this request.
There was some hidden circumstance at play.
In other words, the “Princess Consort” was merely a surface-level fabrication.
The likelihood of a different, concealed intention being conveyed was remarkably high….
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…Should Your Eminence Isolde act with swift resolve, the Battenberg Kingdom shall pledge eternal goodwill to the Holy Kingdom─.
…and promise to refuse no request whatsoever─.
…This vow is sworn upon the honor of the Battenberg Royal House─.
…and we shall actively cooperate in any matter that serves the interests of the Holy Kingdom─.
…Furthermore, we pledge to provide all necessary resources and supplies─.
====
It was the sort of letter that offered everything down to one’s liver and gallbladder.
This amounted to nothing less than an unconditional surrender treaty.
“…?”
I wondered why it had come to this.
The handwriting in the letter grew increasingly unstable as it progressed.
As though the hand holding the brush trembled.
There was something almost pitiful about it.
Especially the final sentence, where the ink had smudged profusely….
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…I most humbly beseech you, I implore you most earnestly, please… save the Princess Consort….
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“…????”
Isolde’s eyes filled with perfect bewilderment.

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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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