The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 189

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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 189. Reverberations (1)
Adrian had single-handedly held back Caravana’s calamity.
I had wrought a miracle, reducing the disaster’s devastation to virtually nothing.
Of course, Levantis, Caravana’s mayor, had played his part as well.
His swift response had been crucial to the outcome.
Yet ultimately, it was a miracle that could never have been achieved had I not stood against the Death Knight.
Thus, such a feat was worthy of being called the work of a ‘saint’.
“Hmm….”
Grand Duke Bronel could not believe his retainer’s report.
Grand Duke Bronel.
Commander-in-Chief of the Kaliar Kingdom’s foremost knight order and one of the Continent’s Seven Great Knight Orders—the Bluefeng Spear Knights.
He had quelled a nomadic rebellion in merely seven days.
His achievement in ending centuries of division across the Plains had earned him the title of the Plains’ Sovereign, ruler of the western steppes.
Yet the Caravana incident was a report so shocking that it made even Grand Duke Bronel doubt his own ears.
Standing alone against a Death Knight was something even Grand Duke Bronel could not confidently claim he could do.
Above all else.
“Adrian Whitewolf….”
I was not unfamiliar with this name.
A troublemaker whose reputation was marred by tales of drinking, gambling, and scandals.
In noble society, he was known as a ‘reckless fool’.
Though he was a nobleman of another kingdom, he was so infamous that a cursory investigation would reveal everything.
Which made this all the more unbelievable.
Unbelievable was the precise word.
“Is it truly Adrian Whitewolf?”
Not some similar name like Adrion or Adrian?
Or perhaps Adrian Darkwolf instead?
“Yes, sir.”
The retainer’s answer was resolute.
Surely the retainer was no fool and would not confuse a name.
Yet Grand Duke Bronel’s narrowed eyes showed no sign of relaxing.
The sky above Caravana had split asunder, or so the rumors went.
Merely mentioning Adrian’s name had cured illnesses, they said.
Every rumor that reached his ears was utterly absurd.
Naturally, of course—
“It is unreasonable to believe all the rumors are true.”
There was no way all these rumors could be factual.
Just as excess has its limits, so too does exaggeration.
Yet where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
While not all rumors could be true, following that smoke would reveal traces of the flame that started it.
“It seems certain that this Adrian fellow defeated the Death Knight.”
Power enough to contend with a Death Knight.
Even if such rumors were exaggerated, they warranted serious consideration.
What if those rumors were true?
‘A man capable of shaking an entire small nation single-handedly.’
What if those rumors were false?
‘A man capable of deceiving the entire Continent.’
Either way, nothing about him was ordinary.
And perhaps…
‘Could he be the one who subjugated the Ogre…?’
Grand Duke Bronel’s thoughts finally reached this conclusion.
Of course, nothing was certain yet.
But what if the stigma of a madman was merely a smokescreen?
What if all those marks of infamy were intentional disguises?
Then Adrian was absolutely… not someone to be taken lightly.
“Send an envoy to Caravana immediately.”
Bronel exhaled slowly and rose from his seat.
“And mobilize every resource at your disposal to find out what Adrian likes.”
“Pardon? What he likes, you say…?”
“Everything—his preferred possessions, hobbies, tastes, all of it.”
“May I ask the reason?”
“As of this moment, Adrian Whitewolf is elevated to our highest priority ‘recruitment target.'”
By any means necessary, Adrian must be recruited.
Even if recruitment fails, a ‘favorable relationship’ must be maintained.
If that proves impossible, at the very least a ‘neutral relationship’ must be preserved.
Even considering the worst scenario, we must never allow relations to become ‘hostile.’
“What are you doing? Move now!”
Bronel’s domain moved with swift precision.
And this was not the work of Bronel’s domain alone.
“Redraw the contact lines! Overturn all diplomatic channels if you must!”
“We must act before the other kingdoms! Hurry!!”
“Give him whatever you can before it’s too late! Money, land—if he wants anything, give it first and ask questions later!!”
Countless kingdoms across the Continent launched an all-out campaign to recruit Adrian.
* * *
The plaza before Karabana City Hall was packed with people.
“If all else fails, at least deliver this. We heard that Adrian loves hearts, so we prepared a heart barbecue set…”
“Ha! Merely a heart barbecue? King Ludvig himself personally prepared the finest magical stones!”
Boxes and envelopes clutched in hand.
Gifts piled high like mountains, bundled and brought forth.
And at that very moment.
◆Territory Quest, [Please Direct Official Diplomatic Inquiries to DM] cleared!
◆You have obtained 4,850,000 Quest Experience!
◆Your level has increased!
Suddenly, my vision flashed as the Quest cleared.
It seemed there had been another Quest after all.
And judging by how modest the reward experience was, it appeared the real reward lay elsewhere—
◆The【Diplomacy】function of「Management Mode」has been unlocked.
◆You can now use the【Diplomacy】section of「Management Mode」to check the favorability, alliance/treaty status, and conflict risk levels with adjacent factions, allowing you to attempt diplomatic negotiations or establish response strategies.
◆A new function [Diplomatic Network] has been added!
Just as expected, a new function of「Management Mode」had been unlocked—
◆AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!
The system message’s scream obscured my vision.
And at that very moment.
From far away, a long procession of carriages approached Karabana City Hall.
Escort soldiers holding flags high.
Carriages adorned with brilliant decorations.
And fluttering above them, different crests and emblems.
In other words, it wasn’t a procession of carriages from the same house arriving in succession.
Processions from different houses were entering in alternating waves, as if competing—
“Make way! The procession of Lady Rachel of Count Reinhardt Family approaches!”
Count Reinhardt Family.
A house I knew well.
A noble family ruling the vast granaries of the Southeastern Continent.
And it was also the land that would later become the backbone of the Supply Command led by The Spirit Summoner, the hero of the Allied Forces—
“Ha! How dare a mere servant house that does nothing but till fields!”
“What?! Who just said that?!”
“Marquis Belmore Family!”
“Marquis Belmore Family? That mining house that never sees daylight and does nothing but swing pickaxes?”
“What did you say?!”
“Hey! You servants and miners, turn back! Priority goes to Princess Cecilia of our Luen Kingdom!”
All of them were houses I remembered. And behind them, more carriages approaching in succession.
Most of the emblems drawn on the fluttering flags were houses I recognized.
‘Why are they…?’
—such a question barely formed before—
◆Another one’s going to clear…!!
◆Another one’s going to clear again!!
Suddenly the system message trembled violently, covering my vision like a madness—
◆Territory Quest, [Bind one house and gain a family, bind a hundred houses and gain a dynasty], has been cleared!
◆You have obtained 4,780,000 Quest Experience!
◆Your level has increased!
…Just as the system message said, another Quest had cleared.
* * *
As each kingdom launched a full-scale campaign to recruit Adrian, the rumors—once no thicker than a club—swelled and ballooned with flesh and substance.
And so now—.
“Have you heard?! Adrian held a young girl in his arms, drenched in blood, and never once stopped moving!”
The noble ladies added their own imaginations to the tale, inflating it into an even more dramatic and romantic narrative.
“My goodness…!”
“And the words he spoke while cradling that wounded girl—.”
—As long as this child draws breath, I will never fall!!
“Oh my, oh my, oh my!!”
“Does such a magnificent man truly exist?”
“He even broke through thousands of soldiers while holding that girl! Covered head to toe in blood, no less!”
“It’s far too wonderful!!”
The club-sized rumor transformed in an instant into a legendary sword, wielded freely from mouth to mouth.
“How could such a thing be possible!”
“Well, you see, there was a girl he loved long ago. Some say she was a princess kept in confinement….”
“Oh my, oh my!”
“But it seems he couldn’t protect her in the end. So when he held that child, he unconsciously protected her instead. Without even realizing he was covered in blood, right until the very end!”
“How sorrowful and romantic all at once….”
Thus Adrian made it seem as though a poignant love—one that could never be realized in reality—might actually be possible.
“What should I do? My heart is racing so wildly I feel I might go mad!”
He set the hearts of countless noble ladies ablaze.
“Ah…, how can such a magnificent man even exist.”
“Just thinking of him makes my heart flutter.”
“I wish to meet him in person, even just once.”
Soon, every noble household began to have a daughter languishing away with lovesickness.
“Shall I quietly make a request of the family head?”
“…A request?”
“To arrange a marriage proposal between Lady Rachel and Adrian.”
“Ah yes! Please do! If we wait too long, the other ladies might claim him first!”
After all, arranged marriages were commonplace among the nobility.
But only marriages that benefited the family were permitted—never those born of love.
“Hold on now!”
“Mix our blood with a ruffian?”
“Not while I still draw breath!”
A marriage proposal with Adrian, notorious as the Whitewolf Estate’s wastrel, could never be approved—.
“But I hear he is the merchant lord of the Predator Merchant Company?”
Contrary to the rumors, Adrian was no wastrel at all.
“The Predator Merchant Company…?”
“You mean that company which distributes monster meat?”
“The monster meat His Majesty cannot obtain no matter how he tries?”
That wasn’t all.
“Recently, they unveiled a product called Night Malt, and apparently it’s absolutely extraordinary.”
“I heard it’s become incredibly popular even among the clergy.”
“They say it’s even been offered during the Eucharist.”
Adrian had dominated the market by developing and distributing Night Malt—a mega-hit product following monster meat.
“What, what did you say?”
“I’ve never heard such a thing before…?”
“The rumors probably couldn’t spread because of the sudden disaster that struck Caravana.”
But the rumors had merely been buried.
The facts themselves had not vanished.
A merchant guild master who developed and distributed the mega-hit product Night Malt.
A wielder of martial prowess capable of single-handedly holding back a Death Knight.
“Is it really true that all of this is the same person?”
The family heads’ thoughts shifted rapidly.
“If we could only draw him into our house…?”
“For the next two hundred years, no one would dare challenge our family!”
Adrian, whom they had dismissed as a reckless fool, was now being reevaluated as a top-tier talent who absolutely had to be brought into their family.
And the royal families were no different.
“Make contact with him no matter what!”
“The Royal Court will meet any conditions—just arrange a meeting!!”
Requests flooded in from matchmakers across all nations, begging them to establish connections with Adrian.
Thus, matchmakers throughout the entire Continent were thrown into emergency mode.
“We currently have twelve pending requests, and ten of them are from princesses!”
“That’s three more than yesterday!”
“What about the remaining two?”
“Queens!”
“…Queens?”
“Officially, they’re introducing their nieces!”
….
Who in blazes had called Adrian a reckless fool?
I wanted to tear that mouth apart on the spot.
If not for that, I would have at least maintained some connection with House Whitewolf.
I wouldn’t have dismissed him as someone not worth associating with, like a reckless fool.
Inevitably, the matchmakers had no choice but to scramble desperately to forge a connection with Adrian.
“Make contact by any means necessary! If this goes wrong, our family could fall!”
“Stay sharp! One wrong match here and an entire kingdom could collapse!”
The entire Continent was being turned upside down because of a single person.
* * *
◆The【Family】function of「Management Mode」has been unlocked.
◆You can now appoint retainers, organize subordinate noble families, and form your own family alliance through the【Family】section of「Management Mode」.
◆A new feature [Vassal Force Management] has been added!
A glowing message flashed before my eyes.
But the brilliance was so intense that my entire vision turned white in an instant—
◆Please, I’m begging you, stop it nowwwww!!!
…The message itself seemed to be fainting, as if it were dying from this.

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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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