The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 190

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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 190. Echoes (2)
A message begging me to stop, flickering as if losing consciousness.
The one silver lining(?) was that Quest experience didn’t benefit from the amplification effect of the growth accelerant [EX].
Because of that, I could cap the experience at millions rather than hundreds of millions.
◆Now please stooooop…!!
Even so, the message trembled, as if dying.
It seemed the message’s power was necessary for clearing Quests and distributing rewards.
Particularly, opening the functions of management mode appeared to be an especially taxing task for it.
That’s when it happened.
“Huh?! Look over there!!”
Someone in the gathered crowd shouted.
When I lowered my gaze, a person was pointing their finger in my direction.
I’d been standing outside the window too long, distracted by the flickering message.
Then everyone’s eyes turned toward me—
“It’s Adrian!!”
“What?! I thought he was in a coma!!”
“He’s awake!”
The commotion spread in an instant.
“Adrian!!”
“Please look this way!!”
People waving their hands at me.
“This is our sincerity!”
“Please accept it!!”
People rushing forward with boxes.
“My reflection just appeared in your eyes—isn’t this fate?!”
“My lord! I’ve kept a space behind my carriage ready for you to escape whenever you need!!”
Even young noblewomen descending from their carriages to offer their respects.
I hastily pulled away from the window.
But the commotion didn’t subside—it only grew more chaotic.
-Don’t cross the boundary!!
The administrative staff scrambled about trying to maintain control.
But the crowd had already surpassed all limits.
-Step back!!
-Put that box down right now!
-Hey! You there climbing the wall! Get down this instant!
Somehow.
‘The rumors seem to have spread incorrectly.’
Or perhaps the commotion outside was—
-Move aside! I must see Adrian!!
-This bears the Royal Seal! Blocking it is a diplomatic insult!!
-Ah, you’re far more handsome than the rumors suggested…!
…No, that riot doesn’t add up.
Rumors, by nature, have a tendency to blow a needle into a club.
From my experience waging information warfare and psychological operations in my past life, I knew better than anyone how terrifying word-of-mouth could be.
But it wasn’t supposed to reach this extent.
Rumors merely blow a needle into a club—nothing more.
-The Saint of Caravana!
-Please, let us see that miraculous face just one more time…!
They don’t turn a needle into a legendary sword and wield it.
In other words, someone had deliberately exaggerated and inflated the rumors.
‘Could it be… The Empire?’
It was possible The Empire had intervened.
Unlike Violess, Caravana had The Empire’s direct involvement, so the likelihood of The Empire acting was substantial.
‘…I need to meet Marzen.’
I immediately stood before the mirror.
To meet Marzen, I had to become Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound instead of Adrian Whitewolf.
I’d been unconscious for quite some time.
The skill cooldown for Predator[M] had vanished.
Once the transformation was complete, a flawless visage reflected back at me from the mirror.
An appearance that drew considerable attention merely by existing.
With this face, I couldn’t quietly slip through that massive crowd.
◆Activating the evolved skill, Phantom Assimilation[U].
I perfectly assimilated with my surroundings and carefully slipped out of the administrative building.
* * *
Sunlight filtered through the windows.
Marzen sat quietly in his chair with his eyes closed.
Just then.
“You’re alive, I see.”
At the voice that suddenly reached his ears, Marzen’s body flinched.
Since he hadn’t sensed any presence, his hands reflexively shot up to his face.
…It absolutely wasn’t because that day’s memory had surfaced.
Beyond his half-covered field of vision.
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound was regarding Marzen with a peculiar expression.
“What have you been doing since last time?”
“…Nothing at all.”
As Marzen slowly lowered his hands, Kim Fujiwara gave a slight shrug.
Then Kim Fujiwara slowly surveyed the surroundings.
“All of Caravana has become ruins, yet this place remains intact.”
Soon, a gleam flashed across Kim Fujiwara’s eyes as he regarded Marzen.
“As if only this location escaped the disaster.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it possible The Empire orchestrated this Caravana incident?”
Marzen immediately shook his head.
“That’s not the case.”
“Are you certain?”
“I need to investigate the details myself. However….”
Marzen’s gaze drifted briefly toward the window.
Collapsed debris and streets reduced to ruins.
The landscape of Caravana, where urban functions had essentially ceased, bore no resemblance to its former self.
“The Empire has no reason to reduce Caravana to this state.”
“Because Caravana is important as a distribution hub?”
“Precisely.”
The Empire had severed all official diplomatic relations with foreign nations.
Yet unofficial trade and exchange continued in secret, and Caravana served as the hub for those operations.
“If Caravana collapses, The Empire will struggle to receive external resources.”
In other words, Caravana was indispensable to The Empire.
Thus, there was neither justification nor practical benefit for orchestrating this incident—.
“However, it’s not entirely unrelated to this matter.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Empire’s Information Bureau is currently pursuing the terrorists.”
Marzen paused briefly before continuing in a low voice.
“Yet their trail pursuit seemed designed to erase certain traces.”
Deliberately leaking other information.
Fabricating false eyewitness accounts and spreading them.
“The exaggerated rumors about Adrian Whitewolf—all of it was orchestrated by the Information Bureau.”
Rumors tend to focus on the one who prevented disaster rather than its cause.
The Information Bureau was elevating Adrian to heroic status, dispersing the Continent’s attention.
“While The Empire didn’t directly orchestrate this incident, the aftermath is being handled under The Empire’s direction.”
Kim Fujiwara nodded quietly at Marzen’s words.
“So it was The Empire’s doing after all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing of importance.”
Kim Fujiwara waved his hand dismissively.
“But it sounds as though the Information Bureau is protecting the terrorists.”
“You heard correctly.”
“What’s the reason?”
“I don’t know either.”
Marzen shook his head slightly.
“For some reason, anything related to the terrorists has been classified as top-secret information.”
Both their identity and location were accessible only to a select few at the highest levels.
With Marzen’s current position and authority, there was nothing more to uncover.
“…I see.”
Kim Fujiwara clicked his tongue slightly, as if disappointed—
“But that would mean if you were to sit in a higher position, you could identify both the terrorist’s identity and whereabouts.”
He continued slowly, his expression laden with meaning.
“In that regard, what became of the Runesteel transaction?”
“There’s good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”
“The good news, if you please.”
Marzen took a breath and opened his mouth deliberately.
“The Information Bureau has stopped harboring serious suspicions about the relationship between you and me.”
“You’ve earned the Information Bureau’s trust?”
“Not so much that as… the Information Bureau simply lacks the capacity to scrutinize this transaction.”
“Because of the Caravana incident?”
“More precisely, because of Adrian Whitewolf.”
“…?”
“A single hero is surprisingly effective at blinding the Information Bureau’s eyes.”
The raw power to subdue a Deathknight single-handedly.
Yet he was originally known as the Count Whitewolf’s House’s reckless fool.
That contradiction had thrown the Information Bureau into chaos.
Consequently, the Information Bureau was now pouring all its personnel and resources into ascertaining Adrian’s true nature, his backers, and the threat he posed going forward.
“They appear to be investigating Whitewolf Territory naturally enough, but they’re throwing resources at it to an almost excessive degree.”
It was an unusually intense interest for a remote county.
Both the scale and the personnel involved were abnormally excessive to be dismissed as mere investigation and surveillance.
It wasn’t merely ‘investigating’ the Territory.
It was closer to ‘analyzing’ it.
Kim Fujiwara nodded slightly at Marzen’s words.
“So you didn’t know from the beginning.”
“Know what?”
“Merely thinking aloud. Pay it no mind.”
Kim Fujiwara waved his hand dismissively and continued.
“What is the bad news?”
“As you know, Caravana’s city functions have been paralyzed. As a result, not only the Information Bureau but our Distribution Bureau has also found itself in dire straits. Upper management is in a state of emergency.”
Marzen rubbed his forehead and continued.
“It seems the Runesteel transaction will have to be postponed.”
“Is the situation truly that grave?”
“The transaction itself is possible. But we cannot move quietly.”
With Caravana’s functions paralyzed, the entire distribution network of the Continent had been thrown into disarray.
Official routes were severed, and relay stations had lost their function.
Third-rate factions were swarming, taking advantage of this vacuum and chaos.
“Right now, the moment anything moves, it becomes a target. Especially if it’s Runesteel.”
Kim Fujiwara gave a small nod and opened his mouth.
“Then when might transactions become possible again?”
“The Special Operations Bureau has moved. It shouldn’t take long.”
“The Special Operations Bureau, you say?”
Kim Fujiwara’s eyes widened noticeably.
“You know of the Special Operations Bureau?”
“Isn’t that to say The Emperor himself has taken action?”
This time, Marzen’s eyes widened considerably.
The Special Operations Bureau was an organization under the Information Bureau.
But only on paper.
In reality, it operated under an independent chain of command.
And few within The Empire knew who truly controlled that independent authority.
Yet Kim Fujiwara knew this?
…Truly, his information network was astounding.
Marzen could now fully appreciate just who he’d chosen to sail with.
In any case.
The Special Operations Bureau only moved when The Emperor himself needed to directly intervene in matters of politics, intelligence, distribution, or military affairs.
“The situation appears far graver and more complex than anticipated.”
But they say crisis breeds opportunity, don’t they?
“Still, if I handle this rune steel transaction well, I might even earn The Emperor’s trust.”
“….”
“The Emperor of The Empire values competence far more than loyalty, does he not?”
Did he even know The Emperor’s inclinations?
His information network transcended mere surprise—it was nothing short of miraculous.
Marzen realized anew that he could never escape Kim Fujiwara’s grasp.
Even in death, he could never afford to turn his back on this man.
“In that sense, I intend to give this transaction my full effort as well.”
“Excellent. I’ll keep the communication channel open. Should you need my assistance or if anything arises, do contact me.”
“Understood.”
“Then I shall await your word.”
Kim Fujiwara offered a dizzying smile before departing.
* * *
The Empire Central Information Bureau.
Beneath the mana lamps casting their glow from the ceiling, a woman exhaled softly.
Deputy Director, Elwyn Barjein.
Her silver-tinged short hair swayed, and her deep gray eyes turned toward her Aide.
“What’s the status on the investigation into Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound?”
“That is….”
The Aide hesitated briefly before speaking with caution.
“We have no clear information regarding his past, nationality, or origins.”
“….”
“Like a ghost. Not once has their name appeared in our Information Bureau’s personnel records.”
Elwyn’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“What about the source of the Runesteel? Is that unclear as well?”
“Yes. The flow suggests it comes from the Northern Region, but even that is likely false information.”
“False information?”
“The supply route has been artificially fragmented from some point onward.”
“They’ve erased their tracks that thoroughly.”
This was no ordinary person.
Against the Empire’s Information Bureau, such disruption was nearly impossible.
Without question, they were several moves ahead of me when it came to information warfare.
“Is there any possibility of collusion with Marzen?”
“There are no suspicious points so far, but… should we conduct further investigation?”
“No.”
Elwyn shook her head firmly.
“It’s not worth allocating resources there.”
The Information Bureau’s resources were currently limited.
After the Caravana incident, information tracking, public opinion manipulation across nations, and corresponding countermeasures consumed everything.
There was no capacity to exert effort elsewhere.
“Above all, Runesteel is a strategic material. Whoever they are, however the supply line works—if we can simply secure the Runesteel, that’s sufficient.”
Carelessly provoking them and botching the deal would only hurt us.
“Maintain surveillance only, and leave the rest to the Distribution Bureau.”
“Understood.”
The Aide nodded.
Elwyn’s gaze drifted downward for a moment.
On the desk before her lay a single document.
“Adrian Whitewolf.”
The hero who had risen to prominence from the Caravana incident.
Of course, most of it had been deliberately exaggerated by the Information Bureau.
But Elwyn knew the truth.
To amplify a rumor, there must always be a seed of truth.
And she also knew that seed could not have come from an ordinary noble’s son, one called a ‘ruffian’.
“We investigate Whitewolf Territory.”
“I’ll deploy Information Bureau operatives.”
“No. We must not approach carelessly.”
“Then…?”
“Approach assuming a danger rating of 10 or higher.”
“…Pardon?”
The Aide’s eyes widened in shock for a moment.

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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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