The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 208

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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 208. The Elves Next Door (2)
Hidden Quest, [Dwarves in the Front Mountain, Elves Next Door!].
It was quite an unusual title.
And it was a Hidden Quest that had appeared after a long time.
The first Hidden Quest to appear since [Perfect Weather for Causing Trouble] back in Violess.
◆Hidden Quest, [I Will Take Her From You]!! also exists, you say!!
…In any case.
Hidden Quests required satisfying specific conditions to begin.
But it was an arbitrary Quest that provided no information regarding those conditions.
No experience points were awarded upon completion either.
However, it granted ‘special rewards’ that could not be obtained from ordinary Quests.
The reward for the previous [Perfect Weather for Causing Trouble] was Ian’s Journal.
Unfortunately, due to Quest collision, I could not confirm the journal’s contents.
Nevertheless, the reward’s value was not merely special—it was utterly captivating.
And this Hidden Quest’s reward was—.
‘…Error?’
Somehow it displayed ※Error※.
The penalty for failure was also ※Error※.
‘What does this mean?’
Did it mean there was no reward?
Or did it mean the reward was unknowable?
‘…It seems like neither.’
Because previously, when there were no rewards or penalties, it displayed ‘None’.
When a reward was unknowable, it displayed ‘???’ instead.
‘Then is it something undefined?’
A reward so undefined that even its description could not be determined.
I had absolutely no sense of what it could be.
I wouldn’t know what it was, but clearing it would reveal the answer.
‘In that case….’
I had no choice.
Given the time constraints and circumstances, coercion would prove far more effective than persuasion.
“Very well, I shall assist you.”
At that, Allerion’s eyes widened.
“You truly mean it?!”
“However, I have a condition.”
“P-please, state it.”
Allerion swallowed hard.
I met Allerion’s gaze and spoke.
“Take me to Sylvandir Forest.”
“…!!!”
Allerion’s eyes widened dramatically.
“W-what are you saying…?”
“Aren’t you an Elviz?”
“…!!!!”
His wide eyes flooded with shock in an instant.
Elves.
A race now completely severed from humanity.
But thousands of years ago, in the distant past.
Elves and humans coexisted together.
There were Elves who fell in love with humans, who married them, and many Elviz were born from such unions.
However.
Due to human greed and desire, the Elves ultimately retreated into the forests.
The Elviz went into the forests with them.
A small number of Elviz remained in human society.
They inevitably mixed their blood only with humans.
With each passing generation, Elven blood grew diluted, and the Elviz seemed to vanish into history—or so it appeared.
But that was not the case.
The Elviz did not disappear.
Because occasionally, there were exceptions.
Elves favorable toward humans.
More precisely, Elves who harbored curiosity about human society.
Just as a breed called “dogs” was born when one or two wolves from a pack became docile and dependent on humans in the past.
Some Elves could not resist their curiosity and ventured beyond the forest.
Among them, some fell in love with humans and never returned to the forest.
That was why Elviz occasionally appeared in the world today.
“You knew everything… and approached me anyway?”
Tension coiled through Allerion’s fingertips.
His eyes, fixed upon me, trembled with confusion and fear.
Well, I had known some of it, that much was true.
But I had not known all the circumstances.
The problems Allerion had mentioned earlier.
Land growing barren.
Seeds rotting without sprouting.
Yet people unable to abandon that land.
From the context, these were problems originating from the Elves’ domain, Sylvandir Forest.
And.
‘This never happened in my previous life.’
Following the Dwarves’ kingdom, Feractrum, now the Elves’ land faced turmoil.
Events that never occurred in my previous life were unfolding.
Judging by the problems that had emerged in Feractrum, time might be running short.
One thing was certain: the situation had grown dire enough that we needed to seek aid from human society itself.
Time and leisure to persuade, to negotiate?
We had none.
Above all else, I needed to extract a decision with utmost speed.
“Allow me to present a proposal.”
I unveiled what was a threat masquerading as a proposal, and a proposal masquerading as a threat.
* * *
The East Wing of Count’s Castle.
Seraphia carefully opened the library door.
Beyond it appeared a blue-eyed girl—Iliana.
As always, Iliana was absorbed in reading within the library.
Truly, there had never been a bookworm quite like her.
And then there was the soft scratching sound of a quill pen.
This time, it seemed she wasn’t merely reading.
Seraphia approached Iliana.
Then, she discreetly glanced at the contents of her notes—
[…epidermal regeneration is determined by the dual-layer structure of cellular density, and mana-responsive receptors are distributed more closely to the lymphatic system than the nervous system….]
“That’s pretty complicated stuff.”
“Eek?!”
Iliana jumped up in surprise.
Despite the sound of footsteps, she hadn’t noticed the approach.
Thus, Iliana’s eyes as she turned to face Seraphia—
“Oh, when did you get here…?!”
—were wide as a puppy caught red-pawed with something in its mouth.
“Just now. I didn’t mean to startle you, sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I was so focused on the books I didn’t hear you.”
Iliana shook her head, insisting it was alright.
Seraphia chuckled softly and glanced around the space.
Stacks of books piled high around Iliana.
Yet compared to the library’s total collection, they were merely a fraction.
The library’s endless shelves of books were—well, it was strange to even say it—
“For a remote territory, you certainly have a lot of books.”
“…y-yes.”
Iliana nodded carefully.
Indeed, the collection was far too vast for a provincial noble’s library.
Ancient magical theory texts were merely the foundation.
Rune interpretation, bioform transmutation, memory manipulation, magical resistance modification—
Books containing knowledge that couldn’t even be found in Langritd Magic Tower were preserved here in their original forms.
And their quality was equally exceptional.
Thanks to this, Adrian’s research into regeneration potions had benefited immensely.
Had I not discovered a book titled 【Mana-Based Tissue Regeneration and Biological Response】 in this library, I would have faced considerable difficulties.
“Most of these books were written by Father.”
“…Father?”
Iliana’s head tilted slightly.
Seraphia’s father would be….
“The previous Count Whitewolf?”
“Yes.”
“The previous Count authored all these books?”
Theories and contents that even the Stone Seat Mages of Langritd Magic Tower rarely ventured into?
“That’s what I understand.”
“H-how is that possible…?”
“Father was a mage.”
“A mage?”
“Yes. An exceptionally talented one.”
Seraphia nodded while adding her words carefully.
“I don’t know all the details, but I’ve heard he conducted quite dangerous research.”
“Dangerous research….”
“It seems he even touched upon forbidden practices to treat my brother.”
Adrian, who could not use mana at all.
Iliana knew better than anyone that conventional magical research could neither explain nor cure such a condition.
Iliana examined the books in the library.
Contents that even the Stone Seat Mages of Langritd Magic Tower rarely handled.
A mage capable of authoring such material would surely have left his name in the annals of magic.
‘I’ll have to search for it when I return to Langritd Magic Tower.’
Iliana turned her gaze from the library books and asked.
“What was the previous Count’s name, if I may ask?”
“Cedric Whitewolf.”
“Cedric?”
“No, the pronunciation is slightly different—”
Seraphia picked up a quill and carefully wrote out the name.
Cedric Whitewolf.
“It should be written this way.”
“…Why is it like that?”
Indeed, Cedric should be pronounced “Kedric” in the Battenberg Kingdom style.
Reading it as “Cedric” was the custom of another kingdom.
Of course, such distinctions became meaningless once the Continental common tongue was established.
Yet House Whitewolf was a traditional noble family of the Battenberg Kingdom.
It was peculiar in every way that the Count’s name—of all people—would be pronounced in a foreign manner.
“Well, I don’t know about that either.”
“…?”
“That’s how they’ve been calling me since I arrived at the House.”
“Ah, I see.”
Seraphia was an adopted daughter.
It was somewhat difficult to know the intricate history of House Whitewolf in detail—
“Father spent his childhood at his maternal family’s estate.”
Adrian entered the Library just then, speaking as he did.
* * *
I couldn’t recall the exact location myself.
I only knew that Father was born not in House Whitewolf, but in some other region.
“Father was raised at his maternal family’s estate?”
“Yes. You’re hearing this for the first time?”
“I… yes.”
Well, that made sense.
Our relationship with Seraphia had been far from good to ask or speak about Father.
Even during my reckless years, I despised Seraphia with a passion.
During my time with the Allied Forces, I hated her.
It was the same even after returning to the past.
Only now had those feelings vanished.
And I could finally understand.
Why Seraphia in my previous life had no choice but to fall.
And why she had to make such choices.
‘My fault was great.’
If I had fulfilled my responsibilities and duties as the firstborn of House Whitewolf, it would never have happened.
But perhaps it was easier to hate Seraphia rather than admit that truth to myself.
I swallowed once and opened my mouth.
“When Father was born, the House’s political situation was apparently unstable.”
Since it was something I’d heard secondhand, it wasn’t entirely accurate—
“It seems there was a dispute over titles among Father’s siblings.”
“…What? Father had siblings?”
“Yes.”
“I’m hearing this for the first time—!”
“They’ve all passed away now.”
Long before I was even born.
“Ah.”
“Grandfather apparently thought that if Father were born, he would become a target for his siblings.”
In the end, Father was sent to his maternal family’s estate, where he was born and raised.
“If I recall correctly, that’s where Father first met Bernard.”
“What?! Is that how it was?”
Seraphia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Her crimson eyes grew wide like those of a startled rabbit—
‘…Or was it?’
Truth be told, I wasn’t certain.
My memories from the Allied Forces era were so vivid that recollections of my family’s past rarely surfaced.
Father had never particularly shared stories of those days either.
Consequently, I knew little of Bernard’s past as well.
The fact that I still couldn’t recall Bernard’s feelings toward me suggested….
‘I have no way of knowing what Bernard truly thinks of me.’
Well, in any case.
“To think you had such a shocking past!!”
Not a shocked rabbit, but rather—
Leaving the shocked Seraphia behind, I turned to Iliana.
“More importantly, Iliana.”
“…Yes? Oh, yes! Please, go ahead!”
“Would it be possible to ask you to conduct one more research project?”
“Research?”
Iliana tilted her head quizzically.
And then, after a moment.
“Ah, you mean the Ultra-Regeneration Potion you mentioned before?”
Ultra-Regeneration Potion?
‘…Right.’
I had forgotten about it.
Well, not truly forgotten.
I had given up on it.
Back in Caravana, I had exhausted all my Sanity points needed for Ultra-Regeneration fighting The Forgotten One.
My remaining Sanity was around 500.
It fell absurdly short of the 3,200 required for Berserk, so I had half-abandoned the idea.
And I completely gave up when I crafted a weapon from dragon claws.
Regeneration was an ‘active skill,’ after all.
If it separated from my body?
The effect wouldn’t activate.
Therefore, I had assumed Ultra-Regeneration, which required Berserk, would naturally be impossible—
‘Yet she made it possible.’
Iliana had somehow created a regeneration potion.
From what I heard, she had transferred genetic factors into a transferable structure or something—
‘As if I could understand any of that.’
In essence, she had converted an active skill into a passive one.
In exchange, its potency lagged considerably behind Regeneration.
Yet it was incomparable to ordinary potions.
It was superior even to potions made from troll blood, and since consuming it directly didn’t drive me to madness, there was nothing to compare it against.
Then.
‘This could work as a super-regeneration potion too.’
If it were Iliana, she’d somehow manage to craft it.
Now I’d have the growth acceleration factor [EX] as well.
While accumulating Sanity points.
And leveling up in the process.
“If you don’t mind, would you be interested in experiencing something special together with me?”
“…Something special?”
Iliana’s pale blue hair swayed gently side to side for just a moment.
“W-w-w-w-w-what… what kind of sp-sp-sp-special experience!!”
“Y-y-y-y-y-you said you weren’t a g-g-g-girlfriend!?”
Iliana and Seraphia.
Both girls’ faces flushed crimson simultaneously, like beets.
* * *
Three seas had merged into one.
Mountain ranges across the land were gasping in exhaustion.
And in a world where no one bothered to check the view counts on such things.
An era where all worldbuilding guides had been locked behind paywalls.
◆A man stood blankly before the Oasis, you see?!
Dazzling text flashed before my eyes.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of what this was saying.
‘Didn’t Mungu say something similar before?’
Was it in the Desert?
I think that was it.
…Regardless.
I dispersed Mungu and refocused my gaze.
Then a vast expanse of blue water spread across my entire field of vision.
Sunlight shattered across the water’s surface, glittering brilliantly, and carried on the gentle breeze was the verdant scent of greenery—this place was—
A lake.
…Or rather, it wasn’t.
It was the Oasis located at the crossroads leading to Sylvandir Forest.

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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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