The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 235

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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 235. Automatic Hunting (1)
Iliana had finally managed to escape only after Seraphia had touched every part of her body in sequence.
“You… you’re too much…!”
Seraphia’s touch still lingered across various parts of my body.
Tears had begun to seep out unbidden.
“Really… you’re really too much…!!”
“Sorry. You’re just too cute, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Ugh, I won’t forgive you no matter what you say!!”
As I was trying to suppress my indignation, Seraphia quietly approached.
“Then Iliana, you touch me too.”
“…Huh?”
I had no time to voice my confusion.
Seraphia grasped my hand and brought it to her chest area.
“How is it?”
…Small but soft to the touch.
It felt fluffy like a marshmallow.
“Isn’t this fair?”
“Eek!!”
I hastily withdrew my hand.
But the sensation of her skin remained at my fingertips.
“Ugh, ahhh…!!”
My face, earlobes, and the nape of my neck all flushed crimson.
I didn’t know where to direct my gaze.
I quickly wrapped both arms around myself.
I pressed my legs tightly together.
“But Iliana.”
“…Hic!”
My shoulders instinctively hunched.
Anticipating more touches, I curled my body deeper defensively.
My upper body, pressed between my arms, became even more pronounced.
My thighs clamped together even more firmly, allowing not the slightest gap.
Just as I was bracing myself for Seraphia’s touch to continue, that moment arrived.
“How did you make this soap?”
An unexpected question came flying at me.
Lifting my head with a dazed expression, I saw Seraphia examining the soap with curious, sparkling eyes.
“It’s amazing how just rubbing it makes all the dirt wash away.”
I brightened instantly, as if I’d never been downcast, and opened my mouth.
“Well, when you apply electrical stimulation to olive oil, it generates surfactant particles that dissolve well in water and also dissolve well in oil.”
“I see.”
“When you rub those surfactant particles on your body—”
Iliana raised her arm gently.
She picked up the soap beside her and lightly rubbed it against the skin of her underarm.
“These soap bubbles that form this way cling to the grease and grime—.”
Splash—!
“When you rinse it away with water, it dissolves into the water and carries away the grease and dirt along with it.”
In an instant, Iliana’s skin had turned brilliantly white.
With the added moisturizing effect, it gleamed with a supple, radiant sheen.
“…It’s actually way harder to make than I thought.”
It just looked like a lump of cheese to the eye.
“I never would have thought of this without Adrian.”
“My brother?”
“Yes. I never would have come up with the idea of using electrical stimulation to create surfactant particles.”
“Wow.”
Adrian truly was remarkable.
No matter how many times I looked at him, there was nothing but amazement.
The more I saw him, the more perfect he seemed, so incredibly cool, so dependable, a complete genius, capable of handling anything, more reliable than anyone else, and furthermore—.
‘Hehe!’
He was just an absolutely awesome brother.
“But why did my brother suddenly make this soap?”
“It seems it was because of a request from Chief Broombar.”
“Chief Broombar?”
“Yes. It appears the Elves were keeping their distance because of the smell, so he asked Adrian to think of a way to reduce body odor.”
“Ah, I see.”
Seraphia nodded and slowly turned her gaze.
“Isn’t that right, Forest Keeper?”
At that, Rielin’s body flinched.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed.
“…I’m listening too.”
Rielin wrapped her arms around herself and sank deeper into the water.
Even her mouth submerged, bubbling softly.
-As if anyone would know that.
Rielin’s voice came muffled from beneath the water.
But the tips of her ears, visible above the surface—
They were tinged with a distinct redness.
“….”
“….”
And Seraphia and Iliana fell silent.
Those perfect, delicate features.
…It was beyond words.
Especially as the water rippled, revealing more of Rielin’s form beneath the surface.
Seraphia and Iliana’s gazes dropped simultaneously, then met each other’s eyes.
Perhaps it was inevitable—we are human, after all, with bodies closer to that of girls, whereas Rielin, despite being an Elf, possessed a mature form. There was nothing we could do about that… or so I told myself.
Besides, there was a certain charm in feeling somewhat unfinished.
“U-um. The water seems a bit deep, doesn’t it…?”
“T-the water level looks a little unstable all of a sudden…?”
Seraphia and Iliana stirred the bathwater while offering awkward laughs.
* * *
Shortly after finishing the bath.
Seraphia dried her wet body with a dry cloth.
Standing before the mirror, I brushed my wet hair aside and gazed at my naked form.
Small shoulders, slender arms.
A delicate waist.
Overall, my body resembled Iliana’s quite closely.
A thin, delicate frame with nothing excessively developed anywhere.
Rielin, on the other hand…
“She was completely unfair.”
Seraphia gazed at the mirror, then pressed lightly below her sternum with her fingertips.
…For some reason.
It felt firm to the touch.
“D-different races are just unavoidable, after all!”
Of course they are!
Seraphia quickly turned her head away from the mirror.
I cut off my gaze before my imagination could run wild.
I put on the pajamas that had been prepared beforehand and returned to my room, lying down on the bed.
The moment my head touched the pillow, my eyelids grew heavy and closed.
As I curled my body beneath the blanket, it was hard to describe.
…It truly felt wonderful.
“Now I understand why the Dwarves and Elves get along so well in the bathhouse…”
That lingering resentment had melted away.
Though it wasn’t solely because of the bathhouse.
“Adlern’s night beer and peanut wine played a major role.”
Adlern’s night beer and peanut wine.
They hit the Elves’ tastes perfectly.
The Dwarves, being creatures who adore alcohol, drank indiscriminately whether it was night beer or peanut wine.
Thus, in the taverns of Whitewolf Territory, one could often see Dwarves and Elves raising their cups together… but.
“I still wouldn’t say their relationship is good.”
Seraphia opened her drowsy eyes wide.
Alcohol was both the language of reconciliation and the spark of conflict, as they say.
That previous time, after drinking night beer, I had nestled against Adrian and couldn’t meet his eyes for a while afterward.
The so-called night beer incident.
“Alcohol is my worst enemy….”
Seraphia buried her face in the pillow.
Adrian’s expression from that day remained vivid in her mind.
“Really… why did I do that….”
Seraphia kicked at her blanket repeatedly.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake away the memory.
But the memory only became more vivid with shameless persistence.
“Ugh! I’m never drinking again! Never!”
Seraphia made promise after promise to herself.
In any case.
Alcohol had been causing frequent disputes between the two races.
“If this continues, they’ll split apart again.”
How could I stand by and do nothing?
As the head of House Whitewolf, as excellent a countess as Isolde, and as Adrian’s wonderful sister, it was time for me to step forward.
“So everyone can live in harmony!”
And what coexistence and harmony required was mutual understanding.
Therefore, I needed to learn about both races in detail.
“I know the Dwarves fairly well.”
But the Elves? That was another matter.
Honestly, I knew nothing about them.
The books only described them as beautiful, gorgeous.
Graceful, melodious, radiant, and so on.
“Everything written was just about their appearance.”
…That wasn’t wrong.
But what I wanted to understand was the Elves as a people themselves.
How they lived, what they ate.
What thoughts occupied their days.
Concrete records that could help me understand the Elves as a race.
“I’ll have to research this myself.”
Seraphia closed her eyes, etching tomorrow’s resolve into her heart.
“I definitely want to earn my brother’s praise… yes, that’s right.”
Seraphia curled up beneath her blanket and hugged her pillow close.
* * *
Around noon, in the Town Square of Whitewolf Territory.
After finishing her morning duties, Seraphia headed toward the playground in the square.
Nothing showed the daily life of Elves better than observing children.
‘Is there a child playing… ah, there is!’
There was indeed an Elf Child.
Though the child appeared mature for their age.
In human years, they wouldn’t actually be considered a child.
Elves have long lifespans.
What was their average lifespan again?
‘Was it around 200 years?’
It seemed to be about that.
The current average lifespan on The Continent was 50 years.
They lived a full four times longer than humans.
Because of this, Elves responded slowly to change.
Their growth rate was sluggish as well.
Aging was virtually nonexistent.
This was why Rielin, who was over 50 years old, appeared to be a human who had just turned 20.
‘So that’s how they can have both a mature and youthful figure.’
Indeed, one could not overcome innate genetics.
Ah, anyway!
The Elf Child stood motionless beneath the shade of a tree.
Seraphia watched from a distance before carefully approaching and kneeling down.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Munsoro.”
Huh? What did you say?
“Looking for Munsoro?”
“Yes. I’m searching for it right now.”
Then the child made a gesture telling her to be quiet.
A hushed expression and movements.
Quite serious.
Seraphia blinked and asked.
“Are you playing hide-and-seek?”
“Hide-and-seek?”
“It’s a game where one person finds those who are hiding—”
“I don’t know. I’m looking for Munsoro.”
And then, a soft giggle.
The child laughed briefly before tucking herself completely into the branches above.
Seraphia observed the child’s behavior intently.
The child remained perfectly still, perched in the tree.
Even past noon, she did not move.
Even when Seraphia left briefly to eat, feeling hungry.
The child remained.
Even after Seraphia returned from handling urgent matters.
Even after resolving problems that arose in another area.
Even now, as darkness had fallen.
‘Is she still doing this?’
The Elf Child remained perched in the tree.
As night fell, the magical lamps in the Town Square blazed to life.
Then, quite suddenly.
The Elf Child gazed down at the shadow cast beneath them.
“Oh no! I lost again….”
With a dejected expression, they finally headed home.
“….”
Seraphia opened her journal and meticulously recorded the observations.
==[Elf Ecological Journal]==
1. Munsoro
-Appears to be a solitary activity.
-Begins around midday and continues until the night grows dark.
-The rules of the activity and criteria for victory remain unclear.
-Yet they engage with utmost seriousness.
-Likely a traditional ritual within Elven society.
└Seems like a game where they play hide-and-seek with their own shadow.
* * *
The next day, Whitewolf Territory 2.
Whitewolf Territory 2 was a relatively temperate region of the Frozen Lands, now inhabited by the Elves.
Thus, there had been talk of changing the name to “Sylvandir Forest,” but it remained under the administrative designation of Whitewolf Territory 2.
In any case.
Seraphia journeyed to Whitewolf Territory 2 once more to continue her research on the Elves.
Dwellings constructed high among the trees.
Across the sprawling fields and gardens, crops flourished abundantly.
Wheat stalks swayed with each passing breeze.
Among those wheat fields, three Elves lay motionless.
These were all adult Elves.
Yet something was amiss.
They were not breathing.
Seraphia rushed forward in alarm.
…Fortunately, they were all alive.
Seraphia steadied her racing heart and carefully inquired.
“Pardon me. Are you currently engaged in munsoro?”
“No. We are practicing schimja.”
Huh? Schimja?
What on earth was that?
“What is schimja?”
“Hmm…”
“Uh…”
The Elves fell into deep contemplation.
Their brows furrowed as they pondered carefully.
“It’s… Sshimja.”
Why did I even bother thinking seriously about this?
“What exactly do you do?”
“Sshimja.”
“Is it like playing dead?”
“That’s playing dead.”
“This is Sshimja.”
“Do you just lie still?”
“No. It’s different from just lying still.”
“How is it different?”
“Lying still is just lying still.”
“This is Sshimja.”
“So what I’m saying is—”
…Ugh, never mind.
“Can I try it too?”
“Of course.”
“How do I do it?”
“Just lie down here.”
Seraphia carefully lay down in the wheat field the Elves were pointing to.
“And then?”
“It’s best if you don’t breathe as much as possible.”
“But if I don’t breathe, I’ll die…?”
“As much as possible, though.”
Seraphia held her breath and gazed up at the sky.
Wheat stalks swaying in the breeze.
Through them, a clear and brilliant blue sky.
Clouds drifting lazily like ships sailing across the vast ocean of the heavens.
“How is it?”
“Hmm… the sky is beautiful.”
“Right? That’s Sshimja.”
Seraphia gazed up at the sky once more.
A clear and brilliant blue sky.
Clouds drifting like leisurely ships.
“It’s incredibly fun, isn’t it?”
…I have no idea what’s fun about this at all.
==[Elf Behavioral Log]==
2. Sshimja
-Appears to be a group activity.
-No specific time of day (they do it at dawn too)
-They try to refrain from breathing, moving, and thinking as much as possible.
-Purpose and rules are unclear.
-But it’s incredibly serious.
-I doubt the Elves created this ritual to cultivate community spirit or anything like that.
-It just seems like mindlessly gazing at the sky.
※Participant Warning: You may fall asleep while doing it. I literally wasted an entire day.
└I’m going to get scolded by my brother…!!
* * *
The next day, in the Administrative Office of Count’s Castle.
Having wasted the entire day yesterday doing Schimza, I had no choice but to spend the whole day handling administrative duties in the office today.
Reports, approval documents.
Public notices and so on.
Documents were piled up like mountains.
…This was the result of missing just one day of work.
“I can’t afford to get scolded by my brother.”
I had to finish everything that could be processed today.
Seraphia meticulously worked through the accumulated tasks.
Then, suddenly.
My hand stopped on one document.
It was more like a letter than a document….
[No sender information] – Burn immediately upon reading.
“…?”
Seraphia’s silver hair swayed.

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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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