The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 274

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 274. A Farce (2)
Empire Central Intelligence Agency.
As if a crimson curtain had unfurled, emergency alarm lights blazed to life from all directions.
A deafening warning siren wailed through the halls.
Every agent in the Information Bureau shifted into emergency response mode.
The entire control room descended into chaos and commotion.
“…What did you just say?”
Deputy Director Elowin stood motionless, silent as a statue.
Her gray eyes remained fixed upon the massive mana detection array.
Presently, one of the surrounding agents swallowed hard and continued the report.
“…The signal from the caravan transporting the runesteel ingots has been lost.”
Elowin’s gaze slowly swept across the mana detection array.
The signal that had originated from District 4 – Commercial District vanished the moment it entered District 3.
“The signal was lost at 03:21 AM. All signals disappeared precisely at the District 3 checkpoint intersection.”
“Residual mana readings?”
“Below 0.0001.”
The figure was weaker than typical traces of passage.
In other words, no spatial displacement magic like teleportation had been used.
“The surveillance equipment?”
“All units were functioning normally. However, all screens went blank before and after that moment.”
“Went blank, you say?”
The reporting agent manipulated the mana detection array.
Recorded footage then played across the array’s surface.
The first few seconds appeared normal.
The transport caravan was passing through the District 3 checkpoint intersection.
Barelto was there as well.
The escort troops patrolled the perimeter in their designated formation.
But in the next instant.
“This is it.”
-Bzzt, bzzt! Bzzzzt!
Static erupted in a flash, and all footage froze.
“…What about the footage after that?”
“It doesn’t exist.”
Elowin’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Rewind it.”
As the agent manipulated the controls, the scene immediately before the freeze point came back to life.
The escort troops were patrolling their designated positions.
Barelto too was commanding the scene from his original location.
“Next.”
Static.
And it was complete emptiness.
Elowin could discern it.
“This isn’t mere data loss from mana interference.”
Within that domain.
The data itself remained blank, as though denied the right to exist.
“What about the Rune Iron Ingot? What happened to it?”
“That is… well…”
The agent’s words grew evasive as they squeezed their eyes shut.
* * *
The Empire’s surveillance had vanished entirely.
Those who had monitored my every move and gesture had evaporated without a trace.
‘Better to be cautious.’
◆Activating Evolution Skill, Phantom Embodiment [U]!
I moved with deliberate care.
My body, harmonized with the surrounding environment like a chameleon.
As the evolved form of Synchronization [B+], it transcended mere blending to achieve perfect integration.
It was impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Due to my Half-Demon specialization, no detection apparatus could sense me.
After evading any possible surveillance and pursuit, I headed toward District 4 – Commercial District, our rendezvous point with Kai.
Upon arriving at District 4 – Commercial District.
Twilight had begun its descent.
The crimson sunset slowly vanished beyond the horizon.
The sky gradually surrendered to darkness, and the commercial district’s characteristic bustle gradually subsided.
Maintaining Phantom Embodiment [U], I departed from the heart of the commercial district.
The sparsely populated outskirts.
A silence so profound it seemed all sound had ceased blanketed the entire street.
As though time itself had stopped.
‘An Image Realization.’
Image Realization.
A unique domain where the imagination of a Unique Aura user is superimposed upon reality.
Within an Image Realization, the user’s laws take precedence.
Thus, external surveillance can be distorted, and traces of existence concealed.
The location remains exposed.
But what transpires within cannot be captured by any surveillance network.
Literally, it is as though one has vanished from the world for a moment.
‘Yet something feels off about this Image Realization.’
First, the scale was small.
Image Realization normally interferes with vast spatial-temporal domains.
More precisely, it interferes with ‘all space-time that the user’s imagination can reach’.
Through this, one can disregard distance and boundaries, reconstructing all laws.
But what about this now?
It was excessively localized.
Barely a radius of several meters.
It was a form that precisely wrapped only the minimum necessary range.
‘Is this Imaginal Resonance?’
Imaginal Resonance.
It’s a form where most of what’s needed for imaginal manifestation is omitted and reduced, implementing only the minimal structure.
It doesn’t force the user’s imagination.
Instead, it neutralizes everything within the resonated area.
Will, interpretation, laws, senses, and so forth.
Everything comes to a halt or is suppressed without resisting the imaginal field.
That’s why the range is so limited.
But the burden of use is minimal.
It’s a function-specialized imaginal manifestation designed to act only where precisely needed.
‘When did he even learn this?’
Did I teach him this last time?
It feels like I might have.
Then again, maybe I didn’t.
Perhaps Kai had grasped it on his own.
‘Regardless.’
He was the most brilliant madman I’d ever encountered.
Anyway.
With Imaginal Resonance, there was no need to worry about The Empire’s eyes.
As I stepped inside, I could see Kai standing among the massive cargo wagons.
‘He managed to bring the Rune Iron Ingot quite well.’
The Rune Iron Ingot could only be transported directly.
Since it was a mechanical device, Kai could operate it if he knew how.
However, the operation method was quite complicated.
‘Did he learn it from Broombar?’
It seems like he might have.
Then again, maybe he didn’t.
I’m not entirely sure, but as long as he brought it here somehow, that’s what matters.
I approached Kai.
Kai was wearing a mask.
Looking closely, it was the same mask he’d worn when we raided the Beneron Barony(?) last time.
I deactivated my phantom embodiment.
Then, with a start—
Kai’s body trembled.
He hadn’t sensed my presence at all.
One of the drawbacks of Imaginal Resonance.
Psychic Resonance only exerts its effects on will, interpretation, laws, and senses based solely on ‘mana’.
In other words, it only works on mana’s usable energy forms—aura, magical power, divine energy, sorcery, ether, demonic force, and the like.
But biological abilities like mine.
Pure physical phenomena—they were immune to its effects.
“…Who are you?”
Kai reflexively lowered his stance.
Wary of me, aura began flowing through his blade.
It was only natural.
I was no longer Adrian Whitewolf.
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
My appearance was completely different from my original form.
I slowly raised my hands to show them as I spoke.
“It’s me.”
“…Is that you, Adrian?”
“Yes.”
But Kai didn’t lower his guard.
He pointed his blade at my chest.
His gaze remained vigilant.
It seemed I’d need to show my true form for him to believe me.
But undoing the cosmetic alteration here felt awkward.
There was no chance the Empire’s eyes were watching over this place.
Psychic Resonance nullified all mana-based surveillance within its domain.
…Truth be told, I was just being lazy.
Since it was physical cosmetic work, I’d have to carve it away again if I undid it.
After a moment’s deliberation, I opened my mouth.
“There was a time you lost that hairpin Seraphia treasured long ago.”
A memory from my days in the house—one of the few I had.
Recalling that memory, I spoke.
“Kai, you remember jumping into that cesspit crawling with maggots to find it?”
“….”
“You somehow found the hairpin in all that filth, but afterward Seraphia got so sick from it that she nearly died.”
It was an old story.
Something that happened when I was still a reckless fool in Count Whitewolf’s House.
In other words, only Kai, myself.
And Seraphia knew of this tale.
Kai lowered his blade.
The wariness vanished from his eyes.
“…What’s with that face?”
“A disguise.”
Or rather, a disguised face would be more accurate.
“Are you Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound?”
“You know of me?”
I had never mentioned this identity to Kai separately.
“Rumors of it spread throughout The Empire.”
Kai replied matter-of-factly.
“They say a cross-dressing Saint is sweeping up every coin The Empire possesses.”
“…A cross-dressing Saint?”
“Indeed.”
Of course, I had referenced it.
Isolde was the most beautiful human I knew.
So when I underwent facial reconstruction as Kim Fujiwara,
I modeled my features after Isolde’s.
‘Why a cross-dressing Saint and not a Saint?’
Perhaps because Karabana already had a Saint?
Though that was me as well.
“Now that I see it, you certainly do resemble The Saint.”
Kai nodded in agreement.
Well, regardless.
I had achieved my objective of drawing The Empire’s attention.
I shrugged my shoulders and asked.
“What of Barelto?”
“As you instructed, I deliberately let him escape.”
This time, Kai asked again with a questioning gaze.
“But why did you order me not to kill him?”
“If left alone, he’ll die on his own.”
“…?”
“The Empire won’t let him live.”
“…??”
“Ah, just to be certain—did you use Mental Manifestation when fighting Barelto?”
“No, that wasn’t it.”
“Then what?”
Kai hesitated for a moment.
It seemed difficult for him to explain.
“Did you use Mental Resonance?”
“…Is that what Mental Resonance is?”
Kai’s eyes widened in surprise.
From his reaction, it was clear I had never taught him this.
In other words, Kai had awakened to it on his own.
‘…Impressive, truly impressive.’
His growth rate was accelerating beyond measure.
Well, anyway.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
The fact that no records remained was the same either way.
The Empire would have no way of knowing how, why, or where the Rune Iron disappeared.
‘They won’t even know what Profound Emptiness is in the first place.’
It was a realm not yet established even in theory.
Therefore, the truth of this incident was singular.
Only Barelto’s testimony remained.
Barelto’s testimony alone would become the sole clue and the only record capable of explaining this entire incident.
At that point.
Barelto would come under suspicion.
‘He couldn’t escape the suspicion of orchestrating this farce.’
Being the sole survivor meant becoming the first person to be suspected.
The truth was my own orchestration.
But the Empire would never know.
That’s why I kept Barelto alive.
To make him speak the truth.
And.
To make him speak lies.
“He’s a crucial witness, after all.”
“…A witness?”
“A very, very important witness who can testify that I’m not the culprit in this incident.”
“…?”
Kai tilted his head in confusion.
He seemed to want an explanation.
“Such things exist.”
I dismissed it cleanly.
When would I have time to explain every single detail?
I waved my hand dismissively and turned my gaze toward the cargo wagon.
The massive cargo wagon carrying fifty thousand tons of Rune Iron.
Everything remained intact and without issue.
A satisfied smile bloomed naturally on my face.
I began stacking the Rune Iron neatly into my inventory.
Of course, Rune Iron possessed the property of nullifying mana, making it impossible to store in subspace normally.
◆Storing Rune Iron in inventory.
Yet it stored perfectly well in my inventory.
‘So this is what they mean by putting money in and getting money back.’
As I continued stacking the fifty thousand tons of Rune Iron into my inventory.
Kai removed his mask.
Now that I’d even shown my inventory, he seemed to no longer doubt that I was Adrian.
“…?”
My head tilted involuntarily.
It wasn’t Kai’s face at all.
Something was fundamentally different about Kai.
Kai had originally been a blonde, handsome knight-type.
But now?
Rather than a knight, he looked like…
A gentle young man who’d greet you with “Oh my, welcome~!” at the entrance of some rural village.
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Kai.”
Suspicion flickered across my vision.
I was about to activate my Predator’s Instinct [S], when—
“That hairpin Seraphia lost back then.”
Kai spoke first.
“You stole it and threw it in the outhouse, didn’t you?”
“….”
“You told me where the hairpin was, and you made Seraphia fall into the outhouse—all of it was to mess with us, wasn’t it?”
…It was all ancient history.
Things that happened when I was still a reckless fool in Count Whitewolf’s House.
And one of the few memories (?) I actually retained from those days.
Anyway.
I didn’t even need to use my Predator’s Instinct [S].
Though I used it just to be safe.
Indeed.
It was Kai.
“How did you change your face?”
“I had cosmetic surgery.”
“Cosmetic surgery? Can you even do that with aura?”
With the power of imagination, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
“I didn’t use aura for the surgery.”
“Then?”
“I carved it with a blade.”
“…?”
“Just like you, I have no problem carving away bone and flesh.”
Kai’s Perfect Immortality [T].
Any severed flesh and bone regenerated whenever he wished.
In other words, Kai could undergo the same physical restructuring I could.
‘This means I could use him for even more…’
Since it was the same physical modification as mine, there was no risk of detection.
I could infiltrate him anywhere.
I could disguise myself as anyone.
Even Kai, who doesn’t die.
Using Kai, I could bring this operation to a certain conclusion.
“What’s the disguise identity? Did you create one?”
“I did.”
“As who?”
Kai answered my question briefly.
* * *
The case of 50,000 tons of rune iron vanishing.
An unprecedented mystery that would have left no records whatsoever…but nearly did.
The person in charge, Barelto, had returned.
He had barely survived, and his condition was far from good.
Yet he remembered both what had transpired and the perpetrator’s face with perfect clarity.
“Hmm….”
Elowin examined the face drawn in the composite sketch intently.
Overall, he appeared to be an honest rural youth.
A face one could see anywhere across any kingdom on the Continent.
There was nothing about him that suggested he could be the culprit behind this incident.
Elowin’s gaze shifted downward.
Beneath the sketch was written the perpetrator’s name.
[Haofeng Laza]
“…?”
In that instant, Elowin’s mind went blank.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————