The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 304

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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 304. Word of Mouth (3)
Leon’s eyes, wide with shock, refused to settle.
They showed no sign of calming down.
No—the very appearance of a Dragon had been a shock in itself.
But not only was such a Dragon hunted, it was slain.
And the hunter who slew the Dragon was Adrian—what did that even mean?
Furthermore, the fact that the Dragon’s corpse had been taken to Whitewolf Territory was simply—??
“What…??”
It was a fact he simply could not believe.
The most unbelievable part was that the hunter who slew the Dragon was Adrian.
Of course, he knew Adrian was remarkable enough to warrant the expression “like a Dragon.”
But that was just a figure of speech.
It didn’t mean an actual Dragon.
After all, the very title “Dragon Slayer” didn’t refer to someone who actually hunted a real Dragon, did it?
Therefore, a Dragon’s corpse did not exist.
It was legend.
Merely a symbol.
Conversely, the value of a Dragon’s corpse was equivalent to the meaning of “legendary.”
If converted to monetary value?
Who could say.
At the very least, wouldn’t it be worth 10 trillion Gold?
No, even 10 trillion Gold couldn’t purchase it.
10 trillion Gold was an astronomically incomprehensible sum.
Yet it existed.
Though one would need to gather every coin of wealth across the Continent, such a sum could theoretically exist.
But a Dragon’s corpse?
It did not.
It did not exist at all.
And that was why it could not be obtained.
In other words.
What had now been transported to the Territory—.
‘…transported to the Territory?’
No, what had been dragged to the Territory—.
‘…dragged to the Territory?’
According to witness accounts, the Dragon’s body length was a staggering 100 meters.
Thus, its path of movement was plainly visible.
And so, everyone in the world knew of it.
Though no one had witnessed Adrian actually slaying the Dragon, the fact that Adrian had slain it was known to every soul on this world.
“So right now—.”
* * *
“Did you hear? Adrian can see the future with one eye and the past with the other?”
Across the Continent—in taverns, marketplaces, noble gatherings—
wherever three or more people gathered, tales of Adrian inevitably surfaced.
Rumors, by their nature, possessed the peculiar quality of inflating a needle into a cudgel.
Yet this rumor was different.
It had not begun with a needle, but with a legendary blade.
“What are you talking about?”
“Adrian already knew where the Dragon would breathe its flame before it even unleashed it!”
“…That’s not precognition, is it?”
“Is he the God of Time?”
“So Adrian can fold time itself like a pocket and unfold it whenever he wishes!”
“Don’t spout such nonsense! …Though, well.”
“If it’s Adrian, perhaps he could?”
The legendary blade was swiftly honed into a mythical one.
“And that’s not all! Adrian can activate three magical devices just by breathing!”
“What do you mean, maintaining magic circles with his heartbeat?”
“Yes, exactly! When Adrian’s heart beats, the magic circle is completed!”
“What? Is he a power plant?”
“That’s right! Adrian is a perpetual motion machine unto himself.”
“What utter delusion! …Though, well.”
“If it’s Adrian, perhaps he could?”
With sixty percent misconception layered atop it all, the mythical blade accumulated its own narrative.
“So neither the Dragon’s breath nor its magic could touch Adrian.”
“Does he have immunity?”
“Not immunity—transcendence seems more fitting. He transcended the laws of nature itself.”
“At that point, he’s not human anymore—he’s a god, isn’t he?”
“Probably.”
“…Why does that actually sound convincing?”
With thirty percent exaggeration added, the tale began its metamorphosis into true myth.
“Have you heard?! The real reason Adrian fought the Dragon!”
Finally, with ten percent embellishment from the young ladies, a complete mythology was born.
“What? What is it?”
“There was a princess the Dragon once kidnapped, and Adrian entered the Dragon’s lair alone to save her!”
“Oh my goodness! Really?!”
“And not just that—he went in with nothing but his bare hands. Armed only with his devotion to that princess!”
“Heavens above!”
“But the Dragon was so powerful that Adrian nearly died.”
“Oh dear!”
“So the princess said, ‘Please, abandon me and flee!’ But Adrian, drenched in blood, spoke thus—”
—The only place I belong in this Continent is at your side.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!!”
“M-my heart feels like it’s going to burst!!”
“So even a Dragon was defeated by the power of love!”
“What do I do, what do I do! I would have fainted right there!”
“My goodness… how happy must that Princess be.”
“But no one knows where that Princess is now, right?”
“Could she still be by his side…?”
“Oh my, surely they’re still together?”
The young noblewomen held their breath, waiting for the next part of the story.
“Unfortunately, it seems the Dragon cast a curse at the very end.”
“A curse?”
“Their love was so beautiful that the Dragon wished for them to disappear from the world instead.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“And then?”
“The Princess fell under the Dragon’s curse… and vanished forever. As if she had never existed at all.”
“Good heavens….”
“Well, you see…”
Suddenly, one young noblewoman’s eyes gleamed as she spoke.
“So Adrian has no one by his side right now?”
“Oh my, such words!”
“It’s true! Of course it’s sad that the Princess vanished… but hearts can change with time, can’t they?”
“Exactly! After all, people give their hearts to those who stand beside them!”
Then the noblewoman who had started the story smiled faintly and spoke.
“So right now, you see─.”
* * *
“By any means necessary, arrange a marriage!!”
The King of Trantia tore off his crown and roared.
“If necessary, I’ll surrender the throne! No—surrender it this very instant!”
“Your Majesty! Please compose yourself!!”
“A son-in-law who is the great Dragon Slayer is more than worthy of the throne!!”
“Your Majesty!!”
The ministers beside him clutched their heads in despair.
Meanwhile, the King rose from his throne with genuine intent to surrender the crown.
“Where is the royal seal! I’ll send it as a wedding gift!!”
“Your Majesty?! The royal seal is the symbol of the throne!!”
“Precisely why I must send it!”
“Your Majesty! Please, regain your senses!!”
“I am in my senses! I’ve never been more sound of mind! Are you ministers the ones who’ve lost yours?!”
The King glared at his ministers and bellowed.
“Dragon Slayer! Dragon!! Slayer!! Don’t you ministers understand the weight of that title?!”
“….”
“If Adrian becomes our son-in-law—no, if he becomes the King of Trantia Kingdom, then for the next three hundred years, Trantia Kingdom will be peace itself!”
“….”
“There simply won’t be any wars to begin with!”
“….”
“No, what I’m saying is he’s the strongest on The Continent!! Even The Empire won’t dare touch us!!”
The ministers all fell silent, their lips sealed shut.
Truthfully.
His words weren’t wrong.
Dragon Slayer.
A title that had never existed—could never have existed—throughout The Continent’s history, transcending even humanity’s own.
And it was a Dragon Slayer in the truest sense of the word.
There was no falsehood in it.
The collapsed Berka Mountain Range was the evidence.
The dragon corpse witnessed by all was irrefutable proof.
The fact that the massive carcass had been transported to Whitewolf Territory was already an established truth among noble houses, academies, and intelligence agencies throughout The Continent.
In other words, Adrian being a Dragon Slayer was a truth that could not be denied, no matter how much one doubted it.
“Then at the very least, shouldn’t we consult with the Princess first—?”
“I already asked her! I heard her answer!”
“What did she say?”
“She said if the other party is Adrian, she wouldn’t even mind being his fifteenth concubine!”
“….”
“Do you understand? This is clearly a matter of national interest!!”
The King of Trantia spoke with passionate fervor, his voice rising with intensity.
“Therefore, from this moment on, repeal every law that stands in the way of marriage between Adrian and us!!”
“Your Majesty, you’re being far too emotional!”
“Emotional? No! This is inspiring! Diplomacy!! Romance!!”
“If we carelessly repeal laws, the monarchy itself could collapse, Your Majesty!”
“Then why not collapse the monarchy?”
“Pardon?”
“What if Adrian rejects the marriage proposal after all this?”
“Then we shall marry into his family instead.”
“…Pardon?”
“All of us.”
“All of us?!?!?!”
The Royal Palace of Trantia Kingdom erupted into chaos.
But.
The King did not stop.
“We don’t have time for this! Even now, other kingdoms are reaching out to Adrian to propose marriage—!!”
* * *
“Out of 1,245 marriage proposals, 865 are from princesses!!”
Matchmakers across the Continent were in a state of emergency—an absolute, unprecedented crisis.
A Dragon Slayer following the Saint of Karabana.
Nothing like this had ever occurred in the entire history of the Continent.
And so, every kingdom, noble house, organization, and merchant guild across the Continent—
Without exception, requests flooded in begging for connections to Adrian.
“What? All 865 are princesses?”
“Yes!”
“But there are only 177 kingdoms with princesses on the entire Continent?”
“331 cases were duplicate submissions, 229 used aliases, and 7 kingdoms submitted twin princesses separately!”
“…Wait. So how many princesses actually submitted applications?”
“Unable to confirm!”
“….”
Who in the world was that bastard?
The scoundrel who spread rumors calling Adrian a reckless fool.
With judgment so utterly worthless, what was he doing now, and where?
If only I could find out—I’d rip those eyes right out of his skull and throw them into the gutter where they belong.
“…So who are the remaining 380 proposals from?”
“Current queens and consorts. And those of similar standing.”
“Similar standing?”
“Sisters of kings, daughters of the Magic Tower Master, sisters and daughters of the Continent’s five greatest Mercenary Companies, and so forth.”
“So basically the real powers of the Continent?”
“Precisely.”
Who in the world was that bastard?
“Who is this wretched fool who called Adrian a reckless fool?!!!”
* * *
“…And so, they are currently in Whitewolf Territory, it seems.”
Bernard finished his report.
Seraphia’s crimson eyes blinked rapidly.
“What?!?!”
Inside the Administrative Office of Count Whitewolf’s Castle.
Warm sunlight streamed through the windows, and a delicate fragrance rose from the tea resting on the table.
A cozy, quiet, peaceful afternoon.
But Bernard’s report had just shattered all that comfort and warmth into pieces.
“…Could you say that once more?”
“Well….”
Bernard’s words trailed off.
In other words, Bernard himself couldn’t quite believe it either.
“I’ll verify it myself.”
Seraphia rose quietly from her seat.
As I exited the Administrative Office and walked through the corridors of Count Whitewolf’s Castle, no particular thoughts crossed my mind.
Well, I should at least pretend that makes sense.
It was obviously a delusion.
Seraphia walked through the castle corridors without a care, her footsteps echoing with a peculiar sound.
‘That sound?’
In an instant, Seraphia’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
‘That sound again?’
Seraphia’s head turned sharply—
“Eeeeeeeeeeeek?!?!”
Seraphia leaped into the air from where she stood.
And for good reason—standing before her on two legs was that alluring bundle of fur.
“It’s a Werebeast!!!”
Bernard’s words had been true!
Seraphia stumbled backward in shock.
The Werebeast, equally startled, bounded upward on its hind legs.
Meooooow!
…it made a cat’s cry?
* * *
A strange sound tickled at the edges of my awareness.
Yet my consciousness remained submerged, a dull hum filling the void.
My eyes refused to open easily.
After some time had passed, my closed eyes slowly fluttered open.
And there appeared an unfamiliar ceiling.
…Hm?
An unfamiliar ceiling?
As my vision cleared, a landscape unfolded before me—as if I had stepped into the heart of some colossal tree.
‘Where am I….’
Inside Yggdrasil.
At the very center of the World Tree.
In any case, it was Whitewolf Territory.
As it always was.
Things had unfolded as they would.
I slowly raised myself—
◆But despair is premature!
◆Beauty is a matter of taste!
◆In this trend-driven era, preferences determine legitimacy!
Suddenly, words materialized before my eyes.
Fortunately(?), I took this in stride.
It was always part of my usual repertoire.
But this time, the pattern felt somewhat different.
Mungu ordinarily would have a fit over Quests that cleared themselves, but now… well, how should I put it.
◆In that sense, there were quite a few dark horses capable of capturing your heart!
It was the same frenzied energy as right before I lost consciousness.
‘Surely… Mungu.’
Had it been carrying on with that same frenzy from then until now?
Throughout the entire time I was unconscious?
Continuously, for days or weeks—I couldn’t even tell how long?
Without a single moment of rest?
The instant that thought crossed my mind, I understood.
◆The Legitimate Wife Race begins!
◆An unprecedented love survival featuring participants from the realm of life, nature, magic, and divinity!
◆The Legitimate Wife War 【Legacy of Evolution】 now commences!!
…I could subdue nature itself, but it seemed I would never be able to subdue Mungu’s frenzy.

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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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