The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 35

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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 35. Fate’s Thread
In Whitewolf Territory, where bitter cold persisted through every season, the bookshop owner continued our conversation.
“So, do you know of this house?”
The bookshop owner posed his question in turn.
Iliana nodded softly.
“Yes, well… they were a noble house from the same kingdom, after all.”
“The same kingdom? Ah, that’s right—Iliana, you mentioned you were a nobleman’s daughter.”
“Yes.”
The Marquis Segretus Family.
Iliana’s house, and like House Whitewolf, a noble family belonging to the Battenberg Kingdom.
“Well then, Iliana, might I impose upon you with a single request?”
“A request?”
As Iliana tilted her head in confusion, the bookshop owner spoke at once.
“Could you perhaps use your connections with the Predator Merchant Company to procure some monster meat for me?”
“I… beg your pardon?”
“By sheer chance, I once had the opportunity to taste it, and the flavor was so remarkably intense!”
“What? No, wait—you’ve eaten it too?”
“The finest meat of my entire life. I still cannot forget that taste.”
The bookshop owner’s expression grew wistful, as though recalling a first love.
This alone served as proof of monster meat’s safety.
“So surely you could arrange it? I would grant you free access to all my books for life!”
“Ah? Well, that is…”
“You are a noblewoman of the same kingdom, are you not? I’ve heard that nobles conduct their social circles and maintain connections with one another.”
“That’s the thing…”
“Why couldn’t you arrange it?”
“I am… a c-concubine’s daughter.”
A daughter born of a concubine—illegitimate by birth.
Children of the legitimate wife were recognized heirs and heiresses.
Children of concubines were bastards.
“But you’re still of noble blood, are you not?”
“That’s the issue…”
A common misconception held that all children of nobles were themselves noble.
More precisely, it was the misunderstanding that nobles kept concubines at all.
But this was absolutely not the case.
In fact, the nobility rejected the concubine system entirely.
The nobility, unlike commoners, were granted legal and customary privileges. They considered their bloodline “special” and would not carelessly mingle it with others.
In this regard, the Battenberg Kingdom, to which both House Whitewolf and the Marquis Segretus Family belonged, did not recognize concubinage.
Monogamy alone.
The nobility would never acknowledge the existence of concubines.
Keeping multiple wives was deemed an act that would tarnish a nobleman’s honor.
However, the royal family had to maintain their lineage, so there were cases where they kept a “Royal Mistress” as a concubine.
But even that was merely an “officially recognized paramour.”
They were never formally acknowledged as the sovereign’s wife or family.
If even the royal family operated this way, what of ordinary noble houses?
Keeping a concubine was simply unthinkable.
The concept of illegitimate children born to concubines didn’t exist either.
Children born outside wedlock were unconditionally treated as bastards.
And Iliana, the illegitimate daughter of Marquis Segretus Family.
She too had been treated as a bastard by her house, receiving scorn and contempt far worse than any commoner.
All because her blood was deemed to have tainted the family’s honor.
Though Marquis Segretus Family ranked higher than Count Whitewolf’s House, the gap between legitimate heir and illegitimate daughter was as vast as heaven and earth.
“In essence… the difference between nobility and commoners….”
At least her bloodline allowed her to be raised within the family.
But even that came with constant scrutiny, so she had since left the house and now lived at the Magic Tower.
“…I see.”
The bookshop owner smacked his lips with evident displeasure.
Soon, his face twisted with genuine remorse as he spoke.
“I’ve lived my entire life in free cities, so I know nothing of such matters. I spoke carelessly. …My apologies.”
“Oh, no, please don’t apologize!”
“Ignorant as I am, I didn’t understand your circumstances. As an apology, I won’t accept payment for these books.”
“What?! No, these are incredibly expensive books…!”
“No. Anyone can apologize with mere words.”
“You really don’t need to do this….”
“My conscience won’t rest otherwise. So just take them.”
“But still….”
“Then I’ll throw them all away.”
And with that, the bookshop owner genuinely moved toward the trash.
Iliana hurriedly wrapped her arms around the stack of books.
“I-I’ll take them!! So please don’t throw them away….”
Her fierce determination not to let them be discarded made the bookshop owner burst into hearty laughter.
This was why.
She loved this place.
In this free city, everyone became equal citizens of freedom.
Bastard child, illegitimate daughter, unwanted offspring.
There was no need to worry about such things here.
It was one reason Iliana always stopped by Orpheum whenever she left the Magic Tower every few months.
“But can you really carry all these books? If you need help, I can-.”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
As Iliana waved her hand once, whoosh—!
The mountain of books vanished in an instant.
“Spatial magic…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Isn’t that advanced magic?”
“It is, but the formula is just complex. Once you actually try it, it’s not that difficult.”
“Not that difficult…?”
The bookstore owner’s jaw dropped, his astonishment ascending to the heavens.
Even someone ignorant of the fundamentals of magic could instantly recognize that Iliana’s talent was anything but ordinary.
“Then I’ll be going, sir!”
“…Y-yes. I apologize again for what happened earlier.”
“It’s fine! I’m not bothered by it at all, so please don’t worry about it either.”
Iliana departed the bookstore with a radiant smile.
Stepping outside the shop.
The vibrant landscape of Orpheum, the cultural city brimming with vitality and energy, unfolded before my eyes.
In the Grand Plaza of Orpheum, countless people had gathered, engaged in heated discussion about something.
From what I could catch in passing—
It appeared to be a vigorous debate concerning monster meat.
It wasn’t only the Grand Plaza.
The entire city of Orpheum was abuzz with talk of monster meat.
“Monster meat, of all things.”
No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.
Yet the evidence and phenomenon stood plainly before my eyes.
And one of my ironclad principles was that there exists no law without phenomenon.
If a phenomenon contradicts established law, it suggests not that the phenomenon is flawed, but that the established law itself is incorrect.
Which meant.
“I was wrong in my thinking.”
The theory and knowledge I possessed were mistaken.
I couldn’t believe it, yet I couldn’t disbelieve it either.
When all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains—however unbelievable—must be the truth.
“So it truly was possible to remove the madness.”
An unprecedented event in the history of The Continent.
If this discovery were reported to the academic community, it would only be a matter of time before the magical world was turned upside down. Not just the magical world, but The Continent itself would be shaken to its core.
This was because it suggested that countless other things once deemed impossible could very well be possible.
For instance, combining the traits of multiple organisms to create hybrid lifeforms.
Or birthing entirely new species that transcended the limits of natural evolution.
Or creating entirely new biological abilities.
All those things once deemed impossible could be possible.
“I must go conduct research immediately!”
As a mage and scholar of the arcane devoted to exploring the truths of the world, my curiosity naturally flourished without restraint.
Predator Merchant Company.
Whitewolf Territory.
“Adrian Whitewolf….”
That name, known as the scoundrel of House Whitewolf.
Perhaps because of that, or for some other reason, it felt strangely familiar.
“What kind of person could he be?”
And so the name etched itself deeply into Iliana’s mind.
* * *
The distribution of supplies across the entire Whitewolf Territory.
The supply distribution could be completed within a few hours.
And when all the supplies had been distributed.
◆The favorability of the territory’s residents toward you has increased dramatically!
I could see the translucent text indicating that the residents’ favorability had risen.
◆The favorability of the territory’s residents toward you has reached [Indifferent] status!
◆Those in [Indifferent] status have neither particular interest nor dislike toward you.
◆Such individuals care not what you do, and unless you take some special action, they will have no reason to favor you.
◆But beware! Excessive indifference can lead to ‘contempt,’ which may earn you their disdain!
‘Indifferent, then….’
Favorability was structured in stages: ‘Hatred < Disgust < Anger < Conflict < Indifferent < Familiarity < Goodwill < Trust < Affection'.
In other words, regrettably.
'I didn't reach Trust.'
But it was hardly surprising—a natural result.
I had never expected to jump directly to [Trust] in a single effort.
As the Quest's mockery made clear, what my past self had done to the residents was nothing short of outrageous.
Still, considering I had been in [Disgust] status, I had managed to climb three entire stages, and more importantly, I had only just completed the first distribution.
There remained a second and third distribution yet to come.
With good performance, [Familiarity] was within reach.
With fortune, even [Goodwill] seemed worth pursuing.
And honestly, this was something I could never have accomplished alone.
Though I possessed an inventory, it had weight restrictions, and the inventory could only assist—it could not replace actual labor.
In that sense, the Merchant Guild members' assistance had been invaluable.
'They performed far better than I expected.'
Nor was it only the guild members.
The soldiers from Count's Castle, dispatched as escort forces, had also performed their duties excellently.
Particularly in Frecce, where they had disposed of the street ruffians without my intervention, becoming my hands and feet to execute commands with crisp efficiency.
Kai must have trained them superbly—all the soldiers were of elite caliber.
'Come to think of it, even in my past life, the soldiers of the frozen wastes were quite formidable.'
That thought suddenly kindled my anger, but… I forcibly suppressed it.
What fault could they possibly bear?
They had only obeyed orders from above—that was their only sin.
"You all."
At my sudden words, the soldiers froze.
Ever since the subjugation of Gelu Drake, the soldiers' demeanor toward me had shifted a complete 180 degrees.
"Answer me."
"…Us, sir? You mean us?"
"Of course. Who else is here besides you lot?"
The soldiers glanced about nervously, scanning their surroundings. Once they confirmed there was no one else present, they snapped to attention.
"Yes, sir!!"
The relaxed posture from moments before vanished, replaced by soldiers whose discipline was now razor-sharp.
"Here."
I extended a plate laden with golden-brown, perfectly cooked Lex meat. I had prepared it in advance while the soldiers were receiving their supply rations.
Gulp. Slurp.
The sound of the soldiers' saliva flowing freely reached my ears.
Lex meat was a premium product sold exclusively to the nobility. In truth, its flavor was incomparable to any other monster meat.
"Eat."
The soldiers' eyes widened in disbelief.
Their eyelids fluttered rapidly.
"Is this… truly for us…?"
"Yes. You've all worked hard, and you deserve this reward—otherwise, what's the point of your labor?"
Of course, the quantity wasn't substantial. We hadn't hunted many Lex specimens, and most of what we had were already sold to the nobility.
Still, word hadn't spread widely enough for everything to sell out.
A fair amount of Lex meat remained, enough to satisfy their hunger.
"Ah, well…"
"We… we…"
Yet the soldiers didn't move readily.
It seemed they believed I was testing them.
Apparently, I had done this before.
I had told them to eat, then complained when they actually did.
Back when I was the reckless heir of House Whitewolf, what couldn't I have done?
Of course.
…I remember none of it.
"If you don't eat it, I'm throwing it all away."
I genuinely reached for the plate, ready to discard the Lex meat. The soldiers gasped in horror and rushed forward in a frenzy.
"No, wait!!"
"Why would you waste something so precious!"
"We'll eat it! Right now, we'll eat it!"
The soldiers descended upon the Lex meat like ravenous beasts, tearing strips and shoving them into their mouths.
"Wow!! What is this!!"
"This chewy texture! It's incredible…!"
"It just melts on your tongue, melts!"
They ate with unwashed hands as if their lives depended on it.
Even with dirt caked beneath their fingernails, they sucked their fingers clean, unwilling to waste a single morsel.
'Anyone seeing me now would think I hadn't eaten in days.'
Though perhaps not literally days, I had certainly skipped meals.
I'd been far too busy for anything else.
"I was wondering why the nobles were making such a fuss…!"
"I think this is exactly what they mean in the central regions when they speak of rain breaking a drought…!!"
Soldiers who would kill for a single meal, desperate in their hunger.
Watching them like this….
'They're just like the Special Task Force members.'
My subordinates from the Special Task Force came flooding back to memory.
They'd suffered under an incompetent commander, most had lost their lives during missions, and those who survived had all perished in the final confrontation with The Emperor.
But now that I'd returned to the past.
The Special Task Force members would all be alive as well.
'I wonder how they're doing.'
In any case, when I formed the Allied Forces, I was planning to establish the Special Task Force anew.
'I should make time to find them.'
Recruiting the Special Task Force members in advance didn't seem like a bad idea at all.
Fortunately, unlike with Ian, I had at least a rough idea of where my former subordinates were currently located.
It was precisely as I was thinking this.
A translucent message suddenly materialized before my eyes.
◆Your favorability with Seraphia has reached maximum!!
◆[Trust] status favorability is changing!
◆Error: Seraphia is a character who cannot reach [Affection] status.
◆Favorability obstruction factors – older brother, family, incest.
◆You cannot reach [Affection] status unless you remove the favorability obstruction factors.
◆Your favorability with Seraphia is currently in [Trust] status.
'…What is this now?'
What in the world was this sudden message?

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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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