The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 354

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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 354. Chaos (1)
Seraphia’s words that The King of the Battenberg Kingdom had died.
My eyes snapped open before I could help myself.
‘What does that even mean…?’
Of course, The King had been sickly.
He lay bedridden with illness, clinging to life by a thread.
And eventually, he would die.
In my previous life, that is.
That timing was… probably around now.
Since it had been erased from my memory by The Darkness Lord, I couldn’t be certain, but The King’s death occurred around this same period in my recollection.
Therefore, The King’s death wasn’t particularly surprising.
What shocked me lay elsewhere.
‘The King had awakened?’
First, the fact that The King had awakened.
In my previous life, The King never awakened.
He simply died.
But The King awakening was a clear deviation from the previous timeline.
‘It could have happened because Queen Marceline wasn’t there.’
That made sense, for The King’s illness had been caused by Queen Marceline.
Queen Marceline had conspired with the Fallen Soul Worshippers and placed The King in a comatose state.
But all their schemes had crumbled to dust at the Royal Social Society.
Queen Marceline was arrested for treason.
And she was executed.
A timeline drastically different from my previous life.
Like a butterfly’s wings stirring a tempest, it could have led to The King awakening.
‘Leon was named as the prime suspect?’
What in the world was this…?
I tried to piece together the situation.
Yet it still made no sense.
I asked Seraphia.
“So, are you saying His Majesty The King was murdered?”
“Yes.”
“And Leon is being named as the prime suspect in The King’s murder?”
“…It appears so.”
Seraphia gave a small nod.
I pressed my lips firmly together.
‘Leon murdered The King…?’
Of course, there were instances of princes murdering kings.
History provided countless examples.
The reason was typically the lust for power.
In other words, it was ambition for the throne.
A prince removed from the line of succession murdering his father and seizing the crown—a tale found in the histories of nearly every kingdom.
Flip through any royal chronicle, and you’ll find at least one such story.
But this case was different.
Leon had not been removed from the line of succession.
Leon handled all state affairs.
He was, in essence, already king.
Wasn’t Leon the one boasting (?) just recently that the date for his Crown Prince investiture ceremony had been set?
Of course… such cases did exist.
Impatient ambition.
Cases where a man would become king if he simply waited, yet grew so impatient he ruined everything.
‘…That’s not it.’
But I couldn’t believe Leon was that sort of man.
Leon was not the type to act so recklessly.
In other words, Leon had absolutely no reason to murder The King.
Then there was only one possibility.
‘He’s been framed.’
I was certain of it.
There was no other way to explain this.
Someone had deliberately killed The King and pinned it on Leon.
I could guess who it might be.
But it seemed too obvious.
The fact that a suspect came to mind so easily felt suspicious.
‘For now…’
I needed to investigate further.
* * *
“As you instructed, Adrian, Schönne has gathered every scrap of intelligence about the Battenberg Kingdom!!”
Adlern spoke with unmistakable confidence.
He had clearly conducted a thorough investigation.
Adlern puffed out his chest as he spoke.
“From the Battenberg Capital, Battenberg itself, to the merchant guilds operating there, noble house servants, low-ranking officials, and even the rats crawling through the sewers—we mobilized them all!!”
“Just the results, briefly.”
“…It appears to be true, sir.”
Adlern’s expression grew dejected.
But it was different from usual.
This wasn’t the look of someone who had failed to gather information.
“It appears to be true?”
“The King’s assassination is confirmed, sir. The Capital’s forces and the Royal Guard have taken control of the Royal Palace, and the royal crest has been covered with black cloth.”
“In other words, it was murder?”
“Yes, sir.”
Adlern nodded twice before continuing.
“According to the intelligence Schönne obtained in the Capital, it appears His Majesty was poisoned.”
“What’s your evidence?”
“First, there were no external injuries on the corpse, and it was classified as acute cardiac arrest, but look at this.”
Adlern withdrew a single document from his breast pocket.
“Here, in the Royal Physician’s report, the pupillary response disappeared almost instantaneously. The heartbeat became irregular, fluttered once, then stopped immediately.”
…So he’d even obtained the Royal Physician’s report.
Looking at it objectively, Adlern’s intelligence-gathering capabilities were quite formidable.
They were scarcely inferior to the Special Task Force from my previous life.
“This reaction cannot be explained by natural death or pre-existing illness.”
“Hmm.”
I examined the report carefully.
The likelihood of poisoning was indeed very high.
It was a textbook murder method.
The problem came next.
“Who poisoned His Majesty?”
Adlern hesitated.
He couldn’t answer immediately, wavering for a long moment before finally speaking.
“According to Schönne’s investigation… Prince Leon is the prime suspect.”
I fell silent.
The fact that Adlern had reached that conclusion was quite shocking.
I asked Adlern a question.
“…What’s your evidence?”
“Just before His Majesty’s death, he had a private audience with Prince Leon. They dined together, and there were no attendants present—only the two of them. And….”
“His Majesty died immediately after the private audience ended?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It certainly seemed compelling.
But there were aspects that gave me pause before drawing conclusions.
First of all.
“Is there any possibility the information gathered was false?”
“It’s not impossible. However….”
Adlern trailed off.
It meant the likelihood of the information being false was extremely low.
Come to think of it, Adlern had never brought me false information before.
I merely kept the possibility in mind.
I didn’t actually believe it was false.
Therefore, the second question.
‘Why wasn’t it covered up?’
If it was poisoning, it was premeditated murder.
It meant the preparation, execution, and cover-up would all have been meticulously planned.
Therefore, if Leon had truly intended to assassinate The King, he would have established a clear alibi.
But it was sloppy.
It was almost as if he were screaming, “I am the culprit!”
‘…That’s not like Leon at all.’
The Allied Forces’ envoy.
Had it not been for Ian, Leon would have become the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.
If Leon were truly such a careless man, Queen Marceline would never have joined hands with the Fallen Soul Worshippers.
And the third suspicious point.
“What was the motive for murder?”
There was no adequate motive for assassination.
Adlern answered my question.
“The exact motive has not yet been determined, sir.”
“I see.”
“However, some are saying it was due to succession rights to the throne.”
“Leon is already the First Prince. With the Crown Prince investiture ceremony already scheduled, there would be no reason for him to kill The King, would there?”
“That’s the thing, sir. The Crown Prince investiture ceremony has been cancelled.”
“…What did you say?”
Adlern continued carefully.
“The awakened King’s health has been better than expected, it seems. Recently, he has resumed handling both domestic and foreign affairs, and in some matters, he has even restricted Prince Leon’s decision-making authority.”
“He restricted Leon’s authority?”
“Yes, sir. Particularly in diplomatic and military affairs, The King’s direct orders have begun to increase again.”
“…And The King cancelled the investiture ceremony himself?”
“The official reason was ‘review.’ But in reality, it was a process of abolition, and it proceeded without Prince Leon’s knowledge.”
I swallowed hard.
‘Did Leon truly assassinate The King?’
The circumstances pointed to Leon.
There were some suspicious aspects.
But it was enough to be called a strong lead.
“…Public opinion in the Capital regarding Prince Leon is grave, sir.”
“What happened to Leon?”
“He is currently imprisoned in the Royal Palace Dungeon.”
It seemed he was referring to the same place where Queen Marceline and I had been detained.
“Has he been interrogated? Has it begun?”
“I’m not certain about that. The Royal Guard has cut off all external contact, so no one knows what is happening inside.”
The Kingdom’s final shield, the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard obeys only the commands of the Royal Court.
They guard the interior of the Royal Palace and protect the royal family—that is their absolute duty.
Even if the Kingdom trembles, even in the moment the Royal Palace crumbles, their loyalty is directed solely toward the ‘Throne.’
They spare no one, not even royalty.
Should anyone threaten the Throne, their blades will cut them down without hesitation.
‘I think I need to go there myself.’
I needed to meet Leon in person.
Leon, who was currently imprisoned in the Underground Dungeon.
The Royal Guard was keeping watch, but that didn’t matter.
I was confident I could slip into the Underground Dungeon without being detected.
I rose from my seat.
Just then.
“…Ah, that’s right!”
Adlern exclaimed as if he’d just remembered something.
“We received a message the other day.”
“A message? For me?”
“Yes, well, it came to the Raven Dung Merchant Company, and the name was….”
Adlern paused to search his memory before speaking.
“Ah! It was from someone named Corent Rashen.”
“Corent Rashen?”
…Who was that?
“He said he’s the head of the Trade Union.”
“Ah.”
Then it came back to me.
It was Marzen.
Marzen’s assumed identity.
It seemed he’d continued using it even after becoming a high official.
“He said he’d finished some investigation and wanted to meet you in person.”
“An investigation?”
“Yes, that’s what he said.”
I thought for a moment.
But still.
Nothing specific came to mind.
I’d entrusted Marzen with more than one investigation.
‘But the timing of this contact is rather odd.’
And the fact that he wanted to meet in person was somewhat unexpected.
I asked Adlern.
“Where?”
“Frecce.”
I’d thought it would be Caravana.
Frecce was close by.
‘I can stop by and meet him on my way to the Kingdom Capital.’
I immediately began preparing for departure.
* * *
The commercial city, Frecce.
Marzen sat down at the Predator Restaurant and surveyed his surroundings.
True to its reputation as the most popular dining establishment in Frecce, it was packed with patrons.
To hide a forest, one hides it among the trees.
Marzen quietly raised his beer glass amid the cheerful clamor.
Gulp, gulp.
A refreshing sensation bloomed across his palate.
“…!!”
The taste was exquisite.
It wasn’t a dark beer.
As befitted a restaurant directly operated by the Predator Merchant Company, new products debuted here first, and this was their latest brew.
“Over here! One more lemon beer!!”
“Two more for me!”
“Ahhh!! This is absolutely insane! It’s like drinking a vacation!”
The tangy yet refreshing flavor truly felt like savoring a tropical escape.
Marzen continued to drink the lemon beer.
Just then.
“What brings this about? You asked to meet directly here in Frecce.”
“Pfft!”
Marzen sprayed the lemon beer straight out.
Foam shot up his nose and tears welled in his eyes.
“…Cough, ahem!”
He hastily pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose and mouth.
Then he looked up.
“Is it truly that delicious? Enough to drink through your nose?”
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
He had casually plopped down across from Marzen.
Yet his beauty remained utterly inexplicable no matter how many times one witnessed it.
An aura of beauty that pierced through even the veil covering his face.
By now, one should have grown accustomed to it.
But instead of adaptation, only admiration poured forth with each glance.
Marzen took a deep breath before responding.
“…I’d appreciate it if you made your presence known next time.”
“My presence? Ah, that’s a constant passive ability, so I forgot myself.”
Kim Fujiwara smiled as if to say he would be mindful next time.
Looking at him now, something felt different.
He had changed considerably since the last time they met.
It felt as though he had become an entirely different being.
“So why did you ask to meet directly?”
Marzen collected himself and answered.
“As you said, I’ve finished the investigation you requested…cough.”
“Speak slowly.”
Marzen accepted the water and took a sip.
He felt somewhat calmer now.
“Phew… I wanted to meet in person because there are a few things I need to confirm.”
“Things to confirm? With me?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I wanted to hear in detail what happened at the Langritd Magic Tower.”
“Hmm.”
Kim Fujiwara swallowed hard.
There was no sign of denial.
“So something did happen after all.”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
Kim Fujiwara shrugged.
Marzen shrugged back as if he’d expected as much.
“We can ask about that a bit later. For now, let me tell you what I’ve investigated.”
“What is it?”
“The terrorist.”
“When you say terrorist, you’re not referring to me in Ian, but to Invictus, correct?”
“…?”
What was he talking about?
Marzen’s expression grew clouded.
Kim Fujiwara waved his hand dismissively.
“What does Invictus have to do with anything?”
“The terrorist I’m referring to is the one from Caravana.”
“Oh?”
Kim Fujiwara’s eyes widened slightly.
A vacant expression.
He looked momentarily dazed.
“Ah, yes. The Caravana terrorist. I had asked you to locate them.”
Kim Fujiwara scratched the back of his head as he spoke.
“Have you located them?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
“Not far from here, in Frecce.”
“…?”
“The capital of the Battenberg Kingdom.”
Kim Fujiwara’s eyes widened in a flash.
Marzen continued, meeting his gaze.
“The Caravana terrorist is currently in the capital, Battenberg.”

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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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