The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 355

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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 355. Chaos (2)
Marzen’s claim that the Karabana terrorist was in the Battenberg Kingdom.
More precisely, in the Capital, Battenberg.
“Is that… truly the case?”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
It was information I hadn’t anticipated.
“Indeed. It’s cross-verified information, so it’s certain.”
Marzen’s firm reply.
Yet his expression was satisfied.
Apparently, my shocked reaction—
In other words, the fact that I was surprised by the information he brought seemed to fill him with subtle pride.
Perhaps that was why.
“And there’s something even more astonishing.”
Marzen continued with an excited voice.
“The identity of that Karabana terrorist is Blake Battenberg, the Second Prince of the Battenberg Kingdom.”
What is this.
I already knew.
But Marzen didn’t know.
In other words, Marzen didn’t know that I was aware of the terrorist’s identity.
“…You’re not surprised?”
Marzen asked in return.
His expression was somewhat deflated.
He seemed slightly disappointed by my indifferent reaction.
“No, I’m quite astonished.”
Marzen stared directly at me.
Currently, my face was concealed.
Since Kim Fujiwara’s appearance drew attention, I had no choice but to hide my face.
Therefore, my expression wasn’t visible to the naked eye.
But Marzen’s ability.
Context Reading [E] could interpret and discern non-verbal and situational factors.
“…You don’t seem surprised at all.”
“I’m so shocked that my body and thoughts have frozen solid.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
Then the corners of Marzen’s mouth twitched.
Now he seemed satisfied.
Marzen continued, barely suppressing a smile.
“And currently, a major incident has occurred in the Battenberg Kingdom…”
“If you’re referring to the assassination of The King, I’m already aware of it.”
“…I see.”
Marzen continued with a slightly disappointed tone.
“Then we can move quickly. The Second Prince, Blake, was involved in the assassination of The King.”
“Are you certain?”
“I cannot claim absolute certainty, but this is information I investigated personally.”
“You investigated this yourself, Marzen?”
“Yes. I obtained this information after traveling to the Capital of Battenberg Kingdom, so its credibility is assured.”
“…So that’s why you asked to meet in Frecce.”
The commercial city of Frecce.
It was close enough to Battenberg Kingdom while minimizing The Empire’s surveillance.
Thus Marzen had brought information that Adlern could not obtain.
Marzen was truly Marzen.
“Then Blake assassinated The King?”
“That’s not it.”
“…?”
I tilted my head in confusion and asked again.
“Didn’t you just say Blake was involved in The King’s assassination?”
“‘Involved’ is the operative word. It doesn’t mean he acted directly.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This requires some background explanation.”
Marzen paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.
“Do you know that the Second Prince, Blake, is currently wanted as a traitor?”
“I do.”
“Then do you also know why he was wanted?”
“I know that as well.”
How could I not know?
I was the one who uncovered it.
Of course, Marzen didn’t know this fact.
“…Why do you already know everything?”
Marzen let out a deep sigh.
He seemed tremendously disappointed.
Marzen spoke with a thoroughly dejected expression.
“Blake awakened The King.”
“…?”
The conversation suddenly jumped ahead.
Before I could even grasp the context.
Marzen had already moved on to the next point.
“Or rather, it would be more accurate to say the Special Operations Bureau did.”
“…??”
My thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Information poured out before I could even ask a question.
“So….”
I turned Marzen’s words over in my mind once more.
“Are you saying The Empire is the one who awakened The King from his comatose state?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why would they do that?”
“To save Blake from the stigma of being branded a traitor.”
“…Ah.”
Now I understood.
Blake, currently wanted as a traitor.
“If The King himself advocates for Blake, then everything he did would no longer constitute treason.”
At the very least, they could brush it off as ignorance on her part.
Queen Marceline.
They could claim it was all done on her own authority.
In other words, The King was the only one who could strip Blake of his traitor status.
“But The King would never willingly take Blake’s side, would he?”
That is, assuming The King hadn’t gone mad.
“That’s what I was saying.”
“…?”
“The Imperial Secret Service awakened The King.”
“What do you mean by that….”
“All agents of the Imperial Secret Service were mobilized for this incident.”
“…!!!”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
The Imperial Secret Service.
An organization that directly executes The Emperor’s will.
The agents of the Imperial Secret Service—intelligence gathering, assassination, infiltration, sabotage.
They were composed of versatile specialists who excelled in every conceivable field.
Because of this, it was extremely rare for them all to gather in one place.
Even in my past life, such occurrences were uncommon.
Whenever they assembled in their entirety, The Emperor’s shadow always materialized.
“The Imperial Secret Service agents converged on the Battenberg Kingdom.”
“….”
“At first, I thought it was related to the Whitewolf Territory, but… it wasn’t.”
Marzen continued in a low voice.
“The Imperial Secret Service infiltrated the Battenberg Royal Palace, awakened The King, and turned him into a puppet.”
The Royal Palace’s stringent security?
It was useless before the Imperial Secret Service.
“And they disrupted the Royal Palace’s administrative networks and personnel systems, while manipulating public opinion in the Capital.”
The Imperial Secret Service—specialists specialized in infiltration, manipulation, and sabotage of all kinds.
Disrupting administrative networks, manipulating prices.
Turning the people against their king, sabotaging infrastructure, manipulating public opinion—
none of it mattered to them.
“They prepared meticulously and thoroughly. To strip Blake of his traitor’s stigma.”
“….”
“And to crown Blake as king.”
Now I could finally understand.
Why The King had awakened so suddenly, unlike in my past life.
“Then The King wasn’t….”
“Blake didn’t kill him.”
Of course not.
If they’d awakened The King to make Blake king, they wouldn’t have killed him before he could even speak.
Therefore, there was only one person who could have murdered The King.
Only one.
“Prince Leon. He’s the one who killed The King.”
“….”
“Whether he knew all these circumstances, or had different reasons—I cannot say.”
…He probably did know.
Even if not everything, he certainly knew.
Leon’s current ability—his Clairvoyance.
That fraudulent power that even grasped the connection between Queen Marceline and the Fallen Soul Worshippers.
And the Dragon Stone Pendant I gave him amplified that fraudulence even further.
He would have seen through the Special Operations Bureau’s meticulous planning entirely.
Leon must have sensed The King’s abnormality and that outside forces were at play.
‘So that’s why….’
Leon killed The King.
To protect the kingdom and its people from those outside forces.
He chose to bear the stigma of treason himself.
“Even the Special Operations Bureau seemed flustered.”
The King was supposed to clear Blake of his traitor’s status.
But he died before he could even speak.
Their meticulously laid plan crumbled completely.
“From the moment The King died, Blake could no longer become king.”
Even if Leon became a traitor.
Blake was also a traitor.
Eliminate one traitor and crown another as king?
It wasn’t easy.
But it wasn’t entirely impossible either.
“That’s why they haven’t immediately executed Prince Leon for treason.”
They needed to secure another justification.
A plausible legitimacy for crowning Blake as king.
I don’t know what it is.
But in this moment.
The Special Operations Bureau is undoubtedly working tirelessly behind the scenes to manipulate public opinion and secure justification.
I genuinely praised Marzen.
“…You’ve exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d investigate this thoroughly.”
Marzen’s lips curved upward.
It was a smile tinged with pride he couldn’t suppress.
“Aren’t you underestimating me?”
Apparently, I had been.
In my past life, Marzen had only suffered at Leon’s hands.
So without realizing it, I’d underestimated him as well.
There was a reason Marzen survived in Inforen, the information city, and rose to become Chancellor of the Distribution Bureau.
Of course, his position as Chancellor was largely due to my influence… but still.
“I should get going now.”
There was no time to waste here.
I had to overturn the board before the Special Operations Bureau made another move.
Control information, erase evidence.
Manipulate records, silence witnesses.
All of that would take them less than a day.
So even now, I felt we were already dangerously behind.
While I’d been unconscious since the incident at Langritd Magic Tower, the Special Operations Bureau had surely made many preparations.
I left the Predator Restaurant immediately.
“Wait! At least tell me what happened at Langritd Magic Tower—!”
…I deliberately ignored Marzen’s voice calling from behind.
* * *
After leaving the Predator Restaurant.
I quickened my pace.
As I exited Frecce, I organized my thoughts calmly.
The Imperial Secret Service had gotten involved.
And all their agents had been deployed.
Moving alone against them was… honestly, impossible.
I needed help from someone.
‘But that’s not an option.’
The risk was too great.
Just confronting the Special Operations Bureau itself was dangerous enough.
‘Leon definitely killed The King.’
It wasn’t a false accusation.
In other words, Leon is a traitor.
I’m someone trying to help such a traitor.
A fellow traitor.
Anyone associated with me would be branded as an accomplice and fellow traitor.
‘I cannot drag others into this.’
I had to consider the worst-case scenario.
Even if I were captured, Whitewolf Territory had to remain uninvolved.
Fortunately, I had little direct connection to the territory.
I was merely the illegitimate son.
The Count was Seraphia.
I was no longer the black sheep of Count Whitewolf’s House, though officially I remained a documented problem child cast out from the family.
‘I must act alone.’
Leaving the territory behind.
All suspicion directed toward me.
Of course, that didn’t mean I would move as Adrian Whitewolf.
I was merely preparing for the worst possibility.
I intended to operate under a different identity.
‘Kim Fujiwara won’t do.’
Given the Runesteel contract matter’s connection to The Empire, involvement in this incident would be problematic.
Especially since the Imperial Secret Service had intervened.
Every single agent of theirs.
No matter how covertly I acted, there was a risk of exposure.
In that sense, it would be reckless.
Facing the entire Imperial Secret Service alone would be… nearly suicidal.
If I were my former self.
But now it was different.
I was no longer Predator of the Allied Forces.
A Perfect Lifeform.
Now I possessed equal combat strength against all members of the Imperial Secret Service.
No—superior strength.
‘First, I’ll change my appearance.’
I pulled a mirror from my inventory.
* * *
A prison without even a window.
Darkness without a single ray of light.
Leon was losing his senses.
The only sensations he could perceive were the stench of blood and the reek of mold.
At least the chains had been removed.
After all, he was a prince’s body.
Moreover, as the crown prince on the eve of his investiture ceremony, this was the minimum courtesy he could obtain.
‘How much time has passed.’
He could not gauge either the hours or the days.
A space with no one, no one at all.
Leon reached out his hand.
But all his fingers touched was a thick stone wall….
‘A stone wall?’
Leon fumbled across the surface with his outstretched hand.
The texture was hard and rigid, like rock.
But something about the surface felt wrong.
A subtle elasticity that gave slightly under pressure.
Fine undulations flowing across the surface.
Not a stone wall at all—it felt exactly like human muscle—.
“Your Highness, it is I.”
Leon jolted upright in alarm.
A scream was about to escape his lips when—
A rough hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him.
“Mmph, ugh! Mmmph!”
“Your Highness, please calm yourself. It is I, Adrian.”
“…Ugh?”
What did he just say?
‘Adrian…?’

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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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