The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 61

—————

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

—————

Chapter 61. A Sudden Assault (1)
Beneron Barony, the territory most adjacent to Whitewolf Territory.
A baron is not a leader but a middle manager.
What they call baronies are regions arbitrarily designated by counts.
Then, for some reason, a count suddenly dies.
Or fails to leave an heir.
Or for whatever reason, when a count becomes absent from their territory, the allocated land is simply swallowed up.
That is what they call “baronies” today.
Beneron Barony was no exception.
I heard that Count Edmond died in some accident years ago.
Up to this point, it was something that could happen.
Uncommon, but it occurred frequently enough.
After all, nearly every barony and county in the kingdom was created this way.
But that “accident”—
I possessed memories from my past life as Special Forces Duke Commander, information about the future.
However, that was merely intelligence gathered after the war broke out, during my time with the Allied Forces.
In other words, from the current point where I’ve returned to the past.
I didn’t have much information, nor was it detailed, about an incident that occurred fifteen years ago.
Therefore, I couldn’t know exactly what that accident was.
But what if Avarus was involved with Count Edmond?
If Avarus had a hand in it?
In other words, if the Dark Merchant Company orchestrated all of this?
A count’s title is bestowed directly by the sovereign.
Therefore, when the succession of high nobility at the rank of count or above passes to someone other than the firstborn son or daughter, it requires the Royal Court’s permission according to royal decree.
In that sense, I maintain the authority of the firstborn until the Royal Court recognizes my father’s will.
Therefore—
‘It would have been difficult to seize the count’s title.’
The Royal Court’s direct intervention would have prevented it.
Even if they replaced Count Edmond with a homunculus, there were limits.
Even a replica homunculus couldn’t perfectly inherit complete memories.
They couldn’t deceive both the Royal Court and all the retainers beneath it.
But a baron was relatively easy.
Either deceive Count Edmond alone.
Or eliminate him entirely.
Assuming all my suspicions were true.
Roughly… the puzzle pieces began to fit together.
In the past, that is, in my previous life when I abandoned my family.
At that time too, Lycanthrope would have led his legion to assault the territory.
But in my previous life, I wasn’t there.
Kai also wouldn’t have shown such remarkable growth as he has now.
In the end, Seraphia unleashed the power of the Frost Lord.
She could have annihilated the entire legion single-handedly, but ultimately paid the price with her body.
‘Lycanthrope would have been terrified and never dared attack again.’
He was the same creature who cowered before my dragon’s wrath[E] and refused to show himself.
Against the power displayed by the Frost Lord, what more could be said?
He would have likely soiled himself and never set foot near Whitewolf Territory again.
But this time, Seraphia did not unleash her power.
Unlike my previous life, I remained in Whitewolf Territory.
My presence as a variable changed everything—I set the bait and trap, and Lycanthrope fell right into it.
Thus the process diverged.
Yet the outcome remained the same.
Regardless, Seraphia still unleashed her power.
And ultimately, she fell ill.
Therefore, just as in my previous life, Baron Beneron approached Seraphia.
Under the pretense of possessing an ‘Elixir’ that could cure her.
And in my previous life, I suspect—.
‘She accepted his marriage proposal.’
And the consequence of that choice became clear when I saw the penalty of the sudden Quest that appeared.
==[Ambushes are supposed to be sudden!]==
[Objective] – Assassinate Baron Beneron
[Reward] – Massive experience
[Failure] – 【Frost Lord】 Awakening
The Frost Lord’s awakening.
In my previous life, that was how Seraphia awakened as the Frost Lord.
Then a question arose.
‘Did Avarus know what Seraphia’s power was?’
Had Avarus approached her ‘intentionally’ to make her the Frost Lord?
Or had he simply discovered it by chance, captivated by her beauty?
Avarus is the head of the Dark Merchant Company and a corrupted worshipper who venerates the Abyss Lord.
If all of this were Avarus’s scheme.
If the Dark Merchant Company stood behind it.
‘Did the Emperor know of Seraphia even at this time?’
Was the Emperor behind this incident?
Or was only the Dark Merchant Company involved?
Or was this Avarus’s independent action?
‘I need to investigate Avarus.’
Only by probing Avarus could I learn the truth.
‘But I can’t do it alone.’
With my current combat strength, confronting Avarus would be difficult.
In fact, I would be the one at a disadvantage.
But.
Kai was pursuing me with ferocious speed.
Even with Metabolic Runaway [U] activated, Kai pursued me without difficulty.
Because of me as a variable, Kai’s growth had surpassed his previous life.
Just as I had surpassed the Predator of my previous life, Kai too had surpassed the Frost Legion Commander.
When he was an enemy, I despised him with all my heart.
‘I never thought I’d end up conducting operations with that madman.’
But as an ally, he was the most reassuring presence imaginable.
* * *
The Northern Region of The Continent was broadly divided into three areas: Snowy Mountain, Snowy Plain, and Frozen Lands.
And Beneron Barony was a territory located in the Frozen Lands.
Unlike Whitewolf Territory, which sat at the boundary between Snowy Mountain and Snowy Plain, it possessed a relatively mild climate.
But that was only in comparison to Whitewolf Territory—it was hardly truly mild.
Especially now, as the season of bitter cold approached.
From the mountain’s vantage point, the barony lay blanketed beneath thick accumulations of snow and ice.
A cold night under the full moon.
Moonlight illuminated the barony’s villages with serene quietude.
Focusing my vision further, I observed the barony’s inhabitants standing in alleys or moving slowly about.
Yet their movements carried no emotion or purpose whatsoever.
Though they appeared to be engaged in productive labor, closer inspection revealed they continued their inexplicable actions while leaving broken carts and tools scattered about.
People moving at identical speeds and rhythms, as though enchanted, acting in perfect synchronization.
I activated Predator’s Instinct [S].
‘They’re all homunculi.’
Information flooded my awareness—every person visible in my field of vision was a homunculus.
In other words, Avarus had transformed the entirety of Beneron Barony into homunculi.
Truly, the word “madman” hardly sufficed for such a creature.
Just then.
“What is our next course of action?”
Kai approached cautiously and posed the question.
Yet his breathing remained perfectly steady.
Looking closely, not a single bead of sweat graced his face.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this man was truly not a lich.
However, according to Predator’s Instinct [S], Kai’s biological classification was: Animal Kingdom, Mammalia, Primate, Human.
In other words, unmistakably human.
Regardless, now that I had confirmed the entire barony consisted of homunculi.
“We infiltrate Beneron Manor covertly and assassinate Baron Beneron.”
The Quest’s objective was assassination anyway.
Kai nodded slightly, offering no significant objection.
Kai and I cautiously infiltrated Beneron Manor, which stood imposingly at the barony’s highest point.
* * *
A manor built of sturdy timber and stone.
Up close, the manor looked like a fortress.
Moving through the darkness with my face concealed, I continued forward.
‘Those old days come to mind.’
Memories from my Special Task Force days surfaced, vivid and unbidden.
The Special Task Force I belonged to was a special operations unit under the Allied Forces Command, and the direct unit of Ian, the supreme commander of the Allied Forces.
We moved only at Ian’s command, executing various conflicts that couldn’t be classified as official warfare and special military operations that weren’t conventional combat.
Characteristically, we performed all manner of special operations for the Allied Forces—reconnaissance, special surveillance, assassination and abduction of key figures, direct strikes, hostage extraction, terrorism against critical facilities, and psychological operations.
Because the work demanded both exceptional secrecy and specialized expertise, the Special Task Force consisted only of a select few elite operatives.
As a result, the camaraderie among us was far stronger than in other units.
Family.
It was a difficult word for me, but the members of the Special Task Force were those I could call family.
And now, gazing at the full moon shining brightly overhead.
-Commander! Let’s come up with a slogan for us too!
A single memory suddenly surfaced.
-A slogan?
-We’re the only ones without one. The Operations Command, the Mage Command, the Holy Command, the Engineering Command, the Supply Command—they all have slogans.
-Those are commands led by heroes, aren’t they?
-Why shouldn’t we have one in the Special Task Force!
-That’s right!
-Our commander is our hero!
In any case, their chatter continued.
-Is a slogan really that important?
-It is!
-Then let everyone offer their opinion.
-We are the blade in the darkness. How about that?
-Rejected.
-Then what about the invisible wolves of the brush? Commander, you were born of the wolf line, weren’t you?
-Not born of the wolf line, but from a house that bears the wolf’s name. Am I a Lycanthrope?
-Either way.
-Either way, it’s rejected. I severed ties with my house over a decade ago.
-How cold.
-The Special Task Force must be cold by nature.
-That’s too much.
-I’m human. Not a weapon.
-Ugh, so boring!
-Ugh, cold and boring!
-Shut up.
-Ugh, and violent too!
-Then Commander! When silent wings take flight through the shadows of a lightless dawn, a brilliant dawn shall break forth—
-Rejected as well. That’s enough. Stop wasting time and focus on training.-
-Why don’t you create one instead?
-…Ian.
-Hmm!
-Hmm!
-A slogan isn’t merely words on a page. It inspires the morale and cohesion of soldiers, and serves to guide swift and consistent action in times of crisis.
-….
-Each command doesn’t establish a slogan for nothing.
-As expected of the Commander-in-Chief! You truly know your craft!
Unable to resist Ian’s persistence, I had no choice but to forge a slogan for the Special Task Force.
Various opinions were exchanged, and we finally reached a consensus on-.
“We hide within moonlight and walk beneath starlight.”
Just as one cannot fight in mud without becoming soiled.
The Special Task Force performed deeds lacking honor, yet our purpose always turned toward the light.
Well, all of that has become ancient history now.
“What did you just say, sir?”
“Nothing at all.”
I brushed it off carelessly, and Kai cast me a meaningful glance.
But that was only momentary.
“Infiltrating the interior of the manor appears difficult.”
Certainly, the manor’s security was formidable.
Ordinarily, the shadier the individual, the tighter the security, but this exceeded even that standard.
Moreover, all the guards were combat-type homunculi.
Killing machines with no need for sleep.
I could scarcely discern a method to infiltrate the manor without detection.
Only one option.
“We’ll need to infiltrate through the garderobe.”
Utilizing a structure known as a garderobe.
A garderobe was, in essence, a noble’s private latrine.
A toilet constructed by creating a separate protrusion in the outer wall, allowing waste to be dropped freely from within to the outside.
The opening inside was wide enough for a person to pass through. During my Special Task Force days, I had infiltrated through garderobes quite often.
But that.
Was truly a task I despised.
Waste fell freely, coating the walls in what one might call excrement, and the interior reeked so heavily of filth and maggots that one risked losing consciousness from the stench before even ascending the garderobe.
‘Hmm.’
Lifting my gaze, a full moon hung high in the sky, shining brilliantly.
Moonlight draped the manor like a silvered veil.
According to the Special Task Force’s slogan, I should have hidden within that moonlight.
…To hell with it.
I simply leaped forward and kicked down the manor’s front gate with all my might.
Kwaaaang—!
“Hey! Avarus! Get out here right now!”
* * *
The grand entrance of Beneron Manor crumbled with a deafening roar.
Kai’s thought process came to an abrupt halt.
It took considerable time to comprehend the situation.
“Are you in your right mind!?”
Was he truly insane?
“Didn’t you say this was an assassination operation against Baron Beneron!”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing right now.”
“How is this in any way an assassina—!”
“Didn’t you know?”
Adrian sharpened his nails to a lethal point.
“It’s only assassination if there are no witnesses.”
My words caught in my throat.
I truly had nothing to say.
Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!
The alarm bells rang out in a cacophony.
Soldiers and knights poured out from inside and outside the manor in an instant.
Of course they did.
It would have been strange if they hadn’t.
Standing there with a vacant expression and a dazed face.
“Oh, I should mention this beforehand.”
Adrian charged toward the soldiers and knights.
“None of these guys are human.”
As if that explained anything.
What did that have to do with kicking down the front gate?
Splurt—!
Crimson blood stained the darkness.
The moment the guard’s final breath ceased, Adrian’s eyes gleamed as he moved again.
As though he wore moonlight like a cloak.
Adrian glided like a shadow, evading enemy attacks, slipping through gaps, and subduing guards with his razor-sharp nails.
In Adrian’s wake, only silence and the scent of blood remained.
…Now I’m lost.
I slowly drew my sword.
Steadying my breath, I honed the blade with aura.
Sharp as a wolf’s fangs.
Lupine Swordsmanship. First Form.
Dance of Fangs.
My blue fangs tore through the manor’s soldiers.

—————

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

—————