The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 98

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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 98. The End of a Long Winter (2)
Adlern was seething with rage at Craven’s tyranny.
His rough, labored breathing showed no signs of calming down.
“Is the Magic Tower not a sanctuary of knowledge where one learns and researches magic? Especially the Langritd Magic Tower!”
The Langritd Magic Tower, founded by Arcanis Rilsein, the first mage.
Its founding purpose was to create an environment where anyone could freely research and create magic.
But as the long years passed.
Arcanis’s pure aspirations were forgotten.
Those who should have dedicated themselves to the world’s truths monopolized knowledge for their own gain.
They colluded with power.
And formed their own privileged class, denying opportunities to other mages.
I wasn’t ignorant of these facts either.
‘But I never expected it to be this severe.’
I hadn’t realized the corruption ran this deep.
I had only ever experienced one Magic Tower.
The Mage Corps of the Allied Forces.
The Mage Corps under Iliana’s command could be called the only true Magic Tower on the Continent at that time.
Anyone in the Allied Forces could enlist if they had the will to learn, and knowledge and truth were open to all.
No wonder the Mage Corps’ motto was “We seek truth at the boundaries of the battlefield.”
Because of that, I had assumed all Magic Towers on the Continent were similar.
But they weren’t.
The current Langritd Magic Tower was deeply corrupt.
Perhaps Iliana had strictly controlled the Mage Corps precisely to avoid repeating the irregularities of the Langritd Magic Tower.
“Still… it seems they haven’t touched Iliana.”
Adlern spoke as though Craven were at least recyclable garbage.
But garbage was still garbage.
‘I need to dispose of it.’
I had to deal with Craven, the Stone Seat Mage.
I couldn’t leave Iliana under such a garbage mage.
But.
‘I can’t afford to act directly.’
The Langritd Magic Tower wasn’t easy to raid like the Beneron Barony.
To put it bluntly, assassinating Craven was impossible.
The security of the Continent’s greatest Magic Tower.
It was not to be taken lightly.
The authority of a Stone Seat Mage was also not a matter to be dismissed.
No matter how much of a garbage mage, he was a ‘Stone Seat’ Mage.
His abilities were not to be underestimated.
Even if I somehow managed to assassinate Craven.
I had no certainty that my identity wouldn’t be exposed.
I couldn’t simply let it slide like Baron Beneron had.
In truth, Baron Beneron hadn’t let it slide either.
Even now, the Royal Investigation Unit was conducting a thorough inquiry.
Langrit Tower would also investigate the Stone Seat Mage’s assassination meticulously, and mage investigations were far more meticulous than one might imagine.
Therefore, direct assassination was difficult.
Then.
There was only one method.
Thud—!
I pulled a large box from my inventory and placed it on the counter.
“Five thousand platinum coins. A total of five million gold.”
“Hiii—?!?!”
Adlern jumped up as if fainting, startled.
The value that five million gold possessed.
There was no way Adlern, an executive of the Merchant Guild, wouldn’t know.
“Establish a phantom merchant company with this money and make contact with Craven.”
“Is this… undercover work…?!”
“Yes. Gather evidence related to Craven’s misconduct, piece by piece.”
But this alone was insufficient.
Just as foul-smelling people must band together for the stench to be masked, those covering for Craven’s misconduct would be rampant within the Tower.
Evidence of misconduct alone wouldn’t be enough to bring Craven down.
Thump—!
I pulled out another box containing ten thousand platinum coins.
In other words, ten million gold.
“Use this money to cooperate with the Mage Association and bribe the elders of Langrit Tower.”
“Th-that means…!”
“First, politically isolate Craven from Langrit Tower. And—.”
I had no intention of stopping here.
The fundamental cause was the corruption of Langrit Tower itself.
It wasn’t merely Craven’s problem alone.
In other words, for Iliana to live without psychological stress and at peace, I would need to overhaul Langrit Tower entirely.
“Gather all possible information about Langrit Tower’s activities, external contacts, exchanges, meetings, and transactions—along with the bribed elders.”
“The entire Tower, you say…?”
“Yes, and don’t forget to keep detailed ledgers.”
“B-but why…?”
“When the time comes, I’ll detonate the phantom merchant company and expose all of Langrit Tower’s misconduct at once.”
Gulp…!
Adlern swallowed hard, his eyes trembling.
He hadn’t expected I would go this far.
But then again, I had erased the Lawless City, Violess, from the map.
Of course, Langrit Tower was a colossal force incomparable to Violess—.
There was nothing I couldn’t accomplish.
“B-but, you see…!”
Adlern glanced at my expression and held up a finger.
A box of gold coins sitting on the counter.
A total of 15 million gold.
It would be strange not to notice such an amount.
“Even after handling everything you instructed, this is far too much…”
“The rest is your compensation for the trouble. Use it wisely as you see fit.”
“Gggggaaaaahhhhh?!?!?”
Adlern’s body trembled violently, as though struck by lightning magic.
“This task will be too difficult to handle alone, so cooperate with the Mercenary Guild and proceed with trustworthy mercenaries.”
For some reason, Adlern didn’t respond.
As expected.
“Grrrraaaaaahhhhh?!?!”
Adlern collapsed, foam spilling from his mouth.
* * *
After much difficulty, I managed to explain all the operational details to Adlern.
As I left the shop—
The sun had begun to set, painting all of Frecce in the serene hues of twilight.
The sky burned with crimson and gold.
I walked through the streets of Frecce, organizing my thoughts.
‘I can leave the Magic Tower matters to Adlern.’
The real problem was the pressure from the Marquis Segretus Family.
I had spoken boldly, but it was no simple task.
The Chancellor of the Battenberg Kingdom, Baron Segretus.
The authority and influence wielded by a chancellor as a political leader were formidable.
A mere county—especially one as remote as Whitewolf Territory—could not stand against such power.
‘I need to strengthen not just myself, but the power and influence of Whitewolf Territory.’
I needed to focus on building up the strength and influence of Whitewolf Territory in every way possible.
‘Besides, I was planning to establish the Allied Forces anyway.’
I summoned the information regarding my territory quest before my eyes.
==[Recruit Soldiers!]==
[Objective] – Train Vister into a standing army.
[Reward] – Massive experience points
[Failure] – 「Management Mode」 function restricted
A standing army referred to a military force dedicated exclusively to combat preparation.
Unlike conscripted forces that imposed mandatory military service on territory residents, a standing army continued training without disbanding even during peacetime.
In simple terms, it was a quest to turn criminals into soldiers.
The clear reward was massive experience points.
An exceptionally important and necessary reward.
However, the penalty for failure was equally important….
‘Now that I think about it….’
Come to think of it, there was still a Territory Quest I hadn’t cleared.
==[The Authority of a Lord Stems from Responsibility and Duty]==
[Objective] – Within 90 days, raise the Territory residents’ favorability to [Trust] status.
[Reward] – 【Lord】 Authority
[Penalty for Refusal] – Forfeiture of the 「Management Mode」 function.
I had received this Quest two months ago.
‘So roughly a month remains.’
Currently, the Territory residents’ favorability was at [Favorable] status.
There was one stage left before reaching [Trust], the clear condition.
Function restriction versus function forfeiture.
Naturally, forfeiture was the greater penalty—.
‘I can just handle both at once.’
Solving both would be the end of it.
I strode purposefully through the streets of Frecce, painted in the hues of the setting sun.
And right then.
“Adrian!”
From a distance, a member of the Predator Merchant Company came rushing toward me, gasping for breath.
The merchant employee stood before me, breathing heavily.
It seemed something had happened.
“What’s the matter?”
“Haa… well, it’s not that anything’s wrong, sir….”
The merchant employee took a moment to steady his ragged breathing.
Soon, he handed me something rectangular from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“It’s a letter left behind by someone named Iliana.”
“…Iliana?”
I accepted the letter the merchant employee offered.
The firmly sealed letter showed no signs of being opened in the middle.
As I broke the seal and examined its contents, the paper was filled with handwriting pressed firmly into the page.
====
Hello, Adrian.
I had originally intended to greet you in person.
But you seem busy….
And I’m ashamed to face you….
Even if we were to meet again, I don’t think I could speak properly….
So I’m leaving this letter instead.
I’m still uncertain whether sending such a letter is appropriate.
I’m going back to the Magic Tower to take the official mage examination!!
To be honest, I’ve been agonizing over this quite a bit.
Whether someone like me is even worthy of receiving such support.
Why Adrian would sponsor someone like me.
Adrian said I have exceptional potential, but I wasn’t sure if I could truly live up to those expectations.
But!!
I’ll study hard every single day and grow, becoming such a brilliant mage that Adrian will be proud of me!!
Even if my efforts and passion are humble.
I want to work hard with the hope that it becomes a small repayment for Adrian’s trust!!
If there’s anything you’re curious about, any research you need, or anything else I can help with, please tell me anytime!
I’ll solve it even if I have to stay up all night!
Even if it’s research into infinity itself, I’m more than willing!!
I want to repay Adrian’s trust in me this way.
Of course, Adrian said he doesn’t expect anything in return, but still!!
And finally….
You must stay healthy!!
Every single day, I’ll sincerely, truly, genuinely pray that Adrian stays healthy and happy!!
-Iliana-
P.S
I’ll send you letters
often and frequently!!
I’ll contact you.
I’ll send you a letter!!!
====
It happened the moment I finished reading the entire letter.
◆Your favorability with Iliana has reached its maximum!!
Suddenly, a translucent message regarding Iliana’s favorability appeared before my eyes.
◆Error: Iliana is a character who cannot reach the [Affection] state.
◆Favorability Obstruction Factor – A father-like patron
◆You cannot reach the [Affection] state unless you remove the favorability obstruction factor.
◆Your favorability with Iliana is in the [Trust] state.
…This was quite bewildering.
It’s natural that I can’t reach the [Affection] state, but the commander of the Mage Corps thinks of me as a father figure?
The sponsorship amount wasn’t insignificant, but still—a father?
‘…Well, I suppose.’
Iliana grew up without knowing paternal love at all.
Her mother passed away after giving birth to her, so Iliana had never experienced the unconditional love that comes from having parents.
At this point, Iliana is only sixteen years old.
Unlike my previous life, she was still a girl who needed parental care and affection.
Especially given how extremely sensitive her intellectual senses are, causing all things and people to become sources of mental stress for her.
But it was the opposite.
It was the same as saying I could understand and empathize with all things and people on a deeper level.
‘It’s not too late yet.’
If I cared for Iliana properly from this moment forward, she wouldn’t have to be broken.
If I helped her better understand and utilize the purity and emotions she currently possessed.
If I provided Iliana with the right environment to grow and a foundation she could trust.
Then Iliana could become an existence that illuminated The Continent with her unique light.
She could grow into a Grand Mage who surpassed her previous life.
After all, despite being mentally broken, Iliana had become a hero of the Allied Forces for the sake of people.
I carefully folded Iliana’s letter and placed it in my inventory.
And that was when it happened.
◆Seraphia’s affection toward you has reached its limit!!
Suddenly, a translucent message regarding Seraphia’s affection appeared before my eyes?
Moreover, it was a message saying she’d reached a ‘limit’ rather than the maximum affection—.
◆The affection of your territory’s residents has risen dramatically!!!
Now another message appeared, this time about the residents’ affection rising?
◆The affection of your territory’s residents has reached the [Trust] state!
◆Those in [Trust] state believe in you completely, rely on you, and will follow you in all things.
◆Your residents will gladly bear losses for your sake.
And just like that, they entered the [Trust] state—.
◆You have cleared the Territory Quest [A Lord’s Authority Comes from Responsibility and Duty]!
◆You have obtained 1,714,500 Quest Experience!
Just as the territory quest cleared on its own—.
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
My level had risen by +3 levels—.
‘What?’
…I had no idea what was happening in the Whitewolf Territory now, but my head was already throbbing.
* * *
A soft, ticklish sensation at the corners of her eyes.
Seraphia slowly opened her eyes to that strange sensation.
Yet that feeling was somehow unfamiliar.
It was as if she had awakened from a deep and lengthy sleep—mysteriously refreshed and invigorated.
But when was the last time she had slept so peacefully?
The memory was hazy.
Moreover, this was the first time she had opened her eyes without pain anywhere in her body….
‘Huh…?’
For some reason, her body felt incredibly light and warm.
So—.
‘Huh…?’
…It didn’t hurt at all?

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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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