The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 101: Revival (2) (Part 2)

“Also, most of them used to beat the hell out of each other. And they grew up in lawless areas like Baoless, so conflict is bound to happen.”
“I’ll enforce the County’s military law strictly.”
“That’s fine, but if possible, leave it to the discretion of each sergeant. A little brawling is fine—just don’t overdo the punishments.”
“Understood.”
“But.”

Adrian’s red eyes glinted as he continued.

“If it leads to injustice, harms the territory’s citizens, or escalates to heinous crimes—kill them without mercy.”
“……”
“Do you understand?”
“…I understand.”

When Kai gave a firm nod, Adrian rose from his seat.
He walked out of the command tent.

“Where are you going?”
“There’s still something I need to do.”

Leaving behind a cryptic remark, Adrian vanished into the snowy night.

The plaza in the wide County.

Hundreds of women bustled in organized chaos.

On one side, hands worked busily at weaving cloth. On the other, fabrics were pulled from large vats filled with dyes.

Pottery was being shaped.
Wood was carved into daily utensils.
But the results were far from pretty.

“Ah… oh, no!”

Cloth tangled into a mess.

“W-why is this…?”

Dye stained in eerie patterns.

“Oh dear…”

Pottery cracked in multiple places.

It was a complete disaster.

Everyone stood disheartened, unsure of what to do—until Adrian appeared, examining the dyeing station and spreading a piece of cloth.

“Adjust the dye concentration. The color will fade during distribution, so it needs to be deeper than this.”
“…Ah, yes!”

The women carefully handled the dye as instructed by Adrian.

Next, Adrian picked up the tangled cloth.

“This section will become sturdier if you cross the threads at right angles. Get used to using a little more finger strength.”
“Y-Yes…!”

Following Adrian’s guidance, the women began untangling the threads calmly.

The process of painting intricate patterns onto pottery,
Of crafting wooden utensils,
all began to unfold in an orderly fashion under Adrian’s supervision.

Though still clumsy and unskilled—
“No one starts out perfect. Success is just the accumulation of small efforts, repeated daily. Even the ruined dyes and shattered pots… become masterpieces, one by one.”

Adrian encouraged the women—

“What you’re doing isn’t mere labor. You’re building a future of abundance for your children.”

He instilled pride and motivation in them.

“You are the roots—the foundation—of this County.”

And with that, confidence and familiarity returned to their hands.

Watching from a distance was Serapia.

Her eyes fixed on Adrian.

‘Brother… you’re so cool…!!’

Her gaze filled with indescribable admiration and pride.

There was no trace of the old, reckless Adrian.

He truly seemed like a different man now.

Yet his long lashes and sharp jawline,
The cold, mysterious air about him,
His bangs gently falling over his forehead, the clearly defined features, and the fierce charisma that seemed to pierce through everything—

He’d only grown more dazzling in her absence.
But he was still Adrian.

Perhaps that’s why—

‘I hope it stays like this…’

Serapia couldn’t help but wish for more moments like these.

After all—

There was a time when Adrian said he had no intention of becoming the head of the House of Whitewolf or the Lord of the County.

Though now… that no longer seemed true.

To anyone watching, he was already the family head.
He was already the lord of the land.

But whether Adrian had changed his mind… she honestly didn’t know.

‘He said he still had something to do.’

What that was, remained a mystery.

But he had once said—
That once it was done, he would leave the family.
That there would be no reason to meet Serapia again.

Still—until that time came—

She could remain by his side.

‘I definitely will!’

She would make sure Adrian changed his mind for good.

Serapia clenched both fists tightly.

The medicine Adrian made for her—

It had made her stronger, tougher than before.

The knowledge she had studied day and night,
The sleepless nights spent practicing,
The failures and experiences—

Now was the time to pour all of it into action, so it wouldn’t go to waste.

“This corner—try smoothing it out more. It’ll feel much softer to the touch.”
“Ah…! You’re right. Thank you, Lady Serapia.”

“For the pottery patterns, I think something a bit more ornate would help. You want them to catch the eye at the market.”
“Then how about this kind of design?”
“It’s lovely! But… you’ll need to finish it with a more delicate touch.”

“Um, Lady Serapia… could you take a look at mine too?”
“Of course!”

Serapia moved around the workshop nonstop, tending to the details Adrian had missed with her own subtle sense of precision.

The Count’s Castle overlooking the County.

Night fell over the snowy land.

But the lights in the tent camp and the plaza still shone bright.

I sat in my room at the castle, pressing my temples firmly.

New recruits: 2,132.
Townsfolk: 391.
Total: 2,523 people.

I had used [Predatory Instincts – S] on every single one of them.

Because people are not all the same.

Even among the Visters who fought every day—
Not all of them were the same.

Some lacked combat skills.
Some were older.
Some had joined the Visters only out of desperation, unable to endure exploitation.

Some weren’t violent by nature.
Some were simply unfit for battle due to physical limitations.

It wouldn’t do to organize them all the same way, ignoring those differences.

So, I used [Predatory Instincts – S] to determine each person’s unique talents—
And assigned them the most suitable roles and military classes accordingly.

The headache from doing so was splitting my skull, but—

The recruits were progressing smoothly under Kai’s command.
The townsfolk under Serapia’s.

“Still… the structure and framework are more or less complete…”

Clearing the Territory Quest, which would yield massive EXP, was just a matter of time.

Just as I was massaging my temples—

Knock knock.

A sudden knock on the door.

—“Lord Adrian, it’s Bernard.”

“Come in.”

With my permission, Bernard entered, his hair slicked back neatly as always.

But something in his expression was off.
It looked like something serious had happened.

“What is it?”
“Well… a guest has just arrived in the County.”

My eyes widened instinctively.

And for good reason.

The Viscounty of Benneron—the one that had troubled me so much—was no more.

So at this late hour, in this remote and barren County,
there could only be one visitor.

‘Ian!’

Ian had returned.

Translatin_Otaku

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