The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 104: The Forgotten Truth (2) (Part 1)

The County had just taken its first steps toward revival.

Still, the general framework and systems were already in place.

However, it would take at least a month to reach the royal capital.
In other words, I’d have to be away for a minimum of a month.

That meant I needed to reinforce everything so that things would proceed smoothly in my absence.

“Is there anything from earlier that you didn’t understand?”

At my words, the Chief Steward, Bernard, fell into deep thought.
Soon after, he gave a firm nod.

“I understand everything.”

I asked a few follow-up questions, and sure enough, he really did get it.
Bernard was quite reliable… but—

‘Bernard… I’ve never seen a Favorability message from him.’

Come to think of it, Bernard’s Favorability had never shown up.
In fact, I didn’t really know anything about him at all.

He was brought in by my father.
It was my father who appointed him Chief Steward.

I didn’t even have any information from my previous life.
I had no clue whether Bernard had survived the war or not.

I never really cared, nor did I think it was important—so I never looked into it.
I even forgot his name at one point.

All I knew about Bernard was that he was a principled man who highly valued discipline.

‘Totally unreadable.’

Just like Isolde, I couldn’t read him at all.
And yet, even unreadable Isolde had triggered a Favorability message.

‘Hmm.’

A sudden curiosity welled up in me.
I activated Predatory Instincts [S], and information related to Bernard surfaced before my eyes.

====
Name: Bernard Neville
Category: Animalia, Mammalia, Homo Sapiens
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Trait: Versatility [G]

…There was nothing particularly notable.
The only thing that stood out was his Versatility [G] trait.

◆ Versatility [G]
: The user possesses exceptional situational judgment and environmental adaptability, enabling them to handle various situations proficiently. While it’s difficult to achieve mastery in any specific field, the user excels in comprehensive problem-solving, analyzing situations swiftly and presenting optimal solutions.

The rank was [G], which stands for Grand.
It was a rank I hadn’t seen before.

Unlike the biological evolution ranks (F to S), this was a special trait rank with a different system.

Apparently, there were other ranks I wasn’t aware of.

It seemed to be one step above Rare [R], and one below Unique [U].

So the revised order would be:
Rare [R] < Grand [G] < Unique [U] < Epic [E] < Legendary [L] < Mythical [M] < Primordial [P]

A well-rounded talent worthy of the name “Grand.”
However, as the description said, it was hard to become an expert in any single domain.

Still, for a Chief Steward acting as the lord’s deputy, it was a brilliant gift.
Now I understood why my father had trusted him at such a young age.

It also explained how he was able to understand all my instructions just now.

‘Hmm.’

That was about as much as I could learn with Predatory Instincts [S].
I tried using Find Weakness [U] just in case, but it wasn’t helpful.

In short, I still had no idea why his Favorability message wasn’t appearing…

“I’ll proceed without delay.”

…In many ways, Bernard was an enigma.

In the middle of the snowfield plains.

Tents were quietly pitched against the biting wind.

Though icy gusts blew in from all sides, the smoke from the campfire inside rose up as white vapor, softening the chill.

Outside those tents, Vister recruits were half-buried in snow, writhing in pain.

“Ugh, urgh…!”
“Ahhhh!”

This wasn’t basic training—it was guerrilla training.
An intense tactical endurance course meant to simulate actual combat.

“Haah… haah…!”
“I—I think I’m going to die…!”

Even for Visters, it was hell.

Still, perhaps because they were used to brawling all day, every day—

‘They’re holding up better than I expected.’

They were enduring guerrilla training better than even veteran soldiers, who often balked at it.

In fact, it’s a tough course even for the instructors themselves.
Normally, the higher-ups would just dump the task on underlings, but—

“You’re here, Lord Adrian.”

Kai, the one in charge of this training, wasn’t just supervising—he was undergoing the guerrilla training alongside them.

And yet, his body was completely unscathed.
Not even his breathing was labored.

‘He’s basically a Lich.’

No joke—calling him a Lich wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
I checked with Predatory Instincts [S], and sure enough, he had reached a full-fledged Master level.

With Serapia fully recovered as well, the synergy between them had strengthened Kai’s Undying Reliance [E] trait.

If before, he was a “zombie” who lived so long as his body didn’t fall apart,
Now, he was like a “vampire” who could recover from fatal wounds.

Fortunately (?) the rank hadn’t upgraded.
But at this growth rate?

Becoming a Lich was only a matter of time.
No, perhaps even surpassing a Lich.

But a Lich, along with a Death Knight, is a top-tier undead entity.
The only thing above a Lich would be a Monarch of Undeath.

In other words—Kai might actually become Monarch-level.

‘Has he lost his mind?’

He was insane—truly.

Just as I had surpassed my past life’s Predator,
Kai was now outpacing the Commander of the Frost Legion.

If there was a silver lining, it was that Kai’s immortality would end if Serapia died…

‘I swear, Ian, that bastard…’

Ian’s whereabouts remained unknown.
And Serapia’s fate was just as unclear.

…In any case.

Looking around, I saw the recruits taking a brief moment to rest now that I had arrived.

They collapsed in the snow, catching their breath and wiping off their sweat,
But fear still lingered in their eyes—training could resume at any moment.

‘Just like the special ops guys.’

It reminded me of the old days during the Allied Forces.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips.

“Kai, you may have heard, but—”

I told Kai that I’d be heading to the royal capital.

He listened intently, then nodded.

“Then I shall prepare as well.”

He turned to make preparations for the journey.

“Kai, you’re staying here.”

At my words, Kai stopped in his tracks.

“…What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. Kai, you’re staying in the County.”
“I cannot accept that.”

Kai responded without hesitation.

His blue opal-like eyes glimmered with unshakable resolve.

“I must escort Lady Serapia all the way to the capital.”

Kai was determined to follow—no matter what.
And frankly, that was expected.
He lived for Serapia, and would die for her.

Not a metaphor—his Dependent Undeath [E] worked exactly that way.

“If you leave, who’s going to command the recruits left behind?”
“The instructors at the County—”
“Do you really think the instructors and soldiers here can control them?”

There were 2,132 recruits.

Sheer numbers alone made them overwhelming.
And they were all Visters by origin.

Right now, they’d submitted to me.
But it was too soon to say they were truly loyal.

If I left?

No one could predict what might happen.
They could even revolt, and it wouldn’t be surprising.

Baoless, the lawless city, was born in just such a way.

Sure, the circumstances were different.
But the County of Whitewolf could become the next lawless zone.

“There’s no one else I can trust to protect the County while I’m gone, but you, Kai.”

That was why Kai had to stay behind.
Having fully ascended as a Master, the current Kai was more than capable of commanding and controlling thousands of Vister’s Members.

“…Even so.”

Kai’s voice wavered.
A brief conflict flickered in his blue opal-like eyes.
He lowered his head and fell into silence.

Translatin_Otaku

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