The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 105: Journey to the Capital (1) (Part 1)

Thanks to the memories of my past life, I was able to compile a full list of monsters with rare abilities I needed to get with Predation [S+].

Before officially beginning my journey to the capital, I made a brief stop in Frecce.

There were new recruits to resupply and raw materials needed by the residents of the territory.
Not to mention the need to continue delivering daily necessities to the County.

“Don’t worry!! I’ll manage everything without a hitch!!”

Adelon shouted confidently.
It wasn’t an exaggeration—he was just as reliable as Kai or Bernard.

“The payment will come from the Predator Restaurant.”

Though the amount of money stored in my Inventory was absurd,
the revenue from the Predator Restaurant was equally ridiculous.

Average daily profit: about 100,000 gold.
That was on par with the monthly revenue of a mid-sized merchant group.

‘Though we are starting to run out of stock…’

Supply couldn’t keep up with demand.
Only I could provide monster meat, after all.

‘The Infinite Meat from the Ice Trolls didn’t work out, huh.’

To remove the monster frenzy, I had to use Predation [S+].
But if I used Predation [S+],
the Ice Troll’s Regeneration ability would disappear.
Ultimately, an endless supply of monster meat was structurally impossible.

It really drove home how broken the power of Infinite [M] was.

Anyway.

‘Once I get back from the capital, I’ll need to fully expand the Predator Merchant Group too.’

By then, the residents of the County would start producing decent goods.
To advertise, distribute, and sell those goods across the continent, the current scale of the Predator Merchant Group wouldn’t be enough.

With that in mind—
“Adelon, go fetch the best quality wine we have in storage.”

“Y-Yes, sir…?”

Adelon tilted his head side to side, confused, and asked again:

“May I ask what you plan to use it for? Depending on whether it’s a gift or for personal consumption—”

“I’ve been invited to the Royal Social Circle this time.”

Strictly speaking, it was Serapia who received the invitation, not me—but close enough.

“I’m planning to recommend your wine there.”

“…Y-Yes?!”

Adelon froze mid-movement.
He clearly didn’t understand what I had just said.

“Did you forget who I am?”

“Ah…!”

Only then did Adelon widen his eyes.
He had momentarily forgotten that I was the direct heir of the House of Whitewolf.

In any case, the profits a merchant could gain from entering high society were incalculable.
Especially for Adelon, who targeted the upper class as his main clientele.
And this wasn’t just any social circle—it was the royal one.

“T-T-That…! That’s…!!”

“What’s taking so long? Go fetch it.”

“I-I’ll bring it right away! Please wait just a moment! Just a tiny moment!”

Adelon scurried off toward the warehouse in a hurry.

I thought it might take a while, but Adelon came back quickly.
He must have had a hidden secret weapon for situations like this.

Oddly enough, the wine he brought had a deep brown color—unusual for wine.

“This one’s called Peanut Wine!”

“Peanut Wine?”

I’d never heard of it before.
Not even in my past life.
Wine, by definition, is made from fermented grapes—so what’s with the peanuts?

“I developed it myself!”

“You did?”

“Yes! It’s made by fermenting peanuts with honey, giving it both a rich nuttiness and a sweet flavor!”

…It actually sounded pretty good.

“The blend of sweet, nutty taste with a smooth finish and a deep, weighty aftertaste—I can confidently say it’s a masterpiece!”

“Can I taste it?”

“Ah, well… this is the only bottle we have…”

Adelon scratched his head awkwardly.

“The truth is… I blew through all the money you gave me, and this was the only thing I managed to make…”

“All of it?”

“Hehe…”

He was more serious about wine than I expected.
In any case, since there was only one bottle, I couldn’t just drink it myself.

“I’ll be looking forward to a good result.”

The moment I took the Peanut Wine from him, Adelon dropped flat on the ground, prostrating himself.

◆ Adelon’s Affection Level has reached its maximum!

A translucent message floated up at the same time.

◆ Error: Adelon is a character who cannot reach the [Affection] state.
◆ Affection Block Conditions – Same Gender, Savior
◆ As long as the block conditions remain, [Affection] cannot be achieved.
◆ Adelon’s current affinity level is [Trust].
◆ A person in the [Trust] state will believe in and rely on you completely, following you in all things.
◆ Adelon will willingly endure personal losses for your sake.

And with that—

“For Adrian-nim first!! And second, I swear loyalty to money!!”

I’d successfully maxed out Adelon’s favorability and recruited him as the Branch Manager of the Predator Merchant Group.

—Lady Serapia. The meal is ready.

A sudden voice called out from outside the carriage.

“…Hik!”

Serapia’s small shoulders flinched.
She hurriedly wiped the drool from her lips and looked out the window—
The sky had already grown dim.

She straightened her wrinkled clothes and ran her hand through her tousled hair.

Then, as she opened the carriage door—

“Let’s finish before the sun sets!”

Soldiers were hammering stakes into the ground to set up the campsite.

“Everyone, it’s time to eat!”

On the other side, maids were moving quickly with food supplies and cooking tools.

Warm meat stew and freshly baked bread.
Steam rose from the makeshift stove, filling the air with a delicious aroma.
One by one, the soldiers gathered around for their meal.
Serapia called out to one of them.

“Um, excuse me…!”

“Yes, ma’am! Did you call for me?”

The soldier sprinted over and saluted immediately.
Serapia looked around, then asked him:

“Is my brother in the carriage?”

“If you mean Sir Adrian, he left a while ago to scout the area around the camp.”

“Scout?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s been some time, so he should return soon.”

“…Ah! Thank you for telling me.”

“Not at all! If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call for me!”

The soldier saluted again before dashing off to the dining area.
A maid, who had come to wake Serapia earlier, spoke next.

“Lady Serapia, please come eat too.”

“I’ll eat a bit later.”

Serapia sat on the edge of the carriage.
She quietly watched the soldiers eating around the campfire.

They were scarfing down stew and bread with gusto.

“Whoa! How does it taste this good?!”

“This is a hundred times better than anything we ate back in the County!”

Their faces were full of joy as they joked and laughed through their meal.

‘I’ll wait and eat with brother later.’

She imagined the natural flow of conversation that would follow.
Serapia’s mind buzzed with possible topics she could talk about with Adrian.
Her heart fluttered with excitement.

“The bread’s good and all, but this stew? This stew is insane.”

“You probably won’t even find food like this in the capital.”

“I bet not even the royal chef could make this!”

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“…Maybe.”

The soldiers’ boisterous chatter around the fire only amplified Serapia’s anticipation and excitement.

The capital of the Battenberg Kingdom was located in the heart of the continent.
Climatically, it belonged to a temperate zone.
It had four distinct seasons and was home to a wide variety of natural environments.

Translatin_Otaku

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