The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 106: Journey to the Capital (2) (Part 2)

A Shameleon, completely frozen solid—encased in glistening ice crystals from head to toe.
Its tongue stretched out mid-strike, frozen in place.

It was that rare moment before a Shameleon attacked,
its two eyes gleaming with the thrill of a perfect ambush—
filled with utter confidence in its hunt.

Which meant…

It had no idea how—or even when—it died.
It had become pure ice.

It looked no different from a meticulously sculpted statue carved from frozen glass.

And standing in front of that ice sculpture—

“…Heh.”

Serapia was scratching her cheek awkwardly.
Her expression was one of embarrassed guilt, as if she’d just been caught red-handed.
Then, spotting me—

“Eep…!”

Her small body flinched, shoulders jerking upward.

“T-This thing suddenly jumped out at me, and I—I got startled and—!”

She flailed her hands in panic, blurting excuses in a hurry.

The sudden ambush by the Shameleon—
fortunately, it ended up being nothing more than a minor incident.

“We move immediately. Pack everything and prepare to depart.”

At my command, the soldiers and maids snapped into motion.
The fire pits were extinguished, and the clattering of luggage being loaded onto carriages echoed across the camp.

“…Um, Adrian.”

Serapia cautiously called out to me.

I stopped in my tracks.

But she couldn’t bring herself to look at my face.
Eyes darting to the side, she hesitated before finally speaking.

“So, uh… the carriage I was riding is kind of…”

She pointed a finger toward the carriage.
It had been frozen solid along with the Shameleon.

There was no fixing that.
Even thawing it out wouldn’t help.

It was, frankly, totaled.

I stared at the frozen wreck for a moment—
then silently climbed into my own carriage.

Serapia remained standing in place, staring down at the ground.

“…Get in.”

“…W-What?”

Serapia looked around, startled.

Was there… another carriage?
She glanced about nervously, hoping one had been prepared for her.

But all she could see were the carriages meant for the maids and soldiers.

Given how far the capital was, I’d arranged separate transport for the staff.
Was I really about to tell her to ride with them?

“W-Where should I…?”

She asked anxiously.
Instead of answering, I simply nodded toward the seat across from me.

“…Your carriage?”

“If you’d prefer to walk, I won’t stop y—”

“No! I’ll ride with you!!”

Before I could finish, Serapia scrambled aboard, terrified I might change my mind.

Inside the bumpy carriage—

Serapia stole a glance at Adrian’s face.

He was staring out the window, lost in deep thought.
Even from the side, his expression carried a weight that left her breathless.

Serapia nervously smoothed her skirt.
She searched for a way to start a conversation,
but her mind went blank—like a white canvas.

A tense silence filled the carriage, when suddenly—

“…How did it happen?”

Adrian’s voice cut through the quiet.
When Serapia looked up, his eyes were no longer on the window—
they were fixed on her.

“…Sorry?”

Flustered as she was—

‘He… He started a conversation!’

Her heart pounded with excitement.

“How did it happen?” he repeated.

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“You weren’t supposed to be able to use your power, right?”

“Oh! Right!”

Serapia quickly composed herself and spoke:

“It was thanks to you.”

“…Me?”

“Yes!”

She nodded energetically and held her hand forward.

From her fingertips, ice crystals began to form slowly.
With a twist of her wrist, she scattered the crystals into the air.

“Ever since you healed me, I’ve been able to control my power. I still need a lot more practice, but…”

She gently closed her hand,
and the ice crystals scattered like tiny snowflowers throughout the carriage.

“What do you think?”

She looked at Adrian, full of anticipation.

But—

…Something was wrong.
Adrian’s face—his entire expression—had twisted into something terrifying.

A scowl, grim and cold.
He looked at her as if she were something vile.
As if he were staring at a creature he hated.

A face one might show to a demon.

As if he’d gathered every negative emotion in the world and sculpted it onto his face.

Startled, Serapia quickly dismissed the ice.
But the lingering chill still clung to the carriage.

Her control over the ability was still clumsy.

Adrian’s expression only grew more strained—his face twisting in fury.
Serapia’s shoulders hunched tightly together.

Crack.

…Somehow, she had clearly earned his wrath.

Serapia could now freely control the power of Frost.
The carriage was littered with delicate ice flowers, still radiating residual cold.

‘…Iliana, what on earth did you do to her?’

So much for healing.
Had she… awakened something instead?

Translatin_Otaku

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