The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 110: Madness (2) (Part 1)

A sudden outburst of violence within the royal palace.
The news spread in the blink of an eye.
And with the royal social circle already drawing nobles from every region into the capital…

Rumors, as always, had the nature of wildfire—spreading fast, and burning hot.

“You heard about it, didn’t you?”
“Heard what?”
“The incident in the palace yesterday!”

The nobles couldn’t stop gossiping.
In a matter of moments, the entire social circle was abuzz.
And upon hearing the details of the incident, they all responded with the same reaction:

“““Wow!”””

A collective exclamation.

“““He’s a total madman!”””

No madman had ever lived up to the title so thoroughly.

Adrian Whitewolf, the infamous troublemaker of the House of Whitewolf.
There wasn’t a soul in the Battenberg Kingdom unfamiliar with his reputation.
But this rampage inside the palace? That was on another level entirely.

“I heard the target of his outburst was Prince Walter.”

What kind of lunatic lays hands on a prince?!
And not just anywhere—inside the palace itself!
This wasn’t just madness. This was ultra-madness.
The kind of act only a full-fledged maniac could pull off.

“You mean to say the heir of House Whitewolf did that?”
“That’s what they’re saying. And apparently, Sir Ellen was seriously injured too.”
“You mean Sir Ellen, the vice-captain of the Royal Knights?”
“Then you’re saying that lunatic beat Sir Ellen?”
“Is that even possible?”

The unbelievable rumor swirled through noble society.
And yet, it was hard to dismiss—because there were too many witnesses.

The palace maids and servants who were present.
And most notably—Edmund Harens, the royal steward, had been there as well.

Once that fact came to light, the story gained serious credibility.

And so, in every salon and drawing room the gossip reached:

“““Wow!”””

Gasps of amazement—
No, more like shock—burst forth again.

“Sir Ellen really got beaten like that?”
“One of the kingdom’s top knights taken down by some mad dog?”
“And that’s not even the end. His younger sister supposedly wrecked the Royal Knights too.”
“…What? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Just as the nobles were reeling from one bombshell, another dropped.

“Apparently, his sister was so powerful the Royal Knights couldn’t even lay a finger on her.”
“This isn’t just some palace brawl. This is serious.”
“What are you talking about so excitedly over there?”

The rumors continued to grow more exaggerated and widespread.

And in every new corner it reached—

“““Wow!”””

Gasps. Shocks. And outright disbelief.

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding…”
“What kind of family of lunatics is this?”
“Like brother, like sister!”
“Wait—aren’t they not even blood-related?”
“That’s what I heard. I think she was adopted.”

In any case—

“Of all people, he just had to mess with the prince.”
“He’s going to pay dearly for this.”
“Last I heard, he’s imprisoned in the royal dungeon.”
“Both of them?”
“Yeah. Apparently, the brother asked to take full responsibility and be arrested alone… but they didn’t accept it.”
“Still, he tried to protect his sister until the end, huh.”

The story eventually made its way into the ears of countless noble daughters attending the royal social season—

“““Oh my goodness!”””

Their gasps were filled not with horror—
But admiration. And something else entirely.

“That’s so romantic, don’t you think?”
“Even after everything, he tried to protect his sister…”
“And not even a real sister! They’re not blood-related at all!”
“People call him a madman, but maybe he’s actually warmhearted and responsible deep down!”
“Oh my…”

The rumor had spread beyond control, turning a mere incident into a legend.

And so—

The capital, Battenbart, was in an uproar.

“Prince Walter peed his pants!”
“He was so scared of the madman that he wet himself!”

Children turned the shameful detail into their favorite joke.

“I heard Prince Walter insulted him pretty badly too…”
“Maybe the prince had it coming?”

Some whispered carefully, questioning whether Walter had brought this on himself.

“That’s practically treason!”
“The capital’s going to destabilize soon. Stock up on supplies!”

Merchants were already adjusting to the shifting political winds.

The incident was interpreted differently across social classes and professions—
But the result was the same: the entire capital was in chaos.

And yet—

“Why hasn’t the royal family made an official statement yet?”

The palace remained completely silent.

Through the window, the palace looked serene and peaceful.
But inside, Queen Marceline was in turmoil.

“I warned him to act carefully…”

But it was too late.
What was done, was done.
Now, it had to be cleaned up.

Adrian—the madman of the House of Whitewolf.
The rumors had spiraled so wildly, people were now calling him the Madman of Madness.

But the truth was… far from that.

He had thoroughly beaten Ellen and the Royal Knights.
And yet, he hadn’t laid a finger on Walter.
In fact, Walter had insulted him horribly.

And with Edmund, the royal steward, as a witness, none of it could be denied or twisted.

In other words—this wasn’t some impulsive rampage.
It was the result of careful calculation and judgment.

Which made things even harder to deal with.

“……”

Should she punish Walter?
Or punish House Whitewolf harshly to maintain royal authority?

But letting it go?
That would tank the royal family’s prestige.

And now—at a time when the succession issue was tearing factions apart?

The queen was still trying to rally noble support.
If the royal family appeared weak, she’d lose key allies.

In fact, the rumors about Walter wetting himself had already caused major damage.

But to press charges?

That would only complicate things further.
It would disrupt the entire royal social season.

And punishing Adrian alone wouldn’t be enough.

Serapia, the daughter of House Whitewolf, had been involved too.
If punishment was to be dealt, both would have to be held accountable.

But that—
That simply couldn’t be allowed to happen.

Caught between options she couldn’t take either way—

She thought. And worried. And agonized.
She searched for a plan. She analyzed, dissected, and theorized.
She reflected. She calculated. She scrutinized.
She reviewed. Organized. Reassessed.

And in the end, she reached only one conclusion—

Crunch!!

Queen Marceline clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ground audibly.

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