The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 35: Connection (Part 1)

The County of Whitewolf, a land where the biting cold persists year-round.

“You know of the family?”

The bookstore owner’s follow-up question came after a short answer. Iliana gave a small nod.

“Yes. We’re both noble families from the same kingdom…”

“Same kingdom? Oh, right! Iliana, you mentioned you were from a noble family too.”

“…Yes.”

The Marquessate of Segretus.

Iliana’s family. Like the House of Whitewolf, it belonged to the Battenberg Kingdom.

“In that case, Iliana, can I ask you for a favor?”

“A favor?”

Iliana tilted her head slightly in confusion. The bookstore owner quickly continued.

“Could you perhaps… pull some strings with the Predator Merchant Group and get me some monster meat?”

“…What?”

“There was this one time—pure luck, really—I got to try it, and the flavor… it was unforgettable!”

“Wait—hold on. You ate it too?”

“It was the best meat I’ve ever had. I still can’t forget that taste.”

The bookstore owner’s wistful expression was like someone reminiscing about their first love.

Just from this, the safety of monster meat was practically verified.

“So can you do it? I’ll let you use the bookstore for free for life!”

“Uh… I mean…”

“Aren’t you both nobles of the same kingdom? I heard nobles have social circles and all that, where they rely on connections.”

“That’s not really…”

“Can’t you do something?”

“I… I’m an illegitimate daughter…”

A daughter born of a concubine.

“But you’re still a noble, aren’t you?”

“That’s the thing…”

A common misconception was that all children of nobles were considered noble.

More precisely, it was the mistaken belief that nobles often kept concubines.

But that was far from the truth.

In fact, nobles rarely acknowledged concubinage.

Unlike commoners, nobles were a class with codified legal and customary privileges. They believed their blood to be “special” and wouldn’t mix it lightly.

In that regard, the Battenberg Kingdom—home to both the House of Whitewolf and the Marquessate of Segretus—did not acknowledge concubines.

Monogamy was the rule.

Nobles firmly refused to recognize concubines.

Having multiple wives was considered a disgraceful act, unbefitting the dignity of nobility.

The only exception was royalty, who had to secure an heir. They sometimes kept “royal mistresses.”

Even then, they were merely “official concubines,” not formally acknowledged as wives or part of the royal family.

If that was the case for royalty, how much stricter would regular nobility be?

The idea of keeping concubines was utterly unthinkable.

All out-of-wedlock children were simply considered bastards.

Iliana, the illegitimate daughter of the Marquess of Segretus, was likewise treated as a bastard and looked down upon—worse than a commoner.

Because her blood was considered a stain on the family’s dignity.

Though a marquess outranked a count like the Whitewolf, the difference between a legitimate heir and an illegitimate daughter was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

“In truth… the difference is like nobility versus peasantry…”

At least she was of noble blood, so she was allowed to grow up in the household.

Even then, she had to constantly mind her place. That’s why she now lived away from the family, in the Magic Tower.

“…I see.”

The bookstore owner clicked his tongue with a guilty expression, then apologized with a deeply remorseful look.

“I’ve lived in the Free City all my life, so I shot my mouth off without knowing anything… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s alright.”

“Just ignorant, is all. I didn’t know your circumstances. As an apology, I won’t charge you for the books.”

“What?! No, I can’t! These are expensive books—!”

“No. Anyone can offer a verbal apology.”

“I-It’s really okay…”

“It’s for my peace of mind. Please, just take them.”

“S-Still…”

“Then I’ll just throw them all out.”

The bookstore owner looked like he really would do it, so Iliana quickly hugged the pile of books to her chest.

“O-Okay! I’ll take them!! Just don’t throw them away…!”

With a fierce resolve to protect the books, she clutched them tightly. The bookstore owner let out a hearty laugh.

This is why—

She liked it here.

In this Free City, everyone was an equal free citizen.

No need to hide because of being a concubine’s child, or an illegitimate daughter, or a bastard.

This was one of the reasons Iliana always visited Orpheum whenever she left the Magic Tower every few months.

“Still… can you carry all those books by yourself? If not, I can—”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

With a single wave of her hand—shwoop!

The mountain of books vanished in an instant.

“Spatial magic…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s a high-level spell, isn’t it?”

“It is… but it’s not actually that hard once you get used to the formula.”

“Not that hard…?”

The bookstore owner’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

Even someone who didn’t know the first thing about magic could see Iliana was no ordinary talent.

“Well then, I’ll be going, sir!”

“…Y-Yeah. And again, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“It’s fine! I really don’t mind, so don’t worry about it, sir!”

Iliana smiled brightly and stepped out of the bookstore.

And as she emerged—

She was greeted by the vibrant, bustling streets of Orpheum, more lively than usual.

In the city’s grand plaza, people had gathered, deep in discussion.

From the snatches of conversation, it sounded like they were hotly debating monster meat.

And it wasn’t just the plaza.

The entire city of Orpheum was abuzz with talk of monster meat.

“Monster meat, huh.”

No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t make sense.

And yet, the evidence and the phenomenon were right in front of her.

And one of Iliana’s unshakable beliefs was: “No phenomenon exists without a law.”

If a phenomenon violated existing laws, then it wasn’t the phenomenon that was wrong—it meant the law itself was flawed.

In other words—

“I was wrong.”

It meant the theories and knowledge Iliana had learned were mistaken.

It was hard to believe, but impossible not to.

When all impossibilities were eliminated, the remaining possibility—no matter how unbelievable—must be the truth.

“They really did remove the madness.”

The first such case in the continent’s history.

Once this was reported to academia, it was only a matter of time before the entire magical world was turned upside down.

No—probably the whole continent.

Because this incident hinted that other things long thought impossible… might actually be possible.

Such as combining traits from various species to create hybrid life forms.

Or transcending the natural limits of evolution to birth entirely new species.

Or even creating new biological abilities.

All the things previously dismissed as impossible might very well be within reach.

“I need to go study this right away!”

As a mage and scholar of magical studies, her growing curiosity in pursuit of the world’s truths was, in a way, only natural.

Predator Merchant Group.
County of House Whitewolf.

“Adrian Whitewolf…”

A name known for being the disgrace of the noble house.
And yet, for some reason—it felt familiar.

“What kind of person is he, I wonder.”

That’s why the name etched itself deeply into Iliana’s mind.

Translatin_Otaku

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