The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 5: Find the Hero (Part 1)

==[Find the Hero!]==
[Objective] – Locate the hero.
[Reward] – ???
[Failure] – End of the continent

A series of translucent system messages filled my vision.

Thanks to having accepted a quest before, I could grasp it quickly.
And while the penalty—the end of the continent—sounded ridiculous, it didn’t surprise me.

It was only natural.

“It’s been about 15 years since I ran away from home…”

Which meant I had turned back time by 15 years.
Roughly ten years from now, the Emperor would begin his full-scale operations.
Then, in just one year, every kingdom and city on the continent would vanish from the map.

Only one person can stop the Emperor.
Ian.
Only Ian can stand against him.
Without Ian, the continent has no future.
I must find Ian.

This quest could only be described as a [Main Quest].

“…But this is it?”

The content was far too vague.
It just tossed the objective at me and washed its hands of the matter.

No details about what to do, where to go, or how to find Ian.
Not even a clue or trace to follow.

“Do quests only provide direction, then?”

If I think back to the [Tutorial Quest], that seems to be the case.
It simply told me to survive the Ice Troll.

Whether I chose to fight and survive,
or run away and survive,
was left entirely up to me.

How I reached the goal was my decision.
And the consequences of that decision were mine alone to bear.

At the very least, the goal was clear:

“I need to find Ian.”

Only by doing that can I stop the Emperor.
I must find Ian before the Emperor fully begins his conquest.
That gives me about ten years.
A long time—but not one I can afford to waste.

Even now, the Empire rules over the continent like a predator.
The Emperor, even in this moment of the past, is the strongest.
He just hasn’t extended his claws across the entire continent—yet.

Right now, he’s likely laying the groundwork for his invasion.
In other words, scheming something deep within the imperial palace.

There’s no immediate crisis, but no time to dawdle either.
I need to find Ian as quickly as possible.
I need to grow stronger and build forces with him.

The real problem is how to find him…

“Hmmm…”

I calmed down and organized my thoughts.
At this point, I had two options.

The first: leave now and search for Ian.

If turning back time was one of Ian’s abilities, then he must have come back too.
The quest said he was “somewhere on the continent.”
That meant I’d have to find him somewhere across this massive land, build up strength, and stand against the Emperor.

That was Option One.

“But the problem is I have no idea where Ian is right now.”

And Ian would be in the same position.
He wouldn’t know where I am, either.
We never discussed the details of our lives from 15 years ago.

But Ian could guess.

He knew I was the eldest son of the House of Whitewolf.
If he came back to the past too, he’d logically try to find me.

In my previous life, I had run away from the Whitewolf family.
But Ian, knowing I’ve returned to the past, could assume I’d act differently this time.

Which means—it’s very possible Ian is already heading toward the House of Whitewolf.

If I set out to search for him now and we pass each other along the way?

“That would be a disaster.”

So the second option was to stay at the House of Whitewolf and wait for Ian to find me.

“I never even considered this…”

Honestly, I had no intention of returning to my family.
Back in my wild younger days, I had such ambitions.
That’s why my hatred toward Serapia, who took everything from the family, was so intense.

But that’s no longer the case.
None of that means anything to me now.

The feelings I had as the disgrace of the Count’s family were dulled and erased long ago—after I became the Predator of the Allied Forces and walked countless battlefields.

To me now, my comrades in the Allied Forces matter far more than the family ever did.

What remains in my heart isn’t anger at Serapia, who destroyed my family—
But fury toward the Monarch of Frost, who slaughtered my comrades.

“…Come to think of it, I didn’t kill the Monarch of Frost either.”

That realization hit me hard.

I hadn’t killed Serapia.
She can’t be allowed to live.
Even if I leave now to find Ian, I must deal with Serapia first.

Little sister? Family bonds?
They mean nothing to me.
She’s just one of the six Monarchs under the Emperor—the strongest of his forces. Eliminating her early is just strategy.

But when I try to kill her…

Ian’s words come back to me.

“…This is driving me insane.”

Ian, that bastard—why’d he have to say something so completely absurd?

“Just wait until I see you.”

I’m gonna let him have it.

Anyway, for now, I can’t kill Serapia.
Ian must’ve had a damn good reason—something he regretted more than getting rejected by the Saintess.

Until I know that reason, Serapia’s execution… is on hold.

“So I’ve made my decision.”

My two options had narrowed to one.

“Let’s return to the family estate.”

If Ian also returned to the past, he’ll surely come looking for me.
It’s wiser to wait there than to wander and risk missing him.

Besides, I haven’t decided what to do about Serapia yet.

“Only until Ian shows up.”

I’ll spare Serapia… just until then.

Translatin_Otaku

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