The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 52: Change (Part 1)

A morning blanketed in pure white snow.

Though it was still early for the day to begin in the County of Whitewolf, people were already starting to stir throughout the village.

“Jason! Where are you off to so early in the morning?”
“…Hm? Ah, I’m heading out to the Snowforest to chop some wood!”
“The Snowforest? Alone? That’s dangerous!”

In the County of Whitewolf, the so-called “Snowforest” referred to a deep, dark forest located in the snowy regions.

Just as the name implied, it was a forest where snow-covered trees stood densely packed year-round.
A special zone where vegetation somehow persisted even in extreme cold—though meager, an ecosystem had formed.

“What if you run into a monster or something?!”

It wasn’t uncommon for monsters from the Snowy Mountains to descend into the forest in search of food.

After all, the harsh environment didn’t only affect humans—monsters suffered from food scarcity too.

Especially in winter, when their food supply dwindled drastically.
So it was all but guaranteed that monsters from the Snowy Mountains would descend into the Snowforest.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Jason waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned.

“Didn’t Lord Adrian wipe out all the monsters recently?”

The monster horde that had attacked the county—
The swarm that had surged like an avalanche was said to have drawn nearly every monster from the mountains.

Adrian had stood alone against that horde.
And by utterly annihilating them, he had wiped out the monster threat entirely.

Even the leader of the horde, the lycanthrope, had been slain, causing the remaining monsters to scatter and flee.

“There’s nothing to worry about!”

At present, the Snowforest was virtually free of threats.

Jason tightened the rope of his pack.
And he wasn’t the only one.

“I’ll make sure to bring back something sturdy and meaty!”
“While I’m there, I’ll gather some Snowleaf as well.”

Some headed into the forest to hunt, others to collect herbs.

“They say Snowfish swarm beneath the ice this time of year. Let’s go before it’s too late.”

Some even made their way to the frozen zones to lower their fishing nets.
Everyone could now carry on with production activities without fear.

“Really, everyone’s changed lately.”
“You’re telling me. Back in the day, no one even stepped outside on days like this.”

The situation in the county had shifted drastically—just like the way people now looked at Adrian.

And with the supplies Adrian had brought back from Frecce—

“At this rate, this winter won’t be scary at all.”
“Who’d have thought I’d live to see a winter where I’m well-fed and warm?”
“When was the last time our kids didn’t go to bed hungry…?”

Though the season of extreme cold was drawing near, the county hadn’t frozen over.
Warmth spread through every corner of the village, and the laughter of healthy children echoed all around.

“I still can’t believe it’s all thanks to Adrian—the so-called black sheep of House Whitewolf!”

Once known for drunken rampages and unruly behavior.
But now, the people’s perception of Adrian had completely changed.

“Hey now! Watch your mouth—black sheep?”
“Be careful what you say!”
“Exactly! If not for Lord Adrian, we’d all be frozen stiff by now!”
“Frozen? We’d have been monster feed!”

To the people of the territory, Adrian was no longer a black sheep.

“Lord Adrian is the savior of the County!”

And so—

Before the name of the man who was no longer called a black sheep—

“There were so many people at the plaza today.”
“Right? Everyone’s gotten busier lately.”
“Things feel different now. Like… it actually feels like people are living again!”

The County of Whitewolf was slowly but surely regaining the true spirit of a proper domain.

◆ The residents’ Affection toward you has increased!!

A message suddenly flashed before his eyes.
And with it, more lines of text began to scroll:

◆ The residents’ Affection toward you has reached [Friendly] status!
◆ [Friendly] residents display warmth and positivity toward you.
◆ They will actively offer help or cooperation, and may support you in combat or critical moments.

Apparently, this was the reward from a sudden quest being applied now.

Unfortunately—

‘Didn’t quite reach Trust status.’

It hadn’t yet reached [Trust], which was the clear condition for completing the Territory Quest.
So the quest remained uncleared… but that was fine.

Given how things were going, reaching [Trust] within a short time wouldn’t be difficult.

And besides, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Is it not done yet?”
“It’s ready!”

At his words, the maids holding baskets came rushing over. One by one, they began pulling items from the baskets and explaining:

“This is a medicated cotton swab. If Lady Serapia’s lips dry out, just moisten them with this.”
“Use these sheets to change the bedding. Leave the dirty ones outside—we’ll wash them.”
“Here’s a new pillow insert. Nice and fluffy.”
“This is an herbal sachet, and that’s a herb water towel. And also…”

It was like an inventory—things kept coming out of the basket nonstop.

“This is a pressure relief pad. If you place it under Lady Serapia’s back, it’ll reduce strain. Lying down too long can restrict blood flow and cause sores.”
“Here are hand towels. And this is a microfiber blanket—it’s gentle on the skin.”
“By the way, Lord Adrian personally secured all of these!”

…There really were a lot.

“Bit much, huh…?”
“Sorry. These are things we should be doing ourselves…”

Perhaps they had just noticed his expression—some of the maids started glancing nervously his way. One even squeezed her eyes shut, as if bracing for him to blow up.

Of course, tending to Serapia wasn’t something he exactly wanted to do, but…

“It’s fine.”
“Eh…?”
“We don’t have a choice given the situation. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ah, ahh…”
“Thank you so much for understanding.”

All the maids bowed deeply to him.

“Is that everything for now?”
“Yes. For now.”

…For now?

“If she stays bedridden too long, we might need massage oil or hot packs for circulation.”

It hit him once again just how absurdly overpowered [Regeneration B+] was.
…Anyway.
He stored the basket in his inventory.
The maids’ eyes widened briefly in surprise—but only for a moment.

“Thanks for your help.”

He turned and began walking toward the room where Serapia lay.