The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 57: Rumors (Part 1)

There was a suspicious rumor going around—that monster meat was trending.

Isolde tilted her head at the news, her platinum-blonde hair swaying gently from side to side.

“…Monster meat?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That can’t be right.”

Isolde’s graceful brows furrowed slightly.

The gene of madness embedded in monsters—
Even her holy power as a Saintess couldn’t purify it.

Monsters were chaotic beings that defied divine order. They possessed a trait that rejected Divine Power, the very strength of the gods.

Even the scholars of magic, who pursued the truth of the world, acknowledged this as fact.

It was no coincidence that this issue was among the ‘23 Arcanis Dilemmas’—known as unsolvable conundrums in magical society. More accurately, it had already been classified as ‘impossible’.

In response, her attending priest cautiously raised a suspicion.

“Could it possibly be connected to the recent reports involving the Dark Merchant Group…?”

The Dark Merchant Group—
A shadowy organization infamous for studying forbidden black magic and blood sorcery, known for inhumane and horrific experiments.

And indeed, troubling movements linked to the group had recently been reported throughout the Holy Kingdom.

“Where exactly is this monster meat being distributed?”

“They say it’s being sold by a group called the Predator Merchant Group, which is based in the House of Whitewolf, under the Battenberg Kingdom.”

A newly-formed merchant group.
It was definitely suspicious.

“Do you know who runs the group?”

“The heir to the House of Whitewolf—Adrian Whitewolf.”

“Adrian Whitewolf…”

It was a name she’d never heard before.

And yet, somehow… it felt oddly familiar.

“Rumor has it he’s the disgrace of the noble house—a good-for-nothing.”

That might explain the sense of familiarity.

“Then… you’re telling me this merchant group is run by a known scoundrel?”

“Yes, but what’s even stranger is that, recently, he’s changed completely.”

“Changed?”

“Well…”

The priest began recounting stories related to Adrian.

And upon hearing them, Isolde immediately understood what the priest meant by “changed.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that his behavior had changed.

It was more like…

“Like someone else has taken over Adrian’s body entirely.”

It felt as if the soul of another man now resided in the body of Adrian Whitewolf.

People don’t change.
They only appear to.
A person’s core nature never truly changes.

“I suspect he may have fallen victim to a black magic ritual—something like possession.”

His transformation had been that dramatic—enough to warrant such an accusation.
And this was a vile technique often employed by the Dark Merchant Group.

Lowering her lashes, Isolde fell deep into thought.

Monster meat—an impossibility.
A suspicious new merchant group.
And an individual who seems to have become an entirely different person.

All of it stacking together… could it really be a coincidence?

Predator Merchant Group.
House of Whitewolf.

‘Adrian Whitewolf…’

The name of a man known as the disgrace of his noble house.

And yet, for some reason, it lingered in her mind.

“We need to investigate this.”

And so, the name carved itself even deeper into Isolde’s thoughts.

“This is the last one!”

With that shout, a large wooden crate landed on the ground with a thud!

The lid was pried open, revealing its contents—gold.

Piles of shimmering gold coins sparkled brilliantly, the light of day catching each one as they clinked together.

This was just today’s profit—earned in a single day.

“431,560 Gold.”

A staggering sum—over 430,000 Gold.

“W-Wow…!”

“I’ve never seen that much money in my life.”

Everyone—both merchant members and soldiers—gawked in awe, eyes wide with disbelief.

To be honest, earning that kind of profit in a single day was nearly impossible.

Forget one day—even across a whole trading season, profits like this were unheard of.

‘So Rex meat sold better than expected, huh.’

Word of mouth had really started to take off.

As the saying goes: it’s easier to block a flood than to silence the gossip of people.

‘At this rate… we could even open a Frecce branch office.’

A Predator Group branch.

A branch acted as a regional trade hub, managing logistics, resource gathering, and direct trade with other guilds.

In essence, it operated like a fully independent merchant group—requiring guards, transporters, managers, accountants, and more.

The labor costs and upfront investment were massive.

That’s why he’d originally thought it was too early to consider it.

‘But with profits like this, it’s more than feasible.’

It was an investment.

An investment to expand influence into Frecce and the Free Cities—and eventually, to push back against the Dark Merchant Group.

More importantly, they couldn’t just keep circling Frecce forever.

The Predator Group had to grow—expand across the continent’s kingdoms.

And for that, a local branch to manage business operations in his stead was essential.

“Everyone, gather around.”

Having organized his thoughts, he called the merchant staff and soldiers together.

11 merchant members. 24 soldiers.

They all gathered, looking confused.

Pulling out gold from the chest, he spoke.

“Come up one by one and take your share.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

“W-We’re receiving that, sir?”

“Yes. Who else would I be talking to?”

Still, no one moved. They hesitated, unsure.

“Don’t want it?”

“N-No, it’s not that…”

“We’re just not sure if we deserve it…”

“You do.”

As the saying goes: no one starves for three days and doesn’t turn to thievery.
Loyalty is built on a foundation of tangible trust.

The merchant group he was building wouldn’t invest in immediate profits.

It would invest in people.

“My arm’s going numb. Hurry up and get it.”

And so, he distributed 1,000 Gold to each merchant member.
And 800 Gold to each soldier.

The merchant staff earned more because their workload was heavier: managing monster meat, handling logistics, tracking profits and inventory…

You could tell just by their deep eye bags—they were exhausted.

The soldiers understood and had no complaints.

Besides, 800 Gold wasn’t a small sum.
The average monthly salary for soldiers in the House of Whitewolf was 150 Gold.
This bonus was worth more than five months’ wages.

They were still receiving their regular salaries—this was just extra.
There was no room for complaints.

“Hehehe…!”

“This is insane!”

As expected, everyone who received their share broke out into huge smiles.

Beaming with joy, they bowed to him with heartfelt gratitude.

In total, he’d spent 30,000 Gold.

“Until business resumes tomorrow, you’re free to do whatever you want. Use your bonus however you like.”

“However we like, sir…?”

“Buy something you’ve always wanted. Get a gift. Gamble, save it, waste it—up to you.”

Then came the bright, beaming smiles.

And—

‘…Affinity didn’t increase.’

Unfortunately, the residents’ Affinity didn’t go up.

Currently, their Affinity stood at [Friendly].
In order to retain access to 「Management Mode」, the user needed to complete the Territory Quest—requiring a shift to [Trust] level. They were just one step away.

‘I thought I might be able to clear the quest here, but no.’

Translatin_Otaku

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