The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 6: The House of Whitewolf’s Disgrace (1) (Part 2)

Anyway, Bernard¹ was one of that kind of noble—a staunch principled man who valued rules and legitimacy more than anyone else. Yet he also possessed true competence.

That was why my father trusted him and, despite his young age, installed Bernard as Chief Steward.

“He was the only one in the family who ever took my side.”

Not because he was particularly fond of me, but because he stood firmly by principle.

For any high-ranking noble above the Count, if the title were to be passed on to someone other than the primary heir, the royal house’s permission according to the royal edict was mandatory.

House of Whitewolf represents the higher nobility of the Count class. In other words, until the royal court acknowledges my father’s will, I will retain the authority of the primary heir.

“Well, in the end it’s only a matter of time.”

After all, my father’s will was by no means fabricated. Instead of me, he bequeathed everything to Serapia.

Thus, there was no right for me to reclaim anything. With all the family’s servants having already turned their backs on me, what could I possibly gain?

That is why, in my previous life, I walked away from the family—and even now, nothing is different. I did not return merely to reclaim the trivial rights of the primary heir.

“Until Ian returns.”

I intend to remain with the family only until that day, and I plan to keep Serapia alive only until then.

To be precise, I was waiting to hear why Ian regretted killing Serapia. After listening to his reason, I would decide her fate.

But what if his reason were trivial? For instance, if Ian had regretted killing her simply because he liked her?

Of course, there is no way Ian would do such a thing. As a hero of the continent and the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, he would never regret killing Serapia for such a petty reason.

I can stake my very life on this—there must be a “reasonable reason” behind Ian’s regret. However, that does not guarantee that his reason would be one I could accept.

And yet, if his reason turns out to be one I cannot abide, I will not hesitate to kill Serapia without mercy.

There is no need, at this moment, to cling to the mere façade of primary heir rights. What matters now is the power to stand against the Imperial Army and to confront the Emperor.

“Your room has been thoroughly cleaned. As usual, your meal will be brought to your room. Please, rest well.”

I called out to Bernard, who was about to leave, and ordered him to wait.

“No. Bring my meal somewhere other than my room.”

Standing rigidly with a stony face was the sergeant major². Kai’s eyes gleamed as he spoke,

“Didn’t I expressly say you were never to let him in?”

At that, the sergeant major straightened up further, his military bearing all the more evident. With an unyielding expression, Kai asked,

“Then why did you allow him inside?”

“That is… because the Chief Steward ordered it. I had no choice,” replied the sergeant major.

“You mean the Chief Steward?” Kai’s query was met immediately by a response,

“I escorted Adrian inside.”

From the direction of the lord’s castle within the County, Bernard strode over with an impeccably measured gait. One could hardly tell whether he was a steward or a knight.

“Have you arrived, Serapia?” Bernard bowed his head and respectfully greeted her. He addressed her not as ‘Count’ or ‘Lord’, but simply as Serapia—treating her as the eldest daughter of the Count’s house rather than as the next lord. That was the principle, and thus, Bernard’s conduct was justified. In fact, it was Kai’s act of trying to bar Adrian that amounted to an illegitimate overreach.

While Kai’s gaze was lowered, Serapia tilted her head and asked,

“But, Chief Steward Bernard, what is that you’re holding?”

Bernard lifted the lid from a tray in his hand to reveal its contents—a perfectly roasted turkey with a golden-brown finish.

“It is the meal to be served to Adrian.”

In that instant, a peculiar gleam sparked in Kai’s eyes. Turkey was a rare ingredient—a dish fit only for festivals or commemorative days, and especially in these northern lands, even on special occasions, such prized ingredients were hard to come by. Kai’s fist clenched tightly. Not only had I returned to the family against all odds, but I could not abide the thought of our estate’s precious food being squandered from the moment of my arrival.

“Where is he?” Kai demanded as he asked Bernard about Adrian’s whereabouts.

Ordinarily, Adrian should have been holed up in his room. Due to his constant misbehavior whenever he stepped outside, the previous Count had locked him in his room. But the previous Count had passed away a few days ago, and whoever had kept his antics in check was now gone.

Perhaps, under the pretense of his primary heir rights, Adrian had already embezzled the estate’s funds and gone off to gamble. Or maybe he was roaming about harassing the women of the County, wreaking havoc in taverns, assaulting the subjects just because his looks were considered unlucky, intimidating anyone who dared to meet his gaze, or even locking innocent subjects in jail for daring to disrespect him. In his drunken stupor, he might have been unleashing indiscriminate violence on the streets and beating up street vendors—among countless other misdeeds.

These were the atrocities Adrian had been committing all along—and even now, my blood was boiling. And sure enough,

“Adrian is not in the manor.”

Indeed, Adrian was nowhere in the manor. He had been one step too late. Unknowingly, I gritted my teeth and thought to myself: I must kill Adrian.

In some ways, it might be akin to a knight betraying his lord—but it was a necessary act. No, it was something that absolutely had to be done.

Just as a deep murderous intent flared in Kai’s blue eyes, that was the moment:

“Adrian is currently in The Trial Grounds of Frost.”

“……What?”

At Bernard’s answer, Kai’s expression turned foolishly blank for a moment.

Translatin_Otaku

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