The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 76: Lawless City (2) (Part 2)

Iratum wore a grim expression and then asked—

“What happened to the Chosen One?”

The Chosen One—a title referring to Serapia.

“Rest assured. They’ve definitely consumed the elixir infused with his Authority.”
“Well then, that’s a relief.”

Iratum let out a small sigh.
I glanced at him cautiously before asking—

“But why bestow his Authority on the Chosen One? What exactly is their role supposed to be…?”
“Beats me. All I know is that it was an order from the Aucta From Afar.”

Aucta From Afar.
This was a title referring to none other than the Emperor of the Empire.

The Allied Forces referred to him as [Emperor] or [Lord of All],
but that was just the name they used.

The Imperial Army always called him Aucta From Afar—a being who exists far beyond understanding.

In short, this mission wasn’t ordered by the Monarch of the Abyss, but directly by the Emperor himself.

“I vaguely remember hearing something about preparing the Chosen One for a crossroads of fate.”

…Crossroads of fate?

“What do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t I just say I don’t know the details!”

He suddenly snapped.

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with. Just tell me how many homunculus materials you need.”

Pushing any further might have drawn suspicion.
Besides, Iratum didn’t seem to know much more either, so further questions would’ve been pointless.

Still, just confirming that this order came from the Emperor, not the Monarch, was already a valuable gain.

“Would 100 be possible?”
“100? Haa… I’m already swamped as it is… tch.”

Iratum clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Feigning ignorance, I asked again.

“Did He give you any separate orders, Iratum-nim?”
“It was an order from Him. But from the looks of it, it came from the Aucta From Afar again.”
“What kind of order…?”
“I told you—it’s none of your concern!”

Once again, Iratum snapped.
At this point, it was clear he had serious anger management issues.
Hence the nickname: The Destroyer of Wrath, Iratum.
There was a reason he’d earned that title.
In other words, some things just never change.

Still, this seemed like a possible opening.

“I thought perhaps I could be of assistance.”
“…You?”
“You’ve always handled material acquisition yourself, haven’t you?”
“It’s a pain in the ass, every time.”
“Since I’ve now taken care of the Chosen One’s matters as well, I thought I’d offer my help as a gesture of appreciation for your past favors…”

I bowed my head slightly as I spoke.

“My apologies if I’ve overstepped.”
“No, well… It’s not that you’ve overstepped but… ahem.”

Iratum’s tone softened.
His expression was hidden behind the mask, but—

“If that’s your intention, ahem…”

—he seemed quite pleased with the offer.

“They’re looking for the Valley of Kardun.”

Valley of Kardun.
An ancient valley steeped in the deepest darkness and curses.

It was said to exist only in legend, a place preserved in records alone. But I know it exists.
Because it was where one of the six Monarchs who serve the Emperor had been sealed.

The Monarch of Death.

His prison was none other than the Valley of Kardun.

But now the worshippers are seeking out the Valley of Kardun?
More precisely, the Emperor has ordered them to find it—meaning—

‘The Emperor hasn’t yet brought all the Monarchs under his control?’

Come to think of it, Serapia hasn’t become the Monarch of Frost yet either.

That ten-year period when the Emperor truly began to act…
Maybe that was the time it took to gather all the Monarchs.

If so, then from what I know so far—

‘The Monarch of Beasts and the Monarch of the Abyss have definitely joined him.’

As for the others, especially—

◆ The stolen cognition is resisting through Player’s Will [EX]! ◆

There’s still a possibility they haven’t sworn allegiance to the Emperor.

If that’s the case—

“Then, would you be willing to share the information you’ve gathered on the Valley of Kardun?”
“It’s not much, but…”

Perhaps convinced that I truly was Avarus, Iratum began revealing the information he had gathered with difficulty, as if it were no big deal.

And just like that, I gained valuable information about the Valley of Kardun with ease.

“In any case, since The Aucta From Afar cannot currently move, no deviations must be allowed.”

…Hmm? What was that about?

“Ah, right. On that note, another directive was issued.”
“What was it?”
“Find a certain man…”

Iratum began to describe the man’s appearance in detail.
As I listened—

‘……Ian?’

It was Ian.
No matter how you looked at it, the man Iratum was describing was Ian.

Which meant—

‘The Emperor is looking for Ian?’

Yes. That’s exactly what it meant.
But why? Or rather, how?

“Why is The Aucta From Afar looking for that man?”
“How should I know? When has He ever needed a reason? If His Eminence wishes it, then it shall be done.”

Unlike earlier, Iratum now responded much more mildly.
Then, with a shrug of his shoulders—

“Well, Vicarius might know.”

Vicarius.
A title meaning Deputy. Among the worshippers of the Corrupted Souls, it signified the highest rank—equivalent to a pope.

And as the captain of a special operations unit, and someone familiar with the worshippers of the Corrupted Souls, I knew all of them—
Except for one.

I never managed to find out who Vicarius was.
Or rather, I know the identity.

The Monarch of the Abyss.
Vicarius is the Monarch of the Abyss.

But not the true Monarch.

He is more like an “avatar” controlled by the Monarch—fitting for the title of Deputy.

Which means that if I could eliminate Vicarius, I could stop the Monarch of the Abyss.
But I’ve never been able to find out who the avatar actually is.

But now—

“Do you happen to know where Vicarius is right now—”
“You should know better than to ask. No one is permitted to discuss matters related to Vicarius.”

Iratum cut me off, his tone serious.
He wasn’t angry like before, but the secrecy around Vicarius was absolute.

There’s a reason we couldn’t discover his identity even during the Allied Forces era.

“My apologies. It’s because I’m currently in Transmog mode.”

“In any case, the materials you requested will take about five days. Wait until then.”

With that, Iratum took his leave.

“Just one more thing.”
“…What is it?”
“Could you tell me which key figures from each kingdom have already been recruited by our order?”
“And why would you—”
“As I said earlier, I’m in Transmog mode.”

Transmog wasn’t just a simple transformation spell.
It allowed one to mimic their target completely—including appearance, traits, abilities, and even [mind].

“My memory’s a bit hazy.”

“……”

Iratum gave me a serious look, then—

“I’ll write up a list so you don’t forget.”

He kindly and thoroughly provided the information.

After finishing the conversation with Iratum, I exited the black market.
Once I reached a deserted alleyway, I removed my mask.

Then I calmly organized everything I had just learned.

Information I never knew in my past life.
I began piecing together the puzzle with those new facts.

First off—

Even if I ignore everything else, the fact that the Emperor is looking for Ian—

‘Then the reason Ian hasn’t shown up until now might be—’

It was right then.

Twitch!

A sudden jolt—an instinctive warning.
That deadly instinct screamed at me.

If I don’t dodge, I’ll die!

With no time to think, I immediately threw myself to the side—

KWAANG—!!!

An enormous explosion erupted right where I had just been standing.

…That was close.
Far too close.

Had I not increased my Agility while in the Infinite Labyrinth, I would never have been able to react.

Even so, I barely dodged in time.

If I hadn’t—

I swallowed nervously.
Tension stretched taut through my entire body.

Within the cloud of smoke and dust, I activated Predatory Instincts [S] toward the hidden assailant.

And the information that popped up before my eyes was—

“Commander Isolde……?”

Isolde Cordelia.
Commander of the Papal Palace’s Holy Command.
A hero of the Allied Forces.
And the strongest wielder of holy power in the continent’s history—
A true Saint.

Translatin_Otaku

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