The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 89: Mismatch (Part 2)

All the Visters of Baoless were flat on the ground, prostrated before him.
Yet Adrian remained silent, deep in thought, as if preoccupied with something.

Isolde, who had just condemned Laila, stood quietly by, awaiting Adrian’s next order.

Time passed.

“You there.”

Adrian suddenly pointed a finger at someone—firmly.

“Y-Yes!! Did you call for me, my liege!!”

Sarpedon, the leader of Black Grasp, leapt forward like a dart.
His forehead had split—no, shattered—blood pouring down his face.

“Gather everyone in Baoless and bring them here. Every last one of them—including the slaves in the Ironclad Zone.”

“Right now, sir…?”

Instead of answering, Adrian furrowed his brow slightly—

“Ah! Understood! I’ll get moving right away!!”

Sarpedon panicked, springing into motion.
Resistance? Defiance?
Not even a sliver of such thoughts could be seen in him.

And it wasn’t just Sarpedon and Black Grasp.
The smaller Vister alliances were also submitting to Adrian’s commands.

Absolute authority in Baoless.

A level of control never before seen in Baoless’ history had now emerged.

But then—

“I plan to erase the city of Baoless from the map.”

Adrian himself didn’t seem interested in seizing that absolute power.
Turning his head, he strode toward Isolde.

“And on that note, I’d like your help.”

“What would you like me to assist with?”

As Isolde responded with a hint of affirmation, Adrian began to explain.

“Baoless is known as a self-governed city formed by exiles, vagrants, and criminals from various kingdoms. But as you saw for yourself—”

“The truth was something else entirely.”

“Exactly. It was a city created by the Dark Merchant Guild, where the slaves they abducted from various kingdoms were used and exploited.”

Isolde nodded again.
Not a single word of that was incorrect.

“In other words, most of these slaves have homes to return to. Somewhere, someone is still desperately searching and waiting for them.”

“……”

“I plan to give each of them a sum of money and send them back to where they belong.”

At that point, Isolde understood what Adrian was asking for.

“You’re requesting support from the Holy Kingdom to ensure they return safely?”

“Yes. I’ll provide the funds myself.”

Isolde was a princess of the Holy Kingdom.
She had the authority and resources to oversee their return at a national level.

And more importantly, the Holy Kingdom’s knights were already on their way—?

“Wait. Then when you asked about contacting the Pilgrim’s Eye in the black market… was this your plan from the start?”

“Can you help me?”

Adrian’s answer wasn’t a yes or no.
But Isolde understood at least one thing for certain:

‘How could anyone call this man a mad dog?’

“All right. I’ll do it.”

Isolde nodded without hesitation.
There was no reason to deliberate.

In fact, she should’ve been the one to ask Adrian for help in the first place.

“And for those who have no home to return to. Especially the Visters—they’re a bunch who know nothing but fighting. If we just let them go, they’ll end up committing more crimes.”

“Then should we execute them all right here—?”

“I’ll take them in.”

“…Pardon?”

Isolde’s eyebrows twitched.
What Adrian had just said…
It wasn’t easy to accept.

So he was saying…

“You mean… you’re going to take the Visters in as residents of House Whitewolf’s county?”

“That’s not quite it. I’m going to work them like dogs—no, I mean, give them a chance to change.”

A chance… to change?

“They say kindness comes from a full belly, and no one becomes a thief unless they’ve starved for three days.”

“……”

“People change depending on the environment they’re in.”

“……”

“When trapped in a cesspool like Baoless, even those we call sages can become fouler than the sewers themselves.”

“……”

“So I think we need to at least see what the Visters become in a different environment.”

“You really believe the Visters will change?”

Let’s be honest—they were trash, criminals through and through.
There’s a reason people say you can’t fix someone rotten to the core.
They were born bad. They would never change.

People don’t change.

But Adrian seemed to think differently.

“Gods cannot change. But I believe people can.”

“……”

“Even if it’s difficult.”

The gods, who reflect the beliefs and ideals of all, are eternal and unchanging.
But people—people are different.
Because they are imperfect, they can change.

“I mean, wasn’t I a mad dog not long ago?”

Even if it’s difficult.

Isolde found herself speechless.

Adrian’s declaration to take in the Visters…
It left her dazed, her mind blank.

Not to punish sin, but to embrace it.

That was something Isolde couldn’t even imagine.

The Holy Kingdom teaches: “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”

But Isolde never agreed with that.
It’s the person who commits the sin.
So how could one not hate the person?

She hadn’t changed her mind on that.

And yet, when she thought about it—

Had she ever once…
covered for someone’s wrongdoing?
Ever forgiven, looked the other way, or pretended not to see?

Convinced she was blessed by the gods—
Convinced that her beliefs and actions were divine will—

Had she acted without a shred of guilt,
Declaring punishment as justice, and justice as righteousness?

As Isolde ruminated on Adrian’s words—

She found herself, for the first time—

Seeing Adrian… in a different light.

A free city, unruled by any monarch or lord.

By nature, such cities were privileged communities that specialized and thrived in unique ways.

Frecce, the commercial city, was one such example—its economy built around trade.

But there was another Freien City that flourished as an economic hub—

The trading city of Caravana.

Caravana focused less on commerce and more on exchange—establishing itself as a center for external trade, logistics, and international networks.

While Frecce’s economy revolved around domestic consumption and production, Caravana excelled in distribution, brokering, and re-export.

Its favorable geography, intersected by roads and rivers, made it ideal for trade—and with trade came the exchange of cultures and goods.

The citizens of Caravana were a diverse, multicultural population—making the city feel more “free” than any other.

Perhaps for that reason—

The people of Caravana were rarely surprised.

They were used to encountering bizarre things due to their cultural diversity.
Rumors and events from every kingdom flowed in day and night—so most news barely made them blink.

But today… Caravana felt different.

“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”

“Rumor? What rumor?”

A strange rumor was making the rounds—one they couldn’t wrap their heads around.

“They say Baoless disappeared.”

The lawless city of Baoless—
Gone without a trace.

That absurd rumor was being whispered in every corner of Caravana.

Translatin_Otaku

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