The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 9. The Hour of the Dog and Wolf (2) (Part 1)

There were six Monarchs who served the Emperor.

These six Monarchs were the pinnacle of the Emperor’s power—and my younger sister, Serapia, reigned among them as the Monarch of Frost.

And Kai was her most loyal knight, the one known as the Death Knight.

Death Knight.

A Death Knight is an undead brought back to life from a once-great knight.
In other words, Serapia had resurrected Kai, a once-loyal knight of the House of Whitewolf, as a Death Knight.

…That’s what everyone in the Allied Forces believed.
I believed it too.

But it wasn’t true.

Serapia hadn’t resurrected Kai as a Death Knight.

I only learned this from Ian.
It was after Ian had fought a life-or-death battle with Serapia, the Monarch of Frost.
Right after the shocking news that Ian’s left arm—frozen during the fight—could never be healed swept through the Allied Forces.

According to Ian, Serapia had not intended to enslave Kai as a Death Knight.
On the contrary—she had wanted to grant him peace.

She had never once considered raising him as an undead servant.

But then a question arises:
If Serapia didn’t resurrect Kai, how did he become a Death Knight?

To that, Ian had a surprising answer.

“You’re asking the wrong question.”
“What?”
“Kai didn’t become a Death Knight.”

Naturally, I pressed further.
What kind of nonsense was that?

Ian replied,

“He became a Lich.”

Lich.
Kai was not a Death Knight. He was a Lich.
Both Death Knights and Liches are among the highest-tier undead monsters.

In that sense, comparing a Death Knight and a Lich is like comparing a dog and a wolf.
They may seem similar—but there is one decisive difference between the two.

That difference… was will.

A Death Knight is an undead created by a necromancer using a powerful knight’s corpse, turning them into their servant.
In this process, the Death Knight’s own will does not factor in.
They’re usually brought back through an external force, against their own volition.

But a Lich is different.

A Lich becomes undead by their own will.
They transform themselves voluntarily.
Thus, one cannot become a Lich by force.

Whether the intention is noble or evil—or even if it was the only choice—
becoming a Lich is possible only through one’s own will.

No one can help.
The moment another’s will gets involved, the being ceases to be a Lich and becomes a Death Knight instead.

That’s why becoming a Lich requires profound magical knowledge.
One must perform the transformation on their own.

This is why the phrase “Lich = powerful mage” is almost universally accepted.

Of course, I had my doubts.

Kai? A knight? Becoming a Lich?
Had he learned magic at some point?

Ian said no.
Kai didn’t even know the basics of magic. He was a knight through and through.

So I went to the hero of the Allied Forces—the Archmage—and asked:
Can a knight become a Lich?

The Archmage answered firmly,

“No.”

Not even a second of hesitation.

But he couldn’t explain why.

“I don’t really know… How that could be possible…”

Maybe Ian had been mistaken.
That seemed to be the only explanation.

But neither I nor the Archmage believed that.

Ian, the Hero—
the Emperor’s one true rival—
would never make a “mistake” like that.

Kai had undoubtedly become a Lich—as a knight.

Which meant there was only one answer.

There’s no phenomenon without a rule.
If a phenomenon contradicts existing rules, then perhaps the rules themselves are flawed.

Still, the Archmage chose not to refute the old rules.
Instead, he focused on the appearance of a new phenomenon.
And within that, he proposed a new concept: an expanded notion of will.

“As you know, a Lich becomes undead through sheer force of will.”

A great mage sets their mind on becoming a Lich.
With that determination, and sufficient magical knowledge, they bring about their own transformation.

But just having the desire isn’t enough.
What enables the transformation?

“Ultimately—it’s magical knowledge.”

But what if…
What if will alone could serve as the foundation for everything?

“All phenomena in this world are tied to the Will of the World. Magic is no exception.
So if someone could truly interact with that World’s Will…”

He went on explaining, but my head hurt too much to follow.

Mages and their love for explanations.

The gist of it was this: loyalty.
Kai’s will—his unwavering loyalty.

That loyalty was so strong, so unshakable, it bent the laws of reality and allowed him to become undead by his own hand.

“But… even I’m not sure if that’s truly possible…”

Even the Archmage seemed unsure, despite being the one to say it.
That’s how impossible the whole thing sounded.

But if everything he said is true…

Then Kai’s will—so transcendent it twisted the rules—turned him undead.
As the Chief Knight of House Whitewolf, he rejected even death to protect his liege, Serapia, until the very end.

‘He’s insane.’

In other words, a madman.

At least a Death Knight gets the peace of death.
But a Lich?
A Lich is a being that has refused that peace—an unholy creature.

All that remains for a Lich is eternal suffering and ruin.

Kai must have known.
And yet, he never hesitated.

Mad with loyalty.
Mad with chivalry.

Translatin_Otaku

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