The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 97: End of a Long Winter (1) (Part 1)

At the mention of sponsorship, Iliana jumped in surprise.

Combined with her sky-blue hair, it really looked like a tree frog had suddenly leapt into the air.

“S-S-Sponsorship?!”
“That’s right.”

Truthfully, recruiting Iliana would’ve been the surer move. After all, the Allied Forces were already being formed.

But he decided to set that thought aside.

For now.

‘It’s too early to recruit her.’

It wasn’t the right time to bring Iliana into the fold.

There were a few reasons for this decision, and the first was clear:

‘She’s still lacking in many ways.’

Right now, Iliana wasn’t the Archmage of Truth.

She had just barely shed the label of apprentice.

Of course, her abilities were far above any typical apprentice mage.
Iliana had already surpassed the level of a full-fledged mage and was nearing that of a high-ranking one.

Even so, she was still woefully incomplete compared to her past life.

In other words, Iliana was unfinished.

Isolde, by contrast, was almost fully developed.
Iliana, however, was not.

Granted, her genius remained intact, so it was only a matter of time before she matured fully, but—

‘I’m not the one who can complete her.’

He couldn’t teach Iliana.
More than that, he shouldn’t teach her.

Right now, Iliana might be shocked and amazed by his knowledge… but none of it was really his.

It was everything he had once learned from Iliana in his previous life.
And even that well had now run dry.

Iliana needed to study more profound magical knowledge.

‘She still needs to stay in the Magic Tower.’

Langrid Magic Tower—Iliana’s current home.

The origin of all magical knowledge on the continent lay dormant there, earning it the title of the cradle of mages.

At present, only Langrid’s knowledge could properly teach Iliana.

Until she absorbed everything the tower could offer—until her talent fully bloomed—she had to remain there.

That didn’t mean he would just leave her alone.

He could still do plenty to help her talent blossom faster.

For now, the best thing to do was provide financial support—so she could focus on her magical research without distraction.

“W-Why…?”

Iliana’s trembling blue eyes stared up at him as she asked.

“Why would you sponsor someone like me…? I… I’m just a mere apprentice mage…”

“While that may be true for now, after speaking with you, I could see your exceptional potential.”

At that, Iliana’s eyes began to shake wildly.

She looked absolutely flustered, like someone who had never been complimented before.

“M-Me…?! M-M-M-ME?!”

Even without using Find Weakness, it was easy to tell.

“That’s right.”

“Someone like me…?! Me?!”

She kept putting herself down.

But her red face couldn’t hide the joy she felt.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that! That I… That I have outstanding potential…!”

Iliana stomped her feet, unsure what to do with herself.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight—when suddenly, she grew serious.

“…I-I’m truly grateful, but…”

Abruptly, she placed the pouch of money back on the table.

“I can’t accept your sponsorship.”

…That was unexpected.

No—more than unexpected. It was puzzling.

“May I ask why?”

“Well, um…”

Iliana’s small lips trembled as she hesitated.

Her blue eyes darted back and forth, reluctant to reveal something personal.

But after a moment, she seemed to steel herself, gently biting her lower lip.

“Actually… I’m a daughter born out of wedlock… from the Marquessate of Segretus.”

That, he already knew.

She was the illegitimate daughter of the Marquess of Segretus (세그레투스 후작).

In the Battenberg Kingdom, where monogamy was the norm among noble houses, the status of such a child was barely above that of a commoner.

“If you sponsor me… the marquess will definitely…”

He understood now why Iliana was refusing.

The House of Segretus and the House of Whitewolf were both noble families of the Battenberg Kingdom.

“I don’t want… to cause you any trouble.”

She was worried the marquess might retaliate against him.

Which also meant:

‘So… they’re still interfering with her, even after she left the house.’

In her past life, Iliana rarely spoke of her past.

Especially anything about her time with her family.

Whenever it came up, her expression would darken, so he never pressed her for details.

He also had no fond memories of the House of Whitewolf.

Neither of them ever talked about their noble family days.

But…

Now he understood.

Finally, he understood why Iliana was so different now compared to her past life.

Her Peak Human Intelligence [A+]—a trait that had developed to an extreme.

It wasn’t necessarily a blessing.

As noted in the skill’s description, it brought accelerated aging.

The brain took greater damage, and the risk of mental illness rose sharply.

Her cognitive sensitivity had grown so acute that everything in the world became a source of mental stress.

The talent Insight [L] only made it worse.

In short—

‘She had broken down.’

Iliana of the past had been ruined.

A genius with intelligence beyond even dragons—

That brilliant mind had begun to devour her from the inside.

“Is that why you entered Langrid Magic Tower?”

A marquess outranks a count.

And the Marquess of Segretus was also the Prime Minister—second only to the king.

There was nowhere in the Battenberg Kingdom capable of withstanding the marquess’s political pressure…

Except one: Langrid Magic Tower, the sanctuary of all mages.

Only a place like that could shield her.

“H-How did you…?”

Iliana looked stunned.

“It’s not just that, of course…”

Sure, her love of magic must’ve played a role too.

But more than anything, she must’ve desperately wanted to escape her family.

“And the reason you’re still staying under the protection of the Tower’s senior mage… is that also why?”

The authority of a senior mage.

The Tower’s system for protecting apprentices.

“You stayed an apprentice on purpose, didn’t you?”

By leveraging both of those factors, she could remain free from her family’s interference.

“….”

Iliana said nothing.

He gently placed the money pouch back into her small hands.

“Please accept it.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll bear the brunt of whatever the marquess throws my way.”

Iliana’s sapphire-like eyes trembled violently.

“W-What…?”

“Use this money to buy whatever you need, eat what you want, research what you like. I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences.”

“N-No, wait…!”

“In addition, I’ll sponsor you with one million gold every month from now on.”

“Wha—WH-WHAT?!”

“If you ever need more funds, contact the Predator Merchant Group at any time. We’ll support you as much as you need.”

“E-E-EHHHHHH?!?!”

Translatin_Otaku

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