The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 99: End of a Long Winter (3) (Part 1)

The constant, freezing pain that had gripped her body every single day…

It was gone.

Even the hallucinations that had always gnawed at the edges of her mind were silent.

It was as if the illness that had tormented Serapia had been completely cured—leaving her feeling unbelievably refreshed.

‘…I must have died.’

Serapia realized she had died.

And yet—

‘……’

She didn’t want to die.
Who in the world wants to die?
There’s no such thing as someone who wants to die.

There are only people who no longer want to live like this.

More than anything, she had just started getting closer to Adrian.
She had been basking in the dream of becoming like family with him.

Perhaps that was… just a selfish hope.

Still—

Even if she had become a burden, hadn’t she gone camping with Adrian?
Even if she had been just a bait, hadn’t she fought alongside Adrian?

She had shared memories with Adrian.
And from those memories, Serapia had found a small fragment of happiness.

…Yes, that was enough.

It had been a fleeting joy—a brief taste of happiness—but to Serapia, it was more precious than anything else—

“Are you awake…?!”

A voice rang out suddenly.

Serapia tilted her head toward the sound in reflex.

“…Sir Kai?”

Kai was there?

Her head, which had tilted to the left, now tilted again to the right.
Why was Kai here?
Did that mean Kai had also died?
Had he been killed by a Lycanthrope?

If not… could it be Serapia’s ability…?

“Thank goodness… truly, thank goodness.”

Kai let out a slow breath—one filled with all the pressure and worry that had been weighing him down.

He slowly approached Serapia and knelt by her side.

At this close distance, the exhaustion was clearly visible in Kai’s eyes.

“Truly… really…”

Yet his voice held a spark of hope.
Kai gently closed his eyes.
Soon, clear tears began to form at the corners of his eyes.

“Eh…?”

Serapia’s crimson eyes blinked in confusion.

Looking around, still dazed—

“To see you again… To have you return to us safely… Thank you.”

It was Bernard, the Chief Steward.

“You’re really, truly awake!”
“How…! I can’t believe it!!”
“This is seriously the best thing ever…!”

The maids of the manor—
They were all overjoyed, beaming as they looked at Serapia.

Surely, not all these people could have died too…

“I’m alive? Me?”
“Yes.”

Bernard nodded as their eyes met.

It was hard to believe—
But gradually, her senses were returning—

“…Eh?”

Serapia’s eyes opened wide.
Then she calmly examined her body from within.

She could still feel the cold energy flowing inside her.

In other words, the chill hadn’t vanished.

But somewhere, a warm heat was rising—
Spreading through her body, it enveloped the lingering cold and melted away the frost clinging to Serapia’s body and heart.

And so, there was no pain at all.

“H-How is this possible…?”
“Lord Adrian healed you, Lady Serapia.”

It was Kai who answered.
His blue eyes still brimmed with tears.

“My brother…?”

Kai nodded and began explaining everything that had happened.

It was quite a long story.

Serapia didn’t miss a single moment of it.
And as the tale went on, her eyes grew wider and wider.

Until, finally—

“Ah… Aah…”

Tears welled up in Serapia’s wide, trembling eyes.

And soon, they transformed into tears of joy—tears of life.

Even the maids in the room were so moved they barely dared breathe.
Some of them cried with joy, eyes sparkling.

Once lifeless, Serapia’s lips were now flush with color.
Her small shoulders trembled.

Quietly, as though crying too loudly might shatter the moment, Serapia sobbed in silence.

Kai looked away, turning his gaze out the window.

Beyond the glass, the County of Whitewolf stretched out—frozen.

It was the season of deep frost.
Everything in the county was blanketed in icy chill.

And yet, it wasn’t cold at all.

—WAAAAAAAH!!

As news of Serapia’s recovery spread across the county, cheers erupted from every corner.

People embraced each other in tearful joy.
Plump-cheeked children ran around, unaware of the details but caught up in the joyful atmosphere.

All of this was because of one man.

Adrian.

A single person had performed a miracle.

Because of Adrian, a new hope was blooming among the people.
Because of Adrian, the County of Whitewolf now held an unwavering belief in the bright future ahead.

Because Adrian existed—

Through the glass—

On Serapia’s tear-stained, trembling face—

The long, harsh winter was finally coming to an end—

“Hrk…!”

And the first flower of a warm spring had begun to bloom.

Suddenly, a storm of messages appeared before my eyes.

I had no idea what kind of mess was going on back in the County now, but—

◆Kkiiiiyaaaaaaahhhh!!!

Right on cue, a frenzied burst of chaotic messages overwhelmed my view.

◆What kind of magic did you cast?!!
◆Serapia’s Affection Level has reached the Limit Threshold!?

As expected, this “Limit Threshold” seemed to hold a special meaning—

◆Affection Max Level and Affection Limit Threshold are completely different things!!
◆This means her positive emotions for you have surpassed their peak and entered an excessive state!

◆This opens the possibility of further relationship development with Serapia, allowing for a deeper ‘bond’ to form!!

It didn’t seem like this would cause any immediate changes—

◆But that’s not all!

◆If you tie me up and lock me away~♪ I’d love that!
◆Now, all the County residents have become your captives!

◆To you, the most noble of Lords!
◆And what is that noble trait, you ask?

◆Why, it’s feeding them three hearty meals a day!
◆Huh…?
◆You’re asking what kind of trait “Three Meals a Day” is?

◆That trait… is your trait!!

…Yup. Definitely insane.

This series of escalating nonsense really had evolved past mere messages.
It absolutely couldn’t be considered sane anymore.

In any case, whatever happened in the County—

‘It seems things worked out.’

Even ignoring Serapia’s Affection score, the fact that the County’s overall Affection Level had reached [Trust] was incredibly encouraging.

I’d also gained +3 levels, and I hadn’t lost access to [Management Mode].

‘Management Mode…’

From what I’d heard before, [Management Mode] acts as a guide that allows me to manage and view information related to the territory I own.

Which was perfect timing, considering I was just preparing to establish the Allied Army’s foundation—

◆You possess a territory.
◆Would you like to register your owned territory in [Management Mode]?

Fortunately, there were no error messages this time.

◆Registering player-owned territory in [Management Mode].
◆Loading……

After a moment—

◆Registration complete.

With the message confirming the registration, the [Management Mode] interface appeared before my eyes.

==<County of Whitewolf>==
[Area] – 2,234㎢
[Population] – 1,871 people
[Prosperity] – Township

Simple, concise information about the County.

Just the basics—not as detailed as I had hoped.

Translatin_Otaku

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