Chapter 30

Certainty

Perhaps my Predation[S+] absorbed abilities rather than copying them.

The thought had been lurking in the back of my mind for a long time. I had suspected as much since my days as the allied army's Predator, but only now, after returning to the past, could I be certain.

And it was all thanks to Ian's ability.

◆Predation[S+]

: Devour a living creature's heart to absorb its abilities and convert them into skills. However, this consumes mental fortitude.

The translucent text floating before my eyes, a manifestation of Ian's ability, described Predation[S+] as “absorbing” abilities.

In other words, it explained that I was “taking” those abilities from the creature.

And the mechanism behind it was the “absorption of genetic material.”

It absorbed the “mutagenic factor” that had allowed the monster to develop those abilities.

In short, it absorbed Madness.

Thus, the full mechanism of Predation[S+] was as follows:

1. I devour a living creature's heart using Predation[S+].

2. This absorbs the mutagenic factor that allowed the creature to manifest special abilities. (For monsters, this is Madness.)

3. The mutagenic factor encoded in its cellular genes is immediately applied to me.

4. I become able to use the ability.

This was precisely why Madness engulfed me every time I used Predation[S+].

And since it was genuine “absorption,” not copying...

'There shouldn't be any Madness left in a monster I've used Predation on.'

Because I had “absorbed” all of its Madness.

It was a hypothesis I was almost certain of. Still, a hypothesis was all it was, so I needed to test it.

That was why I had tried feeding Seraphia the Gelu Drake meat I had used Predation[S+] on—to see whether she would remain sane after eating it.

'I didn't expect Kai to eat it first, though...'

In the end, that had only reinforced my certainty.

Monsters I used Predation[S+] on lost their Madness. More precisely, it disappeared because I “absorbed” it.

'That also means Ian's abilities are gone.'

It meant that Ian no longer possessed I Alone Level Up[EX] or Player's Will[EX].

But I wasn't worried. There was a good chance he had other abilities I knew nothing about.

The strength I had seen from Ian had never depended solely on I Alone Level Up[EX].

He was the continent's Hero, after all. The Emperor's sole rival.

Losing a mere ability wasn't going to make him die in some ditch. Still, I did need to find him a little sooner.

At any rate...

'I can sell it.'

And just like that, Whitewolf county had its own specialty product.

Of course, that required me to use Predation[S+] first.

In that sense, it would be more accurate to call it “my specialty product” rather than Whitewolf county's.

'Either way, word of the trading company will spread fast.'

It would be the only trading company on the continent selling monster meat. Through it, I could spread the news that I was in Whitewolf county across the entire continent.

'We probably won't be able to keep up with demand.'

The meat of monsters from the snowy mountains was incredibly tender compared with other meat. They had evolved thick layers of fat to withstand the brutal cold.

Having tasted it myself, I could say that no other meat could compare.

That meant I would need to do some more hunting to secure enough stock.

'Shall I head back to the snowy mountains?'

I was just about to leave when it happened.

“Did you really have to do it this way?”

Kai addressed me, somehow looking even more sulky than before.

“Then should I have fed it to the soldiers or the maids? Or the people of the county?”

Kai pressed his lips shut.

He was fanatical about loyalty, but his sense of responsibility was every bit as strong. So needlessly strong, in fact, that the idiot knight would volunteer to sacrifice himself.

He was the sort to shoulder the danger himself rather than pass it on to others.

“Did it never occur to you that no one had to eat it?”

“That wasn't an option. Someone had to try it.”

“What were you going to do if we'd gone mad?”

I had planned to kill them on the spot.

On that note, there was Dragon's Claw[A], which had stopped Kai's sword. Having tested it against an aura-imbued blade firsthand, I could tell.

'I think it could easily stop even a Master's sword.'

It performed every bit as well as a real dragon's claw.

If I fought Kai right now?

I was confident I could hold my own. Whether I could win... that I wasn't sure of.

In any case, given how Predation[S+] worked, I had been reasonably certain they wouldn't go mad.

“Don't worry. I was certain you wouldn't go mad.”

“What could possibly have made you so certain—!”

“I'm living proof.”

“...”

Kai was struck speechless.

Understandably so. He had seen me eat monsters with his own two eyes. Their hearts, no less, and not just once. He had personally witnessed it twice.

Yet I was perfectly sane. Madness hadn't swallowed me and stripped me of reason.

Of course, that was thanks to Ian's ability, Player's Will[EX]. But Kai had no way of knowing that.

“Do you really... know a way to remove Madness from monsters?”

“Yes.”

Kai asked no more questions after that.

Not only had he seen it with his own eyes, he had now experienced it himself. Denying it any further would have been downright foolish.

“Once I'm certain other people can safely eat monster meat too, we can make money selling it as the county's specialty. That would solve the territory's financial troubles in one stroke.”

“...”

“On top of that, we can solve the people's food shortages ahead of the coming winter. And not just this winter. We can prepare for every winter to come.”

“...”

“Wasn't that a gamble worth taking?”

Provided the gamble paid off, of course.

And it had paid off spectacularly.

Seraphia, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

“Then, is that also why you're trying to establish a trading company...?”

“To sell monster meat. I've already laid the groundwork. All I need now is the staff. On that note, I'll be taking a few soldiers and residents with me.”

“Huh...?”

A foolishly dazed look came over Seraphia's face. She clearly hadn't imagined that I had already set up the company.

Understandably so. Establishing a trading company wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded. Money was one thing, but you also had to build its entire operating structure from scratch.

But I had led the allied army's special task force.

Of course, commanding a special task force and running a trading company could be fundamentally different. But I had watched the allied army's Supply Command operate from right beside it.

Supply Command, led by the Spirit Mage, one of the allied army's heroes.

It had ranged across the entire continent, procuring, managing, and distributing the allied army's military supplies—

Ensuring the allied army never went hungry once throughout the war—

I had seen and experienced that command structure, so meticulous it was chilling.

All that remarkable knowledge and experience remained intact in my head.

I might not measure up to the Spirit Mage, the hero of the allied army, but establishing one little trading company was no trouble at all.

“In so little time...?”

“How in the world did you...?”

Kai and Seraphia, who knew none of that, were met with one surprise after another. The questions in their eyes had turned into suspicion.

Both looked desperate for an explanation.

But I didn't bother to speak. There was no need, reason, or point in explaining every last detail.

I would have to kill them both anyway. Why make excuses or try to persuade them?

Ignore their questions. Crush their suspicions with authority.

“I'll be back.”

I turned and walked straight out of the dining room.

* * *

Adrian abruptly left the dining room.

He was decidedly cold, but as Seraphia watched his retreating figure, she could finally be certain.

'Brother really has changed.'

Adrian had definitely changed. The wastrel he had once been was gone.

'Thank goodness...'

It truly was a relief. She had been terribly worried that he might have reverted to his old ways, but that worry had been entirely needless.

Perhaps that was why her gaze was filled with regret as she looked at the empty plate.

'That was the first dish Brother ever cooked for me himself...'

And Kai had snatched it away.

He had done it to check for poison, but she still resented him a little. Yet he had only acted out of concern for her.

Knowing that, she neither blamed him nor sulked.

... She decided to feel just a tiny bit upset.

Still, even that feeling soon melted away when she thought of Adrian establishing a trading company himself and working to give the people a better life.

'I need to work hard too!'

With Adrian putting in so much effort, she had to try even harder.

On that note, his parting words lingered in her mind.

'He said... he'd be back.'

As though this was where he belonged.

Of course, he had said he would leave the family once his “business” was finished. He had also said they would never see each other again, in any capacity... but that was all right.

Seraphia would change his mind, no matter what.

Right now, Adrian hated her enough to kill her. But as long as they lived under the same roof, an opportunity was bound to come sooner or later.

For better or worse, wasn't that the enduring bond of family?

Hadn't he just cooked for her himself?

Even if it had been an “experiment,” with her serving as a guinea pig, they had still taken a step closer to each other.

'Family...'

These days, Seraphia was happier than ever.

* * *

Territory: the area over which a nation's rule extends.

On the continent, territorial sovereignty fell into three broad categories.

Crown lands, ruled directly by a monarch.

Fiefs, lands granted by a monarch to a lord.

And free cities.

A free city was an administrative district belonging to no nation and guaranteed independent self-government.

As such, it was not ruled by an absolute authority such as a monarch or a lord. Its citizens were free people, subject to no one's rule.

Free cities were, by their very nature, privileged communities, able to develop by specializing in various fields...

Frecce, the city of commerce.

Every day, Frecce bustled with countless merchants and visitors.

Horses and carts passed endlessly along its stone-paved streets, densely lined on either side with redbrick shops and houses.

In the broad central square, shops and stalls clustered around an old stone fountain.

Leather, crops, precious metals, foodstuffs, and more.

Specialties from every region of the kingdom filled the shops, each with its own distinctive character, while merchants called out to customers, haggled, and negotiated.

“Wine from the Kingdom of Veneci! We don't get shipments of this every day!”

“Silkworms raised on mulberry leaves from Porotina Forest! Weave silk from these, and the noble ladies will swoon!”

“We have everything except what we don't! Come take a look!”

Carts were piled high with fruits, vegetables, and grain. Craftsmen hammered away at weapons and armor.

Amid the clang of hammers and the lively din of merchants bargaining...

CLATTER, CLATTER.

A couple of shabby wagons stopped in a corner of the square. True to their shabby appearance, they settled in a secluded spot out of the way.

Before long, several people emerged from the wagons. They began bustling about, apparently preparing to set up a stall.

A few merchants watching them clicked their tongues.

Understandably so. Their choice of location was hopeless from the start. They were clearly a novice trading company.

Still, it seemed they had come to the free city of Frecce, fancying themselves a proper company...

[Predator Merchant Company]

Sure enough, it was a company no one had ever heard of.