TLWD 36

Chapter : 36. Love and Hate (1)

A translucent message appeared:

Serapia cannot reach the [Affection] status of favorability.

◆ A person in the [Affection] state is deeply drawn to you and loves you passionately.
◆ They are willing to sacrifice everything for you and give you their all, wholeheartedly.
◆ If they’re the opposite sex, that includes both mind and body!

In short, this was essentially love.
Not just close to love — it was love.
Of course, there were many kinds of love.

But the kind mentioned here included physical love as well.

That meant Serapia could never enter the [Affection] state toward me.

◆ Favorability Blocker – Brother, Family, Incest.
◆ Unless these blockers are removed, the [Affection] state cannot be achieved.

Because there was an insurmountable wall between us called <incest>.

Sure, Serapia and I were not blood-related — we were step-siblings.
But incest is incest.

“So this is what they meant by characters that can never reach Affection status no matter what you do.”

So in a way, I was relieved.
The thought of Serapia feeling affection toward me?

…Just imagining it was utterly horrifying.

No wonder — my favorability toward Serapia was at [Hatred].

I had a strong, unwavering will to kill and destroy her.

Only because of Ian’s words was I holding back that judgment for now.

“Pointless.”

I dismissed the floating messages before my eyes — and then, another popped up:

Kai’s favorability toward you has risen significantly!

“What now?”

Had everyone lost their minds?

* * *

Kai was in utter chaos.

Smoke curled up from every chimney in the county.
People gathered around campfires, eating warm soup.
Children’s laughter echoed joyfully.

All of it — thanks to Adrian.

It was the result of the profits from just one trade expedition.

He had solved the long-standing problems of the county in a single stroke.

‘How…’

Kai couldn’t understand it.

He had tasted monster meat himself and knew its value as a product.

But still — weren’t pioneers always at risk of being struck down?
It wouldn’t have been strange if the trade had flopped due to resistance from established merchants.

Some success might have been possible due to the product’s worth, sure.

But the soldiers said:

“When we went to buy, the guild-affiliated merchants were so welcoming.”
“They even gave us extra services, asking us to speak well of Lord Adrian!”

Adrian hadn’t just succeeded — he had subjugated the merchant guild.
With just one expedition, he had taken control of the entire Preche region.

‘How…’

He couldn’t believe this was the same ‘wastrel’ of the Count’s household.

He didn’t act like a brute.
He integrated into Preche, created mutual prosperity, and earned genuine loyalty.

He hadn’t solved things with brute force alone.
He used cooperation, negotiation.

That was something Kai himself couldn’t do.

He could wield a sword and cut down obstacles.
But he didn’t know how to build anything afterward.

That’s why he couldn’t protect Serapia.
That’s why he couldn’t protect anyone.

But Adrian was different.
He knew how to persuade people, how to live together.

He wasn’t just physically strong. He had the talents of a great lord.

He was… on a whole other level.

The man Kai once thought of as a mere wastrel.

He was simply different.
Simply too great.

So immense that Kai couldn’t fathom him — and no longer could he call him “the wastrel of the Count’s family.”

And Kai’s astonishment wasn’t over yet.

“How did he even return to the county?”

The Whitewolf territory was cut off from the outside world due to blizzards.
And northern blizzards were no joke.

Vegetation barely grew.
Snowfall covered everything, blanketing the world in white.

When the winds blew hard, a blizzard could blind you completely.

What Bernard, the head steward, had said wasn’t exaggerated — they had to prepare for long-term isolation.

And yet… Adrian returned.

He made it back through the snowstorm — with multiple wagons full of relief supplies.

“Ah, well…”

A soldier answered Kai’s question.

“It’s just that…”

He hesitated, looking unsure, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d seen.

What had he seen?

“Lord Adrian used magic.”

“…Magic?”

Even Kai was dumbfounded.

Adrian, using magic?

“We all thought we couldn’t get back due to the blizzard.”
“The snow was piled up to our chests, and we had no sense of direction.”
“There was a whiteout — we couldn’t tell north from south.”

Soldiers gave their testimonies one after another.

It wasn’t a case of one or two people mistaking things.

“Then Lord Adrian reached out his hand… and the piled snow suddenly vanished.”
“The snow disappeared?”
“Yes! Swoosh! It got sucked away somewhere.”
“To us, it looked like magic!”

The soldiers recalled the moment in awe.
Some even said, “He looked like a great wizard parting the sea!”

Not one or two — dozens of people said the same thing.

It couldn’t be a hallucination.
It was very unlikely to be a lie.

“What the hell…”

Still, Kai couldn’t believe it.

Adrian, using magic?

That was impossible.
Adrian had zero talent in mana.

Mana — the fundamental energy of the world.

Mana is the core energy that composes the laws of nature and the universe.

And it is, essentially, limitless.

But that’s why humans couldn’t handle it.

Trying to use mana directly would kill a person.

Yet, human desire for power eventually found a solution.

In the distant past, a great sage discovered a way to process mana into usable energy.

That became Available Energy, which comes in two forms:

• Mana Force (used by mages)

• Aura (used by knights)

These two energies conflict with each other.

A mage cannot use aura, and a knight cannot use magic.

Meaning, a knight can never become a mage, and vice versa.

But both are based on mana.

And to use either, one must be able to sense mana.

And Adrian…

Had zero mana affinity.
Mana sensitivity: 0.

He couldn’t feel or perceive mana.

Which meant he couldn’t use aura or magic.

In other words, he couldn’t possibly use magic.

That’s more than “won’t use it” — he literally could not.

‘Then what the hell happened…?’

Maybe it wasn’t actually magic.
Maybe it just looked like magic.

But what was certain was:

Adrian had performed a miracle akin to magic.

Just like…

When he fought and defeated Gelu Drake.

He blocked the Ice Breath head-on, lured Gelu into dropping his guard, and landed the final blow.

‘There’s something…’

There was something special about Adrian.

Kai didn’t know what it was.
But something magical had awakened in Adrian.

Something that had lain dormant — and was awakened during that week Adrian left the Whitewolf estate.

That explained how Adrian purified the madness from monster meat.

A feat no one in history had accomplished.

Humanity had figured out how to convert mana into usable energy.

But the madness contained in monster meat?
They had deemed it impossible to remove.

‘A power that turns the impossible into possible…’

That’s how Kai now defined the force within Adrian.

Just look — at the estate, now overflowing with life and vitality.

Chimneys smoking, warm scents in the air, children with full stomachs.

What would have happened if Adrian hadn’t been here?

If Serapia had accepted Baron Benelon’s proposal?

Would soldiers, citizens — the entire estate — have ever known hope?

Would Serapia’s tears of joy ever have flowed?

…No.

It would have been the opposite.

The estate would’ve been filled with despair.
Serapia would have wept tears of misery, not joy.

Adrian created this.

He protected it.

He protected Serapia — and the Whitewolf estate.

Kai quietly closed his eyes.

There was still about a month and a half until the royal decree arrived.

He had planned to kill Adrian after that.

Once Serapia had officially secured her position as lord, Kai would eliminate Adrian.

But now…

Maybe he didn’t have to kill Adrian.

Maybe the estate needed Adrian.

More than that — maybe Adrian was the only one who could truly protect Serapia.

And for just a moment—

• Kai! Look at this! I’m amazing, right?

• Be careful! You’ll get hurt like that!

He wondered…
Could he go back to the way things were with Adrian?

“……”

That thought lingered with Kai — for just a fleeting moment.

A translucent system message suddenly popped up again.

Kai’s favorability toward you has entered the [Conflict] state!
◆ A [Conflict] character opposes your thoughts, emotions, or goals, and tends to clash with you.
◆ However, don’t worry!
◆ Love and hate are two sides of the same coin!
◆ Resolving conflict can lead to stronger bonds and more dynamic relationships!
◆ A conflict-free relationship is static, dull, and conservative — remember that!

After Serapia, now Kai’s favorability had also changed.

Granted, it was only [Conflict].

But compared to the previous [Disgust] state, it was a two-level jump.

In other words—

“Have they both gone crazy?”

It seemed both of them had lost their minds while I was off trading in Preche.

There was no other explanation.

“Wait… was there something wrong with the Gelu Drake meat?”

That might be it — the dragon genes in that one were pretty extreme.

Either way…

“Pointless.”

I waved away the message again.

My own favorability toward Kai was still [Hatred].

I had a strong, unwavering will to kill and destroy him.
I didn’t care about his feelings.

If it were the citizens’ favorability, that would be one thing.

But Serapia and Kai? Their opinions meant nothing to me.

More precisely, I didn’t have time to care.

“Let’s go hunting.”

I needed to evolve my abilities and get stronger.

Gain EXP. Fully utilize Ian’s powers.

And I needed to secure products for the next trade trip.

There was no time to waste on favorability.

No time to dawdle.

The more I stalled, the longer it would take to raise the Predator Company’s name.

And the longer it would take for Ian to find me — and the emperor would gain more time.

Ten years.

I had to prepare everything within that time.

In that sense…

“The monster population is dwindling.”

The number of monsters in the snowy mountains was decreasing — a problem.

No species had an infinite population.

The monsters here survived harsh conditions, but there were never that many.

Right now, it wasn’t a big issue — but…

“It’s a problem that I have to do all the hunting myself.”

This method wasn’t sustainable.

The Predator Company wasn’t just a tool to find Ian.
It was to become the financial backbone of the allied forces.

I would make it the greatest merchant company on the continent.

So I pondered — and found a clue.

Ironically, it came from a memory of my past life.

From none other than the Emperor.

“If I use Ice Trolls…”

Use their regeneration.

Ice Trolls can regenerate severed limbs.
Arms, belly fat, anything — they grow it all back quickly.

If used well…

I could potentially create a limitless supply of monster meat.

“Well then. Time to catch one.”

And with that, I headed into the snowy mountains.