NOVEL WEB Chapter 91
91. Surely
Levin Hector has noble blood running through his veins.
His father’s name is Duke Millet.
A powerful noble in the Kingdom of Adonis, comparable to Count Laffiel.
His mother was a maid working in the mansion, who bore Levin after being used by the Duke for a night’s pleasure.
And then—his mother was expelled from the mansion.
At that time, the Duke already had three sons.
He didn’t need another child, especially one who could spark future disputes.
Levin and his mother received hush money from his father, but the amount wasn’t much, and they lived in poverty.
By the time he entered primary school, Levin had already begun to suspect his true origins.
Eventually, he developed a strong desire for upward mobility.
Why should he, a noble’s child, have to endure such circumstances?
He was someone who should be in a higher place.
Someone who should possess a higher status.
“Soon, surely—”
Levin managed to advance to the upper division while enduring hardships.
With his handsome appearance and superior intellect, he was a respected figure among his peers.
In his second year of upper division, he was already recommended to the top university in the royal capital.
It was a remarkable advancement, skipping grades.
His life was supposed to be heading upward from here.
But one day on his way home, Levin was suddenly dragged into an alley by several men.
—And was killed without much resistance.
Later investigation revealed that he had been caught up in a family feud within the Duke’s household.
Even though they were expelled from the mansion and had lived in poverty,
In the end, it seemed like they just thought, ‘Better take care of it, just in case’, and the Duke’s men took Levin’s life.
“Why…?”
As he was being killed, Levin groaned.
His entire body boiled with unreasonable anger.
This was supposed to be his life.
And yet, for a reason as trivial as this, he was taken down so easily.
Without achieving anything, without becoming anyone.
Just discarded like garbage and left to die—
No.
He wouldn’t accept it.
This was not the life he was meant to have.
He was Levin Hector.
He would surpass even his father, Duke Millet—no, he would become someone who stands at the nation’s pinnacle.
He would make it happen.
He would find his place.
A place where no one would hurt him, where he would be loved and revered.
Yes, he would create his own kingdom—
Perhaps his desperate wish reached the ears of a god.
Before he knew it, Levin found himself in a pure white space.
There, he met an entity calling itself the Supreme God, Galeza.
And was granted the divine power to ‘dominate others’.
Upon his revival, Levin did not act impulsively.
First, he thoroughly researched his abilities.
What he could and could not do.
The conditions for activating his skills, their range, and their duration.
He tested each of these one by one while controlling the people around him.
His ‘domination’ skill is generally activated by staring at his target.
The skill would fully take effect if he maintained eye contact for about a second.
On the other hand, just a fleeting glance wasn’t enough to control someone.
Even if the target wore glasses, Levin’s skill would still penetrate and activate.
The only real countermeasure would be ‘not making eye contact’.
However, only those who knew about his ability and its activation conditions could think of such a strategy.
Also, the upper limit for the number of people he could dominate was about a thousand.
If he wanted to dominate someone new, he would have to release one of his already controlled subjects.
In other words, even though he planned to build a kingdom, it wasn’t feasible to dominate every person in the world.
He would select a key thousand people and use them as pawns to expand his domain—
This was a realistic strategy.
As Levin dominated the lords of the kingdom and the ministers in the royal capital,
The areas he effectively controlled increased rapidly.
—And while expanding his subordinates and influence, Levin eventually met her.
The female knight Miranda Enias, who is now his most beloved lieutenant.
He met Miranda, who was part of the garrison in Arlen City, one of the Kingdom of Adonis’s key military bases, when he brought the city under his control.
Levin was attracted to her not only for her dignified beauty but also for her top-tier swordsmanship, calm judgment, objective analysis, and understanding of her place.
He made her his lieutenant.
For Levin, Miranda served as a bodyguard, advisor, and a lover who would warm his bed at night.
“I need many subordinates. I particularly expect a lot from you, Miranda.”
“Yes, I will serve you with my life.”
They once had such a conversation during a night spent alone together.
“Everything I am is for you, Levin-sama. Until the day your kingdom is realized, command me as you wish—”
“Every day, more loyal and capable subordinates like you are joining me. My kingdom will surely be realized in the not-too-distant future.”
Levin smiled at Miranda as he said this.
“Perhaps I should make you one of my concubines then?”
“…! T-That would be an honor.”
The female knight blushed.
Her shy expression was a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor, resembling a maiden in love.
“…Hmph.”
But Levin only snorted softly.
He knew her attitude was influenced by his ‘domination’ skill.
Even though she swore loyalty to him, it was ultimately a planted and twisted consciousness.
The true Miranda Enias would never accept Levin.
But that was fine.
As long as she was dominated, she would never betray him.
Never harm him.
So—
“You are mine, Miranda. Work for me alone.”
Levin brushed aside the brief sentimentality that had sprouted and pulled the female knight close.
Levin returned his focus to the present.
There was no time to indulge in sentimentality if he was to realize his kingdom.
Since meeting Jack, his abilities have grown, and now the upper limit of people he can dominate has increased to about five thousand.
But it still wasn’t enough.
(More… I need more…)
Levin’s ambition—only grew stronger as his skill became more powerful.
It was then that something like an explosion echoed from outside.
“What was that…?”
“I’ll go check it out.”
Jillian left and quickly returned.
“Levin-sama, Miranda has—”
Her face was flushed, and her breathing was ragged.
“She’s back?”
“Y-Yes, but, um…”
She seemed quite confused.
If it were Miranda, she would report with a bit more composure…
Levin thought, while maintaining a calm demeanor.
“What is it? Report briefly and clearly, as I’ve instructed.”
“M-My apologies…”
Jillian trembled slightly.
For a servant, the words of Levin, their king, were absolute.
“A knight in the form of a black beast has infiltrated the stronghold with her. The first defense line has already been breached—”
“A black beast… Could it be?”
Levin furrowed his brow.
He had received reports of a battle in the royal capital between demonic forces of the Demon Lord level and adventurers.
‘He’ was said to have joined the defensive line in that battle.
During the fight, he reportedly transformed into a knight in the form of a black beast.
“Jack Jarce—!?”