Chapter 108: Saved by the Bell (1)
Slump! A locust reaching up to two feet tall fell to the ground, all burned and sooted like a lump of charcoal. The bug obviously didn’t move. It was already dead, so there was no resistance. It remained completely motionless even when a farmer, yawning with fatigue, leisurely raked its body.
Yawn.
Crunch! Crash!
One raking motion caught three or four locusts at once. Every single one was burnt like coal, and they swept into a mountainous pile.
“Whew. This is a lot.”
Sir Bayern, the senior knight of the barony, encouraging the clean-up, shuddered. They were creepily large in number, which he had felt the previous night when the pests swarmed into the place.
Still, it’s a relief that almost no one got hurt.
Sir Bayern recalled the previous morning. It was a normal morning. He had woken up like any other day, washed his face, and hurried to his morning training. It was right after he stepped outside his house that he heard the scary, booming noise from the eastern sky.
I had never seen anything like it before.
A plague of locusts had swarmed and blackened the sky, covering the sun and clouds. The whole surrounding was dim as if it was nighttime. The mere thought of it brought chills to his spine.
It felt like the end of the world.
He was flustered. No, he was scared. A part of him wished to leave everything behind, head back to the house, hide in the deepest corner of the attic, and stay there. But he was the senior knight of the Frontera barony. Though he was way behind Javier in terms of sword fighting, the responsibility to command the civil engineer corp and guards fell on his shoulders. The sense of responsibility felt more real in a disaster like yesterday’s. He rushed to the barony manor instead of locking himself up in the house. He meant to gather the engineers and guards and fight back. But it turned out to be difficult.
I was surrounded by the locust swarm before I could even run 200 yards.
Dozens of locusts came at him, and still, he brandished his sword amid the chaos. It was the worst battle he had experienced. He started to grow tired. The sword felt heavy in his hands, and his legs slowed. The end seemed near for him. What a meaningless death, he had thought to himself. Incapable of protecting anybody. Failed responsibilities. Death in the throng of bugs. Just then, an unexpected reverberation started to drum in his ears.
It was Master Lloyd.
Sir Bayern lifted his head and gazed toward the embankment. A man supervising the clean-up efforts stood there. It was the eldest son of his lord, Lloyd Frontera.
I’d have died if it weren’t for him.
He was certain about that. If the echo didn’t interfere with the bugs just then, he would have perished for sure. If Master Lloyd didn’t knock the lid and lure the locusts away, his body would have been ripped apart alive.
It wasn’t just me.
Countless people throughout the fiefdom went through the same thing. The wetland migrants piling up the locust carcasses, the civil engineers exhausted from the clean-up, and their families would have died if it weren’t for Master Lloyd. Sir Bayern was sure about that. At that moment…
“I think we can call it a day.”
A voice was abruptly heard beside him. Sir Bayern flinched at the noise, so he turned to the side.
“Why? Do you wish to work more?”
“…”
Lloyd, who was on the embankment, was walking over to him before he knew it. The young master must have come while he was in a daze. Thinking such, he cleared his throat.
“Master Lloyd, if you wish to, I shall extend the clean-up.”
“You want to do more? But the sun is setting,” Lloyd insisted.
“I am at your disposal,” Sir Bayern stated.
“Yeah? Okay. Let’s work through the night until the sun rises tomorrow morning. And while we’re at it, let’s take it up a notch and finish it quickly.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Sir Bayern nodded, and he immediately turned to call the soldiers in higher ranks. But he couldn’t do so because Lloyd cut in first before he could call them.
“Woah there. Are you for real? Are you serious about the overnight job?” Javier asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Sir Bayern replied.
“Wait, because I said so?”
“Yes.”
“No, no. You can’t let them work overnight so easily.”
“Then does that mean you are canceling the overnight job?”
“Of course.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“…”
Woah. Lloyd chuckled because he couldn’t believe how faithful and headstrong the knight was.
Yes, Sir Bayern was this type of man.
In the novel, there were only two knights that didn’t betray the barony even though it was on the brink of collapse. The first was Javier, and the other knight was Sir Bayern, who didn’t appear very much in the story because he was only a secondary character.
Faithfulness and loyalty. These two words were all that described him.
Those two sides of him were more than enough. His loyalty ensured that he stood by his lord, the baron. And his faithfulness pushed him to strive till he achieved the mission entrusted to him. To capitalize on such fortes, Lloyd tasked him with the job of supervising and overseeing the ondol project early on. And he had been faithfully completing the construction projects without anything amiss.
But if I could point out one shortcoming, it’d be that he’s too serious.
Balanced resistance and snobbery. Those were the qualities Javier possessed that amused Lloyd whenever he teased the latter. But Sir Bayern didn’t have them. Feeling the wistfulness in his heart, Lloyd cleared his throat and spoke.
“You did a good job today. It’s not like we can clean that up in a day or two. There are just too many. Since the sun is setting soon, let’s call it a day.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Sir Bayern signaled the high-ranking soldiers, and the rest of the men cheered and organized the tools. Everyone was exhausted after spending the entire day cleaning up the burned locusts. But they didn’t leave for their homes right away. Before they hurried back to the barracks, they came to Lloyd’s side and stood in one line. And they shouted…
“We thank you, Master Lloyd!”
“Haha…? What are you all doing?”
This situation, where a bunch of grown men were coming together to thank him, flustered Lloyd a bit. But when he looked at their eyes, he was able to feel the sincerity in them.
“Are you thanking me because I saved you yesterday?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes!” They shouted in unison again.
“Woah. Forget it. I just fought hard for my retirement!”
“…”
“So, if you want to give thanks to me, then go ahead. But next time, you might want to give me a bag full of gold coins instead of shouting your gratitude. Got it?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes!”
He felt a bit embarrassed in front of their sincerity. That was why he had blurted out a nasty response, and even so, the soldiers shouted yes and went away.
Did I go overboard last night?
As Lloyd walked alone from the Maritz Wetlands to his manor, he couldn’t help but chuckle. The more he recalled what he had done in this part of the land, the louder his chuckle became. Just then, one moment of great urgency came to his mind. The final moment when he was luring the locusts to the Extermination Zone.
“Jump to the side!”
Bzzzzt!
The violent din of wings fluttering right behind terrified Lloyd, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He shouted to jump to the side, and Javier immediately reacted. Carried on his back, Lloyd was flung to the side into the waterway. Lloyd then stretched his hand immediately and pressed Javier’s head down, and covered them with the lid.
Bzzzzt!
The eerie sound of the flapping wings hovered over them. There were too many for them to count. So many that their noises mixed and jumbled altogether. Like TV crackling in gray screen, they roared, except that the volume was that of 100 concert speakers blaring aloud. Lloyd’s heart pounded in a frenzy. Now’s the time, Bangul! Lloyd shouted internally. Just then, Bangul responded.
“Bangul!”
Boooom! A thundering noise boomed across the sky. The explosion fired at the locusts.
Kaboom! The volcanic explosion skill was activated, and it was followed by a terrible shockwave. A heatwave reaching over 1,500 °F was discharged, and bits of magna stormed straight ahead at 250 miles per hour. It rampaged and swept everything that existed within the range. The radiation scorched everything that was within a couple hundreds of feet. Only two people could remain safe in that distance.
“Duck down! Lower!” Lloyd shouted.
They further lowered their body to the waterway of the field. And the lid on them protected most of the heat charging down from the sky. And the rest was absorbed and discharged through the Asrahan Core Technique. They were able to survive one volcanic storm like this. Then, Lloyd rose up.
“Now! Hit it!”
Thud! The two sprang to their feet. Lloyd held up the lid while Javier lifted his sword.
Booong! The sword hit the lid, spreading the low, clear echo across the site. And the walls and hot air surrounding them amplified the echo to spread faster, stimulating the locusts who froze at the sudden explosion. It allured them and drew them near.
Bzzzt! The locusts started to move again like hungry predators.
“Good! Let’s try it one more time!”
Booong! Another bong reverberated in the air, and hundreds and thousands of pairs of wings flew near them in greed. At that moment, Lloyd and Javier lowered their bodies deep into the waterway. Then, another explosion boomed near them.
“Bangul!”
Boooom! Trillions of tiny glass shards as hot as 1,500 °F swept the entire sky at the speed of 250 miles per hour. The awful radiation and fierce shockwave blasted everything within dozens of yards. The second explosion brought more than 10,000 locusts to be scorched to death. Bangul prepared for the third shot.
“Bangul! Bba-bangul!”
She widened her big mouth, and Ppodong fiercely dug up the soil to throw them into Bangul’s mouth right away. Once it was eaten and digested, a reload was complete for the third explosion.
“Ready!”
Booong! The reverberation, frenzied locusts, and loud signal.
“Now!“
Boooom! Fire, eat soil, hit the lid, attract, and fire. The rampage cycle was ruthless, devised for complete extermination. On top of that, Hamang joined in and threw a trap.
“Hamang, now!”
“Hamang!”
Gulp! Gulp! Splash! Hamang, who was standing by, jumped into the river across the embankment and started gulping the water, taking in as much as he could. He then lifted his head and sprayed the water high in the sky as far as he could manage. More than 25,000 gallons of water flooded the sky like a torrential pour, attacking the locusts that were about to run away from the continuous explosions. Once the water soaked their wings and dropped them to the ground, Lloyd jumped up, and Javier drew his sword. A second later, the ground shook from the west.
“Here! Do not forget our spears and knives!”
Clip clop! Gallop! 500 cavalry knights armored in white appeared in their view. The white cavalry the queen had promised finally arrived. They charged like a tsunami, stretching out the lance in shiny white. They swept the locusts lying on the ground, penetrated them with their lances, and pierced far into the rear file of the locust swarm. And later, Lloyd and Javier’s shovel and sword glinted.
Kaboom!
Lloyd’s triple mana blast. Javier’s series of delicate mana blasts. The destructive mana storm swept the locust swarm. The fear quickly spread among the bugs like a disease. They expanded their wings wide and flew high to escape. And once again, Bangul fired another shot of the volcanic explosion to welcome those that flew in the air.
“Bangul!”
Boooom! Volcanic ash adorned the fiefdom sky like a mushroom cloud.
It was such a spectacular day.
His past day had been filled with tense and suspenseful moments. If a pest control company employee was there to witness the events, they would have sent a tearful standing ovation for their extermination method.
It’s a relief that it worked.
Everyone was able to live because Lloyd’s operation and bold execution worked perfectly like magic. The fiefdom was saved from the crisis as well. With that, Lloyd jostled himself out of his own reverie as he walked. Around the time the sunset disappeared on the horizon, he arrived at the barony. The manor was in a hot mess because it had been chewed and bitten all over the place. It looked like a pair of ripped jeans that had been badly torn by a grouchy fashion designer.
“It is a relief that the building didn’t collapse. If the young master arrived any time later, this manor would have crumbled to ruins.”
A clear voice spoke when Lloyd was staring at the house at length. Lloyd found that a maid was standing at the main gate. He ballparked her age. 15 or 16. The freckles on her face made her stand out. Lloyd remembered that she mainly served the baroness.
“Emily?” Lloyd said as he remembered her name.
“Yes, Young Master. The baroness sent me to escort you to the dining room once you arrive.”
“Sure, yes.”
Lloyd wasn’t sure why she was so happy. He wondered if she was pleased to escort him. Emily’s face was filled with a smile, so Lloyd found her a bit uncomfortable to be around.
I can never get used to this kind of treatment.
He had never been welcomed like this back in South Korea, particularly after his parents passed away. But this world was different. Everyone called him “Young master” wherever he went. They sent gazes of reverence and gratitude, saying that Lloyd saved them and the fiefdom. Everyone was the same as this smiling and cheerful girl who turned around to steal a glance at Lloyd at times as she walked ahead of him.
“Actually, young master,” Emily said.
“Huh?” Lloyd replied.
“I started to knit something today,” confessed Emily.
“Knit? What knitting?”
“You know, cross-stitching.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I plan to stitch something awesome.”
“Ah, is that so?” Lloyd spoke in an indifferent manner.
“Yes. Something really awesome. The most awesome thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Um, I wonder how awesome it is.”
“The sight of you risking your life for everyone,” she finally said, blushing.
“Woah…”
Lloyd almost burst into an endless cough. But Emily seemed clueless to it as she merely continued to speak in a feeble and soft manner.
“To be honest, I was very scared,” she confessed.
“Yeah, you were?”
“Yes. I thought I was going to die. Right here, at the top of the stairs.”
“Here?” Lloyd asked.
“Yes. I was surrounded by the locusts.”
“You must have wanted to faint,” Lloyd added.
“That was when you showed up,” Emily said, almost choking in admiration.
“Hey… I’m hungry. Let’s move faster.”
Lloyd felt like he was about to die of embarrassment. He quickened his steps to walk ahead of Emily and enter the dining room first.
But before he could do so, Emily interrupted, “So, young master….”
Her voice was a grip that clutched at his sleeves. And she bowed right away before he had the chance to say anything.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“You saved me. Thank you. You saved my younger brother, grandma, and everyone else. You’re our lifesaver, young master.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I hope you enjoy your dinner.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lloyd was at a loss in front of such heartfelt, sincere gratitude. Emily ran away, all blushing and red after she was done speaking. Lloyd put on a wry smile as he looked at her back. Just then…
Ding Dong.
[You have shown an act of heroic courage and determination by risking your life for the Frontera barony and Lacona viscounty.]
[For that, the people of the two fiefdoms are touched and praise you very much.]
[You have earned a new title.]