Chapter 110: The Meaning of Shoveling (1)
It was late at night, around the time when almost everyone got ready for bed. Some might already have been asleep, enjoying sweet dreams. But one man was an exception. The commander of White Cavalry, Sir Valeradi Blanc, was the exception. He was trudging ahead as he breathed heavily in annoyance.
What a rude situation this is…
Clank! Clank!
He recalled what happened a while ago, and that prompted his steps to be more violent. For a good reason, however. He had gone to meet Baron Frontera in his office at the latter’s request. There, he heard the most preposterous offer he had never even imagined to hear.
What? He wants what? He wants to deploy the entire knights into the civil engineer corp?
It wounded his pride. Could it be any more absurd? The mere thought of it flushed his face in anger.
They expect us to hold a shovel instead of a sword and scoop soil? Us?
No way. He knew who he and his men were. They were the White Cavalry.
We are the queen’s sword and lance. Our greatest honor is fighting and dying on the battlefield. Yet, they expect us to wield a shovel?
Of course, Sir Blanc resisted. He grabbed the baron’s collar, and lashed out at him for daring to give such an impertinent order. Sure, the queen had commanded the cavalry to be here, which gave the power of command to Baron Frontera for the time being. But…
But still, this is nonsense!
Sir Blanc blew a gasket, bawling at the top of his lungs. And what came out of the baron’s mouth stupefied him all the more.
What? It wasn’t his decision?
So, Sir Blanc probed some more. At last, the baron told him that the answer was waiting at the training hall in the manor.
Fine. I’ll go there. I will go because it’s all so ridiculous!
Sir Blanc was sure that he would find out what this was all about once he got there.
Clank! Clank!
He tramped outside the mansion toward the training hall behind the manor. But the moon over his head shone brightly, inconsiderate to his burning rage. When he arrived there, he noticed a silhouette of a man standing all alone at the center of the training hall. The man had his hands behind his back. He was looking up at the moon, his posture straight.
“Who are you over there?” Sir Blanc asked. “Did you wait for me here?”
The man turned around. He wasn’t carrying any weapons. But he had a nonchalant smile on his face, which strangely signaled more danger than a weapon to Sir Blanc.
“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you. You are here earlier than I expected.”
“Lloyd Frontera?” Sir Blanc asked in disbelief.
“Sir Blanc, the man of great reputation, knows my name. What an honor,” Lloyd answered.
“Honored my foot. I am Valeradi Blanc. I briefly saw you yesterday, but finally, we have the chance to introduce ourselves properly.”
“I am sorry. I was engrossed in cleaning up the mess after the disaster,” Lloyd said.
“You are not the only one who was busy.”
Sir Blanc had spent the previous day slammed with work. He inspected his people, the armor, and the weapons. As he cocked his head to the side, Sir Blanc stared at Lloyd.
“But you see, I just heard something a bit strange,” Sir Blanc said.
“From the baron?”
“So you know,” he said”
“Of course I do,” Lloyd replied. “I was the one who asked the baron to relay that to you.”
“Wait, the decision to deploy the White Cavalry into the fiefdom’s civil engineer corp came out of your head?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“…”
The nonchalant manners of Lloyd almost propelled Sir Blanc to jump and grab him by the collar. However, he suppressed such desire with great struggle and spoke.
“Why? The baron told me that I would be enlightened once I came here. So don’t beat around the bush, and tell me straight.”
“To stay alive.”
“What…?”
Sir Blanc paused for a second. He wondered where this Lloyd Frontera was getting at. Lloyd continued to speak.
“I don’t want to die, but I can’t give up the fiefdom,” Lloyd explained, “On top of that, I can’t just run away all the more, leaving the people here behind. So, I thought I should do anything I can. Resort to every means possible, and push through for as long as possible.”
“So what, that was your method to prepare for the future monster invasion? Deploying my knights to be engineers of yours?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“You are making a mistake,” warned Sir Blanc.
“How so?”
“It would be more destructive and effective for 500 of our knights to wield the lances on battlefields than carrying shovels and joining your engineering group,” Sir Blanc reasoned.
“Yes, that is right, indeed.”
“What is that now…?”
Sir Blanc was curious about what the deal was with this man. Why was he consenting to his words so easily? Lloyd grinned nonetheless, which made Sir Blanc wonder if this man understood his words”
“Lances in battlefields. Yes, yes, you must let them shine bright. I am not stopping you. You have my encouragement and support. But all I am asking from you is to hold up the shovel until the monsters strike,” Lloyd reasoned.
“So you want my knights to join the construction in peacetime and fight as lancers on battlefields?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd’s answer was curt and straight to the point, which made Sir Blanc pause for a minute. This left him speechless, and he struggled to rebut Lloyd’s request.
I mean, it makes sense circumstantially.
After all, they could only act as lances on the battlefield. And here was Lloyd requesting them to grab a shovel only until those battles began. As Sir Blanc mulled it over, the suggestion appeared extremely practical.
It’s not like our reputation will be damaged by holding a shovel when nothing is happening.
They only had to bring out their best game during war times. Sir Blanc thought further and realized that Lloyd’s request wasn’t problematic in a procedural sense as well. After all, the moment the queen had ordered them to be dispatched to this fiefdom, the ultimate control over them temporarily shifted to Baron Frontera.
But still… It doesn’t feel right.
Sure, it was practical and followed all the proper procedures. However, his pride. That was the problem. His pride was hurt. The brilliant shining lancers of the queen carrying soiled shovels? Sir Blanc couldn’t help but feel repulsed by that image alone. Therefore, this issue had nothing to do with profit or logic. It had everything to do with his feelings and emotions.
If even I am feeling this way, I wonder what my men will feel about it.
The 500 men in the White Cavalry. Each and every one of them was ready to throw their life away for the queen. As such, this type of order was sure to bring about some serious resistance from them. Sir Blanc, after some thinking, raised his head as he wanted to confirm something.
“Let me ask you one thing,” he said.
“Sure, go ahead,” said Lloyd.
“Let’s say that we join your engineering team. What exactly will be our job?”
“Things the civil engineer corp does,” Lloyd stated nonchalantly.
“You mean…”
“Mainly shoveling. At first, the work will be slow because you are not adept at it. But once you get the hang of it, you will surely get better than my people. I have high hopes for you,” Lloyd added.
“What…”
“I mean it. Truly.”
Lloyd was telling the truth. He wasn’t asking this type of favor to hurt their pride.
I mean, they are the White Cavalry.
They worked directly under the queen, so their combat power and stamina were verified already. Once they got the hang of shoveling, each one would do the job of three or four skilled civil engineers. What was more, they could be instantly transformed to combat capabilities once things went south at the construction scene. Lloyd had a bigger plan in mind, which was a surefire trick to put the endless brake on the monsters. To do that, they had to be excellent shovelers.
“I promise you,” Lloyd said, “your daily wage won’t be insignificant. Five times what the civil engineers receive. I am being very generous right now.”
“This isn’t about the money.”
“It is important. Many people in the whole world break their backs all day to earn money.”
“…”
“And just so you know, shoveling in a construction site isn’t as much of a waste of time as you imagine. It can be a great source of training,” Lloyd added”
“Training? Do you mean like stamina training?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Ha.”
Sir Blanc sneered, and he wondered if this man named Lloyd was in his right mind.
I thought he was the hero of Cremo and a great talent Her Majesty acknowledged.
On top of those, Lloyd was the very person that stopped the assassination attempt of Sir Kyle. When Sir Blanc heard about the news, fright and admiration overwhelmed his soul to the point that he yearned to meet Lloyd. Sir Blanc wanted to feel the grave aura of the man behind such a tremendous accomplishment. As such, he was thoroughly disappointed tonight.
“Lloyd Frontera, it appears you know nothing about us, the White Cavalry. Do you consider us weaklings who need to train in construction sites?” Sir Blanc’s voice contained disdain”
“Hmm, don’t you think so?”
“Bullcrap. You are ignoring us.”
“That surely is not.”
“Are you saying you are not looking down on us?” Sir Blanc retorted.
“No, I am not.”
“Are you saying that construction sites can train our stamina?”
“Of course it can,” Lloyd emphasized”
“How in the world…”
Sir Blanc furrowed his brows. The work only involved a shovel. Or a hammer. How hard can it get to transfer soils and bricks? On the contrary, what kind of training did the White Cavalry go through?
We have trained every day, risking our lives. Blood and sweat amid the piercing spears and our skills were built upon the wounds and injuries. We battled in wars and drank bottles of victory, cheering for today for being alive and for tomorrow for being braver. And here comes this man to tell me what? A construction site can train us? Bullcrap.
Sir Blanc made his resolve. With a stinging gaze, he looked at Lloyd.
“How can it train us? What difference will it make if we train in that construction site of yours?” Sir Blanc retorted”
“Different in many ways.”
“Can you prove it in specifics?”
“Sure, I can.”
“Can you prove it right now?” Sir Blanc demanded.
“If you want, let me show you right now.”
“Please do so.”
“Great. But why don’t you make a bet with me?” Lloyd said.
“A bet?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd smiled meaningfully.
“From now on, I will show you the result of training on the construction site. If you judge that what you see is more powerful than your sword fighting, please make your men join the civil engineering corp without a complaint. How does that sound?”
“Ha, fine.”
Sir Blanc didn’t even think twice before saying it. He’s going to show the result of training done with a shovel? And he’s comparing it to my sword fighting? Sir Blanc almost snorted at the absurdity of it.
Does he not know that I am about to become a sword master?
Sir Blanc could do everything except conjure an aura. So whatever this man Lloyd Frontera was about to do, it would fall short of his own sword skills. It would be the case even if he had fought and killed the Gigatitan to become a hero. A shovel was nothing but a tool. It would not be enough. Sir Blanc was filled with conviction as he spoke.
“I will take you on that bet.”
“That sounds great.” Lloyd nodded his head without hesitation, and he picked up the shovel from the ground.
A shovel? What’s he going to do with a thing like that? It’s not even a weapon”
Sir Blanc felt how laughable this whole thing was. Lloyd could go and do whatever he desires, be it shoveling or anything. Once he saw enough, he would sneer at Lloyd as much as he could. And he would gripe about the impertinence and disrespect Lloyd has resorted to up until this point. Thinking so, Sir Blanc took two steps back lest his shirt gets soiled. But right after he did, he heard something he never expected to hear.
“Two steps won’t be enough. Step further back.”
“How far should I move…?”
“As far as you can.”
“…”
Sir Blanc took two more steps back. Lloyd shook his head. Feeling uncomfortable, Sir Blanc took five more steps back. Lloyd positioned himself just then.
“You see, the thing about shoveling is…”
Clench! His two hands tightly gripped the shovel handle. As the veins in his hands popped out, Lloyd spoke.
“It’s not as easy and effortless as you think it is.”
Zing! Lloyd started to activate three circles, tightening his grip all the more.
“Just to shovel, you should wake up early in the morning. You need to put on clothes even when the sun isn’t up, and you must leave your house with safe shoes on. And you must pray hard that you’ll be picked by the employment agency. If you don’t get picked, you can’t shovel even if you want to,” Lloyd narrated.
“…”
Sir Blanc wished to ask what Lloyd was talking about. But Lloyd continued to speak.
“The same goes for days when it pours hard. It’s more so during the stormy season, like in the summer. And in the winter as well, when you can’t just use a shovel. But even on days with nice weather, sometimes you get no job because you bought the hatred of the supervisor. Or when you’re out of luck, the job itself cancels right in the middle of the whole thing. And so, when things like that happen, you can’t shovel even if you want to.”
“What are you saying…”
“Only after overcoming such tribulations and ordeals can you finally hold up your shovel for the day. And that’s only when you have earned the right to be paid. Sure…” Lloyd paused for a second. He looked straight into Sir Blanc’s eyes. “Others may consider it invaluable and trivial. But to those who shovel, it may be their last lifeline. The very job you like to make fun of can cover medicine and school tuition. It can be someone’s final source of hope.”
“…”
“So, for some, this shoveling is a symbol of hope and life. It’s what sustains their dreams, feeds their children, and keeps them moving forward without quitting. So…”
Zing! The triple circle was rotating in a frenzy. Each time Lloyd spoke, the circles reverberated with each other. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Just then, the circles collided. He pointed his shovel to the sky.
Kaboom!
“…!”
The triple mana blast ejected out like a volcanic explosion, forming a straight line that traveled as high as 70 yards in the air. It burned a section of the night sky until it died down with the wind, which became hot due to the high temperature of the mana blast. It blew to dishevel Sir Blanc’s hair. Lloyd’s gaze traveled to the side, and he spoke, his voice serious and low.
“This is what real shoveling is all about.”
“…”
Sir Blanc remained silent. Not a single word managed to escape his mouth. In its stead, he gulped dryly. The following day, every single member of the White Cavalry modestly held up a shovel in their hands. And five days later, the second wave of monsters Lloyd had predicted showed up at the outskirts of the barony.