Chapter 155: A Responsible Person (1)
“Ggoming!”
A shout rang out from the sky. At the same time, something white flew in his direction and wrapped around him in a flash like a net. Fwick! Whip!
“…!”
Lloyd flinched at the abrupt ensnaring and stared at the white net that wrapped his body.
A spider web?
It was white and sticky. But Lloyd wasn’t the only one bound by the web. Ppodong and the five baby Mastodons were wrapped in spiderweb as well, as though they were parcels. And there came a tug. Stretch!
“Eek…”
The spider web was pulled with great vigor, and they were tugged in its direction as a result.
“Ppodung…!”
“Chu…!”
Tug! Ppodong was already sprinting fast, so when the spider web around him tugged forward with great strength, the two forces compounded to propel the former to an explosive acceleration. As a result, his speed increased by two-fold, and he was saved from the giant rock by the skin of his teeth.
Boooom! The mere noise of the rock falling to the ground created a blaring din. Lloyd wondered what would have happened if he had been crushed by it.
Well, no point in wondering! I’d probably have been pressed into a pancake.
Lloyd stole a glance behind him as he panted. Chills ran down his spine. But he didn’t have the luxury of time to relax as he heard a shout above.
“I’m going to pull harder. Hold tight.”
“…!”
At the same time, Lloyd spotted a familiar outline of a figure over the valley.
“Ggoming!”
A giant parrotbill glided through the air with its wings spread wide. A silver-haired knight was on his back. It was Ggoming and Javier.
“Haha, ha! Javier, how nice to see you up!”
Stretch! Once again, the spider web roughly pulled Ppodong, but this time, it wasn’t doing so forward. It was pulling him up. His two feet left the ground, and the same went for the five baby Mastodons. That is, Ppodong and five baby Mastodons were lifted in the air, tightly and painfully wrapped around by the spider web.
“Ppu-pu-dung!”
“Chuu!”
Everyone flailed in dismay. Ggoming’s wings fluttered faster, and everyone was lifted off the valley ground. They barely passed through the tons of dirt and rock that were cascading down. They flew higher and higher until they arrived at the top of a safe cliff. Around this time, Javier’s voice came from Ggoming’s back.
“Sir Ppodong? I’m going to cut the web. Brace yourself.”
“Ppodung!” Ppodong answered gallantly. Javier’s sword glinted above.
Thwack! The spider web, which had been impressively holding up until now, was cut. Ppodong and the Mastodons fell to the ground safely. But not Lloyd. The spider web that tied him around wasn’t cut. Dangling in the air, Lloyd cocked his head to the side.
“Eh? What about me?”
“Master Lloyd, please come up,” Javier said.
Lloyd wondered whether Javier’s voice sounded colder than usual. Grimacing, Lloyd grabbed the spider web and pulled himself up until he finally got up on Ggoming’s back.
“Woah.”
Lloyd let out a sigh of relief at the realization that he was seriously close to death today. But he couldn’t sit and relax. He didn’t even have the time or luxury to get the sticky spider web off his body.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” asked Javier.
“…”
Javier, who was sitting on the front saddle on Ggoming, sounded unusually cold. Lloyd’s hand that tore the spider webs off his body stopped. Then, Lloyd took the seat behind Javier.
“What if I am? Are you going to blow my wound?”
“I plan to cut it up, so it won’t rot,” said Javier.
“Ack…”
If Javier’s attitude was weather, it’d be a heavy snowfall. That was how cold and icy his responses were.
“By the way,” Lloyd replied as he glanced down at the landslide, “how did you find us?”
“I heard it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard the explosion,” answered Javier.
“Wait, the first carcass explosion?”
“That was probably it.”
Javier nodded and recalled the events that led up to this point. He was simply doing his work in the apartment complex construction site and chopping the metal rebars Bangul excreted when he heard an explosion in the far north. Javier sensed that something was sorely wrong. The explosion was, though faint, loaded with sinister and evil mana. So, he left the site and looked for Ggoming first. If he was right about the accident in the north where Lloyd was…
I’ll be too late if I run there.
He was fast, but not faster than Ggoming’s flying. So, he searched for the bird and explained the predicament, how he wanted the bird to get big and take him there. Thankfully, Ggoming carried a red sunflower seed, which Lloyd gave each creature for emergencies. And once he became large, Javier flew to the site. On his way to the north, he bumped into the evacuating workers and heard a summary of what happened from Sir Bayern, who was leading them. He also learned about Lloyd’s various actions. This made him mad. Very mad.
“Woah. So, that’s what happened. Thank you. If you didn’t come to save us, then, whew. The mere thought of it is just horrible,” said Lloyd.
“…”
Lloyd was catching his breath behind Javier, thanking the latter for coming at the right time. Such an expression of gratitude was very rare for Lloyd, so it was precisely why Javier hated Master Lloyd more today and drove his point home.
“So,” asked Javier, “are you happy?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking whether you’re happy about being saved by me.”
“Hmm… By the way, did something happen to you?” asked Lloyd in confusion.
“Nothing happened,” said Javier.
“Then, why are you so moody?”
“Moody? I would never,” denied Javier.
“Yes, you are. You are moody. Aggressive too.”
“…”
“Did I upset you?”
“Yes,” Javier confirmed
“Wow. So blunt.”
“I am,” said Javier, “trying to hold it in but can’t.”
“How so?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Is it because of the sacrificed White Cavalry?” asked Lloyd.
“Not at all.”
Javier shook his head hard, thinking that this young master was seriously clueless about what he had done wrong.
“The six knights of the White Cavalry did their job. They fought to protect the people as the swords and shields of Her Majesty, and they died with honor,” explained Javier. “That is their duty and responsibility. So, I may respect and mourn their sacrifice, but it is not something to feel sorry for. The problem is elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere? Where is it?” asked Lloyd innocently.
“The problem is that you, Master Lloyd, had taken the same action, forgetting your place.”
“What?” gaped Lloyd.
He really doesn’t know, said Javier to himself. This young master was completely in the dark about how important he had become to this fiefdom.
“Master Lloyd, have you ever considered what would happen if you disappeared?” blurted Javier coldly.
“Um, yes, I have.”
“Then, you should know what I’m going to say next.”
“I do. There will be no one to finish or continue the things I started once I’m gone. So, the whole fiefdom will perish and fall apart. That’s what you want to say, right?” asked Lloyd.
“Exactly,” confirmed Javier with a sigh. “It wasn’t this much of an issue before. I simply considered you a precious member of the Frontera family, the eldest son, and the successor to the lord… Nothing more. So, I thought in the worst-case scenario where I had to choose between the lord and you, I would pick the lord without hesitation. But now…”
“I have become important?”
“Yes,” replied Javier. “But not because I’ve grown fond of you. It’s because you are more responsible for the fiefdom’s future than before.”
“You know, you don’t have to add the last part,” said Lloyd.
“But-”
“Anyway,” interrupted Lloyd, “is that why you are so upset and sulky?”
“I was never sulky.”
“Yes, you are. You are totally sulking. I could see you pouting from behind.”
“Master Lloyd, do you think I am joking right-”
“I am not kidding.”
“…”
Lloyd’s voice sounded calm. He looked down at the herd of Mastodons gradually perishing under the landslide and recalled the moment of great emergency a while ago.
“I fully get what you are saying,” Lloyd continued. “And I know you have good intentions. You’re telling me to run safely and don’t take things into my own hands when danger arises. Right?”
“Yes,” Javier confirmed
“But you’re upset because I always get winded up in this situation by risking myself, totally ignorant of my place. I’m right on this one, too, right?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But what else can I do? I don’t think I can be more careful in the future.”
“Why is that?” asked Javier.
“There are people that trust and work for me.”
Javier wanted to refute and fight back. But he couldn’t come up with anything, so he stayed silent. Lloyd continued to speak amid his silence.
“Of course, I don’t want to be in danger, either. I’m scared. And I hate dying all the more. But you see, everyone has their own responsibilities,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd was being frank with Javier. It went without saying that he hated the idea of getting hurt or dying. But he knew that such sentiment went the same for everyone who worked for him.
“If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have dug up the ground in the northern wilderness. I mean, the workers today. Don’t you think so? This construction project began because of me, and I’m the one in charge.”
“But-”
“You know, do you know what being responsible means to me? I may be the biggest liar there is and trick those who trouble me, but I never do such to those who at least trust and follow me.”
Just then, his experiences in South Korea came to his mind. Construction fields were always dangerous. Careless mistakes and accidents happened everywhere. Although he was never in an accident due to sheer luck, he heard of an accident every time he watched the news. There were reports of a fire breaking out in welding sites, old tower cranes falling, and many other safety accidents outside of those events. The victims were always the workers.
But no one took responsibility. No one really came out to be liable. If there was, it was the field superintendents, and they would get some disciplinary actions from the construction companies. Then, there came meaningless and nominal apologies and words of comfort. Companies sought ways to reduce the already shamefully small amount of compensation they had to pay.
That was it. Then, similar accidents repeated. No one came to get rid of the root cause of the accidents. Why? Because it was expensive and laborious. Maintaining the status quo and compensating the victims’ families was cheaper than putting up safety measures. So, companies deflected all their responsibilities citing financial reasons as the excuse. Lloyd loathed them for it.
“So, I do not want to turn a blind eye to my responsibility toward the construction site I took charge of.”
Lloyd spoke, meaning every word, saying he would always be like this. He would never let go of his responsibility for the workers. He would take responsibility even when fear, annoyance, and laziness pressured him.
“Even so,” Lloyd added, “I will try to play safe since I don’t want to die or get hurt, either. I will do so just for you.”
“For me?” Javier cocked his head as he sat in the front, wondering what in the world Lloyd could mean. The corners of Lloyd’s lips rose mischievously…
“The lullaby service.”
“Excuse me?” asked Javier.
“You better tell me honestly. You’re doing this because there’s no one to sing the lullaby once something bad happens to me, right? Aren’t you scared because of that?”
“That is just outrageous…”
“Eh, looks like I have driven my point home. You’re upset.”
“Not at all. That is simply absurd,” defied Javier.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Javier confirmed
“You sure?”
“Of course.”
“Then, why are your ears getting red?”
“It’s because of the cold wind,” said Javier.
“There. Your voice cracked just a little.”
“This is troubling. Could something have happened to your hearing earlier?” asked Javier.
“My, my. Are you going to deny it like that?”
“There is nothing to deny.”
Javier jerked his head to the side after uttering coldly. Just then, an unexpected yet welcomed message appeared in front of Lloyd’s eyes.
Ding dong.
[Javier Asrahan is deeply touched by your aspirations and sincerity.]
[He now respects you a little more after having discovered your new side today.]
[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has greatly increased.]