Chapter 156: A Responsible Person (2)
[Javier Asrahan now respects you a little more after having discovered your new side today.]
[He was refreshingly shocked by your thoughts and aspirations.]
[He now perceives you differently.]
[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has increased by 15 points.]
[Current RP with Javier Asrahan: +23]
[You have earned 270 RP by improving relationships with main characters.]
[Current RP: 3,140]
[The intimacy level with Javier Asrahan has increased one level from
[You have earned 100 RP as a bonus for the upgrade.]
[Current RP: 3,240]
Dang.
Lloyd cast his eyes over the bright messages, and a smile naturally formed on his face. His eyes growing slightly more mischievous, Lloyd stared at Javier’s chestnut-colored head.
“You rascal. Are you happy?”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“I’m asking if the speech from this wise, old friend of yours was touching,” teased Lloyd.
“Don’t get excited. Not even in the slightest. That will never ever happen,” defied Javier.
Lloyd wondered why Javier’s shaking of his head looked particularly more aggressive today.
“I could never be touched by your words. How could I be touched by a man who throws himself into danger without understanding how important his life is to others? And besides, I am not your friend,” reminded Javier.
“Why? You’re five years younger than me.”
“I am young, and not to mention, lively.”
“Hey, give yourself five years, and you’re going to be as old as I am.”
“You’ll grow older as well then,” pointed Javier.
“Shoot…”
“Anyway,” continued Javier, “I do not intend to think of you as wiser or older just from physical age. So, you can do away with your pointless expectations early on.”
“Are you pushing me away?” asked Lloyd.
“Our relationship was always like this in the first place.”
Javier’s voice remained cold. Laughter escaped Lloyd because he saw something he couldn’t help but point out.
“You know. Your words really don’t match your behavior,” said Lloyd.
“I am not sure what you mean.”
“You are grabbing my sleeve.”
Javier turned around wordlessly and looked down.
“You’ve been doing this from before. From the moment you got me on Ggoming’s back.”
“…”
“Are you grabbing me because I might fall?” asked Lloyd.
“You got it all wrong,” denied Javier again.
“How so?”
“I wished to grab your collar because of what you did, but my hands just don’t reach that far.”
“Aha. So, that’s why you’re clutching my sleeve?”
Javier was silent again.
“Makes sense though,” Lloyd agreed, “after all, I am an important and respectable man.”
“…”
“My goodness. What a good boy you are, Javier,” teased Lloyd.
“Do you want me to shove you down the cliff?”
“Really? Do you mean it?”
“I think this height is enough to cleanly send you off in one try. Just enough to end your tenacious life.”
“I think you’re being sincere now,” pointed out Lloyd.
“Obviously.”
“…”
Even when Javier went on uttering viciously, he never let go of Lloyd’s sleeve as though he was worried that Lloyd might fall off. The tight grip allowed Lloyd to take a closer look at the situation beneath. The valley under Ggoming’s wings was being crushed. Hundreds and thousands of earth and rocks were pouring into the valley, and Lloyd noticed intermittent explosions amid the overwhelming catastrophe. They were the zombie Mastodons bursting under the crushing weight of the earth and rocks. Those explosions led to a chain of more landslides.
Not a single one will be able to make it out alive.
Complete annihilation and burial. Even after things calmed down, Lloyd circulated around the area a few more times to closely check lest any creature survived. Thankfully, Lloyd couldn’t spot any Mastodons that made it out alive.
“I heard from the workers evacuating a moment ago,” Javier said in the front. “The undead Mastodons came up from the ground?”
“Yeah.”
Lloyd recalled the previous event. He was digging up the hole to make a sludge treatment facility when he came across a legion of Mastodon carcasses.
“But they weren’t buried randomly. It was all lined up in order.”
“Must be the doing of the necromancer that made them,” presumed Javier.
“I would assume so.” Lloyd nodded as he spoke. “Who could it be? Anyone in mind?”
“No, not at all.”
Javier paused for a second before continuing.
“No one comes to my mind. On top of that, necromancers are hard to come across.”
“Hmm,” wondered Lloyd, “could it be related to the one we took care of the last time?”
“Do you mean the warlock that kidnapped our soldiers in the eastern range?” asked Javier.
“Yeah,” said Lloyd. “When we were building the seokbinggo in the orc village. Do you remember him?”
“Yes, of course.” Javier nodded. “Indeed, it could be that it is the work of the necromancer related to him. But I presume it is too early to think so-”
“Yes, I know. We’re jumping the gun.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Lloyd stared down at the destroyed valley, confused. He was absolutely in the dark. Who had created the undead Mastodons and buried them near the fiefdom?
I don’t have a lead to conclude whether it was a random chance that we came across the monster or whether it was to actually hurt my fiefdom.
Lloyd couldn’t figure out the answer even as he recalled The Knight of Blood and Iron. Hundreds of undead Mastodons were buried in the wilderness north of Frontera county. This was something that never happened in the novel. And obviously so. The monster domino effect never even occurred in Frontera county inside the novel. The Mastodons living in the plain beyond the eastern range never came down here in the story.
Ugh. But I can’t just ignore this problem.
However he looked at it, Lloyd now had a problem to solve. In the case the Mastodons were buried for some other use, Lloyd had destroyed the necromancer’s storage. The victim might ask for compensation or hold a grudge against Lloyd. But otherwise, if they were intentionally buried to harm the fiefdom, Lloyd would be in greater trouble. Either way, it was bad for his future.
“Tsk.”
But Lloyd had bigger fish to fry at the moment. The first one on the front burner was to clean up today’s mess. The sewer construction had to go on. Lloyd would search for a lead to this mysterious necromancer in the process. Right now, he had to focus on his priorities.
“Let’s go. Over there.”
Lloyd first decided to tend to Bibeong, who lost consciousness when he protected Lloyd from the initial explosion. Thinking so, Lloyd pointed at the east. Ggoming’s fluttering of wings became faster.
To Lloyd’s relief, Bibeong was safe. It was thanks to his massive tenacity that came from his giant physique. He was A-Ok even if the explosion burst right at his face. All he had were a couple of burned hairs and some signs of concussion.
“So Bangul,” said Lloyd.
“Bangul?”
“I think it would be good if you nurse Bibeong,” said Lloyd.
“Ba-bangul!? Bangul?”
“Oh, are you saying that Hamang would be more suitable for nursing him? Sure, throwing a bucketful of water will wash Bibeong very well and help him regain consciousness.”
“Bangul! Bba-bangul!”
“Hmm, but I disagree.”
“Banguuul?”
“It’s because Bibeong isn’t hurt that badly in the first place.”
“Bangul?”
“I think it’d comfort him more if you stay beside him instead of throwing water to his face,” said Lloyd.
“Bba-bangul? Bangul? Bangul?”
“I mean it. Trust me. You have the ability to do so.”
“Banguuul?”
Bangul cocked her to the side and kept it that way. But she nonetheless tended to Bibeong, patting his head and keeping his side. Lloyd’s prediction turned out to be on point.
“Bibeong! Bibeo-beong! Bibeong!”
Once Bibeong regained consciousness, he went berserk at the sight of Bangul. He argued that he was perfectly fine and that the explosion meant nothing. His hair was singed, but putting on some saliva would make it better. The same went for the concussion. He had experienced it before as well. He said that he was on the ground lying flat for a long time because he was tired. After he jolted up, he plastered a shamelessly confident look on his face. Bangul then started to scold him.
“Bangul! Bba-bangul!”
Cut the crap, Bangul dismissed. A patient must lie on the bed and sleep. Otherwise, she was done nursing him. This prompted Bibeong to hurl his body back to the ground at lightning speed.
“Bibeo-beong!”
Before he knew it, Bibeong put on a wide grin. Lloyd realized that he didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Afterward, he moved busily and first took care of the remains of the deceased White Cavalry with care. Cleaning up the accident site took him a few days. From the hole the Mastodons were found to the destroyed valley, Lloyd and the others thoroughly organized the places and searched around in the hopes of coming across a clue that might point to the necromancer. But even after a few days of searching, nothing solid came out.
“But do not be too anxious. You see, you have no idea how glad and grateful I am that you are safe.”
Click. At the dinner table that came after a long while, Lloyd stared at the plate the countess held out. And he spoke.
“This plate seems to be a bit different from what you told me a while ago,” said Lloyd.
“Different? How?” asked countess Frontera.
“You dragged me here on my way out, telling me to at least eat a light snack even if I’m busy.”
“Yes, I did,” she said.
“That means I thought I came here to have a quick snack.”
“Correct.”
“But how do you explain the mountain of food on my plate…?” asked Lloyd.
“Why, is it because you want some more?” asked the countess, worried.
“No, I am worried that my stomach might burst open.”
“Do not worry. You have more to eat.”
“…”
Shut up and eat. Your opinion doesn’t matter. Lloyd wished the countess would be forthright and tell him that to his face. With a look of despair, he looked at the plate. The plate itself was huge. It was about 20 inches in diameter. So technically speaking, it wasn’t a plate. It was a round tray loaded with all sorts of food there. Lloyd thought that this food plate should belong to a person who came to a buffet for the first time in their life or to a mukbang streamer. Salad, sausage, egg, steak, marinated meat and bread, pasta and mashed potatoes, buttered goose and salmon, cream-filled corn, and fried chicken… The list continued, and there seemed to be enough food to circle the training hall five and a half times.
“Um, I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this…” muttered Lloyd.
“It is all right,” said the countess. “You can take as much time as you want.”
“Um, it’s going to take me over ten days.”
Lloyd was flustered. He had a lot of work to tackle, so he needed to clean up the construction before sunset and check tomorrow’s work area in advance. Though he was exhausted and wanted to lie on the bed and doze off, he had things to finish. But Countess Frontera, who was well aware of his hectic schedule, was especially adamant today.
“I get it. I get that you are busy and wish to head to the construction site fast,” she said.
“Then, I will eat this sausage and leave-”
“When will I get the chance to see you if I do not do this?”
“…”
“Though he does not voice it, your father is distraught these days. He says that you are overworking and trying to carry all the burden by yourself.”
Lloyd didn’t reply.
“That is why I want you to listen to me. At least for one day, eat up until your stomach is full and rest. Give a break to yourself and to those who follow you,” she said gently.
“…”
Her quiet words seemed to touch his heart. No, in actuality, the countess had approached him with open arms. And with a concerned voice, she cooed over and assured Lloyd, who thought that her comforting words were like a pat on his back.
“So sit now, my son.”
“Okay…”
Lloyd wanted to know why his mind suddenly flew back to the time when he was in middle school. He thought about his mother, who urged him to eat dinner before leaving the house to study. Lloyd had told her that he couldn’t because he was busy.
I told her that even when I wasn’t actually going to study.
In actuality, he was skipping his studies to head to the internet cafe with his friends. He ignored his mother and bolted out of the house to get on time. One day, he found a bill in his jacket pocket. It was a crumpled ten-dollar bill his mother stashed to make sure that her son didn’t go hungry.
“…”
Lloyd regretted not listening to his mother. Maybe it was because of his remorse that the countess overlapped with his biological mother. But why? Was it because their gazes were the same? Or was it just because he missed those times? Crinkling his nose, Lloyd sat at the table and slowly chewed the food on his plate. Quietly, he kept eating.
He did so as he thought about his mother’s food he’d refused to eat in the distant past. One after another, he ate as though he was asking his mother for forgiveness. But no tears streaked down, or he didn’t even choke up. But it was very strange. For some reason, the food in his mouth tasted slightly saltier than usual.