Chapter 191: Between Kidnapping and Fishing (1)

“If a vehicle near the top of the retaining wall has an equal distribution load like a building, these loads increase earth’s pressure on the retaining wall. Fixed loads such as buildings convert the weight of the building into the weight of the backfill soil of the retaining wall. And it calculates the earth’s pressure by seeing that there is more soil.”

“H-hold on…”

The sun had fallen, and it was early at night. In a lodging in Kandara, a calm voice echoed under the flickering candlelight. The voice was serious. Consistent. Monotonous. Without a single emotion. There was only an enumeration of knowledge. As the calm and merciless lullaby struck the air, a lady pleaded. Please make it stop. I’m going to collapse. My eyes will close in despair and open up tomorrow morning. But the man who was singing the lullaby was absolutely void of any mercy, tolerance, or kindness in his voice.

“The influence of roads or railways installed near the top of the retaining wall cannot be accurately converted to static loads because they cause a dynamic reaction due to repeated loads. However, in the case of roads, it is common to design with the view that the equal distribution load acts as 1 ton f/m squared for DB-24 and DB-18 loads and 0.7 ton f/m squared for DB-13.5 loads.”

Snore… The resisting lady, Sheherazade, fell asleep. The merciless man, Lloyd, smiled in satisfaction.

“Good.”

The perfect way to put a patient with sword master syndrome to sleep was with a lullaby. Since they had severe insomnia and were constantly sleep-deprived, the lullaby worked like a charm. What was better was that he didn’t have to worry about them developing resistance or side effects.

Rather, it becomes a habit.

What happens when a sleep-deprived individual gets a good night’s sleep with one lullaby and the taste of a sweet dream? That experience leaves a powerful mark on the body that it keeps wanting more. Their body yearns more. Sing a lullaby for me! It’s the only thing that can make me get a good night’s sleep! Literally speaking, the body yearns for it more than the mind.

And that was proven by Javier even today. Bwhahaha.

Javier was already a sword master, and he could control his senses. But he was somewhat reliant on lullabies to this day.

So that daughter of the sultan won’t be much different.

There was no way that she could resist when Javier couldn’t. She’d flake out until tomorrow morning. Confident of it, Lloyd quietly stepped out of her room and returned to his room with light steps.

“Javier? Have you been waiting for a long time?”

But no response. For some reason, the room was empty. Lloyd shrugged.

“Tsk. Is he out for a walk? He won’t have a chance to sleep if not now.”

Too bad. Javier wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Lloyd didn’t intend to wait for Javier to return. He was planning to head to bed right now.

“Whew. I’ve got to get to bed now.”

Lloyd removed his boots and jumped onto the bed. He should try to get some sleep now. That was as he had to wake up at midnight, ride Ggoming, and take Hamang to the western mountain range to draw water. Falling asleep now assured him about three or four hours of rest. As he thought so, just then, the events of the past few days crossed his mind. How the residents cast a doubtful and cold glance at Lloyd. How they seemed to accuse him of being the sultan’s stool pigeon and cunning informant. How resentful their gaze was! Lloyd acted more thick-skinned despite everything. He headed to the west to draw water every day. He then shared it with the resentful villagers, loudly showing that he was sacrificing himself for them.

I’m going to do it tomorrow too. I’ll gather everyone around in the morning and distribute water. How many days has it been? 15? It’s about time that people start to look at me differently. There have to be some signs now. Maybe I’ll see some today?

Lloyd wouldn’t know except the fact that what he was doing now was likened to fishing. He simply cast a fishing pole down the water, and it was up to the fish to bite down on the bait. He could only wait for any movements to occur while gazing at the calm water after throwing a juicy bait. So, he had…

Whew…

His vision started to grow dark. His feelings grew dazed. As if he was floating high or sinking into the bed, sleep charged at him, his consciousness taking him to dreamland. Every part of him relaxed. Breathing grew calm. And his neck was tightened.

Grab! “…!”

A hand suddenly clamped around his neck. Lloyd snapped his eyes open and held out his hands by reflex. But he failed because someone pinned them down tight, pressing his whole body, including his arms and legs.

“Argh…! Ergh! Eup!”

Lloyd flailed and struggled as his neck and body were pressed down. He could tell there were several intruders, and he tried hard to get a look at them. The room was pitch-dark, and Lloyd could only vaguely make out the outlines of his attackers.

Ten?

No, there were more. Five were pinning him down, and about five or six surrounded him. Lloyd activated the Asrahan Core Technique right away. Ziiing!

“Ack…?!”

“My strength…”

“Don’t let go of him!”

Lloyd started to absorb the mana of those that touched him. They were assaulted with a pang of dizziness and weakness. Lloyd could hear the fuss and mess they made in dismay. Just then…

Thump! His head burned and his vision was filled with white light. Could it be that Lloyd was hit with a club? The world seemed to spin around him. And the Asrahan Core Technique was deactivated right away. There were frantic voices of men around him.

“Whew… Ha… What was that?”

“Don’t just stand there like a fool. Tie him up. Come on.”

The rustling, squeezing, and tying sound came as Lloyd’s wrists and ankles tightened. Lloyd felt stifled, so he wondered if his blood wasn’t circulating properly. His hands and feet tingled and turned numb. Soon, he sensed a muzzle over his mouth.

“Cover him up with this. We never know when he’ll wake up again.”

They must have put a cover over his head. Everything became dark.

“Okay, come on. Before that silver-haired guard comes back.”

Javier. Where are you? Lloyd lifted his head with a struggle. But he couldn’t see anything through the cover. He again tried the Asrahan Core Technique, but it was only a meaningless fight as his hands and feet were tied up. But Lloyd was able to stay calm. He didn’t even panic or activate the Supercharge optional skill. Instead, he struggled a few times with all his might. But that stopped when the rope started scraping his skin.

“Now, do you understand what predicament you’re in?”

Nod. The question was directed to Lloyd, and he nodded. The speaker seemed to be satisfied by Lloyd’s answer.

“You can resist, but that’s a waste of energy. You catch on quickly. I like that.”

“…”

“Okay, move him.”

Lloyd felt himself being carried by someone big. He didn’t fight. It was meaningless to do so now. As he was carried on someone’s shoulder like a bag of rice, Lloyd concentrated his senses on the surrounding sound and flow of the air.

I knew they’d be heading outside the city.

Footsteps. A dog barking on the street. The direction of the wind and its smell. After a long while, he found himself being placed on a hard floor.

“On your knees.”

Lloyd obeyed the command, and the bag covering his face was finally removed.

“…”

His forehead ached from the blow he received earlier, and he looked up as he grimaced. It was a dark room, and there were about 20 people surrounding him, all of whom Lloyd could only make out their outlines.

Am I in a waste material warehouse?

The room was filled with the smell of rotten wood and the musty smell of dust. There were also a few windows sparsely nailed with planks. The high ceiling supported by the pillar was covered with spider webs.

Woah. This really feels like a place for kidnapping.

Lloyd sighed internally. This one seemed like the scene he used to see in gangster or noir movies. So, he couldn’t help but smirk. As soon as the muzzle was removed from his mouth, Lloyd asked a question of the men.

“All of you. Who are you?”

But they all stared back at Lloyd without a word, the heavy silence narrowing on Lloyd like a siege. The answer came very much later.

“Do you not understand the predicament you are in? You seemed to be confused. We ask the questions. You answer.”

One of the men stepped forward. Tall with broad shoulders. He had blond hair and a fit physique. He approached Lloyd and got down on one knee to be at eye level. Stroking his rough beard, he icily stared at Lloyd.

“You. Why are you sacrificing yourself for the city?”

The man continued to speak.

“Everyday, you distribute water to the people after drawing it in your eerie monster’s belly. Then you boast of it all day. That’s why it’s strange. We are always thankful for any generosity, but your actions clearly have an ulterior motive. So.” The man’s gaze grew colder. Shaper. “What is it that you want? Why are you boisterously advertising your charitable actions?”

The man’s gaze was likened to a detective interrogating a criminal or a lawyer accusing a witness. It was stern. No, it was dangerous. The same went for everyone standing around him. They appeared to be ready to teach him some violent lessons if Lloyd didn’t give the answer they wanted or resisted and obstinately clamped his mouth. And so, Lloyd quickly spoke.

“Oh, I’m glad that you asked me that question.”

Lloyd smacked his lips with saliva and knuckled down to talk as though he had been waiting for this moment and the chance to talk. He then went all out.

“I felt very cramped while you brought me here after attacking me when I was about to fall asleep. It was all because of the sudden bag over my head,” said Lloyd, “But I am glad that you are letting me speak now. It looks like you have a lot of questions, so I suppose I should introduce myself first. Nice to meet you. I am Lloyd Frontera, the eldest son of Count Arcos Frontera, who is the lord of the Frontera county in the Magentano Kingdom.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet…”

“To answer your question first, you all doubted my kind actions and wondered what my intentions were. I have to admit that my actions were poles apart from those amazing individuals who choose to cover and hide their good actions instead of flaunting them as I did. That’s why I had been wanting to give an explanation, and I’m glad I have the chance now.”

“Um, well, of course…”

“First, I am not the sultan’s informant or his stool pigeon. You won’t believe me when I say that, of course. So, to understand everything, you must know the history of Frontera county and my family situation. About two years and a few months ago, Frontera county, which was a barony back then, found itself under a crippling debt. The sky seemed to crumble over me, and the ground sank beneath me. I was in despair and abyss. But I could not give up. Just like how everyone goes through hard and unfortunate times in life, I simply lived on thinking that this storm was just another test of life. The thought gave me strength and hope. And so, I made a new offer to the bar owner in the central plaza of my fiefdom.”

“Wait, hold on-”

“So I made the ondol… Blah blah blah… Because I could do it so well, the pavement road… Blah blah… Built the mine with the expectation and enthusiasm of my family and people… And in Cremo, I decided to move forward amid the raving attention being poured on me… Blah blah… Triple mana blast was used with the deep resolution that I cannot retreat when the queen’s life was on the line…”

Lloyd went on. Nonstop. He continued to talk endlessly, and the faces of the men around him changed to that of confusion. This wasn’t like anything they expected. This foreigner, Lloyd, was suspected of being the sultan’s informant. And that was why they dragged him here. To interrogate what in the world he was doing in this city, and their expectation was that this stool pigeon would be obstinate and shut his mouth without spilling anything. Thus, they came here with a venomous determination that they would not hesitate to be ruthless and cruel. But a frank, tedious, and sickening narration of his life story? That was the last thing they expected to hear. Unable to endure any longer, the blond man shouted.

“S-stop!”

“Excuse me…?” asked Lloyd with a quizzical look on his face.

“Are you insulting us?!”

“No, you had doubts about my intentions, and I was just giving my most honest and elaborate answer.”

“But-”

“Anyway, I’m not done yet. You asked. So, please listen. Captain Frontera is just about to make an appearance to exterminate the swarm of locusts.”

“…”

“From the moment I grabbed the lid, I burst with a sense of calling I never knew I had. It was coming from deep within. So, I…”

Stop it. Please stop it, you nut-job. The blond-haired man wanted to beg. A look of desperation appeared on everyone’s faces, their eyes slowly blanking out while Lloyd went on with his unending and forthright life story. They nodded mechanically as they listened. Meanwhile, Lloyd cast a glance at a window in the corner. In between the planks that covered it, through a gap, Lloyd exchanged his gaze with Javier, who had been on standby.

They took the bait!

The rebels bit the bait. So now, it was time to find and take over the caves they used as their hideouts.