Chapter 89: Between Construction and Trust (1)
“So, the rumors are true?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it’s the truth and not a misunderstanding or mistake?
“Yes, that’s right,” replied Javier.
“So, what you’re saying is, the story of how you stopped the Gigatitan from invading Cremo and how my brother finished it off is true without a tad bit of exaggeration?”
“Yes, of course.”
Julian gulped and stared at the man sitting across from the table. Javier’s handsomeness made the luxurious royal quarters look like an inn.
“Whew… I can believe this given that it’s coming from you,” confessed Julian.
“Then, did you not believe it before?” asked Javier.
“How could I?”
Julian couldn’t help but scoff at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. He shook his head before continuing to speak.
“Actually, I first heard of the news from a man from the palace. He advised that I should keep it only to myself since the details of the news weren’t made plain or something.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. He even told me that Her Majesty plans to summon Lloyd and you to reward you both and share the news with everyone. There was nothing else I was told.”
“What do you mean by nothing else?”
“You know, the details of how he caught the Gigatitan. They were untold.”
The edge of Julian’s round nose crinkled. Just then, his mind was interrupted by the visit of the palatial official.
“Truly, what an excellent brother you have. I am envious.”
Even now, Julian couldn’t forget the words the official spoke before leaving. Was it because he was honored and proud to have such a brother? Absolutely not.
“It was unbelievably dumbfounding,” Julian said.
“Think about it. They said he’s an excellent brother. Can you believe it?”
“Hmm…” Javier paused for a second.
“Did you suspect that the man was a con man pretending to be an official?”
“Of course, I did.”
“I am not surprised to hear that,” seconded Javier.
“Isn’t it obvious? A man suddenly appears out of nowhere and showers Lloyd with praise for his accomplishments and talent. I was skeptical at first. However, it turned out that he really was from the palace.”
“It must have been confusing.”
“Yeah.”
Julian nodded, and he continued to speak.
“So, I believed that there was some kind of misunderstanding. I mean, it’s Lloyd Frontera we are talking about. The very drunkard who never went a day without causing trouble.”
It was true. That was the Lloyd Julian remembered in his mind. Three years ago, Julian prepared to leave the Frontera fiefdom to enroll in the academy and wanted to greet his brother before leaving. After all, he was still brother, albeit how much Julian hated him. The moment he opened the door, the pungent and acrid smell of alcohol assaulted his nose, and then came a shout, yelling at him to get out since he’s sleeping. Then, a bottle of alcohol was tossed in the air and hit the wall right beside Julian’s face. The smell of liquor, the rough yelling, and the shattered bottle marked his last interaction with Lloyd three years before Julian left for school.
“So there.”
Julian stroked the corner of his left eye by habit with his right hand. There was a small scar on his skin, a burrow that looked like a mole. He had gotten it from the shards of the glass bottle Lloyd threw three years ago.
“Honestly, I thought that an unknown hero was behind the achievement and some passersby saw Lloyd when in fact, he was just hovering around the area. I thought everyone had been mistaken.”
“Did you think that Master Lloyd had taken credit from the real hero and pretended that it was his own doing?” clarified Javier.
“Yeah. Exactly,” said Julian as he vigorously nodded.
“That was the only way I could accept the situation no matter how I thought about it. But who knew, the whole thing was true…”
Julian never thought that it could be true. A heavy sigh escaped him, and Javier smiled softly as he looked at his young master.
“I see. I understand what you are going through, Master Julian. I, too, went through the same thing.”
“You too, Sir Asrahan?”
“Yes.”
Javier nodded.
“It just happened out of the blue. There had been no warning signs or clues. It was just like any other day. The morning after a night of drunken ruckus in the bar.”
“Did something happen that day?” asked Julian curiously.
“Yes, Master Lloyd became different.”
“Different? What do you mean?” Julian spoke, raising one of his brows.
“As I said, he became different. As if someone else’s soul entered his body.”
The furnace filled the room with warmth, and it was tightly enclosed so that not a whiff of cold wind blew into the cozy space. Javier’s steadfast voice was the only thing filling the room.
“He became hardworking, considerate of others, and sober.”
“What…? No way…”
“It is true. Not only did he stop drinking, but he also began to work on all sorts of construction projects I never imagined was even possible.”
“Just like the artificial ground Lloyd had built after being commissioned by Count Cremo?” asked Julian.
“Yes,” Javier answered and continued to explain.
“He achieved more things outside of that as well. It’s the ultimate result of his dutifulness, brightness, pettiness, and shrewdness.”
“Petty and shrewd?”
“The qualities he never had but now owns.”
Javier furrowed his brows before speaking again.
“They are traits he didn’t possess as a troubling drunkard. When he changed, however, he grew petty, never allowing himself to be on the losing end, no matter how small. Let’s just say that, even if he was in the middle of a meal, he would drop everything to get his money back if he realized the construction payment, he received was off by a mere cent.”
“Woah…” gasped Julian.
“On top of that, he is shrewd. He takes advantage of any weakness you have, no matter how trivial. He has you in his grasp and shakes you up. There is just no way to fight back. Not only that, but he also doesn’t even try to hide his joy at seeing you suffer. He has a nasty temperament.”
“It sounds like he’s gotten worse,” Julian pointed out.
“Indeed. Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“It seems that he has gotten more confident about his appearance.”
“What? Lloyd?” Julian shrilled.
“Yes.”
“Impossible.”
“It is the truth. Sometimes, he burns with competitiveness when he looks at me.”
“Tsk, tsk. He lost touch with reality.”
Now, pity filled Julian’s eyes.
“I thought the same.”
“Mhm. He should know his place.”
“That is right. At least before he changed, the young master held a clear grasp of where he stood in terms of appearance. I wonder how he turned out this way. Sometimes, he explicitly shows his envy and anger when I tell him the number of love letters I’d received.”
“How unfortunate. That’s pitiful of him,” Julian said with a sigh.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Julian Frontera, the second son of the baron and Javier Asrahan, the faithful knight of the barony, caught up with one another after three years, seeing eye to eye on strange topics. However, they were ignorant of the fact that Lloyd was just beside the room, working on his design. Lloyd clenched his teeth.
“I can hear you loud and clear, you bastards…”
Lloyd sighed at length as the whispers from the gossiping traitors in the other room pierced into his ears. He wondered how he ended up with such a brother and personal knight. Contrary to his sigh, the corners of his mouth were curved into a smile. It was because of the message that floated in front of his eyes.
[Your likeability with Julian Frontera has increased by two points.]
[Current RP with Julian Frontera: -fifty-nine]
[You have earned twenty-eight RP by slightly improving your relationship with the main character.]
[Current RP: 2,164]
[Your intimacy level with Julian Frontera has upgraded from
[You have earned five RP as a bonus for the improvement.]
[Current RP: 2,169]
Yes. Good.
The notification message for the increase in RP was always welcomed. It never got old no matter the time, day, or how often it came. This message felt more meaningful to him than usual.
This means that I now have a new source of RP.
Indeed, Julian was the new source of his RP, and it had been quite a while since he found one.
I don’t earn RP just for getting close with someone. I know for sure based on what I observed up to this point.
At first, he thought that he could earn RP from others just by being friends with them. But that wasn’t the case. The best example was Count Cremo.
No matter how close I got with him or what favors I did for him, the message of likeability didn’t pop up.
It wasn’t like Count Cremo held antagonistic feelings toward Lloyd. It was the opposite. He expressed insurmountable fondness for Lloyd to the point that he asked him to be his son-in-law. However, not a single message popped in front of his eyes regarding the count. There was no notification for an increase of RP or likeability level. That was why he concluded to himself…
Everyone who gives me RP must have something in common. There must be certain requirements that need to be met for the likeability system to get activated.
Lloyd had formed a rough theory in his head, and now, he found the answer.
They must be a person within my reach. That’s the right answer.
He could almost ascertain that it was true as he read through the messages about Julian and as he recalled the events with the orcs.
So far, the people who gave me RP mostly belonged to the barony. The baron couple, Javier, Sir Bayern, the residents, and the orc tribe members, formed the blood alliance with us.
Therefore, the RP system was only activated when the person was a member of his barony or an official ally. Lloyd became almost sure about it. Now, as he looked at Julian, he started to see his younger brother differently.
My dear brother. Congratulations on hopping onto Lloyd’s emotional rollercoaster.
A large grin formed on his face, revealing all his teeth, when he thought of taking advantage of Julian and sucking the RP out of him. At the same time, he thought of what was ahead of him.
Since I brought him here, I should be responsible for him.
Lloyd had filed for an LOA and brought Julian here to the palatial quarters. However, he knew that it didn’t truly resolve the bullying Julian went through in school.
The boy needs to get stronger in both mind and body.
Nobody harassed the strong, and when strength was joined by endurance, that was the icing on the cake. The fundamental solution Lloyd came up with was that. It could appear dirty and unfair, but the uncomfortable truth could not be denied even if one wished to go against it.
Sure, there are rules and systems in place to prevent such a mishap, but those could only lessen the unreasonable and unfair sides of things. They never act as a protector.
The housemaster of Julian’s boarding school came to Lloyd’s mind, as well as the workers. Everyone chose to be silent and overlook the situation. They turned a blind eye to Julian, and this served as the best example of how powerless and ineffective the rules and systems could be at times.
So even if it means getting harsh on him, I need to train him.
Surely, Julian wasn’t Lloyd’s brother by blood, and Lloyd had never had a brother in his life back in Korea as well. What was more, it had been only half a day since he met Julian. However, the RP system and its messages illustrated something very clearly to Lloyd.
That boy has become a member of my inner circle. I’m responsible for anyone who belongs to it. This principle must be upheld so that those who are in it will feel it in their bones.
That was how he would be able to expand his influence and keep them by his side. That’s how I’ll get more RP.
Reminding himself of that fact, he started to plan out his future and shifted his focus back to the suspension bridge design and simulation mode. The other side of the wall continued to bring the soft and happy voices of Julian, Javier, Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang into his room. Among them, Julian’s voice contained the biggest joy. The relief and comfort must have been overwhelming for him to be surrounded by his friends rather than harassment and discrimination. Each time he spoke, Lloyd sensed something warm in his voice. That was when it occurred to Lloyd that he had made the right choice to get Julian out of the boarding school. I should be nicer to him, Lloyd thought to himself. Just like that, the night filled with zealous designing and cozy conversations passed.
The following morning rolled around. Lloyd became busy. He bolted out of his quarters the moment he woke up, and he was heading to the forge in the palace, holding dozens of blueprints in his arms. It was the blueprints he had printed out using his optional skill late in the night.
“I wish to meet the supervisor here.”
When Lloyd expressed that he was the builder for the construction Her Majesty had commissioned, the supervisor came out to meet him.
“What brings you here?”
The man was about four feet in height, and his body was shaped like a barrel. His shoulders were extremely wide, and the beard that hung down his face reminded Lloyd of Santa Claus. With wrinkled eyes that made him look as obstinate as a mule, the old man looked up at Lloyd.
So, this is what dwarves look like.
It was the first time Lloyd met a dwarf. He had only read about them in novels before then. However, he quickly pushed aside his fascination with the exotic being. Instead, he put on a salesman’s smile and began to talk.
“Hello. My name is Lloyd Frontera. I am here to ask you to manufacture some things that are needed for a construction project ordered by Her Majesty.”
“You want me to manufacture something for you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What kind of fancy items do you plan on building? We are highly selective in taking the jobs. What’s more, you want items for the construction, not weapons nor armor. Why don’t you tap other forges for that?”
“If any other forges could do what I want, I wouldn’t be here in the first place,” explained Lloyd.
“Hmm… So, are you saying this is your only option?”
“Yes.”
“What an honest sycophant you are,” replied the dwarf.
“I would like to believe that I’m an honest man.”
Lloyd grinned. Just then, he recalled The Knight of Blood and Iron. The dwarf in front of him was the supervisor of the forge in the royal palace. He was rumored to be an unrivaled blacksmith and could produce anything with his hands if they were metal. As such, the dwarf’s help was indispensable to Lloyd for this task.
No other dwarf will do.
The item Lloyd wanted him to build would bear the massive weight of the suspension bridge. So, only the best and superior sturdiness and quality could be trusted. He needed that master craftsman to do the job. The problem was that the dwarf didn’t hold his hammer unless a job piqued his interest. If not, he would relegate the jobs to the masters below him.
He’s notorious for taking only what interests him, even if the order comes from Her Majesty.
So, it was imperative for Lloyd to earn his attention. He must make the master dwarf to want to build it. Reminding him that in his head a few times, Lloyd looked around and found a clean working table. He walked over to the dwarf’s direction and spread out the blueprint.
“Here, first take a look at this.”
Lloyd confidently spread out his blueprint, and the dwarf’s gaze traveled across the width of it.
Is that…?
Wels Corgidus, the supervisor of the royal forge and the master craftsman. He quirked his brows. Lloyd’s meaningful words pierced into his ears like a jab.
“Have you ever heard of a sky bridge?”