Chapter 148. For a solo escape (3)
A sweet temptation heard out of nowhere.
A proposal that will make you happy just by putting it in the cochlea in your ear hole.
Solitas hesitated at that unexpected twist.
“…what?”
The self-destruct that was about to trigger was abruptly stopped.
I turned to where the voice came from.
There were other humans there.
I remembered seeing it for the first time right before I fired my breath.
A human who is on the same team as the silver-haired knight who fought against him until now.
It was a man with dark hair.
“proposal? you? to me?”
“yes. I am. to that person.”
Lloyd grinned.
“It is as I just said. If you don’t mind, listen to my suggestion.”
“So if you listen, you’ll be able to get married within 10 years?”
“yes.”
“How can you believe that?”
Solitas’ face contorted.
He said, looking alternately at Xaviel and Lloyd, who were standing in front of and behind him.
“Honestly, I thought I would listen to the story because it was so tempting, but I just can’t believe it. After all, you guys are just intruders who entered my dungeon on their own.”
“yes? Are you an intruder? 10 million words.”
Solitas’ eyes hardened.
Lloyd quickly licked his lips.
“We only came here to give you a good offer from the beginning.”
“under. gibberish. Then why did you break all the magic traps before entering?”
“I don’t want to die.”
“what?”
“The magic traps were laid so elaborately and tightly. Could it have been too lethal? So I had no choice. I just did my best not to die. As a result, the trap was damaged. If that was rude, I will formally apologize. I am really sorry.”
“what….”
Solitas hesitated for a moment.
what that man said.
It seemed like he was throwing something, but it made a lot of sense.
Besides, before this side could come up with a plausible refutation, they hit the ball again and came in.
“Anyway, I worked really hard to get here. Just to give you a good offer.”
“That’s a good suggestion….”
“Wouldn’t you like to learn jewelry processing techniques from the best artisans?”
“What?”
Solitas paused.
My eyes widened involuntarily.
Lloyd said quickly.
“I won’t talk about it. Dear Dragon, I understand your concerns. Are you not good at manual dexterity? Aren’t you heartbroken because you’ve had trouble processing gems, so you can’t hoard treasures, and you can’t get married?”
“How can I….”
“It is a problem that can be solved. It’s okay if you don’t have a little manual dexterity. You just have to make an effort. That is, while taking intensive lessons from the best craftsmen for about 10 years. Then, wouldn’t it be enough to master gem processing?”
“Wait a minute. wait for a sec.”
Solitas interrupted Lloyd’s words.
He asked with eyes full of astonishment.
“How do you know that I’m not good with my hands and that I’m struggling with marriage? By what means? how?”
It was embarrassing.
no it was embarrassing
he was a dragon
Didn’t interact with any humans.
It has only been about 50 years since he became an adult.
He had no experience of interacting with other dragons or similar races, let alone humans.
However, a person who knows exactly his personal troubles.
There were no tweezers like this one.
‘What kind of human being is that?’
I didn’t understand.
How does that person know what’s going on inside him?
Could it be that it was a ghost?
Or maybe it’s an old dragon pretending to be a human while hiding his true identity.
Or is it a great wizard or a prophet who has reached the highest level among humans?
Solitas felt alertness, curiosity, caution, and curiosity mixed in half and half like jjamjamyeon.
Lloyd’s eyes curled into a polite smile.
“It wasn’t hard to figure that out.”
“Wasn’t it difficult?”
“Because the iron-blooded knight told me about it.”
“article? Iron-blooded?”
“yes.”
“that is…who?”
“An incredibly powerful article. To the extent that you deceive your senses, scout this place, and leisurely escape.”
“lie.”
Solitas twisted his nose.
“You are lying to me now. Humans can’t be that strong. Fooling my senses into and out of this dungeon? So secretly that I wouldn’t even notice it until then? Could such a thing be possible? Do you think that such a person could exist?”
“yes.”
“how?”
“Didn’t you just see that friend?”
Lloyd casually pointed at Xaviel.
“You will remember. Until just now, I had a match with that person with a single sword.”
“that….”
“Besides, the iron-blooded knight is stronger than that friend.”
Of course it is.
Xaviel when he received the title of ‘iron-blooded knight’ in the novel. Xaviel in that future was stronger than Xaviel in the present.
It was the level of a grand master.
He was the holder of 6 circles, that is, the hexa circle.
If you put your mind to it, it wouldn’t be a problem to deceive the senses of the newly grown dragon Solitas.
said Lloyd.
“The article told me. There is a dragon’s dungeon here, but there are no jewels piled up. He said that even a little piled up was of poor quality.”
“So you guessed my situation based on that story?”
“yes.”
Lloyd nodded.
He put confidence in his voice.
“Otherwise, how could I have dared to guess your circumstances and worries?”
Iron-blooded knights are, of course, fictitious characters.
This is the Xaviel in the book that doesn’t exist here.
So now it’s a bluffing situation.
However, it is also a situation where there is no way for anyone to confirm that this is a gongka.
In times like these, you need to show confidence.
That’s how to work even if it doesn’t work.
The way to get through is the way to get through better.
“Kuhm.”
A deep wrinkle was drawn between Solitas’ brow.
Doubts and worries and curiosity and interest mixed in his head.
Can you trust that person?
Are those words really true?
Suspicions arose naturally.
However, there was a place where it was not clear even to dismiss it as a lie.
‘You’re poking at the core of my troubles too accurately.’
I couldn’t build a treasure because I didn’t have the dexterity to craft jewelry, so this grievance and pain of not being able to get married.
He mentioned it as if he was pinching it with tweezers.
I promise that I will solve the problem.
It was information that no one would know unless someone secretly looked at the situation in the dungeon.
but i know that
That means that that absurd statement may well be true.
So I want to check it out.
Because it won’t do any harm.
Solitas made up his mind after much thought.
“So you’ve come to make me a good offer?”
“yes.”
that dragon has passed
A smile formed on Lloyd’s lips, as if it had been written with trust, sincerity, and honesty.
His tongue smeared saliva on his lips.
Seeing that figure from the side, Xaviel suddenly thought.
‘I am an iron-blooded knight.’
It’s a name I’ve heard before.
This is what Lloyd mentioned in passing.
‘Who is it?’
I was curious.
He said he was stronger than himself.
But I had never heard of such a name anywhere else.
‘Are you a person who quietly trains the sword without announcing his name? But thinking like that makes it even weirder. Why did someone like that secretly help Lloyd-sama?’
A great talent who surpasses himself.
The one who seems to be secretly interacting with Lloyd.
Xaviel felt that those two facts did not match well.
‘It’s kind of strange. Besides, I haven’t seen Lloyd-sama secretly meet someone.’
Maybe they met after putting themselves to sleep with a lullaby?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I got.
However, it did not occur to me that the iron-blooded knight Lloyd was talking about was a completely fictional character.
It was because of the image of Lloyd he had always thought of.
‘Because I’m not a person who moves with clumsy information and plans.’
The Lloyd he thought was a moth.
He was the type of person who was petty, harsh, mean, and tried hard to avoid any loss.
That means it’s so timid.
The more timid a person is, the more prudent he is.
‘That’s how thorough he is, Lloyd-sama. Clumsy information and plans? I’m not the kind of person who would ever move recklessly with something like that. If you do, you’d think you’d suffer a lot of damage. In other words, Lloyd-sama knew in advance that there was a dragon’s dungeon here and the circumstances of the place. It must have been that he obtained information from someone he trusted and made a plan based on that.’
The result will be the present moment.
‘That means that the iron-blooded knight who provided trustworthy information to Lloyd-sama actually exists.’
Who is it?
The more I speculated, the more curious I became.
On the other hand, Lloyd’s attempt to negotiate with the dragon was a little surprising.
‘Based on that information, I designed all the versions of this situation.’
He brought himself to fight the dragon.
He had conquered the dragon himself.
That’s how I imprinted this side’s superiority on the dragon.
The dragon’s unique endless arrogance was crushed.
As such, in an advantageous state of overpowering the baseline, the dragon is making a sweet offer to tempt.
It shows off its unique flamboyant tongue movements.
‘That tongue movement is itself a weapon.’
But that tongue movement.
It’s not just about playing with your tongue and opening your mouth.
I created the environment and situation in advance where tongue movements would work 100 percent.
You only play your tongue on such a perfectly laid board.
That’s why it’s going to produce powerful and efficient results every time.
‘Anyway, he’s like a terrifying human being.’
And he’s like a pitiful dragon who got caught by a human like that.
Xaviel looked at the dragon Solitas with a feeling of pity.
Solitas was already half way over Lloyd’s tongue.
“It is as I said before. Learn the art of jewelery from the best artisans. To become an apprentice.”
“apprentice? artisan?”
“yes. There is someone like that in my estate.”
“Who is that?”
“This is Elder Wells Cogidus, the dwarf craftsman of the royal family.”
“A dwarf? Cogidus?”
Solitas’s eyes widened slightly.
An artisan, but even a dwarf.
Then you don’t even have to check your skills.
Definitely the best of the best.
“then…Are you asking me to become that dwarf’s apprentice and learn the craft of jewelery?”
“yes. Isn’t that hurting your pride?”
“…Mmm.”
To be honest, I was a little bit proud of myself.
However, after listening to Lloyd’s words, I changed my mind.
“If you bend your pride a little, you will have a girlfriend. To become rich, to get married, to have a 2-year-old in a sweet newlywed life, and to have a happy family.”
“is it? Are you going on a honeymoon too?”
“What such an obvious statement.”
“….”
Solitas’ breathing got a little louder.
But, like a dragon, he quickly regained his composure.
“Hmm, that’s a good suggestion, but that’s why I’m still suspicious.”
“Doubt. What about it?”
“I feel like it’s being distributed one-sidedly to me. Of course you want something from me, right?”
“of course. I was about to tell you now.”
“Let me tell you.”
“yes. I will be straightforward and clear. Please use only one breath a month near my estate.”
“…Breath?”
“yes.”
Solitas was puzzled.
what the heck is that
Lloyd’s words continued.
“A great sewer is going to be built on my estate. It is a facility that separates, collects, and treats various sewage and manure separately through underground sewers.”
“so?”
“As a result of that treatment, a large amount of sediment called sludge will be formed.”
“no way….”
“yes. You are also a dragon. You already guessed. That guess is correct.”
“You mean to burn the sludge with a breath?”
“yes.”
Lloyd nodded.
“It is too much for human hands to handle and burn. It’s difficult and dangerous. However, if it’s the dragon’s breath, it only takes 10 seconds. You might be able to turn it into ashes.”
It was true.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a way to deal with the sludge by human power.
Even if he mobilized a wizard, that would have been the case.
‘Infernal magic used by the best royal wizard? It’s difficult even with that.’
Felfire magic would be hot, of course.
But the heat doesn’t last even a few seconds. The range is also narrower than expected, so it is difficult to treat a large amount of sludge at once.
Rather, it might splash dirty sludge fragments everywhere with useless explosive power.
On the other hand, what about Dragon Breath?
‘The temperature itself is incredible.’
In addition, the range and duration of the high fever were literally different.
Hook literally once a month.
If you blow a breath, you can turn the accumulated sludge into ashes at once.
‘Then I’ll make fertilizer with that ashes.’
That was Lloyd’s plan.
He has driven the last wedge of persuasion into realizing his plan.
“If you feel that handling sludge is dirty, there is nothing you can do about it. Unless you decline my offer and plan to live your entire life as a single mother in this dark dungeon.”
“….”
Solo.
That single word squeezed Solitas’ heart.
‘Damn it.’
The red dragon was terribly worried.
the man’s suggestion.
After hearing it, I had to fold my pride twice.
You must become an apprentice to a Dwarven artisan.
The sludge in which manure has settled must be treated.
But what if you just slightly bend that pride and fold it?
‘I can walk on a flower road for the rest of my life.’
Successful love and marriage.
The dream you’ve longed for so far will come true.
‘once…Shall we try?’
Solitas’ heart moved.
Of course, he had no idea what kind of fate he faced at this point in the novel Iron Blooded Knight.
The fact that the conflict over the elven forest led to a confrontation with Xaviel. At the end of that confrontation, his horn was cut off and he was fatally wounded and had to flee. He had no idea that he had suffered from that bitter wound for 500 years before facing a miserable end.
instead of this moment.
Thanks to Lloyd, a new flower path was laid in front of Solitas.
And Solitas made up his mind to change his destiny.
“Okay. I’ll accept that offer.”
“You did well.”
Flutter!
Lloyd smiled brightly and pulled out a piece of paper.
A token of capitalism carefully prepared for this moment.
Mandatory documents of a slave contract, which is more realistic and grievous than any magical oath, in which not only humans but also orcs and elves and even dragons cannot escape.
It was an outsourcing contract.
