Chapter 18. All roads lead to Rome (1)
“Ppodong!”
Podongie jumped off.
Landed(?) with a plump belly.
The object caught between the belly and the floor was terribly broken.
Ppogak!
The walnut shell was crushed.
Pudongyi laughed brightly as he pulled out the kernels from the crushed shell.
“Podong? Podo-dong. Boo-dong.”
“delicious?”
“Ppodong!”
Pudongyi stuffs walnut kernels into his cheek pockets at the speed of light.
Seeing this, Lloyd laughed.
“Would you like more?”
“Ppodong!”
“Would you like me to break the shell?”
“Podong? Podo-dong!”
“okay. Wait a minute.”
Lloyd held the walnut in his right hand.
The other left hand was spread out and raised up.
And he used an astounding mental method.
‘Whoa.’
Heart beats with breathing.
A line of suction power was created riding on a small pulse. The suction flowed to the raised left hand. He drew in the energy around him through his open palm.
It was natural mana spread through the air.
‘Oh, it works.’
Of course, it wasn’t that great.
It was just a little bit of mana spread in the air.
In addition, his dark mind was a single circle, which was only at the beginning stage.
But that was enough.
so good!
He drew the power of mana he drew with his left hand to the outside of his heart.
Rotated in a single circle around the heart.
The mana in the spin was amplified.
I sent the amplified mana to my right hand.
He added to his original grip strength and pressed down on the walnut.
“eww…That’s it!”
Ppogak!
A hard walnut shell was crushed.
‘Whoops.’
Crack a walnut with your bare hands.
It would have been impossible to do in the past.
With the joy of success, he gave Podongie a walnut kernel.
“Now here.”
“Ppodong!”
“good?”
“Podo-dong!”
“Yeah, I like it too.”
Now I felt that I was somewhat out of the physical level of an ordinary person.
I felt a little reassured.
‘Because this is a world where everyone wears a sword.’
This is not Korea.
It was a place where even if you left the territory right away, you could carve friendly knives into each other’s bodies along with Ma Dong-sik’s cheeky bandit.
But what if you have to live without even the minimum skills to protect your body?
‘You never know when you’ll die from a blind knife. That’s an absolute requirement.’
It made me think that it was a good thing that I was able to learn the dark tricks from Xaviel.
It was then.
smart.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door.
“Mr. Lloyd? Are you there?”
A voice with a distinctive cynical tone.
It was Haviel.
Lloyd laughed.
I got up and opened the bedroom door.
As expected, Xaviel was standing in front of the door.
“You can’t be a nobleman either. come in.”
“Are you a nobleman?”
“There is such a thing. Did you do your job well?”
“Even so, I am on my way after reporting to the lord.”
“okay?”
“yes.”
“What did the baron say?”
“Are you asking if there was anything special to say?”
“ok.”
“You were there.”
“What did you say?”
“He wished Sir Neumann good luck.”
“I must be lucky no matter what. For Sir Neumann now.”
Sir Neumann.
When I thought of him, ridicule flowed out of my mouth.
At the same time, an incident from a few days ago came to mind.
It was the day I fought a duel with him and the day I exposed his treachery.
‘He’s so lucky.’
Or should I say, in this case, it’s just bad luck.
To begin with, Sir Neumann did not die.
He boasted of his tenacious vitality despite being crushed by the huge belly of Podongi.
Instead, the cost of saving lives was high.
He was seriously injured, breaking dozens of bones throughout his body.
The sight was so horrifying that it looked like half-dried squid caught in the dried fish section and smashed to pieces on the floor.
Even Youngji’s doctor, who looked at his condition, shook his head.
‘This is not something you buy even if you live. Even if you are lucky enough to be cured by the luck given by the sky, you will not be able to serve as a human being for the rest of your life. Of course it would be impossible to walk or get up, and I would probably just barely swallow the porridge that others scooped me up until I died.’
…That was the doctor’s diagnosis.
And Sir Neumann was expelled from the territory today with only a few days of treatment barely overcoming the hurdle.
“Well, since my family was expelled along with me, I don’t think I will die right away.”
“Perhaps.”
And that wasn’t all.
Sir Ulrich and Conte, who usually followed Sir Neumann, were also tied up like a set menu and exiled together.
It was accompanied by the punishment of having the tendons in one of his limbs cut off.
‘I won’t be able to use a sword for the rest of my life. It’s a bit unfortunate, but anyway, establishing discipline within the territory is a success.’
According to the contents of the novel, they were the ones who would turn their backs on this territory anyway.
Even if you forgive them, you will not be able to come to your senses, but they will continue to harm you.
I wanted to weed out those guys early on.
And today that purpose has been achieved.
I was relieved.
“Anyway, thanks to you, you became the deputy knight commander. Now Sir Asrahan? How do you feel?”
“I don’t have any particular feelings.”
“okay?’
“yes.”
“why?”
“Because there are only two knights left in the estate, Sir Bayern and I.”
“Um, so are you lonely?”
“….”
“That’s right. It must have been that our Xaviel was bored because he had no friends. I see.”
“Of course it can’t be….”
“Yes. know. If you live, you can do that.”
“Mrs. Lloyd.”
“what. why. what. What would you do if you were straight?”
“….”
“Do you have anything else to say to me?”
Looking at it, I thought it was like that.
As expected, Xaviel nodded.
“yes. There is something I would like to ask you.”
“What.”
“That hamster.”
Xaviel’s hand pointed at the little boy who was munching on walnut kernels on the desk.
His expression became more serious.
The eyes became more careful.
So Lloyd was a little nervous.
What the hell is that guy trying to ask with such a strict, serious expression?
‘what. Are you doubting my summoning skills?’
I thought maybe it might be.
It was a story full of possibilities.
‘Well, I deliberately carried the Basic Summoning Spellbook around my side for a month, but it would be difficult to completely avoid suspicion with just that.’
Summoning magic is definitely magic.
So what if you’re not some kind of genius?
It didn’t make sense to use summoning techniques by self-studying for about a month.
‘Well, what can I do? If I told you honestly about the RP system or the fantasy random lottery, you wouldn’t believe it any more. That’s why I have to insist on it.’
It is true that self-study was successful.
I will cry so much
Lloyd thought so and waited for Xaviel’s question.
Xaviel, who had paused with a serious look, opened his mouth.
“What should I call you by your name?”
“…huh?”
“I’m curious about your name.”
“Could it be his name?”
“yes.”
“Is that what you were wondering about?”
“That’s right. After all, it’s the summoned beast Lloyd-sama summoned.”
“Aha, since you’ll be seeing him often, did you want to say your name?”
“That’s right.”
“But why did you set the mood so needlessly?”
“yes?”
“…after. done. It’s Podong. his name.”
“You mean Podong?”
“huh.”
“Hmm, compared to the majesty of being huge, it’s a shabby name.”
“Is that the name I gave you?”
“…Making a humble name is the basis of camouflage to catch the enemy off guard. Well done.”
“sincerely?”
“….”
“To Tallullah. done i didn’t build it It’s true that Podongi is the name, though.”
“Then I….”
“Call yourself.”
“All right. Sir Podong?”
Xaviel raised his eyes to Podongi.
Pudong, who was chewing on the kernels of walnuts, raised his head.
“Ppodong?”
“My name is Xaviel Asrahan. A knight escorting Lord Lloyd. I wish you well in the future.”
“Ppodong!”
Xaviel’s long fingers and Pudong’s little paws shook hands.
Lloyd yawned.
“Did you finish your name?”
“yes.”
“Then shall we go out? I’ve been waiting for you to leave because I have something to do.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“ok. Anyway, you’re my escort. He’s much stronger than me.”
“that….”
“it’s okay. Because everyone hides their skills to some extent. is not it?”
“….”
Xaviel was taken aback.
Lloyd laughed.
Xaviel has already reached the level of advanced sword expert.
At first, I just thought he didn’t realize his level properly.
It had to be.
Because it was described that way in the novel Iron Blooded Knight.
‘But seeing it from the side, it’s a bit different. It’s something I’ve only come across in novels.’
Aungdaung every day with Xaviel.
Learning swordsmanship from Xaviel.
As such, I was able to realize it when I saw him up close.
Xaviel accurately grasps his realm.
They are just hiding their skills.
The reason is?
I didn’t know yet.
I could only guess.
‘The youngest knight on the verge of becoming a sword master. It’s going to be a commotion just for its existence to be known.’
To a lesser extent, the envy of superiors such as Sir Neumann.
In a big way, constant attempts to recruit the surrounding lords.
Because of such annoyance, it was certain that Baron Frontera would become rags.
‘I guess you don’t want to cause a nuisance like that. It will also be my own effort to keep my loyalty to the baron.’
What a great guy anyway.
He was talented, but even his personality was flawless.
“Anyway, let’s go. I will do this.”
got up from the seat
As expected, Xaviel seemed a little relieved.
You probably don’t want the story to continue on this topic.
Actually, it was the same here.
‘I will keep your secret. So you have only doubts about my shovel technique. Don’t bother bringing it out of your mouth.’
Again, this guy is a swordsman genius.
There was no way that such a guy would not be able to grasp the true nature of bayonet art with a long history.
‘At least a beginner like me would have recognized that it wasn’t a skill made for fooling around.’
I see martial arts and sports as much as I know.
If you think of boxing or mixed martial arts, it was clear.
Boxing broadcasting couldn’t be that boring when you didn’t know it.
The mixed martial arts, which were scuffled on the floor throughout the match, was added.
But did you actually learn boxing when you were in high school?
Did you learn jiu-jitsu at a university club?
It has changed.
The boxing match, which was like a sleeping pill, couldn’t have been that much fun.
The martial arts ground fight, which seemed only to be grunting on the floor, was an exciting dragon and tiger fight itself.
Because the more you know, the more you see.
Then, what about Xaviel, an unprecedented swordsman genius in history?
Naturally, he would have grasped most of the characteristics of the bayonet technique used by this side.
‘okay. You can’t even avoid that. But I’m just figuring it out. If you keep your mouth shut, I will keep your secret.’
I looked at Xaviel with meaningful eyes.
Did you realize this side’s intention?
Xaviel obediently stood up along this side.
“…let’s go I will see you.”
So I left the bedroom with Xaviel.
left the mansion
As I was walking, I often ran into local residents.
However, their reaction was quite different from before.
In the past, as soon as they encountered this side, they hurriedly retreated to the side of the road.
They were people with their heads down, fearing that they might even meet their eyes.
But not anymore.
A woman greeted me with a warm smile.
This was the woman who showed fear with her hands shaking on the first day she was possessed by Lloyd’s body.
And that wasn’t all.
One farmer smiled openly and asked:
“Hey, Bocchan? When will it be possible to construct an ondol room for our house?”
“huh?”
Lloyd could remember clearly.
The smiling farmer in front of me was a man whose complexion was plainly white when he met Bing on the first day.
Lloyd asked, rubbing his chin.
“Um, I can’t remember, so where was your house?”
“It’s on the left side of the rock at the beginning of the oak forest valley.”
“Oh there. Let’s see. If you look at the order of the sale contract, it’s the next one.”
“Then, when will the construction start? ….”
“Looking at the current situation, about 15 days later at the earliest? So wait a bit. It’s spring anyway.”
“But the wind is still cold.”
“Then can I give you a hug? Perfectly cozy?”
“That’s not it.”
“Don’t you like it? thank god. I hate that too. It’s creepy.”
“Anyway, uhm, thank you, youngster.”
“okay. Don’t forget to pay for the construction.”
“Is there any?”
“okay. Okay, so let’s put our hands down now, shall we?”
Lloyd barely separated the farmer from clinging to him and moved on.
‘Whoa. It feels like I’m suddenly wrapped up in it.’
It was a few days ago.
The gaze and attitude of the young people looking at this side were completely different from before.
‘The eyes looking at me are really bright. When I openly play this game, does it feel like I’m receiving a Carry Machine bus driver?’
Suddenly, a bitter laugh came out.
I guessed why.
Still, I wanted to check it out.
“hey.”
I asked indirectly to Xaviel, who was following me.
“Why are you all like that? Didn’t you openly hate me before?”
“Well, it used to be like that.”
“In the past? Are you?”
“yes.”
“So what about now?”
Xaviel replied as if it were natural.
“It’s the birth of a talented person.”
“A talented person?”
“You defeated the senior knight of Yeongji with just one month of training. Of course, since they didn’t know the existence of the dark mind, they must have looked even more amazing. In addition, he exposed the senior knight’s betrayal and even performed shocking summoning magic in front of everyone.”
“…Well, it’s kind of hard to put all of them together like that. To sum it up, do you feel like a person with both martial arts skills and swordsmanship?”
“That’s right.”
Xaviel nodded and added.
“From the point of view of the residents, of course, I have no choice but to welcome it. It’s because he showed his ability to the extent that he wondered if he was the same person as an incorrigible person who drank alcohol every day and only caused trouble for the truth.”
“….”
“It is as if the person who will become the future lord has changed from a gloomy human trash unable to rehabilitate into a competent person in an instant. The people of the province will cheer and rejoice.”
“Oh, is that a compliment?”
“yes. you’re right.”
“But is it a bit heavy after complimenting it?”
“What do you mean heavy?”
“I thought the fact that it was stuck in the pit of the stomach would be enough to shoot at 170 per hour.”
“170 mph?”
“Ah, a broken bone. You bony technician.”
“….”
Xaviel stared this way.
What the hell does that sound like?
However, even the figure is cool and full of grace like a painting.
‘I hope so. Because he’s handsome.’
good at fighting
Personality is also outstanding.
The perfect looking guy.
Lloyd grumbled and said to the real-life version of his mother’s friend’s son, who was rumored to be full of rumors but no reality.
“Have you looked? Then look away Let’s see some business.”
“Your business?”
“From here to there.”
Lloyd pointed to the ground with his hand.
From the entrance of the mansion on this side, through the territory on the other side, to the foot of the eastern mountain.
Looking around, Lloyd was already activating his surveying and designing skills.
Examine the terrain.
Get all the information in detail.
Overlay the blueprint of the structure to be built on top of the identified information.
Thanks to this, a part of the future of this place that was not yet built was glimpsed only in his eyes.
“All roads lead to Rome. You’ve never heard of it, right?”
Lloyd looked back at Xaviel with a grin.
Of course, Xaviel didn’t know the meaning of that laugh.
The fact that a paved road will be built here, which will become the main artery of the development of the territory in the future.
As a result, the future that Baron Frontera will become one of the kingdom’s leading station influences is also a future.
He couldn’t imagine it at all.
That was certainly the case until Lloyd’s next words continued.
