Chapter 81. Reputation (3)
“Since ancient times, not only Jim, but also many kings in the ancestors have made great efforts for the peace and comfort of the nobles, citizens, and other people. Not only that, but I have lived my life assuming that the foundation on which the people can live in peace is my responsibility.”
Chew!
The edict unfolded with a cheerful sound.
The priest’s solemn voice pierced his ears.
So Lloyd thought quietly.
‘Oh Mr. I’m going out like this.’
Lloyd kneeled respectfully in front of the imperial envoy.
I was glad I had my head down.
It was because he did not have to show the envoy a complicated expression.
‘It’s a king’s decree. This seems to be a bit of a double-edged sword.’
He glanced around.
The baron was on one knee next to them.
I could see the baron’s eyelids and eyelashes quivering as he saluted.
The overflowing glory.
Endless blooming joy and happiness.
It looked like someone sitting in front of a bank window after accepting a lottery ticket.
Well, that was enough.
This was rural.
It was a barony nestled in an eastern corner.
I don’t know if the king will do his own home after a big war. Or, what if a disaster that will go down in history happened and he personally came to inspect it?
Other than that, it was a poor village where the king would never put a toe in his life.
However, the king’s envoy came to such a place.
An edict written in the king’s own handwriting came down.
‘It’s probably the family’s honor to be proud of forever. From the baron’s point of view.’
What greater joy and glory could there be for a nobleman than this?
Lloyd’s expression secretly became a little more complicated.
‘What glory is glory. An honor that will only come in handy when used well.’
An envoy has come to deliver the king’s edict.
That alone gave an approximate picture of the situation.
‘It’s probably because of what happened in Cremo.’
I got the project from the count.
An offshore artificial ground was successfully created.
After that, I defeated the Giga Titans that attacked the city.
Perhaps it was thanks to the king’s ears.
That’s why I’m trying to praise and reward the ball.
‘I feel good. Write. It’s a bit burdensome. That’s why I didn’t want to fight Giga Titan.’
Lloyd’s brow furrowed.
It was true.
It would have been best to just finish the construction successfully.
He collects the money for the construction work and, through that relationship, wins several projects from influential people in a big city through Count Cremo. In this way, he moderately raises his name value as a builder and reaps a good profit.
That was the picture Lloyd had drawn.
I also tried to draw only that far.
‘It should have been that far. It was just fine getting there. I thought that if I worked hard on the construction for just a few years, I would pay off my debt to the loan sharks.’
According to his calculations, it was.
He had already paid off half of his debt.
As a result, the interest rate is significantly lower than before.
In addition, there was a monthly water tax from the neighboring Viscounty of Lacona.
With that alone, it was possible to save with the remaining amount after paying the interest.
I didn’t want more than that.
I thought going out more was overkill.
‘All I have to do is pay off the debt. So, don’t go out of your way to overdo it. If I do too much, I may end up having to continue working even after paying off all my debts.’
Anyway, the current busyness was to pay off the debt.
After paying off the debt?
didn’t want to work
I didn’t want to live hard.
Living hard to death has already been tedious in Korea.
But even here, I had no intention of living like that for the rest of my life. I didn’t even want a rich movie. I just wanted to suck honey as a moderately rural aristocrat for the rest of my life.
‘Eat three meals a day to your heart’s content. Laying around looking at a book. Then, if you’re bored, ride a horse. Find a woman you like and get married. without too much effort Giving birth to children and living comfortably in moderation. That’s the life I want.’
But now?
An unexpected variable intervened in the picture he had drawn.
A fight with Giga Titan that I didn’t want. A gigantic achievement that I accidentally built because I didn’t want to die.
It was like putting a stamp on the king’s eyes.
‘Whoa. What should I do with this?’
It felt good, but at the same time it was frustrating.
Suddenly, memories of being in the army came to mind.
‘It was like this in the army. It’s the safest and best way to go in the middle, but I didn’t know that at the time.’
It was true.
Was it when you were in second class?
It was the first day I was assigned to my unit after completing the training camp.
As soon as I went there, the company commander asked me this.
‘uh? Is it civil engineering? Shall I shovel?’
So I answered.
Grab each chair in the administrative office and sit down.
In a loud voice, the new soldier’s unique military discipline was raised, ‘Yes! That’s right!’
‘That was the beginning of all misfortune.’
Lloyd let out a deep sigh.
The answer I gave without thinking.
That was the beginning of the misfortune that I brought on myself.
From that day on, he became the exclusive summons (?) of the Haengbogwan. Called to all sorts of jobs.
Starting with the drainage work, repairing the guard post, repairing the outer fence, constructing a foot volleyball field for a company, repairing a fitness center or drying room, and constructing a new waste disposal facility for a battalion, it was a day of repairs and other repairs.
‘Later on, I was called out for everything, even turning the lawn mower and welding!’
Thanks to that, I even mastered welding, which was not even in my arms.
Even though he was from a mechanized unit in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, which is so backward, he spent more time working than platoon tactics and individual combat training.
I rode more rickshaws than armored vehicles.
I had to touch the shovel a lot more than I did with the rifle.
As a result, I spent all of my military life as a half-nogada man.
‘Even when I was discharged, I was approaching, so I secretly persuaded me to drive a stake!’
In fact, he was even subtly persuaded to remain in the army as a sergeant, that is, a noncommissioned officer.
Of course, he hated the army and stakes.
Of course I refused.
Later, when life got difficult, I regretted it a little.
‘Anyway, it shouldn’t stand out like that. It’s troublesome if rumors that you’re good at it spread too much. From then on, I will continue to suffer from the superiors.’
But now it seemed like that was happening to me.
It was all the more so when I heard the contents of that edict, which the envoy was reciting tirelessly.
“Therefore, when Jim heard of the circumstances that had taken place in Cremo, he could not reap his sorrow…blah blah…In the meantime, I felt great joy in the achievements of the young nobleman and escort knight who showed amazing courage and sacrifice…This and that and this and that…Therefore, we would like to honor the achievements of the two in particular.”
‘Whoa. please.’
I have to clean up the Marez landfill.
Now I’m just about to start a coal business.
It’s a crazy busy body.
So please don’t call me the royal road.
No, even if you call me, can’t you call me later when you’re free?
Lloyd sincerely prayed to the king.
However, there was no bitterness in the envoy’s solemn voice.
“command. To congratulate the achievements, Lloyd Frontera and Xaviel Asrahan are invited to the royal capital. Together with the envoy who delivered the edict, the two ordered to move to the capital immediately. Announced by King Alicia Terrmina Magentano in Royal Capital Magenta in January 617 of the Common Calendar.”
Tak Tak!
The scroll containing the edict curled lightly.
It was such a simple movement that I wondered if he had only practiced that movement all day.
At the same time, the baron who was kneeling next to him shook his shoulders. I was so thrilled that I started to sob between my lowered heads.
“eww…Soil! Hee hee hee!”
“Raise your head, Baron Arcos Frontera.”
“Keep hee hee! Hehehe!”
“You must be proud of your son. You have a wonderful son indeed.”
“Yeo Younggwaang, heheheuk! Kkeuk-heung!”
Ding dong.
[Arcos Frontera’s affinity for you has increased by +9.]
[Current relationship with Arcos Frontera: +56]
[Acquired 90 RP by greatly improving the relationship with the main character.]
[Current RP: 2036]
‘Whoa.’
Lloyd took a deep breath.
At this point, it seemed he had no choice.
It was already an irreversible situation.
‘Since it happened like this, it would be better to just play it properly.’
Ways to extract the maximum benefit from the changed situation.
So, the choice to accelerate the settlement of debt at all.
This one didn’t seem too bad either.
No, depending on how you use it, it could be much better.
Lloyd, who finished the calculation in an instant, raised his head with a brightened face.
“Lloyd Frontera abides by the decree of his great king.”
That’s how it was decided to go to the royal road like passing the top bar exam by cramming.
♣
A festival was held in the baronial territory of Prontera.
It was the height of winter, so there were fewer hands involved in farming. Youngjimin, who had been lounging around on the floor of the warm ondol Gudeuljang, gathered.
It really felt like the top passer of the bar exam had come out of the neighborhood.
‘If there are a few banners hanging on the telephone pole at the entrance of the village, the atmosphere will be perfect.’
It was an idea that suddenly came to Lloyd’s mind while watching the festival.
The atmosphere was really not joking.
In fact, it did.
It was a rural estate with little hope or dreams. He was a young boy who drank all day and played haphazardly in such a manor.
But then the young master changed completely from one day.
He seemed to have suddenly come to his senses.
I started to live hard.
did a lot of things
He succeeded in everything he did.
As if creating something out of nothing, he made a lot of money. The dark clouds that had been cast over by the swindler were lifted.
Then, at last, he even received an edict from the king.
He is called to the royal road and receives a great prize.
It was something that would make the shoulders of naive villagers shrug.
No, in reality, the benefits to be given to them were quite small.
“The pride of the residents of the territory will be boosted. And that’s not all. The treatment you will receive when you meet people from other territories will also be better. You will not only get rid of being easily looked down upon, but you will also see small gains when trading in barter.”
“Hmm, does that mean you won’t hear ‘the subject from a small village’ less now?”
“Similar.”
Lloyd nodded at Xaviel’s answer.
After hearing it, it was a plausible story.
‘Because this territory is everything to the residents here.’
This Prontera estate is the hometown and base itself.
However, this incident raised Yeongji’s reputation.
It became a territory that received royal decrees and honorable mentions from the king.
In other words, it has its own title that people in other regions cannot easily ignore.
‘You should be proud enough. Well, it’s human psychology that your shoulders are excited when the soccer or baseball team you’re rooting for wins.’
I saw this kind of psychology a lot in the modern world where Korea was.
Certain soccer teams win the Champions League.
Even the popular player of the team scores the winning goal and carries and explodes the game.
Then, it was Lloyd, who had seen countless online community bulletin boards explode that day.
‘Even if there was no benefit to him, he made such a fuss.’
It was human psychology to be so enthusiastic about a soccer player who had no school ties or blood ties with the person on the other side of the globe.
But what about the slope here?
In what case did you receive the edict?
It was something that would directly or indirectly benefit the residents.
It was all the more so because he, who received the edict and gained fame, was also the future lord.
So, like everyone else, it would be like having a party with sincere joy.
Every time he sees himself on the street, his eyes would light up like fans who met the world’s strongest idol group, Bulletproof Vests.
‘Thanks to that, I got extra RP.’
100 from the Baroness,
30 from Lord Bavaria, and
70 RP from all the residents of the territory.
Of course, the collected RP was piled up one by one.
I wanted to raise my mana heart skill right away, but I held back because I didn’t know when another critical moment would come.
‘It’s not something that will happen just by developing a skill like Mana Heart.’
You have to level up your skills according to the situation to come. Only when you pursue appropriately tailored growth can you properly cope with the situation.
Remembering that experience, Lloyd diligently stocked up on RP like a black bear preparing for hibernation.
At least, investing a little RP for the transformation of fantasy species was all he allowed himself to do.
[You have purchased 100 Sunflower Seed Sets.]
[Purchasing cost: 100 RP]
[Currently owned RP: 2136]
As such, Lloyd prepared for the journey to the kingdom step by step.
Of course, I didn’t just prepare for the journey quietly.
Prepared for the bigger picture.
‘Since the king laid the plate like this, it must be a human duty (?) to suck the broth properly from the plate!’
So Lloyd decided.
I stayed up all night and made a plan.
And finally, the day of departure for the royal capital has dawned.
On the way to the royal road, Lloyd’s big picture, which will completely clear the remaining debts of the baron family, will start in earnest.
