Chapter 112
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Ruler of the Lake (1)
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Water streams down in a rush.
Clear and forceful, it fills the canteen.
Drip-drip.
"Here, have some of this."
"......"
White Lancers Captain Sir Blanc snapped back to attention.
He turned to see his adjutant holding out a portable canteen.
"It's water. You've been breathing in so much dust that your throat must be parched."
"Ah, thank you."
He took the canteen and tilted it.
The stream of water flowed down his throat.
A sudden memory surfaced.
The scene from earlier. The herd of mastodons. The straight passageway. The gushing water. Hamang rolling along, spewing water. The hundreds of beasts, swept away—no, terrified by Hamang's form and momentum, swimming frantically along the water's path in a desperate escape.
"......"
The cold water chilled his empty stomach.
The irrigation canal's effect had been tremendous.
It had swept away the massive mastodon herd in one go. It had shoved the beasts straight into the northern river at the far end of the passageway.
'What I saw today... what the hell was that?'
Was it real? Or a particularly vivid nightmare? Or perhaps part of some grand deception?
He couldn't make sense of it.
But one thing was certain.
Lloyd Frontera. His plan had hit the mark perfectly.
Thanks to that, the barony had repelled hundreds of mastodons with almost no damage.
"Ah, of course, it's not like there was zero damage."
"......"
Another voice came from right beside him.
Not the adjutant.
He turned to see Lloyd Frontera flashing his signature enigmatic half-smile.
How had this terrifying guy snuck up?
Sir Blanc asked in a slight daze.
"There was damage?"
"Yes. There was."
Lloyd shrugged.
His self-deprecating reply followed soon after.
"The kitchen gardens at the base of the mountain got trampled. The ones with onions, green onions, potatoes, and corn. Such a shame. Especially that corn grown at the mountain's base—it's really delicious."
"......"
"Oh, and the paved road got partially washed away while flushing out the mastodons with the canal. Ha, that was a pain to build. Oh well, what can you do? We'll have to repair it."
"......"
They'd stopped hundreds of mastodons, and that was the damage? He deserved a commendation.
Yet this guy was whining like it was the end of the world.
What was with him?
Sir Blanc found himself asking.
"Don't tell me this irrigation canal today, that channel—no, the pit passageway that made the mastodons jump in and swim away on their own. You planned all that from the moment you sculpted the mastodon shapes?"
"Of course."
He answered without hesitation, no dodging.
No false modesty or humility.
"You must've had a hard time digging for six days. That was all planned. You grumbled about digging up dirt from far away when you could've just dug right next to the relief sculptures. That was planned too. You got annoyed wondering why you had to dig a long, set path like a canal instead of just scooping dirt from one spot. That was planned as well."
"Then the entire path of that canal..."
"Yes. I surveyed and designed it all in advance. Using the Prona River that wraps around our barony from south to north in a clockwise sweep."
"......"
"Starting from where the river bends west, straight north to meet the downstream flow coming around clockwise. Thanks to that, we even got a canal we can use forever. A little cleanup, and it'll serve as a mini canal no problem."
Eat the pheasant and take the egg.
Buy candy and snag a parking voucher.
Repel the mastodon raid and acquire a canal.
It was a strategy made possible only because of the mastodons' cautious nature, despite their not-so-bright heads.
"Well, anyway, the mastodons swept north will figure out how to live there on their own. They won't die from that, the north is an uninhabited wilderness with no territory, and they won't come back here."
"Won't come back? How can you be sure...?"
"Because they saw their natural predator, the megalania."
"Ah."
"They'll remember that one thing. So they won't bother coming back here where they think their predator is. Unless they want to die."
"You even calculated that?"
"Yes. Isn't that obvious?"
"......"
Sir Blanc was at a loss for words.
No, it wasn't obvious.
He'd only thought to fight and drive them off.
He'd believed throwing away lives like weeds was how to defend the kingdom's territory.
'But we won without even fighting. With almost no losses.'
No—even gaining a forever-useful canal as a bonus.
How many calculations had this Lloyd in front of him made to achieve this? How much brainpower to turn it into reality?
A simple warrior like him couldn't fathom it.
His throat bobbed unconsciously.
And suddenly, he thought.
'Maybe real fighting is like this.'
Blind charges aren't everything.
Bravery alone isn't all.
Sometimes winning without fighting.
Taking thorough, practical gains.
That might be the true victory for one who commands troops.
'That way, you don't lose your men.'
Memories of his battles flooded back.
Twelve as a White Lancer.
Five more as captain, up to today.
Seventeen major and minor battles, and today was the first where he lost not a single comrade or subordinate.
The battlefield cleanup without the usual grim rite of collecting fallen brothers' bodies.
That unfamiliar, fresh experience struck his heart.
It brought enlightenment.
'Yes. We always dressed death in valor and honor. Dying bravely on the field was honorable, we thought. But there's greater valor and honor here. Fighting and surviving. Returning safe to family, lovers, comrades. Then fighting the next, bigger battle.'
Survive and grow stronger.
Grow stronger and win bigger fights.
Protect the nation for long years that way.
Protect family happiness too.
'That is the true path to shine honor.'
How foolish he'd been.
How many more men could he have saved if he'd realized sooner?
Regret, shock, enlightenment, admiration—all at once as he raised his head.
He looked at Lloyd with new eyes.
"Thank you."
"Yes?"
Lloyd gave him a puzzled look.
With respect in his voice, he said.
"Please take care of things from here on as well."
He would watch and learn.
Gain more insight, master it.
Make this admirable man his mentor in heart.
"Uh, sure. Yeah, me too."
Lloyd swallowed his embarrassment and extended a hand.
A firm handshake.
True sincerity exchanged within.
Sir Blanc held back surging tears.
Lloyd kept his cringing fingers firm.
Thus, the day they repelled the second monster raid passed.
♣
A few days went by.
In that time, the barony's cleanup proceeded swiftly.
They restored the trampled kitchen gardens and repaired the paved roads lost to the flood.
There were minor gains too.
The mastodon herd that had fled into the water in terror, swept away by the canal.
Among them, five calves separated from their mothers and left behind.
"...So, you want to raise these guys, Sir Bayern?"
"Yes, Lord Lloyd."
Sir Bayern reported with firm resolve.
As if echoing his voice, the five mastodon calves behind him let out vigorous cries.
"Puuuiiiing-!"
"See, Lord Lloyd? They're unharmed, healthy, and sturdy."
"Yeah, I get that. But isn't it dangerous?"
"It won't be dangerous."
"How do you know?"
"They're cute."
"......"
"I mean these little ones, not me."
Sir Bayern pointed at the calves.
But oddly, his cheeks were slightly flushed, unlike his usual stern demeanor.
"I heard a story once. Wild adult mastodons are ferocious and hard for humans to approach, but ones tamed from calfhood change dramatically."
"So, they can be domesticated?"
"That's what I heard."
"And you want to try now?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, won't it be a huge hassle?"
"It won't be a hassle."
"How do you know?"
"They're cute."
"......"
"I mean these little ones. Ahem."
Sir Bayern was already holding massive baby bottles. No, they were more like mini oil drums with just nipples attached.
"Puaaaang!"
"Puuuiiiing!"
The calf-sized mastodons clamored to grab their bottles first.
Each time, Sir Bayern hummed contentedly, "Mm-hmm," feeding them one by one.
"......"
Sir Bayern.
Who knew behind that stern facade.
'He has a hidden voluntary butler streak for cute baby animals.'
Seeing a grown man cooing "Who's a good baby?" made his stomach churn a bit.
But it wasn't a bad thing.
"Sigh. So, you want permission?"
"Yes, please."
"Hmm, what to do."
Sir Bayern watched anxiously, awaiting his decision.
Lloyd pondered, looking at him.
Mastodons were 4-meter herbivorous monsters.
Naturally, they had immense strength to match.
If successfully tamed?
They'd be a major asset to the territory.
Useful labor in peacetime too.
'Plow fields. Haul heavy loads or mega carriages. Chain a few for a clean, pollution-free locomotive. Sure, the poop would be on another scale compared to cow dung.'
Plenty of potential uses.
"Alright. Since you're doing it, raise them well."
"Really?"
"You think I'd lie?"
"No, no. Thank you. Come on, Pudding, Puddang? Poongdeong and Poongding, Pudong too. Line up and greet him. This is Lord Lloyd, your master from now on."
"Puuuiiiing!"
"Puaaaang!"
'...Cough, he even named them already.'
So committed.
If I'd refused, Sir Bayern would've sulked hard.
Lloyd ended up with a wry smile.
After that, he handled various tasks.
He selected engineers who'd crossed the Eastern Mountains with him before.
Sent them back beyond the Eastern Mountains.
To scout and check the orc tribes' safety.
'We wanted to check before, but no time with our own survival on the line.'
Couldn't afford to look away even a bit.
But now, a breathing space.
So.
Lloyd attempted another task he'd delayed for lack of time.
"Got the explanation? Just sit there quietly from now on."
"Here?"
"Yeah."
"So, like you explained, you'll absorb a large amount of my mana, Lord Lloyd?"
"Yeah. That's the plan."
Like the rapid charge with Queen Alicia in the capital Magentano.
Absorbing her mana massively.
If it worked, his Mana Heart could grow again.
With that thought, Lloyd summoned Haviel to the training grounds at midnight.
"But, Lord Lloyd."
"Yeah? What."
"I'm a Swordmaster now."
"Yeah. So?"
"I think I can sleep without your lullaby now."
"Ah. Escaped Swordmaster syndrome?"
"Yes. I can control my overly sensitive senses now."
"So, no more regrets, and you don't want to be dragged around and used at my whim?"
"Yes."
"Is that so?"
"Yes?"
"Then try sleeping on your own tonight."
Lloyd grinned confidently.
That night, Haviel tossed and turned till dawn.
Couldn't sleep.
He realized deep in his bones.
How terrifying habits are.
How he'd become unable to sleep without Lloyd's lullaby.
"So, sit still nicely?"
"......Yes."
The next night, Haviel sat plop on the training grounds, calming his boiling frustration.
Lloyd fired a triple blast infused with full power into the air.
He entered deliberate exhaustion.
Activated rapid charge.
But it failed.
Couldn't absorb mana massively like with Queen Alicia.
Simple reason.
Haviel also possessed the Asrahan Heart Method.
Ding-dong.
[The opponent's Mana Circle resonates with your circle's rotation, disrupting the mana absorption flow.]
With that message, mana absorption from Haviel canceled.
Lloyd could only suck mana from the innocent training ground sand and air.
At least he recovered his exhausted body's vigor.
"......Tch. Useless guy."
Disappointing.
He briefly considered training Sir Blanc into a Swordmaster as a mana battery.
But no time for that now.
Locust swarms.
Mastodon herds.
Just the start of the monster domino effect to come.
"But we can't fend them off one by one forever. It'll be unsustainable. Meaningless attrition wars always are."
The next evening, Lloyd gathered everyone in the baron's office.
Baron couple, Haviel, Sir Bayern, Sir Blanc.
He stood before them.
Unveiled the grand plan he'd harbored.
A scheme to prevent the successive monster herd raids from the domino effect in one fell swoop and secure permanent peace.
"We force King Stoma, ruler of the Capua Lake midway up the Eastern Mountains, to awaken and work for us. Of course, I've already planned the details. How about it? Easy, right?"
Everyone in the office gulped dryly at his words.
And in a daze, they thought.
What *isn't* easy for that guy?