Chapter 120
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: A Joyful Day (2)
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Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Morning had dawned.
At the sound, Lloyd's eyes snapped open.
"Hua."
He rubbed his eyelids right after waking up.
He hurriedly erased the traces of last night's dream.
As usual, he washed his face, ate breakfast, and woke up Haviel.
But then Haviel stared at him quietly and blurted out,
"By any chance, did you wet the bed last night?"
"What?"
"Your eyelids are a bit swollen. And the whites of your eyes look a little bloodshot."
"Oh, this?"
He quickly forced a smile.
"I tossed and turned in my sleep. Man, my heart was really pounding last night."
"Your heart?"
"Yeah. I was wondering what kind of sweet life lies ahead."
It was the truth.
One night of sentimentality was enough.
There were far more days ahead to live.
And now, a financially clean life without a single debt to worry about was just beginning.
"Think about it. The debts are all paid off. The territory's operations are solid. We even get steady water taxes from the viscounty every month."
That was true too.
If he listed them out, the future of this barony looked bright.
It was overflowing with good news.
"And the Marez Reclaimed Land that got a little damaged by the locust swarm? No problem. Bangul turned those locust corpses into charcoal with the volcanic eruption, right? Grinding them up and spreading them on the fields turned out to be a huge hit."
"No way, as fertilizer?"
"Yeah. They say the peppers and corn are sprouting like crazy."
"Hmm, that's fortunate."
"Plus, the orc tribe seems to have settled in properly."
"Well, I heard about that too. They chose the area around Capua Lake as their new home, and they're apparently thrilled with all the game there."
"Yeah, exactly. Bibingi's doing its job too."
That 100-meter fantasy beast was splashing around in Capua Lake today as well.
Roaring powerfully twice a day, morning and evening, without fail.
It was fulfilling their requests perfectly.
It could be called Bangul'(?) for becoming Bibingi's first love interest.
"Anyway, no worries left. Just days of living cushy and carefree ahead. So, how about throwing a feast?"
"A feast?"
"Yeah, like a celebration for clearing all the debts. Or a ceremony for safely repelling the monster attack. Around this time, we usually have harvest thanksgiving festivals anyway, right? So, we can combine them."
"That sounds like a good idea."
"...What miracle is this, you agreeing with me?"
"Just felt like it. Even you have days like this sometimes."
"I see."
"Yes."
Haviel gave him a faint smile.
Lately, he seemed much less curt than before.
It was probably thanks to the favorability breaking through zero and going positive.
"Anyway, I was thinking of suggesting that."
He headed to the baron's office.
He proposed holding a festival.
Naturally, the baron became an enthusiastic yes-man.
"I've heard it's a great idea. And after the festival ends, how about we take a family trip while we're at it?"
"Pardon? A trip?"
"Yes, a trip."
The baron burst into a hearty laugh.
"We used to go on family trips together every year or two before. But after that incident, we haven't gone at all."
"Ah...."
It seemed to refer to after they took on the predatory loans.
The baron's following words confirmed his guess.
"So, this is the perfect opportunity. We couldn't even dream of it while drowning in debt, and now we've overcome a major hurdle."
The baron's face looked genuinely happy as he said that.
Afterward, Lloyd had to listen to the baron ramble on for a while.
Mostly about how certain places were perfect travel destinations this season—a parade of the baron's family trip fantasies.
"Yes, sounds good. I'm in favor."
"Really?"
"Yes. But the planning should all be..."
"Don't worry, leave it to your father. Who else for planning trips if not me?"
"Haha, is that so?"
"Absolutely."
The baron thumped his chest.
Lloyd couldn't help but smile at the sight.
'A family trip.'
Come to think of it, when was the last time they went on one?
He couldn't even remember.
'Class trip? MT? OT? But those aren't family trips.'
Digging through his memories, the only times were from his childhood.
Once he was older, there were no such recollections.
'And for several years, I couldn't even think of traveling.'
That was true.
After falling into this world, he was always swamped with work.
He scurried around to pay off the baron's family debts.
'Of course, I went to Creemo and the capital, but those were business trips.'
Official duties.
Work.
They didn't count as vacations.
And even before coming to this world, it was the same.
'It was worse than here. Back when I was rotting in a goshiwon.'
Travel? He couldn't even dream of taking a short intercity bus trip to catch his breath.
Once, he suddenly craved the East Sea.
He didn't need to do anything there.
No inn, nothing.
His chest felt so tight just trying to survive.
He felt like his heart would explode if he stayed put.
He just wanted to see the sea.
So, he tried to take the intercity bus.
But he gave up.
The reason was simple.
He didn't have enough for round-trip fare.
More precisely, using that bus fare would leave him short for goshiwon rent.
'Miserable.'
How bleak was the walk home after giving up even that small step over a few thousand won?
But now it was different.
The baron's family had solid finances.
As long as he didn't splurge wildly or develop a taste for extravagance, he could live comfortably and abundantly for life.
"Then, I'll look forward to it."
His steps were light leaving the baron's office.
Even while enjoying the territory festival starting the next day.
'This is what living is all about.'
Delicious food.
A daily life where he didn't have to work to have fun.
People smiling kindly at him.
It felt like living in a paradise tailored just for him.
That was the third day of the festival.
'Feels good.'
Having grown accustomed even to the festival, he simply lounged in his bedroom all day, rolling around. He read a few books he'd brought from the study, enjoying a rare day of idleness and leisure.
'Even thinking about games.'
He recalled the free games he played back in Korea.
Definitely, nothing beat those for killing time when bored like this.
'Might learn some hunting.'
A real-life hunting game.
Otherwise, he'd gain weight.
As he rolled on the sofa lost in such thoughts,
Knock knock knock.
"Lord Lloyd, are you in?"
Haviel's voice came with the knock.
Lloyd replied from his sprawled position on the sofa.
"Yeah, I'm here. Come in..."
"You should come out now."
"...You already came in?"
He set aside the book covering his face.
Then he saw Haviel's expression.
It was quite stiff.
Not the usual everyday stiffness.
He could tell from their time together.
"What happened?"
A prank?
No.
Something had occurred, big or small.
Sure enough, Haviel's response was unusual.
"I can't quite define it."
"Then?"
"You'll have to see for yourself."
"..."
He followed him out.
They left the mansion and headed to the central village of the territory.
It was the lively festival site on its third day.
But now?
'Something's off.'
The lute music and songs that had been overflowing with drunken cheer had stopped.
In their place, the murmurs of villagers gathered in groups filled the air.
And all their gazes were fixed on...
'Who are those people?'
A group of about 70 to 80 people.
Their attire was uniform.
Soldiers or armed group?
No.
They were all ragged.
Clothes that were once proper shirts or coats.
Now filthy and torn.
Knees worn through, sleeves ripped, poorly patched.
Peeking through the gaps, only bones and skin remained.
Their soles were even more wretched.
Only a handful had anything resembling proper shoes.
Most had their feet crudely wrapped in rags, soles and toes cracked and shattered, caked with pus, dirt, and grime.
'What the hell.'
In a word, a pitiful sight.
Sunken eyes and cheeks.
Matted hair and exhausted faces.
Lloyd pushed through the villagers toward the ragged group.
"You there, are you residents of our territory by any chance?"
No familiar faces.
Still, he asked just in case.
The response was as expected.
"Oh, no, young master. Are you perhaps the lord of this territory?"
"Not the lord."
"Oh, then..."
"His son."
"Ah."
A man who seemed to be the representative of the ragged group.
He looked just over thirty.
He gazed at Lloyd with pleading eyes.
"I'm truly sorry to say this, but... please help us, young master."
"Hmm."
"Here, the children are starving to death. You don't have to give much. No, even feed for livestock, just for the children, please give a little. We're begging you, young master."
The man choked up and prostrated himself.
The entire ragged group prostrated.
Lloyd unwittingly let out a deep sigh.
"Hua."
Who were these people, and where had they come from?
Beggars?
Too many for that.
Men, women, elderly, children—too diverse in age.
Lloyd said,
"We can provide enough food for you all, so calm down. Yeah? First, you come talk to me."
"Talk... you say?"
"I won't eat you. I'll give you food."
"Ah, understood."
The staggering man hurried over.
Lloyd ordered the villagers to bring water, soup, and easy-to-digest foods for the ragged people.
Then he took the man aside and asked,
"Straight to the point. Who are you people?"
A ragged group appearing out of nowhere in a territory holding a festival.
No matter how he looked, something was off and suspicious.
In the worst case, foreign spies might be mixed in.
But the man's immediate answer was unexpected.
"We are residents of the Sortino Barony. And I am Nicholas from the Sorti village there. My father was the village chief originally, but due to this disaster..."
"Wait. Residents of the Sortino Barony? You guys?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"Then why are you here? In that state? And what disaster?"
Lloyd asked.
It was strange.
'The Sortino Barony is quite far south from our territory, right?'
Yet why had its residents ended up here in such a state?
He couldn't grasp the situation at all.
The answer lay in the man's response.
"Monsters overran the village."
"...What?"
"An enormous number of monsters. They were called Heracleto or something. Beetle-like, over two meters tall... They swarmed like a plague. Devouring every tree and blade of grass."
"What the..."
"We lost our homes in that attack. Of course, we didn't give up. Encouraged by the lord, we built huts and tried to reclaim the fields. But heaven abandoned us."
"No way?"
"Yes, exactly that. Five days after the Heracleto attack, another monster horde overran the village."
"..."
Lloyd was at a loss for words.
Hearing it, he understood the story.
"...Monster domino."
"Yes?"
"Just something I said. Anyway, what about your lord?"
"He went missing fighting the monster horde that hit after the Heracleto. Probably..."
"Eaten."
"...Yes."
The man said with a darkened face.
"The lord and his entire family vanished. In that situation, there was nothing we could do. We just fled to save our lives. Over half died along the way. And today, we finally made it here..."
"You've suffered greatly."
"...Kkh."
The man finally shed tears.
Now Lloyd understood the full situation.
'Right. Sortino Barony. Far south of our territory. But to its east? The Eastern Mountains too.'
The Eastern Mountains were vast and long.
Stretching north-south for hundreds of kilometers.
Naturally, the Frontera Barony wasn't the only territory bordering them.
Dozens of territories bordered the Eastern Mountains.
And...
'Most territories adjacent to the Eastern Mountains must have been hit by this monster domino effect.'
He knew.
But he didn't have the capacity to help others.
He figured the lords managing their own territories would handle it.
But now he realized.
They didn't have him.
'No fantasy beasts to use effectively, no knights at swordmaster level, no well-trained engineering corps, no White Lancers dispatched by the queen.'
Could they have stopped the endless monster domino?
The answer was no.
"First, eat something. Warm up your bodies."
"Thank you so much, young master. This favor..."
"Don't talk about favors. It's burdensome. Rest up a few days, and once you're better, head to another territory if possible."
He left without waiting for a reply.
Because the man might cling?
Because he forgot his frog-tadpole days, forgetting his own poor past?
No, none of that.
'This might mean more like them keep coming endlessly.'
Lloyd's steps hurried from the chaotic festival site to the baron's office.
His mind was busy too.
He awakened all the brain cells that had slacked for days.
He meticulously calculated and weighed the foreseeable future from this incident.
'At least twenty or more territories must be wrecked. Where would the refugees from there flock? West? No, another mountain range blocks it. South? Foreign country. East is where monsters are coming from, obviously not.'
That left only north.
And among the northern paths, the least damaged territory was this Frontera Barony.
Plus, the season was entering early winter.
'Then going to Creemo in that state without food would be impossible. Meaning...'
The path north the refugees would take.
A still-intact territory on that path.
A place feasible to walk to.
'Bingo. Nowhere else but here.'
Crunch.
A massive wave of refugees would come.
If he coldly turned them away?
The royals would surely reprimand him harshly.
'Damn, another stroke of bad luck. Shit.'
When could he finally relax and savor that honey pot?
Carrying soaring dismay, Lloyd's steps to the baron's office quickened.
In his mind, an emergency city plan to accommodate an unimaginably massive influx of refugees was already taking shape.