Chapter 121
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Extorting Investment Funds (1)
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“It looks like things are going to get a bit busy for a while.”
“Huh?”
Scrape?
Was it because of the sudden voice?
The baron's finger tensed up.
The small carving knife slipped out of his grip.
A long scratch appeared on the wooden doll he had been shaping in his other hand.
“Oh dear...”
The regretful expression only lasted a moment.
Baron Frontera averted his gaze from the wooden doll.
“Busy, you say?”
“More importantly, are you okay?”
“Ah, I'm fine. It was a spot I was going to carve away anyway, so no harm done. And I didn't hurt my hand.”
“That's a relief.”
Unlike his words, Lloyd felt a twinge of regret.
The baron's hobby of whittling wooden dolls.
He had heard it was a pastime he gave up after the family was crushed by debt.
But lately, he had picked it up again.
Now that the debts were paid off.
Now that the family's crisis was over.
It must have been a way to quietly enjoy the everyday life he had finally reclaimed.
But now, even that routine would have to be set aside for the time being.
“Refugees have arrived in our territory.”
“What?”
The baron, who had just picked up the carving knife again to smooth out the scratch, froze.
“Refugees? What do you mean by that?”
“Just what it sounds like. About eighty of them.”
“Did you find out where they're from?”
“Yes. The Sortino Barony to the south.”
“What? Wait. Sortino...”
“Yes, adjacent to the Eastern Mountains. Much like us.”
“......”
The baron's eyes slowly widened.
A territory adjacent to the Eastern Mountains.
He must have realized what that implied.
Lloyd continued.
“Unfortunately, they couldn't cope with the monster domino effect. I hear the territory itself has been completely reduced to ruins.”
“What about the Sortino baron and his family?”
“They're missing.”
“What a tragedy...”
“For now, I've instructed that they be given warm water and food. But that's why I have something to discuss.”
Lloyd spoke quickly before the baron's expression could darken further.
“I suspect even more refugees will come.”
“I see. That makes sense. So that's why you said things will get busy.”
“Yes.”
“What about news from the other territories? Have you heard anything?”
“No. But—”
“But?”
“I imagine most of them have suffered something similar to the Sortino Barony.”
“......”
The baron fell silent.
It was hard to believe, but all too real.
The swarm of hundreds of thousands of locusts that had first engulfed his territory.
The baron himself had experienced that shock and terror firsthand.
‘Yeah, if something like that happened, not many places could have held out...’
Even now, he sometimes dreamed of that day.
When he did, he would wake up drenched in cold sweat, tossing and turning.
This wasn't something to take lightly.
Clack.
The baron set down the wooden doll and carving knife.
“So... you're saying those refugees will come to our territory?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Pretty much all of them, I'd say.”
“What?”
“So even conservatively, we're looking at thousands at minimum—easily into the tens of thousands.”
The baron's eyes bulged.
Thousands at minimum, easily tens of thousands.
Even for the baron, who had mentally prepared himself to some extent, it was a number far beyond expectations.
It was only natural.
The Frontera Barony he had ruled until now.
Even adding up the entire population, it was under 5,000.
In other words, his son was saying that refugees numbering several times the territory's population would flood in all at once.
“Even with the situation being what it is... you really think it'll come to that?”
“That's how I see it.”
“......”
Gulp. The baron's Adam's apple bobbed.
Lloyd's words were always right.
Looking back, it had always been that way.
Had they ever lost out by following his son's lead?
How much had they gained by trusting and acting on his words?
This time would probably be no different.
And there was ample reason to trust his son's words.
“Come to think of it, you're right.”
The baron sorted through his thoughts with a serious expression.
“Territories adjacent to the Eastern Mountains must have taken massive damage. And even those to the west of them wouldn't be exceptions.”
“Yes, that's likely.”
“Exactly. So there aren't many places for the refugees to go.”
“Yes. Further west, there are other mountains, and south is foreign territory.”
“They can't head east where the monsters are swarming, so ultimately, north is the only option...”
“Along that route, the only intact territories are probably ours and Viscount Racona's. Of course, there's Creemo, the central city of the region, but that's too far.”
“Right. And with winter coming on top of everything, for starving, ragged refugees, getting to Creemo would be too grueling.”
“Yes. They'll flock to a suitable place to spend the winter.”
“And that place is our territory.”
“Yes.”
A smile tugged at Lloyd's lips.
As expected, the baron was someone he could reason with.
He lacked a bit of the ruthless drive to navigate chaotic times, but at least he listened to advice from those around him.
Especially in a situation like this, that was incredibly important.
“That's why. Before people come flooding in, we need to prepare two things.”
“Two things?”
“The most urgent needs for housing refugees: food and shelter.”
“Food and shelter.”
The baron's expression darkened.
“We'll have to halt the festival for now. We need to stockpile every bit of food we can. But even that won't be nearly enough to last tens of thousands through the winter.”
It was the truth.
The territory's current food reserves were far from abundant.
The Marez Reclaimed Land had its first harvest.
But starting from scratch meant plenty of trial and error.
It was barely enough for the territory's residents to scrape by through winter.
Adding refugees on top of that?
Especially if those refugees outnumbered the locals several times over?
Impossible.
The baron voiced his first thought.
“Should we import some? From Creemo?”
“Well, that could work. But I'd like to save that as a backup plan.”
“So you're saying there's a better option?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Locusts. The ones Bangul caught with Volcanic Eruption last time.”
“......”
The baron's face froze.
“......What? You want to feed them locust corpses? To the refugees?”
Wouldn't everyone just vomit from disgust?
Or worse, fly into a rage and start a riot?
That was the first thought in the baron's thoroughly frozen cerebral cortex.
It wasn't unreasonable.
Eating locusts.
For him, it was unimaginable.
No, it was utterly alien to everyone on the Lorasia Continent.
Unlike Lloyd, who came from South Korea.
‘Locusts look gross, but grill 'em up and they're decent beer snacks. What's the big deal?’
Even thinking of silk larvae, a snack enjoyed by most Koreans, made it clear.
A Korean like him and a Lorasian like the baron.
Their thresholds for insect cuisine were worlds apart.
Lloyd said.
“It's fine. They won't die. No, it'll taste better than you think. And the nutrition is top-notch.”
“But still, insects...”
“And these aren't small bugs. That's what makes it even better.”
“Even better?”
“No one has to eat them whole.”
One corner of Lloyd's mouth curled up.
“These locusts are 70 centimeters long. Even after removing the head, legs, and shell, you're left with at least 50 centimeters of meat. That's the point.”
“So?”
“Yes. No one can eat that in one go. Think of it like a steak that size.”
“Ah......”
A spark lit in the baron's eyes.
He seemed to be getting the idea.
“So you're saying we'll just chop up the meaty parts and eat those?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Lloyd's smile deepened.
Human psychology works that way.
The more an ingredient resembles its living form, the greater the revulsion. Preferences polarize. That's why most dishes involve processing to disguise the original shape.
And refugees aren't mukbang streamers or competitive eaters.
No one will eat a 50-centimeter whole locust.
So when locust meat is served?
It'll be in bite-sized, processed pieces on their plates.
“Of course, that won't eliminate all aversion to locust meat. So we'll need to develop some menus.”
“Menu development?”
“It's essential if we want it to taste good.”
Lloyd shrugged.
“Anyway, let's get moving. We need to handle the urgent stuff first.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
The baron nodded as well.
If the refugees' testimonies were true.
If Lloyd's prediction really came to pass.
They had to hurry preparations now.
♣
The barony buzzed with activity.
Preparations to receive(?) the massive influx of refugees proceeded apace.
First up: processing the large stockpile of locust meat.
They were already crisply roasted by the Volcanic Eruption skill.
And with the cool weather, storage conditions were perfect.
They got to work prepping them.
Haviel oversaw the processing.
“Alright, everyone, watch me and do the same. Like this, from here.”
He demonstrated with his dagger.
Shuck, shuck. The roasted locust shells peeled off in seconds.
Snow-white flesh like shrimp emerged.
“See? Easy, right?”
“......”
Of course, it was anything but easy.
The guards grunted as they peeled shells.
The pure locust meat was then handed to the territory's women.
The women followed the baroness's lead.
“To be honest, I snuck a little taste earlier.”
The baroness said demurely.
The women's eyes went wide at her words.
The lady tasted it first? That creepy locust?
“Yes, exactly. I chewed and swallowed. It wasn't bad at all—better than expected.”
“......”
“Based on that, I think it needs a strong seasoning. There was a slight fishy smell. That's why.”
The baroness smiled gracefully.
She placed an old book on the counter with a thump.
“I'm sure you all know this cookbook. Yes, the prestigious one that any refined lady owns—or wants to own. 'I Shall Become the Dragon King's Chef.'”
“Oh my.”
Envious murmurs rippled through the women.
It was no wonder.
*I Shall Become the Dragon King's Chef.*
This cookbook was one of the top masterpieces on the Lorasia Continent for centuries.
Written centuries ago by a foreign girl who served a dragon in human form and even became his bride, it was a legendary rarity.
“Yes, that very one. You all remember how our son defeated the black mage recently. We got it from the black mage's lair then. So how about we use it to develop some locust dishes?”
“......!”
The women's heads nodded at light speed, of course.
While so many prepared food for the refugees, Lloyd was busy in his own way.
But his busyness was quite different from the others.
He walked.
All day, every day, he walked the territory.
He wandered everywhere, ceaselessly, like a man possessed by a strolling demon.
Sometimes he stopped, nodding to himself.
Other times, he looked around with a sigh or lost in thought.
For days, Lloyd personally walked every corner of the territory, observing, and walking some more.
It was as if the soul of Kim Jeong-ho, the great cartographer who created the *Dae Dong Yeoji Do*, had possessed him.
Yet no one in the territory thought it strange.
“There must be a reason. It's Lord Lloyd.”
“Of course. It's Lord Lloyd.”
“Exactly. It's Lord Lloyd.”
The old troublemaker of the Frontera Barony—the walking disaster more reviled than the plague—was gone.
Now, every action of his was justified in a word: understood.
Lord Lloyd.
That single phrase sufficed.
At this point, even if Lloyd walked on his hands all day, or cartwheeled and tumbled acrobatically everywhere, the residents would understand with magnanimous words: “It's Lord Lloyd.”
In any case, another fortnight passed like that.
During that time, Lloyd's prophecy came true step by step.
Refugees poured in day by day. Kept pouring. Poured endlessly.
Small groups of about ten.
Large groups over a hundred.
Men, women, children.
From all corners of the east.
Refugees from various territories created pandemonium.
When it really happened, Baron Frontera's face paled.
“What... what should we do?”
On the morning of the 16th day since the influx began.
The baron summoned Lloyd.
He poured out his anxieties in a trembling voice.
“Phew. I tried to prepare my mind after hearing you out, but seeing people flood in endlessly like this... fear is all I feel.”
It was honest truth.
He had anticipated it.
A massive wave of refugees.
He had steeled himself mentally.
But experiencing it firsthand?
Seeing the sheer scale with his own eyes?
It hit home viscerally.
The situation felt far graver than his vague imaginings.
It was suffocating.
“We've prepared locust meat and such, but I'm terrified, son. Can we truly care for them? Or should we accept only a limited number and send the rest elsewhere? Can we even provide shelter from the cold winds right away? I worried all night and couldn't sleep.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Yes. I don't even know how to take this crisis... So, I heard you've been meticulously inspecting every corner of the territory lately. Did you perhaps find a solution to the housing issue you didn't mention before?”
The baron recalled a report from days ago.
Lloyd walking the territory all day.
So he guessed.
His son must be surveying. Preparing the housing solution he had subtly omitted when mentioning locust meat.
And the baron's guess was spot on.
“Yes, I've prepared a solution.”
“I knew it. Good. So, what is it?”
“Well, temporary tents are a given for immediate needs. But ultimately...”
“Ultimately?”
The baron asked with hope.
Lloyd flashed a bright smile.
“Have you ever heard... of apartments?”