Chapter 141
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Second Ending Spoiler (2)
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“Winter of 1830. Vienna, Austria. Bitter cold. The Danube River freezes over. And... cholera.”
Lloyd clenched his fist.
The puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place.
The answer rearing its head from the edge.
‘That’s it. This is what happened.’
His Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.
Beside him, Haviel tilted his head.
“Cholera, you say?”
“Hm?”
“Didn’t you just mutter something to yourself? Vienna, Austria. The Danube River. Cholera. That’s what it sounded like.”
“Oh, that.”
He’d unconsciously mumbled the sudden revelation.
Haviel’s sharp hearing hadn’t missed it, as expected.
Lloyd chuckled and quickly brushed it off.
“It’s the name of a forgotten ancient city and river.”
“An ancient city?”
“Yeah. Back when I visited the academy in the capital to see Julien. I read it in a book I picked up then.”
“But why bring it up now...”
“I just thought our territory’s situation right now feels eerily similar.”
“Similar how?”
“With tons of people suddenly crowding in.”
Now that he thought about it, it really was.
Vienna, Austria in 1830.
Frontera County right now.
The two places shared a commonality that transcended dimensions and space.
‘No proper sewage facilities. And then the city’s population explodes suddenly.’
1830.
Europe at the time was swept up in the wave of industrialization.
In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, countless laborers flooded into cities.
Vienna, the capital of Austria, was no exception.
A wave of incoming laborers.
The city’s population surged.
Sewage disposal became a problem.
‘Of course. Before that, sewage was partly used as fertilizer for farming, and the rest just dumped roughly into streets or rivers. But when the population suddenly ballooned? The old methods couldn’t keep up.’
Still, no countermeasures were taken.
They entered winter like that.
And an unprecedented cold snap hit.
The Danube River cutting through Vienna’s streets froze solid.
But people didn’t care.
They kept doing what they’d always done.
Dumping excess sewage by the riverbank.
‘That was the start of the disaster.’
Normally, the sewage would flow down the river. It would break down naturally via microbes in the water.
But that winter, with the Danube frozen solid, things changed.
The sewage didn’t flow away.
It piled up neatly along the frozen riverbank.
It melted in the sun and refroze at night, over and over.
Rot set in.
The massive pile of decaying sewage seeped deep into the ground.
Contaminating the local groundwater.
And the next spring.
People who drank that groundwater caught cholera.
It was the beginning of a massive epidemic sweeping the city.
‘Something similar will happen here. And that ending spoiler I saw? That was the result.’
Now he got it.
The Danube freeze.
The massive cholera outbreak that followed.
Lloyd retold the story to Haviel, suitably dramatized.
“That’s how a ton of people died, according to the records.”
“In that ancient city of Vienna?”
“Yeah. I think something like that could happen in our territory too.”
Exactly.
Frontera County’s situation was precarious too.
If laborers flooded Vienna due to industrialization.
Here, refugees had poured in from the monster domino effect.
“Plus, we don’t have sewage facilities here either. What if this winter’s unusually harsh? What if the Prona River freezes? We’ll end up just like that ancient city. High chance.”
Lloyd emphasized his words.
The more he spoke, the clearer his conviction grew.
The version of himself dying from disease in the ending spoiler.
That future self must have made the wrong call at this exact time.
Failed to prepare proper sewage countermeasures.
Probably just took the easy route of dumping into the Prona River.
Now he understood how things had played out.
But while he was thinking that.
Haviel tilted his head.
“Listening to you, Lord Lloyd, it does seem possible. But what exactly is a sewage facility?”
“Hm?”
“Is there a better way than digging pits?”
“Yeah. Obviously.”
Lloyd nodded confidently.
That assured look silenced Haviel.
“......”
What a peculiar young master.
No, an utterly baffling guy.
Haviel suddenly recalled the bizarre experience from earlier that afternoon.
‘I’d come to report something to Lord Lloyd.’
He’d knocked on the bedroom door.
No answer from inside.
But he sensed Lloyd’s presence.
So he’d entered.
It was a report that had to be done anyway.
Careful not to disturb Lloyd’s focus.
He opened the door quietly and stepped into the bedroom.
And received a shock.
‘Lord Lloyd was nowhere to be seen.’
Gone.
Vanished.
Not at the table.
Not under the bed.
Not behind the curtains.
He checked every possible hiding spot, but no Lloyd.
Yet... his presence lingered.
‘It was a first for me.’
Presence detected, but no one after scouring the room.
Eerie. Unfamiliar. Unexplainable.
Especially as a swordmaster.
‘Lord Lloyd couldn’t fool my senses.’
But he wasn’t there.
Couldn’t be found.
Like he’d become a ghost.
Presence, but invisible.
Bewildering.
So he withdrew.
Left the bedroom to clear his head.
Handled other pressing tasks.
And when he returned that evening?
Lloyd was there as usual, rolling around in bed.
“......”
That afternoon visit to the bedroom.
What had happened?
How had Lloyd disrupted his senses?
No answers.
Lloyd’s inexplicable abilities.
His occasional otherworldly knowledge.
‘Should I... suspect him?’
Or just chalk it up to curiosity.
Haviel pondered briefly.
The answer was simple.
‘For now, just observe. Purely out of curiosity.’
To him, Lloyd clearly had secrets.
Looking back, it started that day he built the ondol room for the tavern owner.
Overnight, he’d become a different person.
But he didn’t want to suspect him over that.
Even with secrets.
Even with mysterious powers.
Lloyd always used them for the territory’s growth.
He devoted himself to those around him.
Saved the family and countless others.
So, just curiosity for now.
Nothing more.
‘That’s my duty.’
Haviel chuckled.
After all, he was just a knight loyal to his liege.
As long as Lloyd worked for the territory, protecting him was his best role.
“......Understood. Shall we head back to your bedroom then, Lord Lloyd?”
“Huh? Why?”
“You’ll be planning the new project now, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“You’ll pull an all-nighter mulling it over?”
“Probably?”
“That’s why.”
“You’re staying up too?”
“Yes. I’ll keep watch.”
“What? Creepy.”
“......”
“Ugh. Gave me chills.”
“......”
“Still gonna pull an all-nighter out of loyalty?”
“Yes.”
“If you wanna, go ahead.”
“......”
“Then grab some snacks at least.”
A smile tugged at Lloyd’s lips too.
It was a night packed with work anyway.
And so, the overtime night for new plans deepened.
♣
The next day, Lloyd explained his plan to the Frontera Count.
“A grand sewer?”
“Yes.”
“What’s that?”
“An underground tunnel to handle the territory’s sewage.”
It was during breakfast.
Savory cheese and tangy salad.
Hearty eggs and greasy sausages.
A bountiful table with steaming milk.
Lloyd glanced around the table and spoke cautiously.
“Uh, if talking about this during breakfast bothers you, should I come back later?”
“No. It’s fine.”
Sewage talk amid a fragrant meal.
Most would frown.
But the Frontera Count didn’t.
He even let out a hearty, good-natured laugh.
“It’s about my territory and the people living here. And seeing your cautious expression, it must be more important than this breakfast.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“So, a way to handle sewage. You wouldn’t bring it up without good reason, right?”
“Of course.”
“Can you explain?”
“Yes.”
From then on.
Lloyd recounted to the count the same story he’d told Haviel the night before.
The count’s expression hardened bit by bit as he listened.
“So epidemics can happen that way too?”
“Yes. Seems like it. It’s documented history.”
“Then our territory’s at high risk too?”
“Unfortunately.”
“That’s why we need this grand sewer?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd nodded.
That was his conclusion.
At first, he’d thought just dump it far from the territory.
But no good spots.
East: mountains.
Dumping there risked contaminating groundwater and sources.
South: Racona Viscounty.
Epidemics there could spread here fast.
West: king’s land. No way.
North was left, but imagining dumping massive sewage there choked him.
Simple reason.
‘Too much to just haul away.’
Pure math.
Average person’s daily sewage: about 200 grams.
‘Multiply by refugees. That’s 9 to 10 tons a day. A month? 300 tons.’
300 tons of shit in a month.
3,600 tons a year.
10 years?
‘Tch. No more math.’
Made his stomach turn.
Carts or buckets—no way to manage the volume.
Unlike Creemo City or the capital with established infrastructure.
Frontera had never exceeded a few thousand residents before refugees.
Poor infrastructure.
Sudden population boom.
To solve sewage, reference similar cases.
‘Hence, Vienna, Austria. Model it after them. Their real solution will help.’
He decided to use Vienna’s case as blueprint.
To prevent future epidemics.
History showed Vienna’s fix.
‘1830 to 1835. Sewage pipes 1.5m wide, 2m high along the river. Called the “Cholera Canal”?’
Not the end.
‘Then 1890-1910, massive expansion. 15m wide, 8m high. Linked organically to the old canal.’
They dug relentlessly.
Built a thorough system.
Finally ended cholera’s reign.
‘Learn from that.’
Lloyd, thoughts sorted, spoke.
“The concept’s simple. Channel all household waste and sewage underground, separate from rivers and groundwater.”
“So it prevents river and groundwater pollution?”
“Yes. Spot on. That’s why.”
He’d laid solid groundwork for the grand sewer.
The count grasped the necessity.
Push now.
All at once.
Like yanking a ox horn.
No time for second thoughts.
“We need massive manpower. Could you issue an official notice?”
“A notice?”
“For recruiting labor.”
He explained step by step to the curious count.
“It’ll be huge. Covering the whole territory. Mansion here, villages, refugee camps, apartments. Nearly all residential areas—dig and install pipes. And that’s not all.”
“Not all?”
“Then route all collected sewage smoothly north to the uninhabited zone. More digging.”
“Enormous project.”
“Yes. Hence, tons of workers needed.”
True.
Engineering Corps? Not enough.
They were on priority apartments.
Elf rebar workers and orc warriors too.
“White Lancers could help since they’re idle. But still short-handed. Need residents and refugees’ aid.”
“Hmm, so volunteers.”
“Yes.”
He’d considered forcing them.
Frontera was now a county.
Huge authority.
Could conscript residents and refugees.
But he didn’t want to.
Memories of Korean grievances.
‘Busted my ass, but wages delayed endlessly... horrific.’
Trying to survive.
Scrape by.
Days of frantic toil.
But the world struck back.
Ignore? Mockery?
That was tame.
Worst pain: delayed pay.
‘Wages. That’s all I had, bleeding out for it.’
“Sorry.”
“No choice.”
“We’re all good, right? Wait a few days, I’ll pay lump sum.”
Pleasant faces left him speechless.
Reluctantly agreed.
But after?
‘Never saw those vague promises honored.’
One delay snowballed.
Always.
Couldn’t pay goshiwon rent, fretting.
Sneaking past the manager.
Couldn’t even scoop rice properly some days.
‘Ugh, still pisses me off.’
And heartbroken.
The rage lingered.
So.
‘No forcing free labor.’
He hated inflicting the trash he’d endured. Vowed never, no matter how low.
Plus, practically unwise.
‘Build resentment among residents and refugees.’
Crush complaints? Sure.
But shattered trust?
Hard to rebuild.
‘Lose public support. Then no volunteers for future projects. “Just hurts, no gain...” mindset sets in.’
Trouble.
Sacrificing long-term trust asset for short gain.
No shortsighted moves.
Vowing that, he said.
“That’s why the notice. For legal employment contracts. Though volunteers won’t be many this time.”
“Yeah. Farming season’s coming.”
The count nodded.
True.
Spring approached.
Residents.
Terraced farm allottees.
All busy prepping fields.
“No choice. First round volunteers, then hire pros from Creemo City on contract. Even if costly.”
“Agreed. I’ll draft the notice.”
“Thanks.”
The count wrote it.
Distributed everywhere.
Lloyd didn’t expect much.
Unlike terracing, where plots were rewarded.
‘They went wild then. But now? Just meager wages. Busy farming season, low appeal.’
So hire extras from Creemo for cash.
Settling that, Lloyd flopped onto bed.
“Whew.”
Up all night?
Busy day?
Forgotten fatigue hit.
‘Sleep first.’
Rest now.
Worries tomorrow.
Shoes still on, he snored away.
Moments later.
Ding-dong.
[The numerous achievements and praises you’ve accumulated now exert a combined effect.]
[Overwhelming majority of residents and refugees seeing the Frontera Count’s notice strongly wish to help you repay the favor.]
Thus, a miracle message Lloyd never anticipated appeared before his sleeping eyes.