Chapter 162
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: The Predestined Catastrophe (2)
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Namaran's Barrier.
The most memorable episode from the mid-arc of the novel *Iron-Blooded Knight*. It was the story where the black mage forces finally revealed themselves outright and clashed with Haviel for the first time.
Lloyd recalled his memories of reading that part.
'The black mages tried to use the entire city's citizens as sacrifices. They enveloped the city's walls with a powerful magical barrier.'
It was a magical barrier that no one could breach.
No matter how hard Haviel tried, it was the same.
Perhaps it was thanks to that trial and crisis.
That the signature technique of *Iron-Blooded Knight*, 'Blasting,' was born right in front of Namaran's Barrier.
'He clashed his mana circles for the first time. In a desperate attempt to break through the barrier, he overexerted his mana operation. And instinctively grasped the method to unleash the power of that clash.'
That was how Haviel's signature technique, Blasting, was born.
He infused aura into Blasting.
Finally, the once-impenetrable Namaran's Barrier shattered.
Haviel entered the castle, followed by the Namaran Knight Order.
A fierce battle that raged for two full days, wasn't it?
At its end, Haviel defeated the black mage and rescued Namaran's citizens.
But there was one exception.
The only daughter of the Namaran Count could not be saved.
In the final moment, to stop the black mage who was trying to summon a Hell Knight in a frenzy of desperation, she sacrificed herself.
Thanks to that, the summoning of the Hell Knight—which even overwhelmed a swordmaster—was canceled.
That was the moment Haviel's victory was sealed.
'So behind that glory was this woman's sacrifice.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, Lloyd raised his head.
He saw the woman standing before him.
She was smiling faintly at him, tilting her head.
"Did you just murmur my name? Or did I mishear?"
Siluria Namaran.
He had felt it before, but meeting in person someone he'd only seen in the novel's illustrations created a strange sensation.
It had been the same when he first met Haviel, and it was the same now.
Especially in cases like this, where he knew the character met a tragic end—it was even more so.
But now was not the time to dwell on such feelings.
Lloyd quickly suppressed the vague unease creeping up on him.
He flashed a bright, welcoming smile.
"Ah, such rudeness at our first meeting. I'm Lloyd Frontera. And welcome to Frontera County."
"I had a feeling, but you're the famous Young Lord Frontera I've only heard about in rumors."
"Yes. I'm that notorious wastrel from the rumors."
"You're quite humble. And you already know my name?"
"Ah, I saw the family crest on the carriage."
"You have sharp eyes."
"I'm also in the middle of bloating up from all the praise."
Lloyd shrugged.
'Come to think of it, that's a bit worrying.'
He thought as he looked at the woman before him.
Suddenly, curiosity struck.
The Namaran's Barrier incident from the novel.
Would that catastrophe-level event happen here too?
'Namaran isn't in the eastern region, but it's not exactly far away either.'
Precisely, it was a city located in the mountainous area between the east and south.
But if something happened there?
It would immediately affect Frontera Territory here.
'I should check.'
In fact, there was a good chance the same event from the original novel wouldn't occur.
The situation had changed so much from the novel.
First, he himself hadn't died.
Haviel's activities had changed.
King Alicia hadn't lost her arm.
The timing and outcome of the monster domino effect had shifted.
Creemo Port had regained its prosperity without the obstacle of the Gigatitan, and Frontera Territory—which had remained a backwater in the original—had risen as a central city of reconstruction by accommodating a massive influx of refugees.
Countless changes had already occurred in this world.
Namaran might be similar.
The same tragic event from the novel might not happen.
Harboring that faint hope, Lloyd asked.
"By the way, is there a highly renowned gentleman named Cannavaro in Namaran?"
"Pardon?"
The Namaran Lady's eyes widened slightly.
He casually probed toward her.
"I've heard that a wealthy man named Cannavaro is doing wonderful charitable works in Namaran. He's someone I personally admire."
In truth, that Cannavaro was a black mage.
The mastermind behind Namaran's incident.
But at this point in time, he was disguising himself as an ordinary wealthy man.
'Then, in one moment, he builds his fame. How? By taking in a considerable number of refugees and caring for them at his own expense.'
In the novel, Alicia had turned dark.
The southern region attempted rebellion against such a king.
A massive, brutal suppression of the rebellion took place.
Enormous numbers of refugees were created in the process.
Some flowed into Namaran.
Cannavaro took them in.
Out of overflowing compassion?
Of course not.
'It was mentioned in the novel that it was to use them in black magic experiments.'
But now?
The situation had changed.
Alicia hadn't turned dark, and no rebellion had arisen in the south.
'So Cannavaro wouldn't have had any reason to take in refugees.'
His fame shouldn't have risen yet.
In other words, the Namaran Lady should respond with something like, 'Cannavaro? Who's that?' That would confirm Namaran was safe for the time being.
Because the black mage wouldn't have started his experiments using refugees.
'Then I won't have to worry much about that area for a while. So hurry up and say Cannavaro's a nobody! Come on!'
He prayed fervently in his mind.
At that moment, the Namaran Lady beamed brightly.
"You're talking about Mr. Cannavaro? How surprising. His fame has already spread this far?"
"Pardon?"
"He's a truly admirable man. Taking care of so many lost souls like that. Even with considerable wealth, it's not something an ordinary person would readily do."
"Lost souls, you say...?"
"It's due to the unfortunate events in this eastern region. You must know too, Young Lord Frontera? The monster domino crisis."
"Ah."
"Yes, exactly. Because of that disaster, some refugees flowed even into our Namaran. Around four hundred, I believe. At first, my father, the Namaran Count, tried to care for them. But that's when Mr. Cannavaro stepped forward willingly."
"You mean he offered to care for the refugees?"
"Yes. What a fine man. Of course, it can't compare to Lord Frontera Count's charity in shouldering tens of thousands here."
"Haha, you're too kind."
...This is bad.
Lloyd swallowed dryly.
'Over four hundred.'
More than the roughly one hundred test subjects in the original.
In other words, the situation could turn out even more severe than in the original novel.
'This is serious.'
A chill ran down his spine.
♣
"Whew. This is something."
Returning to his bedroom, Lloyd flopped onto the sofa.
The suddenly burdened sofa let out a sigh-like whoosh of air.
Lloyd's mood was the same.
'The marriage proposal rejection succeeded, but I'm not happy at all.'
He recalled the Namaran Lady he'd just been speaking with.
Right after probing about Namaran's situation and Cannavaro.
He had quickly opened his mouth.
He had no intention of marrying into her family.
He thanked her for coming from afar and told her to rest easy before leaving.
He said it all one-sidedly.
That was why he'd waited in front of the mansion in the first place.
Namaran's incident might be serious, but being forced into an unwanted marriage would be an equally catastrophic disaster.
Fortunately, the Namaran Lady's reaction was remarkably cool.
She said she'd been pushed into this by her family anyway.
She even thanked him for making his intentions clear upfront.
She seemed relieved of any burden.
She had smiled brightly and innocently.
"......"
That made it even more unsettling.
The person who'd been smiling right in front of him moments ago.
She might soon be caught up in a tragic event and die.
'Should I give her a heads-up at least?'
The thought crossed his mind.
But upon second thought, that wasn't right either.
Right now was when Cannavaro's prestige was soaring.
Who would believe him if he accused such a man of being an evil black mage?
He'd likely be dismissed as a fool.
Moreover, there was no solid evidence to expose his nefarious plot.
The novel never provided exact descriptions or explanations of how the black mage created Namaran's Barrier.
'Maybe I should just ignore it.'
He lay back on the sofa.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
Honestly, he didn't want to get involved.
But he couldn't.
The Namaran's Barrier incident.
If he let it be, massive fallout would reach even here.
'Hell Knight.'
The Knight of Hell.
The being the black mage Cannavaro tried to summon through a massive ritual sacrificing the lives of the entire citizenry.
But if he failed to prevent it?
If, unlike the novel, the Hell Knight was actually summoned?
It would unleash a hellscape on a whole different level from the monster domino crisis.
'The Hell Knight was said to overwhelm even a swordmaster.'
It never actually appeared in *Iron-Blooded Knight*.
However, in the latter half, Haviel had this monologue.
Even he, having reached the Grand Master realm, couldn't guarantee victory against the Hell Knight without the Asrahan Heart Method.
'In other words, the Hell Knight is on par with a typical Grand Master.'
The current Haviel wouldn't stand a chance.
Not even if ten of him attacked.
The might of a Grand Master was that absolute.
'If such a monster gets summoned, it must be stopped no matter what.'
Not just Namaran, but the entire kingdom could fall.
Wishing only Frontera Territory to survive amid that would be impossible.
'Damn. What to do then? Send just Haviel to Namaran? No. What if things diverge from the novel? They've already diverged. Such changes might prevent stopping the incident.'
If possible, he should go to Namaran himself.
That way, he could actively respond to the changing situation.
So he needed an excuse to go there.
'Say I just want to visit for fun? That's weird. Hmm, ask the Namaran Lady for a fake marriage for three months? No, that'd get me slapped.'
In truth, Frontera Territory was busy too.
The apartment complex and grand sewer projects.
They were in the final stages.
He couldn't find a suitable excuse to set those aside and go to Namaran.
But then.
Knock knock.
"Young Master Lloyd, are you inside?"
A knock. Then a voice.
It was the mansion administrator.
Lloyd welcomed him while still lying on the sofa.
"What's up that brings you here?"
"Ah, I'm here to report on the task you assigned a few days ago."
"Report? Ah, don't tell me it's the performance bonus settlement for the apartment and grand sewer workers?"
Lloyd sat up.
He recalled assigning that task.
"You already finished the settlement sheets?"
"Yes. The labor logs were so meticulous that calculations were straightforward. Here."
Contrary to saying it was straightforward, the administrator's eyes were ringed with dark circles.
Feeling a twinge of sympathy, Lloyd took the stack of sheets.
He checked the total bonus amount first.
"...This is no joke."
His mouth went dry the moment he saw it.
Indeed, the amount to pay the workers was considerably more than expected.
'Well, it was such a massive project, and it dragged on for so long.'
Especially the apartment construction, which had been ongoing since last year.
And the grand sewer?
It involved the Engineering Corps, White Lancers, existing territory folk, and refugee workers—a huge workforce.
Labor costs were bound to skyrocket.
'Paying it all at once would bend the waist.'
In fact, the territory's finances weren't exactly flush.
Regular subsidies from the royals.
Water fees from Viscount Racona's territory.
They were barely scraping by on that, tight even covering material costs for various projects.
Then.
The administrator spoke cautiously.
"Um, Young Master Lloyd? Instead of paying the workers all at once, how about splitting it up?"
"Hm?"
"A huge lump sum expenditure would burden the territory's finances too much. So, get the workers' understanding and pay it out in installments until the first half of next year..."
"No."
Nonsense.
Lloyd shook his head immediately.
"That breaks the promise. The labor contract didn't have any such clause to begin with."
"But..."
"Stop. That's enough. Contracts exist to be honored."
A contract was as good as a promise.
Fail to keep it?
He'd lose trust in droves.
No one would step up willingly next time.
'Wage delays, payment postponements—I've had my fill of that from Korea.'
Not getting the daily wage that day.
Or receiving it much later.
It happened often on Korean sites.
How much he'd cursed inwardly each time.
Now that positions were reversed, he had no desire to pull that trash.
"Anyway, money's the issue."
After sending the administrator away, another sigh escaped.
He was already fretting over Namaran.
Now funding woes piled on.
'I need a new revenue stream.'
Of course, they weren't broke now.
Tighten belts, and the whole territory could get by.
But he didn't want to keep living like this.
'Not good for the future either. Everyone knows it's wise to have some pension insurance for an easy later life, right?'
Many hands make light work.
More money, the better.
Same now.
Even with royal subsidies.
Even with water fees squeezed from Viscount Racona's territory.
No guarantee they'd last forever.
The royals could face upheaval.
Viscount Racona's territory could collapse someday.
If funding suddenly dried up overnight?
They'd struggle hard and starve.
'Can't let that happen.'
Lloyd shook his head.
For a more prosperous, beautiful future.
To keep promises to workers right now.
He needed to secure additional lump sums and revenue sources.
'The question is how. Money doesn't grow on trees. Already buried in worries over Namaran. Sigh, if only there was a way to stop the Namaran crisis and make money too. If there was even a chance to snag a project there... Huh?'
Lloyd shot to his feet unthinkingly.
Grumbling led to sudden realization.
An obvious, simple solution.
"Wait. I can just snag a big project there as an excuse?"
That's it.
Earn construction fees in Namaran.
Stay there during the work to avert the predestined catastrophe.
Win-win, like getting free gyoza at a Chinese place.
Two birds with one stone, a 1+1 deal.
'Then what project to snag in Namaran.'
Lloyd rummaged through his memories.
He recalled *Iron-Blooded Knight* as best he could.
Bits came back.
Namaran.
The magical barrier erected there.
Haviel struggling to break it.
But the city sat atop a cliff like a pyramid's peak, making Haviel suffer.
The slope too steep.
The cliff face crumbling easily.
He fought far harder than on flat ground.
'That's it.'
The crumbling cliff face.
The city atop it.
What worries would its lord have daily?
Thinking it over, the answer emerged.
'Found it.'
Before he knew it, he was out of the bedroom.
Down the hall and stairs, past the first-floor reception, to the annex where guests stayed. He knocked on the Namaran Lady's door.
"What business does Young Lord Frontera have?"
Her guard knight opened the door.
Lloyd immediately shoved one foot through the gap.
Like a neighborhood religious lady come to share good news. Or a top salesman this year dropping bait: "I'm offering this amazing product at such a sweet price only to special customers like you."
He licked his lips.
Over the knight's shoulder, to the lady.
And to save everyone from the predestined catastrophe while pocketing a fortune.
He spoke with deadpan yet swift eloquence.
"I'm not saying this every day. Nor to just anyone. Crumbling cliffs, sinking ground—those are nothing. There's a slope stabilization method that rebuilds fallen cities and fortifies those that haven't. Have you heard of it?"