Chapter 188
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: The Greedy Man's Good Deed (1)
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A few days passed.
During those few days, Lloyd spent identical days.
After finishing dinner, he climbed onto the camel's back.
He rocked steadily atop the camel.
He had to stare at similar desert scenery all day long.
Then, when the moon tilted toward the west and morning came, he dismounted.
Half-asleep, he ate breakfast and sought rest in the shaded camp.
When evening came, he climbed back onto the camel.
Day after day, it was all the same.
It was only after enduring such days that change finally arrived.
The desert he had seen every day.
Thanks to encountering a different sight after a few days.
"This is Kandara, the central city of the Kandahar region."
"......"
The female bodyguard personally assigned by the Sultan.
Lloyd perked up his ears at Scheherazade's words.
He asked gladly.
"Does that mean we've reached our destination?"
"We can say so."
"Hoo."
Lloyd let out a heavy breath.
Finally arriving at the destination.
It was welcome.
It was joyful.
'Now, I'll be free from that camel back for a while.'
He suddenly recalled the past few days.
It was the day after signing the construction contract with the Sultan in Ahinsha.
He had to greet the people sent by the Sultan early in the morning.
He needed to hurry on the journey to the Kandahar region.
Amid that, he explained the situation to the bewildered delegation who had no idea what was going on.
They hurriedly departed Ahinsha.
For several days, he had to endure the feeling of Antarctic exploration atop the camel.
'Even if desert nights are cold, I didn't expect it to be that bad.'
Lloyd shuddered inwardly.
Desert. Camel.
Anyone hearing those words would think of scorching heat.
Lloyd had imagined the same when the journey to Kandahar was decided.
Even on the day departing Ahinsha.
Now he would cross an incredibly sweltering desert.
He even worried about the lack of sunscreen.
But such worries were unfounded.
Far from unfounded—they were as foolish as chugging cold kimchi soup.
Because the journey's pattern was the complete opposite of expectations.
'During the boiling heat of the day, we always set up camp in the shade and rested. Then, when the sun set in the evening, we departed and traveled through the night.'
As the sun set, the desert temperature plummeted.
At the same time, their happiness levels drew a sharp downward curve.
It was cold.
Bone-chilling cold.
The biting wind was relentless.
It reminded him of harsh winter training in the military.
He even missed the worn-out long padding he wore single-layered every winter in Korea.
'Anyway, we've arrived safely, so I'll be free from that cold for a while.'
Lloyd had never liked the cold much to begin with.
Just the fact that he could avoid such cold made the arrival at the destination all the more welcome.
"So, we'll be staying here for a while now?"
Scheherazade nodded at Lloyd's question.
"Yes. This way. I'll escort you to the lodging first."
"Ah, wait. In that case......"
"Is there something you're curious about?"
"By any chance, at the lodging too, you'll be......"
"Feel free to call me Scheherazade."
"Ah, then, Miss Scheherazade? Will you be guarding me at the lodging as well?"
"Yes."
"Hup."
"You're not suggesting we share the same room, are you?"
"Indeed, we are."
"......"
"What's wrong?"
Scheherazade was staring intently at him now.
Her obsidian eyes felt burdensome.
Lloyd revealed his feelings honestly with a wry smile.
"It's a bit burdensome. Since you're a woman and all."
"I'm fine with it."
"......I'm not."
Lloyd's wry smile deepened.
"I want to relax at the lodging. Change into comfortable clothes, not worry about appearances so much. If Miss Scheherazade stays with me, that might be a bit......"
"But the great and almighty Sultan entrusted your safety to me."
"For my safety, Sir Asrahan will protect me."
"......"
Scheherazade's gaze shifted.
The silver-haired knight Lloyd pointed to casually.
Haviel was there.
"As I introduced on the day of departure, he's a knight who's been guarding me from my territory originally. Sir Haviel Asrahan. His personality is a bit cold, he punches the solar plexus for backtalk, and he's just a tad more handsome than me—those are his flaws—but he's quite reliable as a guard."
"I know. It's an honor to travel with the famed young Swordmaster. And he seems not just a tad, but vastly more handsome than you, Lord Lloyd."
"......Um, yes. Anyway, with Sir Asrahan here."
"So?"
"How about handing over my protection to Sir Asrahan at the lodging?"
"Are you ordering me to disobey the great and almighty Sultan's command right now?"
"Um, not exactly."
Lloyd felt troubled.
Was it because Scheherazade's attitude as bodyguard was so firm?
That was part of it, of course.
But there was a bigger reason.
'The Sultan—that guy is more shameless than he looks. Even so, to blatantly stick his daughter as my bodyguard.'
Scheherazade.
She was introduced merely as an outstanding bodyguard.
Even though a woman's body, one of the top swordsmen in the desert.
So, he could trust her with his safety.
With sharp swordsmanship plus a woman's delicate meticulousness, she would provide the best protection.
The Sultan had praised her personally and assigned her.
However, Lloyd knew.
Thanks to reading the novel Iron-Blooded Knight.
Among the Sultan's daughters was one named Scheherazade.
Right before the Sultan committed suicide.
One of those fighting to defend the besieged tower.
The woman swordsman with the desert's greatest talent.
Unlike typical desert princesses confined to the palace lifelong, she had been allowed outside from a young age. Bloomed her talent under the Sultan's special permission.
But the novel mentioned that no one except the Sultan and his closest aides knew she was the Sultan's daughter, a desert princess.
'That's why she's moving openly with her real name now. No one has guessed her identity so far. Especially since I'm a foreigner, they think I wouldn't know.'
Typically, desert princesses are shrouded in veils.
Not just faces—even names not known outside the palace.
'But what can I do? I've read the novel. I recognized her as the Sultan's daughter from the first introduction.'
The Sultan assigning his own daughter as bodyguard.
The daughter insisting on protection even at lodging.
Lloyd got the feeling right away.
'Ah, not again. Here we go. I can sense it. This is exactly that.'
Become my son-in-law.
He could almost hear the Sultan's cry.
It wasn't even the first time for Lloyd.
'It happened in Creemo. "Become my son-in-law." In Namaran too. "Take my daughter." If King Sis had a daughter, I'd probably hear it. "Take my daughter." Hoo. Now even the enemy Sultan is jumping into the father-in-law candidate lineup.'
He could hardly believe it himself.
The daughters themselves seemed disinterested in him.
Why did he always get such fervent popularity from the father-in-law candidates?
'Am I the type that middle-aged guys adore?'
A sudden realization dawned.
Why bitter tears were welling up at the corners of his eyes.
Lloyd laughed with a sense of resignation, shaking off his indescribable sadness.
Then he looked at the Sultan's daughter, Scheherazade.
"Yes. I mean to disobey the order."
"......"
"It's fine. When we return to Ahinsha, I'll report falsely to the Sultan. That Miss Scheherazade guarded me devotedly day and night."
"Of course......"
"Please don't say no."
"......"
"I'm at intermediate Sword Expert level now. To be honest, it's not a situation where Miss Scheherazade needs to overexert for my protection."
"But I......"
"I know. Advanced Sword Expert. So your senses are at their peak. But what can we do? As I said earlier, Sir Asrahan here is a Swordmaster."
"......"
"If you can prove you can provide more thorough protection than a Swordmaster, then stay in the same lodging. Otherwise, I want freedom at the lodging. I don't want to trouble Miss Scheherazade either."
"Do you mean that sincerely?"
"Yes, sincerely."
"......"
Scheherazade's obsidian eyes flickered faintly.
Tears?
No.
It was the flame of anger.
So Lloyd was satisfied inwardly.
'Good. Hate me more.'
She needed to hate him.
That way, the Sultan's father-in-law operation would fail spectacularly.
He had zero interest in desert princesses or becoming the Sultan's son-in-law anyway.
'I just want to live prosperously, ordinarily, modestly, sucking honey my whole life.'
Lloyd smiled gently, harboring such a hot iced Americano-like aspiration.
He brazenly met Scheherazade's glaring gaze.
He shrugged his shoulders.
Delivered the finishing blow.
"Then, please guide us to the lodging. Of course, you'll need to find a separate place to stay, Miss Scheherazade."
"......"
The desert princess turned without a word.
She headed toward the lodging as he requested.
Her movements seemed rougher than usual.
But he didn't care.
He was guided to the lodging and unpacked.
Before Scheherazade could follow, he quickly left the lodging with Haviel.
Or tried to.
"Surely you weren't trying to ditch me?"
"......Uh, um, haha."
Scheherazade, right in the corridor in front of the lodging door.
Had she anticipated his actions and waited?
It seemed so.
Lloyd asked with an awkward smile.
"Have you been waiting long here?"
"No, not really. I just arrived."
"Then, do you plan to accompany me from now on?"
"Yes, of course."
Scheherazade answered as if it were natural.
That's why Lloyd thought it was a problem.
'Ah, annoying.'
If possible, he wanted to shake her off.
Especially now, as he needed to start surveying immediately.
'I hate her sticking around like that. It's burdensome.'
Whether she genuinely wanted to guard him.
Or was trying to build rapport on the Sultan's orders.
Either way, it was burdensome.
He had no desire to get close.
Moreover, having her loiter nearby during actual surveying would distract him and hinder focus.
'Haviel's been with me so long, I'm used to him. When I'm surveying, he sensitively reads my gaze and positions himself where he won't interfere at all.'
But Scheherazade?
No such experience.
She probably didn't even know what surveying was.
Naturally, he couldn't expect consideration from her.
'I don't like that.'
He wanted to finish the construction contract from the Sultan as quickly as possible.
Then the delegation and Sultan would negotiate.
Finally, he could return to Frontera Territory.
Enjoy the true second act of life, sucking honey freely.
'So, I need to finish the canal construction quickly too. Surveying? Obviously, knock it out fast.'
But if someone loitered nearby interfering?
It would take that much longer.
The day returning to Frontera Territory.
The day fully enjoying honey-sucking life.
All delayed by that much.
'Absolutely not.'
Lloyd shook his head inwardly.
He racked his brain hard.
What excuse could shake off Scheherazade.
Should he have Haviel knock her out cold.
Or lock her somewhere.
'No. Even so, that's too much. If she snitches to her dad the Sultan later? Forget son-in-law or contracts—I might die without a trace.'
He shuddered at the chilling thought.
After brief contemplation, he finally came up with a clever idea.
"Miss Scheherazade. Shall we talk for a moment?"
"What about?"
"This doesn't seem like something to discuss standing in the corridor. If you're okay, come inside briefly."
He smiled and guided her into the lodging.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes.
Earlier, he avoided entering the lodging with her so much.
Now he was inviting her in for a talk.
"......"
She entered.
As she did, she saw.
Lloyd signaling Haviel with his eyes.
The look ordering him to wait outside the door.
'Hmm.'
Guided inside the lodging.
Sitting on the sofa as Lloyd gestured.
Scheherazade's eyes deepened slightly.
Suddenly, the Sultan's command came to mind.
He wanted that man as a son-in-law.
Use any means, even grasping weaknesses, to capture him.
"......"
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
A moment for just the two of them to talk, without interruptions.
Intuiting this, Scheherazade steeled herself inwardly.
A chance to earn her father's recognition.
To make up for the sorrow of not being born a prince.
'If I can make that man mine.'
She would accept even intimate conversation gladly.
She vowed and looked at Lloyd.
To respond kindly to whatever he said.
To improve their awkward relationship this time.
To win his favor.
Fully prepared.
But at that moment.
"Concrete must use high-strength concrete with high compressive strength to improve adhesion with PSC members and reduce cross-sectional dimensions. To achieve this, minimize the water-cement ratio (W/C) as much as possible and improve workability."
'......Huh?'
Lloyd opened his mouth.
Suddenly spouting bizarre, outlandish nonsense.
'What?'
She wanted to ask.
What are you trying to do?
But she couldn't.
"The maximum size of coarse aggregate used in PSC production should be determined within the range where concrete can densely fill around PS steel, sheaths, rebar, etc., usually standardized at 20mm or 25mm."
"......"
Her mind went blank unknowingly.
She was just listening to that man's words.
Yet strangely, her eyelids grew heavy.
'Weird.'
Was it because she hadn't slept well lately?
Having reached advanced Sword Expert.
Too sensitive to all sounds since then.
Unable to sleep at all.
Surviving on sheer willpower and poison.
Enduring, enduring.
Had she forgotten the feel of deep sleep?
Was this sudden drowsiness welcome?
'......I can't sleep now.'
Her whole body grew languid.
In her ears, Lloyd's eerie incantation-like words rippled like heavenly music.
"When introducing prestress to the member, concrete compressive strength should be at least 350kgf/cm² for pretension, 300kgf/cm² for post-tension. Both methods...... blah blah...... must be at least 1.7 times the maximum introduced stress...... la la la...... 28-day compressive strength...... yadda yadda...... for pretension members 350kgf/cm²...... blablabla......"
"......Snooore."
In the end, Scheherazade, unable to hold out(?), fell fast asleep.
A triumphant smile formed on Lloyd's lips.
'Ditching operation, success.'
Now, just sleep soundly here.
We'll be off then.