Chapter 79
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Gaining Fame (1)
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“This rascal... What did this father tell you? I begged you not to do anything dangerous.”
“......Huh?”
What in the world was this situation?
This wasn’t the Frontera Barony.
This was a sickroom prepared in the Creemo Count’s mansion in the trading city of Creemo.
And yet...
‘Why are the Baron and Baroness here?’
Lloyd raised his head in bewilderment.
The Baron and Baroness were looking his way with teary smiles.
He didn’t even have a chance to ask what was going on.
The Baron’s hands urgently and roughly grabbed both his cheeks.
“Let me see. Any injuries?”
“Uh, um, I...”
“Tell me. Nothing uncomfortable?”
“W-Well, um, nothing really uncomfortable, but-”
“But?”
“You’re squishing my cheeks with both hands so hard it’s a bit hard to breathe.”
“......Ah, aah.”
Only then did the Baron flinch and release his hands.
Of course, he got scolded by his wife.
“How can you get excited first when the child is hurt? What if he gets more injured?”
“Erm, well, I was just so anxious... Anyway, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Lloyd gave a wry smile.
The Baroness scolding her husband while anxiously checking him over. The Baron fumbling under her scolding but naturally directing questions his way anyway.
Seeing the two of them filled him with joy.
On the other hand, seeing how disheveled they looked made his heart ache.
‘They must have rushed here without rest day or night.’
The couple usually kept impeccably neat attire.
But now, it was different.
Their travel clothes were covered in stains everywhere.
There were even dirt marks on their elbows and knees.
From the Frontera Barony to Creemo here. It was obvious at a glance how desperately they had hurried.
They had probably skipped even changing clothes upon arrival and rushed straight to the sickroom.
“Did you perhaps get a message from the Count?”
Lloyd asked what he suspected.
The Baron nodded.
“Yes, exactly. The Count sent a messenger bird.”
“What did he say?”
“He said you were in critical condition.”
“Ugh.”
“And he briefly informed us of what you’d done. That’s why.”
“We set out right that day.”
The Baroness picked up where he left off.
It was just as the couple said.
About ten days prior, the couple had been going about their usual routine.
As Lloyd had asked, they oversaw the finishing touches on the ondol room construction and inspected the condition of the aqueduct supplying the barony. Meanwhile, they also prayed for Lloyd’s safe return.
The unexpected messenger bird arrived in the afternoon.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Lloyd was in critical condition.
The details before and after barely registered.
Something about a Gigatitan attacking Creemo, Lloyd bravely standing against it, his courage and sacrifice serving as an example to all...
None of that flowery language mattered.
Lloyd was in critical condition.
The letter was sealed with the Creemo Count’s magical stamp at the end.
Those two facts echoed in their minds, conveying one truth.
Lloyd was truly in critical condition.
Their hearts sank.
There was no time to dawdle.
They hurriedly packed light.
A carriage?
Relying on that risked the wheels breaking in the winter snowfields and ice, stranding them.
Escort soldiers?
Bringing many would just mean more food to prepare and slower departure and travel speeds.
So the couple rode horses themselves.
They brought only one escort: Sir Bayern.
They rode all day. Even at night, they pressed on by torchlight and moonlight as if it were day. It was a grueling march that left even the horses exhausted.
But the couple didn’t feel the hardship.
They skimped on sleep to hurry even more.
They ate meals on horseback.
In just eight days, they arrived in Creemo.
Even upon arrival, they had no mind or thought to tidy their appearance. They hastily smoothed their matted hair and rushed to the Count’s mansion.
Only then did they hear.
While they were en route to Creemo, Lloyd had opened his eyes.
“You can’t imagine the relief. She’s pretending to be fine now, but your mother nearly collapsed from weak legs.”
“Oh, come on, you too.”
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“Saying that embarrasses the child.”
“......”
“There are things you shouldn’t say in front of a sick kid.”
“Ahem, hmm.”
“Anyway, did you take good care of the doll?”
“Huh?”
Doll? What was that?
Lloyd, who had been listening well to their journey, tilted his head. Only after hearing the Baroness’s next words did he realize what doll she meant.
“The talisman your mother gave you before you left.”
“Ah.”
He remembered.
The burdensome pink doll she said would ward off nightmares if he hugged it while sleeping.
Lloyd unconsciously swallowed dryly.
“That doll... um, it’s probably at the inn.”
“At the inn?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd hurriedly added.
“I was staying at the inn before the chaos broke out.”
“So you didn’t bring it here?”
“Yes.”
“Then you didn’t use it before that either?”
“Of course...”
Of course not.
Hugging that would probably give him nightmares about a pink bear doll instead.
Lloyd swallowed the rest.
It wouldn’t do any good to say it.
The Baroness looked regretful.
“Oh dear. You must not have liked the doll.”
“Um, to be honest, yes, a little.”
“Then I’ll make you a bigger one.”
“......Pardon?”
Excuse me? What do you mean?
A dubious premonition stirred.
Unfortunately, that premonition became reality.
Along with the Baroness’s kind smile as she entrusted it to him.
“I gave it as a talisman, but you didn’t use it, so it must not be because the doll was too small. So what I’m saying is this. I’ll make it much bigger than before, nice and fluffy so it’s easy to hug.”
“......”
“Still not to your liking? Then maybe add a ribbon...”
“No, it’s fine. Absolutely.”
Lloyd hurriedly shook his head.
A big wry smile spread across his face.
Honestly, this attention and affection was burdensome.
But on the other hand, his nose tingled without him realizing.
The Baron and Baroness forgetting their usual dignity and decorum to show such affection. Seeing them reminded him suddenly of his childhood in Korea.
‘It felt like this back then too.’
In his childhood, his father back then had been incredibly busy.
Always buried in work, it was hard to even see his face.
On the rare days he spent time at home, he just slept all day.
He wanted to play with his father then.
But he held back.
He listened to his mother saying Father needed rest.
Then one day when he was seven.
He fell while riding a kids’ kick scooter in front of the house. He hit his forehead hard on the ground. Exaggerating a bit, it swelled up like an egg.
Crying, he went inside.
His father, sleeping on a holiday, woke in surprise.
He hurriedly took him to the hospital.
On the way back, they stopped at a Western restaurant.
The taste of the pork cutlet they ate together was unforgettable. The stories he shared with his father then, his worried expression and voice—they were still vivid.
His father, whom he thought only knew work.
That was the day he felt skin-deep how much his father cherished and loved him.
“Whew.”
Lloyd exhaled deeply on purpose.
He shook off the tingling in his nose.
Then he said to the Baroness.
“Thank you. So, how big are you planning to make that doll?”
“About this big?”
The Baroness beamed and spread her arms wide.
Seeing that, Lloyd’s smile brightened too.
“Yes, that size would be perfect.”
“Right?”
“Yes. So since you’re making it anyway, make one more?”
“One more?”
“Yes.”
“No way, you’re planning to hug two?”
“No, not that.”
Lloyd shook his head.
He pointed to Haviel standing by the bedside.
“I want to give one to Sir Asrahan, who always works hard escorting me.”
Flinch!
Haviel, who had been calmly watching the family reunion, twitched his shoulders slightly. At the Baroness’s admiration of ‘Oh, what a kind heart,’ his Adam’s apple bobbed greatly.
Lloyd’s smile turned devilishly sly.
Joy is best alone.
Tragedy is best shared.
As expected, black history was less embarrassing shared by two than endured alone.
♣
A few more days passed.
In that time, Lloyd’s health recovered day by day.
The bruises covering his body healed rapidly.
The muscles torn from overexertion regained vitality.
Thanks to the couple’s devoted nursing and care.
And the effects of the triple Mana Circle and Mana Heart.
His recovery speed was incomparably better than before.
Even the doctor examining his body was amazed.
“You’re fully healed now. You could ride out hunting immediately.”
“I see. What about my heart?”
“It’s beating normally and well.”
The heart that had seemed stopped during his coma.
Now, it beat normally and healthily.
Lloyd only hinted the reason to Haviel.
To everyone else, he played dumb.
He claimed he had no idea why.
Thanks to that, the matter of his heart remained a mystery to people. He glossed over the Gigatitan too—said he didn’t know the secret, wasn’t even sure if he’d really done it, just fought hard until he passed out and woke to find things like this.
Of course, he got suspicious looks.
But what could they do when he insisted he didn’t know?
After thick-faced denials a few times, people stopped asking how he’d caught the Gigatitan.
‘Of course, they still think I caught it. They just figure I don’t want to reveal the secret. That’s just right.’
It was a phenomenon from the Mana Circle anyway.
And no one except Haviel knew about the Mana Circle.
Lloyd saw no need to tell them.
And so he left the sickbed.
He left the Count’s mansion.
He headed into the city streets.
He ascended the platform set up there.
Standing on the platform, he looked out over the square before him.
“Waaaaah—!”
Countless people filled the square.
An uncountable throng.
Local merchants, dock loaders, sailors, fishermen, scholars, carpenters, children—everyone born and living in the trading city of Creemo.
They cheered toward the platform.
That wasn’t all.
Brisk, majestic tunes played on trumpets from both sides of the platform. From the rooftops of buildings lining the square, finely cut colored paper rained down.
Lloyd’s chest swelled naturally.
‘Whoa. I’m kinda awesome.’
Kim Suho, spilling nosebleeds daily in a Korean goshiwon hole-in-the-wall.
He never imagined a day would come when he’d receive such treatment. A bit burdensome and tense, sure, but pride swelled larger.
Merit he’d somehow achieved.
But merit was merit.
Time to accept it properly and boldly.
No shrinking away bashfully—fresh and confident.
Lloyd resolved and glanced aside.
The Creemo Count by the platform nodded.
Meaning the voice amplification magic was ready.
Lloyd picked up the orb on the platform.
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem, hmm.”
His voice rang clearly across the entire square via the amplification magic. The cheering crowd quieted a bit.
Waiting for his words.
In the meantime, Lloyd pulled a note from his sleeve. A speech draft he’d prepared at the Count’s request for a speech.
‘Eh, the content’s obvious. The real heroes are the sailors who worked hard saving people from the water that night. The guards and citizens sweating to rescue those buried under collapsed buildings in the square. The volunteer firefighters risking danger to fight the flames. And finally, all the citizens of Creemo who banded together to overcome the disaster—that’s the true hero. Something like that.’
Stale, obvious stuff that reeked of clichés.
So Lloyd hesitated.
His plan to give a safe, bland speech wavered. Seeing the densely packed crowd like clouds, an unscheduled desire crept up.
He chose.
He resolved.
He gritted his teeth.
With a do-or-die spirit, he brought the amplification orb to his lips.
“You all probably don’t know this, but there’s something called ondol in this world.”
His calm voice spread firmly to every corner of the square.
People tilted their heads.
Ondol?
What was that?
Lloyd’s speech continued.
“It warms your entire floor nice and toasty like baked sweet potatoes. Nothing like a fireplace. No need to cry from smoky eyes or cough from fumes. No need to stay up all night babysitting the fire, skipping sleep one by one out of worry about it spreading.”
Out-of-left-field talk.
Yet strangely captivating.
The square grew quieter.
People held their breath, ears perked.
Into those open ears, Lloyd’s shameless sales pitch slipped in neatly.
“Yes. That’s what I’ll make for you. Given the occasion today, that’s all I’ll say. If you’re curious for more, please inquire at the Frontera Barony east of Creemo. We’ll sincerely answer and construct anytime. That’s it. Thank you.”
Not too wordy.
Just enough to spark curiosity, leaving them wanting.
Ensuring ondol construction requests would flood in later.
Finishing his speech—no, his ondol ad—Lloyd bowed briefly.
He quickly stepped down from the platform.
The citizens still wore dazed expressions.
The Count gave a hollow laugh.
Lloyd thick-faced through all their reactions.
He even approached the Creemo Count and greeted him calmly.
“Thank you for arranging this before I leave the city.”
The Count just gave a wry smile without a word.
He’d recently heard of ondol through his intelligence network. But to think this punk would advertise it from this speech platform.
‘This guy’s even more enticing.’
Boldness aside, no ordinary fellow.
Moderate when needed.
Even bolder when bold.
Knowing when to strike and retreat for his gain.
‘And his abilities are top-notch too.’
Still didn’t know how he caught the Gigatitan.
But one fact was confirmed.
His construction prowess outshone any builder he’d seen.
‘The intact offshore artificial foundation from the Gigatitan attack proves it.’
The Count’s gaze turned to the sea before the harbor.
He took in the artificial platform left there.
The mermaid statue utterly smashed by the Gigatitan.
Yet the reinforced concrete foundation was merely dented on one side—otherwise fine. Ready for a new statue anytime.
‘Definitely not talent to rot in the sticks.’
The Count’s eyes gleamed secretly toward Lloyd.
That gleam in the Count’s eyes persisted until Lloyd’s group departed the city.
“Farewell. Until next time.”
After personally seeing off Lloyd’s group, the Count turned back to his mansion.
And that evening.
A detailed report from the Creemo Count on Lloyd Frontera’s abilities and achievements was tied to a messenger bird’s leg and flew toward the kingdom’s capital, the royal castle.