“I will cure your insomnia. How about it?”
“...”
Javier unknowingly clenched his fist. He wondered if this was what it felt to be hit by a hammer out of nowhere.
He knows about my insomnia? Master Lloyd? How?
The insomnia that had started torturing him from years ago.
He never revealed it before. No, he never told a single soul. He never even remembered showing any signs of it.
“I'm not sure what you mean”
Javier gave an awkward smile.
“Insomnia? I'm not sure what you're talking about out of nowhere”
“Hm, really?”
“Yes”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Are you trying to pretend not to know anything right now Javier?”
“Of course not”
“You're not?”
“Yes”
“Then why are you smiling? Very awkwardly at that”
“What?”
“Did you know? This is the first time you smiled in front of me other than when you put on a cheeky grin”
“...”
“Oh my. Look at you wiping off your smile after I pointed that out. You're making it too obvious. Did you panic? Tsk tsk tsk, over something so small”
“...”
“I can see through it so drop the act. Let's just get this one thing straight. I will cure your insomnia. In return, teach me how to sword fight. How about it? I think this is a pretty good deal.”
“...”
Javier swallowed dryly.
It was honestly startling.
Chronic insomnia. It was an illness that tortured him for three years. The reason or cause for it was unknown.
His senses just got overly sensitive at some point.
The idle sound of grasshoppers.
The sound of branches swaying in the wind.
Even the rustling sound of him tossing and turning in the blanket.
The sound he could hear with his ear.
The sights seen by his eyes.
The sensations on his skin.
As far as the insignificant smell of air in every breath he took.
He could clearly pick up all of them.
It was to the degree where he could feel his individual eyelashes when he closed his eyes.
The sound of the heartbeat in his ear prodded him every minute of every day.
To cut a long story short, his senses pricked his entire body like needles twenty four hours a day.
He couldn't fall asleep at all. At this point, he got all his sleep from eventually nodding off in exhaustion in the early morning after tossing and turning all night.
There were no solutions. Nothing worked after trying everything.
Three years had already gone by.
It was a pain he struggled with in secret and a bug he couldn't reveal for fear it'd become a weakness.
His wish was to sleep soundly for even one night.
But he knows that? That troublesome young master? How?
Javier's face frigidly hardened.
Lloyd's faze turned sly.
How else. It's because I read the novel.
Javier was the main character of the novel The Knight of Blood and Iron.
Lloyd had read the novel thoroughly and remembered the content.
He even remembered the most trivial details about Javier.
The insomnia was no different.
You probably don't know the cause of the insomnia that's torturing you. But I know.
Sword master syndrome. That was the cause of the illness.
As your swordsmanship approaches a sword master's level, all your senses become abnormally active. Simply put, it's a natural phenomenon that occurs in those who are reaching a superhuman state of being.
It was the same in Javier's cause. At only seventeen, he was able to become a high level sword expert.
Simultaneously, the sword master syndrome took shape.
He spent every night tossing and turning in misery.
But he still couldn't find the cause for a long time. That was because of only one reason, Javier was from the countryside.
Forget a sword master, I can't even find a mid-level sword expert in this rural countryside. No, I would likely find three or four high-level sword experts at most even if I searched the kingdom's capital. That was why he couldn't easily come across information about sword master syndrome.
If this world had internet access, he would've easily found the information by just searching google.
But this place was different.
They could only obtain knowledge through limited personal connections or books.
Otherwise, it would be delivered by word of mouth, which was hard to validate.
Outside those methods, there was no other way to acquire new information.
For that reason, Javier in the novel finally finds the cause of his insomnia two years from now. From then, it's only after three years that Javier overcomes his insomnia by accident.
I'm saying I'll make it happen earlier.
He knew how to. So surely.
“I will succeed. Your thoughts?”
“Do I have to answer?”
“Well, you aren't obligated to” Lloyd said as he stabbed his salad with a fork.
“Don't misunderstand. This isn't a scam. I'm just saying you should trust me this once”
“Trust you, Master Lloyd?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“Good is good after all. People trust each other in situations like these. Build a constructive relationship through trust. Help each other during hard times. That's just how it goes in work and life in general, isn't it?”
“...”
“Why is your face so sour?”
“...”
“Do I seem like a fraud when I talk like this?”
“If I'm being honest, you do seem like one a bit.”
“Am I that untrustworthy?”
“Yes,” Javier nodded his head.
Lloyd licked his lips.
“Then how about we do this. Let's play a word game”
“Did you say a word game?”
“Yes. Let's give it a try to build some trust between us. Give me a letter and I'll come up with a word”
“What…”
“All right, so start with the letter M. Now go”
“...”
“Hurry”
“... M”
“My loyal knight Javier, so you trust me?”
“Maybe”
“...”
“An acrostic poem out of nowhere. You were mistaken if you thought these schemes would easily work on me”
“More importantly, I would like to ask a question”
“Hmm, tsk. What is it?”
“I was wondering why you were carrying around a summoning book since earlier”
Javier gazed toward the table in front of Lloyd.
The basic summoning book. It was what Lloyd was reading while having his meal.
“Oh, this?” Lloyd smirked.
“I was just reading it because I got bored”
“Excuse me?”
“I was just reading it. Is that not allowed?”
“...”
“...” Javier closed his mouth.
Lloyd's smile got bigger “Javier, I can see through you too easily. Is this how you're trying to change the topic?”
“I merely asked what I was curious about”
“Never mind. Just continue what you were saying”
“...”
“So, you can't trust me?”
“Yes”
“Why?”
“I don't have a specific reason”
“You just can't trust me?”
“Yes, I just can't trust you. Is that not allowed?”
“...”
It was a counterattack. As expected, Javier wasn't easy to deal with.
Lloyd brightly smiled. “You think that was a sick burn, right?”
“I didn't have that thought in particular”
“Really?”
“Yes, I only gave you an honest answer”
“Well, all right. Then let's end our conversation here today”
“What do you mean by our conversation?”
“We can finish our conversation tomorrow”
Lloyd set down his fork and finished his meal.
Afterwards, he leaned back on a resting chair and fully concentrated on reading the summoning book.
He didn't even spare Javier a glance. Of course, he didn't talk to him either.
It was the same when the maids cleaned up the table and for a while afterward too.
Only the sound of turning pages filled the bedroom.
Meanwhile Javier faithfully guarded Lloyd's side. His expression was a little more complicated than usual.
The night grew darker.
♣
A few days passed.
During that time, the heated flooring construction went by smoothly. Under the proper supervision of Lord Bayern, the soldiers moved in perfect order.
There were the soldiers who could barely move the red clay sacks on the first day.
But they transformed in a few days.
They gained stamina.
Their muscles got bigger.
They also became more savvy.
Now, they could easily move two sacks at once. It was thanks to the adequate amount of work, rest and nutrition they got.
The artisans acquired many more skills. They were like a sponge soaking up water or orange chicken absorbing sauce through its batter.
They quickly learned the new knowledge and ideas Lloyd taught them.
That was how the construction of the first horse ended successfully.
Things got even easier from the construction of the second house.
There was no more need to stay on site all day.
He just needed to visit the site once a day to check that everything was in good shape, the construction was going according to the floor plan, there wasn't anything missing and no mistakes were made. The site ran smoothly with just a general inspection.
There was plenty of leftover time to use productively thanks to that.
He used the time to bother Javier.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes, I slept soundly”
“Really?”
“Yes”
“You really can't lie”
“Are you talking about me?”
“Yes”
“That couldn't be”
“Yeah, right”
“...”
“Did you know? You make it very obvious when you lie”
“I'm not sure what you're talking about in particular”
“You want me to tell you? I don't want to”
“...”
“If I do, you're going to put on a facade to not show anything”
“I won't”
“You won't?”
“Yes”
Javier momentarily avoided his eyes as he answered.
As he thought, this guy really had no skill for lying.
Lloyd brightly smiled.
“I still don't want to. I'm not going to tell someone who has insomnia”
“...”
“Do you feel bad? Are you sad? then accept my proposal”
“No thank you”
“I said I'll help you sleep soundly”
“I don't want to even then”
“Because you can't trust me?”
“Yes”
… That is how the conversation went.
However Lloyd didn't give up.
He suddenly asked during breakfast.
“Hey, Javier?”
“Yes, Master Lloyd”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“...”
“How about accepting my proposal now?”
“No thank you”
He asked again while walking down the hallway.
“By the way, Javier”
“Go ahead, Master Lloyd”
“Is it alright to keep losing sleep?”
“...”
“That's why I'm saying to accept my proposal.”
“I refuse”
He asked again on the way to inspect the construction site.
“Oh, right, Javier?”
“Yes, Master Lloyd”
“How does it feel to not be able to sleep all night?”
“...”
“Aren't you starting to have thoughts about accepting my proposal?”
“Not at all”
He popped in the question during dinner too.
“Hmmm. Javier?”
“Go ahead…”
“Do you possibly enjoy not being able to sleep? Do you get a rush of endorphins? Do you get a kick out of it?”
“...”
“You're a pervert”
“...”
He even abruptly asked again while he was lying down in bed to sleep.
“Ugh, Javier?”
“...”
“You won't be able to sleep tonight too, right?”
“...”
“I'll sleep soundly in your stead. Aren't you grateful? Happy?”
“...”
“Excuse me Sir? Please answer instead of cursing me out with your eyes”
“Haa… very well then”
“What do you mean very well”
“I will accept your proposal, Master Lloyd”
“Really?”
“Yes”
Lloyd bolted up.
Javier bit his lips.
He was beyond tired of it now. The constant pestering throughout the day was killing him. It was almost impossible to even doze off because of his frazzled nerves.
Of course, it's not like I trust Master Lloyd's proposal.
Lloyd Frontera.
He wasn't a very reliable person.
But to stop the constant ridicule and questions?
He thought this was the only way to stop it.
“Regardless of anything, this acceptance is contingent on the promise that you actually will cure my insomnia. So curing my insomnia is the priority”
Obviously, there was no possibility it would be cured. He had no hopes that Lloyd would have that kind of ability. It was better to just accept the proposal and let him fail. Making him give up like this seemed easier.
Since I don't want to teach him how to sword fight.
He couldn't trust Lloyd.
Until a few days ago, Lloyd was someone who did nothing but drink every day and cause trouble.
Although he did change a little recently, it was uncertain how long this would last.
There was no knowing when his bad habits would raise its head again.
Yet, teach that kind of person how to sword fight? It's nonsense.
He thought it would be better to hand a knife to a child.
With that thought in mind, he spoke. “As such, please prove that you can cure my insomnia first, Master Lloyd”
“All right, I will. Can you sit here for now?”
“Yes”
Javier sat down on the resting chair as Lloyd ordered, and then inwardly snorted. It was because he saw Lloyd clearing his throat.
Could it be that he's going to sing me a lullaby or something?
A lullaby.
It wasn't even funny anymore. At the same time, he became certain. Tonight, there was no way he would experience an unbelievable miracle and soundly sleep.
But the moment Lloyd opened his mouth.
His certainty started to splinter.
“If the yield strength of steel, fy, is stressed to conduct the tensile test and results in a less than 0.003 strain rate, the the reinforcement's design strength can be maintained without decreasing fy”
What…?
Javier couldn't understand a word being said.
He was speaking normally.
It wasn't like he was speaking in a mysterious foreign language.
Meaning they were speaking the same language.
But he couldn't understand anything for some reason.
Furthermore, he kept continuing to talk this way!
“... However, the yield strength cannot be greater than 5,000kgf/cm2. This is because when the yield strength of the steel is 5,500kgf/cm2, the yield strain is almost the same as the 0.003 maximum strain rate of the compacted concrete. And…”
…
He had blanked out while listening to something. This was definitely reality but he felt like his mind was drifting away.
“And the amount of steel… blah, blah, blah… Except for the slabs that require reinforcement… yada, yada, yada… the reinforcement ratio P, in this given cross-sectional area… This or that… The maximum reinforcement ratio P, has to be over min=14/fy… blah, blah, blah…”
…
He felt drowsy.
His entire body was floating.
His consciousness was slipping away,
The line between reality and imagination became blurry.
Resistance was pointless.
Even if he tried to pry open his eyes.
Even if he tried to sluggishly move his fingers.
Nothing would work.
I can't… fall asleep…
“… Over here the unit of fy is kgf/cm2… More details… The reason for the minimum reinforcement ratio… More gibberish.. In order to prevent a flexural failure… If the reinforced flexural, 0.10fck… la-la-la…”
…
This was the power of reading a college textbook that was boasted to be even more destructive than sleeping pills.
That was the end.
Javier's eyes relaxed. His eyelids closed. His consciousness flew away. He sank into the resting chair. Before he knew it, he was sound asleep.
A smile of satisfaction spread across Lloyd's face.
As expected, it's just like the scene in the novel.
The day Javier overcame his insomnia for the first time.
On that day, he coincidentally heard a reading of a complex magic technique.
The quiet and never ending reading made him fall asleep before he realized it.
Just like now.
Javier would never again be able to forget the feeling of a restful good night's sleep he experienced today.
His body would no longer be able to sleep without a college textbook lullaby.
Lloyd put on a satisfied yet wicked smile. Your swordsmanship is all mine now.
