The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 11

I’m tired and sleepy.

Javier scowled as he tossed and turned on a comfortable chair.

He wanted to sleep a little more, and nothing was surprising about that given his schedule.

In the afternoon, he protected the troublemaking young master.

At night, he laid on the bed only to stay awake through the night because of insomnia.

And in between the breaks he rarely had, he trained himself to stay sharp with his sword. Thus, it was only natural that he was knackered.

No, it was almost karma.

I think I dozed off daily longer than on other days.

Javier strangely felt that he slept longer than usual. So he smiled, satisfied that he was able to get some rest.

But a voice interrupted his state of momentary euphoria.

“Haven’t you slept enough…?”

The stranger’s words sounded like a mockery in Javier’s ears.

But at the same time, it didn’t sound ill-intended.

Am I dreaming?

But he immediately knew that it wasn’t a dream because he hadn’t dreamed for the past couple of years.

I’m probably hearing things due to sleep deprivation.

Javier flopped himself in the other direction to silence the voice.

But the voice came again.

“It’s late. Time to wake up, sleepyhead”

What the…? It’s not a dream.

The voice was definitely coming right beside him.

I’m a sleepyhead? No way…

The grogginess was starting to fade, and clarity was returning gradually.

He recalled how he had been suffering from insomnia for many years now.

So there was no way someone would call him sleepyhead.

Plus, he had exceptionally sharp senses.

They must have picked up the movement and woke him up even before this stranger got to walk over to his side and speak in his ears.

So he flew open his eyes to see who it was.

He scanned the surroundings, and he felt his body stiffen.

“Finally awake? Sheesh, if I didn’t wake you up, you’d be waking up when the sun is shining over you.”

“...”

The guy standing beside his chair was a young man with black hair.

And he looked like he was in his mid-twenties.

The guy was looking at him with a playful expression.

But at the same time, it looked menacing and mischievous, like the face of a naughty kid who discovered the greatest toy in the world.

“Master Lloyd…?” Javier found himself muttering, as things began to piece together in his head.

The guy standing in front of him was the young master he protected.

The trouble and brute of the fiefdom.

The very man who had been acting strange in recent days for some reason.

Lloyd smirked as he looked at Javier. Javier didn’t like it.

“At last, you recognize me. I’m truly honored,” Lloyd mocked.

“...”

Honored…? He doesn’t look a tad bit honored.

“But sir, why are you waking me up…?”

Javier didn’t mean to mutter, but his words came out all jumbled and mixed.

He was too dazed and confused.

Everything was in a blur.

Why is that guy waking me up? This has never happened before. Javier thought to himself.

It was impossible.

It was this brute Lloyd that always slept in, and I woke him up every single morning without exception.

So it was a wonder for Javier to see his young master proudly standing beside him, smirking triumphantly.

“What do you mean, why? You fell asleep here,” Lloyd stated.

“I did? Here?” Javier’s eyes widened for a second.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Hey, don’t you remember what happened last night?”

“But last night, I was-”

“Passed out. Totally passed out,” Lloyd interrupted. “And you slept like a baby. You snore and grit your teeth in your sleep. You know, I thought I was in the middle of an orchestra concert or something.”

“...”

“Yeah, I understand. The concrete lecture does that to people. I almost lost it when I took that class,” Lloyd agreed in an emphatic voice. “I was getting sleepy even when I was speaking the lecture out loud myself.”

I don’t know what happened… I can’t remember anything. Really. I just leaned on this chair, and that was it.

Everything was in a blur, but Javier was certain of one thing. His head felt clear and light.

He couldn’t believe he got a good night’s sleep. It was a marveling and foreign experience.

“Tsk. I guess you’re still groggy. Here. Drink this, and it will wake you up.”

“...”

Lloyd held out a glass. The cold clear water swayed in it.

After gulping down the drink, Javier checked his body.

He clenched his fists.

He felt strong and vitalized, which he didn’t feel the day before.

He could feel the blood coursing through his clenched fists.

He felt alive and refreshed, unlike the days when sleep deprivation burdened him.

This is amazing. Did I really sleep well and defeat that hellish insomnia?

Although it looked like an impossibility, Javier decided to accept this reality. After all, his body was the proof. Being an excellent swordsman, he decided to trust the signs from his body.

Just then, something caught his eyes.

“What is that?” Javier was gazing at Lloyd, particularly at his waist.

A wooden sword was hanging down his waist.

There was more. The young master’s outfit was different from usual.

He was wearing sturdy leather armor on top of his daily outfit. Leather protective gears were strapped around his knees and elbows. And a towel around his neck.

Javier received the impression that his young master was all set, ready to take action, whatever that was.

Wait a second. Is he…

Javier involuntarily sucked in his breath because he felt something ominous coming his way, and he was correct.

“Did you forget already? We agreed that you’d teach me how to use the sword if I cured your insomnia,” Lloyd said matter-of-factly.

“...”

Lloyd’s confident voice called to his mind what the event was the night before.

Last night, Javier took Lloyd’s offer. It was a kind of bet.

The two made a deal that Javier would teach his brutish young master the ways around the sword if he helped him overcome insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.

Lloyd made the offer, and Javier agreed to it.

What, so I have to teach this brute how to fight with the sword now? Me?

He wasn’t joyful anymore that he had finally won the battle against insomnia and tasted the sweet victory of restful sleep. He was in deep trouble.

♣

“We will start with the running,” Javier announced.

They were in the training hall with a lot of sunlight.

Standing on one side of the hall, Javier continued “Please stand over here”

“...”

“Good. You will be running laps around the training hall. Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“...”

“What’s there to it? It’s just running.” Lloyd looked at Javier with a quizzical look.

“...”

“Hold on, you weren’t going to pep talk me, were you?” Lloyd asked.

“Pep talk? I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh, come on. You know how coaches and trainers put on their solemn faces and say, ‘all training boils down the basics, which is running. The powerful slashes and impressive techniques must be backed by strong stamina and basic strength’ And blah, blah, blah.”

“...”

Feeling exposed, Javier shut his mouth.

Lloyd shrugged.

“And don’t tell me that you pictured me refusing to run and whining to get to sword fighting right away,” Lloyd stated. “And you would reject me in a solemn voice that it was me who wanted to learn the sword in the first place, not you. Is that what you pictured in your head?”

“...”

“Crap, I am right.” Lloyd shook his head.

“...”

“Whew. What are you, a baby? Tsk. I’m off now.”

Step, step, step.

With that, Lloyd began to jog.

Left alone in the starting line, Javier furrowed his brows.

I thought he would whine that he can’t run.

The young master’s reaction was completely different from what he expected.

He was very cooperative.

But I’m sure his true colors will show if I make him keep running.

Javier was certain. He was certain that everyone brims with confidence when they first try something out.

They imagined that they could do it. That the goal was near, that they were almost there.

But at the actual moment they needed to overcome their physical and mental limits? Their initial confidence and bravado dissipated like it never existed.

They made compromises because things weren’t easy anymore.

And at last, they proved to the world that they were weak and fragile by giving up.

Much like those who went on a diet only to start snacking again four days later.

Like those smokers who started smoking a day after telling their friends that they’d quit.

Lloyd Frontera. You’re no different.

Javier knew his young master.

He had no experience of this situation, wherein he was forced to run. So Javier could already picture what was going to happen after a few laps.

He’s going to regret being so cocky right now. He might even scrap this thing and call off our deal.

Honestly, Javier direly wished that he could call it off.

He didn’t want to teach swordsmanship to that brute.

He couldn’t trust his young master.

After all, Lloyd was a drunkard whose sole purpose of living was to get wasted. And he caused a ruckus each time he got drunk.

Javier flinched a little when he imagined the kinds of troubles that the drunkard would get into once he learned how to use a sword.

I can never let that happen.

Surely, the drunk brute had changed in the past days.

But one’s nature didn’t change that easily.

He told himself it must be the same for the young master. For all anyone knew, the old habits could be alive again today.

So I’m going to treat you as harshly as possible. I will do so until you get exhausted and quit. Or until you overcome yourself and prove that you are worth my efforts.

Javier resolved that he would put his foot down on this.

He icily gazed at Lloyd and he waited.

He waited until that brute would give up.

But things didn’t go as he planned.

Huff, huff! Step, step, step!

Lloyd kept running.

Without any words, he ran.

He ran ten laps, then twenty, thirty… On and on, he ran.

He passed Javier dozens of times.

Yet he never voiced a word of complaint even once.

He was out of breath.

He was sweaty from all over his body.

His legs staggered out of exhaustion.

Yet he continued to run without a break, never slowing down.

But how? Javier thought internally.

Javier’s eyes trembled in disbelief. He tried to hide it at first but didn’t even bother to try after a while.

He couldn’t wrap his head around the young master’s mental strength.

His tenacity was inconceivable, and Javier wanted to know where it was coming from.

However, to Lloyd, the secret was plain and simple.

He had done countless things that were more physically demanding than this simple jogging.

It was true.

During the time he was in the military, he had to undergo an exhausting amount of marches and training.

It was even worse when his parents passed away, and he had to live doing part-time jobs.

One time, he spent a whole day carrying bricks behind his back up to the fourth floor of a house for a construction job. And there was also the time he loaded and unloaded the parcels and goods that went in and out of the warehouse through the night.

Only those who went through these struggles knew what it felt like.

During those times, Lloyd felt like his body was morphing into a machine component.

And his muscles felt like they were on the brink of disintegrating after being endlessly used and abused.

Then when he reached the point where breathing became a chore, he would hopefully look at his watch. He’d tell himself that it would be over soon, that it was almost time for a break. However, the reality he always faced was nothing but… a shithole. Whenever he looked at his watch, he would see not even half the time had passed! So compared to the miserable days when he had to grind and hassle himself to earn some money, this running around the halls was the same as being in sweet heaven.

That was Lloyd’s life back in Korea.

Every day was a stifling struggle back then.

Misery and despair assaulted his thoughts, and he constantly wondered. How long do I have to live like this?

And yet, he couldn't give up because he had to survive.

Just for a few pennies…

Just to make ends meet…

He had to overcome his limits all the time.

No, even when he couldn’t push himself anymore, he had to keep moving like a zombie.

That was the only way he would not starve himself.

But now, it was simple.

I just have to run, and that’s it.

He wasn’t moving because he had to.

He was moving and running because he wanted to learn how to use the sword.

Sure, his body was sore. But he was happy and enjoying himself.

He was out of strength.

Sometimes, the world became a blur in front of his eyes due to a lack of oxygen.

Despite all these, he was happy.

Lloyd kept running.

When his laps reached 50, Lloyd grinned at Javier as he passed by.

Huff, huff! “Hey, Javier, I’m the one who’s running, so why does your face look so bad?”

“...”

“Hey, don’t tell me I totally shattered your expectations.”

“...”

“Fine, keep staring into space then.”

“...”

And Lloyd continued running afterward.

At a certain point, Javier stopped him.

“Master Lloyd, please stop running.”

“W-why?”

“You’re exhausted and staggering.”

“I know… I k-know that. So?”

“So take a rest.”

“Whew. Okay. Fine.”

At last, he stopped.

“Did I fluster you?” Lloyd asked as he caught his breath.

“No.”

“No, my foot. You are. You are flustered.”

“...”

“Ha… Fine. I guess you didn’t see this coming.” Lloyd said and paused for a second. “I’m pretty sure that you got here ready to tell me the lines that went like, ‘Master Lloyd, I am disappointed in your lack of determination,’ or ‘Master Lloyd, you have to keep running until I tell you to stop.’ Tell me I’m wrong.”

“...”

“I told you this before, but you’re pretty judgemental.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Did you think I was joking when I asked you to teach me swordsmanship?”

“...”

Javier was at a loss of words.

Lloyd coldly fazed at Javier. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

Javier couldn’t come up with an answer when he met his gaze. It felt like he was exposed.

“Is swordsmanship a joke to you? Is that it?” Lloyd interrogated.

“Of course, it’s not.”

“Then why didn’t you take me seriously when I asked you to teach me?”

“That is…”

“You think you can teach me with that lax attitude of yours?”

“...”

Javier became speechless again.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to run away and hide.

The quips from the young master, who he thought was only a troublemaker, continued to stab him in the heart.

“Come to think of it, I should be assessing whether you’re qualified to teach me how to use the sword, not the other way around. Am I wrong?”

“...”

“So please, let’s do it right. Instead of arguing whether I’m worthy or not, spend your time finding out how to teach better. Got that?” Lloyd asked.

“Yes…” Javier bit his bottom lip involuntarily.

I can’t believe I got scolded by that good for nothing brute.

It felt like a smack in the head. So he wanted to refute. But he couldn’t

I can’t because he is right.

Javier accepted that he was in the wrong.

Just like what his young master pointed out, Javier knew that he was more concerned about whether Lloyd was worthy of being his student.

He couldn’t care less about doing a good job at instructing.

He was unprepared to teach, yet he wanted to see if his young master had what it took to be his student.

Javier felt ashamed as he looked back at his attitude.

Just then.

Ding Dong.

[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has increased by one point.]

[Current RP with Javier Asrahan: -28]

[You have earned 18 RP by improving relationships with main characters.]

[Current RP: 29]

A new message popped in front of Lloyd.