"Good. I like it. Let's sign the contract."
The queen reached out and shook hands with Lloyd. Even though the strength in her forearm and grip almost crushed his hands, he managed to put on a big smile.
Okay. It's done. The contract was successfully signed.
A sense of relief rushed through him, whose heart surged with the joy of closing a deal.
It was surprisingly harder than I expected.
Lloyd did offer a sweet deal to the queen. Even still, however, a part of him was worried that the contract might not pull through. It was because of the innate greed that everyone possessed.
The queen could have acted avariciously to monopolize the Jewel of Truth all to herself. That was a possibility I couldn't rule out.
Greed came without any warnings. Even though it was Lloyd who had dug up the Jewel of Truth and brought it out to light, the prospect of using the jewel might have changed things for her. If so, greed would have crept into her mind at least once – desires to monopolize the jewel at the opportunity for her to stake her claim. No deal in the world would have appealed to her, and any contract from him would have been rejected. However, to Lloyd's relief, the result was good.
It's good that she's a big-hearted woman.
It turned out that she was much more generous than he had pegged, and such quality must have prompted her to objectively weigh her options and look at the bigger picture. This outcome was very ideal for Lloyd.
And this way, I'll be able to work without a guilty conscience.
To be honest, Lloyd, too, had some greed in him. How could he not? He was tempted to bypass the Mermaid Kingdom and construct the Jewel of Truth in his fiefdom without any input from them. Who cared if the queen protested? He could have ignored her. That was the convenient way of doing things. Frankly, it was a temptation that was almost too sweet to resist.
That wouldn't have been difficult to do. As for the pieces of tauranga, I could have ordered Yong Yong to fish them out from the Mermaid Kingdom.
The merpeople were ignorant of Yong Yong's connection with Lloyd. As such, even if Yong Yong sneaked in and stole the stones, he wouldn't be subjected to any suspicion.
Plus, there wouldn't have been any hardships in secretly carrying out the construction in my fiefdom. It would be a struggle for the merpeople to come up on land. And since my fiefdom sits in the inland area of the east, there would be no way for them to notice the construction was happening in my fiefdom.
Therefore, Lloyd simply had to listen to the voices of his greed to proceed with the construction behind their backs. But he didn't. Why? Simple. He regarded it to be a trashy thing to do.
If I did that, I'd be the same as those construction companies that suck their subcontractors dry while they stuff their big bellies.
If Lloyd broke the promise to build the Jewel of Truth in the Mermaid Kingdom in exchange for their cooperation and stabbed their backs by secretly building it in his fiefdom, he would be the same as the construction companies that promised their subcontractors with new jobs as long as they endured poor working conditions, low payment for their current project, and then replaced them with other cheaper subcontractors afterward.
Lloyd would be doing just what the evil construction companies do. Sure, even though Lloyd frequently went around duping people with his words, he didn't want to become someone who abandoned those who helped him. That was a line he wouldn't cross. So...
Thank you for recognizing my sincerity.
Lloyd felt thankful to the queen. At the same time, he felt guilty about opening up the Hell Gate. It was his fault that it opened up. Even though the Lava Giant made it inevitable and even though he didn't tell the queen about it since he was afraid of getting beaten to a pulp, he was determined to help her.
I'm sorry. I'll close the gate for you, come rain or shine.
Once the Jewel of Truth became operational, there was a chance he could find a way to convince the King of Hell to close the gate, Lloyd thought. Anticipating such, he buckled down and got to work. Now that he managed to earn the queen's approval and signature on the contract, he didn't want to waste any time.
"Thank you, Queen. In appreciation of your cooperation, I shall do my best to construct the Jewel of Truth."
After a quick greeting, Lloyd and Javier swam into the deep sea until they arrived at the site of the jewel. They took the pieces of tauranga and the sculpture, which Lloyd had plugged into the lot when they first unearthed it. The merpeople provided them with help in this process.
Numerous muscular merpeople transferred the pieces of tauranga and sculptures to the land above them. Everything after that was smooth sailing. Lloyd summoned Yong Yong once the merpeople swam back into the sea and threw both of the materials on its back. With that, he flew southward to his fiefdom.
Large sedans offer the best ride comfort, and large vehicles offer the best seats.
Thanks to Yong Yong's giant body, their ride back home was extremely smooth despite the high-altitude flight. Several hours later, he arrived at his fiefdom.
"I-It's the Bone Dragon!" A farmer howled in the Maritz Wetland
Lloyd passed the shouting farmer and directed Yong Yong to circle his fiefdom before landing at the peak of a small hill, which housed the Frontera manor.
Boom!
A commotion broke out in the manor's front yard. It was unsurprising as the Bone Dragon had emerged abruptly in front of the manor. But the uproar wasn't that of fear or chaos. It was the opposite.
"It's the Bone Dragon! It's really the Bone Dragon!"
"Master Lloyd is here with the Bone Dragon!"
"Master Lloyd! Hurray!"
"Hail to Her Majesty!"
The first to erupt in joy were the fiefdom guards, who were joined by the quick-footed residents who flocked over together the moment they saw the Bone Dragon in the sky. Even though the Bone Dragon produced a giant dust storm as it landed and manifested menacing force, hardly anyone was scared of it. Lloyd realized something from this.
The news from the capital must have spread here, too.
Abruptly, Lloyd's mind flew back to his visit to the capital to find the Taurangas. Lloyd became the queen's meritorious retainer for saving her face. The banquet was held wherein Yong Yong made a debut, announced to be under the queen's guidance, and then dispatched to Lloyd's fiefdom.
The news must have spread here. But, come on. What's wrong with these people? Even if they heard the news, aren't they supposed to be scared, or at least flinch, in the presence of a giant dragon?
Such a thought came to him. But the villagers weren't afraid at all. Lloyd could take a guess why.
Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, and Bibeong. These people have been overexposed to giant creatures on a regular basis.
A wry smile escaped Lloyd at the thought. It deepened when he got off Yong Yong's back.
"Hey, Explain yourself. How did a menial human like you come to rule over the Bone Dragon?" Faster than anybody, with a frightened look on his face, Red Dragon Solitas welcomed Lloyd. The question was so demanding that Lloyd didn't have time to return his greeting.
Lloyd smiled. "Well, it just happened somehow. Let's say that I saved the soul of the owner of this skeleton from being damned to Hell. Anyway, have you been able to overcome your awful craftsmanship skills?"
"That goes without saying," huffed Solitas arrogantly. "I am a great dragon. Nothing is impossible for me."
"Oh, is that so?" replied Lloyd with amusement in his voice.
"Obviously. I've completely mastered wood carving. I'm now onto carving pebbles."
"Wow." Lloyd raised his thumb.
"Once I finish that, I plan to move on to metal, animal bones and horns, and gemstones."
"Oh, wow." Lloyd raised another thumb.
"Then I should be able to collect mountains of gems and get married.”
"Woah! That is excellent," expressed Lloyd.
"Isn't it?"
"Yes," affirmed Lloyd. "And until you do, please burn the sludge for us with all of your might."
“...”
"One more thing," Lloyd asked, "Considering your great lineage as a dragon, um, have you recently felt anything strange?*
"Feel something strange? What do you mean?" asked Solitas.
"For example, like the energy of a massively powerful creature nearby or something similar."
"No, I didn't feel anything like that."
"Is that so?"
"Of course," Solitas puffed insolently. "There is no way I will detect a creature that's more noble and greater than me in this good-for-nothing fiefdom of humans."
"Oh, sure, sure," drawled Lloyd. "You're probably right."
Lloyd couldn't help but smile again. He had thrown the question just to see how Solitas answered. But it turned out that Solitas, who was still wet behind the ears, had not noticed the presence of Dragon King Verkis. Regardless, before Solitas could probe further, he was met with pushback from the fiefdom's guards.
"How dare you! No way! Get away from Master Lloyd, you lowly apprentice blacksmith!" Sir Bayern, the senior knight and commander of the Engineering Corps, bellowed.
Solitas flinched at their shout, and a look of rage appeared on his face. But it dissipated a second later when he remembered the terms of his contract with Lloyd. He quickly became relaxed again.
When Solitas moved away, Sir Bayern sincerely expressed his respects to Lloyd. "Master Lloyd, it has been ages."
"That's right," replied Lloyd. "It has been ages, Sir Bayern. Have you been well?"
"Of course, Young Master. The waterways, apartment complexes, and other facilities have been being maintained without any issues."
"Perfect. You have been doing a great job."
With that, Lloyd moved on to the crowds of guards, Engineering Corps, Skeleton Corps, and residents. Everyone showered him with gazes of warmth, reverence, and admiration. This weirded Lloyd out.
When I first came here, all I received were glares of contempt and hatred.
Lloyd recalled the first time he came to possess this body. Everyone gave him the cold shoulder. It was so chilly and glacial, and beneath their superficial respects due to his noble status, there was contempt on their faces and gazes. Some even convulsed in shock and turned around when they saw Lloyd walk in their direction.
But not anymore.
The gazes of contempt were now replaced with gazes of admiration. The looks of disgust had transformed into that of welcome and admiration. This change was also manifested in Count Arcos and Countess Marbella, who chucked their gardening gadgets and rushed to his side.
"Lloyd!"
"My, are you all right?!"
Both of them were completely out of breath as they wrapped their arms around Lloyd. Their hands were caked with dirt that they failed to shake off on their way to him. Lloyd was grateful for that. He was overwhelmed with gratitude toward them for regarding him as their son and always warmly welcoming him with open arms. And he was more appreciative that their concerns preceded their warm welcome and joy to see him.
"Let's see," the countess said. "Are you well? Lloyd?"
The countess clapped over Lloyd's cheeks with her hands. It looked like the Bone Dragon behind Lloyd was completely invisible in her field of vision. Lloyd wondered if that was what mothers were like. Their children came first even in the presence of a giant and oppressive creature. The way she looked at Lloyd was filled with motherly concern.
"I heard about the news. It must have been terribly cold. My boy. Why did you have to get involved in such a dangerous endeavor?"
"Ahahaha," laughed Lloyd awkwardly. "Wait, news of the frigid air leak spread all the way here?"
"Of course. Do you have any idea how shocked we were at the news?"
"Um, I am sorry."
"No need for apologies." She replied as she rubbed his cheeks. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
"Oh, that incident happened a long time ago. I am perfectly fine as you see."
"Any aftereffects? Did you see your doctor?"
"Oh, yes. They said that I am fine."
"What about the trial? Were you not scared?"
"Hahaha..."
"You shouldn't have done something so dangerous."
"Well, it just happened before I realized..."
Lloyd found himself letting out a chuckle. Mothers were the same. No matter what extraordinary feat their sons notched up, for example, riding the Bone Dragon, they were nothing but a mere child in the eyes of their mothers. This touched him.
Mother.
Suddenly, Lloyd's brain summoned his mother in South Korea. He felt that if she were alive and saw him now, she would be asking the same questions with the same look of concern on the countess's face. Touched, Lloyd grabbed the count and countess's hands, and he looked at the count, his eyes wet with tears.
"I am proud of you," Count Arcos encouraged as he patted Lloyd's shoulder. "Good job."
"Thank you."
Lloyd choked up once more. He then made a decision. He would protect them. He would work harder from now on as he wanted to be with them for as long as possible. With that resolution, he flashed a big smile as he held back his tears. Then he spoke the words he always yearned to say when he had a family.
"I am home..."
