"So, do you like shaved ice?"
"Young Master?" retorted Javier. His gaze seemed to ask what Lloyd was saying.
Lloyd smiled at his reaction, and he thought...
What am I saying? I mean, let's crush that bastard elemental who's been keeping us from construction for several days now.
Something had to be done. He would die before the blizzard stopped if he just sat back and let the elemental do whatever he pleased.
The course of nature? Wait until it calms down? Not a chance.
Lloyd might have had the option to wait if he was in any other situation. But not right now, when his construction project had been delayed before it even started. "It's probably the elemental residing in the Pantara Range, right?" he inquired, determined. "And I'm sure his specialty is the element of ice and snow. That's why he's so attached to this place."
"You are likely correct," replied Javier. "That is, if he is causing this blizzard as you assume."
"He's probably the one behind it. That's why I'm thinking about taking advantage of his attachment."
"Use his... attachment?" asked Javier.
"Yeah." Lloyd gave a nod. His smile gave off the impression that he was already somewhat convinced his plan would work. "I'm sure you're aware of how sensitive elementals are to environmental harm. Everyone knows this."
"I do," said Javier. "I heard it was a shared trait among elementals."
Lloyd gave a contemplative nod. "And what do you think is the case for the elementals living in this remote range?"
"They are... probably more sensitive than elementals living in other places."
"Yes. They haven't had much interaction with humans while living in a remote area with hardly any human presence." Lloyd spoke with well-founded confidence.
When it comes to things like this, elementals and humans are not all that different. To give an example, suppose John relocated from a house in a bustling market to a condo close to a train station. Would the sound of the train bother him? Hardly. He might think it is quieter or not all that different from a noisy market. But what if things go the other way? What would happen if John moved from a peaceful province or suburb to a boisterous condo in the middle of the city? At first, the outside ruckus would be terrifying and hard to get used to. John may even harbor a grudge against his noisy unit.
That would be the case for most people. As a result, in both cases, the elementals in nature would go through what John did.
It shouldn't be much different between elementals and humans. The elementals who have been living in a mountain behind a human village will already be used to the entry of humans into their territory. They'd be similar to John moving to a city after living near a bustling market.
But as for the elementals in this Pantara Range which had almost no human traffic...
They would be similar to John moving from a remote area to a city. And so, this means the elementals here aren't used to the presence of humans. They are responding far, far more sensitively than most elementals.
The ongoing blizzard from the past few days proved his point. Lloyd was certain.
"So they'll be easy to provoke." Lloyd spoke confidently, believing that this was a universal phenomenon for both humans and elementals.
Javier narrowed his eyes. "Hmm. I see what you mean. You will further destroy the environment to draw out the elemental."
"Yeah."
Javier gave him a look.
"What? Why? What? We've bulldozed two peaks already. The fate of the range has already been sealed. Besides, I'm barely even touching it compared to some of the other things I've demolished before. I just need to take down a little bit of the land nearby."
"What a fantastic person you are."
Lloyd shot a question at his knight. "What was that?"
"Nothing, Young Master."
"Nothing? I heard what you said."
"Oh, did you?" Javier asked with feigned remorse and guilt.
"Of course," huffed Lloyd. "You insulted me out loud. How could I miss that?"
"Congratulations then," said Javier.
Lloyd frowned. "Congratulations? For what?"
"It seems that you have no problem with your hearing yet."
"Of course. Everything else is well with me, too."
"I am sure it is."
"Well, yeah. I am a swordmaster."
"Yet, you have never dated a girl before."
"Ouch..." That was a direct, potent blow to Lloyd's ego. It was like someone had flown supersonic and thrown a cone of hard metal directly into his body. Suppressing the wave of resentment, Lloyd asked, "Hey, it feels like your burns are becoming more sophisticated?"
"What is a burn?" asked Javier.
"Tsk, never mind. Let's get moving. It'll only make the elemental happier if we stay still like now."
Since he had a general idea of the cause behind the current situation and what to do, it was time to get moving. Lloyd put on his leather armor and winter clothes. Then, he packed two servings of lunch and a few tools, including a large hammer, pickax, and foldable shovel.
"Okay, let's go!" hurried Lloyd.
Trailing behind, Javier had to hold back a bitter laugh as his young master marched forward in inexplicable excitement as if they were going on a picnic. As he listened to Lloyd explain his plan, the knight's doubts only grew stronger.
"I'm going to lure him in. That's when you'll beat him up," instructed Lloyd.
"Young Master?"
"I said beat him up. Don't you know what that means?"
"I do. That is why I am asking you again. Don't you know that physical force from a human is practically useless against an elemental?"
"Yeah, and that's what makes it better," reasoned Lloyd.
"Better? Please elaborate?"
"That means we can beat him to a pulp without having to worry about killing him."
Javier gaped in disbelief.
"So, I need you to put away your conscience while you trample him into the ground."
Javier was at a loss for words.
"What? What are you glaring at me for this time?"
"Nothing, Master Lloyd. It is simply that beating up, no, attacking the elemental seems to be an insufficient plan," said Javier as he relaxed his eyes.
"I assume you mean, since he will not die, what good is it to lay an attack when we cannot subdue him?”
"Yes. Is there any other plan you have in mind?"
"Yes, I have one."
That was the end of the conversation, leaving Javier with no time to hear more as Lloyd froze in his tracks. Glancing around, Javier saw that they were standing between two precipitous cliffs on a broad, even stretch of land.
"All right," said Lloyd. "This should do it. The area is far from the camp and so dingy that it looks like no human has set foot in here for at least a couple hundred years. Wow. It's the perfect place to execute our plan. Javier."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Hide over there." Lloyd gestured toward the cluster of three or four boulders stacked on one side. They would make a good hiding spot thanks to the shadow they cast.
Javier moved dutifully and stood there staring at Lloyd, half-curious, half-worried that the plan would succeed. He licked his lips a moment after that, seeing what Lloyd was scheming.
"Hey!"
Lloyd's shout boomed across the land. Then, he lifted his shovel high, charged it with aura, and started to dig, fueled by the pent-up rage from the past few days.
"Did you like disturbing my construction, you bastards?"
Boom! Crash! Crash! Boom!
The oddly shaped boulders and rocks could date back hundreds of thousands of years. All completely untouched by human hands. These pricelessly valuable stones shattered into tiny fragments. But Lloyd had no regrets about what he was doing. If anything, he was enjoying himself.
"You see this?!" bawled Lloyd, "This is the power of construction that we primates possess!"
Crash! Boom! Boom!
Lloyd began shoveling in a more rhythmic manner. He continued and launched mana blasts everywhere, boring holes into the cliffs as the breathtaking scenery quickly fell apart. The range eagles flew away in shock, flapping their wings, and even then, he laughed. At the sight, Javier experienced a wave of shame as deep as a cup of espresso.
Mad bastard...
Javier questioned how he got into this situation. How did it begin? What sequence of events brought him to assist and serve such a young master? He was worried about the future of the world, as well as about his current situation and future.
While Javier was consumed by resentment, Lloyd started to carry out his destructive plan with greater efficiency. With his surveying skill, he calculated how he could take down more of the cliff while avoiding collapsing it. Then, he used his shovel, hammer, and pickaxe based on the calculations he made. Ten minutes later. There finally came a reaction. The first sign of it came in the form of a strong snowfall.
Whoosh! It seemed the mountain range was upset with Lloyd for his unwelcome intrusion and the disturbance he caused as snow began to fall more heavily. A gust of snowy wind suddenly made everything around him hazy. It was a snowstorm.
"Yes, yes."
It came. He was right as expected. Lloyd gave the bright smile of a store owner who had his first customer in three days. He was happy that his prediction was right.
I can just feel it. There's a slight movement of mana in the blizzard. Only this time, it's more obvious compared to the movement of mana in the blizzard back at the construction site. This means...
The elemental was near. Lloyd turned around and glanced his eyes at Javier as soon as he realized it. "Did you feel it?"
"Yes." Javier nodded, his eyes doing a quick scan of the place. It looked like he was trying to spot the elemental's location using the Asrahan Core Technique.
"I'll help you out." Lloyd balled up his shovel, dashed over to a precipice, and rammed the shovel in. Then, he dragged his aura-charged shovel sideways and etched several deep lines into the cliff.
Like this! Like this! Scrabble!
He connected, bent, and laid down his lines into letters. And they read...
[Hello, elemental? I have a question for you. Why are you throwing your life away in this remote corner of the Pantara Range? I heard that other elementals nowadays have made a smooth transition into society and found great career opportunities for themselves. Are you really fine with being the only one wasting away here?]
Clang! Clang! Clatter! Lloyd's shovel made a more cadenced movement. He continued etching more questions into the cliff wall.
[How much is your salary? Do you get a bonus? I heard your neighboring elementals have been promoted several times. Aren't you going to get a job? When are you going to get married? And isn't it about time to get a house?]
Thwaaack! Clatter!
[I care about you. That's why I'm saying this, so don't be offended. Listen up. If you plan on getting married, you need to have at least two babies. The birth rate has gone down a lot lately. But if you stay buried down here, you won't be able to date or get married. When I was younger...]
Slash! Clash! Slash!
Without taking a moment to rest, Lloyd scribbled furiously, recording any thought or question that occurred to him. Whether the elemental understood anything or not did not matter to him. The content was not important. It was vandalism in and of itself that mattered.
My doodles on the cliff alone are going to make him angry!
Lloyd's hands became even busier. The result of his efforts came immediately.
Swooosh! The blizzard suddenly grew so intense that it almost tripped Lloyd by its force.
Ack!
The gusts of wind nearly knocked him off the cliff. But he caught himself and persevered as he drove the shovel into the ground. He then grinned.
I got you.
The Asrahan Core Technique allowed Lloyd to locate the elemental in the middle of the blizzard.
In that case, Javier should know exactly where he's positioned. Like now.
Glancing up into the snowdrift, Lloyd made out a vague shape with the opaque silhouette of a person or a swaying blanket.
I got you, elemental bastard.
Lloyd was quite certain that the elemental would be feeling comfy even though the latter's location was spotted. No sense of crisis or anything.
I'm pretty sure he's relaxed right now since he knows it's quite impossible for us to physically hurt him. Even a swordmaster's aura would be like a slight pat against him.
Lloyd speculated that the elemental had to know that humans would never be able to touch him. If not, there would be no explanation for the blizzard and the explicit presence.
And now, it's time for you to become shaved ice.
As soon as a vicious smile bloomed on Lloyd's face...
Boom! Javier, a grandmaster who had completely surpassed the level of a swordmaster, struck the back of the elemental's head with his almighty aura.
