"So, somebody is attempting to erect Namaran's Wall again, using the structures I had installed as tools."
Lloyd frowned inadvertently at the realization.
This is definitely the enforced fate phenomenon.
He got the idea, but it was too early to jump to a conclusion. Lloyd decided to continue examining while he was at it.
I should begin with measurements.
[Scanning will now begin.]
Bzzt! The measurement skill was activated, with the underground scanning option toggled on, allowing Lloyd to see the structure of the basement to five meters beneath the ground.
Tsk. The stabilization pipe is broken in the middle.
He noticed the fracture in the fourth meter from the ground. It seemed weird, however.
It's like a popped piece of gimbap.
It was as if someone put too much meat in the burrito and tried to roll it together anyway, and the tortilla ripped in the middle. The stabilization pile was popped on the outer side, revealing the interior. Lloyd immediately knew why.
Somebody force-extended a huge amount of mana into the pile in a short period. The pile failed to withstand the pressure and broke.
Lloyd processed one potential event at a time and drew a big picture. Someone had force-extended mana into the stabilization pile, pressure rose to cause a fracture on the side, the upper part protruded from the ground due to the push, the anchors were affected by the impact and the vibration, the plates broke, and the slope crumbled down as a result.
Other areas like this must be the same.
Lloyd suspected this but walked a little bit to confirm his theory, carefully inspecting other stabilization piles and anchors. He was spot on.
I sense the presence of mana only on the broken piles.
The stabilization piles protruding above ground like acne popped halfway above the skin were emanating a rather ominous mana. The fact that it was so subtle made it virtually impossible for anyone who did not practice the Asrahan Core Technique to detect this.
I don't know who did this, but not too shabby.
Lloyd identified the positions of all piles broken due to the extension of mana and connected them like dots on the paper. It drew a certain picture.
A magical seal.
Lloyd was convinced now. Somebody had done this intentionally.
They're trying to re-raise Namaran's Wall. Did a dark mage survive the hunt?
Javier, who had been silently staying next to Lloyd thus far, spoke up as Lloyd seemed to be immersed in thoughts.
"Master Lloyd," said Javier. "Is it as expected?"
"As expected?" Lloyd replied. "What is?"
Lloyd took a glance at Javier, who retained his characteristic composure and chuckled. "I felt the presence of mana in the broken pile, too."
"It is as you say," agreed Lloyd. "Do you remember the dark mages from before?"
"Do you think some survived?" Javier asked.
"We'll find out soon enough."
"Okay. It's a relief, though."
"Relief?" Lloyd wondered. "What do you mean by that?"
"To find out that the slope crumbling down in the urgent message wasn't because you did a terrible job on the project."
"Tsk. Do you honestly think I'll do a poor job on any of my construction projects?"
"Nobody knows what will happen in the future," Javier shrugged his shoulders, continuing to chuckle. "You're a snobby person to deal with, and you could have easily designed it to start crumbling down ten years later to demand a large sum of money for maintenance."
"Stop. My pride won't let that happen."
"Really?"
"Really," Lloyd snorted.
It was true. It was civil engineering that was involved, which would construct public structures that millions of people would end up using. Designing it to break apart naturally over time deliberately was out of the question, even if he despised the company that outsourced the job to him.
"I didn't spend so much time studying this to do a half-assed job."
"You studied?"
"I told you before. I learned this knowledge in a dream."
"I do remember that."
"Good. I also remember something," Lloyd added mischievously.
"What do you remember?"
"Lady Ella."
“...”
Javier's chuckle immediately subsided. Instead, Lloyd was smiling.
"I had completely forgotten about it because I was too busy with the newest events. But coming back to this place refreshed my nostalgic memories."
“...”
"Do you remember how hundreds of male laborers lined up each morning to get soup from you?"
“...”
"All of their eyes were sparkling, too. They were like, ah, Lady Ella of the stunningly cold, yet beautiful stare!"
"...That's a memory not worth keeping."
"So you do remember."
"No. First time hearing that," Javier denied. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Are you flustered by any chance?"
“...”
"Wait. You just clenched your fist."
"Sigh."
Javier let out a huge sigh and chuckled. Lloyd responded with a smile of his own.
"Anyhow. You remember what transpired back then, right? I think somebody is trying to replicate that tragic event."
"Is this another form of enforced restoration of fate?"
"Yeah. Hmm. I suppose I can call it a new act in a play."
"Are you saying-
"Namaran's Wall will be erected at this rate, if we don't do anything about it."
Lloyd was absolutely positive. The broken piles emanating mana were forming a magical seal from a bird's eye view. He didn't know who was behind it, but that someone was trying to amplify magic using these, like the dark jewel noctanium he had discovered here in the past.
"What do you intend to do now, Master Lloyd?"
"Hmm," Lloyd shrugged his shoulders. "What comes to my mind is to remove all broken piles completely and shatter them to dissipate the residing mana. That may deliver a devastating blow to the heinous criminal trying to erect Namaran's Wall again."
"Then we should report this to Namaran straight away--"
"Not yet."
"Huh?"
Javier's eyebrows twitched, while Lloyd's lips lifted.
"Touching the tall grass without warning may scare the snake hiding within."
Lloyd recalled the old saying about the importance of patience, teaching that rushing things would ruin it in the end. He instinctively knew this was a fitting situation.
"Think about it. If we remove the piles and get rid of the mana, would that wrap things up?"
"Hmm. I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Because the person behind this scheme will certainly come up with another plan."
"Most likely," nodded Lloyd, fully agreeing with Javier. "What if that person saw us remove the piles and the mana embedded within? He would definitely realize his plans have been thwarted. Can we remove the piles discreetly? No. We need to enlist the help of Ppodong, Bangul, and the entirety of Skeleton Corps and work on it for a whole day to remove one pile."
"It looks like it. It will take a lot of time, and there's no way people wouldn't know about it."
Right. And if he discovers that his plan has been thwarted..."
"If I were him, I would go into hiding and come up with a more discreet plan."
"Precisely. That would make it more difficult to apprehend him or respond in time."
Lloyd's idea was to apprehend the culprit before he had time to flee. Dragging this on instead was only going to make him play the game by the enemy's rules, potentially making the problem much worse.
"You must have an alternate plan in your mind, then."
"Of course I do," Lloyd shrugged his shoulders, before putting on another mischievous smile on his face. "But I'm not going to tell you right now."
“...”
"Come on. You're giving me that look again."
“...”
"Tsk. You'll find out in due time, so don't let your feelings get hurt."
"My feelings weren't hurt."
"Really?"
"Yes, because I am a man of a huge heart, unlike Master Lloyd."
"Hey! What do you mean by that?"
"Are you asking that because you honestly don't know, or are you asking anyway?"
"Of course I know. I am a man of a heart that is as wide as the sea."
"Ha."
“...”
"Okay. I will think of you as a man of a huge heart like me, then."
"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be happy about that."
"You're not."
"Shall we head to the mansion of the Countess of Namaran?"
"Yeah. That's the next step."
Lloyd carried a bitter smile on his face as he turned around. Javier followed with a thought in his mind.
Such a liar.
Javier stared through his cold, composed eyes at the back of Lloyd's head. The grandmaster instinctively knew.
But he's a trustworthy person. He's always been this way. He acts like a cheap scoundrel on the outside but puts in a tremendous effort for his father and his house. Although... he's still hiding a lot.
Javier recalled the conversation he just had with Lloyd about the enforced fate, Namaran's Wall that was on its way to be re-erected, and coming up with ways to thwart that evil plan. Those were all believable. However, Javier had doubts about one thing.
You learned about construction and engineering in your dreams? Give me a break.
Javier put a bitter smile on his face inadvertently, having been convinced now. Lloyd's claim that he got knowledge about construction and engineering in his dreams was a blatant lie.
You probably learned it in Seoul.
He recalled the city in a completely different realm, that he had visited with Lloyd before. Everything there was amazing and mysterious. Lights were still shining even during the night, and the tall buildings were out of this world.
The roads were so level and perfectly smooth despite its size. The tall buildings that reached the clouds in the sky were home to hundreds and thousands of people. It reminded me of apartment complexes back in the estate, but much larger.
That wasn't all. The underground was even more stunning. Throughout his stay in that futuristic settlement, Javier used his superhuman senses to hear the sounds coming from beneath. Water was flowing through a pathway that was artificially created, suggesting that there was a complexly well-made pipeline of sewage.
And there was an even bigger pathway underneath, through which a carriage of a sort traveled very frequently, too.
The size of the tunnel was unfathomable, and a carriage was traveling, carrying thousands of passengers. So many citizens were benefiting from these public and private structures in one way or another, as though it was just a part of their everyday lives. Lloyd had definitely studied construction in a place like that.
But how did he end up here, and replace the real Master Lloyd?
That was a question that he couldn't possibly find the answers to. However, he had a rough idea.
Perhaps the enforced restoration of fate is somehow related to the fake Lloyd's secrets.
Perhaps that was the case. That most likely was the case. Javier was getting the feeling that it was the case. He wasn't suspecting it. He was almost sure.
He didn't know what to do. He did not know how to react to this, to help the fake Lloyd. Javier followed his master to the inner city with these thoughts in his mind.
The two men arrived at the countess's mansion and were granted an audience with the Young Lady of Namaran. In fact, Countess Siluria Namaran was now the official ruler of the city, having inherited the title. Having met her for the first time in a long time, Lloyd exchanged greetings with her and heard the detailed report about the mana explosions and slope crumbling down. But Lloyd only listened and did not say a single word about his findings on his way here, as though he had just arrived in the city and hadn't performed any inspections. After the meeting, he put down his belongings in the honored guest rooms, stirring Javier's curiosity.
"Are you by any chance suspecting Countess of Namaran?"
"Not at all," replied Lloyd, shaking his head. He knew the countess was the last person he would suspect as the mastermind behind this whole incident.
Because she died in the original story, as a result of Namaran's Wall. She was supposed to be the victim, and will most likely meet the same fate should we fail to put a stop to this scheme.
Lloyd had an idea as to how he was going to investigate this case already.
"We've been through a lot today, so let's take a quick break. Aren't you tired?"
"Of course I'm not-"
"We're going to get extremely busy starting tomorrow. Can we go to sleep already?"
Javier put on a straight face and stared at Lloyd. His master was at it again, trying to make him go to sleep.
For what? Is he trying to leave his presence and disappear like last time?
Javier contemplated momentarily but decided to play along.
"Okay. Sing me the lullaby then."
"Just open your ears already, because I've been ready."
Lloyd began reciting the contents of his major textbook again, in the same, boring tone as that of the professor that led the sessions. Combined with complex knowledge and terminology, Javier's eyelids began to fall slowly but surely. He was sound asleep in a few moments.
There.
Having confirmed it, Lloyd slowly got up and went inside the dressing room to change his clothes. He then activated the ending spoiler there, summoning a blue portal in the corner. He took a good look at the new ending that was created, entailing what would transpire after the queen's left arm was cured. Lloyd left and let out a deep breath, with a satisfactory smile on his face.
"...I see. So this is what's going on."
He had just seen a new ending to this life and got an idea to put a stop to this tragedy. In fact, he drew a bigger picture than that.
Lloyd stepped out of his room immediately and went to meet with the Countess of Namaran, with the huge picture still in his mind. He did not hesitate to explain the best method to the countess.
"I know it may sound strange and even ridiculous, but we must evacuate every single citizen of Namaran from the city. Not a single soul is to remain."
