"Lake Kapua. We'll produce holy water there."
"Huh?" Javier frowned at the mention of Lake Kapua in Lloyd's response to his concerns about where to procure 2 billion liters of pure water and how to apply the holy water to the demonic army. "Are you saying Lake Kapua holds that much water?"
"Approximately. I think there's about 1.9 to two billion liters," Lloyd shrugged his shoulders.
Lake Kapua, sitting in the middle of the mountain range east of the Frontera Estate, was a huge lake that was created artificially due to the dam-building activity by Bibeong. Its size was astounding.
It's humongous in terms of width and depth, almost as big as the largest reservoir in South Korea, although Lake Kapua is a bit shallower. But it definitely holds enough water to produce two billion liters of holy water.
According to Lloyd's calculations, the full volume of water Lake Kapua held was about two billion tons. He suspected he could get approximately two billion liters of freshwater by creating sections near the intake station in the western part of the lake, which was perfect for creating the desired amount of holy water.
"To tell you the truth, I went with two billion liters of holy water in the first place considering the volume of water Lake Kapua held."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"But I do have another concern."
"Shoot it."
"You're not planning to turn the lake into holy water, are you?"
"I am."
“...”
"Not the entirety of the lake, perhaps. But a whole section of it for sure."
“...”
"We wouldn't need to worry about storage that way."
"But what about the water that gets supplied to the waterworks and dyeworks in Lacona Barony?"
"That wouldn't matter. Releasing a little bit into the waterworks won't affect the total volume of two billion liters at all."
"That's not what I'm worried about. I was concerned about the citizens having to use holy water in their everyday lives instead."
"Holy water from waterworks. That actually sounds amazing."
“...”
"Citizens will get healthier by drinking it, and the dye color will become more vibrant and gorgeous. But I am kinda curious."
"About what?"
"If you drink the holy water and pee... is that a holy pee?"
“...”
"I'm sorry."
"So you do know that was lame."
"Yeah. Anyways," said Lloyd with a smile of huge confidence, as if he had everything planned out carefully, and all preparations were set in place. "We will convert a good chunk of the reservoir into holy water, and I have already thought of a way to effectively apply that to the enemies, although we’ve got some work to do to make that possible. But you may rest assured."
"Understood."
"...Huh?"
"Huh?" Javier replied with the same response.
"Are you alright...?"
"I am. What's wrong?"
"That was an unexpected response," Lloyd tilted his head in confusion. "Understood? That's not the kind of response I expected from you. You would have talked back with thousands of other questions."
“...”
"Please don't tell me you're someone else in Javier's body."
"I am Javier."
"Then why...?"
"Are you dissatisfied with my agreement?"
"No. I just find it unfamiliar."
"You'll have to get used to it," Javier replied with a chuckle.
He meant it. Javier had decided to trust whatever Lloyd was going to say from here on. But the grandmaster did not express his honest thoughts to his master and pretended otherwise.
"Agreeing with you from time to time will loosen you up, and that's when I'll strike with the sharpest questions to catch you off guard."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Ugh. You devil."
"You're one to speak."
"If I do it, it's okay. But not you."
"That's not fair. You mustn't be so shameless about speaking such nonsense."
"What's there to life?" Lloyd asked with a bitter chuckle. "If I don't have anything of substance, I should at least display composure outwardly."
Lloyd hadn't thought much about this statement when he spoke it, but realized it actually was an accurate representation of how he had lived his life. The estate developer quickly attempted to retract the smile before it got even bitterer.
"Anyhow. We have our work cut out for us, but not today. I need to do my part as a good person today."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I need to see my parents and tell them I came back."
But the smile got bitter nonetheless. It felt as though Count Frontera and his wife were his real parents. Lloyd shook his head violently to brush this thought aside.
What the hell am I thinking? I'm actually a scoundrel that took over the body of their real son. In a way, I have committed a grave sin against them. I must not take this for granted and act like I deserve this.
Lloyd wondered if he had grown to love them as his real family, but suppressed this feeling that he felt he did not deserve. Even if the count and the countess were to embrace him as their own, Lloyd convinced himself that he shouldn't expect any kind of familial love from them, until he was accepted by them despite having explained the truth about the real Lloyd. He constantly reminded himself of this as he approached where the count and the countess were, and said his greetings.
"I am back."
"...Huh?"
The two had been exchanging words over a finely brewed cup of tea after a meal when the count and the countess both got up immediately from their seats and rushed to Lloyd with a look of pleasant surprise on their faces.
"You're back."
They held Lloyd by his hands and took a good look all over his body from head to toe, before proceeding to make eye contact with him with the warm look that suggested so many different things, all of which Lloyd felt in his heart.
They had been concerned about what trouble Lloyd was going through, his health, if he was eating properly on time, and ultimately, if he was alright. The lack of actual words perhaps made it even more empathetic, inadvertently making Lloyd drop his guard despite the constant reminder he had been telling himself on his way. Lloyd replied with a huge smile like he would have done for his real parents.
"Yeah. I'm back."
No other words were necessary, as the count and the countess welcomed Lloyd back with open arms. They proudly tapped him on his shoulders and felt his calloused hands, as they just smiled silently, yet telling him that he had done enough already.
The count and the countess thought to themselves, that even though the Lloyd in front of them wasn't their real son, and they didn't know why and how this all happened, the man in their presence was virtually no different from their own now. He was a good and hard-working kid, and he was going to tell them everything in due time. They were determined not to treat him differently from their real children and thereby hurt him in the process. That was the last thing they wanted. With this virtuous intent, they greeted Lloyd with a genuine smile and warmth, displaying parental concerns throughout the encounter. That was why Lloyd had no idea what the count and the countess were thinking and still believed they did not know about his secrets. He appreciated them, yet harbored guilt on one side. This made him strengthen his resolve once more to protect them like his real parents from any harm or hardships that came their way.
That night, when everyone had gone to sleep, Lloyd used the ending spoiler once again to see how the battle against the hell's army was going to go.
♣
"...Huff. Huff. Huff."
He ran. He stomped on the ground and jumped over dead bodies to continue, running out of breath on his way.
"Huff, huff! The hell's army... will invade... 90 days later!"
Slash! One demon fell from the strike. He jumped over the freshly deceased corpse and stretched out his shovel shrouded in the swordmaster's aura, clashing against a greatsword.
Clink! The greatsword stopped the shovel from advancing further, as deadly glows stared at him from behind the weapon. A hell's knight parried the shovel effortlessly and pushed it aside.
Krakakaka! The shovel slid down the blade as the greatsword moved masterfully to threaten the man, who ducked quickly to barely dodge the attack.
Kwoosh! The gust from its swing swept through the man's hair, sending chills down his spine. But he did not have time to think about that, as another presence full of hostility was rushing towards him from his back.
"...Urgh! The size of the enemy's army... is about..."
He jumped up from a crouched position like a spring and took a step sideways, swinging his shovel.
Clank!
He had barely managed to block the greatsword attack that came from behind. But it was more like a baseball being hit by a bat.
"...Ack!"
The man lost balance and rolled on the ground. He had let go of the shovel from the loss of strength in his hands, but he quickly lifted his chin without trying to figure out what was going on.
The other hell's knight that had struck him from behind was now standing right in front of him, glaring at him through eyes that burned like fire. The man's heart began to heat up as if a piece of steel that had just been through the furnace was applied.
Kwoosh. The sound wasn't particularly loud. In fact, it was so subtle that it almost made him chuckle. He couldn't believe such a puny sound came from the puncturing of a human body.
Pierce. Pierce.
It hurt. The stabbing and slashing came from all directions. The dark blades pierced through flesh and blood with the intent to end a life.
The man felt excruciating pain each time an organ was punctured and twitched violently. But he couldn't scream in agony. Instead, he could only let out a feeble sound similar to a deflating balloon. His vision blurred as the reddened sky swirled. The man wondered if tears were obstructing his view. But they seemed rather dark for teardrops.
"...Ugh. Agh..."
The man wanted to speak. He had to say something. But he was quickly losing himself. He felt his soul drift away as a profuse amount of blood left his body, amidst the spooky cries and surreal pain keeping him in absolute fear. But the voices of the hell's knights that slashed and pierced him were so clear despite all that.
"You who will become a new vassal of our liege."
"We welcome you, Lloyd Frontera."
"And congratulate you."
"Kim Suho. You will now be working with us."
"Ugh... Agh..."
The man desperately wished to refute the statement, but he couldn't speak. His vision continued to blur even further, and he could only see the bluish glow in the eyes of the hell's knight that approached him with the intent to swallow him alive. The nefarious light was about to gouge his eyes out before taking him into the abyss. It got closer. It drove him mad. It was killing him. It was destroying him.
"...Aaaaaack!"
Lloyd got up from the bed, shaking in fear. His toes have rolled up from the tension, as he held tightly onto the blanket over his body covered in cold sweat. He then took a glance at his chest, still breathing hard.
"Huff... Huff.. Huh?"
There was nothing. There was no greatsword, no punctured organs, or blood. It indicated one thing.
"Th-that was all a dream...? Ha. Haha."
But he still felt the chills down his spine, and his pillow was soaked in tears. Lloyd let out a huge sigh of relief only after confirming he was still alone in his dark, quiet bedroom.
"Haha. Holy. What kind of nightmare..."
It was a fearsome dream and a chillingly realistic one too. It had to feel that way.
"To dream about what I saw in the ending spoiler... Phew."
The nightmare that had just woken Lloyd up was, in fact, what he checked through the ending spoiler before he went to sleep. He trembled violently again at the thought.
Gosh. And I had trouble falling asleep because I was so troubled by it.
It involved the most tragic way of death he had ever seen. Lloyd had shuddered just at the thought of how realistic the dream was, and couldn't go back to sleep. His heart was too deeply troubled, despite knowing in his head that he had to get as much rest as he could to start working on preparations to save the estate from the invading army. He had constantly reminded himself that sleeping for the time being was the best thing to do given the situation, and finally fell asleep albeit barely.
Tsk, tsk. And I only slept for a good thirty minutes at best.
Lloyd took a peek out the window and concluded based on the darkness of the night. He picked up a cup of water he had placed on the end table, and chugged it down to satiate his thirst. He was wide awake.
Jeez. I don't think I can go back to sleep tonight.
Since it appeared that way, Lloyd decided to review what he saw in the ending spoiler before he went to bed.
I was surrounded by hell's knights when I died. Let's see... I think there were about five hell's knights attacking me.
Lloyd happened to take a glance at the estate, that had become a battlefield on which hell's knights were wreaking havoc. The legion of White Cavalry was being overpowered while the dragon Solitas and Yong Yong were struggling to hold their own. Even Javier, the grandmaster, was having a rough time against more than ten hell's knights focusing on taking him down. Lloyd was confident he counted more than 200 hell's knights in the process.
200 at least. I can't help but suspect the actual number is greater.
He wondered what happened to the two billion liters of holy water, and if he failed to utilize it in the predetermined future.
Or it could still not be enough. That is most likely. The method I am thinking of currently is probably not sufficient enough to weaken the hell's army adequately. I need to think this over and come up with a better plan. The only consolation is that they'll be invading 90 days later. I must devise a better tactic, find more reinforcements, and do whatever it takes to stop them. It will be tough, but I think I can change the ending. I will. I must.
Lloyd began taking more things into account as he filled the cup with water and drank twice more. But his hands shook the entire time, causing him to struggle. The shaking extended into his eyes, indicating he was clearly in shock.
"Damn it. What the hell."
Lloyd found it mysterious as to why he was still shivering and sweating like a terrified child. He kept reminding himself that it was only a dream and that there was no reason for him to shudder like this. But he couldn't. He did not understand why.
"I don't want to die..."
Without realizing it, he began to shed tears. Lloyd cried out silently in fear. He was scared, and he did not want to die. He did not want others to get involved in this mess because of him. The responsibility he had to bear was so great, that Lloyd sobbed quietly for some time all alone in his private bedroom.
Lloyd had no idea, due to the overflowing emotions he felt, that Javier was standing outside in the hallway the entire night without a word. The grandmaster was unable to open the door and was just strengthening his resolve all by himself.
