"I need your approval on breaking the dam on Lake Kapua, in the eastern mountain range."
Lloyd's tone was casual and nonchalant, but the content of his statement was enough to shock Count Frontera.
"Do you even know what you're saying...?"
Breaking the dam meant releasing the water held in the reservoir down the mountain, like in a heavy flood. And beneath the mountain was something he cherished so much.
"I am aware that our estate will be affected. Fields developed over time, mines, waterworks and sewage, paved roads, homes, and the apartment complex are all in the potential flood zone. I'm going to do my best to minimize the damage."
The count gulped silently. He couldn't think of how to respond to Lloyd due to his absurd, unexpected request. However, he still managed to regain composure relatively easily, thanks to a trick he had picked up over recent years dealing with the estate developer.
He had always been this way.
Lloyd would occasionally, or even frequently, make propositions that were preposterous and unprecedented. Some of his ideas made progressives of the era look conservative. However, after taking so many factors into account, the count realized that Lloyd had made such suggestions based on solid rationale and purposes.
He must be looking way ahead.
The count was convinced that Lloyd wasn't the type of man to throw in outrageous ideas without a good reason. He calmed himself down and asked in a poised manner.
"You are requesting to break the dam in Lake Kapua despite knowing what kind of disaster it could bring to our estate. I'd like to hear you elaborate."
"You want to hear the reasoning, evidence, and the ultimate goal."
"Yes," replied the count, forcing himself to put up a smile on his face.
"I'll start with the reasoning," said Lloyd, wiping his wet hair with the blanket over his shoulders, hesitating and sighing once before continuing as if he was contemplating whether or not to share the grave news. "The hell's army is going to invade our estate ninety days later."
"Huh?" The count flinched
"When Dragon King Verkis left our estate some time ago," Lloyd continued explaining. "He left a magical message only to be seen by me. It said an army will ascend from the underworld and invade our estate."
It was obviously all a lie. Lloyd was simply using the dragon king's name in vain. But it did not really matter.
It's not like it will cause any inconveniences for the dragon king, and he wouldn't give a damn about it either. And it makes it much easier to move on to the next question.
Hell's army invading the human realm was an unprecedented and therefore unforeseen event. If the count asked Lloyd how he found out about it, he could be placed in a tight spot.
I don't have the gift of foresight or anything. And I can't tell him I saw it through the ending spoiler.
The dragon king's name was the only credible name he could use in vain in this situation. And it worked.
"Dragon King Verkis did?"
Count Frontera was astonished. He appeared more open to hearing what Lloyd was about to say next. The estate developer nodded and added.
"Yeah. He said he had some urgent business to take care of, and that he was sorry for being unable to help with this. I am inclined to think it's all because I am on good terms with the dragon king, but he did tell me when they were going to attack, and the detailed size of the enemy army."
"Holy..."
"I couldn't believe it at first either, even though I heard it from the dragon king himself. It was that absurd an idea. So I got a second person to confirm it."
"Who...?"
"Sir Giolexius."
"Oh," nodded the count, knowing whom Lloyd was referring to. "Are you talking about the hell's knight you introduced to me yesterday?"
Count Frontera had been shocked by the presence of a spooky knight that emanated nefarious energy, accompanying Lloyd as the newest member of the Skeleton Corp.
"So the hell's knight confirmed it for you?"
"Yeah," Lloyd replied promptly. "I asked him if what the dragon king said was true, and he said it was, before proceeding to tell me more."
"More?"
"Yeah. He explained the cause of all this."
That was when Lloyd began telling the count what he had heard from Sir Giolexius after the hell's knight signed the employment contract with him in Namaran. The count was visibly pale.
"Sir Neumann's body... housing the soul of that evil necromancer...? He became a lich and made a request to the king of hell...?"
"Yeah. It's all too convenient for these events to be coincidental, so I had to find a way to verify these statements."
"How so?"
"Through the Jewel of Truth."
The count seemed to comprehend. Lloyd put a subtle smile on his face as he pointed at how he currently looked with his eyes.
"That's why I'm soaked like a sponge. I asked the jewel if what the dragon king and the hell's knight revealed to me was true."
"And they were."
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Alright, about the hell's army that's going to invade 90 days later, then."
"What about them?"
"How big is it?"
"500 hell's knights, leading 6,500 high-ranking and lesser demons. They will all be led by the king of hell, incarnated in the body of the lich."
Count Frontera nearly fainted on the spot. He would have, had it not been for Lloyd's timely intervention to hold him by his shoulders and shake him.
"Are you alright, father?"
"Huh...? Oh. Yeah. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. I felt the same way when I first heard the news."
"Whew. Alright, so releasing the waters from the dam is your idea to counter that?"
"Yeah. I have other detailed plans to go along with it, but that's the main part."
"Do you think... that would suffice?"
"I'm worried about that too. That's why I plan to convert all of the freshwater there into holy water."
“...”
“That will be two billion liters of holy water. I think it'll be effective to a certain extent."
“...”
The count nearly fainted again, but somehow barely managed to retain his sanity. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay. I understand."
He knew Lloyd had no intention of giving up just yet, even against 500 hell's knights and thousands of demons, all under the command of the king of hell himself. The count saw the unshaken smile on Lloyd's face and felt a bit ashamed.
I would have thought of fleeing first.
While Count Frontera would have fortified the estate against a sizeable enemy, the invading hell's army supposedly was too much. In fact, each of 500 hell's knights was powerful enough to be recorded in history individually because of its awful might.
500 of them, too, led by the king of hell incarnated in the lich's body. I can't imagine anyone expecting to fight back head-on.
But Lloyd was. The estate developer wasn't showing any signs of fleeing from the insurmountable calamity. The count thought he understood why.
It's because of the citizens. He loves and cares for his family and the people of the estate.
The count was touched. The current Lloyd wasn't his real son and was an outsider who had no reason to help with the matters of this estate by providing for the citizens here, in reality. But that very stranger was exhibiting tremendous willpower to keep everyone safe here. The count knew Lloyd was probably scared too but overcame the fear with sheer will to protect the estate alone. That was what moved him. That was what astounded him. Except the count was wrong; Lloyd's thoughts were elsewhere.
I will never give up on my cash cow.
For him, everything in the estate had been designed and built for him to enjoy the fruit of. The lands and the people within were all toiling under the sun day and night to bring in steady income for him, so that he could live in luxury without doing the physical labor. Maintaining this structure was vital for him to continue this way of life. Lloyd asked the count again, still harboring the dream of becoming a rich bum in his heart.
"Then you would..."
"I will do as you say."
"R-really?"
"Is anything wrong?"
"I thought you'd suggest evacuating the citizens to a safer location at least once."
"I've thought of that," the count replied with a smile on his face.
It was true. Hell's knights led by the king of hell incarnate were most definitely preposterous, even with the help of two billion liters of holy water. The count was afraid for his life, and rightly so. But the look of determination on Lloyd's face to keep fighting against all odds put him to shame.
"But that will be our last resort. Let's do as you say first and make preparations as you see fit."
"You have my gratitude."
"No need."
"May I ask you to write the missives as well, then?"
"The missives requesting for reinforcements to the royal court and other estates?"
"Yeah. I will bring the drafts for you to revise later on."
"That will help. But I am still a little concerned."
"What is it?"
The count frowned as he continued.
"If the hell's army truly invades, our estate will most likely turn into the battlefield."
"Yes, it will."
"That's what worries me. The citizens may get swept by the invading army and lose their lives. That's something I can't live with even if we survive the battle."
The count was genuinely concerned. Even if they were well-prepared against the hell's army, the battle in the estate was surely going to affect the innocent, hard-working folks of this estate. Keeping them safe against the catastrophe seemed like an impossible task.
"That's why I must ask if you have thought of a plan to protect them."
Count Frontera asked with a visibly distraught look on his face. But Lloyd responded with a bright smile to reassure him.
"Of course I have. That's why I need to be on the move."
"Move? Where?"
"I must meet with the owner of the place to which I will evacuate our citizens."
"What?"
The count was dumbfounded, but Lloyd did not get into details. Instead, he put up a rather bittersweet smile and added.
"I will tell you the details after I come to an agreement with the owner, which we most likely will. I'll be back with the news as well as the drafts for you to revise. You don't have to worry too much."
Lloyd left the study and out of the mansion immediately, heading towards the village in the center past the marketplace that was bustling with activities and obviously thriving. He then arrived in front of the smith's workshop, at which the owner of the refuge resided.
"How goes your attempt to be less terrible of a craftsman?"
“...”
In the corner of the workshop was a man, a red dragon in fact, heavily focused on crafting something with glass. He stared into the glass sphere and chuckled.
"What do you think?"
Solitas, the red dragon, held a beautifully glowing glass ball in his hand. But Lloyd could already see its blemishes even from a glance.
"Uh... I think that ball is a bit lopsided."
"...What?"
"It looks more like a potato on one side."
"Huh?"
"That wasn't intended, was it?"
"Ugh..."
"So you haven't become less terrible."
Solitas glared at Lloyd balefully for pointing it out. But the estate developer did not mind the dirty look.
"But it's okay. You've definitely improved compared to the beginning. Keep working on your skills and you'll be fine in a few years."
"D-do you think so?"
"Of course I do. Since you're working with glass already, I think you can even start producing some relic artifacts soon."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And I'm sure you're going to find a gorgeous lady to court shortly, too."
"Haha, nothing will make me happier."
Solitas was delighted, and genuinely. Due to the law that Dragon King Verkis had made, dragons were now prohibited from raiding other races including humans, and thus had to produce their own artifacts and valuables to add to their hoard. Without them, they couldn't feed their hatchlings properly. The problem was, Solitas had absolutely no skill whatsoever when it came to craftsmanship. The red dragon couldn't bring treasure into his lair, and without the hoard, he couldn't find himself a girlfriend, let alone a suitable wife. It was truly devastating for him to realize that he was going to die single until he met this human Lloyd.
Thanks to him, I became an assistant to the master dwarf smith, learning the trade under him. Although it's taking me a lot longer than others to work on delicate things, I am a dragon blessed with a long lifespan. A few years of learning is like the blink of an eye for me.
Solitas only had to endure a few more years to learn the trade, and he was going to be an attractive groom for any bride. That hopeful thought brought an honest smile to the red dragon.
I wonder where my future wife is, and what she's doing right now. Ah...
His heart began to pound like a man in love already. That was when Lloyd intervened to seal the deal.
"That's what I was going to get to. Have you ever heard of something called a blind date?"
"...A what?"
"It's a meeting arrangement between two people that haven't met before, but with the intent to see if things could go romantically. I think I can set you up with someone if you could do me a favor."
Lloyd's gentle voice sounded like honey and butter. The idea of going on a blind date with a mysterious lady that Solitas had always dreamed of began to cause his dragon heart to beat like a drum.
