Blind date was a magical term that touched the hearts of every single person seeking a romantic partner. It was like a battlefield of opportunity for some, tragic defeat for some, and glory and blessing for others. It certainly made the heart of Solitas, the red dragon, beat fast despite being quite new to this word. The dragon was genuinely delighted from his heart.
He said he's going to set me up with someone. I suppose that's what the term blind date means. Is that similar to a marriage arrangement as humans call it?
Solitas got a little anxious from the excitement.
"Really?"
"Most likely."
"Does that mean I can get married and start a family too, once you set me up with someone?"
"That depends on you, Lord Solitas."
"I see. So your responsibility only stretches to the actual arrangement itself."
"Precisely."
"Alright, who is it then?"
"Do you mean who's going to come on the blind date?"
"Yeah."
"I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't even explained what kind of favor I needed."
Solitas realized he was rushing a bit, and took a step back.
"Ahem, ahem. Okay, what is it you wish from me?"
"It may be difficult or easy depending on how you see things."
"Wait. You're not going to ask me to incinerate the excretions of creatures that live here again, are you?"
"No way. Do I look like someone who will make such a nasty inquiry?"
Solitas thought Lloyd definitely did, but kept quiet anyways as the estate developer continued in a shamelessly composed manner.
"The hell's army is actually going to invade this place about three months later."
"What?"
"It'll probably be a huge one too, and this estate will most definitely suffer."
"Do you want me to join the battle?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I wish to evacuate the citizens of Frontera Estate and Lacona Barony to your lair for a few days while the estate is under attack."
"...What?" The dragon frowned uncomfortably. "That many humans... to my lair...?”
"Yes, milord. I think ten to fifteen days should suffice."
"I didn't even approve."
"I think you will, though."
"Why would I be willing to do that for lowly humans?"
"Not for the humans. I was hoping you'd accept for the blind date."
"But how dare you even mention my lair in the deal! Did you take me for a fool, and honestly expect me to let those filthy creatures into my home?!"
"I will make everyone take a good bath prior to the relocation."
"No. I can't imagine what they would do to my lair."
"Eat, and sleep, at max."
"My lair isn't an inn."
"But you'll get to experience the wonderfully joyous blind date."
"Don't even think you could degrade my lair by offering something like that."
"It will be an exhilarating blind date."
"That's the same as degrading me."
"It will be a thrilling blind date."
"If you intend to argue with me, then I oblige."
"An immensely romantic blind date."
"How dare you..."
"A tremendously heart-warming blind date."
"...F-fine."
"Oh, yeah."
Lloyd chuckled with a mischievously evil grin on his face as Solitas's face turned red from the embarrassment and excitement simultaneously. For the red dragon, this was an offer he couldn't resist.
Phew. A blind date...? I really didn't see this coming. What clothes do I wear that day? Or should I go in my original form instead? I'll have to wipe my horns and scales to make them look good. Wax them and put them through light fire, then apply cold water and wipe it off with a soft towel. Oh, and I can even coat my scales with glass after the fire and water treatment. Yeah, I think that will do.
The blind date hadn't even been arranged, but the red dragon was already planning ahead. Despite not knowing whom he was going to meet, Solitas began daydreaming as if they had gone on dates more than a hundred times. He wondered how to draft the marriage certificate, contemplated on the shape of the ring to be exchanged, and decided going to the beach was the best option for the honeymoon. He was basically laying out the plans for a wonderful family life from A to Z.
"Then you accept my offer, right?"
Flap! The flapping noise of a piece of paper could be heard amidst the gentle voice of Lloyd.
When Solitas snapped out of daydreaming, he was holding a document in his hand.
"What's this?"
"A short-term rental agreement."
"Short term... what?"
"Yeah. It basically says you're going to allow citizens of Frontera and Lacona to stay in your lair for up to fifteen days."
"What kind of bull-"
"Blind date."
"Do I sign on the bottom?"
"Yeah, thank you."
Lloyd put up a genuine smile of satisfaction only after the deal was sealed with the signature.
Good. I got the safety of the citizens secured.
He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, as Solitas's lair was quite a distance away from the estate and certainly large enough to house everyone, not to mention the decent level of fortification that could be expected from any dragon's lair. There was not a shred of a doubt the people were going to be protected there. They weren't going to be swept away by the battle in the estate.
Thank goodness.
Lloyd was relieved, but there still remained a problem.
"Alright, when will you be setting me up with a blind date then?"
"I will, after the more imminent issue is taken care of."
"You mean the invasion?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell have you been doing, that you're being attacked by the hell's army?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
"Anyhow, your death means I won't get to meet with the lady."
"Most likely."
"Don't die then."
"Thank you for your blessings."
"One more thing."
"I'm listening."
"About the woman you were going to set me up with," said the red dragon, in an excited voice. "Can you give me a hint, like how she looks like and stuff?"
"...Uh, not really."
"Why not?"
"Because the element of mystery is what makes the blind date all the more exciting."
"D-do you think so?"
"Of course it does."
It didn't. Sharing a bit of information about the partner prior to the blind date was the norm, but Lloyd actually couldn't this time.
Because I don't know yet either!
In reality, Lloyd had just brought up what he thought was going to work best on persuading the red dragon and mentioned it without making any preparations. But he couldn't think of a better solution.
Dealing with the invading army is more imminent a problem. I need to save the people of my estate.
The urgent issue at hand was too great for him to think of details in the evacuation plan.
I'll have to look for a fine single female dragon who is interested after the battle. God, I hope I can find one.
While Lloyd thought it was sort of irresponsible of him, he did not have a choice. But he maintained composure on the outside and graced his appearance with a trustworthy and confident smile.
"Anyhow, the citizens will relocate about 85 days from today. I will tell them to gather in one place, so please cast a mass teleport spell on them."
"All of them at once?"
"Is that going to be difficult?"
"My dragon heart is going to be depleted of energy."
"Is it not possible then?"
"No. That is not what I said."
"Okay. Then I will leave them in your capable hands."
"Fine. Just don't forget to set me up with a gorgeous lady."
"Of course."
The contract to relocate the citizens was sealed between Lloyd and Solitas. With this issue resolved, the estate developer could now move on to the next.
Alright, I got the safety of people secured. Now I need to lay the foundation for the usage of holy water.
In fact, Lloyd had already thought of a way to utilize the two billion liters of holy water to be made from the tears of the angel of thrones. He climbed the eastern mountains immediately and went to Lake Kapua, at the sandy shore of which Bibeong was enjoying a nice sunbath.
"Ah, good to see you. I was actually looking for you."
"…Bibeong?"
Bibeong opened one of his eyes while still lying on its belly, as though it had just woken up from a nap. Lloyd began explaining what was going to happen, from the invasion of the army to the two billion liters of holy water and what needed to be done in order to use it.
"...So I was hoping to break the dam, and I thought your approval was absolutely necessary."
The creation of this reservoir, in fact, was Bibeong's doing. It had built a dam like any beaver would in this area, and due to the sheer size of this structure, it had formed a huge lake that rivaled any big artificial lake within South Korea. In a way, Bibeong was the rightful owner of this property.
"Would that be okay…?"
Lloyd asked this question with an element of concern. Bibeong wasn't really loyal to him; it had only agreed to provide labor as necessary to get on the good side of Bangul. There was a chance that this creature could decline Lloyd's request, thwarting this plan before it could even begin. Lloyd wondered if he had to leverage Bangul's presence again to seal the deal.
"Bibeong!"
Bibeong's response, however, was unexpected.
"R-really? You will let me?"
"Bibeong! Bibeong!"
"Of course you approve, because the estate is in danger?"
"Bibeong!" Bibeong nodded robustly again and added. "Bibeong! Bibeong! Bibeong! Bibeong!"
Bibeong explained that it wasn't because of Bangul this time, but because it trusted Lloyd and what he had done thus far. The creature was willing to place his faith in the estate developer and asked Lloyd to build the dam together after the problem was taken care of.
"...Thank you," said Lloyd, as that was the only thing he could.
After the approval was given, Lloyd could freely and lightheartedly measure the dimensions of the lake and the dam. He scanned all terrains from the dam to the estate and analyzed the geography in depth in order to minimize the damage to the estate even after the flood of two billion liters of holy water.
It's going to be a massive flood. I must ensure the damages to the villages and facilities are minimized, while sweeping through the hell's army with the water.
It was virtually impossible to prevent any sort of damage, but he still couldn't allow the lands to get devastated along with the hell's army just to claim victory.
I can't allow a huge disaster like the one in Vajont Dam in Italy. That's the last thing I want.
He had toiled under the sun and endeavored restlessly to develop this estate. The lands and facilities were all wonderfully improved over time. He did not want to lose them.
I must build a pathway through which the two billion waters of holy water could travel, and with the least amount of waste possible. And I can't afford to spend too much time building this.
It wasn't going to be an easy task by any means. In fact, it was perhaps the most arduous challenge he faced yet.
But I can do this. I have the measurement skill as well as the engineering skill. I can trust the visual simulation feature. It's definitely possible. I mustn't give up. I must hustle harder.
Lloyd focused on getting accurate measurements of many different areas throughout the day, causing his eyes to turn red from fatigue. He would still restlessly walk and sometimes travel on Ggoming's back, in order to cover as wide a range as possible and with as much detail as he could. He left no stone unturned and gathered the necessary data. He then devised a detailed plan and a rough draft of the structure.
It's basically a special form of river embankment.
Lloyd used all of his knowledge about this particular structure he could think of, from the main and secondary levee to be installed in the pathway for two billion liters of holy water and the cross levee to hold the pathway in place, to the open levee to control the amount of flood and the overflow levee to mitigate the accidental derailing of the flood. He thought of many different structures and took combined ideas to come up with the best construction plan, while simultaneously preparing for the next task: informing the citizens of the estate about the invasion of the hell's army.
I can't keep this secret forever.
With just ninety days of time remaining, he was going to need all the help he could get. In order to enlist the help of the citizens, Lloyd had to share the news with everyone.
And in order to evacuate them. I can't expect them to just relocate out of the blue.
Lloyd knew the people were going to panic if they weren't notified of what was going on in advance, causing way more variables to come into play. He did not want that.
It's better to inform them now, so as to minimize the confusion.
People were going to be flustered and even devastated for sure, and some citizens were definitely going to depart. It was going to be a scary moment. Some might even permanently abandon their homes to seek refuge elsewhere, like in the event of an apocalypse. But Lloyd was willing to risk that.
It's not like I can ask them to remain here when their lives are literally on the line. I can't force them to follow my plan all the way and evacuate to the lair of Solitas. It's their choice.
Even if some citizens would turn their backs on Lloyd, and even if that number was going to exceed his expectations, the estate developer continued to convince himself not to get disappointed or disheartened. He kept strengthening his resolve when a notification rang within his head suddenly.
Ding-dong!
"Huh?"
An unexpected message popped up on a window in front of his eyes.
[Citizens of Frontera Estate are appalled.]
[Due to the statement of Angel Raphael, who cannot lie, the citizens found out about the invasion of the hell's army.]
[However, no one in the estate is willing to flee and move to a different area.]
[Instead, they are genuinely grateful to you for having made preparations to evacuate them first, and pledged their support for your plan.]
[Every citizen of the estate is strengthening his or her resolve in unity, to help and support Master Lloyd for everything he has done for them. They will never let you bear the burden all alone.]
What in the world...
Messages continued to pop up in front of his eyes, like spam internet browser tabs. Lloyd's eyes widened from the unexpected shock. This was when he realized small miracles that he had never taken into account were taking place, slowly but surely.
