The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 10: The Tenacity of a Brat (1)
“I’ll cure your insomnia. What do you think?”
“…”
Javier unconsciously clenched his fists.
Was this what it felt like to be hit on the head with a hammer?
‘How does he know about my insomnia? How does Lord Lloyd know?’
For years, Javier had suffered from chronic insomnia. He had never told anyone about it. Not a soul. He had never shown any signs either.
“What do you mean by that?” Javier forced an awkward smile.
“Insomnia? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yes.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Javier, are you trying to lie to me?”
“Of course not.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you smiling? And so awkwardly at that.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know, this is the first time I’ve seen you smile in front of me, and it’s not even genuine.”
“…”
“Oh, now that I’ve pointed it out, you’ve wiped that smile off your face. You’re giving it away, Javier. Are you that flustered? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Over something so small.”
“…”
“Let’s cut the nonsense. Here’s the deal: I’ll cure your insomnia, and in return, you’ll teach me swordsmanship. What do you think? Seems like a pretty good deal to me.”
“…”
Javier remained silent, caught off guard.
Chronic insomnia.
It had been plaguing him for the past three years, a condition that had struck without any clear cause. It left him hypersensitive to everything—small sounds like the rustling of leaves, the wind shaking branches, even the slightest creak of his bed.
The smallest sensory detail became agonizingly amplified.
The sound of his heartbeat throbbed in his ears.
Each breath seemed to pull harsh air into his lungs.
It was as if his senses had been sharpened to painful clarity, a constant barrage of stimuli that kept him awake.
He couldn’t sleep at all.
Every night, he’d toss and turn, barely getting a few hours of restless slumber just before dawn.
He had tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. For three years, he had suffered in silence, never revealing this weakness to anyone.
To simply get a peaceful night’s sleep had become his only wish.
‘But how could Lord Lloyd know? How does this bratty young master know?’
Javier’s expression grew cold.
Lloyd’s grin turned sly.
‘How do I know? Because I read the novel.’
Javier was the protagonist of *Knight of Blood & Iron.*
Lloyd had read the novel carefully. He remembered every detail, including Javier’s insomnia.
‘Right now, you probably don’t know the cause of your insomnia, but I do.’
It was something called Sword master Syndrome.
That was the root of Javier’s problem.
‘As you approach the level of a Sword master, your senses become abnormally heightened. It’s a natural occurrence for those crossing the threshold to superhuman levels.’
Javier was experiencing that right now.
At just 17, he had reached the upper tier of a Sword Expert. Along with that came the Sword master Syndrome.
He would spend his nights tossing and turning in misery, unaware of the cause.
And why was that?
Because Javier had grown up in the countryside.
‘In a remote area like this, Sword Master are rare. Even in a kingdom’s capital, you’d only find a handful of upper-tier Sword Master. There’s almost no way Javier could’ve come across information about Sword master Syndrome.’
If this were a world with the internet?
‘A quick search on Google would’ve told you everything you needed to know.’
But in this world, knowledge was passed down through limited networks, books, or hearsay.
That’s why in the novel, it took Javier two more years to discover the true cause of his insomnia, and another three years before he found a way to overcome it.
‘But I’m going to speed that up.’
Lloyd knew the solution.
So, of course.
“I’m confident I can fix it. What do you think?”
“Must I answer?”
“You don’t have to.”
Lloyd poked at his salad with a fork as he spoke.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to force you into this. Just think about trusting me for once.”
“Trust you, Lord Lloyd?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“Come on, it’s not hard. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Help each other when times are tough. That’s what life and society are about, isn’t it?”
“…”
“Why are you frowning?”
“…”
“Do I seem like a scammer to you?”
“To be honest, you do seem a bit like one.”
“You really don’t trust me?”
“Correct.”
Javier nodded decisively.
Lloyd smacked his lips in disappointment.
“Alright, how about this? Let’s build some trust. How about we play a word game?”
“A word game?”
“Yeah, a trust-building exercise. You say the first part, and I’ll finish it. Let’s go with ‘swing,’ shall we? You start.”
“…”
“Go ahead.”
“… Swing.”
“Swing high, my loyal knight Javier. Will you trust me?”
“Never.”
“…”
“That kind of cheap trick won’t work on me, Lord Lloyd.”
“Wow.”
“Actually, I have a question for you instead.”
“Fine, go ahead.”
“Why are you carrying around that book on summoning magic?”
Javier gestured to the table where Lloyd had been eating, next to a book titled *Introduction to Summoning Magic.*
“Ah, this?”
Lloyd chuckled.
“I’m just reading it for fun.”
“For fun?”
“Yeah, is that a problem?”
“…”
Javier closed his mouth.
Lloyd’s smile widened.
“Javier, you’re too obvious. Are you trying to change the subject now?”
“I was just asking a simple question.”
“Right. Let’s get back to what we were discussing.”
“…”
“So, you don’t trust me?”
“Correct.”
“Why?”
“No particular reason.”
“Just because?”
“Yes. Just because.”
“…”
A counter to his counter.
Javier wasn’t going to be an easy nut to crack.
Lloyd smiled.
“You think you’ve got the upper hand now, huh?”
“I didn’t intend that.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I just answered honestly.”
“Alright, then let’s leave today’s conversation here.”
“Today’s conversation?”
“We’ll continue tomorrow.”
Lloyd set down his fork, finishing his meal. He leaned back in his chair, picked up the summoning book, and began reading, ignoring Javier completely.
Even when the maids came to clear the dishes, and throughout the rest of the evening, Lloyd remained engrossed in the book.
Javier stood guard as usual, though his expression was a little more troubled than usual.
Night deepened.
* * * *
A few days passed.
The construction of the underfloor heating project was proceeding smoothly.
Under Sir Bayern’s guidance, the soldiers became more efficient.
At first, they could barely carry one sack of loess each.
But over time, their strength grew, and they learned how to work smarter. Now, they could easily carry two sacks.
It was the result of regular physical labor, rest, and proper nutrition.
The skilled workers also became more proficient.
Like sponges soaking up water, or fried food greedily absorbing sauce, they quickly absorbed the new knowledge and techniques Lloyd taught them.
The first house was completed without a hitch.
By the second house, things ran even more smoothly.
Lloyd no longer had to stay at the site all day. A quick daily inspection was enough to keep things running.
With the work progressing smoothly, Lloyd now had plenty of time on his hands.
Time to focus on pestering Javier.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes, very well.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’re terrible at lying.”
“Pardon?”
“Yeah, you’re terrible at it.”
“I disagree.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Javier answered, but he briefly avoided eye contact.
Yep, he’s bad at lying.
Lloyd grinned.
“Still, I’m not going to help you. Not until you admit you have insomnia.”
“…”
“Does it bother you? Is it frustrating? Then accept my offer.”
“No, thank you.”
“I’m offering to help you sleep well.”
“I still refuse.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“That’s right.”
And so it went.
Lloyd didn’t give up.
At breakfast, he’d ask:
“So, Javier? Did you sleep well last night?”
“…”
“Why not take my offer already?”
“No, thank you.”
Even while walking down the hall:
“Hey, Javier.”
“Yes, Lord Lloyd?”
“Is it okay to keep losing sleep like this?”
“…”
“You should take my offer, seriously.”
“I decline.”
On the way to inspect the site:
“Oh, Javier?”
“Yes, Lord Lloyd?”
“How does it feel not being able to sleep all night?”
“…”
“Don’t you think it’s time to accept my offer?”
“Not in the slightest.”
Even during dinner, he’d blurt out:
“Hey, Javier?”
“…Yes?”
“Do you actually enjoy not sleeping? Does it give you some kind of thrill?”
“…”
“Wow, you’re a real masochist.”
“…”
Lloyd even brought it up when they were supposed to be sleeping.
“Jaaavieeeer?”
“…”
“Can’t sleep again tonight, huh?”
“…”
“I’ll sleep well for you. You’re welcome.”
“…”
“Hey, stop glaring at me. Say something.”
“Fine. I accept.”
“You what?”
“I accept your offer.”
Lloyd shot up from
his seat, grinning ear to ear.
Javier bit his lip. He had finally reached his limit.
Lloyd’s constant pestering had worn him down to the point where he could barely doze off anymore.
‘Of course, I don’t actually trust his offer.’
Lloyd Frontera was not someone Javier could trust.
But to stop his incessant harassment, there was no other choice.
“Just to be clear, Lord Lloyd. I’ll only accept on the condition that you can actually cure my insomnia first. So, my sleep comes first.”
Naturally, Javier didn’t believe Lloyd could actually cure his insomnia.
By accepting and letting him fail, he’d put an end to this whole charade once and for all.
‘I don’t want to teach him swordsmanship anyway.’
Lloyd was too unpredictable.
He had been a lazy drunk not long ago, and though he’d recently shown signs of change, Javier couldn’t trust it would last.
Who knew when his bad habits would resurface?
‘Teaching someone like that how to wield a sword? Ridiculous.’
It would be like handing a blade to a child.
No, worse.
“I need you to prove that you can actually cure my insomnia first.”
“Sure, no problem. For now, just sit down.”
“Alright.”
Javier did as instructed, sitting in a nearby chair, trying not to scoff as Lloyd cleared his throat.
‘What, is he going to sing me a lullaby?’
Lloyd began speaking, and suddenly Javier’s confidence wavered.
“The yield strength of steel must correspond to a designated stress applied to the steel bar during the tensile test, ensuring that the strain does not exceed 0.003…”
‘…What?’
It was an incomprehensible string of words.
He was clearly speaking in a normal language, not some foreign tongue, yet nothing made sense.
And it just kept going.
“However, the yield strength must not exceed 5,500 kgf/cm², as the yield strain at this strength is nearly equivalent to the ultimate strain of 0.003 in compressive concrete, therefore…”
‘…’
The more he listened, the more Javier’s mind went blank.
He was wide awake, yet his senses dulled.
“And regarding the amount of rebar required… the minimum rebar ratio P, which is determined by the given cross-sectional area of the rebar, must…”
‘…’
His body felt heavy.
His eyelids drooped.
He felt like he was floating.
It was futile to resist.
Even as he tried to stay alert, his muscles wouldn’t cooperate.
‘I can’t… fall asleep…’
“And so, the unit for yield strength here is kgf/cm², ensuring a minimum rebar ratio of…”
‘…’
It was like an audio version of a sleeping pill, surpassing anything Javier had ever encountered.
His eyes glazed over, eyelids fluttering shut.
His consciousness drifted away.
His body slumped back in the chair.
He had fallen into a deep sleep, completely unaware.
Lloyd grinned with satisfaction.
‘Just as expected, the same result as in the novel.’
In the novel, the first time Javier ever managed to sleep soundly, he had accidentally overheard a complex magical incantation being recited.
The droning tone and endless flow of words had lulled him to sleep.
Just like now.
From this moment forward, Javier would never forget the feeling of this restful slumber.
He’d be hooked.
Lloyd’s smile grew both satisfied and devilish.
‘Now, Javier’s sword skills are mine.’
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