The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 16: Setting an Example (1)

Sir Neumann.

The senior knight of the Frontera Barony.

He hated this backwater territory.

He craved success.

He wanted to live in luxury.

But the reality was a cesspool.

Frontera Barony was a remote, backwater corner of the kingdom.

While it was peaceful, offering a sort of pastoral tranquility, that was all it had.

Such peace was, in his mind, only suitable for retired old men.

In short, this place didn’t suit him at all.

He believed he wasn’t meant to rot away in such a place.

‘I wanted to escape!’

He wanted to leave this land behind.

He wanted to rise to greater heights, play in bigger leagues.

He wanted to enjoy wealth and glory, beyond the envy of others.

To do so, he needed to revoke the loyalty he had sworn to Baron Frontera.

But that was impossible.

A knight who renounced loyalty to his lord would be shunned everywhere.

No lord would ever accept a knight who had betrayed their master.

A knight who abandoned their honor.

They would be branded a failed knight, a disgrace.

So, he thought to himself.

If he couldn’t leave his lord and territory, why not make sure the lord and territory fell apart instead?

That way, he wouldn’t be branded a traitor.

He could escape this detestable place without blame or reproach.

He set his plan into motion.

He conspired with an outsider.

He sold the territory’s secrets.

He sold information about the baron as well.

The result was that the baron fell victim to a massive investment scam.

The baron suffered from severe financial difficulties, to the point of borrowing from loan sharks.

It was satisfying.

He was confident that the baron’s bankruptcy was imminent.

Which meant his freedom was within reach.

‘Everything was going so well. All I needed to do was wait a little longer. So why? Why is this happening?’

Why was he now being beaten senseless by this young master of the Frontera family?

*Whoosh!*

“…!”

A shovel swung toward him.

The flat blade grew larger in his vision, rushing toward his face.

The clear, resounding sound of impact filled the air as his head snapped to the side.

The overwhelming shock reverberating inside his skull was a cruel bonus.

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

Sir Neumann’s legs gave way beneath him.

But he managed, just barely, not to collapse.

Instead, he shouted in a voice full of frustration and desperation.

“Stop! I have no weapon! I’ve already lost!”

It was true.

He had lost his sword earlier.

From that moment on, he was unarmed.

The duel was clearly over.

By all conventional standards, the fight should have ended.

That was the proper and reasonable conclusion, even according to Sir Neumann’s own understanding.

But reality was harsh.

Even though he was disarmed?

Lloyd’s attacks didn’t stop.

Lloyd would hoist him up whenever he fell and continue to beat him.

No matter how many times he cried for mercy, Lloyd didn’t stop.

Even when Sir Neumann tried to escape, Lloyd chased him down, swinging his shovel with relentless fury!

“Ugh, stop! Please stop humiliating me!”

Unable to endure it any longer, he screamed in desperation.

But no answer came.

Instead of words, the shovel came swinging again.

*Thud!*

“…Ugh!”

Once more, the blow rang through his skull, leaving his vision dim.

‘Someone… please… stop this.’

His mind grew foggy.

At this rate, he realized, he might actually die.

There was no longer any room for pride.

With a desperate look, his gaze turned toward Baron Frontera, who sat on the platform above.

‘My lord! Help me!’

Lloyd, this madman of a son, kept swinging his shovel even after the duel had clearly ended.

Surely, only his father, the baron, could stop him now.

That was what Sir Neumann believed.

Desperately, he turned toward the baron and collapsed, reaching out with a pitiful expression.

‘Please!’

His betrayal of his lord and the barony didn’t even cross his mind.

Self-preservation was all that mattered in this moment.

Fortunately, his plea seemed to reach its target.

He saw the baron stand from the platform.

“Lloyd, stop. The duel is over.”

Baron Frontera’s voice echoed across the training ground.

It wasn’t loud, but it carried the authority of the barony’s lord.

Everyone believed at that moment that Lloyd would stop.

The farmers watching, the woodcutters, the women, the soldiers—all thought the same.

It was the natural assumption.

Lloyd was a son, after all, and no matter how reckless he was, he wouldn’t dare disobey his father in an official setting.

But everyone’s assumption was quickly shattered.

With a satisfying and crisp sound, like a professional golfer hitting a perfect shot, the shovel swung upward.

*Thud!*

The flat blade of the shovel slammed into Sir Neumann’s jaw.

“…Ugh!”

“Ugh? No, it’s not over yet. You’ve got more to go.”

“Cough, ugh! Please!”

“Hurts, huh? Is it humiliating? Do I seem like a madman to you?”

“P-please… stop…!”

“Stop?”

“Yes, please…”

“And who do you think you are to tell me to stop?”

*Thud!*

The handle of the shovel slammed into Sir Neumann’s back.

He let out a scream of pain.

But Lloyd’s gaze was cold as he looked down at the man.

‘Is this unfair? It doesn’t matter. This is what setting an example means. If you didn’t want to be in this position, you shouldn’t have betrayed those who trusted you.’

It was an honest thought.

In essence, Sir Neumann was a traitor.

If Lloyd forgave him lightly?

Would he reflect on his actions and transform into a better person, leading to a beautiful redemption story?

‘No, absolutely not.’

Lloyd shook his head.

Such stories only existed in fairy tales.

He knew far too well how nasty and grim reality could be.

After all, he had lived through it while scraping by at the bottom of society in Korea.

‘I remember that time in the gosiwon. Like when I caught that guy stealing the braised beef I left in the shared fridge. I should’ve been tougher back then.’

He had been caught off guard at the time, missing his chance to get angry.

Instead, he awkwardly laughed it off and politely asked the man not to do it again.

And the result?

‘He kept stealing.’

In fact, the guy had the audacity to say, “What’s the big deal about sharing food?”

Even now, when Lloyd thought back on it, it was absurd enough to make him laugh.

‘And I’m supposed to just forgive this guy? Not a chance.’

People grew shameless over something as trivial as food.

Forgiving a man who had betrayed his lord?

Showing leniency?

That was the surest way to be taken for a fool.

After that, everyone would think he was soft and line up to take advantage of him.

“That’s why you’re going to be made an example of. I’m going to beat you until you’re half-dead. This isn’t over yet. Stop whining and get up.”

Lloyd had sharpened his resolve for this moment.

He reached out, grabbing Sir Neumann by the back of his neck and yanked him up.

With his other hand, he lifted the shovel high.

But just then—

“Did you not hear my command to stop?”

The baron’s stern voice thundered across the training ground.

Lloyd froze for a moment.

He turned to look at his father.

Then he calmly replied, “I heard you.”

*Thud!*

As he spoke, the shovel came crashing down on Sir Neumann’s head.

Baron Frontera’s eyebrow twitched.

“What?”

“I heard you, but it’s not a command I can follow.”

*Thud!*

Once again, the shovel slammed into Sir Neumann’s head.

The baron’s eyes twitched again.

“Do you even realize what you’re doing?”

“Of course.”

*Thwack!*

With each strike, Sir Neumann’s body jolted.

The baron’s eyes grew darker with rage.

“You’re humiliating a man who has already lost. Not just any man—he is the descendant of a family that has served our barony for five generations, and the senior knight of this land.”

“Yes, and he is also the one who betrayed his lord and this territory.”

“What did you say?”

The baron faltered for a moment.

Lloyd responded coolly.

“I anticipated you might question it, so I’ve prepared something in advance. Look beneath the cloth on the table next to you.”

“What…”

“There’s something I’ve left for you.”

“…”

The baron looked bewildered.

What was Lloyd talking about?

Sir Neumann, betraying him and the territory?

Check under the tablecloth?

Even though he was confused, the baron lifted the cloth covering the table.

His eyes widened.

“What is this…?”

Beneath the cloth was a plain envelope.

He opened it.

Inside were several worn letters.

“What is this?”

“Read them, and then we’ll talk.”

“…”

The baron sensed something ominous.

Lloyd wasn’t just acting out.

His attitude was far too composed.

The baron’s gaze slowly shifted to the letters in his hand.

At first, he read them carefully and slowly.

But as he continued, his hands began to tremble, and his eyes widened in shock as he hurried through the contents.

“What in the world…”

*Crack!*

The baron’s grip tightened around the letters.

His eyes, now filled with disbelief, turned sharply toward Sir Neumann.

It was only natural.

The letters Lloyd had presented to the baron were damning evidence of Sir Neumann’s betrayal.

They were the very letters Sir Neumann had exchanged with the scammer who had swindled the baron out of his wealth, selling off vital information about the barony and its finances.

‘Tordes.’

The name sprang to the baron’s mind.

He was the young merchant who had approached him with an air of enthusiasm and caution, seeming like a man of ambition and integrity.

One day, that merchant had staked his honor on a recommendation.

He had told the baron about some land—worthless at the time but, in a few years, guaranteed to skyrocket in value.

If the baron purchased the land now, he had promised, the barony’s wealth would multiply in no time.

The baron had believed him.

Of course, all investments come with risks.

What if things didn’t go as planned?

What if the profits weren’t as high as expected?

At worst, the baron had thought, he could sell the land and at least break even.

So, without further hesitation, he invested the barony’s funds—along with a hefty amount of borrowed money—and purchased the land.

And then… he lost everything.

‘The land was a fake.’

It had existed only on paper.

His entire investment had disappeared overnight.

Tordes had vanished, taking the baron’s money with him, leaving behind nothing but debt.

And now, Lloyd was revealing the truth.

That Sir Neumann had been feeding Tordes detailed information about the barony’s finances, about the baron’s personal tastes and preferences.

Now it all made sense.

The lavish gifts he had received from Tordes—mahogany furniture, feathered shirts decorated with eagle feathers—all perfectly tailored to his personal tastes.

The way their conversations had flowed so smoothly, how Tordes had seemed to know exactly what to say, striking up topics that had always interested the baron.

‘No wonder I trusted him. He knew just how to appeal to me, all thanks to Neumann.’

That trust had led to the baron’s ruin.

And now, to learn that Sir Neumann had been in league with that fraudster all along?

*Thump, thump!*

The baron’s heart pounded violently.

His chest felt tight as the betrayal settled in.

His vision blurred, his mind reeled.

Lloyd, watching his father’s expression turn pale, let out a bitter sigh.

‘The shock must be overwhelming.’

It wasn’t easy to accept that someone so close had been the one orchestrating your downfall.

The betrayal of someone he had considered a trusted subordinate, one who had driven him to the brink of ruin.

Even from a distance, Lloyd could see that the baron was on the verge of collapse.

Part of him wondered if he had gone too far by showing the letters.

But there was no other way.

‘I had to show him the evidence, or he wouldn’t have believed it.’

Lloyd had enlisted Ppodong’s help to acquire the letters.

He had sent Ppodong to infiltrate Sir Neumann’s quarters and retrieve the documents.

According to the novel *The Iron-Blooded Knight*, Sir Neumann kept the letters exchanged with the scammer in a drawer in his bedroom.

‘It turned out to be true.’

Ppodong, with his small size, had sneaked into Sir Neumann’s room undetected.

Despite his small frame, he was strong enough to pry open the drawer and retrieve the letters.

That was how Lloyd had secured the evidence of Sir Neumann’s treachery.

‘The letters even contained a promise from Tordes to hire Neumann after the barony’s downfall. They were signed with a magical seal to prove their authenticity. That’s why Neumann didn’t dare destroy them, and now they’ve come back to haunt him.’

Lloyd couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness.

If only things had been this clear-cut back in Korea.

If only the con artists who had swindled his father had left behind such irrefutable evidence.

If only his parents hadn’t suffered because of them.

If only…

‘If only they hadn’t died…’

Lloyd shook his head.

This wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.

He needed to focus on the present, on steering this situation to his advantage.

Lloyd raised his head and addressed his father, whose face was still pale from shock.

“Are you all right?”

“…”

“If you’re feeling lightheaded, you should sit down and catch your breath.”

“…Yes.”

The baron responded weakly, finally acknowledging Lloyd’s words.

Lloyd watched him carefully.

It was clear now—the baron wasn’t a ruthless leader.

He was a kind-hearted man who had ruled the territory with fairness.

In times of peace, that was the mark of a good lord, one praised by the people as a just ruler.

But in times of hardship, a lord had to make tough decisions to survive.

Otherwise, he risked being taken advantage of.

And Baron Frontera was not someone who could make those tough decisions easily.

‘He’s hesitating. Even after realizing his trusted knight has betrayed him, he can’t bring himself to act.’

The baron’s expression said it all: shock, confusion, indecision.

He couldn’t reconcile the betrayal of Sir Neumann, a man he had trusted for so long.

And now, he was unsure of what to do.

‘I guess I’ll have to step in.’

Someone had to do it.

If no one took action now, the discipline of the entire barony would fall apart.

With that in mind, Lloyd opened his mouth to speak.

“As the rightful heir to the Frontera Barony, I, Lloyd Frontera, have something to say.”