The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 30: Jackpot Plan (2)
“My name is Arosh. To speak of myself, I am the thirty-forty-fifth descendant of the great Orc Akash, kuieek!”
“Thirty-forty-fifth descendant?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
“Is that, by any chance, thirty plus forty plus five?”
“No, it’s forty minus thirty plus five, kuieek!”
“So, the fifteenth descendant?”
“You calculated that instantly! You’re a genius, kuieek!”
“……”
Smack.
Lloyd clicked his tongue as he looked at Arosh, the orc lying on his bed, wide awake.
He thought to himself, did I rescue an idiot with no frontal lobe?
‘Or maybe this orc only has fifteen folds in his brain.’
He recalled today’s events.
He had been exploring the anthill with Javier, the last step of a 16-day-long safety inspection.
They had finally reached what seemed to be the lowest storage chamber of the anthill.
And there, they found this orc.
Amazingly, he was still alive.
“It’s been a while since I woke up, so I’m a bit dazed. The ant venom was really sharp, kuieek.”
“Venom?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
“Just as I thought. It was venom.”
Lloyd could put the pieces together now.
An orc preserved in a near-death state inside the storage chamber.
The reason for that was obvious.
‘The ants probably kept him as stored food, using their paralytic venom.’
The best way to store meat without it rotting or spoiling was to keep it alive.
Arosh bared his large fangs in a smile.
“Speaking of myself, I am Arosh the Brave. I have yet to complete my coming-of-age ceremony, so I couldn’t just die easily, kuieek.”
“Coming-of-age ceremony?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
“So, you’re still a minor?”
“What’s a minor, kuieek?”
“Never mind. You haven’t become an adult yet, right?”
“Once you complete the coming-of-age ceremony, you’re recognized as an orc warrior. That’s why I invaded the beast ant’s territory, kuieek.”
“Don’t tell me hunting the beast ants is your tribe’s coming-of-age ceremony?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
Arosh continued speaking.
“It’s a custom passed down from the great ancestors. It started when my grandfather’s grandfather’s son’s father first settled in the eastern wilderness, kuieek.”
“…Just say great-great-grandfather.”
“Anyway, I killed a lot of ants. Hit them, slashed them, and killed them. Ten at a time, ten times over. But then I got too excited, kuieek.”
“And then?”
“I wanted to catch the queen ant and be recognized as the greatest warrior. So, I stormed into the anthill, kuieek.”
“You entered the anthill on purpose? Alone?”
“Of course. A warrior does not fear being alone, kuieek.”
“Crazy.”
Now Lloyd understood why this orc had ended up as the ants’ triangular rice ball.
Overwhelmed by excitement, he must have launched an overly ambitious charge and gotten surrounded.
In the end, he was defeated by the venom and paralyzed.
Lloyd smirked.
‘Lucky. For this orc to have survived that, and for me to find him.’
He recalled the commotion earlier when he brought the orc home.
As soon as they realized the orc was alive, he carried him back to the mansion.
Naturally, it caused an uproar.
The maids, seeing an orc for the first time in their lives, screamed in panic.
Even the Baron, who rushed in wearing pajamas after hearing the news, turned pale.
‘Lloyd, what are you doing?’
‘Claiming my right to the throne… Just kidding, I brought back an orc.’
‘Why, an orc?’
‘I have a plan. But first, please have some cold water.’
Lloyd had calmly reassured the Baron.
He soothed him with a composed manner.
‘I found this orc while exploring the anthill. If we save him, he’ll bring great benefits to the estate.’
‘Benefits?’
‘I heard that orcs are fierce warriors who are very clear about repaying debts and holding grudges.’
This was true.
It was mentioned several times in *The Iron-Blooded Knight*.
‘I’ve heard that myself, but are you sure about this?’
‘I am. Even if he causes trouble when he wakes, Javier can handle him.’
That was how he managed to calm the Baron down.
He laid Arosh on his own bed and called for the estate’s physician.
Fortunately, the doctor immediately recognized Arosh’s condition.
‘Hmm, this… judging by the blue nails, it looks like he was affected by the venom that beast ants use to hunt and store their prey. This medicine should do the trick.’
‘What’s this?’
‘It’s a powder made from dried and ground leaves of Tanaria. It’s very effective for neutralizing paralysis.’
He gave the medicine to Arosh.
True to the physician’s confidence, the medicine worked like magic.
Within ten minutes of taking it, Arosh’s eyes opened.
“Anyway, thank you. If you hadn’t brought me out of there, I, Arosh, would have become ant food, kuieek.”
“Right? You’re grateful, aren’t you?”
“Yes. You are my savior, kuieek.”
“Then you should repay your savior, right?”
“Right, kuieek!”
“Does that mean you’ll do anything I ask for?”
He’s taking the bait.
Lloyd’s voice softened.
Arosh nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course. Say anything, human, kuieek!”
“I need about 120 orc men to work in the mine.”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Lloyd spoke bluntly, not beating around the bush.
In truth, this was the reason he had saved Arosh.
Orcs were sturdy.
They had immense stamina and incredible strength.
They were brave and fearless, willing to take on dangerous tasks without hesitation.
They were a race almost as suited for the tough work in the mines as dwarves.
‘That’s why I saved you. I wouldn’t have carried you all the way here and nursed you otherwise.’
He saved him.
He extended a favor.
And now he stated what he wanted in return.
But Arosh’s expression turned strange.
He subtly averted his eyes.
“……”
“Hey?”
“……”
“You said you’d grant any wish.”
Lloyd tilted his head with a casual expression.
Arosh glanced sideways.
“Hey, mister?”
“……”
“Orc mister, can you look me in the eyes?”
“Kuieek, that’s a bit… difficult, kuieek.”
“Difficult? How so?”
“It’s true that you, a human, saved me, Arosh. I would do anything to repay that debt. But the request you just made is a different matter, kuieek.”
“How is it different?”
“You are not a warrior, kuieek.”
“And?”
“A non-warrior cannot command orc men. You have no right to do so, kuieek.”
A look of genuine regret appeared on Arosh’s rugged face.
He spoke with sincere apology.
“I’m sorry, human, kuieek. I cannot fulfill that request, kuieek.”
He meant it.
This human, Lloyd.
He had saved Arosh, whom he didn’t know at all.
Saved him from being ant food in the dark anthill.
He was a benefactor who deserved repayment.
Arosh wanted to repay that debt, whatever the human asked for.
Orc warriors of the wilderness prided themselves on honoring debts and resolving grudges, even at the cost of their lives.
So it pained him.
It hurt that Lloyd had made a request he couldn’t grant.
“So, I don’t have the right to lead orc men because I’m not a warrior?”
“That’s correct, kuieek.”
“What do I need to do to gain that right?”
“You must complete a coming-of-age ceremony. In the same way we do. And you must have your achievement recognized by the chieftain, kuieek.”
“Is that so?”
A faint smile appeared on Lloyd’s lips.
He tilted his chin up and asked.
“Then I guess I have the qualifications, don’t I?”
“What, kuieek?”
“Think about it. You said the coming-of-age ceremony involves hunting beast ants, right?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
“Then look over there.”
Lloyd raised a hand and pointed to one side of the room.
Arosh’s eyes followed the gesture.
Past Lloyd’s shoulder.
Across the bedroom wall.
To the object mounted there.
“It’s the head of a queen ant. I put it up as a trophy after killing it. What do you think?”
“Kuieek…?”
Arosh’s jaw dropped.
It really was the head of a queen ant.
Not a replica or a fake.
As a son of the tribe that had fought beast ants all his life, he could tell.
He could easily recognize the head of a queen ant!
“How did you… kuieek?”
“What do you mean, ‘how’? I killed it and hung it up.”
Lloyd smiled slyly.
It was half-true and half a lie.
It was true he had killed the queen ant with a methane explosion.
But he hadn’t fought it directly.
Lloyd maintained his calm, smiling face and added more oil to the story.
“By the way, it was quite interesting taking down that queen ant. Want to know why?”
“What, what was it, kuieek?”
“The queen ant seemed really weakened.”
Lloyd’s voice turned subtle.
“It was as if she’d exhausted herself fighting someone else first. And nearby, we found this sword. Javier?”
Lloyd looked behind him.
Javier, who had been standing silently, lifted the sword.
It was the orc-made iron sword they found during their investigation of the anthill.
Arosh’s eyes widened when he saw it.
“Kuieek? That’s my sword, kuieek!”
“Right? Just as I thought.”
Lloyd’s smile grew more meaningful.
“Now it makes sense. Who do you think the queen ant fought to get so tired?”
“Could it have been me, kuieek?”
“Exactly. That’s it. You’re sharp.”
Lloyd beamed even brighter.
Of course, it was a blatant lie.
Arosh’s sword had been found far from where the queen ant was.
But that didn’t matter.
‘What really matters is making the other party believe it.’
It was all about closing the deal.
That was all Lloyd cared about.
The sharp look in Javier’s eyes as he thought, ‘You con artist,’ stung a little as it pierced him from behind.
But Lloyd didn’t care.
“Think back. When you were fighting in the anthill, wasn’t there a big ant?”
“Kuieek… um.”
“You were too caught up in the battle to remember, right?”
“That’s right, kuieek.”
“But there was. Here’s the proof.”
Lloyd took the iron sword from Javier and handed it to Arosh.
“See? Your sword proves it. The queen ant got exhausted because of you.”
“So, what are you saying, human, kuieek?”
“What do you think I’m saying? The achievement of taking down the queen ant isn’t mine alone.”
“Could it be, kuieek?”
“That’s right. We took her down together. You and me. Us.”
“……”
“A joint operation. A co-authored success. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?”
“Then… kuieek.”
“Let’s say we teamed up to take her down.”
Lloyd said, pressing his point.
“You, technically, failed your coming-of-age ceremony, right? You didn’t return safely to your tribe. If you go back now, they’ll treat you like a failure. You know that, right?”
“Kuieek?”
“But imagine walking back with the queen ant’s head. How about that?”
“……”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
Gulp.
Arosh’s adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
Just thinking about it felt incredible.
No warrior in his tribe had ever taken down a queen ant during their coming-of-age ceremony.
But if he returned with that achievement…
Every young orc maiden’s gaze would follow him.
He would even earn the respect of all the warriors.
Lloyd’s words flowed like a gentle hand scratching Arosh’s itching side.
“Think it over. There’s no downside. And this isn’t a scam. It’s technically true. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to take down the queen ant. Right?”
“Then… kuieek.”
“That’s right. Hold your head high. You’re an exceptional orc.”
“Kuieek!”
“Great. That looks good on you. So, you can grant my request, right?”
“Request, kuieek?”
“We took down the queen ant together. So, take me to your tribe. Let me get my warrior’s qualifications from your chieftain. Once I’m recognized as a warrior, you’ll send 120 orc men to our estate as workers.”
“Then I will… kuieek…”
“You’ll be the warrior who completed the best coming-of-age ceremony. And you’ll repay my kindness too. Everyone wins. How about it?”
“……”
Arosh looked at Lloyd.
The human smiling brightly at him.
The human who had saved him from death.
With a genuinely benevolent look in his eyes, the man made an offer that seemed too generous.
Arosh made up his mind.
“Alright, human! I, Arosh, am an orc warrior who doesn’t take kindness lightly. I will do everything in my power to help you gain the qualifications of a warrior, kuieek!”
The young and naïve orc warrior extended a hand as big as a pot lid.
Lloyd grasped it and exchanged a firm handshake.
Of course, Arosh had no idea.
That Javier was looking at him with pity from behind.
That Lloyd was smiling with the warmth of a con artist who had just bagged the perfect mark.
Thus, Lloyd’s grand plan to bring the best miners into his newly completed coal mine for free was set in motion.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
