The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 35: Building at the Speed of Light with Muscles (3)

“Squeak? What’s this? Don’t tell me… is this the ice storage already finished, squeak?”

Orc warrior Arosh had always been a warrior through and through.

His life revolved around facing enemies, hunting for his tribe, and living with the valor typical of an orc. He knew nothing of construction—how a project was carried out, or what the final result would be. However, there was one thing he understood: no construction finishes in a day.

That’s why Arosh was genuinely shocked today.

“Just a few days ago, this was just a pit! What happened here? It’s filled with stone, squeak!”

Indeed, it was.

A few days ago, Arosh had to reluctantly set down his shovel, interrupting his work of preparing the foundation with Lloyd, to fulfill his duty of going on a hunting expedition for the tribe.

“I’m sorry! I’ll be back in a few days after some fighting, squeak!”

Just as mandatory military service is for South Korean men, hunting was a sacred duty for orc warriors. Arosh had promised to return and continue helping Lloyd. But when he finally got back and rushed to the site to assist his benefactor, he found the scene had transformed completely.

What had once been a mere pit was now a sturdy granite stone chamber—a near-complete ice storage facility. And there, in front of the structure, stood Lloyd.

“Oh, you’re here? Somehow, we got this far. It’s not completely finished, though.”

Arosh swallowed hard, feeling as if he was looking at an unknown creature.

‘What exactly is my benefactor, squeak?’

Lloyd was truly impressive. Whenever he did something, something miraculous appeared as a result. And it wasn’t just a rare occurrence—it was happening almost daily.

‘He commanded Javier to cut through the stone mountain, carved the stones, dug the earth, and then….’

Suddenly, what they called an “ice storage” had materialized before his eyes.

‘And he didn’t even use magic, squeak.’

Arosh marveled, feeling it was more magical than magic. The young orc warrior gave Lloyd an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“Benefactor! You are the ‘Great Nose’! Squeak!”

“The… Great Nose?”

“That’s right, squeak!”

Lloyd tilted his head, puzzled. Arosh took a deep breath, snorting proudly.

“A big nose breathes well. If you can breathe well, you don’t get tired. And an orc who doesn’t tire is the best warrior, squeak!”

“Aha, so it’s a compliment?”

“Of course, squeak!”

Arosh grinned widely, showing his fangs, and Lloyd chuckled in response.

“You’re praising me for something so simple. This is embarrassing—I’ve never even properly learned how to make an ice storage.”

“What do you mean, you’ve never learned it, squeak?”

“Exactly that. My major was civil engineering, which is something completely different.”

“Civil… squeak?”

“It’s a field. But I’ve had a personal interest in this kind of thing for a while, so I guess that’s helped.”

Just like when he introduced ondol heating, Lloyd had always been fascinated by traditional architecture, even joining a club focused on it back in his university days. Back when his family was doing well, he even went on study trips with his club members.

“Well, those times are long gone. Anyway, this ice storage—it might look impressive on the outside, but it’s really just a shell right now. It’s far from complete.”

Lloyd tapped the stone wall with his palm.

“As you can see, I’ve built the sloped floor, drainage system, archways, and ventilation, thanks to the strength of your tribe’s warriors.”

It was true. The orc warriors’ strength was incredible, like having gorillas equipped with hydraulic machines. Thanks to them, Lloyd hadn’t had to get his hands dirty for days, as they helped him build the walls and arched ceiling of the ice storage.

Of course, it wasn’t fully completed yet.

“It might look impressive from the outside, but right now, it’s just for show. It can’t function as an ice storage.”

“It can’t, squeak?”

“Right. There’s no insulation.”

Lloyd continued.

“I made the granite blocks as thick as possible, but even so, without insulation, the ground’s heat would seep in during summer. We need insulation to block external heat.”

“So, where do we get this insulation, squeak?”

“No need to get it.”

“No need, squeak?”

“Yep. We just have to wait. I already sent ten soldiers back to our estate to bring the insulation materials.”

This had been arranged before the first blasting operation with Javier. Lloyd had selected ten strong soldiers from the engineering corps and sent them back to Frontera Barony to retrieve the materials needed for insulation.

“They’re things you can’t find around here. I’m talking about rice husks, straw, and sawdust.”

It was true. The orc village lay in a wasteland, far removed from agriculture. So procuring agricultural by-products like rice husks and straw was impossible here.

“They’ve been gone for a while now, so they should be back in a few days.”

But even as the days passed—one, two, three, then five, and even ten days—no sign of the soldiers returning appeared.

‘Hmm, that’s strange.’

While biding his time in the orc village, occasionally joking around with Javier, Lloyd kept glancing toward the west, growing increasingly suspicious.

‘At the latest, they should’ve been back yesterday.’

Having crossed the eastern mountain range himself, Lloyd had estimated the time it would take the soldiers to get to the estate, collect the materials, and return. At worst, they should’ve been back by now.

“Hey, Javier.”

Lounging in his tent and idly swinging his legs, Lloyd spoke up.

A quick response came.

“You called?”

“Yep. I called to give you another job.”

“…What do you need?”

“Go take a look at the mountains.”

“A reconnaissance?”

“Yes.”

No more explanation was necessary—Javier understood. He knew what Lloyd was waiting for and what might be troubling him.

“A welcoming reconnaissance, I suppose.”

“Looks like it. If they haven’t returned, something might’ve happened.”

Lloyd had set a deadline in his mind, which accounted for the soldiers’ endurance and the weight of the materials, as well as delays from the rough terrain. It was a generous calculation.

“And yet, there’s no sign of them. It’s either one of two things: something happened, or they’re slacking off.”

“Understood. I’ll search the route we took over the mountains last time.”

“Be careful, and bring back a snack on your way.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Just go.”

Javier sighed quietly in response, then packed his bag, readied his gear, and left the tent. As he was about to exit, he paused and turned, giving Lloyd a cool, distant look and a curt response.

“…Same to you.”

“Huh?”

Lloyd didn’t get a chance to retort as Javier exited the tent with swift finality.

“Heh.”

Lloyd chuckled, but it didn’t last long.

‘I hope nothing’s wrong.’

A sense of unease kept gnawing at him.

Three days later, his unease became a reality.

“I found this.”

“…”

Returning after three days, Javier held up a worn glove.

Lloyd immediately recognized it.

‘This is from our estate.’

It was the very type of work glove he had issued to the engineering soldiers himself.

His face hardened as he asked, “Where did you find this?”

“In a ravine on the eastern slope of the mountain range. It’s marked as the ‘Flogia Gorge’ on the kingdom’s maps, and I found it two days ago.”

“Go on.”

“I initially focused my search along the path we previously took over the mountains, thinking I might encounter the soldiers if they were running late. However, I didn’t find them, nor any traces, up to Pano Peak and Pesano Peak. This told me one thing.”

“That there’s no chance they’re just slacking off.”

“Yes. At that point, I assumed they’d run into trouble. Following that assumption, I found this glove and scattered straw in Flogia Gorge.”

“And then?”

“Small traces of straw continued down the path. Following those traces led me to a large cave.”

“Flogia Gorge… a cave, huh? Did you go inside?”

“Yes. And…”

Javier rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his arm. There, a harsh burn scar marred his otherwise pale skin.

“This happened. A magic circle activated the moment I stepped into the cave.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, it’s just a scratch.”

“It looks more like a burn than a scratch.”

Indeed, the wound was severe, appearing both red and blue as if it combined a burn with frostbite.

“It seems to be some sort of curse magic. Thankfully, I avoided a direct hit.”

“…”

“It’s really nothing. The wound didn’t penetrate to the muscle. With regular mana treatment, it should heal completely in a few days.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

“Yes, but I’m worried about the soldiers.”

Javier’s normally calm expression darkened when he mentioned the soldiers.

“The straw traces continued into the cave, suggesting that the soldiers…”

“Were taken inside?”

“It seems so.”

Javier lowered his head slightly.

“After being hit by the magic circle, I tried entering several times. But it was impossible. I apologize.”

“No need to apologize.”

It wasn’t Javier’s fault. The fact he managed to escape with only minor injuries was a testament to his skill.

“Still, as a knight, I’m responsible for both commanding and protecting our soldiers. The fact that I couldn’t save them due to my lack of ability… Please, give me another chance.”

Javier’s tone was resolute.

“I’ll return to the estate, gather reinforcements, and launch an assault on the cave.”

“You’re planning to attack the cave?”

“Yes. Given the complexity of the curse, it’s likely a high-level dark sorcerer resides there. They likely kidnapped our soldiers for some vile purpose.”

“So, time is of the essence?”

“Exactly. The longer they’re in the hands of a dark sorcerer, the greater the danger they face.”

“Hmm. In that case, let’s go right now.”

Lloyd declared it so casually it sounded like he was suggesting a trip to a convenience store.

Javier’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes. You said our men are in danger and my valuable materials are in enemy hands.”

“True, but…”

Javier shook his head.

“It’s too risky for you to go unprepared. This would be reckless.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

Javier’s gaze was firm.

“I myself was severely injured by the magic circle. Given your lack of strength, it would be reckless to even attempt it. And we don’t know what kind of trap the dark sorcerer might have laid.”

“Geez, you’re really calling me weak.”

“It’s just the truth in comparison.”

“So, you think I’ll just get wrecked?”

“Yes. You might end up cut, frozen, broken, or even deep-fried. Like a shrimp accidentally left in boiling oil during Thanksgiving.”

“…Hey, you sound like you mean that.”

“Not at all. You’re mistaken.”

“Yeah, right.”

Lloyd chuckled and then stood up, grabbing a backpack filled with provisions.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“What?”

“Like I said, we’re going to that cave. It’s a race against time, right? The longer our men are held, the more dangerous it is.”

“That’s true, but going like this…”

“Don’t worry. Just trust me.”

He thrust another bag into Javier’s hands.

“Hurry up, or I’ll leave without you.”

“…”

Javier stood there, his expression tense.

This felt dangerously reckless, but he had no idea that the cave in Flogia Gorge—the dark sorcerer’s lair—was actually a dungeon that would appear in the *Iron-Blooded Knight* novel a few years in the future.

He couldn’t know that Lloyd, having read the novel, was already familiar with the dungeon and its intricacies.

‘So, this guy is that dark sorcerer Ruperlan from the Flogia Gorge episode, huh?’

Lloyd gritted his teeth.

Magic circles, curses, and all—he’d make sure this dark sorcerer learned what happens when you mess with his soldiers and his building materials. And as a bonus, he’d clean out every treasure in that dungeon.

‘So, to sum it up… you’re dead meat.’

With determination burning within him, Lloyd strode toward the gorge, ready for both vengeance and profit.