The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 59: The Devil's Contract (4)

“Wow, you couldn’t have picked a better time to show up. So convenient, so thoughtful. I love it!”

Lloyd’s smile grew smug.

Just then, Sir Courno burst into the audience chamber, interrupting the signing of the viscount’s contract.

Thanks to Sir Courno’s sudden interference, Lloyd was reminded of something he’d almost forgotten.

“That guy’s always been a bit of a thorn in my side.”

From their very first meeting, back during the height of the Marez swamp reclamation project, Lloyd had noticed his insolence. He recalled how Sir Courno had acted so brazenly while accompanying the viscount.

And how could he forget?

It was Sir Courno who relayed the viscount’s threats, using the pretext of toxic waste, to intimidate the viscount. His insolent attitude, unbecoming of someone addressing a neighboring lord, left a lasting impression.

Lloyd never forgot such slights.

“Why would I forget a grudge?”

In Lloyd’s philosophy, he repaid favors only when they were substantial. Grudges, however, were kept meticulously, down to the smallest speck of dust.

And here was Sir Courno, conveniently walking in and stirring up all those unpleasant memories. Lloyd had every reason to welcome him.

“Well, hello there.”

Lloyd greeted him cheerfully, even waving a hand.

“What brings you here? Come to act as a witness for the contract, perhaps?”

“Not a chance.”

Sir Courno retorted sharply, his gaze on Lloyd turning stern.

“I heard everything outside the door. Lloyd Frontera, your actions are nothing short of an insult to my lord.”

“You eavesdropped?”

“I overheard.”

“Which means you eavesdropped.”

“… …”

“Anyway, you think what I did here is insulting to your lord? Is that really your conclusion?”

“Absolutely.”

Sir Courno’s face tensed, his brow furrowing deeply.

“You’ve taken our territory’s greatest resource, our prized Lacona fabric, and used it to blackmail my lord. You’ve presented an unjust contract for your own gain. If that’s not an insult, then what is it?”

“An insult? Hm, perhaps it’s closer to blackmail? You mean, like what your side did before?”

Lloyd’s gaze flicked toward the viscount, who flinched under the scrutiny. A sneer played on Lloyd’s lips.

“Oh, so ‘this’ is considered insulting? I didn’t know. I was just mimicking what you all did to our viscount last time. Was that not allowed?”

“That’s…”

“You held our territory’s most vital lifeline, our freshwater source, hostage. You demanded half of the Marez reclamation land. That was your idea of negotiation, wasn’t it?”

“… …”

“It was impressive, really. It taught me a lot. Negotiation is like this! This is how the wisdom of neighbors works! What a warm and generous transaction!”

“… …”

“So, I’m just copying you. Is that a problem?”

Lloyd tilted his head innocently.

Sir Courno, rendered speechless, clenched his teeth.

‘How does he talk so smoothly, without missing a beat?’

Though Sir Courno knew deep down that the viscount’s actions toward the viscount had indeed been blackmail and were overly aggressive, his loyalty dictated otherwise.

“The viscount is my lord, the one I swore lifelong loyalty to. I am not here to judge his moral righteousness. I exist only to be his faithful sword.”

Even now, Sir Courno believed that.

Lloyd Frontera was blackmailing his lord, coercing him into an unfair agreement. The viscount’s past misdeeds held no weight in Sir Courno’s eyes.

His only concern was the viscount’s interests and rights.

“I have to stop this. That contract must not be signed.”

From outside the chamber, Sir Courno had heard it all. He understood Lloyd’s cunning schemes and the malicious terms of the contract.

“That contract is nothing but a giant straw, poised to drain the viscounty dry.”

Once signed, it would financially tether the viscounty to the viscounty. The profits from their prized Lacona fabric would bleed away endlessly.

And it didn’t stop there.

The viscounty relied on the viscount’s water supply for Lacona production. If the viscount arbitrarily raised water taxes in the future, the viscounty would have no choice but to comply. Their special product, Lacona, would essentially become a hostage.

For these reasons, Sir Courno had stormed into the chamber, fully aware of the consequences he might face later, even punishment from the viscount.

“It doesn’t matter. The contract must be stopped, no matter the cost.”

But now, faced with Lloyd’s rhetoric, Sir Courno realized something troubling.

“I can’t beat him with words.”

He was no eloquent debater, just a simple warrior.

Still, he had to win this argument. He had to find a way to drive Lloyd Frontera back.

Then, an idea struck him.

“I’ll do it the way I know best.”

He was a warrior, a man who fought with swords, not words. That had not changed.

“Lloyd Frontera.”

Sir Courno raised his head and locked eyes with Lloyd.

“I, Rugno Courno, son of Bago Courno, formally challenge you, Lloyd Frontera of the Frontera family, to a duel.”

His voice rang out boldly, silencing the audience chamber in an instant.

Everyone fell silent.

The viscount, who had been anxiously fretting over how to stop his knight, closed his mouth.
Javier, observing the situation calmly by Lloyd’s side, also said nothing.
Even Lloyd, who had been facing Sir Courno, became quiet.

The viscount wore a shocked expression.
Javier’s gaze turned intrigued.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow slightly, all while the three of them stared at Sir Courno.

“This is it.”

A faint smile appeared on Sir Courno’s face.

A duel challenge.

It was the most powerful card he could think of playing in this situation. He believed it was his most certain bet.

“Of course. That bastard is a noble.”

Courno was convinced Lloyd wouldn’t refuse.

Declining a duel was one of the greatest humiliations a nobleman could face. It was an act that broadcast cowardice and dishonor to the world.

Sir Courno believed Lloyd would be no exception.

‘He has his noble pride. He’ll have no choice but to accept. Besides, the rumors said he defeated Sir Neumann in a duel, didn’t they?’

The memory of that rumor resurfaced. When he first heard it, he had been shocked.

‘Even though Sir Neumann wasn’t as skilled as me, he wasn’t someone to be underestimated. If Lloyd beat him, he must be confident. That makes it even less likely he’ll reject my challenge.’

Even if Lloyd lacked confidence, he would accept. Sir Courno assumed Lloyd would designate his silver-haired knight, Javier, as his champion instead.

Sir Courno had it all planned out.

If he won the duel, he would demand the annulment of Lloyd’s vicious contract proposal.

“So, accept my challenge, and—”

“No, thanks.”

Lloyd’s crisp reply echoed, as if tapping against Courno’s eardrums.

Sir Courno let out an involuntary, baffled sound.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said no.”

“What…?”

Sir Courno’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lloyd smirked at him, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Let me ask you something. Why should I accept your duel challenge?”

“That’s obvious—”

“To uphold the honor of a noble? Are you stupid?”

“… …”

“Why would I bother with a duel at a time like this?”

“But if you don’t accept, you’ll be seen as a—”

“A coward and a dishonorable man? Sure, fine. I’ll be a coward and dishonorable.”

“What?”

“You didn’t hear me? I said I’ll be a coward and dishonorable.”

“… …”

“Oh, how terrifying. What’s wrong with this place? I’m just trying to negotiate a mutually beneficial contract, and you barge in, demanding a sword fight.”

“Listen here, Lloyd Frontera!”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Accept the duel immediately!”

“I said no.”

“But!”

“But what?”

“… …”

“Do you really want to fight me that badly? Why are you so clingy? Do you have attachment issues?”

“Of course, it’s because—”

“Stop relying on others so much. Buddha once said, ‘Be your own light.’ So go deal with your own problems.”

“Buddha never said—”

“Didn’t you pay attention in school? Knowledge and wisdom you gain as a teenager stick with you for life. Didn’t you know that?”

“… …”

“Honestly, all you know is how to swing a sword. Nothing else. Pathetic.”

“Listen, I just—”

“So, can you leave now? Let me explain since it seems you don’t understand. I’m in the middle of a business discussion with your lord. But thanks to you, your lord is now in trouble. Why? Because if this contract isn’t finalized, your prized Lacona dye workshop will be permanently shut down.”

“… …”

“The more you obstruct this, the more miserable your lord becomes. Don’t you know what Bobby McFerrin said? ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’ Do you know what that means?”

“I don’t…”

“It means don’t worry about money and just be happy.”

“… …”

“The more you act like this, the worse it gets for your lord. Don’t you get it yet?”

Courno was completely speechless.

Lloyd’s smirk deepened as he crushed Courno’s spirit. Then, turning back to the viscount, Lloyd tilted his head slightly and asked:

“You wouldn’t happen to be holding onto some last shred of hope, thinking I might accept the duel, would you?”

“… …”

“If so, let me advise you to abandon it. Hoping for useless things is bad for your mental health. Now then, shall we continue discussing our business?”

Lloyd sat down, casually tapping his index finger on the contract lying on the table.

Tap, tap.

He pointed precisely at the final signature line where the viscount had hesitated before Courno’s interruption.

“Come on, let’s wrap this up.”

With a gentle smile that felt like a victory lap, Lloyd spoke with an understated yet firm tone.

The viscount, his face heavy with despair, picked up the pen. His trembling hand moved toward the signature line.

Perhaps it was because of this moment—this sudden sense of being reduced to nothing—that Sir Courno decided to cross the line.

“I will not allow this!”

He clenched his teeth, glaring at Lloyd.

That infamous troublemaker from the neighboring territory, now sitting with his back turned, forcing an unjust contract on Courno’s lord.

“Now is my chance!”

Sir Courno’s gaze sharpened as he made his move.

With a swift motion, his right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. Lowering his body slightly, he shifted his weight downward, his core twisting as he prepared to strike. His chest, shoulders, and arms coiled with tension, ready to unleash his blade.

The longsword hanging at Sir Courno’s left hip was unsheathed in one swift motion.

Srrrling!

This wasn’t just a simple draw of the blade using arm strength. It was a full-body motion, leveraging his solid lower body and entire upper torso. The speed was blindingly fast, like a streak of light.

Shwack!

In the instant the blade left its sheath, it was already lunging forward.

The sword flashed, carving a deadly trajectory.

Its ominous arc was aimed squarely at Lloyd’s back.

“Just enough so he won’t die!”

Courno intended to strike. To render Lloyd unconscious for days, perhaps bedridden for months. To spill blood and create chaos, buying precious time to stop the signing of that accursed contract.

With this resolve, Sir Courno’s blade tore through the air more fiercely than ever before.

Finally, just as the sword was about to slash Lloyd’s back—

The blade shattered into two pieces.

Sskrak! Ping! Clang!

“…!”

Sir Courno’s eyes widened in shock.

In the fleeting moment before his attack connected, something happened.

He couldn’t even react in time.

A sudden, blinding flash of swordlight struck from the side, severing his blade cleanly in half.

The broken fragment of the sword spun through the air, grazing his cheek, and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

At the same time, the sound of a sword being sheathed echoed through the room, accompanied by a cold warning.

“Next time, it will be your neck.”

Clink.

Javier, sheathing his sword as if nothing had happened, stood with an unruffled demeanor.

Only then did Sir Courno begin to comprehend what had occurred.

His sword, cut in half in an instant.

The fresh cut on his cheek.

The shard of his blade now lodged in the wall.

Overwhelmed by a primal sense of dread, Sir Courno froze.

His body betrayed him as cold fear took over.

A dark patch spread across his trousers.