Chapter 143

Diego Lacona.
The son of Viscount Lacona.

Once upon a time, he’d been a young man with promise.
Not a genius, but clever enough.
Strong, too—his large frame gave him natural power.
He had a decent talent for swordsmanship and was often praised by Sir Courno, one of the estate’s knights.

He grew up surrounded by high expectations.
Later, he entered the Royal Academy in the capital.
Up to that point, everything had been going well.
He thought he was doing quite fine for himself.

At least, until he crossed paths with that devil named Lloyd Frontera.

‘But… what the hell is he doing here?’

‘Hiccup.’

His Adam’s apple bobbed violently.
Goosebumps prickled up his skin.
He could practically ‘feel’ his happiness graph plummeting into a negative dimension.

“Uh? Uh…”

He needed to say something, but his lips refused to move.
Air filled his throat, but his tongue was frozen.
In short—he was panicking.

“What’s got you so surprised?”

Lloyd chuckled lightly and tightened the arm he’d slung over Diego’s shoulder, pulling him a little closer.

“Just happy to see me again, right? That’s why you didn’t hear me the first time? I asked what your dad’s up to these days.”

“T-that…”

“Mm-hm. Take your time.”

“I, uh…”

“Am I scary?”

“……”

Diego clamped his mouth shut.
He didn’t want to admit it—but yes, he was scared.

Lloyd Frontera.

Just the sight of him should’ve made Diego furious—his blood should’ve boiled, his head should’ve exploded from rage.

After all, this was the man who had beaten him mercilessly, who’d tattled to the Queen about the Academy’s corruption, who’d gotten him expelled, and who’d indirectly landed him in prison for three months.

‘Yeah, I’m mad. Mad enough to kill him.’

He’d been the golden boy once, a promising member of the Academy, respected and admired.

But not anymore.

Now he was a disgraced dropout, imprisoned by royal decree.
In the eyes of the noble world, he was finished—
permanently banned from royal office, exiled from prestige.

He’d been forced to return home in shame.

And since then, he’d lived in constant frustration.
He drank to numb it.
He tormented servants and maids to vent it.
That was how he managed to stay sane.

Today was no different.
He’d ordered two servants to fight in front of him.
A little entertainment to spice up his boredom.

The servants had hesitated, of course.
They didn’t want to fight.
So he’d brought out a whip.

“Anyone who disobeys me gets this,” he’d said.

And so, unwillingly, they fought.
Their noses bled, their eyes bruised.
Diego laughed, egging them on, declaring that the loser would go hungry tonight and sleep in the storage shed.
The fight went on until one finally fell.

Had they done something wrong?
No.

He felt no guilt either.

‘Who cares? They’re servants. My property. My things. Why shouldn’t I take out my anger on them?’

It made him feel better.
That was all that mattered.

And that was the exact moment Lloyd appeared.

So now—

‘The anger’s… gone.’

It was like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his head.

He’d vowed hundreds of times that he’d kill Lloyd if they ever met again.
But now, face-to-face, the rage was gone.

Only primal fear remained, tightening around his chest.

‘Thump. Thump.’

His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
His face turned pale, his palms slick with cold sweat.

And he couldn’t meet Lloyd’s eyes.

“Hey there? Hello? Mister?”

“……”

Lloyd’s casual voice.
That lazy, almost teasing tone.
The weight of his arm still draped across Diego’s shoulders.

Every sound, every touch, every moment pulled him back to the past—
to the pain, the humiliation, the fear.

His body remembered it all.
He shrank instinctively, like a mouse cornered by a predator.

‘Tsk. He’s just like his father.’

Lloyd smirked faintly.

Like father, like son—
both the perfect examples of the strong-bully-weak-cower type.

Bold as lions to those beneath them, trembling like rats before anyone stronger.

He gave Diego’s back a light shove.

“If you can’t answer with words, guide me with your feet. I’m here to see your father.”

“Uh, I, uh…”

“Come on. Lead the way.”

“……”

Diego hesitated but started walking.
They entered the mansion and walked down the hall.
Lloyd said nothing.

Finally, they stopped in front of the Viscount’s office.
With a trembling finger, Diego pointed at the door—then quickly turned, trying to leave.

“Hey.”

Lloyd finally spoke.

Diego flinched violently, as if struck by an arrow.

Lloyd’s lips curled.

“Come to think of it, weren’t you just bullying those servants?”

“……”

“How’d it feel, huh? Beating on people who can’t fight back?”

“……”

“Answer.”

“I… uh…”

“Forget it. You do know the servants of this estate are technically residents of ‘our’ county too, right?”

“……”

“They’re part of your viscounty, yes—but also under our Frontera County’s domain. And, more broadly, citizens of Her Majesty.
Wow, so you were just freely abusing Her Majesty’s people, huh? You living reckless these days? No sense of rank, no manners?”

“I-I…”

“Learn to talk before you babble.”

“……”

“If I ever see you do that again, I’ll kill you. For real.”

“……”

“Now get lost.”

No need for eloquence with someone like this.

He was an animal—one that moved on instinct, not reason.
He bit whoever was weaker.
Politeness was wasted on his kind.

“Tsk.”

Lloyd clicked his tongue as Diego bolted away in terror.

Then he turned and knocked brightly on the office door.

‘Knock, knock, knock.’

“Who’s there?” came a gruff voice inside.

“Is dinner ready already? I said no one was to disturb my rest before supper!”

The Viscount’s tone grew harsh.

Lloyd’s lips curved upward.

“Oh my, apologies. I didn’t realize…”

“Didn’t realize? So ignorance is your excuse? My rest’s already ruined, you fool!”

“I swear, I truly didn’t know. I never meant to upset you, my lord.”

“Are you talking back to me right now?”

From behind the door came the Viscount’s shout, booming with fury.

Lloyd’s smile widened.

“Oh dear, please spare me! I had no idea!”

“You dare! Who are you, you insolent servant? You should be on your knees the moment I open this door!”

“I’m so sorry, truly sorry!”

“Still just words?”

“But please, understand me, my lord! I rarely come to this mansion, so I had no idea when your precious rest hours were!”

“What? Are you mocking me now?”

“Of course not! I swear! In fact, I came because I have truly important news!”

“Important news?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“What could possibly be so important that a mere servant disturbs me!?”

‘Crash! Bang!’

Something smashed against the door from inside.
The sound of breaking glass followed.

Lloyd’s grin only deepened.

“It’s true! I swear, it’s important!”

“If it’s that important, then come in, kneel, and tell me! Or do you expect me to open the door for you, you worm?”

“Yes, my lord. You’ll want to open it yourself.”

“…What?”

“I mean, you’ll ‘want to’ open it. The news is that important.”

“What nonsense are you spewing?”

“It’s not nonsense, my lord.”

“Heh… heh heh heh. This brat—!”

The Viscount’s voice grew darker.
Even through the door, Lloyd could sense the man’s rising blood pressure.

“Fine! I’ll open the door. And if your business proves unimportant, I’ll personally punish you severely!”

“By all means, my lord.”

“You still dare—”

“Please, go ahead and open up.”

“…Very well. Tonight, I’ll have you whipped and flayed alive to show everyone what happens to servants who mock their masters!”

‘Rustle. Thud. Thud.’

Footsteps approached.
The doorknob rattled—

and then, with a loud ‘BANG’, the door swung open.

Lloyd greeted him with a radiant smile.

“Good evening, my lord.”

“……”

“This is truly important business. By royal decree, our kingdom will soon begin the reconstruction initiative, and we’re planning to establish a quarry in the southern region of your viscounty.”

“……”

“Oh? Does that not sound important? Surely you’re not about to whip and flay me alive now, are you?”

“……”

“That would be unfortunate.”

“……’Gulp.’”

‘Thud.’

Viscount Lacona collapsed on the spot, foaming at the mouth.

♣

The “negotiation” went smoothly.

The Viscount regained consciousness about ten minutes later and immediately bowed his head repeatedly.

He was terribly sorry.
His hearing wasn’t what it used to be.
He hadn’t recognized the voice.
Please, forgive his grave mistake.

He clasped Lloyd’s hands tightly, apologizing so fervently it sounded like he was singing the national anthem to the fourth verse.

Naturally, that made things easy.

“All right. I’ll overlook your earlier rudeness—provided you agree to my request.”

And with that, Lloyd presented his terms.

From now on, a quarry would be built in the southern part of the Lacona Viscounty.
Frontera County would oversee its construction, management, and all output.

“Oh, and just to be clear,” Lloyd added with a bright smile, “this isn’t extortion. Nor exploitation. As you know, Her Majesty has designated Frontera County as the central hub for reconstruction in the eastern region.”

“…Yes.”

“Then a man of your learning surely understands that reconstruction requires resources.”

“…Yes.”

“Excellent. That’s the key point. You’ll be providing those resources—stone from your quarry.”

“……”

“Think about it. The stone will be cut, shaped, and used in countless new structures across Frontera. Foundations, pillars, walls, roofs—how wonderful is that?”

“……”

‘Wonderful for you, maybe,’ the Viscount thought miserably.

But his thoughts didn’t matter.
Lloyd’s cheerful persuasion rolled on relentlessly.

“So you see, my lord, this is also a great honor for you! The glorious Frontera County, chosen by the Queen herself—and your land will provide the very stone that builds it! Isn’t that magnificent?”

“Y-yes… Magnificent…”

“Right? Then, if you’d like to soothe this itch in my hand, please sign here.”

“…Urgh.”

And with a trembling hand, eyes brimming with tears, Viscount Lacona signed the paper.

Just like that, another splendidly fat straw had been firmly planted into the Viscounty.

Thus, Lloyd’s grand design for the Frontera main sewer project continued to take solid form.