Chapter 160
Ding-dong.
[New Title Acquired: <Red Paper or Blue Paper?>]
The familiar system message appeared before his eyes.
Just as he expected.
‘Makes sense. The first phase of the Great Sewer is complete, and the first round of sludge disposal succeeded.’
It had always been like this.
When he reclaimed the Marez wetlands.
When he built the terraced farmlands with retaining walls.
He didn’t earn achievements or titles just for finishing a construction. Rewards only came when a completed structure produced results.
‘So what’s the effect this time?’
What sweet, delicious bonus would this new title hold?
Lloyd’s eyes rolled as he eagerly read through the details.
[Red Paper or Blue Paper]
[Title Grade: National History]
Once upon a time, in a faraway eastern land, there lived a nitpicky young lord.
He was so meticulous that he even interfered with how people… went to the bathroom.
And the villagers asked,
“My lord, my lord, dear young lord!
Why must we gather our dung and dump it only here?”
And the lord, waving his hand, hurriedly replied,
“It stinks, so quit dawdling and just dump it quickly!”
The villagers tilted their heads, puzzled.
But years later, they realized something:
In their village, in their lands, in their homes—the plagues had vanished without a trace.
From that day forth, throughout the kingdom, no one dumped waste just anywhere ever again.
[Title Effect: For the next fifty years, the probability of disease outbreak within the territory is 0%. Any infectious diseases entering from outside will be completely blocked and eradicated with 100% success rate.]
[Applicable Area: Frontera County]
[Duration: 50 years]
[The effect of this title applies continuously within the designated region and timeframe. Depending on your future actions, both area and duration may extend or shorten.]
[Monthly CP Reward: +6]
[Current CP: 218]
‘Holy—’
Lloyd instinctively clapped a hand over his mouth.
‘Jackpot.’
He’d expected something good—but this exceeded all imagination.
A zero percent chance of disease.
In other words, the cholera outbreak from next spring’s “ending spoiler” was now completely prevented.
‘Even if it wasn’t cholera, it wouldn’t matter—this stops everything.’
Truly, it was perfect.
Even while building the Great Sewer, he hadn’t been entirely at ease.
Somewhere in his chest, unease still lingered.
He couldn’t be completely sure that the plague he saw in the ending was indeed cholera.
‘I’m no public health expert. I just made an educated guess based on circumstances—it looked like cholera, that’s all.’
So there was always a slim chance it could’ve been something else entirely.
That’s why he’d planned to use another Ending Spoiler after the sewer’s completion—just to confirm it.
‘Of course. My life’s on the line here.’
Building a sewer alone didn’t guarantee safety.
You still had to make sure it worked.
Just as you taste soup before serving it, he had to verify whether the Great Sewer truly prevented next spring’s plague.
But now?
No need.
‘Disease rate zero. External contagion blocked completely. Duration—fifty years.’
Perfect.
No plague next spring. No reason to waste CP checking.
‘And I even saved CP in the process.’
That part was especially satisfying.
He wanted to save CP as much as possible—because unlike RP, it was hard to earn and easy to lose.
‘RP comes in daily, whenever I build rapport or achievements. CP’s different—it’s a monthly salary. Just thirty-six points per month.’
And how much did an Ending Spoiler cost?
‘Eighty CP for the first one. The second one doubles—one sixty. The third? Another double, three-twenty.’
Spend it carelessly now, and he’d be saving for months—maybe a year—just to peek at another ending later.
‘No thanks.’
He couldn’t risk being unable to use the feature when it really mattered.
So this title effect was a godsend—saving both life and CP.
Two birds, one stone.
Lloyd grinned from ear to ear.
He turned to Solitas, who had just reverted from his dragon form.
“Thank you. I really owe you for this.”
“It’s nothing worth thanking me for.”
“No, really. You’ve been a great help.”
“…I see.”
Solitas clicked his tongue quietly.
Lately, he’d been busy learning woodworking under Corgidus.
Just yesterday, his master finally complimented his: “You’re not half bad now.”
It had felt nice.
So when Lloyd came to summon him—waving that annoying “contract scroll” in his hand—he hadn’t thought much of it.
Just part of the job.
A small task to pay for his tuition, that’s all.
So he showed up at the sludge treatment site, manifested his true form, and breathed fire.
He burned tons of human waste to ash.
Now, all he felt was a bitter aftertaste.
An espresso-shot of existential crisis seared his dragon heart.
He, a proud Red Dragon of the skies, reduced to incinerating human feces.
And rumor had it there’d be more coming—orc waste, elf waste…
Especially elven waste, which apparently reeked beyond imagination due to their meat-heavy diets.
‘What’s the point of life?’
His soul sagged under the weight of cosmic melancholy.
In this vast universe, he suddenly felt like a meaningless speck of ash.
No—he did have one purpose now.
High-efficiency, top-grade excrement incinerator.
“……”
Love? Marriage? Forget it.
Maybe he should just retreat to his lair and live alone—a pure, enlightened, celibate dragon, free of worldly burdens.
Just as that oddly serene resolution began to form—
“By the way,” Lloyd said casually, “days like this make me want to visit the Cordona region.”
Solitas frowned.
“Cordona? Where is that?”
“What? You’ve never heard of it?”
“Of course not—”
“It’s the hottest honeymoon spot in the kingdom right now.”
“…Honeymoon?”
The word struck a nerve.
Love and marriage—the dreams he had never achieved.
A faint spark of longing flickered in hindsight heart once more.
Lloyd continued, his tone syrupy.
“They say it’s beautiful year-round. The landscapes are breathtaking. Especially the ‘Hot Spring Beach’—it’s become a favorite for lovers and newlyweds.”
“Hot… spring? Beach?”
“Yes. A unique shoreline where natural hot springs bubble up from beneath the sand.”
“Hot springs… in the sand?”
“That’s right. You just dig a little pit, and hot, sulfuric water rises to fill it. You and your partner can soak in your own private seaside bath under the stars.”
Gulp.
Solitas’s throat bobbed involuntarily.
“And that’s not all,” Lloyd went on, voice smooth as honey.
“This time of year, Cordona gets exactly one hour of heavy rain every midnight. It’s beautiful.”
“Rain? Wouldn’t that be unpleasant?”
“Not at all. Picture it—you and your lover, soaking together in the warm seaside bath, watching the stars, as gentle rain pours down. Your body’s warm, your face cooled by raindrops, the sound of waves in your ears…”
“Ah… ahh…”
“Can you imagine it?”
Nod.
Solitas clenched a trembling fist.
The regret and bitterness that had weighed his heart moments ago were gone—replaced by a burning determination.
‘I’ll get married. I’ll go there. I’ll soak in that seaside hot spring in the rain!’
A new, vividly detailed dream was born.
And for that dream—he could burn all the waste in the world.
Lloyd smiled, satisfied.
“Ahh. I’d love to visit someday too. Don’t you agree?”
“…I do.”
Perfect.
The dragon’s morale was restored.
And with that, Lloyd left the site with a spring in his step.
‘Finally, maybe I can rest for a while.’
Summer was drawing to an end.
The heat still lingered, but the days were growing shorter.
Soon the land would redden with autumn leaves, and the first snow would fall.
‘Plenty of time.’
The sewer expansion was going smoothly.
The Honeycomb Apartment complex was rising quickly.
Both projects would be finished before winter.
With the plague prevented, there were no more major threats ahead.
‘Just need a bit more money—like setting up a pension fund. I can’t rely solely on royal grants and water fees forever. Once that’s done, I can finally relax.’
He’d worked so hard for months.
Especially today—seeing tangible results made all the fatigue rush in at once.
‘Tonight I’ll eat well, bathe, and sleep long. Maybe even take tomorrow off.’
A few lazy days sounded heavenly.
Something he could never afford back when he lived in a Korean goshiwon.
Now he’d finally enjoy it to the fullest.
But just as he returned home—
“Hmm?”
A young woman he’d never seen before was chatting with Count Frontera in the main hall.
Early twenties, by the look of her.
Her attire and jewelry screamed nobility, not common birth.
A knight stood discreetly at her side.
‘A noble lady?’
Everything about her said so.
‘But what’s a noblewoman doing here?’
As Lloyd pondered that, the woman’s gaze turned toward him.
She smiled politely.
“You must be Lloyd Frontera?”
He nodded uncertainly.
“Ah, yes. And you are…?”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Carlotta Cordona, of House Cordona.”
Wait. What?
A chill ran down his spine.
Before he could speak, Count Frontera chimed in, looking slightly awkward.
“Ah, don’t be startled. You remember the marriage proposals from before, yes? Count Cordona sent his daughter after receiving my reply.”
“…What? Why?”
Carlotta herself answered, still smiling.
“My father seems unwilling to give up on the proposal. So… he pushed me to come.”
“……”
Oh, great.
They’d sent a rejection—and the man responded by sending his daughter in person.
‘Is this his idea of persuasion? Damn, that’s bold.’
Sweat prickled on Lloyd’s back.
He turned to the Count.
“Didn’t you send a clear rejection letter?”
“Ah… yes. I did, but—”
“…”
“Well, perhaps it was a bit… ambiguous, in hindsight. Hahaha…”
The Count’s awkward chuckle said it all.
He genuinely hadn’t expected this outcome.
‘Maybe I made the letter too polite. Or maybe I sounded regretful.’
A pang of guilt stabbed his chest.
Should he tell his son that his soft rejection probably caused this?
Before he could decide, Carlotta spoke again.
“Please, don’t feel troubled.”
“Huh?” Lloyd blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“To be honest, I have no intention of marrying for politics either. As I said, my father pushed me to come here. I had little choice.”
“Oh…”
“So there’s no need to worry. I’ll stay here quietly for a few days—just long enough for my father to be satisfied that I made the effort. Then I’ll leave.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
She nodded crisply.
Lloyd silently pumped a triumphant fist.
‘Saved!’
He’d feared this would spiral into some forced engagement drama, but the lady’s cool-headedness was a huge relief.
“Understood. Then think of this house as your own for the time being.”
“Thank you kindly.”
They exchanged polite, businesslike smiles.
Then Lloyd finally retreated to his room, stretched his legs, and let out a deep sigh of relief.
‘Noble ladies, marriage talks—whatever. I’m done. I’m going to rest. Just sleep and rot in peace.’
Time for a long, guilt-free nap.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he’d sleep even later.
And so Lloyd Frontera drifted into a peaceful slumber.
The next morning, peace ended—when four more noble ladies arrived at the Frontera mansion, one after another.