Chapter 162
The Namaran Barrier.
One of the most memorable mid-story episodes in Iron Blooded Knight. It was the storyline where the black sorcerers finally revealed their true nature and Javier clashed with them for the first time.
Lloyd recalled reading it.
‘The black sorcerers tried to sacrifice the entire city’s population. They surrounded the city walls with an unbreakable magical barrier.’
No one could break that barrier.
Not even Javier, no matter how hard he tried.
But perhaps it was precisely that crisis that brought about the birth of the signature technique of Iron Blooded Knight—“Detonation.”
‘It was the first time he crashed mana circles together. He pushed his mana far past its limits to breach the barrier. And then instinctively figured out how to unleash the power generated by that collision.’
That was how Javier’s trademark technique, Detonation, was born.
He added aura to Detonation.
And the once-unbreakable Namaran Barrier finally shattered.
Javier and the Namaran knights rushed into the city.
A fierce, two-day battle unfolded.
In the end, Javier defeated the black sorcerers and rescued the citizens of Namaran.
Except for one person.
The count’s only daughter.
At the final moment, to stop the black sorcerer who was desperately trying to summon a hell knight, she sacrificed herself.
Thanks to her, the summoning of the hell knight—an existence powerful enough to overwhelm even a Swordmaster—was canceled.
Victory belonged to Javier.
‘So her sacrifice was behind that glory.’
Snapping out of his thoughts, Lloyd lifted his gaze.
The woman stood before him.
She smiled softly, tilting her head.
“I believe you just whispered my name. Did I mishear?”
Siluria Namaran.
Lloyd had always found it strange—this sensation of meeting someone in real life whom he’d only seen in novel illustrations.
It was that way when he first met Javier.
And even more so now, knowing this woman’s tragic fate.
But now was no time to dwell on feelings.
Lloyd brushed aside the unease rising inside him.
He put on a bright, polite smile.
“Ah, forgive the impoliteness on our first meeting. I’m Lloyd Frontera. Welcome to the Frontera Estate.”
“So my hunch was right—you are the infamous young lord of Frontera I’ve heard so much about.”
“Yes. I am the scoundrel of those rumors.”
“Quite modest of you. And you already knew my name?”
“Oh, I saw your family crest on the carriage.”
“Very sharp eyes.”
“Your compliment fills my stomach with pride.”
Lloyd shrugged.
‘Come to think of it… I’m worried.’
He looked at the woman before him.
A question formed in his mind.
Would the Namaran Barrier incident from the novel also occur in this world?
‘Namaran isn’t in the east, but it’s not that far either.’
It was in the mountainous region between the east and the south.
If something happened there?
The effects would reach Frontera quickly.
‘I need to check.’
There was also a high chance the events wouldn’t unfold like the novel.
Too much had changed.
He didn’t die.
Javier’s path changed.
Queen Alicia hadn’t lost her arm.
The timing and results of the monster domino phenomenon had changed.
Cremo Port had regained prosperity because Gigatitan, the obstacle from the novel, was gone.
Frontera, once a rural backwater in the original story, had become the central hub of reconstruction with thousands of refugees.
So many changes.
Maybe Namaran would also diverge from the original.
Maybe the tragedy would never occur.
With that small hope, Lloyd asked,
“By the way, do you happen to know a certain Mr. Cannavaro in Namaran? A very reputable gentleman?”
“Pardon?”
Siluria’s eyes widened a little.
Lloyd continued casually, as if testing her,
“I heard a philanthropist named Cannavaro is doing wonderful charitable work there. I’ve come to admire him.”
In truth, Cannavaro was the black sorcerer.
The mastermind behind the Namaran incident.
But at this point in time, he was still masquerading as a wealthy benefactor.
‘He built his reputation by taking in refugees and using his own money to care for them.’
In the novel, Alicia darkened.
The southern provinces rebelled.
A brutal purge followed, creating an enormous wave of refugees.
Some fled to Namaran.
Cannavaro took them in.
Because he was kind?
Of course not.
‘He used them for black magic experiments.’
But now?
Circumstances were different.
Alicia hadn’t darkened.
The south hadn’t rebelled.
‘So Cannavaro probably hasn’t had any opportunity to take in refugees.’
Meaning Siluria should respond with something like, “Cannavaro? Who is that?”
If so, Namaran would be safe for now.
He wouldn’t need to intervene immediately.
‘So please—say you don’t know him! Please!’
He prayed hard.
Then Siluria smiled brightly.
“Do you mean Mr. Cannavaro? Amazing. His reputation has already reached here?”
“Eh?”
“He’s truly a remarkable man. To care for so many displaced people… even those with wealth wouldn’t willingly do such a thing.”
“Displaced people…?”
“It was due to the unfortunate events in the eastern region. You must know—the monster domino phenomenon.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. Because of that disaster, some refugees also reached Namaran. About four hundred, I believe. At first, my father, the Count, tried to care for them. But then Mr. Cannavaro stepped forward.”
“To take care of them?”
“Yes. A wonderful man. Though I must say, he cannot compare to your father, who cares for tens of thousands.”
“Haha… you flatter me.”
……This was bad.
Lloyd swallowed dryly.
‘Over 400?’
More than the hundred or so experimental candidates from the novel.
The situation was already worse than the original.
‘This is a disaster.’
A cold chill ran down his spine.
♣
“Haa… what a mess.”
Back in his bedroom, Lloyd collapsed onto the sofa.
The cushions sagged with a sigh-like sound.
His feelings were the same.
‘I rejected the proposal successfully, but I’m not happy at all.’
He thought of Siluria Namaran.
Right after he had probed her about Namaran and Cannavaro, he quickly spoke up.
That he had no intention of entering a marriage alliance with her.
That he appreciated her long journey and hoped she’d rest comfortably.
He said it unilaterally.
That was the whole reason he’d waited at the mansion entrance.
The Namaran crisis might be terrible, but being forced into marriage was just as disastrous.
Fortunately, Siluria had reacted with coolness.
She said she had been pushed here by her family anyway.
She was grateful he had clarified things early.
She felt relieved.
She had smiled brightly—purely.
“……”
Which made it worse.
He had just seen her smiling moments ago.
But she might die soon.
‘Should I warn her?’
The thought rose.
Then he reconsidered.
Cannavaro’s reputation was sky-high right now.
If he accused him of being a black sorcerer, who would believe him?
He would be seen as insane.
And he had no proof.
The novel never explained exactly how the black sorcerer created the barrier.
‘Maybe I should just ignore it.’
He lay back on the sofa.
Stared blankly at the ceiling.
Honestly, he didn’t want to deal with it.
But he had no choice.
If he ignored Namaran’s barrier incident, massive fallout would reach here.
‘Hell Knight.’
A knight from hell.
Cannavaro intended to sacrifice the entire population to summon that entity.
If they failed to stop the ritual…
If, unlike the novel, the hell knight actually appeared…
A hellish nightmare far beyond the monster domino phenomenon would unfold.
‘A hell knight is said to overpower even a Swordmaster.’
One never appeared directly in the novel.
But late in the story, Javier had said:
Even after becoming a Grand Master, without the Asrahan Heart Technique, he couldn’t guarantee victory against one.
‘Meaning a hell knight is about as strong as a typical Grand Master.’
Javier now didn’t stand a chance.
Even ten of him couldn’t win.
That was the difference in power.
‘If that thing is summoned, we must stop it.’
The whole kingdom might fall.
There was no way Frontera alone could survive.
‘Damn. What do I do? Should I just send Javier to Namaran? No. If story events change… No, things already changed. He might fail because of those changes.’
Ideally, Lloyd needed to go himself.
Only then could he respond to changing circumstances.
But he needed a pretext.
‘I could say I want to visit for fun. But that’s weird. Or ask the lady to agree to a three-month fake marriage… No, she’d slap me.’
And Frontera itself was busy.
The apartment complex and main sewer were nearing completion.
It made no sense to abandon everything and go to Namaran without a good excuse.
Then—
Knock, knock.
“Master Lloyd, are you inside?”
A knock. The steward’s voice.
Lloyd, still lying down, let him in.
“What’s up?”
“I came to report the task you assigned me a few days ago.”
“A report? Oh—don’t tell me it’s the performance pay calculations for the apartment and sewer workers?”
Lloyd sat up.
He remembered assigning that work.
“You finished it already?”
“Yes. The work records were meticulous, so the calculations were simple. Here.”
Despite his words, the steward had dark circles under his eyes.
Lloyd accepted the stack of papers with mild sympathy.
He checked the total amount first.
“……That’s more than I expected.”
His face tightened.
The payment owed to the workers was significantly higher than he had imagined.
‘Well, of course. These were massive projects over long periods.’
The apartment construction started last year.
And the main sewer?
A huge workforce—the combat engineers, the White Spear Cavalry, the residents, and refugees.
Naturally, labor costs skyrocketed.
‘Paying all of this at once will really strain us.’
The estate’s finances weren’t abundant.
The royal subsidies and Lacona Viscounty’s water tax barely kept them afloat.
The materials alone for each project were expensive.
Then—
The steward spoke cautiously.
“Master Lloyd… perhaps we could pay the workers in installments instead of all at once?”
“Hm?”
“A single large expenditure might burden the estate’s finances. If we ask for the workers’ understanding and divide the payments over the first half of next year—”
“No.”
Absolutely not.
Lloyd shook his head immediately.
“That contradicts the contract. The labor contract doesn’t say that.”
“But—”
“Enough. Stop there. Contracts exist to be honored.”
A contract was a promise.
If he broke it?
Trust would plummet.
No one would willingly help him again.
‘Delayed wages… overdue payments… I saw enough of that in Korea.’
Not getting the daily wage that day.
Being paid way later.
He had seen that too often.
And how much he had cursed each time.
He refused to become that kind of trash now that he was the one paying.
“Anyway… money is the problem.”
After sending the steward away, Lloyd sighed again.
He already had the Namaran crisis to worry about.
Now finances too.
‘I need a new source of income.’
They weren’t broke yet.
If they tightened their belts, they would scrape by.
But he didn’t want that.
‘It’s like retirement planning. You need at least one pension plan to live comfortably later.’
Money was always good.
Even with royal subsidies…
Even with water tax from Lacona…
There was no guarantee those would last.
The royal family might suffer misfortune.
The viscounty might collapse someday.
If the income streams dried up overnight?
They would starve.
‘That won’t do.’
Lloyd shook his head.
For a richer and more secure future—
And to honor his promises to the workers—
He needed a new large lump sum and a new revenue source.
‘The question is how. Money doesn’t grow from the ground. And on top of that, I’m drowning in the Namaran problem. Haa… if only I could stop the Namaran disaster and earn money at the same time. If only I had an excuse to get a construction contract in Namaran… oh?’
Lloyd suddenly shot upright.
As he was grumbling, enlightenment struck.
A simple, obvious answer.
“Wait. I just need to secure a large construction project there, right?”
That was it.
He could earn construction payment in Namaran.
While doing so, he could stay there and prevent the scheduled disaster.
A perfect win-win.
Like getting free dumplings at a Chinese restaurant.
Two gains for the price of one.
‘What project could I land in Namaran?’
He searched his memories.
He reviewed Iron Blooded Knight as much as possible.
Slowly, he recalled.
Namaran.
The magical barrier.
Javier’s battle to break it.
The city perched high atop a steep cliff like a pyramid, making Javier’s job difficult.
The slope was too steep.
The cliff face brittle.
He had to fight under harsh conditions compared to flat ground.
‘That’s it.’
The brittle cliff face.
The city at the top.
What would the lord of such a place worry about?
The answer came.
‘Got it.’
Soon enough, Lloyd found himself leaving the bedroom.
Through the corridor.
Down the stairs.
Across the main hall.
To the guest annex.
He knocked on the door of Siluria’s room.
“The young lord of Frontera, what brings you—”
The knight opened the door.
Lloyd immediately slipped a foot into the doorway.
Like a door-to-door evangelist bearing good news.
Or a salesman top of his class, ready to bait the customer with a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
He licked his lips.
Peeked past the knight at Siluria.
And, to save everyone from disaster while also earning a fat stack of money—
He spoke with shameless agility,
“This is not something I say every day, nor something I offer to just anyone. A crumbling cliff, sinking ground—those are nothing. Have you heard of the slope-stabilization method, a technique that rebuilds collapsed cities and reinforces the ones still standing?”