Chapter 82

“I have regrets.”

“Hm? About what?”

It was a bright, sunny winter afternoon, about ten days after they had departed from the barony.

The group had stopped to enjoy a meal.

Javier, idly stirring his spoon in his bowl, suddenly spoke up.

Lloyd tilted his head.

“Regrets?”

“I mean exactly that.”

“What, you regret being born?”

“……”

“Or do you have something on your mind?”

“I have no concerns. However—”

“However?”

“I feel that I was too negligent last year.”

“Negligent how?”

“I neglected my sword training too much.”

Javier gripped his spoon tightly.

Fixing his gaze on the cooling soup in his bowl, he spoke.

“To be honest, I should start by apologizing to you, Lord Lloyd. I mean regarding what happened in Cremo.”

“In Cremo?”

“Yes. That night when we faced Gigatitan.”

Javier lifted his head.

He looked at Lloyd.

“I stood against Gigatitan, claiming I would fight it. But I was insufficient. I lacked strength. As a result, you had to step in, Lord Lloyd. You were put in grave danger, nearly losing your life.”

“Ah. So you’re reflecting on that?”

“Yes.”

Javier nodded.

He was sincere.

“If I had been just a bit stronger, if I had been able to take on Gigatitan alone and subdue it, everything would have been different. You would not have been put in danger. That is why.”

The silver-haired knight’s eyes gleamed with determination.

“That is why I have set a new goal for this year.”

“A goal for this year?”

“Indeed.”

“Hm, sounds grand. So, what’s this new goal of yours?”

“To become a Swordmaster.”

“Pfft.”

Lloyd almost spat out his soup.

Javier’s eyes remained serious as he looked at him.

Was Lloyd laughing because Javier’s goal was ridiculous?

Not at all.

It was quite the opposite.

‘His goal for this year is to become a Swordmaster? For most people, that’s something they could dedicate their entire lives to and still never achieve. But when this guy says it… it somehow feels like he’ll actually make it happen.’

That was the feeling he got.

Javier seemed like he could genuinely pull it off.

Because, in the novel, he actually had.

‘That’s what’s scary about Javier.’

How many knights throughout history had devoted themselves to training?

How many people had aspired to become Swordmasters?

They had fought with their lives on the line, honing their skills through real combat, refining their swordsmanship over decades.

How many people in history had dedicated themselves to the sword like that?

‘It must be at least hundreds of thousands. Maybe even more.’

Yet, how many of them had actually reached the rank of Swordmaster?

‘Fewer than 200.’

That was the reality.

Based on official records in the history books of Lorasia, there were exactly 179 names on the list. At best, if you included ambiguous or disputed cases, scholars estimated that the total didn’t exceed 300.

Even when considering all the historical records, the number remained under 300.

And if you only counted the confirmed cases? 179.

‘That’s about the same as the total number of kings in Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, and even Goryeo and Joseon combined, if you go by the Samguk Sagi.’

Excluding less-documented states like Gojoseon, Samhan, Gaya, and Buyeo, the total number of rulers in Korea’s major historical kingdoms was about the same.

‘That just shows how ridiculously hard it is to become a Swordmaster.’

And yet, Javier was treating that incredibly difficult feat as his yearly goal.

If someone else had said that, it would’ve sounded insane.

But when he said it?

It didn’t sound like a joke at all.

‘Seriously, what a monster.’

As Lloyd was thinking that, Javier’s still-serious voice reached his ears.

“I plan to work hard toward my goal. So that I don’t fall behind you, Lord Lloyd.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why me?”

Lloyd was puzzled.

Javier responded casually.

“You’ve already formed a Triple Circle. On top of that, you’ve reached a level comparable to a mana heart user.”

“Oh, well, yeah.”

“So I thought about it. Perhaps Lord Lloyd is not as slow, dim-witted, and uninspired in swordsmanship as he appeared to be. Perhaps you were actually a genius all along.”

“What? Slow and dim-witted?”

Lloyd’s eyebrow twitched.

Javier continued matter-of-factly.

“In terms of swordsmanship, yes. You didn’t pick up teachings particularly quickly, nor did you have exceptional physical strength or agility. To put it bluntly, you were below average.”

“Wait, isn’t that just your standard?”

“Regardless, that was my impression.”

“…How stubborn.”

“In any case, I now believe I was mistaken. Frankly, I never expected you to form a mana heart in less than a year, Lord Lloyd.”

“Tch. So that’s where you’re going with this.”

“Yes. Lately, I’ve been feeling a sense of urgency, as if I might get overtaken by you, Lord Lloyd.”

“…What?”

Hey, Iron-Blooded Knight,

That’s never going to happen, okay?

Lloyd wanted to say that out loud.

He was definitely not a genius.

All he had done was unlock skills like the Asrahan Heart Technique and invest RP to accelerate his growth beyond normal human limits.

No matter how hard he tried, he would never catch up to Javier.

Even now, it was the same.

Even though they both possessed Triple Circles.

Even though Lloyd could use Triple Detonation, which was more powerful than what Javier had.

‘My raw output is higher, but I can’t even compare to his ability to wield it.’

That was the reality.

Basic physical strength, overall athletic ability, mana control skills that rival Jimi Hendrix’s dazzling guitar solos, reflexes, mastery over his power, sense of balance, adaptability, combat instincts, experience, determination, and even the transcendent techniques that encompassed all of the above.

In every category, the comparison was meaningless.

If one were to compare them to cars?

Javier was like a next-generation 31st-century ultra-high-performance super formula machine.

And Lloyd?

‘A 20th-century Tico with a fighter jet engine but no steering wheel, basically.’

Even with his Triple Circle and Triple Detonation, his control was all over the place—more like a lottery shot than precise technique. That was Lloyd’s own brutally honest assessment of himself.

‘So relax, man.’

Of course, Lloyd didn’t bother saying that out loud.

There was no need to reveal the existence of RP.

Instead, he decided to let Javier continue misunderstanding things and feeling the urgency of competition.

‘If it makes him work harder and become a Swordmaster sooner, that’s just a win for me.’

Javier was burning with the determination to grow stronger.

Watching him, Lloyd couldn’t help but smile quietly to himself.

As midday snowflakes began to flutter through the air, their journey toward the royal capital continued.

♣

The journey didn’t take long.

No incidents. No accidents.

The only noteworthy event was that one of the royal envoy’s attendants was miraculously cured of chronic insomnia—thanks to hearing Lloyd’s lullaby service for Javier from the sidelines.

And just like that, another ten days passed.

At last, they arrived at Magenta, the royal capital.

“You will soon have an audience with His Majesty the King. You remember the protocol for the royal audience, correct?”

“Of course.”

Lloyd and Javier followed the royal envoy.

The capital was a city of white and red.

Almost every building had warm beige-white walls.

In contrast, all the rooftops were covered with reddish-brown tile panels.

The wide boulevard leading from the city’s outer edges to the royal palace was as clean and pristine as could be.

‘Still, the shape of the palace is kind of strange.’

As they walked down the boulevard, Lloyd cast his gaze toward the royal castle in the distance.

It had an unusual shape.

He had a rough idea from reading Iron-Blooded Knight, but seeing it in person, it looked even stranger than he had imagined.

‘It looks like a boiled egg half-buried in the ground. Or maybe one of those bunkers from Sutacraft.’

It was round.

It was smooth and flat.

At the same time, it looked as heavy as a boulder.

Like a giant, flattened bunker, enlarged hundreds of times over.

It was light-years away from the stereotypical image of a medieval royal castle.

And then, as if noticing Lloyd’s interest, the envoy leading them spoke up.

“You find our royal castle unusual, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes. I do.”

“That’s only natural.”

The envoy chuckled softly.

“Everyone has the same reaction when they first see it. They think it’s bizarre, out of place, not even a proper castle. Did you feel the same way?”

“Not exactly. I had heard about it in advance.”

“Then do you also know why it was built that way?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd nodded.

He recalled a brief mention of it in Iron-Blooded Knight.

“I heard it was built hundreds of years ago. Back when this city was called Taliano. Apparently, there was a foolish and unlucky king at the time who got his royal castle plucked up and carried away by the same dragon—twice.”

“Correct. It was recorded as a truly shocking incident in history. That’s why castles from that era were mostly built in this shape.”

“To avoid getting ‘plucked up’ by dragons, then.”

“Precisely. Round and flat, with no grab points. That style became a trend at the time.”

“And now, this is the last remaining egg-shaped royal castle. Am I right?”

“Haha. You’re quite well-educated. I like you more and more.”

“You flatter me.”

Lloyd responded playfully.

Chatting with the envoy, they soon reached the castle gates.

After undergoing lengthy security procedures, they entered the royal palace.

They were led directly to the audience chamber.

Dressed in new formal attire for the occasion, Lloyd finally felt the weight of where he was.

‘Whew.’

He was about to meet the Queen.

If the Count of Cremo had been powerful, then the Queen was power itself—the ultimate super-elite boss of this nation.

In short, the biggest spender in the land.

Meaning, the most valuable client possible.

‘Time to play my cards right.’

Lloyd mentally reviewed everything he had read about the Queen’s personality and traits in Iron-Blooded Knight.

He replayed the countless scenarios he had planned out on the way here.

He went over his grand scheme one last time.

And then, the Queen entered the chamber.

“The Queen has arrived.”

Lloyd quickly dropped to one knee.

He bowed his head.

The sound of the doors opening.

The sound of firm footsteps.

The rustling of robes as the Queen took the throne.

And then, a clear yet commanding voice rang through the hall.

“Lloyd Frontera and Javier Asrahan, raise your heads.”

Lloyd lifted his gaze.

Beyond the red carpet at his feet—

He saw black leather boots.

Then rough brown leather pants.

A solid, well-balanced waist, with a weathered longsword strapped to it.

Above that, a strong, lean torso dressed in simple yet powerful attire.

A firm, confident neckline.

And finally, a woman’s face—one that looked to be in her late thirties.

Waves of fiery red hair, as if made of pure flame.

Eyes of bold, unwavering teal, radiating authority and dignity.

The moment their gazes met, Lloyd nearly let out a whistle in admiration.

‘Damn, that’s cool.’

This was the Queen of this nation.

One of only two living Swordmasters.

The Indomitable Monarch, Queen Alicia Termina Magentano.

She was even more imposing and regal than the descriptions in Iron-Blooded Knight had made her out to be.

Her voice carried even more weight.

“So, you are Lloyd Frontera?”

The Queen glanced down at Javier as she asked.

Lloyd flinched.

“Long live Her Majesty. Lloyd Frontera humbly greets the rightful ruler of this land.”

“……You?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You are Lloyd Frontera?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Hm. Strange. Judging by appearances, the other one looks more like a noble.”

“……”

“Moreover, judging by his presence alone, he seems more fit to cross swords with me.”

Javier flinched.

With just a brief glance, the Queen had already grasped his level.

It was a testament to the keen insight of a Swordmaster.

Queen Alicia arched her red eyebrows slightly.

“In any case, I have heard of your deeds through the heartfelt recommendations of Count Cremo. I commend the courage and sacrifice you both displayed in Cremo City. However—”

Her teal eyes gleamed with an enigmatic light.

“I do not evaluate people solely based on recommendations. I only trust my own eyes. Therefore, I wish to personally assess your abilities. Particularly yours, Lloyd Frontera.”

“By abilities, may I ask what Your Majesty wishes to assess…?”

“It is simple. I have heard that your expertise in civil engineering is remarkable. So, Lloyd Frontera, you will provide an answer—a demonstration of your wisdom.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please ask your question.”

The Queen smirked.

Then, she spoke.

“Lloyd Frontera. In the current state of affairs, what is the most urgently needed construction project in the royal capital, Magenta?”

Her smile turned meaningful.

The truth was, she had already taken an interest in him.

From the moment she read Count Cremo’s report, she had been greatly intrigued by the capabilities Lloyd was said to have displayed.

That was why.

‘Prove yourself. Do so, and I shall personally put you to good use.’

As she looked at Lloyd, she already had a specific answer in mind.

Her eyes gleamed with the desire to discover new talent.

But at that moment, she was completely unaware.

Right at her feet, the man bowing politely was already grinning in triumph.

‘It’s here.’

Just as expected.

Throughout the entire journey, he had been analyzing this exact moment.

He had combed through his memories of Iron-Blooded Knight.

He had cross-referenced rumors and records about the royal capital.

He had pinpointed what the Queen would desire most and what the city needed most.

And now, here she was, asking him the very question he had anticipated and prepared for.

It felt like cramming for an exam the night before, only to find the exact questions on the test.

‘Now, it’s my turn to butter her up.’

A slight curl formed at the corner of Lloyd’s lips.

He licked his lips, shifting his gears into full persuasion mode.

“If I may humbly answer Your Majesty’s question…”

A smooth, confident voice flowed from his lips.

Before him stood the biggest and most powerful client in the entire nation—the Queen herself.

And now, Lloyd was about to scratch the exact itch she had, setting the stage to secure the biggest construction contract of his life.