Chapter 84
“Let’s start here.”
It was an unusually sunny afternoon.
Under the bright midwinter sunlight, Lloyd raised his hand to create a shade.
Through the shadow cast over his eyes, he squinted slightly and scanned the Magena River.
‘Survey.’
Tzuzuzuzuzu!
A mystical energy flickered in his pupils.
At the same time, his vision transformed.
Overlaid onto the scenery before him, countless pieces of information emerged.
It was as if he were viewing the world through augmented reality.
Thanks to this, Lloyd could effortlessly grasp the details of the terrain stretching along the Magena River.
‘The sloped riverbank is covered with neatly arranged stone pavement. Above that, there’s a road for pedestrians and carriages, and just beyond it, buildings… Hmm, this is going to be tight.’
The Magena River, much like the Han River, ran through the heart of the capital.
But unlike the Han River, there was a key difference.
The cityscape was built directly against the riverbanks.
In some areas, the distance between the riverbank road and the nearest buildings was barely ten meters.
‘Rather than the Han River, this feels more like the Seine in Paris or the Danube in Budapest.’
He had never personally visited Paris or Budapest.
However, he had studied urban development cases before.
Regardless, the area he was surveying was anything but quiet.
It was the complete opposite of a deserted riverbank.
A carriage passed by just beside him.
Puhing! It snorted, releasing a puff of warm breath from its nostrils.
To top it off, it generously dropped a heap of manure before trotting away.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Numerous pedestrians bustled about.
It felt like the lively streets of Hongdae on a Friday evening.
In fact, many of those passersby began pausing in their tracks. They gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves while glancing in his direction.
“Oh my, look at that man.”
“How can someone be that sculpturally handsome?”
“The sunlight is literally shining brighter because of him…”
“Hmm, impressive. He reminds me of my younger days—radiating charm like that.”
“Sir, you still shine brightly to this day.”
“Hohoho, do I now?”
“Yes, sir. Your scalp is positively gleaming.”
“Ahem! Do you not wish to report to work tomorrow?”
…Such murmurs rippled endlessly. Dozens, even hundreds of eyes twinkled in fascination as they focused on a single point.
Their attention was drawn to one person.
Javier.
‘Hah, this is driving me crazy.’
Lloyd exhaled deeply.
Then, he shot a resentful glance to his side.
“Hey.”
“You called for me, Lord Lloyd?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“What is the matter?”
Javier responded in his usual calm, cool demeanor.
Lloyd clicked his tongue and grumbled.
“Can you walk a bit further away from me?”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you mean, ‘excuse me’? Just look over there.”
“…….”
“What do you see?”
“I see people.”
“Right? And what are they doing?”
“They are murmuring while looking this way.”
“You, of all people, should be able to hear exactly what they’re saying in detail, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then don’t you feel anything about this situation?”
“I do.”
Javier answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Before returning to our lodgings in the royal capital, I should get a basket.”
“A basket?”
“Yes.”
“And why exactly? Are you planning to wear it over your head to cover your face?”
Lloyd smirked.
It was amusing. Since when did Javier start thinking of such practical solutions?
Considering how people—especially the rapidly growing crowd of women—were gathering to admire Javier, it made sense. It was reaching the point where they might form a Javier fan club on the spot. His surveying work was being disrupted.
“If you’re going to wear one, get a big one and cover up properly.”
Lloyd chuckled, throwing in a lighthearted jab.
But for some reason, Javier didn’t laugh.
Instead, he tilted his head, puzzled, as if he didn’t understand.
“Wear it? Why would I need to cover my face?”
“……Huh?”
“I’m telling you now, that’s not what I need the basket for.”
“Then what is it for?”
“It’s to conveniently carry everything I’ll be receiving back to our lodgings.”
“Everything you’ll be receiving…? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. Love letters.”
“…….”
“If it’s just a few, it’s manageable. But when they start piling up, it becomes troublesome. The sizes of the letters and envelopes vary widely. Some even scribble quick notes on the spot and hand them over immediately.”
“So, you’re planning to get a basket specifically for transporting love letters?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
Javier nodded confidently, as if this were a matter of course.
Lloyd unconsciously bit his lower lip.
‘Ugh, damn these ridiculously handsome guys.’
The world was unfair.
He wished Javier would develop hemorrhoids in the future.
Even better, chronic constipation along with it.
While harboring such small and innocent hopes deep in his heart, Lloyd growled.
“Fine, whatever. But still, keep some distance from me when you walk.”
“Why?”
“I can’t focus.”
And it was true.
“Forget the murmuring; the crowd itself is blocking my view. What are they all doing, gathering like that for no reason? I need to properly examine the riverbank and surrounding area for the survey, but this? It’s like some superstar descended, or they’re watching an animal in a zoo. Seriously, society is doomed.”
“So, are you saying that these people are interfering with your survey?”
“Obviously.”
“And if I walk further away, they will interfere less?”
“Probably?”
“Even so, I cannot comply with that order.”
“……Why not?”
“Because watching Lord Lloyd tremble with jealousy is quite amusing.”
“Kugh!”
“I’m joking.”
“That didn’t sound like a joke at all.”
Lloyd narrowed his eyes.
Javier, still as composed and indifferent as ever, responded calmly.
“It was a joke. Ultimately, I am your bodyguard, Lord Lloyd. This is a crowded and busy area. Close protection is essential to prepare for any unforeseen situations.”
“And as a bonus, you get to enjoy watching me seethe?”
“Is that how you feel?”
“Oh, absolutely. You’re protecting my body while beating my mental state to a pulp. Must be fun, huh?”
“As you say, it is an obvious truth.”
“…….”
“Heh.”
“…….”
Lloyd decided to keep his mouth shut and focus on surveying.
Swallowing the bitter reality of having to work beside a man who could go down in history as one of the most devastatingly handsome, Lloyd resumed his measurements.
Truthfully, the crowd gathering just to gawk at Javier was a bit of a hindrance. Still, he couldn’t exactly shoo them all away, so he did the next best thing—he moved around, changing his observation points to collect detailed data.
And soon, a pattern became clear.
‘There’s a reason why the bridges keep collapsing.’
Signs of periodic flooding were evident along the riverbanks.
To the naked eye, one might have overlooked them, but with his surveying ability, it was crystal clear.
The difference in soil composition between the stone pavement and the ground revealed it.
‘There are minute traces of soil here that differ from the local city soil. But it only appears up to the height where the floodwaters reached. This soil is characteristic of sediment from upstream.’
Most likely, soil from upstream was carried down by floodwaters, rising to a certain height before leaving behind traces.
And that height was substantial.
Far higher than expected.
‘At its peak, the water level submerged not just the bridge’s pillars but even the flat upper portion where people and carriages pass. No ordinary stone bridge could withstand that.’
Once the deck—the part where people and carriages traverse—gets submerged, a bridge is as good as doomed.
The expansive, flat structure would be subjected to overwhelming lateral water pressure from the current.
Not to mention, buoyancy from the rising water would further destabilize it.
The equilibrium of forces that were considered during the bridge’s design and maintenance would be entirely thrown off.
‘That being said, they probably couldn’t just build the bridges higher either.’
To raise a stone bridge higher, the supporting pillars needed to be stronger and larger.
But that would mean the pillars would obstruct the river’s flow even more, increasing water pressure on them.
The stronger the bridge, the more pressure it would have to endure.
The more they tried to make a bigger, sturdier bridge?
The greater the risk became—a paradox of its own.
‘Looks like advocating for a suspension bridge was the right move.’
Lloyd nodded to himself.
The suspension bridge he had proposed to the queen—
If built, it would bypass most of the problems that had plagued the previous stone bridges.
Because there would be no need to place pillars in the middle of the river.
‘The river is about 238 meters wide. That’s enough to place the main towers on both banks—where they won’t be submerged.’
The plan was simple.
Construct the main towers.
Suspend cables from them.
Use those cables to hold the bridge in midair.
That way, even if the river flooded, the bridge wouldn’t take any direct impact.
That was Lloyd’s calculation.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
No, to be honest, it was a monumental challenge.
Understanding the gravity of it, Lloyd locked himself in the royal palace’s lodging as soon as he finished his survey.
He spent the entire evening—and the entire night—working on the suspension bridge’s design.
Using his design skill’s simulation feature, he generated and tested countless models.
And naturally, the most critical challenge in this design became evident: the cables.
Cables were essentially thick bundles of iron wires twisted together.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul?”
While deep in thought about how to manufacture cables, Lloyd had an idea.
He turned to Bangul, who was lazily rolling around nearby.
“Hey, you know how you process steel, right?”
“Bangul!”
“Do you think you could make it much thinner than usual?”
“Bababangul?”
“About this thin?”
Lloyd raised his hand and pinched the air between his thumb and index finger.
The gap was about five millimeters.
“Exactly this size.”
“Baangul?”
“Possible?”
“Bangul?”
Bangul tilted her head slightly, looking somewhat coy.
Was that a yes or a no?
It was a bit ambiguous.
She seemed like she was expecting something.
Lloyd slyly asked,
“If I do something for you, will it be possible?”
“Bangul!”
Finally, Bangul nodded.
Clearly delighted that Lloyd had picked up on her unspoken request, she began chattering away.
“Bababangul! Bangul! Bangulbangulbangul! Bababangul! Babangbababangul!”
“…Wait, what? You need a mixture of oil-based clay and sedimentary clay in a 1:1 ratio? And on top of that, you need sand rich in magnetite, loam, and gravel?”
“Bangul! Bababangul! Bangul!”
“And you want it shaped like a pizza?”
“Bababangul!”
“You mean like spreading the clay like dough, then layering everything on top?”
“Bangul!”
“And while we’re at it, you want basalt, obsidian, peridot, lapis lazuli, talc, and tin as toppings?”
“Bababangul!”
“Would you like a side of yellow clay cheese crust with that too, dear customer?”
“Bangul!”
“…Well, at least that’s everything.”
According to Bangul, if she consumed the right types and proportions of soil, she could produce incredibly thin yet durable steel wires—practically like metal threads.
Fortunately, the materials she described weren’t impossible to obtain.
“Alright. I’ll make a request to the royal family for them.”
“Bangul!”
And with that, Lloyd set out to meet with the royal officials.
He submitted a formal request for the materials Bangul needed.
Lloyd made sure to emphasize that these materials were essential for the construction of the suspension bridge under the direct command of Her Majesty.
Perhaps because of this, he received a response that everything would be prepared within a few days.
‘We absolutely need those fine wires, no matter what it takes.’
They were crucial for manufacturing the cables.
In particular, the 5mm diameter wire he had requested from Bangul was the key component of this project.
It was necessary for creating the Parallel Wire Strand (PWS) cables, which he had been considering from the start.
‘Phew. With this, all the necessary preparations are in place.’
He had spent days working on the design, barely getting any sleep.
Having locked himself in his lodgings all that time, he was stepping outside for the first time in a while. Some of the tension in his body eased slightly.
Perhaps that was why—
His head felt a little light, and a dull throbbing spread through his temples.
‘I need to clear my head. Just for today, I’ll take it easy.’
Lloyd massaged the stiff back of his neck.
There was still a mountain of work left to do. But if he kept pushing forward like this, he’d collapse before completing anything.
‘And besides, I have another task that I can handle while taking a break.’
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Only now did he remember—
Ever since arriving in the capital, he had been so preoccupied with Her Majesty’s commission that he had completely forgotten an important request.
“When you reach the capital, make sure to deliver this to your younger brother. And don’t forget to tell him that we love him.”
The memory of that day surfaced—the day he departed from the barony.
In that memory, Baron and Baroness Frontera had entrusted him with a large bundle.
It had been packed with all sorts of items.
‘Homemade bacon from the estate, a winter coat, blankets… and so much more. What is this? I’m not some peddler lugging around a merchant’s sack.’
Recalling it, his bitter smile deepened.
He could vividly picture the baron and baroness carefully preparing the bundle, thinking of their child.
And so—
‘Might as well get moving and stretch my legs while I’m at it.’
Lloyd returned to his lodgings.
He grabbed the large bundle he had received from the baron and baroness, then set out into the capital.
Weaving through the city streets, he made his way toward Magenta University, the Royal Academy—
Where Julian Frontera, his younger brother, awaited.
In The Iron-Blooded Knight, Julian Frontera had been mentioned as Lloyd’s kin.
A promising but unfortunate scholar who had studied at the Royal Academy but never had the chance to flourish.
And now, the moment was approaching—
The moment he would finally meet this unknown younger brother.
