The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 385: A Sincere Resolution (Part 3)

[The forces of the Hell Legion that will invade the Frontera estate… will be led by an advance force of 500 Hell Knights.]

‘What?’

Lloyd froze.

For a moment, he almost exhaled the breath he was holding underwater.

The answer he received was too absurd.

‘Five hundred Hell Knights? You’re telling me there will be 500 like Sir Geo-Rexius?’

Sir Geo-Rexius was stronger than a Sword Master.

If one were to properly stop just one Geo-Rexius?

At least three Sword Masters would be required.

Even the current Queen, who was considered stronger than an ordinary Sword Master, would find herself at a disadvantage one-on-one.

That was the sheer power of a Hell Knight.

‘And 500 of those monsters are going to be sent?’

That number was even greater than all the Sword Masters recorded in the entire history of the Lorasia continent!

‘…’

A chill ran down his spine.

But it didn’t end there.

[The 500 Hell Knights will form the vanguard and invade the Frontera estate. Additionally, 1,500 High-Ranking Satans and 5,000 Mid- to Low-Ranking Satans will comprise the main force. Lastly…]

‘There’s more?’

[The Legion will be commanded by a Lich imbued with the soul of the Hell King.]

‘The soul?’

Lloyd swallowed dryly and asked.

The Jewel of Truth immediately answered.

[The soul is the pure essence containing the spirit of the Hell King. The earthly body that accepts it becomes a divine incarnation, known as an Avatar, directly connected to the Hell King’s true form.]

‘…So, the Hell King is going to possess the Lich and personally lead the Hell Legion?’

[Correct.]

“……”

Lloyd fell silent.

He could feel it in his very bones.

‘The Hell King… He’s serious this time.’

That means he’s coming down personally, using the Lich as an Avatar.

He’s planning to lead the army himself to annihilate us.

But Lloyd had a lingering question.

‘But is that even possible? I’ve heard the Hell King never directly intervenes, that he only punishes souls according to the laws and rules of Hell.’

[That’s correct.]

‘Then how can he do this? Isn’t possessing the Lich and leading the army directly breaking the rules?’

[No, it’s not.]

‘How?’

[Because the black magician who became the Lich, Rupellan, requested it from the Hell King.]

‘You’re saying… he asked the Hell King to use his body as a vessel and descend as an Avatar?’

[Yes. Rupellan desired nothing more than your destruction and the fall of the Frontera estate. He was so consumed by vengeance that he was willing to offer his soul as a vessel to the Avatar.]

‘…’

[Rupellan asked the Hell King, and the Hell King accepted his request. This allowed the Hell King to exercise his power on the earthly plane without violating the laws of Hell.]

‘I see. So the Hell King isn’t making the first move. He’s simply accepting the request of an earthly being and acting on it. The result is the same, but the motivation and cause are different, so he’s not breaking any rules of Hell.’

Lloyd finally understood.

It was clear when he thought from the Hell King’s perspective.

‘The Hell King has been itching to kill me. But I’ve survived by the skin of my teeth every time, so he must have been getting frustrated.’

But then, out of the blue?

An unexpected opportunity arose.

Someone offered their soul as a vessel, asking the Hell King to descend and kill Lloyd Frontera.

‘The Hell King must have seen this as a golden opportunity. He was itching to take direct action, and here was his chance handed to him on a silver platter.’

He would have accepted immediately.

‘And that kind of request isn’t common. The Hell King isn’t an ordinary being. The vessel that could accept such a divine essence wouldn’t be an ordinary being either.’

But Rupellan, the one who made the request, was a Lich.

A powerful undead sorcerer considered on par with, or even surpassing, a Hell Knight.

He was likely the perfect vessel to contain the Hell King’s soul.

‘If I were the Hell King, I wouldn’t be able to resist such a request. Liches only appear once every few thousand years, and here’s one who wants to kill me. Where else could you find a more perfect opportunity?’

For the Hell King?

It must have seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Like someone who had seen the winning lottery numbers rushing to the store to buy a ticket.

The Hell King would have immediately accepted Rupellan’s request.

‘Damn it.’

Lloyd’s mind raced, piecing together the puzzle.

He asked the Jewel of Truth.

‘What about other forces? Is there anything else?’

[No, that is all.]

“…”

That was the Jewel’s final answer.

It fell silent, indicating that it had completed answering this round of questions.

In that quietness, Lloyd clenched his fists tightly.

He slowly ascended to the surface.

“Huaa.”

He let out the breath he had been holding.

He swam slowly towards the shore, pushing through the rippling waves.

And as he swam, he organized his thoughts.

‘Now I understand. Why the Ending Spoiler showed such a disastrous outcome.’

He suddenly recalled the Ending Spoiler he had seen last night.

It was the worst ending he had ever witnessed.

The most horrifying, gruesome, and tragic.

Frankly, he had been confused and curious.

‘The timing indicated that the Hell Legion would invade in 90 days. That should have given me enough time to prepare 2 billion liters of holy water. But the outcome I saw was utter defeat.’

How could the forces be so overwhelming that it resulted in such a loss?

But now, after hearing the Jewel’s answer?

‘It makes sense why we’d be crushed.’

Thousands of Satans.

Five hundred Hell Knights.

And the Hell King himself, descending into the Lich’s body as an Avatar.

‘Damn it. How could we possibly win against that?’

The thought weighed on him as he swam.

The disparity in power was overwhelming.

Two billion liters of holy water?

Preparing that and feeling confident now seemed utterly foolish.

‘Can we even win?’

A doubt crept in.

‘Or would it be better to just end it?’

Would that stop the invasion?

Would it save the people who would be caught up in it?

If he just died and disappeared.

Would that stop the cursed restoration of fate?

Would everyone be safe then?

For a moment, such thoughts crossed his mind.

But Lloyd quickly shook his head.

‘No. That won’t work.’

Suicide was not an option.

It wasn’t a solution.

It would only lead to the worst possible outcome.

‘Of course. Rupellan’s request to the Hell King was to descend as an Avatar using his Lich body. To kill Lloyd Frontera and annihilate the Frontera estate… that was the request.’

That’s what the Jewel of Truth had revealed.

So now, the stakes had been raised.

‘If I just die, the invasion won’t stop. I remember reading in *The Iron-Blooded Knight* about the conditions for mythic beings like the Hell King or the Archangel to descend as Avatars. It’s a kind of contract. When a god-like being accepts a descent request, they are bound by contract to fulfill the conditions.’

And if they fail?

The true form of that being would be destroyed.

So, to summarize the situation?

‘The Hell King is now obligated to kill me and obliterate the Frontera estate. If he fails to do so, he’ll be destroyed.’

That’s why the Hell King is bringing his full force to crush us.

‘That’s why he’s mobilizing 500 Hell Knights. He’s practically bringing the entire core of Hell’s forces.’

Thinking about it sent chills down Lloyd’s spine.

A being as powerful as the Hell King.

Risking everything.

To kill him.

To annihilate the people of his estate.

The sheer overwhelming force was suffocating.

And so, as Lloyd swam toward the shore, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ha, haha.”

Was he laughing because he was scared?

Because the overwhelming odds were driving him insane?

No.

It was the opposite.

He saw a glimmer of hope.

‘When you think about it, this is a do-or-die situation.’

In other words, it was now a matter of whether he and the estate would be destroyed.

Or if the Hell King would be obliterated.

One or the other.

When he looked past the overwhelming difference in power, he saw something else.

The Hell King, too, had risked everything.

He could see the immense risk the Hell King had taken.

‘If the Hell King fails to destroy me and the estate, he won’t be able to fulfill the Avatar contract and will be destroyed.’

In the face of such a contract, even the Hell King was not invincible.

Even a mythic being would face annihilation if they couldn’t keep their promise.

Realizing that, Lloyd felt a surge of determination.

‘We can do this. We just need to prepare.’

He clenched his fist tightly.

As the old saying goes, “Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you will win a hundred battles.”

He knew the invasion would happen in 90 days.

He knew the exact size of the invading force.

So he just needed to prepare accordingly.

It was daunting, almost nauseatingly so.

But…

‘I’ll do it, even if I have to vomit a hundred, a thousand times over.’

That’s how he had lived his life.

***

He had persevered through everything.

And as a result, he had come this far.

But he didn’t want to give up and collapse here.

Giving up now would be a waste of the life he had fought so hard to overcome.

‘Just one more time.’

He would endure.

He would win.

With that resolve, Lloyd began to calculate, to strategize, to focus.

That focus remained as he reached the shore.

Even when Javier handed him a towel.

“Lloyd? Surely that confession wasn’t serious, right? That you genuinely care for and love all the people of the estate and the workers.”

Javier said jokingly, unable to believe it.

But Lloyd didn’t respond.

He didn’t answer at all.

He didn’t even take the towel.

He just walked past Javier.

His gaze fixed on the ground, sometimes looking up at the distant sky.

Consumed by countless calculations, predictions, and plans.

Muttering to himself as he walked.

Past the outskirts of the estate.

Past the apartment complex.

Through several villages.

Until finally, he returned to the lord’s mansion.

Still deep in thought, drenched hair and clothes dripping water.

He walked into his office.

“Lloyd? I was just… Oh?”

The Count of Frontera, who had been about to greet him, paused.

His expression changed.

“What in the world… What happened to you this morning?”

The Count seemed startled by Lloyd’s soaking wet appearance.

He quickly stood up.

He approached, pulling out a handkerchief.

He hurriedly began to dry Lloyd’s hair and face.

His eyes anxiously scanning Lloyd from head to toe.

“Are you alright? Did something happen? You’re going to catch a cold like this. Sit down for now.”

He led Lloyd to a chair, draping a blanket over his shoulders.

He seemed genuinely worried.

Perhaps that’s why.

Lloyd couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“I’m fine.”

“Fine? You look like a drowned rat. Did you fall into the river or something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then?”

“I’m sure you saw it earlier. The words that the Jewel of Truth displayed in the sky.”

“…Ah.”

The Count hesitated.

Then he asked.

“So, you went into the water to use the Jewel of Truth?”

“Yes.”

“But why didn’t you dry off first?”

“There are some things I need to think about, and something I need to discuss with you.”

“With me? You have something to say?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd nodded slowly.

Even as he spoke, his mind didn’t stop.

He thought about the overwhelming force the Hell King would bring.

How to confront that Hell Legion and avoid defeat.

What preparations would be needed to execute that plan.

The support he would need to request.

The resources and order in which to gather them.

He considered all of this.

He thought.

He organized.

He summarized.

Then, he spoke succinctly.

“There are a few letters I need you to write, and one thing I need you to approve.”

“Letters? Approval? From me?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me. What has you so worked up this morning?”

The Count’s expression grew serious as well.

He knew this child sitting before him.

The one with the face of his son never made such requests lightly.

It had always been that way.

Following this child’s advice had saved him, his wife, and their estate.

So he would do the same now.

He would respect and follow this child’s advice.

If there was anything he could do to help, he would.

He was prepared.

The Count waited for Lloyd to speak.

And finally.

Lloyd opened his mouth.

“First, I need you to write a few requests for military support. The recipients are the Magentano Royal Family, the Sultanate of the East, the Count of Cremo, the Count of Namaran, the Orc Tribal Alliance, the Elven Confederation, the Mermaid Kingdom of the Arctic Sea, the Centaur Tribes of the Great Plains, and others.”

“…What?”

The Count’s eyes widened.

But Lloyd’s next words plunged him into even greater shock.

“And one more thing. I need your permission to blow up the dam holding back Capua Lake in the Eastern Mountain Range.”