Chapter 338: Dominating the Nobles’ Assembly (1)
Two days had passed.
Since returning from the sparring match with the Queen, Lloyd had been lounging in the royal guest accommodations for two whole days.
Was it because he was contemplating the grand proposal he made to the Queen?
Or perhaps because he was crafting an even grander plan while waiting for the outcome?
Maybe he was observing the capital’s atmosphere and preparing a subtle ploy to understand the political situation?
None of these.
“Ah… Ugh, my back.”
“Is it really that painful?”
“Yes, right there and just below. Yes, there too.”
“Why did you spar with the Queen without any preparation?”
“Ugh, could you be gentler? Do you think I wanted to?”
Lloyd groaned, lying facedown on the bed.
It wasn’t an act.
His whole body ached.
Every joint and muscle hurt.
It felt as if every muscle and joint in his body had been meticulously disassembled, then randomly reassembled.
Lloyd recalled the person who had bestowed this hellish muscle pain upon him.
‘Ha. I thought I had properly blocked the Queen’s attacks back then.’
He was sure he had.
It had been a long and intense sparring session.
The opponent was Queen Alicia, an extreme swordmaster.
Even so, he thought he had performed exceptionally well.
Despite the Queen’s relentless attacks, he had managed to avoid direct hits most of the time.
‘Except for the knee to the solar plexus and the chokehold. Just twice.’
He had been somewhat proud of himself.
The Queen was practically an unstoppable human weapon, forged through intense training and countless battles.
Perhaps second only to Javier in this world.
To have fought so well against such a being?
He had fared more than adequately.
‘Or so I thought.’
He had returned to his quarters and taken a refreshing shower, feeling great as he fell asleep.
But by the time the next morning came, he had to face reality.
Morning arrived with the realization that there was something worse than a headache or toothache—muscle pain from sparring with the Queen.
‘I was proud of holding my own, but it was a mistake.’
Upon waking, he felt as though his entire body had been pummeled with a meat tenderizer.
He couldn’t even sit up in bed.
He had felt fine before falling asleep, but after waking up, it was as if he had been in a car accident.
It was only then that he understood the situation.
‘Just defending against the Queen’s attacks had built up damage in my body.’
It made sense.
Considering her overwhelming aura the previous day.
It was nonsense to think a human body could endure that without consequences.
Thus, he had spent the last two days lying on either the bed or the sofa, suffering from the aftermath of that muscle pain.
“…So, could you be gentler when removing the gauze?”
“No.”
Riiiip!
Javier refused curtly, pulling the gauze off.
The gauze was soaked with herbs used for muscle and joint pain.
The problem was that the herbs had dried overnight.
As a result, removing the gauze felt like tearing the skin off his back, adding a new layer of pain.
Lloyd clutched his hair and begged while lying face down on the bed.
“Ugh… Ahhh! If you’re not going to be gentle, just rip it off quickly!”
“No.”
Riiiiip!
With a cold refusal, Javier’s hand slowed down.
The gauze peeled away meticulously, plucking countless fine hairs from Lloyd’s back.
“…Ack! Ow! Y-you…!”
“Were you about to curse?”
“Of course!”
“Even so, I won’t change the way I remove this.”
“Why not?”
“Because the doctor advised it.”
“What did that quack say?”
“That when the herbs dry on the gauze, it’s best to remove it slowly.”
“Best for what?”
“For my mood, apparently.”
“…”
“Seeing your reaction now, I understand what he meant. He’s certainly a skilled doctor worthy of the palace.”
“You! That’s not a skilled doctor. You’re lying using the doctor’s name, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you caught me.”
Riiiiip!
“…Aaaagh!”
Lloyd screamed again, and Javier smiled with satisfaction.
But the smile didn’t last long.
“But Lloyd.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Not telling you.”
“…”
“If you remove the gauze properly, I’ll tell you. What are you curious about?”
“The rumor that’s been shaking the capital for the past two days.”
“Yes?”
“The rumor that an angel descended while you were meeting with the Queen and gave a decree. Is it true?”
“Yes.”
“And the decree was to bestow the royal sacred artifact, the Eyes of Summer, to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then, is it true that you asked the archangel for that?”
“Yes, that’s it. That’s what I asked the archangel for.”
“…”
“What? Why are you glaring at me like that?”
“It’s not anger; it’s disbelief.”
“Disbelief?”
“I won’t lecture you about trying to corrupt angels like Satan. No matter what I say, you won’t change. But what I want to say is—”
“What is it?”
“If you orchestrated this with the archangel, you shouldn’t be lying around like this.”
“Hmmm, why?”
“Because this isn’t the time to be lying down.”
Lloyd, still lying down, wasn’t visible, but Javier could sense it.
This guy was probably smirking cunningly again.
Just like when he used to pull off strange schemes.
With that in mind, Javier spoke earnestly.
“The whole capital is in an uproar right now. It’s chaos because of you and the decree.”
“Why? Is there a fight?”
“Yes.”
Javier nodded.
The silver-haired knight continued.
“Opinions and public sentiment in the capital are divided.”
“Between those who support giving me the Eyes of Summer according to the decree, and those who oppose giving away a royal sacred artifact even if it’s a decree. Is that roughly how it’s split?”
“…Did you foresee this?”
“Yes, roughly.”
Lloyd shrugged.
Then he winced from the muscle pain and spoke.
“It’s easy to predict. It’s a situation where you have to choose between an absolute divine decree and a noble treasure of the royal family.”
“Exactly.”
“So, the capital is bustling because of this.”
“Of course. From market vendors and porters to farmers trading crops, patrolling guards, children, and even the high nobles, everyone is divided into supporters and opponents, debating and sometimes arguing.”
“An active society full of debate culture. Ideal.”
“…”
Riiiip!
“…Aaargh! Hey!”
“Are you really joking in this situation?”
“Why not?”
“Get out of bed, then.”
“Go outside?”
“Yes.”
Javier spoke earnestly.
“Your goal is to obtain the Eyes of Summer, the royal sacred artifact.”
“Well, yes. You heard what the Ice Dragon said, right?”
“Yes, I did. The warning that you would suffer side effects from the coldness of the Winter Heart. So, you need the Eyes of Summer, which has the opposite attribute. That’s why I’m saying, with public opinion in the capital split evenly, you need to go out and convince people.”
“Do you want me to go out and convince people to support me?”
“Yes.”
Javier nodded.
“At times like this, you need to gather as much support as possible to sway public opinion in your favor. That’s how you’ll achieve your goal of obtaining the Eyes of Summer.”
“Well, it’s not entirely wrong, but—”
Lloyd chuckled.
“If you dig deeper, it’s slightly wrong.”
“Slightly wrong?”
“If I move to bolster support, it’ll also strengthen the opposition’s argument.”
“…Ah.”
“Now you get it.”
“Yes, I was short-sighted. If you move to gather support, it will be seen as an act of greed for the royal sacred artifact, the Eyes of Summer.”
“Exactly. The opposition will latch onto that point. They might even use it to frame me as a traitor. I’d be walking into a backlash.”
Lloyd wore a bitter smile.
It was a plausible scenario.
He did have the strong favor of being ‘the one who carries Magentano.’
Thanks to that favor, he wouldn’t be branded a traitor.
‘But just being framed as a traitor would bolster the opposition’s argument. It would drag me into a debate about whether I’m a traitor or not, damaging my image. That’s what the opposition wants.’
It didn’t matter if he wasn’t actually punished as a traitor.
Just the framing would damage his image, preventing him from receiving the Eyes of Summer.
That’s what the opposition desired.
“So, there’s no need to do what the opposition wants. Besides, I’m genuinely in a lot of pain. Absolute rest is what I need right now. Don’t you think?”
“Then do you have another plan in mind?”
“Yes. The Noble Assembly will summon me soon.”
“The Noble Assembly?”
“Yes, it seems they’re here now. This is a day earlier than expected.”
Lloyd smiled broadly.
At that moment, Javier looked towards the door.
“The footsteps coming down the corridor?”
“Yes.”
As Lloyd nodded, there was a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Excuse me. Is Earl Lloyd Frontera inside?”
Judging by the voice, it was someone from the palace.
The palace official entered the room and announced his business.
“Sorry to disturb your rest. Here, the Noble Assembly sent this for you.”
“Hmm, I see. Thank you.”
The palace official handed over an envelope.
On its surface was written, “Summons to the Assembly.”
As expected.
After the official left, Lloyd grinned at Javier, waving the envelope.
“See? This is it.”
“…”
“Now, let’s get dressed and go. Ugh. My aching bones.”
“…”
What on earth is this man thinking?
What mindset leads to predicting and calculating like this?
Javier’s gaze deepened as he looked at Lloyd.
‘Seoul. What kind of life did you live there?’
Suddenly, he recalled his brief visit to Seoul.
A city filled with smog.
A vast city of endless neon lights.
The suspected hometown of the fake Lloyd.
He wondered how the fake Lloyd had lived there.
What kind of place could produce such a monster (?)
But those thoughts didn’t last long.
“I’ll help. Your arm, this way.”
Now was the time to help Lloyd achieve his goal.
To assist him in benefiting the family.
With that thought, Javier helped Lloyd prepare and get ready to depart for the assembly.
They boarded the carriage sent by the Noble Assembly.
The ride was brief.
The building exuded a sense of old history.
Following the guidance, they entered the assembly.
Finally, they arrived at the main chamber.
At that moment, a deafening sound pierced their ears.
“No! Count Peruza! You can’t say that. We haven’t even heard from the person who received the decree yet!”
“So, you’re saying we should listen to Earl Lloyd Frontera’s self-defense? You’re suggesting we should hand over the precious royal sacred artifact to a mere earl’s successor, without question?”
“Hand over, you say? That’s excessive. Besides, it’s a decree. Didn’t you see the holy angel descend and deliver the decree with your own eyes, Count Peruza?”
“So, you’re saying I’m committing blasphemy now?”
“Compared to calling me a traitor earlier, it’s quite mild.”
“Oh? This person, really!”
“This person? Really!”
The high-pitched voices were like a full-swing argument.
Despite the elegant setting and attire, the atmosphere was akin to a brawl.
This was the sight Lloyd and Javier encountered upon arriving at the assembly’s main chamber.
Javier’s elegant eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
In contrast, Lloyd?
He smiled warmly.
‘Ah, the scent of home.’
How could the assembly so closely resemble a job market where workers fought each other for first dibs early in the morning?
Lloyd felt a familiar sense of nostalgia.
At the same time, he reviewed his plan.
Debates and arguments.
Conflicts and opposing opinions.
The sinister intentions and strategies that emerged from them.
He was ready to deliver a masterstroke to everyone.
His preparation was perfect.