Sir Neumann, the senior knight of the Frontera barony, hated this provincial fiefdom.
He wanted to succeed. He wanted to live in riches. To him, this was a vile cesspool.
The Frontera barony sat in a remote part of the kingdom. The idyllic scenery did not make up for it being on the outskirts of nowhere. Sir Neumann believed that enjoying the peace and tranquility of the countryside was suitable for retired old hags. This was not the place he belonged. He deserved more than being stuck here to rot.
"I wanted to get out of here!"
He wanted to go somewhere far from these lands. A bigger world was waiting for him, where he'd make his way to the top. He desired a life of luxury. To do that, he had to renounce his allegiance to Baron Frontera. But that was impossible.
He knew very well what happened to knights who swore off their allegiance to their master. They were ostracized wherever they went. No lord wished to take in that sort of knight. The stigma of being a dishonorable knight who betrayed their master would follow them for the rest of their lives.
So, he devised a plan. If he couldn't leave his lord and his dominion, he could bring about their ruin. Then his reputation would not be tarnished. He could leave this sickeningly tacky place without anyone pointing fingers at him.
He put his plan into action and made a deal with an outsider. He sold information about the baron and his estate. This led to the baron falling prey to an investment scam. When the financial burden on the baron became too much to bear, he reached out to loan sharks.
Sir Neumann was ecstatic. Soon the baron would go bankrupt. His freedom was near. Everything was perfect.
"I just had to wait a little longer. So, why? Why am I getting thrashed by this garish twerp?"
Whip!
It was the sound of the shovel flying in his direction. The head of the shovel seemed to grow larger as he stared at it. Then rang a loud and crisp clanging noise, as his head was jerked violently off to one side. His skull rattled from the searing pain.
Thwack!
"Argh!!!" Sir Neumann's legs lost all strength under him. Yet, he somehow barely managed to remain standing. Instead of fighting back, he pleaded in the most pitiful voice he could produce.
"Stop! I do not hold my sword!"
It was true. The sword had already left Sir Neumann long ago. He was unarmed. The victor of the duel was evident to all. It should have ended already by that point. That was the only proper thing to do. By the moral code Sir Neumann once followed, this was the proper procedure. It was just common sense. But Sir Neumann was right; he really had landed himself in a pool of shit.
Even though he was rendered weaponless, Lloyd didn't stop attacking him. Lloyd simply lifted him back up and beat the hell out of him. Sir Neumann cried out in surrender several times, but Lloyd repeatedly turned a deaf ear and kept on beating him. Sir Neumann stumbled as he ran away, but Lloyd was hot on his heels, shovel in hand to hit him again and again.
"S-stop! Please, do not humiliate me any more!" yelled Sir Neumann, unable to hold it back any longer.
But Lloyd didn't answer. Instead, he simply swung his shovel again.
Thwack!
"Argh!!" Neumann's skull shook. Someone… Please stop him… The world around him was beginning to grow dark. He was afraid that he might actually die if it went on. And so, he realized that this wasn't the time to guard his dignity. Eyes brimming with desperation, Sir Neumann looked at Baron Frontera.
"My lord! Please help me!"
Sir Neumann knew that if there was anyone who could put a stop to the merciless thrashing from this son of a bitch, it was his father, the baron. Sir Neumann turned frantically toward his master and collapsed. He lifted his head and stretched out one hand…
"Please!"
At that moment, he forgot what he had done to the baron. He was a traitor. But when his life was at stake, he didn't care about this betrayal. Fortune was on his side then, as the baron rose from his seat.
"Lloyd, do stop now. It appears that the duel is over," Baron Frontera said, his voice ringing loudly in the training center. His voice was low but carried the full weight of his authority as lord of these lands.
All thought then that Lloyd Frontera would stop his thrashing. The farmers, woodcutters, maids, and soldiers all thought the same. It was obvious. The order came from his father, the baron. Lloyd may often have his way, but this was an event of the state. The lord issued an order. No one imagined that Lloyd could ignore his father and continue this ferocious act of brutality.
But they were totally wrong.
Thwack!
The head of the shovel traced a clear arc through the afternoon sky, in a swing like that of a pro golfer at the first tee. It connected with the point of Sir Neumann's chin with a clear and ringing crash.
"Ack…!"
"Ack, my foot," Lloyd scoffed. "It's not over yet. You deserve some more."
Cough, cough! "Ack!" Sir Neumann coughed and sighed.
"Why? Why does it hurt? You think this is unfair? You think I've gone nuts? Is that it?" Lloyd asked.
"S-s-stop!"
"Stop?"
"Y-yes…"
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
Smack!
Lloyd struck Sir Neumann's back with the shovel handle. Sir Neumann collapsed, crying in pain again. But Lloyd's expression was calm and composed.
"You think this is unfair? There's nothing you can do about it. I'm making an example out of you. If you didn't want to end up this way, you shouldn't have stabbed the baron in the back."
There wasn't a single mistruth in his thoughts. It was a fact that the knight was a traitor. Going soft and forgiving him wouldn't teach a lesson to him and everyone else. Would anyone believe he had repented and become a new person? Never. Lloyd shook his head. Such stories existed only in fairytales. Lloyd knew too well how ugly the real world was. He had lived at the bottom of the social pyramid for way too long and he knew how people were.
"I remember when I lived in a dorm. A man got caught after secretly stealing my food from the communal refrigerator. I should have lashed out at him. But instead, I got soft. But being nice wasn't the right answer. At that time, he was so flustered that he missed the opportunity to say something. He simply laughed it off, nicely telling him to never do it again.
But what happened? The guy kept stealing. He even became more brazen after a while and reprimanded Lloyd for being so selfish. The world is all about sharing, the guy said. Lloyd just chuckled in disbelief. That dumbfounded feeling still chafed, even now.
"How can I go soft on this traitor when the world is like that? Not a chance. People were nothing but shameless and selfish creatures who would happily sacrifice their morality over a small meal. Considering that, what would happen if he forgave this betrayer? What would happen if he extended mercy to this disgusting little traitor? He'd take advantage of it.
Lloyd was absolutely certain that would give birth to a gaggle of disgusting chicken hawks like Neumann who would join forces and try to ruin the barony.
"So, I'm going to make an example out of you," Lloyd announced solemnly. "That means I'm going to beat you up until you can't even blink your eyes. It's not over yet. So, stop talking gibberish and get up."
Lloyd had been waiting for this moment. He reached out his hand and grabbed Sir Neumann by the collar. With his other hand, Lloyd picked up his shovel.
"Did you not hear me when I ordered you to stop?!" The baron's scream echoed in the center.
Lloyd flinched and turned to the baron. He answered nonchalantly, "I heard it, sir."
Thwack! He hit the middle of Sir Neumann's head as he answered.
The baron knitted his eyebrows. "What!?"
"I heard your order, but I can't follow it."
Thwack! Lloyd smacked Sir Neumann once more.
The baron's face darkened. "Do you have any idea what you are doing right now?" the baron asked, his voice now high-pitched.
"Of course."
Wham!
Each time the shovel hit Sir Neumann, his body convulsed. The baron's eyes gleamed with rage. "You are dishonoring your opponent," the baron patiently stated, "and what is more, you are mistreating a senior knight who has been serving our family for five generations."
"Yes," Lloyd answered. "And he's also a traitor who betrayed you and this estate after he received so much of your trust."
"What?" The baron flinched.
Lloyd responded coolly, "I knew you'd question me in disbelief. So, I came here prepared with proof. Please look under your tablecloth."
"What…"
"I've placed something for you under there," Lloyd directed.
The baron was dumbfounded. He wondered what his son meant. He couldn't believe that Sir Neumann would betray him. Though he was still too dazed to respond, he lifted the tablecloth as instructed. And his eyes widened in surprise.
"This is…"
There was an envelope. He opened it. Several smudged papers were inside.
"What is this?" Baron Frontera asked.
"I will tell you once you are done reading it," Lloyd replied.
Baron Frontera had a bad feeling about this. His son's attitude was too confident for him to be messing around. He looked at the letters. He calmly started to read through them. Midway through, his fingers trembled, and he finished the rest in one quick skim.
"This is…"
Crumple! The baron clutched the letters. He glared fiercely at Sir Neumann in utter disbelief. His reaction wasn't surprising, given that the letters Lloyd delivered to the baron were the ones Sir Neumann had exchanged with the conman he had sold the information to about the workings of the estate.
Suddenly a name popped into his head. Tordes. He was a young merchant who had approached the baron. A passionate, discreet man with plenty of initiative. He came to the baron's estate one day and guaranteed on his honor that he came bearing good news. He said he knew of a great land investment, but it was worth nothing right now. He assured the baron that he should give it a few years; the value would increase manyfold.
Tordes promised that the baron would increase his assets in a few years if he purchased the land in advance. The baron trusted him, but he knew that every investment opportunity came with risks. Even if the investment went bad or rendered a smaller profit than he expected, he could just sell the land that he'd bought. He was at ease about the whole thing.
Since there was no reason to hesitate, he purchased the land using the estate's money as well as some that were loaned. And now… he had become penniless. It turned out that the lands he had purchased existed only on paper. Of course, he lost all of his investment.
Tordes, who had deceived him, went into hiding after taking the money. The baron found himself under crippling debt overnight. And… the guy who leaked my preferences, interests, finances, and other personal information was… Sir Neumann?
He remembered the many gifts he received from Tordes. From the mahogany furniture to a snow eagle collared shirt. Tordes showered him with gifts that he loved so much. Their topics of conversation were the same. Each time he conversed with Tordes, the subjects that arose were his favorite ones. He wondered how they were so perfectly compatible.
"I thought he and I just clicked. And that's why I trusted him. The result of his trust was painful betrayal and bankruptcy. And Sir Neumann was responsible."
Thwack!
The baron felt his blood curdle. The pounding of his heart rang aloud in his ears. The world was getting hazy, and he suddenly became dizzy.
Lloyd smiled bitterly as he looked at the baron. He must be shocked. His closest associate turned out to be a traitor who was leading him to destruction. The shock and betrayal must be stinging. Even from a distance, Lloyd saw that the baron's face was as pale as a sheet. It wouldn't be strange for him to collapse. Lloyd wondered for a second if he had made the right choice by showing the letters to him.
But what else could I do? I needed hard proof for them to believe me. Ppodong the enchanted hamster was utilized for this purpose. He sent Ppodong into Sir Neumann's bedroom to find the letters. He knew the location of the letters from The Knight of Blood and Iron, which says that the correspondence between Sir Neumann and Tordes was stored in the bedside table drawer.
And it turned out to be true. So Ppodong infiltrated Sir Neumann's bedroom like a good little hamster. He was a small but strong animal, so it was a breeze for him to open the drawer. And that's how Lloyd was able to acquire the letters that incriminated the knight.
The letters contained the promise that Tordes would hire Sir Neumann in the future. It even had a charmed signature that proved the letter was real. That's why Sir Neumann couldn't throw it away. Thanks to that, I was able to get him.
Suddenly, Lloyd felt bitter about everything. He wished that the same thing would have happened in South Korea. Lloyd regretted that he hadn't left the evidence of the swindlers that deceived his father. That would have saved his family from falling into misfortune. His parents wouldn't have died like that at least.
Whew… Come on. Now's not the time to be sentimental. Lloyd shook his head. Now wasn't the time for it. He needed to make sure that this situation went to his advantage. Thinking that, Lloyd lifted his head. He spoke to the baron, whose face was still pale as a sheet.
"Are you okay? If you are dizzy, please take a seat first and take a deep breath," Lloyd suggested.
"All… right…" The baron struggled to speak.
Witnessing the baron's reaction, Lloyd's initial impression that he didn't have the guts to be firm and stern was confirmed. He could only rule over the land with a good heart. Such a person could receive praise from people for being a saint when everything was well and peaceful. But it was a different story when the world was going through tough times. People took advantage of such good-hearted people. He would end up becoming a pushover and fall behind.
"It's clear what the baron is like. Just look at him. Look how he just stands there in shock, not knowing what to do after finding out that his most trusted knight is a traitor."
Shock and chaos clouded the baron's expression. Until now, Sir Neumann was a trustworthy knight to him. The baron didn't know how he should take this betrayal, or how he should take care of it. That was why he was vacillating over his course of action and not being adamantly decisive right away.
"I'll do it for you, then. Someone had to do the job anyway. If the baron did nothing right now, his whole fiefdom would descend into chaos."
Lloyd began to speak, "I, Lloyd Frontera, the son of Arcos Frontera, have something to say as the rightful heir to this estate."
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com