Skinny Shailo and fat Mitrov.
The two loan sharks fled in a panic.
Of course, before running away, they didn't forget to comply with Lloyd's demands.
They had no choice.
Orc warrior Aroshi was snorting beside them.
He glared at the two loan sharks with eyes like an enraged gorilla.
The moment the words "these guys are enemies of the Frontera Barony" came out of Lloyd's mouth, he looked ready to lift the table and smash their heads in.
There probably weren't many humans who could stay calm with such a furious orc at their side.
The two loan sharks were no exception.
"If this goes on, we might really die."
Sweat glands went into overdrive on the backs of Shailo and Mitrov.
It wasn't just vague fear or anxiety.
They knew.
To an orc warrior, human laws meant nothing.
"If things go south, he could just kill us here and flee into the wilderness."
They'd die screaming at the hands of a raging orc.
The two loan sharks wanted no part of such a dog's death.
The moment they finished their mental calculations, they plastered on salesman's smiles.
"Eh? When did we ever say we wouldn't meet Young Master's demands? Of course we'll do it. Absolutely."
Mitrov said hurriedly.
Shailo jumped right in after him.
"It's a given. What kind of relationship do we have? Got the IOU? We can write it up right now."
"Is that so? Goodness. So grateful."
Naturally, a sly smile bloomed on Lloyd's face.
And so Lloyd presented the two loan sharks with the IOU.
The contents were just two items.
They would allow partial repayment of the debts owed by the baron going forward.
They would reduce the interest amount based on the remaining debt.
"..."
The two loan sharks clutched their aching hearts and agreed to the IOU.
Under the silent pressure Lloyd shot their way, they had to sign and even press their thumbs.
"Then... we'll be off!"
The moment they stamped their thumbs, Shailo and Mitrov bolted like dogs desperate to poop.
Lloyd, who had attempted negotiations(?) with them.
His goal was achieved.
"Perfect. The maximum result possible in this situation."
Using orc Aroshi for intimidation had been highly efficient.
Orc warriors were blindly loyal.
They weren't bound by human laws.
They were the fist closer than the law made flesh.
The two loan sharks who loved exploiting laws and systems.
They were the perfect counterpick.
"Of course, if I could do whatever I wanted, I'd properly threaten them and wipe the debt clean."
But he couldn't.
It was impossible from the start.
"It'd be illegal. Even if it's a loan shark debt, it's legally owed."
Invalidating such a debt through threats?
The two loan sharks would definitely report it.
The charge would be something like extortionate financial crime.
The entire baron's family would face serious legal trouble.
"That would be a problem."
On the other hand, the two agreements from the IOU?
They were the maximum possible within the bounds of the law.
The best gains appropriate to the situation.
"I'll settle for this for now. Greed too far leads to choking. One step at a time. The path will appear."
The debt was still a staggering amount with no clear path to repayment.
But with hard work and sweat, it could all be cleared someday.
Thinking that, Lloyd turned to the baron and Aroshi.
"Now that our territory and the Iron Sand Tribe have joined hands for the first time in a while, how about we take a commemorative photo... no, a portrait to mark the occasion?"
"Sounds good."
The baron nodded happily.
Aroshi tilted his head at "portrait."
Lloyd ordered the estate administrator to fetch a painter.
Frontera Barony, a rural territory in the kingdom's eastern corner.
And the Iron Sand Tribe, powerhouses beyond the eastern mountains.
The historic moment when these disparate forces formally became blood allies.
♣
It started the next day.
Lloyd began bustling about before even shaking off the fatigue from crossing the mountains.
"No time to slack off."
Time wasn't on his side.
Even now, days ticked by relentlessly.
With each passing day, interest payment deadlines approached steadily.
He couldn't waste time.
He had to be even more diligent.
Lloyd prioritized his tasks.
"First, I want to sell off that pile of treasures we got from the Iron Sand Tribe as payment for the Stone Ice Storage construction."
They were gold and silver treasures(?) used as exercise equipment for a long time.
They were quite damaged as a result.
Still, selling them all at once?
It would fetch a tidy sum.
Even accounting for the damage from rough use as workout gear?
It could cover about 20% of the debt.
That wasn't all.
He also had a good stock of steel rebar produced by Bangul here and there.
Beyond what he'd stockpiled for future construction, he'd set aside some specifically for sale.
"If I sell the treasures and that too, I might clear 30% of the principal. But there's no way to sell them right now."
No matter how precious and expensive, without buyers, they're worthless.
And in Frontera Barony?
Just ordinary farmers, woodcutters, and the occasional merchant passing through.
No one to buy those treasures and rebar, no one to pay the price.
"Can't just hand them raw to the loan sharks either. They'd lowball the price. Have to convert to gold coins for sure."
Cash on the table when dealing with loan sharks.
With that principle set, Lloyd decided he'd soon head to a big city to sell the treasures and rebar for gold.
Of course, going unprepared was a no-go.
Rushing off with a huge load only to come back empty-handed?
Failing to find buyers?
That would waste time and effort.
Pure futility.
So Lloyd went to the baron.
He asked him to inquire about merchants who could handle the items they'd obtained.
"If it's that, it should be top priority. Got it. I'll ask around for merchants. Once contact's made, you can head straight to Creemo City with the goods."
Creemo City was the central trading hub for the Creemo region, which included Frontera Barony.
"Phew, so selling the goods means waiting for preparations. In the meantime, let's handle other tasks."
Next on the priority list.
Coal mining.
"That's why I brought the orc miners."
Lloyd looked up.
The open area before the mine entrance.
120 burly orc miners were gathered there.
Lloyd addressed them.
"I'm sure you've already heard what you'll be doing today."
"We heard, oink!"
"Digging, oink!"
"Smashing, oink!"
The orc miners raised their huge fists high.
Lloyd gave a wry smile.
"Yes, that's right. You'll go into these shafts, dig coal, break rocks, and smash."
"Smashing's fun, oink!"
"Excited, oink!"
The orc miners got even more pumped.
They raised the pickaxes and shovels issued for work.
They looked ready to charge into battle right then.
Perhaps that's why.
The orc warriors' eyes went wide as saucers at Lloyd's next words.
"But not everyone here will work together. Work has an order."
"What, oink?"
"What do you mean, oink?"
They were puzzled.
Heads tilted.
Lloyd continued.
"It's all for work efficiency and safety. From there to there. And here to there. Yes, good. Let's divide into teams."
Lloyd gestured, directing the orc miners.
After some commotion, the 120 orc miners formed four teams of 30 each.
"Well done. Now, to make it easy to distinguish, let's name the teams."
"Chest, oink!"
"Back, oink!"
"Shoulders, oink!"
"Legs, oink!"
The orc miners shouted loudly.
And so the four teams were named in an instant.
Lloyd said.
"Yes, well done. Now I'll explain the work schedule per team."
Dividing the orc miners into teams for deployment.
That was Lloyd's plan.
"Two shifts a day. And every other day."
They'd work a total of six days.
On the seventh?
"Everyone rests. Rest is important."
The next six days, they'd swap day and night shifts.
Teams that worked days before would do nights, and vice versa.
When Lloyd announced this plan, a commotion arose among the orc miners.
"Our team goes in first, oink!"
"We'll mine coal all day, oink!"
"Workout! Workout, oink!"
...Even mining was a workout to these orc miners.
Lloyd had to sweat bullets soothing them.
Only after explaining that planned workouts and rest promote muscle growth did he convince them.
Beyond that, Lloyd managed the workers in various ways.
"Mining is grueling and dangerous."
He assigned five Engineering Corps soldiers per team.
As safety officers.
He added ventilation ducts in the shafts.
Issued masks to block dust.
Banned all overtime.
Even set up bath facilities at the mine entrance.
And of course, provided cozy dorms for the orc miners to rest.
"Plus warehouses."
He expanded the warehouse attached to the baron's estate.
Storage for stockpiled mined coal.
Setting up this full mining system took a solid month.
In the meantime, the orc miners fully showcased their prowess(?).
They perfectly met Lloyd's expectations.
No better miners existed.
They treated work as solid exercise.
Never tired.
Overflowing with enthusiasm.
They swung pickaxes with astonishing strength.
Pushed incredibly heavy mine carts with ease.
Coal mining exploded forward.
Carts full of coal emerged hourly.
The heavy carts sped along paved roads.
The baron's estate warehouse filled steadily with coal.
Lloyd's smile filled steadily too.
"Good. Very good."
The bituminous coal piling up now.
Come winter, it'd turn into pure profit.
The thought brought a grin unbidden.
And there was more to please Lloyd.
Ding-dong.
[Rumors of your deeds are spreading throughout the territory.]
[You bravely stepped up, risking danger to rescue soldiers kidnapped by the black mage.]
[The rescued Engineering Corps soldiers have spent the past month praising you tirelessly to family, relatives, and acquaintances.]
[Now all residents of Frontera Territory have heard your tales.]
[All territory folk acclaim your noble courage.]
[As a bonus for this social achievement, a large amount of RP is specially awarded.]
[Acquired 300 RP.]
[Current RP: 911]
"Good."
Another result he'd anticipated since returning to the territory.
It finally bore fruit as a solid 300 RP.
"RP is an asset you stockpile for long-term use."
An intangible asset and weapon only he could use.
Of course, even amid such successive successes, Lloyd never let his guard down.
The road ahead was long.
It wouldn't be a smooth highway.
There'd surely be small and large obstacles everywhere.
Predictable ones needed early removal or preparation.
"For example, the orc miners' insane appetites are one such potential issue."
"Appetites?"
That evening.
Haviel questioned Lloyd's words.
The silver-haired knight looked up at his charge, the young master.
Lloyd, perched on the desk in his bedroom, grinned.
"Exactly that. Appetites. They eat like maniacs."
It was true.
The orcs' appetites were enormous.
If they debuted as mukbang streamers in Korea, instant stardom guaranteed.
"Makes sense. Their size is huge? And all muscle. Half a day of mining burns massive energy."
"Right? And they're burning calories like crazy."
"I was a bit shocked seeing them eat earlier."
"Yeah. We're holding on now with stockpiled food, but in a year or two? Chaos."
That was true too.
Stockpiles fed them now.
But in one or two years, they'd run dry.
"Then we'll have to buy grain expensively from neighboring territories. Unless we prepare countermeasures."
"Your words sound like you've already prepared some."
"Have I?"
"Yes."
"Ding dong dang."
Lloyd smiled warmly.
"Our Haviel, sticking so close to this big bro lately—getting smarter?"
"I've always been smart."
"Oh, have you?"
"Yes. And I—"
Haviel replied expressionlessly.
"—am not Lord Lloyd's little brother."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes."
"Don't you ever get the urge to call me 'bro' bubbling up?"
"Not at all. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances. I swear, never ever."
"That much?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, I was gonna teach you this body's awesome secret techniques if you called me bro just once."
"..."
"Curious what they are?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Tsk, cheeky brat."
"Thank you. But I am curious about the countermeasures you're mulling over."
"A way to solve the future orc-induced food shortage?"
"Yes."
Haviel nodded.
The young master he served.
Watching him sometimes confused him.
Moments like now.
"Can't grasp his true nature."
He'd spout nonsense sometimes.
Be petty too.
Sly or wicked sides.
Frankly, a bit annoying and prickly.
Yet occasionally, he was unfathomably bold, mysterious, enigmatic.
Like now, casually chuckling and voicing plans he'd never dreamed of.
"Simple. Turn the abandoned southern wetlands into farmland. As for the method, maybe adapt Vertical Drain (VD) techniques."
"..."
"What do you think?"
Lloyd grinned at him.
Somehow, Haviel felt overwhelmed.
(End of Chapter 43)
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