"It's quite… warm," she said, as her wrinkled hand caressed the floor. With curiosity, at first, she pressed her palm down and then flipped it to brush the floor with her knuckles. Surprise suddenly filled her face. She tossed the cushion aside and plopped herself down on the toasty-warm floor. A smile of satisfaction curved across the white-haired woman's face.
"So nice… so very nice."
The elderly lady was a little senile, so her words were very direct. Hearing her approval, the pub owner looked at Lloyd. His face, too, was filled with a smile of gratitude.
"My mother loves it, young master."
"Does she?"
"Yes."
"Just like I told you, this heated flooring system is very comforting," Lloyd said with a shrug. He was just relieved that it was such a huge success.
It was still very early spring, and the morning air was crisp. Outside held the chill of the final cold snap. Inside was different. The fire was lit, the floor was toasty warm, and the air was relaxing. The pub owner was relieved to be removing his coat.
"You saw me light the fire earlier, right? All you have to do is start up the furnace outside the door. If you light it once like that, the heat will last about two days. That's it. It really doesn't cool off as quickly as you might think."
"Two days, you said?" Once lit, the heat lasted two days. The pub owner's eyes became wide with wonder.
Smiling, Lloyd said, "Test it out and see if what I said is true."
"J… definitely believe you."
"Really?"
"Yes. Um, may I be honest?"
"Go right ahead."
"I really thought you were trying to fool me, sir."
"Me? Fool you?"
"Yes. I never imagined you would actually build this for me."
Well, that was understandable. Just a little reminder: Lloyd Frontera was a complete and utter bastard. He'd never done anything for anyone else in his life. It wasn't in his nature. No wonder the pub owner didn't trust him.
"I had no faith in this, but you have given us such a great floor, of such warmth. I swear, I've never seen such a thing in my life."
"Really?"
"Yes. My mother loves it so much. I don't know how to express my thanks to you. Praise be the heated floor!"
I hope someone else can see this! Everyone is praising the magnificence of this classic Korean design! Lloyd coughed nervously and replied, "Ahem, no need to thank me. It was just for the contract."
"Ah, the contract."
"Yeah. Right. The contract."
It was a mere transaction carried out through mutual agreement. Lloyd constructed the heated floor, and that would reimburse the pub owner for the damages inflicted.
"However, I think the cost of this heated floor is greater than the cost of what was broken. Sir, please wait here for a moment." Lloyd had no idea what the tavern keeper was thinking as he promptly stood up. He returned shortly with a leather pouch in his hand.
"Please, take this."
"What is it?"
"A small token of my extreme gratitude."
Clunk. The pouch fell with a heavy metallic sound. There were coins inside.
"Oh my… you didn't have to…"
Lloyd took up the pouch without hesitation. He then offered more advice on the heated floor's use as a thank you. "See this window here? On a chilly night, leave this window slightly open at dawn to let in the cold air. Then, fire up the furnace to the max, and cover the floor with a blanket. Wrap some tangerines, roasted potatoes, or sweet potatoes in it to eat. Do you know what will happen next?"
"No. What will happen?"
"The air will be fresh, and your bottom will be warm. You'll be like a fish at the confluence of warm and cold streams, as their currents converge."
The pub owner tilted his head to one side, while, with a farewell wave, Lloyd left the room. There was a large group of spectators gathered nearby. They were still looking his way as they jabbered amongst themselves. Their faces held a mixture of some surprise and much doubt. But of course. A laugh escaped him.
He thought of all the rumors about him that were swirling about: that he was unstable; that he was digging a grave for when he killed himself; that he was swindling the pub owner. There wasn't a single good rumor!
And yet, before them all, sat a functional heated flooring system. All those convoluted rumors were shattered before their eyes.
Now they'll be even more curious. They'll wonder what kind of building has been made, what it's for, and why the pub owner likes it so much. They'll have no clue about anything.
Lloyd stood back and let the rumors fly. He had no reason to stop them. In fact, it's actually a good thing. It's like free advertising!
Publicity was important. It was life! That was the case for contractors too. This was even more true in South Korea.
The smallest apartment began with a big promotion.
Broadcasting, billboards, and infomercials: these were just the basics. Other obvious options included, but were not limited to, social media, targeted search-based results, and viral videos. Reach the people by any means necessary!
That way I can take advantage of widespread promotions while also muting any criticism. Then, when I open the model house, people will flock to it like seagulls.
As a result, there would be a whole line of contract requests, and it would become a proper business, or so Lloyd hoped.
These rumors drew a crowd here without me having to spend a dime. This is a unique opportunity. There were probably well over a hundred villagers looking his way and murmuring. But Lloyd didn't see the people of the estate. He saw potential contracts. He saw customers that were lining up to hand him their money.
The model house is now open. He stood before the crowd, the focus of all their attention. He cleared his throat and began, "Are you all wondering what it is I've made here?"
As he expected, no one replied. They all only kept their eyes fixed squarely on him. Lloyd smiled. Not bad. All was going as planned. This would be a short and rewarding sales pitch.
"Come in, one by one, and take a look for yourselves!"
Lloyd approached the crowd carefully. He took a woman in front by the sleeve and led her into the room, even as her face paled in concern. Ladies first. It was they who started the rumors, after all.
With the pub owner's permission, they began the tour. The woman's eyes grew wide as she experienced the comfort of the warm flooring. After that, the rest was a breeze. The other gawkers took turns looking around and became converted to the benefits of a heated floor.
As they entered, their smug faces became ones of envy. Lloyd greeted them from a table he had set up; installation contracts spread out before him.
"Now that you've experienced it, what do you think?"
"It's… it's much nicer than I expected."
"It is, isn't it?"
"Yes. I don't think we'll have to worry about the winter cold anymore."
"That's why I've prepared this ahead of time. Would you like to take a look?"
"This here?"
"This is a blueprint. It's a kind of plan."
Lloyd had stayed up all night drafting lovingly hand-drawn pamphlets that demonstrated two styles of heated flooring systems. These he handed out to the people.
"Type A is the one you see here, where the heated floor is built in a separate building in the yard. Type B involves tearing up your existing floor on the ground level and remodeling it. If you order both, you'll receive a ten percent discount. You have kids at home, right?"
"Yes. My oldest is seven, and the youngest is five."
"In the winter, doesn't it bring tears to your eyes to watch your children shiver and cough in the cold? Doesn't it pain you to see them huddle in front of the fireplace to keep warm? Even the very thought must be heart-wrenching. If you sign a contract now, I'll give you a special deal where you receive five free bundles of firewood. Consider wisely. This chance doesn't come by every day."
"Well, even so…"
"What, you don't want to?"
The man clamped his mouth shut. Lloyd understood how he felt. It's because he doesn't trust me. Or maybe he's just afraid.
It made sense, after all. He may be a different person, but these people were unaware of it. To them, he was the same old Lloyd Frontera, the scourge of the barony—human trash that was best at drinking and mayhem.
I can't expect them to suddenly believe in me after showing them just one good deed.
Perhaps they thought it was all a con, or that he was fooling around, so they hesitated to sign a contract. He had already expected as much.
"So? You won't sign a contract? Really, is that how you're going to be?"
The man flinched as Lloyd stared at him intently. He'd already figured out the meaning behind the man's gaze. He probably thinks I'll make his life here difficult if he doesn't sign the contract right now. He's wracked with anxiety. Lloyd stifled a bitter smile. Using the discomfort and fear of the villagers felt like a cheap shot. But for now, it was the best plan.
It won't hurt to take advantage of my despicable reputation every now and then. It's not like I'm going to take off with their down payments and never build a single thing.
This launch was the most important thing. He had to obtain signed contracts no matter what. After that, he was confident that good word of mouth would make it all happen. For now, he had to lowball and make good use of Lloyd's notoriety.
Another customer: "Ah… I understand." He was rationalizing between being conned and avoiding an oncoming disaster. The man signed the contract with some hesitation. It was the same for the next and the next and the next. Naturally, Lloyd was confident that he could brighten those faces soon enough.
That's just how efficiently the heated flooring system works. That was his conclusion based on his investigations over the past few days. The current fireplace systems in the area had limitations.
Contrary to appearances, a fireplace is not as efficient as it looks. It only heats what's close by, and because it only warms the air, it cools off quickly. The heat doesn't stay inside for long. Additionally, ash and smoke burn the eyes. It's hard to care for since you can't use just any firewood. To keep the light and heat from going out, one person must stay up all night to watch over it.
His heated flooring system, on the other hand? It created a balanced system, as Lloyd continued to confidently persuade the villagers. Before the afternoon had come to a close, Lloyd had secured thirty-two contracts type-A and fifty-seven contracts type-B. This provided him with a hefty sum of deposits.
Awesome!
It wasn't a whole lot of money, of course, and he didn't have anywhere near enough to settle the baron's debt. However, it was from here going forward that was important.
Although it was all a bit forced, when I complete these heated floors to their satisfaction, good news will come of it.
Then I'll even be able to branch out to other regions.
Branding the heated flooring system and building a business around it in this region was Lloyd's primary goal.
Whew, he finished up the final contract and let out a sigh. Then, he took a look around at the red-tinted sunset that he hadn't admired before. He turned away and saw Javier headed in his direction.
"Hey, you. You're strong, right?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Then what do you think of being a human crane or forklift?"
"Sir?"
"You said you're strong. Could you use that strength to dig up the ground and lug logs?"
It was a sincere request. Javier was an incredible knight. Certainly, his strength surpassed that of human limitations. If Javier were to do the heavy lifting? His future construction projects would become much simpler and speedier. Efficiency would increase. At the same time, he could take on more projects and greatly increase his income.
However, Javier shook his head without hesitation. "I cannot."
"Why not?"
"Because the baron has given me the mission of your personal protection."
"So, he wouldn't allow you to be a construction worker?"
"That is correct."
"But you've helped me up until now."
"That's because, as a knight, I thought it was my duty to assist the pub owner's elderly mother."
"Protection of the weak?"
"Yes. However, the request you've just made is different."
"You won't help me with my business?"
"That is correct."
"You're certain of this?"
"Indeed."
Of course, he would be the resolute type. Lloyd smacked his lips. But still, I definitely need heavy equipment.
The difference between having and not having the equipment meant a construction period of up to ten times longer. Even the type of construction options that were possible would change.
If I want to make big money, I've got to build on a larger scale.
He was satisfied with heated floors for now, but he wanted to surpass that level at some point. The amount of money he could make with just that was limited.
I don't want to be paying back debt until I'm at a ripe old age, he worried.
His life in Korea was topsy-turvy because of money, and he really didn't want to live that way here too.
So, if I intend to pay this whole debt off with a construction company, I have to figure out this heavy equipment issue.
He pondered deeply on this for the entire way back home. Yet Lloyd couldn't come up with anything. Javier's cold eyes stared at him; his look had seemingly changed from before.
****
I'm at a loss for words. Javier was quite flustered as he followed behind Lloyd. Lloyd Frontera was the eldest son of his master, Lord Frontera. He had been in charge of escorting him for the past few months, which disconcerted him even more. Was this alky always like this?
Lloyd was a total scumbag — not just in the opinion of the most conservative fellows, but also in the view of the average person. He had no patience, and one could expect neither manners nor refinement from him. He was merely a worthless booze hound, constantly guzzling alcohol.
The day of the foreclosure on his family's home was no different.
Honestly, I hated him. Well, I still do.
The more he got to know him, the more he was unlikeable. If he weren't his master's son, he probably would've already sliced him up. Although Javier was escorting him, he despised his existence. To him, Lloyd was nothing but human garbage.
But suddenly, he's different now.
It was a few days ago, the morning of the day after he caused a scene at his regular pub. Javier still clearly remembered what Lloyd was like that morning. I barely had to call him twice to wake him up. That was unimaginable before. The scoundrel even remembered and called Javier's name for the first time. But that was just the beginning.
He sought out the pub owner to appease him, and instead of monetary compensation, he promised to make him a heated floor. Up until that point, Javier thought he was just up to some more shifty mischief. However, that was not the case. He actually built the heated floor and kept his promise to the pub owner.
It didn't stop there. Lloyd even drew up contracts for all the villagers gathered there. Is he trying to make money? No, that's only an excuse.
Somehow, Javier felt that Lloyd had a bigger goal in mind. Of course, what exactly that was, he couldn't guess. But he was still certain that this behavior wasn't characteristic of Lloyd. It's as if he's become a different person overnight.
His manner of speech was different, his attitude and expressions, and he suddenly had new skills to show off. He designed buildings and showcased whole new heating systems. It was puzzling.
He wondered if maybe he really was a different person. Yet, no matter how closely he watched, the man walking ahead of him step by step truly was that monster, Lloyd Frontera. Then maybe he's been hiding this side of himself the whole time.
That was the only explanation; the only thing that made sense of it all.
Previously he led a life of leisure as part of a baron's family, but once the household hit hard times, he's suddenly showing his true self? He really had no idea if that was the case; of course, it was too soon to make any conclusions.
For now, I'll stick to my mission.
And, if it was possible, he'd continue keeping an eye on that jerk, Javier promised to himself, as he glared at the back of Lloyd's head.
At that moment, an unexpected message popped up in front of Lloyd.
****
Ding Dong!
[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has increased by two points. Current RP with Javier Asrahan: -29]
[You have earned 36 RP by improving relationships with a key character. Current RP: 36]
[Investing in RP will allow you to develop special skills.]
What's this again?
The message floated ahead of him, and Lloyd's eyes fluttered around as he read it.
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com