"I am home."
Creak. Lloyd opened the door and spoke, forcing a calm tone.
The door opened to the inside of the reception room. Three people were gazing toward the door.
"Hmmm? Lloyd?"
The first one to speak was Baron Frontera. His gaze was mixed with surprise, gladness, and a shade of embarrassment. Lloyd courteously paid his respect to the baron.
"Yes, I have returned."
"Yes, I see you have returned safely. Everything is well with you? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes. It's all thanks to your concerns."
"Still, you have grown thinner."
"It's nothing. Just hard travel over the mountains."
Lloyd smiled bitterly. He was grateful that the baron asked how he was the moment they met. On the other hand, he felt relieved that he returned to the fiefdom at the most troubling time for the baron. Lloyd thought so because of the two unwelcome guests sitting across from the baron at the table.
"It's been a while, Mr. Shiloh and Mr. Meatloaf."
The two loan sharks kept staring at Lloyd without uttering a word.
Shiloh was scrawny and Meatloaf was fat. The two looked at Lloyd with distaste.
It's probably because I kicked them out of the estate using my perfect logic the last time they were here. Lloyd seemed to be right about this assumption.
Scrawny Shiloh rolled up a corner of his lips. "Oh, look who it is. It's the eldest son of Baron Frontera, the outstanding one."
"Indeed, he is. And what pretense did you bring today to kick us out?" Fatty Meatloaf seconded his partner's words.
Lloyd's bitter smile deepened as he heard them. "I suppose you have been properly invited today?"
"Of course," Shiloh answered.
"I sent a man to the baron in advance, asking if we could visit him. The wise baron happily agreed to see us. Isn't that true, Lord Frontera?"
"Yes…you are correct," the baron said and nodded.
But his face wasn't bright. It was obvious why. He had borrowed a hefty sum from these two so he couldn't dare stop them from visiting down here. Lloyd didn't need to hear the details to notice what was going on between them. After all, he was used to this kind of situation. My father was the same. The loan sharks came to Lloyd's house day after another.
His father suffered from endless harassment, but he dared not stop them. No matter what they said or did to him, he merely hung his head, seconding everything they said and repeating, "Yes, sir. Yes, sir."
Being powerless was a crime as the debtor was the sinner. Those were the words his father spewed in bitter lamentation as he emptied a bottle of soju the night the loan sharks turned the house upside down. Whew. Stop thinking about it. The mere recollection of those memories flooded Lloyd's heart with bitterness. Lloyd sucked in his breath and repressed those bitter memories. He stared at the two loan sharks in front of him. His gaze had already calmed down. Instead of painful memories, his eyes contained calm shrewdness. His voice was much the same.
"Ha ha. I see. I sincerely welcome you then. Have you been offered any drinks yet?"
"I don't want drinks. I want something else."
Scrawny Shiloh provocatively retorted. Fatty Meatloaf seconded his words again.
"For example, a mine."
"A mine?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes, a mine," Meatloaf spoke as his paunchy cheeks tumbled.
His eyes, which were buried under the fat around his eyes, flashed with greed. Punk. The mine you constructed. The idea had suddenly come to him. He remembered the coal mine constructed in the Frontera barony. People said that it was constructed by the soldiers, and it was led by the baron's eldest son, the notorious brute. At first, Meatloaf didn't believe it.
He didn't believe the barony could ever build a mine. He scoffed and mocked that it was an impossibility because the barony wouldn't have any money to construct one.
However, he was wrong as rumors of such kind continued to spread. They claimed that there was an accident during the mine drilling, wild ants almost got out of the caves, and the brutish young master achieved a heroic rescue to save everyone.
Rumors of all kinds spread one after another and reached Meatloaf's ears. That was when things started to look odd, even for Meatloaf.
So he sent some people to look into the Frontera barony and see what was happening there.
"Who would have thought the eldest son of our dear baron had such talents? Flat stones? A heated flooring system? I heard you saved some money by making some weird things and talking the villagers into buying them."
The news had shocked him at first.
"Thanks to that though," Meatloaf went on, "some things cleared up for us at last. The baron has been faithfully paying his interests in recent days, and now, I know where he got the money. It came from selling the heated flooring system or something like that."
"And with the money left, he paved the road and dug a mine. Smart. Really, kekeke," Scrawny Shiloh snickered.
He couldn't help it. A coal mine? And a new one even? His senses were tingling, and they were excellent at spotting money-making opportunities. If he got his hands on that mine, it would surely be a golden goose for both of them.
"As such, that's why we are here. To visit the dear baron and have a nice, very nice conversation."
"What do you mean by a very nice conversation?"
"Let's say we're striking a deal that is mutually beneficial."
Shiloh greasy smiled at Lloyd's inquiry, and then, he turned to the baron. He gave an arrogant look to the baron.
"Why don't you tell your son directly?" Shiloh demanded.
The baron stayed silent.
Shiloh clicked his tongue. Lifting his sharp and bony cheek high, he said, "If you have no plans on telling him, I will do it. Simply put, the baron will hand over the rights of the mine to us, and we will exempt him from three months of interest. But you see, the baron has been turning down our offer for some reason."
"What does the young gentleman have to think about it? It doesn't seem like a bad idea for you to directly persuade your father. This offer we're making…don't you think it's superb?"
Superb, my ass. I worked my butt off day and night to construct the mine, and they're exempting what? Just three months of interest? Lloyd was at a loss of words. It was too ridiculous. He clenched his fists unwittingly and gritted his teeth. He neither lifted his fists nor scowled.
He knew he would be giving them the upper hand in the negotiation if he let them know that they angered him. The angrier I am, the more relaxed I should become. The more annoyed I am, the slier I should act.
"Oh, my! The deal you're suggesting sounds like a win-win to me."
"Right?!"
"Right, my foot. Let me show you how I'll turn things around so that the only winner here is me.* Making such a decision in his head, Lloyd grinned.
"So I am going to make a suggestion as well. Will you hear me out?"
"Are you negotiating? I don't think there's a reason I should listen," one of them grunted.
"From now on, we will be repaying our debts in parts. Partial repayment of some sort. And any future interests will be lowered according to the principal that will be reduced as we keep repaying."
"What…?"
"Oops, did you say you didn't need to hear it? But I suppose you did already."
A look of distaste played across Shiloh and Meatloaf's faces. Stroking his plump chin, Meatloaf said, "I don't think I can agree to that."
"I agree. That'll be difficult. We don't do partial repayments. It's our policy," Shiloh seconded.
He then went on, "If you're going to pay, it must be in full. Paying in parts just won't work. That's not how we do things."
"Ha. Do you mean that we should pay that hefty principal all at once?"
"Of course."
"Then do you mean that we should keep paying the exorbitant interest all the while?" Lloyd asked.
"That's how we do business. Didn't you borrow money from us, knowing all that?"
Shiloh raised his eyebrows, throwing a confused look at Lloyd. What Shiloh said was actually reasonable. After all, they were loan sharks. Their goal and business methods were to lend the least amount of money and make more of it through exorbitant interests. So, there could never be such a thing as partial payment for them. The principal did nothing but increase.
How many in this world would be able to pay off the exorbitant amount of money all at once? That would be impossible, especially for those who reached out to these loan sharks to get some quick money. This means that those who borrowed money from them would be ensnared in the trap of unpayable debt. Like ants trapped in the ant lion's pit, no one would be able to get out no matter how they struggle.
They would be sapped of all body fluids and end up as empty shells. And when the debtor can't hold up any longer and files for bankruptcy or dies, they purchase their real estate and whatnot to sell at a high price. This was the two loan sharks' favorite business tactic. In addition, it was the same trap Baron Frontera fell for. Lloyd decided to put a stop to this scam. If I don't end this now, they'll never leave me alone no matter how much money I make. The repayment should be accepted in parts and the interest rate should be adjusted according to the decreasing principal. Many things would change once he could get these two to agree to his demands. It wouldn't be a private loan anymore and it would be similar to a normal loan. Repaying them would become much easier.
"So that's why I'm making a deal here. How does that sound? This offer I'm making—don't you think it's superb?"
It didn't matter to Lloyd whether they scoffed or not. He put on a brazen expression and pushed forward. Of course, Shiloh and Meatloaf's snickers grew louder. Shiloh didn't even care to hide the mockery in his smile.
"It looks like this young gentleman has lost his mind today. What strange requests you keep griping about! Did you really think that we would accept this outrageous deal of yours?"
"Of course, I do," Lloyd said.
"Of course?"
"Yes," Lloyd confirmed.
"Why is that?"
"Because I brought a friend who's excellent at negotiations."
"What…?"
Shiloh cocked his head to the side. Meatloaf frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead visible and deep. Lloyd turned around and toward the door, he said, "Hey, you can come in now."
It was the moment Lloyd spoke out. Just then…Slam! Fwoosh! The door of the reception room opened with such force that even Lloyd wondered if it would be snapped in its entirety.
It created a gust of wind so strong that the collar of Lloyd's shirts and two loan sharks' hair swayed in the air.
Then someone bellowed in a loud, crying noise.
"Nice to meet you! I, Orc Arosh, on behalf of the Sand and Steel Tribe, have come to meet the master of the Frontera barony, oink!"
Whoosh! His piercing shout echoed through the room.
Shiloh and Meatloaf unwittingly covered their ears with their hands.
Frightened to the bone, they buried themselves in the chairs. The baron was just as frightened as them.
"Hey, uhm…Long time no see?"
"Yes, oink!"
"Have you come here with my son, Lloyd?"
"Of course! I have come to send the will of my chief, oink!"
"His will?" The baron asked.
"This, oink!"
Stomp, stomp, stomp! Arosh strode across the reception room with his buff muscles.
He tightened his pecs when he passed the frightened loan sharks and placed something heavy on the table. It was a fang of a giant monster.
"It's the fang of Kargas, which can be hunted by only the bravest and most courageous warrior. The chief wanted you to have it as a seal, oink."
"A seal? What seal?"
"A seal of blood alliance, oink."
"What?" The baron's eyes widened in surprise.
And Arosh continued to explain. "The whole tribe is indebted to Lloyd Frontera. Not only that, he is one of the historically few humans who are acknowledged as the warrior by us the orcs, oink."
"What…" The baron's eyes became larger.
It was only natural. Lloyd got acknowledged as a warrior by the orcs? Lloyd had achieved what he boasted he would do before. It hadn't been an easy task at all. No, it was almost impossible. Of course, there were a few exceptions.
The most popular story was about an anonymous girl who was acknowledged by the great chief Akash hundreds of years ago. However, that was an event that happened in the distant past. It was also only recorded in history books, so its veracity could not be ascertained.
So, the baron barely expected that Lloyd would be able to get approved as a warrior by the orcs when he sent Lloyd away. A similarly unrealistic event was happening now, officially being announced by Arosh, the formidable orc warrior and the son of the chief.
"Moreover, you are the father of Lloyd Frontera, the lifesaver and warrior. You are fully worthy of forming a blood alliance with my tribe, oink."
Arosh's voice was sincere, and his expression was solemn.
"How does that sound, Lord Frontera? Are you willing to take my chief's will and form a blood alliance, oink?"
The baron swallowed. This was a great opportunity he never even dared to dream of.
Forming a blood alliance with the orc tribe… This meant that the Frontera barony would become an official member of the alliance of the orc tribes.
"Of course."
This wasn't something to hesitate over or sleep on. The baron nodded his head after making a decision. Arosh smiled in satisfaction, revealing his fangs.
"Good! From now on, the Frontera barony is a blood ally of my tribe! We are friends, brothers, and sisters, oink!" Arosh declared.
The baron and Arosh shook hands. While this was taking place, the two loan sharks merely remained in their seats and dazedly looked at the scene. A little later, when Arosh looked at the two, they found themselves flinching and shuddering.
"But who are these people? Arosh heard everything outside the room. Those humans kept looking down on the baron, oink."
Scrawny Shiloh and Fatty Meatloaf visibly trembled. The following question of Arosh made their hearts race faster.
"Tell me, are they your enemies, oink?"
The barony and the Sand Steel Tribe were allies by blood. The barony's enemy was the tribe's enemy. The virtue of a warrior was to immediately execute the enemies of the tribe and the orcs were famous for being sticklers for paying back a favor. Unfortunately, the two loan sharks knew quite well about the customs of those orcs.
"Hmm, I am not so sure. But they may, unfortunately, become one when they turn down my offer." Lloyd smiled and teasingly commented.
When they heard Lloyd, cold sweat started to drip down the two loan sharks' backs.
***
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com