The rumors spread. They spread very quickly. It was true that rumors would always exist wherever people lived. Even so, this gossip was more noteworthy than usual, and it spread that much faster as this was something new and unexpected.
"Master Lloyd has finally lost his senses."
"What?"
"I heard he's been shoveling."
"What do you mean?"
"Just like I said, he's behind the pub, with a shovel, digging. He's scooping up dirt and then flattening it."
"For what?"
"I don't really know. According to what I heard, he threatened the pub owner."
"Threatened him?"
"He seems to be claiming the land in the back of the pub for himself."
"Haha, that's…"
Everyone around the table continued to malign Lloyd. Out in the gardens, others whispered among themselves too.
"Did you hear? Master Lloyd tried to kill himself."
"What, finally?"
"That's what they said. He was digging yesterday, and today he's doing it again."
"He's digging?"
"He's scooping up dirt then placing flat stones in its place, all while mumbling something to himself."
"Could it be…"
"Is he digging his own grave?"
Speculation ran rampant in the village. Was he burying a large supply of liquor? Perhaps he was digging a tunnel to keep out of his father's sight? Some even thought he'd discovered a wild new fetish. A crowd of villagers had heard the rumors and gathered around the site to see for themselves. As they watched, the heated floor gradually took shape.
****
People here sure know how to talk, Lloyd thought as he wiped the sweat dripping from his brow.
He got mud on his face doing this but did not care. Then he took a look around. The room was small, only about twelve square feet. In just a few days, not only had he set the foundation but also built the walls. That was difficult.
Lloyd already expected that making a heated flooring system wouldn't be easy. After actually doing it himself, it was even harder than he imagined. First of all, he didn't have the same tools as when he was out working on projects in Korea. I don't even have a single power tool.
Everything needed to be done by hand. He used his experiences working in construction and in the army to build the foundation. The process took two full days, and his whole body ached in return.
The wood taken from the baron's lumber yard was trimmed, and the basic structure was made up of this heavy timber. The gabled roofs were erected, and beams were placed between the pillars for reinforcement. Then, a sticky plaster of red clay and straw was applied. Just like that, the red clay walls were completed in three days.
"Whew. Javier?"
"Sir?"
"Aren't you tired?"
"I've grown accustomed to it, sir."
"Really?"
Despite how good his athletic abilities were, construction work was another matter entirely. However, Javier wasn't breathing hard at all. It probably takes a lot of energy to work muscles that aren't normally used. Yet, why is he so composed? The amount of strength he has must be on a whole different level. Lloyd was in awe of his steely, top-condition stamina. Javier was certainly a reliable guy, especially when he was working for free like this.
Lloyd tested his luck using a gracious tone. "Okay, then try doing what I tell you to."
"There is more to do?"
"Of course."
"How so?"
"The heated flooring hasn't been completed yet."
"But you only asked me to help for a little while."
"Did I?"
"Yes, sir," Javier replied curtly in his characteristic cold tone. "First you asked me to help you shovel, saying that would be all. But your requirements kept changing. After finishing compacting the soil, you asked for help with the wood. Later you said that removing the mud was too hard and you asked for my help again."
"Hmm, so were you upset?"
"Of course, sir."
"Because you're a knight?"
Javier didn't reply, but the silence suggested the affirmative. It made sense, though. Instead of a sword, he was handling a shovel and saw while covered in dirt. He probably thought this kind of work was below the honor of a knight such as himself. But Lloyd found a weakness in Javier's line of thought.
"I was thinking, isn't a knight someone who helps the weak?"
"Excuse me?"
"You probably think so too."
"Well, that's…"
"Right? Then this work is also part of a knight's duty. Helping the weak is great practice in the chivalric arts. Wouldn't you say so? At this very moment, the pub owner's mom is probably shivering with chills. If we could even finish this just one day sooner, could you imagine the delighted cheer that would erupt from his poor elderly mother's lips…"
"What must I do now?" Javier sighed deeply.
With an impish smile, Lloyd said, "Split some wood for me."
He pointed outside. "See those logs in the corner out there behind the pub?"
"I see them."
"Okay, good. That's red pine. Chop them up with an ax to make panels for the roof."
"What are panels?"
Lloyd scratched a rough drawing of the panels on the ground and said, "They look like this."
"Make them one span in width, two in length, and about a finger's height in thickness. Think of it as a longer version of a tablet… oh, you don't know what a tablet is, do you? Just think of it as a board and cut them all the same size. Understood?"
"Then wouldn't the saw be better than the ax to cut with?"
"No, no. The ax is better." Of course, cutting was easier with the saw. It was easier to cut them all the same size that way, too. However, sawing causes severe wear and tear, which could ruin the wood grain. Moisture can seep in and cause rotting in no time. "Unless you'd like to replace the roof in less than a year, use the ax."
"Understood, but…"
"But?"
Now that Lloyd had his attention, Javier was staring at him with a curious expression.
"Master Lloyd, where did you learn all this?"
"All this? You mean building construction?"
"Yes, sir." His gaze was still frigid, but a glimmer of emotion was hidden beneath his opaque exterior. That feeling was one of intense curiosity.
Lloyd replied with honesty and openness, "Korea University."
"Excuse me?"
"I learned about it at Korea University. It's true. I'm not lying."
"But I've never heard of such an academy."
"Ah, surely you haven't heard that I attended school somewhere, either?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then keep wondering. Now, let's move. We have a lot to do, so let's get working."
Lloyd waved his hand and ushered Javier outside. Javier was much better at cutting the roof panels than he was. He just had a natural talent. Whether his target was a person or a tree, Javier was best at slicing it in half with a blade. This punk's already a top-rank swordsman.
The Knight of Blood and Iron mentioned this early in the novel. It was something no one in the Frontera barony knew yet, not even the baron or Javier himself. Javier was already phenomenally talented. He was close to being a senior swordsman. A provost. Because the nation was small and had only a handful of people of that caliber, it meant he could be commander of a decent-sized kingdom. And he's barely even twenty years old.
Only when he departs the baron's lands does Javier realize the amazing potential he has. But that is yet to come.
Anyway, I better keep moving.
Lloyd rested a little, and then they began the next step. It was the alpha and omega of the heating system. It was the bread and jam. Its existence was as crucial as HD graphics are to AAA computer games. "It" was the floor. This job just became real.
You can make a building as properly as possible, but it's useless if the heating system doesn't work. Lloyd knew this well and did his best to concentrate. It'll go from here to there, as planned…
He'd done this back in the army too. There was a time when a commander got hooked on dry saunas, and Lloyd was commissioned to build one for the regional headquarters. How did it turn out? The happiness of the commander's wife increased dramatically. Because of this success, Lloyd was rewarded vacation time by the commander himself.
Lloyd was making full use of his experiences and memories. First: he dug into the floor. There had to be a passage for the heat and smoke from the furnace to flow. The passages must be circular in order to distribute the heat's path along the entire floor.
He dug the passages in a winding pattern. While doing so, he didn't forget to carefully decrease the height of the passageway as well. This way, the heat won't escape all at once, and it'll remain for as long as possible.
He made an opening where the initial flow of heat emerged from the furnace and a raised retainer wall where the heat was trapped before the smoke leaves through the chimney flue. The passages channeled the heat, so it flowed efficiently under the floor. A cover on the chimney top was placed last to block any rainwater or cold air from coming in.
This is hard.
He meticulously double-checked the work as he dug to minimize errors. He checked and adjusted, over and over again. Then he finished off the passage walls with red clay and let it dry completely. Above the passages, he carefully placed flat stones.
At the upper end of the passage neck—close to the furnace—he'd put heavy stones. At the opposite end where the lower neck is, he'd put lighter stones. He methodically sorted the stones and placed them in this way because the lower neck, being farther away from the furnace, was slower to heat up. Decreasing the thickness of the stones closer to the lower neck meant being able to evenly distribute heat throughout the entire floor.
Time to fill in the gaps.
He filled the space between the flat stones with gravel and then applied more red clay on top. Again, he placed dried mud and stomped on it to make it firm. He leveled the ground once more to make it flat as possible, then allowed it to dry thoroughly. Afterward, by sanding the surface and applying a light finish, it was complete. So far, it had taken three whole days.
The main part of the heating system was finished, but putting it to the test would have to wait.
"Excuse me, young master?"
Just as he was standing there admiring his work, one of the servants walked in.
"Lord Frontera is looking for you."
Lord Frontera, meaning Arcos Frontera, the baron. His father.
No way. He suddenly realized something…
Lloyd left the unfinished room, and the crowd that had been chattering nearby stopped its whispering at once. Passing through that awkward silence, Lloyd set off for the baron's mansion.
****
"Apparently there's a strange rumor going around these days."
Clack.
His fork picked up a homemade sausage, but the baron's hand stopped moving. The fork never made it to his mouth. His gaze turned toward the opposite end of the table.
"What are you doing behind that pub?"
His look held no warmth and, frankly, appeared unfeeling. It was more like he was looking at a burden than his own son. It put a bitter taste in Lloyd's mouth.
This is the downside to being in this body. The owner of this body he found himself within, Lloyd Frontera, was a consummate brute. All he was known for was his binge drinking, gambling, and vandalism. He had quite an extensive record, and his bad karma had piled up. So, he was the target of the prejudices of the people around him.
For instance, no matter what he did, people looked at him warily. They wondered what mischief that brute was up to, or what commotion he was going to cause this time. Maybe he was crazy, or maybe it was his time to die. If only he would stop bothering those around him… was what those looks seemed to say. The current situation was no different.
"Let's hear it. What are you up to this time?"
The baron's voice was colder than his eyes. As soon as he heard it, Lloyd knew it wasn't a question — it was a rebuke.
Lloyd shrugged and said, "If you've heard the rumors, then you must already know. I'm making the heated flooring system the pub owner ordered."
"A heated flooring system?"
"Yes."
"So not only are you making empty promises to the pub owner, but you are even trying to deceive your own father?"
"I can't help if you think of it that way."
Lloyd beat around the bush. He didn't know what he could say at this point that would be believable. It seemed easier to create more pointless misunderstandings. No matter, it felt weird to even try convincing the baron in front of him.
It was just awkward. If I talk too much, I might get caught.
Parents will recognize their own children in one way or another. He wasn't actually Lloyd Frontera. He was Suho Kim, currently the occupant of Lloyd's body. He was anxious that they would suspect him, so he decided to avoid long conversations.
"If that's all you wished to say, I'll finish my meal now," he said. Just as Lloyd would have, he cut the conversation short and focused on the food, only thinking to stuff himself full and leave before anything else could be said.
Then the baron posed another question. "Is it due to family matters? You're aware of recent events. You know about what's happened. Perhaps it has upset you enough that you're doing this on purpose?"
Likely he was referring to the seizure of their property. As expected, his suspicion was correct.
"It's fine. Merely a passing storm. Not much will come of it. After all, I am Arcos Frontera, the fifth baron of this estate. Your father can handle this much trouble like nothing, so try not to get in my way. I'm telling you I can handle it, so do not get worked up over it."
He'd heard this kind of thing before. Suddenly, Lloyd raised his head and looked right at the baron. The baron was a handsome middle-aged man, but his expression was tired. That expression was just like the one he'd seen on his own father's face.
It's just like back then. It was the last vacation during his time in the army. His father had the same look on his face after falling for an investment scam. Abruptly, he clasped his hands and said, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. It's nothing. Just worry about studying."
He pleaded and forced a smile, so Suho didn't know a thing. Suho truly thought everything would be fine. He didn't have a clue that, one year later, his parents would make a drastic decision because they couldn't escape from the burden of debt. And now the baron sitting in front of him had that same expression on his face.
Lies.
It wasn't fine. He was just forcing himself to appear fine in front of his son.
Clink.
Lloyd set his fork down. Long gone were his thoughts of focusing merely on eating, and he momentarily forgot about keeping his distance from the baron. He found himself speaking without realizing it. "Don't give up, I'll help too."
Those were the words he wished to say to his father years ago if he could go back in time.
With that, he quietly stood up. The baron stared at him peculiarly. His frigid stare from before now held a slightly different cast. His stare felt heavy, so Lloyd hurried to leave.
Thankfully, the baron didn't stop him.
****
The construction continued. The heated flooring system in the pub owner's yard was quickly taking shape. There were groups of spectators gathering around. He charred the panels as they watched intently, formulating their misunderstandings, murmurs, and rumors.
It was a treatment to prevent the wood from rotting through carbonization. He ruined a few at first since he wasn't used to it. Some burned so much that they split, and others were too soft. However, he started to get the hang of it after a few tries. The trick was to scorch only the top three millimeters of the red pine panels.
Just perfect.
The panels were lightweight, yet hard, so water couldn't easily penetrate them. They should be good even ten years later.
He layered the panels onto the roof, then carefully rolled out the paper lining and covered up the clay floor. A heftier paper was placed on top of that using a thick paste. He applied soybean oil on top of that, then finished off the waterproofing with a layer of resin.
The heated flooring was complete.
To test it out, he lit a flame and felt the floor.
"It's done."
A grin flashed across his face. Now, it was time to check out his customer's reaction.
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com