The Greatest Architect

11. Manehair of Endurance (2)

"I'm tired. I'm sleepy. ’

Xaviel, lying on the couch, frowns and turns away.

It bothered me.

Of course I did.

During the day, I escorted the wretched young master.

I suffered from insomnia every night.

It's natural to be tired since you haven't missed any sword training in the meantime.

No, it's more of an upgrade.

‘But I guess I stayed a little longer today. ’

Somehow, my eyes seemed to stay closed longer than usual.

The thought made me smile full of satisfaction.

But Xaviel's smile didn't last long.

“…… Jen, get up, will you? ”

You hear a deafening voice.

The sound of a fluttering, laughable voice.

It's a dream.

No, it's not a dream.

I haven't had a dream in years.

Maybe he's hallucinating because of his sleep deprivation.

Xaviel turns to look the other way.

But even that gesture could not stop the rush to be heard again.

“You're late. Time to get up, sleepyhead. ”

…… what?

It's not hallucinations.

It was definitely a voice coming from right next to me.

I'm a sleepwalker? What's that?

My mind flashes while I'm dazed.

He suffered from insomnia for years.

At least I wasn't the one who heard the sound of sleep from others.

Moreover, the senses were sharper than anyone else.

And you don't even know it, and someone comes up to you and talks to you?

Xaviel opens his eyes.

I quickly turned my head.

And my whole body became solid without me even knowing it.

“Are you awake? I wish I hadn't woken you. The sun would have gone to the top of your head, very much. ”

“ ……. ”

A black-haired young man standing next to a lounge chair.

I think I'm in my mid-20s.

His face was full of laughter.

It looked sinister like the smile of a demon who found a beautiful toy.

“Lloyd……? ”

Xaviel mutters without my knowledge.

Obviously.

Your escort.

Troublemaker of this land, Master Fucker.

He was a man who began to march on what the wind had blown in recently.

Even the sight of him rotting away with one lip like that.

“You finally recognize this body. I can't believe this is happening. ”

“ ……. ”

The look on your face doesn't make you gloomy.

“Then why is Master Lloyd here...? ”

You're waking him up?

I was blurry.

I was confused.

This situation was only unfamiliar.

"Why is he waking me up? ’

It never happened.

It seemed impossible at all.

It was Lloyd who always sleeps late.

Waking him up every morning was the first day of his life.

Then why is the rot heading this way getting darker?

“Why? Because you slept here. ”

“Me? Here? ‘

“Huh."

“Why? ”

“Don't you remember? What happened last night? ”

“Last night, I.... ”

“You fucked up real good. You slept so well. I snore, and then I move on. It's just a whole lot of stereoacoustic Dolby Orchestra sound. ”

“ ……. ”

“Yes, I understand. Steel concrete lecture is a bit much. I thought I was crazy to hear that. I even fell asleep when I memorized it last night. ”

…… I don't know anything.

I don't even remember.

I mean it.

I was just putting myself in this chair.

But my head felt clearer.

Are you sure I'm really sleeping well?

It was a little strange and strange.

“Tsk. Still a little numb, I see. Drink this and come to your senses. ”

“ ……. ”

The wretched young master brings out his cup.

Clear, cold water in a glass.

You inhale at once and check your condition.

I clenched my fist.

I felt an energy that had not been there before.

An openness that runs through blood vessels in tight fists.

It was always a different level of liveliness from when I was suffering from sleep deprivation.

‘This is amazing. ’

Do you really think you've slept well?

Overcome that infernal insomnia?

Xaviel accepted this reality on his own.

The body does not lie.

An excellent prosecutor, he decides to fully believe the truth that his senses tell him.

Suddenly, there was something caught my eye.

“And what's that? ”

Xaviel's gaze was on Lloyd.

To be precise, I noticed Lloyd's waist dance.

Lloyd's waist dance in front of him.

There's a practice wooden sword hanging there.

It wasn't just that.

Lloyd's outfit was different.

I wear light and durable leather armor over my everyday clothes.

Leather armor was also worn on the elbow and knee.

I even wrapped a towel around my neck to wipe off the sweat.

Somehow very thorough (?).

‘This can't be. ’

Xaviel drank without even knowing it.

Something seemed to come to mind.

The answer came back to Lloyd's answer.

“Have you forgotten already? You promised to teach me how to use a sword. When this body solves your insomnia. ”

“ ……. ”

The answer seems natural.

Thanks to you, I suddenly remembered.

Last night he accepted Lloyd's offer.

It was kind of a bet.

What if Lloyd succeeds in resolving his insomnia?

So what if he falls asleep?

I made a promise to teach that wretch how to use a sword.

That was Lloyd's offer that he accepted last night.

So now you want me to teach that bastard how to use a sword? Me? "

Sleeplessness that has plagued you for a long time.

The joy of overcoming that and achieving a good night's sleep was also quickly cooled.

This looks like a big problem.

♣

“Then I'll start with running. ”

This is a sunny training ground.

Javier said on one side:

“Stand over here. ”

“ ……. ”

“Very well. From now on, Lloyd will run along the edge of the arena. Do you have any questions? ”

“No, I don't. ”

“ ……. ”

“If you run, you just run. ”

“ ……. ”

“You're not prepared to launch a speech at all, are you? ”

“I don't know what you're talking about. ”

“You're being ridiculous. Come on, you know what? With just this solemn, solemn look, running is the foundation of all training. Strong swordsmanship and fancy craftsmanship should all be supported by strong basic health, blah blah, blah, blah, blah... 'This way, I catch the atmosphere and open my mouth. ”

“ ……. ”

Hot Xaviel shuts up.

Lloyd shrugs.

“Then I'll do it." I don't like that. Teach me a powerful sword! "You rebelled like this, and you asked me to teach you swordsmanship, and you chirped it out, and then you asked me to run, and you imagined yourself doing that? ”

“ ……. ”

“That's right, that's right. ”

“ ……. ”

“Phew. She's not even a child. Tsk. Here we go. ”

Bruises, bruises, bruises.

Lloyd's on the move.

Xaviel frowns without even knowing it.

‘I thought you were whining that you couldn't run. ’

Lloyd's reaction was too different from his own.

I was much more exhausted than I thought.

‘But if you let them keep running, they'll have their nature. ’

Xaviel thought so.

Everyone does.

When you are comfortable before you start something, you whistle.

I feel confident that I can achieve any goal easily

But what if something hard happens?

What if we run into the limits of our bodies and minds?

The first signs of curiosity and bravado vanish like a lie.

He tries to compromise with his inner self, screaming for trouble.

Like the people who went on a diet about three days ago.

Or like those who have declared smoking cessation a day later.

It reveals its weak nature.

Lloyd Frontera. You're probably the same. ’

Especially that wretch he knew.

This kind of situation that I had to run from, I had never experienced in my life.

So, how many laps does it take to get your breath back on your chin?

‘You're going to regret that bluff. Maybe I'll get rid of my swordsmanship training and scream. ’

Honestly, I hope so.

I didn't want to teach that bastard how to use a sword.

He didn't have faith.

I was a human who was intoxicated every day.

Every time he did that, he did everything he could.

I can't believe you taught a man how to use a sword.

All I could think about was what kind of accident I'd caused with the sword I taught you.

‘That is unacceptable. ’

Of course, he's been acting a little different lately.

But human nature doesn't change that easily.

And so will that wretch.

Who knows if the old bad habits will lift their heads from this day forward.

‘So I will treat you as harshly as possible. Until you fall out yourself. Or until you can get over it and prove yourself worthy. ’

Xaviel had a heavy heart.

I stared at Lloyd with cool eyes.

I waited only for the moment when the jackass gave up.

But the situation did not return as he had thought.

“Huff, huff! Ugh!”

Tuck, tuck, tuck!

Lloyd keeps running.

I just ran silently.

Ten, twenty, thirty and counting.

I walked past Xaviel dozens of times, circling the training ground.

In the meantime, I didn't say a word.

Despite the rush of breath,

You can soak your whole body in sweat.

Even when both tired legs are shaking.

Without rest, quietly, only ran at a constant rate.

How?

Little by little at first.

Later on, to be honest.

Xaviel's eyes shake.

It was a mental force that didn't make sense.

It was hard to guess where it came from.

Of course, the secret of Lloyd's tenacity was simple.

‘Cause I've been through a lot more than this! ’

In fact, I did.

In the army, I was marching and playing, and I was tired of doing things as hard as this.

It was much worse when I lost my parents and lived with Alba.

Have you been up and down brick by brick all day to the top of the four-story villa? Or have you ever been on and off a delivery all night? ’

Only those who have done the hard work know that.

Feels like the body is forced to become a mechanical accessory.

I feel like my muscles will dissipate after endless wear and wear.

‘While breathing so heavily, look at the clock with some hope. It's about time it was over. Just a little more and we'll get some rest. Not at all. It's the real Apocalypse. It's not even halfway through! Compared to the misery of having to constantly move to make money despite the horrors that you feel when you do that, this running, seriously, is just heaven! ’

Such things were routine in South Korea.

I had to live with that stupor every day.

How long do I have to live like this? The feeling of despair.

I didn't have to give up in order to live.

Let's make some money.

Let's eat and live.

He always had to push his limits.

No, I had to move without a soul, just like a zombie, with my limits crossed.

So I could not starve.

Whereas now?

"All you have to do is run. ’

I was not forced to move like a slave.

He wanted to run to learn swordsmanship.

Of course, my body was hard.

But it was fun.

I was happy.

I can barely breathe.

Even if my body is full of sweat.

Even if both legs are loose and drooling.

Sometimes your eyes turn yellow.

‘That's fine. ’

Lloyd keeps running.

And after a long fifty laps, he passed Xaviel and even smiled.

“Huff, huff, huff! I'm the one running, huh? Why are you chewing the poop? ”

“ ……. ”

“Phew, Phew, you didn't expect this? ”

“ ……. ”

“Then keep doing that. Phew, are you mute? ”

“ ……. ”

Since then, Lloyd has been running.

Until Xaviel, who was even worse, stopped running.

“Lloyd, stop running. ”

“Huff, huff, why? ”

“You're already moaning. ”

“I know that too. Phew, phew, I know. ”

“So take a break. ”

“Phew, yeah. Got it.”

Lloyd's running stopped for the first time.

“Are you embarrassed? ”

“No, I'm not.”

“No, that's right. I was embarrassed.”

“ ……. ”

“Phew. Yeah. You didn't expect this. I was just disappointed in Lloyd's poor will. You have to keep running until I tell you to stop. ’Only a whole bunch of fucking ambassadors prepared. Right?"

“ ……. ”

“As I said before, Phew, do you discreetly treat people as biased? ”

“I don't know what you mean. ”

“Did it feel like a joke to you that I asked you to teach me how to use a sword? ”

“ ……. ”

Xaviel loses his answer.

Lloyd stares into this eye with his smile gone.

When I met that look, I was curious about the answer without knowing it.

Or it felt like I had been caught in my heart.

“Is swordsmanship a joke? Is that it?"

“Of course not. ”

“Then why didn't you take me seriously when I asked you to teach me swordplay? ”