The Greatest Estate Designer

The rumor had spread, and it spread very quickly.

There wasn’t a single place where people lived without gossiping. However, considering that, it still spread stronger and faster than usual. Maybe because the content of the rumor was so unique.

“Young Master Lloyd is finally going crazy,” said a resident of Frontera Barony.

“What?”

“I heard he’s been shoveling.”

“What do you mean?”

“Literally. He’s been shoveling in the tavern’s backyard. Digging up soil and packing it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either. Have you heard that he had threatened the tavern owner?”

“What do you mean by threatened?”

“I bet he robbed the land in the backyard. Let’s just wait and see.”

“Haha, that’s kind of….” someone lamented over the table.

Another whisper could be heard from people in the vicinity, “Did you hear the rumor? I think young master Lloyd is going to commit suicide.”

“What, finally?

“That’s what they say. People said he was digging the ground yesterday and today he’s doing it again.”

“What do you mean by digging?”

“He keeps on muttering to himself, something about laying flat stones on the ground.”

“Do you think that’s….”

“If it wasn’t to create a grave for burial, then what could it be?”

Different and various speculations based on hearsays run rampant.

They said that the drunkard young master, the Baron’s son, was brewing his own alcohol and storing it underground.

Another rumor said he was digging a tunnel to avoid his father’s surveillance or that he had opened his eyes to a new preference.

A crowd of onlookers flocked because of the rumors. Amidst all that, the ondol gradually took shape.

♣

‘These people are splendid at gossiping.’

Lloyd wiped the sweat off his forehead. Mud was smeared on his face, but he didn’t care. He then looked around.

A small ondol room with an area of 3,6 meters in length and width. Just within a few days, the foundation and the walls had been built.

‘It was hard.’

Making an ondol room was not easy. In fact, it was even harder than expected. First of all, there were no advanced modern tools used to work on-site like in Korea.

‘Because I don’t have any electricity-powered tools.’

Everything had to be done by hand. Lloyd built the foundation by utilizing his past experiences from working in the military and part-time jobs.

The process took two full days. A full-body muscle pain was the bonus.

Lloyd processed the wood obtained from the administrator to make a traditional wooden frame¹Traditional wooden frame: it’s a traditional Asian construction method by making the frame using heavy wooden logs.. He even built a gable roof²Gable roof: Here, it meant triangular-shaped roof. Gable is referring to the triangular part of a structure. above it.

Reinforced wood was woven between the pillars of the frame. Then, the sticky clay and straw mixture was applied.

After working for three days straight, the walls were finally completed.

“Phew. Javier?” said Lloyd.

“Did you call me?”

“Are you tired?”

“I’m just getting used to it.”

“Is that so?”

Even in this situation, Javier was out of breath. No matter how well-built his physique was, constructing a building was different. He must’ve wasted a lot of energy because he used muscles he didn’t normally use. And yet, he was still so calm?

‘This means his remaining amount of power is different from mine in the first place.’

Lloyd was amazed by the future master swordsman’s level of stamina. As expected, Javier was reliable, especially when he did it for free like this.

With a small, soft voice, Lloyd said that he was lucky.

“Then, do what I tell you to do,” said Lloyd.

“Are there any more things I need to do?” asked Javier.

“Obviously.”

“How come?”

“Because we haven’t finished building the ondol room yet.”

“But Lloyd-nim only asked me for a little help.”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you did,” Javier cut him off with his characteristic cold way of speaking. “First, Lloyd-nim asked me to help with shoveling. You said that was all I had to do. However, you kept on changing your words afterward. When I finished digging the soil, you asked me to help you cut the wood. And then, you asked for my help to compress the mixture of clay while complaining that it was tough.”

“Hmm, so you hate it?”

“Naturally.”

“Because you’re a knight?”

“….” Javier didn’t answer, but Lloyd knew Javier’s silence meant he was right.

Maybe, Javier was right. Handling shovel and saw instead of sword, with dirt all over his body. Everybody would think it was inappropriate for the knight’s honor.

But, Lloyd saw a gap in that perspective.

“By the way, aren’t knights supposed to help the weak?”

“Pardon?”

“You think so too.”

“Of course, it’s….”

“Right? So this is a knight’s job too. This is a chivalrous activity because it helps the weak. Does that make any sense? Even at this moment, when we’re quarreling like this, the tavern owner’s mother must’ve been shivering because of the cold, right?”

“…..”

“Ah, if only we could finish this just one day earlier, happy laughter would adorn the mother’s lips….”

“What else can I do?” Javier sighed deeply while Lloyd smiled wickedly.

“Let’s do some axing,” Lloyd said while pointing his hand outside the ondol room and then continued, “Did you see those logs at the corner of the tavern’s backyard?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Yes, well done. Those are red pine trees. Cut that with an axe and make some panels for the roof.”

“What is a panel?”

“It looks like this.”

Scritch scritch. Lloyd drew a rough sketch on the ground.

“One-span width, two-span length, and one finger thick. You could think of it as a longer version of an iPad tablet…. Oh, you don’t know what a tablet is, do you? You can think of it as a plate, but cut the edges straight and even instead. Do you understand?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use a saw rather than an axe?”

“Yes, but no. The axe is better.”

Of course, cutting it with a saw would be more convenient. Adjusting it to a specific size was bound to be easier. However, abrasion would occur severely in the cutting process. As a result, the tree’s texture would get ruined. When water seeped into the broken texture, it would rot away in no time.

“If you don’t want to have to change the roof after less than a year, do it with an axe.”

“….. Alright, but.”

“But?”

Come to think of it, Javier was looking at Lloyd with a slightly strange look.

“Where did Lloyd-nim learn things like this?”

“Like this? Building a building?”

“That’s right.”

His stare was still cold, but there was a faint glimpse of a hidden emotion inside that coldness. It was intense curiosity.

Lloyd answered frankly without hiding anything, “Korea University.”

“Pardon?”

“I learned it at Korea University.”

“….”

“I’m serious. I’m not lying.”

“But I’ve never heard of such an academy.”

“Ah, of course. You’ve never heard of me going to an academy before, have you?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then just keep on pondering. Come on, let’s go. We have a lot of work to do, so let’s move on.” Lloyd shooed Javier with his hands and sent him outside.

Cutting red pine trees and making panels for the roof using an axe was something Javier could do better than himself. All because of the difference in talent. Whether it was a person or a tree, Javier had the best talent in cutting a target into two with a bladed object.

‘Because he’s already a High-Level Sword Expert.’

As written in the beginning of the [Iron-Blooded Knight] novel, it was a fact nobody in this territory knew of. Even the Baron, Baroness, and Javier himself didn’t know. However, at this point, Javier had already amassed a marvelous amount of power.

High-Level Sword Expert. A rank that was just below the Sword Master, the topmost rank. In a small country, there were only three to four of them. They were literally like knight commanders in a small and medium-sized kingdom.

‘Right now, he was only 20 years old,’ Lloyd thought.

It wasn’t until Javier left this territory that he realized his tremendous talent. A future that was yet to come.

‘Anyway, let’s get going.’

Lloyd had taken a good rest, so he began the next phase of his work.

The next stage was the alpha and the omega of the ondol room. The gleam, salt, and red bean paste of a sweet red bean bread. The graphic card of a high-end gaming computer.

It was the floor construction of the ondol room.

‘Starting from now on, it’s really important.’

No matter how good-looking the building was, if the ondol didn’t work properly, it would be disastrous. Knowing this fact very well, Lloyd mustered his utmost concentration.

‘It’ll be from here to here as designed.’

When Lloyd was in the military, the regimental commander suddenly got obsessed with a clay sauna. Because of that, he was transferred to the regiment’s headquarters as a representative to build a red clay sauna room.

What was the result? The happiness index of the regiment commander’s wife had risen dramatically. Lloyd even was rewarded a vacation thanks to the grace of the regimental commander, who was very satisfied.

Lloyd utilized his experiences and memories from that time.

First, he dug the ground to build a passageway where the heat and smoke from the furnace would flow inside.

‘With this, the heat can circulate along the longest path and pass through the floor.’

He carved his way around the passage. Meanwhile, he didn’t forget to carefully adjust the height of the passageway.

‘This is how the heat stays as long as possible without escaping immediately.’

When the fireplace was lit, heat would enter the heating system for the first time from buneomgi. Gudeul gaejari was where the heat would be stored and gudeul gorae would allow the stored heat to flow effectively. Then, the heat would be captured once more before it escaped by gorae gaejari. Finally, the chimney pit (guttuk gaejari) would prevent rainwater and cold air from coming inside the passageways.³This is a picture of an ondol’s structure. Source: Ju Nam-Cheol. (1980). Korean Residential Architecture. Iljisa Publishing Co. p.188.

‘It’s hard.’

Be careful, reduce errors as much as possible, dig and check it, check and refine it again. After that, the passageway’s walls were coated with red clay. When the red clay was sufficiently dried, the flat stones were placed meticulously on the passageway.

‘Thicker stones on the lower end near the furnace and thinner stones on the upper end of the other side.’

The stones were laid out carefully and meticulously. Because the upper part of the passageway was too far from the furnace, the heating process would be slower and thus it would feel less warm. Therefore, if the thickness of the stones were different, it was possible for the floor to be evenly warmed.

‘Now, it’s time to fill it.’

The crevices between the flat stones were filled with rocks. The surface was then covered with clay dough. Dry mud with straw was laid on top and then stepped on by Lloyd. In succession, after being stomped heavily the ground was being flattened and dried carefully. Finally, the surface was scraped and finished with the thinnest layer possible.

It took him three full days to get to this point. The core of the ondol room was completed, but the chance to test it had to be postponed for a while.

“Excuse me, Young Master Lloyd?” When Lloyd was happy seeing the newly-made ondol floor, a servant came inside, “The Lord is looking for you.”

The Lord of the territory, Baron Arcos Frontera. His father was calling for him.

‘No way.’

Out of the blue, Lloyd had a suspicion about the scene that was about to unfold.

When Lloyd left the unfinished ondol room, the gossip and the chattering of the spectators who had gathered in groups of twos and threes, died down. After he passed through the awkward silence, he headed for the baron’s mansion.

♣

“I heard there’s been a strange rumor going around these days,” said Arcos Frontera.

Clack.

The iron fork moved and picked up a crude homemade sausage. However, the Baron’s hands stopped there. He didn’t bring the fork to his mouth. Instead, he cast his eyes to the opposite side of the table, to Lloyd.

“You were doing something in the tavern backyard, weren’t you?”

His gaze wasn’t warm. To put it bluntly, it was icy. Rather than looking at a son, he looked as if he was looking at a troublesome problem. That look in the Baron’s eyes left a bitter taste in Lloyd’s mouth again.

‘This body has its drawbacks.’

The owner of this body he owned right now, Lloyd Frontera, was a typical scumbag. Always gambled and did vandalism from binge drinking and drunkenness. In addition to this unfathomable truth, he had such splendid history and karma.

Maybe this was why he always had to face the prejudice from people around him. In other words, no matter what he did, people would look at him with a crooked prejudice.

What is that rascal doing this time? What kind of accident is he trying to cause? Has he lost his mind? Or is it his time to die? Please don’t cause any inconvenience to the people around you… and so on. It was the same even now.

“Let’s hear it. What are you up to this time?” The Baron’s voice was as cold as his gaze.

As soon as Lloyd heard it, he realized. That wasn’t a question. It was a reproach.

Lloyd shrugged, “If My Lord had heard the rumor, you’d know. I was making the ondol room the tavern owner had ordered.”

“Ondol room?”

“Yes.”

“Are you trying to fool your father with smooth empty words just like how you fooled the tavern owner?”

“I couldn’t help it if My Lord thought so,” Lloyd glossed over roughly.

At this point, will you believe what I say?

On the contrary, it seemed better if the Baron would just believe this useless misunderstanding. But Lloyd was a little reluctant to persuade the Baron. He felt awkward.

‘If I spoke too long for no reason, I might get caught.’

Parents could recognize their children somehow.

He was not Lloyd Frontera. He was Kim Suho who took over this body.

He was worried he would be suspected for no reason. So, he chose to avoid a deep conversation with the Baron.

“If you have nothing to say anymore, I’ll finish my meal now.”

Just like what the ruffian Lloyd did, he didn’t hesitate to speak out and focus on his meal. Before the Baron could start talking about anything else, he thought he should just fill his stomach with the food in front of him and get up quickly.

But then, the Baron’s question reached his ear, “Is it because of our family’s situation?”

“….”

“If you have eyes and ears, you’re bound to know what’s happening these days. Did you feel upset and do this on purpose?”

“….”

Does he refer to the seizure because of the swindler?As expected, my prediction was correct.

“But it’s all right. It’s just a passing windfall. No big deal. Who am I? I am Arcos Frontera of the family who has protected this territory for five generations. This father can overcome this kind of hardship in no time, so don’t try to do something that was out of line.”

“….”

“This father will cheer up, so don’t let it shake you either.”

“….”

Lloyd has heard a similar thing before.

Suddenly Lloyd raised his head and looked at the Baron. The Baron was a handsome middle-eastern man, but his face looked somehow exhausted. He could see his father’s expression that day overlap with the Baron’s expression.

‘It’s the same as back then.’

It was when he took his last vacation from the army. At that time, his father, who was suffering from investment fraud, had that same look on his face.

His father suddenly grabbed his hand tightly and reassured him.

Don’t worry. It’s okay. It’s not a big deal. Just mind your studies.

His father just smiled and pleaded him to do so. That was why Lloyd was completely unaware. He thought his father was really okay.

A year after that, Lloyd didn’t expect that his parents, who couldn’t get out from an enormous debt, would make an extreme choice. The Baron in front of him now had the same expression as his father at that time.

‘Liar.’

The Baron was not okay. He was trying to pretend he was okay in front of his child.

Tuk. Lloyd put his fork down, The thought of focusing only on eating had long since vanished. He also gave up his promise to distance himself from the Baron for a while

And then, he subconsciously opened his mouth, “Don’t give up. I’ll do my best too.”

If he could go back to that time, a few years ago, it was something he had been wanting to say to his father.

Then, he rose up quietly from his seat. The Baron looked at him strangely. Inside his eyes, there was a look of determination that was different from the coldness before. The gaze felt burdensome so he hurried off.

Fortunately, the Baron didn’t stop him.

♣

The construction continued. The ondol room in the backyard of the tavern quickly took shape.

Gazes from the crowd of onlookers were pouring in. Amidst the misunderstandings, murmurs, and rumors, Lloyd charred the panels to get a thin film of carbon coating on the wood to prevent deterioration.

He wasn’t used to it at first, so he messed up a few. Some were so burnt that it split while some recoiled.

However after several attempts, he got the hang of it.

The key was to burn only up to 3 millimeters deep from the surface of the red pine panel.⁴I think the author refers to shou sugi ban technique. Shou sugi ban is a traditional Japanese procedure of skillfully charring wood with fire to make it water resistant.

‘Perfect.’

The panels had become more durable and lighter. Water couldn’t soak in easily. Lloyd thought this panel would easily last at least for 10 years. Lloyd and Javier weaved the roof with these panels. The straw was rolled skillfully, covered up with clay, and dried well for the base. A thicker layer of laminated paper lacquered with oil was applied, coated with stiff glue, and pasted above the the plaster. On top of that, soybean oil was applied to the panels and then finished with pine resin⁵Soybean oil could make the wood richer in color, speeds up drying, and adds durability. Meanwhile, pine resin is a dried and cleaned part of the resin obtained from pines and other plants. It’s used as a sealant, glue, and varnish to make it waterproof.

The ondol room was finished. As a test, he lit a fire for the ondol and touched its floor.

‘It’s done.’

Lloyd couldn’t help but smile.

Now, it was time to check the customers’ reactions.

• 1

  Traditional wooden frame: it’s a traditional Asian construction method by making the frame using heavy wooden logs.

• 2

  Gable roof: Here, it meant triangular-shaped roof. Gable is referring to the triangular part of a structure.

• 3

  This is a picture of an ondol’s structure. Source: Ju Nam-Cheol. (1980). Korean Residential Architecture. Iljisa Publishing Co. p.188.

• 4

  I think the author refers to shou sugi ban technique. Shou sugi ban is a traditional Japanese procedure of skillfully charring wood with fire to make it water resistant.

• 5

  Soybean oil could make the wood richer in color, speeds up drying, and adds durability. Meanwhile, pine resin is a dried and cleaned part of the resin obtained from pines and other plants. It’s used as a sealant, glue, and varnish