“Alright, the orientation is over.”
A few coachmen went limp and slumped into their seats.
“Good job, everyone.”
“My brain isn’t moving… I feel like I’ve done a lifetime’s worth of studying here.”
“I almost got kicked out because I dozed off in the middle…”
Everyone found the sudden studying difficult, but their motivation was overflowing. It was a sharp contrast to how they had looked yesterday, despairing in the long line.
“Today, lunch is on me. Please, eat your fill.”
I provided lunch boxes made by the elderly man back at the lodging. I thought it would be nice to run a cafeteria here in the future.
‘I should name it the Drivers’ Restaurant…’
At first, people might misunderstand the name, and more knights from the Order of Knights might show up than actual drivers…
Afternoon arrived. The head coachman spoke up.
“Will the training continue this afternoon just like this morning?”
“No, the training is finished. We’re going out for a test run this afternoon.”
“A test run?”
“Julie, is everything ready?”
I turned toward Julie and asked.
“Everything I’m in charge of is ready.”
“Meat, did you finish all the dispatches?”
“Yeah, I’ve organized all the locations we’ll be visiting for the trial.”
Meat and the two employees handed out the route maps they had created. The maps were simple, with paths and destinations drawn on plain white paper.
“Now, as the conclusion to your orientation, we are going out for a test run.”
The very first operation of Maber was this test run.
“The test run is simple. You just have to visit the destinations written on your maps.”
The coachmen chatted as they looked at the maps.
“If that’s all it is, it’s easy.”
“This is a road I always take; I could go there with my eyes closed.”
“Wait, what? I’m passing right by my own house.”
Since they all had experience as coachmen, none of them found the driving difficult.
“And there’s an important mission.”
At the word “mission,” the coachmen all focused their attention.
“If you see someone who wants to ride the carriage, you should let them on for free.”
“For free?”
“Yes. Free of charge.”
In marketing, there is a common strategy called “Free Trial Marketing.”
This marketing strategy introduces a product and builds awareness by giving people a chance to experience a product or service for free when it is still unfamiliar.
It is mainly used for home appliances and services, and is sometimes applied to food samples or cosmetic samples.
‘He who has tasted meat will eat more of it.’
I had seen many slogans like “Try it for 30 days! If you’re not satisfied, we’ll give you a full refund.”
This kind of marketing provides a trial for the customer while the company collects customer data and increases brand awareness.
The concept of a “Common Carriage” would be unfamiliar to people. If fifty carriages went out at once to announce their existence and pick up citizens, it would be quite a performance.
Meat gave the coachmen their final instructions.
“Maber drivers, you must not forget the core principles and guidelines I mentioned earlier. You must always greet customers with a positive and kind attitude, even if it’s free today. Punctuality, a clean vehicle, and safe driving are the basics. Also, communication with the passenger is important. Confirm the destination again, and if you need directions, ask the customer politely. Please respect the customers’ privacy and refrain from unnecessary conversation.”
“Yes, yes. We heard it enough over the last 3 hours for our ears to bleed. We’ll practically recite it automatically if someone pokes us.”
“Thank you.”
Seeing Meat instruct the coachmen put my mind at ease.
“He’ll do well.”
Hailey, standing beside me, spoke while watching Meat.
“To let the citizens ride for free… surely, there must be those who have never ridden a carriage before.”
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to Meat or to himself, but his eyes were filled with deep emotion.
This time, Julie spoke.
“Exactly. Truly. I never thought I’d see our horses go out into the world all at once like this. I’m so happy, it feels like a dream.”
Perhaps Julie was thinking of her father.
“Well then, shall we head out? We’ll depart one by one, in order.”
Meat and the employees brought the carriages to the docking station, while Julie and Hyde brought the horses in sequence to hitch them to the carriages.
The carriages departed one after another. It was a magnificent sight—the long line of carriages looked like a procession of ants.
***
“Can I really get on?”
“Of course, Hans. It’s free today, so please, have a seat.”
“Ho! To think such a thing would happen to me! It was my lifelong wish to ride a carriage.”
The carriage carrying the farmer in his 60s traveled quietly through the village.
“Mister, Mister… can we ride the carriage too?”
“Of course, little guests. It’s free today, so bring your friends and hop on.”
“Yay! Wow, this is so cool… the scenery is just moving backward!”
I could see children, riding a carriage for the first time, rejoicing in wonder.
“I had a dinner appointment with a friend and planned to leave 3 hours early, but taking the carriage took less than 30 minutes. I almost made us late, thank you!”
There was even someone who wasn’t late for a meeting with a friend who lived far away in the city.
“Excuse me… it’s a bit far… can you really take me for free?”
An elderly woman asked cautiously.
“Of course. Looking at the distance, it’ll take about 2 hours. Don’t worry, it’s free today, so please get in. I know that village, so it’s no trouble.”
The Maber carriage carrying the elderly woman traveled beyond Grunvalt for the first time, heading toward another village.
Upon arriving at the village, the woman stepped down from the carriage. She looked around for a long time before stopping. A woman in her 40s was visible in the distance. The younger woman was focused on threshing grain, not noticing the older woman.
“Julien.”
The voice was warm and low. At that voice, the woman looked up in surprise. And there, standing before her, was someone she hadn’t seen once since she got married.
“Mom… Mom…”
The woman reverted to a 7-year-old girl the moment she saw her mother. Tears streamed from her eyes. In her sight was the mother she always missed but hadn’t seen for 20 years because of the distance.
Abandoning everything she was doing, she ran toward her mother. She threw herself into her mother’s arms. Her mother repeatedly patted her daughter’s back, apologizing for only coming to find her now.
Many people rode the Maber carriages for free that day. There were many who had ridden a carriage for the very first time.
As evening fell, the coachmen began to return one by one after finishing their Maber test runs.
“Good work, everyone.”
We waved at the returning coachmen. Each of them came back with their own stories.
“It seems the test run ended well, doesn’t it?”
“It didn’t just end well; I think it was a magnificent test run.”
“The fact that it was free was a surprise, but there were so many inquiries about how to use the carriages. It really put my mind at ease,” the coachman Mabelly said.
The coachmen must have had their own anxieties, too. After all, the structure was built so they would earn as much as they worked… and they had even paid a gold coin as a deposit, so they must have wondered if there would really be customers.
“It would be stranger for a service like this not to exist until now…”
In the Republic of Korea, there are about 250,000 taxis. Even in Seoul alone, 50,000 operate every day.
In Grunvalt, one of the leading Grand Cities in the Teuton Kingdom, fifty common carriages was actually an incredibly small number.
That was why I was certain that if we started at this scale, demand would far exceed supply.
The last coachman, who had gone the farthest, returned, and all operations for the day were concluded. We gathered feedback from the coachmen.
“William, fortunately, it seems the test run ended well.”
“I’m glad to hear so many people saying the carriages were comfortable.”
“I was so nervous I couldn’t even leave the ranch.”
“I’m hungry, when do we eat?”
Meat, Hailey, and Julie shared their impressions. Depending on their positions, their views of the Maber startup were different. Although Hyde only seemed to care about dinner…
“Right. Meat, starting tomorrow, we’re officially in operation. Since it’s just the beginning, there might not be many customers for the first month. But as planned, everything will stabilize within 1 month.”
“Yeah. I’ll treasure the opportunity you gave me and run this Maber startup well.”
Thanks to the test run, Meat looked less anxious than yesterday. As always, you can do it once you try. The attempt before trying is always the most frightening part.
“Is it possible to operate a carriage right now?”
Someone was running toward us urgently.
“Lord Laval?”
Looking closely, it was the noble who was Miss Serin’s father. Servants were running along behind him.
‘What business could he have to be in more of a hurry than his servants?’
“Lord Laval, what is the matter?”
Meat asked him. Was his name Laval? It was a fitting name…
“Huff… puff… our carriage broke down… I have somewhere I need to go urgently, can you help?”
We were bewildered, wondering what was happening.
“Pardon me, my lord. I’m sorry, but our business for today has concluded. All the coachmen have returned as well.”
“Please, save my daughter.”
“Save your daughter? What do you mean? Did something happen to Miss Serin?”
Before I could answer, Meat urgently questioned Laval.
“My daughter has caught Rune Pox.”
“Rune Pox?”
Rune Pox? What was that? Just as I was about to ask Lord Laval, Hailey answered first.
“Rune Pox… do you mean that disease that causes red rashes?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought it had disappeared because there hadn’t been any cases for 10 years, but Miss Serin has suffered a great misfortune.”
Hailey spoke with sincere regret. I didn’t know what it was, but it sounded like a serious illness.
“Rune Pox is an endemic disease that was prevalent in Grunvalt about 20 years ago. The 3 years after the initial outbreak were truly horrific. It was an incurable disease that no one could handle. People who caught it suffered from severe high fevers, and letter-shaped rashes—like ancient runes—would appear on their bodies. Back when there was no cure, many people died from that disease…”
Hailey was briefly lost in memories of the past. Tiara, the flower girl he had loved, had died of Rune Pox.
Hearing that many people had died, Meat turned pale. Hailey glanced at Meat and continued speaking to reassure him.
“But do not worry. A perfect cure for that disease was discovered 5 years after the outbreak 20 years ago. From what I know, there hasn’t been a single death since then. There were a few who caught the disease, but they were all treated well and recovered their health. It has been 10 years since the disease resurfaced in this city. It can be treated with the Bafsteria flower.”
That was a relief. Hailey seemed to be an expert on Rune Pox.
“Bafsteria is a wild flower that grows on the sandy beaches near the sea. You harvest the flowers and dry them slowly under gentle sunlight or in a well-ventilated shade. The important thing is that the scent and color of the flower must be maintained until the drying is finished. You dry them, grind them into medicine, and administer it.”
If you just had to dry it, grind it, and feed it to the patient, the medicine seemed easy enough to prepare.
“Lord Laval, please do not worry. It is a treatable disease.”
Hailey reassured Laval. However, Lord Laval’s expression did not brighten.
“Sir Hailey, I know that as well. I had a relative who caught Rune Pox. They were treated back then. The problem is that since the disease hasn’t appeared in this city for 10 years, I cannot find medicine made from Bafsteria. My daughter’s condition is more serious than I thought. It has only been one day since the onset, but she has a high fever and rune-shaped rashes have begun to appear. Eventually, she lost consciousness around noon…”
Hailey’s expression also turned grave.
“Heavens. Acute Rune Pox… It is very rare, but if it comes on acutely, people often die before anything can be done. Once the rune-shaped rashes appear, they must be treated quickly. But do not worry. If we go to Nars Village, where Bafsteria grows, we will surely be able to obtain the medicine. Nars is about a 4-hour carriage ride away, so if we go quickly, we can treat the young lady by tomorrow morning.”
“That is the problem. The carriage is broken.”
Lord Laval spoke, sounding as if he were about to cry.
“The carriage is broken?”