“Onii-sama, you mustn’t!”
Inside the grand hall of Ashford Territory, Blackwater and his younger sister were engaged in a tense conversation.
Blackwater Ashford was the legitimate eldest son and heir of the family.
He was set to succeed his father as the lord of Ashford Territory.
Since their father, Robert Ashford, the Barony’s lord, had collapsed from a mysterious illness two years ago and remained bedridden, it was expected that Blackwater would inherit the title within a few years.
Yet the retainers believed that the day Blackwater inherited the title would be the day of the territory’s doom.
Blackwater Ashford was the unrivaled fool, gambler, and debauchee of the land—he’d earned all three titles and was known as the black sheep.
There was only one person in the entire territory who could stand up to him.
His little sister, Frana Bella Ashford.
At her words, Blackwater clicked his tongue as if she had much to learn and replied.
“Sister, sister. You truly are clever. If Father’s condition worsens, I’ll become the lord and rule the territory… Would it really be a problem to borrow a bit in advance?”
“Onii-sama, the territory’s finances are already stretched thin. There are no more gold coins I can give you.”
Smack!
The sound of a slap echoed through the hall.
Blackwater had struck his sister across the face.
He needed to take the gold coins quickly to make up for all he had lost at his lucky table today.
And with that, he could even bring back some leftover gold for the territory, but his foolish sister couldn’t seem to understand that.
Unaware of his intentions, she glared at him instead of repenting, her eyes burning even fiercer.
“Tch… You’re looking at me with those eyes again…”
Unlike Frana Bella, who had been brilliant since childhood, he had shown no talent in academics, administration, swordsmanship, or etiquette.
He was, in every sense, dull-witted.
Though he was the undisputed heir, he was always compared unfavorably to his clever sister.
She had even inherited the family’s secret techniques. She handled every duty he, as heir, could not fulfill.
So, in order to gain some recognition, he could only find solace in gambling dens and taverns where at least someone acknowledged him.
“Presumptuous sister. You may act clever and superior, but in the end, it’s I who will inherit the title…”
The reason Blackwater tolerated his impudent sister was simple—he needed her.
The territory was poor, and with Robert Ashford, the Barony’s lord, incapacitated, the siblings had found themselves in the awkward position of running the territory together.
He had tried running the territory himself, but he had neither talent nor interest in such tedious work.
So, leaving the power in his remarkable sister’s hands, he took all the emergency funds under the pretext of ‘gauging the people’s sentiment,’ and didn’t return to the territory for several months.
Only when he had squandered all the emergency funds and had nothing left did he finally come back.
Upon his return, he realized things had been better when he was away under the guise of ‘checking on the people’s mood.’ The territory’s operations seemed to be running smoothly.
Somehow, his capable sister had managed to raise funds even in these harsh circumstances.
At his persuasion, she handed over the gold coins.
But much sooner than expected, the gold coins ran out again, and after repeating this several times, she now refused and reacted with anger.
Blackwater decided to use the trick that had worked before.
“Fine. Forget the gold coins. Instead, since I can’t bear to slap my insolent sister again, hand over one of your maids. I need to vent my frustration with some lashes.”
“If I’m not careful, I might end up killing her. I’ll have to go easy…”
He caressed his gauntlets and asked, “Who will you give me?”
He knew threats to the lives of her attendants always worked well on her.
“Tch… Onii-sama. The territory’s finances are truly depleted. As the official heir, please do your part to help restore the territory.”
“That’s exactly my point. You only know one thing, not two. To understand the territory properly, one must be familiar with all its aspects. What I’m doing right now is my successor’s training, so I can understand the territory properly.”
Frana Bella’s head throbbed painfully.
Even with the finances in dire straits, her brother was gnawing away at what little was left, like a rat eating up the gold coins.
Yet he was the official heir, and if she refused him, he’d harass the retainers and cause problems, so she had no choice but to give in.
In fact, in some ways, it seemed better for him to stay away like this rather than participate in the territory’s administration.
In the end, she sighed and handed over a small pouch. There were four gold coins inside.
“Onii-sama, this really is the last time. And please, I beg you—until Father recovers, let’s manage the territory together.”
“Of course, of course! I’ll quickly replenish the funds needed for running the territory. Just trust your big brother and wait quietly in your room. And I apologize for raising my hand. It was only because I care about you—please understand.”
With the sight of the gold coins, Blackwater’s reason seemed to return, and he tried to act dignified.
Then, as if he couldn’t wait another moment, he rushed out of the room.
Frana Bella staggered as a sudden, unbearable headache struck.
She needed to find a way to provide relief for the starving peasants, and the time to pay the retainers’ salaries was approaching, yet the finances were all but gone.
In truth, she still had some emergency funds hidden away, but it wouldn’t be enough to get through this winter.
“Perhaps… I’ll have to close the communal living quarters after all…”
Just then, Sir Dalton entered. Seeing the swelling on the lady’s cheek, he exclaimed in alarm.
“My lady… Did Young Master Blackwater do this?”
Sir Dalton currently served as Lady Frana Bella’s protector, but he was originally the territory’s resident knight.
He could not interfere in internal family matters.
“Pay it no mind, Sir Dalton. More importantly, what brings you here?”
“I’ve received word via carrier pigeon—the child passed the test and is headed to the territory.”
“Is that so? He have already passed the test?”
A faint smile appeared on Frana Bella’s somber face.
***
The carriage was racing along at high speed.
“A carriage…”
As a unicorn fan—no, as someone who loved all things horse-related—just riding in a horse-drawn carriage was an exhilarating experience.
Of course, back when I was a ‘pizza delivery guy,’ I’d never ridden in a carriage before.
‘This is my first carriage in this world…’
And it was a noble’s carriage, so the interior felt incredibly luxurious and refined. Maybe I should have taken my shoes off after all?
Trutru… trutru…
Trutru… trutru…
Occasionally, I could hear the horses’ hooves clattering. The carriage began to pick up speed.
Naturally, it wasn’t as comfortable as a car back on Earth.
It felt more like riding a jeep off-road over bumpy ground.
I wanted to take in the passing scenery like a panorama, but the windows were covered by curtains, so I couldn’t see outside.
I could have just pulled the curtain aside, but after nearly dying a little while ago, I didn’t have the courage to do so.
‘I want my own carriage as soon as possible…’
I’d thought that riding in a carriage would be noisy, but surprisingly, the interior was very quiet.
‘Is it magically soundproofed?’
I glanced sideways at Sir Richard, a handsome young man who looked both good-natured and poised, sitting with his arms folded.
‘Pretty young for a knight…’
He remained silent for a long time, and after what I’d just experienced, I felt too awkward to strike up a conversation, so I sank into thought.
The Ashford Barony must be carrying out some secretive business, and they intend to entrust it to me.
There must be a reason for putting me through such a complicated test.
‘To accept the mission, or refuse it… That is the question.’
To be connected with the noble house of a territory lord is a great fortune and opportunity.
Starting from nothing, my coin pouch was now respectably full.
That Sir Richard… No need to use honorifics, even in my thoughts…
That Richard bastard tried to kill me when I failed the test.
I may still be weak, but I mustn’t forget that my life was threatened.
One day, when I gain strength, I’ll pay him back. Starting tomorrow, I should find time to at least train in self-defense.
Sir Richard gave me the impression that he was a rather dangerous man.
Lady Frana Bella seemed to have instructed him to let me go if I failed the test, but instead he tried to kill me—maybe his loyalty is just excessive.
And above all, he’s quite the poker-faced type.
‘People who keep their eyes half-closed always have something to hide…’
My thoughts spun on endlessly. What business could I start in this world?
Suddenly, a memory from my days as Yoon Igon surfaced. I recalled giving a Startup entrepreneurship special lecture at a university.
After wrapping up the Startup special lecture, it was time for the Q&A session.
***
“This concludes the lecture. Are there any questions?”
“Thank you for your lecture. I’m a student dreaming of starting my own Startup. I know how to prepare for a job, but I’m not sure how to actually start a Startup. How do most people begin?”
“There are so many things to prepare before starting a Startup, but in truth, you can also start with nothing. There isn’t a single right answer. However, I can tell you exactly when a Startup begins in our country. Do you know when a Startup is officially considered launched? When you come up with a great idea? No. When you finish development and launch your service? No. When you’ve gathered your team? Still not it.”
“…..”
“It’s when you register your Business Registration Certificate with the National Tax Service. The Government recognizes you as an entrepreneur only once you register your Business Registration Certificate as either a sole proprietor or a corporation. Until then, whatever you do, you’re just a prospective founder.”
“Is there anything to be careful about before applying for a Business Registration Certificate?”
“In fact, getting a Business Registration Certificate isn’t hard, but you should decide carefully. You often hear talk of ‘X years in the Startup business,’ right? That’s determined by your opening date. From the moment you set your opening date, day one begins. That’s the instant when a prospective founder evolves into a true entrepreneur. But on the other hand, remember: while you have unlimited prep time as a prospective founder, the clock starts ticking on your Startup the moment you register for a Business Registration Certificate. A Startup needs to show meaningful results with a small team in a short time.”
“Can you share one secret to becoming a Unicorn Company?”
“Ha ha… I haven’t found the secret to success yet myself. I’m just one of many challengers aiming for Unicorn status. There’s a study that says the probability of a Startup becoming a Unicorn Company is only 0.00016%. But surprisingly, since the 2000s, over 1,200 Unicorn Startups have been born.”
Thus the name—Unicorn Startup, so rare it’s almost mythical.
Yet, in a twist, countless Unicorn Startups are born every year.
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