Serin, the young lady, had urgently requested a carriage ride this morning to prepare a gift for Meat.
Meat recalled the memories from the past.
The first time he came as the young lady’s coachman. The first time he went out driving with her.
The time a small mistake led to the master’s torment. The time they got stuck in a downpour on the way back from a party.
The time he sat quietly next to the frightened young lady, comforting her—such moments flashed through his mind.
To be honest, the past year had been more than just hardship for Meat; it had been a place of excitement.
Though it was tough enduring the master’s words and violence, there were precious memories far greater than those hardships.
But no matter how the law changed, and socializing between nobles and commoners was allowed, for him, she was a star he could never reach, a flower he could never dare to touch.
At length, Meat lowered his head as he looked at the young lady.
“Miss… Thank you. Please stay well. I’ll treasure the gift for the rest of my life.”
Serin, understanding the meaning behind his words, also said her farewell.
“Fool. Meat… Goodbye.”
***
“What are you two doing… It’s like a scene out of some tragic Romeo and Juliet movie.”
The two, like actors from a sentimental film, left parting words for each other and slowly drifted apart.
Nearby, Slot quietly watched the scene, tears streaming down his face.
“Truly… such a beautiful friendship. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such warmth in a servant’s heart before…”
“Hey… no, Slot. In what world is that friendship…”
As the young lady grew distant, Meat—who had been crying—looked at me and spoke. His eyes were filled with resolve.
“William. If I do that… that Startup or whatever, could I be worthy before the young lady?”
“Of course. Just trust me, brother.”
Unlike before, it seemed Meat had found a new determination to succeed in the Startup.
‘What an impure motive, really…’
But does it matter? Such motivation is a surprisingly strong driving force for success in Startup World.
I’ll rest for now; tomorrow I have a lot to deal with.
I’m sure tomorrow’s me will handle it well.
Let’s do this! The very first ‘Startup.’
***
Late evening, in the study. Frana Bella wore clothes that were both comfortable and elegant.
“Miss Frana Bella. As planned, that boy formed the Sangdan successfully. He also made a Mercenary Company. And, as expected, he visited the Carriage Exhibition Hall to purchase a horse-drawn carriage.”
Sir Richard handed over a teacup as he attended to the young lady.
“So he really did go to buy a carriage. Well, the road ahead is long. As expected…”
“Do you think it was a good decision to invest in that boy?”
“Who knows? It’s too early to tell. Whether he’ll bring us Gold or Pepper… Either way, I needed a carriage for the mission, so I simply entrusted that sum to him.”
Frana Bella was planning to purchase a carriage for her own mission.
Her clients were too far to visit on foot.
She decided to try investing that amount in William.
“I have never once seen you make the wrong choice, miss. I believe this time will be the same.”
Sir Richard was a man who would lay down his life for Frana Bella.
“Let’s keep an eye on the Salt. Let’s see what benefit that child brings us…”
Frana Bella sipped her tea. Without realizing it, she felt that the boy somehow brought her joy.
“I… Also, there’s something else I must tell you.”
At Richard’s cautious words, her eyes wavered slightly.
“What is it?”
“It’s about Blackwater Ashford’s recent affairs. I’ve received word that he’s lost most of the money you gave him through gambling. It appears he’ll squander all he has within a few days.”
“That damned brother of mine…”
In an instant, Frana Bella’s previously cheerful mood turned icy cold. Just how long will he continue making trouble…
***
Pak pak.
Morning… no, it was still dawn.
The sound of birds woke me. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stepped outside, finding the sky still dim before sunrise.
I had an appointment, so I left with my face all puffy from sleep.
‘What the… is the sun up already? Why is it so bright…’
“Captain, you’re up?”
Slot greeted me with a bright smile.
Turned out, the dazzling brightness was from Slot’s face.
“What the…”
Slot looked just as handsome as yesterday.
His blonde hair seemed to shine even at dawn. I guess being born good-looking really matters. I mean, I consider myself good-looking too, though.
“Today’s your first training. Please take care of me.”
Truthfully, the reason I was up at dawn was because, after accepting Slot as a member of the Sangdan yesterday, I asked him for one thing.
That was to train me in Swordsmanship.
Back on Earth, martial strength didn’t matter much, but in this world, with Magic Beasts and the need for self-defense, I needed combat power.
‘If I combine my super amazing Artifact—the Lycanthrope Leather Gauntlet—this should be awesome, right?’
Slot agreed right away. Of course, he took a hefty one-month tuition fee of 5 silver…
With that innocent face, I almost tried to get a free lesson, but he’s surprisingly strict about business.
As a result, I spent quite a lot yesterday on inn fees, wooden sword, and training fees. I think I blew through more than 10 silver.
First, I decided to spar a bit with Slot using wooden swords. Slot said it was to gauge the strength of the Captain.
‘Will this be a replay of yesterday’s duel between Richard and Slot?’
I felt nervous. In these isekai clichés, even a weakling from Earth usually unlocks some hidden power.
Maybe my own hidden strength would reveal itself.
Smack!
“Haha! Captain, you really are ridiculously weak. I’ve never seen anyone this bad before.”
At a single strike from Slot, my legs gave out and I collapsed.
‘Kgh… Sorry for being weak. This guy’s so casual with his brutal honesty.’
But honestly, whether on Earth or here, fighting was always the farthest thing from my life.
“But no one is good from the start. If you work hard, Captain, you’ll be a fine swordsman. Hang in there.”
Slot’s basic character is kind. Maybe it’s because he dreams of becoming a Knight, but he’s polite to the bone.
“By the way, Captain. Would it be alright if I use informal speech during training? I think it would make the training more effective.”
Being a Swordsmanship instructor, using honorifics all the time would be tough.
“Of course. Go all out on me. Please, train me hard.”
Just thinking about swordsmanship training made me so nervous I gulped. Slot gave me a look—a slight glint in his eyes. Wait, is he…
“What are you doing? Put down the wooden sword and run.”
“Go touch that tree and come back. Only one can finish first. Now, run.”
“Huh? Slot, isn’t this swordsmanship training?”
“Strong Swordsmanship comes from strong stamina. Starting today, we’ll run for an hour every morning as physical training.”
His tone had suddenly changed into that of a drill sergeant.
‘Fine… I’ll do it.’
It’s not wrong. Fundamental stamina matters everywhere. For now, I put down my wooden sword and started running.
Thud thud thud!
“Hurry, hurry, run!”
I ran. Of course, it wasn’t long before I had to walk, but Slot kept pushing me until I thought I’d die.
“As your instructor, I can be a devil or an angel depending on your actions.
No walking. Move faster!”
“Uwaaaah!”
Whether on Earth or here, drill sergeants are apparently universal.
I hadn’t run far before my legs wouldn’t move.
Pizza, that bastard, must have been even more of a couch potato than I was on Earth.
How terrible was my stamina, really?
Unaware of my plight, Slot shouted like I was about to run a marathon.
After an hour of running myself half to death, Slot clapped, signaling the end.
Don’t clap for me.
“Captain… Good work. Please understand if I’m a little strict. Alright, next is sword training.”
“Swordsmanship.”
Slot kindly announced, having reverted to his good Knight mode.
I tried to suggest we take a short break before continuing with the Swordsmanship training, but was flatly denied.
Even lifting a finger was hard, but I got excited at the mention of Swordsmanship.
“First, rotate your neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, waist, and legs. While bouncing in place, get ready to hold your sword.”
“Hey, this… isn’t this just basic fitness?”
Why are we stretching and jumping in place during Swordsmanship training? After fifteen minutes of warming up, I felt like my body had no strength left.
“Now, let’s learn Swordsmanship. Pick up your wooden sword.”
At last. It’s starting. With trembling hands, I grabbed the wooden sword.
“Today, you’ll learn the Preparation Stance. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly… yes, just like that. Now, grip the wooden sword with both hands… point the tip slightly upwards. Captain, you’re pretty good at this, aren’t you?”
Though I was exhausted, the compliment gave me strength. Like a Preparation Stance pro.
“Good. Now just hold that position for about forty minutes. That’s all you need to do for today. Too easy, right?”
Hey… this is basic fitness, isn’t it?
Expecting to learn a Knight’s splendid Swordsmanship, I ended up doing physical training for two hours, staring at the tip of my sword until I nearly melted.
At this rate, it’ll take a long time before I get stronger.
***
Meat watched William training. His eyes were still swollen, probably from crying yesterday.
“No matter how I think about it, this is strange…”
Awakened by the morning commotion, Meat saw Pizza—no, William—practicing his Preparation Stance.
Honestly, calling him Pizza still rolled off the tongue better.
After seeing William for over ten years, it felt strange to see him practicing Swordsmanship from dawn.
“Feels like he’s the Pizza I knew, but also not…”
“Hey, William.”
“Uuugh… you’re up? Your eyes are so swollen. Didn’t you say a coachman’s day starts at dawn?”
“What are you talking about? There’s no one to speak to, and the young lady’s gone, so why wake up early?”
“Anyway, do you remember? That time when we were nine, we almost fell off the cliff?”
“Huh? When we were nine?”
“Yeah… around then. You and I nearly died—there was a huge incident.”
William rummaged through Pizza’s memories.
“Huh? That… wasn’t that the Magical Butterfly Incident a traveler told us about? We heard there was a Magical Butterfly that would grant any wish, so you and I went into the forest to catch it, and nearly walked right up to the cliff’s edge.”
“I still get chills whenever I think about that cliff.”
“To be precise, I saved you by grabbing and pulling you back from the edge. I’ve been your lifesaver ever since, right?”
“What nonsense. If not for you, I wouldn’t have even gone near the cliff.”
“So you do remember… Guess you really are the guy I know…”
Meat felt awkward about William’s change, but, thinking about it, he’d changed a lot himself over the years. He figured William had gone through much while he was gone, too.
Maybe William also thinks he’s changed.
Yet, watching William drop his wooden sword, clutch his foot in pain, he realized—not everything had changed.