Chapter 33: I don’t know

I looked at Julie, who was walking ahead of me.

She really was a strange lady.

She wore a leather jacket and blouse suitable for horseback riding, and tight riding pants that hugged her figure.

Especially with her ankle boots and glasses, she gave off a strangely unbalanced feeling.

By the way, just how far are we going? After walking for quite a while, I finally saw the entrance leading to the mountain.

“Slot. That’s the mountain trail, isn’t it?”

“Organization Leader. Anyone can see that’s the Mountain Trail…”

It’s not that I didn’t know it was a mountain trail—I asked because it was so absurd.

In front of us was a steep Mountain Trail leading up to a tall mountain.

W-We’re really going up that way?

Julie climbed the mountain as if it was nothing. So this is what she meant when she said it was far.

“He….heh?”

“Are we… almost there?”

“Of course. Just five more minutes.”

“I’m sure you said five minutes earlier too…”

“Organization Leader, it feels so good climbing the mountain. It’s refreshing, and it’s a good stamina workout too…”

Slot’s job satisfaction was going up. Even after all that physical training this morning, he seemed happy to burn out his thighs.

She kept saying we were almost there, but there was no sign of our destination. Each time I asked, the “five minutes” just got extended.

Only after I’d asked about ten times did we finally arrive.

On Earth or in the Otherworld, five minutes when hiking a mountain can feel like a very long time.

“We’ve arrived!”

“Wow!”

Slot and I shouted at the same time.

Once we climbed the ridge, the view opened wide, and an expansive Pasture unfolded before us.

It felt like I’d discovered a mysterious space hidden atop the mountain.

The Pasture was covered in soft grass, and the tender shoots swayed gently in the breeze. It gave the impression of a green sea with rolling waves.

Here and there, I could see horses. Several of them roamed freely across the field.

“Welcome. There’s no such thing as a bad horse in the world. In short, welcome to Sena Horse Ranch.”

A Pasture so wide open on the Middle Mountain Meadow that it was hard to believe we were halfway up a mountain. And so many horses were visible.

But why is the ranch located so high up?

The horse ranch nestled in the Middle Mountain Meadow was a peaceful place.

Mountain winds and the leaves of the Pasture served as a backdrop, over which the horses wandered with calm whinnies.

I could see horses rolling in the dirt, enjoying themselves.

“What a peaceful place.”

“Isn’t it? It’s a wonderful environment for our children to live in.”

Most of the horses looked healthy. But on closer inspection, I noticed some that were still a little strange.

There were limping horses, and others sat quietly, gazing at the distant mountaintop with eyes full of stories.

“Those horses…”

Julie looked at the horses with worried eyes and spoke.

“Just as it is with people, not all horses recover. Some come with wounded hearts, some with wounded bodies, but there are cases where recovery never comes. Those horses spend their last days here.”

For some horses, this ranch is a hospital or a Rehabilitation training center… but for others, it’s their final resting place.

“Even healthy horses sometimes need Rehabilitation. Horses are animals of great utility—they’re used for transporting people and goods. They’re sensitive and intelligent. But when continuously exposed to harsh conditions, even healthy horses can start to show abnormal behaviors.”

“What kinds of things?”

“For example, if a horse paws at the ground with its hoof, it could be a sign of anxiety, irritation, or abdominal pain. A horse endlessly circling within the ranch—constantly following the same path—could be a sign of isolation or lack of exercise. Besides that, there’s also excessive grooming, lethargy, excessive mating behavior, refusing food, seizures, convulsions, loud neighing—there are countless abnormal behaviors. Most of these behaviors have similar causes.”

“What’s that?”

“Stress. Most of the behaviors you saw from the horses below were also stress-induced anxiety symptoms. If the symptoms are temporary, they’ll improve as the environment improves. But even healthy horses here at the ranch can be classified as Disposal Classification if they show the slightest abnormality. In other words, if they have a defect.”

“What happens to those horses?”

“If a horse has good bloodlines, it’s used for breeding. If it’s deemed useless, it’s slaughtered. Even after death, horses are useful. High-quality horsehide is preferred for making armor, shoes, bags, clothing, and furniture, and horsemeat… well, it’s a favored meat in some cuisines.”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. The same goes for horses that die here—they’re disposed of just the same. The only difference is, since horsehide and horsemeat are valuable, sometimes horses that shouldn’t have to die are disposed of early. The horses that come here can get another chance through Rehabilitation, and even those who can’t are helped to live out their natural lives in happiness.”

It may sound cruel to a horse, but in this Otherworld, there are still many people starving to death.

Just because a horse died doesn’t mean it gets any special treatment. Maintaining things to this degree probably already costs a fortune.

“Among the horses classified as Disposal Classification, I buy the ones that I judge as having potential for Rehabilitation or long-term survival, with my own money. Unfortunately, I can’t buy every horse. Even those classified as Disposal Classification can be extremely expensive. But a good number of the horses brought to our ranch successfully undergo Rehabilitation and become healthy again.”

“Some fail at Rehabilitation, but even then, they can live out their remaining days here in comfort. However, Rehabilitation or allowing them to live out their lives both cost a significant amount of money. That’s why we resell horses that successfully complete Rehabilitation, or sell what’s left after a horse’s final rest, in order to keep the ranch running.”

Julie let out a sigh.

That sigh spoke volumes about how hard it was to operate.

To rehabilitate the horses, she had to build a ranch halfway up a mountain and constantly purchase new horses.

“The biggest problem is that there are so few people willing to buy horses that have completed Rehabilitation. Especially Nobles—it’s almost impossible to sell to them. Nobles care about bloodlines and demand perfection, so our horses aren’t even considered.”

It looked like selling horses to Nobles was out of the question.

“So, I focus on selling mainly to Sangdan, but even there, the response isn’t great. Since Sangdan transport goods over long distances, they worry that any horse with a previous problem might cause trouble again. Even though, in reality, almost no rehabilitated horse causes trouble.”

I looked at the horses in the ranch.

A lot of them, by my eye, didn’t seem to have any problems at all.

But I could understand the perspective of the Sangdan as well.

People are hard enough to read—how can you tell what a horse is really thinking?

“But from the horses’ perspective, is it really better to return to the world? It seems like they’re happier here.”

“That’s not a wrong thought. Here, they can seek comfort over anxiety. It is certainly a good place for them. But the word Rehabilitation means to recover, to return. To use a human analogy, it’s like someone who worked hard, got into an accident, and retired, but then made a comeback. If the retired person is able, they might choose to return to work; just like that, I believe that for horses, it’s better to do their best and live life again, rather than just passively living out their days.”

Julie, the owner of Sena Horse Ranch, was running her ranch with deep thought and care for the horses.

“In the end, I’ve ended up telling you everything about my situation. When I analyzed the groups most likely to buy our horses, the only real candidates were those with little money who are just starting up—a new Sangdan like yours.”

I finally understood why Julie had approached us and followed us for so long.

She had targeted us.

***

If I analyze Julie’s Sena Horse Ranch from a business perspective, it’s clear she’s gone through trial and error and concluded that new Sangdan like ours are the most likely to buy horses.

In business administration, there’s a classic marketing strategy called Classic Marketing Strategy STP.

Julie may not know it by name, but instinctively she’s applying this method.

This is still an effective strategy—STP stands for Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning.

It’s a strategic approach to selling goods or services more effectively.

First is Market Segmentation. In running her ranch, she’s split the potential customers into several groups.

Using behavioral characteristics, she’s excluded Nobles who care only for bloodlines and breeds.

Next is Targeting.

Among Sangdan, she’s focused not on wealthy, long-distance traders, but on Sangdan with less money and those just starting up—believing they are more likely to buy.

Positioning is the strategy of differentiating from other ranches.

She identified that this group—Startup Sangdan—has less resources and money, and so she highlights low price as a unique selling point in her marketing.

Thinking back to what Julie said when we first met—‘Hey… I have cheap, good horses, want to hear about them?’—I realize all these strategic perspectives were wrapped up in that one line.

Looking at it this way, Julie’s strategy is spot on.

***

“You’ve had a tough time, haven’t you?”

I decided to comfort Julie first.

“Julie, I think you’re running a wonderful ranch. A business dedicated to doing good for horses is meaningful just for that reason. But from a business perspective, there must be many difficulties. Sick and injured horses keep increasing, and running the place must cost a lot.”

“I’m sure that for horses that simply live out their days in peace, the financial losses are greater than any benefits. After all, you have to care for them for so long. In the end, you need a lot of horses to succeed in Rehabilitation, but there aren’t that many new Sangdan. Even among those who just started, like us, it’s hard to make a decision to purchase after just one explanation. Still, I respect you for running such a wonderful ranch.”

“…Thank you so much.”

Julie seemed truly comforted by my words.

“I was amazed by the size of your ranch. Just by rough estimate, there must be over a hundred horses here.”

“Counting the ones you saw below, there are about 153.”

The terms aren’t bad.

Of course, from the perspective of rehabilitated horses, there is risk, but it means we can buy horses at a cheaper price.

“If we were to buy horses, would you guarantee their health?”

“Of course. I am both a Trainer and a Veterinarian. I do not sell horses that have problems.

I only provide horses that I’ve judged to have succeeded in Rehabilitation.

Of course, since horses are living beings, I can’t guarantee 100%. But if any problems arise, I’ll take responsibility and provide care.”

Julie showed quite a bit of confidence in this regard.

“What if, for example, someone wanted to buy a large number of horses at once?”

Julie thought for a moment and replied.

“How many would count as a large number?”

“Well, let’s say… fifty?”

Julie snorted, as if it was an impossible joke.

It was a self-deprecating laugh that hinted at her efforts and failures so far.