Harvest Moon.

Mayst County, Goldflash Town. The outer bailey of Habsburg Estate.

In one corner of the yard, a thin, black-haired boy stood with one hand pressed to the lump on his forehead. He stared blankly across the empty training ground at the castle looming in the distance.

"Ugh... Where am I?"

Raine fought through the pounding in his skull and looked around.

A group of boys in coarse linen, all in their early teens, stood in a neat semicircle around a tall, powerfully built man who was trimming the hooves of a black donkey.

*Wait. Are they trimming a donkey's hooves?*

Raine stared.

Then a flood of memories crashed into his mind. Images raced past, one after another.

*My name is Raine now. An hour ago, a donkey kicked me in the head. The lump still hasn't gone down.*

*The man trimming its hooves is the blacksmith of Habsburg Estate.*

*...*

Before he could make sense of it all, the blacksmith bellowed.

"You little brats! Did none of you eat breakfast? You can't even hold down a donkey's hoof!"

"Put your backs into it! Hold it still!"

Two page boys were already drenched in sweat as they struggled with the hoof. They were too young and too weak. Every kick of the donkey's leg tossed them around like rags.

Raine shook his head. Both boys were as scrawny as his new body. Of course they couldn't hold it.

According to the memories settling into place, the former Raine had joined Habsburg Estate's page boy training only two days ago. His family had emptied most of their savings and called in a favor with the estate steward just to secure him a place.

In this world, landed nobles commonly recruited children through training and selection, then raised the few who passed to serve as permanent household staff.

The positions for male servants covered the usual range: stablehands, guards, cooks, bakers, butchers, brewers, blacksmiths, houndmasters, falconers, and more.

Three months from now, the estate would hold its selection. Five page boys would earn permanent positions: two blacksmith apprentices, two guards, and one houndmaster.

That was why this group's training revolved around those three trades.

*A civil service exam in another world?*

The thought sprang unbidden into Raine's mind.

*Fine, I've transmigrated. But I'm supposed to work my way up just to become someone's servant?*

*What the hell?*

Nearby chatter sent another spike of pain through his aching skull.

Raine gritted his teeth and turned. Several larger boys in clean linen stood a short distance away, pointing at him and roaring with laughter.

"He got kicked by a donkey! I can't breathe!"

The sight of their faces stirred more of the former Raine's memories.

These well-dressed page boys were the sons of shopkeepers in town, privileged heirs by local standards. They stuck together and routinely bullied the others.

Raine had been no exception. On his first day, they had ordered him to clean the dormitory every morning, even though the chore was supposed to rotate among all the boys.

*The one with the heavy eyebrows is the tavern owner's youngest son. They call him Bushy Brow.*

*The freckled one is the innkeeper's son. Freckles.*

*The boy in brown linen shorts is the tanner's son. He isn't so bad. No nickname, either.*

*...*

*Gods, was I really this pathetic? Bullied by a pack of children?*

Raine looked down at his stick-thin body and sighed.

Once the merchant boys had laughed their fill, they drifted into conversation. Raine needed information, so he lowered his head and pretended not to care while listening closely.

"Did you hear?" Freckles lowered his voice. "A wandering ogre attacked Albero Town last night. A lot of people were killed or injured."

Freckles's family ran the town inn, making him one of the two boys who heard news from beyond Goldflash Town.

"Is that true? Why does this keep happening lately?" Fear crept across Bushy Brow's face. "Two days ago, I heard some caravaners say cultists had sacrificed people near Monaim Town. Lots of people died there too."

Bushy Brow's family owned the tavern. That made him the other well-informed boy.

The tanner's son sighed. "If only we could move to the county city. Life would be much safer there."

"As if it were that easy." Freckles shook his head. "First you pass the selection and become a guard. Then someone important has to notice you and transfer you to the main house in the city. That's a long climb."

"True, but becoming a guard is still the first step." Bushy Brow flexed one thick arm, brimming with confidence.

Raine fell silent, turning their words over in his mind.

*Ogres.*

*Cultists.*

*Is this a world of supernatural powers?*

Excitement, fear, and anticipation churned in his chest. What sort of powers existed here?

The memories in his head held few answers. The former Raine had never traveled beyond the area surrounding this small town. He had never encountered a monster or anything supernatural.

And yet, traveling troubadours and mercenaries often brought back incredible stories. Monsters prowled the night. Sea beasts large enough to swallow ships lurked beneath the waves. Houses stood haunted in the middle of busy market streets. Plagues killed so many that the death tolls sounded impossible.

The former Raine had dismissed them all as fairy tales.

But judging by the merchant boys' conversation, perhaps those stories were true.

Raine rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

"Next group! Raine, George!" Bal shouted.

At the sound of his name, Raine sprang to his feet. He joined a boy with short, pale blond hair, and together they wrestled the donkey's hoof into position.

Blacksmith Bal stepped forward, effortlessly lifted a large iron blade, and began cutting away the overgrown, curling hoof.

The center looked inflamed. As Bal trimmed, a thin seep of blood and pus welled from the tender flesh.

"Hee-haw!"

Pain sent the powerful black donkey into a frenzy. It brayed and thrashed, its entire body bucking.

Raine threw all his strength into holding the hoof still so that Bal could keep working.

In less than two minutes, sweat poured down his face. Strands of black hair clung to his forehead, and the last of his strength was draining away.

*Thank the Gods this is its last hoof.*

*Once this donkey is done, another group will take over. Then I can sit down and catch my breath.*

"Watch closely," Bal said as he demonstrated. "Trimming hooves takes nerve and care. Keep your wrist loose..."

When Bal finished the final hoof, Raine and George collapsed like punctured wineskins.

The merchant boys took one look at them and burst into laughter.

George flushed crimson. Raine paid them no attention. He had gone completely still.

A transparent panel had appeared before his eyes and turned to its second page.

Several lines of small text floated among a cluster of icons.

[Training: Hoof Trimming]

[Skill Acquired: Hoof Trimming]

[Hoof Trimming EXP +1]

[Class Panel Unlocked: Blacksmith Apprentice]