Word of the fight spread quickly among the page boys.

Before long, one of the estate stewards arrived and had the boys pulled apart.

As chance would have it, this was the same steward Raine's family had approached to secure his place in the training program.

In the end, Raine and Bushy Brow received the same punishment: one week of sweeping and mopping. Raine, his face bruised and swollen, was also transferred to George's dormitory.

But the matter was far from over.

Bushy Brow was tall and strong. He had simply never expected Raine to strike first, and that opening slap had stunned him before he even realized they were fighting.

By that night, Bushy Brow had fully recovered his senses. His eyes burned red with rage.

As the resident tyrant among the page boys, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

The next day, while they learned horseshoeing, Bushy Brow's murderous glare never left Raine.

"What's the plan?" Freckles asked. "How are you going to get him back?"

The other merchant boys turned to Bushy Brow as well.

He had already decided.

"If I fight him again inside the estate, we'll both be punished. We might even be expelled. That isn't worth it." Bushy Brow ground his teeth. "Swordsmanship training starts next week. I asked around, and there'll be sparring. When the time comes, that little bastard will suffer."

"You know swordsmanship, Bushy Brow? That's amazing!"

"A little. I've trained with my uncle for two years." Bushy Brow clenched his fist. "When I'm finished with him, even his mother won't recognize him."

---

Across the yard, Raine was drenched in sweat as he trimmed hooves and explained the technique to the other page boys.

Use the iron blade's own weight. Follow the natural curve of the hoof. Simple principles that made all the difference.

Many boys hoping to become blacksmith apprentices gathered around him. In the process, Raine won back those whom the merchant boys had tried to turn against him.

A great leader from his previous world had once said that one should make as many friends and as few enemies as possible.

Was he worried that teaching them would allow someone to surpass him?

If he possessed a system and still feared being overtaken, he might as well give up.

As long as he improved faster than everyone else, he would never need to look over his shoulder.

When the last horse in the stable had been shod, Raine wiped the sweat from his brow and opened his Class Panel.

[Blacksmith Apprentice Lv. 2 (27/300)]

[Hoof Trimming Lv. 2 (295/300)]

[Horseshoeing Lv. 1 (56/100)]

[Remaining Skill Points: 1]

Blacksmith Apprentice was still some distance from Lv. 3, but Raine was satisfied with his progress.

He had already decided to save the skill point.

Both Hoof Trimming and Horseshoeing would improve naturally with enough time. The later he spent the point, the more value he could extract from it.

Besides, every horse in the stable had now been shod. Spending a skill point on Horseshoeing at that exact moment would be foolish.

He would save it for a skill that became difficult to advance, or one that required a vast amount of EXP.

A middle-aged man in a neat gray linen robe approached the page boys.

The former Raine's memories identified him as a household servant responsible for organizing the training program.

The man greeted Bal, cleared his throat twice, and addressed the boys.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, your day of rest. You may return home shortly, but you must be back at the estate on time tomorrow evening. The day after tomorrow, you will begin basic swordsmanship training. Mister Humbert, one of the estate guards, will be your instructor."

"Make the most of this opportunity and study seriously."

The page boys received one rest day each week, the same day the townspeople attended church. The other six days belonged to the estate.

The man walked away at an unhurried pace, but his announcement set the boys ablaze.

Their voices rose at once.

"Raine, did you hear?" George grabbed his arm, eyes shining. "We're going to train in swordsmanship!"

"I heard." Raine grinned. "I'm excited too. Let's work hard, young man."

The merchant boys were celebrating for another reason. Once swordsmanship training began next week, Bushy Brow would finally have the chance to teach Raine a brutal lesson.

They were going to enjoy the show.

The past several days had not been pleasant for them. Raine had drawn far too much attention.

But what did it matter if he was a genius at trimming hooves and shoeing horses?

Those skills were nothing.

Swordsmanship was different.

---

Raine looked forward to the lessons as much as any boy. Swords, fighting, and the clash of steel stirred the blood.

More than that, he wanted the answer to one question. Would learning swordsmanship unlock another panel?

Swordsman? Guard? Warrior?

That could wait. Something else occupied his thoughts now.

He was about to return home and meet the former Raine's parents.

There was also a younger sister, only seven years old.

His thoughts turned to the parents from his previous life. He wondered how they were doing.

George glanced toward the merchant boys, then leaned closer. "Raine, what are you doing tomorrow? Want to gather nuts in the woods?"

Raine considered the idea.

It wasn't bad. Autumn had arrived, and the ground should be covered in fallen nuts. His undernourished body needed them.

There was one problem.

According to the memories he had inherited, the public woods near town had long since been picked clean. Townspeople searched them every day.

George looked around and lowered his voice. "Let's go to the Habsburg woodland. There are nuts everywhere."

"My uncle Gilliam is the forest keeper. He's family, so we'll be fine if we're quiet about it. But you can't tell anyone."

So that was George's plan. The boy had potential.

Raine smiled. "All right. It's settled."

The woods around Goldflash Town fell into two categories.

Anyone could enter the public woodland to gather firewood and nuts or hunt game. The estate woodland belonged to Habsburg Estate, and commoners were forbidden from doing any of those things there.

George wanted them to slip into the estate woods and gather nuts in secret.

---

That evening, with a pleasant breeze at his back, Raine walked home alone. George had already turned off toward his own house.

Raine's family lived on the southern edge of town, while Habsburg Estate stood to the north. Reaching home meant following the busiest street through almost the entire town.

There was the bakery.

There was the inn owned by Freckles's family.

Every familiar shop stirred another thread of the former Raine's memories. As he walked, those fragments wove themselves into his own mind.

When he reached the town square, he found a crowd gathered around the notice board.

Curious, Raine moved closer.

The board was covered in wanted notices. One had been posted recently.

The sketched man had shoulder-length blond hair and a long face. A scar ran diagonally from his forehead, across his nose, and down his right cheek. His nickname was Scarface.

Real Name: Unknown

Crimes: Raped three women in Peter Town. Robbed multiple travelers. Suspected connection to several recent child disappearances.

Bounty: 5 Imperial Gold Coins

Note: His corpse or severed head may be presented at the sheriff's office of any town or larger settlement to claim the bounty.

Raine's eyes widened.

*Five Imperial Gold Coins.*

With that much money, he could...

This world had bounty hunters and monster hunters who made their living from such rewards. Every one of them was formidable. With his current strength, Raine could only sigh and move on.

He shook his head and continued home.

There was a blacksmith shop.

*Huh?*

*Wait.*