Chapter 3: The Royal capital

The carriage rattled and shook with a rhythmic clatter-clatter.

Metal scraped harshly against metal. Sparks burst briefly along the tracks as iron wheels ground against iron rails. Then came a long, shrill screech—a high-pitched cry of brakes biting down.

A moment later, the force of inertia that had been pressing my body forward finally faded as the train slowed to a halt.

“Hmm… steam locomotives really have their own kind of charm.”

With a small stretch, I stepped down from the steam locomotive onto the station platform while listening to the loud psshhhh of steam venting into the air.

The train I had been riding ran along the railway connecting the Willard Marquisate—my birthplace—to Bern, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Lunoa.

When people talk about “another world,” they tend to imagine something roughly equivalent to medieval Europe.

But the civilization level here was actually quite advanced.

The industrial revolution had already taken place. Factories were spreading, machines were everywhere, and the population was in the middle of a massive boom.

In fact, society had progressed so far toward capitalism that the continued existence of the nobility system felt almost strange by comparison.

“Alright… before I go see Shia-neesama, I should stop by there.”

Twelve years had passed since I began living in this other world.

Before I knew it, I had already turned twelve years old.

“Noah-sama, we have been waiting for you.”

“Hm?”

Just as I was about to head toward my destination, a voice called out from behind me.

“Oh. It’s you, Grandpa.”

Turning around, I saw the elderly butler who had served the Willard Marquis family for many years.

“It has been quite some time.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” I said casually. “I was here just last week.”

“One week can feel quite long, you know,” the old man replied politely. “Shia-sama is waiting for you. Allow me to escort you back to the residence.”

About two years ago, my sister Shia had moved to a mansion located here in the royal capital.

She now worked here in the city, and the old butler had accompanied her as her attendant.

“Actually, there’s somewhere I want to stop by before I see her.”

“I see. However, Shia-sama specifically instructed me to bring you back to the mansion as quickly as possible.”

“Well, I visited her just last week. There’s no need to rush, right?”

For some reason, Shia had begun summoning me to the capital on a regular basis.

Being born with the earth attribute meant I didn’t exactly have much of a place in the Willard household. At best, I was treated like an unfortunate embarrassment—someone to quietly ignore.

So honestly, being called to the capital by my sister, who at least bothered to pay attention to me, wasn’t such a bad thing.

Still…

Being summoned every single week was starting to get a little annoying.

“Please tell her I’ll be a bit late,” I said. “She has work to do anyway, doesn’t she?”

“Actually, Shia-sama has taken the day off today.”

“Oh? Really?”

I tilted my head slightly.

“Well, even so, she probably has plenty to keep her busy. Anyway, I’ll make a quick stop somewhere first, so you can head back ahead of me.”

After leaving that message for the old butler, I quickly walked off on my own.

“Yo—how’s business? Still open?”

After walking along the neatly paved street, I stepped into a particular shop.

“Oh! Noah-sama! We’ve been waiting for you!”

The moment I entered, the man watching the counter hurried toward me in a fluster.

“So? How’s business going?” I asked casually.

“Very well, sir. Sales are excellent. The many new dishes you introduced have completely captured the hearts of our customers.”

“That’s good to hear.”

This shop was a restaurant I had established using culinary knowledge from my previous life.

The world’s overall level of civilization was quite high.

However, when it came to food culture, things were… a little lacking.

The dishes here were simple and traditional—nothing particularly innovative.

Which meant that the meals I introduced, based on modern recipes from my old world, stood out sharply. They were fresh, exciting, and unlike anything people had tasted before.

And because of that, they had quickly become popular among the common citizens.

“Wonderful,” I said with a satisfied nod. “Hearing that really boosts my confidence.”

While chatting with the man I had entrusted to manage the shop—Lauren—I moved toward the back room.

“So? Do you think we could expand into other countries?” I asked.

“That should be entirely possible,” Lauren replied. “We already receive quite a few customers from overseas.”

“That’s great. If possible, I’d love to expand all the way to the New Continent someday.”

“The New Continent? That place?” Lauren blinked in surprise.

“That country is going to grow enormously,” I said calmly. “Without a doubt. But for now, we should focus on opening more locations within the kingdom.”

“Yes, of course. And if we plan to expand overseas, we’ll also need to develop more dishes beyond potatoes.”

“…Yeah.”

I rubbed my temple.

“This country seriously only has potatoes.”

The Kingdom of Lunoa.

If I had to compare it to something from my previous life, it gave off strong German Empire vibes.

Especially when it came to agriculture.

Potatoes.

Potatoes.

And more potatoes.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Lauren said suddenly. “I was able to arrange the meeting you requested some time ago.”

“…Really?”

My eyes widened slightly.

“As expected of you. I’ll go meet him later.”

My activities as a merchant had begun about two years ago.

For now, my father hadn’t tried to throw me out of the family. But there was no guarantee that would remain the case forever.

If that day ever came, I needed a safety net.

That was why I had been gradually expanding my business ventures.

I did have the advantage of knowledge from my previous life.

But using it effectively turned out to be much harder than I had expected.

This world’s civilization was already fairly advanced, so most of what I knew wasn’t particularly groundbreaking.

And honestly, my knowledge was shallow.

The only things I truly understood well enough to recreate were the foods I liked.

“Please be careful,” Lauren said quietly. “The person you’re meeting is known as a merchant of death.”

“I know.”

If anything, my greatest advantage right now wasn’t knowledge at all.

It was my status as a noble’s son.

Many merchants were eager to get close to someone with that kind of social standing.

So I befriended them, used those connections, and gradually expanded my businesses.

That had become my basic strategy.

“Well, Shia-neesama is expecting me,” I said, heading toward the door. “I’ll come back later.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll be waiting.”

“Thanks. I’ll leave things to you.”

After finishing the most essential checks for the shop, I stepped back out into the busy city streets.

“…Sigh.”

As I walked, I remembered Lauren’s last words and couldn’t help letting out a long breath.

A merchant of death.

In other words…

A weapons dealer.

Right now, if someone wanted to rise to power through business in this world, the hottest industry by far was the weapons trade.

Which was exactly why I had chosen to approach one.

…

But at the same time…

I couldn’t deny that a part of me felt uneasy about it.