The Beginning of Life in Another World

The Beginning of Life in Another World

Paul Greiman yawned, then stretched lazily.

"Young Master Paul, forgive my bluntness, but that gesture was truly unbecoming of your status as heir to the family." Butler Philip once again pointed out his "lack of decorum."

Here we go again. He silently grumbled before straightening his posture.

Ever since waking up that morning, whether he was getting dressed, washing up, or eating, this butler had found fault with every one of his movements.

And while he was at it, he had to complain: the "toothbrush and toothpaste" used for washing up were actually a twig and salt, while the "soap" for washing his face was made from pig pancreas. Completely natural.

The priest from last night had come by again earlier. After confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong with him, he left.

After waking up, he had somehow gained many fragments of this body's previous memories. It seemed he was the son of an Earl, and his usual behavior had been no different from the useless playboy sons of wealthy families he knew from his previous life. Fortunately, this body had not yet grown up, so it had not done anything truly wicked.

Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately for the current him—this body's father had led troops against pirates a few days ago. Thinking that his son, as the family heir, had reached the age when he ought to see some bloodshed, the Earl had brought him along.

Unexpectedly, they had fallen into an ambush midway. The Earl died heroically while breaking out of the encirclement, while his son was struck on the head by a pirate catapult stone and fell unconscious.

Thanks to the desperate fighting of the family's knights and guards, they finally carved out a bloody path and escorted Old Greiman's body and their unconscious young master back to the Lord's castle.

The young master remained unconscious with no sign of waking. The castle had no choice but to hold the Old Earl's funeral in the heir's absence. By the night Paul awoke, a full week had passed since his injury.

The butler began trying to help him recover his memories, telling him many things about the past and answering every question caused by his "amnesia." That saved him quite a bit of effort.

"You mean Father and I were ambushed by pirates, and Father has already died?"

"Yes! Those cursed, damned, hell-bound pirates! Young Master, you must avenge the Earl!"

The butler had served Old Greiman in the castle since his youth. Thinking of how his old master, whom he had lived alongside for decades, had died miserably at the pirates' hands, grief overwhelmed him, and tears streamed down his aged face.

"Don't worry. Father's death will be avenged. I can hardly wait to skin those pirates alive and eat their flesh." Paul naturally knew what he was supposed to say right now.

Those pirates had fortunately won one battle, and their arrogance was now at its peak. Taking advantage of the leaderless territory, they had come ashore and plundered quite a few villages and towns.

"Will they attack here?"

"The knights have already arranged proper defensive measures. Lakeheart Town is not in any danger for now. However, since you were unconscious, everyone decided to wait until you woke up before taking further action. I have already informed all the officials of your awakening. They will come to see you this afternoon. I think you should discuss future plans with them."

"You're right, Philip. Take me to Father's grave first so I can pay my respects."

The Old Earl's face and manner gradually became clearer in his mind. Upon learning of his death, an inexplicable sorrow suddenly rose within Paul's heart.

As more and more memory fragments belonging to "Paul Greiman" surfaced in his mind, he had kept wondering whether he had seized someone else's body or been reincarnated and regained memories of his former life.

Now that he wanted to visit the grave and mourn, he could feel that he truly shared a familial bond with the Old Earl. Paul increasingly leaned toward the latter possibility.

If that was the case, then he would live properly in this new world as the heir of this family.

"It was my oversight. Young Master, your health has only just improved. Please do not grieve too deeply. The cemetery is behind the castle. Please follow me."

That afternoon, every official still in Lakeheart Town gathered in the castle hall. Because the Lord had recently died, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Everyone wore sorrowful expressions, making it clear that the Old Earl had been well loved.

Paul sat in the Lord's seat, feeling incomparably nervous. Before crossing over, at company meetings large and small, he had only ever sat quietly in a corner taking notes. He had never experienced sitting on a "platform" under everyone's watchful gaze. Moreover, seeing an entire room of people dressed in medieval clothing made everything feel unreal.

"Cough, cough..." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Butler Philip, standing beside him, spoke. "Young Master Paul has only just recovered from a serious illness, and his health is not yet fully restored. Since everyone is here, let us discuss how to handle the current situation."

The crowd began discussing the matter in small groups.

"Then I'll speak first. It is time to regroup and teach those pirates a lesson. They are now raiding villages and towns everywhere after coming ashore, stirring up tremendous public anger. If we let them continue acting as they please, what face will any of you have left when facing the people of this territory?"

At last, a burly man with a square face and broad shoulders stood up and loudly voiced his opinion.

"That's right!" "I agree."

The burly man's speech received considerable support.

"This pirate landing is unusual. They have never ventured so deeply inland before. Since the Earl was Called by God, the army's morale has been very low. We should not act rashly. We should quickly request aid from neighboring Lords."

There were opposing voices as well.

"Not to mention whether they would agree, even troops from the nearest territory would take at least half a month to arrive, wouldn't they?"

Soon, everyone began arguing around those two viewpoints. Watching them argue, Paul wanted to speak but had no idea what to say. He could only lift the cup on the table and drink some water to hide his embarrassment.

"Enough, everyone." The square-faced man who had spoken first suddenly stopped the argument. "We should hear the Young Master's opinion and let him make the final decision."

A somewhat sinister-looking man muttered, "But he is only half-grown. What could he possibly understand?"

"Watch your attitude. Paul Greiman is the territory's only lawful heir and the Lord to whom we will soon swear loyalty."

The square-faced man abruptly rose and shouted at the person who had questioned the young master. A group of men dressed as knights around him also glared angrily at the man, some even placing their hands on the swords at their waists.

The sinister man shrank back in fright and lowered his head. Being stared down by a group of strong, able-bodied men was not a pleasant experience.

Butler Philip hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "The enemy is at our gates. Do not engage in Internal Strife. Young Master, please say something."

It seemed he could not stay silent any longer. Paul puffed out his chest and said loudly, "That's right. The more times like this, the calmer we must remain. Only by standing united can we overcome the crisis before us."

He turned to the square-faced man. "Then, who are you?"

"Bryce. Bryce Alder, your military commander."

Philip had already informed everyone of the young master's amnesia. The square-faced man thought nothing of it and stated his identity.

"How many usable troops do we have now?"

"There are currently 263 soldiers in the territory capable of fighting, including fifteen knights and twenty squires, myself included. Quite a few villages and towns have also organized militias, totaling around three hundred men. However, the quality of those militia troops varies greatly, and they have received no proper military training."

"Are our soldiers part of a Standing Army? Uh... I mean, do they train every day throughout the year?"

"How could that be? These men are important laborers for their families. They normally work in the fields. They are organized for training once a month at the least, or once a season at most. They were summoned to Lakeheart Town only because of the pirate invasion."

"How many pirates are there?"

"Based on our estimate when we were ambushed, around five hundred. In all previous experience, pirates have never moved inland on such a large scale. I know we are at a disadvantage now, but they will not send everyone out when raiding villages and towns. We can also set an ambush and show them what we are made of."

Bryce once again pushed for his idea of taking the initiative.

"What about logistics... How long can our food supplies last?"

"That is nothing to worry about. On the one hand, the soldiers brought some rations with them when they were summoned. On the other hand, the town has more than enough food to feed several hundred people. Besides, we are not under siege."

Paul's several questions made everyone nod to themselves. The faint contempt in their hearts also faded. Although most of his questions gave the impression that he was deliberately trying to act mature, some truly struck at the heart of the matter.

It seemed this young master was not like he usually appeared, someone who only knew eating, drinking, and having fun. He knew that after the Old Earl was gone, the burden would fall upon his own shoulders.

"We can first expand the army until its size at least matches the pirates', then drill them for a month before looking for an opportunity to wipe out the pirates. At the same time, we should send envoys to request aid from neighboring territories." Someone proposed a compromise.

"I think that is feasible!" Paul slapped the table. He neither wanted to leave others with the impression that he was cowardly and afraid of battle, nor did he want to risk launching an attack.

Since he had agreed, no one objected. They then began discussing the details of recruitment.

Finally, they discussed having Paul formally inherit the title and territory. By both sentiment and law, he was the legitimate first heir, so there was nothing much to argue about, and the matter was quickly settled.

The Seal-Holding Chief Steward would personally travel to the royal capital to report to the royal family and request that the King issue a formal Imperial Edict recognizing Paul's title. He would also ask for aid against the pirates.

After the earlier questions, answers, and discussion, Paul gradually adapted to his new identity. Once his nervousness faded, he quickly remembered the "grand plan" he had spent most of last night devising.

A territory facing hardship, a group of people without a leader, all waiting for someone chosen by fate to turn the tide—could there be a better beginning than this? Let me kindle the light of industrial civilization upon this savage land! He suddenly felt full of drive.

Butler Philip leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Young Master, if there is nothing else, let us adjourn for now. The knights still need to inspect the defenses in various places."

Right, resisting the pirates was the highest priority at the moment. Paul therefore announced the end of the meeting, and everyone rose to take their leave.

"Wait, everyone!" Just as they were about to leave the hall, a slightly youthful voice sounded from behind them.

"Given the recent instability in military morale, I have decided to choose a day to inspect the soldiers in the square, in order to raise our army's morale."

He wanted to first see what the army under his command actually looked like.

After reading reader "Zhihu Wang Zhengnan's" comments on this chapter, I sincerely ask everyone to teach me where this chapter's problems are. This is my first time writing a novel, and I lack experience, so please forgive me. I hope everyone will continue to offer guidance in the future. (＾ω＾)