I guess waking up with this beautiful woman in my arms isn't so bad after all.The morning started peacefully. Selene woke up a few minutes after sunrise and slipped out of my arms. She "woke me up," though I was already awake.
— Selene — Sleepyhead, it's already morning. There's too much light to stay in bed… and way too many things to do. — (That line sounds familiar...)
I went down the stairs ahead of her, still half-asleep, but before I reached the bottom, someone leapt from the top and tackled me mid-fall.
— Unknown Woman — I've caught a pervert! Hemer, come quick before he gets away!— Hemer — Lisa, you brute! That's Lady Selene's boyfriend.— Sena — I see you've already met the staff. — she said from the top of the stairs.
■— I think she's grown fond of me — I said as Lisa climbed off my back, with Selene and Sena laughing in the background.
I suppose it's normal for a servant to treat a shirtless stranger walking around the house like some kind of creep.
After some awkward apologies from Lisa, Sena went to the kitchen with her to make breakfast. Meanwhile, I joined Hemer to chop some firewood. While we worked, I talked to him about my relationship with Selene and a bit about my "past." He opened up too and told me that Lisa is his sister. When he came of age, Sena hired him as a house servant. According to what Selene told me later, the age of majority in this world is usually 15 or 16. Most people here have their first child around 18 or 20. I guess that's normal in a medieval setting.
Hemer told me about Sena's husband—a bitter, jealous man who refused to accept him as a servant just because he was small. He wouldn't even let them have a room, forcing them to sleep in the storage room without heat. Sena's own children had fought with their father more than once over how he treated the staff. But the worst of it was when Lisa got sick and couldn't work. Instead of helping them, he beat Hemer so badly he nearly died, and Lisa was on the brink of death.
He also hit Sena and her children. He couldn't stand that she was the guildmaster, and he looked down on Selene when she first came to the city.
Thanks to Lady Mia Blackforge—Astrid's sister—who was also injured during one of his violent outbursts, Durman and Tomás confronted him. Hemer said that after that "meeting," Tomás (Dalia's father) came back with a broken arm and Durman with a stab wound. The man fled, and the next day, a letter arrived saying he was no longer Sena's husband and would rather die than return home. He stole money from the guild, horses, and carriages to escape the city.
Sena was put on trial for the theft, but the other guildmasters defended her and paid the sum in her place. Three years ago, they managed to repay every master. Still, they were shunned and humiliated because of that bastard.
A little later, Hemer got serious and told me that he may be a servant, but he wouldn't let anyone ever hurt Sena or Selene again. He said he'd torture or kill anyone who tried. With one solid swing of the axe on the stump, he walked off to bring firewood to the dining room.
I guess domestic violence exists in every world. (I don't know what happened to that bastard, but I hope some monster out beyond the walls ate him alive.)
Once I finished stacking the firewood in the shed, Sena called me for lunch. Based on my analysis, Sena is 40, Selene 32, Hemer 30, and Lisa 25. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to be 22 and watch your 17-year-old little sister nearly die because of some monster…
— Sena — Brother-in-law, you seem a bit lost in thought. What's on your mind? —Selene choked on her food and started coughing.
■— Sorry… This is really good. I was just thinking about the recipe. —— Lisa — The recipe is a secret. Only Lady Sena and I know how to make it. —
■— Just so you know, I'd pay a fortune just to learn how it's made. —— Selene — I know how to make it too. —— Sena — But it doesn't taste the same. — she said proudly. — I'd pay for your potato recipe, though. —■— Well, as a proper merchant with a title, I could offer it at a fair price. —— Selene — Sena, I think that recipe might end up costing us. —
While we were having a playful price war over the recipe, I spoke with Neo about whether it'd be a good idea to start creating new things in this world—like almond milk—or to share more accessible recipes with the people of the city.
From the very first day we arrived here, it was clear: extreme poverty in the streets, and the farther north you went, the more the guards would arrest and punish beggars. So many children… Neo and I felt our hearts break every time we saw them, but until now, we hadn't been able to do anything.Our conversation turned to what crops are grown here and what the people truly need. Neo analyzed over 100,000 people on our second day here. If this city really houses at least that many, we have a huge opportunity—and plenty of hands willing to help make it better.
■— Selene, Sena… You both already know who Neo and I really are. The question is: will you let us help? —
Both of them swallowed hard and stared at each other. Lisa stopped eating to listen, and Hemer grew tense, as if ready to jump on me at any moment.
— Sena — I believe what you've told us is true. But do you really think you have what it takes to improve life for everyone in this city?— Selene — Including those who sleep on the streets... and all the orphans?
■— I'll be honest: Neo and I are disgusted by the homeless and the orphans… —Everyone, including Hemer, gave me a death glare, full of hate. (Yeah, poor wording there… definitely a mistake.) — It's not that we look down on them. It's that it breaks us inside to see them like that. It fills us with such rejection… that the only solution we see is to build a world where they can all earn a place in society. Where they can eat, have a roof over their heads, a warm meal on the table, and all their basic needs met. —Their expressions slowly softened—except for Hemer's.
— Neo (telepathically, earlier) — Do what you have to do. Just remember, our priority is to improve everyone's lives. And don't forget to ask me for help with any invention or tool you might need. —
■— As my great friend Neo said, our top priority is improving everyone's lives. —
After that little speech, I spoke with Selene and Sena about the main crops in this city. They said I'd be better off talking to the guildmaster of agriculture, but they still gave me a general idea of what's grown in the area.
Compared to Earth, this city grows cereals like wheat, corn, quinoa, and sorghum. In legumes, they've got peas, lentils, and chickpeas. For vegetables and fruits: tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and potatoes; and for the wealthy, there are melons, strawberries, apples, grapes, and some special grains.
Unlike our old world, here meat is the undisputed cornerstone of the diet. Even poor folks eat meat regularly—something unthinkable in many places back on Earth. That's because hunting is highly organized and controlled by the guild, who can capture and manage wild animals we'd never have considered as food.There are no cows, chickens, or regular pigs. Just massive beasts that eat tons of resources and can't be domesticated easily. Animal fat is used almost exclusively for cooking; vegetable oils are rare and expensive. Veggies, legumes, and grains are just fillers—for soups, stews, or bread. And cow's milk? Nearly impossible to find.
■— I've been thinking about making almond milk as a substitute for cow's milk, using sorghum to bake more bread and extract oil, and introducing potatoes as a staple in every meal. But for that, I need your help. I don't know much about trade or farming. — I paused for dramatic effect. — But I do know that if humanity comes together, we can create wonders and wipe out hunger and suffering. — I took a deep breath. — But before I try to change your world, I need your permission… from Astrid, Dalia, and Durman… and also from you, Hemer and Lisa. —
Silence filled the room. After several seconds:
— Sena — I'll help in any way I can.— Selene — Just tell me what you need from me.— Hemer — With your permission… — he looked at Sena, and after she gave a slight nod — Do you think we're idiots or what? How the hell are you going to do all that when you're just some scrawny guy who showed up in the city the other day? What do you know about poverty or hardship? How dare you fill Lady Sena and Selene's heads with childish dreams? —
— Sena — How dare you?! — she cried out, her voice cracking, and without thinking, slapped him across the face. The sound echoed through the entire dining room.
With tears in her eyes, she lowered her hand. She was shaking—not just with rage, but from the horror of what she'd just done. She looked at me, and upon seeing my face, a cold fear gripped her heart.
Selene later explained everything to me after they spoke in private. She told me Sena felt horribly guilty—it was the first time she had ever raised a hand to someone. She hated herself for defending me and feared I would judge her for resorting to violence.
— Sena — You have no right to talk to him like that… especially not to someone so sincere, who's only tried to help us since the day he arrived. —
After a few tense seconds, Hemer apologized and ran out of the room. His sister apologized on his behalf, said she'd clean up later, and asked us not to hold it against him. Then she ran out after him.
Selene and Sena began to argue. Things got awkward, so I slipped away quietly from the dining room. Outside in the courtyard, I saw the two siblings—Hemer was on the verge of tears while Lisa tried to comfort him. I decided to approach.
— Lisa — Please, sir, don't punish him. Just ignore the nonsense my foolish brother said. — She said, kneeling before me.— Hemer — Forgive me, sir, I… — He also knelt and bowed his head. But instead of doing what his father or mine might have done...
■— Hemer — The boy raised his head, expecting the worst, but instead of hitting him or yelling… the only thing I could do was hug him.
He started crying and hugged me back. Through his tears, he kept apologizing. His sister joined in. And before I knew it, Sena and Selene were standing at the door, silently watching the scene.
Sena stepped forward. I let go and walked away, joining Selene.
■— Sena, forgive him. He only wants to protect you. —
After that tense and emotional morning, once peace was made, we tried to resume our day as normally as possible. The three of us went to the merchants' guild, where a hard reality awaited us.
I had to explain, in front of the guildmaster, the administrator, and several members, why my calculations were accurate.
In the end, I gave an algebra class. Half the attendees fell asleep, and the other half walked out due to information overload. I talked about the order of numbers: natural, integers, rational, real, and complex; the principle of induction; and how to convert between decimal and fractional forms. Then I quickly explained sequences and series, including basic examples like arithmetic and geometric progressions. I also introduced the concept of limits, their connection to convergence, and how they can be used to construct continuous functions.
I slowed down a bit when explaining derivatives, writing a table with the most common ones: powers, basic trigonometric functions, exponentials, and logarithms. After that, I talked about integrals, their relation to the area under a curve, and how they work as the inverse operation of differentiation. I prepared a table of basic integrals to give them a starting point. Still, I chose not to cover integration by parts or partial fractions—it would have been too much for a first class.
I also talked about matrices and how to operate on them, systems of equations, how to tell if they're consistent or not, whether they're determined or undetermined, rank properties, and how to use the Gauss-Jordan method. I covered vector spaces, eigenvalues, and matrix diagonalization. Then I gave a brief overview of statistics. I explained the basic concepts: mean, median, mode, variance, and standard deviation.
I also mentioned the importance of probability, the most common distributions, and how statistics can help make informed decisions when analyzing datasets. I decided not to go into integro-differential equations because, honestly, they already looked exhausted.
It was 33:00 (which is 8:00 p.m.) when Selene and Sena decided to stop the class and send everyone home. By the time I wrapped up, it was nearly dinnertime. (Another day of annoying the guildmaster and her administrator.) Afterward, a wave of guild members asked me to repeat the class—but slower this time. Once everyone said their goodbyes, I met with Selene and Sena in their office. We had a short meeting. Sena proposed an interesting idea: becoming a professor at the capital's university. But the dream of becoming a teacher had been left behind six years ago, when I came to this world.
■— What if, instead of becoming a professor, I sell thousands of books on math, physics, chemistry, structures, and materials science…?
They both fell silent and glanced at each other. After a few chuckles...
— Selene — Hunt, darling, it's impossible for you to write that many books all by yourself. — She said, placing a hand on my shoulder.■— Me, alone? — I replied seriously. Both of them jumped, then burst out laughing.— Sena — Even if you are from another world, where books were more accessible, I doubt you'll find an army of scribes willing to copy your notes word for word without dying in the process. —■— Who said anything about scribes? There are other methods. —
Over the next few minutes, I explained how printing presses work, based on the earliest models. I described Gutenberg's design. Their expressions were priceless as I recounted the history of the printing press and what it meant for Earth—access to books, to information, improvements in education, censorship by governments, bans...
They were amazed at every part of our world's history, but saddened by the darker sides. After a short conversation, we decided to arrange a meeting with the Blackforge family and Neo to plan the future of this world.
(■— I believe it's time to build the printing press.)
After a long chat, we decided to bring both families together to show them the subdimension and start planning how to introduce new crops and build the printing press. But before that, Neo had to finish a delivery for the marquis.
But what worried me most at that moment was how to invite Selene on a date—and where to take her. After a quick stop at the Gaveil house, we headed to a tavern popular among merchants, located near the guild. Before leaving, I borrowed a notebook from Sena while Selene was getting changed. I sketched some diagrams of Gutenberg's printing press, and when Selene came out wearing a solid-colored dress with several layers of outerwear (she looked really beautiful), we set off toward the tavern.