The Triumphant Return
After achieving a legendary victory in the New York expedition, I finally returned.
To the land filled with cotton fields, exploitation, and the blood, sweat, and tears of the enslaved.
To Mississippi.
“Wooooo! James Sett is back!”
“We love you, Mr. Sett!”
“The great young James Sett! The best slave trainer of this era!”
The crowd, filled with excited onlookers and even reporters, was a sea of people.
“Ohhh! He’s coming down! It’s James Sett!”
“The Sett baseball weapons are here too!”
“Mr. Sett, look over here! Please, an interview!”
I expected a warm welcome, but the reaction was even hotter than I had anticipated.
Seeing the sheer volume of these cheers, I could gauge just how much the South hated the North.
“The slave trainer, the King of the Slaves, Sett!”
“You darkies, be grateful you met such a good master and serve him even better from now on!”
“Those bastards, they sure know how to swing a bat!”
It was to the point that shouts mixed with a modicum of praise were being hurled even toward my slaves.
Some might wonder how that could be considered praise, but for the Dixies, saying such things to Black people was the highest form of compliment.
And this wasn't just limited to the idle commoners.
“The Bat Master! The Maestro of the Slaves has arrived!”
“Sett, is there anyone you’re discussing marriage with?”
“The young hero of the South is here! Come, come, have a drink!”
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I was practically dragged to a banquet of politicians and major planters, where I immediately became the most popular person in the room.
In particular, since a significant number of them had watched the North get thrashed at the stadium, the dopamine still seemed to be coursing through their veins.
“Sett! What was that? That ball that curved—whoosh!”
“Do you mean the curveball, sir?”
“Yes! The curveball! The ball curved like magic, just as the name suggests. I feel sorry for anyone who didn’t see it in person! This kind of thrill can only be felt by those who saw it with their own eyes!”
“Haha… thank you for your kind words.”
“Baseball, baseball. What a fun and excellent sport. Don’t you think it’ll become a huge trend in the South as well?”
That is a very desirable sentiment.
If a baseball boom sweeps the nation, that will be the moment my plantation conquers the world.
“But I wonder if those Northern bastards had their spirits broken after being thrashed like dogs by darkies in the sport they boasted about?”
“It almost happened, but fortunately, I managed to talk my way through it and prevented such a situation. They claimed they were just caught off guard by the new rules and that, in fact, New York’s true first-string team hadn’t played. They were busy spinning all sorts of logic.”
“Kekeke, those stupid Northerners. Then perhaps another match could be held later.”
There will never be a legendary "0-string" team from New York, but I didn’t react much, as I didn’t need to completely crush their hopes—not if I wanted to popularize baseball.
Just like the faith in Prester John, don’t they need to believe that a legendary baseball team will one day appear to defeat those evil darkies to keep them interested in playing?
“They’ll think it’s a disgrace for white men to end their run after being defeated by darkies, so they’ll keep practicing hard. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If they want a rematch later, I can just grant it.”
Next time, I’ll let them taste the forkballs and sliders I didn’t even show them before.
Even if they struggle for a hundred days, unless scientific training methods are systematized, the North will never be able to beat my players, even if they die and come back to life.
If I show them that fact clearly, the support of the Dixies for me will grow even stronger.
However, apart from that, I didn’t harbor the illusion that the praise they were sending my way would last forever.
Perhaps even in this banquet hall, there were those who were smiling on the outside while secretly looking for an opportunity to drag this arrogant young man down.
No, I have to assume they definitely exist.
‘It’s not gods or monsters that kill heroes, but other people.’
Having received a strong preventative shot thanks to Kate, I wasn’t as carried away by this one-sided baptism of praise as I might have expected.
If any of them try to stab me in the back, I will stab their throats even faster.
This isn’t a resolution.
It was a certainty about the future that would inevitably arrive in the near future.
Returning to the mansion while pretending to mingle with the Dixies, I immediately lay down on my soft bed to soothe my exhausted body and mind.
Of course, even while doing so, the invitations and letters piling up in front of me were accumulating in real-time, so I had to keep reading the text even while rolling around.
“Master, this is a letter sent from your faithful SS.”
“Oh, right.”
Is it because of the name? The modifier feels incredibly subversive.
But since they say it’s safer not to write Rockefeller or John Brown’s names directly, what choice do I have?
I just have to get used to it.
I tore open the tightly sealed envelope and began to read the letter, and from the very first line, I knew exactly who had written it.
Our Mr. John Brown seems secretly satisfied as well.
In the 21st century, the image that Black people are good at sports and rap is almost ingrained as a prejudice, but it was different back then.
There was a contradictory view coexisting: while there was a perception that they were physically robust and good for labor, the fact that their physical abilities were superior was denied.
Even in the North, they went so far as to say they didn’t lose to Black people in baseball, but rather to the "Black team led by James Sett," so that says it all.
“By the way, if even this person thinks the Dixies might do something, I have to assume that troublesome things will happen in the near future.”
“Do not worry. The security system of the plantations is perfect. Several plantations and the hospital have joined forces to build a perfect security system. Confidentiality is also guaranteed.”
“The moment you think that is when you’re most in danger. In the first place, with this many people, someone is bound to go astray or make a mistake.”
“Then how about… the dating project you mentioned before, should we postpone it?”
That won’t do. Where does this timid guy think he’s going?
“The opposite. At times like this, we need to increase internal unity and heighten the sense of belonging among all members. I will share this happy news with everyone this weekend. Do you have any complaints?”
“…How could I? Everyone will love it. Haha…”
I may be a lifelong loner, but I’ve still consumed enough dating variety shows to not fall behind in communication within the company.
Even if I watched mostly highlight shorts because time was precious, the general structure is all in my head.
After having the workers finish the rough preparations, I gathered all the workers on the plantation in the large plaza after the Sunday service, as always.
“Ahem, I called you all here because I have a brief explanation regarding future management policies.”
When I first explained the company dinner culture or baseball, they had bewildered expressions, but as expected, humans are learning creatures; this time, I could feel everyone looking at me with expectant eyes.
“First, as you all may have heard, the Sett All-Stars team that went out representing our plantation defeated New York’s pathetic representative team and achieved an overwhelming victory. Everyone, applaud!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Those bastards, daring to challenge us to baseball! Serves them right!”
“Long live Sett Plantation!”
If nothing else, everyone on the plantation, united by the belief that they were the best at baseball in the world, sent generous applause.
The team members, whom I had deliberately placed at the very front, also smiled broadly, waving their hands and responding to everyone’s praise.
“Now, thanks to your great performance, my business has also gained tremendous momentum. We’ve been able to extract generous subsidies from the government, and sponsorship money is pouring in. So, for this company dinner, I will provide unlimited beer to everyone. Also, I have prepared a new reward plan that you can enjoy, so everyone focus and listen to the explanation.”
Since seeing is believing, I continued while showing them the view of the old party hall that was currently undergoing renovation.
“You must have heard that I am extensively renovating the party hall that was left abandoned. From now on, this facility will be a multi-purpose indoor entertainment facility that you can use. Of course, you can’t use it just any way you like; I will select teams with excellent performance every month and allow them to use it once a week.”
If they only hear this, they won’t get the full picture, so I need to give them a clear example, right?
“The first space to be opened is a space for dating between men and women. Until now, if there was someone you had feelings for, you had to meet secretly or send me a request for permission to date, but you still couldn’t enjoy a proper date. But now, there’s no need for that. You can invite the person you want here, confirm each other’s feelings, enjoy delicious food together, and if you wish, you can stay together all night.”
“Oh… Ooooooh!”
“Is food provided too?”
“Yes. This is a reward for high performers.”
I was inspired by the system in dating variety shows where if you win a game or competition, you can invite the person you want and enjoy a date.
In the South right now, no matter how much slaves love someone, they can only spend a short time together in narrow tents or small shacks.
But if I permit them to meet openly outside, rumors could leak to the outside, so it’s best to create a secret space like this that only people within the plantation can enjoy.
“Those who already have a partner can invite them, and those who have someone they want to get to know better should send me a request. Then I will match you with that person. Of course, if you already have a partner, I can’t match you, so keep that in mind.”
“Ohhh!”
“And those who are really unlucky and never get a pass, I’ll give you passes at the end or beginning of the year, so there’s no need to be too disappointed.”
Here, a procedure was carried out to investigate the list of couples or married couples already existing on the plantation and officially recognize them for the smooth operation of the system in the future.
Legally, Black people in the South had no right to marry, and such things had to be managed directly by the master.
“Now, first, I will grant the right to use this Love House to our representative team that made the greatest contribution in this baseball game and operate it on a trial basis. Afterward, I will gradually supplement the parts that need improvement and allow everyone to use it officially, so keep working hard to increase efficiency!”
“Thank you!”
“Ah, and if you have any questions, stay in your seats and ask the team leaders. The team leaders should collect the questions and report them to me separately.”
Having finished the rough explanation, I said they could leave if they had no questions, but this time, not a single person left their seat.
“Team leader! Please ask this, ask this! Can we also meet with nurses who work at the hospital, not the plantation?”
“If the woman I want to meet dislikes me, is the matching immediately rejected?”
“Team leader, please ask this too…”
“Team leadeeeer! What happens if multiple people nominate the same person!”
“Can women nominate men toooooo!”
An enormous barrage of questions that reminded me of a chaotic marketplace.
The team leaders, who were almost swept away by the surging crowd, shouted at the top of their lungs to form a line, but the people, with their eyes practically rolled back, fired off questions like a machine gun.
I thought it might turn out like this, but the response was enormous, exceeding my expectations once again.
…As expected, everyone was desperate.
Well, humans are social creatures by nature, so once their basic needs are met, it’s natural to crave the next level—the desire for relationships.
In other words, if I satisfy even this, my plantation will evolve into an absolute barrier that can never be shaken from the outside.
A massive iron fortress that will never waver even if the number of people or the scale doubles.
I don’t know who the challenger will be to attack this fortress that will become incomparably stronger than when John Brown tried to invade, but on the other hand, I was looking forward to it.
Whether the jealousy or suspicion of our Dixies can actually pierce through this barrier.
Let me watch and see.