Chapter 130 The Morning After For The Good-For-Nothing Adults
The day after Elma Brandy was unveiled, Marquis and Robert also showed up at the breakfast table.
"Good morning. It seems like we've been having a lot of meals together lately."
Sara greeted them with a smile, but the adults had a subtle, unenthused look on their faces.
'Huh? I didn't prepare a quantity that would lead to a 2-day hangover, though...'
"Everyone's faces look a bit pale. Is something wrong?"
"Sara, that liquor is... it's dangerous."
"Dangerous, you say?"
Robert's face turned bright blue.
"Did you drink too much and get a 2-day hangover?"
"No, it wasn't that much."
"Right. So what do you mean by 'dangerous'?"
"It's too delicious."
"Huh?"
Apparently, last night, Mike got drunk and took a shortcut through the fairy's path to the Elma Brandy barrels, and then proceeded to age a 3-year-old barrel for 20 years on its own. And then, Mike took out one bottle of it.
"Wait, we only had 2 barrels, and you went ahead and aged it yourself?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I got carried away by its amazing taste."
"I couldn't resist my curiosity..."
"Sorry. I was drunk too, it seems..."
'It's great that you thought it was so delicious, but to let a fairy take out the wine...?'
Even Sara was exasperated, calling out to the culprit (who was a fairy) in mid-air.
"Mike, come out right now!"
Then, only a cat's hand popped out from the air.
"Sara, sorry. It was too delicious..."
"Come on out, don't just show me your hands! I know you like liquor, but you can't just help yourself to it or drink it without permission!"
Mike slowly came out, its ears drooping in embarrassment.
"Sorry..."
'Ugh... Mike is so cute, I just can't stay mad...'
If this were Sedrick in his young adult form, Sara might have grabbed him and thrown him across the room. But she was weak when it came to animals, like cats and dogs.
"Alright, alright... Mike, you'll help me with a different liquor-making task, okay?"
"Y-yes, got it!"
Sara then turned to the adults, who were being controlled by the fairies.
"And of course, I'll make sure Grandfather contribute as well!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"So, Grandfather, we need to build a distillation facility as soon as possible. We only have one right now, and it takes two days to distill two barrels. I'll instruct the merchant guild to increase production, so please prepare a building outside the castle that can be used for distillation. It can be a new building or an unused one, but we need a large space to store the barrels underground. And please, use your personal funds, not the territory's budget. As soon as possible!"
"U-understood..."
"Uncle, I'll need you to create two more large distillation furnaces, so please provide the funds for that. Of course, use your personal funds!"
"O-okay, but... Jeffrey's not here, and he's just as guilty!"
"Then let's have Sir Jeffrey provide a large quantity of oak barrels, shall we?"
Jeffrey was completely absent from the conversation.
"I suppose I'll have to contribute something too, won't I?"
"Fairness is very important, after all!"
Sara gave a bright smile to Rebecca.
"I'll be placing a large order for Elma Brandy bottles, so I'll have Miss Rebecca handle the payment, if you please."
"Oh, oh so smoothly..."
"Sara, you're like a bandit..."
"I'm not bothered if you call me so. After all you're a thief who steals drinks."
After finishing breakfast, Sara put down her cutlery and thought while sipping the herbal tea Maria had brewed for her.
'By the way, who should pay for the music box?'
Sara, who was often praised for her angelic looks, had a devilish heart at that moment.
"That's right, Uncle."
"W-what is it, Sara?"
Robert braced himself, wondering what Sara would ask for next.
"Please ask Mr. James to arrange for me to meet with his fiancé as soon as possible."
"Ah, the glass artisan's daughter, right?"
"Yes. I've already spoken to Mr. James about it, so I think the other party is also aware of it."
"Got it. I'll let James know."
Robert nodded in relief, but his heart skipped a beat the next instant.
"And could Miss Rebecca also attend? There's also the matter of payment, after all."
"W-well, okay."
Robert and Rebecca were in a very delicate situation, trying to keep their expenses within a reasonable range without affecting the wedding. Their faces were growing pale.
"Sara, why don't you let me cover the costs for those 2 as well? If we don't have enough funds, we might have to postpone the wedding."
"Hehe. I knew Grandfather would say that!"
"You're a sly one."
"I'm deeply grateful for the praise."
Sara gave a very pleasant smile as she gazed at the Marquis.
"By the way, Grandfather. How long do you plan to age the Elma brandy for the hunting tournament?"
"I think we should give everyone a 3-year-old bottle, and for some of the influential nobles, an additional 10-year-old bottle. And for the winner of the tournament, a 20-year-old bottle."
"Are you planning to give them as gifts?"
"Yes."
"But I'd like to have them try a little bit on the spot, so let's prepare enough 3-year-old bottles for everyone. Mike, I'll have you work like a horse!"
"Uggghhh..."
"You're going to drink while working anyway..."
"Ah, you caught me!"
"By the way, I'll try making another type of liquor, so do your best. If it turns out well, we might be able to drink something new again."
The useless adults all stared at Sara at once.
"Are you planning to make another new liquor?"
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not that it's not allowed. Go ahead and do it."
"I don't want to get your hopes up, but it's not guaranteed to succeed..."
"Originally, making liquor is all about trial and error."
It seems that in the Grandchester household, the power of liquor is very great. Sara felt a bit frustrated since she couldn't try it herself.
"By the way, what kind of liquor do you plan to make?"
Rebecca looked at Sara with eyes full of expectation.
"I want to make a liquor that's been secondary fermented after bottling Elma liquor. I want to make a liquor that's strongly carbonated. I'd like to have it chilled before drinking, so I'll need to use water magic to create ice as well."
However, the adults looked a bit disappointed when they heard Elma liquor.
"You mean the Elma liquor with lots of bubbles, right? I think Elma liquor is more delicious when made into Elma brandy, though."
"Some people may not be good with strong alcohol, I suppose. I think it's a good idea to cater to women, though."
In short, Sara was thinking of creating cider (which might be called Elma wine in this world) using the champagne method. She would have liked to use white wine if possible, but unfortunately, there was no winery in the Grandchester territory.
'I'll make sparkling wine in some other territory or country someday.'
Sara was thinking such things, and she was quite the liquor enthusiast. And as it turned out, Sara herself hadn't even realized that she was naturally considering business opportunities in other territories or countries....
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)