Chapter 313: The Seaside Sake Brewery
“Oh, it’s Lord Rest!”
“The lord has arrived! Everyone, prepare to welcome him!”
As Rest and Celestine entered the seaside village, the villagers immediately erupted into a flurry of excitement. Having once vanquished the Sea Dragon that had threatened their home, Rest was regarded as a hero in this village. The moment he showed his face, a festive atmosphere enveloped them, with villagers gathering around to greet them.
“Lord! Lord!”
“We’re so glad you came! Tonight, we shall feast!”
“Thank you, thank you…”
Among the villagers, some even clasped their hands together in reverence. At this point, the overwhelming goodwill began to feel uncomfortable. Too much kindness could easily turn burdensome.
“What brings you here today, Lord Rest?” one of the village representatives asked.
“I came to check on the sake brewery. I heard that a new brew has been completed,” Rest replied.
“Ah, I see, I see! Allow me to guide you right away!” The representative beamed, leading Rest and Celestine deeper into the village.
“This is the sake brewery…?” Rest marveled.
The building exuded a distinctly traditional Japanese charm. Like the other structures in the village, it was wooden, but its roof was adorned with tiles. Though they were tiles, their shapes were irregular, resembling something hastily crafted.
“What about this roof?” Rest inquired.
“Oh, that was made at Madam Sanada’s request. She insisted that no rainwater should seep inside,” the representative explained.
“Ah, I see,” Rest nodded in understanding. While he wasn’t well-versed in brewing, he knew that rainwater mixing with sake could only lead to disaster. It made sense that they would go to the trouble of constructing a tiled roof to prevent leaks.
“Now, please, step inside!”
“Oh!?”
As they entered the building, Rest was immediately struck by the sight of large wooden barrels.
“Is this… distilled liquor?” he asked.
“No, that is the base liquor for distillation. I had it brought in by a merchant,” Celestine clarified, having followed them into the building.
“According to the method left by Madam Sanada… distilled liquor is obtained by heating brewed liquor, such as wine, and cooling the resulting steam. To determine which type of liquor produces the finest distillate, we have procured various kinds,” Celestine explained.
“Wow… there’s a lot to it,” Rest replied, his understanding vague at best. Having been a high school student in his previous life, liquor was a foreign concept to him. To be honest, he didn’t even fully grasp the difference between brewed liquor and distilled liquor.
“We place this liquor into a specialized device and heat it. Since it’s difficult to secure enough firewood in this village, we use a heating Magic Item,” Celestine continued, leading him to the back room.
There, a metallic contraption awaited them. A large, bottle-shaped container had pipes attached to it, which led into a reservoir and then to another container.
“Before we intervened, these devices were much smaller and made from cheap bronze. Now, we use larger ones made from magic alloy,” Celestine explained.
“And this water… is it seawater?” Rest asked.
“Yes, we need a large amount of water for cooling the steam. We draw water from the sea. We are also having craftsmen create new manufacturing equipment, so we should be able to produce higher quality sake in larger quantities in the future,” Celestine replied.
“I see…” Rest was overwhelmed by Celestine’s detailed explanation.
(They’ve gone to such lengths to build this… Well, of course, they would take it seriously…)
In a short time, they had established such a thorough brewing environment and equipment, showcasing Celestine’s remarkable skills. Madam Sanada Shoko must have worked hard during her lifetime to realize her vision of sake brewing, and now Celestine had successfully brought it to fruition.
(That’s impressive… truly…)
Rest felt the same admiration for Viola, Primula, and Yuri, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Celestine truly deserved someone like him as her fiancé. It felt like a more accomplished man would be more fitting for her… Rest found himself grappling with a sense of inferiority.
“…I need to do my best, in many ways.”
To ensure he wouldn’t be left behind. To avoid disappointing her, Rest resolved to put in even more effort.