Chapter 57: Distilled Liquors (3)

"Senior! The fairy whiskey sold at the Union has surpassed 50,000 bottles!"

"...Already?"

I was secretly surprised by Aria's words.

The population of the Union is nearing 200,000. The 50,000 bottles meant that nearly half of them had tasted Fairy Whiskey.

Since a 750ml bottle is enough for two people to enjoy comfortably.

It happened just a month after its release.

"I think it's because of the high ABV," she says, "Union people like strong drinks."

"Aria, it's because you make good drinks that the results are good too."

"That's only natural."

As if to say, "What are you going to do about it?" a confident smile spreads across Aria's face.

I only introduced whiskey, but the one who created Fairy Whiskey based on it was Aria.

The whiskey, purely made by Aria, was thrilling her hometown of Union.

At the time of the launch, she was worried about whether it would sell well, but seeing the good results now, she seemed proud.

"What about me?"

Ayla, who interrupts as if asking to be praised herself.

"Ayla, you did well too. Thanks to you, the quality of the whiskey is very good."

Ayla's face breaks into a bright smile.

Just a single compliment made her ears perk up.

A small laugh escaped.

She's really cute and easy to understand.

By the way.

"50,000 bottles, that's quite a lot sold."

I nodded in satisfaction.

Since it was the cold northern weather, choosing a high-proof whiskey was the right decision.

People preferred high-proof whiskey to warm up their bodies.

This was not much different for wizards, so Fairy Whiskey was ranked first in sales at the Union.

Right now, only the Union is being counted, so this is the extent of it, but if you consider the entire North, the sales would have doubled.

The fairy whiskey, which had only been released for a month, was now challenging the dominance of wine.

'Much faster than expected.'

This was not simply because the whiskey had a high alcohol content and tasted good.

Due to the 'specificity' of the collapse of grape farming and the resulting absence of wine, people began to look for alternatives, and Fairy Whiskey was chosen as that alternative.

Moreover, because they actively promoted the fact that they used 'holy water', there were quite a few people who bought and tried the whiskey out of curiosity.

The current whiskey sales figures is significantly inflated.

The actual sales figures could only be confirmed after this bubble burst.

Even considering that, it was still a result worth being fully satisfied with.

The whiskey that Aria made boasted a correspondingly high quality.

How much more so, not only the Northerners but even the dwarves got drunk on fairy whiskey...

"When are you going to leave those people alone?"

"Well, I guess."

"What do you mean by 'well'? They've been acting like this for three days already."

Aria frowned as she looked at the storage area where the barrels were stacked.

There, dwarves who had come to 'observe' the whiskey were hanging a faucet from a giant oak barrel laid on its side, filling their beer mugs and gulping down the whiskey.

For your information, that faucet didn't exist until the dwarves came.

"Ugh! It melts, it melts. It disappears in my mouth."

"If you're done step aside! It's my turn."

"Gah..., what are you talking about? I haven't even had a drink yet."

"Crazy bastard, it's your sixth drink, right now!"

"Put your beer mug away before I introduce an axe to it, will you?!"

The faces of the dwarves surrounding the faucet, each holding out a beer mug, were flushed bright red.

Around them, empty oak barrels rolled about.

Fairy whiskey was a magical whiskey that melted and disappeared in the mouth, just as its name suggested.

When they met the dwarves, it literally disappeared like magic.

Aria muttered in disbelief at the sight.

"That's someone who came to drink, not to tour and observe."

The dwarves, who visited the Holy Water Factory under the pretext of a tour, were plundering the barrels, so it was understandable that Aria was dissatisfied.

But I just gave a bitter smile and didn't say anything else.

Dwarves were a race that benefited in many ways from maintaining good relationships.

"Honestly, it's still a gain."

Dwarves who came almost every day were enjoying unlimited whiskey under the guise of a 'factory tour,' but there was no loss in that.

Right now, the dwarves were only selling the grains that were the raw materials for whiskey at their original price.

The grains produced by the dwarves were renowned for their superior quality, making them almost like a gift.

Moreover, even the supplies to the north were all transported by the 'Vikings' on their way, so there were no distribution costs.

Of course, it has become a routine to enjoy unlimited whiskey while taking a tour of the holy water factory when bringing it over.

They say that the whiskey that evaporates during aging is called the "angel's share."

'It seems that the share of the angels has disappeared, and in its place, the share of the dwarves has emerged.'

It was ironic, but that didn't mean the dwarves just drank whiskey all the time.

"How about replacing the oak barrel? The taste is still good, but the color has faded."

"It seems like it would be fun to try filling several barrels alternately."

"Sweet drinks are nice, but what about a 'bang' at the end?"

The dwarves each shared their thoughts after drinking whiskey.

Tasting event.

Dwarves, who have enjoyed alcohol for hundreds of years, were each renowned drinkers and experts. Their opinions were as valuable as precious information.

"Senior, can I borrow a pen?"

Before long, the now serious Aria meticulously recorded every single opinion the dwarves offered, leaving nothing out.

Although she was stubborn, one of Aria's strengths was that she would listen to anyone if there was something to learn from them.

"Do it while sitting."

"Thank you."

When a chair was brought to her while she was standing and writing with the paper placed on the oak barrel, Aria sat down without taking her eyes off the paper.

In this way, dwarves were beings who were very helpful in many ways if you built a good relationship with them.

"But that doesn't mean I can keep leaning on you forever."

We couldn't rely on the dwarves for 'barley' forever.

It wasn't that there was no way to supply barley on our own.

There were also fertile areas in the north where barley could be harvested.

The problem is that the frequent appearances of polar bears recently are causing disruptions in the barley harvest.

After hearing that story, I subtly suggested to the northerners to try giving them "cola."

Polar bears are good at communicating, so if you give them a cola and start talking, I'm sure you'll have a conversation.

Just look at Bolitur, he looks scary, but he was the most gentlemanly bear I've ever seen.

According to Bolitur, all polar bears are as gentle as he is. If you don't provoke them, they won't harm you.

There was no evidence anywhere that Polar Bears had harmed humans.

The Northerners, who took my mere curiosity as a threat, ended up abandoning their barley fields on their own.

"I wonder how it turned out."

It's been about two weeks since I advised giving them cola, so by now, the results should have shown.

*

"Hakoon, eat a lot!"

"...Krrr, t-thank you."

"Haha! This friend has now gotten used to the common language!"

A tavern in the North. A massive polar bear is crouched down, drinking whiskey with cola.

The people inside the pub were all watching the scene with satisfied expressions.

A polar bear drinking whiskey mixed with cola, purring contentedly.

The pub owner, who was wiping a glass, asked with a warm smile.

"Is it really that delicious?"

"...Krrr, it's the best."

"Haha, there's plenty, so feel free to eat as much as you want."

"Hakoon! Take my cola."

"Here's the whiskey!"

"...Grrr."

The patrons inside the pub generously treated Hakoon to whiskey and cola.

It was a rare sight to see a bear and a human enjoying drinks together.

Hakoon had come to the human village a fortnight ago.

─...I want to drink the beverage in this bottle. I want to.

Hakoon showed the empty whiskey bottle and asked the villagers to give him some whiskey.

When the villagers encountered a polar bear for the first time in their lives, they all ran away upon seeing Hakoon, but Hakoon did not give up.

Hakoon, who had been wandering around the village, visited the tavern, and the patrons who were watching a cola advertisement warmly welcomed him.

─...Oh, it's a cola bear!

─Crazy, it's the real deal!

Thus, Hakoon became a friend who enjoys whiskey with the villagers.

Instead of getting and drinking cola whiskey, Hakoon helped the village a lot by carrying firewood and moving heavy stones.

If you gave him a glass of whiskey with cola, he would provide enough help for ten men, so no one disliked Hakoon.

Hakoon had settled well in the human village like that...

"You must come back, Hakoon!"

"I'll be waiting!"

If there are meetings, there will also be partings.

On the day that marked one month since Hakoon settled in the human village, he set off on his journey back to his homeland in the Arctic.

The villagers gave Hakoon, who was leaving, a huge box filled with whiskey and cola as a token of their gratitude for all that he has done.

"Grumble, Thank you."

Hakoon, filled with joy, returned to the Arctic with the box on his back.

"...I'll just stop by home and come back."

Promising to return soon.

*

The incident occurred on a day about two months after I had stayed in the tower.

The dawn is breaking.

Clang clang clang clang─!

"Emergency! It's an emergency!"

"Everyone, come out!"

The loud ringing of bells and the urgent voices of the wizards were heard, and then the door suddenly swung open.

"Senior! There's a big problem! Come out quickly!"

"What is it, what's going on?"

"There's no time to explain! First, put on some clothes and come out!"

I got out of bed, puzzled.

When I went out to the lobby, the mages of the Blue Tower were standing there with tense expressions, holding their staves.

In front of him stood a small girl with dragon horns, the Blue Tower master, Myrtienne, with a serious expression on her face.

It's as if they're ready to go into battle.

'What's going on?'

Due to the tense atmosphere, sleep eluded me.

Amidst everyone's tension, Myrtienne opened his heavy mouth.

But the content was unusual.

"The enemies are targeting our Blue Tower and are attacking."

The enemy has invaded, aiming for the Empire's Blue Tower?

Is that even possible?

The moment that doubt arose, the faces of the wizards staring out the window turned pale.

"...Huh!"

"Wow, it's here!"

"Everything, everything is over."

I looked out the window where the wizards were gazing, feeling puzzled.

And I was left speechless.

The massive polar bears were approaching the Blue Tower from beyond the horizon.

"...What is that?"