Chapter 67: Expiration Date (1)

Living beings tend to acquire different scents depending on their environment.

The soil we tread on, the water we drink, and the food we consume—all these various conditions influence the scent of living beings.

That scent permeates the blood, and vampires are a race that can discern the taste of every blood.

Lilith was taken aback after tasting the milk that Yuri had handed her.

"...W-what is this!"

The miscellaneous sensations that should always be present with milk has completely disappeared.

It was so clean, as if they had filtered out all the extraneous things separately.

Lilith knew very well that the cleaner the milk, the fresher and longer it would last.

However, since it was an untouchable domain, the best course of action was to maintain it with 'preservation magic' to keep it from spoiling.

However, the milk that Yuri handed over was so devoid of impurities that it didn't even need preservation magic.

Although Lilith had encountered countless amounts of milk while running a dairy corporation, it was her first time tasting such clean milk.

It was a fresh shock, as if stepping onto a pristine, white expanse of snow with nothing else in sight.

"It's low-temperature pasteurized milk."

"Pasteurized milk? Are you saying you made this?"

"Yes, I made it."

Lilith, who was looking at Yuri with surprised eyes, suddenly recalled what Yuri had just said.

─Wouldn't you like to try making this milk?

"...Are you saying you want me to make this milk?"

"Yes, but there are conditions."

"What is it? Just to let you know in advance, if the conditions are unreasonable, I will decline."

Lilith crossed her arms and acted nonchalantly.

As if to say that having this milk or not was inconsequential.

But inside, she was anxious, wondering if she had been too harsh.

Lilith's subordinate vampires were being overworked because they were casting preservation spells on milk on the double.

Yuri unaware of this fact, was being treated to Lilith pretending to be nonchalant and putting on a show of bravado.

Worried about what would happen if Yuri just got up like that, Lilith glanced at the milk bottle she had placed on the table with a regretful look.

"I should have drunk more."

She regretted not savoring just one more sip and putting down the milk bottle to save face.

If she started drinking from the milk bottle again now, Yuri will look at her with disdain.

At that moment, Lilith was contemplating whether to pick up the milk bottle again or not, having done so dozens of times.

"If you provide us with Lady Lilith's 'Refrigeration Magic' at our White Tower, we will also share our low-temperature pasteurized milk recipe with you."

"If that's the case...!"

Lilith, who was about to respond with delight at the surprisingly easy conditions, suddenly hesitated and changed the subject.

"...It's a condition where we are at a disadvantage. This pasteurized milk is undoubtedly excellent, but it can be replaced with preservation magic. But our vampires' refrigeration magic has no substitute."

Lilith's words were true.

Vampires are inherently endowed with 'negative magic.'

Therefore, vampires were far superior to human wizards when it came to frost magic.

Moreover, vampires are a species that have contemplated for centuries on how to distribute fresh blood.

Their "Frozen Magic Circle" was unmatched by human wizards in terms of efficiency.

Even the same magic circle was more efficient when operated by a vampire than by a human wizard.

The humans' freezing magic circles wastes far too many magic stones.

Having finished the calculations, Lilith realized she had nothing to be ashamed of and lifted her chin.

"I understand that you're coveting my freezing magic, but I can't trade it for the sterilization method. Offer better terms."

Lilith thought that if she went out like this, Yuri would be startled and bow down.

If the deal falls through after Yuri ruins her mood with an unsuitable transaction, Yuri won't get the refrigeration magic he wanted.

It was the time when Lilith's face became triumphant at the thought of holding the sword's hilt.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll get up now."

"...?!"

As Yuri tried to get up from his seat, a flustered Lilith stammered without realizing it.

"Why, why?"

"I do covet the freezing magic, but it doesn't matter much if I can't get it."

"Our vampire's freezing magic has no substitute anywhere!"

"It's okay. Then."

"Hey, wait a moment!"

"Do you have anything left to say?"

"...Umm."

At Yuri's calm demeanor, Lilith felt like crying.

"What kind of human can be this cold-hearted…!"

Lilith had met quite a few humans in human society, but it was the first time she had seen a human as cold as ice.

Lilith was taken aback by the business-like demeanor that seemed like it wouldn't even draw a drop of blood if bitten with fangs.

Bianca, who gets her way by throwing tantrums, and Yuri were clearly from different species.

Realizing that her bravado wouldn't work, Lilith picked up the milk bottle from the table and drank.

-Gulp gulp.

"Ha."

'As expected, it's so clean.'

Lilith, who had regained her composure with fresh milk, spoke to Yuri, who was still looking down at her.

"I will trade the refrigeration magic for the low-temperature sterilization method."

"You made a good decision."

Yuri sat back down.

"...But it's difficult. It's embarrassing, but our situation is difficult right now. So we currently need money."

Due to large-scale investments, Lilith's dairy business was struggling to avoid losses.

She wanted to borrow money from a place called the human bank, but the bank was not an easy place to lend money to an employee of a mere tavern.

Since she didn't have an imperial citizenship card, Lilith was often treated poorly at the bank.

She even tried secretly selling moonshine with a milk cart, but she had to close up shop due to the relentless barrage of reports from the dwarves.

But Lilith was confident.

"If you lend it to me, I will succeed and repay you double."

As long as money is given, she would definitely succeed.

At Lilith's bold request to borrow money, even Yuri, the cold-hearted person, momentarily showed a look of surprise.

At that moment, a gentle voice was heard.

"I don't know what they're talking about, but Lilith will definitely keep her promise."

After finishing serving, Bianca returned and poured milk into Lilith's empty glass.

"She's not the type to speak carelessly."

"...Bianca."

When Lilith looked up with a touched expression, Bianca smiled warmly and patted her head.

Seeing the two people getting along well, Yuri scratched his cheek.

"Well, you can rest assured. I was planning to invest from the beginning."

"That means...!"

When Lilith turned around in surprise, Yuri nodded.

"Yes, I will lend you the money."

*

The vampires of the Abyss race prefer dark places.

As the human saying goes, it wasn't that they would burn or lose strength from being exposed to sunlight, but it was indeed uncomfortable.

Vampires instinctively had a phobia of fire.

It was also because of that they hadn't discovered the low-temperature pasteurization method.

Because they are naturally averse to fire and didn't even feel the need for sterilization due to preservation magic.

"Disinfection was this simple...! Who knew sterilization could be this simple...!"

Lilith was amazed by the simplicity of the 'Pasteur's low-temperature pasteurization method' she learned about.

Just leaving the milk at a low temperature below the boiling point for just one minute significantly reduced the impurities.

"Finally breaking free from the preservation spell!"

"I-I am alive!"

The vampires fervently cheered the introduction of the low-temperature sterilization method.

To those who were overworking themselves by casting preservation spells on every single bottle of milk, the low-temperature pasteurization method was nothing short of a revolution.

As soon as the sterilized milk, known as 'Lilith's Milk,' began to be distributed, the impact was tremendous.

"Milk isn't fermenting!?"

"What is this? It hasn't even been preserved with magic, yet it's perfectly fine."

The existing milk had a shelf life of only a week and was expensive because it used preservation magic.

However, despite the renewed milk not having any preservation magic, it remained perfectly fine even after being stored in the magic refrigerator for two weeks.

Above all.

"I feel fine?"

"Was milk always something that didn't cause any food poisoning?"

Since fermented milk was delivered in random boxes, the citizens of the empire knew that if the milk didn't suit their constitution, it was natural to get an upset stomach.

However, as long as you drank Lilith's milk in moderation, it wouldn't cause any problems.

As the situation unfolded, even the citizens who believed that "slightly fermented milk is good for the body" began to waver.

"Hmm, they say fermented milk is good, but I think I'll just stick to Lilith's milk."

"The kids love it so much."

The milk known as "safe to drink" quickly took over the eastern markets of the empire, causing a state of emergency among dairy farmers.

"We need to recruit a wizard who can cast preservation magic!"

"No, is that really just a small amount of money? I'd rather they give me money to give a speech about fermented milk at the Ministry of Magic..."

"That's why I'm saying it now, because it doesn't work!"

"If we don't want to go under, we need to quickly introduce preservation magic too!"

The existing dairy farms that had been managing milk carelessly had to improve their quality, whether they liked it or not, to avoid being eliminated.

Due to the emergence of Lilith's milk, all dairy farmers in the empire have jumped into improving quality together.

It was the moment when the low-temperature pasteurization method, 'pasteurization,' invented by the legendary French biologist Pasteur, swept through the empire.

It was on one of those days when the empire's dairy industry was experiencing rapid growth.

Mandatory expiration dates for milk

※ Milk without a marked expiration date is prohibited from distribution, and if caught four times, the farm will be subject to a business suspension.

"What?! What the heck is this?! You want me to indicate a deadline!"

"How am I supposed to write all of this down?"

"The Ministry of Magic, those crazy bastards...!"

The dairy industry of the empire was thrown into chaos by the sudden announcement.