Noel brushed off the dirt on her dress.
Fortunately, Noel was relieved to see that there were no stains on the expensive dress.
“Ha. I chose the premium seats to avoid such problems,” Noel said.
A beastman bartender approached apologetically.
“I’m very sorry, madam. I informed that noble that this area was not available to him, but… it seems to have caused inconvenience to your party as well.”
Noel accepted the apology.
“Don’t worry about it. If you had used force, that noble would have been flattened in no time.”
“I took a bit too long in dealing with it. I will reflect on this.”
With that, the bartender bowed his head.
Passengers on the magic train are at least somewhat influential or wealthy. It’s understandable that handling them is challenging.
Well, it seems I won’t need to step in next time. In fact, this bartender could probably handle things just with intimidation.
He seems more mild-mannered than his appearance suggests.
“As an apology, please accept this,” the bartender said, offering a bottle of wine.
Noel took it. It seemed to be an imperial wine… The bottle was ice-cold.
I’ve had most types of wine, but I’ll gratefully accept this.
As I looked at the label, I felt a rare flutter of excitement in my heart.
“Is this alright? It must be quite hard to come by. Perhaps even more than this magic train ticket?”
“It’s fine. Normally, this would be served to repeat customers… but please, take it.”
The bartender also prepared glasses.
“Um, Ahavain-sama, is this wine really that precious?”
“You don’t know, Noel? Well, that’s to be expected. It’s a wine so rare that it’s not well known.”
This wine is made from the tiny amount of juice extracted from frozen grapes.
In the empire, places cold enough for grapes to freeze are rare. Thus, vineyards in such places are scarce, and the quantity of grapes harvested is limited.
Frozen grapes have their moisture crystallized, leaving only the grape essence. Although the amount is drastically reduced, the sweetness is concentrated, resulting in a sweet and aromatic wine.
Each year, fewer than ten bottles are labeled and traded among connoisseurs.
I’ve only had it once before. It was served at a meal with the princess, and I looked into getting it because it was so delicious.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it at that time… You can’t get it without connections, not just money.
Noel listened attentively, obviously impressed.
“Although I feel a bit awkward, I’ll have it.”
“Yes. If you leave the glass and bottle in the room when you leave, we will collect them. If you like the bottle, you may keep it.”
I took the ice wine, and Noel held the glass.
At least the remaining two got a good souvenir.
“Oh, right. Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Bring us a fruit platter.”
Fruit and desserts are suitable accompaniments for ice wine. I learned that from the princess.
The bartender immediately said he would prepare it and returned to the bar.
Other customers were starting to appear around us. We should head back to the private room.
I put my arm around Noel’s shoulder with my free hand and we returned to the private room.
As the magic train started moving, we entered the room.
Upon opening the door, Mastema, in a red dress, was sleeping with her head on Arnella’s lap. Arnella, in a blue dress, was stroking Mastema’s hair while gazing out the window, her touch as gentle as if she were treating a younger sister.
Arnella noticed me as I opened the door.
“Welcome back, Ahavain-sama.”
“Ah, I’ve procured something good. Mastema will… likely wake up on her own.”
It was clear she would wake up to the smell of wine.
Noel arranged the glasses.
I uncorked the wine bottle and poured it into the glasses.
The bottle was small, and half of it was gone after filling four glasses.
As the sweet aroma filled the room, Mastema awoke.
Her dress was disheveled, revealing her legs, but Arnella quickly fixed it.
“It smells sweet. Is it from that drink?”
Mastema brought her nose close to the glass and sniffed.
We held up our wine glasses.
“To our journey ahead, cheers.”
The glasses clinked with a soft chime.
Then, we slowly sipped the ice wine.
The flavor spread through my mouth, with a sweetness that seemed almost unreal for wine.
Even a small sip felt like it relaxed any unnecessary tension.
Perhaps my tongue was focused on the deep flavor.
The alcohol content was moderate, and with this amount, it wasn’t bothersome.
Noel and Arnella were also surprised as they looked at the liquid in their glasses.
Mastema drank half in one go and, seemingly satisfied, finished it all.
I should have taught her to savor it.
Mastema got some more from Arnella and enjoyed the ice wine along with the fruit that arrived.
The train ride was comfortable, with none of the jolting of a carriage.
Only the scenery flowed by at high speed.
The meals served were also of high quality.
I ate slowly while teaching Mastema table manners.
Occasional jolts during the journey likely came from running over monsters.
For a while, we continued our elegant journey, but as evening approached and the world turned red, a bit of trouble arose.
Oh dear, I had hoped for a peaceful trip.
