Since my father isn’t here, there will be no dungeon today. While I was calming down Siegward at the mansion, Jin-san suddenly rushed in.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Something terrible has happened! Thieves broke into the brewery!”
“What!?”
Hearing Jin-san’s story, I hurried to the brewery. I brought a few soldiers along.
“This is awful…”
The inside of the brewery was in complete chaos.
“Lord Toma ! This is terrible!”
Ram-san was in a panic. Given how messy everything was, it was understandable, but was there something even worse to worry about?
“The sake yeast has been stolen!”
“What!?”
Jin-san was even more upset than I was.
Upon checking, I saw that among all the destruction, the sake yeast had been taken completely. It seemed the thieves had been after the yeast specifically.
“If the sake yeast is stolen, others might be able to make the horse king’s brew. What should we do!?”
“Please calm down for now.”
“How can I calm down? The sake yeast has been stolen!”
Jin-san was yelling with spittle flying everywhere, but I could still hear him just fine.
“What’s been stolen is already gone, so we need to clean up now.”
“Why are you so calm, Lord Toma ?”
“Calm? Does it seem that way?”
“Yes, it does.”
“I’m angry too. But raising a fuss won’t solve anything. For now, let’s do what we can.”
“Ugh… I’m sorry for yelling.”
“It’s fine. I understand how you feel.”
Yes, I understand very well. But there’s no need for Jin-san to worry so much.
Although I can’t say this too loudly, the sake yeast for the horse king can only be used here.
The yeast is exclusive to the Ashud territory. If someone were to take it and brew elsewhere, it would be toxic. So, it can’t be used to make a rival for the horse king.
Looking into it more closely, the yeast from Ashud territory changes if it is brought below 300 meters in elevation. The Ashud region is located just above that height, so taking it out would spoil it immediately.
Of course, there’s a slight possibility it could be taken out via a route that never drops below 300 meters, but that’s highly unlikely given the terrain.
I continued using my information transformation to check the brewery, and it turned out the thieves didn’t just steal the yeast—they also poisoned the tools, barrels, and even the pre-brewed horse barley.
“Hey, what happened here?”
“It’s a mess…”
Ben and Charmy, who were armed, came in. Since I’m acting as the lord in my father’s absence, I can’t enter the dungeon. So, they had said they would run through the first and second floors without overdoing it. They must be about to enter the dungeon now.
“The thieves broke in and wrecked the place.”
“That’s terrible. You’re cleaning up, right? Let me help.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course!”
“I’ll help too.”
“Thanks, both of you. Ben, could you go get Bowman-san?”
“Old man Bowman? Got it.”
“Charmy, could you ask the Elder to send some men to help clean up?”
“Sure!”
“Jin-san, please go check the sake cellar. Make sure there are no signs that the lock was forcibly opened.”
“Understood.”
“Ram-san, could you and the soldiers bury all the pre-brewed horse barley? We’ll have to dispose of it.”
“Wait, we have to throw it all away?”
“If poison has been added, it could be disastrous. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the only choice. Of course, we’ll also clean all the empty barrels and tools. If we do this thoroughly, even if rumors spread later, we can confidently deny them.”
Everyone started working according to my instructions.
The first to return was Ben. Bowman-san really moves quickly.
“What a disaster, young master.”
“We paid the price for being lax with security. From now on, we’ll be sure to secure it properly.”
“They’re throwing away the barley?”
It seemed Ram-san and the soldiers were digging holes to bury the barley.
“We can’t know what the thieves did to it, so we’ll dispose of all the barley in the brewery. I’d like Bowman-san to check the distiller. It was damaged by the thieves, so I need him to decide whether it can be repaired or if it needs to be remade.”
“Ugh, they broke that, huh? Damn it!”
The distiller, which Bowman-san had painstakingly designed, was also damaged. The thieves clearly didn’t understand what it was, as there was no poison on it—only destruction.
“Ah, this is bad.”
“Can it be fixed?”
“Well, it’s probably faster to just remake it, young master.”
“Understood. Then, please remake it. Also, use these materials to help with the cost.”
“Got it. Hey, Ben, let’s load this up.”
“Yeah, leave it to me!”
As Bowman-san and Ben loaded the distiller onto the cart, Charmy came back with the Elder and a few men.
“Young master, I’m sorry about what happened.”
“What’s done is done. We’ll handle it positively. I’d like to ask everyone to help clean the tools and barrels. What do you say?”
“Of course, we’ll help.”
When the Elder agreed, the villagers also readily volunteered. They didn’t hesitate for a second. They’re good people.
I neutralized the poison with my transformation, but to be thorough, we cleaned everything.
“Lord Toma , there’s no problem with the sake cellar. There’s no sign of the lock being forcibly opened.”
“Thank you for confirming.”
“Are you throwing everything away?”
“Yes, we are. I know it’s frustrating, but please accept it.”
“Of course… it’s the right thing to do.”
The villagers helped as well when they had the time. It was a great relief.
Then, Jin-san finished checking the sake cellar, and I double-checked it myself just to be sure.
As Jin-san confirmed, the cellar was unharmed. If the thieves had gotten in there, things could have been much worse.
While everyone was working hard to restore the brewery, the priest Oturuso Daigo arrived.
“It seems this was quite a disaster.”
“I’m angry, but there’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened. We’ll make sure to secure everything properly from now on.”
“Are you really just a child, Lord Toma ? You speak as though you’re a high-ranking priest.”
“I’m really just a child. Would you like to see my status?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I can see that you’re quite mature. As expected of one chosen as an apostle.”
It’s probably because I’m 25 years old, counting my past life. Also, I’ve become used to human malice.
“Oh, by the way, Daigo-san, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“The horse king’s sake yeast has been stolen.”
“Did they steal it for the yeast!?”
“That seems to be the case. But the yeast for the horse king is a special gift from Deuro-sama.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That yeast can only be used here in Ashud territory. If it’s used to brew outside this land, it turns toxic.”
“What!?”
“So, I’d like you to help spread the word through the temple to make sure no one buys strange sake.”
“I see. Understood. I’ll make sure the message gets to the temples through the main headquarters.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
Now it’s done. I don’t mind if the thieves drink the poisoned sake, but I’d rather no innocent people get hurt. Even though it seems the poison won’t kill anyone, if we can spread the warning through the temples, we might reduce the damage.
