Last night’s dinner had a strange atmosphere. Duke Bayerlein’s Alexander-sama kept staring at my mother repeatedly. Even my father, who is usually calm, seemed to feel disgusted by it, and I was not in a good mood either. No matter how beautiful my mother is, it’s not good to stare at a married woman like that.
“Yeah. That’s not okay. Alexander-sama, you’re out.”
In our house, it’s a two-out and no entry situation! I thought to myself as I left the mansion to head to the wine workshop. On the left of the gate is the soldier’s station, and on the right is the temple knight’s station. Apparently, they sometimes glare at each other. Please, stop fighting for my sake.
“Oh, is that you, Toma -sama? Are you going out?”
“Sebas-san. Good morning.”
He is the butler of the Bayerlein Duke family. Alexander-sama might be useless, but this guy is capable! Our Johnson is also excellent, but Sebas-san might be even better.
“I’m going to the wine workshop.”
“Ah, the workshop that makes the Horse King, huh? That’s some fine alcohol.”
I’m genuinely happy to hear Sebas-san complimenting the Horse King. He doesn’t sound sarcastic at all when saying it.
“Would you like to come with me?”
“That’s a kind offer, but I cannot leave Alexander-sama’s side.”
“I see. Well, I’ll be going then.”
“Yes. Please be careful.”
He really reminds me of our butler.
“Toma -sama, are you heading out?”
This time it’s Temple Knight Suzanna. Her full name is probably Suzanna Kohlrausch. She’s one of the two captains in the female temple knights. A twenty-three-year-old beautiful knight with sky-blue hair cut at shoulder length and deep sea-like blue eyes.
“Ah, yes. I’m just going to the wine workshop. There’s no danger, so I’m fine.”
“No, I will accompany you.”
She is the very image of seriousness in armor. Temple knights are usually very earnest. It’s probably better than being unserious, but… anyway, it can be stiff.
At the wine workshop, five new recruits were lined up. It seemed they had been waiting for me.
“Salute to Toma -sama!”
“Jin-san, this isn’t the military.”
“Ah, sorry. I got carried away.”
“Everyone, please relax.”
At Jin-san’s command, the five who had saluted relaxed.
“Alright, everyone, I’m Toma . I’m technically in charge of this workshop.”
“Yeah, we all know that.”
Of course, they’re all villagers, and I know all their faces.
“Well then, no need for self-introductions. Let’s get to work. Jin-san.”
“Yes. First, we’ll steam the horse barley. Everyone, work hard.”
“Yes, sir!”
Although there’s one person who’s thirty, three of them are in their early twenties, and one is fifteen. I’ll teach them the steaming process from scratch.
Lately, the probability of Jin-san and Ram-san making top-class liquor has gone up. About 20% of the products are top-class liquor, with 60% being first-class, and 20% second-class. Thanks to that, there are fewer distillation liquors made from second-class liquor. That’s the only problem. Well, if the newcomers make Horse King, second-class liquor should increase again.
Steaming takes a certain amount of time. While that’s being handled by Jin-san and Ram-san, I’ll take care of the barrels I manage.
I entered my personal brewery. Of course, Suzanna-san and the other temple knights are waiting outside. No one can enter here except me and the artisans I’ve approved.
When I opened the lid of one of the barrels I had prepared, the aroma of alcohol wafted out.
“Looks like it’s going well.”
This barrel should be ready to ship in about five days.
I checked all the other barrels, opened their lids, and stirred them. Stirring is hard work, but thanks to my increased skill, it’s not too difficult. Rather, the problem is that I’m not tall enough.
Recently, I’ve been eating well, so I’m in a growth spurt. I’ve grown taller, but I’m still short compared to adults.
“That should be fine.”
After taking care of all the barrels I manage, I also checked the barrels of distilled liquor and aged Horse King stored further inside to make sure there were no issues.
“Everything is fine.”
I left the brewery, securing the door with three bolts and locks. It’s gotten stricter since thieves broke in.
Back at the workshop, I watched everyone’s progress and made adjustments where necessary. Mistakes are fine, but I’m strict about hygiene. Also, I make sure to correct any dangerous actions to avoid serious injuries. Even though we’re training talent, it would be a loss if someone got injured and couldn’t work. Being strict and repetitive is just right.
By evening, I was heading back to the mansion, but something felt off.
Our mansion faces the Lyeber River except for the east, and two ships were docked. My father had been planning to build a ship, but the harbor still wasn’t prepared. Did he already buy the ships?
As I got closer, I saw that both ships bore the Bayerlein family crest. They weren’t bought by my father; they belonged to the Bayerlein Duke family. Since Alexander-sama came by carriage, I guess he’ll be returning by ship?
Outside the mansion, knights from the Bayerlein Duke family were lined up from the entrance to the gate. The atmosphere was unusual. Suzanna and the other temple knights stepped forward and took a defensive stance.
“What’s going on here?”
“Tooooomasamaaa, salute!!!”
With perfectly synchronized movement, all of them saluted me.
“Seriously, what’s going on here?”
I don’t remember ever being saluted by the Duke’s knights.
The entrance door opened, and Sebas-san came out.
“Toma -sama. This way, please.”
“Um, what’s going on?”
“They have something to discuss with you, including that matter.”
“I-I see…”
Sebas-san led me as though he was guiding me through the Bayerlein Duke’s mansion and into the reception room.
He announced my return and opened the door. Inside were my father, mother, younger brother Siegward, Alexander-sama, and a well-dressed gentleman in his fifties. Who is this guy?
