Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

Chapter 823: Mini School Festival, Midnight

Night.

The festival continues but I move away from the festival site to a tent pitched on the school grounds.

This will be my lodging for today.

It’s not a small, one man tent.

It was a big tent used by the Demon King’s Kingdom’s army.

It has a high ceiling and you can even walk around. It can also be partitioned off with curtains to create a number of small rooms.

There are around 20 of these big tents here and one of them holds a camping coach I brought with me.

This tent is basically hiding my camping coach inside for some reason.

「Because of the carriage can be openly viewed, that’s no difference than telling everyone where village chief is.」

And what would be the problem if they know where I am?

I had my doubts but I didn’t say anything because Glatts, who had prepared the big tents for us, looked so serious.

-0-

I sit in the big tent, on the big cushion I brought with me.

It will be time to sleep in a little while but my eyes are still wide open, probably because the environment is different from usual.

I could force myself to sleep but it would be a waste of effort.

It shouldn’t be a problem if I wake up late tomorrow.

I want to cherish a time like this where I could relax.

Maybe I should try to make a cup or something using the AFT like the old days.

And then, stay up late and eat a late night meal or something……

While I was thinking so, Donovan, along with some others, came over.

I thought they were going to invite me to drink but I was wrong.

After the dwarves, the angels Malbit and Ruincia came in.

Then, Metora, Asa and Earth.

After them, the demon king, Beezel, Glatts, and Randan.

They seemed to have something to talk about.

They sat in a circle using the spare cushions.

As for me……I didn’t have to move?

Thanks.

-0-

The first one to speak up is Donovan.

「Some sake sold in the royal capital taste awful. I think something must be done about this.」

The sake brought by the Goroun Company and Dalfon Company were made in various parts of the kingdom.

Some are from Village Five but most are from other places.

「Especially the local wine. It was made with grapes taken from various fields. They use both grapes that would taste good if turned into sake and grapes who would make the bad sake. Brewing like that is blasphemy.」

Donovan was not happy with the bad taste of wine in the royal capital.

「It can be simply resolved by only using grapes that would taste good or brew sake from grapes from the same field.」

I see.

Randan doesn’t look amused.

Ah, you don’t have to raise your hand, you can speak freely.

「Thank you very much. Ah, I think the bad wine that Donovan-dono is talking about is the water alternative wine of the royal capital. Therefore, it is inevitable that it tastes bad.」

What do you mean by that?

When I asked Randan for more info, he told me that the reason they gather grapes from multiple vineyards to make wine is to equalize the taste and stabilize the price of grapes.

Grapes are field crops so the yield depends on the weather.

If the income goes up and down depending on the yield, or if the price goes up and down depending on the taste, there will be no farmer who would want to cultivate grapes.

That’s why they gather grapes from several vineyards to make wine.

「We don’t care whether the quality of grapes is good or bad so it’s not surprising that they won’t taste good.」

I see.

However, if the price is fixed, won’t there be fewer farmers who’ll be willing to make the grapes better?

「That’s true but the purpose of the policy is to encourage various places to cultivate grapes even in small fields.」

?

「In times of food shortages, farmers tend to want to grow crops that can be eaten, rather than grapes that can be brewed into alcohol.」

Ah, I see.

So, you set a price to buy them because you want them to produce no matter how small it is to get raw materials.

「That’s right. However, not all territories do this. In the territories where there are lords who love to drink, they invest money to improve the quality of wine. Well, the wine made in their own territory basically won’t circulate outside….」

So, the lords who love to drink monopolize the market.

「That’s how it is. Some territories…..like Hou’s, for example, do not hesitate to sell their improved quality sake so they are circulated to the market. However, they are expensive.」

I remember Hou saying that she makes sake in her domain.

She sells them too huh.

That’s surprising.

I thought she’s the type who would monopolize them.

「Hou is not the lord but her relative……she has the status of an elder. She can give her opinions but it’s up to the lord to make the decision.」

So, the lord is selling against Hou’s will?

Okay.

「The lord wanted Hou to reduce her alcohol consumption so he decided to sell……」

Ah.

Ehto, that’s an elder hearted lord.

「He sure is. He was also very pleased when Hou got married. Also, please note that if you call Hou “elder”, she will sulk.」

I bet she would.

And so….

Donovan was worried about the bad taste of sake in the royal capital, especially the wine.

Randan said that the bad taste of wine in the royal capital is inevitable for a reason.

Good alcohol is good alcohol, that’s it.

So about that……

You’re asking me to do something about it?

Do I even need to do something?

We’re talking about the royal capital, right?

Isn’t this supposed to be the demon king’s job?

When I thought so, I looked at the demon king and he looked away.

I heard that the demon king doesn’t deal with such detailed policies.

I don’t think I need to do something about it too but since Donovan asked me to, I have no choice.

Donovan’s idea, as he said earlier, is to use quality grapes or use grapes from the same vineyard……

Randan is making a cross mark with his arm saying it’s impossible.

So, it’s not realistic.

Well, of course it isn’t.

I agree with Randan emotionally.

There is no way you can make everything high quality.

It means that in order to spread the product cheaply, we need quantity even if the quality is low.

However, I also understand Donovan’s sentiment.

Alcohol should taste as good as possible.

More so if you’re drinking it as an alternative for water.

I don’t know why I’m involved in this issue but let’s come up with a plan to improve the taste of wine in the royal capital.

……..

Randan, the wine that’s an alternative to water is made in each territory, right?

「Yes, they are. Almost each territory makes them. It is difficult to make wine in one village or city because of the amount of grapes harvested.」

I see.

That means….

There is a simple way to make sake taste good.

「Really?」

Yes, it’s not a sure thing and it’s not going to improve the quality in an instant but I think it will work.

Donovan, don’t get too close to me.

The only way is to create a ranking.

Rank the best tasting sake.

Once a year, announce it in the royal capital.

Along with the ranking, you’ll also announce exactly which territory’s sake it came from.

Then, even if not all of them, those who can afford will make sake better to top that ranking.

Randan considers my suggestion.

「Indeed. Since there is a chance to make a name for their territory, they might compete. However, won’t the ranking will just be occupied by those who are already making good sake?」

You just said earlier that good sake doesn’t get circulated that much, right?

「Yeah」

So, the ranking will be determined via the votes of the residents of the royal capital.

Nobles and commoners have the same value of vote……Beezel, Malbit, and Ruincia all crossed their arms so I corrected myself.

How about……a noble’s vote would be as much as a hundred commoner’s vote?

This would make it easier for sake that is reasonably well distributed to come out on top.

There is also less worry about production going down for good tasting sake.

Well, since it’s going to be voting, you’ll probably think that influential people might change other’s opinions by saying bad tasting sake tastes good, right?

However, if they really say something like that, they will end up being served with only bad tasting sake at tables where they’ll be entertained.

「I see. Just thinking about it now, I can already see some problems with executing it but……I will do something about it so that it can be realized. 」

Randan said this to me and I looked at Donovan to see if he’s okay with it.

He nodded so he seemed convinced.

This can’t be the end of this talk……right?

Just now, I seemed to have talked almost exclusively at Donovan and Randan.

Who and what will we talk about next?

It was Metora’s turn.

-0-

Metora’s story is a report on Torain and Maa’s life at school.

「Torain-sama is being loved, or perhaps it is better to call it being toyed with, by Tiselle-sama……」

Ah, well, I already expected that to happen.

Metora wanted someone who could keep Tiselle in check and Torain was chosen…..

Sorry.

「No, I think giving Tiselle-sama the task of building a country made her outstretched hands limited only on some places.」

I-is that so?

「In addition, it seems like Torain-sama is reflecting on trying to influence village chief during the royal capital parade. That said, I’m not sure how long he’s going to be toyed with by Tiselle-sama……though I believe after a year of experience, he will be able to do his thing.」

That’s quite tough.

Also, isn’t it too early to think he can do it in one year?

Maa said she’s taking a good care of Torain.

However it seems that when she’s not with Torain, she would start making something at their house which causes a noise problem.

Even though there are no students near during the daytime, Metora is wondering whether she needs to do something with the noise problem.

Don’t hesitate to tell her.

-0-

After Metora’s report, it is Asa and Earth’s turn.

The two men are said to be conducting background checks on those who have recently become Tiselle’s subordinates.

「We’ve checked both the front and the back sides and no one has any major issue.」

Asa says so but doesn’t that mean that there are minor issues?

「They are negligible issues.」

Following Asa, Earth reported back to me.

「Their relationship with Tiselle-sama is mostly good. No one is strongly hostile or has any antagonism. However, the former duke’s daughter from a human kingdom named Ekaterize had a fight with Ursa-sama.」

A fight?

Is Ursa alright?

「Of course desu. It was Ursa-sama’s complete victory.」

But even if that’s the case, I wish you had stopped them before they started fighting.

「The moment their eyes laid at each other, they started fighting. Me and the people around weren’t even sure what was going on. I’m sorry.」

W-wait a minute, since Ursa is safe, does that mean that Ekaterize-san is injured?

Areh?

Ekaterize-san was at today’s festival, wasn’t she?

She looks in good health.

「Ekaterize rolled quite a distance but she was not seriously injured. Also, it seems like the two of them developed friendship after that fight.」

Ehto……

Why did they fight in the first place?

While I was thinking of that, Malbit told me why.

「It’s like a ranking ritual.」

Ranking what……

Ah, right, Ria and the other high elves also did something like that when new high elves arrived.

Is that common?

「By the way, both sides attacked with a body crushing technique called taezanko. Ekaterize was quicker to initiate the attack but Ursa-sama was quicker to complete the technique. As expected of Ursa-sama desu.」

So, they used the same technique and Ursa won, is that it?

Anyway, I’ll just praise her lat……no, let’s not praise her.

Compliment is enough, right?

-0-

After the report of Asa and Earth, it is now Malbit and Ruincia’s turn.

This one seems to be a reflection on today’s festival.

Because at the beginning of the festival, they were dancing happily after meeting an old acquaintance.

However, after the dancing was over, they did a decent job as waitresses.

I don’t have anything to say about that.

-0-

I guess the last one would be……the demon king, Beezel, and Glatts.

No, Randan too.

What is it?

It seems like the Demon King will speak on their group’s behalf.

「I think we should decide soon.」

About what?

「The king of Tiselle’s country.」

Since a new country is created, it of course needs a ruler.

Who will it be?

「That’s the point, it hasn’t been decided yet.」

Is that so?

「Yes. Tiselle doesn’t have any recommendations either. It looks like she has thrown this issue to us but we just can’t decide because it involves a great deal of politics and may even affect personnel matters of the Demon King’s Kingdom.」

She did well to throw it at you or rather, isn’t that for the Demon King to decide?

It’s a buffer and negotiation zone between the Demon King’s Kingdom and the human kingdoms after all.

「That’s exactly it. Since it will be a negotiation zone between the Demon King’s Kingdom and the human kingdoms, it would be unwise to assign someone who is close to the Demon King’s Kingdom.」

Is that how it is?

「That’s how it is. Another problem is that the humans no longer looks at the angels kindly.」

Since there are negotiations with the traditional Garret Kingdom about surrendering to the Demon King’s Kingdom, the human kingdoms will naturally find it out. Since then, the angels’ reputation had taken a hit as if everyone’s blaming them for what had happened.

Of course, the people involved in the traditional Garret Kingdom are not happy either.

「Ideally, we would like it to be from a human country that understands the Demon King’s Kingdom but……we asked the officials of the Elven Empire in the royal capital since we thought they would be the best candidates but they flatly refused.」

Mou.

I should talk to the Elven Empire princess, Kinesta.

If she can be the queen……she might accept it.

「Village chief, a letter from Kinesta-dono has arrived. She asked me to give it to you when the king’s selection is discussed.」

Asa said so and handed me a letter from Kinesta.

Apparently, someone from the Elven Empire at the royal capital had already contacted her.

The letter is basically an absolute rejection.

Well, I guess she doesn’t want to be the queen.

Also, don’t recommend the following for this and that.

I guess all the names written here are people related to the Elven Empire, right?

I’m sure it is.

Anyway……

Eehto, this would have to be discussed later.

I can’t decide now.

Wait, no, why would I have to decide?

Let’s just wait for the results of the Demon King’s discussion.

-0-

After a little chat about tomorrow’s schedule, the discussion was over.

The meeting ended.

…..

Why are you still here now even though the meeting has ended?

Midnight snack?

Well, it was getting late and I am a little hungry.

What should I……

Donovan was holding up a barrel of sake.

Come to think of it, I haven’t had a drink.

Alright.

We all moved to a tent with a camping coach.

-0-

Our midnight snack was udon noodles cooked in a small pot.

I was glad I brought the small pot Gutt made.

If you don’t have enough, just add mochi or eggs.

Not good with sake?

Don’t be too extravagant.

This sake I brought from my stash goes well with udon.