Badlands Saga: Reincarnation in a Different World with Extreme Charisma - Chapter 29

Chapter 29   Funky Dealer 3

Alcohol.

It’s a devil’s drink that drives people mad.

It dulls reason, melts away consciousness, strips away self-control, and is made to corrupt people—a drink for that very purpose.

In my past life, I myself had suffered countless times at the hands of alcohol.

Nothing but harm, a favorite of no-good people, and a staple for those who disrespect their parents.

But… saying that much is probably going too far.

If enjoyed in moderation, alcohol is something pleasant, even refined.

The problem was that this alcohol, which I still don’t feel like drinking in this life, somehow managed to strongly attract a troublesome woman.

“Ah, alcohol is wonderful. Even the sound of it brewing makes my heart leap.”

“Don’t get your face too close.”

“But surely the alcohol must want to gaze upon my beautiful face.”

Muttering such nonsense, Isrortep peered into the barrel I was stirring with a lazy smile.

In my laboratory stood a massive barrel of alcohol.

On top of the movable step ladder placed beside it, there were the three of us—me, her, and Mimei, who was in training as an alchemist. It was getting quite cramped.

Inside the barrel that we were all gazing into, the sugar from the wort was being broken down into alcohol and carbon dioxide, bubbles rising as the brew rapidly turned into alcohol.

“Master Fusha, what exactly are we doing right now?”

“Ah, the spirits are transforming the wort into alcohol inside the barrel, so we’re lending them some of our power. Mimei, why don’t you hold a rod too and try channeling some magic?”

“Hmm…”

“Tell the spirits to keep up the good work.”

“Keep up the good work, keep up the good work… spirits, keep up the good work… spirits.”

Mimei murmured as she shook her short pigtails, and I placed my hand over hers, guiding her as we channeled magical waves to accelerate the reaction.

Even if she didn’t fully understand the theory, as long as the right type of magic was applied at the right time, alchemy would work.

When it comes to brewing alcohol, alchemy, which can drastically shorten chemical reactions, makes the process laughably easy.

If anything, germination and packaging take the most time. The actual brewing process itself is so simple that any alchemist could do it without much effort.

“You will distill it, won’t you? I do enjoy a drink that can catch fire.”

“No, not this time. The first barrel is just practice. I’ll take it to the port and let everyone there drink it.”

“Alcohol made by alchemists is of such fine quality, with very few impurities. It seems a waste to let the ignorant masses drink it… What say you? Will you let me handle its distribution?”

“No way. If I leave it to someone who loves drinking, you’ll just drink as much as you like by yourself.”

“The alcohol itself wants me to drink it.”

Leaning her weight on the barrel, Isrortep swayed her hips as she said that.

On her back, a tray holding a milky-white teacup quietly appeared.

Following the arm holding the tray with my gaze, I saw that the maid, Riza, was standing beside the barrel, looking at us.

“Master Fusha, the mistress has prepared tea for you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Oh, how thoughtful.”

Still peering into the barrel, Isrortep raised her hand to ask for tea, but there were only two cups on the tray.

“There are only two cups of tea.”

“The mistress said there’s no tea for long-eared elves who disturb her husband’s work.”

“I am not disturbing anything.”

No, you are a disturbance.

I took the tray from Riza and placed it right on Isrortep’s back.

“What are you doing?”

“If you move, the tea will spill into the barrel.”

As soon as I said that, she froze in place.

Good, good. So, Isrortep can be controlled with alcohol. I’ll remember that.

“Riza, could you also bring some tea to Isara, who’s tending the fire below?”

“Certainly.”

“Mimei, shall we have some tea?”

“Yes!”

And so, with occasional breaks like this, we continued with the brewing process.