349 - - 三百四十七話 アルバードさんの相談

I arrived in paradise with Mel and Meral. We had planned to have a casual banquet as a welcome party, but for some reason, the spirits who had come to visit us wanted to attend the banquet, and even the spirits from the brewery decided to join us, so it turned into a big party. I decided to enjoy myself as much as I could.

"Oh, it's delicious!

I looked at the spirits and their apprentices who were enjoying themselves, and as I sipped the ale that I had toasted but had not yet drunk, I couldn't help but give a simple comment on its taste.

It's delicious, isn't it? This is my first ale from Paradise Brewery.

No, I was surprised at the taste, but I was also surprised that the brewery had a name before I knew it. What's Paradise Brewery?　Are you planning to sell it?

"It's kind of less cloying and more full-bodied, isn't it?　It tastes better than the ale we got from the Labyrinth City. So, when did you decide on the name Paradise Brewery?"

I'm not confident in my taste buds, so I can't describe it well, but I guess it has a higher alcohol content than Japanese beers, which makes it quite intoxicating, but it is very robust and drinkable. This is the power of the spirits who have been brewing sake for many years.

"Hmmm, the spirits in the brewery have been in a lot of trouble. The policy was decided and then changed, and finally an angry Nomos urged us to make an ale that had both quality and quantity, and that's what we ended up with. I'm very proud of it. I don't know when they decided to call it Paradise Brewery, because it has been around for some time. If you don't like the name, we can change it.

It must have been difficult for Nomos to organize the spirit brewers, who are very particular about their drinks.

Well, thanks to that, the quality and quantity of the ales were perfect. It must have been worth all the trouble Nomos went through. He's actually pouring ale with the spirits of the brewery a little ways away.

"No, I don't mind the name Paradise Brewery. If it tastes this good, it'll sell well in the labyrinth city."

"I'd drink it all if I had to sell it."

"Right."

If the finished alcohol is sold in the labyrinth city, the spirits are likely to revolt. If Marie finds out about the spirits' alcohol ......, it's going to become a brand.

"I'm going to drink and look around the banquet, what about you Sylphy?"

"Well, I'm also Yuta's escort, so I'll go around with him."

"I'm sure there's no danger in paradise, and Sylphy is free to go as she pleases, right?"

Demons cannot enter the sanctuary, and even if they could, they would be annihilated by the spirits.

"Hmmm, the spirits in the brewery like to drink, but they also like to be made to drink. If you want to stay conscious until the banquet is over, you'd better take me with you, wouldn't you?"

Sylphy tilts her head cockily and says something quite disturbing. Is that it?　Are you a gymnast who pours drinks for no reason?　It's too scary.

"Uh, escort, please."

"I'll leave it to you."

Now that we have a reassuring escort, let's start with the drinking space. Even though spirits are not easily intoxicated, the more they drink, the more excited they get, so the danger level seems to be higher in the latter half of the day.

Sipping ale, we look around the banquet hall, which looks like a mixture of a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) site and a fair. There are kegs set up everywhere you walk, so there's no time to run out of cups. I've released quite a few kegs of sake myself, but there are even more kegs of ale from the Paradise Brewery. It seems that the saying "quality meets quantity" is true.

"Yuta-chan! My sister drinks spirits. Yuta, let's drink too!

As I walk by Deane's side, I see several empty bottles lying around that look like they may have already been filled with spirits. The group gathered around Deene seems to have started with spirits. It's not safe to go near that place. We just wipe our hands and quickly leave. I'm going to lose consciousness just from that place if I go near there.

Anyway, I wonder what happened to the spirits ...... that they dunked in the sea?　I wonder if they are safe and sound, though they still need to be laid up for another 3 months or so.

"Sylphy, do you know what happened to the spirits that were sunk in the sea?　It's still safe, right?"

"Yes, Dine, Nomos and If have sunk the distilled liquors many times, and they check each time, so you should be fine. I'm not a fan of freshly distilled alcohol either, but I'm looking forward to seeing the liquors that have been left in the sea. I wonder how close I'll get to the whiskey Yuta let me drink?"

Sylphy says with an expressionless but excited air. How many times have you gone to bed with distilled liquor? I'm a little worried about how much they keep.

"It's not the same as whiskey," he says, "and it's not the same as whiskey. But I'm sure it tastes a little better."

I hope so. I'd be embarrassed if I didn't find any difference between the distilled spirits that are left on land and the ones that are left at sea, since I'd just thrown out my cartoon knowledge about how great they are when left at sea.

"Hmm, I'm looking forward to it. Oh, there's Alvard and Dolly and Vita. I thought you said you wanted to talk to Yuta?"

"Oh, that's right. I haven't had a chance to look around yet, but I'll talk to him first.

"Okay."

From a distance I thought I saw If playing with a fireball with ale in his hand, but it was probably just my imagination. I join the three of them who are sitting at a table and drinking in a relaxed atmosphere.

"Mr. Alvard, Dolly and Vita, are you enjoying the party?"

"I'm sorry I had to join your banquet so suddenly. But thank you for giving the children an experience they rarely have."

Yes, I'm enjoying it.

"Yeah, it's fun to have a lot of people around."

Mr. Alvard looks at the table where the little ones are happily crowding around the food with a kind expression on his face. I thought Mr. Alvard was chosen as a chaperone because he seems to be a hard worker, but looking at his face, I wonder if he was chosen because he is kind to the little ones. Dolly and Vita don't seem to mind the lively atmosphere either, and seem to be enjoying themselves without any problems.

"I'm glad to hear that. By the way, Mr. Alvard, Dine told me that you have something to tell me.

"As I said before, no need for honorifics. Also, I have something to tell you, but it's not particularly confidential, so this is fine."

Mr. Alvard is so serious that I tend to use honorifics. I feel like I'm being told that every time I see him. Well, you'll get used to it. I take my seat, a little relieved that the conversation is not confidential.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, it pains me to say this after all these years of having children in paradise, but I have two requests."

"A favor?　I'll help you if I can, but what kind of help?"

"One is to bring the spirit kings back to paradise. Master Wind but the other spirit kings are usually busy working and would like to have a break in paradise if possible. They are waiting for their children to come, so they are not saying much, but they like it here, so I think it would be a good place for them to take a break.

The words "Master Wind aside," really express Mr. Alvard's state of mind. It seems that Mr. Wind is bothering the serious Mr. Alvard to the extent that he makes him say that much. However, if I make a comment on that, he might start complaining because he has had a lot of alcohol.

Anyway, the spirit kings are taking a break. Dark-sama and Fire-sama were drinking happily, and Earth-sama was absorbed in food. I want Light-sama to have a sweet taste too, and Water-sama seems to be a sensible person who is having a hard time, so I want him to take a break.

"I see. So it's like having a banquet?"

I can think of no better way to entertain the spirits than with a banquet.

"I would appreciate it if you would do that. Of course, it will be in spirit money, but I will pay for it. If there is anything else you wish, I will prepare it for you.

Considering the pattern of the past, I have a feeling that if we request something else, we will be rewarded with something outrageous. But I guess they don't want to get a freebie when the little ones are paying for it.

"We are indebted to the Spirit Kings for making our paradise a sanctuary. If you contact me in advance, you can come and visit me for a break, and you can be rewarded with the spirit money you use in paradise. However, for now, I'm in charge of all drinks except ale, so you should choose a time when I'm around.

"Thank you. Then the next time the children come in seven days, would you mind if I bring the spirit kings?"

I'll be there in seven days. Mel and Meral will be settled down by then, so it will be okay if the King of Spirits comes. I'm afraid Mel might be scared, but it's a good experience to meet the King of Spirits if you're a genie magician. Let's give him a good luck.

"Yeah, no problem. Tell him I'll prepare food, snacks, and drinks. And what's the other thing you want?"

"The other thing is, after asking for the spirit kings, I'm sorry, but could you please increase the number of spirits that come to play?　There are still some children waiting, and some who came once want to come back. ......"

Mr. Alvard says apologetically. I see......... it takes a long time to turn around with about 30 people each time. Even when it is finally your turn, you still have to wait a long time to come back again. It must be hard for the little ones. However, if they want to wait that long, it would be a terrible thing if it were unlimited.

"Well, I'd like to help, but since it's Ruby and her friends who run the store and Deanne and her friends who are helping out while I'm gone, I'd have to ask their opinion before I can make a decision."

If we oversell the store, Ruby and her friends will have a hard time, and the little ones who come to play won't be able to have fun either.

"I've talked to Ruby and Dine about that. The cafeteria, the general store, and the money changer are all fine even if they double in size, as long as we can stagger the hours well. The innkeepers are okay if they build an extension to add more beds or put beds in the innkeepers' play area. Nomos and If are busy at the brewery, but Dine, Dolly, and Vita are willing to help except when they are summoned by Yuta."

I had already heard everyone's opinion. That's what a secretary of the King of Spirits can do. Dolly and Vita are nodding their heads, so I guess it's not a problem. Now we need to build a new inn and make beds. ...... We can ask Citrine to build a new inn, but what about the beds?

"The only problem is the beds. I bought new beds to replace the straw beds, so I have enough beds, but the difference in quality of the beds is going to be unfair. I'll order them the next time I'm in the labyrinth city, and the next time I'm there, I'll have the same ones, but it will take time."

It's kind of awkward to have a difference in bedding for the little ones. Mr. Alvard seems to feel the same way and looks a little troubled.

"Then you don't have to worry about it. We will sleep twice, so we can switch every night until we have enough beds.

When I was worried, Sylphy came up with a very simple solution. It is a little embarrassing that I could not come up with such a simple solution.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be a problem, so I guess it's OK. But I'm afraid of suddenly doubling the number of people, so next time we'll add 15 people and a chaperone, and if there are no problems, we'll increase the number to 30, right?"

"Yeah, the kids who are waiting will be happy. It will help."

Simply put, doubling the number of visitors would cut the waiting time in half. Hmmm...should we add more stores?　As for the tavern, ...... we'll have to wait and see what happens with Sylphy and his family's house.

In fact, how many spirits can Paradise accept?　It seems like it could become a big city if we bring in a lot of people who want to store there and develop it. ...... If that happens, will I be happy?　...... I was thinking something philosophical.

At any rate, it is obvious that we are not ready to accept them now, so I'll try my best until things settle down to some extent.