The White Beverage

Upon returning from the royal castle, I found Finn and Alexia doing some kind of sorting work.

I wondered what they were sorting, and it turned out to be the Water Sheep haul.

Come to think of it, Azu and the others had gone out for that.

With Orleans's arrival causing all sorts of commotion, it had been completely pushed aside.

Since meat spoiled quickly, that was processed first.

After having the butcher break it down, we used what we could for cooking and smoked the rest.

When it was just Azu, we used to sell the excess meat at the market, but now we had a large household.

Using it as ingredients was more cost-efficient than having it bought up cheaply.

… Everyone except Orleans and Yohane ate quite a lot, after all.

"Welcome back."

"Looks like things went well, judging by your expressions."

"We're back."

While receiving the two's welcome, I checked the sorted goods.

They must have worked hard. The quantity was impressive.

The magic stones were on the smaller side individually, but they'd piled up into a small mound, alongside sheep pelts.

There were also water magic stones and elementals.

The sheep pelts would mainly be processed into clothing.

Being higher quality than ordinary sheep, they fetched decent prices in bulk when purchased by nobles and the wealthy.

The magic stones and elementals were in smaller quantities compared to the rest.

Apparently, they rarely dropped, only appearing when defeating large numbers.

I could auction them off along with the magic stones.

"Ahh, I'm tired."

Finn said this, sitting down in a chair and tapping her shoulders.

Alexia let out a sigh too, perhaps a bit tired herself.

Both of them had worked hard.

To show my appreciation, I took something out from the shelf cooled by magic stones.

A large pitcher filled to the brim with white liquid.

It was slightly thick, and when I tilted it to pour into cups, it flowed slowly.

"What is this?"

"What could it be?"

Orleans peered at the white liquid filling the cup.

Azu followed suit, looking from behind Orleans, but she didn't seem to know either.

Come to think of it, I'd never served them this before. It had been a while since I'd made it.

"Homemade yogurt. Good when you're tired."

"Oh, how nice. Seems good for your health and skin."

"Hmm."

Finn grabbed a cup, gave it a light sniff, then took a sip.

She pulled her lips away, savored the taste for a moment, then swallowed. She must have liked it, because she drained the rest in no time.

"Refreshing and delicious."

"It certainly is easy to drink."

For Finn to praise food was rare. She must have really liked it.

Alexia seemed pleased with it too.

Azu and Orleans were sipping theirs little by little.

Perhaps they thought it would be wasteful to finish it too quickly.

"How cute. Don't you think so?"

"Well, yes."

I nodded at Elza's words as she chuckled.

Taking a sip myself, the sourness was sharp with just a hint of sweetness.

It had turned out well.

I'd made enough for about ten people, but it was consumed in no time.

If it was this popular, I'd make it again.

"Thanks, you two. I'd been meaning to organize this at some point."

"Whatever. I was bored."

"Having nothing to do is kind of… Actually, now that I think about it, why don't you have your own factory? That's the image I have of big trading companies."

Alexia asked this.

Being a former noble, perhaps she'd seen several trading companies.

"I don't know what image you have, but…"

I prefaced.

The other four besides Alexia seemed interested too, all watching me.

"I understand what you're saying. But there are many types of trading companies. Some like ours mainly focus on selling, while others do business with companies like ours. These kinds of companies often don't sell to regular customers."

"I see."

"The term 'trading company' covers a wide range, but they come in various forms. Trading companies with factories, like you mentioned, specialize in mass production. Only truly massive companies can make their own products and sell them directly, and there are probably only a handful of those in the Kingdom."

They could probably keep costs down. The power of big capital.

They could profit from that, but if a small trading company tried the same, they'd be neck-deep in debt before breaking even.

There were also trading companies specializing in mining.

Mines were undoubtedly where slaves were worked the hardest.

There was even a saying that mine slaves never made it out alive.

Those who couldn't find buyers elsewhere, or criminals who fell into slavery, were sent there.

What mines produced were iron, tin, burning stone, copper. And the king of mines: gold.

All things the nation needed.

As long as there was ore to extract, mines would never disappear.

Incidentally, the one closest to becoming a mine slave had been Alexia.

No matter how beautiful she was, she was a noble from the invading Empire.

If no buyer wanted her as a woman, the fact that she could use magic meant she might have ended up digging holes in a mine for the rest of her life.

I glanced at Alexia.

She was chatting with Azu and Orleans, and despite her being a slave, the atmosphere around her was bright.

I was glad I'd bought her.

She was worth far more than what I'd paid, and I couldn't imagine life without her now.

As I thought this, Elza pinched my cheek.

"Nyat ith it?"

My words came out garbled, probably because my cheek was being grabbed.

"Nothing at all."

She said that but wouldn't let go.

And her smile seemed different from usual too.

"Are you jealous or something?"

"… You shouldn't say things like that if you want to be popular."

After jabbing me with her elbow, she finally let me go.

I felt the same way about Elza, though.

About Azu too.

I really didn't understand women's hearts.