Chapter 18: Horse King

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My room was now cluttered with three large barrels. They were a nuisance, but I couldn’t let anyone else take them or leave them unchecked. So, I kept them in my room for close monitoring.

It’s been half a month since I started the process, and the horse barley has been fermenting well. I stirred it occasionally, but I wasn’t sure if I was doing it correctly. Thankfully, my information access skill kept saying it was going smoothly, so I kept going with confidence.

Father went hunting again yesterday and won’t be back for a while. His winter routine seems to involve a ten-day hunting trip roughly once a month.

He promised to teach me archery come spring. As the child of a knightly family, I’m expected to learn various martial arts.

Naturally, I never skip my daily sword practice. When Father is around, he guides me; otherwise, I practice swings on my own.

Today, my hands peeled once more. Lara quickly applied ointment for me. I’m grateful, though it sometimes feels a bit overprotective.

“Thank you, Lara.”

Lara smiled at me. The smile of a kind girl is truly soothing.

 

Father returned from his hunt.

It was another large haul, though there wasn’t anything as massive as the Metal Bear this time.

Still, I was immensely relieved that Father came back safely.

“Welcome home, Master.”

“Welcome back, Father.”

“Yes, I’m home.”

As before, a monster dismantling session commenced. I wore an apron and helped out.

There wouldn’t be another meat festival, as that’s only held after the first hunt of winter. Most of the dismantled meat was smoked for preservation, with half distributed to the soldiers and the families who helped. The other half went to the lord’s share.

With a few tons of monster meat, even half amounted to a considerable quantity.

“Ben!”

“Hey, Toma.”

Once again, Ben was one of the first to help with the dismantling.

He’s quite skilled and efficient—something I need to learn from him.

“We’ve got some Red Boar today. Smoked, it’s absolutely delicious.”

Wipe that drool, Ben.

“You sure know a lot about food, Ben.”

“Eating and mischief are my life’s calling.”

“Seriously, you need to lay off the mischief.”

Ben just laughed. He really should consider giving it up.

 

The sake had finally reached a good state.

After almost two months of regular checks, the horse barley had turned into proper sake.

The information access skill had been incredibly useful, providing guidance along the way.

“Father, may I have a word with you?”

“Hm? What’s up? You’re so formal.”

I presented him with a bamboo flask filled with the horse barley sake.

“What’s this?”

“It’s sake I made myself.”

“Huh?”

Father’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m still a child, so I don’t know the taste of alcohol. I’d like you to try it and give me your thoughts.”

“O-oh…”

Father took the bamboo flask, removed the stopper, and took a whiff. His eyes lit up with intrigue as he sniffed the aroma.

With a quick lick of his lips, he brought the flask to his mouth and took a sip. His eyes opened wide.

“This is amazing! It’s strong but smooth!”

He tilted the flask up and drank deeply. Oh, he downed it all at once…

That’s 55% alcohol—a very strong drink…

Father emptied the flask completely.

“Ahhh! That’s fantastic!”

He looked like a seasoned drinker.

“So that’s what you’ve been up to—making sake!”

Though I didn’t really need to, I asked him for his impression.

“This is unique! It’s smooth, yet incredibly potent. And it tastes incredible!”

The barrels, originally full of horse barley, now only held half their original contents as sake. Each barrel had yielded around thirty-six liters, totaling about one hundred and eight liters across the three barrels.

Since it took less than two months to make, I figured this was a good amount for now.

“This sake is a gift for you, Father.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I made it especially for you. Just… don’t drink too much of it.”

“Toma… I’m so lucky to have a son like you!”

Father covered his eyes with his arm, wiping away tears. Is it really that moving? Giving someone a gift fills me with such warmth.

“Thank you, Toma. I’ll savor it. Hey! Let’s drink it together!”

Father, I’m six years old…

“I can’t drink yet, so please feel free to enjoy it, sell it, or even gift it to other nobles as you wish.”

“Toma… just because we’re a poor noble family, you don’t need to concern yourself with things like that.”

“I’m not concerned. I just wanted to make some delicious sake for you.”

“Toma!”

Please, no sudden hugs. You’re squeezing me!

“I’m grateful, really, but could you let go? This is starting to hurt…”

“Oh my, what are you two up to?”

“Alyusha, listen! Toma made this sake for me!”

“Well, Toma is very clever, but I didn’t know he could make sake too.”

“Our son is wonderful!”

“He’s my son, too. Hehehe.”

“He’s our son!”

“Yes, that’s true.”

The two of them were clearly doting parents. I could only feel gratitude toward the Nameless One, the Forgotten, for allowing me to become their child.

“By the way, what’s the name of this sake?”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought of that. Father, why don’t you name it?”

“What’s it made from?”

“Uh… horse barley.”

“What? Horse barley, that coarse stuff?”

“Yes, the same horse barley that grows all over the place.”

Horse barley grows year-round and sprouts rapidly if not cut back, so villagers often harvest it to feed to the horses at the lord’s mansion.

“That awful barley… turned into such tasty sake?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Alright, let’s call this sake Horse King!”

Horse barley… Horse King… well, that works.

“By the way, Toma, can you make more of this sake?”

With the special starter for brewing, we could turn horse barley into this sake, and the ingredients are practically free.

“With enough barrels and barley, I can make as much as you want. But we’ll need a dedicated space for brewing.”

Temperature control is also a concern. The sake won’t ferment well in high heat.

“Could it be made anywhere?”

“Preferably somewhere with a stable, cool temperature, which makes winter the best time for brewing.”

“Hmm… would the old mine tunnels work?”

“The tunnels…?”

Of course! The temperature in those tunnels would stay relatively stable year-round.

With dozens of tunnels, there’d be plenty of room for sake barrels.

“The tunnels would be perfect. We’d just need barrels and manpower.”

“Leave that to me. Once everything’s ready, I’ll ask you to teach us how to make it. Can I count on you?”

“Of course.”

And so, plans to mass-produce Horse King in the Ashud Territory began to unfold.