I brought a gift and headed to Count Stratege's office, set up within the palace grounds.
"Oi, is this alcohol? And Dink wine, no less. Must have been expensive?"
As expected of the Count—he recognized it from the bottle's shape without even looking at the label.
He must be that familiar with it, but for me, though I'd heard the name, this was my first time actually holding a bottle.
"I splurged a bit, but may I sit down?"
"What's wrong?"
He'd cleared the room so it was just the two of us, but even so, I usually maintained propriety. Normally I'd stand and treat him as my superior, but today my heart was simply exhausted.
"I came all the way to the Imperial Capital after work to buy this."
There were two chairs by the window with a small table between them. When I sat down and began speaking, Count Stratege took the other seat.
"See, the front shop closes before evening, but I heard the back entrance stays open for regular customers."
"It's popular, after all. If a sudden dinner party is arranged for some big shot, there will be those seeking it."
At the Count's speculation, I waved my hand wearily.
"Apparently only regulars and familiar faces go there. And well, he was there."
"Who?"
"............The First Prince's bear tutor."
At my report, Count Stratege furrowed his brow as well.
It's not that anything happened—I occasionally get reprimanded for rudeness or manhandled, but not this time. Essentially, meeting in such an unexpected place, I grew wary of the shadow of the First Prince lurking behind it.
"Hard to imagine someone like him frequenting a shop that does business with nobles."
"Right? I thought so too and asked. Turns out he's been a regular since before they started selling Dink wine to nobles."
I only know of the Dink wine, but according to Bear, before they started selling Dink wine, they apparently only did business with lower-class customers, not nobles.
"Certainly, the merchant called Moriyam rose to fame with this Dink wine."
"I had a bad feeling about it and asked around, and the employees said the same thing. 'That person is a friend of the shop manager from when the store first opened,' they said."
I ended up snooping around a bit. That only added to my exhaustion.
"Apparently the merchant Moriyam who built the trading company is a former soldier. Seems he's from the Dragon People's country."
"Then it's not such a rare case. This Imperial Capital is mostly human. Young other-races who come from other countries often enlist first to learn the local ways and language here."
It seems they secure their livelihood foundation in the military, obtaining basic knowledge necessary for life during training. Meanwhile, they receive salaries during enlistment and save money, and after completing training and serving the required years in the military, they move to the Imperial Capital with knowledge, qualifications, and money to start anew.
We can speculate that the merchant Moriyam met Red Bear in the military this way.
"So he opened a shop and became a regular out of old friendship? And on top of that, managed to become famous with Dink wine?"
"What is bothering you so much?"
The Count looked at me suspiciously as I expressed my doubts.
"Well, shall we taste it first? Ah, but you already know the taste, don't you, my lord?"
"Well, it is a fad. However, it seems those who loved Dink wine from early on made unreasonable demands on the merchant to hoard considerable quantities. Some say it's faster to obtain it from those people than from the shop itself."
How excessive. Basically, those with noble ranks drink it, and it doesn't trickle down to people like us below. I've heard that those close to the top can partake if they're on good terms.
"Don't you buy it, my lord?"
"I avoid it because its lightness makes it easy to drink endlessly, yet its high alcohol content conversely causes trouble from overdrinking."
So it's that delicious, and he has such strong self-control. It seems I won't be invited to partake.
Yet why does he act strangely when involved with the princess of the Lukiussaria Kingdom? Well, I suppose memory adds its own corrections to that.
"Since I can only obtain one bottle at most, I don't need to worry about overdrinking today."
"However, because the alcohol is strong, some say even one bottle is enough."
I borrowed a glass for secret drinking and poured a cup. The color is clear enough to be mistaken for water, but the fragrant herbs and definite sweetness of liquor pass through my nose. When I taste it, it has a unique habit similar to medicinal wine steeped in herbs, yet a refreshing acidity follows, and the heat falling down my throat together with bitterness rather clears my mouth.
"............Whoa, completely different. What is this?"
"This is their flagship product. They make other varieties in even more limited quantities. It seems what will be sold next depends on material availability. There are those who grow more fervent about obtaining it precisely because of this scarcity."
Even this Martini, their flagship product that they constantly produce, required a reservation, and I was told the waiting period before I could receive it today.
For other wines made in even smaller quantities, I know they're expensive, but I'm interested.
"So? Why were you suspicious just because the tutor was a regular?"
Getting back on topic ruins the good mood I'd finally gotten into............no, that's my fault.
"Well, when I asked around, I heard that his small nephews with dwarf blood also work there, and apparently they're craftsmen entrusted with the core production of this Dink wine."
"............Certainly, there was a time when he brought alcohol into the palace with such frequency that he was suspected of having a dependency."
"When I heard about it before, you said the Prince was using it for alchemy."
Count Stratege fell into thought, gazed at the Dink wine, and looked at me.
"Surely not?"
"............It could just be that an acquaintance of someone with an alchemy hobby happens to frequent the place. But when I think of that First Prince, I can't help but be suspicious, right?"
I was aware that a deliberate smile was floating on my face as I said this.
I had become somewhat desperate at the reaction that seemed to affirm my unpleasant imagination.
"If he's really involved, he was born into the wrong station. Why a prince? If he'd been born to a merchant, he could have become quite renowned."
Regarding that prince, even being born to a mere noble house would have been fine.
If only he had been born into circumstances where he didn't need to hide any of that insight, information-gathering ability, or creativity—surely even if born a commoner, he would have risen up.
Yet he was born into the highest position of prince, unable to move freely—it's absurdly foolish.
"If you speak of a mistake, it is not the prince himself but his parents' error."
Swirling the remaining Dink wine in his glass, the Count responded while thinking.
His thoughts were separate, but it was a useful skill for a noble head who could speak his mind—though I was probably the only one scrutinizing the content.
"Even if he became emperor, there would have been a future if he had been left behind. The mistake was bringing him here without the foundation to be treated as a prince, and establishing him as a prince. They gave him only a name and bars, creating a situation where he couldn't live without showing himself self-bound."
It's severe criticism of the emperor, but I nodded along there.
If it were that prince, even if left with the Count Nistav family, I could picture him smiling and taking his revenge on the family before becoming independent.
Above all, I imagined it because I was in a similar position.
Surrounded completely by enemies, raised under a father too high in status?
If it hadn't been for my life with my mother, which was difficult but never unhappy, I might have become like that First Prince in the Count's household............let's stop, "what ifs" aren't interesting to think about.
Besides, yes, that First Prince.
"Um, you see. Today, I have something else to report."
"Hm? Ah, given you prepared such a gift. Did you make a terrible mistake?"
When I approached him today to speak after clearing the room, he seemed to have anticipated trouble.
However, he surely couldn't imagine the content.
The question was how he would react after hearing it.
Here, I should first convey just the main points honestly.
"Actually, it seems that Prince has escaped the palace. When I went to the Varfan group, he followed me."
Immediately after speaking, Count Stratege didn't understand the meaning.
He heard it but couldn't comprehend it.
And the moment he understood, he seemed to lose control of his body in surprise at the unprecedented situation.
As the Count was about to drop his glass, I quickly reached out.
Because I had anticipated his agitation, I managed to avoid wasting the expensive Dink wine.
However, there was one more thing—I had reported something outside my plans.
At the Moriyam Merchant Association, it seems there's another person involved in making Dink wine—someone with the height of a child, believed to be a dwarf.
Accompanied by the red bear beastman, coming and going, no one has seen their face, but they speak with adults despite their childlike appearance, someone...
Bookmark 1400 commemoration. I brought a gift and headed to Count Stratege's office, set up within the palace grounds.
"Oi, is this alcohol? And Dink wine, no less. Must have been expensive?"
As expected of the Count—he recognized it from the bottle's shape without even looking at the label.
He must be that familiar with it, but for me, though I'd heard the name, this was my first time actually holding a bottle.
"I splurged a bit, but may I sit down?"
"What's wrong?"
He'd cleared the room so it was just the two of us, but even so, I usually maintained propriety. Normally I'd stand and treat him as my superior, but today my heart was simply exhausted.
"I came all the way to the Imperial Capital after work to buy this."
There were two chairs by the window with a small table between them. When I sat down and began speaking, Count Stratege took the other seat.
"See, the front shop closes before evening, but I heard the back entrance stays open for regular customers."
"It's popular, after all. If a sudden dinner party is arranged for some big shot, there will be those seeking it."
At the Count's speculation, I waved my hand wearily.
"Apparently only regulars and familiar faces go there. And well, he was there."
"Who?"
"............The First Prince's bear tutor."
At my report, Count Stratege furrowed his brow as well.
It's not that anything happened—I occasionally get reprimanded for rudeness or manhandled, but not this time. Essentially, meeting in such an unexpected place, I grew wary of the shadow of the First Prince lurking behind it.
"Hard to imagine someone like him frequenting a shop that does business with nobles."
"Right? I thought so too and asked. Turns out he's been a regular since before they started selling Dink wine to nobles."
I only know of the Dink wine, but according to Bear, before they started selling Dink wine, they apparently only did business with lower-class customers, not nobles.
"Certainly, the merchant called Moriyam rose to fame with this Dink wine."
"I had a bad feeling about it and asked around, and the employees said the same thing. 'That person is a friend of the shop manager from when the store first opened,' they said."
I ended up snooping around a bit. That only added to my exhaustion.
"Apparently the merchant Moriyam who built the trading company is a former soldier. Seems he's from the Dragon People's country."
"Then it's not such a rare case. This Imperial Capital is mostly human. Young other-races who come from other countries often enlist first to learn the local ways and language here."
It seems they secure their livelihood foundation in the military, obtaining basic knowledge necessary for life during training. Meanwhile, they receive salaries during enlistment and save money, and after completing training and serving the required years in the military, they move to the Imperial Capital with knowledge, qualifications, and money to start anew.
We can speculate that the merchant Moriyam met Red Bear in the military this way.
"So he opened a shop and became a regular out of old friendship? And on top of that, managed to become famous with Dink wine?"
"What is bothering you so much?"
The Count looked at me suspiciously as I expressed my doubts.
"Well, shall we taste it first? Ah, but you already know the taste, don't you, my lord?"
"Well, it is a fad. However, it seems those who loved Dink wine from early on made unreasonable demands on the merchant to hoard considerable quantities. Some say it's faster to obtain it from those people than from the shop itself."
How excessive. Basically, those with noble ranks drink it, and it doesn't trickle down to people like us below. I've heard that those close to the top can partake if they're on good terms.
"Don't you buy it, my lord?"
"I avoid it because its lightness makes it easy to drink endlessly, yet its high alcohol content conversely causes trouble from overdrinking."
So it's that delicious, and he has such strong self-control. It seems I won't be invited to partake.
Yet why does he act strangely when involved with the princess of the Lukiussaria Kingdom? Well, I suppose memory adds its own corrections to that.
"Since I can only obtain one bottle at most, I don't need to worry about overdrinking today."
"However, because the alcohol is strong, some say even one bottle is enough."
I borrowed a glass for secret drinking and poured a cup. The color is clear enough to be mistaken for water, but the fragrant herbs and definite sweetness of liquor pass through my nose. When I taste it, it has a unique habit similar to medicinal wine steeped in herbs, yet a refreshing acidity follows, and the heat falling down my throat together with bitterness rather clears my mouth.
"............Whoa, completely different. What is this?"
"This is their flagship product. They make other varieties in even more limited quantities. It seems what will be sold next depends on material availability. There are those who grow more fervent about obtaining it precisely because of this scarcity."
Even this Martini, their flagship product that they constantly produce, required a reservation, and I was told the waiting period before I could receive it today.
For other wines made in even smaller quantities, I know they're expensive, but I'm interested.
"So? Why were you suspicious just because the tutor was a regular?"
Getting back on topic ruins the good mood I'd finally gotten into............no, that's my fault.
"Well, when I asked around, I heard that his small nephews with dwarf blood also work there, and apparently they're craftsmen entrusted with the core production of this Dink wine."
"............Certainly, there was a time when he brought alcohol into the palace with such frequency that he was suspected of having a dependency."
"When I heard about it before, you said the Prince was using it for alchemy."
Count Stratege fell into thought, gazed at the Dink wine, and looked at me.
"Surely not?"
"............It could just be that an acquaintance of someone with an alchemy hobby happens to frequent the place. But when I think of that First Prince, I can't help but be suspicious, right?"
I was aware that a deliberate smile was floating on my face as I said this.
I had become somewhat desperate at the reaction that seemed to affirm my unpleasant imagination.
"If he's really involved, he was born into the wrong station. Why a prince? If he'd been born to a merchant, he could have become quite renowned."
Regarding that prince, even being born to a mere noble house would have been fine.
If only he had been born into circumstances where he didn't need to hide any of that insight, information-gathering ability, or creativity—surely even if born a commoner, he would have risen up.
Yet he was born into the highest position of prince, unable to move freely—it's absurdly foolish.
"If you speak of a mistake, it is not the prince himself but his parents' error."
Swirling the remaining Dink wine in his glass, the Count responded while thinking.
His thoughts were separate, but it was a useful skill for a noble head who could speak his mind—though I was probably the only one scrutinizing the content.
"Even if he became emperor, there would have been a future if he had been left behind. The mistake was bringing him here without the foundation to be treated as a prince, and establishing him as a prince. They gave him only a name and bars, creating a situation where he couldn't live without showing himself self-bound."
It's severe criticism of the emperor, but I nodded along there.
If it were that prince, even if left with the Count Nistav family, I could picture him smiling and taking his revenge on the family before becoming independent.
Above all, I imagined it because I was in a similar position.
Surrounded completely by enemies, raised under a father too high in status?
If it hadn't been for my life with my mother, which was difficult but never unhappy, I might have become like that First Prince in the Count's household............let's stop, "what ifs" aren't interesting to think about.
Besides, yes, that First Prince.
"Um, you see. Today, I have something else to report."
"Hm? Ah, given you prepared such a gift. Did you make a terrible mistake?"
When I approached him today to speak after clearing the room, he seemed to have anticipated trouble.
However, he surely couldn't imagine the content.
The question was how he would react after hearing it.
Here, I should first convey just the main points honestly.
"Actually, it seems that Prince has escaped the palace. When I went to the Varfan group, he followed me."
Immediately after speaking, Count Stratege didn't understand the meaning.
He heard it but couldn't comprehend it.
And the moment he understood, he seemed to lose control of his body in surprise at the unprecedented situation.
As the Count was about to drop his glass, I quickly reached out.
Because I had anticipated his agitation, I managed to avoid wasting the expensive Dink wine.
However, there was one more thing—I had reported something outside my plans.
At the Moriyam Merchant Association, it seems there's another person involved in making Dink wine—someone with the height of a child, believed to be a dwarf.
Accompanied by the red bear beastman, coming and going, no one has seen their face, but they speak with adults despite their childlike appearance, someone...
1400 Bookmarks Commemoration.