Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 25.1: “The Grand Banquet: Part Two”

　While the dwarves were enjoying their liquor, my brother’s fiancée, Miss Rosalind Roswell, smiled happily and spoke to me.

“Master Zacharias is truly a man of many talents.” (Rosalind)

　I shook my head with a wry smile,

“Rather than being talented, I am just adaptable, Lady Rosalind.” (Zack)

　A normal fifteen-year-old would be considered talented, but I have been alive for over sixty years. Of course, the fact that I have memories of my previous life is also significant.

　However, even though I had taken up the challenge of my own volition, I also thought that I had branched out too far.

“Rodrick told me that even in swordsmanship, he still lost to his brother. Please practice with me some time.” (Rosalind)

　Rosalind said with a laugh, “We are going to be family. Please call me Rosalie,”

“I’m no match for my, brother. Also, please call me Zack. Everyone in my family calls me that.” (Zack)

　I was uncomfortable with her, as she was very different from the story I had heard and the impression I had of her when I first met her.

(I had heard that she was a rough, wild horse, but she was actually a mild-mannered person. I remember when we first met, she tearfully apologized for the attack on us, saying that it was her fault. When I think of it that way, a lot of things make sense…) (Zack)

　Rosalind Roswell may have been a bright girl for her age of 16 years old. When I think of it that way, it makes sense in many ways.

　Five years ago, her elder brother, Patrick, died, and this triggered a struggle for control of the Roswell family. It must have been around that time that Rosalind began learning to use a sword.

　She may have been looking for allies when she began to participate in the knights’ exercises. In fact, we hear that Rosalind is very popular among the knights, despite being called a tomboyish princess. When her brother got engaged, along with their congratulations, there were voices of envy toward him for gaining such a high position, which is a testament to her high popularity.

　I had a short talk with Rosalind, but apparently she is not fond of liquor and hardly ever drinks them. I would be more surprised if a girl in her mid-teens downed down on a fresh scotch.

“Lady Rosalie. Are you not good at drinking?” (Zack)

“I enjoy wine, but these are a bit…” (Rosalind)

　The dwarves seemed to be drinking it with relish, so she hesitantly told me that she wasn’t good at it.

“Then let me prepare a liquor that is a little easier to drink.” (Zack)

　I said, and Mr. Degenhardt listened attentively.

“Is there anything else left? I’m sure you’ll let us drink it too, right?” (Degenhardt)

　I smiled bitterly at the dwarf who reacted sensitively to “liquor”,

“I do have some, but I don’t have a lot of them. In fact, it’s completely handcrafted by me, because I can’t make them in large quantities. First of all, the alcohol content is the same as that of regular wine.” (Zack)

　At the mention of “handcrafted,” I thought I saw a glint in Mr. Degenhardt’s eye.

　I pretended not to notice and went to the stone tank where the wine was chilled.

　There were only ten glass bottles chilled in the ice water. They were made of thick glass and tapered gradually from the shoulder to the neck.

　What is even more distinctive is that they are corked. The cork was tightly secured with a wire.

　Yes, it is a bottle of sparkling wine.

　This sparkling wine is a real sparkling wine made by the so-called “champagne method,” which is a method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, followed by removing the lees [T/N: Wine fermentation residue].

　To make this wine, it was necessary to manufacture bottles and obtain corks. Wine in this world is basically served out of barrels, and even when it is packed in ceramic bottles, they only use wooden stoppers.

　Although I had knowledge that cork was the bark of a tree found around the Mediterranean Sea, I had never seen it used in this world. I asked Sai Furman, an informant in Doctus, to research it, and I also checked the library of the institute myself, but in the end I could not confirm that it even existed.

　Although I could not find it, I did not give up because of that. After a process of trial and error, I created a cork-like material by sponging wood tissue with wood attribute magic.

　The cork problem was solved, but the champagne method was quite difficult to execute. But that too is all solved by magic.

　The lees that have accumulated after secondary fermentation are removed by freezing them, and freezing is solved by the spell pseudo-Peltier effect, and the time required for secondary fermentation is reduced by the storage magic [Inventory] that speeds up the process and shortens the time, reducing the time it takes to make sparkling wine from nearly two years to just a few days.

　The chilled bottle is a so-called magnum bottle that holds about 1.5 liters.

　The stock of sparkling wine is about 30 magnum bottles and 50 regular bottles of 750ml.

　However, the regular bottles are for Liddy’s exclusive use. Since the first time I gave her sparkling wine, she has been captivated by it and asks for it every time she wants to drink.

　Although it can be made in a few days using magic, the process is tedious, and since glass bottles are not mass-produced, it cannot be stocked in large quantities.

　Also, due to the dependency with the condition of the raw material white wine–if the barrel aging is too long, the woody aroma becomes too strong and the taste becomes terrible–so I can’t make it depending on the time of year.

　For this reason, I cannot secure a sufficient amount, and at Liddy’s insistence, I keep them for her.

　I think I’m spoiling Liddy.

　I picked up the chilled magnum bottle and carefully wiped off the water. By the way, there is no etiquette label on it. [T/N: they are quality assurance labels.]

　I loosen the wire that holds the cork in place and cover the cork with the napkin I have prepared.

　Loosen the cork while slowly turning the bottle. Since the cork is a mock-cork, it is slightly harder than a regular cork, and a hiss can be heard.

　I can hear the hissing sound of gas escaping. Immediately after that, the unique aroma of carbon dioxide gas and the fruit aroma of white wine tickle the nose.

　Sometimes there are bartenders who open the bar making a loud pop, but I never approve of that. Of course, this was probably done for a marketing purpose, to let people know that you had opened champagne, but when you pour the champagne into the glass, the bubbles foam too much, and the bubbles would rise too much when the glass is put against the mouth, and the aroma would be altered.

　I tipped a flute-shaped glass made of crystal glass, with a long leg stem and a narrow bowl, held it near the magnum bottle, and poured it slowly, holding it between the hollows in the bottom of the magnum bottle. The polished glass is gently filled with a pale golden liquid. [T/N: Again use modern crystals, there is no safe level of lead, don’t be a plumbeus by using plumbum.]

　The first pour from a magnum bottle weighing more than three kilograms tests my grip strength, but my arms do not shake, probably because I have worked out far more than when I was in Japan.

　I poured until about 70% full and quietly set the glass on the table.

　It was only then that I became aware of my surroundings. Not only my family and the Frontier Count’s family, but also the dwarves’ eyes were focused on me.