Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 26.1: “Cleaning up”

　July 17th, 317 of the Tria calendar

　Yesterday’s big feast ended around 8:00 p.m., and all the dwarves went home satisfied. As I was not involved in the afterparty, I did not hear whether they went home in good spirits or not.

　It seems that the Roswell Frontier Count family had established a fairly good relationship with the Blacksmith’s Guild at this banquet, and from the side, the conversation between Branch Manager Mr. Degenhardt and Frontier Count Hubert Roswell was very pleasant.

　The most lively conversation between the two was about the construction of the distillery, and the Frontier Count offered Mr. Degenhardt his support for the distillery’s construction. Specifically, the two men discussed logistics-related support, such as the procurement of land for construction and the development of transportation routes, as well as the provision of raw materials, such as ingredients for brewing and fuel for the distillation kettles.

　The Frontier Count spoke enthusiastically of his desire to make distilled spirits a specialty of the Welburn area, and Mr. Degenhardt agreed with him. Taking advantage of this momentum, the Count and Mr. Degenhardt asked the Lockhart family for approval to make distilled spirits a specialty and for assistance in transferring distilled spirits technology.

　My father, brother, and I, of course had no objection to making spirits in Welburn, and we promised to make arrangements for technical assistance, including the acceptance of craftsmen. This was the same information that had already been given to us at the Blacksmith’s Guild.

　We will try to make accommodations, but there are some things we cannot compromise on.

　I haver not given up on the fact that they will not be allowed to work on their own until Scott, the distiller manager, approves of the craftsman on the three-year training.

　Mr. Degenhardt nodded, “Of course,” and called guild employee Jonathan Water to the spot.

“This is Johnny. He ain’t a brewer, but we’re putting him in charge of the distillery in Welburn…” (Degenhardt)

　Jonathan Waters is a young employee in his mid-twenties. He is young but thoughtful and has been very helpful and tactful at this banquet. And most importantly, he works with a standard of what he should be doing for the dwarves. In other words, he has a deep understanding of the tasks assigned to him.

　This may sound obvious, but in fact, the key to doing the job is to think about what the original purpose is and what is needed to achieve it. It is important to steadily get the job done in front of you, but if you work from a long-term perspective, you will not be able to do a good job if you lose sight of your purpose. In this respect, Johnny understands the essence of what the dwarves’ standards are, so we can rest assured that he understands what we are looking for.

　He will never allow any half-hearted compromises. Even if Mr. Degenhardt, his boss, urged him to do so, he would give priority to training craftsmen to preserve the taste. Of course, it is inconceivable that Mr. Degenhardt would make such a request.

　This time, he is going to the village of Rathmore to learn about the management of distilling equipment and purchasing of raw materials. He will accompany us when we return to the village.

　To make things easier, he has already chosen a brewer and artisan to accompany him to the village. Mr. Degenhardt himself has interviewed and selected these craftsmen, who he recognizes as motivated young men and women. Managing the craftsmen has become an important part of Johnny’s job.

　Despite everything that has happened, everyone in the Lockhart family is smiling because the banquet went off without a hitch and my brother’s wedding is going to be held as planned.

　However, my father and brother, who drank too much yesterday, still look painfully hungover even with my detoxification magic. Dan, by the way, is still sleeping skipping breakfast. To be exact, he woke up once, but I cast a detoxification spell on him again and forced him to sleep because of his pale face. As for the cause of his hangover, somehow Dan seems to have been favored by the dwarves. He was not forced to drink, but at only 16 years of age, he had no idea how much he could, and it seems he drank a lot. I noticed during the banquet and tried several times to help him detoxify, but he was still hungover.

　As for me, my long years of experience had paid off and I was able to control the pace of my drinking, so I only had a slight headache. Of course, without magic, I would have had not only a hangover, but a hangover to the third degree.

　Other than Dan, all the squires and patrol members are in good spirits and will be going to help clean up the venue. I was going to go clean up, too, because I had to remove the grills and water tanks I had built without permission. However, Baron Oldham, the Frontier Count’s advisor, asked me to leave the place as it was, and I did. The Frontier Count was very pleased with the outdoor party at that place and wanted to use it as it was. I thought the ice would be made by the magicians, but he told me that he thought the thermal chamber would be useless, but he thought it could be used to store hot stones.

　Still, I headed for the venue, thinking that I would have to see to the cleanup of the banquet I had planned, but the guild officials had already started cleaning up early in the morning, and by past ten o’clock, the cleanup would already be finished.

　By the way, of the distilled spirits that the Frontier Count brought, only about half of the apple brandy remained. Curious, I asked Mr. Degenhardt the reason on my way home last night.

“It wouldn’t look good without the distilled spirits from Rathmore Village during Rodrick’s wedding. Except for us, but for the humans, a half barrel would be enough, right?” (Degenhardt)

　Apparently, he refrained for my brother’s sake.

　The ale and beer brought in by the dwarves, on the other hand, were consumed fully, as expected.

　The number of kegs brought in was thirty-one. Most of them were hogsheads, which hold approximately 250 liters. In other words, they had prepared 7,750 liters of liquor.

　There were five strongmen who had prepared two barrels, so there were twenty-six kinds of sake, but all of them had been opened, and ten barrels were completely empty. Few of the opened barrels remained more than half full, and at a rough estimate, at least 3,000 liters had been consumed.

　There were about 200 dwarven blacksmiths. The wives and human blacksmiths totaled about 200, so each of them consumed seven to eight liters. That’s a lot of wine, but there were 350 liters of distilled liquor to add to that.

(That’s about 15 medium mugs of beer and a bottle of whiskey per person. …If it were a human, people would die of acute alcohol poisoning. …I’m surprised our guys only have a hangover. I really do…) (Zack)

　I was dizzy with the amount of alcohol consumed.

　The cleanup was done unexpectedly quickly and I was left with nothing to do.

　I was about to return to Welburn to take a stroll around town, but a messenger from Baron Oldham appeared and told me that he wanted me to return to the castle as soon as possible.

　Thinking something was wrong, I rushed back to the castle and was immediately taken to the office of the Frontier Count.

　In the office, Baron Oldham, who was in charge of internal affairs, Baron Brailsford, the leader of the First Order, and several military officers were discussing the matter. Furthermore, my father, Mathias, was also involved in the discussions.

　Baron Oldham informed that he had lost sight of Harrison Gunnel, a subordinate of Baronet Desmond Gateskell.

“The knight sent to restrain Gunnel reported that he had been able to confirm that he had entered Viscount Tysburn’s territory, but that he had been unable to trace his steps since then…” (Oldham)

　In order to detain Gunnel, a company was dispatched from the Second Order the day after the battle at Welburn Castle. However, his trail disappeared when he entered the Viscount’s territory, and he has no idea where he is at the moment.

“…We also know that Gunnel was engaged in operations such as rear distraction on the Western Front. According to Gateskell, he has no men, but there are rumors that he is an assassin, and we are considering how to deal with him.” (Oldham)

　Harrison Gunnel was a commander of so-called guerrilla warfare, attacking the enemy’s Transportation Corps and raiding poorly defended strongholds in small numbers. Lux’s soldiers feared him because of his unpredictability, his relentless attacks, and the color of his silver hair, which is now gray but was originally a light gold. He was called “Silver Ghost” and was feared.

“It was only three days ago that we lost track of him. It takes less than two days to travel from Tysburn territory to Welburn if he uses horses… In other words, it would not be strange if they had already infiltrated here in Welburn…” (Oldham)

　The Count of Roswell and Baron Oldham were concerned that Gunnel might commit an act of terrorism. The Knight Commander Brailsford said that in response, he was strengthening security in the city of Welburn.

　Baron Oldham goes on to talk about Gunnel’s goals.

“Gunnel’s aim is to rescue Baronet Gateskell. However, I don’t think he will be able to rescue him in the dungeons of the Order’s headquarter…” (Oldham)

　As I listened to the barons, I thought about Gunnel’s goal.

(Gunnel is loyal to Gateskell, and it would be common sense to think that he is trying to rescue him. But Gunnel knows Gateskell’s character. Gateskell is a proud man. He was said to be as sharp as the Frontier Count. It has been publicized that he was manipulated as a pawn of Lux’s fanatics and Aurella’s schemer. If that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine Gateskell escaping and trying to reestablish himself, isn’t it…?) (Zack)

　The Frontier Count asked me for my opinion.

“You seem to be thinking about something, but what are your thoughts, Master Zacharias?” (Hubert)

　I nodded and began to tell him what I had just been thinking.

“Regarding Gunnel’s actions, he might not be thinking of rescuing Baronet Gateskell, I think.” (Zack)

　The Frontier Count asked curiously, “Why?”

“Because Gunnel is a man who has infiltrated enemy countries and has completed dangerous missions. It seems unlikely that he would act without thinking ahead.” (Zack)

“Hmm. That’s true. But what does that have to do with not rescuing Gateskell?” (Hubert)

“Perhaps you think of it this way. What will happen after that if the baronet is allowed to escape? Who helped the baronet escape? Most people will think that Lux’s handlers guided him, that’s what they will think…” (Zack)

　Everyone nods at my words.

“…Of course, the Baronet would think like that, if he were a man who could completely become a villain, he would either escape here and try to make a comeback, or he would try to get revenge on His Excellency. However, The baronet loves his homeland in his own way, and I don’t think he would want to live if he was thought to be a pawn of the enemy. In other words, even if Gunnel tried to forcefully rescue him, the baronet would not accept it. I don’t think he will… Since, Gunnell knows the baronet’s personality very well. Wouldn’t it be hard for him to plan on trying to rescue the baronet by force?” (Zack)

　When I finished speaking, Baron Oldham nodded as if he was satisfied,

“I see. Then, is his goal the lives of the Count and his family? If so, Master Zacharias, you would be a target as well.” (Oldham)

“It’s possible… that’s true. It’s not strange to think that if I wasn’t there… But it was a stroke of luck. I wouldn’t have been caught by surprise at the venue, but while I was on the move… There was a possibility that I would be targeted.” (Zack)

　Everyone nods at my words.

　If Gunnel had taken action yesterday, there is a high possibility that the Frontier Count would have been attacked.

　After that, we began to discuss specifics.