Toma: Reincarnated as the Knight's Adopted Son

Chapter 49: Medicinal Sake

 
The seasons transitioned into autumn. After sending Affelpop to the temple's central sanctuary, the response was overwhelming. Lord Dardale enthusiastically shared the feedback.
Affelpop is sold in 750-milliliter unglazed bottles rather than in large casks. Despite being unglazed, the inclusion of slime gel in the material makes the bottles completely waterproof. Truly, slime gel is a versatile wonder!

The label boldly states "Temple Certified" and features the words "Deuro's Divine Sake" prominently. For items sold to the temple (through Lord Dardale), each bottle is priced at 3,000 Gazel.
Both Affelpop and Horse King sake bear the Roxfall family crest on their labels. Products supplied to the temple have an additional golden crest to give them a more luxurious appearance.
In the village, streetlights were installed.

Bowman, the blacksmith, crafted the streetlights, which were equipped with light-collecting lamps to illuminate the main street.
“Master Toma, may we also install these streetlights at the temple?”
Lord Dardale, as usual, came to make this request in person. His agility in seizing opportunities never ceases to amaze me.

“The temple? Sure, I don’t mind.”
I had assumed he was referring to the village’s local temple, so I casually agreed.
“Thank you! Across the Kingdom of Kuldia, including the central sanctuary, there are about 3,000 temples. We’ll need tens of thousands of streetlights, but let’s start with the village temple and the central sanctuary.”

Apparently, "temple" meant all temples.
This is a massive project, but it ensures stable production. Lately, the village has been growing, and some newcomers have started apprenticing under Bowman. We’ll need to ramp up production.
I headed straight to Bowman’s workshop.

“Well, this is going to be tough.”
Yes, it really is.
“It takes at least two days to make one streetlight. If my apprentices get the hang of it, production might increase, but for now, we can manage about fifteen lights a month, young master.”

“So, here’s an idea: let’s make the posts out of wood. Alternatively, we can attach the lamps to walls. If we focus solely on producing the light-collecting lamp and its cover, the posts can be outsourced, and you can concentrate on just the lamp components.”
“Ah, that’d speed things up quite a bit.”
Lord Dardale approved this mass-production plan. The temple would provide the posts. If they wanted metal posts, they could commission their own blacksmiths.
This allowed us to focus on manufacturing the light-collecting lamps and their covers.

“Make as many streetlights as you can—I’ll buy all of them.”
“Got it. Hey, everyone! It’s for the young master! Work your hardest!”
“““Yes, sir!”””

I didn’t mean they should work themselves to death…
Bowman’s workshop consists of Bowman, his eldest son Ganz, and three apprentices. Occasionally, Ben lends a hand, but the core team is these five.
Since this is the only blacksmith workshop in the village, they can’t focus solely on streetlights. They’ll have to balance their workload to ensure the villagers’ daily needs are met.

Time passed, and winter arrived.
The two varieties of medicinal sake were finally ready. I gathered my father and the village elders for a tasting, and, as if he’d sniffed it out, Lord Dardale also showed up. Well, I didn’t mind.
“These are to be consumed in small quantities, about this much per day,” I explained, presenting a small cup that held around 20 milliliters. It was made from unglazed material mixed with slime gel.

“That’s such a tiny amount; it’s hardly satisfying,” Father remarked.
“Father, please think of this as medicine rather than just sake. The aroma is also quite medicinal.”
“Master Toma, what effects do these have?” asked Lord Dardale.

“Yes, Lord Dardale. There are two types. The first has fatigue recovery properties and is meant to be taken when you’re tired or at the onset of a cold.”
“It works for colds, too?”
“Yes, but only at the early stages. The idea is to take it early and rest properly to prevent it from worsening.”

“Even so, that’s remarkable!”
“Yes, truly impressive.”
“As expected of Master Toma!”

With so much praise, introducing the next type was going to be awkward.
I had them taste the first one. Their faces betrayed the fact that it wasn’t exactly delicious.
“The next one promotes blood circulation.”

“And what does improved circulation help with?”
“It helps with cold extremities, headaches caused by poor circulation, and reduces the risk of infections in severe cases of poor blood flow.”
“That’s wonderful! My hands and feet get terribly cold—this will help improve that, won’t it?”

Lord Dardale seemed especially interested, likely because circulation issues are common among women.
“Consistency is key, but don’t overconsume it.”
“Yes, I’ll follow the proper dosage.”

I watched as Lord Dardale downed the medicinal sake in one gulp and reminded him to be cautious.
The fatigue-recovery sake has an alcohol content of 4%, while the circulation-boosting sake has 2%. Both are low in alcohol, but even 20 milliliters can affect someone with low alcohol tolerance.
“So, users need to consider their own tolerance when drinking.”

“Exactly. Those sensitive to alcohol should limit themselves to drinking it before bed. It’s not Toma’s responsibility to babysit them.”
“I plan to include warnings on the bottles.”
“If you’ve thought it through, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

While making the medicinal sake, the strong smell had me grimacing at times, and judging by their expressions, none of the three found it particularly tasty. Well, it is medicine, after all.
The next day, Lord Dardale and the elder both came to tell me they already felt better. I doubted it worked so quickly, but I was glad they were pleased.
I decided to name the medicinal sake. Writing a letter to my grandfather, I asked him to choose a name.

Not long after, my grandfather arrived in person.
Does he have to be this quick about everything?