Chapter 3: I Quit Everything to Sell Cola (3)
Chapter 3: I Quit Everything to Sell Cola (3)
Translation: Godtl
Penelope's full name was Penelope Rosemore.
She was indeed the third daughter of the prestigious Rosemore Count Family, a wealthy and noble lineage that had long held sway over Nortaris.
For a highborn noble lady to frequent the shabby shopping district of Brellum was an act unbefitting her status, and Penelope was well aware of it.
Yet, every morning at the same hour, her footsteps led her to Jurgen's General Store.
This had been going on for three months now.
There were various reasons for this.
'Why is this coffee so small? Stop joking around and serve a proper cup.'
'Why don't you try it first before saying anything?'
'Hmm...?'
First, the coffee from this humble little shop—which she had visited out of curiosity—was far more delicious than she had imagined.
The tiny cup of "espresso" was a style of coffee she had never tasted before.
The initial bitterness was so intense it made her instinctively furrow her brow, but the rich, concentrated flavor that followed boasted an astonishing depth of aroma.
Penelope was thoroughly taken with his coffee.
So much so that she half-seriously worried the shop—which had no other customers besides her—might suddenly go out of business.
But that alone wasn't reason enough.
This diligent, unbroken attendance had a far more ultimate cause.
'Penelope? That's a pretty name.'
'Miss Penelope, if you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles on that lovely face of yours.'
'Oh, you even left a tip again today. Truly, thank you. I do hope to see you again tomorrow.'
'What comes to mind when I see you? Hmm, let's see... Perhaps a single rose?'
Those quick on the uptake might have already guessed.
The truth was, from the very first moment Penelope met Jurgen—
And in every conversation they had afterward—she had always been thinking the same thing.
Far from fading with time, that feeling only grew stronger.
Even now, at this very moment.
'Just how long does this man plan to keep speaking informally to me?'
That's right.
The second reason she visited the general store every day was to uphold the dignity of the nobility.
No one in Nortaris would dare behave as cluelessly as this shopkeeper.
Even if they didn't recognize Penelope's name, the sight of her noble bearing and the extravagant dress—one that clearly signaled she could afford a villa with a swimming pool—would make them bow their heads in deference.
Yet Jurgen, who appeared only slightly older than her, had spoken to her casually from the very first meeting as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
'Well, I suppose it's possible.'
At first, she thought it might just be a momentary mistake.
After all, Penelope's attire had been unusually plain that day.
And he seemed like a naive, inexperienced merchant who had recently settled here from afar, unaware of the ways of the world.
To storm in with 'Do you know who I am? I am Penelope Rosemore of the Rosemore Family! Bow your head!'—
Well.
That was the kind of vulgar behavior only third-rate nobles would resort to.
What was a noble, after all?
A noble was one who reigned.
And those who reigned did not demand obeisance.
They commanded reverence through their innate dignity and charisma alone.
Thus, Penelope decided to forgive this commoner who had failed to recognize her nobility at a glance.
Just as clouds could never permanently obscure the sun, she assumed time would eventually make him realize.
Imagining the moment when Jurgen, upon learning the truth, would hurriedly change his attitude—'I didn't realize you were such a noble lady!' 'A mere commoner like me has committed a mortal sin by daring to address you so casually!'—had even become a source of amusement for her.
However.
One month passed, then two, and still, Jurgen remained oblivious.
Even when Penelope, unable to bear it any longer, handed him generous tips to flaunt her wealth—
'Oh! Such a generous tip—thank you.'
Even when she arrived dressed in even more expensive clothes and jewelry—
'Why do you always come to a coffee shop dressed like that? Don't glare at me. I'm only saying it because it looks uncomfortable.'
Even when she strained every nerve to flaunt her noble authority—
'You always look so angry. Here, drink this and cheer up.'
Jurgen still didn't catch on.
It was to the point where she began to rationally wonder, 'Has he already figured it out and is just stubbornly pretending not to know?'
With things unfolding this way, Penelope's stubbornness flared up.
That stubbornness solidified into a goal: no matter what, she would never reveal her identity herself—she would make Jurgen look up to her on his own.
"Miss Penelope."
"What?"
"I'm truly grateful that you always visit our shop."
"Out of nowhere?"
"Now, now, why the cold words? I've always been thankful. That's why I've prepared a special service for you."
So when he mentioned a "special service" and brought something out, she inwardly cheered in triumph.
"Ah, so you've finally recognized this noble one's worth and are offering tribute to atone for your past mistakes!"
"Hmm, what's it called?"
"Cola."
Penelope's delicate brow furrowed once again.
Seeing him still using informal speech meant her expectations had been thoroughly dashed.
"This time, I've truly created something of my own making. I'd appreciate it if you'd taste it and share your thoughts."
"...What an utterly infuriating request."
"Hm? Are you perhaps angry?"
Penelope found herself inexplicably more irritated.
Human nature being what it is, when hope arises only to be crushed, the frustration becomes all the more unbearable.
But showing that frustration would make her seem petty.
So she quietly loaded her mental arsenal with scathing critiques.
No matter how delicious this so-called "cola" might be, it would be meaningless.
She planned to exact revenge by wringing tears from him with her thorny criticism.
—Gulp
Penelope brushed her pale golden hair behind her ear and touched her lips to the glass.
In that moment...
"Eh?"
First came the sensation of dense, prickly carbonation bubbles dancing against her lips.
The icy liquid seeping between her teeth and the thick sweetness instantly registering on her tongue.
The faint caramel aroma wafting through it all.
A swirling vortex of various bright flavors mixing and fading indistinctly.
As Penelope reeled from these entirely novel sensations,
The carbonation filling her mouth met her warm, supple tongue.
—Fizzzz!
And then came the tiny explosion.
A refreshing coolness she could never have expected from the heavy-looking brown liquid.
When the bubble explosions subsided, leaving behind strange vanilla-scented foam in her mouth, an exhilarating freshness spread down her throat to her stomach.
And finally, the delicate finishing touch—a subtle lime fragrance wrapping it all up.
"Huuu... Haa..."
Penelope, who'd been holding her breath from the thrilling sensations, finally exhaled a faint sigh.
How could she possibly describe this feeling?
Ah.
That was it.
It was the ecstasy of drinking in a star-studded, sweet night sky.
That suspicious beverage he'd called a "service"—
Without question, it was a mystical drink unlike anything she'd ever tasted in her life.
"Wh-what in the world is this...?"
"Didn't I say? It's cola. Judging by your reaction, it seems quite satisfactory. How is it?"
"I-it's not bad."
"Care for another glass?"
"...!"
In the end, Penelope failed to carry out her vengeful resolve.
"Ahem, just one more..."
"Here you go."
"Um, you see... Would it be alright if I had just one more...?"
"Of course!"
"It's quite good but... I think I'd need to drink a bit more to properly appreciate the flavor?"
"Ah, well... Y-yes, let's do that."
Thus, Penelope found herself being served five glasses of cola in rapid succession.
—Clink clink
"Come again!"
"..."
Her belly swollen full from the carbonation, as she prepared to leave the shop,
Penelope wore a dazed expression as if walking through a dream.
All petty plans of revenge through harsh criticism had long since vanished into the ether.
All she remembered was the cola's flavor—a taste that even the word "ecstasy" couldn't fully capture.
And the addictive popping sounds of cold bubbles bursting in her mouth, echoing in her ears.
"Unbelievable..."
How could such a beverage possibly exist in this world?
What manner of being was Jurgen to create such a miraculous drink?
She couldn't know.
But she vowed one thing:
Tomorrow without fail, she would return to this general store to drink more cola.
"Come again next time!"
Watching the stunned Penelope stagger out, Jurgen felt immensely satisfied.
Even when she'd first tasted coffee, her reaction hadn't been this extreme.
"Definitely shows more promise than last time."
Though thanks to her endless refill requests, only one bottle of cola remained...
But this experience had given him certainty.
Cola's intuitive flavor that transcended age and personal preferences.
If he could spread this widely, it might bring true innovation to Britannia—this culinary wasteland.
Unfortunately, he couldn't act immediately.
Because he lacked sufficient quantities to create such an innovation.
The cola Penelope drank today was created through Jurgen's unique alchemy—Material Creation.
The specialized catalyst "Dice" consumed in Material Creation had production costs beyond imagination.
And yet, a single Dice could only create a 355mL × 6 bottle bundle.
The cost was undoubtedly inflated by the need to perform "Creation" that transcended space-time.
Considering Dice production costs, even pricing each cola bottle at dozens of crowns wouldn't balance the books.
The solution to this was simple.
"Just make something similar."
He already had the perfect cola sample in hand.
By leveraging his past life experience and skills as an alchemist, he could create lower-cost cola using materials from this world.
You could call it a form of reverse engineering.
The process itself was familiar.
During his time as Minister of Internal Affairs, he'd done similar things several times before.
Things like water purification disinfectants for public water systems, chemical fertilizers for agriculture, and antibiotics - he'd created and distributed them all using this method.
"First step is gathering materials."
The Labyrinth Demon Realm produced more edible ingredients than any other Demon Realm.
This meant most materials could be farmed there - which was precisely why he'd chosen Nortaris as his starting point after escaping.
However, there were rare exceptions.
Even in the bountiful Labyrinth Demon Realm, there were materials he couldn't obtain.
"Coca leaves."
The starting point of the recipe for Coca-Cola, the most powerful cola brand.
Even after multiple recipe revisions, this remained an essential ingredient.
To perfectly recreate cola, coca leaf extract was indispensable.
Jurgen's solution to this was straightforward.
As a mental map of the continent formed in his mind, he stroked his chin.
Which cartel was closest again?
"The Montagra Cartel."
They were the nearest.
Jurgen packed a large travel bag and headed for the airship dock.
Penelope was a noble lady.
One might mistake her for some ill-mannered brat given how naturally arrogance wafted from her, but this was far from the truth.
Those born into nobility hone their manners and refinement from the moment they take their first steps.
Table manners requiring forks and knives even when eating bananas.
Learning to walk as gracefully and smoothly as a swan so as not to disturb the hem of one's dress.
Even the positioning of one's gaze and chin in daily life must be corrected.
Through such efforts, adult nobles develop an elegance that no crude imitation can approach.
This distinction makes nobles more noble.
It elevates their innate nobility to greater heights.
"Why did I do that?"
This was why yesterday's mistake weighed so heavily on Penelope as a painful embarrassment.
Upper-class social norms dictated specific rules even for requesting refills of tea (or cola).
Two refills were acceptable as praise meaning "this tea is excellent."
Among closer acquaintances, three cups were permissible - meaning "the tea you've served is truly wonderful."
But no excuse could justify yesterday's request for five refills.
That was the shameless behavior of some mannerless commoner who'd thrown all refinement to the wind.
"Why did I do that!!!"
But who was she?
A noble lady who knew shame for her faults.
An enlightened young aristocrat who sought to correct her mistakes, even when dealing with a mere commoner.
She was Penelope Rosemore.
To apologize for yesterday's rudeness and as a token of gratitude, she had prepared a small gift.
The scent pouch in her hand was that very item.
An elegant linen pouch filled with various herbs that Penelope had personally gathered and prepared.
"This should suffice."
Let it be said again.
This gift was to rectify a wrong.
It absolutely wasn't because she felt too embarrassed to ask for more cola empty-handed.
"..."
Penelope lurked in an alley near the general store, dangling the handmade scent pouch while scrutinizing the display counter with an intense gaze.
Yet despite being thirty minutes past opening time, there was still no sign of him.
"What's this? I came all this way."
Penelope clenched the scent pouch and grumbled discontentedly.
Normally she would just enter, but today felt different - she'd planned to coincidentally arrive at the same time as him.
But even after lurking in the alley, there wasn't even a shadow of Jurgen to be seen.
The long wait stretched to an hour.
"Fine. I'm done with this."
With her patience at its limit, Penelope finally gave up.
If she tied a handkerchief to the doorknob, even that dull shopkeeper would realize his mistake.
Hadn't he essentially made his regular customer come all this way for nothing?
She wouldn't visit the store for... well, a week was too long. Maybe three days.
She could go without coffee or cola for a while.
When Penelope stopped her daily visits, he'd wither with guilt for neglecting his only regular customer.
Such was the cruelty of nobility.
A merciless punishment for Jurgen.
"...? What's this?"
As Penelope strode toward the store with her wicked plan, she noticed a lone sign hanging behind the glass door.
A bit belatedly.
[On Vacation]
"Ah, for heaven's sake!"
The scent pouch she'd painstakingly crafted all night long was now flung carelessly onto the floor.