Maintaining the Summit
As the carriage rolled to a stop, Baista's wandering hand finally paused. "We've arrived, Lady Baista."
"Get out."
"Yes."
I stepped down from the carriage alongside her. The so-called wheat beer factory wasn't some colossal, mechanized operation like you'd find in the modern world. It was simply traditional brewing, with skilled workers directing slaves to produce everything by hand.
"It's been a while, Lady Baista. I hope you've been well."
"You met the quota, I assume?"
"Of course."
Baista seemed far more interested in the brewery itself than in exchanging pleasantries with the elderly manager. The factory owner took it in stride, following her straight to business without complaint. Their long history of working together was obvious.
"There must have been a massive volume to handle."
"I believe it's thanks to the adventurers spreading word of our product."
"Hehehe, excellent."
The wheat beer that originated in Kron Village had now reached the surrounding settlements. Even back in Cashew Village where I'd first arrived, I'd seen plenty of people enjoying brews rich with that distinctive wheat aroma. Given that they'd built the brewery and established distribution channels, the profits must have been staggering.
Impressive in an entirely different way.
Even after transitioning from hero to businesswoman, she was thriving. In terms of pure capability, there was no denying her talent.
"Wait... why does it smell so foul in here?"
Baista pinched her nose with clear displeasure as she stepped inside the factory. The old woman in charge bowed deeply.
"Today is the day we boil the malt, so..."
"Don't make excuses. It was the same last time."
Baista approached one of the large vats, dipped her finger into the wort, and sniffed it.
"With this quality, how do you expect to satisfy noble palates?"
The slave artisans nearby stiffened at her words.
"And another thing."
She kicked at one of the oak barrels on the floor.
"You claimed to have met the quota, so why are these barrels still empty?"
"Those are for tomorrow's shipment..."
"I've heard enough excuses. You're just planning to scramble and fill them right before we leave tomorrow, aren't you?"
She nudged an empty oak barrel with her toe. It toppled with a loud crash, and everyone around them froze, holding their breath.
"How much have you been slacking off while I was away~?"
Her aura suggested she was ready to raze the entire factory to the ground.
"We're sorry..."
"Ah~ Looking at this, I think we need to increase the quota even more. That way, even with this level of shortage, the numbers will still work out~ Don't you agree?"
Baista turned to me with the question.
Her intention was obvious. If many of the workers were lazy, raising the production target would force them to meet it somehow. But she didn't seem to want that kind of answer from me.
"Yes, it would work."
"See?"
"However, I believe the quality of the beer would suffer considerably."
"What do you mean by that?"
Baista's gaze shifted to me. This wasn't the irritated look she'd given the brewery manager. It was pure curiosity—the same expression she'd worn when she first laid eyes on me after we stepped out of the carriage. She was clearly testing me. Trying to figure out what kind of man I was.
"People live with hope for the future. But if their lives only bring increasing burdens ahead, they'll see it as miserable. That will sap their motivation for the work itself. Naturally, I believe the beer's taste would decline as a result."
"Then we can simply discipline them with the whip."
"That might yield temporary results. But for your wheat beer to remain beloved across the continent for years to come, I believe proper management of the artisans themselves is just as important as the beer."
"Hmm..."
Baista mulled over my words with evident interest.
"Now that I think about it, I've never tried that approach. Juri always said that if a slave dies, you just buy another one, so we kept purchasing and training new ones. But retraining them every time was such a hassle."
"If you properly train an ordinary slave until they reach artisan level, you wouldn't need to keep buying and educating replacements. Well-treated artisans would then passionately oversee those beneath them."
"In that case, the whole operation could run without me constantly supervising."
"Exactly. It would become a factory that produces not only wheat beer, but skilled artisans as well."
"Hehehe. How interesting~ So very interesting~"
Baista flashed the same smile I'd seen inside the carriage.
"Very well. In consideration of Kang Seo-ja, I'll overlook this incident."
"Th-thank you..."
"But you'd do well to be careful. If things are like this the next time I visit, I'll turn every last one of you into monsters."
Her final warning sent a wave of terror through the group. They all bowed their heads, fear evident in every eye.
In a workplace this oppressive, there was only one piece of advice I could offer: give these people some breathing room. Once they had it, balance would naturally return and efficiency would improve.
"Is that how you manage people? By making them comfortable?"
"Not at all. Sometimes the whip is necessary."
"Hehehe, exactly~"
"But relying solely on the whip won't create perfection."
"I see things as going quite well at the moment?"
"I believe that's only temporary. Maintaining your form at the summit of the mountain is what matters."
"Maintaining form at the summit?"
"Yes. So it doesn't suddenly collapse."
"Ah..."
At the word "collapse," Baista stared down at her own hand. Of course she'd experienced it before. She'd participated in the demon subjugation party from the highest position and become a hero. She'd stood at the absolute peak and proven herself in a single moment. But that moment had shattered just as quickly. I didn't know the exact reason, but I suspected she'd brought about her own downfall rather than having it forced upon her by others. That was likely what triggered her mental issues as well.
"Black-hair. You."
"Yes, Lady Baista."
I could feel her eyes on me.
"I've grown to want you even more."
She reached out, stroking my face and cupping my chin.
"Just who were you before this? What were you doing?"
"Everything I told you in the carriage is the truth."
"No, that's not it at all. You remind me of Matthias somehow."
Matthias...
Probably one of the hero party members who'd traveled with her. Since he wasn't here now, it didn't seem particularly important.
"It's been a while since I've met a man who catches my interest like this."
"I'm grateful you think so highly of me."
"If only you'd drop that stiff flattery. I'd prefer to hear affection in your voice."
"..."
Baista was a woman of endless greed. She constantly sought change and picked out people's flaws to reshape them. But not everyone possessed superhuman abilities like hers. People had clear limits, and the important thing was maintaining your life as fully as possible within those boundaries. Over time, everyone eventually had to descend from their peak. Those who'd reached the summit needed to learn how to come down gradually. I believed people were defined by how desperately they fought to avoid falling any further from that height.
"I'll make every effort in bed tonight."
"It's good you didn't say you'd run away~"
As expected, Baista herself was approaching her own limit and beginning to descend. Of course, it wouldn't look that way to others... but I suspected her own frustration had driven her to build this factory in a rural village and start a beer business. She wanted to prove to everyone that she hadn't aged, that she wasn't finished.
That's why she even resorted to turning villagers into monsters.
Because she was greedy, she'd crossed that line again and again. After all, she was a hero. No one could harm her.
Who would dare punish a hero like that?
I thought it over carefully, again and again. In the current situation, I concluded there was only one person who could. A noble. Only the lord of this territory could punish her. A noble would never overlook her actions or the crimes of The Ear organization. More precisely, they wouldn't stand by while someone generated profits without their knowledge. They would impose taxes on this well-run factory and claim their share. They would put a leash on The Ear, which had been managing the village however it pleased.
To persuade such a noble, I needed clear evidence.
"That sounds promising?"
Tonight, I would find that evidence. I hoped the letter I'd sent to Kidichi Territory before coming here had arrived safely. There was no evidence yet, but I'd written it in the most dramatic way possible. The territory would have no choice but to respond.
It would be ideal if Vesna, the upper-rank knight from Kidichi Territory, came.
I hadn't forgotten to mention Vera in the letter either. They said Vesna was even more rigid than her younger sister. And that she cherished Vera deeply. If I showed her—the older sister—the evidence of the variant monster festival that had taken place in Kron Village, I believed she would react even more fiercely than the already righteous Vera.
I've never seen a true knight's skill before. I'm actually looking forward to it.
With that thought, I followed behind Baista.
After touring the brewery, we climbed back into the carriage. As it began to move, a mansion came into view behind the factory. The enormous estate, complete with its own garden, was clearly the residence of someone very wealthy.
"Welcome, Master."
A woman dressed as a maid greeted Baista warmly.
"What do you think of the house where we'll be spending the night?"
Once again, Baista completely ignored the greeting.
"It's a well-maintained mansion."
I'd visited once before. Syucali had snuck into the mansion to search for any remaining evidence but had found nothing. As expected, the chances that Baista kept it on her person were extremely high.
That was why all my companions were currently waiting outside the building. If things went wrong, our final plan was to restrain Baista after our encounter and threaten her. I sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. Going up against an S-rank hero was essentially suicide.