Allrounders!! - Chapter 23: Isn't it fine to make new one if all the liquor is gone? - Part 2

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I got suddenly promoted to D-Rank. It's said that the guild master can promote people to D-Rank on his own authorization.

Since you must take an exam to move up to C-Rank, I was told to keep my eyes open for the next chance, and take it then.

Given that I was in a party with Sword, I'd be able to take S-Rank work as well, but because it was rare for such work to come around, it'd apparently get moved to the rankless, pending cases handled directly by the guild.

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While checking the request board, I said, "Somehow I've started to feel like being an adventurer isn't suited for me."

"Only now?" is what I got in response.

"I don't get the meaning behind killing monsters. Isn't it actually the humans of this world that attack them? To me it seems like it'd be better for the life-forms other than humans to kill the monster-like humans."

"Don't babble stuff a demon king would say. They might have left you alone, but other humans are gettin' attacked by monsters. ...Rather, why are the monsters leavin' you alone anyway? That's the really mystery here."

They did attack me every once in a while though.

...Still.

"So a demon king does exist?"

"Hmm? ...Ah, I s’pose it's impossible for you to know. Yep, he exists."

"Do heroes or similar possibly exist as well then?"

"Yep."

"What's the difference between an S-Rank adventurer and a hero?"

"...A big one. Rather, they can't be compared. A hero is chosen by the Kingdom as its representative with the goal to invade the demon king's country. S-Rank signifies an adventurer who had 『their actual abilities and achievements』 approved by the adventurer guild."

Oh, somehow he's talking about it as if it contains some hidden implications.

"S-Rank adventurers occasionally fend off monsters which would destroy a country. Heroes go to someone else's country and try to destroy it. Does that summarize it in a nutshell."

"Oh, that's a great way of describin' it." He praised me while ruffling my head. "Stay away from heroes as much as possible. The folks chosen as heroes are fairly strong in martial arts and magic, as might be expected from 'em havin' been chosen by the country, but when unknown commoners suddenly get promoted to such a high rank, many of 'em act as they please, knowin' that the country got their back, and since they're gettin' pampered, their elitism demeanor is much worse than that of nobles. They're nothin' but trouble if you get involved with 'em."

"That's the perfect way to raise a flag, really."

"Huh? No, I think it'll be alright. The current generation's hero hasn't appeared yet. And even if he does, you ain't goin' to meet 'em if you stay clear of the royal capital until he departs to the front."

...Well, for the time being, this place will be my base. After all, I have to brew alcohol.

...Mmh? In that case...

"Couldn't we call over the cook and the servants to this town? In that case we could leave everything to them, and only come back here every now and then to handle the parts requiring magic, no?" I voiced my thoughts.

Sword scrutinized me closely. "Your a really smart girl."

"...Though I expect them to say that it's impossible and that they'll do it over there. I'd prefer having them make the liquor here, but I don't know how much we can rely...on that guild master when push comes to shove. Can he actually be trusted? I mean I don't know what kind of uproar it's going to trigger in that town when that man finds out. Isn't it highly likely that he'd seize the alcohol, the profits, and the knowledge at the very least? And if he discovers my involvement, I'm sure he'd destroy all the barrels and falsely charge them for something so that they wouldn't be allowed to ever make liquor again, don't you think?"

"I'll contact 'em right away and try to have 'em come here."

An immediate reply!

But, transport, huh? If it comes to this world with its crappy means of transportation for liquor...

"The liquor will likely get spoiled, I think..."

When I mumbled that, he got totally startled.

"W-Why?"

"They're going to move with carriages, right? The liquor will be exposed to the carriages' strong vibrations over a long time. Moreover, it'll be stowed away on the load-carry tray, so no one knows how hot it's going to get there. I told you, didn't I? Alcoholic beverages turn into poison if they aren't allowed an environment where they can 『rest peacefully in a dark and cool place』. If things go totally south, the barrels could even explode."

"...Alright, you and me are goin' to carry 'em. In the worst case, I'll drink up everythin'."

I thought he'd say that.

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Sword quickly advanced the preparations for us to head over to the place of the cook and the servants. As for me, I worked together with the guild master to select a good place, and performed analysis and development on magic tools.

Somehow I've totally stopped doing anything adventury, haven't I? At least I don't feel like the other adventurers are doing what I am.

Then again, I still don't get what adventurers are doing anyway...

Suddenly I recalled that I had said it'd get spoiled when transported as load on a carriage.

"...Honestly speaking, it'd have been fine even without becoming so neurotic about it, wouldn't it?"

In the other world transport by plane or boat was available, but in the past they used carriages as well, didn't they? Leaving aside liquor, distilled liquor seems to be quite resilient to its environment.

Even if the taste degraded a bit, the heavy drinkers around here would still drink it without any problem, I'm sure. 

But, using that method despite knowing that the taste is going to suffer from it spells a failure as a craftswoman, doesn't it? After all, I'm the "maker" and not a merchant. I do have some ideas for carriages suited for transport, but I've got no idea whether they'd work in this world.

As I was pondering about all this, I got contacted by Sword.