Chapter 43

Ishmael picked up a dried red berry.

The berry was shriveled by the dry ocean wind.

After staring at the berry for a while, Ishmael finished his assessment and spoke.

“Krrk, this is Kahuwa.”

“Kahuwa?”

“Kakat, it’s a type of medicinal herb.”

It was natural that the people of Fasa couldn't identify the berry.

It was likely the first time they had ever seen it.

Coming to Ishmael just in case was the right answer.

“What is it used for? Is it like a first-aid medicine?”

“Kuruk, not really. When we were pirating……”

Ishmael trailed off and glanced around cautiously.

Even though they had converted, public opinion about the former pirates was still not good.

I reassured Ishmael.

“It’s just us, so you can speak without being self-conscious.”

“Krrk, alright. Anyway, if you eat this when you're on night watch, you can avoid falling asleep. Krrk, so we used to look for it often. Or the shepherds did. The priests back home didn't like it, though.”

“Is that so.”

I was now certain of the berry's identity.

Yes. This was coffee.

The pronunciation was a bit different from what I knew, but judging by its effect and appearance, it was certain.

Suddenly, a light flashed in my mind.

It seemed I had found a product that could simultaneously increase the mercenary company's operational efficiency and be suitable for trade.

***

Coffee is the most beloved beverage by modern people.

So deep is this love that there are cafes in every neighborhood, everyone holds coffee in their hands on their way to work in the morning, and they look for coffee right after lunch.

There’s even a saying, ‘There may be people who have never tried coffee, but there is no one who has tried it only once.’

Therefore, it was clear that coffee would be loved here as well.

What’s more, coffee even has a stimulant effect that enhances concentration and attention.

It was exactly the effect I was hoping for.

It would be stranger not to pursue something that was destined for success.

I made a plan to increase the mercenary company's operational efficiency by supplying coffee.

The beginning of that plan was the coffee berries confiscated from the pirates.

Ishmael found a few handfuls of coffee berries among the confiscated goods.

It was a proficiency befitting a stimulant abuser.

“Alright, so what do we do now?”

“Krrk, what?”

“I don’t really know from here on either.”

“What?”

In truth, I didn't know much about coffee either, having only watched a documentary or two on the subject at best.

I looked suspiciously at the severely shriveled berries.

“Is this really coffee? Isn't it goat poop?”

“Krrk, you told me to bring it without even knowing?”

“I don't even know how to roast it in the first place.”

“Krrrk, you roast the berries?”

“I don't think so? I think it was the seeds you were supposed to roast.”

“How do you know that? Krrk.”

Ishmael looked at me as if I were absurd, but I had something to say too.

In the modern era, you could just walk into any shop, place an order, and get a cool cup of coffee.

The coffee beans were always prepared roasted.

So, I know what roasted coffee beans look like, but I don't know much about coffee berries.

“Well, we'll figure it out as we go.”

“Krrk, I hope we don't get food poisoning.”

Ishmael and I put our heads together and began to extract the coffee beans from the coffee berries.

When we split the belly of the small berry with a small knife, a coffee bean of a shape I knew popped out.

Only the color was different.

However, this task was not as easy as it sounded.

Slicing open one small coffee berry didn't yield many green beans.

In other words, to drink a proper cup of coffee, we had to slice open dozens of coffee berries.

“Krrk, no, we have to take all of these out? Why are we doing such a troublesome thing? Can’t we just eat the berries?”

“Hey, you. Stop talking nonsense and get to work.”

“?”

Ishmael was repulsed, but my determination to drink coffee was much stronger.

Still, I couldn't help but miss modern civilization, where coffee could be had so easily.

“Krrk, all done? Can I go now?”

“Where are you going. Now we have to roast them.”

“……Haaah.”

I stopped Ishmael, who was trying to flee as soon as the extraction was finished, and gathered the now-reduced-in-volume coffee beans and took them to the mercenary company's kitchen.

I lit the stove and roasted the coffee beans in a pot.

As the beans changed color, a savory aroma began to fill the air.

Then, people drawn by the smell began to gather in the kitchen one by one.

The first to poke her head in was the red-headed Eleonor.

“Oh, Lord Gryph. What is this delicious smell? What are you cooking?”

“I’m not cooking, I’m making a beverage.”

“A beverage? This?”

“Perfect timing. I needed someone to taste-test. I think I’ve found a way to increase the mercenary company's operational efficiency.”

Eleonor looked suspiciously at the blackened coffee beans and then slowly backed away.

It was a wise decision, but I didn't let her get away.

“Grab her. Theo.”

“As you command.”

Then, a Snow Elf suddenly appeared and bound Eleonor.

Ishmael was startled.

“Krrk, since when were you here?”

“I was here from the beginning?”

“What?!”

Theo had been by my side the whole time, merely excluded from the coffee bean extraction task for security reasons.

In the first place, Theo is like a buy-one-get-one-free set with Leon Gryph, so he can't be left out.

You can assume that wherever I go, Theo is by my side.

Eleonor resisted a few times and then gave up with a resigned face.

“It’s really not poison, right?”

“I swear to God, it is absolutely not poison.”

“Then I’ll trust you.”

And Eleonor, along with Theo, began to kidnap the people who came, drawn by the smell.

A short while later, the kitchen of the mercenary headquarters was filled with the company's officers.

There were those who tried to escape, but after Rhom was beaten and knocked down by Eleonor, no one else attempted it.

“I never knew Sir Eleonor would enjoy it so much.”

“Krrk, to my eyes, it looks like a determination to never die alone.”

“Sir Eleonor is not such a bad person. I think you've learned the wrong words to express yourself. Shall I get you a language teacher?”

“Kakat, you’re blaming this on me?”

“Alright, it’s done.”

I ignored Ishmael's protest and made coffee with the roasted beans.

Normally, coffee would involve many other processes, but what I made was just ground with a mortar and had hot water poured over it.

But that alone was enough to stir the nostalgia of a modern person.

For a moment, it felt like I could see the nostalgic scenery of a modern city.

I mimicked a barista and poured a cup for each of the mercenary officers myself.

“Here, your coffee is ready. Everyone, have a drink.”

“Um, I never ordered anything like this. And isn't this just ash water?”

“Shut up, Rhom. Can't you read the room?”

“Somebody, try it first……”

Steam rose from the cups, but everyone just watched each other, and no one readily brought it to their lips.

Of course, it was not incomprehensible to have resistance to something new and unfamiliar.

What would these Apennian country bumpkins know about coffee?

As the commander, I decided to set an example.

First, I took a sip of coffee into my mouth and savored the aroma.

As I drank the coffee, the officers, who had been watching cautiously, also brought the coffee to their lips one by one.

An explosive reaction immediately followed.

“Ugh! Why is this so bitter?”

“Ow, bitter. It smelled good, though.”

“……Ueeek.”

As soon as they took a sip of coffee, everyone spat it out and frantically rinsed their mouths with water.

I couldn't hold it in any longer either and spat the coffee I was holding in my mouth onto the floor.

I had held on as long as possible until everyone drank, but I couldn't bear it any longer than that.

“I think I made it wrong. This is much more bitter than what I knew.”

But the mercenary officers didn't even pretend to listen to my excuse.

Eleonor, in particular, looked at me with the face of a betrayed cat.

I was a person who could backstab Duke Isak without hesitation, but that gaze pricked my conscience.

“……Lord Gryph, are you sure this isn't poison?”

“It really isn't. Look, Theo is drinking it just fine.”

“Huh? You're right?”

“How could I throw away what my lord has given me? Of course, I drank it all. It was very bitter, but still drinkable.”

Theo’s cup was so clean it was as if he had been drinking something else entirely.

Still, that doesn't make any sense, does it?

Feeling suspicious, I looked around and discovered steam rising from behind Theo’s legs.

“Theo, take a step back.”

“I don’t want to. I like this spot.”

“That’s an order. Step back.”

“I refuse.”

I gave instructions to the other mercenary officers with my eyes.

“Get him.”

“No, my lord, don't you trust me?”

“Yeah. I don't.”

“Ah! Seriously!”

Even for a Snow Elf from the Emperor's Royal Guard, it was impossible to face a majority alone.

Theo was instantly seized by his limbs and lifted into the air, and we discovered coffee trickling into the kitchen drain.

“Just as I thought. Do you still have any excuses?”

“……”

Theo, being quick-witted, had thrown away the coffee as soon as he realized something was wrong.

But because he had acted too nonchalantly, he was caught before he could destroy the evidence.

Theo's action provoked the anger of the other mercenary officers.

“You bastard. You were going to be the only one not to drink it, you coward?”

“We can't all die together! If your friend dies, are you all going to die with them? No, you're not!”

“I don't want to hear excuses. Make him drink it too!”

Despite Theo’s emotional plea, the punishment for the traitor was severe.

The discipline of the organization must be upheld.

The mercenary officers were only satisfied after forcibly making Theo drink the coffee and then letting him go.

The camaraderie of the organization was so beautiful, it was truly a good sight to behold.

If it seemed like Theo was in pain, it was surely a misunderstanding.

“Seeing how lively everyone is already, it’s clear the coffee has an effect. We just need to improve the manufacturing process. I'll have to test it several times.”

“Krrk, you can't be serious?”

“It'll be different next time. Trust me.”

I felt sorry for the people suffering from the bitterness they had never experienced before, but the important thing wasn't the aroma or taste of the coffee.

It was the caffeine.

To be precise, the supply of caffeine.

It's not for nothing that iced Americano became popular over other drinks in the modern era.

There was no other drink that could supply caffeine faster.

Taste?

Who cares about taste when you're busy to death with work.

Are you going to work overtime every day?

“Still, I need to improve it in a way that minimizes resistance. If it's as bitter as it is now, no one will want to drink it.”

“Krrk, that's obvious.”

“It would be great if I could get some sugar.”

“Krrrk, isn't that too precious?”

“There's nothing easier to attract people with than sweetness.”

There are many who dislike bitterness, but none who dislike sweetness.

That’s just how people are built.

The problem was, I had no idea what the cause of the failure was.

Because there were too many possible reasons.

There was probably a difference in the bean variety, a difference in roasting time, and maybe the coffee berries weren't fresh enough.

Perhaps there was a problem with the process.

But there was no way to confirm the cause.

I had used up all the coffee berries I had in this one test.

“Is there anywhere I can get coffee berries?”

“Krrk, I've heard there are many in Halifa.”

“That would be difficult.”

Halifa is an important trading city in the east, but it's so far away it takes weeks to get there, and it's not a place a foreigner can just visit.

Above all, I'm reluctant because of its close ties to the pirates of the Golden Sea.

But the problem was that I couldn't think of any other trading post besides Halifa.

In , coffee was originally a specialty of the south.

Meaning I couldn't go get it right away.

“Getting coffee is a task in itself. The problem is where to get it.”

Ishmael said, glancing around cautiously.

“Karuk, I know one place to get it.”

“Where is it?”

“The peddlers who visit my hometown used to bring Kahuwa. Not much, but, krrk, maybe we can get some there.”

“That’s a bit of a problem. First, there are too many pirates on the way, and the supply can't be irregular.”

“Krrk.”

Just then, Randolfo, who had been absent from the coffee tasting, belatedly entered the kitchen.

It seemed he hadn't noticed the commotion because he was finishing up his work.

Randolfo sniffed the air in the kitchen, and then was startled to find the mercenary officers strewn across the floor.

“No, what on earth happened here?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It doesn't look like nothing……”

“We were just developing a new product. It was just the first time, so there was some trial and error.”

“A new product?”

As expected of a merchant, Randolfo didn't listen to the rest of the sentence at all.

“By any chance, is this smell Kahve? It smells a bit more burnt than what I know, but the smell is similar.”

Ishmael and I looked at each other at the same time.

The names were slightly different, but they sounded similar.

“You know coffee? How?”

“Ah, you didn't know? Although the scale is small, Fasa does trade with Halifa. The ship that was recently captured by pirates was on its way to Halifa.”

“Is that so?”

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