episode_0008

Just the fact that the gallery auction house had opened caused a stir that shook the Tesur Empire.

But it was nothing compared to the arrival of the new item.

As one item came up for auction, everyone’s eyes widened.

“Cola.”

Why were people so enthusiastic about black liquid?

Someone had said that, but their tone changed after tasting it.

“Cola is the drink of the gods.”

Sharper and sweeter than beer. It was refreshing and clean after drinking.

But was there a reason not to drink it?

No one could argue against it. Among those who had tasted it, there were none who hadn’t, only pitiful souls who hadn’t tried it.

“What? You haven’t tried cola? Are you out of your mind?”

They looked at them with pity in their eyes.

Saying you hadn’t tried cola was enough to become a laughingstock among the nobles.

If you were a noble who knew how to follow trends, you had to try the drink! Black water!

And so, cola began to seep into people’s lives.

In the Oront Territory in the northern part of the Tesur Empire.

The ruler of that place, Lord Oront, furrowed his brow.

“Cola. Cola. Everyone keeps talking about it.”

What was it about that people were so obsessed with?

Even attending social gatherings, all they talked about was the same thing, to the point where it was becoming annoying.

They heard countless times that if you wanted to follow the trend, you had to try cola.

What on earth was this cola?

“Bring it here!”

“Yes. This is called cola.”

He paid a hefty sum to satisfy his curiosity.

Why did he have to pay 1 gold for this?

It was supposed to be sold for 1 silver at the auction house.

But when he inquired, he had to pay 1 gold.

It was incomprehensible, but Lord Oront took the cola.

It was refreshing. The coolness spreading in his palm wasn’t too bad.

“Hmm…”

At best, it was just a drink.

Drinks were for children and commoners. That meant the quality was low and not great.

No matter how well it was made, a drink was just a drink.

Compared to wine or beer made by craftsmen, it was obviously inferior.

Lord Oront opened the cola.

Crackle – clink!

A strange structure made a peculiar sound.

Thanks to the stories he had heard beforehand, he could open it without being surprised.

When he fully opened the lid, black liquid was revealed inside.

It bubbled like beer… nothing special.

“Just black water at best. It’s just a drink!”

Gulp. Gulp.

Lord Oront downed the cola in one go.

And then.

“Ughhh….”

Unconsciously, he let out a sigh of admiration.

The sweetness and fizziness that swept through his body.

The ratio was so intense that one could mistake it for something created by the gods.

It was a thrilling experience that left a lasting impression on his mind.

Lord Oront realized the true value of this cola.

“Have you tried this cola…?”

“Yes. I had a sip.”

“Cola. How much do you think one of these would cost?”

“In my opinion…”

The knight who served Lord Oront, Sir Lowell, pondered and gave an answer.

“Even if it’s 5 gold for one, I think the wealthy nobles would still drink it. If we leave it as a part of the nobles’ culture, even a higher price would be possible.”

“It’s an item of that value. But how much was it sold for at the auction house?”

“…It was sold for 1 silver.”

1 silver!

Lord Oront sighed inwardly.

Did they not understand the value of money? Or the value of the item?

With black water, they could have climbed the ladder of wealth.

He was someone who knew nothing. Such a person shouldn’t be given this item.

Lord Oront openly revealed his greed.

“Sir Lowell. Summon the alchemists and wizards.”

“…Shall we head to the Black Tower?”

“White, black, red, blue. Call them all.”

“Yes. Understood.”

No matter how much money is spent, it doesn’t matter!

If I can produce cola, I can easily recover my investment!

Oront Hujak smiled.

Analyzing this black water and making the same thing should do the trick.

Even if we fail to make it exactly the same, if we can make something similar, we can sit on a money cushion.

So, he called for wizards and alchemists, and a few days later, Oront Hujak doubted his own ears.

“…Impossible?”

“Yes. It’s impossible.”

“You know I didn’t pay you to hear that kind of nonsense, right?”

He grumbled, but the wizards and alchemists didn’t bat an eye.

“We don’t plan to take all your money. We’ll just take a 20% commission. In return, we’ll pretend this never happened.”

Never happened.

Officially, there was no research done on cola. So, there’s no need to worry about losing face.

But deep down, it’s a reality filled with bitterness.

They decided to give up on cola and move on.

“…Is it really that impossible?”

“Yes. We’re certain.”

“How is that… even possible?”

Aren’t the wizards and alchemists gathered at the Tower of Magic known for their extraordinary abilities?

So why couldn’t they analyze this black water and gave up? Oront Hujak’s confusion was met with a deep sigh from the wizards.

Of course, they knew he wouldn’t understand.

“We tried to analyze this black water… cola by any means through magic and alchemy. However, it was impossible.”

Impossible.

Words that rarely come from wizards.

Magic is said to show omnipotent possibilities.

Dragon magic is said to even reach the gods.

Even with just the power of words, they can kill people…!

But they shook their heads.

“There is one fact that has been revealed through magic and alchemy.”

“…What is it?”

“We cannot recreate it based on the additives inside… and this cola beverage is difficult for us to understand.”

The wizard handed him a cup.

When he cast a spell, water filled the cup.

It was perfectly clean and transparent water.

What are they trying to do? Despite Oront Hujak’s confusion, the wizard took something out of his pocket.

“Is that salt?”

“Yes. It’s salt.”

Why this?

He added a little salt to the water.

Then he held it out to Oront Hujak to show.

“What does this look like to you?”

“…I have eyes too. It’s water, right? Water with salt in it. Are you trying to make fun of me?”

“No, we’re not trying to make fun of you. We just wanted to tell you. This is water with a similar ratio to cola.”

“…?”

Oront Hujak furrowed his brow in a moment of not understanding.

So.

Are they saying that the salt in this water and the additives in cola are the same?

“You’re saying that such a small amount can create that taste! That’s impossible…!”

“Yes. That’s why we also concluded it’s impossible.”

“You don’t even know how to make it?”

“Yes. We couldn’t interpret that.”

After spending money, Oront Hujak gained only one thing.

Helplessness. That’s all it was.

After the wizards and alchemists left, Lowell Kyung quietly approached.

“There’s still a way.”

“What way is there left…!”

“Do we need to make cola exactly the same?”

“Are you suggesting making a derivative of cola?”

It’s already been concluded that it’s almost impossible.

Oront Hujak was about to get angry at Lowell Kyung’s nonsense, but he held back willingly.

“No. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then?”

“We just need to catch the one who sells cola.”

“…!”

“Just catch the dealer of the gallery.”

“I don’t know where he lives.”

“That’s okay.”

Eloquence is silver. Silence is golden.

That’s how difficult it is to keep silent.

“If a person’s mouth is open, they are bound to make mistakes eventually. All we have to do is wait quietly.”

“Jooddak will eventually leak information.”

“Are you suggesting we wait until then?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm….”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Oront Hujak made a decision.

“Gather the people who have access to the gallery. And assign them the task of checking the gallery’s posts.”

He was planning to monitor Jooddak 24/7.

***

“Your Majesty, what in the world is this…?”

“This is cola.”

“I know that. But…”

The question was how he managed to acquire such a large quantity.

At a glance, it was well over a thousand.

Isn’t cola something that can only be purchased one per person?

How did he manage to get such a large quantity? The question arose, but it didn’t linger for long.

“Kern.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t try to know too much. If you have too many questions, your days may be numbered.”

Kern, feeling a moment of fear, swallowed his saliva.

“…Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

“And distribute this cola to the lower demons. I will make sure to keep a steady supply of cola.”

…!”

At that moment, Kern’s eyes widened.

He didn’t know where the cola came from or how it was obtained.

But perhaps that wasn’t important.

The fact that he had acquired cola, something that was difficult for everyone else to obtain.

It was simply to worship and praise the Demon King.

As Kern took the cola and left, Arzella sat on the throne and read through the gallery.

“Jooddak… is more impressive than I thought.”

With such a large sum of money, one would usually waver. But he remained steadfast.

Perhaps it was because he already had a lot of money that he didn’t waver.

However, it was a different issue to resist the temptation of earning even more money.

Money makes people greedy and eventually consumes them.

It’s not easy to control money perfectly.

And Jooddak was able to do just that.

“Even if you have a lot of money, the value of cola is high….”

Selling cola for 1 silver to everyone just because he wanted to give it to them is not something anyone can do.

Arzella pondered deeply.

If it were him, would he have made the same decision?

Was it not difficult to make such a decision so easily?

“Criminals are those who transcend the realm of understanding.”

That’s why they can act beyond what others think and remain unwavering.

At the same time, he had excellent character, a sense of humor, and great abilities.

“…I wish such a person were a demon.”

His true identity has not yet been revealed. Human? Demon? Or another race.

Jooddak never revealed any information about himself.

As rumored in the gallery, he might be a female student from the academy.

“I want to find him.”

He was even more curious. Curiosity piqued.

It was the first time he had become so curious about a target.

Arzella smiled quietly, imagining Jooddak’s appearance.

“I’d like to meet him once.”

If he liked the person. What would he do?

Arzella smiled slyly.

When Arzella distributed the cola to the demons,

In the Elven kingdom of Elan, Queen Eris summoned the elves.

With elves who excelled in magical arts, she planned to research the cola.

“This is cola.”

“…I know. Your Majesty. You called us because of this cola.”

“I became curious about how this cola would affect our bodies.”

Elves are a race deeply involved in magic and research.

After hearing Eris’s words, the Elven scholars already began to present their own arguments.

“It may not be good. It’s a beverage, after all.”

“However, it’s not our place to be certain that it has negative effects.”

“Do you know the ingredients of cola? It is made up of substances that are not found on our continent.”

“However, do you also know that the ingredients are only in small amounts?”

“There are poisons in the world that can kill even in small amounts.”

“So, have there been people who died after drinking cola?”

Intense debate ensued.

Eris quietly slipped away, leaving them to their fight.

If she stirs things up like this, the rest of them will do the research on their own.

“I hope we can find out the recipe for cola.”

Cola tastes good. It’s so delicious that I want to drink a can every day without fail.

A year has 365 days.

Elves live for about 1000 years.

Eris is 180 years old this year. She belongs to the young elves.

If she has about 800 years of life left, it turns out she needs 300,000 colas.

“I can’t just ask for 300,000 from Juddak.”

Thinking like that, she changed her mind while watering the plants.

No, if they become close enough to ask for 300,000, wouldn’t it be possible?

Eris seriously pondered about Juddak.

“I’m getting older now…”

She hasn’t found a partner to marry yet.

But if he can influence the entire continent, he wouldn’t be a bad marriage partner.

Even though he took on the position of the leader too aggressively, he was treating her well in his own way.

He is a proactive person.

It was known that such a person is a good match for a passive elf.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to meet him and decide…”

Today, with her mind racing, Eris found herself paying more attention to the plants.

While Eris was communicating with the plants,

The hero, Kaira Luz, quietly stashed away some cola in her personal space.

“The hero… has become happy!”

She was a hero as happy as the cola she had.