Chapter 78

After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, I left Klaus's mansion and returned to my boarding house. When I told Amanda about how I ended up staying there, she scolded me, saying I had drunk too much.

I returned to my room, took off my formal clothes, and after a bath, changed into my usual attire.

"Reinhardt..."

"What is it, Kent-sama?"

"Do all the nobles live with such determination?"

"Back in our time, there were various nobles, but those who lived with pride as nobles did indeed have such resolve."

"I see..."

"But not all of them. Some only used their noble status and lacked any resolve or compassion."

I had thought Beatrice was teasing me out of spite for the embarrassment I caused her during the treatment.

But I never imagined she had such resolve and even harbored feelings for me. I felt a sense of resistance to the way she would use her daughter for the town's benefit, but after listening to her, I realized that I was the one who lacked resolve.

"Kent-sama, if you could return to your original world, what do you intend to do?"

"Well... I'm starting to think about staying in this world."

"But don't you have a family in your original world?"

"Yeah... sort of... but we don't get along very well..."

"I see..."

My father is a high-ranking executive at a large company and has a mistress, so he rarely comes home. My mother is addicted to gambling and shopping and is almost never home. My grandmother on my father's side raised me, but she passed away from cancer last year. I had conflicting feelings, wanting her to get better but also hoping she wouldn't suffer.

When I was summoned to this world, I was half-asleep, dreaming about my grandmother. Perhaps that's why I ended up with both the healing light attribute and the death attribute.

"If I stay in Volzard, I can't choose the chairman, right?"

"You could ask her to stay with you."

"But that would be the same as asking her to abandon her family..."

"Then could you return to your original world with the Holy Maiden?"

"If I return to Japan, I don't even know if I can use magic. If I can't, I'd just be a useless person, and I wouldn't match up with the chairman. Besides, I'm needed here in Volzard..."

"Then would you stay in Volzard with Manon or Beatrice, or both?"

"Hmm..."

To be honest, I can't believe I'm in a position to choose, given that I've never been noticed by girls before.

"By the way, Kent-sama, are you going to visit Dino of the Lieble Vineyard?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot."

I decided to visit the Lieble Vineyard and talk to Amanda about the chairman and the others later. On the way, I stopped by the Hen House to get some cookies as a gift.

When I arrived, the Lieble trees, which were once full of fruit, were now shedding their leaves in preparation for winter, giving the vineyard a somewhat desolate atmosphere. Dino and Bruno were standing side by side, looking up at the trees and marking them.

"Dino, Bruno, hello."

"Oh! Kent, Kent, you came, you came!"

Dino greeted me with a broad smile.

"I'm sorry for not visiting for so long. Here, please enjoy these with everyone."

"What's this, bringing a gift is too formal. Come empty-handed, empty-handed."

"No, no... I've been taken care of by everyone..."

"What are you saying? We're the ones who have been taken care of. Come, come, make yourself at home."

"Thank you. But aren't you busy with work?"

"Ah... I was marking the branches to be pruned."

"Pruning...?"

"Yes, it's an important job that determines next year's harvest."

The Lieble trees are pruned during their dormant period in winter to remove weak and excess branches.

"If there are excess or weak branches, the sunlight and growth will be poor."

"I see..."

But I couldn't tell which branches were excess or weak.

"Hehehe, that comes from years of experience and intuition."

Dino puffed out his chest, and Bruno raised his hands in a gesture of giving up.

"Even you, Bruno, can't tell?"

"Not completely, but I can't match my father..."

Bruno smiled wryly but also seemed proud.

"Until a couple of years ago, I couldn't tell at all, but now I understand it quite well. I think I can handle it on my own soon."

Dino looked happy but also a bit sad. I want Dino to continue his work and stay healthy, but it might be difficult due to his age.

When Dino led me to the main house, his wife, Maya, greeted me with a warm smile.

"Oh, Kent, you came, come in, come in."

"Thank you, I'll come in."

Dino's back pain and Maya's knee pain hadn't returned since then, and they both said they felt younger.

"By the way, Kent, what brings you here today? Do you have something to talk about?"

"Ah, yes, actually, last night I was invited to Klaus's mansion and had the chance to taste the new Lieble wine."

"Ho ho, so that's it. How was this year's new wine?"

"It was very delicious. But..."

"But what? Was there something wrong?"

"No, it was my first time, so I couldn't compare it to previous years or tell the difference, and I felt bad about it."

"Hehehe, that's natural for a first-timer."

"But I felt a bit emotional thinking that I might have been a little helpful in making the new wine."

"Not a little, the smooth harvest and fermentation this year were thanks to your massages. I'm truly grateful, thank you, Kent."

"Ah, no... you're welcome."

Dino's smile made me feel a bit embarrassed. When I mentioned that I also tasted three-year, five-year, and ten-year Lieble wines at Klaus's mansion, Dino led me to the wine cellar.

The wine cellar was a sturdy stone structure with a semi-underground design and a few ventilation windows. Dino said I had protected the wine, but with such a strong structure, even goblins couldn't get in.

When we opened the heavy door and went inside, the cool air was filled with the scent of oak barrels.

"Kent, could you close the door for me..."

Dino lit a magical light and slowly guided me through the cellar.

"The newer wines are in the front, and the older ones are in the back."

Each barrel had a burn mark indicating the year it was filled and was neatly arranged. It felt like we were in a cave separated from the outside world.

"The temperature changes are more gradual here compared to outside. We let the wine sleep and mature slowly here."

"Does the quality vary by year?"

"Yes, in years with poor weather, the Lieble doesn't grow well, the fruit doesn't get big, and the sweetness is lacking..."

"The quality of the Lieble affects the wine, then?"

"Yes, this year's Lieble is good, so the wine will surely be good."

Dino gazed lovingly at each barrel as he walked to the back of the cellar.

"But if the Lieble is poor, the wine from that year might not sell well..."

"You might think so, but a poor Lieble year doesn't always mean poor wine."

"Really?"

"Yes, wine from a year with insufficient sweetness can develop a unique flavor after three or four years of aging."

"Can you predict the quality of the wine from the new wine?"

"To some extent, yes. But what happens after five years of aging is hard to predict. People change over five years, too."

"That's true."

"But the core remains the same. People and wine are interesting things..."

When we returned from the cellar, Maya had baked a Lieble cake.

"Kent, Maya's cake is exquisite."

"Hehehe, feel free to eat it all, no need to hold back."

"Thank you... Mmm! It's delicious..."

"How is it, is it exquisite?"

"Yes, it's really delicious."

"I'm glad you like it."

Maya's cake was mixed with chopped dried Lieble and various nuts, and it was perfect in taste, aroma, and texture.

"This has the scent of Lieble wine, it's spreading in my mouth... I feel so happy."

"Hehehe, that's the scent of twenty-year-old Lieble wine."

Dino poured a small glass of amber liquid from a bottle in the cupboard. Even from over five meters away, the rich aroma filled the air as soon as it was poured.

"Here, this is twenty-five-year-old wine, try it."

"Thank you."

It's amazing. Just bringing the glass to my lips makes me feel happy. When I took a sip, it felt like I was soaking in a Lieble wine bath. The scent of oak, the scent of Lieble, the deep flavor, and the high alcohol content didn't feel harsh at all, just a warm sensation spreading through me.

"Dino, this is too good."

"What, it's my pride and joy!"

"If I drink such amazing wine, I won't be able to enjoy other wines anymore."

"Hehehe, that's true, that's true, hehehe..."

If I keep drinking, I might end up like last night, so I decided to enjoy it with a little bit of tea. I also asked Maya to pack some cake for Meisa, as I didn't want to enjoy it alone and only talk.

"Hey, Kent, you said you were invited to Klaus's mansion..."

"Ah, well, actually..."

I worked at this vineyard when I first came to Volzard and only told Dino and the others that I was a survivor of a caravan. So, I explained that I was summoned, that I can use light and dark magic, and that my companions helped, which led to the dinner invitation.

"Was the recent large-scale outbreak okay? Did you have any damage?"

"Oh, no damage at all, we were just resting."

"Really, now that there's a wall, it helps a lot."

"Really? Was there no wall before?"

When I asked, Maya nodded and explained.

"Yes, when I got married, this area was still outside the wall."

"Really? So there were monsters?"

"Yes, it was different from the forest, but we had to be careful. Orcs and Ogres came sometimes."

"Wow... it was such a dangerous place?"

"Really... When I got married, I thought I had been tricked and cried a lot."

When Maya smiled and looked at Dino, he shrugged and looked embarrassed.

"The Lieble vineyard was only busy during the harvest, and I thought we could live a peaceful life selling wine and dried fruit... but it wasn't like that at all."

"Well, I had to talk my way into getting a wife to come to such a place."

Dino and Maya explained that when they were young, the vineyard was outside the wall, and during large-scale monster outbreaks, they had to wait inside for the alarm to be lifted. The main house was built of sturdy stone, and the other buildings were similar, except for the new work shed.

"We once had to stay inside for three weeks until the goblin horde was gone."

"That was when Bruno was just a baby..."

"Really, I couldn't dry the diapers, and I was worried about that every day."

They both smiled while talking, but I imagine it was much harder than I can imagine.

"Did you ever think about getting a divorce because you felt tricked?"

"Well... when I first came here, I did think about it. But seeing how hard my husband worked, those thoughts disappeared."

Dino worked hard on the vineyard and also participated in the wall construction to ensure his family could live safely as soon as possible, working almost without a break.

"The wall is a symbol of Volzard's development and a source of security for the people. Working for the family and the town is natural."

When I was staying here, I was amazed by Dino's work after his back pain was healed. Despite being around my grandfather's age, he was strong and had years of experience.

"Then, do you think it was good to be tricked?"

"Hehehe, yes, that's right. Thank you for tricking me."

"Hehehe, I never thought I'd be thanked for tricking someone... No, I'm the one who should thank you, Maya."

The two of