Chapter 19

Today, I plan to start moving forward with the mass production of alcohol, so the hospital director and I will visit the brewing association.

Cerea is doing a paper theater performance at the orphanage, so I just dropped her off there.

"Prince, what kind of business do you have to inspect a brewery when you're still a minor?"

We will talk to the master of the brewing association. Using strong alcohol, specifically distilled alcohol, for disinfection. When we tried this at the hospital, the effects were immediate. Especially in the treatment of injuries, the post-surgical recovery was much better, and the time to full recovery was significantly shortened. The number of cases where wounds became infected was halved. The director was also surprised.

"So, to get to the point, if there are any breweries that are struggling financially or are on the verge of closing, I would like you to introduce me to them. Not for regular alcohol, but for medical alcohol, or rather, alcohol for medical use. A place with distillation equipment where we can manufacture it."

"In that case, the Balkan brewery would be good. They tried to make the strongest alcohol in the country, a potato-based alcohol, but it was too strong and didn't sell at all, leaving them in a bind."

"What kind of challenge is that..."

"Every craftsman wants to be the best, to make the best product, regardless of business. They went too far."

That should be something to strive for with "delicious alcohol." The direction they took was wrong. But from my perspective, it's very helpful right now.

We visited the Balkan brewery that was introduced to us.

"We couldn't compete with famous breweries in terms of taste, so we thought, 'Who cares about taste, as long as it gets you drunk, it's fine!' and decided to sell very strong cheap alcohol. But it was a big failure. No one wanted to buy such alcohol. Hahaha..." The owner of the brewery, Mr. Balkan, laughed wryly.

The smell in this brewery is intense. I wonder what they're making alcohol from.

"How much of it is left unsold?"

"Six hundred bottles."

"Could the royal family buy them?"

"Really? Why? I mean, it would be great if you did, but why would the royal family want such cheap alcohol for poor people?"

"We're not going to drink it. We want to use it in the hospital."

I asked the director to explain as well. That alcohol can be used for disinfection. It significantly improves the recovery from injuries. It is definitely effective. A large amount of high-purity alcohol is needed in medical settings.

"Really!?"

Mr. Balkan was also surprised.

"Have you ever heard that strong alcohol can help heal wounds faster on the battlefield?"

"I've heard of it, but I thought it was a superstition."

"It's for medical use, so if we can produce a certain amount, that's fine. We want to distill those six hundred unsold bottles again to increase the purity of the alcohol."

"Hmm, I see."

"The taste doesn't matter, in fact, it's a hindrance. Ideally, we want it to be tasteless and odorless."

Mr. Balkan thought for a moment.

"Charcoal is used to remove the smell. Filtering through charcoal can significantly reduce the bad smell, but if you overdo it, the taste will disappear."

"That's good, let's overdo it. What are you making this from?"

"Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and barley."

"What kind of crops are used to make alcohol?"

"Starchy and high-sugar crops."

Hmm...

"Since we're not drinking it, we could use unsellable vegetables or fruits, or the leftover pulp from something that would otherwise be discarded."

"In the brewing industry, there's one thing we're not supposed to use."

"What is it?"

"The pulp left over from cooking sugar beets. There's a lot of it after the sugar is extracted."

"Let's try an experiment to see if we can make fermented alcohol from it!"

Mr. Balkan looked hesitant.

"If the royal palace is willing to pay for everything, I'll do it, but if we do this, our brewery will be completely ruined. If it's found out, we'll be expelled from the brewing association. No matter what, I have to refuse."

"Even though I'm a prince, I'll get permission from the king and ministers. And the funds."

"Are you saying you want our brewery to become a dedicated medical alcohol producer?"

"Let's spin off. The country can buy shares and create a facility for alcohol testing, run by the government. I think we can also help revitalize the brewery. What do you think?"

"That's amazing! I have no complaints about that!"

Let's try to get it on the agenda at the royal council.

On the way back, we stopped by the orphanage. Cerea is doing a paper theater performance for the children. I think it was called "Hayabusa's Mission."

...I quietly went to the main room and peeked in.

"Thus, Hayabusa burned up as it re-entered the atmosphere, but one of the two meteors did not disappear. The return capsule, released at a speed of twelve kilometers per second, was protected by a carbon fiber heat shield and withstood the intense friction heat of over ten thousand degrees during atmospheric re-entry, successfully delivering the micro-sample it had collected from the asteroid Itokawa to us."

Sorry, I don't understand a word of what she's saying.

"After a seven-year, six-billion-kilometer journey, Hayabusa finally returned to Earth. The last command given to Hayabusa, which was about to run out of power after releasing the capsule, was to take a picture of Earth. The image was interrupted halfway, as if blurred by tears, but Hayabusa was indeed able to see its home planet with its own eyes..."

Why are the children crying so much at this story?

Back at the palace, I went straight to the king's office to plead my case.

"Can you clearly state that it was effective?"

"Yes! The data is all there."

"Hmm... The purchase of the six hundred unsold bottles of alcohol and the re-distillation. I will allow that. On that basis, you must establish the method of alcohol disinfection completely."

"Yes!"

Great! This ensures that the hospital will have the disinfectant alcohol it needs!

"For now, that's all I can approve. The commercialization will be decided by a council of ministers. There is a council meeting in three days. We will discuss it there."

"Thank you."

"However, you will be the one to propose it."

"Me?"

"Shin, you will attend the council meeting and persuade the ministers."

Wow, I've been given a big responsibility.

Even though I'm a prince, I'm only eleven years old, and I have to attend the council meeting and persuade the ministers...

"You are already married. You need to earn enough to support your wife. I won't treat you like a child."

"...Understood."

I came back with a stack of data from the director.

...Back in my room, I thought about it for a long time. How can I, a child, persuade adult ministers? How can I convince them and get permission to invest the country's money? It's a big problem.

"Maybe I should try to imitate Cerea."

"Me?"

"Using a flip chart, showing the data like a paper theater, and explaining it."

"Good idea! I'll help you draw the pictures!"

So, I went to the hospital to gather experimental data, learned about fermentation and distillation methods from Mr. Balkan, and worked hard to create the materials. I took a lot of notes in my notebook, and Cerea sketched the treatment process at the hospital and the distillation equipment at the brewery. When we got back, we worked on the materials together.

We did this between studying, training, and dance practice, using the time before bed as well. Cerea even stayed at the palace instead of going back to her mansion, helping me draw with crayons. One morning, the housekeeper found us sleeping on the carpet, covered in blankets, and scolded us.

"If you're going to sleep, sleep in the bed properly!"

Is that okay?

Next time: "20. The Royal Council"