Chapter 10
Chapter 10. Ugly Flower (6)
The ingredient preparation work that began late at night didn't finish until late afternoon the next day.
"Good work. Vic, you're always so diligent."
Vic responded by weakly waving his drooping tentacles without a word.
When I placed candy on his hand, he fled to his bag as if afraid I'd call on him again and zipped it shut.
"I hadn't planned to do everything at once..."
Once I started thinking I should finish what I'd begun, I couldn't stop.
When I came to my senses, I had already extracted fragrances from all the materials, including the Coca Leaves.
The fragrance extraction in particular went much faster thanks to Vic's expertise as an experienced hand.
The results were large bottles neatly arranged on the table.
Each containing Cassia, Nutmeg, Neroli, Vanilla Bean, and Coca Leaf fragrance with harmful components removed.
Through alchemy, I had not only dried them completely without a trace of moisture but also proceeded with compression.
I succeeded in extracting only pure fragrance.
Afterward, I even processed them to be water-soluble so they would mix easily with water.
"This should roughly cover the fragrances."
One task remained.
How to combine these with carbonated water to create 'the most plausible Cola.'
It was also the most important and difficult task.
Knock knock knock.
"Mister Jurgen! Are you inside!"
A loud knocking sound came from outside.
When I stuck my head out the second-floor window, I saw a man roughly pounding on the shop door.
"Wait, that person?!"
Jurgen rushed down and opened the shop door.
"I'm Jurgen. If you bang that hard, it'll break. Are you going to compensate me?"
"I'm sorry. Some young lady was really pressing me. Could you sign for this delivery over here?"
"Hmm?"
Only then did I see the cart behind the postal union member's shoulder.
On the cart were sacks of sugar piled high and one box.
And a little further back, standing in the shade with her arms crossed, was Penelope.
"Hmm, nice."
Regular customer Penelope, who had taken her usual seat today as well, was elegantly sipping her coffee.
What was different from usual was that she hadn't come empty-handed.
She had bought a cartload of sugar sacks.
"Miss Penelope, why did you buy all this?"
"You were whining yesterday about needing sugar. I remembered and bought some while I was at it."
"You remembered after hearing it just once? You have more delicate sides than you appear to have."
"Leave out the 'than you appear to have' part, will you?"
It was perfectly timed.
Sugar was the ingredient that made up the largest proportion of Cola's components.
"Is this blanket also your gift?"
"That's right."
Among the sugar bundles piled on the cart was a luxurious blanket tucked in between.
It was surprisingly light for its bulk, but when I actually spread it out, it looked so expensive I'd feel guilty using it as a floor mat.
"Since you arbitrarily took my night watch shift too, I had to go through the trouble of preparing a return gift."
"I would have thought the sugar alone was sufficient... I wasn't particularly trying to receive something like this."
"If you don't need it, throw it in the fireplace."
"I'll use it gratefully."
Still, after some back and forth, I had learned not to take her words at face value.
I could just think 'she's probably grateful in her own way~' and move on.
Instead, as a token of gratitude, I refilled her empty cup with strong espresso.
Penelope, who had been sipping her espresso with apparent satisfaction, set down her cup.
"So. How far have you progressed?"
"Ah, you mean the Cola."
"Right, the Cola."
"I just finished processing ingredients and extracting fragrances, and I needed sugar, but thanks to you, Miss Penelope, the work became easier. Now I just need to mix the ingredients and it'll be finished."
"You processed all the ingredients within a short time?"
Penelope, hearing about the progress, showed a surprised reaction.
Indeed, it would have been impossible without competent assistant Vic and alchemy.
"So I can drink Cola soon?"
"You're quite obsessed with Cola."
"What do you mean obsessed? After helping this much, I have to get my due. So when will it be complete?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure about that yet. I don't know how much trial and error will be needed. I need to mix things and get the taste close first."
"What? You weren't the one who made Cola before?"
In fact, I had created the 'original' Cola through Material Creation, and now I was in the process of reverse-engineering it, but if I said this directly, it would connect to Jurgen's true identity as 'Hanbin.'
So I deflected appropriately.
"Honestly, I was lucky. I made it by chance."
"You didn't even record the recipe? Where do you keep your mind when you live?"
Penelope, who had thought she could soon receive Cola, looked dismayed.
Waiting here any longer was exhausting too.
Even if it was somewhat incomplete, wouldn't it at least taste somewhat like Cola?
"If you need help, I can help a little."
"Miss Penelope?"
"You said trial and error is needed anyway, right? I can at least help with tasting."
"That's fine with me. Will you follow me to the Workshop?"
It was an unexpected proposal, but certainly having even one person as assistance would be helpful.
I gladly invited her to the second-floor Workshop.
Though she visited the shop daily, this was her first time coming upstairs.
Penelope was first very surprised by the steepness of the stairs, which reminded her of rock climbing.
"...You want me to go up here? This, this won't collapse, will it?"
"No problem. Even if I stomp like this..."
"No! Don't! I believe you."
Second, she was surprised by the shoddiness of the stairs that screamed like a ghost ship's deck with every step.
"Welcome to my culinary atelier."
Finally, she was surprised by the appearance of his Workshop.
A desk placed to maximize use of the cramped space.
Above it were displayed experimental equipment with quite decent variety: flasks, beakers, heaters, and winding distillation tubes.
Even without extremely expensive equipment, it was like an alchemist's workshop that had all the basics covered.
"You were an Alchemist?"
"Hmm..."
"Ah."
Quick-witted Penelope read much from his silence.
Alchemy costs a lot of money.
It wasn't a discipline that a shop owner in a Ghost Commercial District could afford to fund.
In fact, this workshop lacked the most important (and expensive) alchemical materials and reagents.
Realizing these facts, his workshop looked different to her.
This Workshop was a space where a boy who had become an adult had plausibly shaped the dreams shattered before reality.
"I asked something unnecessary. Let's just hurry and make the Cola."
"Mm, understood."
Penelope, deflecting the question awkwardly, uncharacteristically watched Jurgen's expression.
She wondered if her thoughtless words had prodded at his wounds.
Though she wasn't sure if she really needed to be this considerate, there was no need to deliberately pour lemon juice on wounds.
Jurgen wasn't particularly bothered by it.
"Ahem, I suppose we should start with this first."
Indeed, there was no reason to be bothered.
From Jurgen's perspective of hiding his identity, it was a grateful situation where Penelope's sharp observation had helpfully lost its edge.
He hurriedly began his lecture before she could probe further.
"First, to explain Cola's production method, we need to make a basic base."
As I mentioned before, Cola's basic base is simple.
Carbonated water, phosphoric acid, sugar, caffeine, caramel coloring.
The carbonated water would be made later by injecting carbon dioxide with a soda fountain modified from the coffee machine.
So we'll skip that step for now.
I made sugar water by adjusting the sugar concentration to 10 brix, and added a little caffeine extract from coffee beans.
Then I added just a tiny bit of caramel coloring responsible for Cola's characteristic black color, and phosphoric acid responsible for the sour and sharp taste.
Incidentally, caramel coloring could be bought very cheaply from a nearby whiskey brewery, and phosphoric acid from an alchemy shop.
Being able to obtain most chemical compounds in ready-made form was one of the few advantages of the alchemy powerhouse Britannia.
"How's this? Isn't it quite easy up to here?"
"..."
Penelope carefully observed Jurgen's hand movements as he demonstrated, stirring with a glass rod.
As expected.
His movements were quite skilled, as if he were a first-class Alchemist.
As if he had practiced repeatedly many times.
That sight added confidence to Penelope's speculation.
The speculation that he had once wanted to become an Alchemist but was frustrated by the wall of reality.
"..."
Suddenly yesterday's events came to mind.
Jurgen, who must have given up his dreams for unavoidable circumstances.
Penelope, proudly demonstrating alchemy in the Demon Realm.
How must her figure have appeared to him?
Didn't her pride seem like deception or mockery?
Her goal of wanting to be looked up to by him and restore noble dignity remained the same.
But not like this.
Penelope knew better than anyone the despair and grief of those whose wings had been broken.
...Should I comfort him just a little?
"Wait just a moment. It'll be finished soon."
"I have something to say before that."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Penelope's method of comfort.
It was to reveal her own weakness together.
For her, this was quite a generous gesture.
"I actually... wasn't that talented at alchemy either."
What should have followed was 'So you too can become like me someday if you work hard,' but...
"Ah, it did seem that way."
"...?"
"But it's fine. Doesn't practice make perfect?"
Penelope's expression, which had become somewhat wistful, suddenly froze blankly as if she'd been slapped.
While Jurgen, having made a slip of the tongue without realizing it, was in a trance blending fragrances.
"..."
Penelope's eyes were becoming as venomous as a bullied hedgehog.
What was that just now?
I was trying to comfort someone who looked pitiful, and he openly rebuffed me?
Is he jealous that I do alchemy while he can't?
Who did he say looked untalented?
I'll have you know I was a promising talent in my youth.
I'm a pure-blood Alchemist who studied at Albion Royal University through early admission.
While he's childishly playing Alchemist on the second floor of his workshop!
A commoner at that!
If it weren't for coffee and Cola, he wouldn't have dared even speak to me...!
This is why you shouldn't be nice to black-haired commoners.
I was even going to give him a basic textbook lying around at home as a gift, thinking this was fate!
I was even going to take time out of my precious schedule to give him private tutoring if necessary!
It's all canceled!
Just as Penelope was about to explode in fury at having her rare goodwill completely ignored,
"Here, the Cola you've been waiting for."
"...!"
Jurgen's Cola appeared.
Despite its dark brown color having nothing to do with appetite, seeing the carbonation bubbles made her unconsciously swallow her saliva.
"Hmm..."
Right, the Cola isn't at fault.
His impudent and tactless behavior could be forgiven once or twice when thinking of Cola.
"Do you remember the Cola you drank last time? Just tell me if this is similar to that."
"Got it."
Finally.
At last, Cola.
How tormented had she been, thinking of this mysterious beverage every night?
Calming her pounding heart, Penelope brought the glass to her lips and.
"Ugh...!"
Nearly sprayed the Cola spectacularly.
If her noble lady powers had been just a little lower, she would have created a small rainbow on the spot.
It was terribly tasteless.
"This, this, this...!!!"
Penelope felt the most intense emotion she'd experienced in recent months.
To think the Cola she'd anticipated so much would be like this!
She could forgive everything else, but this was unforgivable.
"You! What did you make me drink!"
"Cola. It's still a prototype though. Is it that bad? I'll have to try different ratios."
"Ugh! You drink it too. Quickly. Right now."
Penelope, as if she couldn't suffer alone, forcibly pressed the half-remaining Cola to Jurgen's lips.
"Hmm..."
Tasting result.
Even though I'd adjusted ratios based on component analysis, it really didn't taste good.
I could feel the carbonation bubbles and sweetness, but that was all.
It was sour, astringent, and had a bitter aftertaste like drinking herbal medicine.
I hadn't realized the harmony of fragrances would be this delicate.
To extract a taste similar to Cola from this would likely require hundreds or even thousands of trials and errors.
Jurgen was confident he could do it with an enjoyable heart.
His grand ambition to bring a culinary revolution to Britannia would serve as an unwavering driving force.
But Penelope wouldn't.
"Miss Penelope, sorry to say this, but it seems it'll take longer than expected. I'll definitely treat you when it's completed, so will you come then?"
Having received more than enough help, it would be proper courtesy to politely send her home at this point.
"How long will it take?"
"I'll try to complete it as quickly as possible."
"Never mind. I said I'd help. Give me the next sample too."
"Are you really okay with this?"
"Do you think I'd go back on my word over something like this?"
About half as expected?
She was a young lady with hidden stubbornness despite her appearance.
Despite Jurgen's recommendation, Penelope stubbornly held her ground and drank all sorts of bizarre-tasting Cola samples.
"Ugh...!"
"Are you okay?"
"...It's not particularly anything to me."
Each time, Penelope's eyebrows and mouth corners trembled as if hit by an earthquake.
She should have just openly shown it tasted bad.
Though it might have been to save face on her part, from the perspective of someone watching, it was pitiful enough to make one feel sorry.
"Give me another sample."
"Here it is."
"Ugh...!!!"
But despite Penelope's tearful cooperation.
The miracle of the two finding the golden recipe didn't happen.
It was actually natural.
If it were easy to perfectly reproduce a modern product with 130 years of know-how, that would be stranger.
"I can't drink anymore! I won't do it!"
Penelope eventually threw a tantrum and left around the end of the experiment.
There was one part I hadn't expected at all up to this point...
"Miss Penelope, honestly I didn't think you'd come today."
"Wasn't it your promise to serve proper Cola?"
"It's not quite ready yet, would you like some coffee before you go?"
"Give me Cola. If it's not tastier than yesterday's, you better be prepared."
Penelope came to the shop the next day too and helped search for the Cola recipe.