“Full-bodied and smooth; the texture is wonderful. It makes for an enjoyable experience when one sips on this drink,” Sir Reginald stated.

“The presentation leaves much to be desired, however. Compared to the iced coffees Mathias presented us with, your drinks were messy, as if a child had tossed them together,” Agrius pointed out.

Even emotionless the Great Hero was insufferable. Ryu held his tongue as he waited for Sylfie’s evaluation.

She pondered for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. “I have to agree with Agrius; your cold brew was a bit messy. Regardless, the flavor and fragrances you were able to achieve really elevated this drink. It’s sweet, aromatic, and a degree less acidic and bitter than the iced coffees we tasted earlier.”

Ryu was surprised that Sylfie could be so well-spoken when she wasn’t guzzling down his drinks.

“So, have we decided our winner,” Sir Reginald asked his fellow judges.

“We have,” they said in unison.

“Very well then, let us announce the winner.” Sir Reginald whispered into Sir Maxwell’s ear.

The butler cleared his throat, speaking into the microphone. “After careful deliberation, the judges have decided that the winner of today’s Brew Battle and the Coffee Brewer with the better chilled beverage is...Ryu Hirano!!”

“Yay, Ryu!” Aurora cheered.

The announcement caused a commotion amongst the crowd as word traveled to the outer perimeter. Some cheered while others stood dumbfounded. A lowlander had defeated a noble, in Coffee Brewing of all things!

Mathias sank to the ground as Sir Reginald removed the [Restriction] spell. Sylfie pounced on the cold brew in front of her, finishing it in one gulp. Ryu couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he caught a glimpse of Agrius taking more sips of his cold brew.

“I-it’s hot outside! It has nothing to do with how good it is!” Agrius exclaimed, stubbornly.

“But you do think it’s good,” Ryu teased.

He ignored Agrius’ shouts of protest, standing over Mathias.

“H-how?” the young lord croaked.

“Dark Elf magic comes in handy,” Ryu replied.

Mathias’ eyes widened. “You learned their magic—”

“Speeding up the steeping process of the Pyre grounds was important, but I obviously couldn’t wait twelve hours. My mentor—she taught me a spell that negates temporal magic. I figured if I reversed the spell [Nullify], I could speed that process up. Afterward, it was simply a matter of casting [Nullify], [Petrify], and [Purify]—in that order—to remove any residual magic left over.”

“That doesn’t explain how you cooled the drink without ice! You didn’t use frost magic either!” Mathias remarked.

“Ah, that took some ingenuity. See, I have a skill called [Nitrogen Infusion] so I planned on infusing the brew with it. However, a nitrogen-infused cold brew only works if the nitrogen is cold. So how was I supposed to cool the nitrogen down? I was back to square one.”

“So, what did you do?” Mathias asked, picking himself up and dusting off his clothes.

Ryu grinned. “[Pressure Stabilization].”

“[Pressure Stabilization]?”

“Pressure and temperature are linearly correlated. If you lower the pressure—”

“The temperature decreases,” Mathias realized.

“Correct.”

The noble put a hand to his head. In just a few minutes, the man standing before him had pieced together a plan using modified spells and impromptu techniques to create a fully realized brew.

Mathias sighed. Even with his scheming, he had been utterly defeated. “It’s my loss,” he said, mustering a half-hearted smile.

“A loss is a loss. You don’t have to pretend to be happy,” Ryu stated, patting him on the back. Your father knew what I was doing the moment I started doing it. I think you can still learn a lot from him.”

“Of course, I can. One doesn’t become a Master Brewer by accident,” Mathias stated, relieved that he didn’t have to put on a face.

Sir Reginald made his way over to the competitors, extending a hand to Ryu. “That was an excellent display, Mr. Hirano. My boy, skilled as he may be, still has much to learn about the world of coffee.”

“We were just talking about it, Father,” Mathias complained.

“Really? Well, it is my duty to make sure,” Sir Reginald replied, his eyes crinkling. “Mr. Hirano—”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Ryu is fine, sir.”

“Very well. Ryu, would you and your party do me the honor of attending my home as guests? I would like to discuss a few things with you and I feel it is my duty to accommodate you after my son and I have given you a less-than-ideal welcome into Kopi City. Sir Agrius, you are free to join as well.”

Agrius wore a serious expression. “Count me in. I have to make sure my beloved and this miscreant stay far apart—”

“I would like to request a room on the opposite side of your estate from wherever this lunatic is sleeping,” Sylfie stated, pointing to Agrius.

“Sylfie, please!”

“Granted.”

“Sir Reginald?!”

“As much as it pains me to say, Sir Fullbright, you are not to be trusted around this elf,” Sir Reginald replied.

Agrius fell to Ryu’s feet, begging. “You have to promise me that nothing is going to happen between you two tonight!”

“Man, you’re the hero! Get a hold of yourself!” Ryu grunted, struggling to loosen Agrius' grip around his ankles.

Sir Reginald sighed, snapping his fingers. A group of knights emerged from the crowd grabbing hold of Agrius and carrying him away to the estate.

Sir Reginald addressed the rest of the group, beckoning for them to follow. “Now then, shall we?”

***

The estate was beautiful. Filled with verdant gardens and fields of flowers, the yards were tended to by a number of servants. They all raised their heads to pay respect to the lord of the manor as he arrived with his guests. Sir Maxwell opened the door, leading them inside a sprawling manor with a lavish interior, decorated in a way that made it appear refined, yet exuded a homely feeling.

“This way,” Sir Maxwell stated, showing them to their rooms.

Ryu dove into his bed, sinking into the plush mattress gratefully. He had it all to himself. No more sleeping on the floor…at least for tonight. Aurora bounded around the room, checking out her new surroundings.

“This place is bigger than Gramma Hazel’s café, nya!” she chirped excitedly.

“I will come to collect you in an hour, Mr. Hirano. Please take this time to freshen up. There is a change of clothes in the closet,” Sir Maxwell said.

Ryu jumped in the shower, washing away the stress of the day’s events. He stepped out of his room with a neatly ironed pair of clothes, meeting Sir Maxwell at the door. Aurora scampered off on her own, eager to explore the rest of the manor.

The butler led Ryu down a winding set of mahogany stairs, through a hallway lined with paintings and busts of former Huxleys. Sir Maxwell opened the door at the end of the hallway, behind which was a large room lined wall to wall with bookshelves that reached the ceiling. He closed the door behind Ryu, leaving him with Sir Reginald.

“My private study,” Sir Reginald explained. “I come here to think sometimes—mostly to read and be alone with my thoughts. Do you often find yourself wishing you were somewhere other than your own reality?”

All the time. Now I’m finally here.

“Don’t listen to me; just the ramblings of an old man.” Sir Reginald said, dismissing the thought, chuckling. “The reason I asked you to come here was to understand a few things and perhaps aid you with my knowledge. My son may have mentioned that I am a Master Brewer. Despite being a Novice Brewer, you appear to have a great deal of knowledge and skill pertaining to this craft. It comes naturally to you, doesn’t it?”

Ryu nodded, curious to see where Sir Reginald was going with his statements.

“You are still inexperienced in some aspects, however. For instance, your Brew Battle with my son.”

“What about it?”

“It was set up in a way to ensure your failure. Yet, you still overcame it. I’m impressed.”

“I understand that much. What am I missing here?”

“There are conditions to Brew Battles such that the challenged party is required to provide the ingredients and determine the type of drink being made. They must guarantee that their opponent will receive the same exact ingredients and conditions to work with.

This may sound fair on paper, but this is where an element of strategy lies within Brew Battles. It is not enough just to be skilled at brewing, but to understand how to use the rules to your favor.

The challenged party is granted an enormous advantage since they are allowed to decide what type of coffee will be made. They can choose to make a brew that they are familiar with or one that makes good use of their skills while being difficult or even impossible for their opponent to concoct,” Sir Reginald explained.

“So, you’re saying your son intentionally worded the circumstances of the Brew Battle in a way that made it seem like I was challenging him?” Ryu inquired.

“Exactly.”

“Is there a way to circumvent this issue?”

Sir Reginald held up his fingers. “There are two ways to get around this. Never challenge another person; only accept challenges. The second is the most common method used—I’m surprised your mentor hasn’t said anything about it to you, though I suspect they have their reasons.”

“And what’s that?”

“A mutual challenge where both parties decide together what drink they will create. These parties will also source their ingredients separately.”

Ryu made note of all the information he had been given, hoping that he wouldn't forget anything.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with you.”

Ryu raised an eyebrow.

“What is it that you are aiming for?” Sir Reginald asked him.

“The top,” Ryu answered without hesitation. “I’ve never done anything worth a d*mn in my life until now. With these two hands of mine, I can make a lot of people happy, by doing something I’m good at. Plus, this path leads to money.”

“Money?”

Ryu nodded. “Maybe it isn’t such an honorable goal, but that’s the truth of it. At the end of the day, I want to be rich and live a comfortable life. I want to take care of the people in my life—” he paused, refraining from finishing his thought.

“Any goal worth working for is still a goal that I respect,” Sir Reginald replied. “I think I’ve got my answer. Thank you for humoring this old man’s request. Er, you were hoping to explore the city, weren’t you?”

Ryu scratched his head. “Yeah, but it’s getting late and we’ll have to meet our supplier first thing in the morning.”

“No worries at all! How about after your meeting, I have my daughter show you three around the city?”

“Your daughter?”

“Yes! She just arrived from Cacao Town, after an expedition. She’s quite the adventurer, you know,” Sir Reginald chuckled.

The door opened behind Ryu, as if on cue. “Father, I’m home!”

“Ah! There she is!” Sir Reginald exclaimed.

Ryu turned, surprised as a familiar garb of blue came into view. A woman wearing an elegant set of robes, patterned with white lace, and holding a staff made of Lapis Lazuli, entered the room. She narrowed her eyes, pointing at him as icicles formed behind her.

“You?!” they shouted in unison.