The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 91

Chapter 91: The Distiller’s Plans and the Fussy Alchemist

“The distiller has almost always been made of copper from its inception to the present day. Copper has a very high thermal conductivity and is easier to work with compared to iron. However, in terms of durability, it falls short of iron. If you want to make it relatively large, using iron would be better, but then you’ll be up against the challenge of furnace and mold time.”

Julius, with his pen on parchment, sketched a classic distiller: a vertical tank with pipes running through it, and a spiral configuration of pipes to increase the surface area to re-liquefy the gaseous components.

With this design, as the size of the pipes increases when scaling up, there’s a possibility that copper might not withstand its own weight.

“It’s better if the original tank is as large as possible, but it doesn’t need to be just one tank. You could use several medium-sized tanks and connect the distillation outlets along the way. Also, since iron has concerns with rust, I’d prefer to use a more stable metal if possible.”

“Ah, I see! Well, if you make it with casting, a certain thickness will inevitably be necessary, but it should be possible to stabilize it to some extent.”

“It might be best if the shape has a flat base and gets thinner and longer towards the top. This way, the heating from the heat source placed at the bottom will be completed quickly. Ideally, I’d like to use a heat source based on magic stones.”

“Once you start boiling, the evaporation of moisture begins. Using a wood-based heat source makes it difficult to maintain a constant output, and if it boils in a large tank, it takes time to lower the heat. I agree that heating with magic stones is the most logical. Moreover, if done underground, using magic stones eliminates the risk of suffocation.”

Due to frequent accidents in mines, it seems that knowledge of people dying from using fire in confined spaces is common in this world. Melfina smiled at the efficiency of the conversation and nodded in agreement.

“I also feel more secure with that. Although we have ventilation pipes installed, there is always a concern about air circulation underground.”

Magic stone-based stoves and ovens work by emitting heat from the magic contained in the stones, so they do not produce carbon dioxide from combustion, meaning there is no risk of suffocation.

If you were to burn things with this heat source, it would be a different story, but for warming moisture, it should not be a major issue.

Basic carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it’s not something to be overly concerned about. However, carbon dioxide poisoning from the carbonic acid produced when making ale is a much more significant problem.

“If you want to scale it up to a certain degree, instead of coiling pipes for cooling, it might be better to simply make the pipes themselves longer. It will be bulky, but it saves the trouble of making spirals.”

Next, Julius sketched a design with three tanks shaped like flattened gourds lined up. The pipes connecting each tank merge halfway and extend diagonally from a high position to connect to a tank that collects the distilled liquid.

“The issue is the budget. With the amount of copper and casting required, it will take a significant amount of time and resources. Since this is a first-time attempt, it will be challenging to estimate the costs.”

“I’ll handle the heat source device. Crafting tools using magic stones is a fundamental part of being an alchemist. It would be best to first create the heat source and a small test distiller of the same design. The actual production will realistically take place in the spring.”

“It might be just right timing to align with the production of the base spirit. It would be good to start by testing with the ale and wine we have on hand.”

“Oh, it pains me to think of distilling such delicious ale in large quantities!”

Julius’s eyes sparkled with excitement, as if he couldn’t wait to start the project.

“Why don’t you both take a break? Ed was worried since you haven’t come out for lunch.”

Marie, looking somewhat exasperated, brought down sandwiches made with flatbread. Cedric had long since assumed a blank expression.

“Oh, we got carried away… Sorry, Marie.”

“No, it’s very good to see you, Lady Melfina, enjoying yourself. You seemed a bit bored during the winter.”

“…Do I really look that happy?”

“You look like a bird flying in the sky.”

Of course, leisurely sewing and creating new dishes or seasonings are enjoyable. Compared to the busy summer to autumn period, it felt like heaven.

“Oh, it turns out that birds actually don’t like flying all that much. I have an acquaintance in the capital who keeps several birds and likes them. Once they get used to humans, they can be surprisingly affectionate, even perching on hands. However, if they are spoiled, they might start demanding to be carried by humans rather than flying themselves, and may become reluctant to leave their cages. To prevent them from getting too sedentary, they might put their favorite food outside the cage to lure them. But once they learn to rely on humans, they hardly fly around anymore.”

“I see. Thank you for the useful information. Lady Melfina, I prepared a small pot with, um, that thing for the tea. What should we do with it?”

“Oh, give it to Julius. He said he likes it.”

Marie, handling Julius with a matter-of-fact tone, glanced at the pot filled with something other than corn tea and reluctantly placed it in front of Julius.

“Ah, it’s the pot with sugar! I’m so glad. Besides chatting with Lady Melfina and playing with Cedric, this is the best part of coming to the Enkar region!”

Julius said this as he opened the pot’s lid, took out a piece of stick sugar broken into a size he could pinch with his fingers, and popped it into his mouth. He then drank the tea, letting the sugar dissolve in his mouth, and smiled contentedly.

“You should add sugar and milk and drink it.”

Cedric suggested.

“But let me enjoy the first sip like this. It makes me feel so happy!”

“Chatting and playing, what are you talking about? You came here to work, didn’t you?”

“Isn’t work and play the same if you enjoy both?”

“Don’t just eat sugar; make sure to have a proper meal as well. I had them make a smaller portion for you, so don’t leave any behind.”

“I don’t really like meat or vegetables. I wish I could live on just tea with sugar.”

Cedric’s scolding brought a wry smile to Melfina’s face.

Cedric always treats his master, Melfina, with utmost respect and maintains a certain distance with his colleague, Marie, so seeing him speak so candidly was quite refreshing.

“Cedric, I’m sorry for keeping you busy. Please, sit down and have a meal too. Marie, please join us as well.”

Cedric always stays behind Melfina as her guard, and Marie also remains present except when she’s serving tea refills or meals, so they ended up missing lunch with Melfina.

Since they rarely interrupt Melfina’s activities, Cedric and Marie slightly reflected on the need to be more aware of their surroundings and not get too absorbed in their tasks.

First, Melfina took a bite of her sandwich, and everyone reached for their own food, starting their slightly late lunch.

“Marie and Cedric, please add sugar to the tea. It doesn’t go well with corn tea, but it’s perfect with black tea.”

“Yes… but, is it alright? Lady Melfina, you’re drinking corn tea.”

“I drink this because I like it. Also, consuming sugar multiple times a day can be problematic for women.”

Unlike Julius, who is constantly engaged in deep thought, Cedric, who is tall and physically trained as a knight, and Marie, who often goes out for negotiations on behalf of Melfina, the noble lady Melfina has very little physical activity. Given that Ed always prepares delicious food at the lord’s mansion, if she doesn’t manage her portions, her dresses will soon become tight.

“Nevertheless, while Julius has always been like this, I never imagined Lady Melfina would be able to match him so well…”

“Oh, you’ve spent three seasons with the lady and didn’t know that? Lady Melfina’s talent as an alchemist is rare. Sometimes I feel that being a noble lady is a waste of her talents.”

“Compared to Lady Melfina’s talent as a lord, the loss seems trivial. Ah, but you might not know that.”

“…Cedric, you talk five times more when you’re with Lord Julius.”

Marie murmured this, and Cedric cleared his throat in response.

As a generally dutiful and serious knight, Cedric isn’t very talkative unless asked for his opinion. It seems that he also loosens up a bit in the presence of old friends.

“Lord Julius’s stories are fascinating. He thinks about things from various perspectives and comes up with alternatives almost instantly when problems arise.”

In her previous life, “I” had been quite the knowledge enthusiast. Immersed in every kind of content—websites, videos, books, and games—I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, sometimes to an excessive degree.

Compared to those memories, this world offers very little in terms of entertainment. Most people dedicate much of their effort to survival, leaving little room for the development of leisure activities. The hobbies of nobles and their families are also very limited.

—So that’s why Marie says I seem to be enjoying myself.

Despite knowing how Julius tends to get carried away, I can’t deny being engrossed in our interactions. Even though I felt I needed to restrain myself, I often forget to enforce those limits.

“This sandwich was also your creation, right? If you came to the ivory tower, it might be possible to mix water and oil without using soap.”

“Mixing water and oil isn’t that difficult. For instance, milk also consists of water and oil.”

Pointing to the small pot of milk for the tea, Julius looked puzzled.

“Butter can be extracted from milk. Butter is an animal fat. Cream is even clearer. It floats to the top when milk is left to sit. It’s the same as how fat rises to the top when water and oil are left to settle.”

“Wait, cream is oil? Oil is usually thought of as coming from olives or rapeseed, right?”

It seems that for Julius… or rather, in this world’s understanding, “oil” refers only to plant-based oils.

“But pork fat and beef fat are also referred to as ‘lard’, aren’t they?”

“Pork fat and beef fat are different from oil. But, they are both lighter than water and can be used as ingredients for soap or candles when refined, and they both burn. The properties are nearly the same; it’s just a matter of whether they appear as liquids or solids and whether they come from plants or animals.”

As Julius spoke, his eyes began to sparkle with excitement. Unconsciously, he pinched a piece of sugar and tossed it into his mouth.

“Considering animal fat as a type of oil, and since animal milk is liquid, its majority is water. However, it also contains a lot of fat—fat as well.”

Cream is what you get when you separate milk fat, and heating and solidifying animal fat produces lard and tallow.

Despite the slight structural differences, both are forms of fat.

“Separating milk into water and fat can be done easily even without magic. If you put it in a container and keep shaking or mixing it, the fat in the milk will bind together and solidify.”

“Where did you learn such knowledge, Lady?”

“At the lord’s mansion, we produce not only ale but also a lot of cheese and butter. With my ‘Appraisal’ ability, I naturally figured out the most suitable methods for making them through trial and error.”

“Naturally, you say?”

Julius sighed deeply.

“Maybe I should try cooking myself. Perhaps I could gain even a fraction of your inspiration.”

“To do that, you first need to develop a liking for food. You’re too indifferent to it. Lady Melfina always strives to make delicious food. If you’re indifferent to taste, no matter how much you mimic the appearance, you won’t reach the level of culinary mastery.”

“Food makes me sleepy when I’m full. It’s bad enough that I have so little time to stay awake.”

Julius said this with a hint of drowsiness, his eyelids already half-closed.

“Even so, you won’t last if you don’t eat.”

“…It’s delicious, though. It’s frustrating.”

Julius said this with a sense of resignation, looking down at the sandwich in his hand. Despite having barely touched it, he took a big bite, savoring it with a contented expression.