#689 First Tea in Springtime

Spring is the perfect season to start something new.

So, with many things happening at once, I’ll put the topic of the farm school aside for now and tell a different story.

Because it’s spring, the Sakura Yggdrasil, a signature scenery of the farm, is in full bloom.

It all started when Platy unusually demanded Yggdrasil Leaves, so I mustered my husbandly dignity and decided to show off a bit. The result was this.

In order to artificially reproduce Yggdrasil, we needed a tree to serve as a vessel, which happened to be a sakura tree. So, we’ve inadvertently also made it possible to enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

This year, we’ll have a cherry blossom viewing session while savoring sakura mochi wrapped in leaves that function as the Yggdrasil.

Still a baby at zero years old, Norito inquisitively gazes at the falling petals. Meanwhile, Junior, who will turn three soon, seems like he’s about to compose a poem about the cherry blossoms.

“Sakura Yggdrasil, color shows the twuth of life, the mighty will fadeee.”

He dictated a poem out loud.

Well, as long as everyone is having fun, that’s fine.

I, too, enjoy the sight of the sakura in full bloom and the contrast between the sweetness of the sakura mochi and the bitterness of the tea.

“Ahh, making tea was the right choice.”

The decision to create a tea plantation and succeed in tea production was made either last year or the year before.

As a Japanese person, I cannot forget the bitterness of matcha tea.

I really want to pass this tradition down to future generations.

...Hm?

Shouldn’t we have sake for cherry blossom viewing, you ask?

Well, Bacchus and the others are having a wild party over there. Leave the alcohol part to them!

Anyway...

“Lord Saint! Now is the time to finally get started!”

“What’s this out of the blue?”

Appearing is the elf Aileron.

Moreover, she’s wearing something unique... Isn’t that a kimono?!

Japanese traditional clothing? ...But why is it in another world?!

“Didn’t you tell us this is the formal attire to wear when enjoying tea? In order to reproduce that, I consulted with Batemy and finally completed this after more than a year!”

Aileron’s kimono looks terrific.

The obi even looks capable of reenacting that one pretend-evil officer scene.

“This year, our advance will finally begin...! After more than a year of preparation, we are ready...! Now’s the time for us elves to rule the world!!!”

Why is she saying something disturbing?

Since when did the elves become a war- freak race?

“Our tea! Will dominate and conquer the entire world!!!”

“Oh, is that what you meant?”

Come to think of it, we started a full-scale tea plantation a year or two ago.

The elves showed great interest in the tea and claimed responsibility for it.

I had a feeling they were up to something, but they never made any formal announcement, and I completely forgot about it.

“By the way, coffee, which emerged around the same time, is gaining quite the popularity. You've got coffee shops popping up left, right, and center in the Demon Kingdom, Gray Silver's café included. It's the hot new thing, no doubt about it.”

Coffee is now an essential item for the trendy youth in the Demon Kingdom.

But what about tea?

“Matcha-cha-cha-cha...! Do you think we’ve just been sitting around and doing nothing until today...?!”

“Huh? What was that laughter just now?”

Are you trying to play a character?

“We had been preparing meticulously! Simply rushing forward without a plan won’t help us achieve our goal! That’s an important lesson we learned from our days as bandits!”

The process of learning that lesson is not exactly praiseworthy.

“To make tea popular across the world, the first and foremost thing is to establish a production system! If the supply can’t keep up with the increasing demand, it’s pointless!”

“Well...that is true...”

In the case of coffee, the perfect timing was when the signs of a trend started to appear at Gray Silver’s café, and the import of coffee beans from the Demon Isle was established.

In the end, that triggered the coffee boom that took the world by storm.

It was nothing more than a matter of fortunate timing in that a significant export source was discovered precisely when it was needed.

Without any calculated efforts, relying solely on serendipity will not bring about such miracles.

The same goes for the tea Aileron and her group were planning to sell...!

“So you guys have been preparing meticulously to ensure the supply of tea...?!”

“Originally, the farm only produces enough for us to drink. We can’t be selfish and ask you to increase production for our sake.”

That’s quite reasonable...!

“That’s why we decided to start by setting up a system to produce tea on our own! We asked for the cooperation of the dignitaries of our race, the Elf Monarch and Lady L4C!”

“Whaaat?!”

That would mean Elfelf Elfriede El-Dupont Eltoerus Elcator Elza Elze Elvira Elmantos Elcador Elise Elfelf Mikael Uriel Gabriel Ariel Raphael Elle Elfant.

And then Elelelelcy, or L4C, for short.

The elf race seems to have a system where the more important you are, the more “El” is in your name. 

It’s definitely not padding for length, okay!!!

“Yes, the High Elves are big fans of my pottery. They would gladly accept my request.”

“So they’re your patrons, huh...?”

“With their cooperation, it’s as good as having the strength of a hundred men. We immediately started planting tea tree seedlings—which we secretly brought out from the farm—in the elf domains to create vast tea fields!”

“Wait a second. Did you just say secretly brought out?”

That’s basically saying you “stole” them, isn’t it?!

Has your kleptomania not been cured yet, you ex-bandit?!

“Don’t worry, I had permission.”

“From who?”

“From me.”

“What a far-fetched argument!”

The saying, “Even thieves have their reasons” won’t save you in this situation!

However, the elf domain governed by L4C in the Human Kingdom is conveniently (?) full of vacant land needing reforestation due to environmental destruction. 

She thought it was appropriate to start a tea plantation there, is that it?

“But our plan doesn’t stop there!”

What now?

So is there a tea plantation in the elves’ forest or not?

“Thanks to the generosity of the Elf Monarch who rules the elf domain on the Demon Kingdom side, we got a share of the Yggdrasil’s sacred energy! Combining that, we achieved mass afforestation of tea trees with Yggdrasilian traits in the elf domain on the Human Kingdom side!”

“Huh...?!”

“They grew splendidly over a year, and the result of steaming, crumpling, and drying the first-ever batch of tea leaves is this!”

Bam!

And what she thrusts before my eyes is a bag of tea.

Its packaging bears the emblem of the war god Velesares...When did she get his seal of approval?!

“Elf specialty, Yggdrasil tea leaves!”

“Yggdrasil tea leaves?!”

Hey, hey, hey!

Does that mean... Does that mean the tea leaves contain a large amount of Yggdrasil factors?!

“How is that different from regular Yggdrasil leaves? Or are they the same?!”

“It’s superior to the leaves of the Yggdrasil in that it can be drunk as tea! But their medicinal benefits are almost the same!”

What have you created?!

What happens when you extract tea ingredients from such a thing?!

And, direct benefits of the Yggdrasil leaves?!

Ah, is this like the Yggdrasil Dew? The kind that fully restores the HP and MP of the entire party just by using it, is so OP that it disrupts the game balance and so can only be carried one at a time?

...And you can drink the same thing every time you take a break or after meals?!

It sounds so outrageous that I might cry!

“Since the fruits of our efforts have taken shape, I thought I would share one with you, Lord Saint, who has always been taking care of us.”

“Ah, yes, thank you...!”

My mind was so blank from the shock that I accepted her offer.

“From now on, having sakura mochi wrapped in Yggdrasil leaves with Yggdrasil tea will become the farm’s standard.”

“Isn’t that standard too much?!”

“And the tableware for pouring the tea and the plate for the sweets will be my creations!”

“You’ve planned everything to a T, huh!”

What an ambitious and steady plan!

I didn’t expect Aileron to aim for something so grand over the span of over a year!

But should they circulate those tea leaves to the masses? 

If everyone in this other world starts regularly drinking tea containing the medicinal benefits of Yggdrasil, wouldn’t it raise the overall standards of humanity?!

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evil officer reference. one piece also used this to name one of their characters, akudai kanzaburo

yggdrasil dew is a dragon quest reference