#570 The Spirits' Evaluation

Winter is gone, and spring has come.

No winter lasts, and seasons always come and go.

As my farm welcomes spring, it comes with a seasonal tradition.

“Wevivalll!!!”

“Dispatch!”

“Take-off!”

“Take out!”

Mysterious small creatures emerge from the earth.

They were, at best, about the height of a medium-sized dog, taking the form of cute and lively girls.

Several such children scatter about like claymore mines, leaping into the air.

Yes, they’re the...

“Earth spirits!”

“A warm spwing gweeting!”

The first people we meet again in spring are the earth spirits.

They are spiritual beings that help maintain the natural order of things, but here on the farm, they have gained tangible forms thanks to divine blessings.

During winter, when the natural energy is weak and stagnant, the earth spirits go underground to hibernate till spring.

Reuniting with them is one of the joys of spring.

“It’s nice to see you again, Lord Saint!”

“Long time no see!”

“We will do our best this year!”

“Those who don’t work die!”

“We are glad to be back again!!!”

Their enthusiasm is overflowing, almost uncontrollable.

 Same old, same old.

This is how spring begins on our farm every year.

“Now, now. Before we start working, how about we give ourselves a little boost?” 

“Ohh!” “What is it?” “As long as it’s fun!”

My words immediately sparked the earth spirits’ interest.

“Let’s toast with delicious juice!”

“WAHHHHHH!”

I present them with a colorful array of liquids—orange, apple, grape, banana, pineapple, and durian juices.

I made nutritious juices by blending the fruits found on our farm.

And speaking of juice, it’s one of the children’s favorite things.

The earth spirits were overjoyed to receive a treat right away.

“Thankie! The juice is sweet and tasty!”

“It’s one of the best things we’ve had after hibernating!”

“You’re so thoughtful, Lord Saint!”

The earth spirits each took a glass.

“Cheers!”

And they raise their glasses in high spirits.

“Cheers!”

“To health!”

“Cin cin!”

They quickly stir their glasses and drink every last drop in unison.

“So good!!!”

“I feel energized!”

“What mellow sweetness!”

“A wefweshing acidity!”

“Yum!”

I’m glad to see them enjoying their juices.

“Okay, try this one next.”

“There’s more?!”

“Lord Saint is so kind!”

The earth spirits were even more excited to discover they could drink some more.

“Go on, drink your second cup!”

What I offered them was...

Coffee. 

“What is this?”

“It’s black...”

“And it’s hot...”

The earth spirits were puzzled by the unknown drink. Nevertheless, they took a sip gingerly...

And their expressions changed in a flash.

Their faces grimaced like cats exposed to the smell of citrus fruits. 

“It’s so bitter!”

“Yuckie!”

“This isn’t something people should dwink!”

They all object in a chorus.

Aw, come on, you guys...

“Now, do you understand, Lord saint?”

Mr. Shax, the demon merchant, calls out to me from behind.

He’s the one who set up this whole sequence of events.

“Coffee is a beverage you can only enjoy the more you get used to it. It’s just too stimulating. This is particularly noticeable in children with much sensitive taste buds.”

Did he purposefully make the earth spirits drink coffee just to demonstrate that?!

That’s just mean!

I feel bad if I leave the earth spirits desperately trying to get rid of the taste of coffee from their tongues, so I give them more fruit juice.

“Ahh...”

“Yum.”

“This is gweat.”

The earth spirits, who were able to neutralize the bitterness of the coffee with the refreshing sweetness of the fruit, have calmed down.

“Lord Saint, opening your café with coffee as the main item will not be a simple task. First of all, the people back at the capital are not accustomed to paying for beverages other than alcohol,” he admonishes with a persuasive tone. “If you plan to go ahead with this project, above all, you must make a distinction between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. You can’t survive in the capital’s catering industry if you don’t appeal to people in a way that can compensate for the lack of alcohol. That is why...!”

He continues. “My idea is to focus on families.”

“Families?”

“Children can’t drink alcohol. As such, bars aren’t places you’d typically see families frequent. Instead, the conclusion Samijrah and I came to was to market the café as a space where families can relax.”

Ohh...

Now that he mentions it, the cafés back in my world also had menus targeted to children!

“But as you can see, coffee is too bitter for children’s palates! Children won't stop by if we open a café that only serves coffee!”

“And to prove this, you had the earth spirits drink coffee?”

What positivism...!

How cold-hearted and ruthless, even willing to make the adorable earth spirits suffer! And for what?

Is this what shrewd businessmen are all about?!

“Have some café au lait with lots of milk, little ones.”

Panu handles the after-treatment for coffee.

“It’s yummy!”

“It’s full of miwk!”

“A vewy gwown-up taste!”

The earth spirits innocently enjoy their café au lait.

“As a businessman, I can’t take any risks. If you still want to open a café, Lord Saint, I suggest you consider a space where families can enjoy themselves. Especially the younger members.” 

“All right!” I reply then and there. “We can make it happen! I’ll make a café menu that kids will love!”

“We look forward to seeing that menu.”

Thus, due to a strange turn of events, I was asked to come up with a new café menu.

Well, since we are starting a business, it’d be logical to sell a variety of items.

“More café au lait, pwease!”

“I want to dwown in milk’s goodness!”

“It’s vewy yummy!”

In the end, the café au lait was a big hit among the earth spirits.

Milk really comes to the rescue when we need it, huh?