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odorekijin[Bacchus’ Cellar]
Oz: …Then it’s the influence of the Great Calamity, isn’t it?
Bacchus: Looks like it. I knew right away that it was no ordinary crop. Who knows what kinda damage would’ve befallen us if I dared mention that situation to anyone, so… So, I thought I’d harvest ‘em all right away, to get ‘em outta sight.
But the grapes… They looked so rich, so plump and ripe, that my curiosity got the best of me—I wanted to see with my own two eyes what kinda wine I could make with ‘em.
I thought it’d be a waste of time at first, y’know, another useless experiment, but I kept at it anyway: I treaded the grapes in a barrel, let ‘em ferment to see what’d come outta it. But then…
――”It was the most exquisite wine I had ever sampled.”
Mister Bacchus then added:
“No other wine could match the stellar finesse of that one.”
Bacchus: Can y’all believe it? That wine didn’t even get to mature or age, but everything about it was totally unprecedented.
Arthur: But those grapes are under the influence of the Great Calamity, are they not? Is this wine even safe to consume?
Bacchus: That’s what made me hesitate too, but a few days after drinking it, I was still in tip-top shape ‘n without a stomach ache in sight. It was a perfectly normal– No, it is a spectacular, first-rate wine.
I ended up askin’ the folks in town about what I should do with the wine, and though they were all up in arms ‘bout how scary ‘n ominous it was, they still asked to have a sip of it.
Nero: So curiosity got the better of their fears, huh.
Faust: Typical of Western Country.
At the townspeople’ unending pleas, Mister Bacchus gave them a small taste of the wine.
With flushed cheeks and an absently whimsical demeanour, they immediately sang praises of the beverage.
All were tantalised by its aroma, and word of the wine—and its reputation—spread through town like a wildfire.
Bacchus: Everyone was showerin’ praise on me. I still think it's too good to sell to customers though, but they got me convinced that the wine'd sell like hotcakes at the next harvest festival, and…
And, honestly, I was just as ecstatic as they were. So I followed their advice ‘n continued usin’ those grapes for a while.
But one day, the realization hit me: this was no longer my wine.
His voice grew weaker, like a fire slowly going out.
Bacchus: The wine born from that single night's strange disaster was more esteemed, more glorified, than the wine I had devoted my entire existence to.
So what now? What the hell was my whole life for, huh?
Every single day I tended the land to ascertain optimal timing for the harvestin’, I made sure to pick not only the finest grapes but also paid attention to the barrels they would ferment in, down to the time the wine would spend maturing, ‘n yet…
The more I think ‘bout it, the more I feel like I’ve done all that fer nothin…
Dropping his head, Mister Bacchus exhaled, a strong scent of wine emanating from him.
I wasn’t really sure it was from the uncorked bottles around him, or if it truly was the smell of wine that had seeped into his skin, as Shylock had told us.
Faust, Rutile & Nero: …
Shylock: ...Is it this wine over there?
Shylock's gaze fell on a large quantity of brand-new barrels stacked on one another. Irked, Mister Bacchus answered, almost spitting his words:
Bacchus: That wine… You can make as much as you want, whenever you want.
Ain’t that hella convenient? No need fer skills, masterin’, time, no nothin’. Just pick, smash, ‘n boom, done.
Wanna know what’s even better? Thanks to the Great Calamity, no need ta worry ‘bout how much you harvest, ‘cause the vineyards would be heavy with fruits in a heartbeat!
Akira: …Oh.
The odd vineyard scenery, filled with grapes yet to be harvested, flashed before my mind’s eyes again.
Bradley: You talkin’ ‘bout that field by the cellar, ain’tcha?
Akira: (So it was under the Great Calamity’s influence...)
Bacchus: Sure, if I kept on usin’ those grapes, tons ‘n tons of bottles would circulate on the market—my name’d be known far ‘n wide, and heck, I could overwrite Bennett’s reputation in no time.
But no matter the popularity or how much it’s sought after, at the end of the day, it’ll just be another wine with my name plastered on it.
There’s no merit in that.
Arthur: That’s...
Rutile: But for you to stop making wine after all these years...
Bacchus: I was proud of my wines: they were the product of all my trials and errors, of the sweat on my brow, of the labour I had put in—but I no longer feel that way.
What if, no matter how much I put into my productions, I was told that the best vintage “Bacchus Wine” ever produced was the year that the Calamity hit us, hm?
I just can’t bring myself to face that future…
Mister Bacchus curled in on himself. Though his body was that of a young, juvenile boy, his face was as ragged as an old, worn cloth.
I only knew the stories Shylock had told us when it came to the efforts and diligence Bacchus had put into his winemaking. But simply imagining the misery and helplessness veiling his heart caused my own to clench with sorrow.
Akira: Mister Bacchus…
An irritated grumble echoed at the same time.
Bradley: Ugh, sounds like a buncha whinin’ to me, a real sob-story but I don’t see no nobody cryin’ yet.
Shylock: Bradley.
Bradley: So you’re tellin’ me you faked being all happy-go-lucky when the odds suddenly turned yer way, ‘n ya just abandoned everythin’ you did up ‘till now, ay?
Well ain’t that a knight-in-shining-armour noble cause there, man. Then tell me: why are ya cowering ‘n cryin’, huh?
Don’t go mopin’ around about a wine made by the Calamity, pretendin’ to be the damn fool that lost everything ‘ere.
Bacchus: …I’m not pretending. I am the loser in this story.
I lost against the taste of an effortless, passionless, soulless wine.
Bradley: Yeah, yeah you did. Which means I can take that vineyard outta yer hands no problem, right?
Akira: What?
Shylock: …
Nero: Hey, cut it out…!
Bradley: Y’all heard same as I did: that guy stepped down ‘n won’t be makin’ wine no more, which means his land’s up for grabs.
Drink all ya want, Bacchus, it’s on me. I’ll make good use of that vineyard and make big bucks in the wine market.
Murr: Then count me in too!
Arthur: Murr!?
Murr: The vineyard basked in the Great Calamity’s power, right? Sounds interesting! I wanna look into it some more!
Bradley: Fine by me, always need more hands when it comes ta business. I’ll let ya munch away at some of the land.
Man, ‘s been a while since I've picked anythin’ other than fights.
Murr: Yaaay! Munch munch! Starting today, I’m a vineyard owner!
Bradley: Holup, I’m the boss here, dun’ get it twisted in yer favour.
Faust: Hey, is it really okay for us to let them be? These two definitely aren’t kidding around.
Oz: One is sly and calculating, the other is bereft of speech.
Nero: Dude, come on, if you dun’ do somethin’ about it, you’re gonna lose it all, fer real.
Bacchus: ...tch… It’s got nothin’ to do with me anymore. Do what you want.
Mister Bacchus flung the words over his shoulder, erasing the slight grimace from his face.
Shylock: Bacchus…
Shylock and Mister Bacchus' eyes met for a moment, but it did not stop Bacchus from fleeing the cellar without a word.
