86: Liberry McBain

"Gulp, gulp, gulp~"

"Ah~ Good wine!"

At an outdoor table outside the tavern, Liberi McBain drank large gulps of the barley wine in his mug, letting out low-voiced exclamations of praise from time to time.

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Because he was short on funds and had been living outdoors, he hadn't had a drink in over ten days. So, even if it was just ordinary barley wine, it tasted like the nectar of the gods to him.

Moreover, this mug of wine was given to him for free by the tavern owner, who said that for the new shop's opening, the first guest would always be free.

This made him, who was getting something for free for the first time in his life, feel quite embarrassed, while also giving him a particularly good initial impression of this small territory.

As he was drinking and silently observing the lively surroundings, a male voice as clear as jade suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Excuse me, are you Sir Liberi McBain, the swordsman known as the 'flower of freedom'?"

Hearing this, Liberi's body tensed, and he turned around like a machine.

He saw Lister and Spartacus striding toward him.

As the two drew closer, his heartbeat became increasingly rapid. By the time they stopped a meter in front of him, he felt as if his breathing was about to stop.

After a long moment, he said in a trembling voice, "Do... do you have business with me?"

Seeing that he didn't deny it, Lister's face lit up with joy, but then he noticed that Liberi's demeanor was a bit strange... His head was slightly lowered, his eyes were wandering, and his clenched hands were trembling slightly, sometimes pressed against his sides and sometimes moving behind his back. He looked very much like a commoner at a loss when seeing a patrol.

What's the situation?

Lister was stunned. Could he be sick?

But looking at Liberi's radiant face, he didn't look like a sick person at all.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Could the famous 'flower of freedom' be... socially phobic?

Looking again at Liberi's current demeanor, the more Lister looked, the more certain he became, and he couldn't help but feel amused.

So it turns out the 'flower of freedom' isn't slow-witted, but just socially phobic.

Because this world didn't have the concept of 'social anxiety,' everyone who had seen Liberi like this took him for being dull and slow.

Coming back to his senses, just as Lister was about to introduce himself, the tavern owner spoke first to reveal his identity.

"Greetings, Lord."

"Please accept this small token of my appreciation."

As he spoke, the owner carried two large mugs of barley wine and gently placed them on the table in front of the two, then quickly withdrew.

Lister shook his head with a chuckle at the owner's kindness.

Every time he came to this tavern, the owner would immediately offer free barley wine, making him feel like he was becoming a freeloader.

At this point, Liberi looked up and said in surprise, "You... you are the lord of this territory?"

"That's right." Lister nodded with a smile, then performed the kingdom's etiquette. "Let me introduce myself formally. Sir McBain, I am the lord of Ironthorn Territory, Baron Lister Howard."

"This person beside me is my Knight, Spartacus Bulk."

Liberi hurriedly returned the greeting. "Greetings, Lord. May I ask what business you have with me?"

"Haha, Sir McBain, there's no need to be nervous."

"I just returned from outside the territory. As I was passing by, I saw that Sir McBain's back looked familiar, so I came specifically to check. I didn't expect it to really be you."

Looking at Liberi, who was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, or perhaps even younger, Lister spoke in a gentle and soothing tone while offering sincere praise.

"Furthermore, I didn't expect that the 'flower of freedom,' who is famous throughout the kingdom for having slayed an Orc with strength equivalent to the 9th-rank Silver, would be so young..."

"In comparison, I, with my meager strength, really feel ashamed!"

"However, it is my honor to meet you today. If you don't mind, shall we sit and chat?"

"Lord, you... you flatter me."

Hearing Lister's somewhat exaggerated praise, Liberi felt very embarrassed, but his sense of tension also lessened significantly because of it.

As the three sat down, Lister noticed that the wine in Liberi's cup was almost gone. Without saying much, he naturally pushed the barley wine in front of himself over.

Liberi, who had keen observation skills, saw this and felt a surge of goodwill toward Lister's excellent conduct, while also feeling quite envious.

"Sir McBain, do you have some business to attend to in Ironthorn Territory?"

Although he knew Liberi was just passing through, Lister asked anyway, as this was part of building a closer relationship.

Liberi shook his head and said in a low voice, "No, Lord. I accepted a bounty mission to find resources. My destination is the Western Frontier Territory, and I'm just passing through Ironthorn Territory."

"I see." Lister realized, then suggested with a sincere tone, "A bounty mission that Sir McBain would accept must be very difficult."

"The Western Frontier Territory is vast. If you need assistance, you can look for my good friend Kelvin Kunte when you arrive. He is currently the lord of the Pioneer Territory and should be able to help you out."

"...Then I thank you very much." After a moment's hesitation, Liberi still accepted Lister's kindness.

In fact, with his strength and reputation, there would certainly be no shortage of people flocking to him once he reached the West.

But compared to those guys who only had profit in their eyes and whom he found quite disgusting, the Lister before him was clearly more to his taste.

Through the depths of Lister's eyes, he could see that Lister treated him sincerely like a friend.

Even if there was a slight sense of purpose, it wasn't a bad one; it was a kind of curiosity, completely different from the eyes of those nobles who feigned compliance.

Just as he was about to speak and offer something in return, Lister smiled and spoke first. "Sir McBain, I see you seem to really enjoy drinking. It just so happens that I developed a new brewing method a few days ago..."

"I expect some has been brewed by now. I wonder if you would be willing to sample a bit?"

A new brewing method!

Liberi's eyes lit up. Besides the sword, his greatest and only hobby in life was wine.

On this point, he could say without hesitation that he had already tasted all kinds of wine throughout the kingdom, large and small.

So the new brewing method Lister mentioned immediately piqued the interest of the little glutton in his stomach.

"Then I thank you for your kindness, Lord."

Seeing his look of great anticipation, Lister let out a loud laugh, and then the three of them hurried toward the factory.

Before leaving, Liberi and Spartacus downed the large mugs of barley wine on the table in one go, showing a sense of boldness.

Although the Brewery had not been built in a hurry, after receiving the Distillation Equipment manufacturing method from Lister, Malo had ordered the craftsmen to start production immediately.

Because they were making the relatively simple Distillation Equipment from the blueprints, it was produced very quickly.

Under the full effort of the brewing craftsmen, the first barrel of Distilled Liquor happened to be brewed today.

Lister's arrival was just at the right time.