To be honest, I rarely ever had the chance to touch a cork before dying and turning into an Alraune.
Back in my Saint Iris era, I never drank wine, though I had plenty of opportunities to drink grape juice.
Even so, I had never once experienced pulling a cork from a bottle myself.
As a duke's daughter and the Saint—and the future queen, no less—my social standing was practically on par with royalty.
Because of that, someone always uncorked bottles for me—or rather, I was required to let someone else do it.
At the time, I didn't know I was the reincarnation of a former high school girl, but I still thought I'd like to try opening a bottle at least once.
However, if I were to pull a cork from a bottle myself, what would happen?
The people around me would be punished.
The ladies-in-waiting, maids, and escort knights attending me, or the junior apprentice saints if I was at the church.
Behind my back and without my knowledge, they would be scolded by someone higher up with words like, "Do not trouble Iris-sama's hands."
For reasons like that, I never had anything to do with corks during my Iris days.
Then, after becoming an Alraune and regaining my memories of Japan as Ayame Komurasaki, I finally understood what cork really was.
As a high school girl, I had never drunk wine, but I had once been allowed to use an opener to uncork my father's wine.
Since I wasn't used to it, I remember struggling quite a bit to get it open.
Back then, someone explained to me what cork was made of, and out of curiosity, I looked up the production process in a book.
What in the world was cork actually made from?
You might be able to guess from its appearance, but cork is actually made from trees.
—Munch, munch. Gulp.
Watching me take a bite of the cork and swallow it down, the Master stared at me with a bizarre expression, muttering, "She ate the cork...??"
It was the bewildered look of someone watching a monster do something completely incomprehensible.
Just wait.
I'll show you right now.
Using Plant Generation, I'll sprout the cork oak I just ate right from the tip of my vine!
"Master, do you know what this is?"
"That's... Don't tell me, a cork oak?!"
"Correct. I am able to freely create any plant I have eaten."
"Incredible... To be capable of something so godlike... Wait, which means?!"
"Yes. Right here and now, I will make the corks."
Sensing that I was up to something, Witch-ko trotted over with a bottle of wine in hand.
Gazing curiously at the cork oak log sprouting from the tip of my vine, she asked:
"Alraune... what are you doing?"
"I'm going to make corks now."
"Corks? How?"
"I'll show you as I make them, so just watch."
The cork oak created through Plant Generation was covered in thick, rugged bark.
Since the generated plant was an extension of my own body, I manipulated it, easily peeling away the bark in one clean piece.
"Cork is made from the bark of this cork oak tree."
The bark covering the outside of the cork oak tree is the raw material for cork.
Originally, this cork layer was the tree's natural armor, meant to protect it from fires and pests.
Humans came along, peeled away that cork bark, and began utilizing it as a material.
Even when stripped, the tree's bark would regenerate over time, making it remarkably convenient and reusable.
Normally, a cork craftsman would use a blade to strip the bark from the cork oak tree.
However, since I could freely manipulate the plants that made up my body, I could separate just the bark without going through that laborious process.
Witch-ko picked up the bark that had fallen to the floor.
After peering closely at it, she mumbled softly:
"It definitely looks like cork, but it's not a cork yet, right?"
"Mmh... That's true."
Its shape was still just raw bark, and its texture felt somewhat different.
Come to think of it, the bark has to be processed before it can become proper cork.
"Making cork takes time. It has to weather out in the open for half a year to remove the sap, and after that, it needs to be boiled and dried."
As expected of the Master, being a professional meant he knew his craft inside and out.
The book I read back then had said something similar.
"Making cork sounds simple enough when you say it, but it's actually hard labor. Producing cork oak bark is amazing, but we don't have enough time to finish them."
Speaking of which, when I first stepped into this wine workshop, I came across an empty workroom.
There were many plant fragments scattered across the floor; those really had been pieces of cork oak after all.
In other words, that room was meant for manufacturing corks.
This workshop didn't just make wine; they made their own corks as well. How impressive.
"In that case, I'll add those steps as well."
"Huh?"
Through Plant Generation, I applied selective breeding to the cork oak bark.
Adding adjustments beyond what had been mentioned, I manufactured the exact duplicate of the sample cork I had just received and eaten.
"Here, it's finished."
"Th-This is...!"
At the tip of my vine, a cork grew just like a piece of fruit.
Unlike the rough bark from earlier, I reshaped it to match a finished product.
With this, it could be used directly as a bottle stopper without needing any processing whatsoever.
"How is it, Master?"
"P-Perfect...! The appearance and the texture are completely cork... No, that's not all. The quality is even better than our own corks!"
It didn't feel bad to be praised.
It was my first time making cork, but it seemed to be a complete success.
The cork I made fit snugly into the mouth of the bottle.
The size was spot-on as well.
My Plant Generation skills had improved considerably compared to several years ago when I first made a wooden plate.
"Thank you, Alraune-san... No, Alraune-sama. Now this wine workshop can survive! How can I ever repay you...?!"
"No need for thanks, just keep making delicious wine. Rufe seems to have taken a liking to it, after all."
"...No. I like this one better."
Without my noticing, Witch-ko had abandoned the wine on the table.
Instead, she held a different bottle.
"Wine has alcohol in it, so it tasted a little weird. This grape juice is sweet and tastier."
What Witch-ko had taken a liking to was simply alcohol-free grape juice.
"If you mix Alraune's Saint Nectar into this, it'll be even tastier. It's guaranteed to sell."
"Understood. Rufe, use this nectar."
"...Yay."
Seeing her enjoy something appropriate for her age made me feel a bit relieved.
I didn't want to see a booze-crazy Witch-ko just yet.
By the way, I was completely used to a nectar-crazy Witch-ko, so that didn't phase me at all. Sweet things really were delicious.
"All right, you lot! Work swiftly and carefully! If we load it onto tomorrow's carriage, we'll just barely make the delivery deadline for the Royal Capital!"
Having acquired Saint Nectar Wine and corks, the wine workshop resumed operations.
The Saint Nectar Wine made here would be served at the wedding in the Royal Capital.
Thinking that I had contributed, even just a little, to the auspicious event for my friend Furie and Lord Manfred gave me a rather deep sense of fulfillment.
I hoped they would enjoy drinking it.
"Now then, Master, as promised, please tell me about the imperial soldiers."
"Like I said earlier, the imperial soldiers left the city this morning."
"Did Prince Kintora leave as well?"
"Yeah. Word was they were stopping by a post town located between Blutenweiss and the Royal Capital, so it looks like they'll be staying there tonight."
Prince Kintora, who was also the Crown Prince, was renowned across the continent as the Glanz Empire's next emperor.
He was also famous as the Empire's strongest man, but few knew that he was a slime user.
Thanks to having had a bit of interaction with that man during my Saint Iris era, I knew about it.
I might be the only foreigner alive who knew that man's hidden trump card was slimes.
"Was Crown Princess Marai with him as well?"
"That princess of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire? She was indeed with him."
Crown Princess Marai and I had a bit of history.
Last year, when we visited the witches' village, we crossed paths with Marai.
At that time, we discovered that Marai's true identity was a witch.
And her husband, Prince Kintora, was cooperating with the witch Crown Princess Marai.
Not only that, but an Empire coordinating with the Witch Queen and the Demon King Army was a clear enemy to me.
Even if I had become an Alraune, I had no intention of quietly abandoning my homeland.
We had to hurry to the Royal Capital.
Right now, we could still slip into the Royal Capital before Prince Kintora and his group.
"Thank you very much, Master. Is there anything else you know about the Empire?"
"...Actually, another member of the Twelve Sword Generals was staying here alongside Crown Princess Marai. One of them didn't head for the Royal Capital and is still loitering around the city."
"Huh, why is that?"
"I don't know. Don't know why, but the guy loves wine so much he practically lived in our shop every day, looting our stock."
An imperial soldier—and one of the Twelve Sword Generals, the absolute elite of the Empire's elite.
Why would such a person remain in this city?
If I remembered correctly, the Demon King Army's Second Army was scheduled to attack Blutenweiss.
Perhaps the reason it hadn't been attacked yet was because Prince Kintora and his group had been staying here until today.
If that was the case, there was no longer any reason for the Demon King Army not to attack this city.
Which meant the day of the city's raid might not be far off.
"Rufe, can we head to the city entrance now?"
"Sure, but why?"
"A little insurance, I suppose. If possible, I'd like to find that member of the Twelve Sword Generals and squeeze some information out of them—but once that's done, let's depart for the Royal Capital immediately."
"...Insurance? I don't really get it, but okay."
Just as we were about to leave the wine workshop.
The door to the room was kicked open by someone.
The Master quietly muttered, "Speak of the devil..."
Which meant, could this person be—? I turned my gaze toward the figure emerging from the doorway.
My eyes met those of a swordsman holding a bottle of wine in one hand.
His attire belonged to an imperial soldier, and his face was identical to one of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire I had known during my Iris days.
And judging by the Master's reaction, there was no mistaking it.
What luck.
Talk about a duck coming along carrying green onions on its back!
Catching sight of me, a monster, the man of the Twelve Sword Generals shifted his eyes toward me with a glare.
At the same time, he drew his sword.
Before it could swing down—I swung the cork oak log still growing from my vine back in a wide arc.