The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 263 Evil Boss Nigel (13) - The Prince, the Ice Box, and Energy Drinks Zarka, who had been lost in thought for a long time, finally left the palace. Unlike his immature youngest sibling or his second brother who liked to roam around, he had a steadfast personality and didn't move easily, but this time he felt the need to observe the scene directly. "I'm going out to the market briefly. Prepare the arrangements." "Yes, Your Highness." Six guards and two eunuchs. With the addition of one scholar to serve as an advisor, a procession of considerable size was formed. Some might consider it excessive for just one trip to the market, but from Zarka's perspective, this was natural. Due to its nature as a trading city, Shurabasti had many outsiders, which meant the risk of assassination or kidnapping increased vertically. There would hardly be any madman who would dare do anything foolish to a prince in the front yard of the Baharah Family, but there are always exceptions in the world. Knowing that the moment his personal safety was compromised, problems would arise for both his family and the state, Zarka always conducted himself carefully. Since it wasn't an official schedule, the guards didn't loudly announce the prince's procession or clear the way, but when someone in obviously luxurious clothing walked down the street accompanied by several guards, the passersby on the street tactfully made way. "Is this that store? Quite a lot of people are coming and going." "If you wait just a moment, I'll have them clear the place." "No, it's fine." Zarka had not forgotten his father-king's words that whether making them an enemy or an ally, it was best to keep them close first. There was no need to give a bad impression by interfering with business from the start. Fortunately, the store was quite large, so even when Zarka's group entered all at once, it didn't feel particularly cramped. "Hmm? It's quite cool." It was natural for the interior to be cooler than the outside where the scorching sun beat down, but the inside of Nigel's store was much more intensely so. This was at a level that could be compared to a palace where marble floors were deliberately laid on the ground and ice was placed in various locations to lower the temperature. "It seems a wind mixed with cold air is blowing from somewhere. It appears a skilled mage has been stationed here." At the words of the scholar who was also knowledgeable about magic, Zarka nodded. "Right. This would not only help maintain the quality of the products, but even those who had no intention of buying anything would deliberately stop by the store just to experience this coolness. Though I'm not sure if that balances out with the cost of hiring a mage." Well, even that worry might be pointless when looking at the canned goods being sold at such a terrifying pace right now. It seemed they were paying taxes generously enough to make the person managing finances under his father-king smile broadly. Sports drinks, energy bars, sticker bread, canned goods, and so on. It was right then, as Zarka was looking around at the various products, that something strange caught his eye. The very back of the store. A beastkin employee dressed in strangely exotic clothing was shouting in front of a strange box with a bluish tint. "Everyone, come and see! This is a mysterious drink that makes drowsiness disappear and brings vitality to your body just by drinking it!" The beastkin, who boasted a figure and level of exposure comparable to any decent dancer, was drawing the gazes of many customers, but Zarka, who had more workaholic tendencies than interest in women, paid no particular attention to that aspect. He looked at the box with the bluish tint. From inside, white cold air seemed to be billowing out, and sure enough, the interior was full of ice. Finding the extravagantly luxurious display method interesting, Zarka spoke to the employee. "I'd like to see that drink you mentioned." "Ah, yes! It's this way!" Saying this, the employee put her hand into the blue box and pulled out a cylindrical can-like object that had been embedded among the ice. An exterior that appeared to be made of metal, with a handle attached to one side. 'It looks like a canned good compressed into a small, elongated shape. What's drawn on the outside... is that a picture depicting a bull?' When the employee skillfully hooked her finger on the handle and pulled, a crisp 'tseuk!' sound came along with a strange fragrance leaking out. She divided it into several paper cups and offered them to Zarka, but the amount seemed rather small even considering it was meant for tasting. "For first-time drinkers, the medicinal effect might be too strong and could make your heart race, so I recommend just tasting a little bit." "Medicinal effect." Zarka knew that similar phenomena occurred if one consumed too much qahwa or brewed it too strong. Considering that qahwa also had the effect of keeping one awake, it seemed somewhat plausible that a drink claiming the same effect would have similar side effects. But a prince of a nation couldn't just gulp down drinks offered by others. The eunuch who took the cup instead of Zarka tasted it first, and immediately made a strange expression. "How is it?" "The taste is... quite bizarre. Rather than a beverage, it feels like some kind of actual medicine with an enormous amount of sugar mixed in. And there's a slight stinging sensation on the tongue, hmm. It's hard to describe. However, this coolness is good." The scholar also took a cup, and after completing several verifications, nodded his head. "I don't sense any particular mana either." Of course, there could be slow-acting poison, so complete peace of mind was impossible. Instead of immediately putting the drink to his lips, Zarka asked the employee. "Is the reason for keeping this drink in a box full of ice to make it cold when drinking?" "Yes. Sports drinks are somewhat better, but the boss said this energy drink has a really strange taste when drunk hot. We recommend taking it cold from here and drinking it before the coldness disappears." "Hmm. In that case, do you have any thoughts about selling the box itself?" "Pardon?" The employee widened her eyes for a moment, then said to wait briefly and disappeared into the inner space where customers couldn't enter. And after a while, she returned and said. "You can also purchase an ice box! Since this one is being used, I'll fill a new one with ice for you." "I see. Let's do that. The same amount of drinks as what's currently on display should be sufficient." "Yes! And the ice box melts the ice faster if you leave the lid open, so please open it in a cool indoor place if possible!" After finishing shopping. Looking at the ice box the eunuch was carrying with both hands, Zarka spoke to the scholar. "Did you hear what she said earlier?" "She said the ice melts quickly if you leave the lid open. Conversely, that means if you just don't open the lid, it won't melt easily even outside, not just in cool places like that building." "Right. This means this small box serves the role of a yakhchāl." "Ho ho. To make a proper yakhchāl, you need to make the walls thick enough for a person to stand with arms spread, but if this thin box can truly perform such a function, it would be amazing." "Even if the drink itself doesn't meet expectations, this box alone makes the visit worthwhile." "Would it be alright if you don't meet the boss?" "Wouldn't it be better to prepare some conversation topics first? This would be appropriate as an opening." "Ho ho, for Your Highness to pay such attention. That merchant is truly blessed." After exchanging trivial small talk and returning to the palace. Zarka was amazed once again when he slightly opened the ice box to check its contents. Although it had been a relatively short trip of about thirty minutes, despite walking around under the scorching sun, the ice inside the box had barely melted. "I'd like to test how much longer this will last. Keep the lid closed continuously. And are there any problems with the bodies of those who drank the beverage?" "Yes. They actually reported that their minds seemed to have become clearer." "Hmm. Let's observe that a bit more too." Time passed, and after the sun had completely set. Only after hearing reports that although some water had formed, the ice in the ice box still maintained its shape, and those who drank the beverage still had no physical problems, did Zarka directly take the energy drink in his hands. The metal can that had been buried in the ice was cold enough to feel slightly painful to the touch. With a crisp 'tseuk' sound, a somewhat foreign yet sweet fragrance spread through the small opening. The moment Zarka put the drink to his lips, a dizzying coolness struck his tongue and throat. 'Certainly, this is foreign.' The scent was strange, and the tingling sensation in his mouth could easily be mistaken for poison. 'Still, it's not bad. Especially this feeling of cool coldness spreading to every corner of my body is nice.' Conversely, if this drink were consumed hot like qahwa, it would likely have a taste quite difficult to describe. At least for Zarka, it was a taste he didn't want to try. "Oh my." Zarka, who had been drinking the beverage in a trance, only then realized that he had downed an entire can in one go. That was troublesome. He had intended to heed the employee's advice to control the amount when drinking for the first time since it could make the heart race. Sure enough, he immediately felt his heart beating strongly. Fortunately, the symptom subsided again before he even thought to call for someone. 'It's a drink that startles people in various ways. The swallowing isn't bad, but making people anxious like this.' Inwardly downgrading his evaluation of the energy drink, thinking it would be hard to drink twice, Zarka immersed himself in reading again. On relatively leisurely days, it was his routine to fall asleep while immersed in reading like this. ...It was when Zarka finished reading his book and lay down on his bed but didn't feel even the slightest drowsiness that he realized something was wrong. After staying up all night with wide-open eyes. The very next day, Zarka bestowed this energy drink upon the retainers who had to handle paperwork. The prince, confirming that the retainers who couldn't hide their fatigue even while drinking the strongest qahwa now moved briskly as if they had been rejuvenated, went straight to Nigel's store and swept up energy drinks. It was the moment another royal regular customer was born.