Today was a very important day.
For this day, Fass had worked hard for over two hundred years.
"I've finally made it."
When he uttered those words, his tone was unusually calm.
There were no tears of joy, no nervousness or fear.
Because of his thick beard, it was impossible to discern his expression at that moment.
Only his eyes, cloudy with age yet faintly gleaming with a hint of divine light, remained locked on the door before him, never once looking away.
In less than a month of research, Frieren and Aesc had successfully undone the seal on the door.
Then, as the mechanism activated, the stone door slowly opened under everyone's watchful gaze.
The space beyond the door wasn't large, but it was filled with an overwhelming amount of alcohol.
Fass was the first to step inside, unable to contain his excitement as he grabbed a bottle.
"So this is the real Imperial Wine... I never thought I'd actually get to taste it in my lifetime."
Watching Fass's back, his emotions surging, Fern's gaze subtly shifted.
It seemed that, just like her, Frieren had also told Fern the truth about Imperial Wine.
"To celebrate! You all should have some too!"
Overjoyed, Fass handed everyone present a bottle of Imperial Wine.
However, when he reached Aesc, he was met with a refusal.
"I'm sorry, I can't stand the taste of alcohol, so I'll have to pass."
"Is that so? What a shame. I can't even imagine what life would be like without being able to drink..."
Though Fass was practically addicted to alcohol, he understood Aesc's stance.
Besides, it was thanks to Aesc that he could drink Imperial Wine now—Aesc was the one who had made this possible.
As Fass uncorked the bottle and prepared to take his first sip, Fern opened her mouth slightly, as if wanting to say something—but in the end, she remained silent, simply watching as Fass drank.
And then—
"Delicious!"
Fern froze.
Frieren's expression remained unchanged, while Aesc showed a faint smile.
It wasn't until Fass had drained the entire bottle, not leaving behind a single drop, that he finally set the empty bottle down, savoring the lingering taste. His weary, bagged eyes no longer looked clouded but instead shone with newfound clarity.
"So this is Imperial Wine? Damn it, I've lived over two hundred years and never tasted anything this good! Are you sure this isn't wine meant for goddesses? It's so much better than what was described on the inscriptions! I don't think I can drink anything else after this!"
Whether it was the alcohol talking or not, Fass's emotions grew even more fervent, and his face flushed with excitement.
His eyes burned as he turned to look at the vast supply of Imperial Wine around him. Stretching out his arms, he exclaimed with glee,
"With wine this good, how could I possibly keep it to myself? Everyone should get to taste it!"
And so, in celebration of Fass's discovery of Imperial Wine, all the adults in the village drank it—and without exception, every one of them gave it high praise.
Meanwhile, Frieren lowered her presence, retreating to a quiet corner where no one was paying attention. She took a sip from her own bottle of Imperial Wine, her expression calm.
"...What a fascinating taste. So wine can be this good?"
"Lady Frieren."
As Fern approached, Frieren knew she had a question to ask.
"Lady Frieren, what exactly is this Imperial Wine?"
Fern looked at her with confusion. "Didn't you say that Imperial Wine was supposed to taste absolutely awful?"
"Of course. It's incredibly awful. To be honest, I couldn't even swallow a single sip. The fact that something could taste that bad is almost impressive in its own way."
"Then why..."
Fern trailed off, but Frieren already understood what she wanted to ask.
"Imperial Wine is absolutely terrible—that's the truth. So, these bottles here? They're not Imperial Wine at all."
"They're not Imperial Wine? Then what are they?"
Even after receiving Frieren's answer, Fern's confusion only deepened.
But Frieren simply shook her head.
"I don't know the specifics either. If you want to find out, you should ask Aesc... Look, she's already on her way over."
Fern blinked her large violet eyes and turned around, spotting Aesc.
"Lady Aesc? Weren't you leaving because you couldn't stand the smell of alcohol?"
"That's true, and right now, I am suffering. The air is so thick with alcohol I feel like I'm going to be sick..."
Aesc didn't seem to be joking—her face did look somewhat pale. "But, I figured you'd have questions for me, so I came back."
"Yes, Lady Aesc, I—"
"Ah, sorry, hold on a second—I overestimated my tolerance... Let me cast a spell real quick."
Aesc summoned her staff and tapped it against the ground. Instantly, the overwhelming scent of alcohol in the air vanished.
"Phew—much better."
A bright, almost radiant smile spread across Aesc's face. "Magic is really convenient, isn't it? Especially in situations like this."
Fern was hardly surprised by this anymore. After all, Frieren often collected spells that seemed completely useless—like removing rust from statues or turning red grapes into green grapes.
"Lady Aesc, are these bottles of wine your doing?"
"Yep."
Aesc admitted it outright, without hesitation. "After spending two hundred years chasing after a goal, only to discover in the end that it was worthless garbage... well, that kind of cruel ending wasn't something I wanted to see. People like stories where effort is rewarded, right?"
"In reality, though, life isn't like a story. More often than not, it's harsh and painful. Hard work doesn't always pay off, and perseverance doesn't always lead to sunshine breaking through the clouds. That's why... I wanted to change that, just a little."
"Frieren and I actually finished deciphering the seal a long time ago. But first, we swapped out the real Imperial Wine inside. Then, we placed a new seal on the door—one almost identical to the original. I know deception isn't a good thing... but I felt that Fass deserved a better ending."
Aesc had deceived Fass, replacing the real Imperial Wine with something else.
No one could guarantee that this misunderstanding wouldn't lead to trouble in the future.
However, if Aesc hadn't done this... Fern couldn't imagine how devastating it would have been for Fass to learn the truth.
So, she didn't believe that Aesc or Frieren had done anything wrong.
Still clutching her bottle, Fern asked one last question.
"Then, Lady Aesc, where did this wine come from?"
"You mean where it came from..."
Aesc looked troubled, clicking her tongue and scratching her head, hesitating for a long moment.
Not just Fern—even Frieren was curious.
Fass had claimed that he'd never had wine this good in his entire life. Frieren, too, found it to be the most delicious wine she had ever tasted in her thousand-year existence.
"There's a legend that this wine was brewed by a god of wine—someone called Dionysus. That's all I know, so even if you're curious, I can't tell you much more."
Frieren: "Dionysus?"
Fern: "A god of wine?"
Both of them looked puzzled. After all, they had only ever heard of the Goddess of Creation—never of a second deity.
Aesc hadn't been lying entirely.
After all, within the Sacred Relic of Salvation, there was indeed an artifact belonging to Dionysus from Greek mythology.
And the wine they were drinking now?
It was created using that divine artifact.
In other words—
This was, without a doubt, true divine wine.