"I wonder if you would allow me to conduct an experiment."
Some time after the incident where the potions placed at the shrine became high-performance, a male distiller approached Ren's group.
Complaining that the system requiring him to go to the entrance of the women-only area and rely on someone to pass on a message was inconvenient, he made his request to Ren and the others.
He wanted to test whether placing alcohol there would similarly improve its quality.
"We can't guarantee that it will taste better."
"Of course, that's fine. If you cooperate, I will gift you a bottle of the finished alcohol for free."
"We accept your offer."
It wasn't because they were tempted by the alcohol—they were absolutely not tempted by the alcohol—but Ren took several bottles of liquor from him and placed them inside the shrine's storage box.
One week later.
They brought the retrieved alcohol to the distillery and held a tasting session.
The results were excellent.
"The wine might have gained a deeper flavor."
"The seishu (sake) has a cleaner finish."
The effect of the shrine, which had become a Sanctuary, seemed to extend not only to potions but also to alcohol.
Could it be applied to other things?
Ren thought about it for a while but gave up. Food items would likely spoil if left for too long, and for liquids, potions and alcohol were the primary candidates. Juice might also taste better, but she felt pursuing flavor wasn't necessary to that extent.
At any rate, this was thanks to Shion, who was delicately holding a small cup and slowly sipping her sake.
"I wonder if the taste would be even better if we left it for a longer time?"
"It's possible. I'd like to try, but... the delicious liquor would be meaningless if it couldn't be delivered to everyone."
"Placing it at the shrine after completion would take time, and it's not very good for security either."
The space wasn't very large. It would be a bit inconvenient to have bottles of liquor lined up all over the main hall.
The distiller thought for a while, saying, "Hmm."
"Say. Is it possible for Shion-chan to create another Sanctuary? There's a small lake or water source near the shrine, isn't there? That would be a good place."
"Um, why is that?"
"Water is essential for brewing. I think that if we use holy water to make the alcohol, we wouldn't need to age the finished product, and the taste might be even better."
Indeed, that made sense.
There would probably be other people who would want to use fresh, holy water. It would be good for cooking, and apothecaries would gladly use it.
"What do you think, Shion?"
Creating more Sanctuaries was possible by raising the skill level.
However, it would use up valuable skill points, which could potentially delay their conquest. Also, how many Sanctuaries were necessary? Ren asked Shion, who possessed the skill, directly.
The girl, who had finished her sake, gave a small nod.
"Yes. If you permit me, I would be happy to cooperate."
"Really!? Thank you, I'm indebted to you!"
Ren and the others returned and immediately turned the water source into a Sanctuary. Since it was right next to the shrine and on the border of the forest, it also served to guard against wild animals entering the residential area more effectively. This offer was perfect in a way.
"If the range of the skill expanded, we might only need one Sanctuary."
"That's certainly true. How is the range determined...?"
Since there was no separate skill for range expansion, they concluded it might be fixed. It was later discovered that the range gradually expanded according to Shion's level, but at this point, they had no choice but to create two Sanctuaries.
"From now on, let's draw our cooking water and drinking water here."
"You're right. We tend to just use magic to conjure water and call it a day."
Holy water must surely be even more delicious.
"But if too much water is drawn, the source might run dry."
"Should we put up a sign or something? Like, 'Thank you for using this water carefully.'"
The water source wasn't far from the neighboring houses. When they informed their neighbors, the number of users quickly increased. The water depletion they worried about didn't occur, as most users kept within the scope of domestic use. However, it might become dangerous if apothecaries and distillers started using the water in earnest.
"But this water really seems to have an effect. I feel like the food tastes a little better."
"Yes. The water spirits in that water source are full of life!"
"Since it's Sanctuary water, it's holy water."
When they told the Sage about this, he suggested, "You could make money by selling it," but Ren and the others didn't intend to commercialize the holy water.
It was most important that everyone's lives were enriched. With that in mind, they decided to make it available to everyone as much as possible, only limiting the usage if necessary.
"Otherwise, I feel that the effect of the Sanctuary might diminish."
"That might be true."
As this was Shion's wish, they adopted this policy. Then, business people who utilized the water—apothecaries and the distiller—offered to provide a portion of their sales.
"This is our gratitude. We'd be happy if you simply accept it as a service fee..."
If that was the case, they might as well accept it. After discussing it with Shion, Ren said,
"In that case, could we receive it in kind?"
They settled on receiving one bottle of liquor and one potion each month. In a sense, it was an offering to the shrine.
This was, of course, Shion's share.
Ren said they might use the potion if needed, but Shion could drink the alcohol as she liked. Shion replied,
"No. I feel bad drinking it all by myself, so let's share it with everyone."
She was so kind, or perhaps so lacking in greed, that it made her ability to create a Sanctuary understandable.
Left with no choice, they consulted with the other companions and decided to offer Shion a larger portion of the alcohol and abura-age that they purchased from the grocery budget. As a result, the quality of Ren's table also improved, so there were no complaints.
"So Shion-chan's Yōko race has these nice benefits. In Iris-chan's case, it has a good effect on the forest and animals, right?"
"Yes. My parents said the forest became even more vibrant after I moved closer to it."
"That's a good thing. What about Mei-sama's case...?"
"Our job as Golems is to work, so I don't believe we have such grand benefits. Unless, perhaps, we lived in a mine."
A Golem swinging a pickaxe and mining... that might actually suit her.
"Does my Succubus class have any such benefits?"
"In Ren's case, isn't it something like fertility?"
"That sounds like something a shrine would offer."
"Then, Ren-sama and I might be compatible."
Shion's happiness was the most important thing, but if the Succubus class really did have a fertility benefit, then living only with women might be a waste of potential.
If anything, an increase in the number of girls living in this area might lead to an increase in the number of 'old maids.'
"Hmm... That's a difficult one."
While she was thinking that, Ren later heard from Iris's parents that "the number of animals has increased since Iris moved out."
Perhaps the fertility power also worked on animals. Ren was glad it was somewhat useful.
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