I Became a Barista in Another World! Volume 1: New Beginnings [Completed]

Cup 22: Fundamentals at the Lord's Manor

"Full-bodied and smooth; the texture is wonderful. It makes for an enjoyable experience when one sips on this drink," Sir Reginald stated.

"The presentation leaves much to be desired, however. Compared to the iced coffees Mathias presented us with, your drinks were messy, as if a child had tossed them together," Agrius pointed out.

Even emotionless the Great Hero was insufferable. Ryu held his tongue as he waited for Sylfie's evaluation.

She pondered for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. "I have to agree with Agrius; your cold brew was a bit messy. Regardless, the flavor and fragrances you were able to achieve really elevated this drink. It's sweet, aromatic, and a degree less acidic and bitter than the iced coffees we tasted earlier."

Ryu was surprised that Sylfie could be so well-spoken when she wasn't guzzling down his drinks.

"So, have we decided our winner," Sir Reginald asked his fellow judges.

"We have," they said in unison.

"Very well then, let us announce the winner." Sir Reginald whispered into Sir Maxwell's ear.

The butler cleared his throat, speaking into the microphone. "After careful deliberation, the judges have decided that the winner of today's Brew Battle and the Coffee Brewer with the better chilled beverage is...Ryu Hirano!!"

"Yay, Ryu!" Aurora cheered.

The announcement caused a commotion amongst the crowd as word traveled to the outer perimeter. Some cheered while others stood dumbfounded. A lowlander had defeated a noble, in Coffee Brewing of all things!

Mathias sank to the ground as Sir Reginald removed the [Restriction] spell. Sylfie pounced on the cold brew in front of her, finishing it in one gulp. Ryu couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he caught a glimpse of Agrius taking more sips of his cold brew.

"I-it's hot outside! It has nothing to do with how good it is!" Agrius exclaimed, stubbornly.

"But you do think it's good," Ryu teased.

He ignored Agrius' shouts of protest, standing over Mathias.

"H-how?" the young lord croaked.

"Dark Elf magic comes in handy," Ryu replied.

Mathias' eyes widened. "You learned their magic—"

"Speeding up the steeping process of the Pyre grounds was important, but I obviously couldn't wait twelve hours. My mentor—she taught me a spell that negates temporal magic. I figured if I reversed the spell [Nullify], I could speed that process up. Afterward, it was simply a matter of casting [Nullify], [Petrify], and [Purify]—in that order—to remove any residual magic left over."

"That doesn't explain how you cooled the drink without ice! You didn't use frost magic either!" Mathias remarked.

"Ah, that took some ingenuity. See, I have a skill called [Nitrogen Infusion] so I planned on infusing the brew with it. However, a nitrogen-infused cold brew only works if the nitrogen is cold. So how was I supposed to cool the nitrogen down? I was back to square one."

"So, what did you do?" Mathias asked, picking himself up and dusting off his clothes.

Ryu grinned. "[Pressure Stabilization]."

"[Pressure Stabilization]?"

"Pressure and temperature are linearly correlated. If you lower the pressure—"

"The temperature decreases," Mathias realized.

"Correct."

The noble put a hand to his head. In just a few minutes, the man standing before him had pieced together a plan using modified spells and impromptu techniques to create a fully realized brew.