Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 1.4

4

Ai Fa’s home was less than a ten minutes’ walk away. Just like the others, it was an isolated wooden building constructed on a flat cleared-out area with only a bit of shrubbery left to it.

Even just from our journey here, I quickly noticed how spaced out the houses were. The area around Ai Fa’s home in particular was so desolate that it felt almost eerie.

Still, considering Ai Fa’s outfit and the name “people of the forest’s edge,” I’d expected a much more primitive dwelling. But looking at it up close, it seemed to be rather splendidly made.

“Huh. You sure do live in a pretty nice place, don’t you?”

It didn’t quite have the quaint appeal of a log cabin, but still... The evenly-cut boards and logs were all well assembled, and besides, it was just plain impressively large. Heck, it may not even lose out to the Tsurumi Restaurant in terms of plot size.

It had gotten pretty dark out, so I couldn’t quite make out the details, though... At any rate, it had a rather unique structure with the roof slanting slightly from right to left, and it looked to be made entirely using woodworking, without any nails or screws. There was a moat about half a meter deep dug out around the house, with a log crossing over it at the entranceway. I figured it must have been for keeping animals away, or maybe directing rainwater.

“What are you doing...? Hurry up and head inside.”

“Ah, right, sorry.”

The door at the entrance slid to the side, reminding me of the type we had back in Japan.

Following after the home’s owner, I nervously entered into the dwelling.

“Pardon me...”

It was even darker inside. But still, I could tell that it really was spacious. The floor, meanwhile, had dark, reddish-brown pelts laid out over it.

As soon as I saw Ai Fa taking off her leather sandals at the earthen-floored entrance, I hurriedly started doing the same. I worried about what to do with my socks, but I ultimately decided there would be no harm in just taking them off. The feel of the stiff fur actually tickled my bare feet a bit.

Then, I heard a heavy clang from behind me.

Ai Fa had placed a large bar across the door in the entryway.

Now even if I scream or shout, nobody will come save me...

Well anyway, I gave the room another look over while praying that such actions wouldn’t be necessary to start with. It looked to be around 20 square meters. There were large windows cut into the walls to the left and right, and though they didn’t use any glass or anything of the sorts, they had vertical wooden bars set in them spaced about 8 inches apart.

Looking at the far wall, I spied three doors.

The ceiling, meanwhile, was fairly tall, but the beams were exposed and showed that the roof indeed slanted down to the left, just like I had seen from outside. I figured it was built that way to endure the wind and rain, but I wasn’t really sure.

To be honest, though... my attention was more on what my nose was picking up rather than what my eyes were seeing.

It seemed that three of the ingredients in the complex aroma surrounding the girl were strongly filling the space. In particular, they were the smells of meat, herbs, and spices.

“Does your foot still hurt?”

“Huh? Ah, no, it’s nothing that serious. It feels sort of warm, but it’s not really swelling or anything. It should probably be better by tomorrow, even if I don’t do anything to treat it.”

“I see...” Ai Fa had walked to the center of the room, and now looked like she was thinking something over. “I want to hear what you have to say as soon as possible, but I’m hungry as well. So for now, I’ll start preparing the food.”

“Go right ahead... Um, I don’t have anything to offer in exchange, but will I be allowed to partake, too?”

“Do you really think we could hold a conversation while your stomach is making such a commotion...?”

Come on, you don’t have to grit your teeth and get so angry...

Still, I was certainly grateful for the chance to eat a proper meal free of charge. I mean, if I had to sit in a room filled with this delicious scent as she ate alone, I may have ended up passing out.

So, the time came to prepare dinner. Of course I had only just set foot into this house for the first time, but I could see a setup near the window on the right hand side that looked to be for that purpose. It was the only place that didn’t have fur carpeting, instead having small stones laid out in a square that was about 2 meters on every side. There were also yellow rocks arranged neatly into a trapezoidal shape. That waist-high pedestal had a hole open wide in the front of it, and enshrined atop it was... a large, shiny, black metal pot.

It was just a bit primitive in nature, but this was clearly a cooking stove. Off to the side was what appeared to be a thin pile of kindling. Did that mean this huge hall also doubled as a kitchen? Maybe they had a custom of everyone helping cook and then eating together...

And yet... the only one I could see right now in this huge room was Ai Fa.

“Now that I think of it, where’s the rest of your family?”

“...I already told you that my father passed away, didn’t I? And my mother died even further back,” Ai Fa bluntly stated while ladling water from the jug next to the stove into the pot.

I had no idea about the logic or common sense of this world, so all I could say was, “I see...”

Meanwhile, Ai Fa had lit the stove. Just what sort of ignition technique had she used? I wish I had seen...

At any rate, the room gradually brightened up.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for...? You’re being an eyesore, so hurry up and sit down already.”

“Ah, right, um... Where should I sit? I’m sorry, but I really don’t know anything about the culture or customs of this land.”

Ai Fa got up from the stove and shot a puzzled look my way.

“Who the hell needs culture to tell you how to sit down? You truly are a strange man...”

When I noticed the light from small flames coming from each of her hands, that diverted my attention a bit. She was holding onto the handles of little candlesticks on saucers. They were the third bit of metalwork I’d seen since coming to this world, after Ai Fa’s blade and pot. On top of that, they were definitely made with tallow, as they were filling the room even more with a scent that incited my appetite.

Ai Fa went about the room setting the candles in front of the windows, then she gently removed the fur cloak she had draped over her shoulders. The room brightened up significantly, bringing Ai Fa’s slender limbs into clear focus... and then my heart suddenly skipped a beat without me even thinking about it. I mean, she didn’t have anything on anywhere but her waist and chest, and then that necklace. She was every bit as exposed as if she would be if she was wearing a swimsuit or just her underwear. And I mean, no matter how unsociable she may be, she was still a woman, and quite a beauty at that. She had a carefully tempered body despite her slenderness, giving the impression of a flexible leather whip, which combined exquisitely with the elegant, womanly contours of her body, and how should I put it...? She was just plain beautiful and charming. That fact only hit me all the harder now that she had removed that unrefined cloak.

“Hey...”

“Yes! What is it?!”

“Don’t go yelling like that... Hand over that thing you have hidden near your chest.”

Ai Fa shot me a glare as she hung her fur cloak on the wall and propped up her large blade beneath it.

“It’s not as if some pale little man like you could do me harm even with a blade. But still, it’s the custom of the people of the forest’s edge that when you visit someone else’s home, you entrust your weapon to the master of the house.”

I was at a loss for words.

Ai Fa approached me, her eyes narrowing in an ever so slightly dangerous-looking manner. And she still had a knife dangling from her slim waist...

“Do you need me to say it again? If you intend to abide by the customs of the people of the forest’s edge, then hand over that blade.”

“Hold on a second, please! That’s gotta be meant to display your trust in each other... right?”

Ai Fa silently held out her left hand.

After three seconds of hesitation, I made up my mind.

“Alright. But this is incredibly valuable to me. And it’s more delicate than the sort of blades made for hunting, so could you please handle it as carefully as possible?”

“...Are you mocking me? None of the people of the forest’s edge would ever handle a blade improperly.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that if the edge gets chipped or anything, it’ll be really difficult to repair. As long as you understand all that, then it’s fine.”

I pulled out the knife that I had previously stashed away near my chest and offered it to Ai Fa, handle first. This time it was Ai Fa’s turn to stop in her tracks, as she stared at the ebony handle.

“...Is this blade a memento from your family?”

“Yeah, well, something like that...”

I was actually the one who went and died, but it was still true that we would never see each other again.

Ai Fa took the knife from me and held it close to her chest, then walked further into the room.

“None of the people of the forest’s edge would ever treat family improperly...” she whispered quietly, then opened the door farthest to the right and disappeared inside.

When she reappeared, Ai Fa was carrying a mountain of ingredients in place of my knife. As I watched with great interest, she approached the stove. Looking closely, the pot was actually pretty sizable, with a diameter of around 60 centimeters and a depth of 30. It was deep with a rounded bottom, looking just like someone had lopped off the top of a sphere. And the water that filled that sphere up halfway was already boiling.

“What do you want? It’ll still take some time before it’s ready, so just have a seat already.”

“It’s just that my family works in the food industry, so I can’t help but be interested in this world’s cuisine.”

Though Ai Fa shot me a seriously doubtful look, but rather than complaining any further she simply deposited the ingredients she was holding by her feet.

“Hmm... This sure is looking pretty luxurious.”

There were two different sorts of vegetables there that I had never seen before in my life. One of them was a seriously vibrant green color, but it otherwise looked just like a large onion. Just what exactly was the other one, though...? If I was forced to say what the lumpy little fist-sized sphere resembled, I’d have to say it was sort of like a potato. And yet, it was a sort of cream color, plus it utterly lacked the eyes you would expect from one of those. Maybe it didn’t grow underground...?

Overpowering all of that, though, was the lump of meat sitting there.

In all likelihood, it was from that pseudo-boar, the giba.

The leg looked like it had been used a bit already, but there was still plenty of meat around the thigh. The meat alone must have weighed at least 5 kilos... The pelt had been smoothly peeled back, revealing the red flesh underneath, which had been dusted with what looked almost like some sort of black wood shavings. Considering the powerful black pepper smell wafting through the air, it must have been some sort of spice used to preserve food.

The hunk of meat alone was placed atop a large, smooth leaf that reminded me of the ones on an Indian rubber tree. The vegetables, meanwhile, were placed right on the floor.

Looked like this dish was going to have some serious volume to it...

“Luxurious...? You really don’t know anything about how we people of the forest’s edge live, do you?” Ai Fa said without a hint of amusement on her face, as she started things off by grabbing the meat. She held it out over the steaming pot with an underhand grip, holding it just below the hoof. I worried that she may be getting ready to chuck it in as is, but she instead drew the knife that was at her hip and started slicing off pieces of giba meat. The way that she was shaving away at the surface of the meat reminded me of someone running a kabob stand. The thinly sliced cuts of meat fell down into the boiling water, then almost seemed to dance about inside the pot. Apparently she was prioritizing the spiced parts of the meat, as more and more of the red underneath was getting exposed.

No matter how I looked at it, that was clearly a hunting knife, but it actually seemed to be pretty darn sharp. It was around 20 centimeters long and about 8 millimeters thick. The back of the blade was jagged like a saw, giving the whole thing the feel of a survival knife. Just like that savage blade from before, it had leather wrapped around it to prevent slipping, but it lacked any sort of guard.

And now, that hunting knife was slicing off chunks of meat. What a wonderfully... rustic way of cooking. But I mean, I was the heir to an eatery myself. I didn’t have any interest in the hoity-toity cooking of the culinary world’s pompous elites, and I didn’t mind how something was prepared, just as long as it was sanitary.

When it comes to cooking, the only thing that matters is whether or not a dish is tasty. Heck, the only reason I care about presentation is because it makes a dish feel tastier. And keeping sanitation in mind is important because there’s just no point if your dish harms somebody, no matter how delicious it may be.

In other words, what I’m trying to say is... Watching Ai Fa heartily shaving off the meat with a practiced hand was seriously rousing my hunger.

“What are you looking so happy about...?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s just that it looks like it’ll be really tasty.”

“...When it comes to food, there is no good or bad taste.”

After uttering those harsh words once again, Ai Fa lowered the lid on the pot. Well, I say “lid,” but it was more just a square board. And then she placed a large, flat stone on top of it, probably as a weight.

Ai Fa returned the leftover red giba meat to the pantry, checked the temperature, and gave a satisfied nod. Then, she turned and looked at me.

“It will take some time for the meat to cook... Do you mind telling me your story while we wait?”