3
I had promised to give Milano Mas and his daughter cooking lessons at The Kimyuus’s Tail after wrapping up work at The Sledgehammer and The Great Southern Tree.
Currently, there was a little under an hour until work would wrap up back at the stalls. I had used up some time talking to Mikel of Turan, but I still had plenty enough left for a preliminary trial. And the first few days would likely just be me getting familiar with karon and kimyuus meat, anyway.
That conversation with Mikel had sent all sorts of thoughts running through my head, but for now, I had to concentrate on work.
Ai Fa’s sure to yell at me if I get distracted and screw something up, I thought, stealing a glance over at my clan head as she walked alongside me, when I noticed she was wearing a dark expression.
“Hey, is something wrong, Ai Fa...?” I whispered as we walked down the stone highway, only for her to shoot me back a truly helpless look.
“It’s really nothing. That Mikel man’s words just left me a bit out of sorts...”
“Huh? Why’s that? Are you worrying about my muscles getting severed too?”
“I’ll never allow such a thing to happen. Don’t go saying ominous things like that so lightly, you fool.”
“Then what is it? You’re not possibly thinking I’ll follow Mikel’s warning and leave Genos, right...?”
In response, Ai Fa gave a somehow childish-looking shake of her head.
“You would never abandon the people of the forest’s edge like that. Worrying about such matters would be akin to trampling on your pride and resolve.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m relieved to hear it’s not that.”
“I’m simply feeling a bit uneasy... About whether or not this current lifestyle of ours holds enough appeal to keep you here...” Ai Fa said, her fingers casually gripping the sleeve of my t-shirt.
Meanwhile, the others of our group just kept on walking ahead of us, not noticing anything.
“You have formed bonds with all sorts of people, but ultimately you’ve spent more time with me than anyone else. And yet, I cannot completely wipe away the concern, questioning whether you truly feel that much happiness from being with me...”
“No, like I’ve said—”
“I know. Each time I have had such worries, you have firmly denied them. It’s not as if I’m doubting your feelings... It’s just my own weakness, that I can’t help but feel concerned even so,” Ai Fa stated, listlessly hanging her head.
Just last night I had told her that I wasn’t happy unless I was by her side. Did she not remember because she was drunk, or was that still not enough to clear away her worries? Well, if it was concerning her, then I had no choice but to keep fighting against those doubts, no matter how many times it may take.
“It’s alright. No matter what, I’ll never leave your side. No matter how troublesome of a foe Cyclaeus may be, I’ve got nothing to fear when all of you are backing me, right?” I said, placing my own hand atop the one clinging to my shirt.
Ai Fa took one more careful stare at my face, and then she gave a firm shake of her head.
“I allowed my timidness to show. I’m embarrassed as a clan head.”
“That’s nothing to feel embarrassed about. I mean, I’d be an absolute wreck if I thought that you were in danger, Ai Fa.”
Still, it wasn’t as if there was actually any concrete danger closing in on me. Mikel had just said that if Cyclaeus actually ate my cooking, he would probably fall for my skills as a chef then and there.
No matter how many times I thought it over, I just couldn’t see Cyclaeus having any interest in giba cooking. And besides, at the moment he was practically at war with Melfried, the next lord of this land, so he didn’t exactly have time to be bothering with me anyway. After all, it was pretty much a question of whether his self-preservation or gourmet tastes mattered more to him.
“Still, a man who was once a chef in the castle town recognized your skills. At least take that fact to heart, Asuta,” Ai Fa said, something or other seemingly having improved her mood. However, her hand still kept on lightly gripping my t-shirt.
“That definitely is an honor. Regardless, I’d like to believe I’ll never even get a chance to meet Cyclaeus once,” I stated, not knowing quite how optimistic the statement may be.
Even if Cyclaeus himself didn’t wish for it, there was no telling how the prank-loving goddess of fate could intervene with our destinies. However, it would be a bit later till we figured that out.
At any rate, my work still wasn’t over yet for the day. And after a short while, we had arrived at The Kimyuus’s Tail.
“We didn’t run into anyone in the end... Well then, Ai Fa, I’ll be the one heading inside this time, alright?” Ludo Ruu said, to which Ai Fa replied, “I know,” almost pouting. However, she stopped herself and stood a bit removed from the inn’s entrance.
Shin Ruu and the boy from the branch house circled around to the rear entrance, while Ludo, Vina Ruu, and I passed through the front door.
“Oh, so you’re finally here, eh?” Milano Mas said, standing up at the reception desk.
“Sorry for the wait,” I called back, but then I stopped short, realizing he had an abnormal look on his face. “Wh-What’s the matter? Did something happen, Milano Mas?”
“I guess... I can’t just say it’s nothing, eh?” he replied, making a face like he was desperately forcing down his anger. And it wasn’t just any ordinary anger. His face had gone completely pale, and he looked just as haggard as he was mad. “My daughter went out to do some shopping a little while ago. And then, she got surrounded by ruffians out in town... and was almost abducted.”
“Huh?! I-Is she alright?”
“Yeah. One of the customers who stays at our inn happened to be there, and then the guards showed up during the commotion that ensued and the ruffians scattered.”
That must have been one of the bodyguards who was pretending to be a guest at the inn while protecting Milano Mas and his family. While truly thanking Kamyua Yoshu for giving that order, I said, “I see...” with a sigh of relief.
However, his story wasn’t over just yet.
“And apparently, those ruffians were saying all traitorous fools who support the people of the forest’s edge will get what they deserve.”
“Wh-Why were random thugs around town saying something like that?!” I questioned, slapping my hands down on the reception desk and leaning in close towards Milano Mas.
In a voice trembling with rage, Milano Mas responded, “You folks from the forest’s edge have no shortage of enemies right now. And that includes the sort who fear and scorn you without any real rhyme or reason. Hmph... Looking at it that way, that Redbeard’s kid at least has a reason to hate you all. That at least makes him feel a bit more human than scum like them.”
“Is there a chance they were working with Jeeda...?”
“I can’t imagine so. They were probably failed mercenaries or the like who were just using you folks from the forest’s edge as an excuse.”
Was that really the case?
After all, just last night Dora was attacked by bandits dressed like hunters of the forest’s edge. I found it hard to imagine this was all just a big coincidence, considering the timing.
Still, even when I told him of the incident with Dora, Milano Mas just shook his head and said, “It’s nothing but a coincidence. It wasn’t like my daughter was attacked by guys pretending to be people of the forest’s edge, after all. Both of them may involve you folks, but the details were different.”
“But in the end, they were trying to give the same impression to their victims, right? That nothing good comes of getting involved with the people of the forest’s edge...”
“Who would even benefit from something like that? The nobles? The remnants of the Redbeards? What’s there to gain from upsetting the relationship between the post town and the people of the forest’s edge at this point?”
He certainly may have been right, there.
The incident with Dora seemed to be a plot to make folks despise the people of the forest’s edge... but what meaning was there to the attack on Milano Mas’s daughter?
The one thing I could think of was to set back my business with the stalls. It was certainly an unpleasant thought, but if Milano Mas and Dora both got fed up with me, then it would be a bit tricky to keep on going as I had been.
However, even if it made things more difficult, it’s not like even that would shut me down completely. There were plenty of places here in the post town to purchase vegetables and rent stalls, after all. If they really wanted to make me give up my business, they would have to keep going until nobody in the entire post town was willing to take my money.
There had to be plenty of more efficient ways to interfere with my work, right? Or was it just down to the fact that it was easier to go after the townsfolk rather than attacking the people of the forest’s edge directly?
“At any rate, you should just leave scoundrels like that to the guards. It’s their job to catch criminals, after all. And we’ve got our own work to focus on,” Milano Mas stated, turning his back to me. “So let’s get to it, already. My daughter’s unsurprisingly feeling hesitant, so it’ll just be me for today.”
“Ah, wouldn’t it be best to put that off for the time being? I’d feel terrible if you or your daughter ended up getting attacked again.”
“What, so you want to move your contract for the stalls to another inn? Or are you gonna give up on doing business in the post town entirely...?” Milano Mas grumbled, his back still facing me. His frame wasn’t all that large, but I could clearly see it trembling with anger. “And then you’d just hole up in the forest’s edge again, not even trying to form bonds with anyone from town? Would that really satisfy you folks?”
“No, but—”
“Even if this is some plot by nobles or bandits, you really think we’d crumble so easily? This post town is built on business, and I won’t let guys like that interfere with ours.”
With that, Milano Mas disappeared into the kitchen.
As I stood there worrying about whether or not I should follow him, Ludo Ruu said, “Get going, Asuta,” and gave my back a push. “Ai Fa said it too, right? Your job is to make delicious food and succeed at your business here in the post town. Leave the rest up to us,” he added with his usual grin. Despite that smile, though, his eyes were shining with the look of a hunter. “That old guy said someone saved his daughter, right? That means one of Kamyua’s allies did his job. And if you give up on your business, wouldn’t that be like throwing away all the pride and trust people have in you?”
“Got it...”
It wasn’t just Ludo Ruu and Kamyua Yoshu. Dora and Milano Mas would say the same too. That no matter what danger I might face, I shouldn’t bend from my path. They must have had at least that much resolve when they decided to lend us a hand.
How would I have acted if I were in their position? Would I decide that since things looked bad right now, it was best to keep some distance to deceive our enemies?
No, I doubt it. If I were the one facing harm, I’d definitely stubbornly insist on never bending to something like that.
Wait, does that mean everyone’s just as stubborn as I am...? That’s honestly sorta worrying, I thought to myself as I stepped forwards.
Milano Mas was waiting for me in the kitchen, his arms crossed.
“You said you wanted to try handling karon and kimyuus meat today, right...? I’ve got everything prepared.”
Sure enough, there was a large pot sitting by his feet. Or was it more of a jar? At any rate, its mouth was open wide, revealing that it was packed tight with bluish rock salt.
“Right. In order to instruct you, I need to first learn about kimyuus and karon meat myself, so that’s where I’d like to start.”
“Got it. Well then... Here’s to working with you,” Milano Mas said, taking his hat in his hands and giving a deep bow.
After taking a deep breath and letting out all the anxiety and worry I was feeling, I bowed back at the same angle, responding, “I look forward to working with you, too.”
“First up, this is karon meat,” Milano Mas stated, reaching into the jar and pulling out a hunk of red meat.
It was around 15 centimeters long, five wide, and one thick. And it was practically all red meat, without any significant fat to be seen. However, there was a web of fine white sinew running throughout it. This was my first time seeing raw karon meat, but the vivid red color about it reminded me a lot of beef.
“Hmm, at The Kimyuus’s Tail, you mostly boil karon, right? Most stalls tend to grill it instead, though.”
“That’s because stalls don’t use plates. And it’s easier to just grill up some tough karon meat and sell it.”
“Ah, karon leg meat is tough, right? Excuse me...”
With that, I gently poked the chunk of meat sitting there.
It was more that it was overly sinewy rather than tough. Honestly, the feel of it reminded me more of beef shank or shoulder than leg meat.
“It certainly has quite a bit of sinew. Is it sold in cuts this way?”
“No, it comes in a bigger block when I buy it. Then I slice it thinly like this and salt it, so that it won’t be a pain to deal with later.”
“I see. If the opportunity arises, I’d like to see it in that block form, too. How you do the initial cuts can make quite a difference... Why don’t we start by beating it with a wooden pole?”
“Beating it...?” Milano Mas question, knitting his brows in confusion as he got me a thick pole meant for stirring.
I took that from him, wrapped it in a clean cloth, and then carefully beat the meat.
“By breaking down the fiber like this, you can soften up tough meat.”
I beat it till that one-centimeter thickness was about halved, which left the meat a whole lot softer.
However, there were still lumps left all throughout, and so I thrust my meat cutting knife into it again and again. While this was also an essential step, I had to be careful since overdoing it could cause the meat to fall apart.
“Alright, let’s try grilling this a bit... By the way, does karon need to be cooked carefully?”
“No, since you can apparently even eat it raw as long as it’s fresh. So you definitely don’t need to grill it as thoroughly as kimyuus. And if you overcook it, it’ll end up getting even tougher on you.”
“Is that so?”
For the time being, I cut off a bit more than a mouthful and dropped it into the pot, then pulled it out onto the wooden plate when just a bit of redness was left.
It pretty much looked like beef yakiniku, and it smelled similar too. Ultimately, it stimulated the appetite to a fairly average degree, as you’d expect.
But when I tossed that little chunk into my mouth... Perhaps because of the lack of fat, it came across as rather dry, and the remaining bits of sinew stuck in my teeth.
The meat itself wasn’t as tough as giba, but it was just far too sinewy. Since it came out like this even after such a thorough tenderizing, maybe it wasn’t all that suited to grilling after all.
However, despite the fact that it was dry and sinewy, I could still sense the flavorful meat beyond its overpowering saltiness. Yes, it definitely seemed like an ingredient that was best suited to boiling.
“Hmm... I tried some food from a stall before in the past, but that was cut incredibly thin and wasn’t very tough to eat. How did they slice it, I wonder?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I figure they probably cut it after grilling it. It’s tough to get it too thin while it’s still raw.”
“Ah, I see.”
The kebab stalls I saw at festivals and like back home came to mind. So they were shaving it off the grilled surfaces, then?
In that case, I wanted to try thinly slicing it while it was still raw.
I laid the karon meat out flat atop the cutting board, then cut perpendicularly to the fibers. As swiftly as I could, I lifted the blade from below as if scooping up.
“You sure are skilled,” Milano Mas groaned.
I went ahead and had Milano Mas give it a try with his own knife too, and it seemed he could still cut it down to a thickness of about seven or eight millimeters. Even if he hadn’t been a skilled chef to start with, the man had been preparing food for his inn for years now. Honestly, I’d probably rate him as more skilled than most of the women at the forest’s edge.
Anyway, we ended up finely slicing about half of that initial chunk Milano Mas had brought out. It had only been around five millimeters thick after I tenderized it, so the pieces ended up like an odd bunch of strings.
“Alright, now let’s try grilling this up with fruit wine and myamuu for flavor.”
I chopped up the myamuu and heated it along with the meat, then added the fruit wine in at the end.
When I plated the dish, it ended up looking like a pepper steak without any vegetables.
“Yeah, this goes down a lot easier than just grilling it normally,” Milano Mas stated, his eyes open wide in surprise after sampling it. “And for the taste to get this much better just by adding fruit wine and myamuu... Honestly, I’d be fine just serving this to my customers as is.”
“Karon also has quite a bit of nice meaty flavor to it too, so it seems to pair well with myamuu. If you sauté it up along with something like aria, pula, or tino, it could actually come together real well.”
Honestly, it seemed to be going rather nicely for something I was just thinking up on the spot.
However, there was still room for improvement in how we were flavoring it. We could try steeping it in a marinade like with the myamuu giba, or pairing it with other condiments... Maybe it was because I hadn’t used any pico leaves, but the flavor just felt too mild, somehow.
Still, pico leaves aren’t free here in the post town. And I can’t get a hold of tau oil except through Naudis.
This certainly seemed to be an ingredient worth tackling. However, since I was limited on time, I went ahead and stopped my examination of the karon meat here.
“Well then, I’d like to try out the kimyuus, too.”
Milano Mas nodded and thrust his thick arm into the jar once again.
Unlike before, though, the meat he pulled out was whitish. Or to be more precise, it was a gentle, pale pink color.
“This is from the torso, and this is leg meat.”
The leg meat was still on the bone, and looked quite similar to a large chicken leg.
But the torso... it didn’t look much like poultry at all. No, it looked more like the torso of some four-legged beast that had been cut in half. And it was about the size of a small rabbit.
“Are these the only cuts you have? Back where I come from, we made some tasty cooking with the wings, too.”
“The wings? There aren’t many usable parts on the head, so that just gets left with the kimyuus sellers. They pluck the feathers and sell them separately.”
“Wait, the head? The wings get left along with the head?”
“I mean, yeah. That’s where a kimyuus’s wings are attached, so of course.”
A bird with wings on its head...
With my meager imagination, I was honestly having trouble picturing the beast.
Well, it’s not like visualizing a live kimyuus would help with my cooking, anyway.
“You said you grill kimyuus meat, right?”
“Yeah. It’s not as tough as karon, after all.”
From what I could recall, kimyuus was a light meat akin to chicken tenders. My earnest impression was that though it seemed easy to handle, it also just came across as dull.
There was little in the way of fat on both the breast and leg, and both had already been skinned. Whether I boiled or grilled them, they were bound to end up bland. When I asked Milano Mas, he responded that Kimyuus skin was used in leathercraft, so it was pretty expensive to buy meat with the skin still on.
So I’ll have to pickle it in seasonings, huh? If I stab it full of holes with a skewer and let it absorb some moisture, that should do something about the dryness, too...
Still, with the half hour or so we had left, there wasn’t enough time for pickling.
As my thoughts raced trying to figure out if there was any new cooking technique I could try here and now, it suddenly hit me like a bolt from the heavens.
“That’s it! Milano Mas, do you have any spare gigo?”
“Gigo? Yeah, I’ve still got some of the stuff I use for boiling with karon left over.”
Boiling beef shank-like karon and yam-esque gigo together, huh? I hadn’t ever had any dish like that, so how exactly would they go together? Though, when I considered beef tendon stew, I couldn’t help but think it may work out surprisingly well.
But for now, I was focusing on the kimyuus. Experimenting with boiling like that would have to wait till I had a bit more time to spare.
“There’s something I want to try. Could you light the stove one more time?”
With that, I minced up around 100 grams of kimyuus breast, grated a little bit of gigo onto it, then made it into an oblong chicken meatball shape.
When I tossed that into the hot pot, the pale pink meat swiftly turned white. Because there wasn’t any oil, it clung to the pot and I had to take care when flipping it, but even so I somehow managed to grill it up without it crumbling.
“How’s this? Could you give it a try, Milano Mas?”
The texture seemed pretty good.
With just the gigo to hold it together, the stickiness was pretty weak, so it definitely seemed more crumbly than the chicken meatballs I was familiar with. And the only flavoring it had was from being pickled in salt, so it was unsurprisingly more than a little dull.
Still, this refreshing new flavor really did seem worth working on.
“This is like that dish you make at your stall, isn’t it? This softness certainly is unusual, and I could see it getting attention... But it’ll feel lacking to folks who have eaten your cooking, right?”
“That’s true. But if I come up with a good way to season it, I think it could end up delicious in a whole other way than hamburger steak.”
If I could just use tau oil, I could make it into teriyaki, and that would settle things... The only seasonings I could use were rock salt, fruit wine, and myamuu, though, so that could prove tricky. And the tarapa sauce wouldn’t pair perfectly with it, so the gap would only be more apparent between it and the giba burgers if I tried something like that.
I was becoming painfully aware once again of how much the overwhelming potential of giba meat had saved me. Even just coating giba in salt and pico leaves and then grilling it up was enough to make it tasty, and it also had a powerful enough presence that it wouldn’t be lost even when I seasoned it strongly. That was precisely why I was still able to make proper cooking, even when I was so seriously lacking in terms of seasonings.
On top of that, the karon leg and kimyuus had hardly any fat at all to them. Since there didn’t seem to be any cooking oil here in the post town, being able to use giba fat instead may have given me a serious advantage.
“I’m going to have to do some homework, I guess. I’d like to go around the stalls and try to find out what herbs pair well with kimyuus meat.”
“Herbs?”
“Yeah. Since it doesn’t have a strong taste to it, I figure pairing it with the fine flavoring of herbs should work out.”
To put it bluntly, if I could find something like shiso, I could see myself making these kimyuus meatballs nice and tasty. And kneading it into minced meat and then boiling or grilling it could work out well, too.
Or what if I could find something like a Japanese plum? I got the feeling that may be the best way to go about tackling a Japanese-style dish if I couldn’t use tau oil.
“The one other thing I’d like to try is a sauce with a fruit wine base. I feel like this kimyuus meat may go well with a sweet flavoring. Ah, the sourness of sheel juice could pair nicely, too... I’m actually investigating how to use sheel fruit back home right now.”
“You sure look like you’re enjoying yourself...” Milano Mas said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Still, it’s for the best if you just keep on striving at your work like that. If you can enjoy what you do for a living that much, then you really should be thanking our god for that.”
◇
Though it left me with plenty of homework to tackle, my business at The Kimyuus’s Tail had come smoothly to a close.
At this rate, I’d probably be able to come up with something decent in another two or three days. It was honestly a bit strange to be creating a dish to compete with giba cooking, but it was also undoubtedly satisfying work.
And I could really tell. Giba meat really is on a whole other level compared to kimyuus or karon legs.
In other words, it was the highest grade meat on offer here in the post town.
On top of that, giba meat was rarer than karon or kimyuus, which were raised on farms. With that in mind, if we could just dispel the negative image surrounding the people of the forest’s edge, then it should be possible to raise the price of giba meat. And so, I ultimately felt a sense of satisfaction as I grabbed hold of Gilulu’s reins.
“Well then, how about we head back to the forest’s edge?” I said to everyone as we met up after returning the stalls.
There was certainly plenty to feel down about, what with the hardship inflicted on Dora and Milano Mas’s daughter, as well as the nasty rumors surrounding Cyclaeus that we heard from Mikel of Turan. However, my comrades and I at the forest’s edge had no choice but to push through all that in our own way.
“We’ll lead the way again. Don’t separate too far from us, alright?” Ludo Ruu called out as he rode atop Ruuruu, heading off first with Shin Ruu walking alongside. Ai Fa was right behind the driver’s seat, while the boy from the branch houses took his position at the rear of the wagon.
However... something did end up happening, at the very end. After several minutes of traveling the path back to the forest’s edge, Ludo Ruu let out a “Gah!” and brought Ruuruu to a sudden stop.
Fortunately, we had only been going at a slow march. And so, I pulled back on Gilulu’s reins and managed to avoid rear-ending them.
“Fall back, Asuta!” Ai Fa shouted, pulling me back into the wagon. She then took my place in the driver’s seat, yelling, “What is it, Ludo Ruu?!” as she took hold of the reins.
“An arrow shot at our feet! From above!” Ludo Ruu responded, brandishing his hatchet as he did so. Sure enough, there was a wooden arrow deeply embedded in the ground by Ruuruu’s feet.
“Who’s there?! Come on out! Show yourself, you coward!” Ludo Ruu shouted, looking up above.
A nearby tree rustled just a bit near the top.
And then, a voice dripping with resentment said, “You damn people of the forest’s edge...”
“From that voice, you’re the boy who called himself Jeeda, aren’t you? Start by showing yourself. And then, listen to what we have to say,” Ai Fa called up, having regained her iron-like spirit and unshakable calm in the blink of an eye.
However, there was no answer.
“We have no intention of harming you. And if we must cross blades, there is no harm in exchanging words first.”
Silence.
“Hey, you’ve got a grudge because your dad was executed in place of criminals from the forest’s edge, right? Then that’s all the more reason you should hear what we have to say,” Ludo Ruu added. Perhaps thanks to Ai Fa’s influence, the anger was now gone from his voice, too. “My name is Ludo Ruu, and my father Donda Ruu is one of the new leading clan heads. The ones who committed all those crimes belonged to the previous leading clan, the Suun. I get that you’ve got a grudge against us, but won’t you at least try talking to my old man first?”
Still not a word.
“We hadn’t realized the extent of the Suun’s crimes. And so as atonement, we all swore that we would live properly from here on, and never do anything like that again. Of course, we aren’t trying to pass this all off on the Suun clan. So please, give us a chance to apologize.”
“So why are you acting all carefree and doing business in the post town of all things...?” a muffled voice replied, sounding like he was desperately holding back his rage. “You killed all those merchants, and then thrust that crime on my dad and his men... So why is it that you’re able to swagger about and laugh your heads off in the post town...?”
“Like I said, I want you to hear our feelings on the matter. And if you decide you still find us people of the forest’s edge unforgivable... Then I guess that’s when we’ll have no choice but to cross blades. After all, we’re not just going to sit around and let you kill us,” Ludo Ruu replied, lowering his hatchet. “But I’ve got no intention of making light of your feelings. So won’t you please try talking to the new leading clan heads until you can be sure of your decision?”
“The people of the forest’s edge are my enemies...” the voice stated, sounding more distant.
Was he planning on retreating now that his sneak attack had failed? Instinctively, I leaned forward towards the driver’s seat.
“Hold on! These past few days, people connected to us from around town have been targeted! Was that you? If it was, please stop involving folks who have nothing to do with this!”
The foliage violently shook.
To me, that felt like a sign that the boy there was shaken.
“If not, then that’s fine. Actually, I’d have to apologize to you for the false accusation. But we—”
At that, a streak of wind fwooshed in front of my nose. In a flash, Ai Fa’s sheathed blade also swung before my eyes.
By the time I had perceived all that, I saw a deflected arrow fall to the ground.
“Stop spouting nonsense... Why would I go and do something like that...?” the voice asked, trembling with anger as he ground his teeth.
Feeling a complex mix of fear and relief, I straightened out my back.
“If my suspicion was entirely wrong, then I seriously am sorry! I just wanted to make sure we were clear on that right from the start. After all, we could never forgive someone for dragging innocent people who have nothing to do with this into our problems.”
“You’re talking about forgiveness...? You’re the most unforgivable one of the lot, you damn black-haired giba eater...”
Once again, I heard a sound tear through the air.
And once more, with a flash from Ai Fa’s blade, an arrow fell to the ground, this time having been split in half down the middle.
“Stop it! You’re directing your hatred towards Asuta?!” Ai Fa shouted, her once calm voice now filled again with anger. “He only came to the forest’s edge several months back! That incident from ten years ago has nothing to do with him whatsoever! There’s no reason at all for you to hate him!”
“As if... If it weren’t for him, you all wouldn’t be walking around town so smugly... You shameless bastard, making them think they can just do as they please...”
“It’s not as if all of the people of the forest’s edge are criminals! Just how much do you even know about that incident from ten years ago? Do you even know that the culprits from back then are all dead?” I asked.
With those words, the foliage shook all the more heavily.
“They’re all... dead...?”
“That’s right. That’s why we’re working on a plan to bring the entire truth to light, so that the same mistakes won’t ever be repeated. Even if the criminals from the forest’s edge who actually got their hands dirty are gone, there may still be someone left who was giving them orders!”
“You... You can’t fool me with that nonsense...”
“It’s not nonsense! That’s exactly why we want to work together with you! And not just you, but your mother, too!”
After a long silence, there was more rustling from the treetops.
“I’ll never give up on getting revenge for my father...” the voice said, now clearly growing distant.
“There’s no point to chasing him,” Ludo Ruu said with a click of his tongue.
We were already on the outskirts of the forest. Plus the foliage was so thick around here that it would prove difficult moving outside of the cleared path.
And so, our second encounter with Jeeda came to a swift close, without us even meeting face to face.
“Still, that wasn’t a half bad response. It seemed like he didn’t even know anything about Zattsu and Tei Suun, huh? He must not have been here in Genos for long,” Ludo Ruu said, returning his hatchet to his hip. “Once he learns what’s going on, he’ll probably be at least a bit more inclined to lend us his ear, huh? Still, for now I’d say it’s best we stay on guard against arrows flying through our windows as we sleep, right, Ai Fa?”
“Indeed,” Ai Fa replied with a troubled look as she returned her blade to its sheath and shot me a glare. “Asuta, don’t lose your composure. No matter what anyone may say, your presence has been a great aid to the people of the forest’s edge.”
“Yeah,” I nodded back.
Jeeda’s words had certainly dug deep into my chest. But even so, I couldn’t swerve from the path that I felt was the right one.
What Zattsu and Tei Suun did was absolutely unforgivable. However, that’s no reason at all that every last person of the forest’s edge should have to live the rest of their lives curled up in little balls.
The Suun clan, the nobles, and the people of the forest’s edge... I wanted that boy named Jeeda to learn about all of them. Only the gods knew what conclusion he would arrive at in the aftermath, but at the very least, I didn’t feel so much as a shred of hostility towards that boy of 13 or 14, held captive to his hatred.
I’d like to have a proper discussion with him at least once more, before anyone’s blood is shed... I truly, painfully felt that sentiment.
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