2
After that, I finished up my afternoon work too without any incident.
On the surface at least, the town seemed peaceful.
I got the feeling that there were more guards patrolling around town now, but aside from that, I didn’t see any significant changes. Our sales for the stalls didn’t fall below the norm, and customers even occasionally said stuff like, “You guys seem like you’ve got it rough in a lot of ways,” without showing any hint of feeling intimidated by the people of the forest’s edge.
Perhaps it was less that folks were feeling more favorably towards us, and more that they were just that distrustful of the people from the castle.
Only the Suun, the former leading clan, had received favorable treatment from the castle, while everyone else lived even harsher lives than the folks from the post town. Thanks to the commotion with Zattsu and Tei Suun, that information had spread quite a bit amongst the townsfolk. Afterwards, it felt like negative feelings towards the people of the forest’s edge had decreased significantly, while distrust towards the folks from the castle had increased.
And so when it was reported that thieves appeared wearing attire from the forest’s edge, the first instinct folks had seemed to be doubting the intentions of the people from the castle and wondering what the truth really was.
If that impression I’m getting is correct, then it sure serves that Cyclaeus jerk right... Though I can’t feel all too happy about it.
After all, the fact remained that Dora’s plantation had been attacked, and that was certainly nothing to feel glad about.
And besides, it was still definitely a minority that felt favorably towards the people of the forest’s edge. Most were guarded against the castle while also shooting us sharp, questioning looks.
“Are the people of the forest’s edge really not a gathering of outlaws? Isn’t this just the right time for the truth to come out?” It’s like more and more folks were watching to determine the answers to such questions as they held their breath.
Still, the work itself went along nice and peacefully. In fact, I’d actually say a number of things happened on the business side of things.
First off, Nail from The Sledgehammer chose sirloin out of the cuts of giba I had offered, and decided he would grill it up and add it to his menu. His cooking method was quite simple, apparently just consisting of slicing it thin and grilling the meat.
However, it supposedly would come accompanied with a dipping sauce made from a blend of the sauce used in pickled chitt, fruit wine, and a variety of spices. I got to give it a try, and it was a truly spicy, exotic sort of flavor.
“It doesn’t come close to your cooking, but I’ll make it cheaper in exchange, so I don’t think I’ll get too many complaints.”
In order to turn a profit, he sold my dishes at the fairly high price of five red coins. But this was cooking made with meat he bought for the same price as karon, so just like with meals made from that meat, he could sell his new dish for four red coins.
“I would imagine I shouldn’t have any issue selling at least ten meals a day. And so I’d like to make 20 meals for each day you’re taking off. Could I ask you to sell me enough meat for that on the day before?”
Perhaps Nail had the same fear Naudis did of losing his customers to another inn. At any rate, I went ahead and gave an enthusiastic, “Of course.”
On the other hand, there was The Great Southern Tree, where I had only just yesterday handed over a sample of giba meat.
However, my time off was just four days from now. And perhaps as a result, Naudis only needed a single day to make up his mind to order giba meat. As for the cut, he chose the more expensive ribs.
“That one seemed the tastiest when just grilling it normally. Could I get enough meat for ten meals tomorrow and the day after, then 70 three days from now?”
“70 meals?! You must be really sure about this!”
“I’ll just salt any leftovers I end up with. At the very least, I can’t imagine any of it going bad.”
Even so, 70 meals worth meant 17.5 kilos of meat, and a price of 117.5 red coins.
He must have been planning to serve ten meals on the night three days from now, and 30 on each of the days I was taking off. Normally he bought 40 meals from me each day, so it wasn’t exactly like he was being overconfident... Well, at any rate, I certainly appreciated it.
“Thank you for the business. Still... the owner of The Sledgehammer also asked for a soft cut well-suited for grilling. Both the leg and shoulder meat are good for making boiled dishes, plus they’re cheaper, so I’m honestly sort of surprised.”
“Hmm, I would assume The Sledgehammer’s owner also realized the gap between his skill and yours would be too apparent when it came to stews and the like. But giba meat’s tasty when you just grill it, so it’s only natural to want to start from there.”
I see, I found myself thinking.
Naturally, giba meat was plenty suited for using in boiled dishes, but just boiling it alone wasn’t enough to make it tasty. It made sense that just doing that would feel lacking compared to stuff like my giba soup and chitt hot pot. The lack of seasonings really was having an impact here too.
At this rate, though, we’d end up with nothing but leg and shoulder meat at the Fa house. Of course, I could use that for stuff like soup and hamburger steak so it wasn’t a serious issue for the time being, but I’d like to move towards being able to sell all the different cuts proportionally.
Well, since Naudis had access to tau oil, he probably wouldn’t have a tough time putting out just as good of a grilled dish as The Sledgehammer.
Thinking of it like that, I’ll have to put more effort into helping The Kimyuus’s Tail so they can compete with those shops that can use foreign seasonings.
Speaking of that establishment, in addition to experimenting more with karon and kimyuus meat while there, I also gave a bit of a cooking lecture.
Rather than being about handling meat, though, it was on how to use vegetables. For the time being, I went with explaining how to deliciously prepare the ones I was especially familiar with, like aria, tino, tarapa, pula, chatchi, gigo, and myamuu.
That meant cutting techniques like thin slices, round slices, wedge cuts, and mincing, as well as the appropriate cooking techniques for each, and even how to properly heat them to best draw out the flavor of each ingredient. In other words, there was a ton to cover.
However, Milano Mas was once again my only student for the day. Apparently his daughter was busy with other work somewhere else.
“She had a strong fear of the people of the forest’s edge to begin with... But well, I guess I’m at fault for raising her that way.”
“That’s nothing for you to worry yourself about, Milano Mas.”
The man’s wife had lost her older brother ten years ago, and due to her built-up anxiety she also died young. Zattsu and Tei Suun were to blame for her older brother dying, so it wasn’t strange in the least how much Milano Mas had hated and avoided the people of the forest’s edge. And yet, he hadn’t cut ties with us, and was even accepting these cooking lessons knowing I was using them as a preamble towards selling him giba meat.
And then there was his daughter, who I was hardly acquainted with at all. Even when I had seen her, she always got frightened and ran away. However, Milano Mas must have gotten permission from her too before deciding to allow us into his kitchen.
However, her heart had been scarred by yesterday’s incident, and so she was still hiding from us. I really, truly despised those mystery villains causing trouble of late.
“All traitorous fools who support the people of the forest’s edge will get what they deserve,” huh...?
The identity of those scoundrels remained a mystery, even now. What they were saying was exactly the same as Jeeda, but if I trusted the boy’s words, then he had nothing to do with them.
However, there was no proof that Cyclaeus had a hand in their actions, either. If he really was unrelated to the matter, too... Then that meant there were still folks here in the post town who held a powerful hatred for the people of the forest’s edge.
That certainly didn’t justify those bastards’ actions, though. In fact, my thinking was more like, “I’ll never let you get away with this!” It really might have been true what Milano Mas said, that Jeeda’s actions of pointing his hatred directly at the people of the forest’s edge made a lot more sense.
“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...?”
Those words from Jeeda were getting to me even now.
Considering all that Zattsu and Tei Suun had done, it wasn’t strange at all for there to be folks out there who still hated the people of the forest’s edge this much. Actually, Milano Mas might have really been unique, seeing how he had just dealt with us normally rather than letting any past feelings interfere.
Still, I can’t help but feel anxious...
Having come from another world entirely, I felt a strong affection for both the people of the forest’s edge and the folks from the post town. And there were things that only someone in my position could do to help. So I wanted to give everything I had to see that through.
◇
“That Jeeda kid didn’t show up today,” Ludo Ruu said while fastening Ruuruu to a tree after we finished up work and arrived at the Ruu settlement. “Isn’t there some way we can drag him in front of my old man? Doesn’t it feel like if we could just do that, it would be surprisingly easy to settle this?”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“I mean, he doesn’t seem to worry about complex stuff like the folks from town. And apparently he trained as a hunter on some mountain, so doesn’t it seem like he’d get along well with us?”
That was certainly an optimistic way of looking at things.
Those words certainly were fitting for Ludo Ruu... however, the youth had never even so much as seen Jeeda. And he had never been glared at by those eyes mad with hatred, either.
Shin Ruu, meanwhile, had actually taken a beating from Jeeda, and he didn’t say a word as he helped unload.
“Oh, is that you, Asuta?! Long time no see!” a large figure called out, emerging from the main Ruu house. Though it was hard to say just how long it had actually been since we’d seen each other, it was Dan Rutim.
“Ah, hey there. Were you having a meeting about the stuff with Zuuro Suun?”
“Yup! The discussion itself ended quickly, but it’d be dull just heading straight on home, so I was playing with Kota Ruu!”
Same as always, he was a pretty free spirit for a clan head.
As she giggled at the jovial sight, Reina Ruu said, “We’re done here. Sheera Ruu and I will head in to prepare for tomorrow.”
They had gotten so good at making giba burger patties by now that I just gave the taste and size a final check at the end by this point. And even that step was just me being extra careful, so I was thinking I’d leave the whole process entirely up to them starting tomorrow. I could just let them go on and continue my chat with Dan Rutim.
“So, how is Zuuro Suun going to be dealt with?”
“There’s not really anything we can do. The folks from the castle told us to hand him over, and so we can’t exactly go and execute him while we’re still in the middle of negotiating... Or at least, that’s what the leading clan heads are thinking.”
“You sound a bit displeased, Dan Rutim.”
“Oh, you bet I am, and big time! That ridiculously corrupt bastard Zuuro Suun finally managed to summon up some guts as a man of the forest’s edge, and I think we should honor his resolve!”
“But couldn’t you say he’s just afraid of the folks from the castle? Like if he was going to be killed after getting tortured anyway, then he’d prefer to take the easy way out now,” I said almost as a self-rebuke, since honestly I was of the same opinion as Dan Rutim.
“Even so, it’s not easy to bring yourself to tell someone to scalp you. On top of that, he’s being kept in the Zaza settlement, right? I mean, I could certainly see Gulaf Zaza pulling his blade out then and there when he heard that,” Dan Rutim grumbled, displeased wrinkles forming on his slick head. “Someone born as one of our people is begging to have his soul returned to the forest. Why do we need to brush those words aside and let the folks from the castle deal with him? I just can’t understand what the leading clan heads are thinking.”
“I’m sure they’re in a tough place. After all, the castle’s already demanding we hand over every last member of the main Suun house. On top of refusing that, if we tell them we won’t even hand over Zuuro Suun, the people of the forest’s edge would be seen as being in open rebellion against Genos...”
“We wouldn’t be rebelling or anything. We’d just be brushing off some unreasonable demand.”
Dan Rutim’s assertion was entirely accurate. So much so that it left me at a loss for words.
Cyclaeus had thrust the demand on us based on his opinion that the people of the forest’s edge couldn’t be trusted. And so, when you cleared away all the quibbling and bargaining, it was only natural to end up with an opinion like Dan Rutim’s.
“Besides, pillaging the fruits of Morga isn’t even punishable by death under the laws of Genos, right?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. In most cases, the punishments under the laws of the forest’s edge are heavier than those of Genos.”
In fact, it was the son of the frustrated man in front of me now who had delivered that information in the first place.
“Then wouldn’t he have a better chance of living longer if we hand him to the castle? In that case, I’ve got some respect for him saying to scalp him then and there even so.”
“That’s true. That would certainly be the case normally...”
However, we were dealing with the enigmatic man known as Cyclaeus. Zuuro Suun wailed and questioned just what would become of him if he was handed over, so there was no doubt that he was seriously frightened.
On top of that, the noble had persistently insisted that not just Zuuro Suun but the whole main Suun house be handed over. Cyclaeus’s argument was that the people of the forest’s edge were being too lenient in their punishments, so he must have had some sort of reason he needed to get rid of them.
With that in mind, Zuuro Suun’s intense fear was certainly understandable...
But it was then that a little doubt emerged in my mind.
What reason could there be for needing to go that far to wipe out the Suun clan?
Thinking about it normally, it would have to be something related to the criminal, Zattsu Suun.
If that man and Cyclaeus had shared some sort of secret agreement, then I could see that crafty noble finding the possibility of anyone else in the Suun clan knowing about it troubling. And so, I would get him wanting to torture Zuuro Suun for answers, and even jumping at shadows and deciding the whole main house needed to be silenced.
The real issue, though, was whether or not such a secret agreement even existed in the first place. I mean, if it did, would it really make sense for Zuuro Suun to keep hiding that fact so securely?
It had already been over 20 days since the former leading clan head had become a prisoner. And the Zaza men had thoroughly investigated his other crimes during that period, so he certainly had plenty of opportunities to confess.
Actually, if he was that scared of the folks from the castle, wouldn’t it make more sense to reveal anything and everything that he could while he was still here at the forest’s edge? If he exposed it, then that secret agreement wouldn’t be so secret anymore, and there wouldn’t be any reason left for him to be tortured or silenced. He had resolved himself to be scalped already, and that sort of behavior would be a lot more fitting of him.
Was it a secret fatal enough to Cyclaeus that revealing it would put all of the people of the forest’s edge in danger...?
I simply couldn’t imagine that being the case. If it was, Cyclaeus never would have drawn things out and let Zuuro Suun be for so long. And we had been resigned to hand Zattsu and Zuuro Suun over to the castle to begin with, so if they hadn’t gone and said to turn over the full Suun clan, things would have never gotten this complicated.
Heck, thinking on it further, the idea of a secret agreement between Cyclaeus and Zattsu Suun felt off the mark to begin with. I mean, did Zattsu Suun really have a cooperative relationship with that crafty noble, or were they just using one another? Even if it was the former, it was hard to imagine that vile old man going to his grave without spilling everything. After all, Zattsu Suun died raging and spewing forth his hatred towards the people of Genos.
The same was true for Tei Suun, too. So I can’t imagine Zuuro Suun alone was holding on to that secret...
But then what in the world was going on?
What did Cyclaeus want Zuuro Suun and the rest of the main house for? And what made Zuuro Suun so terrified to be handed over to the castle? No matter how much I turned it over in my head, I just didn’t get it.
However, there was one thing I did know. While we couldn’t ask Cyclaeus about those questions, we could ask Zuuro Suun.
“Is Donda Ruu in there...?”
“Yeah,” Dan Rutim replied, and so I stepped foot into the main Ruu house on my own.
Waiting inside were the clan head, his eldest son, and the son’s wife and child.
Was the family enjoying some nice peaceful time together now that their lively guest had finally left? At any rate, I went ahead and apologized for the sudden visit as soon as Sati Lea Ruu guided me in, carrying Kota Ruu along with her.
“Never mind the pleasantries. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?” Donda Ruu responded, looking just as annoyed as always.
I went ahead and explained the doubts I was having, but perhaps because it was all too vague, my sentiment didn’t really seem to get across.
“I don’t really get it... Could you put it a bit simpler, kid?”
“Sorry. I’m honestly having trouble grasping the focal point of the problem, myself... I guess the big question is, just what is Zuuro Suun so afraid of? He’s sentenced to die even if he stays here at the forest’s edge, so what reason is there to fear the folks from the castle at this point?”
“But last night, intruders invaded the Zaza settlement. Wouldn’t it fit that he panicked learning just how fixated on him the folks from the castle really were?” Jiza Ruu chimed in.
As always, though he was smiling, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.
“Yes, but even if they were seeking to silence him, he’s going to be executed either way so what does he have to fear? So that sounds like a fate worse than death must be awaiting Zuuro Suun if he’s handed over to Cyclaeus, right?”
“A fate worse than death... So torture, then?”
“That’s what I thought at first, too. But if Zuuro Suun was holding on to secrets worthy of that, then if he revealed all that before he could be handed over to the castle then there’d be no reason left to torture him.”
“Then what other possibility is there...?” Donda Ruu questioned.
“I don’t know,” I replied with a shake of my head. “So doesn’t it make sense to interrogate Zuuro Suun directly on the matter? Ask him just what exactly has him so afraid, I mean. Zuuro Suun was the one who maintained a relationship with Cyclaeus for the past ten years as leading clan head, right? So wouldn’t it make sense for him to be able to guess at what exactly that noble is thinking?”
“That’s true... Zuuro Suun was corrupted by the poison from the city of stone, so he may just be able to predict what they’re plotting,” Donda Ruu replied, scratching at his mane of hair. “I wish you’d brought this up before the other leading clan heads left... Hey, Ludo’s gonna be using the Ruu clan totos after this too, right?”
“Yes. The plan is that he’ll escort me to the Fa house, and then stay there until Ai Fa returns.”
That all went without saying, since Donda Ruu had personally decided on all that.
“In that case, we’ll just have to use another totos. When the Lea clan head shows up at your place, tell him what we just discussed and send him to the Zaza settlement.”
“Huh? Rau Lea will be stopping by the Fa house?”
“Isn’t that the agreement you had? He said something like that.”
We hadn’t made any such deal, but it seemed he was planning to bring Yamiru Lea along to the Fa house again.
“Understood. If Rau Lea shows up, I’ll be sure to tell him that Zuuro Suun should be interrogated about just what exactly has him so scared.”
“Yeah, and if he doesn’t stop by, then have Ludo do the job with the totos once he’s done guarding you, and... G’wrk.”
“Huh? What was that?”
I got the feeling I had heard him say, “Good work,” but it hadn’t come across all that clearly.
“Never mind! If you’re done here, then hurry up and leave already.”
“Right! Excuse me,” I said, obediently retreating back outside.
At the very least, I had managed to clearly convey the doubts I had been feeling to Donda Ruu.
It’s hard to see what’s right under your nose, I guess... With Zattsu Suun gone, Zuuro Suun has interacted with Cyclaeus longer than anybody at the forest’s edge, so we should have been focusing more on him.
Yamiru Lea had once said that Zattsu Suun had given up on his son thanks to his lazy personality. I guess that’s why I had figured he had nothing to do with any plots coming from Cyclaeus.
However, Zuuro Suun had ten years of experience with the crafty noble by now. Even if he didn’t know a thing about any plots or secrets, that alone was valuable in and of itself. We just had far too little background information on Cyclaeus. But if we could use this to get at least some sort of lead on him, then maybe we could finally move forwards a bit.
And so, feeling almost satisfied in a way, I exited the main Ruu house.
However, there wasn’t anyone waiting outside. The only ones there were Gilulu and Ruuruu, casually pecking away leaves. Had Ludo and Shin Ruu gotten bored of waiting and decided to go watch their sisters cook instead?
Just as I was wondering where Dan Rutim went and started looking around for him, an overwhelming tremor rumbled through the ground.
“Gwahaha! You may be big, but you sure are sloppy! You’ll never be able to beat me or Donda Ruu like that!”
There were two large figures over near the entrance to the settlement.
The one loudly chuckling away was naturally Dan Rutim, while lying at the clan head’s feet was Mida. And there were a number of little kids darting about around them.
“A contest of strength...? Ah, good seeing you again, Mida.”
Since I had seen Dan Rutim back when Shumiral visited, it had been longer since I’d last met with Mida.
I’d been stopping by the Ruu settlement every day lately, but since we were each busy with our own work, there hadn’t really been much of a chance for us to build up our relationship.
At any rate, as he lay sprawled out on the ground, Mida let out an unintelligible “Ngh...” and lifted his massive frame. “Ah, Asuta... There’s something I wanna show you, Asuta.”
“Huh? What is it?”
With that, Mida thudded off around the back of Shin Ruu’s house.
I followed after him alongside Dan Rutim, only for something truly surprising to soon come into view: a wooden house.
“Whoa, you finished it already?”
Mida had been building his own home under the guidance of Shin Ruu’s father, Ryada Ruu.
However, I first learned of that on Lala Ruu’s birthday, the 25th of the blue month, and at that point he had still been cutting lumber. He sure finished it quickly, seeing how it had only been ten or so days since then. And though it looked perhaps a bit smaller than the Fa house, it didn’t seem poorly made compared to the other homes I’d seen in the least.
“Ooh, nicely done!” Dan Rutim exclaimed as he patted the wall with one of his large hands. “I’m impressed. I never imagined you would finish it this quickly.”
“Right... I worked hard, for Asuta and Ai Fa...”
“Huh?”
“I’m gonna return that house I’ve been using up till now to you guys...”
Now that he mentioned it, Mida had been sleeping in the only vacant house, and so Ai Fa and I hadn’t been able to stay overnight at the Ruu settlement.
But, well, Ai Fa wanted to return back home instead whenever possible, so as long as we had Gilulu we probably wouldn’t have a need to stay... but of course, I wasn’t about to go and say anything so thoughtless.
“Thanks. You really did give it your all, huh? That’s amazing.”
“Ryada’s the amazing one, though... I couldn’t have done anything all on my own...”
“That’s not true. It never would’ve been possible to finish it this quickly without your strength.”
Mida’s fatty cheeks trembled. As always, that surplus fat was getting in the way of him making proper expressions, but I was pretty sure he looked happy.
“Yup, this shows some definite skill. I’d love to get your help the next time the Rutim need a new house built,” Dan Rutim chimed in with a hearty laugh. “And it looks like you’re losing that excess fat bit by bit, too. Keep on giving your all, and you should be able to make a strong showing at your next contest of strength. Work hard, and eat well!”
“Yeah... I’ll try hard so I can eat Asuta’s cooking next time...”
Surely I wouldn’t be tasked with manning the stove each and every time they had one of their important festivals of the hunt. After all, the Ruu women’s cooking skills were improving remarkably fast.
I wouldn’t bring that up, though. I didn’t want to seem dismissive of his efforts.
“I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next festival of the hunt. And if I happen to get asked to man the stove again, I’ll give it my all, for sure.”
“Yeah... I’m looking forward to it too...” Mida said, his little piglet-like eyes sparkling.
Mida’s thick, log-like arms had once destroyed stalls in the post town, but now they were being used to make a new house here at the forest’s edge. Even for someone who had such a limited relationship with him like me, that thought still felt deeply moving.
Mida and Yamiru, and surely Oura and Tsuvai too, had overcome their crimes and Tei Suun’s death, and had started living fresh lives in their new clans.
But what about Diga and Doddo? They must have been regretting their own sins and weaknesses, surrounded by the terrifying men of the Dom.
At any rate, I again felt strongly that as long as Cyclaeus couldn’t come up with much better reasoning than the leading clan heads were bringing to the table, we absolutely couldn’t let those new lives be destroyed.
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