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“Ah, Asuta, you finally showed up!”
It was now the following day, the 12th of the white month.
I was met with that unusual tone calling out to me after we had picked up the stalls at The Kimyuus’s Tail and went to stop by Dora’s place to purchase the vegetables we needed.
“Wh-Why do you say that? Did something happen again or—”
“Never mind! Just hurry on over here! There’s something I need to discuss with you!”
I was pulled under the roof, still having no clue what was going on.
Tara looked seriously uneasy down there at her father’s feet, too.
“Asuta, are the rumors that the people of the forest’s edge may leave Genos really true?”
Dora was grabbing hold of both my arms, pressing in close with a scary look on his face.
And with those words, everything finally clicked.
“Not exactly, it’s more that the people of the forest’s edge are heading into the next meeting with the nobles of Genos ready to do what we must if that’s what it comes down to. We want to find a path forward that will satisfy everyone, but it’s not like our leaders are making that statement light—”
“Then if you aren’t satisfied, you really will leave Genos? That’s just awful, isn’t it?!” Dora questioned. His mood had always tended to fluctuate greatly, but it really was rare to see him this worked up.
And down by his feet, Tara was quickly tearing up too.
“No, leaving Genos really is an absolute last resort. Not even a single person of the forest’s edge actually wants that to happen. And of course, I’ve got no intention of abandoning Genos.”
“But I can’t see the nobles admitting any fault easily. They’ve lived in a whole other world than we do right from the very start,” Dora said, his face twisted with frustration. “And I can’t imagine you’ll be able to hold back your rage at those nobles trying to use your comrades from the forest’s edge in the way they have, either. So isn’t everything already over and done with? The criminals have all lost their lives. What’s there to gain from causing more of a fuss at this point?”
Even though only a single night had passed, it seemed that Dora had already heard everything.
Now that I thought about it, Zasshuma had mentioned how he often saw Dora out at the bar. If they mostly kept to the same area, then maybe it wasn’t so strange that things turned out like this.
I also realized just how careless I had been. Since I knew from the start that Gazraan Rutim intended to spread that information throughout the post town, I should have told the people close to me personally in advance.
“I’m sorry. The people of the forest’s edge can’t bring themselves to just blindly bow their heads to the lord of Genos while everything remains undecided. But they wish to find a path forward they can accept, and keep on living as hunters here in this land... Can you please believe in us?”
“I’d like to. I really would, but... Count Turan can be even more troublesome than Lord Genos himself, can’t he? Will you really be alright taking on a noble like that?”
“I believe in the strength of the people of the forest’s edge.”
Dora gave a deep sigh.
And then, Ai Fa suddenly chimed in.
“Sir, you have my gratitude for your concern on our behalf... But could you please remove your hands from Asuta?”
“Huh? Ah, sorry. Still, at any rate, we want to keep on having a friendly relationship with all of you.”
“I know. You opened up your hearts to us sooner than any other westerner. I have not had much opportunity to talk to you up till now, but I have long thought how precious a gift that is. So as Asuta said, please hold on and continue believing in us...” Ai Fa humbly requested.
Listlessly, Dora turned toward her and replied, “Is it really alright to believe? I’m... I’m a touch frightened, honestly. Have those nobles been making light of the strength your people possess...?”
Ai Fa furrowed her brow questioningly. And I had no idea what he was saying either.
“On that day when Asuta was abducted, you all went mad, didn’t you? Dozens of people of the forest’s edge rushed the castle gates... I couldn’t help but wonder if I was watching the destruction of Genos itself,” Dora said, his plump body starting to tremble. “There are a great many soldiers in the castle town, of course. But if all the people of the forest’s edge took up blades and went to war with Genos... I can’t imagine the people of the castle town having any chance of victory.”
“B-But there are only five hundred people of the forest’s edge in total, right? And less than half of them are hunters, so—”
“Then Asuta, can you imagine the people of the forest’s edge losing? I absolutely cannot. At most, I could see a draw.” At some point Dora had started patting Tara’s head as she clung to his leg. “I get the feeling that the folks inside those stone walls don’t realize that, though. The reason the people of the forest’s edge quietly carried out their work was simply because you have always been a proud people... But if we truly angered you, you could easily bring any town to ruin. And yet the nobles have seemingly been treating the people of the forest’s edge however they please, not even realizing that fact.”
“Even on the off chance the nobles become our enemies, we will never turn our blades on all of you.”
“Right, I get that. But if Genos is ruined, then we’re done for too. Well, actually, if that happens, some new nobles will probably form a new town, and we’ll manage to scrape by somehow. But the people of the forest’s edge will have no place left for them in the western kingdom, so you’ll have to move to Mahyudra or something, right? I hate the thought of that.” At that, Dora’s eyes were staring intently at Ai Fa. “I want to keep on living as a citizen of Genos, getting along well with you. And I can’t be the only one who feels that way. So please, at least don’t be short-tempered and rash.”
“My old man is one of the leading clan heads, and short-tempered really may be the proper way to describe him. But he’s putting his life and soul on the line to carve out a proper path for our people,” Ludo Ruu chimed in as he stepped forward, apparently having been listening in on our conversation the whole time. “The forest of Morga is our home. We won’t be abandoning it lightly. But we also won’t just let the nobles do as they please either, so, well, I guess I just ask that you trust in us.”
“You mean it? You’ll always be friends with me?” Tara asked in a worried tone.
“Yeah,” Ludo Ruu replied with a smile. “That runt Rimee keeps going on and on about how she wants to see you. Once this whole incident is settled, she’ll probably be coming to the post town, too. So I hope you two will get along well when that time comes.”
“Right!” Tara replied with a big nod. Her father patted her head again, smiling through his tears.
“I’ll be praying that those nobles reconsider matters, too... Ah, now that I think about it, one of the sons of the noble who rules over our farmland is standing with you people of the forest’s edge, isn’t he?”
“Ah, yes, the second son, Polarth. I was a little surprised to hear that his house was the one that ruled over the plantations.”
“Right. Though he’s known as a good-for-nothing second son, I can actually feel proud of him if he’s lending you his aid,” Dora said, his expression growing anxious in a slightly different way. “Still, just what exactly is he planning? He gave us a rather unusual order, to urgently harvest more poitan than we ever have before while also making certain the townsfolk don’t catch on.”
“That is definitely involved in what’s going on, so it’s probably best not to carelessly spread it around...”
“So it really is, huh? Well, if it helps you people of the forest’s edge, I’ll prepare as many poitan as it takes,” Dora replied, finally breaking out in a faint but definite smile.
◇
After that, I ended up having the same sort of conversation with a good portion of the customers visiting the stalls.
Perhaps I had significantly underestimated the speed at which rumors spread through inns and bars.
“It really is ridiculous. Makes me think more and more that you should just move to Jagar before it turns into a squabble.”
“That’s a great idea. If you trace things back, then you people of the forest’s edge all have Jagar blood running in your veins anyway. So if the western kingdom ain’t treating you right, then why not just gather up all your people and leave?”
It was men who had helped out Balan’s construction group who told me that.
In the past, Shumiral had also suggested moving to the Eastern Kingdom of Sym. It really was nice having people I knew say such things.
But in spite of all that, moving to either Sym or Jagar would prove difficult.
If the people of the forest’s edge abandoned their giba hunting duties and left Genos, they would be branded traitors by the western kingdom. And though Sym and Jagar were friendly nations, if they accepted us it could lead to a quarrel between the kingdoms.
That must have been exactly why Dora had brought up Mahyudra before. If we turned against the western kingdom, the only place left for the people of the forest’s edge would be that enemy nation.
On top of that, it was also incredibly difficult to convert from serving one god to another. The people of the forest’s edge had already done so eighty years in the past, so would it even be possible to do so again...? And would the enemy nation of Mahyudra welcome them in the first place? Thinking of all that, it was possible the people of the forest’s edge would end up rejected by all of the kingdoms and their gods.
But at any rate, it wasn’t like anyone wanted the people of the forest’s edge to abandon Genos in the first place. We all strongly wished to keep living here in Genos, at the Morga forest’s edge. And that was exactly why we needed to settle things with Cyclaeus.
“The town sure seems noisy today...” Mikel said with his brow deeply furrowed, having stopped by a little while before the sun hit its peak. “Are you finally going to war with the nobles or whatever? Sheesh, nothing good’ll come of something like that.”
“Sorry. I believe we should have some sort of results to show on the 15th of the white month, though,” I replied with a smile while preparing Mikel’s myamuu giba.
His expression utterly unchanged, Mikel glanced over at the giba burger stalls.
“By the way, are you the one who taught those girls how to cook...?”
“Huh? Yes, that’s right. The dishes they make should be just as good as the ones I prepare.”
“I already know that from back when you were captured and I came here to eat. I believe you said you come from overseas, and your father taught you what you know about cooking?”
“Yes. I was born in an island nation known as Japan, and my father made a living as a chef.”
“I don’t know anything about what it’s like overseas... But still, it seems your father must have been pretty darn skilled.”
“He was. I respect him more than anyone,” I replied, the words flowing forth without any hesitation.
I had never been able to bring myself to tell him that, and I certainly had no way of doing so now.
“Your cooking certainly is unusual. And this giba meat is a first-rate ingredient, not at all inferior to karon for sure, so it’s no surprise you’ve built up a reputation.”
His tone seemed to make it feel like he was adding, “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have to worry about catching Cyclaeus’s attention.”
Just as I was feeling at a loss for how to reply, though, I was caught off-guard by what I saw approaching. There was a large boxed wagon being drawn by totos approaching down the highway from the north... Naturally, it was the one belonging to the house of Count Daleim.
As the wagon approached the stall area, it came to a stop. It was a rule that in the post town, drivers needed to get down from their wagon and lead it by hand.
And yet, the vehicle didn’t move at all, and instead two figures stepped down and approached my stall. It was the Daleim house’s head chef Yang, as well as a guard assigned to protect him.
With this appearance of such well-dressed residents of the castle town, Mikel grimaced and took several steps back. And before long, Yang and the guard stepped into that freshly opened space.
“Sir Asuta, the karon milk has arrived from Dabagg. Lord Polarth said to split it with you if you have need of it, but what do you say?”
It really was a perfect show of superficial politeness.
However, the guy was even older than my old man, so I felt like I had to be honestly grateful in return.
“Thank you. If you could just spare whatever’s left over for now, that would be plenty for me.”
“Well then, for the time being, does one white coin per bottle sound acceptable? From here on out, the meat seller shall be coming every couple of days, so if you place an order you should be able to procure the amount you need each time.”
“That really is a huge help. Um, would it be possible for residents of the post town to make the same sort of purchases?”
“Of course. We’re talking about merchants who come to sell meat here in Genos by trade, after all. Once I begin selling my cooking at the stall tomorrow, I’m certain everyone shall start seeking out karon milk.”
In that case, it would be possible to further vary up the menu on offer at The Kimyuus’s Tail. Combined with the kimyuus eggs and fuwano flour, karon milk made for some seriously encouraging reinforcements.
“At any rate, the containers of milk are stuffed into that wagon, so pick what you—” Yang started to say, only for his expression to freeze.
And when I followed his gaze, I was also taken aback.
The head chef had caught sight of Mikel as he ate his myamuu giba while turned away.
“Could... Could you be Sir Mikel, who served as the head chef at The Maiden in White?”
Mikel turned to face Yang with an annoyed look.
“I’ve got no business with anyone from the castle town, so just leave me be.”
“M-My name is Yang. I trained at Selva’s Spear, and now I have been entrusted with the kitchen of Count Daleim’s house. My apologies, but I heard you had absconded from Genos, Sir Mikel...”
“Did you not hear what I said? I’m just an old man who makes a living selling charcoal. If you want some, then bring some coins to my place in Turan.”
They were both past middle age, but Yang was likely older. However, the man had a clear look of respect in his eyes as he stared at Mikel.
“It truly pained me to hear a chef of your skill had his future ruined and was driven from the castle town. But even so, seeing you here safe and sound, I—”
“You sure are a noisy one. You’re ruining the taste of my meal,” Mikel grumbled with a hostile glare as he tossed the last bite of the dish into his mouth.
Yang turned my way with a befuddled look.
“Is that your cooking Sir Mikel is eating, Sir Asuta? Are you perhaps a chef with ties to him? That would explain why you caught the eye of the daughter of Count Turan at such a young—”
“N-No, I only just recently grew acquainted with Mikel. It’s not that big of a deal,” I hurriedly said with a shake of my head, only for Mikel to give a contemptuous snort.
“You think chefs I have ties to would go creating such oddball dishes? I mean, it should be obvious with just a single bite of the kid’s cooking, right?”
“Ah, I haven’t ever eaten Sir Asuta’s cooking... And I have heard it’s made with giba meat, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. It uses giba back and chest meat, and is steeped in a marinade of fruit wine, myamuu, and tau oil before frying.”
Yang looked clearly distressed. And seeing that, Mikel’s nose wrinkled up.
“There’s no need for someone from the castle town with their pampered tongues to force themselves to eat giba. I don’t know what you had in mind coming out here to the post town, but if you don’t wanna wreck your stomach, you may as well stay inside those stone walls and keep on eating karon meat.”
“No, I...”
“I’ve got work to take care of, so I don’t have time to waste playing around with you two,” Mikel stated before promptly departing.
Yang still looked quite troubled as he watched the man leave.
“So Mikel was a pretty famous chef, huh...?”
“Of course! The Maiden in White was not an especially large inn, but during the period that Mikel served as head chef, its reputation was every bit the equal to that of Selva’s Spear. In my personal opinion, he was one of the greatest chefs in all of Genos,” Yang passionately replied, only to shrug his slender shoulders in disappointment. “But then, just because he caught Count Turan’s attention, he met with such a horrible fate... I suppose there’s no need to hedge about my feelings around you of all people, Sir Asuta. I simply cannot accept the way that Count Turan treats chefs as mere tools. That is why I made up my mind to assist Lord Polarth, even knowing it will earn me reprimand from my employer, Count Daleim.”
“I see... I really am glad to be able to work together with someone like you,” I earnestly stated.
The spindly older chef looked back at me, the strength returning to his eyes.
“Could I purchase some of your cooking, Sir Asuta...?”
“Of course. That will be two red coins.”
With the meat that had been retaining warmth at the edge of the metal tray, I went ahead and prepared a myamuu giba.
This was most likely the first time anyone from the castle town had eaten giba meat.
After timidly bringing the myamuu giba to his mouth, Yang froze up in astonishment.
“This... is giba meat?”
“Yes. Was it to your liking?”
“This taste really is every bit as good as karon breast and back meat...” An even more brilliant light began filling Yang’s eyes. “And you made this using nothing but ingredients from the post town? Ingredients that allow you to sell it for a mere two red coins?”
“Yes, though I used just a bit of tau oil.”
“I’m shocked. I’ll need to reexamine what I planned to offer for sale in the post town.” With that, Yang indicated the wagon parked at the edge of the highway with his hand. “Please accept the karon milk. It seems I must urgently return to the manor.”
“Got it. You’ll have to let me purchase some of your cooking tomorrow, too, alright?”
“I promise you, I shall prepare a dish that I can be proud of,” Yang stated reassuringly.
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