Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 1.2

2

So this is the Genos castle town, huh? As my body rocked along with the wagon, I got to see what the place looked like clearly for the first time.

People called it the city of stone, which was fitting, since that’s what not only the road but also the buildings were made of. The road was wide, and the structures were large. Though there were occasionally some trees lined up alongside the road, there was hardly any dirt to be seen. And everyone passing by looked real well off too.

Still, foreign merchants like Shumiral and Diel were also permitted to come and go here. Thanks to that, there were plenty of southern merchants with totos pulling heavy-looking luggage, as well as easterners whose faces were completely hidden under their hoods.

And even among the westerners dressed up all nice and proper, the majority of them still looked to be merchants. Perhaps this area nearest to the gates was some sort of trade district.

As we advanced farther we approached a plaza with a large fountain, and I spied stalls set up there.

Well, I guess even the residents of the castle town need to earn a living.

A town this big had to have thousands of residents, or maybe even tens of thousands. And only a handful of them were nobles.

There was a man selling mountains of vegetables piled high.

A woman had laid out beautiful fabrics to attract the attention of passersby.

Children bit into red fruits while running about the fountain.

There was a vivid energy to the place, like these people were all celebrating the peace they enjoyed.

And it’s not like the people of the forest’s edge want to take away their tranquility.

In fact, the hunters undertook the dangerous task of taking down giba precisely to protect that peace and prosperity.

Only the Turan and Daleim lands had large-scale fields here in Genos. That meant the people of the castle town had to bring food in from outside the stone walls in order to satisfy their hunger.

Fuwano, superior fruit wine, and all sorts of first-class vegetables that commanded higher prices came here to the castle town. Someone had once grumbled that the post town only had stuff like sour tarapa, while the more expensive and less sour foods were all bought up by folks in these stone walls.

That’s not necessarily a problem. But...when they hole up inside these stone walls, do they even really know how much their prosperous lives are supported by the people of the forest’s edge?

Of course, it wasn’t like the hunters were working so hard to be given awards or words of gratitude.

Anyway, Ai Fa stared out the window together with me, but the sights didn’t seem to be leaving any real deep impression on her.

Still, I couldn’t help but find it all a bit hard to understand.

Even if Cyclaeus is an outlier, what exactly does the lord of Genos think about all this? Does he just not care about anything else as long as things are peaceful and prosperous inside these stone walls?

The totos wagon just kept on moving down the road, caring nothing for my concerns. And before long, we stopped in front of the manor.

“We’ve arrived...” the driver declared, and the door in the rear swung wide open.

We all exited the wagon together. The ground below our feet was paved in stone, and the manor towering over us was made from the same stuff too.

This was the Turan manor, the place where I had been imprisoned up until six days ago. And yet, this was my first time seeing it while it was bright out.

It might have been more accurate to say that the large building was constructed from grey bricks rather than stone, though the gabled roof was a strangely vivid shade of yellow. Now that I thought back on it, I was pretty sure Shumiral had once described the Turan residence as a yellow manor.

The building stretched out with two imposing square wings on the left and right. The center alone was four stories high, while the wings were each three. The structure on the right was where Lefreya had held me captive.

On the way here we had seen plenty of buildings throughout the castle town, but we hadn’t passed anything as imposing as this one. Comparing it to something I was familiar with, it was likely on the same scale as a school building.

Cyclaeus’s manor was also surrounded by stone walls that looked to be four or five meters high. We were currently on the inside of them, with our four wagons and crowd of nearly thirty standing in the vast courtyard with room to spare.

The stone path continued straight up to the building, with a lush lawn stretching out to either side of it. And during the night, guard dogs were let loose in this space.

Still, it’s hard to believe a family of just two is living in such a huge building... It’s like they prepared such a huge house just for all the servants and soldiers they employ, I thought to myself.

Jimon then directed us, “This way, please,” as he started walking toward the manor.

The leading clan heads went first, while the rest of us followed after.

There were two soldiers standing guard in front of what looked to be the front door, brandishing long spears with silvery heads. And when Jimon stopped several steps in front of them, one of the soldiers went and pulled open the heavy-looking door.

“Please, come inside,” Jimon stated as he went to continue onwards.

However, Donda Ruu didn’t budge. “Hold on. Only the folks participating in the meeting will be continuing on past this point.”

“What do you mean, exactly? We’ve prepared a waiting room for your bodyguards.”

The one to answer Jimon’s question was instead Dan Rutim, who was standing right behind Donda Ruu.

“If we pass through this door, we’ll have to hand over our blades, right? We can’t exactly do our duty as bodyguards like that! So let us stay here instead.”

“But... I do not see how you could guard the leading clan heads if you’re not by their side...”

“Don’t you worry! We’ll protect them just fine, along with everyone in this building!” Dan Rutim replied with a hearty chuckle.

“I see,” Jimon replied with a small nod. “In that case, we will leave a guard unit of several men here with you, so I ask that you follow their instructions from here on out. Is that acceptable?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Very well, then... Leading clan heads and company, please come this way.”

As we left them all behind, Dan Rutim was grinning, Ludo Ruu looked serious, and Darmu Ruu and Deek Dom had a dangerous gleam shining in their eyes. But at any rate, our group went ahead and stepped into the manor.

The first thing to greet us was the vast entrance hall. At our feet, there was a reddish-brown rug already laid out. And as we all stepped onto it, the door closed behind us with a weighty sound.

“Welcome, everyone...” greeted the ten pages waiting there for us, all dressed in yellow uniforms.

They had a skin color typical of westerners, and were boys who looked to be even younger than me. But perhaps due to all the training they had undergone, they all stood there in a row with their gazes cast downward, their faces all as still as masks.

“We will take charge of your blades...”

With that, a number of them politely held out their hands, and the hunters all silently handed over the weapons at their hips.

“Shall we also take your cloaks?”

“No thanks. These are a hunter’s pride.”

Donda Ruu’s voice sounded even calmer than usual, but it was enough to cause the boy who had asked to flinch and cower a bit.

After giving the boy a glance, the clan head turned around to face his comrades.

“If you’ve got any metal skewers or small knives in your cloaks, hand those over too. As long as we don’t have anything that can serve as a weapon, nobody can complain.”

At that, the hunters followed his instructions and pulled out everything applicable.

And so, everyone was left unarmed. While we had been prepared for that from the start, I could still definitely feel my heartbeat quicken a bit.

“Well then, this way,” Jimon gestured, then started leading us down the carpeted hallway.

As we advanced to the left, the path suddenly narrowed and took on a maze-like structure. That meant we had crossed over into the left wing of the house. And though this part of the building was unexplored territory for me, the cramped, dimly-lit conditions stirred up some intense déjà vu.

Though there were countless doors along the walls, we ignored all of them and just kept following the path, taking both left and right turns. Was the route so complex in order to throw off intruders?

Slowly but steadily, we were growing more and more distant from Dan Rutim’s group outside the manor. However, I had already informed Donda Ruu of how Cyclaeus’s manor was structured in advance. On top of that, Dan Rutim’s group was standing by on the outside, so there should be no reason to worry...but my heart rate just kept on rising.

Eventually, we at last reached a spiral staircase made of bricks.

After climbing it, we continued a bit further down the hall, at which point Jimon finally stopped. Sure enough, there were once again two soldiers brandishing spears in front of the ostentatiously large door.

As he stood in front of them, Jimon announced, “The visitors from the forest’s edge have arrived!”

There was some muffled reply, and after hearing it Jimon pulled the door open. After that, he strode inside without any hesitation, and we followed right on after him.

At last, we were standing before Cyclaeus again.

“You have my thanks for coming, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge... I’m truly sorry for making you come all the way here on account of my own personal concerns,” the wicked noble greeted hoarsely.

The large reception hall looked to be a square of around ten meters on each side.

Unsurprisingly there was reddish brown carpet laid out atop the floor, and there were large partitioning screens along the left and right walls, while straight ahead hung what looked like a thick curtain. And Cyclaeus was sitting there in front of that massive curtain embroidered with the emblem of the house of Turan.

“I had heard you weren’t doing well, but I’m glad to see you have enough strength left to speak,” Dari Sauti replied in a blunt tone as he looked around the room.

Following his lead, I also stole some peeks around.

While it was certainly luxurious, the room also felt somehow dreary. The partitioning screens, curtain, and carpet all looked clearly high quality, but the only other furnishings seemed to be just enough stools for the people present. If there were at least some sort of big conference table or something in the center it’d seem about right, but as it was, it felt strangely empty.

Straight in front of us were Cyclaeus and another man I didn’t recognize, while a few meters away, Melfried and another unfamiliar white haired older fellow sat facing toward the master of the house.

“Beside me is the leader of the militia, Ciluel, while the legal officer of Genos, Sir Zylus, is there beside Lord Melfried.”

So that’s Cyclaeus’s younger brother, huh? I thought to myself, my attention first turning straight ahead.

The middle-aged man wore simple white armor over his large frame. His nose really stood out with how short and flat it was, and something about his face just screamed contempt. But when you added in the fact that he wore his dark brown hair in a mushroom-looking bowl cut, it made for a sort of comical appearance.

As for his age, he was probably somewhere in his forties. And honestly, he didn’t look anything like Cyclaeus, who had the appearance of a gaunt old man. The only thing that was similar between them was the tenacious shine in his pale eyes.

Meanwhile, that Zylus man was a skinny old fellow with a golden accessory hanging from the breast of his long white frock. I could only see the side of his face from where I was looking, but he seemed to be silently fuming.

“At Lord Melfried’s request, both Ciluel and Sir Zylus shall be participating. You have no objections to that, do you, leading clan heads...?”

Donda Ruu just silently nodded. After all, he had already heard of that matter from Leito.

Kamyua Yoshu’s plan was that by having Cyclaeus’s co-conspirator Ciluel and the man most well versed in the laws of Genos in one room, we would finally be able to bring the wicked noble’s crimes to light.

However, Kamyua Yoshu himself was absent. Would we still be able to fight properly alongside Melfried without him around? While nursing that worry, I snuck a glance at our noble ally.

Though I had heard Gazraan Rutim describe it, this was actually my first time seeing his face without the helmet. His hair was a medium brown, the bridge of his nose was straight, and his jaw was firm and lean. He was definitely more handsome than I had imagined, with a really fitting appearance for a noble. With his toned, tall, and lean body clad in white armor, he looked like a seriously admirable warrior.

However, the light in his grey eyes really was chilly in a way that felt almost reptilian. It was a cold light, but in a way completely different than Yamiru Lea’s had once been.

“Well then, you may start by seating yourselves, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge...” Cyclaeus urged, only for Dari Sauti to furrow his brow.

“I’m grateful for the consideration, but we people of the forest’s edge have no custom of sitting on such things.”

“You’ve said as much before... But since today’s meeting shall be rather time consuming, could I ask that you follow the customs of Genos? It is difficult to relax when you are the only ones sitting, after all.”

Dari Sauti seemed like he was about to object further, but he apparently rethought it and followed along with Cyclaeus’s request. And then the rest of us followed soon after.

Our seats were simple wooden stools, lacking even backs. And since Cyclaeus and his brother were sitting in big chairs with not only backs but also armrests, the sort of thrones you’d expect to see a king in, it really made it feel like they were looking down on us right from the very start.

On top of that, since we had such a big crowd, our seats were all spread out in a half circle stretching from left to right and facing the distant Cyclaeus and Ciluel.

Melfried and Zylus had been seated to the right to start with and Bartha and Leito joined them there alongside me and Ai Fa, while the leading clan heads’ group of six took the left, and Zuuro Suun and company were seated in the center.

“Well then, please summon me if you have need for my services,” Jimon stated, exiting the room after seeing us seated.

With that, I finally identified the source of the vague unease I had been feeling: There weren’t any soldiers guarding Cyclaeus.

I had heard the man had brought along twenty men to protect him at the last meeting, but now even his close aide Jimon had withdrawn. The only one left at his side now was his sluggish-looking younger brother.

“Don’t let your guard down, Asuta... The soldiers appear to be hidden behind that massive curtain,” Ai Fa whispered into my ear, apparently having sensed my concern. “There are twenty of them... No, it may actually be more. But no matter how much they may hold their breath, they are not able to fully hide their presence.”

“I see. So they’re trying to catch us off guard by hiding, huh?”

“If that is the case, then I cannot call it anything but a ridiculous farce. Still, it seems even that Melfried man was not permitted to come here with a blade.”

In shock, I stole a glance at Melfried, who was seated next to Bartha. Sure enough, while the man himself was seated atop the stool with perfect posture, there was no sign of his trademark twin longswords.

“I believe in the last meeting, both that man and Kamyua Yoshu were permitted to keep their blades on them... It may simply be that customs differ between the Turan land and the castle town, but at any rate, make certain to stay on guard.”

There were twenty or more soldiers hidden there behind Cyclaeus, likely all fully equipped. Compared to them, we had seven hunters of the forest’s edge, or eight if you included Mida in their number, and Bartha and Melfried seemed fairly strong too, but they were all barehanded. If things got violent under these circumstances, could it really end without bloodshed?

Either way, I definitely couldn’t wipe away the unease I was feeling.

And around then, Dari Sauti suddenly let out an “Ah!” At the same time, a strange smell wafted through the air, making it all the way to us.

“What is that unusual odor?!” Ciluel shouted in his hoarse voice.

“My apologies. It seems as I went to sit, I crushed a giba warding fruit.”

“A-A giba warding fruit, you say?!”

“Indeed. It is a rare fruit known throughout our Sauti clan. Since sprinkling its juice around will keep away giba for half a day, it’s quite valuable, so this is quite a blunder on my part.”

It was a real pungent aroma, and I couldn’t exactly say I was fond of it myself.

“Do not worry, as it is not harmful to humans. However, perhaps it would be wise to open up any windows and let in fresh air.”

“As the sun is currently high in the sky, all the windows are already open... Do not worry yourself and simply be seated, leading clan head of the forest’s edge,” Cyclaeus mediated with a sickly sweet grin.

Dari Sauti had been starting to stand, but to that he replied, “I see,” and sat back down.

The windows seemed to be on the opposite side of the partitioning screens to our right. There were small windows high up on the walls too, which meant the room was at least somewhat lit, and it did in fact seem like the air was ventilating.

Still, that giba warding fruit really had a powerful scent, to the point that I felt like I was going to choke on it.

“A month ago, we used this same giba warding fruit when leading that group pretending to be a merchant caravan. But the other side used enough giba summoning fruit to completely overwhelm it, making our efforts pointless. A truly frustrating incident.”

“There is no need to rush. After all, the midday bell still hasn’t yet rung. For today, why not talk to our hearts’ content, until all unfortunate misunderstandings have been cleared away...?” Cyclaeus chimed in, the same grin still on his face.

He was still just as sickly pale as always, but other than that, he didn’t look to be in bad health. However, the way he supported his frail body on the armrest did make him look a bit weak.

“Still... I don’t seem to see that accursed blond scoundrel who whispered such slander into Lord Melfried’s ear,” Cyclaeus said, his tenacious gaze turning toward the younger noble. “For him to throw such false accusations at Ciluel, only to then hide himself... I must say, it is both a let-down and also quite upsetting. Lord Melfried, what exactly are your thoughts on that matter?”

“I cannot say I find it especially troublesome. Kamyua Yoshu himself had said he may not make it in time for this meeting, and as you can see, his representative is included here in our midst.”

Leito just grinned, while Bartha’s glare remained fixed straight ahead.

And I didn’t miss it either when Bartha muttered quietly, “I see... So that’s how it is.”

Her voice had likely only reached those seated on the same side as her, like Ai Fa. But at any rate, she kept on glaring with a hunter’s grin not at Cyclaeus, but at his brother who was seated next to him.

“This is utterly ridiculous! To think, some wanderer who just happened to make the acquaintance of Duke Genos would be allowed to slander my brother and myself, of all people!” Ciluel shouted again in his hoarse voice. “I have countless responsibilities as the head of the militia, you know! Unlike the ducal guard tasked solely with keeping the peace inside the castle! Don’t you agree, Lord Melfried?”

Melfried offered no response, simply staring back at Ciluel with his chilly grey eyes.

Still seated, the militia head stomped his feet like a child.

“Hmph, so be it. That wanderer’s crafty plots end today! And you may be the first son of Duke Genos, but the crime of falling for that vulgar man’s reckless remarks is grave indeed, Lord Melfried.”

“That’s quite enough vain words from you for now, Ciluel... After all, we will be bringing the entirety of the truth to light today,” Cyclaeus stated, right before the heavy gong of a bell sounded out from the distance.

The sun had finally hit its peak.

“Well then, shall we get this meeting started...?” Cyclaeus asked, his bluish-gray face twisted into an eerie grin.