Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: A New Encounter

1

It was now the nineteenth of the black month.

Business was once again resuming today after the break we took every ten days.

Putting it all together, this was my eleventh round of contracts with the stalls. In other words, we had already run them for a hundred days by this point.

Naturally, we had to insert some breaks in those contracts for various reasons, and sometimes we didn’t open up shop for as long as half a month or more. If you counted from the first day we ran our stall, then we would be at the four month anniversary in around a week or so.

It had been roughly five months now since I had come to live as a member of the Fa clan. And it had been about a month and a half since the fifth of the ashen month, when we were finally able to return to the Fa house after our conflict with that criminal noble of Genos, Cyclaeus, was settled. Over the course of that month and a half, a great deal had changed all around us.

First off, the criminals had been dealt with.

Cyclaeus and his younger brother Ciluel had been judged in accordance with the laws of Genos. Their trial had taken ten days, and ultimately the lord of Genos, Marstein, had more or less kept his promises.

Cyclaeus was given a sentence of life confinement, while Ciluel was given twenty years of penal servitude. I had been told that nobles weren’t given any sentences harsher than death, but this time was seen as a special exception. After all, Ciluel had gone into a frenzy again at the trial and shouted curses at not only the legal officers of Genos but even the western god Selva, which had only added to his crimes.

Zuuro Suun was also sentenced to ten years of penal servitude.

Apparently a sentence of penal servitude meant being thrown into an especially dangerous area, like a mine or something like that, and worked even more harshly than slaves. On top of that, nobody knew where it was carried out. To guard against the off chance of someone plotting to rescue such criminals, they were first escorted to the capital of Selva, after which they were stripped of all rank and status and then assigned to their workplaces.

No one had ever lived through ten years of penal servitude, but if Zuuro Suun managed to become the first, he could once again return to the settlement at the forest’s edge. But we wouldn’t know if such a thing were possible until those ten years had passed.

And once everyone else’s sentences were handed down, Bartha of Masara was granted her freedom. Marstein had managed to keep his promise on that point too.

Still, that measure was taken not just on behalf of the people of the forest’s edge, but also to placate the townsfolk. In short, while revealing that the crimes pinned on the Red Beards were actually the work of Zattsu Suun and his men, who were prompted by Cyclaeus and Ciluel, they also pardoned Bartha as a remnant of that group.

While it didn’t really make significant waves where I could see, the vindication of the Red Beards apparently resulted in quite a commotion elsewhere in the post town and in other towns. After all, the Red Beards from back then had been seen as heroes by the townsfolk.

Those Red Beards were then framed for taking the lives of others, and the number of people who felt appalled by that fact was pretty large. In order to clear those doubts, Duke Marstein Genos pardoned Bartha, surely in an attempt to lessen the dissatisfaction and animosity toward the ruling class of Genos at least a little.

At any rate though, the honor of the Red Beards had been salvaged.

“That lord of Genos sure can turn everything to his benefit, huh?” the bodyguard Kamyua Yoshu had remarked after Bartha was set free. As one of the key players in settling the whole commotion, he wore a rather amused smile, looking deeply satisfied with how things had played out.

After waiting for Cyclaeus and Ciluel’s sentences to be passed down, Kamyua Yoshu departed for Banarm with Welhide. He must have found a new job there like he said he would, as I hadn’t seen him at all for the past month. And this time around he had taken Leito with him and said they would wander around the western territory for several months, which I guess meant he was ultimately returning to the lifestyle of a wanderer.

And then, there was us.

Our business had undergone quite a bit of change too. In fact, it had gone through so much of an upheaval that it was hard to say where to even start explaining.

The first matter we ended up having a debate over was the price of giba meat.

Back when we were still waiting for the trial to begin, Polarth sought out a meeting with me and people from the post town I had ties to, acting as Marstein’s proxy.

“Asuta, you plan to reopen your stalls once those criminals of the Winds of Black Death are captured, correct? There is a small concern I would like to have you consider beforehand.”

Normally, it would be the ducal guard captain Melfried’s duty to act as Marstein’s proxy when negotiating with the people of the forest’s edge. But considering what the matter at hand entailed, Polarth had been selected as the one most well versed with our business.

The meeting’s location ended up being The Kimyuus’s Tail, while the owners of The Sledgehammer and The Great Southern Tree, Nail and Naudis respectively, were invited to attend. That was because this issue was of interest to them too.

“To get straight to the point, we would like to have you reevaluate the price of giba meat.”

At that time, we were selling giba meat for the same price as karon leg meat. That went for both the fresh meat sold to the inns and the meals we sold at the stalls. And what we were being told was that such pricing was a problem.

“Giba meat is every bit as tasty as karon torso meat, is it not? So it is a bit of an issue to have it sold at roughly the same price as karon leg meat and skinless kimyuus meat.”

“So you’re saying karon and kimyuus meat will stop selling if our prices stay the same?”

“Yes, that is correct. At least skinless kimyuus meat is still cheaper than giba, but karon leg meat is essentially the same price. Karon leg meat is sinewy and lacking in fat, so it simply has no chance of winning against fatty delicious giba meat when they are priced the same, wouldn’t you say?”

On top of that, the karon meat in Genos was purchased from the town of Dabagg. Genos sold Dabagg vegetables and fruit wine, while Dabagg sold Genos karon meat. It would apparently be quite inconvenient for both towns if the balance of that exchange were to break down. And then Banarm was entangled in everything, as another town known for its fuwano and mamaria fruit wine.

“If karon leg meat were to stop selling entirely in Genos, Dabagg may choose to instead strengthen ties with Banarm. And if that were to happen, the Turan lands would lose a significant business partner for their fuwano and fruit wine. At that point, even such a hard worker as Sir Torst would likely be thoroughly toppled.”

Torst was the man ordered to put the house of Turan back on its feet after Cyclaeus’s downfall. Currently, all rights Lefreya had as head of the house were denied to her, and Torst was the one actually in command.

“Additionally, you have faced occasional complaints not only from meat sellers, but also others running stalls in the post town. They say there is no way they can possibly compete with such delicious food being sold for so cheap. Of course, to some degree that simply comes down to a matter of free competition. However, since you people of the forest’s edge wish to forge proper bonds with the townsfolk, is it not undesirable to earn such animosity?”

“That’s certainly true, but still...”

“There is one further concern as well. At this rate, it may end up that only a sharply limited amount of giba meat circulates through the post town.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“You see, if giba meat is available so cheaply, then the residents of the castle town shall likely end up rushing to snatch it all up,” Polarth said with a limp grin. “At the previous dinner party, Duke Marstein Genos himself recognized the deliciousness of giba meat, did he not? That has made the topic a matter of great interest to the people of the castle town. For the time being, the desire to avoid giba as a symbol of calamity has not yet been wiped away, but as soon as even a single person takes that step forward there will surely be no stopping it. And if they can have meat just as delicious as karon torso for cheap, the affluent citizens of the castle town may well begin seeking nothing else. Were that to occur, it truly could cause a catastrophic collapse in our relations with Dabagg.”

“Ah, so that’s what you meant...”

“And to reveal some matters from our end, Sir Leeheim of Count Saturas’s house has begun seriously considering purchasing giba meat. Having learned of that, Duke Genos dispatched me in order to avoid future turmoil,” Polarth explained, remaining perfectly cheerful throughout. “If I did not have such ties to the people of the forest’s edge, I would likely have thought similarly to Sir Leeheim. In fact, I may well have even considered buying up all of the cheap giba meat in order to turn around and resell it in the castle town. That would steal away any chance whatsoever to eat giba meat in the post town.”

“B-But we’re the ones who decide who we sell the giba meat to, right?”

“Yes, of course. But currently, these two here are the only ones purchasing giba meat, correct? Would there be any justifiable reason for the people of the forest’s edge to deny legitimate requests from citizens of the castle town who have acknowledged the deliciousness of giba meat when the people of the post town are hesitating to make such purchases? Unless, that is, you decide on a policy of not doing business with nobles at all. But how truly sad that would be, don’t you think?”

“Well, that may all be true, but still...”

“Perhaps that is also due to free competition. However, I cannot imagine the people of the forest’s edge wishing for such a result. And it was such thinking that led to Duke Genos making the current proposal I bring to you. If giba meat were not so incredibly cheap, then even the nobles of the castle town who would be so crude as to monopolize it for resale could not afford to.”

Whether it was done by the nobles of the castle town or the folks from the post town, such a huge purchase of giba meat would bring a great deal of fortune to the people of the forest’s edge, allowing them to live more comfortable lifestyles.

But if the giba meat was all purchased for cheap to be resold and the people of the post town were no longer able to eat any, naturally that would feel like a somehow twisted state of affairs. I wanted the folks I knew from the post town to be able to eat giba meat more than some complete and utter strangers from the castle town. Maybe that was nothing more than my own personal sentiment, but it was still something I didn’t quite feel comfortable with.

On top of this, it wasn’t as if the people of the forest’s edge had come to a consensus on the matter of selling giba meat. People like Gulaf Zaza and the Beim clan head were still watching the actions of the Fa and Ruu carefully to determine if such an idea was proper and would lead to a bright future for the forest’s edge. At any rate, I certainly figured the idea of neglecting the folks from the post town to earn favor with the nobles would clash with the nature of the people of the forest’s edge.

“Additionally, as you gentlemen from the inns are aware, there are heavy restrictions placed on the raising and sale of kimyuus in Genos, out of consideration toward Dabagg. Even if the castle were to dispatch an order for more, at present that could only be answered through the Daleim plantations and a portion of the castle town. Besides, has it not been decided that kimyuus dishes must be sold for cheaper than karon?”

“Yes. Inns and stalls earn more profit selling karon dishes than kimyuus, which is how those prices were decided,” Naudis replied despite the fact that he was dealing with the noble for the first time, though his nerves were definitely showing in his voice. “But when it comes to giba? The price of giba meat changed based on cut to begin with, and currently the chest and back meat costs more than karon leg meat. Furthermore, the dishes purchased from Asuta add his profit margin on top, so it’s more expensive than karon cooking.”

“Right. Karon dishes are four red coins, while giba dishes cost five, was it? But it should still certainly be far more economical than using karon torso meat,” Polarth said with an easygoing chuckle.

This time, it was the expressionless Nail who responded.

“It certainly is true that dishes made using giba meat have been overwhelmingly more popular. I have had the thought that I would end up not needing to even purchase karon or kimyuus at this rate, so it’s not as if I can’t understand Duke Genos’s concerns... But even so, if the prices rise too greatly, it will no longer be possible to sell giba cooking in the post town.”

“Naturally, I’m not telling you to suddenly raise it to the same price as karon torso. I simply would like you to reappraise the price slightly in order to appease the meat sellers of Dabagg and others selling their cooking. If you do so and continue selling Sir Asuta’s cooking and giba meat, no one should have any complaints. And if you will allow me to interject my personal opinion, I cannot imagine Sir Asuta’s cooking failing to sell from just a slight increase in price. After all, it is simply delicious!”

“Ah...I’m honored to receive such a compliment.”

“And if you do happen to have customers complain, you can simply openly reveal what we are now discussing. Inform them that you were forced to raise prices in order to prevent the nobles from monopolizing the giba meat. I cannot see anyone complaining about that.”

At that, both Nail and Naudis fell silent and thought it over. And as he stared at their troubled expressions, Polarth cheerfully continued on.

“So, there is actually one more entreaty I have been entrusted to bring before you all, Sir Asuta.”

“Duke Genos has a request for us?”

“Correct. I believe you have likely already heard a fair bit on the matter, but we would like your assistance when it comes to dealing with the mountain of ingredients delivered to the Turan manor.”

Up until now, Cyclaeus had been over-purchasing all sorts of ingredients with a morbid obsession to monopolize them. But with his fall, the majority of those ingredients had ended up without a purpose. However, one-sidedly cutting off those agreements with other towns and nations would damage the trust in Genos itself, so even now a massive quantity of ingredients were arriving at the manor each and every day.

“If we can avoid unjust criticism, we intend to reduce such business dealings, but for the next several months we shall have to continue to have those ingredients delivered. With that in mind, if possible it seems wise to try to use those ties to other nations to their fullest. If we can find a proper use for those ingredients here in Genos, there will be no issue whatsoever. And so, could we ask for you to lend us your skill, Sir Asuta?”

“Are you asking me to adapt dishes from the post town to use ingredients from the castle town?”

“Yes, that is precisely it! You know that we had the Daleim house’s head chef Yang sell cooking using milk fat and baked poitan in the post town in order to increase their distribution, correct? We wish to do something similar on an even larger scale, spreading knowledge of the taste of such heretofore unknown ingredients to the good people of the post town. Naturally, I intend to consult with the house of Saturas to have a variety of inns and restaurants working on the project, but I would also appreciate your assistance, Sir Asuta.”

With that, Naudis got a bit of a look in his eyes as he leaned forward.

“Apologies for interjecting, but are you saying we could see not just tau oil, but also Jagar sugar and honey in the post town?”

“That is correct. It could prove quite difficult finding buyers of minmi fruit at five coins each or gyama dried milk at a price of two white coins for a block, but flavorings such as Jagar honey and sugar, reten oil, and mamaria vinegar would surely be gladly welcomed by the people of the post town.”

Naudis then suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Asuta, if we can use Jagar sugar, I should be able to drastically raise the quality of the cooking in my shop, right?”

“That’s true. Back in my home country, we used plenty of sugar in dishes that were like meat and chatchi stew and cubed giba meat stew.”

Since there wasn’t any sugar in the post town, I had instead relied on fruit wine alone, since it had a high sugar content. But since those dishes were based on meat and potato stew and cubed pork stew, I really would be grateful to be able to use sugar.

“In that case, I believe I’ll be able to keep on selling your dishes as I have been, even with a bit of a rise in price. I get excited just thinking of how tasty that delicious cubed giba meat stew would be when adding in the sweetness of sugar on top!”

“Ah, you’re familiar with the taste of sugar, Naudis?”

“Of course. My mother took me to visit my father’s homeland many times when I was young. That is why I have long since been disgusted by the nobles of Genos buying up all the Jagar sugar and honey for themselves,” he replied, whispering the last bit.

Whether Polarth overheard that or not, he just kept on smiling.

“At present, poitan has just started to circulate in place of fuwano. Considering a single meal’s worth doesn’t even cost one full red coin, that should make quite a difference for shops that sell a hundred or two hundred meals, would you not say? And we would appreciate it greatly if those extra coins were in turn used to purchase a variety of ingredients.”

Naudis and Nail both silently stared at Polarth.

As for the noble in question, his eyes were positively sparkling like a child’s.

“And if the flavors of those various ingredients spread throughout the post town, perhaps the townsfolk will begin seeking sugar and herbs from Sym and the like as well. That would give us the option to expand our business dealings with other nations rather than reduce them. Personally, I see this as an opportunity to extend interest in gourmet dining beyond just the castle town, into the post town and Daleim and Turan lands as well.”

“Interest in gourmet dining, you say?”

“Indeed. To put it in slightly simpler words, spreading the joy of a delicious meal.”

That was precisely what I wanted to convey to the people of the forest’s edge.

As I suppressed my surprise, Polarth gave an amused smile.

“Genos is an exceedingly prosperous town. Even in the western territories, it is quite rare for there to be a town where everyone is able to eat meat. If we advanced that one step further and became a town where one could easily eat dishes from all around the world, perhaps a great many more travelers would begin visiting Genos. Jagar cuisine using tau oil and sugar, Sym cuisine employing plentiful herbs, Selva dishes using reten oil, mamaria vinegar, and a variety of vegetables... If such things could be eaten not only inside the castle town but also out in the post town, I believe Genos would become an even more prosperous town, the sort that could be boasted about to the entire world.”

“Did Duke Genos have such a grandiose outlook in mind when he called for us?”

“Hmm? No, what I said just now was nothing more than my own personal opinion,” Polarth replied, his plump cheeks shaking. “But Duke Genos has surely already thought that far into the future. In fact, I would say that is precisely the reason he selected me instead of Sir Melfried for this matter. And also, perhaps it was because he had such hidden intentions that he did not approve of the idea of the castle town monopolizing the giba meat...”

“I see...”

“Expanding our point of view further, perhaps if the price of giba cooking is raised, the people of the post town shall come to understand that delicious meals cost more coins. And then it would be possible that such townsfolk would consider purchasing karon torso meat, even though it costs notably more than leg meat.”

That certainly was quite an ambitious outlook.

But at any rate, we were facing two significant changes with the rise in giba meat prices and the purchasing of new ingredients.

As for the price, we ended up raising the cost of fresh giba meat to 1.5 times its current rate. That was what had been proposed by Polarth.

The idea of raising the price of a meal by the same amount just because the meat was becoming more expensive seemed odd to me, though. After all, if there was no change in the price of vegetables, then that would all just be added profit margin. Still, that price actually seemed appropriate for the dishes served at the stalls.

“In other words, your cooking was too cheap to begin with, Sir Asuta! After all, a dish would surely cost more if it were to use such a considerable amount of karon leg meat. In fact, I would personally say that three red coins is still too cheap,” Polarth stated.

At any rate, the giba burgers and myamuu giba that we had been selling for two red coins were raised by the agreed amount to the price of three red coins.

Meanwhile, Naudis and Nail needed to rack their brains a bit further. Even if the payment for my services and the cost of the baked poitan sold as part of the set remained the same, their giba meals would have to go up to around six red coins. Considering their karon dishes cost four red coins, it seemed like the number of customers ordering my cooking would see a dramatic drop off.

Therefore, they decided to shift things instead by offering half the amount of food for half the price. That would put karon at two red coins, kimyuus at one and a half, and giba at three. That way, people with the finances to afford it could buy two servings of giba cooking, and those without could buy one alongside a cheaper kimyuus meal. That was the stance they chose to adopt.

When I heard that, I decided to imitate their example. Since I was already entrusting the giba burger and myamuu giba stalls to the Ruu clan, I made up my mind to rent two new stalls and serve completely different dishes.

Now that I thought about it, in his attempts to spread knowledge of baked poitan and milk fat, Yang had sold miniature-sized dishes for one red coin each, since those would be more approachable for first-time customers, and the kimyuus meat manju that was my first purchase in the post town had cost two red coins for an adult size but only one for a child size. It seemed to be fairly mainstream here in the post town to offer miniature-sized snacks such as that.

The giba burgers and myamuu giba used 180 grams of giba meat, so they had plenty of volume. So this time around, my thinking was to reduce that volume to instead sell a dish as cheaply as possible.

After reopening the stalls for business, a month and a half quickly passed by...

And after all sorts of trial and error, both my stalls and the ones run by the Ruu clan were able to achieve superb results.