Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 4.3

Chapter 3: A Five-Day Ordeal

1

It was as if their forest home was ablaze.

At the Ruu settlement, either the first or second largest at the forest’s edge, there were bonfires roaring away. Such flames were never lit so late at night unless it was a large banquet.

However, this was no banquet. More than the bonfires, the unexpected heat and brightness filling that space came from an intense, fiery anger.

“Should we really be having a relaxed debate here?! We should march on the castle town right this very moment!” Gulaf Zaza, one of the three leading clan heads, roared. “Regardless of their reasoning, they pointed a blade at a person of the forest’s edge! That can only be met with blades of our own! What reason could there be to hesitate?!”

“Hold on, please. We have no proof that the criminal behind this incident really was Cyclaeus.” Gazraan Rutim, who had still somehow managed to retain his calm, desperately tried to persuade Gulaf Zaza.

Voices whirled about like an inferno, both in agreement and opposition.

“Do you really think some random stranger would go pointing a blade at a person of the forest’s edge at a time like this? That couldn’t possibly be! Besides, didn’t the inn owner who was also attacked testify that the culprits were dressed like nobles?!”

“Even so, there’s no solid proof that any noble was behind the attack. And if it turns out Cyclaeus really isn’t at fault, then it would become a case of us people of the forest’s edge throwing out false accusations at the ruling class.”

“Ruling class?! In the end, they just look down on us people of the forest’s edge, not caring a lick about how we’re treated! I can’t see any reason to keep on devoting our swords to fools like that!”

Gulaf Zaza was raging at the fact that people of the forest’s edge had been openly attacked in broad daylight. Their people could not accept one of their own having a blade pointed at them. And considering those fiends had done so not only toward the foreign-born Asuta, but also the Ruu men guarding him, they were clearly enemies of the forest’s edge.

A great number of those present raised angry shouts, feeling much the same as Gulaf Zaza. In fact, the majority seemed to be in agreement with the furious leading clan head.

Present were the residents of the Ruu settlement, representatives of the clans under them, the several clan members brought along by Gulaf Zaza and Dari Sauti, and the heads of the Fou, Ran, and Sudra clans, who had close ties to the Fa.

Rage burned bright in the eyes of all the men as they shouted as if competing to be the loudest.

As for the women, they silently stared at those men with pain and sadness filling their gazes.

Once again, Ai Fa thought to herself how it was as if the settlement itself had caught fire.

“Aah... I can hardly believe such a thing is happening...” a feeble voice said from behind Ai Fa. When she turned to look, she found Jiba Ruu standing there supported by Rimee Ruu, who was on the verge of tears. “This commotion is almost like when the forest to the south burned and we lost our home... How terrible... And what sad voices too...”

Ai Fa wasn’t able to bring herself to offer anything in response. After all, she was more furious than anyone present, utterly unable to keep her calm. It was impossible to tell what sort of angry bellow would come bursting forth if she were to open her mouth. And so Ai Fa was using every last bit of strength she had to desperately force down her rage, instead simply watching everyone else in their frenzy.

“Didn’t you acknowledge Asuta of the Fa clan as a friend, Gazraan Rutim?!” Gulaf Zaza angrily shouted. “That man you call friend has been kidnapped by criminals using cowardly, violent means! How can you stay so composed in the face of that?!”

“My heart is filled to the brim with anger and regret. If it were acceptable to do so, I would force my way into the castle town even if it meant cutting down the gatekeepers, and demand to search for Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim declared, taking care not to raise his voice...and yet, there was an anger no less intense than Gulaf Zaza’s blazing in his eyes. “Yet that is precisely why I am striving my hardest to remain rational. If we turn our blades on a noble of Genos without just cause, we could lose everything. Above all else, I hope to avoid having Asuta become the spark that leads to our people losing their very future.”

“Then what are you saying we should do?” Donda Ruu interjected. “After all, Asuta of the Fa clan has been kidnapped. Cyclaeus is holed up in the castle, and the only response we’ve gotten back is that we should leave everything to the guards. You’re not saying we should wait and do nothing for the next five days until Cyclaeus returns, are you?”

“Of course not. I believe we should launch our own search for Asuta.”

“How would we do that, and where?”

“If Cyclaeus and the soldiers insist that the culprits are not in the castle town, then we’ll have to search everywhere else. If we cannot find Asuta after all that, then we can insist the criminals really must be in the castle town, wouldn’t you say?”

“What a roundabout method... Genos is more than just the post town. There’s the Turan lands and the plantations too. I can’t imagine how we could do any kind of proper search of the area in just five days.”

“Do you really think so? We’re looking for someone from Sym with brown hair; a westerner dressed like a noble; and Asuta, who has black hair and the skin color of a westerner, an unusual combination for Genos. I’d imagine it would be rather difficult to hide with such unique appearances,” Gazraan Rutim firmly asserted. “And if we search all the rest of the Genos land, then they would either have to be in the castle town or have fled outside of Genos entirely. If the guards still insist the culprits are not inside the castle town after that, we can pressure them and ask just what proof they have to make such an assertion.”

“I’m in agreement with Gazraan Rutim,” the last of the leading clan heads, Dari Sauti, affirmed as he stepped forward. “Besides, Cyclaeus has no reason to kidnap Asuta at a time like this to begin with. And it just feels too sloppy to have committed this crime right in the middle of the day, and even letting other people see them. If it were Cyclaeus’s plot, I would have expected a bit more cunning.”

“So do you have some other culprit in mind, Dari Sauti?”

“I’d say it’s equally likely to have been the work of Cyclaeus or another party. Someone may be plotting to take advantage of the bad blood between us and Cyclaeus, or it could be that Cyclaeus himself chose such sloppy methods in order to provoke us. Either way, we should proceed calmly and cautiously.”

It seemed that Dari Sauti was even more composed than Gazraan Rutim. Perhaps even the Rutim heir couldn’t remain perfectly calm under the circumstances. But, Ai Fa thought to herself, that was only natural if he was feeling the same things that she was.

“Furthermore, didn’t those villains say that they wished to welcome Asuta as a guest? Obviously we cannot know whether or not those words were truthful, but if they wished to take his life, they could have easily done so then and there. Since it seems they aimed to capture Asuta rather than kill him, I would say that there’s no need to be in such a fluster.”

“That may be so, but still...”

“Besides, it isn’t the custom of the forest’s edge to allow yourself to swing your blade in anger. It’s true that it may be roundabout to search the surrounding land to prove that the culprits must be in the castle town, but it fits with our ways,” Dari Sauti continued, his eyes instantly lighting up. “Once we do everything we can and believe with certainty we have found the truth, then we can swing our blades, and we’ll do it with our full strength behind them. As one of the leading clan heads I, Dari Sauti, offer my support to Gazraan Rutim’s words.”

“And what if Asuta of the Fa clan loses his life thanks to that roundabout method?” Gulaf Zaza grumbled.

Dari Sauti regained the composed look in his eyes as he replied. “If that time comes, then we people of the forest’s edge will have no choice but to use all our strength to make certain those criminals pay for their crimes. Even if it means making enemies of all of the nobles and losing our second home here at the forest of Morga.”

It seemed that things had been settled.

Gulaf Zaza held his tongue while still looking angry, and Donda Ruu spoke up in his place.

“In that case, the Ruu and our subordinate clans will start heading into town beginning tomorrow, since we fortunately happen to be in our break period.”

“Will the Ruu and the clans under them be enough for the search?” the Fou clan head questioned, sounding dissatisfied. Slowly, Donda Ruu turned to face him.

“We cannot have all the hunters of the forest’s edge abandon their duty. We have to do things properly.”

Ai Fa turned aside, having given up on the matter.

However, Donda Ruu then called out from behind her, “Hold on. Just where exactly are you going, Ai Fa of the Fa clan?”

“That much should be obvious. Now that the path forward has been decided, I am returning to the Fa house to prepare for tomorrow,” Ai Fa answered, feeling as if her voice was on the verge of cracking. “You leading clan heads have made up your minds, and I will not act to oppose you. That much is only natural for a person of the forest’s edge.”

“Hmph... Those words are no lie, are they? If you intend on departing for the castle town all on your own, we’ll have no choice but to bind your limbs and make you obey our decision.”

“Try it if you dare!” Ai Fa shouted as she turned to face Donda Ruu, losing her calm.

Rimee Ruu threw her arms around the older girl, clinging to her and shouting, “Ai Fa!”

As Ai Fa gritted her teeth, she somehow managed to force down the powerful emotions billowing up inside of her.

“I swear to the mother forest that I am not lying... I will abide by the decision set by the leading clan heads.”

Surprisingly, Donda Ruu remained perfectly calm as he looked down at Ai Fa. However, his eyes were blazing away even more fiercely than anyone else present.

“Ai Fa, it’s only natural that you can’t remain calm and composed. It’s possible that if it were my family that had been kidnapped, I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself from taking up my blade. That is precisely why I asked your true intentions... If the pain is too much to bear, then you can stay with the Ruu clan.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s possible that Asuta will make it back on his own, so I can’t leave the Fa house vacant.”

“In that case, shall I have someone from the Ruu accompany you?”

“That’s not necessary. However, please allow me to accompany you to town tomorrow.”

“Do as you please,” Donda Ruu grumbled, staring straight back at Ai Fa.

Ai Fa patted Rimee Ruu on the head, gave Jiba Ruu a nod, and then headed for where she left Gilulu over by the main house.

◇

Although Ai Fa had returned to the Fa house alone, she simply couldn’t get to sleep. Anger and irritation were filling her up inside like boiling water. It was as if the very blood in her body was turning to steam.

And on top of that, she felt like a gaping abyss filled with despair had opened wide beneath her. She could lose Asuta forever... That thought alone was enough to tear Ai Fa’s body and soul to shreds.

If she thought it was absolutely the right thing to do to stay here, she would bear as much anguish as it took. And if she could rescue Asuta by heading to the castle town on her own here and now, she would overcome any hardships in her path.

However, Ai Fa had no way of knowing which was the proper choice. Should she make a move? Should she not? Ai Fa just didn’t know, and thanks to that, she agonized, feeling like she would be torn in two.

Mother forest...please, grant Asuta your protection...

No matter how much she prayed, it didn’t ease her aching heart.

But all Ai Fa could do was keep on praying as she gripped the necklace Asuta had gifted her and crouched down on the floor, feeling like she would start spitting up blood at any moment.

I’m a wreck... I can no longer live on my own like I did back then...

When Ai Fa lost her parents and every last bond she had, the only thing she could do was make up her mind to live on alone. If everyone feared earning the anger of the Suun and wouldn’t acknowledge a female hunter, then there was no other choice left to her. And so, Ai Fa had spent two whole years all by herself.

However, Ai Fa had experienced Asuta’s warmth. She had fully remembered the joy that came from living with someone else and sharing both good times and bad.

Thanks to Asuta, Ai Fa had reforged her bonds with Rimee and Jiba Ruu, as well as the people of the Fou and Ran clans. And she had even formed new bonds with the Sudra and Deen, and the clans under the Ruu. But to Ai Fa, Asuta remained her only family.

He was the only one she wanted to live alongside as a member of her house. Nobody could ever replace him. Just like nobody could replace her friends Rimee and Jiba Ruu, no one could replace Asuta as her clan member.

If she lost Asuta, her heart would surely shatter into a million pieces. If she no longer had her single precious clan member and found herself facing the same sort of loss she did two years ago, could she endure it as she was now? No matter how deep she searched in her heart, she had no confidence that she would be fine.

Had she grown weak?

No, she had surely grown stronger thanks to Asuta.

She wanted to live alongside him, sharing their happiness. As that feeling had grown stronger, a great power had filled her body and soul, allowing her to hunt more giba than ever before.

She had grown stronger.

And she feared the sense of loss that would overwhelm her were she to lose that strength.

She wanted to feel Asuta’s warmth with her body. To hug him tight. To press her check firmly against his as he foolishly shouted, “What are you doing?!” Ai Fa wrapped her arms around her own body, trying to hold back all those powerful emotions attempting to burst forth.

If she let herself lose control, she would surely end up crying in an unsightly heap. And if that happened, she got the feeling she would never be able to pull herself back together. Thus, Ai Fa used every last bit of strength she had to keep on holding herself back.

Should...should I go take a look at things in town?

That impulse hit her like a raging river.

Surely there was no crime in just heading to town. As long as she didn’t scale the walls surrounding the castle town, she wouldn’t be breaking the laws of Genos or the forest’s edge.

She knew that nothing would come of heading to town so late at night with no clear purpose. It would be for the best to simply get a bit of rest for the sake of tomorrow. But even so, Ai Fa wasn’t able to overcome the impulse welling up from somewhere deep inside.

I’ll go to town and take a look at the gate and walls to the castle town without the gatekeepers noticing... That much should be fine. Then if I can just tell myself that Asuta’s still alive and well despite being confined, maybe that would ease at least a little of my suffering...

Ai Fa stood up, put on her hunter’s cloak, hung her sword from her hip, and headed toward the door. Gilulu was curled up asleep, but he slowly opened his eyes.

“My apologies, but I want you to do just a little more work today, Gilulu,” she said while lightly patting his head, only for the totos to give a confused blink.

It was right at that very moment that there was a knock on the door.

Astounded, Ai Fa froze in place.

“Asuta... Is that you, Asuta?!”

Despite her expectations, reality was cruel. After all, the frail voice that replied “No...” from the other side of the door clearly belonged to a woman.

Ai Fa was so despondent that she felt like she would collapse to the ground at any moment, but she went ahead and removed the bolt. Even so, she kept her guard up with her grip around her sword’s handle as she opened the door, only to find Saris Ran Fou standing there.

“Ai Fa, that outfit... You’re not intending to head into town alone, are you?!” Saris Ran Fou wondered, her eyes opening wide in shock out in the dark.

However, Ai Fa was the one who felt truly astounded. It had been two whole years now since Saris Ran Fou had last come to visit her.

“I’m begging you, Ai Fa, don’t do anything reckless. It was decided that you would search for your clan member Asuta alongside the Ruu tomorrow, wasn’t it?”

Saris Ran Fou clung to Ai Fa’s shoulders. In the past two years, Ai Fa’s old friend had ended up about two and a half handwidths shorter than her.

But it was the Fou woman Saris Ran Fou standing before her now, rather than her childhood friend Saris Ran. Even so, the hands grasping Ai Fa’s shoulders felt just as warm as they used to.

“Saris Ran Fou... What in the world brought you to visit the Fa house?”

Even if they ran into each other along the road or at the washing place, Saris Ran Fou would just timidly avert her gaze, and certainly wouldn’t ever approach Ai Fa. And yet now the woman was clinging to her shoulders, staring right at her with tearstained eyes. Ai Fa didn’t even know what to think of this development.

As she stared at the female hunter, Saris Ran Fou whispered, “I was worried about you... When I thought about how much grief and sorrow you had to be feeling at the loss of the clan member you opened your heart to... Well, I just couldn’t sit still.”

“But why?” Ai Fa questioned, only for the tears to start streaming down Saris Ran Fou’s face.

“I betrayed you two years ago... Both the Ran and Fou clans cut off ties with the Fa out of fear of the Suun, and I...”

“You’re not to blame for any of that, Saris Ran Fou.”

Around when Ai Fa had built up that bad blood with the Suun clan two years ago, the bond between the two of them was severed. The reason was that the man Saris Ran Fou (Saris Ran at the time) was set to marry had become taken with Ai Fa.

That Fou man secretly asked Ai Fa to marry him instead. Naturally, she turned down his request. However, Saris Ran had seen that exchange. After that, Saris Ran had married a different Fou man and had a child. And the first Fou man who betrayed her ultimately married another Ran woman instead.

As a result, the Fou and Ran reforged their bonds while cutting all ties with the Fa. But that was all due to the bad blood Ai Fa had with the Suun, as well as her desire to become a hunter despite being a woman, so Saris Ran Fou held no responsibility for what occurred.

“That’s not true. While the Fou and Ran clan heads banned us from interacting with the Fa clan, I accepted that of my own will. My fear of the Suun won out over my thoughts and feelings for my childhood friend... And on top of that, I was jealous of your beauty.”

“That’s...”

“It’s the truth! I’m a foolish woman who could never live as proudly as you,” Saris Ran Fou shot back, burying her face in Ai Fa’s chest.

What a small, slender body, Ai Fa vaguely thought to herself.

“I’m not qualified to call myself your friend, Ai Fa... And yet, I still don’t want to lose you... Please, don’t do anything reckless...”

“I never intended to oppose the decision set by the leading clan heads... I simply was going out to check on the state of the town.”

“Really...?” Saris Ran Fou asked, lifting her tear soaked face.

Looking down at her, Ai Fa nodded and replied, “Really. And also, I’ve always thought of you as a friend, Saris Ran Fou. Even if we have not been able to act as such, it was my father and mother and my friendship with you that shaped me up until the age of fifteen. And I haven’t ever forgotten those feelings, not for even a single day.”

Saris Ran Fou’s face scrunched up as she broke down sobbing, hugging Ai Fa as tight as she could. Her body was so slender, small, and warm.

Nobody could replace Asuta. However, the same was also true of Saris Ran Fou. Between the despair at having lost Asuta and the joy at having Saris Ran Fou return to her, Ai Fa’s feelings were such a jumbled mess that she couldn’t even think straight.

And so, the first night of the worst five days imaginable flowed on by, along with Saris Ran Fou’s tears.

2

The morning of the following day, the sixth of the white month, after handling all the standard tasks such as gathering firewood and pico leaves, Ai Fa headed to the Ruu settlement, only to find an extraordinary number of people gathered there.

Donda Ruu and Gazraan Rutim were also there, loudly saying something to the crowd. It seemed like they must have been giving out instructions on who was to search where.

“Ah, Ai Fa, I’ve been waiting for you. Let’s both try our best today,” Ama Min Rutim greeted her, hurrying over when she saw Ai Fa dismounting from Gilulu. “It seems we’ll be searching in pairs of one man and woman each. But since you’re a female hunter, I was chosen to pair with you.”

“I see. Still, I hadn’t expected this many people would be taking part.”

“Same here. With the men and women put together, there are apparently sixty of us in total. Those remaining at the settlement have to carry out the work of the searchers too, but, well, since half our group are hunters on their break period, it should be fine. Apparently Jiza Ruu and my clan head Dan are in charge of all that.”

So Donda Ruu also intended to use all his might to search for Asuta. It wasn’t as if Ai Fa had doubted that fact, but seeing it like this caused warmth to fill her chest.

It was around then that Ludo and Shin Ruu approached.

“So you made it, huh, Ai Fa? Um, about yesterday...”

“Don’t say any more. Hearing your apology once was plenty,” Ai Fa interjected, cutting him off more harshly than she meant to.

She had been unable to stop herself from breaking down in tears when these two informed her that Asuta was abducted, so she didn’t really want to see them.

Besides, Ludo and Shin Ruu couldn’t exactly be blamed when they were up against Sanjura. After all, that man had seemed to be as strong as Ludo Ruu to begin with. Considering he had Asuta hostage on top of that, it was only natural that they couldn’t oppose him.

Even so, if she had only been there... Still, thinking like that didn’t help anything. She had placed her trust in the Ruu clan and asked them to provide guards. Even if they had failed to live up to that trust, she had no intention of blaming the Ruu clan. After all, what mattered now wasn’t assigning blame, but rather searching for Asuta.

“I know. No matter how many times we apologize, it won’t make our crimes any lighter. I’ll spend my whole life trying to wipe away that shame if that’s what it takes,” Ludo Ruu stated with an unusually intense expression. Shin Ruu had a similar light shining in his eyes too. “Anyway, I have a message from my old man. He wants to borrow the Fa clan’s wagon. Would that be all right?”

“The wagon? What would you do with something like that?”

“We’d have Ruuruu pull it, of course. See, Reina and the others are planning to keep on running the stalls.”

Apparently Reina Ruu had decided that Asuta would come back for sure, so they needed to maintain the bonds he had formed with the post town.

“Besides, lots of folks visit the stalls and inns, right? Sounds like her plan is to share what we know that way. They were in a huge hurry this morning to get everything ready.”

“I see...”

They were all using every last bit of strength they had for Asuta.

He’s all right. He must be, Ai Fa thought to herself, quietly clenching her fists.

“And for your job, because you have a totos, my old man said he wants you to handle the Turan lands, since those are the farthest away.”

“The Turan lands... The area ruled over by Cyclaeus?” Thinking how that was just what she wanted, Ai Fa turned to face Ama Min Rutim. “Well then, we should depart right away. Are you prepared, Ama Min Rutim?”

“Yes, I’m good to go.”

“Ah, and start your search with the houses on the north side. Another group is starting from the south, so you should meet up in the middle of the Turan lands.”

“Understood. The wagon is off to the side of our house, so feel free to use it.”

“Thanks. It’s a relief to see you doing okay, Ai Fa...”

Ai Fa offered no response to that statement as she straddled Gilulu. Then she reached a hand down for Ama Min Rutim and pulled her up atop the totos.

“All right, let’s get going.”

And so, their days of searching for Asuta kicked off.

◇

The Turan land stretched out to the north of the castle town.

Since the castle town was in between the Turan lands and the forest’s edge, it was positioned even farther from the post town than the plantations to the south. However, that distance was no issue at all when riding atop Gilulu.

The territory was surrounded by a short wooden fence, meant to ward off giba. Though giba were incredibly strong and fast, they were unable to jump over anything higher than they were tall. And so, the fence only came up to around Ai Fa’s chest.

“Still, it seems to be in need of repairs here and there, doesn’t it?” Ama Min Rutim gently whispered as she sat atop Gilulu’s back, her arms wrapped around Ai Fa’s torso. A number of holes were visible along the thick wooden fence, made by giba tusks and horns.

There were even some places that had been hit so hard that the wooden boards were coming loose. That had to be the result of a giba doing a full tackle.

On top of that, there were places where the earth at the foot of the fence had been dug into quite deeply. There was little doubt that some giba had decided to try burrowing under when they couldn’t jump over the top. However, it seemed the fence was buried quite deep, as there were no signs of any giba successfully making it past.

“It must have taken a great deal of time and effort to erect such a fence. That may explain why the southern plantations haven’t done so.”

Ai Fa had no way of knowing anything about that, and at any rate, it had nothing to do with the day’s task.

She had Gilulu follow the fence at a quick pace, and he didn’t seem to have any trouble at all running on the hard stone path. After a short while, the northernmost edge of town came into view.

The fence ran straight for some distance, before it started to curve into an arc, steadily diverging from the highway. Further north past that stretched the same kind of sparse thickets seen surrounding the post town.

“I can’t spy any sort of entrance to the north. Could I have you hold on tight, Ama Min Rutim?”

“Huh?”

Ai Fa had Gilulu advance a bit farther then turn around, leaping over the fence after making an approach run.

“Eek!” Ama Min Rutim adorably shrieked as she hugged her arms tight around Ai Fa’s waist. “Th-That was a real shock. I didn’t know totos could jump so high.”

“Indeed. When a child suddenly leapt in front of us, I pulled on the reins to try to avoid them and carelessly gave Gilulu a kick in the side. He jumped just like that. I was quite shocked at first too.”

“That’s amazing. It’s as if you and the totos are one, Ai Fa.”

“Gilulu is a member of the Fa house, and we understand one another...”

Even so, Gilulu couldn’t replace Asuta either.

Of course, she couldn’t ride Asuta so nimbly, so that went both ways.

“There are fewer houses than I expected...” Ama Min Rutim whispered as she glanced around the Turan lands.

It certainly was a desolate sight. There was a dirt path stretching off to the west, and along it on either side were houses scattered here and there, all made of wood. The homes were bigger than the ones at the forest’s edge and plenty of them had second floors, but they seemed like truly modest structures compared to the inns in the post town and the like.

“Well, I suppose the nobles do all live in the castle town... It feels a bit strange for the one ruling over a land to not actually live there.”

“Indeed. Still, I believe that Cyclaeus does have a manor here as well. After all, the leading clan heads have supposedly met him there.”

As she alertly glanced around, Ai Fa dismounted. And then, she lent Ama Min Rutim a hand to help her down as well.

They were at the northern extreme of the Turan land. If they went west from here and then steadily headed south, that should take care of their task. And if Asuta wasn’t in the castle town, then this land seemed the next most likely candidate.

An even greater strength than before filled Ai Fa’s limbs. As long as she at least had a goal, then she could keep on pushing forward without hesitation. And so she intended to give everything she had before having to face yet another agonizing night.

“Well then, let’s head around to these houses one by one.”

With that, Ama Min Rutim knocked on the door of the nearest house.

After a few moments of silence, the door creaked open.

“Who are you...? All the young folks are out working.”

They were met by an old woman who looked like a dried aria. Her attire was filthy, and she had a gray rag wrapped around her head. Had she been weaving together grass? Her apron had a great many wood chips stuck to it.

“Our apologies. You see, we’re actually searching for one of our comrades who has gone missing.” Ama Min Rutim started politely explaining, only to be cut off brusquely.

“Some kidnapping in the post town has nothing to do with us. Besides, I’m sure it was the work of some thugs who wandered into town from elsewhere. At any rate, I don’t know anything about it.”

“No, but...”

“The only ones living around here are poor folks who can’t afford to move elsewhere. Even thugs have no business with a place like this. Regardless, you’re interrupting my work, so get going,” the old lady retorted, slamming the door in their faces.

Ama Min Rutim tilted her head a bit and went “Hmm...” as she turned back toward Ai Fa.

“It certainly didn’t seem like she was trying to drive us away in order to hide Asuta or anything...”

“True. And she didn’t even seem to recognize that we were people of the forest’s edge.”

The people of the forest’s edge generally had no business in a place like this. Though it was only ever so slightly removed from the familiar post town, it really did feel like they had come to some foreign nation.

Though they went around to a number of other houses after that, there were only ever old folks home, and they got similar responses each time. On top of that, around half the houses looked dilapidated, like they hadn’t been lived in for years, yet there were no traces of anyone using them as part of any crimes.

“A kidnapping in the post town? How dangerous! Still, I can’t imagine such criminals would ever flee here to the Turan lands.”

It was around ten houses or so before they finally found someone who would properly lend them an ear. She was a plump middle-aged woman holding a small child to her chest, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she offered that response.

“At any rate, all the residents in the Turan lands have been here forever, and the number of folks around has been slowly going down. If outsiders tried to blend in, they’d seriously stand out... And since the count ruling the land has all those guards around to protect his orchards, I figure anyone with a guilty conscience wouldn’t want to come anywhere near here.”

“I see. We haven’t happened upon any guards ourselves yet, though.”

“The orchards are right smack in the middle of this land, after all! We’re only protected from bandits here because we’re near the fields,” the woman replied in an unamused tone. And her eyes were intently looking over the pair from the forest’s edge. “By the way, you two sure have rather odd appearances. Your skin isn’t as dark as folks from Sym, but still, just where exactly were you born?”

“We were born here in Genos,” Ama Min Rutim replied, which caught Ai Fa off guard.

“Hmm?” the woman murmured with a deeply doubtful look. “Well, whatever. At any rate, you’re wasting your time walking around here. You should just leave all that hassle to the guards and head on back home.”

“Thank you. And our apologies for bothering you during such a busy time.”

That was the last house in the immediate vicinity, and so the pair just walked along down the path, leading Gilulu as they went.

“I didn’t bring up the fact that we were people of the forest’s edge because I didn’t want to cause a commotion unnecessarily. The edge of the forest of Morga is still Genos territory, so it wasn’t a lie, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Still, to think that the residents of Turan wouldn’t even know what we people of the forest’s edge look like. And yet our hunters still serve to protect their fields, so it’s a bit of a strange feeling.”

“They spoke as if even those fields have nothing to do with them.” There was a vague sense of misgiving rising up in Ai Fa’s chest. “There’s something strange about this place. I cannot sense the same sort of vitality here as I do in the post town.”

“Right. But the post town is full of people from other towns and even countries, so it’s difficult to say which is really more normal.”

Was that truly the case? Ai Fa found herself unconvinced.

But at any rate, they continued on with their search.

After walking for a while, they found a single small house off to the side of the road. When Ama Min Rutim went and knocked on the door, a small girl appeared from inside.

“Yes? What is it?” She was a cute girl, with her dark-brown hair done up in braids which dangled down in front of her chest. She looked to be somewhere between Rimee and Lala Ruu when it came to age. And there was a bright, earnest shine in her light-brown eyes.

On top of that, there was a fragrant aroma drifting out from inside that awoke Ai Fa’s stomach. There was still some time left until the sun would hit its peak, but it seemed the girl was preparing a light midday snack.

“Our apologies for interrupting you at such a busy time. You see, we’re actually seeking a comrade of ours who has been kidnapped by outlaws...”

Maintaining a polite tone all the while, Ama Min Rutim once again repeated her explanation.

“I’m truly sorry to hear that,” the girl replied, her eyebrows drooping. “I was out in the morning handling the shopping, but I didn’t notice anything especially unusual in the central area. And around here it’s been just as quiet as always.”

“Shopping, you say? So is there a shop further to the south, then?”

“No, every few days some merchants from the post town come here, because there isn’t enough business to be had in the Turan lands. The only real shop is the bar in the center.”

Just that short exchange was enough to clearly show how intelligent and kind the young girl was. And on top of that, she seemed to have a great deal of sympathy for their comrade having been kidnapped.

Perhaps sensing all that, Ama Min Rutim went ahead and continued. “Is there anywhere in the Turan lands that someone could be hidden from prying eyes?”

“Hmm, I think that would be really difficult to pull off! Of course, if you bound someone up you could lock them away in a house, but any outsiders prowling about would be noticed right away.”

“Well then, are there any easterners staying in the area?”

“There aren’t. Nobody around here is wealthy enough to buy things from eastern merchants, so they have no reason to come here,” the girl answered with a bit of a fretful look, seemingly finding that fact regrettable. And then, she suddenly turned around. “Ah, I’m sorry, but I have food over the flame! If I don’t stop it soon, the tarapa will burn, so do you mind if I head back in?”

“Of course. Our apologies for interrupting you at such a busy time. And it smells delicious, by the way...” Ama Min Rutim casually added.

“Thank you!” the girl replied with a joyful smile. “If anything comes up, I’ll let the guards know. And keep at it, okay?!”

With that, the girl disappeared behind her door and Ama Min Rutim breathed a sigh.

“I feel a bit relieved seeing such an earnest girl like that. These Turan lands seem like such an unpleasant place to be.”

“Yes, I’m in agreement on that front.”

This land seemed to have a gloomy and lethargic atmosphere. It wasn’t as if the residents of this place had the same sort of stagnant look in their eyes as those living in the Suun settlement used to have, but the air here still felt heavy. Perhaps it felt that way because the post town was so chaotic and lively in comparison?

At any rate, even an outsider like Ai Fa felt glad to find such a bright and admirable girl living in such a place.

“It may be thanks to that smell from before, but I’ve started feeling hungry. I realize it’s ill-mannered, but do you mind if we eat some jerky as we walk?”

“Of course not.”

To a hunter like Ai Fa, it didn’t feel ill-mannered in the least. And so they continued down the empty path, biting into salty jerky while quenching their thirst with the contents of a leather pouch full of water.

They spied the next big change when the sun was just about at its peak, after visiting around fifty houses. The path heading south widened, and massive fields suddenly came into view.

At that same moment, some sharp-sighted guards came running over from their left and right.

“You’re people of the forest’s edge, aren’t you?! What are you doing in a place like this?!”

There were five of them in total, clad in the same sort of simple leather armor used by the guards in the post town and brandishing long spears.

“We’ve come seeking the whereabouts of our comrade who was abducted from the post town. We have no intention of causing harm to the Turan lands.”

It was now finally Ai Fa’s turn. This was exactly why the pairs had been constructed of one hunter and one woman. The women were tasked with having peaceful discussions with the townsfolk, while the hunters were there for when things got rough.

However, what the guards said next was truly unexpected.

“We already heard tell of that from the post town! So, it wasn’t enough to cause a commotion over there, you want to do the same in the Turan lands as well?!”

“What’s that? What are you trying to say?”

Apparently, there had been a dispute between the people of the forest’s edge and the guards in the post town. Ai Fa and Ama Min Rutim had used Gilulu to swiftly arrive at the Turan lands, but on the other end, nearly sixty people of the forest’s edge had flooded into the post town in full force. Thinking about it, it was only natural that would lead to some sort of dispute.

“We have no intention of causing a commotion. The reason we came here to these lands was to confirm that the criminals who kidnapped our comrade are not hiding here.”

“As if criminals would ever come to the Turan lands! And even if they did, we would capture them without fail!”

“That’s good to hear, but is it some kind of crime for us to visit these lands? If not, then I can’t see any justification for finding fault with us doing so.”

“But...!”

“Entering the castle town without a pass is a crime. That is why we are trying to search the post town and Turan lands instead. Are you saying our actions are against the laws of Genos?”

Just a touch of the anger she was feeling inside might have leaked out in that statement. At any rate, the guards’ faces went pale as they thrust out the tips of their spears.

“N-No one is permitted to approach these orchards! That was the law handed down by Count Cyclaeus Turan! If you say that you will not depart from these lands, we ask that you at least remove yourselves from this place!”

“Hmm... Well, I suppose nobody could hide out in a location with such clear visibility. So it goes without saying that we have no business with such a place.”

At that, Ai Fa and Ama Min Rutim returned back down the path. And as they did so, the Rutim woman leaned in close.

“Ai Fa, the ones working those fields...”

“Yes. They are the people of Mahyudra that we have heard tell of.”

Behind the guards were vast and sprawling fields, and the ones pulling the wagons and tilling the earth with hoes and the like on that land were all huge blond men. From just a quick glance, Ai Fa saw that there had to be dozens of them there. Cyclaeus had purchased those northerners from slave traders, and used them to carry out his labor.

And Kamyua Yoshu said that Cyclaeus saw neither him nor us people of the forest’s edge as fellow human beings.

To Cyclaeus, her people and those of Mahyudra were nothing but tools with which he could amass greater wealth. Was that why he could commit such an outrageous act as kidnapping one of them at bladepoint? The thought caused a profound fury to seethe in Ai Fa’s chest.

I swear... I shall rescue Asuta with my own two hands.

And yet, night arrived on that day without them having anything to show for their efforts.

There were a number of places that they were not allowed to set foot in, such as Cyclaeus’s manor and the housing for the slaves from Mahyudra, but Donda Ruu would come later to negotiate with the guards to search them. At any rate, they were unable to find any other places Asuta or those outlaws could possibly be hiding.

Naturally, they hadn’t been able to investigate the inside of each and every house, so there were plenty of places that could have been used for temporary refuge. However, it was hard to imagine a reason to hide in such a place, having to constantly fear watchful eyes. And so, they had completed their search of the Turan lands in just a single day.

◇

The next day’s search was of the farm village to the south of Genos. This time around, they had the vegetable seller Dora assisting them.

“I already delivered vegetables to the inns that are regular customers first thing in the morning, and then I went ahead and closed up shop early,” he had told them.

This was a man who was also deeply concerned about Asuta. And his daughter Tara who accompanied him still looked like she could break down sobbing at any moment even though two days had passed, just like with Rimee Ruu.

“You went around the Turan lands yesterday, didn’t you? That place is small and not many folks live there, so I’d bet it wasn’t that much of a hassle, but where we live, everything is big and spread out! You won’t get anywhere without a resident to guide you around.”

Unlike his daughter, Dora looked just as bright and cheerful as always. However, after only a short while together, it became clear that demeanor was nothing but a facade to hide the unease and anger he was feeling inside.

At any rate, they walked the path through the farmlands alongside Dora. Just as he had said, the village really was enormous.

And it wasn’t just the vastness that was an issue, as there was a fairly dense cover of tall trees growing between the fields, flowing rivers cutting off paths, complex terrain, and a lack of wooden fences providing dividers, making it hard to determine where one subdivision operated by the residents ended and the next began. The fields were on a whole other scale compared to the ones in the Turan lands, and there seemed to be many times more houses, and people as well.

“That’s because all the farm work in the Turan lands is left up to the slaves. They don’t have any family, so naturally the number of people there ends up being smaller.”

Supposedly there were hundreds of tenant farmers living in this community in the Daleim lands. Numerous families joined together to manage the fields granted to them by the lord in charge. And this man Dora was the head of a house tasked with the second largest of those fields.

“Well, my eldest son’s the one actually running things nowadays, while I handle sales in the post town. I much prefer dealing with folks there than the lord of the land or nobles or the like.”

“You do business with nobles as well?” Ama Min Rutim casually asked as they walked along a footpath between fields.

“Of course,” Dora replied. “The castle town claims over half of the vegetables we grow. Then I sell the leftover aria and poitan in the post town.”

“They don’t buy aria and poitan in the castle town?”

“Yeah. Supposedly, aria don’t much suit the pretentious tongues of nobles, and poitan... Those are only ever bought by travelers and you people of the forest’s edge.” At that point, Dora stopped and gestured toward the fields stretching wide to his right. “Still, it sure is something, isn’t it? Everything you can see from here is poitan fields.”

That triggered Ai Fa’s curiosity enough to glance out over the vast farmlands. The parched brown earth stretched out endlessly into the distance. However, she couldn’t spy the familiar sight of poitan there, but rather withered vines, leaves, and stems evenly spaced out in the dirt.

“Poitan can grow even in barren soil, and it doesn’t take long to be ready for harvesting. You people of the forest’s edge buy a ton of them, and that alone earns us plenty of profit.”

“Our people do eat two per day at a minimum.”

“Right, and there are over five hundred of you in total, aren’t there? That means you purchase a thousand poitan per day. I don’t think there’s any other town in Genos selling so many,” Dora said, and then he gave a deep sigh. “And lately, Asuta has been buying 150 of them each day. We had to quickly expand our poitan fields to accommodate the new demand. Fortunately, we had plenty of land to the south that couldn’t be used for anything else. And the lord of the land had no issue at all giving consent for us to expand the fields.”

“Is that so?”

“It sure is something, isn’t it? Asuta doing business led to us expanding our fields. He really is an amazing man. But there might not be that many folks in the post town who understand that yet. I truly am proud to have been the first one to come to know him and form a bond. And then this had to happen...”

There was a flicker of anger and sadness in Dora’s eyes. Tara had been trudging along beside him, and now she was teary-eyed too. Before long though, Dora shook his head and shot Ai Fa and Ama Min Rutim an apologetic look.

“Sorry about that. As his comrades, you must have it that much tougher. It’s too much for someone like me to complain like that.”

“That’s not true at all. I feel proud to hear you say such a thing,” Ai Fa interjected without thinking.

“Right,” Dora replied with a big nod. “You’re Asuta’s clan head, aren’t you? Thanks to him, I was able to form a bond with your people despite fearing you for so many years. I pray that you’ll be able to get Asuta back and we can still enjoy the same sort of relationship we’ve had up till now.”

“That is my wish as well.”

And yet, they didn’t have any success in the southern Daleim lands either. The criminals were not outside of the castle town. Day by day, that fact was growing ever clearer.

Thanks to Dora’s help, they were able to finish their search of the Daleim lands in a day and a half, and so they spent the back half of the third day assisting in the search of the post town. The post town was densely packed with buildings and people, and on top of that, it got an intense flow of travelers and merchants coming and going, which made it by far the most difficult place to search.

Even so, they managed to wrap up their search of the place on that day. There were no traces whatsoever of Asuta or those criminals staying in the post town or the Turan or Daleim lands.

“We shall use this fact to march on the castle town tomorrow,” Donda Ruu declared that night at the Ruu settlement. “We tried passing the information along to that Melfried noble through our contact, Zasshuma, but the response back was unsurprisingly that he wouldn’t be able to make a move until the morning of the day after tomorrow. But Cyclaeus will also be able to move freely at that point, so I say we must enter the castle town before that.”

It’s finally time... Ai Fa thought to herself, clenching her fists tightly.

Everything up until now had been mere preparations for entering the castle town. But tomorrow, it would finally be time to settle things.

Today was now the fourth day since Asuta had been kidnapped. For every one of those days, Ai Fa had faced such suffering with the arrival of each lonely night that she thought her very soul would shatter to pieces. If it weren’t for Saris Ran Fou coming to check on her in the short time available after dinner, it really was hard to say what would have become of her.

But this was the last of those nights.

She would make certain that was the case.

With such thoughts running through her mind, Ai Fa endured yet another agonizing night.

And then the morning of the next day, the fifth since Asuta’s kidnapping, arrived at last. Once again, Ai Fa rode Gilulu to the Ruu settlement, after which she headed with Donda Ruu’s group into town.

It was then that he appeared. The young red-haired hunter from another land was clad in a cloak made from the fur of some animal other than a giba... He was the son of Goram Redbeard, Jeeda.

“Asuta of the Fa clan is being held in the manor of a noble named Cyclaeus in the castle town. The culprit behind his kidnapping is the noble’s daughter, a girl named Lefreya,” Jeeda informed them.

Naturally, Donda Ruu and a few of the others thoroughly interrogated Jeeda on the circumstances. However, Ai Fa’s memory past that point was hazy. Though she had heard what everyone was saying, she couldn’t remember a word of it.

Asuta is alive...

That thought alone filled Ai Fa’s heart, body, and soul, leaving her unable to think of anything else. The mother forest hadn’t forsaken the two of them. For some time after that, Ai Fa just stood there with her eyes closed, holding back the tears that felt ready to come bursting forth at any moment.

3

“Sorry for the wait. Looks like I somehow managed to get things sorted out, though,” Zasshuma said, returning to Ai Fa’s group after the sun had hit its peak.

After hearing Asuta’s whereabouts from Jeeda, the people of the forest’s edge yet again ended up torn on how to proceed. Opinions were split in two, one side saying that they should charge the castle town now that they knew where he was, while the other believed they should stick to the plan of talking to the gatekeepers.

Naturally, they both agreed that in the end they needed to enter the castle town. The difference in opinion came down to whether they should throw the information obtained from Jeeda in the gatekeepers’ faces and accuse Cyclaeus’s daughter of the crime, or if they should hide that fact and simply request to search for the criminals.

The former group was furious at the fact that it really was the work of a noble. Meanwhile, the latter group insisted things should be handled carefully, as the culprit wasn’t Cyclaeus himself, but rather his daughter.

“That Lefreya girl is still just a child. If we carelessly raise a commotion, there’s no telling what she may do. That being the case, shouldn’t we hide the fact that we know Asuta’s location and come up with a plan to rescue him?” Gazraan Rutim argued for the latter group. “Her immaturity and lack of foresight must be what led her to kidnap Asuta by force. And if that short temper is turned on Asuta, she may cause him irreparable harm. Now that we know he is safe, we should act as cautiously as possible.”

“Then what are you saying we should do? Sneak into their manor like that Jeeda guy did? Entering into a home without someone who lives there to guide you is against the laws of both Genos and the forest’s edge, isn’t it?” Rau Lea retorted, a blazing glare in his eyes. On the first night, he had been one of those who argued that they should take up their blades. That rage he felt was due to how much he cared about Asuta, and he also possessed a directness fitting for a person of the forest’s edge. “The first ones to take up arms here were the nobles! Thanks to that, we wouldn’t be breaking any laws by taking up blades of our own!”

“It wasn’t the nobles in general. If we’re to believe Jeeda’s words, then this was entirely the work of that noble girl Lefreya and her two followers. We can’t go making an enemy of all of Genos in trying to make them pay for their crimes...” Gazraan Rutim replied, an incredibly pained look on his face.

In all likelihood, the young hunter could see what sort of future would await them if they took up arms here and now. After all, Gazraan Rutim was quite the thinker for a man of the forest’s edge. In his heart, Gazraan Rutim undoubtedly also harbored a strong desire to take up his blade and march on the castle town. However, he possessed the wisdom and reason needed to restrain those raging emotions. Ai Fa found it difficult to judge if that was a strength or a weakness for a person of the forest’s edge.

At any rate, as they had that argument in the area between the forest and town, Kamyua Yoshu’s acquaintance, the bodyguard Zasshuma, appeared.

“I see, so Cyclaeus’s daughter was the culprit, eh? Well, that answers the question of why anyone would do such a thing now of all times. This is no conspiracy. Just some terrible mischief from a girl with no sense.”

“You think you can just write this off as mere mischief?!”

“I know that we can’t. In a way, this is honestly more troublesome than if Cyclaeus himself had been the mastermind. After all, that girl doesn’t get just how serious her actions are. As Gazraan Rutim said, if we act carelessly, she could cause irreparable harm.”

This Zasshuma man who could freely come and go even in the castle town seemed to firmly grasp Gazraan Rutim’s concerns. And so, as he stroked his stubbly chin, he murmured, “Hmm... Even so, it’s not like I can do anything about her all on my own. Maybe the time has finally come where we have to bring in reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements?”

“Hold on for just a bit. I’ll have to put some thought into whether we have a way to save Princess Asuta without a fuss. Just have a little trust and leave it to me.”

“Isn’t ‘princess’ a term meant for noble girls?” Ai Fa questioned doubtfully, which Zasshuma replied to with a disinterested chuckle.

“He’s been kidnapped by a wicked noble and can’t do anything but wait for someone to save him. In the stories sung by minstrels, that’s the role of a princess... At any rate, just give me a little time. I may not be on the same level as the Northern Whirlwind, but I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to handling nobles myself.”

Zasshuma departed after that, leaving the people of the forest’s edge to wait around for a couple hours before finally returning.

“Did you arrange for those reinforcements you mentioned?” Donda Ruu asked as representative for the group.

“Yeah,” Zasshuma nodded back. “An eye for an eye, a blade for a blade, and a noble for a noble. I never imagined I’d go pulling that guy into things before the Northern Whirlwind made it back...” It was then that Zasshuma started explaining about Polarth, the second son of Count Daleim. “Lord Polarth is our only ally among the nobles, besides Lord Melfried. With him present, it should be possible to get inside Cyclaeus’s manor.”

At that point, even if she was Count Turan’s legitimate child, she wouldn’t be able to simply brush aside her crime of kidnapping.

“Nobles are able to prepare passes too. If we have a woman of the forest’s edge accompany Lord Polarth as an attendant or guest or the like, they should be able to clearly identify Asuta. Then you just need to accuse that Lefreya girl of the crime.”

“You’re saying someone should lie about her background in order to enter Cyclaeus’s manor, eh?” Donda Ruu questioned.

Instantly, Ai Fa interjected, “I’ll take that crime of lying upon myself. It’s a small price to pay in order to save my clan member.”

“You’ll accompany him?” Zasshuma asked, carefully looking Ai Fa over. “Hmm... Well, you have the clear eyes of a hunter, but you’ve got an especially pretty face, even for a woman of the forest’s edge. As long as you don’t go running your mouth, it could work.”

“What was that about my face?”

“Hmm? Well, we’re talking about accompanying a noble to another noble’s manor, so you’ve got to look like you’re of a certain status for the ruse to work. Guess the only choice with that skin color would be to insist that you have mixed blood from Sym.”

It really was an unusual plot. Still, the people of the forest’s edge didn’t know much of anything about the nature of the nobles or the state of the castle town, so this plan seemed much more likely to succeed than them blindly swinging about their blades. And so, despite feeling somewhat uneasy about the matter, the people of the forest’s edge accepted Zasshuma’s proposal.

◇

“Ooh, I’ve been awaiting your arrival, Sir Zasshuma! So this is the woman of the forest’s edge, then?”

Polarth was a man with a rather unusual appearance. While he was a bit on the plump side, he had the look of a proper adult, except for his strangely guileless face. He had on a white frock with a token amount of adornments, but it really wasn’t all that luxurious of an outfit. And despite being faced with a hunter of the forest’s edge such as Ai Fa, his expression showed neither scorn nor caution.

“I am the second son of the house of Daleim, Polarth. If you do not mind, could I hear your name as well?”

“I am Ai Fa of the Fa clan, a person of the forest’s edge.”

“Hmm, that certainly is a fittingly foreign-sounding name for one of your people. And what a splendid appearance you have! I had heard that there were many beauties among the women of the forest’s edge, and I see that it is indeed so.”

It was considered rude at the forest’s edge to make such meaningless remarks about someone else’s appearance. However, as there was nothing to be gained from arguing the point here and now, Ai Fa instead remained silent.

“Ah, it’s embarrassing to admit, but this is actually my first time interacting with a person of the forest’s edge up close and personal. Without your efforts, our lands would be unable to thrive, so I’m deeply grateful to you all.”

As had been mentioned during the conversation with Dora the other day, the house of Daleim ruled over the plantations to the south of Genos. Presently, Ai Fa had been brought to that noble house’s manor.

With that said though, apparently it was a building generally left to the care of servants, and the members of the house rarely visited it. In fact, during the search the other day, they had been swiftly welcomed inside, unlike with Cyclaeus’s manor in the Turan lands. Of course, Dora had laid the groundwork for that, but Ai Fa had secretly noted that there seemed to be quite a difference between how the various noble houses behaved themselves.

“I have already heard everything from Sir Zasshuma. Still, I never imagined Lady Lefreya would commit such a crime... I’m certain she must have heard tell of the great reputation earned by this Asuta fellow in the post town, and wished to invite him to the manor as a chef.”

“As a chef?”

“That’s right. After all, Lady Lefreya is well known to be as dedicated a gourmand as her father Count Cyclaeus himself. If she broke her promise to return him to the forest’s edge after the first day, then she must be quite taken indeed with Sir Asuta’s skills.”

“How utterly outrageous...” Ai Fa grumbled, but said nothing more, as she once again felt a violent fury ready to come erupting forth at any moment.

If she wished to taste Asuta’s cooking, then she simply could have made a direct request. As long as the leading clan heads offered no opposition, he wouldn’t have any reason to refuse. So why had she so flagrantly violated the law by having him forcibly abducted? Ai Fa simply couldn’t understand what that girl was thinking in the least.

“Even if her crime is discovered, she may believe she can simply settle the matter with coins. After all, it is generally considered the greatest honor a chef could imagine to be invited to the Turan manor.”

“But...!”

“Yes, your anger is only natural. She was even more ignorant of you people of the forest’s edge than I. After all, even I know you would not overlook a crime for coins. If she had simply understood that one fact, perhaps things would not have gotten to this point,” Polarth said with a smile, as if trying to appease Ai Fa.

Somehow the Fa clan head managed to get her anger under control. There was nothing to be gained from letting her emotions run wild. For now, she simply needed to devote herself to remaining calm in order to rescue Asuta.

“Well then, could I have you hurry up and change? Sheila, be certain you treat our guest from the forest’s edge properly, understand?”

“Yes, of course.”

The maid known as Sheila stepped forwards, clearly looking a bit nervous. It seemed she was rather wary when it came to the people of the forest’s edge.

“I will guide you to the changing room. This way, please...”

Following the maid’s lead, Ai Fa stepped into the neighboring room. It was rather small, and there was a cloth stretched over the window. Ai Fa had already seen inside this room once during their search the other day.

“Well then, may I take charge of your clothing...?”

“Indeed,” Ai Fa replied, handing over her hunter’s cloak. The girl accepted that, but she didn’t move from her spot. “What else do you need me to hand over?”

“Huh? Umm, I need you to hand over everything aside from your waist cloth...”

“I can change myself just fine. You may be a woman, but I do not care to expose my naked form to anyone who is not one of my people.”

“Yes, but...this outfit was brought by Lord Polarth from the manor in the castle town, so I was ordered to personally assist you.”

“I’m not a child, though,” Ai Fa retorted, furrowing her brow. Atop the table beside them was a pile of some sort of glimmering silver decorative bits. Aside from what looked to be a single piece to go around the waist, she couldn’t spy anything that looked like wearable clothing. Honestly, Ai Fa had no idea what should go where.

Hmph, what a hassle...

Still, her body was bursting with more strength than she had ever known since hearing that Asuta was all right. She could deal with a bit of unpleasantness if it meant saving him. Firming up her resolve with that thought, she first took off her giba horn and tusk necklace, followed by her grigee bracelet meant to ward off poisonous insects. After that, she took off the cloth attire on her chest and waist as well as her leather footwear, leaving only her single waist cloth.

“Could I have that necklace as well?”

“No,” Ai Fa replied. “This necklace is incredibly precious to me.”

“B-But it wouldn’t go with the other accessories you need to put on...”

Ai Fa shook her head back and forth, as they were discussing the gift that Asuta had given her. “In that case, allow me to keep it on my person in a spot where it will not be seen. I cannot bear to part with it.”

“Understood... And could I have you let down your hair?”

While that Sheila girl gathered up her attire from the forest’s edge, Ai Fa undid her hair.

When the maid stood again before a now nearly nude Ai Fa, her eyes opened wide as she stared.

“What, do you still need something further?”

“No... It’s just that you’re so beautiful I couldn’t help but stare...” Sheila answered, looking down as her face went red.

Ai Fa placed her hands on her hips and gave a deep sigh.

“Those aren’t words of praise for a hunter. If at all possible, I would like to hide my naked figure again as soon as possible.”

“M-My apologies!” Sheila then picked up a single piece of clothing from atop the table and brought it to Ai Fa’s bosom. It seemed to be meant for covering the chest, and was festooned with silver ornamentation.

The bits meant to cover her front were made of cloth, but the part that went around her back was a delicate silver chain. Frankly, there was no chance Ai Fa would ever have been able to properly identify its purpose.

The piece of cloth with fine embroidery was in fact meant to go around her waist. That was no real surprise, as the shape was basically the same as what was worn by girls in town such as Yumi. Still, it had a strange, smooth feeling against her skin, and the way it brushed against her thighs when she moved tickled her a bit.

Next, the attendant draped a sash that shined with gold over the skirt, then added some silver chains that wrapped around Ai Fa’s body, along with a transparent shawl that went over her shoulders. There were large half-moon-shaped accessories that hung from her ears, several fine silver hoops placed on her arms, and decorations with red and purple stones braided into her hair. It was an even more extravagant outfit than what was worn to banquets at the forest’s edge.

As for her footwear, the part under her soles was made of a soft leather, and they were held in place with sparkling bands and chains. Truly, they looked more like some sort of accessory rather than shoes. In the back of her mind, Ai Fa thought to herself how it would be impossible to even walk around in the forest wearing them.

“Lastly, please put on only what fits properly out of these...” Sheila stated, holding out a number of silver rings with shining stones. Ai Fa chose only the ones of an appropriate size that wouldn’t interfere with her holding a blade. “Ah, and I suppose we won’t be needing any makeup... You truly are beautiful.”

Ai Fa chose not to acknowledge that comment.

“We also have pomade prepared, but I don’t believe you need that either. I can smell a faint sweet smell from your hair already.”

Ai Fa wanted to shout “Stop that already!” but she forced herself to bear it. At any rate, the troublesome work of changing into this outfit seemed to finally be at an end.

As for the necklace with the blue stone she had received from Asuta, she stowed it gently underneath the cloth around her waist. And when they returned to the room from before, Polarth and Zasshuma didn’t hesitate one bit to speak their minds.

“Oh, how beautiful! We could claim you’re a princess of Sym and nobody would doubt it for a moment!”

“It would be more than a little unnatural for someone of such high standing to visit the house of Turan without any advanced notice. But still, you came out looking even prettier than I expected...”

Ai Fa only felt more and more irritated. However, they were finally prepared to launch their counterattack. And so, Ai Fa felt a powerful fighting spirit burning bright inside her, directed at an enemy she had never seen.

“Well then, shall we get going? Sir Zasshuma, what do you plan to do?”

“I was thinking of staying behind in the post town and lending the people of the forest’s edge a hand. They’re in the midst of secretly spreading around the fact that the one behind the kidnapping was the daughter of the house of Turan.”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps such precautions are necessary when it comes to dealing with one such as the hot-tempered young Lady Lefreya. It certainly does seem like this will be quite the commotion.” Whether it was down to him having guts or lacking a sense of danger, this Polarth noble always had an earnest grin fixed to his face.

At any rate, Ai Fa got into a totos-drawn carriage alongside him and left the Daleim lands for their destination in the castle town.

“Shall we say that you are the daughter of a wealthy merchant who has come to purchase the products made in the Daleim lands, Lady Ai Fa? And that you greatly desired the opportunity to eat dinner at the manor of the famed house of Turan? I believe that should be sufficient to prevent Lady Lefreya from doubting your background.”

“I really cannot thank you enough for going to all this trouble...”

“Think nothing of it! After all, Sir Kamyua Yoshu has told me all sorts of terribly interesting things. We have to stick together if we are to stand up against the wicked house Turan!” Polarth said with the same grin as always as the carriage rolled along.

For Ai Fa, he was the second noble of Genos she had met, after Melfried. And yet that alone was enough for her to feel that even among nobles there were all kinds of people.

“Polarth, there’s one thing I wish to ask you.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Why has there not been a fence constructed to protect the fields in the Daleim lands? If you set things up like in the Turan lands, you could keep the damages to a minimum even if giba from the forest ran wild, could you not?”

“Yes, but the Daleim lands are vast! As long as we do not use slaves like Count Turan, it would be difficult to prepare the funds and personnel. And if we attempted to begin such an undertaking, I’m certain Count Turan would interfere.”

“He would? But why?”

“Because if the Daleim lands had the same level of protection, it would mean greater damages to his own territory. Should a giba seriously attempt to break into the Turan lands, those crude wooden fences wouldn’t last forever. But because our Daleim fields are left defenseless, the giba generally give up before reaching the Turan territory,” Polarth explained, putting on a serious expression for the first time. “Looking to the distant future, I know that constructing fences would be good for our lands. But my father has not chosen that path, and it is assuredly out of fear of Count Turan. Though both of them may be counts, Cyclaeus’s power is unrivaled here in Genos.”

The people of the forest’s edge had generally assumed it was only the farmers working the fields who suffered while the nobles feigned ignorance to their plight, but it seemed the truth was a bit more complicated.

“Still, I don’t think that is the only reason. After all, if the Daleim fields were solidly protected, who knows where the starving giba may go after next. It could lead to greater harm coming to the buildings in the post town, or even travelers along the highway. In the end, the only way to lower the amount of damage is to keep on hunting the giba,” Polarth stated, his earnest grin returning. “That’s why I believe we should focus more on supporting the people of the forest’s edge rather than building any fences. If Count Cyclaeus does fall, and your people gain greater strength, it will surely bring fortune to the Daleim lands as well. In which case, I believe we should lend you our power where we can.”

Polarth must have had some scheme of his own. Before heading to the Daleim lands, Zasshuma had described the man as “calculating,” and said it was hard to tell how much he thought of the people his family ruled. But at the very least, he didn’t seem to be unscrupulous. And for now, that was enough for Ai Fa. She would work together with this noble, as long as it was to save Asuta.

While Ai Fa was occupied with such thoughts, the totos-drawn carriage reached the gates to the castle town.

4

Around when the sun was setting to the west, they at last passed through the gates of the Turan manor. As they stepped down from the totos-drawn carriage, the massive stone manor towered over them in the dim light. Together with Polarth and three soldiers, Ai Fa stood facing that huge grey building.

There was no blade at Ai Fa’s hip, though Polarth had one on his person. Even so, apparently that would be taken from him when entering the manor. The pair of them were to enter this nest of evil literally empty-handed.

“Welcome. Please, come this way...”

It was a tall blonde woman with pale skin who greeted them at the entrance. When she noticed the woman’s purple eyes, Ai Fa thought to herself that she might be from Mahyudra.

The soldiers guarding them were ordered to stand by in a waiting room near the entrance, while Ai Fa and Polarth alone were led down a long hallway lit by candles.

Ai Fa held her hands in front of her stomach, slowly walking along with her stride around half of what it usually was. While they were awaiting a response from the house of Turan, Sheila had instructed her on how to comport herself like a lady in the castle town.

Ai Fa hadn’t the slightest idea of whether or not that made her appear to be someone who fit in with the people of the castle town. But at the very least, neither the guards from the house of Turan who were following them nor the blonde girl who was their guide seemed to suspect anything in particular.

“My thanks for coming, Lord Polarth. Dinner shall be prepared shortly.” In a large room with excessively luxurious fabrics stretched along the walls, the two guests were welcomed by a young girl.

The girl’s hair was light brown. She had on an extremely frilly pure-white outfit, and her face and the look in her eyes were just what one would expect from a noble. This was the girl who had ordered her servants to kidnap Asuta.

Even so, Ai Fa managed to remain calm and composed. Her heart remained so at ease that she even shocked herself. As if she were in the middle of a giba hunt, her thoughts were tense and sharp.

That man standing behind her is one of those fiends...

The strangely short and stout-looking man in armor stood there waiting behind the girl. His appearance was just as the innkeeper Nail had described.

However, Sanjura was nowhere to be seen. If he were there, they would recognize one another and she could level an accusation on the spot, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible. Still, that worked out better for Ai Fa. After all, she didn’t want things to turn rough before she knew where Asuta was.

“Hmm, so that’s the merchant’s daughter with blood from Sym, then?” Lefreya questioned, staring openly at Ai Fa.

Ai Fa had been instructed not to talk unless necessary or look anyone straight in the eyes, so she just quietly stared at around the level of the girl’s chest.

“Yes, on her father’s side from what I’m told. She was born in Behett, and came here to purchase vegetables from us alongside her father. Her name is Aifaa.”

“Oh? Still, father won’t be returning until tomorrow morning. If you have your eyes on the Turan fuwano and mamaria, then it seems you are out of luck.”

“She of course understands that. If necessary, her father will surely get in contact with Lord Cyclaeus tomorrow to talk business. For tonight, she simply wishes to enjoy this dinner at the house of Turan,” Polarth replied, nodding to Ai Fa.

Ai Fa then silently crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave a small nod of her head to Lefreya.

“Quite the pretentious girl,” Lefreya grumbled. “Well, so be it. Take your seats. I have a terribly intriguing dinner prepared for you tonight, after all.”

“I’m certainly looking forward to it. After all, it has been several years now since I myself have been able to partake in a dinner at the house of Turan.”

Under the guidance of the blonde maid, Ai Fa and Polarth took their seats on the left hand side of the table.

Spoons, metal skewers, and wine cups were already lined up waiting there atop the table. And there were two additional sets on the side facing them as well.

“Oh, my, will there be more participants besides the two of us?”

“Indeed. Father has had guests staying here in the manor for some time now. A metal seller from Jagar and his daughter.”

When she heard that, Ai Fa’s breath stilled. It had just occurred to her. That cheeky girl Diel was staying here in Cyclaeus’s manor. Why had she forgotten such an important detail? If that girl were to reveal Ai Fa’s identity, she would have no choice but to accuse Lefreya of her crimes on the spot.

Don’t grow flustered. If that occurs, I simply need to point out how that soldier guarding her has an identical appearance to the man the guards are searching for. I didn’t want things to turn violent before confirming Asuta’s location, but still...if it comes down to it, I just need to grab hold of that noble girl.

Even without a blade, that much would be simple.

With that thought in mind, Ai Fa held steady as the sound of the door swinging open signaled the arrival of the other guests.

“Our apologies for being so late. Business discussions ran a touch long, you see.”

The first one to enter the room was a middle-aged man with a typical appearance for a southerner. And he was followed by a petite girl.

Today she was wearing an outfit more appropriate for a girl her age and had accessories in her short hair, but this was undoubtedly Diel, who Ai Fa had met at the stalls in the post town. But in contrast to the last time they’d met, she looked completely listless, her green eyes powerlessly staring at the ground.

“Oh, and who are those two?”

“The second son of the house of Daleim, Lord Polarth, and his guest Aifaa. Supposedly she is the daughter of a merchant from Behett who came here to purchase vegetables.”

“Ah, from the house of Daleim? This is our first time meeting. I’m Grannar, a metalworker from Jeland in Jagar. And this is my daughter Diel.”

“I am Polarth. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Polarth smiled blithely and Grannar wore a stubborn look as they greeted one another.

It was then that Grannar’s daughter Diel finally looked up in Ai Fa’s direction. Her eyes immediately opened wide in surprise. Ai Fa rose ever so lightly off her chair, fully at the ready. However, Diel’s lips remained firmly sealed and she didn’t say a word.

“Well then, shall we start our dinner? Go ahead and bring out the food.”

“Of course...”

The blonde maid exited the room, and before long a number of dishes were carried in. All of them were utterly unfamiliar dishes placed atop high-quality plates. Ai Fa secretively glanced at the dishes, wondering if Asuta had prepared all of them.

Three plates were placed in front of each of the people present. They were all kept to a small portion that certainly wouldn’t be filling on their own, though.

“Now then, eat up. The chefs of the house of Turan employed all their skill in preparing tonight’s dinner. First up are the appetizer, soup, and fuwano dishes,” Lefreya boasted.

Still, none of the dishes especially interested Ai Fa. The small plate farthest right had a heap of vegetables with a very sour smell to them. The soup dish smelled oddly sweet. And the dish beside that had what looked like little round bits of poitan covered in a thick sauce that were giving off steam.

“Ooh, how splendid! I certainly am glad to have brought you along, Aifaa.”

The smile on Polarth’s face was no act. He looked genuinely excited.

The man must have loved to eat. But that much was easy to tell from his rather rotund figure.

Has Asuta been making such odd dishes here in the castle town?

Just like everyone else, Ai Fa began to eat. However, she just wasn’t satisfied.

Those red and green boiled vegetables turned out to taste every bit as sour as they smelled. It was as if fruit wine that had gone bad had been mixed in with them.

The soup dish was thick and terribly fatty. Though the smell was sweet, it actually had a spicy flavor. It must have been boiled together with a wide variety of herbs. And for the solid parts, there was some sort of meat other than giba, chatchi, pula, and other vegetables she didn’t even know the name of.

Inside of the round poitan-looking things were thin strips of meat and vegetables. They weren’t as hard to get down as the previous dishes, but they had too much salt and tau oil. And sure enough, they had the powerful scent of herbs about them too.

No...

These dishes weren’t prepared by Asuta. Even with no proof to base her conclusion on, Ai Fa was confident in that fact. It was possible that Asuta had prepared dishes using ingredients she didn’t know to create unfamiliar flavors. But something didn’t feel right. She couldn’t sense his presence at all in this food.

Were we deceived by that Jeeda boy?

It was possible Asuta wasn’t actually in this manor. For the first time, a bit of doubt was cast over Ai Fa’s firm resolve.

“My, these are all delicious. I had heard your head chef was at the castle, but everything here is still splendid,” Polarth praised, while the guests from Jagar just silently ate.

With a triumphant snort, Lefreya declared, “Numerous chefs reside here in the manor, so the absence of the head chef is not a significant issue. And the real excitement is still to come.”

The empty plates were taken away by pages dressed in yellow, and then fresh plates were carried out.

“These are the vegetable dish and the main meat dishes.”

There were once again three plates lined up in front of each of them. The vegetable dish was covered in a scarlet sauce. Then there was meat still on the bone that had been boiled together with herbs. Finally, there was a chunk of meat that looked lightly browned.

Ai Fa went ahead and tasted them in order.

The vegetable dish was sweet, spicy, and sour. That same flavor like fruit wine that had gone bad was mixed in, then there was the spiciness from the herbs, and a strange sweetness blended in throughout. It wasn’t quite bad, but she just couldn’t accustom her tongue to it somehow. The reason behind that might have been that just like with the previous dishes, the flavoring was simply too strong.

The meat on the bone was incredibly tender and was easily the best tasting dish she had eaten so far. Had the meat come from the leg of some sort of small animal? At any rate, it was coated in a green broth, then had red herbs finely chopped up and sprinkled overtop.

The iron skewers...or perhaps they were silver? At any rate, they smoothly pulled the meat from the bone in no time at all. It was so tender that it seemed like it would be difficult to eat without having it fall off, and when she tossed it into her mouth, the slight spice from the herbs seemed to pair very well with the flavor of the meat.

Then, there was the final meat dish...and that was even more delicious. The browned coating surrounding it had a very pleasant crunchiness. And underneath that was a tender meat with plenty of juiciness, which had a faint aroma of myamuu when she chewed into it.

Beyond just the myamuu, tau oil must have been used too. After all, just the right amount of saltiness was filling her mouth alongside the meat juices. It felt just a bit overly fatty, but even that was brought into perfect harmony by the sourness of the sheel juice sprinkled over top.

On top of that, it was served alongside a big helping of fresh, thinly-sliced tino and aria and the like, which tasted quite delicious when eating them together. The meat and the vegetables each helped one another to stand out.

Those vegetables also seemed to have a different sort of sour sauce than sheel poured over them, which was blended with fat from something other than a giba. That seemed to actually supplement the dull flavor of the raw vegetables, while also adding a bit of color.

This is it...

This dish had undoubtedly been prepared by Asuta. The way that meat was flavored using myamuu and tau oil, and the thin slicing of the raw vegetables: it was just like how Asuta did it. However, the brown coating of the meat was a mystery, and it wasn’t giba meat either. This really was a completely unfamiliar dish. But even so, Ai Fa was certain it had been made by Asuta.

Asuta really was here in this manor cooking food. And as she held back all the intense emotions stirred up in her chest by that realization, Ai Fa continued to eat his delicious dish.

“Yup, I prefer this dish,” Diel suddenly declared after having remained silent for so long.

Looking her way, Ai Fa saw the girl had stabbed her silver skewers into Asuta’s dish.

“The kimyuus leg meat still on the bone was delicious too, but this fried dish is even tastier.”

“Yes, I’m in agreement with my daughter,” Diel’s father stiffly chimed in.

“Oh?” Polarth replied while eating the same dish, tilting his head. “Now that you mention it, why were there two dishes prepared just for the meat course? Is this perhaps meant to be a taste test to compare?”

“Yes, that is correct. One was prepared by the assistant head chef, while the other was made by a chef we only just recently hired to the manor. Which do you prefer, Lord Polarth?”

“Let’s see... It’s true that the meat on the bone has a wonderful flavor, but I must say that I narrowly prefer the fried dish as well.”

“And our guest from Behett?”

Ai Fa gently smiled at Lefreya.

“I also find this dish to be more delicious.”

“So everyone has chosen the fried meat! Well, I am in agreement! In that case, shall we reveal who prepared which dish?”

At Lefreya’s summons, a page solemnly lowered his head.

“The meat on the bone was made by the assistant head chef, while the fried dish was prepared by the newcomer.”

Lefreya’s head tilted up. “I knew it! So the newcomer has now won five nights in a row! The assistant head chef Timalo was skilled enough to run the kitchen at Selva’s Spear, so these certainly are surprising results!”

“Yes, but I suppose that’s what you expect out of a chef from overseas. I’m impressed with how every dish was something new and unknown I’d never tasted before,” Diel chimed in, an unusually demure look on her face.

At that, Polarth’s rotund body leaned forward. “From overseas...? You’re saying this chef came from outside the continent? This is the first I’ve heard of anyone from overseas coming to Genos.”

For a split second, Lefreya looked like she was holding herself back from clicking her tongue, but then she broke out in an incredibly haughty smile. “I did not wish to be so open about the matter, but that is indeed the case. It wouldn’t do to cause an unnecessary commotion, however, so I ask that you keep this matter to yourselves.”

“Ooh, how wonderfully interesting! If you do not mind, could I greet that chef directly? I would like to hand him some copper coins in person as payment for preparing such a delicious meal.”

“Oh, copper coins rather than silver?”

“Yes, as our Daleim house is not quite wealthy enough to pay silver coins for a single night’s dinner.”

“I see... I do not especially mind, but I ask that you keep your word in regards to what was previously discussed.”

“About not speaking of this? Yes, of course,” Polarth answered with a smile, turning toward Ai Fa.

Asuta would be invited here, to this place.

Ai Fa could feel her heart pounding faster and faster in her chest.

Remain calm, she cautioned herself. Starting now, it was a battle against herself, and one she absolutely had to win. She could not lose control of herself.

After that, when they were served a sweet dish, Ai Fa didn’t even register what it tasted like.

Once everyone present had finished eating, there was at last a knock on the door.

“I have brought the chef from overseas!”

That voice had come not from a page, but from a soldier.

Slowly, the doors swung open.

And then, he finally appeared...

It was Austa. There was not a shred of doubt at all that it was her clan member standing there. He wore an unfamiliar white outfit, and his cheeks looked ever so slightly thinner. However, there was still strength in his black eyes.

Asuta pursed his lips and glanced around with a combative look, until his eyes fell on Ai Fa. And then, they opened wide in shock. He looked dumbfounded, as if he found it hard to believe what he was seeing and doubted his own sanity...but then his eyes suddenly filled with delight. They sparkled brightly, even though the rest of his face remained expressionless.

“Finally, I’ve found you... I’ve so wanted to see you... I thought of nothing else during these days filled with despair...” Asuta’s eyes seemed to say. Or perhaps those were simply Ai Fa’s own thoughts.

At any rate, she didn’t care either way. After all, they had met again at last. And that was all that mattered. Ai Fa’s eyes looked upon Asuta, and his eyes looked upon her. Nothing else was important.

“It seems there’s no mistake,” Ai Fa said almost without thinking. “That man is a member of my house, Asuta of the Fa clan. With that fact made clear, I ask that you allow me to return with him.”

He’s my clan member, my Asuta. And I won’t let anyone else have him, Ai Fa thought to herself, turning toward Lefreya as the unacceptable fate they had been faced with was utterly denied.

◇

Asuta had at last returned to Ai Fa.

Midway through the exchange, Cyclaeus had appeared, but he didn’t attempt to offer any pointless resistance. In fact, he looked truly furious at his daughter’s thoughtless actions. And he seemed more than a little on edge about how the lower-ranking Polarth so stubbornly questioned Lefreya’s crimes. Cyclaeus claimed that he would offer a personal apology to the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge tomorrow. And as for the three criminals, he swore they would be judged according to the laws of Genos.

It seemed everything that happened really did fall outside of Cyclaeus’s plotting. After all, if the people of the forest’s edge had taken up arms, it truly might have turned into an incident that could not possibly be overlooked.

But at least for now, none of that mattered in the least. Ai Fa had gotten Asuta back.

“Um, while I’m changing, could it be just me and my clan head?” Asuta had asked, and so it ended up as just the two of them alone in enemy territory.

However, Ai Fa couldn’t allow herself to lose her composure just yet. At any rate, though, Ai Fa just silently stared at Asuta in that wide room made of grey stone.

“Ai Fa...” It seemed that Asuta was still stupefied. However, there were clearly all sorts of emotions whirling about in his black eyes.

And as Ai Fa forced down her own powerful emotions before they burst forth, she examined her clan member all over to make sure nothing was out of place. Fortunately, he was fine. He was a bit slimmer, certainly, but nothing else appeared different.

As she secretly gave a sigh, Ai Fa asked, “You aren’t injured anywhere, are you?”

Asuta just shook his head in a daze. “No. As you can see, I’m doing just fine.”

“Right...”

Asuta looked terribly impatient, somehow. It was as if he didn’t know how to handle the emotions welling up inside of him. And Ai Fa couldn’t say she knew either.

Asuta just needed to hurry up and change. Then, they could return to the settlement at the forest’s edge...to the Fa house. They could share the joy they felt at their safe reunion then. Otherwise, Ai Fa would be unable to hold herself back any longer.

Even so, Asuta didn’t remain silent, calling out, “Ai Fa, I...”

Just hearing Asuta’s voice was enough to cause her composure to feel like it would crumble away. And so, Ai Fa held up her hand to stop him.

She wanted to say, “Hurry up and change.” However, the words caught in her throat and she couldn’t speak them.

Suddenly, her field of vision started to distort. Despite her intentions, she had started tearing up. Ai Fa would end up losing sight of Asuta, and she couldn’t stand that.

She wanted to feel him closer. She had reached her limit, and couldn’t possibly control herself any longer. Before she realized it, Ai Fa had called Asuta’s name and wrapped her arms around him. Asuta’s warmth flowed into her body. This warmth...this is what she had wanted.

“Asuta...” Ai Fa cried out.

Polarth and enemy soldiers were waiting with just a single wall separating them, but any apprehensions at that fact had melted away.

Did people always cry like this when they felt so terribly relieved?

Even that thought soon disappeared from Ai Fa’s mind as she sobbed. She wailed, and broke down crying like a child. When her father fell before a giba’s tusks, she swore she would never allow herself to show such weakness again, but now Ai Fa had been swept up by a deluge of emotion.

It was Asuta’s fault. She was all shaken up on his account.

“Asuta...you unbelievable fool...”

Asuta apologized again and again, hugging Ai Fa back just as firmly.

The Fa clan head sobbed away, thinking they should just meld together so they could never again be torn apart.

And so, the tragedy that had befallen Ai Fa and Asuta finally came to an end on the fifth night.