Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter 2.2

2

“Hey there, ma. You’re looking well,” Zasshuma called out, and the eyes of the older woman milking a karon opened wide.

“Oh, my!” she loudly exclaimed. “Oh me, oh my, could that be you, Zasshuma? I hardly recognize you!”

“What’s that mean? It can’t be more than two years since the last time we saw each other.”

“So you say, but you’ve gone and grown that ugly mustache since then...”

“Well, that can’t be the reason...because I’m sure I remember you saying that exact thing to me before I left,” Zasshuma said with a strained grin, while the woman shot him back a bright smile.

“Glad to have you back! And you seem to be doing well yourself!”

Though she wasn’t all that tall, she was a robust, strong-looking lady. Her hair and eyes were dark brown, and her skin was a tanned shade. Supposedly, as you went farther north to places like Banarm, a lot of folks had ivory-white skin, but we just kept going west to reach Dabagg, so it was no surprise that her tanned color was more common here.

“So, looks like you brought along quite a crowd this time. I see some young women in the mix, but I can’t imagine you bringing home a bride like this.”

“These people hired me. They came here from Genos to do business, but they said they wanted to see a karon ranch first, so I brought them here.”

“Hmm? What an odd request. But if you’re after karon meat, we’ve got plenty prepared,” the woman said, offering us a bright smile.

We were currently at a karon barn. After leaving our wagons and totos near the house, Zasshuma had led us here. It was a big building with a high ceiling and a wide-open entrance, and there were some bad smells floating around here and there. Though the inside of the barn was sectioned off with fences, there weren’t any other karon in sight.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Asuta of the Fa clan, and I run some food stalls in the Genos post town. I suppose I’m technically in charge of this group.”

“What a polite young man. The name’s Miza. I’m Zasshuma’s ma. My husband’s looking after the karon out front,” the woman said as she looked us over with great curiosity. “Still, you don’t look much like merchants, especially the people wearing the fur cloaks. Are you some sort of hunters?”

“Ah, they hunt giba, and these two are gaaje hunters.”

“Giba and gaaje?! They don’t sound like anything fit for eating, no matter how you boil or grill them!” Miza said, but then she tilted her head. “Hmm? But I’ve heard only the people of the forest’s edge hunt giba, so could it be...”

“They’re people of the forest’s edge, yeah. Makes for some unusual guests, right?” Zasshuma responded.

“Oh, my!” Miza loudly proclaimed. “That certainly is something. People of the forest’s edge, huh...? Now that you mention it, they do have dark skin like folks from Sym...”

“It’s not like you’re any more familiar with people from Sym than you are with people of the forest’s edge. Easterners have even darker skin, you know.”

“Hmm... This certainly is a surprise. Then are you all people of the forest’s edge too...?”

“Yes. I’m Reina Ruu of the Ruu clan. This is my youngest sister Rimee Ruu, Sheera Ruu from one of our branch houses, and Toor Deen of the Deen clan,” Reina Ruu replied with a polite bow, looking just as calm and composed as always. Seeing that, Miza once again broke out in a broad grin.

“You women of the forest’s edge sure are lookers! Guess there’s no way beauties like you would ever be marrying my Zasshuma. Sorry for the rude comment there earlier.”

“Do you have to keep on insulting me at every turn? Jeez...” Zasshuma grumbled, but his eyes were smiling. It seemed he really did have a great relationship with his mother, just like I had heard.

This was a warm welcome of a sort that would be entirely unimaginable in Genos. It seemed there actually was less fear toward the people of the forest’s edge out here. Maybe it was only natural that hunters of giba and gaaje would be treated no differently from each other, aside from the issues arising from the fact that one of those groups lacked faith in the four great gods.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that hunters were characteristically intimidating. Though Miza wasn’t on guard in the least around Reina Ruu and the other women, she still seemed rather timid toward Ai Fa, Dan Rutim, and Jeeda.

“Um, this is just a little gift. Please accept it, for letting us observe your ranch,” I said, holding out a large bundle. It was packed with smoked giba meat and sausages.

“Oh, my,” Miza replied, her eyes narrowing as she smiled. “Thanks for being so considerate. How about I treat you to lunch in return? The sun must already be past its peak, right?”

“Yeah, let’s go ahead and eat before looking around the ranch. Couldn’t say if it will be good enough to satisfy such famed chefs from Genos like you lot, though,” Zasshuma agreed.

With that, we headed back to the house that we had passed by before. Rather than the big main structure, though, we were led to a log cabin constructed beside it.

“Hmm? Who are they?”

As we stepped inside, we were met with astonished looks from all around. There had to be fifteen men and women of all ages crowded inside. Miza looked around at them with a smile.

“These are guests visiting the ranch. They came all the way here from Genos to check the place out.”

“Ooh, from Genos? Hmm...? You’re Zasshuma, aren’t you?!” one of the men loudly questioned.

Turning his way, Zasshuma grinned and said, “Hey there.”

“It sure has been a while! Have you finally made up your mind to move back in?”

“Cut that out. You really think I’d go bowing my head and chasing around karon at this point?”

“It would be real welcome if you would! Though if you went around acting all pompous about being the boss’s son, I’d kick you out myself!”

Apparently, that man wasn’t his father, but was some sort of relative regardless.

The other folks spread around the room were holding steaming plates in their hands, murmuring as they watched over our actions. They didn’t seem to be avoiding us, but they were definitely curious about the unfamiliar sight of hunters from the forest’s edge and Masara.

“Is there still broth left? Ah, that should be plenty. Sorry, but could you prepare enough meat for the guests too?”

“Got it,” a number of the women replied before heading to the rear of the building. Apparently, this was a dining room and rest area for the people who worked the ranch.

The dirt ground was exposed at our feet, and there were two large stoves set in the corner of the room. There were metal pots set atop them, which were giving off a wonderful aroma.

Before long the women reappeared with a wooden plank, atop which sat thin cuts of meat. A brilliantly red mountain of the stuff, which had naturally come from karon. It was all dropped into a pot, alongside a token amount of aria.

“It’ll be cooked and ready in just a bit... By the way, where exactly did my husband get to?”

“He ate in a hurry and then left. Seemed he was worried about that karon with the hurt leg.”

“Hmm, then we’ll stop by and say hi when you’re leaving the ranch. Well, I guess you may not want to see him, though...”

“Hardly. He’s the one who doesn’t want to see me,” Zasshuma replied with a strained chuckle.

Homesickness really did have a big impact on people. Even though he was wearing a traveler’s cloak with a sword hanging from his belt underneath, right now he seemed less like a professional bodyguard and more like someone who just belonged here at the ranch.

“You’re quite the beauty. How about marrying into my house?” the man who had first called out to Zasshuma said to Reina Ruu with a grin.

“I’m sorry,” Reina Ruu replied with a courteous smile of her own. “I would not be permitted to marry into an outside family. But I appreciate the sentiment.”

“That’s a shame! Are you a princess from Sym or something?”

“No, I’m a person of the forest’s edge...”

“A person of the forest’s edge? Ooh! Weren’t they all supposed to have horns and tusks like giba? Well, not that I’ve ever even seen a giba to begin with.”

It wasn’t just Reina Ruu, as the other women and even Dan Rutim were also getting pelted with questions. Just as I was thinking to myself how friendly they all were, Zasshuma explained with a strained grin, “Sorry we’ve got so many folks here who don’t know their manners. They don’t get to head into town very often, so most of them are ignorant to the ways of the world. I was the same, up until I left home. I had barely even heard of the people of the forest’s edge before that.”

“I see. Well, it sounds like the others are having fun talking to them.”

It was then that Ai Fa called out to me from behind. “Hey. You’re the one who asked Toor Deen to accompany us, aren’t you? She was left feeling lonely on the wagon ride here, so at least pay a little attention to her now.”

Ai Fa had a sour look on her face, while Toor Deen stood there beside her, timidly ducking her head.

“Ah, sorry about that. But hasn’t she opened up to the folks from the Ruu clan? I mean, Rimee Ruu was there with her.”

“Even if everyone else was making an effort, Toor Deen would still not feel able to speak freely. After all, the Ruu are one of the leading clans.”

“Got it. Sorry, Toor Deen.”

“A-Ah, no! You don’t need to worry about someone like me,” Toor Deen said, but she looked quite relieved as she walked over to my side.

Meanwhile, Ai Fa turned away with a “Hmph.”

Still, it really was quite considerate and attentive of my clan head to notice that Toor Deen was feeling left out so quickly and send her over to me.

Well, Ai Fa’s always been like that...

As I felt a bit of warmth stirring in the depths of my heart, I went ahead and looked over the remaining members of the group.

Bartha and Jeeda were off on their own, watching over the proceedings. Deem Rutim stood protectively behind Dan Rutim with a shine in his eyes as the former clan head broke out in laughter. Though Mikel had remained silent all this time, he was now quietly talking about something with one of the men from the ranch, and as for Myme...she was in front of the stoves, having a friendly chat with the women.

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves... It sure is nice, seeing people of the forest’s edge talking to outsiders so naturally, I thought to myself.

Then, one of the women shouted out, “The meat’s cooked! If you let karon meat boil too long, it gets tough, so go ahead and dig in while it’s just right.”

They started to fill up the plates that had been brought in alongside the meat with karon soup one after another. When one of those plates reached my hands, I stared into it with great curiosity.

It was a translucent soup with a bit of whiteness to it. Heaps of the dark-brown boiled meat sank down in the soup, and were layered with chunks of aria. There really wasn’t much to say about the appearance, but it had an absolutely wonderful aroma, with the smell of the boiled meat and garlic-like myamuu. With great anticipation pushing me onward, I picked up my wooden spoon.

“What do you think? I’m sorry it’s such a crude dish, but we did make sure to add plenty of meat.”

“Ah, it’s delicious,” I earnestly replied.

It was far better than the soup dishes that I had tasted in the Genos post town. They got a really effective stock from the karon, and the myamuu’s aroma helped it stand out even further. In terms of dishes I was familiar with, it reminded me of oxtail soup.

The meat was boiled just the right amount, making it wonderfully tender and yet still pleasingly chewy. Red meat formed a solid core for the dish, and it had a vibrant flavor. Karon meat really did seem to be similar to beef.

“Ah, it sure is tasty. What cut of meat did you use?”

“It’s hard to say exactly where the meat came from. After all, that was a pile of scraps shaved off the bones.”

“I see. Still, it was way more delicious than the karon meat I’ve had in Genos.”

“If that weren’t the case, we wouldn’t be able to proudly call ourselves a karon town. But, well, it’s only natural for fresh meat to be tastier than stuff pickled in salt,” Miza replied with a bright smile, then sipped down some of her own soup.

Toor Deen also whispered to me, “It’s really good.”

At the same time, I spotted Myme hurrying over. “Asuta, they said they didn’t use anything but salt and myamuu in this dish! And yet it’s so shockingly good!”

“Yeah, it’s delicious. It must have taken quite a bit of time to get such a solid stock, right?”

“Yup, we keep the fires going from morning till night to boil down the karon fat. While we’re doing that, we also carry out the preparations for the next day’s meals. This soup was made by just boiling karon bones.”

“You use lilo leaves to get rid of the smell, right? And aria were the only vegetable you used?” Myme asked.

“That’s right,” Miza replied with an easygoing nod. “Vegetables are considered a luxury around these parts, so for midday meals we only use aria. I really am sorry for serving you such a crude lunch.”

“Not at all! I think it’s truly wonderful how you were able to make such a delicious dish using just karon meat and bones, lilo leaves, aria, salt, and myamuu for ingredients!”

Faced with Myme’s brilliant smile, Miza broke out in a grin of her own. “Thank you for saying so. Are you staying at an inn for the night? You should be able to taste even higher quality karon cooking there.”

“Really? Still, I love this dish!”

I felt the same way as Myme. Though they only used a meager variety of ingredients, the dish really showed the results of all the time they put into it. It gave me a look into an entirely different culinary culture than that of Genos, which was currently overflowing with so many different ingredients that they didn’t know what to do with them.

And somehow, I feel like the cuisine in Genos is lacking something else too. But, well, it’s not like I can speak so definitively when I only know about the food in the post town and the castle town. I couldn’t help but think to myself that the next time I visited the Daleim lands, I would very much like to sample some local cooking.

Around then, a voice loudly called out from the door, “Well, if it isn’t Zasshuma!” Turning that way, I found a man with a robust build who looked just a bit younger than our guide stepping into the room.

“Hey there, Alma. Glad to see you looking well.”

“Right back at you! You seem to get more and more impressive each time I see you!” that Alma man replied, smiling and patting Zasshuma on the shoulder. At least for now, everyone seemed to be quite welcoming toward the bodyguard.

“Allow me to introduce you, Asuta. This guy’s my little sister’s husband, Alma.”

When Zasshuma called me over, I walked over to join him, along with Toor Deen.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Asuta of the Fa clan, and thanks to Zasshuma being willing to introduce us to you guys, we’ll be touring the ranch today.”

“Asuta here is a chef who sells his cooking in the Genos post town. Since he handles giba meat, you might think of him as a business rival of sorts, but I hope we can still all be friends here,” Zasshuma said, causing Alma’s eyes to shoot open wide.

“Giba meat? So, wait, are you a person of the forest’s edge too? And you there, I’d say you look like a very impressive hunter.”

I turned around, wondering just who he was talking to, only to find Ai Fa right beside me, causing me to let out an unwitting “Gyah! H-How long have you been there? You really surprised me.”

“Don’t speak such nonsense... It is my job to guard you, is it not?” she whispered back, bringing her mouth in close to my ear. The feel of her warm breath on my skin was making me seriously flustered. I tried to keep my calm, but it had been a long time since we’d had one of these whispered conversations.

“I see. So all of you are people of the forest’s edge, huh? I’ve heard rumors about you folks in town. Supposedly, you can get some incredibly delicious giba cooking in Genos,” Alma said with a carefree smile. It made him look so much more gentle, despite his fairly stern face.

“It’s true that because of you karon leg meat may not be selling quite as well, but it’s not such a big deal. The nobles of Genos trying to strike a hard bargain on the price of torso meat is a much bigger issue.”

“The nobles of Genos? Are you having some sort of issue with them?” Zasshuma questioned.

“Well, yeah,” Alma said with a shrug of his shoulders. “There was some sort of big quarrel in Genos recently, right? Well, we were dragged into all that and got the short end of the stick. After all, the majority of our karon are sold to Genos through the firm.”

“It’s true that there was some major upheaval, but what’s all this about you guys getting the short end of the stick? Is it tied to the fall of Count Turan?”

“I don’t know all the details. But, well, it’s us common folk who always suffer the brunt of the losses, while the nobles just get to have it easy.”

This seemed like a worrying situation. If Cyclaeus’s downfall had some negative side effects on the people of Dabagg, then we would be partially responsible. Zasshuma was clearly thinking hard about it, stroking his mustache.

“Then the guys at the firm should know all the details, right? These folks wanted to talk business with the bigwigs here in Dabagg, so I was thinking of setting up a meeting with them tomorrow.”

“Yeah, they should know everything since they’re in charge of dealing with the nobles. Still, I can’t imagine the nobles changing their minds no matter what sort of fuss we might raise.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Either way, though, I’ll be looking forward to hearing what they have to say,” Zasshuma said with a daring grin and the courage of a bodyguard shining in his eyes.