Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter 4.2

2

“Sorry for the wait. This is our giba cooking.”

We laid out five plates atop the wide table. That included two plates of giba bacon and eggs, two of the pseudo-hot dogs, and then one with the plain jerky, bacon, and sausages all served up together.

Presented with those plates, Digola narrowed his eyes and uttered, “Oh my,” while Meilos silently knitted his brow.

“The fried meat has a wonderful aroma. Why, it’s every bit as good as karon.”

“I hope that the taste is to your liking as well,” I said with a bow, and then I took my seat along with everyone else.

With seemingly no hesitation whatsoever toward giba meat, Digola started off by biting into the pseudo-hot dog. As he chewed with big movements of his jaw, his eyes shot open wide in surprise. Then, when Meilos had a bit of the giba bacon and eggs, the wrinkles on his furrowed brow grew even deeper as he sat there silently.

For a little while after that, the two just kept on eating without saying a word. While that was going on, Dan Rutim whispered from diagonally behind me, “Asuta.”

“Ah, right. We still have some giba meat leftover, so I’ll check with the inn about borrowing a stove when we get back. And if that doesn’t work out, I was thinking we could stop by the Malotta ranch on our way home. There should be an opportunity for us to eat some giba cooking before we make it back to Genos.”

“My! You’ve read my mind once again, Asuta!”

After shooting Dan Rutim a smile, I went ahead and turned back toward the table, where I saw Digola wearing a dumbfounded look.

“Sir Asuta of the Fa clan... That was shockingly tasty. I never would have guessed giba meat was this delicious...”

“Since you all know how good karon meat is better than anyone, it makes me very happy to hear that.”

“What a shocking taste. Hard to believe it’s this good despite being smoked meat... You didn’t seem to use a particularly different blend of herbs and the like, compared to how karon jerky is made, so how were you able to maintain this much flavor?”

“It’s because I prioritized taste over how well preserved it was. The fatty meat still kept a lot of its juiciness, right? I’m still experimenting with exactly how long it will last, but I’d be happy if it stayed edible for even a month. Also, we used ribs rather than leg meat to make it.”

“I see. But what about these sausages? They seemed just as juicy as the tender jerky.”

“I believe those should last for a bit longer. We used plenty of fatty meat there too, but they were smoked for the same amount of time as ordinary jerky.”

“Hmm. So the tough jerky on this plate is the ordinary sort made from leg meat, correct? It’s no worse than karon jerky either.”

His words alone were satisfying to me, but I was more interested in his facial expressions. For some reason, even as he heaped praise upon the giba meat’s taste, he looked strangely disheartened.

“This is a grave matter...” Meilos stated from beside him, speaking up for the first time. His voice was hoarse and rough, seemingly a perfect fit for his demeanor. “To think, such delicious meat is now being supplied throughout Genos... And you said you wish to sell this meat in Dabagg as well, Asuta of the Fa clan?”

“Ah, yes. But there’s a concern that the price of giba meat may rise in the future, so I won’t ask you to make a deal with us today. Besides, it’s also questionable whether giba meat would even sell in a town like Dabagg, which has access to an endless supply of delicious karon meat.”

“Then, you plan to sell it to towns aside from Dabagg? I’ve heard that just recently Genos reopened trade with Banarm.”

Fittingly for someone in charge of external affairs, he seemed to be well informed about the circumstances.

“Right,” I answered honestly with a nod. “We fortunately happen to have a few developing ties to people from Banarm, so I’ve been thinking perhaps we could do business there.”

“Yes, this certainly is grave... Of course, it’s not like you’re acting out of malice here...”

I was taken aback by hearing a word as strong as “malice” brought up so suddenly. Had they seriously taken this as a declaration of war against Dabagg after all?

Still, Genos was one thing, but Banarm was ultimately a karon-producing town itself, so they couldn’t have had any significant dealing with Dabagg. It was hard to imagine Dabagg suffering any harm from us doing business there.

“Sir Meilos, don’t you agree that we should be frank and open about the matter at this point? This Sir Asuta of the Fa clan seems like a trustworthy fellow,” Digola stated, sitting up a bit straighter. “Sir Asuta, allow me to reveal our hidden shame... Currently, Dabagg is in quite a precarious situation.”

“A precarious situation?”

“That’s right. Since you are citizens of Genos, you must have heard tell of it. About how Count Turan fell in the ashen month. That was the start of it all.” As his plump body swayed, Digola continued on. “You see, Count Turan was entirely in charge of handling the distribution of the foods we produce throughout Genos. The dealings regarding the meat and milk we sold all went through him.”

“Right, I’ve heard about that. We people of the forest’s edge had significant involvement with the previous head of the house of Turan.”

“Yes, I’ve heard some people of the forest’s edge colluded with Count Turan and got up to some sort of wrongdoing. But the count was sincere and just when it came to business dealings. I would even say that to us, he was an ideal business partner.”

Well, perhaps it made sense for Cyclaeus to have gained such a reputation outside of Genos. He must have been an important client for Dabagg in particular, considering how he never spared any coins when it came to acquiring ingredients.

“However, Count Turan fell. Ever since then, someone else entirely has been in charge of business dealings with Dabagg. That’s how we ended up in this predicament so unexpectedly.”

“And just what predicament is that?”

“To put it simply, that person has been cutting the prices on our goods. I will refrain from giving specific numbers, but the price of karon has been lowered enough that it has become quite difficult to maintain the lifestyles we had up until now.”

“That’s...” I started to say, but was left at a loss for words. It was true that Alma had said something similar, but I hadn’t imagined the circumstances were so pressing.

“In particular, the situation became far more dire after trade started up between Genos and Banarm. The implicit threat seems to be that if we were to complain, they would purchase their karon from Banarm instead in the future...”

“That’s absolutely outrageous. How are they able to get away with forcing such one-sided demands on you?”

“I do not know. But the man who took charge of business dealings in place of Count Turan must be especially vicious. Our closest business partner has always been Genos, so if they cut off trade with us, the owners of several ranches would likely end up hanging themselves.”

Meilos chimed in then. “It’s precisely because he is aware of our situation that he can use such oppressive business practices. Now that they have a new business partner in Banarm, Genos would have no issues casting aside Dabagg whenever they please.”

By this point, I had fallen into a state of utter confusion. Torst must be the one who took charge of the business dealings in place of Cyclaeus. He seemed like such an earnest person, if a bit weak, so could he actually be going around more or less threatening people like that?

Despite my impressions, though, it wasn’t as if I was all that well acquainted with Torst. I had only met him around three times, and talked to him personally for a few minutes at most. On top of that, Torst wasn’t solely responsible for the circulation of food like Cyclaeus had been. He must have been relying on Duke Genos’s aid to some degree, and I was pretty sure he was splitting the task with subordinates as well.

I knew even less about Duke Marstein Genos than I did Torst. Just like Kamyua Yoshu, he was a really mysterious man, and he appeared to be more calculating than most.

So the people of Dabagg are suffering due to some plot by Torst himself, one of his subordinates, or maybe even Marstein?

I could feel bitter emotions curdling in my gut. As I bit down on my lip, I glanced over at Zasshuma, who was sitting on the other side of Reina Ruu. Since the Malotta ranch sold karon to Genos, they would be one of the groups suffering most from such a predicament.

However, Zasshuma had remained completely composed as he stared at Digola and Meilos, stroking his stubble-coated chin.

“If such delicious giba meat starts circulating throughout Genos and Banarm under these circumstances...we will be left in quite a bind, in a variety of ways,” Digola said, looking as if he was about to break down crying. “At present, your giba cooking has grown very popular in the Genos post town, so the sales of karon leg meat have fallen a bit. If karon legs and jerky became something Genos no longer has a need for, Dabagg would have even less value for Genos...”

“B-But there’s a limit to how many giba can be hunted, so it shouldn’t steal away too many karon meat sales.”

Still, the people of the forest’s edge hunted down about fifty giba a day. If it became possible to sell the majority of that in town, it would bring us tremendous prosperity. We were currently striving our hardest in order to see that impossible dream through.

That said, even if it didn’t entirely cut off the demand for karon meat, there was still a definite chance that it could cause some serious damage. I had believed that I didn’t need to feel particularly guilty over that fact, as it was up to the customers to determine which meat they preferred...but this was a different matter entirely.

“I’m sorry, but do you mind if I discuss this with my group a bit...?” I asked after a moment of hesitation.

Digola’s expression had been brimming with anguish, but at that he looked confused and asked back, “What?”

“There’s a lot I can’t decide on my own when it comes to the sale of giba meat, so I would like to take this opportunity to talk things over with everyone for a while.”

“Ah... We are in no rush, so please go ahead and do as you wish,” Digola said with a sigh. “I might have lost myself a bit there and started complaining to you, but I am still a merchant. Please, proceed however you think is best, and don’t let your emotions sway you, Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Right. Thank you.”

With that, I took the members of the front row with me, meaning Ai Fa, Reina Ruu, and Zasshuma, and headed to a corner of the spacious room. After seeing a number of the folks from our group who stayed behind striking up a conversation with Digola and Meilos, I whispered to Zasshuma, “So, just what exactly is going on here? The price of karon meat hasn’t changed at all in the Genos post town, so if the people here are being paid so much less, isn’t that a bit odd?”

“Yeah. Karon meals in the castle town have stayed at the same price too. Someone along the way must be pocketing the difference...”

“So that really has to be it, huh? Still, I find it hard to imagine that Torst guy who took over for Cyclaeus being so unscrupulous.”

“I wouldn’t know. After all, I’m not acquainted with that particular noble. Still, in the end he’s part of the same bloodline of the house of Turan, isn’t he?”

“Yes. Still, of the two types of noble you mentioned, I can’t help but find him to be the overly formal sort.”

“Just because someone acts formal doesn’t mean they’re a good person, and it’s not like it’s inherently unscrupulous to cause Dabagg to take a loss. He may just be trying his hardest to make a profit for Genos instead,” Zasshuma said with a shrug of his shoulders.

As I felt baffled at how he seemed not to care about his precious family falling into such a pinch, I turned my gaze toward the second Ruu daughter.

“What do you think, Reina Ruu? Sorry, but I’d like to hear your opinion as the Ruu clan’s representative.”

“Well... I can’t say I’m all that knowledgeable when it comes to business. However...it seems to fit with what we heard at the ranch, about how only the commoners are suffering losses.”

Right, Alma had said something like that. He hadn’t painted such a grave picture, but my understanding was that the shortfalls had only started recently.

“So is someone from Genos really trying to entrap the people of Dabagg with a wicked scheme...?”

“Hey, isn’t that a bit much, calling it a ‘wicked scheme’? The weak obeying the strong is just the way of the world. Even if what we were just told was all true, it just means that Genos is stronger than Dabagg,” Zasshuma said with an arrogant grin.

His words finally ignited the embers that had been smoldering in my chest. “Even so, if this is some kind of scheme, I can’t just stay silent. If it’s one of Torst’s underlings or someone threatening Dabagg all on their own for personal profit, then that’s not something that can be overlooked, is it?”

“I’m not so sure about that. Couldn’t you consider it a well-earned win on their part if they managed to succeed with that scheme?”

“Is that seriously how you feel...? I can’t believe you’d say that, after how hard you worked to expose Cyclaeus’s plot.”

“That was part of an official job. I just did my best for the sake of my employer, Lord Melfried.”

I felt a little betrayed. Even though I had built up a sense of trust and friendship with him over the course of this trip...I really didn’t want to hear those words coming out of his mouth.

“All right. Then with your permission, I’ll go ahead and do things my way,” I declared, turning toward Ai Fa.

My clan head calmly stared back at me and said, “I leave all business matters up to you. Just as that man said earlier, you should do what you think is right.”

“Got it. Thanks, Ai Fa.”

Naturally, I had no intention of overstepping my position. Though I had formed a bit of an acquaintance with the nobles of Genos, I wasn’t about to mistake that for my own power. However, I should have been able to at least help bring the truth to light. With that thought in mind, I went ahead and returned to Digola and Meilos.

“Um, I already accomplished my goal of having you sample giba meat. And someday, I would like to be able to talk to you again about properly doing business.”

“Right, I cannot say whether we’ll even be able to purchase meat from other towns anymore when that time comes, but I will be looking forward to your next visit,” Digola said with a listless smile.

Getting my thoughts in order, I went ahead and continued, “Also, about the issue with Genos purchasing your karon, I may be able to help out just a little on that front.”

“You’ll help us out, Sir Asuta?”

“That’s right. If this current state of affairs is the result of a shared agreement in Genos then it won’t be possible to do anything about it, but if it’s the plot of a single person...I think there should definitely be a way to correct the situation.”

Digola’s eyes shot open wide, while Meilos furrowed his brow doubtfully.

“After the fall of the former Count Turan, Duke Genos proposed a plan to restore the proper circulation of ingredients. Even if the previous Count Turan was just and sincere when it came to outside deals, he most certainly wasn’t within Genos. And the man who took over from him was tasked by Duke Genos to make sure the ingredients flowing in would be used more properly.”

“I see...”

“So if cutting the price of karon from Dabagg was a decision from Duke Genos himself, then nothing can be done, but if it was at the sole discretion of the new head of house Turan or someone close to him, I believe the duke would act to rein them in.”

“But even if it was someone’s personal decision, as long as it profits Genos, would it really earn the duke’s anger?”

That was the same argument Zasshuma had raised.

However, I shook my head, “No. Now that the crimes of the previous Count Turan have been exposed, Duke Genos is very concerned with how things are seen externally. Though Genos is a frontier city, it’s also one of the most prosperous places in all of Selva, so apparently the capital regards it as a potential threat.”

“Right...”

“Normally, it wouldn’t be seen as permissible for Genos to employ such aggressive trade measures toward Dabagg, so if the culprit behind all this was trying to use improper business tactics right under Duke Genos’s nose, wouldn’t it make sense for them to face regulation?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Meilos asked, wearing a sour look on his face. Turning toward him, I went ahead and voiced my conclusion.

“It’s not all that complicated. I just want to inform Duke Genos of the current situation. After all, he holds the authority to decide everything.”

“Ah, no, you don’t have any duty to act here, Sir Asuta, so we cannot ask you to do something as dangerous as petitioning the duke to...”

“It wouldn’t be anything as official as a petition. I’ll just have a noble I’m acquainted with inform the duke about this.”

“A noble acquaintance? I myself am from an offshoot of the house of Dabagg, but someone without a rank can’t legitimately call themselves a noble. Relying on someone like that could lead you to ruin,” Meilos stated in his hoarse voice. It seemed that Dabagg also had a policy that said you needed to be part of a bloodline with ties to nobility to take public office.

In order to put the man at ease, I smiled and said, “Oh, really? But there’s nothing to worry about. The man I’m talking about has a position where he can speak freely to Duke Genos, and he’s acted as a go-between for the people of the forest’s edge and the duke before.”

Digola let out a strange-sounding, “Oh? P-Please hold on. For someone to be able to speak freely to Duke Genos... Just how high-ranking a person are we talking?”

“His name is Polarth, and he’s the second son of the house of Daleim.”

As the second son of the main house, Polarth would have been set to inherit a rank. I figured that would help bring them peace of mind, but unexpectedly, Digola had instead started trembling.

“That can’t be... The second son of a count couldn’t possibly form ties with someone who isn’t even a noble...”

“Well, it’d be too long of a story to get into now, but we just happened to become acquainted by coincidence.”

“Sir Asuta, I think you’ve taken this prank far enough,” Meilos firmly interjected. “It’s possible that you’re suffering some sort of misapprehension. If you go about speaking carelessly to someone in such a position, it could invite as much trouble as petitioning Duke Genos directly.”

“Th-That’s right. Please take more care, Sir Asuta, for your own sake,” Digola added, for some reason now turning pale and looking like he was about to cry while forcing a smile. As I wondered what in the world was bringing about this over-the-top reaction, I suddenly heard a hearty chuckle from beside me.

Straightening up with a start, Meilos and Digola glared at the source of that laughter. As for who it had come from, it was none other than Zasshuma. “Sorry about that. I can see that this is getting nowhere fast, so do you mind if I interject, Asuta?”

“Go ahead...” I replied while staring doubtfully at the bodyguard.

Casting aside his composed expression from before, Zasshuma was now wearing a wicked grin.

“So you folks from Dabagg can’t believe people of the forest’s edge, who are seen as especially low-class even among commoners, would be able to forge ties with an elite noble, eh? But I think if we told you the details, you’d be able to understand.”

“W-We most certainly wouldn’t call the people of the forest’s edge low-class...”

“It was just a figure of speech, so don’t worry so much about it. To cut to the chase, Sir Digola and Sir Meilos, it was the people of the forest’s edge who brought about the downfall of the previous Count Turan, Cyclaeus.” As the pair sat there dead silent, Zasshuma broke out into an even wider grin. “It may sound hard to believe, but that’s the truth. Cyclaeus used some people of the forest’s edge to commit crimes, so in order to redeem themselves for that failure, they ended up taking him down. And in the process, they forged ties with a number of nobles, starting with the second son of the house of Daleim.”

“S-Something so utterly ridiculous couldn’t possibly be true...”

“Even if it is ridiculous, it’s a fact. And I was part of another group that worked to corner Cyclaeus from a different direction. In the end, we joined hands with the people of the forest’s edge to take the count down.” As I held my breath and listened to Zasshuma’s speech, I was left wondering if it was really all right to reveal all that. “So you’ve got no reason to worry. After all, supposedly the second son of the house of Daleim stops by Asuta’s shop at least once every ten days. It would be no trouble at all, asking him to deliver a message to Duke Genos.”

Digola and Meilos just sat there, not uttering a word.

“By the way, Asuta has served as a chef for banquets in the castle town, so he’s personally acquainted with Duke Genos. If he can get permission from the leading clan heads, they wouldn’t even have difficulty going directly to the duke.”

The pair were growing more and more pale.

“Ah, but I suppose it would be the duke’s first son, Lord Melfried, who would speak with the leading clan heads instead. Still, I would imagine that man would listen even more attentively to what they would have to say.”

“D-Duke Genos’s first son...!”

By this point, Digola’s face was as pale as a corpse. Meilos, meanwhile, was gripping his chair’s armrests, his thin face dripping with cold sweat.

“I’m actually acquainted with the man too, and Lord Melfried values the law to an almost frightening degree. If someone out there has enacted some crafty plot to line their own pockets, he’d surely spare no effort to see them brought to justice... Of course, that’s assuming the criminals came from Genos.”

“W-We didn’t do anything wrong!” Digola shouted, knocking over his chair as he shot to his feet.

And with his gaze fixed on the man’s plump figure, Zasshuma grinned and said, “I see. Then I suppose you have nothing to worry about. Duke Genos and his son wouldn’t have any interest in Dabagg’s internal squabbles, after all. No matter how much the people of Dabagg may be suffering, it wouldn’t have anything to do with Genos.”

There was nothing the man could say.

“Just like Asuta said at the start, if any suspicious business deals are part of the lord of the land’s machinations, nobody can countermand them. But if it’s the plot of some single person, then surely the land’s ruler would want to do something about that, right?”

“Just what exactly is it that you’re trying to say, Zasshuma? My stomach’s liable to start grumbling soon.” That comment had come from Dan Rutim, who had been fiddling with his mustache while looking bored the whole time.

When Zasshuma turned to look at the hunter, he was wearing a bold grin. “They said the folks from the ranches have been suffering losses ever since Cyclaeus’s downfall, right? So someone must have been taking those profits. If it were the lords of either Genos or Dabagg who profited, then nobody has any right to complain about it. But if anyone else lines their pockets under their rulers’ noses, they could certainly face judgment as a result.”

“Hmm, I still don’t quite get it,” Dan Rutim said, but I knew what he was implying.

Actually, just looking at Digola and Meilos’s faces was enough to make it painfully clear. It wasn’t Torst or some subordinate under him pocketing that money. No, it was these men, who had falsely reported that Genos was forcing down the price for karon meat.

“The lord of Dabagg will surely be receiving a messenger from Genos Castle soon enough. And if he hears about some false rumors suggesting that threats were being used to force the price down on karon, well, I’m sure he won’t just stay silent about that. No matter what the truth of the matter may be, I’m sure both lords will join together to see it brought to light,” Zasshuma concluded with a wide grin.

The pair of criminals just sat there dumbfounded, unable to offer even a single word in response.