Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 1.3

3

Our business for the day came to a close at the lower second hour without incident.

In specific, the giba hot pot stew sold out an hour before closing, while the giba manju, giba poitan, and the special giba cutlet sandwich were all gone by about thirty minutes later. That left only the giba burgers, with the last being sold right on schedule.

“It’s looking pretty clear that the giba burgers are selling worse because they’re the only ones that cost three red coins. Should we take a look at trying to sell smaller ones?” Sheera Ruu asked me.

“I’m not so sure. The myamuu giba is one thing, but if you adjust the size of the giba burger patties, it’ll end up changing the feel of the entire dish, and then it might lose what people have come to like so much about it. Since they still sold out on schedule, I think it makes more sense to see this as the sales on the other dishes improving rather than the giba burgers selling worse.”

“I see... I think I’ll talk to Reina Ruu about it too. It’s related to your sales as well, after all.”

“Right. I think the first thing to try should be to prepare more of everything else for tomorrow and see whether or not the myamuu giba sales drop off.”

We were closing up shop as we talked. After hooking the stalls to the wagon, we headed back toward The Kimyuus’s Tail.

As for the outdoor restaurant, we went ahead and put a rope around it as Milano Mas had instructed, then hung up a sign from The Kimyuus’s Tail. That was apparently all it took to make it a crime for anyone to step inside and mess with the tables or chairs according to the laws of Genos.

“Well then, see you later, Asuta.”

“Yeah, you all take care.”

After returning the stalls, the Fa clan group headed for The Sledgehammer, while the Ruu clan group headed for the carpentry shop. We were splitting up so that I could talk with Polarth while Sheera Ruu and the others ordered more tables and chairs.

The plan was currently to expand the outdoor restaurant by two additional stall spaces in order to have room to spare. Then they would add two new tables, and bump up the number of chairs for each of them from four to six. Combined with their five current tables, that would bring them up to seven in total. At six chairs apiece, that would make forty-two seats.

Naturally, they also needed to prepare an appropriate number of wooden plates and spoons. That would pretty much get rid of the line in front of the stall, and also improve the turnover rate by quite a bit. Furthermore, preparing extra tableware would help alleviate the hectic cycle of needing to hand them out to each new customer as fast as they could be washed.

Since they would need to expand their leather canopy on top of all that, it would work out to some serious expenses, but it would still surely be within the limits of what Donda Ruu would give his approval for, so Sheera Ruu had made the decision to move ahead with it.

It really struck me how on the way back Tsuvai was muttering, “Upfront investment...” The Ruu were more than doubling their number of seats all at once, but Tsuvai was likely doing the math in her head to figure out just how much they would earn if they were able to fill them all up.

As for myself, I just felt excited and wasn’t anxious in the least. Even if business was only booming because it was our first day open, we could keep offering all sorts of dishes as long as we had the seating. Soup dishes seemed to be Reina Ruu’s specialty, and if we needed another option, I wouldn’t mind giving curry or pasta a try. Any risks we might have been taking on didn’t seem all that bad.

At any rate, though, that was all a matter for tomorrow onward.

For now, I headed for The Sledgehammer in high spirits.

“Um, Asuta,” a voice suddenly called out from beside me, causing me to turn in surprise. Yun Sudra was supposed to be riding in the wagon, but at some point she had started walking next to me instead.

“Wh-What is it? If you want to get down from the wagon, you should let me know first.”

“My apologies. I thought it would be awkward to have to ask you to stop the totos,” Yun Sudra said with a bow, but there was a smile on her face.

She was a cute girl who wore her long gray-brown hair in a ponytail on the side. She was still only fifteen—and on the small side at that—but she had every bit as much womanly charm as Reina Ruu.

“Er, there’s something that I wanted to ask you. Would that be all right?” she said.

“Yeah. What is it?”

“What did you hand to that eastern woman before?”

I felt my heart skip a beat. But just as I was starting to worry that she had heard what Arishuna had said, Yun Sudra gave me a carefree smile.

Well, even if she did hear, it wouldn’t be so bad, I guess. I just have to make sure none of the other women end up misunderstanding, I thought, then steeled myself to respond.

“I was returning a charm for travelers to her. She gave it to me before we left for Dabagg. Now that I think about it, I got it from her before the sun hit its peak, so I guess you must not have been around.”

“A charm for travelers? Are you very close to that woman, Asuta...?”

“I wouldn’t say that. She’s just someone who came to eat my cooking at the inn before. That noble, Polarth, is the one who introduced us.”

“I see...” Yun Sudra replied, her gaze cast downward as she thought about something. Then she looked back up at my face. “You really can form bonds with anyone and everyone, can’t you? Even though you’re a person of the forest’s edge, you treat people from every kingdom equally. You even talk to nobles like they’re friends... It really is amazing.”

“Well, I wasn’t born on this continent to begin with, so I can’t see any reason to go sorting people out based on where they were born or their rank.” That said, I did have a definite prejudice against nobles, but thanks to Polarth those feelings had softened up quite a bit.

“Not just anyone can do that, even if they don’t have any reasons either. And whether you’re talking to someone from the leading clans or a small clan like the Sudra, you treat them all the same too...”

“Maybe, but Raielfam Sudra is a great man who interacts with the leading clan heads as well,” I replied, but Yun Sudra’s expression didn’t shift. At some point, though, I noticed her gaze growing even more passionate. “At any rate, I’m not all that great of a person...”

“Right, you aren’t fond of being praised over and over, are you? I won’t say anything further, then. I just...wanted to tell you how I felt.”

Yun Sudra really was an earnest girl at her core, fittingly for a person of the forest’s edge. And there weren’t any particular issues with what she was saying. However, I had complicated feelings about the fervor I was seeing in her eyes.

“Ah, there’s The Sledgehammer,” I said, pointing toward the building that had come into view in front of us. A huge totos carriage was parked next to the inn. After nodding to the soldier watching over it, I went ahead and brought our own wagon to a stop. “Well then, I have to go have a bit of a talk, so...”

“Um, would it be all right for me to accompany you?” Yun Sudra asked without a moment’s delay. “I’d like to know more about the nobles of Genos too. Is it too presumptuous for a member of the Sudra clan to think such a thing, though...?”

“No, I wouldn’t say so...” I replied, my gaze wandering as I tied Gilulu’s reins to a nearby post.

And then, I spied Yamiru Lea’s head poking out of the wagon.

“Even if you’ve gotten quite friendly with the townsfolk, I don’t think we should be letting you run around on your own, Asuta. Though someone does need to stay with the wagon as well,” Yamiru Lea said, turning and looking at the young girl next to her. “Toor Deen, you’re interested too, aren’t you? After all, this isn’t just about that noble’s impressions of the food, but also a discussion regarding Dabagg.”

“Really? In that case, I would like to come along too...”

“I see. Then you can come with us, Toor Deen. Sorry, Yamiru Lea, but could you watch the wagon?”

“I’m the one who suggested it, so I can’t see any reason for you to apologize.”

And so, I went into The Sledgehammer accompanied by Toor Deen and Yun Sudra.

Right away, Nail approached from the dining hall and gave a polite bow. “Thank you for coming, Asuta. Sir Polarth has been awaiting your arrival.”

“Ah, thanks. Sorry for always imposing on you.”

“Think nothing of it. It really is no burden at all, considering everything I’ve received from you,” Nail stated calmly, as expressionless as always. The smell of curry was already hanging thick in the air. “And it would normally be unthinkable for a member of a count’s house to visit the post town, much less a shop on a side street such as this. I’m certain that it will attract a fair bit of attention from people wondering what sort of food would draw a noble out here to eat it.”

“I see. If it benefits you, then I’m glad to hear it.”

As we were chatting, Nail led us into the dining hall. When we entered, Polarth greeted us. “Ah, Sir Asuta! We arrived ahead of you, so we’ve already had the dish! It truly is something splendid!”

“Oh, really? I’m glad to hear you liked it.”

“It’s very spicy, but also absolutely delicious! I believe a dish using this many herbs would earn better accolades in the castle town than the post town, though! Naturally, easterners must appreciate the wonders of this dish even more than we do, of course!”

Polarth seemed every bit as elated as he had been at the dinner party in the castle town.

That made me wonder what an easterner like Arishuna thought, and when I turned to look, I found that her hood was down, revealing the star reader’s slender face. She was standing with her face as expressionless as always. Then, she grasped my hands with fingers adorned by a great many rings.

“Asuta. I am an easterner, but I have never, set foot in Sym. My family was exiled, from their homeland, and I was born, as they wandered, about Selva.”

“R-Right. I heard about that before.”

“However, my family sought out, herbs from Sym, as much as possible. I was raised, on those herbs. That is how I know. Asuta, your dish, is simply magnificent...” Though her words sounded passionate when taken on their own, she didn’t actually show any emotions on her face; her black eyes were as calm as a moonlit lake. However, I could feel a definite warmth from her fingers grasping my hands. “Duke Genos, has given me, all sorts of food. I have experienced many fantastic dishes. However, this dish I ate today, was more delicious, than any of them. I firmly wish, I could have had, my family taste it.”

“It’s an honor to hear you say that. Seriously, thank you.”

For a while after, Arishuna silently stared into my eyes. Then she simply let go of my hands as if nothing had occurred.

“I allowed my emotions, to get the better of me. I am, truly embarrassed.”

“A-Ah, no, no matter how much you easterners get flustered, we really can’t tell, so please don’t worry about it.”

Arishuna then gave a bow and gently sat down.

As I scratched my head, I stole a glance over at Yun Sudra, but she was just smiling away and didn’t seem concerned at all by Arishuna’s actions. After all, only at the forest’s edge was it a custom to not touch a member of the other sex unnecessarily.

Polarth spoke up again. “My, but it truly is a splendid dish! The inside of my mouth won’t stop tingling, and yet I just couldn’t keep from eating more! The kimyuus leg meat was quite fine as well, but this curry dish is simply sublime!”

Looking at the table, there were a number of plates there, and a kimyuus leg bone was sitting on one of them. It was the lower second hour, or in other words, that in-between time past two in the afternoon, and yet they had enjoyed a full meal set.

“Um, it’s a bit awkward to admit after everything you’ve said, but that dish was actually prepared by Nail, not me.”

“Hmm? But I’m certain we ordered your dish, Sir Asuta. This must be the giba meat curry!”

“Yes. But I only sold the base for the curry. It was up to Nail and his skills to figure out what sort of dish to make it into.”

“No, I simply followed the instructions you taught me, Asuta. And I didn’t use tau oil, sugar, or ramam fruit, so I’m sure it doesn’t measure up to the taste of what you make,” Nail chimed in.

“That’s not true at all,” I replied. “I gave it a taste test too, and even though it’s different, I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of one being better or worse. I think the way you make it would better suit the tastes of your customers from the east.”

I had just used tau oil, sugar, and ramam fruit out of a desire to get it as close to the taste I knew from back home as possible. But Nail’s dish didn’t use those and instead had a stronger spiciness from the chitt seeds, which brought it closer to an Indian-style curry. But it definitely didn’t come up short of mine in terms of flavor.

“But you are the only one capable of balancing the spices properly, which is essential for the curry, so I still think of it as your dish rather than my own.”

“It’s really not. Ah, and all the dishes aside from the giba curry were entirely made by Nail, since I only sell The Slegehammer dishes that use giba meat.”

“Yes, understood. You are both truly splendid chefs. I am very much in awe,” Polarth said with a smile. “Still, I had known full well of Sir Asuta’s cooking skills, but I did not ever think that you were such an excellent chef, good innkeeper. You made this kimyuus dish and the soup with the herbs?”

“Yes, I made those based on the cooking I studied in Sym.”

“Oh, my! You have traveled to Sym?”

“Yes. In my youth, I lived there for a few years.”

“I see, I see. That makes sense of things! With this level of skill when it comes to handling herbs, I imagine you could open a restaurant for Sym cooking in the castle town.”

“That’s an exaggeration. However, I’m honored to hear you say that,” Nail replied with a polite bow.

As he stared back at the man, Polarth said, “Hmm... Still, Sym is even farther than Jagar. Since folks from Sym have a tendency to wander about, many of them visit Genos, but for the same reason, they rarely stay for long. It certainly is quite rare to find a citizen of the west so versed in the culture of Sym. And when it comes to Sym cuisine, I would say you would be a match for even the chefs of the castle town.”

“I think of Sym as my second homeland...so I find my greatest joy in seeing its people enjoying themselves.”

“In that case, today must be one of unparalleled joy for you. After all, look at how truly satisfied Lady Arishuna is,” Polarth said, drinking down the rest of his cup of tea. “At any rate, these were all splendid dishes! I cannot help but wonder what sort of impressions Sir Varkas would give were he to try this giba curry in particular. Yes, I am deeply curious indeed.”

“I see. I’d like to have Varkas try it too if the opportunity arises.”

But that was just my own personal desire, and it was more important to prioritize spreading it throughout the post town. The Sledgehammer was one thing, but the giba curry seemed to be earning quite the reputation at the other three inns as well, though I hadn’t gotten to see their customers actually eating it. It still didn’t feel real to me.

“Well then, I realize you are a busy man, Sir Asuta, so why don’t we move on to the other topic at hand?” Polarth said, straightening up his relaxed posture. “Regarding the incident in Dabagg... It seems those two men, Digola and Meilos, truly had lied about Genos lowering the price on karon in order to embezzle money. Apparently, Cyclaeus paid them excess coins in order to control the flow of karon meat, and so they suffered losses with his downfall. Thus, they stole from the other ranch owners in order to make up for their own earnings going down.”

It seemed that Zasshuma’s assumptions had more or less hit the mark.

“The two of them were relieved of their positions as firm head and external affairs official, and the funds they embezzled have been seized. From what I am told, they shall receive a fitting punishment for deceiving the lord of the land and the ranch owners. Though that matter must still go to trial, so I am not certain what precisely that may entail.”

“I see. Well, as long as an injustice has been made right.”

“Indeed. And another person took up the post of head of the firm, so we wish to use the opportunity to re-evaluate our purchasing of karon meat as well.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“There were a number of proposals, but I had a suggestion regarding the circulation of meat,” Polarth said with a grin that called to mind a mischievous child. “Currently, karon torso meat is only sold in the castle town, following the agreements made with Cyclaeus, who believed that poor people had no need for torso meat. Therefore, selling it outside of the castle town was seen as a crime.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”

“Right. In actuality, since torso meat cost so much more than leg meat, hardly anyone outside of the castle town wanted it in the first place, so it wasn’t seen as an issue. But these days, even valuable ingredients from Sym and Jagar can be purchased by anyone who wants them. It makes sense for karon torso meat to be the same. It would make no difference if nobody wishes to buy it regardless, but even so, declaring that purchasing it is a crime is simply ridiculous.”

“I agree. When we went to Dabagg, it felt more than a little odd to me... Despite how Genos is supposed to be more prosperous than Dabagg, when it comes to the food commoners eat, Dabagg seemed much, much better off.”

“Yes, in Dabagg you can eat as much karon meat as you please at any inn. The Genos post town is restricted to leg meat, so it is only natural that it cannot compete,” Polarth said with an amused smile, leaning forward. “At any rate, I believe we should strive to make it so that anyone can handle whatever cut of karon they please from here on out. The lives of the people in the Daleim and Turan lands have also been steadily improving since Cyclaeus’s downfall, so I believe there should be more people out there who would want to splurge a bit and purchase some torso meat.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

“On top of that, the sun god’s revival festival is fast approaching. If we take advantage of that, it should make it easier to popularize torso meat outside of the castle town.”

“Taking advantage of the revival festival?”

“Indeed. A great many people stream into Genos for the festival. As a result, it is the best time of the year for businesses to earn coins. Both inns and stalls strive to put out first-rate dishes with high-class ingredients in order to draw in more customers... That is the type of trend I am aiming for. With the excitement from the festival, people will spend even more coins than usual.”

I really couldn’t help but feel he should have been born a merchant rather than a noble. Still, it was a good thing for me that he wasn’t.

“I was thinking we could start selling dishes using torso meat at Tanto’s Blessing as soon as possible...but would it be possible to ask for your assistance as well, good innkeeper and Sir Asuta?”

“Karon torso meat, you say?” Nail asked with an expressionless tilt of his head. “I handle more kimyuus than karon at my shop. Is karon torso meat truly that delicious?”

“It sure is. I’d say it rivals giba meat in taste, at the very least. And right now, it still costs more than giba too,” I replied.

Nail cast his gaze downward, deep in thought. “Now that you mention it, I recall hearing tell of how giba meat may eventually end up at the same price as karon torso meat. With that in mind, it may make sense to purchase karon meat now...”

“Right. I’m sure you would be able to come up with new Sym-style dishes using karon torso meat, Nail. And if you’ll have me, I could give you some instructions on how to handle it.”

When I said that, Nail’s questioning eyes lit up.

“You certainly seem eager, Asuta. But if karon meat sells more, won’t that mean sales of giba meat will fall?”

“No. I don’t think it’s a matter of giba or karon being superior or inferior to one another, so it’s nothing to seriously worry about. Actually, I’d be really grateful to see a trend of more people deciding that expensive ingredients are worth purchasing.”

At any rate, if it was something to be decided by the nobles of Genos, then I lacked the power to stop it anyway. In my mind, the right choice was to try to find the best path forward with those circumstances in mind.

“Giba, karon, and kimyuus all have something to make them delicious in their own way, and I think it’s important to fully understand that. We want the tastiness of giba to be so well known that it’ll still be successful even if people learn how good karon can be. Or at least, I’ve been trying to move things in that direction.”

“I see,” Nail replied, a gentle light in his eyes. “As long as it is not doing you an injustice, then I have no objections to handling karon meat.”

“I am much obliged, Sir Asuta and...Sir Nail, was it? I am certain that the question of whether or not Genos can become a truly prosperous town rests on the shoulders of citizens such as you two,” Polarth said as he earnestly smiled.