Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3: Agreement and Reunion

1

“...And here I thought I’d never see you two again in my life.”

We were in the main Ruu house.

Donda Ruu had one knee up in the air and was tearing away at black smoked meat, a massive giba skull and pelt hanging imposingly on the wall behind him.

It had been 11 days since we last left the Ruu house, and the sun was currently just short of reaching its peak.

The clan head’s eldest son, Jiza Ruu, was seated by his side.

The only woman we had seen today was his wife, Mia Lea Ruu, who had welcomed us first. They must have been busy skinning pelts or boiling down fat or something.

As Ai Fa and I handed over our blades and were seated, Donda Ruu continued on, “To think that you’d just show up nonchalantly at this time of day... Are you alright with your important work as a hunter, huh, Ai Fa, head of the Fa clan?”

“That won’t be an issue. In this half a month alone I’ve already hunted down four giba, so we have more than enough for our house of two to survive.”

By the way, in this world a month was thirty days. There were twelve months in a year, adding up to 360 days total, but once every three years they added a thirteenth month or something. Honestly, I still didn’t exactly get their calendars.

At any rate, Donda Ruu glared at Ai Fa as she responded, then gave a sigh.

“So, you two came here for some sort of business, right? If it was to see the elder, then go right ahead.”

“I certainly would like to take you up on that later. Before that, though, my clan member Asuta wishes to offer you an apology.”

“An apology...?” Donda Ruu repeated, looking clearly unamused.

I squared up my knees and gave a deep bow.

“My deepest apologies for offering a dish the other day that failed to satisfy you, the head of the Ruu clan. That was purely due to my lack of experience, when you went and entrusted your stove to me. I wish to once again offer my apology for that.”

“Hmph. I have no idea what you’re prattling on about, Fa clan chef,” Donda Ruu responded, his mockery and ill will raining down upon the back of my head. “You all saved the soul of our elder, Jiba Ruu. Thanks to that, I believe I overlooked the crime of feeding me a meal that corroded the soul of a hunter. I’m at a loss as to how I should deal with an apology for something I already overlooked.”

“Right. Therefore, I, Asuta of the Fa clan, would also like to make a request of you, Donda Ruu, head of the Ruu clan,” I said, looking up from my bow and staring straight into Donda Ruu’s muscular face. “Will you allow me to man the Ruu house’s stove one more time?”

“What did you just say...?”

“It’s true that I took charge of your stove in order to bring peace to the heart of your elder, Jiba Ruu. I’m truly glad I was able to succeed in that task, but even if you’ll forgive it, I had no intention of feeding you or the members of your family food that you would find unpleasant.”

A villainous twinkle appeared in Donda Ruu’s eyes. The pressure he was exuding made it feel like I was facing a wild beast or something.

However, I glared back at him as firmly as I could and said, “Please let me man the Ruu family stove one more time. This time, I’ll bring peace and satisfaction to the hearts of your entire family.”

“The whole family, huh...? You already got blessings from eight of our twelve with that giba meat that practically seemed like it was rotten. Even that wasn’t enough to satisfy you?”

Something about the tone of his voice had me taken aback. Before I could figure out why that was, though, Donda Ruu broke out in a sinister grin.

“And besides, kid, when it comes to food, there’s no good or bad taste. My stomach and soul already get plenty of peace and satisfaction from eating giba meat and the blessings we receive for their horns and tusks. The only time that hasn’t been the case was that night you fed me that awful meal.”

“Right. In that case... I promise you that I’ll grant you even greater peace and satisfaction.”

“A promise...” Donda Ruu repeated, his mouth twisting into even more of a sneer. “So you say you’ll enter into an agreement with me, the head of the Ruu clan, kid?”

“Yes.”

“And you know what sort of fate will be awaiting you if you fail to live up to that agreement, do you?”

“...I leave that all up to you.”

With that, Jiza Ruu spoke up for the first time.

“My father and clan head, Donda Ruu... No matter what they may say, the Fa house has nothing of value with which to pay us. If they break the agreement they would have no choice but to offer up their bodies, but if we were to shed our people’s blood over something so trivial, it would be like dragging our Ruu clan’s name through the mud.”

“Hmph. That kid’s not a person of the forest’s edge. He’s just some pale-skinned outsider, right?”

“Even so, he is currently a part of the Fa clan. Even if he was born in a foreign nation, he would undoubtedly be considered part of the family of one of our people.”

He most definitely wasn’t arguing out of concern for our fates. Rather, as a stickler for the rules and laws of the forest’s edge, Jiza Ruu didn’t want a member of another house manning their stove in the first place, and he especially didn’t wish for the head of the clan to act in a cruel manner.

“Hold on. I’m not exactly violent enough to demand blood over my opinion on a meal, you know. At least as long as he doesn’t feed me poison that rots a hunter’s soul, that is.” A smile broke out on Donda Ruu’s stone-like face, calling to mind a carnivore that found its prey. “It’d be a bore to enter into an agreement with nothing on the line, though... Hey, kid, are you prepared to treat people from another house to that food you’re so proud of?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head, not understanding what he meant, and that giba incarnate of a man’s hearty shoulders started trembling as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“10 days from now, the Rutim clan, which are my clan’s followers, will be holding a wedding. The head of the Rutim clan and his party will be coming here to the Ruu house three nights from now, to introduce themselves. Our clan will be pulling out all the stops and holding an extravagant banquet as a sort of celebration in advance... I’m asking if you’re prepared to man the stove for it.”

“Clan head, that’s too—”

“Silence, Jiza.”

Even that eldest son of the family, with that mysterious pressure he gave off, seemed unable to defy the head of the clan. His already thin eyes grew even thinner as he shot a sideways glance at Donda Ruu.

Seeing that, I asked, “How many people will be there?”

“Oh, it’ll just be three people. The head of the Rutim clan, his eldest son, and the bride.”

“The eldest son of the main family...” Ai Fa muttered.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Donda Ruu replied with a chuckle. “In other words, we’re talking about the heir to the family. His marriage is of the utmost importance to the Rutim. And on top of that, the Rutim is the largest of the Ruu’s followers. They have a great many men, and a deep bond with the Ruu clan. If you were to earn their anger, then they would break off all relations with the Ruu clan, and we’d have to do the same with the Fa.”

“Break off relations...?” I asked, turning around to look at Ai Fa. She was simply listening to Donda Ruu’s words in silence.

“The Ruu clan wouldn’t get involved with the Fa clan ever again. Even if you came to us begging for help, we wouldn’t raise a hand... And it wouldn’t just be the Ruu proper, you know. The Ruu branch families, the six clans affiliated with us, and our followers numbering over 100 strong would all cut ties with the Fa clan.”

“That’s...?” I started to ask, but I saw that Ai Fa wasn’t moving so much as a muscle.

“Hey, Fa clan head Ai Fa... You haven’t been mistaking the fact that you’ve been able to keep on living a carefree life after brushing off our offer to marry into the clan as the result of your own skills, have you?” Donda Ruu placed a hand on his knee that was raised, then suddenly stood. “I’m sure those folks from the Suun clan have been holding back from laying a hand on you because you were involved with our main family. You may not have ended up marrying into our clan in the end, but it sure must have looked like there was some sort of connection between the Ruu and Fa clans. Of course it was up to those numbskulls to go around thinking that, and I figured you already knew so I just let it be. I didn’t feel the need to get you in my debt, after all. And I figured since it was making those Suun jerks grind their teeth in frustration, I didn’t have to be so kind as to clear up the misconception.”

“So...?” Ai Fa asked, tilting her head a bit as the light in her blue eyes grew just a tad fiercer.

“‘So...?’ So if they hear that the Ruu clan has cut off all ties with you, then the Suun are sure to carry on from where they left off two years ago, totally worry free. To them, it’ll be as easy as wringing a baby giba’s neck to have their way with a single girl without any backing.”

“And you’re saying such lawlessness will be allowed here at the forest’s edge?”

“If you’re powerless, then the law doesn’t apply. There’s a taboo against kidnapping a girl and torturing her to death, but if the leaders of our people break it, then who will bring the hammer down upon them? Would anyone but the Ruu really raise a blade against the Suun clan?”

I was still sitting with my knees side by side, and I clenched my fists tight. I could feel something akin to bloodlust towards the big brute standing beside the large man in front of me.

“And you don’t have any clansman or followers. The only other member of your house is that outsider. I’m sure the folks around you wouldn’t even notice if the two of you were kidnapped. That’s why that fool was able to break the taboo and sneak into your home on that night two years ago, right? And since he got a painful lesson back then, I’m sure he’ll bring a number of men along with him this time, wouldn’t you say?”

“...I don’t care how many he brings with him. I simply need to strike them all down.”

A fire had finally been lit in Ai Fa’s eyes. Her glare didn’t lose out to Donda Ruu’s in the least as she stared down the mountain of a man.

“So, that’s the agreement offered by the head of the Ruu clan, is it? If Asuta doesn’t satisfy the hearts of the Ruu and Rutim, then the Ruu will cut all ties with the Fa clan... Very well. As the head of the Fa clan, I accept this agreement.”

“Hey, Ai Fa!” I yelled out, only for Ai Fa’s burning blue eyes to turn towards me.

“What? You’re not going to say you lack confidence, are you? I believe I already told you to be prepared to face this challenge with the name of the Fa clan on the line.”

Ai Fa was angry. Honestly, this may have been the most mad I’d ever seen her. And that probably wasn’t because of Donda Ruu’s ridiculous demand. No, she must have been angry at him trampling over her pride, saying she only survived thanks to the pity of the Ruu clan.

Ai Fa...

To be honest, I didn’t want to accept those terms. Even setting aside the matter of the Suun clan, if her ties with the Ruu clan were cut off, then she would have to discard those bonds she had finally reforged with Rimee Ruu and Granny Jiba. And if I had to cast off my pride in order to save Ai Fa, I wouldn’t even hesitate to do so. It would be idiotic to take up a challenge where Ai Fa’s safety and happiness were on the line.

And yet...

Even if I were to run from this, Ai Fa wouldn’t be saved. At the very least, her intense, pure soul wouldn’t make it through unscathed. In fact, she would probably fly into a rage at me for trying to trample over her pride and honor too.

“Asuta...” she whispered, her eyes like blue flames staring at me. There were deep furrows between her brows, and after she called my name, her lips drew taut... and her shoulders started trembling ever so slightly.

You won’t believe in me either...? I won’t falter over something like that, but you won’t trust in me...? The light like flames in her eyes seemed to be strongly telling me that.

“...Got it,” I whispered back, then turned back towards Donda Ruu. “I accept those conditions.”

The expression was wiped from Donda Ruu’s face entirely. His fingers that were so thick they made it look like he was wearing a glove ran through his unkempt mane-like hair.

“You’ll accept them, you say? Do you two really understand what you’re saying?”

“I accept those conditions,” I repeated, using a firmer tone of voice.

I could clearly see the searing irritation in Donda Ruu’s eyes.

“Alright then. I’ll enter this agreement with you, chef. And when you fail to satisfy me with your cooking, I’ll expect you to return what you’re wearing so proudly around your neck, there. After all, a fool who breaks his agreements isn’t worthy of blessings from the Ruu clan.”

“Understood.”

I at least maintained my calm on the surface and gave a single nod.

I took a glance to the side to ask if this was really alright, only to find Ai Fa looking down a bit and hiding those burning eyes of hers behind her eyelids. Maybe I was just seeing things, but... I could swear she had broken out into a satisfied looking smile.