Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter SS1.3

3

The following day, Ai Fa found herself greeting some rather unexpected visitors: Donda Ruu, head of the Ruu clan, and his three sons.

“So you’re the head of the Ruu clan, are you? I’m Ai Fa of the Fa clan,” Ai Fa said, greeting them with a firm look on her face as the midday sun shone down on the nape of her neck.

They were standing in front of the Fa house, since Ai Fa had run into her visitors while heading outside to dry pico leaves.

“By chance, I happened to form bonds with Jiba Ruu and Rimee Ruu of your house. I heard tell that Jiba Ruu had fallen ill, but how has she been since then?”

“It appears she has gotten past the worst of her illness, but her spirit seems to have weakened. And she still can’t even walk properly on her own two legs... Hmm, you certainly do seem to have some guts.”

Donda Ruu’s massive frame dwarfed Ai Fa’s, and he was glaring down at the girl.

Frankly, Ai Fa was astonished by the fierce strength emanating from the man.

And it wasn’t just Donda Ruu. His eldest son was just as tall as his father, and seemed to be full of the same sort of strength. The second son was still young, but he was plenty tall with a taut body and limbs, as well as beastly eyes that shone just like his father’s. The youngest boy, meanwhile, still appeared childish. He did technically have a hunter’s uniform on, but he had the same sort of necklace with three tusks and horns on it as Ai Fa, and she couldn’t sense any real pressure coming off of him. He must have just turned 13, the age at which he would be allowed out into the forest.

If it had been men like these who attacked me two days ago, I surely wouldn’t have made it, Ai Fa thought, which she found frustrating. Her own strength wasn’t even a fraction of what they possessed. If they got into a fight, she probably wouldn’t even be able to get away from them. She could clearly feel that.

The only one she felt she could beat was the boy who called himself Ludo Ruu, and that was surely just due to his youth. Once he had a year or two of hunting experience under his belt, he would certainly possess the same sort of strength as his father and brothers. She could sense that sort of strength budding within the boy.

“So, just what business do you have with me?”

While fiddling with his wiry tough-guy beard, Donda Ruu glared at Ai Fa. Before long, he muttered, “I see...” in a low voice. “You look just like your mother in your face and hair. But those eyes... Hmph, seems you really do have that crazy bastard’s blood running through your veins.”

“Donda Ruu, were you acquainted with my parents?” Ai Fa asked, looking shocked.

“A bit, a long time ago,” the man bluntly responded. “It’s not as if we had some sort of special bond or anything. I only met your mom once when she was young, and lately I only ever saw your old man at meetings for clan heads. More importantly, Ai Fa of the Fa clan... I hear you got on the Suun clan’s bad side, right?”

“Yes. It’s nothing all that important, though,” Ai Fa earnestly stated.

Compared to the men in front of her now, Diga Suun was like a defanged giiz. Perhaps that was all the strength men who didn’t carry out their work as hunters could manage.

“You say having bad blood with the clan that leads our people is ‘nothing all that important,’ huh? You’re underestimating them a bit there. After all, no matter how much you may have polished your skills, you’re still just a woman, aren’t you?”

“...You don’t need to emphasize such facts.”

“Then you should behave yourself like a woman. If you do, then maybe we could let you marry into the Ruu clan.”

Ai Fa was left dumbfounded once again.

She had told Rimee Ruu about the matter with Diga Suun, and she imagined that must be related... but this was just too much.

“Are you sane, Donda Ruu of the Ruu clan? I don’t have any family or retainers. What advantage could the Ruu clan hope to gain from welcoming someone like that as a bride?”

“It’s my job to evaluate whether or not we have anything to gain from it. Though with that said, we won’t get anywhere without bringing your partner into the conversation... What do you think, Darmu? Are you up for taking this tomboy as your bride?” Donda Ruu asked his tall second son. The boy, Darmu Ruu, had eyes that were a bit gloomier than his father’s, and they narrowed as if he was staring at something bright.

“...I don’t have a lover. If it will help to strengthen the Ruu clan, then I don’t mind marrying anyone.”

“No, I—”

“I’ve got no interest in a woman who’s obsessed with playing at being a hunter, though,” Darmu Ruu added, interrupting Ai Fa. “It’s a woman’s job to take care of the house, right? I can’t see any value in a woman who won’t take care of that task. At least, that’s what I think.”

“That makes sense. Ai Fa of the Fa clan, are you prepared to live your life as a woman?”

Four sets of eyes shot sharp gazes full of varying emotions at Ai Fa.

As if brushing them aside, Ai Fa stated, “How I live my life is up to me to decide! I don’t understand why I need to be asked such things by people I’m meeting for the first time!”

“Like I said, because we want to welcome you into the clan as a bride. You really do make it hard to save you, tomboy,” Donda Ruu said with a smirk. It was a really irritating grin... But Ai Fa couldn’t sense any ill will or hostility behind it.

“Ai Fa of the Fa clan, you’ve earned the ire of the Suun clan. At this rate, you won’t be allowed so much as a peaceful night’s sleep in the future. But if you become a member of the Ruu clan, even the Suun won’t dare lay a hand on you.”

“That may well be so, but—”

“Additionally, you already have bonds with members of our clan. I won’t just hand over someone my family calls a friend to those Suun bastards so easily,” Donda Ruu said, his tough, rock-like face shifting into even more of a smile. It was like the grin of some ferocious beast.

“Let me swear, here and now: Ai Fa of the Fa clan, if you become part of our Ruu clan, we will do whatever it takes to protect you. If those Suun jerks try to lay a hand on you... We’re prepared to crush them.”

“Crush... the Suun clan...?”

“Yeah, that’s right. 20 years back, the Ruu missed their chance to take them out. We’d happily take up arms against them to clear away that regret, too.”

Ai Fa had heard of the grudge between the Ruu and the Suun. Someone from the Suun clan kidnapped a woman set to marry into the Ruu clan, and then ultimately killed her. However, as there was no proof, the Ruu couldn’t take up arms.

The Ruu and Suun clans held the greatest strength at the forest’s edge, and if they were to fight in earnest, the very settlement itself may be destroyed. That was why the two families were able to let 20 years pass in frustration, letting that deep grudge fester.

That anger and regret wrapped around this man’s massive frame like a blaze. Faced with such tremendous pressure, Ai Fa ended up firmly gritting her teeth.

What a truly intense man... That aspect of him was frightening, but at the same time, it was also strangely awe-inspiring.

People... Hunters, can be this strong and fierce...?

This man Donda Ruu may have been strong enough to not only beat Ai Fa, but also her father Gil Fa. It was hard to compare their strengths, as Gil Fa remained calm and composed at all times, while this Donda Ruu was like a burning flame. But regardless, even someone as inexperienced as Ai Fa could tell that it would be quite a fight.

This man may really be capable of crushing the Suun clan, too...

But would that be what’s right for the people of the forest’s edge? Couldn’t the destruction of their leaders perhaps mean their own deaths in turn?

Ai Fa bit down so hard her teeth creaked, holding back the disturbing feelings she felt running about inside. If she didn’t, she may have ended up overwhelmed by this man’s strength and collapsing to the ground.

“...It’s up to you which path you ultimately choose, Ai Fa of the Fa clan,” Donda Ruu said before turning around. “I’ll come again in three days. Make your decision by then. We’ll be hoping that you choose to join us as a member of our family.”

◇

Just what should I do...?

Ai Fa ended up spending the whole day chopping wood behind her house while worrying over the problem.

She had been distressed ever since she lost her father Gil Fa, and rather than being solved and fading away, that issue only seemed to have grown worse day by day.

I can’t even decide if I should live as a hunter or a woman, and now I’m being asked to marry into the Ruu clan...? Damn, just what is that Donda Ruu thinking?!

An offer to marry into the main Ruu house... That couldn’t be called anything but a bolt out of the blue.

If she really did decide to give up her hunter’s blade and become a bride, then her friends of several years, Jiba and Rimee Ruu, would become family and they would live together. It was an even more unbelievable idea than what Saris Ran had said about marrying into the Ran clan.

The second son Darmu Ruu had Jiba Ruu’s blood running in his veins. And if Ai Fa happened to have a child with him, the same would be true of that new life.

As much as that was so sweet of a thought that it might have almost brought her to tears of joy, it was also so frightening that it felt like someone was ripping out her spine.

Is that what it means, to be tied by blood...?

Did everyone, man and woman, have that sort of resolve when taking a partner?

The Fa blood she inherited from her parents, Gil Fa and Mei Fa, would combine with the Ruu blood shared by Jiba and Rimee Ruu, bringing a new life into the world.

That would surely be a joyous occasion. So joyous that it didn’t even feel real.

And yet...

She didn’t have feelings of any sort for Darmu Ruu. That was only natural, since they only just met for the first time today, and she hadn’t even had so much as a conversation with him.

Well, no, apparently there were people out there who said they knew they wanted to marry their partner at first sight. At the very least, Ai Fa didn’t have any such feelings towards the young man.

If she had to say, Darmu Ruu actually seemed more to be the type of man that she was wary of. He certainly seemed to possess skill as a hunter, but he also seemed arrogant, and had an air about him like a drawn blade. And he gave off the impression that the power he possessed was too much for him. The idea that he was Rimee Ruu’s elder brother made her seriously doubt the fidelity of their births.

She just couldn’t imagine herself marrying a man like that.

Even if becoming part of Jiba and Rimee Ruu’s family would bring her extraordinary joy, that alone was no reason to get married. And she couldn’t imagine those two would be happy with her doing so, either.

They were irreplaceable friends to Ai Fa, but to people with countless family members and retainers like Jiba and Rimee Ruu had, she must have seemed terribly small. Of course, it wasn’t as if Ai Fa was doubting how they felt. It was just that Ai Fa’s only relatives had been her two parents to start with, and then she lost her mother two years back and her father two days ago. Their standings were just way too different, she thought.

And currently, her only friends were Jiba and Rimee Ruu, and Saris Ran. But the Ruu family was over 10 strong, there were over 20 more family members in their branch families, and they had 70 retainers.

Considering the value of blood ties, Ai Fa should fall below all of them.

But even so, Ai Fa didn’t mind. Even if she was number 101 in her most important people’s books, that wouldn’t change the fact that their smiles and words had brought her joy.

Even if we aren’t tied by blood, we’re still friends, she thought while striking her hatchet down upon the firewood.

It was then that she noticed someone standing behind her.

Ai Fa swiftly leapt to the side, threw away the heavy hatchet, and placed her hand on the knife at her waist.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

To her surprise, it wasn’t someone from the Suun or Ruu clans, but rather a man from her neighboring Fou clan. She didn’t know his name, but she believed the unaffected youth of around 20 was the second son of the clan head.

“What do you want? Shouldn’t you men be out in the forest around now?”

“Ah, you see... It’s a bit embarrassing, but I hurt my ankle during yesterday’s hunt. I can’t exactly chase down a giba like this, so I’m taking the day off.”

His height was pretty middle of the road, and he was more than a little thin. Perhaps the impression left by the men of the Ruu clan had been too strong? After all, even the youngest son of the Ruu looked stronger than this youth.

I feel like if I was up against someone like this, I wouldn’t need to worry about running away. I could just take them down... No, that may be a bit conceited on my part.

Plus, she had a bit of a bond with the Fou clan, so she had no reason to fight one of them anyway. Though with that said, they weren’t exactly close enough for this young man to be calling out to her in such a friendly manner.

“So, what business do you have with me? I’m in the middle of working right now.”

“Um, well you see... I saw the head of the Ruu clan and his sons walking down the road before. The Ruu clan lives further to the south, so... I was wondering if they were perhaps on their way back from the Fa house...”

He wasn’t exactly articulate.

Since he was a member of the Fou clan, it made sense that he’d at least know that Rimee Ruu came and went at the Fa house. And so, it wasn’t all that strange for this man to be making such a guess.

Ai Fa went and picked up the hatchet she had previously discarded, raising it to let the heavy end rest up against her shoulder.

“Indeed, they visited here at the Fa house. I was rather surprised by the sudden visit myself.”

“I knew it... So, what business did they have with you?”

“...It’s nothing I particularly feel like discussing,” Ai Fa stated bluntly.

At that, the youth’s slender face looked clearly shaken.

“Ai Fa of the Fa clan... If this is simply a delusion on my part, then please go ahead and laugh at me to your heart’s content, but... Could it be that they came to ask you to marry into the Ruu clan?”

“How did you know?” Ai Fa asked without thinking.

The young man now appeared completely heartbroken for some reason.

“So that really was it... I had figured with your beauty, someone would approach you, but still...”

“Second son of the Fou clan, are you not being forgetful of your manners, making such statements so lightly?” Ai Fa complained while holding herself back from clicking her tongue.

The youth hurried forward, a look of urgency on his face.

“I wasn’t saying it lightly. You are beautiful, Ai Fa of the Fa clan. I’ve thought so for many years now.”

Ai Fa was rather surprised, but she wasn’t about to let the man get any closer. She swiftly stepped back, maintaining a distance where she was just out of reach.

Suddenly, the youth’s sadness gave way to a look of determination.

“Ai Fa, the Fou clan is incredibly small. We’re a poor family, only able to live on by joining together with other small clans. And I’m not anywhere near as fine of a hunter as your father was... I can’t even imagine trying to measure up to the men of the Ruu clan.”

“And what does that matter? Who cares about the size of one’s clan?”

“If you really feel that way, Ai Fa, then I’d like you to become a part of my Fou clan. As the second son of the Fou clan, I, Masa Fou, extend a marriage proposal to you, Ai Fa of the Fa clan.”

Ai Fa was stupefied, left standing in place. Why should such an uncharming girl as her...? No, that wasn’t all. There was no way that such words should be coming from this young man.

“Hold on, second son of the Fou clan. Am I under some misunderstanding, perhaps? I’m fairly certain I heard you were to take Saris Ran as your bride...”

“That matter hasn’t been firmly decided just yet. If I retract my offer and bow my head down to the Ran clan, I should be able to deal with that without causing a quarrel.”

“You would call off your marriage to Saris Ran?! But why?!” Ai Fa asked in an unexpectedly loud voice.

The youth, Masa Fou, stared back at Ai Fa with a desperate look on his plain face.

“I’ve been in love with you for some time. But you said you wanted to live as a hunter, and honestly, you and Gil Fa alone had been hunting more giba than our clan. And so no matter how beautiful I found you, I held back my feelings, as your soul was that of a hunter. But now that Gil Fa has returned to the forest so young, you... You won’t be able to live as a hunter any longer.”

Ai Fa did not have a response to that.

“And so, I just couldn’t hold back my feelings any longer! I mean, some other man could take you as a bride... Someone other than me could end up holding you tight... When I had such thoughts, my feelings came to a roiling boil inside! And so I—”

“Even now, I still hope to live as a hunter, if such a thing is possible,” Ai Fa firmly stated, cutting Masa Fou off.

Masa Fou shook his head and said, “It’s impossible. A hunter’s work can’t be carried out by just one person on their own. Gil Fa had been by your side up until now, but if you tried to do so by yourself, it would simply end with you dying in the forest too. If a woman like you enters the forest on her own—”

“If I die in the forest, then that is simply my fate!”

Ai Fa threw the hatchet in her right hand at the ground, only for its blade to become firmly stuck.

“Even if that weren’t the case, I would never marry someone like you after you went and betrayed Saris Ran! Leave this place, second son of the Fou clan! I cannot stand men like you!”

Masa Fou stood there silently for a short while. Then, he slowly turned around, slumped his shoulders in disappointment like a child, and disappeared from Ai Fa’s sight.

And then, a quiet voice whispered “Why...?” from the direction opposite of the way he departed.

Ai Fa hesitantly faced the voice and found Saris Ran standing in the shadow of the Fa house, her face as pale as a corpse.

“Saris Ran...” Ai Fa said, taking a step forward, only to be suddenly stopped by a harsh cry of, “Don’t come any closer!”

Ai Fa stopped in place and stared intently at her friend... Saris Ran was crying. Despite the anger in her voice, her face was now wet with tears.

“It’s not your fault, Ai Fa...” Saris Ran said in a trembling voice. “Masa Fou was just weak... And I was stupid... You didn’t do anything wrong, Ai Fa...”

And with that, Saris Ran disappeared from Ai Fa’s sight.

Ai Fa tilted her head upwards, and gazed distantly into the sky. Her thoughts were an absolute jumbled mess.

In all likelihood, she had just lost one of her precious few friends.

The sense of loss and despondency robbed her limbs of all their strength.

However, rather than yielding to those feelings, Ai Fa lifted up her right fist and slammed it into the wall of her house as hard as she could.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Just what did I even do?!”

With that, Ai Fa finally stopped worrying.