Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 22 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4: The Welcome Banquet

1

It was now the following day, the tenth of the silver month—the day when we would be inviting the townsfolk to the forest’s edge for a banquet.

Prep work on the food began at the Ruu settlement when the sun hit its peak, but it was business as usual for us as we had headed to the post town. The lingering aftereffects of the revival festival had finally faded away, so we had only prepared eight hundred servings for today.

We also went back to operating the same number of stalls that we’d previously had before the revival festival, and the spaces we were now using were a good bit further to the south from where we’d previously been set up. The Gamley Troupe had taken their tent down three days ago, so there was a large vacant lot across the street from us and a little to the north.

Everything was running very smoothly. Securing enough personnel for five stalls was no problem, so we planned to keep things like this for the time being. The stall I was in charge of was, of course, the one that served the daily specials, which were constantly changing. It was also the one where we sold any new dishes we wanted to try.

Nothing had changed about the outdoor restaurant so far. However, today was the last day that it would include the section that had a canopy but no furniture. We had rented that space twenty days ago on the day of dawn, the twenty-second of the violet month, which meant that this was the end of our second rental contract for it. As such, we had decided to take tomorrow off.

Since the post town had finally calmed down again, we no longer needed to bring guards along, so it was just us thirteen chefs and Sufira Zaza here. All of the hunters under the Ruu had returned to their work in the forest, while Ai Fa was at home training to regain her strength. It had taken quite a while, but it really felt like life was going back to normal now.

“I’m a newcomer, so this job has only been part of my life for half a month or so now. I still feel like if I take things lightly, I’ll quickly find myself getting overwhelmed by it all,” Fei Beim said after we had sold everything and started cleaning up. The Beim clan was the most recent to have decided to assist me, though the Gaaz and Ratsu had been at this for less than a month as well. She still hadn’t fully overcome her issues with the townsfolk, but if she could do that, I wouldn’t have any problems with her performance at this point.

As planned, the smaller clans were sending people to work for us on a rotating schedule. For the Fa clan stalls, I was borrowing the help of three women at a time from among the Beim, Dagora, Gaaz, and Ratsu, while the Ruu stalls had two women joining them from the Lea, Min, and Muufa. Until the flow of customers changed again with the arrival of the rainy season, we intended to stick with this system.

“You aren’t joining us at today’s banquet, right, Fei Beim? That’s a bit of a shame,” I said, only to be met with her usual displeased glare.

“Normally, taking part in another clan’s banquet isn’t something you can just casually do. Even more so when talking about one of the leading clans. The Sudra and Deen are actually considered to be quite eccentric for allowing it.”

“Yeah, I remember Yun Sudra and Toor Deen weren’t allowed to participate in the Ruu festival of the hunt before, but they were permitted to stay at the Sauti settlement for that whole thing with the lord of the forest. I guess that’s just the kind of thing that ends up happening when you get involved with the Fa clan.”

Fei Beim offered no response.

“And I want to keep working on building that kind of relationship with the Beim and Dagora too.”

“The way you phrased that, you made it sound like you’re trying to lure us down a bad path,” Fei Beim retorted, turning away in a huff. She could be rather bad-tempered, so just being able to chat with her like this felt like major progress.

It was then that some figures approached from the north: Mikel and Myme, who we had planned to meet here.

“Sorry for the wait. We’re very grateful for your invite today, Asuta,” Myme said.

“Hey there. Actually, you should be saying that to the members of the Ruu clan instead.”

“Ah, my apologies! We’re in your debt, Lala and Sheera Ruu!”

Those two were in charge of the Ruu stalls today. Ama Min Rutim also gave our guests a friendly greeting, while Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai pretended not to notice and kept on cleaning up.

“We’re meeting with Yumi and everyone else at The Kimyuus’s Tail, right? Should we head over there now?”

“Oh, hold on just a moment. Sorry, we’re still waiting for some people to show up here, and I’d like for us all to go together if possible.”

“Is that so? But Tara and her family are going in their own wagon, aren’t they?”

“Yes, since they’re apparently bringing a big crowd. I’m talking about a pair of new guests... Ah, is that them?” The highway was quite lively here in the early afternoon, but they still really stuck out. They were a man and woman who were clearly westerners from their stature, but they were wearing hoods that heavily shadowed their faces like easterners did. “Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Thanks,” one replied with a nod, pulling back his hood and turning toward Mikel, who furrowed his brow, looking puzzled. “It’s been some time. Do you remember me, Mikel?”

“It hasn’t been all that long since we last saw one another. I’m not senile enough to have forgotten already.”

Roy gave an awkward chuckle in response to Mikel’s unfriendly words. And then his smaller companion pushed past him and stepped forward.

“This is our first time meeting, but you are the Mikel who was once the head chef at The Maiden in White, correct? I am an apprentice of Varkas, the owner of The Silver Star, and my name is Shilly Rou.”

Mikel seemed to be growing even more displeased as he looked her up and down with a glare. “If you greet me dressed like that, I’ll never be able to pick you out the next time we meet.”

“Ah, m-my apologies. I have issues with such filthy places...so allow me to reintroduce myself later.”

Once again, Shilly Rou was hiding the lower half of her face under some sort of shawl, and with the hood she had on as well, there was no way anyone could see what her face actually looked like. Nonetheless, Myme’s eyes were sparkling as she stared up at Shilly Rou and moved closer to her.

“You’re one of Varkas’s apprentices? What are you doing in a place like this?”

“Well, you see, various things happened that led to us being here...” Shilly Rou replied rather respectfully, but her tone was as firm as usual. In the end, they had told Jiza Ruu yesterday as we were leaving that they wanted to participate in the Ruu clan’s banquet, and he had granted them permission to do so.

Perhaps Shilly Rou had ultimately reached the conclusion that she couldn’t disregard the chefs of the forest’s edge after all, or perhaps Sheera Ruu’s earnest words had moved her. Or perhaps she just got caught up in Roy’s passion... I had no way to know for sure, but regardless of the reason behind it, it felt like quite an achievement to have two residents of the castle town wanting to visit the settlement at the forest’s edge.

“Okay, let’s head out.”

Along with our four guests, we set out for The Kimyuus’s Tail.

Yumi and Telia Mas were waiting for us there, and so was Jidura, who had been brought from the settlement with its wagon to meet us. The three wagons we had come to town in wouldn’t be enough for fourteen people of the forest’s edge plus six guests.

“Hey there. Whoever wants to hop in, go ahead and feel free to.” Bartha was the one holding Jidura’s reins, and she was dressed like a warrior. After thinking for a bit, I had Mikel, Myme, Roy, and Shilly Rou get in. Myme got along with Bartha well, and I got the sense that the pair from the castle town would prefer to travel with her and Mikel.

I took the reins of Gilulu’s wagon, and had Toor Deen and Yun Sudra ride with me—since they would be sticking around for the banquet—as well as Yumi and Telia Mas. Everyone else split up among Ruuruu and Fafa’s wagons, and then we were off.

We arrived at the Ruu settlement at roughly half past the lower second hour. There were still four whole hours left till sunset, so we had returned right on schedule.

The settlement was already bustling with women getting things ready for the banquet. Simple stone stoves had been constructed here and there throughout the plaza and foundations for bonfires had been set up, so things were looking pretty good. The biggest difference from an ordinary banquet was the fact that a wooden stage hadn’t been erected.

“Well then, please excuse us. We should gather at the Fa house tomorrow like we usually would, at the midpoint between when the sun hits its peak and when it sets, correct?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Fei Beim’s group of three women then departed to return to their own houses in Fafa’s wagon.

It was then that a pathetic shriek of “Aah!” sounded out. If I wasn’t mistaken, that voice belonged to a certain chef from the castle town.

“What’s the matter, Shilly Rou?” I asked, leaving the wagon where it stood for the moment and heading toward the source of that voice.

There was no longer space in the plaza for our wagons, so we had all come to a stop off to the side of the road. Shilly Rou had disembarked there, but she was currently collapsed on the ground.

Standing right in front of her was a little guy in a strange leather mask who had long, burly arms like an orangutan: Zan of the Gamley Troupe. He bowed to Shilly Rou, and silently returned to their wagon.

“What in the world happened?” the massive Doga asked, leaning out of the same wagon and sending Shilly Rou into even more of a panic. Roy was standing there next to her, also staring at Doga with a look of astonishment.

“Ah, sorry about that. These guests are new to the Ruu settlement and it’s their first time seeing you all, so I guess they were a little surprised,” I said.

“Oh, I see...” Doga replied, looking a bit hesitant, but a moment later, he stepped out of the wagon, revealing his half-naked figure that was well over two meters tall. Shilly Rou was outright trembling and clinging to Roy’s legs. “Sorry for surprising you. We’re merely traveling performers. Though we may be lowborn folks without even houses to call our own, I hope you understand that we would never act unlawfully toward anyone from town...”

“T-Traveling performers? Why are people like you here in the settlement at the forest’s edge?” Shilly Rou asked.

“We have our reasons for being here. My apologies for offending you,” Doga stated in a low, rumbling voice before going back into their wagon. Shilly Rou and Roy still hadn’t pulled themselves together, so I gave them an apologetic bow.

“Sorry about that. I forgot to mention they were here before. But they aren’t dangerous in the least, so please don’t worry about them.”

“Hmm. You sure do have some interesting people staying here at the forest’s edge. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone so ridiculously huge, almost like a northerner,” Roy said while wiping away a cold sweat.

And then, a voice called out from the settlement, “What happened?” It was Reina Ruu, who had stayed here for today. She must have come running after hearing Shilly Rou’s shriek.

“Ah, Reina Ruu. It’s nothing. We just had a bit of a run-in with the troupe members.”

“I see,” Reina Ruu replied as she stared at Roy and Shilly Rou, the latter still clinging to the former’s legs. “Welcome to the Ruu settlement. The banquet will begin with the setting of the sun, but as you seem to have an interest in our cooking, please feel free to observe our work.”

“Right. Sorry for barging in on you while you’re so busy,” Roy replied.

Rather than reply to that statement, Reina Ruu brusquely turned away and started walking back to the plaza. Meanwhile, Shilly Rou was finally able to get back to her feet while holding a hand over her heart.

“Are you all right? Those guys really aren’t as scary as they look. And they have these amazing performances too!” Myme remarked with a smile from a short distance away.

Shilly Rou awkwardly adjusted the collar on her cloak, then shot me a glare. “That was quite a pathetic display on my part. But anyone would be shocked to suddenly encounter people like them.”

“Hmph. My legs didn’t give out from fear, though,” Roy teased.

“That’s not what happened to me either!” Shilly Rou angrily shot back. Though her position was higher than Roy’s, it wasn’t as if they were officially coworkers, and Roy was also older, so they seemed to have a pretty casual relationship.

“Will those people be participating in today’s banquet as well?” Shilly Rou asked rather nervously.

As she detached Ruuruu from its wagon, Sheera Ruu replied, “No. While they are also our guests, their reason for being here has nothing to do with deepening any sort of relationship with us, so they aren’t planning on attending.”

“I see. That’s a bit of a shame, seeing as how they’re already here.” Naturally, I had been the one to say that, not Shilly Rou.

“I agree,” Sheera Ruu replied with a kind smile.

I figured that meant the group as a whole hadn’t managed to earn Donda Ruu’s trust yet. Maybe things could have been different if their leader, Gamley, weren’t such a questionable fellow.

“Well then, allow me to show you around. Please, come this way.”

Under Sheera Ruu’s guidance, we finally set foot in the Ruu settlement.

As Yumi looked around at the women and young children hard at work, she remarked, “Wow. This is really something. You’ve got things ready for a big fire too! We’ve got a lot to look forward to when the sun sets!”

“It seems like Dora and his family still aren’t here yet. What would you like to do in the meantime?” I asked.

“Oh, you can just let me go off on my own. I think I’d like to have a bit of a look around. Why don’t you focus on your new guests?” Yumi stated, and then she leaned in close to Shilly Rou. “Hey, isn’t it way too hot to be dressed up like you’re from Sym? And it’s a bit rude to hide your face when you’re visiting someone else’s house, don’t you think?”

When we had met up, I had only explained that Shilly Rou and Roy were chefs from the castle town. Since this was pretty much the first time Yumi had met people who lived behind those stone walls, she had been openly curious and cautious toward them right from the start.

Shilly Rou looked a touch annoyed at Yumi’s rather combative statement. But after a moment, she threw her hood off rather forcefully, and then also pulled the fabric over her mouth down to her chest.

She was wearing her dark-brown hair up, and there was a strong gleam in the eighteen-year-old girl’s reddish-brown eyes. From what I could recall, Yumi was a year younger than her. And yet, the girl from the post town was both taller and had a figure second only to Vina Ruu’s, so she certainly didn’t look younger.

“Hmm. You’ve got a pretty face. You’re so weirdly hostile that I figured you’d be a lot less cute.”

“I have no interest in hearing someone I’m meeting for the first time comment on my appearance.”

“Hey, you’re the one acting all belligerent. This banquet is supposed to be fun, you know.” And then Yumi suddenly did something truly unbelievable: she reached out toward Shilly Rou’s face and pulled her cheeks up on both sides. “Come on, smile. Show us at least a little charm.”

“That hurts! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m telling you, you won’t be able to enjoy the banquet if you keep frowning like that. Anyway, I’ll see you later.” With a big grin that showed off the whites of her teeth, Yumi grabbed Telia Mas’s hand and cleared out.

“Wh-What is with that woman? Acting so rough out of nowhere!”

“Well, she was probably trying to lighten the tension in the air, in her own unique way. But despite what you might think, she really is a good person at her core.”

Shilly Rou had her hands up against her red cheeks and was tearing up a bit. She had probably never been treated like that before back in the castle town. I was actually getting a little worried about her, and how she might react to all this culture shock.

“Well then, let’s start with some introductions at the main house. You two still need to receive official permission to stay here at the settlement, after all,” Sheera Ruu said, and we started walking through the plaza.

Lala Ruu had remained silent so far—she didn’t seem all that interested in Roy and Shilly Rou’s visit. That was why Sheera Ruu was acting as our guide instead. Had Lala Ruu been told the details of what had happened yesterday in the castle town? That was something I couldn’t help but wonder about, but I hadn’t had an opportunity to bring it up.

“Mia Lea Ruu should be in the kitchen. Please, come this way.”

We said our farewells to Ama Min Rutim and Yamiru Lea along the way so they could help the others with their work, leaving us with Sheera and Lala Ruu, me, Toor Deen, Yun Sudra, and our four guests, making for a group of nine.

We tied the three totos to some trees behind the house, then headed over to the kitchen. Just as Sheera Ruu had predicted, we indeed found Mia Lea Ruu there, working with Reina Ruu and Granny Tito Min.

“Ah, welcome back, Lala. And everyone else too. And of course, welcome to the Ruu house, dear guests.” Mia Lea Ruu was wearing her usual bighearted smile. The women of the branch houses and subordinate clans gathered there were staring at Roy and Shilly Rou with great curiosity, as this was their first time seeing those two.

“My name is Mia Lea Ruu, and I’m in charge of the women of the Ruu clan. Would you mind telling me your names?”

“I’m Roy, a resident of the Genos castle town.”

“And my name is Shilly Rou.”

“Ah, yes. My family thanks you for yesterday. Even my stubborn eldest son was quite impressed with the meal you prepared.”

Roy scratched his head, seemingly trying to decide what attitude to take. “I’m just a cooking assistant. Shilly Rou here was in charge of the kitchen. But anyway, I’m just really grateful that our request was accepted on such short notice.”

“Yes, well, there aren’t many townsfolk out there who are interested in visiting the settlement. I hope you enjoy yourselves, just like our other guests,” Mia Lea Ruu said with an even brighter smile. “This is your first time coming to the settlement at the forest’s edge, correct? So, what is your impression?”

“I was surprised by how it really is right in the middle of the forest... Still, you seem to have quite a fine kitchen here,” Roy replied, seemingly already impressed with the interior of the kitchen. Picking up on that, Mia Lea Ruu smiled and stepped aside from the entrance.

“I’ve heard that you’re interested in the work of our chefs. It’s nothing all that special, but please go ahead and observe as much as you like.”

The people in the kitchen seemed to be mainly working on making soup at the moment. All five of the stoves inside had large pots on them, giving off white steam and smoke. They must have been in the middle of boiling meat and vegetables, and making stock.

“Here is where we cut meat to be used later. They’re only doing the initial preparations now, so that probably won’t be interesting to you,” Reina Ruu stated in a stiffer tone than usual.

“I disagree,” Roy shot back. “Those initial preparations are the most important step in cooking. You should be well aware of that by now, right?”

Reina Ruu said nothing in response.

“I can tell you’ve got a firm foundation, even when it comes to how you cut your meat. Did you instruct them on that, Asuta?”

“Yes. I taught the members of the main house, and then they spread those lessons to the members of the branch houses and the subordinate clans.”

There were women present who I didn’t really recognize, so they must have been members of the subordinate clans here for the banquet. From what I’d been told, there would be a little more than twenty men and women from the subordinate clans gathered here today.

“Would you mind if I take a quick look at that knife? Hmm, it seems to be rather cheap, but it’s been sharpened very well,” Roy commented after taking a carving knife down off the wall. It was true that nobody except me purchased expensive cooking knives here at the forest’s edge, but at the same time, blades were essential tools for the hunters, so they were quite thorough in caring for them.

For a while after that, the pair from the castle town just silently watched the women as they worked. They cut meat, put firewood into the stoves, added water, and scooped away scum... All very ordinary preparations. However, Roy and Shilly Rou had terribly serious looks in their eyes as they observed the proceedings.

“Are you really enjoying yourselves, just watching like that?” Mia Lea Ruu eventually asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” Roy replied with a nod. “Though I wouldn’t quite say it’s a matter of enjoyment. More like it’s exceptionally interesting.”

“Well, as long as you’re okay with this... Ah, Reina, isn’t it about time to start the other preparations?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, I’m off.”

Reina Ruu tried to slip past Roy, only for him to ask, “Where are you going?”

“It’s time to get to work on the whole roast giba in the plaza, so I’m going to go explain to the others how it’s done.”

“Oh? If it’s possible, I’d like to see that as well.”

And so, we all ended up moving again as a crowd.

As we exited the kitchen, we saw some women bringing a pair of giba out from one of the other houses. There was wood piled high in the center of the plaza for the ceremonial flame, and simple stoves were set up on either side to roast the giba.

“So, that’s a giba? It’s pretty small.”

“Those are young giba.”

Even so, they still looked like they weighed around forty kilos, even with the innards removed. Their pelts hadn’t been removed—only their fur had been burnt off— while their stomachs were packed with vegetables. The two young giba had been pierced with skewers, straight through from their mouths to their rears, and just a few moments later they were suspended over the stoves.

“If you’re only starting to roast them now, they’re not gonna be ready by sunset, are they?” I asked.

“That’s right,” Sheera Ruu, not Reina Ruu, said with a nod. “If we start out by offering people these whole roast giba, everyone will swarm around them at once trying to get some, so our plan is to serve them up sometime after the start of the banquet. In which case, it would be ideal for them to not be ready until the other dishes have had a chance to make their way around a bit, right?”

“Wow. You planned things out in that much detail? That’s kind of amazing.”

“Reina Ruu is the one who came up with the idea.”

Reina Ruu herself was currently instructing a woman from the branch houses on how to maintain the flame at the proper level. With Roy and Shilly Rou both present, she had seemed rather tense for a while now.

“Still, you captured two young giba? But you weren’t able to hand either of them over to the Gamley Troupe unharmed?”

“That’s right. Even these giba were too old for them, apparently.”

“Huh? They’re looking to capture a live giba even younger than this? I’ve never even seen one that young, let alone one that’s been captured alive.”

“That’s true. Their goal seems awfully difficult.”

“What are you talking about?” Roy interjected.

“Ah, those traveling performers from before are staying here at the Ruu settlement because they’re hoping to capture a young giba. Several of them have been going out into the forest with the hunters in order to do that.”

“They’re trying to capture a live giba? To raise as livestock, like karon?”

“No. They’re performers, so they want to train a giba to do tricks. Or if that proves to be impossible, they could still show it off as an exotic animal.”

“That’s a shame. Giba are an extremely high-quality ingredient. If someone could manage to raise and sell them, that might end up being even more profitable than hunting them, right?”

Reina Ruu immediately shot back with, “We hunt giba in order to live here in the forest. And besides, they’re dangerous beasts who ravage crops, so I can’t imagine how humans could ever raise them.”

“Oh? But karon were wild beasts to begin with too. I don’t know if they ever made a mess of people’s crops, but they were seen as dangerous animals who could easily kill a human with their horns. In fact, there are supposedly still wild karon running around somewhere out there on the continent.”

Reina Ruu’s eyes shot open wide in shock.

“You guys visited a karon ranch, right? The karon of Dabagg don’t have any horns, but that’s because they were made that way by pairing ones with small horns together. Supposedly, some are still occasionally born with the ability to grow horns, but they’re broken off when the animals are young.”

“Then, you’re saying it would be possible to make docile giba with no horns and tusks...?”

“Well, it takes years, decades even, to do something like that. But if the time ever comes when there aren’t enough giba around, that would be one way to increase their numbers.”

“The forest of Morga is vast, so I can’t imagine it would ever be possible to hunt too many giba. And besides...if such giba were raised by humans, I believe that would make them an entirely different animal from the giba we know.”

The people of the forest’s edge saw giba as being children of the forest, just like themselves, so it would likely be difficult for them to accept the idea of raising them as livestock.

Seeing Reina Ruu’s troubled expression, Roy scratched his head. “I was just saying whatever came to mind. You don’t need to take it so seriously,” he said.

“I wasn’t taking it seriously at all,” Reina Ruu shot back, once again turning away in a huff. It seemed Roy really was able to throw her out of sorts quite easily.

All the while, Shilly Rou had been watching the giba as it was steadily roasted, and now she bluntly interjected, “Excuse me, but there doesn’t seem to be anything more to see here. If you don’t mind, could we observe another kitchen?”

“Very well. Why don’t we head to my house, in that case? Rimee Ruu should have already gotten started baking sweets there,” Sheera Ruu answered with a smile, only for shrill shriek to erupt from elsewhere in the plaza.

When we turned to look, we froze in surprise. Shilly Rou shrieked even louder than the woman from before, and started clinging to Roy once again.

There, at the entrance to the settlement, we saw a trio of beasts who were supposed to be out in the forest: an algura silver lion, a gaaje leopard, and a black vamda ape. For any of the women who came from the Ruu’s subordinate clans, this would have been the first time they had ever seen such creatures.

However, that wasn’t the only reason for their shock. After all, the most terrifying of those beasts, the black ape, was carrying a bloody person over its shoulder, and even from our position at the center of the plaza, it was immediately clear that he was a hunter of the forest’s edge.

“It’s fine! You have nothing to fear! Someone, please hurry and prepare to treat our wounded!” another hunter loudly called out, appearing from behind the beasts. As soon as Lala Ruu was able to recognize him as Shin Ruu, she took off running toward them without saying a word.

“I’m going to head over too. You two, please look after our guests,” I told Reina and Sheera Ruu before hurrying after Lala Ruu.

All the while, more and more figures were streaming into the plaza. They included the four from the Gamley Troupe and Mida, who was carrying another injured hunter, just like the black ape.

“Shin Ruu, are you all right?!” Lala Ruu shouted out, leaping toward him with all the momentum of her run.

Shin Ruu looked a little taken aback, but he nodded to her. “Yes. Two men from the branch houses were injured. However, they should be able to return to the forest within a few days...thanks to these guys saving us when we were in a real pinch.”

“I’m just glad we were able to be of some assistance to you, even if it was only in the very end,” Pino replied.

The hunters that the black ape and Mida carried were moaning in agony, but the other members of the group looked uninjured. Rolo had a listless smile on her face, despite her hair being filthy and disheveled, and Zetta was hiding his appearance under a hooded cloak, though I could still see his beastly golden eyes blazing underneath it.

And then there was Shantu, who was holding an incredibly tiny giba up against his chest. I had never seen one so small. It looked to be only around thirty centimeters long, little enough that I had to wonder if it was a newborn.

“After we helped those folks over there, we were on our way back to the settlement, when we spotted this giba coming down the river. It must have gotten separated from its mother and fallen in. We were able to get ahold of a baby giba without having to tear it away from its parents. It was just the kind of blessing we were hoping for...” Shantu said with a smile as he lovingly held the tiny beast.

The Gamley Troupe had managed to accomplish their goal, which meant that today would be their final day in Genos before their departure.