Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 23 - Chapter 1.3

3

After that, we returned to the Ruu settlement right on time, at half past the lower second hour.

Normally, our schedule would have had us doing a study session at the Ruu house at this point, but I had already informed them this morning of my intention to shift that to tomorrow. And so, after dropping off Yamiru Lea, we immediately headed over to the path that would take us back to the Fa house, only for Bartha to call out to us as she was walking over from across the plaza.

“Hey there, Asuta. I’m planning on following after you in the Ruu clan’s wagon.”

“Oh, are you planning on saying farewell to Lem Dom too?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve been going out into the forest with that girl for quite a while now. Jeeda still isn’t back yet, so I’ll be saying bye on my own,” Bartha replied.

Still seated in the driver’s seat of Ruuruu’s wagon, Rimee Ruu loudly called out, “Sounds good! I wanna say bye to Lem Dom too! I’ll go ask Papa Donda, so just wait for a bit, okay?”

“I don’t mind,” I said, “but did you have much of a relationship with Lem Dom, Rimee Ruu?”

“No, not really. But she’s cool and nice, and I really like her.”

Since Rimee Ruu had been close to Ai Fa for a long time, it was no surprise to hear that she had no problem with what Lem Dom was doing. Also, the fact that she said Lem Dom was nice despite hardly having interacted with her really went to show how innocent and yet oddly perceptive she was.

“Okay, I’ll be right back! Oh, wait. What are you gonna do, Reina?”

“Well...Asuta, you’re going to give the women from the area around your house a cooking lesson today, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, that was the plan.”

“In that case, I’d like to observe. I’d appreciate the chance to see how you go about teaching women who lack experience with cooking.”

With that, Reina and Rimee Ruu took off toward the main house, and as she watched them go, Morun Rutim said, “Um... I was planning on attending lessons at the Ruu settlement today, so I don’t have any work. If you don’t mind, could I come along to the Fa house as well?”

“Of course. I have no issues with that.”

“Thank you,” Morun Rutim replied with a bow of her head, though judging from the look on her face, she was feeling more upset than any of us. Now that I thought about it, she had been rather concerned about the future of the Dom clan at the friendship banquet the other day. It was only natural that she wouldn’t want to head straight back home.

“In that case, I’d like to accompany you as well. What about you, Tsuvai?” Yamiru Lea chimed in.

“Hmph. Well, I guess I’d sort of like to see that hooligan from the Dom clan break down crying.”

Ultimately, the only ones to go back to their own homes were the Min and Muufa women who helped out with the Ruu clan’s stalls. Since it was taking a bit for Reina and Rimee Ruu to return, I decided to chat a little with Bartha. “Lem Dom seems to have changed quite a bit since you and Jeeda started instructing her on how to be a hunter. Do you still think that she can’t beat Ai Fa?”

“Hmm. I’m not so sure. She’ll be able to make a hundred or even two hundred attempts, so it wouldn’t be surprising for her to win at least once. But still, she’s up against Ai Fa of all people...”

“Ai Fa being her opponent makes her odds of winning worse?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen Ai Fa compete in a contest of strength, but she was able to defeat Darmu Ruu and Rau Lea, and fought evenly against Dan Rutim, right? It’ll be pretty difficult for another woman like Lem Dom to beat her.”

It seemed that pretty much no one expected Lem Dom to win.

Thinking back, she had been completely ineffective against the traveling performer Rolo, and Ai Fa had even defeated the guy who had taken that performer down, Rau Lea.

If she has even a sliver of hope, it’s going to come from her stamina and perseverance... Ai Fa said she was waiting until she was back in peak condition before accepting the challenge, though, so I’m guessing she’ll still be tough to overcome...

In a contest of strength between hunters, it was taboo to injure your opponent. However, I had seen stuff like the top of Darmu Ruu’s head being slammed into the ground before. The damage from losing again and again would steadily add up and drain her stamina. And Ai Fa used her opponent’s strength against them in combat, which seemed like a pretty efficient way to fight.

I guess that just leaves the possibility of Ai Fa losing by slipping up and injuring Lem Dom... But it’s hard to imagine her making such a careless mistake, and Geol Zaza would probably object to such an outcome anyway.

We had spent a little over three hours working, but that went up to more than five hours when you added in the time used for prep work and transit, so I figured they must have settled things by now. Even though I would be finding out the results after just another twenty minutes or so of riding in the wagon, I couldn’t stop my thoughts from racing.

“Sorry for the wait!” an energetic voice called out, and when I turned in that direction I found three people standing there: Rimee and Reina Ruu, accompanied by their father.

“Huh? Why are you here, Donda Ruu?”

“I figured if the heir to the Zaza clan is still at the Fa house, I should have a bit of a talk with him. We can’t have him causing trouble with the nobles at that tournament, after all,” Donda Ruu replied, his blue eyes glaring our way. “Is it somehow inconvenient for you, having me come along? If so, I’d like you to explain how.”

“Uh, no, that’s not it... It’s just pretty rare for you to come over to the Fa house, so it makes me really happy to have you along,” I answered earnestly.

The grouchy leading clan head just gave a displeased snort in response. Donda Ruu was still recovering from his injuries, even after a month and a half. The lord of the forest had inflicted a really severe wound on him, but at least he was no longer wearing a sling, just some bandages wrapped around his right shoulder.

“Well then, let’s get going. I’ll take the lead.”

With that, I gripped Gilulu’s reins and the wagon lurched into motion, while Yun Sudra said to me from inside, “I never expected Donda Ruu to ask to come along. Is the leading clan head concerned with Lem Dom’s fate as well?”

“Well, if we’re about to have a new female hunter, that’s not exactly something he can ignore. Though as a rule, he generally tries not to interfere with the affairs of other clans.”

“I see... Ah, I’m getting all worked up, for some reason. How did things turn out, I wonder?”

It was all down to the will of the forest. Still, I could feel my pulse steadily speeding up as we approached the Fa house.

We headed north down the path through the forest’s edge for twenty minutes, then turned onto a path that went off to the side. The Zaza clan’s totos and wagon were there beside the house, but I didn’t see Ai Fa or Lem Dom. Were they waiting inside the house for us to return? After parking the wagon in its usual spot and tying Gilulu’s reins to a nearby tree, I knocked on the door to the house.

“I’m home, Ai Fa, and I’ve got a lot of guests with me, so could you come out here?”

No response. I opened the door, only to find that nobody was inside.

“What are you doing?” Donda Ruu asked, getting down from Ruuruu’s wagon and approaching.

“Well, I didn’t see them anywhere. But Lem Dom should still be here...”

“Of course she is. They’re on the other side of the house. Are you saying you can’t sense that turbulent presence?”

“A turbulent presence? They can’t still be doing their contest of strength, can they?”

“If they aren’t, they must be fighting for some other reason.”

I didn’t even want to imagine something so frightening. Feeling rather flustered, I hurried around to the rear of the house, with our twelve guests following after me.

My heart pounded in my chest as the rear of the house came into view, and I found a truly shocking sight awaiting me there: Ai Fa and Lem Dom were still doing their contest of strength even now.

“Ah, so you’re back? Now I’ve finally got someone to talk to,” Geol Zaza said in an easygoing tone with a yawn mixed in as he relaxed under the leather canopy. When his eyes caught sight of Donda Ruu, though, they quickly narrowed. “It seems you’ve brought a rather impressive hunter back with you. And with those wounds, could you be...?”

“I’m the Ruu clan head, Donda Ruu. And you’re the Zaza clan heir, Geol Zaza?” Donda Ruu asked, stepping forward.

Geol Zaza casually rose in turn. His eyes took on an even brighter gleam, and his stern face broke out in a fearless grin. “Well, well... I never expected to lay eyes on you in a place like this. You’ve got even more presence than I had heard. Your reputation is just as impressive as my old man and Deek Dom’s, and it looks like it’s not just gossip.”

“So, you’re in a position where you can neglect your hunting work? Well, I suppose I can’t exactly call you out for it.” Donda Ruu looked Geol Zaza up and down, but then his gaze turned away, to what was going on beyond our outdoor kitchen.

Ai Fa and Lem Dom looked downright awe-inspiring as they faced off against one another over there. Both of them were breathing heavily and coated in sweat all over, while Lem Dom was covered in dirt as well. She must have fallen to the ground countless times over the past five hours. The two of them were slouching forward, and their predatory eyes were fixed on their opponent. It was like looking at two wounded carnivorous beasts fighting to the death.

Deek Dom and Sufira Zaza were watching over the proceedings from a short distance away. While Deek Dom remained expressionless, Sufira Zaza had tears in her eyes as she tightly gripped the giba necklace Lem Dom had entrusted to her. When Morun Rutim noticed Deek Dom, she started worriedly wringing her hands but showed no signs of calling out to him.

Since Geol Zaza was closest, I went ahead and asked him, “Er, have the two of them really been doing contests of strength this whole time, ever since morning?”

“Yeah,” Geol Zaza muttered back, his eyes remaining fixed on Donda Ruu. “They’ve taken a number of breaks, though, and they had some jerky when the sun hit its peak. But they haven’t been getting anywhere, so they’ve been going at it for a while now without any rest. She sure doesn’t know when to give up.”

Lem Dom didn’t seem to have heard what he had said. She grabbed at Ai Fa once more, but her movements seemed sluggish, even from my point of view. However, when Ai Fa countered Lem Dom, it looked like she had lost just as much speed. With unstable footing, she twisted her body and grabbed Lem Dom’s arm. In turn, Lem Dom grabbed Ai Fa’s shoulder with her other arm. If she could just push my clan head down, she would win, but Ai Fa was able to brush off her opponent’s hand and weakly stepped forward with her right leg. Lem Dom then stumbled over that leg and fell to the ground, all on her own.

Ai Fa leaned up against a nearby tree and stared up at the sky, taking a short break. “Asuta... You’re back...?” she asked, eyes like a pair of blue infernos glancing my way. “As you can see...I’m still in the middle of our contests of strength... Never mind us. You go carry out your own work...” It seemed to require quite a bit of effort for her to even say that much, and Lem Dom was breathing just as heavily down at her feet. “Or have you...exhausted your strength, Lem Dom...?”

“Don’t joke around, Ai Fa...” Lem Dom placed both hands on the ground and shot Ai Fa a beastly glare. “You gave me until sunset, didn’t you...? And look how high the sun is up in the sky...”

“Then hurry and get up already...”

With her whole body trembling, Lem Dom rose to her feet. At the same time, Ai Fa pushed off from the tree she had been leaning on. “We’ll get in the way of Asuta’s group here... We don’t want to kick up dirt, so let’s move over in that direction a little more...”

“Heh heh... I’m amazed you can still think about that stuff in this situation... I really can’t beat you, can I...?”

The two of them then distanced themselves from the kitchen space, dragging their legs as they went. That alone was enough to make a lump form in my throat.

“It’s astounding, isn’t it? They’ve been like that for an entire hour now. At this point, it would’ve been better for me to just do my own work before coming here,” Geol Zaza said with a grin. “Becoming a hunter through persistence alone is an utterly ridiculous idea.”

Donda Ruu was silently watching over the proceedings, but then he turned my way. “Didn’t you hear what your clan head said? You should go do what you need to do.”

“No, but...”

“This isn’t likely to be settled for a while yet. Do you intend to just waste time until then? In that case, the rest of you should all head back home.” That last sentence was directed at his daughters, who were standing there beside me.

Rimee Ruu placed her hands on her slender hips and glared up at her father, who really looked nothing like her. “Jeez. You’re always so quick to say mean stuff like that, Papa Donda! There’s no way we’re heading back!”

“Then you should see to your work instead.”

“I know! Let’s go, Asuta. We’ll help you out.”

“R-Right... But is it really okay to just leave them?”

“It’s fine. Just let Ai Fa do what she has to; there won’t be anything to worry about,” Rimee Ruu said with an earnest grin. I couldn’t help but admire how tough she was.

“Right, I’ll work my hardest too, so my clan head doesn’t chew me out later. Reina Ruu, would you mind helping out with the curry base and pasta? I was planning to hold a study session at the Ruu settlement today, so I didn’t call for any of the other women.”

“Of course. I’d be glad to help out,” Reina Ruu replied, suddenly turning my way. She had been completely enthralled with the fight occurring in front of us.

“Thanks. I’ll pay you for the work, of course. And I’d like to call on you two as well if that’s okay, Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai... Could I ask you to take charge on that front, Toor Deen? There might be some small differences in the amount of each ingredient in the Fa clan’s recipe compared to the Ruu’s, so make sure you check that too.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After I assigned tasks to all eleven of our personnel present, Bartha included, we got started right away. And all the while, the contests of strength between Ai Fa and Lem Dom continued. Toor Deen looked quite worried, but she didn’t neglect her job in the least.

The spices that we had lightly toasted yesterday were heated up again, filling the air with an alluring aroma that seriously stimulated the appetite. I was a little worried that it might distract Ai Fa and Lem Dom, but it wouldn’t be right for us to slack off.

Reina Ruu, Rimee Ruu, and Morun Rutim were all quite experienced, so production went even smoother than usual. We were able to more or less finish up our preparations for business the next day around when the sundial was at half past the lower fourth hour. But then I heard Sufira Zaza’s voice loudly exclaim, “Ah!”

I turned in a hurry, and found Lem Dom sprawled out on the ground. Ai Fa must have used some kind of flashy throw, as she was on her knees with her back heaving up and down.

“That’s enough! Can’t you see that nothing will change even if you keep going?! Please, just end it here, Lem Dom!” Sufira Zaza shouted, half sobbing.

And yet, Lem Dom rose again with her indomitable fighting spirit blazing bright. Her hair, which was normally pulled up tight, had partially come loose, and her wavy black locks hung down around face, which made her appearance even more ghastly. She might not have even had enough strength left to reply to Sufira Zaza’s words, or do much of anything besides breathing heavily as she faced Ai Fa. My clan head swept aside the bangs dangling in her own face, and then just barely managed to rise.

“This next match will be the end of it...” Donda Ruu muttered, at which point Lem Dom kicked off the ground. She showed an animallike nimbleness that made me wonder how she still had so much strength left. Her fingers were bent like claws as she grabbed at Ai Fa’s shoulders from directly in front.

It was a frantic, desperate charge, and Ai Fa didn’t seem to be capable of handling it at the moment. Lem Dom crashed into her with a ton of momentum, and my clan head started toppling over. But at the last possible moment, Ai Fa stopped her fall. She shifted one leg forward and the other way back, grabbed Lem Dom’s right wrist, and twisted her body while forcing the fingers digging into her shoulders to turn loose. Then she forcefully tugged on Lem Dom’s right arm, lifting up her opponent with what looked like a one-armed judo shoulder throw.

Lem Dom’s body did a full flip through the air, and then her back slammed into the ground. However, Ai Fa’s momentum was sending her back hurtling toward the ground too.

“Lem Dom!” Sufira Zaza shouted as she raced over.

“What is it...? This fight isn’t over yet...” Lem Dom forced out almost in gasps, but she didn’t look capable of rising.

Ai Fa sluggishly stood up, then fully undid the string holding back her golden hair so that it flowed down her back. “Lem Dom... This contest of strength is finished...”

“What are you saying...? I still have strength left...” Lem Dom replied as she brushed off Sufira Zaza’s clinging hands, then rolled so that she was lying face down. Placing both hands on the ground, she started to push herself up with her whole body twitching as she rose.

“Even if that were true, it’s still over... You broke a taboo, after all...” Ai Fa said in a hoarse voice as she pulled up her long hair. As she did, beads of red started dripping down.

Lem Dom’s nails had left scratches on my clan head’s left shoulder, and they were deep enough to bleed. The blood had already formed rivulets that went all the way down to her elbow.

“I can no longer fight to my fullest after suffering such an injury... While there is still time left, since you broke a taboo, this match cannot be continued...”

“But...!”

“You also lost control of your strength before I did... Even if we were to keep going, the result would remain unchanged... We should end things here, Lem Dom...”

Lem Dom hung her head in disappointment, then she lowered her forehead to the ground and started sobbing, overwhelmed with sorrow. Even when Sufira Zaza hugged her from behind, her wailing didn’t stop.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Rimee Ruu tugged on my vest.

“Asuta, shouldn’t you go treat Ai Fa’s wounds?”

“O-Of course. Thanks for reminding me.”

With that, I hurried back to the house and pulled out the medicine and bandages we had prepared in advance. The medicine in question was an expensive salve we had gotten from town. Then I transferred some water from a jug into a wooden bucket and grabbed a ladle, after which I took off running back to Ai Fa.

Deek Dom, Geol Zaza, and Donda Ruu were gathered there around Ai Fa and Lem Dom. The latter was still prostrating herself on the ground, sobbing like a child, while my clan head was sitting cross-legged next to her.

“Let me treat your wounds, Ai Fa. It would be really bad if you got some kind of serious infection.”

“Indeed... Thank you for your consideration, Asuta...”

“Rimee Ruu’s the considerate one. Let’s wash your wounds first. This’ll sting, but just try to bear with it.”

I soaked a brand new hand towel in the bucket of water I had brought, then gently wiped the wounds on her left shoulder. There were five fresh streaks there, as if she had been scratched by a wild beast. Her other shoulder had similarly shaped bruises. That was some incredible grip strength, considering Lem Dom had only managed to hold on to Ai Fa’s shoulder for a brief moment.

After rubbing the pale yellow salve on her right shoulder, I placed some soft cloth over it in place of gauze and wrapped it in bandages. However, blood quickly started seeping through them. The cuts were deep enough that a doctor would have had no choice but to stop the match.

As I treated her wounds, Ai Fa drank some water with the ladle and wiped away her sweat with a cloth as her breathing finally started to calm back down. Meanwhile, Lem Dom kept on sobbing away with no signs of slowing down.

“That took quite a while, but it was a fine match,” Geol Zaza said with a bit of pity in his voice. “You should be satisfied now that you’ve given it your all to the bitter end, right? So stop crying already, Lem Dom. Do you hate the thought of becoming my wife that much?”

Lem Dom shook her head, still sobbing uncontrollably. After looking down at her for a while, Ai Fa turned to face Deek Dom.

“Deek Dom, I have a proposal for you.”

“What is it, Ai Fa of the Fa clan?”

“Could you recognize Lem Dom as a hunter in training?”

Deek Dom narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and the eyes of the Zaza siblings started burning into her, both pairs gleaming in a similarly hostile way. It was Geol Zaza who spoke next, interjecting before the Dom clan head could say anything.

“What are you saying, female hunter of the Fa? You won this match, did you not?”

“Indeed, I was the victor. But had Lem Dom not lost control of herself when she did, it’s possible that our battle would not have been settled before the sun set.”

“But you still won. There’s no changing that fact.”

“I understand that. But how many hunters of the forest’s edge have this much strength?” Ai Fa replied, calmly staring up at Geol Zaza’s face as she sat cross-legged on the ground. “I doubt that there are many of us who could keep fighting this long without giving up on the match. And in addition to how physically formidable she is, she knows how to hide her presence so her moves cannot be sensed, and she has a strong heart that gives her good control over herself. Given that, I cannot help but feel that she has what she needs to be a hunter.”

“Hmph. In other words, you intended to have your way from the start, regardless of how the match played out. What a joke.”

“Not at all. I myself was unable to measure Lem Dom’s strength before actually facing her. This is what I have come to believe after fighting with her for so long.” Ai Fa’s gaze remained perfectly calm. “Furthermore, I did not hold back in the least. I took care not to injure her, but a normal hunter would have been left unable to move after the first ten or so rounds. And yet Lem Dom endured that pain and proved her strength.”

“Do you really think we’ll simply accept your words at face value?! You just want to drag Lem Dom down the same path you chose!”

“You say you cannot trust my words?” Ai Fa said, sighing and brushing aside her long bangs with her right hand. “Then, would you like to experience what I mean personally, with your own body? Some other day, have a contest of strength with me, and then you shall see the truth. If you can still stand after ten rounds, perhaps that will give some credence to your position.”

“In other words...you’re confident that you can defeat me ten times in a row, female hunter of the Fa?” Geol Zaza asked, his eyes like black infernos.

Ai Fa furrowed her brow. “It seems that judging the strength of others is not your specialty, youngest son of the Zaza. That would mean you cannot judge Lem Dom’s strength either.”

Geol Zaza silently reached his arm out toward Ai Fa, only for Deek Dom to grab hold of it from the side.

“Ai Fa of the Fa clan, is it not simply your wish that Lem Dom should be recognized as a hunter?” the Dom clan head asked.

“No. I am only asking you to allow her to work as a hunter in training, so that you can determine whether or not she is truly qualified. A contest of strength alone isn’t enough to judge everything, so I believe that her proper path will not become clear until she is allowed to go into the forest.” Ai Fa placed a hand on my shoulder and shakily got to her feet, then dauntlessly stared up at Deek Dom, who was a whole head taller than her. “At the very least, Lem Dom is stronger now than I was when I first entered the forest at the age of thirteen. It takes roughly two years for hunters in training to fully learn how to do their work, so I would like you to give Lem Dom two years before you decide what path she must take.”

Deek Dom remained silent.

“Lem Dom is currently fifteen, is she not? In that case, two years from now she will still only be seventeen years old. Even if her path to living as a hunter is closed off at that point, she would still be young enough to go back to living as a woman. I know you can see how strong Lem Dom’s desire to be a hunter is, so I would like you to at least give her that much of an extension.”

“But if she were to perish in the forest during those two years, she wouldn’t be able to pass down her blood.”

“I understand that. That’s why you are the one who must ultimately make the decision as her clan head, Deek Dom,” Ai Fa said, smiling. It was rare for her to show her emotions so openly in front of such a large crowd. “I am simply expressing my own feelings as the hunter you put your trust in. From here on out, it is up to you to figure out what you and your sister must do so that you can live without regrets. I am truly honored that a hunter as fine as you entrusted me with such an important role.”

With that, Ai Fa turned her back to Deek Dom. Then her body started to slump, so I hurriedly put a hand around her back to support her.

“Hold on, Ai Fa...” Lem Dom called out, lifting her teary face. It almost looked like the face of a small child. “Thank you for everything you’ve done... I’m grateful to you from the depths of my heart for how you looked after an outcast like me...”

“All you need to do is live a proper life alongside your brother and your relatives...” Ai Fa told her with a gentle smile, and then she started walking away unsteadily.

Rimee Ruu and Morun Rutim immediately came running over.

“Good work, Ai Fa!” Rimee Ruu called out.

“Thank you so much, Ai Fa!” Morun Rutim said with a deep bow. Then she headed over to where Deek Dom was standing.

Ai Fa kept walking while half leaning on my body, patting Rimee Ruu’s reddish-brown hair with her hand all the while. “I would like to wash my body in the house. If you are not busy with work, could I have you assist me, Rimee Ruu?”

“Yeah, of course! We just reached a good stopping point!” Rimee Ruu replied with a big grin, clinging to Ai Fa’s right arm. After nodding to everyone in the outdoor kitchen, we circled around the side of the house, and my clan head glanced at me.

“What? You look like you have something to say, Asuta.”

“Yeah... You were really cool back there, Ai Fa.”

Ai Fa narrowed her eyes as if she were staring at something bright, then leaned her head up against my cheek.

“Can’t you come up with something better to say than that to show your clan head how much you appreciate her?”

“Your clan member is sorry for being so tactless, dear clan head,” I replied. I gently placed a hand on top of Ai Fa’s head from an angle where Rimee Ruu wouldn’t notice.

And so, the curtain closed on the three-monthlong argument over Lem Dom’s future, for now.