Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 2.2

2

Next up, we headed for the post town.

We couldn’t just keep putting off dealing with this crazy talk, so we decided in the morning that in addition to purchasing a new pot, we would also visit Kamyua Yoshu.

The 20 giba’s worth of horns and tusks were placed into a bag we usually carried vegetables in, and Ai Fa was carrying it under her arm.

After Gazraan Rutim told us of the shortest route between his house and the post town, we headed off in high spirits... Well, maybe that was a bit much, but at any rate, we got going.

“...Still, no matter how much I think about it, it really is a crazy idea,” I said to Ai Fa as we walked along. “And it really surprised me to hear natural-born people of the forest’s edge like you and Gazraan Rutim thinking positively about the idea. Is that because you firmly believe that the people of the forest’s edge should live lives of greater abundance?”

“Of course that’s the case. After all, I’ve had the suffering of poverty carved into me,” Ai Fa replied in a low voice, not looking my way. “I mentioned it before, didn’t I? When my father Gil hurt his leg and wasn’t able to hunt, the Fa clan came to the brink of destruction. We didn’t have any family or subordinates, so we had no one to rely on. If the crude trap I had set hadn’t caught a young giba... We would have starved to death.”

“Yeah... I remember.”

“I also saw personally just how much it tormented my father Gil to know that he had driven his family to that point. I don’t believe it’s right for someone to have to face such suffering.”

“...Right.”

“Even if the idea was raised by someone from the city of stone, as long as we are gathering this fortune by our own strength and will, even someone with a personality like Donda Ruu’s won’t be able to complain. In fact, this is more a battle against the city of stone itself.”

It was then that Ai Fa finally glanced my way. Contrary to the serious tone of voice she had used, there was an incredibly clear, tranquil look in her eyes.

“...And as long as you’re by my side, I certainly don’t think our odds are poor.”

“Hey, you’re not going to get anything out of that flattery, you know.”

I was so proud that it felt like my heart was about to be crushed, but to cover that up, I forced a cheerful look on my face.

“Still, we’ve got to do something about that Kamyua Yoshu guy first and foremost. If he’s plotting something in secret, it could make a real mess of things. We should start by thoroughly asking about what would be involved with opening a shop in the post town, and try to feel him out as much as we can in the process.”

“...Right,” Ai Fa replied, a slightly strict expression on her face, and then she turned back ahead.

It was a truly preposterous battle, trying to teach the townsfolk the value of giba meat.

But as long as Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim saw significance in it, I had no objections.

And so, we had to get started by squaring off with the mysterious Kamyua Yoshu. Determining whether he would be medicine or poison for the people of the forest’s edge was the first step in this battle.

◇

And so, we had once more arrived in the post town.

The sun had already passed its peak. We arrived a bit later than last time, but it looked like there were even more people about than there had been the first time.

The stone highway looked to be around 10 meters wide, and there were large buildings on either side. The people wore all sorts of outfits, and had all sorts of skin and hair colors. There was a giant totos bird carrying luggage. It was stuffy and loud and hectic from all the people crammed together.

That hustle and bustle was enough to make me feel dizzy, but I just said, “Now then...” and turned to face Ai Fa. “Let’s deal with the troublesome stuff first. Plus, I’d feel awkward about charging into an inn while carrying a pot, anyway.”

Still, just which building was ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail’ where Kamyua Yoshu said he was staying?

Looking closely, the surrounding buildings all had signs prominently on display, but the swirling patterns on them just looked like hieroglyphs to me.

I asked Ai Fa, but she just said, “Of course I can’t read.”

In that case, we had no choice but to ask someone walking around the area.

And so, I looked over the people walking around town once again.

Sure enough, the majority of the folks shooting Ai Fa suspicious gazes had yellowish-brown skin.

Still, there were nearly the same amount of ivory-white skinned folks around, and they weren’t giving off much of a different impression.

And then, the relatively few white and black skinned people around really didn’t seem to be especially afraid of Ai Fa... but they didn’t exactly seem overly friendly, either. They had all sorts of different reactions, with some appearing completely indifferent while some shot curious gazes our way.

Figuring it would be safest to go with someone who looked similar to me, I called out to an ivory-white skinned youth.

“Um, excuse me. I have a question I’d like to ask you. Do you know where an inn called ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail’ is located?”

The youth with his short, dark brown hair looked startled and froze in place, and then he looked doubtfully back and forth between me and Ai Fa.

I wouldn’t quite say he looked afraid, exactly. And he at least wasn’t showing any open contempt, either. He just looked bothered, as well as a bit troubled.

“...If you’re looking for ‘The Kimyuus’s Tail,’ it’s that building with the red roof.”

“I see. Thank you.”

With that, the youth left in a hurry.

It was as if he was trying to emphasize “I’ve got nothing to do with the people of the forest’s edge!”

I scratched my head, thinking that was about what I had expected.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

The buildings were mostly constructed out of wood with logs and boards exposed directly to the air, but a good number of them also had their roofs and walls painted red or green.

Naturally, I couldn’t tell if that was mere ornamentation, for preserving the wood, or both.

At any rate, we made it safely to our destination.

It was a large building with two floors, like most of the ones surrounding it. Sure enough, the sign had swirling patterns drawn on it, with one of them looking like a bird’s feather.

Speaking of kimyuus, I think that’s what Kamyua Yoshu called that manju I ate. It was a light tasting meat like chicken tenders, so maybe it was the name of some sort of bird.

“...Ai Fa, are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just figured this may be your first time stepping foot in a building in the post town.”

Ai Fa silently shrugged her shoulders.

It was an action that seemed to say, “What, you really think it would be more dangerous than the forest?”

From my point of view, the real threat to hunters wasn’t a giba’s tusks, but the swords and spears of other human beings. But well, we’d never get anywhere if we turned back now.

The building didn’t have a sliding door, but rather one using metal hinges. I didn’t see a doorknob or handle or anything, so I just placed my hands on the door and slowly pushed it open.

“Welco—” a voice started to say, only to freeze midway.

The old-timer was seated at a reception desk that hid his lower torso from view, and now he was looking at us in astonishment. His skin was yellowish-brown, and he was on the plump side. But even so, he didn’t seem to be all that large of a man, even if it was hard to tell for sure while he was seated.

He wore a cylindrical hat, grey clothes, and a similarly colored apron. It was a neat and trim outfit of the sort that I had seen a lot of folks wearing outside.

“...You here for a meal?”

His big, intimidating eyes seemed to be saying, “You couldn’t possibly want to stay, right?” More than fear, that gaze looked to be full of contempt.

“Ah, no, we actually came to visit a man named Kamyua Yoshu who said he was staying here.”

“Kamyua?” the old-timer asked, his eyes going wide again while his eyebrows still made him seem wary.

Then he grumbled, “That damn vagabond...” in his mouth and turned his thick neck around so he was looking back into the store.

“Kamyua! You’ve got guests! Should I let them in?!”

It seemed the inside of the shop was set up as a restaurant. And it wasn’t currently mealtime as the sun had passed its peak, so there weren’t many people hanging around. There were three rectangular tables made from logs and boards, as well as what looked to be chairs made out of logs. The place had the feel of a ski lodge or something, which didn’t make for a half bad atmosphere overall.

The one issue was that the men there didn’t exactly look particularly welcoming.

Their skin and hair colors were all varied, but they all looked strong and tough, and three of the five had on leather chest guards and gauntlets. They also all had swords, axes, clubs, and the like dangling from their hips... and they were all drunk.

I didn’t mind people drinking in the middle of the day at all as long as it wasn’t putting me in any danger, but I had a bad feeling about the gazes being directed our way.

Eyes full of curiosity, contempt, suspicion... and lust.

None of them showed any signs of being afraid of Ai Fa. But in exchange, one of them gave a look like he was staring at something filthy, while another wore a broad grin like Diga Suun’s.

Yeah, I had a really bad feeling about this.

“Hey, Kamyua, you’re there, aren’t you? What’re you doin’, sleeping?!” the old-timer yelled out even louder.

It was then that a charming voice called back, “Coming!”

With that, a youth with flaxen hair came running from the rear of the room. He was a young boy who looked to be around 10, with intelligence gleaming through his light brown eyes.

“Welcome! You’re Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan, aren’t you? I’m Kamyua Yoshu’s apprentice, Leito. Please, come this way.”

Apprentice? Just what sort of apprentice?

His flaxen hair was a little on the long side, and he had an incredibly gentle expression on his face. He wore a sleeveless vest and pants with cylindrical legs. A small cloth bag and a thin dagger hung from his waist, and there were leather shoes on his feet. He had a rather neat and tidy appearance, to such a degree that if we were family, I’d want to warn him not to have anything to do with that sketchy oldtimer.

However, I was a guest, not family, so I just had to let him lead me to see Kamyua Yoshu.

“Hey, if you’re customers, then order something,” the old-timer at the desk called out.

“Ah, right. What would you like?” the youth turned and asked us.

“Hmm? Ah, this is my first time in a place like this, so I don’t really know—” I started to whisper into the youth’s ear.

“More importantly, we don’t have any coins on us at the moment.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

The youth smiled and turned back towards the old-timer.

“In that case, we’ll take two glasses of zozo tea. Please add the cost to our lodging fee. And we’ll be at the usual seats.”

“Got it,” the old-timer replied with a wave of his right hand.

With the stairs to the second floor on our right, the boy, myself, and Ai Fa headed further into the room in that order.

The men drinking together followed us with their eyes as we passed.

Fortunately, though, even as we passed by the table where they were seated, none of them tried to pull anything.

When we reached the wall on the other side there was a doorless entrance, and passing through that we came into another room of roughly the same size with more seating for customers. The tables there were smaller but there were a whole lot more of them, built pretty much identically to the ones I had already seen.

And at the table farthest in the back, I spied a familiar blond head, belonging to Kamyua Yoshu.

However, Kamyua Yoshu looked to be deep asleep at the moment.

He was reclined in a log chair, leaning up against the wall behind him, and his long skinny legs were thrown rudely atop the table as he slept soundly.

There didn’t look to be any other customers around.

“Kamyua, you have visitors! The ones you’ve been waiting for, from the forest’s edge! Come on, please get up!”

The youth sat down in the neighboring chair and then started clapping his hands together right in front of his master’s face.

Kamyua Yoshu gave a dissatisfied, “Ugh...”

Sorry to say it, but he didn’t even have a single nanogram of cuteness about him.

“Hmm, what is it? I still haven’t gotten enough sleep... Huh? Ai Fa? Asuta? Wow, you sure came quick!”

His droopy eyes shot open, and an overjoyed smile crossed his long, slender face.

“Sorry for the shameful display. Now then, have a seat! And Leito, get us some tea!”

“I already ordered it. Now please, put your feet down already.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

His leather boots soon disappeared from view, and the boy quickly wiped down the table.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Thanks,” I replied and took a seat, but Ai Fa looked just a bit hesitant.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen any chairs at the forest’s edge.

In spite of that, Ai Fa gallantly swiped back the hem of her cloak and successfully took a seat, looking rather cool as she did so.

“Man, I never would have dreamed you would come right on the heels of yesterday. I’m really glad, Ai Fa, Asuta,” he said, letting a big yawn slip immediately afterwards. “Ah, sorry about that. I was working all the way till morning today, so I’m a little short on sleep.”

“Oh, so you had some sort of job after that?”

“Hmm? No, I just stayed up all night exploring the forest’s edge.”

“...Didn’t the giiz bite your legs?”

“Giiz are downright cute, compared to the giba and you hunters.”

By the way, giiz were large rats that were about the size of weasels. They were nocturnal, and actually looked pretty cute, but they scavenged carrion just like the mundt, so it was said that if they bit you your flesh would rot and fall off.

“So, should I take the fact that you came all the way out here to mean that you’re feeling positively about my proposal?”

“It’s more like we came to get what we need so we can feel positively about it. Well, we also came to town for some shopping, too.”

An eye for an eye, and frivolous chatter for frivolous chatter.

After all, I couldn’t just keep taking things at this guy’s pace.

“Here’s your zozo tea,” the old-timer from the desk said, suddenly jumping in.

With that, he left clay cups filled with yellow tea in front of me and Ai Fa.

There was a bit of a zigzagging wave design of gray drawn on the cups. And they were cylindrical with handles, making them sort of like mugs.

“Ooh, the owner’s waiting on us personally. Thanks.”

“The girl was scared and wouldn’t show herself, so I had to take care of it.”

The old-timer glared at both me and Ai Fa.

He really wasn’t that tall after all, but he seemed to have fattened up in a good way and looked pretty strong.

“As long as they order something, a customer’s a customer. But if this causes any trouble, I’m throwing you out too, Kamyua.”

“Have I ever caused any trouble up till now? Your concerns are misplaced.”

“...I don’t especially care, but this is at least technically a restaurant. If you’re going to sleep, then do it in your room. And if you’re going to sit here, then order something.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Well then, a cup of zozo tea for me and Leito, too. And add on some salted kimyuus meat, too. Enough for one is fine, though.”

“Four people, but just enough for one, huh...?” the old-timer grumbled as he left.

Was that rather improper handling of his customers due to his animosity towards the people of the forest’s edge, or something born of Kamyua Yoshu’s aggressively relaxed nature...? Well, it was honestly probably both.

As those thoughts ran through my head, Ai Fa brought her nose close to the tea and sniffed at it like some sort of animal.

“...What is this?”

“It’s called zozo tea, so it must be made from that fruit that’s like a bundle of dried up snakes, right?”

I remembered smelling this scent like Chinese herbal medicine before, too. Maybe it was never an ingredient meant to be thrown into a stew in the first place...

“Do the people of the forest’s edge not have a custom of drinking tea? Well, go ahead and think of it as the first step in a cultural exchange between us and give it a try.”

“...Kamyua Yoshu, there’s no logic behind you offering us your charity.”

“Oh come on, you treated me to that wonderful dinner last night, didn’t you? This is my thanks for that.”

“But that was as payment for the fruit wine you brought. There should be no debt owed between us.”

“...Asuta, what should I do?” Kamyua Yoshu asked, turning my way.

“Hmm,” I uttered as I thought on the matter. “Ai Fa, in that case, it should be fine if we just pay again, right? We just don’t have coins, but if we offer something else...”

Ai Fa tilted her head a bit, then brought out a bundle about the size of her palm that was wrapped in a pseudo rubber tree leaf from inside her cloak.

“It’s dried giba meat. If this is acceptable...”

“Dried giba meat! That’s super interesting! Leito, it’s dried giba meat!”

“Oh wow. Will you let me eat some later, too?”

Ai Fa glared at the pair during that exchange.

With this, we had discovered a second person from town who didn’t avoid giba meat. Of course, he was an acquaintance of Kamyua Yoshu’s so I shouldn’t read too much into it, but I still felt the need to make note of that fact.

By the way, when I sipped the zozo tea, I found that despite the strong aroma it actually went down smoothly, and wasn’t especially bitter.

Sitting in a chair, drinking tea... It actually made me feel a bit nostalgic.

“Now then... Shall we cut to the chase?” Kamyua Yoshu said while placing his elbows on the table, a grin crossing his long, slender face.