Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 3.3

3

No further disasters came our way after that, and we were able to safely finish our business for the day.

A number of customers from the west came bit by bit, and we ended up holding out till the very end, selling 141 meals in total.

On our sixth day of business, we had at last hit the limit for our customer traffic. It was unclear if we would have to adjust our numbers from here on out, but we still were approaching my goal at a far quicker pace than I had ever expected.

I wanted giba meat to be seen as valuable enough to be worth paying coins for it, and I wanted to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge. In order to see those objectives met, we had taken on this reckless challenge.

I definitely didn’t want to let anyone get in my way.

And so for that reason, we decided to visit the Ruu settlement.

“I never figured the Suun clan would propose something that absurd...” Donda Ruu grumbled, holding a container of fruit wine in one hand.

It was past dinner in the Ruu house. The only ones left in the main hall illuminated by animal fat candles were the four men of the main Ruu house, Mia Lea and Vina Ruu, me and Ai Fa, and Gazraan Rutim, who had hurried over from the Rutim settlement.

“The stove for the clan head meeting, is it? If it weren’t for the fact that the Suun clan will be running it, that would be no worry at all. It certainly is troublesome when you can’t tell what your foe is after, isn’t it?” Gazraan Rutim, who we were seeing for the first time in around ten days, muttered.

Apparently, Dan Rutim was indifferent to the matter of our shop in the post town, so he entrusted everything to his extremely calm and composed heir.

“Sorry, but what exactly is that clan head meeting thing anyway? It’s some big gathering held once a year, right?”

“Yes. Once a year, the clan heads all gather in the Suun settlement to report on their circumstances. After all, the settlement is vast, so it would be impossible to know how each clan was doing otherwise.”

That clan head meeting was on the tenth day of the blue month... Eight days from now. Maybe that was why Ai Fa had reacted to the mention of the blue month this morning.

“The meeting itself is held in the early afternoon, and after that there is a modest dinner for everyone. Then after staying the night in the Suun settlement, everyone returns home at daybreak... But the Suun clan requested that Asuta man the stove for that dinner, right?”

“Hmm, but what’s the deal, here? The thing with Mida Suun is probably just an excuse, and they have some other plot... But just what point is there to summoning me to the Suun house?”

“I do not know. Rather, don’t you have any thoughts on that matter, Asuta?” Gazraan Rutim gently replied, and I gave a little nod back.

“The thing is, that Yamiru Suun woman seemed to be aware of how much profit our stalls were pulling in. I figure that means the information is probably leaking through the currency exchange.”

“The currency exchange?”

“Yeah. It’s obvious the Ruu and Rutim don’t, but I can’t imagine the Suun clan really intermingling with the townsfolk, either. But the currency exchange operates in the post town under the lord’s orders, so I think it would be pretty plausible for them to be leaking information to the Suun clan.”

I used their services every day, so the person running the place should have a good grasp on how my business was going. And since there were ties between the Suun clan as the leaders of the forest’s edge and the lord of Genos, they could certainly get information through that route.

“The Suun clan is already aware of the amount my business is making. And so, I think that may be tied to the main cause here... What do you think?”

“That may be exactly right... Actually, that may even be the most natural thought here. The head of the Suun clan and the leader of the forest’s edge, Zuuro Suun, surely has his eyes on the fortune you’ve amassed, Asuta,” Gazraan Rutim stated.

Hearing that, Ludo Ruu shouted, “That’s ridiculous! Still, it does sound just like the Suun clan. They probably just want to live their lives buried in coins.”

“That’s true. I had thought that we would need to come up with a plan so that the Suun clan couldn’t monopolize any fortune made from selling meat once such a thing is possible, but before that, the profits from Asuta’s shop alone proved enough to tempt Zuuro Suun.”

“But how does them wanting me to man their stove tie into things? Do they want to try to steal my cooking techniques?”

I wasn’t even trying to hide those in the first place, though.

But Gazraan Rutim just slowly shook his head.

“The Suun clan head has fallen to the depths of depravity, so he wouldn’t be thinking of such roundabout methods. Zuuro Suun most likely wants to get ahold of you directly... It’s possible he’s plotting to invite you to marry into his clan, isn’t it?”

“Marry... You mean with that Yamiru Suun woman?”

Just imagining it was enough to cause a chill to run down my spine.

Well, even if we weren’t talking about that creepy woman, I just wasn’t planning on marrying anyone right now.

“Still, isn’t that a bit hasty, having a foreigner like me marry into their clan for a reason like that?”

“That was just one example. However, I’m certain that he wishes to get ahold of you. That’s the sort of man that Zuuro Suun is.”

This time, it was Donda Ruu’s turn to mutter “Ridiculous...” in response. “It’s so stupid I can’t even laugh at it. I mean, this pale foreigner, marrying into the clan that leads our people?”

His tone was quiet, but there were powerful emotions burning in his eyes.

It seemed like Donda Ruu had even more trouble restraining his emotions than usual when it came to the Suun clan.

“So... What do you intend on doing, kid?”

“Th-The idea of marrying into the Suun clan is nuts. To start with, even the idea of manning their stove is totally crazy... But if Mida Suun came to the post town and ran wild, there’s a high risk that I’ll be exiled from there.”

“Why’s that? That’d be Mida Suun’s crime, not yours, Asuta.”

“Yeah. But when I didn’t prepare enough food and some customers from Sym and Jagar started getting into a quarrel, I almost got thrown out of town. The guards who protect order about town, plus Milano Mas who runs the area with the stalls, seem to think just me being there is unpleasant.”

“Is that the law of the city...?”

“More than that, it may just be their personal feelings.”

“Huh, those city folk are more ridiculous than I thought. So they value their feelings more than the law?” Ludo Ruu questioned, sounding amused, only for his father to shoot him an annoyed glare.

“Ludo, are you in any position to talk all high and mighty? Are you saying you respect each and every law of the forest’s edge?”

“I follow all the important ones, right?” Ludo Ruu childishly snapped back.

As I watched that exchange out of the corner of my eye, I decided to keep talking.

“Also, like I mentioned before, back when there was that incident with Doddo Suun, the guards listened more to his excuses than anything Ai Fa and I had to say. Considering all that, it’s certainly possible that Mida Suun going wild could lead to the worst case scenario where only I face punishment for it. That Yamiru Suun woman could be keeping all that in mind when plotting to set Mida Suun loose on me.”

To be honest, that was more just what I wanted to believe rather than proper speculation.

The thought that they really had Mida Suun in chains, and wouldn’t mind if the guards killed him... I didn’t want to believe it could be true.

If they had tossed aside not only their pride as people of the forest’s edge but even their affection towards family, then they were just way too irredeemable.

“Hmm... But Ai Fa, you don’t want Asuta going anywhere near the Suun clan, correct?”

For the first time, the conversation was thrown Ai Fa’s way.

However, though there was a restless shine in her eyes, she didn’t respond. Ever since our encounter with Yamiru Suun, Ai Fa seemed to be in a bad mood.

“I can certainly understand those feelings. Since it’s the clan head meeting, you yourself can’t constantly stay by Asuta’s side. And also... the clans under the Suun will be attending too. In a manner of speaking, they may be even more dangerous... But Asuta, you intend to keep on operating your business in the post town, don’t you?”

“Yes. Things are going far better than expected, so I intend to keep on striving my hardest until my initial objectives come to fruition.”

“Hmm... In that case, we really do need to plot out how to fully resolve this, don’t we?”

Placing his hand on his sturdy chin, Gazraan Rutim sunk deep into thought.

As I stared at him from the side, Ludo Ruu made another hawkish statement.

“Hey, why not just flatly turn down their offer? Then if that lump of flesh comes after you, we can just strike him down, right? It’d be a bit of a hassle to handle without a blade, but I and at least one other man could beat him down.”

“But in that case, we would need to wait for Mida Suun to act violently. We would be at fault if we did anything before they made a move, and if we’re seen as acting maliciously... Even if we manage to get rid of Mida Suun, Asuta may still be driven from town,” Gazraan Rutim stated, getting all depressed by his own thoughts, but he continued on with his extremely logical statement. “Also, it would be difficult to have two men stay by Asuta’s side, since we have no idea when Mida Suun may appear. They wouldn’t be able to carry out their work as hunters like that.”

“Geez, what a pain. What should we do, then?”

“Well... I suppose there’s no choice but to agree for now to man the banquet.”

When Gazraan Rutim said that, Ai Fa’s eyelids started twitching.

“But it would be too dangerous to have Asuta handle it alone. I don’t know what they may be planning, but regardless, it will be essential for us to come up with a method to protect him.”

“Hmm? Well, it’s the clan head meeting, so dad and Dan Rutim will be there, plus the men accompanying them. But they can’t protect Asuta if they’re not allowed in the kitchen, right?”

“Yes. That is women’s work, after all,” Gazraan Rutim stated, looking over at Donda and Mia Lea Ruu.

“Women of the Ruu and Rutim will accompany Asuta... How about making that one of the conditions for accepting the job?”

“Hmm? You’re saying we’ll be taking charge of the stove for the clan head meeting alongside Asuta?” Mia Lea Ruu questioned, not looking the least bit shaken.

Donda Ruu, meanwhile, shot Gazraan Rutim a probing gaze.

“Asuta’s cooking is special. And also, there will be 80 people gathering for the clan head meeting. We’ll insist that the women of the Ruu and Rutim are necessary to prepare such a vast amount of food, since they’re already familiar with the techniques... Then insist that the women of the Suun clan assist, and pound the cooking methods into them, whether they want to learn or not.”

“I see. That way they would be able to satisfy Mida Suun even without me around, right?”

“Yes. And to go a step further, if he learns that the Ruu and Rutim already know those techniques too, Zuuro Suun may become less fixated on you in particular.”

That sounded like a pretty effective method to me.

“Your words are quite complex, Gazraan Rutim. But... if we’re talking about helping Asuta, then I have no objections,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a smile. Her smile really did look just like the ones Ludo and Lala Ruu made.

I chewed on that rather out of place thought for a bit, that they really were mother and children despite the fact that their faces weren’t all that similar.

“And if we’re going to be spanking the rears of those Suun women, then all the better. The blame for a house falling to corruption falls on more than just the men. I’ll leave it to you all to take the men to task, but I’ll gladly take charge of handling the women.”

“Hey. Are you planning on ditching your duty of keeping the house together, and run off to the Suun settlement of all places?” Donda Ruu grumbled, sounding disgruntled.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Mia Lea Ruu replied with a smile. “There won’t be many folks left in the house, anyway. If we just leave Tito Min and Rimee behind, they should be able to handle the housework... Now that I think of it, who are you planning on bringing to accompany you on that day?”

“Hmm... Actually, I was thinking of taking Darmu,” Donda Ruu said, looking at his second son.

The bandages were now mostly removed from his head, but he still had them all wrapped around the middle of his face.

“It’s eight days till the clan head meeting, is it? Well, I suppose we’ll have to see how much his wounds can heal by then.”

“If Darmu can’t do it, then it’ll be me, right?” Ludo Ruu happily chimed in.

As I pondered to myself if that meant Jiza Ruu wouldn’t be called upon, I spied a slightly regretful look in Gazraan Rutim’s eyes.

“On the night of the clan head meeting, the custom is for we heirs to look after our houses. That isn’t necessarily true for small clans with few men, but the Ruu and Rutim must abide by that custom. For the Rutim, I believe the second son of the house will be accompanying our clan head.”

“I see... So if the clan heads and the men accompanying them add up to 80, that means there are only 40 clan heads in total, right? Isn’t that a pretty small number, seeing how there are around 500 people of the forest’s edge?”

“Only the heads of the main houses attend the meeting. The branch families aren’t included.”

Now that I thought about it, I recalled the second Rutim son was already married and had a child, and was in charge of his own branch family.

But at any rate, the Fa clan didn’t have any branch families or anything, so Ai Fa participated all on her own last year, huh? On top of that, it was held at the home of the Suun clan, who she had bad blood with, and she couldn’t rely on anyone to help her.

Man, just how tough was my clan head?

“Darmu,” Donda Ruu called out, staring at his second son with an intense gaze. “That kid gets worked up too easily, so I’d feel uneasy bringing him. Heal up your wounds enough to move about properly in the next eight days.”

“Understood,” Darmu Ruu replied with a nod, while Ludo Ruu puffed up his cheeks and said, “Geez...”

“In that case, Jiza, Ludo, Jiba, and Sati Lea will remain at the house. Tito Min and Rimee should be able to manage the stove. I’ll take Vina, Reina, and Lala along with me to help Asuta with his work. And we should have no problem borrowing two or three women from the branch families, right?”

“We’ll also offer a number from the Rutim, so that should make for 10 women or so in total. If that many are always by Asuta’s side, I believe that should prevent any Suun plots in their house’s kitchen... What do you think?”

That last question was directed towards me and Ai Fa.

In the end, the two of us would be the ones to make the decision.

Would we accept this suspicious job from the Suun clan, or no? If we accepted, the Ruu and Rutim were saying they would lend us this much of their strength...

They had realized this job would have a large impact not just on my work in the post town but the very future of the forest’s edge, so they had promised their assistance before we could even ask them for it.

Ai Fa... was biting her lip and looking a bit pained.

“So... We have no choice but to accept the Suun clan’s request after all?”

“Yes. I believe it’s far safer trying to protect Asuta in the kitchen than to do so in the post town. Even if we deal with Mida Suun, there will always be a reason for concern as long as Zuuro Suun remains fixated on Asuta.”

Gazraan Rutim stared straight at Ai Fa’s distressed profile.

“And also, now that things have come this far, we should let all the clans know through the clan head meeting just what the Fa clan is thinking by opening a shop in the post town. And we should additionally inform them of the importance of bloodletting and proper dissection techniques.”

“Huh? We’re going to reveal that this early on,” I questioned, only for Gazraan Rutim to give a big nod back.

“There’s no helping it now that we’ve come to this point. All of our people should know the truth, that interfering with your business is obstructing the prosperity of the forest’s edge. And the fact that there will be an even greater fortune to be made once giba meat has value may also distract Zuuro Suun from focusing directly on you.”

With that, Gazraan Rutim suddenly broke out in a smile.

“After discussing that matter at the clan head meeting, they’ll all be eating your cooking. After that, our points will seem all the stronger, wouldn’t you say? I can already imagine them thinking that they could even see townsfolk wanting giba meat if it can be used in such delicious cooking.”

Gazraan Rutim may just have been intending to seize the initiative and use this dilemma to in turn guide the future of the forest’s edge.

They say offense is the greatest defense... But still, it was almost frightening how decisive he could be.

“But ultimately, that’s nothing but the path that I personally believe is best. Donda Ruu seems to have his own thoughts on the matter, and the final decision still falls to you and Ai Fa.”

“Hmph... It’s not like I’m lending you aid because I’ve been fooled by your smooth talking or anything. I’m just agreeing to loan you our women in exchange for a fair price,” Donda Ruu bluntly stated. “If you want them to help out with manning the stove for the clan head meeting, then I expect you to pay appropriately. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Oh, you’re so stubborn, dear,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a sigh of exhaustion.

“So naggy...” Donda Ruu muttered, facing the other way.

It was then that Ai Fa glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I gave a big nod back.

“Just the thought of manning the Suun stove makes me shudder. It’s a bit different when it comes to the clan head meeting, though. And if folks from the Ruu and Rutim will be with me, and we can straighten out the Suun clan’s crookedness even a little... Then I guess I have no serious objections.”

Ai Fa remained silent.

“At any rate, I can’t stand the thought of the Suun clan interfering with my business. If I failed due to my own lack of skill that would be one thing, but if the Suun clan got in my way out of nothing but their selfish desires... At the very least, that’s one thought I just can’t stand.”

I could feel the violent emotions in my gut wriggling about. But I desperately held them back, and stared into Ai Fa’s eyes.

“...I see,” Ai Fa replied, casting her gaze towards the floor. “I find it greatly troubling to go so far in borrowing the strength of the Ruu and Rutim, who we have no relation to, but—”

“Don’t act like such a stranger! You all saved Jiba’s soul, taught us how to make delicious food, and provided such a wonderful meal for the Rutim banquet, didn’t you? I consider you and Asuta precious friends, Ai Fa,” Mia Lea Ruu loudly proclaimed with a smile. “Plus, if we leave the Suun clan be and they wreck Asuta’s shop, Vina and Lala will be out of a job too, right? In that case, this is also important for the sake of protecting the Ruu clan’s wealth. And so, there’s no need for you to hold back. In fact, if you do, it could lead to our harm. Please keep that firmly in mind as you decide on the path you believe to be the right one.”

“In that case... Will you lend us your strength?”

Ai Fa placed her right fist on the floor and stared up intently at Mia Lea Ruu.

“Since we’re talking about the clan head meeting, I also won’t be able to go near the kitchen... During that time, will you protect this member of my house?”

“We will. No matter what, we won’t allow the Suun clan to pull anything.”

Vina Ruu, who was seated next to her mother, also nodded along with a serious expression on her face.

Ai Fa was silent for a moment... But then she bowed her head.

“In that case, I... I agree with Gazraan Rutim’s opinion.”

In all likelihood, Ai Fa was against the idea of trusting our fates to anyone else, even a little. That must have been why her face looked so pained.

But we never would have been able to open a shop in the post town by our power alone in the first place. If she couldn’t stand that, we would have just stayed on our own, living modest lives in the Fa house all on our own.

And yet, we opened the shop in the post town in the hopes of bettering the future for the people of the forest’s edge... Unless we were planning on trudging our way backwards along that path, then I believed it was important we join our strengths together with the Ruu and Rutim in order to keep moving forward.

That was how I had planned to convince Ai Fa, but apparently while deeply worrying over the matter, she had reached the same conclusion I had all on her own.

Though nobody noticed it, that thought secretly filled me with joy.

“Then it’s decided... Well then, let’s save working out all the details for tomorrow morning. I’m going to sleep,” Donda Ruu solemnly stated, his words signaling the end of this secret discussion between three clans.

The members of the Ruu house all returned to their rooms, while we three guests headed towards the door. Just like before the wedding, the plan was for Gazraan Rutim to stay with one of the branch families, while Ai Fa and I were to spend the night in the vacant house.

Gazraan Rutim stepped outside a bit before us, while I waited for Ai Fa to put on her footwear with just one hand. As that was going on, Mia Lea Ruu approached.

“Excuse me, Ai Fa. I was just wondering, could we have you stay here in the Ruu settlement until the day of the clan head meeting?”

“Why...?”

“Naturally, because we’ll need to meet a number of times beforehand, and also because we will need to get in a good bit of practice making the food we’ll be serving at the clan head meeting. So wouldn’t it just be more convenient if you were to wake up here at the Ruu settlement?”

“But...”

“You can just bring all the meat and vegetables from the Fa house here. That way, you won’t need to keep returning there, right? And also... You don’t need to worry about Darmu and Reina. The pain they feel in their hearts will be the same whether you and Asuta are here or not.”

“M-Mia Lea Ruu, what are you...?” I started to question in a fluster, but she just shot back a complacent smile.

I’d use that same word to describe Kamyua Yoshu’s smiles, but unlike with him, her smile was overflowing with warmth.

“I can at least tell how my own son and daughter feel. And those kids in particular are just like me and our clan head when we were young. Jiza and Vina can be a bit tricky sometimes, though... At any rate, we want to be fully prepared when dealing with that troublesome Suun clan, don’t we? So I can count on you, right?”

Then, Mia Lea Ruu returned to her room without even waiting for a response.

Ai Fa and I shared a look, each of our eyes full of complex emotions.

“I somehow feel like I’m seeing the depths of Mia Lea Ruu’s capabilities today...” Ai Fa quietly said with a sigh, then she wrapped on her leather footwear.

When we finally left the house, Gazraan Rutim was still standing there waiting for us.

“Good work today, Ai Fa and Asuta. You have work again tomorrow, but we kept you quite late, didn’t we?”

“Ah, no. We’re just going to sleep after this, so it’s no problem.”

I had already finished the preparations for tomorrow in the Ruu house’s kitchen. In fact, since I was able to leave the dinner to the women of the house, it went even more smoothly than usual. And so, I didn’t foresee staying here having any negative impact on business in the least.

“I hadn’t expected that Zuuro Suun would fix his eyes on you at this point, Asuta... Though I suppose I should say also that I had never anticipated you to be earning so much in such a short period of time, either.”

As we walked together under the moonlight towards our resting places, Gazraan Rutim shot me a gentle smile.

“I thought I had grasped how much strength you possessed, but I’m ashamed at how ignorant I was.”

“It’s not my strength, it’s the strength of the giba meat. And I have to admit that I underestimated it when I started doing business, too.”

“I’m certain when your strength and that of the giba meat are combined, it will bring even greater prosperity here to the forest’s edge... And for that reason as well, we need to keep the Suun clan’s tyranny at bay here and now.”

Gazraan Rutim looked back and forth between me and Ai Fa, a calm yet incredibly strong look in his eyes.

“Once I discuss the matter with my father Dan and Donda Ruu, I believe it will be necessary to explain the circumstances to the other affiliated clans such as the Min, Lea, and Maam, and join our strengths with theirs. Let us overcome this trial by working together, Ai Fa, Asuta.”

“Right. We’re happy to be working with you, too.”

The Suun clan was a threat, but with the Ruu, Rutim, and Ai Fa together, we would never yield to them. That was what I believed.

My personal strength was puny, but if we had them, we would be fine.

And I would carry out my own work, too. I would never let them crush our shop through such unscrupulous means.

As I looked up at the entirely different sea of stars from the one over my old world, I swore that firmly in my heart.