Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.2

2

“Excess fortune will bring about the downfall of the forest’s edge... I can certainly understand that line of thinking, but I most certainly didn’t start this with such a goal in mind,” Ai Fa stated, her voice faltering a bit. “I simply wished to bring prosperity here to the forest’s edge. If we bring those among us suffering in poverty better lives, will it not grant more strength to our people and allow us to carry out our duty as hunters better than ever before?”

The Zaza clan head replied, “Hmph! But is that really the case? If you can earn more coins than before for each giba, then it will become possible to keep on living without hunting many. That’s the corruption I’m talking about!”

“But they can’t do their job as hunters if they starve to death either, now can they? It’s one thing for large clans like the Zaza, Jeen, and Dom, but for weak and small families, they need a bit more than what they have.”

“If they lack strength, then they’ll simply meet their end in the forest... That is how we’ve cultivated our skills as hunters,” a low voice interjected. That had come from a large man who had been silently listening to what his compatriots had to say up till now. He wore a giba skill on his head, and belonged to the Dom clan. “Weak hunters aren’t fit to live. When only strong hunters survive, they pass on stronger blood. If unnecessary fortune allows the weak to pass on their blood as well, that may well bring about our destruction.”

“But what is unnecessary fortune? Why do we allow others to decide for us that the fortune from tusks, horns, and pelts is acceptable, but coins earned from meat are not?” There was a flickering blue light in Ai Fa’s eyes. “Horns, tusks, pelts, and meat all come to us from the giba. So can you explain what the difference between them may be, clan head of the Dom?”

“For 80 years now, we have exchanged horns, tusks, and pelts for coins... That is my answer.”

“But isn’t that simply because we had no means of exchanging meat for coins? I don’t believe it’s right to just throw away that fortune now that we do have such a means.” Ai Fa was giving off as much intensity as the intimidating Dom clan head, but she went ahead and softened her tone ever so slightly. “Clan head of the Dom, last night, I spoke with Jiba Ruu, the oldest of us living here at the forest’s edge.”

“And what of it, clan head of the Fa...?”

“I had a doubt. The townsfolk earn coins from both the meat and pelt of an animal called a karon. And yet, we people of the forest’s edge only sell giba pelts, while we throw the meat away in the forest. I wished to know why that was.”

This was my first time hearing of this. But thanks to that, we were now able to hear an unfamiliar tale from the past of the forest’s edge.

“In the past, Jiba Ruu and our other ancestors lived in the black forest of Jagar. The only animals that existed there were large man-eating black apes, as well as small snakes and lizards... However, there was a strong taboo against eating the ape’s meat, as it devoured our people, and so they survived by eating snakes, lizards, and bugs.”

“That much has been passed down in the Dom clan as well. But our ancestors kept on hunting the apes to protect their families, and became skilled hunters in the process, correct?”

“That’s right. And our ancestors peeled the pelts from those apes and wore them, as symbols of their pride... Thanks to that, they knew how to skin pelts, but not how to properly prepare and eat meat.”

Any murmuring that remained fell silent.

“Eventually, our ancestors were driven from the south here to the Morga forest’s edge, and began hunting giba instead of black apes... And though they began eating meat, they didn’t search for ways to properly prepare it. From what Jiba Ruu said, they were happy and fulfilled simply being able to eat the flesh of a beast.”

“What does all that matter? Doesn’t that mean simply eating meat should be plenty for us, too?”

“That’s wrong... Or at least, that’s what I believe.”

Ai Fa was surely remembering Jiba Ruu’s face from the night prior. Her gaze was always so mysterious, full of seemingly bottomless sadness, yet also a sliver of hope.

“Jiba Ruu said that may have simply been down to their complacency. They refused interaction with the townsfolk and didn’t try to figure out why they were unable to sell giba meat, and then 80 years went and passed... She looked like she deeply regretted that fact.”

“What reason should she have for regret? There’s no need for our ancestors to feel that way. We’re only here now because they showed us the way.”

“That’s why Jiba Ruu feels regret, for being unable to show us a better, more prosperous way. And for the fact that if they had, perhaps so many of our ancestors wouldn’t have lost their lives.”

When they moved here to the forest’s edge, there were over 1000 of them. And yet, half of them died in the very first year. That was thanks to both fighting the vicious giba and simple starvation. I had heard that from Jiba Ruu on the very first night that I met her.

“The townsfolk had likely known the proper way to eat meat from the very start. If our ancestors had formed proper bonds instead of avoiding them, we may well have been able to exchange giba meat for coins all along. Jiba Ruu said their crime was failing to put in that effort, inviting a situation where poverty and starvation are common here at the forest’s edge.”

I think I could’ve heard a pin drop after that.

“I cannot firmly declare that your assertion of excess fortune leading to corruption is mistaken, clan head of the Dom. But even so, I believe in the possibility that such fortune can give our weak brethren strength, and bring prosperity here to the forest’s edge.” With that, Ai Fa glanced over at me. “This all may sound unbelievable, but I believe it to be possible with Asuta’s strength... His cooking is delicious, isn’t it?”

No one answered.

Even so, there was a gentle look in Ai Fa’s eyes, and she even smiled ever so slightly.

“I feel that it’s incredibly tasty. And so, I wish to continue down the path I believe in... I would greatly appreciate it if you were to accompany me on that journey.”

A silence washed over the ritual hall.

At first I thought that was because most of the people present were still eating, but nobody even seemed to be moving.

The Suun, the Ruu, and the clans under them... Even the women who manned the stove and the heads of the small clans all seemed to be holding their breath...

And then, that silence was suddenly broken.

“The Fou clan stands in agreement with the clan head of the Fa.”

Everyone slowly turned that way.

There was a man standing in the corner of the ritual hall.

“The Fou clan is small. We don’t have many relatives, and we are unable to hunt a sufficient number of giba.”

His black hair was unkempt, and he had a beard of the same color. He was tall yet slender, and looked to be somewhere in his 40s.

“We have enough meat to eat, but we’re always lacking horns and tusks. We were blessed with a young child, and yet he has been on the verge of starvation. But if we had just a bit more to work with, my family surely wouldn’t have to suffer so.”

His blue eyes were blazing in the dim light. They were full of swirling, fierce emotions, brought on by his pride as a hunter and his feeling of helplessness.

“We don’t need charity from the city of stone. But if we can obtain coins for the giba caught by our hands, then I believe that’s fair and just. And I swear here and now that if we can gain more strength as a result, we will devote that to working even harder as hunters... And so, the Fou clan stands in agreement with the words of the clan head of the Fa.”

“The Ratsu clan does as well,” another man proclaimed while standing up, this time from the opposite direction. He looked like he wasn’t even 20 yet. “In this past year, we lost two of our affiliated clans, the Mei and Geem. And the clan head of the Mei was a particularly gallant hunter, but an ill wind blew upon a small wound and he fell ill, then died soon after... If we had even a bit to spare, we could have bought medicine to heal him from the post town.”

His gaze was filled with rage, and was intently fixated on the Dom clan head.

“Clan head of the Dom, according to what you said, then it’s only right that the Mei and Geem met with ruin. I cannot abide that, and instead stand in agreement with the words of the Fa’s clan head.”

“There’s no need to raise your voice so loudly. It’s not as if even the Dom clan head is saying he wishes for the smaller clans to all die out,” a hoarse voice chimed in as yet another person stood. He was a skinny old man, with white hair like Jiba Ruu’s. “All together, there are around 300 of us belonging to small clans with no ties to the Suun or Ruu. As if anyone could think it would be acceptable for all of us to simply die out. If that happened, it would never be possible to hunt down a satisfactory number of giba.”

“Elder of the Sauti... You’re not saying you also agree with the Fa clan, are you?” the Zaza clan head questioned, breaking his long stretch of silence. His eyes were positively ablaze as he glared at the old man.

“That’s a matter for the clan head to decide. However, to an old man like me, our elder’s words have a powerful sting to them. That is, the thought that because we chose our path poorly, you young folks have ended up on such a roundabout route...”

The man had a rather gentle look in his eyes for a person of the forest’s edge. And that calm gaze soon shifted from the Zaza clan head to me and Ai Fa.

“The townsfolk shunned us, and we did the same to them. That may have been an unavoidable fate, but I can’t honestly say that we put in the effort to fight against it... But I think that perhaps you of the Fa clan are trying to carve out that path in our place.”

“What can a foreigner like that do?!”

“He can form bonds with the people of the post town. And I’d have to say he’s the only one here at the forest’s edge now who can do such a thing.”

The old-timer remained perfectly calm, while the look on the Zaza clan head’s face was only growing more and more vicious.

“So now it’s not just the Ruu and their ilk. Even the Sauti are going to slander our leading clan? The Suun clan are the ones who tie together the city of stone and the forest’s edge!”

“It’s the castle that the Suun clan interact with though, isn’t it? The residents of the castle and the post town are entirely different... And it’s truly unfortunate, but the Suun clan has not had a proper relationship with the townsfolk. Or did the second son of the main house not just recently draw his blade in town?”

“That was because a man from town was slandering the people of the forest’s edge...!”

“There’s no law that states a blade is a fitting punishment for slander, is there, clan head of the Zaza?”

I was more than a little surprised to hear someone unrelated to the Ruu come out and so openly admonish the Suun clan.

The old-timer broke out in a gentle smile and looked back our way.

“An old bag of bones like me lacks the strength to decide the path the Sauti will take. But personally, I’m truly grateful to see folks like you, members of the Fa clan.”

“In that case, leave things to your clan head and stop talking, Elder Moga,” the youth by the oldtimer’s side chimed in, wearily standing up. He was incredibly large, and his appearance overall was a match for Jiza Ruu and Gazraan Rutim. “I am the clan head of the Sauti, Dari Sauti, and I have one question I’d like to ask. Ruu clan head Donda Ruu, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

Donda Ruu had remained firmly silent up to this point, but now he slowly turned his glare towards the youth.

“The clan head of the Rutim called the Fa friends. However, it’s the Ruu women who are lending their strength, isn’t it? Like the leader of the Rutim, do the Ruu also share the same will and see the Fa as friends?”

“I’ve got no particular intention of calling them my friends,” Donda Ruu grumbled in a low voice as he rose to his feet. “Why should I need to say that about a foolish woman who plays at being a hunter and some mysterious foreigner?”

“Then why did you loan them your women? Were you just after the coins?” Dari Sauti asked, his voice full of doubt as he tilted his head.

Glaring down at the simple expression on the youth’s face, Donda Ruu answered, “Giba meat being able to be exchanged for coins... That sounds like nothing but a fairy tale to me, and I can’t imagine the townsfolk having a change of heart anytime soon. I’m just loaning them the women in exchange for a fair price.”

“I see. In that case—”

“But if that fairy tale comes true, it’ll bring even greater strength to the people of the forest’s edge,” Donda Ruu stated in his heavy voice, his words cutting off the youth like a hatchet. His eyes started blazing fiercely, and his mouth shifted into a daring smile. “Excess fortune will cause the people of the forest’s edge to fall... As if something that ridiculous could ever happen. The fools who think that way are the true threats to our people.”

“What did you just say...?” the Zaza and Jeen clan heads chimed in, clearly getting worked up.

“If you Zaza and Jeen were given a hundred coins, would you just fool around and not hunt any giba till you used that all up?”

“Don’t mock us! Just how much do you intend on ridiculing our clans, clan head of the Ruu?!”

“If that pisses you off, then that’s your answer right there, isn’t it?” Donda Ruu said, grinning once again.

He had been frowning an awful lot of the time lately, but now that I thought about it, this was more his natural temperament. Like a raging inferno, he overwhelmed his opponents while wearing a grin on his face, forcing them into submission.

“I wasn’t ridiculing you. You’re the ones who were doing that to all of us, clan head of the Zaza. Excess fortune leads to corruption, you say? Anyone that happens to wasn’t a real hunter to begin with! Someone like that has no right to live here at the forest’s edge!”

“But...!”

“And if any do fall, then we’ve just got to drive them out of the forest’s edge. Then the order of this place will be maintained just fine.”

From the big grin he was wearing, it was clear that Donda Ruu was seriously enjoying himself.

And of course, what he was saying served as a scathing criticism of the Suun clan, as well as a declaration of war.

The Zaza clan head and his group were utterly ignorant of that as they listened to Donda Ruu’s words with stern expressions, though.

“The Ruu clan doesn’t need any more fortune than what we’ve got. It’s the same for the Rutim and Lea, too... But the Ririm and Muufa are still lacking in strength. If we don’t help out the clans under us, they could go the way of the Mei and Geem.”

The other clan heads were silent.

“The Ruu have gone and gained more fortune regardless through this chain of events. And thanks to loaning the women to the Fa, there aren’t enough around to skin pelts, so we’ve given them to the Ririn and Muufa... Isn’t that what prosperity means? Eh, clan head of the Zaza?”

Sure enough, the man had no answer.

“We haven’t gathered enough coins to cause the downfall of the people of the forest’s edge. But I’d say that concern should be put aside until there’s not a single person left starving to death, wouldn’t you say?”

“Then you really are saying you are in agreement with the Fa clan, Donda Ruu?” Dari Sauti interjected.

The smile like a wild beast disappeared from Donda Ruu’s face, and he just plain looked irritated.

“I already told you, right? I don’t believe in that fairy tale.”

“But—”

“But if that comes true, our people will be able to gain even greater power... In that case, it makes no sense to me to get in the way of that.”

“Good grief...” I heard someone mutter quietly from behind me. I stole a glance back that way, and found Mia Lea Ruu giving a strained smile. “Our clan head sure is stubborn, huh?” was written all over her face.

“Hmm... It truly is an intriguing matter,” a muffled voice chimed in, sounding rather out of tune. That had come from Zuuro Suun, of course.

Donda Ruu’s burning gaze pointed back that way.

“But still... It will take quite a bit of time before such a thing can be realized, won’t it? Selling not just cooking, but the meat itself is certainly no ordinary challenge... And so, why don’t we take things slowly and watch how everything develops for now...?”

It was a completely ridiculous statement. After all that passionate arguing, that was going to be the result?

It seemed like he wasn’t trying to settle anything. Not even a single issue.

“How ridiculous. I hadn’t ever figured anyone but the Ruu would fall for the Fa clan’s smooth talking,” Diga Suun added in his usual sluggish tone. “The Fou and the Ratsu... Seems like it’d be good to make sure we remember those names, huh?”

Those clan heads were still standing, and now their eyes were shooting daggers at Diga Suun.

It was then that I started to feel a rage rising inside me, but I didn’t get a chance to act on it. That was because someone with a lower boiling point than me yelled out, “Hey!” in a rough voice first. “What was that statement just now, eldest son of the Suun?! Is there some law here at the forest’s edge that states you mustn’t form bonds with the Fa?! You know, there’s such a thing as too much unjust resentment, you scum!” Dan Rutim exploded.

A thick vein was bulging on his bald head, and his goggle-eyes were alight with rage.

Yeah... The heads of small clans had likely avoided having any connection with the Fa so as not to catch the eyes of the Suun, but now after two years they were trying to overturn that decision.

There was no way this fire was going to be put out.

“Wh-What do you mean, ‘scum’? What right does someone like you have to call me that, clan head of the Rutim?” he asked with a foolish smile as his face started twitching. Perhaps the trauma of having a hundred kilo giba corpse thrown at him back at the Rutim banquet was coming back to him.

With that, I looked over everyone else. And unsurprisingly, Zuuro Suun and the clan heads who fell under him all had unpleasant looks on their faces. Zuuro Suun likely didn’t want any trouble, but the other clan heads couldn’t have been very interested in standing up for Diga Suun’s wrongdoings.

There was no doubt that like Donda Ruu, they found a female hunter like Ai Fa and a foreigner like me who had joined the Fa clan annoying at best. And thanks to their own principals and thoughts, they stood firmly opposed to the idea of gathering excess fortune.

But even if they held great trust in the leading clan, they had to see how outrageous it was that on the night Ai Fa lost her father, Diga Suun broke into her house without permission and assaulted her.

Diga Suun didn’t seem to understand that in the least, though. He was just throwing around his authority as a member of the leading clan, never stopping to think what that may or may not allow him to get away with.

That was what made him such a small fry.

I even thought, Maybe all we need to do is just wait for leadership of the clan to pass from Zuuro to Diga Suun?

If Diga Suun were to become the leader of the forest’s edge, it probably wouldn’t take him all that long to lose the trust of the Dom and Zaza. Then the Suun clan would collapse all on its own, without Donda Ruu needing to swing a blade or me needing to employ any cleverness.

It’s an incredibly passive plan, but then again, that may be the most peaceful way to resolve things...

As that thought ran through my head, the current clan head Zuuro Suun just said, “Now, now,” while looking towards Dan Rutim. “You don’t need to raise your voice so much, clan head of the Rutim... Are you talking about the rumors from two years ago? What point is there to bringing up such an old matter now...?”

“Then you better sew your bungling son’s mouth shut! Just hearing his voice alone is enough to disgust me!”

Dan Rutim thumped back down, and his right hand seemed to be fumbling around without him really thinking about it. Seeing that, I stealthily pushed over my plate, for Dan Rutim to somehow precisely grab the ribs while continuing to glare at the Suun clan the whole time. It was the least I could do for him, considering he spoke up in my stead.

“The Fou and Ratsu aren’t names worth memorizing... No, the name you should be paying attention to is the Sudra,” a gloomy sounding voice chimed in. It had come from a man who wasn’t all that large and was seated about as far away from the Suun clan as possible. “The Sudra clan also stands in agreement with the Fa... We’re in need of a bit more lately, too.”

Then, another man a bit removed also stood.

“The Gaaz clan stands with the Fa as well... At first I didn’t understand at all what you meant about giba meat tasting good or bad, but after eating this food, my feelings have changed... I certainly believe that this could be sold to the people of the town for coins.”

A number of others had stood, looking like they were going to join in, but Zuuro Suun hurriedly interjected, “Please wait, clan heads... I really don’t believe we should be trying to decide whether or not the Fa clan’s actions are justified here and now... After all, as I said before, it will still take some time to see if all that will bear fruit... And so, why don’t we take things slow and just watch what happens...?”

“In other words, as the leader of our people, you have no intention of objecting to the Fa clan’s actions at this time?” Dari Sauti interjected. “But what do you have to say about the fact that it’s the clan heads of those under you like the Zaza and the Dom who are complaining?”

“Naturally, I believe what they are saying is logical and proper, and personally I feel we cannot ignore the danger presented by excess fortune... But as the clan head of the Ruu stated, the idea of giba meat coming to hold such value sounds like nothing but a fairy tale... And so, I can’t see any point to us fighting amongst ourselves over something so trivial...” With that, Zuuro Suun’s greasy gaze turned towards the angry clan heads who fell under him. “Clan heads of the Zaza, Jeen, and Dom... Will you follow my request and lay down your blades...? We could very well throw the forest’s edge into chaos just by trying to determine if the Fa clan will bring about our downfall or our prosperity...”

“We will abide by your wishes,” the clan heads replied, holding back their emotions and sitting back down.

Upon seeing this, Donda Ruu also sat.

The Fou, Ratsu, Sudra, and Gaaz clan heads followed along, as did the Sauti clan head and elder, and the heated air seemed to chill.

“We should be able to see some sort of results by the next clan head meeting... Until then, you may go ahead and act according to your wishes, Fa clan head and chef...”

Ai Fa nodded back with a calm look on her face.

“Hey, what’s going on here...?” Vina Ruu whispered, grabbing the sleeve of my t-shirt. “At this rate, nothing’s going to be resolved, right...?”

“Hmm, I don’t know... In a way, you might actually be able to say that this settles everything.”

Now that I thought about it, the Suun clan head had pretty much gone ahead and told us, “Just do as you please for the time being.” Thanks to that, scary folks like the Zaza and Dom wouldn’t be able to complain any further. At least, as long as there was no clear proof of us bringing about corruption.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was alright for things to wrap up so soon.

Seriously, though... Is Zuuro Suun really such a complete and utter opportunist?

At the very least, I wish we could have taken a majority vote.

Four clans, including the Fou and Ratsu, had voiced their agreement, but there were 37 clan heads present, including the Suun. If we could figure out how many were opposed to our plan, it would be highly useful information to have. And yet, the conclusion was to wait a year. In that way, we seemed to have come up short.

Seriously, had anyone ever heard of someone so forcefully dodging a matter?

Donda Ruu kept on sipping his fruit wine, looking clearly displeased. Dan Rutim, meanwhile, looked almost bored as he gnawed on a white bone. From looking at them, you could tell that they were both firmly prepared for if it ever came to violence. I was certainly glad that it hadn’t, but that meant there was nothing for them to hit.

Maybe their request that I man the stove really was just to calm down Mida Suun... Is that actually possible?

Yamiru Suun was giving off some serious malice that made me think she had to be planning something, but I couldn’t sense anything at all from Zuuro Suun. He just seemed dim-witted, lazy, and utterly lethargic. It was like he irresponsibly just thought that if the current peace could be maintained, then nothing else mattered.

Was that Zuuro Suun’s true nature?

So was Yamiru Suun actually the one pulling all the strings...? No, if the clan head meeting ends like this, she won’t be able to make any real moves. And if Diga or Doddo Suun interfere with our business, they’d be going against their clan head’s decision... Seriously, just what’s going on here?

Zuuro Suun had a thin smile on his face, looking incredibly pleased.

Diga Suun was sulking a bit.

Doddo Suun was just silently drinking down booze.

Did we... or I guess I should say I, overestimate what we were up against?

When we opened the lid and peeked inside, did the Suun clan really turn out to just be nothing but a gathering of petty lowlives?

I didn’t know. I really didn’t, and yet... The dinner continued on without any real disturbances, and solemnly came to a close.

That also signaled the end of the clan head meeting, so the members of the Suun clan all headed back to their houses. As for the rest of us, we were all to sleep crammed together in here.

If we could just make it through the night, we would be able to return to our nostalgic old home.

Of course, it can’t just end like this... I thought to myself while cleaning up after the dinner.

Even if the Suun clan really were nothing but a gathering of petty lowlives, we couldn’t simply leave them be.

If Diga Suun were to take over, they were sure to destroy themselves, but who knows how many years of waiting that would require. No, this was already at the point where it wasn’t just the settlement at the forest’s edge’s problem.

The sight and words of folks like Milano Mas, Dora, and Yumi swirled around in my head. Even if they could trust me and the people around me, they still couldn’t forgive the people of the forest’s edge as a whole... That was a feeling they all shared. As long as there were people of the forest’s edge who had forgotten their honor and did as they pleased, it wouldn’t be possible for the people of Genos to truly reach an understanding with them.

Plus, we had met the women of the Suun branch families. They had eyes like rotten fish, and we surely couldn’t just leave them be. Even if this night ended smoothly, there were still a mountain of problems left to deal with.

Well, that’s all a matter for tomorrow... I thought to myself. It was rather carefree, but that was what was running through my head.

This is entirely in retrospect, but looking back, the real ordeal at the Suun settlement wouldn’t bare its fangs until the night fell.