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

Prologue: A Very Busy Day Off

It was the morning after our ten days of work in the post town had come to a close.

I was in the vacant house at the Ruu settlement, ecstatically staring at the two cooking tools I had bought just yesterday: a cooking knife from Sym and an iron tray from Jagar.

The knife was for cutting vegetables, and had a blade length of 20 centimeters and a width of eight centimeters. The blade was sharpened from only one side, but unlike my cooking knife or the one meant for meat, the blade was rectangular rather than tapering off. It really did remind me of the usuba vegetable knives from the Kansai region in terms of design.

The blade itself was straight, and when I lowered it down to the cutting board it lined up perfectly, making it incredibly useful for chopping vegetables. The knack for how to handle the taper of the edge was different than what I was used to, though, so I had to be extra careful. After all, the cutting edge was so thin that it would be quite easy to chip. Still, it had such a fantastic cut that it was well worth the price of 18 white coins.

Then, there was the iron tray.

It came from Jagar, which was famous for its iron production. Apparently, the majority of the weapons for sale in Genos came from there.

It was 70 centimeters wide, 50 centimeters long, and six millimeters thick. It had a three centimeter-high lip around all four sides, as well as handles on the left and right, with no further ornamentation. That made for an incredibly simple design, but I just couldn’t get enough of its spartan charm.

For iron cookware, it is necessary to season it by baking an oil coating onto the surface, to provide a natural finish that protects against corrosion. I already took care of that yesterday, so now its dark surface had a slick shine to it.

By now, it had been a month and a half since I started living at the forest’s edge. I had gotten by all that time cooking everything in an iron pot, but having a tray would be incredibly useful. For example, it was sure to make baking patties and poitan a lot more efficient.

On top of that, the pots I usually used had a thickness of around one centimeter, so they may well have weighed over 30 kilos each. This tray, though, was 12 or 13 kilos at most. That also made it incredibly handy to use.

Since it was thinner, it also stored less heat. But that just meant the pots I was using were too thick, and the six millimeter-thick tray should be able to handle plenty of volume. So for now, it was already a rather handy item, and in the future it could help expand the breadth of recipes I could prepare. And that thought made it all the harder to stop smiling.

The beautiful cooking knife from Sym was like a work of art, while the iron tray from Jagar was a big bundle of practicality. I just kept on staring at them shining in the morning sun, never growing bored.

“What in the world are you doing, Asuta...?” Ai Fa questioned, having gone to the washing place first thing in the morning.

“Hey, that was quick. How’s your left arm doing?” I asked, turning her way.

“Well, the pain is completely gone, but it seems to have lost quite a bit of strength. I may be able to handle a human opponent, but it would be foolhardy to go up against a giba like this.” As she replied, she slowly bent and stretched her left arm, free for the first time in six days. She had been recovering ever since she dislocated her left elbow in the middle of hunting. “If I push myself before my strength returns, I may dislocate it again. And so, I’ll need to keep an eye on it for a few more days... So, what were you doing, Asuta?”

“Ah, nothing in particular. I was just kind of in a daze admiring these guys I bought yesterday.”

“Hmm...?” Ai Fa questioned while tilting her head a bit, then she walked over and sat down beside me.

Her slightly damp blonde hair was done up in its usual complex style. She also looked quite charming with it simply hanging down around her shoulders, but this practical hairstyle really did suit her best.

“So while I was cleansing my body and helping out with the washing work, you were just sitting here like this the whole time?”

“Yeah. This is my first time buying cooking tools with money I’ve earned myself, so I just feel really attached to them, somehow.”

I must have been feeling sort of like a doting old man seeing his grandchild for the first time.

Ai Fa started to frown, looking a bit upset.

“Asuta, you...”

“Yeah?”

“No, it’s nothing...”

“What’s up? It’s rare for you to stop saying something partway through.”

“Yes, but it’s nothing.”

I turned my whole body to face Ai Fa.

“I’m sure that’s not true. And besides, now I’m curious. If something’s on your mind, then don’t hold back. Just come out and say it.”

“But even if you are a member of my house, it’s not as if I can just cast aside all decorum. So it really is nothing.”

“Ah, but now I’m getting even more curious! Didn’t we promise not to hide how we feel from each other just a little while ago? We’ve got all sorts of differences in how we think and feel about stuff, so isn’t it best if we’re just completely open about everything so that we can understand one another?”

Hearing that fervent speech, Ai Fa frowned even deeper.

“It’s nothing to worry so much over. It’s just... I didn’t want to cause you any unpleasant thoughts.”

“It’s fine. I mean, you told me if I said anything unpleasant you would just give me a beating, so I should go ahead and speak my mind, right?”

“You intend to give me a beating...?”

“As if I could manage something like that even if I wanted to.”

“You won’t get angry...?”

“If it’s that awful, then we’ll just have to talk it over until we’re both okay with it.”

“I see. Very well. It would seem that you were in the right in this instance.”

Ai Fa stayed seated cross-legged but straightened up her back and shot me a truly solemn look.

“I thought that you were just a little bit creepy.”

“...”

“Are you mad?”

“No, not at all.”

I did feel a bit like I was about to cry, though.

“By that, I meant that I felt you were being just a tiny bit creepy, the way that you were staring fondly at tools made of iron and wood like one would a human being...”

“Ah, no, you got the meaning across just fine, so you don’t need to pour salt on the wound.”

“Really...? Are you angry, then?”

“No, not at all.”

“I see,” Ai Fa replied with a nod.

With that, she broke out in an innocent little smile.

“In that case, it seems it really was the right choice to say something. I feel like I’ve gotten a weight off of my chest, Asuta.”

I shot a halfhearted smile back, figuring that was what mattered most. Even if I felt down now, if her mood brightened up in the process, then I’d consider that a perfectly fair tradeoff.

“And your expression seems to have brightened up quite a bit. You looked like you were terribly deep in thought last night.”

“Ah, yeah. I want to deal with all the problems we’re facing, but I realized the only way to do that is to handle the tasks in front of me one by one.”

As far as those tasks went... In just three days, we would be heading to the Suun settlement to man the stove for the clan head meeting. And the plan was to spend the days from now till then practicing.

The Suun clan were the ones to lead the people of the forest’s edge, but they also had earned themselves quite a poor reputation. They kept the reward money from Genos all to themselves and used it to fool around, shirked their responsibility to hunt giba, and acted outrageously in the post town. Plus, since they colluded with the Genos nobles, even if they acted up in the post town, their crimes were never questioned. That alone made it impossible to think they would be the ones leading the honest and brave people of the forest’s edge.

And on top of that, I had heard a particularly disturbing tale from Milano Mas. According to him, his brother-in-law and good friend was murdered by a person of the forest’s edge. And yet, no one was ever charged with that crime, which was a thought so awful that it was hard to believe. There was no guarantee at all that the culprit was from the Suun clan. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel more and more suspicious of them.

As for the question of what I could do about them... For now, I just had to do my best to be prepared for the clan head meeting.

“Well then, I’ll go wash off too. I’m really busy today, right from the start of the morning on to the end, after all.”

“Right. First off is teaching the women your cooking, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Then after that I’ve got plenty of prep work left for tomorrow, as well as deciding on what I’ll be making for the inn to serve. It seems like I’ll be busy working for the whole day.”

“Seriously, it’s enough to make me feel jealous...” Ai Fa muttered with a slight pout. “All I have to do is gather firewood. It really is agony, not being able to head into the forest despite my body already being partway healed.”

“Hey, don’t go doing anything reckless, alright?” I said with concern in my tone, only causing Ai Fa to pout further.

“Do I really look that foolish? Resting when needed is another of a hunter’s important tasks.”

“Right, sorry. You just had a really discontented look on your face.”

“I certainly am discontent... But I only show such faces around you, so stop grumbling about it.”

I really did wish that Ai Fa would open up to more people... But hearing that made me feel so happy that I was worried my poor heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

“Thanks for that, first thing in the morning...”

“What exactly are you thanking me for?”

“Ah, i-it’s nothing! Well then, I better go clean myself off before getting to work!”

With that, I began a day off that was sure to be no less busy than any work day.

◇

“...And so, this’ll be a study session to prepare for the clan head meeting. For the time being, I’ve tried to craft a plan for how we’ll handle things on the day of.”

The study session was ultimately split up into two groups, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

If too many gathered at once, I wouldn’t be able to pay each of them the proper amount of attention, plus it felt awkward summoning the Rutim women first thing in the morning, so that was how it played out.

There would be eight women helping me for the clan head meeting. From the main Ruu house, there were Mia Lea, Vina, Reina, and Lala Ruu. Then there were Sheera and Tari Ruu from the branch families. And finally, Ama Min and Morun Rutim from the main Rutim house.

Tari Ruu was Sheera Ruu’s mother. I felt bad about taking the talented mother and daughter pair from Shin Ruu’s house at the same time, leaving them without anyone to man the stove, but apparently some other women from the branch families would cover for them. And it seemed that ever since Sheera and Tari Ruu helped out with the Rutim banquet, their cooking skills had improved remarkably, which is what had earned them such a strong recommendation from Mia Lea Ruu.

I had only met Morun Rutim once before, but she was Ama Min Rutim’s sister-in-law, making her Gazraan Rutim’s little sister and Dan Rutim’s daughter. She resembled her father, with a healthy plumpness to her build, and she was an energetic and charming young woman.

Currently, five of those eight were gathered in front of me. The three older sisters from the main Ruu house, Mia Lea Ruu, and lastly Sheera Ruu.

Mia Lea and Sheera Ruu would be joining in the afternoon study session, too. That was because I would be having them help take charge as part of our small unit.

As I looked over the group of five reliable faces, I continued on, “Our goal will be to pound cooking techniques into the Suun clan’s women, so I’d like us to serve as examples while letting them do as much as possible. It’ll sort of be like a recreation of when I manned the Ruu house’s stove for the second time.”

“Ah, you mean the celebratory banquet before the Rutim wedding, when you fed our clan head steak? We did do most of the actual cooking that time, didn’t we?” Mia Lea Ruu said with a large nod, looking just as lively as always. “But this time around, we’ll be serving about as many people as with the wedding, right? Will that method really work?”

“I think it’ll be alright. It’s not like what we’re serving will be as elaborate as with the wedding, plus we don’t need to worry about how we bring everything out... Anyway, I was thinking that we would go with myamuu giba, steak, baked poitan, and giba meat and aria soup.”

“Hmm, you’re not going to add other vegetables to the soup?” Lala Ruu asked.

“That’s right. After all, the cost of the ingredients will have to come out of our profits. We’re already using myamuu and fruit wine in addition to aria and poitan, so I thought we’d keep it simple this time around.”

That was all based on the agreement I had come to with Yamiru Suun.

And it seemed the payment of forty giba worth of horns and tusks wouldn’t be prepared by the Suun clan, but rather collected from the clan heads coming to the meeting.

It was a truly despicable setup, but since we had our own plan at work, we couldn’t really go and complain about it.

Our intention was to use the opportunity to stress the importance of delicious food and abundance for the forest’s edge. No matter what the Suun clan was plotting, we had to emphasize the validity of our points.

“If we went and created elaborate dishes, they may feel it’s only natural they tasted good. But if we use dishes that anyone can create, that will make our argument all the more persuasive.”

“Hmm, I see you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Lala Ruu said with a shrug of her shoulders that seemed to say, “Do whatever you want.”

I just shot her a smile, then continued on with my explanation, “So my plan is on the day of, we’d prepare everything in the order of baked poitan, giba soup, and then the meat dishes. Rather than getting everything ready simultaneously, we would all be making the same dishes one by one in order. And so, there shouldn’t be any issues with the baked poitan or soup, but I’d like everyone to get comfortable enough with the meat dishes to teach them to the Suun clan women.”

Then, I glanced over at Sheera Ruu, who had been standing there silently.

“And this is unrelated to the clan head meeting, but I’d like you to be able to perfectly handle making myamuu giba on your own, Sheera Ruu.”

“Huh? But why...?”

“Right, well, we’re running the stalls in the post town again starting tomorrow, so I want you to be able to manage the myamuu giba stall even when I’m not around.”

Two days after the clan head meeting, on the 12th day of the blue month, I would start having to prepare meals meant for dinner at The Great Southern Tree. But at least for now, I just didn’t have enough time. If I tried to prepare those meals after finishing up business with the stall for the day, I would be way too late getting back home. And naturally, that would cut into my time to prepare for the next day.

“I’d like to head over to The Great Southern Tree around when the sun is past its peak and the giba burgers sell out. And during that time, I’d want you to take charge of the myamuu giba stall, Sheera Ruu.”

“Could I really handle something like that...? Managing the heat is very important with that dish, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, if you overcook it, the meat will get hard, and the taste of the juices and the like will get too overpowering. But I believe that within a few days, you’ll be able to manage it no problem.”

“You really think so...?”

“I do. And I already discussed with Mia Lea Ruu about paying you twice as much when you can manage that.”

Sheera Ruu turned to Mia Lea Ruu with a clear look of surprise.

Mia Lea Ruu shot a big satisfied smile back and ruffled the nearby Lala’s hair.

“I asked Lala and Vina if they’d be fine with it, too. They said that you were the only one who could manage something like that, so they’re fine leaving it up to you. I mean, they’re not quite that good at manning the stove, you know.”

“Oh, be quiet! It’s just that Sheera Ruu’s way too good at it! There’s no way that we could make food that tastes as good as Asuta’s like that!”

“That’s true... I want to give my all too, but I can’t imagine having the courage to cook the meat for that stall...”

There was earnest admiration shining in the two girls’ eyes as they chimed in.

Then, the one person who had stayed silent the whole time opened her mouth.

“Mother, I’d like to think that I have some degree of skill manning the stove by now... But will it still just be Vina and Lala heading into town to work from tomorrow on?” the second daughter, Reina Ruu, questioned.

She was holding her hands together in front of her chest and staring at her mother, looking like she was pleading.

Mia Lea Ruu shot her a rather troubled smile back.

“The one to choose Vina at the start was our clan head. And if both you and Vina were gone, we would fall behind on the work around the house a bit, right? On top of that... I think it would be best if Vina were the one by Asuta’s side, at least until we know a bit more about what the Suun clan is plotting. After all, no matter what you say, your big sister is the best at handling people.”

“But...”

“For example, if the Suun men get drunk and start throwing around complaints, Vina would be the best to deal with that, right? If it looks like the Suun clan will stop coming after Asuta following this clan head meeting, then Donda may change his mind. So just be patient a bit longer till that time comes.”

“Alright...” Reina replied, puffing up her cheeks just a bit.

Vina Ruu had a really complicated jumble of emotions on her face as she turned away and started fidgeting with the tips of her chestnut-colored hair.

And as for Sheera Ruu, she was facing me directly, filled with resolve.

“Okay, if you’re putting that much trust in me, then I’d like to try to live up to that. And so, I’ll give it my all.”

“Thank you... Well then, shall we go ahead and get this study session started?”

◇

After that, I managed to keep things under control and bring the morning study session to a close. As I stepped out of the kitchen for the first time in around two hours, I stretched out both my arms. Outside, I found Rimee Ruu and Granny Tito Min drying out pico leaves while they chopped firewood.

“Hey there, Rimee Ruu. Is Ai Fa still not back yet?”

“Yeah, but I think she’ll be back soon.”

Ai Fa had headed out to the edge of the forest in order to gather firewood for our stalls.

There was still a good bit of time left till the sun would hit its peak, but just as I was wondering what I would do with myself, someone unexpected approached: the eldest son of the main Ruu house, Jiza Ruu.

“Asuta, if you have the time, I would like to talk with you for a bit.”

“With me...?”

Jiza Ruu had more or less sunken into the shadows lately, but now he was saying he wanted to have a talk... To be honest, I had trouble imagining this was heading anywhere good.

Mia Lea Ruu had followed after me out of the kitchen, and was looking at her son with a bit of a doubtful look, too.

“How unusual for you to come talk with Asuta, Jiza... You aren’t dissatisfied with our clan head’s decision, are you?”

“The clan head’s decisions are absolute. As his eldest son, do you really believe I would oppose his wishes?”

As always, his expression alone remained perfectly calm.

Mia Lea Ruu gave a little sigh as she stared into his narrow eyes, then said, “You and Asuta both have plenty of work to take care of, so don’t go causing each other unnecessary worry, alright?”

“Right,” Jiza Ruu responded with a nod, then he started walking along the side of the house. Naturally, I had no choice but to follow.

“It feels like it’s been quite some time since we’ve been able to have a proper talk, Asuta...”

“That’s true. It may actually have been since the morning of the Rutim banquet.”

“Even so, that’s less than 20 days ago... And yet, things have changed to a dizzying degree since then.”

Jiza Ruu stopped in place and turned to face me. He had no blades or cloak on his person. He was just in his everyday cloth clothing. Still, considering the intimidating frame he was blessed with, he could surely get rid of me without a blade if he wanted to. Personally, I felt the need to be just as careful with him as I did when dealing with the Suun clan.

“You’ve firmly established yourself as a central figure at the forest’s edge. When you move, so does the future of our people... That is how it feels to me.”

“I don’t agree with that. I’m of course aware that I’ve been the trigger for all sorts of uproar... However, whether that’s a good or bad thing, it hasn’t been through my power alone. It’s because Ai Fa, Gazraan Rutim, and Donda Ruu were there that someone like me was able to have an effect on the future of the forest’s edge.”

“I’m not so sure about that. At the very least, I don’t believe the situation we see today would ever have come to pass if you were not around.”

I could feel an invisible pressure slowly pressing down on me from above. That pressure feared by his siblings felt like a lead weight that couldn’t be seen.

“That may be so, but I think that’s true of the others as well. If any of the people who helped me weren’t around, we would definitely find ourselves in a completely different situation. Isn’t that just the way the world is?”

“You’ve changed, Asuta...” Jiza Ruu said in a low tone. “In the past, you gave off a far weaker impression. It was as if you didn’t know yourself, and so there was a risk of you recklessly throwing around your strength.”

“Right...”

“Now, however, you not only seem to understand your power, but also intend to employ it to influence the forest’s edge.”

Somehow, it seemed like Jiza Ruu’s large body had grown even bigger. And the pressure was steadily growing heavier, bit by bit.

“You are dangerous. Probably even more so than that Kamyua Yoshu man from the city of stone... As a foreigner with the power to shift our future from among us, you are the most dangerous person I know.”

“Then you still can’t see me as a member of the forest’s edge?” I replied, feeling not so much afraid as overcome by an overwhelmingly oppressive feeling in the air. “I honestly wish to become a true person of the forest’s edge, from the depths of my heart. But I still feel nervous about trying to do something so great when I’ve been here for such a short period of time, so I’ve opened myself up to Ai Fa, Gazraan Rutim, and Donda Ruu so that I can choose the best possible path forward... Are you unhappy with the current relationship between the Ruu clan, the post town, and the Suun, Jiza Ruu?”

“If you ask me that... then I have to say I am, of course. I believe we people of the forest’s edge should be the ones to decide our own future.”

“Hmm... Then how about thinking of me as a tool Donda Ruu and Gazraan Rutim and the rest are using to blaze a trail forward? I still feel that way a bit myself...”

“Even if you are a tool, it isn’t the Ruu or Rutim who are using you.”

Jiza Ruu’s eyes remained narrowed, but I felt a gleam of darkness come from them. It was a piercing light, like the tip of a jet black blade.

“The one using you is the head of the Fa clan. Now that I consider it, perhaps we have yielded the fate of the forest’s edge to the hands of a clan head with no other families under her.”

“You’re mistaken. I’m not just honoring Ai Fa’s opinion. And on top of that, Ai Fa isn’t acting out of personal greed, but rather a desire for a better future for her people, right?”

That was exactly why she made the decision to rely on the Ruu and Rutim, in spite of her own feelings on the matter. And on the day after that, she got so worried about it that she broke out in a fever... But in the end, she decided to follow the path laid out in Gazraan Rutim’s words, believing them to be correct.

That was why I felt that what we were doing was trying to open wide a new future for the forest’s edge, with the Ruu, Rutim, and Fa supporting one another to get there... So why couldn’t Jiza Ruu think that way too?

“...If Ai Fa had married Darmu two years back, we never would have fallen into such a state,” Jiza Ruu stated in a perfectly calm tone. “Or if Jiba and Rimee had not formed a bond with her, or if she had never met you in the forest...”

“I feel blessed for those events, but you think of them as nothing but misfortune?” I questioned, strength filling my gaze as I bore the invisible pressure pushing down on me. “In that case... I find that very sad.”

It was like I could feel electricity crackling in the air. If I let my guard down, my knees would probably give out on me.

This certainly was just as intense as squaring off with a raging Donda Ruu.

But while Donda Ruu had created that pressure by letting his anger erupt, I couldn’t sense any emotion at all from Jiza Ruu.

I didn’t sense any personal feelings like anger or hatred, but something even more alien to me... Whether it was a sense of duty, or belonging to his people, or pride as a hunter, I could sense a fragment of that coming from him.

But at any rate, the pressure from him was overwhelming. I was just barely able to hold on against it, rather than crumbling.

Just how much time had passed...?

At any rate, my confrontation with Jiza Ruu was cut short when Ai Fa called out from behind his back, “What were you doing in a place like this, Asuta?”

With that, the pressure coming off of Jiza Ruu seemed to just poof away.

Turning her way, I saw Ai Fa with a bundle of firewood tied together with vines on her back.

“If you’ve got nothing to do, then help me. You’ll need even more firewood than yesterday for tomorrow, right?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s true... Got it, I’ll give you a hand.”

As Ai Fa approached, Jiza Ruu gave her a bow and then turned back towards me.

“Well then, please excuse me. I really was glad to get a chance to talk to you for the first time in a while.”

I was unable to come up with a clever response, so I just gave a little nod back.

With that, Jiza Ruu left and Ai Fa took his place.

“Really, just what are you doing, Asuta?” Ai Fa questioned, a scary look on her face. “I’ve never seen such bloodlust coming off that eldest son before. You shouldn’t be alone with that sort of man when I’m not around.”

“B-But it’s pretty hard to turn someone like that down when they say they want to talk, right?”

“Even so, refuse him. It’s impossible to read what he’s feeling, so even I don’t know how to properly stay on guard around him.”

Ai Fa brought her face even closer, to the point that the tips of our noses were practically touching, and stared into my eyes.

“Hmm... You don’t seem to have cowered despite being hit with such bloodlust, though. You may be terribly weak in muscles, but you seem to have courage to spare.”

“Hey, if you’re going to insult me, then do that, and if you’re going to praise me, then just praise me. Pick one or the other.”

“I see. Then let me praise you.”

With that, Ai Fa’s forehead bumped into mine.

“There aren’t many men of the forest’s edge who could retain their composure after being hit by that eldest son’s bloodlust. You certainly are cheeky for a powerless chef, Asuta.”

“Hey, like I said—”

“I’m praising you, so be proud.”

Then, Ai Fa showed me a vibrant smile.

“With your guts, the men of the Suun clan should be nothing to fear. I feel a little bit calmer now about the coming clan head meeting... Well then, let’s go gather some firewood, Asuta. I have to get my weakened body back in shape too, after all.”