2
Ultimately, we wrapped up business for the day around two hours after the sun hit its peak.
We had prepared 200 meals the last time we came back from a break too, but back then we used up all of our normal business hours before selling out. This time, we were out around an hour and a half quicker. That must have been because we took two whole days off in a row this time.
Regardless, it certainly made for a nice way to reopen for business. And so, I felt nice and satisfied as I headed on over towards The Kimyuus’s Tail.
“Good work today, Asuta. Kamyua is waiting for you in the back,” Leito greeted as I passed through the door to the inn after returning the stalls.
After saying hello to Milano Mas at the reception desk, Vina Ruu and I headed inside. I had asked Lala and Sheera Ruu to take care of the shopping for tomorrow, so that just left the two of us.
“Hey there, Asuta. Long time no see. Glad to find you looking well.”
As always, Kamyua Yoshu was waiting for us at a table for six in the back of the restaurant. However, there were two other people there with him, which left me rather troubled. Their backs were to me so I couldn’t tell what sort of folks they were, but regardless, what I had come to talk about couldn’t really be discussed in front of strangers.
“Same here. And thank you for your purchase earlier. Um... are these people your acquaintances, Kamyua?”
“Yeah, we were just making a few arrangements for the job. I figured you would be coming a bit later, after all,” Kamyua Yoshu replied with his usual complacent smile.
Well, there was in fact more than an hour left till our usual closing time, so Kamyua Yoshu wasn’t really at fault here. And I certainly didn’t miss the fact that he mentioned his job.
“Um, could you mean the guard work you’ve been talking about?”
“Yeah, that’s right. The big job where we’re passing through the settlement at the forest’s edge to the eastern highway. Well, it’s not like it has nothing to do with you, so I guess I should go ahead and introduce you.”
Hearing that, the other two men turned around, and I instantly gulped. That was just how shocking one of the two appeared. Though with that said, I couldn’t see his face at all, as he had even more bandage-like cloth wrapped around his face than Darmu Ruu once did.
“The one closer to you two is Haan of Dabagg, and he’s also in the bodyguard business. The guy further in Zasshuma, the leader of the merchant caravan heading for Sym. Ah, and this is Asuta of the forest’s edge, as well as one of the daughters of the powerful Ruu clan.”
The bandaged man was Haan of Dabagg. I had never heard of it before, but I assumed that Dabagg was the name of a place. He really had a strange air about him, and not just because his face was hidden behind bandages. No, it was the sharpness and coldness in his snake-like eyes that had me so on guard.
I had once compared Yamiru’s eyes to those of a snake, but his certainly didn’t have the same venom in them. They just looked frozen, as if they utterly lacked the warmth and emotion you would expect from a human being. Yes, his pale grey eyes had a merciless shine to them, like a guillotine’s blade.
He seemed pretty tall and well built, wearing the same sort of long leather cloak as Kamyua Yoshu, though he also had a hood up like folks from the east wore. From what I could see under the cloak, his outfit looked incredibly normal, but there was no way he was any ordinary man.
“Oh? You’re the owner of those stalls that sell giba dishes, aren’t you? I’ve only seen you from afar up till now, but you’re rather young, aren’t you?!” the other man, Zasshuma, chimed in.
He seemed plenty shady, too. Kamyua Yoshu had introduced him as being in charge of the merchant caravan, but he looked more like the boss of a band of thieves to me.
He had rather sunburnt olive skin, his hair and beard were both dark brown, and his eyes were a bright tawny color. His height was average, and he also looked to have a pretty darn sturdy physique. As for his attire, he wore a sandy-colored turban on his head, a sleeveless vest, and cylindrical-legged pants. Plus, he had a number of jingling accessories around his neck and arms, so he gave the impression of being rather well off.
“Sorry, but can we end it here for today? There shouldn’t be any problems with the arrangements we’ve made up till now, right?” Kamyua Yoshu asked, at which Zasshuma replied, “Right,” with a nod and slowly rose to his feet.
“Well, with Kamyua Yoshu the Northern Whirlwind and the Twin Fangs, Haan of Dabagg, on our side, we don’t have to fear any possible threats! And we’ve got all the annoying talking out of the way now, so make sure to get plenty of rest before the day we head out.”
With that urging from Zasshuma, the bandaged Haan also stood to his feet. As he did so he grabbed two blades leaning up against one of the log chairs, then hung both of them at his waist. Was that why he had that grandiose nickname of “the Twin Fangs”?
“Still, you sure are a pretty one! I know there are a lot of beauties among the young women of the forest’s edge, but you’re far beyond any I’ve seen up till now!” Zasshuma suddenly stated, leaning his face towards Vina Ruu. “How about coming back to my inn with me till tomorrow morning? Considering your looks, I could pay you ten white coins for that.”
“Do you really think you can buy a woman of the forest’s edge with money...?” Vina Ruu replied while glaring at the man with her incredibly seductive eyes.
Zasshuma didn’t seem to feel any shame in the least and just shot her back a big grin.
“As long as they agree to it, I’ll buy as many as I please. And if it’s a proper exchange for goods, then the hunters of the forest’s edge would have no reason to send my head flying over that, right?”
“Unfortunately for you, not a single woman at the forest’s edge would sell her body for coins...”
“I see. That is unfortunate! Well then, Northern Whirlwind, go ahead and contact me if anything else comes up!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
With that, the disquieting pair exited The Kimyuus’s Tail.
Kamyua Yoshu shrugged his shoulders, then gestured towards the open seats.
“Man, sorry about all that. He’s actually not as much of a scoundrel as he looks, but he’s just way too driven by his desires. He doesn’t have the guts to do anything untoward to a person of the forest’s edge, though, so feel free to just laugh him off.”
“Right...” I replied, feeling rather dissatisfied with that statement as I sat down where Zasshuma had been seated.
However, rather than sitting, Vina Ruu stood behind me. That was because the people of the forest’s edge had no custom of using chairs.
“Now then, what did you want to discuss? I couldn’t help but feel elated when I heard you were coming to meet me,” Kamyua Yoshu stated, his elbows on the table as he excitedly leaned forwards.
I stared straight back at his long, aloof face, then replied, “I’m afraid it’s nothing to feel elated about. Today, I’m here as a representative for the three new leaders of the forest’s edge, who have taken the place of the Suun. Will you listen to my message from the Ruu clan head Donda Ruu, Sauti clan head Dari Sauti, and Zaza clan head Gulaf Zaza, Kamyua Yoshu?”
“Well, I can’t exactly turn you down after hearing that introduction...” Kamyua Yoshu said with a cheerful grin, then he took a sip of the zozo tea that was sitting on the table. “So, the Suun clan was finally stripped of its status? That certainly does make for a serious situation.”
“Um, I’d just like to confirm up front, did you really not know of that?”
“Why would I? I’m not a person of the forest’s edge, so I’d have no way of getting ahold of that information.”
“But you spied on the wedding banquet without anyone noticing, didn’t you? So I figured it was also possible you did the same thing with the clan head conference of two days ago.”
“Hmm, I see. I’ll be honest with you, here. I was aware that the clan head conference occurs once a year, and that it was being held on the tenth of the blue month. But since it was such a tense event rather than a party where everyone was getting drunk, I had no confidence I could stay hidden all the way to the end, so I didn’t dare consider getting anywhere near it... I would never underestimate the people of the forest’s edge that greatly, Asuta,” Kamyua Yoshu stated, his expression still every bit as detached as always.
“I see,” I replied with a nod. “Well then, let me continue on. It was decided that the Suun clan was unfit to lead the forest’s edge, and they were stripped of that right. Now in their place, the Ruu, Sauti, and Zaza clans govern. There’s still a chance the Zaza will yield that right to another of their related clans, but for now, those three lead the forest’s edge, so please understand that fact.”
“Yup, got it. As I said before, I’ve had serious doubts about the behavior of the Suun clan, so hearing that the people of the forest’s edge have taken decisive action against them makes me want to stand up and applaud.”
“I’m grateful to hear that... So, the new leaders of the forest’s edge will have to discuss things with the lord of Genos, but before that, we have to quickly deal with the matter of your job three days from now.”
“Yup, yup. We had arranged to have the Suun clan lead us through the settlement at the forest’s edge, after all. So what will happen with that?”
“Yes, well, to begin with, I’d like to confirm whether or not it would be possible to cancel it at this point.”
“That’d be tough,” Kamyua Yoshu replied, spreading his arms out in an exaggerated manner. “This is a large-scale plan involving both the Western Kingdom of Selva and the Eastern Kingdom of Sym. The lord of Genos himself is paying close attention to how it goes, so it’s not exactly something we can just stop at this point.”
I couldn’t help but mentally sigh at how ambitious that scale was, but it ultimately wasn’t all that complex. The thrust of it was that currently to come and go between Selva and Sym, the only option was to take a big detour around Mount Morga on the highway. But by passing through the settlement at the forest’s edge, it would be possible to greatly cut down on the distance.
“And let me add that there’s a barren desert stretching to the south of Morga, while the north is packed with bandits who attack travelers. Either of those makes for a harsh journey, and as such, this is a matter of critical importance to both nations.”
“Right...”
“If this experiment succeeds, it could well lead to the establishment of a new route. But as I said, last time anyone tried this it was a huge failure. All 30 members of the large merchant caravan made it safely through the settlement at the forest’s edge, but as they were passing through the forest towards the highway they were attacked by giba and all lost their lives.”
Had I heard that before? I felt like I had, but I didn’t remember the details. It must have been a good while ago.
“Back then the people of the forest’s edge weren’t friendly enough to offer to guide them, and the merchants certainly weren’t properly prepared. And so this plan has been carefully constructed while reflecting on what went wrong last time. Those preparations took two whole months, so we can’t exactly go changing things now.”
“Understood...” I replied with a sigh. “In that case, I suppose there’s no helping it. And the leaders of the forest’s edge did say they didn’t especially wish to change the agreement, too. However, they also wanted to consider the option if there wouldn’t be any significant obstacles.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that,” Kamyua Yoshu responded with a smile, then took another sip of his zozo tea. “To be honest, the fact that the Suun clan was set to guide us had me more than a little concerned. So I’d actually feel real grateful to have another clan take up the task in their place.”
“Yes, about that... Your plan is to enter the forest from the south of the settlement, then push through to the highway, right? I heard that from Donda Ruu after he got it out of someone from the Suun clan.”
“Yeah. That’s because if we went north we’d pop out in the middle of the bandits’ territory. But by going from the south, it should be possible to make it to the highway while skipping past the desert region. I was personally thinking it would be a good route, too.”
“I see... To be honest, it’s possible that the Suun clan was planning to just halfheartedly suggest a route rather than putting in any effort. The ones living at the south of the forest’s edge are the Sauti and the clans under them, while the Suun live to the north and wouldn’t actually know the area.”
“Aah. So the Suun clan didn’t tell anything to those Sauti fellows, all so they could keep the reward money to themselves, huh? It’s sounding more and more like we got real lucky the Suun fell when they did,” Kamyua Yoshu stated, rubbing his stubbly chin. “By the way, are things stable at the forest’s edge? Even if the Suun clan’s crimes were made public, I can’t imagine them being the sort to just obediently accept their fate.”
“There aren’t any issues on that front. The new leaders of the forest’s edge have taken responsibility for keeping them in line.”
The men of the main Suun house were set to be sent north this afternoon. Zuuro Suun would be placed with the Zaza clan, Zattsu Suun would go to the Jeen, while Diga, Doddo, and Tei would join the Dom.
There shouldn’t have been any need to transport the previous clan head, Zattsu Suun, as he was so ill he couldn’t even stand on his own. However, the members of the Suun branch houses feared him even more than they did Zuuro Suun, so he was to be placed on a sliding door and forcefully carried there.
“If he dies on the way, then so be it,” Donda Ruu had mercilessly stated. Unlike Diga and the rest, Zuuro and Zattsu Suun retained their clan names as they awaited their day of judgment.
The reason they weren’t being punished immediately was to allow time to look into their other crimes, especially the detail of whether or not they harmed any townsfolk. But they most certainly weren’t being forgiven. It was already a given that they would need to pay for the crime of pillaging the bounty of the forest with their lives.
The thought of it all cast a gloom over me, but Kamyua Yoshu just said, “I see, got it,” with a relaxed smile. “In that case, I’ll need to make fresh arrangements with the Sauti, right? I’d like to take care of that tomorrow if at all possible.”
“Of course. If you could designate a time and place, I could pass that along.”
“Hmm... How about in front of your stall, when the sun hits its peak tomorrow? That way you can vouch for my identity, and the folks from the Sauti would feel more at ease too, right? Then we can move here to The Kimyuus’s Tail afterwards to work out the details.” Then he swept back his blond bangs and added, “By the way, when were you guys planning on discussing all of this with Duke Marstein Genos? I’m certainly grateful that you’re giving my work such priority, but shouldn’t that come first?”
“Ah, yes, that’s up to the leading clans, but I believe they’re planning to head to the castle first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Gotcha... Of course, you already know how the Suun clan had their exchanges with the Genos castle, don’t you? You won’t mistakenly walk up to the main gate, will you?”
I only just happened to overhear this, but apparently even the Suun clan weren’t permitted to enter the castle town. Instead they stated their business to the guards at the rear gate, and that was then conveyed inside the stone walls.
“So ultimately, the Suun clan never met the lord face to face, either. That sure sounds fitting to how the folks behind those stone walls do things,” Ludo Ruu had groused at dinner last night.
“And it may not be necessary, but there’s one more thing I wanted to warn you about... The man the lord appointed to negotiate with the people of the forest’s edge is named Cyclaeus. He doesn’t have so much as a mote of respect for hunters, so everyone should try to mind their tempers around him, alright?”
“Understood. I’ll let them know.”
For natural-born hunters like Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza, this could prove to be a far harsher trial than even dealing with the Suun clan. Officially, the lord of Genos also ruled over the people of the forest’s edge, so they wouldn’t be permitted to defy his proxy, Cyclaeus, either.
“So, does that about cover it for today? I’ll admit I’m real curious just what the Suun clan did that led to their downfall, but I get that someone from about town like me doesn’t exactly have the right to pry. And so, I’ll just try to sneakily get it out of the duke instead.”
“I don’t think ‘someone from about town’ could approach the lord of the land like that, though...”
“I’m telling you, that all just sort of happened. I mean, you can never predict how bonds will form between folks... Though to be fair, me and Cyclaeus are probably the only two people in this whole world with direct ties to both Duke Marstein Genos and the people of the forest’s edge,” Kamyua Yoshu said, breaking out in a grin like a Cheshire cat. Somehow, I got the impression that he was hinting we should ask him for help if things happened to go sour with Cyclaeus.
“Kamyua... Could I ask you one more question?”
“Yeah, what is it? And you don’t have to limit yourself to just one. Ask as many as you please.”
“I’ve now finished my role as a messenger. From here on, I’m talking to you on a personal level, as Asuta of the Fa clan. We may not be close enough to call each other friends yet, but there’s still one thing I’d like you to confirm for me.”
“I think of you as a fine friend, though. But what is it...?”
“Did you give Ai Fa your help on the night before last?”
“Hmm?” Kamyua Yoshu questioned, raising one of his eyebrows. “That would have been the night of the clan head meeting, right? Like I said before, I didn’t go anywhere near the forest’s edge on that day.”
“Is that so? I get that it may well have been impossible to peer in on the meeting itself with all the clan heads gathered there, but I would think you could manage to hide yourself out in the dark.”
In actuality, Ludo and Shin Ruu, and even Tsuvai had been watching us that night, so it surely wouldn’t have been hard for someone as elusive as Kamyua Yoshu to do so. However, he just shook his head, still wearing the same expression on his face.
“Like I’ve told you before, I want to build a friendly relationship with the people of the forest’s edge. That Donda Ruu fellow warned me that if I wasn’t careful with my actions he would send my head flying, and at the time you told me you didn’t need my help, too. And considering I wouldn’t stand to gain anything by going where the clan head meeting was being held, I went ahead and held back my overwhelming curiosity and just slept here at the inn.”
“I see... Sorry for asking you the same question over and over.”
“Hmm... I’ll admit it makes me sad to think you see me as such a huge liar, but what were you asking for, anyway? Was Ai Fa in danger, somehow?”
“Yes. And so if you were the one who saved her, I wanted to make sure I thanked you properly. I figured it wasn’t very likely, though.”
So in that case, was it really Tei Suun... er, Tei, who had Ai Fa drink that fruit wine so she would wake up? That pitiable man who gave his own daughter to be the clan head Zuuro Suun’s wife, then on top of that got used like a servant by the members of the main house?
“I see,” Kamyua Yoshu muttered. At the same time, his purple eyes narrowed a bit and took on a strange, knowing shine. “Unfortunately, I’m not the one you’re looking for. I’ve got no clue who it may be, but I hope you get the chance to thank them directly.”
“Right, got it...” His gaze somehow reminded me of Jiba Ruu’s and made me feel uneasy, so I decided to make a hasty retreat. “Well then, we’ll be excusing ourselves now. I’ll see you again tomorrow, when the sun hits its peak.”
“Yup. I’ll be secretly raising a toast tonight for the people of the forest’s edge and the new life they’re starting. And make sure you give my regards to Ai Fa too, alright?”
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