Chapter 3: A Star of Bad Omen
1
The 15th day of the blue month.
It was a day that would end far from tranquilly, but it started just the same as the day before.
With that said, the forest’s edge was still under martial law. When we awoke with the rising of the sun, picked up what we needed to wash, and opened the door, four Dom men were standing there, having watched over the Fa house all night. They had lit fires on all four sides of the house and taken turns sleeping as they guarded against an assault by the criminals.
“Good morning. We have to clean up after last night’s dinner.”
The four men wearing giba skulls just silently nodded back.
The previous night, I had treated them to the leftover myamuu giba from the stall. However, the men of this clan from the far north were known to be especially stern even among the people of the forest’s edge. And so, I couldn’t even spy the anger at Zattsu and Tei Suun for sullying their pride, as it was hidden as always beneath their stony, expressionless faces.
One of the four remained to watch the house, while the other three accompanied us to the washing place. As they had been attacked by Zattsu Suun and let Tei Suun escape, they volunteered themselves to guard the Fa house in order to recover their honor.
It was a given that they strongly desired a chance to mete out punishment to the criminals by their own hands. And so they also kept on guarding the Fa house during the day, so we were able to go work in town without worrying about it being set on fire or anything being poisoned while we were away.
Once we finished with our work for the morning we headed to the Ruu settlement, where we met up with the others and then set out for the post town. For us, that part of the route was the most dangerous, but fortunately we made it to town without running into any unforeseen misfortune, and were able start our work without any problems.
◇
I guess Kamyua’s group is right in the middle of the forest around now... I absentmindedly mused while cooking meat on the metal tray.
If they left Genos when the sun rose, it would take around 40-50 minutes to reach the Ruu settlement, then it would be about two hours before they hit the Sauti homes to the south. So around now, they should be blazing a trail through the forest.
Then they would travel along from the south to the east of Mount Morga, and make it through the forest in half a day. It was a seriously intense schedule. And yet, it was just the start of a long journey that would last for two months before they returned.
Where will Zattsu Suun show up...? Or will he end up dying out in the forest without anyone knowing, like Ludo Ruu said...? I thought to myself, a sigh unintentionally slipping out.
Then from next to me, Lala Ruu grumbled with a bored look, “Man, there sure aren’t many customers. Somehow it almost doesn’t feel worth doing all this...”
“That’s not true. And besides, it’s not like our sales are going to drop off that dramatically.”
With that said, it sure wasn’t lively at the moment. The fact that our sales hadn’t changed all that much was ultimately down to the fact that we didn’t have many customers from the west to begin with.
Even so, Dora did stop by while holding a firm grasp on Tara’s hand, and they bought enough for the pot and cloth sellers too. And then, Yumi also stopped by just like she had promised. So for now, I had to keep on working while praying in my mind that they didn’t get wrapped up in anything.
“Ah, welcome!” I greeted with a smile far brighter than I was feeling inside, as a group of customers approached as if to cheer us up. It was the whole of that merchant group from the east, the Silver Vase. However, when Shumiral approached and pulled down his hood as always, he for some reason silently stared at my face.
“Um, do you want five of each as usual today?”
“Yes,” he replied with a small nod, then went silent again.
What was going on? Maybe I was just imagining things, but I felt like I could sense some sadness in his gaze.
“Is something the matter, Shumiral?”
“No... It’s just, I heard something.”
“Huh?”
“That your food, is being served, in an inn, for people of, the south.”
“Ah, do you mean The Great Southern Tree?”
Silence, and more sad eyes.
At this point, even I had a sense of what was going on.
“U-Um, you see, the owner of that inn has mixed blood of the south and west. So he heard about the reputation of our stalls and offered a job to me, so he could serve my cooking in his inn...”
“I would feel blessed, to be able, to eat your cooking, for dinner.”
“T-Thank you. But ultimately, it all falls down to the inn owner’s feelings...”
“Is it a problem, if the inn owner, is a westerner?”
“W-What?”
“The owner of, The Sledgehammer, is a westerner. Do you hate, people of the west, Asuta?”
“N-No, not at all. I even have westerners as customers here at the stalls, and I’d like Genos and the forest’s edge to form a better relationship.”
Shumiral leaned forwards ever so slightly.
“The owner of, The Sledgehammer, wishes for, the same thing. Could you not, serve dinner, at The Sledgehammer?”
“I-Is that the name of the inn you all use? If I could get work there too, I would certainly welcome it...”
“I will talk, to him. The Sledgehammer’s owner, will surely, be overjoyed. And we, will feel blessed, as well.”
“I’d be happy too if it works out. I’m honestly grateful that you always bring me such wonderful offers, Shumiral.”
Shumiral fell back, then hung his head a bit.
“I let myself, get worked up. I am, embarrassed.”
That was him getting worked up? That would mean I was worked up from morning till night.
“Could I ask for a bit more time, though? Ultimately, I’m pretty restricted under the current circumstances. I’m in no position to wander around the post town as I please...”
“That is fine. The disaster, will end.”
“Eh?”
“One of, my comrades, reads the stars. He said, the star of bad omen, will disappear.”
“Reading the stars...? So, a fortune teller? I’d certainly be glad if that turns out to be true.”
Now that I thought of it, the Eastern Kingdom of Sym was called the country of magic and shamans. So I guess it wasn’t so strange for someone from there to tell fortunes using stars.
“It will disappear, without fail. The disaster, will vanish. The movements of the stars, are absolute.”
“I see. Well then, if those criminals are captured while you all are staying in Genos, then please, go ahead and talk to that—” I started to say, only for Shumiral to shake his head and cut me off.
A heavy silence fell over us, and he seemed to appear a bit impatient despite how unusual that was for him.
“No. The star of ill fortune, will disappear... today.”
“Today?”
“Yes, today. It will vanish, today,” Shumiral said, leaning forwards again. “Asuta, please take care. When a strong star, disappears, the surrounding stars, can get wrapped up, in it. Many fates, can be twisted... Weak stars, can get involved, when a disaster, is felled.”
How could I express what I was feeling at the moment? It felt as if I had sensed someone walking over my own grave... An indescribable chill was creeping up my spine, and my body unwittingly trembled.
“I will talk, to The Sledgehammer’s, owner. I look forward, to when the disaster, is gone,” he said, his eyes narrowing as if to comfort me, and then he left along with his comrades.
“He’s just as mysterious as always, huh?” Lala Ruu said with a grin, but I wasn’t smiling.
There was an excessive unease lingering about me.
A star of ill omen would disappear, impacting the fates of a great many people... What a seriously ominous statement. It would be great if that applied to Zattsu Suun, but it was also terrifying.
I’d be grateful if he could get caught rather than dying alone in the forest, but still...
What if that resulted in a great number of casualties? Zattsu Suun was bedridden for years, so did he still have the strength left for something like that?
Even in spite of that fortune I couldn’t comprehend, I was starting to feel more and more uneasy.
“Ah, a totos...” Lala Ruu nonchalantly muttered. Sure enough, there was a lone easterner heading north with a totos in tow. “There sure was a lot of commotion this morning. I mean, there were totos walking along through the settlement at the forest’s edge. That had Rimee seriously worked up.”
“Oh, so the merchants had totos pulling their wares? Did you see that too, Lala Ruu?”
“Yeah. They were passing by just when I finished all my washing and stepped outside. They all had a bit of a nasty air about them, somehow. Like, they all had their faces hidden like folks from Sym.” Lala Ruu was always so energetic and fearless, so I couldn’t help but calm down a bit as I talked to her. It really was reassuring seeing how not just her, but all the Ruu women seemed to be going about their business as usual rather than fearing an attack by Zattsu Suun. They certainly had more guts than I did, if nothing else. “Still, it felt wrong for townsfolk to be walking through the settlement at the forest’s edge all haughty like that. I hope that’s the first and last time it happens...”
“But it’s not the first time, right? Didn’t a merchant caravan heading for Sym pass through the forest’s edge once before?”
“Ah, right. But I don’t remember anything from that far back. I mean, I was just two years old back then.”
“Huh? The last time was really that far back?” I asked, a bit taken off guard.
“Yup,” Lala Ruu replied with a nod. “That was when the older of Shin Ruu’s younger brothers was born, so it should be exactly ten years ago. That means I was two, so there’s no way I would ever remember anything from them.”
“Ah, I see...”
What was it? Why exactly was that jumping out at me? I mean, it shouldn’t matter how many years ago that was. It shouldn’t matter at all... But it was making me feel really uneasy.
Ten years ago, a large merchant caravan passed through the settlement. But whether because the people of the forest’s edge didn’t do enough to guide them or they simply weren’t properly equipped, they were attacked by giba and every last one of them lost their lives. All of them died out there in the forest. And they weren’t people of the forest’s edge, but citizens of Genos.
Then maybe...
The vague unease in the back of my mind was starting to take shape, but it was still fuzzy.
This wasn’t the first time I felt this way. In fact, something similar happened just the day before yesterday. But back then, Zattsu Suun was still being held by the Jeen clan. So it didn’t have anything to do with him, and I had instead been shaken by that meeting between Gazraan Rutim and Kamyua Yoshu. That then reminded me that I had been thinking of the time that aloof man visited the Ruu settlement over 20 days ago...
Oh yeah, and if I recall correctly, Kamyua was talking about the merchant caravan back then... Or no wait, was it Donda Ruu? At any rate, somebody mentioned it. So, that was ten years ago...
I had completely forgotten all about that. After all, back then I felt some story from years ago had nothing to do with me.
That still shouldn’t have changed, though. It really shouldn’t have. What did it matter whether it was five years ago or ten?
But... there was just one thing that differed between then and now: Through completely unrelated means, I had learned about someone else from Genos who had died ten years ago. In other words, Milano Mas’s friend, who was also his wife’s older brother. I didn’t even know his name, but I believe I had the time frame correct.
Could... he have been a member of the merchant group?
But according to Milano Mas, he was killed by a person of the forest’s edge. Apparently, the proof was that he was gripping a giba horn and tusk necklace.
And if I recall correctly, he was supposedly found dead at the bottom of a cliff...
Thinking about it, there weren’t any cliffs around the post town. And the only ones I knew of big enough to kill someone... were in the forest of Morga.
So Milano Mas’s friend was a member of the merchant group after all, and he died in the forest? And he wasn’t attacked by a giba, but rather by a person of the forest’s edge.
Ten years ago... That was right around when Zattsu Suun handed over his position as clan head. But at any rate, if someone went and did something that awful, it would have been him rather than Zuuro Suun. Even if he was already sick at that point and couldn’t do it himself, he could have always given the order to someone else.
Could that “someone else” have been Tei Suun?
The pieces were slotting together and forming a picture I really didn’t want to see. However, I was still missing some of them. But it was already enough to make it clear that there was a real possibility that Zasshuma’s merchant caravan would get attacked.
That feeling of unease inside of me just wouldn’t die out.
“Hey, are you alright, Asuta...?” Lala Ruu asked, suddenly poking me in the side and causing my heart to skip a beat. “We have a customer. If you’re feeling bad, though, do you want me to make it?”
“N-No, I’m fine. Hold on just a moment...” I called out, only to be surprised yet again. It was none other than young Leito standing there with a smile in front of the stall. “H-Huh? You stayed behind in Genos, Leito?”
“Yes. I was ordered to stay behind, as the job this time around is a dangerous one. That’s just awful, isn’t it? I’m going to be left alone for two whole months,” he said with an innocent smile and a cute tilt of his head. “So just the one for me today, alright?” he added as he held out two red coins.
“Thank you for your continued business. Still, just how have you been living, anyway...? Were you born in Genos?”
“That’s right. But I don’t have any family or anything, though,” the flaxen-haired youth stated, wearing the same smile as always. “My mother died after giving birth to me, but my family had ties to The Kimyuus’s Tail, so I’ve been allowed to stay there. Then Kamyua showed up two years ago as a guest, and I got him to agree to take me on as his apprentice.”
“Ooh! Then did Milano Mas adopt you?”
“No, he’s just been kind enough to give me a place to stay. But since I formed my bond with Kamyua, I’ve started paying to stay as a guest.” That was certainly a far harsher childhood than I had imagined. Was that why he always had such a mature air about him? “Milano Mas has been very good to me. But I’ve always wanted to see more of the world, which is why I wanted to stay with a wanderer like Kamyua. I mean, staying with him, you would gain the strength needed to live on your own whether you wanted to or not.”
“I see... But isn’t it going to be rough, being on your own for two months?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I was on my own to begin with, after all.” Leito still wore a smile that made you feel he couldn’t hurt a fly as he said that. “My father was the leader of a big merchant caravan. But he lost his life in an unfortunate accident ten years back, and my mother followed soon after him... I had only just been born, though, so I don’t have any memory of either of them.” I almost dropped the giba burger I had just finished making into the pot. And as that happened, Leito’s light brown eyes were staring straight at my face. “So you didn’t know after all, huh? Well, it’s not like Kamyua explicitly told me not to mention anything, so it’s fine.”
“Leito... Then Milano Mas’s friend was...”
“Yes. You mean the older brother of Milano Mas’s wife, don’t you? He was an important business partner to my father, apparently. I’m sure Milano Mas overlapped his wife and my mother in his head and felt pity for me. Honestly, he seemed to dote on me more than his own daughter.”
I was at a loss for words.
“Please, don’t make a face like that. I didn’t have any parents to begin with, so I don’t know what it feels like to have them,” Leito said with his usual innocent smile as he took the giba burger from my hands. “Well then, excuse me. I’ll keep stopping by every day, alright?”
With that, Leito disappeared down the road. As I watched him leave with a look of astonishment still half-fixed to my face, I could swear I heard the final piece clicking into place in my head.
Kamyua Yoshu had known from the very start that a person of the forest’s edge could have been behind the incident with the merchants from ten years ago. And he had formulated the plan to try it again despite that.
That may have been exactly why he didn’t let Leito accompany them. He didn’t want the boy to meet the same fate as his father...
Ah, but the circumstances are totally different between then and now. Even if the Suun clan caused that incident ten years ago, the only ones who could try something like that now are Zattsu and Tei Suun. With just the two of them, they couldn’t possibly attack a caravan protected by four hunters and five bodyguards, right...? And if even if they tried, they would just get taken down...
The puzzle in my head was finally complete, but my conclusion hadn’t changed in the least. And yet, the unease in my chest still hadn’t settled.
And so, while still feeling troubled by that sensation, I kept on working as the time slowly passed.
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