Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4: Mania in the Post Town

1

“Don’t worry about it so much, Ai Fa,” Ludo Ruu of all people surprisingly called out as we were heading to the post town the following day. “It’s not like you could’ve ditched Asuta and gone off to play hide and seek. If you did and Asuta got munched by a giiz or something and died, that’d be a serious issue, right?”

It was the same group of four stall workers and four guards as yesterday.

As we headed down the slightly declining path, Ai Fa remained silent and sullen-looking.

“It’s not like my old man or Jiza had any complaints, either. If he’s going to show up again today, then we’ve just got to nab him when he does. Plus it’s not like he can use giba summoning fruit to lure the beasts all the way into town, so it should be an easy win for us hunters.”

Naturally, we revealed everything that happened last night to our fellow people of the forest’s edge rather than trying to conceal anything. The Dom men even went ahead and formed a late-night search party, but nobody was able to find any trace of Tei Suun.

“At any rate, there’s no point in worrying. We’ll capture him without any of the women or townsfolk getting so much as a scratch. That should be easy enough, considering we’re just up against one man.”

Ludo Ruu sounded even more laid back than usual as he walked at the head of the group.

“And if he’ll actually cast aside his blade, then let him enjoy Asuta’s cooking one last time. He shouldn’t have any complaints that way either, right? Not that we’d listen to his complaints, though... So don’t get so down, Ai Fa.”

“I’m not feeling particularly down at all...” Ai Fa responded with a pout, seemingly unable to put up with it any longer.

Instantly, Rau Lea chimed in from his position sandwiched between the women, “What’s with that expression? You can make a face like that? You’re reminding me of a little kid, there.” Almost immediately, Ai Fa shot him back a glare of warning from her wildcat-like eyes. “Man, no matter what sort of face you’re making, though, it seems to suit you. Looking closely, you’re quite a beauty. If you weren’t a hunter, I’d want to offer to take you as my bride.”

“Cut it out, Rau Lea. You seriously don’t know how to restrain yourself,” I hurriedly interjected.

But Rau Lea replied, “What’s that?” with a tilt of his head. “The Lea clan doesn’t make a habit of holding back around friends. If I want to take a woman as my bride, then I’ll just tell her that.”

“No, but...”

“Don’t worry. I can’t go and marry a hunter, anyway. After all, I’ve got to have lots of kids as clan head. If you want to be my bride, then you’ll have to give up on hunting.”

“Ai Fa didn’t say a single word about wanting to marry you, though,” Ludo Ruu chimed in with a chuckle, which brought the topic to a close. Normally I would find it reassuring seeing how nonchalant and relaxed they were acting under the circumstances, but I had felt a tightness crushing my chest since yesterday.

That man... Tei Suun... Just what sort of person is he, really?

He was a man of the branch houses who lost his family and came to live with the main house.

Oura’s father and Tsuvai’s grandfather.

Yamiru Lea and Diga’s hands and feet, compelled to do awful things.

And also... the previous clan head Zattsu Suun’s close associate.

No matter how many times I went over his profile, I didn’t feel any closer to grasping Tei Suun’s nature.

The only positive points I had to go on were the fact that he may have interpreted Diga’s order in a way that allowed him to save Ai Fa, and that he put down his blade ridiculously quickly when up against Dan Rutim.

He wants someone to bring his life to an end as soon as possible...

That was what Yamiru Lea had said.

Perhaps that was the way she had once felt, too. But ultimately, she chose to live on as a member of the Lea clan. Yet even though Diga and Doddo had fled, ultimately Tei Suun remained with Zattsu Suun. And not only that, he also dirtied his hands helping the man in his final act of wrongdoing.

Was that all part of his self-destructiveness? He saw Zattsu Suun fall and chose this path so he could also meet his end...? Was that it?

“Hey, hold on...” Rau Lea suddenly warned, holding up his arm.

We were on a path at the edge of the forest, surrounded by greenery. It was a narrow trail, cleared solely to connect the settlement to the post town. There were short yet lush trees on either side, and the 2-3 meter wide path continued on into the distance, winding significantly as it went. It was impossible to look far ahead with all the vegetation, but we had been walking long enough that we would probably start seeing the liveliness of the post town soon.

“What is it? I don’t sense anything.”

“Yeah, in the forest off to the left and right... But don’t things seem more turbulent in town than usual?”

I couldn’t hear anything at all. Vina Ruu and the other women looked confused, too.

However, the hunters all nodded in agreement.

“Now that you mention it, I can sense a large crowd getting all worked up.”

“Did Tei Suun slip up and get caught?”

“I’ll go take a look,” Shin Ruu called out from the rear, then disappeared down the road only to reappear less than a minute later. “There are folks gathered at the borderline between the town and the forest. They aren’t showing any sign of moving our way, but there seem to be a lot of guards there, too.”

“How many is a lot?”

“There had to be over ten guards, and around a hundred townsfolk.”

What in the world was that all about? The easiest scenario to imagine really was that Tei Suun had been captured and onlookers had gathered around.

“We can’t head into town like this. What’ll we do, Asuta?”

“Right... How about if Ai Fa and I go check it out? That should get the townsfolk less worked up.”

And if Tei Suun really had been captured, then I felt we needed to try to talk to him before he was taken away to the castle.

“Right. But if things look dangerous, then turn around immediately, alright? Then we’ll just take it easy and wait for them to disperse.”

“Understood,” Ai Fa stated with a nod.

With that, we set off down the same path that Shin Ruu had just taken. After around thirty seconds of walking the gently curving trail, the sight that the young hunter had described came into view. We were still at a good bit of a higher elevation, and so we ended up looking down on the scene.

The wooden stalls were all lined up in a row. And in the open space behind them, over a hundred people were gathered. It was if they were standing there specifically to block us from our goal.

Now that I thought about it, ever since Zattsu and Tei Suun escaped, there were always two guards stationed there. But now, there were over ten of them. And on top of that, a number of the townsfolk were clearly arguing with them.

“It doesn’t appear that Tei Suun has been captured...” Ai Fa noted.

“Yeah. In that case... are we the source of this commotion?”

It was certainly possible. In fact, if Tei Suun wasn’t involved, then that was about all I could think of.

“What should we do? Would it be bad if we headed down there in that case?”

“But we can’t simply turn around without learning what’s going on. After all, Tei Suun will still head into town whether we’re there or not.” Ai Fa’s intense gaze was pointed my way. “We should try asking the guards. If they tell us to head back to the settlement then we’ll have no choice but to obey, but at any rate, we can’t make a proper move without knowing the circumstances... But if those folks move to attack, then we’ll fall back immediately.”

“Got it.”

So, Ai Fa and I took off walking carefully forwards again, keeping an eye out for an attack from the side as we went.

Before long the trees started to thin out, and we came into their field of view... then in the same instant, the murmuring from the crowd was replaced with an angry bellow. The torrent of noise was intense enough that it made my ears buzz.

Ai Fa instantly stopped in place, and the spear-wielding guards formed a wall, but the townsfolk didn’t seem to be pushing our way. And so, we started walking again.

As we approached, I managed to make out some of the words being shouted. They seemed to come in two varieties: “Get out!” and “No, stay!”

And as we got closer, shouts of, “Gah, stop this ruckus! It’s a serious crime to cause a disturbance in town! Do you all want to be exiled from Genos, eh?!” and the like could be heard from the guards.

“Don’t mess with us! If you think you can kick us out, then just try it!”

“You guards make a living off our coins too, don’t you?!”

“If you call yourselves guards, then do your jobs properly when it comes to catching criminals!”

“Who are you calling criminals?! The criminal was captured yesterday, wasn’t he?!”

Many from the crowd were busy hounding the guards. But the rest of the group was made up of townsfolk squabbling among themselves, it seemed.

The majority were from the west and south. Though their skin colors differed, their faces were all now red as they grabbed at each other’s chests and shouted. And there were folks from the west shooting each other threatening glares, too.

Then there were tall, slim folks from the east just standing silently around them all. In terms of numbers, they seemed to be about equal to the westerners and southerners. Some of the folks from the west seemed to be chewing them out, but the easterners never raised their voices or shoved anyone, instead simply calmly responding.

“The people of the forest’s edge hate the folks of Genos! You shouldn’t let such a dangerous group into town!”

“Don’t go blathering such selfish nonsense! They didn’t do a single thing wrong!”

“Yeah! Or is it the way of westerners to go around slandering innocent folks?!”

“Shut up! You outsiders shouldn’t go talking big!”

“If you’ve got a problem with how things are, then why don’t you all just leave Genos?!”

“Eh?! You want to ban us from coming and going? Then why even have a post town?! If you can’t stand outsiders, then you should build a stone wall around it!”

We had stopped around seven or eight meters away from the crowd.

Their violent emotions were enough to bring the cool morning breeze to a raging boil.

“The people of the forest’s edge are all our enemies!”

“What are you, stupid? Or are you planning on hunting giba yourself, eh?!”

“You’re from Genos, but you’re covering for the people of the forest’s edge?!”

“They’re Genos citizens too! They’re also children of the western god of Selva! So anyone who slanders them is a despicable traitor!”

“Calm down and disperse, already! We really will arrest all of you!”

“Just go ahead and try it!”

There was no longer any need to ask anyone what was going on. Those who defended the people of the forest’s edge were clearly clashing with folks coming after us.

All of the folks from the south seemed to be on our side. Meanwhile, the majority of the westerners seemed to be criticizing us. However, there were a few among their number who opposed the critics.

The numbers in the crowd seemed to be growing by the second, too. There were continuously new people streaming in from between the buildings and down the road, drawn by the commotion. In short, things were growing completely out of control.

As I stood there dumbfounded, Ai Fa wore a seriously sour expression on her face.

Should we try to defend our own innocence? Or would it be better to not say a word and instead just turn around here and now?

It was easy to imagine how either of those options could cause the commotion to grow even further, though.

“Asuta and his people didn’t do anything wrong! So why should they have to be driven out of town?!” a girl’s familiar voice called out from among the shouts flying about. That was Yumi, without a doubt. However, I wasn’t able to spy where she was in the crowd.

“Just let us eat already! I’m completely starving!” yelled out Balan, otherwise known as Pops.

Perhaps Shumiral was also watching sadly over the commotion, his hood pulled over his head.

What should we do...?

Normally, it would make sense to retreat for the moment.

We were being half forced by the castle to keep doing business, but if we went ahead and just followed that blindly now, it could well lead to a decisive fracture between the townsfolk and the people of the forest’s edge. So it made sense to fall back and try to talk the matter over once more with the folks from the castle.

But if we just turned and ran without any explanation, the folks advocating for the people of the forest’s edge could explode with even greater anger. So just what should we—

“Cut it out already! What business do you all have interfering with someone else’s business?!” a large man’s voice resounded, overpowering all the other shouting. Naturally that didn’t quiet everyone, but at the very least, most of the front line directly hounding the guards held their tongues and turned his way. “What did the people of the forest’s edge do to you all?! Only folks who were actually harmed should open their mouths! But the rest of you should shut up and stay silent!”

“What are you saying?! They attacked a merchant caravan just yesterday!”

“These folks didn’t attack anyone, though! And the guy who did was captured! So what do you all have to complain about?!”

The large man arguing on our behalf was Milano Mas.

As he stepped into sight from the whirling crowd, his back was to us as he looked over the people present, and then bellowed even louder, “If a criminal comes from a kingdom, then are all that nation’s people also criminals?! Are you trying to say Genos has never produced a single sinner of its own?! Are all of you ready to shoulder the crimes of others and get hanged for them?!”

“You damn traitor! Anybody covering for the people of the forest’s edge should get the hell out of Genos!”

“I’m not covering for anyone! I’m just lecturing you idiots who think it’s proper to cast judgment on folks who’ve done nothing wrong!”

“Let’s go, Ai Fa,” I said as I grabbed my clan head’s arm. “We can’t let Milano Mas keep standing in the line of fire like that. We’ve got to go persuade everyone.”

“I doubt I possess the words needed to convince any townsfolk.”

“Then just protect me. Someone may try to slug me, after all.”

“I can certainly handle that task,” Ai Fa replied with a daring smile.

With that, Ai Fa and I took off down the path, only for a voice like thunder to proclaim, “Silence!” and decisively quiet the seething crowd.

Over a hundred people simultaneously held their breath in the face of that overwhelming shout.

I could maybe see Donda Ruu or Dan Rutim pulling off the same trick. However, the men who appeared had undoubtedly come from within the walls of stone.

A different sort of murmuring than before now dominated the crowd, and the densely packed throng split in two in a way that called to mind Moses parting the Red Sea. And then, ten soldiers strode down that freshly cleared path.

They were clearly of a higher status than the town guards as they were clad in beautiful milky-white leather armor, and the swords at their hips were held in matching leather sheaths. On top of that, they held long-handled pikes.

I had never seen anyone dressed in such dazzling attire here in the post town before. They also wore metal helmets that guarded their noses and cheeks, chest plates bearing the crest of the western kingdom, short cloaks that seemed to be meant for show, and gauntlets that reached from the backs of their hands to their elbows. Outside of the helmets, almost everything was made of leather, but metal pieces covered their joints and the like. And everything from their sheaths to their long leather boots was finely adorned, giving them a sort of heroic beauty.

Then, a man stepped out slowly from the center of the group and stood before the guards. Even among the well-built soldiers dressed in white, he seemed especially tall and gallant. He was undoubtedly the leader of the group. His helmet had a sort of crest with tassels hanging from above it, he was the only one with a long cloak, and instead of a pike he had two swords. There was a sparkling yellow gemstone like amber holding his cloak in place, and his white leather armor was even more beautifully decorated.

“Guard captain, what is this commotion about?” the man asked in a chilling, grave voice. Sure enough, he had been the one to yell moments ago.

One of the guards blocking the path to the forest’s edge stepped forward in a fluster.

“A-Ah, Lord Melfried... What is the captain of the ducal guard doing in a place such as this?”

“I’m the one asking questions, guard captain.”

With that, the plump captain of the guard started to tremble.

“T-Thanks to the incident with the criminal from yesterday, the townsfolk have grown fearful of the people of the forest’s edge. And since a group of them came to do business here in town, that led to this commotion.”

As they had that conversation, the townsfolk remained perfectly silent.

There was an awkward line now dividing the bustling town and the wild forest. The group of soldiers really didn’t seem to fit on either side. No, they seemed more like they belonged in the city of stone.

It didn’t hit me immediately when I heard the term “captain of the ducal guard,” but they really must have been trueborn residents of the Genos castle town, which stood surrounded by those stone walls.

“There was a proclamation just two days ago that the people of the forest’s edge were not forbidden from doing business in the post town, and that hasn’t been revoked,” that Melfried man stated, then he turned to look at me and Ai Fa. His exaggerated helmet covered a good bit of his head, so it was hard to make out the expression on his face too well. However, that little was plenty for me.

When I glanced to the side, I found Ai Fa furrowing her brows in displeasure.

In that case, he really is... I thought to myself, instinctively clenching my fist.

Showing little interest in us, Melfried then turned back towards the guard captain.

“Or are you saying those people committed some sort of crime?”

“N-No. They only just came here, and haven’t said a word yet.”

“Then the townsfolk are clearly the criminals here for causing this disturbance. You are tasked with protecting order in the post town, so why are you letting them go free?”

“B-But, there are so many of them...”

“Numbers have nothing to do with it. A crime is still a crime,” the man clad in white stated as he drew one of his blades.

With that, a number of townsfolk screamed and tried to retreat.

“Criminals who have threatened the peace and tranquility of Genos, allow yourselves to be bound. If you resist, then I will deal with you personally as captain of the ducal guard.”

This was totally nuts.

Seeing that, I hurriedly ran the remaining seven or eight meters, still holding on to Ai Fa’s arm as I went.

“Please, wait! Did these people really commit that serious of a crime? At least from what I saw, nobody here resorted to violence, right?”

“A-A mere person of the forest’s edge shouldn’t dare speak to him so lightly! This is Duke Marstein Genos’s first child and captain of the ducal guard, Lord Melfried!” the guard captain shouted, his face going completely pale.

Duke Marstein Genos’s first child... In other words, the eldest son of the lord of Genos, huh?

Even so, I couldn’t just keep silent. After all, Milano Mas was standing right next to that man with his drawn sword, his eyes still burning bright with hostility and looking like he was ready to resume angrily shouting at any moment.

“This commotion started because we went and carelessly showed ourselves! We should have waited patiently until we saw that they had calmed down! These townsfolk had a suitable enough reason to feel the way they did, so please forgive them!”

“No matter the circumstances involved, a crime is still a crime. And you all aren’t barred in the least from coming to town,” Melfried said in a low voice, not bothering to look our way.

As I stared at the side of his indifferent face, I desperately continued on, “Causing a commotion in town is a crime, right? I get that. But in that case, shouldn’t you be passing judgment on the people most behind this?”

“The ones most behind this commotion, you say...?”

“Yes. I’m talking about that merchant caravan led by Zasshuma, who marched that terrifying criminal proudly through the post town. If he hadn’t exposed everyone to that villain on the verge of losing his sanity, then surely the peace and tranquility of the townsfolk never would have been disturbed.”

To everyone else, it may have just sounded like I was trying to push off blame. However, I didn’t care. Just as long as my feelings were properly conveyed to the people in question. So that they could know I felt this all happened because they hadn’t planned properly.

“You certainly have a silver tongue on you,” Melfried stated as he sheathed his blade.

Looking a bit dumbfounded, the guard captain hurriedly yelled out at the townsfolk, “Disperse, already! If you don’t, we really will arrest you!”

Everyone looked clearly displeased, but sure enough they started slowly walking back into town.

Then, Melfried turned to face me fully.

“Man of the forest’s edge, crimes are still crimes, and those who commit them remain criminals. Whether they be people of the forest’s edge or townsfolk, anyone living in Genos must abide by its laws.”

“I believe that idea is absolutely correct, in and of itself.”

Melfried’s face looked younger than I had been picturing. He had to be in his mid-twenties at most. He had a sturdy lower jaw and a well proportioned face, was quite tall, and looked like the very portrait of a noble overall. His skin was an ivory-white, while the bit of his bangs I could spy from under his helmet were a light brown... and his grey eyes had a frigid, reptilian light to them.