Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 2.3

3

“Huh? Is it just you around, Mia Lea Ruu?” I questioned, as only she and her grandchild were there when we returned to the main hall.

“Yes, since a lot of guests showed up all at once. It would have been too cramped inside the house, so they’re all outside instead.”

A lot of guests?

But this was the main Ruu house, where 12 family members plus an infant lived. Even if both Gulaf Zaza and Dari Sauti showed up at the same time, that wouldn’t exactly put them over capacity.

“Ah, I don’t mean the leading clan heads. A big crowd of men I didn’t really recognize suddenly showed up. They seemed oddly angry for some reason, but I don’t think they’re going to get violent or anything. Ah, right, and I saw Ai Fa mixed in with them, too.”

“Huh? Ai Fa?”

Now I had even less of a clue as to what was going on.

At any rate, after picking up Shumiral’s cloak and blades, we stepped outside together.

What awaited us there was a crowd of around ten or so coarse-looking men of the forest’s edge. It was true enough that it would be a tight squeeze fitting them all in the main Ruu house.

“Are you done here...?” questioned Donda Ruu, who had just headed off to his own room not that long ago, shooting us a glare out of the corner of his eye. Standing next to him was the same group from before: Jiza Ruu, Dan Rutim, Gazraan Rutim, as well as Dari Sauti and Gulaf Zaza, who must have shown up at some point. And the visiting heads of the leading clans were each accompanied by one man, making for a group of eight in total.

Facing them were six men, as well as Ai Fa.

When my clan head saw me, she said, “Good work,” with a nod. Seeing her calm expression was what finally got me to stop tensing up.

“So that’s the easterner who’s come to the Ruu settlement as a guest, eh?” Gulaf Zaza grumbled in a low voice.

No matter how big of a crowd they may be in, the giba-headed cloaks worn by the men of the Zaza clan always stood out. And on top of that, their clan head in particular had a physique that was a match for Donda Ruu’s.

“The Ruu clan are free to invite anyone they please as a guest, but right now we’re sort of busy. So I’d appreciate it if you got out of here.”

“Yes. I am leaving. Clan head Donda Ruu, thank you very much, for today,” Shumiral said with a bow to the Ruu clan head after fending off that glare from Gulaf Zaza. Then he turned to swiftly walk off, only for me to suddenly grab his arm.

“Hold on, Shumiral. Um... Would you mind talking to me a bit more?”

Even I didn’t know why I said that, honestly. I just sort of felt like I couldn’t just leave him be right now for some reason.

“I would not mind, talking to you. It would, make me happy, to do so.”

“Hmm, but how should we handle things...?”

After all, despite what I had said, it wasn’t like I could just overlook this whole commotion that Ai Fa was somehow mixed up in.

As I stood there hesitating, Shumiral pointed towards the wagon stopped next to the Ruu house.

“I will wait. There I will, be able to, see you, but not, hear you.”

“Yeah, that’d be a huge help.”

Perhaps that was just the sort of guts I should expect from the leader of a merchant caravan that traveled the world, but at any rate Shumiral walked nonchalantly over towards the wagon without faltering in the least despite the glares from so many men of the forest’s edge focusing on him.

Once he was sufficiently far away, Gulaf Zaza turned back towards the men I was unfamiliar with.

“We well understand your complaint, here. You’re saying you want to have some representatives attend tomorrow’s meeting, right?”

“That’s correct. Do the three leading clans accept that proposal?”

The one to respond to Gulaf Zaza there was the little clan head of the Sudra with his wrinkly face.

Looking more carefully, there were actually a number of familiar faces in the crowd. Standing on the other side of Ai Fa was the Fou clan head, and I was pretty sure that was the head of the Ran clan next to him. So maybe they were all the heads of small clans...

“We will abide by the decisions of the leading clan heads we chose. We are certainly not making light of your authority. But we don’t just want to follow along obediently while knowing nothing like when the Suun clan was in charge. We wish to see and hear what you do, and work together alongside you,” the Fou clan head stated, following up on what the head of the Sudra had stated. He looked to be about Donda Ruu’s age, and had a tall and lean build.

“Hmm... In other words, you want to have someone there whenever us three leading clan heads meet, not just for tomorrow’s meeting?” Dari Sauti asked, with a far greater presence about him than you would expect from someone so young. And he had no less robust of a build than the other two leading clan heads, too.

Looking at them now, there really was quite a difference between the new leading clan heads and the other men. To start with, the number of giba horns and tusks dangling from their necks was totally incomparable. And even if they were clad in the same attire, the clothing worn by the smaller clan heads was all clearly old and well worn.

The biggest difference, though, was their physiques and the general feel they possessed.

The leading clans and those under them like the Rutim all seemed to be overflowing with overwhelming strength. Meanwhile, those from the smaller clans had a wild intensity about them fitting to hunters of the forest’s edge, but you could really see the tension they felt from their poverty hanging over them.

The smaller clans lived from hand to mouth, and you could definitely tell, from both their physiques and the aura about them.

And yet, even though he was a size smaller than even the rest of that group, the Sudra clan head wasn’t timid in the least as he replied, “That’s right,” to Dari Sauti’s statement. “And once we’ve heard your words, we’ll convey them to our neighboring clans. If those continue to be passed along, from north to south and south to north, then all of the people of the forest’s edge will be able to learn of your thinking even outside of just the one clan head meeting held per year.”

“Don’t you ultimately just mean you’re worried about us growing corrupt like the Suun did?” Gulaf Zaza questioned in a dead serious tone. I found him pretty overwhelming even before he spoke, but when he opened his mouth I felt some indescribable chill run down my spine.

However, the Sudra clan head still didn’t falter as he replied, “That’s not true,” with a shake of his head. “The Ruu, Sauti, and Zaza are all keeping an eye on one another, and I can’t imagine all three clans falling prey to corruption at the same time. However, because of the commotion the other day, I went to the post town alongside the Ruu men to protect Asuta and his group. Thanks to that, I heard quite a number of things.”

“And the clan head of the Sudra then passed that information along to those of us in clans such as the Fou and Ran... Gulaf Zaza, is it true that you got fed up with that man from the castle and said that we should go ahead and leave the Morga forest’s edge?”

Hearing those statements, Gulaf Zaza’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“My words did not go that far. But I do think if we have to discard our pride as human beings to stay here, then we’d have no choice but to give up the lives we have now in this land.”

Those words caused quite a stir to run through the heads of the smaller clans. In particular, the Fou clan head was shooting Gulaf Zaza a serious glare.

“Those are truly shocking words. To say we’d have no choice but to give up this land where we’ve lived for 80 years now... Are the nobles of the Genos castle truly that awful?”

“I’ve only exchanged words with an old man by the name of Cyclaeus. We dedicate our blades in service of the lord of Genos, not that wretched old fiend. But if our blades were being offered to that old man, then I would take mine back without the slightest hesitation,” Gulaf Zaza stated, his eyes burning bright like those of some carnivorous beast. “And so I couldn’t help but think that if I never meet face to face with the lord and just have to keep dealing with that infuriating geezer in his place, then I could certainly see my honor as a hunter getting sullied bit by bit, and perhaps my very soul would someday become corrupted like what happened to Zattsu and Zuuro Suun. If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to cast aside our role as giba hunters, make a home in some other land, and find something new to take pride in?”

“But still, you seemed to regret your own thoughtless statement even before we could tell you not to get so worked up over someone you had only met once, so I don’t believe there’s any need to worry about that point.”

That comment from Dari Sauti caused the Zaza clan head to click his tongue with a “Tch.”

“Furthermore, it’s not as if there wasn’t a logic to your words, Gulaf Zaza. If the path we seek does not overlap with that of Genos, then we cannot walk it together. It certainly is true that we may have no choice but to abandon the forest of Morga if the lord of Genos’s will is perfectly in line with Cyclaeus’s. But we cannot make any decision until we know the lord’s true intentions.”

“Is that Cyclaeus truly so awful of a man? In that case... isn’t it even more essential for us to keep in close contact with you leading clan heads? After all, it would be rather difficult to obey an order to abandon the forest of Morga while knowing nothing of what’s going on,” the Sudra clan head muttered in a gloomy tone. “And that’s not the only issue. I also believe it important that we be of one mind on the matter of the business being run by the Fa clan.”

It certainly caught me rather off guard to hear my clan suddenly come up like that.

Ai Fa just stood there silently, while the Fou clan head was getting all worked up right next to her in a way that was quite unlike him.

“The opinions of you three leading clan heads are split on that matter, aren’t they? The Ruu have lent the Fa their strength, the Sauti have simply watched over the proceedings, and the Zaza have voiced their objections. So in that case, a future where it’s decided the Zaza’s words are correct and the Fa are forbidden from doing business is certainly possible, is it not?”

“And you’re saying you would dissent from that?”

“No. But I believe if the leading clan heads felt that way, I would need to hear why,” the Ran clan head chimed in.

“And I believe it would be important for you to properly hear our thoughts, too,” the Sudra clan head added.

“There are members of six clans standing here now: the Sudra, Fou, Ran, Ratsu, Gaaz, and Beim. All of our clans are located near the Fa house and, aside from the Beim, we all agree with their actions and have learned how to bloodlet and make delicious food from them. But those clans who live far from the Fa have surely had no change in their lifestyles since the clan head meeting up till now.”

“And is that an inconvenience, somehow?” Dari Sauti asked in a perfectly composed tone.

“It is,” the Sudra clan head answered with a nod. “Back at the clan head meeting, it was decided that we would watch over how the Fa clan’s actions played out. That we should determine if ultimately they would prove to be a medicine or a poison for the forest’s edge. But the single clan head meeting held each year simply isn’t enough for such a task. After all, only 20 days or so have passed since the last meeting, and yet our lives have already undergone drastic changes.”

“You mean to say you’re living prosperously now by selling meat to the Fa clan?”

“I certainly wouldn’t go that far. However, it’s true that we’ve gained enough coins by now to take my breath away. To be perfectly honest, at the start I thought to myself that just the money received for the jerky would be plenty. And the Beim clan head still firmly believes it isn’t proper for the people of the forest’s edge to possess such a fortune.”

This was my first time hearing of the Beim clan. However, it made sense that there would be clans aside from those under the Zaza who were skeptical of the Fa clan’s actions, and apparently they were one such example.

“The Fa clan stated they started doing business in order to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge. And so, this is a matter that involves all of our people. Thanks to that, I believe every clan of the forest’s edge should have a chance to properly learn how the Fa clan’s actions are playing out so that they can determine if they are for good or bad, regardless of if they agree or object,” the Sudra clan head stated, steadily taking control of the conversation.

Despite the fact that he was faced with the leading clan heads who were far bigger than him, the little head of the Sudra clan just kept on talking.

“And I also have thought that though we’re all people of the forest’s edge, the Ruu, Zaza, and Sauti were all too prosperous to begin with. The rich cannot truly know the nature of the poor, and the same is true of the opposite. But the Fa clan head can judge fairly, having come from an impoverished house in her youth only to later gain such prosperity through her own strength.”

Naturally, those words caused Ai Fa to look incredibly annoyed. My clan head just had such a modest personality that she couldn’t stand receiving praise from others.

“The nature of the poor, is it? Still, no matter how rich any of our clans may be, it’s certainly not as if we make light of those who are worse off,” Dari Sauti replied with a tilt of his head, staring back into the Sudra clan head’s brightly burning eyes.

“Then let me ask you... Have you ever lost a child to starvation, clan head of the Sauti? Even though if you plucked the fruit right in front of your eyes and fed it to your wife, her withered breasts might produce milk once again? And as you watched your child waste away to nothing, all you could do is curse how powerless you are?”

“No, I haven’t...”

“In that case, can you understand just how much we truly despised the Suun clan? They didn’t hunt giba and simply fooled around with the reward money, and in the end they even laid hands upon the blessings of the forest. Can you wealthy clans ever truly understand what we felt when we decided to forgive them?”

With that, Dari Sauti held his tongue.

Then, the Sudra clan head took a big breath and calmly stated, “And yet, Donda Ruu’s words still felt fair and just to me when he said that the fault fell on all of us for being too weak to prevent the leading clan from falling prey to corruption. The Ruu clan bared their fangs at the Suun each and every time there was a clan head meeting, and yet I wasn’t able to be of any use whatsoever. And so, that is why I supported Donda Ruu’s statement. Since I was able to hear what he had to say, I found it in myself to forgive the members of the Suun clan. But if I had simply been told the result without hearing the man’s thinking, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go along with what you three leading clans had decided.”

Everyone else stood there in silence, attentively considering his words.

“I truly believe that you leading clan heads will guide us down the proper path forwards from here on out. But as much as possible, I would like to see and hear what you do, and walk alongside you. The Suun have fallen, our new leading clans have been decided, and the Fa have started doing business in the post town. With so many changes occurring all at once, we can’t just simply keep on living as we have up till now.”

After those final words from the Sudra clan head, silence hung over the scene for a while. The one to eventually break it was Donda Ruu, who had just quietly stood there listening up until now.

“Ultimately, what you’re actually asking for right now is to have a representative at the meetings between us leading clan heads that’ll decide the future of our people, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. And we’d like to inform the clans around us of what’s discussed, like you all do with the clans under you.”

“You’re not saying you want all seven of you present right now to participate, are you?”

“Of course not. Just two would be plenty. If you’ll give your permission, I was thinking it best to go with the Fou and Beim clan heads.”

“Hmm... I can’t see any particular reason to turn down that request,” Donda Ruu replied, looking to the other two leading clan heads beside him. “I only have one point of concern. And that’s that I don’t want anyone to spend too much time thinking about such things such that they neglect their work as hunters.”

“Well, I’d say the same about bloodletting and cooking techniques, too. Just as I said during the clan head meeting, we must never fall behind on our work for the sake of making things more prosperous,” Dari Sauti calmly replied, and Gulaf Zaza just gave a little snort of his nose.

It seemed with that, the plan proposed by the smaller clans had earned the approval of the leading clan heads.

◇

“Those clan heads suddenly showed up at the Fa house earlier today. And then, they requested that I accompany them to go speak with the leading clan heads,” Ai Fa said as she wobbled along with the movements of the wagon. “Apparently they had been planning to say such things for some time now. And when they heard the leading clan heads would be gathering in the Ruu settlement, they firmed up their resolve to go ahead and do it.”

“I see. This was my first time hearing of the Beim clan, but um, are they seriously that firmly opposed to the business we’ve been running?” I went ahead and asked while handling Gilulu’s reins.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Ai Fa giving a shake of her head from right behind the driver’s seat.

“That’s nothing to worry about. The Sudra clan head said that even though they hold the opposite opinion on the matter, those feelings are likely born from the unease of facing such a large change to their way of life.”

“Speaking of which, are things alright with the Sudra clan head? I realize it’s a bit late to be thinking this now, but it’s true that the price we paid for the jerky the other day may have been a bit much to start with...”

“That’s also nothing to concern yourself over. After all, he himself acknowledged that he received so much payment because only seven clans were able to prepare the jerky. And he also mentioned that he believes more clans should lend the Fa their aid, so as to better spread the wealth.”

Both Mia Lea Ruu and I agreed that we wanted to distribute the wealth as evenly as possible, and we had conveyed that to the heads of clans such as the Sudra. And that proposal was like an extension of such thoughts.

“At any rate, the first step is teaching bloodletting to the other clans, and making sure that wealth is spreading evenly. He said that should be enough that both those in agreement and those in opposition to the Fa clan will be able to properly assess whether our actions are a medicine or a poison for the forest’s edge. And he also mentioned that they intend to convey those thoughts to the three leading clan heads.”

“Uh-huh.”

“They also thought it important that they hear the thoughts of the leading clan heads, which is how they ultimately decided on that trip to the Ruu settlement.”

“Right, I see. That certainly sounds like a fitting way to look at it for men of the forest’s edge, but at the same time, it’s also so novel that I can’t help but find myself fully in agreement.”

“I’m sure that’s because the Sudra clan head is such a unique man. No doubt the Fou and Ran clan heads ultimately ended up agreeing precisely because he was the one to make the proposal.”

The Sudra clan head, huh?

He had an unusually small build for a man of the forest’s edge and a heavily wrinkled face. Plus his clan was both poor and small... yet there was a light that burned brightly in the man’s eyes.

His wife helped out at the stalls, while he had personally saved me from Tei Suun. Even though I didn’t know for certain if Tei Suun had truly desired to take my life in the end, it didn’t change the fact that I owed the man a great debt.

“But the representatives for the small clans ended up being the Fou and Beim clan heads instead of him. And I was honestly getting pretty nervous there, thinking you were going to get chosen.”

“The Sudra clan head stated that our Fa clan had few members but much work to carry out, so we couldn’t possibly pile on top of that such an involved obligation. He also said that he would find it difficult to step away from his clan for similar reasons, as well as that the representatives should be composed of one clan that approves of our actions and one that opposes them. That’s how the Fou and Beim were chosen.”

“I can certainly see the logic there. The Sudra clan head’s a pretty smart guy, huh?”

So ultimately, the Fou and Beim clan heads would be attending tomorrow’s meeting. They were currently participating in the final prep session being held at the Ruu house, while the remaining clan heads left to inform their houses of what was going on, while we were heading south.

The people of the forest’s edge tended to have nothing to do with clans not related to them by blood, but now they were trying to form new bonds of their own will. On top of that, though it was still primitive, they were now attempting to build a communication network for the settlement at the forest’s edge, which was far too vast for the 500 or so people living there.

They themselves would deny it, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the cause behind that really was an attempt to change their way of thinking after the leading Suun clan had cut off ties for over a decade and grown corrupt without them noticing.

“So are you satisfied, then? In that case, I think it’s about time that you cleared up my concerns,” Ai Fa stated, leaning out towards the driver’s seat. “Why exactly did you invite that easterner to the Fa house?”

In addition to Ai Fa, Shumiral was also riding along in the wagon. However, my clan head didn’t have to try too hard to keep her voice down, as he was seated at the very back as he watched the scenery fly on past.

“Well, all sorts of stuff happened... I wanted to cheer him up a bit after all that, and so I went ahead and invited him to dinner.”

With that, Shumiral had narrowed his eyes and looked far happier than I had ever expected.

It seemed the meeting with Vina Ruu ending like it did really had gotten him down. And if Vina Ruu’s injuries didn’t heal up by the day after tomorrow, that was how things would be left between them for quite some time.

“You don’t intend to go so far as to have him sleep overnight, do you?”

“Ah, no. Shumiral said he couldn’t exactly go spending the night out without letting his merchant group know, so we should be fine on that point. Oh, but could you take him back to the post town with Gilulu afterwards? I don’t think I’m skilled enough yet to steer when it’s dark out...”

“Hmph. Well, I suppose it’s at least better than letting a stranger stay at my home. And with this wagon, I won’t have to brush skin with someone who isn’t even a member of my house...” Ai Fa muttered, actually looking less annoyed than I had expected. In all likelihood, she was feeling excited to be driving the wagon.

At any rate, after just 20 minutes of driving, the Fa house came into view. Gilulu really had shortened our travel time quite a bit, but we had spent so much longer at the Ruu house than expected that we still ended up being rather late getting home. Still, even with the extra guest along for dinner, that didn’t seem like it would present any problems.

“We’ve arrived. Shumiral, this is the Fa house.”

It felt a bit too embarrassing to go ahead and say “my home.”

But anyway, Shumiral stepped out of the wagon and looked up at the Fa house, which was easily two sizes or so smaller than the main Ruu house.

“They really are, all in, the southern style, aren’t they?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“The houses. They are in, the style of, the south.”

He must have meant the Southern Kingdom of Jagar, there. Still, just what exactly made it southern styled? Even in the Genos post town, the buildings seemed to be built in basically the same way, aside from the fact that they also used material other than wood.

But as I had that thought, I suddenly remembered something. The buildings in the post town had been constructed by southerners, which was why Pops’s group from Jagar headed there to handle repair work.

I guess it’s sort of like how most of the buildings in Japan are constructed in a western style? I thought to myself as I carried the pots and ingredients over towards the stove.

Then, as she tied Gilulu to a tree, Ai Fa called out, “Of course they are. Our ancestors moved here to the forest’s edge 80 years back. For a while after that they apparently built the same sort of woven-grass homes they had lived in at the southern black forest, but with the amount of rain this land gets they soon rotted. And so they invited southerners staying in Genos here to teach them how to build these sturdier homes.”

“I see. How very interesting.”

It really was interesting.

In that case, was that dome-shaped ritual hall from the Suun settlement the original standard building style of the forest’s edge? I really would love to ask Granny Jiba about how things were back then sometime.

“The attire worn by, the people of the forest’s edge, is also in, the southern style. Those fabrics must be, brought into Genos.”

“Hmm? We simply chose these colors so that we wouldn’t catch the attention of the animals out in the forest.”

“Yes. But the Morga forest, is vast, and abundant. There should be many, ingredients to use, for threads, correct? Do the, people of the forest’s edge, not know how, to spin thread?”

“Ah, apparently they did weave their own cloth back at the start, but it was discovered that giba ate berries from the tree they used to make the thread, so we were forbidden from taking its bark. You certainly seem to pay close attention to details, visitor from the east.”

“My apologies. I am deeply interested, in the people of the forest’s edge. Were those unpleasant, questions to ask?”

“Not especially... It’s just that you’re a lot more talkative than I had expected at first.”

“A merchant’s daughter, from the south, said the same thing.”

“A merchant’s daughter...?”

I felt my heart skip a beat there, but I was able to calm myself by remembering that Shumiral hadn’t been there when Diel slugged me.

Still, I needed to open up to Ai Fa about her eventually. If nothing else, it was important to stay on guard, since she was someone with ties to Cyclaeus.

At any rate, Ai Fa didn’t seem to have anywhere near as much trouble talking to Shumiral as I had expected from her somewhat weak social skills. But at least to me, that seemed like a rather happy miscalculation.

◇

About 90 minutes later, we started eating dinner in the dimly lit house.

“Sorry for the wait. And I hope it ends up being to your tastes!”

Despite the fact that I was handling it alongside my prep work, I still somehow managed to get dinner ready at the same time as always. I still had about 30% or so of my preparations for tomorrow left, but I just needed to give my all to knocking that out after Shumiral was gone. It wasn’t like it was bad enough that it’d eat into my sleep schedule, so it wasn’t all that big of a deal.

“The smell, is fantastic.”

I had prepared the meat on the outdoor stove, and when I brought in the completed dishes, Shumiral’s eyes joyfully narrowed.

However, Ai Fa was shooting me a scowl as she sat there with one knee in the air.

“I had vaguely sensed as much, but you used those red seeds again, didn’t you, Asuta...?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t make it as overwhelmingly spicy this time, so you should be fine. It shouldn’t be any stronger than the giba chitt, from what I can tell.”

“How can you say that? It’s bright red, isn’t it?”

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. The tarapa’s what’s making it look so red.”

Plus, even though Ai Fa had said she didn’t want any special treatment, I went ahead and held back on the spiciness while preparing her portion.

As I shot my scowling clan head a smile I went ahead and doled out the soup that had been heating on the indoor stove, then I took my own seat.

As for side-dishes, we had the usual baked poitan alongside a giba soup prepared using tau oil. The ingredients in the soup were thigh meat, aria, chatchi, and gigo. The taste was pretty similar to tofu and vegetable chowder, so I couldn’t help but think it’d be a hit at The Great Southern Tree, too.

The main dish, meanwhile, was flame-broiled meat using chitt seeds. What should I call it, though? If I was willing to go a little heavy-handed with the naming, maybe something like giba sauté arrabbiata would work? At any rate, it was one of the dishes I was trying out to find something that could be as good as the giba chitt.

Chitt seeds were an ingredient that possessed both the color and spiciness of red chili peppers. However, they were round in shape and only about the size of a soybean. Around two or three of them were equivalent to a single chili pepper, so that fortunately kept the costs from getting too out of control.

I started out by dicing up those chitt seeds and myamuu, then fried them up in giba fat on low heat. Normally I’d like some other sort of vegetable oil to use in place of olive oil, but I just couldn’t find any in the post town. I honestly couldn’t help but feel a bit interested in whether or not there was any in the castle town.

Anyway, once the myamuu was heated enough, it started to give off a strong garlicky aroma, at which point I moved it to a medium flame and swiftly added in the giba loin and aria. And once that was good and cooked, I carefully poured in the tarapa sauce, which I prepared in a separate pot. With that, the dish was complete.

It was really starting to seem like I always relied on tarapa in a pinch. After all, I had already used the tarapa sauce in the tarapa stew and giba burgers, making this my third dish to do so. I definitely wanted to start increasing my variety, but this seemed like the best option available when I considered how compatible tomatoes (tarapa) and chili peppers (chitt seeds) were.

If Reina and Sheera Ruu really did take on the prep work, then I’d have to carefully experiment with all sorts of different ingredients. But at any rate, just being able to prepare the sauce beforehand and bring it from home meant I could already cut my cooking time at The Sledgehammer down by quite a bit.

The point to pay careful attention to was managing the flame. It was important to take time and steadily heat the chitt seeds over a flame in order to draw out the appropriate level of spiciness, but you also needed to take care not to burn the dish. However, as long as you kept an eye on that, it was pretty simple to prepare.

“I was thinking of selling this dish through The Sledgehammer starting next month. And so, I’m really glad I got a chance to feed it to you before you left Genos.”

“I feel, even more glad, than that.”

Ai Fa, meanwhile, frowned as if to say, “What, so am I the only unhappy person here?”

Still, today’s dish at least shouldn’t have been spicy enough to bring her to tears. I had used less chitt on hers, even, so it should have made for a pretty mild taste overall. Honestly, I was getting pretty excited at the thought that this might finally be enough to satisfy her.

“Well then, dig in. It’s best to eat up before it gets cold.”

Ai Fa muttered her chant under her breath, I said, “Thanks for the food,” while Shumiral stated, “I am honored, to receive, this meal.” And so, with our three different rituals out of the way, dinner could finally begin.

I reached out and scooped up a bit of the main dish to start off. However, I immediately tilted my head and went, “Huh?” upon biting into it.

The tomato-esque tarapa sauce was heated up along with diced aria and fruit wine, giving it a wonderful sweet taste. When combined with the spiciness of the chitt and the garlic-like myamuu, it made for a complex flavor that didn’t lose out to the giba chitt in the least.

Additionally, the giba meat wasn’t overpowered despite the presence of that intricate taste. Since I had used the sirloin, a cut known for its soft texture, it had a pleasant chewiness to it. And the still crisp bits of aria added a nice accent to the dish, too.

However, the flavor seemed more docile than I remembered, somehow. It was still definitely spicy, and tasty too. However, it seemed closer to the mild version with less chitt that I had prepared for Ai Fa.

Had I done a bit too much taste-testing and thrown off my tongue a little? As I wondered if I screwed up in my preparations, I looked over towards Shumiral.

“Um, sorry, but did I make it a bit too weak?”

“No. It is, delicious.”

Shumiral had also chosen to start off with the sauté. And his eyes looked to be happily narrowing, sure enough, so I felt relieved.

With that I glanced over to see how Ai Fa was doing... Only to find her gripping the plate as her shoulders quaked.

“You tried to trick me, Asuta...”

“Hmm? What do you mean? It’s not as spicy as last time, right?” I questioned, but then it clicked: The dish I had been eating wasn’t as spicy as it should have been. “Wait, no way... Did I mix up the dishes?!”

But wait, could I seriously be that careless? I mean, I had been really looking forward to seeing whether or not I could please both Shumiral and Ai Fa...

I tilted my head and pondered what was going on, only for Shumiral to do the same.

“Asuta, Ai Fa, the tastes, of your dishes, are different?”

“Yeah. I made Ai Fa’s a bit lighter on the chitt seeds...”

“Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

“Huh?”

“Asuta, when you went, to scoop the soup, you had your back, turned. That was when, Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

“What?! Why would she do something like that?!”

“When you, manned the stove, ash flew out, and fell on, your plate. After removing, the ashes, Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

So some ashes floated over from the stove to my plate, and Ai Fa noticed that and got rid of it, then switched my plate with hers, huh?

What a kind, thoughtful clan head I have! But the gods of this world must be awful cruel, to repay her kindness with such a fate.

“I’m sorry, Ai Fa! This plate’s supposed to be yours! Ow, ow, ow!”

She was seriously pinching my left cheek. And as she did so, tears were steadily welling up in her eyes.

“This happened because you went and played around with the flavors like that! I don’t need such ridiculous concern from you, you fool!”

“But if I went and seasoned it the same for everyone, then you would’ve ended up with the same spiciness regardless, right? Ow, ow, ow!”

“I’m the one with an aching mouth, here!”

It felt like she was going to tear my cheek clear off.

However, just when I had that thought, my benevolent clan head finally let go.

My eyes were now tearing up from the pain too, making me match my beloved benefactor. I really couldn’t help but lament how cruelly absurd this world could be, that we could both end up like that as a result of trying to look out for one another.

As for Ai Fa, she let out a childish “Hmph!” from beside me as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. And as I watched over that adorable sight, Shumiral calmly stated, “The two of you, are very blessed. My family, has all, passed away. And so, I think that, the two of you, seem very happy.”

“Huh? You lost your family too, Shumiral?”

“Yes. My mother passed, soon after, I was born. And my father died, three years ago. That was when, I took charge, of the Silver Vase.”

“Ah, so the former head of the group was your dad?” I asked as I took in my share of spiciness, having exchanged plates with Ai Fa.

“My father formed, the Silver Vase. I have worked there, for ten years now. And we gained, permission to do, business in, the castle town, five years ago... That was when, I met, Lord Cyclaeus.”

Ai Fa’s eyes were still watering a bit as she slurped her soup, but upon hearing that, her eyebrows suddenly shot up in surprise.

“Easterner, you’re acquainted with the noble named Cyclaeus from the castle town?”

“Yes. I met him, through a chef, I know in, the castle town. For five years, Cyclaeus bought, many knives, from us.”

At that, Ai Fa shot me a glare, but I explained, “I only just learned that today,” before she could say anything.

Still, why exactly was Shumiral bringing that up again now?

“Lord Cyclaeus, broke our agreement. There are many, bad rumors, about him. I do not know, if they are, true or not, but my friend, the chef, feared him. Lord Cyclaeus, is a very, powerful man.”

“What exactly are you trying to say...?”

“It is dangerous, to oppose, Lord Cyclaeus. I worry for, the people of the forest’s edge.”

Shumiral shouldn’t have heard a single word of that conversation with the leading clan heads from earlier. But even still, I had asked him all sorts of questions on the way back from the post town, so he must have sensed something was seriously amiss.

“At any rate, that all has nothing to do with you, easterner. From what I hear, you call yourself Asuta’s friend, but that’s even more reason that you shouldn’t interfere with this matter,” Ai Fa stated with a small shake of her head, and then she grabbed the plate with the sauté. “On top of that, you’re set to depart from Genos in just a few days, aren’t you? You should focus on your own path forward rather than needlessly worrying about such things.”

“Yes... I know, that is what, I should do,” Shumiral replied, his gaze drifting downwards and causing him to look a bit sad.

Ai Fa just gave a little, “Hmph,” then tossed a bite of the sauté coated in red sauce into her mouth.

Once again, her eyes teared up.

“Huh? Is it still too spicy? But I held back quite a bit when I was making it...”

“It stings even more because my mouth was already hurting to begin with,” Ai Fa stated, then managed to give me a skillful kick in the knee from where she was seated.

However, she didn’t set the plate down, and ate two or three more bites while wiping away the tears.

“Hmm... Maybe it really is tasty, but I just can’t tell... I’m sure I’d think it was delicious if you hadn’t gone and hurt my mouth to start with, though...”

“Really? That would certainly make me glad to hear!” I replied, naturally breaking out in a smile.

With that, several even stronger kicks rained down upon my knee.

“Asuta, Ai Fa, you seem, so happy,” Shumiral said again. “Please treasure, that joy. On my travels, I will pray, for your happiness.”

Ai Fa’s face went every bit as red as the tarapa sauce, and she shouted out, “Quiet, you!”

From then until Shumiral departed from the Fa house, we spent some nice, pleasant time together steadily chatting away.