Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 3.3

3

“We continued talking for a while after that, but it was nothing worth sharing,” Gazraan Rutim stated, bringing a close to his finely detailed report.

I had been listening carefully while preparing for tomorrow, and once it was finally over I let out the sigh I had been holding back.

“Seriously, good work. Your memory and ability to recreate a scene sure are something, Gazraan Rutim.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. But I believe I got across what was necessary.”

“Yeah, you did more than enough. Just digesting all that is gonna take some time.”

I was the one who begged him to tell me what was discussed and how it ended, but I hadn’t expected to get that level of detail.

Currently, we weren’t in the Fa house but rather the main Ruu house’s kitchen.

Ai Fa stood by my side as she listened to the report, while Reina and Sheera Ruu were further in the back of the room, diligently studying how to make burgers. After all, I had agreed to start teaching them how to prepare giba burgers starting today.

“I got the short version from Kamyua, but this is the first I’ve heard of these Red Beards.”

“Right. I had only been told that there was a group of bandits, myself. Perhaps he didn’t mention their name because the matter didn’t have much to do with us.”

“I wonder... I haven’t heard the townsfolk even mention them either, but that just bothers me even more.”

Even if they were heroic outlaws lauded by the common folk, it was no surprise that their name would have faded away over the course of ten years. But since Kamyua Yoshu had been so persistent about bringing them up, they seemed like they might just be some sort of key to this whole ordeal.

And it was my first time hearing about the head of the militia, or about these delegates from Banarm.

The former militia captain was probably Cyclaeus’s political opponent that Kamyua Yoshu had mentioned, but at least from what I just heard, the delegates seemed like they were more of a problem for him on the business end of things.

“Hmm... Well, it’s a good thing that the members of the branch families were pardoned so quickly, but he sure did throw Zattsu Suun’s escape back in your faces hard.”

“Yes. We truly had no excuses for that mistake in particular. Even in his fury, Gulaf Zaza had no retorts to offer on that point.”

I couldn’t help but find those circumstances frustrating.

Cyclaeus handed down those conditions claiming them as a show of trust, whereas our side had opened up and laid out what we thought was the best path forward, with a frankness very fitting for the people of the forest’s edge.

He probably didn’t care in the least about the members of the branch houses from the very start. But...

I had guessed to some extent that with the negotiation skills he’d need to have to be put in his position, Cyclaeus would start out by making overly extreme demands. My thinking was that he was trying to assert his dominance over the new leading clan heads.

However, the circumstances had greatly shifted over these past few days.

At first we had assumed Cyclaeus had just been overlooking the Suun clan’s crimes so as to not displease them, but now he was suspected of being the mastermind behind everything. If he really was that cruel and crafty of a man, and had incited Zattsu Suun to commit those acts... Just what sort of goal was he aiming for from this incident?

At the very least, I’d imagine he’d like to silence Zuuro Suun.

Tei Suun had confessed that other than him, Zuuro Suun was the only one who had known of Zattsu Suun’s ambitions. But as a gutless, lazy man, he did nothing to carry on his father’s will.

Even without that confession, though, it would have been obvious that as clan head, there was a high chance that Zuuro Suun had an understanding of Zattsu Suun’s vile deeds. And in that case, there was a non-zero chance that he had a grasp on the relationship between Cyclaeus and his father. That wasn’t something Cyclaeus could simply ignore.

But in that case, he should have been able to simply accept the opinion of the leading clan heads and order that only Zuuro Suun needed to be handed over to the castle as a criminal. Melfried’s intervention must have lit a fire under Cyclaeus’s feet, so it was hard to imagine him deciding it wise to pointlessly stretch out negotiations at the moment.

But then why was he still insisting that we hand over every last member of the main house...? Was he concerned that his secrets had leaked to them, too?

If so, then this is seriously no joke. I mean, we can’t exactly go handing Yamiru Lea and Mida and everyone else over to a shady guy like that at this point.

By the point that thought was running through my head, I had finally finished cutting up the meat. And so, I placed my knife down on the cutting board and turned to face Gazraan Rutim.

“So, it was decided that the next meeting would take place half a month from now?”

“That’s right. He said we should decide our path forward by the 15th of the white month.”

Tomorrow was the 31st and final day of the blue month, so it would actually be just a bit over half a month. That really was a rather relaxed timeframe.

“Why did he choose such a far off date, though? It gives our leading clan heads plenty of time to think, and Kamyua and Melfried a chance to do a bit more investigating, but what benefit does Cyclaeus get out of that?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t believe he’s the sort of man to ever make a proposal that wouldn’t be to his advantage.”

“Hmm... You really seem to completely and utterly despise Cyclaeus, huh, Gazraan Rutim?” I went ahead and pointed out, and the young man gave me a deadly serious nod in response.

“I’m aware that I’m likely letting my personal feelings on the matter influence my opinion. But still, even if it weren’t for the twisted connection we share, I could never in the course of my life come to call that man friend.”

Was Cyclaeus someone who made others that uneasy even when he wasn’t openly showing any ill will? I had never met the man, so I only had a vague picture of him at best.

However, I could certainly understand why Kamyua Yoshu had said that it wouldn’t be possible to cast judgment upon Cyclaeus at present. After all, no matter how suspicious he might seem, there wasn’t any proper evidence against him.

If we were just discussing possibilities, there was still a chance that Cyclaeus’s younger brother, the captain of the militia, had secretly contacted Zattsu Suun and done all the planning. Or maybe Zattsu Suun had concocted a way to convert his plunder into coins on his own without the help of anyone from the castle.

There was even a chance that Zattsu and Tei Suun had been lying through their teeth, and everything had really been the doing of those bandits.

Without proof, you could come up with pretty much any explanation imaginable.

“Hmm... And you won’t exactly be able to move forward with negotiations or anything until you clear up whether or not he’s just a creep, or if he actually did use Zattsu Suun to do those terrible things.”

“Yes. Kamyua Yoshu stated that he had to use this time we’ve been given to somehow get a hold of proof. And that he wanted us people of the forest’s edge to lend our aid in working towards that goal, too.”

Kamyua Yoshu, huh?

Around now, that wanderer with his aloof grin was having a private meeting with the leading clan heads at the main Ruu house.

With all this intrigue going on, exactly what sort of aid could the people of the forest’s edge provide him? I had no idea, but the thought was making me feel seriously uneasy.

Ai Fa had been silent for a while now, so I went to turn her way, wondering what her opinion was. Before I could, though, Reina Ruu approached with a freshly-cooked burger atop a wooden plate.

“Asuta, we tried making it as you instructed. Would you mind checking how it turned out?”

A well-cooked 180 gram patty, the same size used in the giba burgers served at the stall, sat atop the plate. I certainly didn’t have any complaints as to its color or plumpness. And even though it was a plain patty without sauce or anything on it, it still looked seriously tasty.

I made sure I was wearing a serious look on my face, then said, “Well then, thank you for this meal,” and picked up a spoon. I scooped up a piece of the patty, and the transparent meat juices started overflowing atop the plate.

The inside had been properly cooked through, too.

And when I tossed the chunk of meat into my mouth and chewed, a taste that in no way betrayed my expectations filled my mouth.

“Yup, this is perfect. You used the right amount of diced aria, and you got the ideal texture for the meat, too. Man, it’s been a while since I just had a plain patty, but giba meat sure is delicious...”

All they had added to the patty was the diced aria and a tiny bit of rock salt and pico leaves, but it was still incredibly tasty. I ended up breaking out in a grin, and upon seeing that, Reina Ruu shot me back a joyful smile.

“I was about to ask ‘Really?’ but how could I doubt it when you smile like that? Still, I get the feeling that this patty is a bit too big...”

“Yeah, that’s because you’ve got to cook it up in the morning on the day of. Burying it in pico leaves overnight drains the moisture and causes it to shrink a bit. That’s why you make it a bit thicker at this initial stage.”

“Ah, so that’s it. Understood. In that case, should Sheera Ruu and I go ahead and prepare 60 of these patties?”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you two. My only note is to make sure you keep the size uniform, alright?”

“Of course,” Reina Ruu replied with another smile, overflowing with confidence and pride.

Her face had been well-sculpted to begin with, but I got the feeling that she had grown even more charming lately.

“Ah, if you don’t mind, could you two also give it a taste, Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim? If he ate all this, then Asuta would end up full before dinner even started,” Reina Ruu asked, showing how perfectly considerate she was on top of everything else.

Gazraan Rutim gave an easygoing nod in response, then took the plate from me.

“Ah, this is certainly delicious. I’d definitely like to have the Rutim women receive some further instruction, too.”

“Oh? But Ama Min Rutim should also be quite skilled at making burgers by now,” Reina Ruu said with a smile.

That left Gazraan Rutim to just say, “You’ve got me there,” while scratching his head.

As she watched that friendly exchange out of the corner of her eye, Ai Fa grabbed the plate with a rather grouchy look on her face. Then, she scooped up a bit with a spoon and took a bite.

“Hmm... You really have improved your cooking skills, Reina Ruu,” Ai Fa replied with a blank expression.

“You mean it?” Reina Ruu excitedly asked back. “You get to eat Asuta’s cooking every day, so it really means something to hear you say that!”

The smiling Reina Ruu and expressionless Ai Fa silently stared at one another for a few moments. But just before that silence went on for so long it became awkward, Reina Ruu turned back my way.

“Well then, I’ll be getting back to work. Thank you for your help, Asuta.”

“Yup, I’m counting on you!”

Reina Ruu then turned around and lightly strode back over to Sheera Ruu.

Now then, Ai Fa didn’t seem to realize, but I was feeling a bit concerned about how she was acting. From the way she was firmly clenching her lips, I could sense that she was trying to clamp down on her emotions.

“Hey, are you alright, Ai Fa...?” I stealthily called out.

To be honest, I was worried that she was about to tell me, “Make a tastier hamburger than that!” again.

As she scratched the tip of her nose, her mouth was squirming as if she was trying to hold something back.

The expression that broke out on her face next, though, took me totally off guard. It was a big smile full of every bit as much confidence and pride as Reina Ruu’s had been. And as I just stood there dumbfounded, the grinning Ai Fa leaned into my ear and whispered, “It’s true that she’s improved quite a bit, but your hamburger steak is still tastier.”

Then, I suddenly got nudged with a headbutt to my temple.

“However, she still has improved to a shocking degree. You mustn’t let your guard down, Asuta.”

“Right...” was all I could reply with.

I didn’t exactly see any way that their burgers were worse than mine, though... Still, I decided to keep the embarrassment I was feeling to myself, ultimately.

“Hey! Looks like you’re having a tasty snack there, Asuta!” a wild voice suddenly shouted out.

Glancing over in that direction, I saw a spindly, tall figure and another smaller one standing by the entrance to the kitchen: Kamyua Yoshu and Ludo Ruu.

“Ah, hey guys. Is your meeting with the leading clan heads over, then?”

“Yeah. I somehow managed to get them to agree to my requests. Maybe with this, we’ll manage to finally find some evidence on Cyclaeus by the meeting on the 15th of next month,” Kamyua Yoshu replied, all the while staring at the plate that had returned to my hands.

But Ludo Ruu noticed his gaze immediately, and stomped on over to swipe the plate away.

“This food was made in my house’s kitchen, so I should get it first, right?”

“Ack! Just one bite is fine, but make sure to leave some for me too, Ludo Ruu,” Kamyua Yoshu retorted. It was honestly a bit of a strange feeling, seeing the pair interact so casually.

Apparently Ludo Ruu didn’t hate the fishy bodyguard all that much, as he did share a bite with him after all. Literally just a single one, though.

“Ah, Gazraan Rutim, thanks for all your efforts earlier. Did you finish explaining everything to Asuta?” Kamyua Yoshu asked after carefully savoring that one precious bite he had received.

“Yes,” Gazraan Rutim answered calmly with a nod. “I believe I explained everything in enough detail.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But well, let me just add a little bit on my end,” Kamyua Yoshu said, his carefree smile then turning my way. “Hey Asuta, after hearing Gazraan Rutim’s explanation, you’ve probably got an image of Cyclaeus as this seriously crafty guy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But if you were to meet him, that view may end up getting completely overturned. I hope you don’t start to think Gazraan Rutim’s impression was wrong if that does happen, though.”

“Huh?”

I found it even more difficult than usual to tell what he was going on about here. Still, for such an aloof guy, he had a pretty serious look in his eyes at the moment.

“Sorry, I don’t really get what you’re saying. Could you simplify it a bit more for me?”

“Ah, sorry about that. I honestly only sensed it for the first time myself at today’s meeting. You see, it seems that Cyclaeus looks down on the people of the forest’s edge even more than I had thought.”

“He looks down on the people of the forest’s edge...?”

“Right. That wasn’t the sort of gaze you directed at your fellow humans. It was more like he was looking at filthy subhuman beasts,” Kamyua Yoshu indifferently stated despite how horrifying those words were. “To put it simply, those were the sort of eyes someone would have when looking at slaves... if you didn’t see slaves as fellow humans, too. Here in the western kingdom, though, the only slaves are people from the northern kingdom.”

“The northern kingdom... You mean...”

“Yeah, the enemy kingdom of Mahyudra, where my mother was from. It seems Cyclaeus has been displeased for some time now with the fact that Duke Genos has invited me to come and go in the castle, despite the fact that I have mixed blood from the north. So naturally, the man looks down on me as if I was a filthy beast, too.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Genos is located pretty far south in terms of the western kingdom’s territory. Thanks to that, most folks around here go their whole lives without seeing anyone from Mahyudra. However, Cyclaeus went and summoned slave traders from far away in order to purchase some manual laborers. Of course, that’s nothing uncommon in towns further north... Folks captured from an enemy nation either become slaves or all get slaughtered.”

The more I heard, the more disgusted I felt.

And yet, Kamyua Yoshu just kept on smiling.

“Actually, if he was someone more properly accustomed to handling slaves, it probably wouldn’t be quite so awful. Some owners give rewards to hard working slaves, and others allow them to marry, for example. I’d say there are probably few folks out there nowadays who see their slaves as livestock to be used up rather than as human beings... But Cyclaeus is definitely part of that minority.”

The way he was minimizing it turned my stomach, but I didn’t feel like I was in a position to say or do anything about it. “So what are you getting at, exactly?”

“Well, what I sensed from today’s meeting was that to Cyclaeus, the people of the forest’s edge are an important source of labor... but he doesn’t see them as fellow human beings. I had vaguely figured that may be the case before, but I knew for sure as soon as I saw that murky look in his eyes.”

Gazraan Rutim, meanwhile, was calmly staring at Kamyua Yoshu. And noticing that gaze, the aloof fellow shot him back a gentle smile.

“Even the folks from the post town never look at you all with that much scorn in their eyes, right? Lots of townsfolk may not see the people of the forest’s edge as fellow countrymen, but I can’t imagine many see you as something less than human.”

“The idea of slaves or the discord between the north and the west aren’t things I have a proper grasp on. But that may well be the answer to why Cyclaeus’s gaze caused us to feel so unusually worked up.”

Gazraan Rutim seemed just as calm as always, but I was the complete opposite.

Next to me stood Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim. Ludo, Reina, and Sheera Ruu were here too. And every last one of them was precious to me. To see such wonderful people as something less than human... That was a mindset that I could never, ever accept.

“Anyway, Asuta, even though you’re a man of the forest’s edge, you look like a westerner. Or at the very least, you certainly don’t have an appearance fitting to someone from the forest’s edge or the north. Thanks to that, there’s certainly a chance that Cyclaeus would treat you like a human being, but don’t let that deceive you.”

“That’s... valuable information, so thank you. But isn’t there pretty much no chance at all of me ever meeting that Cyclaeus guy...?”

“Yeah. And I’ll certainly be praying that never happens, too.”

However, apparently it wasn’t impossible.

Seriously though, that information was absolutely outrageous.

I took a few deep breaths to clear out all the stagnant, awful feelings dwelling inside me, then turned once again to face Kamyua Yoshu.

“So, what sort of request did you make of the leading clan heads, anyway? This is your first time asking anything of the people of the forest’s edge, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. We were short on hands this time around, so I’m having them help out with searching for someone.”

“Searching for someone...?”

“That’s right. The plan is to go around checking out the various towns near Genos. The person we’re searching for is a survivor from the Red Beards. You already heard about that group from Gazraan Rutim, didn’t you?”

I unwittingly gulped.

Just what exactly was he planning?

“You see, we’ve actually been seeking this person’s whereabouts for a while now. After all, if we could just find them, we could clear up the Red Beards’ actions from ten years ago. And since we could work that into a way to expose Cyclaeus’s old crimes, that’s where we’re putting our efforts.”

“But wasn’t that bandit group wiped out ten years back? And they were all judged as criminals, right?”

“Yeah, but this person alone somehow slipped through the militia’s grasp. She was extremely close to the leader of the group, so she should know quite a lot about the situation back then.”

“‘She?’ You’re looking for a woman?”

“We are. The wife of the Red Beards’ leader, Goram Redbeard. Originally she was the man’s reckless and wild right-hand woman, but after they had a child together she ended up taking on the role of waiting around for her husband’s return instead. But thanks to that, she managed to escape the fate that the rest of her comrades suffered.”

The wife of the bandit group’s leader... Would it be possible to get valid testimony from such a person?

Well, I’d just have to leave that up to Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried. Still, there was something else I wanted to ask.

“So you said you’re going to be borrowing some help from the people of the forest’s edge for your search? I’m surprised the leading clan heads agreed to that.”

“Yeah, but they seemed to also recognize that we aren’t getting anywhere until we put some real effort into exposing Cyclaeus’s crimes. Even that Gulaf Zaza figured a fishy guy like me was still preferable to that crafty old man,” Kamyua Yoshu said with a smile like a Cheshire cat. “At any rate, Melfried can’t exactly go employing any soldier pals of his for such personal business, and he can’t leave Genos very easily himself. So getting their permission was a huge help. Ah, we’re going to be borrowing three men from the Ruu branch houses, so right now we’re having them learn how to ride totos. I’d like to head out from Genos first thing tomorrow morning, after all.”

So the idea was to take some people of the forest’s edge out of Genos on totos, huh? What a crazy plan.

“Tch! That sure sounds interesting! If I wasn’t on guard duty at the stalls, I’d love to come along too,” Ludo Ruu stated in a carefree tone.

“Kamyua Yoshu, we can trust you, can’t we?” I asked, staring at the aloof guy head on.

“Yeah. Exposing Cyclaeus’s old crimes means a brighter future for the forest’s edge too, right?”

At any rate, the leading clan heads had already accepted his proposal. And so, I had to make peace with that fact, too.

“Understood. I guess we’ll just have to wait for everyone to return safely. Do you think you’re going to make it back before the day of the meeting...?”

“Well, the Ruu clan’s hunters happened to be taking a break, so things really happened to line up well there. But I’d like to get back sooner if at all possible. After all, I’ve got no clue what that crafty old Cyclaeus is plotting by pushing things off for half a month.” With that, Kamyua Yoshu’s purple eyes took on a transparent shine. “You all make sure to take care too, alright? At today’s meeting Cyclaeus didn’t say a single word about your business, but I’m still a bit concerned. After all, he can’t exactly ignore you trying to forge stronger bonds with the post town... Anyway, I’ll be looking forward to eating your cooking again however many days from now, alright, Asuta?”