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

Bonus Short Story

The Wanderer and the Youngest Son of the Ruu

In a corner of the Ruu settlement’s plaza, Ludo Ruu and Kamyua Yoshu were idly standing beside one another. Their gazes were fixed on three men from the branch houses training to ride a totos. And the women with free time were all watching, too, along with the younger children.

“That’s hunters of the forest’s edge for you. At this rate, they’ll be ready to head out of Genos tomorrow morning with no issues at all,” Kamyua Yoshu muttered casually.

The men of the branch houses were practicing totos riding in order to help Kamyua Yoshu search for a woman. In all likelihood, this was the first time in 80 years that any people of the forest’s edge would be leaving Genos territory.

“Hey, I heard you wander around the world for a living, right?” Ludo Ruu asked, sounding rather bored as he observed the proceedings.

Kamyua Yoshu replied, “Yeah,” with a casual nod. “I don’t have a home to return to, after all. I’m rather taken with Genos, though, and this honestly may just be the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place.”

“Huh. So if you don’t have a home, you must not have any family either, then.”

“That’s right. My disciple Leito is the closest thing I’ve got on that front.”

That boy Leito was the one in the middle of the plaza giving totos-riding lessons. He had accompanied Kamyua Yoshu to the forest’s edge this time around.

“Why are you asking all that out of the blue, anyway? I’ve got no reason to lie... anymore.”

“It’s not that I doubt your words. I just can’t even imagine a life without a home or family, so I was feeling a little curious.”

“I see. So you’re interested in the life of a wanderer, then?” Kamyua Yoshu asked with a nonchalant grin.

“Not at all,” Ludo Ruu said, turning the man’s way and shrugging his shoulders. “The souls of my people must return to the forest. And we value ties of blood above all else, so I’ve got no interest whatsoever in becoming a wanderer.”

“Hmm, that’s pretty much what I expected. But that way of thinking is hard for someone who abandoned his home like me to imagine.”

“Well, that said, if anybody wanted to live outside of the forest’s edge, I’d send them off with a smile.”

Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes opened wide with surprise.

“Are you talking about those men from the branch houses? I can’t imagine they’ll be that charmed by the wanderer’s life just by heading outside Genos for a bit.”

“No, not them. And besides... I can’t imagine anyone around here could bring themselves to abandon their family, anyway,” Ludo Ruu said with a big stretch. “Well, the future’s all up to the forest’s guidance anyway... And now I’m hungry, so I’m going to see if I can get something to eat.”

“Didn’t you already eat a ton of hamburger steak, Ludo Ruu? Even though you only let me have a single bite...”

“Hey, I gave you that bite, so don’t complain,” Ludo Ruu snapped back, taking notice out of the corner of his eye that Kamyua Yoshu was still wearing his usual casual grin.

There was someone from town right in the middle of the settlement at the forest’s edge, with a relaxed smile on his face. And that Shumiral guy from yesterday hadn’t faltered in the least even when faced with Ludo Ruu’s dad and older brother.

It had been eighty years since a person of the forest’s edge had set foot outside of Genos, and probably just as long since a townsperson was invited here, let alone was bold enough to accept.

Well, regardless of how everything plays out, at least I won’t be bored for the time being, Ludo Ruu thought to himself, heading for the kitchen once again along with the unusual visitor.