Chapter 1: The First Day of the White Month, Asuta’s Day (First Half)

1

Despite all the problems at hand, my day started off quite peacefully.

Each day, we kept on striving to carry out our grand objective of bringing prosperity to the forest’s edge. And no matter what sort of plots we might find ourselves wrapped up in, I had no intention of ever putting that goal second.

Meanwhile, my business had stabilized quite a bit as of late, so the same was true of my general lifestyle. Perhaps my life balancing out was helped by the fact that the climate around Genos, the forest’s edge included, seemed to be nice and consistent.

It had already been 70 days now since I had come to live at this settlement, but I hadn’t sensed any significant changes in the temperature or the length of each day. It was similar to Japan in early summer, and as for when the sun rose and set... Well, I still hadn’t seen a clock yet in this world, so I had to guess at it, but I’d say we were talking around 6am for sunrise and 7pm for sunset.

In the Fa house we started dinner around when the sun went down, and about two hours after that we lay down for bed. Before falling asleep I would generally talk with Ai Fa, only having the faint light of the animal fat candle to illuminate us, and in no time at all, I would drift off.

If my intuition was on point then we went to bed around 9pm, which sounded healthy enough to me. However, there wasn’t exactly any guarantee that a day was 24 hours here in this world. There weren’t any clocks around, and so it wasn’t clear how many hours I was sleeping for.

However, even if I didn’t have any precise numbers to work with, it was abundantly clear that we were living healthily. We worked hard during the day, stuffed our bellies full of giba cooking, slept soundly, and then woke up completely rested and full of energy for another day’s work. Living such well-regulated and fulfilling days came easier than you’d think.

And so, we headed into the first day of the white month.

As always, we started it sprawled out in the middle of the room, and the first to awaken was of course Ai Fa.

“Ah... Good morning, Ai Fa,” I said while rubbing my sleepy eyes and sitting up.

“Right,” Ai Fa nodded back. She was sitting cross-legged right in the middle of the room, skillfully doing up her blonde hair. I really loved this time of day, when the pale morning light came streaming in through the latticed windows. Just seeing Ai Fa seated there like always filled me with enough motivation to last me through the whole day.

“You should hurry up and get dressed already, too. We need to fill up the water jug today.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

After giving a hearty stretch, I started off by heading into the storage room to change my clothing. Generally, while we were staying at home I would wash my clothes at the same time that I cleaned up after the previous night’s dinner.

The storage room was packed with all kinds of assorted goods like a cracked sliding door, firewood that was drying out, and a saw leaning up against the wall. And it was there that I stripped down naked and put on fresh pants, a waistcloth, and a vest. However, I only had the one t-shirt, so I had to carefully wash it each morning and keep on using it.

My white chef’s uniform was hanging there on the far wall. It went without saying of course, but that was what I had on when I had been sent here to this world. And as far as I knew, my cleanly washed socks and underwear were still jammed into the pockets.

Ever since Ai Fa gifted me with clothing from the forest’s edge, I hadn’t slipped my arms through those sleeves even once. This climate just wasn’t well suited to a long-sleeved chef’s uniform, plus the custom here at the forest’s edge was that wearing an outfit with these swirling patterns was proof that you were brethren.

But this fabric came from Sym to start with. Shumiral wore clothing with similar patterns on it under his cloak too, so I guess it wouldn’t make for all that big of a difference even if he really does marry into the forest’s edge, I thought, reminiscing about the leader of the merchant group from the east known as the Silver Vase, who I had said farewell to just yesterday. Regardless of how things ended up between him and Vina Ruu, it would be half a year from now till he returned to Genos.

I guess around now, he had to be getting dressed to return to his travels. Was the same true of Pops’s construction group from the south, too?

As those thoughts ran through my mind, there was a knock from outside the door.

“Hey, did you fall asleep in there? If you keep on dawdling, I’m leaving you behind.”

“Ah, I’m coming out now!”

I used my waistcloth to wrap up the t-shirt and pants I had removed, then dangled that from my hips and exited the storage room.

First up was transporting the water jug and the pot stuffed with tableware. I tilted the empty water jug over and rolled it towards the door, while Ai Fa carried over the pot.

“Good morning, Gilulu,” I said, spying our totos friend already tied up to a tree.

Lately Ai Fa had been letting Gilulu out after waking up and then getting dressed. I suspected that she was secretly getting her fill of his fluffy plumage as she did so, but unfortunately, I was slower to rise so I hadn’t been able to take in such a sight as of yet.

At any rate, I placed the water jug and pot atop the large pulling board, grabbed hold of the attached vines, and took off for the washing place.

Borrowing Gilulu’s assistance would certainly make the task a lot easier, but it would be bad for appearances to have the Fa clan be the only ones taking such a lazy route. And besides, it also served as strength training to try to do something about how weak I was. The route to and from the post town had already gotten much less intense, so if I didn’t at least keep doing this much, I’d end up right back where I started, weakened by modern conveniences.

At any rate, I just kept on dragging the pulling board, with Ai Fa supporting the stuff atop so it didn’t fall, as always.

The washing place was located less than ten minutes away from the Fa house, and it was one of the branches that came off of the Lanto River. A cold, clear stream steadily running through the rugged, rocky ground, leaving a little pool carved out by the power of water.

There were already four women there at the washing place, from the nearby Fou and Ran. Those were the only two clans who lived close enough to share this washing place. Apparently the Gaaz, Ratsu, and Beim lived further south, while the Sudra and Deen were more to the north.

As we approached, one of the women stood and said “Ah...” She was young, and I didn’t really recognize her.

Lately women from the nearby clans had been frequently visiting the Fa house to request cooking lessons, but not all of them did so.

Hmm... But I get the feeling I’ve seen her somewhere once before... I thought, cocking my head.

Meanwhile, Ai Fa gave her a silent nod from beside me.

However, the woman just sort of wrung her hands and weakly cast her gaze downwards. Meanwhile, the other three women all smiled our way.

“Ah, it’s Asuta and Ai Fa! We’re wrapping up here, so you can have this spot.”

“Thank you,” I replied as I dragged up my load.

With that, that uneasy-looking woman moved aside so fast it was like she was about to flee from the scene.

Ai Fa, however, remained completely silent and expressionless.

Somehow, I got the feeling that there was something between the two of them.

“Hey Asuta, we’d like to come by for cooking lessons today. Would that be alright?” an older Ran woman asked.

I replied “Yeah,” with a nod. “Li Sudra’s set to come by today too, so that works out just fine.”

“Glad to hear it. Um, you see, we were actually thinking about trying out that hamburger steak thing in our clan, too. Do you think we’re not ready for it yet, though...?”

“Of course you are. What matters most is to just keep practicing every day. Even I burned patties back when I was first learning how to make them, and it was just a complete mess.”

“Really? I can’t even imagine it,” the Ran woman said with a grin.

I couldn’t help but feel that I was seeing these women smile a whole lot more lately. Of course being released from the Suun clan’s control likely had a big effect there, but I felt like the new prosperity that had been brought to their lives was having an even bigger impact in terms of brightening them up. And I suspected that applied to both the physical fortune they earned by selling meat to the Fa clan, as well as the joy brought to them by eating delicious food. Though I’m sure I was letting my own desires influence my thinking there. Still, it was a fact that they looked happier, and they also seemed to have a strong desire to strengthen their cooking skills further.

“Yesterday the bloodletting didn’t go all that well. Apparently the giba was really running wild, so they had to bring it down by stabbing it over and over.”

“Well, the men all made it back safely, so that’s what’s most important. Anyway, we did like you told us to, Asuta, and washed the meat in water with salt dissolved in it.”

“Ah, did that help with the stench?”

“Yeah. And the men still tried to drain out as much of the blood as they could manage. Then we pickled it in fruit wine and myamuu and gave it a try, and the taste really wasn’t all that bad.”

“Even if we couldn’t sell it, it was still more than good enough for us to eat,” one of the women chimed in with a smile.

“Anyway, we’ll be counting on you later for the cooking lessons. I’ll go ahead and invite that Deen girl, too.”

“Ah, do you mean Toor Deen?”

“Yup. She’s been seeming rather down because she hasn’t been able to see you lately. Give it enough time, and she seems like she’d make a pretty nice bride...”

I gave a little laugh in response, stealing a glance at my clan head as I did so.

Ai Fa was just silently washing a wooden plate. From what I could tell, she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to our conversation.

As for that woman who acted so strangely when we arrived, she was filling a water jug with a gloomy look on her face.

Staring at her sad expression from the side, I suddenly remembered who she was. She was that Fou woman who had visited the Fa house a while back... Her name was Saris Ran Fou, and she had brought pico leaves as thanks for Ai Fa giving them pelts, back before the Suun clan fell.

It was no surprise that I had such a hard time recalling. That had happened around when I had just started doing business in the post town, which meant it had been a month or so since we met.

And back then, she had been holding an infant even smaller than Kota Ruu. Had she not come to us to learn cooking or here to wash stuff because she was busy taking care of that child? In that case, the fact that she was here now had to mean that tiny little baby was now healthy enough that she could step away for a bit. If the prosperity brought by the Fa clan was even a little bit of a help there, then I would certainly feel glad to hear it.

“Well then, we’ll see you after you’re done with your midday work.”

“Right. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, the Fou and Ran women departed.

Saris Ran Fou didn’t say a single word the whole time, and Ai Fa never looked up at all.

Once we finished with the washing, next up was work around the house and preparing everything for business in the post town.

After hanging our freshly washed clothing by the window to dry, we each set about handling our own work. For me that meant baking poitan, caring for my cooking knives, and checking over the pantry.

In terms of her daily routine, Ai Fa naturally maintained her blades, too. Aside from that, she used this time to take care of whatever was needed, whether that meant chopping firewood, making jerky, or drying out pico leaves. As for today, she chose the pico leaves.

After baking the poitan just enough that they wouldn’t burn, I laid them out in a sunny spot beside Ai Fa’s pico leaves, wrapped up my other tasks, and then headed straight into the forest with Ai Fa. Until the poitan and pico leaves were ready, we would gather firewood, herbs, and grigee fruit.

Of course, bathing was naturally part of the daily routine too. The Fou and Ran women apparently had business to take care of further downstream, so there wasn’t any real chance of running into them at the riverside.

After entering the forest and walking for around 20 minutes, the Lanto River came into view. An area around a large cluster of rocks about the size of a human was our usual bathing spot.

Yielding the first go to my clan head, I took a seat and leaned up against the biggest rock. After entrusting me with her hunter’s cloak and necklace, Ai Fa circled around towards the river.

It would be more efficient for me to use this time to gather stuff, but Ai Fa didn’t like me leaving her side when we were in the forest. Even though giba generally weren’t active until the sun hit its peak, you’d still occasionally see them now and again before that. And as someone who had actually been attacked by one of those early risers, I couldn’t exactly write off Ai Fa’s concerns as her being overprotective.

Still, it sure seems peaceful again today, I thought with a sigh while leaning against the rugged rocky surface.

The light shone down through the trees as a bird cried out from overhead. A cool, refreshing breeze blew through the morning forest, bringing with it the aroma of vegetation and flowers. And from the other side of the rock, I could hear Ai Fa splashing gently in the water as she bathed. In the midst of my busy days, times like this were truly precious to me.

“The weather sure seems nice again today, Ai Fa,” I called out with a raised voice.

“Yes,” Ai Fa replied.

As long as I was with her, it didn’t feel awkward even if we were completely silent. But today, I felt like trying to talk with her.

As I pondered just what topic to go with, though, I recalled the incident from this morning.

“Hey Ai Fa, do you have some sort of ties with that Saris Ran Fou woman?”

No reply came for a bit, which was a little unusual for someone as prompt as my clan head.

Eventually, though, a voice emotionlessly answered, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. I was just close to her when we were younger...”

“Ah, a childhood friend! You had someone like that?!”

I was pretty taken off-guard. But thinking more on it, it was not all that surprising. After all, before all that bad blood with the Suun, the Fa must have had relations with the nearby clans.

“So why were things so awkward between you two? There shouldn’t be any more need to worry about the Suun clan anymore, so why not reform your other bonds like with Rimee Ruu and Granny Jiba?”

“Do you really think that’s so easy to do...?” Ai Fa replied, her voice still emotionless but also lacking its usual strength. That was certainly enough to make me regret my thoughtless remark, there.

It wasn’t like Rimee Ruu or Granny Jiba had cut their ties with Ai Fa of their own volition. Ai Fa was the one who distanced herself so as to not bring disaster their way.

However, it was different with the members of the Fou and Ran. They had severed their bonds with the Fa out of fear of the Suun clan.

In spite of all that, Ai Fa had been secretly delivering giba pelts to their houses. She stealthily helped them out without the Suun clan noticing. Perhaps thanks to that, the leaders of the Fou and Ran had come out in support of the Fa clan’s actions back at the clan head meeting. In other words, they had clearly and openly revolted against the tyrannical leading clan.

And then, the Suun clan fell and those clan heads bowed before Ai Fa and expressed their regret for their actions, requesting to reforge their bonds with the Fa.

I thought that had settled everything, but I apparently hadn’t considered such personal matters. Honestly, I never even imagined Ai Fa would have had a childhood friend.

Just how had Saris Ran Fou felt when she cut ties with Ai Fa? And what was she feeling now?

Did she feel so bad about it that she didn’t want to go and approach Ai Fa out of nowhere...?

“That’s nothing for you to worry about, Asuta,” Ai Fa stated. “The Suun clan was only one of the causes. The ties between myself and Saris Ran Fou were destined to be cut regardless. And that is why they haven’t been reformed even after the fall of the Suun.”

“Right... I don’t think there’s any need to force things, either,” I replied.

Ai Fa was a truly wondrous person. I really believed that was why the Fou, Ran, and Sudra had all gathered around the Fa clan.

Even if the desire to gain more prosperous lives was at the root of their actions, I believed that Ai Fa’s charm was even more important there. That her strength as a hunter, dedication to the way of life of the people of the forest’s edge, and overwhelming spirit charmed those clan heads.

And so even without forcing it, I was sure that Saris Ran Fou would eventually return to Ai Fa’s side. That was what I truly believed.

“You’re a stubborn one, so I can’t imagine you being the one to take action, anyway,” I added in a whisper, so that Ai Fa wouldn’t get angry at me.

In the next instant, though, freezing cold water was dumped over my head and I yelped, “Gyah!”

When I turned around, I found Ai Fa staring down at me from atop the rock, her hair down and dripping. I could only see from her shoulders up, but both her hands were stretched out my way. There was no doubt at all that that was her doing just now.

“What was that for?! That was just plain mean, doing something like that out of nowhere!”

“Oh, I was mean? Who was the one who called his clan head stubborn, exactly?”

“Ah, you heard that...? Huh? But that was way too quick of a retaliation, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, well that’s because I sensed you were going to say something rude and had prepared in advance to strike back.”

“That’s way too prepared, there! What would you have done if I hadn’t said anything?”

“I cannot say. All is in accordance with the forest’s guidance,” Ai Fa replied with a composed look and a shrug of her shoulders. And those shoulders of hers were soaked, too. She must have been hurriedly preparing to retaliate rather than taking the time to put on clothes.

“Are you clinging to the back of that rock in the nude? It’d sure be something if there was someone on the opposite shore...” I threw out there to at least get a little revenge, and Ai Fa’s head swiftly disappeared from sight.

“Hold on for a moment. I’ll pay you back for that comment shortly.”

“Just hurry up and get dressed already! If I’m going to take a bath, I’d really prefer it to be after I’ve got my clothes off!”

I heard a quiet little chuckle from beyond the rock.

So had her mood improved from a nice bath and chastising her rude clan member? I had no way of knowing the truth, but if Ai Fa was feeling better now, then that was all that mattered.

After we finished up with bathing, next came gathering out in the forest. First up were the pico leaves needed to preserve meat, followed by the lilo leaves used for jerky and cubed giba meat stew, and then lastly the grigee fruit used for warding off venomous insects.

As an aside, I never found the body odor of the people of the forest’s edge unpleasant. Despite the warm climate they lived in, just eating lots of meat and bathing once a day was enough that it wasn’t a problem even for my fine sense of smell.

I felt like these grigee fruits were definitely one of the reasons for that. The people of the forest’s edge always wore bracelets made with them in order to keep away bugs, so that scent like a flower just starting to blossom always hit me first.

And when it came to women, they were in frequent contact with pico and lilo leaves. The latter added a nice refreshing aroma, while dried pico leaves were very reminiscent of black pepper.

Plus, I didn’t know if it was the fact that they took those herbs into themselves, or just my own subjective impression, but... The people of the forest’s edge seemed to smell more of the forest than of human beings, like they were always clad in the scents of the vegetation, earth, and flowers I smelled here in this place.

On top of that, Ai Fa used giba summoning fruit in her hunting. It had been a while now since she had rubbed it on herself for the dangerous act of sacrificial hunting, but it had a more intense smell than grigee and she still used it in traps and the like, so it still clung about her hair, clothing, and body.

Thanks to that, Ai Fa always had a sweeter smell about her than anyone else. When she gathered supplies on the outskirts of the forest like this and worked her freshly bathed body up to a sweat, it only seemed to make that sweet aroma stand out all the more.

At some point I suddenly got the impulse to jokingly say, “It makes me want to charge like a giba!” Naturally, that earned me plenty of kicks to the leg.

At any rate, though, we spent around an hour or so each day gathering herbs and firewood. Then once that was done, I finally started with the prep work for the food I would be selling in the post town.

However, I had ceded the baking of the poitan for the myamuu giba and the preparation of the patties for the giba burgers to Reina and Sheera Ruu. And so, that just left me with the poitan for the giba burgers and the marinade for the myamuu giba to prepare.

The poitan I left out to dry before heading into the forest was looking good and parched by now, and so I added water to it and then placed it on the iron tray to bake. I was only preparing enough for 60 giba burgers though, so it was no real hassle once I got used to it.

Thanks to that, I actually ended up with between 40-50 minutes to spare today. That was thanks to both splitting the prep work with the Ruu clan, and also because the introduction of the wagon had shortened our travel time.

“Still, there’s not really anything I can take care of by being free around this time of day. I guess I’ll chop some firewood or something?” I said.

However, as she bit into some jerky, Ai Fa retorted, “That’s my work. If you take it from me, then I’ll be the one left with time to spare.”

The Ruu clan would be taking care of the guard work for today, while Ai Fa would be staying home.

And apparently since she was generally free until the sun hit its peak, she would use the time after I left the house to take care of miscellaneous tasks.

“Then how about you take a nap, Ai Fa? Don’t a lot of the men from other houses snore away till around when the sun hits its peak?”

“I’m not sleepy, so do you really think I could nap? I’ve both slept and woke at the same time for many years now. And so, I certainly can’t go changing that now.”

Ever since Ai Fa lost her mother back when she was 13, she had always worked from the morning all the way till night. Until she turned 15 it was just her and her father, and after that she was all on her own. And so, she had kept on working more diligently than anyone else at the forest’s edge.

“Hmm, then what should I do? There’s not enough time to do any proper cooking experimentation, and there’s not really any work I can get a headstart on either.”

All I had to take care of in the afternoon was cutting up the meat for the myamuu giba and the dishes for the inns. Without having to prepare the giba burgers anymore, my workload had seriously decreased.

With 40-50 minutes I could probably take care of that in advance. But I would need to submerge the cuts of meat in pico leaves, and since the moisture would drain even faster than when it was in a block, it would have a significant impact on the texture, and would also put a strain on the pico leaves themselves.

That shift in texture wouldn’t ruin the taste and could even lead to the meat curing, plus I could cut it with the knowledge that it would contract. But I couldn’t say the lifespan of the pico leaves being cut down would be all that welcome. The Fa house was already using a ton of pico leaves to preserve the meat we used in our business, so I really would like to avoid having to gather more than the current norm each day.

“Alright, then... I guess rather than trying to push stuff forwards, I can bring my evening work into the following morning instead,” I decided.

In other words, that would mean moving the work I did last night to the morning. If I did that, then I could devote the evening entirely to experimenting with cooking. I couldn’t help but chuckle at how great the idea was, causing Ai Fa to shoot me a suspicious glare.

“But in the end, that still leaves me with nothing to do this morning. Hey, isn’t there any work left at all for me to take care of?”

“No. If you’re free though, then shouldn’t you be the one allowing yourself to rest? After this, you’ll have no time to properly relax until after dinner is done this evening, correct?” Ai Fa questioned while leaning up against the wall and sounding a bit astounded. “When I have time on my hands, I rest like this even if I can’t go to sleep. Not wasting your strength needlessly is also an important task to keep in mind.”

“Hmm... But thanks to Gilulu I have to carry heavy loads a lot less often lately. I’m scared of losing the stamina and strength that I’ve built up.”

“Stamina and strength...?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know that it’s hardly anything at all compared to you purebred people of the forest’s edge.”

According to Ai Fa, my stamina was around the same level as a ten-year-old child here.

I certainly took a bit of offense, only for Ai Fa to silently approach while brushing up her bangs. Then, without saying a word, she grabbed hold of my upper arms with both hands.

“Wh-What...? Are you angry about something?”

“I don’t get angry without reason,” she muttered back as she started seriously rubbing my arms.

As my t-shirt was still drying, I just had on the vest. And it really was an odd feeling, having her touch my bare skin all the way from my shoulders down to my forearms.

“Hmm... looking closely, it seems you really have gained a bit of strength.”

“Really? You said before I was at the same level as a ten-year-old.”

“Yes. Now, you may be closer to a child of 12.”

“Oh, I see...”

Well, 12 was just on the verge of earning the right to be a hunter. Thinking of it like that, perhaps this was a good bit of growth... so maybe it was something to feel happy about?

“So I guess that means I’d be able to put up a good match against Shin Ruu’s little brother, huh? What an honor.”

“Hmm... I suppose you may have at least some chance of victory in that case.”

So that really was the level I was at, huh?

As I disappointedly slumped my shoulders, Ai Fa shot me a slightly worried look, her hands still on my arms.

“What is it? Is it unpleasant having me feel you so thoroughly after all?”

“No. It was like a massage and actually felt sort of nice.”

“Massage?”

“Ah, right... I guess you’d describe that as sort of rubbing muscles so the blood flows better, and it feels good?”

“I see,” Ai Fa replied as her fingers slid inside my vest and started feeling around my sides.

Instantly, I screamed out, “Gyah!” and leapt backwards.

“Why are you fleeing? Didn’t you say that it felt good?” Ai Fa questioned with a tilt of her head, her hands still hanging where my sides had been.

I let out a meaningless laugh. “Ahahaha! Sorry. It just tickled there. Maybe it wasn’t too bad, but I’d prefer not to do that.”

“Tickled? I can’t imagine that’s true...” Ai Fa replied, her head still tilted as she now squeezed her own taut sides.

It was only natural that it wouldn’t tickle when she was the one touching herself there.

“You know, I think I remember getting hit once for just poking your arm a while back...”

“Hmm...? Is that so?”

“And I got punched after stroking your hair, too.”

“That was surely because I found it unpleasant to be treated like a child. But I don’t feel that way now,” Ai Fa stated with a serious look on her face, then she drew closer to me. “I’m not lying, you know.”

“Huh? I didn’t particularly think that you were...”

“Then you can go ahead and confirm it.”

“What?”

“Go on.”

What did she mean, go on?

And what the heck? She had an incredibly serious look on her face. Some part of her that was unfathomable to me must have been seriously driving her actions right now.

I didn’t want to go and wreck Ai Fa’s mood over something like this right at the start of the day, and so I suppressed the embarrassment I was feeling and did as she said, patting my palm down atop her head. Her hair had dried completely after having been washed, and felt nice to the touch. And I could definitely feel her warmth, too.

As I stroked it just enough so as not to pull anything out of place, Ai Fa broke out in a smile.

“Yes, it certainly isn’t unpleasant.”

That’s all?! I thought incredulously, almost tumbling over.

I felt like a real idiot for worrying in the least.

Still, getting to see such a wonderful smile this early in the day made this feel like a real big win. But wait, what was I winning at, exactly?

With that, my thoughts wandered into an entirely unproductive labyrinth. What saved me from that maze, though, was Ai Fa’s incredibly kind-sounding voice.

“Asuta, I cannot accompany you to town today,” Ai Fa stated, firmly grabbing hold of my dangling left hand. Her tone was gentle and her eyes looked completely serious.

As I lowered my hand from Ai Fa’s head, I nodded and replied, “Right.”

“I’m the one who decided I would only go to town every other day. Normally, it would make sense to leave all of the guard work up to the Ruu clan since they’re currently on break. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave that task entirely up to others... I wished to do it at least once every other day.”

“Yeah. I think I understand how you feel.”

Ai Fa had her work as a hunter, too. We weren’t hurting for money and could always buy meat from other clans now, so there was no need for her to force herself to do so. However, her pride as a hunter wouldn’t allow her to shirk that duty. It would be one thing if there was no one around for the job, but since the Ruu were available, insisting on always acting as my bodyguard would mean Ai Fa was putting her hunting work second.

And so, she made a rule for herself to only go to town every other day. And she added to her decision that she wouldn’t let the amount she caught fall even if she only spent half the amount of time in the forest.

We had already had a conversation about it just the other day.

However, an element of uncertainty that had her ill at ease had appeared since then: the boy Jeeda who had attacked us in the post town.

The people of the forest’s edge had decided to provide bodyguards on the off chance that Cyclaeus made a move. However, they ended up being crucial for an entirely different reason than that.

“The incident from yesterday has been fully explained to Donda Ruu, too. The Ruu have plenty of men, so he promised you would have enough guards.”

“Ah, right.”

“That Jeeda boy from yesterday wasn’t all that skilled. Shin Ruu from the branch houses didn’t fall that far short of him, after all. I’d say that Ludo Ruu would be able to easily defeat him.”

“Right. Plus he got seriously wounded by Sanjura, too.”

“If this enemy is even close to that man’s skill, even Ludo Ruu may find himself in danger. That is why I asked Donda Ruu to provide a sufficient number of guards. So Asuta... Don’t do anything reckless, alright?” Ai Fa stated, her innocent smile suddenly shifting into a serious look. That tense expression made it painfully clear just how worried about me she was.

Even so, she had firmed up her resolve to carry out her work as a hunter, and also let me do my own job in the post town. And so, with her still holding onto my left hand, I gave her a firm nod back.

“I won’t. I promise you that. Let’s each carry out our own work and return home safely.”

“Right,” Ai Fa replied, her eyes happily narrowing as she brought my hand up to her chest. I almost panicked for a split second, but then she gently let go. “I believe in you, Asuta.”

“Y-Yeah! Just leave it to me!”

I really was getting thrown for a loop this morning.

However, I was also able to reconfirm what it was I needed to do: carry out my work in the post town, then return here to the Fa house.

And that wasn’t just for today. It was for every day from here on out.

Just like how Ai Fa carried out her dangerous hunts and returned home each day, I needed to make sure I made it back too. No matter what sort of wicked plots Cyclaeus may be hatching...

If at all possible, I’d like to get a hold of Goram Redbeard’s son Jeeda and introduce him to the leading clan heads. And I’d have to get to know that Mikel of Turan person Shumiral found, too. Plus, if the Ruu clan was going to handle the rough stuff, then I needed to make sure I carried out my tasks.

As those thoughts ran through my head I sat alongside Ai Fa by the wall, and we spent our remaining time idly chatting away as we rested up.

2

The sun was currently midway between dawn and when it would hit its peak... By my estimation, around nine in the morning. Clad in my now fully-dried t-shirt under my vest, I was heading to the Ruu settlement with time to spare.

There were several routes from the settlement at the forest’s edge to the post town. The only ones I had actually walked personally, though, were the one closest to the Fa house over that terrifying rope bridge, and the one closest to the Ruu settlement.

By taking the route near the Fa house, we could get to the post town in less than an hour even on foot. However, thanks to the rope bridge in the middle, we couldn’t exactly take a totos-drawn wagon that way.

As for the route closer to the Ruu, that would take nearly two hours on foot. It would be one hour to reach the Ruu settlement, and then another 40-50 minutes from there into town. However, that commute time could be shortened drastically by using a totos. As the days passed by I was getting better and better at driving the wagon, and at present I could make it all the way to the post town in just 40 minutes.

Of course, considering the direct route only took around an hour on foot, I had only managed to shave off 20 minutes. However, the wagon also made it possible to carry far more supplies and personnel than before, so it still was saving us an awful lot of trouble.

On top of all that, I used to have Vina Ruu walk to the Fa house each day in order to help carry everything. Having her use those two hours or so normally spent on the round trip on other work made for a massive increase in efficiency.

Naturally, the other work in question was the prep for the giba burgers. Sheera Ruu had already taken on the task of baking the poitan, and the plan was to have them cooperate on this.

To get more into the details, the two who came directly to the post town from the Ruu settlement also got at least a little more time to work out of the deal. Using a totos, it took 40 minutes to get to the post town from the Fa house, and just 20 from the Ruu settlement. Walking, it would be around 40-50 minutes for them, so they got an extra 20-30 minutes. In other words, with the round trip in mind, they were generally getting a bit under an hour extra to work on other tasks each day.

At any rate, since their work hours had been the only thing we carefully locked down in my contract with the Ruu, Mia Lea Ruu insisted that the extra time needed to be used to assist the Fa clan. And so, we decided it would be used to help with the prep work, and anything left could be spent chopping firewood.

With that new agreement in place, I met up with everyone again today at the Ruu settlement, after which we headed out for the post town.

Today’s group was made up of Reina, Sheera, and Lala Ruu, as well as Ludo and Shin Ruu and two additional youths from the branch houses whose names I didn’t know on guard duty. The two branch family boys rode in the wagon with the rest of us, while Ludo and Shin Ruu rode alongside us on the Ruu clan’s totos, Ruuruu.

“When the sun hits its peak and you head off towards the inns, two men each from the Lea and Rutim will come to guard the stalls, apparently,” Reina Ruu informed me on our way to the post town.

So four guards for each, making for eight in total... That was the same number that they sent when guarding against an attack by Zattsu and Tei Suun.

It certainly did feel imposing. However, while we didn’t know what Cyclaeus was thinking, Jeeda had gone and openly declared his desire for revenge against the people of the forest’s edge, so it was definitely necessary.

Still, when we actually arrived in the post town and stepped foot on the stone highway, we really did seem to be faced with looks of much greater unease and caution than ever before.

Naturally, the four hunters solemnly took the lead in front of us chefs. Compared to the day before yesterday, when it was just Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu guarding us, we were clearly disturbing everyone a lot more. But I just had to accept all that, at least until we could fix things with Jeeda.

“Ah, good morning, Milano Mas.”

We had happened to arrive at The Kimyuus’s Tail just as its owner was stepping outside.

Milano Mas nodded back, “Yeah,” then cut in front of us and circled around to the back of the inn. Reina, Ludo, Shin Ruu, and I all followed after him in order to pick up the two stalls.

“We had an inn meeting yesterday...” Milano Mas muttered as he rolled one of the carts out from inside the fence. “You’re selling your cooking to The Westerly Wind, too?”

“Huh? That hasn’t been settled just yet...” I responded in surprise.

“I see,” Milano Mas replied, turning away. “The owner’s daughter was saying that she was planning to head to The Great Southern Tree to confirm your cooking skills.”

“Really? But I’ve heard the owner there has a strong dislike for the people of the forest’s edge and giba, so I still have no clue how all that will play out,” I said, and felt like I couldn’t let this opportunity to mention my other ideas pass on by. “Also... If we’re talking about selling my cooking, I would like to do that with The Kimyuus’s Tail first.”

“What?” Milano Mas questioned, his eyes opening wide in shock. “Is that some sort of joke? Or are you seriously saying you want to sell your food to my place?”

“I am. If I’m going to sell my cooking to inns that serve westerners, then I want The Kimyuus’s Tail to be first. Of course, The Great Southern Tree and The Sledgehammer have customers from the west too, but still... The core of their clientele comes from the south and east.”

“I don’t get it. I can’t see any reason for you to be so fixated on my place.”

“It’s just, I owe you a whole lot, and how should I put it...? It doesn’t feel right to work with a business rival of yours like The Westerly Wind first...”

Milano Mas went silent, a sour look on his face.

As I stared back at him, I continued on, “But... right now I’m planning to hold back on expanding my business. After all, I’d really hate it if expanding our relationship brought trouble your way.”

“What? Even if your talks with the folks from the castle have soured, that shouldn’t be any reason for messing with your business, right?”

I had opened up to my business partners like Milano Mas, Dora, Nail, and Naudis from the start about why I was bringing along bodyguards again. But with that said, it seemed too dangerous to mention Cyclaeus’s name, so instead I just explained that we were having a disagreement with the folks from the castle on how to deal with the criminals who pillaged the fruits of the forest.

“I thought the same up till yesterday, but something else cropped up.”

“What, you got yourself into even more trouble?”

“Yeah. I was waiting for a good time to mention it, but...”

With that, I told him about Goram Redbeard’s son Jeeda. That he was the child of the bandit leader who had been executed for crimes committed by people of the forest’s edge, and had shown up here in Genos burning with thoughts of revenge.

I couldn’t go spreading that information around lightly, as doing so would mean risking it reaching Cyclaeus’s ears. However, Milano Mas was the one person I felt I absolutely needed to tell. After all, he was closely tied to that incident too.

“The Red Beards, huh? Haven’t heard that name in quite some time,” Milano Mas grumbled, crossing his short, thick arms in front of his chest. “Still, that’s no reason for you to stop yourself from moving forward with your plans. As long as you lot don’t have any skeletons in your closet, then you should just keep on going with your heads held high, right?”

“No, no skeletons, but it’s still a fact that some of the Suun committed those crimes.”

“But the criminals were dealt with. You’re saying someone’s still looking to punish you even more on top of that?” Milano Mas questioned, looking around not just at me but also the rest of our group. “I mean, ten years ago you guys must’ve been nothing but snot-nosed brats, right? What sense does it make to blame you for something from way back then? But you say that Jeeda kid attacked you out of the blue regardless...?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“No matter how much he may hate the people of the forest’s edge, stuff like that just isn’t right. Even if people used to love his old man as a heroic outlaw or whatever, I’m sure he’s gotta be up there in the afterlife moaning about his son’s actions.”

It seemed that Milano Mas was getting rather worked up.

However, I felt like he was perfectly within his rights to be angry about what Jeeda had done. After all, he had also lost family and had to bear that grief.

“At any rate, you should just leave that kid to the guards. Besides, I can’t imagine anyone would be stupid enough to attack an inn right in the middle of the post town. If he did, they’d skewer him for sure.”

“Right... So, what do you think, Milano Mas?”

“Hmm?”

“Would it be possible to have my cooking served here at The Kimyuus’s Tail? Putting aside our issues with Jeeda, I really would like to make that happen before I do so with The Westerly Wind, or at least at the same time.”

Milano Mas gave a clear frown and muttered, “Can’t be done.”

“It can’t, huh...?”

“Of course not. If I start offering your cooking, I won’t be able to sell a single one of my other dishes, right? I can’t go taking on such lopsided business dealings.”

“Huh? But your clientele is mostly westerners, so it’s not like all of them would choose my giba cooking, right?”

“Yeah, but if they eat your food even once, they won’t pay any more attention to the stuff me and my daughter make. It’s not like we were an inn known for our meals to start with, after all.”

From what I could recall, Kamyua Yoshu had said that Milano Mas’s wife had passed away young, and as a result The Kimyuus’s Tail’s cooking started falling short of other inns.

With that, I clenched my fists and resolutely replied, “In that case... What if I offered cooking lessons?”

Now, Milano Mas looked completely taken aback as his eyes opened wide.

“Sorry. I know that may be a real rude proposal... And I’ve never handled kimyuus or karon meat before, so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to do with it, but maybe I can at least be of a little help to you.”

“T-There’s no reason for you to go that far! Or are you planning on swindling me out of money for the lessons...?”

“I certainly wouldn’t want any payment in exchange. I just see it as a chance to pay back some of what I owe you for all the help you’ve given me up till now.”

“Hey, I don’t recall doing anything special to help you out at all!”

“Really? Then that means you’ve been helping us out without even realizing it, huh?” I replied, naturally breaking out in a smile.

Milano Mas frowned even deeper.

“If everything goes smoothly, I think I should be able to start finishing up my work at The Great Southern Tree earlier from tomorrow on. If that happens then I’ll be able to spend that newly freed-up time at The Kimyuus’s Tail, so could you let me borrow your kitchen to give it a try?”

After chewing over the idea for a good long while, Milano Mas finally replied, “I won’t know until I talk to my daughter.”

By that point, according to my internal clock it was around 10am.

We left The Kimyuus’s Tail along with our two rented stalls, and then headed towards Dora’s place to purchase some fresh vegetables.

“Hey there, Asuta. Will you be wanting your usual amount again today?”

“Ah, I won’t need pula for a while from now on. I’m switching out the dishes I offer at The Sledgehammer.”

“Oh, is that so? In that case, I’ll subtract out the pula...”

Before, we would stop by while working, and often on our way back too, but since getting the wagon I had been buying everything I needed at this point in the morning.

For the stalls, I needed 48 aria and 8 tino. And then the inns added an extra 100 aria.

On top of that, I needed an additional 30 aria, 150 poitan, and 5 tarapa for prepping the food for the stalls for tomorrow.

That was just how large my orders from Dora’s place had gotten.

Even after taking out the pula, it still added up to 82 red coins in total.

“It certainly is something, having a customer buy this much aria and poitan each and every day. To be honest, our wallets have been getting pretty fat as a result, too,” Dora said with a big grin on his face. And Tara was smiling away at his side, too.

Dora was pleasantly plump while Tara was even skinnier than Rimee Ruu, but their eyes looked just alike when they smiled.

“Normally, selling out of aria and poitan would be unthinkable. Once enough time passes after harvesting them and they start spoiling, you’ve got to sell them to the butchers in Dabagg to use as karon feed. But in that case you have to sell them for around half price, so I’ve really been raking in the profits for these past two months.”

“Well it’s been a big help for me too, being able to buy all my vegetables from you without having to worry about you running out. Speaking of which... If I were to add on an additional 100 aria, would that still be alright?”

“Huh?! You want to buy even more?”

“Ah, it hasn’t been all hammered out just yet, but if I’m able to expand my business with the inns, then I think that’s around the number I’d need.”

With that, Dora nodded his head up and down, looking thoroughly astounded.

“If you really mean that, then I may be left without a single aria left over to sell to Dabagg! It would be a huge help on our end, of course!”

“I’m glad to hear it. Oh, but that won’t result in the cost of karon feed going up and the price of the meat rising, right?”

“Of course not. I’m certainly not the only one growing aria. There are enough out there that even the butchers can’t buy them all and some just get thrown away, so I can hardly imagine it would be an issue in the least.”

“That’s a relief,” I replied while counting out the aria. As Dora similarly counted the coins I had handed him, he tilted his head.

“It seems like you’re always worrying about other shops, Asuta. You sell giba meat, so wouldn’t the price of karon going up just be to your benefit?”

“Ah, no. You see, I’d be scared of provoking the other stalls and butchers and the like. I just want to keep on peacefully doing my business as is.”

“Hmm. But it’s only natural for business rivals to compete, so I really don’t think you need to worry about all that.”

“Yes, I agree that’s a fair way of looking at it too... But as a person of the forest’s edge, I want to avoid antagonizing others as much as I can.”

Those words made Dora look troubled, which was rare for him.

“You’re just trying to do your business fair and square. You’ve got nothing to worry about. All the criminals are gone now, so everything should start moving in a good direction, right?”

It would certainly be nice if that were true. But at the very least, we still needed to settle things with Cyclaeus and Jeeda.

As I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to respond, Tara chimed in, “Hey,” after silently listening to our whole exchange, tugging at her father’s clothing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you shouldn’t cause Asuta trouble, Dad.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine, Tara. Thank you, Dora.”

“I didn’t say anything for you to thank me for,” the vegetable seller replied with an embarrassed wave of his hand, and then finally brought that hand to rest atop Tara’s head. Even though she hadn’t really grasped what we were discussing, Tara gave a satisfied smile.

While feeling warmed by the sight of the father-daughter pair, I opened up about the details of yesterday’s attack, just leaving out all the proper nouns. In other words, I said that we were attacked at midday by someone with a deep grudge against the people of the forest’s edge, and that the two of them should take care too.

“Well, I suppose there is still no shortage of folks like that out there. We’ll be fine, but you all are the ones who really need to be taking care.”

After giving one more, “Thank you,” we departed from Dora’s place.

And so, our business with the stalls for the day began.

Once we arrived at our usual space all the way to the north, we found 30 or so customers waiting there again today. Though we had lost 18 regulars in total between the 10 from the Silver Vase and the eight from the construction group, there didn’t seem to be any change to how busy we were first thing in the morning.

Lala Ruu and I took the myamuu giba stall, while Reina and Sheera Ruu were in charge of the giba burgers. That had been our basic arrangement since yesterday, in preparation for the Ruu clan eventually taking over the giba burger stall.

“Now that I think about it, Li Sudra’s already been helping out for half a month now, huh? She’s only at the stalls for around half as long as us, so she really has improved remarkably fast,” Lala Ruu stated once the morning rush ended and we had a chance to catch our breath. “To be honest, I’d say she’s more or less caught up to me and Vina. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to rethink how much you’re paying her?”

“Ah, right. I always trade places with her, so I’ve hardly ever gotten a chance to see her work and had completely forgotten about all that.”

I had raised everyone else’s initial salary by 50% and brought them up to nine coins total. Li Sudra was currently working for three red coins, so if I did the same for her then that would equal 4.5, or a full five after rounding up the fraction.

“Actually, didn’t you say that you wanted to spread the chance to earn coins around to the smaller clans fairly, so you were going to switch around the lineup often?”

“Yeah, that’s true. The plan was to make the switch every 20 days or so, so I guess it’s about time to start making a move there. Thanks, Lala Ruu. It feels like my head’s been full just thinking about developing new dishes lately.”

“No problem,” Lala Ruu said with a shrug of her shoulders, and then she added, “Oh, and while I’m at it let me just add, Rimee was throwing a fit again last night. She was yelling how it was no fair that Reina gets to help with the stalls but she still doesn’t.”

Ah, that made sense. Because of Vina Ruu getting injured, Reina Ruu had taken a turn helping out too, meaning that now out of the four daughters of the main Ruu house, Rimee Ruu was the only one who hadn’t worked at the stalls.

“Hmm, but still... I had originally been planning on having both Reina and Rimee Ruu hold off till after things settled down between us and the castle. Wouldn’t it be too dangerous to have her help out now, when we even have bodyguards watching over us?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask our mom that question. And well, I guess it makes a bit more work for her and Granny Tito Min when we just leave Rimee and an injured Vina back home with them.”

I’ll have to consult with Mia Lea Ruu, then.

“Ah, but in that case it may end up being you alternating with Rimee Ruu. Would you still be okay with it, then?”

“I wouldn’t especially mind, as long as I still got to come along every other day. Working at the stalls is fun, so I’d like to continue with it as long as I can,” Lala Ruu replied, flashing the whites of her teeth. That smile of hers really did remind her of her brother, Ludo Ruu.

It was then that a well-built westerner approached the stall.

“Welcome!” I called out, only to suddenly hold my tongue. This was no customer.

“Hey there. Looks like you’re making a killing again today. Good to see you’re still doing well.”

His hair and moustache were dark brown, his eyes light brown, and his skin a tanned gold. There was a sand-colored turban-looking cloth wrapped around his head, and he had on a sleeveless vest and cylindrical pants. Overall, the middle-aged man had the bold yet jovial look of the leader of some band of thieves. This was the one who had once played the role of merchant caravan leader in Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried’s plot to entrap the Suun clan, the bodyguard Zasshuma.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Zasshuma. I actually have something I need to report to you.”

Now that Kamyua Yoshu and Leito had left Genos, this man had been tasked with stopping by the stalls each morning to check whether or not anything had happened.

I had heard that three bodyguards had been staying at The Kimyuus’s Tail just to be on the safe side, but apparently this guy couldn’t be one of them because Milano Mas was familiar with him.

“Hmm? Then how about we head behind that wagon and talk? Ah, wait, it’d look suspicious if we move too soon... You should keep working for a bit longer first.”

After saying that, Zasshuma promptly departed. Was he planning to circle around through the thicket to the rear after getting enough distance from the stalls? At any rate, Kamyua Yoshu’s group had been considering the possibility that these stalls were being watched by someone even before we had a chance to tell them about Jeeda.

“That guy seems real shady, somehow. Well, I guess that’s only natural when he’s friends with that suspicious blond guy.”

It seemed that Lala Ruu wasn’t all that fond of Zasshuma.

Well, he was enough of a faker to gladly take on the role of pretending to be a caravan leader, so I guess it was no surprise that people of the forest’s edge wouldn’t really care for him.

Still, I didn’t actually see him as all that similar to Kamyua Yoshu. Zasshuma just didn’t seem quite as unfathomable, but in exchange, he also didn’t possess the same mysterious charisma of that aloof bodyguard. I guess in the end, what I was saying was that oddballs on Kamyua Yoshu’s level didn’t come around too often.

“Well then, I’ll be stepping out for a bit. Take care of things while I’m gone, alright?”

“Yeah. Take care,” Lala Ruu replied with a relaxed wave of her hand as I went and circled around to the rear of the wagon.

Shin Ruu had been waiting there carrying out his guard duty, and he was now shooting me a look of confusion.

“One of Kamyua Yoshu’s allies showed up, and I’m going to report the events from yesterday to him.”

“I see,” Shin Ruu replied with a single nod. Since Jeeda’s attack had occurred just yesterday, there was naturally still a clear, blue bruise on his face.

Then, after a minute or so of me playing with Gilulu and Ruuruu, Zasshuma appeared from the trees escorted by a boy from the branch houses.

“Asuta of the Fa clan, this man says he is a comrade of someone named Kamyua Yoshu and that he has an agreement to speak with you. Is that all true?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Thanks for bringing him.”

“Right,” the boy nodded, and then he left.

“Good grief,” Zasshuma muttered with a strained grin as he watched the youth leave. “You’ve sure got some pretty imposing guards. The hunters of the forest’s edge really are something else, even when we’re talking about a kid like that. And it seems like all the women are real beauties, too,” Zasshuma quipped, which was something else I was sure the people of the forest’s edge wouldn’t appreciate.

Still, despite how rough and crude he was, he didn’t seem all that bad of a guy deep down.

“So, what is it anyway? Things look pretty peaceful around here from what I can see.”

For the third time now, I gave the details of yesterday’s events.

As he rubbed his tanned cheek, Zasshuma let out an impressed, “Ooh, Goram Redbeard’s son! You sure ran into a key player, there. But still, the Northern Whirlwind is after the mother. That son of his wouldn’t quite fully serve our needs.”

“Right. And he seems to have quite a bit of hatred towards the people of the forest’s edge.”

“Hmm... Guess he grew up hearing his mother tell him how his old man was taken down by a cowardly plot. From what I’ve heard, that kid would’ve been just three or four, ten years back.”

In that case, he really was younger than me or Shin Ruu.

That made sense considering his height, but well... It pained me to think that he could be so driven by hatred at such a young age.

Through his wild red hair, I had spied the yellow eyes of a carnivorous beast. They really did look every bit as fierce as those of the hunters of the forest’s edge.

“Zasshuma, if this means that his mother is hiding out here in Genos too, then Kamyua’s group are just completely wasting their time. Isn’t there some way we could let them know?”

“Hmm, maybe you could make it if you pushed a totos past its breaking point to catch up, but I figure that’d be pointless. As long as we don’t actually know where the mother is, we shouldn’t just pull the Northern Whirlwind back here. We have to let them keep on searching on their end, and do the same over here too.”

Right, that made sense.

“Still, a hunter of Masara, huh...? If that’s true, then he could end up proving pretty troublesome.”

Upon hearing those words, Shin Ruu turned towards Zasshuma. There was now a hunter’s light flickering in his usually calm eyes.

“Allow me to interject. Westerner, are you saying you’re aware of what a hunter of Masara refers to?”

“Hmm? Well, yeah. Not that I’ve ever seen one myself, mind you... Masara’s a mountain about three days from Genos by totos. The barobaro birds caught there are famed for being real exquisite.”

“Barobaro birds...”

“However, extremely vicious gaaje leopards also live there, so it’s not like any halfhearted hunter can go hunt those birds. They say that the hunters of Masara are only considered proper adults when they can take down a gaaje leopard.”

So that yellowish-brown pelt cloak the boy wore was his hunter’s attire, huh?

As he stared at the bruise on Shin Ruu’s face, Zasshuma added, “From what I’ve heard, gaaje leopards are vicious carnivores about as big as a human being. If he’s skilled enough to take one down at just 13 or 14, then I could certainly see him managing to catch one of you hunters of the forest’s edge off guard.”

“I see... You have my thanks for that valuable information,” Shin Ruu replied with a bow, and then he held his tongue.

Zasshuma gave another, “Hmm...” and turned my way while rubbing his cheek. “This means Goram Redbeard’s wife and son have probably been hiding out near Masara for the past ten years. If we guess that the wife may have remained around there, then... Well, it’s around three days one way to Masara, so I can’t say we’ve got all that much time to spare.”

There was half a month left until the next meeting.

If the round trip was going to take six days, then that left less than ten to move freely... And it wasn’t like it was certain that Kamyua Yoshu and his team were heading right for that Mount Masara place.

“What should we do, then? Of course, if Jeeda appears before us again I’d like to try to at least explain the situation to him properly without fighting. But isn’t there anything else we can do?”

“Not much in particular, no. If you go and piss off the mother then the Northern Whirlwind’s plan will go up in smoke too, so you’ve just got to handle him as gently as possible. Still, that kid got injured, right...? It’d be a pain if the guards caught him like that.”

“Ah, so it’d be a problem if the guards got a hold of him after all?”

“Yeah, that’d be real bad. If that count’s the sort of man we think he is and he finds out about that kid, then he’ll either shut him up permanently or use him as a tool to keep his mom from talking,” Zasshuma ominously stated with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, if the kid’s using an inn, then I’ll hear about it eventually. A hunter of Masara can’t help but stand out here in Genos, after all.”

“Really...?”

“Yup. My job is to go around to the various inns each night while guzzling down booze and gathering information. So I might get a hold of something in the process,” Zasshuma said, breaking out in a twisted grin. “By the way, it seems you’ve gotten pretty darn close to that one vegetable seller, huh? Ever since those criminals from the Suun clan were dealt with, I’ve been running into him in a lot of random inns.”

“Huh? Do you mean Dora?”

“I don’t know the guy’s name. But he’s the vegetable seller you visit every morning.”

That couldn’t be anyone but Dora.

I could feel my heart starting to pound a bit faster.

“What’s going on with him? I don’t want him to get mixed up in anything.”

“You’ll have to talk to him, then. You see, he’s been going around to various inns each night like I do, and going on and on about you people of the forest’s edge. That you’re really pleasant folks, and that now that the criminals have been dealt with the rest of you lot are innocent, and that we should be more grateful to you. Stuff like that.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“A couple times, things have gotten real heated with folks who especially hate you people of the forest’s edge, but at least for now they’ve stayed peaceful enough that the guards haven’t gotten called yet. Still, he works a farm to the south of the post town, doesn’t he? I can’t see any need for him to be eating at inns to begin with.”

“I see...” was about all I could force out.

Just how greatly had I been helped by folks like Dora, Milano Mas, and Yumi...?

I desperately held back the warmth welling up inside of me so that Zasshuma wouldn’t notice as he grinned away.

3

After finishing my report to Zasshuma, I returned to the stall, where I found two familiar girls holding giba burgers while shooting each other threatening glares.

Lala Ruu, meanwhile, turned and shot me a fed up look.

“Ah, you’re finally back. Do something about these two, Asuta.”

Perhaps it went without saying, but “these two” referred to Diel and Yumi.

Diel was the daughter of a metalwork seller who had come to Genos recently, while Yumi’s father was the owner of the inn known as The Westerly Wind. The former was a short-haired girl with a boyish look, while the latter showed about as much skin as the women of the forest’s edge.

I was at a loss wondering why there was such a dangerous feel in the air, since I had thought they had reconciled.

“Um, what exactly is going on here...?” I called out, only for the two of them to turn my way in sync.

“Hey there, Asuta. It’s not a big deal... I didn’t raise my voice or anything, so I didn’t cause you any trouble, right?”

“Hmm? Then why don’t you hurry on back to the castle town already? You’ve got a nasty enough look in your eyes that I’m sure having you loitering around must be causing Asuta problems.”

“Hey, you’ve got a real nasty look too. So why don’t you run on back to your daddy?”

“I’ve got business matters to discuss with Asuta.”

“And so do I.”

It was certainly true that nobody was shouting.

However, their suppressed rage was flowing through the air like electricity, and I could hear it crackling away even now.

Oh, and Diel’s usual companion Labis was standing there next to her shooting Ludo Ruu a harsh glare, only spurring on the dangerous feel in the air further, while the young hunter of the forest’s edge was just feigning ignorance. I could see why Lala Ruu seemed so fed up.

“A-Anyway, could you step off to the side a bit? And what exactly happened, anyway...? It felt like you two were getting along pretty well yesterday.”

“Don’t ask me. I was just talking about the dish I ate at The Great Southern Tree yesterday, and she suddenly flared up at me.”

“Hmph! If you hadn’t gone and bragged like that, I wouldn’t have gotten annoyed. I want to eat more of Asuta’s cooking too...” Diel replied, looking a bit disheartened.

“Ugh, geez!” Yumi groaned while brushing up her long hair. “That really wasn’t my intention. It was just so delicious that I got all excited talking about it... But if that upset you, then I’m sorry.”

“No... I was too short-tempered there, too. I was just jealous of you, so I’ve also gotta apologize.”

What the heck? I thought with a somehow disappointed shrug of my shoulders.

A few seconds ago they were shooting each other angry glares but now they were both giving embarrassed giggles, only to turn my way with smiles on their faces.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. Asuta’s cooking was just way too delicious! That c-cubed giba meat stew, was it? Whatever it’s called, it was really good!”

“I-I see. I’m glad to hear you say so.”

“Sounds nice. That’s the dish that uses tau oil, right? I wish I could’ve tried it too,” Diel complained with a sort of childish bluntness. Since we were talking about my cubed giba meat stew, it used plenty of the tau oil that came from her home country of Jagar.

As she looked at Diel, Yumi placed her hands on her own slim waist and gave an awkward chuckle.

“You should go eat it too. Can you not slip out of the castle town at night?”

“That’s right. My dad says once the sun sets it’s too dangerous, so he takes away my pass. Plus they raise up the drawbridge at the gate during the night anyway. Hey, Asuta, isn’t there any way I can eat that dish during the day...?”

“Hmm, well I don’t start preparing it till after the sun hits its peak. But if you talk to the inn’s owner then he might be willing to sell it to you after that but before the sun goes down.”

“I see! Then if I can find a day where I’m not busy with work, maybe I could eat it too!” Diel said with a grin, her mood recovered. Meanwhile, Yumi wore a relieved-looking smile.

Diel had a youthful, petite look about her that reminded me of a young boy, while Yumi had rather womanly proportions, making them seem like polar opposites. And yet, their smiles were both equally charming.

“But yesterday was the last day for that cubed giba meat stew dish, right? The owner said from today on it would be a different dish.”

“Ah, yeah, it’ll be a soup today. As for the meat dish, I was going to have him try it out today and then decide. If he decides to use it, then it should make its debut tomorrow.”

“I see! Then I’ll need to try that one out too! Aah, I’m really looking forward to it!”

“Tch! This really is no fair!”

“Ahaha, sorry,” Yumi laughed while patting Diel on the head.

I was worried her temper was about to explode at being treated like a kid, but Diel just puffed up her cheeks instead. They really did seem to make for an amusing pair.

“So, what about you? Didn’t you say you had business to discuss too?”

“Ah, that’s right! There’s something I wanted you to take a look at, Asuta!” Diel excitedly stated, then she pulled out a knife she wore on her hip. Only today, it wasn’t one meant for self defense.

It was still in its leather sheath, but it seemed to be a cooking knife. Unlike the one that belonged to my old man or my vegetable knife from Sym, the handle was also made of metal, though with diagonal ripples etched into it, perhaps to keep it from slipping.

“Ooh. Is this one of the cooking knives your place sells?”

“Yup! It’s for cutting meat! It’s a little heavy, but it can even slice easily through a kimyuus bone!”

Diel was holding the handle out towards me, and so I accepted as I felt a great curiosity welling up inside me.

“Umm, is it alright if I remove the sheath?”

“Could you really understand how good of a knife it is otherwise?”

Of course I couldn’t. And so, I went ahead and pulled it free.

The blade was a beautiful silver. I didn’t know if I should call it a butcher’s knife or a western-style pointed carver, but regardless, it looked just a bit narrower than my old man’s knife overall.

It was a bit over 20 centimeters, and was slim but solid. And despite even the handle being metal, it actually wasn’t all that heavy. Yeah, this seems like it would feel every bit as nice to use as that knife that rode along with me from my old world.

“It certainly does seem like a good blade.”

It was heavier than my old man’s knife, but it was lighter than the hunter’s one I got from Ai Fa. And the metal handle felt more natural to hold than I had expected, balancing out nicely with the weight of the blade.

“Well? Go ahead and try cutting a bit, too!”

Naturally, I had absolutely no reason to refuse.

I had wanted a meat cutting knife to start with, so as not to overuse the blade that was my old man’s heart and soul. And I had already gotten permission from Ai Fa to buy one, too.

However, none of the blades on sale in the post town had jumped out at me. Perhaps it was because my expectations had been set a bit too high by getting to buy such a splendid vegetable knife from Shumiral out of nowhere.

Anyway, I went ahead and headed to the wagon, then pulled out the bundle of meat I was going to sell to Nail. When I opened it up atop my work space, I found the expected block of pico leaf-coated rib meat. I went ahead and tried out the knife on the edge of the soft meat and smoothly cut off several seven-millimeter-thick slices. Then, I went ahead and minced them up atop my cutting board in no time at all.

Yup, I had absolutely no complaints. At least when it came to cutting meat, it was every bit a match for my old man’s knife.

“This is definitely nice. I have no issues with how it cuts whatsoever.”

“Really? Then will you buy it?!” Diel asked, leaning forward as her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Hmm, but this is meant to be sold in the castle town, right? So it must be pretty expensive...”

“Well sure, it’s expensive compared to the knives they sell around the post town, but in exchange, I can definitely guarantee its quality! It costs 12 white coins in total!”

12 white coins.

The vegetable knife from Sym that I had bought from Shumiral had cost 18. And the knives sold around town cost four or five, while the hunter’s knife I was borrowing from Ai Fa went for six.

Converting 12 white coins into giba horns and tusks, it would be equivalent to around 10 of the beasts, so this certainly wasn’t a cheap purchase. But my old man’s knife had already worked hard for 20 years, so I didn’t want to keep on overusing it.

“Right, I’ve made up my mind. Could I buy this from you, Diel?”

“Hooray! Thanks for your business!” Diel exclaimed with a truly overjoyed smile.

Seeing that extremely pure grin, Yumi and I couldn’t help but smile along with her.

“But why did you bring me a meat cutting knife all of a sudden? I was actually just looking for one recently, but still...”

“Huh? I mean, I just found it real frustrating how you weren’t using a blade from Jagar! That vegetable knife is clearly from Sym, and that other one doesn’t come from Jagar either, right?” Diel said, shooting my old man’s knife a serious look as it sat atop my work station. “And that’s a ridiculously nice knife, too. I don’t know what country it was made in, but I was definitely a little surprised when I saw it. And so, I went and picked out what I figured was the absolute nicest knife I had, to offer you something just as good.”

“I see. I really appreciate it. But shouldn’t you be selling something this nice to a noble instead of me...?”

“Hmph! I think you’re way more amazing than those chefs who work for nobles! And I just figured our best knife should go to the best chef around,” Diel replied, now wearing a truly bold grin.

Perhaps it was the way that her emotions always showed so clearly whenever she smiled, but it was just as charming as always. Maybe I’d gone a little strange in the head, as I could definitely recall finding her grin revolting back on the day we first met.

“Well then, see you around! I’ll definitely be back again tomorrow!”

“Guess I’ve gotta get back to work, too. And I’ll also be looking forward to tonight’s dinner at the inn!”

With that, Diel and Yumi departed to the north and south, leaving me feeling a warmth inside.

In their place, my customer who had the looks of an easterner, Sanjura, approached the stall.

“Asuta, I’ll take one, please.”

“Ah, thanks for your continued business. Um... and thanks for everything yesterday, too.”

“You don’t need to, thank me. It was my natural duty, as a citizen of the west,” Sanjura said with a gentle smile as he pulled back his hood, revealing his chestnut-colored hair.

But just as I felt myself being soothed by his grin, he went and said something truly shocking.

“That bandit child was captured, right? I’m glad that, the peace was protected.”

“Huh?!” I exclaimed, freezing in place. I could practically feel the blood draining from my face. “H-Hold on! The boy from yesterday was captured by the guards?”

“Was he not? I thought he was because, there were no wanted posters around.”

“Wanted posters...?”

“Yes. When a criminal is wanted, the guards place up a poster in front of their station. But there wasn’t anything there when, I looked earlier. So I thought he had already been caught...” Sanjura replied while tilting his head and looking perplexed.

I had been holding my breath, but now I finally let out a sigh.

“So that was it? Ah, you really shocked me there... Oh, sorry. The truth is, we never went ahead with any of that.”

“You didn’t put in a request, to the guards?”

This time, it was Sanjura’s eyes that opened wide in shock. Well, it wasn’t all that huge of a shift in expression, but it really did feel unusual coming from someone who looked like he was from Sym.

Ah, but this was no time to be impressed by such things.

“You were assaulted, so you should report that to, the guards. If you leave the criminal be, someone else will get hurt.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is our duty to make that report as citizens of the west. But... He seemed like he was only after people of the forest’s edge, so the townsfolk shouldn’t be in any danger.”

“You all are in danger still, though.”

“We’ll be fine. After all, we’ve got these reliable allies to watch out for us.”

Sanjura’s pale eyes glanced over at Ludo Ruu, who was standing next to the stall.

And Ludo Ruu stared back with a completely serious look in his eyes, utterly different from the one he had when facing Labis.

“Even so, I still think you should, make a report. Are you perhaps holding back?”

“Holding back?”

“Yes. I have heard the people of the forest’s edge, have a complicated position in Genos. I don’t come here that often so I don’t know that much about it, but you are feared and persecuted, are you not?” Sanjura asked, leaning forward with an earnest look on his face. “But the people of the forest’s edge are also, children of Selva. I am too, though my mother was, a citizen of Sym. We westerners are all comrades. You needn’t hold back, and I believe you should rely, on the guards.”

It wasn’t exactly “holding back.”

However, I couldn’t exactly go telling a customer like Sanjura how we couldn’t rely on the guards because of the position held by Cyclaeus’s younger brother.

“So, you’re still reluctant after all...?”

“Yeah, sorry...”

“Then shall I make the report, in your place? I’m not exactly unrelated, so I think I should be qualified, to do so.”

“A-Ah, no! That would actually be a problem for us!”

Trying to hide everything was proving difficult.

And so, I quickly but carefully chose my words.

“Um, you see... He seems to have a deep grudge against the people of the forest’s edge. And so I’d like to talk to him properly, and if it’s a misunderstanding I’d want to clear that up. But if he’s captured as a criminal before that, there’s never going to be a chance for that to happen... And so, we didn’t put in a report with the guards.”

Thinking more on it, Cyclaeus was the one point I really couldn’t be open about.

That Zattsu and Tei Suun committed those crimes ten years back and the Red Beards were executed falsely in turn was steadily becoming common knowledge, so there was no need to hide everything. In fact, it would probably be best for as many folks to know as possible.

However, I’d like to avoid revealing Jeeda’s background if at all possible. After all, I had no way of knowing how that information could end up reaching Cyclaeus.

Still, Jeeda had gone and openly pronounced that he was Goram Redbeard’s son right in front of Sanjura, and the man hadn’t reacted to the name. Apparently he hadn’t been born in Genos, so perhaps he didn’t know anything at all about the Red Beards.

At any rate, Sanjura didn’t ask for any further explanation, instead pulling back while looking a bit sad.

“I see. It seems you have your reasons... I’m sorry for saying too much, there.”

“Ah, no, that’s not the case at all. I really appreciate your concern.”

“I’ll be praying that all of you stay safe. And I hope you can clear up that misunderstanding, too.”

After shooting one last peaceful smile, Sanjura departed with a myamuu giba in hand.

“Hmm, he really does seem pretty darn skilled. Still, I don’t think I’d lose, at least for now while his right arm is injured,” Ludo Ruu muttered while watching the slender man slip into the crowd.

“Could you cut that out already? Just yesterday he helped protect us. So we owe him, don’t we?”

“I know all that. I just feel uneasy when there are guys I’m not sure I can beat with my own hands wandering about. It’s one thing when it’s fellow people of the forest’s edge, but we’re talking about someone from town here...”

I guess that was what it meant to be a hunter of the forest’s edge.

Now that I thought about it, Ai Fa still seemed to be wary of Sanjura, too.

Will those feelings fade if we can forge a healthy relationship with Genos?

In other words, will a day come when the people of the forest’s edge come to view the citizens of the west as comrades, and vice versa?

As such thoughts kept on running through my head, the sun was finally approaching its peak.