Chapter 4: Misgivings and Answers

1

It was now the dawn of the following day, the third of the white month.

And this morning wouldn’t prove to be all peaceful and uneventful, either.

In fact, there was an unusual commotion before we could even head to the post town for the day.

“Hmm... Those are totos footsteps,” Ai Fa stated after we had more or less wrapped up our work for the morning and were in the middle of loading the wagon.

The current setup we had was that on days when Ai Fa didn’t come to town, Ludo and Shin Ruu would come meet me on Ruuruu. However, there was still 30 minutes or so left until we were supposed to head out.

“Did something happen with the Ruu clan? I hope it’s not bad news,” I said, only for Ai Fa to shake her head.

“I hear footsteps from the north. It isn’t Ludo and Shin Ruu.”

“From the north?”

There were five clans here at the forest’s edge with totos. The three leading clans, the Fa, and the Lea. And of those five, the Zaza were the only ones settled further north than the Fa house. So sure enough, the ones to come dashing out of the forest with a totos were men from that clan.

“What is it? Some sort of urgent message?” Ai Fa called up to the man riding horse... er, totosback, not looking intimidated in the least.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a bit wary. The totos was pulling a small uncovered wagon, and in it were two men.

Adding in the rider, there were three of them in total. And they were all fierce hunters of the Zaza clan, wearing pelts with giba heads still attached to them. As always, they seemed even more intimidating and ferocious than the other hunters of the forest’s edge.

“So you haven’t headed to the post town yet? Then I’ll tell you too,” one of the men’s voices rumbled as he got down from the wagon. It was one of the three leading clan heads, Gulaf Zaza.

I couldn’t really see his face too well on account of the giba head. However, there was no way I’d ever mistake that huge frame and intimidating aura that were a match even for Donda Ruu.

“You see, someone snuck into the Zaza settlement last night.”

“What?”

“It was late at night, when everyone had fallen asleep. And so, only the ones assigned to watch the criminals overnight noticed. Apparently... those intruders appeared around the house where the criminals were being kept.”

By criminals, he meant Zuuro Suun, Diga, and Doddo.

Since fleeing from the Dom clan, Diga and Doddo were once again being treated as such. But since they had separated from Zattsu Suun of their own volition and come to warn us of danger, they at least avoided a death sentence.

In exchange, they were under constant watch during the day, during which they had to work on repairing the burnt Dom settlement, while at night they were locked in the same house as Zuuro Suun. Essentially, they were facing a suspended sentence.

“You’re not going to say that Zuuro Suun was abducted, right...?” I nervously asked.

Cyclaeus had raised an awful suspicion that perhaps the people of the forest’s edge had intentionally let Zattsu and Tei Suun escape, and were planning to do the same with Zuuro Suun. If that former leading clan head was kidnapped now, we would no longer be in a position to convincingly deny that claim.

However, his eyes burning bright from the shadow of the giba’s upper jaw he wore, Gulaf Zaza replied, “Don’t go thinking so little of us like that, Asuta of the Fa clan. It’s true that the Zaza let Zattsu Suun escape, and the same is true of the Dom with Tei Suun and those two fools. That was a big enough slip-up to be worthy of any criticism imaginable. However, we’re not foolish enough to repeat that same mistake.”

That was why Gulaf Zaza had borrowed Darmu Ruu and some other Ruu men in order to strengthen their watch. The clans of the north certainly seemed insular and arrogant, so I figured they really must have brooded a lot over the decision to ask Donda Ruu for help.

Well, more than brooding over it, perhaps it was more that they didn’t like the idea of devoting so much manpower to guards and interfering with hunting work, and so they just had to rely on the Ruu clan since they were currently taking a break. At any rate, it was certainly a big change from when they served under the Suun and saw the Ruu as their enemies.

“The intruders fled without doing anything as soon as they were detected. It’s frustrating that we couldn’t catch them... But the real issue is what happened afterwards.”

“Afterwards?”

“The criminal Zuuro Suun lost his senses. He yelled that those intruders were underlings of the folks from the castle, and that he didn’t want to be dragged there. And so, he told us to scalp him then and there if he was sentenced to die anyway.”

“Wh-What’s that all about...?”

“In all likelihood, his nerves gave out on him... If he’s handed over to the castle, who knows what may become of him? And so, he cried out that it would be better to live as one of us till the very end and have his soul return unsullied to the forest,” Gulaf Zaza explained, his bearded face twisting with displeasure as he recalled the events. “I certainly can’t say I didn’t think, ‘What are you rambling on about at this point?’ but... we had depended upon the man as the leader of our people until very recently. He certainly had many vexing aspects, yet he served as the leading clan head. And more than any other of our people, our clans are deeply guilty of failing to realize just how far his crimes went.”

“Y-You’re not saying you decided to handle Zuuro Suun like he was asking then, right?”

That would be rebeling directly against Cyclaeus’s demands.

His eyes blazing brighter, Gulaf Zaza grumbled, “I’m well aware that we shouldn’t. That’s precisely why I wanted to let Donda Ruu and Dari Sauti know as soon as possible. After all, I can’t make the decision on my own.”

So did Gulaf Zaza want to grant Zuuro Suun’s wish after all?

That man was like a symbol of the Suun clan’s corruption, so for him to wail about how he wanted his soul to return to the forest as one his people... I could honestly see myself feeling pretty moved, too. And since he once served under Zuuro Suun, Gulaf Zaza must’ve had even more complicated feelings on the matter.

I once again faced the Zaza clan head straight on, trying to observe him as just a single man.

He was certainly just as much of a giant as Donda Ruu was. No wait, he actually seemed to have a wider build, and I got the feeling he was a little taller. And he seemed to be about the same age as Donda Ruu, from what I could tell. There was a firm, dark brown moustache above his mouth and square jaw, and I could make out deep wrinkles on his tanned, leathery face.

I believe Zuuro Suun was around the same age too... Though he may have been a bit younger, I thought, recalling the man who had the appearance of a squashed toad.

It was honestly hard to imagine, but even Zuuro Suun and Gulaf Zaza must not have looked like that from the very moment they came into this world, of course. They must have been born innocent babies just like Kota Ruu, and as they grew in their respective clans, one fell to the depths of corruption, while the other became the muscular giant of a hunter standing before me now. They seemed like such complete opposites... But like Donda Ruu or Dan Rutim, and Jiza Ruu or Gazraan Rutim, they were tied by blood.

Considering the relationship between their clans, they must have interacted from a young age... What must it feel like to be betrayed by someone like that?

Gulaf Zaza had been the one to insist the whole main Suun house should be put to death when he heard about their pillaging of the fruits of the forest. That must have been down to his anger as someone who had his trust thrown into the mud, as well as the cool-headedness of a man of the forest’s edge who valued the law above all else. However... even a massive, wild beast of a man like him was still human. Just what had he felt underneath the rage that filled his heart? As an inexperienced youth, I frankly found it hard to imagine.

“Where are the Fou and Beim clans located? Since the three leading clan heads are gathering, we need to summon them too,” Gulaf Zaza asked, turning towards Ai Fa after shooting me an annoyed glare.

“The Fou live in the first settlement you’ll find heading south down this path. I don’t know where the Beim live, so please ask the Fou clan head about them.”

“Understood. Sorry for the bother.”

With that, he started walking back towards the wagon, but then he stopped and turned my way.

“Right... I actually just talked to a woman from the Deen.”

“Ah, from the Deen clan?”

“That’s right. She said she was Jas Deen, the elder sister of the head of the main house. Anyway, that woman asked me if there was any way that the Deen could assist the Fa in their business.”

In the back of my mind, I recalled the events from two days ago.

Jas Deen had stared at Toor Deen with a gaze that was strict yet also filled with compassion.

“She said, ‘The Zaza clan doesn’t approve of the Fa’s actions. However, we need to form a bond and know them more closely in order to truly determine whether or not what they’re doing is correct. As the closest clan under the Zaza, could the Deen be given that role?’”

“I see... So she said all that...?”

“And Dari Sauti has been really persistent, saying how he wants to carefully sample your cooking again. But rather than something like that, we should be putting all our efforts towards figuring out what to do about that Cyclaeus man, right?” Gulaf Zaza muttered, sounding incredibly annoyed as he stepped back towards the wagon.

“Gulaf Zaza, about Jas Deen’s request—”

“I can’t go deciding stuff related to the clans under me all on my own. First we’ve got to gather the heads of all seven of the clans I lead, and then debate the matter. We’re too busy for a hassle like that right now...” Gulaf Zaza said, glaring at me with the eyes of a wild beast all the way to the bitter end. “At any rate, you two have disturbed the customs of the forest’s edge more than anyone, so the duty rests on your shoulders to prove what you’re doing is right. Don’t go shirking that duty, Asuta and Ai Fa of the Fa clan. Now, we depart...”

◇

As Ludo and Shin Ruu accompanied me to the post town, I told them what Gulaf Zaza had said.

“Hmm... So Zuuro Suun went and regained his pride as a person of the forest’s edge right at the bitter end, huh? Well, I guess he might just be scared of the folks from the castle, though...” Ludo Ruu grumbled with an irritated look on his face as he stood next to the stall. We were finally getting a chance to talk now that the morning rush had ended.

On days like this when Ai Fa didn’t come to town, Ludo Ruu was always the one right on the front line.

“Still, if we just go and execute Zuuro Suun on our own, I’m sure the folks from the castle would have one complaint or another. My old man and the other leading clan heads have it rough.”

“Yeah, and just what were those guys after, sneaking into the Zaza settlement last night? Were they trying to free Zuuro Suun so the people of the forest’s edge would be blamed for slipping up again? Or were they trying to shut him up? I can’t imagine Jeeda would have figured out about Zuuro Suun so quickly after our discussion yesterday, so it’s more obvious to think this was Cyclaeus’s doing, right?”

“What are you asking me for?! Ugh, there’s so much stuff I don’t get going on that it makes my head hurt...” Ludo Ruu whined, rustling his own hair.

Two nights back, Dora’s plantation was attacked, and then yesterday Milano Mas’s daughter was almost abducted. And on top of that, we had those intruders in the forest’s edge last night. That was enough to induce a headache in anyone, not just Ludo Ruu.

Heck, there was that attack by Jeeda three days ago, too. That meant that assailants had come after three separate groups with guards: Us when we came to the post town, the folks from The Kimyuus’s Tail, and Zuuro Suun while he was confined at the Zaza settlement.

It was hard to even know what we had to be on the lookout against, so that’s why we ended up having to deploy such an extensive guard as a preventative measure. And among all the targets, the one we weren’t able to keep an eye on, the plantation, actually suffered damage and bodily harm to someone there. That meant that things had exceeded even the worst case scenario we were prepared for.

And the only incident where we clearly know the culprit and motive was that attack by Jeeda. Was everything else part of Cyclaeus’s plotting? But what would he even get out of doing stuff like that?

When it came to Zuuro Suun, maybe he wanted to shut him up permanently, but that also might not have been the case.

With Milano Mas and Dora, it could be just plain harassment, yet I couldn’t be certain.

The truth was still hidden in the shadows.

“Welcome. Do you just want the one?” I heard Lala Ruu ask, snapping me back to my senses.

It was then that I noticed a customer from the west standing there on the other side of the iron tray.

“Ah, welcome. That will be two red coins.”

“Two red ones, huh? That’s pretty darn cheap... Still, you’ve got a pretty gloomy look on your face, there. A businessman shouldn’t let his customers see a look like that.”

“Ah, sorry,” I started, only to suddenly notice I was talking to a middle-aged man with a fairly large frame, wearing shabby clothing around his bony body. In other words, Mikel of Turan.

“Th-Thanks for stopping by. Did you come to purchase my cooking?”

“It’s a food stall, so why else would I be here?”

It seemed like he was in a bad mood again today.

However, his face that reminded me of an old tree wasn’t red from booze today, and his gaze and stance seemed firm rather than shaky. He was big to start with, so when he stood up straight like this it practically made him seem like a completely different person than the slovenly drunk from yesterday.

“Two red coins, right? I’ll take one, then,” Mikel said, slapping his coins down on the counter.

Though I felt rather flustered, I went ahead and set about making the myamuu giba.

“You sure are going all-in with the myamuu. If you lacked skill, you could easily end up ruining the meat with that overwhelming scent.”

I couldn’t tell if he was complaining or what, but he certainly looked annoyed as he said that and then bit into the poitan.

There was no change in his expression. However, he kept persistently chewing away at the meat rather than swallowing.

Another customer arrived in the meantime so I wasn’t able to keep focusing on him, but Mikel only moved aside slightly rather than leaving the stall. And then, around when that new customer got their order and left, he finally swallowed his first mouthful and spoke.

“Hmph... I was drunk yesterday so I couldn’t fully trust my tongue, but I suppose at least for now there’s no need for me to withdraw my advice.”

“Was it to your liking...?” I asked, only for his no-longer bloodshot eyes to level a glare my way.

“Myamuu and fruit wine, and this is the taste of aria, isn’t it? You diced up the aria finely and mixed it into the sauce in advance?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmph. You used myamuu, fruit wine, and aria in the dish from yesterday too, didn’t you? So since you can’t get proper seasonings here in the post town, you’re using those to cook instead, eh?” As he talked, Mikel carefully inspected the myamuu giba, which he had only taken a single bite out of. “Still, this fuwano has an odd flavor. It’s not bad, but it’s got a real light texture to it. And I feel like I’m picking up a faint flavor of gigo, too...”

I was astounded that he could even pick up the taste of the tiny bit of gigo I had mixed in with the baked poitan.

“Yes, but that’s not fuwano, it’s poitan. It’s true that I mix in gigo in order to improve the texture, but you’re the first customer I’ve had notice that.”

“This stuff is poitan?” Mikel grumbled, and then he took another bite of the myamuu giba. “Poitan, huh...? I can’t say I’ve ever really eaten the stuff, but they’re preparing it like this in the post town lately...?”

“I can’t say for certain. It’s possible that our stalls are the only ones cooking poitan like this. But I haven’t looked into it that much.”

With that, Mikel went silent as he swiftly finished off the rest of the dish.

And then, he glared at me again.

“Seriously, who are you, kid? At the very least, you weren’t born in Genos. What town did you learn this level of technique in?”

“I learned how to cook under my old man back in my home nation. It would take a long time to explain where that was, but it’s actually outside of this continent.”

“Outside the continent? You’re from overseas, eh?” That was enough to cause even Mikel’s eyes to open wide, but he soon regained his usual sour look. “Well, whatever. Just don’t go forgetting my warning from yesterday. As long as you just don’t step foot in the castle town, you shouldn’t go catching his eye.”

“Yes, but Cyc—”

“Don’t go saying his name carelessly in the middle of the road,” Mikel warned, thick veins bulging on his forehead. “Even if he’d never show his face in a place like this personally, it’s entirely possible for there to be a merchant or soldier with ties to him prowling about. You really should refrain from inviting trouble like that.”

“Sorry. But that man does have ties to the people of the forest’s edge. Right now there hasn’t been any sense that I’m in danger yet, but I’m sure he’s at least heard of my business.”

Apparently it didn’t come up at the last meeting at all, but during the previous incident with the Suun, the leading clan heads were ordered that I wasn’t to take a break from my business with the stalls. And in fact, I suspected that it was someone related to Cyclaeus who leaked the information of how well my business was going to the Suun clan in the first place.

Diel was getting angry saying she heard people mocking giba in the castle town, too... Though I don’t know if that came from Cyclaeus himself or not.

At any rate, rejecting Diel’s proposal about wanting to bring giba cooking back to the castle town certainly seemed to be the right call.

“There’s no need to worry about your reputation in the post town. Nobles wouldn’t even consider stuff that can be bought for two red coins to be food in the first place. And I can’t see them acknowledging giba as a meal meant for people.”

“I see. I can’t say that actually makes me happy to hear, but I suppose I should be glad I won’t go catching that man’s eye.”

“Hmph,” Mikel snorted as he pulled back. “Still, if you get unlucky and he fixates on you anyway, you’ll never be able to make that giba cooking of yours ever again. So make sure you don’t go anywhere near the castle town, alright?”

With that final warning, Mikel promptly departed.

Lala Ruu had silently watched over the whole exchange, but now she grumbled, “What was that about? That sure seemed like one self-important customer.”

“That was Mikel of Turan. You all heard his name back when we said farewell to Shumiral, right?”

“Huh? He’s the one who’s supposed to lend greater strength to the people of the forest’s edge?” Ludo Ruu interjected in shock. “He just seems like a totally normal old-timer. I really can’t imagine him getting involved with the future of our people.”

“That was just some fortune-telling stuff, right? You’d be stupid to believe something like that.”

Though they were saying such things, I couldn’t help but feel differently.

Naturally, I had no idea precisely what role Mikel would actually play. However, there was no way he was just a “totally normal old-timer.” At the very least, I couldn’t even imagine picking out the taste of the gigo I mixed into the baked poitan when faced with the overwhelming flavor of my myamuu giba.

A man who used to be a chef in the castle town, huh...?

I felt oddly excited, somehow.

Still, no matter how Mikel got involved with me and the people of the forest’s edge, it didn’t change what needed to be done here and now. We just needed to keep on striving as hard as we could to pulverize the obstacles that lay in front of us.

2

After that, I finished up my afternoon work too without any incident.

On the surface at least, the town seemed peaceful.

I got the feeling that there were more guards patrolling around town now, but aside from that, I didn’t see any significant changes. Our sales for the stalls didn’t fall below the norm, and customers even occasionally said stuff like, “You guys seem like you’ve got it rough in a lot of ways,” without showing any hint of feeling intimidated by the people of the forest’s edge.

Perhaps it was less that folks were feeling more favorably towards us, and more that they were just that distrustful of the people from the castle.

Only the Suun, the former leading clan, had received favorable treatment from the castle, while everyone else lived even harsher lives than the folks from the post town. Thanks to the commotion with Zattsu and Tei Suun, that information had spread quite a bit amongst the townsfolk. Afterwards, it felt like negative feelings towards the people of the forest’s edge had decreased significantly, while distrust towards the folks from the castle had increased.

And so when it was reported that thieves appeared wearing attire from the forest’s edge, the first instinct folks had seemed to be doubting the intentions of the people from the castle and wondering what the truth really was.

If that impression I’m getting is correct, then it sure serves that Cyclaeus jerk right... Though I can’t feel all too happy about it.

After all, the fact remained that Dora’s plantation had been attacked, and that was certainly nothing to feel glad about.

And besides, it was still definitely a minority that felt favorably towards the people of the forest’s edge. Most were guarded against the castle while also shooting us sharp, questioning looks.

“Are the people of the forest’s edge really not a gathering of outlaws? Isn’t this just the right time for the truth to come out?” It’s like more and more folks were watching to determine the answers to such questions as they held their breath.

Still, the work itself went along nice and peacefully. In fact, I’d actually say a number of things happened on the business side of things.

First off, Nail from The Sledgehammer chose sirloin out of the cuts of giba I had offered, and decided he would grill it up and add it to his menu. His cooking method was quite simple, apparently just consisting of slicing it thin and grilling the meat.

However, it supposedly would come accompanied with a dipping sauce made from a blend of the sauce used in pickled chitt, fruit wine, and a variety of spices. I got to give it a try, and it was a truly spicy, exotic sort of flavor.

“It doesn’t come close to your cooking, but I’ll make it cheaper in exchange, so I don’t think I’ll get too many complaints.”

In order to turn a profit, he sold my dishes at the fairly high price of five red coins. But this was cooking made with meat he bought for the same price as karon, so just like with meals made from that meat, he could sell his new dish for four red coins.

“I would imagine I shouldn’t have any issue selling at least ten meals a day. And so I’d like to make 20 meals for each day you’re taking off. Could I ask you to sell me enough meat for that on the day before?”

Perhaps Nail had the same fear Naudis did of losing his customers to another inn. At any rate, I went ahead and gave an enthusiastic, “Of course.”

On the other hand, there was The Great Southern Tree, where I had only just yesterday handed over a sample of giba meat.

However, my time off was just four days from now. And perhaps as a result, Naudis only needed a single day to make up his mind to order giba meat. As for the cut, he chose the more expensive ribs.

“That one seemed the tastiest when just grilling it normally. Could I get enough meat for ten meals tomorrow and the day after, then 70 three days from now?”

“70 meals?! You must be really sure about this!”

“I’ll just salt any leftovers I end up with. At the very least, I can’t imagine any of it going bad.”

Even so, 70 meals worth meant 17.5 kilos of meat, and a price of 117.5 red coins.

He must have been planning to serve ten meals on the night three days from now, and 30 on each of the days I was taking off. Normally he bought 40 meals from me each day, so it wasn’t exactly like he was being overconfident... Well, at any rate, I certainly appreciated it.

“Thank you for the business. Still... the owner of The Sledgehammer also asked for a soft cut well-suited for grilling. Both the leg and shoulder meat are good for making boiled dishes, plus they’re cheaper, so I’m honestly sort of surprised.”

“Hmm, I would assume The Sledgehammer’s owner also realized the gap between his skill and yours would be too apparent when it came to stews and the like. But giba meat’s tasty when you just grill it, so it’s only natural to want to start from there.”

I see, I found myself thinking.

Naturally, giba meat was plenty suited for using in boiled dishes, but just boiling it alone wasn’t enough to make it tasty. It made sense that just doing that would feel lacking compared to stuff like my giba soup and chitt hot pot. The lack of seasonings really was having an impact here too.

At this rate, though, we’d end up with nothing but leg and shoulder meat at the Fa house. Of course, I could use that for stuff like soup and hamburger steak so it wasn’t a serious issue for the time being, but I’d like to move towards being able to sell all the different cuts proportionally.

Well, since Naudis had access to tau oil, he probably wouldn’t have a tough time putting out just as good of a grilled dish as The Sledgehammer.

Thinking of it like that, I’ll have to put more effort into helping The Kimyuus’s Tail so they can compete with those shops that can use foreign seasonings.

Speaking of that establishment, in addition to experimenting more with karon and kimyuus meat while there, I also gave a bit of a cooking lecture.

Rather than being about handling meat, though, it was on how to use vegetables. For the time being, I went with explaining how to deliciously prepare the ones I was especially familiar with, like aria, tino, tarapa, pula, chatchi, gigo, and myamuu.

That meant cutting techniques like thin slices, round slices, wedge cuts, and mincing, as well as the appropriate cooking techniques for each, and even how to properly heat them to best draw out the flavor of each ingredient. In other words, there was a ton to cover.

However, Milano Mas was once again my only student for the day. Apparently his daughter was busy with other work somewhere else.

“She had a strong fear of the people of the forest’s edge to begin with... But well, I guess I’m at fault for raising her that way.”

“That’s nothing for you to worry yourself about, Milano Mas.”

The man’s wife had lost her older brother ten years ago, and due to her built-up anxiety she also died young. Zattsu and Tei Suun were to blame for her older brother dying, so it wasn’t strange in the least how much Milano Mas had hated and avoided the people of the forest’s edge. And yet, he hadn’t cut ties with us, and was even accepting these cooking lessons knowing I was using them as a preamble towards selling him giba meat.

And then there was his daughter, who I was hardly acquainted with at all. Even when I had seen her, she always got frightened and ran away. However, Milano Mas must have gotten permission from her too before deciding to allow us into his kitchen.

However, her heart had been scarred by yesterday’s incident, and so she was still hiding from us. I really, truly despised those mystery villains causing trouble of late.

“All traitorous fools who support the people of the forest’s edge will get what they deserve,” huh...?

The identity of those scoundrels remained a mystery, even now. What they were saying was exactly the same as Jeeda, but if I trusted the boy’s words, then he had nothing to do with them.

However, there was no proof that Cyclaeus had a hand in their actions, either. If he really was unrelated to the matter, too... Then that meant there were still folks here in the post town who held a powerful hatred for the people of the forest’s edge.

That certainly didn’t justify those bastards’ actions, though. In fact, my thinking was more like, “I’ll never let you get away with this!” It really might have been true what Milano Mas said, that Jeeda’s actions of pointing his hatred directly at the people of the forest’s edge made a lot more sense.

“You killed all those merchants, and then thrust that crime on my dad and his men... So why is it that you’re able to swagger about and laugh your heads off in the post town...?”

Those words from Jeeda were getting to me even now.

Considering all that Zattsu and Tei Suun had done, it wasn’t strange at all for there to be folks out there who still hated the people of the forest’s edge this much. Actually, Milano Mas might have really been unique, seeing how he had just dealt with us normally rather than letting any past feelings interfere.

Still, I can’t help but feel anxious...

Having come from another world entirely, I felt a strong affection for both the people of the forest’s edge and the folks from the post town. And there were things that only someone in my position could do to help. So I wanted to give everything I had to see that through.

◇

“That Jeeda kid didn’t show up today,” Ludo Ruu said while fastening Ruuruu to a tree after we finished up work and arrived at the Ruu settlement. “Isn’t there some way we can drag him in front of my old man? Doesn’t it feel like if we could just do that, it would be surprisingly easy to settle this?”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“I mean, he doesn’t seem to worry about complex stuff like the folks from town. And apparently he trained as a hunter on some mountain, so doesn’t it seem like he’d get along well with us?”

That was certainly an optimistic way of looking at things.

Those words certainly were fitting for Ludo Ruu... however, the youth had never even so much as seen Jeeda. And he had never been glared at by those eyes mad with hatred, either.

Shin Ruu, meanwhile, had actually taken a beating from Jeeda, and he didn’t say a word as he helped unload.

“Oh, is that you, Asuta?! Long time no see!” a large figure called out, emerging from the main Ruu house. Though it was hard to say just how long it had actually been since we’d seen each other, it was Dan Rutim.

“Ah, hey there. Were you having a meeting about the stuff with Zuuro Suun?”

“Yup! The discussion itself ended quickly, but it’d be dull just heading straight on home, so I was playing with Kota Ruu!”

Same as always, he was a pretty free spirit for a clan head.

As she giggled at the jovial sight, Reina Ruu said, “We’re done here. Sheera Ruu and I will head in to prepare for tomorrow.”

They had gotten so good at making giba burger patties by now that I just gave the taste and size a final check at the end by this point. And even that step was just me being extra careful, so I was thinking I’d leave the whole process entirely up to them starting tomorrow. I could just let them go on and continue my chat with Dan Rutim.

“So, how is Zuuro Suun going to be dealt with?”

“There’s not really anything we can do. The folks from the castle told us to hand him over, and so we can’t exactly go and execute him while we’re still in the middle of negotiating... Or at least, that’s what the leading clan heads are thinking.”

“You sound a bit displeased, Dan Rutim.”

“Oh, you bet I am, and big time! That ridiculously corrupt bastard Zuuro Suun finally managed to summon up some guts as a man of the forest’s edge, and I think we should honor his resolve!”

“But couldn’t you say he’s just afraid of the folks from the castle? Like if he was going to be killed after getting tortured anyway, then he’d prefer to take the easy way out now,” I said almost as a self-rebuke, since honestly I was of the same opinion as Dan Rutim.

“Even so, it’s not easy to bring yourself to tell someone to scalp you. On top of that, he’s being kept in the Zaza settlement, right? I mean, I could certainly see Gulaf Zaza pulling his blade out then and there when he heard that,” Dan Rutim grumbled, displeased wrinkles forming on his slick head. “Someone born as one of our people is begging to have his soul returned to the forest. Why do we need to brush those words aside and let the folks from the castle deal with him? I just can’t understand what the leading clan heads are thinking.”

“I’m sure they’re in a tough place. After all, the castle’s already demanding we hand over every last member of the main Suun house. On top of refusing that, if we tell them we won’t even hand over Zuuro Suun, the people of the forest’s edge would be seen as being in open rebellion against Genos...”

“We wouldn’t be rebelling or anything. We’d just be brushing off some unreasonable demand.”

Dan Rutim’s assertion was entirely accurate. So much so that it left me at a loss for words.

Cyclaeus had thrust the demand on us based on his opinion that the people of the forest’s edge couldn’t be trusted. And so, when you cleared away all the quibbling and bargaining, it was only natural to end up with an opinion like Dan Rutim’s.

“Besides, pillaging the fruits of Morga isn’t even punishable by death under the laws of Genos, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. In most cases, the punishments under the laws of the forest’s edge are heavier than those of Genos.”

In fact, it was the son of the frustrated man in front of me now who had delivered that information in the first place.

“Then wouldn’t he have a better chance of living longer if we hand him to the castle? In that case, I’ve got some respect for him saying to scalp him then and there even so.”

“That’s true. That would certainly be the case normally...”

However, we were dealing with the enigmatic man known as Cyclaeus. Zuuro Suun wailed and questioned just what would become of him if he was handed over, so there was no doubt that he was seriously frightened.

On top of that, the noble had persistently insisted that not just Zuuro Suun but the whole main Suun house be handed over. Cyclaeus’s argument was that the people of the forest’s edge were being too lenient in their punishments, so he must have had some sort of reason he needed to get rid of them.

With that in mind, Zuuro Suun’s intense fear was certainly understandable...

But it was then that a little doubt emerged in my mind.

What reason could there be for needing to go that far to wipe out the Suun clan?

Thinking about it normally, it would have to be something related to the criminal, Zattsu Suun.

If that man and Cyclaeus had shared some sort of secret agreement, then I could see that crafty noble finding the possibility of anyone else in the Suun clan knowing about it troubling. And so, I would get him wanting to torture Zuuro Suun for answers, and even jumping at shadows and deciding the whole main house needed to be silenced.

The real issue, though, was whether or not such a secret agreement even existed in the first place. I mean, if it did, would it really make sense for Zuuro Suun to keep hiding that fact so securely?

It had already been over 20 days since the former leading clan head had become a prisoner. And the Zaza men had thoroughly investigated his other crimes during that period, so he certainly had plenty of opportunities to confess.

Actually, if he was that scared of the folks from the castle, wouldn’t it make more sense to reveal anything and everything that he could while he was still here at the forest’s edge? If he exposed it, then that secret agreement wouldn’t be so secret anymore, and there wouldn’t be any reason left for him to be tortured or silenced. He had resolved himself to be scalped already, and that sort of behavior would be a lot more fitting of him.

Was it a secret fatal enough to Cyclaeus that revealing it would put all of the people of the forest’s edge in danger...?

I simply couldn’t imagine that being the case. If it was, Cyclaeus never would have drawn things out and let Zuuro Suun be for so long. And we had been resigned to hand Zattsu and Zuuro Suun over to the castle to begin with, so if they hadn’t gone and said to turn over the full Suun clan, things would have never gotten this complicated.

Heck, thinking on it further, the idea of a secret agreement between Cyclaeus and Zattsu Suun felt off the mark to begin with. I mean, did Zattsu Suun really have a cooperative relationship with that crafty noble, or were they just using one another? Even if it was the former, it was hard to imagine that vile old man going to his grave without spilling everything. After all, Zattsu Suun died raging and spewing forth his hatred towards the people of Genos.

The same was true for Tei Suun, too. So I can’t imagine Zuuro Suun alone was holding on to that secret...

But then what in the world was going on?

What did Cyclaeus want Zuuro Suun and the rest of the main house for? And what made Zuuro Suun so terrified to be handed over to the castle? No matter how much I turned it over in my head, I just didn’t get it.

However, there was one thing I did know. While we couldn’t ask Cyclaeus about those questions, we could ask Zuuro Suun.

“Is Donda Ruu in there...?”

“Yeah,” Dan Rutim replied, and so I stepped foot into the main Ruu house on my own.

Waiting inside were the clan head, his eldest son, and the son’s wife and child.

Was the family enjoying some nice peaceful time together now that their lively guest had finally left? At any rate, I went ahead and apologized for the sudden visit as soon as Sati Lea Ruu guided me in, carrying Kota Ruu along with her.

“Never mind the pleasantries. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?” Donda Ruu responded, looking just as annoyed as always.

I went ahead and explained the doubts I was having, but perhaps because it was all too vague, my sentiment didn’t really seem to get across.

“I don’t really get it... Could you put it a bit simpler, kid?”

“Sorry. I’m honestly having trouble grasping the focal point of the problem, myself... I guess the big question is, just what is Zuuro Suun so afraid of? He’s sentenced to die even if he stays here at the forest’s edge, so what reason is there to fear the folks from the castle at this point?”

“But last night, intruders invaded the Zaza settlement. Wouldn’t it fit that he panicked learning just how fixated on him the folks from the castle really were?” Jiza Ruu chimed in.

As always, though he was smiling, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

“Yes, but even if they were seeking to silence him, he’s going to be executed either way so what does he have to fear? So that sounds like a fate worse than death must be awaiting Zuuro Suun if he’s handed over to Cyclaeus, right?”

“A fate worse than death... So torture, then?”

“That’s what I thought at first, too. But if Zuuro Suun was holding on to secrets worthy of that, then if he revealed all that before he could be handed over to the castle then there’d be no reason left to torture him.”

“Then what other possibility is there...?” Donda Ruu questioned.

“I don’t know,” I replied with a shake of my head. “So doesn’t it make sense to interrogate Zuuro Suun directly on the matter? Ask him just what exactly has him so afraid, I mean. Zuuro Suun was the one who maintained a relationship with Cyclaeus for the past ten years as leading clan head, right? So wouldn’t it make sense for him to be able to guess at what exactly that noble is thinking?”

“That’s true... Zuuro Suun was corrupted by the poison from the city of stone, so he may just be able to predict what they’re plotting,” Donda Ruu replied, scratching at his mane of hair. “I wish you’d brought this up before the other leading clan heads left... Hey, Ludo’s gonna be using the Ruu clan totos after this too, right?”

“Yes. The plan is that he’ll escort me to the Fa house, and then stay there until Ai Fa returns.”

That all went without saying, since Donda Ruu had personally decided on all that.

“In that case, we’ll just have to use another totos. When the Lea clan head shows up at your place, tell him what we just discussed and send him to the Zaza settlement.”

“Huh? Rau Lea will be stopping by the Fa house?”

“Isn’t that the agreement you had? He said something like that.”

We hadn’t made any such deal, but it seemed he was planning to bring Yamiru Lea along to the Fa house again.

“Understood. If Rau Lea shows up, I’ll be sure to tell him that Zuuro Suun should be interrogated about just what exactly has him so scared.”

“Yeah, and if he doesn’t stop by, then have Ludo do the job with the totos once he’s done guarding you, and... G’wrk.”

“Huh? What was that?”

I got the feeling I had heard him say, “Good work,” but it hadn’t come across all that clearly.

“Never mind! If you’re done here, then hurry up and leave already.”

“Right! Excuse me,” I said, obediently retreating back outside.

At the very least, I had managed to clearly convey the doubts I had been feeling to Donda Ruu.

It’s hard to see what’s right under your nose, I guess... With Zattsu Suun gone, Zuuro Suun has interacted with Cyclaeus longer than anybody at the forest’s edge, so we should have been focusing more on him.

Yamiru Lea had once said that Zattsu Suun had given up on his son thanks to his lazy personality. I guess that’s why I had figured he had nothing to do with any plots coming from Cyclaeus.

However, Zuuro Suun had ten years of experience with the crafty noble by now. Even if he didn’t know a thing about any plots or secrets, that alone was valuable in and of itself. We just had far too little background information on Cyclaeus. But if we could use this to get at least some sort of lead on him, then maybe we could finally move forwards a bit.

And so, feeling almost satisfied in a way, I exited the main Ruu house.

However, there wasn’t anyone waiting outside. The only ones there were Gilulu and Ruuruu, casually pecking away leaves. Had Ludo and Shin Ruu gotten bored of waiting and decided to go watch their sisters cook instead?

Just as I was wondering where Dan Rutim went and started looking around for him, an overwhelming tremor rumbled through the ground.

“Gwahaha! You may be big, but you sure are sloppy! You’ll never be able to beat me or Donda Ruu like that!”

There were two large figures over near the entrance to the settlement.

The one loudly chuckling away was naturally Dan Rutim, while lying at the clan head’s feet was Mida. And there were a number of little kids darting about around them.

“A contest of strength...? Ah, good seeing you again, Mida.”

Since I had seen Dan Rutim back when Shumiral visited, it had been longer since I’d last met with Mida.

I’d been stopping by the Ruu settlement every day lately, but since we were each busy with our own work, there hadn’t really been much of a chance for us to build up our relationship.

At any rate, as he lay sprawled out on the ground, Mida let out an unintelligible “Ngh...” and lifted his massive frame. “Ah, Asuta... There’s something I wanna show you, Asuta.”

“Huh? What is it?”

With that, Mida thudded off around the back of Shin Ruu’s house.

I followed after him alongside Dan Rutim, only for something truly surprising to soon come into view: a wooden house.

“Whoa, you finished it already?”

Mida had been building his own home under the guidance of Shin Ruu’s father, Ryada Ruu.

However, I first learned of that on Lala Ruu’s birthday, the 25th of the blue month, and at that point he had still been cutting lumber. He sure finished it quickly, seeing how it had only been ten or so days since then. And though it looked perhaps a bit smaller than the Fa house, it didn’t seem poorly made compared to the other homes I’d seen in the least.

“Ooh, nicely done!” Dan Rutim exclaimed as he patted the wall with one of his large hands. “I’m impressed. I never imagined you would finish it this quickly.”

“Right... I worked hard, for Asuta and Ai Fa...”

“Huh?”

“I’m gonna return that house I’ve been using up till now to you guys...”

Now that he mentioned it, Mida had been sleeping in the only vacant house, and so Ai Fa and I hadn’t been able to stay overnight at the Ruu settlement.

But, well, Ai Fa wanted to return back home instead whenever possible, so as long as we had Gilulu we probably wouldn’t have a need to stay... but of course, I wasn’t about to go and say anything so thoughtless.

“Thanks. You really did give it your all, huh? That’s amazing.”

“Ryada’s the amazing one, though... I couldn’t have done anything all on my own...”

“That’s not true. It never would’ve been possible to finish it this quickly without your strength.”

Mida’s fatty cheeks trembled. As always, that surplus fat was getting in the way of him making proper expressions, but I was pretty sure he looked happy.

“Yup, this shows some definite skill. I’d love to get your help the next time the Rutim need a new house built,” Dan Rutim chimed in with a hearty laugh. “And it looks like you’re losing that excess fat bit by bit, too. Keep on giving your all, and you should be able to make a strong showing at your next contest of strength. Work hard, and eat well!”

“Yeah... I’ll try hard so I can eat Asuta’s cooking next time...”

Surely I wouldn’t be tasked with manning the stove each and every time they had one of their important festivals of the hunt. After all, the Ruu women’s cooking skills were improving remarkably fast.

I wouldn’t bring that up, though. I didn’t want to seem dismissive of his efforts.

“I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next festival of the hunt. And if I happen to get asked to man the stove again, I’ll give it my all, for sure.”

“Yeah... I’m looking forward to it too...” Mida said, his little piglet-like eyes sparkling.

Mida’s thick, log-like arms had once destroyed stalls in the post town, but now they were being used to make a new house here at the forest’s edge. Even for someone who had such a limited relationship with him like me, that thought still felt deeply moving.

Mida and Yamiru, and surely Oura and Tsuvai too, had overcome their crimes and Tei Suun’s death, and had started living fresh lives in their new clans.

But what about Diga and Doddo? They must have been regretting their own sins and weaknesses, surrounded by the terrifying men of the Dom.

At any rate, I again felt strongly that as long as Cyclaeus couldn’t come up with much better reasoning than the leading clan heads were bringing to the table, we absolutely couldn’t let those new lives be destroyed.

3

“Ooh, we’ve been waiting for you, Asuta and Shin Ruu!”

By the time we made it back to the Fa house, Rau and Yamiru Lea were already there waiting for us.

“I’m counting on you to give Yamiru Lea cooking lessons again! Meanwhile, I’ll be training with Shin Ruu!”

“Unfortunately, I’ve got a message for you from my old man, Rau Lea.”

Once Ludo Ruu explained the situation from atop Ruuruu, Rau Lea puffed up his cheeks with dissatisfaction.

“Why do I have to be an errand boy?! You’ve got a totos too, so you should go, Ludo Ruu!”

“If you’re gonna complain, then do it to my old man. But now that you mention it, Darmu did head to the Zaza settlement,” Ludo Ruu answered, looking a bit pensive. “It doesn’t seem like he’ll be coming home for a while, so maybe I should go see him... Just don’t get so wrapped up in your training that you neglect keeping watch, alright? I’m sure you already heard too, but some intruders approached the Zaza settlement just yesterday.”

“Understood! Thanks, Ludo Ruu!”

And so, it was decided that Rau Lea and Shin Ruu would stay here and keep watch.

As for me, I had to prepare dinner, do some cooking experiments... and also give Yamiru Lea lessons.

“So, what should we do today? Do you have any requests?”

“You really think I would have any...?”

Yamiru Lea had a captivating yet listless air about her again today.

Now that I thought about it, it may have actually been a bit rare for just the two of us to be working together. But the other neighboring women weren’t scheduled to visit the Fa house today, so there was no helping it.

“The Lea women received lessons from the Rutim clan, right? I guess the real issue is just how skilled they ended up.”

“I can’t say... For now, they still seem to be struggling with that dish you call hamburger steak. I suppose Ama Min and Morun Rutim are the only ones who can actually make it properly.”

“They’re struggling, huh? I see.”

The Rutim women had pretty much all learned from the Ruu in turn, too. That made them the disciples of my disciples, and the Lea women were another step removed from that. Reina and Mia Lea Ruu were incredibly skilled, but it was only natural that things would be lost as more and more folks were inserted in the chain.

“Hamburger steak becomes harder and harder to cook through the larger it is. Apparently the Fou and Ran are having a good bit of trouble with it, too... Well then, how about we tackle meatballs today for a change of pace?”

“Meat... balls?”

“To put it simply, it’s sort of like making little hamburger steaks. That makes it far less likely to over- or undercook them.”

The idea had come to me from the kimyuus meatballs I had tried out at The Kimyuus’s Tail.

In both the settlement at the forest’s edge and inns in the post town, it seemed dishes that took a while to prepare weren’t all that appreciated.

“We’ll start with the same preparations as the hamburger steak. After boiling down the poitan, we’ll switch over to dicing and sautéing the aria.”

Using the dinner for the Fa house as an example, I then had Yamiru Lea practice preparing a sample.

We boiled down the poitan and dried it to use as a thickener, and in the meantime diced the aria and sautéed it while also grinding the meat. I hadn’t employed diced aria in the kimyuus meatballs, but since the taste of giba meat was so strong, I always ended up using them in dishes like this.

However, this seemed like a good opportunity, so I went ahead and tried making some without any aria, too.

And what about adding gigo to the thickener? It took some time to boil down and dry out the poitan, so it was a good bit of added effort when it wasn’t done alongside the usual baked poitan.

I altered those two variables, whether or not there was any aria or gigo in the thickener, making for four varieties in total.

“All that’s left is adding salt and pico according to your tastes, and it might be good to grate in some myamuu at this stage too. And we also mix in fruit wine in the Fa house.”

“How complicated. The Lea clan doesn’t add that many different things in.”

“Is that so? Well, I figure kneading salt and pico leaves in should be plenty to start.”

Even with the giba burgers I sold in the post town, I didn’t knead anything but salt and pico into them. That was because I already used plenty of fruit wine and myamuu in the tarapa sauce.

But at the Fa house I had tried out things like a tau oil-based sauce, cheeseburgers, teriyaki burgers, and so on, and I attempted all sorts of flavorings in the patty itself while doing so. Ai Fa had once judged the hamburger steak I made as tastier than Reina Ruu’s, but I figured aside from how much we cooked it, that was where the difference would have to lie.

“So when kneading the meat, you want to ball them up to around this size. And there’s no need to worry about getting the air out.” The size I indicated was enough for a single big bite, about as big as a takoyaki ball. “It’s too early to start cooking meat for dinner, so let’s just grill up one to give a try. First off, we’ll add a bit of giba fat so that the meat doesn’t stick to the pot. Then we’ll keep the stove at a medium flame, cooking it and rolling it about until it turns a nice even brown. But if you move it around too much at this point it’ll crumble, so take care.”

Once the surface was a golden brown, we added the grated myamuu, salt, pico leaves, and fruit wine, then let it cook through in a covered pot. Those were all the steps needed to prepare the dish. And the diced aria and thickener were just my own personal touches, so it should certainly be possible to simplify it further.

It was a bit late to be having the thought, but since the people of the forest’s edge weren’t too fond of complicated tasks, meatballs might have been a more fitting dish for them than hamburger steak in the first place.

“Now, this one was the one with gigo but no aria in the filling, wasn’t it...? Anyway, go ahead and give it a try.”

“You aren’t going to eat it...?”

I was about to say that I had a full dinner ahead of me so I couldn’t, but instead I said, “Then I guess I’ll try half.”

So, this was the meatball Yamiru Lea made, huh? Even if I was the one to actually cook it, I figured she would feel a lot more confident if I approved of the taste.

“Ah, yup, this is plenty tasty,” I earnestly stated.

Using gigo had made the texture a bit fluffier.

And sure enough, not adding the aria brought out the giba meat’s strong flavor even further. In other words, this way could be more suited to the tastes of the people of the forest’s edge.

Also, they had a nicer, chewier texture in this shape than with the thin mini-burgers. And there were no issues with the meat juices, as there was plenty of that too. It was similar to yet different from hamburger steak in a way that I could definitely imagine the people of the forest’s edge enjoying.

What about Ai Fa, though...? Even if I could see everyone else feeling satisfied, I get the feeling she’d still pout, I thought to myself, only for Yamiru Lea to give a deep sigh.

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s quite tasty. I just can’t help but wonder if it’s alright to be taking it so easy...”

I tilted my head, not getting what she meant, and she shot me a glare from beyond her long bangs.

“I heard about Zuuro Suun. The meeting from the other day didn’t settle things at all, so what in the world are the new leading clan heads planning on doing from here on out?”

“Ah, that’s what you meant? I’m not sure... But I know they won’t let you all be handed over to the castle.”

“They said to turn over the whole main Suun house, correct? In that case—”

“You know we aren’t going to hand over you and Zuuro Suun alone to take the fall, right, Yamiru Lea?” I said, beating her to the punch.

Yamiru Lea sighed and responded, “How perceptive of you. The Lea clan head kept on saying the same thing.”

“Oh, you talked to Rau Lea about that too? I’m sure that must’ve made him pretty angry.”

Rau Lea was currently grappling with Shin Ruu as Gilulu watched. That put him close enough that we could see each other, but he shouldn’t have been able to hear what we were saying.

Yamiru Lea turned away and gently stroked her left temple.

“He didn’t just get mad, he hit me. What a truly awful man.”

“Well, I do agree that Rau Lea shouldn’t have done that, but I can understand him getting at least a little upset to hear you talking like that.”

Yamiru Lea didn’t have anything to say in response.

“Even if you’re trying to save Mida and Tsuvai, please stop thinking it’s alright to go and sacrifice yourself. You should already know from the clan head meeting that that won’t work.”

“But Zattsu Suun had his eyes on me to be his successor. Those folks from the castle must be terribly eager to execute someone like me.”

“We don’t even know what they’re up to in the castle, so I can’t see any logic in blindly following all their demands. You’re one of our precious brethren, after all.”

Yamiru Lea looked down just a bit, hiding her expression behind her long bangs.

“You’ve done enough. Don’t you realize that if you just hand me over, that might be enough to satisfy the folks from the castle? You really are stubborn fools...”

“That’s my line. Please, try to understand why Rau Lea and I are so upset.”

At that, Yamiru Lea suddenly started biting the nail of her thumb. It was a really childish action that was quite unlike her.

“You’re angry too, Asuta...?”

“I guess I’m more sad than angry. Doesn’t it depress you, saying things that ignore everything our brethren are trying to do here?”

“You’re a foreigner, not one of our people.”

“I consider myself one of you, even if I am a foreigner.”

Yamiru Lea went silent.

There was a somehow gloomy feel lingering in the air, and so I tried calling out in the brightest tone I could manage, “Also, I don’t think the folks from the castle would have any interest in Zattsu Suun’s successor or whatever. They’re still insisting the incident from ten years back was the work of bandits, so I can’t see them really pursuing the Suun clan for those crimes.”

“They won’t pursue those crimes...?” Yamiru Lea quietly repeated, her expression still hidden. “Hmm, so that’s it... Is that why Zuuro Suun is so afraid of being handed over to the castle, perhaps...?”

“Huh? You know what that’s about, Yamiru Lea?”

“I can’t say I do. But you can naturally imagine when you think about it, can you not?”

“I really, really can’t. That’s why we’re asking Zuuro Suun personally,” I said, then I drew close to Yamiru Lea without thinking. “Please tell me. Why do you think the people from the castle want to get a hold of Zuuro Suun?”

“If it’s not to investigate crimes, then there’s only one other possibility, isn’t there?” There was now some sort of mysterious light in Yamiru Lea’s eyes, behind her long bangs. “The revival of the Suun clan.”

“The revival of the Suun...”

There was a chill to those words that caused them to sink deep into my chest.

“Do Zuuro Suun and the rest of our former house hold any other value? The new leading clan heads have been proving troublesome for those people from the castle, haven’t they? And so wouldn’t it make sense for them to wish to place Zuuro Suun back in that position and once more have the people of the forest’s edge act according to their wishes?”

I... honestly couldn’t just write that off as some crazy idea.

All sorts of memories were clicking together in my head, building to a single conclusion.

At the start, Cyclaeus had insisted every last member of the Suun clan be handed over to the castle, the branch houses included. And when that wasn’t working out, he switched to just focusing on the former members of the main house.

But why?

Cyclaeus had said from the start that it was to judge the weight of their crimes, right?

But was he looking not to punish them for their crimes, but to wipe their slates clean...? In order to undermine the current leading clan heads with unjust slander and reinstate the Suun clan under his approval?

That would also explain why Cyclaeus doesn’t seem to be in any sort of rush. If he wanted them to protect some sort of secret then he’s taking things way too slowly, but if he was hatching a scheme like that instead, there’d be no issue with taking his time.

In that case, the reason he was asking not just for Zuuro Suun but his whole family... Was it to have hostages to get the former leading clan head to listen to him, or to use one of Zuuro Suun’s sons in his place if the man himself wasn’t working out?

And were the intruders the other day meant solely to confirm Zuuro Suun’s presence rather than to do him harm? Were Cyclaeus’s words that the people of the forest’s edge were too lax in their punishments just a feint or bluff to hide his true intentions?

Of course, no matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t like there was any proof. Still, it made a lot more sense than him wanting to kill every last member of the Suun to keep them quiet.

“But then... why did that make Zuuro Suun so panicked? Even if it was caused by the presence of those intruders, if he had the same thought that you did then I can’t see any reason for him to get all upset.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot claim to understand how Zuuro Suun thinks. Though he is my father, we aren’t alike in the least,” Yamiru Lea replied in a monotone voice, gently hugging her own body. “However... Perhaps he realized he lacks the strength needed to refuse the folks from the castle. So if he was reinstated as the leading clan head, and had to face the hatred and resentment of all his brethren... I could see that thought causing him great distress,” she added, her shoulders lightly trembling.

And so, I firmly grabbed hold of those shoulders with both hands.

“It’s going to be alright. The leading clan heads won’t hand you over to the castle. I feel that even more strongly now after hearing what you had to say.”

“What if this is nothing but some delusion I’ve made up inside my own head...?”

“We won’t just abandon our fellow people of the forest’s edge, whatever their plan is.”

Despite how cold she always seemed, sure enough, there was blood and warmth flowing through even Yamiru Lea’s body. And that was a fact I was constantly aware of as I held her shoulders till her trembling steadily came to an end.

◇

And then, night fell.

We had finished eating our meatball dinner, and Ai Fa and I were currently talking.

“So, things have been growing more and more complicated. Just what will end up becoming of Zuuro Suun?”

“The leading clan heads can’t exactly go deciding on a path forward at this point. First, we must figure out the truth.”

It really was just as Ai Fa said.

The time to settle things was steadily creeping nearer, but we were still left with nothing but a bundle of mysteries, doubts, and speculation. There was no way we could decide how to proceed with things like this.

“For now we must simply protect ourselves and wait for Kamyua Yoshu’s return. That’s all we can do.”

“No, there’s one more thing, right? Convincing Jeeda and making him into an ally.”

“With him, we’ll just have to wait until he shows himself. Waiting for your prey to appear is one form of hunting.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely a hunter-like idea.”

Now that I thought about it, I had seen Donda Ruu act surprisingly passive quite often. Did that intimidating man usually operate by lying low and waiting for the perfect chance rather than moving around aimlessly?

Under the dim light from the candle, I stared at Ai Fa’s face from the side.

She was just a bit close. Currently, we were leaning up against the wall, quietly chatting with one another. And we were at a distance where our shoulders were almost touching, but not quite.

“If you’re not by my side when an arrow is shot through the window, I won’t be able to protect you, now will I?” Ai Fa had said, and so we had remained in this spot ever since dinner.

When we went to sleep we would cover the windows to guard against attacks. But the wind felt quite nice tonight, so we decided to leave them clear until we turned in for the night. It wasn’t like anyone had suggested the idea, though. We just sort of agreed without speaking.

And so, we had been quietly chatting while seated so close we could almost feel the warmth from each other’s bodies.

“It would be nice if our peaceful everyday lives could return soon... Or at least peaceful enough that we don’t need to worry about arrows shooting in through our windows.”

“Hmm? What brings this up? Is the situation starting to get you down after all?”

“No. I’ve got a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head, so much so that I could get all worked up if I’m not careful. But I just can’t help feeling like I’d be truly blessed if all I had to worry about was you making it home safely and how business was going.”

Still keeping her eyes on the window, Ai Fa broke out in a frown.

Most of the time when I started making statements like that, Ai Fa would just go silent like she was now.

She really was catlike, especially considering how she would just go ahead and nuzzle close without asking when she was feeling uneasy.

But, well, I can’t say that exactly upset me or anything.

“Still, getting back to the matter at hand, it certainly is tiring just waiting for the other side to make a move. I keep worrying that something else is going to happen to someone close to us.”

“Indeed. And we also still have no idea who is responsible for all that, either.”

“Yeah. Still, if it really is all Cyclaeus’s doing... It may be a plot to force things back to how they used to be.”

“Force things back...?” Ai Fa questioned, tilting her head. And as she did so, her long hair tickled the bottom of my neck.

“You don’t think so? Returning Zuuro Suun to his position as leading clan head, reinstilling doubt towards the people of the forest’s edge in the townsfolk, interfering so that we can’t keep on doing business... Every last one of those sounds to me like Cyclaeus attempting to force things back to how they were.”

“If your thinking is correct...” Ai Fa whispered, using a quiet yet firm tone, “that Cyclaeus man is undoubtedly an enemy of the forest’s edge.”

“Yeah. If he were that obvious of a villain, he’d definitely be worth taking down,” I replied, half serious and half joking.

Ai Fa smiled ever so slightly, but then her eyes suddenly became those of a hunter.

“He’s here...” she whispered, grabbing hold of her blade’s grip.

In a fluster I followed her gaze, and found a pair of yellow eyes staring our way through the window.

I gulped. It felt as if I had run into some hungry beast in the dark of the night.

“You’re that boy who called himself Jeeda, aren’t you? So, do you finally feel like exchanging words?”

“Step outside... Both of you.”

With that, those blazing yellow eyes suddenly vanished.

Ai Fa rose to her feet, still holding her blade.

When I also stood, she shot me an intense look.

“Asuta, make certain not to leave my side. If he suddenly attacks I’ll push you towards the house, so be prepared.”

“Got it.”

And so, we carefully stepped outside.

Jeeda was just five meters from the door, standing there like some sort of ghost.

As always, he had on that leopard-patterned cloak that marked him as a hunter from elsewhere.

And the pale moonlight was giving him a seriously eerie feel.

“If you hold no malice, then I welcome you. I am the head of the Fa clan, Ai Fa, and this is my clan member Asuta.”

Jeeda didn’t respond.

“As we mentioned the other day, we have no hostility towards you. But before you throw all the hatred you hold for our people on us, we’d like to first try talking.”

Since his hood was hanging a good bit down, I couldn’t really see Jeeda’s expression. However, I could definitely see his yellow eyes like those of a wounded beast smoldering away.

And yet, perhaps because of the moonlight, his body looked somehow smaller than I remembered.

He was shorter than even Ludo Ruu to begin with, and slender too. And today, I wasn’t sensing any of that overwhelming fury bursting forth from his small frame.

“Before that though, just let me ask... How did you know where our house was? Asuta arrived by carriage, so I can’t imagine you managed to chase after him.”

“I followed the wagon’s tracks... It was far easier than tracing an animal’s footprints,” Jeeda replied, his face still hidden by his hood’s shadow.

That voice had once been crackling with thunderous rage... But now that he was talking calmly, it sounded like the slightly husky voice of a boy going through puberty.

“The criminals... Are they really all dead?” Jeeda quietly asked after a few moments of silence. “They’re saying in the post town that two of them were executed. But there’s no way two criminals from the forest’s edge could have slaughtered that entire merchant caravan on their own... What happened to the rest of them?”

“From what I’ve heard, they all died out over these past ten years. For whatever reason, many members of the Suun tend to die young, and all of the criminals belonged to that clan,” Ai Fa calmly responded.

“You’re lying,” Jeeda shot back with a glare. “As if something so convenient could possibly be true. You’re trying to protect those criminals, aren’t you...?”

“No, we’re not. To begin with, apparently very few people were involved with that incident from ten years back. They pulled off their plan by setting giba upon the merchant caravan. Using a trick like that, even a single person could take down 30 others.”

“Then who was it who attacked that plantation two nights ago, exactly? Every last one of you really are criminals, aren’t you?”

“Most certainly not. That was a scheme to lay false blame on the people of the forest’s edge. I firmly believe that there are no longer any hunters left among us who would dare to sully their pride,” Ai Fa firmly yet calmly stated.

As I stood there by her side, I had my breath taken away by how tough yet full of integrity her voice was. Usually she didn’t let her inner feelings show around others, but Ai Fa was really baring her soul now, which caused a strange sensation to well up inside of me.

Jeeda didn’t say a word as he glared back at Ai Fa.

But after another long silence, he opened his mouth... and a pleasant breeze blew through our hair while also swooshing down Jeeda’s hood.

“I... I trained so hard in order to have my revenge against the people of the forest’s edge...” the boy uttered, his unkempt fiery red hair silently swaying in the dark. “If all the criminals are already dead... Then who should I even be swinging my blade at...?”

Jeeda’s face suddenly came fully into view. It had once been twisted with rage, but now it was filled with sadness.

What a truly sorrowful expression...

Was this really the same boy who had angrily pointed his blades our way? That terrifying assailant?

His eyes were so big, and were almond shaped and at a slightly upward angle. His nose and mouth were both small, and his chin was slender too. Honestly, from his face alone, he looked younger than his age of 13 or 14. I just couldn’t imagine it shifting into that expression that called to mind a wounded leopard baring its fangs.

However, those yellow eyes of his alone still burned away like flames, even though they were filled with great sadness.

“Why exactly are you trying to get revenge, Jeeda...?” Ai Fa calmly asked.

With that, the fires burning in the boy’s eyes grew even more intense.

“Don’t go asking such stupid questions. To restore my father Goram’s honor, after he had those crimes thrust on him and was executed, of course.”

“I see. We people of the forest’s edge are also in the process of restoring our honor that was sullied by our former leading clan.”

Jeeda was silent.

“Asuta already said as much yesterday, but even if the Suun clan was the one to actually carry out those crimes, there might still have been someone behind them pulling the strings. Right now, we’re fighting to determine the truth of that matter.”

Still the boy didn’t say a word.

“To you, we may be nothing but enemies you wish to take revenge upon. But won’t you join together with us to bring the truth to light? That is the path forward that we wish for.”

Without offering any reply, Jeeda pulled his hood back up. And when he did, I spied his left hand just a bit from under his cloak, as well as the fact that it had a grey cloth wrapped around it.

“I’ll get my revenge in my own way...” Jeeda uttered in a voice that made it hard to tell what he was feeling. “If you don’t like that, then take me down here and now. That should be easy enough with the strength you possess, especially since I’m injured.”

“I have no reason to cut you down. In fact, I feel glad that I did not do so three days back.”

Silently, Jeeda turned away.

Hurriedly, I called out at his back, “Please wait. Didn’t you hear anything from your mother? The truth is, some of our allies are actually searching for her now. With her testimony, they may be able to expose our enemy’s crimes, so—”

“My mother doesn’t accept the idea of me living for revenge. It’s been a year now since I cut ties with her... That woman was defanged when my father died.”

“A year... So you’ve been apart for that long?”

“I’ve been living on Mount Masara. I come down to town to sell the barobaro birds I catch... And that’s how I learned about you, Asuta,” Jeeda stated in a monotone voice, his back still to us. “That the people of the forest’s edge were doing business in the Genos post town... and that their crimes had been forgiven while the other criminals had been judged... The merchants were all saying stuff like that. I got so mad I couldn’t even think straight and ended up coming here to Genos...”

“I see. But I don’t think the people of the forest’s edge have truly been forgiven just yet. That’s why we’ve been giving our all trying to form proper bonds with the townsfolk.”

Jeeda didn’t say anything in response.

And before long, his small back started to vanish into the darkness.

I stepped forward without thinking, only for a voice to quietly say, “Don’t follow.”

With that, Jeeda disappeared.

“Hey, Ai Fa... Is it really alright to just let him leave without a fight?”

“There was no helping it. That boy is searching for a path forward he can believe in. And that’s not a task anyone else can interfere in,” Ai Fa replied, her gaze firmly fixed on the direction where Jeeda had vanished. “Besides, he possesses the same spirit that we do. I believe that he won’t be standing in our way as an enemy again in the future. So with that in mind, we just have to keep waiting for our paths to someday naturally overlap...”

“I see. You may be right, there.”

At the very least, I could definitely sense that it would be incredibly foolish to try to forcefully restrain the young hunter.

And besides, if Ai Fa trusted in Jeeda, then I would too.

At last, our enemy was starting to vaguely come into view. And no matter what sort of plot Cyclaeus might try to throw our way, we would never yield.

If he really was planning to forcefully rewind the history of the forest’s edge, and if those actions were acknowledged and accepted... It would be like trying to deny my entire existence since coming to this world.

Unfortunately, I had no way of proving that my actions were the correct ones. And that was precisely why I had to lay everything on the line and stand against Cyclaeus.

Starting with Ai Fa, a great many people had accepted me by this point... and I didn’t want to let that all be in vain.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go to sleep, Asuta.”

“Right.”

With that, we bid farewell to the windy night air of the forest’s edge, and once more tried to rest up for tomorrow.