Chapter 2: Reopening

1

It was now the following day, the 11th of the white month.

Just as we had planned, it was the day I once again started doing business in the stalls. And since Lefreya had me kidnapped on the fifth of the white month, it was my first time working them in six whole days.

I went ahead and left the giba burgers up to Reina Ruu’s group as I had up till now, while I took charge of the myamuu giba stall. Ultimately, both stalls prepared a hundred meals in total.

We settled on that number because it had worked for us last time we reopened for business. And from tomorrow on, we were going to adjust based on how things went.

“Man, things really do pick up when it’s been a while! I don’t think we’ve had this many customers since the days we closed down for the clan head meeting, right?” Lala Ruu questioned from beside me with a grin. For today, she was the one assisting over in my stall.

By the time the morning rush had passed, we had already sold forty myamuu giba. At this rate, we could be confident that there was no need to worry about having significant leftovers, which was a relief.

Since this was the first time in days we were selling myamuu giba, the customers from the south in particular seemed especially overjoyed. Just seeing their smiles alone was enough to fill my heart with glee, too.

It wasn’t like preparing food for the inns didn’t feel meaningful or anything, but there really was a special sort of fulfillment that only came from running the stalls and seeing my customers’ smiles up close and personal.

And it was with such satisfaction filling me up inside that I glanced over at Reina Ruu, who was currently taking a break in the neighboring stall.

“Reina Ruu, how did things go on your end?”

“Well, we sold around thirty or so meals, which is pretty much the same as yesterday.”

“It was twenty-eight, not thirty. Yesterday was thirty-four and the day before that was thirty-seven, so there definitely appears to have been an impact on sales,” Tsuvai chimed in using a provocative tone.

Reina Ruu, however, just stared down at the girl with a puzzled look.

“Tsuvai, you seem to have some sort of issue with Asuta, but you’re only able to do this job in the first place because you received his cooking lessons, right?”

“I know all that! And it’s not like I’m actually complaining or anything, you know!” Tsuvai shrilly objected. She really was the same as always.

Still, I was honestly rather fond of that girl with her unusually strong economic sense for a person of the forest’s edge, and I figured her level of twistedness was forgivable considering she was raised under the messed up environment of the main Suun house.

At any rate, she was now working with us too since Reina Ruu and the others had run both stalls while I was away.

Lala Ruu and I manned the myamuu giba stall. Meanwhile, Reina and Sheera Ruu plus Tsuvai were still running two giba burger stalls. And when the sun hit its peak, Reina Ruu and I would be leaving the stalls, so Li Sudra and Ama Min Rutim were set to come help out in our place.

The Rutim had previously been shorthanded on women and unable to spare any to help out with the stalls, but thanks to them welcoming Tsuvai and her mother Oura into their number, they gained a little bit of leeway to work with.

And officially, the only ones the Fa clan was actually employing were Lala Ruu and Li Sudra. The rest of the women were here to do business on behalf of the Ruu clan itself.

With their own judgment and skill, they formed a contract with Milano Mas, prepared their meals, and sold them. And Tsuvai didn’t need to worry, as all of the profits were the property of the Ruu clan. That meant the Fa clan’s income had decreased, but naturally neither I nor Ai Fa were upset by that fact.

“How does it feel, working again for the first time in a while, Asuta?” Ai Fa quietly asked as she stood on guard.

Shin Ruu, meanwhile, was stationed over by the giba burger stalls.

The six guards today also included Ludo Ruu. He and the other three were all hanging out in the thicket to the rear as they fulfilled their duty.

“Hmm, no surprise, but I’m really glad to be back. I just hope this incident can be wrapped up smoothly so we can keep on doing business here in the post town.”

As Ai Fa glanced over at my face, she broke out in a smile, unable to hold it back.

“You truly do seem happy...”

“Yeah, thanks.”

By the time we woke today, Ai Fa had fully returned to normal. Bartha’s presence definitely caused ripples in not only my heart, but Ai Fa’s too... Of course, Ai Fa wasn’t the sort to let that show in front of others. Still, her smile now was incredibly gentle, and I found it extremely heartening.

And Lala Ruu seemingly noticed, as she leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Hey, Ai Fa’s been showing a lot more emotion lately, hasn’t she? Every once in a while, she even gets into a shouting match with Ludo.”

“Yeah. I’d say she’s been opening up to everyone, in her own unique way,” I replied in a whisper, thinking all the while that Ai Fa had shown me so much more of herself than what you could see on her face now.

At that, Lala Ruu broke out in a cheery grin.

“It isn’t rare to see men who are all untalkative like Ai Fa. Thinking about it that way, it just means she’s more like a hunter, not that she’s particularly unfriendly or anything.”

“That’s kinda mean. You seriously thought of Ai Fa like that, Lala Ruu?”

“Hmph! I mean, she really did act all coldly toward us, so I can’t see any reason for you to go complaining, especially when you two are so showy about how close you are.”

“Calling us ‘showy’ is pretty mean, too...”

It was then that Ai Fa called out, “Asuta,” again.

I shrugged my shoulders, figuring she had overheard my secret conversation there with Lala Ruu, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Instead, it turned out there was a familiar figure approaching from the north.

The westerner was well into middle age with gray streaks in his hair, and his firm build was wrapped in shabby clothing coated in soot. In other words, it was Mikel of Turan.

“Ah, Mikel...”

I called out to the older man, only to get cut off by a blunt, “So you really did make it back after all. That takes some impressive dumb luck, escaping after being captured by a noble like that. And with the way you’ve started doing business again without a care in the world, you must be seriously nuts.”

The man seemed to be just as obstinate and grouchy as always. And his face that looked like it was carved into an oak was no different, either. Still, it made me really glad to see how he hadn’t changed in the least.

“Sorry, I know I caused a lot of trouble...”

“That’s for sure. This is what happens when you ignore people’s warnings, kid. Now, luck might have saved you this time around, but you won’t get off lightly if you go around making enemies of nobles.”

It was then that Ai Fa stepped forwards and greeted him, “Mikel of Turan.”

I suddenly felt dread for a moment, but contrary to my expectations, Ai Fa was just nodding Mikel’s way.

“It is in part thanks to your efforts that Asuta returned to us safely. As the clan head of the Fa, I wish to give you my thanks.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about... All that happened was some unfamiliar red-headed kid asked me where Count Turan’s manor was, and I told him.”

“And that saved Asuta. Even after warning him again and again not to get involved with nobles, you still lent him your aid, which we will never forget.”

At that, Mikel fell sullenly silent.

And after giving one more nod, Ai Fa withdrew.

“At any rate, I’ve got no interest in getting involved in any quarrels with nobles. I just came here to buy a snack because I was feeling hungry,” Mikel said, slapping down his red coins.

“Right, thanks for your continued business. Um... Jeeda hasn’t shown himself to you since then, has he?”

“Of course he hasn’t. That kid’s a criminal wanted throughout the post town, right? I’ve got no business with criminals, either.”

I wanted to offer an explanation on Jeeda’s behalf, but it wasn’t the sort of thing to be discussed with so many people around, so I just prepared the myamuu giba instead.

When Mikel bit into it, I saw his eyes clearly sparkle from underneath his prominent eyebrows.

“This tastes different... Did you use tau oil?”

“Yes. There’s no fooling your tongue, is there?”

I had been eager to try adding tau oil to the marinade for the myamuu giba for a while now. But I didn’t want to go thoughtlessly changing up a popular recipe, so I was waiting for a good opportunity to try it out, and now that I was coming back from a five-day break, this seemed like the perfect chance.

I had only used a small amount so that it wouldn’t have a significant impact on the ingredient costs, but I still believed it had improved the flavor. The initial idea for my myamuu giba dish came from pork fried with ginger, so if it were possible I would have even liked to have tau oil form the base of the flavor.

“You can get a hold of such first-rate seasoning out here in the post town, too? It’s only natural that’d improve the dish’s taste.”

“Right. Apparently anyone with ties to Jagar can buy some, even here. Of course it costs a fair bit, so I can’t go using it haphazardly.”

“Hmph...” Mikel snorted as he slowly worked away at his myamuu giba.

As I watched him, I went ahead and threw out the question that came to mind.

“Umm, do you know someone named Roy, Mikel?”

“Roy? Never heard of him.”

“I see. He’s a chef employed at the manor where I was being held. And he acted as if he knew you.”

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been touching on his personal history so much, but Mikel didn’t seem especially annoyed... Or it might be more accurate to say his mouth had been twitching and grimacing in annoyance from the get go.

But then, his jaw suddenly stopped.

“Now that I think about it... Back when I worked at The Maiden in White, I think there was some kid apprenticing there with a name like that...”

“Ah, he mentioned that shop, too. His hair was dark brown and kinda curly, and he was about my height. And I believe he said he was nineteen.”

“Ooh, so that kid got invited to that manor so young? That sure is something.” Mikel didn’t seem all that interested though, as he soon resumed eating. “Still, once you’re summoned to that place, you either have to spend your whole life cooking for the master of the manor, or have all honor stripped from you as you’re driven out. And the chefs who get thrown out of there can never work in the castle town again, so that really is a fatal blow.”

“What sort of ridiculous rule is that...? It’s just plain awful.”

“If you’ve got a problem with that, then you can get on out of Genos. The nobles are the ones who make the laws for this town, so commoners trying to oppose them are only making fools of themselves.”

“Then why...” I started, meaning to ask, “Why didn’t you leave Genos?” but I stopped myself. I figured it wasn’t right to get all nosy and pry any further into Mikel’s painful past than I already had.

However, Mikel firmly glared at me and said, “It was because I had family here, too. And until they could live on their own, I couldn’t go running away or dying or anything. You can’t leave Genos either because you’ve got something tying you to this place, right?”

“Yes...”

“In that case, you should learn some restraint so you don’t go about causing trouble for your family,” Mikel stated, then he suddenly leaned in. “More importantly, did the owner of that manor eat your cooking? Around town, they’re saying his daughter was the culprit, but still...”

“I don’t believe her father had so much as a bite.”

“I see. In that case, don’t go forgetting my warning. If he learns of your skills, you’ll never make it back outside those stone walls.”

He would do whatever it took to take control of chefs he favored, and if they refused he would make certain they had no future cooking. On top of that, any chefs who didn’t meet his expectations were driven from the castle town... Those methods were completely and utterly beyond reason.

“Why is that man so obsessed with delicious food, anyway? From what you’ve said, his fixation is way beyond what anyone could call normal.”

“Hmph... Everyone’s scared of dying, so it shouldn’t be any surprise to find out how brightly someone’s passions burn. And when that someone is as rich as he is, that just makes them all the more fixated on ruling here in this life as long as possible.”

I really didn’t get what he was saying at all.

But as I tried to process that comment, Mikel glared right at me again.

“Didn’t you see him face to face? The man is riddled with disease. It’s the sort of illness of the organs only suffered by nobles living lives of luxury. His elaborate dining caused that sickness in the first place, but he’s trying to overcome it with even more luxurious cuisine...”

I was at a loss for words.

I had thought Cyclaeus’s complexion made him look ill, but he really was sick...

Then with how pale his face was... Could it be his kidneys? Or maybe his liver?

Either way, it would be difficult to recover once those organs were ailing.

“They had you working the kitchen in that manor, right...? Then you must have seen a mountain of herbs ordered from Sym and dried gyama entrails and the like used for medicinal cooking, right?”

“N-No, I only worked in a small kitchen meant for preparing meals for the servants. There were a lot of unusual ingredients like sugar, honey, and oil, but I don’t believe there was anything quite that specialized.”

“Hmph. That man values his kitchen as much as his treasure vault, so I guess it makes sense you wouldn’t be allowed to set foot in there. And honestly, you’re lucky you weren’t.” Mikel half closed his eyes as he stared off into space. “His illness was caused by luxurious dining, so it would be wisest to just cut all that out. But that man with his excess of wealth went and chose the opposite. He started gathering all sorts of ingredients from the whole continent, trying to find some sort of meal that would cure him. I’m sure that’s because he couldn’t stand the thought of having to spend the rest of his life sipping down nothing but bitter broth made from medicinal herbs.”

“B-But in that case, he shouldn’t have any need for stuff like tau oil, sugar, and milk fat, right? I don’t know exactly what sort of illness he has, but if luxurious dining was the cause, then he really should be refraining when it comes to things like salt, sugar, and oils.”

“The fact that he can’t accept that thought is exactly why he’s taken to having herbs and the like to counteract all the junk incorporated into his meals. Because he couldn’t discard his desire to eat delicious food, even when suffering from illness.” With a firm shake of his head, Mikel grabbed the fingers on his right hand with his left. Because he had turned down one of Cyclaeus’s requests, the tendons in his arm had been severed, leaving him unable to move them properly.

“There was no way he could ever overcome his illness like that. And I had no interest in spending my life continuing to cook food that would wreck a man’s body. Well... I guess his life would’ve run out before mine in that case, though.” With that, Mikel returned to his usual displeased expression and glared at me again. “I’ve been running my mouth way too much... At any rate, if you want to live as a proper chef, you shouldn’t have anything to do with that guy.”

“Right,” I nodded as Roy suddenly came to mind.

Had that young chef known the truth? If he did and was continuing to experiment with cooking techniques, well, in that case I would have to say it was not my problem... But if he didn’t, he had a dangerous fate ahead of him.

“So you’re saying that noble won’t have long left even if we simply leave him be...?” Ai Fa suddenly interjected.

Mikel glared her way out of the corner of his eye.

“There’s no way I could tell. If the medicine in his meals works more than the stuff poisoning him, then maybe he could make it five or even ten years... Besides, it seems that man’s convictions have been firmly inherited by his daughter, right?” Mikel replied as he looked over me and Ai Fa. “Even if that man does up and die, his daughter will take over as the next head of his house. And when that happens, you may just end up with another troublesome enemy on your hands again.”

Cyclaeus’s daughter, Lefreya. Was that girl also utterly obsessed with delicious food?

I had been told so many things at once that I was having trouble getting my thoughts and feelings straight.

“If you can, then you should leave this town. But, well, if you can’t, then I’ll keep coming to buy your cooking till you end up abducted behind those stone walls again...”

With those words, Mikel promptly departed.

◇

The sun had hit its peak.

After handing off the stall work to Li Sudra and Ama Min Rutim, Reina Ruu and I headed off for The Sledgehammer with our group of six bodyguards, including Ai Fa.

But ultimately, Reina Ruu was the one in charge for today. I was just taking over the cooking assistant position previously held by Vina and Lala Ruu.

It would be possible for me to resume my work there as soon as tomorrow, but I still didn’t know what would happen after the 15th of the white month. And so I had come along today in order to explain those complicated circumstances.

“But if you do end up working with the inns again, who exactly will assist you? Currently, only Lala and Li Sudra are helping out the Fa clan, right?” Reina Ruu asked, causing me to think for a moment.

“In that case... I guess I’ll have to have Lala Ruu come around to the inns with me, and have Ama Min Rutim work for the Fa clan.”

“I see. So you plan to have Lala accompany you instead of me or Sheera Ruu...”

“Yeah, since you two are in charge of the Ruu clan’s stalls now. I can’t go treating you two like assistants anymore, now can I?”

With that, Reina Ruu’s face took on a clearly saddened expression.

“Huh? Is there some sort of issue with that?”

“Yes. Sheera Ruu and I both still need your instruction. As things stand, it will be difficult for us to improve on dishes other than giba burgers and soup... I’d really like you to consider taking one of us with you on days when you’re working at the inns, instead of Lala...”

“Ah, I see. If that’s how you two feel, then I’ll try not to be too fixated on who’s in charge of what.”

By the way, for today after I slipped out, Lala and Sheera Ruu swapped positions. That was because Sheera Ruu and I were the only ones capable of properly cooking up myamuu giba at present.

On days like this where I left the stalls, I had no choice but to rely on Sheera Ruu, so I had figured it wouldn’t be right to take away Reina Ruu as a cooking assistant when she was the other one in charge... But to be honest, I wanted to let both of them build up a lot more experience.

“Hmm, right... I think pretty soon Li Sudra will be at the point where we can leave the myamuu giba entirely up to her. In that case, I guess it would be possible to have Sheera Ruu come around to the inns, too.”

“Right... I still haven’t learned how to prepare that dish, though, so I find it a bit frustrating.”

Reina Ruu still hadn’t mastered how exactly to cook the myamuu giba recipe we sold, which used somewhat heavier seasoning. But she hadn’t worked the stalls for that long yet and specialized in taking charge of the giba burgers, plus she had taken on the work of heading around to the inns after the sun hit its peak. So really, there was no helping that.

“In that case, I’d like to have you practice creating myamuu giba with the proper flavor. And then, if Sheera Ruu can also make giba soup for the inns, I figure that would give us quite a bit more flexibility.” With Reina and Sheera Ruu, they would probably be able to pick up the recipes within just a couple of days. “Also, I’d like to head to The Kimyuus’s Tail each day. If I’m always around for business with the inns and either you or Sheera Ruu work with me in turns, that may help smooth things over. Just like how you all were in charge today and I was the assistant, there could also be times like that where I’m leading things and you’re helping out.”

“Right. Sheera Ruu and I would both be very happy if we could do so,” Reina Ruu said as her previously gloomy expression instantly burst into a bright smile. “But if the meeting with that noble doesn’t go well, all this decision making will be for nothing...”

“Yeah. Donda Ruu, Kamyua Yoshu and so many others are striving hard to make sure that doesn’t happen, but I’ve honestly got no clue how it’ll all play out.”

“Even if it takes time to settle everything, as long as we can stay at the Morga forest’s edge like we have up till now in order to someday start doing business again, then that will be enough for me. The dangers now feel a lot less worrying compared to all that time when we didn’t even know where you were,” Reina Ruu said with an innocent smile. It was so worry-free that she was reminding me of her little sister, Rimee Ruu.

And so, I earnestly replied, “Thanks,” with a nod.

It was then that I thought I felt a gaze on the back of my neck, so I turned around to look. However, I didn’t see anybody looking my way. And yet, Ai Fa was frowning and looking over the passersby with a piercing glare. Had she just now averted her eyes from me with her hunter’s instincts before I could turn around to see her looking?

“Is something the matter?” Reina Ruu questioned.

“No, it’s nothing,” I answered with a shake of my head.

Even Ai Fa would be glad if Reina Ruu and I formed a healthy relationship through our cooking and business, right...? Probably...

As all that was happening, we arrived at The Sledgehammer.

And yet, I felt like I wanted to sigh.

That was because along that narrow road through the residential district with its little houses sat the huge totos-drawn carriage belonging to the house of Count Daleim.

“Ah, we’ve been awaiting you, Sir Asuta. Let us hurry and bring this discussion to a conclusion.”

After Nail led me into the dining hall I found Polarth awaiting me along with three guards and one other man, a thin guy who looked to be well into middle age.

After letting out another sigh, I sat down right across from Polarth.

“What is it today, exactly? I believe I should have already told you everything you needed yesterday...”

“Indeed. We were able to bake up poitan splendidly by following your instructions! Currently, we are in the midst of confirming how long the baked poitan and the uncooked poitan dough will last for. It would certainly be quite helpful if the poitan in that boiled and dried form can be preserved for at least as long as ground fuwano, but I suppose we shall see.”

I was rather taken aback to find he had already taken things that far. And actually, how long powdered poitan would last was something I had wanted to check for a while now, myself.

“And so, I believe first we must spread knowledge of how delicious baked poitan is throughout the post town, in order to sell its flour and in turn raise the profits of the plantations! Right now we’re in the midst of garnering Count Saturas’s support and searching for inns and stalls that will choose to handle poitan in place of fuwano, but aside from that, we’re also forming a plan to sell our own cuisine.”

“Your own? You mean opening a stall or something?”

“That’s right! At any rate, there’s nothing for catching attention quite like selling delicious food! It seems the meals you people of the forest’s edge sell have built up quite a reputation here in the post town, but regrettably, there are surely still many westerners who want nothing to do with giba meat. Similarly, I have yet to work up the nerve to taste such dishes myself.”

“Right...”

“And so, I had been thinking of using the great many ingredients that can be obtained in the castle town in order to come up with a dish that seems like it will sell. There is no need to turn a profit from the endeavor, so I figured selling an elaborate dish would be just fine. And yet, my head chef chided me, saying such a thing would not be proper.”

It seemed the older man sitting there quietly next to Polarth was the head chef in question.

He looked rather intimidated being in the presence of hunters from the forest’s edge like Ai Fa and Shin Ruu, but he suddenly sat up straight.

“This is the man in question, the head chef in charge of the Daleim house’s kitchen, Yang. Yang, could you repeat what you said to me once more?”

“Yes... My apologies for saying so, but it’s only natural that a dish using higher-quality ingredients will be improved. But if you earn a reputation that way, the poitan will end up being overshadowed. So if you’re selling a dish in the post town, I believe it would be best to stick to ingredients usually handled there.”

“There you have it. And so, we have been waiting here as you see, to hear your opinion as one who has already found success here in the post town.”

“Got it, that makes sense. But in my case, I had giba meat itself to seriously help me out. It’s a very fatty meat, which I believe makes it a higher-quality ingredient than either karon legs or kimyuus legs with the skin still attached.”

“Ah, skinless kimyuus meat is quite wretched. And I cannot say that I’ve ever eaten karon leg meat...”

“Karon legs are sold to the post town, while the rest of the meat goes to the castle town. It’s been that way for many years,” Yang explained in a rather stiff tone.

That thin man couldn’t have weighed more than half of what Polarth did, but there seemed to be some sort of pride or willfulness or something to his skinny face.

“To start with, Yang here has animosity toward expensive ingredients, despite living in the castle town. It seems his belief is that such things are all bought up by chefs working for Count Cyclaeus, yet the taste of a dish isn’t decided by the cost of its ingredients.”

“I see. I’d have to say that I’m in agreement, there,” I earnestly replied.

Honestly, I felt shocked to find there was a chef with that much of a backbone living in the castle town.

“But that may make it difficult to create a dish that would earn a reputation. I mean, you cannot obtain reten oil, mamaria vinegar, or Jagar-made sugar in the post town, can you? I simply cannot see how you could produce proper cooking like that,” the old man opined.

“Ah, hold on a moment. I’ve been experimenting with dishes using not just giba meat, but karon and kimyuus too lately. And my first step had been trying to figure out if I could use karon milk here in the post town... Is it difficult to make dried milk and milk fat from the stuff, though?”

“To manufacture dried milk, you would need the proper equipment first. But milk fat wouldn’t be all that difficult...” the head chef replied, only for his eyes to suddenly light up with understanding. “But from what I know, karon leg meat and skinless kimyuus meat are lacking in fat. So I can’t see how one could produce anything but a mediocre dish from them without using reten oil. But if you used milk fat... That alone would probably be enough to improve the quality of the dish.”

“So you can produce milk fat on your own?”

“As long as you have the hands needed, it’s entirely possible. First you leave the karon milk to sit overnight, then scoop off the fat that floats to the top, and finally seal it in a leather bag and beat it.”

“Ah, that way you further separate the liquid from the fat, right?” I replied, somehow starting to feel excited myself for some reason. “So, what about the price? I’ve heard you can buy a bottle of karon milk for a single red coin or so, but you can only extract a tiny amount of fat from that, right?”

“That’s true. But the amount of milk fat used in a single meal is hardly anything. If people learn we’re using both baked poitan and milk fat, it should be possible to earn quite a bit of attention throughout the post town, wouldn’t you say?”

“How wonderful. I feel as though I can see the light of hope shining bright,” Polarth chimed in with a great big smile. “Would it be possible to also employ sugar from Jagar and tau oil? That way, would it not be possible to produce a far more competent dish?”

“I get a hold of tau oil through an inn owner I know, but from what I hear you can only get sugar in the castle town.”

“Is that so? Is sugar truly that expensive?”

“No,” the head chef answered Polarth with a shake of his head. “Compared to tau oil, sugar isn’t all that pricey, of course. The issue is Count Cyclaeus always hurriedly buying it up. And at present, the people living in the castle town scramble to purchase any that is leftover once he’s done.”

“I see. That only makes it all the more necessary that we take down Lord Cyclaeus,” Polarth stated, his expression perfectly calm despite how threatening his statement was. “Still, I suppose the karon milk must come first. Lord Cyclaeus hasn’t been purchasing all of that, now has he?”

“That’s right. After all, the merchants from Dabagg also see karon milk as something that can only be sold in nearby towns. So they only portion out what’s necessary and sell that.”

“In that case, it should be possible to buy karon milk in the post town and use it to make milk fat, right?” I excitedly chimed in, only for the head chef to shoot me an intense look for some reason.

“You’re called Sir Asuta of the Fa clan, correct? Are you really alright with that...?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Using milk fat, it should be possible to make a first-rate dish even using ingredients like karon leg meat. In that case, wouldn’t your giba meat cooking lose the advantage it gains from having plenty of fat?”

I wasn’t worried about that in the least.

“The giba meat itself is also delicious. At the very least, I don’t believe it’s in any way inferior to kimyuus with the skin still attached. If giba meat stopped selling just because there was milk fat around, that would mean it was never worth selling to begin with.”

“It would seem that you have quite a bit of confidence.”

“Yes. Not in my cooking skills, but in how delicious giba meat is.”

The head chef fell into incredulous silence, and so Polarth chuckled and spoke up in his place.

“So modest, Sir Asuta! Though I myself was only granted the honor of tasting your cooking just once, that fried kimyuus dish was simply exquisite! Despite your youth, your skills are truly excellent. That is precisely why I wished to consult with you as such.”

“Ah... I’m honored, but you’re giving me more praise than I deserve,” I replied, and then suddenly remembered a question I had. “By the way, there’s something I wanted to know, too. How long does baked fuwano last, exactly? And does drying it out alter the texture?”

“Baked fuwano grows dry and hard overnight. Naturally, it is best to eat it freshly baked.”

“Even so, it won’t go bad for a few days... I’ve heard that many travelers will dry fuwano out and boil it up in a soup made with water and vegetables for short journeys. But most travelers still seek out poitan instead as it’s cheaper and doesn’t taste any worse,” the head chef explained, which was enough to satisfy me.

“Thank you. The truth is, I was wondering if I could create a dish where I made a fried coating using finely-ground dried fuwano. And so I was planning on buying fuwano as soon as today and letting it dry out overnight.”

Fuwano very closely resembled wheat, so if I dried out baked fuwano and then dry fried it, then it would likely create a suitable panko substitute. At the very least, I had to figure it would work out at least as well as substitutes like crushed rice crackers or peanuts.

“Drying out baked fuwano, and then grinding it again? What a truly unusual trick. Can you make delicious dishes like that, then?”

“Yes. I think I could make something at least on the level of that fried kimyuus you had the other day.”

And if I could get a hold of eggs too, then I could also take a crack at stuff like cutlets and croquettes.

Of course, those required quite a bit of giba lard, so it would probably be tricky to work them into my business in the post town... But just picturing how Ai Fa and everyone else would react was enough to cause my heart to soar.

It was then that I suddenly recalled Mikel’s words. An illness of the internal organs, caused by extravagant dining...

Fried foods are like the poster child for high calorie dishes...

If that was the only issue, it wouldn’t likely be a big concern as the people of the forest’s edge could just work those calories off through the intense manual labor involved in their day-to-day lives. But I really couldn’t help worrying about the fact that on top of that, those dishes would also be a whole lot more fatty than anything I had made for them before.

In that case, what if I prepared a lot of vegetables to go with it...? The important things are the dietary fiber and citric acid, so maybe tino, tarapa, and gigo? I could probably make something that tastes pretty similar to Worcestershire sauce by adapting tau oil, but maybe it’d be better to give the people of the forest’s edge a refreshing flavor using sheel juice or something...

Like Mikel said, I too had absolutely no interest in making meals that would make a mess of people’s bodies.

While such thoughts were still racing through my head, Polarth suddenly energetically proclaimed, “Very well, then! Let us hurry and send an envoy to Dabagg! As long as we give them some coins, they could bring karon milk back as soon as tomorrow. Yang, prepare to open the shop by the day after tomorrow.”

“Huh? You’re opening for business that soon?”

“Indeed. To be honest, I would prefer to open tomorrow instead. But at any rate, we must make our move before Lord Cyclaeus catches on regardless, and it would be best to shake him up by providing results before your meeting with him on the 15th of the white month, yes? Sir Zasshuma informed me as such.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but...”

But the 15th was just four days from now.

Would such a rushed endeavor seriously produce results?

“It will be fine. This is a critical moment for me too, in which I could easily be abandoned by my father as a result. And so I shall give my utmost to ensure a bright future for the house of Daleim, the people of the forest’s edge, and all living here in Genos. So to start with, look forward to what we shall have to show two days from now!” Polarth stated, smiling away all the while.

2

After saying farewell to Polarth, we were fortunately able to wrap up our day’s business without any more disturbances worth mentioning.

At The Sledgehammer and The Great Southern Tree, Reina Ruu made her giba soup and we dropped off some raw giba meat, then at The Kimyuus’s Tail, I experimented with karon meat. Meanwhile, Sheera Ruu and her group were carrying out their work at the stalls.

It was also worth noting that both stalls managed to sell all one hundred meals they had prepared. There was no way to know whether or not that momentum would continue, though, so for now the plan was to prepare the same amount for tomorrow and see how things went.

On another note, as of last night, Milano Mas finally took the plunge and started selling the kimyuus meatballs. Once he tried it with the dip made from dried kiki, which was like pickled plums, he apparently decided there wouldn’t be any issues offering it. “Thanks to that, I’ve only had karon meat left unsold,” Milano Mas had informed me.

And so, he ended up deciding that tonight he’d also offer the fried karon strips I had tried out before. That dish involved first beating the tough karon leg meat in order to pulverize the fibers, then cutting it as thinly as possible, and finally frying it along with aria, tino, and pula. Then for flavoring, it used fruit wine and pico leaves, which you had to pay for in the post town.

It might have been possible to further improve the flavor using tau oil, but Milano Mas would never agree to purchasing some from his business rival, Naudis.

“Just using fruit wine and pico leaves is already plenty extravagant. I can’t imagine any customers complaining about a dish like this,” Milano Mas had said.

If this ended up doing even a little to overturn The Kimyuus’s Tail’s reputation of having lacking food, then I would certainly be glad to hear it.

“In that case, let’s work on a soup or stew starting tomorrow. Since karon meat is apparently more suited to that anyway, I’m sure it’ll turn out well.”

“Still, it’ll be tough if we can’t use tau oil... How about something more like a stew, using tarapa?” Reina Ruu proposed, causing me to clap my hands together.

“Tarapa, huh? That could be good! As long as you boil them slowly you should be able to get a stock out of karon and kimyuus, and if we add as many different vegetables as costs allow, that sounds like it would turn out pretty good.”

“Hey, did you two go and forget your original objective here...?” Milano Mas interjected, furrowing his brow. “You’re giving these lessons in the hopes that I’ll buy giba meat from you, right? That won’t really work out if you make fantastic dishes with the kimyuus and karon I’ve already got.”

“You think? Still, I don’t see any harm in preparing a new soup dish, right?”

“If you fill up my menu that much, there won’t be any room left for your giba meat.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s not like you haven’t tried giba meat to see how incredible it is,” I said, pointedly being sarcastic with him.

Milano Mas, meanwhile, just looked annoyed as he fell silent.

“At any rate, let’s do everything we can before the 15th of the white month. I mean, just like we discussed before, right now we don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep doing business, after all.”

If we were unable to expose Cyclaeus’s true nature, then we’d be facing a long break from work.

That was because it would be roughly a month until the Fou, Ran, and Sudra would be able to take the Ruu clan’s place and act as bodyguards. When I told Nail and Naudis I might need to take that long off, they looked so overcome with sorrow that it made me want to curl up into a little ball.

“But the Ruu clan said they could still use the wagon to bring fresh giba meat during that period. And in that case, it may be possible for me to cook meals at home and have them bring that too,” I had told them, to which Nail and Naudis both enthusiastically replied, “Please do so!”

And when I informed Yumi that I wouldn’t be able to continue to continue discussing doing business with The Westerly Wind until after the 15th of the white month, she gave a hearty sigh.

“Ugh, I wish I had you bond with my dad before all this happened... Are we just fated to not work together or something?”

“I’m sure that’s not how it is. If it turns out we’re able to keep doing business, then I’ll absolutely want to speak with your father.”

“You mean it? I mean, he was furious, saying he couldn’t trust a man who went back on his word once already.”

“Hmm... Wouldn’t it be best for me to give a proper apology in person, too?”

“Ah, you better not for now. If you don’t give him a bit longer to cool off, it really could end in bloodshed... Anyway, just give it your all so you can keep on doing business in the post town!”

“Right, thanks.”

That covered all of my personal interactions.

However, there was one more matter that couldn’t be overlooked, which I learned about on the way back to the forest’s edge. It related to Gazraan Rutim. Having received permission from the leading clan heads, he had headed alone to the post town and gained an audience with Zasshuma, where he informed the man of the decisions that were made yesterday.

The people of the forest’s edge suspected Cyclaeus manipulated the criminal known as Zattsu Suun. And so, the people of the forest’s edge intended to use the meeting on the 15th of the white month in order to clear up those doubts while also discussing how the Suun clan would be handled. However, if they were not satisfied with Cyclaeus’s words, then they would refuse to hand over the Suun clan, even if it meant taking up blades.

And Gazraan Rutim also asked Zasshuma to spread that information throughout the post town.

“Hmph... Well, people are gonna talk regardless. So I suppose handing out accurate information before half-baked rumors can spread may be wise,” Zasshuma had apparently replied. “Alright, got it. I’ve got no clue how much effect it’ll have with just four days left, but I’ll use whatever sources I’ve got to spread it around.”

Things really were progressing steadily.

But just what sort of days awaited us from tomorrow onwards? With that question held firmly in my heart, we returned to the Ruu settlement.

◇

“Ah, good work, everyone,” Bartha of all people called out as we pulled the wagon around the back of the main house to find her chopping firewood.

I was even more surprised to see that there were also two men beside her working away at the same task.

“Ryada Ruu and Mida... What in the world are you two doing here?”

It was Shin and Sheera Ruu’s father Ryada Ruu as well as Mida, who currently fell under the Ruu clan.

“This guest here is every bit as strong as a hunter of the forest’s edge. As such, we were told that if we were to lend her a blade, we should have men keep watch over her,” Ryada Ruu replied just as calmly as always. He really was so slender that it made it easy to forget he was Donda Ruu’s younger brother. The blackish brown hair of this sombre man in his prime fell smoothly behind his head, and he also had a well-maintained mustache.

“But today, the other men started preparing to begin hunting again. Mida and I cannot partake in such work, though, so the task of watching over her fell to us.”

Ryada Ruu had retired from hunting when he injured his leg, while Mida was still building up stamina so that he wouldn’t be a burden.

The choice of personnel made sense when I thought about it, but seeing the trio together still left an odd sense of incongruity.

“Asuta... Did you sell lots of food?” Mida questioned, looking down at me while holding chopped firewood under his thick arms.

Though he seemed to have shed some excess fat, Mida’s huge frame still made him look like a sort of fleshy balloon.

“Yeah, since it was our first time selling myamuu giba in a while. We prepared a lot, but we still sold all of them.”

“Hmm...” Mida murmured, but he didn’t move. His little piglet-like eyes just kept on staring at me.

It was the same way he had stared at me the night before last, when I returned after days of absence.

From what I was told, Mida had been in a daze ever since he heard that someone had abducted me. Though he did finish all his work each day, he had been even less talkative than normal, and when he had free time he just sat there like a little mountain as he stared off into space.

Once I returned, Dan Rutim showed up and things got as rowdy as a banquet. That was around when Mida sluggishly came over to the main house and said, “I didn’t cry...”

That brief statement was enough to make me feel like sobbing.

Yamiru Lea had once said Mida’s heart was lacking some crucial piece, but it was obvious to me that he was capable of thinking of others.

Was he able to avoid growing twisted like the rest of his family despite living with Zattsu Suun due to the fact that he was oblivious to greed, or because he was strong...? There was no way I would find an answer to that question no matter how much I thought about it, but at any rate, I had no doubt at all that a pure soul fitting for a person of the forest’s edge dwelled inside his massive frame.

“Still, this sure is a ton. Have you been chopping firewood all day?” Ludo Ruu asked, peeking out from behind me.

“No...” Mida replied with a shake of his head. It didn’t move all that far, though, because his fatty cheeks and shoulders and the like got in the way. “We carried water jugs, and skinned pelts... We did all sorts of stuff today...”

“I see. Good work, there. And I’d say you’ve already chopped plenty of firewood, right? So go ahead and rest up till dinner.”

“Actually, if you’re done with your work, would you mind training with me instead, Mida?” Shin Ruu interjected.

Apparently, Shin Ruu had also practiced with Mida for contests of strength yesterday after his guard work.

The youth must have deeply regretted the fact that he was unable to protect me from Sanjura. Anyway, as Ludo Ruu watched the other boy out of the corner of his eye, he rustled his hair and said, “Shin Ruu, you’ve been working as a bodyguard day and night, too. It’s important to get your rest when you can, you know.”

“That’s no problem. I just want to get stronger.”

“Hmm, it’s alright with me, but... Is it alright if I stop chopping wood, Ryada Ruu...?”

As Ryada Ruu stared calmly at his son’s anxious expression, he nodded back, “Alright.”

With that, Mida and Shin Ruu took off along with the other hunters acting as bodyguards. And so, the only hunters left were Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu.

“Huh? Hold on, where’d the kid get to?” Ludo Ruu asked.

“That Leito child headed off to the post town, from what I hear. He plans to carry out his own work there for the time being,” Ryada Ruu answered.

“Hmm...” Ludo Ruu murmured while furrowing his brow. He still seemed a bit uncertain about how exactly to handle Leito. It seemed less that he was worried about trusting him, and more that he was uneasy about the way the boy acted just as aloof as his master, Kamyua Yoshu, to the point that it put him off. And I was definitely of the same opinion there.

“Well then, how about we get to work too? If it’s alright, I’d like to help out with dinner again tonight, but where’s Mia Lea Ruu so I can ask?”

“Isn’t our mom in the kitchen? She should be on duty there for today.”

I nodded in response to Lala Ruu, then readjusted my grip on Gilulu’s reins.

Instantly, Bartha chimed in, “Preparing dinner, is it? If you don’t mind, could I watch? I’ve been wondering since yesterday just how exactly you made that delicious food.”

“Umm, I think you’d need permission from Mia Lea Ruu for that, since she’s in charge of the women.”

And so, our whole group headed on over to the kitchen. But when I went to peek into the open door, Vina Ruu suddenly appeared.

“My... I see you’ve all returned...”

“Yeah. Is Mom around? Asuta said he wants to help prepare dinner again.”

“Hmm... Mother should be here soon. You’re helping again today, Asuta...?”

“Yes, as long as I won’t be a hindrance.”

“I can’t imagine anyone here in this settlement would ever think of you as a hindrance...” Vina Ruu replied with an absentminded smile. Her appearance was just so seductive that my heart unwittingly skipped a beat.

Vina Ruu dripping with sex appeal certainly wasn’t anything new. In fact, it happened often enough to make me wonder if something in her body had gone out of control when it came to giving off pheromones.

But somehow, it felt like she had grown even sexier lately when I saw her. And something felt different about her lately... Her expression was always heavily anguished, and she seemed listless in a way that made it appear her mind was elsewhere.

She was clearly speaking less, and I pretty much never saw her give a carefree smile anymore. It was as if even when people were standing in front of her, her focus was far off into the distance instead. That was the state she was in, and yet she had never looked more beautiful and bewitching.

Isn’t half a year a bit long to think things over...?

It had only been ten days now since Shumiral had departed from Genos, saying that he wanted to marry into the Ruu clan. What sort of work was he undertaking now, and where?

As I pondered those questions, Mia Lea Ruu suddenly appeared from the shadow of the building.

“My, so you want to help out with dinner preparations again today? I’m certainly grateful to hear it,” she said with a cheerful smile. “Naturally, we welcome your help. Still, I can’t help but feel awkward about having you help out day after day like this...”

“I mean, I couldn’t help but worry I’d be breaking some custom of the forest’s edge by asking so lightly to help man the stove, myself.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. With how close the Ruu and Fa are, you don’t need to act so distant.”

With that said, dinner was a sacred event to the people of the forest’s edge, in which they partook of the living energy they needed for the day. And considering how Jiza Ruu felt about the Fa clan’s actions, for example, it didn’t feel right to go acting so rashly in that regard.

But as long as we were staying here in the Ruu settlement, if I didn’t help make dinner then there wouldn’t be any chance for me to feed Ai Fa my cooking. And considering my clan head already wanted to return to her own house but couldn’t, I at least wanted to make dinner for her if nothing else.

“Help out to your heart’s content! We’ll take charge of the poitan and soup.”

“Thank you. I’ll try my hardest to satisfy everybody.”

But first came the preparations for tomorrow.

Reina, Sheera, and Lala Ruu started making the hamburger patties, while I set about chopping up the meat for the myamuu giba. Around then, Ryada Ruu returned to his own house, leaving only Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu to keep an eye on Bartha.

“Hmm, so that’s giba meat? The color sure does make it look tasty,” Bartha cheerfully called out from the corner, where she was standing so she didn’t get in our way. “I’ve got to say, I’m jealous of how you can eat the same prey you risk your life to hunt down. Gaaje leopards are man-eaters, so their only value’s in their pelt and fangs.”

“Ah, so you don’t eat carnivorous beasts on Masara either?”

Here in Genos, it was taboo to try to make a meal of the carrion-eating mundt or giiz.

“Of course we don’t. But in order to hunt barobaro birds, there’s no choice but to set foot in gaaje leopard territory. So ultimately, you need the strength to take down a gaaje leopard in order to be a hunter on Masara.”

“I see. I suppose each mountain has its own hardships, huh?” I replied to Bartha as I cut up the giba sirloin using my knife from Jagar.

By the way, Ai Fa had brought this meat over from the Fa house in the morning. She had continued to do her work as effectively as ever, even while I was kidnapped, so for the time being we would still be able to use our own meat in the business.

“So what shall we be eating tonight?” Ai Fa asked when I finished cutting the meat.

“I was thinking of going with roast giba. We haven’t had that for a while. And I was planning on using diced aria and tau oil as a base to prepare what’s known as Japanese-style sauce.”

“I see...”

Her eyes were clearly saying, “So not hamburger steak?”

If I went with a soup-and-hamburger meal, I probably wouldn’t get any complaints from Donda Ruu or any of the others who were difficult to please, but it didn’t seem like something they would especially welcome, either. And so, I shot Ai Fa back a look that said, “We’re freeloaders here, so we can’t be selfish with what we serve.”

However, my clan head just turned away in a huff. There were four days left until the 15th of the white month. Would Ai Fa be able to hold out that long, though...? And would we even be able to return to the Fa house at that point, anyway? If our stay got extended, it would be difficult to maintain the peace in the Fa clan if I couldn’t find a way to get hamburger steak on the menu.

And as she made those hamburger patties Ai Fa so craved, Reina Ruu was staring down at my hands.

“Asuta, is that powder for tonight’s dinner too?”

Atop my work station, I had spread out the fuwano flour I had purchased on the way back from a dealer Milano Mas told me about.

“Yeah. I’m just using a bit today, though. Umm... Sorry, Mia Lea Ruu, but could I help prepare dinner tomorrow night, too?”

“Like I said, you have nothing to apologize for. As long as it’s not a burden for you, please go ahead and help out every day.”

“Thank you. In that case, I’d like to go ahead and handle the preparations for tomorrow, too.”

After borrowing a large wooden plate, I mixed together some fuwano flour and water. Then, for the first time in two days now, I kneaded it into a fuwano dough.

“So that’s the fuwano that the townsfolk eat? It certainly does seem different from poitan, doesn’t it?” Sheera Ruu chimed in. Though she didn’t let much emotion show on her face, she was just as passionate when it came to cooking as Reina Ruu.

“Right. The biggest difference is that with poitan you want it in a semi-liquid state before cooking, while fuwano should be solid before you heat it.”

There was no reason to fixate on form, so I went with the simplest flat ball shape for cooking the fuwano.

Once it was done, it came out with the same texture as poitan, and was even whiter. Lala and Mia Lea Ruu and everyone also watched over me with great interest as I worked.

“So, what do you do with that? Once it’s cooked, it doesn’t seem all that different from poitan.”

“Now I leave it to dry out. And if it turns hard and dry by tomorrow like I’m expecting, I’m planning to use that to try out a new dish.”

I recalled Sheera Ruu or someone telling me before that baked poitan didn’t change all that much over the course of a night. But at any rate, Polarth was supposed to be experimenting with poitan, while I was shifting my sights to fuwano in an attempt to make a panko substitute.

Even if things go according to Polarth’s plan and poitan becomes the new staple food in Genos, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any use left for fuwano.

Poitan wasn’t as close to wheat flour as fuwano. So for stuff like making sweets or preparing the roux for a stew, fuwano was still preferable.

Poitan and fuwano were the only grains I had encountered up till now, and so I wanted to employ the strong points of each of them as much as possible.

“Alright, let’s go ahead and get started preparing tonight’s dinner,” I declared.

However, Reina Ruu let out an odd, “A-Ah,” then said, “C-Could you hold on a little longer, Asuta?! We’ll be finished with our work before long!”

“Oh, you’re manning the stove today too, Reina Ruu?”

“No, Lala Ruu is on for today, but I don’t have any urgent business to take care of, so I would love to receive instruction from you if that’s alright.”

“Could I be instructed, too...?” Sheera Ruu added.

“I don’t mind at all, but don’t you have work to take care of for your own house, Sheera Ruu?”

There was still some time left till the sun would set, but the only women in her house were her and her mother. So once she was done preparing for business, she was supposed to head back home to help make dinner.

Currently, Sheera Ruu had finished making patties and was putting together tarapa sauce, and she now shot me a pained look.

“But... Since you’re manning the stove and everything, I wanted to receive instruction from you. If I don’t, then I’ll end up being a hindrance for Reina Ruu in the future...”

“What are you saying, Sheera Ruu? When it comes to the dishes we sell, you already have more techniques down than I do, don’t you?”

“No, I’m still not as skilled at making soup as you are, and you were better at manning the stove from the very start, weren’t you?”

“I don’t think that’s true at all. You started helping Asuta out with work far earlier than I did, so you have more knowledge and experience than I do.”

Reina Ruu was as brilliant as the sun while Sheera Ruu felt as radiant as the moon, and as they had this little argument, their hands kept on working away without so much as a single mistake.

Of course, in spite of their rivalry, they also had firm ties of blood. Aside from the fact that the older Sheera Ruu always made sure to use a polite tone, they seemed like close sisters openly sharing their opinions, which I found heartening.

“In that case, what if I traded work with you, Sheera Ruu? It’d be tough on Tari Ruu to have to do everything on her own, so I’ll go help her out,” Lala Ruu, who had been tending the stove’s flame, suddenly called out.

Sheera Ruu turned the girl’s way with a questioning look.

“I certainly would appreciate that, but when you man a house’s stove, that means you must eat there, doesn’t it?”

“Huh...? Yeah, but it’d be fine if I just eat at your house while you eat here, right? Stuff like that can be fun, every now and again,” Lala Ruu said, her cheeks growing visibly red.

As he saw that, Ludo Ruu loudly proclaimed, “So that’s it, huh? That’s pretty sneaky, how you act like you’re only thinking of Sheera Ruu, there! You just want to go visit Shin Ruu’s house, don’t you?”

“I never said anything like that! Don’t go around shouting nonsense like that, stupid Ludo!”

“I mean, I can’t see it any other way. But, well, it’d probably make Shin Ruu happy too, so I guess it’s fine.”

Lala Ruu grabbed one of the pieces of firewood at hand and threw it at her brother as hard as she could.

The boy just caught it right in front of his face though, and gave an amused chuckle.

“Vina and Reina still haven’t found husbands yet, but it’s looking like you may be the first one to awaken to your womanly desires, even though you’re just thirteen! You could be the first one to get married out of— Gah, what the?!”

More chunks of firewood had come flying at Ludo Ruu, this time from three directions. It had been a perfect attack in waves from the three sisters. In a panic, Ludo Ruu grabbed a hold of some nearby firewood and started smacking down the incoming projectiles.

“If you want to start roughhousing, then do it outside. You’re going to get wood chips in the cooking,” Mia Lea Ruu scolded with a chuckle.

“Aah...” Bartha chimed in. “Family sure is a wonderful thing to have. I sure do want to hurry up and catch that prodigal son of mine.”

When I turned around and looked, I found Bartha with a shockingly calm smile on her leonine face.

And Mia Lea Ruu was looking that way with a smile, too.

“That son of yours is your only family? I’ll be praying to the forest that you can reunite as soon as possible.”

“You’ve got my thanks. Honestly, I was worried about whether or not I should get on that wagon of Kamyua Yoshu’s, since I had always thought of you people of the forest’s edge as the ones behind my husband’s death. But now, I can’t help but feel it really was worth coming all the way here from Masara.”

Mia Lea Ruu had birthed seven children and also took charge when it came to housework, while Bartha had resolved to keep living the harsh life of a hunter for the sake of her young son. Secretly, I was feeling deeply impressed by the meeting of these two indomitable mothers.

And before I noticed it, my gaze had turned toward Ai Fa. She was expressionless other than an ever so light smile showing in her eyes as she looked over the pair.

Then, she noticed my gaze and quietly turned my way.

Family sure is a wonderful thing...

What sort of feelings had to be bubbling up in Ai Fa’s chest at the moment?

Regardless, even though we had both lost our families, we each now had a precious, irreplaceable presence in our lives once again.

And with such thoughts running through my head, the sun gently set on the day.

The showdown that would determine whether or not we could keep on having such peaceful days was creeping ever closer.

3

“Ah, Asuta, you finally showed up!”

It was now the following day, the 12th of the white month.

I was met with that unusual tone calling out to me after we had picked up the stalls at The Kimyuus’s Tail and went to stop by Dora’s place to purchase the vegetables we needed.

“Wh-Why do you say that? Did something happen again or—”

“Never mind! Just hurry on over here! There’s something I need to discuss with you!”

I was pulled under the roof, still having no clue what was going on.

Tara looked seriously uneasy down there at her father’s feet, too.

“Asuta, are the rumors that the people of the forest’s edge may leave Genos really true?”

Dora was grabbing hold of both my arms, pressing in close with a scary look on his face.

And with those words, everything finally clicked.

“Not exactly, it’s more that the people of the forest’s edge are heading into the next meeting with the nobles of Genos ready to do what we must if that’s what it comes down to. We want to find a path forward that will satisfy everyone, but it’s not like our leaders are making that statement light—”

“Then if you aren’t satisfied, you really will leave Genos? That’s just awful, isn’t it?!” Dora questioned. His mood had always tended to fluctuate greatly, but it really was rare to see him this worked up.

And down by his feet, Tara was quickly tearing up too.

“No, leaving Genos really is an absolute last resort. Not even a single person of the forest’s edge actually wants that to happen. And of course, I’ve got no intention of abandoning Genos.”

“But I can’t see the nobles admitting any fault easily. They’ve lived in a whole other world than we do right from the very start,” Dora said, his face twisted with frustration. “And I can’t imagine you’ll be able to hold back your rage at those nobles trying to use your comrades from the forest’s edge in the way they have, either. So isn’t everything already over and done with? The criminals have all lost their lives. What’s there to gain from causing more of a fuss at this point?”

Even though only a single night had passed, it seemed that Dora had already heard everything.

Now that I thought about it, Zasshuma had mentioned how he often saw Dora out at the bar. If they mostly kept to the same area, then maybe it wasn’t so strange that things turned out like this.

I also realized just how careless I had been. Since I knew from the start that Gazraan Rutim intended to spread that information throughout the post town, I should have told the people close to me personally in advance.

“I’m sorry. The people of the forest’s edge can’t bring themselves to just blindly bow their heads to the lord of Genos while everything remains undecided. But they wish to find a path forward they can accept, and keep on living as hunters here in this land... Can you please believe in us?”

“I’d like to. I really would, but... Count Turan can be even more troublesome than Lord Genos himself, can’t he? Will you really be alright taking on a noble like that?”

“I believe in the strength of the people of the forest’s edge.”

Dora gave a deep sigh.

And then, Ai Fa suddenly chimed in.

“Sir, you have my gratitude for your concern on our behalf... But could you please remove your hands from Asuta?”

“Huh? Ah, sorry. Still, at any rate, we want to keep on having a friendly relationship with all of you.”

“I know. You opened up your hearts to us sooner than any other westerner. I have not had much opportunity to talk to you up till now, but I have long thought how precious a gift that is. So as Asuta said, please hold on and continue believing in us...” Ai Fa humbly requested.

Listlessly, Dora turned toward her and replied, “Is it really alright to believe? I’m... I’m a touch frightened, honestly. Have those nobles been making light of the strength your people possess...?”

Ai Fa furrowed her brow questioningly. And I had no idea what he was saying either.

“On that day when Asuta was abducted, you all went mad, didn’t you? Dozens of people of the forest’s edge rushed the castle gates... I couldn’t help but wonder if I was watching the destruction of Genos itself,” Dora said, his plump body starting to tremble. “There are a great many soldiers in the castle town, of course. But if all the people of the forest’s edge took up blades and went to war with Genos... I can’t imagine the people of the castle town having any chance of victory.”

“B-But there are only five hundred people of the forest’s edge in total, right? And less than half of them are hunters, so—”

“Then Asuta, can you imagine the people of the forest’s edge losing? I absolutely cannot. At most, I could see a draw.” At some point Dora had started patting Tara’s head as she clung to his leg. “I get the feeling that the folks inside those stone walls don’t realize that, though. The reason the people of the forest’s edge quietly carried out their work was simply because you have always been a proud people... But if we truly angered you, you could easily bring any town to ruin. And yet the nobles have seemingly been treating the people of the forest’s edge however they please, not even realizing that fact.”

“Even on the off chance the nobles become our enemies, we will never turn our blades on all of you.”

“Right, I get that. But if Genos is ruined, then we’re done for too. Well, actually, if that happens, some new nobles will probably form a new town, and we’ll manage to scrape by somehow. But the people of the forest’s edge will have no place left for them in the western kingdom, so you’ll have to move to Mahyudra or something, right? I hate the thought of that.” At that, Dora’s eyes were staring intently at Ai Fa. “I want to keep on living as a citizen of Genos, getting along well with you. And I can’t be the only one who feels that way. So please, at least don’t be short-tempered and rash.”

“My old man is one of the leading clan heads, and short-tempered really may be the proper way to describe him. But he’s putting his life and soul on the line to carve out a proper path for our people,” Ludo Ruu chimed in as he stepped forward, apparently having been listening in on our conversation the whole time. “The forest of Morga is our home. We won’t be abandoning it lightly. But we also won’t just let the nobles do as they please either, so, well, I guess I just ask that you trust in us.”

“You mean it? You’ll always be friends with me?” Tara asked in a worried tone.

“Yeah,” Ludo Ruu replied with a smile. “That runt Rimee keeps going on and on about how she wants to see you. Once this whole incident is settled, she’ll probably be coming to the post town, too. So I hope you two will get along well when that time comes.”

“Right!” Tara replied with a big nod. Her father patted her head again, smiling through his tears.

“I’ll be praying that those nobles reconsider matters, too... Ah, now that I think about it, one of the sons of the noble who rules over our farmland is standing with you people of the forest’s edge, isn’t he?”

“Ah, yes, the second son, Polarth. I was a little surprised to hear that his house was the one that ruled over the plantations.”

“Right. Though he’s known as a good-for-nothing second son, I can actually feel proud of him if he’s lending you his aid,” Dora said, his expression growing anxious in a slightly different way. “Still, just what exactly is he planning? He gave us a rather unusual order, to urgently harvest more poitan than we ever have before while also making certain the townsfolk don’t catch on.”

“That is definitely involved in what’s going on, so it’s probably best not to carelessly spread it around...”

“So it really is, huh? Well, if it helps you people of the forest’s edge, I’ll prepare as many poitan as it takes,” Dora replied, finally breaking out in a faint but definite smile.

◇

After that, I ended up having the same sort of conversation with a good portion of the customers visiting the stalls.

Perhaps I had significantly underestimated the speed at which rumors spread through inns and bars.

“It really is ridiculous. Makes me think more and more that you should just move to Jagar before it turns into a squabble.”

“That’s a great idea. If you trace things back, then you people of the forest’s edge all have Jagar blood running in your veins anyway. So if the western kingdom ain’t treating you right, then why not just gather up all your people and leave?”

It was men who had helped out Balan’s construction group who told me that.

In the past, Shumiral had also suggested moving to the Eastern Kingdom of Sym. It really was nice having people I knew say such things.

But in spite of all that, moving to either Sym or Jagar would prove difficult.

If the people of the forest’s edge abandoned their giba hunting duties and left Genos, they would be branded traitors by the western kingdom. And though Sym and Jagar were friendly nations, if they accepted us it could lead to a quarrel between the kingdoms.

That must have been exactly why Dora had brought up Mahyudra before. If we turned against the western kingdom, the only place left for the people of the forest’s edge would be that enemy nation.

On top of that, it was also incredibly difficult to convert from serving one god to another. The people of the forest’s edge had already done so eighty years in the past, so would it even be possible to do so again...? And would the enemy nation of Mahyudra welcome them in the first place? Thinking of all that, it was possible the people of the forest’s edge would end up rejected by all of the kingdoms and their gods.

But at any rate, it wasn’t like anyone wanted the people of the forest’s edge to abandon Genos in the first place. We all strongly wished to keep living here in Genos, at the Morga forest’s edge. And that was exactly why we needed to settle things with Cyclaeus.

“The town sure seems noisy today...” Mikel said with his brow deeply furrowed, having stopped by a little while before the sun hit its peak. “Are you finally going to war with the nobles or whatever? Sheesh, nothing good’ll come of something like that.”

“Sorry. I believe we should have some sort of results to show on the 15th of the white month, though,” I replied with a smile while preparing Mikel’s myamuu giba.

His expression utterly unchanged, Mikel glanced over at the giba burger stalls.

“By the way, are you the one who taught those girls how to cook...?”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right. The dishes they make should be just as good as the ones I prepare.”

“I already know that from back when you were captured and I came here to eat. I believe you said you come from overseas, and your father taught you what you know about cooking?”

“Yes. I was born in an island nation known as Japan, and my father made a living as a chef.”

“I don’t know anything about what it’s like overseas... But still, it seems your father must have been pretty darn skilled.”

“He was. I respect him more than anyone,” I replied, the words flowing forth without any hesitation.

I had never been able to bring myself to tell him that, and I certainly had no way of doing so now.

“Your cooking certainly is unusual. And this giba meat is a first-rate ingredient, not at all inferior to karon for sure, so it’s no surprise you’ve built up a reputation.”

His tone seemed to make it feel like he was adding, “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have to worry about catching Cyclaeus’s attention.”

Just as I was feeling at a loss for how to reply, though, I was caught off-guard by what I saw approaching. There was a large boxed wagon being drawn by totos approaching down the highway from the north... Naturally, it was the one belonging to the house of Count Daleim.

As the wagon approached the stall area, it came to a stop. It was a rule that in the post town, drivers needed to get down from their wagon and lead it by hand.

And yet, the vehicle didn’t move at all, and instead two figures stepped down and approached my stall. It was the Daleim house’s head chef Yang, as well as a guard assigned to protect him.

With this appearance of such well-dressed residents of the castle town, Mikel grimaced and took several steps back. And before long, Yang and the guard stepped into that freshly opened space.

“Sir Asuta, the karon milk has arrived from Dabagg. Lord Polarth said to split it with you if you have need of it, but what do you say?”

It really was a perfect show of superficial politeness.

However, the guy was even older than my old man, so I felt like I had to be honestly grateful in return.

“Thank you. If you could just spare whatever’s left over for now, that would be plenty for me.”

“Well then, for the time being, does one white coin per bottle sound acceptable? From here on out, the meat seller shall be coming every couple of days, so if you place an order you should be able to procure the amount you need each time.”

“That really is a huge help. Um, would it be possible for residents of the post town to make the same sort of purchases?”

“Of course. We’re talking about merchants who come to sell meat here in Genos by trade, after all. Once I begin selling my cooking at the stall tomorrow, I’m certain everyone shall start seeking out karon milk.”

In that case, it would be possible to further vary up the menu on offer at The Kimyuus’s Tail. Combined with the kimyuus eggs and fuwano flour, karon milk made for some seriously encouraging reinforcements.

“At any rate, the containers of milk are stuffed into that wagon, so pick what you—” Yang started to say, only for his expression to freeze.

And when I followed his gaze, I was also taken aback.

The head chef had caught sight of Mikel as he ate his myamuu giba while turned away.

“Could... Could you be Sir Mikel, who served as the head chef at The Maiden in White?”

Mikel turned to face Yang with an annoyed look.

“I’ve got no business with anyone from the castle town, so just leave me be.”

“M-My name is Yang. I trained at Selva’s Spear, and now I have been entrusted with the kitchen of Count Daleim’s house. My apologies, but I heard you had absconded from Genos, Sir Mikel...”

“Did you not hear what I said? I’m just an old man who makes a living selling charcoal. If you want some, then bring some coins to my place in Turan.”

They were both past middle age, but Yang was likely older. However, the man had a clear look of respect in his eyes as he stared at Mikel.

“It truly pained me to hear a chef of your skill had his future ruined and was driven from the castle town. But even so, seeing you here safe and sound, I—”

“You sure are a noisy one. You’re ruining the taste of my meal,” Mikel grumbled with a hostile glare as he tossed the last bite of the dish into his mouth.

Yang turned my way with a befuddled look.

“Is that your cooking Sir Mikel is eating, Sir Asuta? Are you perhaps a chef with ties to him? That would explain why you caught the eye of the daughter of Count Turan at such a young—”

“N-No, I only just recently grew acquainted with Mikel. It’s not that big of a deal,” I hurriedly said with a shake of my head, only for Mikel to give a contemptuous snort.

“You think chefs I have ties to would go creating such oddball dishes? I mean, it should be obvious with just a single bite of the kid’s cooking, right?”

“Ah, I haven’t ever eaten Sir Asuta’s cooking... And I have heard it’s made with giba meat, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It uses giba back and chest meat, and is steeped in a marinade of fruit wine, myamuu, and tau oil before frying.”

Yang looked clearly distressed. And seeing that, Mikel’s nose wrinkled up.

“There’s no need for someone from the castle town with their pampered tongues to force themselves to eat giba. I don’t know what you had in mind coming out here to the post town, but if you don’t wanna wreck your stomach, you may as well stay inside those stone walls and keep on eating karon meat.”

“No, I...”

“I’ve got work to take care of, so I don’t have time to waste playing around with you two,” Mikel stated before promptly departing.

Yang still looked quite troubled as he watched the man leave.

“So Mikel was a pretty famous chef, huh...?”

“Of course! The Maiden in White was not an especially large inn, but during the period that Mikel served as head chef, its reputation was every bit the equal to that of Selva’s Spear. In my personal opinion, he was one of the greatest chefs in all of Genos,” Yang passionately replied, only to shrug his slender shoulders in disappointment. “But then, just because he caught Count Turan’s attention, he met with such a horrible fate... I suppose there’s no need to hedge about my feelings around you of all people, Sir Asuta. I simply cannot accept the way that Count Turan treats chefs as mere tools. That is why I made up my mind to assist Lord Polarth, even knowing it will earn me reprimand from my employer, Count Daleim.”

“I see... I really am glad to be able to work together with someone like you,” I earnestly stated.

The spindly older chef looked back at me, the strength returning to his eyes.

“Could I purchase some of your cooking, Sir Asuta...?”

“Of course. That will be two red coins.”

With the meat that had been retaining warmth at the edge of the metal tray, I went ahead and prepared a myamuu giba.

This was most likely the first time anyone from the castle town had eaten giba meat.

After timidly bringing the myamuu giba to his mouth, Yang froze up in astonishment.

“This... is giba meat?”

“Yes. Was it to your liking?”

“This taste really is every bit as good as karon breast and back meat...” An even more brilliant light began filling Yang’s eyes. “And you made this using nothing but ingredients from the post town? Ingredients that allow you to sell it for a mere two red coins?”

“Yes, though I used just a bit of tau oil.”

“I’m shocked. I’ll need to reexamine what I planned to offer for sale in the post town.” With that, Yang indicated the wagon parked at the edge of the highway with his hand. “Please accept the karon milk. It seems I must urgently return to the manor.”

“Got it. You’ll have to let me purchase some of your cooking tomorrow, too, alright?”

“I promise you, I shall prepare a dish that I can be proud of,” Yang stated reassuringly.

4

And so, we managed to safely wrap up our work again on that day.

For the first time in several days, I was able to prepare my giba sauté arrabbiata and meat and chatchi stew for the inns, and the stalls managed to sell a hundred meals each. We really did seem to be getting even more customers now compared to how things had been before our last break.

Thanks to the rumors spread throughout the post town by Zasshuma, a lot of the customers asked about what was going on. And most of them were southerners and easterners, concerned and wanting to know, “Will you be able to keep on doing business?”

Meanwhile, Cyclaeus didn’t seem to be making any moves.

Though the town guards shot us some rather stormy looks, they never approached, and nobody attacked us, either. Even those bandits dressing like people of the forest’s edge seemed to be lying low ever since I returned from Cyclaeus’s manor.

“At least on the surface, things are quite peaceful...” Ai Fa murmured as she stood right behind the driver’s seat in our wagon, which was being pulled along by Gilulu.

In the wagon itself were the three Ruu women and Li Sudra along with one of the youths from the branch houses acting as one of our bodyguards, while the others were accompanying us on the backs of totos borrowed from the Ruu and Lea clans, two hunters per bird. Meanwhile, Tsuvai and Ama Min Rutim were walking back, with the six hunters who arrived when the sun hit its peak watching over them.

“There are only three days remaining until the meeting. It would be best if nothing were to happen until then, but still...”

“Yeah. I’ll be praying that things stay peaceful till the day of the meeting.”

It wasn’t just Dora, as folks like Milano Mas and Nail also seemed to be seriously concerned about the future of the people of the forest’s edge.

The clash between us and Cyclaeus was liable to have an impact on the fate of Genos itself. This really was the aftereffects left by Zattsu Suun’s actions.

“Hey, I see you made it back safely again,” Bartha called out as we returned to the Ruu settlement and headed for the main house’s kitchen, to find them chopping firewood around back again. “Are you getting started on dinner right away? Think I could watch again?”

The hunters aside from Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu all dispersed, and the remaining members of our group once more headed for the kitchen. Ryada Ruu also went home, but aside from that, it was just like yesterday.

However, the group in charge of making dinner had been randomly swapped out, so today we were joined by Granny Tito Min and Rimee Ruu.

“Lala, you’re supposed to be the other one on duty, but are you switching with Sheera Ruu again?” Rimee Ruu asked as we entered the kitchen.

“You got some sort of problem with that?” Lala Ruu snapped back, her face quickly turning red.

“Nope. It’ll make Shin Ruu happy too, so it’s fine with me!” Rimee Ruu replied with a brilliant grin.

Despite the fact that this was basically what Ludo Ruu said yesterday, she just seemed so pure and innocent. And so, this time Lala Ruu only went beet red rather than exploding with rage.

“Hey, what are we making today?” Rimee Ruu asked, clinging to my chest and making the same expression she had worn when crushing her sister just moments earlier.

“For today, I was thinking of preparing a completely different dish from what I’ve made up till now. And I want to have as many folks try it out as possible, to determine whether or not it’s a proper meal for the people of the forest’s edge.”

“Really? Hooray!” Rimee Ruu shouted, rubbing her reddish-brown hair up against my chest. Ever since I returned from Cyclaeus’s manor, the girl had been showing me even more affection.

“Hey, runt! Asuta’s still technically a man, you know. So you shouldn’t go hugging him like it’s nothing,” Ludo Ruu rebuked, sounding a bit angry.

But with her cheek still pressed to my chest, Rimee Ruu adorably stuck out her tongue.

“Quiet, you meanie! I can decide for myself who I get to hug, right?”

At that, Ludo Ruu rustled his hair.

In order to maintain the peace, I chimed in, “Well then, shall we get started?”

First up came the preparations for tomorrow’s business.

Just like yesterday, I began by silently slicing up meat for the myamuu giba. Though it took quite a while to prepare enough for one hundred meals, the work itself wasn’t especially difficult.

Once that was finished, it was finally time to prepare dinner.

For today, I’d be taking a stab at my long-awaited fried giba meat dish... Giba cutlets.

“Now then, how did the fuwano turn out?” I asked, checking the dough that had been resting atop a wooden plate since yesterday.

Just as Polarth described, it had dried out.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call it stiff as a rock, it was tough enough that I couldn’t really pinch any off. It seemed like making it less than a centimeter thick had paid off, as it appeared to have lost quite a bit of the moisture inside.

“Alright, this seems like it’ll work. Reina and Sheera Ruu, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your jobs, if you want, why not—” I started to say, only to find their intense gazes turned my way as they kept working intently.

“Hey, what’re you gonna do with that?” Rimee Ruu questioned as she baked up the poitan for dinner.

“With this, first we’ve got to make it back into a fine powder,” I replied, holding out a grater of the sort they used in the post town, which had no holes, just notches, and was made from the flat shell of some sort of crustacean.

Fortunately it didn’t prove difficult using that to grate the fuwano, which came crumbling apart. While it was a notably primitive piece of cookware, it didn’t have any trouble handling the fuwano, since it wasn’t especially tough.

Before long, I had a little mound of fuwano crumbs sitting atop my cutting board.

“Then, you dry roast this in a pot without any fat,” I explained more toward Reina and Sheera Ruu rather than Rimee Ruu as I got to work.

With that, the moisture was pretty much completely removed from the fuwano crumbs, leaving them good and parched. They had taken on a bit of a creamy color, and so at least visually they looked to me like a proper panko substitute.

“Next up is the meat. First you sever the tendons in the back meat, then beat it with a pole. And we want it more tender than with the steaks, so do it thoroughly.”

For the cut, I went with sirloin.

If I was thinking of calories then it would be better to pick the fillet or thigh meat instead, but I had been told before that using the sirloin would keep down the fat content. That was because the fillet and thigh meat lacked in fat to start with, which meant they absorbed more oil during the frying... That bit of trivia had actually come from my childhood friend Reina of all people.

“That’s why I eat sirloin cutlets instead of ones made with fillets!” I remembered her saying with a carefree smile as she stuffed her cheeks with the tonkatsu my old man had prepared.

Reina’s statement had ultimately just been that of an ordinary high school girl, so maybe it was dangerous to go accepting it without question. But I had another reason for choosing the sirloin instead of the fillet: the shape of the meat.

Since the fillet was long and narrow, normally you would cut into it sideways to make some small, round cutlets. But when they were that small, that only increased the amount of surface area for coating, and I figured that would lead to a greater amount of oil in the meal.

I was conflicted, torn between a desire to show everyone how delicious cutlets were, while also not wanting to make a dish so far removed from what I had prepared up till now.

At any rate, those various thoughts were what led to me selecting the sirloin.

And so, I went ahead and thoroughly pounded the flat cut of sirloin in front of me. Since I wanted as many people as possible to sample it, I picked out an extra large five hundred gram chunk. It started as three centimeters or so thick, and when it was pounded down to around half of that, it was ready. At that thickness, it wouldn’t take long at all to heat through.

“Then we rub salt and pico leaves onto it, and once that’s done, we make the coating,” I said, opening up the cloth bundle I had sat atop my work station.

As she kept on working away at baking the poitan, Rimee Ruu let out an excited, “Ooh! What’s that?! It’s sorta cute, isn’t it?”

“This is a kimyuus egg. Kimyuus are a type of bird eaten by the townsfolk.”

I had purchased it from a place that specialized in raising kimyuus and selling their meat.

The people of the forest’s edge never had any issue getting enough animal protein in their diets, and I had never encountered kimyuus eggs being sold around the stalls either, so for most everyone present, this would be their first time seeing one.

“First we crack it open onto a wooden plate, then we stir together the yolk and the white. Next, we cover the meat evenly in ordinary fuwano flour, then dip it in our stirred egg, then finally give it a layer of the fuwano crumbs we just dry roasted. Take care not to make the coating too thick, though.”

“Right,” Reina and Sheera Ruu replied from a distance.

“And then, it’s finally time for the lard.”

“Lard?”

“It’s boiled down giba fat. Even here at the forest’s edge, you make the stuff normally for candles, right? It’s pretty much the same thing.”

I had prepared it in advance, and had Ai Fa bring it from back home in the morning. After all, she had already been riding Gilulu each morning since yesterday to manage the pantry and bring back giba meat.

Before, I had stored the lard in a leather bag, but lately I switched to a lidded jar, which was more airtight. It wasn’t like it would spoil that easily, but if it oxidized, the flavor would clearly worsen, so I even added an inner lid made of a suurub leaf.

When I pulled that inner lid loose, there was a sticky strand of cream-colored lard clinging to it. Using a wooden spatula, I added enough to the pot to safely submerge a chunk of meat with depth to spare.

“Now we should heat up the lard, then add the meat and let it cook through. Managing the flames here is the toughest part, so if you decide to make regular use of this recipe, I’ll teach it to you again separately.”

“Right,” they once again answered.

As I added firewood to the stove, the lard soon turned transparent as the surface started to tremble.

Several minutes passed while I kept the heat to a medium flame.

When I poked it with my long grigee chopsticks, fairly large bubbles floated up, so I went ahead and tossed in a pinch of those baked fuwano crumbs.

With a crackling sound, the fuwano crumbs jumped to the surface.

It seemed to be ready. I wanted to cook each bit of meat for the least amount of time possible, so that it wouldn’t suck up any more oil than was necessary. And so, I aimed for around 180 degrees.

“Alright, let’s try frying some up. Ah, Rimee Ruu, could I borrow several metal skewers?”

Since Rimee Ruu had just finished baking the poitan, she swiftly answered my request.

I laid out some suurub leaves atop a wooden plate, then layered the skewers in an alternating pattern along the outer edge. Naturally, the idea was to make a replacement metal rack to temporarily deposit the fried cutlets onto.

With that done, I picked up a bit of coated meat and gently placed it into the pot.

And this time, the lard started seriously crackling away.

“Whoa, amazing!” Rimee Ruu excitedly proclaimed.

Ai Fa, Ludo Ruu, and Bartha all watched on with great interest, while Reina and Sheera Ruu seemed a bit anxious as they handled their own work while glancing over. And all the while, the smell of heated lard filled the kitchen.

“Hmm... This seems like the most elaborate dish you’ve shown us since the hamburger steak,” Granny Tito Min proclaimed with a smile as she walked on over, apparently having finished preparing the giba stew.

The color of the coating steadily shifted. Once it had fried to a nice golden brown, I lifted it out with a metal skewer.

“Now we just need to wait for the excess oil to drip off and it’ll be done. Rimee Ruu, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you to do. Could you go get four or five of the men?”

“The men? But why?”

“Well, just like Tito Min Ruu said, this dish is unique, just as much as hamburger steak. So I’d like to see if hunters more stubborn than Ludo Ruu and Ai Fa still think it’s fitting for a dinner here at the forest’s edge.”

“Got it. But the men are all out in the forest setting up traps and stuff... Ah, then how about I go ask Ryada Ruu?! And Mida and the men who came back from the post town could try it, too!”

Having solved the problem on her own, Rimee Ruu went running out of the kitchen.

I certainly wouldn’t call Mida stubborn, but I figured it was still alright since I hardly ever got a chance to feed him my cooking.

“Asuta, we’ve finished with work on our end for the time being.”

With that, Reina and Sheera Ruu finally joined in directly.

“This really is just as mysterious a dish as hamburger steak, isn’t it? For some reason, I’ve felt my heart beating terribly fast for a while now.”

“This will be my first time tackling it, too. I really hope it turns out well.”

The first issue would be making sure it wasn’t half-cooked. Then came the question of if it suited the tastes of the people of the forest’s edge. And finally, there was the matter of determining whether or not the dish would act as a poison when added to their lives.

Personally, I was feeling more nervous than I had been since I presented the steak and roast giba to Donda Ruu.

“Asuta, sorry for the wait!” Rimee Ruu called out, arriving just before the sample finished cooling down.

“Thanks,” I started to reply, and then suddenly found myself at a loss for words.

Sure enough, Ryada Ruu was also standing there, but he was accompanied by his elder brother and that man’s son... In other words, Donda and Jiza Ruu.

And behind them were Shin Ruu and Mida.

“These two just happened to be on their way back from the forest! Dad and Jiza are the stubbornest ones in the whole Ruu settlement, so they should be fine, right?” Rimee Ruu said, puffing out her chest with a giggle.

As I held back my urge to flinch, I went ahead and bowed my head instead.

“Sorry about this. I’m sure Rimee Ruu already explained, but would you mind participating in this taste test?”

“Looks like you went and made another oddity of a dish,” Donda Ruu grumbled. “Is that seriously giba meat? It just looks like a lump of earth or something to me.”

“This is giba back meat, and it’s coated with fuwano crumbs and kimyuus eggs. I’ll go ahead and cut it into several pieces now...”

There were six men and five women, so adding me, Ai Fa, and Bartha to that count, you got fourteen in total. Still, the cutlet was a big five hundred gram chunk of meat, so a single piece per person would work out.

I started by cutting it straight down the middle, and it was immediately clear I didn’t have to worry about it being undercooked. There wasn’t any red left at all, and the meat had turned a beautiful ivory shade. And the way there was a bit of transparent oil slowly seeping out from between the meat and the coating was seriously stirring up my appetite.

Once I had finished cutting it up into pieces, I also went ahead and sprinkled some juice from the lemon-like sheel on top.

I had been aiming to create something akin to tonkatsu, and at least in terms of appearances, it seemed to have come out perfectly.

The real issue, though, was how the people of the forest’s edge judged it.

“Please, dig in... No wait, this is my first time making this dish, so let me give it a shot first,” I declared, picking up a chunk of giba cutlet.

When I tossed it into my mouth and took a nice, firm bite, first I was impressed by the pleasant texture, and then I felt plenty of piping hot oil seep out.

The fuwano crumb coating was pretty much ideal in terms of both thickness and texture. And maybe it was because I had used lard, but it had an incredibly rich flavor.

To be honest, this was the first time I had ever used lard to fry cutlets. But you could get lard-fried croquettes in the shopping district, or buy it from the butchers’ shops, which was what gave me the idea.

Was this flavor from the giba meat or the lard? I could sense that the deliciousness of the meat had seeped into the coating, but it fortunately wasn’t overpowering. But adding even more deliciousness onto the wonderful taste of the giba meat made it feel like an explosion of flavor in my mouth.

And the sour accent from the sheel fruit juice was nice and pleasant, too.

At least for me personally, this flavor really was the best.

Yup, with this I could safely listen to everyone’s opinions without feeling any regrets.

“I’m definitely satisfied with how it turned out. Everyone, please go ahead and give it a try.”

The women used the skewers, while the men all just picked the giba cutlet bits up with their bare hands before popping them in their mouths.

“Whoa...” Ludo Ruu exclaimed.

He stared at me in shock. However, as his mouth was currently full of food, he couldn’t say anything further at the moment.

Rimee Ruu’s big, round eyes opened wide.

Reina and Sheera Ruu wore serious looks.

And Donda Ruu was completely expressionless.

For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the light sound of chewing.

Feeling a bit on edge, I turned and looked toward Ai Fa. Sure enough, she was also chewing away with her eyes closed.

“Um, how does it taste...?”

Even though each sample was only a single bite’s worth, everybody was taking quite a while to swallow.

Ultimately, the first one to finally respond to me was Rimee Ruu.

“It was super tasty!” she declared, her big eyes sparkling. “It may be the tastiest thing you’ve ever made, Asuta! Ah, but the stew’s really good, too... Think I can say they’re both the best?” she said, putting her hands on her cheeks.

As I watched that adorable sight, I went ahead and breathed a sigh of relief.

With that, I suddenly started hearing comments from all around.

“This... This is a wonderful flavor.”

“I was so taken aback I couldn’t even speak.”

“What’s with this dish?! It’s amazingly tasty!”

“Aah, this is definitely the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my whole life.”

Sheera, Tito Min, and Ludo Ruu all offered such praise along with Bartha.

Ryada and Shin Ruu listened to what their comrades had to say while wearing gentle expressions.

Reina Ruu... Her eyes had closed, and she looked to be sorting out how she felt.

And then, there was Ai Fa.

Ai Fa was holding back any expression that might show on her face, and she had her eyes shut just like Reina Ruu.

“Hey Ai Fa, how is it...?”

My clan head opened her eyes and looked at me. It was a very calm, gentle gaze.

“It was delicious... It’s true that this really may be the greatest dish you have ever created.”

I could feel my heart leap a little.

Unable to hold myself back, I leaned in close and whispered into Ai Fa’s ear, “Then would you say I’ve finally served you something that surpasses hamburger steak?”

At that, Ai Fa hid her face so that nobody else could see, and broke out in a frown.

“Hamburger steak is special.”

“Special, huh?” I repeated, giving a grin.

Seeing that, Ai Fa angrily kicked me in the leg, and then she suddenly turned to glare at Mida.

“Hey, don’t start crying again, alright?”

“Yeah... I won’t cry...”

When I looked, I found Mida standing in front of the entrance to the kitchen, his cheeks trembling.

“Asuta... this is really, really tasty...”

“Thank—” I started to reply, only for a voice to chime in from another direction entirely.

“This dish... I may well sense a giba’s strength in it more than anything I have ever eaten before.”

I turned and looked in shock. Why? Because it was Jiza Ruu who said that.

“Why is that, I wonder? Even though you used ingredients that should be entirely unnecessary for us people of the forest’s edge, like fuwano and kimyuus eggs... I can truly sense the giba’s strength flowing into me.”

“That may be because I used a lot of giba fat. And it should have soaked into the coating around the meat quite a bit, too,” I explained, then felt the need to keep going. “Thanks to that, it should provide more nutrition than just boiling or grilling meat. My one concern is that it might go too far on that point, so—”

“There’s no need to worry about that. Nutrients are the source of our strength, right?” Donda Ruu grumbled.

I turned his way, still feeling quite nervous.

“Right. But I believe it really is true that too much medicine can turn into poison. Back where I come from, there was no shortage of people who got sick from improper nutrition... Besides, like I said last night, even here in Genos there’s illness of the innards resulting from overly extravagant dining.”

“Hmph. You’re talking about what that Cyclaeus noble’s suffering from, right? Like I said, there’s no need to worry about that... We need greater strength, after all,” Donda Ruu said, his blue eyes blazing bright as he faced me head on. “As the Fou clan head told you, eating food prepared by the women you taught fills our bodies with strength... Rather than anything to do with taste, that’s simply down to your dishes being packed with nutrition, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s because the small clans in particular were eating nothing but giba meat, aria, and poitan, plus I guess the salt used when making jerky. Many of my dishes introduce salt even outside of jerky, then there’s the sugar from the fruit wine, plus other vegetables like myamuu, making for a robust bit of nutrition.”

“Never mind the details. What you’re saying is that a dish this overflowing with strength could be a poison to the people of the forest’s edge?” Donda Ruu questioned in a firm tone.

My thoughts raced.

“That’s right... It may be as dangerous as hamburger steak. If that dish was one that threatened to weaken the strength of your teeth and jaws, this is one that could unbalance your nutrition. So even back in my home country, it was seen as best to eat it with lots of vegetables or stuff with high acidity.”

“Then why not just do that?”

“Right, that was my intention from the start. If such a dish is going to be part of a dinner, it really should be along with plenty of veggies like tino, tarapa, and gigo. The reason I also sprinkled sheel juice on top was to guard against too much oil being absorbed.” I just kept on answering with everything that came to mind. “Still, just like with the hamburger steak, I believe the key point is that you can’t just keep eating it for every meal. Of course, the real issue comes from the giba fat used in it, so as long as you take care in regards to how much you use, I believe it shouldn’t have too negative of an impact.”

“Hmph. This is how that strength of yours can prove medicine instead of a poison. And in order to take on the nobles of Genos, we need even greater strength... Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Y-Yes.”

It was incredibly rare for Donda Ruu to actually call me by name. Without even thinking, I stood up straight, and he shot me an even more intense glare.

“If you’re one of our people, then prepare us proper food in order to grant us proper strength in turn. That’s the task given to you as a person of the forest’s edge.”

“Right... Understood,” I answered with a nod, directly meeting his gaze.

Donda Ruu also nodded, then he said something that shocked me even further.

“Well then, as one of the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge, allow me to ask something of you. Make dinner for the main Ruu house two nights from now. Rather than you assisting the women, they’ll be helping you out, so prepare something fitting for that night.”

“Fitting for that night...?”

Two days from now would be the night before the meeting with Cyclaeus. What exactly would be happening then?

“We’ll be bringing along the seven former members of the main Suun house with us to that meeting. So the night before, we’ll be having them gather here in the Ruu settlement. Zuuro Suun, Diga, Doddo, Oura, Tsuvai, Yamiru Lea, and Mida... I’m ordering you to make a dinner not just for the members of the main Ruu house, but for those seven, too.”

“Right... Of course I’ve got no objections, but why exactly—”

“They’re still our comrades. That even goes for Zuuro Suun, a criminal awaiting his execution. And they’ll be standing before those nobles three days from now as people of the forest’s edge.” Donda Ruu’s tone was solemn, brimming with both strength and dignity. “Mida and Yamiru Lea have already eaten your cooking, but the other five have only eaten food prepared by Suun women you instructed. What you bring to the forest’s edge, and your reasoning for doing business in the post town... There’s a need for them to understand all of that more deeply. So I’m telling you to have them eat your cooking.”

“Right.”

Some sort of unfamiliar powerful emotions started running wild in my chest. I felt like my body would start trembling if I didn’t firmly clench my fists.

“Let me just say now, I’ve got no intention of paying you. If you’re calling yourself a person of the forest’s edge, then I’ll have you show them that you’re one of us through your convictions and resolve. Just like you did with the Ruu, as well as your clan head there.”

“Right. Thank you.”

Donda Ruu gave a snort that seemed to say, “What’re you thanking me for?” Then with a flutter of his hunter’s cloak, he lightly pushed aside Mida’s massive frame with the back of his hand and exited the kitchen.

Jiza Ruu soon followed after him, leaving behind a heavy silence hanging in the air.

“I don’t really get it. In other words, he wants to have those fools taste your cooking, I guess?” Ludo Ruu bluntly murmured, finally breaking that silence.

I didn’t know Donda Ruu’s true intentions. I just might have been feeling uplifted at being ordered to do my duty as a person of the forest’s edge.

Still... I had to agree it was important to properly let those six born with Zattsu Suun’s blood flowing through their veins know just what the people of the forest’s edge thought, what resolve they held, and how they planned to face the crimes committed by their comrades.

And if Donda Ruu figured my cooking would help teach them that, then I wanted to do whatever it took to see that task through.

“It’ll be fine...” a voice quietly whispered into my ear.

When I turned to look, I found Ai Fa shooting me a resolute look.

“I know you can handle it, Asuta,” she stated, her expression gentle, but a firm light gleaming in her blue eyes.