Chapter 1: A New Encounter

1

It was now the nineteenth of the black month.

Business was once again resuming today after the break we took every ten days.

Putting it all together, this was my eleventh round of contracts with the stalls. In other words, we had already run them for a hundred days by this point.

Naturally, we had to insert some breaks in those contracts for various reasons, and sometimes we didn’t open up shop for as long as half a month or more. If you counted from the first day we ran our stall, then we would be at the four month anniversary in around a week or so.

It had been roughly five months now since I had come to live as a member of the Fa clan. And it had been about a month and a half since the fifth of the ashen month, when we were finally able to return to the Fa house after our conflict with that criminal noble of Genos, Cyclaeus, was settled. Over the course of that month and a half, a great deal had changed all around us.

First off, the criminals had been dealt with.

Cyclaeus and his younger brother Ciluel had been judged in accordance with the laws of Genos. Their trial had taken ten days, and ultimately the lord of Genos, Marstein, had more or less kept his promises.

Cyclaeus was given a sentence of life confinement, while Ciluel was given twenty years of penal servitude. I had been told that nobles weren’t given any sentences harsher than death, but this time was seen as a special exception. After all, Ciluel had gone into a frenzy again at the trial and shouted curses at not only the legal officers of Genos but even the western god Selva, which had only added to his crimes.

Zuuro Suun was also sentenced to ten years of penal servitude.

Apparently a sentence of penal servitude meant being thrown into an especially dangerous area, like a mine or something like that, and worked even more harshly than slaves. On top of that, nobody knew where it was carried out. To guard against the off chance of someone plotting to rescue such criminals, they were first escorted to the capital of Selva, after which they were stripped of all rank and status and then assigned to their workplaces.

No one had ever lived through ten years of penal servitude, but if Zuuro Suun managed to become the first, he could once again return to the settlement at the forest’s edge. But we wouldn’t know if such a thing were possible until those ten years had passed.

And once everyone else’s sentences were handed down, Bartha of Masara was granted her freedom. Marstein had managed to keep his promise on that point too.

Still, that measure was taken not just on behalf of the people of the forest’s edge, but also to placate the townsfolk. In short, while revealing that the crimes pinned on the Red Beards were actually the work of Zattsu Suun and his men, who were prompted by Cyclaeus and Ciluel, they also pardoned Bartha as a remnant of that group.

While it didn’t really make significant waves where I could see, the vindication of the Red Beards apparently resulted in quite a commotion elsewhere in the post town and in other towns. After all, the Red Beards from back then had been seen as heroes by the townsfolk.

Those Red Beards were then framed for taking the lives of others, and the number of people who felt appalled by that fact was pretty large. In order to clear those doubts, Duke Marstein Genos pardoned Bartha, surely in an attempt to lessen the dissatisfaction and animosity toward the ruling class of Genos at least a little.

At any rate though, the honor of the Red Beards had been salvaged.

“That lord of Genos sure can turn everything to his benefit, huh?” the bodyguard Kamyua Yoshu had remarked after Bartha was set free. As one of the key players in settling the whole commotion, he wore a rather amused smile, looking deeply satisfied with how things had played out.

After waiting for Cyclaeus and Ciluel’s sentences to be passed down, Kamyua Yoshu departed for Banarm with Welhide. He must have found a new job there like he said he would, as I hadn’t seen him at all for the past month. And this time around he had taken Leito with him and said they would wander around the western territory for several months, which I guess meant he was ultimately returning to the lifestyle of a wanderer.

And then, there was us.

Our business had undergone quite a bit of change too. In fact, it had gone through so much of an upheaval that it was hard to say where to even start explaining.

The first matter we ended up having a debate over was the price of giba meat.

Back when we were still waiting for the trial to begin, Polarth sought out a meeting with me and people from the post town I had ties to, acting as Marstein’s proxy.

“Asuta, you plan to reopen your stalls once those criminals of the Winds of Black Death are captured, correct? There is a small concern I would like to have you consider beforehand.”

Normally, it would be the ducal guard captain Melfried’s duty to act as Marstein’s proxy when negotiating with the people of the forest’s edge. But considering what the matter at hand entailed, Polarth had been selected as the one most well versed with our business.

The meeting’s location ended up being The Kimyuus’s Tail, while the owners of The Sledgehammer and The Great Southern Tree, Nail and Naudis respectively, were invited to attend. That was because this issue was of interest to them too.

“To get straight to the point, we would like to have you reevaluate the price of giba meat.”

At that time, we were selling giba meat for the same price as karon leg meat. That went for both the fresh meat sold to the inns and the meals we sold at the stalls. And what we were being told was that such pricing was a problem.

“Giba meat is every bit as tasty as karon torso meat, is it not? So it is a bit of an issue to have it sold at roughly the same price as karon leg meat and skinless kimyuus meat.”

“So you’re saying karon and kimyuus meat will stop selling if our prices stay the same?”

“Yes, that is correct. At least skinless kimyuus meat is still cheaper than giba, but karon leg meat is essentially the same price. Karon leg meat is sinewy and lacking in fat, so it simply has no chance of winning against fatty delicious giba meat when they are priced the same, wouldn’t you say?”

On top of that, the karon meat in Genos was purchased from the town of Dabagg. Genos sold Dabagg vegetables and fruit wine, while Dabagg sold Genos karon meat. It would apparently be quite inconvenient for both towns if the balance of that exchange were to break down. And then Banarm was entangled in everything, as another town known for its fuwano and mamaria fruit wine.

“If karon leg meat were to stop selling entirely in Genos, Dabagg may choose to instead strengthen ties with Banarm. And if that were to happen, the Turan lands would lose a significant business partner for their fuwano and fruit wine. At that point, even such a hard worker as Sir Torst would likely be thoroughly toppled.”

Torst was the man ordered to put the house of Turan back on its feet after Cyclaeus’s downfall. Currently, all rights Lefreya had as head of the house were denied to her, and Torst was the one actually in command.

“Additionally, you have faced occasional complaints not only from meat sellers, but also others running stalls in the post town. They say there is no way they can possibly compete with such delicious food being sold for so cheap. Of course, to some degree that simply comes down to a matter of free competition. However, since you people of the forest’s edge wish to forge proper bonds with the townsfolk, is it not undesirable to earn such animosity?”

“That’s certainly true, but still...”

“There is one further concern as well. At this rate, it may end up that only a sharply limited amount of giba meat circulates through the post town.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“You see, if giba meat is available so cheaply, then the residents of the castle town shall likely end up rushing to snatch it all up,” Polarth said with a limp grin. “At the previous dinner party, Duke Marstein Genos himself recognized the deliciousness of giba meat, did he not? That has made the topic a matter of great interest to the people of the castle town. For the time being, the desire to avoid giba as a symbol of calamity has not yet been wiped away, but as soon as even a single person takes that step forward there will surely be no stopping it. And if they can have meat just as delicious as karon torso for cheap, the affluent citizens of the castle town may well begin seeking nothing else. Were that to occur, it truly could cause a catastrophic collapse in our relations with Dabagg.”

“Ah, so that’s what you meant...”

“And to reveal some matters from our end, Sir Leeheim of Count Saturas’s house has begun seriously considering purchasing giba meat. Having learned of that, Duke Genos dispatched me in order to avoid future turmoil,” Polarth explained, remaining perfectly cheerful throughout. “If I did not have such ties to the people of the forest’s edge, I would likely have thought similarly to Sir Leeheim. In fact, I may well have even considered buying up all of the cheap giba meat in order to turn around and resell it in the castle town. That would steal away any chance whatsoever to eat giba meat in the post town.”

“B-But we’re the ones who decide who we sell the giba meat to, right?”

“Yes, of course. But currently, these two here are the only ones purchasing giba meat, correct? Would there be any justifiable reason for the people of the forest’s edge to deny legitimate requests from citizens of the castle town who have acknowledged the deliciousness of giba meat when the people of the post town are hesitating to make such purchases? Unless, that is, you decide on a policy of not doing business with nobles at all. But how truly sad that would be, don’t you think?”

“Well, that may all be true, but still...”

“Perhaps that is also due to free competition. However, I cannot imagine the people of the forest’s edge wishing for such a result. And it was such thinking that led to Duke Genos making the current proposal I bring to you. If giba meat were not so incredibly cheap, then even the nobles of the castle town who would be so crude as to monopolize it for resale could not afford to.”

Whether it was done by the nobles of the castle town or the folks from the post town, such a huge purchase of giba meat would bring a great deal of fortune to the people of the forest’s edge, allowing them to live more comfortable lifestyles.

But if the giba meat was all purchased for cheap to be resold and the people of the post town were no longer able to eat any, naturally that would feel like a somehow twisted state of affairs. I wanted the folks I knew from the post town to be able to eat giba meat more than some complete and utter strangers from the castle town. Maybe that was nothing more than my own personal sentiment, but it was still something I didn’t quite feel comfortable with.

On top of this, it wasn’t as if the people of the forest’s edge had come to a consensus on the matter of selling giba meat. People like Gulaf Zaza and the Beim clan head were still watching the actions of the Fa and Ruu carefully to determine if such an idea was proper and would lead to a bright future for the forest’s edge. At any rate, I certainly figured the idea of neglecting the folks from the post town to earn favor with the nobles would clash with the nature of the people of the forest’s edge.

“Additionally, as you gentlemen from the inns are aware, there are heavy restrictions placed on the raising and sale of kimyuus in Genos, out of consideration toward Dabagg. Even if the castle were to dispatch an order for more, at present that could only be answered through the Daleim plantations and a portion of the castle town. Besides, has it not been decided that kimyuus dishes must be sold for cheaper than karon?”

“Yes. Inns and stalls earn more profit selling karon dishes than kimyuus, which is how those prices were decided,” Naudis replied despite the fact that he was dealing with the noble for the first time, though his nerves were definitely showing in his voice. “But when it comes to giba? The price of giba meat changed based on cut to begin with, and currently the chest and back meat costs more than karon leg meat. Furthermore, the dishes purchased from Asuta add his profit margin on top, so it’s more expensive than karon cooking.”

“Right. Karon dishes are four red coins, while giba dishes cost five, was it? But it should still certainly be far more economical than using karon torso meat,” Polarth said with an easygoing chuckle.

This time, it was the expressionless Nail who responded.

“It certainly is true that dishes made using giba meat have been overwhelmingly more popular. I have had the thought that I would end up not needing to even purchase karon or kimyuus at this rate, so it’s not as if I can’t understand Duke Genos’s concerns... But even so, if the prices rise too greatly, it will no longer be possible to sell giba cooking in the post town.”

“Naturally, I’m not telling you to suddenly raise it to the same price as karon torso. I simply would like you to reappraise the price slightly in order to appease the meat sellers of Dabagg and others selling their cooking. If you do so and continue selling Sir Asuta’s cooking and giba meat, no one should have any complaints. And if you will allow me to interject my personal opinion, I cannot imagine Sir Asuta’s cooking failing to sell from just a slight increase in price. After all, it is simply delicious!”

“Ah...I’m honored to receive such a compliment.”

“And if you do happen to have customers complain, you can simply openly reveal what we are now discussing. Inform them that you were forced to raise prices in order to prevent the nobles from monopolizing the giba meat. I cannot see anyone complaining about that.”

At that, both Nail and Naudis fell silent and thought it over. And as he stared at their troubled expressions, Polarth cheerfully continued on.

“So, there is actually one more entreaty I have been entrusted to bring before you all, Sir Asuta.”

“Duke Genos has a request for us?”

“Correct. I believe you have likely already heard a fair bit on the matter, but we would like your assistance when it comes to dealing with the mountain of ingredients delivered to the Turan manor.”

Up until now, Cyclaeus had been over-purchasing all sorts of ingredients with a morbid obsession to monopolize them. But with his fall, the majority of those ingredients had ended up without a purpose. However, one-sidedly cutting off those agreements with other towns and nations would damage the trust in Genos itself, so even now a massive quantity of ingredients were arriving at the manor each and every day.

“If we can avoid unjust criticism, we intend to reduce such business dealings, but for the next several months we shall have to continue to have those ingredients delivered. With that in mind, if possible it seems wise to try to use those ties to other nations to their fullest. If we can find a proper use for those ingredients here in Genos, there will be no issue whatsoever. And so, could we ask for you to lend us your skill, Sir Asuta?”

“Are you asking me to adapt dishes from the post town to use ingredients from the castle town?”

“Yes, that is precisely it! You know that we had the Daleim house’s head chef Yang sell cooking using milk fat and baked poitan in the post town in order to increase their distribution, correct? We wish to do something similar on an even larger scale, spreading knowledge of the taste of such heretofore unknown ingredients to the good people of the post town. Naturally, I intend to consult with the house of Saturas to have a variety of inns and restaurants working on the project, but I would also appreciate your assistance, Sir Asuta.”

With that, Naudis got a bit of a look in his eyes as he leaned forward.

“Apologies for interjecting, but are you saying we could see not just tau oil, but also Jagar sugar and honey in the post town?”

“That is correct. It could prove quite difficult finding buyers of minmi fruit at five coins each or gyama dried milk at a price of two white coins for a block, but flavorings such as Jagar honey and sugar, reten oil, and mamaria vinegar would surely be gladly welcomed by the people of the post town.”

Naudis then suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Asuta, if we can use Jagar sugar, I should be able to drastically raise the quality of the cooking in my shop, right?”

“That’s true. Back in my home country, we used plenty of sugar in dishes that were like meat and chatchi stew and cubed giba meat stew.”

Since there wasn’t any sugar in the post town, I had instead relied on fruit wine alone, since it had a high sugar content. But since those dishes were based on meat and potato stew and cubed pork stew, I really would be grateful to be able to use sugar.

“In that case, I believe I’ll be able to keep on selling your dishes as I have been, even with a bit of a rise in price. I get excited just thinking of how tasty that delicious cubed giba meat stew would be when adding in the sweetness of sugar on top!”

“Ah, you’re familiar with the taste of sugar, Naudis?”

“Of course. My mother took me to visit my father’s homeland many times when I was young. That is why I have long since been disgusted by the nobles of Genos buying up all the Jagar sugar and honey for themselves,” he replied, whispering the last bit.

Whether Polarth overheard that or not, he just kept on smiling.

“At present, poitan has just started to circulate in place of fuwano. Considering a single meal’s worth doesn’t even cost one full red coin, that should make quite a difference for shops that sell a hundred or two hundred meals, would you not say? And we would appreciate it greatly if those extra coins were in turn used to purchase a variety of ingredients.”

Naudis and Nail both silently stared at Polarth.

As for the noble in question, his eyes were positively sparkling like a child’s.

“And if the flavors of those various ingredients spread throughout the post town, perhaps the townsfolk will begin seeking sugar and herbs from Sym and the like as well. That would give us the option to expand our business dealings with other nations rather than reduce them. Personally, I see this as an opportunity to extend interest in gourmet dining beyond just the castle town, into the post town and Daleim and Turan lands as well.”

“Interest in gourmet dining, you say?”

“Indeed. To put it in slightly simpler words, spreading the joy of a delicious meal.”

That was precisely what I wanted to convey to the people of the forest’s edge.

As I suppressed my surprise, Polarth gave an amused smile.

“Genos is an exceedingly prosperous town. Even in the western territories, it is quite rare for there to be a town where everyone is able to eat meat. If we advanced that one step further and became a town where one could easily eat dishes from all around the world, perhaps a great many more travelers would begin visiting Genos. Jagar cuisine using tau oil and sugar, Sym cuisine employing plentiful herbs, Selva dishes using reten oil, mamaria vinegar, and a variety of vegetables... If such things could be eaten not only inside the castle town but also out in the post town, I believe Genos would become an even more prosperous town, the sort that could be boasted about to the entire world.”

“Did Duke Genos have such a grandiose outlook in mind when he called for us?”

“Hmm? No, what I said just now was nothing more than my own personal opinion,” Polarth replied, his plump cheeks shaking. “But Duke Genos has surely already thought that far into the future. In fact, I would say that is precisely the reason he selected me instead of Sir Melfried for this matter. And also, perhaps it was because he had such hidden intentions that he did not approve of the idea of the castle town monopolizing the giba meat...”

“I see...”

“Expanding our point of view further, perhaps if the price of giba cooking is raised, the people of the post town shall come to understand that delicious meals cost more coins. And then it would be possible that such townsfolk would consider purchasing karon torso meat, even though it costs notably more than leg meat.”

That certainly was quite an ambitious outlook.

But at any rate, we were facing two significant changes with the rise in giba meat prices and the purchasing of new ingredients.

As for the price, we ended up raising the cost of fresh giba meat to 1.5 times its current rate. That was what had been proposed by Polarth.

The idea of raising the price of a meal by the same amount just because the meat was becoming more expensive seemed odd to me, though. After all, if there was no change in the price of vegetables, then that would all just be added profit margin. Still, that price actually seemed appropriate for the dishes served at the stalls.

“In other words, your cooking was too cheap to begin with, Sir Asuta! After all, a dish would surely cost more if it were to use such a considerable amount of karon leg meat. In fact, I would personally say that three red coins is still too cheap,” Polarth stated.

At any rate, the giba burgers and myamuu giba that we had been selling for two red coins were raised by the agreed amount to the price of three red coins.

Meanwhile, Naudis and Nail needed to rack their brains a bit further. Even if the payment for my services and the cost of the baked poitan sold as part of the set remained the same, their giba meals would have to go up to around six red coins. Considering their karon dishes cost four red coins, it seemed like the number of customers ordering my cooking would see a dramatic drop off.

Therefore, they decided to shift things instead by offering half the amount of food for half the price. That would put karon at two red coins, kimyuus at one and a half, and giba at three. That way, people with the finances to afford it could buy two servings of giba cooking, and those without could buy one alongside a cheaper kimyuus meal. That was the stance they chose to adopt.

When I heard that, I decided to imitate their example. Since I was already entrusting the giba burger and myamuu giba stalls to the Ruu clan, I made up my mind to rent two new stalls and serve completely different dishes.

Now that I thought about it, in his attempts to spread knowledge of baked poitan and milk fat, Yang had sold miniature-sized dishes for one red coin each, since those would be more approachable for first-time customers, and the kimyuus meat manju that was my first purchase in the post town had cost two red coins for an adult size but only one for a child size. It seemed to be fairly mainstream here in the post town to offer miniature-sized snacks such as that.

The giba burgers and myamuu giba used 180 grams of giba meat, so they had plenty of volume. So this time around, my thinking was to reduce that volume to instead sell a dish as cheaply as possible.

After reopening the stalls for business, a month and a half quickly passed by...

And after all sorts of trial and error, both my stalls and the ones run by the Ruu clan were able to achieve superb results.

2

“Well then, I’m off. Let’s both give it our all again today.”

“Right. Make sure to keep your guard up, and make it back home safely.”

The nightmare I had in the morning had caused quite a stir, but regardless, in the end I was able to head out from the Fa house without incident on the nineteenth of the black month.

Ai Fa was remaining behind at the house, so after saying farewell to her I directed the wagon Gilulu was pulling south down the path through the forest’s edge. I was gripping the reins in the driver’s seat, and little Toor Deen was right there behind me. She had wanted to help me for quite some time, and she had finally managed to earn the approval of Gulaf Zaza, who held authority over her clan.

After a little while on the road, the young girl quietly called out, “Um...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal, but...”

“No need to hold back. You can go ahead and say anything that comes to mind.”

“Umm...the breeze feels very nice, doesn’t it?”

Since we were heading down a perfectly straight path right now, I turned around and replied with a smile, “That’s for sure. It seems like we’ll have a nice, pleasant day at work again.”

Toor Deen nervously smiled back. The girl was still just as shy as always, but she was starting to express herself more and more each day.

It had only been around a month since she had started helping out with the business, but with her unusually high level of cooking skills for such a young age, she was already an indispensable part of our workforce.

Originally, she had been born into the Suun branch houses. After the Suun clan’s crimes were exposed, she became a member of the Deen clan along with her father, and had been living earnestly to make up for her former sins. When she was bound by the twisted customs laid down by the former leading clan head, Zattsu Suun, the girl had been like a walking corpse, but she had regained so much vitality and emotion since then.

After twenty minutes or so of chatting with Toor Deen, we arrived at the Ruu settlement. By the time we made it there, the chefs of the Ruu clan already had their own wagon standing by. Since they had expanded the business they were doing in the post town, they had purchased that wagon and a new totos to pull it.

The new totos had been given the gallant name of Jidura. Apparently the word meant “red” in the language of the Eastern Kingdom of Sym, so the Ruu called it that because of its somewhat reddish plumage.

“Good morning, Asuta. Here’s to another fine day of work...” Vina Ruu called out, standing next to Jidura with a nonchalant, seductive smile. It seemed that their group today consisted of her, Reina Ruu, and Tsuvai.

Tsuvai was the only fixed member of the group, whereas Reina and Sheera Ruu alternated each day, and Vina Ruu was on a rotation with Lala and Rimee Ruu.

Reina Ruu and Sheera Ruu were the ones in charge when it came to their stalls, and they ended up alternating so that one could always stay behind at the settlement to handle preparations for the next day, making everything flow smoother. All this was possible because over this last month and a half all of the members in their group had learned how to prepare myamuu giba.

As for the other three sisters on rotation, that was because they all wanted to work in the post town, and it was also thanks to Rimee Ruu finally receiving permission from their parents. When the older Vina and Reina Ruu were both going to the post town each day, it had an impact on their work at the main Ruu house, which apparently led them to adopt this system.

Then when the sun hit its peak, one of them would leave the stalls along with me, while Ama Min or Morun Rutim would come to assist in their place. They had strengthened their lineup so that even though they were running two stalls now, they always had three people present.

As for the Fa clan stalls...

“Ah... I-I look forward to working with you again today...” Toor Deen said, now facing away from me.

Following her gaze, I found the other member of our group elegantly approaching.

“I feel much the same.”

It was the former eldest daughter of the main Suun house and current member of the Lea clan, Yamiru Lea.

When I decided to also bolster the lineup for my stalls, I ended up recruiting from the clans under the Ruu. Right away, the Lea clan head Rau Lea firmly insisted that I take Yamiru Lea.

“She’s awkward, lacks strength, and isn’t all that skilled when it comes to cooking. So please, show her how it’s done so that she can make delicious food like you!” the young Lea clan head had entreated.

Then there was Li Sudra who came to help when the sun hit its peak, rounding out our full group of four running the Fa clan’s stalls.

“Well then, let’s get going. Take care so that our luggage doesn’t fall over, okay?”

“Of course,” Yamiru Lea briefly replied before moving toward the wagon, and Toor Deen scurried out of her way in a fluster.

Still, she used to go pale just seeing Yamiru Lea, so that was progress. While she still got a bit nervous, Toor Deen was in the midst of trying to form a real bond with the older girl.

In the past at the Suun settlement, one was on top while the other was subservient. But now, Yamiru Lea and Toor Deen had been granted new clan names and were trying to live new and different lives. It really was a twist of fate that the pair would end up working together in the post town like this.

But at any rate, we had to be on our way. After getting back in place in the driver’s seat, I took the path south and called out to Yamiru Lea behind me. “When you walked over, you came from the direction of Shin Ruu’s house, didn’t you? Were you meeting with Mida?”

“Indeed.”

“He seems like he’s built up quite a bit of stamina, don’t you think? Ludo Ruu has been saying it may be all right to have him head out into the forest soon.”

“I see.”

She didn’t seem to be in an especially bad mood. This was just how Yamiru Lea always acted lately.

If push came to shove, she could still break out her same sharp tongue, but her usual expression had grown much more gentle, and she felt a lot less like she was tormenting herself. It was honestly hard to imagine now how she had once worn a chilly grin with eyes like a poisonous serpent.

“Still, it certainly is impressive that you’re able to prepare this much food each and every morning...” Yamiru Lea called out to me.

Lately I had taken to preparing the meals for The Sledgehammer and The Great Southern Tree in the morning, so they were already loaded into the wagon.

“It’s not such a big deal. I have the folks living nearby help with the simple preparations, then Toor Deen lends a hand with the trickier parts.”

“Hmm... But you’re paying coins to those women you get help from too, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but it’s a cheap price to pay. And the work only takes two or three hours or so.”

But for this past month and a half the wages for helping were upped to two red coins per hour plus extra based on ability, which was a significant increase. Considering the period back when I kept it at just six red coins for over seven hours, this was more than double. And I arrived at that number by taking into account the daily wages paid in the post town.

“Well, I suppose such expenses are nothing whatsoever to the Fa clan. From what I hear, the Ruu clan now has over twenty silver coins.”

“Ooh, they still have that much left after buying a wagon and two totos? It’s only been a month and a half since they actually went into business for themselves, so that sure is something.”

The Ruu clan had purchased the wagon and totos not just for the sake of business, but also for their clan members. Their wagon was a simple wholesale one without a top, but even so, that purchase had to add up to over three silver coins in total.

By the way, a single silver coin was equivalent to one thousand red coins or a hundred white ones. And so, it was the absolute highest denomination of currency used in the post town.

“I’m sure Tsuvai’s been carefully managing the finances. But still, those really are fantastic results.”

“There’s no need to keep on praising Tsuvai like that. Were the Ruu not able to earn such a fortune precisely because you allotted them so much work? If the Fa clan can manage to create everything needed for the inns without issue, then what need is there to share that with the Ruu?”

As we already planned out a while back, we were now alternating with the Ruu clan when it came to providing food for the inns.

At first the Ruu clan had offered giba soup while I’d had my meat and chatchi stew and giba sauté arrabbiata, but now Reina Ruu and the others could also make those dishes, so we were splitting things equally. On top of that, I was also now able to offer a brand new dish to The Kimyuus’s Tail, so Reina and Sheera Ruu were in the midst of practicing to make it.

“Still, the Ruu clan also purchased the wagon and the totos for the sake of their clan members, so I’d say it was a good allocation of funds. And it’s much healthier to do things like this than for the Fa clan to just stockpile a fortune, wouldn’t you say?”

“Just how much of a fortune has the Fa clan amassed...? I would be interested in hearing, if it is all right to ask.”

“I’ve got no reason to hide it. Hmm, adding together our current reserves, it should be around 37 silver coins.”

“My, so you don’t even have double what the Ruu clan possesses?”

“Right. That’s because we have to buy more meat from other clans than the Ruu do.”

Putting together what we used at the inns and stalls with the fresh meat we sold, we were currently using 130 kilograms of giba meat per day in the post town. Converting that into fairly sizable giba, you would be talking three of them worth of meat.

Around half of that came from the Fa clan, but there was no way that Ai Fa could hunt down the full amount all on her own. And what was more, the Fa clan entered its half-a-month-long break period starting in the middle of the ashen month.

To compensate, we had to purchase whatever extra we needed from other clans. And we had revised the rate to 120 red coins per giba, so it made for quite an expense.

But, well, thinking of it another way, it meant by buying so much meat, we Fa were sharing our wealth with other clans.

“At any rate, I’m really glad for the fact that we can sell so much meat and so many meals in the post town without facing a significant burden. It’s not a problem at all,” I replied honestly.

We had strengthened our personnel and optimized our business model. Thanks to that, regardless of how we increased our workload, we were able to keep on working while facing less of a burden than before. The majority of the reason for that was because I had started leaving a lot more to the Ruu clan, and the rest was that we had revised our work schedules.

Up until now, we had remained in the post town for five and a half hours, including preparations and clean up. But now, we had managed to shorten that to around three and a half hours.

Previously, we had a bit of a blank period between the morning rush and when the sun hit its peak, and even once that was past, we remained in the post town until the scheduled time arrived. We eliminated that excess time by restricting our operations to just before and after when the sun hit its peak.

However, our sales at the stalls had risen so greatly that that wasn’t a problem at all. Our meals cost one and a half times as much as they used to and our business hours had shortened, but we were getting over double the number of customers we used to.

I figured that was down to the fact that the nobles of Genos had acknowledged the taste of giba meat, as well as justice being served for all those criminals, meaning that fewer folks felt the need to avoid the people of the forest’s edge.

Furthermore, all sorts of unfamiliar ingredients were flowing into the post town one after another, which was making things a bit chaotic. Since I at least had some idea of how to use those ingredients, I had quite an advantage. Thanks to that, I was able to charge straight ahead without any worries about the rise in giba meat prices tripping us up.

This really was a critical moment for us, but in a good way. After all, our work had finally reached the stage where we were trying to truly establish giba cooking in Genos, so that it wouldn’t end up as a mere footnote in history.

◇

And with all that in play, we arrived at the post town.

We borrowed our stalls from The Kimyuus’s Tail, purchased vegetables from Dora’s place, and delivered the completed meals and fresh meat to the inns. And taking advantage of our numbers, we split those tasks up between us.

By the measurements of this world, it was currently the upper sixth hour. By my internal clock, it would be around 11 AM. And our new work schedule ran from then till the lower second hour, or 2:20 PM or so.

The reason I was able to be so precise in terms of time was because of the sundials we had Polarth purchase for us in the castle town. Currently, the Fa and Ruu houses were each equipped with one, as was my wagon.

After we settled down in our prescribed place for the stalls, we set up that sundial from the wagon in a sunny spot out in the thicket. To make sure we aligned it properly, we had gotten permission from the town guards and then marked it out on a tree’s roots. It was possible there could still be a fair bit of error in our measurements, but it was definitely a lot more accurate compared to trying to eyeball it based on the position of the sun in the sky.

When we got to our spot, there were already thirty or so customers waiting there. The first day we reopened, there were around a hundred customers gathered, making for quite a commotion. But when the ducal guards watching over us at the time explained that there was no worry of us running out of food even without them crowding around like they were, that somehow managed to bring things under control.

Even with that in mind, though, we still tended to get around this many customers gathering each morning. And the majority of them were southerners, who tended to be less patient than westerners or easterners.

“Thanks so much for waiting. We’ll get things ready soon, so hold on for just a little longer,” I called out to the customers as we prepared to open for business.

First off, that meant heating up the pan I ordered through Diel’s metalworking group over a flame. Then I placed a steamer basket made from tree bark on top of it. This new cookware was also something I had requested Polarth purchase for us from the castle town. The diameter was the same as the pan. It was made from a bark akin to tough bamboo, and the bottom had a coarse mesh texture to it. The boiling contents of the pan rose as steam and cooked the ingredients in the basket, so it was basically like what we called a bamboo steamer back in my old world.

After setting two layers of those steamer baskets, I waited for the food to cook. Contained within them were meat-filled manju. I decided to call them giba manju, since that’s what I had taken inspiration from when developing this dish.

I packed them with plenty of meat, around 120 grams or so, and also made full use of ingredients that had come flowing in from the castle town in the dish. While the base for the flavor was a familiar tau oil, the more subtle ingredients included not only fruit wine but also Jagar sugar and reten oil. As for the fillings, those included minced giba meat and aria, and also ramanpa nuts and a vegetable called chamcham.

Ramanpa nuts were an ingredient similar to peanuts, and Timalo had used them in his appetizer for the dinner party in the castle town. It really was meant to add an ever-so-slight accent to the flavor, so I only added a single pinch of the ground nuts for each dish.

Chamcham had an amusing name, and apparently it was purchased from some other town in Selva. It became lightly sweet when boiled, and had a unique crisp texture to it. I was using it as a replacement for bamboo shoots.

My giba manju were a size or so bigger than the ones I was familiar with, and though the outer layer was thin, they were stuffed with plenty of filling in exchange. They used around two-thirds the amount of meat as the giba burgers, but they certainly weren’t lacking in volume. And currently, we were selling a hundred of them each day at a price of two red coins each.

“Can you handle it? Take care not to let any drop on your legs, all right?”

Hearing that, I turned around and found Toor Deen and Yamiru Lea carrying an iron tray together.

That tray weighed twelve or thirteen kilos at most. But since Yamiru Lea was exceptionally weak for a woman of the forest’s edge, it was still heavy for her, which was why Toor Deen was lending a hand.

I thought to myself how it made for an adorable sight, only for Yamiru Lea to shoot me a glare as a light sweat appeared on her brow.

“What? You look like you have something to say, Asuta.”

“N-No, not at all. Actually, could you handle this flame, Yamiru Lea?”

After entrusting the steamer baskets to Yamiru Lea, I moved over to the other stall where they had set down the iron tray.

Compared to the manju, I was preparing a rather simple dish over here. After grilling giba rib meat dipped in sauce atop the tray, I then wrapped it up in baked poitan along with shredded cabbage-like tino. It was like a simplified myamuu giba recipe.

Each of these only used ninety grams of giba meat and half a poitan, and amounted to a diameter of twelve to thirteen centimeters. While the giba manju used ingredients and tools from the castle town, the aim of this dish was to come up with a simple and direct presentation of giba meat.

In exchange, though, I put some real effort into creating the sauce. It also had a tau oil base and used familiar ingredients such as fruit wine, aria, myamuu, and chitt seeds, but I put in a great deal of experimentation to come up with the ideal yakiniku sauce.

Since I didn’t know what else to call it, I was referring to the dish as a giba meat poitan wrap. And we sold 120 of them each day at a price of one and a half red coins.

One of them was enough to make a good snack for women and children, while adult men could buy two of them for the same price and volume of food as the giba burgers. And for folks from Jagar with hearty appetites, it wasn’t rare for them to order one each of the giba meat poitan wrap and giba manju.

As I was slicing up the tino for the giba meat poitan wraps, the customer from Jagar at the head of the line called out, “Hey, is it still not ready yet?” with a pained look in his eyes.

“My apologies, but they’ll be ready shortly... Ah, and for anyone after the special menu item, could I have your orders now?”

“Yeah! I’ll get it today for sure!”

When I turned to glance at Toor Deen, she gave a little nod and took off toward the wagon. Before long, she returned holding dozens of thin sticks, bundled together in a sort of wooden tube.

“Go ahead,” I prompted, holding them out toward the customers, at which point the five in the front immediately reached out at the same time. Apparently, all of them were after the special menu item.

At any rate, all five of them each pulled out a stick about twenty-centimeters long simultaneously. While most of them shrugged their shoulders and made comments like, “Damn, a miss,” or, “Ugh,” one of them joyfully proclaimed, “It’s a winner!” When I looked, I saw that sure enough, there was a red mark on the end of their stick.

“Congratulations,” Toor Deen replied with a bashful smile as she once more darted over toward the wagon. And this time around, she returned cradling a large wooden box. Sealed within was the third dish offered by our stalls: the special menu item, a giba cutlet sandwich.

It likely went without saying just what that implied. Unsurprisingly, it involved taking the giba cutlets that were so popular with the people of the forest’s edge and sandwiching them between baked poitan. Since it would be tricky to prepare fried food at the stalls for a variety of reasons, I got these ready first thing in the morning at the house instead.

However, the dish turned out to be quite popular here in the post town too. In fact, it was too popular. It was so much of a hit at the test stage that I was concerned my other dishes would stop selling if I just sold it normally.

On top of that, the giba cutlets took a bit longer to prepare than other dishes, and the cost of the ingredients also couldn’t be underestimated. Plus there was the concern that it would create a crazy line early in the morning again if I couldn’t prepare enough, so I ended up choosing the rather unusual sales method of holding drawings for a limited amount of dishes.

Ultimately, I prepared thirty of them for each day. The price was the same three red coins as a giba burger. I had those wishing to make a purchase draw lots, and when they got a dud they purchased a different dish then and there. And since there were an equal number of duds as the total number of dishes on offer between the four stalls, the odds remained the same regardless of when a customer stopped by.

I was pretty nervous as to whether or not this method would work out when I first tried it, but from what I could see, the customers generally seemed to enjoy it.

“Damn! I’ve gotten duds three days in a row now... Well, the other dishes are tasty too, so it’s fine,” one of the first customers to draw grumbled with a conflicted expression on his face. “Still, when you can’t eat something when you want it, it makes you want it all the more. You sure did come up with one heck of a crafty way to do business.”

“Ah ha ha, sorry about that.”

“I’ll get a winner tomorrow for sure! Anyway, hurry up and give me one of those!”

“Right, please hold on for just a little longer.”

It was about the point where the giba manju would be heated through, I figured. And so I set down my vegetable cutting knife and lit the brazier under the iron tray.

“Asuta, we’re ready for business over here,” Reina Ruu called out from the myamuu giba stall.

Giving a nod, I lifted the leather bag full of meat up onto the counter.

“Sorry for the long wait. But we’re now open for business too.”

With that, our day’s work got off to a perfectly tranquil start.

3

“Hey there. Looks like business is booming again today.”

Roy stopped by just before the sun was about to hit its peak.

Having rotated over to the giba manju stall, I smiled and greeted him. “Welcome.” By this point, the young chef from the castle town had clearly become one of our regulars.

Apparently, after losing his job at the Turan manor, he had started doing independent study to improve his cooking skills rather than returning to his old restaurant. Since he had been so well compensated working for Cyclaeus, he could afford not to work for a year or so.

Roy wore a hooded cloak like a traveler in order to avoid attracting attention from the rougher elements about the post town, and from somewhere on the inside he pulled out some red coins.

“I’ll take one. This dish costs two red coins, right?”

“Yes. Thanks for your continued business. It’s hot, so take care not to burn yourself while eating it.”

“I know already. I mean, I’ve already eaten it countless times by this point,” Roy grumbled with an angry look on his freckled face as he accepted the giba manju.

Though they were on the small side compared to the giba burgers, they still had plenty of volume to them as far as meat-filled manju went. And the way that the white steam wafted off of them really stirred up the appetite.

For these manju, I actually used fuwano rather than poitan for the outer layer. Since you couldn’t solidify the poitan by just adding water, you also couldn’t make raw dough with it. And when you added the yam-like gigo to fuwano it gained a puffy texture, which made it well suited for this dish.

As he bit into his giba manju, Roy murmured, “Right.” It seemed he had no complaints with how it had turned out, since it had the same taste as always. And since there was no break in customers in the meantime, I was handing over one dish after another all the while.

Before long, the upper steamer basket was emptied out, so I set another one Toor Deen had already prepared on the bottom and headed to the wagon with the old one to restock it. And as I did so, Roy followed along behind me as he chewed away at the giba manju.

“Hey, you really are thriving here.”

“Yes, and I’m grateful for that.”

“Well, I guess it’d be strange if you couldn’t sell something with a taste like this for two red coins. I certainly can’t imagine the paupers of the post town having any complaints.”

“Um, we’re right in the middle of the post town, so I really think you should avoid making comments like that.”

“That’s why I waited to say it until you were the only one who could hear.”

Roy was as mouthy as always.

But, well, as long as he wasn’t heaping abuse on anyone I was close to, I figured it was best to just let it slide. Still, I couldn’t help but find it more than a little frustrating, as I really was kinda fond of this foul-mouthed young chef.

“Hey, roughly how many meals have your stalls been selling?” Roy asked as I refilled the steamer basket with giba manju.

“Let’s see, we sell one hundred of those giba manju you’re eating each day, 120 of the giba meat poitan wraps from the other stall, and thirty of the special menu item, the giba cutlet sandwiches. Oh, and as for the Ruu clan’s stalls, they’ve been selling eighty each of the giba burgers and myamuu giba.”

That was the number we could sell without extras in just over three hours on a single day. Our sales really had undergone a rapid expansion, when one considered that not long ago we were preparing 150 meals and having leftovers after five hours.

Actually, the sales couldn’t even be properly compared since the price itself had risen, but the Ruu alone were moving a bit more than we used to, and then the new dishes on offer at the Fa clan stalls added even more to that.

What was most exciting to me, though, was that we were now getting more customers from the west. Up until now they made up around twenty percent of our clientele, but now that number had risen to about forty percent. And when you added on the increased number of people stopping by to check things out, I’d say we now had five times as many people coming by our stalls. That above all else was proof of how discrimination against the people of the forest’s edge and giba meat was lessening.

“Still, all of your prices are just two or three red coins. You can’t be turning much of a profit like that, can you?”

“That’s not true at all. We’ve been earning more than enough for our efforts. And also...at least for now, the people of the forest’s edge don’t pay any taxes.”

“Huh? Why’s that? You’re technically all citizens of Genos, aren’t you?”

“Yes. But up until now, the only work they did was as hunters, so there were no earnings to tax. That’s why in exchange for being banned from cultivating fields or gathering the fruits of the forest, they were granted an exemption from taxes. In fact, from what I’ve been told, the people of the forest’s edge don’t even know what taxes are to begin with.”

“Hmph! That’s why everyone calls the people of the forest’s edge...” Roy started to say, only to suddenly hold his tongue. He was probably intending to say something like “barbarians.” But now he was awkwardly silent as he turned away.

Still, if he could feel awkward about something like that, then I was sure he could eventually revise how he regarded the folks from the post town too. And that was why I couldn’t bring myself to truly hate the guy, even as rude as he was.

“Well, not like I care either way... Now that I think about it, I heard the head chef from the house of Daleim was running a shop in the post town. How is that going?”

“Oh, Yang’s place? From what I’ve been told, recently he expanded beyond just the stall and has made an inn’s dining hall the center of his business, where he’s been revealing all sorts of dishes. After all, his main goal now is to help popularize all those ingredients flowing in from the castle town.”

“Hmph... I hear the head chef has a fairly noteworthy reputation too. He sure got mixed up in quite the enjoyable little commotion.”

“He’s said he finds it to be a really satisfying, worthwhile job. And, well, the inn’s owner is seemingly even more passionate,” I said with a chuckle as I picked up the steamer basket and returned to the stall.

When I got there, I found a customer I was well acquainted with. Someone who left Roy taken aback.

The older man had a thin yet firm build, and a stern face that looked like it was carved out of an oak. It was Mikel of Turan, the former chef from the castle town who presently worked as a charcoal seller.

“Welcome. Thanks for your continued business,” I called out.

In the meantime, I stole a glance out of the corner of my eye at Roy and found him frozen in place with a look of astonishment. From what I knew, the two of them had likely worked in the kitchen of the same restaurant in the past.

“Ah, there you finally are. I’ve got some business with you today...” Mikel said, somehow looking even more cranky than usual.

Then, a little head of dark brown hair peeked out from behind him. As I was wondering just who that could be, she nervously stepped from behind Mikel’s back.

“P-Pleased to meet you! My name is Myme, and I’m Mikel’s daughter.”

“Huh? Y-You’re Mikel’s daughter?” I reacted without thinking.

While I had heard Mikel had a family, I never imagined he would have such a young daughter.

No matter how I figured it, Mikel had to be around fifty, while this girl looked to be about Toor Deen’s age, ten or so at most. And she was a seriously adorable young girl at that, with her long dark-brown hair dangling down in front of her chest in braids.

Her skin color was typical of a westerner, and her light brown eyes shone brightly. She was wearing the sort of dress I often saw around the post town with an embroidered vest on top, and she held a large woven basket by the handles.

“I’m honored to meet you, Asuta of the Fa clan! Umm... I look forward to this experience, and hope you will forgive my lack of skill.”

“Huh? Umm... Yeah, nice to meet you.”

I didn’t know what experience she was referring to, but at any rate I bowed back to her, only for Myme to shoot me a flustered yet joyful smile. Her grin was as charming and earnest as that of Rimee Ruu or Tara.

“I’ve wanted to meet with you ever since dad let me sample your cooking! And today, that wish has finally been granted!”

“Glad to hear it,” I replied as I looked and saw her father wearing a stern, sour expression.

Ever since we reopened for business in the ashen month, Mikel had been purchasing two meals and apparently bringing them back to the Turan lands. I didn’t mind that at all, but still, why were the two of them standing there with such completely opposite looks on their faces?

“Umm, hold on for just a bit, all right?” I said as I set down the steamer basket in the stall and nodded to a worried-looking Toor Deen before once again facing Mikel. “So, what exactly is your business with me?”

“I’m not the one with business. It’s this idiot daughter of mine.”

“That’s mean. You shouldn’t go calling your own daughter an idiot in front of people like that,” Myme somewhat firmly chided, showing her stronger side. Then, she turned back toward me and held out her large basket. “Umm, the truth of the matter is, I’m in the midst of trying out all sorts of dishes after being inspired by your cooking... If you don’t mind, could you see if you like this one?”

“You want me to try your cooking? But why me?”

“Your unusual cooking left a deep, deep impression on me! And that had a big impact on how I flavored this dish, so I would like to have you give it a taste.”

I felt like I could understand her reasoning, but also not really.

Still, she was the daughter of Mikel, who had once been a prominent chef in the castle town. I was honestly quite curious.

“Umm... There are customers watching, so why don’t we move a bit over that way?”

After letting Toor Deen know the plan, I once again headed over to the wagon, accompanied by Mikel, Myme, and Roy. Mikel still didn’t seem to recognize Roy, and as for the young chef, he seemed to be thinking something but ultimately didn’t speak up.

“P-Please, go right ahead! It should be cool enough to not burn you! And I put a wooden spoon inside too!”

“Right, thanks.”

Inside the basket Myme handed me was a lidded clay container and a wooden spoon.

When I touched it, I found that the container was still piping hot. I placed it atop the wagon, removed the hefty lid, and took in the impressively sweet aroma that came flowing forth.

I see. So it’s a stewed kimyuus leg dish, huh?

Kimyuus was a type of bird with meat that had very similar qualities to chicken.

And that kimyuus leg had been heated with the bone still inside as part of a red soup. The sweet smell must have meant that it used a fruit wine base. Actually, I couldn’t even spy any further ingredients. You could just call the whole dish a kimyuus fruit wine stew.

Perhaps because the clay container was so thick, the contents were still plenty hot even after being transported all the way from the Turan lands. The soup had a good bit of thickness to it, and the leg meat half soaking in it sure did make it look tasty.

“Dad said you utilized the sweetness from fruit wine in your cooking, so I tried out all sorts of things too. Please, dig in,” Myme stated, her cheeks flushed with both tension and excitement. Though she was polite, she was also passionate and resolute. She really did strike a contrast with Toor Deen despite the two seeming close in age.

Secretly feeling excited, I grabbed hold of the spoon and faced the dish head on. But then, I suddenly had a concern: Just how exactly would I eat meat still on the bone with only a single spoon?

“Ah, I boiled the meat until it got nice and soft, so eating it with a spoon should be no issue.”

“I see. Thanks.”

When I used my spoon on the meat, sure enough it peeled right off.

The inside of the meat was ivory white, while the bone was a glossy white. While it had a simple appearance, the aroma really got me looking forward to tasting it.

As such thoughts ran through my head, I brought the spoonful of meat steeped in fruit wine soup to my mouth...and was left dumbfounded. A far more delicious flavor than I had ever expected exploded forth in my mouth.

The mellow sweetness I was tasting certainly did belong to fruit wine. However, that wasn’t all. There were definitely a variety of grated vegetables added in there too. Aria, tarapa, and nenon...and I got the feeling there might have been just a hint of chatchi and pula too. Combined with the amount of salt used, it was all in fantastic harmony.

And that astoundingly exquisite soup had soaked thoroughly into the kimyuus meat. Plus, the stock from the kimyuus had infused properly back into the soup too. Boiling not only the meat but also the bone surely had an impact there.

Kimyuus meat without the skin had a simple taste like chicken tenders. Since it cost even less than karon leg meat, it was the cheapest meat on offer in Genos. And yet this kimyuus meat was unbelievably tasty. It was so tender that you didn’t even need to chew, and it seemed to pleasantly melt together with the soup as it passed down your throat.

There weren’t any special ingredients or anything in the dish. It didn’t even employ the pico leaves or myamuu I made frequent use of. It was made using meat, salt, and vegetables that could all be easily obtained in the post town, as well as cheap fruit wine. Nonetheless, it was incredibly delicious.

As I trembled inside, I went for a second bite.

And as I carefully tasted it, I grew confident: this was the most delicious dish I had ever tasted here in Genos.

This dish was far more tasty than the ones made by Nail, Naudis, Milano Mas...or even Yang, Roy, and Timalo.

Of course, that was ultimately just by my own personal standards. Up until now, only a very limited number of ingredients were available in the post town and their culinary techniques were underdeveloped, while the trends of the castle town seemed to be toward more tricky sorts of flavorings. And so, it would be no surprise to hear my preferences weren’t applicable there.

Still, Myme’s cooking was just so undeniably delicious that it easily overcame any such quibbles. Though the dish used just the limited ingredients of the post town, and was created under the guidance of her father who used to be a chef in the castle town, it was a flavor that even someone born in another world like myself could find no faults with.

I had also given instructions on how to prepare kimyuus meat at The Kimyuus’s Tail, and from what I was told my creations had earned a good reputation. However, this dish was even more delicious. I had no doubt that it was on a whole other level compared to the kimyuus meatballs and kimyuus meat omelettes I had come up with.

“This... This is incredibly tasty,” I finally stated, causing Myme to break out in a look of excitement. As I stealthily wiped away a cold sweat, I turned to face Mikel. “It really is something, creating such a delicious flavor without using anything like sugar or tau oil... I guess I should have expected as much from your daughter, Mikel.”

“I had nothing to do with it. You’re the one who came up with the idea to use fruit wine in cooking, aren’t you?”

“Even so, I don’t have the skill to make something with a taste like this.”

“What are you saying?! Your cooking is definitely tastier than mine, many times over!” Myme objected, but I shook my head.

“No. Or if it is, it’s only because I use giba meat. I still haven’t succeeded at making a kimyuus dish this delicious.”

“Huh? There’s no way that’s true!” Myme protested, adorably puffing up her cheeks.

It was then that Roy finally interjected.

“Mikel, could I try that dish too?”

“Hmm...? And you are...?”

“My name is Roy. We worked together at The Maiden in White. Back then I was just a kid in training, though, so I’m sure you don’t remember me.”

For some reason, Roy had an intense look in his eyes.

And whether he remembered the young chef or not, Mikel’s brow furrowed in displeasure.

“At any rate, you’re asking the wrong person. This has nothing to do with me.”

With the same intense gaze, Roy now glared at Myme.

In response, the girl’s eyes opened wide in a puzzled stare.

“Are you Asuta’s friend?”

“I’m a customer at his stalls. And I used to work at a restaurant in the castle town.”

“Ah, so you worked in the same place as Dad? I would be greatly honored to have such a person eat my cooking,” Myme answered with a carefree grin.

Silently, Roy accepted the wooden spoon from me. Then, as he took a bite of Myme’s dish, he firmly shut his eyes and went silent for a bit before turning toward Mikel.

“Mikel, did your daughter really prepare this?”

“I’ve already said that plenty of times now, haven’t I?”

“I see. Still, this is the taste of your cooking...” Roy murmured, placing down the spoon and backing off without even turning around.

And in his place, a slender figure approached.

“Sorry for the wait, Asuta. It’s time for me to rotate in now.”

“Ah, thanks for coming, Li Sudra.”

At some point, the sun had crept close to its peak.

After giving a slight bow to Mikel and Myme, Li Sudra walked over to the stalls. That meant Morun Rutim must have arrived too. And then, Reina Ruu also came over from the Ruu stalls.

“Asuta, is something the matter?”

“Ah, Reina Ruu, you should also try this...” I started to say, but then I held my tongue. The people of the forest’s edge weren’t supposed to eat from the same plate unless the other person was family. So unfortunately, I would be the only one able to finish off the rest of this dish. “Sorry, could you hold on just a bit longer?”

As Reina Ruu and Myme watched, I went ahead and wolfed down the rest. And as I did so, that delicious flavor was engraved deeper and deeper onto my tongue.

Just why was this dish so tasty? It was just like magic.

I felt like I was being hit by the same sort of shock I had given to the people of the forest’s edge and the citizens of Genos up till now.

“It really is too delicious to put into words. You’re amazing, Myme.”

“I’m incredibly honored to hear you say so, Asuta. It certainly was worth working up the courage to come here to the post town to meet you.”

Myme really did look overjoyed.

And then, her gaze shifted back and forth between me and Reina Ruu.

“Umm... Are you perhaps going to go prepare food for the inns?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“In that case... Umm, would it be all right for me to accompany you?”

“Huh? But why?”

“I want to see you cook, Asuta. I... I admire you...” Myme answered, her face adorably turning as red as a tarapa.

If anyone else told me that I would be honored, but right now I had somewhat complex feelings on the matter.

“I’m really not anything that special. You’re way more skilled, aren’t you?”

“What are you saying?! I’m nothing but a novice trying to follow in your and Dad’s footsteps!”

“Hmm, I’m honored to hear you say so, but still...I can’t go inviting someone into an inn’s kitchen all on my own. After all, that would be imposing on the owner.”

“I see...” Myme replied, hanging her head. But in the next instant, she was once again shooting me a resolute look. “In that case, could I watch you prepare food in your home?”

“What’re you even saying? They live in the settlement at the forest’s edge, you know,” Mikel chided with a frown, but the look in Myme’s eyes didn’t shift.

There was the same passionate shine there that I had seen from Reina and Sheera Ruu. The pure blaze of someone who just wanted to improve themselves as much as possible when it came to cooking.

“Is that not possible either? I promise I won’t get in your way! I just want to know what sorts of techniques you use to create flavors like that!”

“Myme, here in Genos the law states you’re not to set foot in the settlement at the forest’s edge without reason. Are you placing your cooking higher than the laws of Genos?”

“Ah, I’ve been told that comes from the fact that the forest’s edge is a dangerous place... But as long as you don’t have ill intent, coming there shouldn’t be a crime in and of itself,” I interjected. “My house has also welcomed a guest from the east before too. So as long as the head of my clan and the leading clan heads give their approval, it should be possible to invite you two to the forest’s edge as well.”

“You mean...” Myme uttered, her eyes sparkling.

And staring straight back at her, I replied, “If that’s what you want, then I’ll talk to them about it. But in exchange, could you hear out a request of my own?”

“You’re asking me? But what could I ever do for you?” Myme asked, her eyes going wide with bewilderment.

“The same exact thing. I’d like to see you cook too, Myme,” I answered with a smile.

4

After that, Reina Ruu and I hurried on over to The Kimyuus’s Tail. As we walked along, the second Ruu daughter was in quite a huff.

“I can’t believe that at all.”

“But it’s the truth. That girl seemed to have more polished cooking skills than I do.”

“There’s just no way such a young girl is as good as you say. You must be terribly confused somehow, Asuta.”

“I don’t see how, since I’m just offering my earnest impressions after actually eating the dish she prepared.”

“I just don’t see how that could possibly be true...” Reina Ruu retorted, cutely turning away.

Still, I had no intention of retracting my statement. After all, I saw it as a hard, unshakable fact.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I was totally convinced that my skills fell short of Myme’s. But if we were to do a taste test to compare under the same conditions at present, there was a very solid chance she would defeat me. Even if nobody else would acknowledge it, that was something I had sensed personally with my own tongue.

Now that I thought back on it, I never felt like I had lost to Roy, Yang, or Timalo. Since we were born and raised in completely different environments, the tastes we sought were just too divergent. No matter how skilled they might be as chefs, or how impressive and surprising their skills and ideas were, I wasn’t able to truly find their cooking delicious from the depths of my heart.

But for some reason, my cooking was able to bring joy to the people of the forest’s edge, the folks from the post town, and the nobles of the castle town. While I occasionally faced some harsh words, at the root of things they acknowledged my food as delicious.

And so, I was sure that Myme’s cooking could move everyone too. At the very least, that was the case for me. That was exactly why I couldn’t just disregard her.

“Well, if Donda Ruu and Ai Fa and everyone agree to it, I should be able to invite her to the forest’s edge. Then that should clear everything up, right?”

“I suppose. Since you’re saying all that, I certainly feel a need to try her cooking too.”

It was around that point in the conversation that we arrived at The Kimyuus’s Tail. This was the one inn we still visited in the afternoon to prepare the food in person.

“Sorry that we’re a little late,” I called out as we passed through the door and were greeted by Milano Mas’s frowning face.

“You’re not late. And even if you were, that just means you would be leaving later anyway.”

“I suppose that’s true. Well then, we’ll be getting to work.”

When we entered the kitchen, the ingredients we had delivered were laid out atop the work station.

Seemingly having gotten herself back on track, Reina Ruu broke out in a smile.

“I’m looking forward to working with you again today. If we can receive your instruction a few more times, I’m sure Sheera Ruu and I will be able to handle the cooking for this place too.”

“Yup, let’s give it our all.”

After reopening the stalls for business a month and a half ago, I had also been preparing two dishes for The Kimyuus’s Tail. The one I was making today was sweet and sour giba.

Just as the name implied, the dish was modeled after sweet and sour pork, and it made full use of the mamaria vinegar and sugar that had been flowing in from the castle town.

Firstly, I beat the giba thigh meat with a wooden pole, then after severing the tendons, I cut it into cube-shaped chunks two centimeters on a side. Once that was done, I coated them in a bit of tau oil and fruit wine, then seasoned them.

In the meantime, I used reten oil to fry up aria, nenon, pula, and the chamcham I used in place of bamboo shoots in the giba manju.

After all that, I then coated the thigh meat in a thin layer of fuwano flour and fried it. This would all be reheated later, so my goal was to condense the delicious flavors and improve the texture. In order to prevent an excess of oil in the dish, I tried to keep the frying time to a minimum. Once that was done, I set about making the sauce to go with it.

I brought tau oil and sugar to a simmer in a pot, added in mamaria vinegar and chatchi starch with water, carefully stirred so lumps wouldn’t form, and then once it thickened a bit I threw in the main ingredients and heated them through. Since it would be reheated before being served to the customers anyway, I stopped it before it boiled too far down, completing my work.

“Milano Mas, what’s the reception of the sweet and sour giba been like?” I called out to the inn owner standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

“So-so,” he bluntly answered. “The other dish still sells out quicker, but there hasn’t been any need for us to deal with leftovers or anything. The sales have really improved in the past month and some change, so I suppose there’s no real issue.”

“I see. That sounds like good news, then.”

By the way, the other dish I alternated this one with each day was a tino roll modeled after cabbage rolls, and that had supposedly been a big hit right from the start.

On the other hand, sales of the sweet and sour giba had only just reached the levels I anticipated. When it came to introducing new ingredients to the post town, mamaria vinegar ended up being the first barrier in my way.

Now that I thought about it, the people of the post town were only familiar with sourness through the lemon-like sheel, strawberry-like arow, and prune-like dried kiki. And so apparently, vinegar was a bit too novel for them. Yang had also thought of serving pickled vegetables and karon drizzled in vinegar as dishes on offer at the inn he was working with, but from what I was told, none of them were really selling.

However, Polarth had a strong desire for the usage of mamaria vinegar to spread throughout the post town. Poitan was steadily replacing fuwano in the local diet, and apparently that was quickly ramping up the pressure on the finances of the house of Turan.

“Though that was initially the goal, Cyclaeus has now been officially judged. That is why I would like to see as much mamaria vinegar selling as possible for the sake of Sir Torst, who is devoting himself to rebuilding the house of Turan,” he had said.

That mamaria vinegar was produced along with fruit wine on the Turan lands. From Polarth’s point of view, it was like he had stabbed the house of Turan in the back and caused unintentionally deep wounds, so perhaps that was why he was left in a fluster, worrying about the state of affairs.

“If anything, I’d have to say that sauce you made to go with the kimyuus meat omelettes has become pretty popular. What was it called again? Ketchup?” Milano Mas asked.

“Yes. But the base for that is tarapa first and foremost, with the mamaria vinegar just providing a bit of subtle flavoring. I’d say that mayonnaise uses more of the stuff.”

“I see. Well, at any rate, there’s no need for you to worry about how things play out for the nobles. It’d be good for them to suffer a bit of poverty too for a change,” Milano Mas stated, but he didn’t look all that serious.

Now that the criminals had all been judged, it seemed his anger toward the house of Turan had vanished. I had no reason to doubt that, especially since the man’s distrust toward the people of the forest’s edge had also gone away when Zattsu Suun’s crimes had been brought to light.

“I’m sorry that it seems like The Kimyuus’s Tail drew the short end of the stick. How about you stop selling the sweet and sour giba and I come up with something new?”

“It’s not like we’re getting stuck with leftovers or anything, so it’s no issue. Or do you intend to give up on spreading this new flavor after just a month and a bit? You’re surprisingly impatient, aren’t you?”

“No, I just don’t want to place a burden on The Kimyuus’s Tail, so—”

“I’m telling you, it’s no burden at all. You sure do love to go on and on, don’t you?” Milano Mas grumbled with a frown.

I couldn’t help but worry I had been taken in by his gruff demeanor and unintentionally allowed myself to rely on Milano Mas’s kindness.

“At any rate, I’ve clearly been getting more customers thanks to you. I’ve even been seeing customers come for the food when they aren’t staying here, which never used to happen.”

“I really am glad to hear that, but still...”

Beyond just giba dishes, The Kimyuus’s Tail also sold other food I thought up, which included karon strips cooked in fruit wine, karon milk soup, kimyuus meatballs, and kimyuus meat omelettes, which had apparently made dinnertime there quite busy.

On top of that, the variety of sauces added over the meats and vegetables such as Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mayonnaise had also been favorably received. So if that meant I had been able to pay back even a fraction of what I owed Milano Mas, then I was glad.

“If you come up with something new and fantastic then I certainly wouldn’t mind. But if you don’t, there’s no need to force the menu to change. Not when that girl there’s just about mastered this dish, right?”

Reina Ruu nodded with a polite smile.

Taking the towel off my head, I bowed to Milano Mas. “Thank you. I’ll keep giving my all so that your kindness doesn’t go to waste.”

“I keep telling you, you don’t need to bow all the time like that.”

After saying farewell to Milano Mas, who remained grouchy right to the very end, we departed from The Kimyuus’s Tail.

“You’ve been getting better, Reina Ruu, so it looks like we’ve got a bit of extra time on our hands. How about we stop by The Westerly Wind for a bit?”

“Well, I certainly don’t mind, but still...” Reina Ruu replied, staring at me with adorable upturned eyes. “Somehow, I feel like I can tell what you’re thinking even more than usual today. Should I try guessing your thoughts right now?”

“Huh? That’s a scary thing to say. It’s not like I’m thinking anything weird, you know.”

“Is that so? Then feel free to just brush it off as a practical joke on my end... Aren’t you wondering just what sort of dish that Myme girl would make using mamaria vinegar?”

I ended up staring at Reina Ruu in shock.

And in response, she shot me a glare like a sulking child.

“You’ve been able to use vinegar without any trouble because you were familiar with the ingredient to start with, right, Asuta? So I certainly can’t imagine that girl making a dish that would surpass what you’ve created so easily.”

“Yeah, that may be true...”

I hadn’t intended to go so far as to bring up Myme in hypotheticals like that.

At any rate, Reina Ruu’s mood just didn’t seem to recover as we headed over to The Westerly Wind.

The inn was located along a backstreet that didn’t see much traffic. It was a bit of a dangerous area, the sort of place where you shouldn’t ever set foot alone after dark. In terms of scale, The Westerly Wind was bigger than The Sledgehammer but smaller than The Kimyuus’s Tail.

“Hey there, Asuta! It sure is rare for you to stop by at this time of day,” Yumi called out from behind the inn’s reception desk.

The place was built so you entered the dining hall right after you stepped through the door, with that desk in the back. And currently, there were five ruffians drinking there in the middle of the day.

“Yeah. I figured we haven’t had time to chat lately. So, how are the giba dishes selling?”

“It’s going perfectly! I figure we’re at the point where we can buy enough meat for another ten meals’ worth and still sell out.”

I had been able to enter into business with The Westerly Wind too. However, I wasn’t offering them my cooking. Instead, all I did was sell them raw meat.

In the past, Yumi had told me her father had a strong prejudice against the people of the forest’s edge, so it was possible he would have asked me to prepare karon or kimyuus dishes rather than giba ones.

And so, I chose a roundabout approach. Which is to say, I only taught him how to make delicious giba dishes, setting things up so that he would want to order giba meat.

If I sold him my dishes directly, then they would end up costing more than other meals. And it was right after Polarth advised us to revise our prices, so that difference would become even more striking. It was then that I raised the proposal that they could earn more of a profit by purchasing the giba meat directly and then cooking it themselves.

As for the meals I instructed The Westerly Wind on, they were okonomiyaki and karon milk soup. Those dishes could be made without needing too much meat, so it was possible to keep the prices at the same level as meals made with karon. Plus, the process of cooking them was quite simple.

When I was finally able to actually show off those dishes at The Westerly Wind, that was when I somehow managed to form a contract to sell them fresh meat.

At first it had been kept to five kilos of meat a day, but now it had increased to fifteen. In terms of pure numbers, that was around double the amount of fresh meat ordered by The Great Southern Tree, which was our largest business partner. Of course, that was because they sold my giba cooking directly, so they had less of a need for fresh meat.

“Once tau oil started spreading throughout the post town, you taught us how to make Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise, right, Asuta? That seems to have really improved the sales of the okonomiyaki.”

“Yeah, back where I came from, you added those on top of okonomiyaki too. I figured that would be more popular than sprinkling salt on top or dipping them in soup.”

“You sure were right on the mark. My dad’s always making a weird face nowadays, like he’s happy and frustrated at the same time,” Yumi replied with an exceptionally joyful grin. Naturally, I was quite satisfied with the results myself.

Our long-held goal had been to sell giba meat itself rather than just my cooking. Nail and Naudis had been purchasing some, but that was ultimately to supplement whatever extra they needed in addition to my cooking. The Westerly Wind ended up being the first inn to solely purchase giba meat from us.

“But no matter how much meat is getting sold, none of the profit goes to you, does it? That part sort of frustrates me.”

“There’s no need for that. The more fresh meat starts selling, the more the wealth spreads around to clans other than just my own. So I really am grateful to you for persuading your father to do business with us, Yumi.”

“Stop saying embarrassing stuff like that, jeez!” Yumi chuckled, slapping me on the back. It was lighter than a slap from a girl from the forest’s edge like Lala Ruu, but it still certainly did sting.

“No, I really mean it. When I first started doing business, I never even imagined this much giba meat would be selling all over the post town after just four months or so.”

Including what was used in the completed dishes, we were currently selling 130 kilos of giba meat in the post town each day. Or in terms of people, we were probably talking around six or seven hundred folks eating giba every day.

In terms of the overall population of Genos, that might still have been pretty small. But still, it was hard to wrap my head around how not a single one of those people would even touch giba meat until four months ago.

And nobody could have predicted we would be advised to adjust the price since it was selling so well. As I stood there between Yumi and Reina Ruu’s smiling faces, I was filled with a secret joy and a sense of satisfaction.

5

After finishing up our work in the post town, we returned to the Ruu settlement first.

The time was halfway through the lower second hour, or around 3 p.m. by my reckoning. My daily routine had me remaining here for two hours, preparing the food for tomorrow and also giving cooking lessons.

“Hey there. Good work again today, everybody,” a large figure chopping firewood greeted as we pulled the wagon around to the back of the main house.

It was the hunter from Masara, survivor of the Red Beards bandit group, Bartha. She had been released from the castle and was currently staying here in the Ruu settlement along with her son Jeeda.

“The fact that I was a survivor of the Red Beards got out, after all. So it’d be a little tough to just head back home to Masara,” Bartha had said after reuniting with Jeeda.

However, though the nobles held a grudge against her old bandit group, the common folk had idolized them. When I went ahead and pointed that out, she retorted, “That’s what’d make it so hard to go back.”

And so, Bartha petitioned Donda Ruu to stay in the settlement at the forest’s edge for a while. She didn’t go so far as to ask to be made a person of the forest’s edge, though. But at the very least, she wanted to remain until her son Jeeda learned a bit more about what it really meant to have the spirit of a hunter.

“Leading clan head Donda Ruu, I feel like Jeeda could learn how to live properly as a hunter under you. Since I can’t say I’m a better hunter than him anymore, I don’t think I can keep leading him well like I used to.”

With some extra backing from Mia Lea Ruu behind it, Donda Ruu ultimately ended up accepting her request.

And that was how Bartha and Jeeda ended up living in the Ruu settlement’s vacant house.

“I see you’re working hard too, Bartha. Chopping firewood again today?”

“Yeah, since it feels like what I’m most suited to,” Bartha replied.

Her appearance really had undergone quite a change. Currently, she was wearing her long dark-brown hair down instead of pulled up tightly into a bun, and in place of her previous leather armor and masculine attire, she had on a cloth dress.

On her wrist she wore a bracelet to ward away insects, and there were leather sandals on her feet. Aside from the lack of a necklace of blessings, she was dressed just like a woman of the forest’s edge.

“It’s easier dressing like this for work around the house,” Bartha had stated, but when I first saw her in that outfit it gave me quite a shock. Not because it didn’t suit her, though. If anything, it was the opposite. In that attire, I couldn’t see Bartha as anything but a truly mature woman.

Naturally there hadn’t been any changes to her intense leonine face, nor to her arms and shoulders that were just as muscular as any man’s. Plus, her build was still just as burly as Jiza Ruu’s, with a height even greater than Darmu Ruu.

But even so, Bartha was undoubtedly a woman. Or to be more exact, she was a mother.

Her appearance, speech, and actions hadn’t changed, but there was a gentler look in her eyes than before, and her strength now felt motherly instead. That was the impression she was giving me.

Perhaps Bartha had also had some sort of change of heart after that struggle with Cyclaeus. Until that point, she had tried to guide Jeeda as a hunter, but now she would do so as a mother... That just might have been what she was thinking.

It wasn’t as if Bartha had abandoned her work as a hunter, though. Up until the sun hit its peak, while the giba were still sleeping, she entered the forest with Jeeda and hunted wild birds.

Naturally, they had received permission from Genos. After all, the giba didn’t prey upon the birds that lived at the base of Mount Morga, so there were no laws against such actions.

“Even if they aren’t as good as barobaro, there are plenty of fine birds flying around out there. It really is a mystery why nobody tried to hunt them before now.”

That was surely because the people of the forest’s edge ate giba, while the townsfolk ate kimyuus and karon, which were raised as livestock. And the people of the forest’s edge would never be permitted to devote their efforts to hunting birds instead of giba, while the townsfolk would surely never set foot in the forest to begin with.

At any rate, Bartha and Jeeda hunted birds out in the forest, then traded their meat for coins by way of Polarth. The meat from just two hunters wouldn’t be enough to throw any supply chains out of sorts, and there were apparently also a fair number of connoisseurs in the castle town with an interest in something as unusual as wild bird meat.

Then, after the sun peaked, Jeeda would also join in the giba hunts. Thanks to the boy’s fantastic skills as a hunter, Donda Ruu granted him permission to participate.

“I spent more than a few years facing down gaaje leopards up on Mount Masara myself, you know,” Bartha had explained, “but I didn’t feel like putting in the training needed to hunt down something as ferocious as a giba at this point, so I’ve been helping the women out with their work instead.”

That was the current state of affairs with Bartha and Jeeda.

It had also become the norm that she would help man the stove when we made it back too.

By the way, though Li Sudra had been returning right away to help with work at home up until now, since we shortened our work hours, she was now participating in this combined prep work and study session. It was only around a one-hour extension over our initial agreement, and since I proposed paying her for it too, the Sudra clan head consented.

“I really am grateful. Thanks to you, Asuta, I’ve been able to share delicious cooking with the members of my family, at least a little.”

Li Sudra had become a first-rate member of our group. While I couldn’t bring myself to literally rank everyone or anything, Vina and Lala Ruu probably still hadn’t caught up to her yet. Though she didn’t stand out as much as Rimee Ruu or Toor Deen, cooking must have been in her nature to start with.

And when we got to the main house’s kitchen, Sheera Ruu was waiting there for us, working away at the preparations for tomorrow’s business. As she stirred a pot that was giving off a wonderful aroma, she offered us a gentle smile.

“The tarapa sauce and aria are already done, so all that’s left is mincing the meat and making the patties.”

“Thanks. Well then, let’s all finish that up together.”

Reina Ruu, Tsuvai, Morun Rutim, and Bartha all joined in. Then there was Toor Deen, Yamiru Lea, and Li Sudra from our end, preparing the food to be sold in the Fa stalls.

“Okay, Yamiru Lea and Li Sudra, I’ll ask you to cook the poitan as always. Toor Deen and I will chop up the meat.”

We would handle the lion’s share of the prep work in the morning, so we just took care of what was necessary on the day before.

Thanks to the experimentation being undertaken by the house of Daleim, it was determined that poitan kept just fine when made into a powder, so it had become common to boil down enough for several days at once. Plus, it didn’t get all dry and hard after a day like fuwano, so there was no issue with always cooking it the night before like this.

“What should I teach everyone today...? Do you have any requests, Toor Deen?” I asked while cutting the giba meat we had left at the Ruu house into blocks.

“Hmm...” the girl replied with a cute tilt of her head. “I think what I want to learn most is how to use new ingredients. I believe I’ve learned fairly well how to handle tau oil and sugar, but I still have no idea what to do with mamaria vinegar or panam honey.”

The ingredients that had begun circulating throughout the post town were now flowing into the forest’s edge too, bit by bit. Seasonings in particular could have a dramatic impact on a dish’s flavor with just a small amount, so the women of the forest’s edge eagerly welcomed them.

And through the Fa clan’s business connections, the Deen, Sudra, and Fou were able to purchase those seasonings. As small clans, the Sudra and Fou had trouble purchasing aria and poitan up until just a short while ago, so that was yet another big change.

“Let’s see. I don’t know many ways of using panam honey other than to make sweets either. As for mamaria vinegar, aside from the sweet and sour giba, I’ve just used it in condiments like sweetened vinegar, ketchup, and mayonnaise.”

“I see. So even you haven’t been able to find very many uses for them...”

“Yeah. Of course, I’m sure there’s lots of dishes they could be used in, but that’s all I’ve been able to come up with so far.”

As we had that exchange, it suddenly started getting noisy outside.

I figured maybe the men had returned from their giba hunting early, but that turned out not to be the case. It was in fact a man, but instead one belonging to the clans under the Ruu.

“Hey, is Morun back yet? The women in the main house said they hadn’t seen her, so could you please open this door!”

“Oh my, it’s dad,” Morun Rutim exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

After wiping her dirtied hands on a cloth, Vina Ruu headed over to the door leading outside.

“Ah, sorry for interrupting you all in the middle of your work!”

As soon as the door was opened, the Rutim clan head plodded on in.

He still wore the same wide grin as always, but Dan Rutim was supporting himself on a sturdy-looking grigee cane and holding his right leg up off the ground. That was because he had injured it around when we reopened for business.

Apparently he had fallen from a cliff and dislocated his ankle, then walked on that hurt leg for several hours while carrying an injured comrade, so he had done serious damage to his muscles in the process. Despite all that, he would supposedly recover just fine given time, but it was definitely painful to look at.

The man himself looked quite energetic, though, and was taking the opportunity to ride the totos the Rutim had recently purchased all around every day.

“What is it, dad? Do you need something from me?”

“Yeah! From you and Donda Ruu! But Donda Ruu probably won’t be back before the sun starts setting, so I figured I’d handle my business with you first!” Dan Rutim replied as he leaned up against the wooden wall. “You see, the hunters we lent to the settlement up north have returned. Apparently, starting today, the clans up north have gone on break. So the hunters we had been hosting in the Rutim settlement are also heading back home.”

“Huh...? Then it’s finally time for us women to take our turn?”

The Rutim clan and the settlement to the north had each exchanged three of their hunters in order to teach bloodletting, as well as how to remove and wash organs.

Although the final decision about our businesses in the post town had been put off till next year’s clan head meeting, Gulaf Zaza had finally accepted the idea of bringing delicious meals into the lives of all the people of the forest’s edge.

And now that the men were finished learning, it was finally time for the women. If they were entering a break period, that made for perfect timing.

However, Dan Rutim shook his head, “No,” with a blank look on his face. “Just like Darmu and Ludo Ruu said in the past, they built their houses up north right near the giba’s territory. Thanks to that, women there have to be cautious of giba and mundt even in the middle of the day, so we can’t loan them Rutim women like that.”

“Huh? Then...what will we do?”

“Hrmm. Well, they’re going to use this break period to clear out a bit more of the area around their settlement and get things ready to keep away the beasts. That’s why we’ll have to wait to send any of you to them, probably till after the break period ends in half a month.”

“Oh, so that’s the plan...” Morun Rutim murmured with a dejected slump of her shoulders.

I didn’t know the circumstances there, but she seemed to desperately want to go to the northern settlement. That would create a gap in the stall staff, but from what I heard, her sister-in-law Ama Min Rutim would take over on that front.

“And the other matter is something I wanted to tell Donda Ruu, but could I leave a message with you instead as the eldest daughter of the main house, Vina Ruu?”

“Yes, what is it...?”

“Apparently before we exchange those women, they want to send over a single woman from the Dom clan during the break period. They don’t care if it’s the Ruu or the Rutim who take her in, but we’ll need Donda Ruu’s permission either way as the leader of our clans.”

“Hmm...? What exactly is that woman coming here for...?”

“I don’t really know, but apparently she’s passionate about wanting to improve her cooking skills. And if she’s willing to go off and stay with some other clan all on her own, she sure must have some guts.”

As Dan Rutim chuckled, Yamiru Lea and Toor Deen shared a look next to me.

“Is there really a woman up north who places such importance on manning the stove...?”

“Hmm. That’s kinda hard for me to believe.”

They had both been born into the Suun, so they were also previously residents of the north.

Still, the Zaza, Dom, and Jeen hunters from up in that area were known for their dauntlessness and the giba pelts and skulls they wore atop their heads. The only ones I knew by name were Gulaf Zaza and Deek Dom, who were both large and intense enough to be a match for even Donda Ruu.

Just what exactly are the women up north like, though? They aren’t hunters, so I don’t think they’d wear any pelts or skulls on their heads, but still...

At any rate, I mentally prepared myself so I wouldn’t be surprised no matter how daunting of a woman showed up.

“If Donda Ruu approves, then I’ll go take the totos and tell the folks up north what’s going on. So make sure to pass that along, all right?!”

“I understand... Are you leaving already, Dan Rutim...?”

“Yup! I promised Rau Lea we’d have a totos race when he gets back from the forest, after all!”

At that, Morun Rutim and Yamiru Lea both sighed in sync. It was the shared modest lament of those stuck with overly simple-minded clan heads.

As that thought ran through my head, Dan Rutim suddenly turned to face me.

“By the way, Asuta, I named my totos Mim Cha. It’s a good name, isn’t it?”

“Mim Cha, is it? Sounds cute.”

“Cute? It means ‘tomorrow’ in the eastern tongue, apparently.”

“‘Tomorrow,’ huh?”

“Yup. Your name means the same thing, right? So I took that in mind and named it Mim Cha. I’d have loved to give the name to another child if I had one, but I don’t exactly have any plans to marry again!”

And so, having left me at a loss for words, Dan Rutim hobbled on out of the kitchen.

◇

It was now nighttime.

After finishing our dinner, with the main dish being the giba sweet sauce stew I was experimenting on, Ai Fa and I were relaxing under the light from the candle like we always did.

My clan head had let down her blonde hair and was seated leaning up against the wall. I sat facing her in a relaxed lounging posture.

“Well, anyway, I’d like to invite that Myme girl here to the forest’s edge. I should hear Donda Ruu’s response tomorrow morning, but still... What do you think, Ai Fa?”

“I don’t mind in the least, but I cannot say I’m especially fond of the thought of inviting a stranger into my home when I am not around.”

“Yeah, I was thinking it would be best to show our skills to one another by preparing dinner together. So I figured we could work on our cooking on the outside stove until you got back from hunting.”

“I see. Then I have no issue. We can have dinner together, and then I will escort her back to the Turan lands after that.”

Unexpectedly, Ai Fa was acting quite friendly toward Myme of Turan. It seemed she felt like she owed Mikel, thanks to the man telling Jeeda the location of the Turan manor. But, well, it was true that it was impossible to tell just what would have become of me if Jeeda and Mikel hadn’t been around, so I was certainly grateful to them too.

“Still, you didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow when I said Myme might be a more skilled chef than me. That got Reina Ruu all in a huff.”

“I am not so narrow-minded of a person. The world is vast, so I could see how chefs even greater than you could exist out there,” Ai Fa replied, calmly staring back at me. “Besides, when it seemed like Reina Ruu was catching up to you in soup-making, you soon overtook her once again.”

“Umm...so are you saying even if Myme’s more skilled than me, I’ll probably catch up to her before long?”

“Can you accept the idea of a chef more skilled than you, Asuta?” Ai Fa asked, the look in her eyes unchanged. “Besides, you once said that having a worthy opponent helps drive you to further polish your skills. Or were those merely words?”

“No, I meant what I said, but still...”

“Then there is no issue.”

In the past, Ai Fa had been insistent that I create a more delicious soup than Reina Ruu, but now her gaze was full of absolute trust as she stared at me. That change made me feel glad, and proud too... At any rate, it seemed her belief that I wouldn’t let myself fall behind anyone else remained the same.

“I’ve got no intention of slacking in my training, naturally. But no matter how much free praise I’ve been given here at the forest’s edge or in Genos, I’m still ultimately just a chef in training.”

“Hmph. I know you simply mean to be modest, but you shouldn’t say such things outside this house, Asuta.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“You won in a taste comparison with a chef from the castle town, did you not? Deprecating yourself reflects even more harshly on the man who lost to you, doesn’t it?” Ai Fa said, calmly brushing aside her bangs. “It is not as if I’m satisfied with my own strength. But if I were to put myself down, that would mean doing the same to all those out there who do not manage to hunt as many giba as I do. I believe people should live with pride, rather than abasing themselves.”

“Right, and I’m proud of myself too.”

“I know that fact better than anyone. It’s rare to find someone who is so prideful and unhappy about losing,” Ai Fa stated, finally breaking out in a smile. “That is why I wouldn’t ever misinterpret your words, but there is a risk someone who is not as familiar with you would see them as an insult. That is why I’m warning you to watch your words out there.”

“I know. You seem a lot more solemn than usual today, somehow.”

“You make it sound as if I always act like a child,” Ai Fa retorted with a pout.

That was precisely the side of her that was childish, but both sides of her were precious to me, so there was no issue there.

“Still, you certainly do move from one thing to the next. Just when I felt things were finally settling down with regards to your business in the post town, now it’s a young girl with skills as a chef that equal yours, if not exceed them.”

“Yeah, but I guess that’s just what I should’ve expected from Mikel’s daughter. And I really did want to try his cooking, at least once.”

“That’s the first time you’ve said such a thing...”

“Really? Whenever Yang unveils a new dish, I always look forward to that too. Still, Myme’s cooking is something else entirely...”

In regards to Yang’s cooking, what I felt was more of a curiosity about the cooking of a chef from another country...er, world.

But with Myme...it was more of an admiration for someone who could make food that was purely delicious, regardless of her background or standing. I certainly didn’t have even the slightest feeling of hostility. However, I could feel a great heat rising up around my chest.

Perhaps it was a sense of camaraderie toward someone who had the same sort of sensibilities, or maybe it was joy at finding someone who I could have a friendly rivalry with that was on the same level.

“At any rate, I think meeting that girl was a good thing for you,” Ai Fa suddenly declared, as if she had seen right through what I was thinking. “So I would like to welcome her here as well. I look forward to the day that she visits.”

“Yeah, just as long as Donda Ruu gives his permission... Anyway, I guess it’s about time we got to sleep, huh?”

“Indeed.”

After extinguishing the candle by the window, Ai Fa lay down right in front of me.

And then, she tightly gripped my hand.

“Don’t have any bad dreams tonight, Asuta.”

“I certainly would like to avoid it if I could, but it’s all down to luck.”

“No matter what nightmare you may see, I’ll be here by your side. If nothing else, never forget that fact.”

I could make out the calm sparkle in Ai Fa’s blue eyes amidst the darkness.

“There is nothing to worry about. You’re all right, Asuta.”

“Yeah.”

I gripped Ai Fa’s hand back just as tightly.

Everything was fine.

As long as Ai Fa was by my side, I would be okay.

Holding on to that one thought, I gently closed my eyes.

And on that night, I slept till morning without so much as a single nightmare.