Chapter 1: Two Girls

1

It was the twenty-second of the black month, the day after Myme and Mikel visited the forest’s edge.

Today, I finished my morning’s work without incident, then headed off for the post town by wagon.

I was in quite a good mood thanks to my time spent with Myme, a girl of rare talent who had been dealt a poor hand by fate. Just the thought of what sort of dish the girl would make with the giba meat I had Mikel take home with him was enough to make my heart soar.

On top of that, I got the sense that I was becoming closer to Mikel, despite how hard the man was to read, so that was something else to be glad for.

And all of this is because we were able to expose Cyclaeus and Ciluel’s crimes. Maybe I’m overstating it, but it feels like everyone’s fates had been seriously distorted, but now they’re finally getting back on track... Is that what’s got me feeling so happy?

My days were only getting busier and busier, but I was also feeling more and more fulfilled. It was hard to imagine anything better than getting to devote myself to doing business in the post town without having to worry about anyone interfering. I just wanted to keep working hard to bring more prosperity to the people of the forest’s edge, and to make it known far and wide just how delicious giba meat really was.

Still, Toor Deen sure is awfully quiet today... I thought to myself as I manipulated Gilulu’s reins from up in the driver’s seat.

Toor Deen was seated leaning up against the wall of the wagon, supporting wooden boxes full of meals so they wouldn’t fall over. And her expression really did look more listless than usual.

“Are you all right, Toor Deen? You seem pretty down,” I called out.

At that, she looked up and replied, “Huh? Wh-Who, me? I don’t think I seem down...”

“I see. I remember you talking less than usual during the prep work too, though,” I added as I turned toward the front so as not to cause an accident. “Could it be that Myme has you concerned...?”

Last evening when she had tasted the myamuu soup Myme prepared, Toor Deen had been so shocked that she was left at a loss for words and ended up silently returning home to the Deen clan.

It had been an irreplaceable encounter for me, but it might not have been that way for everyone. I really had never expected Myme to be that skilled, and that was the one concern that was still weighing on me.

“I can’t say she’s not on my mind, of course. It really was a shock, seeing how a girl not much different in age from me could make a dish like that.”

“Yeah, I was surprised too.”

“But more than just that, it also made me painfully aware of how lacking I am,” she said listlessly, giving a little sigh.

I was growing more and more concerned as I sat there holding Gilulu’s reins. “But apparently Mikel has been teaching Myme how to cook for as long as she can remember. And he was one of the foremost cooks in the castle town...”

“Right. It’s presumptuous to compare myself to someone like her.”

“That’s not what I meant, Toor Deen.”

“It’s all right. I’m not really trying to put myself down.” As she spoke, I thought I sensed her coming closer, until her little head suddenly peeked out beside the driver’s seat. “Did I make you worry about me? I was just thinking about how I could get better at cooking.”

From the look in Toor Deen’s eyes, it seemed more like she was worried about me.

And as I looked back into those pretty eyes, Toor Deen’s cheeks suddenly went red and her gaze shifted to the path in front of us.

“I’d like to believe what you said, about me still having room left to grow. And it’s not like putting myself down will make my cooking taste any better...”

“Right. As long as you can think that way, then that’s all that matters.”

At that, Toor Deen broke out in a smile, still facing ahead. And there didn’t seem to be any negative emotions whatsoever hidden behind that grin.

“I want to try as hard as I can so I can make food anyone will find tasty, just like you and that girl. So I hope you’ll keep on teaching me, Asuta...”

“Of course. And I’d love to keep working with you too.”

Toor Deen really did have her act together. I breathed a sigh of relief now that I knew that Myme’s presence didn’t have a negative impact on her.

Still, what about Reina Ruu and everyone else?

Before long, the wagon arrived at the Ruu settlement. Reina and Sheera Ruu had been standing in front of the main house, and they jogged over our way.

“Good morning! Asuta, could you give this dish a taste?”

“Huh? What is it?” I asked in surprise, looking at the plate Reina Ruu was holding out. Atop it was a reddish brown soup with chunks of giba meat floating in it.

“After you went home yesterday, Sheera Ruu and I tried adding all sorts of different flavors to this soup. We’d like to hear your honest impressions.”

Reina Ruu looked really fired up, while Sheera Ruu stood there silently with a firm, shining gaze. And so though I didn’t really get what was going on, I accepted the plate. The dish had a fragrant aroma of fruit wine and tarapa. They had used rib meat, and it looked like they grilled the surface before boiling it.

When I picked up the accompanying spoon and gave it a try, I nodded, “Yeah, this is tasty. You used fruit wine for the base, then added tarapa, aria, nenon...and tau oil, sugar, and myamuu, right? Or wait, did you use them to flavor the meat?”

“Yes. It’s giba meat teriyaki, just like you taught us. We aimed to harmonize the soup with the teriyaki, but how did it turn out?”

“It’s definitely good. You seem to have gotten the various ingredients in perfect harmony.”

“Really? There aren’t any flavors that are too strong or too weak?” Reina Ruu asked, placing her hands on the driver’s seat as she leaned in forward and brought her face closer. It was an adorable action like a little kid trying her hardest, but her expression was dead serious.

“Hmm, let’s see... Well, if I’m going to nitpick something, it’s only because you’re forcing my hand...”

“Right, that’s fine.”

“I’d say, if you want to bring out the sweetness of the fruit wine, it might be good to use less sugar in the teriyaki. And you could give the flavor a bit more depth by adding a lot of finely chopped aria. But honestly, I think it’s plenty tasty as is...”

“Lower the sugar and up the aria? Got it. We’ll give that a try,” Reina Ruu replied with a firm nod.

“What’s gotten into you two? I never expected to be asked to taste test something first thing in the morning. Does Myme have you that fired up?”

“Of course. Is there a chef out there who wouldn’t get worked up after seeing that girl’s skill on display?”

As Reina and Sheera Ruu burned bright with competitive spirit, Vina Ruu shrugged her seductive shoulders from behind them. And even farther back, Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai wore looks of feigned disinterest.

It seemed I didn’t need to worry about Myme’s visit having a negative influence here either.

◇

“I know she’s my little sister, but I really am taken aback by how passionate Reina is... She’s already so skilled, but she still isn’t satisfied...?” Vina Ruu pondered with a sigh as she stood at the giba burger stall.

I heard those words while working over in the giba poitan wrap stall. Even though the Fa and Ruu were now running their own separate businesses, our stalls were still neighbors, so we could talk during work. And so as I cooked up some fresh giba meat for the soon-to-arrive midday peak, I called out to her.

“Well, both Reina and Sheera Ruu have a strong drive to improve themselves. And I figure it’s a good thing if seeing Myme is spurring them on further.”

“Yes, but I’m the one who has to taste test for them, and it’s been unbearable... I get the feeling I’ll start putting on more and more weight at this point...” Vina Ruu lamented as she rubbed her stomach.

I didn’t see any excess fat on her whatsoever, but I certainly wasn’t touching that subject. In all likelihood, she was still concerned about the comment that had been made regarding how easterners find slim and slender women beautiful.

But Shumiral said he found Vina Ruu beautiful regardless, so I figure she’s got nothing to worry about.

It was then that Sheera Ruu’s voice chimed in from the myamuu giba stall, the next one over.

“My apologies, Vina Ruu. We didn’t think we would find a proper path forward with just the two of us taste testing, so we wanted to get as many opinions as possible.”

“It’s not like I’m blaming you or anything, Sheera Ruu... I just get the feeling there’s no need to be so persistent when we’re already selling so much every day...”

“No, I don’t think we should allow ourselves to grow conceited. We don’t know what will become of our sales if the people of the post town grow more skilled at handling ingredients like tau oil and sugar.” From what I could see of her expression over Vina Ruu’s shoulders, Sheera Ruu seemed to be burning with a quiet enthusiasm despite the fact that it was still morning. “You’re concerned about that too, right, Asuta? No matter how tasty giba meat may be, we’re at a disadvantage due to the high price.”

“That’s true. I don’t think the townsfolk will adjust so easily since they have no experience with seasonings, but we still can’t let our guard down,” I replied, shooting Sheera Ruu a grin. “But don’t go brooding over it too much, all right? When you’re polishing your skills, don’t forget your reason for doing so. It’s not just for its own sake. You and Reina Ruu are so serious and determined that that’s the one point that has me a bit concerned.”

“Right... I’ll be certain to bear that in mind.” Sheera Ruu nodded as she added meat to her metal tray. That cooking tool was a new one bought by the Ruu clan so that they could keep doing business without relying on the Fa.

“But you’re every bit as ambitious as they are, aren’t you, Asuta...?” Yamiru Lea whispered as she helped me out. “Your expression is the same as always, but there’s a different sort of light shining in your eyes.”

“Of course I’m super worked up. Those words of caution were meant for me too.”

“Hmm... Unfortunately for the Lea clan head, I can’t imagine I will ever be so passionate about manning the stove.”

“But you’ve been participating in our study sessions for over a month now, and your skills have improved remarkably. Aren’t you happy about that?”

My question got no response.

“What? Is Rau Lea still complaining? If he is, I’ll have a word with him.”

“That’s not necessary. The clan head hasn’t especially been voicing his dissatisfaction or anything.”

Having apparently been straining her ear, Vina Ruu chimed in with a smile, “That’s right... In fact, the Lea clan head rode his totos all the way to the Ruu settlement before just to brag. He was saying that because you received Asuta’s instruction, the Lea women had all greatly improved their skills...”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it,” I said, shooting Yamiru Lea a smile, only to get back a glare out of the corner of her eyes.

“I finally understand why Ai Fa kicks you in the leg so frequently...”

“Huh? W-What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing. Would it not be wise to cook up more meat?”

“Right, I’m on it.”

Even as we chatted with each other, we were handling a steady stream of customers. Once the sun hit its peak, our businesses would face their second rush of the day. And just when the traffic passing by really started picking up, our backup members Li Sudra and Ama Min Rutim arrived.

“Sorry for the wait, Asuta. It’s time for us to switch in.”

“Right, thanks for coming, Li Sudra,” I replied, stepping back after I finished grilling up some meat.

However, Li Sudra didn’t move from her spot next to the stall.

“Yamiru Lea, could I ask you to keep handling things here for a little while? I have something I need to tell Asuta.”

“Do as you please.”

At that, I stepped away from the stalls, and a question mark popped into my mind. Li Sudra was staring at me with the usual composed look in her eyes.

“What’s up? It’s unusual for you to need to talk to me, Li Sudra.”

“Right, well...there’s actually something I have to apologize to you for,” she replied with a deep bow. “It pains me deeply to tell you this, but...before long, I will no longer be able to help you with your work.”

“Huh?! But why?!” Without thinking, I shouted out in shock.

Her head still bowed, Li Sudra continued on, “After assisting you for so long, I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can handle the job well enough, and yet... I really am sorry.”

“C-Could I at least hear your reason? Did I do something to lose the Sudra clan’s trust?”

“Of course not. It’s solely a matter of our clan’s convenience,” Li Sudra replied, slowly raising her head. Unexpectedly, I spied a faint smile on her slender, graceful face when she did so. “The truth is...I am with child.”

“Huh?”

“I have become pregnant, it seems.”

For a moment, I found myself at a loss for words.

Li Sudra hung her head just a bit, the same expression still on her face. “I can keep up with my duties for a while longer, but before long I will be unable to come to town. I wanted to tell you before then. I really am sorry...”

“N-No, please don’t apologize. That’s... That’s wonderful news!” Finally having grasped the situation, I felt a warmth welling up inside.

Despite how youthful she looked, Li Sudra was still her clan head’s wife. On top of that, I had also heard that due to the Sudra’s poverty, they had already lost two infants to starvation.

“I hadn’t realized you were pregnant. When will your child be born? Sorry for asking, but you really don’t look different at all.”

“I’m only at the stage where I just realized it myself, so there should still be several months to go. But there’s a lot involved in learning to work the stalls, so I believe it necessary to train a new woman to take over for me now,” Li Sudra answered with a serious look. “If you have no objections, the Sudra can provide that woman. There’s someone I’d definitely like to recommend.”

“But that would mean both you and your replacement would be coming to town together, right? Will you be all right with work around the house?”

“That shouldn’t be an issue if it’s just for a short while. As long as you have no problems with it, that is.”

“Of course not. It’s a big help on my end... Still, it’s sad thinking I won’t be seeing you for a while.”

Li Sudra had started helping out with the stalls right after the clan head meeting, so it had already been over three months now. She was just a little over twenty, and she was composed, reliable, and a fast learner. Just how much relief had her gentle smile granted me by now?

As those thoughts ran through my head, Li Sudra narrowed her eyes as if she were staring at something bright.

“I’m deeply honored to hear you say so, Asuta. It’s quite frustrating to no longer be able to receive your instruction... And it makes me sad too.”

“And I’m honored to hear that.”

“Still, there’s some time yet before we have to say farewell. I would like to make sure the new girl has a firm understanding of the job first... So until that time comes, I look forward to continuing to work with you, Asuta,” Li Sudra said with her smile as serene as always.

2

Some time later, that day’s work in the post town came to a peaceful close.

The Sudra settlement was along the way to the Fa house, and so we first stopped by the Ruu house to hold our study session and handle preparations.

“What will you be teaching us today, Asuta?” Reina Ruu asked after we finished the prep work, looking like she could hardly contain herself.

Turning her way, I went ahead and opened up a bundle I had prepared. That act alone was enough to cause a powerful aroma to spread throughout the kitchen.

“Are those...herbs?”

“Yeah. I was thinking we’d try working with these today.”

Reina Ruu wasn’t the only one with a doubtful look on her face after hearing that.

“But haven’t you been trying not to use too many herbs? You said you didn’t have much of a chance to use them even in your home country, so you were only really familiar with myamuu at most.”

“Yeah, but that myamuu is a crucial ingredient for us now, right? So depending on how you use them, herbs can become a powerful weapon in our arsenal.”

And so, I laid out those mostly unfamiliar herbs atop the work station one by one.

“Apparently they’ve always used a fair amount of herbs in the post town since there weren’t really any seasonings except salt to be had there. And folks seem to be liking myamuu, so I think the groundwork is there for having them try out more fragrant dishes.”

“But these herbs come from Sym, don’t they...? I’ve never seen them before in the post town.”

“Yeah. Aside from myamuu and pepe, I’m pretty sure they’re all from Sym. They had an excess of all these at the Turan manor, and seem to be having trouble figuring out what to do with them.”

The only places eager to snatch them up were the inns frequented by easterners, like The Sledgehammer, so that wasn’t really doing much to chip away at the supply. Torst, who had taken over the running of the house of Turan, had lamented this fact. And thanks to Polarth’s plotting, the Turan house’s fortunes were already on the decline, which made it essential that they sell the mountain of ingredients still being delivered to them.

“Jagar-made sugar and tau oil seem to be selling just fine in the post town. So I figured it was time for these herbs to make their mark.”

“I see... But what is there to gain from you working so hard on this? We can’t neglect our bonds with the nobles, but I believe you should just make whatever dishes you please,” Reina Ruu stated with an uncharacteristically strict look in her eyes.

However, I chose to meet that look with a smile.

“It’s not like I’m trying to make herbs more popular for the good of some nobles. And I’m not just interested in learning how to use unfamiliar ingredients. I simply thought that maybe I could make more effective use of them with the knowledge I already had.”

I figured a picture was worth a thousand words, so I went ahead and washed off a pepe leaf, then chopped it up into little bits. Next, I sliced off what looked to be appropriately sized chunks of giba rib meat.

“Let’s try sauteeing this with just pepe leaves for flavoring,” I said, using a single-handled pot (essentially a frying pan) to quickly cook it up. As the meat was heated through, the dense aroma of pepe leaf filled the kitchen. “Now then, who wants to give it a try?”

At my prompting, everyone took a bite while looking doubtful.

“My,” Ama Min Rutim proclaimed. “Just adding that aroma really does change things quite a bit. I think I may like this just as much as myamuu.”

“Right, and I think if you added a tau oil-based sauce to it, that would make for a full-fledged dish. This herb would probably go well with cuts like liver that have a strong flavor to them too.”

Pepe leaves were a type of herb that seemed to be close to garlic chives, which Nail employed to make chitt-pickles. And with them, it would be possible to make dishes akin to stir-fried meat and chives or pork liver and garlic chive stir-fry.

“This one’s next. I forgot to ask what it’s called, but you recognize the scent, right, Reina Ruu?”

“Ah... This is the one the chef named Yang used in his first dish at his stall, isn’t it?”

“Right, and I believe it’s from Selva rather than Sym. I don’t know if it’ll fit the tastes of the forest’s edge, but let’s give it a little shot.”

This herb had a sweet smell to it, similar to cinnamon. I crushed up the somewhat brownish leaf, then cooked it up along with fuwano flour and sugar.

“Oh, my...” Vina Ruu exclaimed, her eyes opening wide in surprise. “What a lovely, sweet aroma... I would love to have Rimee give it a try...”

“That’s a good idea. As you can see, you just need to heat it up with fuwano and sugar, so I figure anyone can handle it no problem.”

By this point, every other person present looked shocked. But, well, that was no big surprise, seeing how their only familiarity with sweets came from the chatchi mochi I had made in the past.

“This sweet flavor may not pair too well with other dishes, but it sure does pack a lot of taste for a single herb, doesn’t it? I think it’s definitely worth experimenting with.” As I looked out over the group, I added, “And also, I talked to Nail since he knows a lot about herbs, and he said these can have a variety of additional effects. For example, this yellow one can break down the toxins in your body, while this black one can re-nourish you, and this scarlet one promotes digestion... Thanks to the illness he suffered from, Cyclaeus gathered up all sorts of herbs like these that are good for the body.”

“I see... It’s almost like they’re medicine.”

“Yeah. In the proper quantities, tau oil, sugar, and reten oil can all be good for you, but these herbs are way more effective on that front. So if we can employ them in tasty dishes, that should help bring even greater strength to the people of the forest’s edge.”

It was then Sheera Ruu’s turn to look taken aback.

“Asuta... Is that what you meant earlier when you talked about not trying to get better for its own sake?”

“Yes. We’re improving our skills to help our sales too, but for us people of the forest’s edge, our most important reason to do so is to feed our families and comrades delicious and nutritious meals. My family also sold cooking back in my home country, so I want to make sure I don’t slip up and neglect that point.”

“That’s true... I’ve been striving to improve at cooking, but I may well have lost sight of that objective a bit,” Sheera Ruu replied, casting her gaze downwards.

From next to her, Reina Ruu nodded, “I understand. You’ve been thinking about many things that have slipped by us as you manned the stove, Asuta. My apologies if my lack of discretion put a damper on anything.”

“Nah, go ahead and speak your mind. Otherwise, I may end up stepping off the proper path myself,” I cheerfully answered, then shrugged my shoulders. “Well then, let’s get this study session rolling. I’ve got this new dish I wanna take a swing at, so could I have you all give it a try?”

“Yes, of course,” Reina Ruu replied with a smile, seeming like she had finally moved on. “What do you want us to do first?”

“Well, could I have you grind up these five varieties of herbs like I showed you? I think we’ll find the answer there.”

“The answer?”

“Yeah. The answer to what sort of spices are essential for the taste I’m aiming for.”

Out of countless varieties of herbs, I had ultimately chosen these five for now.

One was orange, with a long and narrow shape.

The next was yellowish-brown and flat.

Another was blackish and serrated.

There was also a dark brown root that wrapped around like a dried-out vine.

Then lastly, there was a fruit with what looked like a wide-open mouth through which little seeds were visible, like with an akebia.

Every last one of them had been dried out for transport from Sym, so it didn’t take much effort at all to grind them up. For now, I broke open the akebia-like fruit’s hard skin and moved just the seeds inside to a plate, where I ground them up with a stick shaped like a pestle.

And as those five different spices were ground, a really peculiar scent filled the kitchen.

“This is unbearable. Won’t this smell end up clinging to us if we don’t move outside?”

Taking up Bartha’s suggestion, we evacuated the kitchen.

As she continued grating away without stopping, Reina Ruu breathed a sigh. “This is making my nose feel all funny. It must be even worse for you with your sense of smell, right, Asuta?”

“Yeah. But it sure smells good, doesn’t it?”

It was certainly powerful, but it felt somehow nostalgic too. My task for today was to pin down the source of that homesick sensation.

“Vina Ruu, could you hand me that plate?”

She had been put in charge of the vine-like root. After taking the plate from her, I stuck a finger into the ground powder, then checked its taste and smell. Although, there really was no real strong taste to it. Despite the slightly sour and powerfully spicy aroma, it didn’t have much of a flavor. However, the smell seemed closest to what I was seeking.

“This one’s the best bet, I’d say. Please grate down all the rest of what’s on that plate.”

“Right, I’m on it...”

“What did you have, Toor Deen? Ah, the black one? Let me see it.”

As I licked it, there was a stinging sensation on my tongue, after which a sour smell like lemon filled my nose.

This might have been what Timalo had used in his soup for the dinner party. It seemed like the sort of aroma you’d find in Thai food, so while it wasn’t half bad, I didn’t expect there would be a use for it this time around.

“What about this one, Asuta?” Sheera Ruu asked, holding out her plate with a little mound of yellow powder atop it.

“Hmm... Looking at it now, that sure is a vibrant color.”

This herb wasn’t spicy at all. Instead, it had an earthy, slightly bitter taste to it. I couldn’t quite pinpoint why, but there was something about it that drew me in.

“Let’s put that one to the side for now... Ah, thank you, Li Sudra.”

Next up was the orange herb. Despite the incredibly spicy smell, it didn’t have much of a taste to it either.

The people of Sym apparently liked the spiciness from chitt seeds, so perhaps these herbs were used to add nourishment and depth to the flavor.

“Ah, right. I believe Nail said this herb should be mixed with water.”

“Is that so? In that case, I’ll go get some.”

Li Sudra gracefully did an about-face, then went and got a container of water from the kitchen.

After thanking her, I went ahead and ground up the powdered herb a bit more with some of the water. When I gave it a taste afterward, my tongue was struck by a spicy mustard-like flavor.

“Ah, that’s a spicy one. But it seems like it could pair well with giba meat, depending on how you used it.”

Still, mustard was another flavor that wouldn’t have a chance to shine today.

Finally, I tried out some of the seeds that Reina Ruu had ground up. Once again, it was spicy. And underneath that powerful spice, there was a touch of bitterness. It might have hit my sweat glands harder than anything else so far. What was more, it made me feel more refreshed than any of the others had too.

“Yup, we’ll use this one for the spiciness, and that root from before for the aroma, I guess. Vina Ruu, could I have that one again?”

I mixed a pinch of each of the powdered spices together atop my hand, then gave it a lick.

There was a synergy born between that powerful spice and strong fragrance.

It came pretty close to the ideal I was aiming for. But since both of them were dark brown, if I pinched my nose it would feel like I was eating dry sand or something.

“Could you hand me your plate too, Sheera Ruu?”

Mixing in that brilliant yellow herb brought the overall color to a yellowish brown. And when I gave it a taste, it added a touch of bitterness to the powerful spice, giving the flavor more mellowness and depth.

“Okay, I’d say the baseline flavor and aroma are set. So let’s go ahead and give cooking with these a try.”

With that, we returned to the kitchen. By placing boards atop each of the plates, we were able to suppress a bit of the powerful aroma in the air.

“Firstly, we’ll roast those three herbs from before. That’ll draw out even more of their aromas.”

“They already have such a powerful smell, but you’re going to make it even stronger?” Bartha questioned, looking astonished.

“Yes.” I smiled back. “I believe that the scents from the other ingredients will soften that up while cooking. By the way, Bartha, are you not fond of herbs?”

“No, that’s not it. I’ve made frequent use of myamuu and pepe leaves myself. And I’ve even been curious enough to purchase some eastern herbs from merchants on a whim.”

“I see.” I nodded as I used a measuring spoon to scoop up the herbs.

For now, I went with a ratio of two parts spicy seeds, three parts strong-smelling root, and two parts colorful herb. I figured that level of spice would work out for everyone from the forest’s edge, since they had been building up their tolerance bit by bit with chitt seeds. And as I dry roasted them in my single-handled pot, an even more powerful aroma filled the kitchen.

“While that’s cooling off, we’ll sauté some aria with milk fat. We’ll be more thorough with it than usual, though.”

“The Fa clan is now producing its own milk fat, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, since I like to use a bit of it every now and then.”

Since there was giba fat readily available at the forest’s edge, milk fat wasn’t as popular here as it was in the post town. Clans like the Fou and Deen had never so much as purchased karon milk, and even the Ruu had only just started buying it recently in limited quantities.

“Once the aria has turned yellowish-brown, we introduce the spices,” I explained as I tossed them back into the single-handled pot. When I roughly mixed them together with the aria, a strong aroma once more wafted into the air. By this point, it was like our noses were being attacked in waves.

“What an awful smell. I can feel my nose wrinkling,” Tsuvai complained after remaining quiet all this time.

“Ah ha ha, just bear it for a bit longer. I mean, chitt seeds are pretty addictive once you get used to them, right?”

To be honest, the smell was seriously stirring up my appetite. And I got the feeling that the addition of the aria and milk fat had done a lot to mellow out the smell by this point.

“Next we add in the fuwano flour, mixing it thoroughly while taking care to keep it from clumping up. Then once it’s mixed, add a bit of water, aiming for a goopy texture.”

That was enough to finish it off for now. At this point I went ahead and gave it a taste, and it wasn’t half bad.

I then moved the single-handled pot over to an unlit stove, taking care not to spill it now that it was a good bit more full.

“We’ll leave this for now until it completely cools off. I believe that should allow the sweetness from the aria to better harmonize.”

“The sweetness, you say? Is that the same reason we allow meat and chatchi stew and cubed giba meat stew to cool down for a bit?”

“That’s right. Anyway, let’s go ahead and cook the other ingredients in the meantime.”

I sautéed some giba rib meat, wedges of aria, chatchi cubes, and nenon rounds. Those vegetables were equivalent to onions, potatoes, and carrots respectively. And with the aria in particular, I had cooked it first until it took on some color.

Once the various ingredients were heated through, I added some water from a jug and brought it to a boil. Then after fifteen minutes of boiling and scooping scum, I finally added in the spices. The spice mix had increased in volume with the addition of the aria and fuwano, and so I eyeballed out the appropriate amount to add into the pot.

At first I used a medium heat, then when it just about reached a boil, I reduced it to a low heat. At that point, all that was left was stirring it slowly so it didn’t burn and waiting for it to finish.

“Well, I feel like it probably turned out acceptable enough for a test dish, but my apologies if it doesn’t meet your expectations.”

“Hmph! I’ve got no expectations toward a dish that stinks this bad, so no worries there!” As was often the case, that energetic complaint had come from Tsuvai. However, her glaring eyes then narrowed a bit, questioningly. “Still...maybe it’s thanks to the meat and aria, but I feel like the smell’s a tiny bit less bad now.”

“Right? Not that I have any objections to the smell myself.”

By this point, my feelings of nostalgia had reached a peak. This fondly remembered aroma, the one that made me feel all excited as the sun set... As I stirred the yellowish-brown contents of the pot, I felt a lump in my throat.

When I went ahead and took a bite, the taste was unsurprisingly rather crude. I had to say that it was definitely still far from what I saw as ideal. Back when my old man made this dish, he used commercially sold spice blends, then bought even more spices to enhance the blend on his own.

Even those commercial blends, depending on the kind, could easily go into double digits in terms of the number of spices they used, so this certainly felt lacking in comparison. I definitely had to try out a bunch more herbs and seasonings.

Still, it had turned out well enough that it was at least in the same family of dishes as that one I was so terribly nostalgic for.

“This was called curry back in my home country,” I said to no one in particular. “It was an absolute staple food and one that I adored, but as you can see it’s rather difficult to prepare from scratch, which is why I avoided it until now.”

“You said you’re not too accustomed to using herbs, but a dish like this was a staple?” Reina Ruu quietly questioned.

“Yeah, though it actually came over from another country originally. It was then adjusted to be accepted in my home country, at which point it became a favorite. And I’m really curious if it’ll end up being accepted at the forest’s edge and in the post town.”

“Hey, Asuta...?” another voice called out. This time, it was Vina Ruu. “Could it be...that you want to go back to your old country...?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“I mean, that’s just the sort of look you have in your eyes...” Vina Ruu replied with concern written all over her face, but I just sent a smile her way.

“Like I’ve said before, I’ve got no means of returning to my old country. So nowadays, I think of the forest’s edge as my home.”

“I see... I don’t want you to go anywhere either, of course...”

In the past, Vina Ruu had said that she wanted me to take her away to my home country. But now, she had decided to try to live properly as a woman of the forest’s edge. Through interacting with foreigners like me and Shumiral, her longing for the outside world only grew stronger...but in the end, she decided she couldn’t just abandon her family and her home.

Meanwhile, I had grown certain that I would never return to my home country. As someone who had lost my life over there only to be dragged into this world, I would never have the means to do so in the first place.

“Asuta... Are you really all right...?”

“Yeah. I’m just feeling a bit sentimental thinking of things back home, but it’s nothing to worry about.”

It was true that there was a dull pain deep in my heart. I could never forget those first seventeen years of my life even if I tried. But I decided to live on, never forgetting that pain. That might have been precisely why I wanted everyone to try this dish. With such thoughts in mind, I stepped back from the stove.

“Now then, please go ahead and try it. I can’t guarantee how it turned out since it’s still a work in progress, but I’d love to hear everyone’s honest opinions.”

3

The giba curry I had created really did earn a wide variety of reactions.

Since I had held back quite a bit on the spiciness, it fortunately hadn’t gotten any complaints on that front, but there were definitely a number of negative impressions like “It seems to be lacking something,” “Your stew is tastier,” and “I’d prefer it with more meat.” However, nobody said that it was bad. In fact, just like with dishes using chitt seeds, I even got the comment “I kinda want to eat more, somehow.”

It seemed possible that as I improved the dish, the people of the forest’s edge would start to see it as delicious too. And so with those feelings firmly in mind, the day’s study session came to a close.

And then...

“Ooh, what’s this? What an unusual smell wafting through the air!”

A certain someone had suddenly burst into the kitchen. It was the head of the main Rutim house, Dan Rutim. Thanks to an injured right ankle, he was taking a break from hunting giba, which was why he was able to once again show up at the main Ruu house’s kitchen.

“Hmm, so you’re thinking up another new dish?! Would you mind letting me give it a try too?” Dan Rutim asked, his big eyes sparkling with expectation as he stood there blocking the door.

There was still a bit of curry roux left in the pot, so I smiled back and replied, “Of course. It’s a bit unusual, so I don’t know whether or not it will be to your tastes. But please, go right ahead.”

“Thanks for that! Ah, Ruu women, is it all right if I enter the kitchen?”

“Yes, come in...”

Having gotten that permission from Vina Ruu, Dan Rutim hobbled inside with his cane.

“Hrmm, what a strange smell! But it makes me feel hungry too!”

I transferred the remaining giba curry to a plate, and the moment I held it out toward Dan Rutim, he grabbed it from me and gulped down a bite.

“Ah, delicious! Or...is it?”

“What do you think? I’d definitely like to hear your opinion.”

“I get the feeling it’s good! At the very least, I can’t imagine being disappointed if it was served for dinner! But I also can’t help but feel that it should be even tastier...”

“Because the aroma went and got your expectations up, maybe?”

“That’s right! This smell seems to have somehow enticed me!”

In that case, it should be possible to improve the taste and meet those expectations. And that thought raised my spirits even further.

“In that case, I’ll try my best to meet your expectations, so I hope you’ll give it another taste test in the near future.”

“I’m always ready to give your cooking a taste! And I just know you’ll make this one into something incredible!”

“So, what business brought you here today, clan head?” Ama Min Rutim asked him with a gentle smile.

“Ah.” He clapped his hands together at the reminder. “That’s right, I almost forgot! You see, I was bringing a Dom woman from up north down here. You mind if I call her in?”

Now that he mentioned it, I had heard something about the Ruu clan temporarily taking in a Dom woman. But I had been so busy with Myme and Mikel that I had completely forgotten all about it.

With a strained smile from being faced with Dan Rutim’s frank and earnest admission, Vina Ruu chimed in, “My... I feel bad for her, waiting outside. Please, call her in, Dan Rutim...”

“Right! You’ve got permission, so come on in!”

At that, a slender figure entered the kitchen. Before I could stop myself, my eyes opened wide when I saw her.

So this is what a Dom woman looks like, huh...?

She was a very tall woman, probably around ten centimeters taller than I was. And she wasn’t just tall, but sturdy too. Though she had a slender and elegant figure, her shoulders and upper arms were definitely muscular, and she had some real definition in her abs. Her thigh muscles were so well developed that her legs reminded me of a wild goat’s.

Still, I was already accustomed to seeing burly women thanks to Bartha. But that said, this Dom woman was more than just robust. She had some incredible womanly proportions to go with her strength. Perhaps because her back muscles and buttocks were so firm, her thin waist really stood out. And on top of that, to put it bluntly, she had a large chest. She was a size bigger than Ai Fa overall and looked even more muscular. Altogether, her beauty was akin to a powerful yet graceful wild leopard.

On top of that, she had a prominent nose and a chiseled face. Though her gaze was a bit too sharp, it didn’t detract from her good looks. Her black hair was pulled back high and tight, with a few seductive strands dangling down over her sharp cheekbones.

The Dom hunters wore giba skulls over their heads, but unsurprisingly that tradition didn’t seem to extend to the women. However, she did have an accessory made from giba ribs wrapped around her tight waist.

This was a woman with quite the impactful appearance. However, her gaze as she scanned everyone in the room seemed rather childish. I couldn’t help but get the feeling that despite her height and apparent maturity, she could be younger than I was.

“This is Lem Dom, the younger sister of Deek Dom, the head of his clan. She’ll be staying here at the Ruu settlement at least until the end of the northern clans’ break period, so look after her, all right?” Dan Rutim asked, while Lem Dom just quietly bowed her head.

Naturally, this must have been a matter that was discussed in advance. After all, the Ruu women looked totally at ease with the development.

“There’s quite a crowd gathered, but only Vina and Reina Ruu here are from the main Ruu house. That there is Bartha, a guest. And you’re from a Ruu branch house, right?”

“Yes. My name is Sheera Ruu.”

“Right! Then there’s my son’s wife Ama Min, our clan member Tsuvai, and Yamiru Lea from the Lea clan, who all fall under the Ruu. Then there’s Asuta of the Fa clan, and the Sudra and Deen women who help him out.”

“You’re Toor Deen, aren’t you? I rather enjoyed your cooking at the Jeen and Liddo wedding banquet,” Lem Dom finally spoke up.

Her voice had a strong and throaty tone, sounding both tough and coquettish at the same time. It really did fit her appearance perfectly.

“And Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai... I believe we’ve met several times at banquets before,” Lem Dom remarked, and then she broke out in a brazen smile. “Allow me to just say up front, I hate the two of you.”

That comment earned no response.

“You have already been judged for your past crimes, so I have no intention of attacking you for them. But you were members of the main Suun house, which deceived the clans under them for over ten years. That’s why I have to warn you in advance that I will never be able to bring myself to like either of you.”

“Right, well, it’s up to you who you like or don’t, Lem Dom!” Dan Rutim interjected with a hearty chuckle as he peered at the Dom woman’s face. There couldn’t be more than just a few centimeters’ difference in height between them. “But these two no longer belong to the Suun, and Tsuvai here is a precious member of my clan. You can hate them if you want, just don’t go wishing any ill on them, you hear me?”

Despite the smile on his face, there was a glare in Dan Rutim’s eyes.

Meeting his gaze head on, Lem Dom nodded back, “Of course. That is why I wanted to bring up my feelings in advance. I may well act cold or curt towards them, but I want you to know that I have no intention of going against the will of the leading clan heads.”

“Hmm, you’re a puzzling one, aren’t you?” Dan Rutim chuckled. “But, well, I can’t say I hate straightforward folks like you. And if the opportunity presents itself, I’d love for you to someday discover the cuteness Tsuvai is hiding deep down!”

“You won’t find such a thing in me even if you turn me upside down and try to shake it out,” Tsuvai grumbled with a pout.

Meanwhile, Yamiru Lea remained expressionless, seemingly deciding to ignore Lem Dom’s declaration.

“Well then, looks like it’s about time for us to say our goodbyes. Tsuvai, Yamiru Lea, good work today,” I interjected before things got any more complicated.

It was then that Lem Dom’s black pupils turned my way. “Asuta of the Fa clan... If you don’t mind, could you allow me to accompany you to the Fa house?”

“Huh? But why?”

“I’ve come here to build up experience at manning the stove. With that in mind, wouldn’t receiving instructions directly from you prove to be the shortest path?” Lem Dom explained her reasoning with a smile. However, that thin grin felt more sarcastic than friendly.

“I don’t especially mind, but you’re a guest at the Ruu settlement, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’ll return here on foot myself, so you needn’t worry. Or is there some sort of issue with that, Dan Rutim?”

“Hmm? No, I don’t think that should be a problem. Just make sure you get back by dinner so you can introduce yourself to the leading clan head Donda Ruu, all right?”

“Understood. Well then, I’m in your care, Asuta of the Fa Clan...”

“Right...”

I didn’t really get what was going on, but it seemed things had been decided. In any case, if she wanted to build up experience, then I’d give her as much of that as she pleased. After all, it was praiseworthy how she came all the way here to the Ruu settlement on her own to be instructed on how to man the stove.

Still, there was a bit of doubt remaining in my mind. And that was because when it came to light that Lem Dom would be visiting the Ruu settlement, Yamiru Lea and Toor Deen had whispered to each other, “Was there really a woman so passionate about manning the stove up north?”

Still, she was kind and gentle toward Toor Deen. Maybe she awakened to a passion for cooking after eating the food at that banquet, I optimistically thought to myself.

“All right, we’ll be excusing ourselves. Good work today, everyone.”

After saying farewell to the Ruu women, Bartha, and Ama Min Rutim (who would be staying over until tomorrow morning), we stepped outside. As for Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai, they were each heading back to their clans at roughly the same time.

As we walked around front together, Dan Rutim once more clapped his hands and proclaimed, “Oh, that’s right! I forgot something else important! Asuta, I’d like to have you man the Rutim stove four days from now, on the twenty-sixth of the black month. What do you say?”

“The Rutim stove? Of course I don’t mind, but what’s the occasion?”

“Well you see, it’s actually my birthday!” Leaning on his cane, Dan Rutim puffed out his potbelly. “From what I hear, you made wonderful meals for Lala and Tito Min Ruu’s birthdays! That’s why I wanted to ask you too!”

“Oh, I see. Happy birthday.”

“It’s too early to be saying that just yet! So do you accept the job?”

“Of course. I can’t see any reason to turn you down.”

We were set to do business on that day and the day after, but it would be doable if I economized my time a bit. That was exactly what I had done for Granny Tito Min’s birthday back in the ashen month, in fact.

“I owe you one! Now I’m even more excited for my birthday!” Dan Rutim proclaimed, his huge hand slapping me on the back. Despite him using enough strength that it felt like he’d pulverized my lungs, when I saw his smiling face I naturally grinned back. “Oh, right, Lem Dom, you can come along to my birthday banquet too if you want. The plan is to invite guests from all our related clans, so the Ruu should be able to carry you there and back in their wagon.”

“I’m honored, Dan Rutim,” Lem Dom politely responded with a bow. She had a sort of arrogant air about her in general, but apparently that didn’t extend to when she was addressing Dan Rutim.

I also picked up something I couldn’t ignore in that exchange. Specifically, it seemed this birthday party for the head of a clan would be on a different scale than Lala Ruu’s.

“So you’ll be inviting guests from outside of the Ruu clan? Exactly how many people are we talking about here?”

“Oh, it won’t be all that many. It’ll be two each from the Ruu and the clans under them for twelve, then twenty-seven members of the Rutim to bring the total to just thirty-nine! Then adding you, Ai Fa, and Lem Dom in, I guess that’d make it forty-two,” Dan Rutim calculated, before his expression started to show a bit of worry. “Now that you mention it, for Lala and Tito Min Ruu’s birthdays, it would have been just the members of the main house, right? Do the numbers make it a bit tricky?”

“No, I think if I ask a couple Ruu women to help out, we should be able to manage.”

“I see! In that case, I’m counting on you! Gazraan’s definitely been wanting to see you too.”

I hadn’t seen Gazraan Rutim at all over the course of the past month. Though I had heard he was doing well through Ama Min Rutim, I was definitely starting to miss him at this point.

“Well then, I’ll be looking forward to it!” he continued. “Let Ama Min know about any ingredients you’ll need!”

With one last hearty blow to my back, Dan Rutim got up atop his own totos, Mim Cha, who had been tied up in front of the house. He really did move smoothly for someone with an injured ankle.

“You can hop on too, Tsuvai! There’s still work to handle back home, after all!”

“Stop bugging me about that. I don’t like how the totos sways.”

“Stop complaining! You should learn the joy of feeling the breeze blowing past you on a totos’s back!”

With that, Dan Rutim snatched her up by the nape of her neck and sat her atop the giant bird. “Take care, you guys!” he shouted before disappearing like the wind.

“Err... Could you go ahead and get in the wagon, Lem Dom? And I have a bit of business with the Sudra clan, so we’ll be making a stop there on the way.”

“Of course. Do as you please,” she nodded, climbing into the wagon. Li Sudra and Toor Deen followed, leaving just me and Yamiru Lea standing there.

As I untied Gilulu from a nearby tree and fixed him to the wagon, Yamiru Lea gently slid in close.

“Asuta, you should exercise at least a modicum of caution when it comes to Lem Dom.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“Gulaf Zaza is coming to respect your strength, and I don’t expect the clans from up north would employ an underhanded sneak attack, so I wouldn’t assume she was sent here with wicked intentions. But I also don’t believe that woman is as passionate about manning the stove as she claims...”

“So you think she could mean some sort of harm for her own personal reasons?”

“It may not be something quite that terrible. But don’t you agree that it’s important to remain on guard against someone hiding their true intentions?” Yamiru Lea asked with an unamused grin. “I don’t believe she’s accustomed to lying or hiding her feelings. As a natural-born liar myself, I can tell quite clearly that she is pretending.”

“I think I’d rather say that you’re just really perceptive. There’s no need to put yourself down like that.”

“I believe it’s more that you think too highly of Tsuvai and myself. We’re not as pure and innocent as the members of the Ruu and Rutim, you know.”

“Yeah, but innocence isn’t everything. Even if it’s as you say, I still like you and Tsuvai and care about the two of you.”

She made an expression like she was holding herself back from clicking her tongue, and instead brushed aside her complexly woven hair.

“Exchanging words with you is quite tiring, Asuta. At any rate, at least take care that you don’t find yourself in trouble.”

“Thank you. Here’s to working with you again tomorrow, Yamiru Lea.”

As Yamiru Lea gracefully walked off on her own, I hopped up into the driver’s seat.

It was true that I couldn’t possibly tell what this Lem Dom woman was truly thinking, but I didn’t want to believe she was the sort of person who could do me or Ai Fa harm. Though her elder brother Deek Dom had an intimidating appearance, he was a man who stood alongside us during that incident at the meeting with Cyclaeus.

Now that I think about it, just how old is Deek Dom anyway? Maybe they’re siblings separated as far as Jiza and Rimee Ruu?

As my thoughts took that peaceful turn, I got the wagon moving.

◇

Our first stop was the Sudra settlement.

It was located roughly a ten-minute or so walk away from the Fa house. Although it wasn’t quite as close as the Fou or Ran, I still classified them as neighbors.

As of late, dropping Li Sudra off on the way back from the Ruu settlement had been part of the daily routine, plus for today I needed to meet with the girl who would be replacing her too.

“Ah, thank you for coming all this way, Asuta,” the Sudra clan head himself greeted me when we arrived.

Had he just returned from hunting? I saw other men carrying a giba dangling from a pole around to the rear of the house.

“Did Li already tell you everything? I’m ashamed to have to ask you to let another woman take over her job for such a reason.”

The middle-aged Sudra clan head was the smallest hunter I knew. He might have been even shorter than Reina Ruu, and his limbs and torso were all extremely thin. His dark brown hair was unruly and disheveled, and he had a wrinkly face.

I felt like the man had a sort of strength about him that was hard to describe, though. It had been his idea that the Fou and Beim clan heads should participate in the meetings held by the leading clan heads as representatives for the smaller clans. And just the other day, he had proposed that nearby clans should line up their break periods even if they didn’t have blood ties. Ultimately, both of those ideas were adopted.

Going even further back, he came out in firm support of the Fa clan’s actions at the clan head meeting, and was the most positive about the idea of learning bloodletting, dissection, and cooking techniques.

I even owed him my life. Back when I was taken hostage by Tei Suun, it was this man who had struck the blow that saved me. Though we hadn’t had much of a chance to see him lately, he was an important person to both me and Ai Fa.

As I tucked those thoughts away in the corner of my mind, I nodded back, “Right. I really am grateful that Li Sudra has thought far enough ahead to consider what needs to be done after she steps down. Oh, right, and congratulations.”

“Cut it out. I’m not used to people saying stuff like that to my face,” he shot back with a frown, his already wrinkly forehead wrinkling even further. However, it had turned a dark red around the edges of his eyes. “Besides, loaning you women earns us coins. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.”

“No, the Fou and Ran seem to have trouble making enough time for the task, so it really is a big help. Plus, you help out by supplying meat too, so if anything I haven’t been thanking you enough.”

The Sudra clan head really had been very supportive on that front too. From the end of the blue month till midway through the white month the Ruu and the clans under them were on a break period, which left us without a source of meat for our business in the meantime. Then the Fa, Fou, and Sudra had their break period in the following ashen month, which left me worrying a lot about where I was going to get meat from.

At the clan head meeting, the majority of the clans gave their approval for the Fa clan’s business. But of those clans, only the Fou, Ran, Sudra, Gaaz, and Ratsu had learned bloodletting and dissection techniques. Then later on the Deen and Liddo from under the Zaza added to that number, but they were located close enough to each other as well that their break periods ended up overlapping.

From that group, the Gaaz and Ratsu were fairly distant from the rest, so their break periods weren’t so close to the others. But precisely because they were so far away, Ai Fa hadn’t had much of a chance to give them instructions, which meant they were still inexperienced when it came to bloodletting and dissecting. Their level of skill at least provided enough for them to eat, but they weren’t well equipped to offer up extra to sell.

It was then that the Sudra clan head got in contact with the Fou and Ran and they worked together to more properly instruct the Gaaz, Ratsu, and their related clans on the necessary techniques. During the break period in the ashen month, they went out of their way to accompany those clans into the forest to carefully instruct them. Thanks to the meat those clans ended up providing in turn, we were able to keep on doing business in the post town even during the break period.

“But we’ve received even more from the Fa clan. So again, I really should be the one thanking you,” the Sudra clan head stubbornly insisted. “We’ve amassed a fortune of our own through Li’s work and by selling you meat. Thanks to that, we will no longer have to watch our infants go hungry... Asuta, I have lost children twice now to starvation.”

“Yes, I remember, of course.”

That was why the Sudra offered stronger support than anyone to the Fa clan’s goal of bringing prosperity to the forest’s edge. I could still clearly remember how when he cut down Tei Suun, he calmly stated, “Your Suun clan cast aside their pride to live without hardship, so what would you know of the pain of losing your child to starvation?”

“This time, we’ll be certain to raise a fine child. And it’s thanks to the Fa clan that I can look forward to it filled with hope rather than despair.”

As the clan head said that, Li Sudra smiled gently next to him. Despite the fact that they seemed more like father and child in terms of age, seeing them standing beside one another like that made it clear just how much love they shared.

It was then that a voice loudly exclaimed “Ah!” Looking that way, I found a young girl coming from beside the Sudra house, holding chopped firewood in her arms.

“Oh, perfect timing. Come over here and introduce yourself to Asuta, Yun. Asuta, this is Yun Sudra, the girl we want to have help you with work in the post town.”

After setting the firewood down at her feet, she timidly approached. She was a cute girl with gray-brown hair, a color rarer than even black at the forest’s edge, and she wore it in a ponytail out to the side. And she definitely had to be younger than me. She had a small build and pretty looks, with large bright eyes and slightly narrow lips.

This Yun Sudra girl had visited the Fa house plenty of times for cooking lessons. But we hadn’t had much in the way of one-on-one interaction, so the only strong impression I really had came from her unique hair color.

“U-Um, my name is Yun Sudra. I don’t know if I’ll be all that much help, but I look forward to working together,” she stated, her face beet red as she gave a deep bow. She was obviously quite nervous, but still, she seemed to be a healthy, energetic young girl.

“I’m Asuta of the Fa clan, and I look forward to working with you too. Err...will you be able to start working right away tomorrow?”

“Ah, if that’s what you need from her, then by all means. You can pay her based on how well she gets the work done,” the girl’s clan head offered.

“But from what I recall, the Sudra only have five women, right? Is it really okay for me to be taking two of them away?”

“Don’t worry, us men will take care of whatever we need to. We’ve gained enough strength through the power of delicious cooking to handle that much,” the middle-aged man declared resolutely, though his face still looked a bit sullen. “And if this girl isn’t handling things properly, then please speak up about it. We would want to replace her with someone else while Li can still move about freely.”

“I-I’ll definitely be a big help! I swear, I won’t bring shame to the Sudra name!” Yun Sudra declared, shooting me an enthusiastic look.

It was quite a contrast compared to the calm and composed Li Sudra, but I was definitely glad to see her so fired up.

“I don’t believe she should fall that far short of Li in regards to manning the stove. If you don’t mind, could you bring Yun along with you today so she can see you work?”

“Got it. I just have to get her back before sunset, right? Is that okay with you, Yun Sudra?”

“Of course! I’m grateful for the opportunity!” Yun Sudra replied as she once again bowed deeply, then she hopped on into the wagon as if to escape my gaze.

“Okay, I’ll take good care of her. By the way, umm... I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now, but there’s something I’ve never quite happened to pick up...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“The truth is, I’ve actually never heard your name, clan head of the Sudra...”

At that, the Sudra clan head’s eyes opened wide. And then, his face wrinkled up even further as he grinned.

“Oh, I’ve never told you my name before?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see. Well, it’s not like you need to know someone’s name to form a bond with them or anything, I suppose. Now that you mention it, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard the Fou or Ran clan heads’ names either,” he replied, scratching his head. “Still, it’s a strange feeling to be introducing myself after all this time... My name is Raielfam Sudra.”

“Huh? Sorry, could you say that again?”

“Raielfam Sudra. It’s a real old-fashioned name, isn’t it?”

“I-Is it? At any rate, I’ve never heard such a long name here at the forest’s edge before.”

“Supposedly such names weren’t all that rare back in my grandfather’s day. They say we people of the forest’s edge have mixed blood from the east, so maybe that tradition came from there.”

It was true that the members of the Silver Vase like Shumiral and Radajid had complex family names I had difficulty memorizing.

“I don’t remember too clearly, but I believe it means something like ‘fangs of the fierce apes.’ Supposedly our ancestors hunted creatures called black apes back in the forest to the south, so I believe my name contains the wish that I would grow to be a strong hunter. That’s why I take this name given to me by my grandfather as a point of pride.”

“Right. It’s a wonderful name. From now on, that’s how I’ll refer to you, Raielfam Sudra.”

“Very well. I hope to continue fostering a strong bond with your Fa clan from here on out, Asuta.”

At that, Raielfam Sudra’s already wrinkled face grew even more wrinkly as he broke out in a smile.

4

When we arrived at the Fa house, Toor Deen swiftly departed back for her clan, stating, “I stayed late yesterday, so I have to hurry back today.”

That just left me, Lem Dom, and Yun Sudra.

Though I wasn’t all that familiar with Yun Sudra, we were at least technically acquainted. And so, I figured it was at least better than being left alone with Lem Dom, who felt oddly overpowering even before that warning from Yamiru Lea not to let my guard down. I went ahead and started preparing dinner.

“Err, I wasn’t planning on making anything too complicated today, but up in the northern settlement you’re still making the same meals as before, right, Lem Dom?”

“Yes. There are plenty of folks who at least want to learn how to bake poitan as soon as possible,” Lem Dom replied, crossing her arms under her prominent chest as she stared down at me with a cynical look. “Even so, just learning bloodletting from the Rutim men has made for quite a change in terms of dinner. You brought that technique to the forest’s edge too, didn’t you?”

“I did. But it’s nothing special, and I would say that everyone does it in town.”

Lem Dom’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Asuta, how old are you?”

“Huh? I’m seventeen.”

“I see. That means you’re two years older than me, so could you please stop sounding so formal when talking to me?”

I had figured she might be younger, but she was only fifteen? It was a bit of a shock, hearing she was the same age as Ludo Ruu and Morun Rutim.

“Err, so how old are you, Yun Sudra?”

“A-Ah, I’m also fifteen!”

I looked back and forth between the pair in utter disbelief. Yun Sudra couldn’t have been more than 160 centimeters tall at the most and had an adorable girlish appearance, while Lem Dom looked to be around 180 centimeters and was burlier than I was. The pair was just so dissimilar that they felt like different species entirely.

“I suppose you’re right, I shouldn’t be treating you differently in that case. So one more time, nice to meet you, Lem Dom.”

“Yes, I feel the same.”

Even now that everyone but Yun Sudra was gone, Lem Dom still had the same arrogant aura lingering about her.

It wasn’t like I thought she was a bad person or anything, but it was my first time meeting a woman of the forest’s edge like her besides Yamiru Lea, which put me on edge. Still, it wasn’t as if I had any choice but to ignore that and keep on working.

“Well then, let’s get to work on dinner. First up is preparing the soup dish.”

The first step there was removing the astringent taste of the nanaar. Since the spinach-like vegetable had a strong bitter taste and squeaky texture when eaten raw, it needed that sort of extra effort. Still, it wasn’t all that major of a task. It just involved boiling it a bit in water with salt, then chilling it in cold water. Next I chopped up that blanched nanaar with aria, nenon, and chatchi, which I slowly boiled along with giba thigh meat in a somewhat low amount of water.

“If you boil giba meat over a low flame for a longer period of time, the meat gets softer and more flavor seeps into the broth. And the cloudy stuff that comes out of the meat and vegetables can end up as an off-flavor, which is why we remove it in advance.”

Since Lem Dom was still just a beginner, I was trying to give detailed explanations as I worked. And though she must have already understood this much, Yun Sudra was passionately nodding along as I worked.

“Now we maintain a low flame while making sure it doesn’t go out, and meanwhile we’ll bake the poitan on the neighboring stove. In the Sudra clan, do you mix in gigo with the poitan?”

“W-We don’t! The clan head’s decision on the matter was that we didn’t need such expensive vegetables!”

“I see. It’s true that the price of gigo is no joke if you’re using it every day... Lately here at the Fa house, we’ve been mixing in fuwano rather than gigo.”

“Fuwano? You mean that flour that’s like poitan after you boil it and dry it out?”

“Yeah. By mixing it into poitan, it changes the texture, so I’ve been trying out all sorts of stuff. And it would definitely be cheaper than gigo.”

I was secretly thinking I could make something pretty interesting by combining the chewiness of poitan with the springy texture of fuwano. But that was something I was still experimenting with, so for today I just baked them up flat like usual.

“Now it’s finally time for the meat dish. This one uses aria, nenon, pula, and giba chest meat.”

The dish in question was made with tarapa-flavored sweet and sour sauce.

After thoroughly sauteeing the meat and vegetables, I finished things off by pouring a sweet and sour sauce over it, made using mamaria vinegar, sugar, tau oil, tarapa, and aria, with added chatchi starch to thicken it up. There was still plenty of time left till sunset, so I went ahead and cooked up enough for a sample and held it out for the two chefs-in-training.

“What do you think? I kept down the sourness, so it shouldn’t be so hard to get down.”

Yun Sudra timidly reached out, while Lem Dom showed no hesitation whatsoever.

“Ah, it’s delicious. Your skill is always so amazing, Asuta,” Yun Sudra stated after eating her single bite. Her smooth cheeks had turned red, and her light brown eyes were tearing up ever so slightly. “Sugar really is a wonderful ingredient. The members of my house are always warning me not to use too much, since it costs more than salt.”

“Ah, you like sweet flavors, Yun Sudra?”

“Yes, I love them,” she smiled, her cheeks still red. I secretly thought to myself how this was a fresh sort of reaction from a woman of the forest’s edge.

As that was going on, Lem Dom mumbled, “What an odd taste. The dishes Toor Deen made didn’t taste anything like it. I think I may prefer just sprinkling salt and pico leaves over the meat instead.”

“Yeah, the sweetness from sugar and sourness of vinegar were unheard of at the forest’s edge up till now. I’m sure there are still plenty of folks out there who aren’t especially familiar with either.”

Fortunately Ai Fa didn’t seem to have much of a problem with sugar or vinegar right from the start, so I was able to ask her opinion on all sorts of things. In fact, when I made her sweet and sour meatballs before, it seemed to really put her in a good mood.

“By the way, I’ve heard people say that the folks from the northern settlement live even simpler lives than most people of the forest’s edge. Do they have a resistance to the idea of buying herbs and seasonings?”

“By ‘simple,’ do you mean how we don’t like to waste coins? If it is determined that delicious food is something we need as a people, then there’s no need to be stingy. After all, our clans should be the next most prosperous after the Ruu,” Lem Dom replied, and then she shot Yun Sudra a glance. “But from what I hear, the Sudra clan has earned quite the fortune assisting the Fa and selling them meat, correct? It really feels strange to think that small clans who can’t hunt many giba at all can earn more than the large clans up north.”

“That’s right. There are only nine members to the Sudra clan, so as long as the men hunt down one giba a day we can manage to keep going. But thanks to the Fa clan, we have been able to gain great strength,” Yun Sudra replied, showing no fear of Lem Dom as her eyes sparkled away. “In fact, lately the men haven’t been getting injured, and it’s not rare at all for them to hunt down three giba every two days. Plus, Li is now with child, so I’m certain our clan will only grow stronger in the future.”

“Now that you mention it, the Sudra no longer have any branch houses or related clans, right? So are you Li Sudra’s little sister, then?” I asked, only for Yun Sudra’s cheeks to instantly flush red. But what she said next spoke to the harsh conditions of the forest’s edge.

“No. Li was originally a member of a branch house, while I come from the Meema, a clan that once followed the Sudra. Once it seemed like our houses were about to fall into ruin, we were taken into the main Sudra house, which somehow managed to survive. Otherwise, our only option would have been to abandon the Sudra name and live on as members of some other clan we had no blood ties with.”

“I see...”

To the people of the forest’s edge, blood ties mattered above all else. And so, both the clans that were prospering and those that were struggling felt like extremes to me.

For example, the Ruu and the former Suun were both large groups with a hundred people to their name when including the clans under them. Among them, the Ruu and Suun, as the parent clans, each had thirty to forty people each, while the smallest clans under them didn’t even reach ten in number.

With more subordinate clans, that allowed for maintaining strength through marriages, but smaller clans would end up dwindling and having to consolidate in the end like the Sudra had done.

From my point of view, it would be better to intermingle between clans much more frequently and form even further blood ties...but things weren’t quite that simple. After all, to the people of the forest’s edge, forming such bonds meant becoming family. If you couldn’t treat someone as equally important to you as your parents and siblings and risk your life for them, then you couldn’t go forming ties of blood.

And I had come to think that way too when I saw how the Ruu had gained such strength, while the Suun neglected those bonds and fell into decline.

“Still, the Fa are the only clan here at the forest’s edge with just two members to their name,” Lem Dom stated in a sarcastic tone. “Our main Dom house is also just myself and the clan head, but when you add in the branch houses we number fifteen in total. And there are nearly seventy in total under our parent clan, the Zaza. Would you not say a clan of just two like the Fa are simply awaiting the day of their inevitable ruin?”

“But the Fa clan can grow by taking in a husband or bride! By forming blood ties with other clans like that, they could avoid their ruin!” Yun Sudra firmly insisted before I could say anything.

When I looked her way in surprise, I found that the girl was squaring her shoulders and glaring right at Lem Dom. It was sort of like a toy poodle facing down a doberman.

“That’s true... The Fa clan has earned an enormous fortune, so they should be able to use that strength to gain new blood ties,” Lem Dom replied, not looking at all intimidated as she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not as if I was trying to make light of the Fa clan, you know. I have no intention of critiquing how other clans live... If I touched a nerve, then I apologize, Asuta.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s no issue. Do you mind backing down too, Yun Sudra?” I asked, causing the girl to swiftly turn toward me. Once again, her face turned beet red.

“I-I’m so sorry! That was uncalled for... I’m so embarrassed...”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” I replied, though I was feeling at a bit of a loss myself.

Maybe it was weighing a bit heavily on my nerves, having to deal with both the oddly sarcastic-sounding Lem Dom and also Yun Sudra, who acted overly defensive of the Fa clan. When it came to the future of our clan, I really didn’t want outsiders to interfere too much.

“Now then, how about we continue working on the soup dish?” I declared as I picked up a container left on the workstation, trying to focus on the task at hand. It contained skim milk, which I had produced the other day while making milk fat. And so, I went ahead and poured the entire contents into the pot.

“Ah, so is that karon milk?”

“Yeah. I end up with this stuff left over when I make milk fat, so I have to make frequent use of it.”

The soup had grown cloudy from the stock and was now a distinctly milky color. Taking care not to let it boil, I added salt and pico leaves, as well as just a bit of tau oil. Then, I finished things off by adding poitan for a bit of gooeyness.

This dish was something like a simplified cream stew. Normally I would have used milk fat and fuwano flour to make a white sauce, but that would leave me with more skim milk from making the milk fat and I’d end up going around in circles.

“So the Sudra clan hasn’t been ordering karon milk, right? Have you ever given this dish a taste test before?”

“Yes, but only once... Ah, but if you don’t mind, could I give it a try again today?”

“Of course, go right ahead.”

After scooping out some karon milk soup onto plates, I held them out to the two women.

It didn’t look much different than cream stew, and it had a nice gooey texture. But I hadn’t used any milk fat and had even used skim karon milk, so it had a rather refreshing feel to it. For an accent, I had added pico leaves, which were akin to black pepper. That all made it pretty much identical to the recipe I had given The Kimyuus’s Tail and The Westerly Wind.

“Aah, this one is delicious too,” Yun Sudra proclaimed with a look of supreme bliss, while Lem Dom raised a single questioning eyebrow.

“You used milk from the animal known as a karon in this?”

“That’s right. Do you like it?”

“Yes. It somehow feels like this flavor is granting me strength.”

Apparently Lem Dom possessed her own particular tastes. If you wanted to take that in a negative light, you could call her a picky eater, but it was also possible to see it as her having a good tongue for knowing her likes and dislikes.

Folks like her can actually be better at cooking, ironically, I thought to myself as Yun Sudra started looking back and forth between the pots.

“Umm... That meat dish is red like a tarapa, while this soup is white like karon milk... Those colors are real pretty, aren’t they?”

“That’s right. Appearances are important too when it comes to cooking.”

“Plus, it feels like the sourness from the tarapa and the sweetness of the karon milk help each other stand out.”

“Yes, the sourness of the mamaria vinegar on its own would probably clash with the taste of the karon soup, which is why I used lots of tarapa.”

I was surprised by how keenly she had pointed that out.

In response, Yun Sudra was smiling like a puppy having its head petted.

It was then that I heard the sound of footsteps on sand.

“Ah, welcome home, Ai Fa... Wait, what happened to you?!” I shouted without thinking when I saw her.

“What are you talking about?” Ai Fa shot back with a displeased look.

I was shocked she even needed to ask, considering how out of the ordinary her appearance was. Her hair was normally worn up in a complex braid, but now it was all disheveled and both her cloak and limbs were coated in dirt. Her mouth even looked to be a bit bloody.

However, she still had a firm stance and a piercing look in her eyes. That much was why I was able to hold back the unease I was feeling.

“Two giba came at me at once in an attack from two sides. I took down one of them, but the other slipped away. And I drove my blade in at an odd angle too, which is how it ended up like this,” Ai Fa explained, pulling out her sword.

At that point, I once again gasped. Her blade had been cleanly snapped off around the middle.

“The giba I managed to take down ended up with too many wounds and I wasn’t able to properly bloodlet it, so I let the Fou clan have the meat and pelt.”

“I see... I’m just glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”

“Hmph. I got some slight injuries, though,” Ai Fa retorted with a wild spit.

Actually, that wasn’t spit that came out, but blood. Apparently she had cut not just her lips, but also the inside of her mouth.

“Asuta, you didn’t use any chitt seeds in tonight’s dinner, did you?”

“N-No, at least not yet.”

“In that case, make certain not to put any in. It would be a real mess trying to eat chitt seeds with my mouth like this.”

I felt truly glad that I had taken care of experimenting with the giba curry back at the study session.

At any rate, in the midst of all this Ai Fa’s displeased gaze moved over to my side.

“By the way, you are a Dom woman, are you not? Weren’t you supposed to be receiving instruction at the Ruu settlement?”

“Yes... I’m surprised you knew I belonged to the Dom clan, Ai Fa of the Fa clan.”

I turned toward Lem Dom in surprise, as something had clearly changed in her voice compared to before.

With a strangely passionate look in her eyes, Lem Dom stared right at Ai Fa, and then she broke out in an oddly daring grin.

“The Dom are the only clan at the forest’s edge to use giba bones as accessories like that. And I had heard from Asuta that a Dom woman was coming to the Ruu settlement. So why are you here at the Fa house receiving instruction from Asuta?”

“I wanted to meet you, Ai Fa.”

This was news to me.

Ai Fa’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she used her fingers to comb out her disheveled hair. Since it was no longer tied up, those long golden locks flowed all the way down her back and over her chest.

“I don’t know what business you may have, but I’m in quite the bad mood today. If it’s anything complicated, I ask you to come back some other day.”

“You truly are beautiful, Ai Fa... I had heard you weren’t an especially large woman, and it’s not as if you have prominent muscles... If it weren’t for that look in your eyes, you would be even more lovely than most women.”

“Did you come here just to babble nonsense, Dom woman?”

“My name is Lem Dom. Younger sister of the Dom clan head, Deek Dom. I came here to meet you, the only female hunter at the forest’s edge,” Lem Dom said with a sensual lick of her lips. It was as if she were a carnivore that had found its prey.

“Hmph, you seem to have trained your body quite a bit for a woman, Lem Dom. Are you in charge of some sort of intense manual labor at the Dom settlement?”

“Oh, you think so? Well it’s true that if we stood next to each other, I could see anyone thinking I was the hunter.”

With an indifferent expression, Ai Fa started bundling up her loose hair.

Meanwhile, Yun Sudra and I just watched over the uneasy exchange.

“There are men out there who are smaller than me but possess greater strength. Frustrating as it may be, there’s a gap between men and women on that front to begin with. But if we’re both women, then the bigger one should be stronger, wouldn’t you agree?”

“It’s true that with such a fine build you may be able to carry heavier things about. But what of it? I don’t understand what you’re trying to say in the least.”

“It’s nothing all that complicated. I simply wish for a contest with you.”

“A contest?”

“Yes, a contest of strength between hunters,” Lem Dom replied with an even more daring grin.

But instantly Ai Fa seemed to lose all interest as she looked away from Lem Dom. “Ridiculous. I have no time to spend on such a farce. Asuta, I’ll be cleansing myself inside the house, so don’t enter for the time being.”

“Hold on, Ai Fa. You may not have any interest in it, but to me this is an important event that will determine my future,” Lem Dom stated, her bone accessories jangling as she stepped forward.

Ai Fa then shot her an annoyed glare out of the corner of her eye.

“What is there to gain from a contest of strength between a woman and a hunter? Such deeds are meant to display one’s strength to the forest, or as an act of training.”

“That is the reason. This is a chance to show the forest my strength, and to train as a hunter,” Lem Dom replied, her lips twisting into a grin. “You’ve managed to take down enough giba to prove yourself a fine hunter, haven’t you? So if I prove myself stronger than you, then wouldn’t that mean I have a hunter’s strength myself?”

“Your words may be correct, but a woman who is no hunter would never get the better of me...”

“How can you say that so confidently? Despite what you might think, I’ve done plenty of training in my own way.”

“Among the women who aren’t hunters, there might not be any who are a match for you. And it’s possible you could even take down most men from town. But that’s the end of it. You wouldn’t be able to do a thing against a full-fledged hunter.”

“I came here to have a contest of strength, not an argument, Ai Fa.”

“You certainly are stubborn,” Ai Fa grumbled. “As I said, I’m in a bad mood today. If you don’t wish to suffer a painful experience, then go back to manning the—” Ai Fa started to reply, only for Lem Dom to make a sudden move.

Kicking off the ground, she closed the three-meter gap between her and Ai Fa in an instant.

Yun Sudra shrieked, clinging to my arm.

Showing no panic whatsoever, Ai Fa twisted her body and dodged Lem Dom’s assault.

With animal-like agility, Lem Dom once more pivoted to face Ai Fa.

“I guess it’s no surprise that that wasn’t enough to make you flinch. But can’t you tell I’m no ordinary woman now?”

“It seems you won’t understand without getting hurt...” Ai Fa stated in an utterly unmoved tone, calmly removing her hunter’s cloak. And keeping her gaze fixed on Lem Dom, she hung it on a nearby tree branch.

“P-Please stop, Lem Dom! It’s not acceptable for us people of the forest’s edge to fight among ourselves!” Yun Sudra firmly interjected. However, she was still clinging to my left arm.

“This isn’t a fight, it’s a hunter’s contest of strength. We aren’t to hurt one another, and victory comes from your opponent’s palms or the back of their legs touching the ground. That’s fine with you, right, Ai Fa?”

“Indeed. Aside from the fact that you’re no hunter, none of that is mistaken.”

As soon as Ai Fa offered that response, Lem Dom went on the attack again. Her long arms reached out, trying to grab my clan head from both sides.

Ai Fa gracefully stepped forward, letting the attack flow over her left side. And then she grabbed hold of Lem Dom’s left wrist.

Using all her might, Lem Dom tried to twist her body to shake free.

Ai Fa leapt back as if being thrown, her right heel brushing up against the stove built into the ground.

The fire was already out, but there was still a hot pot sitting on it. Whether she noticed that or not, Lem Dom leapt forward again for the third time.

“Aah!” Yun Sudra shrieked. If Ai Fa dodged, Lem Dom would definitely plunge into the stove. Even I was about to reflexively close my eyes.

Sure enough, though, Ai Fa wasn’t shaken. She didn’t try to dodge Lem Dom’s charge either. My clan head ducked down and let Lem Dom’s arms pass over her head, then grappled her tight waist and twisted her body to the right.

Lem Dom’s frame was lifted into the air as if weightless, passing just beside the stove as her back slammed into the ground.

For just a moment Ai Fa’s posture was a back bridge, then she more or less did a backward somersault and landed on her feet. She might have just been using Lem Dom’s momentum, but it came out like a showy pro wrestling move.

“Are you satisfied now? What a truly foolish woman...” Ai Fa stated, turning to shoot us a glare. “By the way, you are a Sudra woman, correct? It’s against the customs of the forest’s edge for an unmarried woman to cling to a member of another clan like that.”

“Huh?” I questioned doofily, only for Yun Sudra to leap away from me. And as she did so, her face was redder than ever before.

“I-I-I’m so sorry! I-I acted without thinking...”

“Ah, er, yeah,” I unintelligibly responded, then I looked over beyond the stove. Instantly, Lem Dom energetically rose to her feet.

“Just what I’d expect from a full-fledged hunter! I never thought you would handle me so easily!” Even now, there was a daring smile on her face, and her black eyes were blazing like a hunter’s. “I won’t be giving up from just that single bout, though, Ai Fa!”

“If that one clash was not enough for you to understand the difference in our strength, then I cannot call you anything but unqualified to be a hunter.”

“Hmph!” Lem Dom snorted, lowering her stance. It seemed that despite falling for that explosive pro wrestling move, she hadn’t taken any real noteworthy damage.

Seeing that, Ai Fa narrowed her eyes, looking displeased. “If you want to suffer further, then let’s move elsewhere. After all, what if dirt or the like got into the food?”

“Ha ha ha, so you’re finally ready to seriously take me on? I’m glad to hear it, Ai Fa.”

“Today really has been an awful day...” Ai Fa muttered, brushing up her bangs as she let out a long-suffering sigh.

◇

Several minutes later, I heard the sound of a totos’s talons beating the ground coming toward the Fa house.

“Hey, long time no see, Asuta!”

“Huh? Ah, Ludo Ruu.”

The energetic youngest son of the Ruu tugged up on the totos’s reins, bringing it to a halt. The huge bird’s plumage was a touch on the pale side, which meant this one was Ruuruu rather than Jidura.

“It’s been a little while, hasn’t it? So, what brings you here today?”

“Well, Vina and the others told me that Lem Dom headed to the Fa house, so I came to see what was going on.” As he hopped nimbly to the ground, he looked over at Yun Sudra by my side. “Hmm? Who are you?”

“I’m Yun Sudra of the Sudra clan,” the girl replied with a somewhat nervous look on her face, and then she bowed her head. It seemed like someone from such a small clan couldn’t just casually interact with a member of one of the leading houses of the forest’s edge.

“Hmm... I’m Ludo Ruu. Nice to meet you. So, where did Lem Dom get to?”

“She’s over that way,” I replied, pointing behind me, prompting Ludo Ruu to peer over my shoulder.

Lem Dom had both hands on the ground as she gasped for breath. Ai Fa, meanwhile, stood before her, seeming perfectly composed. Over the past few minutes, she had already easily thrown Lem Dom over ten times.

“Jeez, so that really is how things turned out, huh? I figured. That’s why I hurried here by totos...”

“Huh? You know Lem Dom, Ludo Ruu?”

“Yeah. Remember when you made the croquette sandwiches before? Well, I ended up spending the night at the main Dom house that day.”

Now that he mentioned it, I had made some croquette sandwiches for Ludo Ruu to bring along with him when he went to the northern settlement back in the ashen month.

“She told me that she wanted to become a hunter. I guessed that she might challenge Ai Fa to a contest of strength if they met.”

“I-If you knew, then I wish you would’ve told me. I had no idea what in the world was happening when she suddenly lunged at Ai Fa.”

“Well, I did think that maybe I should bring it up. I mean, she seemed super driven to become a hunter. But it also felt like it wasn’t really my place to say anything,” Ludo Ruu replied, looking guilty as he scratched his head. “Besides, I couldn’t imagine her ever being any threat to Ai Fa, no matter how hard she went on the attack.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true, but still...”

Ai Fa had managed to take down powerful hunters like Ji Maam, Darmu Ruu, and Rau Lea, and even competed evenly with Dan Rutim, who was either the strongest or second strongest of the men under the Ruu. Even if she was a woman with an unusually robust build, it seemed there was no way Lem Dom could even make Ai Fa work up a sweat, much less bring her to the ground.

“You lack the resolve and spirit needed to be a hunter, Lem Dom...” Ai Fa coldly stated as she looked down at the woman’s powerless figure. “No matter how strong your body may be, you will never defeat your opponent without a powerful heart. And furthermore, if you lack the technique to utilize your strength, then it’s no use for anything but carrying heavy loads. The strongest person you could hope to compete with now is a young man who has yet to even enter the forest.”

Lem Dom offered no response.

“But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who wishes to see more women as hunters in the first place, so you should focus on the work that is yours to do, Lem Dom.”

As she again received no response, Ai Fa gave a little sigh and turned to walk away.

However, Lem Dom grabbed hold of her ankle.

“What is it? I can’t exactly throw someone who cannot even stand under their own power, you know.”

“Ai Fa, you’re...” Lem Dom squeezed out while gasping for air. “You’re an amazing hunter, aren’t you?”

“Hmm?” Ai Fa murmured, her brow furrowing questioningly. And then suddenly, Lem Dom threw her arms around my clan head’s graceful legs.

“I’m so glad I came here so we could meet... I want to become a fine hunter like you, Ai Fa...”

Lem Dom’s expression looked somehow ecstatic as she lay there on the ground, hugging Ai Fa’s legs.

After exchanging a glance with Ludo Ruu, I hurried over to them.

“Don’t utter such foolishness. You don’t understand at all just how much hardship there is in trying to be a hunter as a woman.”

“Even so, I want to be a hunter... I can’t just keep on suppressing these feelings, doing nothing at all with them...”

Lem Dom closed her eyes as she joyfully rubbed her cheek up against Ai Fa’s smooth thigh. It was at this point that Ai Fa’s cool-headed expression finally started to crack.

“Then just go ahead and do as you please! This has nothing to do with me to begin with! A-And could you stop touching me already?!”

“No, just let me stay like this a little longer...”

At that, Ai Fa shot us a look of uncharacteristic bewilderment. “What’s going on here?! Asuta, Ludo Ruu, save me already!”

“Hmm? It’s fine for women to touch one another even before marriage, isn’t it?” the woman on the ground opined.

“That’s not the issue here! I can feel a shiver running down my spine!”

Ai Fa tried to coldly shove the other girl’s head away, but Lem Dom just let out a seductive “Mmm” and refused to separate. For the first time, Lem Dom’s well-trained muscles had a chance to shine.

“What’s going on here?” Ludo Ruu questioned, looking my way as he scratched his head.

“I’m not really sure, but I think Ai Fa may have looked a little too cool there.”

Now that I thought about it, when Gilulu had first come to the Fa house, Ai Fa had earned some shrill cheers of excitement from women in the area as she rode around gallantly.

As I found myself lost in such recollections, Ai Fa woefully cried, “Hurry up and save me already!”