Chapter 3: A Star of Bad Omen

Chapter 3: A Star of Bad Omen

1

The 15th day of the blue month.

It was a day that would end far from tranquilly, but it started just the same as the day before.

With that said, the forest’s edge was still under martial law. When we awoke with the rising of the sun, picked up what we needed to wash, and opened the door, four Dom men were standing there, having watched over the Fa house all night. They had lit fires on all four sides of the house and taken turns sleeping as they guarded against an assault by the criminals.

“Good morning. We have to clean up after last night’s dinner.”

The four men wearing giba skulls just silently nodded back.

The previous night, I had treated them to the leftover myamuu giba from the stall. However, the men of this clan from the far north were known to be especially stern even among the people of the forest’s edge. And so, I couldn’t even spy the anger at Zattsu and Tei Suun for sullying their pride, as it was hidden as always beneath their stony, expressionless faces.

One of the four remained to watch the house, while the other three accompanied us to the washing place. As they had been attacked by Zattsu Suun and let Tei Suun escape, they volunteered themselves to guard the Fa house in order to recover their honor.

It was a given that they strongly desired a chance to mete out punishment to the criminals by their own hands. And so they also kept on guarding the Fa house during the day, so we were able to go work in town without worrying about it being set on fire or anything being poisoned while we were away.

Once we finished with our work for the morning we headed to the Ruu settlement, where we met up with the others and then set out for the post town. For us, that part of the route was the most dangerous, but fortunately we made it to town without running into any unforeseen misfortune, and were able start our work without any problems.

◇

I guess Kamyua’s group is right in the middle of the forest around now... I absentmindedly mused while cooking meat on the metal tray.

If they left Genos when the sun rose, it would take around 40-50 minutes to reach the Ruu settlement, then it would be about two hours before they hit the Sauti homes to the south. So around now, they should be blazing a trail through the forest.

Then they would travel along from the south to the east of Mount Morga, and make it through the forest in half a day. It was a seriously intense schedule. And yet, it was just the start of a long journey that would last for two months before they returned.

Where will Zattsu Suun show up...? Or will he end up dying out in the forest without anyone knowing, like Ludo Ruu said...? I thought to myself, a sigh unintentionally slipping out.

Then from next to me, Lala Ruu grumbled with a bored look, “Man, there sure aren’t many customers. Somehow it almost doesn’t feel worth doing all this...”

“That’s not true. And besides, it’s not like our sales are going to drop off that dramatically.”

With that said, it sure wasn’t lively at the moment. The fact that our sales hadn’t changed all that much was ultimately down to the fact that we didn’t have many customers from the west to begin with.

Even so, Dora did stop by while holding a firm grasp on Tara’s hand, and they bought enough for the pot and cloth sellers too. And then, Yumi also stopped by just like she had promised. So for now, I had to keep on working while praying in my mind that they didn’t get wrapped up in anything.

“Ah, welcome!” I greeted with a smile far brighter than I was feeling inside, as a group of customers approached as if to cheer us up. It was the whole of that merchant group from the east, the Silver Vase. However, when Shumiral approached and pulled down his hood as always, he for some reason silently stared at my face.

“Um, do you want five of each as usual today?”

“Yes,” he replied with a small nod, then went silent again.

What was going on? Maybe I was just imagining things, but I felt like I could sense some sadness in his gaze.

“Is something the matter, Shumiral?”

“No... It’s just, I heard something.”

“Huh?”

“That your food, is being served, in an inn, for people of, the south.”

“Ah, do you mean The Great Southern Tree?”

Silence, and more sad eyes.

At this point, even I had a sense of what was going on.

“U-Um, you see, the owner of that inn has mixed blood of the south and west. So he heard about the reputation of our stalls and offered a job to me, so he could serve my cooking in his inn...”

“I would feel blessed, to be able, to eat your cooking, for dinner.”

“T-Thank you. But ultimately, it all falls down to the inn owner’s feelings...”

“Is it a problem, if the inn owner, is a westerner?”

“W-What?”

“The owner of, The Sledgehammer, is a westerner. Do you hate, people of the west, Asuta?”

“N-No, not at all. I even have westerners as customers here at the stalls, and I’d like Genos and the forest’s edge to form a better relationship.”

Shumiral leaned forwards ever so slightly.

“The owner of, The Sledgehammer, wishes for, the same thing. Could you not, serve dinner, at The Sledgehammer?”

“I-Is that the name of the inn you all use? If I could get work there too, I would certainly welcome it...”

“I will talk, to him. The Sledgehammer’s owner, will surely, be overjoyed. And we, will feel blessed, as well.”

“I’d be happy too if it works out. I’m honestly grateful that you always bring me such wonderful offers, Shumiral.”

Shumiral fell back, then hung his head a bit.

“I let myself, get worked up. I am, embarrassed.”

That was him getting worked up? That would mean I was worked up from morning till night.

“Could I ask for a bit more time, though? Ultimately, I’m pretty restricted under the current circumstances. I’m in no position to wander around the post town as I please...”

“That is fine. The disaster, will end.”

“Eh?”

“One of, my comrades, reads the stars. He said, the star of bad omen, will disappear.”

“Reading the stars...? So, a fortune teller? I’d certainly be glad if that turns out to be true.”

Now that I thought of it, the Eastern Kingdom of Sym was called the country of magic and shamans. So I guess it wasn’t so strange for someone from there to tell fortunes using stars.

“It will disappear, without fail. The disaster, will vanish. The movements of the stars, are absolute.”

“I see. Well then, if those criminals are captured while you all are staying in Genos, then please, go ahead and talk to that—” I started to say, only for Shumiral to shake his head and cut me off.

A heavy silence fell over us, and he seemed to appear a bit impatient despite how unusual that was for him.

“No. The star of ill fortune, will disappear... today.”

“Today?”

“Yes, today. It will vanish, today,” Shumiral said, leaning forwards again. “Asuta, please take care. When a strong star, disappears, the surrounding stars, can get wrapped up, in it. Many fates, can be twisted... Weak stars, can get involved, when a disaster, is felled.”

How could I express what I was feeling at the moment? It felt as if I had sensed someone walking over my own grave... An indescribable chill was creeping up my spine, and my body unwittingly trembled.

“I will talk, to The Sledgehammer’s, owner. I look forward, to when the disaster, is gone,” he said, his eyes narrowing as if to comfort me, and then he left along with his comrades.

“He’s just as mysterious as always, huh?” Lala Ruu said with a grin, but I wasn’t smiling.

There was an excessive unease lingering about me.

A star of ill omen would disappear, impacting the fates of a great many people... What a seriously ominous statement. It would be great if that applied to Zattsu Suun, but it was also terrifying.

I’d be grateful if he could get caught rather than dying alone in the forest, but still...

What if that resulted in a great number of casualties? Zattsu Suun was bedridden for years, so did he still have the strength left for something like that?

Even in spite of that fortune I couldn’t comprehend, I was starting to feel more and more uneasy.

“Ah, a totos...” Lala Ruu nonchalantly muttered. Sure enough, there was a lone easterner heading north with a totos in tow. “There sure was a lot of commotion this morning. I mean, there were totos walking along through the settlement at the forest’s edge. That had Rimee seriously worked up.”

“Oh, so the merchants had totos pulling their wares? Did you see that too, Lala Ruu?”

“Yeah. They were passing by just when I finished all my washing and stepped outside. They all had a bit of a nasty air about them, somehow. Like, they all had their faces hidden like folks from Sym.” Lala Ruu was always so energetic and fearless, so I couldn’t help but calm down a bit as I talked to her. It really was reassuring seeing how not just her, but all the Ruu women seemed to be going about their business as usual rather than fearing an attack by Zattsu Suun. They certainly had more guts than I did, if nothing else. “Still, it felt wrong for townsfolk to be walking through the settlement at the forest’s edge all haughty like that. I hope that’s the first and last time it happens...”

“But it’s not the first time, right? Didn’t a merchant caravan heading for Sym pass through the forest’s edge once before?”

“Ah, right. But I don’t remember anything from that far back. I mean, I was just two years old back then.”

“Huh? The last time was really that far back?” I asked, a bit taken off guard.

“Yup,” Lala Ruu replied with a nod. “That was when the older of Shin Ruu’s younger brothers was born, so it should be exactly ten years ago. That means I was two, so there’s no way I would ever remember anything from them.”

“Ah, I see...”

What was it? Why exactly was that jumping out at me? I mean, it shouldn’t matter how many years ago that was. It shouldn’t matter at all... But it was making me feel really uneasy.

Ten years ago, a large merchant caravan passed through the settlement. But whether because the people of the forest’s edge didn’t do enough to guide them or they simply weren’t properly equipped, they were attacked by giba and every last one of them lost their lives. All of them died out there in the forest. And they weren’t people of the forest’s edge, but citizens of Genos.

Then maybe...

The vague unease in the back of my mind was starting to take shape, but it was still fuzzy.

This wasn’t the first time I felt this way. In fact, something similar happened just the day before yesterday. But back then, Zattsu Suun was still being held by the Jeen clan. So it didn’t have anything to do with him, and I had instead been shaken by that meeting between Gazraan Rutim and Kamyua Yoshu. That then reminded me that I had been thinking of the time that aloof man visited the Ruu settlement over 20 days ago...

Oh yeah, and if I recall correctly, Kamyua was talking about the merchant caravan back then... Or no wait, was it Donda Ruu? At any rate, somebody mentioned it. So, that was ten years ago...

I had completely forgotten all about that. After all, back then I felt some story from years ago had nothing to do with me.

That still shouldn’t have changed, though. It really shouldn’t have. What did it matter whether it was five years ago or ten?

But... there was just one thing that differed between then and now: Through completely unrelated means, I had learned about someone else from Genos who had died ten years ago. In other words, Milano Mas’s friend, who was also his wife’s older brother. I didn’t even know his name, but I believe I had the time frame correct.

Could... he have been a member of the merchant group?

But according to Milano Mas, he was killed by a person of the forest’s edge. Apparently, the proof was that he was gripping a giba horn and tusk necklace.

And if I recall correctly, he was supposedly found dead at the bottom of a cliff...

Thinking about it, there weren’t any cliffs around the post town. And the only ones I knew of big enough to kill someone... were in the forest of Morga.

So Milano Mas’s friend was a member of the merchant group after all, and he died in the forest? And he wasn’t attacked by a giba, but rather by a person of the forest’s edge.

Ten years ago... That was right around when Zattsu Suun handed over his position as clan head. But at any rate, if someone went and did something that awful, it would have been him rather than Zuuro Suun. Even if he was already sick at that point and couldn’t do it himself, he could have always given the order to someone else.

Could that “someone else” have been Tei Suun?

The pieces were slotting together and forming a picture I really didn’t want to see. However, I was still missing some of them. But it was already enough to make it clear that there was a real possibility that Zasshuma’s merchant caravan would get attacked.

That feeling of unease inside of me just wouldn’t die out.

“Hey, are you alright, Asuta...?” Lala Ruu asked, suddenly poking me in the side and causing my heart to skip a beat. “We have a customer. If you’re feeling bad, though, do you want me to make it?”

“N-No, I’m fine. Hold on just a moment...” I called out, only to be surprised yet again. It was none other than young Leito standing there with a smile in front of the stall. “H-Huh? You stayed behind in Genos, Leito?”

“Yes. I was ordered to stay behind, as the job this time around is a dangerous one. That’s just awful, isn’t it? I’m going to be left alone for two whole months,” he said with an innocent smile and a cute tilt of his head. “So just the one for me today, alright?” he added as he held out two red coins.

“Thank you for your continued business. Still, just how have you been living, anyway...? Were you born in Genos?”

“That’s right. But I don’t have any family or anything, though,” the flaxen-haired youth stated, wearing the same smile as always. “My mother died after giving birth to me, but my family had ties to The Kimyuus’s Tail, so I’ve been allowed to stay there. Then Kamyua showed up two years ago as a guest, and I got him to agree to take me on as his apprentice.”

“Ooh! Then did Milano Mas adopt you?”

“No, he’s just been kind enough to give me a place to stay. But since I formed my bond with Kamyua, I’ve started paying to stay as a guest.” That was certainly a far harsher childhood than I had imagined. Was that why he always had such a mature air about him? “Milano Mas has been very good to me. But I’ve always wanted to see more of the world, which is why I wanted to stay with a wanderer like Kamyua. I mean, staying with him, you would gain the strength needed to live on your own whether you wanted to or not.”

“I see... But isn’t it going to be rough, being on your own for two months?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I was on my own to begin with, after all.” Leito still wore a smile that made you feel he couldn’t hurt a fly as he said that. “My father was the leader of a big merchant caravan. But he lost his life in an unfortunate accident ten years back, and my mother followed soon after him... I had only just been born, though, so I don’t have any memory of either of them.” I almost dropped the giba burger I had just finished making into the pot. And as that happened, Leito’s light brown eyes were staring straight at my face. “So you didn’t know after all, huh? Well, it’s not like Kamyua explicitly told me not to mention anything, so it’s fine.”

“Leito... Then Milano Mas’s friend was...”

“Yes. You mean the older brother of Milano Mas’s wife, don’t you? He was an important business partner to my father, apparently. I’m sure Milano Mas overlapped his wife and my mother in his head and felt pity for me. Honestly, he seemed to dote on me more than his own daughter.”

I was at a loss for words.

“Please, don’t make a face like that. I didn’t have any parents to begin with, so I don’t know what it feels like to have them,” Leito said with his usual innocent smile as he took the giba burger from my hands. “Well then, excuse me. I’ll keep stopping by every day, alright?”

With that, Leito disappeared down the road. As I watched him leave with a look of astonishment still half-fixed to my face, I could swear I heard the final piece clicking into place in my head.

Kamyua Yoshu had known from the very start that a person of the forest’s edge could have been behind the incident with the merchants from ten years ago. And he had formulated the plan to try it again despite that.

That may have been exactly why he didn’t let Leito accompany them. He didn’t want the boy to meet the same fate as his father...

Ah, but the circumstances are totally different between then and now. Even if the Suun clan caused that incident ten years ago, the only ones who could try something like that now are Zattsu and Tei Suun. With just the two of them, they couldn’t possibly attack a caravan protected by four hunters and five bodyguards, right...? And if even if they tried, they would just get taken down...

The puzzle in my head was finally complete, but my conclusion hadn’t changed in the least. And yet, the unease in my chest still hadn’t settled.

And so, while still feeling troubled by that sensation, I kept on working as the time slowly passed.

2

Once again, our business for the day ended without incident. Yes, our business ended just fine.

However, that group arrived just afterwards. It was after we had finished work with the stalls and The Great Southern Tree and had met up in front of The Kimyuus’s Tail, just as we had done yesterday.

The first one to notice anything was Ai Fa.

“There’s some sort of commotion from down the street...” she stated, pushing me off to the edge of the road and moving to cover me. I still hadn’t sensed anything at all, but Ludo Ruu and the others silently had the women step back and glared with hunters’ gazes towards the south.

“W-What is it? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. But there’s a disturbance in the air... and it seems to be drawing closer.”

But we were right smack in the middle of the post town. Zattsu and Tei Suun couldn’t possibly just come striding in among the crowds in broad daylight, right?

“Then shouldn’t we return the stalls as soon as possible and leave the post town?”

“For now, don’t move. It doesn’t seem like the criminals have launched an attack. But this is—” Ai Fa started, suddenly halting mid-sentence. I could spy a great deal of caution and suspicion on her face.

Then... it showed up.

The passersby who hadn’t noticed anything all suddenly stopped and moved to the side of the road in a hurry.

There was a low rumble that felt like the prelude to an earthquake fast approaching.

Somewhere in the distance, a young girl let out a shrill shriek.

“What’s that...?” I questioned, putting my hand on Ai Fa’s shoulder and leaning forward without thinking. However, she didn’t budge in the slightest, so all I could manage was peering over her shoulder.

A strange group was approaching from the south, down the highway. There were quite a few of them, too. They all wore hooded leather cloaks, and they were walking at a relatively relaxed pace.

I could see totos heads popping up among them, too. There were two of them, and they looked to be pulling a large carriage.

Still, the road was around ten meters wide, so it should have been simple to go around them and continue on your way. However, everyone was moving to the side of the road, then stopping and holding their breath as the group passed. That was just how much of a strange air was hanging about them.

“Sorry about this! But you’re in no danger, so don’t worry! Just don’t get close enough to come within arm’s reach!” the muscular man at the head of the group said with a hearty chuckle.

Hearing that voice only made me feel even more taken aback. They were around seven or eight meters away and all had hoods up so I couldn’t see their faces, but I recognized that deep voice. It belonged to someone who shouldn’t be here... The leader of the merchant caravan heading for Sym, Zasshuma.

Did that mean the other hooded men were the other merchants? But they were all supposed to be in the middle of the forest by now.

And there seemed to be enough people, but there were only two totos as far as I could see, and they didn’t appear to have any other luggage with them.

On top of that, I finally realized that the strange air I had been sensing was coming through my nose. There were two scents in particular hanging about. One was a sweet smell like that of some overly ripe fruit, while the other was a nasty stench like rusted metal.

That’s...

The smell of giba summoning fruit... and blood.

I was left utterly dumbfounded, but as I stood there in a daze, the group kept on approaching. Sure enough, the man out in front was Zasshuma. I could spy his familiar dark brown beard and large mouth from beneath his hood.

And looking at him now, I noticed that his cloak was coated in dark red blood.

“Ooh, you’re that stall’s owner, aren’t you?” Zasshuma questioned, suddenly turning my way and stopping. The other men behind him followed his lead and slowly turned to face us.

Zasshuma had a grin on his face, but there was an overbearing aura about the other men.

“So you’ve got hunters with you today in addition to that sexy girl from before, eh? I’m sure the people of Genos are quaking at the sight of so many people of the forest’s edge coming to town at once.”

“You’re Zasshuma, right...? Um, what’s going on here...? Didn’t you all set off on a journey towards Sym?”

“That was our intention, yeah. But our goods got wrecked, so we had no choice but to slink on back! We can’t exactly do any business by heading to Sym empty handed, now can we?” Zasshuma stated with a cheerful smile. He had a villainous-looking face like the head of a group of bandits to begin with, but now that he was grinning like that while coated in blood, he seriously didn’t look even slightly like a merchant.

On top of that... I spied a long sword dangling by his hip. And he didn’t seem intimidated in the least even when facing over ten people of the forest’s edge.

I did my best to smile back at his utterly undaunted expression, only for him to continue on, “Anyway, this is the result of a just and official purge, following the laws of Genos! You all may be people of the forest’s edge, but you’re still under Genos rule, so don’t go getting any funny ideas.”

“An official purge...?”

“Well, I suppose this works out just fine... There’s no way we would mistake such a face, but since you lot are from the forest’s edge, you can confirm it for us. Consider this a last farewell, I guess,” Zasshuma said with a hearty chuckle, then nodded back towards his men.

The totos had been right in the middle of the cluster, but now the men split up to stand in front of and behind them.

With that, I was left completely at a loss for words.

There were three men standing behind the carriage being pulled by the totos.

One of them was Kamyua Yoshu. He had a hood up too, but there was no mistaking that lanky body of his, or his distinctive hook nose and blond stubble.

The second man was Haan of Dabagg. For some reason he wasn’t wearing a cloak, so his bandage-wrapped head, plain cloth attire over his robust physique, and twin blades dangling at his hip were all in plain view. And his chilly, almost reptilian gaze was apathetically fixed on us... on these people of the forest’s edge.

Then, there was one more man standing between the two of them. He was worn down to skin and bones and his clothes were practically rags, giving him the impression of a living skeleton.

This was the former head of the Suun clan, Zattsu Suun. I had absolutely no doubt as to that.

He really did have a gruesome appearance from having wasted away so thoroughly. I could make out the shape of his skull, his eye sockets looked hollow, it was like his cheeks had been shaved away, and his mouth was full of rotten yellow teeth. He had sparse black hair and deep wrinkles, his skin was coated in filth, and I couldn’t help but question if I was really looking at a living being.

His arms, legs, neck, torso... every last bit of him had shriveled up, reminding me of withered branches. And around his spindly wrists were iron chains binding him to the rear of the carriage. As for the rags clinging to his body, I could just barely spy a swirling pattern under all the filth.

He must have been rather tall to begin with. But now, he didn’t even seem to have the strength to stand up straight, as his waist and knees were heavily bent. It was thoroughly unpleasant just to look at him, as it felt like I was looking at a corpse that had crawled from its grave.

“This man is indeed the criminal from the forest’s edge known as Zattsu Suun, isn’t he? He threw some strange fruit at us, and then all of a sudden we were being assaulted by giba! That’s why we got so many injuries, had our goods ruined, and lost most of our totos. We managed to catch him alive, but none of the kingdoms have laws lenient enough to forgive such crimes!”

With Zasshuma’s words there, I finally realized what was inside the carriage being pulled by the totos. Seated in the roofless vehicle were men coated in their own blood. Some were like unmoving corpses, while others wailed in anguish, but they all looked to be in an awful state.

There were six men sitting there, out of the 23 total in the group. The rest of the men stood silently surrounding the carriage and criminal. Their leather cloaks were likely dyed red with the blood of the giba they fought.

Giba summoning fruit... I see, so that’s how he attacked the caravan...

At the very least, I knew that he wasn’t lying. After all, that powerful sweet smell was clearly lingering in the air. Heck, when it was this strong, Ai Fa was probably noticing it too.

“What happened to the Sauti clan... To the men of the forest’s edge who were escorting you?” I asked, still in a bit of a daze.

“Ah,” Zasshuma replied with a grin. “They plunged right at the giba, of course. But there were way too many of the beasts. The four of them got seriously wounded, so we carried them back to their settlement. It was a truly unfortunate result, but the people of the forest’s edge are tough, so I’m sure none of them will die from it.”

“Then what about Tei Suun...? Was Zattsu Suun here acting on his own?”

“That grey-haired old-timer got cut down by Twin Blades over there. Then he fell to the bottom of the valley, so the mundt are probably chowing down on him around now. Even if he somehow survived, he won’t be making it out of a place like that alive. As of today, there’s no more need to fear those criminals from the forest’s edge!”

“Tei Suun...?” a voice that sounded as if it was echoing from the depths of hell questioned, causing everyone present to tense up. With that, Zattsu Suun slowly lifted his heavily hanging head. “Where did Tei Suun go...? We need to regain the Suun clan’s lost honor by our own hands... Tei Suun...?”

“I’m shocked. You still have the strength left to talk, you damn walking skeleton?” Zasshuma questioned, wiping the slightly eerie grin from his face and turning towards Zattsu Suun. “Your buddy died out there in the forest! And you’ve only got tonight left to live, too! But go ahead and keep on chasing that dream that’ll never be fulfilled till then!”

“What are you saying, you damn corrupt man from the city of stone...? All of you have forgotten your debt to the people of the forest’s edge, and every last one of you will meet with a merciless end!” His eye sockets were sunken in so far that it was like I was looking at a skull, but there was an eerie black flame burning in them now. Then, he broke out in a wicked grin, his desiccated skin cracking as he did so. “You can’t even hunt a giba by your own strength, so why do you look down on us...? It’s because that’s the only way you know how to hold onto your pride! You fragile children of Selva! You disgusting people of the city of stone! May you all be damned!”

“Hmph. You’ve gotten awful cheeky all of a sudden, you criminal. What does that make you then, since you tried to steal away our goods? You’ve got no right to talk about pride, you scum!” Zasshuma shouted, unease showing clearly on his face. Perhaps he was being overwhelmed not by the contents of what Zattsu Suun was saying, but rather by the intensity and wickedness dripping from the man’s tone.

Honestly, I was feeling that way, too. There was a terrifying strength about him that made it hard to believe he really was on the verge of death. The monstrous intensity and twisted convictions that had frightened Diga and Doddo so badly were now thrust in front of our very eyes.

“It doesn’t matter what you say, you accursed city dweller... After all, your fortune was built upon our blood and pride! You ungrateful fools! You crafty thieves! Your peace and tranquility is protected by our efforts!”

“That’s enough! You’re the shameless fool who tossed aside his pride!” a voice as strong as steel rang out, cutting off Zattsu Suun’s curse. It had come from Ai Fa. “You monopolized the reward money, pillaged the forest, and neglected your duty to hunt, so how dare you talk of pride!”

“Oh... You’re that female hunter... That means you’re also the head of that shameless clan that has been pandering to those fools of the city of stone in order to amass a fortune...”

Zattsu Suun’s gaze was like a will-o’-the-wisp made of swirling hatred, and now it slowly turned Ai Fa’s way.

As for my clan head, she returned that frightening look with a glare of her own from her burning, blue, wildcat-like eyes.

“I’ve done nothing to merit being called shameless by the likes of you! You’ve chosen your path in life poorly, former clan head of the Suun!”

“No, you’re the one heading down the wrong path... The people of this town are our enemies! They are unforgivable criminals! Those disgusting bastards trapped us in the prison known as the forest’s edge, thinking only of their own peace and tranquility!”

“The forest is our god! You’re not fit to call yourself a man of the forest’s edge if you would dare refer to it as a prison of all things!”

“You fool... A forest we can’t collect a bounty from is no god! Our ancestors were tricked! How can you call us hunters when we’re told we must head into the forest and earn our coins like we’re told, or otherwise starve and die?! The pride of the people of the forest’s edge was crushed and trampled upon 80 long years ago! You all have just been risking your lives to earn coins under the name of giba!”

Ai Fa was gritting her teeth so strongly I could hear them. But before her lips could open again to angrily shout, Ludo Ruu jumped into the conversation.

“Seriously, what have you been gabbing on about? No matter what you say now, you’re the one who went and committed crimes. So you’re the one to sully the pride of our people.”

“You’re wrong... I’ve been trying to recapture our past pride... But Zuuro wasn’t able to carry on my ambitions... If I only hadn’t fallen ill, we would be a strong, prideful people once again by now! We would be living proper lives where we lived only in the forest and ate of its fruits, not having to pander to anyone else!”

“What are you, stupid? How do you figure the right way for our people to live is by attacking and robbing travelers?”

“But despite all that, those fools from the castle couldn’t cast judgment on us! Even ten years back, they had to pretend they didn’t notice! They lack the strength to hunt giba on their own, so ultimately they can’t do anything to the people of the forest’s edge!”

Those words flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning. So... he really had committed the same crime ten years ago, after all. And he had been completely successful back then, too.

He had set giba on the merchants to kill them all, stole their goods, and then was able to go on laughing without ever being judged for those crimes.

“If we had just stored up a bit of power now, we could have grabbed hold of unshakable freedom! But all of you had to go and ruin it! You accursed Fa and Ruu clans! If you would have just stayed out of our way, the Suun clan could have led the people of the forest’s edge down the proper path!”

In that very moment, a sword in a leather sheath came swinging down upon Zattsu Suun’s back. Having been struck, the man let out a beastly wail and collapsed down upon the road.

The one to swing the blade had been Haan of Dabagg.

“You scum,” the bandaged man spat as he lifted his sword once more, only for Kamyua Yoshu to calmly interject.

“We have no right to pass judgment on a captured criminal. Or do you want to go and ruin our accomplishment with your own hands, Haan?”

Haan’s chilly reptilian eyes glanced back at Kamyua Yoshu, and then he silently returned his blade to his hip.

“Zasshuma, I can’t see any further point to this back and forth. This man is ill, and his mind no longer seems to even be functioning properly. So we should hurry up and hand the troublemaker over to the castle as soon as possible, right?”

“Y-Yeah... That’s true,” Zasshuma replied, shooting Zattsu Suun one last hateful look before moving north again.

“Can you stand? If you don’t, the skin’s gonna get peeled off your knees as you’re dragged along,” Kamyua Yoshu stated, causing Zattsu Suun to slowly rise.

Then, the man suddenly started laughing like a devil.

“You vile townsfolk and shameless false hunters who betrayed our Suun clan! Go on hating one another and fall together! Unavoidable discord and despair is all that awaits you in your future! A curse to the western god Selva and southern god Jagar! We chose our gods poorly twice now!”

With that, the men around him hid him from view once again and his cackling ceased, leaving a gloomy silence hanging in the air.

With Zasshuma at their lead, the cloaked group resumed swaying along. It was then that Kamyua Yoshu gave a stretch and glanced our way. He had his hood down so I could see his face, but rather than his usual aloof smile, he looked somehow apologetic... Like he was begging us to forgive him with that sad, strained expression.

“I guess with this, the Suun clan really is finally done for...” Ludo Ruu muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.

I turned to look his way, only to suddenly freeze mid-turn. The onlookers standing off to the side of the road were all shooting us a strange look. Their eyes were full of more fear, anger, suspicion, and bewilderment than ever before, as if they were staring at some sort of animal they had never seen.

Zasshuma’s group had already disappeared down the highway, but nobody was moving from where they stood. They just stood there, staring intently at us. It was as if they were afraid if they turned their backs we would cut them down, so they were left frozen in place.

As I was looking at them, a hand suddenly slapped down onto my left shoulder, causing me to almost leap out of my skin.

When I turned around, I found Milano Mas standing there. Now that I thought of it, we were still right in front of The Kimyuus’s Tail.

“M-Milano Mas...?”

“Stop talking, and just hurry on out of here.” The emotions blazing in Milano Mas’s eyes were no less than those of the surrounding crowd. In fact, there was an even greater hatred blazing away in them. “I’ll put the carts away. Just take your belongings and leave already. If not, there’s no telling what may happen...”

“Ah, no, but...”

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t give a damn about you all,” Milano Mas muttered, his hate-filled eyes fixed to the north. “He’s the one who murdered my friend...” he added in a voice so quiet I almost couldn’t hear it.

It was then that I finally noticed Leito standing beside Milano Mas.

The boy wore a gentle smile on his face. It was the same innocent expression as always, and he was staring silently to the north. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking inside... but there were obvious tears sliding down his smooth cheeks.

A few hours later, the news of Zattsu Suun’s death was delivered. Donda Ruu had gone to the castle as the representative for the three leaders, and so he was the one to bring that report back to the forest’s edge.

Apparently, after being imprisoned in Genos castle the man passed away in the midst of interrogation, before night even fell.

Just as the fortuneteller from Sym had predicted, the fell star had vanished. And it had done so swiftly, as if sneering at those who remained, twisting a number of fates along the way.

3

“Apparently, Dari Sauti and his men who helped guide the merchants suffered rather significant injuries. Fortunately, no one lost their lives, but two of them won’t be able to head out into the forest for a while,” Gazraan Rutim reported to us after we ate dinner at the Ruu settlement.

The threat presented by the criminals had rather suddenly vanished. However, we couldn’t just go and feel outright happy over that, considering the circumstances. And so, in order to receive as much information as possible, Ai Fa and I decided it was best that we stay here with the Ruu rather than heading back home.

“I don’t know the exact numbers, but it seems they were attacked by over ten giba. In all likelihood, Zattsu and Tei Suun coated themselves in the juices of the giba summoning fruit and led the beasts there. Then they threw giba summoning fruit at the men of the merchant caravan, shifting the giba’s attention that way.”

Well, that was pretty much what I had imagined.

Still, it was hard to imagine someone sane using their own body as bait to lure out over ten giba.

“Four hunters wouldn’t have a chance against that many giba. It’s honestly pretty amazing that nobody ended up dead,” Ludo Ruu chimed in, and Gazraan Rutim gave a firm nod in response.

“Still, from what I heard, Dari Sauti deeply regrets not having captured both Zattsu and Tei Suun. The envoy from the Sauti said that once his wounds have healed, he will come to offer an apology.”

“He doesn’t need to worry about all that. Still, in a way, it feels like it may have been less of a pain if that walking skeleton just died out in the forest after all...”

There were currently eight people left in the room. Me and Ai Fa, Gazraan Rutim, and Ludo, Donda, Jiza, and Mia Lea Ruu, as well as Granny Jiba.

Considering how weak she was, it was incredibly rare for Granny Jiba to hang around like this. However, when she heard the news of Zattsu Suun’s death, she volunteered to take part in this gloomy meeting.

“The biggest issue seems to be that ‘Tei Suun’ man not having been secured. What did Dari Sauti have to say about that matter?” Jiza Ruu asked Gazraan Rutim in place of his silent clan head.

“Yes, well, Dari Sauti said he also saw that bandaged man cut down Tei Suun. Having suffered a deep wound to the chest, Tei Suun grabbed onto the man’s cloak, but then he was kicked down into the valley.”

“Hmm... But if no one saw his corpse, then we have to treat him as still being alive. Even a man on the verge of death could set fire to a settlement or do harm to the women of our clans. So ultimately, we can’t stop using bodyguards completely, it seems,” Jiza Ruu stated, his narrow eyes glancing towards me and Ai Fa. “Asuta, do you intend to head into the post town tomorrow as well?”

“Yes, I’ve at least completed the preparations to do so. After all, the folks from the castle still seem to be insisting on that... But I think we’ll have to be even more careful from tomorrow on.”

By his presence, Zattsu Suun had incited greater fear and wariness in the townsfolk than ever before. After all, that unforgivable criminal had gone and thrown about accusations at the city of stone.

I didn’t feel that everything that fell star of a man had said was wrong, either. I honestly believed that the relationship between the Genos castle and the forest’s edge was distorted and based on deceit, all the way back to its starting point 80 years ago.

However, those words shouldn’t have been coming from Zattsu Suun’s mouth. It was a problem that needed to be resolved by the people of the forest’s edge who had spent so many years enduring such suffering. But when a criminal who harmed others, set flame to homes, and assaulted travelers to steal their goods said such things, it just made people angry and incited fear. And so, the townsfolk not only felt mad at the criminal heaping abuse on them, but also afraid of the people of the forest’s edge in general. Plus, even if there were folks who felt they maybe had been unjustly discriminating against them, they would surely only feel even more worried. Worried that the people of the forest’s edge must hate them, that is. That even if they looked calm and reasonable, hatred and frustration towards the townsfolk was swirling about inside of them.

In actuality, that wasn’t the case at all. For better or worse, the people of the forest’s edge didn’t seem to have much interest at all in the folks of Genos. They focused more on sacrificing for the sake of their honor, so there didn’t seem to be much perception among them that they were being unjustly treated at all.

However, Zattsu Suun had clearly held a deep-seated grudge. Was that because as the leader of his people, he had contact with the people of the castle? It seemed like his anger at the humiliation he faced had crystallized into resentment. And that was behind what happened today, ultimately.

The bond shared between Genos and the forest’s edge had gotten entangled into a big, complicated snarl over the past 80 years. We had been trying to slowly, carefully untangle it, only for Zattsu Suun to come along and swing down the blade of his deep-rooted convictions.

Under those circumstances, heading to the post town would be even more dangerous than it had been yesterday or today.

“Zattsu Suun... He chose the wrong path to walk...” Granny Jiba whispered. Ludo and Jiza Ruu both opened their mouths as if to say something, but ultimately they kept silent. “He must have believed his actions were necessary to salvage the pride of our people... That the right course was for us to sever the bonds we formed with Genos 80 years ago and instead live freely...”

“Hmm? But by only harvesting the fruits of the forest and not even bothering to hunt giba, he completely discarded his pride as a hunter, right?”

“But it’s Genos that is troubled by the giba multiplying, not the people of the forest’s edge... If not just the Suun clan but all of our people acted as such, the fields of Genos would be decimated by the giba...”

“I see. Then that would show Genos just how important the people of the forest’s edge really are. Zattsu Suun really was an unforgivably shameless man... Well, even if he had remained the leader of our people, I’m sure no one would have obeyed such an order anyway,” Jiza Ruu stated, not seeming overly moved by the subject. He likely prided himself on the fact that he would take up his blade in order to oppose such a decree.

And yet, the people of the Suun clan had gone and obeyed that unthinkable order.

Perhaps Zattsu Suun intended to infect the rest of the forest’s edge with his convictions, bit by bit. First the Suun, then his subordinate clans like the Zaza and Dom, followed by the smaller clans, and lastly those who opposed him, the Ruu. Then he could tell Genos if they went against him they would stop hunting, effectively taking their fields hostage and putting them on more than equal footing.

If Zattsu Suun hadn’t fallen ill and instead had remained in charge, just how far would his influence have stretched...? I certainly couldn’t just laugh the idea off.

“I feel the same way, Jiza... However, it’s not as if Genos’s way of doing things is absolutely correct either, is it...? Living in the forest alone, surviving solely off of its bounty... That’s how we lived in the black forest of the south. And it seems Zattsu Suun felt that returning to that lifestyle was the proper thing to do...”

“It sort of sounds like you’re covering for that skeleton bastard, Granny Jiba. You’re not saying his way of thinking was right, are you?” Ludo Ruu questioned, furrowing his brow a bit.

Granny Jiba’s eyes were half hidden by her heavily drooping eyelids, but they slowly looked over everyone present.

“That’s what I want to ask all of you... What do you feel, having heard Zattsu Suun’s words...?”

Donda Ruu was seated next to the elder, and after taking a swig of fruit wine, he was the first to respond.

“If he seriously couldn’t stand Genos’s way of doing things, then he should’ve chosen to abandon Morga like the Zaza clan head said. A true hunter would never hoard reward money and assault travelers to steal their fortune.”

“I feel the same as our clan head,” Jiza Ruu added, and Ludo Ruu also agreed, “Yeah, me too.”

After a moment of silence, Gazraan Rutim chimed in.

“Still, it’s not so easy to make the decision to abandon our second home here at the Morga forest’s edge. There would be a chance we would become wanted as traitors who abandoned the western kingdom, and on top of that it’s hard to imagine us changing the god we serve would be accepted a second time... That’s why I believe it is important for us to find a proper way to live here.”

“You’re just as stiff and formal as always, I see... Asuta, Ai Fa, what do you two think?” Ludo Ruu asked, causing Ai Fa to tilt her head a bit.

“If he absolutely couldn’t stand the people of the castle, then his only options should have been beating them in a fight or abandoning the forest. But I personally wish to live as best I can here at the forest’s edge, obeying the laws set down by Granny Jiba and our other ancestors.”

“I’m in agreement with Ai Fa. I’m not fond of the townsfolk, but I quite enjoy living here,” Mia Lea Ruu chimed in while attending to Granny Jiba.

Hearing that, Ludo Ruu said, “It’s not like I want to abandon the forest’s edge or anything,” with a bit of a pout. “What about you, Asuta? I feel like we all know without asking, though...”

“Yeah. I feel the same as everyone else... If I were to add anything, it would be that I really do believe Zattsu Suun was wrong in his methods. He couldn’t lead the people of the forest’s edge like that.”

“Hmm? Isn’t that pretty much what my old man said?”

“Yes. But there’s also the matter of him plundering the blessings of the forest. If he wanted to lead his people to live freely, then he should have properly explained his thinking to everyone. I’ll admit that as a newcomer, I’ve wondered why people have to go so far as to starve themselves in not touching the fruits of the forest.”

I felt powerful stares coming from head on and to my right. In other words, the clan heads of the Ruu and my own Fa house had rather serious looks in their eyes.

For the time being, I faced Donda Ruu, taking extra care with my tone.

“That said, even I can’t accept Zattsu Suun’s excuses in the least. And that’s probably not just because he acted like a bandit, but also because the members of the Suun branch houses looked completely and utterly miserable... I’m certain that Zattsu Suun was a leader who only knew how to control people through fear. He believed his thinking was correct, and that he needed to force others to obey. Using methods like that, no matter how proper your convictions may be, you won’t ever be able to lead things down the right path... Or at least, that’s what I believe.”

“Zattsu Suun’s convictions were proper...?” Ai Fa questioned, a frown on her face.

I shook my head, worrying all the while that perhaps I had given her a headache.

“No matter how much unjust discrimination someone may be facing, I still believe it’s absolutely wrong to attack travelers. But finding that treatment wrong and thinking the people of the forest’s edge should have more freedom... If someone voiced those concerns at the clan head meeting or something and everyone agreed, couldn’t that lead to a proper path forwards? If that’s the case, then I can’t help but find it incredibly unfortunate that things didn’t go that way.”

“Yes... It truly is unfortunate...” Granny Jiba quietly muttered. “Zattsu Suun’s father had been a truly splendid hunter... That was why when the leading Gaaz and Reema clans fell, our Ruu clan freely yielded the position to the Suun, and the wild Dom and Zaza followed them... Zattsu Suun must have only inherited his father’s pride and ambition, but not that man’s strong concern for his comrades... How truly, truly regrettable...”

“What we care about isn’t the past but the future, elder,” Donda Ruu uttered in a low voice, then turned back towards Gazraan Rutim. “Is that all the Sauti messenger said? Then all that does is prove that what Ludo and the rest heard in town was the truth.”

“No, there was one more matter we can’t simply overlook... Most of the carriages pulled by the totos fell off the cliff, but Dari Sauti saw one of the bags that fell from them get trampled by a giba right in front of him, which caused the contents to come spilling out.”

“What, was a corpse stuffed in there or something?”

“No. It was just full of sand, apparently.”

Donda Ruu furrowed his brow, looking suspicious.

“Nobody would pay coins for plain sand. Are you sure it wasn’t some food or something that just looked like sand?”

“I asked the same question, but the second the giba appeared, the merchants drew their blades and let the totos and the carriages loose, then started boldly fighting away. And they didn’t seem concerned at all about their goods that had fallen to the bottom of the valley once they had driven off the giba and captured Zattsu Suun, instead preparing immediately to return triumphantly to town... Did they perhaps never intend to head to the eastern kingdom to begin with?”

“What exactly are you saying...?”

“I’m asking if it’s possible that they were just pretending to be merchants in order to lure out Zattsu Suun... Kamyua Yoshu said they were a group of 18 merchants and five bodyguards, but apparently Dari Sauti couldn’t even tell which were which.”

“Hmph, I see. Now that I think about it, they were all walking along just fine on their own two legs. There were only five or six of them at most wailing away atop that carriage. It’s unnatural for plain old merchants to be doing just fine while the Sauti men were that seriously injured,” Ludo Ruu stated, and Gazraan Rutim gave another nod.

Jiza Ruu then chimed in, “But this plan to pass through the forest’s edge on the way to the eastern kingdom was established two months ago, was it not? Even if it was all a fabrication, we heard about it over 20 days ago. Back then the Suun clan still hadn’t fallen yet, so things don’t seem to add up.”

“Yes, I don’t quite understand that myself, but perhaps they hurriedly worked out their next move when they heard of Zattsu Suun’s escape. That Kamyua Yoshu man certainly seems like he would easily be capable of that much.”

“No...” I interjected. If I said this, I risked making Kamyua Yoshu the target of Donda Ruu’s fury. But as a person of the forest’s edge, it was something I needed to say. “It would actually be rather unnatural to suddenly shift such a huge plan, wouldn’t it? In that case, it seems more reasonable to consider it having been a trap for the Suun clan from the very start. In all likelihood... they had some sort of proof that it was a person of the forest’s edge who attacked the merchant caravan ten years ago.”

“What do you mean...?” Gazraan Rutim questioned, his calm yet firm gaze moving my way.

Ah, so that was it... I pondered as he looked my way, completely overwhelmed by my own train of thought.

Kamyua Yoshu must have suspected from the very start that the Suun clan was behind that incident ten years ago. I had thought knowing the truth didn’t change anything and forced down my unease over the matter, but I had been mistaken.

Something like this had been behind everything.

Kamyua Yoshu hadn’t been cautious of an attack by the Suun. No, he had in fact crafted his strategy to invite one.

While feeling indescribably despondent, I continued on, “An acquaintance Kamyua and I share has ties to that merchant group from ten years back. And that man was convinced the culprit had been a person of the forest’s edge... Up until today, I didn’t know that the man he was talking about who had lost his life back then was part of that caravan, but Kamyua must have.” Then, I turned towards Donda Ruu, whose eyes were silently blazing away. “Do you remember, Donda Ruu? Over 20 days ago, Kamyua visited the Ruu settlement and talked about that merchant caravan. Back then, he said something that implied he already suspected the people of the forest’s edge, didn’t he?”

“Do you really think I’d ever forget someone insulting our people, kid?”

“I remember that conversation, too,” Jiza Ruu interjected. “Father, you mentioned how all the merchants who tried to pass through our settlement ten years back were killed by giba. Then that Kamyua Yoshu man questioned if it had really been done by giba.”

“That’s amazing. That was so far back that I don’t remember it at all,” Ludo Ruu said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I had completely forgotten that exchange, too. If I had remembered it sooner, could I have prevented what happened today...? I couldn’t help but curse my carelessness at that thought.

“The Suun clan surely attacked them in the same manner back then. And normally, they would have been successful this time too... If they were up against helpless merchants, that is.”

But they weren’t merchants accompanying those carriages, though. They were likely all bodyguards or other such skilled fighters. And their luggage wasn’t goods to sell in Sym, but just plain old sand. It had all been a trap laid for the Suun.

“To begin with, the only ones from the Suun clan able to make a move at the moment were Zattsu and Tei Suun. Normally, you wouldn’t expect two men to go and attack a merchant caravan all on their own, right? And it would be even more unnatural to suddenly change their plan just to entrap them. I’d say the more unexpected event would have to have been the Suun clan suddenly having their authority stripped away after they had spent two months setting up this plan.”

“I see...” Gazraan Rutim whispered, while everybody else stayed silent. It seemed the people of the forest’s edge couldn’t even imagine going so far in plotting to take down someone else.

“If that incident at the clan head meeting had never occurred, then the Suun would still be in charge of the forest’s edge right now. If they recreated the same circumstances from ten years ago, then they would face the same sort of attack. That was what they must have figured when forming their plan. In fact, they may have been left feeling real down when we beat them to the punch in overthrowing the Suun... Still, they couldn’t exactly go and act like the plan with the merchant caravan never happened, and there was still a chance of the criminals coming after them, so I guess it made sense to keep going forward.”

“But under whose orders, exactly, was that plan formed, anyway? The lord of Genos had been halfheartedly ignoring the Suun clan’s wrongdoings up until now, so why suddenly decide to bring this blade down on their necks?” Gazraan Rutim questioned in an urgent tone, but all I could do was shake my head.

“I don’t know all that... But at the very least, I find it hard to imagine Kamyua constructed such a large-scale trap all on his own. He would have needed to go through the castle to ask the Suun clan to take on the job, which would require deceiving the lord of Genos, too. So I think it makes sense to figure the lord was cooperating in some form from the very start.”

Had the lord of Genos come up with the idea and tasked Kamyua Yoshu with carrying it out? Or did the plan come from Kamyua Yoshu and he requested the lord’s assistance?

At the very least, it seemed clear that the lord of Genos was involved in one way or another.

“So that’s how the castle does things, huh?” Donda Ruu grumbled, his eyes burning bright. “They would go so far as to deceive us in order to capture those villains from the Suun clan? If they had just talked to us from the start, then the Sauti men wouldn’t have been left so helpless.”

“I’d imagine... that would have been difficult. Dari Sauti was asked by Kamyua Yoshu to act as a guide. However, it was by his own will that he chose to face the giba,” Gazraan Rutim calmly responded, looking straight into Donda Ruu’s beastly eyes.

“But the Sauti men drew their blades because they thought they were dealing with defenseless merchants, right? If they knew they were all guards or whatever from around town, that would have been a completely different situation. Plus, they rejected the offer for the Sauti men to accompany them in full force, didn’t they?”

“...Yes.”

“And even now, they’re not allowing the Fa clan to take a break from their work. That’s because they want to lure out that Tei Suun man if he’s still out there on the verge of death, isn’t it? Every last thing they say seems to be an outright lie. When they go that far to hide their intentions, how can we trust them in the least?” Donda Ruu asked, crushing the fruit wine container in his hand. The bit of red liquid left inside stained his fingers and the carpet spread across the floor.

“Donda Ruu... No, leader of the Ruu clan and the forest’s edge, please rein in your temper. The future of our people is decided through your actions.”

“You don’t need to remind me of that. But the ones to decide the path our people take are me, Gulaf Zaza, and Dari Sauti. In the next eight days Genos has given us, we need to make up our minds.”

Donda Ruu was like a raging demon, with every bit as much force behind his words as he had shown the night of the clan head meeting.

I had to speak. “Donda Ruu, could I also add just one thing? I also can’t accept the castle’s way of doing things, but you said before that Kamyua insulted you, right? What do you think now in regards to that?”

Donda Ruu’s blazing blue eyes shifted from Gazraan Rutim over to me.

I gulped, took a deep breath, and then continued on.

“What Kamyua said around 20 days ago turned out to be the truth. Was he trying to provoke the people of the forest’s edge on top of that... or provide a warning? That with the way things were going, they would pass judgment on the Suun clan first... But back when you heard Kamyua’s words, you thought there couldn’t possibly be such thieves among your people, and took it as a groundless insult, didn’t you?”

“What are you trying to say...?”

“That the one to betray your trust from back then and sully the pride of the people of the forest’s edge wasn’t Kamyua, but rather Zattsu Suun, right?”

“Asuta, are you still trying to cover for that man at this point?” Jiza Ruu asked with a different sort of intensity behind his words than Gazraan Rutim, causing me to break out in a sweat. Even so, those words still needed saying.

“That’s not my intention. What I’m saying is that we didn’t realize Zattsu Suun’s crimes reached that far. And both the castle and the forest’s edge are at fault for letting him stay free for so long, wouldn’t you say?”

“You’re saying we’re the same...?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. But I believe it’s necessary to carefully determine who bears how much responsibility for what happened today... And at least when it comes to the incident from ten years back, it wasn’t the people of the forest’s edge or the castle that were harmed, but the townsfolk. Can you really say the castle is fully responsible for that?”

If they shouted back, “Who cares about the townsfolk?!” at that, my very identity as a person of the forest’s edge may have crumbled on the spot.

However, Jiza Ruu just gave a small shake of his head and responded, “We failed to judge the Suun clan up until now because we weren’t able to get ahold of proof of their crimes. And so I honestly don’t want you to lump us together with the castle, who didn’t judge them despite possessing that crucial evidence.”

“Yes, so...”

“I understand. Our clan head Donda also said it was our crime to have failed to pass judgment on the leading clan for their corruption. And yet, I still wish to say that I simply can’t see myself ever trusting the people of the castle.”

Then, Jiza Ruu’s narrow eyes turned towards his father.

Donda Ruu, meanwhile, had been shooting me a glare this whole time.

“I get what you’re trying to say... We’ll take that into account too when deciding on a path forward,” the clan head stated, and then a heavy silence fell over the room.

It wasn’t long, though, before Granny Jiba sadly added, “If we had only done more to form a proper bond with Genos, it never would have come to this...”

“That’s not true!” Ai Fa angrily responded. “It’s because you all struggled so hard to carve a path that we’re here now! It’s the job of us living now to overcome these current difficulties! And... that includes you too, as one of the people living and struggling in the present. I simply can’t believe that it’s right for you to be grieving and moaning as such.”

“That’s true... There are things that need to be done rather than lamenting like that...” Granny Jiba’s wrinkly face seemed to break out into a gentle smile. “Thank you, Ai Fa... I was still far too caught up in my memories of the past...”

The angry look on Ai Fa’s face remained as she turned away in a huff. However, I was sitting there in the direction she looked, causing our gazes to meet.

“What are you looking at...?”

“My clan head, of course.”

As I saw Ai Fa’s cheeks turn red in the dim light, she struck me upside the head.

And with that, this sudden meeting in the dead of the night came to a close.

4

After that, we decided we would talk with Yamiru Lea and everyone else gathered here at the Ruu settlement before returning to the Fa house. Or to be more accurate, we jumped on board when Gazraan Rutim expressed an interest in doing so.

And so, we passed through the plaza illuminated by a bonfire and headed for the vacant house we had stayed at in the past. The place was being guarded by the young head of one of the branch families, Shin Ruu.

“We would like to share some words with those inside. Donda Ruu has already granted us his permission,” Gazraan Rutim stated, and Shin Ruu replied with a nod and then knocked on the door.

“It’s Shin Ruu. Members of the Rutim and Fa clans are requesting to meet with you. If you agree to that, then open up.”

After a moment of what seemed like hesitant silence, the door swung open from the inside. Yamiru Lea showed herself soon after, and in that instant, an overwhelming smell of herbs assaulted my nostrils.

“What business do you have with us? Have Tei Suun’s remains finally been located...?”

“No. We just wish to ask you some questions regarding the main Suun house.”

Yamiru Lea smoothly stepped back, giving a small sigh as she did so.

We stepped in one by one, while Shin Ruu remained outside and closed the door.

“Oh, so it’s you guys?” a familiar shrill voice questioned. Within the dwelling, the former members of the main Suun house had been gathered once again after having been sent to new clans.

In other words Yamiru Lea, Oura and Tsuvai who had been sent to the Rutim clan, and Mida, who had joined the Ruu.

“Sorry for stopping by so late at night. We just want to ask a few short questions, so I promise it won’t take long.”

As Gazraan Rutim and Ai Fa were removing their leather footwear, I looked over the group for the first time in several days.

Oura and Tsuvai were seated along the wall to the right, huddled close to one another. Having let us inside, Yamiru Lea walked over to the opposite wall and took a seat. And the small mountain of flesh known as Mida sat right there in the middle of the wall directly across from us.

“So what is it that you want? We’ve already told you anything and everything we know. And now that the previous clan head is dead, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about anymore, right?” Tsuvai asked in her usual shrill voice that reminded me of a chirping little bird. She was smaller than you would expect from her age, and her hair was pulled back into an onion-like shape. But at any rate, she seemed a lot more lively than the last time I saw her.

As for everyone else, Oura was placing her arms around her daughter’s slender shoulders while casting her gaze downwards, Yamiru Lea was somewhat slovenly leaning up against the wall, and Mida... he was the only one where I honestly couldn’t tell what he was thinking as his abnormally small eyes stared straight at me.

“It would seem that Zattsu Suun has indeed passed away, but Tei Suun’s whereabouts remain unknown. And so we would like to ask once again just what sort of man he is.”

Gazraan Rutim moved to a spot where he could equally look at all of them, then took a seat. Ai Fa and I, meanwhile, sat down a bit behind that reliable man’s back.

“We’ve already said everything there is to say about that, too! Grandpa Tei stayed by the previous clan head’s side way too much, and ended up as a fool who can’t even think for himself! He’ll do anything he’s ordered but he can’t do anything on his own! He’s just a clay doll of a man!” Tsuvai hysterically wailed.

But both Tei and Zattsu Suun were her grandfathers, tied to her by blood. They had fled the settlement at the forest’s edge and ended up as criminals. If she valued her blood ties at all, then her feelings on that matter should have been more complex than anyone else’s.

“It’s just as Tsuvai says... My father Tei served at the previous clan head’s side from a young age, so his soul must have been tainted more than anyone else’s. And so, as long as no one from the main house gives him an order, he shouldn’t be able to carry out any wrongdoing of his own will...” Tsuvai’s mother and Zuuro’s wife Oura added in a monotone voice. Her eyes, every bit as muddy as her father’s, were full of a powerful sadness as she stared down at the carpet.

“It’s not that we’re doubting what you’ve told us. But what if Zattsu Suun had left Tei Suun with some sort of order while he was alive? Would he still carry it out even now that Zattsu Suun is dead?”

“I’m not sure... If he’s learned of the former clan head’s passing, it’s possible he could ignore that order. But why worry about that...? My father Tei has already lost his life, hasn’t he?”

“We don’t know. The simple fact is, his body still has yet to be found, so we must treat him as if he is still alive.”

Gazraan Rutim had to be suppressing his own emotions in order to question the surviving family like that. But at the very least, he seemed to have no intention of reprimanding them for using terms like “grandpa” and “father” when they had severed all ties.

Even if officially they were no longer connected, it didn’t change the fact that they were tied by blood. And seeing how Oura and Tsuvai seemed so feeble gave me a particularly heavy heart.

It was then that Mida suddenly let out a sluggish, “Ah...! You’re that man who made that yummy food. And you’re the woman who scolded me. Why are you here...?”

I felt so dejected that I almost collapsed on the spot.

However, my beloved clan head, seated with her one knee up in the air, just calmly stared back at Mida.

“You only just noticed now? You really do have a rather poor head on your shoulders... Still, it’s good to see you doing the same as always.”

“Yeah... Hey, why are you two here...? When I look at you, my stomach gets all rumbly...”

That last “you” probably referred to me. I can’t say I especially welcomed the conditioned reflex.

“We came to hear about Tei Suun, too. What did you think about him, Mida?”

“Tei Suun... I liked him... I liked him most after Yamiru and Oura and Tsuvai...”

“Shut up, you dummy!” Tsuvai wailed.

“I’m really happy to see Yamiru and Oura and Tsuvai again, but if Tei Suun is dead, then that’s sad... Where did he go...?”

“Hey, don’t cry,” Ai Fa sharply stated, and Mida’s trembling instantly stopped.

“I won’t cry... So don’t scold me, alright...?”

“If you don’t cry, then I’ll have no reason to,” Ai Fa replied with a surly look. Yamiru Lea had been silent till now, but she suddenly gave an artificial sounding laugh.

“I see you’re already capable of getting Mida to do as you say, head of the Fa clan. Are you capable of conversing with animals as well?”

“You treat your former brother like a beast? Really, you should rein in your abusive language... And why do you smell so strongly of herbs, anyway? It’s hurting my nose.”

“If you have an issue with it, then why not complain to the men next to you? That splendidly built eldest son of the Rutim, in particular,” Yamiru Lea answered with a slovenly shrug of her shoulders.

Naturally, Gazraan Rutim’s eyes opened wide in surprise as he asked, “What’s this about me?”

“It’s because that cheerful father of yours went and said something to the Lea clan head. I believe it was that no one would take me as a bride with the stench of giba blood clinging to me... Thanks to that, the Lea clan head ordered me to rub juice made of lilo leaves onto my skin whenever I bathe.” Then, while brushing up her elaborately styled dark brown hair, she shot me a chilly glare. “And when he heard Asuta there likely smelled that stench, that seriously spurred him on. I’m the one who has her nose going funny from the stuff, though... Did you really smell such an odor from me, Asuta?”

“Er, well, yeah... Thanks to my line of work, I have a very sensitive nose.”

“Hmm...” Yamiru Lea muttered, still glaring at my face as she combed her hair.

As I stared back into those haughty-looking eyes, though, an annoyed Ai Fa chimed in. “It seems you’re a surprisingly earnest woman, seeing how you’ve continued to keep your word even after being separated from the Lea clan head. Has your sullied soul been cleaned up a bit by being granted the Lea name and receiving assistance to one day be married?”

“You’re the ones who ordered us not to defy anyone, aren’t you? I can’t see any logic behind you complaining about me keeping my word. And I can’t imagine a female hunter like you being qualified to speak to me about marriage.”

A storm was starting to brew in the room. Fortunately, though, the ever-reliable Gazraan Rutim was there to mediate.

“More importantly, Yamiru Lea, what are your thoughts on Tei Suun? If he happens to still be alive, what sort of actions would he be most likely to take?”

“Only the man himself would know that... But if you go thinking of him as an ordinary man of the branch families, I’m sure you’ll suffer for it.”

“What does that mean?”

“Tei Suun spent more time together with the former clan head than even the members of the main house, and had his soul carefully corrupted... Do you know why he was always with me, Diga, and the rest?”

Naturally none of us present knew what she was getting at, so Ai Fa, Gazraan Rutim, and I could only respond with silence.

Yamiru Lea’s face broke out in a grin that appeared far from amused as she regained just a bit of her former cold-hearted aura.

“It was by order of the former clan head. That man saw through Zuuro’s lazy nature, and so he had Tei Suun observe our actions in order to determine who should be the next clan head... Tei Suun was ordered to never disobey our demands, but he was in actuality acting as the former clan head’s eyes all the while.”

“Then you’re saying a woman like you was considered as a possible clan head...?”

“It was more than just possible. At the rate things were going, I was sure to be the next one to take on the role. Though officially, the idea would be for me to marry and my groom to take the title... At any rate, Diga and Doddo weren’t even the slightest bit capable of leading our people, so I’m certain Zattsu Suun intended to leave the task to me and my spouse.”

That information was a shock to me, too.

Just what would have become of the Suun clan if that future had come to pass? If Zattsu Suun, who tried to control the Suun from his sickbed, gave the clan head seat to Yamiru Lea, who had secretly hoped for her clan’s destruction...

With a shake of my head, I swiftly cleared away that pointless train of thought.

At any rate, I was certain it wouldn’t have been a bright future no matter how things went. Maybe that wouldn’t have been the case had Zattsu Suun at least died, but until then, the burden Yamiru Lea would have had to bear would have been overwhelmingly heavy.

“That was just how obedient of a servant Tei Suun was to Zattsu Suun. Even when Zattsu Suun fell ill and became unable to move, that man acted as his hands and feet... And so, if Tei Suun happens to still be alive, make sure not to let him anywhere near me. If Zattsu Suun happened to leave an order that the Suun bloodline must be carried on, he would surely come after me rather than my father or brothers.”

“This is my first time hearing that Tei Suun was that thoroughly tied to Zattsu Suun... And about the matter of you being the next clan head, too.”

Gazraan Rutim’s words caused Yamiru Lea’s grin to grow deeper.

“I didn’t think it was necessary to mention, so I simply didn’t say anything. If you don’t like that, then go ahead and punish me as you wish. How about sending me to the Jeen or Dom as they burn with rage at the shame they faced, rather than leaving me with the Lea?”

“Ah, hold on, Gazraan Rutim...” I hurriedly interjected.

I couldn’t imagine Yamiru Lea did that for her own protection. No, instead she must have held her tongue for Tei Suun’s sake. So that once Zattsu Suun was properly punished, Tei Suun’s soul would finally be freed.

However, before I could say anything else, Gazraan Rutim shot me a look that said I should hold back.

“I have no intention of condemning you. Nobody would have expected such an ill man to escape on his own, regardless of whether or not they had heard that information, and so it would have done nothing to change what happened. And even if Zattsu Suun did see you as his successor, that was purely down to his intentions, and wouldn’t make your crimes any greater.” Yamiru Lea’s cold grin vanished, and in turn Gazraam Rutim now gave a gentle smile. “Besides, you are already a member of the Lea clan. I’m certain Rau Lea wouldn’t simply accept the idea of you being given to the Dom or Jeen... Yamiru Lea, Zattsu Suun is now gone from this world, so you should also be free of his wicked spell.”

“It would certainly be nice if it were that easy to forget that man...” Yamiru Lea muttered, bowing her head deeply enough that her long hair hid her expression. “Tei Suun and I should be the same, there... But if Zattsu Suun really did die without leaving behind any orders, then Tei Suun would finally be able to sacrifice himself, obeying his own will.”

“His own will...?”

“His will to have someone bring his life to an end as soon as possible.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Oura just sadly stared at the floor, while Tsuvai clung tight to her mother as if to offer her support. Mida looked around with the same absentminded expression as always, while Ai Fa remained silent with a sour look fixed on her face.

After a bit more staring at the listless Yamiru Lea, Gazraan Rutim suddenly rose to his feet.

“My apologies for imposing for so long... I’d imagine you all will surely be allowed to return to your proper clans in the near future. I know you’ll be forced to put up with these constraints until then, but I hope you all continue to strive to live as proper people of the forest’s edge.”

Nobody replied.

Following Gazraan Rutim’s example, Ai Fa and I also stood.

“You’re leaving already...? Hey, I don’t even know your names, though...” Mida abruptly called out, only for Ai Fa to turn around and shoot him a dubious look.

“If you can’t even remember someone’s face, will you really be able to recall their names when told them?”

“If I don’t know someone’s name, then I’ll forget their face... I’m Mida, of the Ruu clan.”

“Yes, I certainly haven’t forgotten you... I’m the head of the Fa clan, Ai Fa.”

“And I’m Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Thanks... I’ll see you again, won’t I, Ai Fa and Asuta...?”

“If we share a bond, then it’s certainly possible,” Ai Fa stated, swishing her cloak as she turned her back to Mida.

Then, Mida called out timidly one last time, “Ai Fa... Asuta... If you find Tei Suun, please don’t kill him... Tei Suun is actually really nice...”

◇

After saying farewell to Gazraan Rutim, as he was spending the night at the Ruu settlement, we took off down the dark trail at the forest’s edge.

We had each borrowed a candlestick at least, but it was still my first time traveling the path during the night. I had been taught soon after first arriving at the Fa house that giiz and mundt prowled at this hour, but that didn’t mean that I knew what to be looking out for.

“Don’t leave my side, Asuta. As long as you keep that in mind, you won’t be in any danger,” Ai Fa stated, her voice sounding a bit tense.

If I didn’t let my guard down, I wouldn’t be in danger... But putting it another way, I would be if I wasn’t careful. Mia Lea Ruu had insisted we stay at the Ruu settlement up to the bitter end, but Ai Fa kept stating that wouldn’t work if we couldn’t use the vacant house.

Fortunately my fear of the dark wasn’t as bad as my acrophobia, so I didn’t end up looking as pathetic as when I first had to cross that rope bridge. Still, that didn’t stop things from feeling pretty darn eerie.

Naturally there weren’t any streetlights to be seen, and on top of that, hardly any moonlight made it through the forest on either side of us. And so if the candles went out, we would be surrounded by darkness bad enough that we wouldn’t be able to see right in front of our faces. If Ai Fa weren’t by my side, I doubt I would be able to keep on striding forwards like we were.

“Today certainly has been an unbelievable day...” Ai Fa muttered as we walked. “Zattsu Suun was captured, then he died... In a manner of speaking, that’s all that happened, but the circumstances are every bit as dangerous as they were on the night of the clan head meeting.”

“Yeah. For better or worse, he was once the leader of the forest’s edge, after all. Was he as fierce of a warrior as Donda Ruu until his illness weakened him?”

In the end, that man had wrung out every last ounce of his power in order to curse the world. He wanted anything and everything to crumble.

And we would surely need to use all our strength to resist the black hole left behind by that fell star.

“Just how will your business go from tomorrow on...?”

“Hmm... I guess we won’t know till we head back into town. If we screw up now, it could ruin everything. So honestly, I’d prefer to take time regardless of what those folks from the castle say...”

“That is the trial we face,” Ai Fa stated while staring straight ahead into the darkness. “It is a test we must pass, as we have failed up till now to form a proper bond with the townsfolk and overlooked the corruption of the Suun clan...”

“Yeah. I think so too.”

As we chatted away, the fear and unease I felt from the darkness of night started to lighten up.

However, Ai Fa still remained firmly vigilant. When we were around half an hour out from the Fa house, she suddenly stopped in place and handed me her candlestick. Then, she grabbed the handle of her sword and faced to the left.

“Who’s there? Step into sight.”

So it wasn’t a giiz or mundt, but a person?

Feeling instantly nervous, I thrust out a candle in that direction.

There weren’t that many people who could be waiting for us like this. And sure enough, it was a familiar grey-haired man who soon came swaying out of the darkness, looking like a ghost.

“Tei Suun...”

The powerful smell of blood and giba summoning fruit filled my nostrils.

Tei Suun was standing there in the midst of a grove of trees.

So, he was alive after all... However, I couldn’t confirm the wound he had supposedly received from a blade. That was because for some reason he had on a long cloak of the sort worn by townsfolk rather than the attire of a hunter of the forest’s edge, and it was hiding his body. Perhaps he had stolen it from Haan of Dabagg. Apparently he had grabbed onto that bandaged man before falling from a cliff, according to what Gazraan Rutim had said.

At any rate, Tei Suun really was standing there in that cloak. With his grey hair, beard, dark blue dead-fish eyes, and his wrinkled face without a shred of emotion... and a short sword held in his right hand, peeking out from under the cloak.

“Hmm... So the former clan head Zattsu Suun requested the heads of our Fa clan rather than the Ruu, did he? Well, I suppose it’s a lot less of a pain compared to having you show up in town,” Ai Fa said, the flames burning bright in her eyes as she glared at him. And yet, her expression remained calm and composed. “Still, if you’re a hunter, then you must understand. Currently, you lack the strength needed to do me any harm. If you have even a sliver of pride left as a man of the forest’s edge, then toss aside your blades and yield to me.”

“I’ll do that... But not right now.”

His voice sounded just as emotionless as it had the last time that I heard it.

Had this man really taken a fatal slash and fallen off a cliff? I mean, he honestly looked no different than when I last saw him.

However... I couldn’t spy any bloodstains on the cloak Tei Suun was wearing. And yet, a strong stench of blood was hanging about him. The inside of his cloak may well have been drenched in blood.

“Fa clan head Ai Fa, and clan member Asuta... I did not appear in front of you now in order to do you harm. Instead, I wish to make a request of you.”

“A request?”

“Yes. That is why I waited for you here. Well, in truth, I only saw Dom men hanging around the Fa house, so I was on my way to the Ruu settlement. But it would be difficult to approach you there, so I’m glad to have been fortunate enough to encounter you here instead.”

“Were you always so quick with your words? You certainly have more energy left than I had expected, it seems.”

“That’s not true at all. My life will be used up soon enough. But before that, I wish to see one more matter through.”

“Hold on. Before that, allow me to ask you one thing. Are you already aware of the former clan head Zattsu Suun’s passing?”

Tei Suun looked like a marionette as he gave a brief nod.

“I am. The Dom men were talking loudly about that matter. That was why I felt it even more important to meet with you.”

“Hmph, very well. Then let’s hear that request of yours.”

What Tei Suun said next, however, caught me completely off guard.

“I would like to be able to eat your cooking, Asuta,” Tei Suun stated in a flat, almost robotic voice.

“My cooking? W-Why do you want to eat it...?”

“You’re bringing prosperity to the forest’s edge with it, and I hear that you’re trying to use it to bring about a more proper bond with Genos. I strongly wish to confirm myself if such things are truly possible.”

“But, that’s...”

“If you can grant that wish, I will discard my blade and do as you say. And I will swear to use what little time I have left for the sake of our comrades.”

What he was saying may well have been fitting for a man of the forest’s edge. However... I just couldn’t sense any human emotion in his words in the least.

His dark blue eyes looked gloomy and muddied, and there was no expression on his pale face. The members of the Suun branch families had looked frail, but over time they seemed to regain more human gazes and emotions. Yet Tei Suun had remained exactly the same.

“On the night of the clan head meeting, I was granted a chance to taste your cooking. But I was distracted that night, and was unable to sufficiently sample your strength. I wish to know it before I die, and learn full well if all of my actions up until now were mistaken.”

“Then we should head back towards the Ruu settlement... I believe it would be easier to talk this over with them than the Dom, after all,” Ai Fa calmly stated, but Tei Suun shook his head.

“No. The Ruu clan head will never forgive me. And if you force him to accept this, it could destroy the bond between the Fa and the Ruu... Besides, I have decided that the town of Genos is where I shall die.”

“What?” Ai Fa questioned, her eyes narrowing as her gaze grew more intense.

Tei Suun continued on in the same tone as before, “Tomorrow when the sun hits its peak, I will visit your shop. Please allow me to eat your cooking then, Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you really think you’ll make it into the post town, with such heavy wounds?! You’ll be captured either by men of the forest’s edge or the guards before you ever make it to Asuta!”

“I will be fine. With this attire, I will at the very least be able to walk around town without arousing the suspicion of the guards,” Tei Suun stated, pulling up the leather cloak’s hood.

Well, it was true that most wouldn’t imagine a proud man of the forest’s edge pretending to be one of the townsfolk.

That wasn’t the issue here, though.

“What exactly are you plotting? We couldn’t possibly fulfill such a suspicious request,” Ai Fa questioned, gripping her blade’s handle tighter and lowering her hips.

However, Tei Suun didn’t so much as budge in the slightest.

“In that case, please cut me down here and now. I shall struggle in an unsightly manner, sacrificing myself in the only fitting end to the life granted to me by Zattsu Suun as a member of the Suun clan.”

“Why is there a need for you to come to the post town?! The Ruu men will be there too, so what difference would it make over just heading to the Ruu settlement?!”

“It’s because I wish to fall to you all in the Genos post town, while the townsfolk watch. I want them to see me being judged by people of the forest’s edge. That is the only way I can atone for my crimes.”

“That’s nonsense... I have no idea what you’re even saying.”

“The townsfolk hate the people of the forest’s edge. That is because of the countless crimes perpetrated by members of the Suun clan. And now that Zattsu Suun has died, I’m the only one left who can atone for that... I’m the only man left who did Genos harm, following his orders,” Tei Suun emotionlessly stated. “After I eat your cooking and cast aside my blade, you can do with me as you like. You may cut me down then and there, or hand me over to the guards. Either way, it will be a case of people of the forest’s edge judging one of their own for his crimes in front of the townsfolk. That’s what is most important... Now that I have been cut by the blade of a man from the city, I can not afford to be aimless in how I approach my death.”

“Have you seriously gone insane? You can’t possibly expect me to believe your words.”

“I suppose that’s true. But it’s precisely because of my desire to regain my sanity that I brought this request to you.”

The sharp look in Ai Fa’s eyes clashed in the darkness with Tei Suun’s nihilistic gaze.

Worrying that my clan head may move to cut him down at any moment, I interjected, “Um... It would be incredibly difficult to accept your request. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to properly open the stalls tomorrow to begin with, and even if I can, the Ruu men will be there guarding us. And since we value our bonds with their clan, we can’t exactly go about deceiving them. Plus even if we tried, there’s no way they would fail to recognize you.”

“I don’t mind if it’s the Ruu men who cut me down. It would just be a great boon if it is done by people of the forest’s edge where the townsfolk can see... However, until I observe your strength firsthand, I will have no choice but to keep thrashing in my death throes till the bitter end as a member of the Suun.”

“But, I mean, no matter what your intentions may be, if you cause a commotion like that in front of my customers, it’ll just incite more fear in the hearts of the townsfolk.”

“Yes. That’s why I believe it would be ideal if I could be captured by people of the forest’s edge and handed over to the guards. Something like that should instead help to ease the concerns of the townsfolk.”

Something about all this just felt way too affected. I’d imagine anyone, not just Ai Fa, would find it hard to believe.

“I’ve told you everything that I needed to... I’ll leave the final decision up to the two of you.”

“I see... In that case, I have no choice but to capture you here and now.”

Ai Fa’s hips lowered further. Tei Suun gave an emotionless nod in response.

“Then I will shamefully struggle in response... However, I don’t believe I could defeat you, so I will flee instead.”

“Do you really believe you can escape me in such a powerless state?”

“It may well be impossible. If you were to leave your clan member alone here in order to chase me, that is.”

With that, Tei Suun started swaying away.

“Hold on! Don’t you dare move!”

“No, I’ll flee. And after that, I’ll come to the post town tomorrow when the sun hits its peak. Please, cut me down there.”

Tei Suun was now far enough away that the light from the candles no longer reached him.

I could hear the sound of feet trampling on dirt, then Ai Fa moved to chase him, only to turn around and stare back at me with regret burning brightly in her eyes.

“Damn! What in the world is that man thinking?!”

In the end Ai Fa was unable to leave the spot, and Tei Suun once more completely disappeared into the darkness.