Chapter 2: The Visitor to the Forest’s Edge

1

It was now the following morning.

When I rode on up to the Ruu settlement in the wagon, it ended up causing something of a commotion. Of course, I had been expecting that to some degree, since I had asked Lala Ruu and everyone to inform the rest of the clan. And so there were little kids shouting out excitedly and people staring with surprised looks, but nobody seemed to be judging us, so I figured that was fine.

Ultimately I stopped Gilulu by pulling on the reins before entering the settlement’s plaza. Then I got down from the driver’s seat and we walked on in.

“Welcome to the Ruu settlement, Asuta. It seems you’re able to handle the wagon just fine after a day’s practice,” Sheera Ruu said, running over from her house.

“Yeah. I actually squeezed in some special training with Ai Fa this morning too, and so I managed to at least get the basics down. I should be fine even on the thin trails closer to town, as long as I take things slowly and don’t try to rush.”

Thanks to that, Ai Fa was probably gathering firewood and herbs all on her own around now. I felt bad about that, but she had also had an unusually high level of interest in the wagon, so I played into that, got up early with her, and together we did some training. When we finished that up and it was time for me to head out towards the Ruu settlement, she had looked really reluctant to step down from the wagon.

“From here on out, I’ll pick everyone up and drop them off. I guess we should start by loading up the luggage from your house, Sheera Ruu. Though now that I think about it... I guess we don’t need to borrow a pot from you guys anymore now that we have this wagon.”

Since I got a hold of the iron tray, we ended up having to go to the trouble of bringing the tarapa sauce I made to town in a leather sack, meeting up with Sheera Ruu there, and then transferring the contents into a pot that she brought. It had been too much to expect Vina Ruu to carry both the tray and the pot together, so we really didn’t have any other choice.

But now, we could bring as much from the Fa house as we needed. In the wagon, I had a pot full of tarapa sauce, the tray for the myamuu giba, 60 patties, 90 meals’ worth of meat soaking in marinade, and enough baked poitan for 60 dishes. And then, there was the meat for the cooking I’d be doing at the inns, and even two kilos of jerky.

Looking at it again, it really was quite a bit of luggage. And to think, just Vina Ruu and I were carrying everything but the pot day after day...

That did serve to build up my stamina, but I felt truly grateful for the fact that I wouldn’t have to lug it all over that terrifying rope bridge anymore.

At any rate, Sheera Ruu added the baked poitan for the other 90 meals to the wagon, and then we headed over to the main Ruu house.

When we got there, we found Rimee Ruu waiting for us along with the totos named Ruuruu.

“Ooh, a wagon! This is amazing, Asuta!” Rimee Ruu said from atop Ruuruu’s back as she had the bird walk over. She seemed to love totos just as much as Ai Fa, and had been practicing riding from early in the morning onwards. “It’s so cool! But it looks heavy, too! Good work there, Gilulu!”

Of course, Gilulu responded with the same blank look as always, along with a slight tilt of his head. And Ruuruu just sort of stood there staring at Gilulu.

“Hello there, Asuta. Welcome to the Ruu settlement. This is all the firewood we’ve got for you today,” Mia Lea Ruu called with a cheerful smile as she stepped out of the house to see what all the fuss was about. Reina and Lala Ruu had also circled around from behind the dwelling holding the large bundles of firewood, which brought our preparations to a close.

“Well then, let’s get going. Everybody, please hop into the wagon.” With that, Reina, Lala, and Sheera Ruu all excitedly did as I asked. And as I watched them out of the corner of my eye, I called out to Mia Lea Ruu, “Um, so does it seem like Vina Ruu will still need some time to recover after all, then?”

“That’s right. Even if she could make it there and back in this wagon thing, having to keep standing on the job would still be too much for her. It looks like it really will be two more days or so till she can work in town again, like I told you before.”

“I see. Then about the easterner, Shumiral...”

“Well, for now we’re willing to welcome him into the house and have a look at him. The clan head and I will check him out, and if we feel satisfied, then we’ll let him meet with Vina.”

“Right. I’ll certainly vouch for the fact that he’s a trustworthy man, and I hope that you see him the same way.”

With a sigh of relief, I guided Gilulu on foot over towards the exit to the plaza. And as the wagon rolled along, the girls riding inside of it started getting excited.

“Well then, let’s get going. It’ll sway a bit, so take care not to fall, alright?” I said as I climbed up into the driver’s seat and gave Gilulu’s leg a smack with the riding crop. With that, the totos started bobbing along. Despite all the weight he was now pulling, there wasn’t any change in his light and easy stride.

However, we had time to spare, so I kept Gilulu at a walk rather than a run.

On human feet, walking to the post town from the Ruu settlement took between 40-50 minutes, while it would be 20-25 for a totos... But considering the narrow winding trail, it would probably be safer to make that around 30 minutes. Still, as long as I didn’t screw up, that meant we should get there a good bit earlier than usual.

“Asuta, you’re helping us out like this, but you’re still paying us the same amount? I just don’t feel right about that, somehow...” Sheera Ruu called out from behind. Since there was no divider between the driver’s seat and the wagon itself, as long as you just spoke up a little, having a conversation was no problem at all.

“Don’t worry about all that. The key point of the job has always been what happens while we’re in the post town, so you really don’t need to concern yourself so much about what comes before and after.”

“Really? But it seems like this will cut down on the travel time quite a bit... If that means we’re going to be getting back to our houses earlier than usual, then I think I’d like to use that extra time to gather firewood.”

I could feel myself breaking out in a bit of a strained smile in response to how earnest Sheera Ruu was. However, I swiftly changed gears in my head instead.

“But the amount of firewood we pull in now should already be plenty. So would it be possible to leave a different task to you instead?”

“A different task? What do you mean?”

As we rounded a gentle curve in the path, I went ahead and revealed the plan I had previously thought up.

“Making the giba burger patties and the tarapa sauce... Either that, or cutting up the meat for the myamuu giba and making the marinade. I was thinking of leaving one or the other up to you, but what do you say?”

Perhaps feeling perplexed, Sheera Ruu didn’t say anything in response. Rather than rushing her for an answer, though, I simply waited.

“But... If I do that, then there wouldn’t be anything left for you to do on the dish, right...?”

“Yeah. In fact, that’s precisely the idea. It may take some time to actually see it through, but I was thinking I’d like to hand one of the stalls over to the Ruu clan to manage.”

Again, silence. And so, this time I decided to keep talking.

“I first had the thought a while back. You would need to enter into a contract with the inn owner, prepare the food, make sure the taste is just right, and figure out the net profits by subtracting out your businesses expenses. But if you can do all that without me, then all the earnings from the stall would naturally go to the Ruu clan.”

She still wasn’t saying anything.

“I still haven’t gotten Donda Ruu’s approval, though, so I’m certainly not trying to rush it. But I was thinking the first step would be having you memorize how to prepare the dish. What do you think?”

“B-But why...? That would only decrease the number of coins the Fa clan can earn, so there shouldn’t be anything for you to gain by doing such a thing...” Sheera Ruu replied in a weak, trembling voice.

“That’s not true. If I can leave one of the stalls up to the Ruu clan, then that lightens my workload so I can focus on something else. And I’d been wanting to do more experimenting and studying for that...”

“Experimenting and studying...?”

“That’s right. If things go well I may end up offering my cooking through lots more inns, and even if that doesn’t happen, I’d still like to reexamine the dishes I currently prepare. The cubed giba meat stew just takes too long to cook, and the pickled chitt I’ve been using drives up the cost of the ingredients too much.”

“Right...”

“And then there’s the dishes for the stalls. Right now we prepare 150 meals each day, 90 myamuu giba and 60 giba burgers, but we always end up with ten or so extra myamuu giba, don’t we? With that in mind, I was thinking of bringing the number of myamuu giba and giba burgers down to 50 or 60 each and introducing a third dish.”

“Huh? You’re going to open a third stall?”

“Ah, no, that’s ultimately just one of the things I’m considering. And at any rate, I can’t increase my amount of prep work with things as they stand. So that’d have to wait till I hand over one of the stalls to the Ruu clan.”

Even setting aside the matter of the fees for the stall and location as well as personnel costs, increasing the number of stalls would likely end up decreasing my net profit. However, I still had a desire to try out new dishes bit by bit while still maintaining my current popular offerings.

If I could offer up 60 each of three different dishes, then that would allow more people than before to enjoy giba meat cooking, and maybe three stalls selling 180 meals would fall better in line with the surrounding shops than two stalls selling 150.

At any rate, though, our goal behind running these stalls wasn’t to earn a profit, but rather to further spread the knowledge of how tasty giba meat is. The grand plan was to reach the point where folks wanted to buy the meat itself rather than just my cooking, so this was sort of like a presentation I was putting on to further that cause.

“I’m probably getting repetitive here, but I’m really not trying to rush it along. I mean, it’s only just barely past a month since I started doing business in general. And things seem pretty up in the air in general right now, so I’d like to be careful in how we progress. But still... From what I’ve seen of how hard you all work, I really don’t think it would be a problem to have you all take over one of the stalls.”

And if the Ruu clan were able to handle running a business on their own, then even if I did happen to up and disappear, the plan to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge could still carry on. Honestly, that was one of the reasons I had the thought in the first place.

Still, you never knew when anyone may die. Even without a background like mine, that was just common sense here in this world, so it certainly wasn’t a bad idea in the least to put such preparations in place.

And besides, even though that was one of my reasons, it still wasn’t the biggest one.

A month back, when Sheera Ruu first came to help out just five days after I started doing business, the thought just naturally occurred to me that with her level of skill, I could someday leave one of the stalls to her. And so, I was just now voicing the idea that had been simmering inside me for a month now.

Mia Lea Ruu had astoundedly asked me why I would go forward down a path that would only result in losses on my end. But the Fa clan’s goal was to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge. As clan head, Ai Fa most definitely didn’t want us to just amass a fortune for ourselves.

When it was a job only I could handle, I would push myself as hard as possible. But I truly felt that if it was a task someone else could handle, it would be more effective to yield that to them and start working on something different.

And when someone possessed a certain strength, it only seemed right for them to be paid fairly to use it. And from what I could tell, that most certainly applied to Sheera Ruu.

“What do you think? Even putting aside all that talk of the future, it would seriously help me out if you could start by learning the preparations.”

“Ah, no, but I...”

“I don’t think there should be any issue at all in regards to your cooking skills. You can already make the tarapa sauce all on your own, and putting together patties was one of your specialties, wasn’t it? Of course, what’s important when doing business is making sure you can maintain the same taste day after day. So I’d probably want to give you some pointers there, too.”

Sheera Ruu didn’t say anything.

“Still, I guess it’d be easier to make the myamuu giba, huh? As long as you remember how to cut the meat, the rest should be simple. But if I’m being honest, it’d be a bigger help on my end if you took the giba burgers instead, since those take longer.”

“That would be fine! Hamburgers are one of my specialties, after all!” a voice responded with more enthusiasm than I would expect from Sheera Ruu. Which made sense, considering it had come from Reina Ruu instead. “Asuta, you use a stronger seasoning with the myamuu giba to match the tastes of the townsfolk, don’t you? So in that case, it would be more fitting to have the Ruu clan take on the burgers instead. I’d imagine it would be difficult having to make a dish in a way that seems less than ideal to us, after all.”

“Ah, I could see that.”

“Also, I think it would be tough on Sheera Ruu to ask her to single-handedly take over for you, Asuta. I would find that difficult to do, too. But with the two of us working together, I figure we could manage to work at least half as hard as you do!”

“You’re really overestimating me, there. With the two of you together, you should certainly be capable of making a tastier giba burger than I do, don’t you think?”

“I’d say you’re the one overestimating us, Asuta,” Reina Ruu replied, though her tone remained firm all the while. “I’m sorry for going and butting in there, Sheera Ruu. But I really would like to give it a try... To see just how far my skill can take me. And if we succeed, then we won’t just earn coins, but also the sort of honor Asuta gets for our cooking abilities.”

“Honor for our cooking abilities...” Sheera Ruu quietly repeated, her voice no longer trembling like before.

For a moment, the only sound in the air was the rattling of the wagon, but right around when the thin path leading to the post town came into view, she spoke up again.

“You’ll show us the ropes to help make up for what we’re lacking, won’t you...?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“In that case, I’d like to put my cooking skills to the test, too.”

Feeling glad to hear that, I replied, “Thank you,” and tugged on Gilulu’s reins to get him to slow down a bit.

◇

Fortunately, we didn’t run into any issues even after arriving in the post town.

We were permitted to park totos and wagons in the space behind the stalls. However, since totos would eat leaves when tied up there, the rate for the space was increased by two red coins per day. I had some questions about the way the costs were laid out there, seeing as the space itself just cost one coin per day, but it was so cheap to begin with that I didn’t feel any need to get upset over it. And besides, checking Gilulu in at a proper totos stable would cost three red coins for half a day, so it was still a lot more reasonable to do things this way.

But at any rate, business went quite smoothly.

The folks from the east and south all lined up in front of the stalls first thing in the morning, and once they started to dwindle off, westerners began appearing here and there. In total, the southerners and easterners each made up 40% of my clientele, while the remaining 20% came from the west. And so, there was no real change in the ratio there, for better or for worse.

Of course, I really should feel grateful for the fact that I’m not seeing a big drop off after all that commotion...

Still, it felt like a bit of a stalemate for me in regards to the westerners.

The faces I had been seeing from the south and east had changed quite a bit over this past month. Naturally, there were longtime regulars like the Silver Vase and Pops’s construction group, but I was getting plenty of customers besides them too.

Thanks to the reputation I’d earned at The Great Southern Tree and The Sledgehammer, newcomers to the stalls would frequently show up even as others left Genos. Selling my cooking through those inns really had a remarkable effect on that front.

On the other hand, I wasn’t seeing much change in my western clientele. A number of them came from out of town for work, but the overwhelming majority were all residents, naturally.

In other words, of the roughly 30 or so western customers I got per day, nearly all of them were regulars who had been coming around for nearly a month now.

How many westerners lived here in the Genos post town to begin with? I honestly had no clue. I believe Ai Fa said it was several thousand at some point, but that was ultimately just shaky second-hand information.

From how lively the streets were and all the rows of houses stretching out to the west, it seemed clear it wasn’t just one or two thousand. Even if it didn’t reach all the way to 10,000, I’d certainly say “several thousand” seemed about right.

Of course, it wasn’t like all the residents of the post town came out to the stalls to eat. The clientele around here ultimately all came from folks staying in the inns or working nearby. And even then, some of that crowd just chose to eat lunch at their inn instead.

Then just how big of a pie was there for me to take my slice out of?

I figured I could roughly calculate that out based on the number of stalls.

How many snack stalls were there in this vast space...? It couldn’t be less than 50, at least. I’d probably put it at somewhere in the 60 to 70 range. And from what I heard, they generally sold between 20 to 50 meals per day. So the average would be 35 meals.

Roughly 60 stalls selling 35 meals each would work out to 2100 customers.

With that in mind, the fact that we were selling around 140 per day with just two stalls sure was something.

And so, the issue really did just come down to the ratios.

From what I could tell by looking at the traffic passing by, it really did seem like the majority of folks around were from the west. By my estimate, they seemed to make up somewhere between 60-70% of the crowd.

So based on my estimate of 2000 people, that would mean there were 1260 westerners or so. And bottom line, less than 30 of them came by our stalls. In terms of percentages, we’d be talking a piddly 2.4%.

For now, that was ultimately the most westerners I could get to come by the stalls without hesitation.

As for my foreign customers, I seemed to be seeing around 110 out of 840 coming by the stalls, or 13%.

Over one in every 10 easterners and southerners bought from me, while for westerners it was only about two out of a hundred.

Even though I was selling quite well, that was still a worrying set of circumstances for me.

Our location had been pretty secluded to begin with, and there was that whole incident ten days or so back. Yet in spite of that, this many people still kept on coming by to purchase my giba cooking rather than abandoning us. That was something to feel glad about, but still... I was finding it pretty difficult to determine just what my next step should be.

Ah, if I keep overthinking things like this, then Ai Fa will think I’m all in a rush again...

And so, I put a stop to my wild thoughts and calculations, just in time for there to be a tug on the sleeve of my t-shirt.

“Asuta, are you alright? We have a customer, you know...” Reina Ruu, who was working the giba burger stall alongside me, questioned with a look of concern.

I nodded back at her, and then lightly slapped my own cheeks.

“Sorry about that. I was just doing a bit of thinking, but now wasn’t the time for that. Welcome!” I said with a smile, only for my grin to soon fade.

There was a beardless youth from the south standing there and shooting me a sour look.

“Ah, hello... So what did you come here today for?”

Reina Ruu seemingly hadn’t noticed just yet, but it was the man named Labis from yesterday.

“I’ve come here today as a customer. Will you still sell me your cooking despite yesterday’s commotion?”

His expression looked displeased, but his tone and actions were all perfectly polite.

I glanced left and right, and when I didn’t see hide nor hair of that little troublemaker, I replied, “Of course. I acted rudely yesterday, too. Um, do you just want one?”

“Yes.”

“The taste of the meat in this dish is stronger than the one from yesterday, though, and it has a unique texture to it. A number of customers from the south have told me they weren’t fond of that, so would you like to try a sample before buying?”

There had been a remarkable drop-off in customers trying samples lately, so I would have to sacrifice one of the patties meant for selling, but there was really no helping that. And besides, the chance to earn a new customer was worth a lot more than the two red coins I would get from a sale.

However, the young man just looked all the more displeased upon hearing my words.

“Is that so...? Is the taste of the meat really that strong?”

“Hmm, well, there are customers from the south who are completely fine with it, too. But if I had to pick one, then that myamuu dish is more popular with southerners.”

“What should I do...?” the young man questioned, tilting his head.

I was about to say, “I’m not really sure how to respond to that,” only to gasp “Gyah!” instead.

From behind the young southerner’s stout frame, I could now spy speckled dark brown hair and a beautiful green eye like jade staring my way.

“A-Ah, you’re here too. Um... I’m truly sorry for my rude statement from yesterday,” I stated, taking the towel off my head and giving a thirty degree bow.

I could only spy part of her hair and her left eye from where I stood.

“How do you want me to proceed? It seems you can also confirm the taste first,” the young man stated, turning to look at her.

Instantly, Diel wailed out, “You dummy! Don’t move! He’s gonna see me!”

“Um, I can already see you a bit, so I don’t think there’s much point to hiding any longer...” I gently pointed out, only for the bit of her pale skin showing to turn red.

“Are you mad...?”

“Huh?”

“I hit you twice yesterday, but you’re not mad at me?”

“I mean, I was the one who went and acted rudely first. Not that I particularly approve of violence, though. Still, I’d say I brought that on myself, so I’m definitely not angry.”

Unfortunately I couldn’t quite bring myself to force a smile, but I was at least able to calmly get out that response. And it honestly wasn’t a lie that I wasn’t angry.

“You’re really not mad...?”

“Yup, that’s right.”

“I’m still angry, though...”

“Ah, yeah, I really am sorry about that.”

“Do you still think that I’m a boy...?”

“I don’t! I just had the dumb preconception in my head that there could never be any southern women in Genos. I’m seriously sorry, so could you find it in yourself to forgive me?”

Perhaps because I was behaving so humbly, the girl finally stepped out from the shadow of the young man.

She really was small and slender, with an adorable face. Looking now, it really was hard to see her as anything but a woman. Seriously, what had my brain been doing, reading her as a cute, girlish boy? The human mind could be seriously baffling at times.

Though with all that said, if she didn’t like being mistaken for a boy, she could’ve dressed more girly. The sleeveless vest and cylindrical pants she wore were the same as the young man accompanying her, and the coloring was chic but also a bit utilitarian.

With both westerners and the people of the forest’s edge, women tended to wear flashy, feminine attire, and they also usually showed off quite a bit of skin. As to whether this girl had especially womanly proportions, well, I preferred not to answer, but if she got dressed up in girly attire then she’d surely be cute enough to turn heads.

“That girl is incredibly pretty...” Diel stated with a harsh glare pointed Reina Ruu’s way.

In response, the second Ruu daughter gave a bit of a troubled smile and said “Huh?” with a tilt of her head.

“And that one is too, and the girl with the red hair next to her is super cute. Is the forest’s edge just full of beauties?”

“W-Well, I can’t exactly deny that...”

“I guess it makes sense that someone like me would look like a man when you’re always surrounded by such beautiful women...”

“That’s not true at all! You’ve got as cute a face as anyone, don’t you?!” I replied without thinking.

Diel’s pale face went bright red in response, and Reina Ruu’s cute round eyes narrowed and grew just as chilly as my clan head’s. I really was shocked to see the latter girl give a look like that, and couldn’t help but give a mental sigh.

“Wh-What are you, stupid? Trying to suck up to me with nonsense like that only makes me trust you less, y’know. You really are an inconsiderate guy, Asuta!”

“Yeah, even I can’t help but hate myself sometimes... Anyway, if you really did come here for my food again in spite of all that, then please go ahead! I’ll make up a sample for you to try out, so—”

“I don’t need to taste it first. But will you really sell your cooking to me...?”

“I can’t see any reason why not. In fact, it’d make me really glad if you bought some.”

Then, with her cheeks still red, Diel broke out in a truly joyful smile.

It may have been that innocent grin that finally cleared away the last bit of reservation I had been feeling. Her words and actions made her a bit tricky to handle, but at the very least, she seemed to be incredibly open when it came to her emotions. To relate her to someone I knew more closely, she may just have been pretty similar to Lala Ruu.

And when a person like that smiled, it really was quite charming. For some reason, it really reminded me of when Pops first shot me a grin.

“Well then, go ahead and sell me one! How many coins is it?”

“Ah, thank you. That will be two red coins.”

“So cheap! Can you really make a profit like that?”

“Yeah, at least as much as other stalls do.”

Since Ai Fa had resumed hunting, we once again had some days when we didn’t need to buy meat from other clans. Those circumstances meant our baseline expenses fluctuated quite a bit, but we most certainly shouldn’t have been any worse off than the other stalls.

Ah, as for today’s meat, we had purchased it from the Ran clan rather than the Ruu. And rather than paying 12 red coins for one giba’s worth, we went with 120. In other words, thanks to the negotiations with Tsuvai and Mia Lea Ruu, we had finally revised the cost of meat to something more proper.

Depending on the size of the giba, we would pay anywhere from 100 to 140 red coins. We also determined that we would pay half the price for half of a carcass, too. That was out of consideration for the fact that small clans also needed to keep meat for themselves too, unlike the Ruu who were able to hunt down a constant amount.

“Well then, one please! Ah, you really don’t want any, Labis?”

“That’s right. I already ate before we left,” the young man replied, pulling out a small cloth bag from near his chest. Then he pulled out a single white coin and placed it down with a clink.

“Thank you. And your change will be eight red coins.”

I was working on preparing the giba burger, and so Reina Ruu dealt with the change. However, even after she held out the coins, Labis offered no reaction.

Seemingly sensing what was going on, Reina Ruu gave a small nod and placed the coins down on the counter. With that, the young man silently grabbed the eight red coins.

So he didn’t want to touch any people of the forest’s edge if he could avoid it, huh?

The people of the forest’s edge had come to Genos from the black forest of Jagar, and converted from the southern god to the western god when they did so. And so, a portion of southerners avoided them even now.

However, the number of folks from Jagar who felt that way seemed to be few in number, and they wouldn’t exactly approach these stalls in the first place anyway, so this was an unusual sight for me.

Hmm... They don’t seem to be such bad people overall, but they really are a bit tricky to handle, I thought to myself as I handed the finished giba burger over to Diel.

“Thanks for waiting. And take care so that the tarapa doesn’t spill out, alright?”

“Yup! Thanks!” Diel replied with a bright smile, her mood seemingly having completely recovered. And as she bit into the dish with none of the hesitation she showed yesterday, her eyes narrowed even further with joy. “This is so good! I knew I didn’t need to taste it first! This is just as delicious as that dish from yesterday, Asuta!”

“Thanks, I’m glad to hear it.”

“Still, this meat is pretty darn soft. Is it still giba?”

“That’s right. This dish is made by chopping up the meat first and then balling it up and cooking it.”

“Hmm, how elaborate! I certainly never expected I’d be able to eat proper cooking here in the post town!”

Proper cooking, huh?

That statement definitely stirred up my curiosity.

“Hey, you normally eat in the castle town, don’t you? So, are the dishes they serve there really that much more lavish than what we have in the post town?”

“Hmm? Yeah, that’s right! Even the ingredients they use are on a whole other level! But your cooking’s really tasty... How is it so good when you can afford to sell it for two red coins?” Diel said with a smile, looking down at the cross-section of the giba burger she had bitten into. “This diced up vegetable is tino, isn’t it? And this boiled stuff is tarapa, right? Cheap tarapa’s supposed to be way more sour, but this is sweet and tasty.”

“Huh? Are you saying there’re less sour sorts of tarapa out there? I cooked it along with diced aria in order to counteract that. And the taste there should be coming from the fruit wine and myamuu.”

“Fruit wine, huh? But that’s cheap stuff too, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. A container this large just costs one red coin.”

“A single red coin! That’s so cheap it’s almost laughable!”

Her words just sounded so haughty and arrogant. Was that mouth on her just something she was born with? Honestly, I couldn’t help but have conflicted feelings, seeing how she was both praising my cooking skills and insulting my ingredients.

“Still, you really must have quite some skill to make food this delicious with such cheap ingredients. What’s someone like you doing working in the post town?”

“I don’t know what to say, except that I’m a person of the forest’s edge. I’m sure we’d never be allowed to do business in the castle town, right?”

Diel’s eyebrows drooped in response to those words. She really did seem to shift emotions awful quick.

“I’m sorry. I went and insulted the post town again, didn’t I? But it’s not like I hate this place, y’know. It’s the castle town that I find all stuffy and unbearable, which is why I slip out every day. Still, the cheap food from the post town is one thing I just can’t stand...”

“Ah, I wasn’t all that hurt by it.”

“You don’t like how I keep calling the ingredients you use cheap either, right...? Sorry.”

“No, I’m really not upset! And hey, hurry up and eat your food before it gets cold!”

“Right...”

Diel stopped and stared at my face with a concerned look for a bit, but she changed gears before too long and started eating again.

It was then that a tall group clad in leather cloaks approached, and I sighed without thinking. The timing was awkward... though with that said, they more or less showed up at the same time each day. After all, it was my group of regulars, the Silver Vase.

Diel tried to casually move out of the way, but when she saw silver hair peeking out from under one of the hoods, she froze in place.

“Asuta, five please.”

“Thanks for your continued business. Um... the promise from yesterday is still valid, right?” I asked Diel in a bit of a worried tone, only to get back an annoyed, “Yeah, yeah!”

Then, the girl looked angrily up at Shumiral.

“Hey! There’s something I want to say to you!”

The easterner silently looked down on Diel. And his expression remained utterly devoid of emotion as he did so.

As I stood there wondering if this difference in temperaments was part of what led to their nations becoming enemies, Diel’s eyebrows raised as she looked all the more annoyed.

In the next instant, though, she shouted out, “I’m sorry! I hate folks from Sym, but I may have been in the wrong there, insulting you like that in the western kingdom. So I’m sorry, alright!”

When she said that last “sorry,” it was in the sort of tone you’d use to shout out, “you damn jerk!”

However, that was probably about as close to a compromise as this girl could get.

With the same look on his face as always, Shumiral gave a small nod.

“I await the day, the war between, Sym and Jagar, comes to a close. I do not, hate Jagar.”

“Well I mean, I was born in Jeland, which is in the west of Jagar, so I don’t really know much about the war myself, but... Ugh, whatever! Stop making me talk so much! Something rude’ll end up slipping out again!” Diel shouted before biting down on the giba burger as if to put a lid over her own mouth. Then, she shot me a glare as if to say, “That was good enough, right?”

Naturally, I didn’t have any problems there. In fact, I felt glad to see that she was able to earnestly go ahead and say sorry.

“I saw you, yesterday in the castle town, at the yellow manor. Are you perhaps, part of, an ironsmithing group?” Shumiral calmly asked while waiting for me to finish the giba burgers.

Meanwhile, Diel looked up with an antagonistic glare at Shumiral, who stood around a head taller than her.

“I told you not to make me talk so much! But that’s right... We came from Jeland, so naturally that’s the field of work we’re in.”

“Jeland iron, is famed. We lost business, as the client decided, he would buy, blades from there instead.”

“Ah, you were the folks from Sym who sold blades to that old guy? That’s a shame! But I mean, Jagar would never lose out to Sym when it comes to metalworking!” Diel said while proudly puffing out her chest, only to turn and shoot me a worried look. “Um, I wasn’t badmouthing them right now...”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t need to worry that much about it.”

Besides, Shumiral was the one who brought up the subject there. However, I couldn’t imagine him launching into small talk with someone from Jagar just because he felt like it, so it was probably a conversation he felt was important to have.

“We sold blades, each year. But we were told, he doesn’t need them, anymore... Because he, is buying them, from you.”

“Hmm? Ah, apparently my dad and that old guy had some sort of special agreement. I don’t know the details, though, and even if I did I wouldn’t exactly go telling them to a business rival! Wait... you’re an ironware seller?”

“No, I am not. We sell blades, pots, glass, cloth... anything and everything.”

“Huh? Well anyway, I guess you’d better start refocusing your business from here on out. Jagar is famous for its iron, and even there Jeland is a step above! So we won’t lose out to some petty merchants who deal in whatever they can get their hands on!”

Every time Diel made a harsh comment, she shot me a worried look.

Right now, though, she was acting more amusing than aggravating. Besides, it made sense to me for merchants to ruthlessly compete with one another.

“We strive, to make, good blades. However... May I say, one thing?”

“What is it? You sure do talk a lot for someone from Sym, y’know.”

“I enjoy, conversation. I would like, to learn, to better speak, the language, of the west. But the old man, of the yellow manor, broke our agreement. We prepared blades, for no reason, now. I warn you, to take care, as well.”

“Eh? You’re being way too naive, there! If you didn’t have a contract, then you’ve got no right to complain about someone changing business partners. I’m surprised you call yourself a merchant, thinking like that.”

“We did, have a contract. But he still, broke the agreement. He said, if we complained, he would take, our pass into, the castle town. That would prove, problematic, and so, we gave up, on the matter.”

With those words, Diel’s cute expression gave way to a more stern one. Though with that said, it was still more like the expression of a puppy that had its meal interrupted.

“What the...? That old guy’s seriously that crooked? Well, I guess he really does feel more like a greedy merchant on the outskirts of town than a noble... Still, what were you thinking, giving that information to your business rivals?”

“I have, no particular, reason,” Shumiral replied, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. It was the sort of expression that I had pegged as meaning he was enjoying himself. “It’s just, that you, apologized. You are, unusual for, a citizen of Jagar. And so, I wanted, to talk to you.”

“Hmph! What a weirdo!” Diel retorted, turning away. But then, she went ahead and glanced back over towards Shumiral. “But well, I guess I’ll tell my dad to watch out just to be safe. But I won’t go thanking you until I know if it’s true or not!”

“I do not, need thanks. Let us both, strive to make, the best blades, that we can.”

With that, the back and forth finally came to a close, and Shumiral was able to eat his own giba burger.

Now, I wanted to let Shumiral know as soon as possible that he had permission to visit the Ruu settlement, but that seemed best left till after a certain belligerent young girl left. And so, I decided to just make some small talk for the time being.

“Doing business in the castle town sounds pretty tough in its own way. You do business with nobles, Shumiral?”

“Yes. It was, by chance. That old man, bought many blades. For cutting vegetables, and meat.”

“Ah, so you were talking about cooking knives there, huh?”

In that case, we were talking about knives like the one I had sitting right in front of me, a splendid vegetable knife I had bought from Shumiral for 18 white coins.

“That old guy really is a sucker for tasty food! He’s apparently got links to all sorts of restaurants, and he’s even got cooks living in the manor we’re staying at. He’s super hard to like, but he really does treat his guests well!” Diel chimed in, resolutely butting into the conversation.

“You’re staying at that noble’s manor? That sure is a shock.”

“Yeah, I guess! He was even saying if things go well, he’d order the swords and spears for the soldiers in the castle from us too... Ah, I probably shouldn’t have said that!” the girl stated, hurriedly covering her mouth.

I gave a strained smile and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t go spreading it around. I’ve got no interest in fighting with nobles, after all.”

“Yeah, I mean, that old guy’s got a real lousy personality! And to nobles, money’s more important than the lives of commoners.” Then, Diel’s eyes suddenly started to sparkle. “Ooh, how about if I introduce you to him, Asuta? You’d be set for life if you became a noble’s personal chef!”

“Ah, no, no! This post town fits me way better! And I don’t know if I could make food that would suit a noble’s tastes!”

“Really? I couldn’t see you losing to the cooks from that manor, though...” Diel muttered, puffing her cheeks and looking a bit upset. “Still, it might be best not to get involved with a nasty guy like that. It seems like it’d be a real pain, having him go finding fault with everything. Ugh, but I really wanted to have everyone there eat your cooking. I’m sure your food would surprise those nobles even more than it shocked me. I mean, they’d never think giba meat could be that tasty!”

For me, the castle town was some far off, distant presence. And besides, I had my hands full just trying to figure out how to tackle the post town.

Still, a nasty old noble, huh...?

I got a bit of a bad feeling about that for some reason, and so I decided it best to go ahead and check.

“By the way, what’s the name of that noble anyway? Ah, but you don’t have to answer if that question’s a problem.”

“Hmm? His name? What was it again...? Cyrun or Taran or something...?”

Oh good... I thought to myself, feeling a bit relieved.

There was a certain noble I didn’t want anything to do with, even indirectly. And now that I’d finally gotten closer to this girl, I didn’t want to have to suspect her of being a spy, either.

Well, there had to be plenty of nobles in the Genos castle town, so it was probably pretty unlikely to hit the mark to begin with...

“That’s wrong,” Shumiral suddenly stated. “The old man of, the yellow manor, is called, Count Turan. The Turan domain, is to the north, of Genos. There are many, orchards and, fuwano fields there.”

“Yeah, that was it! Turan! But wait, that’s his title, not his name, isn’t it?”

“Yes. He is the head, of the Turan family, Cyclaeus. One of the three, lords of Genos,” Shumiral calmly stated.

I looked up at the sun approaching its peak high in the sky, and sighed with all my might.

2

“I do not, know much about, Lord Cyclaeus. We always discussed business, with a servant.”

We had finished business for the day, and were currently on our way back to the forest’s edge. Shumiral was riding in the swaying wagon along with the women, explaining as we went.

“I met Lord Cyclaeus, just twice. We did not, talk much. But I thought, he was not, the sort of man, to let your guard, down around... And then, he broke, our agreement.”

“I see. Then he went and pulled the underhanded move of saying he’d take your pass away if you complained.”

“Yes. And so, I do not, think it a shame, to no longer, do business, with him. It was, a poor bond, that I am glad, to sever.”

Well, if their bonds were broken, then that sounded like a good thing to me.

However, the people of the forest’s edge couldn’t exactly cut off relations with Cyclaeus because they didn’t like him. In fact, the meeting with the folks from the castle was tomorrow.

Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried were apparently working on some sort of plot to expose the man’s past crimes, but they still had yet to find decisive evidence to act upon, and it wasn’t like our goals were the same to begin with. If it became clear that Cyclaeus was an enemy of the forest’s edge, then everyone could work together, but right now we were in a grey area where it was just a possibility that he had used the Suun clan for his own purposes.

And even putting all that aside, Cyclaeus was still the representative for the elites of Genos, and had demanded that we hand over the 39 members of the Suun. His assertion was that not just Zuuro Suun and the members of the main house, but also people from the branch houses like Toor Deen and her father should all be judged as criminals.

Well, I guess I’ve just got to wait to hear the results of tomorrow’s discussion at this point. Still, of all things, to have someone with ties to Cyclaeus show up at the stalls...

The girl Diel had introduced herself as the daughter of an iron merchant. And apparently, she was currently learning the trade from her father, the head of the merchant group. That dad of hers had already been quite well off, having made deals in Genos’s castle town for years now, and supposedly the last time he visited was when he entered into an agreement with the influential noble Cyclaeus.

They had arrived here in Genos at night two days back, bringing with them the cooking knives Cyclaeus had ordered from them after abruptly breaking off his contract with Shumiral. And the following morning, Diel had some free time, so she slipped out to head into the post town accompanied by Labis, which is when she came by my stall.

There wasn’t anything particularly fishy about that story she had told me. Our stalls were to the far north of the post town, and since the castle town was that way too, it made sense for her eyes to naturally fall upon them.

Still, whether our meeting was pure coincidence or not, I ultimately had no choice but to remain polite and keep an appropriate distance. The real issue was if I could maintain that calm and composed nature when facing Diel.

Despite the fact that I had to focus on steering, I still couldn’t help but sigh.

“Asuta, you seem down. I am, worried. Is there, some issue, with Lord Cyclaeus?”

“Yeah, well, sorta... The people of the forest’s edge definitely have some ties to him, too.”

“Ties? Between a noble, of the castle, and the people, of the forest’s edge?”

All I could say in response to that was, “Yeah.” If I let my emotions show too much, I could end up getting Shumiral wrapped up in this whole mess, which I definitely wanted to avoid.

After a few moments of silence, Shumiral quietly replied, “I see,” then held his tongue from that point on.

And as we rode on without saying a word, the Ruu settlement soon came into view.

I parked the wagon by the entrance to the plaza and got down from the driver’s seat, then everybody else started getting out of the back. Li Sudra still had shopping to do in the post town so we separated from her there, meaning the only ones in the wagon had been Shumiral, then Reina, Lala, and Sheera Ruu.

There were quite a few women and youths out working away at tasks like drying herbs, tanning pelts, and chopping firewood. And fortunately, everyone had been informed in advance that Shumiral would be visiting, so there wasn’t all that much of a commotion.

However, it wasn’t as if the gazes falling upon my friend now were all warm and friendly. Not that they felt especially chilly or full of animosity, either, but they all seemed to be questioning what an easterner was doing here at the forest’s edge, and didn’t care to hide it. That even went for the youngsters, who would normally be cheering at the arrival of the totos-drawn wagon.

Curiosity, and even stronger suspicion... Those were eyes full of distrust toward a man who was neither an enemy nor an ally. It was the sort of look I had gotten until Ai Fa had given me attire from the forest’s edge to wear.

Just like how the people of the forest’s edge were met with suspicion in the post town, the same was true of someone from town coming here. Still, things felt a bit more peaceful in this case, perhaps thanks to the advanced notice. Whereas Kamyua Yoshu, for example, had unfortunately run into annoyed men heading off to hunt, which had led to them suddenly drawing their blades.

The path to mutual understanding between the people of the forest’s edge and the townsfolk was going to be a long one... That much was an unshakeable fact.

“Huh? Darmu?” Lala Ruu suddenly questioned.

Sure enough, the young man in question had exited the main Ruu house and was steadily approaching. He was dressed for the hunt, clad in a fur cloak with blades dangling from his hip.

The festival of the hunt had come to a close, and so the people of the Ruu settlement were currently in a period of rest. For half a month they would take a break from hunting in order to give their exhausted bodies time to recover. But in spite of that, Darmu Ruu had on his hunting attire. That may well have been why everyone was shooting him such dubious looks.

“What’s going on? Where exactly are you heading with your blades?” Lala Ruu pressed him.

Once he was within three meters of us, Darmu Ruu came to a sudden stop.

His always-glaring eyes glanced over his family and us visitors in turn.

“To the Zaza settlement... The Ruu and Sauti are lending them help to keep watch over Zuuro Suun and the rest for the next several days.”

“Huh?! And you got recruited again, Darmu? But you only just got back from the Suun settlement! Couldn’t someone from the branch families or the Rutim or Lea or whoever go instead?!”

“The Rutim and Lea are also offering up one man each. It was decided that I would be the member of the Ruu to go.”

“But why you?! Dad’s pushing way too many of these rough jobs on you, isn’t he?!”

Lala Ruu looked really displeased, while Reina Ruu appeared seriously concerned. And Sheera Ruu seemed more upset than anyone.

Darmu Ruu tilted his head a bit, then stepped closer without making any noise, showing off his skills as a hunter. This time he just looked at his family before saying, “Our old man has nothing to do with it. I volunteered, so stop making such a fuss.”

“You did? But why?! It hasn’t even been three days since you came back for the first time in half a month! And you weren’t home for my birthday celebration, either...”

It seemed Lala Ruu was even more fond of this curt brother of hers than I had thought.

Darmu Ruu was furrowing his brow and looking annoyed, but even so, he gave his little sister a pat on the head.

“It won’t be such a long job this time around. That is, as long as that discussion or whatever goes well tomorrow. At any rate, I’ve got business with the Zaza clan anyway...”

“With the Zaza? But why? You shouldn’t know anyone who lives that far north, right?!”

“You sure do make a fuss about every little thing. It’s just... I want to meet with those blockheaded sons of the main Suun house,” Darmu Ruu stated, and then he glanced over at Sheera Ruu. However, he soon looked away and said, “See you around,” before starting to walk off.

Something about that was bugging me, though, so I shouted out, “Hold on! What sort of business do you have with Diga and Doddo, exactly?”

I was worried in a completely different way than his family.

Diga and Doddo had become prisoners again for the crime of running from the Dom clan. So what exactly did Darmu Ruu stand to gain by meeting with them? I just couldn’t read what he was thinking at all, and that left me feeling seriously uneasy.

“That’s got nothing to do with you, Asuta of the Fa clan,” Darmu Ruu retorted, without even turning around.

That only made me feel more uneasy, and so I was prepared to hand Gilulu’s reins over to someone else and chase after him, only for Sheera Ruu to grab my arm before I could. Then, she came in close to my ear and whispered, “Please, let him go. I’m sure this is something he needs to do.”

“Sheera Ruu, do you know why he’s doing this?” I whispered back, feeling concerned about everyone else’s gazes all the while.

However, Sheera Ruu just gave a sad shake of her head.

“I know nothing of Darmu Ruu’s suffering. But back on the night of that banquet he said that he was weak... And not just his body, but also his heart. That perhaps it was the same weakness as the men of the Suun, who clung to their clan’s size and grew corrupt...”

So, he wanted to meet Diga and Doddo in order to reexamine his own weakness?

I really did find his way of thinking hard to understand.

Though with that said, it wasn’t like I had any way of stopping Darmu Ruu from heading to the Zaza clan to carry out the mission he had been charged with. And so, we ended up continuing onwards, feeling somehow unsatisfied with the way that things had played out.

I stopped the wagon in front of the main house and unhooked Gilulu, then tied him to a tree off to the side of the building. Then Reina Ruu opened the door to the main house, only for someone unexpected to come out from inside.

“Ooh, you’re finally back! I was seriously getting sick of waiting!”

“D-Dan Rutim?! What in the world are you doing here?”

The Rutim clan head was standing there with a grin, blocking the entrance to the house. “I heard there was going to be a real unusual guest stopping by today, so I came on over to see! Plus I had to meet up to talk about tomorrow’s discussion, anyway!”

“W-Wasn’t that task supposed to go to Gazraan Rutim? And the custom is for either the clan head or heir to remain home at times like this, isn’t it?”

“I’ll be back home by the time that night rolls around, so that’s no problem at all! And I don’t have any hunting work either, so I’ve been bored!”

Dan Rutim really was like an incarnation of the word “laid-back,” as he paid no heed to my concerns and just kept heartily laughing away.

Then, as he stroked his shiny bald head, he went, “Hmm...” and stared at Shumiral. “So you’re that easterner, eh?! Yup, I haven’t met someone from Sym in some time, but you all are just as dark skinned as always, I see! And your hair’s all white like an old man’s!”

Now he was feeling more audacious and insolent than laid-back.

I could feel a headache coming on, but Shumiral didn’t seem bothered in the least.

“I am an easterner, and the leader of, the Silver Vase, Shumiral Zi Sadumtino. Thank you, for allowing my, visit for today.”

“I’m Dan Rutim, head of the Rutim clan, one of several under the Ruu! That means I’m just a guest here too, so you don’t have to act so stiff and formal around me!”

If he saw himself that way, then didn’t that mean he should be exercising at least a bit of restraint? Well, it didn’t exactly seem like there was much chance of that...

At any rate, Dan Rutim loudly proclaimed, “Come on in!” and with that, we finally made it inside. And we found the clan head Donda Ruu, his wife Mia Lea Ruu, and both Jiza Ruu and Gazraan Rutim waiting for us there.

“Clan Head Donda, I’ve brought along our visitor from the eastern kingdom, Shurimal,” Reina Ruu quietly stated, speaking for the group. Then, she held out her hands. “Visitor Shumiral, as we discussed on our way here, will you entrust us with your steel?”

“Yes.” Shumiral started by grabbing onto the leather cloak draped over his tall body. Underneath that, he had on cloth attire with a swirling pattern that reminded me of the clothing here at the forest’s edge.

There were plenty of accessories made with metal and stones adorning his neck and arms, and at his hip there was a curved blade with a shape that reminded me of a crescent moon. Shumiral handed that blade to Reina Ruu along with some metal darts and a thin knife or something that looked like a pencil, as well as his cloak, then he bowed to everyone in the room.

He was even taller than Dan Rutim, but he had the sort of slender build often seen among folks from the east. Still, perhaps thanks to the firm musculature on his long limbs and his good posture, he didn’t look weak in the least. As the leader of his merchant group, Shumiral seemed like he had both the strength and stamina needed to endure a long, dangerous journey. In fact, despite the fact that he was faced with the hunters of the Ruu and Rutim, especially strong even among the people of the forest’s edge, he didn’t look even the least bit daunted.

“Come on in, visitor from the east. Please, start by forming bonds with those of us here,” Mia Lea Ruu beckoned with a smile.

With that, both Shumiral and I removed our footwear and stepped into the room, while the women took the blades they had been handed and left them next to the clan head before leaving to go gather firewood.

“I am an easterner, and the leader of, the Silver Vase, Shumiral Zi Sadumtino. Thank you, for allowing my, visit for today,” Shumiral stated while taking a knee, repeating what he had said before.

“The man sitting next to me with that arrogant look on his face is the Ruu clan head, Donda Ruu. On the other side is our eldest son, Jiza Ruu. Then there’s the Rutim clan head who greeted you, Dan Rutim, and his eldest son, Gazraan Rutim. Ah, and I’m the clan head’s wife, Mia Lea Ruu. Thank you for coming all this way for our daughter, Vina Ruu, visitor from the east, Shumiral. And you too, Asuta.”

Both Shumiral and I silently bowed back upon hearing those words.

Mia Lea Ruu was smiling, while Donda Ruu had the same frightening look in his eyes as always, and I couldn’t sense what Jiza Ruu was thinking at all. Considering the circumstances, it was incredibly reassuring to have Dan Rutim giving a plump and cheerful grin like the god Ebisu, and Gazraan Rutim with his usual calm, gentle expression.

“So, what we’d like to start by making clear is, why do you care so much about how Vina is doing, visitor Shumiral? I believe you’ve already heard as much from Reina, but Vina’s injuries are nothing serious. If things go well, she should even be able to return to town by the day after tomorrow.”

“But from what, I was told, that is not, guaranteed. And in the morning, three days from now, I will be, leaving Genos. I will not, return for, another half, of a year. So if I do not, meet with her, the day after tomorrow, then I will not, see her again, for that long.”

“And how would that inconvenience you, exactly? You don’t have an especially strong relationship, do you?”

“It would not, be inconvenient. I simply, wish to see her...” Shumiral replied, seated with his knees together and staring straight at Mia Lea Ruu.

And then, while looking like he was really enjoying himself, Dan Rutim let out a hearty chuckle.

“I never thought I’d see somebody from town fall for a woman of the forest’s edge! So, you want to take Vina Ruu as your wife then, visitor from the east?”

That was so blunt that I could even feel myself breaking out in a cold sweat in response.

Shumiral narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, as if trying to sort out his own feelings.

“A wife... That would be, difficult. Vina Ruu, and I, have different gods. I am a child, of Sym, while Vina Ruu, is a daughter, of Selva.”

“Uh-huh. Then if you worshiped the same god, you’d ask to marry her without any hesitation.”

“There is no point, to such, hypotheticals. Vina Ruu is, a mysterious woman. There is no one, like her, in Sym. Her charm is, surely because, she is a woman, of the forest’s edge.”

“Hmm... Well, it’s rare to find that much of a looker even here at the forest’s edge! It’s no surprise that even a foreigner like you would be charmed!”

“A looker...?” Shumiral question, tilting his head. “Her charm, is not, from her appearance. I’m sure it comes, from Vina Ruu’s heart.”

“Oh? I haven’t talked all that much with the girl, so I can’t say I know about that! Still, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s pretty, does it?”

“Pretty...? Vina Ruu, is beautiful?”

I sat there in complete and utter shock, but Shumiral had a completely serious look in his eyes.

“For the people, of Sym, beauty comes, from slenderness. And Vina Ruu, is not, thin. People of Sym, would not see her, as beautiful.”

“What?! Well, it’s true that it’d be hard to call her overly slim with that physique, but she’s got pretty much the ideal proportions for a woman, doesn’t she?! It’s rare to find a woman that sexy, y’know!”

“Hey, stop that, Dan Rutim. You’re old friends with the clan head and I, but just how exactly do you expect us to react to you saying such things?” Mia Lea Ruu interrupted.

“Don’t you worry! My feelings are all still for my dear, departed wife! I’ve got no intention of going off and getting married again!” Dan Rutim proclaimed with a roaring laugh.

Mia Lea Ruu sighed. “That wasn’t really the issue, though...”

It was then that Jiza Ruu joined the conversation.

“Visitor from the east, why are you so fixated on my younger sister, Vina Ruu? Your ties to her are weak, and you say you aren’t charmed by her enough to ask to have her as your wife, so I can’t see any reason for such attachment.”

“But I am, charmed by her. Vina Ruu is, a mysterious woman. I do not find, her appearance beautiful, and yet, I find her, lovely,” Shumiral explained, still not showing even a shred of emotion. “No, perhaps I am also, charmed by, her appearance. Vina Ruu’s eyes, are stunning. Her smile, is beautiful. And her voice, is lovely. But to marry, would prove difficult... Still, I am certainly, charmed by Vina Ruu.”

“Even if you are charmed by her, there still isn’t any point to men and women forming a bond with no intention of getting married. I don’t know how it is in town, but that is a fact here at the forest’s edge.”

“For once we’re in agreement, Jiza Ruu! I feel exactly the same! Well, maybe friendship between a man and a woman can exist even if it’s rare, but just what is it that you’re seeking from Vina Ruu, visitor?” Dan Rutim questioned, leaning forwards while stroking his beard. “If you don’t want to take her as a bride or marry into the forest’s edge, then is there really any point to deepening the bond you two share? Do you want to be Vina Ruu’s friend? Or are you just trying to satisfy yourself with a single night of passion?”

For the first time in the conversation, Shumiral hesitated. But then, he replied, “I don’t know. But I do, wish to meet, with her. I believe it, would be painful, to leave Genos, without seeing her. That is all. I am embarrassed, for the shallowness, of my thinking...”

“Yeah, seems you didn’t really think it through, but you sure have some deep feelings there!” Dan Rutim answered with another hearty chuckle. “I’m surprised that someone from town would be moved enough to come here to the forest’s edge before even sorting out what he was feeling! It seems there really is no limit to your daughter’s charms, Donda Ruu!”

“Stop blathering on, already. You’re a guest here too, you know. Show that you know your place, at least a little,” Donda Ruu quipped back, speaking up for the first time. His burning blue eyes were glaring right at Shumiral, though. “Man of the east, there’s not been a single instance of someone from outside of our brethren forming bonds of blood with one of the people of the forest’s edge. That goes not only for easterners, but westerners as well.”

“Right.”

“And we don’t allow anything as foolish as a single night of passion to occur here at the forest’s edge. A man and a woman must become married.”

“Yes.”

“If you understand that much, then you can do as you please,” Donda Ruu stated, his large frame slowly rising. “You have my thanks as the Ruu clan head for coming all the way out here out of concern for my daughter. You came here to see Vina too, didn’t you, Fa clan chef...?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Hmph... Hey, show them to her room. I’m going to take a nap until the Sauti and Zaza show up,” he uttered, with that command being uttered towards Mia Lea Ruu.

While shooting her husband an incredibly annoyed look, she smiled and said, “Understood, clan head.”

“What, you’re napping? You sure do love to sleep, don’t you?! Who’s gonna keep us entertained in the meantime, though, Donda Ruu?”

“So annoying...” Donda Ruu grumbled back as he disappeared down the hallway off to the right of the room.

As she watched her husband leave, Mia Lea Ruu also rose to her feet.

“Shumiral, our guest, let me show you to our daughter’s room. Jiza, please entertain our guests from the Rutim clan in the meantime.”

With that, we headed in the opposite direction of where Donda Ruu had gone, down the left hallway. From what I could recall, Granny Jiba’s bedroom was also on the right, so this was my first time being down this way. But just like I remembered of that other hallway, this one also continued straight on for ten meters or so, with three doors evenly spaced along the inner wall. Mia Lea Ruu walked up to the nearest of those, then gave a knock on the door.

“Vina, the clan head gave his permission, so I brought our visitor, Shumiral. And Asuta is here, too. May I let them in?”

Silence.

After we stood there for ten seconds or so, Mia Lea Ruu lifted her hand to knock again, only for the door to energetically slide open.

“Hey there, Asuta! I’m glad you and that visitor didn’t get beat to a pulp by our old man!”

Instead of Vina Ruu, it was Ludo Ruu who greeted us. And for some reason, he was holding Jiza Ruu’s son Kota Ruu. The infant’s innocent little black eyes looked up at me and Shumiral, shooting us a confused look.

“Here, can I hand Kota over to you?”

“Of course. Come play with grandma, Kota,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a smile as she took young Kota Ruu into her arms. The infant gave a happy sounding, “Gah!” in response.

“Ah, I remember that white hair of yours that’s just like Granny Jiba’s. I’m the youngest son of the main Ruu house, Ludo Ruu. Pleased to see you again, visitor.”

“I am, Shumiral Zi Sadumtino. I remember you, as well.”

“Yeah, I was coming to the post town as a bodyguard for a good long while there. Anyway, apparently my old man trusted your words and decided to let you meet Vina. Just keep in mind that if you break that trust, I’ll have to take you down,” Ludo Ruu stated, patting his hip as he did so. Hanging there was the replacement knife he had bought after the incident with Tei Suun. “You seem pretty skilled too, but you’re no match for me. Still, I’ve heard rumors that you guys from Sym use poison. So if I see you acting suspiciously, I’ll cut you down without hesitation. Anyway, could you promise me you won’t get close enough to Vina to touch her?”

“Yes. I will keep, that promise.”

“Right, I’ll hold you to that. I don’t want to stink the house up with blood, after all. Oh, and the same goes if you try to do anything to Asuta, too.”

There’s no way that’d ever happen, I thought to myself, but I figured it was still essential for him to say so. After all, if my judgment was completely off the mark and Shumiral meant the people of the Ruu clan harm, then that would mean Vina Ruu was being exposed to danger. Honestly, looking at it from the point of view of Donda Ruu and the rest of her family, they were actually putting a good bit of trust in Shumiral.

“Well then, come on in. But remember that this is Vina’s room, so it’s real girly. Just prepare yourselves, alright?”

With that, Ludo Ruu stepped aside, and we were finally allowed into the room.

I certainly wouldn’t call it girly. However, the room was overflowing with the smell of flowers.

Just like with Granny Jiba’s bedroom, it looked to be around nine square meters. There was no real furniture aside from a large shelf along one wall. Still, there was a strangely cheerful feel to the space that marked it as a girl’s room and made me feel a little uneasy being there.

Beautifully colored cloths hung from the walls of the room. And above them were all sorts of fresh flowers, which must have been creating the fragrant aroma.

Atop the shelf, there were a variety of girlish accessories. They must have been for use alongside her banquet attire. Even from a distance, I could spy sparkling metal and stones. And that iridescent bit of color over there had to be the veil and shawl she wore around her head and waist.

The cloth hanging on the walls wasn’t all decorative, as I could also spy swirling patterns, which were probably spare outfits to switch out while others were being washed.

Vina Ruu must have shared this room with her sisters, too. After all, that was quite a few outfits for her to wear all on her own. Even though those outfits were similar to underwear or swimsuits in form, they were the normal attire you saw all around the forest’s edge, so there was no reason for such things to make me feel embarrassed... But I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I had stepped into a forbidden flower garden.

As for the owner of that forbidden garden, she was lying elegantly at the far end of the room.

Vina Ruu’s sensual limbs were spread out atop a number of layered sheets meant to be slept upon.

Her right hand was supporting her head and she was facing our way, with a pose like that of the recumbent Buddha. That was a normal enough pose, but the way that the contours of her body were moving up and down even more than usual made it feel particularly seductive.

Her eyes looked as drowsy as always, and her mouth wasn’t showing any sort of particular expression. As for her injured right ankle, it had a greyish scrap of cloth wrapped around it. Perhaps she had some sort of poultice underneath that, as the flower aroma gave way to a powerful cool and refreshing smell as we approached.

“Sorry for my shabby appearance... I’ve been seated for so long that my butt has started to hurt...”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, Vina Ruu. Resting can be hard work,” I said while taking a seat in the middle of the room.

Shumiral sat down next to me, while Ludo Ruu plopped down closer to Vina Ruu so that he could keep an eye on us.

“Vina Ruu, my apologies, for the sudden visit,” Shumiral stated with a gentle bow of his head.

Vina Ruu didn’t say anything in response.

The look in her eyes seemed somehow annoyed, too. It seemed she really didn’t welcome Shumiral’s visit after all.

After that, the room remained silent for a while. Both Shumiral and Vina Ruu were staring at one another, but neither was saying a word.

Time crawled along as slow as a snail, until Ludo Ruu was unable to stand it any longer and finally spoke up.

“Hey, did you actually have any sort of business with Vina? The guys from the Zaza and Sauti are going to be coming eventually, so I can’t exactly keep hanging out here forever.”

“You do not, have time?”

“No, I should still be alright for a bit, but...”

“Thank you, for spending, your precious time, here.”

With that, the silence returned.

The next one to speak ended up being Vina Ruu.

“Um... If you don’t have any business here, then could I ask you to leave...?”

Sure enough, that was a pretty chilly tone for her.

Shumiral tilted his head in response, looking confused.

“I am carrying out, my business, at the moment.”

“What...? Your business is sitting there quietly and staring at me...?”

“Yes. In the morning, three days from now, I will be, leaving Genos. So before that, I wanted, to burn the sight, of you into, my eyes and mind.”

If he had been more fluent in the language, then that may have come across as him seriously putting on airs. But I knew Shumiral was earnest and reserved, so I could tell that he was trying his hardest to express his feelings.

And yet, Vina Ruu still looked displeased.

“Hmm... But Vina’s able to walk a lot more on her own now, so she should be able to make it back to town by the day after tomorrow. So I’d say you wasted your time coming out here today,” Ludo Ruu stated in place of his silent sister, only for Shumiral to narrow his eyes with a look of satisfaction.

“If I can, see you again, the day, after tomorrow, that would make me, glad. I hope, that your injury, heals soon.”

“I just don’t get you... If you were trying to marry me, then I could just turn you down and that’d be the end of it. But what should I do when you’re like this...?” Vina Ruu muttered, swiping up her chestnut-colored hair with her open left hand. “You don’t want to marry me, and you’re not asking for one night of pleasure... You aren’t even trying to forge bonds of friendship... So why did you come all the way out here...?”

Huh? I thought to myself, and could almost feel myself falling forward as I sat there.

However, there was no shift in Shumiral’s expression. Instead, he just kept his gaze fixed on Vina Ruu as he removed one of the accessories around his right wrist.

“Vina Ruu, would it trouble you, to accept, this gift?”

She didn’t say anything in response.

“These are, protective stones, to ward off, disaster. I pray, that you live, a healthy life, Vina Ruu.”

It was a silver chain with pink stones around the size of a pinky finger’s nail embedded here and there throughout. The weave of the chain reminded me a bit of the blue stone necklace I had given Ai Fa.

“What do you think, Vina...? If you’re accepting it, then I’ll take it from him first,” Ludo Ruu asked while glancing at his silent sister out of the corner of his eye.

With that, Vina Ruu slowly sat up, the same aura hanging about her as Donda Ruu had exuded earlier. Then, once she was seated with her legs out to one side, she quietly asked, “Why...? We’ve hardly had any interaction at all, so how does it make any sense for me to receive such a gift from you...?”

“Vina Ruu, I simply wish, for you to live, a healthy life. If you were, injured again, after I left, that would, make me sad.”

Once again, she went silent.

“I don’t need, anything in return. I simply pray, for your happiness.”

“Well, if he’s giving it then why not go ahead take it? Even if you decide you don’t need it, you can just throw it away later,” Ludo Ruu chimed in with a yawn, seemingly having grown quite bored with all this.

As she slumped back down a bit, Vina Ruu glared at Shumiral through her long bangs.

“Are you just teasing me...?”

Shumiral blinked a few times.

“Teasing? I do not, understand.”

“Why should you go wishing for my happiness...? I mean, you’re not interested in a fat woman like me, right...?”

I knew it! I thought to myself.

Ludo Ruu, meanwhile, ruffled his blond hair while muttering, “You’re just coming out and saying it...?”

It seemed these two siblings had been eavesdropping on the conversation in the main hall.

“I’m fat anyway, so I’ll just never get married and end up a buff old lady...”

“But you’re the one who’s always rejecting marriage offers, Vina...”

“That’s true... So just leave me alone already...” Vina Ruu grumbled, slumping up against the rear wall.

Seeing that, Ludo Ruu stroked his chin and said, “Hmm... Looks like she’s just about at her limit. Sorry, but how about we call it quits here?”

“Yes,” Shumiral replied while casting his gaze downwards and tightly gripping the gift he had been offering. Then, he rose to his feet, gave Vina Ruu a silent bow, and turned around.

“Sorry about that. She broke out in a bit of a fever yesterday, and even ignoring that, she’s been trapped in the house for two days now, so Vina’s not been in the best of spirits. Well, she’s kind of delicate to begin with, anyway...” Ludo Ruu stated after we exited the room and he had closed the door. “She’s especially bad with romantic stuff. Thanks to her looks, she’s had tons of men trying to court her since forever. And each time she turns one down she gets super mopey, thinking that the men won’t want anything to do with her anymore,” the boy said with a big grin despite the fact that he was revealing his sister’s unpleasant past. “Still, you’re the first man I’ve ever heard say she wasn’t pretty. Ever since she overheard that, she’s looked about ready to blow, whether from anger or sadness or whatever. So I really do think she’s at her limit for today.”

“Right...”

“You want me to hand that over to Vina?” Ludo Ruu asked, looking down at the accessory Shumiral was still gripping in his right hand.

However, the young man from the east replied, “No,” with a shake of his head. “I will hand it, to Vina Ruu, the day after tomorrow. If I do not, see her then, I will give up.”

“Gotcha. You sure are an interesting guy, Shumiral,” Ludo Ruu said, then gave the man a light jab in the chest. “It sure would be interesting having you marry into the forest’s edge, but I guess that’d be tricky to pull off... But still, if you really are seriously thinking about Vina’s happiness, then I certainly can’t hate you for that. Anyway, see you around.”

3

“Huh? Is it just you around, Mia Lea Ruu?” I questioned, as only she and her grandchild were there when we returned to the main hall.

“Yes, since a lot of guests showed up all at once. It would have been too cramped inside the house, so they’re all outside instead.”

A lot of guests?

But this was the main Ruu house, where 12 family members plus an infant lived. Even if both Gulaf Zaza and Dari Sauti showed up at the same time, that wouldn’t exactly put them over capacity.

“Ah, I don’t mean the leading clan heads. A big crowd of men I didn’t really recognize suddenly showed up. They seemed oddly angry for some reason, but I don’t think they’re going to get violent or anything. Ah, right, and I saw Ai Fa mixed in with them, too.”

“Huh? Ai Fa?”

Now I had even less of a clue as to what was going on.

At any rate, after picking up Shumiral’s cloak and blades, we stepped outside together.

What awaited us there was a crowd of around ten or so coarse-looking men of the forest’s edge. It was true enough that it would be a tight squeeze fitting them all in the main Ruu house.

“Are you done here...?” questioned Donda Ruu, who had just headed off to his own room not that long ago, shooting us a glare out of the corner of his eye. Standing next to him was the same group from before: Jiza Ruu, Dan Rutim, Gazraan Rutim, as well as Dari Sauti and Gulaf Zaza, who must have shown up at some point. And the visiting heads of the leading clans were each accompanied by one man, making for a group of eight in total.

Facing them were six men, as well as Ai Fa.

When my clan head saw me, she said, “Good work,” with a nod. Seeing her calm expression was what finally got me to stop tensing up.

“So that’s the easterner who’s come to the Ruu settlement as a guest, eh?” Gulaf Zaza grumbled in a low voice.

No matter how big of a crowd they may be in, the giba-headed cloaks worn by the men of the Zaza clan always stood out. And on top of that, their clan head in particular had a physique that was a match for Donda Ruu’s.

“The Ruu clan are free to invite anyone they please as a guest, but right now we’re sort of busy. So I’d appreciate it if you got out of here.”

“Yes. I am leaving. Clan head Donda Ruu, thank you very much, for today,” Shumiral said with a bow to the Ruu clan head after fending off that glare from Gulaf Zaza. Then he turned to swiftly walk off, only for me to suddenly grab his arm.

“Hold on, Shumiral. Um... Would you mind talking to me a bit more?”

Even I didn’t know why I said that, honestly. I just sort of felt like I couldn’t just leave him be right now for some reason.

“I would not mind, talking to you. It would, make me happy, to do so.”

“Hmm, but how should we handle things...?”

After all, despite what I had said, it wasn’t like I could just overlook this whole commotion that Ai Fa was somehow mixed up in.

As I stood there hesitating, Shumiral pointed towards the wagon stopped next to the Ruu house.

“I will wait. There I will, be able to, see you, but not, hear you.”

“Yeah, that’d be a huge help.”

Perhaps that was just the sort of guts I should expect from the leader of a merchant caravan that traveled the world, but at any rate Shumiral walked nonchalantly over towards the wagon without faltering in the least despite the glares from so many men of the forest’s edge focusing on him.

Once he was sufficiently far away, Gulaf Zaza turned back towards the men I was unfamiliar with.

“We well understand your complaint, here. You’re saying you want to have some representatives attend tomorrow’s meeting, right?”

“That’s correct. Do the three leading clans accept that proposal?”

The one to respond to Gulaf Zaza there was the little clan head of the Sudra with his wrinkly face.

Looking more carefully, there were actually a number of familiar faces in the crowd. Standing on the other side of Ai Fa was the Fou clan head, and I was pretty sure that was the head of the Ran clan next to him. So maybe they were all the heads of small clans...

“We will abide by the decisions of the leading clan heads we chose. We are certainly not making light of your authority. But we don’t just want to follow along obediently while knowing nothing like when the Suun clan was in charge. We wish to see and hear what you do, and work together alongside you,” the Fou clan head stated, following up on what the head of the Sudra had stated. He looked to be about Donda Ruu’s age, and had a tall and lean build.

“Hmm... In other words, you want to have someone there whenever us three leading clan heads meet, not just for tomorrow’s meeting?” Dari Sauti asked, with a far greater presence about him than you would expect from someone so young. And he had no less robust of a build than the other two leading clan heads, too.

Looking at them now, there really was quite a difference between the new leading clan heads and the other men. To start with, the number of giba horns and tusks dangling from their necks was totally incomparable. And even if they were clad in the same attire, the clothing worn by the smaller clan heads was all clearly old and well worn.

The biggest difference, though, was their physiques and the general feel they possessed.

The leading clans and those under them like the Rutim all seemed to be overflowing with overwhelming strength. Meanwhile, those from the smaller clans had a wild intensity about them fitting to hunters of the forest’s edge, but you could really see the tension they felt from their poverty hanging over them.

The smaller clans lived from hand to mouth, and you could definitely tell, from both their physiques and the aura about them.

And yet, even though he was a size smaller than even the rest of that group, the Sudra clan head wasn’t timid in the least as he replied, “That’s right,” to Dari Sauti’s statement. “And once we’ve heard your words, we’ll convey them to our neighboring clans. If those continue to be passed along, from north to south and south to north, then all of the people of the forest’s edge will be able to learn of your thinking even outside of just the one clan head meeting held per year.”

“Don’t you ultimately just mean you’re worried about us growing corrupt like the Suun did?” Gulaf Zaza questioned in a dead serious tone. I found him pretty overwhelming even before he spoke, but when he opened his mouth I felt some indescribable chill run down my spine.

However, the Sudra clan head still didn’t falter as he replied, “That’s not true,” with a shake of his head. “The Ruu, Sauti, and Zaza are all keeping an eye on one another, and I can’t imagine all three clans falling prey to corruption at the same time. However, because of the commotion the other day, I went to the post town alongside the Ruu men to protect Asuta and his group. Thanks to that, I heard quite a number of things.”

“And the clan head of the Sudra then passed that information along to those of us in clans such as the Fou and Ran... Gulaf Zaza, is it true that you got fed up with that man from the castle and said that we should go ahead and leave the Morga forest’s edge?”

Hearing those statements, Gulaf Zaza’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“My words did not go that far. But I do think if we have to discard our pride as human beings to stay here, then we’d have no choice but to give up the lives we have now in this land.”

Those words caused quite a stir to run through the heads of the smaller clans. In particular, the Fou clan head was shooting Gulaf Zaza a serious glare.

“Those are truly shocking words. To say we’d have no choice but to give up this land where we’ve lived for 80 years now... Are the nobles of the Genos castle truly that awful?”

“I’ve only exchanged words with an old man by the name of Cyclaeus. We dedicate our blades in service of the lord of Genos, not that wretched old fiend. But if our blades were being offered to that old man, then I would take mine back without the slightest hesitation,” Gulaf Zaza stated, his eyes burning bright like those of some carnivorous beast. “And so I couldn’t help but think that if I never meet face to face with the lord and just have to keep dealing with that infuriating geezer in his place, then I could certainly see my honor as a hunter getting sullied bit by bit, and perhaps my very soul would someday become corrupted like what happened to Zattsu and Zuuro Suun. If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to cast aside our role as giba hunters, make a home in some other land, and find something new to take pride in?”

“But still, you seemed to regret your own thoughtless statement even before we could tell you not to get so worked up over someone you had only met once, so I don’t believe there’s any need to worry about that point.”

That comment from Dari Sauti caused the Zaza clan head to click his tongue with a “Tch.”

“Furthermore, it’s not as if there wasn’t a logic to your words, Gulaf Zaza. If the path we seek does not overlap with that of Genos, then we cannot walk it together. It certainly is true that we may have no choice but to abandon the forest of Morga if the lord of Genos’s will is perfectly in line with Cyclaeus’s. But we cannot make any decision until we know the lord’s true intentions.”

“Is that Cyclaeus truly so awful of a man? In that case... isn’t it even more essential for us to keep in close contact with you leading clan heads? After all, it would be rather difficult to obey an order to abandon the forest of Morga while knowing nothing of what’s going on,” the Sudra clan head muttered in a gloomy tone. “And that’s not the only issue. I also believe it important that we be of one mind on the matter of the business being run by the Fa clan.”

It certainly caught me rather off guard to hear my clan suddenly come up like that.

Ai Fa just stood there silently, while the Fou clan head was getting all worked up right next to her in a way that was quite unlike him.

“The opinions of you three leading clan heads are split on that matter, aren’t they? The Ruu have lent the Fa their strength, the Sauti have simply watched over the proceedings, and the Zaza have voiced their objections. So in that case, a future where it’s decided the Zaza’s words are correct and the Fa are forbidden from doing business is certainly possible, is it not?”

“And you’re saying you would dissent from that?”

“No. But I believe if the leading clan heads felt that way, I would need to hear why,” the Ran clan head chimed in.

“And I believe it would be important for you to properly hear our thoughts, too,” the Sudra clan head added.

“There are members of six clans standing here now: the Sudra, Fou, Ran, Ratsu, Gaaz, and Beim. All of our clans are located near the Fa house and, aside from the Beim, we all agree with their actions and have learned how to bloodlet and make delicious food from them. But those clans who live far from the Fa have surely had no change in their lifestyles since the clan head meeting up till now.”

“And is that an inconvenience, somehow?” Dari Sauti asked in a perfectly composed tone.

“It is,” the Sudra clan head answered with a nod. “Back at the clan head meeting, it was decided that we would watch over how the Fa clan’s actions played out. That we should determine if ultimately they would prove to be a medicine or a poison for the forest’s edge. But the single clan head meeting held each year simply isn’t enough for such a task. After all, only 20 days or so have passed since the last meeting, and yet our lives have already undergone drastic changes.”

“You mean to say you’re living prosperously now by selling meat to the Fa clan?”

“I certainly wouldn’t go that far. However, it’s true that we’ve gained enough coins by now to take my breath away. To be perfectly honest, at the start I thought to myself that just the money received for the jerky would be plenty. And the Beim clan head still firmly believes it isn’t proper for the people of the forest’s edge to possess such a fortune.”

This was my first time hearing of the Beim clan. However, it made sense that there would be clans aside from those under the Zaza who were skeptical of the Fa clan’s actions, and apparently they were one such example.

“The Fa clan stated they started doing business in order to bring prosperity to the forest’s edge. And so, this is a matter that involves all of our people. Thanks to that, I believe every clan of the forest’s edge should have a chance to properly learn how the Fa clan’s actions are playing out so that they can determine if they are for good or bad, regardless of if they agree or object,” the Sudra clan head stated, steadily taking control of the conversation.

Despite the fact that he was faced with the leading clan heads who were far bigger than him, the little head of the Sudra clan just kept on talking.

“And I also have thought that though we’re all people of the forest’s edge, the Ruu, Zaza, and Sauti were all too prosperous to begin with. The rich cannot truly know the nature of the poor, and the same is true of the opposite. But the Fa clan head can judge fairly, having come from an impoverished house in her youth only to later gain such prosperity through her own strength.”

Naturally, those words caused Ai Fa to look incredibly annoyed. My clan head just had such a modest personality that she couldn’t stand receiving praise from others.

“The nature of the poor, is it? Still, no matter how rich any of our clans may be, it’s certainly not as if we make light of those who are worse off,” Dari Sauti replied with a tilt of his head, staring back into the Sudra clan head’s brightly burning eyes.

“Then let me ask you... Have you ever lost a child to starvation, clan head of the Sauti? Even though if you plucked the fruit right in front of your eyes and fed it to your wife, her withered breasts might produce milk once again? And as you watched your child waste away to nothing, all you could do is curse how powerless you are?”

“No, I haven’t...”

“In that case, can you understand just how much we truly despised the Suun clan? They didn’t hunt giba and simply fooled around with the reward money, and in the end they even laid hands upon the blessings of the forest. Can you wealthy clans ever truly understand what we felt when we decided to forgive them?”

With that, Dari Sauti held his tongue.

Then, the Sudra clan head took a big breath and calmly stated, “And yet, Donda Ruu’s words still felt fair and just to me when he said that the fault fell on all of us for being too weak to prevent the leading clan from falling prey to corruption. The Ruu clan bared their fangs at the Suun each and every time there was a clan head meeting, and yet I wasn’t able to be of any use whatsoever. And so, that is why I supported Donda Ruu’s statement. Since I was able to hear what he had to say, I found it in myself to forgive the members of the Suun clan. But if I had simply been told the result without hearing the man’s thinking, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go along with what you three leading clans had decided.”

Everyone else stood there in silence, attentively considering his words.

“I truly believe that you leading clan heads will guide us down the proper path forwards from here on out. But as much as possible, I would like to see and hear what you do, and walk alongside you. The Suun have fallen, our new leading clans have been decided, and the Fa have started doing business in the post town. With so many changes occurring all at once, we can’t just simply keep on living as we have up till now.”

After those final words from the Sudra clan head, silence hung over the scene for a while. The one to eventually break it was Donda Ruu, who had just quietly stood there listening up until now.

“Ultimately, what you’re actually asking for right now is to have a representative at the meetings between us leading clan heads that’ll decide the future of our people, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. And we’d like to inform the clans around us of what’s discussed, like you all do with the clans under you.”

“You’re not saying you want all seven of you present right now to participate, are you?”

“Of course not. Just two would be plenty. If you’ll give your permission, I was thinking it best to go with the Fou and Beim clan heads.”

“Hmm... I can’t see any particular reason to turn down that request,” Donda Ruu replied, looking to the other two leading clan heads beside him. “I only have one point of concern. And that’s that I don’t want anyone to spend too much time thinking about such things such that they neglect their work as hunters.”

“Well, I’d say the same about bloodletting and cooking techniques, too. Just as I said during the clan head meeting, we must never fall behind on our work for the sake of making things more prosperous,” Dari Sauti calmly replied, and Gulaf Zaza just gave a little snort of his nose.

It seemed with that, the plan proposed by the smaller clans had earned the approval of the leading clan heads.

◇

“Those clan heads suddenly showed up at the Fa house earlier today. And then, they requested that I accompany them to go speak with the leading clan heads,” Ai Fa said as she wobbled along with the movements of the wagon. “Apparently they had been planning to say such things for some time now. And when they heard the leading clan heads would be gathering in the Ruu settlement, they firmed up their resolve to go ahead and do it.”

“I see. This was my first time hearing of the Beim clan, but um, are they seriously that firmly opposed to the business we’ve been running?” I went ahead and asked while handling Gilulu’s reins.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Ai Fa giving a shake of her head from right behind the driver’s seat.

“That’s nothing to worry about. The Sudra clan head said that even though they hold the opposite opinion on the matter, those feelings are likely born from the unease of facing such a large change to their way of life.”

“Speaking of which, are things alright with the Sudra clan head? I realize it’s a bit late to be thinking this now, but it’s true that the price we paid for the jerky the other day may have been a bit much to start with...”

“That’s also nothing to concern yourself over. After all, he himself acknowledged that he received so much payment because only seven clans were able to prepare the jerky. And he also mentioned that he believes more clans should lend the Fa their aid, so as to better spread the wealth.”

Both Mia Lea Ruu and I agreed that we wanted to distribute the wealth as evenly as possible, and we had conveyed that to the heads of clans such as the Sudra. And that proposal was like an extension of such thoughts.

“At any rate, the first step is teaching bloodletting to the other clans, and making sure that wealth is spreading evenly. He said that should be enough that both those in agreement and those in opposition to the Fa clan will be able to properly assess whether our actions are a medicine or a poison for the forest’s edge. And he also mentioned that they intend to convey those thoughts to the three leading clan heads.”

“Uh-huh.”

“They also thought it important that they hear the thoughts of the leading clan heads, which is how they ultimately decided on that trip to the Ruu settlement.”

“Right, I see. That certainly sounds like a fitting way to look at it for men of the forest’s edge, but at the same time, it’s also so novel that I can’t help but find myself fully in agreement.”

“I’m sure that’s because the Sudra clan head is such a unique man. No doubt the Fou and Ran clan heads ultimately ended up agreeing precisely because he was the one to make the proposal.”

The Sudra clan head, huh?

He had an unusually small build for a man of the forest’s edge and a heavily wrinkled face. Plus his clan was both poor and small... yet there was a light that burned brightly in the man’s eyes.

His wife helped out at the stalls, while he had personally saved me from Tei Suun. Even though I didn’t know for certain if Tei Suun had truly desired to take my life in the end, it didn’t change the fact that I owed the man a great debt.

“But the representatives for the small clans ended up being the Fou and Beim clan heads instead of him. And I was honestly getting pretty nervous there, thinking you were going to get chosen.”

“The Sudra clan head stated that our Fa clan had few members but much work to carry out, so we couldn’t possibly pile on top of that such an involved obligation. He also said that he would find it difficult to step away from his clan for similar reasons, as well as that the representatives should be composed of one clan that approves of our actions and one that opposes them. That’s how the Fou and Beim were chosen.”

“I can certainly see the logic there. The Sudra clan head’s a pretty smart guy, huh?”

So ultimately, the Fou and Beim clan heads would be attending tomorrow’s meeting. They were currently participating in the final prep session being held at the Ruu house, while the remaining clan heads left to inform their houses of what was going on, while we were heading south.

The people of the forest’s edge tended to have nothing to do with clans not related to them by blood, but now they were trying to form new bonds of their own will. On top of that, though it was still primitive, they were now attempting to build a communication network for the settlement at the forest’s edge, which was far too vast for the 500 or so people living there.

They themselves would deny it, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the cause behind that really was an attempt to change their way of thinking after the leading Suun clan had cut off ties for over a decade and grown corrupt without them noticing.

“So are you satisfied, then? In that case, I think it’s about time that you cleared up my concerns,” Ai Fa stated, leaning out towards the driver’s seat. “Why exactly did you invite that easterner to the Fa house?”

In addition to Ai Fa, Shumiral was also riding along in the wagon. However, my clan head didn’t have to try too hard to keep her voice down, as he was seated at the very back as he watched the scenery fly on past.

“Well, all sorts of stuff happened... I wanted to cheer him up a bit after all that, and so I went ahead and invited him to dinner.”

With that, Shumiral had narrowed his eyes and looked far happier than I had ever expected.

It seemed the meeting with Vina Ruu ending like it did really had gotten him down. And if Vina Ruu’s injuries didn’t heal up by the day after tomorrow, that was how things would be left between them for quite some time.

“You don’t intend to go so far as to have him sleep overnight, do you?”

“Ah, no. Shumiral said he couldn’t exactly go spending the night out without letting his merchant group know, so we should be fine on that point. Oh, but could you take him back to the post town with Gilulu afterwards? I don’t think I’m skilled enough yet to steer when it’s dark out...”

“Hmph. Well, I suppose it’s at least better than letting a stranger stay at my home. And with this wagon, I won’t have to brush skin with someone who isn’t even a member of my house...” Ai Fa muttered, actually looking less annoyed than I had expected. In all likelihood, she was feeling excited to be driving the wagon.

At any rate, after just 20 minutes of driving, the Fa house came into view. Gilulu really had shortened our travel time quite a bit, but we had spent so much longer at the Ruu house than expected that we still ended up being rather late getting home. Still, even with the extra guest along for dinner, that didn’t seem like it would present any problems.

“We’ve arrived. Shumiral, this is the Fa house.”

It felt a bit too embarrassing to go ahead and say “my home.”

But anyway, Shumiral stepped out of the wagon and looked up at the Fa house, which was easily two sizes or so smaller than the main Ruu house.

“They really are, all in, the southern style, aren’t they?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“The houses. They are in, the style of, the south.”

He must have meant the Southern Kingdom of Jagar, there. Still, just what exactly made it southern styled? Even in the Genos post town, the buildings seemed to be built in basically the same way, aside from the fact that they also used material other than wood.

But as I had that thought, I suddenly remembered something. The buildings in the post town had been constructed by southerners, which was why Pops’s group from Jagar headed there to handle repair work.

I guess it’s sort of like how most of the buildings in Japan are constructed in a western style? I thought to myself as I carried the pots and ingredients over towards the stove.

Then, as she tied Gilulu to a tree, Ai Fa called out, “Of course they are. Our ancestors moved here to the forest’s edge 80 years back. For a while after that they apparently built the same sort of woven-grass homes they had lived in at the southern black forest, but with the amount of rain this land gets they soon rotted. And so they invited southerners staying in Genos here to teach them how to build these sturdier homes.”

“I see. How very interesting.”

It really was interesting.

In that case, was that dome-shaped ritual hall from the Suun settlement the original standard building style of the forest’s edge? I really would love to ask Granny Jiba about how things were back then sometime.

“The attire worn by, the people of the forest’s edge, is also in, the southern style. Those fabrics must be, brought into Genos.”

“Hmm? We simply chose these colors so that we wouldn’t catch the attention of the animals out in the forest.”

“Yes. But the Morga forest, is vast, and abundant. There should be many, ingredients to use, for threads, correct? Do the, people of the forest’s edge, not know how, to spin thread?”

“Ah, apparently they did weave their own cloth back at the start, but it was discovered that giba ate berries from the tree they used to make the thread, so we were forbidden from taking its bark. You certainly seem to pay close attention to details, visitor from the east.”

“My apologies. I am deeply interested, in the people of the forest’s edge. Were those unpleasant, questions to ask?”

“Not especially... It’s just that you’re a lot more talkative than I had expected at first.”

“A merchant’s daughter, from the south, said the same thing.”

“A merchant’s daughter...?”

I felt my heart skip a beat there, but I was able to calm myself by remembering that Shumiral hadn’t been there when Diel slugged me.

Still, I needed to open up to Ai Fa about her eventually. If nothing else, it was important to stay on guard, since she was someone with ties to Cyclaeus.

At any rate, Ai Fa didn’t seem to have anywhere near as much trouble talking to Shumiral as I had expected from her somewhat weak social skills. But at least to me, that seemed like a rather happy miscalculation.

◇

About 90 minutes later, we started eating dinner in the dimly lit house.

“Sorry for the wait. And I hope it ends up being to your tastes!”

Despite the fact that I was handling it alongside my prep work, I still somehow managed to get dinner ready at the same time as always. I still had about 30% or so of my preparations for tomorrow left, but I just needed to give my all to knocking that out after Shumiral was gone. It wasn’t like it was bad enough that it’d eat into my sleep schedule, so it wasn’t all that big of a deal.

“The smell, is fantastic.”

I had prepared the meat on the outdoor stove, and when I brought in the completed dishes, Shumiral’s eyes joyfully narrowed.

However, Ai Fa was shooting me a scowl as she sat there with one knee in the air.

“I had vaguely sensed as much, but you used those red seeds again, didn’t you, Asuta...?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t make it as overwhelmingly spicy this time, so you should be fine. It shouldn’t be any stronger than the giba chitt, from what I can tell.”

“How can you say that? It’s bright red, isn’t it?”

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. The tarapa’s what’s making it look so red.”

Plus, even though Ai Fa had said she didn’t want any special treatment, I went ahead and held back on the spiciness while preparing her portion.

As I shot my scowling clan head a smile I went ahead and doled out the soup that had been heating on the indoor stove, then I took my own seat.

As for side-dishes, we had the usual baked poitan alongside a giba soup prepared using tau oil. The ingredients in the soup were thigh meat, aria, chatchi, and gigo. The taste was pretty similar to tofu and vegetable chowder, so I couldn’t help but think it’d be a hit at The Great Southern Tree, too.

The main dish, meanwhile, was flame-broiled meat using chitt seeds. What should I call it, though? If I was willing to go a little heavy-handed with the naming, maybe something like giba sauté arrabbiata would work? At any rate, it was one of the dishes I was trying out to find something that could be as good as the giba chitt.

Chitt seeds were an ingredient that possessed both the color and spiciness of red chili peppers. However, they were round in shape and only about the size of a soybean. Around two or three of them were equivalent to a single chili pepper, so that fortunately kept the costs from getting too out of control.

I started out by dicing up those chitt seeds and myamuu, then fried them up in giba fat on low heat. Normally I’d like some other sort of vegetable oil to use in place of olive oil, but I just couldn’t find any in the post town. I honestly couldn’t help but feel a bit interested in whether or not there was any in the castle town.

Anyway, once the myamuu was heated enough, it started to give off a strong garlicky aroma, at which point I moved it to a medium flame and swiftly added in the giba loin and aria. And once that was good and cooked, I carefully poured in the tarapa sauce, which I prepared in a separate pot. With that, the dish was complete.

It was really starting to seem like I always relied on tarapa in a pinch. After all, I had already used the tarapa sauce in the tarapa stew and giba burgers, making this my third dish to do so. I definitely wanted to start increasing my variety, but this seemed like the best option available when I considered how compatible tomatoes (tarapa) and chili peppers (chitt seeds) were.

If Reina and Sheera Ruu really did take on the prep work, then I’d have to carefully experiment with all sorts of different ingredients. But at any rate, just being able to prepare the sauce beforehand and bring it from home meant I could already cut my cooking time at The Sledgehammer down by quite a bit.

The point to pay careful attention to was managing the flame. It was important to take time and steadily heat the chitt seeds over a flame in order to draw out the appropriate level of spiciness, but you also needed to take care not to burn the dish. However, as long as you kept an eye on that, it was pretty simple to prepare.

“I was thinking of selling this dish through The Sledgehammer starting next month. And so, I’m really glad I got a chance to feed it to you before you left Genos.”

“I feel, even more glad, than that.”

Ai Fa, meanwhile, frowned as if to say, “What, so am I the only unhappy person here?”

Still, today’s dish at least shouldn’t have been spicy enough to bring her to tears. I had used less chitt on hers, even, so it should have made for a pretty mild taste overall. Honestly, I was getting pretty excited at the thought that this might finally be enough to satisfy her.

“Well then, dig in. It’s best to eat up before it gets cold.”

Ai Fa muttered her chant under her breath, I said, “Thanks for the food,” while Shumiral stated, “I am honored, to receive, this meal.” And so, with our three different rituals out of the way, dinner could finally begin.

I reached out and scooped up a bit of the main dish to start off. However, I immediately tilted my head and went, “Huh?” upon biting into it.

The tomato-esque tarapa sauce was heated up along with diced aria and fruit wine, giving it a wonderful sweet taste. When combined with the spiciness of the chitt and the garlic-like myamuu, it made for a complex flavor that didn’t lose out to the giba chitt in the least.

Additionally, the giba meat wasn’t overpowered despite the presence of that intricate taste. Since I had used the sirloin, a cut known for its soft texture, it had a pleasant chewiness to it. And the still crisp bits of aria added a nice accent to the dish, too.

However, the flavor seemed more docile than I remembered, somehow. It was still definitely spicy, and tasty too. However, it seemed closer to the mild version with less chitt that I had prepared for Ai Fa.

Had I done a bit too much taste-testing and thrown off my tongue a little? As I wondered if I screwed up in my preparations, I looked over towards Shumiral.

“Um, sorry, but did I make it a bit too weak?”

“No. It is, delicious.”

Shumiral had also chosen to start off with the sauté. And his eyes looked to be happily narrowing, sure enough, so I felt relieved.

With that I glanced over to see how Ai Fa was doing... Only to find her gripping the plate as her shoulders quaked.

“You tried to trick me, Asuta...”

“Hmm? What do you mean? It’s not as spicy as last time, right?” I questioned, but then it clicked: The dish I had been eating wasn’t as spicy as it should have been. “Wait, no way... Did I mix up the dishes?!”

But wait, could I seriously be that careless? I mean, I had been really looking forward to seeing whether or not I could please both Shumiral and Ai Fa...

I tilted my head and pondered what was going on, only for Shumiral to do the same.

“Asuta, Ai Fa, the tastes, of your dishes, are different?”

“Yeah. I made Ai Fa’s a bit lighter on the chitt seeds...”

“Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

“Huh?”

“Asuta, when you went, to scoop the soup, you had your back, turned. That was when, Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

“What?! Why would she do something like that?!”

“When you, manned the stove, ash flew out, and fell on, your plate. After removing, the ashes, Ai Fa switched, the plates.”

So some ashes floated over from the stove to my plate, and Ai Fa noticed that and got rid of it, then switched my plate with hers, huh?

What a kind, thoughtful clan head I have! But the gods of this world must be awful cruel, to repay her kindness with such a fate.

“I’m sorry, Ai Fa! This plate’s supposed to be yours! Ow, ow, ow!”

She was seriously pinching my left cheek. And as she did so, tears were steadily welling up in her eyes.

“This happened because you went and played around with the flavors like that! I don’t need such ridiculous concern from you, you fool!”

“But if I went and seasoned it the same for everyone, then you would’ve ended up with the same spiciness regardless, right? Ow, ow, ow!”

“I’m the one with an aching mouth, here!”

It felt like she was going to tear my cheek clear off.

However, just when I had that thought, my benevolent clan head finally let go.

My eyes were now tearing up from the pain too, making me match my beloved benefactor. I really couldn’t help but lament how cruelly absurd this world could be, that we could both end up like that as a result of trying to look out for one another.

As for Ai Fa, she let out a childish “Hmph!” from beside me as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. And as I watched over that adorable sight, Shumiral calmly stated, “The two of you, are very blessed. My family, has all, passed away. And so, I think that, the two of you, seem very happy.”

“Huh? You lost your family too, Shumiral?”

“Yes. My mother passed, soon after, I was born. And my father died, three years ago. That was when, I took charge, of the Silver Vase.”

“Ah, so the former head of the group was your dad?” I asked as I took in my share of spiciness, having exchanged plates with Ai Fa.

“My father formed, the Silver Vase. I have worked there, for ten years now. And we gained, permission to do, business in, the castle town, five years ago... That was when, I met, Lord Cyclaeus.”

Ai Fa’s eyes were still watering a bit as she slurped her soup, but upon hearing that, her eyebrows suddenly shot up in surprise.

“Easterner, you’re acquainted with the noble named Cyclaeus from the castle town?”

“Yes. I met him, through a chef, I know in, the castle town. For five years, Cyclaeus bought, many knives, from us.”

At that, Ai Fa shot me a glare, but I explained, “I only just learned that today,” before she could say anything.

Still, why exactly was Shumiral bringing that up again now?

“Lord Cyclaeus, broke our agreement. There are many, bad rumors, about him. I do not know, if they are, true or not, but my friend, the chef, feared him. Lord Cyclaeus, is a very, powerful man.”

“What exactly are you trying to say...?”

“It is dangerous, to oppose, Lord Cyclaeus. I worry for, the people of the forest’s edge.”

Shumiral shouldn’t have heard a single word of that conversation with the leading clan heads from earlier. But even still, I had asked him all sorts of questions on the way back from the post town, so he must have sensed something was seriously amiss.

“At any rate, that all has nothing to do with you, easterner. From what I hear, you call yourself Asuta’s friend, but that’s even more reason that you shouldn’t interfere with this matter,” Ai Fa stated with a small shake of her head, and then she grabbed the plate with the sauté. “On top of that, you’re set to depart from Genos in just a few days, aren’t you? You should focus on your own path forward rather than needlessly worrying about such things.”

“Yes... I know, that is what, I should do,” Shumiral replied, his gaze drifting downwards and causing him to look a bit sad.

Ai Fa just gave a little, “Hmph,” then tossed a bite of the sauté coated in red sauce into her mouth.

Once again, her eyes teared up.

“Huh? Is it still too spicy? But I held back quite a bit when I was making it...”

“It stings even more because my mouth was already hurting to begin with,” Ai Fa stated, then managed to give me a skillful kick in the knee from where she was seated.

However, she didn’t set the plate down, and ate two or three more bites while wiping away the tears.

“Hmm... Maybe it really is tasty, but I just can’t tell... I’m sure I’d think it was delicious if you hadn’t gone and hurt my mouth to start with, though...”

“Really? That would certainly make me glad to hear!” I replied, naturally breaking out in a smile.

With that, several even stronger kicks rained down upon my knee.

“Asuta, Ai Fa, you seem, so happy,” Shumiral said again. “Please treasure, that joy. On my travels, I will pray, for your happiness.”

Ai Fa’s face went every bit as red as the tarapa sauce, and she shouted out, “Quiet, you!”

From then until Shumiral departed from the Fa house, we spent some nice, pleasant time together steadily chatting away.