Chapter 3: Count Cyclaeus Turan

1

It was now the following day, the 30th of the blue month.

After half a month of waiting, it was finally time for the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge to have their second meeting with the noble known as Cyclaeus. However, they wouldn’t be settling anything today. No, this was just the beginning.

Donda Ruu and the rest were heading into town with the weight of the forest’s edge on their shoulders, in order to correct the distorted relationship between Genos and the forest’s edge, and to expose the true face of the man named Cyclaeus, who was still shrouded in mystery.

Had Cyclaeus really used the Suun clan for his own selfish reasons?

Did he really mean it when he said that every last member of the Suun clan should be handed over to the castle?

Just how would Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried make their move?

Would the people of the forest’s edge be able to keep living as hunters here in this land?

And would our Fa clan be permitted to continue doing business in the post town?

Even if today wasn’t going to bring things to a conclusion, it was still most certainly a turning point.

However, that didn’t change what we had to do in the least. We still needed to go to town and prepare food, just like always. We were assigned two hunters as guards just to be safe, but other than that, there was nothing different about today in the least.

And the people about the post town naturally had no idea such a meeting was even being held, so there were no changes whatsoever in my flow of customers. There were thirty of them lined up before opening, and then when that morning rush was over we took breaks in groups of two, after which we just had to deal with the customers who came by now and again. It was all going exactly the same as always.

“Well, I guess they must be leaving the forest’s edge around now,” Ludo Ruu casually called out from behind the stall. He had been chosen for the guard role once again for his youthful and nonthreatening appearance, so as to worry the townsfolk as little as possible.

The other guard was my clan head, and she stood between the stalls, her eyes nonchalantly observing the road. The Ruu were willing to lend us whoever we needed as they were taking time off at the moment, but Ai Fa had offered herself up for the role.

Anyway, today was likely to end without a need for these bodyguards to do anything. They would only have to act if the relationship with the castle turned out to be so unsalvageable that it was outright broken here and now.

But put another way, the fact that we felt the need to have them just to be safe went to show how little trust we had in the folks from the castle.

“Ah, it’s Ludo Ruu!” a voice enthusiastically exclaimed all of a sudden. It wasn’t long after that that Tara, the daughter of Dora the vegetable seller, came running on up to the stall.

When he saw her, Ludo Ruu walked over from his spot in the rear by the wagon and said, “Hey there. Long time no see, runt. You weren’t at your shop this morning, were you?”

“That’s right! I had to run a little errand for my dad at the inn!”

The little girl with her dark brown hair and eyes wore a bright smile as she talked. She had been a regular since right when we opened the stalls, so by now she didn’t seem scared in the least of any of the people of the forest’s edge who hung around us.

“Ludo Ruu, don’t leave your post. What if someone comes at us from behind?” Ai Fa quietly scolded.

However, the boy just tilted his head and went, “Huh? There’s no need to be on edge like that, is there? If we needed to be that on guard, then there would be three or four of us here, in the first place...”

“That may be so, but those of us here should still be doing our very best.”

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. That totos and the wagon make a sort of wall anyway, so we’ll know right away if anyone tries to approach from behind.”

“Don’t you dare try to use Gilulu as a shield! Whatever, I’ll take the rear instead...”

As one might guess from that conversation, Ai Fa had been a little high-strung since early in the morning, but Ludo Ruu didn’t exactly see things the same way.

It wasn’t like we were expecting an attack this time around, like we had been with Zattsu and Tei Suun. Plus, the meeting wasn’t scheduled to start till the sun hit its peak, so it wouldn’t make any sense at all for violence to break out now in the morning.

I couldn’t help but be concerned by how Ai Fa was acting, and so I left the stall up to Lala Ruu, who had joined Ludo Ruu and Tara’s chat, then walked over her way.

“What’s going on, Ai Fa? You’ve been acting strange ever since we arrived in town.”

My clan head shot me a glare out of the corner of her eye as she stroked Gilulu’s long neck.

“I’ve been occasionally sensing these strange gazes all morning... Ones full of animosity, like a poisoned needle.”

“Huh? Really? Well, I guess it’s no surprise that there are still people around who would shoot the people of the forest’s edge looks like that...”

“That’s not it. My instinct tells me that they’re all coming from the same person. However, I also haven’t been able to catch sight of them...”

In other words, someone was keeping an eye on us while in hiding, huh? I’d like to think that was just Ai Fa imagining things, but I couldn’t exactly be so optimistic about the situation after seeing the serious look in her eyes.

“Still, I can’t imagine the folks from the castle keeping a watch on us at this point, so—” I started to say, only to be interrupted by a shriek coming from the stall.

“What’s wrong, Lala Ruu?!” I called out while rushing back.

There was a tall figure in front of the stall. However, Tara was just standing in place next to him, and Ludo Ruu wasn’t moving either. Plus, Lala Ruu herself had her hands on her hips, but wasn’t glaring or anything, so it didn’t seem like there was an actual problem here.

“Aw, what a waste! Let me just say, you’re the one whose hands slipped, alright? So I won’t be able to give you back your coins.”

What exactly happened here?

With Ai Fa following along right behind me, I stepped even closer.

“Whoa, what’s all this?”

I could immediately tell the reason behind the shriek: There was a completed myamuu giba dumped out atop the iron tray.

The baked poitan had come loose, and the meat, aria, and diced tino were scattered all about. And Lala Ruu shot us an angry glance as she pushed all that over to the edge of the tray with a wooden spatula so that it wouldn’t burn.

“As you can see, this customer went and dropped his dish! Geez, it’s such a waste!”

With that, I looked over at the customer in question.

He was a skinny fellow over 180 centimeters tall, and he had on a hooded cloak. And from what I could spy of his face from under that hood, he was dark skinned. Yup, this customer was from the east, sure enough.

For a second I thought he was Shumiral, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. After all, soon enough he pulled back his hood and gave an apologetic bow, revealing that his long hair was chestnut-color rather than silver.

“My apologies. I accidentally dropped it. It’s true that you definitely aren’t at fault.”

He was even more fluent than Shumiral.

Overall, his appearance was pretty standard for someone from the east. He had an oval-shaped face, a high nose, and thin lips, plus he was tall and skinny. However, that light colored hair and those reddish-brown eyes seemed pretty uncommon for folks from Sym.

Still, dropping the food back on the tray wasn’t the sort of careless slip up that happened often.

At any rate, the man narrowed his eyes a bit sadly, then opened up his cloak so as to reveal his right side. Wrapped around his thin-yet-muscular upper right arm was a bandage, stained a bit with blood.

“My right arm is impaired, and so I tried to, reach out with my left. But I’m not as skilled with, that arm, so I dropped it. My apologies for dirtying your tray.”

He still stumbled a bit here and there, but he really was even better at speaking the language of the west than Shumiral. It was definitely a first for me, seeing an easterner that fluent. Plus, maybe it was because he also had long hair of an unusual color, but he seemed to have a similar feel about him to Shumiral. In other words, I had a real favorable first impression of the man.

“Please, don’t worry about that. Um, could you hold on for just a moment?”

It wasn’t like it had fallen to the ground or anything, so it really would be a shame to let this myamuu giba go to waste. But with that said, the all-important baked poitan had fallen onto the tray and gotten coated in fat and sauce, so I couldn’t exactly get it back into its original form. And the diced tino had gotten mushy, too.

Alright, then let’s go ahead and make it all mushy.

The first step was scraping as much of the ingredients as I could off of the poitan, then placing them atop the cutting board. Next I chopped them up finely, then arranged them onto the plate meant for samples.

As for the ingredients left atop the tray, I moved them to the center, added half a spoonful of the myamuu and fruit wine sauce, then carefully mixed it around. Once the cabbage-like tino grew a bit soft, that was plenty.

I served that up atop the plate too, then added some finely chopped poitan and gave it a rough stir.

“What do you say? It may not look especially pretty, but the taste shouldn’t be all that different.”

In terms of appearance, well, it looked like the sort of stir-fry you’d see in Chinese cooking. Personally I figured it would be acceptable, but I wasn’t sure what the customer was thinking.

Before long, though, the man broke out in an excited smile. I could feel my heart skip a beat at that, knowing that folks from Sym considered it shameful to openly show emotions.

“Thank you. Now I didn’t waste my coins. You have my sincere, gratitude.”

The customer from the east supported the plate awkwardly with his injured right hand, then took the spoon I handed him and started digging into my improvised myamuu giba bowl.

With that, he only smiled all the wider.

“That was very good. Giba meat is delicious, isn’t it?”

“Th-Thank you.”

Now that I thought about it, this was probably the first time I talked this much with someone from Sym other than Shumiral, since easterners generally weren’t skilled at speaking the language of the west.

“I’ve injured my right arm. And so, I can’t work for, the time being. That makes my money, all the more precious. You really, truly have my gratitude,” the customer stated after swiftly gulping down the dish.

“I’m Sanjura. Could I have your name?”

“Right. I’m Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Asuta of the Fa clan... I’ll be staying here in Genos until, my injuries are healed. And I plan on stopping by this stall each day, for a snack.”

“Thank you. It makes me very happy to hear that.”

“I’m glad to have learned of, such delicious food, too.”

While Sanjura stood there gently smiling, both Ludo Ruu and Ai Fa kept a steady eye on him.

“Hey, you seem pretty darn skilled, so how did you get an injury like that?” Ludo Ruu asked, seemingly unable to hold back his curiosity.

Sanjura then turned his way, looking a bit confused.

“I’ve been traveling, while riding on a totos. That totos ended up tripping on a rock. We fell together, and my arm struck another rock, that was jutting out.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s how someone as skillful as you could get a wound like that.”

Sanjura looked all the more confused upon hearing that.

“I’m just a wanderer, not a swordsman.”

“Hmm? But you’re still pretty strong, aren’t you?”

“Traveling brings with it danger... Both beasts and bandits, can be quite menacing. So I have polished up my skills at least a little, to protect myself,” Sanjura replied with a bit of an awkward, bashful grin. Then, he handed me back the now empty plate. “Thank you so much for everything today. I give my gratitude to our father, the western god Selva, for granting me the chance to meet you, Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Huh? Sanjura, you’re not an easterner?”

“That’s right. My mother was, but my father grew up here in the western kingdom. And I myself am, a westerner.”

So Sanjura had mixed blood from the east and west, huh?

I couldn’t help but wonder why he was a bit stilted talking in the western tongue in that case, but I thought it would be rude to just ask him about it. At any rate, just being of mixed blood seemed to imply a rather complicated background here in this world.

“Well then, I’ll see you again, tomorrow.”

With that, Sanjura pulled his hood back up, then departed to the south.

Somehow, that had felt like a seriously heartwarming interaction, and left me feeling fully satisfied. However, there was a pair who clearly didn’t think the same, as they were having quite the violent conversation right next to me.

“Hmm, didn’t expect we’d run into someone that skilled here in town... Hey, Ai Fa, do you think that you could beat him?”

“With all things equal, I wouldn’t lose. However, I wouldn’t be able to let my guard down in the slightest.”

Naturally, that was Ludo Ruu and Ai Fa talking.

Upon hearing my clan head’s blunt reply, the boy gave a, “Tch. You say you could still win even against a guy like that? I don’t know, myself... I sort of get the feeling that he’s someone I just couldn’t beat...”

“I don’t know about that. He seems about equal to your skill level, I’d say.”

“What, so you’re saying that you’re stronger than me, Ai Fa?!”

“Did you actually think that wasn’t the case?”

That conversation was just growing more and more fierce. It honestly felt like they’d start shooting one another challenging glares any second now, and so I interjected with, “Hey, hold on. That guy was just an ordinary customer, so could you stop saying stuff like that about him? He may well have been skilled, but he seemed like a gentle, kind person to me.”

“Hmph. You really think you can determine if someone’s an enemy or an ally from such a short conversation? You are far too trusting of strangers.”

“Yeah, Ai Fa’s right. If there really were guys like him scattered all throughout town, then just the two of us as bodyguards would never be enough,” Ludo Ruu stated, ruffling his blond hair. “But, well, I can tell there aren’t many guys on his level from just a bit of walking around. But between him, that Kamyua Yoshu guy, and that grey-eyed noble jerk, it looks like I really can’t go treating townsfolk lightly.”

Now that it came up, both Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu had been skilled enough to make it into the top eight in that contest of strength held by the Ruu clan. I couldn’t say how that would be reflected in a real fight, but still, if the two of them were evaluating him that highly, then Sanjura must have been pretty exceptionally skilled after all.

Still, he didn’t really look like the sort of guy to get mixed up in bad stuff...

As that thought ran through my head, after having been excluded from the conversation for some time, Tara suddenly shouted out, “I’ve got to get back soon, too! Um, one of the myamuu giba, and three giba burgers please!”

“You’re gonna eat four of them? That’s amazing.”

“No! I’ve got to get them for the guys from the cloth and pot stores, too!” Tara angrily snapped back, and Ludo Ruu snickered in response.

With that, the bright, cheery feel in the air finally returned as Ai Fa gave a shrug of her shoulders and started heading back towards her position to our rear, only for another customer to arrive. It was Diel with her speckled dark brown hair, and her companion Labis.

When my clan head saw them, she stopped in her tracks.

“W-Welcome! So do you want the dish from this stall for today?”

“Yeah! I decided to alternate each day, so I want this one today!” Diel proclaimed with a smile. And right now, I could seriously sense Ai Fa watching from over my shoulder.

Last night after Shumiral left the Fa house, I actually opened up to my clan head about this girl. I figured it was important she know the fact that Diel was part of a merchant group invited to stay at Cyclaeus’s manor, and besides, since Ai Fa was coming to town as a bodyguard, it certainly made sense to think they may meet like this. And so, I decided to just come clean about everything, before there were any more awkward misunderstandings or anything.

Right now, I was seriously worrying about whether or not that had been a wise decision.

“Hmm... There are a lot of you around today, huh?” Diel questioned, glancing around. Then, her pretty green eyes caught sight of Ai Fa and a hostile blaze started burning bright in them. “That really doesn’t matter, but why, exactly, are you glaring at me? Did I do something to you?”

“Not to me personally, but I hear you laid a hand upon a member of my house, woman of the south,” Ai Fa retorted in a low voice, then she stepped out in front of me.

By this point, I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Or do you claim that you weren’t the one who hit Asuta? I judged that you were, because young girls from the south are so rare here in the post town.”

“What, you mean how I slugged Asuta? How’s that any of your business?”

“It is, because he is a member of my house.”

From what I could tell by glancing out of the corner of my eye, Ai Fa wasn’t particularly letting her anger show. However, she did look incredibly annoyed, and the light shining in her eyes didn’t seem especially calm.

“Naturally, I must admit that Asuta was also at fault. However, I don’t think striking him hard enough to leave marks on him in response was justified. I hope that you’ll be more careful of your actions in the future.”

“A member of your house...? What does that mean?! Are you saying you two are married?!”

“N-No, that’s not it. We’re family who live in the same house. Even though we’re not related by blood, she’s still very important to me.”

My reply only caused Diel to look all the more irritated.

“What do you mean, you’re not married but you’re family? Is this woman keeping you like a pet, Asuta? It’s forbidden to keep anyone but northerners as slaves in the western kingdom, isn’t it?”

“I-I’m not a slave or a pet or anything like that! Um, how should I explain it...?”

“There’s no need for any explanation. At any rate, you should take care to make sure your actions are in line with the law, so that no one goes around talking about you behind your back, southerner.”

“Quiet, you. I don’t need you grumbling to me about Asuta! I mean, I already apologized to him, and he forgave me! So why exactly are you butting in out of nowhere and complaining?”

“I’m saying that I won’t press the matter of your crimes if you better restrain yourself in the future. You really are a dense girl.”

Somehow, it felt like they were about to break out in a brawl.

And honestly, this was probably the first time I had ever seen Ai Fa argue with anyone around town. Would I have to throw myself into the line of fire in order to settle things, ultimately?

“Hey, let’s all just calm down, first! Diel, if I went and acted rudely towards you, you could still see your family wanting to say something about it even if we had settled things, right? That’s where Ai Fa’s coming from right now, so can’t you try to understand that?”

“Huh? But...”

“And Ai Fa, I’m grateful that you’re worrying about me, but I told you we already made up, didn’t I? Since we’ve both forgiven each other and apologized, everything should be fine now.”

“But...”

They were both now holding their tongues while looking seriously displeased.

However, that silence didn’t even last five whole seconds.

“It’s true that I shouldn’t have hit you, but you started it by being so rude! So why are you trying to lecture me now?!”

“Yes, you’re the one who kicked off all that commotion, aren’t you? You need to reflect on your actions more than anyone.” Then, Ai Fa came in close to my ear and whispered, “Besides, how did you ever see this girl as a man...? Her clothing may be masculine, but aside from that she’s quite clearly a frail young woman.” With that, I received several kicks to the leg. “I figured she must have quite a boorish face for you to mistake her for a man... Really, what in the world is wrong with your eyes, Asuta?”

“Hey, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?” I retorted in a whisper, only for Ai Fa to turn away with a “Hmph!” As for Lala Ruu, she was watching things unfold with a grin on her face that reminded me of Kamyua Yoshu.

“S-So, you were ordering one, right? I’ll prepare it right away, so hold on just a moment!” I asked, getting myself back on track as I set about getting the myamuu giba ready.

In the meantime, Ludo Ruu just kept on carefully observing Labis as the man stood there behind Diel. And Labis seemed to be staring back at the boy, too.

Perhaps Labis was on guard against Ludo Ruu and Ai Fa since they had blades as part of their hunting attire. Rather than looking nervous, though, the youngest Ruu son just kept on shooting a threatening gaze the man’s way.

“Ooh, you’re still here, Asuta?!” I heard as a certain familiar construction group approached.

Aldas was standing at the head of the crowd, wearing the same cheerful smile as always.

“Welcome! You’ve been rather busy lately, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, since we’ll finally be wrapping things up tomorrow. If we have to stretch it out by even a day, it’ll really end up hurting us, so we can’t afford to relax just yet!” Aldas said, his thick eyebrows drooping but his smile remaining fixed on his face. “Well, I wouldn’t mind staying in Genos forever if it meant being able to eat your cooking, Asuta! But I guess we can’t exactly do that with the costs of the inn and totos stables... Ugh, it really is a shame! Unless an urgent job pops up, we only get to come to Genos once a year!”

“You’re always grumbling about the same old stuff. But you’ve got a wife and kids waiting for you back home, don’t ya?” Pops chimed in with a sullen look on his face, giving Aldas a jab in the stomach. Then, he turned my way. “Asuta, how much jerky do you have left...?”

“Huh? Jerky? Um, this is all I’ve got for today.”

I only prepared around two kilos of jerky for each day.

When I showed Pops the inside of the bag, he muttered, “That won’t be enough... It won’t be enough at all. I’d want ten times this amount by tomorrow.”

“T-Ten times? What are you planning on doing with all that jerky?”

“Eat it on our way back home, of course. There are eight of us, and the journey’ll take half a month, so that’s how much we’re gonna need.” With that, Pops looked me right in the eye. “Can you prepare it in time? If not, we’ll have to buy karon jerky instead.”

“I-I think I can. I’ll have to check after getting back to the forest edge before making any promises, though.”

Still, I had just told the various nearby clans that I didn’t know when the next big job would be coming in, but I’d be counting on them then. And on top of that, the Rutim and Lea should have a surplus of both fresh meat and jerky at the moment, anyway. Plus, with the added mobility Gilulu brought us, it shouldn’t be hard to run all about the settlement and gather up 20 kilos worth of jerky.

“Still, do you really love the taste of giba meat that much, Pops? With jerky it’s true that the salt and herbs are pretty strong, but there’s still a good bit of taste left from the meat itself, too...”

“I’m plenty aware of all that. What, are you trying to nitpick all this business I’m bringing you, here?” Pops grumbled, then gave his hair a ruffle. “I’ve been eating this stuff each and every day, so I’ve gotten used to the taste of giba... So if the price is going to be the same as karon jerky, then I just figured why not order it from you instead.”

“Yeah, if we can’t eat Asuta’s cooking, then at least we can console ourselves by chewing on some giba jerky.”

“You’re the only one around here getting that weepy!” Pops angrily retorted at Aldas, then he ruffled his hair again. “Anyway, just get together whatever you can, alright? We’ll make up for whatever’s lacking with karon... And we may not make it to the shop tomorrow till after the sun’s already hit its peak, so make sure you tell the girls you’ve got working here, too.”

“Ah, you won’t be arriving till later on tomorrow?” In that case, that meant this may be farewell for us. And so, I took my towel off and bowed my head. “Then, um, thank you so much for your continued—”

“Cut it out! It’s not like we’ll never see each other again!” Pops shouted, cutting me off. And then he slammed two red coins down on the stall’s counter. “We come here to Genos at least once a year! Are you planning on going through all that stuffy crap each and every time? And besides, who knows how many dozens or even hundreds of us folks from the south come and go in Genos each and every day, anyway?”

“Yes, but well... Having you all stop by so frequently has been incredibly encouraging for me. You seriously have my sincerest thanks for that.”

Pops looked like he was about to say something, but he soon faced away and held his tongue.

With that, his comrades behind him burst out in hearty laughter.

“Even after the blue month is over, we’ll keep on coming to your stalls! And we’ll eat enough to make up for Pops, don’t you worry!”

“Quiet, you! Or do you want me to send your head flying?!”

“If you do that, then you won’t be able to finish up the job tomorrow. So just let us eat our lunch, already.”

Apparently, a portion of the group had been hired from among the locals. But now that I thought about it, that made sense, seeing how Pops said eight of them would be heading home despite there being over a dozen in total.

In that case, do they have mixed blood or something to be living here in Genos? Or are they just southerners who moved here to make a living?

I had no way of knowing all that. But at any rate, it didn’t change the fact that every last one of them were my precious customers.

“Hmm, so you’re heading back to Nellwea soon?” Diel asked, her face brimming with curiosity as she butted in.

Pops had been silently smoldering with anger up till then, but with that he furrowed his brow and turned her way.

“Oh, the Jeland girl, eh? You’re eating giba meat too now, I see.”

“Yup! I gave it a try, and that’s when I realized it was super tasty! It’s embarrassing, thinking about how I called it tough and smelly and all that...”

“Hmph. I embarrassed myself even worse, you know,” Pops said, turning and shooting me a glare. However, despite his displeased expression, there was a rather gentle look about his green eyes. “Asuta, we’ll be back again next year. I know you’re facing all sorts of troubles, but if you end up closing shop before then, you better expect me to come stomping over to the forest’s edge to complain, alright?”

“Right. I’ll be glad to have you come back and eat my cooking again next year.”

Suddenly, I felt like I was about to start tearing up.

A year from now... Would I really be able to see them again?

There was no way of knowing, but as a lowly human being, I just had to give it my all to make sure it happened.

As we had that conversation, the sun had risen high in the sky, marking that elsewhere in Genos, the meeting between the folks from the castle and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge would soon begin.

2

From what Gazraan Rutim would later tell me, they somehow managed to safely make it through the day’s meeting.

In total, there were six participants from the forest’s edge: The three leading clan heads, Gazraan Rutim, and the heads of the Fou and Beim. In the end, the men who were to accompany the Sauti and Zaza clan heads let the representatives for the smaller clans take their place.

Our side had announced they would be bringing six people to start with, and the folks from the castle didn’t seem to be concerned with anyone but the leading clan heads in the first place. And so, the change didn’t cause any issues.

Just like the time prior, the meeting was held at Cyclaeus’s private residence. However, it wasn’t in the castle town. Instead, it was in a region to the north of those stone walls, with a vast orchard surrounded by houses. That was the land ruled by Cyclaeus, completely different from the south of the castle town where we did business... The territory of Count Turan.

In one corner of that land stood Cyclaeus’s manor, which was exceptionally large. Since the man didn’t approve of allowing the people of the forest’s edge into the castle town, he had used this place for all essential meetings, even back when the Suun clan was still in charge.

It was a splendid and immense structure, constructed more from stone than wood. And it was in that building’s reception hall where the group from the forest’s edge waited for Cyclaeus, having arrived even earlier than agreed upon.

The time of the meeting had been set for when the sun hit its peak. Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried both showed up shortly before then, all on their own. Perhaps they were accompanied by soldiers waiting outside the manor, but regardless, only the two of them entered the reception hall.

Kamyua Yoshu was wearing his usual cloak, while Melfried had his white leather uniform. And unlike the people of the forest’s edge, who had their weapons taken at the entrance, the pair of them still had their swords.

Time crept on, and eventually the castle’s bell announcing the sun had hit its peak could be heard ringing in the distance. On that cue, Cyclaeus at last emerged into the reception hall from further inside, accompanied by nearly 20 guards.

And so, Gazraan Rutim told his tale...

◇

“Hmm... It seems I’ve kept you all waiting...” Cyclaeus stated as he sat down in a large leather seat.

Meanwhile, we all were left standing in the center of the room. The guards who accompanied Cyclaeus all carried spears even taller than they were, and around half of them lined up along the left, right, and rear walls.

The remaining ten stood on either side of Cyclaeus as the man glanced over towards Melfried.

“This is quite a whim on your part, Lord Melfried... I can’t see how being involved with such a trifling matter would be of any benefit to you...”

It was quite clear that he wasn’t pleased with Melfried’s presence.

“One day, I will have to be the one to rule over Genos. And I believe this matter is certainly not trifling when it comes to the peace and tranquility of this land, Count Cyclaeus Turan,” Melfried replied.

It was my first time meeting with the man, but he certainly seemed to be quite remarkable.

He had removed his helmet since we were indoors, and thanks to that I was also able to see his face. From what I could tell, he was a bit older than me, and his brown hair and perfectly proportioned face gave him a truly noble appearance.

But those grey eyes... Just like Asuta told me, they had a chilling shine like the light of the moon about them.

And I could also tell that he was quite skilled as a fighter. Well, I couldn’t be fully confident, as my observational skills just aren’t equal to those of Ai Fa or Ludo Ruu. However, I could at least say that he had undergone quite a bit of training.

But more important was Cyclaeus. The man sat there smiling away as he listened to Melfried’s words. He seemed the sort to always be wearing a grin. And in all likelihood, that was a way of hiding his true emotions.

“Well, I suppose the first son of Duke Marstein Genos covering his face with filthy rags and disguising himself as one of the townsfolk would be an even greater whim... And did those actions even take precedence over your duty as captain of the ducal guard, Lord Melfried...?”

“That is indeed painfully true, but it certainly isn’t as if I neglected my work. And I am free to spend my spare time as I please, Count Cyclaeus Turan. More importantly, this was meant to be a place for exchanging words with the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge. So perhaps you should focus on carrying out your own work before questioning mine.”

Cyclaeus’s face twisted into even more of a grin as he turned our way.

He truly was an eerie, unsettling man. No matter how many times I may see him, I cannot shake that impression.

The outfit he wore appeared to be of quite high quality. It was one piece from top to bottom, with only his feet, hands, and neck sticking out from the soft-looking pure-white cloth attire. Honestly, it was difficult to explain, but when adding on the metal and stone accessories he wore on his arms and neck, it reminded me of the sort of showy outfits women wore at banquets.

Speaking of which, he was also small and frail like a woman. However, his head was excessively large and threw his proportions out of balance, so perhaps it was more appropriate to say that he had the physique of a child instead.

His skin had a bluish-black tinge to it, and his eyes were constantly bloodshot, causing him to look terribly unhealthy.

Gulaf Zaza had called him an old man, but his actual age may not have been too advanced. However, he was thin and sickly with an unhealthy pallor about him, which caused him to look extremely aged.

However, despite his ill-colored, wrinkly face, his pale eyes had a piercing glare about them.

I had trouble dealing with those eyes. Actually, to be completely honest, they stirred up an intense hatred in me, though I couldn’t say why.

The leading clan head said that he had a greedy look in his eyes just like Zuuro Suun. And I could certainly agree with that, but I didn’t think that was all there was to it.

My chest was filled with this strange irritation, as if I was dealing with some sort of beast that couldn’t understand words...

At any rate, I couldn’t help but feel that the reason we disliked dealing with this Cyclaeus man so much was likely rooted far more in that gaze than even his oppressive manner of speaking.

“Well then, I’ll take you up on that offer and get this bothersome work dealt with. Leading clan heads of the forest’s edge, have you decided on how you will handle the matter of punishment for the crimes of the Suun clan?”

“Our conclusion remains the same. Only Zuuro Suun deserves further punishment, for being the one to lead his clan astray,” Dari Sauti replied. Since Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza were at risk of letting their anger and disgust get the better of them, it was decided that he and I would handle most of the talking for the day.

With that, Cyclaeus’s smile shifted, causing him to look rather displeased.

“I gave you more time than originally agreed upon, and yet you still couldn’t do anything about that stubbornness... It seems there was no point to postponing after all, then.”

“Not true. We spent days thinking over and discussing the matter, and our feelings only strengthened further until we came here today. If you say the conclusion we reached is wrong, then we would like you to grant us a more proper explanation,” Dari Sauti calmly stated.

Cyclaeus just kept on grinning, though.

“As I told you when we last met, my opinion is that crimes must be met with their proper punishment. It’s self-evident that the crimes of the one in charge and those ordered to commit them hold different weight, but that can only be judged properly by the legal officers of Genos castle.”

“That is indeed what you told us the other day. But were we people of the forest’s edge not granted the right to judge our own criminals? Normally, there would be no reason for you people from the castle to complain regardless of how we handled them.”

“That was because your laws of the forest’s edge were even stricter than those of Genos. If you had said you were abiding by them and taking every last one of the criminals’ scalps, then we certainly wouldn’t have any reason to interfere,” Cyclaeus pressed on, ever persistent. “The people of the forest’s edge were judged to be capable of regulating themselves, and were granted the authority to judge and punish their ilk. However, we cannot overlook those rights being used to grant a lighter punishment than required by the laws of Genos, releasing them from responsibility for their crimes...”

“But why? Judging someone means weighing the severity of their crimes, does it not? That’s precisely what we did for the members of the Suun clan, laying out the proper path forward for each and every one of them.”

“But is it not precisely because your judgment of them was lacking that those criminals were able to escape from your grasp and commit further crimes?” Naturally, he was talking about Zattsu and Tei Suun. “If criminals are not properly punished, then we cannot protect the peace and tranquility of Genos. I would say this incident proved that quite clearly. If you cannot discard this weakness unbefitting of your people and work up the resolve to punish them correctly, then you should hand them over to us before you end up committing yet another such blunder...”

It was at this point that I felt the need to finally interject, as I could see Gulaf Zaza growing more and more furious beside me.

“Please allow me to speak my mind as well. You say we lack the resolve to judge our criminals, but do you mean the resolve to indiscriminately rob them of their very lives? After carefully examining the crimes of the Suun, we determined that only Zattsu and Zuuro Suun were deserving of death, while the others should instead be given a chance to reform.”

“Hmph... Wasn’t it supposed to be an unwritten rule that the laws of the forest’s edge were absolute? What I’m saying is that this uncharacteristic weakness of yours, bending your laws in order to forgive these criminals... I can’t help but have my doubts.”

“Of course it is important to value our laws. But, for example, if someone had their mouth pulled open and were forced to eat the fruits of the forest, would you still say they should be scalped? I most certainly would not.”

Cyclaeus’s grin twisted further as he looked over us in turn.

“I thought as much at our previous meeting, but you’re quicker and more skilled with your tongue than anyone else present, young hunter of the forest’s edge. Wouldn’t the future of the forest’s edge look all the more bright with someone like you in charge of your people?”

It certainly wasn’t surprising at this point to hear Cyclaeus say such things in order to fan the anger of the leading clan heads.

But before Gulaf Zaza could let out an angry shout, I offered a retort.

“I believe you’re mistaken, there. I only speak on behalf of the leading clan head, like how you act as proxy for Duke Marstein Genos.”

That was enough to get Cyclaeus to hold his tongue for at least a moment, though not enough to wipe the grin from his face.

“It is absolutely true that it was a failure on our part, allowing Zattsu and Tei Suun to escape. And as a result, the tranquility of the post town was threatened. As you say, if we had carried out the punishment for Zattsu and Zuuro Suun without any hesitation, the incident that followed could have been prevented.” We would never settle things if we kept going in circles with our conversation, and so I kept on talking in an attempt to move things forwards. “But because it did happen, we were able to learn a great many truths. Cyclaeus, what are your thoughts about that incident?”

“What do you mean, ‘that incident’...?”

“Naturally, I’m referring to how Zattsu and Tei Suun attacked a group disguised as a merchant caravan, after which they confessed to doing something similar over ten years in the past.”

The edges of Cyclaeus’s lips curled up even further, making for a truly eerie grin.

“What utter foolishness... That’s nothing but nonsense uttered by a criminal on the verge of death, wouldn’t you agree? We mustn’t go and take such words as truth so hastily...”

“Yes, it’s true that nothing has been proven yet in regards to that past crime. But, that they attacked that false merchant group, and that a similar incident also occurred ten years ago, these are undeniable facts. Also... have there not been rumors passed around the post town saying that the past incident was caused by a person of the forest’s edge?”

“Rumors are ultimately just rumors, not fact...”

“Is that so? Yet, I’ve heard that there was evidence left behind that someone from our forest’s edge was the culprit.”

Once again, Cyclaeus was stunned into silence for a moment.

One of the members of the merchant caravan that was attacked ten years ago had died clutching the necklace of a hunter of the forest’s edge. Apparently, the count had not expected us to have learned of that fact.

Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried had been the ones to bring us that information, but they simply stood there silently and listened to the exchange.

“On top of that, they say the people of the forest’s edge commit countless crimes but are never judged for them. Are you saying those are all mere rumors without so much as a hint of truth?”

“They’re nothing but hearsay... It’s truly unlike you people of the forest’s edge to let yourselves be misled by such things.” With that, Cyclaeus stopped and took a few breaths before continuing on. “I don’t know what those ‘countless crimes’ refer to, but I am of course aware of the attack on that merchant caravan ten years ago. But the villainous fiends behind that awful incident have long since been dealt with, young hunter of the forest’s edge...”

“I see. Is that so?”

Since I had heard about that matter from Kamyua Yoshu in advance, I wasn’t especially surprised.

But as he stared back at me, the light shining in Cyclaeus’s eyes grew even more intense.

“The criminals responsible were the Red Beard bandit group, who operated in the area around Genos. Every last one of them were arrested and had their sentences carried out. There is no room for doubt when it comes to that fact, young hunter...”

“A bandit group, is it? Then why was one of the attacked merchants gripping the necklace of one of our hunters?”

“I know nothing of such trifles... However, there is no shortage of giba horns and tusks circulating around our western kingdom. After all, you all sell them for coins, do you not?”

Though they’re never used around Genos, apparently the horns and tusks we exchanged were used in accessories sold in a number of towns. In other words, whether through a purchase or theft, it was possible for anyone to have a hunter’s necklace.

“That merchant group was attempting to pass through the forest of Morga and exit onto the eastern highway. And so, perhaps the Red Beard bandits planned to frame the people of the forest’s edge for their crime. It would have been a poor strategy, though, and anyone who was deceived by such a thing should be ashamed of their own foolishness...”

“Hmm... I can’t imagine that would be enough to satisfy the people of the post town, though,” Kamyua Yoshu chimed in, speaking up for the first time. With that, Cyclaeus’s eyes slowly turned and glared his way. “The Red Beards were famed as heroic outlaws who never killed, and instead robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. I was only just starting out as a bodyguard ten years back, but from what I recall, their renown could be heard even in neighboring towns. And I don’t believe most folks back then believed that the Red Beards would murder an entire merchant caravan and then try to foist the blame for the crime on someone else.”

“The term ‘heroic outlaw’ is nothing but nonsense... They were little more than a gaggle of bandits, in the end.”

“That may be the case for you nobles who were targeted, but the townsfolk didn’t feel that way. Looking back on it now, perhaps the fact that the Red Beards they had idolized were executed in place of people of the forest’s edge spurred on even greater feelings of scorn.”

Kamyua Yoshu was wearing the same aloof grin as always. But while Cyclaeus was still smiling too, there was now a clear look of annoyance in his bloodshot eyes.

“You’re Lord Melfried’s follower, aren’t you? You should know your place.”

“I’m simply here today to talk in place of my rather untalkative friend. But if my words aren’t in alignment with Melfried’s opinion on the matter then I’m sure he’ll butt in, so you’ve got no need to worry.”

Cyclaeus’s gaze then turned towards Melfried, but the man didn’t seem inclined to join in.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying, just as the young hunter Gazraan Rutim stated, there are rumors all throughout the post town that the people of the forest’s edge have committed all sorts of crimes. Kidnapping girls from town, pillaging fields, assaulting travelers... But strangely enough, those crimes were always attributed to the Red Beards, and they were then executed for them. And so, at the time, the rumor was that whenever a member of the Red Beards was executed, the people of the forest’s edge had committed another crime, which sure did make for an unusual state of affairs.”

Cyclaeus remained silent.

“Of course, the trickle of those crimes has pretty much dried up for these past ten years. But it remains a mystery whether that was down to the head of the Red Beards being executed ten years ago, or the former head of the Suun clan, Zattsu Suun, falling ill around the same time.”

It was then that Cyclaeus’s facial expression finally shifted. He still wore a smile on his face, but to me, that somehow reminded me of a grinning, carrion-eating mundt.

Not that I’ve even seen a mundt smile, mind you.

“So... What is it exactly that you wish to say, oh swordsman with the appearance of a filthy northerner?”

“As you can tell, I do indeed have mixed blood from the north. But even so, I serve the western god. Anyway, let’s put such trivial matters aside. After all, the point is that the people of the forest’s edge came under some incredible accusations from the townsfolk: No matter what wrongdoings they committed, their crimes would never be questioned; and those crimes were being paid for with the lives of innocents... Well, the name of the Red Beards has faded over these past ten years, but the rumors remain firmly rooted in place. And just the other day, Zattsu and Tei Suun openly confessed to their crimes.”

Cyclaeus still wasn’t saying a word.

“In the first place, it simply seems unnatural for the Red Beards to plan an attack right in the middle of the forest of Morga, where giba prowl about. If I were in that position, I would at least want to wait till right after they exited the forest and were heading for the highway. That way, the risk of being attacked by giba would be low, but it would still be possible to pin the blame on the people of the forest’s edge. Doesn’t it seem a lot more natural to think that Zattsu Suun was behind that incident from ten years ago, just as he confessed?”

“There’s no point in gossiping about such matters... After all, both the former Suun clan head and the members of the Red Beards have been dealt with. So even if you raise a fuss now, there should be no proof left to be found,” Cyclaeus replied, slowly moistening his pale lips with his tongue. “But what need is there for proof, anyway? It wouldn’t change the fact that they were all criminals regardless. The Red Beards were unscrupulous bandits who attacked nobles and wealthy merchants, while the former Suun clan head not only pillaged the blessing of Morga, but even went so far as to set fire to houses. Their crimes have all been judged, and the criminals are gone from this world. So everything has been settled, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh it has, has it? Hmm... In that case, what about the other crimes committed before and after the attack on that merchant caravan?” Kamyua Yoshu asked with a grin. That smile had a beastly feel to it too, in its own way. “These are rather old tales by now, but I presume you haven’t forgotten, right? About the delegates from Banarm castle, which had deep ties to Genos, being wiped out, or how the former head of the militia was murdered? It was determined that the Red Beards were behind both of those incidents, right?”

Cyclaeus remained silent.

“That means the rumors around the town say they were committed by the people of the forest’s edge.”

Still no response.

“However, it just doesn’t make sense to me either way. If the Red Beards were behind them, then why did they suddenly discard their rule not to kill? But if they were Zattsu Suun’s doing, then what reason could he possibly have for attacking the head of the militia? Putting aside any delegates or merchants, there’s no way someone like that would be strolling around with a load of coins or treasure.”

“Then it must have been the Red Beards. It’s the militia’s duty to deal with bandits, so it would be no surprise at all for their captain to have earned a great deal of ire from them...”

“Ah, but it wasn’t until after the former captain’s death and the assignment of a new man to the post that the Red Beards really started getting punished for all those crimes. And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the post was given to your younger brother, Captain Ciluel, do I, Lord Cyclaeus?”

Again, silence.

“Thanks to Captain Ciluel’s efforts, the Red Beards were entirely wiped out. All that was left behind were Zattsu Suun and his ilk who foisted their crimes on the Red Beards, and a distrust for the people of the forest’s edge fostered among the townsfolk.”

“I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life...”

“Maybe that’s how it seems in the castle town. But for the post town, what I’ve said may as well be cold, hard fact. Even now that the name of the Red Beards has faded, the hatred and fear felt towards the people of the forest’s edge has only grown stronger,” Kamyua Yoshu stated, then gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Of course, there seems to have been quite a shift after Zattsu and Tei Suun admitted to the crime from ten years back, just like we discussed before... However, it’s certainly mysterious. You say the Red Beards tried to frame the people of the forest’s edge for their crimes, but it seems very likely that Zattsu Suun was the one doing it to them. Why is it, exactly, that Lord Ciluel declared it was all the doing of the Red Beards? Was some red hair or something found at the scene?”

“You would have to ask such questions of Ciluel directly...”

“Melfried did just that. However, sure enough, there wasn’t any evidence conclusive enough to satisfy my friend here.”

With that, the room fell silent.

Before long though, Cyclaeus started sluggishly talking again, the thin smile still clinging to his lips.

“I know nothing of all that... But regardless, all of the criminals have been dealt with. Whether the true culprits were the former Suun clan head or those bandits, what does it matter to us?”

“Now, that’s the question here. If all the criminals really have been judged, then sure, there’s no point in dragging the matter back up. But if there were a mastermind behind it all who still goes unpunished even now, then that wouldn’t be something we could simply overlook, wouldn’t you say?” There wasn’t even the slightest shift in Kamyua Yoshu’s smile, and Melfried still remained utterly expressionless. “To begin with, as a man of the forest’s edge, Zattsu Suun should have had virtually no knowledge of the outside world. So the idea of him attacking the Banarm delegates or the head of the militia outside of Genos territory sounds incredibly unnatural.”

“As I said, that must have been the work of the bandits, so...”

“The Red Beards suddenly gave up their convictions to never take a life, or Zattsu Suun had an outside collaborator... Which of those sounds more likely to you?” Kamyua Yoshu chimed in, gently interrupting Cyclaeus. “On top of that, a collaborator would have been essential for converting any treasure stolen from the merchants or delegates into coins. Perhaps someone tempted Zattsu Suun with those coins, with the primary objective being to wipe out the Banarm delegates. Was there someone in the castle town of Genos who would be disadvantaged by trade with Banarm advancing further, I wonder...?”

Cyclaeus offered no answer.

“And blaming the crime on the Red Beards would make it possible to get rid of those bandits, who had been a thorn in the side for the nobles.”

“I can’t call that anything but a reckless, foolish delusion on your part...”

“Oh, really? But I’ve come this far without my friend here interrupting even once. Well, such deductions are what led us to putting on the grand show of dressing up as a merchant caravan to begin with. We didn’t quite manage to reveal the mastermind, but I would say we did a rather fine job of establishing that incident ten years back as Zattsu Suun’s doing.”

As Kamyua Yoshu smiled away, Melfried just stood quietly by his side, his gaze fixed on Cyclaeus.

The room went silent once again. And it felt like a very uneasy silence, at that.

Eventually, though, Cyclaeus uttered in a strangely hoarse voice, “It’s... It’s as if you’re trying to slander me by claiming I’m this mastermind you seek...”

Kamyua Yoshu offered no response.

Cyclaeus’s eyes, meanwhile, were shining like a mundt prowling in the dark.

“Banarm is known for producing high-quality mamaria and fuwano... If trade with that town were to advance further, then my Turan house’s orchard would suffer a significant loss in profits...”

Kamyua Yoshu still remained silent.

“And my younger brother Ciluel is head of the militia, while I myself am in charge of mediating with the people of the forest’s edge. If a mastermind behind these incidents that you mentioned truly exists, then would anyone but me fit that part?”

“That is indeed the most likely possibility,” Melfried responded in a chilly tone. With that, Cyclaeus’s gaze slowly drifted his way.

“This is certainly a surprise... Lord Melfried, are you truly intending to slander me so? Me, the head of the Turan house?”

“I offer no slander. I simply stated that the possibility seems strong. But of course, I cannot go so far as to accuse you of any crime without proof.”

Melfried’s inhumanly emotionless grey eyes shot Cyclaeus a calm yet threatening glare.

I felt like I was watching a massive madarama snake stare down a mundt.

“Of course, as long as there is evidence, a crime is a crime. That’s true whether the culprit is a noble or a commoner, and I will cast judgment on them in accordance with the laws of Genos regardless.”

“As long as there is evidence, you say... How splendid. A wise saying from our captain of the ducal guard, the watchman for our laws...”

In all likelihood, the tension had drained just a bit from Cyclaeus at this point. It was as if the mundt had determined the madarama was full, and was preparing to flee back into the thicket.

This was ultimately as far as Melfried and Kamyua Yoshu’s investigation would make it for the day.

That just left our negotiations with Cyclaeus. I shared a glance with Dari Sauti, wondering who should be the one to speak up.

Before we could decide, though, Donda Ruu moved just a bit as if to clear away the unease hanging about the room, then calmly stated, “Are these the laws of Genos you speak of, as representative for the lord of this land?” Hearing that, Cyclaeus slowly, steadily turned to face him. “That all was a bit much for me to follow. However, I definitely couldn’t sense any logic behind your words.”

“That’s certainly regrettable... So, you’re foolish enough to be moved by nonsense utterly lacking in evidence to back it up, leading clan head of the forest’s edge...?”

“Then do you claim to have evidence that the incident from ten years ago was the work of those bandits? A necklace from one of our hunters was left there, and Zattsu and Tei Suun even admitted to their crimes. So what’s your basis for still insisting it was done by the bandits?”

“It wasn’t I, but rather the captain of the militia who decided it was the work of the bandits...”

“And that captain is your younger brother, related to you by blood, isn’t he? Then go ahead and summon him here.”

With that, tension once again filled the air throughout the room. It seemed clear that the spear-wielding soldiers were starting to lose their composure.

That likely came down to the incredible presence that Donda Ruu was asserting. After all, though his voice remained calm, he was now grinning away. And that was the sort of smile one wore when faced with a formidable opponent.

We hadn’t moved so much as a single step, and yet the soldiers looked ready to thrust out with their spears at any moment.

“Zattsu Suun was suspected of crimes even back at the forest’s edge. Our Ruu clan had been polishing our fangs and preparing to strike at them for 20 years. However, it wasn’t as if they were openly committing any wrongdoing, which is why we were left grinding our teeth in frustration for so long.”

“Oh, is that so...?”

“However, you all had gotten a hold of evidence, but did nothing to carry out judgment against the Suun. On that point at least, I wouldn’t say the laws of Genos are any better than those of our forest’s edge.”

There was no shift in Cyclaeus’s expression.

He was as small as a child and looked weakened from serious illness, yet he still had the nerve needed to not falter when faced with Donda Ruu. Perhaps that was because he had met with Zattsu Suun countless times before the man fell ill, and was thus used to the intensity of such hunters of the forest’s edge.

However, I could also see a cold sweat creeping onto his sickly-looking, grinning face.

“This is a small matter compared to all that, but I’ve heard those fools from the main Suun house drew blades, destroyed stalls they disliked, and committed other crimes of that kind without ever being judged for them. And even when their crimes were called into question, someone from the castle would appear and everything would be settled with coins. Is there some sort of reason you were unable to judge the Suun clan for their crimes, perhaps?”

“That is also a matter that has nothing to do with me. The militia is tasked with keeping order in the post town.”

“Like I said, go ahead and summon that brother of yours here. No, wait...” Donda Ruu stated, his smile growing even more intense. “Call for the lord of Genos instead. Or perhaps should we all just head to the castle?”

Cyclaeus then placed his arm upon his seat’s armrest and leaned his body to the right. It gave the impression that he was earnestly searching his thoughts for what to say.

“Leading clan head of the forest’s edge... Duke Marstein Genos granted me full discretion in handling negotiations with your people. It is disrespectful in the extreme to tell me to call for the lord of land like that, wouldn’t you say...?”

“We people of the forest’s edge offer our blades in service to the lord of Genos, not to you. If our words aren’t getting through to you, then what option is left to us but to demand to speak to him directly?” Donda Ruu retorted, his voice rumbling like a tremor in the earth. At last, his smile was now fully that of a hunter. “Thanks to the lack of evidence, we ended up allowing the Suun clan to do as they pleased. And as a result, a great many people suffered. Not just from the forest’s edge, but from the post town, too... But we have no intention of repeating that same mistake.”

“In other words... You are stating that you cannot trust me, then?” With that, Cyclaeus’s smile became more of a smirk. “Well, if I were to say I find it difficult to trust you as well and would like you to choose a different representative, would you understand at least a little of how I feel hearing such things?”

“What?” Donda Ruu questioned, the fire in his eyes now burning even brighter.

The soldiers started to brandish their spears, but Cyclaeus gave them the order to halt.

“Of course, I would never state something like that, which I do not truly feel. However, it isn’t as if I trust all of you from the depths of my heart... I can’t help but have my doubts as to whether you heads of the Ruu, Zaza, and Sauti clans are truly qualified to lead your people...”

As I gestured to an infuriated Gulaf Zaza to calm himself, Donda Ruu questioned, “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m saying that I have concerns, clan heads... You not only fail to judge the criminals of the Suun clan, but even allowed Zattsu Suun to escape on top of that... And if Zuuro Suun slips through your grasp too, then no one’s blood will be shed. Is that what you are plotting?”

“That’s ridiculous! Are you trying to say we let Zattsu Suun escape on purpose?!” Gulaf Zaza angrily bellowed, no longer able to restrain himself.

With that, Cyclaeus broke out in a triumphant grin.

“I certainly don’t wish to doubt your words. However... you are showing weakness unbefitting of your people and offering forgiveness to criminals, and you even shamefully let Zattsu Suun get away. That is all very far removed from my image of the people of the forest’s edge. And that’s not all, as you’re even allowing yourselves to be deceived by thoughtless remarks, and have gone so far as to slander me...”

“So that is your response, as representative for the lord of Genos?” Donda Ruu quietly asked while holding back the raging Gulaf Zaza with one raised arm. “It seems like neither side here can trust the other in the least, so how about we bring these talks to a close?”

I honestly felt rather flustered upon hearing that, as it sounded to me as if Donda Ruu was trying to say that we would have no choice but to go meet the lord and feel out his true intentions, even if it meant taking up our blades to do so.

Cyclaeus seemed like he may have been thinking similarly, too.

But at any rate, the man was silent for a few moments, then in a deadly serious tone stated, “It’s far too rash to jump to such a conclusion... The number of times we’ve met could be counted on a single hand... I believe it takes more time than that to build up an appropriate level of trust.”

“Hmph. Then what are you proposing? Wait for another day and go into the same old back and forth all over again?”

“Time to think is important, but there’s no meaning to simply having the same exchange... But let me make a concession, as proof of the trust we should share.” Cyclaeus stated. “I will trust your decision and overlook the crimes the members of the Suun branch houses were forced to commit by their clan heads. But the six members of the main house, who stood by the clan head’s side, are to be handed over as criminals. This compromise should serve to demonstrate the trust I hold in you all...”

3

“We continued talking for a while after that, but it was nothing worth sharing,” Gazraan Rutim stated, bringing a close to his finely detailed report.

I had been listening carefully while preparing for tomorrow, and once it was finally over I let out the sigh I had been holding back.

“Seriously, good work. Your memory and ability to recreate a scene sure are something, Gazraan Rutim.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. But I believe I got across what was necessary.”

“Yeah, you did more than enough. Just digesting all that is gonna take some time.”

I was the one who begged him to tell me what was discussed and how it ended, but I hadn’t expected to get that level of detail.

Currently, we weren’t in the Fa house but rather the main Ruu house’s kitchen.

Ai Fa stood by my side as she listened to the report, while Reina and Sheera Ruu were further in the back of the room, diligently studying how to make burgers. After all, I had agreed to start teaching them how to prepare giba burgers starting today.

“I got the short version from Kamyua, but this is the first I’ve heard of these Red Beards.”

“Right. I had only been told that there was a group of bandits, myself. Perhaps he didn’t mention their name because the matter didn’t have much to do with us.”

“I wonder... I haven’t heard the townsfolk even mention them either, but that just bothers me even more.”

Even if they were heroic outlaws lauded by the common folk, it was no surprise that their name would have faded away over the course of ten years. But since Kamyua Yoshu had been so persistent about bringing them up, they seemed like they might just be some sort of key to this whole ordeal.

And it was my first time hearing about the head of the militia, or about these delegates from Banarm.

The former militia captain was probably Cyclaeus’s political opponent that Kamyua Yoshu had mentioned, but at least from what I just heard, the delegates seemed like they were more of a problem for him on the business end of things.

“Hmm... Well, it’s a good thing that the members of the branch families were pardoned so quickly, but he sure did throw Zattsu Suun’s escape back in your faces hard.”

“Yes. We truly had no excuses for that mistake in particular. Even in his fury, Gulaf Zaza had no retorts to offer on that point.”

I couldn’t help but find those circumstances frustrating.

Cyclaeus handed down those conditions claiming them as a show of trust, whereas our side had opened up and laid out what we thought was the best path forward, with a frankness very fitting for the people of the forest’s edge.

He probably didn’t care in the least about the members of the branch houses from the very start. But...

I had guessed to some extent that with the negotiation skills he’d need to have to be put in his position, Cyclaeus would start out by making overly extreme demands. My thinking was that he was trying to assert his dominance over the new leading clan heads.

However, the circumstances had greatly shifted over these past few days.

At first we had assumed Cyclaeus had just been overlooking the Suun clan’s crimes so as to not displease them, but now he was suspected of being the mastermind behind everything. If he really was that cruel and crafty of a man, and had incited Zattsu Suun to commit those acts... Just what sort of goal was he aiming for from this incident?

At the very least, I’d imagine he’d like to silence Zuuro Suun.

Tei Suun had confessed that other than him, Zuuro Suun was the only one who had known of Zattsu Suun’s ambitions. But as a gutless, lazy man, he did nothing to carry on his father’s will.

Even without that confession, though, it would have been obvious that as clan head, there was a high chance that Zuuro Suun had an understanding of Zattsu Suun’s vile deeds. And in that case, there was a non-zero chance that he had a grasp on the relationship between Cyclaeus and his father. That wasn’t something Cyclaeus could simply ignore.

But in that case, he should have been able to simply accept the opinion of the leading clan heads and order that only Zuuro Suun needed to be handed over to the castle as a criminal. Melfried’s intervention must have lit a fire under Cyclaeus’s feet, so it was hard to imagine him deciding it wise to pointlessly stretch out negotiations at the moment.

But then why was he still insisting that we hand over every last member of the main house...? Was he concerned that his secrets had leaked to them, too?

If so, then this is seriously no joke. I mean, we can’t exactly go handing Yamiru Lea and Mida and everyone else over to a shady guy like that at this point.

By the point that thought was running through my head, I had finally finished cutting up the meat. And so, I placed my knife down on the cutting board and turned to face Gazraan Rutim.

“So, it was decided that the next meeting would take place half a month from now?”

“That’s right. He said we should decide our path forward by the 15th of the white month.”

Tomorrow was the 31st and final day of the blue month, so it would actually be just a bit over half a month. That really was a rather relaxed timeframe.

“Why did he choose such a far off date, though? It gives our leading clan heads plenty of time to think, and Kamyua and Melfried a chance to do a bit more investigating, but what benefit does Cyclaeus get out of that?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t believe he’s the sort of man to ever make a proposal that wouldn’t be to his advantage.”

“Hmm... You really seem to completely and utterly despise Cyclaeus, huh, Gazraan Rutim?” I went ahead and pointed out, and the young man gave me a deadly serious nod in response.

“I’m aware that I’m likely letting my personal feelings on the matter influence my opinion. But still, even if it weren’t for the twisted connection we share, I could never in the course of my life come to call that man friend.”

Was Cyclaeus someone who made others that uneasy even when he wasn’t openly showing any ill will? I had never met the man, so I only had a vague picture of him at best.

However, I could certainly understand why Kamyua Yoshu had said that it wouldn’t be possible to cast judgment upon Cyclaeus at present. After all, no matter how suspicious he might seem, there wasn’t any proper evidence against him.

If we were just discussing possibilities, there was still a chance that Cyclaeus’s younger brother, the captain of the militia, had secretly contacted Zattsu Suun and done all the planning. Or maybe Zattsu Suun had concocted a way to convert his plunder into coins on his own without the help of anyone from the castle.

There was even a chance that Zattsu and Tei Suun had been lying through their teeth, and everything had really been the doing of those bandits.

Without proof, you could come up with pretty much any explanation imaginable.

“Hmm... And you won’t exactly be able to move forward with negotiations or anything until you clear up whether or not he’s just a creep, or if he actually did use Zattsu Suun to do those terrible things.”

“Yes. Kamyua Yoshu stated that he had to use this time we’ve been given to somehow get a hold of proof. And that he wanted us people of the forest’s edge to lend our aid in working towards that goal, too.”

Kamyua Yoshu, huh?

Around now, that wanderer with his aloof grin was having a private meeting with the leading clan heads at the main Ruu house.

With all this intrigue going on, exactly what sort of aid could the people of the forest’s edge provide him? I had no idea, but the thought was making me feel seriously uneasy.

Ai Fa had been silent for a while now, so I went to turn her way, wondering what her opinion was. Before I could, though, Reina Ruu approached with a freshly-cooked burger atop a wooden plate.

“Asuta, we tried making it as you instructed. Would you mind checking how it turned out?”

A well-cooked 180 gram patty, the same size used in the giba burgers served at the stall, sat atop the plate. I certainly didn’t have any complaints as to its color or plumpness. And even though it was a plain patty without sauce or anything on it, it still looked seriously tasty.

I made sure I was wearing a serious look on my face, then said, “Well then, thank you for this meal,” and picked up a spoon. I scooped up a piece of the patty, and the transparent meat juices started overflowing atop the plate.

The inside had been properly cooked through, too.

And when I tossed the chunk of meat into my mouth and chewed, a taste that in no way betrayed my expectations filled my mouth.

“Yup, this is perfect. You used the right amount of diced aria, and you got the ideal texture for the meat, too. Man, it’s been a while since I just had a plain patty, but giba meat sure is delicious...”

All they had added to the patty was the diced aria and a tiny bit of rock salt and pico leaves, but it was still incredibly tasty. I ended up breaking out in a grin, and upon seeing that, Reina Ruu shot me back a joyful smile.

“I was about to ask ‘Really?’ but how could I doubt it when you smile like that? Still, I get the feeling that this patty is a bit too big...”

“Yeah, that’s because you’ve got to cook it up in the morning on the day of. Burying it in pico leaves overnight drains the moisture and causes it to shrink a bit. That’s why you make it a bit thicker at this initial stage.”

“Ah, so that’s it. Understood. In that case, should Sheera Ruu and I go ahead and prepare 60 of these patties?”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you two. My only note is to make sure you keep the size uniform, alright?”

“Of course,” Reina Ruu replied with another smile, overflowing with confidence and pride.

Her face had been well-sculpted to begin with, but I got the feeling that she had grown even more charming lately.

“Ah, if you don’t mind, could you two also give it a taste, Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim? If he ate all this, then Asuta would end up full before dinner even started,” Reina Ruu asked, showing how perfectly considerate she was on top of everything else.

Gazraan Rutim gave an easygoing nod in response, then took the plate from me.

“Ah, this is certainly delicious. I’d definitely like to have the Rutim women receive some further instruction, too.”

“Oh? But Ama Min Rutim should also be quite skilled at making burgers by now,” Reina Ruu said with a smile.

That left Gazraan Rutim to just say, “You’ve got me there,” while scratching his head.

As she watched that friendly exchange out of the corner of her eye, Ai Fa grabbed the plate with a rather grouchy look on her face. Then, she scooped up a bit with a spoon and took a bite.

“Hmm... You really have improved your cooking skills, Reina Ruu,” Ai Fa replied with a blank expression.

“You mean it?” Reina Ruu excitedly asked back. “You get to eat Asuta’s cooking every day, so it really means something to hear you say that!”

The smiling Reina Ruu and expressionless Ai Fa silently stared at one another for a few moments. But just before that silence went on for so long it became awkward, Reina Ruu turned back my way.

“Well then, I’ll be getting back to work. Thank you for your help, Asuta.”

“Yup, I’m counting on you!”

Reina Ruu then turned around and lightly strode back over to Sheera Ruu.

Now then, Ai Fa didn’t seem to realize, but I was feeling a bit concerned about how she was acting. From the way she was firmly clenching her lips, I could sense that she was trying to clamp down on her emotions.

“Hey, are you alright, Ai Fa...?” I stealthily called out.

To be honest, I was worried that she was about to tell me, “Make a tastier hamburger than that!” again.

As she scratched the tip of her nose, her mouth was squirming as if she was trying to hold something back.

The expression that broke out on her face next, though, took me totally off guard. It was a big smile full of every bit as much confidence and pride as Reina Ruu’s had been. And as I just stood there dumbfounded, the grinning Ai Fa leaned into my ear and whispered, “It’s true that she’s improved quite a bit, but your hamburger steak is still tastier.”

Then, I suddenly got nudged with a headbutt to my temple.

“However, she still has improved to a shocking degree. You mustn’t let your guard down, Asuta.”

“Right...” was all I could reply with.

I didn’t exactly see any way that their burgers were worse than mine, though... Still, I decided to keep the embarrassment I was feeling to myself, ultimately.

“Hey! Looks like you’re having a tasty snack there, Asuta!” a wild voice suddenly shouted out.

Glancing over in that direction, I saw a spindly, tall figure and another smaller one standing by the entrance to the kitchen: Kamyua Yoshu and Ludo Ruu.

“Ah, hey guys. Is your meeting with the leading clan heads over, then?”

“Yeah. I somehow managed to get them to agree to my requests. Maybe with this, we’ll manage to finally find some evidence on Cyclaeus by the meeting on the 15th of next month,” Kamyua Yoshu replied, all the while staring at the plate that had returned to my hands.

But Ludo Ruu noticed his gaze immediately, and stomped on over to swipe the plate away.

“This food was made in my house’s kitchen, so I should get it first, right?”

“Ack! Just one bite is fine, but make sure to leave some for me too, Ludo Ruu,” Kamyua Yoshu retorted. It was honestly a bit of a strange feeling, seeing the pair interact so casually.

Apparently Ludo Ruu didn’t hate the fishy bodyguard all that much, as he did share a bite with him after all. Literally just a single one, though.

“Ah, Gazraan Rutim, thanks for all your efforts earlier. Did you finish explaining everything to Asuta?” Kamyua Yoshu asked after carefully savoring that one precious bite he had received.

“Yes,” Gazraan Rutim answered calmly with a nod. “I believe I explained everything in enough detail.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But well, let me just add a little bit on my end,” Kamyua Yoshu said, his carefree smile then turning my way. “Hey Asuta, after hearing Gazraan Rutim’s explanation, you’ve probably got an image of Cyclaeus as this seriously crafty guy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But if you were to meet him, that view may end up getting completely overturned. I hope you don’t start to think Gazraan Rutim’s impression was wrong if that does happen, though.”

“Huh?”

I found it even more difficult than usual to tell what he was going on about here. Still, for such an aloof guy, he had a pretty serious look in his eyes at the moment.

“Sorry, I don’t really get what you’re saying. Could you simplify it a bit more for me?”

“Ah, sorry about that. I honestly only sensed it for the first time myself at today’s meeting. You see, it seems that Cyclaeus looks down on the people of the forest’s edge even more than I had thought.”

“He looks down on the people of the forest’s edge...?”

“Right. That wasn’t the sort of gaze you directed at your fellow humans. It was more like he was looking at filthy subhuman beasts,” Kamyua Yoshu indifferently stated despite how horrifying those words were. “To put it simply, those were the sort of eyes someone would have when looking at slaves... if you didn’t see slaves as fellow humans, too. Here in the western kingdom, though, the only slaves are people from the northern kingdom.”

“The northern kingdom... You mean...”

“Yeah, the enemy kingdom of Mahyudra, where my mother was from. It seems Cyclaeus has been displeased for some time now with the fact that Duke Genos has invited me to come and go in the castle, despite the fact that I have mixed blood from the north. So naturally, the man looks down on me as if I was a filthy beast, too.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Genos is located pretty far south in terms of the western kingdom’s territory. Thanks to that, most folks around here go their whole lives without seeing anyone from Mahyudra. However, Cyclaeus went and summoned slave traders from far away in order to purchase some manual laborers. Of course, that’s nothing uncommon in towns further north... Folks captured from an enemy nation either become slaves or all get slaughtered.”

The more I heard, the more disgusted I felt.

And yet, Kamyua Yoshu just kept on smiling.

“Actually, if he was someone more properly accustomed to handling slaves, it probably wouldn’t be quite so awful. Some owners give rewards to hard working slaves, and others allow them to marry, for example. I’d say there are probably few folks out there nowadays who see their slaves as livestock to be used up rather than as human beings... But Cyclaeus is definitely part of that minority.”

The way he was minimizing it turned my stomach, but I didn’t feel like I was in a position to say or do anything about it. “So what are you getting at, exactly?”

“Well, what I sensed from today’s meeting was that to Cyclaeus, the people of the forest’s edge are an important source of labor... but he doesn’t see them as fellow human beings. I had vaguely figured that may be the case before, but I knew for sure as soon as I saw that murky look in his eyes.”

Gazraan Rutim, meanwhile, was calmly staring at Kamyua Yoshu. And noticing that gaze, the aloof fellow shot him back a gentle smile.

“Even the folks from the post town never look at you all with that much scorn in their eyes, right? Lots of townsfolk may not see the people of the forest’s edge as fellow countrymen, but I can’t imagine many see you as something less than human.”

“The idea of slaves or the discord between the north and the west aren’t things I have a proper grasp on. But that may well be the answer to why Cyclaeus’s gaze caused us to feel so unusually worked up.”

Gazraan Rutim seemed just as calm as always, but I was the complete opposite.

Next to me stood Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim. Ludo, Reina, and Sheera Ruu were here too. And every last one of them was precious to me. To see such wonderful people as something less than human... That was a mindset that I could never, ever accept.

“Anyway, Asuta, even though you’re a man of the forest’s edge, you look like a westerner. Or at the very least, you certainly don’t have an appearance fitting to someone from the forest’s edge or the north. Thanks to that, there’s certainly a chance that Cyclaeus would treat you like a human being, but don’t let that deceive you.”

“That’s... valuable information, so thank you. But isn’t there pretty much no chance at all of me ever meeting that Cyclaeus guy...?”

“Yeah. And I’ll certainly be praying that never happens, too.”

However, apparently it wasn’t impossible.

Seriously though, that information was absolutely outrageous.

I took a few deep breaths to clear out all the stagnant, awful feelings dwelling inside me, then turned once again to face Kamyua Yoshu.

“So, what sort of request did you make of the leading clan heads, anyway? This is your first time asking anything of the people of the forest’s edge, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. We were short on hands this time around, so I’m having them help out with searching for someone.”

“Searching for someone...?”

“That’s right. The plan is to go around checking out the various towns near Genos. The person we’re searching for is a survivor from the Red Beards. You already heard about that group from Gazraan Rutim, didn’t you?”

I unwittingly gulped.

Just what exactly was he planning?

“You see, we’ve actually been seeking this person’s whereabouts for a while now. After all, if we could just find them, we could clear up the Red Beards’ actions from ten years ago. And since we could work that into a way to expose Cyclaeus’s old crimes, that’s where we’re putting our efforts.”

“But wasn’t that bandit group wiped out ten years back? And they were all judged as criminals, right?”

“Yeah, but this person alone somehow slipped through the militia’s grasp. She was extremely close to the leader of the group, so she should know quite a lot about the situation back then.”

“‘She?’ You’re looking for a woman?”

“We are. The wife of the Red Beards’ leader, Goram Redbeard. Originally she was the man’s reckless and wild right-hand woman, but after they had a child together she ended up taking on the role of waiting around for her husband’s return instead. But thanks to that, she managed to escape the fate that the rest of her comrades suffered.”

The wife of the bandit group’s leader... Would it be possible to get valid testimony from such a person?

Well, I’d just have to leave that up to Kamyua Yoshu and Melfried. Still, there was something else I wanted to ask.

“So you said you’re going to be borrowing some help from the people of the forest’s edge for your search? I’m surprised the leading clan heads agreed to that.”

“Yeah, but they seemed to also recognize that we aren’t getting anywhere until we put some real effort into exposing Cyclaeus’s crimes. Even that Gulaf Zaza figured a fishy guy like me was still preferable to that crafty old man,” Kamyua Yoshu said with a smile like a Cheshire cat. “At any rate, Melfried can’t exactly go employing any soldier pals of his for such personal business, and he can’t leave Genos very easily himself. So getting their permission was a huge help. Ah, we’re going to be borrowing three men from the Ruu branch houses, so right now we’re having them learn how to ride totos. I’d like to head out from Genos first thing tomorrow morning, after all.”

So the idea was to take some people of the forest’s edge out of Genos on totos, huh? What a crazy plan.

“Tch! That sure sounds interesting! If I wasn’t on guard duty at the stalls, I’d love to come along too,” Ludo Ruu stated in a carefree tone.

“Kamyua Yoshu, we can trust you, can’t we?” I asked, staring at the aloof guy head on.

“Yeah. Exposing Cyclaeus’s old crimes means a brighter future for the forest’s edge too, right?”

At any rate, the leading clan heads had already accepted his proposal. And so, I had to make peace with that fact, too.

“Understood. I guess we’ll just have to wait for everyone to return safely. Do you think you’re going to make it back before the day of the meeting...?”

“Well, the Ruu clan’s hunters happened to be taking a break, so things really happened to line up well there. But I’d like to get back sooner if at all possible. After all, I’ve got no clue what that crafty old Cyclaeus is plotting by pushing things off for half a month.” With that, Kamyua Yoshu’s purple eyes took on a transparent shine. “You all make sure to take care too, alright? At today’s meeting Cyclaeus didn’t say a single word about your business, but I’m still a bit concerned. After all, he can’t exactly ignore you trying to forge stronger bonds with the post town... Anyway, I’ll be looking forward to eating your cooking again however many days from now, alright, Asuta?”