Chapter 36: Volume 7 - CH 2

Embroiled in Disputes Once Again

Translator: Skythewood Editors: Ratorasepo

1

The next day, we reverted to our usual condition and prepared 60 『Kiba burgers』 and 90 servings of 『Myam-roasted meat』.

When we stayed over at the Wu clan village, there were many people who helped me. But that wasn’t so when we returned to the Fa house. Fortunately, work efficiency also improved after we bought the iron griddle, so I could still prepare a bit more portions. But we didn’t sell everything when we prepared this amount of food, so I held back from making too many.

If the merchandise got sold out, getting to close early wasn’t a bad thing either. If the business went smoothly, maybe other inns would order from us as well. To get ready for this, I had to continue to train and increase the menu.

Business at the stall was successful today too. After the morning rush was over, we started preparing for the second half when a woman from Forest's Edge approached us.

「Hmm? What’s the matter? Your work starts in the afternoon.」

「Yes, I came early. I wanted to have more chance to practice.」

The person before us was a woman from the Sudora house, she would be helping out at the stall from today onwards.

Her name was Rii Sudora, she was the wife of the Sudora house head.

She was tall, slender and had an outstanding look. Her dark hair ended tidily at her chest. She had dark blue eyes. The head of the Sudora house was about 45 years old, and she seemed to be half his age.

「Are your house chores fine? You won’t be paid more even if you come early, you know?」

Lala Wu said without holding back, and Rii Sudora smiled calmly.

「Of course. I already did my house chores. It’s a rare chance for me to assist Asuta of the Fa house, I’m honored to do so and hope to be of help as soon as possible.」

She had an elegant air about her and was as proactive as her spouse.

That made me really happy.

「Alright then, please head over to that stall to learn. Lala Wu, sorry for trading places again, I’m going over.」

「Okay〜」

Lala Wu and I were tending to the 『Kiba burger』 stall, and I was now heading to the 『Myam-roasted meat』 stall. I said to Vena Wu:

「Sorry, Rii Sudora is here, so I will look after the 『Myam-roasted meat』 for now. Vena Wu, please take care of the 『Kiba burger』 stall.」

Vena Wu faced away coldly and walked to the 『Kiba burger』 stall.

After I neglected her yesterday, she was in a bad mood.

It was rare seeing Vena Wu mixing her private emotions into the work, which meant I really upset her. I felt bad and guilty about that.

「Shela Wu, this is Rii Sudora. Like I explained in the morning, she will be coming over in the afternoon to help. Please take care of her.」

「Alright.」

Shela Wu acknowledged with her eyes, and Rii Sudora also said with her head bowed:「Please to meet you.」

「After the customer places an order, Shela Wu will start making the meal. Please take two red copper plates from the customers before giving them the dish. We haven’t met any dine dashers yet, but please take the copper plates first… And also observe what Shela Wu is doing, I will need you to help prepare the meal in the future.」

「Yes.」

Rii Sudora didn’t speak much, but she looked honest and sincere and wasn’t too timid or headstrong towards the people from the Wu clan. I had a great first impression of her.

At this moment, another visitor from Forest's Edge arrived. He was Kaslan Lutim.

「Hmm? You are really early.」

Both Rii Sudora and he were scheduled to visit at noon.

Kaslan Lutim bowed to the two ladies and then waved at me.

「Asuta, we have finished our discussion with the man from the castle called Pyschkurewuss, so I came here to intrude. Do you have some time to spare?」

「Yes, I understand… Shela Wu, please watch over things for now. Please demonstrate when the first customer is here.」

I was curious as to why Kaslan Lutim was in the Post Station Town.

When they realized that a Forest's Edge man had appeared on the streets, a hint of wariness appeared in the eyes of the pedestrians. We decided to leave the stall and entered the woods behind the stall.

「Sorry for interrupting your work, but I wanted to listen to your opinion as soon as possible. Donda Wu and the others didn’t come into the Post Station Town and are hiding in the bypass.」

「It’s fine, I’m worried about this too… What is your impression of Pyschkurewuss?」

「Simply put, he is difficult to deal with. He demands us to hand over everyone from the Tsun clan.」

「Ehh?」

「The law in Genos prohibits anyone from stealing the resources of the Morga mountain. He said that the criminals who violated this law have to be sentenced by Genos.」

Kaslan Lutim’s face was solemn as usual.

However, there was a stern light in his dark blue eyes.

「He has a point… Is he demanding for everyone from the Tsun clan main house, not just the clan head and former clan head?」

「No, he means everyone who violated the law. That includes the branch house members too, all 41 Tsun clan members.」

His demand was far beyond my expectation.

After being stunned for a moment, a fiery rage burst out in my chest.

「They ignored the misdeeds of the Tsun clan all the while, and they are turning their backs so quickly now. What did the tribal chiefs say?」

「Graff Zaza was enraged and even wanted to abandon Morga.」

「… What?」

「He thinks the landlord of Genos isn’t worthy of our blades. In that case, we should seek out a new Forest's Edge like our ancestors did 80 years ago… That’s what Graff Zaza thinks.」

「H-He thinks we should abandon the Forest's Edge of Morga? But why…」

「That’s how far we distrust Pyschkurewuss. Graff Zaza was just saying that on the spur of the moment, but I understand how he feels… Pyschkurewuss looked at us as if he was appraising feral beasts..」

I was speechless.

The representative of the Genos landlord was actually opposed to the denizens of Forest's Edge.

「Pyschkurewuss gave us ten days to think it over. We will need to make a choice by the 23rd of the Blue Month.」

「You are not thinking of handing Yamiel Lei and the branch house members to Genos, right?! That completely contradicts the path which the denizens of Forest's Edge had chosen!」

I shouted emotionally.

「The unreasonable siding of people from the Genos with the Tsun clan was the reason for the depravity of the Tsun clan. The branch house members were merely forced into obedience by the main house, so I won’t allow them to be treated as criminals unfairly.」

The denizens of Forest's Edge were involved in assaulting travelers, abducting the women of the Post Station Town and robbing crops. Milano Mast also claimed that a denizen of Forest's Edge murdered his friend. But no matter how many times the citizens from the Post Station Town complained, the people from the Genos castle didn’t mete out punishment to the denizens of Forest's Edge.

And now, they wanted to execute all the Tsun clan members for a single crime. Of course, we couldn’t let him do that.

「If the people from the Genos castle punished the Tsun clan right from the start, the citizens of the Post Station Town wouldn’t have suffered, and the denizens of Forest's Edge wouldn’t be viewed with fear and disdain. Even though those people from the castle didn’t try the Tsun clan for their past crimes, they want to execute the entire Tsun clan in order to cover the entire thing up. Those tyrants just want to wipe out the Tsun clan for their own self-interest, this has nothing to do with the law.」

After saying all that, I suddenly snapped out of it.

「… Sorry for getting so emotional. I was just venting, please don’t take it to heart.」

「It’s alright, I feel the same way too… And I finally understand Ludo Wu’s words.」

「Huh? What did he say?」

「He said that when you were assaulted by Doddo and Tay in the Tsun clan village, Ludo Wu thought that your worried look for Ai Fa was just like a hunter. So you have such a wild side too.」

Vena Wu said the same thing recently.

Did the violent nature of the Forest's Edge rub off on me after consuming kiba for such a long time? I didn’t realize it at all.

「No matter what, we just need to follow our hearts and seek out the most correct route… Asuta, why don’t you participate in the meeting with us next time.」

「That wouldn’t be right, I’m not the kin of a tribal chief clan…」

「That’s true. I shouldn’t let you carry such a heavy burden. Sorry for disrupting your work.」

And finally, Kaslan Lutim showed a refreshing smile as he looked towards the stall where Shela Wu and the others were working hard.

「The Post Station Town residents are paying copper plates to the denizens of Forest's Edge to buy food made from kiba. I heard about the results of your business before, but now I’m seeing it personally— this is really unbelievable. Now that you achieved such an incredible performance, I won’t let your effort go to waste.」

His gaze shifted behind me.

「Well then, it is almost time. Sorry for making you come all the way here.」

I turned in surprise, and a slender figure emerged out of the woods.

「Hello, I should be the one apologizing. You two seem busy, is everything fine now?」

Kamyua Yost appeared before us.

I glared at the fake innocent smile of his.

「Kamyua, why are you always trying to give me a fright? That’s rude and will trouble us.」

「Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not eavesdropping on you either. I don’t have the guts to listen to the conversations of a hunter who is fully alert.」

Kamyua Yost wore a long leather cloak, and he approached us with his usual nimble strides.

Even though Kamyua Yost was taller, his build couldn’t be compared to Kaslan Lutim at all. Kaslan Lutim had the ideal proportionate body in Forest's Edge, while Kamyua Yost was as scrawny as a praying mantis. They stood three meters apart from each other.

「You must be Kamyua Yost.」

「Yes, I make my living in the western kingdom as a 《Guardian》. And you… are not the head of the Sauti clan, correct?」

Kamyua Yost spied on the wedding of Kaslan Lutim in the past, and there was no way he would have mistaken the star of that banquet.

Kaslan Lutim answered calmly:

「Yes, I’m Kaslan Lutim of the Lutim house, a kin of the Wu clan. The head of the Sauti clan, Dali Sauti is waiting for you over yonder.」

「It’s an honor to meet you, Kaslan Lutim.」

Kaslan Lutim’s blue eyes were like a calm ocean, but there was a strong will in his gaze. Kamyua Yost’s purple eyes were pure like belonging to a toddler but clear like that of an elderly. They looked right at each other.

Neither side showed any hostility or malice and looked a little too calm. But there was still a curious air about them, like two different type of powerful animals sizing each other up.

「Not just Dali Sauti, the three tribal chiefs are all waiting over yonder. This is a good chance, would you like to speak with them?」

「I’m honored that the denizens of Forest's Edge think of this as an important task. Please observe my character thoroughly.」

Kamyua Yost smiled with satisfaction.

Kaslan Lutim had a faint and calm smile.

「Alright then, let us be off. Thank you, Asuta.」

「Ah, okay.」

「Farewell, Asuta. Later, I will send Leito over, so don’t sell out before then.」

「… Right. If you want to buy 『Kiba burger』, please come early.」

The two men with completely opposite personalities left quietly.

I felt a little dazed.

Whenever I see Kamyua meet a man from Forest's Edge, I would break out in cold sweat. Kaslan Lutim is calm and collected, so I won’t need to worry. But what about Graff Zaza?

Several days before the Lutim house wedding banquet, Kamyua Yost suddenly appeared in the Forest's Edge settlement. I was so shocked that my lifespan probably shortened.

Darum Wu’s eyes were burning like a wounded wolf’s as he pointed his blade at Kamyua Yost. Donda Wu was unexpectedly calm, but the men from the Wu clan branch houses all looked sinister…

Oh right, he already told Donda Wu about the caravan back then.

Kamyua Yost was wandering around Forest's Edge by himself because of this project. He then started looking for Ai Fa and me whom he just happened to meet in the Post Station Town and appeared in the Wu clan village. That happened 20 days ago.

… Hmm?

At this moment, a seed of doubt flashed across my mind.

However, I didn’t know where this suspicion came from. It felt like I overlooked something important… Maybe I overheard something that wasn’t too important when I was preparing for the wedding banquet…

Did someone say something? Was it Kamyua? Or Donda Wu?

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t find the answer.

With no other choice, I headed back to the stall.

Since Kamyua Yost was here, that meant it was almost noon. The newcomer Rii Sudora just joined us, so I couldn't just dump all the work on Shela Wu.

I need to focus on work. Let’s start by preparing the food for the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》.

There was still a little bit of dissonance in my mind, but it couldn’t be helped since I wasn’t able to recall. I decided to worry about it later and rushed back to the stall.

And a few days after the incident was over, I finally remembered why there were some doubts in my mind.

2

Nothing out of the ordinary happened after that, so Vena Wu and I headed to the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 at noon.

「Asuta, I have been waiting for you.」

The innkeeper Naudiz had a gentle expression on his stern face as he came out to receive us. He had ivory skin, a stout build, brown hair and green eyes. He was a mixed blood of the south and west.

The 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 was to the south of 《Kimyusu’s Tail Inn》, situated between several other inns. It was larger than the 《Kimyusu’s Tail Inn》, and was twice as wide as a small inn despite being a double story building, and could accommodate nearly one hundred customers.

「This is the kitchen. Please use it as you wish until my wife comes over.」

「Alright, thank you.」

The scale of the kitchen was similar to the stove room of the Wu clan, about two tatami mats big. Three stoves were placed on the inner wall of the room, the items of kitchenware were hanging on the wall, and there was a shelf full of crockeries as well as a large worktable at the back. It looked really spacious.

Not only were we free to use the kitchenware and stove, we could also take as much water and firewood as we needed. I laid out the ingredients I prepared ahead of time, then instructed Vena Wu:「Please start a fire in two stoves.」

We were given two-and-a-half hours to cook. Even if we exceeded the time, we could stay as long as we needed provided we didn’t get in the way of the inn’s work. But Vena Wu would work overtime if we don’t return to Forest's Edge punctually, so we couldn’t take things slowly.

「Oh〜, so such a large piece of meat is needed for 40 or more portions.」

Naudiz seemed to be planning to observe me and sat on the other end of the working platform as he watched my hands.

「This is meat from the kiba’s torso, correct?」

「That’s right. In my hometown, this part is called the pork belly. This is taken from the chest after chopping off the ribs.」

I prepared enough belly meat for 45 portions, weighing about 10 kg. After cutting it into six large pieces, I chopped them into small cubes, cleaned away the pico leaves meant to preserve the meat, and laid the meat onto the working platform.

I prepared 40 arias to complement the 10 kg of kiba meat. Other than that, I also used 4 fruit wines, 20 arias and about three-fifths of a Tau sauce bottle. Tau sauce was the new seasoning I got from the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》. The ingredient cost ratio was 27.5%. Since the Tau sauce was expensive, I only used the cheap aria for the vegetable part, so the ingredient cost percentage was roughly the same as for the light meal stall.

The new dish I prepared for the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 was『Braised kiba』.

<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakuni>

Since I decided to prepare braised meat, I wanted to use carrots and hard-boiled egg to complement the dish. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any similar ingredients in the Post Station Town. In my old place the 《Tsurumi Restaurant》, we augmented the braised pork with onions. Hence, I didn’t hesitate in using aria which was more nutritious. The biggest reason why I chose this dish was that it went well together with the aria.

A few days ago, I let Naudiz try some samples. He loved the 『Braised kiba』 that used generous servings of Tau sauce and approved of it immediately.

I quickly started cooking.

I already tenderized the meat at home and softened it. I picked up the meat and walked to the stove.

「Thank you, the pot is heated up.」

This kind of performance was expected for a pot intended to use commercially. The pot in this kitchen was one size bigger than the ones in Forest's Edge. To start things off, I put three pieces of meat into the pot.

「What a generous serving. It smells nice.」

Naudiz smiled calmly.

Vena Wu stood on the other side and stared at the pot which was full of water. She still looked peeved. It felt so long since I last heard her intentionally speak slowly with her sexy voice.

As the person accompanying me would double as my guard, I decided to take Vena Wu instead of the young Lala Wu. I didn’t expect to anger her the day before the job and that she would still be fuming now.

What should I do to improve Vena Wu’s mood? As I was troubling over that, I checked if the meat was done.

The meat turned out just right - it had a dark shade of brown. In order to seal in the flavor, I always seared the surface of the meat, be it at home or in the restaurant.

That wasn’t all, this would remove the excess oil too. The belly meat had plenty of fats, so this process was very important.

「Hmm, it’s almost done. The water in the other pot is also boiling.」

I scooped up as much fats as I could, then dropped the belly meat that had been seared into the boiling water.

After searing the rest of the meat and dropping them into the boiling water, I started clearing away the foam  which was on the water surface.

When most of the foam had been cleared, I adjusted the intensity of the fire to medium and covered the water with lilo to remove the gamey taste.

Most people would use garlic or ginger to do so, but I couldn’t find a substitute for that in this world. Myam that tasted like garlic was too strong, so it was time for lilo which was used for making jerky to shine.

Lilo had the appearance of large ferns, and I used them to cover the surface of the boiling water. If the simmering meat floated up from the water, the exposed surface would become very tough. And so, lilo also acted as an inner lid.

I planned to let the meat stew for an hour and take my time to prepare the other ingredients.

「Alright then, I will start making the braising sauce. Vena Wu, please help me keep the meat under the lilo and maintain the fire intensity.」

Silence.

Expressionless.

Even so, I believed that Vena Wu would do her job properly.

Making braising sauce was simple. I just had to crush the aria that would add to the flavor. There was a tool that let me do that. It was some kind of shell covered in spikes.

The round shell was milky white, and about 10 cm wide. This was probably the shell of a crab-like creature. I didn’t know anything more about it.

「Oh right, is there a way to purchase Tau sauce periodically?」

I asked as I crushed 20 or so arias, and Naudiz nodded.

「Yes. I asked a traveling peddler to help me procure some. He was shocked when he learned that we will use three bottles in five days.」

That was a normal reaction since Tau sauce wasn’t cheap.

The bottle containing Tau sauce was roughly the size of a fruit wine bottle, about 1 liter. A bottle cost 10 red copper plates. That would be 30 red copper plates for five days.

Tau sauce was a specialty product from the southern kingdom of Jaguar— a seasoning made from fermenting Tau beans. Genos didn’t produce them locally and had to import them from Jaguar, resulting in this high price.

Because Tau sauce was expensive, only restaurants that hosted Jaguar customers like the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 in the Post Station Town would import them. Although Tau sauce was a seasoning often used for home cooking, it became a luxury product in the west.

I wanted to exploit the existence of the Tau sauce because its taste was too similar to that of soy sauce. It had the appearance of a thick paste and had plenty of salt and alcohol added as preservatives, and the taste of these two ingredients was very strong. Aside from that, it was no different from soy sauce.

When I first encountered the Tau sauce in the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》, I was overwhelmed with joy. If it wasn’t so close to the house head conference, I would probably irritate Ai Fa with my happiness. But that didn’t stop me from feeling gleeful and thinking up new dishes to make.

Southerners disliked the unique flavor of the kiba meat, and many of them disliked the texture of the hamburg steak too. But the reason was different from Donda Wu - they didn’t hate the 「soft meat」, they just preferred heavier seasoning.

After analyzing the information I got on hand, I decided to settle the match with 『Braised kiba』.

「… Alright then, the meat will need to be cooked for a while, correct? I will use this time to take care of my own work.」

And with that, Naudiz left the kitchen.

After grinding the aria, I checked the boiling pot that Vena Wu was tending to.

All the meat was beneath the lilo, and the fire was maintained at medium strength. She even had scooped up the foam.

I sighed in relief and stood beside Vena Wu.

「Thank you. I’m already done with the braising sauce, let me switch with you… Vena Wu, I’m really sorry about yesterday.」

I already apologized plenty of times since this morning.

But Vena Wu remained silent and refused to meet my eyes.

「I really didn’t mean it. The sudden appearance of Kaslan Lutim and Yamiel Lei just attracted my attention.」

「…」

「I admit that I am a careless retard, I will never ignore you again, believe me. I’m sorry, I am already reflecting for making you so unhappy.」

Vena Wu narrowed her eyes unhappily, her eyes finally looked my way.

「… Are you really reflecting on your actions…?」

「Yes! Of course, I am!」

「… Never mind, it’s hard for you to work when I’m showing such an attitude when I’m assisting you…」

「No, you did your work properly, so there’s no need to worry about my feelings… Leaving work aside, seeing you so angry fills me with guilt. I will be careful in the future, can you forgive me?」

「… I can’t forgive you so easily… If you let me slap you, I might cool down a little…」

「If it can help you vent, then hit me!」

Vena Wu stood before the boiling pot and puffed her thicc breasts toward me.

「Don’t say that so lightly… It might not be much against a man from Forest's Edge, but a foreigner like you might get your teeth knocked out from my slap…」

「S-Since you can only cool down after hitting me so hard, that means my actions were very foolish, correct? I will accept this punishment willingly.」

「… Why…? You think nothing of me, correct…? You don’t intend to marry me, so why are you going so far…?」

「That’s not true. Even though we don’t have such feelings for each other, I still cherish you. It’s exactly because I don’t have any ulterior motives for you, that’s why I know how much you mean to me.」

Vena Wu frowned and put more strength into her glare.

「You mean you can’t feel any feminine charm from me, huh… I understand… You irked me even more with those words, so I will beat you up…」

She put her soft fingertips and palm on my cheek.

She might not be as powerful as a man, but she was still a strong denizen of the Forest's Edge. Her ability to carry heavy equipment daily was proof of her strength. Therefore, the destructive power of her slap was probably equivalent to a man stronger than I was. I had to prepare myself.

I couldn’t fall towards the pots. After checking with a glance, I gritted my teeth.

Vena Wu raised her right arm high and fast…

And then hugged me.

「Is that what you are trying to pull!?」

「Ara… Your reaction is just as I imagined… How boring…」

She said softly and tightened her arms, hugging me tightly. It was like the Madarama snake had shown up again.

If Vena Wu will forgive me, then this was fine… But three seconds later, my resolve disappeared.

「V-Vena Wu, you are not angry anymore, right…?」

「It’s still early… The price has to be worth at least one tooth…」

A difficult-to-describe sensation was pressing onto my body with amazing strength.

If this carried on for a few more seconds, a certain nerve of mine would snap… As I was thinking about that in a daze, Vena Wu’s tender and strong body left me.

「I will let you off for now… My heart is still filled with wounds…」

Vena Wu muttered softly as she picked up a firewood and tossed it into the stove.

I pushed my weak body and checked the pot’s condition. A lot of the water had evaporated, and it was time to add more.

As I was scooping water from the flask, Vena Wu called out to me with a melancholic voice:

「Asuta… I wasn’t hurt because you didn’t notice me…」

「Ehh?」

「When you looked at that woman, your eyes were so gentle. That was what hurt me… She wanted to harm you, and yet you looked at her with such gentle eyes… This meant there aren’t any special feelings when you look at me…」

After that, the face Vena Wu showed completely surprised me.

Her face was filled with sorrow and innocence, like a child abandoned by her parents— so weak and frail.

I was ready for her to scream and cry, but she held back her tears and sighed deeply as if she wanted to exhale all her sorrow.

「I’m sorry… When I first approached you, I just wanted to fulfill my own dream… I don’t have the right to blame you… I know that… But you are so kind to me… so… I can’t help bearing expectations…」

「… Should I draw a clear line with you?」

When she heard my retarded reply, she looked at me with fear-inducing eyes.

「Don’t ever say that again… my heart is like an overcooked aria, all gooey…」

「S-Sorry.」

「Don’t apologize if you don’t know what you did wrong… And don’t you ever leave me…」

Vena Wu lowered her head and bit on her thumbnails like a kid.

「Since you aren’t sure how to treat me, then just stay by my side… I will deal with it myself… Don’t be overly concerned or stop me…」

「… I see.」

「… Hmm… Maybe it will start feeling good when you hurt me…」

「I-It’s better for you to not venture into that realm!」

「What’s the problem… Everyone has a different view on happiness, you know…?」

Finally, Vena Wu smiled and bowed quietly to me.

「Well then, I want to apologize to you for today… Sorry for letting my emotions get in the way while I’m working… I will reflect on this, will you forgive me…?」

「There’s nothing to forgive, it is my fault in the first place.」

「If you forgive me, I will accept any humiliation play…」

「I forgive you!」

This little drama between us ended. Some tens of minutes later, Naudiz returned.

「Is it time yet?」

「Yes, it’s about time.」

I pulled some of the lilo away and poked the meat with Krilee chopsticks. It glided into the meat without much resistance. It was cooked just right.

「Alright, I’m scooping the meat up, move the pot away.」

I scooped up all the lilo and meat onto the plate, then heaved up the pot together with Vena Wu. We couldn’t put the pot on the floor, so we placed it into a similar-sized pot filled with water. The heated pot sizzled loudly, and a large amount of water vaporized right away. We then filled the pot beneath it with water. After repeating three times, we left the pot in the water.

During this time, the meat had cooled down. We used water to clean the meat and remove the fats from it.

The meat was very tender, and we had to be careful not to mess up its appearance when we cleaned it. We then wiped away any moisture with a clean piece of cloth. We had to remove the fats completely.

I then cut the meat into squares about 5 cm long. This process required a lot of care in order to preserve the meat’s appearance.

Next, we had to take care of the pot. After cooling and leaving it aside, all the fats appeared on the surface of the pot. The cooling was done with a normal-temperature water, but there were still a lot of solid fats in the pot. We collected all the fats and placed them into a pouch that I brought. Even though they won’t be used in today’s dish, these fats were still a valuable ingredient.

I placed the cut kiba together with the whole aria that had its ends chopped off into the pot. There were 10 kg of meat and 40 arias, which quickly filled up two large pots.

I added three-fifths of a bottle of Tau sauce, four bottles of fruit wine and twenty grounded arias into the soup stock that had been cleared of the fats. After stirring carefully, I split the braising sauce between the two pots evenly.

After that, we just had to cook it over a small flame.

「Yes, we should make it in time.」

In the two-and-a-half hours we were given, we used an hour to stew the meat, and the final simmering process would require 30 to 40 minutes. It was a little rushed after all.

Cleaning the meat midway was very tedious. I could shorten the time if I washed several pieces of meat at the same time, but I insisted on striving for quality.

「Hmm, it smells really nice.」

Naudiz twitched his large nose.

The fragrances of the Tau sauce and fruit wine filled the kitchen. Unlike myam, this was a sweet smell. I couldn’t help thinking of home.

But I wasn’t allowed to be in a daze. I couldn’t use lilo or add additional water and had to keep pouring the braising sauce if the meat surfaced.

And when only a third of the braising sauce was left, I had to keep soaking the meat nonstop. After simmering for 40 minutes it was finally done.

「Alright, I will put out the fire. Please reheat before serving it to the customers.」

It sounded like common sense, but this was a necessary step. After the braised food had cooled down, reheating it would enhance the flavor.

If there were refrigerators in this world, I would want to prepare the braised meat one day earlier and leave it overnight. But there was nothing I could do about fridges, so I could only keep it cool at room temperature. There were more than 4 hours before sunset, so it would still taste better than being freshly cooked.

「Thank you for your hard work, this is the agreed payment.」

Naudiz handed a small pouch to me.

I checked, and there were 8 eight white copper plates in it.

「Thank you. I hope you can sell all of it, I’m not sure if that will happen though.」

「I don’t know either, there is the issue of price too. If sales are bad, I will adjust the price to match Karon dishes, so one dish would cost 4 red copper plates.」

Naudiz answered as he hurried over with a plate.

「Huh? Do you want to try it? You can only know its real taste after it has cooled down.」

「Yes, I want to compare the difference… Actually, I just want to try it as soon as possible since the dish is finally done.」

The food belonged to Naudiz, so he could do whatever he wanted. He scooped up a meat cube, and the corners of his eyes drooped about 2 mm.

The meat wobbled on the spoon. It was so tender that spoons and chopsticks could break it apart easily. The lean meat looked translucent and had a rubbery texture.

The taste of the Tau sauce and fruit wine had completely seeped into the meat. The taste of the meat mixed together with the heavy seasoning… just thinking about this made me hungry.

「I’m digging in.」

Naudiz put the 『Braised kiba』 into his mouth.

The layers of meat and fats were melting away in his mouth, and the enticing taste was spreading.

Naudiz after chewing for a long time swallowed as if it was a pity to do so. He turned to me with a dazed smile:

「This is really… really delicious. If I can’t sell this, then the problem lies with my business skills. Asuta, thank you for making this splendid dish.」

3

Our work ended without any incident.

Nothing of note happened while I was away, and I went home on time after all the food was sold out.

After returning to the Fa house, I didn’t forget to bid farewell to Vena Wu. I started preparing the food for tomorrow’s business and dinner.

Rii Sudora was the only one here as I taught her to cook.

「Well then, let’s start preparing the ingredients. The women from the other houses will be here soon, please use the stove first.」

「Thank you… Excuse me, is it really fine for me to use your pot?」

「Yes. It’s a pain to make a trip back home to get it, right? It’s fine.」

Ai Fa wasn’t home right now. According to the schedule, she would be heading to the Latzu or Gazu village that were some distance away from the Fa house and teach them bloodletting and butchery.

「So in the end, how many houses asked the Fa house to teach them?」

「Only a few houses near us requested for our help. However, eleven houses are in favor of us committing to this work.」

That didn’t include the tribal chief clans and their kins.

There were 37 houses in Forest's Edge, and only 17 of them were not related to the tribal chief clans… Which meant more than half the denizens of Forest’s Edge belonged to the Wu clan, Sauti clan, Zaza house, and their kins.

Of these 17 houses, 11 of them agreed with us. Considering the fact that the Wu clan and a hundred kins concurred with our actions, that meant about half of the denizens in Forest's Edge supported the Fa house.

The neutral Sauti clan was also on friendly terms with us. We could only work hard and show the results in order to win the approval of the Zaza house.

「Incredible. The Fa house is bringing a beacon of light to the houses on the verge of withering.」

Rii Sudora stared at me with her clear eyes.

「Of all the minor houses, the Sudora house is the closest to ruin. It’s embarrassing to say this, but if not for the copper plates I earned today, the vegetables in our food store would be depleted… To avoid this, the men in our house are also hunting for kiba in the forest today.」

「Oh, I see. I’m happy to be of help to the Sudora house.」

There was a knocking on the door when I was answering.

「Which house is it?」

「… We are women from the Dean house, there are two of us.」

This was the first time I heard of that house.

Even though I was good at remembering names, my memory capacity was almost at its limit. Were there a Dean house around here? I tilted my head in doubt and walked to the door.

At this moment, Rii Sudora grabbed my hand.

「Asuta, the Dean house is a kin of the Tsun clan… and are now the kin of the Zaza house.」

Kins of the Zaza house, huh.

In that case, they had to obey the opinion of the Zaza house and oppose us from doing business in the Post Station Town.

Besides, the Fa house was the reason why the Tsun clan had fallen. What kind of emotions did they bore towards us? I didn’t have the chance to find out. I looked at the incredibly guarded look in Rii Sudora’s calm face and nodded. I stood before the door.

「May I ask for the reason for your visit? I don’t recall the Fa house being acquainted with the Dean house.」

「We are here to participate in the cooking lesson. Could you let us join in?」

「You are here to learn to cook? Did the Zaza house agree to this?」

「Yes. They didn’t stop us from coming here to learn cooking.」

I see, they didn’t intend to help the stall in the Post Station Town or prepare kiba meat, but they were interested in the delicious meal. I definitely welcomed their visit and had no reason to turn them away.

I carefully removed the stick barring the door and opened the door a little.

Like what they said, two women were standing outside. One was an elderly and married lady, the other was a girl around ten years of age.

Beside their feet were pots filled with poitan. After confirming that there was no one else, I opened the door completely.

「Thank you for accepting our sudden visit. I’m the elder sister of the Dean house head, Jass Dean, this is my family member, Tulu Dean.」

「… Tulu Dean?」

I focused on the girl.

Her medium-length brown hair was tied to both sides of her neck, and she had a meek expression. Her large puppy-like eyes seemed to be flickering with doubt as she looked at us.

「Ahh, you are that child from the Tsun clan branch house! So you have left the Tsun clan village and are now a part of the Dean house.」

「That’s right. This child’s mother was the younger sister of me and the house head. Our sister has passed on, so she and her father are now members of the Dean house.」

The elderly lady Jass Dean answered.

Her attitude was calm and respectful, and her sharp eyes were filled with strength and determination.

「I see. That’s great, you look lively. I’m sorry for recognizing so late, even though the house head conference was just three days ago.」

Upon hearing my words, Tulu Dean became dumbstruck.

Her large eyes started tearing up.

「W-What happened? Did I say something wrong?」

Tulu Dean shook her head hard, and large tears fell to the ground.

「Asuta of the Fa house. This blood is a kin of the Tsun clan that attempted to harm you. She had broken off ties with the Tsun clan and chose to live on as a member of the Dean house. Will you forgive her past crimes?」

「Crime? She didn’t do anything to me though?」

「But she is still the kin of the Tsun clan who committed grave sins. The Fa house has more reasons to loathe the Tsun clan than any other people.」

This felt like the conversation I had with Lau Lei and the others yesterday.

Seeing how serious Jass Dean looked, I tried to answer:

「No, the new tribal chiefs decided not to pursue the crimes of the branch houses, and all the house heads agreed to this. Therefore, I don’t hate the Tsun clan branch house in the first place. And of course, I have no reason to turn away Tulu Dean.」

「… I see.」

「Yes, and I also spent some time with Tulu Dean. Amongst the people who had lost their will and energy, she was the one who worked the hardest.」

After hearing my words, Tulu Dean turned tearful again.

Her expression still had a hint of cold maturity, but her eyes had regained their luster. That alone made me really happy.

「I cooked meat and grilled poitan with her before, so she is actually everyone’s senior. Tulu Dean, you need to learn properly, then teach the Dean house women back home.」

「… Thank you…」

The girl slumped her head weakly, and Jass Dean patted her head.

Her eyes were stern, but I could feel the love she had for the orphaned child of her sister.

「Alright then, let’s begin. Oh, this is Rii Sudora from the Sudora house. The women from the Fou house and Von house will be coming later too.」

I couldn’t help chatting with them for a little more, but since I didn’t come back early, I wouldn’t have enough time if I didn’t start preparing now. I ushered the two members of the Dean house into the house and started my own work.

「Please revise the poitan grilling method first. I will be working here, just holler if there is anything you don’t understand.」

「Yes.」

The two of them picked up the pot and walked past me.

「Ah!」

I yelled when I saw the side of Tulu Dean’s face.

Tulu Dean jumped in surprise, then turn towards me.

「Ah, sorry about that, I just realized that there isn’t any scar where you were scalded earlier… That’s great.」

I smiled to cheer the gloomy girl up.

At this point, Tulu Dean smiled clumsily in return.

「Thank you very much for back then. I’m very happy for the gentle gesture you and that red-haired girl from the Wu clan showed me.」

「It’s nothing, I only splashed water at you in a panic. I will relay that to Lala Wu for you.」

Be it the people left in the Tsun clan village or the kins who took them in, a new life awaited them.

It had only been three days since the house head conference, but I thought Donda Wu’s judgment was right. Even though the crimes of the Tsun clan main house members like Diga and Doddo were still unclear, the Tsun clan branch houses were only guilty of stealing from the forest, so they didn’t need to be punished for any other crimes.

Did the people in the Genos castle understand this situation… Did they even want to understand? We had to take note of that.

I started dicing the aria laid out on the board as I thought about that.

「… Later, Kaslan Lutim and Dali Sauti came to find me and told me the result of their discussion with Kamyua.」

After having dinner, I prepared the ingredients for the next day as I explained to Ai Fa.

「The caravan will enter the Forest’s Edge using the route the Wu clan usually takes to enter the Post Station Town and head to the south. After passing through the Sauti village, they will enter the forest. They will traverse the forest in half a day and enter the rocky area. It will take a few days before they can reach the highway. However, the rocky area doesn’t have any kiba and isn’t part of the Forest's Edge. Hence, the Sauti clan will only guide them through the forest on the first day.」

「Yes.」

「But even if the caravan sets off first thing in the morning, it would be dusk by the time they traverse the forest. It will be too dangerous for the guides to enter the forest at night and return to their village, so they will need to spend the night with the caravan in the rocky area. Dali Sauti was unhappy about that. He complained angrily:『The Tsun clan people actually took on such a troublesome job.』」

「Yes.」

「The Tsun clan seemed to be planning to dump this job to Tay Tsun… no, Tay. They will need to venture deep into the forest and avoid kiba for half a day. Dali Sauti complained that they will need to send at least four men as guides. But the caravan members alone numbered more than 20, so the kiba probably won’t attack such a large group.」

「Yes.」

「… Ai Fa, if you are tired and don’t want to talk, just tell me honestly.」

「What are you talking about? I’m fine.」

Ai Fa laid on the floor lazily as she answered and looked more lethargic than yesterday.

Lying prone on the floor, her untied hair fell over her face, so I couldn’t see her face. I poured the diced myam, aria, and fruit wine into a leather pouch, then sighed softly.

「And so, their meeting with Kamyua Yost ended smoothly. I’m curious about what they think of Kamyua Yost, but Kaslan Lutim only commented:『He is an unfathomable person.』 while Dali Sauti said:『As expected, I hate people from Rock City.』」

「Yes.」

「And so, the job two days later will be handled by the Sauti clan, and they reached a conclusion smoothly. The three tribal chiefs had returned to their own villages for now, and will relay the demands of the Genos castle to the house heads of their kins and will collate their views. They have left six men behind to keep watch over the Tsun clan village. And that’s how things ended.」

「Yes.」

「… That concludes my report. Thank you for listening.」

「It’s fine, I wasn’t really listening to the things that could give me a headache.」

Ai Fa rested one side of her cheeks on the rug, and said weakly:

「The tribal chiefs have their own worries too. I’m overwhelmed with my own work alone.」

「Erm〜, did you go to the Latzu house today?」

「Yeah. The kins of the Latzu and the men from the Gazu also came… I’m more exhausted than yesterday.」

「Well, they all welcomed you happily, correct?」

「I don’t feel happy even if they did.」

Ai Fa sounded peeved. I couldn’t see her expression from this angle, but she was probably pouting.

「Also, a man from the Latzu house suddenly proposed to me.」

「W-What?」

「Another man from the Gazu house also proposed marriage to me. And before I knew it, they were wrestling on the ground and making a big scene. The enraged head of the Latzu house broke them up, but the bond between the two houses almost fractured.」

「T-That must be hard on you… But did they give up on the proposal?」

「… They said that if I got injured again and couldn’t hunt anymore, they hoped I would reconsider. I wanted to yell at them:『Are you hoping that I will get injured terribly?』… Anyway, it was an irritating day.」

I was finally freed from the preparation work and rushed in a panic to Ai Fa’s side without even washing my hands.

「Are they fierce like Darum Wu? Will they pester you in the future?」

「How would I know, go ask them yourself.」

「No, but—」

「Shut up. Since you are done with your work, give me your hand.」

「Ehh? Hand?」

I was confused, but I still placed my palm on Ai Fa’s temple like last night.

「Hmm.」

Ai Fa moaned with satisfaction. Seemed like I was right. This felt like caressing the neck of a kitten that was throwing a tantrum.

「Just talking to a large group tires me out. It’s amazing how you can keep working in the Post Station Town… No, not just you, the women from the Wu clan can do it too. It’s my heart that is too frail.」

「No, Ai Fa, don’t be so humble, that’s not like you at all. Everyone has things they are suited for or not. Like what I said last night, you will get used to it if you spend some time doing so.」

It seemed that Ai Fa didn’t agree with my words, and she sighed uncharacteristically.

「… I want to do my duty as a hunter soon.」

She looked a little pitiful, so I patted her head gently.

The last time I did that, Ai Fa punched my stomach. I was a little worried, but she just closed her eyes happily tonight and didn’t shy away from my hand.

「Anyway, I just need to bear with it for a few more days. When my arm is completely healed, I can return to the forest. The time we spend with the other houses will go down naturally.」

「What a negative way of putting it. I’m tired today too, so let’s turn in early.」

「Yes.」

「Alright, let’s sleep.」

I stood up and extinguished the candle. I then lay down a short distance away.

I didn’t expect Ai Fa to approach me.

「Asuta, why are you sleeping so far away?」

「Eh? No, this is the usual distance, right?」

「… My head still hurts.」

As I was lying on the ground, she grabbed my left wrist and pulled it to her temple. My elbow was twisted to the limit and I screamed:

「That hurts! Wait! This is beyond the limit of a human bone joint!」

「In that case, you can just adjust your sleeping posture.」

As my hand was on her temple, the only way to meet her demand was to move closer and face her way during sleep.

The room was dim and we couldn’t see each other, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. After actually changing my sleeping position, I realized a big problem. We were very close to each other.

「House head, listen...」

「Shut up, I’m getting drowsy.」

She placed my palm on her cheek and covered it with her own hand before closing her eyes.

The only light in the room was the bright moonlight from the window, but I could still see her beautiful face clearly and the curve of her body lying sideways.

… Just like an endearing cat.

I believed that Ai Fa didn’t have any ulterior intention, yet, her body contact with me was increasing every day.

She was treating me as a family she didn’t need to hold back with. That filled me with joy… but what should I do about her making my heart flutter?

… After seeing such an honest, beautiful and charming girl, of course those men will want to marry her.

Ai Fa fell asleep quickly and started breathing steadily. I stared at her sleeping face and thought to myself:

Speaking of which, denizens in Forest's Edge could marry at fifteen. Ai Fa got into a feud with the Tsun clan at that age. If not for that, the people around her would have proposed to her already.

I started feeling uneasy.

A person of dubious origins shouldn’t marry in this world. Even though I told myself that, what should I do if a man wins over Ai Fa’s heart in the future?

I had thought about this numerous times, but I always pushed it aside.

I want to keep our relationship like this, is that impossible…?

I swallowed my sigh and closed my eyes.

My senses became keener, and I could feel the warmth and the nice scent from Ai Fa clearly.

Ai Fa had not used the fruit that attracted kiba for a long time now. The only scent on her were those of herbs and meat, which wasn’t much different from the other women… However, Ai Fa was still Ai Fa. I only felt at ease because of her body warmth and scent. This was an indisputable fact.

As I was thinking about all this, sleepiness soon overwhelmed me.

I heard the infuriating matter about the Genos people from Kaslan Lutim, finished my work at the inn for the first time, taught the women to cook, and worried about the future of Forest's Edge… I was exhausted and was soon asleep.

And then…

「…?」

Some undetermined amount of time had passed.

When I came to, I felt a soft sensation covering my mouth.

I opened my eyes half-awake and saw blue cat-like eyes before me.

Ai Fa leaned in, pushing her face near my nose.

Before I realized it, she had shifted away my hand that was on her temple.

Ai Fa’s hand that held my hand was now covering my mouth.

「Don’t speak… Asuta, don’t move.」

She whispered in a barely audible voice and continued leaning in closer.

I was shocked and wanted to get up, but she grabbed my shoulder with her other hand and pushed me down onto the bed.

「I told you not to move. Asuta, don’t you understand me?」

She whispered again.

As I laid down, she pressed down on my upper body and covered my body from the side.

There was a stern light in her blue eyes as she stared right into my eyes. The spots on my body that were in contact with Ai Fa’s palms, arm and breasts were blazing hot.

「Asuta, don’t worry… Just do as I say.」

With these words… Ai Fa laid on top of me with her entire body.

Translator: Skythewood

Editors: Ratorasepo

4

My heart thumped in my chest.

Her scent and body warmth made it hard for me to think.

Ai Fa who was on top of me…

Climbed over my body and reached for the wall.

「Don’t move… If you move, the air will be disturbed.」

Ai Fa said under her breath and returned to her original position.

However, her hand was still covering my mouth.

And— her other hand was holding the saber that was leaning against the wall.

「Up until just now, someone was peeking in through the window. Now they are near the backyard of the house.」

I understood.

I felt drained for my retarded imagination, as if all my bones had been pulled out.

But now wasn’t the time to relax. A few days ago, we almost died when we were attacked while we were sleeping.

Who were the assailants this time? What were their motives? I couldn’t feel anyone’s presence at all.

「They are behind the room to the left. There is a window there… Two years ago, the eldest son of the Tsun clan broke through its wooden grates and barged in.」

That was an ominous coincidence.

However, Diga, Doddo, and Tay should have been sent to the Dom house at the northernmost edge of Forest's Edge. And since everyone thought their behavior was terrible and might be dangerous, their movements should be restrained, instead of being as free as Mida’s.

「I will take a look outside. You stay in the house. After I go out, bar the door quietly.」

I shook my head slowly. I didn’t say anything and quietly held Ai Fa’s hand.

Ai Fa’s eyes wavered a little anxiously.

「If they use that weird herb or commit arson, we will be in danger. Don’t worry; at most, there are just two of them. I won’t lose so easily.」

「…」

I stared at Ai Fa with my thoughts shown clearly in my eyes.

She smiled awkwardly this time.

「If they are more powerful than me, I will draw them to the Lante river and push them into it. No matter what, I can’t move freely if you are with me, so just stay here and pray for me.」

「…」

「It’s fine, I promise that I won’t die so easily.」

After saying that, Ai Fa removed her hand from my mouth.

Her freed fingers groped the space between her neck and her chest.

「Your wish will definitely beat off any calamity.」

The blue stone I gifted her should be dangling around there.

I still got up slowly while holding Ai Fa’s hand.

「… Let’s go. Don’t make any sound.」

Finally, a brave smile appeared on Ai Fa’s face, and she got up slowly. Her moves didn’t disrupt the air at all. But I wasn’t a hunter, and all I could do was move my body slowly and avoid creaking the floor.

Ai Fa headed for the entrance with fluid strides like a wild beast. She took out the door bar, handed it to me, then leaned in close:

「Bar the door after I close it. Don’t step outside unless I call for you.」

She then opened the door carefully, swept her gaze across the darkness, then left swiftly. I felt troubled after barring the door.

What’s going on?

The threat of the Tsun clan was gone, so why were unexpected guests visiting the Fa house? Were they the men from the Latzu house and Gazu house who proposed to Ai Fa?

No matter who they were, they were probably up to no good since they were peeking into someone else’s house in the middle of the night. After barring the door, I slowly groped my way to the stove.

The Santoku knife, kitchen knife, and utility knife were laid out on a board. I grabbed the sturdy knife left behind by Ai Fa’s late father and secured it to my waist.

It’s fine… No matter who they are, Ai Fa won’t lose.

「Uwah!」

As I was thinking about that, a man’s cry came from the backyard of the house.

I then heard a dull thud of something bumping into the wall and a moan like an animal being strangled.

And finally, silence.

I made up my mind, lit a candle stand with a Rana grass, and then headed to the door at the back of the house.

I opened the door on the left. This was the storeroom filled with things that weren’t used often in daily lives, such as wood being dried, lumber and saw. After opening the door, I entered the storeroom quietly.

The window was located on the wall opposite to the door. I walked over and shone the light at the window. Ai Fa’s face was unexpectedly close to the window, and her eyes were burning with the fire of a hunter.

「Asuta, you still came in the end… Never mind, give me the candle stand.」

I followed Ai Fa’s instructions and passed her the candle stand between the window grates. Ai Fa was looking at a dark corner and used her free hand to take the candle stand.

「Asuta, you definitely can’t come out. There might be others besides these retards.」

「A-Alright. But are you okay? And who are the retards…?」

I clung onto the grates and tried to follow Ai Fa’s gaze.

Someone was squatting in the darkness.

It was a man with a strong build. He wasn’t wearing a fur cape, instead, his attire consisted of swirly patterned clothes. He was a man from Forest's Edge.

「Shameless retards, I never imagined you would act so foolishly and trample over your only path towards redemption.」

「No! It’s not like this! We are not trying to hurt you!」

I heard the hysterical voice of a young man.

His voice was more hoarse than I remembered and sounded weak even though he was shouting with all his might. He was like a shadow of his former self… However, I won’t mistake his voice.

「You… What are you doing here!?」

Before I realized it, my voice was filled with rage. The man who was squatting with his back bent over in the darkness shuddered and said in a sorrowful voice again:

「B-Believe me! I didn’t escape here to hurt you… W-We are here to save you— for the sake of saving ourselves too!」

The man raised his head while kneeling and approached Ai Fa. Ai Fa pointed her saber at his nose, and he screamed and fell over backward.

The pale moonlight shone over the man's frail face which was covered in tears and mud. He was definitely the former eldest son of the Tsun clan main house.

「How retarded… You are beyond redemption. Since you can’t do your duty as hunters, face your death in the forest.」

「That’s not it! You are mistaken! We didn’t run away from the Dom house… No, we did escape from there, but it’s not what you think! Please, save us!」

「I don’t understand what you mean. Asuta, there is a bundle of Fuibaha vines in that room, give it to me. I want to tie up his limbs and hand him over to the Dom house.」

「Wait! If you hand me over to the Dom house like this, they will really scalp us!」

He screamed in fear. He looked around in the darkness, as if he was on the verge of losing his mind.

「I-I understand! Just tie me up! I won’t resist! I promise! I won’t escape from the Dom house again! But before that, please listen to our explanations… And let me into your house quick! A-Ai Fa, if that man chases after us, you might get killed too!」

「Who is that man? You are the only ones in Forest's Edge who will make an attempt on my life.」

「T-That’s not it! The Fa house caused the Tsun clan’s ruin, so he must hate you to the very bones! If you don’t want to die, let me into your house! That man is a monster… You can’t defeat him!」

「Who exactly is that man? Your words are illogical.」

Diga, the former eldest son of the Tsun clan main house showed an expression that was somewhere between crying and laughing… He then said with a trembling voice:

「Zattsu Tsun… The former clan head Zattsu Tsun! We escaped from him! Please! Let us in before he finds us!」

In the end, we still let these uninvited guests into the house.

There were two guests, Diga and Doddo. I couldn’t see Doddo from my position earlier since Ai Fa had subdued him with her saber and was stepping on his back.

The two uninvited guests sat on the floor sullenly. And of course, their arms were tied behind their backs, and their legs were tied up too, allowing them to take strides of roughly 30 cm, making it impossible to run.

And they were completely unarmed. They had neither blades nor hunter’s cape. They escaped from the Dom house empty-handed.

「Zattsu Tsun has been taken prisoner by the Jean house. Why do you want us to help you?」

Ai Fa sat in the seat of honor with one knee propped up. She glared at Diga and Doddo with sharp eyes.

「Z-Zattsu Tsun brought us out from the Dom house. He set fire to the Dom village and broke us out in the chaos… We escaped from the Dom house together with Tay…」

「So you wanted to escape after all.」

「W-We had no choice!? Zattsu Tsun threatened to kill us right there if we didn’t go with him! We would be dead if we resisted! That’s the kind of man Zattsu Tsun is…」

He was talking about his grandfather.

Leaving Tay from the branch house aside, it felt really weird to hear Diga address his close relative as Zattsu Tsun.

「Isn’t Zattsu Tsun deathly ill? He is all skin and bones, like dried-up food. People even worried that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the trip to the Jean house.」

「In recent years, he was too frail to even walk… He probably rejuvenated after hearing that the Tsun clan was in ruins… He is all skin and bones, but those eyes… they looked just like his eyes before he fell ill. He was on the verge of death, but he regained his strength…」

Diga quivered as he said that.

Doddo hung his head low in silence beside him.

Both of them looked pale and skinny and were covered in mud and leaves. There were no signs of their past arrogance at all. Did they lose all their energy in just three days? Or was it Zattsu Tsun who spooked them so hard? It was probably both.

「Zattsu Tsun said that he wants to claim back the Tsun clan’s ruling authority. He wants to betray all the fools who betrayed the Tsun clan, regain the title of Forest's Edge’s tribal chief, and make the Tsun clan great again…」

You are reading story Cooking with Wild Game (LN) at novel35.com

Doddo added.

He sounded depressed.

Did his voice change? Compared to his frail appearance, his weak voice was completely different from the past.

「T-That’s right! I thought he would rescue the other family members and leave Forest's Edge together… B-But I never imagined that he would do something so retarded…」

「If you think his actions are retarded, just tell him on the spot.」

「W-We attempted to persuade him with all sorts of reasons! The Wu clan is still in the Tsun clan village, and all the kins of the Tsun clan are now working together with the Wu clan. We can’t defy the Wu clan anymore.」

「And then… he laughed after hearing that.」

Doddo’s voice was shivering weakly. He used to glare at us like a wild dog with his dark blue eyes, but they were filled with pleas now.

「He showed a demonic smile and said… that he can seize back the proper order in the Forest's Edge with just the four of us… and he can rescue the clan head Zuro after getting back in power…」

「S-So we escaped while he was sleeping!」

「… The illness must have gotten into Zattsu Tsun’s brain. You can’t do anything with just four people, right?」

「I-I think so too. The only method I can think of is to attack the head of the Wu clan or you two.」

Diga switched his gaze between the two of us meekly.

「I-If that man learns the reason for the Tsun clan’s destruction, he will definitely treat the Fa house that exposed the Tsun clan as his greatest enemy. That’s why we…」

「So you came here to warn us of the danger, right? Why didn’t you just knock on the door then?」

「Y-You must hate us so much. I don’t think you will open the door, so we looked for a way to sneak in…」

「Are you hoping to gain the trust of others after acting so covertly?」

Ai Fa sounded just a little sterner, and that made Diga yelp and ball himself up.

Diga’s reaction was so funny that it was sad. The opposite was usually true, but that was the impression he gave us.

Ai Fa flicked her untied hair and looked at me unhappily.

「Asuta, what do you think?」

「Hmm? Well… I want to check something. What happened to Tay?」

「T-Tay decided to go along with Zattsu Tsun. So we ditched him…」

「Is that true?」

「I-It’s true! Even when Zattsu Tsun was laughing like a madman, Tay just looked at him in a daze… He probably can’t think for himself anymore…」

You people from the main house were the ones who pressured him to be like this. I was a little angry.

Furthermore, I still didn’t find the chance to ask Tay about who saved Ai Fa on that night.

Was he the one who rescued Ai Fa during the night of the house head conference?

If it was him… why would he want to endanger Forest's Edge now?

Bearing this complicated emotions by myself, I continued:

「How did Zattsu Tsun escape from the Jean house? Only Zattsu Tsun and Zuro Tsun were treated like criminals, so there should be people keeping watch throughout the night.」

「I-I’m not sure… Z-Zattsu Tsun’s face and clothes were covered in fresh blood, and he was holding a saber. One or two men wouldn’t be a match for him…」

A thin bony man covered in the blood of the denizens of Forest's Edge, standing in front of a burning village… Just imagining that scene gave me the chills. Diga was completely pale now, and his teeth were chattering.

「D-During the night, our hands would be tied to a pillar. But when the house we were in caught fire, the women from the Dom house untied our bonds. We charged out of the house and found Zattsu Tsun standing before us…」

「… He pointed at us with his saber and asked if we want to die here or run away together. The entire village was on fire, which attracted the attention of the men, but a few women should have seen Zattsu Tsun…」

Doddo seemed to be slightly calmer than Diga.

I sighed heavily and then turned to Ai Fa:

「… Basically, they aren’t lying. If they were trying to assault us, they would have brought Tay along.」

Diga and Doddo weren’t armed and couldn’t win against Ai Fa. However, if Tay appeared with a blade in hand, what would happen then? I didn’t even dare imagine.

Ai Fa remained calm from the beginning till the end. Even if Zattsu Tsun followed Diga here, she might think that it would save her the trouble.

She was filled with confidence. However, I wouldn’t want to see Ai Fa killing anyone.

Unaware of my feelings, Ai Fa glared at Diga.

「Well then, what are your plans? The most we can do is hand you over to the Dom house.」

「T-That’s fine! But we didn’t commit arson in the Dom village and only ran away because Zattsu Tsun threatened us. Can you help us to explain this the Dom house…?」

「I can’t vouch for you. Unless the Dom house women overheard your conversation, they wouldn’t know what actually happened.」

「How can that be! If nothing is done, the Dom house will really kill us!」

Ai Fa rested her elbow on her propped-up knee, then supported her cheek with her hand and sighed.

「Don’t you have any pride? You two scolded us so harshly in the past, and you are still shameless enough to come crying to me? If I were you, I probably would have scalped myself.」

「A-Are you still angry about the past? I will apologize as much as you want! I was just mesmerized by you back then! I really wanted to take you as my wife! I didn’t mean to harm you!」

「Oh? You threatened to push me off the cliff if I don’t marry you.」

「I-I wouldn’t dare murder a fellow denizen of Forest's Edge! I was just talking smack! Please believe me!」

Diga rubbed the rug with his forehead.

Ai Fa ruffled her hair again and then looked at Doddo with a stronger gaze.

「What about you? Former second son of the Tsun clan. You drew a blade against Asuta and the men of the Wu clan in the past, correct…? There is still a clear mark of your violence on Asuta’s stomach.」

「I… I couldn’t help it…」

「What do you mean that you couldn’t help it?」

「Once I drink wine, I won’t care about anything… I can’t forgive anyone who pissed me off… I can’t stand it…」

His voice was still gloomy. He resembled a skinny wild dog, and his eyes were glaring at me through his messy hair.

「E-Even if I say that, you probably won’t believe me… I was so relieved when I learned that I didn’t harm you while I was drunk… I-I’m not tough enough to commit murder nonchalantly…」

I felt a strong sense of dissonance when I heard that.

This could be a good chance for me to understand the true nature of these hopeless men.

「Diga, can you raise your head?」

Diga lifted his head slowly.

His face was plain and childish, despite his big body.

As for Doddo, instead of a wild dog, a depressed old dog would be more apt as a description. Since he had a small stature, he looked frail and weak without his violent nature. He didn’t look like a denizen of Forest's Edge at all.

The escape of Zattsu Tsun was a grave matter. After all, the denizens of Forest's Edge intended only to make Zattsu Tsun and Zuro Tsun pay for their crimes. We already informed Genos castle about this. If we couldn’t arrest Zattsu Tsun tonight, this would be a disgrace when negotiations with the Genos castle resumes in the future.

That was why the Dom and Jean house heads would never forgive Diga and Doddo. Donda Wu and Graff Zaza would think the same. I wanted to use this chance to understand the true nature of these two retards

「Diga, you mentioned that you would never kill a fellow denizen of Forest's Edge, correct? What about the residents in the Post Station Town?」

「The residents in town?」

Diga Tsun tilted his thick neck like a dull-witted bull.

「W-Why did you bring up the Post Station Town all of a sudden? I’m confused…」

「The denizens of Forest's Edge think of the Post Station Town as an enemy. So I think you can hurt them without any hesitation.」

I tried acting all casual.

Ai Fa narrowed her eyes in doubt. Fortunately, she held her peace.

「D-Don’t you get along well with them…? In the first place, you came from the city…」

「You are right, but I wasn’t born in Genos. To be honest, I hate those people in Genos who look down on the denizens of Forest's Edge. My customers are mostly southerners and easterners.」

「I see… I-I’m not sure. I don’t go to town often…」

「Ehh? But why?」

「Because… They are scary…」

「What?」

I forgot about my act and said loudly.

I was probably too loud, which made Diga squirm his shoulders in surprise.

「B-Because we are from the Forest's Edge, so they are always glaring at us angrily, right? If I’m too careless, they might drag me to a corner and beat me up… So I hadn’t entered the town in a few years.…」

His testimony left me speechless.

I tried to calm myself down and then looked towards Doddo:

「What about you? When I first met you in the Post Station Town, you drew your blade against a resident of the Post Station Town, correct?」

「… I hate the residents there. I think they are all enemies of Forest's Edge.」

「Yes, so you abducted women, assaulted travelers, and stole their crops?」

「Huh?」

Doddo opened his small eyes wide.

Speaking of which, his face was very similar to a lion-dog, broad and cold. But he was Diga’s younger brother, that meant he was around my age. A bewildered look with eyes wide open befitted his age.

<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komainu>

「I’m not interested in the town’s women. Anyway, how do I even steal the crops? The guards won’t ignore it if I did that.」

「Some of the villages don’t have guards though.」

「I don’t know where these villages are… The forest has plenty of food for us to eat, so I don’t need to go out of my way and steal food from them.」

「Hmm〜, but the residents of the Post Station Town all said that the denizens of Forest's Edge kept committing misdeeds.」

「That’s a long time ago before the Tsun clan stole from the forest. We were still young back then.」

「Yes, we were still eating aria and poitan too.」

Diga answered casually.

I understood… I fell into deep thought. Uncle Dora didn’t tell me in which era those things happened.

Besides, ten or so years weren’t too distant past, it wouldn’t be strange for rumors of Forest's Edge denizens stealing crops being passed down from then. Uncle Dora must have suffered too when he was young.

I didn’t need to think too hard about this. I just had to ask Uncle Dora to speculate the time when this happened.

「… Are you trying to find the criminal?」

Doddo looked at me with gloomy eyes.

「It’s Zattsu Tsun. Father Zuro is worried about the relations between the Tsun clan and Genos breaking down, while Diga and I hate the city. Only Zattsu Tsun will dare do anything to the townsmen.」

「Hmmp, are you trying to push all the blame to the former clan head?」

Ai Fa said coldly, and Doddo’s face turned stiff pathetically, but Diga nodded weakly.

「… You did expose our greatest sins. But we really have no reasons to abduct the women from the city or steal their food. It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not… The landlord of Genos doesn’t have the resolve to pass judgment against the denizens of the Forest's Edge anyway.」

He was wrong. A few hours ago, I advised Kaslan Lutim to not let those crimes go unanswered.

But Doddo and the others didn’t know about that. They didn’t try to save their own skin because they didn’t know. Therefore, they were telling the truth.

「Enough about that, the Dom house…」

When Diga said that in a pitiable voice, someone rapped the door loudly.

Diga and Doddo looked as if they were petrified and stopped moving. Ai Fa grabbed the saber beside her.

「Head of the Fa house, if you are still alive, wake up. We are from the Dom house.」

The hoarse roar made me go weak from fear, and Ai Fa sighed softly.

Diga and Doddo looked deathly pale.

「The Tsun clan men set fire in the Dom village and are now on the run! Head of the Fa house, are you still alive?」

「We are fine! I’m opening the door now!」

Ai Fa’s voice was like an elastic whip. Despair clouded Diga and Doddo’s eyes, and they looked up at Ai Fa who had stood up.

Ai Fa walked to the entrance with determined strides.

「Thank you for informing me about this urgent situation in the wee hours of the morning. You said that the men from the Tsun clan had escaped, who exactly are they?」

Ai Fa asked behind the closed door, and the other party’s voice also calmed down.

「You are safe, huh. The Dom house can salvage a little of its reputation… The ones on the run are the three men from the Tsun clan taken in by the Dom house and the former clan head of the Tsun clan imprisoned by the Jean house. The Jean house man watching the former clan head got his throat bit open and his saber snatched away. After breaking out of the Jean house, the former clan head set the Dom village on fire and fled with the three Tsun clan men we had taken in!」

「… Hmmp, looks like you didn’t lie.」

Ai Fa muttered softly and crossed her arms.

「You said something? Is your family member fine too? If you are both alright, then rest easy. The men of the Dom house will guard the Fa house. We will wipe away this disgrace with the blood of the Tsun clan traitors!」

A group of bulky men wearing kiba skulls on their heads had reached the Fa house.

Diga was shivering as if he had caught a cold. Doddo seemed to have given up and hung his head low.

Ai Fa glanced their way, then said:

「I appreciate your gesture. However, I have something to tell you. I have captured the eldest and second sons of the Tsun clan main house.」

「What!?」

He roared in anguish again, and the door shook violently.

「Uwah…」

Diga groaned and lay prone on the floor.

「Is that true!? The traitors are in your house!? Head of the Fa house, open the door at once!」

「I will open it now. Don’t break my door, men of the Dom house… But before that, I hope you can listen to my explanation. These two didn’t come here to murder us. They did flee from the Dom village, but they only came here because they were too afraid of Zattsu Tsun.」

「What kind of joke is this! Open up right now! Hand them over to us!」

「Of course I will hand them over. But can you let the tribal chiefs investigate this carefully? Don’t cut their throats right now. They claimed that the former clan head threatened them with a blade, that’s why they fled. If they turn over a new leaf and return to the village voluntarily, do show some leniency in their punishment.」

「They tarnished the honor of the Dom house and trampled over our trust in them! Our only option is to chop off their heads! Enough talk, open the door!」

「If that is how the Dom house feels, I can’t open the door. Call the three tribal chiefs here. If their words convince me, I will open the door.」

Ai Fa turned her face away and looked at us.

Before we knew it, Diga and Doddo were looking at Ai Fa with their heads tilted.

I was near the seat of honor, so I could only see the back of their heads. Ai Fa looked our way with her arms crossed, and her expression became more and more scary. She finally yelled:

「Why are you looking at me with such eyes! Stop looking at me like that!」

5

The next day, or rather, sometime before the dawn of the same day, Forest's Edge was on high alert. News of Zattsu Tsun’s and Tay Tsun’s escape spread from the northern villages to the entire Forest's Edge.

The escapees were vicious villains. One of them tore open the throat of a man with his teeth and set a village on fire. The denizens of Forest's Edge could no longer call him a fellow tribe mate. The tribal chiefs declared that Tay would be given back his family name of Tsun, and both him and Zattsu Tsun were to be captured dead or alive. Immediately after dawn, half the men entered the forest and the other half stayed behind to protect their homes.

It went without saying that the ones staying behind had to perform surveillance on top of protecting their homes. They needed to watch the people of the Tsun clan and those who used to be from the Tsun clan.

Zattsu Tsun might abduct them. The men from the branch houses who were free to move around were locked inside a house, thus restricting their movements.

Not just the men of the Tsun clan village, those who had been taken in by other kins were locked up too. As they didn’t show any signs of resistance, their movements weren’t restricted in the first place. However, nobody knew how they would act if Zattsu Tsun appeared before them again— the prison break of Diga’s group made the other tribe mates wary.

Tulu Dean’s father was also taken away. They were bestowed with a new family name after much hardship but were arrested and sent back to the Tsun clan village just when they were going along the right path. Just thinking about how the father and daughter might feel was breaking my heart.

The former members of the Tsun clan main house were also shifted to a place that was easy to keep watch over. Yamiel Lei, Aura, Zwei, and Mida were imprisoned by the Wu clan. Diga and Doddo who almost lost their heads were taken as prisoners and sent to the Zaza house along with Zuro Tsun. The manpower was mostly concentrated in the Tsun clan, Wu clan, and Zaza house villages. As they guarded their family and kept watch on the prisoners, they prepared for Zattsu Tsun’s attack.

As for the Fa house…

Escorted by the elites of Forest's Edge, we headed to the Post Station Town to run our business.

「… Hey, what’s going on here?」

Milano Mast looked at us with sinister eyes.

This was only natural since we had twice our usual numbers, and the additional helpers were all hunters from Forest's Edge.

The four escorts guarding us were Ai Fa, Ludo Wu, Shin Wu, and Rau Lei.

To avoid spooking the Post Station Town residents, we chose hunters who were younger and had milder-looking faces. However, just being armed with a saber would give a very different impression to others. Milano Mast glared at Ludo Wu’s group with a dangerous gleam close to hostility in his eyes.

「Sorry, we have our reasons…」

「Reasons? What reasons can there be? There’s no need to do business while armed with a saber.」

「Genos castle should be notifying everyone shortly. Vicious criminals had fled from Forest's Edge, and we are not sure where they went.」

Milano Mast was stunned by my answer.

「Vicious criminals from Forest's Edge… you say?」

「That’s right, two vicious criminals who violated grave taboos in the Forest's Edge had escaped. There was some bad blood between us, so these escorts will be joining me.」

To be frank, we shouldn’t be setting up the stall during times like this.

But the Genos liaison ordered us to continue our stall operation. So we still came to the Post Station Town.

「People will find it suspicious for you to stop your business when a criminal appears in Forest's Edge. If you want to stop running your stall, then be prepared to be barred from doing business in the Post Station Town forever. Since you are not wanted criminals, just act as you usually do.」

That’s what Pyschkurewuss, the representative of Marquis Genos said.

I could vaguely guess what he was thinking.

「Pyschkurewuss probably wants to apprehend Zattsu Tsun himself. Zattsu Tsun and Tay Tsun not only violated the rules of Forest's Edge, they also transgressed the law of Genos. They want to prosecute the two vicious criminals officially.」

Kaslan Lutim accompanied Donda Wu and the others to meet Pyschkurewuss back then, and he was now relaying his experience to me with a bitter face.

「The guards will protect the city, so the denizens of Forest's Edge can continue to set up stall without worry… If we can’t do that, we can just stay in our settlement and forget about doing business in town… That’s what Pyschkurewuss is saying.」

Simply put, he was trying to use us as bait.

If we refused, he would bar us from running a business in the Post Station Town.

What exactly is Pyschkurewuss trying to do?

As I was gritting my teeth internally, Milano Mast said in a daze:

「The vicious criminals from Forest's Edge… A denizen of Forest's Edge has become a criminal…」

「That’s correct. Genos castle should be announcing their names and wanted posters before noon.」

It had been decades since Genos castle last prosecuted a denizen of Forest's Edge. In recent years, there were rumors that even if a denizen of Forest's Edge committed a crime, the people from the castle would cover it up. The death of Milano Mast’s best friend also ended without any proper investigation.

What kind of emotions were going through Milano Mast’s mind right now? He should be glad to see the people in the Genos castle prosecuting the denizens of Forest's Edge according to the law. But he should be frustrated that the death of his best friend was still ignored… If I was in his shoes, my conflicted feelings would send my heart into turmoil.

After a moment of silence, Milano Mast finally suppressed his emotions and swept his gaze across us.

「I understand the situation now… So the people in the Genos castle ordered you to continue doing your business?」

「Yes. We wanted to stop until the commotion is over, but…」

「Hmmp, you lot are fine baits. Just the sort of scheme the people in the castle would come up with.」

After saying that, Milano Mast turned and left.

Like usual, the two carts were at the back of the inn. We looked at each other.

「I thought he would react more strongly, but he accepted so simply. No matter how unhappy he is, he still can’t go against the people of the Genos castle.」

Ludo Wu shrugged disappointedly. Speaking of which, Ludo Wu had met Milano Mast before.

I held back my sigh and announced:

「Alright then, let’s go. We are running late, and the customers might be getting anxious.」

We set off for the stone paved road.

News of the vicious criminals had not been announced officially yet, but we were much more prominent than usual. Even though they were young and good-looking hunters, they still were hunters. Their eyes were more fearful and had less disdain. Such gazes stabbed at us from all over the place.

Is it really fine to do this…?

I couldn’t shake away that thought.

We couldn’t predict how the vicious criminal, Zattsu Tsun, would act.

No matter how anxious he was, there was no way he could restore power to the Tsun clan and take back the position of tribal chief clan again. In that case, he might attack his longtime enemy, the new tribal chief clan, the Wu clan. Or the kin house that abandoned the Tsun clan, the Zaza house. Or the Fa house that exposed the grave sins of the Tsun clan.

In the face of such serious threats, could we really enter the Post Station Town?

Wouldn’t that endanger the residents of the Post Station Town?

Going by common sense, normal people wouldn’t attack us inside the Post Station Town in broad daylight. Therefore, he would definitely strike during our commute from Forest's Edge to the Post Station Town.

However, not only did he hurt a fellow tribemate, he also set a village on fire. I suspected he had lost his sense of reason. If we were safe and the residents in the Post Station Town got hurt from the collateral damage… Thinking about that made my mood very heavy.

Milano Mast, Uncle Dora, Tara, Shumimaru, Pops, Arudas, Yumi, and Naudiz— they were the people I got acquainted with in the Post Station Town. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them. I never imagined that I would ever conduct business with such a heavy heart.

「Ah!」

At this moment, someone called out loudly. Tara was sitting beside her father as usual. Her eyes were wide open as she yelped.

「Hi, Tara, Uncle… I want to buy vegetables today too.」

「Same as yesterday? That will be eight red copper plates.」

It was the first time they saw hunters accompanying us, so he looked a little pale. But he still wore a smile on his face.

Tara didn’t look too scared either. The young girl just looked at Ludo Wu tensely.

「… Ah, little brat. We met quite some time ago. You are still so small.」

When she saw Ludo Wu smiling, Tara also smiled timidly.

「Y-You know, I chatted with Rimee Wu recently. Are you her brother?」

「Oh, I know about that. She kept talking about that during dinner. You two brats sure get along well.」

I glanced at the heartwarming reunion, then leaned towards Uncle Dora.

「I want to tell you that the city will be announcing something soon…」

After hearing about the entire incident, his face turned paler.

「T-This is a serious matter. A vicious criminal from Forest's Edge…」

「That’s right. They might not have any reasons to harm a resident in the Post Station Town, but don’t go near a man who is all skin and bones, as well as an old man with greying hair.」

「I-I understand. Even though they are denizens of Forest's Edge, the people from the Genos castle will still treat them as criminals. That shows how vicious they are. I won’t let Tara wander outside by herself today.」

「Yes. I hope you can tell the people you know too. Speaking of which, I have something I want to ask…」

I decided to clear the doubt that appeared in my mind last night.

In other words, I wanted to know the specific period of time when the denizens of Forest's Edge allegedly committed crimes.

「Ehh? Even if you ask me… Aren’t those ruffians causing trouble in the city right now?」

「Are you talking about drunk denizens of Forest's Edge drawing their blades in the Post Station Town or destroying stalls they don’t like? I want to know about more serious crimes. Like abducting women or stealing crops.」

「Hmm, let me think… It has been a long time since the denizens of Forest's Edge robbed our crops. That’s before Tara was born. Aside from that, I only heard rumors… You have to ask the people in the Genos castle for more accurate details.」

「The people in Genos castle?」

「That’s right. Some people might just shrug it off, but most people will still report it to the guards.」

It seemed difficult to get the answer. The people in Genos castle had been ignoring the misdeeds of Forest's Edge denizens all the while, they had to be trying to cover this up.

「Asuta, don’t get embroiled in too much trouble.」

Uncle Dora suddenly grabbed my arm.

「I know you are a good person, so that’s enough for me. Asuta, leave the criminals to the guards and just work hard in your job.」

「… Thank you. I’m happy to hear you say that.」

I only manage to sprout such cliche lines, but I was really touched beyond words.

After leaving his stall, our destination was just a short hop away.

I knew there would be a crowd at my stall, but there weren’t just customers, there were more guards on duty than usual.

「Uwah, the atmosphere seems terrible.」

Lala Wu whispered.

The atmosphere did seem hostile. The crowd was facing the guards with tense faces.

After we got closer, a guard with a plume on his helmet and who seemed to have the highest rank shouted: 「You guys are too slow!」

Although we left the Fa house early, we had to detour to the Wu clan village and enter the Post Station Town with our escorts, so we were half an hour late.

But the stall owners had the right to choose their business hours, so the guards didn’t have any rights to lecture us… I couldn’t tell him that so curtly of course, so I bowed my head and apologized:

「Pardon me, I will start preparations right away. Please wait a moment.」

Then something strange happened. One-third of the crowd dispersed immediately.

Their unnatural movements surprised me. The ones who left were westerners with yellowish-brown and ivory skin, and their faces were filled with hostility and fear.

The six guards watched them depart, then turned and left too.

「That’s all I have to say. You have no problems with that, right? If anything happens, I will really arrest you all.」

The head guard left with that parting shot.

The guests all looked indignant and kept quiet as the guards headed to the north. Normally, the guards would return to the guardhouse on the south. They were probably going directly to the northern entrance to patrol.

Could just six guards ward off the assault of the vicious criminals? I only had four escorts with me, but I didn’t think the six soldiers would be more effective than us.

「Hi, sorry for the commotion. Please don’t mind and start doing your business.」

We pushed the cart to our usual spots, and Arudas said to us with a smile.

He didn’t seem too guarded at the sight of Ai Fa and the others. That made me relieved and I asked:

「What happened?」

「Well, we were waiting for you to set up shop when those guards came over. They told us:『Felons had escaped from the Forest's Edge and might come near this stall. Those who value their lives should leave at once.』」

「… I see, so that’s what happened.」

They ordered the denizens of Forest's Edge to 「continue with business」, but warned the residents to 「leave at once」. So Pyschkurewuss just wanted us to play the role of bait and didn’t care about the tense relationship between the Forest's Edge and Post Station Town.

I became even more moody.

「We ignored them and continued queueing, but the westerners who heard them became agitated and demand them to bar dangerous individuals like you from the Post Station Town. My southern brethrens were enraged by this and refuted them, and the commotion intensified.」

My heart grew heavy as I listened.

Arudas laughed heartily:

「Don’t show such a face. We already resolved the issue, and no one was taken away by the guards. When they heard me shout:『You can’t eat the delicious food if you keep arguing』, all of them quieted down. Only the westerners remained rowdy to the very end.」

「Hmmp, the westerners are more timid than anyone else. They are fine business partners, but frustrating during times like this.」

Pops who was hidden behind Arudas’ large body suddenly popped out.

「They might have committed serious felonies, but there are just two outlaws, right? Why are they forgoing delicious food for those two? How retarded.」

「… Pops, think about it from our perspective. We can’t do any work if the guards take you away.」

Arudas said resignedly, and Pops grunted again.

「Enough about that, I have something important to say. Hey, brat!」

「Y-Yes!?」

「I ate the dinner provided by the inn! If I eat it together with fruit wine, the meal will cost me seven red copper plates!」

「Ehh? Isn’t one portion five red copper plates?」

「One bottle of fruit wine isn’t enough! What’s with that dish!?」

「… Is it not to your liking?」

I asked worriedly, and he yelled:

「That’s impossible!」

「Pops, don’t be so loud. What if the guards come back?」

「Who gives a damn about them!? Since you have Tau sauce, why didn’t you use it in the other dishes!? What is going on here!? You think it’s funny seeing us so confused?」

「I-I’m not trying to do that. I only learned of the Tau sauce’s existence after visiting the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》.」

「What? You made such a delicious dish after using Tau sauce for the first time?」

Arudas was dumbstruck.

I chopped some tino as I shook my head.

「No, my hometown has a seasoning similar to Tau sauce, so I chose to make that dish. Do you like it?」

「I love it. To us, Tau sauce has the taste of home… But we have never tasted something so delicious back in my hometown.」

Arudas smiled with satisfaction.

Pops leaned forth from his side.

「Oh right, I don’t know your name. I’m Balan of Nerva.」

「I’m Asuta of the Fa house, a denizen of Forest's Edge.」

「Asuta of the Fa house, huh… Asuta, if you ever get the chance to visit Jaguar, do come to Nerva. Just mention the architect Balan, almost everyone there knows me.」

「Eh? O-Okay.」

「… And if you plan to build a house in the future, do contact me, I will build a grand house for you at a price better than the other architects.」

After saying that, Pops crossed his arm and held his chest high proudly.

「Alright then, when will the food be done? You made us wait for so long today, I’m starving!」

「Yes! Right away!」

Pops and the others had the same attitude towards us. No, after I started selling meals at the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》, they seemed friendlier to me.

The customers behind were the same too. Be it the frank and forthright southerners, or the calm and collected easterners, no one thought much about the matter of Zattsu Tsun.

However, the gulf between us and the westerners had grown deeper.

Uncle Dora and the others were very worried about our safety. As for those who had been buying kiba dishes all along, they weren’t too concerned. However, the westerners who harbored doubts about the denizens of Forest's Edge were freaked out.

That might be so— but since we have decided to do this, we will have to do it properly.

News of the Forest's Edge felons had spread throughout the city. Since they had seen our shameful and unsightly side, we had to do our best to prove our innocence.

This line of thought was similar to the superficial words said by Pyschkurewuss. Since the denizens of Forest's Edge allowed the Tsun clan fall into depravity unabated, we had to take responsibility. With that in mind, this might be a tribulation that the denizens of Forest's Edge had to face— a road to redemption.

「… Asuta, can you really cook delicious meal with such a sour face?」

Ai Fa whispered into my ears.

「Don’t worry, if the vicious criminals appear, we will deal with them swiftly.」

Ludo Wu and the others had retreated into the woods before I realized it, and only Ai Fa was left behind.

I looked at Ai Fa’s brave expression and nodded:

「I understand. Shela Wu, I’m counting on you.」

「Yes.」

Shela Wu tossed the aria into the griddle, and we opened for business.

6

Right before noon, Rii Sudora reached the stall on time.

She brought four men from the Sudora house with her.

「Sorry for the wait, I will be in your care today too.」

Her face didn’t look any different but the house head standing beside her looked nervous.

「Head of the Fa house, there have been no signs of the vicious criminals so far.」

「It’s great that you are all safe.」

「Yes, we will protect our brethrens with our lives.」

The head of the Sudora house looked like a monkey’s, and his sunken eyes were burning. His spouse Rii Sudora showed a calm smile.

「House head, if the men from Forest's Edge show their hunting faces, the residents in town won’t dare come near. Please restrain yourself.」

「Hmm? We can’t be so relaxed. The former head of the Tsun clan is all skin and bones, but he defeated the men of the Jean house. During the house head conference, I also realized that man from the Tsun clan branch house is formidable too. We need to have the resolve to die in battle.」

It was true that the head of the Sudora house was shorter than his wife and had a small build. It was rare seeing a man with such stature amongst all the hunks of Forest's Edge.

However, there was a grim determination on his face. With the way things had turned out, he could have asked his wife to help out after Zattsu Tsun got arrested, but he didn’t turn this job down and suggested being the escorts. All four men of the Sudora house were here, and the rest of the women were entrusted to the Wu clan village to seek refuge.

「Head of the Sudora house, the men from the Wu clan are hiding in the woods over there. They had set the assignment to watch the road and guard the rear, do consult them on your role.」

After hearing Ai Fa’s words, the head of the Sudora house nodded and led his posse to the woods at the back. In a short while, Vena Wu and I would need to head to the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》, Ai Fa and her entourage of four would escort us there. The four men of the Sudora house would stay behind and guard the women in the stall.

After the men from the Sudora house were gone, the men from the 《Silver Vase》 approached us.

「Welcome, thank you for your patronage even at a time like this.」

「Yes, wanted notice, we see… Asuta, okay?」

「We are fine, please be careful too. The wanted notice should have mentioned how dangerous the felons are.」

「Fine, we are. I worry, you. Guards say, attack you, they may.」

What the guards said probably resulted in the obvious drop in westerner customers. Even the crowd on the streets was less dense than usual.

Uncle Dora visited with Tara, but other regulars like Yumi didn’t patronize us. If we didn’t arrest the vicious criminals, the westerner residents would remain fearful and uneasy.

「Thank you. We are really fine, there are many powerful hunters protecting us.」

I tried to answer with a smile, but Shumimaru’s gaze remained serious.

He suddenly shifted his gaze to Ai Fa who was standing beside the stall.

「… House head, me, 《Silver Vase》 band leader, Shumimaru Jiz Sadumutino.」

「Hmm?」

Ai Fa was standing between the two stalls and watching the people passing by, but she was looking at Shumimaru puzzledly now.

「By house head, you mean me? I don’t know you.」

「Asuta, tell me. You tell me, name?」

Ai Fa frowned and sized up Shumimaru.

「I’m Ai Fa of the Fa house. Sorry, but I don’t have time to chat.」

「Ai Fa, name good… you, Asuta protect?」

「… Yes, the house head has to protect her family member.」

Ai Fa answered and returned her gaze to the road. Ai Fa’s role was to stay on the front lines and look out for suspicious characters in the crowd.

「Please, Asuta protect. Cherish him, I, a lot.」

Ai Fa glanced at Shumimaru again.

「… I don’t need anyone to tell me that, I will protect him.」

「Thank you.」

Shumimaru narrowed his eyes a little, thanked her quietly, and then looked at the other stall.

Vena Wu was working hard as usual.

So she was special to Shumimaru after all.

Shumimaru didn’t reveal his feelings and left with his food.

「Asuta, that Semu man is very worried about you. Did you know him before this?」

Lala Wu was tending to the 『Kiba burger』 stall with me, and she asked me with an incredulous expression.

「No, we don’t really know each other. We got acquainted when he bought my food.」

「Hmmp, that’s weird… Never mind, your relationship with the Wu clan started in the same way. So it isn’t that strange after all.」

That’s true. My friendship with others always started with these simple dishes.

Shumimaru was very close to me, and I also cherished my friendship with Pops Balan, whose name I just learned today, and Arudas.

We only chatted for a few minutes every day, but that was still a bond between us. With the passage of time, our bonds grew stronger. And that was how I managed to survive in this different world.

After a short while, when it was almost time for me to head to the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》, Kaslan Lutim, Dali Sauti and a man from the Sauti clan appeared before us.

「Ah, good morning, how was the meeting with Kamyua Yost?」

「The work tomorrow remains unchanged. As expected, they claimed that they don’t need any escorts.」

「Don’t need escorts?」

Tomorrow, the denizens of Forest's Edge will guide Zashuma’s caravan through the forest. And, of course, we couldn’t halt this grand project. But why wouldn’t they need escorts?

「We don’t know what Zattsu Tsun will do, so we proposed sending all the men from the Sauti clan to escort them. But they said that they just need the denizens of Forest's Edge to act as their guides, so just the four men that were agreed in the first place will be fine.」

「But… wouldn’t that be dangerous?」

「Yes, but there are only two vicious criminals, so sending four men will be adequate. But when we suggested increasing the number of helpers just to be safe, they thought we were being too nosey and turned us down. I hate the Genos castle people after all.」

Dali Sauti answered.

He was taller than Kaslan Lutim and as buff as Donda Wu. Although his face looked kind and gentle, his outstanding looks made him suitable for the crucial position of tribal chief. He should be slightly older than Kaslan Lutim.

He used to give me the impression of being warm and approachable, but he tended to tense up during an emergency. It was difficult for him to negotiate with Kamyua Yost given the current circumstances.

「He has his own pride and self-esteem. After all, the job of a 《Guardian》 is to protect caravans, so he wouldn’t want others to get in the way of his job.」

「How unpleasant. Could it be that they are just like those people from Genos castle and want to apprehend the criminals by themselves?」

I wasn’t sure about that. I didn’t think that the relationship between Kamyua Yost and Pyschkurewuss was anywhere close to being cordial.

Did Kamyua Yost want to apprehend the Tsun clan felons by himself?— I couldn’t grasp the thoughts of that man who kept pretending to be retarded.

「Anyway, there would be five 《Guardians》 protecting the 18-men caravan. They probably don’t need to worry about just two vicious criminals… If anyone from the caravan dies or there is any damage to the cargo, the 《Guardians》 will bear full responsibility, so we don’t need to be concerned.」

「I see, since Kamyua Yost insisted on that, it should be fine.」

Kamyua Yost and that man who concealed his appearance with bandages, Han of Dabag… Aside from them, there were three other 《Guardians》. After adding in the four men from Forest's Edge led by Dali Sauti, they wouldn’t lose to the vicious criminals so easily. And if the two vicious criminals could really defeat them, then the escorts guarding the stalls wouldn’t stand a chance either.

「Well then, we need to report this to Donda Wu, so we are going back to Forest's Edge now… Asuta, please be careful.」

And finally, Kaslan Lutim looked at me with his strong gaze and left together with Dali Sauti and the others.

「Should we go as well?. Shela Wu, please hold the fort.」

「Yes, stay safe on your way there.」

Me, Vena Wu, Ai Fa, and the three hunters who appeared from the woods left the stall together. We bought the necessary vegetables on the way there and were basked in more gazes than usual on our way to the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》.

「We didn’t divide our tasks yet. We will need a sentry at the front and back entrances, someone to rove and watch the surroundings, and a bodyguard to go inside with Asuta.」

This was a surprise, but the youngest, Ludo Wu, showed his leadership skills while performing the escort duties.

「Ai Fa should stand at the front door, the rest can just take whatever roles that are left.」

「Wait, why am I the front door’s sentry? I want to go inside the building.」

「Hmm? But the westerners won’t dare to come in if we place a male sentry here, right? That uncle at the inn earlier also showed an annoyed face.」

We already reported the matter about the vicious criminals to Naudiz in the morning. I also informed him that the hunters from Forest's Edge would guard the inn just in case anything happened.

「But… I’m also an armed hunter. The westerners loathe all denizens of Forest's Edge and don’t discriminate between man and woman.」

「That’s not true. Ai Fa, men won’t avoid a pretty girl like you.」

「In that case, your face is as gentle as a woman’s too. And I’m taller than you.」

The air was getting tense; however, Rau Lei just laughed coldly:

「Head of the Fa house, that’s an interesting point. I’m the tallest among us all. I will get tired of staying in the same place, so I will be the rover and watch the surroundings. Decide on the other roles however you like.」

「This has nothing to do with height! Besides, I’m almost the same height as Ai Fa!」

「… I’m a bit taller than you.」

「And I’m about her height too.」

「Shin Wu! You are mocking my height too!?」

「I didn’t say that. You are a better hunter than me anyway.」

As they continued to argue, we arrived at the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》.

「… I don’t want to go inside a Post Station Town building, so I will guard the back door.」

After Shin Wu retired from the battle royale, Rau Lei also disappeared after saying:「I will blow the grass whistle if anything happens.」

Only Ai Fa and Ludo Wu were left. They glared at each other, and the air was getting heated.

「… Hey, Asuta, you know the Post Station Town the best, so you decide…」

Vena Wu proposed reluctantly, and Ludo Wu shouted childishly:「He will definitely pick Ai Fa!」

We shouldn’t loiter before the inn, and they were pushing me to speak up too. I felt lethargic when I thought of Ai Fa’s feelings.

「If I have to choose, I think Ai Fa is more suited for the role outside… Is that fine?」

As I expected, Ai Fa was stunned and just stood there.

「… But why?」

「Like what Ludo Wu said, westerners often lodge in this inn, so I want to avoid agitating them. This was the reason why I asked you to stay in the stall earlier.」

「You are… right…」

Ai Fa’s face turned more and more sullen, and the strength-deprived eyes looked apologetically at Ludo Wu.

「… I see. I’m thinking only about myself and didn’t make the right judgment. It’s my fault for insisting on doing things my way.」

「Hmm? You don’t need to apologize for such trivial matters.」

「… But I’m still taller than you.」

「Shut up! So what!」

「Nothing. It’s painful for me, so I just wanted to jab at you a little.」

Ai Fa walked along the wall and sat down heavily about 3 meters from the inn entrance. She didn’t cross her legs and hugged her knees childishly instead. She looked at the streets with gloomy eyes.

「I will watch the streets from here… Asuta.」

「Yes!」

「… Work hard.」

「… Okay.」

Why was there a sense of guilt welling up in my chest?

I swallowed the umpteenth sigh of today, then pushed open the doors with the Wu clan siblings.

「Oh, Asuta, I was waiting for you.」

Naudiz was sitting at the counter and received us with a gentle smile. He already met the men from Forest's Edge this morning, and only Ludo Wu was left now, so he wasn’t tensed at all.

「Well then, I will be counting on you today too. I’m relieved that you have reached safely.」

「Sorry for the trouble because of our issues. And thank you for agreeing to the hunters of Forest's Edge guarding the premises.」

「You’re welcome, since the dangerous felons are on the loose, having people guard the inn will put me at ease too. As the felons are from the Forest's Edge, the guards from the Post Station Town won’t too dependable.」

He wouldn’t need to worry about Zattsu Tsun attacking his inn if he just barred me from entering. But he still wanted me to continue my work as per the contract. I felt guilty and moved at the same time.

「There wasn’t much time in the morning, so I didn’t tell you the details. But dinner last night was very well-received. They were completely sold out, nothing was left.」

「I see, that’s a relief. So you managed to sell it even after setting the price to five red copper plates.」

「That’s right, I followed your suggestion and sold half portions of 『Braised kiba』 without fuwano at two red copper plates. So people who had never tried this dish and were reluctant to fork out five red copper plates could order it easily.」

Naudiz had a face of satisfaction.

I laid out the kiba meat that was left here for safekeeping and answered with a smile:

「Speaking of which, what is the ratio of the customers? Did any westerner order that dish?」

「Of course. There are many westerners lodging here for the sake of the kiba dish… but I don’t know what will happen in the future though.」

I couldn’t tell either.

The number of westerner customers at our stall had plummeted too. They were worried about being dragged into trouble if they came near us. But this incident shouldn’t affect the sales in the inn too much. If the westerners discriminated the denizens of Forest's Edge because of this incident, it would have drastic effects.

「… Never mind, let’s bear with it before the felons are apprehended. Just the southerner customers will buy out everything. I’m counting on you in the future too.」

With that, Naudiz turned and left. He didn’t show it, but the presence of Ludo Wu still unnerved him.

「Sigh〜, who knows when the enemy will show up, it’s boring to just wait. And I can’t let my guard down either, my shoulder is aching from the tension.」

Ludo Wu stretched his back and started grumbling.

「It’s fine for just one or two days, visiting the town is fun too. But it will be terrible if this continues for ten or twenty days. The Sudora house will run out of food to eat.」

「It won’t drag on that long, right? It will be troubling if this goes on for ten or more days.」

「But they might die even before appearing before us. If they encounter a kiba and die, they will be eaten by the Munto. Then how long do we have to keep up with this?」

Indeed, that could be possible.

Spending a night in the forest was dangerous. The deathly ill Zattsu Tsun and the aging Tay Tsun didn’t have any supplies with them and could die quietly in the woods. If that happened, we would live in fear of their phantoms forever.

Just how much trouble did Zattsu Tsun plan to cause us? I didn’t stop my hands as I cooked and thought about what Yamiel Lei once said— 「Zattsu Tsun is like a venom…」

Two and a half hours later, my work in the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 completed smoothly.

There wasn’t any good or grave news. When we left the inn and returned to the 《Kimyusu’s Tail Inn》, the stalls were already there. Shela Wu and the others already purchased the necessities for tomorrow and were waiting for us.

「We didn’t sell everything today. The 『Kiba burgers』 were sold out, but we only sold about 80 portions of 『Myam-roasted meat』.」

The sales weren’t important, the important thing was that we made it through the day safely… That was what I wanted to say, but there was still satisfaction in my heart.

No matter what, we had to return the cart first. As I was opening the door, I heard hysterical voices coming from the inn.

「Stop renting your carts to those people! Everything will be fine if they don’t enter the Post Station Town, right!?」

I grew stiff.

『Those people』… They were referring to us, of course.

「The Genos castle people are spoiling the denizens of Forest's Edge too much!」

「We don’t want to be caught in the crossfire!」

「If you don’t rent them the carts, they won’t be able to continue with business, just refund them the cart rental fee!」

The voices came from a group of unfamiliar men.

When they all quieted down, Milano Mast used the chance to speak:

「… Even if I break the contract, other inns like the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》 will rent them carts. Since the Genos castle permits them to continue running their stalls, there’s no point arguing about this.」

「Even so, we don’t need to let everything go their way, right!?」

「You want the rental fee that badly?」

「You are also… No, amongst us, you are the one who hates the denizens of Forest's Edge the most, correct?」

The next instant, there was a loud bang.

Someone hammered a table or wall.

「The incident with my friend has nothing to do with this! The ones pissing me off right now are you people, not the denizens of Forest's Edge! Are you done!? Then get lost! Don’t disrupt my business!」

I backed away from the door quickly.

The men pushed open the door from the inside and rushed out. They then yelped and stood there stiffly.

They had to be freaking out after seeing more than ten denizens of Forest's Edge lining up in front of the door. This group of men had yellowish-brown skin and looked like merchants. Their faces were twisted from despair, and they were quivering.

I was the only one who overheard them. Lala Wu and Ludo Wu who were beside me looked surprised.

「… Excuse me, we need to go in, can you let us pass?」

I tried to speak as calmly possible, and the men fled like spooked rabbits.

After watching them leave, I wanted to walk forth again, and the peeved Milano Mast opened the door from the inside and appeared before us.

「What, you done with your business already? Don’t crowd at my door, it gets in the way.」

「Yes, sorry.」

We didn’t need too many people to push the carts, so the four escorts and I pushed it to the back of the inn under Milano Mast’s lead.

「Excuse me… Will you still rent the carts to us tomorrow?」

I asked as I pushed the cart, and Milano Mast threw a sideway glance at me.

「I already told you before. If the cart gets damaged from any mishaps, you will need to compensate me. Anything else you need me to explain?」

「There’s nothing… Thank you.」

And of course, he grunted unhappily after I said that.

When we reached the warehouse at the back of the inn, a tall scrawny blonde man was waiting for us to come there.

「Hi, thank you for the hard work. And thanks for the delicious meal earlier too.」

「What are you doing here?」

Milano Mast asked in surprise, and Kamyua Yost smiled casually.

「Nothing, I’m just waiting for Asuta here in order not to miss him. If I rest in the restaurant, I might doze off.」

This was the first time I met Kamyua Yost today. Since he ate the food from the stall, he must have visited when I went to the 《Big Tree of the South Inn》.

「I’m happy to see you, Kamyua. It seems that you can set off as scheduled tomorrow.」

「Yes, that’s why I’m here to greet you. We will be setting off first thing in the morning, and it will be at least two months before we come back.」

Two months… I had only been here for 50-odd days, so it was hard for me to imagine such a long period of time.

Recently, the relationship between Forest's Edge and Genos had become complicated. Was Kamyua Yost’s leaving a good thing? I couldn’t tell. No matter what, his departure was inevitable, so the people staying behind would have to settle these problems ourselves.

「By the way, I heard you turned down their offer to increase the manpower? Is it really safe?」

「Hmm? Yes, of course! It’s just two felons, there’s nothing to worry about…! Besides, the outlaws who lost their minds and fled from the Forest's Edge settlement don’t have any reasons to assault us, right?」

「No, it’s exactly because they lost their senses that we don’t know what they will do… And it is very possible that they will attack the caravan.」

「Ehh, why?」

Kamyua Yost’s eyes sparkled and he looked excited. But I was worried since Milano Mast was present too. This matter had nothing to do with him, but he might not want to hear me mentioning the criminals from Forest's Edge.

Milano Mast checked the carts for damage nonchalantly.

「… Someone in the Tsun clan mentioned something strange before. According to her, people live for the sake of earning copper plates, and since the richest clan in Forest's Edge is the Tsun clan, the head of the Tsun clan is the strongest brave… I think the former clan head passed down these twisted values to the members of the Tsun clan main house.」

「Hmm? It means that in the eyes of the former clan head, the caravan and its valuable cargo is the most suitable prey? What an interesting idea.」

「It would be great if this is just an interesting matter. However, the wanted fugitive, former clan head, said that he wants to 『Return the Tsun clan to power』. I think his goal is to obtain more wealth and not attack enemy factions like the Wu clan and Fa house.」

「Haha, but even if he gets more wealth, can he return the Tsun clan back to power?」

「That’s impossible. Only the former clan head is harboring such thoughts. Most of the denizens of Forest's Edge think excessive wealth is unnecessary and only want enough to sustain themselves.」

「How intriguing. I wish I could chat more with you before I set off to Semu.」

Kamyua Yost showed a lonely smile.

「I understand. So the former clan head who had turned into a felon might assault the caravan. I’m really pumped now… This might sound arrogant, but the job of a 《Guardian》 is to deal with such transgressions. It will be boring if the trip is too uneventful.」

He looked at the hunters of Forest's Edge with his purple eyes.

Ai Fa, Ludo Wu, Shin Wu and Rau Lei— they were observing every move of this man who was pretending to be retarded.

「The residents of Rock City might defeat the former tribal chief of Forest's Edge. You won’t hold a grudge against us for that, correct?」

「Of course, we won’t. It might be a little infuriating, but we won’t ask you to not defend yourself… No matter who your opponent might be, you probably can cut them in half.」

Ludo Wu replied.

「Not really.」

Kamyua Yost waved his slender arms.

「If possible, I want to take him alive. But my comrades are more violent, so I’m happy to hear you say that… But the former tribal chief might still attack Asuta, so let’s pray for the safety of both of us.」

「That’s right. Let’s meet again two months later.」

After I answered, Milano Mast finally left the carts.

「There doesn’t seem to be any damage… If there’s nothing else, scram.」

「Yes, thank you.」

Milano Mast didn’t even look at me.

As expected, he didn’t want to hear us mention about the criminals. I felt an ache in my heart and turned towards Kamyua Yost.

「Have a safe trip, Kamyua.」

「Yes, you stay safe too. Farewell, Ai Fa.」

Ai Fa acknowledged him with a cold gaze, and we ended the short chat with Kamyua Yost.

If one of us met with any misfortune, this would be a farewell for forever— but this felt unreal to me.

On our way back, a figure broke through the crowd and charged towards me. Ai Fa stood in front of me right away, but that person wasn’t the vicious criminals, but Yumi from the 《West Wind Inn》.

「Asuta, sorry! It’s because my retarded father won’t let me visit your stall!」

She charged over at full speed and clung to my chest.

「Ehh? W-What happened to your father?」:

I answered after noticing Ai Fa narrowing her eyes icily.

「It’s because of the commotion about the criminals from Forest's Edge! So my dad won’t let me leave the house! He went out just now, so I sneaked out, but you have already closed…」

「Y-Yeah, our opening hours are over.」

「That’s right. So I… uwah, what are you people doing!」

Yumi just noticed the presence of Ludo Wu and the others and clung even harder onto my chest.

We had not met up with the others yet, so there were only four hunters present. But that was enough to invoke fear and wariness in Yumi. She was usually strong and confident, but she was shivering and clinging to my chest right now.

「I-It’s fine. They are with me… Erm, this is a regular patron of the stall, she is the daughter of the 《West Wind Inn》.」

Ludo Wu and Shin Wu had dubious expressions, while Rau Lei showed a blank face. As for Ai Fa— she was expressionless, and her half-closed eyes were ice-cold.

Yumi looked at them timidly.

「Y-You are Asuta’s friends, right? Sorry, I was just surprised. This is the first time I saw so many men from the Forest's Edge…」

「The men of Forest's Edge don’t visit the town often… So what’s the matter?」

「Hmm? Oh right! I just wanted to apologize for not visiting today! It’s great that I got to meet you.」

She finally pulled away from me, but she was still grabbing onto my T-shirt and looked at me worriedly.

「Apologize…? You don’t need to do that for something so trivial though.」

「But I don’t want you to misunderstand! I won’t look at you any differently even if the other denizens of Forest's Edge commit misdeeds…! You will come tomorrow, right? You won’t disappear, right?」

「A-Alright. I plan to set up shop tomorrow too…」

「I see. That’s good… There are people who are stubborn like my dad, but there are those who can differentiate right from wrong too! Please don’t hate the Post Station Town because of that, okay?」

「… If someone tells me that, I won’t hate this place.」

Yumi smiled cheerfully.

Ai Fa’s gaze was sharp enough to hurt me, but I felt my heart being soothed completely.

During the 14th of the Blue month, there were signs of trouble, but the day ended peacefully… And finally came this day.

On the 15th of the Blue month, a 20-odd-men strong caravan would pass through the Forest's Edge settlement and head to the eastern kingdom of Semu.

The same day, I finally met a certain person.

This man was the origin of all evil, the reason for the depravity of the Tsun clan— the former clan head of the Tsun clan, Zattsu Tsun.

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