Chapter 3: An Unacceptable Omen

1

A great deal had happened over the course of the first day of the white month, but it had ultimately come to a peaceful close.

However, as if payment was required for that calm, my next several days ended up full of trouble.

And that was nothing but an appetizer before the great tumult still to come.

If that star diviner from Sym who was one of Shumiral’s comrades were still around, just what sort of fate would he see lying ahead of us?

It wasn’t as if anyone would lose their lives like with the incident several days back, but blood would definitely be shed.

And also, it would absolutely be a huge turning point for the whole of Genos, the forest’s edge included.

I would like to think that I pushed things towards the better in the end, but along the way I would be shaken every bit as much as I had been during the events with Zattsu and Tei Suun.

◇

“Huh? Is your dad taking time off today?”

It was currently morning, and I was in the post town.

I had gone to purchase the vegetables I needed as always, only to find Dora’s son manning the stall in his place.

Around once every ten days or so, Dora wouldn’t be running his shop. On those days, one of the man’s two sons would fill in.

Dora apparently ran a large plantation alongside four other farmers, and he was left entirely in charge of selling their produce in the post town. He would spend half of each day here in town, and the remainder of his time on tending to and harvesting his crops. Honestly, he seemed to be just as diligent of a worker as the people of the forest’s edge.

Well, at any rate, this certainly wasn’t my first time seeing his son here... but it seemed that something was different about today. The youth had a firm build with a homely face, and a real serious look in his eyes as he whispered to me, “Dad got a little hurt, so he’ll be taking a few days off work... Actually, some bandits went after our storehouse last night.”

“Huh?!” I shouted out in shock, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say. The sudden bad news about an attack that left Dora injured made my brain completely freeze up.

“There’s no need to worry. He got hit in the shoulder with a club or something, which injured his muscles a bit. But he should be able to move again just fine after a few days of rest,” the youth, Dora’s son and Tara’s older brother, continued on in a quiet tone.

He was right around my age, and he had a calm disposition and a favorable opinion of the people of the forest’s edge. However, unsurprisingly his light brown eyes were full of concern today.

“I have a message from my dad, too. Apparently, the bandits wore giba pelt cloaks.”

“Giba pelt... cloaks?”

In other words, what the hunters of the forest’s edge wore.

Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu had been listening along, and now leaned in on either side of me with serious looks on their faces.

“And from what I heard, they had horn and tusk necklaces dangling in front of their chests too. He said it was hard to see since it was dark out, though... In other words, the bandits were dressed so that folks would mistake them for people of the forest’s edge.”

“That’s an amusing story, there. So, what about their faces...? For the most part, you should be able to tell people of the forest’s edge from townsfolk just by seeing their faces and skin color, right?” Ludo Ruu asked, but the youth shook his head.

“He said they had cloth or something wrapped around their faces. And as for their skin, he couldn’t quite tell because well-tanned townsfolk aren’t all that different from the people of the forest’s edge. At any rate, they did it when there was hardly any light out...”

“Hmm, yeah, that sure is something,” Ludo Ruu said, the look of a hunter flickering in his eyes.

At that, the youth went just a bit paler and looked like he was about to shrink away.

“Anyway, Dad was worried that somebody was trying to pin their thievery on the people of the forest’s edge. And so, he wants you all to take care. Um, also, there’s just one thing I’d like to confirm,” he said, a tense look on his face as he leaned forward. “All the criminals at the forest’s edge really were judged, right? There’s not anybody out there committing crimes without you knowing, yeah?”

“The people of the forest’s edge have all firmly sworn to live properly and without bringing anyone shame, after the huge shock of finding out about the leading clan’s crimes. I can’t say I’m personally familiar with each and every member of the hundreds living at the forest’s edge, but I’ve never once doubted that determination,” I replied, finally getting over my surprise.

Though my head was clearing up, I could feel a passionate rage swirling in the pit of my stomach.

“On top of that, to give you a reason that’s a little more concrete... Pillaging the fruits of the forest was a crime that most other clans wouldn’t easily notice, but now that the Suun’s deeds have been brought to light, I can’t imagine anyone at the forest’s edge would dare take a foolish risk like going after a farm.”

“Yeah, that’s true... Sorry. The truth is, the folks from the other houses who work our plantation were blaming the people of the forest’s edge right from the start, and we’ve been arguing with them. If it turned out some of your people really were behind it after all, it’d put my dad in a really bad position...”

“My old man is one of the new leading clan heads. I can’t imagine there’s anyone carrying out crimes at the forest’s edge without him knowing,” Ludo Ruu interjected. “Even if someone was stupid enough to think something like ‘Pillaging the fruits of the forest would damage my pride, but I can’t stand those townsfolk so let’s go after their plantation!’ they’d change their minds as soon as they imagined my old man or Gulaf Zaza raging at them,” he added in just as relaxed of a tone as always.

However, he was probably filled with even more intense anger inside than I was at the moment. After all, his pale eyes were still quite clearly those of a hunter.

The youth murmured, “Ah...” as he went pale and retreated backwards. And when he saw that, Ludo Ruu awkwardly rustled his blond hair.

“Did I scare you there? Sorry about that.”

“N-No...”

“I’d certainly like to try to live up to your trust there, so be sure to tell your old man thanks for worrying about us, alright. Ah, and that little runt wasn’t in any danger, right...?”

“R-Runt? Do you mean Tara? She’s helping take care of our dad. But once he’s all better, I’d imagine she’ll come to town again...”

“Got it, thanks. Hey, Shin Ruu...”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry, but could you get on Ruuruu and go let my old man know about this?”

“Understood.”

With the same calm look on his face as always, Shin Ruu pulled on Ruuruu’s reins and headed back the way we had come.

And as for us, we just had to keep on focusing on our own work.

However, Ai Fa asked one more question of the youth, wearing a pensive look as she did so.

“By the way, how many of those villains clad in the attire of the forest’s edge were there?”

“Huh? My dad said he saw three of them.”

With that, the conversation came to a close.

◇

“Ugh, what an irritating story!” Ludo Ruu grumbled as we got a breather after the morning rush.

Vina Ruu and I were currently taking a short break, while Ludo Ruu and Ai Fa were guarding us. Of course we weren’t just going to fill our own stomachs, so they were holding half-sized myamuu giba, too.

As he bit into the dish looking almost desperate, Ludo Ruu added, “This is clearly the work of someone from town or the castle, no matter how you look at it. After all, if they really were hunters of the forest’s edge, then they would’ve hid that clothing before hiding their faces! It’s such an obvious scheme, right, Asuta?”

“Yeah. But it might still prove seriously effective even so. The relationship between the forest’s edge and the post town is still unstable, so if this story spreads, it could be like the last incident all over again,” I replied while standing beside the wagon in the open space behind the stall, also filling my belly.

By ‘the last incident,’ I naturally meant all that stuff with the Suun clan. When Zattsu Suun himself spoke of the truth behind the mass murder ten years back, the people of the post town were gripped by powerful fear and wariness.

“But Dora’s got no choice but to report the facts to the guards as they happened, so it’ll definitely spread. The real issue is how the townsfolk will take it. Still, if this is a trap to bring down the people of the forest’s edge, then who exactly is behind it...?”

“Huh? It’s gotta be that Cyclaeus noble, right? Who else is there?”

“There’s one more possibility. Somebody else with a deep grudge against the people of the forest’s edge...”

“Oh, that red-headed brat Jeeda, huh...?”

“Yeah. And when you think about it, wouldn’t this sort of plot be more fitting for him?”

Jeeda’s anger came from his father having crimes unjustly pinned on him. So it wouldn’t seem strange at all for him to want to get revenge by casting suspicion on the people of the forest’s edge.

And to start with, I couldn’t even see what Cyclaeus would stand to gain through such an act. I did feel such underhanded actions were more fitting to that deceitful noble than to Jeeda, but I still couldn’t imagine him doing so just to harass us.

“I’m concerned about the fact that there were three of them...” Ai Fa quietly stated after a short pause in the conversation. “That fits perfectly with the number of hunters that Kamyua Yoshu took out of Genos. Is that just a mere coincidence?”

“What’re you on about? Those guys he brought with him were from the Ruu branch houses. You’re not saying they betrayed us, are you, Ai Fa?”

“Of course I’m not. But think about it calmly, Ludo Ruu. My belief is that this may be some sort of plot to frame those three hunters...”

That idea caught me off guard.

If someone had harmed those three hunters who had left Genos, then we wouldn’t exactly get a chance to prove their innocence. And they were Ruu men at that. If things played out the way Ai Fa suspected, then trust in the Ruu clan could plummet, and Donda Ruu may even be dragged down from his position as one of the leading clan heads.

Then is it really Cyclaeus’s plot after all...?

Cyclaeus had already expressed doubt as to whether or not the current leading clan heads were suited to their roles. And since they were casting suspicion on him, he undoubtedly found them nuisances.

Still, even if Cyclaeus had somehow managed to learn Kamyua Yoshu was taking hunters of the forest’s edge out of Genos, would he have had a means of learning that they were from the Ruu clan?

I honestly didn’t know. All I had to offer at the moment was a mishmash of conjecture.

It could even just be some random bandits with nothing to do with Jeeda or Cyclaeus, trying to lay the blame for their crimes on the people of the forest’s edge. It’s all just guesses at this point, so I suppose there’s no point racking my brain over it now.

As I stifled a sigh, I glanced over at Vina Ruu, who had been silent for a while now.

The eldest Ruu daughter was leaning against the body of the wagon and hanging her head. In her right hand she held a partially eaten myamuu giba, while her left... her left was gently stroking the bracelet with the pink colored stone around her wrist.

It went without saying, but that was the one that Shumiral had given her as a present, to ward off disaster. Vina Ruu really did have her own concerns to deal with.

“Still, what should we even do, ultimately? Post guards to keep watch over the fields?” Ludo Ruu angrily asked.

“Keeping watch, huh...? I’d love it if we could, but plantations are pretty huge, right? Could the people of the forest’s edge really handle a task like that on their own?” I responded, the rage in the pit of my stomach bubbling up again.

Was it just a coincidence that the plantation Dora managed was the one hit, and not the numerous others in the area? I couldn’t help but feel concerned by that question.

On the off chance that he was targeted for showing kindness to the people of the forest’s edge, then I would never be able to apologize to Dora enough... And I could never, ever forgive the culprits for that. I couldn’t possibly accept the idea that a man who advocated for us more than anyone despite being a westerner could be sacrificed for the sake of some underhanded plot.

As more time passed and I composed myself outwardly, I could just feel the pure rage growing inside me further. My head was cooling off, and yet it was like burning hot magma was swirling about in my heart and guts. To be perfectly honest, I think the last time I got this mad may have been when Diga and Doddo carried away a sleeping Ai Fa as part of their plot.

“That’s quite a look in your eyes, Asuta...” Ai Fa said, suddenly grabbing my shoulder. “Your job is to make delicious food. Leave the troubling matters to us... And don’t go wearing the face of a hunter like that.”

Despite the fact that her gaze was calmer than mine or Ludo Ruu’s, I could still see the anger burning away in the depths of her eyes. It really was only natural that everyone found these methods utterly despicable.

As we all quietly burned with anger, the youth from the branch houses who had been watching from the thicket announced Zasshuma’s arrival. And so, Ludo Ruu and the boy went back to their guard duty, while Ai Fa and I circled around to the back of the wagon.

Zasshuma was already aware of what had happened last night. Apparently while we were busy working, the guards had put up a notice to inform the townsfolk.

“It was an ordinary notice, saying they were three bandits all dressed in the attire of the people of the forest’s edge, and that no one should act rashly until the facts are made clear. It’s essentially saying that there’s no evidence behind it, so if people cause a commotion like the other day, they’ll be severely punished. I’ll be going to the castle town after this to look into what my employer’s thinking...”

Naturally, that “employer” was Melfried. Kamyua Yoshu may have been the one to come up with the fundamentals behind the plan, but Melfried was the one who was ultimately providing the funding.

“Um, would it be possible to provide protection for the plantation that was robbed?”

“Protection? That’s a job for the militia. They’re in charge of protecting not just the fields, but all Genos land. And with the report that bandits went after the place, they should strengthen their guard.”

“But they’re under the command of Cyclaeus’s younger brother, aren’t they?”

“Even so, it’s not like they can just go relaxing their guard. If they did that, folks would start suspecting they were guiding the bandits. Hey, I’m just asking to be sure, but you’re not thinking of assigning guards from the forest’s edge, right...? If you did that and then some other plantation got attacked, it’d make for a real mess. After all, there’s a chance they could even be aiming to drag you folks out of the forest’s edge like that.”

“But...”

“I get it, already. I’ll stress to my employer that if he just leaves things be, those hot-blooded people of the forest’s edge will end up forming a vigilante group. With the ducal guards keeping watch, that’ll make those folks in the militia act all the more diligently,” Zasshuma stated, shooting me a look of great interest. “You sure are surprisingly stubborn. And that’s a nice look you’ve got in your eyes there, too.”

“It’s only logical to feel angry when one of your acquaintances is attacked, isn’t it...?”

“Hmph. Anyway, just leave the rough stuff to us. The more moves they make, the better a chance we’ll have to find an opening,” Zasshuma said, and then he turned and left.

Slapping my cheeks with both hands, I somehow got the violent emotions raging inside me under control, and then I returned to the stall.

And just like yesterday, I found Diel waiting there.

“Hey! I’ll take one again today, Asuta.”

It seemed like she didn’t know anything of the commotion in the post town, as she was smiling brightly again today. I suppose she hadn’t had a chance to hear about it since she was staying in the castle town.

It was only natural that I hadn’t seen Tara, but Yumi hadn’t shown up yet today either. Honestly, seeing the innocent smile of this girl who was so rich in emotions was actually helping soothe me.

“Hey, how long are you staying in the Genos castle town, anyway?” I asked.

“Hmm?” Diel responded with a cute tilt of her head while stuffing her face with myamuu giba. “I don’t know. It seems like we’ll really be able to expand our business this time around. So much so that if things go really well, we could even open a shop in the castle town.”

“A shop? And you don’t just mean a stall like this, right?”

“Yup. Apparently they’re discussing whether to hire a westerner to run the store and take orders for us in Nellwea. Then there wouldn’t be a need for us to keep running around like we do now. It’d be amazing if it actually happens... But unless it looks like we can earn quite a bit from it, we won’t be able to go forward with that plan,” she replied, scratching her nose while wearing a real business-like look. “Does that old noble guy have a lot of pull when it comes to stuff like that, though? It just feels shaky to me, having nobles get involved in business discussions.”

“Shaky?”

“Yeah. I mean, isn’t it dangerous for foreign nobles to be giving us such favorable treatment?”

I still didn’t know anything about the common sense or customs of this world, and so I didn’t have any response to that. However, I couldn’t say I much cared for the idea of Cyclaeus cozying up to Diel’s father, a wealthy merchant.

“Anyway, that’s what’s going on. Seems like we’ll be getting pretty busy from tomorrow on. And I think we’ll be in Genos for the time being, but it may be a bit before I can eat your cooking again,” Diel said with a look that reminded me of a puppy with drooping ears. Honestly, it made me feel a bit down, too.

“I see. I guess there’s no helping it if you’re busy with work, but that’s still certainly unfortunate.”

“Eh?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

For some reason, Diel looked truly bewildered by my response.

“Ah, no, you just sounded like you really meant that... Th-That was really unexpected. I figured you just thought of me as a nuisance...”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“What do you mean, ‘Why’s that?!’ It’d be weirder if I didn’t think that.”

Hmm, was that really the case?

It was true that I had the worst first impression imaginable, she had slugged me in the face twice now, and things seemed real touch and go between her and both Ai Fa and Yumi. So yeah, she was definitely a customer who had brought me a great deal of worries. But she had been coming to our stalls every single day, and on top of that she had gone out of her way to bring me that meat cutting knife. So in the end, I earnestly felt we had a good relationship.

“I never felt that way, at the very least. It makes you glad when someone’s taken by one of your products, right? In the same way, it makes me really happy that you travel all the way from the castle town each day to eat my cooking,” I replied with a bit of moderation.

Diel grinned at my words, looking truly overjoyed from the depths of her heart. Her beautiful jade-like eyes were brimming with happiness.

“Thanks. I hadn’t expected you to say that, but I’m really glad to hear it... Once work settles down again, I’ll definitely be back.”

“Right. I’ll be waiting.”

And so, Diel once again left with a spring in her step. Labis accompanied her as she went, ultimately not having said a single word the whole time.

In their place, though, Sanjura arrived. Ai Fa had just quietly stood there looking displeased while Diel was around, but now she wore a piercing glare.

“Welcome. Thanks for your continued business.”

By now, Sanjura was absolutely one of my regulars. After all, this made four days in a row of him showing up.

“I’ll take one again today, please,” Sanjura stated, acting just as calm and composed as always.

Actually, I couldn’t see any change in the air around the stalls in general. I figured if things were like before, everyone would’ve been shooting us skeptical glances once the news got out that there were bandits dressing like the people of the forest’s edge. Could I take that as our overall image having improved?

“I’m just glad to see you well, Asuta. What happened with that bandit child?”

Apparently that matter was still weighing more on Sanjura’s mind than the incident from last night.

“He hasn’t shown himself since then. Maybe he’s focusing on letting his injuries heal up for now?”

Ludo Ruu and the other guards hadn’t sensed any strange gazes either yesterday or today. While that was a relief on the one hand, it was also frustrating since things would never progress if we didn’t get a chance to talk to him.

And if he really was the one behind that attack on Dora, just how would I take that...? It would be a case of someone who hated the people of the forest’s edge due to an unjust event then turning around and using similarly unjust means to get revenge. If we didn’t sever that cycle of negativity as soon as possible, then I could only see tragedy looming in our future.

Perhaps that concern was showing on my face, as Sanjura’s eyebrows drooped a bit sadly.

“Did I do something I shouldn’t have back then? I cannot hold back, because I only have my left arm.”

I hurriedly waved my hands upon hearing that.

“You didn’t do anything wrong at all. Please, don’t worry about it! But wait, is your right arm still doing poorly...? It must be quite a serious injury, huh?”

“Yes. I cannot work, so I’m a little concerned right now, about money,” Sanjura said with a smile, his mood seemingly recovered.

Since he looked like he came from Sym, it sort of felt like what he was feeling was directly conveyed to me by any small movements in his expression.

At any rate, though, his grin soothed me just as much as Diel’s had.

“That sounds rough. By the way, what do you do for a living? You don’t really seem like a merchant.”

“I do anything and everything. But I’m better at using my strength, than my head, so I mostly do things like pulling stones, carrying luggage, and helping construction groups.”

“I see. So you travel from town to town, earning a living like that?”

Shumiral had said before that traveling was his life, and that he had been born into a tribe of nomadic people from the grasslands of Sym. Even if he was a child of the western god, perhaps such blood flowed through Sanjura’s veins too.

“So what have you been doing during the day? Ah, sorry if that was rude to ask...”

“During the day, I see the sights around town, while also looking for work. I’d like to get working again, as soon as my arm is healed. And I don’t come to Genos often, so I’m enjoying all the fresh sights.”

While eating his myamuu giba with his left hand, Sanjura tilted his head as if suddenly remembering something.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that you should not, enter the settlement at the forest’s edge without reason. Are people forbidden from going there?”

“No, it’s just that the forest’s edge has its own laws separate from those of Genos, so it could lead to an unfortunate incident if someone stepped foot in the place without properly understanding them. I believe that’s why townsfolk are given such warnings.”

“I see. In that case, I would like to study those laws, and visit the settlement at the forest’s edge,” Sanjura said without the slightest hint of ill will in his voice.

Suddenly, Ai Fa interjected, a look in her eyes that wasn’t calm in the least.

“Your name is Sanjura, isn’t it? You have nothing to gain from entering the settlement at the forest’s edge with no particular business in mind. Why do you say you wish to visit the place?”

“I have no reason in particular. I just like seeing how people live in places that are unfamiliar to me. From what I heard, the people of the forest’s edge are vicious folk who hunt, the vile beasts known as giba. But giba meat is delicious, and I’ve found the people from that place who I’ve met, quite charming. And so... I have an interest, in the people of the forest’s edge.”

Ai Fa was just guarded against Sanjura because he was supposedly quite skilled, but when faced with such a straightforward smile, she didn’t really have anything to say in response.

And so, with a pout she responded, “Start by learning the laws of the forest’s edge,” at which point Sanjura shot her back an even brighter grin before leaving.

As she ruffled her hair in frustration, Ai Fa shot me a glare as if she was venting her anger on me.

“What a truly bizarre man. Why do such strange folks seem drawn to you, Asuta?”

“Hmm? It’s not like I only ever attract oddballs. It’s just that the more unique folks tend to stand out from the crowd.”

“Yes, but it seems to be the unusual ones that you end up forming deep bonds with.”

“That’s also just how things look. And besides, wouldn’t that make you the most unusual one of all, Ai Fa...? I mean, I got close to you before anyone else,” I joked, only for the look on Ai Fa’s face to grow all the more troubled.

“I suppose I cannot deny the fact that I am unusual. After all, no one is seen as stranger than me in the whole of the settlement at the forest’s edge.”

“Really? I guess I should accept that I draw in strange folks then, and take pride in that fact.”

Under the shadow of the stall, Ai Fa kicked me in the leg.

It was around then that more folks from the forest’s edge arrived in quick succession: Li Sudra, as well as the young hunters from the Rutim and Lea.

“Sorry for the wait. I’ll take over here, Asuta.”

“Right, thanks. Um, did things seem alright in town...?”

They all must have already heard what was going on through Donda Ruu.

At any rate, Li Sudra calmly replied, “Yes,” with a nod. “There was just a bit more murmuring than usual, but people didn’t seem as on edge as they were before.”

After passing the baton at the stalls to the newcomers, I was able to see the truth of those words for myself.

It was definitely true that things were just a bit more noisy than usual. I could also sense uneasy gazes as well as a good number of folks turning their heads in surprise. However, we weren’t getting any clear looks of fear or anger.

Perhaps they were thinking that it was more than a little odd for people of the forest’s edge to be making trouble at the moment? Or maybe that even if some of our people were the culprits, that had nothing to do with those of us doing business here in the post town?

At any rate, we were able to make it to The Sledgehammer without ever feeling in danger, or even that something was out of place.

We had gone from the crowded stone highway to a sidepath, and then into the residential district where there weren’t many people around. And yet, Jeeda ultimately didn’t show himself today either. Maybe he really was intending to stay out of sight until his injuries from Sanjura healed...

I’d feel a lot better if we could at least settle things with him...

Anyway, once we arrived at The Sledgehammer, there was a bit of an argument. Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu just couldn’t agree on who should be the one to come into the kitchen. Now that I thought about it, they had the same sort of fight back during the whole incident with Zattsu and Tei Suun, too.

Ludo Ruu’s argument was that a woman like Ai Fa was more suited to standing in front of the inn’s entrance, since she was less likely to frighten the townsfolk. However, there weren’t many passersby through the area, and we almost never saw customers coming and leaving. And so, Ai Fa insisted that there was no need for her to be the one standing outside. Then in response, Ludo Ruu angrily retorted that he had already yielded the kitchen role to Shin Ruu just yesterday.

It seemed that ultimately, Ludo Ruu saw the role of keeping watch outside the shop as more important. He would normally take the job himself thanks to that, but he at least wanted to head into the kitchen when someone as skilled as Ai Fa was around.

“Besides, your face is cute like a woman’s, isn’t it?!”

“Yeah, but you’re a serious beauty, aren’t you?!”

Though the words themselves sounded pleasant enough, they were both deadly serious. And besides, neither of them liked it when people talked about their appearance, so things were only growing more and more intense.

“Um, why not have Ai Fa take The Sledgehammer’s kitchen while Ludo Ruu does it for The Great Southern Tree? That’d be nice and fair, right?” I proposed, which finally brought the squabble to a close.

Ai Fa was quite clearly in a good mood afterwards, while Ludo Ruu grumbled as he gave instructions to the other two hunters. I’m sure neither would like to hear it, but I honestly found their childish sides quite charming.

At any rate, when we finally set foot in The Sledgehammer, Nail rose from his reception desk and said, “Welcome, Asuta.” Rather than leading me into the kitchen like always, though, he pointed in another direction entirely. “You have a guest waiting over that way.”

“A guest? For me?”

“Yes. He says his name is Mikel of Turan. And he said that you would know him when I said that.”

Mikel of Turan.

So he finally showed up, I thought, tensing up.

This was the person Shumiral had searched out, who apparently knew of Cyclaeus’s crimes. And the star diviner had said that he would bring greater strength to the forest’s edge, too.

As a plain old layman, I had absolutely no idea what those words meant. But since it had been Shumiral and his comrade who had said them, I also certainly wasn’t going to take them lightly.

“This way,” Nail gestured, and I started walking in the direction he had pointed out. That was where the inn’s dining room was, which I had actually never entered before.

And honestly, I was more than a little surprised when I saw the man waiting for me there.

“Honored guest, Asuta of the Fa clan has arrived.”

“Hmm...?” the man looked up, seeming annoyed.

His face was wrinkled, and he looked to be past middle aged. Aside from how they were a bit filthy, there was nothing unusual about the cloth vest and cylindrical legged pants he had on. However... he had been slumped in the chair, snoring away with a bottle of fruit wine dangling from one hand.

“So you’re the crazy chef who’s been cooking with giba meat of all things, eh...? You’re just a little brat, aren’tcha?”

His face was bright red, and his speech seemed slurred.

In other words, this man was clearly dead drunk in the middle of the day.

2

Turan was the name of the domain in the northern part of Genos that Cyclaeus ruled over.

From what I heard, there were orchards there that were more valuable than the plantations to the south, so a wooden fence had been built around them to protect against giba, and on top of that the people there were worked like slaves to increase profits.

Maybe it was just my own preconceptions, but I figured more pretentious folks lived there than in the post town or plantations, and that they tended to live in luxury while leaving all the hard labor for their slaves.

However, this Mikel man was dressed even filthier than folks around the post town, and on top of that he was drunk in the middle of the day.

It wasn’t like he had all that seedy of a look about him. It was just that his vests and pants were strangely blackened, and he smelled like something burnt. Did he do some sort of work involving flames?

As for his age, he looked to be just under 50. While he had a pretty solid frame for a westerner, his face and arms were unusually bony. It made him look a little out of proportion overall, like he had a sturdy skeleton but little in the way of muscles.

There was some white mixed into his unkempt hair, his eyes were a dark brown, and his skin was quite tanned. He had a finely chiseled face, though his age was definitely starting to show in it.

However, that face was dyed red from drinking, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was half-collapsed on the wooden table, and a bottle of fruit wine dangled from his left hand as he glared at us. It was like he was the word “slovenly” personified.

“Hmph... Looks like I wasted my time coming here,” Mikel grumbled in a hoarse voice, taking a gulp of his wine. “Well, I’ve only got one thing to say regardless. Don’t go anywhere near Cyclaeus. Defying nobles will only lead you to ruin... Anyway, I’m off,” he added, swaying as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

“Ah, please hold on a moment,” I hurriedly yelled out. “You came to see me because of Shumiral, right? I’m certainly grateful for that, but I really don’t understand what’s going on.”

“There’s no need for you to get it. I’ve already done enough to pay my debt to that guy from Sym... So move it, kid.”

Now that he was standing, I finally realized that he was taller than me. Thanks to his drinking, though, he looked unsteady on his feet. In fact, if I just gave him a little nudge, he’d probably fall right over.

Even so, Ai Fa remained cautious, her hand on her blade’s grip as she carefully observed the man.

“At any rate, it’s not like Cyclaeus will be paying attention to a brat like you anyway... I don’t care if it’s giba or giiz cooking or whatever, just go ahead and keep on earning your coins like you have been.”

“It’s not like I’m picking a fight with Cyclaeus as a chef or anything... Um, what did Shumiral tell you, anyway?”

As he placed his right hand on the table to support his weight, Mikel of Turan’s cloudy, drunken gaze turned my way.

“That there’s a kid selling giba cooking in the post town, and that he may be feuding with Cyclaeus. And that he wanted me to loan you some wisdom. And so, I told you what I had to say. Don’t go anywhere near Cyclaeus.”

“I’d like to avoid that if I could too, but... Didn’t you hear anything about the people of the forest’s edge?”

“They’re the only ones around who’d be selling giba meat of all things, obviously. Well, you look more like you were born in the west or east, but that’s got nothing to do with me,” Mikel stated, and then he cast a disinterested glance at Ai Fa and Vina Ruu. “Still, I’m impressed with you bringing women to work. You sure are one heck of a chef. Just keep on enjoying yourself there, kid.”

“She’s my cooking assistant, and she’s here as a bodyguard. I won’t deny that I enjoy my work, but I certainly wouldn’t say I’ve been making light of it,” I replied without thinking.

But Mikel just kept on drinking and said, “What do I care?”

As I forced back the hostility I could feel swelling up inside of me, I said in as calm of a tone as I could manage, “Err, Shumiral told me that you knew of the crimes Cyclaeus has committed, and that talking to you would prove helpful for the people of the forest’s edge. Would you mind if I asked for a bit more detail?”

“You sure are an eccentric one, kid. You’re just gonna find it unpleasant, y’know?” Mikel said in a harsh tone. Even so, he plopped himself back down in his chair.

Seeing that, Nail whispered to me, “Well then, I’ll be waiting over that way. Once you’re done talking, can I count on you to set about today’s work?”

“Ah, of course. Sorry about this. I’ll try to wrap it up as quickly as possible,” I replied to Nail with a bow before taking a seat in front of Mikel.

Unsurprisingly, Ai Fa chose to stand right behind me.

“That man, Cyclaeus, is so much of a gourmand it’s ridiculous...” Mikel started, holding his wine bottle in one hand. “He employs numerous chefs, runs expensive restaurants, and has food made in his own manors... And on top of all that, I’ve heard the chefs in Genos castle fall under his patronage. Everybody’s got an interest in eating tasty food, but for him, it’s like a sickness.”

“Cyclaeus is that obsessed with good food?”

“You didn’t even know that much? Thanks to that, most chefs in the castle town are mainly polishing their skills in the hopes of being acknowledged by him. After all, if you catch his eye you’re pretty much guaranteed success. Anyone who thinks otherwise is gonna end up ruined, sooner or later.”

“Ruined...”

“If a chef isn’t skilled then they’ll have to close up shop, and if they are, they’ll end up serving Cyclaeus. But if they have the skills and refuse to become Cyclaeus’s servant... They’ll either be cast out of Genos, or have their arm muscles severed so they can’t keep on living as a chef.”

“What...? Do they really allow something that insane to happen in the castle town?”

I could fill a hot lump burning intensely in the pit of my stomach as Mikel’s lips twisted into a grin that didn’t look amused in the least.

“Cyclaeus is a noble with authority second only to Duke Marstein, who rules this land. And over the past 20 years, his power and position have become completely unshakeable. You folks from the forest’s edge helped him out with that too, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“That incident from ten years back, where the envoys from Banarm were all wiped out... And the one where the leader of the militia was killed. You people of the forest’s edge got rid of those hindrances for Cyclaeus, right?”

Unsurprisingly, I was taken completely off guard by him saying that.

“Why do you know something like that?”

“Some of the soldiers who guard Cyclaeus let it slip at a bar. Booze tends to loosen lips, after all.”

Was he referring to the same soldiers who accompanied the man to the meeting with the leading clan heads?

Honestly, that sounded like good news for us, as it meant that some of his soldiers weren’t absolutely loyal to the man. And though Mikel’s words caught me off guard, I felt that ultimately everyone in Genos needed to learn of the truth behind those horrific murders.

“Anyway, thanks to that, there’s nobody in Genos who’d try to judge Cyclaeus for his crimes. Maybe things would be different if it was other nobles coming after him, but dealing with a chef or two is nothing at all for a man like him.”

“What an awful story. I feel sick just from hearing it.”

“Hmph. But in the end, there’s not a single chef in those stone walls who would dare oppose Cyclaeus. After all, if you just shut up and listen, things will work out just fine for you... All you’ve gotta do is make what he likes, using the tools and ingredients he gives you. Do that, and you can live a life of comfort. Anyone who opposes him is nothing but a fool.”

“Then I guess that makes me a fool. After all, I’ve got no intention of cooking for someone like him.”

“You’re not gonna win over Cyclaeus with damn giba cooking, so you’ve got no worries there...” Mikel sneered as he once again brought his fruit wine to his lips. However, the bottle must have been empty, as he snorted and placed it back down on the table. “No matter how many coins you may earn in the post town, it’ll still be a trifling sum to a noble. And cooking from a kid like you wouldn’t ever attract their attention to begin with. So I’m telling you, just keep on working away like you’ve been doing up till now.”

“Why are you insulting Asuta’s cooking when you haven’t even tasted it...?” Ai Fa suddenly interjected. “I’m well aware that westerners tend to avoid giba and the people of the forest’s edge. But I’d like you to stop repeatedly insulting Asuta’s skill. To be blunt, I find it unpleasant.”

“I’m not insulting him or anything. I’m just saying a kid like this would never catch Cyclaeus’s eyes, so he can relax,” Mikel said, showing no signs of fearing Ai Fa despite her being a hunter of the forest’s edge. “Cyclaeus would never crave cooking made with giba meat and cheap vegetables. Well, a first-rate chef can make a tasty dish with any ingredients, but I can’t imagine that’d apply to this kid...”

“See, you really are insulting him, aren’t you?” Ai Fa retorted, both eyes burning bright with irritation despite the fact that she remained expressionless.

“It’s fine, Ai Fa.” I told her. “That’s not exactly what we’re concerned about here. So, is that all you had to say, Mikel of Turan...?”

“Yeah. Or was there something else you wanted to ask me about?”

“I see. No, and thank you for your help. I’m grateful to you for coming all this way.”

In the end, no shocking new facts had come to light.

And Mikel of Turan didn’t seem to have any interest at all in the people of the forest’s edge to begin with. Honestly, I couldn’t see any reason to think that he had any useful information for us at all.

The only thing worth mentioning was that there were critical whispers about not only the people of the forest’s edge but also Cyclaeus in some bar in Turan or wherever. But still, there wasn’t much meaning to that without facts to back it up. Pretty much the only use I could see there was for Kamyua Yoshu to add it to his pile of damaging information.

Well, Shumiral was acting without any knowledge of what was going on internally with the people of the forest’s edge. I guess things ending up like this just makes sense, huh?

What was with that prophecy from the star diviner then, though? He had said that meeting this man would bring greater strength to the forest’s edge.

Maybe it’s not his information itself, but that this meeting will somehow lead things in a beneficial direction?

Still, I had no way of inquiring, so I couldn’t see any point to putting such weight behind that divination. And so, I just said, “Thank you,” once more and rose to my feet.

But when I thanked him, Mikel shot me a disquieting look as he said, “Guess this is about all I can expect from a chef from the post town. You don’t have even a single complaint about me mocking your skills, eh?”

“What? Well, it’s not like I’m preparing food for nobles or anything. As long as I can make my customers in the post town happy, that’s plenty enough for me.”

“In that case, do you think you can impress me? After all, I’m nothing but a lowly old man who makes charcoal for a living,” Mikel goaded, thrusting a finger my way.

Just like his clothing, that finger was also darkened. I could see charcoal caked in under his nail. Apparently, that was what had been making the sooty smell I had noticed earlier.

“You’re a charcoal maker? So you can buy charcoal here in Genos? I’ve never seen it in the post town, though.”

“What, you think folks from the post town or the plantations would go spending coins on stuff like that? More importantly, what do you say...? Do you think you can make a dish that would satisfy me, kid?”

“Giba meat has a strong quirkiness to it... Since some people may not like that aspect of the ingredient, I can’t say anything for certain.” There was no point to taking on a challenge from a drunkard like this. And since Shumiral had sent him my way, I didn’t want to go needlessly agitating things. That was why I offered what I felt was a sensible reply... only for him to snort at me.

“That’s some pretty shabby determination you’ve got there. That guy from Sym was praising you real hard, but I can’t see a gutless chef amounting to much.”

“Hey, you’re going too far,” Ai Fa stated, placing her right hand on the table as her eyes blazed.

“Cut it out, Ai Fa. Umm... How someone shows their determination varies from person to person, right? Would you say that if someone says to make a dish that will satisfy anyone and everyone, then just recklessly responding, ‘Alright, I’ll do it!’ is showing a strong will? Because I don’t agree.”

“Hmph, are you more skilled with your tongue than a pot?”

“I don’t believe I’m all that eloquent of a speaker at all. If you’re interested in my cooking, then it’s sold right here at The Sledgehammer, and I also offer it through my stalls. I’d certainly welcome you stopping by if you so please,” I said, truly intending to put an end to the conversation.

However, that apparently didn’t get across to Mikel.

“Then bring out that cooking of yours, here and now! If it’s enough to satisfy me, then I’ll acknowledge you as a full-fledged chef.”

I personally still thought of myself as just a chef in training... but if I said that now, it would probably just make this into even more of a mess.

“Alright. Please hold on for a short while, and I’ll bring out the dish. And I ask that you pay the inn’s owner for it.”

“Hmph, you sure do know how to get on my nerves, kid. Hey...! Bring me another bottle of fruit wine!”

Nail then calmly entered the dining room, holding a bottle.

Things sure have taken sort of an odd turn here.

Somehow, we ended up in a situation weirdly similar to my meeting with Diel. Still, if I didn’t hurry up and get started on my work, it’d end up causing trouble down the line. After all, I was finally going to be able to teach Milano Mas and his daughter cooking techniques, so I was supposed to head to The Kimyuus’s Tail after this.

However, today’s dish was chitt hot pot. After we left, Nail would still need to boil it for an additional 30-40 minutes before it was complete. That would just take far too long, and so instead, I made up a single serving of giba sauté arrabbiata with the spare meat.

“Sorry. It seems like I ended up inviting a pretty troublesome guest, there,” I apologized to Nail while sautéing up the meat.

“I don’t mind,” the inn owner calmly responded. “He’s still a paying customer. And since I’m getting to sell an additional meal on top of the usual 30 from you, it’s also certainly profitable for me,” he assured me, though he looked a bit worried. He then added, “However... Cyclaeus is the name of the count who rules Turan, is it not? It seems dangerous getting involved with a noble like that.”

“Ah, yeah... I’d like to have as little involvement with him as possible too, but he seems to have ties of a sort to the people of the forest’s edge.”

Still, I figured there was virtually no chance of my cooking ever ending up in Cyclaeus’s mouth. From what I heard, nobles pretty much never set foot in the post town, and since I didn’t have a pass I couldn’t exactly go visiting the castle town.

Still, if they had an interest in my cooking, then a noble could surely use their privileges in any number of ways to do something about that. At least for now though, there hadn’t been any signs of that. And if Kamyua Yoshu’s words that Cyclaeus didn’t even see the people of the forest’s edge as human were true, then there’s no way the man would ever be interested in giba cooking to start with.

As those thoughts were running through my head, I finished up the giba sauté arrabbiata.

“Let me come with you too,” I told the owner. “I’d feel bad if he foisted his complaints on you, after all.”

“Right. I appreciate that.”

Leaving Vina Ruu to man the flames for the chitt hot pot, Ai Fa and I headed back to the dining room alongside Nail, who was holding my completed dish on a plate.

“Hmph, that was pretty darn quick, there,” Mikel said, chugging away at his second bottle of fruit wine while shooting me a wild glare.

“This is a dish that Asuta made for my establishment. Without the fuwano it costs three and a half red coins, while with fuwano it’s five.”

“You seriously think I could eat fuwano while the sun’s this high in the sky? Nah, this fruit wine’s plenty,” he said with breath that stunk of booze as he slapped his coins down atop the table.

Nail placed the plate down, and then carefully picked up the three full red coins and the one that had been split in half.

“Hmph,” Mikel snorted as he casually grabbed hold of his spoon.

Atop the plate sat steaming hot giba sirloin coated in a red sauce made with the chili pepper-like chitt and tomato-esque tarapa.

I had heard a lot of westerners were also fond of the spiciness of chitt, but how was it for Mikel? For the time being, he at least wasn’t showing any signs of being intimidated by the mouthwatering aroma.

Perhaps because of all the booze in his system, his movements were a bit awkward as he scooped up a bit of meat and tossed it in his mouth.

Instantly, there was a glimmer in his eyes like a lightning strike.

He carefully chewed the meat, then he washed it down with fruit wine. After processing what he’d tasted, Mikel shot me a seriously intense glare.

“You mixed diced aria in with this tarapa, didn’t you...?”

“Yes, in order to suppress the acidity of the tarapa.”

“And this taste, it’s fruit wine and myamuu, eh? And you used tau oil, too...”

“That’s right. Just a bit, as a subtle seasoning.”

I was honestly feeling pretty astonished that he could pick all that out despite the spiciness the chitt gave to the dish. Apparently, he had a rather discerning palate. So much so that he likely had a keener sense of taste than anyone else I had met here in this world.

“Sure seems giba’s a first-class meat. If we were talking kimyuus or karon leg instead, they would’ve easily gotten lost under all the strong seasonings you’ve got going on here. Hey, kid...”

“Yes?”

“Don’t go anywhere near Cyclaeus.”

“Huh?”

And then, something happened in the next moment that took me completely off guard.

Mikel’s rugged fingers reached towards my chest with surprising speed... Only for Ai Fa to grab him by the wrist even quicker.

“I’ll ask you not to act so rudely, Mikel.”

“Geez, that hurts. You’re gonna snap my scrawny arm, there.”

Her point made, Ai Fa casually shoved aside Mikel’s wrist.

Giving a “Tch,” the man firmly slammed his now free left hand on the table. “You’re hopeless. If you want to live a peaceful life, then you shouldn’t go anywhere near that corrupt noble bastard... Well, it’s a different story if you want to let him use you up for coins, I guess.”

“If you’re praising me, then I suppose I should thank you...”

“What part of that was praise? I’m just here to warn you because of how persistent that oddly smooth-talking guy from Sym was, remember?” There was a restless light in Mikel’s eyes, spilling out bits of emotion like a boiling giba soup. “There’s no shortage of chefs out there who take pride in being able to earn more. If you’re one of them, then I’ve got nothing to say to you... But if you aren’t, then you absolutely have to keep away from Cyclaeus. If you aren’t willing to trade your self-respect for coins, then all that awaits you with him is ruin...”

“You’re talking about chefs having their arm muscles severed so they can’t cook anymore, right? Yeah, I think I’d like to avoid that.”

“Right? Even if you survive, that’s a life no different than death,” Mikel grumbled, lifting his right hand off the table and slowly bringing it to about eye level.

As he thrust his blackened palm in front of my nose, I saw that those bony fingers were surprisingly long.