Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 24 - Chapter 1.3

3

The next day arrived.

As planned, Ai Fa accompanied us to the post town before swiftly heading over to the Turan lands in Gilulu’s wagon, bringing a box of giba meat preserved in pico leaves with her so that if Myme wanted to buy any, they’d be able to complete the transaction with no further hassle.

Maybe Mikel or Myme are sick and resting up? That would be rough, though, since they’re a family of only two people.

I wanted to make sure they were okay, and I was sure the members of the Ruu clan, Toor Deen, and Yun Sudra all felt the same way. Over the course of the revival festival and the following friendship banquet, the pair had become two of the few friends the people of the forest’s edge had in town.

At any rate, as long as the two of them weren’t both away from home at the moment, I was sure Ai Fa would be able to find out what was going on with them. For now, I just had to focus on my own work and wait for her to return.

“My, this is the first time we’ve had a noble come by in quite a while,” Yamiru Lea remarked from the neighboring giba manju stall.

The morning rush had just ended and we were taking a bit of a breather. I turned my gaze to the north, and sure enough, I saw a fine totos-drawn carriage protected by soldiers approaching. It was none other than Polarth, the second son of the house of Daleim, who appeared from inside.

“I am glad to see you looking well, Sir Asuta.”

“It’s been a while, Polarth. Is the conference at the castle all wrapped up, then?”

“Indeed. We were finally dismissed this morning. But it certainly left me with stiff shoulders.”

The elites of Genos had been holding a conference in the castle over the past several days. And incidentally, it was during the last such conference that Lefreya had kidnapped me while her father was away. Polarth hadn’t been summoned to attend that one, since he hadn’t had an official post then, but he had received a special invitation this time.

“I was granted two roles for this conference. One was to assist Lord Melfried in his role as mediator between us and the people of the forest’s edge, and the other was to aid the foreign affairs officer tasked with handling the merchant groups visiting Genos.”

“Ah, I don’t know anything about that stuff, but it sounds amazing that you were given two jobs at once.”

“Well, it is more like I was granted roles that were applicable to the work I’ve been doing for a while,” Polarth stated, but he didn’t look especially proud. He did have his usual jolly smile on his face, though. “One additional job I have taken on is that I must attend any future meetings between Lord Melfried and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge. It is my hope that this will lead to an even tighter bond being forged between our people and yours.”

“Oh, okay. I think Melfried’s pretty trustworthy on his own, but it’s reassuring to know you’ll be there too, Polarth.”

“Yes, indeed. I’m looking forward to the next such meeting, whenever it should happen.”

We then invited him to step into the space behind our stalls, as he had another more complicated matter to discuss. Sheera Ruu had been working the restaurant space, but she was similarly beckoned over.

“Now then, you will be receiving an official messenger regarding this matter later on, but I wished to discuss it with you in advance, Sir Asuta. You see, the right to deal in giba sausage in the castle town has just been officially granted.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Indeed, though only sausage. Since it was approved at our conference, the new rule is now set in stone.”

When I asked for more details, Polarth explained that Count Luidross Saturas had vigorously supported the idea, which was what had allowed it to pass. In short, Luidross was quite taken with the sausage I had given him as a gift, and he had expressed great interest in purchasing more. We’d hardly had any interaction with the nobles for the past month, but it seemed things had been steadily progressing behind the scenes.

“Naturally, this doesn’t mean it can only be sold in the castle town. But even without being restricted in such a way, it costs enough that it would be difficult for townsfolk or travelers to afford, correct?”

“Yeah. Giba meat’s already expensive to begin with, and when you dehydrate it, the weight decreases by quite a bit... Plus, it takes a lot of effort to grind the meat and wash out the intestines, so I’m sure it’s going to cost much more than ordinary jerky.”

“How much were you thinking, specifically? Anything you can tell me would be helpful, even if it’s only a rough estimate.”

Well, bottom line, four hundred grams would cost ten red coins. The market price of karon and kimyuus jerky was four times that of fresh meat, so I applied that factor and added a bit more on top to account for the difficulty of preparing sausages. If giba bacon was allowed to be sold as well, its price would have to be set at fifteen red coins. The price of sausages could be kept down thanks to the fact that you could use scrap meat in them, but bacon required comparatively expensive breast meat.

“Ah, I see. That would make it more expensive than even gyama jerky, which means that only those who are especially well-off, even among the residents of the castle town, will be able to afford it. But at least there will be no risk of too much being ordered and depleting your stock of meat.”

“That’s good to hear. It would be pretty silly to run out of giba for the post town even after the ban on selling fresh meat in the castle town just because we want to sell sausages.”

“Indeed. Well then, I’ll see to it that talks proceed with that information in mind. I am certain Lord Luidross will be overjoyed.” Polarth then glanced between me and Sheera Ruu. “I have another unrelated matter I wish to discuss as well. The house of Daleim would like to throw a party to foster friendship with the people of the forest’s edge. From what I have been told, our maid, Sheila, has brought this to your attention before during some small talk.”

“Do you mean the invitation to the dance party?”

“Yes, that is the one. Though I am of the house of Daleim, I am not that deeply involved, but the people of the forest’s edge have not had much direct interaction with our house before, correct? Cutting through all the formalities, we would like to invite members of the leading clans and yourself to our manor, Sir Asuta. My mother is the one who proposed the idea of it being a dance party.”

“Oh, I see.”

“So, I have heard from Sheila that the Ruu and Fa clans have given their permission. Is that indeed true?”

“I think there’s something I need to explain...”

Sheera Ruu shot me an imploring look, and I went ahead and told him what the issue was. Namely, that Ai Fa had mistakenly assumed the dance party was a tournament, as much as that sounded like some sort of joke. Polarth started to laugh when he heard that.

“What an amusing misunderstanding. I suppose that’s what one should expect from a gallant person of the forest’s edge. Lady Ai Fa truly is quite a modest woman, isn’t she?”

“I-I’m really embarrassed about this.” I said, bowing in place of my absent clan head. “But even so, it’s an honor to have the house of Daleim invite us to your party, and I know at least I’m happy about it, but the people of the forest’s edge don’t have a custom of dancing for fun.”

“There is no need to be so tense. Forcing those who do not wish to dance to join in would be terribly crude of us. It would be enough to simply eat, chat, and enjoy the music.”

“But it would be necessary to wear banquet attire to this kind of event, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. Would that be inconvenient somehow? The clothes Lady Ai Fa wore when she rescued you were quite magnificent, were they not?”

“Not exactly inconvenient, but Ai Fa’s a hunter, so she’s not too fond of wearing that kind of outfit, no matter the occasion.”

“I see,” Polarth replied with a nod. “How disappointing. But if that is how Lady Ai Fa feels, then we shall not force her. Do you think you might be able to participate on your own, Sir Asuta?”

“Ah. I would like to, but...would it be possible to have Ai Fa accompany me just as a guard?”

Ai Fa would never accept me heading to the castle town on my own, even if there were other men coming along as guards.

Polarth looked troubled for the first time as he replied, “Hmm... Naturally, it would be no issue for her to accompany you to the manor, but she would need to stay out of the event hall.”

“She would? But we’ve always been allowed to bring our guards in with us before.”

“Yes. It is a rule particular to our house. My mother does not allow soldiers to set foot inside our banquet hall. She is quite insistent that if they wear swords, they must wait outside.”

“Then, would she be allowed inside if she turned over her sword?”

“Hmm. In that case, she would likely still be asked to wear banquet attire. I can see my mother now, throwing a fit and saying that having someone wearing such plain clothing at a dance party is unthinkable.”

Polarth was a pretty mellow guy, but it sounded like his mother was a lot more intense. However, when I asked him about her, he gave a strained chuckle and replied, “Ah, no, my mother is a mild-mannered woman and rarely raises her voice. But, how should I put it...? If I say that she gets along quite well with Lady Eulifia, would you understand?”

I remembered Melfried’s wife, Eulifia, well. It was true that she was a kind person, and I couldn’t imagine her raising her voice, but even Marstein couldn’t rein her in, and she could silence someone as unsentimental as Melfried with nothing more than a smile.

“I definitely get what you mean.”

“That is good to hear. You are all free to dress as you please outside of the event hall, and your swords will not be confiscated. And I promise here and now that nobody who might pose a danger to anyone will be allowed inside.”

So, Ai Fa had to either stand guard outside the hall, or come inside wearing banquet attire. Which option would she choose? Either way, it would undoubtedly be a painful decision for her to make. Perhaps it would be a good idea to brace myself for a kick in the leg.

“B-But, well...at the forest’s edge, dancing is a means of seeking marriage, so wouldn’t there be a concerning implication to unwed people taking part in such an event?” Sheera Ruu chimed in, trying her best to speak up. I knew she felt some responsibility for all of this, as she had been there when the invitation to the dance party had been offered.

“Well, it is true that a dance party is a place to enjoy some playful romance. But after the incident with Lord Leeheim and Lady Reina Ruu, everyone will know to exercise proper discretion. Men and women alike will know it is forbidden to approach any person of the forest’s edge with fickle feelings, so it should not be a concern.”

“But...what if their feelings aren’t so fickle? If a noble makes an official marriage request and they are refused, it could cast a shadow over our relationship on both sides, couldn’t it?”

Polarth seemed moved by the desperate look on Sheera Ruu’s face. “I see what you mean. Perhaps we do need to think more deeply about such things. Many people of the forest’s edge are quite beautiful, and possess a unique charm not often seen in the castle town. From what I hear, Lady Selanju of Viscount Madel’s house fell quite hard for Sir Shin Ruu.”

“Yes, so...”

“In that case, men and women should be invited in pairs,” Polarth declared, clapping his hands together. “If guests of honor are invited together like this, nobody would even entertain the notion of making an advance toward them. That is an absolute rule of etiquette in the castle town, so there should be no chance of any issues arising.”

“Th-Then only those who are married would attend?”

“No, there is no need to set that as a condition. Unwed men and women would be fine as well. Would it be easier to comprehend if I said that directing an amorous look at a person who is accompanying someone of the other sex would be the worst possible insult one could give to that person’s partner?”

I couldn’t say for certain that it had come across fully, but the key point, at least, was clear. If unwed men and women came as a pair, no one else would be able to interject between them.

It feels like Ai Fa’s options are getting narrowed down more and more...

Sheera Ruu and I glanced unenthusiastically at each other, but Polarth just kept on smiling.

“Well then, you will be receiving an official request about this in the near future. A messenger will be sent out tomorrow or the next day, so please give my regards to Sir Donda Ruu.”

“Right, got it.”

With that, Polarth packed a number of dishes into some containers he had brought with him and departed in high spirits. Then Sheera Ruu, who was supposed to be back at work in the seating area now, approached me again.

“Um, you are going to go with Ai Fa, right?”

“Yeah, it seems like that’s probably how things are going to work out. Of course, Ai Fa’s the one who’ll have to make the final decision.”

“I can’t imagine Ai Fa ever entrusting that duty to another woman.”

It was embarrassing to admit, but I couldn’t help but agree. More than that, though, my attention was caught by the grim look on Sheera Ruu’s face.

“The Ruu clan will be deciding who’s going to participate soon, won’t they? And it’ll probably be members of the main house who get chosen,” I said.

“Yeah... I just feel a great deal of responsibility about this, since I was unable to stop Ai Fa from accepting.”

“Then what about asking Darmu Ruu to accompany you?” I asked, causing Sheera Ruu’s face to turn fire red. I had tried to keep my voice down low enough that the other women wouldn’t overhear, but it seemed I hadn’t tried hard enough.

“Wh-What are you saying, Asuta? Wh-Why would I ask him?!”

“Well, he’s part of the main house, so he’d obviously be allowed to attend, right? Wouldn’t that make him a convenient partner?”

“But Ai Fa’s going to be there in banquet attire, isn’t she...? So Darmu Ruu...” Sheera Ruu trailed off, looking down dejectedly, but then she shook her head. “Nothing will come of discussing such matters now. Let’s get back to work. My apologies for the interruption.”

“Ah! Sheera Ruu!” I called out, but she took off running before my voice could reach her. My partner for the day, the Gaaz woman, looked quite confused as I sighed stealthily.

I guess that’s a natural thing to worry about from Sheera Ruu’s perspective. I can’t imagine Darmu Ruu’s feelings for Ai Fa being rekindled at this point, but what do I know?

Even so, I had no doubts about this at all. With intense emotions blazing in his eyes, Darmu Ruu had declared that he would no longer speak against Ai Fa’s way of life. And he had told me I was the only one who could protect Ai Fa, so I knew his feelings wouldn’t be led astray so easily.

Still, Sheera Ruu doesn’t know anything about all that, so it makes sense that she’d be worried. Guess I shouldn’t have suggested that she should go with Darmu Ruu so casually. I really wasn’t the smartest when it came to these things.

Regretting my carelessness, I decided to just focus on my work for the moment.