Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 24 - Chapter 2.3

3

“These beasts, are dogs, from Jagar. They have, been trained, for hunting. Hunters in Jagar, and Selva, use such hunting dogs,” Shumiral explained, paying our shock no mind. “I was late, returning to Genos, because I was learning, how to handle them. I have trained, for half a month.”

“Hmph... So you’re saying you can use these dog things to hunt giba?”

“Yes. Jagar dogs, are clever, like people. They are capable, of hunting all sorts, of beasts. I am certain, they can hunt, giba as well.”

Donda Ruu’s face was rigid as he stroked his bearded chin. “Those traveling performers who visited Genos for the revival festival were capable of manipulating beasts as if they were their own limbs. Are you saying you can match that feat after only half a month of training?”

“That much, would be difficult. But we have, established a bond.” Shumiral turned back to the wagon and called out, “Duey.”

In response, one of the dogs leaped down to the ground, making Rimee Ruu let out a “Wow!” with her eyes sparkling.

“I named the leader, of these hunting dogs, Duey. Duey, lie down.”

The hunting dog followed the command, lowering its head to the ground smoothly. It was a big, solidly built dog, around seventy centimeters tall and a hundred and thirty long, and had short light-brown fur, a large head, and somewhat floppy ears. If I were to compare it to a breed I was familiar with, it was closest to a bloodhound.

“Good,” Shumiral called out, and the dog swiftly rose. It then gazed at us softly with its black eyes. “Well? Do I have, permission to, use these dogs, in hunting?”

“You obviously wouldn’t have heard about this, but there was an occasion where we allowed traveling performers to bring beasts into the forest not too long ago... There’s little chance that the nobles or the other leading clan heads would deny you after what we allowed before,” Donda Ruu said, turning his piercing gaze toward Shumiral. I couldn’t get any sense of his emotions from listening to his voice. “But the beasts those performers brought here were as large and as powerful as giba. These are only about as big as a mundt. Are they really capable of bringing down a giba?”

Shumiral tilted his head a bit in response, so I jumped in to explain. “The traveling performers came here with an algura silver lion, a gaaje leopard, and a vamda black ape.”

“Such beasts, entered the forest, of Morga? That is, a surprise,” Shumiral replied, his eyes opening slightly wider. He still seemed to be having difficulty with letting his emotions show, but that was still more than enough for me to know what he thought about that. “Regardless, hunting dogs, are indeed used, even when hunting, animals of that size. They are even, used to hunt, muffur bears, which are, larger still.”

“So you’re saying these little animals are even stronger than lions and black apes?”

“No. In a, one-on-one fight, they would lose. But they do, help hunters, be more effective. Their excellent eyes, ears, and noses, can be used, to drive prey, into traps.”

Donda Ruu stared at him for a moment, looking deadly serious, then called out to his youngest daughter, “Hey. If you’re just going to play around, go get Bartha. There’s something I want to ask her.”

“Huh? Okay, but you better not put him away before I get back! Oh, wait... I’ve gotta take care of the poitan first!”

Rimee Ruu then grabbed Mia Lea Ruu to get her to help with lowering the pot of poitan to the ground before hurrying off to somewhere on the other side of the house. Once she was gone, Donda Ruu stepped forward and started carefully inspecting the hunting dog, Duey.

“Hmph... It certainly seems to be well-behaved. Can a beast with such a relaxed bearing really take down a giba?”

“Hunting dogs, are trained, to not attack humans. They see humans, as allies, so they cannot, be used, as guard dogs.”

At that point, I decided to share some information that I didn’t think any of them had heard before. “Um, when I was held at the Turan manor, I was told that the place had guard dogs protecting it at night. Are dogs popular animals here in Selva?”

“Yes. Nobles of Selva, who are well-off, keep dogs from Jagar, and cats from Sym. In addition to, guard dogs, and hunting dogs, many are simply, for keeping, in the house.”

From the sound of things, even in a world like this one, dogs were more common than animals like lions and panthers.

Shumiral got down on one knee and started lovingly stroking Duey’s head. “This has been, my first time, handling dogs, from Jagar. But like totos, hunting dogs are, clever and obedient. If you, people of the forest’s edge, can handle totos, then you should, be able to, do the same, with hunting dogs.”

“You’re saying you don’t just want to work with these beasts yourself, you want us to use them too?”

“Yes. Six dogs, are too many, for one hunter. Two are enough, for me. I would like, to offer, the other four, to the hunters, of the Ruu clan. You can think, of them, as an extension, of my strength.”

Donda Ruu silently crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, just as Rimee Ruu returned with Bartha in tow.

Bartha took a single glance at Duey and commented, “My, that’s a wonderful hunting dog you’ve got there! Are you finally going to start using them here at the forest’s edge?”

“You’ve used these beasts as well, Bartha?” Donda Ruu asked.

“Oh, no. Dogs cost even more than totos do. But there were plenty of hunters on Mount Masara who had them.”

“Gaaje leopards live on Mount Masara, correct?”

“Yeah. But if you’ve got a dog with you, they’re nothing to worry about. They’re sure to be really useful for hunting giba too.”

Bartha didn’t know anything about Shumiral, so we could count on her opinion being completely neutral.

Donda Ruu snorted with a severe expression on his face. “Hmph... I see. Sorry for pulling you away from your work. You can go back to taking care of Mikel now.”

“He should be fine for the time being, what with Myme having returned. If you’re hesitating over whether or not you should buy these hunting dogs, Donda Ruu, I think it would be a great idea. They’re definitely pricey, but you can’t put a price tag on people’s lives.”

“Their lives?”

“Yeah, that’s right. First of all, you hunters of the forest’s edge are always pushing yourselves too hard. I mean, you hunt vicious beasts like giba, but you only use swords and bows. If you guys can figure out how to use hunting dogs properly, your work should get a whole lot safer. It would be no exaggeration to say that you can expect every hunting dog you buy to prevent multiple deaths,” Bartha said, her eyes narrowing in a show of emotion that was rather unusual for her. “Both Jeeda and I are dependent on you. If this helps Jeeda be safer, I’d be thrilled to see it happen.”

Donda Ruu closed his eyes for a moment before once again glancing at Shumiral. “It seems that there is indeed some merit to your proposition... But what about the other matter?”

“The other matter?” Shumiral asked.

“Yeah. You’re an easterner and we’re westerners. While we hold the forest as our god first and foremost, we also fall under the western god, Selva. You’ll need to change gods in order to become one of our people.”

“Become one of your people?” Bartha asked, her eyes opening wide. However, she seemed to sense that this was not a good time to interject further, so she said no more after that.

Shumiral simply nodded. “Yes. I am prepared, to change gods. That is, no issue.”

“That’s a pretty casual answer. It’s a huge deal for a townsperson to change gods, isn’t it?”

“Yes. But I could not, ask to marry, into your clan, without such resolve.”

Mia Lea Ruu then chimed in for the first time in a while, having been quietly watching the conversation. “Do you mind if I say what I’m thinking, Shumiral? I believe you already know this, but we as a people changed gods from Jagar to Selva eighty years ago. We see the forest as our god, so we don’t place as much value in the four great gods, but regardless of how we felt, we were seen by those around us as traitors.”

“Yes, I know. Though Radajid, and the others, have accepted, my decision, other people, of Sym, most certainly, will not.”

“And you’re prepared to deal with that? Don’t you have family back in your home country?”

“I have, distant blood relatives, but none, that I have lived with. The souls, of my family, have all, returned to Sym.”

“Right, about those souls. Your family’s souls have returned to the eastern god. But your soul would end up going to the forest and the western god instead. You really don’t mind that?” Mia Lea Ruu continued.

Unsurprisingly, Shumiral’s tone didn’t change at all as he replied, “I do not. I gathered, my resolve, before asking Vina Ruu, to marry me. My determination, has been, set in stone, for half a year now.”

“Hmph. But if you don’t get to marry into our clan, it won’t matter how resolved you are. The eastern god will be laughing at you from up above the clouds,” Donda Ruu stated in a combative tone, but Shumiral offered no response. Perhaps not liking his attitude, Donda Ruu deeply furrowed his brow. “Like Mia Lea said, we don’t know much of anything about the four great gods. What exactly is a god to you lot?”

“A god is one, to offer up, our souls to.”

“Oh? But you’re trying to cast your god aside. Actually, it’s like you want to be able to take your pick of two of them. If we accept you, you’ll become a child of Selva, but if we don’t, you’ll stay with Sym. That sounds quite convenient for you, doesn’t it?”

Shumiral offered no response.

“You’re free to deal with the four great gods however you please, but we won’t permit you to call the forest your god so frivolously. And that goes for all of our people, not just me.”

“Understood. I shall work hard, to earn your trust.”

As an oppressive silence filled the air, Radajid finally decided to step into the conversation. “Shumiral, your explanation, was lacking, wasn’t it?” he said, staring expressionlessly at his companion. This was the first time the man—who was even taller than Shumiral—had spoken since introducing himself. “I know, that Shumiral, is sincere. But you, leading clan head, of the forest’s edge, cannot be so sure, of that. I feel, that I must, explain it to you, properly.”

“No, that—” Shumiral started to say.

“Shumiral is already, a westerner,” Radajid stated, cutting him off. “He accepted the blessing, of Selva, in the western capital’s, grand temple. Shumiral has, cast aside Sym, and become, a child of Selva. He has discarded, the name, Zi Sadumtino. He is no longer, the easterner Shumiral Zi Sadumtino. He is instead, the westerner Shumiral.”

“Is that true, Shumiral?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Yes,” he replied, glancing downward. “A shop run, by a citizen, of Jagar, sold the finest, hunting dogs, in the capital. The merchant said, he would never, do business with, a citizen of Sym, so I decided, I had to become, a citizen of Selva, right away.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Right. I felt that, there was no need, to bring it up, until my proposal, was accepted. But I suppose, I should have, at least mentioned it.”

How would I have felt if I was in Shumiral’s position? I suppose it was possible that I might have chosen to hold my tongue like he had. After all, telling the party you were negotiating with that you had taken such an extreme step would end up putting a lot of pressure on them.

“Even if, you do not accept, his proposal, Shumiral is now, a westerner. You can never, take back a god, you have cast aside. Even so, Shumiral said, he will have, no regrets, and he will hold, no grudges, even if, you refuse him. That is, the sort of man, that Shumiral is. That is why, we wish for him, to remain a member, of the Silver Vase, even after becoming, a westerner,” Radajid stated before stepping back. “My apologies, for speaking impertinently. But I hope, that you will trust me, when I say, that Shumiral, is a sincere man.”

“Yes, I believe you,” Mia Lea Ruu said with a gentle smile. “And I feel honored that such an honest person has fallen for my adorable daughter. All we need now is for our clan head to make his decision.”

With everyone’s gazes on him, Donda Ruu slowly closed his eyes. The silence that fell over us then felt even weightier than the last one. Around thirty seconds or so passed before I finally broke down, unable to take it any longer.

“Er, Donda Ruu, I’ve been trying to be careful not to speak out of turn, but could I add just one thing?”

My question went unanswered, so I pressed on.

“I also believe in Shumiral’s honesty, and I’d like to tell you one of the reasons why I feel that way.”

Donda Ruu’s stern expression didn’t budge in the slightest, his eyes and mouth remaining firmly shut. Feeling my heart beating faster and faster, I kept going.

“I’ve never discussed this with you personally, but maybe you’ve heard about it from someone else. Shumiral is the one who originally put me in contact with Mikel, who is now a guest of the Ruu clan.”

Donda Ruu said nothing to that.

“Shumiral was the one who warned me that Cyclaeus was dangerous and we should keep our distance. He was able to see how much of a threat that awful nobleman was when he was selling ingredients and cooking knives to the house of Turan. But he didn’t just warn me. He even went out of his way to find evidence of Cyclaeus’s crimes, which was how he came across Mikel.” I was remembering the day we had said farewell as I spoke. On the final day of the blue month, we stood on the border between the forest and the town as Shumiral calmly told me everything he had learned. “The Silver Vase does business in the castle town, so Cyclaeus was absolutely not someone Shumiral could afford to make an enemy of, but he still did all he could to help us. On top of that, Mikel’s life was in ruins because of Cyclaeus, and he wasn’t able to do much about it except try to drown his sorrows. It was thanks to Shumiral that he met us...and that’s the only reason we were able to forge the bond that we share with him now.”

The leading clan head still did not respond.

“I’ve been helped by a lot of different people, but Shumiral is one of the most important of them. He’s irreplaceable to me. He’s the most honorable man I know, and I’m sure that he—”

“How long is this ‘one thing’ of yours going to be?” Donda Ruu grumbled, cutting me off with a tone as heavy as a blade being swung. He finally opened his eyes and glared harshly at Shumiral once more. “As I told you before, becoming the husband of one of the daughters of the main Ruu house isn’t something that can be done lightly.”

“I understand.”

“We also can’t accept an outsider as a clan member so easily. The Fa clan head might have been able to do so without a care, but as a leading clan, the Ruu must act as an example for all our people to follow.”

“Of course.”

“But if we take you in as someone with a righteous heart who can bring great strength to our people...I’m certain the other clans will agree to accept you as well, just like they accepted Asuta of the Fa clan.”

I really did not expect that. Donda Ruu was basically admitting right in front of me that he thought I had a righteous heart. Nobody else seemed to take much note of it, but to me, that was an incredibly big deal.

“I’ll discuss with the other leading clan heads whether you should be given that opportunity. And with the nobles in the castle town as well. If they all give their permission...the first step would be to have you hunt giba alongside the hunters of the Ruu clan. If you can demonstrate that you are strong enough to be a hunter, we’ll permit you to join a clan. Talk of marriage will have to wait until after that.”

“I can, accept that. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. There are a lot of folks here at the forest’s edge who value old traditions more than I do,” Donda Ruu said, and then his gaze drifted down to Rimee Ruu. His daughter had been stroking Duey’s head, but when she noticed him looking at her, she hurriedly pulled her hand away. “Rimee, find a woman with time on her hands and send her to the Sauti settlement. As for the northern settlement... That’d be a bit rough for a woman. Guess we should have Ryada go.”

“Got it! Should we invite Dari Sauti to dinner?”

“Yeah. And they should reach out to the Lea and Rutim along the way. Tell them if any of their men are around, they should hop on their totos and come to the Ruu settlement. Then we’ll send them off to the castle town.”

“On it! But what if there aren’t any men?”

“Then just have someone bring their totos here, and I’ll head out personally.” After he finished giving Rimee Ruu her instructions, Donda Ruu turned his glare back to Shumiral. “Come to the Ruu settlement again tomorrow before the sun hits its peak. We’ll tell you the results of our discussions then. And if you’re prepared to enter the forest, bring those hunting dogs of yours along with you.”

“Understood. Then I shall, arrive at, the upper fifth hour.”

Shumiral bowed to Donda Ruu, who simply turned around and headed back to his house. Rimee Ruu took off running toward the kitchen, while Bartha started talking to Mia Lea Ruu, asking for more of an explanation.

Shumiral looked at Vina Ruu hesitantly. She had been standing around silently this whole time, and now that there was finally no one else around her, he went ahead and approached her.

“It has been, some time, Vina Ruu.”

Vina Ruu hung her head again rather than replying.

But even so, Shumiral offered her a smile. “I am overjoyed, to see you, looking well. I am, truly sorry, for my late, return to Genos.”

Vina Ruu remained silent.

“I am also, glad you did not, refuse my proposal.”

“I-I still don’t know anything about you...”

“True. And I would like, you to know, everything,” Shumiral stated, quickly stepping back. “If I am, given permission, I will prove, my strength to you. Please observe, and see if, I am fit, to be your husband.”

“Ah, wait!” Vina Ruu called out, raising her head. However, she still couldn’t bring herself to look at Shumiral directly. Instead, she started fidgeting with the bracelet she wore—the one with the cherry-blossom-colored stones that Shumiral had given her when they parted. “Shouldn’t I return this to you now that you’ve made it back safely?”

Still smiling, Shumiral replied, “No. That is, a protective stone, to keep you, away from danger. There is no need, to return it. I wish for you, to live, a healthy life.”

“I see...” Vina Ruu said with her hands in front of her chest, one clasping the bracelet she wore on her other arm. She was staring off in a random direction, still seemingly incapable of looking at Shumiral. “Then I suppose I can keep holding on to it... Um, I’m on cooking duty today, so...”

“Of course. I shall, look forward to, seeing you again tomorrow.”

Vina Ruu practically fled from the scene after that. Staring at her slender back as she left, Shumiral started listlessly leaning against his wagon.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Shumiral? Are you okay?”

“I am fine. All the tension, has simply drained, from my body.”

“You were nervous? You didn’t look it.”

“I was. Terribly so. Even more than, when I was, surrounded by muffur bears,” Shumiral said with a big sigh. “I am truly glad, that Vina Ruu, did not reject me. I give my thanks, to the western god, and the forest, of Morga. I feel grateful, from the depths, of my heart.” He then brushed his silver hair aside and shot me a smile. “My heart is trembling, with joy, at meeting Vina Ruu, for the first time, in so long... And not just my heart. My fingers, and knees, are shaking as well. What should I do?”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do... Still, don’t you think you should tell Vina Ruu stuff like that?”

“That would be, far too embarrassing. She would think, I am like, a child.”

Personally, I thought hearing something like that from a quiet guy like Shumiral would have a big impact on her. But regardless, I went ahead and smiled back at him.

“Shumiral, I’ve got a request for you. Or maybe I should call it a proposal.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“The Sledgehammer currently has a dish called ‘giba curry’ on their menu. I also serve it at my stall every third day. It’s a dish that’s really popular with folks from Sym...but I’d like you to hold off on trying it for now.”

“Only me? My companions, can have it?”

“Yeah, Radajid and the others can have their fill. I know this sounds weird, but would you be willing to trust me and avoid eating any of it?”

“I always trust you, Asuta. I do not, understand why, but I promise, to do as you ask.”

“Thank you. I’ll explain everything when the time comes.”

That was about all I could do at the moment. Now it was up to Shumiral to show the hunters how strong he really was.

I looked over at Duey, who was sitting obediently nearby, and whispered, “I’m counting on you.” The clever dog blinked, silently watching me and Shumiral.