Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 24 - Chapter 2.5

5

From there, the days steadily passed on by. Shumiral had been my greatest point of concern, but he had really done a good job of showing off his skill during that period.

In order for the hunting dogs to demonstrate the full range of their capabilities, Shumiral had first needed to learn how to become a hunter himself. The natural physical proficiency he had from the very start was enough to seriously surprise the hunters on its own, but even still, he had lived his life as a merchant. He wasn’t capable of hiding his presence like a hunter, and had a lot to learn about the nature of giba. As totos and poisons couldn’t be used out in the forest, he would need to put in a great deal of effort in order to be able to work as a hunter.

Even at this stage, though, the hunting dogs were doing an incredible job of supporting him. When it came to his biggest stumbling block of being unable to hide his presence, the hunting dogs could notice a giba before it noticed Shumiral, canceling that issue out. When the hunting dogs picked up on a giba, Shumiral and the hunters would move downwind. Then they would let the dogs loose in order to drive the giba toward a trap. That was the basic strategy.

“They’re usually so well-behaved, but they make some really crazy sounds when they’re driving the giba. That catches the giba off guard, and they take off running without thinking,” Ludo Ruu told me.

The Sauti and some other clans used metallic noisemakers to drive giba, which the Ruu tended to forgo using. Giba hated loud sounds by nature—a fact that this strategy used against them. It wasn’t likely that a hunting dog’s fangs would be able to take down a fully grown giba, but if they weren’t starved or especially vicious, they would prioritize fleeing instead, so the hunting dogs were already proving to be quite effective.

“Their noses seem to be even better than mine too, so they can find the giba quicker! There’s no fear of a surprise attack from giba with them around!” Dan Rutim had said. It hadn’t taken long for the hunters to start seeing the hunting dogs in a favorable light, which was proof of how valuable their presence was.

I didn’t know if it would be of any use, so I refrained from saying anything, but I knew that hunting dogs were also a great help in hunting boars. I could recall a hunter at the farming camp I had attended telling me there was a saying that went “First dogs, second legs, third guns.” It meant that when hunting boars, the most important thing was having hunting dogs, followed secondly by the legs needed to pursue them, and your gun only came in third. Apparently, a lot of hunters believed that maxim. They knew how critical dogs were to the process.

And so, it had only taken Shumiral a couple days to show the hunters the dogs’ potential. Above all else, they were extremely good at protecting the hunters’ lives, just as Bartha had said. A hunter in training like Shumiral wouldn’t be able to cause a sudden rise in the number of giba being brought back, no matter how hard he tried, but there was no real risk of having to deal with a sudden attack from a starving giba with the hunting dogs around.

There was no denying that it was going to be beneficial to have them. After all, you couldn’t exchange coins for lives. Furthermore, it was apparent that not only were they helping, but they were also smart enough to not get in the way of what the hunters were doing too. That meant there was basically no real reason left to reject them.

Also, though this was a trivial matter in comparison, the dogs were doing a good job of charming the people of the forest’s edge even when they were off duty. The beasts were both loyal and clever. They couldn’t do tricks like Huey and Sara from the Gamley Troupe, but they could follow simple commands like “lie down” and “wait” without any issues, and they could also catch a thrown stick out of the air and bring it back. For the people of the forest’s edge, tricks like those were already plenty.

At any rate, the hunting dogs were clearly clever enough to understand what people wanted. To the people of the forest’s edge, they seemed to be closer to humans than beasts. On top of that, they never directed any of the ferocity they showed on the hunt toward people. They had been thoroughly trained so that they wouldn’t attack even if they ran into other hunters out in the wild. That was why they couldn’t protect a house as guard dogs.

The way they strictly followed what they had been taught made them all the more charming to the people of the forest’s edge. The young women and children were even more excited to see them than they had been when the totos first arrived, to say nothing of what Dan Rutim and Ludo Ruu thought of them.

“Hey, if they decide that working with hunting dogs is permitted here at the forest’s edge, would you consider buying one for the Fa clan?” I proposed to Ai Fa one night. My clan head dubiously furrowed her brow. She had finished giving lessons to the Ravitz clan and had returned to her hunting work not long ago.

“You’re getting rather far ahead of yourself, aren’t you? I don’t see any point in thinking about that after only a few days.”

“Right. But apparently, dogs are incredibly useful when it comes to protecting hunters, so I’d really like you to have one too.”

“Even so, it’s too early for that. And besides, we already have Gilulu, don’t we?”

It was like I was begging a parent to get a pet or something—a thought that made the conversation we were having seem kinda funny, but of course, I wasn’t going to back down that easily.

“As long as they’re properly trained, they shouldn’t be any threat to Gilulu. Why don’t you stop by the Ruu settlement and interact with them a bit?”

Though she had resumed her hunting work, she still had a good amount of time to spare. And so, after finishing up her work early one day, Ai Fa followed my advice and ran over to the Ruu settlement, getting a bit of exercise in the process.

That night, she did a complete about face and said, “I’m willing to get one, as long as our laws allow it.” It seemed their charms had worked on her as well. She was strangely excited and restless all night.

And then, we arrived at the twenty-first of the gold month.

It was a day off from our work in the post town, and it was also the sixth day since Shumiral had returned to Genos. I had the women from the neighboring clans gather together two hours from the sun hitting its peak and we swiftly wrapped up preparations for the next day. After that, I had Toor Deen stay behind for a bit to teach her a little more about how to make sweets.

She had actually been invited to cook for the dance party five days from now alongside Reina and Rimee Ruu. The others from the leading clans and I would be attending purely as guests, but Polarth had said that he still wanted to show off the skill of the chefs from the forest’s edge to his house, and so they had received a separate invitation.

As for why Toor Deen was invited, that was because Melfried’s family would be there as guests of honor, and Melfried’s daughter Odifia had made a big fuss about wanting to eat Toor Deen’s sweets, which led to the young chef being selected.

For my part, I was currently instructing Toor Deen on how to make something new. She was more skilled at making sweets than I was at this point, but I still had quite a bit of knowledge from back in my old world. I wanted to have Toor Deen put it to good use, so I decided to share a bit of it with her since we had a day off.

“Still, we’ll be working in the castle town without any help from you, Asuta. Is it really okay for me to go?”

“It is. You’ve been doing a great job of working with the folks in the northern settlement, haven’t you? And Reina and Rimee Ruu will be there too, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

We had recently received information about the outside chefs who would be participating in the event. For the dance party, Varkas’s disciples Shilly Rou, Bozl, and Roy would be working the kitchen.

“Lord Polarth tried to reach out to Sir Varkas, but apparently he’s been holed up in his kitchen and rejecting all job requests for a while. He’s been experimenting with an ingredient known as shaska that was delivered from Sym,” the Daleim head chef, Yang, had informed me. “But his disciples are all exceptionally skilled, and with Lady Toor Deen and the others also present, I shall have to give my all as well.”

Despite the calm tone of his voice, Yang seemed to be full of enthusiasm. I personally would rather have been invited as a chef instead of a guest of honor, but I would just have to put up with it this time. The house of Daleim had singled me out by name, and this was an event meant to deepen the friendship between our groups, so I had no choice but to behave myself and be satisfied with looking forward to seeing what kinds of dishes everyone else prepared.

At any rate, those were the circumstances that had led to me working with Toor Deen to create a new dessert. We were currently in the detached kitchen that her father and the others had constructed. Poitan flour, karon milk, gigi leaves, and so on were spread out atop the workstation, and we had our noses to the grindstone, trying to bring a new idea to fruition.

After a while, our little friend Rimee Ruu came rushing in. “Hey, they decided what to do with Shumiral! Papa Donda just told me, right after he got back from the castle town!”

“Huh? Really?” It had only been five days since Shumiral had started training to be a hunter, and four days since he had actually begun entering the forest. “Does that mean they’ve come to an agreement about whether he can become a person of the forest’s edge? They reached a decision that quickly about something this important?”

“Yeah, apparently! Last night, Papa Donda talked to Dari Sauti and Gulaf Zaza. Then this morning, he went and talked to the nobles in the castle town too!”

News had of course reached me that the leading clan heads had met again. I had also heard that they had agreed that making the decision to welcome Shumiral in as a member of the Ruu or one of their subordinates should be Donda Ruu’s responsibility...but I never expected him to decide in such a rush.

“S-So, what did Donda Ruu decide to do with Shumiral?”

“I don’t know! He said he’d let us know when Shumiral gets back and to wait till then!”

How was I supposed to contain myself after hearing that? “In that case, I’ll have to stop by when the hunters return. Could you let Donda Ruu know?”

“Yeah, got it!” Rimee Ruu replied, then hopped up on Ruuruu, who had been waiting outside, and took off. She was as skilled at handling the reins as any adult at this point.

“So they’ve really decided? That easterner... No, his name was Shumiral, right? Is he going to become a person of the forest’s edge?” Toor Deen asked.

“Well, the hunting dogs seem to have made a positive impression, but I’m still not sure.”

I had hardly gotten to talk to Shumiral at all these past four days. Each morning, he arrived at the Ruu settlement at the upper fifth hour to take hunting lessons from Ludo Ruu and the others, which kept him so busy that all I could ever do was give him a brief greeting.

“I hardly know anything about that Shumiral man, but he’s an important friend of yours, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. I don’t rank my friends or anything, but he’s really important to me.”

“Then I hope his wish to become a person of the forest’s edge is granted.”

If his wish was granted, Shumiral would finally be standing at the starting line. If it was refused, his desire to marry into the Ruu clan would never come to fruition. In that case, he would have to find a way to live a lonely life as a single westerner. Even if he could continue to work with his merchant group, he could no longer return to his old home. He would also have no use for the six hunting dogs. Just thinking about it was enough to make me feel a sinking sensation deep in my stomach.

“All right, why don’t we clean up here? You should be able to keep practicing with this back at your place.”

“Right. And my dad should be getting back soon too.”

I said farewell to Toor Deen and was left all by myself, terribly on edge. Ai Fa and the other hunters whose break period had recently ended would be returning soon, but Shumiral and the Ruu hunters wouldn’t be back until around sunset.

For the moment, I went ahead and did some prep work so that I could make dinner right after I returned from the Ruu settlement. But right in the middle of my task, there was another knock on the door. When I went out to look, I found someone standing there who I really wasn’t expecting.

“What in the world brings you here, Lili Ravitz?”

“Well, I was on my way to the Ruu settlement and I thought to stop by here.”

“To the Ruu settlement? But why?”

Lili Ravitz had been traveling on foot. Just getting to the Fa house must have taken her two hours, and it would be another hour still to walk to the Ruu settlement.

“That Shumiral man’s fate was entrusted to Donda Ruu, was it not? This morning, a Fou woman stopped by and told us all about it. My clan head has ordered me to ask Donda Ruu what he intends to do.”

“Dei Ravitz said that? He sure is being impatient.” Still, seeing as how Donda Ruu had actually already made up his mind, maybe it wasn’t all that hasty after all.

I informed Lili Ravitz of what Rimee Ruu had told me, and she calmly nodded and said, “I see. Then Donda Ruu must have decided to welcome that Shumiral man in as a clan member, and asked the nobles for permission.”

“That seems like the most logical conclusion, considering that he set out on a totos the day after their discussion.” Or at least, I couldn’t help but hope that was the case.

At any rate, Lili Ravitz then turned to the side and bowed her head deeply. “My apologies for stopping by when you were absent, Fa clan head. Please pardon me. I had a matter to discuss with Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“Of course,” Ai Fa replied as she came into view. She was carrying a massive giba on her back. She had apparently managed to bring one down fairly early.

“Welcome home, Ai Fa. Rimee Ruu actually stopped by a little while ago.”

After hearing my explanation, Ai Fa nodded and said, “I see. Then after I finish dealing with this giba, shall we head to the Ruu settlement in a wagon? You can ride along with us if you would like to, Ravitz woman. We can escort you back in the wagon as well.”

“You do not mind? The Fa and the Ravitz are...”

“Regardless of what clans we belong to, we are all people of the forest’s edge. There is no need to refrain,” Ai Fa said, her voice quite solemn, and then she disappeared into the carving room. After watching her go, Lili Ravitz turned back to me.

“The Fa clan head can take down a giba that massive all on her own?”

“Yeah. I know you’ll probably think I’m only saying this because I’m in her clan, but she’s incredibly skilled.”

“Such wondrous strength... I suppose that is why she wishes to be a hunter despite being a woman.”

Dei Ravitz was highly critical of her about that, but his wife’s feelings on the matter remained a mystery.

“Um... By the way, why is Dei Ravitz so concerned about Donda Ruu’s decision? Is he really that invested in Shumiral’s fate?”

Her eyes still narrowed like those of a Jizo statue, Lili Ravitz tilted her head a bit. “He does not seem to be especially concerned about that Shumiral man. As he is a foreigner, my clan head naturally finds him loathsome...but he said that this person can do as he pleases as long as he can work properly as a hunter, as that would be greatly preferable to a male chef and a female hunter.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad to hear it,” I said with a sigh of relief.

Lili Ravitz stared at me calmly. “You are fine with that? In the end, all it means is that he holds the Fa clan in even lower esteem.”

“Well, I figure it’s simply going to take some time for us to understand one another. I’m just glad Dei Ravitz isn’t too strongly opposed to Shumiral joining us. After all, he’s a precious friend of mine,” I said, and then I titled my head again. “But if that’s how he feels, I don’t see why he would send you all the way to the Ruu settlement. If he’s not that interested in Shumiral’s fate, why would he bother?”

“My clan head is greatly interested in those hunting dogs. He wishes to know whether turning that Shumiral man away would also apply to his beasts.”

I was more than a little surprised to hear that. Did that mean he wanted the Ravitz clan to use hunting dogs?

“Yes. He believes they should not be refused if they can effectively protect hunters. Still, it takes a great deal of money to obtain hunting dogs, does it not?”

“Yeah, they apparently cost more than totos. Still, the people of the forest’s edge receive reward money from the lord of the land. Any clan should have the right to use hunting dogs purchased with that money, shouldn’t they?”

After the Sauti clan had asked for aid, some of the other clans had started using a bit of the reward money as well. But since the people of the forest’s edge tended to live humble, honorable lives, they only used it to purchase necessities like medicine and blades.

“At any rate, the question of whether or not that Shumiral man will be accepted as a person of the forest’s edge remains,” Lili Ravitz stated as Ai Fa returned to the kitchen with a pot that was packed full of giba innards.

Since we still had some time to spare, I went ahead and showed Lili Ravitz how to clean them again. I had only had enough time to dedicate a single day to this topic at the Ravitz settlement, so I figured it would be necessary to review this.

After giving them a good wash, I placed the bits that perished quickly into a pot to use for dinner. They could still be preserved for several days, but our meat storage room was already nearly full with what we had purchased from other clans and what Ai Fa had brought back today. It was a bit of a happy accident, having Ai Fa return with such a big haul at a time like this.

The sun was finally starting to set as I wrapped up preparations for dinner. Ai Fa then attached Gilulu to his wagon and we started down the path to the Ruu settlement with her holding the reins.

Along the way, Lili Ravitz suddenly spoke up. “These totos have also brought a great deal of change to our lives at the forest’s edge. But you need to sell meat or meals in the post town in order to afford them, don’t you?”

“That’s true. Even the cheapest totos would cost around five hundred red coins... In terms of giba horns, tusks, and pelts, that would be around twenty giba’s worth.”

And a wagon cost more than twice that. When you threw in the reins and the harness, a totos and wagon together would cost 1,770 coins in total. Even if you tanned all the hides flawlessly, that would still be the equivalent of seventy-three or seventy-four giba.

“Totos and hunting dogs are essential for us people of the forest’s edge... My clan head, Dei, is keenly aware of that fact,” Lili Ravitz said, but then she went silent. For the time being, I didn’t feel like pressing her on the matter any further.

Eventually, Gilulu’s wagon arrived at the Ruu settlement, which appeared to be unusually crowded. I figured Shumiral and the others might have already made it back and hurried to the center of the plaza, where I found the hunters of the subordinate clans gathered.

“Well, if it isn’t Asuta and Ai Fa! Apparently, the Ruu hunters are still out in the forest.”

“Good to see you, Dan Rutim. Did Donda Ruu summon you all here?”

“Sure did! He said we should gather in the Ruu settlement after we returned from the forest! Well, he actually called for the clan head, Gazraan, though!” Dan Rutim remarked with a hearty chuckle, as his son, Gazraan Rutim, also approached us.

“It seems that Donda Ruu has settled matters with the nobles of the castle town. Will we finally be welcoming Shumiral as a clan member?” the Rutim clan head asked us.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve been feeling really uneasy about it for a while now,” I said.

Gazraan Rutim responded to my rather pathetic comment with a gentle smile. “I suspect it’ll all turn out fine. If nothing else, everyone has already acknowledged how useful those hunting dogs are.”

“But it would be easy for the Ruu clan to buy hunting dogs of their own with their current funds. It’s not like they would need to accept Shumiral in order to get ahold of them.”

“So you’re saying you think we might expel Shumiral, who informed us of these hunting dogs, and then purchase them for ourselves? That doesn’t sound like the sort of thing Donda Ruu would do. In fact, if he heard you say that, I’m certain he would erupt in a raging fury.”

“Ah, no, I was only trying to imagine the worst-case scenario there. I absolutely do not believe Donda Ruu is the kind of guy who’d do something that underhanded. Er, could I ask you to keep this conversation just between us?”

It seemed I was even more flustered at the moment than I had realized. I was really feeling antsy about how things would turn out for Shumiral. Gazraan Rutim simply smiled gently, as if to comfort me.

“I’ve spoken with Shumiral several times, and I’ve come to believe that he is an exceptionally honest man with a pure heart. Ludo Ruu even said he was so brave that it was hard to believe he was a townsperson. If all he wanted was to become a person of the forest’s edge, I have no doubt that he would have been swiftly accepted.”

“So he needs to be judged even more harshly because he’s asking to marry into the Ruu clan?”

“Yes. After all, that makes it a question of whether or not Donda Ruu can entrust his precious daughter to a newcomer. If this were a few months ago, I could easily imagine him saying he would never accept this unless Shumiral could beat him in a contest of strength.”

In that case, Shumiral’s desire would have been completely unobtainable.

I must have been making a pretty pathetic face, because Gazraan Rutim then tried to cheer me up by saying, “Don’t worry. Donda Ruu is now a leading clan head of the forest’s edge. That means he’s sure to hand down a just decision. As the Rutim clan head, I’m quite certain of that.”

But then, a commotion started up all around us. The Ruu hunters had finally returned. Tightly clenching my fists, I waited for the fateful moment to arrive at last.