Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 24 - Chapter 3.6

Intermezzo: The Ririn Clan

It was now the twenty-second day of the gold month, the day after the leading clan head Donda Ruu had declared that Shumiral would be permitted to become a person of the forest’s edge.

Shumiral was now visiting the Ruu settlement once again. Not long had passed since the break of dawn, but the diligent women of the forest’s edge were already setting about their work for the morning. As Shumiral pulled into the plaza with his totos-drawn wagon, Giran Ririn approached him from off to the side.

“You’re here early. Shall we head to the Ririn house now?”

“Yes. But do I not, need to greet the, leading clan head, Donda Ruu?”

“Donda Ruu’s sure to still be asleep at this time of day. You already talked plenty last night, didn’t you? So there’s no need to wake him up now,” Giran Ririn replied, the laugh lines around his eyes growing deeper. For a middle-aged man of the forest’s edge, he was a remarkably amiable person. Shumiral had heard he was a highly skilled hunter, but that kind smile of his almost made that hard to believe. “So, that’s the totos and wagon you brought as a gift, huh? And from what I understand, these aren’t ones you’ve used before, but new ones you went to the trouble of buying in the post town, right?”

“Correct. Our totos and wagons, belong to the group, so I purchased these, because I felt, I needed them, personally. The Ririn clan, should feel free, to use them, whenever necessary.”

“Yes, but you bought them with money you earned through your work as a merchant. Of course, I’m glad that we’ll all be able to freely take advantage of them as members of the same house, but they’re ultimately your possessions. That means your needs take priority when it comes to using them.”

“Understood.”

After that exchange, Shumiral and Giran Ririn headed out in their covered wagon with two of the hunting dogs that the Ruu clan was currently looking after. Shumiral was holding the reins, with the Ririn clan head peeking out of the back beside the driver’s seat.

“Start by heading south. There are a number of side paths along the way, but those all lead to the settlements of other clans. Just keep going until I signal you.”

With that, the totos and wagon began moving smoothly along the path. Rather than fearing the darkness of the forest, the large bird actually seemed to be enjoying itself. That was fortunate, because it would be living here at the forest’s edge from now on as well.

“You were talking with the members of the Ruu clan until pretty late last night, weren’t you? Did you get to know Vina Ruu any better in the process?”

“Yes... Actually, I am, not certain. I was nervous, and bashful, and could not, take the lead, and speak much. However...”

“Hmm?”

“The giba curry, Vina Ruu prepared, was so delicious, I could hardly, believe it.”

That was why Asuta had asked him to not eat the giba curry served in the post town. Shumiral felt a deep need to thank his friend for that advice.

“Giba curry, huh? That stuff sure is tasty. Unfortunately, the Ririn clan can’t make it yet. We’re too far away from the Ruu settlement, and we don’t have hands to spare, so it’s been pretty difficult to find time for lessons.”

“Yes, I understand. There are, around ten, members of your clan, correct?”

“Yeah. If you include the kids under five years old, we’ve got almost fifteen. Before today, there were four members of the main house, and now we’re adding you to that number, even if you don’t have our clan name yet,” Giran Ririn remarked with an amused smile, narrowing his eyes against the breeze that was coming from ahead of them.

Shumiral glanced at Giran Ririn out of the corner of his eye and asked, “Were the other people, in the Ririn clan, opposed to me, becoming a member?”

“Hmm? Would it be some sort of issue if they were?”

“No. I would simply, have to work harder, to earn their trust.”

“Then there’s no point in worrying over stuff like that. Even I won’t know how they’ll react to you until you actually meet them,” Giran Ririn said with a laugh. “Still, to think that you fell for Vina Ruu of all people. Your heart sure did pick a problematic woman.”

“Yes... Vina Ruu, is problematic?”

“Definitely. I’m pretty sure she’s turned down ten marriage offers already. I don’t know how it is in town, but you don’t often hear of that many proposals being rejected here at the forest’s edge.”

“Ten... That certainly is, a lot. But that is simply, proof of how, charming Vina Ruu is.”

“Right. But the point is, even if you are given the Ririn clan name, whether you’ll be able to win Vina Ruu’s heart is another matter entirely. Many ordeals await you on the path you have chosen.” Giran Ririn’s voice remained cheerful, and Shumiral didn’t think the other man was mocking him. The clan head then shot him a big grin. “You know, you remind me of myself. Like the Ruu clan will tell you, I fell for a pretty problematic woman too.”

“I see. You married, a woman from, the Lea clan, correct?”

“Indeed. Not that long ago, the Ririn were a clan that had lost all our subordinates and were on the verge of destruction. And yet, despite being the head of such a lowly clan’s main house, I let myself fall for a woman from the Lea, who were under the Ruu. There’s no denying that I was being unreasonable.”

“But you, did eventually, marry her, and were accepted, as a clan under, the Ruu.”

“Yes. That must have been a really difficult choice for Donda Ruu to make. But in the end, he welcomed the Ririn as a new subordinate clan,” Giran Ririn remarked, his bright, clear gaze turning Shumiral’s way. “Now, that role has been handed to me. I have to be every bit as strict and impartial in determining whether or not you’re suited to become a member of the Ririn clan as Donda Ruu was with me back then.”

“Of course. I wish, to tackle, the challenge, with total sincerity,” Shumiral replied, right before Giran Ririn spoke up again.

“The next path is the one we want. That’s the one that leads to the Ririn settlement. All of the members of my clan should be there awaiting your arrival.”

Shumiral found himself growing more and more nervous as he handled the totos’s reins.

Not long after entering the side path, they came to the settlement’s plaza, which was far more meager than that of the Ruu clan. There were only four houses in total, but with only fifteen clan members, that was all they needed.

“Our clan members are gathered at the main house. It’s the one farthest in.”

A heavy silence filled the air, which only worsened Shumiral’s anxiety. It had only been the previous evening when Donda Ruu had declared that Shumiral would be welcomed into the Ririn clan, and no more than half a day or so had passed since then. What did the Ririn clan members think about having to suddenly welcome a foreigner like Shumiral as one of their own? He couldn’t stop his heart from pounding at the thought.

“We’d better leave the hunting dogs here, so they don’t distract the kids. We need to introduce you to everyone first.”

Following Giran Ririn’s instructions, Shumiral descended from the driver’s seat. Then he tied the totos to a nearby tree, and the two of them headed toward the main house together.

“We’ve kept you waiting, huh? I’ve brought back our new clan member, Shumiral,” Giran Ririn announced as he opened the door, and as expected, there were over ten people waiting inside.

A young woman with golden-brown hair stepped forward from among the group. “We’ve been waiting for your return, clan head. And for our new clan member, Shumiral.”

Everyone else silently stared at Shumiral. He quickly calmed his breathing, then slowly bowed his head. “My name is Shumiral. Thank you, for welcoming me in.”

Instantly, a lively feeling filled the air.

“Glad to have you, Shumiral. I’m Giran’s younger brother. My brother and I can be a bit sloppy, so we may cause you some worries, but I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I’m the head of a branch house, and these two are my wife and child. I’m sure it would be hard to remember all our names at once, so why don’t you start with memorizing our positions?”

“I’m also the head of a branch house. I married into the clan from the Rutim, and that guy there married in from the Maam, so you can remember us that way.”

The women and older children also greeted him. The children who were too young to hold a proper conversation just stared up at him, looking puzzled.

“What’s the matter, Shumiral? You seem rather taken aback,” Giran Ririn said with a chuckle.

“Yes,” Shumiral replied with a nod. “I am, rather surprised. I did not expect, such a warm welcome.”

“A warm welcome? It’s not like we’re going out of our way to show you extra hospitality. There’s no need for us to bother with entertaining a member of our own clan, after all,” the man who had introduced himself as Giran Ririn’s younger brother said with a cheerful smile. “I mean, if Donda Ruu and Giran acknowledged you, we already know you can’t be a bad person. And now we can see that with our own eyes. It’ll probably take someone who was born in a foreign country like you a good long while to get used to the customs of the forest’s edge, after all.”

“Right. All we need to do is take our time getting accustomed to each other,” Giran Ririn said with a chuckle, scooping up two young children at the same time. One was a boy who was probably less than five years old, and the other was a girl who looked just a bit too old to call a baby. “These are my kids. Come on, you two greet him too.”

“Okay... Welcome to the Ririn clan, Shumiral,” the young boy said awkwardly with a bashful smile. His round, adorable eyes shone with childlike curiosity and affection.

Shumiral felt his chest grow tighter. He had been left all alone in this world after losing his parents and siblings, yet now he had all of these people welcoming him in as a clan member. He had never imagined he would be met with such a warm welcome after causing so many people trouble in pursuit of his unreasonable request.

Still...this must be what it means to be a person of the forest’s edge. All of them possessed such earnest souls. Shumiral needed to apply himself completely from here on out, so that he could proudly declare that he was one of them. I will never be permitted to ask Vina Ruu to marry me otherwise.

Shumiral felt his resolve renew itself, as the members of the Ririn clan watched him with warm gazes.