Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 24 - Chapter 3.7

Group Performance: Idle Weakness

It was around halfway through the silver month, a few days before the question of whether Lem Dom would be permitted to live as a hunter would be answered, based on her contest of strength with Ai Fa.

Diga was sobbing anxiously in a desolate, dimly lit room. In front of him, his brother... No, his former brother, Doddo, was lying on his side as he moaned in pain. They were in the bedroom that had been allotted to them in a branch house at the Dom settlement. Doddo had been seriously injured during their hunting work today. Recently, the food they’d been getting had become a lot more appetizing, and Diga and Doddo had finally found themselves able to eat enough to fill their stomachs. Strength had returned to their skinny bodies, and they had been steadily proving to be more useful as hunters bit by bit. And yet, it had all led to this calamity.

A giba that had been shot with an arrow had charged angrily and gored the base of Doddo’s right leg. The clan head, Deek Dom, had swiftly dealt with the rampaging giba, but an unbelievable amount of blood had been spurting from Doddo’s wounds, and it hadn’t seemed like he could possibly be saved.

And yet, Doddo was alive. His leg muscles had made it through okay, and there were no issues with his bones either. But he had lost a dangerous amount of blood, so the Dom woman who treated him said what happened next would depend on how strong he was.

Doddo’s pained moaning hadn’t let up for one moment, and he hadn’t tried to open his eyes even once. If Doddo’s strength came up short, his soul would return to the forest. When Diga thought about that, he couldn’t stop himself from crying.

It wasn’t as if Diga and Doddo had been especially close up until that point. To be honest, Doddo had been incredibly violent back in the days when he had been able to drink as heavily as he liked, to the point that Diga had found him a bit frightening. The only times Diga hadn’t felt afraid were when he himself had been drinking a similar amount of wine. However, Doddo was the only person Diga still had by his side now. They had been torn away from the rest of their family, and their blood ties had been severed. But even so, Doddo alone was still with him, as they found themselves here in the northern settlement, surrounded by so many terrifying hunters.

On top of that, Doddo wasn’t scary in the least anymore, now that he had been banned from drinking fruit wine. The change was so profound that Diga couldn’t help but wonder if his former brother was even more weak-willed than he was. He found that he was now dependent on Doddo’s presence, and the reverse was also true. That made Diga happy, and he had grown more fond of Doddo than he had ever been before. Even if their blood ties had been severed, Doddo was still his younger brother and was now incredibly important to him.

Was that the reason this fate had befallen them? Diga’s and Doddo’s crimes had been forgiven in exchange for their blood ties being severed, but they just couldn’t stop clinging to one another. Had their weakness been so unbecoming of a pair of hunters that they had earned the forest’s anger? He didn’t know, but it hardly mattered. Diga was so distressed that he could barely endure it, and his tears were flowing uncontrollably.

“Doddo... Please don’t die... Don’t leave me all alone...”

There was then a rattling at the door, causing Diga to freeze. Someone was undoing the bolt from the outside. Diga and Doddo had committed a great many crimes, so even though they were no longer bound with leather straps, their bedroom remained bolted from the outside so that they couldn’t move about freely.

“Sorry for the wait. The banquet’s starting soon. You should get out there,” a large man declared, stepping into the bedroom. A giba pelt covered his head, marking him as a Zaza hunter rather than a member of the Dom. Despite his young age, he had a really stern face, with a large scar near his right eyebrow. He was the youngest son of the main Zaza house, Geol Zaza.

The hunter’s eyes were like black flames as they glared at Diga, who shrank away from them. Diga had difficulty dealing with people who had black eyes. They reminded him of the former leading clan head, Zattsu Suun—a man he had feared more than anyone. That left Diga hesitant to look Deek Dom, Asuta of the Fa clan, or even his younger sister Tsuvai in the eyes.

“Were you seriously crying?” Geol Zaza muttered, sounding astounded.

Diga hurriedly wiped at his eyes, staining the back of his hand with tears and snot.

“You really are an utterly hopeless weakling! No matter how much you cry or wail, the forest will be the one to decide his fate. Besides, there’s a banquet tonight, so get up already.”

“Banquet? What banquet?”

“You forgot? The second son of the Jeen took down a giba, so he’s been acknowledged as a full-fledged hunter. Deek Dom must have told you we were holding a banquet to celebrate, right?”

Sure enough, he had heard about that last night. He and Doddo had been looking forward to it, figuring they might get a chance to eat a bunch of delicious food again. Just thinking back on that was enough to cause the tears to well up in his eyes again.

“B-But the banquet’s being held at the Dom settlement, isn’t it? Who’s going to look after Doddo?”

“There’s no need for that. He’s been given medicine, and the bleeding has stopped. All that’s left is to wait for him to get up on his own. Even if somebody does stay by his side, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“No, but—”

“Shut it, you sorry excuse for a man! You’re a member of the Dom clan now, aren’t you? Do you intend to disrespect this celebration for the second son of one of their related clans?”

Under the burning glare of Geol Zaza’s black eyes, Diga was unable to say anything in response.

I’m sorry, Doddo... I’ll hurry back as soon as I can, so you better not die on me...

Diga trudged out of the house with Geol Zaza hurrying him along, and found that the sun was already halfway sunken below the western horizon. With the settlement at the forest’s edge awash in twilight, the members of the Dom clan were all cheerfully departing down the path to the Jeen settlement.

“Hmm? Is that you, Geol Zaza?”

“Ah, Deek Dom. You were so late that I came to meet you. We can’t start the banquet until you’ve all arrived.”

“I see. Sorry about that.”

Geol Zaza was wearing a pelt with the head still attached, while Deek Dom wore a hunter’s cloak and a giba skull. Even during banquets, the men of the northern settlement remained clad in their hunting outfits. The women, however, were in their banquet attire, which consisted of thin fabric from Sym and accessories bought in town, just like what the women of the other clans wore. However, they additionally decorated themselves with giba pelts and bones, which Diga still wasn’t used to seeing.

Celebrating a hunter like this was a custom unique to the northern settlement. Or at the very least, they had never held such banquets at the Suun settlement. Apparently, men from this part of the forest weren’t seen as full-fledged hunters until they managed to chase down a giba and kill it with their own strength. Hunters that were only capable of finishing off giba that were caught in traps, like Diga and Doddo, were still treated as novices in training.

Once a hunter finally reached the point where they didn’t have to rely on such methods, the clans held a banquet like this. The size of the banquet was determined by the house and rank of the hunter in question, and as this was the second son of the main Jeen house, it meant everyone from the northern settlement was gathering.

“The heads of the subordinate clans have also been summoned today in order to deepen our bonds. They’re supposed to be bringing their young men and women along, so if any new weddings end up coming out of this, that’ll mean another banquet will be happening soon,” Geol Zaza remarked with a hearty laugh as they walked. Then, his black eyes turned to look directly at Deek Dom with a quizzical expression. “You’re looking pretty gloomy today. Are you that worried about Lem Dom?”

“The Fa clan head’s wounds have finally healed, so the agreed upon contest of strength will be carried out soon.”

At this point, Lem and Deek Dom hadn’t reconciled, nor had she ever returned home after separating from her family. Geol Zaza hadn’t met Ai Fa yet either.

“Hmph. If that woman hunter is even half as strong as they say, then taking down a girl who’s had no real training should be no problem for her, right? In fact, she ought to be able to win with only one hand, easily. If Lem Dom happens to get the better of her, then her hunter’s cloak should be ripped away and she should be forced to live as a woman,” Geol Zaza said, and then he suddenly turned toward Diga. “Now that I think about it, I heard you fell for that woman hunter, didn’t you, Diga? And she turned you down in a pretty definitive way, right? Not that you’re anyone to measure against, but was she actually strong enough to call herself a hunter?”

“Yeah, probably... I don’t think she’s any weaker than your average hunter, at least.”

“What an ambiguous answer! What do you think, Deek Dom?”

“There’s no need to worry. Ai Fa of the Fa clan seems to be uncommonly capable.”

“The one who needs to stop worrying is you! And once Lem Dom’s back, safe and sound, just have her marry me as agreed!” Geol Zaza said with a big laugh, then he shot another glare Diga’s way. “And you. Your face is even gloomier than Deek Dom’s. You were finally starting to look like you had the eyes of a real hunter, but now it’s all ruined.”

Diga offered no response.

“You’ve been corrupted to your core. Even a woman like Lem Dom would never lose to a coward like you in a contest of strength.” Geol Zaza suddenly came to a stop and picked up a thick stick that was on the ground. “Hey, grab the other end and try to steal this stick from me.”

“H-Huh? What are you saying?”

“Just hurry up and do it. If you don’t, I’ll break your nose.”

Left with no choice, Diga did as he was told and grabbed the stick. Geol Zaza was holding on to the other end with only one arm, but no matter how hard Diga pulled, the man’s sturdy body didn’t so much as budge.

“Do it like you mean it. If you beat me, I’ll give you special permission to drink fruit wine today.”

Diga didn’t find that motivating, though. Doddo was the one who loved fruit wine. Diga had no intention of drinking the stuff all on his own without his brother. But if he didn’t try for real, he’d end up with a broken nose. Geol Zaza might have seemed like he had a sociable personality, but when he got mad he was every bit as terrifying as his father, Gulaf Zaza.

Diga once again pulled on the stick with all his might. A single tug had no chance of working, so he tried pulling again and again, mixing up fast and slow attempts. Though Geol Zaza still had a relaxed look on his face, that was finally enough to get him to brace his legs.

At this rate, I might actually be able to win. With that, Diga tried to put even more strength into his next tug, only for Geol Zaza’s black eyes to ignite like an inferno. With a beastly yell, Diga’s opponent snatched the stick away from him, and since he had been pulled at that exact moment, Diga went tumbling down.

“I win. You really are good for nothing.”

Geol Zaza leaned over Diga, casting the stick aside. Seeing those black eyes so close up caused Diga to break out in a cold sweat.

“Diga, what you lack is spirit. There’s a lot of other stuff you’re missing too, but first and foremost, your heart is simply weak. That’s why you can’t even win a contest of raw strength like that.”

Diga said nothing in response.

“You’re the same size as I am, aren’t you? I may be bigger than you in a few years, but right now you shouldn’t be too far below me in terms of strength. So the first thing you need to fix in order to become a full-fledged hunter is that cowardly nature of yours.” Then, Geol Zaza grinned and stood up. “Now then, that’s enough of a diversion! Let’s get going to the Jeen settlement. The Deen and Liddo women are supposedly preparing a real feast for their relatives today!”

Like Geol Zaza had said, everyone else had already gathered at the Jeen settlement. There were the members of the Zaza, Dom, and Jeen, as well as the heads of the subordinate clans, accompanied by one person each. And then there were the chefs from the Deen and Liddo who had been invited as well. All in all, there had to be at least sixty people present.

“Looks like everyone’s here. Well then, let’s begin this celebration for the second son of the Jeen, who has now become a proper hunter,” the leading clan head, Gulaf Zaza, announced in a deep voice. There was a ritual fire set up in the middle of the plaza, and he was standing in front of it along with two women. One of the women held a hunter’s cloak, while the other had a sheathed sword. “Step forward, second son of the Jeen. Your family will grant you a new cloak and blade.”

A broad-shouldered man slowly approached the ritual flame. He had on the same sort of headless hunter’s cloak that men from most of the other clans used, and which Diga was wearing as well. The second son of the Jeen undid the fastener on that cloak and handed it over to one of the women, and they then placed the new cloak on him. This one still had the head part attached, including the giba’s skull as a foundation, so when it was on him, it looked like he was wearing a helmet. And furthermore, it had been made out of the giba that he had taken down himself.

Similarly, his blade was replaced with a new one. The old cloak and blade would be passed down to another young man when he turned thirteen. And as the second son donned his new equipment, his relatives all raised a cheer for him. Men and women alike were calling out so loudly that it felt as if the ground itself were trembling. There was a unique intonation to it as well, which seemed to resonate all the way to the depths of one’s stomach. This custom of the northern settlement was still quite frightening to Diga. The subordinate clan heads and chefs looked rather intimidated as well.

“We have gained a new hunter! My comrades, let us give our thanks to the mother forest and fill our stomachs with giba meat!” Gulaf Zaza shouted, cutting through the cheers. He lifted up a container of fruit wine, and with that, the celebratory banquet began. Geol Zaza and Deek Dom quickly headed toward the center of the commotion, leaving Diga all on his own.

Nobody else seemed to have any interest in Diga either, and they certainly didn’t approach him. Until Diga and Doddo became full-fledged hunters like the second son of the Jeen just had, they likely wouldn’t be accepted as true comrades either. Hunters-in-training with such large bodies would probably be viewed as nothing more than useless burdens here at the northern settlement.

Not so long ago, everyone here fell under the Suun clan, Diga thought to himself, sitting off in a corner while watching his former comrades enjoy the banquet in the distance.

The Zaza, Dom, and Jeen, and even the Liddo, Deen, Havira, and Dana had all once been under the Suun. But since their connection through the Suun clan had been severed, it was likely that a number of them didn’t share any blood ties now. The Jeen and Liddo had only recently formed such ties, but the Deen surely hadn’t done so with any clan other than the Suun. And clans located far to the north like the Havira and Dana probably hadn’t had very many chances to interact with the Liddo and Deen.

But from here on out, they’ll be able to form blood ties without involving the Suun clan. They’ll forget the Suun branch houses completely, even though our settlement is still located right in the middle of all of theirs. And it was none other than Diga and his family who had brought such a fate upon the members of the branch houses. With a deep sigh, Diga leaned against the trunk of a tree. He hadn’t eaten anything since he finished his jerky ration around when the sun hit its peak. He was so hungry his stomach felt like it would tear itself apart. But without Doddo around, he lacked the courage to walk into such an energetic party all on his own.

Tch! If Lem Dom were here, she would just drag us over there while making fun of us the whole time.

Thinking of Doddo caused tears to well up in his eyes again. He felt pathetic and useless, and like all he wanted was to run back to Doddo.

“Um, are you feeling unwell somehow?” a girl’s quiet voice asked from above him. Diga looked up, and found a young girl standing there holding a plate. She had a rather childlike face, but she must have been at least ten years old, as she was wearing a woman’s outfit with the top and bottom being separate pieces. Her family must not have been all that well-off, though, since her sparkling clothes were only decorated with berries and flowers.

“Who are you? A woman from the subordinate clans?”

“Yes. I am Toor Deen of the Deen clan. Um, do you not remember me?”

“Toor Deen...?”

She was a rather cute girl, with blackish-brown hair and blue eyes. The expression on her face looked rather timid, but in a few years, she’d surely grow into quite a beauty.

“I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. Who are you, again? Have we met?”

“Yes. I... I previously belonged to a Suun branch house. After the night of our downfall, I was taken in by my mother’s birth clan, the Deen.”

“A-A member of the branch houses?” Diga muttered, gulping. “Wh-What do you want with a guy like me? Did you come to take out your grudges on me?”

“No, I didn’t come over here for anything like that,” Toor Deen replied with a troubled smile, causing her to look all the cuter, like a sweet little flower. “I just wanted to talk with you a bit... You can eat this if you’d like. It’s soup made with giba offal and tarapa.”

The warm steam coming off the plate wafted toward Diga’s nose. The sour smell of the tarapa alone was enough to make Diga’s stomach grumble loudly. Toor Deen smiled again, and Diga went ahead and accepted the plate, his face turning red.

“Wh-Why do you want to talk to me? There shouldn’t be anything to talk to me about besides old grudges.”

“It’s a little complicated, so how about you eat a little first?”

Toor Deen sat down an appropriate distance away from Diga, who had no idea what was going on as he picked up the spoon and took in a mouthful of the soup. A striking flavor instantly started dancing across his tongue. It was really remarkable, made up of all sorts of vegetables and herbs.

“Oh, this is the dish that was served at the wedding banquet for the Jeen and Liddo clans! You made this, then?”

“Y-Yes. I taught the northern women about the recipe, and then we made it together.”

“That’s amazing. The meals we’ve been having at the Dom clan have been incredibly good lately, but they just don’t compare to this stuff.”

“Yeah. The Ruu and Rutim sent some women here recently. I hope my work doesn’t compare too poorly to theirs.”

“Of course not. Even out of all the stuff we’ve had at banquets, I like this most of all.”

After that, he obsessively shoveled down the rest of the contents of the dish. She had said it was giba offal, but rather than being chewy innards, it felt like proper meat. And it went incredibly well with the sour and spicy broth, making for a dish so tasty it almost brought Diga to tears.

“It really is good. This might be even tastier than the soup we had back at the wedding banquet. Actually, I think it’s probably just as good as the stuff we had a while back at the Ruu settlement.”

“You’re exaggerating. Those dishes were made by Asuta and the Ruu women, weren’t they?” Toor Deen said, grinning blissfully all the while. However, seeing her innocent smile made Diga’s chest ache for some reason.

“You were a member of the Suun clan, but you’re still able to smile like that.”

“Huh?”

“Back when we all lived at the Suun settlement, everyone from the branch houses always looked like walking corpses. All because we were forcing you all to uphold the ways of the Suun clan.”

Toor Deen’s smile shifted, growing a bit pained. However, it still kept its childlike innocence. “The branch houses committed the crime of not correcting the main house’s mistakes. I’m trying my best to live a proper life in order to make up for that.”

“Hmph. As if the branch houses ever could have opposed the main house. Who knows what sort of awful fate would have awaited you if you tried.”

It was a crime to be weak. The Suun clan was strong and needed to rule over the weak... Those were the rules laid out by Zattsu Suun. But Diga and Doddo hadn’t been able to do much of anything except cover up their weakness with bluster, throwing their weight around and pretending to be rulers.

Zattsu Suun could have cut them off at any time if he had noticed their weakness, and at that point, all they would have had to look forward to was despair and destruction. That was why Diga and Doddo had to act as if they were strong. And then they forced such despair and destruction on the powerless branch houses and subordinate clans in turn.

Diga felt like he wanted to disappear. He and Doddo had been unable to atone for their past sins, instead making an absolutely miserable showing of themselves. And yet, even after having such utter despair thrust upon her, Toor Deen could still smile with such happiness. He felt like a dirty bug, a pest, looking up at a beautiful flower.

Diga had also noticed that Toor Deen’s slender shoulders were trembling. She was desperately suppressing the unease she felt inside in order to show him that smile, which was only natural for a former member of the branch houses. Diga didn’t remember Toor Deen, but there was no way someone from the branch houses would ever forget the members of the main house. Diga and Doddo in particular had been as cruel as Zattsu and Migi Suun, so much so that the fear of them would have seeped down into the very bones of the young children from the branch houses.

Just like Diga and Doddo had feared Migi Suun, the members of the branch houses felt the same way about them in turn. Even if their blood ties had been severed, the fear and grudges they had inspired wouldn’t go away that easily. And yet, Toor Deen was still able to smile at Diga. That made him feel even more pathetic.

“That’s probably not enough for you, is it? Why don’t I bring you a meat dish with a bit more substance to it?” Toor Deen asked, still smiling and knowing nothing of what Diga was thinking.

“Don’t bother,” Diga said with a weak shake of his head. “You should leave me be... You’ve got so many relatives here tonight. Why not enjoy yourself with them? Nothing good will come of getting involved with a guy like me.”

“But I came here because I had something to discuss with you,” Toor Deen said as she was standing up. Then she continued in a formal tone, “By the way, where is the second son... Ah, I mean the former second son, Doddo? I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

“Doddo got injured,” Diga replied, feeling a stinging pain in the back of his nose. “A giba got him in the leg with its tusk, and it’s possible he might die... He’s in pain right now, with nobody by his side.”

“Oh. I see...” Toor Deen replied, her gentle voice full of pity, causing Diga to finally break down in tears.

“Just forget about us already. You’ve managed to start living a proper life and everything, so you shouldn’t spare a second thought for guys like us... We’re good-for-nothings fated to die out in the forest.”

“But that’s not what Gulaf Zaza and Deek Dom said,” Toor Deen remarked in a serious tone, leaning forward. “They said you two were finally starting to look like hunters. That they’d be able to give you your cloaks before long. Both of them thought so.”

“But I can’t do anything on my own. If Doddo dies, I’m done for.”

“You’re really worried about Doddo, aren’t you? It’ll be okay. I’m sure of it. The mother forest is watching over you.” Diga stared at Toor Deen’s face, sniffling constantly. Seeing her kind face was making him cry even harder. “All we can do is pray to the forest for Doddo to overcome this trial so he can continue on his path to becoming a hunter. I know you’ll pull through. The two of you are strong. After all, you are former members of the main Suun house.”

“It’s hard to believe that. Doddo and I are pretty much just insects.”

“That’s not true at all. Yamiru Lea, Mida, Tsuvai, and Oura have all had difficulties they’ve had to overcome through the strength of their spirits. I’m sure you guys can get through this too.”

Diga leaned forward, his face now absolutely soaked with tears and snot. “A-Are they doing okay? Mida’s real strong, but he can’t do anything on his own.”

“Mida made it into the top eight of a Ruu clan contest of strength. Twice, actually,” Toor Deen said with an incredibly kind smile. “Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai have been helping out at the stalls in the post town. Oura has mostly been staying at the Rutim settlement this whole time, so I haven’t had many chances to see her, but she seemed to be doing well at the previous banquet.”

“I see. So they’re all properly atoning for our sins.”

“So are the two of you. And Zuuro Suun. He’s out there somewhere in the kingdom, working to make amends for what he did,” Toor Deen remarked, staring off into the distance. “And so are we. Those like me and my father who were taken in by other clans, and the members of the branch houses who remained at the settlement... We’re all living our lives as well as we can. I was allowed to stop by the Suun settlement while I was on my way here today. Several men have had their souls return to the forest, but they’re all trying so hard to redeem themselves.”

“Everyone from the branch houses too? I see...”

“Yeah. So we’ll be fine. Our mother forest won’t abandon her children when we’re trying our best to live proper lives.” Toor Deen’s expression was filled with such fondness that it was as if she herself were the forest. Diga almost felt like the gentle light in her blue eyes was embracing him. “That was what I wanted to tell you and Doddo. Your blood ties have been severed, but I thought that hearing how your former family was doing would be encouraging for you, so I got permission from Gulaf Zaza to tell you about them.”

“A little girl like you went to Gulaf Zaza, one of the leading clan heads, for permission to do something?”

“Yes. I was so scared I couldn’t stop my legs from trembling, but I somehow managed to get my request out,” Toor Deen replied with an embarrassed smile.

Diga loudly snorted, sucking some of his snot back in. “I really am pathetic... Even a little girl like you is doing so much better than I am.”

“I’m sure that’s only because you’re so upset about Doddo’s injuries. And you’re hungry too, aren’t you? People often get a bit jittery when they’re feeling hungry,” Toor Deen said, energetically rising to her feet. “I’ll bring you some other dishes. Then if you get your energy back, I’d like to hear how your lives with the Dom have been. I have a lot more to tell you about Yamiru Lea and the others too.”

“Hold on. Actually...I’d like to bring some food to Doddo too.”

Toor Deen’s eyes went wide with confusion when she heard that. “Is Doddo even able to eat right now? You just said his life was in danger.”

“But if he smells a bunch of delicious food, that might be enough to get him to open his eyes, right? He’s every bit as much of a glutton as I am,” Diga replied, gathering up all the energy in his body and smiling.

Toor Deen’s eyes narrowed, and she gave him another almost motherly smile. “Well then, let’s deliver some food to him. And if he wakes up, I’d love to hear what both of you have to say.”

“Yeah, got it.” Diga forced all of his strength into his weak legs and stood up.

Toor Deen belonged to the Deen clan. To a member of the Dom clan, that made her a relative. If Diga and Doddo lived proper lives and were given the Dom name, then they could proudly declare that they were related to her again. That would be a proper bond between them, as people of the forest’s edge.

“Okay, let’s get going. How about some herb-grilled giba meat? It smells just as good as tarapa and offal stew, don’t you think?”

Diga wiped his face with the back of his hand, then started walking beside Toor Deen.

The plaza was filled with light. There were so many people around whose names Diga didn’t even know, making such a commotion that it felt as if sparks were flying through the air. And yet, the banquet no longer felt frightening to him in any way.