Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 26 - Chapter 5.7

2

Time continued to pass, and as it did, the young Jiza Ruu came to understand a great many things.

The leading Suun clan were a heinous lot, and the previous clan head Dogran Ruu had been sharpening his fangs for years in order to someday pass judgment on them. But the Ruu still lacked the necessary strength, and there was no clear proof of the Suun clan’s crimes. He had been forced to sit and endure at the clan head meetings that were held each year, and in the end he had left this world filled with regret, with Donda Ruu inheriting his post as clan head.

Even so, Donda Ruu kept on biding his time. Eventually, the Suun would commit a crime they couldn’t talk their way out of, and before that happened, the Ruu would have to gain enough strength to surpass both them and the northern clans. He had properly taken up the path that the previous clan head Dogran Ruu had laid out.

Around five years after Donda Ruu became clan head, Zattsu Suun fell ill and his son Zuuro Suun became the next leading clan head. Unlike his father, Zuuro Suun seemed to lack any strength whatsoever as a hunter. He had definitely inherited his father’s arrogance and despicable nature, but it was easy to imagine even the youngest Ruu hunter sending his head flying without much trouble at all.

Even so, Donda Ruu didn’t budge. Even if the Suun had lost the strength, the northern clans under them were only growing more and more powerful.

With the changing of the leading clan head, the Suun had also grown more cautious. Actually, more than that, they seemed to be noticeably afraid of the Ruu. Any sort of failure on their part would result in the leading clan head Zuuro Suun throwing away his pride and bowing his head to make sure everything wrapped up smoothly. Even so, they kept up with their evildoing in the shadows, causing the members of the smaller clans and the townsfolk to suffer.

“The northern clans might actually get fed up with the Suun before we’re ready to take up our blades,” Donda Ruu said once, but he still didn’t make a move. He wouldn’t strike until there was clear proof, so that he could bring stability rather than ruin to the forest’s edge. In order to see his vows through, he displayed such self-restraint that it was as if he were made of steel, which Jiza Ruu had long felt was something that Donda Ruu had inherited from his father.

Over time, his younger brothers had matured into splendid hunters, and he felt that both of them had each inherited something invaluable from their father.

The second brother, Darmu Ruu, had inherited their father’s blazing ferocity. He would never allow anyone to oppose him and had an intense temperament that would burn down everything that stood in his way. On top of that, it was said that he looked the most similar to how their father did as a young man.

The youngest brother, Ludo Ruu, seemed to inherit Donda Ruu’s potential as a hunter. Naturally, due to the age gap between them, he still couldn’t measure up to his older brothers in contests of strength. However, making it into the top eight at the age of fifteen was a feat neither Jiza nor Darmu Ruu had managed. And despite the fact that he had an exceptionally slight build, he managed to bring down just as many giba as his older brothers.

And what had Jiza Ruu inherited? He felt that it was probably his strong spirit and self-discipline. Or put another way, perhaps it was the weight of having been born the eldest son of the main house.

However, as things would turn out, the Suun clan eventually fell without anyone needing to take up arms, and the Ruu became one of the new leading clans. That meant that becoming the head of the main Ruu house now entailed not only being burdened with the future of the subordinate clans, but of all of their people.

A misjudgment could very well bring ruin to the people of the forest’s edge. Just like the Suun had been gradually leading them to their downfall, the character of a leading clan head could have a major influence on the fate of their people as a whole.

Jiza Ruu needed to be resolved to endure the weight of having to live his life more properly than any of his comrades.

Darmu and Ludo Ruu seemed to be worse at controlling their emotions than most. Their fierce spirit was undoubtedly part of the Ruu bloodline, as their sisters also exhibited the trait, and the clan head before the previous one, Jiba Ruu, had apparently had a burning hot temper in her youth.

Jiza Ruu had apparently inherited the calmness that Ryada and Shin Ruu possessed instead. Ryada Ruu had originally been a member of the main house himself, after all. He was also Jiba Ruu’s grandson and Dogran Ruu’s son. Clearly, both raging spirit and stoic calm were fundamental parts of the Ruu clan’s nature. It wasn’t as if people only had one side to them. Both of those aspects could undoubtedly exist within the same person, like how Ryada Ruu had a fierceness to him while Darmu and Ludo Ruu could be calm as well. And that also went for Jiza Ruu.

He most certainly wasn’t the type to lose control of himself easily. In fact, he was well aware that he had a tendency to hide his own ferocious spirit from others. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand when his younger brothers got angry or happy, but he did feel that they lacked the ability to restrain themselves. For his brothers, though, that was fine. No matter how wild they might be, it was no issue as long as they didn’t stray from the proper path. In fact, Jiza Ruu even found that side of them charming. However, Jiza Ruu didn’t have the leeway to simply act as he pleased. No matter how much something might shake him, he always needed to stop and think in order to figure out the best way to respond.

Donda Ruu was already forty-two years old. There were only a few years left until he would be as old as the previous clan head had been when he had perished in the forest. Furthermore, he had become clan head at the age of twenty-seven. Jiza Ruu himself would soon turn twenty-four, so it wouldn’t be long before he reached that age as well.

On top of that, Donda Ruu had been seriously injured in the fight with the lord of the forest. Fortunately, it seemed he would be able to regain his strength as a hunter given time, but if he had made a single misstep during his confrontation with the beast, Jiza Ruu could easily have already been forced to succeed him as leading clan head.

As he was now, could Jiza Ruu properly guide his people? He really couldn’t say for certain. However, there was no escaping his destiny. As long as he didn’t perish before his father, he would undoubtedly inherit the post one day, and he felt like he needed to develop so much more of the right kind of strength before that day came.

“Um, did you fall asleep?” a young woman worriedly asked, rousing Jiza Ruu from his thoughts.

When he turned to look, he found two girls standing there, both of them daughters of innkeepers from the post town.

“Did I look like I was sleeping?”

It was currently the tenth of the silver month, the day of the friendship banquet for which a large number of people from all walks of life throughout Genos had been invited to the Ruu settlement. Jiza Ruu had withdrawn to the edge of the plaza some time ago, where he had been looking over the festivities without truly seeing them while getting lost in his thoughts. But he hadn’t even been seated, much less lying down.

“I mean, you haven’t budged in the slightest for a while now, so I thought maybe you hunters from the forest’s edge could sleep while standing up,” the girl whose shoulders and stomach were exposed like a woman of the forest’s edge remarked with an amused laugh. He was fairly certain her name was Yumi.

The other girl looked rather timid, and she was staring up at Jiza Ruu with a shy smile. Her name was Telia Mas, and as he well knew, she had been a victim of the crimes committed by the Suun.

“We actually have a little something to discuss with you,” Yumi said while thrusting the large plate she was holding at Jiza Ruu. Telia Mas also had a similarly sized plate. Atop them sat the baked poitan sweets and chatchi mochi that his younger sister Rimee Ruu and a few of the others had made.

“Can we give these sweets to the little kids?”

“Little kids?”

“Yeah. The kids under five are all in one of these houses, aren’t they? I feel bad for them not getting to enjoy this feast, so we figured we could at least bring them some sweets.”

That certainly was an odd request. Jiza Ruu stroked his chin as he looked down at the girls. “There’s no need for you to worry yourselves about such things. Only those who have reached the age of five are acknowledged as truly belonging to our people here at the forest’s edge.”

“Huh? Isn’t that a bit cold? If you’re not at least five, you don’t get to eat any feasts?”

“All of our people were raised as such, so I don’t see any reason to treat the children differently now.”

“But your son Kota Ruu is one of those kids, isn’t he?! If we bring him these, I’m sure it’ll make him happy.”

“He may be my child, but that does not mean I can give him special treatment. That would be unfair to everyone else.”

Yumi made a loud “Tch!” with her tongue. “You’re so strict! You’re the oldest son of the main Ruu house, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then you’ll be the next leading clan head! So can’t you just change those old-fashioned traditions if you decide it’s the right thing to do?”

Jiza Ruu was truly stunned. “The laws and customs of the forest’s edge are not to be treated so lightly. Though children are not considered to be proper members of our people until the age of five, we still treasure them before that. They are not allowed to participate in banquets, but they are also not tasked with doing work around the house. That is simply how we protect our children.”

“Then can’t you overlook us giving them sweets? Wouldn’t you be glad to see Kota Ruu happy?”

Jiza Ruu gave a small sigh and shook his head. “I would not go so far as to say that sharing food with them would be breaking a taboo. But I cannot simply declare it acceptable to give them food that’s been prepared for family and guests. If you really wish to do this, you should seek permission from our clan head Donda.”

“Jeez! You’re so inflexible! Okay, got it. So we just have to ask the leading clan head? Come on, Telia Mas, let’s go!”

“Uh, right.”

Yumi hurriedly turned back toward the center of the plaza, but Telia Mas timidly bowed to Jiza Ruu first.

“I’m sorry. Yumi can be a bit impulsive, but I’m sure she didn’t mean to offend you. She came up with this idea because she thought Kota Ruu was way too cute.”

“Yes, I believe I understand that much. And no parent would be offended by someone trying to be thoughtful on behalf of their child.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. Well then, please excuse me.”

With one last bright smile, Telia Mas headed off after Yumi, leaving Jiza Ruu with some complicated feelings about their encounter.

It was only natural that there would be differences in opinion when interacting with townsfolk. Even more so when those townsfolk were being invited to one of their banquets. Though the girls hadn’t meant any harm with their request, as the people of the forest’s edge continued to form bonds with more and more outsiders, complicated issues such as this were sure to continue cropping up.

It has been six and a half months now since Asuta, Vina, and the rest began doing business in the post town. No one would have ever expected that our ties to the townsfolk would grow this deep in such a short period of time.

Jiza Ruu recalled what Donda Ruu had said before the banquet. Interacting with the townsfolk in the wrong way would weaken the people of the forest’s edge, just like how the Suun had strayed from the proper path when interacting with the nobles. But if they hadn’t deepened their ties with the townsfolk, it would have been nearly impossible to uncover the full truth about how far the Suun’s wicked acts had gone and how involved the nobles had been in those crimes. It was only thanks to their interactions with townsfolk such as Telia Mas’s father, the vegetable seller Dora, Kamyua Yoshu, and Melfried that they had been able to learn the truth.

And that, in turn, had brought about the Suun’s downfall. The struggle with the Suun that had been going on since the time of the previous clan head, Dogran Ruu, had ended bloodlessly without any need to draw blades. That had undoubtedly been the best path they could have taken, and that was why Donda Ruu had said he wished to keep on following that path into the future.

However, Jiza Ruu still had serious concerns. Naturally, he had celebrated the judgment that had been passed on the Suun and the nobles without the need for violence. But were the people of the forest’s edge now walking a path filled with even more hardships?

So far, things had just barely managed to work out well. However, there was no guarantee of that continuing into the future. Jiza Ruu was concerned that by straying so far from the customs of the forest’s edge, they could be inviting an even greater calamity.

For example, there was the plan to carve a path through the Morga forest’s edge. If that came to pass, it wouldn’t take long for a great many travelers to start using it.

Melfried had said that it was important for the people of the forest’s edge to make their strength known, to ensure that no issues occurred. He had definitely been correct about that, of course. Melfried was a man who possessed steely, unshakable convictions. Jiza Ruu had never expected to find a man among the nobles who valued the law and logic so highly.

But even so, what would they do if something terrible did happen? The planned path would pass right alongside the Sauti settlement. Unfamiliar townsfolk would be passing very close to their settlement in large numbers during the parts of the day when the hunters were out in the forest, leaving only women, young children, and the elderly about. Just one person with wicked intentions could do irreparable harm to the Sauti.

Up until this point, everything had played out more or less for the best. However, it wasn’t as if there hadn’t been any danger. Arrows had been shot at the leading clan heads during the meeting with Cyclaeus, and Asuta had been kidnapped by a noble. Also, in both the Gamley Troupe’s tent and the town of Dabagg, bandits had attacked several of the people of the forest’s edge. Those difficulties had all been overcome, but that might not always be the case.

Without thinking, Jiza Ruu had started looking out over the plaza again.

Asuta and Ai Fa were happily enjoying their food under the bright light of the bonfires. Seated beside them were that chef from the castle town, Roy, and one of the traveling performers, Pino.

The Fa clan brought all of this to pass.

The path walked by the people of the forest’s edge had shifted greatly in this past half year, and Asuta and Ai Fa had undoubtedly been the ones to cause those changes. If Asuta had never come to the forest’s edge, or if Ai Fa hadn’t accepted him into her clan, this path their people were following would never have opened up to them. Jiza Ruu had previously considered those occurrences to be threats and had warned Asuta about his behavior. Even so, the chef had refused to back down, and his participation in the clan head meeting had directly resulted in the downfall of the Suun. Donda Ruu had determined that the path he had shown them was the correct one, and as a result, all of the people of the forest’s edge had accepted him and were now walking that path together.

However, Jiza Ruu would be the next leading clan head. After Donda Ruu retired, it would be up to him to decide what path his people should take. Would Asuta turn out to be a medicine or a poison for the forest’s edge? Would his actions bring about prosperity or disaster? As the leader of his people, Jiza Ruu would need to determine that.

However, at this point, even Jiza Ruu was coming to accept Asuta. He didn’t know exactly when he had started to feel that way. All this time, he had stood alongside his father, cautiously keeping an eye on Asuta’s actions. Just like Gulaf Zaza was trying to have Sufira Zaza do now, he had watched Asuta resolutely in order to determine if the chef’s actions were bettering his people or harming them.

Virtually everyone in the Ruu and their subordinate clans now accepted Asuta and Ai Fa. Darmu Ruu seemed to have taken issue with them a good bit, but that had been due to his own personal concerns. It wasn’t as if he had acted with the future of the forest’s edge in mind.

Even at this banquet, Jiza Ruu’s family and the members of the subordinate clans looked truly happy. Thanks to Asuta, they had learned how wonderful it was to have good food to eat and had formed new bonds with the townsfolk, both of which seemed to be positive changes. Certainly, nobody who was in attendance here tonight would object to what the members of the Fa clan were doing.

On an emotional level, Jiza Ruu felt that that was only right. Asuta’s and Ai Fa’s actions had brought great strength and joy to the Ruu. Even Jiza Ruu couldn’t deny that fact. Those feelings had been budding in his chest ever since the day he had first eaten that giba cutlet dish.

However, Jiza Ruu would be the next leader of his people. He couldn’t let emotion alone sway him. No matter how much joy he and his people might feel, he needed to stop and properly assess whether it was truly right or not.

Donda Ruu had a far fiercer personality than Jiza Ruu did, but for nearly twenty years he had buried his regrets and endured the actions of the Suun clan. Had he not been bound by the responsibility of being the eldest son of the main Ruu house, Donda Ruu could have easily taken up his blade at any time. But he had suppressed those feelings for the sake of the Ruu clan and the very forest’s edge itself. As his father’s successor, Jiza Ruu couldn’t let his emotions override his reason.

If the time comes when I determine that the Fa’s actions are bringing depravity or calamity to the forest’s edge, I will... Jiza Ruu thought to himself, only for another figure to approach him. It was a hunter about as big as he was, with a calm and gentle look in his eyes—the young Rutim clan head, Gazraan Rutim.

“What’s the matter, Jiza Ruu? You don’t seem to have said a word for some time now.”

“Ah, I’ve just been doing a bit of thinking.”

“I see. Where’s Sati Lea Ruu?”

“It’s Sati Lea’s turn to look after the young children.”

“I see,” Gazraan Rutim repeated, and then he moved to stand alongside Jiza Ruu.

Gazraan Rutim seemed to have grown even stronger and calmer since inheriting the seat of clan head from Dan Rutim. Jiza Ruu would surely still beat the man in a contest of strength between hunters, but he seemed to possess some kind of mysterious fortitude that couldn’t be measured through such an event.

“Are you still feeling hesitant, Jiza Ruu?” Gazraan Rutim asked while looking in the same direction as his companion. “You seem to be looking at Asuta and Ai Fa as if to determine whether or not they are friend or foe. If they will be medicine for the forest’s edge, or poison.”

“As the next leading clan head, isn’t that only natural?”

“Yes, it certainly is.” Unsurprisingly, Gazraan Rutim’s voice was perfectly calm. Jiza Ruu couldn’t help but feel that he was a man who could keep complete control of himself in the truest sense. “But the answer to that question exists inside you and you alone. That is why Donda Ruu interacts with them the way he does, wouldn’t you agree?”

“What’s this about my father?”

“Though he has fully accepted the Fa clan, Donda Ruu has not used the word ‘friend’ in relation to them. That is likely due to his personality, of course. However, I’m sure he also doesn’t want to do anything that might constrain the paths you have to choose from, Jiza Ruu.”

“My paths,” Jiza Ruu muttered.

Gazraan Rutim then turned to face him. “If the clan head Donda Ruu were to use that word, it would bind the Ruu in the future. However, Ai Fa and Asuta are still young, so you will be working with them as clan head for much longer than he will. That is why I believe Donda Ruu is trying to ensure that you will have the chance to decide the future of the Ruu clan, Jiza Ruu.”

Jiza Ruu stared silently at his fellow hunter.

“Do you remember the day when Asuta said he wished to do business in the post town?”

The sudden question caught Jiza Ruu off guard. However, he could recall that day quite clearly, even now. “I remember that you accompanied Asuta and Ai Fa to the main Ruu house. Darmu had recently received multiple head injuries, so it was only my father, Ludo, and I who met with you.”

“Yes, that was the day. Asuta asked for the Ruu clan’s assistance so he could do business in the post town, and Donda Ruu said that he would accept the request, but that he would take Asuta’s right arm if he were to betray the trust of the people of the forest’s edge.”

“I remember.”

“I believe he said those words for your sake as well. Without such a weighty vow in place, I’m sure you wouldn’t have been satisfied with the outcome. And he likely also wished to convey to you how much resolve one must have when seeking to deviate from the customs of the forest’s edge.”

“Are you saying my father had already accepted the actions of the Fa on an emotional level even back then?”

“Yes, but that’s just my guess. However, I do believe that he might have placed such heavy restrictions on Asuta in order to show you the proper path forward as clan head.”

His gaze still fixed on the plaza, Jiza Ruu said, “I see. I doubt anyone really ever knows what my father is actually thinking, but it’s true that back then I found the actions of the Fa to be dangerous. Without such weighty conditions in place, I’m sure I wouldn’t have accepted him allowing Asuta to employ women from the Ruu clan. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if my father managed to pick up on that.”

“Yes, I think so as well.”

“I believe that was the right decision to make, as clan head of the Ruu. And though we weren’t a leading clan yet at that point, he already understood that we needed to serve as an example in place of the Suun, so he couldn’t call a foreigner like Asuta a friend lightly. Of course, Dan Rutim declared that the Fa and Rutim were friends without the slightest hesitation.”

“Yes, that’s the sort of man my father Dan is. Still, I don’t think he was wrong to do so. After all, I called Asuta a friend before he did.”

Jiza Ruu slowly turned to face Gazraan Rutim directly.

The other hunter was smiling softly, as he often did. However, there was a different sort of light in his eyes than the shine that had been there in the past. Though he was calmer and kinder than any other hunter, those eyes showed that he had the resolve to act decisively. They were as keen as the eyes of a great raguul hawk, flying through the air while fixated on its prey far below on the ground.

“It seems you’ve already decided on your own path, Gazraan Rutim.”

“Yes. And I have no hesitation whatsoever on this matter. I shall forever be a friend to the Fa. No matter who may try to forbid me from saying so.”

Jiza Ruu had no response to those words.

“But at the same time, the Rutim fall under the Ruu. I want the Rutim to stay on the path we’re currently on, with the Ruu as our parent clan and the Fa as our friends,” Gazraan Rutim said, his smile growing even gentler. “You may believe it’s too early for anyone to say this to you...but I sincerely believe that there’s nothing to worry about, Jiza Ruu.”

“Nothing to worry about?”

“Yes. You are going to inherit a great responsibility as leading clan head, but it will not be your burden alone. You have family, subordinate clans, and companions. A clan head leads his people, and they give him their support in return. That is how the people of the forest’s edge have always lived. The Suun strayed from that path and fell to ruin, as is only proper. I believe we owe that to the forest’s guidance.”

Once again, Jiza Ruu had no response.

“There’s nothing to worry about. You don’t have to do this by yourself. You have five hundred comrades by your side. Please, don’t forget that.”

Jiza Ruu continued to silently stare at Gazraan Rutim’s smile until yet another set of figures approached them: Jiza Ruu’s youngest sister, Rimee Ruu, and a girl from town, Tara.

“What have you been up to, Jiza?” Rimee Ruu asked. “The whole roast giba’s almost all gone.”

“Ah, right.”

The girls were such close friends, it was almost like they were sisters. They were holding hands as they walked closer, and Tara’s brown eyes were sparkling as she stared up at Jiza Ruu.

“Um, my older brothers were saying they’d like to talk with you more...if that’s okay,” Tara said.

Jiza Ruu was taken aback, and Gazraan Rutim chuckled.

“You managed to form ties with them in the post town and the Daleim lands, right? You may not have many more opportunities to see them in the future, so I think you should spend as much time getting to know them as you can while you still have the chance.”

“That’s right, so why don’t we all eat together?” Rimee Ruu suggested, wrapping her free hand around Jiza Ruu’s fingers. Tara then timidly grabbed his other hand.

And so, Jiza Ruu stepped back into the plaza that was filled with dazzling light, where it looked like his comrades were truly enjoying the banquet as they bonded with their guests from town.