Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 27 - Chapter 2.4

4

Ultimately, my younger sister Morun was unable to cast aside her feelings for Deek Dom.

After we finished dinner, we accompanied Deek and Lem Dom to the Zaza settlement. We had five of our people with us: Donda Ruu, my father Dan, Morun, Deem Rutim, and me. From the Zaza clan, Gulaf, Geol, and Sufira Zaza were in attendance.

“My apologies for hiding so much from you. I’d like to start by expressing my gratitude to the Zaza and the Dom for silently accepting our actions despite finding them suspicious,” Donda Ruu started out by saying. My father Dan was smiling like always, while Morun silently hung her head. “It’s already late at night, so there’s no need to mince words. The youngest daughter of the Rutim has fallen for the Dom clan head, Deek Dom.”

Gulaf Zaza and Deek Dom’s expressions didn’t shift in the least as they listened to Donda Ruu’s words. Geol Zaza and Lem Dom, on the other hand, looked positively shocked. Though they had found our actions suspicious, they clearly hadn’t expected something like this.

“A-A member of the Rutim has fallen for Deek Dom? What in the world are you thinking?!” Geol Zaza shouted.

“Sh-She isn’t planning to marry into the Dom clan, is she?!” Lem Dom asked.

Donda Ruu shook his head and replied, “No. Before asking to marry into Deek Dom’s house, we first need to discuss whether or not such a thing could possibly be permitted.”

“As if that would ever be okay! If the Dom and Rutim form blood ties, what will become of the Zaza and Ruu?! We’re both leading clans, you know!”

“Do the Ruu intend to become subordinate to the Zaza?”

“Quiet, you two,” Gulaf Zaza growled. “Donda Ruu is still talking. He and the Rutim clan head have obviously already considered every question you could think to ask.”

“Right! It’d be one thing if I were still clan head, but Gazraan’s a better thinker than anyone!” my father loudly added.

That caused Donda Ruu to mutter, “You need to be quiet too. You’re nothing but a simple member of the Rutim now, so if you can’t behave yourself, then wait outside.”

“And how am I supposed to do that when we’re talking about the future of my lovely daughter?! Just don’t mind me and keep on talking!”

“I’m telling you, you need to behave yourself... At any rate, we’d like to talk about what happens from here on out. I’ve accepted what my subordinate clan head, Gazraan Rutim, has to say, so I’d like to start by having you listen to his proposal as well.”

It was finally my turn. I went ahead and conveyed the thoughts I had expressed to Donda Ruu several days ago.

“I would like to find a way to grant the wishes of my younger sister Morun. I’m fully aware of how difficult that will be. However, I was able to arrive at my own conclusions about the matter after carefully considering her request.”

“Hmph. So you’re insistent on having that girl marry Deek Dom?”

“Yes. If Deek Dom accepts Morun as his wife, then as the Rutim clan head I would like to ask that she be allowed to marry into the Dom.”

Geol Zaza looked like he was about to start shouting about something again, but Gulaf Zaza stopped him before he could.

“Your actions up until now have made us painfully aware of how quick-witted you are, so let us hear all of your thoughts on the matter.”

“Thank you. I imagine this may take a while, but I ask that you listen all the way until the end.”

As you know, I always accompany the leading clan heads to the meetings in the castle town with Melfried and Polarth, so I have earned a fair bit of trust from Gulaf Zaza.

Looking back, I have been asked to accompany the leading clan heads since Cyclaeus was still in charge. That man was a troublesome enemy of our people, but we were able to take him down together. Because of all the time we’ve spent working with each other, I have come to see Gulaf Zaza as an irreplaceable comrade, and I spoke with those feelings in my heart.

“It would be problematic for the Dom and Rutim to become blood relatives due to the fact that we are subordinate to different leading clans, the Zaza and the Ruu. This goes without saying, but if Deek Dom and Morun were to be married, the Zaza and Ruu would become related as well. That is what our customs say here at the forest’s edge.”

“Yes. That is only natural since we value blood ties above all else. Breaking that custom would be unthinkable.”

“Indeed. But that is exactly what I would like to do.”

Gulaf Zaza’s eyes had remained perfectly calm up until then, but a black blaze arose in them when I said that. Even so, he maintained a calm tone as he asked me, “What do you mean?”

“Well, saying I want to break the custom may not be quite right. Instead, I was thinking of changing the customs, the laws, of the forest’s edge.”

“Changing your wording doesn’t make any difference. Tell us the specifics.”

“Of course. The biggest issue is that a marriage between the Dom and Rutim would cause the Zaza and Ruu to become related clans as well. So long as that is the case, the only possible solution would be for Morun to cast aside the Rutim clan.”

“True. If that girl were to cast aside the Rutim name and become a Dom clan member before asking to marry, that wouldn’t break the laws of the forest’s edge. However, I have my doubts as to whether Deek Dom would be willing to accept a girl who would cast aside her own clan.”

“Exactly!” Dan Rutim agreed. “And I wouldn’t let Morun cast aside the Rutim name anyway! That’s why I asked our reliable clan head to give the problem some serious thought!”

“Indeed. I don’t wish to sever my blood ties with Morun either, and I wouldn’t expect that to lead to her request to marry being granted. It would make more sense in that case for Deek Dom to choose a wife from a related clan in order to deepen his clan’s bond with theirs.”

Deek Dom remained expressionless, and he didn’t say so much as a word, nor did Morun.

“But think about it. How much meaning is there in maintaining our current laws?” I asked.

“What do you mean? You aren’t trying to deny the value of bonds of blood, are you?”

“No. Blood ties should be valued above all else. So much of our strength as people of the forest’s edge comes from them, from our feelings for those who are close to us. That is an undeniable fact.”

“So why do you say we should break or change our laws?”

“Because the state of the clans has changed quite a bit compared to eighty years ago.”

That is the conclusion I have come to. It’s a thought that’s been growing inside me since even before Morun opened up about her feelings.

“The thousand people of the forest’s edge from eighty years ago have diminished to between five and six hundred in number. But how many clans have vanished in that time? There’s no way of knowing, but in all likelihood, around half of the clans have died out, just like our population.”

“What are you trying to say, exactly?”

“Currently, there are only thirty-seven clans at the forest’s edge in total, with twelve of those being parent clans. And that number includes the Fa, who have only two members, and the Sudra, who have nine. On top of that, it seems likely that the Sudra will form blood ties with the Fou soon, which will bring us down to just eleven parent clans.”

“There being eleven or twelve parent clans does nothing to change our overall number, so what does it matter?”

“Really? Considering three of them are leading clans, I find it to be a very serious problem.”

It seemed that no one present had picked up on my concerns yet. Of course, my father Dan didn’t seem to have any interest in the matter in the first place.

“Very well, let me put it a different way,” I said. “What do you expect the leading clans to do going forward?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Will you continue to form blood ties with the small clans and increase the number of your relatives? Or will you simply deepen the ties with the subordinate clans you have now? I cannot imagine an especially bright future coming from either choice.”

This is a matter I had been obsessing over for the past several days, and even at the time of the meeting, I was still wrestling with how to convey it properly.

“Out of the thirty-seven clans, nineteen of them are related to a leading clan. In terms of people, that’s over two hundred and fifty. Don’t those numbers sound a little unbalanced to you?”

“But Donda Ruu is the one who proposed making the Zaza, Ruu, and Sauti leading clans, and we agreed as we found his thinking to be correct. We cannot simply change course now.”

“You’re right. But I do not think it’s the proper state of things for half of our people to fall under the leading clans. Won’t this one day lead to all of us falling under the leading clans?”

“That worry is overblown. We’re already forming new ties with the clans around us. Not that the small clans should expect us to welcome them in as subordinates too easily, though.”

“As the head of the Zaza, it makes sense for you to think as such. Your clan is in the midst of trying to deepen your ties with the far-off Deen and Liddo, so you won’t have to worry about adding subordinate clans for some time.”

“Are you saying that the Ruu and Sauti have some kind of issue along those lines?”

“It’s nothing particularly serious at the moment, but they are going to run into trouble before the Zaza do. The first ones who will start to have problems will likely be the Sauti, who have sixty or so members across six clans. Soon enough, they will all become near relatives and have difficulties forming marriages.”

“Hmm?” Gulaf Zaza brought his hand to his mouth, pondering my words.

“In the past, we have overcome such difficulties by forming new blood ties with other clans. Whether it’s within the next several years or the next several decades, it is certain that the Sauti will have to do so again eventually, and their only candidates would be the small clans between the Ruu and the Sauti...including those under the Dai, I suppose.”

“Hmm...”

“After that would come the Ruu. The Ruu welcomed in the Muufa twenty years ago and the Ririn several years back, but those were both small clans. They continuously married among the other five clans for a long time before that, and while that has led to them having some very strong bonds, the blood has gotten too thick among them. It will not be all that long before we need to bring in more people. The only candidates for that would be the Gaaz, the Ratsu, and the Beim.”

“Indeed, that is how it would have to work if they were to choose from the clans that live near them.”

“Yes. But all parent clans are proud of their status, and ones with many members like the Gaaz and Ratsu will not be willing to give that up lightly. However, they are going to have trouble finding marriage partners who aren’t too closely related far sooner than the leading clans, as could only be expected, given that they are significantly smaller, so by the time the Ruu start looking for new blood ties, the Gaaz, Ratsu, and Beim might have already combined into one.”

If that happened, they would form a group of seven clans with a number of members similar to that of the Ruu and Zaza, in which case, the clan that ultimately ended up in charge would undoubtedly be equal to the Ruu and Zaza in terms of their pride and sense of responsibility as well, and would find it even more difficult to relinquish them. Or at least, that is how it seems to me. It was an outlandish hypothetical, but it seemed to properly convey my meaning to Gulaf Zaza.

“I see... In other words, the parent clans will vanish one after another, starting from the smaller ones, until eventually they’ll all end up as one, eh?”

“Exactly. And in a way, that may be the best path for us to take. One leading clan with many children under them, with all of our people being related and valuing one another as much as our own families. In a way, you could even call that ideal.”

“All five or six hundred of our people, valuing one another like family...”

“Yes. If we can manage to reach that point, then the problem will vanish, though that would still leave us with the question of who will be the parent clan.”

I took a breath and organized the thoughts in my head. I figured Gulaf Zaza and the others needed a chance to do so as well. When it felt like enough time had passed, I started speaking again.

“Of course, everything I’ve been saying has been nothing more than my own guesswork. It will be quite some time before such a situation occurs, so there’s no telling what will actually happen. But it feels like a very real possibility, and if we wish to put a stop to it, now is the time to slow the rapid decline in the number of clans.”

“B-But clans don’t only decrease in number,” Geol Zaza said, chiming in for the first time in a while. “I mean, the Jeen split off from the Zaza a few decades ago.”

It is true that the customs of the forest’s edge allow clans to divide into two when they grow too big.

“How many new clans besides the Jeen were born during those decades, though? And even if a clan does split off, it doesn’t change how closely related the members are. For example, the Ruu are likely heading toward a split soon, as they have nearly forty members, but that would not create any new candidates to marry among the related clans,” I explained.

“Oh, right... So then, what are you saying we should do?!”

“As I said, I’m suggesting that we need to change our customs.”

At last, the discussion had reached its climax.

“It is currently the law at the forest’s edge that if one clan member becomes a blood relative, all of them do,” I continued. “But what if we create a special exception? If we permit this exception, it will allow us to more freely bring new blood into our clans.”

“And what is this exception you are proposing?” Gulaf Zaza asked.

“Well, using our current situation as an example, if Morun and Deek Dom do get married, what if we change things so that only the Rutim and Dom would become related, while their parent and fellow subordinate clans would not?”

Gulaf Zaza stirred a bit. “Hmm? I don’t quite understand. You’re not proposing that the Dom and the Rutim should cut ties with all of the clans they’re currently related to so that their only relatives would be one another, are you?”

“I’m not. The Dom would remain under the Zaza and the Rutim under the Ruu, while they would have an independent bond of their own. The other Ruu subordinates—that is, the Lea, Min, Maam, Muufa, and Ririn—and the Zaza subordinates—the Jeen, Havira, Dana, Liddo, and Deen—would have nothing to do with it. Under my proposal, only the Dom and the Rutim would be forming a new bond.”

“But in that case...if this woman marries into the Dom, she would have two parent clans, would she not? So then, which parent clan would she prioritize, the Ruu or the Zaza?”

“Since she would be marrying into the Dom clan, it would naturally be the Zaza. That’s no different from an ordinary marriage.”

Using my wife Ama Min as an example, she is expected to obey the orders of the head of our parent clan, the Ruu, first and foremost. After that comes the head of the Rutim clan that she married into, followed finally by the head of the Min, the clan she was born into. In Morun’s case, the order would instead go Zaza, Dom, Ruu, and then Rutim.

“Of course, I did say that this should be an exception to the usual rules. The heads of the relevant parent clans will have to be the ones to determine whether or not the related clans should be involved when a marriage occurs on a case-by-case basis. And thanks to our totos, the entire forest’s edge can easily be informed of their decision to avoid any confusion.”

Gulaf Zaza’s mouth remained shut, and everyone else seemed to be pondering my proposal as well.

“If we allow people to marry without discarding their families as I have described, it will remove a barrier that separates our clans from one another. Then we will be able to bring in new blood more readily, which should also slow the rate at which parent clans disappear.”

“Hmm...”

“There are many different clans, but we are all people of the forest’s edge. If we continue to treat one another as we should in our interactions, it’s inevitable that love will blossom between those who are not related. But as things stand, marrying someone who is not related to you is an extremely serious undertaking, which forces most people who find themselves in that position to bury their feelings and forget about them. And if the number of parent clans ends up decreasing as a result, that doesn’t benefit anyone.”

No one said anything in response.

“There were once over a thousand of our people. And from what I am told, there were twice as many as that when we lived in the black forest of Jagar. Back then, I’m sure our current laws functioned just fine. But now that the number of clans has decreased this much, the law as it stands is starting to make our lives more difficult.”

It seemed they were all still deep in thought, so I continued.

“The laws of the forest’s edge should bring happiness to our people as a whole and to each of us as individuals. We must be prepared to revise them every now and then when appropriate.”

That was the conclusion I had reached.

A few moments later, Gulaf Zaza looked away from me to stare directly at Donda Ruu instead. “Donda Ruu, you acknowledge the Rutim clan head’s words as correct, then?”

“Yeah. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here discussing them.”

“I see. But we cannot bend the laws of the forest’s edge simply because we will it.”

“Of course. I was thinking of raising this matter at the next clan head meeting,” I said.

Gulaf Zaza scowled. “What?”

“I thought all of this through for the sake of the future of our people, so I wish to hear all of the clan heads’ opinions on whether my thinking is correct. There are about three months left until the clan head meeting is held in the blue month. That should be plenty of time for the clan heads to discuss the matter with their families and relatives and collect their thoughts.”

“So you’ve even taken the time to consider that? You certainly are a shrewd one,” Gulaf Zaza remarked, slowly shaking his head under the giba pelt he was wearing. “In that case, there isn’t any point in discussing it further now. I’ll also speak with my family and our subordinate clans so we can come to a decision about whether this is the proper path for us to take.”

“Great! And there’s one last request I’d like to make!” my father Dan chimed in, causing Gulaf Zaza to scowl in annoyance.

“What is it? Have you thought of yet another hassle we need to discuss?”

“I’m not sure if it will be a hassle or not, but I’d like to leave Morun in the care of the northern settlement until the day of the clan head meeting.”

“What?” Gulaf Zaza questioned, taken aback. “You wish to leave your daughter with us for three months? Even though it’s far from certain that this marriage will even be permitted?”

“Well, you all need to determine whether Morun would be a good partner for Deek Dom, don’t you? She may be my precious daughter, but I’m not sure what a different clan will think of her!” Dan Rutim remarked with a hearty laugh. “And if you decide she’s not the right woman to be the Dom clan head’s wife, then you can send her back without waiting for the clan head meeting. Whether or not the other clan heads accept Gazraan’s clever idea, there won’t need to be a marriage if they don’t have feelings for one another!”

“Allow me to ask again. You really intend to send your precious daughter to the northern settlement all on her own?”

“Yup! And Morun wants this too!”

Morun silently bowed her head. Over the past few days, I had often noticed how mature she now looked.

“I was able to resolve myself and take action thanks to you, Sufira Zaza,” Morun said.

Sufira Zaza tilted her head and said, “Huh?”

“I believe you were in a more difficult position than I am, and yet you still opened up about your feelings. On top of that, you also found the strength to give up on what could never be. The anguish I’ve felt is nothing compared to your pain and sadness. That thought is what drove me to reveal everything I’ve been hiding.”

There was a slight smile in Sufira Zaza’s eyes. “I’m nothing but a complete fool who caused trouble for my precious family. But still...if it ended up giving you the courage you needed, then perhaps there was some point to it after all.”

“No, you most certainly aren’t a fool.”

“Oh, yes I am. But we were able to confirm how we felt, so I have no regrets. I’m sure you must feel the same way, correct?”

With that, Sufira Zaza’s gaze shifted over to Deek Dom. The man’s face was like a stone sculpture, unmoving and impossible to read.

“Deek Dom, neither of us has ever gone as far as to promise to marry the other,” she said. “And I, at least, have no intention to marry anyone for some time. But you should give some serious thought to who might be fit to be your partner.”

Deek Dom offered no response.

“Ignoring all the troublesome issues that have to be resolved, I believe you and Morun Rutim would suit one another quite well. I know you’re fond of kind and gentle girls, after all.”

Morun hung her head, noticeably blushing.

Deek Dom, meanwhile, remained expressionless, though he did scratch the scar on his nose.

“So, what do you say? Will you grant Morun permission to stay here for a while?” my father Dan asked again, causing Gulaf Zaza to sigh with a scowl on his face.

“If you’re that insistent, then I won’t deny you, but I don’t believe she should sleep at the main Dom house.”

“No, of course not! We wouldn’t want anything to happen before they’re married! But I’d like you to at least allow them to have dinner together! Lem Dom’s a hunter now, so they must be lacking in chefs, so this works out perfectly!” my father Dan declared. Then he smiled and added, “Also, the Ruu clans will be holding a festival of the hunt and a celebration for the birthday of our elder soon! So could you let her return home for just that one day?! Even if this marriage is allowed, I’d still like to have her join us for big celebrations or events with family!”

“Indeed. She will serve as an example of what it means to remain a part of the Rutim under the Ruu while also marrying into the Dom,” I said.

Morun looked up with a smile. “I look forward to staying with you. And I’ll try my best to not cause you any trouble.”

◇

“And that was how our meeting last night ended.”

After hearing Gazraan Rutim’s story, I sighed heavily. “Your ability to recall and recount absolutely everything is seriously impressive, as always. It feels like I saw it all with my own two eyes.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“So, what does all that have to do with the Fa clan?” Ai Fa asked.

Gazraan Rutim smiled gently at us. “There’s no direct relation, except that the Rutim’s actions are going to face a lot of scrutiny at the next clan head meeting, just like the Fa’s are.”

“Ah, so that’s what you meant. Indeed, your proposal could very well upend the customs of the forest’s edge every bit as much as we have.”

“Yes. But we’re also both hoping to bring happiness to our people,” Gazraan Rutim replied, and then his gentle gaze turned my way. “If I hadn’t met you, Asuta, I’m sure I never would have let my thoughts take me this far. I’m once again deeply grateful that I know you.”

“Oh no, I’m the one who’s grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have accomplished much of anything.”

After all, I had relied on Gazraan Rutim’s opinions and ability to think things through when I was taking the first step toward opening the stalls. Still, if I hadn’t overturned so much of what was seen as common sense at the forest’s edge, Gazraan Rutim really might not have ever come up with his proposal. We were working hand in hand, searching for the proper path forward.

“So, if your proposed exception is accepted at the clan head meeting, then Morun Rutim will be allowed to marry into the Dom, right?”

“Yes. But first we’ll have to see whether Deek Dom thinks Morun is a good partner for him.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Morun Rutim’s cute, and she can be really charming.”

She wasn’t a traditional beauty, but I thought there were a lot of things that made her attractive as a woman. She was bright and cheerful like the sun, and just being around her made you feel happier. That was the sort of woman Morun Rutim was. When she was angry, she could be as intense as Dan Rutim, certainly, but that simply added to her charm.

While I was thinking that, though, Ai Fa was glaring at me.

“You shouldn’t praise an unmarried woman for being cute so casually, Asuta,” she said.

“Ah, sorry. That goes against the customs of the forest’s edge, doesn’t it? I’ll try to do better from now on.”

My clan head’s glare did not let up, though.

“Seriously, I will! Come on, don’t be angry with me.”

If Gazraan Rutim hadn’t been there, I surely would have earned myself a kick.

The Rutim clan head was still smiling, though, the same as he had been before, as he looked between the two of us. “Morun’s marriage proposal is still a ways off, but the Ruu’s next festival of the hunt will be happening soon. Now that the rainy season is over, I’m sure that we’ll be seeing new discussions about marriage popping up all over the place before long. Asuta, Ai Fa, you two will be participating in our festival again, correct?”

“Ah, yes. Though it’s more that we were invited to celebrate Jiba Ruu’s birthday,” Ai Fa said.

“I’m very much looking forward to it. Recently, we’ve had to deal with a number of rather challenging problems, both with Sufira Zaza and Morun, so being able to enjoy some time with our relatives would be extremely welcome right about now,” Gazraan Rutim said. But then his eyes narrowed as if he was thinking about something.

We were about to enter into the last third of the vermilion month, and Granny Jiba’s birthday was right around the corner.