Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 27 - Chapter 4.2

2

The Ruu settlement had become a cauldron of feverish energy. A crowd of loudly cheering people filled the entire space, undoubtedly watching the contest of strength.

“Whoa, amazing! They’re as fired up as people get for the swordsmanship tournament!” Yumi said exuberantly. Tara clung tightly to my side while looking all around, while Telia Mas was holding Yumi’s arm, looking just a bit worried. It wasn’t strange for them to be a bit overwhelmed at the sight of people of the forest’s edge acting this lively. Polarth had looked like he was about to faint the first time he had seen something similar.

“Hey, it’s Asuta! And Tara too! Welcome to the Ruu settlement!” Rimee Ruu called out, appearing from within the crowd.

Tara let go of my clothes and immediately ran over to her. “We’re here! Everyone’s so spirited right now!”

“Yeah! Ai Fa’s fighting Ji Maam! He’s trying really hard, but—” Her voice was then drowned out by an explosion of cheering. Apparently, the match had reached its conclusion somewhere on the other side of the wall of bodies. “Aw, we missed it! I wonder if Ai Fa won.”

I was really curious myself. However, we couldn’t leave the wagon where it was to join the crowd, so I just stood where I was. But then the crowd opened up like Moses parting the Red Sea, and Ai Fa came into view.

“So, you’re finally here, eh, Asuta?”

“Yeah. How’d your match with Ji Maam go?”

“I won. But Ji Maam has definitely gotten stronger.”

Ai Fa had faced Ji Maam during our first Ruu festival of the hunt as well. Perhaps it was fortunate that I had missed the frightening sight of the two of them facing off this time around.

“H-Hold on! Isn’t Ji Maam that crazy huge guy?” Yumi suddenly asked, catching me off guard.

“Yeah. Ji Maam’s exceptionally big—the largest man under the Ruu... How do you know his name, though, Yumi?”

“We talked a bit at the last banquet. He beat that huge performer in a contest during the sun god’s revival festival, didn’t he? How in the world did you beat a guy like that, Ai Fa?”

“I’m not sure how to explain,” Ai Fa said as she looked over the guests. “It seems you are as loud as always, Yumi. I’m glad to see you looking well, though. Now that you’ve made it here, you should greet Donda Ruu...or actually, Mia Lea Ruu.”

“Yeah! Papa Donda’s busy with the contest of strength, after all!” Rimee Ruu chimed in.

The contest of strength had only just begun, so no one had made it past the preliminary matches yet. Because the Ruu clan had so many relatives, hunters had to get through this stage in order to qualify. The first eight people to win three matches advanced, but if you lost two you were out. The rest of the contest was a simple tournament bracket.

A new bout had begun in the center of the plaza, but we circled around the crowd in the direction of the main Ruu house.

And as we did, Yumi suddenly said, “Whoa! What’s that? I didn’t see anything like that last time we were here.”

“That’s the stage. The winner of the contest of strength will sit there.”

The wood structure had been set up in front of the main house like always, but this time, it had a rug laid out on top of it and a leather canopy hanging over it. Granny Jiba and a number of other old folks were already seated there.

“It’s rare to catch a glimpse of Jiba Ruu this early in a celebration. Is it because it’s her birthday?” I asked no one in particular.

“Yeah! But Granny Jiba’s doing a lot better these days anyway, so she might start coming out to watch our festivals when it’s still bright out all the time!” Rimee Ruu energetically replied, still holding hands with Tara. I was glad to hear that, but we had to wait until after the contest of strength to give Granny Jiba our gifts of celebratory flowers.

We parked our wagon in front of Shin Ruu’s house, then headed straight over to the main house. White smoke was coming from the kitchens of the eight houses. There were also several simple stoves set up around the plaza, where giba were being roasted whole. Though the women were still dressed in their normal clothes, at this point it already felt like a festival.

We eventually made it safely to the front of the main house while avoiding the cheering crowd and the children running all about. When we arrived, Mia Lea Ruu was there to greet us.

“Welcome, dear guests, to the Ruu house.”

“Long time no see, Mia Lea Ruu! Thanks for inviting us today!” Yumi greeted her back as energetically as Rimee Ruu had been when welcoming us. Tara and Telia Mas also smiled and bowed their heads.

“Mia Lea Ruu, this is a gift from Dora,” I said while holding out the bag I had been given.

“Oh my,” Mia Lea Ruu replied, narrowing her eyes. “A vegetable seller is giving us his precious goods for free? I wonder if we should send him some giba meat in return...”

“I’m not sure. We should definitely consider it for our next visit to his house.”

“I agree. I’ll consult with our clan head about that. For now, could you tell your father we say thank you, Tara?”

“Yup! Got it!” Tara said with a smile and a nod.

Mia Lea Ruu then turned her gaze toward Yumi and Telia Mas. “We’re busy manning the stoves and can’t talk too much right now, but please, make yourselves at home. If you wish to take a rest inside, simply let someone nearby know.”

“It would be such a waste to stay inside on a day like this! We’ll just wander around for a while, so don’t mind us!” Yumi declared.

“Of course. Well then, please enjoy yourselves.”

The women took turns cooking, and watched the contest of strength when they weren’t. The contest was also a chance for the men to show off their strength as hunters, so unwed women were given as much time as possible to spectate.

“I’m going to get to work too, so you all take care,” I told the girls. “Rimee Ruu, I can borrow the kitchen at Shin Ruu’s house, right?”

“Yeah! Make something awesome, Asuta!”

Rimee Ruu seemed to be free, so I left the guests in her care. After that, Ai Fa and I headed over to Shin Ruu’s home.

“Er, is it okay for you to be wandering around like this, Ai Fa?”

“It’s fine. As I am not related to them, I feel it would be improper for me to be the one to issue challenges. I plan to simply accept whatever challenges happen to come my way.”

“Gotcha. By the way, isn’t there a custom that says hunters who make it to the top eight shouldn’t offer challenges anyway?” I felt like I had heard something like that from Rau Lea or Ludo Ruu at the last festival of the hunt—that people who made it to the top eight had to wait for others to challenge them.

However, Ai Fa shook her head and replied, “I made it into the top eight at the festival of the hunt before last, so that custom does not apply to me.”

“Ah, I see... So, remind me, who made it into the top eight last time again? Jiza Ruu won, and Gazraan Rutim finished second. And then there were Shin Ruu, and Giran Ririn...”

“The others were Ludo Ruu, Rau Lea, Mida, and Jeeda. And incidentally, Ludo Ruu beat the second son of the Rutim a little while ago.”

“I see. That sounds like a really amazing group. And now you, Donda Ruu, Dan Rutim, and Darmu Ruu are back in the mix.”

I remembered Rau Lea telling me that Darmu Ruu was supposed to be one of the most skilled people under all the Ruu. But two festivals ago, he had lost to Ai Fa, and the time after that, he hadn’t been able to participate due to his injuries. I was really interested to see how well he’d do this time.

“Oh yeah, Giran Ririn never made it into the top eight before because he always challenged Donda Ruu and Dan Rutim, right? But he made it into the top eight last time, so I guess he can’t challenge them in the preliminary matches this time.”

“Yes, I’m sure he will make it to the final eight once more.”

If the folks who made it into the top eight last time didn’t get to fight, the preliminaries would probably go to whoever acted quickest. It was apparently normal for the most skilled hunters to get a lot of challenges, but this time there was a chance that finalists from the previous contest like Giran Ririn and Shin Ruu would miss out on that compared to the extremely strong hunters who hadn’t gotten to participate at all.

So I guess it really is a system that makes it easier for those who are seen as strong to make it into the top eight. I’m sure that’s because it just happened to work out that way, but it’s a pretty effective setup.

I figured Giran Ririn and Shin Ruu would probably end up not advancing due to time running out. That meant they would be able to challenge whomever they pleased next time. If they managed to make it into the top eight again, that would be unmistakable proof of their skill, and they’d earn plenty of challenges from then on.

Those who make it into the final eight again and again are recognized by everyone around them as truly strong.

Donda Ruu, Dan Rutim, Jiza Ruu, and Gazraan Rutim. Those four were well established as true champions. Two festivals ago, they had all passed the preliminaries with ease.

Ludo Ruu, Rau Lea, and Mida had also made it into the final eight twice in a row, but that might have been due to the fact that the usual champions had been missing last time because of their injuries. Mida in particular was a newcomer, so he would likely not be most challengers’ first choice.

Well, regardless of the circumstances, those three have made it to the top eight twice in a row now. I’m sure a lot of folks will challenge them this time. That’d result in seven spots being filled. Of course, that was dependent on all of them swiftly defeating their three challengers. But with skilled individuals like Shin Ruu, Giran Ririn, and Jeeda unable to issue challenges, how many hunters would be skilled enough to truly threaten them? Honestly, I found it difficult to imagine any of them losing.

All in all, Darmu Ruu seems like he’s in an ideal position here, being the center of a lot of attention while also having the ability to issue challenges on his own.

Then again, if Ludo Ruu or someone else somehow managed to take down Darmu Ruu, that could lead to the winner receiving more challenges from others. This system they used that favored the quick could definitely result in some strange twists and turns.

Well, not that I think even a single one of these hunters is taking anything like that into consideration when they’re deciding who to challenge. I was basically just imagining fringe cases. These hunters were only interested in one thing: challenging strong opponents. Who ultimately made it into the final eight really did come down to the will of the forest.

“I just finished a match, so I’m sure no one will choose me for a while yet. You’re going to go work at Shin Ruu’s house?” Ai Fa asked me.

“Yeah. But I’m going to be using the stone ovens in a number of houses, so I’ll probably be moving all around.”

“Then for the time being, I suppose I’ll watch you work,” she said. She was bad at dealing with large crowds, so she was choosing to tag along with me instead. Gilulu had been freed from the wagon, and was currently munching on some leaves from the trees beside Shin Ruu’s house. After petting his neck a little, we circled around to the back where the kitchen was.

“By the way, where did you leave Brave?”

“Brave is staying at the house where the young children have been placed. The Ruu clan hunting dogs are all there too.”

“Oh yeah, since their related clans are leaving their houses empty, they must’ve all needed someone to take care of their dogs, I guess.”

“Indeed. There are nine of them including Brave. He looked quite happy, but of course Brave never makes a fuss without a good reason.”

This would be Brave’s first day off since he had arrived here at the forest’s edge. Him getting to spend time with all those other dogs sounded like an adorable scene.

When we arrived at the kitchen, I found that it was as hot as I expected inside. Naturally, there were women using this kitchen to cook as well.

“Pardon me. Is it okay if I do some work here too?” I said through the open door.

A small woman placing a pot on a flame greeted us with a gentle smile. “My, you’re here, Asuta? Is it really that time already? Welcome to the Ruu settlement. Please, come inside.” She was a member of this house—Shin and Sheera Ruu’s mother, Tari Ruu.

Sheera Ruu was farther inside, slicing vegetables. She smiled and called out, “Thanks for coming, Asuta.”

“Hey there. So you’re working here too, Sheera Ruu?”

“Yes. Reina Ruu is in charge of the main house’s kitchen, so I’m handling things here.”

It went without saying that Sheera and Reina Ruu were the core of the Ruu clan’s complement of chefs. Having the two of them acting as leaders in separate locations was definitely an efficient way to make use of their talents.

There looked to be five or six women in the kitchen, with the majority of them being older women who were already wed. However, there was one particular unwed woman among them who was gracefully approaching me.

“Welcome, Asuta. My mother told me to assist you.”

“Hey, Vina Ruu. So you’ll be the one helping out today? I’m glad to be working with you.”

I was planning on making a number of dishes for the festival, so I had asked in advance if I could borrow a little help from the Ruu clan.

“If you need more than just the two of you, feel free to ask us for assistance,” Tari Ruu said.

“Thank you,” I replied, bowing my head.

Vina Ruu, who had continued to draw closer to me, then whispered, “Are you okay with me being your assistant, though? Reina and Sheera Ruu are busy, of course, but there are plenty of chefs around who are more skillful than me.”

“Oh, I’m not concerned about that at all. I mean, you’re a great chef in your own right at this point, so it shouldn’t be any kind of issue.”

“I see,” Vina Ruu responded with a listless sigh. She seemed a bit down for some reason.

“Well then, shall we get started with preparations? Er, I left the ingredients here yesterday...”

“Yes, your things are over there,” Tari Ruu said, pointing. “Feel free to use that workstation.”

“Thank you.”

As she had said, the ingredients I had brought were sitting on top of the station. Since Ai Fa and I were participating in the festival despite not being relatives of the Ruu, I had wanted to provide all of the materials I would need myself. Personally, I considered this to be something of a celebratory gift.

“Okay, so we’ll start with the fuwano and poitan,” I started to tell Vina Ruu, but then Ai Fa swiftly and suddenly turned toward the entrance.

At the same time, I heard Tari Ruu say, “My, what brings you here, Darmu Ruu? Are you feeling hungry, perhaps?”

“No. I have business with Ai Fa.”

The tall figure of Darmu Ruu was standing in the entrance, his eyes shining like those of a daring wolf. Sheera Ruu turned toward him with a look of surprise, while Ai Fa suspiciously furrowed her brow.

“What sort of business do you have with me? It should still be too soon to challenge me to a match.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to wait until everyone else finishes their first rounds. But I’d like to keep an eye on you until then.”

“Keep an eye on me? What do you mean?”

“That should be obvious. I want to challenge you before anyone else can.”

It was easy to see that Ai Fa was growing more and more suspicious of him. “Darmu Ruu, allow me to ask...do you harbor some sort of ill will toward me?”

“Ill will?” Darmu Ruu repeated, furrowing his brow. However, he quickly shook his head and said, “Oh, of course. I suppose it’s only natural to think that, considering how things have been between us. But no, I don’t feel anything of the sort. I just want to challenge the hunter who beat me once more.” He was standing there quite calmly and naturally. The look in his eyes was as sharp as ever, but he didn’t seem to be especially emotional at the moment. In fact, he looked even more composed than usual.

After silently staring back at him for a while, Ai Fa finally replied. “Darmu Ruu, I have one more question to ask you. You challenged Donda Ruu before, did you not?”

“Yeah. Sure enough, I still couldn’t beat my old man.”

“And now you wish to challenge me?”

“That’s right.”

“In a Ruu clan contest of strength, if you lose twice you can no longer make it into the top eight, correct?”

“Hmph,” Darmu Ruu snorted. “You talk as if you’ve already beaten me. You’re quite confident, aren’t you, Ai Fa?”

“No, I wasn’t trying to imply anything like that.”

“Being honored as one of the top eight only matters when everything is said and done, and anyone who would run away from a strong opponent isn’t worthy of that honor anyway.”

Ai Fa gave a small sigh, then looked back at Darmu Ruu with her usual calm expression. “You’re a splendid hunter, Darmu Ruu.”

The Ruu hunter’s eyes widened in surprise. That only lasted for a moment, though, before he furrowed his brow again and turned away, muttering, “What’d you say that for...? Anyway, I’ll be keeping watch to make sure that no one else approaches you. Don’t accept a match from anyone else, even if they call out to you through a window or something.”

“Hmm. If someone challenges me, I can’t simply refuse.”

“Ugh, that was just a hypothetical,” Darmu Ruu said, leaving the kitchen while pointedly not looking at any of us.

Tari Ruu turned to Ai Fa with a smile while chopping some tino. “Darmu Ruu always challenges the people who beat him. That’s why he doesn’t make it into the final eight, despite his strength.”

“I see. He is undeniably worthy of the honor, though.”

“Oh, yes, certainly. He can be a bit ill-tempered, but he’s an excellent hunter. In that way, he’s very similar to how Donda Ruu used to be when he was young.”

Tari Ruu had originally been a member of a different Ruu branch house, and she had married Donda Ruu’s younger brother Ryada Ruu. I found it a little difficult to imagine, but she must have been close to Donda and Ryada Ruu when they were young.

“Shin Ruu always challenges Ludo Ruu, and Giran Ririn does the same to Donda Ruu and Dan Rutim, doesn’t he? Everyone related to the Ruu clan seems to be really willful like that, huh?” I interjected.

“So they are,” Ai Fa calmly replied.

Vina Ruu let out a sigh. “They’re all so wonderful. I should be glad they’re enjoying themselves.”

She had spoken so quietly that I was probably the only one close enough to hear her. And so, I whispered back, “Um, you seem kind of down. Is it something to do with Shumiral?”

“Could you stop trying to tie every little thing back to that man?”

“Ah, sorry. I’m just worried because you seem out of sorts.”

Vina Ruu squirmed a bit, then leaned in close to my ear. “Inexperienced hunters from the clans related to us are tested in advance to determine whether they’re qualified to participate in a Ruu contest of strength. Meaning, the Ririn clan had to test his strength as well.”

“Oh, is that how it works? So, what happened with Shumiral, then?”

“Obviously, he failed. Up until a few months ago, he was simply a merchant. He’s apparently skilled at fighting on totosback and using poison as a weapon, but he could never defeat a hunter of the forest’s edge with his bare hands.” Vina Ruu sighed listlessly again. I felt a shiver run down my spine as her breath tickled my ear. “He couldn’t do anything, even when facing the youngest Ririn hunter, so he wasn’t allowed to participate. Of course, I knew it would turn out that way from the start, but still...”

“I see. That’s a real shame.”

Vina Ruu stepped back, her plump lips frowning as her eyes turned down, and she began running her finger around in loops on our workstation. “It’s just so dull. I mean, I’ve never had any interest in the men’s contests of strength, but it feels even duller than usual this time.”

“O-Oh. But nobody can beat Shumiral when it comes to handling hunting dogs, so even if he can’t compete in the contest of strength, I’d say he still has a way to prove that he’s an excellent hunter.”

“I know that, but still...” Vina Ruu looked seriously displeased. As bad as I felt for her, though, I was kinda happy about it at the same time. It showed how much she cared about Shumiral, and I thought she looked cute when she got all childishly sulky like this. And besides that, I appreciated the fact that she didn’t feel the need to hide anything from me.

I could still clearly remember the sight of her standing in the rain, saying she wanted to live properly as a person of the forest’s edge. She was doing her best to deal with both her feelings and Shumiral’s. This festival of the hunt was an opportunity for the two of them to deepen their bond, and I was really glad to be here for it.

“Sheera, how are preparations going on your end?” I heard Tari Ruu say behind us.

“Once I finish these nenon, we’ll be at a good stopping point for now,” Sheera Ruu calmly replied.

“I see. In that case, why don’t you go watch the contest of strength for a while after that?”

“Huh? But I only just got back.”

“It’s fine. This is a Ruu clan custom, you know.”

Among this group, Sheera and Vina Ruu were the only unwed women, so Tari Ruu next turned her gaze toward the eldest Ruu daughter with a smile.

“Vina Ruu, if you’d like to watch too, I can help Asuta in your place.”

“No, I’m fine. I appreciate the sentiment, though.”

I stole a glance over at Sheera Ruu, and saw that the expression on her face hadn’t changed one bit. She simply continued to chop nenon with as much care as she always did. I had to wonder how she felt about what was happening around her, considering that I knew she had hidden feelings for Darmu Ruu, but I wasn’t able to read her at all.