Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 28 - Chapter 4.4

4

And then, the moment arrived. The bride and groom descended from atop the stage, escorted by their mothers Mia Lea and Tari Ruu. With a hundred of their relatives watching, they stepped in front of the ritual flame, where Granny Jiba and Vina Ruu awaited them.

The pair knelt down before the Ruu elder, and then each placed one of their hands on their own shoulder, the right hand for Darmu Ruu and the left for Sheera Ruu.

Mia Lea and Tari Ruu circled around to the opposite side of the ritual flame, where they then tossed a handful of herbs into the fire. They were different from any of the ones we used in cooking, and gave off a mysterious smell. Those herbs grew in the forest of Morga, and were not permitted to be used outside of wedding ceremonies.

Granny Jiba removed the woven crowns from atop the pair’s heads, then passed them through the smoke, which had taken on the fragrance of the herbs. Then, she placed the crown Darmu Ruu had been wearing atop Sheera Ruu’s head, and the one Sheera Ruu had worn on Darmu Ruu.

This was the third time I had watched one of these wedding ceremonies, but this time, it was Sheera and Darmu Ruu being wed. It felt as if I were watching some sort of happy dream.

The people gathered all around the ritual flame watched the ceremony without so much as blinking. And then, Granny Jiba’s solemn voice filled the air.

“I offer these blessings... Tonight, Sheera Ruu of the Ruu clan becomes the wife of Darmu Ruu of the same clan. With this, the bonds within the Ruu shall deepen, bringing about greater strength and prosperity for our forest’s edge...”

With that, Granny Jiba removed a giba horn and tusk from the front of her necklace, and offered one to Darmu Ruu and the other to Sheera Ruu.

Then, holding the offerings to their chests, the two of them declared their vows.

“I, Darmu Ruu, bestow Sheera Ruu upon the forest.”

“I, Sheera Ruu, bestow Darmu Ruu upon the forest.”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and I hit my limit. As I stared at the two of them standing before the ritual flame, the tears started flowing. They were now married, and the two of them would live together, starting a new household with one another. Eventually, they would probably have a child. And then, that untalkative and unfriendly man with more than a little rage inside of him, Darmu Ruu, would become a father. And the reserved, dainty woman who was kinder than anyone I knew, Sheera Ruu, would be a mother.

I thought back to the times when Darmu Ruu would forcefully glare at me, or when Sheera Ruu would offer me a weak smile. Or when Darmu Ruu would fall asleep and let his guard down, or when Sheera Ruu would give her all at work.

A dead drunk Darmu Ruu, and Sheera Ruu looking after him with a motherly smile. Darmu Ruu casually praising Sheera Ruu’s cooking, causing the girl’s face to go bright red. The two of them clad in the banquet clothes of the castle town. Sheera Ruu confessing her feelings, and Darmu Ruu accepting them... I had more memories of the two of them together than I could count.

My relationship with Darmu Ruu had never exactly been all that great...but he had been acting out of genuine concern for Ai Fa’s future. And he had eventually entrusted her safety to me, and had started walking his own path once more. In a way, he had left a stronger impression on me than anyone else.

As for Sheera Ruu, she had put a tremendous amount of effort into helping me out, even compared to the other Ruu chefs. Before Reina Ruu had started working at the stalls, she had been the most important person on our team, other than me, and she had kept assisting me on numerous occasions as we got bigger and bigger. Without Sheera Ruu, there was no way our business in the post town would have developed as well as it had.

And now, the two of them were joined together for life. A brilliant warmth filled me up inside as I wished them endless happiness.

Gazraan and Ama Min Rutim had gotten married only a few days after I had met them. And as for Cheem and Ia Fou Sudra, I wasn’t exactly that close to either of them. That was why this wedding was making me so much more emotional.

I clapped hard for them with the rest of the crowd, warm droplets trailing down my face and falling to my chest, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to wipe them all away at the rate they were coming, so I gave up on even trying.

While everyone else was applauding, a woman from a Ruu branch house stepped forward with a large plate. Vina Ruu accepted it, and then held it out toward the newlyweds. Atop it sat the celebratory dishes that Reina Ruu and I had prepared for them.

The dish I had made was crispy roast giba, which was something I had basically never served anyone before. Though I had made roast giba with the skin still attached before, we hadn’t had ovens at the time, so I had needed to employ some tricks with a pot in order to get it to at least look the part. This time, though, I had used an oven in order to get it closer to what I was envisioning. My aim had been to create something similar to Chinese crispy pork belly, with a nice crust of skin on it.

After giving a thick cut of rib meat a hot saltwater bath, I had rubbed a variety of herbs and spices into it, and then opened up a lot of holes in the skin using a metal skewer. Next, I had slowly baked it in the oven. It sounded easy enough, but managing the heat level was actually quite difficult. It was a dish I had intended to unveil at the festival of the hunt, but I hadn’t been able to master it in time. However, in the half a month or so that had passed since then, I had finally been able to get it figured out.

The final version shed just the right amount of fat as it baked, leaving it nice and juicy on the inside. And as for the skin, it had a nice crispy crunch to it. Since I had seasoned it in advance, there also wasn’t any need for additional flavoring afterward. Through a lot of trial and error with using varying amounts of salt, pico leaves, sugar, tau oil, mamaria vinegar, myamuu, keru root, panam honey, and numerous herbs I didn’t even know the names of, I was able to arrive at a flavor I could feel satisfied with.

The meat was also plenty thick, so I’d imagine even Darmu Ruu with his preference for tough food wouldn’t complain. A long time back, I had presented Donda Ruu with roast giba to celebrate his victory in their contest of strength, and today I had essentially prepared an improved version of that dish.

Reina Ruu, meanwhile, had gone with giba cutlets, freshly fried right before the ceremony in order to give her precious brother and Sheera Ruu the best possible experience. She hadn’t done anything extra with them, though. She had simply chosen a dish that was incredibly well-liked by the people of the forest’s edge for this celebration. Perhaps that was yet another reason they had gone with deep-fried giba for the general banquet.

Sheera Ruu began cutting into the food with a meat knife handed to her by a woman from a branch house. As she was doing so, Darmu Ruu suddenly brought his mouth close to his bride’s ear. Her hands suddenly came to a stop, and she gave him a surprised look. And then, she glanced around the crowd as if searching for someone, which made me smile, knowing who that someone was.

You didn’t wait till just now to tell her that I was the one who made that, did you, Darmu Ruu? You’ve been up there on the stage alone all this time. You had plenty of chances to tell her. Still, considering Darmu Ruu’s nature, I wasn’t surprised. He was curt, not especially open, and quite reserved. Thinking about that was causing even more warmth to fill my eyes.

Vina Ruu then shouted something out in confusion, which seemed to make Sheera Ruu regain her composure and start cutting into the food once more. Then, the newlyweds each took a bite of the crispy roast giba and giba cutlets...and cheers erupted throughout the plaza yet again.

“Darmu and Sheera Ruu look so happy,” I faintly heard Granny Tito Min say through the cheers. Rimee Ruu was clapping her hands together with a big smile on her face. Everyone was celebrating the new bride and groom with all their might.

“The wedding vows have been exchanged! As of today, Darmu Ruu, second son of the main Ruu house, has become the head of a new branch house, while Sheera Ruu has become his wife!” Donda Ruu shouted out over the roaring cheers.

There was even more of a commotion in response, and folks all around lifted up containers of fruit wine.

“That’s enough now,” a voice said as my vision was suddenly blocked. Ai Fa had reached over to me from the side and started roughly wiping my face with a hand towel. “You were crying like a baby. You’re the only one who got so out of sorts, Asuta.”

“That’s not true,” I replied, my voice going all nasally. And yet, the hand towel was so drenched that it seemed like it would need to be wrung out.

“It’s all finished now! So let’s eat some food too!” Rimee Ruu exclaimed as she clung to Ai Fa’s waist. Though we had still only gone around to half of the stoves, I wanted to just let these positive feelings wash over me for a while, so I went ahead and sat down.

Darmu and Sheera Ruu were being swarmed by a crowd of relatives, with women and children running all about to bring them plates of food and bottles of fruit wine. The two of them would finally be able to enjoy as much banquet food as they wished.

I’ll have to wait until later to congratulate them, I thought to myself right before Granny Jiba returned, accompanied by Mia Lea and Tari Ruu. And there were two other figures who split off from the crowd and approached us.

“We’ve finally run into you, Asuta. Sorry it took so long to say hello.”

It was none other than Shin and Lala Ruu. The former—the one who had spoken—wore the same composed expression as always, while the latter had a big earnest grin on her face.

“Hey there, Shin Ruu. It’s been a great day, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed. Without you, Sheera... Or Sheera Ruu, I should say, would not have been able to claim this happiness for herself,” the Ruu hunter replied, kneeling down on top of the cloth mat we were sitting on and bowing his head.

Lala Ruu sat down beside him. “That’s enough stuffy talk! And by the way, Shin Ruu here was bawling his eyes out a moment ago!”

“Hey, Lala Ruu...”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Ludo. All it means is that you’re super happy!” Lala Ruu said with a joyful grin.

Shin Ruu brushed his hair aside as his cheeks went a bit red. “At any rate, I’m very grateful to you, Asuta. It’s ultimately thanks to you that Sheera Ruu was able to gain so much strength.”

“I was nothing but the impetus. Everyone Sheera Ruu has been interacting with all this time has helped her grow,” I earnestly replied.

Shin Ruu’s eyes narrowed even further. Then he smiled and remarked, “Of course.”

“Papa Donda must be really relieved too. Darmu’s about to turn twenty, after all!”

“Huh? You’re still referring to Darmu Ruu like that even after he’s married, Lala Ruu?” Shin Ruu asked.

“Hmm? We’re siblings, so it’s fine! Honestly, I don’t think you should have to force yourself to do that, Shin Ruu.”

“But it’s technically our custom to do so. And as the head of my house, I want to do things properly.”

Even if he changed how he referred to her, Shin Ruu’s feelings toward his sister would stay exactly the same. As the young hunter spoke solemnly about what he saw as his duty, his mother watched him with an affectionate gaze.

Lala Ruu then decided to change the subject. “Okay, let’s eat too! If we wait around too long, it’ll be time to dance!”

Everyone picked up their plates. Since the elder was sitting with us, we were getting lots of food delivered right to our mat, which let us simply enjoy some small talk and bask in the energy filling the plaza.

Someone new approached us around ten minutes or so later. Lala Ruu turned to see who it was, and when she did, her eyes started sparkling. “Congratulations, Darmu! Is Sheera Ruu not with you?”

“Yeah. Now that the ceremony is done, there’s no need for us to stay constantly beside one another.”

I quickly glanced over at the spot where Sheera Ruu had settled down, and saw that a large number of young women were gathered there.

Everyone then started offering Darmu Ruu their congratulations, starting with Rimee Ruu. He only gave brief responses like “Yeah” and “Right” in return.

“Congratulations, Darmu Ruu. I hope that we’ll keep on getting along from here on out,” I said after everyone else.

However, my words seemed to make an intense light appear in the groom’s eyes. “Asuta, I have something to discuss with you.”

“What, another secret chat? You’re always sneaking around and whispering with Asuta, Darmu!” Lala Ruu complained.

“Quiet, you,” Darmu Ruu bluntly replied. His tone and attitude sort of reminded me of Donda Ruu. “It won’t take long. And I’d like you to come along too, Ai Fa.”

“Understood,” Ai Fa replied while rising to her feet, and I followed alongside her.

The three of us stepped away from the cloth mat, heading toward a dimly lit spot without people around in front of an empty house, at which point Darmu Ruu stopped and turned toward us.

“Firstly, I want to thank you for preparing the celebratory food. It made Sheera really happy too.”

Hearing him refer to her like that was enough to make me get all emotional again. I felt as if my voice might crack if I tried to speak, so I just silently nodded my head in response.

“There’s one additional matter I must discuss with the two of you. It involves the agreement I once made with you, Asuta.”

“An agreement with Asuta?” Ai Fa said suspiciously.

“Yeah,” Darmu Ruu replied with a nod, his face unusually calm. “Some time ago, I pressured Asuta into accepting an agreement...that I would take his life if you perished out in the forest, Ai Fa.”

“What did you just say?” my clan head questioned, her eyes now blazing bright.

Rather than letting himself get fired up in response, though, Darmu Ruu simply stared back at her. “I believed that you should live as a woman, and I thought that Asuta was the only one that you would listen to, so I told him that he should convince you to quit being a hunter. He refused. Asuta insisted that he wished to protect not only your life but your feelings and pride as well.” That conversation had also occurred at a celebratory banquet, the first Ruu festival of the hunt Ai Fa and I had participated in. After he had lost to Ai Fa in the contest of strength, Darmu Ruu had pulled me aside, his eyes blazing intensely. “I couldn’t accept that. And so, I insisted that if you were to die out in the forest, I would take his life.”

“I see... I wasn’t aware that the two of you had such a concerning discussion,” Ai Fa said, shooting me a glare out of the corner of her eye.

I tried to use my expression to say “Sorry” to her as best I could.

“So, what now? This is certainly not something that I can ignore,” she continued.

“That’s why I asked the two of you to come over here. Asuta, I forced that agreement upon you that night, so allow me to revoke it here and now,” Darmu Ruu declared, his tone still perfectly calm. “My feelings have changed a great deal since that night. And besides, I had no right to interfere with the affairs of the Fa clan to begin with. What’s more, I have come to believe that your perspective was correct, not mine. I didn’t want Ai Fa to perish, but my desire came from nothing more than my own obsession with her.”

Neither of us said anything in response.

“In the end, I believe that even if you had perished out in the forest at some point before now, Ai Fa, I would not have taken Asuta’s life regardless. I felt I should make all of this clear.” At that point, Darmu Ruu went silent for a bit, as if catching his breath. He was a quiet person most of the time, so it was rare to hear him talk this much. “Tonight, the forest has granted me Sheera. It would be deeply wrong of me to obsess over another woman now, and even more so to harm Asuta because of such feelings. Were I to do something so foolish, it would plunge Sheera into the depths of despair, which would be unforgivable of me.”

“That much should be obvious,” Ai Fa angrily retorted.

“Yeah,” Darmu Ruu replied with a nod. “It’s only natural. I simply wanted to tell the two of you that perfectly obvious fact. The incorrect notions I had on that night were based on what I honestly felt at the time, so I felt it necessary to explicitly revoke that agreement before the two of you and the mother forest,” Darmu Ruu said, and then he turned his gaze directly at me. “I, Darmu Ruu of the Ruu clan, cast aside the agreement made with Asuta of the Fa clan, as my words that night were mistaken. I swear to never again meddle in the affairs of the Fa.”

“Got it... I accept that statement,” I replied, feeling a tightness in my chest.

What was Darmu Ruu feeling, though? We stood there silently for a while, staring into one another’s eyes. However, that came to a sudden end when Ai Fa pinched my cheek.

“I can’t believe you hid something this important from me. What in the world were you thinking?”

“Ow, ow, ow! Sorry! I apologize for keeping secrets from you!”

“An apology alone isn’t enough, which is why I’m punishing you like this.”

It seemed that Ai Fa was seriously angry, as she wasn’t showing my cheek any mercy at all.

“You can let him go now. I already said that I have no intention of following through on that foolish agreement,” Darmu Ruu eventually chimed in, and Ai Fa finally released my cheek. I rubbed it while tearing up a bit as he calmly continued, “Also...I’m sure that Asuta simply didn’t want you to hate me, Ai Fa. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

“Hmph! You’ve certainly started speaking with more wisdom since getting married!” Ai Fa said in a huff, crossing her arms.

And then, someone else approached. It appeared to be Sheera Ruu.

“Um, is everything all right? I thought that I heard someone calling out in pain,” she said.

Forgetting the pain in my cheek, I quickly shot her a smile. “We’re fine. And sorry; I should have been the one to come to you.”

“Oh, no. I’d like to thank you, actually. I very much appreciated that wonderful dish you made, Asuta,” Sheera Ruu said, coming over to stand beside her husband.

I wasn’t sure what sort of expression I should have been making to show how I felt at that moment. Even though they had just been sitting up on the stage beside one another, the atmosphere surrounding them instantly shifted. It wasn’t like the two of them were leaning against one another or anything. They were simply standing there side by side at a normal distance. But even so, it was impossible to see them as anything but a married couple.

Sheera Ruu gave her usual gentle smile, wrapped up in the iridescent shine of her veil. Darmu Ruu tilted his head ever so slightly, quietly looking over at his wife. That alone was enough to show me how much they trusted and adored one another.

“I never would’ve expected that I’d be eating your cooking tonight, Asuta. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world. I mean it. Thank you so very much.”

“Ah, no, you should be thanking Darmu Ruu instead.”

“I’ve already told Darmu that more than enough times,” Sheera Ruu replied with a bashful smile.

In the past, Darmu Ruu probably would have snorted, “Hmph!” and turned away. But now, he just kept on calmly looking at his wife.

“I shall never forget this joyous night my whole life long,” Sheera Ruu continued. “And my heart will always remember how incredibly precious you are to me, Asuta and Ai Fa.”

“I don’t believe I’ve been any help to you at all, Sheera Ruu,” Ai Fa calmly replied.

“You’re wrong,” Sheera Ruu said with a shake of her head. “All of the people I’ve encountered have helped me get to this happy day in one way or another. And the time when I met Asuta and the time when Darmu met you, Ai Fa, have had the greatest impact on me by far. Through our interactions with the Fa, we have found ourselves anew. That is what I believe,” Sheera Ruu said, looking up at Darmu Ruu. He had been staring at his wife that whole time, so their gazes now finally met.

With tears in her eyes, Sheera Ruu stared up at Darmu Ruu, and he looked back at her with an incredibly gentle gaze. It almost made me start crying again.

“Well then, let’s head back over to the others. Have you finished with your business, Darmu?” Sheera Ruu asked.

“Ah, no... I still have one last thing to take care of.” Darmu Ruu’s gaze once again shifted over to me. Then he reached into his ceremonial hunter’s cloak with his right hand as he approached me. “Asuta, this is for you.”

“Huh?” I questioned with a tilt of my head as Darmu Ruu held out his hand. In it, he held a single fine giba tusk.

“This is for the celebratory dish you made. We both enjoyed it very much.”

“Th-Thank you,” I said, accepting his offering while feeling a little awestruck.

There were ten horns and tusks in total hanging from my neck. They had been given to me by all of the members of the main Ruu house old enough to do so, aside from Darmu and Jiza Ruu. And now, after nearly a year had passed, that number had increased to eleven.

“The Fa clan has defied countless customs of the forest’s edge. But I acknowledge that you were always in the right. I am truly grateful for your actions that have brought Sheera and me such joy, and I grant you my blessing.” And then, Darmu Ruu smiled openly at me for the first time ever. “Now you just have Jiza left. Of course, he’s a real tough one.”

A few of my tears fell on the tusk from Darmu Ruu that I held in my hands.

I was never going to forget this day either, and especially not this very moment.

On the fourteenth of the yellow month, I felt an unimaginable joy filling me all the way down to my very core.