Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 29 - Chapter 3.4

4

“Finally, we have dessert, which is another round bake.”

Shilly Rou and the old woman then proceeded to set out the last of the plates. The round bake looked identical to the ones we had been served as appetizers, including still being blackish-brown in color. However, when I wrapped it up in the cloth I had been given and lifted it, a sweet smell that I found very dessert-like instantly wafted through the air.

“Ah, what a calming flavor. I feel as if my tongue and stomach are being soothed after that awe-inspiring meat dish,” Polarth said, precisely expressing his feelings.

The dessert that Varkas had served last time had also had a gentle flavor like this one. However, it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into making this dish have the right effect. The crispy texture from the black fuwano, the abundant flavor of panam honey, and the sweet aroma that reminded me of cinnamon made for a wonderful combination. The dough also had ramanpa nuts mixed into it, providing a pleasant bit of texture.

“Um, did you use the milk of a beast other than a karon in this?” Myme asked from the other table.

“Yes,” Varkas replied with a nod. “I was able to obtain a single female gyama the other day, which provided the milk I used. My gyama are solely fed fruit, so I do not believe its diet should have added any unpleasant flavors.”

“You’re right! It has a very mild taste, and I’m really enjoying it!”

“I imagine that there are not many people who could tell that this does not use karon milk. You certainly are Sir Mikel’s daughter.”

“Ah, no,” Myme replied with a smile and a shake of her head. “Toor Deen was the first one to notice. I might not have picked up on it if she hadn’t said anything.”

From where I was sitting, I could only see Toor Deen’s small back, but from how her hand was clinging onto Myme’s clothing, I sensed that she must have been rather flustered.

“Lady Toor Deen... You are the chef from the forest’s edge who sends sweets to Lady Odifia, are you not?” Varkas asked, looking at Toor Deen with a gaze that showed no clear emotions. “I have heard about you from my apprentice, Shilly Rou. You defeated her in a taste competition at a tea party from what I am told. Your skills truly are impressive for one so young.”

“N-No, I’m nothing special.” Toor Deen shrunk down so much that I couldn’t see her past the back of her chair any longer. And behind Varkas, Shilly Rou was staring down at the floor expressionlessly.

After briefly glancing back at his apprentice, the head chef continued, “I have not taken the time to polish my skills at creating confections that serve as the main focus for a meal. I am sure that if I went up against you in such a contest of taste, I would likely not be able to win a single point.”

“Huh? No, that’s not—”

“However, Shilly Rou has devoted herself to studying such things with as much dedication as any other kind of dish she prepares. I look forward to the two of you continuing to compete and creating incomparably delicious sweets in the process.”

Shilly Rou looked up in surprise and stared at Varkas’s back for a moment, before turning away and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. I quickly turned my gaze away from her before she could catch me staring.

“But as the conclusion to a six course meal, I certainly have no complaints about this dessert! Even if you leave it to your apprentice to prepare treats for the noblewomen, I hope that you will continue to prepare delicious offerings like this one yourself, Sir Varkas,” Polarth interjected.

“You have my gratitude,” Varkas replied with a bow. “Now that all of the dishes have been served, I would like to introduce you to my apprentices.”

“Yes, please do so!”

The old woman bowed and exited the room. Shortly after, Bozl and Tatumai entered and lined up alongside Shilly Rou. As an irregular helper, Roy unsurprisingly didn’t show up.

“The four of us cooked the food that you ate here today. Starting from the right, their names are Tatumai, Bozl, and Shilly Rou. Tatumai primarily worked on the shaska and vegetable dish, Bozl the meat dish, and Shilly Rou the appetizer and dessert.”

“Sir Bozl and Lady Shilly Rou demonstrated their skills quite well at my house’s dance party. They did a truly splendid job there,” Polarth noted.

“Yes. Without their assistance, I would be unable to make enough food for twenty people in a single day. My apprentices are truly irreplaceable.” Though Varkas tended not to let his emotions show, I sensed that those words were more than mere lip service. Tatumai remained expressionless, Bozl smiled, and Shilly Rou looked determined as they all listened to their master speak. “They are all skilled enough to run a restaurant of their own. However, I certainly hope that we will all continue to help one another improve well into the future.”

“I would certainly like to count on you all again when the situation arises,” Polarth said. Then he turned toward us. “Dear guests from the Black Flight Feathers and the forest’s edge, were you satisfied with the meal?”

“Yes. I am very proud that the ingredients we brought from Sym and various other lands were used to prepare such wonderful food. I believe it will be over half a year until we return here, but I hope to once again bring goods that will satisfy you,” Kukuluel replied without hesitation.

Varkas offered the merchant another polite bow. “I am truly grateful to all of you from the Black Flight Feathers for delivering live gyama and a great many other ingredients here. I would very much like to discuss further business with you related to that later.”

Now it was the people of the forest’s edge’s turn. As our representative, Vina Ruu turned to face Varkas.

“Your cooking has earned quite a bit of acclaim among the Ruu clan. I am not as fine of a chef as my younger sisters, and yet...tonight I have truly learned how remarkable the dishes found in the outside world can be.”

“I am honored. Would you mind speaking as well, Sir Asuta?”

“Sure. I was seriously impressed too. It really is amazing that you were able to make food that folks from Sym, people of the forest’s edge, and someone born in a distant land like me could all enjoy.”

“I could say much the same about you,” Varkas said, tilting his head ever so slightly. “I wish to taste your cooking again sometime, Sir Asuta. You do not currently have plans to prepare food for future events in the castle town, do you?”

“No, not at present.”

It would be the folks from the castle town who decided that, not me. That being the case, I glanced over at Polarth, but I saw that his eyebrows were drooping, and he looked troubled.

“We are sorely tempted to invite you to the castle town as well, Sir Asuta. But for now, we must wait until the right moment.”

“The right moment?” Varkas repeated, knitting his brows quizzically.

“Correct. We believed that the observers from the capital would arrive soon after the end of the rainy season, but we have yet to hear any news about them. We would prefer to invite Sir Asuta to the castle town once they have come and gone, to avoid any issues.”

“Is there some sort of inconvenience related to people from the capital arriving here?” Kukuluel questioned, sounding confused.

With his eyebrows still drooping, Polarth smiled and replied, “Indeed, though that is a matter that involves not only to Sir Asuta, but all people of the forest’s edge, as they are unique among citizens of Genos, and we would prefer that any visitors from the capital notice them as little as possible. If they were to learn of such people being invited to the castle town as chefs, it would attract a fair bit of unnecessary attention.”

“Ah, I see... I can see why it might be difficult for people from your capital to understand the circumstances surrounding the people of the forest’s edge,” Kukuluel replied, seeming satisfied with that explanation. However, Varkas and the other chefs looked confused.

“I do not quite understand, but until the people from the capital come to Genos and then leave, Sir Asuta will not be invited to the castle town?” Varkas asked.

“Indeed. That is what Sir Melfried and I believe is best.”

“Quite so,” Eulifia chimed in with a diplomatic smile. “Odifia has been wishing to invite Toor Deen to a tea party as well, but I’ve told her that she must hold off for the time being. Lady Diel has been saying similar things as well. You promised to prepare a dinner for her, did you not, Asuta? My husband and Sir Polarth had to give her a bit of a talking-to about that, and ever since, she has been sulking just as much as Odifia.”

“Oh, is that so? I hadn’t heard.”

Diel hadn’t shown up at the stalls for a while. If I had run across her, though, I was sure that she wouldn’t have held back at all with her complaints about the situation.

“Well, the observers from the capital only come twice a year. Things should be quiet for a while after they pass through, so we shall be calling on you again when that time comes, Sir Asuta. And you as well, dear members of the Ruu clan and Lady Toor Deen.”

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

“In that case, I shall focus on my own diligent studies until that time comes,” Varkas said with a sigh. His expression hadn’t shifted at all, but he looked very disappointed even so.

“Well, um... Should we refrain from inviting Varkas to the forest’s edge for now too?” I asked, causing Polarth’s eyes to shoot open wide.

“No, that would be no real concern. But still, would you even agree to go somewhere outside of the castle town, Sir Varkas?”

“I would not,” the chef plainly replied. “I do my best to never leave the castle town, and I do not intend to do so in the future. I will eagerly await the day that Sir Asuta is invited here once more.”

With that, Bozl gave a laugh. “If Varkas ever said he was leaving the castle town, we would be worried out of our minds. He is a delicate man who doesn’t even go to the market here.” The man then turned toward his fellow apprentice. “Shilly Rou, you’ve visited the settlement at the forest’s edge before, haven’t you? Would it be possible to bring Sir Varkas there?”

“M-Most certainly not. If Varkas went to a place like that... Why, I’m sure he would faint before he could take even a single bite of food,” the chef replied, and then she turned our way in a fluster. “Oh, but I am not trying to paint you all as savages, mind you. It’s more that Varkas... He is the sort to feel unwell when surrounded by a crowd.”

In that case, I could definitely see how the liveliness of a banquet at the forest’s edge would make him swoon. Unfortunately, it seemed I had to give up on any hope of inviting Varkas to the forest’s edge.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait till I’m invited to the castle town the next time, then. But what about you, Shilly Rou?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d like to invite folks from town to the forest’s edge again eventually. If you were one of them, you wouldn’t consider it an unwelcome offer, would you?”

Shilly Rou stumbled backward, looking incredibly shocked. “Wh-Why me? Are you sure you aren’t thinking of the wrong person? If you wish to invite Roy, I shall inform him later.”

“I’d like him there too, but I was definitely thinking of inviting you as well. I mean, we’ve already gotten to know one another a bit by now.”

Shilly Rou wriggled uncomfortably, and Bozl gave another hearty laugh.

“You were wanting to go to the settlement at the forest’s edge again, weren’t you, Shilly Rou? Why not accept his kind invitation?” he said.

“I-I wasn’t... I mean, I shunned them and all...”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. It would make me very happy to be able to invite you all,” Reina Ruu said, chiming in for the first time in a while. Naturally, she had been participating in all sorts of discussions over at the other table, but I hadn’t been able to catch what she had been talking about. “Mikel and Myme are staying at the Ruu settlement now too, so there’s a lot for you to gain there. I hope that you’ll consider it.”

“B-But...”

“I would also be overjoyed if you were to come, Shilly Rou. Even putting aside the matter of cooking, I would like to deepen my bond with you,” Sheera Ruu said in a gentle tone. Her words made me remember that she had accompanied the chef from the castle town for a while at the previous welcome banquet.

Shilly Rou just kept on wriggling and hanging her head, until Bozl smiled again, crossed his arms, and said, “Hmm, if at all possible, I would appreciate an invitation as well. I would certainly like to see giba being prepared at your settlement with my own eyes.”

“You’re interested in how giba meat is processed, Bozl?” I asked.

“Indeed. We’ll finally be able to purchase fresh giba meat in the castle town soon, so I believe I should see how that meat is prepared.”

Varkas tasked Bozl with procuring meat for their kitchen. Perhaps his motivations were similar to ours when we had asked to observe a karon ranch in Dabagg.

“So you all will eventually start working with giba meat as well?” Reina Ruu asked, her voice sounding deadly serious.

“Yes,” Varkas replied with a nod. “Smoked giba meat and sausages are already being eaten throughout the castle town, but if the opportunity arises to handle fresh meat, I would very much like to take it. If it starts to be distributed regularly, I would be overjoyed.”

“I see... I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what you will create with it.”

I couldn’t see her expression since she was seated so far away, but it would have been impossible for me not to notice the tension in Reina Ruu’s voice. I was feeling a sense of eagerness welling up inside of me as well. If Varkas were to use giba meat, what sort of dishes would he make? That was something a chef from the forest’s edge couldn’t possibly ignore.

“I am truly glad to see that the bonds between you chefs have deepened as well., I look forward to seeing what sort of wondrous dishes you will unveil in the future,” Polarth said with a smile, lifting up a wine cup. “Now then, why don’t we also get to know one another better while enjoying some post-dinner wine? We’ve already made arrangements with the guards at the gate, so could we ask you to enjoy another hour with us here, dear guests from the forest’s edge?”

Just as Polarth had asked, we ended up pleasantly chatting with them for another hour or so.

Polarth and Merrim were both skilled conversationalists, so things were quite lively at our table. Quite a few different topics came up, from how beautiful Ai Fa looked at the dance party the other day to how graceful Sheera Ruu was, and how delicious the food and sweets that Rimee Ruu and the others prepared were, and even how much praise Arishuna’s fortune-telling earned from the noblewomen.

And then there were Shumiral and Kukuluel. Since they had both traveled about the continent, they had a huge number of stories to tell. Rimee Ruu and Merrim listened with excitement sparkling in their eyes as the two merchants discussed mysterious customs from Sym, the icy land of Mahyudra, the dazzling sights of the western capital Algrad, and more.

As the conversation continued, Vina Ruu’s distrust toward Kukuluel seemed to fade away to nothing. It seemed she had finally realized that the man actually had a lot in common with Shumiral. Partway through, Vina Ruu even started smiling and asking questions about what life was like on the Sym grasslands.

But even so, I still saw some little moments where she looked like she couldn’t quite relax. Whenever Shumiral and Arishuna spoke to each other, the eldest Ruu daughter looked rather nervous. It wasn’t like the two of them were being overly friendly or anything. But since they had both originally come from the Zi tribe, there was a definite sense of understanding between them. Furthermore, women from Sym were incredibly rare in Genos, so that alone might have been enough to get Vina Ruu all worked up.

“Are all Sym women slender like you?” she finally asked Arishuna.

The star reader’s eyes were like a lake at night as they turned toward Vina Ruu, and she tilted her head a bit before speaking. “My apologies. I was born, and raised, in Selva, so I do not, know what is, normal in Sym.”

“Ah, I see. But when you were young you lived together with your family, didn’t you?”

“Yes. My mother and aunt, were both slim. But we were poor, and could not, get much to eat, so it would likely, have been difficult, to put on weight.”

Kukuluel had been discussing Totos with Rimee Ruu, but at that point he turned to address Vina Ruu. “For the people of the grasslands, it is seen as unsightly to put on excess weight. It is considered a sign of being self-indulgent.”

“I knew it.”

“However, that custom only applies to the grasslands. Women there ride totos as part of their work, so their figures are naturally honed in the process. It is also believed that thin people can do more work than heavy folks, as they place less burden upon their totos,” Kukuluel said, his eyes gently narrowing. “But as I said, that custom doesn’t apply outside of the grasslands. There is no advantage to those who do not ride totos making themselves as thin as possible, and here in Selva, women like you are seen as beautiful, are they not?”

“Yes, that is certainly true. All of the women from the forest’s edge I have seen are quite lovely, but you may be the most beautiful person I have ever seen, Vina Ruu,” Merrim chimed in with a smile. “If at all possible, I would definitely like to invite you to a dance party. Just imagining what you would look like in our castle town banquet clothes gets me all excited.”

“If we did that, we would need to have a gentleman accompany her. Otherwise, all the young noblemen would surely swarm her,” Polarth added with a truly joyful smile.

Vina Ruu fell silent with an indistinct look on her face, so Kukuluel calmly added a few more words to the discussion.

“At any rate, what matters most is not one’s appearance, but rather what is inside. No matter how lovely someone may look, if they are rotten at their core then they are best avoided. What matters most to an easterner is how bright someone’s star—their soul—truly shines.”

“Their soul...” Vina Ruu whispered. Then she took a sip of fruit wine.

As he looked at her worried face from the side, Shumiral didn’t say a word. And Kukuluel continued to watch the two of them with his usual calm gaze.

The hour passed by in a flash, and we exited The Silver Star.

“Thank you for coming. We shall eagerly await your return.”

Varkas and company saw us off with those words after momentarily returning to the kitchen, after which we all quickly boarded the carriage. And as soon as we did, another conversation erupted between us. We chefs from the forest’s edge had been holding back in the restaurant, but now we all started discussing Varkas’s cooking.

“I was so surprised that I couldn’t even speak! How in the world can you combine so many wildly different flavors like that?” Reina Ruu passionately remarked.

“Right?! I would love to make a dish that can move people like that too!” Myme added in agreement.

Though the two of them were the most passionate, the rest of us were pretty worked up as well. The only difference was how much we were letting it show.

“I don’t want to become like Varkas exactly... But if I could become that skilled at working with ingredients, I could make my family and comrades so much happier,” Toor Deen said with her eyes closed as if she were praying. It was a little unusual for the quiet young girl to say so much.

Reina Ruu nodded along with her, then turned to face Sheera Ruu. “You feel the same way, don’t you? Starting tomorrow, we’re gonna have to work even harder!” she said.

“Yes, of course. But I’m a bit uncertain as to what I should be working on.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Hey Myme, was Mikel as skilled of a chef as Varkas when it came to using herbs?”

“I wouldn’t say he never used them, but he said that he only recognizes about half of the herbs being sold in the post town now. Back when my father was a chef, only those with ties to Count Turan could get ahold of them.”

“Ah, I see... What do you think, Asuta?”

“Well, Varkas’s cooking certainly is amazing, but it’s not something we can mimic directly, so we just have to compete with the ingredients that we have,” I replied, but then a thought came to me. “Still, a single herb can make a dish much more delicious. With that in mind, I would certainly like to learn more about how to use them. That’s why I was thinking of asking Jizeh to teach me.”

“Jizeh is that inn owner with eastern blood, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. She’s apparently been regularly purchasing several different herbs for some time now, so I figure she may be even more skilled at handling them than some folks from the castle town like Yang and Mikel.”

“I see! When you go to her to ask about lessons, please let us come with you!” Reina Ruu said, her eyes sparkling like those of a lovestruck maiden. Out of all of us, she was probably the most openly ambitious when it came to improving her culinary skills.

After having been silently listening the whole time so far, Ai Fa chimed in with a rather serious look on her face. “It’s all well and good that you are passionate when it comes to making delicious food, but don’t be too reckless, all right? From our point of view, the food that you all make is far more delicious than what Varkas prepares.”

“But Varkas said he intends to buy giba meat, didn’t he? If he were to make a more delicious giba dish than me, that would be unbelievably frustrating,” Reina Ruu shot back, sounding agitated. She could be surprisingly direct, but it was rare to see her speak that way to my clan head.

Ai Fa’s expression grew even more serious. “I am not especially worried about that. What I find most delicious is food that chefs from the forest’s edge prepare for their comrades.”

“But...!” Reina Ruu protested, leaning forward, only to stop herself when Sheera Ruu gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I feel the same way. I’m sure all people of the forest’s edge find food prepared by their comrades more delicious than any other dish could possibly be. That said, I think this is a problem that solely exists on our end.”

“It is an issue for you chefs, not those eating the food?” Ai Fa asked.

“Correct. We make food for both the people of the post town and the nobles of the castle town. If those people were to say that Varkas’s giba cooking is superior to Asuta’s, would that not leave you feeling a bit frustrated?”

It would surely be more than just a bit. After all, Ai Fa already looked like she was desperately trying not to frown at the mere suggestion that such a thing could happen.

“That is why we wish to gain as much skill as we can,” Sheera Ruu continued. “But please do keep an eye on us so that we don’t do anything too imprudent, Ai Fa.”

“Of course,” my clan head replied, a sour look still fixed on her face nonetheless.

Then, Toor Deen worked up the courage to say, “Wh-Whenever I eat Varkas’s cooking, I always find it truly surprising. But I don’t think that Asuta is inferior to him at all. Isn’t it just a difference in how deeply familiar they are with the ingredients?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Ai Fa asked.

“I-I mean, Varkas has worked as a chef here in Genos for decades. But it’s only been about a year since Asuta arrived at the forest’s edge, and Asuta hadn’t ever seen any of the ingredients here before that. He’s only been using the ones that are similar to the ingredients he was familiar with, and yet he’s still managed to make so many incredible things with them. That’s really amazing, isn’t it?”

Everyone’s eyes were on Toor Deen now, and that made her face go bright red. But even so, she did her best to continue.

“Once Asuta becomes as familiar with the ingredients of this land as Varkas, I’m sure he’ll be able to make even more delicious dishes than that man. O-Of course, I don’t think he’s inferior to Varkas even now, and cooking isn’t meant to be a competition in the first place... Still, when Asuta does become that knowledgeable, I really want to see how good the food he makes will be then.”

“I see,” Ai Fa replied, the tension in her shoulders loosening up. “As I said at the start, I do not believe your passion is an issue. But you were speaking with such fervor that I became worried you might go too far somehow.”

“Ah, no... I-I’m sorry for speaking out of turn.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. Your words made me quite happy, Toor Deen.”

The young chef’s face went even redder as she cast her gaze downward.

Rimee Ruu, who had been clinging to my clan head’s arm, then turned to look at her older brother. “Darmu? Were you worried about me and Reina too?”

“That’s not anything for me to worry about... Even if Reina gets out of control, Mia Lea will be there to correct her.”

Now it was Reina Ruu’s turn to go red in the face as she said, “Jeez!” and swung at her brother’s arm. Darmu Ruu, however, just crossed his arms and pretended not to notice.

“Well, it’s not like I’m a chef or anything. I feel the same way as Ai Fa, more or less. It’s true that I was surprised by what that Varkas man made, and I thought it was enjoyable too, but what we desire is food prepared by chefs from the forest’s edge,” the hunter continued, glancing at Sheera Ruu, who was sitting next to him. “Regardless, the amount we were given wasn’t enough to fill me. You’re not going to tell me to go to bed hungry, are you?”

“My, you still haven’t had enough to eat, Darmu? It’s rather late, so I’ll only be able to make something simple.”

“It will be the equal of that man’s cooking, even so.”

If Ludo or Lala Ruu had been present, that comment definitely would’ve earned him some teasing, but Rimee Ruu just giggled in amusement instead.

At any rate, Varkas’s cooking had gotten every last one of us chefs fired up, including me, naturally. That was proof of how much of an impact his skills had left on us.

I wanted to make food that was even more delicious than I currently could. That simple desire had been greatly reinvigorated within me that night.