Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter SS

Intermezzo: The Girl from the Post Town

“Listen, you shouldn’t get any closer to people of the forest’s edge, alright, Tara?” Dora said with kind of a scary look after Asuta’s group left the shop.

Tara couldn’t just accept that, so she asked back, “Why? Asuta is a good person. That’s why you said you wanted to thank him, right? But I still can’t be friendly with him at all?”

“I’m sure that Asuta fellow isn’t all that bad. He’s dressed like a person of the forest’s edge, but he must have been born in some town or village somewhere. And that Ai Fa girl who was with him, I’m sure she’s a splendid hunter. But still, it’s just too dangerous to be around the people of the forest’s edge.”

Dora brought his face in closer.

“You’ve seen them going wild about town too, right? There are a lot of savage folks like that among the people of the forest’s edge. So you mustn’t go and approach them when you can avoid it.”

“But... everybody who drinks too much and goes crazy is scary, not just the people of the forest’s edge, right?” Tara questioned.

Dora just brushed her off, though, saying, “When I say no, I mean it. Even when the people of the forest’s edge do something wrong, the guards just let them go. That’s why they think nothing of causing trouble. Nothing good can come from us associating with a dangerous bunch like that... So now that we’ve thanked them properly for saving you, there’s no need to approach them any more than you already have.”

As he said that, Dora peeked out from under the roof of his stall to check the position of the sun.

“Looks like it’s almost the second hour. It’s a little early, but go around and take orders. And no detours, alright?”

“...Right,” Tara replied, still not sounding satisfied, and then left the shop.

The highway was currently overflowing with people. People who lived in the post town, those who came from their farms to work like Tara and her father, and travelers from the south and east. It wasn’t at all rare to see people of the forest’s edge among them, either. Lots of people lived at the forest’s edge, after all, so they came here to the post town to buy food.

Most of them were women, though, so it was pretty uncommon to see a hunter dressed in a giba cloak. And so, when Tara ran into that hunter from the forest’s edge ten days ago, she really was scared.

That man was drinking in the middle of the day, and he drew his blade in town and howled like a beast. And his blazing eyes looked like an animal’s.

But the ones to protect Tara from that ruffian were also people of the forest’s edge: Asuta, who was dressed like a person of the forest’s edge but didn’t look like one, and Ai Fa, a beautiful young woman who wore a giba cloak.

Ai Fa’s eyes shone like an animal’s, too. In fact, if Tara had to say, Ai Fa’s glare looked scarier and stronger than that man’s. But then Ai Fa called that ruffian out for the bad stuff he was doing and saved Tara.

Even so, the guards called Ai Fa and Asuta criminals and tried to take them away. If that traveler, Kamyua Yoshu, hadn’t popped up then, the bad guy may have gotten to go free while the good guys got arrested.

Why is that? That drunk said he was “part of the ruling clan,” so... Maybe only the people of the forest’s edge who are part of that clan are bad? Tara thought to herself as she walked.

Tara liked Asuta’s eyes, which were black like a person from Sym and really sparkly.

And Ai Fa was a little scary but she was so brave and Tara thought she was really cool.

Her daddy Dora didn’t seem to think those two were bad people, but he said not to go near people of the forest’s edge. Tara found that strange, and sad.

I want to try Asuta’s giba cooking, too...

She was sure Dora would say not to eat it, though.

As she walked through the hustle and bustle of the post town, Tara gave a little sigh.

◇

The following day, after finishing breakfast, Tara was playing with kids from around town like always.

Since she helped her dad out with his work in the post town, Tara actually had more chances to play with the kids there than the ones from back in the village.

Today, she was playing with a boy from an inn and a girl from a kimyuus shop.

“Yesterday, my big brother came back from working in the castle town for the first time in a while,” the boy said as they were taking a short rest after getting tired out playing tag. “And he brought karon back meat as a gift! That’s amazing, right? Not leg meat, but back meat!”

In the post town, nobody sold any karon meat except legs. The back and rib meat was really expensive, so you could only get it in the castle town.

“It was soft, and super tasty! Now that I’ve had it, I don’t think I’ll ever want to eat leg meat anymore!”

“Hmm? It’s softer than kimyuus meat?”

“Ah, I guess they’re about the same softness? But it’s not just soft! How should I put it...? Anyway, it’s really delicious!”

“Ooh. But kimyuus skin is really yummy too, right?” the girl said, sounding like she was challenging him. “Meat with skin is expensive, so not everyone can buy it, yeah? But when the meat and skin is cooked together, it’s really really tasty!”

“Kimyuus skin is for making cloaks and leather bags. Karon’s definitely way tastier!”

“That’s not true! In my house, meat with skin is a special treat once a month! If you think I’m lying, then try it sometime!”

Tara happily listened to the back and forth, then remembered what she’d heard yesterday and asked, “Hey, is giba meat tasty?”

The two turned and stared blankly at Tara.

“By giba, do you mean those things that make a mess of fields? There’s no way those are tasty.”

“Yeah. Plus, if you eat giba, don’t you grow horns and your skin gets all dark like the people of the forest’s edge?”

“Huh? Really?”

But Asuta’s skin was the color of people from the west, and he didn’t have any horns.

His eyes and hair were black, but people from Sym were dark all over. Plus she didn’t think there was anything wrong with having dark skin to begin with.

“Giba meat is stinky and hard, so only the people of the forest’s edge eat it. I feel bad for them, only getting to eat such yucky meat,” the boy said with a laugh.

Then, a woman who had been drawing water slapped him upside the head and said, “Hey, what do you think you’re saying so loudly? If a person of the forest’s edge hears that, they’ll drag you off into the forest, you know.”

For some reason, Tara started to feel all sad.

Then, she stood up in a hurry and said, “Ah! The sun’s almost at its peak! I’ve got to go back to the shop! See you two tomorrow, alright?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Tara waved, then took off north in a hurry.

Along the way, she bought a kimyuus manju. Those were her favorites when it came to snacks here in the post town.

What does giba taste like...?

That thought just wouldn’t leave her head.

Karon leg meat was really hard, so unless it was cooked real carefully in a stew, she didn’t much care for it.

Was giba meat even tougher than that?

Kimyuus meat was soft and easy to eat. It didn’t have much taste though, so it probably wouldn’t be too tasty without the myamuu and stuff.

Was giba meat even blander than that?

Tara would probably never have a chance to eat karon back meat or kimyuus meat with the skin still on it. Even most people from the post town couldn’t afford such luxuries.

But Tara was able to eat kimyuus and karon every day, so she was sure she was fortunate. Her dad often said back when he was poor, they couldn’t afford any meat and ate nothing but kimyuus eggs.

I wanna try giba meat... Tara thought to herself as she ran down the highway.

When she finally made it back to her father’s shop, she saw a young man with black hair standing there.

“Ah! It’s Asuta!” she shouted out joyfully without thinking.

The sight of the person next to him caused Tara to trip, though.

It wasn’t Ai Fa, but a hunter of the forest’s edge who was about as tall.

He was even smaller than Asuta. But even so, he had on a giba pelt cloak and had a blade and a hatchet dangling from his hip. He was a hunter boy with yellowish-brown hair and light brown eyes.

That boy approached Tara with a smooth, animal-like walk.

“You sure are a runt! You’re just about as tiny as little Rimee. How old are you?”

His voice was really loud.

There was a strong light in his eyes as he stared at Tara and looked her over. He didn’t seem scary at all, though.

Even though Asuta had a worried look in his eyes from behind the boy, he was still smiling her way.

And so, Tara earnestly answered “Eight.”

“The same as little Rimee, huh? But you’re so skinny it makes you look smaller than you should.”

The boy crouched down in front of her. And his eyes with that bright, strong light in them looked back and forth between Tara’s face and the manju with a look of confusion.

She had been thinking, so Tara was still holding a completely uneaten manju.

“Something smells good. Is this thing tasty?”

“...Yes,” Tara replied with a nod.

“Hmm...” the boy muttered, fixing his gaze on the manju.

He seemed sort of like he was hungry, so Tara asked, “Do you want a taste?”

The boy looked even more confused, but ultimately, he bit into the manju.

But then he started complaining.

“Hey, it’s not tasty at all. Asuta can make way tastier cooking, you know?”

“I-Is that true?”

He wasn’t scary, but he was just so bold and confident that she couldn’t help but feel overpowered, somehow.

He looked littler and younger than Asuta, but this hunter boy seemed a whole lot stronger than the adults from around town or the village.

Is that why everybody’s scared of the people of the forest’s edge?

Of course, Tara wasn’t able to keep herself perfectly calm, either.

The thought that he seemed cool was stronger than any fear she felt.

Both Ai Fa and this boy whose name she didn’t even know were just plain cool.

She didn’t exactly know why she thought that. But he looked really dashing, with the way he stared straight ahead and paid no attention to the gazes aimed at him.

After that, Kamyua Yoshu showed up, they chatted for a bit, and then Asuta’s group left.

Tara didn’t really get what they were discussing, but it seemed like it was decided that Asuta really was going to open a shop in the post town.

“Wow, so Asuta’s really opening a shop?” Tara happily asked.

“Yeah...” Dora muttered in response.

He had looked worried for a while now, and now his face looked pained.

“What’s the matter? Does something hurt?”

“Huh...? Ah, it’s nothing. I was just thinking how there really are all sorts of different folks among the people of the forest’s edge.”

“Yeah. The people Asuta knows are all so cool, right?”

“Cool, huh?”

Dora listlessly shook his head. Her dad looked really worried, but Tara still had something she wanted to tell him, even so.

“Hey, I want to try eating Asuta’s cooking.”

Dora shook his head again, a gloomy look on his face.

“There’s no way we would find giba meat tasty if we ate it. And if Asuta keeps on saying how delicious it is, he’ll probably end up branded a liar,” Dora said, sounding like he was worried about Asuta.

Tara clung to her father’s thick arm, looking up at his depressed looking face.

“You don’t know if something’s tasty or not till you eat it. Am I not allowed to buy Asuta’s cooking with the coins you gave me?”

Dora was silent for a bit, but soon enough he patted Tara on the head with his big old hand.

“I gave you those coins as a reward for helping out with work, so use them as you like. But no taking time off work if it wrecks your stomach, okay?”

“Yeah! Thanks!” Tara responded, looking up at her dad with a big smile on her face.

◇

Asuta’s shop opened up four days later.

After waiting for the brief but heavy downpour of rain to let up, Tara took off running to his stall.

“You really opened a shop! That’s amazing!”

Asuta looked more down than usual, but he soon pointed a smile Tara’s way.

The woman of the forest’s edge working with him gave a gentle smile, too. Tara had thought the woman gave off a bit of a cold feeling the last time she saw her, but that smile made her look really nice.

“There’s a really nice tarapa smell! Is that from your giba cooking?”

“That’s right. I wonder if you’ll like it.”

There was tarapa simmering away inside the pot. And it seemed like he used all sorts of other ingredients, too.

Either way, the smell sure was making her hungry.

Tara tried to buy one, but Asuta held out a plate for her, saying she should give it a try first.

It was a bit of meat in a strange shape, soaked in deep red tarapa broth.

It must have been all round and flat at first. But then he chopped it up into smaller bits and put them on top of that plate. And when she looked at the cut side, it was all weird and bumpy.

Now that I think of it, what type of animal is a giba, anyway?

Tara had never seen one before.

Occasionally one would get caught in a trap out in the fields, but Tara and her mom never got to see them. An old lady living the neighborhood even said that you would be cursed just by looking at one.

But this giba meat looked really tasty. At the very least, she just couldn’t get enough of the smell.

And so, Tara bit into it without any hesitation.

When she did, she found herself overwhelmed.

“What is this...?”

The sour tarapa taste was really strong. But it was also a whole lot sweeter than the tarapa she ate at home. There was a real mellow sweetness to it, like the little tarapa they sold in the castle town.

And this must have been aria that was all diced up and heated together with it. Maybe that was where the sweetness was coming from.

That stinging on her tongue was probably from pico leaves. Now that she thought of it, she heard somewhere that lots of them grew in the Morga forest.

At any rate, it was like nothing Tara had ever eaten before, and made for a really tasty broth.

The taste of the giba meat was so striking that it didn’t lose out, though.

It wasn’t hard or stinky at all. The meat crumbled just from biting lightly into it. And when it combined with the tarapa broth, an indescribable yumminess filled her mouth.

Tara had never even imagined such tasty meat could exist. She chewed and chewed, but the flavor kept on coming. It was just a tiny fragment of meat, but Tara felt overwhelming joy from tasting it.

It was way tastier than kimyuus or karon. And could kimyuus meat with the skin or karon back meat really be any more delicious than this?

“It’s tasty! Super amazingly tasty, Asuta!”

Asuta had looked a bit worried, but now he looked relieved and broke out in a smile.

“This is so amazing! I want to eat more! I’ll go get some money from my dad!”

“Ah, hold on! If it’s alright, I’d like to have Dora try some too. He’d feel more comfortable handing over the money then, right?”

“That’s fine!” Tara said with a big nod and took off running down the highway.

There was still a feeling of happiness filling her mouth. And Tara could feel that happiness spreading throughout her entire body.

This was sure to make Dora happy, too.

These past few days, Dora had been acting strangely. Tara could sense it was because he was trying to figure out what sort of relationship they should have with the people of the forest’s edge. He seemed to be drawn to Asuta and the people around him, but it was just how he was to hesitate to form bonds like that.

His worries were probably something that only he could truly understand.

Tara’s mom and big brothers back in the village had all said they shouldn’t get involved with the people of the forest’s edge. When Tara argued against them, Dora just sat there silently, looking pained.

Dora was being tormented by complex feelings that Tara just didn’t understand.

But I’m sure it’ll be fine now.

Asuta wasn’t a liar.

The only liars and bad guys must have been the ones from that “ruling clan.”

Her dad had looked so troubled for a while, but now he could finally feel relieved. And as Tara thought that, the joy she was feeling only grew stronger.

She ran along with a splish, splash as she dashed through the puddles left from the rain, and before long she was standing back in front of her dad.

Dora was seated under the roof of his stall, and he turned absentmindedly to look at his daughter.

“Here, it’s Asuta’s cooking! He was able to make something this delicious with the vegetables you grew!”

Dora gave a listless smile, then accepted the little wooden needle that was pierced through a chunk of giba meat.

Tara watched with great excitement, anticipating the explosion of surprise that would soon show on her father’s face.