Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: The Corrupt Clan

1

I’d almost say nothing of particular note happened till the day of the clan head meeting, but I couldn’t quite go that far.

The day after the study session at the Ruu house, we were open again for business in the post town, and we ended up selling through all 200 meals we had prepared. The day after that, things slowed down a bit and we just prepared 170 meals, but we still managed to sell them all.

It seemed like the irregular schedule of one day off, two days of business, and then two more days off had an unusual effect on my customers’ purchasing habits. After all, before this, we were having a bit left over when we prepared 150 meals.

As always, the majority of my customers came from the east and south, but my giba cooking was definitely becoming a topic of discussion throughout the post town. And if we manage to sell it through inns from here on out, too, then that should help raise its reputation even further.

No matter what the Suun clan might have been planning, I had to make this business a success.

As I worked away with that feeling firmly planted in my mind, the eighth and ninth days of the blue month flowed on by, and the day of the clan head meeting arrived at last.

◇

“The Suun settlement sure is far...” I whispered to Ai Fa as we walked along the yellow trodden path at the forest’s edge.

As she moved along gracefully like a wild leopard, Ai Fa stealthily whispered back, “The Suun settlement is the cornerstone of the north, while the Ruu settlement has a similar position in the south. It’s only natural that it feels like such a long distance.”

The settlement at the forest’s edge was long and thin, stretching north to south. It seemed to have ended up that way because it was sandwiched between Mount Morga on the east, and the cleared-away land of the Genos domain to the west.

The Suun settlement was far to the north, then there were numerous houses belonging to small clans like the Fa along the way, and the Ruu and the Rutim were all the way to the south. From the position of the sun, we must have been walking for two hours by this point, but I still wasn’t really seeing any change in scenery.

“Hmm... So on the night of the Rutim wedding, those guys from the Suun clan walked all the way down this long path just to mess with everyone?” I whispered into Ai Fa’s ear.

She replied, “Right,” with a nod.

“If they’re not properly carrying out their work as hunters, then they must have plenty of time on their hands. Hmph, the thought of it makes my blood boil.”

“Yeah, seriously. If they’ve got that much time to spare, then they should go hunt a giba or two.”

“By the way, Asuta...”

“Hmm? What is it, Ai Fa?”

“Why are you saying everything so quietly?”

So she had just been going along with it without even knowing why?

“There’s no deep reason for it. It’s just, don’t you feel kind of hesitant about openly chatting away, considering the mood?”

We weren’t exactly heading to the Suun settlement on our own, as we met up with the Ruu and the clans under them along the way.

There were six clans under the Ruu, bonded to them by blood: the Rutim, Lea, Min, Maam, Ririn, and Muufa. For the meeting, each of the clan heads were accompanied by one man from their family. Then there were the women who were manning the stove with me, bringing our group up to 24 in total.

Plus, the men were an elite group of fearless fighters, making for an inspiring sight. They all must have been there for the Rutim wedding, but the only ones I was acquainted with were Donda and Darmu Ruu, as well as Dan Rutim.

They had split up the ingredients for tonight’s dinner and were carrying them. Even if none of them grumbled about it in the least, I still felt much obliged to them.

“Man, I’m feeling kinda sleepy, somehow...” I suddenly heard a loud voice proclaim from behind.

When I turned around, I saw what looked to be the youngest member of the group of men giving a big yawn.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten up this early. Donda Ruu, could I take a bit of a nap once we get to the Suun settlement?”

“Do as you please,” Donda Ruu bluntly responded.

“Thanks, that helps a lot. And well, I’ll wake up right away if there’s any sort of commotion, so no worries there... Hmm, what are you looking at, Fa clan chef?”

“Ah, sorry.”

“I wasn’t going for an apology. I was just asking what you were looking at.”

He didn’t sound especially annoyed, but his face didn’t look that calm, either.

As I was trying to figure out what to say, he hastened his pace and came up beside me.

“Now that I think of it, I still haven’t heard your name. Mine’s Rau Lea, so what’s yours, chef of the Fa house?”

“Ah, my name is Asuta.”

He looked like he may be younger than me, but I still decided it was best to speak to him politely. Or at least, that was what I was thinking, but then he shot me a bit of an annoyed look.

“I’m 17. How old are you, Asuta?”

“Oh, I’m also 17.”

“In that case, don’t worry about speaking all politely. Just talk normally, okay?”

For whatever reason, he was voicing the exact same complaint as Yumi.

Still, this youth had some serious presence. His long, pale, nearly golden hair was tied behind his neck. His eyes were a light blue, he had a prominent nose, and his lips were thin. He looked a bit more mature than Ludo Ruu and had a kind of androgynous face, but he was wearing a pretty wild expression.

Looking at him, I’d say he was a bit taller than me, and also on the skinny side. And yet despite his looks and his young age, he felt just as impressive as the men around him.

“Well, I didn’t really get any of that stuff Gazraan Rutim was saying about you doing business in the post town. But since the Suun clan are causing you trouble, I’ll lend you as much help as you need.”

“Right, thank you very much.”

“I told you to talk normally...”

“Ah, perhaps it’s because I’ve started doing business in the post town, but I’ve started finding it easier to talk that way.”

“I see. Then in that case, each time you talk all polite, I’ll slug you one.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“So you’re really the Fa clan’s chef?” Rau Lea asked, bringing his face in close. “You’re the one who sharply chastised the Suun sons when they came barging into the wedding banquet, right? You look like a totally different person now, though.”

“Ah, you see, I kind of lost my cool a bit back then.”

“Hmm... Then you should lose it today, too. If you show any weakness to the Suun clan, they’ll be sure to take advantage and do as they please.”

He really seemed to look at things in the complete opposite of the way I did. After all, in my mind, it was important to make sure you stayed calm and composed in a dangerous situation.

“By the way, Asuta, Gazraan Rutim taught our Lea clan how to bloodlet and dissect a giba. That certainly does make the meat taste good, but it’s still far from the food you served at the banquet. Just how exactly do you make that soft meat?”

“Ah, do you mean the hamburger? That’s made by chopping up meat and then balling it back together... But it’s a little hard to describe with words alone. The Ruu and Rutim women are familiar with how to make it by now, so I guess it would be best to learn from them,” I said, taking care not to be too formal so as not to get hit.

“In that case, Ama Min Rutim, teach the Lea women how to make it. I want to be able to eat that in my house,” Rau Lea said, looking back her way.

Ama Min Rutim was carrying a bag stuffed with vegetables on her back like everyone else as she walked along, and she politely bowed to Rau Lea in response.

“Very well. I’m not terribly skilled at making it myself, but I would certainly like to polish my skills alongside the Lea women.”

“Ama Min Rutim, how old are you...?”

“Ah, I’m 17 years old, Rau Lea.”

“Then don’t use such polite language. Like I told Asuta, just talk normally.”

“Ah, no. As one under the Ruu clan, I couldn’t possibly speak impolitely to the head of the main Lea house.”

Wait, this guy is the head of the main Lea house...?

“All the women started talking like that when I became the clan head. Even if you work the stove, you’re still technically a man, so you better still talk normally, alright, Asuta?”

It seemed like I was steadily growing closer to this difficult-to-handle youth.

I tried looking over Ai Fa’s way, but naturally my clan head was facing away and feigning ignorance.

“Ooh, what’s this? So the Lea clan head is fond of hamburger? I wouldn’t say that’s bad, but the tastiest is the rib meat, right?” the Rutim clan head butted in.

His potbelly bobbed along as he quickly approached. I wish I could say this would be my salvation... but that didn’t seem likely.

“Rib meat, huh? That’s pretty darn tasty too, of course, but don’t you feel the bones make it more of a pain to eat?”

“What are you saying?! Biting it off the bone makes it even more delicious! So much so that I’d prefer to eat giba legs with the bones, too!”

That sounds like it would be a pain to cook through. Still, if I polished my skill at baking in a covered pan a bit more, that probably wouldn’t be impossible.

“Besides, it’s mostly women and children who like hamburger. I respect that you’re serving as clan head at such a young age, but it seems like you’re still a bit of a kid, huh?” Dan Rutim said with a hearty chuckle, while Rau Lea looked openly annoyed.

“Are you trying to pick a fight between the Rutim and the Lea? You’re being incredibly rude, treating a hunter like me as a child.”

“Then just stop complaining and eat your rib meat. That’s the perfect dish for a hunter.”

Dan Rutim then completely ignored Rau Lea’s brewing anger and turned to shoot me a goggle-eyed look.

“Asuta! I’m definitely going to get to eat rib meat tonight, right? That thin myamuu meat dish is good too, but it’s not as delicious as ribs!”

I see, so Ama Min and Morun Rutim must have showed off their new skills at home right away after learning how to make myamuu giba during the study session three days back.

That was all well and good, but I couldn’t help but say “Huh?” with a tilt of my head. “The Rutim clan’s supposed to be providing some meat for today. And there should be ribs in with that, right?”

“No clue. Now that you mention it, I think Gazraan may have said something about that, but I was sleepy so it just went in one ear and out the other.”

“I see...”

“I hate the idea of letting those Suun bastards eat such delicious food, but well, if it helps improve their rotten characters even just a bit, then I guess I can accept it! I’ll give them a firm kick in the rear and tell them if they wanna eat tasty meat, then they’ll do their jobs and hunt giba!”

“Ah, no, could I ask you to be as peaceful about things as possible...?”

“Hmm? What’s that worried face for? Saying I’d kick them in the rear is just an expression. You don’t think I’m that short tempered, do you?”

Despite his statement, I gave a stealthy sigh. I couldn’t feel at ease in the least considering I had seen how angry he got with the Suun clan back at the wedding banquet.

“If they get all hotheaded and injure you, though, then even I don’t know what I’ll do,” Dan Rutim said with a hearty guffaw, only for his jovial expression to shift into a more hunter-like one in an instant. “I don’t care if we end up at war with the Suun clan, but you’re the one person we can’t afford to lose. Of course, you marrying into their clan is totally out of the question to start with, but more importantly than all that, you just better not die on us, alright?”

Dan Rutim apparently had no interest in our business in the post town. He didn’t even seem to understand in the least what Ai Fa, Gazraan Rutim, and I were saying about bringing prosperity to the forest’s edge. And yet, Gazraan Rutim said that when he informed his father that the Suun clan may be targeting me, he apparently flew into such a rage that it seemed like he was about to go storming off to the Suun settlement then and there.

When I heard that, I honestly felt embarrassed that I had pegged him as loving the taste of ribs but not caring that much about me personally.

With such thoughts in the back of my mind, I replied, “Right, thank you,” only for Dan Rutim to laugh and slap me on the back.

“Well, in the kitchen the women will protect you, and we’ll keep an eye on you the rest of the time! So you don’t have to worry about it as you go and cook us up a delicious meal!”

I could feel a great deal of affection in his words of encouragement. That said, I think I heard my ribs creak from that slap, but at the very least nothing seemed to break.

“Hmph. The Suun clan themselves are nothing special. The ones we have to watch out for are the clans under them. A wimpy-looking guy like you could never put up a fight against them, so you better make sure not to get on their bad side even if things start going wrong.”

Rau Lea may have had a sharp tongue, but he was still saying that out of concern.

It seemed the clans under the Ruu were actually a lot more friendly to me and Ai Fa than I had been thinking. None of them aside from Rau Lea had talked to me, and they all had serious looks on their faces, but none of them looked like they were annoyed at the extra work.

And on top of their basic natures, we were all thinking we wouldn’t just go along with the Suun clan’s plotting, making it feel like me and Ai Fa fit right in.

Maybe the incident at the Rutim banquet Rau Lea had mentioned was another big reason for that, too. When those three idiot Suun sons came barging in, all of the men present were clearly filled with rage. And those men naturally included the ones now moving together with us.

Having a common enemy strengthened the bonds within a group. Perhaps that effect reached all the way to me and Ai Fa, too.

I’d certainly feel grateful if that was the case.

There was no mistaking that.

We may not have been related in the least, but we had a shared hatred of the Suun clan, so we should all get along just fine.

As that thought ran through my head, Donda Ruu mumbled in a low voice from the front of the group, “I can see it...”

I faced back front in a hurry and held my breath just a bit. There was a rather hard-to-describe building there, hidden behind the treetops. No, “building” may be giving it too much credit. Right in the middle of a cleared-out space was what looked like a hill made out of dried grass piled up high. It called to mind the sort of pit dwellings you would expect from back in the Paleolithic Age.

The scale was absolutely unbelievable, though. The shape was like a bowl that had been flipped over, but its diameter had to be over 20 meters. It looked a good bit flattened, but the top of the bowl came up high enough that there would probably be room for a second floor.

As for the entrance, it was a dark hole gaping wide open. There was a roof that looked like a tri-cornered hat atop the bowl, and there was what looked to be a rectangular hole for ventilation in it.

The structure itself looked quite crude, but it still stood as a real testament to the power they held that they were able to make such a massive building at the forest’s edge.

“That’s the Suun clan’s ritual hall,” Ai Fa explained.

Apparently, that was where today’s clan head meeting would be held.

There were also a number of wooden buildings constructed in a familiar manner all around that suspicious-looking ritual hall. There had to be over ten of them in total.

“Welcome to the Suun settlement...” a single man greeted, staggering up to us. He was an older man with his grey hair combed down the back of his head and a similarly colored moustache, and who seemed utterly devoid of energy despite having a solid physique. In other words, it was Tei Suun.

“You’ve arrived rather early. I had thought only the ones manning the stove would be showing up around when the sun hit its peak.”

“Hmph. As if they could carry all this luggage with just the women,” Donda Ruu answered in a rumbling voice. “Could you lead us to the main house’s kitchen? We’ll give our greetings to the clan head after that.”

“Right... But before that, could I collect your horns and tusks?”

On the day that I made my arrangements with Yamiru Suun, all of the clans received a message that they were to present one giba’s worth of horns and tusks at the clan head meeting.

For a set of two each of large horns and tusks, you could receive 12 red coins in the post town. That was nothing at all for the clans under the Ruu, but that amount of money could mean a matter of life or death for the small clans who were just barely hanging on.

The people of the forest’s edge lived in such a land of abundance, yet they were forbidden by the lord of Genos from gathering the blessings of the forests or tending fields. And so, the only option they had to live healthy lives was exchanging horns, tusks, and pelts for coins.

Then, once we handed these horns and tusks over to the Suun clan for the time being, they would eventually make it back to us as thanks for manning their stove. So honestly, I felt like I was adding to the burden of the small families without money to spare.

Still, we had no choice but to go along with their scheme if we were to correct the Suun clan’s wicked ways.

On top of that, I’d be putting in everything I had to make sure those losses led the way to the light of hope.

“Well then, this way...”

Having received eight giba’s worth of horns and tusks in total, Tei Suun bound them together with a single leather strap and then started walking further into the settlement. As always, I didn’t sense even the slightest bit of energy or drive from the man. And it was hard to imagine the task of showing us around was one meant for a hunter, so why was he always being treated like a butler?

Huh...? Is it alright for him not to take our blades?

In the Ruu settlement, custom demanded that I let them take charge of my cooking knife at least until we reach the kitchen, but Tei Suun made no such request. Well, that was better for me, but it still gave off a seriously sloppy impression.

“Just as gloomy as always, I see...” Rau Lea muttered under his breath.

Was that directed at Tei Suun, or at the whole of the settlement...? It was probably both.

The sun would be hitting its peak shortly, and yet we still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any other people.

Nobody was out chopping firewood or drying pico leaves. There were no women standing around chatting, or even children excitedly running about.

It was like we had wandered into a ghost town.

And from what I could observe as we passed by, the massive ritual hall was showing some serious signs of age. It had been mended here and there, but the walls coated in dry leaves looked half rotten. It hardly seemed like a fitting type of building for a place that got as much rain as the forest’s edge, so maybe it was an old style from back when they lived in the forests of the south.

Were the Suun clan proper leaders of their people back when this building was made?

The answer to that only existed in the minds of those who were alive back then, like Granny Jiba.

“This is it...”

The ritual hall was like the remains of a rotting dinosaur, but it had apparently been hiding a splendid wooden building that in no way lost out to the main Ruu house.

Figuring that had to be the home of the main Suun family, I subconsciously braced myself.

This was the enemy stronghold... The fortress of fiends like Diga Suun who had committed countless foul deeds.

Tei Suun walked along in orderly steps like a robot, advancing around to the rear of the building.

“...This is the kitchen.”

Sure enough, there was a small separate structure behind the house itself, just like with the Ruu home. It was on the same scale, too. Heck, there were even two stoves installed outside like with the Ruu house.

“Hmm... Where are the women of the Suun clan?” Mia Lea Ruu questioned.

“I will go summon them. Hold on just a moment,” Tei Suun said with a bow, his gaze remaining vacant all the while.

With that, Tei Suun disappeared, and everyone started laying down their luggage off to the side of the door.

Over 90 kilos of giba meat. More than 400 aria. Around 300 poitan. Fruit wine, rock salt, and myamuu for seasoning. Cookware, as well as pseudo-rubber tree leaves for carrying everything.

It certainly was an extraordinary amount, especially when you saw it all in one place like this.

There would be 79 people attending the clan head meeting, 41 members of the Suun clan, and the nine of us manning the stove. Then, for Mida Suun, we needed to make enough surplus to feed ten people, bringing us up to 139 meals.

At any rate, this brought an end to the help the men would officially be providing, but there were still two or three hours left till the clan head meeting would begin. And so, the plan was to have them just hang around the kitchen until then.

“Still, once the clan head meeting kicks off, the men of the Suun’s branch families and the like will be able to move around freely. So don’t let your guard down no matter what, alright, Asuta?” Ai Fa whispered to me, despite the fact that I’d already heard that countless times.

“I know. And no matter what happens, I won’t do anything on my own. You take care too, Ai Fa, okay?”

“Hmph. I won’t be in any danger, though I will admit that it will be vexing not to have Gazraan Rutim around.”

Right, Ai Fa was set to talk about what sort of mindset the Fa clan had in opening the shop in the post town, but since the tradition was for the heirs to stay behind and protect their homes, Gazraan Rutim would be absent from the meeting and unable to lend his support.

Donda Ruu and Dan Rutim would hardly be any help at all on that front, and the second son of the Rutim house unfortunately wasn’t as skilled of a speaker as his elder brother. Though with that said, it was probably just that Gazraan Rutim was way too talented in that regard. After all, I had yet to see anyone else at the forest’s edge who could speak as elegantly and intelligently as he could.

That must have been down to the general temperaments of the people of the forest’s edge. Lots of the folks around here were rich and vibrant in their emotions, but there didn’t seem to be that many who valued logic and reason. Within my limited field of acquaintances, I would say only Gazraan Rutim and Granny Jiba fell into that type... Though Jiza and Sati Lea Ruu and Ama Min Rutim felt like they had a bit of that to them, too.

“...It’ll be alright. What matters most is that you get your feelings across,” I whispered to Ai Fa. “I mean, no matter how skilled folks like me and Kamyua may be with our words, I think it’d be pretty hard for us to get through to the people of the forest’s edge on an emotional level. But as one of their brethren, I’m sure you’ll be able to do just fine.”

“I don’t know how you’re able to say something like that after being around me for so long... But well, I suppose it’s several times better than hearing you say it’s impossible,” Ai Fa bluntly muttered while scratching the tip of her nose. “I shall see my task through, to the best of my ability... And it seems the time has come for you to set about your work too, Asuta.”

Following along with Ai Fa’s gaze, I saw Tei Suun appear again from the shadow of the house. He was also accompanied by more than ten women behind him. And one of them soon slipped past Tei Suun and came to stand in front of us.

“We have been awaiting you, Ai Fa and Asuta of the Fa clan. Our clan head Zuuro and my younger brother Mida have been greatly looking forward to today.”

It was the eldest daughter of the main Suun house, Yamiru Suun.

This was my first time meeting her at the forest’s edge.

In the post town she wore a veil and shawl to cover her bare skin, but now she just had on a regular cloth wrap to cover her chest and waist, and metallic accessories, causing her to look all the more beautiful... and all the creepier, too.

Her dark brown hair was done up carefully in dreadlocks. And her narrow eyes were almost unbelievably black. She was slender and tall with long limbs, so elegant looking that they wouldn’t lose out even to Vina Ruu’s.

This stench isn’t something I’ve ever sensed from Ai Fa or Vina Ruu, though...

The sharpness of my sense of smell was probably the one and only physical ability I had over the people of the forest’s edge. It wasn’t just their muscles, as their sight and vision was also generally outstanding, but I seemed to be a bit better when it came to smell.

And so, I was more cautious of Yamiru Suun than anyone else I had met. I couldn’t imagine it was human, but she was still always clad in the scent of blood, which I naturally found incredibly unnerving.

“Ah, there is one more thing I must inform you of at the start...” Yamiru Suun said with a chilling smile. “The payment for the Fa clan will no longer be 40 giba worth of horns and tusks, but 36. Is that acceptable?”

“What? I think that’ll depend on the reason...”

“The reason is simple. In this past year, four clans have disappeared, bringing the total number down to 36. Some were wiped out, while others joined with other clans before it came to that, but regardless, there are now four less... And so, we would like to request that you make eight fewer meals and accept 36 giba worth as your payment in turn.”

“Well it’s better than the number going up, but I thought agreements couldn’t be overturned so lightly here at the forest’s edge.”

“That’s correct. And that’s why I’m earnestly making this request of you now.”

I was astounded to hear the word “earnest” come out of her mouth and couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders. If that was known in advance, then they certainly should have had plenty of ways of letting us know ahead of time. It was so laughably dishonest that I’d feel like an idiot for trying to be honest while taking them on.

And yet, this was the only stage I had to fight them on.

“We won’t exactly feel like carrying all this heavy luggage back at this point. So if everyone from the Ruu and Rutim agree, then we’ll accept. We’re planning on splitting the payment, after all.”

“Who cares about the payment? What matters is getting started already,” Mia Lea Ruu stated bluntly, looking completely unshaken as she stepped in front of Yamiru Suun.

Yamiru Suun, meanwhile, shot her back a disinterested chilly glance.

“Well then, we look forward to your work, Asuta of the Fa clan. Feel free to use these 15 women however you please.”

15, huh? That sure was a lot.

I had heard there were 41 people living in the Suun settlement, so that must have meant nearly all the women had gathered.

And yet, I was at a loss for words as I looked them over.

What in the world is going on...?

These women of the forest’s edge all varied in terms of age. The oldest looked to be around fifty, while the youngest was probably about ten. And they were a mix of both married and unwed women. That was all perfectly normal, with nothing notably out of sorts.

Except... Their eyes all looked dead.

Both the old women and the young girls had the same sort of cloudy, muddied gazes as Tei Suun.

Their faces were all utterly expressionless, too. I couldn’t sense so much as a shred of the vitality usually possessed by the people of the forest’s edge in any of them. They weren’t especially wasting away, nor did they seem like they were even really unhealthy. They just seemed to be completely and utterly listless.

They were lacking in energy more than the people from the post town, or back in my old world, or really any people I had ever seen as they stood there vacantly, looking like poorly crafted clay dolls.

“Well then, I have my own work to handle, so please excuse me... Ah, and the clan head hasn’t woken up yet, so you men standing there will need to wait till later to greet him, too,” Yamiru Suun said with a smile like a viper, then she departed. Tei Suun followed along after her like it was only natural.

After they were gone, Mia Lea Ruu loudly clapped her hands together.

“Well then, shall we carry in the luggage?! Please go ahead and get the poitan first!”

With that, the women of the Suun clan swayed on over without saying a word. Their movements weren’t extremely sluggish or anything, but they still somehow reminded me of a swarm of zombies.

“What was with that eerie woman...?” Dan Rutim questioned in an annoyed tone from behind me.

That sounded like he was perhaps just talking to himself, but I went ahead and responded, “She’s the eldest daughter of the main Suun house, Yamiru Suun.”

“A woman of the main house, huh? She seems to have more backbone than those three dunce sons, but I’ve got no interest in dining alongside someone giving off such an unpleasant stench.”

“Huh?”

I looked up at Dan Rutim’s large frame with a bit of surprise, and saw that his round nose was sniffing the air.

“Why does that woman smell of rotten blood? There’s no way she could handle skinning a giba with skinny arms like that.”

“You have a pretty sharp nose, don’t you, Dan Rutim...”

“Hmm? Yeah, I can even pick out a giba in the forest by their stench. Even among the Rutim, only me and my old man Raa can do that,” Dan Rutim said in a bragging tone, rubbing the tip of his nose as his potbelly shook. “At any rate, I don’t like her. I’m not fond of any of the Suun clan, but that woman’s on another level. Asuta, make extra sure not to let your guard down around her, alright?”

“Yeah. I’m thoroughly in agreement on that,” I said with a nod as I grabbed a bag of poitan.

Then, I turned back towards Ai Fa.

“Well then, I’ve got my own work to get to... Let’s both give it our all.”

Ai Fa just silently gave a single nod back, an intense expression on her face.

With that, the curtain quietly raised on our battle at the Suun settlement.