Cooking with Wild Game (LN)

Volume 10 - Ch 2

Afternoon.

During this time, I would let Shela Wu and the others handle the business at the stalls, and head to the inns to cater food for them.

I had to bring a cooking assistant along, so I hired Rii Sudora to tend to the stall in the afternoon. And as Leina Wu mentioned in the morning, the Lutim and Lei houses each sent two young hunters to the town so Ludo Wu and the three other escorts could accompany me to the inn.

And of course, my assistant was Leina Wu. She was envious of Shela Wu who would be managing the stalls, but she still felt that assisting me with my work at the inn was a worthwhile job.

The first inn we visited was the Cryptic Venerable Inn where the easterners often lodged in. Ludo Wu usually followed me into the kitchen, but Shin Wu took his place today, and the rest kept watch on the outside of the inn.

Listen up, if that red-haired brat shows up, dont rush at him alone. Blow your grass whistle and call for backup.

The eyes of Ludo Wu who was giving the instructions seemed to be anticipating something. He seemed very curious about how capable the Marsala hunter who fended off Shin Wu was.

After bidding them farewell, we entered the Cryptic Venerable Inn.

Neil, I brought the kiba I promised.

I opened the bundle of kiba inside the kitchen, and Neils eyes lit up happily. Neil had finally decided to buy fresh kiba meat, so I quickly brought him a sample.

Thank you very much, is this portion for sampling?

Yes. Different parts of the kiba have different texture, so I plan to set the price depending on the parts.

I explained as I opened the bundle.

But having less quantity doesnt mean the quality is better. Each part has its own tastiness which doesnt depend on the price, so I hope you can confirm it for yourself.

I see. Normally, the meat from the karons body is more tender and delicious than the karons legs. I would very much like to know.

Neil looked at the meat on the counter seriously.

I brought 200 g of meat from four different parts today. They were the shoulder meat, loin meat, abdomen meat, and thigh meat. The lean loin and shoulder meat were limited in quantity and expensive, so I didnt bring them along today.

The kiba hind legs have the most meat, so I plan to benchmark it to the karon thigh meat. I will then use this benchmark to decide the price of their other meat.

Neil wanted to buy ten portions of meat for dinner, which was about 2.5 kg.

So, the price was

Thigh meat, 9 red copper plates.

Shoulder meat, 11.5 red copper plates.

Loin meat, 14 red copper plates.

Abdomen meat, 16.5 red copper plates.

The taste from grilling and boiling it is very different, so please test them out. And of course, you can also buy a mixture of 5 thigh meat and 5 shoulder meat.

Thank you very much. By the way, which parts are suitable for grilling, and which parts will be good for stew?

Personally speaking, I find the thigh meat and shoulder meat a little tougher, so they are more suited for a vegetable stew. But if you knock the meat with bottles or sticks to break its fibers, cut the muscles and slice it thinly, the texture will become more tender.

I see, thats worth a try.

Neil said as he squinted his eyes happily.

Kamyua Yost once said that the dishes served in inns were just an extension of home cooking. But there were innkeepers like Neil and Naudiz from the Big Tree of the South Inn who put a lot of effort into their cooking.

They must have had a strong urge to let the easterners and southerners who traveled all the way to Genos to have a satisfying meal. Thanks to them, I could procure exotic seasonings at a slightly higher price, and a dubious character like me was permitted to sell my cookings in their inns.

I will start doing my work for today then.

With the help of Leina Wu, we started making 30 portions of Kiba saut- Arrabbiata style.

After finishing the work in the Cryptic Venerable Inn in less than an hour, we went to the Big Tree of the South Inn.

This time yesterday, we were attacked by Geta while walking down this road, but we reached the Big Tree of the South Inn without incident today.

Oh, I have been waiting for you, Asuta.

The innkeeper Naudiz welcomed us with a smile.

However, when I asked for his permission for the hunters of Forest's Edge to guard the inns entrance, his face turned gloomy:

Something troubling happened again? Are the talks between you and the city people that complicated?

After already having explained the incident to Milano Mast, Uncle Dora, Zashuma, Sangjura and Neil, I had to convey yesterdays conflict for the sixth time.

Not only was our relationship with the city people strained; we were even attacked by someone with a hatred towards the denizens of Forest's Edge. That was why we wanted to increase the security in view of the danger. Naudizs face turned gloomier as he listened:

Hmm This sounds really complicated

Naudiz was different from Neil; I thought he was neutral towards the denizens of Forest's Edge. He neither loathed nor supported the denizens of Forest's Edge, but I could tell that he respected the denizens as important business partners.

So telling him too much might make him reconsider the pros and cons of working together with us At least, he wasnt asking us to get lost for the day.

Naudiz said: I was thinking about that commotion two days ago, and how the people in the city didnt tell us anything. The denizens of Forest's Edge and the city both made mistakes, so all involved parties should work towards avoiding the same thing from happening again If they announced that, the people in the Post Station Town would feel more at ease.

It seemed that the truth has been uncovered, yet the feeling that some parts remained concealed lingers in my heart. I think that its impossible for the people in the city to bring up their shame and failures.

These words were often used to describe the miserable state of the relationship between the Genos city and the Post Station Town.

It had been one and a half months since I first stepped foot in the Post Station Town and I had not heard the townsfolk of the Post Station Town say anything positive about the Genos city or the guards. The future ruler, Malfreed, was probably worried about this situation and wanted to resolve this.

Leaving that aside, Im looking forward to trying your new dish today.

Well, I will start working on it.

The menu of the Big Tree of the South Inn was to change today.

Vegetable stew would be served today. Its name? Kiba soup seasoned with Tau sauce might do. Actually, this was the kiba hotpot I tried making for dinner in the Fa house.

Meat from three different parts of the kiba, namely, the thigh, shoulder, and belly, and four types of vegetables, which were aria, tino, chachi, and gigo, were used. After cooking them thoroughly, I seasoned it with rock salt and Tau sauce. Taking inspiration from kenchin soup, I made this latest version of kiba soup.

There was a large variety of ingredients, but I reduced the amount of each of them to minimize the cost. The efficiency ratio was 23% without the meat, and 60% if the meat was included. Since the braised kiba used a large amount of Tau sauce and fruit wine, the efficiency ratio of that dish was actually 5% higher.

However, this was different from the normal stew, as the lilo had been added when cooking the meat to mask its gamey taste. To be frank, there wouldnt be any stench after the kiba was bloodlet. But the strong taste of the kiba, compared to kimyusu and karon meat, might not be acceptable to many people, so I included this extra step.

The selling point of this dish was the potato-like chachi and herb-like gigo. The chachi was boiled, while gigo was added after all the vegetables were cooked. This way, the customers could taste two types of vegetables.

Alright. After I scoop up the foam, can you help me maintain a weak fire?

Yes, leave it to me.

Leina Wu smiled brightly. Leina Wus skill in cooking vegetable stew was as good as mine so I could leave it to her without any worries.

By the way, for the vegetable stew, Ai Fa didnt tell me specifically that Asutas cooking tastes better. In the end, her comment was I can only say that both sides are even

Anyway, after entrusting the task to Leina Wu, I started making todays sample dish. I hoped that Naudiz who was happy with the Kiba soup wont need to worry about removing the Braised kiba from his menu. I intended to present the new dish that was supposed to replace the Braised kiba today.

Have you named the dish yet?

Yes. I dub it Meat chachi.

Naudiz widened his eyes in surprise.

Instead of kiba chachi, you are calling it Meat chachi? Why the name?

Hahaha, thats what this dish is called in my hometown. And Im selling a dish called Kiba Chitto in the Cryptic Venerable Inn, so I want to differentiate them a little.

However, chachi didnt exist in my old world, only potatoes which had a similar taste to chachi. So this dish was equivalent to Meat and potato stew in my old world.

I made this dish plenty of times in the Tsurumi restaurant too.

Depending on the environment, the ingredients that would be used might change. Ingredient-wise, chachi and aria could replace potato and onions, but I didnt have any soy sauce, sugar or mirin, so I had to use the Tau sauce, which resembled soy sauce, and fruit wine that was similar to red wine. The fruit wine was much sweeter than red wine, so I made the decision to cook Meat chachi and braised kiba.

Leaving the ingredients aside for now, I need to settle the issue of seasoning first.

I thought as I poured some kiba oil into the pot to fry the belly meat.

I tossed in aria and chachi before the belly meat started to brown, and, after stir-frying them for a while, I added in Tau sauce, fruit wine, and water.

Asuta, all thats left is waiting, right?

Leina asked me energetically as she asked about my work process.

Yes.

When she heard my answer, she replied: This dish is really simple.

Yes, its easy to make. But the ratio of Tau sauce and fruit wine, cooking time and the intensity of the fire, all these will change the taste a lot.

There werent any measuring cups and gas stove in this world. Without the instrument for accurate measurements, the instinct during cooking was very important.

In my hometown, this is the representative dish of home cooking. But surprisingly, it is harder to teach this dish, compared to hamburg steak and braised meat.

Leina Wu said with curious eyes: Is that so?

Ah, the Tau sauce and fruit wine are really fragrant.

Naudiz leaned his nose in.

I also add fruit wine into my cooking, but Im not as bold as Asuta. The sweetness of the fruit wine really suits the taste of southerners.

I heard there is sugar in Jaguar?

I remembered Arudas saying that.

It should be available in Genos too. But I have never seen it sold outside the rock walls.

Is it so rare that its only sold in the city? Hmm, the seasonings in this Post Station Town are really lacking. Its the same with Tau sauce; you cant buy any unless you have connections with the southern merchants, right? Aside from rock salt, what other seasonings are sold in the market?

I have to admit there arent any other seasonings. Some people use herbs like myam for seasoning though.

I added firewood to the stove, nodded, and replied: I see.

By the way, no one seemed to be selling Pico leaves and lilo. I only see them in the rock salt shop from time to time.

Around these parts, Pico leaves and lilo can only be foraged in the Morga forest. Having the freedom to forage as much Pico leaves and lilo as they wish can be considered one of the few privileges of the denizens of Forest's Edge.

Naudiz chose his words carefully to avoid saying anything sarcastic or unpleasant. He must have put in a lot of effort in order to not give any special treatment to the denizens of Forest's Edge.

So preserving meat in the Post Station Town can only be done by marinating it with salt, correct?

Thats right. Its a chore to procure fresh meat every day, and the price will be high if I dont buy in bulk. I will normally buy enough for several days, and preserve the rest with salt.

I see.

If things went well, I could teach Milano Mast to cook with kimyusu and karon meat. I wondered if I could make an acceptable dish with something other than kiba. This was a stimulating challenge for me.

Ah, excuse me for a moment.

It was almost time and I removed the cover of the pot.

The steam gushed out along with the fragrance of the Tau sauce and fruit wine. The water submerging the ingredients had been reduced by half. I used the spatula to stir the ingredients and then used a krilee stick to poke a chachi.

The vegetable got penetrated without any resistance.

How about the taste?

I used the stick to tear off some chachi and then put it together with some belly meat into my mouth.

It was soft with a faint taste of sweetness. The chachi was piping hot and smooth. When I chewed, the sweet delicious taste spread in my mouth.

The sweetness is a little diluted so a thicker texture will be more ideal.

I poured Tau sauce onto the spoon until it was half full, scooped up stock from the plate, and poured it into the pot.

I carefully stirred to avoid mashing the chachi, waited for the stock to boil, and then tasted it.

It felt great. Like braised kiba, this dish tasted best when cooled, which allowed the flavor to permeate it. But the taste right now was already good enough right now.

I scooped up the content of the pot onto a new plate.

Please have a try; this is half a portion.

It had around 120 g of meat, half an aria, and a quarter chachi.

I thought about adding more chachi, but in order to keep the cost on the same level as Braised kiba, this was the limit. Chachi cost 2.5 times more than aria.

Compared to the cheap aria and poitan, they seem so expensive.

I pondered as I poured half a portion into another plate.

Leina Wu, I will watch the fire for you, please try it too.

Ah, can I?

Leina Wu was as happy as a child.

Naudiz had a smile as brilliant as Leina Wu.

And so, the two of them picked up a spoon and sent the dish into their mouths, and then exploded in happiness at the same time.

Asuta, this is amazing!

Yes, this is just marvelous!

Naudiz was smiling so much that the corners of his eyes and brows were drooping.

Ah, it tastes really good. The soft chachi is great, and the sweet aria was a nice touch too. But the kiba is delicious as well Compared to the braised meat, this dish brings out the taste of the vegetables more.

Thank you for your compliment. But unlike braised meat and the vegetable stew, this dish didnt use any lilo. The kiba taste will be stronger, so Im not sure if this will be to the liking of the southerners.

You dont need to worry about that. Or rather, I think you dont need to add lilo into the kiba soup too. The lilo is too strong, and just a little of it will affect the taste of the Tau sauce.

That was an astute observation.

If the lilo meshed well with the Kiba soup, I would have added it in back at home. I only used it to mask the gamey taste.

Naudiz tilted his head with a smile: I dont think the kiba tastes too gamey anyway. I believe it's strange for any customers to dislike this taste.

His movements were full of charm for a middle-aged bearded man.

Or maybe they think kiba isnt something normal people should eat? The texture of the kiba might be very different from karon and kimyusu, and the taste is also stronger, so thats why some people might dislike it.

Pops Balan was also misled by this when he tried the Kiba burger, and concluded that it tastes bad.

But a month later, he brought a large quantity of kiba jerky instead of karon jerky. Pops told me that he had gotten used to the strong flavor after eating it for a month.

Asuta has worked at the stall for more than a month, right? Word that kiba is edible had already spread in the Post Station Town. The kibas taste is what makes it delicious, so there is no need to mask it at all.

I see. Your words give me confidence.

I smiled in reply to Naudiz.

Would you like to buy this dish?

Of course! Ah But its hard for me to give up on Braised kiba. Once every five, no, ten days will be fine, is that possible?

Im fine with that arrangement. Then I will prepare Braised kiba on the first day of the ten-day contract, then alternate between Meat chachi and Kiba soup after that. What do you think?

Naudiz wasnt just worried about his customers; he also wanted to eat Braised kiba himself. Unlike Neil, Naudiz ate the cooking he brought from me as his dinner. The fact that he was willing to forgo the profits of one portion in order to eat it made me proud.

Anyway, the reason I intended to remove the Braised kiba from the menu was the cooking time. So I should be able to cope if it was just once every ten days. If I really couldnt find the time, I would have to leave the stall early for that day.

Ah, but I cant increase the number of guards in the morning in such a situation I would really prefer to not need guards when visiting the inns.

As I was thinking about all that, Naudiz said to me with a thoughtful face:

By the way Asuta, you mentioned that you will be taking a day off after finishing this ten-day contract?

Thats right. So I hope the future contract will start after my off days.

I dont mind, but are you going to rest for the 7th and the 8th?

Yes, Im thinking of studying my cooking too.

Naudiz lowered his head and said: I see

At this moment, Leina Wu shared a small portion of her Meat chachi with Shin Wu.

After stealing a peek at Shin Wu squinting his eyes happily after taking a bite, I turned to Naudiz again.

What? Is there a problem?

Its nothing. But I have to do something about this.

Naudiz then lifted his head and said:

Asuta, you mentioned that you are willing to sell fresh kiba for me to cook myself. Does that still apply?

Huh? Yes, it does.

Then I want to buy kiba.

I couldnt help asking: But why?

Naudiz wasnt too enthusiastic about this proposal before.

For the sake of business, of course. If I cant sell Asutas cooking for these two days, my customers might eat at some other inn instead.

Y-You are overthinking it, correct? I wont be catering meals at all during my day offs, so they cant eat my food no matter where they go.

But, Asuta, you sold kiba to the innkeeper of the Cryptic Venerable Inn, right? And you are planning to cater for the West Wind Inn and Kimyusus Tail Inn too. In that case these inns might come up with their own kiba dishes. That frightens me a little.

Hmm

I dont think the other innkeepers are as good at cooking as Asuta. But patrons craving for kiba can only be satiated by it, correct? At least thats what I think when considering things from the perspective of the customers.

Naudiz then bowed deeply:

Please sell me fresh kiba meat. I want to use the next few days to research a presentable dish together with my significant other.

And, of course, I lowered my head and answered: Thank you very much.

My original goal was to make kiba itself the merchandise, not the kiba cooking. I was overjoyed that Naudiz made this decision right after Neil did.

Anyway, we didnt encounter the red-haired Geta or any ploy from Pyschkurewuss today and finished our work in the Post Station Town without incident. Two-thirds of the meaningful first day of the White month was now over.

2

It was between noon and dusk and felt like 3.30pm to me.

After completing all my work, we set off from the Post Station Town for the Forest's Edge settlement.

The great thing was, despite losing the regular patrons from the Silver Vase and architects, sales didnt drop significantly. 143 portions were sold today, and we would have been sold out if Shumimaru and Pops were still here.

Although some people had left Genos, others had come to visit. And their numbers were roughly equal to my stalls customers who had left.

Anyway, the work for today had concluded smoothly. We parted ways with the young hunters from Lutim and Lei houses on the road back to the Forest's Edge settlement, and I picked up Gilulus reins. The unfortunate thing was, my wagon became full after Rii Sudora and the youths from the Wu clan branch house got on.

And there was a pile of ingredients and crockery like pots too, so I didnt push Gilulu too hard and let it walk slowly. The road was full of sharp turns in the first place, so Gilulus burden was even heavier.

Despite all that, Gilulu towed the wagon energetically with a dumb face as usual. Even at this slower pace, it took less than 30 minutes to arrive at the Wu clan village.

After reaching the Wu clan village, I gave a few suggestions to Leina Wu on making the patty for the Kiba burger and then headed home. Unlike yesterday, I was escorted by Ludo Wu and Shin Wu on their mount, Lulu. When Ai Fa wasnt accompanying me, they would escort me back to the Forest's Edge settlement.

Both Geta and Pyschkurewuss henchmen probably wouldnt venture into the Forest's Edge settlement But Donda Wu planned to play all the cards he has on hand. I was grateful for his consideration and hoped peaceful days would come quickly.

Ah, Asuta, we have been waiting.

When I reached home, there were six women waiting for me.

The Fou, Lan, and Dean houses sent two women each to learn cooking. I didnt see Celice Lan Fou, but Tulu Dean and Jass Dean were here.

Asuta, long time no see.

Jass Dean, the elder sister of the Dean house head and a middle-aged woman with serious eyes, lowered her head quietly.

The ten-year-old Tulu Dean who was adopted from the Tsun clan by the Dean house lowered her head timidly too.

We had already put our differences behind us when Tulu Dean and I tried making offal dishes. But that was quite some time ago, so she had turned introverted again. My only option was to spend some time to warm up to her, so I smiled:

The lesson today will be on making hamburg meat patty. Lets work hard together, Tulu Dean?

Ah, y-yes

Tulu Dean lowered her head.

But her eyes werent gloomy anymore, and she looked up at me.

I heard that it goes against the customs of Forest's Edge to grill meat in someone elses kitchen. Is it fine to do the preparation work before the grilling here?

Thats fine. We have brought the necessary ingredients with that in mind.

The Lan house women replied.

The Lan, Fou, and Dean houses all paired a young girl with an elderly woman. Including Rii Sudora and me, there were eight of us here.

I will patrol the area before Ai Fa comes back.

After thanking Ludo Wu, I went into my home together with the women.

First, cook the poitan thoroughly to make it more sticky. If you dont have enough time, you can add in diced gigo as a workaround, but that would cost money. So we can cook this much poitan in no time. While we are cooking the poitan, lets dice the aria first.

There were more than two hours till sunset. I had already decided to do the slicing of the meat, which was needed for the stall, in the morning so I was free during this time.

So I taught them how to fry the diced aria with fruit wine and mince the meat while watching the fire. After teaching them that, I could work on my own studies.

My homework right now was to taste the vegetables I seldom came into contact with.

Be it the House Lutim wedding or the business in the Post Station Town, the first task I would take on was testing the taste of the new ingredients. Thats why I tried the taste of aria, poitan, tino, pula, tarapa, chachi, gigo, myam, and other ingredients. The variety sold in the Post Station Town was much larger than those bought by the denizens of Forests Edge.

There were some vegetables which I wasnt sure of their use. Like poitan that confounded me in the past, I couldnt find the connection between some of the vegetables with the food I was familiar with.

Some vegetables werent suitable for selling. They might have limited harvest, making it hard to procure the required quantity.

After excluding these vegetables, there wasnt much variety left.

Hmm Im not that free today, so lets get this over with.

I thought as I reached for a durian-like fruit that was orange and spiky.

It was about the size of a grapefruit and had the shape of a rugby ball. One of it cost 0.5 red copper plates, which was the same price as a chachi despite being heavier, which made it a suitable candidate.

It seemed to be called shiru. It was sold in many stalls in the Post Station Town but seldom bought by the denizens of Forest's Edge.

The spiky husk was hard, so I used the meat cutting I bought today to try opening it. This knife was actually suitable for cutting any ingredients, just like the santoku knife. The knife recommended by Dell met my expectations perfectly and break through the husk of the shiru.

The sweet and sour fragrance of the fruit permeated the room.

The inside was yellow.

There were clusters of juicy gem-like seeds in there, much like a pomegranate. I scraped them onto a plate, and the yellowish juice dripped on top of it, and the fragrance in the room became even stronger.

What a sweet smell.

Tulu Dean who was mincing meat looked back at me shyly.

The children in this world were sensitive to sweet fragrance too.

This is shiru, which is seldom seen in the Forest's Edge settlement. Want to try some?

Huh, can I?

I grunted positively and scooped up some fruit juice with a spoon.

Tulu Dean whose hands were dirty because of the meat she was mincing looked at me troublingly, so I shoved the spoon right to her mouth and said: Here.

Tulu Deans face blushed as she drunk from the spoon.

She suddenly shouted from her cute lips: So sour!

Hmm. Thats probably why the denizens of Forest's Edge dont really eat this.

It smelled like oranges, but shiru was as sour as a lemon. It was sweeter than a lemon, but at the same time, more sour than one.

Tulu Dean made angry tsundere noises as she waved her hands. She probably didnt want to touch others with her dirty palms, so she kept hitting me with her elbow.

Sorry about that. But if you drink it after diluting with some water, it should be quite tasty, right?

Its not tasty! My mouth hurts!

She yelled while turning her face away.

Jass Dean looked happily at Tulu Dean who was behaving in a way that befitted her age. The women from the Fou house and Lan house were also snickering.

Asuta, is this fine?

Rii Sudora pointed at the counter with a gleeful smile.

There was a nice pile of pink minced meat over there.

Yes, that will do. Next will be mixing it with the diced aria, poitan, and stock. Ah, it will taste better if you add some salt and Pico leaves; I will share some of the Fa houses salt and Pico leaves with you for today.

After that, the other women also finished mincing their meat. The denizens of Forest's Edge were strong so they could finish the manual labor of mincing meat as quickly as me.

We might be able to finish ahead of time. I moved the plate of shiru juice to a corner of the room and decided to teach them how to make meat patty.

By having a strong fire in one stove and a weak flame in another stove, it is possible to grill large meat patties. But it is difficult to control the intensity of the fire, so lets start with the weak one. Take this much meat, meld it into a ball, and then toss it left and right to push out the air inside.

I played catch with the meat patty between my left and right hands. This is a test of how nimble ones hands were. Tulu Dean and Rii Sudora were quick on their hands, a reflection on their skills in cooking.

The women from the Fou and Lan houses grumbled This is difficult as they tried doing so happily. They seemed sincerely happy that they could finally challenge the complicated process of cooking hamburg steaks.

Oh right, I have something to discuss with the Fou and Lan houses.

I recalled my conversation with Lala Wu this morning about the job rostering for the work in the Post Station Town.

I told the four of them about how the wealth should be distributed equally and whether anyone wanted to take the job in the Post Station Town in place of the Sudora house.

But their response was lukewarm.

Work in the Post Station Town, huh We have been in the Fa houses care in all sorts of ways so we would like to repay your kindness.

An elderly woman answered.

She had a serious face.

Just tell us what you need us to do, and we will get it done.

Lala Wu and Leina Wus smiling face came to my mind, and I said: Ah, no, Im not asking you to repay me in the form of work. I just hope you can enjoy work that is different from your usual routine.

But their expressions remained unchanged.

Rii Sudora said calmly: Asuta, are you short on people for your business in the Post Station Town?

No, theres no problem now. There might be if the number of stalls increased to three.

Is that so. You can ask the Fou and Lan houses for help when the time comes. To be honest, unlike the large Wu clan and house Lutim, its hard for us to spare the manpower to work in town for half a day.

Rii Sudora then said with a refreshing smile:

The Sudora house has too few people, so the women are free. Even though the branch houses and kin houses had all joined the main house in recent years, there are still only four men and five women in the Sudora house. And there arent any children that we need to take care of.

After asking, I realized the Fou and Lan houses were short on women. They had to put in quite a bit of effort to make time for the cooking lessons.

They already earned quite a fair amount by selling meat to the Fa house, so there wasnt a need to force the issue and get someone to take over Rii Sudora. But for the sake of the Fa house who had helped them so much, they had steeled themselves to endure more hardships.

In that case, I will discuss this again if Im really short on manpower. I want to share this with the other houses like the Gazu and Latzu too.

Is that so. Feel free to call on us when the time comes. We want to help the Fa house too.

Thank you very much. Im happy to hear that.

And so, the topic came to an end. However there was still a girl with a gloomy expression.

That was Tulu Dean.

Before I even asked, Jass Dean said:

The Dean house can spare some women. But as you know, the leader of our kin houses, the house head of Zaza doesnt agree with the Fa houses business. It pains me to say that I cant repay the flavor despite everything you have done for us.

Ah, its fine, dont

If I had known this would happen, I wouldnt have told this to the Dean house. The Dean house was a kin house of the Zaza house, and they were only permitted to learn bloodletting and cooking, but prohibited from taking part in the Fa houses business operations.

Jass Dean said calmly: Tulu Dean, you want to help Asuta, isnt that right?

Tulu Dean shook her head along with her twin tails.

I will obey the arrangement of the tribal chief and house head.

Her voice was soft but filled with strength.

But she was tearing up.

I will do my best to get acknowledged by the Zaza house head. When Im allowed to seek help from the Dean house, I will come to find you again, alright?

Tulu Dean answered with a nod: Okay.

We were still caught up with the issues of Pyschkurewuss and Geta, but I will work hard so that I could face the Zaza house head and the others one day.

Also The heir to the Wu clan, which has rendered me the most support so far, Jiza Wu.

Its been a long time since I had a heart-to-heart conversation with Jiza Wu. The last time I learned about how he felt was before the House Head Conference.

I dont really dare to imagine this, but if something happens to Donda Wu, the Fa house will be in an awkward position.

Their kins, the Lutim and Lei houses, were friendly towards the Fa house so Jiza Wu couldnt turn his back on us so easily.

But if both tribal chiefs from the Wu clan and Zaza house withdrew their support for the Fa house, there was no telling how things might turn out. I thought about how arduous the path ahead of me was and then said in a cheerful voice to brighten the heavy atmosphere: Alright then.

The meat patty is taking shape. Lastly, let me demonstrate in the stoves outside on how to grill the meat patty for taste testing.

The women became cheerful and stood up with a smile.

The meat patty for taste testing was made by Rii Sudora with the Fa houses meat. I brought along a bottle of fruit wine along to steam the meat and opened the door.

And found my beloved house head Ai Fa standing right outside.

Uwahh, thats a huge one!

I blurted that out before saying Welcome home. Ai Fa was carrying a male kiba between 70 to 80 kg on her back.

Ai Fa nodded with a grunt, the sweat on her face was glistening, and she was panting hard. That was only natural since she was carrying such a heavy load and trekking back home through the forest. Ai Fa dropped the kiba by her feet and then took a breather.

It fell into a trap I set nearby. I let most of its blood out so it would be a pity if I left it to the munto. Hence, I brought it home. But Im a little tired.

Of course you are. Thank you for your hard work, Ai Fa.

Yes, you too

Ai Fas eyes were shining a little.

She must be happy that I came home safe.

But because of the women standing behind me, she kept a straight face to show them her dignity as a house head.

Ai Fa, you are amazing! You took down such a big one by yourself?

Ludo Wu and Shin Wu appeared out of nowhere and ran over.

Ai Fa turned back and acknowledged them with her gaze.

You have been protecting the Fa house, thank you.

Dont be so reserved. By the way, you really are amazing. That guy fell into a trap?

Yes. It fell into a hole, and I killed it off easily.

Anyone can kill it, but setting the trap in the right place is the ability of the hunter. And you dragged it out of the trap by yourself and bloodlet it? Thats incredible.

Ludo Wu praised Ai Fa unreservedly.

But Shin Wu who was standing beside him If I wasnt mistaken, he seemed to be in deep thought.

In the past, Shin Wu wanted Ai Fa to teach him how to perform the dangerous Sacrificial Hunting Method. Even though he didnt need to worry about money after his elder sister started working in the Post Station Town, the young 16 years old house head was probably dissatisfied with his lack of abilities.

Ai Fa, Ludo Wu, and Rau Lei who were about his size and age had extraordinary capabilities; also he definitely was frustrated that he let Geta escape yesterday.

I think Ai Fa and Ludo Wu are well beyond standard levels, so Shin Wu has nothing to be ashamed of But its fine for him to think that way too.

If my culinary skills lost out to someone around my age, I would definitely be too frustrated to sleep at night.

But I couldnt help Shin Wu.

As I was wondering about all that, Ai Fa who was staring at my hands asked: Are these hamburg steaks for tonights dinner?

No, this is just for demonstration use. After answering that, I quickly shook my head. Then lets have hamburg steak for dinner tonight! After seeing everyone making it, I feel like eating one too.

Her eyes that had turned sullen started sparkling again, and Ai Fa muttered: Is that so. Ai Fas favorite food was still hamburg steak, and I felt relieved that I didnt betray Ai Fas expectations.

At this moment, Ludo Wu tilted his head with a grunt.

Therere sounds of Totos footsteps; it must be people from the Zaza or Sauti house.

Ai Fa and Shin Wu nodded and then turned their gazes to the road.

I couldnt hear anything at all. But less than 5 seconds later, a large Totos appeared. It charged right out of the forest and went right for us.

I yelled Uwah! and almost dropped my plate.

A few girls almost screamed too.

But that Totos didnt run into us It wasnt fended off by Ai Fa and Ludo Wu either; the rider stopped it in the nick of time.

Ah, sorry about that! I had too much fun riding and kicked the stomach of the Totos a little too much.

A lively voice came from above us.

He wasnt from the Zaza or Sauti house.

Hmm? Rau Lei?

Hey, we havent met since the Harvest Festival, Asuta.

Long blonde hair, bright-blue eyes, an androgynous face, and a smile that didnt really suit him It was the young head of the Lei house, Rau Lei.

I really hope you can restrain yourself a little. I thought I was going to die in a crash.

Another voice came from behind him.

A husky and sexy voice It was Yamiel Lei. She was grabbing Rau Leis back over his cape.

Rau Lei, why are you riding a Totos? Did you borrow it from the Sauti house?

Rau Lei shook his head in response to Ludo Wus query.

This is the Lei houses Totos. I bought it in the Post Station Town today.

Huh!? You bought it yourself? From a Totos shop in the Post Station Town?

I was shocked too.

Yes, thats right.

Rau Lei puffed his chest out proudly.

It cost quite a lot of tusks and horns too. But it couldnt be helped since I wanted to buy one, so I chose the cheapest one.

Speaking of which, this Totos was one size smaller than the other four in the Forest's Edge. It was also young and not very used to being ridden on. Its feathers were a lighter shade than Gilulu, and its eyes seemed really sharp.

As I said, it was my bad for scaring you. I didnt mean any ill will, so I hope you can forgive me.

Rau Lei dismounted softly.

He then looked at Yamiel Lei who was still on the Totos in surprise.

What are you doing? Hurry on down.

Dont make it sound so simple Im not a hunter.

What do you mean, its not that high up that you have to nag about it. Enough already, just jump down.

Hey, stop the Totos from moving.

Yamiel Lei glared at Rau Lei with cold eyes.

But her fingers were hanging on the Totos feathers with a death grip.

Rau Lei remained very forthright: You are really all looks and no substance. You look tall and strong for a woman but are actually as weak as a child. This must be retribution for the depravity of the Tsun clan.

Yamiel Lei was weaker than normal women; I noticed that after teaching her cooking for a couple of times.

But she wasnt so weak that she couldnt manage the work in the Forest's Edge, so this was just her being a delicate lady As I was thinking about that, Yamiel Lei glared at me with scary eyes for some reason.

It cant be helped. Here, come on down.

Rau Lei offered his hand.

Yamiel Lei grunted softly, ignored Rau Leis hand, and then landed gracefully on the ground.

Why you! Are you trying to shame your house head!?

So noisy.

Yamiel Lei flicked back her long dark-brown hair.

Yamiel Leis figure was as thicc as Vena Wus, and had a sexy air about her that was different from Vena Wu.

Her hair was tied up in an intricate pattern which was rarely seen amongst the women of Forest's Edge. Her venom snake-like aura was gone, but her icy and dignified air remained unchanged.

But it was great that she was lively instead of gloomy.

Ludo Wu asked on behalf of all of us:

So, what are the two of you doing here?

Huh? I brought Yamiel Lei here to learn cooking, of course! The women from House Lutim had been teaching her, but if she needs to learn, it will be faster to get Asuta to teach her directly.

Rau Lei then looked at Ai Fa with his hunters eyes for some reason.

And Im here to challenge the head of the Fa house! You might be a hunter, but you are also a woman; Im vexed that I lost to you!

Ai Fa tilted her head and sighed softly.

It must be hard traveling so far, but I still have chores to do. I dont have time for such annoying things.

Rau Lei lost to Ai Fa in the Wu clans Harvest Festival. He looked really unhappy during that nights banquet.

However, there was glory in winning in the test of might contest, but there wasnt any shame in losing. Despite that, Rau Lei was still frustrated with his loss. He became more unhappy after hearing Ai Fas cold response.

What do you mean by annoying!? Arent you done with your hunting? That is a nice kiba.

Thats why Im going to skin the kiba and eviscerate it. I also want to learn to clean the offals.

Huh?

This time, I was the one who was surprised.

Ai Fa glared at Rau Lei and said stiffly:

Cleaning offals takes a lot of time. Asuta still needs to prepare for dinner and tomorrows business, so I have decided to share some of his work. Thats why I have no time for you.

In that case, I too will help! And then you can use the freed time to spar with me!

Ai Fa sighed again.

Its pointless for someone to help when Im learning. Also Like I said that night, the results will be the same no matter how many times you try.

What did you say!? Is the gulf in our capabilities that big!?

There was a dangerous gleam in Rau Leis eyes.

Ai Fa squinted in surprise when she heard that.

Head of the Lei house, Im sorry to say this, but I dont think I will lose to you at all. And its true This might sound strange, but I can feel that you are stronger than the second son of the Wu clan

Thats right! Im confident of being on par with Darum Wu!

Hmm Could it be...

Ai Fa looked at Shin Wu.

Im sorry, Shin Wu, can you spar with the head of the Lei house?

Shin Wu looked back at Ai Fa calmly.

Rau Lei is one of the eight braves; Im no match for him.

That might not be so. I think you can defeat him.

When he heard that, Rau Lei said before Shin Wu could respond.

Alright! I will be your opponent! Ai Fa, if I win, you will spar with me!

Ai Fa shrugged and said: Whatever.

And so, a match started abruptly.

After removing their hunters cape and blades, the two of them faced each other in the grass plains.

Shin Wu, come at me, bro! I wont hold a grudge even if you best me.

He said all that so Rau Lei couldnt relax at all.

That was only natural as this wasnt a simple match. To the hunters, this was a sacred contest.

The raging fire of a hunter burned in Shin Wus usually calm eyes. He bent forward a little, and, to my eyes, the air of intimidation coming from him was as strong as Rau Lei.

It was hard to stay calm since I could witness a contest between hunters from so close. I gulped and looked at the two of them facing off.

But the contest was decided in an instant.

The moment Ludo Wu sounded off Begin!, Rau Lei grabbed Shin Wu hard His arm then got twisted, and his entire body got thrown onto the ground.

Huh?

Rau Lei jumped up.

Shin Wu, you are really fast. Sorry can I have another match?

Okay.

This time, Rau Wus chest was grabbed, and he was thrown by a standard small inner reap.

What the hell, Shin Wu, you are hella strong! Why did you lose so quickly during the Harvest Festival?

Rau Lei grumbled while seated on the ground, while Shin Wu looked at Ai Fa puzzledly.

But Ludo Wu was the one who muttered: I see.

I know, I know. Shin Wu is fast, but, Rau Lei, you fought in the same style as Darum-nii and Jiza-nii even though you are thinner than them.

Huh? What are you talking about!?

Simply put, you are using brute force. Shin Wu and I dont. Ai Fa probably didnt defeat Darum-nii by brute force. We dont stand a chance unless we make use of the opponents strength.

I dont understand. Isnt using your strength only natural in a contest? How is using your opponents strength a skill?

No, if you think about it the other way, this method will allow you to defeat an opponent who is bigger than you. Didnt you defeat Jii Mamu too?

Yes, I won two matches out of three.

Rau Lei puffed his chest out as he sat cross-legged in the grass.

Jii Mamu was a big guy amongst the Wu clan kins. Ai Fa and Mida both won against him, but Shin Wu lost to him.

Could it be Head of the Lei house, were you bigger than the other children when you were young?

Ai Fa fell into deep thought and asked with her arms crossed.

Rau Lei nodded: Thats true.

I remember being one of the bigger children in the Lei village during childhood. After becoming hunters, most of them got bigger than me. And after a couple of years, they became all taller than me.

Thats why you keep competing with brute strength. Im surprised that you won against an opponent bigger than you But you can never defeat Donda Wu and Dan Lutim. It will be difficult for you to best Jiza Wu and Kaslan Lutim too.

Im not thinking of challenging them yet

Rau Lei opened his aqua-colored eyes wide mid-sentence.

Wait! Ai Fa, are you saying you have the confidence of beating Donda Wu and Dan Lutim?

I already lost to Dan Lutim. However I think I can win a few matches if we compete a bunch of times.

Ah, I feel the same. I have not lost to Dad or Jiza-nii before. If I think I will lose, I wont challenge them in the first place.

Ai Fa and Ludo Wu who were conversing calmly had eyes that were shining with determination.

Im a woman, so my strength cant win against a hunter in the first place. Thats why Im always thinking about how to train the skills to perform my job as a hunter properly, and have been working hard all this time.

Hmm Im the same as Ai Fa. Because of my short stature, I have always been troubled about what I should do in order to not be a burden to Dad and the others.

Ludo Wu continued with a fearless smile:

In order to let dad and the others acknowledge me, I have been thinking about how to defeat them in a test of might contest. Ai Fa, you feel the same too, right? Your father had extraordinary strength as a hunter too.

Ai Fa lowered her gaze and didnt answer.

Ludo Wu looked at her with a similar expression, while Rau Lei cast a sideway glance at Shin Wu.

Anyway, the three terrors of Morga are the following, correct? Barb wolf is stronger than a barbarian, a barbarian can beat a Madarama snake, while the Madarama snake will best a Barb wolf. Shin Wu is the wolf, Rau Lei is the barbarian, and Jii Mamu is the snake.

Why am I the barbarian!? And What about Ai Fa and Ludo Wu? Donda Wu? Dan Lutim?

Dad and Dan Lutim wont lose to a snake. So I want to win against Dad

Rau Lei rubbed his head angrily.

Speaking of which, I havent won against Ludo Wu yet. I think we have sparred two or three times.

Hmm. Sorry, Rau Lei, but I dont think I will lose to you.

I suspect as much! Anyway you want to say Im not at your or Ai Fas level yet?

Rau Lei got up with a start.

Shin Wu! Can you have another match with me? No, not just once, but many times!

Erm, but I didnt win against Rau Lei easily either. I had to give it my all to defeat you. If I didnt gain the upper hand right at the start, I might have lost.

Then go train up your strength! You won against me but lost to Jii Mamu, right? Dont you feel vexed!?

Shin Wu frowned, and said quietly: Yes, I do.

Then go train up! You dont have to hunt for now, so this is a good chance!

As he said that, Rau Lei looked at Yamiel Lei who was standing around bored.

And so, I will be training with Shin Wu! You go learn cooking with Asuta No, since they will be cleaning the offals, go learn that too! The heart of a kiba is a delicacy!

Why is the head of the Lei house such a brutish person

Yamiel Lei sighed softly. Her face was showing a lot of expressions. I felt gleeful for some reason, then turned and looked at Ai Fa.

Then I will leave the skinning and offal cleaning to you. I will teach everyone to grill hamburg steak first; we will go to the watering hole later.

Hmm? You are coming too?

Yes. Im still a beginner with regards to dealing with offal. It just happens that a dependable teacher is here today

I looked behind me and opened my eyes wide in shock. The petite teacher Tulu Dean was clinging to Jass Dean with a green face.

Her big round eyes were filled with fear, and her slender shoulders were trembling. I followed her fearful gaze and found it to be pointing at Yamiel Lei.

Yamiel Lei looked at Tulu Dean quizzingly with squinted eyes.

Ah You are that little girl from the Tsun clan branch house, right?

And you are from a former kin house of the Tsun clan?

Yes. Im the elder sister of the Dean house head, Jass Dean.

Jass Dean looked at Yamiel Lei with stern eyes. Her veiny fingers were supporting Tulu Deans slender shoulders.

Jass Deans younger sister married into the Tsun clan branch house and gave birth to Tulu Dean. After that, her sister was forced to follow the twisted rules of the Tsun clan that shouldnt exist in Forest's Edge, and defiled the grace of the Morga forest and ended up dying young.

Yamiel Lei shook her head, swaying her long hair as she did so.

Yell at me if you want to; you have the right to do so.

Jass Dean shook her head.

Cutting off ties and living properly as a member of the Lei house is your atonement for your crimes. This is the decision of the tribal chiefs and house heads, and we will obey them. Is this fine, Tulu Dean?

Tulu Dean answered softly: Yes.

Her small face was still green, but she wasnt quivering anymore However, she was still staring at Yamiel Lei.

Rau Lei who was watching them laughed heartily.

The Tsun clan has lost the right to lead our people, so its up to us to guide the Tsun clan and former members of the Tsun clan. Women of the Dean house, I will leave Yamiel Lei in your care, although she is a stupid woman.

Jass Dean nodded: I understand.

Well then, lets get on with our jobs, Shin Wu. Oh, right...! Asuta, how does Yamiel Lei smell?

Huh? Smell?

Yes. It has been twenty days since the House Head Conference, so I have stopped smearing her with lilo juice. I think the blood stench on her is almost gone, can you help me check?

Ah, well, its fine, I dont mind now.

Really? Smell it carefully. Hey Yamiel Lei.

Yamiel Lei sighed and walked towards me.

She then pulled back her hair and leaned her neck before my nose.

The smell of a denizen of Forest's Edge The aroma of a young girl entered my nasal cavity.

How is it?

Its totally fine!

Yamiel Lei lifted her head and glared at me from close up.

Her icy eyes that used to be like a venomous snake looked at me a little flusteredly.

I-Im Im glad youre fine.

I blurted that out unconsciously.

Now that I thought about it, it had been half a month since I last saw Yamiel Lei.

The last time we met was half a month ago, when the body of Tay Tsun who died in the Post Station Town was returned to Forest's Edge to be buried in the forest.

Yamiel Lei turned away and said quietly:

You too.

3

Sigh, what a busy day.

After dusk, Ai Fa and I ate the cheese Kiba burger made from Semu curd and started chatting in the dimly lit room as usual.

I met with a bunch of people I seldom see and made some headway in my business too Theres no news on Geta or Pyschkurewuss yet, but this was still a really busy day.

Is that so?

Ai Fa had a blank expression as she inspected the wine glass carefully. She seemed to really like the wine glasses Shumimaru gifted us. Ai Fa was also looking at them last night.

But her eyes were a little gloomier than yesterday. There didnt seem to be any reason why she felt down, and I couldnt read her emotions right now.

Oh, right. Ai Fa, since we have nice wine glasses and good wine, why dont we splurge a little and drink tonight?

Drink tonight?

As in drink wine. Ai Fa, you can hold your liquor, right? We have plenty of fruit wine in the food store anyway.

But I have never seen Ai Fa drink such fruit wine before.

Ai Fa lazily let her hair down.

But, Asuta, can you drink? Its meaningless for me to drink alone. And the fruit wine is one of your cooking ingredients.

Dont worry; Donda Wu drinks like a fish by himself too, correct?

Are you saying that Donda Wu acts more like a house head than me?

Thats not what I mean. I just want to enjoy the well wishes gifted to us by others.

I looked at her worriedly, wondering if she was unhappy as I grabbed two bottles from the food store.

One of them was the high-quality fruit wine Pops Balan gave us, while the other was the shiru fruit juice I squeezed out in the afternoon.

I will drink this bottle. Ai Fa, you can drink whichever you like.

Isnt that meant to be used for cooking?

Yes. But I didnt have enough time to research my cooking today. It will spoil if left til tomorrow, so I was thinking about drinking it as a beverage.

Actually, I was thinking about using it as a seasoning on grilled kiba steak in place of lemon juice. I was wondering if the refreshing taste and sourness could cover the gamey taste of the kiba and let them taste the delicious flavor of the meat at the same time.

Or I could add in fruit wine and seasoning to make something akin to lemon sauce. In short, I wanted to challenge making a kiba dish in a different way from usual.

But this research would have to wait till next time. I added shiru juice into my glass and diluted it with water.

The ratio was two parts water to one part juice. I dipped my fingers in to try the taste, and it was still very sour. In any case, this was definitely normal lemonade. If possible, I would have wanted to add honey and ice cubes too.

Hmm, let me add some fruit wine for the flavor.

I carefully added one spoonful of fruit wine into my wine glass.

Doing that increased the fragrance greatly. I couldnt drink alcohol yet, but still enjoyed the fragrance of wine and rum.

See, its only a wine glass if theres wine in there.

The shiru juice was light yellow, and adding in a little bit of fruit wine didnt affect its color much. I shook the wine glass gently, and I could see the pulp from the fruit swirling through the light of the candle stand.

That probably intrigued her, and Ai Fa poured fruit wine into her glass too. Her cup was filled with a vibrant reddish liquid, with the side of her glass reflecting the bright red colors.

So pretty

Ai Fa smiled.

I was overjoyed to see her smile after so long and picked up my wine glass. I knocked it gently against Ai Fas glass, and it gave a crystal-clear clink.

Thank you for your hard work today.

I raised my glass to my lips and took a sip.

Lemonade diluted with warm water and flavored with grape wine; that was the general gist of it. It wasnt that tasty, but the atmosphere felt very comfortable.

Ai Fa shrugged and then gulped down the fruit wine. The glass that was 80 percent full was emptied in one shot.

Hey, I did ask you to drink, but dont push yourself, okay? The alcohol content is higher than in normal fruit wine.

Alcohol content?

Ai Fa poured another glass with her head tilted.

Wine that has higher alcohol content will make you drunk quicker. Thats why this wine is flammable.

During the House Lutim wedding banquet, I used this high-quality wine to grill meat. I felt that the alcohol content of normal fruit wine was about the same as grape wine, while this fruit wine was as strong as brandy or whiskey.

Dont worry, I wont get dead drunk. We might get attacked under the cover of the night after all.

She drank another half of glass after saying that.

She drank it very boldly.

By the way, Asuta, did Michael of Toran came today?

Oh, he didnt show up.

Michael of Toran knew about the misdeeds of Pyschkurewuss.

Shumimaru said he would show up in the Cryptic Venerable Inn one day, but that wasnt today.

What about Sangjura?

Sangjura came to buy food at the stall. He seemed worried and asked if we had told the guards about Geta yet.

Is that so.

Ai Fa, you seem wary of Sangjura. Is there any reason for that?

Frankly speaking, theres no special reason. But it will be bad if he turns out to be an enemy, so I cant let my guard down.

She emptied the other half of the bottle in one shot.

It seemed that Ai Fa could hold her liquor in the same way as Donda Wu. She crossed her legs and drank unreservedly.

I have never seen such a formidable townsfolk before; the only ones on par with the denizens of Forest's Edge are Kamyua Yost and that grey-eyed noble.

Grey-eyed, as in Malfreed? Oh what about Geta?

Yes, hes is on the level of a denizen of Forest's Edge. But he isnt as strong as Ludo Wu or me.

Since we were on this topic, I asked: What about Kamyua and Malfreed? Specifically speaking, how strong are they?

Ai Fa took a sip of fruit wine a little unhappily.

If Im not wrong, Kamyua Yost is as good as Donda Wu, while the grey-eyed noble is a match for Jiza Wu.

So in terms of ranking, it will be Donda Wu, Dan Lutim, and then Kamyua. Kamyua seems like a surprise pick.

Honestly speaking, that man is hard to fathom. I dont think Donda Wu and Dan Lutim can win against him easily.

I see. But, Ai Fa, you can hold your own against Dan Lutim too.

Then the top 3 would become the top 4.

Was Ai Fa really that strong?

Ai Fa stared at the wine glass and said:

I dont actually think that I can beat him but I dont think I will lose outright either. I might be able to edge out a victory and at worse, I can survive. Even if I cant win, its still possible to run.

I see. So that Sangjura is on par with Ludo Wu? Hmm By the way, how does someone on Ludo Wus level compare against Jiza Wu and Dan Lutim?

Why are you asking about that? I can only tell the strength of the people I had sparred with.

Ai Fa grumbled as she took a sip of fruit wine.

She was taking care not to drink too fast. Her way of drinking like a kitten was really cute.

In a real fight, the results might get reversed like with Shin Wu and Rau Lei today. So I would say Ludo Wu and Sangjura are on par. Jiza Wu and Malfreed will have a tight match, but I cant tell how the fight between them will actually turn out.

Hmm, that makes sense. Ah last two people then. What do you think about Zashuma and Lavis?

Hmm? Whose that?

Zashuma is Kamyuas companion, the one that pretended to be a caravan leader. Lavis is the southerner who is always with Dell.

When she heard Dells name, Ai Fa frowned.

And took a swig of fruit wine.

I dont care about them. The youngest hunters in Forest's Edge can probably beat them.

I see.

But Zashuma was a guardian who made a living by the martial skills, while Lavis was a swordsman who had overpowered a few bandits.

That means all the hunters from Forest's Edge were not to be trifled with, and Ai Fa was one of the top few amongst them.

Thats amazing, compared to Kamyua and Sangjura, Ai Fa is the most incredible one.

At this moment, Ai Fa suddenly leaned her face over.

Asuta, what are you thinking about. Are you thinking about that little girl?

Huh, little girl? You mean Dell?

Dont play dumb. Or are you thinking about that western girl? You talk very casually with her.

You mean Yumi? I cant help speaking informally with her. Ai Fa, didnt you hear what we were saying?

Hmmp!

Ai Fa took a swig as she glared at me.

I dont like noisy girls. And suspicious women like Yamiel Lei are out of the question.

No, thats

If you want a wife, I hope you can marry someone like Shela Wu. I prefer a quiet and gentle woman.

I heard that before.

But that had nothing to do with me.

Ai Fa leaned in closer.

Someone like Rii Sudora is fine too. Ema Min Lutim is a capable woman too. But Asuta, I think you are keeping your distance from quieter women.

Im not thinking about that! And arent the two of them married?

So thats why you are flirting with the unwed women?

Im not!

Are you harboring impure thoughts for the young girl from the Dean house?

Stop it! Theres something wrong with you. Are you drunk?

Im not drunk.

Ai Fa drained her glass and then leaned onto my chest.

You are completely drunk!

You are annoying I wont get drunk from just this much wine.

She blew her hot breath onto my chest.

Ai Fas body that was touching me was also very hot.

If you want to take in a wife, I hope you can marry a woman like Shela Wu

No, as I said, I wont marry anyone.

As the house head, I should give you my blessing

Didnt I said its not needed?

The house head must give blessings to their family

Ai Fa hugged me.

She was drinking, so her strength had waned. But I could hear my ribs cracking, which made me yell out Ahh!

That hurts! Its breaking! Wake up, Ai Fa!

Asuta, are you rejecting me?

No! My fragile ribs are creaking!

I tapped Ai Fas shoulders with all my might, and she finally relaxed.

But Ai Fas arms were still around me, and her face lay on my chest.

Her soft hair ground against my nose, and I sighed deeply.

My greatest happiness is to stay by your side, Ai Fa.

I finally calmed down, so she could probably feel my heartbeat. At the same time, I felt Ai Fas heart pound too.

So I wont marry anyone. People get married because they want to be with someone forever Thats why I wont marry anyone as long as you are with me.

No reply.

Did she fell asleep?

I sighed and quietly put my arms around Ai Fas back.

Feeling Ai Fas warmth directly made my heart race faster.

Because I have you, Ai Fa

In these two months, I have met many people important to me. Be it the Forest's Edge settlement or the Post Station Town, I got acquainted with many people that I didnt want to lose. I was supported by so many people that I couldnt even count them all.

However, the one in the middle of my heart was Ai Fa. This feeling had never changed. Not just that, it had even gotten stronger over time.

Ai Fa definitely thought of me as an important existence too. Life was so precious and so blissful because of this belief I had I knew this painstakingly.

I would never give up on this blissful life and marry another woman. But it appeared that I had not conveyed this thought to Ai Fa properly.

Just how old do you need to get before realizing that you are a charming person, Ai Fa? Why dont you realize that?

I thought as I hugged Ai Fa a little harder.

And then Ai Fa moved a little like a kitten and whispered to my heart:

If this is true, I will be so happy.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my cheek against Ai Fas soft hair.

And this long day, the first day of the White Month, finally came to an end.