And so, I ushered in the 9th day of the White Month.
This was the morning of the fifth day since my abduction.
Whether it ended in laughter or tears, this should be the last day I would be cooking in this manor. Would it end with my death or reunion with my friends? I walked into the kitchen with the determination to meet my friends again.
Roy told me the instructions: “Make a dessert different from the one yesterday and the day before.”
What a troubling instruction. Aside from pancakes and cookies, what should I make?
“Hmm… I want to ask something.”
“What is it this time?”
“Is there any food made through frying in very hot oil?”
“Fried food, huh. That’s not a popular way to cook.”
“Oh, so is it possible to do that in this facility?”
I had doubts on how strong a fire the stove could maintain, but it shouldn’t be a problem if there wasn’t any need to conserve firewood. The problem was keeping the fire burning at a certain intensity.
As a last resort, let’s try making donuts. I’m all out of ideas.
I only knew that the ingredients weren’t too different from pancakes and cookies.
Well, I will need eggs for this too.
I added sugar and karon milk into kimyusu egg and then slowly poured in fuwano powder. I wasn’t sure what to do with the butter, so I made three samples, one with nyuushi, the second one with banam honey, and the last one with both.
Next would be the oil. With Roy’s knowledge and aid, I poured reten oil into a large pot. I wasn’t sure about the price of reten oil; how much would this much oil cost?
This was followed by burning the firewood. I had to be careful not to make the fire too big. I was using tools I wasn’t familiar with, so I had to be very careful.
Mid to big fire was more suited for frying donuts. When the oil started bubbling, I waited tens of second before sticking a wooden skewer in place of chopsticks to test the temperature. I was a bit worried that the material of this skewer being different from the chopsticks I was familiar with, but I could only gauge the temperature by the bubbles it made.
When the oil reached about 180 degrees, I put in a sample to fry.
After tossing a round dough in, it started making hissing sounds with no signs of weakening. As the quality of the oil was different, it was hard for me to tell if things were proceeding without problems.
I then added firewood as I put in more samples. Every dough I put in would lower the oil’s temperature, so it was difficult to keep the temperature at a certain level.
Changes to the oil’s temperature could be mitigated by using more oil, so this test run would give me a general feel of things even if it fails. The key was to keep the oil at a high enough temperature without burning the food. I stopped my test run after learning that.
Hmm. I can fry things with kiba oil too, so this won’t be a wasted effort.
The taste of the dough with both ingredients added in had the most prominent taste, so I decided to go with this prototype.
And so, I started making the shape of the dough.
I could only think of four shapes with my limited imagination. A ring shape with a hole in the middle, a ball, a straight rod shape, and a thinner twisted rod shape.
I was worried about not cooking it completely, so I made all the donuts one size smaller. It was very chewy, probably due to the absence of baking powder. If I made the donuts too big, nobles who had weak jaws would have a hard time eating them.
So, what should I do about the topping? I still had some skimmed milk to make custard cream, but that would be too bland.
Ah, I can just coat it with sugar.
If I coated it with melted sugar and dry it, it would look and taste similar to the actual thing. Anyway, I decided to give it a try.
As I was just starting to fry the donuts… something big happened. While observing the color of the few donuts I added in, one of them exploded.
“Uwah…!”
Hot oil splattered. Not much of the oil flew out of the pot, but I felt that my life was in danger as I was standing right beside it.
“Hot! Hot, hot, hot!”
I pulled my shirt that was stained with the oil to keep it from touching my skin. Fortunately, my exposed face and hands weren’t touched by the oil.
“What are you doing, you retard!”
Roy threw a towel he dunked into the water flask at me.
I immediately inserted the towel between my clothes and chest and then looked at the pot. The donut that exploded was the ball. The others were still hissing and had turned into a nice color.
I quickly retrieved them with a chopstick and placed onto a wire meshing. The ball-shaped donut had turned into a weird form as it floated in the oil, and I picked it up too.
“Ahh, that surprised me… This shape can’t withstand the dough expanding from the inside.”
I didn’t know the exact reasons, but I could only treat this as a disaster caused by the ball-shaped donut.
“I’m the one who is surprised! This is the last stretch, so don’t do anything dangerous!”
I turned my head back and said: “I’m very sorry”, and found Roy’s face to be paler than mine with his hand on his heart. That probably gave him a big fright. His sarcastic tone was gone, and he looked a little childish.
“Luckily, I made extra dough. I will be careful in my second run.”
“You want to do it again! Stop that!”
“It’s fine, it’s the ball-shaped one that has a problem. I will make them all into ring shapes.”
I scooped out the burnt remnants of the donuts out of the pot and carefully adjusted the fire.
As expected, the disaster didn’t repeat. The reason for the explosion was the ball-shaped donut after all.
“Really now, my lifespan was shortened by years from that fright…”
Roy was still grumbling.
He could be haughty at times, but this youth wasn’t a bad person.
Anyway, I made full use of the leftover ingredients and failed samples and also tried to make several types of toppings. The twisted rod donut and stick donut were topped with sugar mixed with a little banam honey, while the ring donut was covered with aro fruit jam and custard cream.
If there was more time, I would want to try putting the fruit jam and cream inside the donut before frying it. But there was no telling if I could make dessert in the future, so I didn’t feel too bad about it.
“Ahh… This also has an extraordinary taste…”
Chiffon Chel who came to test for poison looked very pleased.
Tonight’s dinner would be her last chance to try my cooking. After Chiffon Chel and the servant serving the food left, I turned to Roy:
“Erm, if you don’t mind, would you like to try some? I made a little too much.”
“…”
“Because I used oil, so I’m full from just trying the taste. I still want to try the taste for my cooking practice, so I don’t want to eat too much.”
“I will try some since you say that… You are a little queer.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“Are you getting cocky because you can go home tomorrow? This is the first time you made such a mistake, but you look so lively.”
According to Chiffon Chel, Roy rarely saw his employer Pyschkurewuss. He probably didn’t know how ruthless Pyschkurewuss actually was.
He probably thought that Pyschkurewuss would just give me a large sum of money to buy my silence after realizing what his daughter had done.
I wouldn’t need to work so hard if that was so, but I hid this thought in my heart and answered: “That’s not true.”
“The mistake was because of my poor culinary skills. I’m just a half-baked chef.”
“… If you are half-baked, then how unbaked are us?”
I was a bit lost when I heard him saying that so directly.
“Well… Chefs need to be mature mentally, correct? So for me to challenge making desserts and deep frying food and fail, means I’m just a half-baked chef.”
“Even a kimyusu wouldn’t care about such a mentally.”
Roy said with his back turned.
“Such worthless emotions will pull you down. Chefs just need to think about cooking delicious meals.”
“Erm, aren’t feelings important in cooking delicious food, right?”
“… If those feelings make you an enemy against someone you can’t defeat, you won’t be able to be a chef anymore.”
He started getting agitated.
I wondered how many chefs there were in the Genos city. What were the odds that the first chef and the first former chef I met knew each other? That should be unlikely.
“I don’t want to cook in a heartless place. If I had to choose between tolerating such an environment and not ever cooking again… I would probably choose neither.”
Roy looked at me in shock.
When I saw his face, I was certain that my gut feeling was right.
Roy probably knew about Michael, the fate of the tragic chef, whose nerves in his hand got cut because he defied Pyschkurewuss’ orders.
What kind of feelings did Roy harbor as he worked under Pyschkurewuss? I wanted to ask but stopped myself. I didn’t think it was wise to discuss this on enemy grounds.
“Well then, please have a taste. I’m going to start practicing.”
And then, it was noon.
Roy who left the kitchen returned only after the third koku bell rang.
“You can make any dish you like, but you have to use kimyusu meat. But… You need to make five portions.”
“Five portions? Did the master return earlier than scheduled?”
I asked worriedly, and Roy shook his head.
“There’s a sudden visit by a guest. Probably the son of some noble.”
Even if he was a noble, as long as he wasn’t an ally of Malfreed, it didn’t matter to me. I sorted out my feelings and focused on the job so people wouldn’t find fault with me.
Well then, what to do. Cream stew, omelet, piccata, and meatballs. What would be suitable for the finale…
I felt an inspiration immediately. I didn’t know if it was an adequate finale, but instead of donuts, I was better at making another deep-fried dish. Fried chicken.
So, Tau sauce replaces soy sauce, myam stands in for ginger and garlic, fruit wine takes the place of cooking wine, and fuwano substitutes for starch… Since shiru is an alternative to lemon, all the ingredients have been gathered.
It was decided then. The servants almost disposed the oil I used just once, but I stopped them. I was just thinking about what to do with it. So in my last night here, I would finish things with a dish I was confident in.
If I can make something like bread crumbs, I will be able to challenge making kiba cutlet if I get hold of some eggs. I will be one step closer to realizing my dream.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutlet>
I thought as I mixed fruit wine and Tau sauce together and added in myam shreds to prepare the sauce.
The kimyusu thigh meat and breast meat were already preserved with salt and Pico leaves. I marinated them in the sauce I prepared. Since it was already covered in salt, I just marinated it for another ten minutes.
In the meantime, I started making the side dishes. I wanted to make it more presentable with some vegetables. But there weren’t any suitable raw vegetables, so I replaced them by chopping some cabbage-like tino… However, Genos didn’t have the custom of eating raw vegetables.
Now, this is all the more reason to let them understand the tastiness of vegetables.
With reten oil and mamaria vinegar, making salad dressing was a piece of cake. Mayonnaise could be used as a condiment too.
My mind felt clearer than yesterday, so thinking and movements were faster too. Geta might have relayed the message for me, but there might not be any drastic changes. However, I was still alive… Just sending news that I was well to Ai Fa and the others was enough to improve my mood.
If the rescue still can’t make it in time, I will need to use my glib tongue to convince Pyschkurewuss. I must think of a way to survive.
I thought as I started making the salad.
I fried the diced myam and aria with reten oil and added a little Chitto. I shifted them to a bowl to cool off and started dicing aria and myam. I added them with a ratio of 7:3 into mamaria and reten oil, and mixed the entire thing. For the final touch, I seasoned it with salt and sugar.
I wanted to distinguish it from the strong tartar sauce, so I seasoned it to emphasize the sourness and refreshing taste. Chitto and aria which tasted like chili and garlic, respectively, gave it a spicy and unique flavor. I felt pleased by the flavor I made on my first try.
After making the tartar sauce, I went to the food store to pick out some vegetables.
Just tino shreds alone wasn’t enough, so I decided to add aria and neenon. The onion-like aria was sliced thinly, while the carrot-like neenon was chopped into thin stripes. I mixed them together with the shredded tino in a bowl. I added more of the neenon that didn’t taste as strong as normal carrot and ended up with a side dish that looked bright orange.
After all the preparations had been done, the next step was to fry the cutlet in oil.
I shook off the excess marinating sauce, coated it with the egg mixture, and sprinkled fuwano powder on it. I kept the oil at 180 degrees, just like frying donuts. Making use of the experience I got in the day, I put in the kimyusu meat, and the delightful hissing sound of the oil filled the kitchen once again.
I observed the color of the coating as I scooped up the meat like the way I did back in my hometown. It had already turned golden brown. I would normally fry cutlets until it turned this color in my home and in the restaurant.
However, as the ingredients I was using were different, this color wouldn’t be the best. I placed the fried meat on the wire mesh and waited for the oil to strain before cutting it into pieces.
In any case, it was completely cooked. So I tried the taste… The oil and meat juice that was still warm spread in my mouth.
Because I used the flour-like fuwano powder instead of starch, the texture was soft and crispy. Personally, I preferred the tougher texture of starch, but this cutlet was fried really well.
The meat was very tender, and the taste of the sauce was impeccable, just like the chicken cutlet from my old world. There wasn’t any problem at all.
I was very pleased, then turned to Roy and said:
“Roy, would you like a taste?”
“Hmmp… You seem really cocky. I already said earlier; right now, fried dishes aren’t popular in Genos.”
“Is that so. In my hometown, this is a dish that isn’t affected by fashion trends.”
Roy carefully picked up half a slice of cutlet and put it in his mouth. He chewed with his eyes closed for a while before swallowing it. He then said with his eyes still closed: “… Damn it, it’s good.”
“Thank you very much. I will fry the rest of it then.”
I tossed the breast and thigh meat into the pot one after another and adjusted the fire based on how much the oil was bubbling. The five portions of cutlet were done in no time.
I scooped it onto a porcelain plate together with the salad and squeeze some shiru on it.
To avoid the flavor from mixing together, I put the salad sauce and tartar sauce into separate containers.
With that, dinner was done.
“… This will be my last time testing for poison with Asuta-sama’s dishes…”
Chiffon Chel who was summoned into the kitchen tasted the bite-sized cutlet with a fairy-like smile.
“Ara… This is the first time I tried deep fried food… It is absolutely delicious…”
“Yes, I like it a lot too.”
After finishing her test, Chiffon Chel bowed deeply.
“Alright, we will serve this dish… I will be attending to you until tomorrow morning… But I wish to thank you for everything so far…”
“I didn’t do anything that you need to thank me for.”
I only realized after saying that. She was probably thanking me for the dishes I had cooked.
She shouldn’t be saying that as a slave testing for poison, but Chiffon Chel was telling me that she wanted to give thanks in spite of that.
“… Are you going to spend your entire last day in the kitchen?”
After Chiffon Chel left with the other servants, Roy asked.
“Yes, I can’t afford to waste time; please allow it if it doesn’t bother you.”
Roy started doing his work without saying anything.
Normally, there would be five or six assistants helping to cook dinner, but ever since I came here, there weren’t any. Lifuria probably didn’t want me to come into contact with the people in the manor. Roy would cook the dishes for a few dozen people alone, with the side dishes made in the other kitchen by other chefs and their assistants.
The taste of Roy’s dishes was complicated. After asking around, I learned that there were restrictions to the quantity of the ingredients and seasoning. The food here was procured for the sake of the master, and the servants were just allocated the unused ingredients.
However, I was permitted to use the ingredients and seasonings as I pleased. I wouldn’t use much anyway, and if I didn’t make use of them, they would just pile up in the manor uselessly.
From my observation and what Roy said, his top priority was to train his culinary skills; cooking for the servants was just a side job.
On a side note, he basically didn’t use aria in his dishes. Which reminded me that Kamyua Yost once said that aria was food for the commoners and was seldom sold in the city. There was aria in this kitchen too, but Roy didn’t think of aria as an ingredient worth using.
Nutritious and tasty, regardless of its price; this is an excellent ingredient.
I thought to myself as I practice and observed Roy’s cooking.
“Are you making hotpot tonight?”
Roy tossed in the fuwano meatball with berries fillings into the nyuushi herb soup I saw a few days ago.
Roy glanced at me and muttered: “Erm…”
He then looked away and continued:
“… What can you make by adding fuwano powder fried in nyuushi?”
He was probably asking what dish could be made with the white sauce I used when cooking cream stew.
I crossed my arms and thought about it:
“Well, this dish needs a lot of nyuushi, and if the soup thickens, it won’t be palatable.”
In any case, not all dishes would taste good just from turning them into a stew. Roy replied: “I see” and then started stirring.
“… Your cookings must be well received in the Post Station Town.”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to the kiba meat.”
“Is kiba really edible? Isn’t it so tough that only the denizens of Forest's Edge can bite into them?”
“That’s not true. It is just a little tougher than kimyusu meat. It won’t lose out in taste at all. Whether grilling or boiling it, the taste is good in either case.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Speaking of which, I might not see Roy ever again after I leave the kitchen. Was he chatting with me because he felt it was a pity?
He just needed to talk normally with me right from the start.
I didn’t really hate Roy either. He might be a little annoying and arrogant, but if I had known him under more normal circumstances, we might become great fellow chefs and friends.
However, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.
“Erm, what do you think of people from Mahildra?”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Roy’s reaction sounded like he was just trying to brush it off, but, fortunately, he was just surprised by my sudden question.
“Well, I’m from another country and don’t really understand the conflicts between Selva and Mahildra. Do you think of the northerners as enemies and hate them?”
“That’s out of the blue. I don’t care about hatred; slaves are just slaves.”
“I don’t really understand the existence of slaves. This is just a question; doesn’t it hurt your conscience when using violence on someone you don’t hate?”
“… You really like making things difficult for others. Why are you asking me this now?”
“Because of Chiffon Chel, of course… I’m also acquainted with a mixed blood between northerners and westerners.”
Kamyua Yost whom I had not seen for a long time appeared on my mind.
“He isn’t someone I outright respect, but he has his charms… And I think he wouldn’t have such an unfathomable personality if not for the bias treatment he received for being a mixed blood. Frankly speaking, I don’t really understand the thinking of discriminating others because of their heritage.”
“But… Mahildra is also exploiting Selva citizens as slaves too. They are at fault too.”
“I’m not pointing fingers at anyone; this is just a question. Given how far Genos is from Mahildra, it’s hard to understand the logic of bearing hatred towards the northerners.”
Roy stopped his work and looked back at me with boredom in his eyes:
“Let me say this first, I had never whipped a slave before. The only ones who can do that are their masters, the aristocrats.”
“But you flung a bottle at her, right?”
“That’s because she was talking nonsense! No… Now that I think about it, she was saying the truth…”
At this point, Roy started shouting like a kid:
“What the hell, are you finding trouble with me during the home stretch? If you have a problem with me, just spit it out!”
“I’m not finding trouble with you; I’m just curious. I want to learn more about the westerner’s perspective of things for future reference. If I made you upset, I apologize.”
Roy shut up with a sour face, and I reflected on saying unnecessary things and decided to continue practicing.
The door then opened, as if someone was waiting for our conversation to stop.
“Asuta-sama, do you have time… Lifuria-sama is looking for you…”
The one who came was, of course, Chiffon Chel.
“She finally feels like giving her comment after having this last meal, huh. It will be great if she releases me.”
“No… It seems that the guests who visited today are adamant on speaking with Asuta…”
“Huh? Isn’t he the child of some aristocrat?”
“Yes… The second son of Count Taliem, Polarse-sama…”
To me, all the nobles aside from Malfreed were enemies. That Malfreed wasn’t really an ally either, but we could still fight on the same side.
“Erm, I feel like turning him down. I don’t see any benefits from getting involved with nobles.”
“You want to turn down a summon from a noble? He might not be like Lifuria-sama, but you will still get a lashing.”
Roy interjected with an unhappy face.
“He probably wants to give you a reward because he took a liking to your cooking. The second son of Taliem probably won’t give you silver plates, but he won’t make things difficult for you either.”
It seemed that the aristocrats in this city weren’t loved by their people. But I still couldn’t let down my guard.
“B-But, I was abducted here. Isn’t it strange to summon me to meet with guests?”
“Who knows. Isn’t it an honor to receive the compliments from the guests? Even if the second son of house Taliem learns about your situation, he won’t dare defy house Turan.”
Things were getting precarious for me.
“Anyway, since Lifuria-sama permitted it, you don’t have the rights to refuse. Hurry on then.”
And so, I followed Chiffon Chel and the guards down the corridor with a sigh.
What bothered me, was that Lifuria actually agreed to this.
That little girl isn’t smart and might have agreed to it without thinking it through… Is she planning to hand me off to that count’s house?
There was no telling if Geta managed to relay the facts to the Forest's Edge and Zashuma. It would be dangerous if I was moved out of this manor at a time like this.
If that’s her plan, I will try to stay even if I have to lie.
What a tragedy; I couldn’t think of a way to get help from Zashuma and Malfreed. I also didn’t ask Kamyua Yost about which noble aside from Malfreed might lend us a hand. Even if there was, I would need to wait until the next morning.
I thought as I walked down the maze-like passageway and arrived at the familiar grand door. The mistress and the guests seemed to be dining in that hall with the four statues.
“… Before you enter, make sure you don’t expose your name and identity to the guests when speaking.”
I frowned when I heard what the guard said.
“I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to, but isn’t it rude to not state my name to the aristocratic guests?”
“… It’s not of your concern.”
The guard said monotonously and shouted at the door:
“The foreign chef has arrived!”
The door then opened.
Not counting the bodyguard Moose, there were five people inside. As expected, at the seat of honor was Lifuria. She was wearing the pure white dress she had on a few days ago, with a bib full of lace covering her entire chest. She hogged the couch that was big enough to seat four people by herself.
On her right were Dell and her father. Dell was wearing a sky blue dress that was plain when compared to the princess but also of high quality. She seemed a little lonely but looked cute with her silver hair accessory holding up her bangs. She didn’t even look my way and was pretending to be all prim and proper.
Dell wasn’t asked to leave as Lifuria didn’t want to blow the cover that I was hired by her.
In any case, this was the first time I saw Dell’s father. He was short but had a stout built, typical of a southerner. He had on a good quality collared shirt and western style pants. His hair and beard were both a very normal brown color and wasn’t mixed like his daughter. His stubborn green eyes left a deep impression on me.
Sitting opposite them were the guests visiting today.
One of them was a man with the aura of a noble.
His dressing wasn’t too elegant, with a cream-colored tunic and embroidered belt. He wore gems on his arms and neck; the silver accessories sparkled brightly. His dark brown hair pressed tightly against his head. He was a young man who was slightly pudgy but not obese yet.
His skin was yellowish brown, and his eyes had a dark shade of brown. This was probably the second son of house Taliem, Polarse-sama.
However…
To be frank, I only got a good look of him much later. The moment I entered the room, I was captivated by the woman standing beside Polarse.
She was a young and incredibly beautiful lady.
The cloth around her breasts was embedded with silver accessories, and a sparkling piece of golden cloth hung down from her waist. Her beautiful legs could be seen through her high slit dress. Draped around her shoulders was a piece of shawl with complicated patterns, while the curves of her tight figure were clearly accentuated.
An elegant hair accessory made with silver and gems rested on her head. Two large crescent-shaped earrings hung from her ears, dazzling under the light of the chandelier.
She wore several rings on her fingers, and the thin silver bangles on her arms clinked with a clear sound. If she wasn’t a stunning beauty, her dressing would probably feel uncouth.
She was absolutely mesmerizing.
In the 17 years of my life, I had never seen such a beautiful lady before.
And…
She had long blonde hair, eyes that were brighter than everyone else, and chocolate milk like skin.
“I was right.”
The woman wasn’t loud, but her voice was as firm as steel.
“He is my family member, Asuta of the Fa house. Since we have cleared this up, please allow me to take him away.”:
Ai Fa who was dressed elegantly said that regally.
2
“… What is going on here?”
Lifuria said on behalf of me who was dumbstruck. Her voice was quivering from rage and seemed to be on the verge of exploding.
“It’s just a small matter. If we gave the impression that we have tricked you, I will apologize.”
The young noble sitting beside Ai Fa said in a loud voice. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ai Fa all the while.
“It seems that this person is the Forest’s Edge chef abducted by villains, and that incident caused an uproar in the Post Station Town. If not for that, I would just be smacking my lips after tasting such a fantastic meal.”
“… What is going on here?”
Lifuria repeated with the same tone.
“I should be the one asking that, correct? Why is someone from Forest's Edge cooking meals in Uncle Turan’s manor?”
“I’m free to hire anyone I like to cook for me!”
“Yes, you are right. Be it Semu people or Jaguar citizens, you can even get someone from Mahildra to cook for you if you wish. However, since someone abducted by villains is being forced to cook in Uncle Turan’s manor, doesn’t this need an explanation?”
This frivolous and roundabout way of speaking reminded me of Kamyua Yost.
But his voice lacked Kamyua Yost’s cunning and was filled with naive innocence. I thought that as I stared at Ai Fa.
“Actually, an acquaintance visited me today. She told me that Asuta of the Fa house seemed to be imprisoned in Uncle Turan’s manor. However, she is just a commoner and has no means of confirming this fact, so she asked me for help… But I just laughed it off because that is absurd. But to think it is actually true.”
“… Which means, you lied to me. That woman who claimed to have Semu heritage and a daughter of a wealthy merchant is actually a denizen of the Forest's Edge.”
“Yes, she is a denizen of Forest's Edge, Ai Fa of the Fa house. She requested to come with me in order to confirm this… This might sound rude, but her beauty makes it hard to imagine that she is a denizen of Forest's Edge, right?”
“… So, does house Taliem have the guts to defy house Turan…?”
When I heard those ominous words, I shifted my gaze away from Ai Fa. Lifuria was still sitting on her couch, but the bodyguard of the enraged girl had put his hand on his hilt, as if he was responding to her rage.
“Westerner man, you want to deepen your crimes?”
Ai Fa’s calm words kept Moose in check.
“Sketches of your face is on wanted posters all over the Post Station Town. There is another man named Sangjura too, who doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Who is it!? There shouldn’t be anyone who knows this chef is inside this manor! Who snitched on me!?”
Lifuria banged on the table with her small hands. A few of the empty bowl and glass clinked in response.
“Dell! Are you the one who told the people in the Post Station Town!? You even dared to step foot in the dirty Post Station Town!”
“Can you stop picking trouble with me? I didn’t say a word as you asked. But I don’t believe that Asuta is here on his own accord at all.”
Dell said as if this had nothing to do with her. She must be surprised at the sight of Ai Fa but had been pretending to be calm all the while.
“I didn’t leave the city for the past few days, so I couldn’t have snitched on you. Besides, other than Asuta, I don’t have anyone in the Post Station Town that I can talk to freely.”
“Yes, I can vouch for my daughter’s innocence. I took away her entry pass for the past few days, so she couldn’t have left the city.”
Dell’s father spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and firm, which matched his face.
“I wish to ask you something. If others learn that Asuta has been hired by this manor, it will agitate the denizens of Forest's Edge unnecessarily, so don’t speak too much of this… Didn’t you instruct my daughter about that?”
Lifuria ignored him and continue rapping the table.
“Then who!? I will lash the one who sold out her mistress!”
Polarse glanced at Moose and then said with a smile: “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s a loyal vassal who mustered his courage to stop his mistress from deepening her sin.”
He had an innocent smile that didn’t fear to antagonize Lifuria. The Taliem house didn’t dare to defy the Turan house, but Polarse seemed ready to oppose Lifuria.
“Instead of that, isn’t there something else you need to clarify? If news of Uncle Turan’s daughter abducting a townsfolk spread, it will be a big scandal.”
“Hmmp! The other nobles won’t dare sanction me!”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. The captain of the castle guards, Lord Malfred has been strict on discipline lately. Even if you are Uncle Turan’s daughter, Lord Malfred who holds the law in such high regards will…”
“Apprehend and then lash me?”
At this moment, Lifuria’s face changed again. An impish smile appeared on her face that was twisted from rage.
“That will be fine… If that happens, what kind of face will my father make?”
The bullish bodyguard Moose said in a hoarse voice: “… I would never allow Lifuria-sama to be treated like that.”
Lifuria suddenly went into a rage:
“Annoying! Who permitted you to speak!? Shut your mouth, Moose!”
Moose lowered his head depressedly.
Ai Fa looked at Moose who still had his hand on his hilt and calmly said:
“We will follow the laws of Genos for the sentencing of the criminal. However, please allow me to take Asuta with me.”
“No! I will not let that man go before father returns!”
Polarse said troubled: “Uncle Turan? I think Uncle Turan would want to resolve this peacefully…”
Ai Fa glared at Lifuria:
“The other things don’t matter; I just want to bring my family home.”
“I said no! I must wait for my father to return…!”
The door on the inside opened with a loud creak.
A petite old man walked in under the escort of three buff soldiers.
“What’s all this ruckus… And, why are there unfamiliar faces in my manor…?”
It was Pyschkurewuss.
I finally saw Pyschkurewuss in the flesh.
I felt dizzy, what was with this night?
He looked just as Kaslan Lutim described him to be. A big head with a small body like a child, he was at most Lala Wu’s height.
On his small body was an incredible piece of white tunic, with more accessories than everyone present. Just the space below his neck was sparkling with gold like a woman.
But his face was black as if he was ill, and filled with wrinkles. The head of the Sudora house in the Forest's Edge also looked like a monkey, but Pyschkurewuss appeared more vicious and sly and didn’t look like a human or a monkey.
Like a tomato, the top of his head had chestnut hair that lacked any luster. Compared to his head, his face was much smaller. His sunken eyes had a sharp gleam about them.
A flat nose, pale lips, flabby muscles, and a stiff jaw… The more I looked at him, the more creepy I felt.
His face wasn’t the reason why I found him scary. His eyes were brown like his daughter, and his piercing gaze had an intimidating obsession behind them.
“T-This is lord Pyschkurewuss… A-Aren’t you scheduled to return tomorrow morning? That’s what my father told me…”
“… I was worried, so after having dinner with the other members of the council, I returned first.”
Pyschkurewuss had an unfathomable smile on his face. This was the smile concealing his true intentions that Kaslan Lutim mentioned before.
“Speaking of which, what brings you to my manor, Sir Polarse? Are you here because you knew I will be absent…?”
“I-I’m here because of some matters…”
Polarse stuttered vaguely, and Ai Fa beside him said: “So you are Pyschkurewuss?”
“It’s fortunate that I get to meet you here. Pyschkurewuss, I’m in this manor to rescue my family who was abducted by villains. Polarse is merely helping me.”
Ai Fa showed no fear no matter who she was facing.
Pyschkurewuss cast her poisonous faze towards Ai Fa.
“You… look just like a denizen of Forest's Edge…”
“Yes, I’m a denizen of Forest's Edge. I’m Ai Fa of the Fa house. The three tribal chiefs already know of my actions today.”
“…”
“You must have heard about a denizen of Forest's Edge was kidnapped by villains. For the past few days, Donda Wu had requested to meet you several times, but you insisted that this should be handled by the guards and refused to show your face… And all the while, my family member Asuta was held captive in your manor. What’s going on here?”
“…”
“We are not suspecting you alone. There are some who think this is a vicious scheme to sour the relationship between you and the denizens of Forest's Edge. And so, we had checked all the places outside of the Genos city. But we couldn’t find any signs of my family or the villains in the Post Station Town, the Turan region or the farmlands. So I planned to obtain permission to enter the city today, no matter what.”
“…”
“But before we could take any action, I learned this morning that Asuta was held inside the Pyschkurewuss manor. So I came to confirm this and found Asuta here as expected, together with the criminal on the wanted poster. I also heard that the one who gave the order is your daughter… Do you really not know anything about this?”
Ai Fa’s face and tone were incredibly calm, and her eyes had the angry fire of a hunter.
The two guards beside me gulped.
“The three tribal chiefs will not acknowledge you as a representative of Genos before we confirm this. This is the unanimous view of all denizens of Forest's Edge. Pyschkurewuss… Please, explain yourself.”
Pyschkurewuss wet his pale lips with his thick tongue and said:
“… My daughter Lifuria abducted a denizen of Forest's Edge…?”
“The ones who committed the act are this man and another man named Sangjura. I heard they did so on your daughter’s orders.”
“Lifuria… The guest from the Forest's Edge said that… You didn’t do something so foolish, correct…?”
“I merely summoned this man in as a chef. I have no reason to suffer any slanders.”
Lifuria said as she puffed out her flat chest.
Pyschkurewuss laughed without a word.
Polarse who lost his edge said with a cramping smile: “H-However, that bodyguard Moose is wanted by the guards; the news has spread to everyone in the streets. No matter whose orders he was acting under, this is an unforgivable crime.”
“Sir Polarse… Your father and brother are still enjoying the cuisine in Genos castle that we spent so much effort to prepare… Do they know about this?”
“Of course, they know nothing. I’m here to help on someone’s request.”
“Oh… Someone…”
“I-It’s someone related to Lord Malfreed. Lord Malfreed won’t be able to leave Genos castle before tomorrow’s morning, so I decided to bring the denizen of Forest's Edge Ai Fa with me to this manor. I wasn’t burdened with any duties during this conference, so I was free to help out.”
Polarse’s slightly pudgy smile had turned incredibly pale, probably frightened by Pyschkurewuss’ intimidation.
Before his sanity broke down, Ai Fa said sharply again:
“So, what about your reply? Donda Wu is still waiting for us to return outside the city.”
Pyschkurewuss sighed softly.
He then slowly shook his large head:
“… Jimon.”
“Milord.”
A guard behind Pyschkurewuss stepped forth.
“Arrest Moose.”
“… Will that be fine?”
“The son of house Taliem, Sir Polarse won’t slander anyone without proof… I will take his word for it and investigate the truth later…”
“Understood.”
The large guard named Jimon turned and looked at Moose.
In that instant, Moose jumped like a weirdly shaped bird. His heavy body landed on the table with unimaginable agility. The plates were crushed under his feet, and a bottle fell to the ground spilling fresh red liquid onto the floor. Moose curled his fingers into claws and pounced at Polarse.
“Hyaa!”
Polarse fell back in his chair with a shrill.
Ai Fa swiftly grabbed the arm of the pouncing Moose and then threw his back onto the ground. The floor was covered by a thick carpet, but beneath that was probably stone flooring. Moose screamed with the death throe of a toad, and his body turned stiff.
Lifuria said coldly: “Are you a moron…”
However… She had the sad look of a child whose precious puppy got hit.
“Is Moose the only one who needs to be arrested? Father, I’m the one who ordered him to bring Asuta of the Fa house to this manor.”
Pyschkurewuss didn’t answer.
His venomous eyes didn’t even glance his daughter’s way.
“… Investigate the truth and sentence him in accordance with the laws of Genos… I can’t think of any other way. What are your thoughts on this, Sir Polarse…?”
Polarse answered while he was still on the floor: “A-Alright! I think this is a wise choice! It will be foolish to lose the trust of the denizens of Forest's Edge over such a matter!”
Pyschkurewuss slowly turned and said to Ai Fa:
“Well then, relay my message to the tribal chiefs of Forest's Edge… It is not my intention to deteriorate my relationship with the denizens of Forest's Edge… The mistakes made by my young daughter is due to my oversight as a father…”
Pyschkurewuss said as the corner of his eyes started twitching. Was he trying to hide his emotions… his humiliation?
“Which means, you are not involved with this incident?”
Ai Fa glared at Pyschkurewuss with her hunter’s eyes.
“Of course… If I was involved in this conspiracy, I wouldn’t have brought the person I kidnapped into this manor… After all, I’m hosting guests in this manor too…”
The guests he was referring to, Dell and her father, were cautiously keeping their peace. Both father and daughter had a strong gleam in their jade-colored eyes.
“Also, I told the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge earlier to let the guards handle this incident, to have faith in the town guards and to focus on their own work. I did so because I was in the dark about this.”
“Yes… The guards in the Post Station Town did their work diligently.”
“I swear on the western god Selva… In all of Genos, the one who is most pained by this is me…”
These were probably Pyschkurewuss’ sincere words.
He definitely had set up all sorts of schemes for the conference six days later and wanted to get this incident over and done with.
“I see. Allow me to relay your words to the tribal chiefs.”
As Ai Fa answered calmly, Moose who was by her feet was tied up by the other guards.
Lifuria glared at her father with tears of regret in her eyes.
Pyschkurewuss didn’t even spare a glance at his stubborn daughter.
And then…
“Alright then; let’s go home, Asuta.”
Ai Fa called out to me. Just hearing her voice made my heart race.
“Ah, wait. I need to change out of these clothes before going back.”
This was the first thing I said after coming to this room, which sounded a little retarded.
“… From what I observe, you are that foreigner denizen of Forest's Edge doing business in the Post Station Town…?”
Pyschkurewuss looked my way for the first time.
His gaze was dripping with poison, which was enough to send a chill down my back.
This was probably the second time I saw such venomous eyes after my run-in with Zattsu Tsun.
“I had done something horrible to you… After the judicial officer passes judgment on Moose, I will apologize to you another day…”
Pyschkurewuss bowed his head with his right hand on his chest and concealed his poisonous gaze by closing his eyes.
“Wait! Father, you should try that man’s cooking! His cooking…”
“… Silence, Lifuria…”
Pyschkurewuss cut off his daughter with his eyes still closed.
“I’m very disappointed in you… Before I give you permission, you will stay in your room… You are not exempt from the investigation…”
Lifuria quivered in silence.
Pyschkurewuss opened his eyes with his back to Lifuria.
“So you want to change your clothes, huh. I concur with that arrangement…”
The guards standing on either side of the door behind them.
“I will go with you. But before that, can you please return the blades I left for your safekeeping. Will that be fine?”
When Ai Fa said that, under Pyschkurewuss’ watchful gaze, a guard brought over a beautiful sword from another room.
Ai Fa accepted the blades Polarse proffered in turn to her and tied it to her waist. At the sight of her, Pyschkurewuss smiled creepily.
“As expected of a hunter from Forest's Edge… No matter how elegant your clothes are, the air about you is completely different…”
He was admonishing the guards who granted her entry, in a roundabout way. The guards beside me all looked pale.
“Alright then, send my regards to the tribal chiefs of Forest's Edge… I plan to present my explanation tomorrow afternoon, could you please pass the message…?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, got it. Ah, there’s one more thing.”
Ai Fa stopped and looked at Pyschkurewuss.
“We have searched everywhere outside the Genos city in these four days, but we still didn’t find the man named Sangjura. He is the accomplice of Moose, so I hope you can apprehend him.”
“… Very well…”
Pyschkurewuss nodded firmly, while Lifuria’s shoulder shivered. And finally, Dell who was watching us worriedly disappeared behind the closed door.
And then we walked down the brick corridor, guided by Chiffon Chel and the guards. Ai Fa was walking beside me, and this still felt surreal. When we reached the room, I said to Chiffon Chel:
“Ern, can you leave the both of us alone while I change my clothes?”
The guards agreed to my request on Chiffon Chel’s behalf, so Ai Fa and I entered the room.
I then faced Ai Fa once again.
This was Ai Fa.
She was wearing clothes I had never seen before, but, still, she was Ai Fa.
Ai Fa who was wearing a dress more exquisite than the banquet attire in Forest's Edge, but she looked at me with her usual majestic face.
“Ai Fa…”
I called her name.
Was I dreaming?
Ai Fa’s face didn’t change, and she slowly checked me out.
She asked emotionlessly: “… Are you hurt?”
“No, as you can see, I’m at the peak of health.”
“… Is that so.”
I had so much to say to her.
Sorry for making you worry, are you alright, things like that… These words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back.
“Ai Fa, I…”
In any case, I had to apologize and thank her.
With a floaty feeling in my heart, I tried with all my might to talk to Ai Fa, but she cut me off with a raised hand.
Ai Fa looked at me quietly.
The next moment… transparent liquid seeped out of her blue eyes, which shocked me.
I stood speechlessly before her, as tears flowed down her brown cheeks.
Ai Fa’s face suddenly twisted into a mess, like the crying face of a kid.
“Asuta…”
She called my name once again and then hugged me. She buried her face on my shoulders and cried out loud.
Her tears wet my clothes, and I could feel her warmth.
Ai Fa’s warmth that I had not felt for days.
When I realized it, I was already holding Ai Fa tightly.
“I’m sorry, Ai Fa… I’m really sorry.”
Ai Fa kept crying without answering. I was using a lot of strength, but her body seemed to be slipping down, so I held her even tighter.
Ai Fa sobbed as she said: “Asuta… You big dummy…”
And so, we met again after being apart for four days.
3
“When Lord Pyschkurewuss showed up, I was panicking, so it’s great that things ended well!”
Polarse recounted in the Totos carriage.
The carriage was a wooden box type, so there was no need to worry about people eavesdropping on us.
“News probably reached Lord Pyschkurewuss’ ears when the conference in the castle ended. If not for that, he wouldn’t have cut short the dinner that was so important to him and rushed back to his manor. Speaking of which, that Zashuma person was correct in asking us to come right away instead of waiting until the next day!”
After Polarse was liberated from Pyschkurewuss’ intimidating pressure, he seemed a little hyped up.
However, I had no idea of his character or motives. From the way he said ‘that Zashuma person’, he probably didn’t know Zashuma well.
“Yes. I’m just acquainted with Kamyua. I heard about Zashuma from him. Kamyua wants me to treat Zashuma’s words as his own.”
“Ah, then I was saved thanks to Kamyua.”
“Yes, that’s right. He is a cheery type, the stories of his travels are interesting, and he doesn’t fawn on the nobles either. Even that stone headed Malfreed is no match for him.”
Polarse didn’t seem to put on airs like a noble, but I couldn’t make that conclusion after only speaking with him this much. In any case, he gave me the impression was that he had an aura of innocence and acted exactly as he thought.
Ai Fa kept quiet politely, and only Polarse’s and my voice reverberated in the carriage.
“I didn’t think I’ll get involved in a troublesome matter though. Defying Pyschkurewuss means they might do something to us! But, this is a fight of a lifetime!”
“I’m really very grateful. If no one helped me, I didn’t know what would have happened to me.”
“Don’t mention it! I’m just the second son of a noble, and it isn’t anything special! If I don’t step up in such situations, I will be living in the shadows for the rest of my life!”
Polarse said as he leaned his blushed face towards me. His head was swaying along with the rocking carriage.
“In any case, we will be in the same boat from now on! Let’s help each other and create a bright future! Asuta of the Fa house, I have great expectations of you!”
“Huh? Y-Yeah.”
Just what was he expecting?
He saved me from a desperate situation, so I intended to help him without any reservation… I still didn’t really understand the situation, so I felt a little uneasy.
“Never mind, let’s discuss the details next time. We are almost at the gate; you can see your friends you missed so much again!”
The carriage had traveled for around ten minutes, but I couldn’t see the scenery of the city because of the curtain covering the window.
“Ah, but isn’t the drawbridge withdrawn at night, so we can’t leave the city?”
“It’s fine! I’m a direct relative of house Taliem after all! The second son doesn’t have much influence, but they will still show me some respect!”
“Is that so; I’m very grateful.”
Ai Fa was right beside me, but I should show everyone that I was safe. Uncle Dora and the others should have gone home, but I still needed to greet the innkeepers and make a trip to the Wu clan village.
Polarse turned towards Ai Fa and said: “By the way, Ai Fa-sama, what should we do about the clothes and accessories I lent to you? There isn’t any place to change from here until the gates.”
He neither showed fear towards the denizens of Forest's Edge nor looked at Ai Fa with lecherous eyes. I felt relieved about that.
“Can I return them to you tomorrow? My own clothes are with my tribemates, and I’m reluctant to change inside the carriage.”
“Yes, you might be a hunter of Forest's Edge, but you are also a young lady! I don’t mind, but I took this out from my house, so it will be a pain if I lose even a single ring.”
“I understand, I will be careful.”
“Yes, please!”
Polarse was really happy, while Ai Fa was expressionless.
Ai Fa regained her calm with her steel-like mental tenacity. The corners of her eyes were slightly red, but no one could notice under the dim lantern light.
The carriage finally stopped, and the driver spoke through the small window: “… Sir Polarse, we are at the gate.”
“Yes!”
Polarse answered energetically and then exited the carriage.
He was probably speaking to the guards at the gate. A few minutes later, a guard armed with a spear made a show of checking the inside of the carriage.
“Two passengers on board, check complete. Only the two passengers will leave the city, correct?”
“Yes! Go on, lower the drawbridge!”
The carriage was escorted by three guards mounted on Totos, but after leaving the gate, only Ai Fa and I would go back.
Wait, isn’t Donda Wu and the others standing by outside the gate?
After causing such a big scandal, how badly would they lecture me? I felt blessed that I could worry about such things.
“Go, and return triumphantly!”
I thought Polarse was going off topic, but in a sense, this was a new starting point for me.
Creak, creak, creak… The dull sound of the drawbridge being lowered could be heard, and the carriage started moving again. It stopped less than ten seconds later.
“We are here. It looks safe, but please be careful during your trip back. Send my regards to the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge!”
Ai Fa and I thanked him and got off the carriage.
We were still on the bridge, but it was 4 to 5 meters wide and had chest level fencing on both sides. Since this was a drawbridge, the other side of the fence was probably a deep moat.
The carriage opened on the back, so I saw the city wall when I got off.
The rock wall was about two stories tall, which was around 6 to 7 meters. The sun had completely set, but the bonfire burning on several spots of the wall allowed me to see it in its entirety.
The gate was a black hole on the wall. There should be guards patrolling there with torches, as I could see light wavering in the darkness.
I looked around me and could see sparse lights at the far end of the walls too. This sturdy rock wall protected the heart of Genos, where the nobles and wealthy lived in the city.
Geta is really something to have scaled this wall.
As I was thinking about that, Polarse who stayed in the carriage waved at us:
“Well then, let’s meet again in a few days! Blessings on house Taliem and the denizens of Forest's Edge!”
The three Totos riders and the carriage turned around gracefully and went back the way they came.
I looked out the city, and an unexpected scene entered my field of vision.
At the same time, a loud cheer erupted.
“W-What happened…?”
It was a deafening cheer of joy.
On the other end of the bridge were dozens of people awaiting our return.
“Asuta…!”
“It’s Asuta! Asuta is really back!”
I could finally make out what they were saying.
“Let’s go. The guards will feel uneasy if they don’t raise the drawbridge.”
Ai Fa grabbed my arm and started walking in large strides. I still couldn’t grasp the situation as she dragged me along.
“… Asuta!”
A figure ran out of the crowd and embraced me. She was a petite Forest's Edge girl with long raven hair tied up into braids… Leina Wu.
“Asuta, I’m so glad that you are safe…!”
Tears fell onto the shirt of the Forest's Edge attire I just changed into. But Ai Fa didn’t stop pulling my arm, so I could only continue walking while holding onto Leina Wu.
“Asuta! Are you alright!? Did the nobles did anything weird to you!?”
After getting off the bridge, a bulky man grabbed me. As the drawbridge behind me raised with creaking noises, I yelled in surprise:
“U-Uncle Dora? Why are you here?”
“You are asking me that!? You are really…”
Uncle Dora wailed.
Tara who was laughing in tears shouted: “It’s Asuta onii-chan!”
Ai Fa explained to me calmly: “News that I went into the city with the help of a noble has already spread to the people we knew in the Post Station Town. They were told to not discuss this before dusk, to avoid any troubles with the guards. To stop Pyschkurewuss and his daughter from brushing this matter off, this was a necessary measure…”
“And so, everyone came to the gate to wait after the sunset. There is nothing to be alarmed of. Everyone… was worried about you, Asuta.”
Half of them were denizens of Forest's Edge, while the other— the townsfolk of the Post Station Town. Everyone was tinted orange because of the orange light of the torches.
Most of them were cheering, while the rest were in tears.
There was Shela Wu.
Lala Wu.
Vena Wu.
Rii Sudora.
Milano Mast.
Neil.
Naudiz.
Yumi.
And many others who I didn’t know the name of.
Two small-sized youths walked slowly out of the crowd.
They were Ludo Wu and Shin Wu.
“Asuta… You are fine.”
Ludo Wu gave a big sigh of relief.
“That’s great; I won’t need to regret my foolishness for the rest of my life.”
I thought he would be disappointed in me, but Ludo Wu just muttered: “… I give thanks to the forest.” This was the first time I saw this youth act so strangely.
Next was Shin Wu.
“Asuta…”
Shin Wu walked over with unsteady steps. When she noticed him, Leina Wu left my side while still in tears.
The ever calm Shin Wu grabbed my shoulders, and tears flowed out of his narrow eyes.
“Shin Wu…”
“Sorry… I wasn’t strong enough…”
Shin Wu who was a little shorter than me hugged me like Leina Wu did and cried. A man from the Forest's Edge was crying in public.
I wanted to cry too because I felt that I let him down and burdened this youth with so much guilt.
“It’s fine, It’s also my fault for not protecting myself properly. Shin Wu, don’t worry too much about this.”
However, Shin Wu continued to sob. A while later, Lala Wu walked over without any reservation and patted his back.
“It’s fine now, right? If you are still so whimsical tomorrow, I will get mad, okay?”
Lala Wu then smiled at me.
“It’s wonderful that you’re alright. Asuta, you look lively.”
“Yes, thank you, Lala Wu.”
Lala Wu was smiling as usual, but her eyes were red.
The townsfolk from the Post Station Town swarmed in from behind her.
Milano admonished me with a scary expression: “Even my daughter managed to get away; how can you get abducted by the villains, retard?”
Yumi had a complicated expression on her face as she smiled.
“Asuta… It’s my fault for being careless… I really don’t know how to apologize.”
Neil looked like he was about to cry, and this was the first time I saw the innkeeper who had the principle of not showing any emotions losing his composure.
“Anyway, the important thing is that you are safe.”
Naudiz said to him while looking a little scared of the denizens of Forest's Edge who were cheering loudly.
That’s right, both the denizens of Forest's Edge and the people of Post Station Town were celebrating my return. This scene felt strange to me too; I never expected people like Neil and Milano Mast could get along so well with the denizens of Forest's Edge. They were standing at my side because they shared the same feelings.
My stupidity led to me falling into the hands of the nobles, and I couldn’t do anything except waiting for help. They welcomed a fool like me with laughter and tears, and there were some who even got mad at me.
The group of southerners laughing with fruit bottles in their hands were definitely the construction workers who helped Uncle Balan sometime before.
As usual, the easterners hid their facial expression with their hoods. The westerners were the minority here, with just twenty-odd people. I saw regulars at my stall, the cloth shop uncle and my pot dealer.
The denizens of Forest's Edge who matched them in numbers chatted together with them and waved their torches around. There were men and women, familiar faces and people I hardly saw. But all of them had happy and strong expressions on their faces.
If I looked closely, I could see tens of spear-bearing guards surrounding this group. This was probably an uproar that might infringe on the laws of Genos.
I didn’t know what to do and just stood stiffly in place… A short moment later, three figures approached me, as if they couldn’t bear this unsightly scene anymore.
Two of the figures were huge, while the other was smaller. The trio was Donda Wu, Kaslan Lutim, and Rau Lei.
“Asuta, it’s great that you are safe.”
First was Kaslan Lutim who clasped my hands tightly.
“Even Kaslan Lutim… I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“No need to apologize; I’m happy that Asuta is well.”
Kaslan Lutim showed a steady smile.
Rau Lei who was beside me leaned his face towards me.
“Really now, Asuta, you had me worried there. We were really close to clashing arms with the nobles. Oh well, it was quite interesting too.”
Rau Lei was the same as usual. He smiled as his blue eyes had the sharp gleam of a hunting dog.
“For the past few days, we had been running around the Post Station Town from morning until dusk, you know? It won’t be worth it if you don’t cook a good meal for us.”
“Yes, sorry, I will cook as much as you like.”
“You retard, that’s a joke. It’s only natural to run around for the sake of a fellow tribemate.”
Rau Lei reached out his hand and ruffled my hair.
Next was Donda Wu.
Donda Wu looked at me with his beast-like eyes and then grunted:
“You don’t look hurt. We will talk after going back to the Forest's Edge.”
Before I could answer, Donda Wu walked towards the crowd, and his voice then boomed like thunder.
“Asuta of the Fa house has returned safely from the noble’s manor! My apologies for the inconvenience we caused in the Post Station Town for the past five days! I, Donda Wu, one of the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge, offer my most sincere apologies to everyone!”
Everyone in the Post Station Town stood still and listened quietly.
But they quickly straightened themselves and erupted into cheers.
“That’s great, Asuta!”
“Let us taste your delicious dishes again!”
“If you get tired of the Post Station Town and shut yourself in the Forest's Edge, we will visit you in the Forest's Edge!”
I was filled with complicated feelings and wasn’t sure how to answer.
So I bowed deeply with all sorts of emotions in my heart.
I had finally returned to the people that I cherished.
And so, I ushered in the 9th day of the White Month.
This was the morning of the fifth day since my abduction.
Whether it ended in laughter or tears, this should be the last day I would be cooking in this manor. Would it end with my death or reunion with my friends? I walked into the kitchen with the determination to meet my friends again.
Roy told me the instructions: “Make a dessert different from the one yesterday and the day before.”
What a troubling instruction. Aside from pancakes and cookies, what should I make?
“Hmm… I want to ask something.”
“What is it this time?”
“Is there any food made through frying in very hot oil?”
“Fried food, huh. That’s not a popular way to cook.”
“Oh, so is it possible to do that in this facility?”
I had doubts on how strong a fire the stove could maintain, but it shouldn’t be a problem if there wasn’t any need to conserve firewood. The problem was keeping the fire burning at a certain intensity.
As a last resort, let’s try making donuts. I’m all out of ideas.
I only knew that the ingredients weren’t too different from pancakes and cookies.
Well, I will need eggs for this too.
I added sugar and karon milk into kimyusu egg and then slowly poured in fuwano powder. I wasn’t sure what to do with the butter, so I made three samples, one with nyuushi, the second one with banam honey, and the last one with both.
Next would be the oil. With Roy’s knowledge and aid, I poured reten oil into a large pot. I wasn’t sure about the price of reten oil; how much would this much oil cost?
This was followed by burning the firewood. I had to be careful not to make the fire too big. I was using tools I wasn’t familiar with, so I had to be very careful.
Mid to big fire was more suited for frying donuts. When the oil started bubbling, I waited tens of second before sticking a wooden skewer in place of chopsticks to test the temperature. I was a bit worried that the material of this skewer being different from the chopsticks I was familiar with, but I could only gauge the temperature by the bubbles it made.
When the oil reached about 180 degrees, I put in a sample to fry.
After tossing a round dough in, it started making hissing sounds with no signs of weakening. As the quality of the oil was different, it was hard for me to tell if things were proceeding without problems.
I then added firewood as I put in more samples. Every dough I put in would lower the oil’s temperature, so it was difficult to keep the temperature at a certain level.
Changes to the oil’s temperature could be mitigated by using more oil, so this test run would give me a general feel of things even if it fails. The key was to keep the oil at a high enough temperature without burning the food. I stopped my test run after learning that.
Hmm. I can fry things with kiba oil too, so this won’t be a wasted effort.
The taste of the dough with both ingredients added in had the most prominent taste, so I decided to go with this prototype.
And so, I started making the shape of the dough.
I could only think of four shapes with my limited imagination. A ring shape with a hole in the middle, a ball, a straight rod shape, and a thinner twisted rod shape.
I was worried about not cooking it completely, so I made all the donuts one size smaller. It was very chewy, probably due to the absence of baking powder. If I made the donuts too big, nobles who had weak jaws would have a hard time eating them.
So, what should I do about the topping? I still had some skimmed milk to make custard cream, but that would be too bland.
Ah, I can just coat it with sugar.
If I coated it with melted sugar and dry it, it would look and taste similar to the actual thing. Anyway, I decided to give it a try.
As I was just starting to fry the donuts… something big happened. While observing the color of the few donuts I added in, one of them exploded.
“Uwah…!”
Hot oil splattered. Not much of the oil flew out of the pot, but I felt that my life was in danger as I was standing right beside it.
“Hot! Hot, hot, hot!”
I pulled my shirt that was stained with the oil to keep it from touching my skin. Fortunately, my exposed face and hands weren’t touched by the oil.
“What are you doing, you retard!”
Roy threw a towel he dunked into the water flask at me.
I immediately inserted the towel between my clothes and chest and then looked at the pot. The donut that exploded was the ball. The others were still hissing and had turned into a nice color.
I quickly retrieved them with a chopstick and placed onto a wire meshing. The ball-shaped donut had turned into a weird form as it floated in the oil, and I picked it up too.
“Ahh, that surprised me… This shape can’t withstand the dough expanding from the inside.”
I didn’t know the exact reasons, but I could only treat this as a disaster caused by the ball-shaped donut.
“I’m the one who is surprised! This is the last stretch, so don’t do anything dangerous!”
I turned my head back and said: “I’m very sorry”, and found Roy’s face to be paler than mine with his hand on his heart. That probably gave him a big fright. His sarcastic tone was gone, and he looked a little childish.
“Luckily, I made extra dough. I will be careful in my second run.”
“You want to do it again! Stop that!”
“It’s fine, it’s the ball-shaped one that has a problem. I will make them all into ring shapes.”
I scooped out the burnt remnants of the donuts out of the pot and carefully adjusted the fire.
As expected, the disaster didn’t repeat. The reason for the explosion was the ball-shaped donut after all.
“Really now, my lifespan was shortened by years from that fright…”
Roy was still grumbling.
He could be haughty at times, but this youth wasn’t a bad person.
Anyway, I made full use of the leftover ingredients and failed samples and also tried to make several types of toppings. The twisted rod donut and stick donut were topped with sugar mixed with a little banam honey, while the ring donut was covered with aro fruit jam and custard cream.
If there was more time, I would want to try putting the fruit jam and cream inside the donut before frying it. But there was no telling if I could make dessert in the future, so I didn’t feel too bad about it.
“Ahh… This also has an extraordinary taste…”
Chiffon Chel who came to test for poison looked very pleased.
Tonight’s dinner would be her last chance to try my cooking. After Chiffon Chel and the servant serving the food left, I turned to Roy:
“Erm, if you don’t mind, would you like to try some? I made a little too much.”
“…”
“Because I used oil, so I’m full from just trying the taste. I still want to try the taste for my cooking practice, so I don’t want to eat too much.”
“I will try some since you say that… You are a little queer.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“Are you getting cocky because you can go home tomorrow? This is the first time you made such a mistake, but you look so lively.”
According to Chiffon Chel, Roy rarely saw his employer Pyschkurewuss. He probably didn’t know how ruthless Pyschkurewuss actually was.
He probably thought that Pyschkurewuss would just give me a large sum of money to buy my silence after realizing what his daughter had done.
I wouldn’t need to work so hard if that was so, but I hid this thought in my heart and answered: “That’s not true.”
“The mistake was because of my poor culinary skills. I’m just a half-baked chef.”
“… If you are half-baked, then how unbaked are us?”
I was a bit lost when I heard him saying that so directly.
“Well… Chefs need to be mature mentally, correct? So for me to challenge making desserts and deep frying food and fail, means I’m just a half-baked chef.”
“Even a kimyusu wouldn’t care about such a mentally.”
Roy said with his back turned.
“Such worthless emotions will pull you down. Chefs just need to think about cooking delicious meals.”
“Erm, aren’t feelings important in cooking delicious food, right?”
“… If those feelings make you an enemy against someone you can’t defeat, you won’t be able to be a chef anymore.”
He started getting agitated.
I wondered how many chefs there were in the Genos city. What were the odds that the first chef and the first former chef I met knew each other? That should be unlikely.
“I don’t want to cook in a heartless place. If I had to choose between tolerating such an environment and not ever cooking again… I would probably choose neither.”
Roy looked at me in shock.
When I saw his face, I was certain that my gut feeling was right.
Roy probably knew about Michael, the fate of the tragic chef, whose nerves in his hand got cut because he defied Pyschkurewuss’ orders.
What kind of feelings did Roy harbor as he worked under Pyschkurewuss? I wanted to ask but stopped myself. I didn’t think it was wise to discuss this on enemy grounds.
“Well then, please have a taste. I’m going to start practicing.”
And then, it was noon.
Roy who left the kitchen returned only after the third koku bell rang.
“You can make any dish you like, but you have to use kimyusu meat. But… You need to make five portions.”
“Five portions? Did the master return earlier than scheduled?”
I asked worriedly, and Roy shook his head.
“There’s a sudden visit by a guest. Probably the son of some noble.”
Even if he was a noble, as long as he wasn’t an ally of Malfreed, it didn’t matter to me. I sorted out my feelings and focused on the job so people wouldn’t find fault with me.
Well then, what to do. Cream stew, omelet, piccata, and meatballs. What would be suitable for the finale…
I felt an inspiration immediately. I didn’t know if it was an adequate finale, but instead of donuts, I was better at making another deep-fried dish. Fried chicken.
So, Tau sauce replaces soy sauce, myam stands in for ginger and garlic, fruit wine takes the place of cooking wine, and fuwano substitutes for starch… Since shiru is an alternative to lemon, all the ingredients have been gathered.
It was decided then. The servants almost disposed the oil I used just once, but I stopped them. I was just thinking about what to do with it. So in my last night here, I would finish things with a dish I was confident in.
If I can make something like bread crumbs, I will be able to challenge making kiba cutlet if I get hold of some eggs. I will be one step closer to realizing my dream.
<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutlet>
I thought as I mixed fruit wine and Tau sauce together and added in myam shreds to prepare the sauce.
The kimyusu thigh meat and breast meat were already preserved with salt and Pico leaves. I marinated them in the sauce I prepared. Since it was already covered in salt, I just marinated it for another ten minutes.
In the meantime, I started making the side dishes. I wanted to make it more presentable with some vegetables. But there weren’t any suitable raw vegetables, so I replaced them by chopping some cabbage-like tino… However, Genos didn’t have the custom of eating raw vegetables.
Now, this is all the more reason to let them understand the tastiness of vegetables.
With reten oil and mamaria vinegar, making salad dressing was a piece of cake. Mayonnaise could be used as a condiment too.
My mind felt clearer than yesterday, so thinking and movements were faster too. Geta might have relayed the message for me, but there might not be any drastic changes. However, I was still alive… Just sending news that I was well to Ai Fa and the others was enough to improve my mood.
If the rescue still can’t make it in time, I will need to use my glib tongue to convince Pyschkurewuss. I must think of a way to survive.
I thought as I started making the salad.
I fried the diced myam and aria with reten oil and added a little Chitto. I shifted them to a bowl to cool off and started dicing aria and myam. I added them with a ratio of 7:3 into mamaria and reten oil, and mixed the entire thing. For the final touch, I seasoned it with salt and sugar.
I wanted to distinguish it from the strong tartar sauce, so I seasoned it to emphasize the sourness and refreshing taste. Chitto and aria which tasted like chili and garlic, respectively, gave it a spicy and unique flavor. I felt pleased by the flavor I made on my first try.
After making the tartar sauce, I went to the food store to pick out some vegetables.
Just tino shreds alone wasn’t enough, so I decided to add aria and neenon. The onion-like aria was sliced thinly, while the carrot-like neenon was chopped into thin stripes. I mixed them together with the shredded tino in a bowl. I added more of the neenon that didn’t taste as strong as normal carrot and ended up with a side dish that looked bright orange.
After all the preparations had been done, the next step was to fry the cutlet in oil.
I shook off the excess marinating sauce, coated it with the egg mixture, and sprinkled fuwano powder on it. I kept the oil at 180 degrees, just like frying donuts. Making use of the experience I got in the day, I put in the kimyusu meat, and the delightful hissing sound of the oil filled the kitchen once again.
I observed the color of the coating as I scooped up the meat like the way I did back in my hometown. It had already turned golden brown. I would normally fry cutlets until it turned this color in my home and in the restaurant.
However, as the ingredients I was using were different, this color wouldn’t be the best. I placed the fried meat on the wire mesh and waited for the oil to strain before cutting it into pieces.
In any case, it was completely cooked. So I tried the taste… The oil and meat juice that was still warm spread in my mouth.
Because I used the flour-like fuwano powder instead of starch, the texture was soft and crispy. Personally, I preferred the tougher texture of starch, but this cutlet was fried really well.
The meat was very tender, and the taste of the sauce was impeccable, just like the chicken cutlet from my old world. There wasn’t any problem at all.
I was very pleased, then turned to Roy and said:
“Roy, would you like a taste?”
“Hmmp… You seem really cocky. I already said earlier; right now, fried dishes aren’t popular in Genos.”
“Is that so. In my hometown, this is a dish that isn’t affected by fashion trends.”
Roy carefully picked up half a slice of cutlet and put it in his mouth. He chewed with his eyes closed for a while before swallowing it. He then said with his eyes still closed: “… Damn it, it’s good.”
“Thank you very much. I will fry the rest of it then.”
I tossed the breast and thigh meat into the pot one after another and adjusted the fire based on how much the oil was bubbling. The five portions of cutlet were done in no time.
I scooped it onto a porcelain plate together with the salad and squeeze some shiru on it.
To avoid the flavor from mixing together, I put the salad sauce and tartar sauce into separate containers.
With that, dinner was done.
“… This will be my last time testing for poison with Asuta-sama’s dishes…”
Chiffon Chel who was summoned into the kitchen tasted the bite-sized cutlet with a fairy-like smile.
“Ara… This is the first time I tried deep fried food… It is absolutely delicious…”
“Yes, I like it a lot too.”
After finishing her test, Chiffon Chel bowed deeply.
“Alright, we will serve this dish… I will be attending to you until tomorrow morning… But I wish to thank you for everything so far…”
“I didn’t do anything that you need to thank me for.”
I only realized after saying that. She was probably thanking me for the dishes I had cooked.
She shouldn’t be saying that as a slave testing for poison, but Chiffon Chel was telling me that she wanted to give thanks in spite of that.
“… Are you going to spend your entire last day in the kitchen?”
After Chiffon Chel left with the other servants, Roy asked.
“Yes, I can’t afford to waste time; please allow it if it doesn’t bother you.”
Roy started doing his work without saying anything.
Normally, there would be five or six assistants helping to cook dinner, but ever since I came here, there weren’t any. Lifuria probably didn’t want me to come into contact with the people in the manor. Roy would cook the dishes for a few dozen people alone, with the side dishes made in the other kitchen by other chefs and their assistants.
The taste of Roy’s dishes was complicated. After asking around, I learned that there were restrictions to the quantity of the ingredients and seasoning. The food here was procured for the sake of the master, and the servants were just allocated the unused ingredients.
However, I was permitted to use the ingredients and seasonings as I pleased. I wouldn’t use much anyway, and if I didn’t make use of them, they would just pile up in the manor uselessly.
From my observation and what Roy said, his top priority was to train his culinary skills; cooking for the servants was just a side job.
On a side note, he basically didn’t use aria in his dishes. Which reminded me that Kamyua Yost once said that aria was food for the commoners and was seldom sold in the city. There was aria in this kitchen too, but Roy didn’t think of aria as an ingredient worth using.
Nutritious and tasty, regardless of its price; this is an excellent ingredient.
I thought to myself as I practice and observed Roy’s cooking.
“Are you making hotpot tonight?”
Roy tossed in the fuwano meatball with berries fillings into the nyuushi herb soup I saw a few days ago.
Roy glanced at me and muttered: “Erm…”
He then looked away and continued:
“… What can you make by adding fuwano powder fried in nyuushi?”
He was probably asking what dish could be made with the white sauce I used when cooking cream stew.
I crossed my arms and thought about it:
“Well, this dish needs a lot of nyuushi, and if the soup thickens, it won’t be palatable.”
In any case, not all dishes would taste good just from turning them into a stew. Roy replied: “I see” and then started stirring.
“… Your cookings must be well received in the Post Station Town.”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to the kiba meat.”
“Is kiba really edible? Isn’t it so tough that only the denizens of Forest's Edge can bite into them?”
“That’s not true. It is just a little tougher than kimyusu meat. It won’t lose out in taste at all. Whether grilling or boiling it, the taste is good in either case.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Speaking of which, I might not see Roy ever again after I leave the kitchen. Was he chatting with me because he felt it was a pity?
He just needed to talk normally with me right from the start.
I didn’t really hate Roy either. He might be a little annoying and arrogant, but if I had known him under more normal circumstances, we might become great fellow chefs and friends.
However, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.
“Erm, what do you think of people from Mahildra?”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Roy’s reaction sounded like he was just trying to brush it off, but, fortunately, he was just surprised by my sudden question.
“Well, I’m from another country and don’t really understand the conflicts between Selva and Mahildra. Do you think of the northerners as enemies and hate them?”
“That’s out of the blue. I don’t care about hatred; slaves are just slaves.”
“I don’t really understand the existence of slaves. This is just a question; doesn’t it hurt your conscience when using violence on someone you don’t hate?”
“… You really like making things difficult for others. Why are you asking me this now?”
“Because of Chiffon Chel, of course… I’m also acquainted with a mixed blood between northerners and westerners.”
Kamyua Yost whom I had not seen for a long time appeared on my mind.
“He isn’t someone I outright respect, but he has his charms… And I think he wouldn’t have such an unfathomable personality if not for the bias treatment he received for being a mixed blood. Frankly speaking, I don’t really understand the thinking of discriminating others because of their heritage.”
“But… Mahildra is also exploiting Selva citizens as slaves too. They are at fault too.”
“I’m not pointing fingers at anyone; this is just a question. Given how far Genos is from Mahildra, it’s hard to understand the logic of bearing hatred towards the northerners.”
Roy stopped his work and looked back at me with boredom in his eyes:
“Let me say this first, I had never whipped a slave before. The only ones who can do that are their masters, the aristocrats.”
“But you flung a bottle at her, right?”
“That’s because she was talking nonsense! No… Now that I think about it, she was saying the truth…”
At this point, Roy started shouting like a kid:
“What the hell, are you finding trouble with me during the home stretch? If you have a problem with me, just spit it out!”
“I’m not finding trouble with you; I’m just curious. I want to learn more about the westerner’s perspective of things for future reference. If I made you upset, I apologize.”
Roy shut up with a sour face, and I reflected on saying unnecessary things and decided to continue practicing.
The door then opened, as if someone was waiting for our conversation to stop.
“Asuta-sama, do you have time… Lifuria-sama is looking for you…”
The one who came was, of course, Chiffon Chel.
“She finally feels like giving her comment after having this last meal, huh. It will be great if she releases me.”
“No… It seems that the guests who visited today are adamant on speaking with Asuta…”
“Huh? Isn’t he the child of some aristocrat?”
“Yes… The second son of Count Taliem, Polarse-sama…”
To me, all the nobles aside from Malfreed were enemies. That Malfreed wasn’t really an ally either, but we could still fight on the same side.
“Erm, I feel like turning him down. I don’t see any benefits from getting involved with nobles.”
“You want to turn down a summon from a noble? He might not be like Lifuria-sama, but you will still get a lashing.”
Roy interjected with an unhappy face.
“He probably wants to give you a reward because he took a liking to your cooking. The second son of Taliem probably won’t give you silver plates, but he won’t make things difficult for you either.”
It seemed that the aristocrats in this city weren’t loved by their people. But I still couldn’t let down my guard.
“B-But, I was abducted here. Isn’t it strange to summon me to meet with guests?”
“Who knows. Isn’t it an honor to receive the compliments from the guests? Even if the second son of house Taliem learns about your situation, he won’t dare defy house Turan.”
Things were getting precarious for me.
“Anyway, since Lifuria-sama permitted it, you don’t have the rights to refuse. Hurry on then.”
And so, I followed Chiffon Chel and the guards down the corridor with a sigh.
What bothered me, was that Lifuria actually agreed to this.
That little girl isn’t smart and might have agreed to it without thinking it through… Is she planning to hand me off to that count’s house?
There was no telling if Geta managed to relay the facts to the Forest's Edge and Zashuma. It would be dangerous if I was moved out of this manor at a time like this.
If that’s her plan, I will try to stay even if I have to lie.
What a tragedy; I couldn’t think of a way to get help from Zashuma and Malfreed. I also didn’t ask Kamyua Yost about which noble aside from Malfreed might lend us a hand. Even if there was, I would need to wait until the next morning.
I thought as I walked down the maze-like passageway and arrived at the familiar grand door. The mistress and the guests seemed to be dining in that hall with the four statues.
“… Before you enter, make sure you don’t expose your name and identity to the guests when speaking.”
I frowned when I heard what the guard said.
“I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to, but isn’t it rude to not state my name to the aristocratic guests?”
“… It’s not of your concern.”
The guard said monotonously and shouted at the door:
“The foreign chef has arrived!”
The door then opened.
Not counting the bodyguard Moose, there were five people inside. As expected, at the seat of honor was Lifuria. She was wearing the pure white dress she had on a few days ago, with a bib full of lace covering her entire chest. She hogged the couch that was big enough to seat four people by herself.
On her right were Dell and her father. Dell was wearing a sky blue dress that was plain when compared to the princess but also of high quality. She seemed a little lonely but looked cute with her silver hair accessory holding up her bangs. She didn’t even look my way and was pretending to be all prim and proper.
Dell wasn’t asked to leave as Lifuria didn’t want to blow the cover that I was hired by her.
In any case, this was the first time I saw Dell’s father. He was short but had a stout built, typical of a southerner. He had on a good quality collared shirt and western style pants. His hair and beard were both a very normal brown color and wasn’t mixed like his daughter. His stubborn green eyes left a deep impression on me.
Sitting opposite them were the guests visiting today.
One of them was a man with the aura of a noble.
His dressing wasn’t too elegant, with a cream-colored tunic and embroidered belt. He wore gems on his arms and neck; the silver accessories sparkled brightly. His dark brown hair pressed tightly against his head. He was a young man who was slightly pudgy but not obese yet.
His skin was yellowish brown, and his eyes had a dark shade of brown. This was probably the second son of house Taliem, Polarse-sama.
However…
To be frank, I only got a good look of him much later. The moment I entered the room, I was captivated by the woman standing beside Polarse.
She was a young and incredibly beautiful lady.
The cloth around her breasts was embedded with silver accessories, and a sparkling piece of golden cloth hung down from her waist. Her beautiful legs could be seen through her high slit dress. Draped around her shoulders was a piece of shawl with complicated patterns, while the curves of her tight figure were clearly accentuated.
An elegant hair accessory made with silver and gems rested on her head. Two large crescent-shaped earrings hung from her ears, dazzling under the light of the chandelier.
She wore several rings on her fingers, and the thin silver bangles on her arms clinked with a clear sound. If she wasn’t a stunning beauty, her dressing would probably feel uncouth.
She was absolutely mesmerizing.
In the 17 years of my life, I had never seen such a beautiful lady before.
And…
She had long blonde hair, eyes that were brighter than everyone else, and chocolate milk like skin.
“I was right.”
The woman wasn’t loud, but her voice was as firm as steel.
“He is my family member, Asuta of the Fa house. Since we have cleared this up, please allow me to take him away.”:
Ai Fa who was dressed elegantly said that regally.
2
“… What is going on here?”
Lifuria said on behalf of me who was dumbstruck. Her voice was quivering from rage and seemed to be on the verge of exploding.
“It’s just a small matter. If we gave the impression that we have tricked you, I will apologize.”
The young noble sitting beside Ai Fa said in a loud voice. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ai Fa all the while.
“It seems that this person is the Forest’s Edge chef abducted by villains, and that incident caused an uproar in the Post Station Town. If not for that, I would just be smacking my lips after tasting such a fantastic meal.”
“… What is going on here?”
Lifuria repeated with the same tone.
“I should be the one asking that, correct? Why is someone from Forest's Edge cooking meals in Uncle Turan’s manor?”
“I’m free to hire anyone I like to cook for me!”
“Yes, you are right. Be it Semu people or Jaguar citizens, you can even get someone from Mahildra to cook for you if you wish. However, since someone abducted by villains is being forced to cook in Uncle Turan’s manor, doesn’t this need an explanation?”
This frivolous and roundabout way of speaking reminded me of Kamyua Yost.
But his voice lacked Kamyua Yost’s cunning and was filled with naive innocence. I thought that as I stared at Ai Fa.
“Actually, an acquaintance visited me today. She told me that Asuta of the Fa house seemed to be imprisoned in Uncle Turan’s manor. However, she is just a commoner and has no means of confirming this fact, so she asked me for help… But I just laughed it off because that is absurd. But to think it is actually true.”
“… Which means, you lied to me. That woman who claimed to have Semu heritage and a daughter of a wealthy merchant is actually a denizen of the Forest's Edge.”
“Yes, she is a denizen of Forest's Edge, Ai Fa of the Fa house. She requested to come with me in order to confirm this… This might sound rude, but her beauty makes it hard to imagine that she is a denizen of Forest's Edge, right?”
“… So, does house Taliem have the guts to defy house Turan…?”
When I heard those ominous words, I shifted my gaze away from Ai Fa. Lifuria was still sitting on her couch, but the bodyguard of the enraged girl had put his hand on his hilt, as if he was responding to her rage.
“Westerner man, you want to deepen your crimes?”
Ai Fa’s calm words kept Moose in check.
“Sketches of your face is on wanted posters all over the Post Station Town. There is another man named Sangjura too, who doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Who is it!? There shouldn’t be anyone who knows this chef is inside this manor! Who snitched on me!?”
Lifuria banged on the table with her small hands. A few of the empty bowl and glass clinked in response.
“Dell! Are you the one who told the people in the Post Station Town!? You even dared to step foot in the dirty Post Station Town!”
“Can you stop picking trouble with me? I didn’t say a word as you asked. But I don’t believe that Asuta is here on his own accord at all.”
Dell said as if this had nothing to do with her. She must be surprised at the sight of Ai Fa but had been pretending to be calm all the while.
“I didn’t leave the city for the past few days, so I couldn’t have snitched on you. Besides, other than Asuta, I don’t have anyone in the Post Station Town that I can talk to freely.”
“Yes, I can vouch for my daughter’s innocence. I took away her entry pass for the past few days, so she couldn’t have left the city.”
Dell’s father spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and firm, which matched his face.
“I wish to ask you something. If others learn that Asuta has been hired by this manor, it will agitate the denizens of Forest's Edge unnecessarily, so don’t speak too much of this… Didn’t you instruct my daughter about that?”
Lifuria ignored him and continue rapping the table.
“Then who!? I will lash the one who sold out her mistress!”
Polarse glanced at Moose and then said with a smile: “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s a loyal vassal who mustered his courage to stop his mistress from deepening her sin.”
He had an innocent smile that didn’t fear to antagonize Lifuria. The Taliem house didn’t dare to defy the Turan house, but Polarse seemed ready to oppose Lifuria.
“Instead of that, isn’t there something else you need to clarify? If news of Uncle Turan’s daughter abducting a townsfolk spread, it will be a big scandal.”
“Hmmp! The other nobles won’t dare sanction me!”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. The captain of the castle guards, Lord Malfred has been strict on discipline lately. Even if you are Uncle Turan’s daughter, Lord Malfred who holds the law in such high regards will…”
“Apprehend and then lash me?”
At this moment, Lifuria’s face changed again. An impish smile appeared on her face that was twisted from rage.
“That will be fine… If that happens, what kind of face will my father make?”
The bullish bodyguard Moose said in a hoarse voice: “… I would never allow Lifuria-sama to be treated like that.”
Lifuria suddenly went into a rage:
“Annoying! Who permitted you to speak!? Shut your mouth, Moose!”
Moose lowered his head depressedly.
Ai Fa looked at Moose who still had his hand on his hilt and calmly said:
“We will follow the laws of Genos for the sentencing of the criminal. However, please allow me to take Asuta with me.”
“No! I will not let that man go before father returns!”
Polarse said troubled: “Uncle Turan? I think Uncle Turan would want to resolve this peacefully…”
Ai Fa glared at Lifuria:
“The other things don’t matter; I just want to bring my family home.”
“I said no! I must wait for my father to return…!”
The door on the inside opened with a loud creak.
A petite old man walked in under the escort of three buff soldiers.
“What’s all this ruckus… And, why are there unfamiliar faces in my manor…?”
It was Pyschkurewuss.
I finally saw Pyschkurewuss in the flesh.
I felt dizzy, what was with this night?
He looked just as Kaslan Lutim described him to be. A big head with a small body like a child, he was at most Lala Wu’s height.
On his small body was an incredible piece of white tunic, with more accessories than everyone present. Just the space below his neck was sparkling with gold like a woman.
But his face was black as if he was ill, and filled with wrinkles. The head of the Sudora house in the Forest's Edge also looked like a monkey, but Pyschkurewuss appeared more vicious and sly and didn’t look like a human or a monkey.
Like a tomato, the top of his head had chestnut hair that lacked any luster. Compared to his head, his face was much smaller. His sunken eyes had a sharp gleam about them.
A flat nose, pale lips, flabby muscles, and a stiff jaw… The more I looked at him, the more creepy I felt.
His face wasn’t the reason why I found him scary. His eyes were brown like his daughter, and his piercing gaze had an intimidating obsession behind them.
“T-This is lord Pyschkurewuss… A-Aren’t you scheduled to return tomorrow morning? That’s what my father told me…”
“… I was worried, so after having dinner with the other members of the council, I returned first.”
Pyschkurewuss had an unfathomable smile on his face. This was the smile concealing his true intentions that Kaslan Lutim mentioned before.
“Speaking of which, what brings you to my manor, Sir Polarse? Are you here because you knew I will be absent…?”
“I-I’m here because of some matters…”
Polarse stuttered vaguely, and Ai Fa beside him said: “So you are Pyschkurewuss?”
“It’s fortunate that I get to meet you here. Pyschkurewuss, I’m in this manor to rescue my family who was abducted by villains. Polarse is merely helping me.”
Ai Fa showed no fear no matter who she was facing.
Pyschkurewuss cast her poisonous faze towards Ai Fa.
“You… look just like a denizen of Forest's Edge…”
“Yes, I’m a denizen of Forest's Edge. I’m Ai Fa of the Fa house. The three tribal chiefs already know of my actions today.”
“…”
“You must have heard about a denizen of Forest's Edge was kidnapped by villains. For the past few days, Donda Wu had requested to meet you several times, but you insisted that this should be handled by the guards and refused to show your face… And all the while, my family member Asuta was held captive in your manor. What’s going on here?”
“…”
“We are not suspecting you alone. There are some who think this is a vicious scheme to sour the relationship between you and the denizens of Forest's Edge. And so, we had checked all the places outside of the Genos city. But we couldn’t find any signs of my family or the villains in the Post Station Town, the Turan region or the farmlands. So I planned to obtain permission to enter the city today, no matter what.”
“…”
“But before we could take any action, I learned this morning that Asuta was held inside the Pyschkurewuss manor. So I came to confirm this and found Asuta here as expected, together with the criminal on the wanted poster. I also heard that the one who gave the order is your daughter… Do you really not know anything about this?”
Ai Fa’s face and tone were incredibly calm, and her eyes had the angry fire of a hunter.
The two guards beside me gulped.
“The three tribal chiefs will not acknowledge you as a representative of Genos before we confirm this. This is the unanimous view of all denizens of Forest's Edge. Pyschkurewuss… Please, explain yourself.”
Pyschkurewuss wet his pale lips with his thick tongue and said:
“… My daughter Lifuria abducted a denizen of Forest's Edge…?”
“The ones who committed the act are this man and another man named Sangjura. I heard they did so on your daughter’s orders.”
“Lifuria… The guest from the Forest's Edge said that… You didn’t do something so foolish, correct…?”
“I merely summoned this man in as a chef. I have no reason to suffer any slanders.”
Lifuria said as she puffed out her flat chest.
Pyschkurewuss laughed without a word.
Polarse who lost his edge said with a cramping smile: “H-However, that bodyguard Moose is wanted by the guards; the news has spread to everyone in the streets. No matter whose orders he was acting under, this is an unforgivable crime.”
“Sir Polarse… Your father and brother are still enjoying the cuisine in Genos castle that we spent so much effort to prepare… Do they know about this?”
“Of course, they know nothing. I’m here to help on someone’s request.”
“Oh… Someone…”
“I-It’s someone related to Lord Malfreed. Lord Malfreed won’t be able to leave Genos castle before tomorrow’s morning, so I decided to bring the denizen of Forest's Edge Ai Fa with me to this manor. I wasn’t burdened with any duties during this conference, so I was free to help out.”
Polarse’s slightly pudgy smile had turned incredibly pale, probably frightened by Pyschkurewuss’ intimidation.
Before his sanity broke down, Ai Fa said sharply again:
“So, what about your reply? Donda Wu is still waiting for us to return outside the city.”
Pyschkurewuss sighed softly.
He then slowly shook his large head:
“… Jimon.”
“Milord.”
A guard behind Pyschkurewuss stepped forth.
“Arrest Moose.”
“… Will that be fine?”
“The son of house Taliem, Sir Polarse won’t slander anyone without proof… I will take his word for it and investigate the truth later…”
“Understood.”
The large guard named Jimon turned and looked at Moose.
In that instant, Moose jumped like a weirdly shaped bird. His heavy body landed on the table with unimaginable agility. The plates were crushed under his feet, and a bottle fell to the ground spilling fresh red liquid onto the floor. Moose curled his fingers into claws and pounced at Polarse.
“Hyaa!”
Polarse fell back in his chair with a shrill.
Ai Fa swiftly grabbed the arm of the pouncing Moose and then threw his back onto the ground. The floor was covered by a thick carpet, but beneath that was probably stone flooring. Moose screamed with the death throe of a toad, and his body turned stiff.
Lifuria said coldly: “Are you a moron…”
However… She had the sad look of a child whose precious puppy got hit.
“Is Moose the only one who needs to be arrested? Father, I’m the one who ordered him to bring Asuta of the Fa house to this manor.”
Pyschkurewuss didn’t answer.
His venomous eyes didn’t even glance his daughter’s way.
“… Investigate the truth and sentence him in accordance with the laws of Genos… I can’t think of any other way. What are your thoughts on this, Sir Polarse…?”
Polarse answered while he was still on the floor: “A-Alright! I think this is a wise choice! It will be foolish to lose the trust of the denizens of Forest's Edge over such a matter!”
Pyschkurewuss slowly turned and said to Ai Fa:
“Well then, relay my message to the tribal chiefs of Forest's Edge… It is not my intention to deteriorate my relationship with the denizens of Forest's Edge… The mistakes made by my young daughter is due to my oversight as a father…”
Pyschkurewuss said as the corner of his eyes started twitching. Was he trying to hide his emotions… his humiliation?
“Which means, you are not involved with this incident?”
Ai Fa glared at Pyschkurewuss with her hunter’s eyes.
“Of course… If I was involved in this conspiracy, I wouldn’t have brought the person I kidnapped into this manor… After all, I’m hosting guests in this manor too…”
The guests he was referring to, Dell and her father, were cautiously keeping their peace. Both father and daughter had a strong gleam in their jade-colored eyes.
“Also, I told the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge earlier to let the guards handle this incident, to have faith in the town guards and to focus on their own work. I did so because I was in the dark about this.”
“Yes… The guards in the Post Station Town did their work diligently.”
“I swear on the western god Selva… In all of Genos, the one who is most pained by this is me…”
These were probably Pyschkurewuss’ sincere words.
He definitely had set up all sorts of schemes for the conference six days later and wanted to get this incident over and done with.
“I see. Allow me to relay your words to the tribal chiefs.”
As Ai Fa answered calmly, Moose who was by her feet was tied up by the other guards.
Lifuria glared at her father with tears of regret in her eyes.
Pyschkurewuss didn’t even spare a glance at his stubborn daughter.
And then…
“Alright then; let’s go home, Asuta.”
Ai Fa called out to me. Just hearing her voice made my heart race.
“Ah, wait. I need to change out of these clothes before going back.”
This was the first thing I said after coming to this room, which sounded a little retarded.
“… From what I observe, you are that foreigner denizen of Forest's Edge doing business in the Post Station Town…?”
Pyschkurewuss looked my way for the first time.
His gaze was dripping with poison, which was enough to send a chill down my back.
This was probably the second time I saw such venomous eyes after my run-in with Zattsu Tsun.
“I had done something horrible to you… After the judicial officer passes judgment on Moose, I will apologize to you another day…”
Pyschkurewuss bowed his head with his right hand on his chest and concealed his poisonous gaze by closing his eyes.
“Wait! Father, you should try that man’s cooking! His cooking…”
“… Silence, Lifuria…”
Pyschkurewuss cut off his daughter with his eyes still closed.
“I’m very disappointed in you… Before I give you permission, you will stay in your room… You are not exempt from the investigation…”
Lifuria quivered in silence.
Pyschkurewuss opened his eyes with his back to Lifuria.
“So you want to change your clothes, huh. I concur with that arrangement…”
The guards standing on either side of the door behind them.
“I will go with you. But before that, can you please return the blades I left for your safekeeping. Will that be fine?”
When Ai Fa said that, under Pyschkurewuss’ watchful gaze, a guard brought over a beautiful sword from another room.
Ai Fa accepted the blades Polarse proffered in turn to her and tied it to her waist. At the sight of her, Pyschkurewuss smiled creepily.
“As expected of a hunter from Forest's Edge… No matter how elegant your clothes are, the air about you is completely different…”
He was admonishing the guards who granted her entry, in a roundabout way. The guards beside me all looked pale.
“Alright then, send my regards to the tribal chiefs of Forest's Edge… I plan to present my explanation tomorrow afternoon, could you please pass the message…?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, got it. Ah, there’s one more thing.”
Ai Fa stopped and looked at Pyschkurewuss.
“We have searched everywhere outside the Genos city in these four days, but we still didn’t find the man named Sangjura. He is the accomplice of Moose, so I hope you can apprehend him.”
“… Very well…”
Pyschkurewuss nodded firmly, while Lifuria’s shoulder shivered. And finally, Dell who was watching us worriedly disappeared behind the closed door.
And then we walked down the brick corridor, guided by Chiffon Chel and the guards. Ai Fa was walking beside me, and this still felt surreal. When we reached the room, I said to Chiffon Chel:
“Ern, can you leave the both of us alone while I change my clothes?”
The guards agreed to my request on Chiffon Chel’s behalf, so Ai Fa and I entered the room.
I then faced Ai Fa once again.
This was Ai Fa.
She was wearing clothes I had never seen before, but, still, she was Ai Fa.
Ai Fa who was wearing a dress more exquisite than the banquet attire in Forest's Edge, but she looked at me with her usual majestic face.
“Ai Fa…”
I called her name.
Was I dreaming?
Ai Fa’s face didn’t change, and she slowly checked me out.
She asked emotionlessly: “… Are you hurt?”
“No, as you can see, I’m at the peak of health.”
“… Is that so.”
I had so much to say to her.
Sorry for making you worry, are you alright, things like that… These words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back.
“Ai Fa, I…”
In any case, I had to apologize and thank her.
With a floaty feeling in my heart, I tried with all my might to talk to Ai Fa, but she cut me off with a raised hand.
Ai Fa looked at me quietly.
The next moment… transparent liquid seeped out of her blue eyes, which shocked me.
I stood speechlessly before her, as tears flowed down her brown cheeks.
Ai Fa’s face suddenly twisted into a mess, like the crying face of a kid.
“Asuta…”
She called my name once again and then hugged me. She buried her face on my shoulders and cried out loud.
Her tears wet my clothes, and I could feel her warmth.
Ai Fa’s warmth that I had not felt for days.
When I realized it, I was already holding Ai Fa tightly.
“I’m sorry, Ai Fa… I’m really sorry.”
Ai Fa kept crying without answering. I was using a lot of strength, but her body seemed to be slipping down, so I held her even tighter.
Ai Fa sobbed as she said: “Asuta… You big dummy…”
And so, we met again after being apart for four days.
3
“When Lord Pyschkurewuss showed up, I was panicking, so it’s great that things ended well!”
Polarse recounted in the Totos carriage.
The carriage was a wooden box type, so there was no need to worry about people eavesdropping on us.
“News probably reached Lord Pyschkurewuss’ ears when the conference in the castle ended. If not for that, he wouldn’t have cut short the dinner that was so important to him and rushed back to his manor. Speaking of which, that Zashuma person was correct in asking us to come right away instead of waiting until the next day!”
After Polarse was liberated from Pyschkurewuss’ intimidating pressure, he seemed a little hyped up.
However, I had no idea of his character or motives. From the way he said ‘that Zashuma person’, he probably didn’t know Zashuma well.
“Yes. I’m just acquainted with Kamyua. I heard about Zashuma from him. Kamyua wants me to treat Zashuma’s words as his own.”
“Ah, then I was saved thanks to Kamyua.”
“Yes, that’s right. He is a cheery type, the stories of his travels are interesting, and he doesn’t fawn on the nobles either. Even that stone headed Malfreed is no match for him.”
Polarse didn’t seem to put on airs like a noble, but I couldn’t make that conclusion after only speaking with him this much. In any case, he gave me the impression was that he had an aura of innocence and acted exactly as he thought.
Ai Fa kept quiet politely, and only Polarse’s and my voice reverberated in the carriage.
“I didn’t think I’ll get involved in a troublesome matter though. Defying Pyschkurewuss means they might do something to us! But, this is a fight of a lifetime!”
“I’m really very grateful. If no one helped me, I didn’t know what would have happened to me.”
“Don’t mention it! I’m just the second son of a noble, and it isn’t anything special! If I don’t step up in such situations, I will be living in the shadows for the rest of my life!”
Polarse said as he leaned his blushed face towards me. His head was swaying along with the rocking carriage.
“In any case, we will be in the same boat from now on! Let’s help each other and create a bright future! Asuta of the Fa house, I have great expectations of you!”
“Huh? Y-Yeah.”
Just what was he expecting?
He saved me from a desperate situation, so I intended to help him without any reservation… I still didn’t really understand the situation, so I felt a little uneasy.
“Never mind, let’s discuss the details next time. We are almost at the gate; you can see your friends you missed so much again!”
The carriage had traveled for around ten minutes, but I couldn’t see the scenery of the city because of the curtain covering the window.
“Ah, but isn’t the drawbridge withdrawn at night, so we can’t leave the city?”
“It’s fine! I’m a direct relative of house Taliem after all! The second son doesn’t have much influence, but they will still show me some respect!”
“Is that so; I’m very grateful.”
Ai Fa was right beside me, but I should show everyone that I was safe. Uncle Dora and the others should have gone home, but I still needed to greet the innkeepers and make a trip to the Wu clan village.
Polarse turned towards Ai Fa and said: “By the way, Ai Fa-sama, what should we do about the clothes and accessories I lent to you? There isn’t any place to change from here until the gates.”
He neither showed fear towards the denizens of Forest's Edge nor looked at Ai Fa with lecherous eyes. I felt relieved about that.
“Can I return them to you tomorrow? My own clothes are with my tribemates, and I’m reluctant to change inside the carriage.”
“Yes, you might be a hunter of Forest's Edge, but you are also a young lady! I don’t mind, but I took this out from my house, so it will be a pain if I lose even a single ring.”
“I understand, I will be careful.”
“Yes, please!”
Polarse was really happy, while Ai Fa was expressionless.
Ai Fa regained her calm with her steel-like mental tenacity. The corners of her eyes were slightly red, but no one could notice under the dim lantern light.
The carriage finally stopped, and the driver spoke through the small window: “… Sir Polarse, we are at the gate.”
“Yes!”
Polarse answered energetically and then exited the carriage.
He was probably speaking to the guards at the gate. A few minutes later, a guard armed with a spear made a show of checking the inside of the carriage.
“Two passengers on board, check complete. Only the two passengers will leave the city, correct?”
“Yes! Go on, lower the drawbridge!”
The carriage was escorted by three guards mounted on Totos, but after leaving the gate, only Ai Fa and I would go back.
Wait, isn’t Donda Wu and the others standing by outside the gate?
After causing such a big scandal, how badly would they lecture me? I felt blessed that I could worry about such things.
“Go, and return triumphantly!”
I thought Polarse was going off topic, but in a sense, this was a new starting point for me.
Creak, creak, creak… The dull sound of the drawbridge being lowered could be heard, and the carriage started moving again. It stopped less than ten seconds later.
“We are here. It looks safe, but please be careful during your trip back. Send my regards to the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge!”
Ai Fa and I thanked him and got off the carriage.
We were still on the bridge, but it was 4 to 5 meters wide and had chest level fencing on both sides. Since this was a drawbridge, the other side of the fence was probably a deep moat.
The carriage opened on the back, so I saw the city wall when I got off.
The rock wall was about two stories tall, which was around 6 to 7 meters. The sun had completely set, but the bonfire burning on several spots of the wall allowed me to see it in its entirety.
The gate was a black hole on the wall. There should be guards patrolling there with torches, as I could see light wavering in the darkness.
I looked around me and could see sparse lights at the far end of the walls too. This sturdy rock wall protected the heart of Genos, where the nobles and wealthy lived in the city.
Geta is really something to have scaled this wall.
As I was thinking about that, Polarse who stayed in the carriage waved at us:
“Well then, let’s meet again in a few days! Blessings on house Taliem and the denizens of Forest's Edge!”
The three Totos riders and the carriage turned around gracefully and went back the way they came.
I looked out the city, and an unexpected scene entered my field of vision.
At the same time, a loud cheer erupted.
“W-What happened…?”
It was a deafening cheer of joy.
On the other end of the bridge were dozens of people awaiting our return.
“Asuta…!”
“It’s Asuta! Asuta is really back!”
I could finally make out what they were saying.
“Let’s go. The guards will feel uneasy if they don’t raise the drawbridge.”
Ai Fa grabbed my arm and started walking in large strides. I still couldn’t grasp the situation as she dragged me along.
“… Asuta!”
A figure ran out of the crowd and embraced me. She was a petite Forest's Edge girl with long raven hair tied up into braids… Leina Wu.
“Asuta, I’m so glad that you are safe…!”
Tears fell onto the shirt of the Forest's Edge attire I just changed into. But Ai Fa didn’t stop pulling my arm, so I could only continue walking while holding onto Leina Wu.
“Asuta! Are you alright!? Did the nobles did anything weird to you!?”
After getting off the bridge, a bulky man grabbed me. As the drawbridge behind me raised with creaking noises, I yelled in surprise:
“U-Uncle Dora? Why are you here?”
“You are asking me that!? You are really…”
Uncle Dora wailed.
Tara who was laughing in tears shouted: “It’s Asuta onii-chan!”
Ai Fa explained to me calmly: “News that I went into the city with the help of a noble has already spread to the people we knew in the Post Station Town. They were told to not discuss this before dusk, to avoid any troubles with the guards. To stop Pyschkurewuss and his daughter from brushing this matter off, this was a necessary measure…”
“And so, everyone came to the gate to wait after the sunset. There is nothing to be alarmed of. Everyone… was worried about you, Asuta.”
Half of them were denizens of Forest's Edge, while the other— the townsfolk of the Post Station Town. Everyone was tinted orange because of the orange light of the torches.
Most of them were cheering, while the rest were in tears.
There was Shela Wu.
Lala Wu.
Vena Wu.
Rii Sudora.
Milano Mast.
Neil.
Naudiz.
Yumi.
And many others who I didn’t know the name of.
Two small-sized youths walked slowly out of the crowd.
They were Ludo Wu and Shin Wu.
“Asuta… You are fine.”
Ludo Wu gave a big sigh of relief.
“That’s great; I won’t need to regret my foolishness for the rest of my life.”
I thought he would be disappointed in me, but Ludo Wu just muttered: “… I give thanks to the forest.” This was the first time I saw this youth act so strangely.
Next was Shin Wu.
“Asuta…”
Shin Wu walked over with unsteady steps. When she noticed him, Leina Wu left my side while still in tears.
The ever calm Shin Wu grabbed my shoulders, and tears flowed out of his narrow eyes.
“Shin Wu…”
“Sorry… I wasn’t strong enough…”
Shin Wu who was a little shorter than me hugged me like Leina Wu did and cried. A man from the Forest's Edge was crying in public.
I wanted to cry too because I felt that I let him down and burdened this youth with so much guilt.
“It’s fine, It’s also my fault for not protecting myself properly. Shin Wu, don’t worry too much about this.”
However, Shin Wu continued to sob. A while later, Lala Wu walked over without any reservation and patted his back.
“It’s fine now, right? If you are still so whimsical tomorrow, I will get mad, okay?”
Lala Wu then smiled at me.
“It’s wonderful that you’re alright. Asuta, you look lively.”
“Yes, thank you, Lala Wu.”
Lala Wu was smiling as usual, but her eyes were red.
The townsfolk from the Post Station Town swarmed in from behind her.
Milano admonished me with a scary expression: “Even my daughter managed to get away; how can you get abducted by the villains, retard?”
Yumi had a complicated expression on her face as she smiled.
“Asuta… It’s my fault for being careless… I really don’t know how to apologize.”
Neil looked like he was about to cry, and this was the first time I saw the innkeeper who had the principle of not showing any emotions losing his composure.
“Anyway, the important thing is that you are safe.”
Naudiz said to him while looking a little scared of the denizens of Forest's Edge who were cheering loudly.
That’s right, both the denizens of Forest's Edge and the people of Post Station Town were celebrating my return. This scene felt strange to me too; I never expected people like Neil and Milano Mast could get along so well with the denizens of Forest's Edge. They were standing at my side because they shared the same feelings.
My stupidity led to me falling into the hands of the nobles, and I couldn’t do anything except waiting for help. They welcomed a fool like me with laughter and tears, and there were some who even got mad at me.
The group of southerners laughing with fruit bottles in their hands were definitely the construction workers who helped Uncle Balan sometime before.
As usual, the easterners hid their facial expression with their hoods. The westerners were the minority here, with just twenty-odd people. I saw regulars at my stall, the cloth shop uncle and my pot dealer.
The denizens of Forest's Edge who matched them in numbers chatted together with them and waved their torches around. There were men and women, familiar faces and people I hardly saw. But all of them had happy and strong expressions on their faces.
If I looked closely, I could see tens of spear-bearing guards surrounding this group. This was probably an uproar that might infringe on the laws of Genos.
I didn’t know what to do and just stood stiffly in place… A short moment later, three figures approached me, as if they couldn’t bear this unsightly scene anymore.
Two of the figures were huge, while the other was smaller. The trio was Donda Wu, Kaslan Lutim, and Rau Lei.
“Asuta, it’s great that you are safe.”
First was Kaslan Lutim who clasped my hands tightly.
“Even Kaslan Lutim… I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“No need to apologize; I’m happy that Asuta is well.”
Kaslan Lutim showed a steady smile.
Rau Lei who was beside me leaned his face towards me.
“Really now, Asuta, you had me worried there. We were really close to clashing arms with the nobles. Oh well, it was quite interesting too.”
Rau Lei was the same as usual. He smiled as his blue eyes had the sharp gleam of a hunting dog.
“For the past few days, we had been running around the Post Station Town from morning until dusk, you know? It won’t be worth it if you don’t cook a good meal for us.”
“Yes, sorry, I will cook as much as you like.”
“You retard, that’s a joke. It’s only natural to run around for the sake of a fellow tribemate.”
Rau Lei reached out his hand and ruffled my hair.
Next was Donda Wu.
Donda Wu looked at me with his beast-like eyes and then grunted:
“You don’t look hurt. We will talk after going back to the Forest's Edge.”
Before I could answer, Donda Wu walked towards the crowd, and his voice then boomed like thunder.
“Asuta of the Fa house has returned safely from the noble’s manor! My apologies for the inconvenience we caused in the Post Station Town for the past five days! I, Donda Wu, one of the tribal chiefs of the Forest's Edge, offer my most sincere apologies to everyone!”
Everyone in the Post Station Town stood still and listened quietly.
But they quickly straightened themselves and erupted into cheers.
“That’s great, Asuta!”
“Let us taste your delicious dishes again!”
“If you get tired of the Post Station Town and shut yourself in the Forest's Edge, we will visit you in the Forest's Edge!”
I was filled with complicated feelings and wasn’t sure how to answer.
So I bowed deeply with all sorts of emotions in my heart.
I had finally returned to the people that I cherished.
