Cooking with Wild Game: Volume 16

By EDA and Kochimo

So much has already changed in Asuta’s life recently. Many new ingredients have flowed into the post town, and he has started up new business deals as well. He’s even been able to use everything now at his disposal to work on bringing new dishes like curry to the land of Genos. And things are even shifting for the people around him, with Dan Rutim yielding the post of clan head to his son.

But even with all that upheaval, there’s still plenty left for our hero to face. When Asuta encounters a woman who has read the stars and made a shocking declaration, just how will he react? What wondrous new ingredients will he discover hidden deep in the Turan Manor? And perhaps most importantly of all, when he encounters the greatest chef in all of Genos, will he be able to keep up with the man’s skills?

See all this and more in the exciting sixteenth volume of Cooking with Wild Game!

• Language: English
• Publisher: J-Novel Club
• Release date: Mar 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781718334304

Book preview

Chapter 1: Unfamiliar Ingredients

1

It was the twenty-seventh of the black month, the day after Dan Rutim’s birthday.

After finishing up our business in the post town, we headed for the castle town as promised. Our goal was to inspect the vast stock of unfamiliar ingredients hidden away in the pantry at the Turan manor.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to go barging in with a huge crowd, so my companions consisted of just Reina and Rimee Ruu, Toor Deen, and Ai Fa to act as a bodyguard. After leaving our own wagon at the gates to the castle town, we switched over to Polarth’s carriage. As our guide, he had naturally prepared passes for us.

Well, let us head out, Polarth declared, at which the carriage started slowly moving.

Since Toor Deen alone looked rather nervous, I decided to ask her, Are you okay?

Yes, I’m fine... It’s just, I never could have imagined that I would be setting foot in the castle town alongside a noble, the young girl quietly whispered back, seemingly worried about Polarth overhearing. It actually made me feel a bit nostalgic as I nodded back, remembering how Reina Ruu had said almost the exact same thing last time around.

Well, I figure pretty much anyone from the forest’s edge would feel that way at first. But it’s not a problem for you that I asked you to help out, is it?

Of course not... The fact that you chose me out of so many other women is an incredible honor. It makes so, so proud, Toor Deen said, finally shooting me a joyful smile.

We had been hired to prepare a welcome banquet for the envoys from Banarm, who would be arriving in the following indigo month. I had asked the three who would be assisting me on the job to join me today.

Would the ingredients awaiting us in Cyclaeus’s treasured pantry turn out to be an asset for us when the time came? Even though we were only heading there thanks to Polarth’s forceful invitation, I couldn’t deny that I was feeling rather curious.

I believe there will be around twenty or thirty folks attending the welcome banquet. Naturally, I shall be participating as a representative for the house of Daleim! Polarth declared from the seat opposite me, seemingly once again in quite the pleasant mood. Normally a more grandiose banquet would be held, but since the envoys shall be staying in Genos for at least ten days, up to half a month or more, the schedule will instead proceed more gradually. After all, were a banquet to be held in the castle, there would be a hundred or even two hundred guests. And that would be too great of a burden on you, would it not, Sir Asuta?

Hmm, it certainly does seem like it would be rough to have to prepare six different dishes for a hundred people.

Catering for nobles in the castle town typically meant arranging six different dishes in a full-course meal, and I had spoken with a workload of that size in mind, only for Polarth to reply, Oh no, with a shake of his plump hands. We certainly wouldn’t have six separate dishes presented in order with a banquet that large. But instead, there has to be a wide variety of food on offer, including appetizers to be freely munched on.

Even so, that was sure to be something completely different than how the banquets at the forest’s edge were held. The sight of everyone happily eating giba dishes together and smiling from last night’s Rutim banquet remained firmly fixed in my mind.

Well, at any rate, I’m certainly looking forward to the welcome banquet! And to today’s investigation as well. No matter how high your hopes may be, I can’t imagine them being dashed, Sir Asuta.

Right. I’m looking forward to it too.

After around thirty or so minutes more of swaying back and forth in our seats, the totos-drawn carriage came to a stop.

We had arrived at the Turan manor.

It’s still just as huge as I remember! Rimee Ruu declared as she looked up at the massive brick-built residence, having been the first one to jump down from the carriage. This was Rimee and Reina Ruu’s second visit, while it was the fourth time here for me and Ai Fa.

The first time had been when I was kidnapped and my clan head had come to rescue me.

The second was during the showdown with Cyclaeus, as representatives of the forest’s edge.

The third time was similar to today, with me as a chef and Ai Fa acting as bodyguard. Secretly, I thought that we would need to brush aside our bitter memories and step into the manor with clear minds.

Welcome to the Turan manor... Lord Torst is awaiting you...

As we passed through the double doors, Chiffon Chel greeted us. Her honey-colored hair was partly curled and her eyes were purple, but the northern woman’s incredibly pale white skin stood out even more so.

I believe you were officially staying here at the manor as Lady Lefreya’s servant, were you not? Yet now it seems you are once again charged with acting as our guide. Polarth commented as we walked down the carpeted hallway.

Yes... Chiffon Chel replied with a smile. Lord Torst has not kept very many servants around, so as the one who has been here longest, I’ve been tasked with this role...

Hmm... It seems that Lord Torst is proving to be quite thrifty. I suppose that is how he ended up being assigned as Lady Lefreya’s guardian, Polarth said, not sounding especially cynical or anything as he did so.

The northern and western nations had been enemies for a great many years, so Chiffon Chel’s position was that of a slave. However, Polarth didn’t seem to be looking down on her for that, which secretly caused me to feel relieved.

I’m really glad that Chiffon Chel didn’t end up getting punished or anything. All she ever did was follow her master’s orders, I thought to myself, right before I noticed the woman stealing a glance my way. Her eyes seemed to say It’s been a while, so I shot her back a silent smile.

When we eventually hit the end of the hallway, Chiffon Chel came to a stop. She then led us into an office guarded by two soldiers, where Torst was waiting.

Ah, Lord Polarth, welcome. And welcome to all of you from the forest’s edge as well.

He was a small middle-aged man with a squished face like a pug’s. For better or worse, he didn’t possess the stately air of a noble, and he looked just as exhausted as always. In fact, that sense I got from him only seemed to have grown stronger since the last time I had seen him.

His office was excessively spacious and also sparsely decorated, which seemed to fit him perfectly. Atop his large desk made of blackish wood was a mighty pile of what looked to be official documents written out on bundles of parchment, the first of their kind that I had seen since coming to this world.

Please feel free to inspect the kitchens and pantries to your heart’s content. I’ve already prepared the necessary guards. And Sir Asuta...

Yes? What is it?

Thanks to the efforts of Sir Yang and yourself, we’ve been able to convert some of those ingredients overflowing from the pantries into coins. I shall certainly never forget your efforts, which you made in spite of the bad blood you shared with the house of Turan, Torst said, sounding as if he was sighing all the while. Please, give the items a careful examination as you inspect the pantry today, to determine whether or not any of them can see use in the post town. I have reached the point where I cannot stop my head from aching whenever I look upon that mountain of foodstuffs.

It seemed that Torst was at such a loss that he didn’t even care about being seen whining in front of me, when we had hardly even interacted before.

As a gourmand, Cyclaeus had controlled the flow of a huge amount of ingredients, but now that he had fallen there was no longer any use for them. And the finances to maintain those trade deals were crumbling too. Torst really was having to exert himself day in and day out to try to get the house of Turan back on its feet.

He had originally been an unfortunate man left ostracized by Cyclaeus, and now he was giving his utmost effort to save the house from this dilemma. Just like Polarth, Torst really was someone who could help overturn the image of nobles all being haughty and arrogant.

And there is no need for you to accept this request if it is too much to ask, but...

Right, what is it?

The head of the house has requested to meet with you. So if you do not mind, I would appreciate it if you would do so.

I turned in shock to face Polarth, whose shoulders had fallen into a slump.

As long as Lord Torst gives his permission, anyone may meet with Lady Lefreya. With soldiers keeping watch, of course.

I see.

I had thought I might never see Lefreya again in my entire life. But if that was what she wanted, then I had no objection.

Well then, shall we stop in before heading to the kitchen? And Sir Torst, it seems that you are still in the midst of handling official matters?

Yes, that’s right. I’m certain this work won’t be done until my very life is expended.

After that, we exited the office, leaving a truly pitiable looking Torst behind us.

Initially, Genos Castle dispatched ten officers specializing in financial and foreign affairs, who had to do quite a bit of work to clean up after the previous head of the house. Things seem to have calmed down greatly since then, but, well, one still cannot help but feel sorry for him.

It sounds like a major undertaking. Not that I understand anything about the duties of nobles.

Those official duties have all been about the ingredients in the end. The reach of Cyclaeus’s business dealings stretched astoundingly far and wide, and as he handled them all personally, things have gotten quite out of control now that he is gone, from what I have been told. Well, I suppose that goes to show how capable he was to handle it all on his own, as well as how little he trusted others...

It was that skill of his that had made him so useful to Duke Marstein Genos...until his ambitions ended up overtaking him.

Supposedly, famous restaurants throughout the castle town had ingredients distributed to them by Cyclaeus. Without having built up relationships with the suppliers for themselves, they had to pay high prices to get ingredients on their own, so they were all desperate to get in his good graces. Shockingly, though, even after continuing to send ingredients both to the shops Cyclaeus dealt with and those he gave the cold shoulder to, there still remains an excess of ingredients left over at the manor.

That really is something. In other words, that just goes to show how large a supply Cyclaeus was hoarding for his personal use, right?

Indeed. For the sake of having delicious meals made, he had used up a tremendous number of ingredients as if they were water. On top of that, the man was possessive to an extreme degree, stockpiling far more than he needed and letting it rot, Polarth replied as we walked along. If we can simply eliminate that waste and make sure the surplus of ingredients is sold for coins, it should make everyone happy. Even the ingredients will be better off, being made into delicious meals to end up in someone’s stomach rather than being tossed away unused.

That’s for sure. I absolutely agree.

I’ll be expecting some exquisitely tasty meals, Sir Asuta. It would relieve a great deal of burden from Lord Torst if you could use those ingredients not only at the welcome banquet, but in the post town as well.

While our discussion went on, we were led to the second floor of the manor.

Once again, we were greeted by two soldiers standing watch. When Chiffon Chel informed them of Polarth’s visit, one of them nodded and knocked on the door.

Lady Lefreya, your guests have arrived.

At that, the door opened from the inside. The one to greet us from inside was a dark-skinned young man in a simple yet high-quality pale yellow frock.

Welcome, Asuta. I am glad, that you accepted our request.

Sanjura... It really has been a while, hasn’t it? I said with a slight bow of my head, filled with some complicated feelings about this reunion.

Sanjura just gently smiled back like he used to. The young man had mixed blood from the eastern kingdom of Sym, long chestnut-colored hair, and a tall, lean figure. That was all the same as always, but he gave off a pretty different impression when he wasn’t in a traveler’s cloak. In fact, what he had on now wasn’t the sort of clothing characteristic of Sym, but rather attire from the western kingdom.

When she saw the short sword hanging from his hip, Ai Fa casually moved up beside me. Even if he had already paid for his crimes, Sanjura was still a man who had once abducted me by force. And since he was as strong as a hunter of the forest’s edge, it was only natural that Ai Fa was on guard.

Showing no signs of being intimidated by Ai Fa’s piercing gaze, Sanjura held out his arm toward the far side of the room.

Lefreya awaits you. Please, enter.

Sanjura was standing in the antechamber, and there was another door on the far wall. The rest of our group stayed behind, while Ai Fa, Polarth, and I went farther in along with one of the soldiers.

Ah, it has been some time, Asuta. I am glad to see you looking well, Lefreya said, grasping the hem of her skirt in an affected manner.

She had on what looked to be a pure-white frilly dress. Well, for a young noble girl like her, that level of luxury probably just made sense even when it came to loungewear. Still, she wasn’t wearing very many accessories, so she didn’t give off quite the same extravagant impression as before.

It is not as if I had any business with you in particular. I simply thought that I would not have a chance to see you outside of such circumstances, so I figured I would at least say hello.

She really was just the same as I remembered. Even with a regular conversation like this, you could tell how cheeky this pretty young girl was. Her chestnut-colored hair she had chopped off herself two months ago had grown a bit since then, and she might have gotten a bit taller too. After all, she was still only ten or so years old.

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It’s been a while. I’m glad you seem to be doing okay too.

Even though Lefreya was now the head of the house of Turan, I still recalled her chiding me for being formal with her before, so I kept things casual.

Honestly, I felt more relieved than I had expected to find that Lefreya was just the same as always. If she had looked like an expressionless doll as she had at the dinner party, it wouldn’t have sat well with me.

Asuta, I hear tell you have once again been tasked with handling the kitchen for a banquet. I suppose that may simply be natural, considering your level of skill.

Right. Will you be there too?

Indeed. The Turan fuwano and mamaria shall be essential in establishing trade with Banarm, so it is a matter of course that I would be dragged out as the head of the house, is it not? But, well, since it will grant me the opportunity to eat your cooking, I have no reason to complain, Lefreya said, haughtily lifting up her jaw. By the way, I have a single warning to give you. Will you hear it?

A warning? What is it?

It is nothing all that serious. Perhaps it will even prove an unnecessary and difficult-to-understand bit of advice. Still, I believe that this time around, you would make the envoys of Banarm happier if you were to prepare dishes a bit more befitting nobles. That is all I wished to express.

Dishes befitting nobles? Could you explain that in a bit more detail?

I meant what I said, so I don’t see what detail there is to give. Your dishes were every bit as delicious as Timalo’s the last time around, but I do not believe they were all that appropriate to be served to nobility. I suspect that there may have been some who felt taken aback at tasting them.

That really was an unexpected statement.

When I glanced over at Polarth, who had also attended that banquet, I found him stroking his chin.

Well, Sir Asuta can only make dishes using methods from the forest’s edge and his home nation, so I feel it would be mistaken to expect dishes made to the tastes of nobles from him. And on top of that, the previous dinner party was meant to foster friendship between the castle town and the forest’s edge by having each side sample the other’s cooking. So with that in mind, would you not agree that Sir Asuta was fully correct in the dishes he prepared?

That’s true. But this banquet is meant to welcome the envoys from Banarm. So would presenting the unsophisticated cooking of the forest’s edge truly be the proper choice?

I’m not so certain. Of course, I could see there being some complaints in that case... Still, I can see that being at least a bit out of touch with Lord Welhide’s desire to show the people of Banarm Sir Asuta’s skills.

Somehow or another, I started to understand what they were getting at.

On the night of that dinner party, the nobles had low expectations in regards to giba cooking, so my dishes received a rather lenient evaluation. And since the event was meant to foster peaceful relations between the forest’s edge and the ruling class of Genos, the nobles undoubtedly knew well enough to praise any dish that was presented.

But the envoy group this time around were guests who held a neutral standing. Actually, I’d bet that they were really wondering just what kind of food would be served after what they had heard from Welhide.

At that dinner party, Duke Genos opined that you and Timalo would be about equal in a comparison of taste, but did you take those words at face value, Asuta?

No. I don’t think he was trying to make himself look good by helping us out or anything, but I’m sure he said that so the people of the forest’s edge could save face.

That’s an admirable attitude to have. Though I was harboring some small hope that I would get to see you humbled just now... Lefreya teased, then shrugged her slender shoulders. Still, your dishes were all truly delicious. If we were to compare them one by one, I would likely give you the victory in each case. The only one I would hesitate on would be the appetizer, which was overly plain.

Thanks, I’m honored to hear it.

Still, those six dishes felt somehow inconsistent. It was not too noticeable when eaten alongside Timalo’s cooking, but if I were to eat your dishes alone in turn, I may have found that inconsistency more unpleasant.

That’s some good insight there. Both in my home country and at the forest’s edge, it’s not really the custom to eat dishes one at a time in order. Now understanding what she was getting at, I shot her a smile. Thanks for the unexpected advice. I don’t know if I can make dishes that a noble would consider proper or not, but I’ll at least try to make the menu more unified for the coming banquet.

Right. It is not as if I care in the least what those envoys from Banarm think, however, so I do not mind if you go ahead and make whatever you please. After saying that, Lefreya’s face took on a bit of a strange expression. It looked as if she was uneasy, or maybe like she got a small bone stuck in her throat or something. However...Varkas will be presenting his cooking on that day as well, will he not? If you offer up dishes too far removed from the customs of the castle town, that obstinate man could end up making a real mess of the welcome banquet.

Oh? But I recall Sir Varkas being quite a gentle and polite man, Polarth chimed in, looking intrigued.

Varkas was the guy who had previously served as the head chef of the Turan manor. And supposedly, he was either the first or second most skilled chef in all of Genos. Even putting aside the evaluation of the castle town, even Mikel, a man I respected, acknowledged his skill, so I had been looking forward to the chance to meet him