150 ① Totos Gill (top)

Limi-Luu and Ama Min-Rutim came to Fa's house on the 20th of the Blue Moon, four days after the day when the incident was rallied by the death of Tay-Sung.

I managed to get out of business safely that day, and I got home on time. Neither did Li-Sudra go straight back to her house that day, nor did the neighborhood ladies come to train in cooking, so she slammed the doorboard from the outside when she took a vegetable cutting knife to relax and get to work on the planting for tomorrow.

"It's Amamin-Lutim and Rimi-Lou. Is there an asta or an ai-fa?

Oh, I thought it was another rare combination, but I turned my foot to the front door without any concern.

So I pulled open the doorboard-- I said, "Wow!," he exclaimed.

"Are you okay, Asta?

"Haha. Asta, that's cool!

Ama Min-Lutim's worrying voice and Limi-Luu's innocent laughter.

A huge object stands up in the outfit that fits both of them like that.

It is a bird Totos, familiar to the Inn Town.

"Hey, hey, what is it? Why are there tototos or something by the woods?

"Yes. It would be longer if we talked. This is Totos captured by Sauthi's men in the woods."

Ama Min-Rutim bows her head to me like she's so sorry.

"You should have kept your voice to yourself first. Because I didn't think Asta would be surprised that way.... I'm so sorry"

"Yes, no, this is the one that made me look so stupid."

That being said, I think everyone would do it if all of a sudden something like this were waiting at the front door.

Totos the Fearbird.

It is the parent of a bird that has made the ostrich even bigger around the lid, whether it is three meters tall.

The shape is the ostrich itself, although its whole body is stunning with brown feathers. A corny oval torso with a neck as long as Nessie's, two feet that look sturdy, and three hook claws that trample the earth. Much more magnificent than an ostrich, and a tremendous presence. I'm sure it weighs more than 200 kilos.

Though Totos is what we see every day in Inn Town. Again, when we get this close, it's a rolling word.

If I get kicked off with a hook claw that grew on the tip of its thick leg, I think it's probably a human or something.

but Ama Min-Rutim had very plainly followed that huge scarebird.

Its tototos couché and around its neck were fitted with leather cords, the tip of which was gripped by Ama Min-Rutim's sweet fingertips.

"Isn't it amazing!? It's Totos, Totos! Rimi touched Totos for the first time -!

and Limi-Luu hugged it roughly around Totos' right momomo.

To Rimi-Lou, who slips his cheeks straight into his brown feathers, I said, "Oh, it's dangerous, Rimi-Lou!" I raise my confused voice.

"It's okay. Totos seems to be a very important animal, and unless this one tries to do harm, it doesn't seem to be violent."

Ama Min-Rutim also smiles calmly as usual.

I haven't seen her face to face in about ten days, but she's still soft, clear, and beautiful. It has dark brown hair, a bold short hair rare to the forest folks, and wraps a well-postured supple limb in a single cloth outfit that is a testament to marriage. It is an irreplaceable young companion of my friend Gazran-Rutim.

Rimi-Lou, on the other hand, looks as energetic as ever. He's shaking his fluffier, redder hair than Totos' feathers, and wiggling an uncontrolled grin. Its body wrapped around a woodland outfit for children, like a one-shoulder piece, is very tiny, and it seems that the mass is smaller than one totoss foot.

"... So, what does that mean? Ama Min-Rutim and Limi-Luu bring the Totos discovered by the Sauti family to Fa's house. In my poor imagination, I can't see how that happened."

"Yes. Perhaps this is the survival of Totos, who was left in the woods by the humans of the capital who visited the woods five days ago. The men of Sauti captured this during the hunt, but they didn't even know how to handle it, so they brought it to Rutim's settlement."

I see, that group dressed as a chamber of commerce had taken nearly ten tototosses, but they left only two to let it escape into the woods. Then it is also satisfactory that the reins are fitted beforehand.

But there's still something I don't know.

Why would the Sauties rely on the Rutims?

"Originally, Sautti and Rutim agreed to lend your house two men at a time. For Sauti to learn to drain and dismantle Giva's blood, right? Such stories were also shelved because it became such a commotion after the Conference of Parents. Today, Dari-Sautti brought this tototos with a man to the settlement of Rutim."

"Oh, is Dali-Souti ready to move too"

"Yes. So, we also need to discuss it with Donda-Lou for a meeting with Genos, and then we want him to stay in Rutim's settlement, even in the sense of fulfilling the earlier agreement. So we talked about Donda-Lou's judgment, and on behalf of the men who had hunter's work, I went as far as Lu's settlement."

"Donda, my dad got angry about knowing something like that. It's awful, it's not like Ama Min-Rutim's bad."

Donda-Lou, too, must be concerned now. Anyway, in a few days' time, there will be an impending meeting with the powers of the castle of Genos.

Although the day of the talks was originally set as the 23rd of the Blue Moon. That was reconstituted yesterday, the thirtieth day of the blue moon.

Nor are the participants only the three chiefs and minister Cycleus by the forest. Melfried, the head of the Kingsguard Corps, and "Guardian" Camua-Josh are scheduled to join there.

Camus accepted the proposal from me and set the stage for it.

Donda-Lu and the Forestside Chiefs, who were to exchange words with Camus prior to that, have already come to know Melfrid's thoughts and actions. It seemed to dispel slight suspicion and suspicion in my chest. Still, the negotiator with the people by the woods is only Cycleus, and he has not withdrawn the phrase "all of the Sung family should be handed over to the castle".

Melfried and others' participation in the talks does not reveal Cycleus' old evil on the spot. So if the Donda-Lou and the others fail to negotiate, they will have to hand over all 39 Sung family people, headed by Zulo-Sung, to Cycleus.

Zulo-Sung, who was also sentenced to be a sinner by the woods, Diga and Dodd, who are still half captives after being charged with desertion, and those who were people in the main house, such as Yamir-Ray and Mida, and those who were people in the branch, such as Tour-din - all of them.

Take charge of the fate of your fellow countrymen by the woods, and the chiefs glance at the meeting with the people of the castle.

No matter how concerned I am now, there will be no wonder.

So I could understand 80% of the circumstances.

There's one more question left.

"... so why did this tototos come to Fa's house?

"I don't know," the girl by the young woods shook her puffy head sideways when she asked Limi-Lu.

"He said he doesn't know... then why is Rimi-Lou here?

"Rimi just stuck with Ama Min-Rutim because she had free hands at work. Yikes. I've missed Ai-Fa for the first time!... Hey, Donda, why did Dad let you bring Totos to Fa's house?

Stared at with Limi-Luu's bright watery eyes, Ama Min-Rutim mumbled "It's..." uncommonly.

"Um... such a thing would be made into meat with wings, and I would take on the role with joy and courage if it were the kamadoku number of Fa's house," I said.

"Yeah? Put this toss in the meat, is it?

I didn't think, I looked up at the tip of the talked Lord's long neck.

Far above, Totos is tilting his head properly.

It is a face smaller than the size of the figure, but still about the same size as a human being.

The slightly downward curved couch is huge and horrible, but has a surprisingly humorous face. Big eyes with only black eyes have long eyelashes, and sleep like camels and giraffes.

"Hey, if it's about the size of a little bird, it's going to be hard if it's this big... if it's just the size, isn't it more than a giva"

As I lowered my gaze as I said it that way, Limi-Luu was once again taking it to Totos' feet.

Earlier, a water-colored eye staring at Ama Min-Rutim staring at me as she wept for some reason.

"... Totos, are you going to eat it?

"Huh?"

"Does Asta eat this toss?

Your face, too, is completely crying.

When I lost my words and looked back at Ama Min-Rutim, she also looked in trouble and said, "What shall we do?" I've been asking.

Ama Min-Lutim must have seen Limi-Lu haunt and just couldn't tell him that.

But this is food and education. Gibba eats but Totos has no sense of pity! I didn't even have the muscles to insist...

"Uh, I guess this was originally the belongings of the castle humans, so isn't it a bad idea to eat that on your own? If we go down to town, we'll be in touch with Camua-Josh, so why don't we ask him to pick it up?

"Right. I think that's right."

Ama Min-Rutim also breathes as relieved.

but rimi-luu still cried beforehand.

"... Totos, are you giving it back to town?

"Huh? No, 'cause you can't even keep this guy by the woods, can you? If you're this big, you wouldn't be fooling around with just your feed bill."

"Right. You won't be allowed to invite the beasts outside to the woods without the permission of the chief."

The words of me and Ama Min-Lutim finally flood with tears from Limi-Luu's eyes.

I looked into Ama Min-Rutim's eyes and took a deep sigh.

◇

The next day is the 21st of the blue moon.

"Oh, there's tototos by the woods? What a strange story that is!

Camua visited the store before I picked up Jomtien, so I just decided to discuss one of yesterday's events.

"Well sure, there's no hunger in the woods, and if it was flat, I could run faster than Giva, and I wonder if one or two tototosses survived then.... So what kind of dish is Asta going to cook in Totos?

"No, no, no. Such a giant bump is in my hands. Besides, people by the woods won't be interested in Totos meat or anything. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to ask someone to bring me to town, so could you please pick it up from Camua?

"Mm-hmm. If Asta and the others are in trouble, though there's a lot of desire to help. But, yeah, there's no tototos by the woods... hey, I guess it just lacks fun to give it back to town?

Camua laughed a lot.

He's the kind of guy who laughs all the time, but be careful when he laughs this way.

"You don't need anything interesting. If Totos roughs up the grace of the forest, it's important, and I want to give it back to you as soon as possible, I..."

"The only thing Totos eats is the leaves of tall tree branches. A leaf as soft as it is seems to be edible for the most part, and never speaks of fruit or insects. Then I wonder if it's possible to coexist with Giva?

"It wouldn't make sense to let Giva and Totos coexist"

"Then I'll say it again. Is it possible to coexist with Totos and the people by the woods?

I don't know exactly what that means.

When I stared back at that elongated face with plenty of suspicion, Camua raised the corner of her mouth in such delight.

"No, Totos is a handy one, isn't it? Meat and eggs are also quite delicious, but it would not be too much to say that there was no prosperity for mankind without totoss. The power is strong, the legs are fast, and the personality is submissive and rarely violent. Let him pull the load. All right, let him run on top. If you connect it to the right tree, you can eat on your own, and then you can live as long as a human being. Totos has been a good partner to humans since ancient times."

"No, but..."

"Then here's the question. How long does it take on human feet to get from the Sauti family at the south end of the forest to the Zaza family at the north end, Asta?

This is another abrupt shift in the subject.

I replied with great caution, "I have heard that you are far enough from leaving with dawn to reach Jomtien."

From the north edge to the south edge of the forest, it seems to take about six hours.

"I see. But if we could get Totos on board, that travel time would be reduced from a third to a quarter. It should also be possible to reduce time if you work out faster."

"... ha"

"I think it's a really great story to have a chieftaincy muscle in three houses. And the idea of holding the leading families of the north and south accountable so that they can reach the mistletoe by the forest is also wonderful.... but isn't it hard to come and go with the elderly Sauthi and Zaza families for half a day one way? Well, it would have taken a lot of work to get the chiefs to talk to each other when things went wrong, wouldn't it?

That is exactly what it is. That is why Dari-Sauti was also to stay in the Rutim family, close to the Ruu family, in order to keep in close contact with Donda-Lu.

Roughly two hours from the Lou family to the Sauti family. Roughly four hours from the Lew family to the Zaza family. Based on the Lew family, which houses roughly the central part of the woodland, it takes about that long to reach both ends of the north and south.

"This is my theory, though. I think it's the speed at which information is communicated that determines the degree of human civilization. Humans were able to build this much civilization by making Totos their friend. Without Totos, it would be difficult for the four kingdoms to even travel to and from your country. If Moribe wants more power and richness, I wonder if there's any way Totos won't help."

"No, but isn't it such an easy story to get through Totos? Besides, I can't imagine Totos running around the woods."

"I do need the right physical ability to get through Totos, though. The people of the woods will be able to ride without any bitterness. I wonder if it would be possible to manipulate him like a limb in a few days."

Camua's laughter does not disappear.

"Besides, let me tell you in advance, there's no proof that tototos is our totototoss, Asta."

"Huh?"

"The tototoss I used at that time was meant to be wiped out by Giva, so I had a lot of trouble pressing the baking mark. There is no ownership of tototos without baking marks. Even if he keeps his reins on, he should be treated like a wild toss. So, on the assumption that you have no obligation to return it to us, why don't you think about that treatment of Totos again?

"No, but, um..."

"All you have to do is connect him to a tree outside during the day and let him in the house only at night. I don't usually take care of anything, so it wouldn't even get in the way, would it? If I get in the way, that's what you have to meat. Well, unless you get hurt or old and can't work, there's no way Totos gets meaty in town. Hey. That's how valuable a workforce is called Totos! Why don't you think you've been fooled and live with Totos?

"... even if those of you who have been cheating on us for decades have told us that..."

"You've already apologized so much for that!

Keeping a grip on the near-eating 'Gibba Burger', Camus spread his arms and took a mourning posse.

Well, it's a playful thing to do.

"Okay. Hey, be me, I'll think positively. But if the parents or the chiefs disagree, I'm not going to go against it. Don't expect too much."

"Right or right. No, I don't think anyone would disagree if they found out how convenient Totos is? Now the people by the woods will get more power!

I smiled at him once more.

"Um, I don't know, but I guess you didn't leave Totos in the woods in anticipation of this happening, did you?

"Yeah? I can't buy that one! I can't imagine Totos surviving in the harsh Morga Forest of Giva!

That said, Camua had a very untrustworthy face and laughed like a Cheshire cat.