185 (9) Reunion without appearance

Upon completion of his work in the Xuanrong Pavilion and the Great Tree Pavilion in the South, he had since promised Milan-Math and his daughter a cooking guide in the Tail Pavilion of Kimmus.

The stall is less than an hour away from closing.

Some time was cut off because I was exchanging words with Michelle from Turan, but it would be enough for a small hand check. For the first few days, it should be a period of time, first of all, for me to become the flesh of Karon and Kimmus.

Although my conversation with Michelle has led me to have different thoughts again, I focus first on my work. If I get caught up in the clutter and leave my job alone, I get yelled at by I-Fa - or something like that, while I think about it, I sneak a sneak peek at the parents walking through the straw, and somehow I-Fa was the darker face.

"... hey, what's wrong, Ai-Fa?

I whispered as I walked down the stone streets, and Ai-Fa has, of course, given me an unreliable gaze.

Truly, it is a weak expression at all times.

"Sticky, I don't care. I just got a little upset when I heard about that guy named Michelle."

"Oh, how come again? You're worried I might get my arm cut off or something?

"I will never let such imitation happen. Don't speak ill-gotten words lightly, you lying prick."

"Then what is it?... Oh, no way, you're not worried about me following Michelle's advice to get out of Genos, are you?

To the words, too, Ai-Fa shook his head plumply.

It's kind of a childish trick.

"There's no way you're leaving Genos abandoning the people by the woods. It would be the same act of trampling your pride and readiness to do so."

"Oh, you're right. If not, I'm relieved."

"... it just made me a little nervous. I wonder if there's enough charm in this life to keep you connected."

Ey-Fa's fingertips grab my T-shirt soot all the time.

"You've been connecting with different people, but it's this me who's been with you for the longest time. Can being with me be that much luck to you - it still doesn't completely quench your anxiety"

"No, so..."

"I know. Whenever I have the same anxiety, you have dispelled it. I'm not doubting your truth.... I guess it's still my own weakness that makes me feel so anxious"

That said, I = fa got depressed without power.

Even last night, when you tell me that my happiness is only in place of I-Fa, don't you remember because you were drunk or still just don't get rid of your anxiety?

Whatever it is, if you've become anxious, just cover it up as many times as you want.

"It's okay. I will never leave Genos. No matter what troublesome opponent Cycleus is, it's not enough to be afraid with the Ai-Fas, is it?

As I said, I let myself lay my hands on Ey-Fa's hand grabbing the T-shirt.

It is an eye-fa who stares at my face once more and then shakes his neck this time with momentum.

"It made me look on the weak side. I'm ashamed to be a parent."

"I'm not ashamed of you. I don't think I can help but stir up anxiety if I'm in danger."

But the truth is, there's not a specific danger looming on me.

Michelle just told me to be careful because if Cycleus ate my dishes, he would surely be seen as a cook.

How many times have I thought about it, I don't even think Cycleus would be interested in Giva cooking, and in this situation where the next Lord Merfrid has declared half a war in the first place, there won't be any loose ends on me or anything like that. It's a story about whether it's important to preserve yourself or improve your gastronomic taste.

"But you were recognized for your skill by a man who held a cook in Castle Town. That's all you have to remember about your liver, Asta."

With a face that managed to restore the majesty of its parents, Ai-Fa said so.

However, that hand still holds my T-shirt in the back.

"That's certainly an honorable story. Still, I don't think Cycleus and I will ever get a chance to face each other again."

I didn't even know how optimistic the dialogue was, so I answered.

Even if Cycleus himself didn't want such a thing to happen, he said he would fall in any way, such as the fate of the Son of Man, if it were in God's hands, which he liked to joke about - it wasn't until a little later that we learned that fact.

Either way, I'm not done with my work today.

So much less, we arrived at Kimmus's Tail Pavilion.

"I didn't run into anyone at all.... Then I'll follow you inside, Ai-Fa, even here?

To Rudd-Lou's words, Ai-Fa put his lips together, "I know," he said. but manage to contain it and stand a little further from the inn entrance.

Sin-Luu and the branch boy circled over the back door, and I knocked over the door with three Rud-Luu and Vina-Lu.

"Oh, are we finally here," Milan-Math stands up at the reception desk.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, and I was supposed to take a breath.

Milan-Math noticed an unusual look.

"Duh, what's wrong? Is something wrong, Milan-Math?

"Nothing. I just can't say."

Milan-Math was looking like he was desperately screwing with his anger.

I'm not just angry. The face was completely bloody, angry and at the same time exhausted.

"I just put my daughter out shopping. Then they were surrounded by the unreliable people in town - and they almost figured it out."

"What!? So, was your daughter okay?

"Oh. One of the guests who happens to be using our inn was there, and the guards came while they were at it, and the scoundrels fled."

I'm sure that's one of the Guardians who was guarding the Milan-Math people by pretending to be guests.

"Really..." I breathed relief while offering my heartfelt gratitude to Camus for his extraction.

But the conversation wasn't over yet.

"At that time, it seems, the villains were saying this. Don't be ashamed to put your shoulders in the woods and get paid for it."

"... how could a town unreliable do such a thing!?

I put my hand on the reception desk and stuffed it in Milan-Mouth.

Milan-Math responds with a voice trembling with passion.

"Few humans still see the people by the forest as their enemies. There are no big circumstances or reasons, just people who are despised or scared of the dark clouds.... Well, if you think about it, maybe there are still more humans out there with Red Beard's son who resents the people by the woods for a reason."

"What are the chances that they're Zida's people, too?"

"It won't. I'm guessing a mercenary scumbag or something at work was going to make you worry about the forest folks."

Am I?

But last night, Dora's father was attacked by bandits who disguised the people by the woods.

This is a harder time to think of as a coincidence.

But even when I told him about Dora's father, Milan-Math just shook his head "it would be coincidence".

"My daughter was not attacked by the people who made the people of the woods. They're both folks by the woods, but the content is different."

"But either way, aren't the impressions the victims get together? It would be unfortunate to be involved with the people of the woods."

"Whose interest would it be to do that? Are you a nobleman? A remnant of the Red Beard Party? What good would it do to disrupt the relationship between the people of the lodging town and the people of the woods?

That could certainly be true.

One of Dora's father's cases seemed like a conspiracy to discredit the existence of the people by the woods - but what can you find in attacking Milan-Math's daughter?

One thing I can think of is to frustrate the stall business.

It is an extraordinarily unpleasant imagination, but if both Milan-Math and Dora's father put their love into it, it would be difficult for me to continue my business.

But also, even if it becomes difficult, it doesn't get to frustration.

Vegetable sales and lodging to rent stalls all exist in this lodging town. If you really want to make me give up my business, there's no other way to continue this harassment until I'm done loving you from all of them.

If you want to disrupt my business, wouldn't there be as many more effective ways?

Or is it, after all, that we are reaching out to the people of the town because it is difficult to reach the people directly by the woods?

"Whatever it is, you can leave those villains to the guards. It's their job to catch sinners. We just have to think about our business."

As I said, Milan-Math turned his back on me.

"Then we'll get to work. My daughter just doesn't feel right, so I'm the only one who's gonna let her deal with me for today."

"No, Milan-Math, shouldn't we withhold that job for a while too? If this were to strike Milan-Math or your daughter again, I'd be sorry."

"What, so you're transferring the stall contract to the other lodgings too?... or give up the business itself in Accommodation Town?

With my back turned to me, Milan-Math said low.

On the back of Milan-Math, which is not even that big, the fire of anger is clearly relaxed.

"So again, you guys are gonna sneak into a woodland settlement and live without connecting to anyone in town? Are you satisfied with that?

"No, but..."

"Even if this is the wickedness of the nobles and the bandits, will they be crushed by such a thing? This is a commercial town, a lodging town. Don't let that get in the way of my business."

That's how Milan-Math disappeared into the kitchen.

Whether I should or should not go after it, when I was alone and bored - "Go, Asta," Rudd-Lou shoved me in the back.

"You said it too, Ai-Fa. Your job is to cook delicious food, and to make a successful business in Inn Town. Leave the rest of the work to us."

Rudd-Lou laughed, as usual.

Laughing as usual, I'm burning a hunter's fire in those eyes.

"You said your father's daughter was saved, too. Does that mean that Camus fellow old man did his job? If you give up business, that would mean trampling other people's trust and pride, wouldn't it?

- Okay, I got it.

It's not just Rud-Lu or Camus. Even Dora's father and Milan-Math can say the same thing.

Even in dangerous eyes, I don't bend my way. With that readiness, I guess they're putting their hands on me.

If I were in their shoes, how would I have behaved?

Now that we're in a bad situation, would you think about taking a distance to blind the enemy for a second, or something?

Probably won't think about it.

If you are in a position to be harmed, you must continue to be willing to succumb to this.

(- Does that mean that everyone is mean to me, too? I think that's pretty terminal.)

With that in mind, I could have stepped out.

In the kitchen, Milan-Math was waiting in arms.

"... we were talking about you wanting to deal with caron and kimmus meat today, weren't we? We're ready."

At your father's feet, a large pot was seated.

Is it a kettle or a bottle? My mouth is wide open, and I can barely see a grain of blue rock salt packed in there.

"Yes, because first I have to know what Kimmus and Karon meat are. We want to start there."

"Right. Well, thank you."

Milan-Math takes a cylindrical hat and drips his head deep.

I took one big, deep breath to drain anxiety and agitation from my chest out of my body, then lowered my head just at the same angle and said "thank you".

"First of all, this is caron's meat"

Milan-Math sticks his finger in the bottle and pulls off a piece of red meat.

It's 15 centimeters long, 5 centimeters wide and about a centimeter thick, fillet of meat.

Almost lean, I don't see fatty fats. However, the white suzi runs thinly into the eye shape of the net.

This is the first time I've seen caron meat before baking, but it's a reddish shade like beef.

"Um, in Kimmus's Tail Pavilion, you generally use carons in stewed dishes, don't you? Baked food seems to be more mainstream in street food."

"We can use plates in the stalls. It would be quicker to cook and sell even hard caron meat"

"Caron's legs are stiff in flesh, aren't they? … excuse me for a moment"

I gently push my fingertips against the pieces of flesh placed on the table.

Stiff or still seems too much suzi. As for the feel, it seemed more like snake or shoulder meat than cattle momomo meat.

"That's a lot of suzi. Is this how you sell it in a split state?

"No, it's a bigger chunk when you buy it. He thinly slices it and then soaks it in salt so it won't bother him later."

"Really? Now when I get the chance, I'd like to see the state of that chunk as well. Because it could change a lot the way you cut it first. … let's beat it with a stick of wood or something first"

"Beat it with a stick of wood?

Borrow a diagrammatic thick stick for stirring from Milan-Math, who whisks his eyebrows like a scratch, and carefully beat the meat into a clean cloth basket.

"If you crush the fiber of the meat, the hard meat can also be tender."

Beating it until it was about half a centimeter thick made it a lot softer.

But I can still feel lumps everywhere, so I'll punch them with a meat cutting knife.

This would also be an essential task, but too much was going to tear the meat apart.

"All right, now let's bake a little.... By the way, should I carefully bake carons?

"No. Because they can eat fresh carons raw. You don't need to bake as carefully as Kimmus. Overcooking should make it extra hard"

"Really?"

In the meantime, I dropped a large bite of fillet into the iron pan and pulled it up to the wood dish with a little redness remaining.

On the outside, it is identical to the roasted beef of a cow, and the aroma is close to it.

Isn't the finish usually appetizing?

But when I threw him in one slice - because of his low body fat or the flesh of the pasa, the remaining suzi got stuck between his teeth.

The flesh would not be as hard as Gibba. but this is too much suzi. Beat it all up. In this case, it might not be very suitable for baked dishes after all.

However, the flavor of meat can be felt on the other side of the strong saltiness, even if it is crispy and full of suji.

Sure, this is more meaty than a simmering dish.

"Hmmm...... I've tasted the street food before too, but that guy was so thinly sliced that it was never that hard to eat, was it? How do you slice that thin?

"I don't know much about it, but I'm probably cooking it and then cutting it. It can't be cut so thin as it is raw."

"Oh, I see"

Kebab's stall floats behind his brain as he sees it on his hometown edge and so on.

Oh, do you do that, are you scraping off pieces of meat from the baked end?

Then let's try the finesse in the raw state.

Stretch the caron's meat flat onto the plate and insert the knife so that it is perpendicular to the meat's fibers. As soon as possible, the knife will creep up from the bottom.

"That's just a brilliant arrangement," he says, raising his voice as Milan-Math would.

When I asked Milan-Math to practice with his own sword to try it, it still seemed possible to cut it into about seven or eight millimeters of fineness.

Originally crushed meat to a thickness of about 5mm, so a little meat becomes a little pile.

"Okay, let's bake this with fruit liquor and myrmu flavoring"

Myrmu chops it thoroughly and puts it through fire with the meat, and finally flavors it with fruit liquor.

Pulling it up to a wooden dish, it looked like a chinjaolo su without vegetables.

"Oh, you're a lot easier to eat than you normally cook"

Milan-Math, who tasted, opens his eyes to surprise.

"Besides, I didn't know just adding fruit liquor and myrmu would make it taste so much better... just to be clear, I don't mind serving it to customers like this"

"Karon seems to go with Myrmu because the meat tastes good. If you fry with aria or pra or tino or something, you might dress up pretty good"

For the thought of the occasion, it could have been quite a finish.

However, there would still be room for improvement in flavouring. Try soaking the meat in pickled juice like "Meermoo Grill" or combining other seasonings - because I don't use Pico leaves, I somehow feel like I haven't had enough punches.

(But if it's an inn town, Pico leaves are also paid for. Tau oil can't be obtained without going through Naudis)

This is quite an ingredient that seems to be worth the effort.

But time was running out, so that's all we had to do to verify Karon.

"Well, I'll give you a little bit of Kimmus meat too."

Milan-Math nodded and stuck his thick arm in the bottle again.

What dragged me away was a flipped, whitened meat.

"This one's the torso, this one's the flesh of my feet"

The legs were boned and had a appearance that was not significantly different from the momomo meat of such a large swaying hen.

But the torso is more - not very bird-like. It is a shape reminiscent of the torso of a four-legged beast that has been broken in half. It is about the size of a smaller rabbit.

"Is this the only part? In my hometown, wings are also deliciously cooked."

"Wings? You mean wings? There are few parts of my head that I can use, so I'm supposed to leave it at the Kimmus store."

"Head? I'll leave my wings with my head, too, you mean?

"Kimmus' feathers are stuck to his head, so I guess it's natural."

A bird with wings on its head.

My poor imagination didn't allow me to visualize it well.

Well, the quality of the food doesn't improve where I imagined Kimmus in his lifetime.

"Kimmus meat is also baked, isn't it?

"Oh, Kimmus isn't as hard as Caron."

I remember the flesh of Kimmus was pale as a scissor. It's an honest feeling that instead of being easy to handle, it doesn't taste good.

Mune and Momo are less fat and have been peeled off. Simply simmering or baking this would inevitably not taste.

When asked, the skin of Kimmus can be processed as skinned, so it becomes a lot more expensive to buy it as it is skinned.

(Then I guess it feels soaked in seasoning after all. If you fill holes with iron skewers and let them inhale moisture, you should be able to ease that crunchy addition and subtraction as well)

I just can't take the time to marinate the meat in the few dozen minutes left.

I wondered if there was a novel cooking method that I could try all the time on this occasion, and I thought - like a heavenly revelation, it flashed.

"That's right! Milan-Math, don't you have any extra Guigo?

"Gigo? Oh, you still had the extra one to use with the braised carons"

Do they boil carons similar to cattle snake meat and gigo together when they are potatoes?

I've never spoken of that dish, but I wonder about it as a combination. If you think of it as a stewed beef sushi dish, you might be able to show them around.

Whatever it is, it is now Kimmus. As far as simmering dishes are concerned, let me verify them when I have a little more time.

"There's something I'd like to try. Can you put the fire on again?

I was mincing 100 grams of Kimmus' mune meat on which guideline, mixed it with a small amount of guinea pig grate, and rubbed a small piece of crust.

When you throw it into a hot pan, the light peach meat quickly turns white.

The baking surface snapped into the iron pan because there was no oil, and caution was needed when flipping it, but I could still cook it without breaking it down.

"What about this? Milan-Math would like a taste, too."

The texture was quite something.

The Guigo connection alone weakens the stickiness and breaks loose more easily than the crust I know.

And the seasoning is only the salt that was marinated, so I knew it wouldn't taste like a rush.

However, isn't this refreshing taste quite ingenious and worthwhile?

"This is, uh, the same dish you're selling in the street, right? This softness is rare and may call for a reputation - but I'm sure people who've eaten your dishes won't feel enough."

"Right. But I think if we devise flavoring, we'll be able to bring a different flavor to Hamburg."

If I can use tau oil again, I can solve this with teriyaki - but the seasonings that I can use are rock salt and fruit liquor, and Myrmu alone, which may be a little difficult.

Tarapa's sauce won't be the best combination, and all the more so, it must reveal a difference with 'Giva Burger'.

Once again, I was saddened by the potential of Giva meat.

Giva meat is delicious enough just to be cooked covered with salt and pico leaves, and also has an unbeatable presence even with strong flavoring. That's why we were able to make dishes that looked like cooking even in an environment where there weren't enough seasonings up to this point.

Plus, there's hardly anything called fat on Caron's leg or Kimmus. I guess in this inn town where you don't find anything called cooking oil, you can earn a lot of advantages just by saying that you have Giva lard.

"This is a little homework, isn't it? I'd like to go around the dewstore and find some vanilla that fits Kimmus' meat."

"Vanilla?

"Yes, because if the flavor is thin, I think it will be possible to mix the delicate flavor of vanilla with the way it is eaten."

In short, if we could discover vanilla with a flavor close to the great leaves, we would have captured the image of this Kimmus crust that would be delicious.

If you chop it up and rinse it into meat, you might be able to boil it or cook it.

Or would no fruit exist that resembles plums?

If tau oil is not available, it is best served refreshed with such Japanese-style tailoring.

"After that, you'd also like to try sauces based on fruit liquor. It also feels a little sweet to flavor this Kimmus meat.... Ah, it might also go with the sour fruit juice on the seal. Actually, I'm exploring the use of seal fruit at home right now."

"... you look a lot more fun," Milan-Math shrugged his shoulder.

"That's how you just have to be encouraging to do your job. You should be more thankful to God for making it so enjoyable."

◇

I was able to get the job done safely even at Kimmus's Tail Pavilion while I was going to bring back various homework.

A couple of days at this rate would also allow us to devise quite a bit of dedication. It's a strange story, but it's definitely a rewarding job, developing a dedication that can counter Giva's cooking.

(Plus, I could feel it clearly. After all, Gibba's meat is an extraordinarily superior ingredient to Kimmus and Karon's feet)

That means it's the finest meat ever handled in this lodging town.

Besides, Gibba's meat is rarer than carons and chimus that are farmed on the ranch.

Then, as long as we can dispel the bad image of Gibba and the people by the woods, there should also be a way to increase the value of Gibba meat.

Ultimately with that kind of fullness in my chest, I could take Gill's reins.

Let's go back to the woods.

There are also plenty of heavily distracting topics, such as the misfortune of visiting Dora's father and Milan-Math's daughter, and the bad rumors of Cycleus obtained from Michele of Turan.

Still, I had to fight it my way.

Along with our beloved forestside compatriots.

"We'll take the lead again. You're not leaving much, are you?

Rudd-Loo and Sin-Lu on Lulu go first.

Ai-Fa snapped right behind your podium, and the boy from the branch lined up behind the carrier.

But - at the end of the day, we were going to be bewildered.

Within minutes of following the road to the woodland, Rudd-Lou said, "Wow! And he lifted up his voice, and brought Lulu to a sudden halt.

Fortunately, it was side-by-side. I was able to squeeze Gilru's reins without having to rush into Ruulu.

"Back off, Asta!" I am dragged to the rear carriage, along with the anger of Ai-Fa.

Instead, I danced out to your podium, ai-fa, while taking Gilr's reins, "What's wrong, Rudd-Lou!?," he exclaimed further.

"They shot an arrow at my foot! From the top!

Needless to say, Rudd-Lou shakes his favorite bamboo.

Indeed, when I saw it, a wooden arrow had been poked deep on the ground at the toe of Ruulu's feet.

"Who! Come out! Show yourself, you coward!

Rud-Lew looks overhead as he relieves the mood of tearing.

Around the top of the shrub, the branches swayed only slightly.

And - "... you abominable woodland people..." comes down a resentful voice.

"That voice is Zida, isn't it? Let's start by showing ourselves.... and listen to our words"

Ai-Fa, who instantly regained his calm with the spiritual power of steel, also calls overhead.

No reply.

"We have no desire to harm you. It's not too late to exchange words."

Silence.

"... hey, you resent the fact that your father was executed on behalf of a major sinner by the woods? Then I want you to listen to us."

Whether you have been impressed by the Ai-Fa or the passion has also disappeared from Rudd-Lou's voice.

"I am Rudd-Lou, the son of Donda-Lou, who became the new chief of the forest. And ten years ago it was the Sung family humans who were the chieftains by the woods before they committed the great sin. Why don't you start by exchanging words with my father Donda-Lou?

Silence.

"We didn't realize the Sungs were so guilty. So at least as a atonement, I swore that from now on, I should live right without a single sin. I don't even intend to shirk my responsibilities because the Sung family was the only ones to blame. I want you to give us a chance to freak out."

"... how come you guys are doing business in Inn Town...?

A voice that sounds like it is desperately suppressing a grumpy, fierce rage.

"... killed dozens of merchants and impersonated my father and his companions for that sin. Why do you look so big in Inn Town laughing so loudly...?

"So he wants you to know how we feel. If you can't forgive the people by the woods on top of that - then you might have to exchange swords. We're not gonna get killed in silence, either."

Rudd-Lou lowered the swinging bamboo, adding:

"But I'm not going to take your feelings lightly. Why don't you try exchanging words with the new chiefs until you're convinced?

"... the people of the woods are my enemies..."

There were signs of a distant voice.

I guess I'm going to fail the raid and disperse.

Reflectively, I get myself up on your stand.

"Wait! Are you the one who's been causing disaster to the people in town who are so close to us in the last few days? If so, I want you to stop involving unrelated people!

but the bushes rocked violently.

It also felt like it was manifesting the upset of the person within it.

"If it's not, that's fine. I mean, I'm sorry I made that argument. But we..."

A breeze broke past my nose.

An eye-fa knife wrapped in a leather sheath swung away in front of me.

The moment I perceived yes, the arrow that was bounced fell to the ground.

"Don't say something I don't understand... why should I do such an imitation...?

He was so angrily trembling that he was likely to hear the tone of his giggling teeth.

Running up my spine as my feelings of fear and relief tease me in complexity.

"If I didn't doubt it, I'm so sorry! That's all I wanted to make clear at first. Involving unrelated people was the most unforgivable thing for us."

"I can't forgive you... you're the one I can't forgive right now, you brunette giva eater..."

Again, the tone of tearing air sounds.

Ai-Fa flashed the knife again, this time an arrow snapped in the middle fell to the ground.

"Stop it! Are you turning your hatred on Asta!?

Once calmed down, the voice of Ey-Fa is regarded as a sound of passion.

"Asta is a newcomer who has become a forest folk in the last few months! She has nothing to do with the incident ten years ago! There's got to be no reason anywhere for you to hate Asta!

"Don't be ridiculous... if it hadn't been for him, you wouldn't have looked so big in town... shameless to empower the people by the woods..."

"The people by the woods, not all of them are sinners! How long have you been working on a case from ten years ago? Do you know that all those murderers have already lost their lives?

The rush and bush swayed violently at my words.

"All of them... lost their lives...?

"Oh yeah. That's why we're plotting to avoid repeating the same mistakes, trying to reveal all the truth. Even if the sinners who actually laid down their hands were executed, there might be someone behind them who ordered it!

"Oh no... no use trying to fool me with such nonsense..."

"It's not bullshit! That's why we even want to join forces with you! Not just you, but your mother, too!

After a long silence, the edges of the stirrups sway again.

"... I will never forgive my father for his vengeance..."

Now his voice was clearly distant.

I'm sure he passed on the branches and moved to another tree.

"I guess it's no use chasing him," Rudd-Lou tongues.

This is already the edge of the woods. Besides, there were so many scissors around here that it was even difficult to step outside the cut paths.

Thus the second encounter with Zida ended lightly without face-to-face contact.

"But you weren't very handy. He doesn't even seem to know one thing about the Zazz-Sungs right now, does he?

That's what Rudd-Lou said as he put the ox back on his hips.

"If you know what's going on, you're going to listen to us for a little while. In the meantime, let's be careful not to shoot an arrow through the window while you're asleep, Ai-Fa."

"Uhm," Ai-Fa scowls at me, putting the knife back in his elusive face.

"Asta, don't disturb your mind. Whatever you say, your presence is the medicine of the people by the woods."

"Oh," I nodded back.

Zida's words are eating deep into my chest.

But still, I couldn't bend the way I thought I was right.

(What the Zazz-Sungs have done is absolutely unacceptable. But that's why it shouldn't make any sense for all the forestside people to have to shrink down and live)

I want that boy named Zida to know everything about the Sung family, about the nobles, about the people by the woods.

On top of that, God alone knows what conclusions he draws. I knew I couldn't be in any way hostile to Zida, who was caught up in so much hatred, whether she was 13 or 4 years younger.

(I want to exchange words properly again. Before someone's blood bleeds out -)

Painfully, I thought so.