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“I am grateful for your kindness, Ai Fa. You’re always so angry, but you’re a very kind person.”
“I’m always angry because you keep putting me in a bad mood! Just don’t interrupt Asuta’s work!” Ai Fa shot back in a huff as she exited the kitchen.
As I got back to cooking, Yun Sudra leaned in close to me with a look of worry. “It feels like things have gone in a strange direction, huh? What are the leading clan heads going to do with her?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t imagine them deciding to take her life without a good reason, but still...we apparently can’t welcome her in as one of our people either, so I definitely can’t say there’s no reason to be worried.”
“Yeah. But even if leaving Morga is strictly taboo for them, it’s not like she did it on purpose. I hope they show her mercy.”
All of the people of the forest’s edge who had interacted with Tia had felt for her at least somewhat. Even Ai Fa was only irritated with her because she had injured me. If Tia hadn’t made that terrible mistake, my clan head’s attitude toward the girl would probably be totally different.
And even then, she decided to make a crutch for our new guest because she was worried about her broken leg. Ai Fa really is a kind person, I thought.
Yun Sudra smiled at me. “You’re thinking about Ai Fa, aren’t you, Asuta?”
“Huh? Wh-Why are you asking that?”
“There’s a certain look that you get in your eyes when you think about her, so it’s really easy to tell,” Yun Sudra replied, then she grabbed a box filled with giba manju and exited the kitchen.
As I felt my cheeks heating up a bit, I quickly got started on my next task. Tia, meanwhile, was standing silently up against the wall, gripping her grigee crutch.
Not long after that, we made the trip to the Ruu settlement in our wagon, where we found a huge crowd waiting for us. It looked like there were even people from the surrounding clans in the mix. And as soon as Tia appeared, they all started talking at once.
“Wow. She really is red all over!”
“But other than that, she looks like a totally normal person, doesn’t she?”
“No, I wouldn’t say she’s normal. She’s extremely well trained for such a young girl.”
All kinds of people—men and women, young and old—were making comments about her, and they had a wide variety of opinions. And then, the Ruu clan head Donda Ruu and his oldest son Jiza Ruu pushed through the crowd and approached us.
“So, this is the red savage? Thank you for bringing her,” Donda Ruu said with crossed arms as he stood in front of Tia.
She stared up at the hunter’s massive frame, using her grigee crutch to support herself, without even the slightest hint of fear showing on her face.
“Hmm. She really does have the feel of a wild animal about her... But you can understand human speech, can’t you?” he asked.
“I am a red person of Morga, and my name is Tia Hamura Namukal. I place myself in the care of the leading clan head of the forest’s edge, to face judgment for the taboos I have broken,” Tia replied, sending another commotion running through the crowd. Donda Ruu’s eyes blazed brightly, while Jiza Ruu’s remained narrowed as the two of them observed the small girl in front of them.
“I am one of the three leading clan heads of the forest’s edge, Donda Ruu of the Ruu clan. Our clan will look after you until the other two leading clan heads arrive.”
“Huh? Wait, you’re a leading clan head?” Tia asked, her eyes opening wide in utter shock.
Donda Ruu furrowed his brow suspiciously and replied, “That’s right. Is there something strange about me being a leading clan head?”
“Men never lead the villages of the red people.” There was yet more murmuring from all around. And actually, that was news to me as well. “Women work as hunters until they turn thirteen, and only those who survive are permitted to have children. After that, our women have as many children as possible, and one of us takes up the mantle of leader of our people. I was told that Ai Fa was the head of the Fa clan, so I thought the forest’s edge had the same custom of having women lead.”
“I see... So then, it was possible that you could have become the leader of the Namukal?”
“In another year, I would have turned thirteen and taken over as leader from my mother Hamura... After I perish, my younger sister will be chosen as our leader instead.”
There was no hesitation in Tia’s voice. It was abundantly clear that she was fully prepared to die.
“Hmm...” Donda Ruu pondered, stroking his beard. “Understood. The other leading clan heads and I will decide how you are to be dealt with. Until then, you may rest here at the Ruu settlement.”
Tia silently nodded. Baadu Fou then stepped forward beside her, carrying a bundle. He had used a separate wagon to come to the Ruu settlement as well because he felt responsible for this situation, having been the one who had picked up Tia in the first place.
“Donda Ruu, I’m deeply sorry for troubling you. I would like to give you this, along with the savage girl.”
“What is that? It’s quite big.”
“These are the remains of a beast called a peifei that this girl was hunting on Mount Morga. She said it would be a waste to just throw it away, so I brought it along.”
Since it was wrapped up in a large cloth, we weren’t able to see the strange beast at the moment. However, Donda Ruu was giving the bundle a suspicious look.
“It came down the river along with the red savage, didn’t it? Wouldn’t the meat have already gone bad after having been left out overnight?”
“Peifei won’t go bad in a single night. It would pain me to make your people share your food with me, so I thought I could eat its meat until the time comes for me to be judged,” Tia calmly responded. “I’d like to ask to have my knife back, so I can skin the peifei and cut up its meat. Would you permit that, leading clan head of the forest’s edge Donda Ruu?”
Donda Ruu slowly got down on one knee and stared into Tia’s eyes up close, and the girl met his gaze straight on. For ten whole seconds, they stared at one another, until Donda Ruu finally stood and said, “Very well. Give the red savage her blade back. But once you’re done, we’ll have you return it to us to take care of, as that is the custom here at our settlement.”
“Understood. I thank you for your kindness, Donda Ruu.”
Baadu Fou then took out another bundle, and opened it to reveal Tia’s blade inside. It was a rather primitive-looking weapon made of shiny black stone. After accepting it from him, the young girl sheathed it in her wooden scabbard with a smooth motion.
“Well then, the Ruu clan will now take the red savage into our care. You have done well, clan head of the Fou. Return home and see to your work.”
Baadu Fou gave a single bow in response, then he left in Fafa’s wagon.
Ai Fa, who was standing beside me, leaned in close to me and said, “Hey, I know I’ve told you this again and again, but don’t grow too attached to that girl. No matter what happens, she will never be one of our comrades.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll be back in time for dinner, okay?”
Ai Fa nodded and shot one last glare at Tia. Then she departed behind Baadu Fou. The rest of us who remained would be going to town to do business, so I said one last farewell to Tia. “I’ll see you later, all right? Make sure you keep your promise and behave yourself, Tia.”
“I understand. I will wait here until you return, Asuta.”
Donda Ruu and the other members of the main house then surrounded Tia and brought her over to their kitchen. As they were leaving, Sheera Ruu approached me from where she had been standing a short distance away.
“She’s quite strange, just like Ludo Ruu said. But I’m relieved to see that she doesn’t seem to have a wicked heart.”
“Yeah. If there’s one thing about her we can be certain of, it’s that. I hope that everything goes well and there aren’t any problems.”
“I’m sure it will be fine with the leading clan heads in charge. Now then, shall we head to the post town?” she said, and then turned around and headed toward one of the nearby wagons, with all the other women who were going to town doing the same.
When I saw Myme among them, I called out to her. “So you came to see Tia too, huh Myme? What did you think of her?”
“It was a big surprise to see that red savages look just like humans. But she doesn’t seem quite as frightening as a giba,” Myme replied with an earnest smile.
I then glanced over at the house she was staying at, and saw Mikel, Jeeda, and Bartha chatting as if nothing particularly interesting was happening.
Jeeda and Bartha aren’t from Genos, but Mikel and Myme are. And yet, they still don’t seem to have any kind of automatic fear of Tia.
Seeing their reaction gave me a reason to feel at least a little less worried. The leading clan heads couldn’t afford to let anyone’s personal feelings influence their decision, but if at all possible, I wanted them to choose a path that would make everyone happy. For now, though, all I could do was pray that things would turn out well.