Noon
Arriving at the village Michael feels dejected. his 3-month effort only got him a meal of Alma lizard, which to be fair is the most delicious thing he has ever eaten, but still, thinking about the amount of meat he got robbed of doesn't make him feel good.
Gurara led him through the village that is bustling with traffic. The Boniha village is the only village on the island so the people in it felt very close to each other. With a population of around 1500 people, the village is quite big.
There's a food vendor and some fruit they sell. Usually, it's goods from their island that get into the market. The village mostly relies on fish as the main food source due to the uniqueness of Boniha island.
The most famous food of the boniha is the Alamagagon Grilled fish. The main ingredient is, of course, a fish that is seasoned with Alma fruit but what makes the dish unique is the flavor that combines when the fish and alma fruit is mixed along with an eathly salt that's only available on boniha island making it a go-to dish for a celebration.
Furthermore, the dish could be served together with veggies, other fish, and Boniha lemon wine making the dish more special.
"Let's go to Youla's rest."
Gurara decides to take Michael to one of the restaurants serving the dish today. to celebrate his hunt. Gurara feels that Michael should be rewarded for a job well done even if it was stolen. Michael eagerly follows following after hearing that.
"I don't have to go to school today?"
Usually, Gurara is adamant about him going to school. For some reason, Gurara didn't want him to miss it and he didn't object to it because of how scared he was.
"um..." Gurara strokes his chin and answers "I'll let you skip it this day. Let's have a meal to celebrate your hunt."
"...Thank you"
They both enter the tree tavern and are greeted with all kinds of food that are served at the table. Since lunch just finished the Tavern is still bustling with people who are still eating food or exiting the place. Gurara and Micheal find empty seats and call in the waitress to order their food.
Silence befell them as they don't know what to talk about. One of them is too scared to speak while the other doesn't know how to talk to Micheal. With his daughter, Gurara would joke around and boost her morale but with Micheal, It's doesn't seem easy.
Last time he jokes with the kid. Michael was just straight-up terrified and didn't answer him. He tried this a couple of times but the result is Michael getting more scared. He truly doesn't know how to talk to the kid.
Before long the waitress comes back with a big plate full of grilled fish with yellowish fruit along with other veggies. They are presented in an appetizing way highlighting the fish. Michael looks at the dish with sparkling eyes.
He look up to get permission from Gurara and the old man nodded. They start to dig in. The Alma fruit aid the fish to make it more tender combines with Boniha salt making this dish instantly flavorful. The juiciness of the fish meat hit their tongue and felt a jolt of delight from its taste.
Truly worthy of being Boniha's signature dish!
Other than the main dish, they also have some incredible side dishes like deep-fried alma fruit with tomato sauce or a Humber salad that's served with additional Boniha salt for extra flavors.
While eating the food Michael notice that the tavern became quieter so he look around. There is a commotion outside about a group of young kids hunting some monster. Normally this wouldn't impress anyone but this group of kids hunts a total of 3 small monsters.
Which is quite a feat for a group of 4, twelve to thirteen years old kids. They brought them in with a wooden wagon.
"Uncle Youla! We brought a feast!"
This is another way of saying that they would bring enough games to pay for everyone's meals and throw a great celebration to mark a successful hunt.
Usually, Michael would be quite content.
He has previously attended a Youla feast. Although Michael enjoys the party a lot and finds it to be quite nice, he is unimpressed by the hunt.
Not because they were weak monsters, but rather because he recognized one of the monsters they brought in. It is an Alma lizard that has several holes in it.
It's his Alma lizard!
"Graha!" before Gurara could stop it, Michael yell out in rage. This is his work and he's not gonna let someone has it!
Even if he had the urge to run away from Graha, the feeling of losing his three-month work gave him the courage to confront his bully.
"Hm?" Hearing a familiar voice Graha turn around a see Michael pointing at him. He chuckles. "Oh if it isn't our adorable Michael. What's the problem?"
"T...That's my hunt! You stole it!!"
"??"
Graha laughs at this sight. Michael just called him out with a shaking yet aggressive voice while pointing at one of his hunts that is poked full of holes.
"Oh Michael, you must be mistaken because... this is an alma lizard that I hunt this morning with my friends, could you prove that this is yours? I doubt that your frail body could hunt this monster." Graha said mockingly.
"W..well." Micheal stutter and think of conclusive evidence " There's a cut in the left back of the lizard! I cut it off because I couldn't carry the Alma lizard. I plan to go fetch it this morning with uncle Gurara but it's not there when we arrived!"
Hearing Michael's explanation Graha and his friend laugh among themselves.
"Michael, the cut at the back is made by me in the morning to celebrate with my friends. Your evidence could be made up simply by seeing the cut at the top. Is there more definitive proof that this is yours?"
"Michael you're so shameless to come up with such a dumb lie!"
"Maybe we should refresh your mind in the water again ahahaha" Graha's friends chime in.
As the conversation goes back and forth they gather quite a lot of the crowd. Naturally, they favor Graha's side of the story. Not only because he's the one that brings in the hunt but he's also the village chief's child and his strength is undeniable.
Michael doesn't know what to say. Even if he points out that the holes in the lizard's body are from his trap, no one is going to believe him.
Seeing the silence Graha walks up to Michael and stands in front of him. His bronze body, spiky black hair, and height of 160 cm made him very look terrifying in front of Michael who is only 140 cm high.
"Michael you claim that this hunt is yours right?"
"Y...Yes!"
"Then prove it with your strength. I challenge you to the arena!"
Graha's words cause an uproar in the crowd. Challenging someone in the area is a way for the warrior to settle their discontent. The winner not only wins the wager but also receives honors among the tribesmen.
"I don't..." Obviously, Michael can't win this fight. However, if he decline his reputation would fall below rock bottom and place him into the abyss. It's truly a sin to be weak.
"Damn, you are pathetic, can't even defend your honors. You claim that I stole your hunt but you can't back it up. No wonder you lost your parents..."
"Shut the hell up! You can't talk about my parents like that!" Michael's face darkens.
"Then accept my challenge. The winner gets the rights to this hunt while the loser gets disqualified from the upcoming trial."
"!?"
Everybody in the crowd is shocked including Michael. The condition is too outrageous. The upcoming trial decides whether you going to be an elite tribesman hunter or a normal villager. With a culture built around strength, the person who's leading them must pass this trial the first time they join!
Michael clearly has some ambition about this so he is reluctant to accept the challenge. Seeing the hesitation in Micheal's eyes, Graha tries to bait the answer out of Michael.
"You are..."
"That's enough!" a powerful voice stopped the conversation.
"tch. Gurara, this is not a place for an old man like you to butt in"
Gurara stops the dispute and grabs Michael's hand. He was about to walk out of the tavern but, before he could Graha said.
"I don't know how you could raise a beautiful girl like Layla and a Disappointment like Michael. Maybe losing your hand isn't worth it for a wimp like him."
Gurara stops walking and turns back "Kid don't overstep your boundaries. If it isn't for your father's name covering you. I would've pummeled your ass into the ground already."
Gurara shot a menacing place at Graha and then left the tavern with Michael still in his hand.