Spice and Wolf - Volume 16 - Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

The sack tossed on top of the table stole their attention, for it belonged to Col, who should have been headed far away from there to the town of Kieschen.

The words highwayman, thief, and bandit immediately raced through Lawrence’s head. No matter how mighty Col’s spirit, it would have been useless before ruthless physical force.

But it was still odd. He could not piece things together in his head.

As Lawrence lifted his face, there was a slender man beside the table wearing a hood low over his eyes. Lawrence instantly searched his own memory, but the man’s silhouette did not fit any person Lawrence could recall. Moreover, Lawrence was confused at the lack of a malicious aura. If anything, the man somehow had a refined air about him.

Then, the mysterious person wandered on his way, as silent as a ghost. It did not even occur to Lawrence to give chase as the man slipped away from the table.

He regained his senses when Holo grabbed the sack on top of the table and rose from her seat.

He somehow managed to get one word in.

“…Wait.”

Holo’s eyes, eerily unblinking under her hood, turned toward him.

Stopping me now makes you as much of an enemy as he is, her anger told him.

“He shouldn’t have been alone. Where are the others?” said Holo.

She stared straight at Lawrence.

Her eyes seemed so full of anger there was no room for sympathy in them.

As Lawrence continued to squarely meet her gaze, Holo’s breaths grew progressively heavier. Her blood had rushed to her head; even she could not control herself very well. Her slender shoulders made great movements, as if she was feverish—but somehow she kept herself from exploding altogether.

She looked like a furnace, fed air with a bellows.

Reason finally returned to her eyes.

“Others?”

As he asked once more, Holo put a hand to her eyes, as if dizzy from waking up too quickly, and taking a deep breath, she looked around the area.

“I do not know. Gone most likely. Still.” Holo’s fangs shone under her lips. “It would not matter how many there are.”

Convincing her otherwise was impossible. Having instantly judged it to be so, Lawrence nodded.

He put what they owed the shopkeeper on top of the table, rose, and came alongside Holo as she walked.

“Let’s be certain. Is this really Col’s?”

At Lawrence’s question, Holo rustled the sack.

It was a familiar object, and indeed when Holo disturbed the sack, it smelled faintly of Col.

Holo’s nose would not mistake the scent surely.

Also, when he looked into the cord-drawn sack, he recognized the contents within: a few scraps of wrapped cloth, the deeds that had been used to swindle Col out of everything he owned, and a small amount of coin.

This was clearly no simple robbery, for there was no profit whatsoever in taking these things.

And whoever had taken Col knew about Holo.

“Can you follow them?”

Lawrence’s question actually brought a smile to Holo’s face.

“Had the land no end I’d still not let them escape.”

Holo walked down the busy street, full of confidence, as if making for a landmark. Though it was the dead of night, the town’s bustle remained in force.

However, the atmosphere had changed from good cheer to something sticky and lingering. Those wandering about were slurred in their speech, swaying as they laughed, swilling liquor that was hard to tell from horse piss.

Lawrence recalled the contents of a book written by a clergyman led on a visit to hell by an ancient saint. The people on the road leading to hell had given themselves over to the seven deadly sins as they sung the praises of this world’s false springtime. There were flowers of lava blooming, with prostitutes’ bodies as ripe as the fruit of the pomegranate, not even aware that they had died.

Lesko, the town governed by the Debau Company, had no nosy guilds spreading their regulations about. Anywhere else, the echoes of degenerate laughter and singing in this and that corner of the streets would have been considered criminal.

Now, even the stars and moon of the winter sky, once beautiful enough to make one’s breath catch, were concealed.

No doubt, someone looking down at the town from a distance would see it as though at the bottom of a boiling cauldron of crimson flames. Though the town had seemed full of hope and ambition just a short time ago, to Lawrence’s eyes, the atmosphere had now taken a turn. It was as if the tossing of Col’s sack onto the table had broken the spell.

Lawrence grasped Holo’s hand, walking past the drunks as if threading a needle.

The Debau Company had constructed this town with meticulous preparation, bottomless courage, and peerless sagacity and wit. The splendor of it had filled Lawrence with a feeling of pride as a fellow merchant. But this was plainly a constructed town. Picturing what was happening behind the scenes of such a great monolith, the employment of such vast amounts of financial profit and privilege, frightened him.

Holo gave a snort as she stopped in front of an alley.

They could see nothing, even as they peered in, for the bonfires made the alley’s darkness thicker than usual. It was an ideal place to set a trap.

“All the more convenient for makeshift measures.” As Holo spoke, she pulled out from her breast the pouch of wheat she wore about her neck, turning her head and cracking her neck. Evidently restraint would not be necessary.

Lawrence could only go along with her. He followed after Holo, carrying Col’s bag over his shoulder.

The alley demonstrated the growth of the town very clearly in that moment. Lacking even footpaths, the street had half-constructed houses on both sides, with construction materials piled up, apparently having been used for work until a short time earlier but now left exposed to the elements.

If viewed in the light of day, no doubt Lawrence would have thought this was the foundation of the town’s lively sense of hope.

However, viewing the scene in the dead of night, with snow remaining in various places, he felt like he was being shown the truth behind the curtains of that dazzling world.

As Lawrence held his breath, he went with Holo, who had no trouble walking in darkness. The street emptied into a small square. The square was surrounded by buildings with a well in the center. If the buildings had been sold and occupied, it would surely have been a very relaxing place in broad daylight.

However, right now, the piles of building materials and half-finished houses looked like the aftermath of a war.

And there was something unexpected on the lid of the well: a lone hare.

For a moment, Lawrence thought it must have escaped from a store somewhere, but the hare made no effort to run or hide.

Lawrence finally realized the hare’s eyes were filled with a look of intelligence, fully suited to comprehending human speech.

Holo took a very deep breath, barely managing to keep herself from flying at it in a rage.

“I apologize for saddening the bag’s owner.” So spoke the hare. In accordance with Lawrence’s initial impression, its speech was refined and articulate. “However, I have done him no harm. I would very much like to avoid such a circumstance.”

It would be better to let Holo judge the truth or falsity of that statement. What Lawrence needed to do was to remain as calm as possible and observe the entire situation.

“What is your objective?” Lawrence asked.

This could not be a simple play for money.

The other party was a talking hare, after all, and he knew about Holo.

“My comrades saw you prowling about Lenos. I had them discover what the intentions were of such a strange pair as a merchant and a wolf.”

“And what have you learned?”

At Lawrence’s courteous question, the hare’s ears immediately pricked. “We have need of a forbidden book—a technological manual.”

The wind of surprise only lightly patted his cheek. With the hare having gone out of his way to show Col’s bag to Lawrence and Holo, and their activities in Lenos having been observed, this declaration was entirely understandable.

“…For what purpose?”

“Not for any purpose hostile to the two of you, at the very least.”

Though that was no answer to Lawrence’s question and the words may have been meant to hold Holo at bay.

Holo seemed ready to pounce on the hare at the slightest provocation. Her small hand continued to clench the wheat pouch at her breast.

The hare gazed at Lawrence and Holo and spoke. “The northlands are in unprecedented peril.”

Lawrence took a sharp breath.

If his own judgment was correct, the forbidden book’s existence could be the spark to plunge the northlands into upheaval; he thought it highly unlikely it could save the land from peril.

“If we have the forbidden book, we may be able to avert this peril.”

The hare’s manner of speaking was logical. His pronunciation was correct and seemed appropriate to an individual of distinction.

However, the drawstring of Col’s sack had been sliced open. Lawrence did not think this was a conversation or a negotiation. It was intimidation, as if to say, What you may find atop the next table might well be his head.

“Just who are you?” Lawrence asked.

The words coming out of the hare’s mouth made Lawrence unwittingly lift his chin.

“Hilde Schnau. Treasurer of the Debau Company.”

In any trading company, the treasurer was the owner’s right-hand man. In the Debau Company, surely that meant someone of quite formidable status. A company of such large scale, an organization able to even issue its own currency, could without exaggeration be called a small country in its own right.

In other words, he was the right-hand man of a king.

Or was it all a lie?

As Lawrence shifted his gaze to Holo, Holo stood still right where she was.

It seemed that the hare calling himself Hilde spoke truly.

Lawrence swallowed his saliva a little. He then deliberately took three breaths.

One, two, three.

The contents of his head switched completely over to business.

“And why does Mr. Hilde require the forbidden book?”

“It is natural that you have suspicions. We are not ignorant of your objective, after all.”

If they had cast their net over Lenos, they may well have discovered that much. In particular, the Debau Company had dealings with numerous mercenaries. If mercenaries associated with the company were trailing Lawrence and Holo in the town of Lenos, it was far from unthinkable.

“However, having considered the various possibilities, the tale of the forbidden book is all that we have left to cling to.”

Lawrence did not know if a merchant of Hilde’s caliber, and the treasurer of the Debau Company no less, speaking in such a serious, urgent manner made his words worthier of trust.

But he did not think the hare’s words were a complete lie.

After all, Hilde was not asking Lawrence to lend his abilities as a traveling merchant, let alone asking Holo to lend her fangs. He merely needed a forbidden book.

Furthermore, bringing Col’s bag out before Holo meant he was prepared to stare death in the face.

The life of the Debau Company’s treasurer was too weighty to risk on a roll of the dice.

Perhaps they really had exhausted every other option before coming to this point.

So Lawrence asked one more question.

“May I ask what is going on?”

For a moment, Hilde held his breath, as if not wanting to speak of unpalatable truths, but then spoke. “Currently, the Debau Company is internally split in two parts. And my part is in the worse position.”

“…And?” Lawrence asked back as instantly as he could manage, but he could not hide his shock.

The Debau Company split.

That was not good news.

“I presume you know of our deciding to issue currency?”

“Yes, I thought it a marvelous thing. By that I also mean the profit from minting it, of course.”

“It is indeed as you say.”

Of course, the tumult on the main streets did not reach this place deep in the alleyways, However, when Lawrence lifted his face, he could see the flickering red sparks of the fires against the pitch-black sky.

“However, to put it bluntly, we profited too much.”

Profited too much—said the treasurer of the Debau Company.

Lawrence repeated the words as if they were the only ones he knew.

“Profited too much…?”

“Yes. The moment we decided to issue the currency, the profit was vast. In addition, the money changers have already driven up the price of the new currency.”

So they had already begun speculating in a currency yet to exist.

Most people believed that it would indeed have an unbelievably high purity level and would maintain that level thereafter.

Even if the price went up somewhat, there would surely be many people who would want to take some home; taking advantage of that, there were surely many money changers speculating that the price would rise.

“Originally, the rise in the currency’s price made us very pleased as well. However, it seems that there is little that has a good influence on people when in excess—in particular, nobles dividing the new currency between themselves in advance. This is a windfall surpassing any seen in the history of their houses. When they realized this, what they suggested was exceedingly simple.”

“To issue even more currency?”

The hare nodded and made what seemed like an exasperated sigh.

“Increasing the currency issued increases the issuance fee, which in turn increases the profit.”

“But why does this mean unprecedented peril for the northlands?”

As Lawrence pressed his question, Hilde momentarily averted his eyes.

Was he polishing up a scheme? While Lawrence entertained such doubts, the gaze aimed at the sky grew desolate. He seemed to be cursing as he gazed at the sky, for though he had ears that were like feathers, he could not fly.

Hilde’s gaze returned to Lawrence. If it was an act, Lawrence was well and truly fooled.

“Issuing currency requires raw metal. The current orders from the money changers are for such an amount that our reserves are already stretched to their limit. We cannot issue any more right away. However, as selling when the opportunity exists is a fundamental of trade, you are aware of a simple method of resolving the problem, are you not?”

A disagreeable taste spread throughout Lawrence’s mouth. He saw where this was heading.

“Plunder the raw metal or coins of other currencies to melt down for the new.”

“That is correct. Even in the northlands where trade is meager, there are still places rich in supplies. Those with covetous eyes are now fervently urging that we attack these supply-rich places. In fact, there are a number of rulers and towns that have closed their gates in opposition to our plans. On our side, rulers that covet those very territories are advocating that as well.”

Hilde surely spoke in a scornful tone because he was indeed scornful.

Such overly simplistic urgings did not suit the Debau Company’s image. Surely what got under his skin was the rulers acting as parasites on the Debau Company, scheming as if to leech away the profits for themselves.

However, Lawrence did not think that just because the rulers advocated something in no way meant that the men of the Debau Company had to grudgingly obey. After all, the Debau Company had made it this far by using such men as their marionettes.

There was only one possibility he could think of.

“So there are people within the Debau Company itself that support these barbaric notions?”

“Yes. And to diminish their fervor, we require the forbidden book that contains techniques for excavating mines.”

The feeling that swirled about Lawrence’s head was much like nausea.

The story itself was not complicated. However, that the virtues and drawbacks were so artistically combined he could only think of this as some sort of divine prank.

Hilde spoke quietly, as if watching a festival of demons. “Those urging aggression are thinking rationally, in a sense. They are not simply advocating taking that which they lack. They are hedging against the possibility of our current mines running dry.”

Rationalization was a merchant’s best friend.

“In other words, given the possibility of mines running dry in the near future, they seek to delay the day of reckoning as long as possible, either by mining more slowly or by developing new mines. And even in normal times, developing a mine is a difficult political problem. However, with so much vigor behind the company right now, why not simply obtain lands rich in ore deposits? Is it not logical to obtain them right now while we still can? And does not robbing the treasure chests of the towns and rulers we bring down kill two birds with one stone? Or so they advocate.”

Raging avarice, desire for profits, and the obstacles to eliminate to get them were all lined up in a row. Lawrence did not think anyone could oppose the Debau Company in the present circumstances. Luward had declared they should be able to invade and crush any territory they wanted to.

After all, the Debau Company had money, and in the end, war is a contest of coin.

Furthermore, if the Debau Company won, it would obtain the rich ore deposits in that land, and also, by restricting the use of currency and issuing a great deal of its own, it would reap even greater profits.

The more enemies it attacked and absorbed, the stronger it would become, like a wild snake god out of ancient mythology

Would it perish in the end, just like the snake in that myth?

The snake god’s stomach had a limit, but the number of coins one could issue was effectively unlimited.

“However, if we had the forbidden book, we could at least disrupt the mine-depletion argument. After all, even if we cannot perform new excavations, we would be able to make fresh excavations at mines already closed. With mines that were once closed, surely we could sell money to the majority of rulers without objection. Please think about what that means. No doubt you chased after the book because you did not think the northlands sinking into ruin to be a good thing.”

As mining techniques advanced, many mines once thought depleted had been reopened. That meant reducing, even by a little, the need for new land. Beyond that, if obtaining it was something that could be resolved with money, there was no concern about sparking a war.

To Lawrence and Holo, there was no need to even ask what meaning this held.

“We are able to resolve many things through money; we believe many more should be. We must end the age of swinging swords and shedding blood. Surely the Moon-Hunting Bear showed us centuries ago that the age of size and power is coming to an end!”

Hilde’s body leaned forward as he spoke; when he closed his mouth, he held his breath.

Holo stared at him.

In her place, Lawrence asked the most important question. “Are you the only one advocating for this?”

Was this small hare fighting a battle within the Debau Company all alone? If that was the case, entrusting the forbidden book to him would be like pouring oil onto an open flame. As a logical merchant, Lawrence could only advise against such a risky course of action.

However, Hilde firmly replied, “I am not. Our company owner, Hilbert Von Debau, shares the same thoughts.”

He might have been the Debau Company’s owner, but his position in his own company was imperiled.

Though it sounded absurd, Lawrence was not so surprised. A huge company was impossible to administer single-handedly; authority had to be delegated left and right. One often heard of owners forced out by empowered subordinates. For the same reason, one sometimes heard of even the owner of a large company behaving in a pompous manner having been removed out of necessity.

And that meant the Debau Company itself might be reborn into something else now that it had fanned the flames of avarice.

“I beg you. If we do not break the rebels here and now, the Debau Company will decay into a mere invader. If money and military might become one, even the Church will join in. If that occurs, the flames of war shall spread like a wildfire. We do not want the Debau Company to become the gateway to hell. Were the dreams and hopes of this town not attractive to you? That is our owner Debau’s dream. At this rate, Debau’s dream shall collapse!”

Hilde’s pained shout was swallowed by the red-dabbed night sky.

The humans of this world were bound by countless threads, reeled together and woven into countless cloths. It was true that Lawrence had regarded the miraculous cloth woven by the Debau Company with pride, as if it was his own banner.

Worldly domination had passed from ancient beings such as Holo to human beings, and finally, merchants had outwitted the kings and nobles, the conquerors of the human world, to reach the summit themselves.

For a single moment, he had beheld a daydream more fantastic than any fairy tale.

That was the scale of what the Debau Company had accomplished.

“As you can see, I am a hare, yet I sympathize with Debau’s dream. He said he wanted to build a free country on this soil, a place where people are bound to no one, led only by their intellect and effort, and to bring peace to this fractured, quarrelsome land. I believe it is a dream worthy of sacrificing my life. That is why I have raised a hand against a wolf pack.”

He gazed squarely at Holo as he spoke.

“For I have my back against the wall.”

No doubt he had never had any intention of killing Col. Perhaps he could not kill in the first place. If he had fangs and claws, he could have threatened Le Roi, twisting his arms until he surrendered the location of the forbidden book.

But even so, he had taken Col hostage knowing Holo might kill him for it.

Something like that?

Everyone had their own reasons.

Hilde’s ears suddenly twitched. His face turned in various directions, then silently regarded Holo.

“In the event this all goes well, I shall of course pay you in thanks. You two have purchased a shop and are settling down in this town. And I am the treasurer of the Debau Company, always supporting Debau from the side.”

Meaning he would make it worth their while, beyond any monetary profit Lawrence had ever known.

“The situation is grave. All those involved in the Debau Company have spent most of their lives at the gambling table. They are people who understand that one must strike while the iron is hot. Beginning with our leader Debau himself, our faction has been shut inside the company’s walls. I am the only one who somehow managed to make it out.”

Hilde hopped down from the lid of the well and, like a hare out of a fairy tale, lifted up folded clothing with his front paws.

“I do not want to be locked in a shed while I still possess a key. Please think carefully about it. Surely our interests perfectly coincide. I will visit the inn tomorrow evening to hear your decision.”

And then, Hilde hopped along, pushed his body through the gap between two houses under construction, and vanished. Unusually, it was Holo who stopped Lawrence from trying to pursue, and right after, a red light appeared on the opposite side of the alley.

“Mm? What, having some fun in an out-of-the-way place?”

A group of three men bearing spears over their shoulders slowly emerged.

From their attire, they were town vigilantes.

“We’ve got enough work dealin’ with the drunks. Go do that at an inn.”

The man shooed them off like chasing away a dog or cat. Of course, Lawrence did not oppose them, putting his arms around Holo’s shoulders as if supporting her as they headed back through the alley they came. The men watched them for a little while, but they finally disappeared down another alleyway as they continued their rounds.

As they did so, the surroundings suddenly became dark and silent. Because Lawrence had lamplight in his eyes, he could not see Holo properly, though she was right beside him. His eyes were filled only with the night sky and the flickering light.

Holo then directed words at him. “What will we do?”

Until Lawrence’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could not guide him down this street, which was filled with supplies and garbage. He was about to say, Let’s wait a bit longer, when Holo did something unexpected. She clung to Lawrence’s arm more strongly.

“Those words did not feel like a lie,” she said. He realized she was speaking about the forbidden book. “The merits and risks are clear. That hare called himself Hilde. It’s as he said.”

The people within the Debau Company yearning for even greater profits for themselves were thinking of beginning a war. The possibility of their mines running dry provided the righteousness for their cause.

Therefore, Hilde was thinking that the existence of the forbidden book, leading to greater mine production, would cripple their scheme.

“What do you think…?”

“I…” Lawrence began to reply but held his words.

His thoughts arrived at a single piece of reasoning.

“I think, from our own perspective, we should proceed with Hilde’s plan. We do sympathize with Debau’s dream, and war does not bring profits forever. The profit is for an instant alone. It’s like setting a bushfire for warmth. Certainly it’s warm, but nothing is left afterward.”

Furthermore, Luward had judged this town unsuited to war. Lawrence agreed.

That was fine if one was on the offensive, but what would it do if it was being invaded instead? The town had no walls.

Even so, he imagined that people would remain in the town, or at least, that they had no intention of running.

“Also, handing over the book carries no danger by itself.”

“If that is what you say, ’tis well.” Holo spoke with a mumble.

Lawrence, taken back a little, replied, “Er…Shouldn’t you be the one to make this decision? The northlands ride on this. Do you not agree with Hilde’s plan?”

From the way Holo had spoken, it seemed as though she could not decide which path to take. Or else whatever his answer, she would tilt in the opposite direction.

Even so, Holo did not answer Lawrence’s question.

“…If the northlands aren’t engulfed by war, doesn’t that help you, too? Hilde has his own ambitions here, I’m sure, but I don’t see any benefit in our opposing them at this stage. Certainly developing closed mines is a good move. Beyond being profitable, it does no damage to new lands. Hilde’s words were no lie, right?”

If that was so, he felt that handing the forbidden book to Hilde was the logical decision. At the very least, if they did not hand it over, he could not see how the situation could be reversed.

If failure to reverse the situation and not surrendering the book over achieved the same result, they should opt for the choice that presented the possibility of better results.

No doubt Holo’s head was more than capable of making such a calculation.

So, of the possibilities he could think of, this was it.

“Do you have some reason for not wanting to hand it over?”

At Lawrence’s question, Holo’s body quivered in surprise. There was no way Holo would just pass such an important decision on to Lawrence. Doing so could only mean she had turned desperate, or there was something she did not want to think about.

But if so, what?

“…Can you not trust Hilde? Certainly, he looks like an unreliable hare but…he seems well informed about what is going on. The treasurer of an organization like the Debau Company has to be a rather sharp thinker. I don’t think we need worry on that count.”

That was just what Lawrence thought without elaboration or embellishment.

There was no proof Hilde would be able to convince the opposing party, but he felt now was not the time to say that.

“Or don’t you trust Debau, even so? Certainly it might be difficult to trust someone we’ve never seen…Also, there are still the rumors of unrest that the Debau Company spread that are still in the air.”

This was not a simple argument concerning impressions. Until a very short time ago, Lawrence and Holo had been chasing after those very rumors of unrest.

However, Holo said nothing in either direction.

She continued to stand there, head down, clinging to Lawrence’s arm.

Lawrence desperately held back the sigh he wanted to make.

Was there something more beyond this? Was there something he was not seeing? More than that, why was Holo not talking to him about it?

Little by little, those doubts changed into irritation toward the unspeaking Holo.

Was there indeed a reason beyond those that she did not want to hand over the forbidden book?

If there was, there really could not be many left.

“Or are you concerned for the possibility they might do harm to Col?”

After all, they had Col’s sack then and there, with its meager contents as if to display Col’s helplessness.

But Hilde had said he had no intention of bringing harm to Col.

Holo clearly thought those words were not false; if she had been concerned, she would have put Hilde’s small body between her giant fang-filled jaws then and there.

And Holo had desperately held her reactions in check.

That led to the conclusion that Holo trusted Hilde’s words—essentially, that Hilde truly did not intend to bring harm to Col. This was likely true even if they refused to hand over the forbidden book.

Hilde had a creed.

Lawrence did not think that creed included meaninglessly killing anyone.

“Or is there something I’m just not seeing here?”

Lawrence asked that, unable to restrain himself any longer.

There was no mistaking that going with Hilde’s plan was in Holo’s interests. There was no room for such a misunderstanding on Lawrence’s part. On top of that, it was an opportunity for exceptional profit.

The dawn of success would surely bring an exceptional amount of goodwill in the town. His cheaply setting up a store would take on an even more special meaning. Goodwill from the people who ruled the town was no different from having the goddess of fortune smiling right by your side. With Holo beside him as he traded in the store, he felt like he might even be able to catch Eve’s tail.

Lawrence looked squarely at Holo, as if waiting for an unreasonable child to calm down.

Holo was no child. If she had something to say, without fail, there was reason behind the movements of her lips.

Finally, Holo’s mouth twitched several times, and then finally the words came.

“If we hand this forbidden book over, even more lands may be despoiled in the distant future.”

Lawrence felt like his field of vision had just doubled in breadth.

What surprised him was that he did not expect Holo’s reasoning to be that shallow.

“It’s true…that possibility does exist. But the new technology will enable the revival of some mines already closed. If that happens, the need to clear new land will be noticeably reduced. After all, it will be easier to develop land already cleared for mining. Furthermore, just as Hilde said, there will be many cases where everything can be resolved with money. In the course of my own travels, I’ve heard that there actually are specialists who profit from reviving depleted mines. Therefore…”

Lawrence cut his words off there.

Still Holo did not reply.

“Therefore, I think what must be done right now is to eliminate the reason for the hard-liners within the Debau Company to invade the northlands. Or more precisely, I think we should support the revival of the dream held by the people who built this town. Of course, I understand you have concerns. The forbidden book probably really does contain amazing techniques. And if we hand that to the Debau Company, that technology might stoke the flame of ambition for further development. However…”

Lawrence realized that at some point, he had switched to trying to preach to Holo.

He had paid the deposit for buying a store in this town, so there was that as well. But the foremost reason was because, having seen what the Debau Company had set out to accomplish, he was moved and excited by it.

If merchants governed the world, surely the mountain of foolish and irrational things in that world would be swept away. When one got down to it, merchants made towns grow, and the only way they could do business was by making people happy. Unlike kings and nobles, few merchants were swayed by stupidities like renown or avarice. There was a popular misconception founded in ignorance that the great merchants were despots living in the lap of luxury. Any merchant doing that would soon have his business stolen by another merchant.

More crucially, a king or noble could dominate others without a single coin in his treasury, but no merchant with an empty treasury could dominate anything. Since they had no choice but to work hard, Lawrence felt it was obvious who ought to govern and who ought to be governed.

Besides, in his experience as a traveling merchant, places where trade was vigorous were full of life and happiness. That was why Lawrence wanted to support Debau.

Handing over the forbidden book might well lead to greater exploitation of the land, but Lawrence felt that casting away all hope out of fear of that possibility was a foolish thing.

He had something else he wanted to say to Holo.

“Why do you say that now of all times? You said whatever the Debau Company was doing in the northlands didn’t bother you, didn’t you? Isn’t that why you supported my buying a store here?”

This time, Holo’s body did not even twitch.

“And yet, to not hand over the book…”

“Wrong.”

Holo spoke.

“Wrong. ’Tis not like that at all.” Holo clutched Lawrence’s arm hard enough that it hurt, repeating “wrong, wrong,” over and over.

She looked like a spoiled child unable to get her way. Perhaps that was indeed the truth of it.

As Holo repeated “wrong,” her voice became more and more tearful. Holo slackened her grip on Lawrence’s arm, finally letting both of her arms hang down.

Her shoulders shook like those of a weeping child thrown out of the house on a rainy day.

“How am I wrong? The damage might well be somewhat excessive. It might be a forbidden book, but it’s no book of magic. Certainly it might promote more mine excavation but…even so, I don’t think it’ll be some sudden tragedy leaving the northlands stripped bare.”

Holo looked up at Lawrence from under her hood.

The gloom he saw on her face was the despair of a merchant in a caravan under attack by wolves, desperately wondering what to do.

“…Certainly, it might come to pass decades down the road, but there’s no point thinking about it, is there?”

Holo gave a heavy sigh at those words.

She looked like she wanted to scream; she also looked like she was holding back words that would be a little too frightening. He realized it was probably both when tears began to pour from Holo.

“There is…a point…”

“…Ah?”

Lawrence, thrown off by the thick gloom that had brought Holo even to tears, could not wrap his mind around it.

But even if he later arrived at an understanding on his own of the words Holo had spoken, he did not think that changed what he had to do.

The reason was that this was the way of the world—an eternal fact that lay between Holo and Lawrence.

“There is a point…I live a long time. You will not be by my side forever. Why, why must I watch alone as forests are mowed down because of my decision? Why must I watch mountains stripped bare? Come, now…why do you say I must decide? Do you want this to be my fault? Is it because you will die in no time, and after you die, it matters not either way? You, you…”

Holo clenched her hands into fists and pounded Lawrence’s arms.

He had been struck by Holo’s fists in earnest several times now. It was obvious she was not putting her whole strength into it; if he tried, he could stop her anytime.

But Holo’s state in that moment was a more painful blow than any that had come before it.

Holo’s fists trembled as tears covered her desolate face, as if to expose how even she was powerless before a fate she could not defy.

She pounded Lawrence’s chest over and over as if she was divining the moment when he would never again awaken.

“I can bear it because you are here…But I—I…”

She sniffed up her sobs, looking up at Lawrence with her tear-drenched face, seeming to desperately cling to him as she spoke.

“I am not so strong.”

As if the fists that had powerlessly struck Lawrence’s arms had finally exhausted the last of their strength, she grabbed hold of the sleeve of Lawrence’s clothing. Holo was crying as she grasped Lawrence’s sleeve, as if pleading with him not to abandon her.

When Holo had been drawing a picture of the store of Lawrence’s dreams, she declared, “Is there no place for me in your store, I wonder?” That had not been in the slightest jest.

Holo truly wanted a place of her own; that was why she had resolved to shut her eyes to disagreeable things so that she could obtain such a place.

However, if she resolved to hand over the forbidden book, she would have to bear all of the responsibility for mine development continuing centuries into the future. Lawrence had no doubt Holo would think so, never questioning whether that was a fact or not.

Also, Lawrence would not be there by then. If he was fortunate, he might live for another fifty years or so.

If he came down with a grave illness, he might not last the week.

Human life was very short. A poet might say, If you are afraid of losing something, why not find someone to fall in love with?

Holo had to have been resigned to that from the start; surely she had experienced it a number of times. In all honesty, for Holo to be this much at a loss even so made Lawrence think, as a man, he was proud to have come this far in his life.

His gaze fell to Holo’s hand; he slowly shifted his gaze to Holo once more. Holo continued to stare at Lawrence, sobbing and sniffling all the while, having wholly cast aside her vanity as the self-proclaimed wisewolf.

Lawrence took her hand.

Holo was still crying.

This wisewolf knew from the start what Lawrence would say.

“Then, it’s fine if you don’t decide.”

Lawrence spoke while bringing Holo’s small body into both of his arms.

“You knew from the beginning that we should hand the book over to Hilde, didn’t you?”

Lawrence felt largely the same way that Holo did.

The pros and cons were quite clear, all the more so when the conditions were so clear.

Even so, Lawrence had tried to somehow win one against Holo. He was bad at giving in—a common trait among merchants.

And Holo must have anticipated what Lawrence would say in the end.

That was how she wanted it.

She must have been ashamed at how she was weeping, capable only of waiting for the words she desired.

However, if the most precious person to him in the whole world was waiting for her own words, Lawrence would proudly deliver the words she was waiting for.

“I will follow what is profitable for me and hand the forbidden book to Hilde. You objected. You objected for a variety of reasons. I’ll take responsibility. I’m not sure how I’ll take responsibility yet, but I’ll take it. I will take it. Is there any deceit in my words?”

Holo weakly shook her head side to side.

“Sorry,” she said in apology several times.

“It’s settled, then. I’ll hand the forbidden book to Hilde. Lift up your face and look at me.”

Lawrence grasped Holo’s slender shoulders, pushing her away a short distance to the point it was a little rough.

Holo was still crying.

One would not think she was a wisewolf at all. But really, she wasn’t.

The name wisewolf was Holo’s false form that was worshipped by the villagers of Yoitsu.

“We’ve managed this far. We’ll manage this time, too.”

Even logic like this was something Holo required to endure the loneliness nipping at her heels.

“So, don’t cry anymore.”

Lawrence forcefully wiped Holo’s eyes with the nub of his finger.

As he did so, tears fell again where Lawrence’s finger had pressed. He wiped those away, too.

“If you cry too much, you’ll give me odd ideas again.”

He lightly slapped her cheek and laughed. Holo laughed as if coughing from a joke that was just too awful, then, on cue, cried again just a little.

However, he had said all he had wanted to say.

Holo wiped her face with her own hand, wiping further with her sleeve in rough motions. There was no more for Lawrence to do. Finally, Lawrence offered his hand to Holo.

“Let’s go back to the inn.”

Holo took his hand and nodded firmly.

The next day, Lawrence awoke before Holo.

Even now, Holo’s face looked like she had cried herself to sleep; her breaths seemed labored as she slept. As she usually slept curled up like a beast, the fact that her face was poking out from the futon was yet another reminder that things were not normal.

Lawrence had been by her side ever since the night before.

To Holo, Lawrence would die in but a very short time. Even if she had been overwhelmed by her feelings in that moment, the fact that the words had come out of her own mouth had frightened her.

Lawrence was not the one who would see her off.

He thought that as he remembered seeing Col off from Lenos.

The face Holo made while watching him go was a very tired one. As she desperately tried to do so with a smile, the fact that whomever one saw off did not return exhausted her under the surface.

It would be nice if at least one person you saw off returned.

She looked too exhausted even to entertain such absurd impossibilities.

Even if there were countless great men who could perform miraculous resuscitations, there were none who could defy the passage of time.

Holo was always the one to watch others go. She always had been and always would be.

Lawrence stroked Holo’s cheek and got down from the bed. He opened the wooden shutters a crack; it was once again cold but rather bright. It was lively outside; there was not a shred of any sense of the Debau Company being internally split in two or of a war breaking out in the air at all.

Tragedy always came suddenly; then all was revealed.

All Lawrence could do was to keep his feet moving at all costs, even within the raging storm.

Moving forward was all he could do for Holo.

Losing battles were always depressing stories; by that measure, Holo’s life had been one prolonged losing battle against fate and providence.

Lawrence tidied himself and left the room.

He thought it a little cold, but as if to show he would soon return, he left his coat behind.

“Business with the young master, you say?”

When Lawrence went to Moizi’s room on the third floor, it was apparent Moizi drank in his own room as well. The sleepy-looking Moizi slowly exited the room, along with a fierce whiff of alcohol.

“Yes. I have a bit to discuss.”

“Mm…if he is not in his room…and he’s not. Pardon me for a moment.”

Opening the door, Moizi urged Lawrence inside; in short order, Moizi came back into the room with a water jug in his hand.

And even though he was in front of the desk, he poured the water down atop his own head, shaking his head like a dog.

“Whew! My goodness. I don’t want to get any older if that’s all it takes to get me drunk.”

“It seems to have been quite the celebration.”

“Ha-ha. How embarrassing. I do have the excuse that one knows not when one will perish, so one must drink to the fullest.”

So enjoy every drink as if it is one’s last.

Certainly that was an excuse anywhere on earth for warding off admonitions against heavy drinking.

“Now, then, the young master.”

When he combed his hand back along his head, his silver hair stuck up like needles.

Such vigor at his age—no doubt, when he was younger, he had truly been a wolf or a bear of a mercenary.

“Yes. Do you know where he might be?”

“He’s probably with Rebonato…Ah, that’s the name of the head of the Hugo Mercenary Company. I think he’s probably there, but…the young master and other heads of companies travel in different circles than the membership. I don’t know what liquor he was invited to drink or where he got himself drunk.”

As befitted a frank, forthright mercenary, he left it at that. Besides, it seemed those that managed groups indeed traveled in their own special circles.

“As it seems you are in a hurry, I can get the youngster moving, but…”

Moizi’s words silenced Lawrence for several seconds.

Sensing his hesitation, Moizi slipped out of words suited to a man of battle and into others. “Perhaps I can be of assistance?” This was the old, practical strategist managing a mercenary company. Normally, for Moizi to send for the head of the company, there had to be a rather good reason.

“Of course, it’s no problem at all. I am merely a little concerned that he will feel responsible for being drunk and asleep at a critical time if I speak of this to you first.”

Perhaps it was too harsh a thing to say to Moizi, who seemed to still have liquor left in him.

That concern flew out the window in an instant.

“I’ll send the youngster running. It won’t be long.”

Moizi strode past Lawrence into the corridor.

He yelled “Messenger!” in a great voice that seemingly threatened to bring the whole building down.

Blessed by an omniscient and omnipotent God, lords ruled their lands by divine right, and knights swore fealty to those lords. It was God that determined what the lord, his earthly representative, did and desired for his lands. And so, at times, even forests that had stood unmolested until now and vast steppes across the land suddenly cried out as they became charred, barren wastes.

The fate of this town was in the grasp of the Debau Company, a lord without a face.

A faction holding contrary views, having launched an internal rebellion and succeeded, was an exceedingly serious matter to those mercenaries entrusting their very lives to the company.

“My word.” Luward had wobbled back to the inn, pulled along by the hands of two youngsters, as if a pair of younger brothers were pulling their beloved older brother along. He washed and wiped his face with a hand towel and lifted up his face. “How certain is this information?”

Like the cog of a waterwheel, the direction Luward’s troop would advance shifted depending on the information they obtained. At that moment, they so feared being led astray by a mistaken report.

Lawrence and Holo might skirt by with moderate damage, but for Luward and his men, their fates quite literally depended on it.

“Does the name Hilde Schnau ring a bell?”

As Lawrence spoke, Luward looked at Moizi.

Moizi replied in his place. “The treasurer of the Debau Company. He is said to be the owner’s right-hand man.”

“If Holo’s ears are correct, he is, as he claimed to be, this Hilde Schnau.”

No lies slipped past Holo’s ears; there was no lack of such legends concerning ancient beings such as Holo. Luward stared at the towel he had wiped his face with, giving it a look as sharp as a drawn and bloody blade.

“One of my comrades has heard talk of dealings with the Debau Company going bad, that some kind of internal conflict seemed to be taking place,” said Luward.

One of the youngsters moved to sensibly take the towel away, but Luward wiped his face once more and tilted his head.

“Issuing the new currency is vital business. And no doubt the profit’s enough to make your head spin. So, we joked that they’re done using us so they’re not giving us the time of day anymore, but…”

“It seems the owner and most of his faction have already been confined within the company.”

Lawrence’s words did not change Luward or Moizi’s expressions one bit. No doubt he would have elicited more of a reaction if he had told them the daily price of bread had fallen.

“They got greedy.”

Luward saw right through it in an instant.

“Fools. Wearing a bear’s hide doesn’t make you a bear. They think they can behave like the lords of the south just because they made a lot of money? These are the northlands, forsaken by even the Church. They don’t see they’ve confused the ends and the means. Thinking that all you have to do is attack and the war ends just like that is why the lords here are mocked as bumpkins.”

On the map spread across the wall, there were a number of narrow-looking, slender roads that cut between the mountains. If it were the plains of Ploania to the south, such narrow roads would not even appear on a map.

However, these were the main thoroughfares of the northlands; they were vital but tenuous lifelines that connected the hollows of the mountains to a portion of the deep forests that had been cut open.

Such roads could lead to a unit on the advance passing through very constrained places along the way; for their part, merchants were fearful of their lines of communication with one another being cut off.

“And? Is that all that the treasurer had to say to you, Mr. Lawrence?”

Surely Luward was thinking of other comrades who he should inform of these matters, and also, where the flames of war would spring should they erupt.

As Luward silently stared at the map stretched over the wall, Moizi asked in his place.

“No. He seeks cooperation to regain internal control of the Debau Company.”

Luward turned toward him. “Cooperation.”

In war, who was friend and who was foe was a matter of life and death.

“As a practical matter, this means only handing over an object we obtained in Lenos that will further his plan, but…”

“Mmm.”

The aged, bearded soldier tugged at his chin, while Luward folded his arms and lifted his own chin.

“Mr. Lawrence, you came across some kind of treasure on some adventure?”

“It was somewhat related to a business deal—a forbidden book, which contains techniques for mine excavation.”

The expressions of the two mercenaries did not change from this, either. It seemed their faces betrayed less the more important the information that was before them.

They truly believed that no matter how unnatural it might feel, the moment one lost discipline is the moment one failed.

“Holo and I wanted the forbidden book to occupy the bookshelf of some dilettante in the south for all time, so we cooperated with a book merchant. Right now, that book merchant is headed to the town of Kieschen, far to the south, with an acquaintance of ours.”

“Kieschen. That’s nearly a week’s travel, even with a fast horse.”

Moizi nodded to confirm what Luward seemingly said to himself.

“Last night, the luggage of our acquaintance, one which ought to be with the book merchant far from here, was tossed right before our eyes. It seems they took it so that they could speak to us. The request for cooperation from Mr. Hilde was on top of that.”

“Among our comrades, that method for requesting cooperation is respectfully referred to as ‘extortion,’” said Luward.

“Yes. However, Mr. Hilde seems to have arranged it to demonstrate that he is determined, to the death if need be.”

Knowing Holo’s true form, Luward said with a nod, “I see,” and then raised his face.

“Then, this Hilde is…”

“Not human.”

He could trust Luward. When Lawrence nodded briefly, Luward’s lack of expression did not falter. After a pause, all he muttered was, “I—I see…”

“And so, we have agreed to cooperate with Mr. Hilde.”

As Lawrence declared it was so, Luward’s gaze did not climb or any such thing. Instead, he gazed at a bare spot on top of the table, as if putting a plan in order in his head.

“Or rather, only to hand the forbidden book over. Tonight we will inform him as much.”

“What are his chances of victory?” Luward asked straightforwardly.

It was refreshingly pragmatic.

“He has a chance. That is as far as I will go.”

The larger the affair, the more difficult it was to stop the flames of avarice once they had been set ablaze.

Now that the company had begun issuing its own currency and facing off against the landowners by itself, he did not know how much they could resist, regardless of how influential they were within the company.

After all, this was a matter of profit.

Speaking of dreams would of course be seen as trying to spoil things with small-minded logic.

If one was dealing with men with swords on their hips, they would rebuke with a simple Silence! and have their faithful subordinates slice a person into ribbons as a matter of course.

“In other words, you are telling us to run, Mr. Lawrence?”

As the waterwheel turned the cog, the pestle would soon fall.

Luward had no doubt worked out in his own head that something similar was coming here.

Lawrence nodded.

“I am. If Mr. Hilde fails to persuade them, I think we shall be endangered ourselves. I am nimble, and I have someone who will protect me. However, you…require time when altering the route of your advance.”

The word retreat was the word most associated with dishonor among mercenaries.

“Mmm. Certainly, changing the route of one’s advance takes time. But retreat takes even more time.” Luward grinned and laughed. “We’re a hardheaded, stubborn bunch, after all.”

Lawrence meant to carefully pick his words; Luward seemed especially fond of them.

“Altering the course of your advance, eh…?” Luward repeated to himself with a small smile. “I’ve seen what happens when you try to drench a blaze with cold water. Have you seen a refinery, Mr. Lawrence?”

When asked, Lawrence replied that he had not.

Of course, he had seen a number of factories with furnaces within towns, but what Luward was referring to was a huge furnace made by gouging out the slope of a hill.

“You have five or six people working, using bellows to pump air into a furnace taller than a siege engine. The coal makes a sound like the breath of a demon as it burns. If you toss water onto it, you don’t put the fire out; rather, the flames swell up like an explosion.”

It seemed that with anything, the results could be reversed if the situation was extreme enough.

“I’m sure they’re painfully aware of what they’ll need to do to realize their ambitions. Right now, they’re all hot and excited. I credit the courage of someone who’d dare pour water over them. But the cost of failure is high.”

Luward looked up at the ceiling and said, “Boom,” before continuing. “Understood. Mr. Lawrence, thank you. I won’t make you have to convince me. After all, I was planning to leave the town behind anyway. This just speeds things up a bit. There’s still plenty of booze left in this world that I haven’t gotten to drink, after all. This is no time to dawdle around.”

He sounded like Holo when he said that. Perhaps being born close to Yoitsu was responsible for his love of drink.

Luward firmly gripped Lawrence’s hand. “I’ll leave a few good men behind. When it’s time to run, use them. We’ll be waiting on the road that goes to Yoitsu. From there, we know plenty of paths leading east.”

So even now, he intended to lead them to Yoitsu.

Mercenaries had a strong sense of duty.

“So, we’d better move quickly and quietly. We’ll get our baggage together while they’re too worried about internal problems to look outside. Moizi, what’s our food situation?”

“Two days’ worth at best.”

“Immediately provision five days’ worth to bring that to seven days. Don’t sell gold coins. Buy everything with silver.”

With silver trenni linked to the new currency’s sudden price jump, logically its own price would climb along as well. That being the case, the value of gold coins would invariably drop greatly relative to silver coins, making buying anything with gold coins look like a fool’s errand.

Luward could make that calculation in an instant.

He was indeed no mere war enthusiast.

Lawrence even found himself thinking that if Luward ever retired from mercenary work, perhaps they could do business together.

“Tomorrow morning, during the mist of dawn, the Myuri Mercenary Company shall alter the course of its advance.” The corner of Luward’s lip curled up wryly at the last part.

Moizi cracked a smile, replied, “Understood,” and straightened his back.

Lawrence had ensured the safety of the mercenary company that bore the name of a companion from Holo’s homeland. If by some chance Hilde should fail to persuade the others, it was highly likely that his links to Holo and Lawrence would come to light even as displays of modesty turned into bloodbaths. Apparently, sometimes a perfectly healthy pig was slaughtered in sight of enemy troops as a means of intimidation. No doubt using mercenaries would cause men of small influence to shake in their boots.

“Then, you should be next.” Thanks to having cried so much, Holo’s face looked puffy and unhappy.

However, she was properly snuggled against Lawrence’s side as she gnawed on some bread.

Certainly her attitude remained defiant, but her displeased expression looked like it was hiding a blush.

Lawrence suddenly found the face rather adorable.

“Nn, ah, ahh…?”

Holo looked at him with a dubious, questioning look when she caught him seeming to see right through her.

“I wonder what we ought do about the store?” And after a short pause, she continued, “I know not whether that hare can manage to carry this off, but…you have said yourself, nothing good comes from leaving what is precious to you in a perilous place.”

He recalled when they had spoken about how easy it was to fall into tragedy when one had something to protect.

Certainly, if Hilde’s counterattack did falter, setting up a store in this town would be a dangerous gamble. In any case, Holo was well aware that a store was not a cheaply bought thing.

She was truly concerned about him.

“However, you have paid money for it, yes? It is the store of your dreams…and you are rather greedy when it comes to money, after all…”

Her words of concern had an abusive tone.

This side of Holo brought an unintentional strained smile to Lawrence’s face.

However, it was not that he was unhappy.

“As the money goes, I only paid the deposit.”

Sitting on the bed as they were, the usual difference in their height was lessened.

He gave a straight answer to Holo’s probing eyes.

“I’ll have to sell, of course.”

If he sold it and Hilde succeeded in persuading his comrades, surely conditions would be favorable for buying a store or two; if Hilde failed, he could only run with his tail between his legs. And should Hilde’s mouth falter, even if Lawrence and Holo remained in the town, he doubted very much that the town would retain its radiance once plunged into a war. At any rate, battle often gave rise to more battle. If that happened, it would be foolish to keep precious merchandise in a town without walls.

It was said that an ancient, legendary king had waged three hundred battles without having a single scar inflicted upon him. However, Lawrence’s heart was unconvinced that the town of Lesko would walk the same glorious path as that king.

If indeed the lords that had invested in this town’s buildings were not opposed to war, that had to mean that they were fully confident of success. Success brought about the intoxicating feeling that one could do anything one wished.

But, as sometimes one success did indeed lead to another, Lawrence could not just laugh it off as a foolish fantasy.

The important thing was, since failure would cost Lawrence everything, it was not a gamble that he ought to throw in on.

Besides, when Holo decided Lawrence should buy a store in this town, she resolved to not be concerned with whatever happened to the northlands. So, he should resolve to not cry over a store or two.

That’s what Lawrence thought, and that’s what he needed to do.

“Although…”

“Mm?”

As Lawrence spoke, Holo looked straight at him.

“Selling a store before even opening…it’s an odd feeling,” he said.

Lawrence had thought for sure it was the beginning of his adventures as a town merchant. If that had been so, here in the town of Lesko he would have been caught up in the advance of a story that none such as him could do anything to oppose.

All he could have done was hand over merchandise as demanded and then arrange his baggage and take refuge.

But rather than despondent or miserable, he felt closer to disappointed.

“I think ’tis a shame about the store as well. However, you know well enough what happens to those who are prisoners of the past, do you not?”

That was what Holo said in response. It was rare for her to be so self-effacing.

Holo had been buffeted all over the place by her past. So learning from her life’s lessons, Lawrence should immediately wash his hands of setting up a store in such a dangerous place and put his hopes into the next place.

Even he understood that.

Even so, Holo’s words left him a bit dumbfounded but for an entirely different reason.

“That may be so, but…”

“…So what is it, then?”

As Lawrence asked, he put Holo’s head in his hands and slowly stroked it.

Holo seemed annoyed as she tried to brush his hand away, but he ignored her and stroked her again.

Her dexterous tail was making brushing sounds on top of the bed, so she was not genuinely upset.

Lawrence proceeded to embrace Holo’s body, as though to ensure she would never get away from him again.

“But sometimes being trapped by the past brings people together.”

Lawrence remembered when Holo snuck onto his horse-drawn wagon’s wagon bed on a moonlit night.

“I wish to return to Yoitsu,” the wolf had said.

But for that one phrase, Lawrence surely would have never come to a place like this.

“Fool. Fate does not repeat itself over and over.” Holo finally brushed Lawrence’s hand away as she spoke.

It was so.

And the reverse was also true.

“I’m sure the hard times will end right about here, in fact.”

As Lawrence spoke, Holo snickered.

Lawrence rested his chin atop Holo’s head, and Holo’s tail swished a single dramatic swish.

The evening that Lawrence easily concluded the sale of the store, Hilde appeared at the inn at night, right on schedule.

This time he was in the form of a hare from the beginning, so there was no clothing hanging over his back.

With meat flying off the shelves during the celebration, hopping around town as a hare carried a higher risk of death than walking in the forest.

“May I ask what your decision is?”

Hilde, who appeared thinner than he had the night before, spoke with a voice that seemed more parched than broken up.

He looked like someone who had desperately and near the point of death exhausted all options inside the company.

Were he to tell a future chronicler of his experiences, this would have been the most powerful section.

To Hilde, sitting atop the chair and seeming very unharelike, Lawrence replied for both of them.

“We will hand over the forbidden book.”

Lawrence’s words shot through Hilde’s small body like an arrow.

“…”

Hilde’s red eyes continued to stare at Lawrence for a while as if he was unable to speak.

Not even his long ears twitched.

It was enough to make Lawrence wonder if he had fainted.

Likely, the situation inside the company had become hopeless. Lawrence knew not what threads of fate bound Hilde and the others together. However, he suspected that the Debau Company was a group of exceptional people, any member of which was as valiant as Eve. Surely it was a frightening war of words mixed with devious intrigues.

If Lawrence and Holo’s decision could rescue them amid all that, Lawrence was glad for that alone, all the more so because it was in their own best interests. When Hilde was finished taking a deep breath that seemed unsuited to his small body, he made what Lawrence thought to be a smile.

“Thank you very much.”

Hilde spoke as if he had found a single ray of light in the depths of hell.

Even so, it did not mean all was resolved that very moment.

After all, preceding the issue of Hilde succeeding in persuading the rebels was the practical matter of getting the forbidden book in hand.

“We have no objection to handing over the book. However, the book merchant on his way to purchase the forbidden book does not follow the same creed that we do.”

Probably, whichever way the northlands went was all the same to Le Roi the book merchant. To him, the forbidden book’s existence and meaning to the northlands were merely a means to the end of securing Lawrence and Holo’s cooperation.

In other words, Le Roi was not one to be moved by tearful pleas.

“I have money.” The hare in charge of the Debau Company’s accounts spoke without the slightest pause.

“How much?”

“I can pay three hundred gold lumione. I left them in a hideaway of mine in town.”

There was no need to check with Holo whether his words were true or false.

For the treasurer of a mining company that led the lords of the region around by the nose, that was surely not a difficult sum to amass. Perhaps the head of Debau had given Hilde the money for special circumstances.

When a deposed royal family was restored to power once more, there were always excellent subordinates who had brought them gold bullion in exile. Those who failed to prepare for when they fell rarely rose again.

“That is probably far more than is needed. But there is one thing that concerns me.”

“What is it?”

Even though he was a hare, his pronunciation was so elegant it almost turned Lawrence’s stomach.

Lawrence thought that the only reason he could deal with Hilde as an equal was because he was in the form of a hare.

He had not seen the face of the man under the hood, but he had no doubt it was a face full of confidence.

“In the event that you fail to persuade the rebels or that the forbidden book becomes fundamentally unnecessary…” As he spoke the latter half, the tone of his voice changed as if to impart deeper meaning to it.

As Hilde looked Lawrence over, Holo looked up at Lawrence much the same way. Should the northlands be laid to waste because of the techniques in the book, Holo would feel partly responsible, Lawrence imagined. Therefore, they had to leave as much room for them to maneuver as possible.

“Yes. If I fail to convince them, I do not mind if you take the forbidden book back by force. Should it no longer be necessary, I will return it in secret.”

“—!” Holo sucked in her breath at Hilde’s words.

Lawrence replied, “Thank you very much.”

Whether the forbidden book rested with the Debau Company or not mattered a great deal to Holo’s sense of guilt.

That pledge was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

“Then, there is the matter of going all the way to Kieschen to procure the book.”

“The book merchant is sly and wary and possesses a strong sense of duty as well. One might say he is the worst kind of man to profit from as a lender,” said Lawrence.

Hilde gave a firm nod.

Those red eyes were not the eyes of a fool who, when falling into a predicament, could only beg others for aid.

“Resorting to documents is too roundabout. I desire a quick decision and a quick resolution. Regardless, there is no time. Right now, the factions within the Debau Company are still arguing between each other. However, numerous lords with stakes involved are particularly obstinate, behaving as if this is a dispute over a family fortune.”

“So, you are saying they could take control in the blink of an eye?”

“Yes. No matter how absurd it may be, they are magnificent at getting their way.”

Father killed son, son killed father. Estranged in-laws and bastard sons usurped crowns. No matter how immorally they behaved, lacking fear of any God, they proudly asserted their own righteousness nonetheless.

Seizing control of a company by force was light morning exercise to them.

“I have a bird companion. His wings are the fastest, but…what he can carry is roughly limited to that sack.”

So it seemed that bird had taken Col’s carrying sack. It was not so rare, when eating a meal in the plains, to have one’s food stolen by a bird swooping down. Col’s situation was merely an extension of that.

“So, I would like Miss Holo to go.”

Hilde finally looked at Holo as he spoke.

Holo, her legs dangling over the bed, made what seemed like a small sigh.

“I am a substitute for a bird?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Just because one could take human form did not mean one was huge and wielded enormous might. That was true for Hilde before them; it was also true for the bird exhausting all efforts on Hilde’s behalf.

“I mind not. Besides, ’tis good to run in my true form once in a while,” said Holo as she got up from the bed.

Hilde lowered and raised his head, as if nodding in recognition of a trustworthy comrade’s point of view. “How long would Miss Holo’s feet take to bring her there?”

“Who knows? I know not the distance to the city.”

Hilde’s face scowled slightly. Right now, what was most precious to Hilde was neither money nor weapons. It was time.

Lawrence provided a lifeboat. “How much farther is it from Lenos to Kieschen than from here to Lenos?”

Hilde’s long ears stretched instantly. He raised his head. “By fast horse, messages take twice as long as from here to Lenos.”

“Is the road poor?”

“Somewhat.”

The road being somewhat poor was no doubt of little import to Holo.

As Hilde asked with his eyes, Holo replied in an annoyed tone, “Were I to run without sleep, a day and a half. Three to four days to return.”

Hilde gave a strong nod.

Then, he nodded one more time.

“That might make even my comrade’s wings weep.”

“’Tis of course a mad pace.”

The tip of his nose made the tiniest twitch.

By Holo’s standards, the look in her eyes was one of considerable humility.

In other words, she spoke the literal truth.

“Were my old pack mates to learn of a wolf being a hare’s errand runner, ’twould be quite a laugh. Even so, ’tis the world as it is today. Right now I can offer nothing save rushing into the company, fangs bared. The time when problems could be solved thus has passed. Am I wrong?”

Holo did not think that killing the group opposed to Hilde was a resolution to the problem whatsoever. Everything was interconnected in complex ways—a precarious balance held atop a scale.

To control the world of men, one needed not large claws, but slender fingers.

However, in all likelihood, were it not for the Kingdom of Winfiel, Holo would never have helped Hilde, he thought. The sight of Huskins crossing so many lines to protect his home was burned into Lawrence’s memory, too.

Though he was the being known as the golden ram whose legend continued to be told to this day, the sheep had eaten the flesh of sheep, and finally, he had ended up a cat’s paw of men.

Even so, Huskins had never wavered in his objective.

Holo’s expression was conflicted, no doubt because she was remembering him.

And as she wiped that conflicted face away with a single deep breath, Holo grew in stature once more.

“I know not how much time ’twill take to retrieve the book from the book dealer. What about you?”

Meaning, having decided her own role meant she had determined to carry it out with all her strength, so it was Lawrence’s turn to speak.

“In Lenos, I proposed means that would require immediate decision…”

“Do you think they shall bear fruit?”

Nothing could be said for certain. Even so, Lawrence could say this.

“Some people, if you pack three hundred gold coins in their bag and pat them on the rear, will run as fast as their legs can take them.”

Perhaps entirely able to imagine the sight of Le Roi running full tilt as if his pants were on fire, Holo sniggered audibly. Even Hilde allowed himself the luxury of a modest laugh at the joke.

No matter what the situation, it was important to allow oneself room to laugh.

Lawrence cleared his throat and spoke. “So, it should be five or six days, I imagine.”

If the situation worsened day to day, that number would no doubt feel close to an eternity. But the land that God had created was mercilessly vast.

“I can make no promises,” said Holo.

“I believe they should have arrived in Kieschen by now. I can only hope that they have already obtained the book.”

He was not saying that to put Lawrence the merchant at ease. The same went for Holo.

Even so, unlike earlier, both nodded without a word.

It was said that even when one must work with their father’s enemy, shaking his hand raises the plan’s probability of success.

When cooperating, one must forget all else and truly cooperate.

Hilde spoke with forcefulness one would not expect from a hare. “Then, let us be on our way with haste.”

Holo replied as she yawned, “You’ll be a good boy, won’t you?” She directed the words toward Lawrence.

Since it was not as if Holo was loading a mule down with a heavy pile of baggage, in the end, she merely switched to a pouch filled with gold coins, fastened a bit of food and water to herself, and left the town behind.

He could see a single bird flying in the moonlit sky above them. After circling around Lawrence and Hilde for a while, it flew off to the east.

Hilde did not remain.

If he was absent from the company too long, he might even be assassinated if where he had emerged next was exposed. No doubt the following several days would be the longest Hilde had ever known.

As a merchant, Lawrence felt that aiding Hilde achieve his objective was something to be very happy about. But in the end, Hilde had not directly asked for aid.

It made perfect sense really. Lawrence was a traveling merchant after all, and just the thought of sticking his neck into the Debau Company’s internal strife made him shiver.

And yet Lawrence felt a little lonely at the role of a mere traveling merchant being thrust upon him once more. He returned alone to the inn where his room felt strangely large, and laid in bed, turning over.

Though he would be separated from Holo for less than a week, he still thought, Please come back soon.