Spice and Wolf - Volume 16 - Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

“So, this is the forbidden book.”

The book was within the luggage Holo had carried from Kieschen.

It was marvelously bound in leather, with that alone giving it an overwhelming, overbearing feeling.

“The contents?”

“Who knows…but according to that portly book merchant…”

Holo, speaking as she changed clothes, exhaled a sharp “phew” as she poked her heard out of her shirt. “…’Tis authentic.”

“I—I see…”

When he opened it, the ink bore the particular fragrance of knowledge.

But Lawrence was of course unable to read the characters written within. Apparently, the contents had been written in the words of a desert kingdom to make them more difficult to read. It was all strangely thin and curvy. Lawrence did not even know if these were actual characters.

“It’s good you managed to get it, though.”

As Lawrence spoke, Holo’s hand, in the middle of pulling her long hair out from under her shirt, stopped as she suddenly made a sullen look.

“…There was an argument?”

As it was not an inexpensive book, something between her and Le Roi could well have taken place.

Lawrence thought that as he asked his question. Holo brushed her hair back and seemed annoyed as she spoke. “Something like that.”

“I-is that so…?”

It was written loud and clear on Holo’s face that something she truly disliked had happened when she drew near at Lawrence’s mild-mannered expression of concern.

“Surely you comprehend how great a chore it is to shake off Col?”

“Ah!”

Lawrence finally got it.

“We forced him to go his separate way to begin with, so of course the sight of my face put him in tears. I had to make my escape while that overly serious church girl held him back!”

Lawrence understood all too well the storm of protest Holo’s arrival to get the forbidden book must have kicked up.

Col was probably clinging to her the whole time, pleading for her to let him help.

Had Elsa not stopped him, Holo really might have ended up with Col riding on top of her the whole way back.

“Well, that’s…really…”

As Lawrence had not witnessed it himself, all he could do was offer sympathy.

Holo was well aware of that, so her face was not terribly indignant when she looked the other way. “It certainly is! And after all I’ve done for her, the attitude that serious church lass took with me…”

Holo, apparently remembering her anger at the time whatever had happened, became worked up all over again.

There were few girls as fearless as Elsa, and she must have said something to Holo to make her so worked up.

Holo’s tail swished back and forth as she shook her head. “More importantly, why are you making for such a dangerous town with that hare anyway?”

To Holo, the entire misadventure must have seemed like one unpleasant event after another.

She snatched her sash, which she had always let Lawrence wrap around her, from his shoulder, roughly wrapping it around herself. Someone just happening to come along might make a few assumptions about the situation, but it was nothing of the sort. Holo had returned to her wolf form to dig up the book she had buried in the snow like a fox.

Holo seemed in ill humor as she lobbed her words at Lawrence.

“I did hear talk of you heading to Svernel, hare in hand, plotting to join the rebels. How many times must my precious Lawrence stick his nose into danger no matter what I say before he is satisfied, I wonder?”

Had they merely handed over the forbidden book the danger would have been minimal.

But by taking Hilde to Svernel, the danger was not limited so.

“About that…it was because Mr. Hilde’s strategy was just too good; that’s all I can really say.”

Lawrence explained his dealings with Hilde at the inn in Lesko and how, thanks to a single utterance by Hilde, he had tied the mercenaries into knots and how that was linked to their difficult decision.

Holo, of course, was not amused.

“But in spite of all that, what kind of idiot heads for enemy territory on purpose?” she said after listening to the whole story.

He understood what Holo was trying to say.

Since it was clearer than a cloudless, sunny sky that Hilde’s counterattack was reckless, they should not have lent their support.

Yet Lawrence and the others had gone along, ending up walking the narrow mountain roads.

Therefore, Lawrence could only ask Holo this: “Well, should just the two of us run away?”

That option was a great deal simpler than performing a dramatic reversal scene and heading to Svernel as planned, but it had obvious drawbacks.

“…I just wanted to say it.”

Holo seemed unamused as she spoke.

If Holo was coldhearted enough to so easily abandon Hilde and the Myuri Mercenary Company, she, too, might sing the praises of this world a little more.

“But a few things will probably sprout from this, yes?”

Meaning, there was at least a possibility of cracking open the present circumstances.

Lawrence made a light nod at her question and closed the book. Holo then stuffed it back into the hemp sack she had carried it in, securing it shut. This was not some cheap thing; the hemp was the same high quality as used to embroider stout ropes. Stored within was every last gold coin Hilde had placed in Holo’s care.

No doubt a book merchant of Le Roi’s caliber would have immediately pulled out his scales. If the forbidden book proved unnecessary due to the failure of Hilde’s plan, Holo would invariably take it back by force. Therefore, taking the possibility of things turning sour into account, the best move was to sell Hilde’s gratitude. That, more than accepting three hundred gold lumione now, was thinking of far greater potential profits.

Probably something like that.

“You saw that stage play, too, didn’t you? The Debau Company seems to be fairly shaken internally. The company’s middle management planned to use the power of the lords to seize control, but apparently it’s really the lords using them. That’s why they’re forced to make a rather stupid decision like this.”

As Lawrence spoke, Holo stared straight at him, and seeming to carefully weigh his words, she lifted her chin.

“…It serves them right.”

“Yeah. But that’s a favorable situation for our side.”

Holo seemed a bit dissatisfied with Lawrence’s reply.

“Is that so? All it means is the enemy’s switched from backstabbing merchants to disorganized oafs.”

“That may be so, but from the beginning the Debau Company planned to use the lords as its puppets while seizing power over the region from them. In other words, we think there’s a high likelihood the traitors within the Debau Company didn’t want the situation as it is now.”

“So light the fires of rebellion, and sympathizers shall emerge from the rebels and such…?”

Holo was making a face as rigid as if she was gnawing on bitter rye bread.

Certainly, it might be a very convenient way of looking at things.

But since the words were not those of an amateur, but those of Hilde, who had been inside the Debau Company, they carried weight.

“At the very least, that’s what Hilde thinks. I think it’s an optimistic perspective, too, but some of the traitors must be more fervent than others. It wouldn’t be strange if some thought, If we keep on going like this, the lords will run us into the ground, and so forth.”

“…”

Holo surely understood the logic of it, yet she was deeply perturbed.

Before Lawrence could ask her what she really thought, Holo said this.

“So what, call back the owner they have bared their fangs at once already? And if called back, would he forgive them?”

Certainly, that was a sensible reaction.

But merchants were shockingly greedy, thick faced, and black hearted. These trends were exacerbated in merchants of exceptional skill. Famous merchants were specialists at throwing their weight around, but Lawrence had heard they were just fine with rubbing their cheek against the ground right in front of others.

In practice, such things usually did not obtain any definite results, and if the middle managers did not kill Debau himself because they could still use him, the reverse was equally true. In other words, even if Debau returned to power at the head of the company, Hilde and Debau could never return the company to its former state by themselves.

“I think…they will. And Mr. Hilde and the others are spurring a counterattack because they think so.”

For a while, Holo’s eyes watched Lawrence as if he looked like a creepy magician or the like, finally making a sigh. Perhaps she averted her gaze because looking at the forest calmed her heart.

“You merchants truly are a pack of fools…”

Tone aside, those words seemed to constitute tentative assent. Besides, this was very good news so far as Holo was concerned.

Even Holo would want to avoid making the choice to abandon Hilde and the Myuri Mercenary Company if at all possible.

After all, handing Hilde the forbidden text was with the intent of averting an unprecedented crisis in the northlands. Moreover, had Holo and Lawrence not become involved with the Myuri Mercenary Company, it would not have become wrapped up in such danger.

With such thoughts in mind, Holo and Lawrence could not just flee by themselves.

All they could do right now was hope that all would settle down; right now, that was still possible.

And Holo knew this, of course.

She did not like it, but she accepted it. Perhaps she had raised the issue because she wanted to rule out their running away on their own, but he made no effort to confirm that.

Lawrence had something else he wanted to say instead.

“So if you were an exceptionally skilled merchant who could easily do such shocking things, what would you do?”

“Mm?”

Holo looked at him, seemingly taking a bit of time to understand the meaning of his words.

Though not being simply led by the nose by Holo made him happiest, taking a long, hard look at Holo’s face changing into a bewildered expression was a close second.

She looked like she was not going to give up even if it took her the next hundred years.

“…Do you intend to push this onto me? I must say that is very small-minded of you.”

“I think we stupid males are proud of being good at that.”

And without laughing, Holo snuggled nicely into Lawrence’s side and said this.

“Yes, yes. That is so.”

Holo took Lawrence’s hand, as if asking, Is this all right?

The smile Lawrence sent back covered his whole face.

“Hmph.”

Holo looked the other way with an annoyed expression.

From there, the two descended the slope and came out onto the road.

To the right was where Luward and the others were fighting; to the left, the winding road continued all the way to Svernel.

By now the heavy sleds must have all advanced quite a ways down the road. The marvelous feast of sword and spear was due to come to an end, so those not involved had gone ahead.

“Incidentally…” With the road curving to the right, Lawrence asked as they walked, “If you arrived at Lesko the day before yesterday, what were you doing between then and coming here?”

According to Hilde, the bird named Luis knew to tell her that if anything had happened in Lesko, Hilde would be heading toward Svernel.

Therefore, since the eyes of a bird in flight surely would have spotted Lawrence and the others right away, a rather large amount of time had passed.

As he asked, Holo shrugged her shoulders a bit and said this.

“The town was like a clam that had closed its shell. Even knowing without doubt something had happened to the hare, I had little notion of what exactly that something was. That and someone left the inn without leaving so much as a note.”

Holo said it with invective, but in that situation, Lawrence would never have left a note.

If he carelessly left such a thing, he would have no idea what way it might be taken.

“So you were investigating the circumstances?”

“Aye. Luis’s comrades had vanished as well. But though Luis did not take human form, he truly has courage and is quite valiant. He said he would not give up and would keep searching. Aye. Enough that ’tis truly wasted on a bird.”

From Holo, who rarely even remembered other people’s names, this was rather high praise.

As Lawrence thought as much, he also knew he had best keep his face neutral, but apparently the decision had come too late. Holo noticed and leered at him from the side.

“…This Luis is so incredible, then?”

So he said it before it was said for him.

“Aye. Let us say we had a bit of an adventure.”

“I see,” Lawrence calmly replied, but Holo seemed to be testing him as she said all this.

“Making a forced march, running all over day and night, finally arriving at the town and searching for those who were missing and gathering information was not something that could be done alone. Sometimes he urged me on; sometimes I urged him on. Sometimes I led him; sometimes he led me. That is why…”

Holo made a small pause in her words.

“…I might have fallen for him just a bit.”

She turned her face away as she spoke for good measure.

As Holo spoke such words, she made what seemed to be a constrained smile.

A man and a woman bound together through hardship was one of the staples of the old ballads.

It could not be. Could it…?

If a man and a wolf was fine, why not a wolf and a bird?

But if he showed even a hint of suspicion about that, it would mean he did not trust Holo.

More than anything else, he was certain Holo thinking he did not trust her would hurt her.

While Lawrence desperately tried to maintain his logic and self-control, Holo diligently gazed at Lawrence’s face as a satisfied smile came over her face.

“Wh-why you little—!”

A moment before Lawrence could finish, Holo hugged Lawrence.

And taking in a deep breath as if sniffing the scent of Lawrence’s clothes for all she was worth, she held it for a while before gently exhaling.

When she pulled back, she seemed happy, so much she teared up a bit.

“How much do you think I love you, you fool?”

Certainly, it was Holo who had lured Lawrence to a place with no trace of anyone else and pushed him down.

Lawrence had no words of rebuttal, scratching his face as he looked the fool.

“But quite a lot actually happened. We ended up fleeing from the town in a big hurry.”

Instead of feeling like a fly was crawling on his head, the about-face made Lawrence’s head seem to go numb somewhere.

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. I do not intend to second-guess the judgments you all made…but they are a fiercer enemy than before. Perhaps it is because of their internal disputes that they have hardened their defenses to excess. ’Tis the time for it, after all. That sack has much of Luis’s courage packed in it.”

As Lawrence looked at the hemp sack over his shoulder, she told him, “By the way, you may not.

“Luis was told so by his master. If the worst happens, do not let anyone see or ask, just deliver the package to the hare.”

Holo’s face made plain that she was not saying it as a joke.

Lawrence looked at the hemp sack on his shoulder once again.

“But the town is filled with enemies, you see. You have no idea how much trouble it was to get that thing…Furthermore, he had the courage to entrust such a valuable thing to me because I am stronger. You understand why he makes me swoon, yes?”

The last part was surely a joke, but what had been entrusted to her was no doubt of such importance—certainly something worthy of Holo remembering his name and praising him.

But what could it be that she had been entrusted with? This master was no doubt Hilbert Von Debau.

All Lawrence could think of were letters or perhaps money, or failing that, various documents bearing the Debau Company’s stamp of authority. Certainly, if that was so, it had to be something no one would know about or think even the possibility existed that it would move beyond their grasp.

When push came to shove, company operations always functioned on trust. Scattering documents embodying that trust outside of the company meant throwing the company’s trust out of the window as well.

Even though they had let the former owner live so far because he was still useful, they would most certainly kill him for that. Or perhaps they would let him live so that something hidden would not be exposed.

“Have you seen it?”

As Lawrence asked, expression vanished from Holo’s face, and a moment later, Lawrence’s field of vision flipped.

It took him a while to realize Holo had pulled his leg and sent him tumbling.

“You truly are a fool.”

As she haughtily looked down upon him with a frigid look, Lawrence remained on the ground as he raised his head, muttering, “Certainly.”

As Lawrence and Holo arrived back, the party was in full swing.

In Luward’s camp, about four men bound with ropes were being made to sit.

Their faces bore numerous scars; even their hands bore large reddish-black lumps on them.

It seemed that the blood that dyed the snow red was not something made up.

Small doubt what stood out was how upbeat their faces were in spite of looking like that. Merely understanding that their lives were not in danger could not account for that. They looked like they had just finished a horse race.

“We’re back.”

When Lawrence called out to Luward, Luward nodded without a word, exchanging looks with Moizi.

“It is about time.”

Lawrence nodded at Moizi’s words and, leading Holo by the hand, came to rest at a nook in the road.

Even from there, they had a plenty good view of the false battlefield.

Snowflakes danced, battle cries rose; it did not look like a single person was holding back. In practice, though the swords and spears did not cut, they were plenty useful as blunt instruments. A square hit in the head would make someone swoon; it would be easy for someone to lose his life. Even in the short time Lawrence and Holo watched together, there were a number of people carried to the rear with broken bones or who had been knocked out cold.

Furthermore, even though this had been prearranged, the situation put the Myuri Mercenary Company at a clear disadvantage. One could say they were overwhelmed.

However, they exhausted every effort, friend and foe alike. Everyone had an equal possibility of dying. But even knowing this, they were all so serious that it lit a fire in Lawrence’s chest. He truly understood why people liked battle.

Therefore, no matter how idiotic the goal, regardless of it being a matter of ego, Lawrence still thought it looked stirring. Why is it stirring? he thought. He even thought, If only I could join in. For this was the world of sword and shield, a world that lay beyond the path not taken.

“You truly do seem envious,” Holo pointed out to him.

As Lawrence tried to maintain a neutral expression, he self-consciously patted his own face.

“I know not what is so good about it.” Holo seemed exasperated as she spoke, shrugging her shoulders. Lawrence could not explain it himself, after all; when push came to shove, those who were fighting did not know themselves. Even so, there was something attractive about it. Battle had a certain something to it.

Though he did not want to say, A woman probably would not understand, there certainly was something about it.

“Well, if I’d been a mercenary, I might not have ever traveled with you.”

That was why, when Lawrence said it, Holo made a strained laugh like a much older sister.

“Who knows? At the very least, you would never be able to keep up to their fine work as you are now. Perhaps you would have died before ever meeting me?”

That was a rather frank and realistic opinion. Even more so, it sounded convincing.

However, Lawrence pictured it anyway: him, burlier and sturdier than he was now, accustomed to wielding a sword or an ax, perhaps using one of them to earn his supper as a mercenary.

And then, one day meeting Holo and heading to Yoitsu. Of course, being a mercenary, he would have tried to deal with this and that on their journey to cut open a path with force of arms and intellect.

At such times, Holo would be standing at his side. Certainly, this was Holo, but since he would be a professional mercenary blazing a trail with his blade, Holo would not have to do anything excessive. If her form as a wolf was exposed, he would stand right by her side, sword in hand.

If she spotted an enemy, like just below this hill, Holo would counter sword with fang all on her own.

Himself, perhaps called a wolf of the battlefield, beside Holo, giant wolf fangs bared?

Surely no young man could fail to quiver at such a sight?

“But,” said Holo.

Lawrence felt embarrassed at having peered at such an idiotic fantasy, but Holo’s narrowed eyes gazed across the wide-ranging battlefield when she said this:

“Since ’twould be you, it might have been fun whatever happened.”

And she looked toward Lawrence, making an embarrassed-looking smile. With such a smiling face before him, Lawrence could not right himself with any elegance. If he was a valiant man, devoting himself to professional mercenary work, not batting an eyebrow at putting his life on the line, that would surely have its very own charm.

Unfortunately, however, he was simply a pathetic man in practice.

Lawrence could not help but think so, but Holo did not seem to think it herself. She pulled her head back, smiled with an amused look, and looked over the battlefield once more. As she breathed in and out, there was a white shade to her lips, natural as that might be.

“There’s such a thing as fate. ’Tis what I believe.”

Lawrence did not think those words came to her all of a sudden.

Meeting Holo was by coincidence, and having come this far involved a number of very large coincidences as well. All of them could have ended up differently; that was why, had he met her as a mercenary, it was quite possible he would have bid her farewell by dying on some battlefield somewhere.

“I am tired of grieving. I am tired of worry and hesitation. Hungry, all four paws hurting from the cold, frantically running on the snow-covered roads—even so, I thought about it. Until even a very short time ago, I never imagined she called the Wisewolf of Yoitsu would end up doing this sort of thing. However, if ’tis fate, ’tis not a poor one, I think.”

There was a bit of distance between Holo and Lawrence.

As expected, Holo was not foolish enough to snuggle up against him here.

However, Lawrence thought nothing of such a distance.

Holo, in a place but a few footsteps away from Lawrence, slowly turned her head to him, and said this.

“And since I had a lot of time to think as I ran, I thought of it.”

“Thought of it?”

Of what?

Faster than Lawrence could ask, Holo resumed speaking, as if unable to contain herself.

“The name of your store.”

“Eh?”

It was that instant, as his eyes widened and as he moved to take a step toward Holo to grasp her shoulders.

An incredible roar reverberated, seeming like it would split the very ground.

It sounded just as if trees were being felled. That was Lawrence’s first thought, but then he realized he was mistaken, for trees truly were being felled.

“Avalanche!” someone shouted.

If one looked over the battlefield, all the soldiers with weapons in hand trying to cut at their opponents froze in place as they absorbed the news. They all turned their heads in the same direction.

Just as no mercenary, no matter how greatly he built up his body, could never best a bear in strength, no matter how many people are in one place, they cannot win against nature. A mass of snow seemed to be slowly falling at first, but when it plunged against a bulwark of trees, they warped and finally made a great cracking sound. That instant, it leaped off the snowy mountain.

The snow plunged into the valley all at once.

“Retreat! Retreaaat!”

Luward was yelling, and Rebonato on top of the hill on the opposite side also yelled, but their voices no longer reached.

In the midst of the roar that seemed to shake their very bodies, the soldiers scattered in every direction like ants being chased by water. The mass of snow relentlessly poured into the valley, crushing everything in its path, before finally enveloping it with a thick, rising spray of snow.

In an instant, it was all over.

However, everything had changed.

For this was how the curtain was being yanked down over the battle.

“Gather the wounded! Retreat! It’s an act of God!”

Luward’s command flew first over the battlefield now returned to silence.

On the other side of the valley, Rebonato seemed taken aback at the cowardice of the Debau Company’s overseer, but the Myuri Mercenary Company paid no heed. They pulled as many of their comrades out of the snow that they could, ran up the hill, and kept running. As Lawrence and Holo fortuitously fled like hares as well, Rebonato finally regained his senses.

“Running away, cowards?!”

And he hurled his ax in anger. The ax flew an unbelievable distance, thrusting into the camp on their side, but of course it struck no one. As Rebonato looked over the camp, empty as a hollow shell, he shouted, “Damn it all!” in a voice filled with such anger, one would not think it was an act.

When Lawrence and the others advanced all the way to where the sleds had arrived, hot soup was waiting for them.

The comedy had ended in suitable fashion, but Lawrence, who knew it was all a trick, had not thought it would be so incredible. He wondered if those who had been caught up in the avalanche were all right.

Thinking about such things as he ate his soup, his concern might have shown on his face.

When the roll call was finished, confirming that fifteen people had been left on the battlefield exactly as planned, Moizi, having finished his report to Luward, said this to him.

“The ones caught up in the avalanche were pikemen. Well, I’m sure they’re all right.”

So that’s it, thought Lawrence.

“Also, it was all snow spray, not nearly as bad as the real thing. None of our men would die from the likes of that.”

He grinned widely at that.

“Once things settle down a little, they will no doubt be in touch with us. What should concern us is what comes next.”

Lawrence meekly nodded at Moizi’s words.

Certainly it was true. So far, everything had been between mercenaries in on it, but it would not be so from here on.

For once they entered Svernel, their opponent would be the Debau Company itself.

Meanwhile, Luward was going around looking over the wounded, checking on the condition of the prisoners, and thanking those who had pushed into the mountains and built a device to deliver a splendid avalanche for their labors.

No doubt those who made use of men could only do so because they were considerate at times like these, even if they looked imperious and heavy-handed at times.

“Everyone, well done.”

And once everything settled down back to normal, Luward spoke.

“Compared to the large-scale, much-reputed Hugo Mercenary Company, your fine work was as good or better. Unfortunately we didn’t win the match, but that’ll make it more fun next time we spar with them.”

Knowing full well there had never been such a thing and never would be again, everyone made lighthearted laughs.

Hilde, the de facto employer of the mercenaries, must have made a strained smile inside the wicker cage.

“Well, then, I’d like to say get some rest for what’s left of the day, but unfortunately it’s still a ways until we can sleep under a roof. On top of that, we have to be the mercenary company that used a sudden avalanche to barely escape. So because of that, I want to advance with all speed. Anyone want to complain?”

Luward looked all around, but of course no one did.

Everyone was smiling, pleased with their own roles.

“All right, after a few preparations, we advance!”

According to the script, they would desperately flee toward Svernel.

But riding high on boastful tales and impressions of their fighting, there was not even a hint of tension.

Right about now, the Hugo Mercenary Company was no doubt digging its own comrades and the Myuri Mercenary Company members out of the valley. From the other side’s perspective, it looked like they had fled in such a harried state that they had abandoned fifteen of their own men.

In truth, even if it was a show, the battle had been overwhelmingly in favor of the Hugo Mercenary Company.

The know-nothing merchant overseer would likely be fooled with ease.

“So, what are they going to do now?” Holo asked as they walked.

She said not one word about the baggage being piled onto horseback with the wagon nowhere in sight.

She understood that it would not be a fun conversational topic.

“What do you think they’ll do? When I heard the plan, it made my tongue curl.”

Holo thought about it for a while, but shrugged her shoulders and said, “I know not.”

“After, they’re going to negotiate. After all, they have fifteen of their comrades taken captive with wounds all over their body. The other side thinks they’re at an overwhelming advantage, so this side has no choice but to negotiate. We’ll go negotiate and take hostage the young merchant pathetically certain of victory.”

“…And then, we get their captured comrades released and run for it?”

“That rough bunch will make the merchant the scapegoat, absolving them of blame.”

With an annoyed look on her face, Holo snorted a “hmph” and sighed.

“All jumbled together.”

Her judgment was swift.

“But it’s marvelous, isn’t it?”

“I would have thought you more concerned they would push the fool’s role unto you.”

She said it quite bluntly, but as he had thought of the possibility himself, it did not bother him much.

“At the very least, I have plenty of credible bad experiences to threaten him with. I’ve had more of them than he has, after all.”

“Indeed. And truly you have not had enough.”

He was not minded to protest; Holo seemed satisfied with just the sigh he made.

“Leaving that aside, so many people is inconvenient.”

“Mm?”

When Holo drew close and whispered, he thought, Oh, but an annoyed Holo scolded him immediately.

“Is there nothing else in your head?”

Her gaze was scornful.

“The pack leader holds the hare in high regard, you see. I cannot find a time to hand this to him.”

Holo used her chin to indicate the hemp sack hanging from the horse’s back.

In there were things that should never have been hanging so simply in a place such as that. First, there were three hundred gold lumiones; in addition, the original manuscript of a forbidden text banned by the Church. Yet that was not all, for there was also what Debau had entrusted to them back in Lesko.

But a short time ago, even had he told anyone such a tale, they would have dismissed it as a nonsensical piece of fiction. Even if most of it was not so surprising, having something akin to a great trading company’s treasury riding on his horse’s back really did make him feel like he was dreaming.

“Certainly, handing it over as soon as possible and having one less piece of baggage is a good thing.”

“But we must think of what comes after handing it over, especially if ’tis not in a place touched by human eyes.”

“True…but how big is it? There’s a bunch of things rattling around in the sack, but…”

Holo gave Lawrence what seemed to be a reproachful look, but he did not particularly intend to pry.

As if to indicate that, he pulled back a bit. Holo made a bit of a sigh.

“About this much. ’Tis wrapped in a cloth.”

Holo indicated the rough size with both her thumbs. It was like a short stick, making Lawrence immediately think of some kind of dagger. In truly important business deals, both sides exchanged a ceremonial knife as proof they were both putting their lives on the line. If that was indeed the case, he really was entrusting the Debau Company’s life.

“Not something you can just hide with a little effort.”

“Aye. Especially for a hare.”

Prying aside, that was a quite practical consideration.

Lawrence thought about it for a while, unable to avoid the safest conclusion.

“If we go to Svernel, there’ll be plenty of opportunities once things settle down. Also, if he’s going to negotiate with the Debau Company, he can’t stay as a hare forever.”

Holo made a slow nod at Lawrence’s words.

And she started to say something but stopped.

Lawrence, too, noticed something move in his field of vision.

When he looked, it was Moizi.

“Are you free?”

“Yes.”

“We need to discuss what will happen from here on.”

Lawrence looked at Holo.

After they nodded to each other, he replied, “Yes.”

Lawrence and Holo walked at the vanguard of the unit, drawing gazes that asked, “Who the hell are those people?”

Luward walked a fair distance apart from the others, a young man at his side carrying Hilde within his cage.

“I’ve brought them back.”

As Moizi spoke, Luward made a wave toward the youngster. Lawrence, imagining Holo was making ugly thoughts the whole while, politely received the cage with Hilde within.

“Now, then, the rest is a battle without a script.” Luward spoke with a change in the tenor of his voice compared to just a bit before. “Miss Holo was able to safely rendezvous with us. Furthermore, I have heard she carries some kind of book with her.”

Holo seemed to have given up trying to deter the “Miss” part. She nodded without it seeming to mean anything in particular.

“He shall provide you with the details.” Holo quickly handed the conversation over to Lawrence.

“Within the text is recorded technology for mine development.”

“I heard it was a ‘forbidden book.’”

“Yes. I think Mr. Hilde might be able to explain more about it, but…”

Hilde who had kept his eyes shut the entire time, until that moment, opened them at Lawrence’s words.

“…we looked into it in the past ourselves. We have settled that the writer was indeed executed, but as for the contents, only experts could say, and we are not.”

“So is it the real thing?” Luward pressed a very legitimate question.

“According to the book merchant, it is authentic. However, as it is written in words of the desert regions, I can’t read a single word of it.”

“I see. So as a fellow man of the Debau Company, what do you think? Is it trustworthy enough to use as a bargaining chip?”

It was a difficult question, but Hilde showed no particular hesitation as he replied.

“That depends on how much we can make them believe it is the real thing, I would think.”

Lawrence thought he heard the sound of Holo’s tail puffing up.

“Ha-ha. That’s certainly a true negotiator talking. How promising.”

“The practical problems are the difficulty in finding a person who can translate it and, having done so, the question of if the translator can be trusted. There are always uncertainties in business.”

Those were weighty words. Moizi, standing guard a short distance away to ensure others could not listen in on the conversation, made what seemed to be a heartfelt nod.

“All the conditions are met, then: first, we of the Myuri Mercenary Company; second, the forbidden book; and third, Miss Holo,” said Luward.

These were the three tools for Hilde to fight the Debau Company with. No matter the situation, in the hands of a master, a dull blade would defeat a masterpiece every time. On this point, Hilde and Luward’s ingenuity came guaranteed.

But Holo, catching the scent of being counted among them, seemed somewhat unamused.

“Also, the scouts we sent to Svernel have returned with favorable replies. At the very least, the Svernel town council will welcome us.”

With that, there would be no arguments outside the city walls or threat of being shot by arrows while trying to pass through them.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t problems.”

Luward said it like when stirring up unease before he announced the identity of their pursuers.

When Lawrence thought about it, nothing good would come from a more straightforward telling.

“It’s true that those who oppose the Debau Company have gathered at Svernel. But we don’t know if that makes all of them our allies.”

So a mob; failing that, a mishmash of people assembled with conflicting interests.

When Lawrence thought about it, either was highly plausible.

“They do appear to have opposing the Debau Company in common. But they’ll naturally have different approaches, some resisting so they can kill it, others resisting who aren’t thinking beyond slowing it down.”

As Luward spoke thusly, Lawrence looked down to his hands at Hilde.

“In other words, they are saying they will not work with us unless I can prove my identity?”

“Yeah. In particular, Hilde Schnau’s ingenuity is the bandwagon we want to ride on, so we don’t have any intention of taking orders from anyone else. Since that’s the case, you have to take the reins in negotiations.”

Hilde’s retaking of the Debau Company and aiming for further mine development left no room for doubt.

That being the case, getting everyone in Svernel on the same page presented a delicate problem. Many might answer that either side winning would be a tragedy.

However, Hilde, covered more by white dressings than fur as he poked his head out of the wicker cage, showed not the slightest shred of fear as he spoke.

“It is written in scripture that without fail what one conceals will go awry. I will have no choice but to reveal myself.”

“On top of that, can you get everyone with disagreements on board?”

Luward’s sharp, relentless gaze seemed to shoot through Hilde ever so slightly. Entering the town walls together meant that their fates were as good as one and the same. If he could not trust Hilde, there was no doubt he could pick another option.

But Hilde had no evidence whatsoever with which to back a firm promise. After all, these were people who saw the Debau Company’s might as at its zenith, yet were opposing it all the same. Lawrence did not think they were halfhearted about this at all.

However, Hilde said this, not wavering whatsoever.

“It is my job to do so. You may leave that task to me.”

It was not a request.

Luward and Hilde stared at each other for a while until finally Luward relented.

Luward pulled one foot back, placed his right hand on his breast, and lightly bent his hips.

Then and there, he displayed who was the master of whom.

“We are your shield and your sword. Let our banner be bathed with your blood; let our banner be the shroud for your corpse.”

“And in the event of victory, may your banner be the one that flutters.”

At Hilde’s words, Luward closed his eyes, as if drinking wine of the finest caliber.

Hilde knew to a detestable degree what words were most effective with a given person.

“When I was a boy, I wanted to be a merchant, but maybe who I wanted to be was you.” Luward left it at that.

In his basket within Lawrence’s arms, Hilde did not stir.

The night had grown late when messengers from the Hugo Mercenary Company arrived.

This was no backstage visit: These official envoys rode in on horseback with one bearing a flag.

For its part, the Myuri Mercenary Company lit signal fires, defended its camp with spear and sword, and welcomed them in under heavy guard.

Luward gave the envoys’ verbal message a one-word response. “Fine.”

They were behaving with utmost seriousness, as if the merchant overseer was watching them within the darkness that very moment.

God is always with you, it is said.

And the Myuri Mercenary Company always waved its banner.

“Well, then, the Hugo Mercenary Company will await you at the appointed place,” said the envoys with all due formality before leaving leaving the Myuri Mercenery Company’s encampment.

All that remained was silence. Even though they knew what was to happen from here, there was tension.

“Moizi, make preparations.”

“Sir.”

After Luward broke the silence, Moizi exchanged looks with a youngster on logistics duty beside the sleds.

Then, in a well-practiced manner, the youngster retrieved a fur-rimmed overcoat from the baggage train. Rimming with fur was not simply proof of a person’s affluence, but a display of the wearer’s high social status.

After putting on the heavy coat, which nonetheless did not appear warm in the slightest, he put a jeweled sword on his hip.

“I never know if I’m nervous or if the gear’s just so damned heavy.” Luward acted disinterested as he made the joke. He was probably still nervous, too. “Now, Mr. Lawrence, how’s your end?”

Lawrence nodded when called.

They had hammered out before eating that Lawrence would proceed with him to the negotiations. Hilde was injured, after all, and there was nothing to be gained whatsoever from disclosing his location.

If everything went as planned, however, all he would be doing was carrying a few things; nothing difficult whatsoever compared to his business dealings as a traveling merchant. As a result, he kept telling himself it would be all right, but he could not hide his tension.

Perhaps seeing Lawrence like that was why Holo whacked him close to the hip without a word.

“Make preparations for departure just in case.”

Luward issued such an order to his subordinates. Moizi made a stern face, but the men laughed in response. Lawrence thought of saying some kind of joke to Holo, but Holo was yawning and sipping on her liquor without even glancing toward him.

It seemed a bit mysterious, but maybe she was trying to tell him not to be so nervous.

After that, Luward took the lead with Lawrence, Moizi, and two others serving as bodyguards, their party advancing along the nighttime snowy road. It was a cloudy night with the moon coming out and then hiding again; the temperature was frighteningly low. It was bad enough it seemed like any words spoken would freeze over then and there. Lawrence sometimes felt like snow was falling, but that was no doubt the fault of the bitterly cold wind.

As they listened to the sound of a horse plodding over snow, Lawrence and the others finally arrived at the valley where the avalanche had been triggered during the day. The Hugo Mercenary Company was already in the bottom of the valley, projecting a winner’s confidence that was obvious at a glance.

However, Luward and Moizi seemed fairly surprised while looking at them. Lawrence realized that Rebonato, the head of the Hugo Mercenary Company, was covered in an ordinary, heavy overcoat. It was by no means of poor quality, but was heavily mismatched with the ceremonial fur coat and jeweled sword Luward was dressed in.

Or perhaps a calculated show of disrespect was required because this was not a negotiation between equals.

That was Lawrence’s thinking, and Luward and Moizi seemed to have decided as much.

“Well, let’s go.”

This said, Luward took the initiative by spurring his horse, deftly moving down the sloping road. Lawrence handled his reins and somehow managed to go down the unfamiliar sloped road. The snow at the bottom of the valley was heavily packed; hooves did not sink into it at all. The head of the Hugo Mercenary Company stood with the young Debau Company merchant overseer beside him, and behind them stood two bodyguards, equal to their own side.

Moizi looked all about out of habit, but of course there were no troops in ambush.

Moizi sent Luward a quick glance, Luward nodded, and they finally closed the distance.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” That was the first thing Luward said when dismounting. “I believe you received my message…”

The Hugo Mercenary Company’s Rebonato spoke without replying.

“Let me repeat. This is not a negotiation. This is a declaration.”

Unlike the clothing Luward wore to espouse dignity, Rebonato’s heavy coat was completely devoted to practicality.

With Rebonato speaking frankly, looking like that, anyone listening would think he was delivering a merciless final warning.

“I don’t mind. I’m handy with a sword, but not so with words,” Luward replied with a show of vanity.

Standing beside Rebonato, the young merchant scowled with his eyebrows, looking uncomfortable. Rebonato’s visage, sterner even than Moizi’s own, seemed frozen and expressionless as he continued to speak.

“We have taken fifteen captive. For your part, you have only four of our men captive. These are clear facts not up for debate. But we are well aware of the honor of the Myuri Mercenary Company’s flag until now. Therefore, we find no reason to continue to turn our swords upon you.”

He seemed very fond of exaggerated words.

However, if fifteen men were genuine captives, they would be on the verge of annihilation.

There was no mistaking that Rebonato would be delivering the same lines even if this was not all an act.

“We will not ask where you are headed. We will, however, inform you of our conclusion.”

Rebonato was not requesting a dialogue.

His behavior was fitting in this cold, dark valley.

And taking in those words, the uncomfortable-looking, scowling merchant beside Rebonato finally allowed a little happiness to show on his face at the prospect of delivering the finishing blow.

“My name is Raji Glem. I am a merchant of the Debau Company. I want you to think of my voice, my orders, as speaking for the Debau Company.”

When he finished speaking, he sent a defiant glare toward Luward.

It was as if he expected invoking the Debau Company would bring everyone to their knees.

In practice, Luward was neither frightened of such talk, nor did he even give Glem a glance, making him seethe audibly.

Perhaps the especially cold air was a blessing, for he breathed deeply and cooled his anger. After that, he pulled out two documents from his breast to finish off these obstinate people who refused to submit, even after a decisive defeat.

“We have two demands. The first, you will pay ransom for our captives. The second, you will halt your advance.”

The contents were just as they had been told beforehand.

And Glem the overseer was apparently even more conceited than the report beforehand had claimed.

“No response?” he asked in an overbearing manner.

Rebonato looked at Glem from the side, but the defiant behavior did not cease.

Luward averted his gaze as if he was dealing with a child as he spoke.

“Ransom? You at least know the price, I take it?”

Glem’s face turned beet red to a pathetic degree at the transparent taunt.

Lawrence was aghast at how petty the other side’s fellow merchant was. Perhaps it was that not having to work hard, at a company that had continued to succeed time after time, made this inevitable.

He was just like the spoiled third son of an aristocrat.

As Glem continued to glare at Luward, he nearly shouted as he spoke.

“Ten gold lumione a head! You will pay immediately!”

For fifteen people, that would be in excess of five thousand silver trenni.

Lawrence did not know the going rate for ransoms, but even he immediately understood this was exceptional.

Rebonato acted surprised as he urgently raised his voice to the indignant Glem beside him.

“Wh-why are you deciding th—”

“Ha! That’s a high enough price for a pack of beaten dogs!”

Certainly, Rebonato had said this was not a negotiation, but this was nothing short of an ultimatum.

The more worked up Glem became, the cooler Luward’s attitude became in turn.

“This won’t do, Captain Rebonato. This relates to your reputation.”

Rebonato, to whom Luward’s statement was addressed, swallowed his words.

Glem paid not the slightest attention to Rebonato’s reaction, waving a sheet of paper in his hand as he shouted in anger.

“You whelp! This is not a negotiation! It’s a declaration! Don’t you see that?!”

Luward finally returned his gaze to Glem with an afflicted look.

Glem, making labored breaths, seemed so worked up that his head might emit steam.

Normally, the one who did this lost the negotiation.

However, Luward looked at the paper in Glem’s hand and reeled in shock.

“What the…?”

“…Ha, ha-ha, ha-ha-ha! How about this, whelp! Yes, this is a contract! A pledge for you to pay this amount of money in thanks for our sparing the lives of the subordinates you abandoned. It is even sealed with blood! Do you know what this means! If you defy this, we can bring you to heel as contract violators at any time of our choosing!”

Though Lawrence could not see the contract very well, such was the norm when there was a seal in blood.

For that was the nature of contracts and what contracts should be.

“Ugh…but who’ll believe that’s real…?”

“Take a good look! This is the contract that binds you!”

But Lawrence could only feel pity for Glem now.

Likely, he had only seen people inside of the company, fearful of the contracts that bound them to the company.

Therefore, he had made an exceedingly simple blunder.

“No, but that can’t be…”

“What are you saying! Can you not read th—?”

“Hmph.”

No matter what kind of demon a contract bound one to, an all-powerful magic spell it was not.

The moment Luward made a heavy exhale through his nose, Glem still did not seem to quite get that his neck was already in the noose.

“He sure is noisy.”

“Luward!”

By the time Rebonato shouted and brought his ax in hand, it was all over.

Luward’s hand pulled Glem’s body close, handing him off to Moizi, standing behind Luward, like a carry bag.

A situation could be turned on its head in a single instant. This was true of trade and battle alike.

“Ugh…uhh…”

Moizi’s frighteningly thick arms held both Glem’s slender neck and his arms tight.

When Lawrence looked, Glem’s feet had been lifted clear off the ground as they kicked.

“Don’t move, you bastard. You’ll really be in shit if you break your neck.”

Glem’s movements came to a sudden halt.

“Luward…”

“Don’t give me that face, Rebonato. This is what happens when your master is a fool.”

Rebonato shifted his gaze to Glem.

His stern face became even sterner as he took a deep breath and tugged on his chin.

“Release Mr. Glem.”

“Ha! Mr. Glem, is it now? Don’t embarrass your banner. How much will you pay for him?” Luward spoke as he turned.

Glem’s feet began to kick once more, no doubt anticipating what was going to happen to him.

“Who’s the whelp now?”

Luward twisted his hips and thrust his right fist into Glem’s side.

Even Lawrence’s ears could clearly hear the sound of bones breaking.

“Hey, Luward!” Rebonato yelled.

“Don’t shout, don’t shout…”

As if in surrender, Luward raised both hands up to shoulder level.

And he turned around, looking at the pathetic Rebonato, his master taken hostage.

“Bring all of my men here.”

“U-urgh…!”

Lawrence felt like Glem was trying to yell something at Luward’s back, but Moizi’s thick arms covered even Glem’s mouth. Besides, his voice might have been merely a whine, containing no meaning whatsoever.

“You said this was no place for negotiation?”

It was possible that even if Rebonato was reasonable, he would permit no rudeness toward Glem.

Rebonato looked at Glem once more and then looked at Luward

“…You would release Master Glem?”

“On the name of the Myuri Mercenary Company.”

But this time Glem was clearly trying to groan something out.

Rebonato looked past Luward, giving Glem a strained look.

Luward briefly turned his head back and made a sigh.

“Hey, Rebonato. Whatever the reason, isn’t this pretty pathetic for you?”

“…Shut up, brat. This is the Debau Company’s…”

“Hmph. If you want to take your employer’s side so much, all you have to do is ask. If Glem here’s a brave merchant, he’ll let you negotiate.”

Luward grinned as Rebonato made a slight nod. Both handled their roles perfectly.

And as Luward turned about, this time Moizi made a slight nod toward him. Like a good, loyal subordinate, Moizi loosened his arms, and Glem collapsed on top of the snow. On his knees, Glem moaned in apparent pain, coughing violently. Luward looked at Glem just like he was looking at a worm. He could kill Glem anytime, in any way, and would never remember him ever again. During that, the pathetic Glem raised his head, desperately trying to breathe, and called out Rebonato’s name.

“…Rebonato…”

Save me.

That’s what Lawrence thought would follow.

“Do it.”

The next moment, Luward leaped sideways. That was what Lawrence thought, but it was altogether too sudden and the force too incredible. What made him realize the truth was Rebonato stopping in mid-motion as his muscle-bound body pulled back his fist.

“…I do not think Luward would die from that, but…”

Rebonato spoke as he looked over the skilled escorts who had suddenly placed the tips of their swords at Luward’s throat.

After that, he slowly turned around, looking like a bear.

“Now, then, who let his guard down?”

“…!…? Mr. Rebonato…?”

“What?”

Rebonato picked at his ear as he replied to Moizi’s words.

An act? A performance? A mistake? Or…?

No, betrayal.

The moment Lawrence finally realized it, Rebonato’s arm made a slight movement.

A moment later, Lawrence felt severe pain in his left thigh; he felt like someone had driven a needle through his knee.

“What, an actual merchant?”

As Lawrence heard the dejected-seeming voice, Lawrence noticed the dagger thrust into his thigh. It was then that Moizi started reaching again for Glem, still at his feet.

“Hey, don’t disappoint me here…”

Rebonato’s grating voice halted Moizi’s movements like glue.

Moizi’s eyes shifted from Rebonato to Luward, whom he had sent flying.

Luward was neither dead nor unconscious.

But what made him try to get up in spite of the swords at his throat was his complete refusal to take in the situation. Perhaps thanks to his head being struck—even then, as Luward tried to get up, he was shaking enough it seemed like he would fall to pieces. Lawrence was sure he could not stand in that condition and had his doubts Luward was even truly conscious.

As Luward was now, killing him would be as easy as twisting a baby’s arm.

“Mr. Glem, get over here.”

As Rebonato spoke, Glem staggered his way forward.

Moizi could only keep silent and watch.

Of course, Lawrence was no more helpful than a tree on the side of the road.

“Damn it, they sure treated you rough. I didn’t think they’d do this.”

Glem, having finally staggered his way near to Rebonato, was grabbed by Rebonato’s thick arm and pulled up.

“Guaa, aa…”

“Hmph…just a broken rib or two. Get a grip. You’re not coughing blood, but that’s Luward for you.”

As Rebonato so spoke, Luward might have been reacting to his own name.

Having failed to get up, Luward looked up as he raised his voice in a moan.

“Rebo…na…t…”

“Oh, you’re conscious? I must’ve held back too much.”

Rebonato handed Glem off to his subordinates and strode close to Luward, gazing down at him.

“Hey, Luward. Since you’re listening, I’ll say it. Surrender. Stop heading to Svernel. And you must know the location of Hilde Schnau. Say it. Hey, nothing bad’ll happen…We’ll capture him and return him alive.”

However, Luward’s eyes seemed so vacant that Lawrence doubted he was listening.

Rebonato sighed and crouched and grabbed Luward’s ear, pulling his head up with it.

“Are you listening? You’re listening, right? I’m changing my body position and getting up.”

As he spoke, Rebonato put his giant, oxlike foot on top of Luward’s right knee.

“Here we go.”

A moment later, Rebonato stood on it with all of his weight, breaking it with a loud crack.

“Aa…gaa…!”

“Now you’re awake. So, what’s your answer?”

And he squatted once more.

They had been betrayed, Lawrence realized.

And furthermore, they had fallen into an absurdly deep trap.

“Ugh…wh-why…?”

“Why? I ask and you ask back, huh?”

As Rebonato spoke, he drew Luward’s jeweled sword from his hip. Though it was of considerable value, Rebonato’s face seemed to express, “What trash, I’ll just toss it away,” as he lowered his hand.

The jeweled sword prioritized appearance over sharpness, but dull as the tip was, it could still cut.

The tip thrust into Luward’s right hand.

“Well, you have a point. I thought that, too.”

Rebonato kept his hand on the sword stabbing Luward’s palm, twisting it a second and third time. He looked like a child tossing pebbles.

“But I had no choice. They piled the money high.”

Even with his knee broken, even with a sword thrust into the palm of his hand, those words delivered the greatest shock to Luward.

“You d-didn’t…”

“Ha-ha, you giving me that pure, innocent look makes it tough on me. After all, I’m…I’m a traitor, that’s why.”

Rebonato pulled back the sword, examining the droplets of blood along the blade.

“The brave, resolute, and stubborn Hugo Mercenary Company? Well, I’ve been upholding that charming reputation for twenty years now. When you add my ancestors, it’s centuries, huh?”

Luward was in severe pain and surely was still dizzy from when his head had been struck. As he glared unsteadily at Rebonato, he seemed to squeeze his own words out.

“…Why, why…answer…me!”

“Yeah. I was bothered by it. Why do I have to betray you? We might be savage and ferocious, but we’re mercenaries who uphold our ways. But you see, they piled up the money.”

Rebonato rose up.

Glem scowled for all he was worth as he walked over, using a subordinate’s hand for support.

“For money, Luward.”

Rebonato handed the dull jeweled sword to Glem.

Glem turned eyes that seemed to burn toward Luward, but Rebonato said, “If I handed you any better weapon you’d kill him.” Of course Moizi tried to move, but the instant Rebonato put his hand on the ax at his hip, Moizi’s movements stopped.

Rebonato’s overbearing manner was just like that of a bear’s.

He had something about him that stopped people in their tracks.

“Don’t make me kill anyone, Moizi.”

As Rebonato said those words, behind him, Glem stabbed Luward’s left thigh with the jeweled sword.

“Gw…aa…!”

“Leave it at that. If he dies, it’s inconvenient for us, too.”

As Rebonato put a hand on Glem’s shoulder, Glem rose up, still glaring at Luward with a very great scowl.

And lastly, Glem spit on his face.

“I thought about it a lot. Life only comes around once. So, I figured it was all right to sell the flag out to the Debau Company for a pile of money big enough to make your head spin.”

Rebonato looked at the sky as he spoke the painful words, seemingly lecturing the moon hidden behind the clouds, and made a great sigh.

“I mean, Luward, think about it. How many mercenary companies do you think have vanished from sloppy little deals? You remember a bunch from just lately?”

Luward closed his eyes tightly at those words.

He looked like either the pain was unbearable, or he was trying to flee from the words.

“Listen to me.”

And it seemed he was trying to flee. Rebonato stepped on the wound on Luward’s thigh as he spoke.

“Plus, there’s that stuff in Lesko. Our time is done. That’s why I think it’s stupid to worry about the stuff we used to. Ain’t it so, Luward?”

Even though he was holding a position of absolute superiority, Rebonato’s voice seemed sad.

“In the end, we wanna live somewhere nice, have a good time, and then kick the bucket. Right?

“And all you have to do to make it happen is lower your head to these merchants. That’s all this is.”

Lawrence felt sick to his stomach as he stared at the scene.

Rebonato was asking for forgiveness. He was asking for forgiveness for selling out their pride for money.

Luward, who had rammed his fist into Glem’s side and had held an absolute advantage, had been sent sprawling onto the snow in the blink of an eye by, in a sense, the power of money. It went without saying that this was the power of the Debau Company.

Perhaps, from the point of view of a merchant, this was something to celebrate. The Debau Company was a group of merchants and that group of merchants had brought old power to its knees.

However, what was this bitter feeling? Lawrence truly felt nauseated. Though money solving all problems was the method that Lawrence, too, had hoped for, what had occurred before his very eyes was just too offensive, too dirty.

A sight ugly enough to make Rebonato, who had sold his soul for money, beg for forgiveness.

“In the end, I just couldn’t risk my life for something that’ll soon be forgotten. Money glitters, and good liquor’s expensive. That’s how it is, Luward.”

Once more, Rebonato looked straight down at Luward’s face.

“You know where Hilde Schnau is, don’t you? That’s why you’re heading toward Svernel, isn’t it? Where is he? The bosses at the Debau Company really want to know.

“So say it, Luward. Please say it.”

“If you don’t say it, I’ll kill you.” Glem added his own words.

His eagerness to repay his grudge against Luward might have been an act, but it seemed his volatile personality was not.

Rebonato gazed to the side at him, shifting his gaze back to Luward once more.

“Rebonato…!” Moizi shouted, but his broken voice seemed to be absorbed by the empty nighttime sky.

His voice did not sound threatening. It was a very sad, pleading voice.

“We were bumpkins who didn’t know the might of money. There’s no reason to be ashamed of that. So, Luward, say it. Or is it…”

Rebonato’s expression grew cold as he slowly drew his ax.

“…Is it simply that you don’t know?”

Lawrence knew what kind of mercenary was before him.

A mercenary who would do anything for money.

“…!”

What stayed Rebonato’s hand was the movement of Luward’s lips.

Holding Glem and his subordinates in check with a glance, he bent down on one knee.

“Luward, say it. Say it, Luward!!”

Rebonato spoke as if urging on a nearly dead comrade.

This was the vulgar voice of a man who had sold his own soul for money.

Come with me.

That is what he was yelling.

“…Mr.…Lawrence…”

Rebonato pulled back his face with a puzzled look.

Lawrence himself was taken completely off guard.

Why, at a time like this, would he call out Lawrence’s name?

He did not plead for his life, passively obey, or even show Moizi his final defiance.

The head of the Myuri Mercenary Company instead spoke the name of a wounded traveling merchant.

“…Call her.”

So that’s how it is, Lawrence thought, breaking apart inside. But this was no time to mourn his sense of powerlessness. He vaguely understood that this was his only option.

To be rid of this nausea, the only thing Lawrence himself could do was yell.

For the only thing he could do to resist the great merchant’s dirty methods was to rely upon the old power.

He sucked in a deep breath and called out its name.

“HOLOOOOooo…!” he shouted with all his strength toward the heavens. That he closed his eyes was not because of the strength he had put in it. It was because he was pathetic.

The next moment, Lawrence fell ungracefully atop the snow, for Rebonato, with agility inconceivable for one of his large frame, rushed over to Lawrence and punted him by his gut into the air.

Lawrence rolled onto his stomach, gasping for breath. All he could do was cling to his expectation Holo had heard; his own powerlessness nearly brought him to tears.

“Ready!” Rebonato shouted; a moment later, soldiers emerged atop the hill, bows at the ready.

They had prepared for everything.

However, even after some time, there was no change.

“…Ah?”

Rebonato, who had been on his guard, seemed disappointed as he raised an eyebrow.

“Some kind of prayer? Hey, Luwa…”

That moment, as Rebonato reached out to shake Luward’s shoulder.

Everyone stopped moving. Even Lawrence’s spine froze solid.

Lawrence had heard that a bird under the glare of a hunting dog would remain still atop a branch until a hunter had killed it with his bow. A frog under the glare of a snake would remain still until it had been swallowed whole. When truly under the glare of an overwhelming opponent, prey could behave only as prey and shudder.

“Fire, use f—”

He did not hear Rebonato’s voice past that. Likely, that was simply where his memory had broken off. But he was a bit unsure that there was anything else at any rate. Rebonato’s huge body was launched into the air by something even larger, and while still in midair, it was crushed to the ground.

Without any growl, there stood Holo, her paw thrust into the snowy ground.

Within the darkness that appeared as clouds covered the moon, white breath leaked out between Holo’s fangs.

This was not a human town glowing with streetlamps everywhere.

The forests and mountains ruled by deep darkness and silence were the domain of spirits and beasts.

Holo slowly shook her head. Lawrence did not know what was going to happen to the others after that. He knew only he should get up and run.

But thanks to being stabbed in the left thigh by a knife and kicked in the stomach, his knees held no strength. Just as he was being reduced to crawling on the snow, one of the Myuri Mercenary Company’s escorts grabbed and dragged him by the collar. When they reached where the horses were, the only one not frozen by the display of the giant wolf’s fangs and claws was Lawrence’s horse for it was accustomed to Holo. With the escort lending a hand, Lawrence somehow managed to raise himself, seized the reins, and turned to Moizi as he shouted. “…O-on my horse…!”

With Luward still on his back, Moizi rushed over without even a nod. He might have been chagrined at the tears that drenched his face, but surely it could not be helped.

Moizi first mounted Luward on the horse’s back and, noticing Lawrence’s condition, easily hoisted Lawrence onto the horse’s back as well.

“Take care of the young master!”

Moizi turned around as he spoke. Two of the escorts moved as he did, gripping long swords that seemed to flow out of their hands.

However, whether out of anger, shame, or fear of Holo, their hands shook to the bone.

“Y-you’ll be in the way!”

As Lawrence spoke the plain truth, Moizi and the escorts’ bodies visibly shuddered.

That much they already knew. Thanks to Holo, the soldiers the Hugo Mercenary Company had concealed toward the hill were strewn all over the place. If Moizi and the others plunged headlong into the fray, they might well be killed.

“Let’s…run. We have…to run.” Lawrence was not afraid to say it. “We’ve lost!”

They had been completely taken in by the trap. If not for Holo, they would have all been killed or, at best, become captives that could be killed at any time. Moizi’s body shook so hard from the anger he endured, Lawrence thought he could hear it.

But Moizi was also an excellent strategist.

“Mr. Moizi…”

“…Pardon me. Let us hurry. You and the young one are both in danger.”

Lawrence gripped the reins and made his horse gallop.

With his leg bleeding profusely, no doubt it was not just the night making his vision go dark.

As he endured the cold and the blood loss, Lawrence made for the camp.

Even though he had thought the power of merchants was marvelous, they had used money’s might in a deeply ugly manner. That fact wormed its way into Lawrence’s head like a nightmare. If everything could be resolved with money, naturally this possibility was included as well. The pain in his left thigh felt like his naive dream being impaled by reality.

As the horse’s back swayed under the strain, the unconscious Luward threatened to slip down as if he was a corpse. With Lawrence’s own endurance depleted, Moizi helped them several times over. The soldiers that followed behind the horse kept looking behind, never letting their guard down.

Even though the distance was not all that great, he almost thought he would never make it to the camp.

Lawrence thought back to the underground aqueducts of the harbor town of Pazzio. Then, like now, Lawrence’s arm had been stabbed; he ran and fled, staggering all the way. He had not moved a single step forward since that time. Barely holding onto consciousness on horseback, Lawrence could only smile at how pathetic he was.

“The camp’s been sighted! Only a little farther!”

With that, Lawrence realized that he had been in danger of falling off the horse’s back himself.

Moizi rushed over and supported his body, hurriedly reeling in the reins while setting his body upright. Luward, somehow cradled between Moizi’s arms, had grown as cold as a corpse.

“Medicine! Bring medicine and liquor!”

As Moizi shouted with all his strength, those who realized the situation was dire ran off.

And without asking about the fine details, they immediately acted on their orders, looking into the distance the whole while. Without anyone needing to give orders to anyone else, without needing to be told whatsoever, they moved, and others still acted in anticipation of those movements. Lawrence found it a bit interesting that it looked like a well-rehearsed play.

To mercenaries fighting from dawn to dusk, this must have been a daily occurrence; Lawrence saw a certain beauty in how they instantly dealt with a crisis. This was not something mastered in a short time. This was doubtlessly something gained over many months and years of comrades fighting side by side.

This is what the Hugo Mercenary Company had sold for coin.

They could never become good old mercenaries ever again.

“Come back with all the hot water we have! We must treat the young one quickly!”

Suddenly the mercenaries had gathered around Lawrence’s horse, easing Lawrence as well as Luward off its back. From the way they treated Lawrence, he had apparently been promoted from a suspicious merchant to the benefactor who had bravely transported Luward to camp.

As he was laid on top of a blanket spread atop the snow, hands examined his body up and down as if beating him, and suddenly, his cheek was slapped hard. He thought of saying, I’m wide awake, thank you, but his mouth would not move; he could not even move his head on his own anymore.

But when he was slapped again and his head rudely returned to its original position, he caught sight of a mercenary holding the knife that should still have been planted in his own thigh. Apparently that had been to obscure the pain when pulling the knife out.

“Stopped the bleeding! Where’s that poultice?!”

“Strategist! Fight back? March forward?!”

“Weapons! Bring weapons!”

“Run, young man! Open the second sack, it’s right there!”

The tumult sounded so distant to him. Beside his head, many feet violently ran about, kicking snow onto his face, which someone wiped off.

So this is the field of battle, Lawrence thought absentmindedly.

The next moment, someone seated beside him said this.

“God is at your side. Let us pray.”

His hair disheveled, the clergyman looked rather grim. He had just tossed on his robe; his long sword was hanging in plain sight. Even so, he was doubtlessly a fine military chaplain.

“You’re in time…”

Once Lawrence managed to reply, the chaplain seated right beside him broke into a smile, slapping Lawrence’s cheek as he rose.

“Is he conscious?!”

It was Moizi’s voice. The moment after Lawrence had the thought, a rugged hand forced Lawrence’s face in a different direction.

“Mr. Lawrence! It’s me!”

Lawrence, with his thoughts still a jumble, somehow managed to nod.

“May we consider that wolf as an ally?!”

From the look in Moizi’s eyes, it did not look like a joke.

Lawrence could certainly understand the feelings that made him want to ask.

“It’s…Holo.”

As Lawrence made his brief reply, Moizi stroked his chin, looking as if he had swallowed a stone.

“Understood.”

Now that the Hugo Mercenary Company had betrayed them, any further mistakes in judgment meant the annihilation of the entire unit.

That was the level of the resolve that filled Moizi’s face.

“Medics stay behind. Everyone else, gather arms!”

As the strategist shouted, most people had already taken up arms.

One hand held sword, spear, or ax, while the other held a torch. A pot filled to the brim with wine was being passed around them. Each of them accepted it, glugged as they drank, and passed it along to the next person.

“The Hugo Mercenary Company betrayed us! Now we go rescue our comrades!”

It was that moment, when everyone was set to raise a shout to greet his words.

“S-strategist!”

One of them pointed ahead along the road. As Moizi turned around, Lawrence heard the faint sound of people stepping back. Or perhaps it was the sound of the others taking up battle stances.

But Lawrence, too, understood what they were seeing. From the side, they could see the entire giant body, its footsteps making unfathomably gentle sounds.

Footsteps that had saved him from danger so many times.

From that alone, something like drowsiness came over him.

“…Miss Holo, is it?”

When Moizi somehow found his voice, Holo’s only reply was to drop something onto the snow. A number of mercenaries cried out as it made a thud.

“Glem. Wh-why did you…?”

Holo answered Moizi’s words.

“Surely you can put him to some use.”

Still lying down, Lawrence made a silent laugh. Surely Hilde was making a satisfied look within his cage as well.

“Your comrades are on their way. Some are wounded. You would do well to greet them quickly.”

Holo spoke bluntly, then apparently sat on her rear.

Judging from the silence, Moizi and the other mercenaries must have stared at one another, but the next moment, a battle cry erupted as they ran off.

Once he could no longer hear the sounds of their footsteps, Holo rose, squishing the snow as she approached.

“Fool.”

The word came with a lick of his face.

“…We’re…saved…”

“Hmph. In a sense.”

As Holo spoke, she looked in the direction Moizi and the others had run.

“But I may have erred in saving you.” She dropped a short comment as she walked off.

Erred?

As Lawrence strove to understand the meaning of that word in the far corners of his mind, he lost consciousness.