Spice and Wolf - Volume 24 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Lawrence and company went back the way Meyer brought them, and when they arrived at the checkpoint in which Holo had suffered her hangover, they stayed the night before going downriver.

Boats were stopped on the river as always, but it seemed as though they were pausing to take a break before heading into town to sell all their merchandise, so it was not hard to find a ship that would take them the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the merchant that had lent them his cart was still at the inn, and he seemed generally displeased when Lawrence asked to nullify the agreement, but when Meyer offered him a cask of the forest’s best honey, he graciously accepted.

“Sir Lawrence,” Meyer said at last when their boat began to take them downriver; he had been rather silent this entire time. “I am not exactly sure what to say…”

“It’s all right,” Lawrence purposefully flashed a complacent smile. “Lord Matthias has promised a reward.”

That reward was nothing more than forgiveness for now, but Meyer didn’t know that; the news was enough to offer him some much-needed emotional support.

“And after listening to what Lord Matthias had to say, I’ve learned of another reason that I must get involved.”

“Is…that so?” Meyer asked.

Lawrence shrugged. “I hear a hunter will always be particularly conscious of one or two creatures in the woods.”

Meyer nodded slowly and sighed. “Thank you. We need you, for our forest’s sake.”

Lawrence took Meyer’s hand and shook it; and at the boat captain’s prompting, they took a seat.

Holo, who had been silent the entire time Lawrence spoke with Meyer, did not settle in Lawrence’s lap; instead, she put a considerable distance between herself and him as she took her seat. She acted like a traveling nun, one who decided to accompany him simply because their destinations happened to be the same. Ever since he had summarized his conversation with Matthias to her, she had been acting like that, silent.

But it was clear why—she had determined that Eve was using Col’s name to make a quick and tidy profit. And from what Matthias told them, Eve was wearing terribly gaudy clothes, spending appalling sums on song and dance, emphasizing her ostentatious wealth to Matthias.

Eve of course wore imposing clothes that suited the great merchant she was at their wedding, but that, too, felt more like a foil to Holo’s lackadaisical attitude. At her core, she always prided herself on being a stern wolf, but it never seemed like she ever wanted to give in to the luxuries of the material world.

And so when Matthias told Lawrence of how Eve seemed to have given into her greed, Lawrence felt, somehow, like he had been betrayed.

And what troubled Lawrence even more was Eve’s position. All he had to do was think back on the letters they received, jointly written by Col and Myuri—Holo always told him that they carried with them the scent of joy of travel. Then, at some point, the letters said, they reunited with Eve, and she turned out to be a reliable ally ever since.

Col was straightforward in his personality, and Eve always had a soft spot for him. And Eve gave off a certain scent of danger that differed from the crafty wisewolf that intrigued Myuri—it was clear from her writing that she had taken to the woman. Perhaps Eve was using her deep relationship with the two to collect fees from would-be petitioners and then was splurging with her extraordinary profits.

Col set off on his journey because he believed that justice was a worthy pursuit. And Matthias, who stood on the brink of the fate of his forest, was clearly not a bad ruler.

The jewels decorating Eve’s vestments glittered with the fires that were going to burn the forest that Matthias’s family had spent generations trying to protect.

It was one of the world’s greatest absurdities, and perhaps Eve’s treachery was the same.

But at the very least, Lawrence now understood whose side he needed to be on.

“Dear,” Holo called to Lawrence once, long after the boat set sail from the checkpoint, but she said no more. She did not doze, nor did she snack; she simply stared blankly at the passing fields. Perhaps she was having trouble expressing what she felt.

Lawrence offered a reassuring nod and a smile in return.

Relief passed over her features for a brief moment, but she quickly hardened her expression and trained her gaze on the distance.

Throughout their wedding, Lawrence had caught glimpses of Holo and Eve deep in conversation.

When that thought crossed his mind, he could feel himself gritting his teeth even harder.

He was perfectly used to watching treachery unfold in the world of commerce, but that was not what this was to Holo. His wife was the sort to keep ancient promises, even long after the hearts of the people had long moved past them. That was what had kept her watching over the wheat in Pasloe for centuries.

Though Lawrence would never match Holo in some things, the human world was his field of expertise.

Over and over Lawrence turned over the conversation he had with Matthias in his head as he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead toward the port town of Karlan.

As evening loomed, the boat passed through the Karlan city gates and arrived at the river port. The seaport was situated in a spot a short distance away from the city, out of a desire to put some distance between them and the accumulation of mud and silt from the river. And so only smaller river-faring boats were docked here.

The rumors alone that tariffs might fall had the tax-collecting soldiers carrying out their job in a perfunctory manner, and the town was filled with a cheery air.

Though they had most certainly not found themselves at an enormous port city, all of the buildings facing the river were grand in all four of their stories, and farther down the river they could see a church bell tower, one that also acted as a lighthouse.

Beyond that lay an azure sea, where the dark of night was steadily seeping in and changing its colors toward the horizon; only a faint flare of the sunset remained on the line between sky and sea. The sky was cloudless. One could stand upon the cliffs, squint, and faintly see the lights of Winfiel on the other side.

“Let’s go get our room at the inn that Meyer told us about and then go check out the taverns. How about it?”

Lawrence stepped onto the dock first and held out his hand for Holo to take. She staggered a bit, the sea still in her legs, and then gave a bit of a mumbled reply. Lawrence said no more after that, either, and made his way to the inn following the directions he had been given.

The inn that served as their destination was empty enough that Lawrence did not even need to give Meyer’s name. Every place in town was normally crowded at this time of year, considering all sorts of products were being sold off in the pre-winter rush, including freshly harvested wheat, so it was clear that talks about tariffs were having a considerable effect. The innkeeper was obviously troubled by the approaching winter—his inn should be busy.

As Lawrence listened to the innkeeper complain about his hopes that the tariff talks would end soon, he recalled all of the things Matthias told him. The seasons changed even in lands across the sea, so the Twilight Cardinal, and by extension, Eve, wanted to wrap up this deal with Karlan before winter came.

Under normal circumstances, he would consider this regular trade sense, but he could not shake the impression that this was their way of wanting to put a bow on the transaction before their schemes were revealed.

That Eve herself had personally come to the relatively unknown port town of Karlan strengthened his doubts that she was causing problems in places Col was unaware of.

According to what Matthias heard in their meeting, Eve was staying in Karlan, whose access to the sea was just as convenient, instead of Kerube due to a long-standing grudge, even though she had business in the mainland regarding the incident with the Church.

Lawrence, of course, was wholly aware of this grudge. There had been a historic kerfuffle surrounding the legendary sea creature, the narwhal. And though he logically did not want to deny the possibility, this was still Eve.

When his interests conflicted with hers, he could trust nothing but her attachment to profit.

“People sure do change, huh?” Lawrence remarked as they walked around Karlan under the darkening sky. “I hear she holds huge banquets at the tavern every night.”

Holo could keep up with anyone when it came to drinks, but Eve could rent out an entire establishment for her parties, which meant a lot of drinks. All the bards and dancers would gather in one place, and the best chefs in town would come to the tavern for work.

Eve, who had once chased profit and profit alone like an icicle honed by a blade, had been a bad person once upon a time, yes. But she was, at the same time, the ideal merchant in Lawrence’s mind.

Which meant the swirl of emotions in his chest likely stemmed from disappointment.

They had even come to blows once at the Lenos inn, which had acted as her storehouse, over an allotment of furs and smuggling of rock salts.

What had she said back then?

Lawrence had asked her what exactly it was that inspired her passion to pursue coin so single-mindedly—how had she responded?

It seemed the ultimate end of her road had been a disappointing one.

“I think the tavern the innkeeper mentioned was around here…”

They came to a crossroads of two major flagstone streets and Lawrence’s gaze wandered.

Holo tugged at his sleeve. “I hear music.”

She was not interested in the grilled meats being served at the open-air stalls; her hood was pulled so low over her eyes, he could not see her expression.

Lawrence pictured what might be going on in her mind, swallowed, then headed in the direction she pointed.

There, they found the tavern, patrons overflowing into the street; sounds of music and clapping came from the inside. The smoke of cooking fires stung their eyes, and there came the distinct smell of meat and fish fat and expensive spices.

Lawrence’s stomach grumbled in response to the onslaught of aromas; he steeled his stomach before walking in.

They dodged the ring of dancing men outside the tavern, slipped past the drunkards blocking the entrance, and were shocked by the sight of the sheer amount of people forming a circle before them. In the center of the circle, bards played music, and there were girls singing at the top of their lungs. But the patrons within the tavern did not even spare them a glance.

On the tables stacked in the very center of the establishment majestically danced a girl in red. It almost seemed as though she wore flames over her body.

Her outfit was so flashy that a priest would surely faint at the sight; but what drew the eye more was the large red umbrella she held. It was decorated with golden thread, which meant it was likely a special item from the desert countries far to the south of here. In contrast to the intense passion the strange umbrella dance gave, the girl’s face was cool and calm—almost delighted. Nyohhira, too, offered patrons the chance to watch dances while partaking in drink, but this differed from any performance Lawrence had ever seen in the bathhouse.

Either way, a beautiful girl performing an elegant dance was not reason enough for the tavern to be overflowing with people. There were dishes Lawrence had never seen before lining the tables here and there, and the patrons were plenty drunk, regardless.

At a glance, Lawrence could tell that most of the patrons enjoying themselves indoors were well-off—many looked to be merchants, clerks, or mercenary captains by the looks of it. One needed a certain amount of money to participate in festivities like these.

Lawrence pushed forward, careful not to lose Holo in the crowd as he headed for the far end of the tavern. He had caught glimpses of a corner in the back where things seemed to be different. Sharp-eyed guards stood, protecting particularly well-dressed patrons.

If Matthias was right, then the exotic girl dancing with the red umbrella was a member of Eve’s entourage.

Lawrence had no way of telling how rich she was now, what sort of status she held now.

And so he racked his brains, but ultimately was not sure how he should approach her.

Regardless, he knew he would speak whatever first came to mind when he saw her.

There were so many emotions swirling in the pit of his throat, after all.

Matthias’s and Meyer’s beloved forest, the one they were on the brink of losing, was of an entirely different world here in this tavern.

Lawrence had so much he wanted to say to the great merchant seated at the highest-status seat.

“Hey.”

The guards were good; they immediately noticed where Lawrence was headed and came to stand in his way.

“Bathroom’s that way.”

“No, I’m going the right way.”

Beyond the guards, Lawrence spotted who he was looking for.

She smiled elegantly, drinking from a delicate-looking glass cup, one that seemed like it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Though she nodded with great interest, perhaps listening to the cooks describe what sort of meal she was having, she made no move to touch the food. She ultimately passed the plate to a plump merchant sitting nearby, showing just how magnanimous she was, as though demonstrating that a leader’s job was to share with others.

But that price would be paid by the lumber from the great trees of the Tonneburg Woods. Was this party worth destroying the homes of the squirrels that ran across the branches, the mice that hid within the hollows of trees, the rabbits that burrowed in the ground? Those that fed the livestock in the forest, who fertilized the fields, whose fingernails were caked in dirt from their hard labor every day, were unlikely to ever step foot in a place like this in their entire lives.

It was hard to believe that this dizzying crowd and the stillness of the woods belonged in the same world.

Lawrence pushed past the guard with his chest, pressing forward, heeding no commands to stop. Hands grasped at his shoulder, and just as he tried to shrug them off, another guard held him back.

It was so loud in the tavern he could scarcely hear the person next to him; nearby patrons did not even look at him. The special guests, of course, stared in disbelief at the trespasser. One of them, the queen of the tavern, with her glass cup in hand, stared and blinked, as though wondering if she was seeing correctly.

It was Lawrence’s will alone that kept him rooted in place as three guards tried to pry him away from the table, when Eve finally spoke up.

“He’s an acquaintance.”

Lawrence could feel through the grip on him that the guards were momentarily bewildered. And after a beat, they let go. From the nimble way they moved, it was clear they were simply not strongmen interested in gold—they were people who had spent many years with her.

Lawrence straightened his clothes and checked to make sure Holo was okay—she stood a short distance away, quietly with her coat draped over her, like a girl who had wandered into the tavern purely by accident. Lawrence, ignoring the town authorities who stared at the scene in amazement, stared straight at Eve.

“I need to speak with you.”

Those staring at Lawrence turned their attention to Eve.

Eve scrunched up her nose slightly, then gently placed her glass down with a quiet huff. At the same time, the music and singing swelled, the instruments struck a powerful chord, and then it all came to an end.

Ear-splitting applause tore through the tavern, and the dancer in red gracefully smiled at the crowd.

Eve spared her one glance before deigning to stand up.

“It’ll be quieter out back.”

She told the other patrons to keep enjoying themselves before walking off, one guard in tow.

Lawrence followed after, and a moment later, so did Holo.

Though applause still filled the tavern, a new song began and the hall filled with even more life.

One stray dog scampered away with its tail between its legs.

The back of the building was a space shared by several other buildings, home to several empty barrels of ale and stacks of assorted cargo from the neighboring trading houses—there was no one else around.

“What happened to your bathhouse in Nyohhira? Peak season isn’t too far off.”

Eve also wore a long, billowing outfit, one reminiscent of the clothes the desert dwellers wore, though it was not as elaborate as the dancer’s. It was either silk or wool felt—either way, it was a luxury fabric Lawrence was not familiar with. When Eve moved to sit down on one of the barrels, her guard lay a cloth over it.

“I heard tell from the deep forest that there is a wolf here.”

Eve, upon her barrel, glanced away, faint smile still on her face. After thinking for a moment, she smirked, and sighed.

“Did Lord Tonneburg hire you? To save his forest?”

For just a brief moment, Eve’s eyes flickered toward Holo. Eve knew what Holo really was, of course, so she had assumed they had plenty of motivation.

“No, hold on,” she said and folded over, placing her hand to her mouth in thought as she stared at Lawrence. “Don’t tell me you were the merchant that caused all that fuss in Salonia?”

If the lumber issue in Salonia was a part of Karlan’s plan, then it had of course reached Eve’s ears.

“Was that part of your grand plan?” Lawrence asked.

When he first met Eve back when he was but a peddler, she had concocted a grandiose scheme of her own both in Lenos and in Kerube in pursuit of gold. Even though it meant putting herself in danger.

Matthias was right to wonder if the Karlan negotiators were getting swept up in Eve’s plot.

And by what Lawrence saw from the party in the tavern, he felt that was the right way to look at this.

“It certainly seems you think that way.” Eve gave a very fitting look and smile. “I’m starting to get the picture now.”

There were no lights back here, and only a waning moon hung above them, so Eve’s smile, shrouded in the dark, sent Lawrence’s memories back into the past.

But time marched on, and things were different now.

He wanted to show that, but Eve’s troubled tone interrupted his thoughts.

“And why is the little lady being so quiet?”

“She’s—”

—not a part of this.

The moment he began to say that, Holo spoke up instead.

“Once this fool starts, he never listens to what I say.”

“I—what?”

Lawrence whirled around in surprise to see Holo there.

She did not seem angry, sad, pained, or even disappointed—she had only drawn her thin shoulders up in annoyance.

“He thinks you a villain who is hoarding coin in little Col’s name and spending it all on debauchery.”

“Heh,” Eve barked, unable to keep her mirth from showing, even with the fist in front of her mouth.

Lawrence was perplexed, unsure of what any of this meant, when Holo approached him and clapped him on his lower back.

“You assume too much. Though it is a great help when we are headed in the correct direction.”

That was all she needed to say to send Lawrence’s thoughts racing like the rapids through every moment from his conversation with Matthias in the forest until now.

Holo had been hurt and quiet because Eve was betraying Col and Myuri for coin—that was, at least, how the world looked from his eyes.

“’Tis about her debauchery, naturally,” Holo carelessly jerked her chin toward Eve. “’Twas a secret between me and her. I cannot blame you for making false assumptions.”

Eve shrugged. “Just keep a tight rein on it, okay? I don’t want this to come to blows at this age.”

Lawrence, looking between Holo and Eve in their obvious mutual understanding, eventually said in desperation, “I think you’d be getting all the hits in at this point…”

It was Holo who then joined in on the pummeling.

Lawrence was no match for the two women—the two wolves.

“You were pretty angry. That stubborn lord must not have had good things to say about me, huh? Do you know how hard I worked to treat him well?” Eve said, then muttered, “Hoarding?” She gave another bark of laughter.

“That is your job, no? You did not look the slightest bit hungry, even with all that delicious food around you.”

Holo jerked her head back toward the tavern.

“Yeah. Guess it’s because I can eat all that stuff every night. The people here said they wanted to learn how to cook popular dishes from the south, so I’ve been taste-testing them.”

Holo’s tail, swishing beneath her cloak, was like that of a dog waiting to be given scraps at the table. What happened to being a wolf? Lawrence thought, the spiteful remark his way of easing his frustration of being left out of the conversation.

“That goes for the song and dance, too. The dancers wanted to adopt what dances are popular in the south from my dancers, and bard troupes from all over the region have come for the same reason. And that’s why every day is like this.”

From Lawrence’s perspective, it only seemed as though she was holding banquets and generously treating everyone to fancy feasts at the tavern. But now that she mentioned it, all Eve herself had been doing was sipping her drink and speaking with the chefs—that in particular seemed strange. Even to have an entire group of minstrels gathered in one place would surely cause the other establishments to complain; the guilds would not stay silent about that.

Matthias had said that Eve was showing off her wealth in their meeting, but Eve said she had done her best to treat him respectfully. They did not quite see eye to eye, which meant it was not all that strange to hear that Matthias saw her as villainous. He was just like Lawrence, ranting and raving about how Eve had reduced herself to a simple greedy merchant.

But if that had all been a mistake, then there was one thing Lawrence did not understand.

“What are you doing in this town, then?” he asked.

Eve replied, “I should be asking you the same thing.”

A person important enough could simply ask for a seat in a crowded tavern, and one would magically appear. When Eve told them that the reasons she was in Karlan were complicated and suggested they save it until after the banquet, Holo agreed without waiting for Lawrence’s response first.

And so as Holo, who was in a much better mood than she had been not too long ago, was about to sit in her seat, the proprietor came over to them to take their order and she yelled with glee, “Your best meat and drink!”

The reason Lawrence remained glum, of course, was not because he knew the funds would be going to Eve.

After watching Holo gulp down the fancy, clear wine, he looked down at his own tired expression in the reflection of the wine in his mug.

“Seriously, what on earth is going on?”

It came out more reproachful than he intended because he earnestly wished Holo would have said something earlier if she realized he had gotten the wrong idea.

“Glug… Glug… Ahhh! Sweet mead and filling ale are nice drinks, but wine is simply the best!”

They were soon brought a plate filled with freshly roasted pork, fat dripping from the carvings onto the plate—there must have been a roast going on in the kitchen at all times. What was interesting was that it came with mustard and all sorts of spices, allowing Holo to season the meat as she liked.

Lawrence stared hard at the spices, knowing that bringing some of them to an apothecary would fetch him quite the handsome penny.

“This is quite a stylish way of eating, unlike pork slathered in garlic sauce. And this… Ah! This will be quite useful in times like these.”

In her hand, she held a metal spoon, the eating end of it split into three points. They had in their kitchen something of a similar shape, but as big as a spear; it was used for spit-roasted pig and putting large chunks of beef into stew pots. A very clever someone realized it would be convenient to shrink it down to use at the dining table.

And Holo did indeed manage to lift a piece of pork, coat it in spice, and bring it to her mouth, all without dirtying her hands. Most of those who ate like this were the dainty diners from the south, and this utensil had been likely introduced at Eve’s suggestion.

Lawrence made a general mental note to adopt the practice into the bathhouse, too.

“Well?” Lawrence asked again, and Holo, who was too enraptured by the delicious plate of food before her, gave a bothersome shrug.

“Not much at all is going on. I’ve known for quite a while that she has wanted to let loose. We invited her to Nyohhira when you took me in with your slick talk, no? It was then that we spoke.”

During the long reception that followed the wedding, Lawrence most certainly recalled seeing Holo and Eve speaking rather intimately with each other.

But he never learned of what they spoke, and he never would, since it did not seem like it was something he could ask about.

As Lawrence waited for her to continue, she paused, mug of wine still in her hand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and she jumped in her seat. He saw her wolf ears prick beneath her hood.

“…’Tis nothing. The memory simply brings me back to the time,” she said and took a swig of her wine. When she spoke again, it was as though she was trying to forget something. “She asked me what it felt like to create a weakness for myself.”

It was Lawrence’s turn to freeze.

“Weakness?”

Holo shrugged again, took another swig of wine, took a bite of her pork, took a bite of yet another dish that had arrived—fish slathered in some sort of sauce—and answered, “She is much more of a coward than I am. She had grown rather bored of hoarding gold and traveling alone, yet she had been unable to take the next step.”

That caught Lawrence off guard. Holo gave a half-hearted grin as a hint of pride crossed her features.

“I have you. She has no one. ’Tis a big difference.”

“…”

Holo and Eve certainly seemed like entirely different people, but they did have similar qualities.

A pessimistic quality, one where neither could fully believe in the future.

“I decided to believe in a foolish promise a fool like you presented to me. That foolish promise of an interesting life, of always refilling my cup the moment it went empty.”

She finished drinking her first glass just as she finished speaking, so Lawrence dutifully ordered a new glass for her like a good servant.

“And?”

“That is all. When she saw us and our bathhouse, she at last realized ’twas a stupid thing to continue being the wounded wolf. Her wounds would not heal by hiding in the hollow of a tree, by always growling at her enemy. That is not the sort of hurt she has. But I suppose I cannot speak, considering how I lamented so long by myself in that wheat field…”

Eve was the daughter of former nobility from the Kingdom of Winfiel, but Lawrence had heard she had followed her predetermined fate after her family fell from grace. An affluent merchant purchased the entire family with the intent of making the reputation of their highborn family his own, and after the merchant that became her husband went bankrupt and she lost her means to live, she eventually molded herself into the merchant she was today.

When Lawrence had unveiled her plot in Lenos, and they had drawn their blades to face each other as they kept stealing each other’s profits, Lawrence asked her: “Why do you keep exposing yourself to so much danger? What do you plan to do with all the money you keep hoarding?”

Eve had been ready to plunge her knife into Lawrence in that moment, yet her response came with an embarrassed tone.

“Because you expected that of me.”

After stockpiling an almost pointless amount of money, she could look back on all those who came and went in her life and gloat about what she had accomplished.

Lawrence realized Holo was smiling.

“Just as she said she would, she has found joy in the world, and has at last found herself a pack she can trust.”

Lawrence’s eyes drifted to Eve’s table. Those who stood guard around her wore clothes reminiscent of those who dwelled in the desert, just like Eve’s own attire. The girl dancing joyously with her umbrella in the middle of the tavern, too, wore similar clothes.

“Heh. Can you believe how cute she was? She insisted on having the support of a pioneer before taking her first steps.”

Though Holo had lived for centuries, and at one point had even been regarded as a god, she was still plenty childlike. It was also said that one returned to childhood as one grew older, however, so perhaps it made perfect sense, but the wisewolf was delighted that Eve looked to her for support.

And as Lawrence watched Holo, he finally understood why he and Holo had vastly different reactions to the exact same information from Matthias.

“But you should have told me,” he repeated, his tone somewhat accusatory.

Holo looked at him like a foolish sheep. “You fool. One does not go around spilling secrets. And I know that no matter what I told you, you would not have believed me without seeing her for yourself.”

“Come on, I wouldn’t…,” he began, but he realized she might be right. Holo was kind-hearted, and he absolutely knew he would point out to her that she was incapable of holding negative opinions of Eve, who had come to their wedding.

“And I cannot say with absolute certainty she is not concocting some sort of evil scheme, of course. But I am quite sure that she is not,” she said, chuckling.

“Really?” he asked.

Holo shrugged. “Did you see how delighted she was to see us when she found us?”

It had only seemed like a look of surprise in Lawrence’s eyes, and the tavern was not all that well lit at night. Holo had poor eyesight, so he doubted she had been more keenly aware of the subtleties in her expression.

If anything, it had to have been the scent she gave off. That was because all the letters Col and Myuri sent to the bathhouse in Nyohhira were always so thickly covered in the scent of joy.

But after hearing that, Lawrence could not help the smile that crossed his face when he pictured Eve’s expression blossoming like a flower as she stood.

“Fine, fine. I get it now, but then what’s all this about?”

The truth remained that the Tonneburg Woods were in danger.

And not only that, these precious woods were to serve as the price for Tonneburg asking for help from Col, who could absolve them of the doubt that they were a heretical community amid the huge commotion surrounding the Church. The port town of Karlan took advantage of the situation, and was looking to build a road through the forest while also procuring lumber for itself.

And since all of that lumber was going straight to Eve, it was not unthinkable to suspect that Eve might have orchestrated a grand plan to pocket these riches, considering the scale of festivities in the tavern.

It made sense that Matthias, who was stalwart and hardy and had no interest in anything flashy, would be disappointed in what Eve was doing, and it was perfectly reasonable that he would wonder if the Karlan merchants were being deceived by her.

“Matthias’s objectives and Karlan’s plan all lead to Eve. Not only that, it sounds like she’s been staying here for the past few days, even though this place isn’t very big. If Eve’s taking on such a big job herself, then she would have way too much to do, and that must mean there is a lot of money in this.”

He could only think that she was plotting something nefarious yet again, but all he had pictured at the beginning quickly crumbled like a tower of sugar, and Holo licked her lips.

All he knew was that even if there were no bad people here, that did not mean a tragedy was not on the horizon. That was simply the way of the world.

The truth was that the Tonneburg Woods were very much in danger.

“I believe Eve herself will answer our last question, at least.”

There came a round of applause louder than all the rest. The dancing girl had returned to Eve and was showered in appreciation and praise. The tavern patrons seemed intent on continuing to enjoy the festivities, but Eve and all the distinguished guests around her exchanged handshakes. It seemed their business was finished.

When Holo saw that, she began stuffing her mouth with the meat, as though recognizing she had made too much pointless conversation.

“We can just take that home, you know,” Lawrence said with a sigh.

Holo, whose cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel’s, hurriedly swallowed and said, “It matters not. Can you order another?”

She gave an innocent smile, meat juices dripping from the corner of her mouth. When Lawrence saw that, he gave the deepest sigh he had made all day.

Lawrence and Holo sat in the carriage Eve hired for them, traversing Karlan’s bumpy roads.

He thought the carriage was a bit much, considering Karlan was not all that big, but Eve was based away from the city center at the seaport.

“Why here?”

It was in an inconvenient spot, loud throughout the day with the constant loading and unloading of cargo, and it took the brunt of bad weather coming from the sea. The only buildings that stood here were warehouses owned by trading companies—it was hardly a place for a traveler with money to find a comfortable stay.

One of Eve’s underlings waited for their return at a big door, one half of the entrance open—it was clearly a loading dock. The windows on the second and third floors were reinforced with metal framing to withstand harsh wind and rain.

The walls even had metallic rat guards on them, ones that looked like decoration and were meant to keep away brazen thieves. It was immediately obvious that it was not comfortable inside.

“It’s what I’m used to. Whenever I sleep in an unfamiliar town, I always pick buildings reminiscent of the old eras of war.”

Lawrence’s smile in response was tense—what she said made it seem like she was still crossing dangerous bridges.

There was likely a reason she always stayed by the sea, too. It was easier to escape if the need ever arose.

“But it seems like you still need a few drinks, don’t you?”

Eve glanced behind Lawrence at Holo and smiled wryly. In Holo’s arms were packets stuffed with food, and the bag atop her head was filled with freshly baked bread.

“A feast always comes with food and drink.”

Though he would likely mask it as not wanting Holo to eat alone, Lawrence had scarcely eaten everything since the conversation had distracted him, and she had hopefully saved him a portion, too.

“There is no moon tonight, but no clouds either. Let’s head to the courtyard.”

Eve gave orders to her subordinates and led both of them inside.

The building was currently in use as a warehouse, so it was packed with cargo.

It was likely that Eve herself was doing some trading herself, but Lawrence also knew that stacking wares like this was a tactic to prevent attackers from swarming her at once. A friendly mercenary had told him that once.

Old buildings often came with a central courtyard where defenders could hole up in case of a siege. It was also a place where preserved foods could be buried in the ground, or alternatively it could be turned into a plot to grow food.

But the era where such things were needed was long past.

Now it was a neatly maintained garden, one with a few fruit-bearing trees.

A table was soon brought out, and candles were lit.

“Oh ho. Perhaps we should hold events like this at the bathhouse,” Holo suggested, but all the guests were thoroughly drunk come nightfall, and nothing this fancy ever took place.

“To our reunion.” Eve first lifted her glass for the toast. “But goodness me. Just look at you.”

Lawrence thought she was talking about Holo, who was busy chomping on her meat, but she was, in fact, looking at him.

“You live in the remote land of Nyohhira, running a bathhouse. You made that fairy tale come true. But here you are again, back in the mortal world. Making some quick coin?”

“We actually…left for a few reasons.”

Lawrence felt deflated, his response mumbled. It was almost hard to think that not long ago he was so worked up, he wanted to tie Eve to a chair and interrogate her. He found refuge in strong, good-quality wine.

“This fool worries for his daughter,” Holo interjected.

Eve nodded in understanding. “Col is a grown man now, after all.” She immediately understood, and she gave a strained smile.

“Reminds me of when my granddad used to be around.”

Eve used to be a daughter of nobility.

“The letters have stopped coming recently. And…” Lawrence glanced at Holo. “Without our noisy daughter and precious Col around, someone’s been feeling a little lonely. It’s quiet in the bathhouse now.”

Their days had been happy, but Holo had been afraid that they would slip from her fingers and forget it all.

The time she spent hugging her diary had lessened, perhaps because she had been enjoying the traveling, but Holo bared her canines when he brought it up.

“You’re so cute,” Eve smiled in her delight, and her gaze darted toward the entrance.

There came the girl who had been dancing at the tavern—she seemed refreshed, as though she had just come from the bath. She first gave Eve, and then Lawrence a willowy smile.

Eve said something to her in a foreign language, and then poured her a drink.

“All business talks go very smoothly whenever I bring her to the taverns,” Eve said. It sounded somewhat like an excuse, but Lawrence simply nodded in agreement.

“Now. I believe your wife will have explained to you that I’m not ruthlessly making money here.”

Lawrence took a sip of his wine, switching the gears in his head.

“Lord Tonneburg has informed me of the situation, too. He must offer the lumber from his forest in exchange for protection from the Twilight Cardinal.”

All things had a price. Yet the reason Col had left the bathhouse was because he had been unable to accept the Church’s blatant greed.

This whole plan seemed to be completely at odds with Col’s values.

“Let’s cut this problem down to size,” Eve said, putting her filled glass down. “We’ve received word that both Karlan and Tonneburg want to side with the Twilight Cardinal. That is the truth. But the lumber is not the price for that.”

“Then what is it for?”

“Wool.”

That caught Lawrence by such surprise that he found himself glancing toward Holo. Her cheeks were full of marinated beef shank as she stared at him blankly in return, which told him that Eve was not lying.

“I could make ridiculous amounts of money if I wanted. I am certainly in a position to do so. But I already decided that I would not betray little Col.”

Lawrence narrowed his eyes, doubtful, and Eve drew up her shoulders.

“Look, they got me over there, in one of the Winfiel ports. They’re as persistent as you used to be, and they sniffed out the false bottom of the hidden depths of my plans. It was awful. They had me screaming and running with my tail between my legs.”

Holo was laughing, but Lawrence was not entirely sure that had been mentioned in any of the letters.

Col must have smoothed the rough edges of the incidents on their journey when he wrote about them in their letters so that they would not worry. That was the sort of person he was.

“And whenever it seemed like he was going to give up, he always had that silver wolf by his side. She’s got way more energy than this wolf here. Only an idiot would make an enemy out of those two. And I am not an idiot.”

Eve was not spineless enough to choose to side with them simply because she liked them (or not).

Lawrence did not know what sort of plot she had concocted, but she had likely planted the seed of gold, taking advantage of the chaos across the world that surrounded the Church.

“It seems there is a clear line between loss and profit here,” Lawrence remarked. “I’m relieved.”

Eve jerked her chin. “And their affection for each other gives you two a run for your money. I had front row seats to that.”

Lawrence pursed his lips at her tease, and Holo cackled.

“Anyway. Everyone needs lumber right now. It’s not easy to get in bulk. The Winfiel Kingdom, especially—it’s the land of sheep. All the forests were cut down long ago, so they have no choice but to rely on the mainland for it.”

Lawrence and Holo once ventured to the kingdom together. They had visited a monastery where sheep spirits lived secretly among the regular sheep, and had seen never-ending stretches of field.

“And so I’m here to secure some. But of course, I’m not here to trade the Twilight Cardinal’s gracious authority for lumber, no matter how much they need. That cute little Col will be as furious with me as an inquisitor if I did.”

“……”

A half-hearted smile crossed Lawrence’s face at the exaggeration, but Eve did not smile.

“Forget that—I make him a little sad, and that stubborn little wolf will immediately turn her fangs on me. I think they’re turning me into an angelic merchant.”

It was Holo’s discretion that allowed Myuri to accompany Col on his journey, and perhaps that ultimate judgment was the reason why she was called the wisewolf.

Col was earnest and had such a strong sense of right and wrong that it made Lawrence nervous sometimes; having an ally like Myuri, who unconditionally stuck by his side, armed with the raw power of fang and claw, was almost necessary.

Even if the unconditional part of that statement made her father Lawrence very antsy.

“I plan to trade lumber and wool at market price. But I’ve put in an order for as much lumber as possible. So if Lord Tonneburg feels like his forest is in danger, then that’s the fault of the people from Karlan.”

It was much too early to tell if Eve was shifting the blame for what was happening. Matthias himself did not trust the merchants from Karlan.

“He thinks that if he does not fulfill your order, then he won’t get any protection from the Twilight Cardinal. What do you have to say about that?”

Lawrence’s question was cutting, but Eve only canted her head to the side.

“They’re welcome to think that, but we have no intention of doing so. I’m just here because I have a need to trade here.”

Lawrence made a mental note to investigate whether or not that statement was true, and only nodded in affirmation for the moment.

“Then is the reason the Karlan merchants are trying to gather as much lumber as possible because they’re trying to make this trade as big as they can, then make a profit through mediation fees?”

“That’s possible,” Eve said, and paused to think for a moment. “Have you heard about the tariffs in this town?”

The strangest topic arose at the most unexpected time.

“I have. I was wondering what sort of things they were planning,” Lawrence said, but he also quietly wondered to himself if this was Eve’s plan, as she was attempting to absorb as much cheap lumber as possible.

“They have it rough here since they started developing late. But they’re full of pluck. They’re doing everything they can to grow the city. I like the atmosphere it creates, but that’s just a part of it.”

Back in Tonneburg, Lawrence had sat before the map and mused about this and that. Karlan was surrounded by opposing forces on all sides, and their only option for a trade breakthrough was the planned road through Tonneburg.

“Karlan wants to expand by lowering their taxes.”

But what Eve ultimately said was so unexpected that Lawrence almost missed it.

“…What?”

“Don’t give me that. You used to be a merchant, didn’t you? Didn’t you look at the duty listings at the towns you stopped in to see where its opinions lay?”

Lawrence blinked, hurriedly rummaging through his brain.

Tax was often thought as something the rich and powerful levied to line their own pockets, and while those cases did exist, they were mostly put to use for the sake of the public.

Tariffs were a specific type of tax that were unique, and their effects were slightly different from other taxes. In a way, they acted as a city’s walls.

Tariffs dictated what goods could easily come in and out of a city. For example, if there was a city home to many furriers, then imported furs would be subject to high import fees to protect the artisans; any food that came into a town that could not produce its own foodstuffs was practically free, yet it would cost a pretty penny to take any food out of the town, which meant food would effectively gather within the town.

And so what sort of situation would bring about rumors that tariffs for all incoming items would be removed? Especially considering the town was planning on expanding.

“Is the city planning on absorbing all of the raw material?”

Eve nodded. “The people here have been wanting to cut down the Tonneburg Woods and build a road through it for ages, but it’s too much work for only the people of a city this size to undertake. And while Lord Tonneburg isn’t a fool, he’s too kind. He said he would only agree to building the road if his people would not be whipped while working on it.”

One often saw the commonfolk being treated like slave labor in large construction projects.

While Lawrence was both relieved and understanding that Matthias was not that sort of lord, they would still need a lot of workers to help cut down the forest. And hiring workers did not end when the call was put out and the desired number of people approached. They needed a place to sleep, they needed rations to eat and drink. In their old journeys, they had come across a place where a waterwheel was under construction, and he had made a fortune bringing in bread and grilled meats to the workers amid the chaos when they realized they were out of food.

If they were to collect all of the people needed to cut down the trees and build the road, then find a place to house them, then they would have to collect many raw building materials, even if it meant doing away with the city tariffs entirely.

“The city looked at its own circumstances, how the world was progressing, and came up with a plan. It’s not a perfect plan, and it was easily ruined by some merchant out in Salonia. All that has agitated everything, and it’s perfectly reasonable for people like Lord Tonneburg to start doubting if things will really be all right. There are fickle rich people out there like me, after all. But—” Eve gave a faint smile, looked at the drink in her hand, and closed her eyes. “—I just love that positive greed.”

All Lawrence could do was try and picture what sort of business ventures were playing behind her eyelids.

Perhaps the fight she had with Lawrence in Lenos and the way she almost died in Kerube were fun memories for her now.

But as he studied her placid smile, a thought came to him.

Eve did not hate anything right now.

She was simply concentrating on what she loved most—trade—and was having the time of her life.

“Same with the tavern. They’re trying so hard to learn about southern food and dances because it’s part of their grand plan. They want to start accommodating trade ships from the south, you know.”

The food Holo had brought with her from the tavern was all slathered in pungent spice.

Though it was not exactly refined, it was plenty exotic.

“Don’t those kinds of ships all go to Kerube?”

“Pretend you’ve come a long way and you’ve been served local food you don’t really understand. What would you do if you knew there was a place offering familiar food from your own hometown? Even if it is a little out of the way, everyone would still go there instead.”

In all honesty, Lawrence had led a wanderer’s life for so long that he did not really understand what sort of meaning food could have.

But once, when he and Holo first started traveling together, she had been so nervous and upset that all the places they visited had transformed beyond her recognition. And so when a dish she used to eat was served to her, she had shed tears of relief.

“And it’s thanks to Col that all the big southern companies that deal in luxury goods have been thrown into utter chaos. Their highest-paying customers have traditionally been from the Church, only they’ve all stopped buying. The big companies who deal in expensive items from the deserts all complain while they send boats up north this way. Even though they were ones that never gave us product, no matter how much we asked.”

And that was the only time Eve flashed a wicked smile.

They were trading partners that had given even her a rough time.

Lawrence felt like he had gotten just a tiny glimpse of the troubles that plagued the Debau Company, the people who safely delivered all the goods they needed for the bathhouse; when he realized how wretched he was for thinking it would be cheaper to obtain those very same things via Karlan, he immediately regretted it.

“The large port cities that used to be the main ones have been constantly betrayed by the southerners’ greed, so they’re trying to beat down prices in retaliation. So here, if they put Karlan in their debt and manage to secure this deal, then it’ll be a huge investment into the future.”

Lawrence would never say that running the bathhouse in Nyohhira was easy or boring.

But he got a whiff of grand, noble trade from Eve’s story that did not come with the day-to-day minutiae of the bathhouse.

Anyone who had walked silently on their own two feet for profit to the top of the hill could picture the brilliant future in the distance.

The moment he recalled the scent of the dusty earth from that point in time, he was kicked under the table. He looked over in his shock to see that Holo was grumpily eating her meat, not even looking at him.

Perhaps Holo had gotten the same sense that he did when he saw her gaze deep into the forest outside the Tonneburg smithy. He reached out to pat her head, to tell her that he was not going anywhere, but she swatted his hand away.

He gave a self-effacing smile at her indifference and turned to Eve.

“I now understand why you were making merry, why the tavern seemed as gaudy as it did, and why Lord Tonneburg doubts the eager Karlan merchants. And that you are not trampling over Col and Myuri’s feelings or working against them.”

Eve only closed her eyes and shrugged.

“The last thing I want to ask you is if you really need all the lumber the forest has to offer.”

Eve’s eyes remained closed, and Holo’s red irises stared at her.

“What on earth could you be using all that for?”

Lawrence knew that everyone needed lumber at the present.

Eve was not making unfair demands, and it seemed she was getting what she could by bartering wool. And he could tell that Karlan was using Matthias, Lord of Tonneburg, their lumber supplier, as a way to gain Col’s protection.

But in a plan where everyone benefits, it seemed Tonneburg was the only one that was losing out.

What happened in Salonia caused something in Lawrence’s chest to pang, but that just meant he could do some more work here to protect Tonneburg, just like last time.

If he was able to cut down on the lumber that was to be handed over to Eve, then he could prevent that much damage to the Tonneburg Woods. And that, too, might suppress the effects the cutting would have on the great wheat fields.

He knew there was a lot of hope in the thought, but he wanted to make sure it was possible.

But Eve’s expression coolly saw through his wishes.

“This isn’t a nice answer,” she said, looking to Lawrence with a sharpness that reminded him of the past.

“Merchants never want to hear nice answers.”

The wolfish merchant gave a grin and lifted her head. “Col and Myuri are causing quite a stir.”

“They are.”

“Big enough to split the world in two. There are storms whipping up everywhere.”

Eve swirled the glass in her hand, creating a whirlpool with her drink.

She kept going, and some droplets eventually leaped out.

“Look at that. People are getting ejected from the equation left and right.”

The girl sitting next to her reached out to wipe her wet hand, but Eve instead lifted it and licked away the droplets.

“Merchants might be different in their likes, personalities, and thought processes, but they’ll always reach a deal when there’s profit to be had. But there are things we can’t always profit on, and one of those things is faith.”

In that moment, Lawrence recalled how nervous Matthias looked when he informed Lawrence which side of the church conflict he took.

“There are people who the local rulers decided have different faiths, and are treating them like heretics of the past. But Col and Myuri have gained too much power for even the Church conservatives to simply brush them off as mere heretics. And so while the Church is not threatening them with excommunication or being burned at the stake, it’s a lot like finding pebbles in a sack filled with wheat. You’re going to have to get those out at some point.”

Lawrence nodded slowly. “Are you working to save these displaced people?”

Eve scrunched up her face when she heard that, acting like a child that wanted to be seen as an evil merchant. When she spoke, it came out quickly, like an excuse.

“I have a lot resting on Col. If he stumbles, then my business fails. I’m just getting rid of the pebbles that don’t belong.”

Lawrence could easily picture Col pained by the news that his own actions were causing people to be chased from their homes. He wondered what Eve thought when she saw the same sight.

Holo trusted her, which meant she had to be a good person deep down.

“Then is it true you want to settle talks before winter comes?”

Eve sulked, averting her eyes as she answered. “The kingdom is colder than it is here. If we did accept refugees only to end up treating them like beggars, then Col’s reputation would fall.”

They would have to build houses to shelter them. And with more people, they would need more kindling to warm the houses. No amount of lumber would ever be enough.

“We’d need ships to transport the refugees. And honestly, if we had the ships, they’d rather—”

“Hmm?”

Eve suddenly fell silent; Lawrence looked at her curiously.

She sighed and shrugged. “It’s nothing. You should ask them for the details yourself. That’s why you left the bathhouse, isn’t it?”

What was this about ships? Lawrence and Holo found themselves exchanging glances.

“Col and that little knight of a wolf are a whole lot more reckless than our generation. I’m worried.”

Her expression was anxious; this was not an act.

But it was not so much apprehension regarding genuine danger, but a nervousness about what was to come.

Though it did not seem to be that they were in any sort of pressing situation, Col still had the rambunctious Myuri by his side, and it was very likely that she was plotting something ridiculous.

Lawrence decided that once this was all squared away, he would ask Eve where the two of them were, and check up on them.

“Anyway, back on topic. The gist of all of this is that we don’t have enough of anything.”

Lawrence nodded, and a thought came to him.

“Could Karlan be counting on these refugees to cut down the Tonneburg Woods?”

Meyer said that Karlan was intent on changing the map, and Eve said that Karlan was intent on making the city bigger. And if all they did was make the container bigger without filling it with anything, all that would produce would be a hollow echo.

They would need more people to keep the city functioning, but people did not grow on trees or in the fields. They were not so easy to gather.

“Exactly. There are some who prefer to be on contiguous land with their homeland instead of separated by sea in the kingdom. But in my view, there are only so many people this city can take.”

“It seems to me there’s plenty of room for expansion, though,” Lawrence said, and then immediately realized how shallow the thought was. “Oh, right… Mouths to feed.”

Everyone needed to work to survive, but a population increase did not necessarily mean the same amount of work would suddenly pop up.

“There’s the road to build, at least for the time being.”

But then one day, there would be no more clearing work.

At last, all the things Meyer told him connected in Lawrence’s head.

“And that’s why they’re going to build new smithies and coal-burning huts in anticipation of that…”

Meyer was indignant that Karlan was selfishly trying to absorb all of what the forest had to offer, but that was not quite what was going on here.

Karlan was putting together a stopgap plan, but one that did actually account for the future.

While some stopgap apprehension was unavoidable, Lawrence could clearly see that they had thought through this, trying to prevent such a big plan from failing under its own size and weight.

“But…will this genuinely work out?”

Even if new industries came about from the cutting of the forest, that still meant they would not be able to feed the livestock, and the wheat fields would go through a poor harvest, and thus the people would starve.

It was dangerous to keep making speculations like this, and history could teach them that the problem of importing people was a difficult one. To accept a great number of people escaping the fires of war out of the mercy of one’s heart—only for that same city to eventually fail—was a story that had repeated itself over and over in times of war. There was good reason why Rahden, who had built a pond for his hatchery to feed his people, had been called a bishop and worshipped.

“I am not a god,” Eve said with divine arrogance. “Trade is always an uncertain gamble. And Karlan has decided to take on a huge gamble. Lord Tonneburg may have agreed reluctantly, but he still agreed because he saw profit in it. And so he’s still at the table.”

And that was when Lawrence finally realized that whether Matthias left the table hinged on what sort of report Lawrence brought back for him.

“Are you being kind to me right now so that I’ll bring back good word to Lord Tonneburg?”

Instead of giving an answer either way, Eve grinned. Perhaps she had told them about Col and Myuri in order to bind their hearts. She knew that since they had left Nyohhira out of worry for their children, then they would not make decisions that would render all their hard work moot.

And yet, Matthias scarcely had any choice left. If anything, Lawrence wanted to praise Karlan for an incredible amount of self-control for not immediately preying upon Matthias’s weaknesses after hearing the whole story. The people of Karlan were genuinely thinking about the development of their city; they were looking at things in the long term and were determined to build a favorable relationship with Tonneburg.

“I know you’re a perfectly capable merchant. That’s why I don’t think you’re going to manipulate this decision.”

That’s a rich thing to say, Lawrence thought, flashing a smile he would never use when running the bathhouse.

“Instead, I’m going to ask you to light a little fire under that wooden ass of his.”

“Regardless of whether he says yes or no?”

Winter was not very far away, and it was likely that a stream of refugees from the continent were already on their way. If their plan to procure lumber fell through now, then they would have to immediately move on to the next step.

Though that is what Lawrence initially thought, Eve shook her head and furrowed her brow.

“If we let this opportunity slip, then even if the lord signs his name on parchment, it’d just end up a useless piece of writing.”

Holo, who was full from her food and was now nursing her drink, pricked up her ears under her hood at the thorny tone of Eve’s words.

“There are people out there who’ve been raring to ruin this entire transaction.”

“There are?”

The first thing Lawrence thought of were the people in the Church that Col and Myuri were currently pressuring. It would not be a particular surprise if the Church old guard dispatched an army to subjugate Tonneburg if they realized they would be siding with Col. Declaring them heretics would be a simple justification.

Though that was his first thought, he realized something strange about that right away.

Matthias had to join Col’s camp precisely to prevent that from happening. If joining Col’s side meant declaring himself a heretic, then Matthias would have to go against his personal beliefs and side with the Church old guard. Just as Eve explained, if an entity was seen as a part of Col’s side once, then they could no longer easily reach out to the conservative side of the Church. It would have to have been a definitive decision to join Col’s side.

And so, if the Church really were the ones ruining things, then the entire situation would only be going around in circles.

That meant the ones meddling with the plan could not be the Church.

Who were they, then?

Lawrence thought, and recalled what the forest-loving ranger said to him.

“A mean-spirited…older brother?”

Eve snorted. “There’s no way Kerube is just sitting to the side and watching this deal happen quietly.”

Trade was the act of taking gold from one another, where there were limited places for gold to go, and Karlan was in the middle of its plans to expand its territory. And what about those whose territory was at risk of being taken?

“Do you know who rules Kerube right now? A pain in my neck,” Eve said and reached up to rub at said neck.

Years ago, when Lawrence and Eve were still young, they had gotten embroiled in such an intense trade battle that they had drawn daggers at each other.

After earning her money, Eve had been strung up and almost died.

Who was the one she had faced at the time?

When she smiled, she looked like a wolf baring its fangs.

In the distance, they could hear a howl going up.