Spice and Wolf - Volume 24 - Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

A brisk, clear sky extended beyond the open window.

As Lawrence sat staring over the town, a gentle breeze, smelling faintly of the sea, brushed over his cheek.

The soft sounds of a comb running through fur tickled his ears, and an occasional sweet fragrance drifted past him and out the window.

He turned back to look into the room to see Holo tending to her tail, so thick and luxurious with fur that it would shock even a noble’s daughter, with three bottles of expensive oils lying beside her on the bed.

He could almost hear Elsa scolding him; but as he watched Holo absently, he continued to think.

After the meeting from the previous night, Eve had said to him, “No matter what happens, conflict with Kerube is unavoidable.”

Though she had not drunk to excess, Holo had still consumed enough that she was wheedling him for attention; and when he took her back to the inn, he had finally gotten the entire picture of the situation in his head, and it weighed on him.

What sat before him was not a simple situation where a regional lord’s personal forest was being sold off. It was a situation that would affect the flow of trade for the entirety of the region well into the future, and even had to do with Col’s fight against the Church, which had effectively split the world in two.

This was not something a mere bathhouse owner should be sticking his neck into, but for some reason, he had connections with each of the major parties in play. And more importantly, he was the one who lit the spark by preventing the lowering of lumber tariffs in Salonia.

If Lawrence had any faith, then he would consider this a God-given trial.

“I must add more pages to my journal.”

But his wolf wife spoke of other matters in response to his musings. She was in a better mood after speaking with Eve the previous night.

She was somewhat shy, so knowing that she was in familiar company allowed her to talk freely about Col, Myuri, and even memories of Kerube rather than feel obligated to discuss the unfamiliar likes of Tonneburg and Karlan.

She was occasionally more maiden-like than her own daughter, but that was something she often forgot.

“Just because we know all these people, that doesn’t mean this is going to be a carefree affair. We’re up against real merchants here.” Lawrence stepped away from the window, sat down on his bed, and looked over at Holo in the bed beside his. “Kieman almost killed Eve during the narwhal incident, but the moment their interests aligned, they started working together. He will be a genuine enemy if our interests conflict again.”

Holo lightly furrowed her brow as though surprised by the reminder.

“But it did not seem as though she was lying when she spoke of little Col and that fool Myuri.”

Her tone when she said “I’m worried,” seemed forced, but that had apparently been her genuine feelings on the matter.

“In my perspective, it does not seem like she chases profit at the cost of everything else anymore. Which, I feel, means this will not lead to the trouble she might have once caused.”

Holo ran her hand through her tail one final time, pleased with how glossy it was.

“On a personal level, sure. But both Eve and Kieman are merchants who have always chased what they think will be big game.”

Holo, her tail still in her hand, went blank for a brief moment. That was because Lawrence had been laying the groundwork to become a great merchant in the Debau Company, yet it was her own fault that his access to that path was cut off. And that bothered her. That praiseworthy look on her face, one he saw not too long ago, tickled him; he continued.

“Big doesn’t always mean better.”

As he said that, he considered how Holo may have seemed a slender girl, but her true form was a towering wolf.

“When things get big, then all sorts of other things get tangled up in it, even if it has nothing to do with your own personal motivations. Think of a bull in a porcelain shop.”

“A bull?” Holo blinked.

“Try and picture a huge bull in a small shop full of porcelain. That can only end in tragedy.”

“Mm.”

“It means that bigger things will also make things a lot tighter.”

Holo would certainly understand—she had been under immense pressure when humans decided she was a divine being and worshipped her purely because of the majesty of her powerful wolf form. Perhaps taking on the appearance of a delicate girl and letting others dote on her as much as she liked was a sort of retaliation.

“Kieman represents Kerube, and Eve is working for Col. There might not be a lot of room for either of them to factor in their personal feelings. Even if they wanted to compromise or concede in certain ways, everyone else around them won’t let them do that.” Lawrence lay down on the bed as he spoke. “If Eve wanted to get serious about this, then she would pull Karlan’s plan together in an instant with the force of a thunderclap. Both Matthias and Meyer are good people, and looking at the tavern back in Karlan, I’d say the merchants they’re working with are just as positive as they are. The tavern owners are inviting in people of high status and even learning how to cook new dishes in order to help their city grow—that’s not something you hear about very often. If a bad person like Eve wanted to, she could take control of this entire situation.”

Holo had some personal opinions when it came to how optimistic people walked without ever watching their step. She gave a thoughtful nod.

“Then, once she’s used clever ways to settle the matter, she would collect her profits, not caring what problems she caused on the way out, then totally vanish. But she’s not doing that. She’s letting things play out as they will, which means I think she’s genuinely doing this for Col’s sake.”

Eve had apparently asked Holo what it felt like to create a weakness for oneself as they sat in the baths together.

Eve had acted the part of wounded wolf and bared her fangs, making the whole world her enemy, yet before her a larger wolf walked alongside a foolish sheep just a few paces ahead of her.

Something about that must have seemed ridiculous to her.

Her guards had been hard at work, and the dancing girl had genuinely enjoyed dancing.

Eve had come out of the hollow of her tree, found allies she could trust, and changed the way she interacted with the world.

“But she’s letting Kerube get in the way because of it. That’s what I think, at least.”

“Mm. But how exactly are they getting in the way? Kerube is not close enough that the shadow of their house darkens Karlan’s home. There is quite a distance between the two cities, so why do they feel the need to fight?”

From Holo’s perspective, who knew just how lively Kerube could be, Karlan was a small little place that was completely eclipsed by the other city on several levels. She did not understand why the massive Kerube would be genuinely angry if Karlan were to expand its trading area by just a small bit.

“Kerube was originally a port city that thrived off fur and lumber that came from Lenos. And so the trade makeup in Kerube and Karlan is already very similar. If they both participate in sea trade, then the products they deal in would only grow even more similar. There’s nothing more unpleasant to have in a trade rival than this, and I bet they’re already competing daily for wool from the kingdom.”

Wool was Winfiel’s special export, and it was valued in markets throughout the world. It was considered a product that brought in endless profits. The more you could get, the better.

Eve’s main business these days was the wool trade, and she was apparently moving wool for a number of trading companies. Though she might not be using her connection with Col for nefarious purposes, there was no doubt she was shrewdly claiming the most favorable position as the merchant who stood closest to the Twilight Cardinal, who in turn held sway over the trends of the kingdom.

So when Karlan decided to become a bigger city, it was unlikely that determination of theirs had much effect on Eve. The biggest reason she was here was because she wanted to buy Karlan’s favor for cheap, sell her wool at a high price, and get as much lumber as she possibly could.

And nothing was infinite, so she was likely deducting the increased portion of wool imported to Karlan from Kerube’s allotment.

“You merchants are truly fools. None of you have any flexibility.”

It was a sound statement, but Holo was the sort to grab everything for herself when served delicious food at a tavern. Lawrence smiled as he gazed at her, and she returned it with a sharp glare.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

“Nothing at all.” Lawrence shrugged and continued, “And I think the one spurring this on might be Eve, who might be provoking Kerube deliberately, to a degree.”

“…”

Holo’s shapely brows arched like a cat’s long tail.

“Kerube is the oldest port city in this region, and of the biggest scale. That means they’re a powerful trade partner for the wool merchants from the kingdom. Not only that, Kerube deals in lumber from Lenos, too. The kingdom merchants don’t have forests back home—they probably don’t have much room to negotiate when dealing with Kerube.”

“Do you mean that because they are taken advantage of in the lumber trade, they return the favor when the time comes to trade in wool?”

Lawrence shrugged, and Holo seemed tired of the incessant fights in the human world.

Just as Karlan wanted to avoid the territories of existing lords by building a road through the Tonneburg Woods, it would not be at all strange if Eve and the Winfiel Kingdom’s wool merchants who worked with her wanted to secure a new place to sell their wool and where they could purchase lumber, a place that did not rely on Kerube, which was a tough trade partner. And this plan to develop Karlan was a valuable chance for them to make that happen.

“When you have two towns that share commercial interests, then it’s almost inevitable that one city will flourish, and one will fail. It isn’t a simple turf war. The losses are all too real.”

When Lawrence said that, Holo released her tail as though she had enough, then curled up on the bed.

“I know it’s a bit hard to understand with trade, but you’d understand wheat fields, right? Let’s say there’s a field that’s just scarcely managed to support a village of a hundred people, but the neighboring village takes half of it. What do you think would happen to the first village?”

“Mm…”

Holo’s ears both flicked nervously in every which way.

“You can’t expand on your fields forever. That’s the heart of the problem. The size of the field determines how many villagers get fed, so if you want everyone to eat their fill, you either make the fields bigger or you lower the number of mouths you need to feed.”

Terrible talks of sending people away or selling people off into slavery was not something that ever came up during Holo’s time in her old village, but not every farming community out in the world had been as lucky.

So why did conflict never cease?

“It’s the same with trade. People who don’t work don’t get to eat, and if goods aren’t transported, then no jobs are created. And all goods in circulation are limited. More product means more jobs, and more jobs means trading companies will take on new hires and help apprentices who worked long and hard to start their own businesses. But if that doesn’t happen, then they can’t bring in new blood, and apprentices are kept on much longer than they’re supposed to. The master artisans would feel ashamed being unable to reward the people who’ve toiled at their sides. If business slows down because of this, then even keeping their apprentices employed can become a challenge. And that’s when they all start looking for new territory.”

The reason Matthias agreed to have the forest cut down was likely an extension of that line of thought. Though Meyer feared that with the loss of all the forest had to offer, the surrounding wheat fields would not be as productive, Matthias still believed that cutting down the forest would, in the long run, be more beneficial for the people.

That was because expanding anything—be it a forest or a field—required land, and it was unlikely he would ever get more land without war. What options remained open to him depended on how efficiently he could make use of the forest.

Running a road through it and building smithies might dramatically deplete the forest, but thinking about Tonneburg as a whole, it might end up keeping the people better fed in the long run.

Upon hearing Lawrence’s explanation, the hairs on Holo’s freshly combed tail stood on end, making it seem much bigger than normal. That was not because her ignorance had been pointed out, but because she was angry at how cruel this world could be.

“So it isn’t really anyone’s fault.”

Every camp had their excuses, and every camp had people worth protecting.

“But there is a difference in size.”

There might be a way to save a hundred people by making ten people suffer.

Holo immediately frowned and got up from the bed, her desire to sleep gone.

When she came to stand by the window, she gazed out upon the peaceful city of Karlan.

Though a trade war would most certainly transform the forest, the conflict itself was invisible to the eye, unlike a bloody war.

Holo finally realized that this lively, yet peaceful city stood at the crossroads of its own fate.

“Can you not do something about this?”

He was flattered that she thought so highly of him, but he could not find anything nice to say in response.

Though he had drawn the line in the matter—his request that she not be angry with him no matter what the outcome—that still did not make her feel any better about it.

“It’s a merchant’s job to make both parties walk away happy after a deal has been struck, but trading bread for bread doesn’t help fill our bellies. That would be magic,” Lawrence sighed and looked to the ceiling. “I have a feeling that’s what Eve is trying to get me to do.”

Holo turned around to look at him.

“We didn’t talk so much last night because it reminded us of old times, or because we’re particularly close. She wants me to talk to Lord Tonneburg and ask if he’ll have a change of heart. And—”

“You are an errand boy,” Holo said, as though displeased someone else was using her own errand boy.

“You could at least call me an assistant.”

Kieman, who was apparently running Kerube now, and Lawrence did know each other, of course.

And so Eve, who had occasionally gotten herself in trade quarrels with Kieman from across the strait, had decided that it would be much better to send Lawrence instead of going there herself.

At the end of their meeting the night before, Eve had asked him to be her assistant and negotiate with Kerube on her behalf.

“It’s not like I can give up on this now anyway. I have to do it.”

If they traced events back to the original cause of all this, then it led right back to the moment Lawrence ventured to Salonia to settle a little matter he had been asked to take care of. And now, he was negotiating on behalf of a town and region. Life often took people in unexpected directions, and things were connected in unexpected ways. It was surprising that the bonds he formed once as a traveling merchant had now left such a big mark on the world, yes, but following those lines would naturally allow the past to catch up with him.

Lawrence had left behind the life of a traveling merchant, become a bathhouse owner, and had watched his reckless daughter grow old enough to set off on a journey of her own. Perhaps he felt somewhat obligated to look back and clean up any messes he had left behind.

“It’s weighing on me, of course.”

It was not just because he could see this was going to be a very involved negotiation. Kieman was a member of Lawrence’s old haunt, the Rowen Trade Guild. He was essentially an extended family member, making this a bit more complicated than a simple trade deal.

When they were building the Spice and Wolf bathhouse in Nyohhira, Kieman had helped out when they needed a loan from the Rowen Trade Guild, and even when Kieman’s business was in danger of failing, he did not go back on his word.

Though Lawrence was no longer an official member of the guild since he had retreated to Nyohhira, bonds forged with fellow guild members were not so easily dissolved, much like those with blood relatives.

And because of all that, Lawrence was, quite frankly, not looking forward to negotiating with Kieman, and by extension, Kerube, in an official capacity.

Lawrence was very aware of how soft he was.

“If only either were obviously evil, then you could have simply used my fangs,” Holo said, sensing what was on Lawrence’s mind.

“You’re right. In this kind of situation, the worst possible outcome is letting either side have a one-sided win.”

Lawrence rubbed at his ticklish nose, possibly due to how Holo had been tending to her tail, and then his hand drifted up to his forehead.

“Our goal is to make this a draw, but Karlan and Kerube are just so different in size and history.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a matter of face.”

As Holo was about to bite into a burnt slice of meat, she frowned. They had both experienced how old-timers treated newcomers at the Nyohhira bathhouse. And when it came to cities, whose histories stretched back for generations, the scale of it only grew.

“And the nobles of Kerube betrayed Eve during the narwhal incident in Kerube. They’re probably wary about what she might do to get her revenge.”

Lawrence wondered if Karlan actually knew this and decided to go along with it regardless. Maybe it was because they were aware that there was no love lost between Eve and Kerube that they were confident she would never betray them.

“I suppose we cannot speak too arrogantly about digging up the past, either.”

Holo winced as she said that, while Lawrence shrugged.

“Eve doesn’t seem to bothered by whether or not they hold a grudge.”

“Hmm?”

“People around her might make assumptions, and I wonder if Eve’s planning to use that to her advantage.”

Lawrence sat up, recalling the ways trade wars were conducted—something he never got a taste of in Nyohhira.

“If Kerube thinks that Eve is siding with Karlan for revenge, then she has the advantage in negotiations.”

It seemed like it was complicated, even for the self-professed wisewolf.

“In their minds, it would no longer be a matter of trade, but revenge. The natural conclusion would be that Eve isn’t thinking about profits and simply wants to take Kerube down even if it means ruining herself. It would be incredibly unwise to face her in a stand-up fight. Anyone who doesn’t want to be dragged into a quagmire will have to make some sort of compromise. That means Eve would win without having to fight at all. That’s what makes her a formidable merchant.”

This natural deterrence could have been the reason Kerube had not resorted to violently obstructing the plans of their rivals. Eve was no ordinary merchant. She had not only accumulated great wealth, but she was now also on familiar terms with the Twilight Cardinal himself. In other words, she was a politically connected business owner. Not even Lawrence could imagine how the Kingdom of Winfiel and others would retaliate if she were to be harmed.

“But it’s unlikely that Eve actually holds a serious grudge, and since she’s in Col’s court, I think she wants talks to go smoothly. And so from her perspective, she might be uneasy about how far she can go with this deterrent. That’s why she wants us to throw me in the middle of all this before her bluff gets called.”

It was hard to determine someone’s true intentions when they wouldn’t show their face. If an attendant sent to deal with an issue reports that something is black, even the whitest things can start to look different. That was what Lawrence had been asked to do.

“Mm…,” Holo hummed, thought for a moment, then said, “Then how do you plan to negotiate? You must have something in mind.”

“I don’t,” Lawrence replied readily.

Holo’s eyes went wide, then narrowed in displeasure.

“I’m not teasing you. I’m serious. But it’s not like I’m going in empty-handed.”

She seemed like she did not understand at all.

Lawrence continued, “No one is going to be completely happy with the outcome. We just have to plan things out in order.”

“In order?”

Holo’s right ear twitched, followed by her left.

“For example, let’s say we negotiated with Kerube just in case before Eve, Karlan, and Tonneburg finalized their contract. That would be a bad move.”

Holo stepped away from the window, sat beside Lawrence, and thumped her tail against the bed, indicating that she did not understand.

“A chain can’t be any stronger than its weakest link. The negotiations with Kerube will likely be drawn out and rough, so it’s possible Matthias will raise the white flag and give up on the whole thing.”

The wolf hummed again.

“First we talk to Matthias, then realize the contract with Col through Eve. A lord values their honor, so Matthias will probably hold up his end of the bargain once he signs it.”

Matthias was trustworthy in that regard from what Holo had seen in the forest; she thought back on it, and was satisfied.

“And on top of that, we have to calm Kerube’s anger. How we do that will…honestly depend on whether Kerube approaches this aggressively. But that’s a technique you use all the time, so you’re probably familiar with it.”

“I am?”

“Forcing someone to pay back a debt you pushed onto them.”

Though Holo flashed him a frown, she did not retaliate. That was likely because she had recalled how readily she had taken the mead from Meyer before listening to what he had to say, which then forced Lawrence to do exactly that. They would be using the same tactic here.

She folded her arms and listened, puffing out her cheeks as though ruminating over the bitter fact, but she soon made a face like sand had been mixed in with her food.

“Which means that fool…is trying to use you for more than she lets on.”

“Huh?”

“You are ideal. No—she would have jumped for joy if we were the ideal negotiators for her.”

How would Holo be of use in negotiations with Kerube?

As Lawrence followed her line of thought, she quickly elaborated on her point.

“Think about what might happen if talks become complicated. If she sends anyone else on her behalf, they may be arrested and put to death, like she once was. But who do you have by your side?” she huffed proudly.

“The Wisewolf.”

No matter how many times Lawrence got embroiled in trouble, Holo would always send fools packing. That put them at an advantage for many things.

Though it was hard to tell whether Eve was planning on throwing them to the wolves from the beginning, it was a fact that the two of them were ones she could send off without too much worry.

“…I bet she learned this by watching Col and Myuri.”

He pictured Myuri, the hair on her tail standing on end as she stood to protect the unreliable Col.

As a wry smile drew across his face, Holo bumped her shoulder against him.

“And this brings something else to my mind as well.” Holo, arms still folded across her chest, brought her legs up onto the bed and crossed them in thought. “We will not die in her neglect, yet she still throws us into a most troublesome negotiation.”

“That’s right.”

“Then that does not mean she will be promptly moving onto her next business venture, does it?”

“It—”

—doesn’t, was what he wanted to say, but could not say for certain.

Because she would be avoiding aimless negotiations, and she would still be winning if Kerube ran out of patience; the only problem was who would be taking the brunt of that wasted time.

“We have left our mountain bathhouse to leisurely check up on our daughter. She perhaps wrongly assumes we have too much time on our hands.”

Her glum tone was not finding fault with Eve’s craftiness but poking at the foolish sheep’s mind.

“And…we cannot bother little Col and Myuri.”

Because even if they could discern Eve’s true intentions, they had no choice but to work to make sure the plan reached completion. At the end of the day, they were essentially cleaning up the messes left in their children’s wake.

“It is almost as though it had been decided that you would be cornered here ever since you decided to stand before her,” Holo said. She was not finding fault with Eve after all; she was getting annoyed with the simple mind of this sheep before her, whose destination could be easily manipulated once put on the fence.

“You are quite easy to read for how comfortable you are with doing things with little foresight. I am surprised you survived long enough to meet me.”

“…”

All Lawrence could do was smile at that. The man she knew that was comfortable with doing things without thinking ahead had honestly been minding his business with mundane trade deals before he met her.

If he were to name the reason why he started doing things with little foresight, Holo would grin and wag her tail.

Because she already knew the reason why.

The reason she teased him like this now was because she wanted to hear him say it.

Holo had also skillfully corralled Lawrence in the direction she liked, but what set her and Eve apart was that Holo’s emotions were apparent in her ears and tail.

“The reason I constantly run into danger is because whenever I look at you, I always get carried away.”

Though his words had come out a bit stilted, it was exactly what Holo wanted to hear.

Holo looked at Lawrence like a taskmaster watching her apprentice during an examination. At length, she huffed, and then a satisfied expression crossed her face.

“You truly adore me, don’t you?”

Her freshly brushed tail whipped through the air.

Though their interactions had scarcely changed in the past decade, Lawrence had grown.

And so he wrapped his arms around the satisfied Holo and asked, “…Can you turn a blind eye to the Tonneburg Woods?”

Doing as Eve wished and advancing the project would mean convincing Matthias to join, too, and going through with the plan to cut down the woods. That would mean Lawrence would be giving up on protecting the forest for Holo’s sake.

Since they had Col and Myuri to think about, Holo understood that there was no other choice. And since she did not want Lawrence to push himself any more than he already had, she had prepared a way out for him.

“I do not mind. The lushest forests are no joy walked through alone.”

When Holo said this to him, Lawrence gave up on his dream of becoming a great merchant.

She flashed her canines in her smile, and then pressed her face into his shoulder.

“And the men of the forest are genuinely worried about their home. They will do everything they can, even if they cannot protect all of it. How could I call that a lost cause or wasted effort?”

When she lifted her head, her expression was at once wistful and somehow refreshed.

There was a great difference in their life spans, and Lawrence could not make Holo happy forever. This well of joy would one day dry up.

But to sate one’s thirst was not a wasted effort at all, and it was not a mistake to work hard to make it last just a little longer.

If it were, then they would have parted ways back in Lenos.

“But perhaps it would not be a bad idea to give that gluttonous squirrel a good kick in the pants and bring her here to plant some of those acorns.”

Tanya was a squirrel spirit who had brought life roaring back to a mountain stripped of its forest due to mining.

That she only planted trees that bore her favorite nuts was her one obvious flaw, but trees that bore nuts typically lost their leaves in winter. That would prevent the forest from becoming an empty sea of conifers.

“Then we should move with haste. Let’s talk to Matthias.”

“Aye.”

“I’ll ask Eve to get me a fast horse, and you stay—ow!”

Lawrence, shocked by how Holo pinched his arm, looked down at her. She glared coolly at him.

“But wouldn’t it be strange if we both went together to send an urgent message?”

He would have no excuses if Matthias interpreted Holo’s presence as a lack of seriousness on his part. All he really had to do was think back on the past. Back to the time he went around asking for loans with Holo in tow and got yelled at for taking business lightly. Bringing that up now would only remind them both of awkward memories.

Though Holo knew this, she found the idea of staying behind on her own unbearable. That was not her childish spirit acting up, but her wolfish instinct to care for her pack. As that thought crossed Lawrence’s mind, she fixed him with another cool stare.

“This is precisely why I call you a foolish sheep.”

“Huh?”

Holo’s red eyes narrowed, and said with pronounced exasperation, “You tell me there is something shady about all this, yet you insist on leaving on your own. How do you intend on returning alive?”

Lawrence gulped, his gaze darting out the window.

“Is someone watching us?”

“That does not seem to be the case for now, but the moment you reach the forest, I wonder if some fellows with bows and arrows will just so happen to arrive at precisely the same time.”

Kerube wanted to put a stop to Karlan’s plan. But this was not the simple matter of a single company losing out on profits—this was a situation where a sizable city could be expected to hire a person or two who would be more than happy to do their dirty work.

Eve may have been glaring daggers at them, warning them that there would be dire consequences if they meddled in any way, but there was no telling how long that would last. Not only that, Tonneburg was a vulnerable target, and key to Karlan’s plans.

“So, um…”

“In truth, I would like to carry you on my back, but…it would also be strange if you were to appear not on horseback. You may go on horse. I will follow behind. The talks can take place in the forest, no? I will be able to pick out your voice well enough that way.”

Lawrence had known Holo for a long time, but he sometimes still stepped on her tail.

“Good grief. There are times I think you are impossibly elusive yet here you are, a simple fool!”

She was displeased because not only was Eve using him, but because he still did not understand a woman’s heart.

She stood from the bed without waiting for his answer and began preparations to head for Tonneburg, the fur on her tail still standing on end. As he watched her, Lawrence found himself amused.

Nyohhira was not a terrible place by any means, but he could only have interactions with Holo like this in the outside world.

“What do you think, dried meat or cured meat? Are you able to fit that pot on the horse, dear?”

And she was like this when she was serious, too. They had no choice but to do the job given to them, according to Eve’s will. Lawrence stood from the bed and began his own preparations to depart on a fast horse.

“I wonder what Eve would have done if we hadn’t shown up.”

Holo could think in terrible situations and would pull on Lawrence’s reins, and had the strength to challenge any chaos if it came to that. But what about Tonneburg?

When Matthias came to them, he had appeared with conscripted soldiers who only took up arms and armor because it was their turn to do so.

He had a feeling things would be settled very quickly if Kerube sent some ruffians to make a mess of things.

“That forest guardian was skilled with his bow,” Holo remarked, recalling how Meyer had shot a rabbit from horseback. “But he cannot win against numbers. Nor can he remain attached to the lord the entire time, and the old priest may be targeted as well.”

Such a large territory did not lend itself well to defense. If they were supposed to defend their partners in this plan, then at least Matthias alone should remain in the town of Karlan. Or perhaps he regarded Eve with such suspicion that he might interpret that as being held prisoner.

“Mm. No, perhaps that fool was deliberately trying to provoke the lord into action.”

For a moment, Lawrence did not understand, but he did after a moment of thought. Matthias was not a foolish ruler, so if Kerube was going to resort to force, he knew that he would likely be the first target.

Perhaps he had no choice but to take on the contract with Eve and Karlan in order to guarantee his own safety.

If Kerube were to genuinely threaten Matthias, then that would give Matthias an excuse to believe Eve. She would take him under the protection of the Twilight Cardinal while giving him that last bit of encouragement he needed to agree to the plan.

“But it’s a risky gamble.”

There was no telling if the thugs could rough up Matthias in the right way. It was unknown how they would break Matthias’s spirit, and it was hard to think of it as a gamble with good chances.

As Holo carefully thought about how much meat she should pack, a thought suddenly came to Lawrence.

“Could…Eve be planning on doing that herself?”

There was a riddle: What was the best way to make a prophecy come true?

The answer was: Fulfill it yourself.

Eve would threaten Matthias without a second’s hesitation to secure certainty.

“Eve never changes,” Lawrence said, drawing his lips in a grimace, and tossed his things into his bag.

It felt like he himself had been dropped into the bag.

“Huh?”

In that moment, he had clearly seen the shadow of something unfathomably large. It was as though he was walking along the eaves of the buildings that lined the main street to cool off, only to pass beneath a massive creature instead of a building.

Lawrence had been, without question, walking the path of logic, yet it felt like he had come across an inconsistency in the most unexpected of places.

In his desperation, he reviewed his memories, seeing what facts he had lined up.

Due to the shady connection with Kerube, Holo had insisted on going with Lawrence in order to protect him. Tonneburg, especially, was an easy target. The ones protecting Matthias were levies of farmers who typically tended the fields, so it perhaps made more sense to keep him in Karlan.

But Matthias himself was not on very good terms with Eve or Karlan, so it was possible he would equate being asked to stay in the city with being taken captive.

It was then that Eve, who was overseeing the plan like so many pieces on a chessboard, would swoop in. In her kindness, it was unlikely she would worry too much about Matthias’s safety. She might think that letting him get attacked would solidify the more indecisive parts of his attitude. But instead of gambling on the bad actors from Kerube hurting him just enough, it made more sense for her to orchestrate the violence and attack Matthias herself.

The signs lined up along the road in this manner, but Lawrence had a feeling something was clearly missing.

Lawrence took another step forward, and he felt like there was something he should have noticed.

“Argh… What is it? Damn it!”

He groaned and slapped his own forehead. His mind was stuffed full of the minutiae of running the bathhouse—there was no space for him to speculate as he so often did in his previous peddling journey. He cursed his fogged mind and began slowly piling up the bricks scattered across his thoughts.

And then there was the big assumption.

Ever since Holo brought up speaking to Eve in Nyohhira, Lawrence had let his guard down. But was Eve truly someone he could trust?

That did not have anything to do with whether or not Eve was a bad person, and as someone who walked the very same path of commerce as she did, he should have thought about her prowess first.

What was most alarming here was that Eve did not seem to hold any ill intent.

And to expand upon that, that meant it was likely the truth.

Not only that, but if on the off chance she was leading them into a trap, then she would not only sour her relationship with Col and Myuri, but she would also make an enemy of Holo. Eve knew it was impossible to run or hide if she truly earned Holo’s ire.

And Lawrence was simple, much to Holo’s chagrin. More importantly, since they shared a merchant’s perspective, Eve saw him as a pawn she did not need to dupe.

In reality, the conclusion he and Holo had come up with together would have to be the truth if Eve was indeed manipulating the situation.

Which meant…

Was it his own imagination that made it seem like things did not add up?

No—this was much too odd. Kerube’s desire to interfere and Matthias’s defenselessness were faults too big for Eve to have overlooked.

And that told Lawrence there was still a piece of the puzzle he had not seen yet.

He thought, still as though listening for something, and looked around the room before his gaze settled on the open window.

What had they been through since leaving Salonia?

And…

“Dear, I would like some of the southern spices I had for dinner yesterday. Could you buy—”

Holo, who was treating this like a stroll in the woods, stopped.

Lawrence’s lips twisted into a smile; he was simply delighted by how formidable Eve always was.

“Why… Why are you smiling?” Holo asked.

Lawrence sighed deeply and said, “It’s nothing. We’ll head to Tonneburg like planned. But—”

“But?”

Holo, whose arms were full with meat or the pot or one thing or another, looked up at him in confusion.

“—I want to make a detour.”

Eve Bolan was a bad wolf, or perhaps a sly fox.

Her spells could not only set in motion great mischief, but could even align the stars and planets in her favor.

Lawrence sent word to Eve that they would be heading straight for Tonneburg in order to speak with Matthias.

Eve was not particularly alarmed, nor was she jumping for joy; her response was as usual, like she was telling them to neatly take care of business.

After getting a horse, Lawrence and Holo both rode out of Karlan. And after riding a good distance in the direction of Tonneburg, the sun eventually set; and when the sun cast long shadows of the hills over the ground, they dismounted for a time. They tied up the horse to whatever tree they could find, and Holo braided loose hairs from her tail into its mane. It was unlikely thieves would find it after one night, and Holo’s scent would keep the wild dogs away.

“I am not saying this because I am vexed.” Holo, in her wolf form, allowed Lawrence to climb on her back, swiveling her head back to look at him with her large, red eyes. “But are you not thinking too hard about this?”

“If you said the same thing to me right after telling me about her, what do you think would’ve happened?”

Eve was absorbed in her self-indulgent pleasures and was hard to trust. She was using Col’s dignity as a shield to do awful things as she pleased.

Lawrence had simply assumed that was the case, which earned Holo’s exasperation. Yet Holo, in all her intelligence, remained quiet, and knew things would clear up once he saw her for himself.

Lawrence realized the exact same pattern was evident in this situation.

“Eve hasn’t said anything specific about Kieman or Kerube.”

Holo began to walk with light, easy steps, and slowly increased her speed. The sun had not yet fully hidden behind the horizon, so she was making doubly sure that no one could see them.

That included Eve’s underlings.

It was likely that Eve told them about Holo’s true form. They would be putting a lot of distance between them if they were to be following the couple, which meant that so long as they managed to get back on track the following morning, they would not be found out, even if they did take a detour.

“The one thing we should’ve taken into consideration wasn’t Eve’s intentions. We should have questioned whether Kerube wanted to get in Karlan’s way in the first place.”

Holo went even faster, and Lawrence felt himself becoming a part of the wind.

The scenery around him melted, and all that was certain around him was the warmth of her fur and the power of her breath.

Yet Lawrence continued speaking.

“Every part of what Eve told us is based on the assumption that Kerube is our enemy. She spoke like it’s a hard fact, like there’s no point in questioning it. Of course, it’s hard to imagine that Kerube is going to outright accept what Karlan is doing, so no doubt there’s a conflict of interest between the two towns. Yet it’s entirely possible that the actual nature of the conflict itself is entirely different.”

Holo reached her full speed—even if a traveler did catch a glimpse at her from afar, she would only seem like a speck of dust in the shape of a wolf.

“The reason Eve has not directly negotiated with Kerube might not be because she’s wary of interference or because she’s throwing them off. Kerube might be troubled by their weak position in the matter.”

Lawrence felt like the only reason Matthias was still safe as of now was because Kerube could not freely use force.

All they had heard about Kerube so far was secondhand through other people. Lawrence himself knew just how selfish and merciless the people of Kerube could be through his experience with the narwhal incident, so he assumed he had a general gist of the situation without Eve’s detailed explanation. And he knew better than anyone else what she had gone through in that city.

The most important thing was that Eve knew everything as well. Plus, their interaction at the tavern should have shown her that Lawrence had not changed one bit.

The foolish sheep had jumped to conclusions after speaking with Matthias and marched right over to her.

All she needed to do was place her hands on his shoulders, change his trajectory, and he would willingly follow the path she wanted him to take.

“No falsehood escapes my ears.”

As Lawrence lay sprawled across Holo’s back, he could hear her voice reverberate into his body. He felt his stomach grow cold, and the floating sensation almost hurt his back.

Holo leaped from hill to hill, dashing down the sloped sides faster than rainfall.

“But I cannot hear what is not spoken. Just as you miss things when you jump to conclusions.”

That was not so much cynicism or a pointed jab at him as it was self-deprecation.

“But it’s only thanks to you we can make up for it.”

It was unlikely Eve thought that Lawrence would go to Kerube of his own accord.

He pictured negotiations with Kerube as delicate and dangerous, and Lawrence did not get the sense that Eve was acting arbitrarily for her own gain.

And that meant Eve could pull this off.

She could convince the sheep that the noises coming from the other side of the forest were from a pack of wolves.

“But if I am the reason you fall into holes every time, I am unsure if helping you climb back out really makes up for it.”

Holo had originally gotten them involved in this because she had been enticed by the smell of the forest on Meyer and his mead. And where Holo went, so did Lawrence, boldly claiming that she could leave it all to him. That was how they tumbled into the hole this time.

“Sounds like we were made for each other,” Lawrence said breezily.

A shudder that was not that of Holo’s feet hitting the ground resonated through his body.

“I, too, have grown foolish.”

After all was said and done, Holo enjoyed the days they spent together.

“And it’s possible that once we get to Kerube, we’ll see that what Eve says is true. Don’t get mad if it is.”

“We shall see.”

Though there was no obviously large dip in the road, Holo leaped a little higher than usual.

“It’ll all be a nice memory of our journey, though!” Lawrence yelled from atop Holo’s back.

Instead of giving an answer, Holo sped up, leaping high off the ground.