Spice & Wolf XIII (DWT)

by Isuna Hasekura

  Our room is full of brave, young kids who survived the disease, and are now listening to my master. Yesterday, she proved to be good with children, so the innkeeper’s wife brought a lot of them to us this morning. My master probably felt bad about staying here for free, so she’s sharing her breakfast with them as she tells them religious stories. She doesn’t seem to mind.

  I’m impressed with her, so no matter how impolite the kids are I don’t bark at them. I remain tolerant, and soon enough they’re concentrating on the stories instead of me. The youngest lad had fallen asleep in my master’s lap. The older ones are clutching at her sleeves as she talks (gently, as usual). She smiles when they cry, which kids always do at the drop of a hat. She has to work on her storytelling skills a bit, but she’s getting pretty good.

  Normally, she would be being chased out for carrying her shepherd’s staff, so this situation has me feeling a bit conflicted. It’s normal for a human like her to be surrounded by kids, and they can talk.

  “And that’s how the story goes!”

  One of them sighs as she finishes her latest story. They’re really into it. They’re even more rude than I am, by human standards. They eat whatever they want, and keep demanding more and more stories. My master is far too gentle to be able to handle them. As her guard, I’m ready to help, but as I prepare to do so I hear a voice shout out. My master is shocked, and I step back and brace myself. It seems darker in the room, and sure enough a voice tears out like cloth being slashed.

  “Wahhhh!”

  It’s so loud it stuns me. It’s like an explosion to my ears. My master is nervous; she’s like a kid herself. Unlike sheep, humans can’t stand on their own when they’re born. My master is doing her best to comfort the child, but he won’t stop crying. What went wrong? Even I’m starting to get worried.

  “Ah, big sis, let me help!”

  The most wily of the kids speaks up and takes the crying kid. He’s not that much bigger, but for whatever reason the crying kid stops soon after being hugged by his friends. These kids are good. My master isn’t sure what to say. The crying kid has stopped, and starts to hug back. Soon the wily kid begins laughing like he’s being tickled. And then, suddenly, he runs away and the others chase him. They’re as fickle as birds, these children. But unlike birds, they at least remember to say goodbye before they vanish.

  It’s suddenly dead quiet in this once-noisy room, and the two of us are exhausted. My master just stares at the open door, then a while after that she puts her hand against her chest. If I was human, I would be laughing right now. Her emotions are all a jumble. She stares at the hand on her chest, then me, then puts on a wicked smile. She stands up and slowly walks over to me.

  “You were laughing at me just now, weren’t you?”

  No! I turn away, but my master won’t let me go. My stomach is facing her now, and she scratches it. Don’t do this to a fine border collie like me, master! I can control sheep, but not my own instincts! And you know that!

  * * *

  “But.. what should we do now?”

  My master is talking to herself as she mends her clothes.

  “Well, those ladies gave me a warm welcome.”

  She breaks some thread with her teeth, then raises her clothes to find any holes or tearing. The mattress rocks with her as she moves, and it makes me flop over and stretch out. My master touches my neck and continues.

  “But I can’t just sit here and wait for a job to land in my lap..”

  What about being a lookout? I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing.

  “It’s not like taking care of kids will work out..”

  She’s not a wet nurse, so she’s thinking at least. Oxen and sheep are valuable just for producing milk, but my master can’t sell hers. She doesn’t even have fur worth selling. They wouldn’t even eat her. She’s practically useless. If I wasn’t here with her, she would be a big ball of worries.

  “Ennnek?”

  She smiles and pokes the air with her needle, threatening me. It makes me shiver, and my tail curls under me. She ends up poking me with just her finger.

  “I was really hoping I could become a tailor right away..”

  She lifts up her clothes, then lies down on the bed with them against her chest. I put my head on her belly, and she flinches in response before putting her hand on it. There were times when she would put my head on her belly when she was starving, hoping it would make her feel better. Humans can be so simple-minded. She even thinks the world would be a peaceful place if no one went hungry. She likes to say it whenever there’s a problem she can’t solve.

  “Mmmmhmmhmm..”

  That odd sound is my master’s humming. It’s a song tailors hummed in Ruvinheigen on a street with a lot of shops. The men sounded strange, but the girls had wonderful voices and sang as they worked. My master doesn’t know the words to the song, so she can only hum along. I’ve heard her sing it rather comically before, and have caught her daydreaming while doing so. She even sings herself to sleep with it or tears up as she sings it.

  I’m just a dog, but I understand poems and songs. I look up at her, but she’s not crying now. I know what she’s daydreaming about, though. It’s that happy street of tailors. Everyone knows each other, and even though their lives are tough they’re honest, peaceful and caring people. My master is spellbound, like a child watching another with a toy.

  I don’t really like to see her get like this, but I’m just as anxious as she is lately so I can hardly blame her. I only hope she won’t try to lift me up and pull my fur. She taps on my snout as she hums, like I’m some sort of musical instrument. Just then, I hear somebody outside and stand up, disrupting her performance. She stares at me, but when she hears a knock on the door

  she becomes nervous again. I want to sigh.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, were you asleep?”

  It’s the innkeeper’s wife, who brought us breakfast and all those children this morning.

  “Um, no, uh.. thank you for the needle and thread.”

  My master nervously tidies up her hair and hands back the needle and thread. The woman laughs, but I don’t think it’s because of my master’s unkempt hair. I think she was chuckling at how out of tune her humming was. But I’m a knight, I can’t get worked up over something that silly.

  “By the way, a man came by and told me the bishop is hoping to talk to you.”

  My master’s hands freeze and she looks over at me.

  “The bishop does?”

  “Maybe he’s finished his morning rituals? Do you have time to talk to him?”

  My master nods and anxiously puts on her coat.

  “Oh, and when you see the bishop, could you ask him to pray for me? There’re too many guests lately, and I haven’t a chance to ask him.”

  The innkeeper’s wife is clearly asking for a favor, not being demanding. We go as soon as we’re ready. Actually, it hasn’t taken my master that long to get used to walking down these streets. She can walk them fearlessly now.

  “I wonder what he’ll say? Oh my, I should thank him for calling me an angel!”

  My master touches her chin as she talks to herself. It’s something that a lot of humans who live by themselves do. But she also giggles like an idiot. She’s that thrilled about being called an angel yesterday in the church. She’s even gotten over her depression about the town. Even though they seem destitute compared to Ruvinheigen, the people here are more energetic than we thought they were at first.

  There are menders everywhere. Cobblers and tool-makers, too, though nothing is being made or built right now. My master knows they’re still recovering, and is happy to see the town looking so upbeat. She’s trotting around happily, and more quickly than ever before. She holds her hands behind her back, looking to my eyes like she’s trying to walk like a town girl in Ruvinheigen. I wish she’d stop trying to act like others and just be herself. I think that’s the way to be happy, so I bark.

  “Oh!”

  My maste
r can sense a wolf hiding behind a tree on a hill, so she’s not reacting to me with her soft cry. She’s spotted a young man talking to a woman next to a house.. it’s Joam, the loan shark.

  “Should we do something?”

  She asks me, but-

  “Hey!”

  He greets her first. We have nothing against him, but I can understand why the town would hate his occupation. And that hatred is clear, given how the woman suspiciously eyes us when he greets my master. But he notices her staring as well, and softly says something to her. She reacts with surprise, and begins praying. Joam looks at my master proudly, like he’s done something great. I look up at my master and see her wearing her forced smile.

  “What a coincidence. Out meeting must be the will of God.”

  He walks up to us as he plays with the coins in his hands. He places them in his pocket, then takes off the Church seal he was wearing, kisses it, and puts it away. My master has no idea how to react, but she knows he’s a sly one, and would sell the Church itself if he could.

  “He-hello.”

  “Hello to you, and to Mr. Knight as well.”

  I glare at him angrily, and he shows fear, but still urges my master to “walk and talk.” Though he walks beside her, not me.

  “Miss Norah.”

  She flinches when he calls her name. She must be wondering where he learned her name (as am I). He just reaches his hand out and gently continues.

  “Ah, sorry. You’re the talk of the town, after all. They even let you watch their children, and those children came back smiling.”

  This is actually a fairly small town. I sniff at some torn clothing on the street and look up.

  “Is this what you do in other towns, Miss Norah?”

  He smiles kindly and politely as he asks. He’s probably the type who’s popular with girls. But those charms don’t work on my master. She can sense the unpleasantness in his words and reacts accordingly.

  “I’m just joking, don’t be anxious. But this town is my home, so I want to make sure we know our visitors.”

  He takes her hand up and bows toward it, then lets it go. I’m so hot with anger that I want to sink my fangs into his leg, but my master places her hand next to my head. That’s her secret gesture for me to wait.

  “You are a shepherd, aren’t you?”

  My master is clutching her dress. I swear I can hear her heart closing. I look up, but she’s like a statue overlooking a field. She stares at him with no expression - that a girl, that’s the one I serve and trust. But Joam has enough wit about him to realize the intent behind her stare. He puts on a cheap smile and turns away, then walks away with his hands behind his head.

  “Or maybe not. I’m just not sure.”

  My master stays silent, but he doesn’t care. He just keeps walking.

  “After all, the only shepherds around here are farmers, so you’ll be fine if you don’t mention it.”

  He relaxes his tone, but my master’s still on guard. We’re both surprised by what he says next, though.

  “That eases my mind.”

  “..huh?”

  My master frowns, and he replies calmly.

  “The bishop sent for you, didn’t he?”

  “..yes.”

  “Then you’ll understand soon enough. He didn’t send for me, so I just wanted to know who he did send for.”

  It’s hard to understand what he means, even if he’s clearly not joking around. He eyes my master for a moment, then continues seriously.

  “You’re capable enough, though, so that’s what eases my mind.”

  He observes her reaction and smiles again.

  “But you’re too damn small. You need to eat more.”

  My master’s hand shoots to her chest, but she soon realizes that she’s just given her insecurity away. Her face gets beet-red, and Joam laughs. My master’s been holding me back, but I can’t take it anymore. He’s so annoying and and has been ignoring me, so I bare my fangs and bite into his calf.

  * * *

  When we arrive at the church, the woman who greeted us yesterday seems awkward. She looks downward when she sees my master, and we can see the sweat on her forehead. But she stays silent; maybe we came more quickly than she expected?

  I’m still remembering the scene where I bit that guy. He fell to the ground with a loud yell. I knew I shouldn’t actually hurt him, so I didn’t break the skin, but just roared at him and tore his clothes. He started yelling even louder, thinking he was severely wounded, but seemed puzzled when he realized he was okay.

  That was a moment of sweet justice to me, and I’m feeling proud. But my master is not. She’s still thinking about her breast size as we wander deeper into the church, with the woman leading us. I’ve never seen the kind of sad look she’s wearing before. When we reach the sanctuary, though, that look vanishes.

  They’re replaced more doors with curtains than I thought. She shifts the curtain aside to let us in, and we’re immediately greeted with the stares of everyone in the sanctuary. All of my hairs bristle instinctively.

  “She’s here.”

  The woman leaves it at that. Absolutely nothing looks similar about the people gathered here. A fat man, a young girl, a short and old man. The only thing they have in common is their sense of responsibility. Power works in strange ways in the human world.

  Clearly we weren’t asked here for a simple chat. My master’s hand is trembling, as if she’s wishing she had her staff with her. Her hand reaches out to me as if to save her from drowning, and her hand grazes me. I can tell she’s being evaluated.

  Yesterday, we came here to see Joseph as he lay in bed. The girl sitting next to him now is familiar to us. She’s the one with the hazy eyes who hates the rest of the world. Her lips are dry as she looks at Joseph, her hand on the Bible in his hands. It’s Alice. Her eyes are still like fish swimming in a pond as she turns to my master and slowly speaks.

  “You’re God’s servant, Norah Arrent, yes?”

  Why’s she asking so suddenly? Before we even know that much, the next surprise is upon us.

  “In the name of Joseph Ozenstein, we hereby nominate you the assistant priest of the church of Gustav.”

  Alice speaks despite how puzzled we are. This is obviously no joke. No one’s laughing, even at how confused the two of us are. But when Alice continues, my master finally snaps out of it.

  “This is no joke.”

  Alice’s calm announcement of the truth makes my master tremble. What’s happening? Why is everyone so serious? My master may be dim, but even she knows what’s happening. Joseph seems so weak in the bed that I look up at my master, who is as concerned as I am. The fat man seems to read our minds, and finally speaks.

  “The bishop is only asleep. But we don’t know long he’ll be out of commission.. so, Alice you’d better tell her.”

  With that, he motions to the others with his eyes and everyone else leaves except Alice and my master. Well, Joseph too, but his face is as pale as a new piece of paper. He seems to be in pain, and very frail. Apparently he was talking just now, but couldn’t stay awake any longer and went back to sleep. My master wants to run to him, but Alice coughs for her to stop.

  “I’ll tell you what Bishop Joseph wanted to tell you.”

  She’s making it clear that it’s an order. We have no idea what she’s going to say, but it’s Joseph’s will. Alice looks down at him with concern, then sighs.

  “So please, sit down.”

  Alice points at a chair in the corner, and my master sits down like an obedient dog. I sit down beside her legs. The master of the tailor’s guild then speaks seriously, still standing.

  “Please understand, it’s impossible for you to become a tailor here.”

  My master isn’t even given enough time to react to the sudden proclamation before Alice continues.

  “Well, you see..”

  My master is confused, but Alice’s expression hasn’t changed. What does she have against my master, anyway? I
don’t have to think about it for long, thankfully. She’s quite right in the end.

  “First off, we have no supplies. And we have no customers, either. But soon, our town will become prosperous and everyone will return. And what will they think when their old jobs are taken by someone they don’t know?”

  She’s being cold and direct because that’s just the reality of the situation. No one wants to be in that position, and my master understands what she’s saying. She’s not angry or pouting, she’s just disappointed.

  “Hmm..”

  My master looks up.

  “I understand.”

  The smile on her face is so natural that Alice flinches in shame. She looks at the mirror in front of her as if she sees a witch look backing at her. She grits her teeth and stares at the ground. She’s probably seen a lot of awful things recently, and now she’s realizing that she was wrongfully taking it out on my master.

  “..and one more thing.”

  “Huh?”

  “The bishop’s personal request.”

  This stubborn, serious tailor of few words is clearly taken seriously by the people here. She looks away, then peeks at my master before continuing.

  “You will be the assistant priest here, as nominated by Bishop Joseph.”

  She repeats what she said earlier. My master seems to accept it this time, but I don’t understand it. And neither does she, given how confused her no-longer-nervous eyes still are.

  “Times are tough right now.”

  Alice talks while she looks around, then looks into the distance.

  “Retzel town wants to swallow us up.”

  “Swallow you up?”

  “Yes. You must have seen a clue in my studio. We have no fine materials here. Anything of value is sold to the merchants, and we have no other customers to sell to. Wheat and meat are expensive now, and Retzel town is trying to leverage this chance.”

  Even a bear will become food for other animals if it’s wounded too badly. They’ll put up quite a fight, but once they’re defeated they’re just food. It’s not just the animals of the forests who live by that rule.

  “Our situation is pretty grim, even though we would be fine if we had the materials to work with. Even merchants would help us out in that case, but we’re in no position to get there yet. So Retzel offered us a loan.”