Wolf & Parchment, Volume 1

by Isuna Hasekura

  They bargained around to find a vessel to take them to Atiph, and eventually they struck a deal to travel on a boat loaded with firewood, chickens, and other cargo for scheduled deliveries to towns along the way. It had little space for carrying passengers, which the captain treated as a side job, so it was nowhere near a comfortable ride.

  But the sun finally rose and warmed their bodies, and Myuri, who had been preening herself like a little bird beside him, was napping, perhaps out of boredom. It was pleasant.

  He could imagine what was happening in the bathhouse right about now and who was doing what. Perhaps this was what it meant for Col to leave the life he had led for more than ten years. And though he had promised Myuri he would come back in order to soothe her, there was also a good possibility that he would not. Lawrence and Holo had sent him off understanding that. He could only be thankful to have met such good people.

  As he sat consumed with his thoughts, the boat sailed downstream. The current was gentle, and the river was wide. This journey of two, which had happened so completely against his will, ended its second day without event, and the third day was the same.

  Myuri also wanted to wash her hair on the morning of the third day, but she had learned her lesson to some extent and came up with the idea of first boiling water in the inn’s kitchen. However, she also made the shocking discovery that she would need money for fuel and coal. Maybe she had never imagined that it cost money to have hot water.

  In the end, she washed her hair in a half-frozen well, but this time she adjusted her approach and finished with minimal shivering. He was looking forward to seeing what she would try next time.

  Before long, the stones on the riverbed grew fewer in number, and the grassland views became more frequent. Gently sloping plains stretched out all the way to the mountains that were faintly visible in the distance. It seemed they had reached the Dolan Plains. Col became drowsy watching the scenery, but it was terribly exciting for Myuri, who had grown up high in the mountains. She excitedly stared at the view and waved to the travelers walking along the riverside roads.

  Then finally, beyond the sloping plains, the town of Atiph came into view atop a small hill, along with its famous checkpoint.

  “…!!”

  It was difficult just to keep Myuri from suddenly standing up in the boat, so Col was worried that her ears and tail might come out. She gave a wordless cry in enthusiasm, and he had trouble gently prying off her tight grip on his arm.

  “Brother! The town! So big! The river! It’s true! The chain!”

  It was like she forgot how to form full sentences in her excitement.

  But he was genuinely surprised to see the very thing their other captain had described, looming over them with more presence than he had imagined. It was not the kind of chain that was used to keep vaults closed—each link was big enough that Myuri could fit her arm through it. Each joint was lined up neatly and the chain hung above the pair.

  “C-captain! Are you sure it won’t fall?” Myuri asked, having regained some composure, and the captain, with sloping shoulders and a mustache under his nose, spoke without a smile.

  “It falls once a year, and the boats get caught in it and sink. It hasn’t fallen yet this year, so we’re still in danger. Can you swim?”

  Myuri’s face twitched, and she clung to Col, then peered up at the chain.

  “She will believe you, so please don’t tease her.”

  “Wha—?”

  Myuri was shocked, and the captain laughed.

  “Can you see the nests the birds of passage leave in the links?” Col pointed, and Myuri’s mouth fell open as the chain passed directly above them. “If it fell and the water washed it clean every year, it would not be like that.”

  “The chain doesn’t fall, but shit does all the time. You’re putting yourself in danger looking up with your mouth open.”

  Myuri quickly shut her mouth when she heard the captain’s warning.

  Their boat joined many others and headed for the pier. There were too many of them, so they had to wait their turn. Everyone was unloading here and seemed to be bringing back a mountain of salted herring in return. When they finally reached the pier, Myuri wearily watched the loading of the fish onto the boats.

  “I’m so glad I’m not with the fish. I don’t even want to look at salted fish anymore.”

  Herring was abundant, so it was cheap. During the winter, it was laid out on every table in every house from the coast to the mountains and elicited considerable moaning. This was the fish that kept them fed every winter, and it would be distributed at every cargo ship’s next stop.

  “Well, the smell is already bad…”

  Myuri must have been having a bad time, since her good sense of smell was due to her wolf’s blood. Even for a regular person like Col, he could clearly smell the fishy scent wafting from the barrels here and there in the port.

  Though this time, he could only think of how delicious it smelled.

  “Let’s have salt-grilled fish tonight. It’s a different kind of taste from salted fish.”

  “Aww…I wanted red meat…”

  Myuri grumbled in disapproval of their journey’s meals as they cut through the crowds at the pier and exited the port, but then she suddenly became quiet.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Col glanced at her, and she was gaping up at the sky. She stared at the stone fortress with seabirds lined up snugly on it. It was the first time she had ever seen a town outside Nyohhira in her life.

  “Myuri, you’ll be in the way if you stop there.”

  He pulled her hand, and she finally moved, but something else immediately stole her attention.

  “Brother, look! That person has so many dogs!” She pointed to a dockhand carrying a barrel, and the pack of dogs following behind him. “Is that a dog herder?”

  “Dog herder?”

  “There are goatherds and shepherds all over the world, right?”

  Following that logic, of course there would be dog herders somewhere in the world.

  “I don’t know much about dog herders, but that barrel probably has salted herring in it. The dogs are after the salt that might spill out.”

  “Ohhh.”

  Seabirds circled noisily above Myuri as she stood in wonder, and a cat curled up on a stack of wooden crates. Everything was new and exciting in the commotion of the port, and she busied herself asking what this and that was with each step she took. Then, her eyes sparkled whenever she heard the answer, and she listened enthusiastically to his every word. And though she had grown cheeky lately, seeing her like this reminded Col of the straightforward and cute Myuri from so long ago, and so he relaxed.

  However, explaining every little thing would not get them anywhere, and they still had preparations to make upon entering the town. First, they had to find a money changer to ensure they had cash to do shopping in town. When he finally decided to pull her along so that they could move forward—and since he was trying to get a hold of Myuri, he was not watching where he was going—they ran into someone.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Flustered, he apologized to a girl wearing a kerchief around her head. She was relatively tall, and slender arms extended from her emphatically rolled-up sleeves. She was wearing an apron, so perhaps she was the daughter of a shipping agent. Her pale hair, faded from the salt of the sea, matched her particularly beautiful chestnut-colored eyes.

  Her gaze met Col’s, and she smiled. But out of the blue, she quickly latched onto his arm.

  “Not at all! I welcome good-looking people like you!”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re a traveler, right? Is this your first time to the town of Atiph? Do you have an inn for the night? If you loiter around here, the touts from nasty inns will drag you in.”

  “Wh-what? Um—”

  She rambled to him about so much all at once, and suddenly the girl’s chest touched his arm. Her supple flesh had received a splendid upbringing in the spirit o
f meat, fish, and the seaside.

  “Our inn is clean and safe. We’ve just unloaded some new wine, our beds have marvelous linen without any mites or lice, and any girl you choose will be yours. What, priests like yourself are fine, too! All the girls are the devout lambs of God, so God will overlook this. So just get married for a night and then divorce the next day.”

  “Th-that’s, um…”

  Col knew immediately that it was the kind of inn that provided companionship with a girl in exchange for money. Any port town, teeming with famously boisterous sailors and the rich who gained all their money from trade, would have any number of these sorts of inns. The girl pressed her chest more firmly against his arm this time and drew close to his face as though she would whisper in his ear. He did not know what sort of incense she was burning, but he could smell the sweet scent of fresh bread. He could not look straight at the girl.

  “Heh-heh, it’s kind of cute when your face goes red like that. Hey, where did you come from? Did you come by boat from the south? Tell me all about your journey at the inn,” the girl said and tried to pull him along by his arm. No, I am not a priest, and we have plans to stay at a different inn—his words echoed vainly in his head.

  All the same, when he tried to stand his ground, he felt his other arm being pulled in the other direction.

  “See, our inn is over…Ah, huh?” The sheep she had caught did not budge, so she turned back toward him dubiously. “Oh, what, is that your daughter?”

  He looked, and there was Myuri, hugging his other arm and glaring daggers at the girl.

  “I’ve never seen you before. Whose turf are you from?”

  The girl’s expression changed from a pleasant one for customers to a dangerous one. She said “turf,” which likely meant she thought that Myuri was in the same industry as she was. Myuri’s outfit did not suggest she was the daughter of an honorable baker.

  “N-no, this is the daughter of my employer, and we have reason to be traveling together,” Col said before things became complicated. The girl stared, comparing herself and Myuri three times before she finally let go of his arm.

  “The reason you smell so strongly of sulfur must mean you’re headed home after plenty of fun in Nyohhira. I see.”

  She nodded all-knowingly, and there was no doubt she was mistaken, but it would be too much trouble to correct her.

  “Then, don’t worry about the inn, but could you exchange some money for me?”

  “Exchange money?”

  “Since you came down the river, you should have small coins, right?”

  The tout girl changed the subject suddenly, and Col grew a bit flustered.

  “We’re having trouble since we don’t have enough change. Of course, I’ll give you a little something for the exchange fees. Like a kiss on the cheek or letting you lay your head on my lap…”

  And again, she slid closer to him, and Myuri literally growled.

  “It’s a joke. But really, could you give me just a little? We’re really in a bind.”

  She probably spoke to clueless travelers like this to cheat them out of change at an unfair rate.

  “I’m sorry. We were just going to the money changers ourselves,” he informed her, and she did not pursue the matter further. “I see. Then you shouldn’t get money changed outside the city walls. The ones without a mat aren’t licensed, you know. They’ll overcharge you so much, so be careful. You seem too honest…Well, you have a little supervisor with you.”

  The girl cackled, and as Myuri gave her a little wave, she turned on her heels. She no longer had any interest in them as she looked around and purposefully bumped into a different passing young man. He seemed honest and kind, perhaps coming into town from one of the nearby farming villages.

  Their conversation was the same as the one Col had earlier, and just as the young man was about to apologize, she pressed her chest against his arm and drew her face close to his ear. Col and Myuri could easily tell from the side that this honest-looking young man was freezing up.

  This method was not often praised, but Col admired her enthusiastic salesmanship and wit.

  “I swear!” There echoed a cold, sharp voice. “You really can’t do anything without me.”

  He turned around to see Myuri’s exasperated expression. Col once again turned his gaze to the young man—the girl would not hear his confused excuses. She gripped his arm, then simply dragged him off. The weak would be hunted.

  “And you were all blushy!”

  “I wasn’t b-blushy,”Col retorted, flustered, but Myuri was eyeing him in disdain as she snorted.

  “They were just a bit big.”

  “Huh?” he asked, and Myuri let go of his arm, instead taking his hand. Hers was a small hand and so was her height and her shoulders and her waist—many parts of her were small. Perhaps she had released him because she was embarrassed of what she had been pressing against his arm, especially compared to the other girl. Of course, he did not point any of this out and pretended not to notice.

  Instead, he said, “But you did save me. I give you my thanks.”

  Displeased, Myuri stared up at Col before suddenly smiling, like a sign flipping upside down.

  If they stood around idly, another predator might turn their fangs on them. Quickly, they walked off, and Myuri, generally satisfied after staring at the activity in the port, spoke up.

  “And, Brother? What are you doing here? Preaching on a street corner?”

  “No, I won’t be doing that. For the most part, I’ll be helping Heir Hyland.”

  “What was it? Our Book of…”

  So she did overhear. There was no reason to hide it now.

  “Our Book of God.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s our plan to translate scripture into common language.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said, though her expression suggested she did not see at all.

  Col looked at her in shock, and she giggled in response.

  “The scripture is written in the script of the Church. In ancient times, the words of the prophets were written down for posterity, but since the Church spread all over the world, very few priests were able to read the original script as a result. It’s said that was when God granted us the script of the Church.”

  “Huh. How long ago is ancient times? Before Mother was a kid?”

  Unwittingly, he glanced around, but he relaxed, doubting anyone would come and seriously question them.

  “That is a good question. Perhaps it could be.”

  “Huh.”

  Her interest lay in an odd part of the story, but the main topic was elsewhere, so he cleared his throat and steered the conversation back.

  “Anyway, the scripture is written in the orthography of the Church, but that’s not what we usually use. Few can read and write even the common script we use every day.”

  Myuri made a disgusted face, likely recalling how she was sometimes roped to a chair, forced to learn how to read and write.

  “Because of that, only a small number of people can read the scripture. So if you go to a church, the priest will interpret the teachings written in the scripture for you, and it’s been this way for a very, very long time. However, lately, it’s been agreed that this is not a good thing. So our plan is, instead of only the priests of the Church one-sidedly reading and interpreting the righteousness of God’s teachings, we will enable many people to read the scripture directly, and each person will decide for themselves what is right.”

  “So Our Book of God?”

  “Yes. Isn’t that a wonderful name?”

  Myuri stared at Col with those beautiful eyes, then spoke.

  “Brother, you treat me like a child, but you’re plenty childish yourself.”

  “What?” he asked in return, but she only smiled mischievously.

  Although, it was true that Our Book of God would be filled with the elements of adventure and challenge, enough to make his nostrils flare with enthusiasm.

  “So yo
u’re going to write a book.”

  “Frankly speaking.”

  However, translating the scripture was easier said than done. It was brimming with vague and metaphoric language, and interpretations differed from one theological scholar to the next. In addition, there was a lot of jargon that was not used in daily life, so translating it would not be straightforward.

  What was more, Col was aware of the reality that devout faith was not the only force driving their plan forward. It was nothing if not a strategic maneuver, born from the current standoff between the pope and the Kingdom of Winfiel that had continued for too long. It was a way for the kingdom to prove that the pope was wrong and to cut his feet out from under him. As anyone could clearly see, when he held the scripture in one hand and glorified asceticism in front of a magnificent cathedral with a giant bell tower, what he preached and what he practiced were different. However, since the people could not read the scripture, it was difficult, if not impossible, for them to point out his misdeeds.

  Of course, it was clear that the Church strongly opposed their plan. As long as the scripture was not written in a common language, they could limit the number of people who could access it, and they could keep the uneducated masses ignorant. Our Book of God was a plan that would give the Church quite the headache.

  Yet, on the Kingdom of Winfiel’s side of things, there was an earnest and practical reason for undertaking this plan. Since church doors had been ordered closed all throughout the country, the government had to give people the power to conduct baptisms, weddings, and prayers for funerals on their own.

  Hyland, who came up with the plan for Our Book of God, really did have keen insight. The reason the Debau Company decided to support the kingdom was likely due to his intelligence.

  However, it was also fair to say that this was the last resort of a cornered people. The suspension of all religious activities was a terrifying measure. As a loved one lay expiring on their deathbed, even if one wished to pray for their passage into heaven themselves, only a priest could do that. One could not receive God’s blessings for their joyous wedding, an event that marked a major turning point in anyone’s life. The Church was the one that carried out weddings, so no one could even get married officially in the first place. The pope had annulled all of it simply due to his desire to collect taxes. What did he even think of others’ lives? God’s love was free; his teachings were not for collecting tithes.