Spice & Wolf XIV (DWT)

by Hasekura Isuna

  It wasn’t unnatural to confirm where a transaction would take place. Nor was it strange for a book collector to also collect slaves. But that didn’t mean that every book dealer was used to that sort of thing.

  “Well, we’ve introduced them to several lovely girls with tan skin. Those kinds of friends.”

  Lawrence was experienced enough to stay calm and just be happy that this wasn’t his own line of work. If he wasn’t so experienced he would be sweating bricks now, just like Lou was.

  “Oh ho, please don’t concern yourself over that.”

  Eringin wanted to make it clear that he held all the cards.

  “We have lots of friends to help us manage regions we aren’t as familiar with.”

  He didn’t have to care what people thought. They could be as pious as they wished for all he cared, because they couldn’t stop him. Slave traders were of course used to dealing with hurt, angry and frightened people. Such strategies were his bread and butter.

  * * *

  Having made their deal, Eringin invited Lawrence and Lou to join him for supper. But Lou looked so nervous that he could pass out at any second, and Lawrence didn’t have the stomach to eat at the same table as either of them. They politely declined, and despite Eringin looking a bit hurt, it was probably not entirely an act. In any case, it was impossible to be sure. Eringin and his servants saw them off.

  The sky was darkening, but it was the start of the evening. Lanterns were being lit at the pier, both on the ship’s prows and on the docks for the workers. And of course, not just for work - the pubs along the pier were all lighting up for the evening’s festivities.

  “..he’s surely more formidable than any duke or count.”

  That was the first thing out of Lou’s mouth.

  “Yup. Now you know why all the town guards call him ‘sir.”’

  “All he needs is a formal title, and he could rule with an iron fist. That was nerve-wracking.”

  In fact, Lou was still sweating. It made Lawrence seem a bit braver by comparison, but he knew he would be lying to himself if he really began believing that was true. Holo had made it abundantly clear just how dim and cowardly he was compared to a real man.

  “But at least we made it this far.”

  That was the most important thing to remember. Lawrence gripped Lou’s hand as he reflected on just how much money they were dealing with. It was enough to turn a man into someone like Eringin.

  “I was really struggling back there.”

  “Oh God, don’t say that.. if you weren’t there I would have fainted. I’m going to need that strength later, too. You really earned those three hundred silvers!”

  That was going way too far, but Lawrence didn’t want to get angry. Such platitudes were common course for merchants, after all.

  “We should find somewhere to celebrate.. I was so nervous that I sweat enough to down a whole keg!”

  That wasn’t a charmless suggestion, but Lawrence had Holo to worry about.

  “Sorry, I can’t..”

  Lou, of course, knew better than to push his luck and start putting on his act right now, so he didn’t insist.

  “Ah, maybe that’s a good idea. It’s not like we won’t be seeing each other again, so this way at least we won’t start arguing right away!”

  He laughed out loud, but the best Lawrence could offer back was a smile. Even so, their hands clasped tightly during their final handshake.

  “Well then, have a good night.”

  Lou spoke loudly before walking off. Lawrence’s hand continued to shake, but only until he’d turned around and taken a few steps.

  “Hey.”

  A miserable-looking Holo stood there in front of him, also shaking. And that was no exaggeration. She was literally shaking as she stood there, with her arms wrapped around herself.

  “Have you been waiting that long?”

  “..”

  He received no reply. He imagined it was because she was freezing to the point where she couldn’t even nod. Of course she would be miserable in that condition.

  “Nevermind.. let’s get you warmed up. But hey, you knew it was cold, so why did you wait outside for so long?”

  He immediately removed his coat and wrapped it around her. The robes she wore might as well have been soaking wet, for all the good they were doing.

  “I-I-I.. was too worried.. that you would.. b-be cheated..”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you stood outside..”

  She always had to start with some flamboyant excuse, so Lawrence just naturally ignored it as he wrapped her in his coat, then rubbed her back. Luckily, Delink kept a strong fire going, so his coat was wonderfully warm. She already looked somewhat relieved.

  “Ah, there’s a stall over there.. hang on a sec..”

  Holo finally nodded, and leaned on the wall next to her. She peeked at him through the boards of the stall, and he peeked back, knowing she was still far from comfortable.

  “Damn it..”

  He murmured to himself as he quickly ordered her some strong liquor.

  “Come on now, drink some for me.”

  Strong liquor was essential to make it through the long winters of the north. Lenos was no exception. As Holo sipped it, her eyes instinctively closed.

  “Jeez.. your tail’s out..”

  He smiled as he said that, but she didn’t make any move to hide it. She just took a breath and had another drink. That should be enough for now.

  “Whoa.. not too much..”

  His hand nervously darted out as she went for a third sip, but it stopped before it even reached the glass. He looked into her eyes.

  “Hey.. are you already-”

  She took her third drink like she wanted to fly away, and as she breathed in after that some color finally returned to her face. As did her usual smile.

  “I really am a fool, aren’t I?”

  That was all she could say in her slightly-tipsy state. It wasn’t as though she had a real excuse anyway. She was holding the glass with both hands, but her arms were glued to her sides. And it wasn’t because it was cold, but because she didn’t want to drop something. Lawrence could just barely make out what that something was in the dim light.

  “They arrived just after you left.”

  She gave Lawrence the glass and then pulled out a pair of letters. One was large enough to have a map inside of it.

  “I held onto them for you since you were not there. I did not dare open them with Cole. Especially not with that girl there.”

  That was a bit childish, but she was smiling like she was drunk anyway. And maybe she was, even only on excitement. She was probably embarrassed about it, but it did explain why she would stand in the cold until her face nearly froze.

  “I..”

  She looked up at him.

  “..wanted to read them with you.”

  Now he knew she was drunk. Her face was thawing out like a honey bread, and he felt compelled to caress it with his free hand. His thumb rubbed against her cold cheek like it was a lump of dough. She’d made a realistic choice on whether to go to Yoitsu, but apparently that was the limit of her remaining wisdom. She had shivered outside, waiting for him, almost turning to ice in the process.

  “Foolish mule.”

  She smiled again, and seeing the wisps of white breath coming out of her mouth made him give her a big, but gentle hug. He replied as he released her.

  “You really didn’t even try to open them yet?”

  “Well, I did try holding them up to the light..”

  Of course she wanted to read them, even if she had to cheat. He couldn’t help but imagine her stupidly blinding herself with the sun as she tried, looking more like a puppy than a Wisewolf. His hand caressed her face again.

  “Then who should open them now?”

  “Me.”

  But of course. Lawrence wanted to burst out laughing, but he was still happy that she had waited for him.

  “I want to open them, but ther
e are two.. just like last time when I cried.”

  That was a while ago, back when she fooled him into thinking she couldn’t read. He’d foolishly left a letter with her, and it turned out to boldly state that her homeland had long ago been destroyed. It had been one of his gravest errors with Holo. He now held her icy hands, marvelling at how different a girl’s hands were from the likes of Lou’s; quite small and dainty.

  “So were you cheated in the end?”

  Lawrence pushed the glass back into her hand and began opening one of the letters when he heard that.

  “Oh, you couldn’t hear us from outside?”

  He wasn’t sure if she could make out the conversation in a building like Delink’s, and sure enough, she shook her head.

  “No.”

  She sighed and looked back up at him.

  “But I still have a guess.”

  So she was playing yet another mind game with him. Why bother asking if she knew the answer? He stopped tearing the letter open and glared back into her eyes. They remained silent like that until Holo couldn’t take it any longer. But that didn’t mean she was going to let Lawrence get away with it.

  “That meat bun of a man looked so happy with the outcome, yet you looked like you hated yourself. Surely you would rather clarify, then have me assume why?”

  “Ah.”

  He had to admit that she was too observant to fool. Her arms were already crossed over her chest before she even sighed. Her sigh stank of liquor, but that only punctuated her apparent anger.

  “Did you really think you could just waltz back to my side after doing that?”

  She’d seen through him again. He could only turn away wordlessly.

  “So you got lucky. You could have lost your chance to profit, and it may have meant disaster for Yoitsu. What would you do then? Well, actually, that is hardly the problem. What upsets me most is that you are more effeminate than I.”

  “..could you at least call me something like ‘poetic’ instead?”

  “Hmph.”

  She continued sipping her liquor after snorting at him.

  “At least that way I could say that I rhyme.”

  Holo always brought up her Wisewolf expectations at times like this. He finished opening the letter with a heavy sigh. He opened the larger one first, assuming there to be a map inside. Holo was doing her best to feign disinterest as she sipped at her liquor, but her wandering eyes weren’t helping that act. When he pulled a rough-looking piece of paper out of the envelope and traded it for the glass in her hands, those hands began shaking once again.

  “Hey..”

  She didn’t even unfold it before speaking.

  “Hmm?”

  She stood there staring at the folded map like she wished it would unfold itself.

  “Yes, what is it?”

  She looked at him as he repeated himself.

  “Even if we cannot go back together, you can still read this with me, can you not?”

  He laughed out loud, but still nodded and stood next to her. Doing so blocked their light, so he intentionally shoved her a little. She kept clutching the map the entire time.

  “You ready?”

  She looked at him with nervous eyes, then finally stopped breathing and unfolded it.

  “Oh˜”

  He purposely gave a pleased reaction. The map was indeed drawn skilfully; so much so that they could even read it in this poor lighting. Fran had drawn little pictures of God and Aeolus in the corners, like a proper map, as well as the usual sea monsters and great urn that eternally filled the oceans.

  The roads connecting the north were all drawn as lines, and even Lawrence was unaware of some of the most remote places he saw. There were even mythical creatures on some of the mountains, making it almost feel like some map of ancient times; perhaps Fran was embellishing it with markings of the various myths each region offered.

  Lawrence stooped over and read the map with Holo, from south to north, tracing their journey from Pasloe, through Ruvinheigen, Kumerson, and finally Lenos. Of course, there was more to the map than that, including a route through towns that Lawrence was entirely unfamiliar with, which ended at a forest.

  A wolf sat atop that forest, obviously drawn at Hugh’s request (and probably in jest). Tolchin.. that was the name of this region now. And the forest just beneath that howling wolf, proudly calling out to the world, was marked with several tiny yet clear letters: Yoitsu. Holo’s homeland.

  “I found it!”

  Lawrence couldn’t help but declare victory. Holo made a noise like a hiccup.

  “Really!?”

  He never expected that she’d be able to joke at a moment like this, and looked at her smiling face just to make sure. He was worried she would burst into tears, but thankfully that smile was sincere, and one of relief. She had finally found the way home. Lawrence almost felt let down to see that instead of tears.

  “You know, I never thought it was a real place.”

  He had only heard the name “Yoitsu” once, listening in while others talked about it. It was a hazy memory, just as hazy as his promise to bring this legendary girl back to that legendary place.

  After hearing a legend, he’d always realize it was just a lovely story, and chalk it up to people’s need to chase after dreams. But neither he nor Holo were chasing after a dream; they had been trying to find a real place. It was of such profound importance that he’d traveled all this way with her.

  Holo seemed to take his meaning, since she didn’t get upset with his statement. He patted her on the head in appreciation, which was something else she normally wouldn’t appreciate, but was permitted for once.

  “Ask, and ye shall receive.”

  She was even able to quote a famous passage of the Bible.

  “A worshiped God is always worshiped for a reason.”

  “After all of that hard work, we have finally succeeded.”

  After all those accidents and twisting and turning, they had finally made it this far. Holo turned to face him with a smile.

  “Hey..”

  She then folded the map back up with a sigh.

  “Thank you.”

  She then reached up and softly caressed his face. He received her caress not with embarrassment, but with a touch of scorn. She kept smiling, but her head moved no closer to his. She seemed more like she wanted to shout out than quietly thank him. He let his scorn turn into a smile and looked up wistfully.

  “I risked my life, and almost went bankrupt..”

  “So?”

  “..all for that?”

  He closed one of his eyes and pointed at his cheek. She stared at him as she clutched the map.

  “Is that a problem?”

  That really was the best response from a Wisewolf; not tears.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t dare suggest that it was.”

  “Well, that is good then.”

  He shrugged, but her arm coiled around his and she grabbed one of the envelopes he still held. Soon, the map was back inside it.

  “’Twould be a disaster if we were to lose this now. You take it.”

  “Alas, I have but two hands.”

  His left hand held her glass, pinched between his thumb and index finger, and the other letter still tucked between the other fingers. His right hand held hers, so she had no choice but to fix the situation. She took the glass and replaced it with the envelope containing the map.

  “I shall take this.”

  “Very well.”

  She then resumed drinking, in spite of how strong the liquor was. Not even the biggest drunk could stomach that much so quickly. She really was having trouble containing herself. His hand was being held more tightly than ever, and her tail had puffed out entirely. But her desire to save face was even stronger than the sharpest liquor, as evidenced by her vain struggle to keep Elsa from stealing Cole. Sadly, fate just wasn’t on her side this time.

  “So, I take it you haven’t eaten yet?”

  He had to force a change
in topics before she lost control of her emotions, so he went with his usual neutral suggestion. And as usual, it only made her frown.

  “You really do rhyme.. like a monotonous poet.”

  So now he was being too poetic, was he? His instincts were telling him to fight back, but he stifled them. If she let him say things that would normally bother her, the least he could do was return the favor.

  “Oh, wait, maybe you can change your habits.”

  Was that a hint of praise? He couldn’t tell. But he didn’t really have a choice but to change his habits now. So he led on.

  “Why this way?”

  “This way’s faster. We can grab something quick for now, and we’ll end up at the Beast and Fish Tail for the good stuff afterward.”

  “I see.. as long as I can impose for some more liquor.”

  Damn. Lawrence finally remembered that they should have returned the glass. But they’d gone too far to want to turn around now, so he’d just have to return it tomorrow. He kept them walking on, through the row of candles shining in the windows of the homes on the lane. This alley in Lenos with the tall buildings was his favorite for a reason.

  It looked so narrow, but was actually just the right width to feel comfortably close. They could even hear the voices of the residents as they walked by their windows. But that only punctuated the silence when they came to the alleys between their homes. Likewise, the stone-paved road had its muddy stretches.

  It was a strange atmosphere, where one could hear the voices of the people in their homes, but not make out their voices, and could only watch them leading their lives through the windows, like walking through a dream. A happy one, mind you, now that Yoitsu was a finally a tangible destination and not an ancient legend. A very happy one, where the road seemed to stretch out forever.

  But the moment he realized that was why it was so happy, he realized just how careless he had been as a merchant.

  “Why did I make that promise with Lou?”

  If he was effeminate, Holo would laugh at him. But he wanted to hear her laugh at him again. Heck, even if she drunkenly began to spew venom at him for ruining this atmosphere, he’d settle for that.

  “Do you really want to go back with me that much?”

  It was useless to reason with a crying infant, so Holo just smiled at the big baby beside her. She tightened her grip on his hand in an attempt to comfort him, and was clearly preparing to turn her question into something else entirely, but he beat her to it.