She gently uncurled the fingers of his right hand and slipped her little hand into his.
“It’s only possible for me to do something for you if you stay in your human form.”
She could easily help him when he was in trouble, but that same strength also meant she could solve her own problems more quickly by herself. Although their relationship seemed to be one that only he could benefit from, the two of them knew that such a bird-and-chick relationship couldn’t work unless one was really the mother, and the other was her chick.
They’d already gained a fairly solid grasp of Yoitsu’s location. If he gave this task of finding the bones up to her, he’d lose his one remaining chance to do something for her sake. She had the power to solve her own problems, and far more efficiently, so she was worried that once he felt useless to her he wouldn’t want to stay at her side.
He understood why she’d feel that way, but he was too realistic to console her with a smiling, “you’re worrying too much.” A business partnership was only successful when both parties were useful to one another. Holo had already experienced what happened in Pasloe what happened when a relationship was no longer mutually beneficial.
He pulled on his right hand, bringing it and her toward him. He then curled his left arm around her back. But he was still seated, so the result was that his face was buried in her chest. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t embarrassing. But he was already embarrassed, so it didn’t matter if he made it worse on impulse. She was surprised at first, but when she realized his intent she relaxed and put her other hand on his head.
“I’m sorry.. please be patient for a bit longer, okay?”
It was his own fault that she had to wait, and he wanted her to see that he knew that.
“..Aye.”
She nodded gently and spoke in that position, which was almost the complete opposite of what they were used to. She acted like a priest receiving a believer’s confession, and forgave him for his weakness as her hand rested on his head. It almost seemed like she wanted to apologize, for once.
“Don’t you apologize to me. If you do, all my hard work will have been for naught.”
It was the first time he’d ever buried his face in her shallow bosom, but that only made it easier for him to look up at her face sincerely. She angrily pinched his smiling cheeks. She seemed to be telling him to not look down on her, despite knowing that he was purposely teasing her. She continued pinching his cheeks for a while before finally letting go and showing a weary smile.
“I may not be able to control myself if I discover that the bones are truly those of one of my comrades.”
“It’s fine if you lose control, because after you’ve gone on a fang-filled rampage I’ll be left with a very important task.”
He could easily imagine her form, frozen as she stared at the bones of her comrade. If that moment came and he wasn’t at her side, everything they had been through would be one big lie.
“You sure have a lot of confidence.”
“It’s as you always say, I’m a foolish mule.”
Every time Holo truly felt happy, her head would tuck in and she would smile as though she couldn’t contain her excitement. That reaction was all he needed to determinedly seek out the bones, regardless of how much effort it required.
“Heh.. if we whisper here for too long, it might raise suspicion.”
He wondered whether purposely answering “about what?” would make him seem too stupid, but before he could make up his mind she quickly pushed herself away. The smile on her face was one of mischief, one of having seen the way he was hesitating. He was too late. She grinned extra-wide when she saw him smile sheepishly, clearly revealing her fangs.
“Dinner is still hot. Will you eat?”
He stood up, raising the white flag of surrender.
“I think I could use a stiff drink.”
“Then take your time and enjoy yourself.”
She teased him delightedly.
When he opened the thin wooden door, he was greatly relieved to see that Cole was still listening intently to Huskins’ lecture.
Chapter 3
Lawrence rolled his head gently, worried that it might fall off as he tried to clear whatever drunkenness lingered in his mind. He then lightly patted his cheeks.
He felt he had no right to call himself a traveling merchant if it took a whole day for him to sober up, but soon found another excuse for his sluggishness – perhaps he had just been that tired. Whatever the reason, he hadn’t been able to savor a moment’s leisure.
He now watched the almost-extinguished flames in the stove with the same vigor he usually felt after rising from bed. After all, this wasn’t an inn in some noisy market or a cabin on some desolate mountain.
The sounds of people talking, sheep bleating, and dogs barking outside softly filled the room like a sweet lullaby. These sounds mixed with the crackling of burning firewood, flickering flames, and the rustling of collapsing ashes to create a wonderfully soporific melody.
He yawned fantastically before rubbing the eyes he had struggled to open. He saw that the drying meat had hardened and become a dark color, and noticed strings of garlic and onions hanging from a horizontal beam. Even without money, people could survive. This room was a classic example of that kind of lifestyle.
He yawned once more after tending to the fire in the stove.
“Good morning.”
Cole, who hadn’t yawned at all since he got up, finally greeted him. The boy’s tattered clothes and disheveled hair exuded poverty, and his slender wrists and ankles spoke of a past without regular meals. But his eyes, gleaming with wisdom, revealed him to be a traveling student and not a beggar. Those strong and unyielding eyes underscored just how different the two lifestyles were.
“Today’s really cold too.”
“If it was really that cold you wouldn’t even get out from under the covers.”
“Yeah.. it’s cold, but it’s the tolerable kind of cold.”
There was a curiously tacit understanding between the two of them since they both relied on Holo’s tail for warmth. The very first thing they would do after getting out of bed and checking on the fire was pat away the tail fur they had stuck to them. With such a daily routine it would have been more difficult for them to not share such an understanding.
“Is Holo still asleep?”
“Miss Holo was all curled up in a ball – I don’t think she’s awake yet.”
It was impossible for Lawrence to hold back a scoffing laugh. He handed Cole some bread and dried meat as he ate some himself.
“When the morning bell rings, let’s head straight for the alliance’s inn.”
“Uh.. shouldn’t we wake Miss Holo up for that?”
Cole was looking out the window with a serious look on his face, clearly using his knowledge of the calendar and the sun’s height to calculate the hour.
“Don’t worry about it. If she’s not awake by then, just let her sleep.”
“..Won’t she get angry?”
While his articulate speech made him seem rather learned, his appearance as he ate bread made him seem more like a puppy or kitten. He stuffed the entire piece of bread in his mouth and was finished in the blink of an eye, careful to not let a single crumb fall.
“Nah, that won’t get her angry. If she ever got that serious, she’d just go ahead and find the bones on her own.”
“Huh? Uh.. what..”
Of course Cole was aware of Holo’s powerful true form, and so he must have already considered that possibility. But he still said nothing. He reasoned, of course, that he had no right to interfere with Lawrence’s work. But after showing such surprise at Lawrence’s words, he stole a glance in Holo’s direction as she slept. His cheerful smile and the words he spoke next were beyond Lawrence’s expectation.
“She must have great faith in us. We’ll have to do our best.”
It was Lawrence’s turn to be surprised.
“Uh, what?”
Cole
watched Lawrence’s dumbstruck expression, wondering if he’d said something strange.
“Oh, nothing..”
Lawrence waved one hand at Cole as he furiously rubbed his face with the other. His gestures were so exaggerated that he looked like he was poorly mimicking a potter working with clay. The lad was just full of surprises.
“I was just wondering if I was that smart when I was your age.”
“Huh.. I’m not smart..”
That only made Lawrence’s wonder if he was too dumb, despite knowing that there were many gifted people in the world. The trick was to not be jealous, but instead work hard so one didn’t lose to them.
“Though since you’ve already seen how useless I am, there’s really no need to impress me anymore.”
Lawrence dusted the crumbs off his hands as he stood up. The world’s truths weren’t going to change. What Lawrence needed to do now wasn’t to change them, but steer himself to properly take advantage of the winds of truth.
“Mr. Lawrence.”
“Hmm?”
Cole stood up as well, picking up his coat and speaking somewhat grudgingly.
“To be honest, I’ve always hoped to grow up and become someone like you in the future, but I always get the feeling I won’t be able to.”
Those words were probably the highest honor a man Lawrence’s age could receive, but he still deemed himself too young to rightly accept such praise.
“That wouldn’t be a problem if you were my apprentice.”
He rubbed the boy’s head roughly as he continued.
“But where traveling companions are concerned, it’s a waste for two identical people to travel together. It’s precisely the ability to counter another’s shortcomings that make one an ideal traveling companion.”
Holo would probably be wryly smiling under the covers right now, if she was awake. Cole, on the other hand, acted like he’d just been exposed to some great Biblical truth, and seriously nodded his head.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Yes, please do.”
The moment they exchanged those words the tolling of a bell was heard outside. They simultaneously turned and listened to the sound, then prepared for their next move. Lawrence could tell why Holo liked Cole; his own heart was calmer when he saw the boy.
The weather was clear, and the sun was dazzling.
* * *
“First we’ll have to confirm what’s on their list of holy relics. We might get lucky, and the monasteries’ clerics might have accidentally listed it there.”
“Then I should play a student on an educational pilgrimage?”
“If anyone asks, you might as well stress your interest in Church law. Did you learn much about that while you were at school?”
Lawrence watched Cole wrap his feet in a few layers of cloth as they sat under the quiet eaves of the dormitory, where few people bothered going. His straw sandals wouldn’t keep his feet from freezing if he didn’t at least do that much.
“Our teacher never taught us anything concerning money.”
“Is that so? That’s perfect.”
Cole seemed taken aback for a moment, but then bound his feet tightly and quickly smiled.
“I haven’t had a chance to learn anything about that, so will you please teach me?”
“A fine performance.”
He patted the boy’s head and they strode off. The sky was clear for miles in every direction and the sun was dizzyingly bright. Looking down at the ground did nothing to help, since the sunlight simply reflected back up off the silvery snow.
Some merchants chose to cross over mountains to get an edge over others who took the long way around; they were often darkly tanned even in the wintertime. Having experienced the sting of the light now made it easy to understand why those merchants also tended to have poor eyesight. Cole squinted as soon as he stepped outside, his eyes had a hard time adjusting to the brightness as well.
“I hope we’ll find what we’re looking for on that list.”
“That’s your job.”
Cole froze up upon hearing this, letting out a surprised “huh!?”
“You know more about Church lore than I do. The patron saints of shepherds, which saints were once pagan gods, which superstitions are related to sheep and wolves.. that sort of thing. So you’re in charge of telling fact from fiction.”
Holo didn’t just like Cole because he behaved quaintly; she also admired his strong will.
“..Got it.”
Despite his surprise, he replied obediently. Lawrence assumed a master’s tone in response.
“Then I’ll leave it up to you.”
He thrust out his chest and opened the door of the designated inn for the Ruvik Alliance.
“Mm..? Hey˜! Sure was exciting with you here last night.”
As he opened the door, Lawrence discovered that a handful of merchants were already drinking and talking. One of them greeted him, waving a jug in his hand. Drinking so early in the morning might seem excessive, but it wasn’t unusual for those trapped in an inn due to wind and snow.
“Morning! I’m here to thank Mr. Pisky for last night’s feast.”
“Lago’s at the holy sanctuary. He’s attending a routine negotiation. He’s a young fella, but an able one.”
Lawrence inwardly deduced that the man was probably talking about a “routine” negotiation with the leadership, because the man’s tone made it seem that Pisky wasn’t merely a liaison. Maybe the alliance intended to establish a town or market here after buying the monastery’s land. It seemed highly unlikely that a man with such an unusual job would only serve as a liaison.
“Ah, so he’s at the holy sanctuary. Thanks.”
“No problem! Come have another drink with us sometime! You’ll have to bring your boss along next time.”
Of course that “boss” was the fictional rich man Lawrence had fabricated to gather information. The man’s remark seemed a bit straightforward, but it let Lawrence stay composed and be equally to-the-point. The truth was that no matter what one’s intentions were, being suspected was probably worse than being discovered, since imaginations often drove suspicion beyond the facts.
“Aren’t they supposed to be holding a mass at the sanctuary now instead?”
Cole asked his question as they walked to there from the inn.
“I don’t think they’ve got much of a choice. Their position seems weaker than I’d expected.”
The sanctuary seemed more dazzling than an intricately-carved gem in the white snow and sunlight. But those who most were praying the most fervently to God had been ushered outside, making it crystal-clear what the situation was. Only a few devout merchants stood in silent prayer just outside the tightly-shut doors.
The doors swung open just as Lawrence wondered to do next. One by one, a procession emerged. First came elegantly-dressed merchants, then their servants, then experienced-looking merchants who carried sheepskin parchments. Pisky was at the head of the last group. When he noticed Lawrence on the roadside, he left the group and approached them.
“Good morning, Mr. Lawrence. How’d you fare last night?”
“My traveling companion loves liquor, so all I got were complaints.”
“Haha! Then by all means, invite her out to drink with us next time.”
Lawrence took the opportunity to size up Pisky’s outfit as they greeted one another. Based on his clothing, he didn’t seem to be in such a low position.
“Mr. Pisky, have you a moment?”
Hearing Lawrence’s inviting words, Pisky glanced back at the merchants exiting the sanctuary with him.
“If it’s not for too long.”
Lawrence was surprised, but not because Pisky was willing to make time for him. Rather, his gestures seemed to indicate that he was doing Lawrence a favor. The only reason Pisky would emphasize that was if he felt he already owed Lawrence a favor, so Lawrence expressed his gratitude with a business smile.
“My thanks. Where would be best
for me to wait for you?”
“Well, I happen to have some work to do, so why don’t you wait for me in the reference center?”
“The reference center?”
“Oh! My apologies, it’s that building over there. There’s a clerk on the ground floor there who looks like a theological scholar. Just mention my name to him.”
He pointed at an inconspicuous stone building directly behind another one by the roadside. Judging from its having only shuttered windows instead of glass ones, it didn’t see a lot of visitors.
“I still have to file a report and pack some things, so please head to the reference center in a little while.”
“Understood. I’ll meet you later, at the reference center.”
Pisky then made his way toward the alliance’s inn. Lawrence and Cole didn’t have to wait long before they saw a familiar figure slowly approaching them. Soon, they confirmed that it was indeed Holo.
“Perhaps I shall join you after all.”
Her soft voice rang out from under her hood. The two of them wondered how long she’d been debating joining them, seeing the obvious sleep marks on her face. But of course, neither of the two males tried to confirm it. They simply nodded in response.
Half an hour later, the three of them arrived at the building Pisky had pointed out. They discovered that indeed, a bearded man who looked like a theological scholar was presiding there with a frown. After mentioning Pisky, they were granted admission to the innermost reference room.
* * *
They discovered that, true to its name, the reference room was filled all sorts of documents. But it struck Lawrence as odd that none of those documents seemed to be of any use to a merchant. There were maps, sketches of towns, lists of craftsmen’s guilds, and family trees of the inter-married aristocracy.
Pisky seemed to have a personal office here. The clerk led them through the deserted reference room and up to a door. As Lawrence expected, the room behind that door was also stuffed with documents.
“Our apologies for intruding on your work.”
“No problem. Although it really doesn’t make up for anything, my companions were rude last night so I wanted to take this chance to apologize to you.”
Spice & Wolf X (DWT) Page 11
