Hanna was stout; she wouldn’t be out of place as a baker who followed the army to the front in times of war. There was no questioning that her stature was one of the bathhouse’s best assets.
Moreover, Holo had been worried about Selim. She seemed ill-mannered on the surface but was more considerate of those around her than anyone else, which was probably why she noticed that Selim had been recently anxious about a great deal.
If Selim was going to ask if they were really coming back in the spring, now was the perfect time.
Just as she made up her mind and opened her mouth—
“Jokes aside, I am willing to take even the scantest of rumors about our kin. I would be happy if you noted it down on a map of sorts.”
—Holo leaped right to the next subject.
“Er…Right, of course.”
Aram’s response was faltering, as he was still busy inquisitively examining Selim. Between missing her chance and having to deal with her brother’s ridiculous assumptions, Selim naturally turned away in a huff.
Her brother, who could be oddly overprotective about certain things despite his intense belief that everyone should take care of themselves, finally seemed to understand.
“In that case, I’ll bring what you requested in the next few days. But some leads will be about those who don’t want to talk with outsiders or will be nothing more than rumors, though.”
“If ’tis not too much trouble, please include those explanations. ’Twas a human mercenary company that inherited and treasured my friend’s claw, after all. Who knows what other hiding places there could be.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you.”
Holo’s smile seemed rather strained, probably because of how stiff Aram was acting.
“Could I also ask for some jerky for our travels? That fool is a stingy one. Asking him to buy some in town would surely end with nothing but flavorless scraps that feel as hard as wooden boards.”
“We can take care of that, of course. The wind is strong at this time of year, so we can dry meat very well. With a little more time, we should be able to prepare some cured meat or sausages as well.”
“You fool. Your guests will suspect something if you run around preparing meat, staining your hands with scarlet blood.”
Aram stared back blankly before finally remembering the outfit he was wearing.
Embarrassed, he dropped his gaze and scratched his head.
“I appreciate the sentiment. Besides, enjoying local delicacies is part of the joy of travel,” Holo said, cackling.
Would Holo and Lawrence, both of Selim’s bosses, truly be returning in the spring?
Hanna had tried to calm Selim down, but watching the two of them only made her more nervous.
Selim bit into her venison.
A rich, hearty flavor immediately spread throughout her mouth.
The days continued to pass uneventfully, but the moment this everyday life would come to an end was creeping ever closer.
Lawrence had finished gathering the things the other bathhouse owners entrusted him with, and the notes Holo asked for regarding their fellow wolves were nearing completion. The eight new helpers were also just about to finish their training.
Selim was not sure if it was a miscalculation, but the new helpers were incredibly honest and hardworking. All Selim had to do now was maintain the bookkeeping and meet with visiting merchants to place orders. Aside from that, the bathhouse would essentially run on its own. Hanna and several others tried to reassure her, saying things like, “See, there was no reason to worry,” with a smile, but as per usual, Selim was uneasy.
She was still having nightmares. Recently, they had featured herself and her brother, along with the rest of their wolf companions; after discovering a shed in a cold village while searching on the road for a place to sleep, her brother and the others left, saying they would find some food, only to never return. Selim was annoyed with her easy-to-read neuroses, but those dreams were clearly reflecting her fears.
No matter how hardworking the horses and the deer were, they would not stay in the bathhouse forever.
Without some guarantee that Holo and Lawrence would come back in the spring, Selim would surely end up breaking down, having nightmare after nightmare.
However, given that she was a mere helper, Selim was in no position to boldly ask her generous bosses to return quickly from a trip they were eagerly looking forward to right as they were making ready to leave.
That day, as Selim carried out lunch to the couple again while they prepared the wagon they would use for their journey, she hoped that the maintenance work would go on forever.
“Dear, can you not make the cart bed bigger?”
“What would we do with a wider cart? We’re not doing any business this time. You just want a wide cart to sleep in on the road anyway.”
“Fool. Remember exactly which one of us is a terrible sleeper!”
Before the quipping couple were several craftsmen, busying themselves with repairing the cart. Lawrence had apparently used it during his days as a traveling merchant, but more recently, the cart had mostly been for storage.
They had taken a rental on their trip to Svernel earlier in the spring, but at the end of the day, Lawrence preferred this one for a longer journey.
If she asked him why, the most likely answer would be that he simply preferred something he was used to, but to Selim, it seemed that this choice held some deeper meaning. Perhaps it was the best choice for the long, long journey they would soon embark on because it was also a return to their past travels together.
Selim placed the sandwiches of fried, cured meat and cheese along with some mead beside the clamoring couple, then quietly swallowed her sigh.
“Oh, food.”
Holo sniffed the air and turned around.
“That time already, huh? Please find a good stopping point when you all can.”
Though Holo immediately reached for the food, the first thing Lawrence did was invite the workers to take a break. This made Selim anxious—could she be as considerate as he was when she was in charge? The craftsmen responded agreeably, then walked off toward the village center. There, they could easily find a cheap meal with generous helpings.
“And, dear, what shall we do about the horse?”
Perhaps because the craftsmen were now gone, Holo took the opportunity to remove the cloth wrapped around her head, raising her question as her ears flitted around, as though she was taking a deep breath with them.
“A horse, hmm…There is a horse in Svernel that’s descended from my horse from my old travels…but I don’t know if they’ll let me borrow it for six months.”
“Why not buy it?”
“You fool.”
Lawrence copied Holo’s manner of speech and donned a complicated expression. Horses were considered major assets, and Lawrence, occupied with calculating their future expenditures, was likely wondering how to approach the matter.
The brooding Selim almost had half a mind to offer to pull the cart herself.
Oxen pulled ploughs and dogs pulled sleds—there was surely no problem with letting a wolf pull a cart.
“I’ll find a reasonably priced horse. The wild, rowdy ones are usually cheap, but it’ll probably obediently do as you say regardless, right?”
“It might listen to me, but it may not listen to you.”
“That just means you should be sitting on the driver’s perch with me. Don’t just laze around in the back.”
Holo looked away in a huff and bit into her bread. According to Hanna, she had been much more laid-back before Selim came, often taking naps.
After Selim, a fellow wolf, showed up, Lawrence said that her presence was a big help in getting Holo to stop slacking so much.
On the other hand, perhaps that was one of the reasons why Holo did not want to return to the bathhouse.
“More importantly, do we have any ale? I have grown tired of talking and wish to drink something
cool and refreshing.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Selim had chosen sweet mead because the couple usually enjoyed that when it was just the two of them, but that had been a mistake on her part. Just as Selim turned to rush to the kitchen, Lawrence stopped her.
“Miss Selim, it’s all right. Go on and get it yourself. How are you going to manage on the road with that attitude?”
“Urgh…”
Holo growled as she dragged her feet to the kitchen. Selim had been slightly surprised to find that Lawrence did not constantly give in to Holo’s whims, nor was she constantly hoping that he would spoil her.
“Sorry about that. Holo is always relying on you.”
“What?”
The comment was so sudden that Selim quickly became flustered.
“O-oh, no, I…”
She sounded forced in her speech, and Lawrence smiled weakly.
“She might act the way she does, but she tends to be afraid of strangers. That’s probably why the moment you let her in, she’ll stick right to you for support.”
While she thought that what Lawrence said was wholly accurate, Selim did not mind Holo asking her to do this and that at all.
“I—I, um…”
“No, it’s okay. I bet you were surprised when Holo brought up our request, weren’t you?”
“I…”
He was right. And her surprise had persisted, stubbornly clinging to Selim’s chest and shoulders, having transformed into a dull pain.
“Holo…Well, she suggested that we go traveling for my sake, but I really didn’t think she would ask you and the others to look after things while we were gone.”
Of course he would be surprised. Selim was still just a young wolf pup, a babe who had fumbled her way through the human world and still only had roughly six months of experience since first coming to the bathhouse.
Selim knew this was her chance. She could say it now. She could tell him that leaving her in charge was as reckless as he thought and that he should reconsider.
However, Lawrence spoke first.
“But it’s a huge relief knowing you’ve taken on the job. Thank you so much.”
“…”
When he showed her his happy, unclouded smile, she could say nothing more.
“I know we don’t have to worry if we leave everything in your hands. We’ll certainly bump up your salary for all the extra work you’ll be doing.”
Lawrence’s tone implied it was already decided that Selim would be left in charge of the bathhouse, and it was an undeniable fact that he had long since introduced her as his substitute to the other bathhouse owners. Saying Please don’t go on a trip or I’ll come along as well after all that was far beyond her.
Then, at the very least…, Selim thought to herself.
She stared at Lawrence—who was examining the cart and the state of its repairs with a happy look, munching on his sandwich while perhaps contemplating his upcoming journey—then balled her hands into fists, trying her best to steady her nerves even as her heart beat so hard it felt like it would thump right out of her mouth, and finally spoke up.
“U-um.”
“Yes?”
Lawrence turned back to her, but Selim could not bring herself to look directly at him.
“U-um…I…”
“What is it?”
Selim grew more flustered—at this rate, he would only think something strange had happened.
Her gaze darted all over the place, and what she finally managed to say was this:
“Th-the sulfur and such…Are you going…to be carrying all that?”
The cart, after being used as a glorified shelf for all these years, was currently having its cracked boards replaced, its rusted metal bits polished, various parts reinstalled, and new wheels put in. It would soon be converted into a marvelous carriage that could carry a massive load and travel long distances.
For a moment, Lawrence responded to Selim’s question with a puzzled look but then smiled.
“Ha-ha-ha, thank you for your concern. But it’ll be fine. I’ll take it all with me out of consideration for everyone, but, well, I don’t think I can sell it all.”
“…What?”
“And…this is just between you and me, but…”
Lawrence glanced over toward the bathhouse. Holo must have been snacking in the kitchen; she still hadn’t come back yet.
After checking, he spoke with a crafty grin.
“There’s a reason why I accepted so much sulfur powder and so many coins that need to be exchanged.”
“…A reason?”
Was it not because he was thinking about his position in the village? That status was the exact reason she had been so nervous about potentially hurting the reputation Lawrence had worked so hard to build.
But Selim’s worries aside, Lawrence wore a rather calm smile on his face.
“Yes. You should already know what it is. Holo requested something peculiar from you and the others, didn’t she?”
For a moment, Selim wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but she realized quickly that he meant the question about their kin.
“Aram came all the way here this morning to deliver it. Holo thought I’d get upset if I found out, so she had Hanna take it.”
As she listened to him, Selim had no idea how that had anything to do with the sulfur and other luggage.
And not only that, but Holo had gone to talk with Aram long after Lawrence had accepted the sulfur.
As Selim waited for Lawrence to continue, Lawrence released a small sigh, still smiling.
“Holo rarely ever shows her true colors, but the truth is that she wants to search for her old friend.”
“That…”
“Of course, she figured that if she said it out loud, it would be problematic for me, so it seems like she’s been hiding it, but…that’s why she’s trying to kill two birds with one stone in her own way this time. Actually, according to our guests, she’s also scheming to go around helping herself to delicious food, so I guess three birds.”
Still staring at the cart, Lawrence bit into the rest of his sandwich, chewed, then swallowed.
“On top of that, she’s more stubborn than a mule. Let’s say that she finds the faintest hint of her friend somewhere during our travels. If it seems like it’ll be a little far away, I’m sure she will simply decide not to go. She’ll insist it’s too much effort. Even though she’s always badgering me to buy food, that’ll be the only time she’ll prioritize the budget I’m always worried about.”
Selim could somehow imagine Holo acting exactly as described. Holo’s personality was generally kind, and Selim thought that her naturally timid nature was a strength of hers.
But when she thought about how Holo bared it all to her beloved Lawrence, it gave Selim, who had yet to fall in love, a strange feeling—one of envy but also sadness.
“That’s why I packed in so much sulfur. That’s why I called in the craftsmen to make this so sturdy.”
The conversation suddenly came full circle, and Selim felt like she had awoken from a dream.
“All so I can say, Look at all the sulfur we have left from the other bathhouses. We can’t go back until we sell it all.”
The heady realization hit her.
This cart was packed full of Lawrence’s feelings for Holo.
She thought it was a wonderful thing, but at the same time, Selim was at a loss for words.
As she listened to him speak, it seemed like their journey would continue forever.
She knew that Lawrence would travel to the ends of the earth with Holo if it was for her sake.
“Our return might be a little delayed because of that…so please forgive Holo’s selfishness for my sake.”
When Lawrence finally uttered those words, Selim smiled in defeat.
Afterward, Lawrence asked Selim to go fetch Holo, who still hadn’t come back yet, so she returned to the bathhouse. Her steps seemed endless because she had a bad feeli
ng.
She could see herself sitting forlornly at the front desk, continuing to wait for them long past their original return date.
Selim stumbled through the hall, walked down the corridor, and entered the kitchen.
What caught her by surprise then was Holo, coat in hand, working diligently on something.
“Oh, ’tis you.”
Holo glanced at her, and then returned to her work. Selim had thought she would be snacking, just as Lawrence said, but that did not seem to be the case.
Selim looked to Hanna, wondering what was going on, but Hanna just shrugged in vexation.
“Erm, Master Lawrence is calling for you…”
“Mm.”
Holo gave a short response, shook out the coat, and then placed it on the counter again.
She seemed to be sewing something into the inside of the coat.
“I shall be tidying up here in a brief moment, so please wait.”
There were also waist sashes and other articles of clothing on the shelf next to her. As Selim watched, wondering what she was doing, Holo sewed with a practiced hand on a piece of scrap fabric of the same color as the coat and then slowly stuffed a folded scrap of paper in between the gaps.
“Oh—”
When Selim unwittingly made a sound, Holo glanced up at her.
“Mm-hmm. ’Tis what your brother brought over.”
She appeared to be taking the notes of information about their kin that Selim’s brother provided and concealing them among her clothes.
“I forgot how reliable he is. Although I am happy that Hanna received it for me, things would only become more of a hassle should that fool of mine see this.”
“Huh?”
Selim recalled the conversation she just had with Lawrence and couldn’t help but raise her voice.
It appeared that Lawrence was fully committed to pretending to not know what Holo was up to. If that hadn’t been the case, he wouldn’t have deliberately let Hanna be the one to accept the notes from Aram.
Selim felt like she was going mad—could she keep up the facade?—but then Holo dropped her gaze to her hands and continued.
“It would only be trouble. That man is a true fool, you know.”
Holo evidently thought Selim was at a loss for words simply because she was surprised.
Spring Log IV Page 4
