In short, their meeting tomorrow could turn out to be a big turning point in the conflict between the Kingdom and the Church.
So while Myuri worried that her unreliable brother’s eyes would be clouded by infatuation, he could not say she was going overboard with doubt.
“Myuri.”
He called her name and looked straight at his traveling companion, who sat on the corner of the bed, her tail nervously twitching.
“I think your worries are ridiculous.”
“Y—!”
“However—” He pushed Myuri back down as she suddenly tried to stand, emphasizing the ever. “What happens tomorrow will affect not only us but a whole multitude of other people. Miss Sharon and the others especially.”
“…”
“That is why you should be keeping a close eye out to see if my vision is clouded or not. I am sometimes surprised by how sharp you are.”
Myuri slowly sat down from her half-standing position at the same speed that her puffed tail shrank down again. He did not have ulterior motives to divert Myuri’s odd doubt.
He would freeze if someone told him to stand up to Eve alone, but as long as Myuri was with him, even though she might not be as mighty as Holo the wisewolf, it was more reassuring than anyone else.
“You look at me just as much as God in heaven does. You notice when I’m acting strange, don’t you?”
“I’m looking at you more than anyone else is!” said Myuri, puffing up her cheeks.
Her face looked like she was telling a joke, but when he saw the pools of tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, he was perplexed.
“Myuri?”
Realizing Col had changed demeanor, Myuri immediately composed herself and rubbed at her eyes.
She then guiltily looked away, raising her shoulders.
“I—I can’t help it. When I saw you in front of that fox, you…you didn’t look like yourself…”
When Myuri expressed why she doubted his relationship with Eve so strongly, Col’s face went blank.
Myuri must have thought it was his way of showing exasperation, so she pursed her lips and twitched her animal ears, but it was not.
That was because he himself had experienced reeling from seeing a facet of someone he thought he knew everything about just in front of the chapel.
“To be honest, I felt the same way when you were talking about Miss Ilenia.”
“…Hmm? Ilenia…?”
“Yes.”
When he told her about when he found out that Ilenia had given her advice that only another nonhuman could give, something that Col could never do, Myuri was clearly exasperated.
“What the heck…You’re so dumb!”
“…”
He could tell her that a father and older brother always wished for a young girl to stay young…but she probably would not understand, and Col knew he was dumb anyway.
“But okay, yeah, I get it.”
Myuri immediately gave a smug smile and leaped off the bed, taking wide strides to approach Col.
“If you don’t want what’s in your arms to get away, then you need to hold on tighter.”
She then whirled around, grasped his arms, then leaned against him and wrapped his arms around her. Her red eyes that looked back at him over her shoulder were narrowed in happiness, and her ears and tail flicked about.
“I’m not going to leave your arms, and you won’t leave my side. Isn’t that right?”
That would be the conclusion of their conversation, but he sensed something leading in Myuri’s words, and his intellect leaped to action.
“…Well, it depends, but yes.”
“Why won’t you just say yeah there?!”
She tugged on his arms and dug her nails into them.
“If I did, you would follow up with, Then, you should make me your bride, right?”
“Well, obviously!”
As Col sighed in relief, narrowly escaping danger, Myuri’s tail started thumping up against his leg.
But even though he was typically annoyed by Myuri’s cunning schemes, there were times—like now—that he had fun with them.
“That sharpness of yours will be a big help tomorrow.”
Myuri typically never listened to any of his lectures, but she froze when he said that quietly. She then started trembling out of excitement.
“I got it.”
She turned around with a dauntless smile.
If there was anything he could put more faith in than his prayers to God, this would be it.
“I’ll protect you, Brother.”
He did not find that audacious.
“Thank you.”
“Yep.”
Myuri nodded with a smile, and he returned the smile.
He placed the freshly cut candle right next to another candle stump.
If the light was about to disappear, then all they needed to do was add more and more.
The important thing was not to give up.
“Then, let us get ready for tomorrow and sleep.”
Not only that, but they had been spending their nights on hard boards as they traveled over the sea.
“Can we sleep together?”
It was either Hyland’s consideration or because this was a room that people high in status stayed in, but there were two large beds.
“If I say no, you’ll just come in anyway.”
“Heh-heh.”
Myuri smiled happily and threw herself onto the bed first. Meanwhile, Col closed the shutters and windows, capped the candles, and put out the light. Just as he started to make his way to the bed to sleep, he found that Myuri had already fallen asleep during that short wait.
He had a feeling she would not notice if he went to the other bed, but they were going to fight together tomorrow.
He hesitated a moment, then lay down next to Myuri and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.
He felt like Myuri was smiling in the darkness, but before he could check, his consciousness sank into the depths of sleep.
The next day, they once again donned the clothes that Hyland had lent them, boarded the lacquered carriage that Eve had allowed them to use with the driver who Hyland had prepared, and Hyland, who stood there to see them off, said, “I don’t think anything will happen, but on the slim chance you find yourselves in danger, I’ve stationed people nearby.”
It was probably a common occurrence in the noble world of intrigue.
“Thank you. I will do my absolute best to be of use.”
Then Hans closed the door, and there came the sound of the driver whipping the horses.
Myuri had slept well the night before and had stuffed herself full of the food meant to gently break the fast of the nighttime.
They were plenty ready for battle.
“I’m excited to see what kind of shop it is, Brother.”
But he was not sure she said that because she was still relaxed or what. He was about to tell her that they were not going there for fun but opted not to. It was more of a relief for him if Myuri stayed the way she always was.
The carriage exited onto a crowded street, as the streets always were, parting the sea of people to move forward. The city looked entirely different from within the carriage, and Myuri was glued to the window, watching the scenery go by.
It finally seemed like they had come to a street that was less crowded, because they had turned onto a wide avenue.
As though it was some sort of indication, Col noticed the stream of people had suddenly cut off, and he was then surprised to see their field of view suddenly open up before them.
“Wooow!”
It was apt that Myuri unwittingly cried out. The grand plaza was literally a grand plaza, and it was almost as though the sky had suddenly fallen down.
“This is amazing!”
This was the first time they had seen an endless stretch of flagstone pavement. The others standing still in awe in the plaza were likely travelers just like they were.
Th
e fate of the Kingdom felt like something that could be manipulated with one hand, but in reality, the Kingdom included this plaza, the streets around the plaza, the residential areas, and the tens and hundreds of towns and villages that existed elsewhere. To shoulder the responsibility of the future of all that, and how that felt, was something Col did not want to imagine.
But this meeting they were heading to would bring about one change or another in the Kingdom’s fate.
As he sat holding his breath, Myuri, who should have been getting worked up about the scenery, reached over to grasp his hand, her gaze still trained outside.
He inhaled—he had to do everything he could—and that was when he noticed.
“Doesn’t something smell good?”
“Yeah. The whole plaza smells like sheep.”
Before long, the air filled with the delicious smell of grilling meat, strong enough that his own nose could tell. At the same time, the sparse crowd started to gather again, and he could hear the sounds of merrymaking that belonged only to taverns.
They finally arrived at the Golden Fern, and it was less like a tavern and more like a giant studio.
“…In—” —credible was what Myuri wanted to say, but she swallowed the rest of that word, too.
They were first surprised by how lively it was under the eaves at the front of the shop when they alighted from the carriage. There were several simple stoves set up outside, and massive amounts of mutton were being cooked on them. Craftsmen, merchants, and travelers sat at the rows of long tables in the corner of the plaza, looking at the thick, delicious-smelling smoke billowing upward with gluttonous gazes.
They were not roasting pig but lamb, and shirtless, muscular men put on a show of turning the skewer on the spit in time with the performance of the minstrels, who were there for tips. Even Myuri, who would leap forward in joy at the sight of meat, was so overwhelmed that she stood still.
“…Is there a festival today?”
It was so lively that Col understood how she felt when she said that, but this was very likely a daily occurrence.
The carriage driver also doubled as a guide, so as they were about to be led into the shop, Col tugged on Myuri’s hand and they went inside, avoiding the drunks as they went.
And the inside was just as busy as the outside.
“Is this a store…? Is this really a store?”
This was different from all the other ways Col knew taverns could look. The ceiling in the atrium was unbelievably high—about five or six stories—and it reminded him of a metal refinery.
And half the first floor had rows of firepits like there were on the outside, which made it the kitchen, and the flames and smoke shot out with the vigor of a shriek. The rest of the floor was stuffed with long tables, the guests sitting at them, squeezed among one another, shoulder to shoulder, all making a great ruckus.
When Col lifted his gaze slightly, he could see the second floor. There were rows of round tables, and the people sitting at those tables seemed comparatively well-off. He also spotted the stairs that went up to the even higher floors, which probably housed private rooms that cost a seat fee. Eve was likely in one of them.
Their guide called out to a staff member, and as they were greeted graciously, the massive banner hanging above them in the enormous atrium shuddered. Embroidered on it was the image of a sheep, many times bigger than any human.
This was a booming restaurant in a great big city.
He could not help but feel a divine dignity in response to its energy.
“Come this way, you two.”
They were complete yokels, straight from the countryside, but they returned to reality once their guide spoke.
This made him worry about what was coming next.
They went up the stairs and could see across the entire first floor. He could stay here watching the scene for hours, but they continued upward. He was not imagining the feeling of stares from the other patrons; they were looking at them, wondering who it was who was headed for the special seats.
If Hyland had come here, then people would surely suspect right away that something was happening. In that sense, it was rational that it was Col who ended up being the one to be summoned, but there was no way that Eve did not have some kind of trick up her sleeve.
The moment their guide knocked on the door to the private room, which was being guarded by the two they’d seen at Hyland’s manor, and the door opened, he knew his guess was right.
“You’re here.”
There was a large table set before the friendly Eve, and an immense hunk of mutton, freshly cooked, the juices still flying off it, sat enshrined in the middle.
And lined on either side of the table were shady-looking men, well-dressed but with a sense of ruin about them.
“And who are they?”
Numbers were a decisive strength, no matter the battle.
The reason he asked that before sitting down was because it was the least he could do to protect himself.
“Hmm? Ah, don’t worry about them. I didn’t ask them to come here to force you to do anything,” Eve said, smiling. “They are the very proof that my plan will go well.”
All of them immediately wore affable smiles and made the gesture of removing their hats.
That was a merchant’s gesture.
They were probably merchants of the greatest caliber, but an impossible idea flashed into his mind.
“Miss Eve, don’t tell me that…they are…”
Eve’s smile turned into that of a fox, and once she bared her teeth in a delightful grin, he was convinced. The merchants here were the city traders, conspiring with the Church to put the Kingdom in a bind. The mystery of why the traders were not betraying anyone and why they were working together with the Church was solved in that brief moment.
Hyland had found it strange how cohesive the merchants seemed, since they typically would not hesitate for a moment to undercut their peers if it meant turning a profit.
But if they were all betraying the Church, then that was a different story.
“Now, take a seat. The lamb here is exquisite.”
How could he say that he would not end up becoming part of the meal?
Yet, the reason he managed to take a step forward was likely because Myuri was beside him, but also, even if he wanted to pull out, the door was closed.
More importantly, there would be no point in having come here if he did not see through their plot.
“…I am Tote Col, Heir Hyland’s representative.”
Everyone besides Eve stood, exchanging handshakes with him over the table.
The moment he sat, his glass was filled with wine.
“First, a toast.”
Following Eve’s lead, everyone raised their cups.
What sat at the center of the table was a whole roasted sheep.
It had been lathered with layers of oil extracted from tree nuts, roasted slowly over a long period of time, and then finally seasoned with black pepper. That combined with the scent from the lamb itself was so good, it practically paralyzed Col’s sense of smell. Even for someone who avoided eating meat as much as possible, his mouth watered.
“Eat. This table is my hospitality.”
As she said that, a towering man who stood behind her pulled out a knife. He acted as both a bodyguard and a butler, and he so deftly and elegantly cut the meat from the ribs. The fatty meat was placed onto a piece of hard bread, which served as a plate and was placed in front of them. Despite how much breakfast she had eaten, Myuri’s eyes glittered, and when Col was given an even larger piece of meat, he spoke up, flustered.
“I—”
“What, are you eager to hear the sermon of the hermit in his hermitage?” There was a slight mischievous smile on Eve’s face as she sipped her wine.
Suddenly, Col felt as though he had returned to being the child he was over ten years ago.
He knew the story of the hermit, of course. It was a staple story told at times like th
is.
“…The hermit said, there is no meaning in asceticism for asceticism’s sake. God’s teachings of asceticism do not say to disregard one’s neighbor’s kindness…”
“Exactly.” Eve nodded, satisfied. “And it seems our princess knows her banquet manners.”
When she said that, Col looked to Myuri, and despite how they had just been given their portions, she had already put the last big piece of meat into her mouth.
“You want seconds?” Eve asked, seemingly enjoying herself, and Myuri swallowed the piece, then defiantly responded.
“Yeah!”
He would typically reprimand her for being rude there, but perhaps he should be more impressed that she was not being timid. The towering man gave Myuri an even bigger piece of meat, and she seemed delighted.
“Now, in regular meetings, I would offer drink until the other’s faculties for thinking were weakened before bringing up the topic at hand, but…unfortunately for me, I don’t think that’ll work on someone whose principles include asceticism and moderation like you.”
“Are we briefing already, Lady Eve?” the portly merchant on the left asked.
“Yes. I’ve been talking about my plan, but I’m stumbling over getting the Kingdom’s trust. My recommendation to Lord Hyland hinges on whether or not I can persuade the Twilight Cardinal here or not. If we can get past this, then think of it as the Kingdom accepting our plan.”
Eve flashed Col a meaningful smile that said, Isn’t that right?
“I see.”
The merchant wiped his mouth on the soft-looking linen cloth he had on hand, signaling to the other merchants with just a look.
There was a unique air about them that was different from the priests and the mercenaries.
“In that case.” As though the merchants had come to some sort of conclusion, the portly merchant who had first spoken to Eve straightened himself in his seat. “My name is Pedro Arugo. I am the representative of the Arugo Company’s trading house here in the Winfiel Kingdom. We mostly deal in fabrics.”
Then the scrawny merchant with a goatee beside him continued.
“I am the Rausbourne manager of the Matteo Company, Stan Matteo. We take care of foodstuffs from the south.”
Next was the merchant on the other side of the table, sitting opposite the previous two on the other side of Eve, who had a mustache and seemed rather well proportioned for his age.
Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf, Vol. 4 Page 14
