Spice and Wolf Volume 02 (Incomplete)

Spice & Wolf:Volume2 Illustrations From Baka-Tsuki Jump to: navigation, search The following are color illustrations included in volume 2, illustrated by Jū Ayakura (文倉十).

Front Cover

Page 004-005

Back Cover

Page 002-003 Title Page

Page 006-007 Content PagePage 033

Page 096

Page 157

Page 297

Page 339

Page 183

Page 231

Chapter 1 The low rocky hills went on endlessly, almost barren of grass and trees. The road wound between the hills so that in many places it was too narrow for more than one cart to pass at a time. From time to time, just as it seemed that the road would rise forever, it would turn and descend; just as it seemed that the landscape of bare rocks and withered scrub would go on forever, it would open suddenly into a wide vista.Although traveling through this landscape was more interesting than traveling through the featureless plains, most people would become weary of it eventually. When they first left the grasslands, where the colors were turning to lonely shades that made them think of the coming winter, for this rocky landscape where ochers held sway the entire year, they called out gladly. Those glad cries were no longer heard. One traveler sat wearily in the seat of the cart, while the other threw herself down in the bed of the cart and groomed her tail. The traveler who sat in front, urging the horse on, was used to self-indulgent behavior of this sort from his companion. He was a young man, from his appearance clearly a traveling merchant, named Craft Lawrence. Lawrence would be 25 this year, and had been an independent merchant for seven years. As fall deepened into winter Lawrence was showing signs of feeling the cold - a leather coat completely covered him from the neck down. Every so often he rubbed his beard, which was trimmed to a moderate length after the fashion of a merchant. He was otherwise still, though he was getting colder. As the day waned his breath came white. Lawrence glanced back over his shoulder at the bed of the cart. The cart was usually loaded just to capacity, but on this trip it was almost empty. Its main contents were the wood and straw that the travelers used to build a fire to warm themselves by at night. Mixed in with the wood and straw were some sacks, so few and so small that a child could have carried them. But the goods hidden in those sacks were worth more than a full cartload of the finest wheat. The sacks contained particularly fine peppercorns. Totaled up, the peppercorns were worth about a thousand pieces of Trenni silver; in a village deep in the mountains they would probably fetch 1700 Trenni silvers. Lawrence's companion lay in the back of the cart, grooming her tail as if she hadn't a care in the world. She was using these sacks, filled with such precious goods, as a pillow. She was on the small side, with a rather innocent face. She leaned against the sacks of peppercorns with the air of a queen relaxing in her palace, listlessly grooming her tail. The hood of her robe was down, her sharply pointed ears in full view.

Lawrence's companion, with her tail and her sharply pointed ears, was very reminiscent of a dog, but she was not a dog. She was a wise wolf from the forests of the far north, but Lawrence doubted that it would be correct to say that she was simply a wolf. After all, this wise wolf took on the form of a young girl, thus calling her an ordinary wolf would not be suitable. "We'll be getting near the village soon. Be careful." It would be a disaster if someone saw her tail and ears. Though she was in truth so shrewd as to put a merchant to shame, and Lawrence thought that his warning was probably unnecessary, Horo had such a nonchalant air that he couldn't help saying something. Horo didn't even turn her head at Lawrence's words, but just gave a great yawn. When she she had finished letting out this rather vacuous yawn, she drew her tail around herself. It was covered in dark brown fur, with a bushy fringe of white as pure as snow at its pointed end. Perhaps her tail is itching, thought Lawrence. Like a puppy she began to chew on the tip of her tail, without the slightest intention of replying Lawrence. Horo, who called herself a wise wolf, and had the tail and ears of a wolf, did at least seem very much like an animal in her ability to relax. "...mmm." Whether this was a response or a noise of satisfaction over having relieved an itch was difficult to determine. Lawrence finally grew tired of waiting for an answer and turned back toward the front. They had met about 2 weeks before. Lawrence had, through a strange turn of events, met Horo at a town he had stopped at on his rounds as a traveling merchant, and they had decided to travel together for a while. Most people would see Horo's ears and tail as a sign that she was possessed by an evil spirit. The Church, responsible for maintaining spiritual order in society, would certainly want to kill her. But Horo was not just a human girl with the tail and ears of a wolf. She had declared herself a wise wolf from the forests of the north, and Lawrence had no room to doubt her on that score. It had been nine days since the conclusion of the major incidents involving the silver coins in Pattio, and at its conclusion, Lawrence had seen Horo's true form. That form was an enormous brown wolf who understood human speech, and possessed an overpowering presence that could only be that of a divine being.

For all that, Lawrence's relationship with this divine wise wolf was a worldly one. They were traveling companions, lender and borrower of money, and friends. So Lawrence believed, at least. When Lawrence looked back again， Horo had curled into a ball and gone to sleep. She wore trousers beneath her robe, so her legs were not bared, but in order to more easily groom her tail she had tucked her robe up at her waist. The sight of her sleeping form was arousing. She could hardly have seemed more defenseless. Her small sleeping form looked more like a girl who would be eaten by a wolf than a wolf. Still, Lawrence did not take that girl lightly. This was because he suddenly found Horo's ears twitching. Her hands stirred restlessly, then moved to pull her hood over her head and hide her tail with her robe. Turning to face forward again Lawrence saw a peddler traveling on foot come into view in the distance, where the road bent to the right to follow the line of the hills. There had been no need to warn Horo after all. She was a wise wolf who had lived for several hundred years. A young fellow who had lived just 25 was no match for her. Even so, Horo appeared in every respect younger than Lawrence. She was actually dozens of times his age. That, and her behavior, bothered Lawrence. Mainly, he wished that things went more in accordance with their apparent difference in age. He wished that Horo would meekly follow his advice, in this way avoiding many difficulties, and that this would make her grateful to him. Unfortunately, just the opposite usually occurred. Lawrence took one more look at the bed of the cart. Even though he turned slowly and silently, Horo, who had been sleeping with the bags of pepper clasped in her arms, quickly looked up at him. Lawrence started. Horo smiled maliciously, as if to say that she could see right through him. She closed her eyes again. Lawrence stared fixedly ahead. The horse swished its tail from side to side, as if amused.

There was a town with an unusual name: Porson Just North and East of Porson, accompanied by several days travel across the wide highlands, past the towns and villages ahead, lay an entirely foreign land where the mode of dress, the food, and even the gods were different.

Lawrence had heard that up till not long ago, Porson was always known as "the gateway to a different world." To the West, below this rocky plateau, lay a wide land where fertile fields interspersed with deep forest stretched North and South to the horizons. But Proson was built here, in these rocky uplands where only the occasional spring gave enough water to till a plot, because this land had been the gateway to that other world from ancient times. Through the morning mist, Lawrence advanced through the field which brought the braying of goats, while counting the number of gravestone-like palings which were set up all over the place. The names of Saints from all periods of the Church's long history had been inscribed on the palings, so that they might purify the surrounding land. In fact, the land around Porson had been land held sacred by the heathens from antiquity, even before it was known as the gateway to another world.

Chapter 2 After descending along a smooth downward slope, they arrived at a hill with barely any undulations, quite an easy path to travel. Such a path could not be any more suitable for Lawrence, who had not yet completely sobered up from his hangover. Having had not only a partner for conversation, but liquor of top quality and some dishes to go with it, he had unconsciously had a few too many cups to drink. If he had been traveling along a mountain path in his present state, he probably would have long fallen into a gorge. Yet, not even a river could be seen in the surrounding scenery, much less the bottom of a gorge, and thus for the moment, the horse could be left to proceed as it willed. Consequently, Lawrence had also begun to doze off in the driver’s seat. As for Horo, she was deeply asleep in the cart, even producing a snore that lacked all signs of alertness: “Huru－huru －.” Each time Lawrence awoke in the driver’s seat, he thanked heaven for blessing him with such a peaceful business life. Such a peaceful period gradually came to an end, and with the passing of noon, Horo finally woke up in the cart. Horo rubbed her eyes, her face still sleepy. Lawrence was unsure what kind of posture she had assumed in her sleep, but there were clear marks remaining on her face.

Sleepy-eyed, Horo moved into the driver’s seat and took several big gulps of water from a leather sack. Luckily, it did not appear as if she were suffering from a hangover, Lawrence thought to himself. If she were, then he would have to stop the cart. If Horo were to become carsick (or perhaps in this case, “cartsick”) and throw up on the cargo, that would simply be disastrous. “The weather is nice today as well.” “Yes it is.” The two conversed casually, and yawned simultaneously. The road on which Lawrence and Horo were currently traveling was one of the main business routes leading to the North. A variety of different people could be seen along this road, including merchants who hung flags of distant countries, the likes of which were normally only seen on imported product certificates. Seeing this, Horo seemed to think this was a way for the merchants to advertise their home countries, but in truth, the reason that merchants from distant lands would hang up small flags of their countries was so that they would immediately be recognized when passing others from the same land. Usually, their purpose was to exchange information about their homeland. As soon as one entered a foreign land in which the language, food and dress were all different, even a traveling merchant, who traveled about endlessly, would begin to experience feelings of nostalgia for his hometown. Having heard Lawrence explain thus, Horo gazed at the flags of the passing merchants with heartfelt emotions. It had been hundreds of years since Horo left her hometown. Compared to merchants who had come from distant countries, surely Horo harbored an even deeper desire to converse with the companions of her hometown. “Well, at least it should not be long before I am able to return.” Despite saying so with a smile, Horo’s expression still appeared somewhat forlorn. Lawrence struggled to come up with something to say to console Horo, but could not seem to find the right words. The cart continued to move forth without pause. In the end, the gentle afternoon sunlight made all of this inconsequential. Nothing felt better than warm sunlight in a cold winter. However, the stillness was suddenly broken.

Just as Lawrence and Horo were about to yawn at the same time in the driver’s seat, Horo’s voice was suddenly heard. “You.” “……Hm?” “There is a great number of people.” “What!” In haste, Lawrence pulled hard on the reins and stopped the cart. Narrowing his eyes, from which all sleepiness had dissipated, he looked toward the distance. In spite of some slight undulations in the road surface, being on a path that was more or less level, his field of vision was still quite wide. And yet, Lawrence did not spot any human forms. Looking to his side, Lawrence saw that Horo had stood up in the driver’s seat and was looking ahead. “There are indeed people. Is something the matter?” “Are they carrying weapons?” Lawrence asked in turn. The types of people one would encounter on a business route were limited to a few possibilities: those who belonged in the “friendly” category included business teams transporting large quantities of resources in a single trip, pilgrims headed toward the same destination, and nobles of royal blood paying visits to other countries. On the other hand, there were also the “unfriendly” groups. Bandits, rogues, hungry soldiers who had come from battle, and bands of mercenaries. Especially when encountering groups of soldiers who had just finished a battle or mercenaries, one would be forced to abandon all his property. Just losing one’s property could be considered fortunate; if he were to put up a resistance, he could even lose his life. If a woman were present, it did not need to be said what would happen then. “Weapons hmm….that appears not to be the case, at least they do not seem to be one of those abominable mercenary bands.” “You’ve encountered mercenaries before?” asked Lawrence, somewhat surprised. Horo revealed her sharp canines in a grin and replied:

“Even though those guys wielding spears are difficult to deal with, they are naturally still no match for my agility.” Seeing that proud appearance of Horo’s, Lawrence purposely avoided asking any more about her encounter with the band of mercenaries. “……Are there any others nearby?” After making sure that there were no people in front or behind them, Horo pulled back her hood to reveal her wolf’s ears. The pointed wolf’s ears had the same color as that of her tail and hair. Like her tail, her ears would reveal her emotions, so a good way of telling whether or not she was lying was by observing the reaction of her ears. Her ears stood up high on her head, pointing forward. The sight was exactly like that of a wolf sizing up its enemy in the grasslands. Lawrence had once met eyes with such a wolf. It had happened during a certain nightfall, when a strong wind was blowing and dark clouds obscured the evening sky. Back then, Lawrence had been making his way forward on a grassy plain. By the time the sound of wolves howling reached his ears, he was already deep within the pack’s territory. By the time he realized he had been surrounded, the wolves’ howls could be heard from every direction, almost causing the horse that was dragging the cart to break off in panic. At that moment, a single wolf had appeared before Lawrence’s eyes. The wolf of strong build looked directly at Lawrence, the ears that stood straight up seemingly capable of discerning his very breathing. Seeing the wolf’s appearance, Lawrence understood that he could not break through the pack which had surrounded him by force, and hence began scattering food such as dried meat and bread from a bag at a spot where it could be seen by the wolf before driving the cart forward, attempting to flee from the wolf’s line of vision. Lawrence could feel the wolf’s eyes on his back, but soon after, the howling of wolves began to converge on the spot at which he had scattered food, and as a result, he was able to escape the danger. The present Horo was just like the wolf from back then. “Mm－you, those people seem to be chatting leisurely.”

Horo’s words pulled Lawrence back to reality, and he began to think. “Could it be a makeshift market?” An exchange of information between merchants on the way to their destinations that had developed into a business negotiation, something like that was not entirely impossible. “I cannot say for certain. However, there is no sign of a violent struggle. That I am sure of,” said Horo. Horo pulled her hood back over her head and sat back down in the driver’s seat. The glance she threw in Lawrence’s direction seemed to signify that it was entirely up to him whether to have the cart continue forward or retreat, and her expression seemed to be asking, “What do you plan to do?” In his mind, Lawrence drew a map of the region, and sank into contemplation. It was absolutely necessary for Lawrence to get the battle equipment in his cart to Rubinhaigen, because he had signed a contract, and promised to sell the equipment at a company that had set up a shop in Rubinhaigen. However, that would mean making a detour, in other words, heading back all the way till they had come to a road that could be traveled by cart, and then taking a long roundabout path. All other roads were paths of less-than-ideal condition that could only be traveled by foot. “You are certain that there is no scent of blood?” Horo nodded her head resolutely. “In that case, let’s go take a look. To make a detour, we would have to travel too great a distance.” “Even if a band of mercenaries were to appear, at least I will be here,” said Horo, taking out the pouch suspended around her neck that was filled with wheat. Nothing was more reassuring than that. Revealing a smile of trust, Lawrence drove the cart forward.

“To make a detour from this point, would I need to take the holy path of St. Ryan?” “No, the distance is shorter if you follow the grasslands leading to Mizelheim.” “Putting that aside, did a band of mercenaries really appear?” “Would you like to purchase this cloth? You can use salt to trade for it if you wish.” “Does anyone speak Bassyan? This fellow is unable to communicate with anyone.” Upon reaching the spot at which the crowd of people was gathered, Lawrence and Horo heard such exchanges passing to and fro in the air. Gathered along the road were people immediately recognizable as merchants, as well as traveling craftsmen who had visited many countries and honed their skills in various lands. Among these were those who were traveling on foot, driving carts, and some who had piled hay on the backs of donkeys. The dialogues that crisscrossed in the air consisted of a variety of different languages as well, and those who did not speak a common language were gesturing frantically, trying to get a grasp on the situation. Anyone who had once encountered difficulties in a place where the language was incomprehensible to him would never forget the sense of fear that came with such an experience. Of course, if he happened to be transporting goods on which his entire fortune was staked, the sense of fear would be all the deeper. Yet, Lawrence did not understand their language either, and thus, in spite of his sympathy, there was nothing he could do to help. Besides, Lawrence was still unsure of the situation before him. Signaling with his eyes for Horo to remain in the driver’s seat, Lawrence jumped down from the cart and addressed the nearest merchant: “Sorry.” “Hmm? Oh! A brother in travel eh. Did you just arrive?” “Aye, I came from Poroson. What’s going on here? Don’t tell me the Count has decided to set up a market here?”

“Haha. If that were the case, then everyone would have laid out their straw mats and started doing large business by now. In truth, there is a rumor that the road to Rubinhaigen has been blocked by a band of mercenaries, which is why everyone has stopped here.” The merchant who had answered was wearing a turban and loose wide pants. Over his body was shrouded a heavy mantle that covered his entire neck region, and on his back he carried a large backpack. Judging from the tight covering provided by his clothing, he was probably a merchant whose business was centered on the North. Dust from the roads remained on the merchant’s face, and there were clear traces of sunburn caused by the reflection of sunlight on white snow. The wrinkles carved into his skin and the color of the skin itself were signs indicating that the merchant had gone through many years in his business career. “A band of mercenaries? If it’s around this area….could it be the mercenaries headed by General Lastor?” “No. According to rumor, their flag is deep red with an eagle’s emblem,” replied the merchant. With a frown, Lawrence spoke: “The Heinzberg Mercenary Band?” “Oh? You’re a merchant who travels the northern regions too? That’s right, I hear it is precisely the Eagles of Heinzberg. Encountering them with a cart full of goods is even worse than encountering a group of bandits.” It was said that they were an avaricious bunch. For any place which they swept through, not even a single leaf would remain, much less anything of value. They were a band of mercenaries infamous in the northern regions. Trying to force one’s way through on a path that they had blocked was equivalent to suicide. After all, the Heinzberg Mercenary Band was notorious for being able to discover its enemies even sooner than an eagle in the sky. A leisurely-travelling merchant would probably be caught in the blink of an eye. Come to think of it, why would a band of mercenaries who made a living off of wars in the North have headed south? Lawrence was somewhat concerned by this. Mercenary bands only took action when it was in their best interest. On that point, their principles of action were very similar to those of merchants. In other words, that they would pursue an abnormal course of action most likely meant that the market would also experience an unexpected change. For instance, the crash or skyrocketing of the price of certain products.

Due to the natural habits of a traveling merchant, Lawrence was always accustomed to thinking on the bad side, but he was already midway there, not to mention his having taken in a large quantity of goods. Lawrence told himself that it was pointless to think on the bad side, and that there was only one thing for him to think about right then, and that was how to get to Rubinhaigen. “That would mean having to make a large detour, right?” said Lawrence. “Most likely. I heard a new road that connects to Rubinhaigen has been constructed somewhere along the road leading to Kaslata. However, it seems that the place isn’t very safe these days.” It had already been half a year since Lawrence last came to these parts, and he had never heard of this new road. If his memories were correct, the area in question contained a grassy plain that stretched on endlessly, and a forest at the north end of the plain that was the source of countless rumors. “Not safe meaning….?” “Oh, there have always been wolf apperances in those grasslands, but the situation seems to have gotten much worse lately. I heard that all the members within a team of merchants were eaten by wolves two weeks ago, and rumor has it that the wolves were summoned by a pagan sorcerer.” Hearing the merchant’s response, Lawrence recalled that almost all of the gloomy forest’s rumors had to do with wolves. As he pondered these things, Lawrence snuck a glance at Horo, who was surely eavesdropping on the conversation, and saw that the corners of her mouth were turned up slightly in a smile. “How do I get to this new road?” “Haha, are you planning to take that road? You sure are imprudent in your actions. Head straight forward on this road and make a right when the road diverges. Then, keep following the road and you’ll come to another two-way intersection. Take the left path and you’ll be headed in the right direction. However, it would probably be best to just stop here for two or three days. Although the odds of there really being a band of mercenaries blocking the road ahead are half at best, it’ll be too late if you do encounter them. The ones who are transporting fish or meat will probably be heading to other towns. I’m staying here just to be safe.” Lawrence nodded his head, and looked in the direction of his cart. Fortunately, none of the goods piled in his cart were things that would rot, Lawrence thought to himself. Nevertheless, he still wished to get them to Rubinhaigen as quickly as possible.

After thinking in silence for a while, Lawrence thanked the merchant who had answered him and walked back to his cart. Throughout the entire time, Horo had remained obediently on the cart. As soon as she saw Lawrence returning to the driver’s seat, she said with a smile: “Summoned, hmm.” “So, what does the Sage Wolf Horo think?” “Hmm?” Lawrence gripped the reins and inquired of Horo as he contemplated whether or not to drive the cart forward. “The wolves on the grassy plain.” “Hmph.” After laughing softly with a puff of her nose, Horo said, biting on the nail of her little finger with a sharp tooth: “Easier to deal with than humans. At least they can be communicated with.” A rather interesting answer. “Then it’s decided.” Pulling tightly on the reins, Lawrence turned the horse around and drove the cart forward, avoiding the merchants who were busy conversing with one another. Perceiving Lawrence’s actions, although a few merchants cried out in surprise, most removed their hats or mantles and waved them in Lawrence’s direction. That was their way of cheering him on. A merchant who never took risks did not exist, because immense profits often awaited those who dared these risks. News that a band of mercenaries would pass a certain road spread faster than a plague. That was because a band of mercenaries was such a threatening, such a dangerous existence. Yet to a merchant, time was a tool for business that nothing could possibly replace. Losing such a business tool was equivalent to suffering an immense loss. Therefore, Lawrence had decided to head to a grassy plain on which wolves might appear. Of course, Horo being with him was also part of the reason.

The rumor that a band of mercenaries was moving about in the nearby region had probably had an effect on the market, Lawrence thought to himself. If he were to take advantage of the opportunity, he could perhaps even make a small profit. This was also one of the factors motivating his decision. Although Lawrence had previously been thinking on the bad side, there was naturally a positive side to the situation as well. Besides, in business, things often occurred that were contrary to expectation. This was also what made business interesting. “You seem to be in a good mood,” Horo said beside him, her face full of wonder. Lawrence simply replied with a brief “Aye.” Move forward and profits shall await. That was the traveling merchant’s motto.

Before noon the next day, the two arrived at the path leading into the grassy plain. So-called “new business routes” included naturally-formed paths, as well as roads established by people in power. In some places, weeds would be sheared away to form paths, and in places where more consideration was shown, stone pebbles would be scattered on the ground, and wooden boards laid down to facilitate the swift traveling of horse-drawn carts to and fro on the roads. Of course, such roads were not provided for free, and expensive taxes were charged for traveling on them. However, fee-charging roads always included comprehensive counter-theft measures, so that if one were to take time and safety into consideration, sometimes paying these traveling taxes was actually the more economical choice. The road before them, on which wolf appearances were frequent, seemed to belong somewhere between the former and latter types. At the intersection stood a wooden signpost indicating the directions. It seemed as if there had originally been plans to construct something at the road’s dividing point, and pieces of lumber were piled on the ground, left to the mercy of the weather. Apparently, the path was supposed to have been organized into a complete road to facilitate the collection of traveling taxes, but now, only a lone sign stood in the area.

The road’s dividing point was located at the top of a slightly-steep hill, and from that position, it was possible to get a glimpse of the direction in which the road was headed. It would probably be nice to have lunch over there. Despite the fact that winter would be arriving shortly, the area was covered in a thick growth of grass. An expansive grass plain on which any shepherd would be most happy to herd his sheep spread out before their eyes. And yet, only the tracks left by carts that had passed through the area could be seen on the road extending through the grassy plain. The road, which had become narrow due to being partially obscured by grass, ran on and on in a westerly direction. Needless to say, there was not the slightest trace of travelers on the road. Going by the map in Lawrence’s mind, the forest that was suited to being the base territory of wolf packs should reside at the northern end of the road, although wolves were not limited to moving about in forests. Seeing the tall growth of grass in the distance, Lawrence became more and more convinced that this grassy plain was well suited to wolf activity. Even if it wasn’t Horo, anyone would probably be able to guess that wolves might appear within the grassy plain, but Lawrence still tried to confirm this with Horo: “What do you think? Does it look like there are wolves here?” Hearing Lawrence’s question, Horo looked at Lawrence with an incredulous look as she sat in the driver’s seat, sucking on a piece of dried lamb, and said: “How could they possibly allow themselves to be so easily discovered in a place with such a wide field of view? It is not as if we wolves are fools.” Horo made a rude “chu－” sound as she sucked on the dried lamb, every now and then revealing her sharp, inhuman canines. Horo’s words and her sharp teeth reminded Lawrence of the fact that she was on the wolves’ side, which caused his feelings to become somewhat complicated. If they were to run into wolves, it seemed that the situation would become somewhat difficult. “There should not be much of a problem. Even if a pack of wolves does appear, relinquishing some dried meat should settle it. We wolves do not get into pointless conflicts.” Hearing this, Lawrence nodded his head and continued to drive the cart forward. The gentle breeze seemed to carry with it a raw animal scent. Lawrence prayed softly to the heavens for a safe journey.

“Faram silver coin.” “Wrong. That’s a fake Marinu silver coin.” “The fake Marinu is this one, is it not?” “That is the silver coin of the Latter-Day Dominion of Bishop Ladevon.” “…….” Looking at the several different types of coins laid out on her small palm, Horo fell silent. Since Horo had complained that it was too boring, Lawrence was teaching her how to distinguish different types of currency. Even the Sage Wolf Horo seemed to be having trouble telling apart the different coins, which were similar in both size and pattern. “Anyway, you’ll naturally be able to tell the difference once you’ve used them for long enough.” Perceiving the very serious manner of Horo, Lawrence did not dare make fun of her, and intentionally consoled her thus. Yet, contrary to his expectation, his words seemed to have caused even greater injury to her pride. Lifting her head to glare at Lawrence, the ears beneath her hood stood erect in agitation. “Tell me again!” Horo shouted out loudly. “Then I’ll start from the top.” “Mm.” “The Trenni silver coin, the Ferin silver coin, the Luther silver coin, the fake Marinu silver coin, the Faram silver coin, the silver coin of the bald King Landebar, the silver coin of the Sacred Hall of Mitzelfogge, the fake silver coin of the Sacred Hall of Mitzelfogge, the silver coin of St. Mitzelfogge, the Mitzelfogge Christmas Festival silver coin, and this one is－” “…….Say, you.”

“Hmm?” Lawrence lifted his gaze from the coins he was pointing to in Horo’s hand, and realized that Horo was looking at him with an expression of complex emotions, appearing angry but also as if on the verge of bursting into tears. “……You are making fun of me, are you not?” Lawrence remembered that he had said the exact same thing years ago when learning the types and names of coins from his master, and could not help laughing out loud. “Grrrrrr……” Seeing Horo reveal her teeth as she let out a low growl, Lawrence hastily removed his smile. “I’m not making fun of you. It’s just that the domain of Bishop Mitzelfogge has issued a particularly large number of silver coins,” he said. “Then, do not laugh.” Seeing Horo’s appearance as she pulled her gaze back to the coins in spite of her anger, Lawrence was still unable to suppress a soft laugh. “Come to think of it, why is it that there are so many different types of currencies? That is just too complicated,” said Horo. “That’s because new countries are frequently being established, destroyed, and established again. Besides that, local rulers or churches frequently issue new coins as well, not to mention that fake coins appear on a continual basis. For instance, the Luther silver coin used to be called the fake Trenni silver coin, but due to the huge number in circulation, in the end it became a recognized currency.” “If they were all made from animal furs, I would be able to remember all of them in no time at all,” Horo said with a puff of her nose, and finally let out a sigh. Horo probably meant that she was able to distinguish different smells, but Lawrence was uncertain as to how much truth there was to her statement. “But, isn’t this a good way of killing time?” Lawrence’s words failed to induce a smile from Horo. Shoving all the coins in her hand back to Lawrence, she said:

“Hmph, I shall memorize no more. I am taking a nap.” Lawrence revealed a strained smile, but Horo ignored him. As Horo was standing up and getting ready to move into the cart, Lawrence spoke to her back: “You would know if there are wolves around even in your sleep, right?” “Of course I would.” “It would be troublesome if we were surrounded.” Being surrounded by a band of mercenaries or bandits was naturally a tough situation, but at least being able to communicate with them would make one less tense at heart. Wolves, on the other hand, could not be communicated with, and one would never be able to tell when they would suddenly begin an assault. Even with Horo around, Lawrence still felt uneasy. “You sure like to worry a lot.” Perhaps because she had detected Lawrence’s inner thoughts, Horo turned back and said with a strained smile: “Normally speaking, an animal is not much different in its sleep than when it is awake. It is only humans that completely lack alertness when sleeping.” “Hearing that from someone who snores in her sleep is not convincing at all.” Hearing this, Horo said, revealing an expression of displeasure: “I do not snore.” “…..Well, it’s true that it’s not all that loud.” Horo’s snoring could actually be considered somewhat cute, which is why Lawrence intentionally added the extra explanation. Contrary to his expectations, however, upon hearing this, Horo’s frown only deepened. From the looks of it, Horo did not care whether or not her snoring sounded cute. “I said I do not snore.” “Alright, I get it,”

Lawrence replied with a smile. Sitting back into the driver’s seat, Horo pressed close to Lawrence and said: “I do not snore.” “That’s why I said I get it.” Despite the serious appearance Horo had put on, as if this were something that would jeopardize her identity, her piercing glance filled Lawrence’s heart with an itchy sensation. Back when he and Horo had first met, Lawrence had always been the lone victim of Horo’s ridiculing, but at the present moment, Lawrence was deeply convinced that he was becoming better and better at dealing with Horo. In the end, Horo seemed to have nothing more to say in retort, and thus pouted her lips, as if still unwilling to accept her defeat, and turned her face away from Lawrence. “Although, there truly isn’t the slightest trace of anyone here at all.” Seeing such behavior from Horo, Lawrence smiled lightly as he murmured unconsciously. Indeed, on this grass plain that stretched to the eye’s limits, there was not a single person in sight. Lawrence had originally figured that this road, being a shortcut to Rubinhaigen, would still see the occasional traveler even if the rumors of wolf appearances had in fact taken effect, but turning his head back, he discovered that there was in fact still not a single human form in sight. “The power of a rumor is great, after all.” Even with her face turned away, Horo still responded to Lawrence’s words. Seeing such childish behavior on Horo’s part, Lawrence laughed softly as he nodded and spoke: “True.” “Although, it seems that the road does not entirely lack people,” Horo said with an expression different than the one before, and withdrew her tail back under her robe. And then, with a very dissatisfied look, she let out a sigh. Even when they had passed other merchants during their trip, Horo had simply continued grooming her tail without the slightest bit of concern, Lawrence thought to himself. Therefore, he felt puzzled by Horo’s present act of intentionally concealing her tail, though he would immediately find out the reason.

“There is a scent of sheep. The kind of human I loathe is directly ahead.” If the scent of sheep was present on the grass plain, that meant that the human up ahead was a shepherd. That Horo would conceal her tail was surely because she was aware that shepherds were particularly keen when it came to the presence of wolves. Seeing the way Horo wrinkled her nose as she spoke, it was not difficult to see the depth of her enmity toward shepherds. Shepherds and wolves were born enemies. However, logically speaking, wolves and traveling merchants were also supposed to be enemies, so Lawrence decided not to bring up the topic. “What do you plan to do? Should we go around?” Lawrence suggested. “The other party should be the one to flee. There is no need for us to evade.” Seeing the displeased expression on Horo’s face as she spoke, Lawrence could not help bursting into laughter. Although he was aware of the sharp stare Horo threw in his direction, he simply turned his face away, pretending not to see. “Since you have said so yourself, let’s continue forward. After all, the wheels could easily get stuck in the soil if we move on the grass.” Perceiving a silent nod from Horo, Lawrence gripped the reins tightly and drove the cart forward. As before, the cart proceeded forward upon the narrow strip of road that ran across the grass plain. After traveling for some time, white-colored dots that appeared to be sheep could finally be spotted in the distance. Horo continued to remain silent, and the displeased look still hung on her face. Lawrence stole a glance at Horo from the corner of his eye, but the keen-eyed Sage Wolf seemed to detect his gaze. Producing a puff with her nose, she pouted her lips slightly and said: “Before you were even born, I had already hated shepherds for a long time. For me to get along peacefully with a shepherd now is totally impossible.” Having said this, Horo lowered her head and breathed a sigh before continuing: “With such delicious-looking food floating around before our eyes, and yet be told that it is not food and that we are not to eat it, just imagine how that would make us feel. Of course we would hate those people.”

Although Lawrence found the way Horo spoke as if the situation were a grave one funny, he felt that, from Horo’s perspective, it was perhaps indeed a grave matter, and so he looked ahead, doing all he could to keep his face expressionless. The cart arrived at a distance from which even Lawrence could clearly see the sheep’s appearances. Since the sheep were all bunched together as they moved along, it was impossible to tell the exact number present, but all the sheep together probably amounted to no more than about ten. The sheep chewed casually on the grass as they walked slowly along. Of course, the sheep were not the only ones present. Beside the sheep was Horo’s most-hated shepherd, along with a shepherd dog. The shepherd was dressed in a long robe the color of withered grass, and a bugle hung at the waist from a belt of murky gray. In his (note: I will refer to the shepherd as a “he” for now, since the gender is as yet uncertain from Lawrence’s point of view, and shepherdesses were supposedly very rare.) hand, the shepherd held a staff that was taller than himself, and from the upper tip of the staff hung a bell approximately the size of one’s palm. The black shepherd dog ran about its master, looking fully alert. When it ran, the shepherd dog’s long black fur appeared like a ball of black flames. White fur could be seen at the mouth region and at the tips of its legs. It was said that, when a traveler encountered a shepherd during his trip, he needed to pay attention to two things. The first was not to get the shepherd into a bad mood, and the second was to make sure the person beneath the robe was not a demon. The reason shepherds inspired such incomprehensible wariness in people was that being a shepherd was an occupation even lonelier than that of a traveling merchant. Just from the fact that, upon this vast grass plain that stretched to the eye’s limits, the shepherd moved only with his dog and sheep herd, a shepherd’s solitude was readily apparent. But even more importantly, given the nature of their work, most people could not bring themselves to think of shepherds as normal human beings. Traveling alone with a large herd of animals, moving about only on grass plains for days on end, carrying a long staff in one hand and blowing on a bugle, such an image could easily be associated with pagan sorcerers who could control animals at will. Rumor had it that if one were to encounter a shepherd during his trip, he would receive the blessing of the earth’s spirits and be guaranteed a week without incident, but on the other

hand, there were also rumors which held that shepherds were demon incarnates, and that a slip of attention could cause one’s soul to be locked away inside a sheep’s body. Lawrence did not consider such rumors odd, since the aura emitted by shepherds was enough to convince one that such things really did happen. Therefore, when Lawrence raised his right hand up high and drew a circle three times in the air, the other raised and lowered his staff four times in response as well. When this sequence of actions, which could be considered a ritual for encounters with shepherds, was successfully completed, Lawrence felt slightly relieved. This at least meant that the other party was not a dead spirit. And yet, even though the first test was successfully passed, in order to confirm whether or not the other party was a demon incarnate, it was necessary to get a bit closer. “I am Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and the other is my traveling companion Horo.” When the distance was close enough that the traces of patching on the shepherd’s clothes could be clearly seen, Lawrence stopped the cart and introduced himself. The shepherd’s build was smaller than Lawrence had expected, being at most slightly taller than Horo. As Lawrence revealed his name, the shepherd dog, which had been chasing the herd of sheep, rushed to its master’s side, sitting next to its master like a loyal knight. The gray eyes that carried a hint of blue displayed an alert look, focusing on Lawrence and Horo with undivided attention. The shepherd was silent, not uttering a word. “God’s guidance has led me to meet you here. If you are a good shepherd, you should know what to do, right?” said Lawrence. If he were a good shepherd, he would surely know how to sing poetry and dance to prove his benevolent nature. The shepherd nodded slowly, and held the staff erect directly in front of his body. Lawrence was surprised with the slenderness of the shepherd’s hands, but in the next moment, he would be even more surprised. “Through God’s blessing.” The voice that began singing a shepherd’s hymn was that of a young maiden. “Through the protection of the earthly spirits.”

Handling the staff skillfully, the shepherdess drew a small arrow with practiced movements and, swinging both her body and staff around, drew a circle from the tip of the arrow in a counter-clockwise direction. “Listening to heaven’s Gospel within the wind, and swallowing the fairy’s affectionate love as the lamb eats the grass.” The shepherdess pointed to the tip of the arrow with the top end of her staff and, lifting her right foot softly, stepped on the ground’s surface audibly. “The lambs are guided ded by the shepherd, and the shepherd is guided by God.” In the end, the shepherdess drew the staff that was pointed to the tip of the arrow close to her fingertips.

“Through God’s guidance, the shepherd shall walk onto the correct path.” Whichever country one went to, the hym hymns ns and dances of shepherds were mostly the same. Although shepherds did not form permanent guilds like craftsmen or merchants did, their hymns and dances were pretty much universal. There was a saying that shepherds could use wind to pass messages to peop people le far away. There seemed to be some truth to the rumor. “Please forgive me for having suspected you just now. I am fully convinced that you are a good shepherd,”

said Lawrence, descending from the cart. A smile surfaced at the corners of the shepherdess’ss lips. Her face was almost completely hidden behind her hood, which made it difficult for Lawrence to tell for certain, but judging from the shape of her lips, she was most likely a beautiful girl. Despite telling himself to act like a gentleman to the best of his ability, Lawrence’s heart was filled with curiosity. Although female merchants were rare, shepherdesses were even less common. Moreover, this one was even a young and beautiful shepherdess. To a merchant, who possessed a vigorous curiosity by nature, this could not but be a matter of great interest. Yet, as interested as he was, becoming hopelessly stupid when it came to things not related to business was also part of a merchant’s nature. Lawrence was a perfect example. He was unable to find an appropriate topic that would allow for a passing merchant to converse with a shepherdess, and in the end was forced to suppress his heart’s curiosity, uttering the lines one would always say when encountering a shepherd: “May I ask this shepherd whom God’s guidance has led me to meet to pray for my safe journey?” “I would be most glad to.” Hearing the shepherdess’ss voice, which was as steady as the sound of sheep eating grass, Lawrence’s curiosity swelled larger than a summer cloud. Although Lawrence did not allow such an emotion to appear on his face, he needed to constantly suppress the curiosity in his heart. Shamelessly poking his nose around someone’s privacy never matched Lawrence’s character, and not knowing how to talk sweet was even more a part of his nature. As he approached the shepherdess to request her prayer, Lawrence began to feel a bit envious of the money changer Weiss at the estuary town of Pattio for being such a smooth talker. Moreover, Horo, the one who most despised shepherds, was seated right in the cart. This last point seemed to be the main reason behind his being forced to suppress his curiosity, Lawrence thought to himself. Just as Lawrence was considering these things, the shepherdess who had been requested to pray for Lawrence’s safety raised the staff high in the air with both hands, and began to chant the prayer: “Paruty, Mis, Tuero, moru. Lu, schpitzou, tirado, kuru.”

The unique language of shepherds was different from the ancient language recorded in the Bible, and completely different from the language used in any country in the world. It felt mysterious no matter how many times one heard it. Even though the shepherds themselves did not know the true meaning of the prayers, when praying for a safe journey, the same prayer was uttered no matter which country the shepherd was from. Even the final actions of lowering the staff and blowing a single long note from the bugle were the same. Lawrence thanked the shepherdess, and handed her a tea-colored copper coin. The customary practice when thanking a shepherd was to give not a gold or silver coin, but a copper coin, and, as was the custom, the shepherd was not allowed to refuse the prize. The shepherdess reached out a hand that appeared slightly larger than Horo’s, and Lawrence put the coin in her hand, thanking her once more. Lawrence was still unable to find a topic for conversation. Though somewhat regretful, he had no choice but to leave it at that. Yet, just as Lawrence bid the shepherdess farewell and prepared to leave, he suddenly paused in his tracks. The reason being that, unexpectedly, the shepherdess had addressed him: “Uhm…if it is alright for me to ask, are you heading to Rubinhaigen?” A voice that contrasted sharply with Horo’s crystal-clear one reached his ears. The voice was one that nobody would imagine belonged to someone who held an occupation as harsh as shepherding. As he looked back, Lawrence took the opportunity to shoot a glance in Horo’s direction, and saw that she was sitting in the driver’s seat with her face turned away, looking bored to the extreme. “Yes, I came from Poroson, and am planning to head to Rubinhaigen,” replied Lawrence. “Where did you learn of this road?” “On the pilgrim’s path of St. Metzelgis, but a few days ago.” “I see….then, have you heard the rumor about wolves?” Having heard this last sentence, Lawrence understood the reason for the shepherdess’s address.

She must have taken Lawrence for a traveling merchant who had chosen this path out of ignorance. “I have heard it. However, because I am pressed for time, I have decided to take this road anyway.” Lawrence figured it was unnecessary to specially mention Horo. Since, for the sake of making money, merchants would proceed without hesitation even if there were a risk of running into wolves, it was unlikely that the shepherdess’s suspicion would be aroused. Yet, the shepherdess made a rather amazing response. For some reason, the shepherdess revealed a deeply regretful expression. “I see…..,” the shepherdess said quietly, her shoulders drooping. The appearance was an obvious indicator that she had originally been hoping for something. And yet, what could there have been for her to hope for? Lawrence ruminated over the content of the conversation that had just taken place. The possibilities he could come up with were limited. One was that Lawrence had not heard the wolf rumors, and the other was that he was not in a hurry. Given the content of the conversation, the possibilities he could guess concerning what the shepherdess had been hoping for were at best these two. “Is something the matter?” Lawrence felt that a moment like this demanded such an inquiry, not just as a merchant, but as a man. He put on his business smile, and did his best to behave like a gentleman. Horo behind him was sure to be greatly displeased, but Lawrence decided to toss her to the back of his mind for the moment. “Huh? Ah, nothing…..uhm…….” “No need to be so modest, just say it. Or is it that you require some merchandise?” As long as business was involved, Lawrence’s speed of mouth and thinking was second to none.

Perhaps on the one hand, a business deal could be established, and on the other hand, an opportunity could be found by which to learn the background of this shepherdess, whose existence was as rare as that of fairies. Beneath Lawrence’s smiling face like that of a merchant bent on making a sale, he naturally had not failed to make such a mental calculation. Yet, after hearing what the shepherdess said next, these plans of his faded from his mind completely. “Uhm….would it be alright….to ask you to….hire me?” Seeing the shepherdess gripping the staff with both hands and leaning on it as she made such a request, Lawrence’s mind began to turn idly. A shepherd requesting someone to hire him meant that he was willing to take care of the person’s sheep. However, Lawrence did not keep any sheep. Even if he did keep an animal, it would just be an arrogant and shrewd wolf. “Uh-you can probably tell just by looking at my clothes, but I am a traveling merchant. It is a shame that you have made such a good proposal, but I do not keep any sheep……” “No, that’s not it…that’s not what I meant,” the shepherdess said hastily, waving her hands, and then looked about frantically, as if buying herself time to think. Since the hood of her robe had obscured the shepherdess’s eyes, Lawrence was unable to catch her line of sight, but judging from her appearance, she was obviously searching for something. Surely she was searching for something with which to explain her proposal. The shepherdess seemed quickly to find what she had been looking for. The fact that Lawrence was able to know what the shepherdess had been searching for was because the way in which her manner relaxed caused him to involuntarily wonder if perhaps the shepherdess had ears just like Horo’s hidden underneath her hood. What the shepherdess had been searching for was the four-legged knight with long black fur-the loyal servant of the shepherd, the shepherd dog, which was fully on guard as it sat at its master’s side. “I am a shepherd. Besides taking care of sheep, I also know how to drive away wolves.”

As she spoke, the shepherdess waved her right arm, upon which the black dog swiftly stood up. “If you are willing to hire me, then I can protect the two of you so that you are not attacked by wolves during your trip. What do you think?” As if to supplement its master’s clumsy self-promotion, the black dog barked once and ran off quickly to chase the sheep herd, which was just about to drift apart. Lawrence had heard of people hiring mercenaries or knights when having to traverse regions with poor public security, but never of someone hiring a shepherd for protection from wolf assaults. If one were to have an outstanding shepherd following at his side, that would indeed be like possessing a sharp pair of eyes and ears for protection against wolves. Yet, not having heard of anyone hiring a shepherd for such a purpose even when that was the case, such was an indicator that shepherds never made such proposals. From the black dog, which was running all about as if rehearsing the way to protect the sheep from attack by a pack of wolves, Lawrence pulled his gaze back to the shepherdess before him. Most likely, a shepherdess like her who led a solitary life would have little or no opportunity to reveal a polite smile to someone. Beneath the hood, the corners of her mouth were upturned in an unnatural smile. After giving some thought, Lawrence opened his mouth to speak: “Please wait a moment. I will consult with my companion.” “Th….thank you for going through the trouble.” Although the shepherdess’s desperate appearance made Lawrence willing to hire her unconditionally, hiring someone meant having to pay a fee to the other party, and as soon as payment was involved, a merchant’s brain only knew how to calculate loss and gain. Lawrence felt that, as their adversary, Horo would probably be the most suitable person to ask about matters concerning shepherds. He therefore approached the driver’s seat quickly and addressed Horo, who sat above, yawning with boredom: “What do you think of that shepherdess?” “Hmm? Mm-” Horo wiped the corners of her eyes as she looked toward the shepherdess, and Lawrence followed with his gaze. He saw that the shepherdess was not looking in their direction, but directing the shepherd dog.

The shepherdess was probably not intentionally demonstrating her skill, but simply controlling the sheep herd to prevent it from drifting apart, Lawrence thought to himself. Compared to when it was in motion, a stopped sheep herd was more prone to drifting apart whichever way it pleased. Horo pulled back her gaze, and said in a lazy manner: “I am more loveable.” The horse whinnied, as if laughing. “That’s not what I was referring to. I was asking about skill.” “Skill?” “Can you tell how skilled she is as a shepherd? If she has decent skill, there would be value in hiring her. Didn’t you hear our conversation?” Horo shot a brief glance at the shepherdess, and immediately pulled back her gaze to say in a very resentful tone: “Do you not already have me?” “That’s true, but never in the past have I considered the idea of hiring a shepherd as a defense against wolves. This might end up becoming a new kind of business, isn’t that so?” Horo was a sage wolf capable of seeing through people’s lies, but even knowing that Lawrence was not lying, she still looked at him with suspicious eyes. However, Lawrence quickly realized her intention. “I haven’t succumbed to her feminine charms, because you are more loveable.” Lawrence spoke thus, shrugging his shoulders as if to add, “Is that enough for you,” after which he received the response: “Passed by a narrow margin.” Despite saying so in a severe tone, seeing as how she was smiling with such a joyous look, Lawrence figured that she was probably joking. “So, does she possess good skill?” Hearing this, Horo immediately revealed a look of displeasure and said:

“Although I have not actually witnessed the shepherdess facing off against wolves, and therefore cannot be absolutely certain in my judgment, I would consider her to be of mid to high level.” “Be a bit more specific.” “If it were me, I would be able to take her sheep. However, if it were normal wolves, even attacking as a pack, she would probably manage to drive them away with ease.” Horo’s high appraisal caught Lawrence by surprise. “That shepherdess knows well how to control sheep. A so-called ‘difficult shepherd’ refers to a shepherd accompanied by a smart dog, with which he can cooperate effectively. That person meets both conditions. From her voice, it seems that she is still rather young. What potential she has then. Perhaps I should take this opportunity-” “I got it. Thank you.” Though Lawrence was uncertain whether Horo was joking or serious, hearing the swishing of her tail, Lawrence felt that she was perhaps half serious. However, just knowing how much skill the girl possessed as a shepherdess was enough for Lawrence. Even though this was just a trial, hiring her would require money after all, and it would be quite frustrating if she were not skilled. With such a thought, Lawrence was just about to turn around when he was stopped by Horo’s call. “You.” “Hmm?” “Do you really plan to hire that person?” Horo’s voice seemed to carry a reproachful tone. Having been addressed with such a question, Lawrence remembered that Horo hated shepherds. “Ah…..do you really hate them that much?” asked Lawrence. “If you ask me whether I hate them, the answer is of course yes. However, that is not the problem. Putting myself aside, I am asking you whether there is truly not a problem with hiring that person.” This was probably what receiving a stab whilst completely off guard felt like.

“……What problem?” Lawrence did not understand what Horo was referring to, and thus responded with an honest question. After letting out a soft sigh, Horo narrowed her eyes, revealing a displeased expression. Those amber eyes which carried a hint of red were as piercing as cold fire. “Hiring that person would mean having to travel together for some time, is not that so? I am asking whether that would not be a problem.” Horo eyes gazed coldly at Lawrence. Since Horo was seated in the driver’s seat, her line of sight was above Lawrence. Though probably not due to her line of sight being higher, Horo appeared to be extremely angry. What about hiring a shepherdess would make Horo so angry? In haste, Lawrence searched his mind for an answer. In his mind, Lawrence could barely come up with any other reason besides the biggest one, which was that Horo hated shepherds. One by one, he overruled the possibilities he had thought up, until finally he reached a conclusion. Could it be that Horo preferred traveling that included only the two of them? “You don’t like that?” “This is not a matter of like or dislike,” Horo replied coldly, which only made it appear in Lawrence’s eyes as if she was intentionally being disagreeable. So Horo possessed such a side to her as well, Lawrence thought to himself, unable to suppress a faint smile as he spoke: “It’ll only be two days before we get to Rubinhaigen. Is that not alright?” “……Nothing wrong with that.” The way Horo stole a brief glance at Lawrence before speaking was extremely cute. “You may be a bit uncomfortable, but just bear with it for a short while.” Horo’s unexpectedly cute behavior brought an involuntary smile to Lawrence’s face. And yet, Horo simply frowned.

“What is there for me to bear with?” And said thus. “Hmm, that is of course…..” Lawrence’s words were stuck in his throat. Surely it wouldn’t do to say out loud that it would make Horo jealous, Lawrence thought to himself. If he told the truth, Horo would most certainly refute him forcefully. “I really just want to try and see if a shepherd can be used as a defense against wolves. You can bear it for two days, can’t you?” “……I can indeed, but that is not the problem, is it now?” “That…….” Lawrence looked in the direction of the shepherdess as he spoke. During the gap in his speech, Horo opened her mouth to speak: “My concern is that if we just decide to travel with another person like that, it is possible that my identity may be discovered. That does not bother me, but you would be troubled, would you not?” Hearing Horo’s words, Lawrence literally heard his backbone freeze up. Judging from the way the shepherdess seemed to notice from some distance away that something was off, and was looking at him with her head tilted to one side, Lawrence knew that he had not imagined the sound, nor were his thoughts exaggerated. Yes, that was it! That was the reason! How could he have mistaken something so obvious? Perspiration seeped out from Lawrence’s back, and Lawrence wished only that the sweat trickling down could wash away his mistake. How could the idea that Horo liked traveling with just the two of them be first to cross his mind? Lawrence posed such a question to himself. Was this not being way too overconfident, he asked himself. Lawrence could feel Horo’s gaze staring hard at the back of his head. Even the shepherdess at a distance had been able to notice the change in Lawrence’s manner. Surely the Sage Wolf right beside him could perceive the minute changes at the very depths of his soul with perfect clarity. “Oh~oh, I see.”

The instant he heard this, Lawrence’s face flushed bright red. “So, mm….you wish to hear me say something like this hmm?” Horo turned her head back slowly, and Lawrence saw that the malevolent wolf girl had put on a lonely expression. She then closed her fists softly, raising them to the corners of her mouth, and said with a pitiable and shy expression on her face: “I……prefer traveling with you alone……” Horo purposely twisted her body sideways as she said this, and then suddenly turned her face away, only to turn back immediately after. She had instantly assumed a different expression, and with that, words of assault flew at Lawrence along with her cold gaze. “Do not be ridiculous.” Lawrence was unable to utter a word, feeling ashamed and frustrated, to the point that he could not even steady his body. Lawrence wished only to vanish before Horo’s eyes. As he turned around, ready to walk away, he was suddenly called to halt. Had he not already been ridiculed enough, Lawrence thought to himself. Turning around, he saw that Horo was smiling in the driver’s seat. It was a smile that seemed to say, “I simply cannot stand you.” Seeing such a smile, Lawrence felt much more peaceful at heart. “Seriously.” Hearing Horo say this with a sigh, Lawrence naturally revealed a strained smile. “Aie, I should be able to keep my identity a secret for about two days. Decide however you wish.” Having said this, Horo let out a yawn, turning her face away as if to declare that the negotiation was over. Lawrence nodded his head, and paced quickly toward the shepherdess. He felt as if he and Horo had become a bit closer.

“Sorry for making you wait so long,” he said. “Not at all. Then….uhm…….” “How’s forty Treyiers for getting to Rubinhaigen? If we really are attacked by wolves and emerge safely, I will pay you an additional sum.” Perhaps, since Lawrence’s talk with Horo had gone on for such a long time, the shepherdess had been expecting to meet with refusal. She stood agape for quite some time, and when the meaning of what Lawrence had said finally sank in, she hastily nodded her head several times in procession. “P….pleased to make your acquaintance.” “That is my line.” As Lawrence reached out a hand to shake hands with the shepherdess to signify the deal’s establishment, he realized that he still did not know the girls’ name. “Would it not be too much to ask for your name?” “Ah, p….pardon me.” The shepherdess seemed to realize that she was still wearing her hood, and hastily removed it. To Lawrence who, as of late, had frequently found himself flustered and at a loss before Horo, the scene before his eyes provided his soul with great consolation. The face of the girl of sheep-like fragility emerged from beneath the hood. The light blonde hair tied into a ponytail had clearly not been groomed. The body that appeared a bit too slender gave one the impression of poverty. The eyes were of a beautiful dark tea color, and fit the phrase of “poor and virtuous.” “My name is Nora Arendt.” “Then let me introduce myself as well. I am Craft Lawrence. In business, I always go by Lawrence.” Lawrence took the initiative and gripped Nora’s timidly outstretched hand. The hand of Nora which was slightly larger than Horo’s recoiled momentarily in surprise, but finally settled down and gripped Lawrence’s hand softly. Although the size of Nora’s hand was almost the same as Horo’s, its rough texture indeed distinguished it as that of a shepherd. “Then, if you would please accompany us to Rubinhaigen.”

“My pleasure.” Nora’s smiling face seemed as soft as summer grass.

Lawrence had originally thought that moving with the sheep herd would mean having to proceed at a slow pace, but reality seemed contrary to his expectations. The sheep’s pace turned out to be faster than expected. During downhill sections, by simply quickening their pace slightly, the sheep would easily throw the cart far behind them. Even though the sheep’s bleating sounded as leisurely as usual as they ran along, they were as quick as a white cloth drifting down a rapid stream. Of course, Nora followed behind the herd effortlessly. The present circumstances had the sheep herd running along at the very front, with Nora following closely behind, and Lawrence’s cart at the very rear. “Enek.” The moment Nora called this name, the shepherd dog Enek, its body covered in black fur, shot forth in her direction like an arrowhead tipped with dark flames, bouncing excitedly and eagerly awaiting Nora’s next command. Then, as soon as Nora gave the bell hanging at the top end of her staff a shake, Enek dashed toward the front of the herd like a speeding gale. Although Lawrence was not familiar with how to judge the skill of a shepherd, he could tell just by looking that Nora was adept at giving commands. Her compatibility with Enek was not something that could have developed within a few days. Yet, Enek appeared to be quite old (note: relatively speaking), whereas Nora was at most around seventeen or eighteen. Lawrence’s guess was that Nora’s father was a shepherd, and the shepherd dog had been passed down to Nora by him. The curiosity that came naturally from being a merchant was written on Lawrence’s face. “Nora?” “Yes.”

“Have you been a shepherd for a long time?” Nora waited till the end of Lawrence’s question before raising her staff and shaking the suspended bell once. She then slowed her pace and approached the right side of the cart. Horo, who was seated on the left side of the driver’s seat, had sunk completely into a deep slumber. “Only about four years,” said Nora. If one wished to become a shepherd, all that was required was that he memorize the hymns and dances of shepherds, along with a few prayers for the safety of travelers well. Therefore, it was common for a young shepherd to have as many as ten years of work experience in spite of his age. Even without a staff and a shepherd dog, anyone capable of tapping a sheep’s rear end with a withered branch and urging it forward would be a competent shepherd. “That shepherd dog….ah…Enek, did you raise him yourself?” “No, I picked him up.” Nora’s answer took Lawrence by surprise. A skilled shepherd dog was equivalent to a shepherd’s wealth, and a shepherd would not possibly be so careless as to allow it to get loose. There was only one possible explanation then, and that was that the previous owner had had to give up being a shepherd for some reason, leaving behind the shepherd dog. “I became a shepherd after picking up Enek.” “And before then?” Lawrence could not help asking in the end. “I was staying at a shelter for the poor belonging to an abbey and helping out there.” Lawrence did not feel that it was right for him to pry into someone else’s private life. However, Nora did not appear to be displeased as a result, and answered him quite frankly. Perhaps, due to being a rare shepherdess, she had long become accustomed to being asked about her background. Nora had once lived in a shelter for the poor, which meant that she had neither family nor fortune. And yet, she was now a competent shepherdess. Apparently the heavens had not forgotten to bestow good luck on the people.

“I had always dreamed of possessing my own job when staying at the shelter. I am truly lucky to have been able to meet Enek,” said Nora. “It was probably because you prayed everyday with deep faith that you were able to encounter Enek.” “Yes, I truly feel that my meeting Enek was a course of fate arranged by the heavens.” Nora shook the suspended bell to produce a chiming sound, and Enek rushed swiftly to her side. As the sound of Enek’s dexterous steps reached Lawrence’s ear, Horo’s body shifted slightly, and she leaned softly against Lawrence. Horo had claimed that she would know if wolves were approaching even in her sleep. The claim was probably a true one. “When the piece of land on which the shelter resided was taken by merchants through trickery, and I was at a loss as to what to do next, that was when I met Enek.” Nora’s words were a bit irritating to Lawrence’s ears, for he himself was a merchant, but he could not but admit that such things were quite commonplace. “When I found Enek, he was covered in wounds, and a pitiful sight to behold,” Nora continued. “Attacked by wolves?” Lawrence felt Horo’s body shift slightly. Perhaps Horo was simply feigning sleep, Lawrence thought to himself. “No, I think it was probably bandits or mercenaries….because no wolves had ever shown up in that area. Back then, Enek had been curled up at the foot of a hill, with this staff in his mouth.” “I see.” Enek barked happily as Nora stroked his neck. Surely Enek had not been the only one curled up at the foot of the hill and wandering the boundary between life and death back then. Those who were kicked out of relief shelters were almost destined to walk the path of death by starvation. A human and a dog who had been through such trying times and lived to tell the tale would form a mutual bond not easily broken. Besides, shepherding was a lonely and harsh occupation. It would only be natural for Enek to be the one to which Nora talked.

Talking to a dog was at least better than talking to an emotionless horse, Lawrence thought to himself. “Although, this is the first time I have ever run into a shepherd willing to be an escort,” he said. “Huh?” “Shepherds don’t usually do such things, do they?” Lawrence said with a smile. An embarrassed expression crossed Nora’s face, and she lowered her head shyly. “Actually…..” “Hmm?” “I really wanted to talk to somebody.” Lawrence discovered that letting her body rest against the staff that was taller than herself seemed to be a habit of Nora’s. He naturally understood the emotions behind Nora’s words. Because he knew that few were the people who never felt lonely who were not city-dwellers. “But that is just one of the reasons.” Nora’s expression brightened to one of cheerfulness, and looking forward, she spoke: “I want to become a tailor and design clothes.” “Oh, you are trying to make money for a guild entry fee?” Hearing this, Nora revealed a somewhat embarrassed expression. Surely it was because she felt that speaking of money when she was not a merchant would cause others to look down upon her as scurrilous. “After all, entry fees are expensive no matter which town you go to these days. Although, the fees are less expensive in new towns,” said Lawrence. “Huh? Really?” Nora’s beautiful dark tea-colored eyes gave off a gleam of obvious anticipation, which brought an involuntary smile to one’s face.

Living in a town and holding a job there was basically a dream common to all of those who led a life of traveling. Shepherding was a job that even a grown man would consider tough. Surely Nora’s desire to fulfill such a dream would be all the more intense. “In newly-established towns, certain areas occasionally even host events offering free entry.” “F….free……,” Nora murmured with a look of disbelief. Her appearance was greatly soothing to Lawrence, around whom Horo had been running circles in the past few days. “If you encounter merchants on the road in the future, you can ask them where there are plans for constructing new towns. If you happen to meet one who knows, I am sure he would be more than happy to tell you.” As if she had just heard the location of some hidden treasure, Nora revealed an expression of high spirits, and nodded her head with a smile filled with anticipation. Seeing her with such a happy appearance made Lawrence feel that telling her these things were very much worthwhile. Moreover, Nora gave off a kind of feeling that caused one to want to help her. Lawrence was impressed deeply with the idea of her struggling with every effort from her slender hands to make a living. Lawrence could not help wishing that the sage wolf beside him, who required only a mouth to keep an experienced and crafty merchant in the palm of her hand, could learn a bit from Nora’s spirit. That would make her so much cuter—even in his heart, Lawrence dared not utter the idea. “However, the number of plans for constructing new towns has declined recently. Making an honest living while praying for the heavens to bring along some good luck is probably still the most practical thing to do.” “Yes. Besides, always wanting to rely on the heavens for help would bring about a scolding.” Lawrence had originally expected for Nora to appear regretful, but she ended up revealing a smile and saying so in a joking manner, which took him quite by surprise. If Horo were not seated right next to him, perhaps he would have long since invited Nora to sit in the driver’s seat with him, Lawrence thought to himself.

Just as Lawrence was thinking this, Horo suddenly moved her body once, and Lawrence hastily opened his mouth to say: “U….uhm, from the standpoint of a traveling merchant, I believe that, compared to being a shepherd, it would perhaps be more profitable for you to be an escort for merchants. Shepherds are always fighting for territory, aren’t they?” “…...Yes.” Nora revealed a strained smile. From the way she paused momentarily before making response, it was not difficult to see how hard things were for her. “After all, in secure regions, shepherds are all over the place,” she said. “Only areas where wolves are rumored to appear do not have shepherds, right?” “Yes.” “Blame the wolves for being such a nuisance…...ouch!” An intense pain in his thigh caused Lawrence to jump up involuntarily from the driver’s seat. Perceiving a confused glance from Nora, Lawrence covered up his odd behavior with a smile and reseated himself properly. It seemed that Horo truly was pretending to be asleep, and had pinched Lawrence’s thigh. “I think the wolves are probably just seeking food. But they do attack us sometimes….I still would prefer to stay somewhere safe.” “Wolves are so cunning and sinister after all,” Lawrence said on purpose as revenge against Horo for having pinched his thigh. “Speaking too much ill of them might cause them to hear you, so I don’t say such things about them.” “Indeed,” replied Lawrence. Besides Nora looking very attractive as she childishly tucked in her neck slightly when speaking, the fact that Lawrence would express agreement was naturally also due to the wolf that had become the subject of conversation being right next to him. “Although, the fact that you are able to watch your sheep and remain safe in this area where wolves have been rumored to appear indicates that you have brilliant skill. Surely it will not be long before someone entrusts you with more sheep right?”

“No, that I can remain unharmed is all thanks to God’s blessing…..besides, I am fully satisfied with having a job at all. I would not dare even to think of asking for more sheep.” Nora was probably saying so out of modesty, but the smile that contained not the slightest trace of joy seemed to suggest that there was some other reason. The guessable possibilities were limited. Perhaps she was dissatisfied with her employer. Despite knowing that it was not a good thing, curiosity once again showed up on Lawrence’s face, and at the same time, was transformed into words: “That may be because your employer does not see you for the gem that you are. How about finding a new one?” Shepherding was a kind of business as well, and it was only natural for shepherds to seek better conditions. Yet, upon hearing Lawrence’s suggestion, Nora responded with a surprised look: “Uh….I would not dare to seek a change in employer.” Nora did not appear as if she were afraid that her employer had ears sharper than a wolf’s and would hear her talking behind his back, but seemed genuinely convinced of this. “Sorry, that was very impolite of me. As soon as one begins to work as a merchant, he will always put loss and gain before everything else,” Lawrence apologized. “Ah, no….it’s nothing.” Nora seemed to have been startled by her own words, but suddenly said in a soft voice: “Uhm……” “What is it?” “Uhm…..is changing employers…..something that happens frequently?” The question surprised Lawrence. “It is. Usually you would look for another employer if you do not like the present conditions.” “I see….” And yet, the shocked response that Nora had shown, as if thunderstruck, when the idea of switching employers was mentioned was most likely because she did not think that switching

employers was permissible behavior. With that in mind, it was not hard to guess who her employer was. Nora had neither family nor property, and had probably gone through much hardship simply finding someone willing to employ her for shepherding. Besides, even if a strong male shepherd were left in charge of a herd of sheep, his employer would probably expect at most eight out of ten sheep to return alive. If the task were entrusted to the slender and fragile-looking Nora, it would only be natural for the employer to expect a mere five out of ten to survive. As such, only an employer who took loss and gain lightly and possessed a merciful heart would allow Nora to herd his sheep. In other words— “If you don’t mind my asking, are you employed by the Church?” At that moment, Nora revealed an expression of incredible surprise. The extent of her surprise brought an involuntary sense of joy to Lawrence’s heart. “Huh? How did you know?” “That is a secret known only by merchants,” Lawrence said with a smile, after which Horo stepped lightly on his foot. Horo was probably telling him not to be too proud of himself, thought Lawrence. “No, uhm…..yes. It was a church priest who entrusted me with these sheep……” “If it is the Church, then you should not have to worry about losing your job. You sure have found a good employer.” Surely she had been introduced through the shelter for the poor? Compared to luck and skill, one’s connections tended to hold more influence in this world. “Yes, I am truly very fortunate.” Nora smiled after responding thus. And yet, to a merchant, whose living consisted of finding truth within negotiations filled with lies and flattery, it was all too apparent that her smile was a fake one. Lawrence took the opportunity when Nora suddenly turned away to direct Enek to look toward Horo, who had been feigning sleep since awhile ago, and found Horo looking at him as well. She immediately turned her face away and closed her eyes.

If she were to open her mouth right then, she would probably say something along the lines of “I do not sympathize in the least,” Lawrence thought to himself. “Not only has the Church given me a job in shepherding, it has provided for me in many other areas as well.” It was obvious that Nora was saying this half to herself, which could not but cause one to feel sorry for her. Having heard so much already, Lawrence was naturally able to guess the reason Nora appeared so gloomy. The Church had not really “employed” her at all, but was keeping her under surveillance. Most likely, the Church had initially given Nora a shepherding job out of sympathy. It was probably also due to this that Nora had been so shocked by the idea of switching employers. However, shepherds were naturally prone to being suspected as heretics. Whenever something happened, they were often seen as the devil’s minions and unjustly blamed. The fact that a woman holding such an occupation would lead the obstinate and misguided Church to suspicion was not surprising in the least. And if the woman possessed excellent shepherding skills, then it would be all the more natural for the Church to be suspicious. The Church would surely think that the woman were a user of pagan sorcery. Nora was probably viewed with such a perverse point of view. Moreover, this was something anyone would notice, no matter how slow he was. If this were the case, it would be impossible that Nora was well paid. In all likelihood, she had to do anything ordered for a minimal salary, which would surely have made saving up extremely difficult, hence her proposing to be an escort for Lawrence. Lawrence reached such a conclusion. Yet, Lawrence’s merchant instincts also told him not to delve any deeper into the matter. Lawrence had already satisfied his curiosity. If he were to push any deeper, he would have to bear the potential consequences. “I see. If that is the case, I do not think it will be necessary for you to switch employers,” he said at last. “Really?” “Yes. Since the Church is a place in which the poor and virtuous are praised, the pay may be relatively low. However, as long as God has not abandoned us, the Church will never disappear. Such being the case, you will not need to fear about losing your job. As long as you have a job,

you will not have to worry about not having anything to eat. That is of course very fortunate, isn’t it?” Lawrence figured that even if he were to stir up feelings of suspicion toward the Church within Nora and advise her to find a new employer, no one would actively recruit a shepherdess who was under surveillance by the Church. If his actions were to cause a lonely girl to lose her job, that would certainly not be a small matter. Besides, Lawrence was not lying, and Nora seemed genuinely convinced too that things were as such. Slowly, she nodded her head several times, and then said: “Indeed.” At least Nora still possessed a job, so the situation was not all that bad, but Lawrence still felt that she had a right to hope. Lawrence cleared his throat, and did his best to say in a cheerful tone: “However, I have a few familiars living in Rubinhaigen, and I’ll ask to see if there are any merchants interested in hiring an escort for protection against wolves. God doesn’t have a rule against side jobs, does he?” “Really? Thank you for going through the trouble.” Seeing Nora’s expression instantly brighten up, the corner of Lawrence’s eyes sank involuntarily. With that, Lawrence no longer had any right to say that Weiss, the money changer living in the estuary town of Pattio, was a lecherous fool. Yet, Nora was different from town girls, craftswomen, or female vendors, and gave off an air that was unique and refreshing. Although the nuns of convents were very serious and frank, they tended to hold a pessimistic view toward things, and would intentionally suppress their various emotions. The feeling Nora gave off was akin to having the boring aspects of nuns all exchanged for their positive aspects. Even a person who was not lustful would like Nora. Lawrence could bet with confidence that Enek, who was wagging his tail at Nora, was a male dog. “All of those who lead a traveling life share a common dream of living in a town.” That was an undeniable truth.

Nora nodded as well, raising her staff high with force. With the chiming of the bell, Enek was off, and the sheep herd made a turn in an organized fashion. After that, the conversation between Lawrence and Nora revolved around the foods they had come across during their travels, the discussion being very much an agreeable one. The level path which offered a broad view stretched on to the far side of the vast plain.

Nighttime came early for shepherds. When the sun began its descent in the West, they would decide on the campsite for the day, and by the time the entire sky had been dyed a bright crimson by the setting sun, and the farmers were just beginning their journey home, the shepherds would already be curled up and off to dreamland. This was because they had to wake up before it became dark and no travelers could be seen on the roads so that they could keep watch all night over their sheep herds with their shepherd dogs. When the sky became faintly bright, a shepherd and his dog would then take turns sleeping. Having very little sleep time was also one of the reasons shepherding was considered such a harsh occupation. In comparison, a traveling merchant had plenty of time to sleep at night, and had a relatively easy job. “That sure is hard work.” Since the weather was not so cold that he needed to raise a fire for warmth, Lawrence lay in rest on the cart’s platform, and murmured thus as he chewed on a strip of dried meat. From the cart, he had a clear view of Nora as she slept, curled up in a tight bundle like a rock beside the road. Even though Lawrence had asked whether she wished to sleep on the cart, Nora had answered that she had long become accustomed to sleeping on the ground, and simply curled up on a slightly hollowed spot of grass and slept there. Lawrence pulled his gaze back from Nora, and saw that Horo who was seated to his right side had pulled out and was grooming her tail, obviously content with no longer having to worry about the gazes of others. Lawrence watched the side of Horo’s face as she groomed her tail diligently, thinking how tireless she was in grooming it so many times a day. At that very moment, Horo suddenly opened her small mouth to speak as she continued grooming:

“The most important part of keeping my tail in good condition is grooming on a daily basis.” Lawrence did not quite catch Horo’s intention at first, but thinking back on what he had just said, he quickly understood. Horo seemed to be responding to his utterance from a few moments ago. Lawrence laughed furtively, and Horo, upon noticing, lifted her face to reveal a suspicious look. “Oh, you were referring to that little maiden huh?” “Her name is Nora Arendt.” Hearing Horo refer to Nora as a “little maiden” with a face full of displeasure, Lawrence intentionally said Nora’s name out loud. Upon hearing this, Horo glanced once at Nora who was behind Lawrence, and immediately pulled her gaze back. Then, she suddenly opened her mouth wide and snatched away the strip of dried meat that Lawrence had between his teeth. Due to having been overly startled, Lawrence simply stared blankly for quite some time. After coming back to his senses, he tried hastily to take back the strip of dried meat, only to be met with a startling glare from Horo, and consequently withdrew his hand. Lawrence did not feel that Horo was angry over being teased, but she looked very much displeased. Seeing Horo intentionally choosing to groom her tail next to him in spite of her displeasure, Lawrence guessed that her spear of wrath was probably not directed toward him. There was clearly only one reason to explain Horo’s displeasure. “Isn’t that why I asked your opinion beforehand?” Although this sounded like an excuse, upon hearing his words, Horo let out a soft “hmph” and spoke: “I cannot even groom my tail in peace.” “You can if you do it inside the cart, can’t you?” “Hmph, if I groom my tail in the cart…..” “Then what?”

Seeing Horo suddenly pause mid-sentence, Lawrence asked in exchange. Hearing this, Horo pouted her lips, the dried meat strip still in her mouth. Apparently it was something she did not wish to speak. Despite wanting very much to know the words Horo had swallowed, Lawrence could not guarantee that Horo would not throw a fit if he were to pursue the matter any further. Perceiving Horo’s emotions to be as difficult to manage as an injured horse, Lawrence turned away his gaze, and brought the leather sack filled with water to his lips. “You seemed to be chatting quite happily.” Lawrence had already thrown Horo to the back of his mind, and having perceived that it was already dark, felt that it was just about time to raise a fire when Horo suddenly cut into the topic. “Hmm? With Nora you mean?” Horo still held the strip of dried meat that she had stolen from Lawrence in her mouth. Although her gaze fell on her tail, the image imprinted in her eyes seemed not to be of the tail she was so proud of. “She said she wanted to talk to someone. I had no reason to refuse, did I?” Lawrence did not think the Sage Wolf was so narrow-minded as to become angry simply because he had had an amiable conversation with a shepherd whom she disliked. Besides, it was Horo who had been feigning sleep the entire time. Nora had shot a furtive glance in Horo’s direction every now and then, apparently wanting very much to talk to Horo, who appeared close to her in age, but in the end had only managed to ask her name and not much else. If Horo had been willing to join the conversation, there should have been plenty of chances to do so. “Besides, I haven’t spoken to a normal girl in ages,” Lawrence looked in Nora’s direction and said in a joking manner. Pulling his gaze back to Horo, his heart suddenly flinched. Horo’s expression had changed all of a sudden. The expression on her face was not one that would have brought joy to Lawrence’s heart, like one of tears due to intense jealousy. Quite the contrary, Horo was gazing at Lawrence with an expression of pity.

“Did you not notice that the little maiden actually does not like talking to you?” “Huh?” Lawrence was just about to turn toward Nora with a suspicious glance, but had shifted his gaze but slightly before stopping. How could he call himself a merchant if he kept falling for the same trick, he thought to himself. Covering up the slight movement of his head in the other direction, Lawrence calmed his emotions, and recalled a saying he had once heard somewhere from a minstrel: “Aie, that is a possibility. If one were to have someone fall for him so easily, he would lose the pleasure of having someone fall for him slowly.” Although Lawrence had only half believed it back when he had heard the minstrel’s words, amazingly, now that the words were coming out of his own mouth, he felt as if they truly described his own sentiments. Compared to being loved at first sight, having someone slowly fall slowly for you was indeed the more pleasurable. However, Lawrence’s remark seemed to have taken Horo quite by surprise. Lawrence could not help thinking that Horo’s face must have lost all expression due to her being overly surprised, the strip of dried meat having fallen from her mouth as well. “I am rather eloquent myself, aren’t I?” Although Lawrence had half said this to achieve a humorous effect, half of him was truly convinced of this. And then, upon hearing Lawrence’s words, like a surf that had suddenly receded, only to rush forth once more as a tidal wave, Horo burst into laughter. “Psch……hahahahaha….just too unsuited….psch….hahahahaha.” Horo hugged her belly, laughing hysterically. A few times she tried to suppress her laughter, failing each time and simply bursting into another round of laughter. In the end, Horo lay prone amongst the mountainous pile of battle equipment, her face flushed bright red and laughing painfully. Lawrence had initially laughed with Horo while observing her reaction, but in the end his expression became bitter. The tail that had been carefully groomed appeared fluffier than usual, and tapped against the cart deck repeatedly as if begging for help.

“Hey, aren’t you going a bit overboard?” Even if the initial purpose had been to inspire laughter, it was no longer interesting when he was being laughed at to such an extent. “Seriously.” Lawrence brought the leather sack to his lips once more, swallowing down the anger of being made fun of with the water, along with the embarrassment of having quoted a minstrel who knew but little on the subject. “Whoo….hoo……ah—I shall die of laughter, pft……” “Are you done laughing?” Lawrence said with a sigh as he watched the sun slowly disappearing at the far end of the horizon. Nothing would have persuaded him to look in Horo’s direction. “Mm, it appears that you have some unexpected moves as well.” Lawrence cast a side glance at Horo, and saw that she was looking back at him, lying on the pile of battle equipment, her face showing fatigue from all the laughing. The truth was, Horo really appeared to be in pain, as if unable to catch her breath after running full speed. “But, if that is enough to improve your mood, then it is worth it.” Even given the fact that she disliked shepherds, Horo had truly seemed very upset. Lawrence did not feel as if Horo would seriously be jealous because he had shared a happy conversation with Nora. When it came to grooming her tail, it was not as if there were absolutely no opportunity to do so either. Could it be that Horo was uncomfortable around strangers? Although Lawrence had considered the possibility, thinking back on what had happened during his first encounter with Horo, Lawrence told himself that Horo was definitely not the type to be shy with strangers. “Hmm? Mood?” The ears that had become revealed when Horo fell over laughing quivered slightly, and the eyes that still carried tears in them turned to Lawrence with a questioning glance. The expression was like that of having witnessed something incredible. “Were you not extremely upset about not being able to groom your tail?”

“…..Oh.” Horo seemed to have remembered. “That is so.” As she replied, Horo’s expression had already regained its tranquility. Sitting up from the pile of battle equipment, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Seeing Horo appearing as if she had just remembered the fact, Lawrence felt that not being able to groom her tail was not really the reason she had been upset at all. It had only been an excuse for her to act upset, and the real cause lay somewhere else. “It cannot be helped.” The tip of Horo’s tail tapped lightly against the inside of the cart with a pshh. “Besides, after being stirred to laughter by that move of yours, it felt foolish to be angry any longer.” After giving another laugh, as if having remembered something, Horo suddenly looked outside the cart and said: “Is not that little maiden cold?” By then, the sun had already set in the West, and the eastern sky dyed ultramarine in color. Horo’s words reminded Lawrence that it was about time to raise a fire. Although Lawrence had heard that shepherds were not in the habit of raising fires, he figured that this was not due to their being particularly resistant to cold, but because they needed to watch over or herd their sheep. As he thought about this, Lawrence looked toward Nora, who was curled up and lying alone on the small sunken plot of grass. At that moment, Lawrence felt something approach his mouth, and turned around to see Horo passing him the strip of dried meat. “Your reward for making me laugh.” “You were laughing in such an exaggerated manner, and all I get is one strip of dried meat?” “You do not want it, then?”

Horo said with a smile of amusement. Despite feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lawrence decided to take the dried meat with his mouth. However, Lawrence ended up biting air, because Horo suddenly withdrew her hand. If he were to continue accompanying Horo, who was laughing to no end, in her play, he would have lost. Lawrence ignored Horo, the expression on his face seeming to say, “I am too lazy to bother with your childish pranks.” Feeling that any further delay in raising the fire would result in their having to eat a cold meal in the frigid air, Lawrence was just about to jump down from the cart’s platform when Horo grasped his clothes and brought her lips close to him. Lawrence was startled. Because Horo’s tear-filled lashes were glittering under the crimson light of sunset. “I am thinking it would not be bad to have raw mutton once in a while, what do you think?” And yet, Horo’s sharp canines were revealed as she said this. With the addition of the bleating of sheep that sounded particularly mournful within the dusk, Lawrence had a difficult time convincing himself that Horo was merely joking. After all, Horo was truly a wolf. Lawrence knocked lightly on Horo’s head with his fist to dissuade her from further pranks, and jumped down from the cart. Horo pouted her lips slightly before letting out a soft laugh. She then picked up some firewood and hay from the cart and handed them to Lawrence.

Chapter 3 Entering Rubinhaigen required getting past two inspection areas. The first was one established along the main paths and encircling the large city of Rubinhaigen in a wide area. The second was one encountered upon entering through the city walls. As soon as a town grew to a scale as large as that of Rubinhaigen, the number of people that entered and exited it was enormous. Therefore, it was necessary to pass through the inspection area installed outside of the city and obtain a permit before entering through the station set within the city walls. Any rule-abiding traveler would surely follow an accepted path, and thus,

one who had not obtained a permit would immediately be expelled upon arrival at the station within the city walls. Such a strict rule existed also to suppress the incidence of large-scale smuggling so common in large cities, as well as the inward flow of counterfeit currency. Apparently, the road that Lawrence and company had taken was not usually traveled by others either; although the inspection area installed there could not necessarily be described as crude, it was nevertheless simpler and plainer than the stations installed along the paths Lawrence usually traveled. The guard there seemed to be familiar with Nora as well. As if having cast some mysterious spell, Nora managed to get the sheep to pass through the inspection area, at which the path had intentionally been narrowed by piling branches and rocks upon the road surface, with effortless ease. After having their baggage inspected, Lawrence and Horo came through the station as well. Arriving outside the city walls of Rubinhaigen, they were met with an inspection area vastly different from the previous, being not only grand in outward display, but strict as well. No powers of royalty existed in the regions around Rubinhaigen, and Rubinhaigen was very much its own ruler. Breaking through the city walls by force was impossible. In the eyes of the world’s people, a city wall consisting of a surrounding wall and aqueducts made by digging gutters and laying down a layer of branches was considered a wall that was strong and worthy of pride. Rubinhaigen’s city walls consisted not only of a stone wall encircling the entire city, but also watchtowers built at regular intervals. Rather than calling it a city, Rubinhaigen was in fact more like a castle. After passing the first inspection area and arriving at the top of a hill upon which an expansive view was offered, Horo could not suppress a sigh of great emotion. Vast fields surrounded the city walls on all sides, and roads extended out from within the city in a radiating pattern, traversing the great fields. Along the roads could be seen farmers chasing after pigs, as well as business teams making their way forward. What appeared to be moving white carpets were visible at a distance, probably the sheep herds led by the shepherds who had this vast territory to themselves. Although it was not uncommon for a shepherd to lead over a hundred sheep at once, in Rubinhaigen, in order to meet the large demand for meat, shepherds of such caliber could probably be found all over the place. After all, everything about Rubinhaigen surpassed normal standards. Lawrence and company followed the hill that offered such a wide view downward, and proceeded through the fields. Due to the immense size of the city, Lawrence had thought that it was quite close while surveying it from the top of the hill, and it was only after they had actually started walking that

he realized the distance was considerably far. Since Nora had to pay attention along the way not to allow her sheep to graze on the crops growing in the fields to both sides of the path, it was a very long time before the group finally arrived at a distance from which the details of the city walls could be clearly seen. Upon arriving at such a distance, Lawrence slowly took out two silver coins as he walked and said, handing them to Nora: “Well, here are the forty Treyiers I promised to pay you.” The Treyier was a very crude copper coin. Lawrence figured that forty copper coins would only serve to add extra weight to Nora’s baggage, and moreover, if she were to simply exchange the two silver coins he had given her, she would probably be able to receive 45 Treyiers. That Lawrence would pay Nora extra was in order to grant her a favor. Although they had been fortunate enough not to have been attacked by wolves during Nora’s escort, her skill was such that not only Lawrence was impressed, but Horo also spoke highly of it. In the future, Nora was sure to become a figure of some significance in the world of shepherding, and Lawrence was making an investment toward such a time. “Huh? But if I had this exchanged, I would end up with too much,” said Nora. “This is an investment,” replied Lawrence. “Investment?” “After all, befriending a skilled shepherd means the possibility of making large unexpected profits when dealing in sheep’s fur.” Lawrence intentionally put on the appearance of a calculating merchant as he spoke. Having heard this, Nora smiled cheerfully, and as if in surrender, accepted the two silver coins. “We will be staying at the foreign firm of the Rowen Trading Guild for a while. When you plan to lead your sheep herd to the grasslands, please pay the firm a visit. I might be able to introduce a merchant who is looking for an escort to you,” said Lawrence. “Alright.” “Ah, I guess I should ask you this first. Is the region in which you can serve as an escort just the area from which we came?” “Uh…...I can go to Kaslata and Poroson. Ah, and Ramtora.”

Kaslata was a far-off town. The area did not contain any places of particular interest. However, Lawrence was surprised at the mention of the town of Ramtora. This was because Ramtora was not governed by Rubinhaigen, which had sovereignty over the nearby area as ruler of the region, and was thus quite a rare town. Ramtora was located to the north of a section of the road from which Lawrence and company had taken here. According to the maps, it was not far from Rubinhaigen, but the area in which it was located possessed geographical conditions that even a knight would fear, in the form a gloomy forest, which was why it was free from invasion by Rubinhaigen, and was the only town in the area in which large numbers of pagans still dwelled. Moreover, the normal path leading to Ramtora was a roundabout path that covered a huge distance. Nora could not possibly have been suggesting that she could be an escort on such a long journey, so she must have been confident that she could pass through the gloomy forest. If that were the case, there should be many merchants interested in heading to Ramtora. “Ramtora huh. If you can go there, you should be able to find customers.” Her eyes gleaming, Nora bowed deeply and said, “I am counting on you.” The action was just like that of someone who had once stayed in a shelter for the poor. “Then, we will be going in through the southeast gate. Let us part ways here.” “Alright. Farewell.” Having said this, Nora shook her suspended bell. Lawrence nodded at her, and turned the cart toward the left. Rubinhaigen covered a huge area, its large entrances alone being seventeen in number. Among its many entrances were also those provided specially for people leading large numbers of sheep or livestock. Nora herself was required to use such an entrance. Besides that, the layout of the streets of Rubinhaigen was a strange and complicated design frequently seen in large cities. It was common sense for one to try to enter through the gate closest to his destination if he knew its location. From this fact, the size of the city was apparent. Somewhat concerned, Lawrence looked back, and discovered that Nora was still following them with her eyes. As soon as she perceived Lawrence’s backward glance, Nora waved in his direction, appearing bittersweet over having to part ways. Of course, it would only have been natural for Lawrence to wave back in response, but he feared that it would cause him once again to become the brunt of Horo’s ceaseless mockery, and so he shot a furtive glance at Horo beside him. Appearing as if having long anticipated Lawrence’s furtive glance, Horo looked at Lawrence and spoke:

“Do you think that I am someone of such bad temperament?” Lawrence gave a strained smile. After waving back at Nora, he turned his body back to face the front. “Mm—I wonder what honey-soaked peaches taste like. This certainly is something to look forward to,” said Horo. “Oh….you still remember that?” Lawrence was just then thinking about how much he would be taxed at the next inspection area for bringing the battle equipment in his cart into the city, only to hear such an irritating remark. “You do not mean to say you will not buy any?” The way Horo tilted her head slightly as she revealed a smile actually gave one a very horrifying feeling. Lawrence looked away, and murmured as if in prayer: “If they aren’t selling any, then I cannot buy any even if I wanted to.” “But of course.” Horo’s tone of voice sounded as if she were absolutely certain that they were being sold. “Oh, one more thing. Perhaps I don’t need to remind you, but in a moment you will need to act even more like a nun than you did at the last inspection area. As long as you are disguised as a nun, the inspection will not be as strict.” “Mm. I am not so foolish as to wish to stir up a commotion within such a big city, but do I look like a nun this way?” “I don’t think you need to worry about that.” It was not until Lawrence had given his honest opinion that he began to regret it. Horo had mentioned before that the Church had given her trouble many times in the past. Saying that she looked like a nun could end up provoking her anger. “Mm. Hehe, I do look like one huh?” And yet, Horo seemed to appear happy. “…..You aren’t angry?” asked Lawrence.

“Hmm? Why should I be?” “Nothing, it’s just that I thought the Church was supposed to count as your enemy.” “Not necessarily. Just like the fact that someone like you exists, basically, nuns are all gentle and kind. Besides, even from my point of view as a wolf, a great many nuns are very beautiful as well. Beauty is something that is not unique to certain species.” So that was why. Lawrence thought thus, and relaxed slightly over Horo’s not having become angry. Indeed, many nuns possessed great beauty. Perhaps this was the result of living according to the virtues of obedience, pureness, and virtuous poverty. But the truth was that many illegitimate children born of nobles were received by the Church. Many women used their beauty as their weapon in hopes of becoming favored concubines to nobles. Likewise, many men utilized their skills in the martial arts or poetry as their weapons in attempts to conquer the hearts of noblewomen. The children born from the union of such people and nobles often grew to be healthier than those given birth by formally-married couples. Most likely, this was because the men and women who wished to win the hearts of nobles were particularly tough. Of course, the children born from such unions often became the source of disputes over rights of succession so common in this world, which was why most of these children were received by the Church. Consequently, the number of beautiful men and women in monasteries and convents had increased as well. “Although, breaking one’s body by fasting endlessly is not a life I could possibly endure.” Hearing this, Lawrence smiled without any other intention. The two proceeded forth along the path beside the city walls. Just as they were thus chatting, a bustling crowd appeared before their eyes. There lay the southeast entrance leading into the city. The grand city gate opened outward, and people were constantly entering or exiting it to depart on a journey. The baggage inspection and background checks were conducted after entering through the city wall. Since the workers in charge of doing the inspections were so many in number, one would barely have needed to wait in line for inspection in spite of the huge number of people entering and exiting.

However, unlike in Poroson, no one here was willing to wait nicely in line, and no one would request such a thing either. If one did not know the correct procedures for getting inspected, he would not be able to enter the city no matter how long he waited here. Lawrence, who did know the correct procedures, paid attention not to let his cart bump into anyone as he drove the cart forward in a zigzag, overtaking the baffled people who had come here for the first time, finally passing through the arched gate in the wall and entering the city. In times of war, this place would become a point of defense, and for that reason, only this part of the city walls was particularly thick. Looking up, Lawrence saw that a latticed suspension gate made up of thick blocks of wood hung overhead. Although Lawrence always wondered apprehensively whether the suspension gate would fall down, he had never heard of such an accident occurring in the past. A short distance before the suspension gate, a large hole was dug in the ceiling, the purpose of which was to allow boiling hot oil to be poured from above when the enemy had invaded its way up till the city walls. The fact that the edges of the hole were somewhat different in color was most likely because it had actually been used several times in the past. After passing through the city walls, Lawrence spotted the inspection area at which the people entering the city were being checked. Visible a little further ahead were the streets of Rubinhaigen. Not only Rubinhaigen, but most large cities were surrounded by strong walls, which made it difficult for them to expand area-wise, and buildings could only grow taller and taller. This trend toward vertical growth was particularly severe among the buildings of Rubinhaigen. As soon as one came through the city walls, the sight that met his eyes was like a cargo hold loaded with merchandise, the buildings that could be seen in every direction appearing like cargo almost filling the hold to its maximum capacity. Looking even further, the Great Temple of Rubinhaigen could be seen, built at the center of the city, its roof standing tall and proud. “Hey you, the merchant over there.” Lawrence pulled his gaze back, following the source of the voice, and discovered that a guard clad in thin leather mail was pointing in his direction. “Being too absorbed in the view of the streets will cause an accident.” “I am very sorry,” replied Lawrence. Next to him, Horo sneered. “Then, the next one! The merchant I just yelled at!” Since the people awaiting inspection were not lined up, the person conducting the inspections was rather arbitrary as well. Although Lawrence felt shameful over having been thus named, he had no choice but to drive his cart obediently over to the inspection officer and bow politely to him.

“Permit,” the man said briefly, as if terribly busy. “Here it is.” “Hmm, from Poroson huh. And the merchandise?” “Twenty sets of battle equipment.” Due to the fact that doing business outside the city walls was strictly forbidden, the quantity of merchandise needed to match the amount recorded on the permit. And yet, upon hearing this, the inspection officer blinked several times, appearing very surprised. “Battle equipment? From Poroson?” “Y….yes. I purchased them from the Radoperon Company. Is something wrong?” Since Rubinhaigen was a city that had originally been built as the base of operations for bands of knights on campaigns against the pagans, even now, it was an important supply base for knights marching north. Consequently, all towns in the surrounding area would send battle equipment to this place, and these supplies were highly sought for as well. Being puzzled over the inspection officer’s reaction, Lawrence questioned him, but the inspection officer immediately shook his head in denial, and looked toward the cargo deck. In the cart were twenty sets of battle equipment, each consisting of a helmet made from leather and metal chains, iron hand guards, a coat of mail and leg protectors, tied together with a rope. Though not a piece of merchandise, the wine, from which a heavy tax would have been levied if it were to be brought into the city, had long since been depleted. There was nothing suspicious on the cargo deck, and the inspection officer seemed to think so as well. He climbed onto the cart, and simply checked to see whether there were any high-tax items such as gold and precious stones hidden within the battle equipment, and immediately jumped back down. Although the inspection had been carried out in haste, given the fact that the inspection officer, in spite of his casualness, had not forgotten even to look through the hay used for raising fires, it seemed that attempting to smuggle something into the city was quite impossible. “Seems that it is indeed battle equipment from Poroson. Then, do you wish to pay the tax in cash, or in merchandise?”

Making a calculation based on the ten percent customs tax, for a bundle of equipment worth a hundred Rumiones, the taxed amount would be ten Rumiones. Ten Rumiones was the equivalent of more than 300 Trenni silvers coins. No merchant would carry such a large amount of cash around, and moreover, it would be very troublesome for the inspection officer to have to count so many coins. Paying a portion of the battle equipment to account for the tax would be to solve several problems at once. Therefore, when Lawrence answered, “In merchandise,” he heard a sigh of relief from the inspection officer, along with a “smart decision.” “Please go over there and turn in two sets of battle equipment.” As he spoke, he wrote something on a piece of paper in his hand with a quill pen, and handed the paper to Lawrence. Having two out of twenty sets of battle equipment deducted as tax counted as a ten percent tax payment. Since the amount was appropriate, Lawrence nodded unhesitatingly, and received the paper. In addition, because Horo’s obedient and quiet appearance was no different than that of a nun, the inspection officer did not question her at all. Rubinhaigen was a Church city, and it would probably become quite problematic if people started suspecting clergy members or nuns. Whatever the case, Lawrence was relieved at being able to get past the inspection area safely. Because the section ahead of them was immensely crowded and driving the cart forward would have been extremely dangerous, Lawrence descended from the driver’s seat and guided his horse while proceeding forth on foot. Upon arriving at the tax administration, the languages that crisscrossed through the air and the clothes worn by the people there were widely diverse. The level of chaos was just like the din of a battlefield. Here could also be heard the sounds of haggling and begging always present in places of tax collection. Naturally, Lawrence had no intention of asking for a tax reduction or putting on any such foolish negotiating behavior. Like an obedient lamb, he turned in two sets of battle equipment to the tax officer. And yet, when Lawrence handed in the piece of paper received from the inspection officer along with the battle equipment, the tax officer furrowed his brow in a frown.

Somewhat disturbed, Lawrence thought: Could it be that something’s wrong? But the tax officer did not ask anything after that. This caused Lawrence to feel a bit heavy at heart, but after passing the inspection area and entering the city, he nevertheless climbed back up to the driver’s seat. Although the inspection officer’s reaction when told that the merchandise was battle equipment was puzzling, they had nevertheless gotten through the inspection area without event, so it was probably nothing to worry about. Even though in his heart, Lawrence persuaded himself thus, he still could not shake off a slight feeling of apprehension. “You.” Horo’s voice sounded without warning, and Lawrence tensed up momentarily, thinking that it would be bad news. “What is it?” Lawrence asked, his expression nervous. At that moment, Horo opened her mouth slowly and said: “Mm, I am hungry.” “……...” Lawrence turned back to face the front, throwing Horo’s request, along with the nervous feeling he had, to the back of his mind.

After entering Rubinhaigen, an enormous temple could be seen from every corner of the city. With the great temple as their center, the city streets extended outward, those closest to the temple and surrounded by the old city walls being referred to as the old district. The areas surrounding the old district were the regular city districts. The shape of Rubinhaigen territory was close to a circle, with the largest gate located at the south end. Upon entering the city through this huge gate, which was large enough even for a siege engine to pass through with ease, the sight that met one’s eyes was an immense plaza

upon which even the kings of other countries would lavish praise, along with a great fountain built using the latest southern technology. There was also a regular marketplace within the plaza. Companies possessing true power and wealth within the city and foreign firms based in powerful regions could be found all over the areas surrounding the plaza. Making one’s way behind these large companies and firms, one would find smaller trade companies, as well as the living quarters and workplaces of craftsmen from various trades. Rubinhaigen possessed five such plazas, each one centered on the great temple and with the south gate at its apex, together forming a pentagon. Each of the five plazas was unique in its own way, and formed a kind of sub-city within the larger city. The gate that Lawrence and Horo had entered through was situated in the southeast portion of Rubinhaigen. Although the plaza seen upon entering this gate was smaller in scale than the south gate plaza, it was an expansive plaza nevertheless. Here, with the plaza as a focal point, stood bronze statues of knights who had performed outstandingly during past campaigns against the pagans, and of priests and saints who had made great contributions to the missionary cause. Numerous vending stands were set up in the plaza. Among the people doing business there were also merchants who had laid down straw mats and set up shop right on the spot. However, no vending stands were to be found next to the statues. Instead, a band performing with musical instruments, along with a minstrel alternating between performances on a simple flute in his hands and singing as well as a jester clad in a bizarre outfit and performing a famous comedy were present there. Among these people could also be seen the forms of pilgrim clergy members clothed in rags preaching, armed with large heavy Bibles, beside whom wandering students dressed in even-more-torn-up rags listened attentively to their sermons. Enjoying the performances while eating food bought from the vending stands, and then listening to the sermons after enjoying these pleasures in order to settle down their hearts appeared to be standard procedure in this city. After finding an inn and leaving their cart there, Lawrence and Horo were on their way to the foreign firm to take care of some necessary procedures when they were drawn in by the savory aroma drifting from the food stands and the jubilant voices coming from the plaza, unconsciously directing their steps toward the source. In their hands they had fried lampreys, which were the cheapest and most commonly-seen snack. Although the lampreys carried a slight taste of soil, the flavor produced by the frying obscured this taste, which made them quite pleasant to eat. When having a nice snack, it was only natural for one to desire a glass of liquor to go with it. By the time Lawrence noticed, he

and Horo were already standing before the drink stand, drinking beer while watching the jester’s comedy performance. “Mm-good taste.” Horo emptied her mug in a single gulp, the froth covering both corners of her mouth, and immediately ordered another beer. Perceiving a generous customer, the owner of the stand did not hesitate to fill his customer’s mug to the brim with beer. Naturally, Horo, who was eating fried lampreys and drinking beer in broad daylight, was not dressed as a nun. Although the nun’s disguise was very useful when entering the city, it would actually have become a hindrance when moving with Lawrence, who was immediately recognizable as a traveling merchant. The reason was that no one appeared more snobbish than a clergy member walking through the streets with a merchant. Thus, Horo had draped a mantle made of rabbit fur over herself to replace her long robe, and folded the top half of her robe down, tying it at her waist to serve as a skirt for covering her tail. As for the troublesome wolf ears, they were covered with a triangular headscarf the likes of which the wives of shop owners would wear. With that, Horo had transformed into a city girl. Young women who had abandoned their tasks and come to the plaza to have fun could be seen all over the place here, so there was no need to fear suspicion. People who saw Horo ordering more beer with no regard for the loss of wallet content would at most think that Horo was swindling the young traveling merchant. In fact, when Lawrence was paying for the beer, the owner said casually to him that he had hooked up with a very costly girlfriend. Too lazy to give explanation, Lawrence could only respond with a strained smile. However, perceiving that the owner’s comment was not entirely off either, Lawrence could not help shaking his head. “Not only is the liquor great, but the city is bustling as well. Very nice, is it not?” said Horo. “The fact that the city is bustling is all the more reason to be cautious. Whatever you do, don’t clash with any knights or mercenaries, or things will get really troublesome.” “You can count on me.” Will it really be alright? Lawrence let out a sigh in place of the question in his heart. “Then, it’s about time to get going.”

By the time Lawrence had finished his second mug of beer, Horo had just finished her fourth, so Lawrence decided to call a timely stop. If things were to go on like this, he felt that they would not even be finished at nightfall.” “Hmm? We have to leave so soon? I am not yet satisfied with drinking,” Horo complained. “Couldn’t you just continue in the evening? Let’s go.” Horo looked at the beer mug, and then at Lawrence before finally submitting and leaving the vending stand. As Horo reached Lawrence’s side, the voice of the owner was heard calling out a “thank you for your patronage,” but the voice was quickly lost within the din. “Where are we headed?” “To the foreign firm….hey, would you please wipe the corners of your mouth?” At last, Horo noticed the froth stuck to the corners of her mouth, and was about to wipe it off with a corner of her sleeve. However, she suddenly changed her mind and, reaching out to grab Lawrence’s sleeve, used it to wipe her mouth instead. “Just you wait.” “Have I not already been struck?” Despite saying this with one hand pressed against her head and eyes glaring at Lawrence, Horo’s other hand remained tightly gripped to Lawrence’s, as if in great fear of losing her way in the crowds. The anger of being knocked on the head seemed to have dissipated in an instant. “But you.” “Hmm?” “Why do I need to accompany you to the foreign firm? I wish to have some more beer at the plaza.” “It’s too dangerous to leave you alone.” Despite Lawrence’s saying so in an admonishing tone, Horo’s first response was to reveal a surprised expression, before saying with a shy smile, as if having gotten the wrong impression: “Mm. My cuteness is all to blame, that it should be too dangerous to leave me alone.”

Horo’s appearance as she walked along and allowed her flax-colored hair, which she rarely revealed, sway in the wind was indeed prone to attracting the gazes of others. There were also those who directed envious glances at Lawrence, who walked with Horo hand-in-hand. Though it would have been a big lie to say that walking hand-in-hand with Horo was not something to be proud of, he was indeed worried that Horo, if left alone, would possibly have ended up stirring up a commotion. Indeed, the plaza was a very joyous place, but the more joyous a place was, the more likely it was for confrontations to occur there. If Horo’s true identity were to be revealed due to some accident, it would have been a big disaster. “No matter how cute you are, that would be insufficient as an excuse to put off church guards or temple knights. If you were to reveal your ears and tail in your drunkenness, the situation would get seriously out of hand,” said Lawrence. “Nonsense. If it comes to such a point, could we not simply abandon all concerns? The worstcase-scenario would simply require me to escape the city carrying you in my mouth. Do you suppose that a wall of such a height would be too tall for me to jump over? I seem to recall an old tale of a knight and a princess that was similar to this.” “You mean the tale in which a knight freed an imprisoned princess and escaped with her in his arms?” “Yes, yes, that is the one.” Despite Horo’s saying this in a joyous manner, Lawrence pictured Horo transforming back to her original form and escaping with him between her teeth, and found that there would not have been any chance for him to perform at all. Worse, the idea of being carried in that great big mouth of Horo’s sent shivers down his spine. “Please don’t do that, whatever happens,” he said. “Mm. The thought of you being the prisoner makes me reluctant to come to the rescue as well.” Lawrence looked to Horo with an acerbic expression, only to meet with a mischievous smile from Horo. After that, the two went through the crowded plaza, heading north, passing through an area densely-lined with a vast array of shops and entering a small alley in which the shop fronts were of plainer design. Lining both sides of the street were not only trade companies, but the Rubinhaigen branches of foreign firms from various regions, as well as the buildings of business

guilds. Among these buildings were those representing commercial alliances formed by most of the town’s merchants, along with those of professional guilds established by textile merchants from different regions. When a merchant’s business was suffering from a crisis or accident, no one in the world would voluntarily lend a helping hand. Just as knights wore armor to protect their bodies, merchants would take advantage of the bonds between people to protect themselves. In fact, the largestscaled commercial alliances even possessed enough power to defy the greatest enemy of merchants—countries that abused their power. There was a story widely-known throughout the world: a commercial alliance that was perhaps the most powerful in the world, consisting of eighteen regions and 23 different trades once clashed with a country that possessed fourteen thousand troops in direct battle. In the blink of an eye, the commercial alliance had won a total victory. The example served as proof of the incredible power of merchants from different countries united under the common purpose of making profit. It was also for this reason that the buildings representing such alliances or guilds were so neatly arrayed, and the members so politely-behaved. This was because if the people were to behave in a rude manner, and a conflict were to develop between the perpetually-competing meat merchant’s guild and fishmonger’s guild, a huge commotion involving the entire city would likely have ensued. Of course, that people would behave decorously was almost always in order to avoid soiling the reputation of the organizations to which they belonged. But to a merchant, polite behavior was apparently even more important, because the most essential requirements of business were trust and reputation. “Then, I’m going in to take care of some business. You wait right here.” Upon arriving before the foreign firm to which he belonged and seeing the building so filled with the colors of his hometown, Lawrence could not help feeling a sense of nostalgia. Yet, thinking of the great distance yet to be covered in their journey toward Horo’s hometown, he could not display his nostalgic emotions too openly. Thinking thus, Lawrence decided to do his best to keep his expression emotionless. At that moment, Horo tilted her head back and said, looking at him: “What, are you not going to take me inside and show off to your fellow townsmen?” Lawrence realized that the somewhat prideful emotion he had carried with him on the way there seemed to have been detected by Horo, but such a level of teasing was not enough to shake him.

“Basically, marriage is the precondition for bringing a woman inside. My fellow townsman are very boorish when congratulating newlyweds. Do you still want to go in?” The traditions regarding this area were basically the same no matter where one went, and Horo, who possessed a good understanding of the human world, seemed to understand this fact as well. She then shook her head, revealing an expression of distaste. “It will only take a little while. Just be good and wait out here, and I’ll buy you some sweet bread,” Lawrence added. “Do not treat me like a child.” “You don’t want any then?” “I do.” Seeing the serious expression with which Horo made reply, Lawrence could not help laughing. Leaving Horo behind, he ascended the stone steps alone and knocked on the door to the foreign firm. No doorbell was installed on the door, indicating that only those who belonged were allowed to knock on it, and which served as a symbol for the exclusion of others. And yet, after a long wait, there was no response. Figuring that everyone was probably at the marketplace during this hour, he opened the door himself and, as he had expected, the interior of the firm was completely silent. The first floor consisted of a spacious lobby, which was normally furnished to resemble a bar in order to provide everyone with a relaxing environment. However, the chairs were now placed on top of the round tables, and a mop stood leaning against one wall. It seemed that someone had been in the middle of cleaning the place. Returning after an entire year, the place had not changed at all. If anything, the only noticeable change was that the head of the firm manager seated behind the bar counter directly opposite the front door had gotten even balder. Perhaps his already big belly had grown even bigger as well, but unfortunately, it seemed hard for him to get up from his chair, so it was impossible to confirm this. Lifting his gaze from his hands, the firm manager revealed a warm smile while remarking with a venomous tongue: “Hoh, isn’t this that good-for-nothing merchant? Coming to slack off in the firm at such an hour, you must not be serious about making money at all. I suggest you change into a thief’s garbs and go rob a bar or something.”

“A truly great merchant can make money without even dirtying his shoes, at most getting some ink stains on his fingertips. Knowing only to run about busily in the marketpla marketplace ce all day is the behavior of a third-rate rate merchant, isn’t that so?” Lawrence would meet with such a barrage of words on every meeting with the firm manager. In his younger days, when he had first become an apprentice, Lawrence would always feel insulted and grow angry. Even he had forgotten since when he had started being able to respond smilingly and in such a casual manner. After his un-flurried flurried reply, Lawrence straightened his back and, drawing his legs together, marched toward the bar counter. Seeingg Lawrence walk over, the portly man seated behind the counter slapped his own forehead and burst into laughter. “Oh, your mouth is getting fiercer and fiercer. My son, it’s good to have you back,” said the man. “Stop calling me ‘son’”

“What are you talking about? Everyone in the Rowen Trading Guild is my child.” With a strained smile, Lawrence shook hands with the firm manager, and heard him say mattermatter of-factly. “Besides, I even know the number of times you wet your bed when you were out camping. God tells us that a good father would know to understand his own son. Or do you want me to tell

the story of when you and your buddies stole the guild’s earnings to go to a whorehouse, trembling all the while?” “I got it, I got it. I am the son of the great father Jacob (note: pronounced “Yehcob”) Tarantiano, Craft Lawrence.” “Ah ah! Craft, you finally come home to your home in Rubinhaigen after one year! How are the family members in other towns faring?” Jacob’s imposing manner, which was the same as always, gave Lawrence a feeling that was both painful and wonderful, like that experienced when drinking strong liquor. To a merchant, a foreign firm was precisely a home on foreign soil. Only at home would one experience such an imposing manner of treatment. “Thanks to the saint’s blessing, they are all doing well.” “Wonderful. Well, since you have met all these family members along the way, I’m sure your money pouch is quite full by now? If your money pouch is too heavy, your pants will drop, and if your pants drop, the girls will hate you. So, I’m sure you would want to keep a good image, isn’t that right?” Hearing this, Lawrence did not even feel like retorting. Faced with such an imposingly-phrased request for donation, he answered with a smile: “I hear that when a person gets old, he becomes bad at counting small sums. But if it’s this, I’m sure even master Jacob would be able to tell the sum right away, right?” Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Lawrence pulled ten silver coins out of the pouch tied to his waist, and piled them on the counter as if showing off. If one were to reluctantly take out two or three copper coins, he would have been bombarded with venomous curses. Lawrence’s action was partly due to a desire to vent his strong emotions, and partly because the profits from the spices had just been too good. The purpose of the generous donation was also to tell Jacob that he was already capable of conducting such large business. Perceiving this, Jacob laughed heartily, saying: “Hahahahaha, so the bed-wetting brat has grown up to the point of being able to take out silver coins eh! This sure is something to be happy about.” “You don’t really need to add the ‘bed-wetting brat,” do you?”

“In my eyes, you still are a bed-wetting brat.” Hearing this, Lawrence shrugged his shoulders, and Jacob’s laughter rose up once again. “You specially coming here at such a time means you just happen to be doing business nearby, right? Need a certificate?” “Yes,” replied Lawrence. “I sure long to see the day you become a merchant whose name alone is enough to cause others to pay their respects,” Jacob said in his laughter. After answering a “so do I,” Lawrence remembered that there was one more thing that he wished to tell Jacob. “By the way, is there anyone at the firm who wishes to go to Ramtora?” Taking out a quill pen and ink bottle and placing them on the counter, Jacob looked at Lawrence with a raised eyebrow as he spoke: “Why do you ask?” “Nothing, it’s just that I have come up with an idea that will provide a shortcut to Ramtora in exchange for some compensation.” Jacob’s gaze circled once in the air before settling on Lawrence. The smile that had surfaced on his face indicated that he understood Lawrence’s meaning. “Aha, you’re talking about that shepherdess, right?” For a moment, Lawrence inhaled sharply, but after thinking more carefully about it, he came to the understanding that it was impossible for the merchants in Rubinhaigen not to know that there were girls such as Nora who were working as shepherds. Moreover, if that were the case, it was quite likely that other merchants had come up with the same idea well before Lawrence did. “Many have had ideas similar to your own, especially back when new roads were first being paved in that girl’s area of activity. However, there is currently no one doing such a business, and no one has ever requested that girl to be an escort. Do you know why?” Watching Jacob speaking fluidly while writing up a certificate with a swishing sound from his pen, Lawrence replied with a sigh:

“Because it’s not a viable business?” Nodding his head, Jacob lifted his head to say: “Among all the people active in that region, only that girl has remained safe and sound. The city inhabitants refer to the girl as Nora the wonderfully-skilled elf, and she is quite popular. However, I probably don’t need to tell you for you to imagine the Church’s attitude toward all of this, right? What this means is that if you don’t want to get into a conflict with the painfullytroublesome Church, don’t get involved with that girl.” Having said this, Jacob inserted the tip of the quill pen into the ink bottle and, revealing a malevolent smile, looked toward Lawrence to say: “I know the elf Nora is the type you’re into, but it’s better for you to give up. I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t for your own good.” Although Jacob’s teasing words were no different from the words he would use to greet someone in the morning, because he had hit the nail on the head, Lawrence could only respond with a strained smile. “Do you want the other party written on the certificate, or should I leave that spot blank?” asked Jacob. “No, please write ‘Remario Company’ on there for me.” In that instant, Jacob paused in his movements. He looked toward Lawrence with a merchant’s eyes. “Remario Company huh? Since you know the identity of the buyer beforehand, could it be that you purchased on credit?” “Yes, I bought the items in Poroson. Is there a problem?” Hearing Lawrence question thus, the stern expression on Jacob’s face disappeared like a fish beside the shore suddenly diving beneath the surface of a pond.” “Hmm. Well, you’ll find out when you go there…..now, take the certificate.” When selling something to a company he was visiting for the first time, the fear of the traveling merchant was that he would be viewed as an outsider and forced to sell his merchandise cheaply. This occurred less frequently in towns similar to Poroson or Pattio in scale, but in a city as large as Rubinhaigen, if a company of the city had close dealings with the various foreign firms or guilds, this was a common occurrence. To companies accustomed to conducting deals

involving large sums, the small-sum deals of traveling merchants were practically as worthless as dust. Therefore, a traveling merchant would clearly indicate to the other party the guild to which he belonged in order to demand its respect. As long as he displayed the sign of the guild, the other party would not respond carelessly. “The Rowen Trading Guild is under the protection of St. Lambardos. I shall be praying for your fortune,” said Jacob. “Yes……” Accepting the certificate that proved his affiliation with the Rowen Trading Guild, Lawrence replied dubiously to Jacob, who appeared to know something. Even if he were to ask, Jacob would probably not have said anything. Lawrence’s past experience told him thus. However, the things Jacob was unwilling to say could usually be figured out simply by doing a bit of extra thinking or investigating. Just what was it? Lawrence sank into contemplation. “You’ll know when you get there. Given your cleverness, I’m sure the situation will develop in a positive direction.” Jacob’s words threw Lawrence’s train of thought into even greater disorder. However, Lawrence figured that since Jacob had already said that he would find out when he got there, the only thing that could be done was to go through with it. In all likelihood, it was probably something like the Remario Company being in a state of chaos due to a large sudden inflation or crash in the price of a particular product. Lawrence decided not to think any more of it, and turned around after thanking Jacob. Since he had already purchased the merchandise and had already arrived here ready to make the sales, thinking too much now would not have amounted to anything. Yet, just as Lawrence reached out a hand to open the door, Jacob halted him. Looking back, he saw Jacob reveal an extremely delighted expression and say: “Also, it is still way too early for you to be keeping a mistress within a golden house. Even that delicate elf Nora is not someone you’d be able to manage. If the person you’re seeing is a city girl, that tiny bit of profit you have will be gone in no time.”

Even though there were windows on the wall, they were not the kind of glass windows found in the buildings of large companies, but windows covered with oil-soaked linen. These windows allowed only a small amount of sunlight to come through, and obviously, one could not see the outside through the windows either. Even so, Jacob seemed to know that Horo was right outside the door. The sharp eyes of his from which nothing ever escaped was proof that managing a firm in a foreign country was not a job that anyone could qualify for. “If there were no benefits to be had, I wouldn’t make the investment,” said Lawrence. “Hahaha! Well said, you bed-wetting brat.” Hearing Jacob’s words, Lawrence responded only with a strained smile. He then reached out to open the door and, as if to keep the laughter locked indoors, closed the door with his back to it. Every time he saw people like Jacob, he would be reminded of his younger days when his ardent desire to surpass these older merchants would always make him restless with anxiety. Though nostalgic, the memories nevertheless carried a trace of bitterness, like the painful and itchy sensation of frostbite. “I’m still too green after all,” Lawrence murmured inside. He shifted his gaze toward the bottom of the steps, and at that very moment, Horo turned to look at him as well. “Oh, he has come out. That there is my companion.” Horo sat on the stone steps, impolitely pointing a finger at Lawrence. Standing before her were two youngsters who appeared to be craftsmen apprentices. The two youngsters looked to be around Horo’s age (note: appearance-wise, of course!), about fifteen or sixteen at most. They were carrying some things in their hands, apparently out running errands for their master. Hearing Horo’s remark, the two young men who were just beginning to grow facial hair directed Hostile glances in Lawrence’s direction. Though not wanting to bother with them, Lawrence still let out a small intentional sigh. That alone was enough to scare them off. In terms of both identity and income, a craftsman apprentice and a merchant who had joined a guild were a great distance apart. Most likely, the two youngsters had decided to talk to Horo after seeing her alone and with nothing to do, and now, apparently knowing that they stood no chance against Lawrence, the two exchanged a brief glance before running off in a flurry. “Heh, how cute. Those two said I was a delicate rose,”

Horo said, laughing as she watched the backs of the two young men. Lawrence, on the other hand, wore an acerbic expression as he spoke: “Don’t go giving such people too much attention. Craftsmen apprentices are no different from hungry dogs. Careful you don’t get kidnapped.” “If I were kidnapped, you could just come and rescue me, is not that so?” Seeing Horo’s uncalculating smile and hearing a remark contrary to his expectations made Lawrence somewhat happy at heart, and he replied with a completely serious face: “Aye, I would go rescue you.” Hearing this, Horo revealed a smile and stood up. “Although, the truth is that I saved you.” Checkmated once again. Lawrence walked down the stone steps, covering his eyes. Laughing gleefully, Horo clung to his right arm and said: “Though I know not what kind of ‘benefits’ you are expecting to get, I see no harm in allowing you to invest.” “……So, you heard huh?” “This lovely set of ears I have here can hear even the sound of you furrowing your brow with perfect clarity. Oh by the way, you like blonde hair, do you?” The words that suddenly came out of Horo’s mouth were completely unrelated to the conversation at hand. Before he even had a chance to utter a “huh,” Lawrence heard Horo continue: “Is it that feeling of having a life of hardship? Or is it that you like that feeling of someone who has endured much wind and frost? Could it be that you truly think so well of shepherds?” Likes the ropes of a suspension bridge snapping one after the other, Horo threw out question after question. In a panic, Lawrence looked toward Horo, and discovered that she still wore a smile on her face. The smile was what caused him the most fear.

“Wait a minute, the manager Jacob’s words are just like a way of greeting. He loves to say things like that every chance he gets. I don’t feel that way at all.” “Don’t you?” Beside him, Horo showed a gaze that seemed to say, “Do not lie.” Lawrence could only respond honestly. “I do think that Nora is nice, more….more or less. Chatting with her….uh….is quite pleasant as well. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t think well of you, or that you are anything bad……I absolutely do not think that.” As he spoke, Lawrence could not help feeling terribly embarrassed, and did not dare look at Horo at all. From the day he was born up till the present, he had never spoken words such as these. Yet, with much effort, Lawrence finished what he was trying to say, took a deep breath, and when his emotions had calmed down considerably, shot a furtive glance in Horo’s direction. Horo was right then looking at Lawrence, her expression carrying a bit of surprise. “I had only planned to tease you a little bit…..” Hearing Horo say this, embarrassment and anger almost caused Lawrence to break into a fit of rage. However, the moment he saw Horo reveal a happy smile, the anger pent up inside him dissipated all at once. “I had not expected for you to answer so earnestly. I….am so happy.” Having said this, Horo lowered her head and hugged Lawrence’s arm with some force. Such interaction lacked the feeling of mutual trickery that characterized a negotiation between merchants, but was rather the kind of interaction that allowed two people to know how much the distance between them had narrowed. Almost unconsciously, and with no regard for the eyes of onlookers, Lawrence was ready to slip his left arm behind Horo’s back. However, he managed to hug only air. That was because Horo had suddenly moved her body away without a sound. “However, males are like this all the time, speaking such sweet-sounding words.”

Seeing Horo’s appearance, which seemed both sad and deeply fearful of injury, no matter how slow Lawrence was, he would still have easily been able to guess what was on her mind. Horo was feeling angry because of someone who had made empty promises and hurt her in the past. However, Lawrence was a merchant, and would always stay true to his promises. “Therefore, can you prove it to me with something concrete? I have heard that knights relinquish their shield and sword as a sign of their sincerity. What will you do to prove yours to me?” Lawrence had also heard before that a knight would hand his sword and shield to the other party during an oath of loyalty, because the shield and sword represented a knight’s soul. What then was the soul of a merchant? It went without saying that it was money. However, even if handed a bag full of gold, Horo would surely have displayed an expression of disappointment. Such being the case, the situation called for something that would please her and at the same time be purchasable with money, the soul of a merchant, in order to display his sincerity in not hesitating to pay any amount of money for her sake. At that moment, a product surfaced in Lawrence’s mind: honey-soaked peaches, a top-grade delicacy. “I got it. Allow me to prove then that I am not a person who takes promises lightly.” Horo showed a gaze that carried a hint of doubt yet was filled with anticipation all the same. If there were something he could do to satisfy the eager anticipation of these slightly-reddish amber eyes, a bit of honey-soaked peaches was a small price to pay. Erecting his chest, Lawrence said: “I’ll buy honey-soaked peaches for…..” Halfway through his utterance, Lawrence noticed that something was out of place. More specifically, it was the triangular headscarf on Horo’s head. Perceiving that Lawrence has stopped talking, Horo tilted her head slightly. And then, she cried out softly, “Ah,” and hastily covered her head with her hands. “You….could it be that you…..”

“Wh….what? What was that? What did you say you were going to buy for me?” To be able to say something like that even at such a time, one could not but admire her slyness. Yet, Lawrence could not have simply laughed it off. The triangular headscarf on Horo’s head could not have been more conspicuous. The ears beneath the headscarf were shaking with unusual excitement, which indicated one fact— This was Horo’s scheme. “Do you know that there are things you can and cannot do!?” Seeming to understand that her scheme had been discovered, Horo pouted her lips disagreeably, and shot an acute glance at Lawrence as she replied: “Is it not you who wished for me to act cute when desiring something from you?” For a moment, Lawrence did not understand what Horo was talking about, but he quickly recalled the conversation between them when they had just arrived in Poroson, and instantly leaned back in disbelief. “I meant for you to speak honestly when you wanted to buy something, not for you to use trickery and manipulate me into buying things!” “But am I not cute this way?” Lawrence could not stand the fact that he was unable to find any words with which to retort, but what he could not stand even more was that looking at Horo’s appearance as she laughed in such an unembarrassed manner made it impossible for him to continue being angry. “However, you are many times cuter than I am. Seeing your reaction is more moving than having succeeded in my scheme.” Not wanting to pay Horo any more attention, Lawrence walked off with quick steps. Horo caught up swiftly with him, laughing all the while. “You, do not be angry mm?” Lawrence looked at Horo with a gaze that seemed to say, “Who do you think it was that made me angry in the first place?” Horo on her part was still laughing ceaselessly. “I was speaking the truth when I said that I was happy. Are you still angry then?” said Horo.

The long, flax-colored hair that swayed in the wind brought out the features of Horo’s smiling face. Lawrence’s face twisted involuntarily. At that moment, Lawrence wanted only to drink a few glasses of liquor to his silent male horse. “I got it. Not angry, I’m not angry. Is that good enough?” Horo sealed her victory with a snicker before letting out a soft sigh and saying: “It would be a big problem if we were to get separated. Can we hold hands?” Although going back to the inn required passing through the crowded plaza once more, even if they were to have gotten separated, Horo would surely have been able to find her way back. Of course, Lawrence was not unaware that this was simply Horo’s excuse. In the face of this sly wolf, Lawrence could only surrender. “Aye, it would be quite troublesome if we were to get separated.” Smiling warmly, Horo slipped her hand gently into Lawrence’s. At best, Lawrence could only slightly strengthen his grip on Horo’s hand. “Then, where are the honey-soaked peaches?” At that very moment, the bell toll that signaled the arrival of noontime sounded, and at the same time raised the curtains to a new challenge.

The Remario Company was a distributor which had set up shop in Rubinhaigen. From the Radoperon Company in Poroson, Lawrence had half-threateningly purchased battle equipment worth more than his entire fortune, because he was deeply convinced that a steady profit could be made from it. Simply by selling the battle equipment to the Remario Company, which had frequent dealings with the Radoperon Company, he could pay the Radoperon Company back without actually returning to Poroson. This was all thanks to a merchant’s wisdom, because all that was required was for some adjustments to be made to his account book.

From a large street where a big crowd was gathered, Lawrence wound his way to a small adjacent alley, and arrived at the Remario Company. Even though this was the backdoor of the Remario Company, the company only had a large entrance installed at its backdoor, so as to facilitate the processes of loading and unloading cargo. In a city as large as Rubinhaigen, driving one’s cart directly to a company’s front door was without a doubt what a country bumpkin would do. Doing something like that in a large crowded street would only draw contempt, and even the most highly-demanded items could not be sold then. Moreover, in many crowded streets, the entry of merchant carts was prohibited in the first place. For this reason, the number of horses pulling carts appeared even more numerous than the number of pedestrians in this alley adjacent to the large street. At that moment, Lawrence suddenly frowned. Only the front of the Remario Company appeared unusually quiet. “Is this company run by monks?” remarked Horo. “If the company were run by monks, you would at least be able to hear the sound of prayer, but there’s not even that. Just what in the world is going on?” As she chewed on a bread roll for lunch, Horo lifted her triangular headscarf slightly and moved her ears, listening. However, Lawrence was not in such a casual mood as to depend on such a lazy method to find out what was going on. Jumping down from the driver’s seat, he passed through the wooden passage that served as an entryway for horse-drawn carts entering the store, and entered the company’s unloading bay. In the cramped city of Rubinhaigen, where the buildings were so densely arranged and where the people liked to joke that “the penniless have to sleep standing,” retaining a space for an unloading bay was considerably difficult. Even under such circumstances, the Remario Company’s unloading bay possessed enough space to hold at least three large horse-drawn carts. Speaking in terms of merchandise, it was certainly enough to easily hold a hundred sacks of wheat. At one corner of the unloading bay, there was even a table for negotiating deals and a counter for currency exchange. On the wall was attached a piece of sheepskin paper on which a prayer for the thriving of the company’s business was written. The Remario Company’s unloading bay could be considered quite stately. Yet at present, such a stately unloading bay was in a state of disarray, dried chaff and hay scattered all over the floor, along with horse dung and product remains. No matter how one

looked at it, there was no sign to indicate that it was cleaned on a daily basis. Besides that, there was not even an unloader (note: a worker whose job is to unload cargo) to be found. Since business fluctuated between good and bad as a matter of course, it was not unusual for there to be a complete absence of customers every now and then. Yet, even if there were no customers, the storefront should at least have been kept clean and neat. This practically looked like a company that had gone bankrupt. Before doing anything else, Lawrence turned back and jumped back up to the driver’s seat. Next to him, Horo had apparently already finished her bread. A rustling was heard from her paper bag, after which Horo took out a meat pie. If Lawrence remembered correctly, the meat pie was supposed to be his lunch. “To eat so much, aren’t you worried at all that the sound of your chewing will be too loud for those ears you’re so proud of to be effective?” “Very nice irony. However, for the sake of my reputation, I must say that I can at least hear activity inside that building.” As soon as she had finished, she boldly took a large bite out of the meat pie. Apparently, she was not planning on sharing just a small portion of someone else’s lunch. “There are people inside?” asked Lawrence. “Yes…..guh, bwut…..but the atmosphere is somewhat tense. At least it is not a happy atmosphere.” Hearing these words from Horo, and seeing the deserted appearance of the unloading bay, the five-tiered wooden building of the Remario Company began to give Lawrence goose bumps. There was no place more cursed than the building of a company gone bankrupt. When a company went bankrupt, the Church would often have to hold masses to mourn the dead during the week that followed. “Even so, it’s pointless to hesitate. If the merchandise is not sold, no money can be made.” “If the meat pie is not eaten, no nutrition can be obtained.” “I was planning to eat it later.” Before driving the cart forward, Lawrence shot a glare at Horo, only to be answered with a glance that seemed to say, “Quit whining.” However, apparently feeling that eating the entire pie would inspire a sense of guilt, she broke in half what remained of the pie in her hand, and handed one half to Lawrence. The portion

was only a quarter of what Lawrence had intended to eat, but having figured that complaining further would probably cause him to lose even that, Lawrence snatched away the pie as if stealing something. The meat pies sold at vending stands usually used meat that had almost expired according to meat store guild regulations, in other words, raw meat that was no longer fresh, ground and then used as pie filling. However, the meat pies sold in the top quality Church city Rubinhaigen seemed to be of top quality as well. In two bites, Lawrence finished the pie that fully brought out the savory flavor of the meat as he continued to drive the cart toward the unloading bay where not a living soul could be seen. Pat pat…the sound of horse hooves rose up in the unloading bay. Being, after all, workers who had been employed here for years, the people inside seemed to perceive the sound. After allowing his horse to step several times on the spot, and just as he was jumping down from the driver’s seat, the company’s unloader came out as well. “I don’t believe it is Sunday yet. What is the matter here?” Lawrence inquired. “No…uhm….something has come up. Did you just arrive in Rubinhaigen today, sir?” Despite speaking somewhat haltingly at first, the middle-aged unloader suddenly began to size up Lawrence with an acute eye. Seeing a gaze like that of a bandit guessing the amount of money in a rich man’s pouch, Lawrence’s instinct as a merchant told him that there was danger. Furthermore, upon closer examination, he noticed that the unloader appeared well-worn with fatigue. Even though unloaders were usually in charge of menial tasks and thus would not be found in elegant dress, they would still normally appear full of life. The situation was bad, very obviously bad. “No, I arrived a few days ago, but had to take care of a few things first. I see that you are busy. In that case, I’ll come back next time. It’s nothing particularly urgent anyway.” Purposely not looking at the unloader, and without waiting for a reply, Lawrence prepared to climb back up to the driver’s seat. Horo seemed to notice as well that something was out of place. Looking to Lawrence, for an instant she revealed a questioning glance, but then immediately lowered her head. A normal city girl would probably not have reacted so sensibly. Horo’s self-referred title of Sage Wolf was indeed well-earned. And so, the unloader took the bait just like that.

“Please don’t say that, but stay for a little while. You sir look like a merchant of some renown. How then can I allow you to return empty-handed? Certainly that would be most rude.” If Lawrence were to have simply ignored him, criticism directed at him would probably have spread throughout town. Yet the merchant’s blood flowing within him boiled continually. Hurry and flee! There is surely danger here. “No no, a merchant of my caliber can at most sell a complaint.” When arriving somewhere to market merchandise, easily debasing oneself was the behavior of a third-rate merchant. Although members of the clergy would praise modesty as a virtue, to a merchant, being modest was equivalent to seizing his own throat and not letting go. Even so, Lawrence decided that the best plan would have been to flee the place first. The way Horo remained completely still convinced Lawrence even more that this was so. “Sir, you need not intentionally debase yourself. Even a blind beggar could tell that you sir are elegantly-dressed,” came the unloader’s reply. “Even if you flatter me, you won’t be able to obtain any benefits.” Lawrence sat down in the driver’s seat, and gripped the reins. Perceiving this, the unloader seemed to understand that it was about time for him to give up. He straightened his body, which had been leaning forward due to his desperate desire to make Lawrence stay. Seems like I’m out of trouble, Lawrence thus judged, and said to the unloader: “I will take my leave then.” “Very well…..though it is a shame that we did not have the pleasure of doing business with you, you are welcome to come again.” Revealing a lowly smile, the unloader took a step back. Believing that this was just the right opportunity to leave, Lawrence prepared to turn the cart around. Just as Lawrence was about to cross into the safety zone, the unloader suddenly threw out a statement: “Ah, I forgot to inquire as to what your name was.” “I am Lawrence of the Rowen Trading Guild.”

Only after having unconsciously given his name did Lawrence realize that, before fully grasping the situation, it was probably not a good idea to give out his identity. However, after thinking a bit more carefully about it, he decided that allowing the other party to know his name at present was not particularly inappropriate. Because the other party had probably not yet grasped the purpose of Lawrence’s visit to the company. And yet“Mr. Lawrence is it? I remember now. You have come from the Radoperon Company,” the unloader said, suddenly revealing a content smile. The terrible chill that Lawrence felt running down his spine in that moment was truly difficult to describe in words. Logically speaking, this unloader could not possibly have known Lawrence’s name. “It should have been arranged for you to bring some battle equipment from the Radoperon Company to our company, correct?” Lawrence experienced a wave of bitter chill that made him want to throw up, along with a feeling that he had stepped into a terrifying trap. The feeling did not arise from logical thinking, but from instinct which screamed it out loudly. Lawrence felt a wave of nausea, and his vision became distorted. It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, right? “Here’s the situation: last night a fast horse arrived from Poroson conveying the message that the Radoperon Company was transferring all creditor rights to our company. In other words, we are now your creditors, Mr. Lawrence.” The decisive statement. Normally speaking, one would not send out a fast horse specially for the sake of informing of a creditor rights transfer. However, if the situation were not a normal one, then this would indeed be possible. For instance, if two companies were allied in deception. If he had not been sitting in the driver’s seat, Lawrence would surely have been sprawled on the ground right then.

Even sitting in the driver’s seat, Lawrence’s body collapsed due to his being completely incapable of accepting the unloader’s words. A bit shocked, Horo supported Lawrence’s body, and said in a questioning tone: “Exactly what is going on?” Lawrence did not even want to think about it. And yet the unloader replied mercilessly: “The merchant beside you, he has conducted a failed business, just like us.” That the unloader would appear so gleeful was undoubtedly because he was happy over finding someone in just as bad a situation as he was. “What?” Lawrence turned his head back to look at Horo. He could only pray that this was all a dream. “The price of battle equipment crashed quite some time ago. That old fox of the Radoperon Company has tricked you into buying a bad stockpile.” Before his eyes, there was nothing but darkness. “I’ve been set up…..” The hoarse voice indicated that none of this was a dream.

Chapter 4 “Everyone has to play by the rules. You understand that, don’t you?” There was not a merchant who was not afraid of hearing such words. Neither was there a merchant who would not sigh in distress over what he would then be faced with. “I am a merchant too, so of course I understand that.”

And thus, having heard this, Lawrence could only manage to squeeze out these few words. “The matter is simple. Of the precisely 100 Rumiones’ worth of battle equipment you purchased from the Radoperon Company, the amount you have on loan according to the credit loan certificate amounts to a total of 47-and-three-fourth Rumiones. All you have to do is return that sum to us. However, there is a deadline attached to the loan. You should be aware of the implications, right?” Having this declared to him, Lawrence felt like a deflated balloon. Yet, the one who had thus declared, Remario, appeared even more like a completely deflated balloon. The deeply hollowed eye sockets and gaunt cheeks that made up his appearance could only be described as emaciated. He wore a shirt that appeared as if it had not been washed for days, and his eyes gave off an odd gleam. Despite already being rather small in stature, the face that had taken on a dark hue due to fatigue caused Remario to look like a small, injured bear. The truth was, he was indeed injured, and fatally at that. The owner of the Remario Company, Hans Remario had already reached an age at which his hair was beginning to turn white. Without the grace even to smooth his black hair, he continued at once: “I hope you will be able to repay your debt immediately. If it is not paid back immediately…..” If the other party had been wielding a knife and threatening him right then, Lawrence would perhaps have actually felt much more at ease. “We will be forced to seek compensation from the Rowen Trading Guild.” This was the threat most feared by merchants who were members of a foreign firm. In the blink of an eye, the foreign firm, which had originally been a traveling merchant’s second home, would become a place for collecting his debt. In that instant, a traveling merchant, who had practically abandoned his hometown and taken to the road, would lose his place of spiritual consolation. “However, the deadline for repayment of this credit loan is the day after tomorrow. We shall give you two days then. When that time comes, please pay back the 47-and-three-fourth Rumiones in full.” This was not a sum that could be gathered in a mere two days. Even if Lawrence were to collect back all the debt still owed to him, he would still have less than half of that amount.

A single Rumione was enough to pay for three months’ worth of living expenses, so even a child would understand just how large a sum 47 Rum Rumiones was. Naturally, the small bearlike Remario also understood, which was why he had said what he did. Bankruptcy. The word surfaced before Lawrence’s eyes.

“By the way, how do you plan to dispose of the battle equipment you have on hand? No matter where you try to sell it, you will probably either have to give it aaway at next-to-nothing nothing prices, or not find any buyers at all.” Remario’s smile, which carried a hint of self self-mockery, mockery, was not intended to ridicule Lawrence. The fact that this owner of the Remario Company was in such a pallid state was precisely because of the sudden crash in the price of battle equipment, which had pushed him to the brink of bankruptcy. The Church City of Rubinhaigen was the supply house for knights, mercenaries and clergy members heading to the North on punitive expeditions against the pagans. Because of that, battle equipment and Bibles were items that promised a steady profit in this place. Moreover, with the arrival of the harsh winter each year, Rubinhaigen would always hold a large-scale scale expedition. Although this was a customary m march arch held in commemoration of and corresponding to the birthday of St. Rubinhaigen, due to the participation of mercenaries and bands of court knights from various countries, battle equipment, Bibles, food rations, winter garments, horses and medicinal her herbs were all highly-sought-for products.

This year, the expedition had been canceled at the last moment. The pagan lands, which had now become a battleground, were separated from the Rubinhaigen-governed regions by a country of immense territory. Due to political turmoil, the country’s relations with Rubinhaigen had rapidly deteriorated, resulting in the cancellation of the expedition. The problems in the relations between the two countries might have been resolved quite easily had this neighboring country been a normal one, but this country bordered pagan territory, and was quite tolerant of the pagan population. Pagan towns could also be found everywhere within its borders, the closest of which was Ramtora. As such, regarding those who needed to traverse this country in their march against the pagans, the pagans dwelling there might have silently allowed their passage in the past on the grounds that the expedition was a customary activity, but now there was no longer any guarantee that these pagans would not attack them. Each year’s expedition would include the participation of the ruler of the archbishop district, the archbishop himself, or the blood relatives of the emperor of the Great Southern Empire, and risks could therefore not be afforded. Consequently, there had been no choice but to cancel the expedition. One look at the plight of the Remario Company, which had been operating in Rubinhaigen for many years, was enough to understand just how big a shock the truth of the expedition’s cancellation had been to merchants. Even so, Lawrence should have long since discovered this during his travels. He should have realized from the very start that a band of mercenaries who were based in the battlefields of the North lingering around the borders of Rubinhaigen was a sign indicating that a change had occurred in the warzone. Moreover, a bit of thought over the crash in the value of battle equipment and the means by which information was passed on yielded the revelation that the owner of the Radoperon Company had already received news of the crash back when Lawrence was purchasing battle equipment in Poroson. In other words, Lawrence had originally thought that he had managed to grasp the opponent’s weakness, forcefully completing a deal that was greatly to his favor, when in fact he had only been playing into his opponent’s hand in purchasing the battle equipment which had suffered an immense devaluation. The owner of the Radoperon Company must have been secretly laughing to no end over being able to sell the battle equipment whose market value had crashed to Lawrence at such a good price. Moreover, the owner must have known that due to the crash, it would not be possible for him to get back the sum he had loaned to Lawrence, and possibly in order to avoid trouble, had decided to transfer the creditor’s right to the Remario Company, a long-time business partner, so as to more or less provide a bit of help. Within this network of loss and gain, Lawrence had gotten the short end of the stick. This failure was such that Lawrence wished to put an end to his misery right then and there.

The god of death had brought with him a coincidence of no good effect, and how cruel was the goddess of fate! Even so, in the end, Lawrence could only act tough. “I shall figure out a way to sell it at a good price for you to see. Let’s settle the debt two days from now then. Would that be a problem?” “Not at all, I shall eagerly await your appearance.” The two were covered in greasy perspiration, as if a light would cause them to burst into flames. However, the two did their best to act in a gentlemanly fashion, so as to keep the discussion from getting out of control. This was their pride as men. Next came their pride as merchants. Seeing Lawrence rise from his seat, Remario added as if to bid farewell: “In case the need arises, I guess I’ll tell you this. Our company has vending stands situated near each of the city gates. If you happen to need something, you are welcome to visit them.” What Remario meant was—attempting to escape from Rubinhaigen was futile. “Surely the vendors would be wrapped up with doing business. Thank you for your suggestion, but I do not feel that there would be such a need.” If Horo had been beside him at that moment, she would probably have given a strained smile over the two men’s insistence on acting tough. However, it was also Lawrence’s desire to compete with Remario. The truth was, the two men were already at their limits. As soon as one became bankrupt, his situation was equivalent to having society announce the death sentence to him. This was even more miserable than the life of a beggar who lived from day to day under the torment of cold and starvation. If he were caught by his creditor, all of his possessions would be taken from him and sold, and even his hair would be shaved off and sold. If he possessed beautiful teeth, they would also be ripped out to be used as false teeth. In the end, even his freedom would be sold, and he would have to endure the torments of toiling in a mine or slave ship until death. And yet, such would be considered fortunate. In the worst case scenario, he would be forced to serve as a scapegoat for crimes committed by aristocrats or people of wealth and face punishment. When the end came, not only would no one be there to prepare his grave, there would likewise be no one to mourn his death. That was exactly how bankruptcy was. There was no choice but to give everything he had now. “Then, I shall take my leave,” said Lawrence.

“I shall eagerly await the day after tomorrow. May God protect you!” Upon discovering someone of even less favorable circumstances, it was only natural for a person in an ill position to cling desperately to the other. Despite understanding this fact full well, Lawrence was still unable to control himself from clenching his fists tightly in anger, causing his fists to lose color. However, his anger was half due to himself. His failure this time was beyond repair. Without a single person to escort him out, Lawrence left the room of discussion, the office situated on the third floor, and walked down to the unloading station on the first floor. Due to her being dressed up as a city girl, Horo had been unable to participate in the business discussion, and was seated in the driver’s seat, awaiting the end of the discussion with the man who was responsible for keeping an eye on her at the company. Arriving at the unloading station, Lawrence perceived an expression of shock surface briefly on Horo’s face as she turned her head back. Horo’s reaction told Lawrence just how frightening his expression was. “Sorry for the wait,” Lawrence said as he jumped up to the driver’s seat. Horo nodded vaguely, glancing toward Lawrence from time to time. “Let’s go.” Without paying any attention to the worker who had been placed in charge of surveillance, Lawrence pulled hard on the reins to turn the cart around, and left the unloading station. Apparently having been notified in advance, the worker of the station said nothing, simply following the two’s departure with his eyes in silence. The moment they passed the unloading station’s passage of wooden planks and arrived in a small, stone-paved alley, Lawrence let out a great deep sigh to replace the urge he had to scream out loudly. Anger, unwillingness to accept the truth, regret…...all of these emotions were spilled out with his sigh. The sigh he had let out was filled to the brim with negative emotions, and if a rabbit had inhaled it, it might have been poisoned to death. Yet, his pride as a merchant had not been spilled out with the sigh.

There was no time to be pessimistic. Lawrence’s mind was stuffed full with an almost detached emotion of wrath, and with such an emotion, began at once to calculate the odds of obtaining the necessary funds. “…….Hey, hey….you.” Right then, Horo’s stammering voice interrupted Lawrence’s mental calculation. “Huh?” “Did something happen?” Horo’s true form was a wolf that could easily swallow Lawrence whole, but her present form appeared full of worry, revealing an unnatural smile as she inquired thus of Lawrence. Horo must have heard the dialogue between Lawrence and Remario. The fact that she would intentionally ask such a question must have been due to some other reason. Watching Horo’s appearance, Lawrence could imagine how scary his face was. To a merchant, facial expression was more important than anything else. Lawrence loosened his grip on the reins, and made a forceful attempt to loosen the stiffened muscles of his face. “If you’re asking what happened, the cargo in the back has become a pile of junk,” he said. “Mm….so I had not heard wrong.” “I’ll tell you one more thing while I’m at it. If this keeps up, I’m going to go bankrupt.” Perhaps Horo knew that a merchant’s fate following bankruptcy was like that of a pitiful lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Upon hearing this, her expression became contorted, as if some part of her body was in pain. Then, she suddenly changed her expression. The cool, observing eyes of the Sage Wolf watched Lawrence as she spoke: “Do you wish to escape?” “If I run away once, I’ll be running away for the rest of my life. The intelligence network of a foreign firm or company is like the eye of God. No matter where you are, as soon as you begin to do business, you’ll be discovered immediately. With that, I would not be able to continue being a merchant.” “But an injured animal usually ends up dead without a trace. Are you not being a bit too optimistic?”

“Not at all,” Lawrence replied with absolute firmness. Hearing this, Horo turned away and sank into contemplation. Lawrence continued: “As long as I can pay back the 47 Rumiones, there won’t be a problem. I still have the goods on hand after all. As soon as I clear my debt, I can transport and sell these goods somewhere far away, which will yield approximately the same amount. It is still possible for me to make a comeback.” Although Lawrence made such a claim as if it were a simple matter, in truth, the credibility of his words was as low as the possibility of accomplishing this. Even so, that was all that he could say. If asked whether this was the fault of his merchant’s pride, the answer was probably yes. Whatever the case, even if he were to escape now, he would no longer be able to work as a merchant. As such, the only choice was to struggle till the end. Horo, who had not been looking at Lawrence up till then, turned her gaze back to him after quite some time. Revealing an expression that seemed to say, “I know not what to do with you,” she said with a faint smile: “I am Sage Wolf Horo after all. I should at least be of some help.” “Indeed, just saving all your meal costs would have made a big difference.” The instant Lawrence finished speaking, Horo thrust out her right fist and punched him in the left side of his waist, saying: “Did I not already say a long time ago that I would make money to pay for my own meals?” “I know,” said Lawrence, stroking the left side of his waist. Hearing these words, Horo, who had raised an eyebrow, let out a “hmph” and ceased her anger. And then, her face expressionless, Horo shifted her gaze toward the horse. When she opened her mouth to speak once more, it was in a tone like that used for making an oath:

“I swear by my reputation that when the situation becomes desperate, I shall surely help you to make a successful escape even if it requires the power of this wheat.” The pouch suspended about Horo’s neck contained wheat in which she herself dwelled. Using that wheat, Horo could easily transform back into her original form. However, people would always look upon Horo’s original appearance with fearful gazes, and Horo’s dislike of such gazes was so intense that she almost feared them. Fearful gazes were equivalent to a jail that served to isolate Horo. Although Horo had transformed back into wolf form back in the sewers of Pattio, she had probably done so because her own life was in danger as well. But things were different this time. The crisis before them concerned only Lawrence. Therefore, upon hearing that for his sake, Horo was willing to change back into her original form if the situation became desperate, Lawrence felt a simple joy in his heart. “You made a promise to me that you would take me back to the northern forest. If you were to be defeated here, that would prove quite troublesome for me,” said Horo. “Aye, I will definitely keep my promise. Besides that…..” Lawrence closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath before looking at Horo and saying: “When the worst comes to the worst, I may need to count on your help.” In the past, Lawrence would only think, “If I fail, it will be all over,” but things were different now. In the end, there would still be someone whom he could depend on. Horo gave him such an assurance. Horo revealed a smile and spoke the line: “Leave it to me.”

In the last critical juncture, he could ask Horo to come to the rescue. Perhaps that was also a possible alternative.

Yet, it was not a practical choice for dealing with the actual problem. If the situation were to develop to such a point, it would mean that the world no longer held a place for Lawrence to reside in peace. This was exactly what having no home or hometown to return to referred to; everything was lost the moment one failed. “So, what should we do next?” After leaving the cart at the inn, Horo asked thus as they stood before the building. Despite thinking in his heart, “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you,” Lawrence did not have the spare time to air his grievances. Luckily, he had already paid their lodging fee in advance, so they would not have to worry about not having a place to stay or leave their cart for the moment. He also still had at least a bit of cash on hand. Not having to immediately be forced to drink with the wind and dwell in the open could be considered a great fortune within misfortune. Yet, the amount of time and the number of possibilities remaining were just too limited. “In any case, let’s make a trip to the foreign firm first. That is the only option we have right now.” “Your fellow townsmen should be willing to lend a hand, should they not?” Perhaps Horo had said so in order to encourage Lawrence, but Lawrence understood full well that the world was not as simple as her words suggested. In his ten years of experience within the world of business, he had seen all too many cases of people falling into dire situations and vanishing without a trace in the end. “Then, I’ll head to the firm. You just wait at the inn…..” Lawrence had not even finished speaking when Horo stepped on his foot. “Do I look like so disloyal a wolf as to be able to leisurely groom my tail while my traveling companion is in a pinch?” “Uh, but…..” “Do I?” Horo lifted her head back as she spoke, her foot still on Lawrence’s.

“…..You don’t, but that’s not the problem.” “Then what is the problem?” Although she had removed her foot, Horo’s eyes seemed to say, “If you fail to give a good answer, I shall stomp on you once more.” “A foreign firm is like a home to us traveling merchants. You should know what it means to bring a woman back home, right?” “I am not so foolish as to not understand at all what kind of situation that would be.” “It would be impossible to give a thorough explanation of the situation. Besides, how would I be able to explain our relationship?” As soon as Horo was discovered by the Church, she would be burned at the stake as a demon. Although Jacob, the manager of the foreign firm in the city, was most certainly a sensible person, if he were by any chance to inform the Church about Horo, it would be a huge disaster. Besides, many merchants born in the Rowen region, who were not necessarily as sensible, came and went at the firm. It was a risk that definitely could not be taken. Such being the case, trying to explain the relationship between Lawrence and Horo would more or less involve a bit of lying. But could they be successfully fooled? The other party likewise consisted of experienced merchants who had seen through countless lies. “In that case, why not simply say that we are lovers? That would at least be better than one person being left behind.” Lawrence understood that Horo was worrying about him. If their roles were reversed, and Horo were trying to solve the problem on her own, Lawrence would probably have gotten angry as well. If Horo were to ask him to stay and wait at the inn, he would surely have felt betrayed. Horo looked toward him. Lawrence could only give in. “Alright, we’ll go together. Your brain can turn faster after all,” he said at last. “Mm, worry not, and leave it to me.” “However……”

Moving aside to allow the merchants trying to enter the inn to get by, Lawrence continued: “I will say that we are partners in business. Whatever you do, don’t say anything rashly. Those guys are really quite vulgar when welcoming people.” This was a fact. The way his fellow businessmen expressed welcome was vulgar almost to the point of being perplexing. If Lawrence did not warn her beforehand, Horo would probably be nagging him about it later on. However, Horo appeared as if anything was fine as long as she could be taken along. She nodded meekly. “Let’s go then,” said Lawrence. “Mm.” With hurried pace, the two stepped out and toward the dense crowd of people.

Just as Lawrence arrived at the foreign firm and was about to knock on the door, someone came out. From his attire, it was apparent that the man was a merchant who lived in the city. The moment he saw Lawrence, the man immediately revealed an embarrassed expression and looked away. Based on the man’s behavior, Lawrence managed to guess that he was running errands for the Remario Company. Most likely, he had come to relay the message of Lawrence’s present situation and to inform the foreign firm that, if necessary, it may be asked to shoulder his debt. However, Lawrence reacted as anyone normally would when passing someone, stepping aside without saying a word. The man had only done what he did because the company he belonged to had fallen into a desperate situation. If it had not been necessary, surely he would not have wanted to play such a role either. Logically speaking, the people of the Remario Company were Lawrence’s creditors and therefore had the right to collect his debt, and yet the man left in such a hurry, as if running away.

Even though in the world of merchants, to strike first in order to gain the upper hand could not be any more normal, no one liked to bring ruin and shame upon another person. Striking first to gain an advantage and ruining a person were two completely different matters. “I was convinced that you would get rough.” Horo seemed to have discovered as well that the man was from the Remario Company. Hearing her joking words, Lawrence could only respond with a strained smile. “Although, my heart felt heavy when I thought of having to explain the pitiful situation I’m in, so I actually should thank him for saving me the trouble.” “Indeed, there are two sides to every matter,” said Horo. Lawrence finally revealed a smile, and walked into the foreign firm. The time being past noon, most of the merchants who sold fresh fish, vegetables, and other products that would easily rot had already closed shop. Unlike during their visit in the morning, there were people seated at several tables in the firm, drinking liquor and engaged in casual conversation. Lawrence recognized each face, and remembered all of their names as well. A few among these people noticed Lawrence entering, and raised a hand in greeting. However, as soon as they saw Horo entering behind Lawrence, they all ceased their movements, and at the same time, several surprised cries were heard. The cries might also have been described as sighs. Next, the company of men threw gazes that seemed to consist simultaneously of blessing, envy and jealousy. Although Horo appeared not to care in the least, it was a somewhat painful experience for Lawrence. “Oh~~This sure is God’s guidance.” Everyone wore a smile on his face, the sole exception being Jacob who was the first to speak, his eyes devoid of glee. “How did you manage to find yourself such a beauty, Lawrence?” Disregarding the gazes that surrounded him, Lawrence gripped Horo’s hand and marched straight toward Jacob. Jacob had not referred to him as Craft, but as Lawrence, a point which made Lawrence’s heart ache. Jacob’s action was equivalent to declaring that he no longer saw Lawrence as one of his own, but as a merchant.

“I didn’t find her. She found me, Manager Tarantiano.” An exaggerated smile surfaced on Jacob’s face, distorting his entire face. He stood up with great difficulty, and patting Lawrence on the shoulder, pointed toward the interior saying: “Let’s talk over there.” The sharp-eyed merchants seemed immediately to notice that there was something odd about the atmosphere, and not a single person said a word to Lawrence. Walking further in from the lobby of the foreign firm, one would see the central courtyard surrounded by the building. As Lawrence surveyed the courtyard, which had become desolate due to the change in season, the huge man Jacob said as he walked in front of them: “Didn’t you meet the guy from the Remario Company?” “I did meet him, right before the entrance.” “Is that so? I thought you might have been lucky and not met each other.” “……Why is that?” Lawrence did not understand what Jacob was trying to express, and asked thus in exchange. Hearing this, Jacob’s shoulders shook continuously. Lawrence knew he was laughing silently. “Because I didn’t hear the sound of fighting.” Horo gave a soft smile, and Lawrence shrugged his shoulders. Jacob then opened a door on the right side of the hallway, and with a motion of his hand, urged the two into the room. “This is my office. No one will eavesdrop behind the walls. That much you can be assured of,” he said. The office was not particularly spacious, but somehow gave one the sense that in it was hidden a source of infinite knowledge. Aside from a wooden window situated directly across from the open door, every wall was obscured by wooden cabinets, on top of which were piled countless documents tied together with string. At the center of the office was a small table, and sofas that were simply leather-coated wood were placed on two sides of the table.

In addition, there was a desk facing the door on which lay a mountainous pile of documents. Although the value of paper would lower with time, the paper piled on the desk could all have been considered quite high-grade. To show little hesitation toward spending money in the pursuit of knowledge was proof of a man’s excellence. Even a renowned theologist would have had a hard time compiling such a large amount of paper. “So, what should I ask you first?” The moment Jacob sat down in the sofa on the opposite side of the table, the sofa gave an agonized creak as it supported the weight of his body. In normal times, this might have made for a good joke, but under the present circumstances, the sound was like a weighty hammer bearing down on Lawrence. He was lucky to have Horo beside him. If he had been alone, even the usually clever brain of his would have grown dumb. “First I’d like to ask you, who is that pretty girl standing over there?” Jacob’s line of sight did not move toward Horo, but to Lawrence. Normally speaking, a merchant who was on the verge of bankruptcy moving about with a city girl was something that was utterly absurd. If Jacob had been a more impetuous person, he would surely have kicked her out along with Lawrence the moment he saw her. “We are doing business together in a business partner relationship,” replied Lawrence. “Oh? Business?” Apparently thinking that Lawrence was joking, Jacob wore a smile as he turned his gaze toward Horo for the first time. Horo revealed a smile, and tilted her head slightly. “In Pattio, we managed to instantly raise the price of some fur pieces evaluated by the Milone Company to be worth 140 Trenni silver coins to 210 coins in a successful sale. The scheme to lift the price was an idea she had come up with,” said Lawrence. Horo erected her slender chest, her face full of pride. Jacob, on the other hand, revealed a doubtful expression. It was only natural that Jacob would have such a reaction. If someone had told Lawrence the same thing, he would also have believed it to be a lie. The immense scale of the Milone Company was known throughout the world, and the company contained some of the best merchants. A successful scheme to raise a price evaluated by the company was easier said than done.

“I already said this when I came in the morning. If there were no benefits to be had, I wouldn’t make the investment.” Figuring that everything he said about the fur incident was true anyway, Lawrence spoke thus without the slightest bit of fear. As for whether putting it this way would have angered Horo, Lawrence did not pay much thought, believing Horo to be capable of understanding that this was merely what was most appropriate to the circumstances. Hearing this, Jacob closed his eyes first, then unexpectedly loosened up his expression as he spoke: “I think, I’ll inquire no further about it. Merchants like you show up every now and then.” “Huh?” “These people typically show up at the firm out of the blue one day, accompanied by a woman of goddess-like beauty and appearing as if life and business couldn’t be any better. However, these people are never willing to disclose the identities of the beautiful ladies with them. Therefore, I won’t ask anymore about it. After all, it is written in the Bible as well not to forcefully open a box of unknown origin.” Although Lawrence had suspected Jacob of trying to lure him into spilling his secret, he could not figure out what reason Jacob had to do so. Thus, Lawrence very boldly changed his way of thinking. Perhaps a horse dragging a cart transforming into a goddess of fortune and accompanying a merchant in his travels was something that truly had happened in the past. Each person who experienced such a thing would think that he alone was special. However, Lawrence was himself traveling together with a wolf in maiden form who referred to herself as a sage wolf. To a merchant, a most practical being, experiencing firsthand something so surreal would only heighten his sense of self-reality (note: Ooh, so philosophical!). “A clever judgment.” Hearing Horo say thus, Jacob burst into laughter and said: “Then, I’ll save the formalities and get right to the point. If you two were husband and wife, I would persuade you to go to a church immediately and get a divorce. However, if you are partners in business, that is another story. To be in the same boat means that your partner’s destruction and ruin is your own disaster as well. A bond based on money is stronger even than a blood relationship.”

The sofa on which Jacob sat creaked. “Let me confirm the situation. The content of the message brought by the guy from the Remario Company just now is as follows: to put it simply, Mr. Craft Lawrence of the Rowen Trading Guild has bought battle equipment worth the equivalent of one hundred Rumiones from the Radoperon Company in Poroson. Of this sum, almost half was on loan. And then, the current creditor is the Remario Company. Is that right?” Lawrence gave a painful nod of his head. “Though I don’t know what kind of battle equipment you purchased, right now the market value for all battle equipment has plunged to less than one-tenth of its original price. Suppose you were to sell off what you have at one-tenth the original price, that would still leave you with an unpaid loan of almost forty Rumiones. In Trenni silvers, that’s about 1500 coins.” The final profit earned from the commotion in the estuary town of Pattio had amounted to a thousand silver coins. Even if he had been able to duplicate that profit somehow, it would still not have been enough to clear the debt. “However you look at it, it’s obvious that you were set up by the Radoperon Company, though I don’t plan to ask you about the details. Even if I were to ask, it would do nothing to change your current circumstances. Anyone could guess that your failure was caused by excessive greed, isn’t that right?” “Aye.” Lawrence could not find any excuse with which to refute. Due to excessive greed, he had suffered a loss. The statement spelled out the whole truth, without the slightest bit of deviation. “If you understand that as well, then it won’t be hard communicating with you. The guild will most certainly be asked to pay the debt in your place. However, you must rely on your own ability to return the loan. That is because if you had fallen into debt due to being the victim of fraud, theft, illness or injury, our guild and foreign firm would have guaranteed with our reputation to do whatever it took to help you. But this is different. Only God could help you repay your debt, or…..” Jacob did not move his gaze, but only pointed a finger toward Horo. Horo shot a brief glance in Lawrence’s direction. “That pretty girl over there.” “I understand that,” answered Lawrence.

Unlike guilds based on different professions, a trading guild formed by members from the same hometown was an organization of mutual support. A trading guild relied on donations from its members to operate. As Jacob had said, the purpose of the guild’s existence was to help people who were unable to continue doing business because they had met with disaster, or to raise a protest as a group when a member had been mistreated on foreign soil. The guild did not exist for the sake of helping someone who had failed due to excessive greed to pay his debt. Therefore, under such circumstances, the guild might assist in repaying the debt for the time being, but follow up by rigorously pressing the person responsible to return what he owed. Besides being accountable to the other members, the reason the guild would have done so was also in order to warn its members not to act rashly out of greed. The expression in Jacob’s eyes was like a tensed bowstring. “Unfortunately, from my standpoint, I cannot be charitable to you. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that assuming an attitude of decisive refusal toward you is the reason I’m able to sit in that seat in the lobby. This is the disciplinary code of the guild as a whole. If this firm alone were to allow an exception, greedy men would be springing up all over the place,” he said. “That is only natural. Suppose someone else were to fail due to greed and yet receive special treatment, I would be angry as well.” Lawrence understood that right then was not the time to act tough. Yet, if he had not acted tough, he would surely not have been able to maintain his composure. “Also, you should know that guild principle forbids the act of loaning among members, right? Besides that, the guild itself may not lend you money. After all, it is essential for the guild to act according to its principles as an example for all to see.” “I understand.” At that moment, Lawrence’s second home had closed its doors on him. “According to the guy from the Remario Company, the deadline for the payment of your debt is the day after tomorrow. The Remario Company has also failed because of investing in battle equipment and is probably extremely desperate right now, so it probably won’t hesitate to come seek repayment of the debt as soon as the deadline is reached. In other words, when the day after tomorrow comes, your failure will become public, and I will have no choice but to take you into custody. What conclusion can be drawn from this?”

“If I am unable to prepare the 47 Rumiones to be paid back to the Remario Company after two days, there will be no tomorrow for me,” replied Lawrence. Jacob turned his head slightly. Then, letting his gaze fall on the tabletop, he spoke: “You are wrong in saying that there will be no tomorrow.” A quiet rustling of fabric made its way into Lawrence’s ears, and he figured that Horo’s ears and tails had probably moved. “There would still be a tomorrow for you. However, that tomorrow would be filled with darkness, pain and burden.” Jacob was implying that he would not permit such pessimistic action as committing suicide because of bankruptcy. “47 Rumiones can probably be repaid in ten years or so rowing on a long-distance trade ship. You may also choose to burrow tunnels in a mine. However, that is only if you don’t get injured or sick.” Anyone who had seen the letters exchanged between a boat captain and a boat-owning company would immediately know how unrealistic and impractical Jacob’s words were. The contents of ninety percent of the letters were applications for replacing rowers, or attempts to get the other party to extend its employment of the original rowers. Normally speaking, about eighty percent of long-distance rowers could only last two years. Of those who remained, ten percent would last another two years, and the last surviving ten percent who possessed particularly strong bodies would be forced to board ships setting sail to fight pirates, never to return again. Even so, the people who went on ships were comparatively well-off. Most of those who went to mines died within a year from lung disease. Even if one were lucky enough not to fall sick, he would die in a mine collapse during the second year. Compared to such treatment, those who had met with disaster and had their debts paid by the foreign firm were actually quite well-off. All they were required to do was to pay back a part of their debt to the foreign firm every year at a low interest rate. This was as if to say, “Now you know how great a sin it is to fail out of excessive greed, don’t you?” “However, I’m not saying that I want you to die. I just want you to remember this: committing a sin requires punishment. I just have no choice but to enforce something that is only reasonable.” “I understand.”

Jacob shifted his gaze toward Lawrence, showing for the first time an expression of sympathy. “Try the best you can in these two days. Although that is all I can really say, if there is anything I can do to help, I will do it. Any normal kind of business assistance is of course no problem, and I will provide my help regardless of the effort. Also, because I trust you, I don’t plan to tie you down during these two days. You may move about freely.” Trust. The word weighed heavily on Lawrence’s shoulders. Horo had said that when the worst came to the worst, she would lend a helping hand. Yet, if he were to accept Horo’s aid, he would have been betraying the trust of Jacob before him. Was this something Lawrence could possibly have achieved? He could not help asking himself this in his heart. “Thank you for your great generosity. I will try to find a way to make the money within these two days,” said Lawrence. “In business, the way out is often discovered unexpectedly. Sometimes it is precisely because you are in a crisis that you are able to discover a different path.” Hearing this, Lawrence felt somewhat surprised, because the words could have been interpreted to mean that “even if it is by illegal means, you should try to overcome the crisis.” As the manager of the Rowen Trading Guild’s foreign firm in Rubinhaigen, Jacob frequently emphasized to Lawrence the harshness of reality, but in truth, he was seriously concerned about Lawrence. As the head of a merchant’s second home, a severe personality alone was insufficient qualification. “Is there anything else you wish to ask or say?” Lawrence shook his head, but suddenly remembering something, opened his mouth to speak: “Please prepare ahead of time a surprised line for when you see me clear the debt.” In an instant, Jacob’s eyes went wide, and he burst into loud laughter. Making a joke out of something that could not be joked about was more effective at winning one’s laughter. It seemed that the saying was indeed true. “If you can still make a joke, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Is there something the pretty girl wishes to say?”

Lawrence had originally thought that Horo would say something, but quite unexpectedly, she simply shook her head in silence. “Then, we should be done with discussions here. It isn’t good to drag out the discussion too long. Outside are a bunch of fools who love to guess around blindly. If some terrible rumor were to be spread, it would make it difficult for you to take action, right?” Jacob stood up, and the sofa creaked under him. Lawrence and Horo followed him out the door. Since Jacob and Lawrence both understood how terrible a thing it was for a merchant to wear a gloomy expression on his face, both did their best to act normal, appearing as if they had just been engaged in casual conversation. After returning to the lobby of the foreign firm, Jacob sat back in his old seat, and waved a hand softly to send Lawrence off. Even so, the merchants drinking and chatting in the lobby still sensed something odd about the atmosphere, and not one person addressed Lawrence. Lawrence felt gazes focusing on his back, and as if to lock the gazes away inside, shut the door with his back to it. Lawrence had originally prepared himself for the worst—to be placed under custody. Possessing now two days’ worth of freedom, he could not but feel thankful for Jacob’s generosity. “In any case, we’ve been given two days of freedom. The only thing we can do is make the best of it and do whatever we can within these two days,” Lawrence murmured, as if talking to himself, but he understood in his heart that with a lack of funds, making a sum as huge as 47 Rumiones within two days was utterly impossible. If it could have been done, every beggar in the world would have become a millionaire. Yet, Lawrence had no choice but to try to think of a way. If he did not try, he would have had to accept a tomorrow that he did not even wish to think about. His dream of owning a store shattered, and his hopes of starting over as a merchant turned to nothing, having to spend the rest of his life in a dark mine or on a ship where the lamenting sighs were even louder than the sound of the waves.

Despite forcefully saying that “there must be a solution,” the more he told himself this, the more Lawrence felt the reality that he could not do it was approaching him little by little. Because he trusted Lawrence, Jacob had provided him two days of freedom before debt collection was to begin. However, now that Lawrence thought about it, it felt that what Jacob had meant to say was perhaps that “you may at least enjoy two days of freedom before your bankruptcy,” since the more one thought about it logically, the more it seemed that gathering the immense sum of 47 Rumiones within two days was mission impossible. By the time Lawrence noticed, his hands were already shaking uncontrollably. Feeling ashamed, Lawrence clenched his fists tightly in an attempt to stop the trembling. At that moment, a small palm grasped his fist. It was Horo. Lawrence finally remembered Horo’s existence. I am not alone. This fact finally gave Lawrence the strength to take a deep breath. If this continued, he would not even be able to fulfill his promise of taking Horo back to the northern forests. The brain that had stopped turning began to turn again. Having long since anticipated this, Horo opened her mouth and asked: “So, you, what are you going to do?” “Before thinking of a way, there is something I would like to try out first.” “What is it?” asked Horo, lifting her face. “To nourish a debt on a debt!”

Unless it were someone very rich or generous at heart, most would feel uneasy after lending a large sum of money to someone. On the other hand, unless it were someone who possessed very little money or was extremely narrow-minded, most would not make a huge fuss and press continuously to be paid back after lending out a small sum. A loan was like a turbid stream that flowed forth gradually. Although the body was perhaps incapable of taking it in all at once, if the water were divided amongst several streams, it could more or less be sustained. Lawrence’s plan was to divide up the large sum of 47 Rumiones, in other words, to borrow smaller amounts from several people to pay back the greater sum all at once, and then pack back the people he owed one by one. And yet－ “Oh, Mr. Lawrence, it sure has been a long time. What ideas for making a great fortune have you brought with you this time?” Everyone would welcome Lawrence with such words when he showed up at a familiar company. However, the moment Lawrence indicated his desire to borrow money, everyone’s face would immediately turn sour. “”Five Rumiones? Oh~ what an unfortunate coincidence, our company just happens to be very tight financially at the present moment. The year is coming to a close, and the prices of wheat and meat have all gone up. In order to be able to make deals next spring, we still have to stock up on necessary products ahead of time. I’m very sorry, but it might be a bit difficult…..” Every person’s attitude was exactly the same, as if it had been prearranged. After all, they were all merchants, and particularly sensitive regarding this topic. For a traveling merchant not to borrow money from the foreign firm to which he belonged, but rather intentionally bring up his request for a loan at a company, the other party would immediately have detected that there must have been a reason that the traveling merchant could not borrow money from the foreign firm, which had caused him to fall into such a predicament. No one would leave his cargo on a ship that was about to sink. If Lawrence refused to give up, saying that even a single Rumione would be fine, the other party would put on an expression that seemed as if he were looking at something rotten and decayed. Sometimes he would be thrown out of the company before he even had a chance to really say anything.

One who came not to advertise a product or negotiate a deal, but to request a loan was viewed as no better than a thief. This was common sense in the world of business. “There’s still the next place.” The same line spoken each time upon meeting back up with Horo outside a company or residence, after the fifth time, was spoken no more. After the third place, he was no longer able to maintain an optimistic smile when walking out. After walking out of the fourth place, he was no longer able to hear the voice that asked, “How did it go?” On the way, the two people had originally been discussing other possibilities of making money besides borrowing money to repay the debt, but soon, having become dejected and gloomy, the discussions ceased altogether. From the very beginning, a merchant was one who made money with money. Without the necessary funds, nothing could be done, a fact that was selfevident. As he walked along, Lawrence unconsciously hastened his steps, and the distance between him and Horo quickly widened. Each time he noticed the widening distance, Lawrence would remind himself not to panic, but the reminder served only to form an echo within his now-empty brain. Not only that, even the words of encouragement Horo uttered every now and then made him feel restless with anxiety. Not good. The situation was obviously not good. The sky had already started to dim, and the air was gradually turning cold, but Lawrence’s forehead and neck were covered in sticky perspiration. Although he had long since prepared himself at heart, only upon actually experiencing it did he discover how much more difficult it was than he had imagined. Just as water gradually seeped out from within a fired clay mug, the seriousness of the situation ate away at Lawrence little by little. Why had he made such a deal in Poroson? The struggle that took place within his mind between such an attitude of regret and the idea that feeling regretful would not have altered the circumstances became more and more intense. Hearing Horo’s voice, Lawrence discovered once again that he had left her too far behind. Pausing his steps, a sense of fatigue that made it seem impossible to take another step seized his heart.

Yet, there was no time to complain about being tired. “Is anyone in?” At that moment, the bell toll that signaled the closing of the marketplace sounded; the time had arrived when every company would have been just about ready to close up. By the time Lawrence arrived at the ninth company, its unloading bay had already been tidied up, and a wooden sign indicating that business was over for the day hung in the entrance place. Though closed, the company also served as the residence of the owner or his male servants, so in principle the inside of the company should not have been completely empty of people. Lawrence shook the doorbell once, and took a deep breath. The familiar companies remaining were few in number. Even if he were told to beat it, he would have to seize the other party tightly and beg for a loan. “Who is it?” When the door of the company opened, a familiar, plump woman asked, looking out. Just as Lawrence had summoned up the courage to request that the woman allow him to see the owner, the woman suddenly spun around, and looking somewhat troubled, walked back inside. After the woman had left, the owner of the company came out. “Long time no see, Mr. Lawrence.” “Long time no see. I’m truly sorry for disturbing you even though the marketplace has already closed. There is something with which I earnestly request your help.” When visiting the first and second companies, Lawrence still had the spare energy to pretend that he had gone to discuss a deal, engaging first with the other party in a bit of casual conversation. Now, however, he no longer possessed the time or energy for such things. Hearing Lawrence cut straight to the topic thus, the owner showed a look of disdain as he spoke: “I have heard some rumors. It seems that you are trying to borrow money all over town, isn’t that right?” “Yes….though it is most shameful for me to admit…..” A close network of lateral connections existed among the companies in the city. Another company from which Lawrence had attempted to borrow money had undoubtedly informed the owner.

“Moreover, I heard it was not a small sum either. Was the crash in the price of battle equipment the cause?” said the owner. “Yes. Because I was too naïve, I ended up failing—” Lawrence told himself that it was best to conduct himself in as humble a manner as possible. He simply had to convince the owner to lend him money, even if it meant having to beg the other party to have pity on him, because he knew that if he did not do so, it would have been impossible for him to go from penniless to having 47 Rumiones within two days. Moreover, if he were to meet with refusal here, no matter which company he went to next, he would probably have been met with closed doors as well. As long as one company lent money to Lawrence, other companies would perhaps have found no harm in lending him some money too. However, not a single company had lent him any money up till that point, which meant that none of these companies believed Lawrence had a chance to make a comeback. The lateral connections among the companies formed an extremely dense network. The moment a piece of information was passed along via this network, it would spread throughout the entire city in the blink of an eye. In spite of Lawrence’s humble manner, the owner’s tone remained cold: “Too naïve? That is only one of the reasons, isn’t it?” Even a merchant not particularly skilled at discerning one’s sentiments would have been able to tell what the owner was thinking. The owner gave off an air which said that he would definitely not lend any money to Lawrence. The owner knit his brows into a frown, his expression one of incredulity, and even let out a sigh. Based on his response, it was possible that he had already investigated the matter and discovered that Lawrence had made a purchase on credit out of greed, and consequently brought a huge debt upon himself. To a merchant, credibility was more important than anything else. Without credibility, no one would be willing to lend a helping hand. Lawrence understood that bringing a debt upon himself was something that he alone could be responsible for, and if such a reason prevented him from successfully borrowing any money, he would have had no right to complain.

Lawrence lowered his head in shame, and his entire body’s strength faded gradually like water poured on soil. It was hopeless. At that moment, the owner continued: “However, unless it were God, no one could have predicted that the price would suffer such a crash. Being so quick to condemn you for this would be a bit too harsh.” Lawrence lifted his head unconsciously, seeing a glimmer of hope. As long as he could manage to borrow some money from this place, it would have made it easier for him to borrow money from other companies later on. To a certain degree, the owner showed approval toward Lawrence’s methods as a traveling merchant. Such being the case, if he were simply to promise that he would dedicate time to pay off the debt with interest, the owner might still have agreed to grant the loan. Lawrence believed that such a ray of hope had descended before his eyes. And yet, what he saw when he lifted his face was an expression like that of disbelief, as well as of disdain. “I had felt all along that if you, Mr. Lawrence, were in trouble, I could perhaps have provided what insignificant help I could. After all, you have helped me to make profits a number of times in the past. However, I believe that even a merchant should abide by God’s teachings, live cleanly, and demonstrate his sincerity for others to see.” Even though Lawrence did not understand what the owner meant, he tried desperately to explain, but just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, he was quickly stopped short by the skill of stealing the first opportunity to speak a merchant was so good at. “You actually have the nerve to bring a woman with you when you are running all over the place trying to get others to lend you money out of sympathy? There should be a limit even if you are trying to play us for fools. The quality of the Rowen Trading Guild sure has gone down.” Hearing this, Lawrence’s entire body froze, and at the same moment, the door of the company was shut firmly. Lawrence was unable to walk forward, and unable to step back. He even forgot how to inhale and exhale. The company’s front door, which stood tightly shut, was completely silent, as if it were simply a door that had been drawn on the stone wall. Surely the touch of the door must have felt cold to

the extreme, and its weight like that of a huge boulder. This door that would not open again signified at the same time the severing of all the connections Lawrence possessed in the city. There would no longer be a place to borrow money. Unconsciously, Lawrence left the front door, his wavering body stepping back of its own accord. By the time he noticed, he was already standing vacantly in the center of the street. “Don’t stand around in the middle of the street!” Having been yelled at by a horse cart driver, Lawrence dodged to the side like a stray dog, at last coming to the edge of the street. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? The same sentence kept appearing before his eyes. “You, are you alright?” Horo’s voice made Lawrence spring back to reality. “Your face is pale. Why not head back to the inn for now.” In the next instant, Lawrence realized that he had slapped aside Horo’s hand, which she had reached out to him out of concern. “If you hadn’t been here－” Lawrence yelled out loudly. By the time he realized that he had been at fault, it was already too late. Horo looked at Lawrence with an expression that seemed as if she had endured the pain of ten thousand arrows piercing through her heart, after which she gradually lowered the hand that was suspended in midair, having no place to go. After that, Horo’s face showed neither anger nor sadness. She lowered her head, her face expressionless. “Uh….s…sorry….” Despite managing to squeeze out these words with much effort, Horo did not reach out once more the hand that Lawrence had slapped aside. “Ah, damn…..”

Unable to take any other action, Lawrence could only curse himself. The voice inside Lawrence’s head kept on condemning his undue behavior. “…..I will head back to the inn first,” Horo said softly, and departed without a glance in Lawrence’s direction. Even a conversation taking place inside a building was audible to Horo’s ears, so surely she had heard the exchange between Lawrence and the owner as clearly as if she had been standing right next to them. As such, Horo would surely have developed a sense of great responsibility, so great that she wished to escape. It went without saying that Horo had accompanied Lawrence all over the city because she was worried about him. Even so, Horo had not given Lawrence a casual apology or appeared perplexed because her behavior had ended up working against him. Instead, she had chosen to be considerate toward Lawrence. Lawrence understood that Horo’s action reflected the most suitable judgment, but it was precisely because he understood that he felt he should not have treated her the way he had. Watching the petite form of Horo’s back fading gradually into the crowds, Lawrence could find neither the words nor the courage with which to stop her. Lawrence cursed himself once more. If the goddess of fortune truly existed, Lawrence would have desired nothing better at that moment than to give her a straight punch to her beautiful face.

In the end, Lawrence did not return to the inn until even the vending stands that were only allowed to begin business after sunset had all closed up. Although Lawrence wanted very much to drink to his heart’s content, he did not have the money to do so, and at the same time felt that doing so would have been quite contemptible. Nothing could have persuaded him to appear before Horo, drunk with liquor.

The fact that he did not return to the inn until such a late hour despite not having gone for a drink was because he had gone on to visit several other companies afterwards. As he wandered about the city gathering money, Lawrence had even gone as far as to cling to the hope that if he abandoned all pride and dignity, the people he went to might have agreed to lend him money to rid themselves of a nuisance. In the end, Lawrence managed to borrow three Rumiones from four people, of whom three told him that he did not need to pay them back. It was therefore not difficult to imagine how Lawrence had gotten them to agree to the loan. Of course, three Rumiones were still a far cry from 47 Rumiones. In the little time that remained, Lawrence had to try to make money using these three Rumiones as capital. This did not mean that the situation had taken a turn for the better. In order to gather this sum, Lawrence had destroyed with his own hand the interpersonal relationships that were of so much importance, and even essential for business. Having come to such a point, the possibility of making money in a normal fashion was close to zero. However, before considering this problem, there was something that Lawrence needed to do first. Before attempting to make any money, there was something Lawrence had to try to save. It was precisely because Lawrence felt this way that he had gone everywhere borrowing money with no regard for the consequences. The feeling of Horo’s hand as he slapped it away unconsciously reentered his mind, and his chest throbbed, as if he had been struck directly in the heart. Entering the lobby of the inn, Lawrence saw a sleepy-faced innkeeper behind the counter on the verge of letting out an involuntary yawn. There was a rule in Rubinhaigen stating that an innkeeper was not allowed to retire to his chambers until all the guests lodging at the inn had returned. If a guest did not return by midnight, he needed to alert the safety patrol. This was a countermeasure taken to prevent thieves or criminals from committing crimes in the city. “You sure are back early.” Ignoring the innkeeper’s sarcastic remark, Lawrence made his way toward his room. His room was on the third floor. Lawrence did not want to think about the possibility that Horo had not returned to the inn but gone somewhere else. Not until he had taken two deep breaths did he reach out a hand to open the door.

Figuring that the door would creak whether he opened it slowly or quickly, Lawrence opened the door with some force. Rubinhaigen was so densely packed with buildings, and its visitors so incredibly numerous that a room furnished with a bed at all would have been considered a luxury suite. In the center of the room was a crude bed, and a simple table was placed next to the wooden window. A room like this was already worth a considerable lodge fee. Yet at that moment, Lawrence was actually a bit happy that the room was so cramped. If the room had been a little more spacious, Lawrence might have hesitated over whether or not to make a sound. Illuminated by the moonbeams that slipped in through the window crevice, Lawrence saw Horo lying curled up in the bed. “Horo.” The short utterance spread out within the small dark room, which gave Lawrence the illusion that he had not produced a sound at all. Horo did not move at all in the bed. Yet, if Horo had not wanted to see him ever again, she probably would not have returned to the inn. That she would lie curled up in bed at least indicated that such was not her intention. “Sorry.” Besides the word “sorry,” there was no other word more suited to the situation. Yet, Horo still did not move. Lawrence did not think that Horo was actually asleep, and thus took a step forward, and then inhaled sharply. In that instant, Lawrence felt as if there were sharp daggers placed at his feet. A surge of cold sweat seeped from Lawrence’s back, and he quickly withdrew his foot, the horrifying sensation disappearing as he did so. Lawrence glanced down at the floor around his feet, and then at Horo on the bed. If a person was truly in rage, just being beside him would have produced the illusion of being burned. Deeming it impossible, Lawrence slowly reached out a hand. An unbelievable sensation passed into his hand. He could indeed feel the flames of Horo’s wrath. Burning hot, yet cold as ice at the same time, such an unbelievable air truly existed within that space.

Lawrence made up his mind to extend his hand into the space. The sensation was akin to reaching a hand into hot sand under which sharp blades were concealed, which caused him to fall under the illusion that his hand was about to turn to ashes and be cut to pieces by the blades. Lawrence remembered the scene in the sewers, when he had seen Horo’s wolf form for the first time. The very moment he was about to take a step forward. “Ow!” A swish was heard. Lawrence noticed the blanket over Horo’s body move for an instant, and then felt his hand touch something solid and slapped aside at the same time. Lawrence discovered that his hand had been brushed aside by a hugely-swollen tail. The pain that indeed remained in his hand caused him not to doubt in the least that it could have been a dream or illusion. And then Lawrence realized. This must have been the same sensation Horo had experienced when her hand was slapped aside. Lawrence at least had been more or less prepared at heart, but for Horo, it must have been very sudden. Surely the extent to which she had been surprised would have been an accurate measure of the pain she had felt. Lawrence cursed himself once more for his mistake. Lawrence took out the leather sack tucked away inside his jacket, and tossed it onto the bed. It was the money he had tried with all of his effort to borrow regardless of the consequences. This was the money Lawrence had exchanged with all the personal relationships he had built within this city throughout the years. “This is the money I managed to gather with my own strength, just three Rumiones. Although there still remains more than forty Rumiones for me to gather, I’m already all out of ideas. I wanted to use this money as capital for making more money, but…my mind can’t come up with any ideas at all.” As if talking to a rock beside a road, Lawrence received no response whatsoever. Clearing his throat softly, he continued: “The best I can think of is to take this money to a gambling house. However, if placed in the hands of someone worthy, this money could be used to roll more and more cash. That’s why I’ve decided to give it to you.”

From outside the window facing the street came the singing of a drunkard. “Moreover, in case the situation truly is beyond saving, whoever uses this money first will be the winner. Having already come to this point, three more Rumiones added to my debt won’t really make much of a difference.” That Lawrence would sacrifice his interpersonal relationships in order to gather this cash was half because he believed that, given Horo’s wisdom, she would perhaps have been able to grow more money out of it. The other half was because he wanted Horo to have some money with her. Although it had only been a spoken agreement, Lawrence had indeed promised to take Horo to the northern forest. Besides, if the two were to simply part ways after he slapped Horo’s hand aside, that would have just been too depressing. As a merchant, Lawrence felt that he should at least leave Horo some cash. And yet, Horo still made no response. Lawrence took a step back, and turning around to pull open the door, walked out into the hallway. The atmosphere within the room made Lawrence feel like he could not stay any longer. As he walked through the lobby after descending the dark stairs, he heard the voice of the innkeeper behind him reprimanding him for going out at such an hour. Ignoring the innkeeper, Lawrence stepped out of the inn. The drunkard’s singing that had been heard outside the window a few moments before could be heard indistinctly from the left. It would not be long before the members of the safety patrol came out to do their rounds. Having no other place to go, Lawrence decided to go and see Jacob, who was probably having a headache over the problem Lawrence had brought along, and turned to face the right. Lawrence had practically forced the people he visited to lend him money as he went all over the city, and the complaints had probably reached Jacob’s ears. Yet in an instant, Lawrence halted in his tracks. He thought that perhaps after that night, he would no longer be able to move about freely. Such a truth seized his heart tightly. Lawrence lifted his head unconsciously, directing his eyes toward the room situated on the third floor—the room in which Horo’s existence was found. Lawrence held the hope that, if it had been Horo, she would perhaps have been able to employ her incredible wisdom to help

resolve his crisis, but at the same time, he also felt that at that point, it would have been most despicable of him to want to rely on Horo even further. Having thought to this point, Lawrence lifted his head no further, and pulled his gaze back toward the ground. Just as Lawrence said silently to himself, “Let’s go the firm” and was about to take the first step, he was suddenly struck in the head by a certain object. The sudden impact shook Lawrence’s line of sight, and he kneeled down, his body having lost its balance. The word “robber” emerged in his head, and he reached his hand toward the dagger at his waist. Yet, Lawrence did not receive any further attacks. Instead, the unique clink of coins was heard. Upon closer examination, Lawrence saw the leather sack containing the three precious Rumiones that he had left on the bed. “You big fool.” And then, the voice came from above. Lifting his head, Lawrence found Horo looking down at him, her brows knit into a deep frown, and her eyes as cold as the moonlight. “Hurry and get back up here.” As soon as she had finished speaking, Horo left the window side. At that very moment, the innkeeper opened the door and burst out running. If a traveler lodged at a certain inn committed a crime, the owner of the inn he was staying at would have had to shoulder some responsibility as well. A person who would go out in the middle of the night was almost certainly not the good kind, and the innkeeper had most likely come to bring Lawrence back inside. However, Lawrence no longer had a reason to leave the inn. Lawrence slowly picked up the leather sack that had fallen into the street, and waved it gently at the innkeeper. “My money pouch was thrown out the window by my companion.” Having thus spoken, Lawrence revealed a strained smile. Hearing this, the innkeeper showed an awkward look as he sighed and uttered a “please don’t scare me” before opening the front door.

Lawrence gestured a light apology, reentered the inn and re-ascended the stairs toward his room. In his hand he carried the leather sack containing three Rumiones. Standing before the room on the third floor, Lawrence opened the door with little hesitation. Horo had taken off her robe, and was sitting cross-legged in a chair next to the window. “You big fool.” Right away, this was what she said. “Sorry.” Lawrence could not find anything else to say. Even though this was the word that most accurately expressed Lawrence’s state of mind, it just seemed a bit too brief. Yet, his mind could not come up with any other words. “The money…..” Appearing displeased, Horo threw out a response that matched Lawrence’s in brevity (note: the original says “Horo threw out an even briefer word,” but I changed it to reflect the actual case in English). “How did you gather it?” “You want to hear it?” As if she had been looking at the food she most detested, Horo narrowed her eyes, and turned her face away. Then, she scratched her head, letting out a sigh, and spoke: “Were you not afraid that I would run away with this important money?” “I had planned to give you this money I gathered. In case I were to fail and not be able to fulfill my promise to you as a result, I at least wanted to leave you some spending money－” Halfway through his utterance, the words got stuck in Lawrence’s throat. Because he saw that there were tears in Horo’s eyes as she sat in the chair, her face turned away and her lips tightly shut.

It was as if the intense emotions that flowed from her heart were being forcefully transformed into tears ready to gush out, but Horo was trying desperately to hold back the tears. And then, the tears streamed down the instant she blinked her eyes, finally coming forth freely. “Leave me spending money….you say?” “Ah…aye.” “Why….why do such a thing……” As if abandoning all, Horo used both sleeves to wipe her tears, and before she had even finished drying the tears, stood up and said, staring at Lawrence: “Was it not me who was at fault? Had I not been there, would you not have successfully borrowed the money already? Why are you not angry!? I…I……” Horo’s tightly-clenched fists trembled ceaselessly, and the words that were stuck in her throat were transformed into tears that streamed from her eyes. And yet, Lawrence did not understand what was going on. Back then, it had been entirely due to her concern for Lawrence that Horo had moved around with him. Moreover, Lawrence had not suspected at all that his bringing a woman along with him would have prevented him from borrowing money. Not only that, Lawrence had even slapped Horo’s hand aside so harshly, even if it had only been a momentary response. No matter how Lawrence thought about it, it was his fault. There was no way he could possibly have been angry at Horo. “It was my fault back there. You only accompanied me because you were worried about me. How could I be angry at you－” Horo looked directly at Lawrence. Just as Lawrence was about to open his mouth to speak, Horo spun around and reached her hands toward the back of the chair. “You big…..” And then, she lifted up the chair. “Fool!”

Lawrence recoiled in surprise. Yet, after a while, the big chair that Horo had raised up still did not come flying. Lawrence immediately realized that just raising up the chair had taken Horo a great amount of effort. She did not have the strength to throw it at all. “Urgh…..you……” Lawrence did not know whether Horo’s utterance was directed at the chair or at himself. However, he did know one thing, and that was that despite wanting to vent her emotions by throwing the chair, with Horo’s arms being as slender as they were, the feat would have proved impossible. Beneath the moonlight, Horo’s slender body toppled toward the window side. Even so, Horo still refused to let go of the chair, and her eyes were still staring at Lawrence. “Watch out!” Lawrence dashed forth, and just as a leg of the chair came into contact with the window frame with a thud, caught hold of the chair with his left hand, and Horo’s slender wrist with his right. Horo had almost fallen out the window along with the chair, but she was still staring at Lawrence, her face unchanged. Unable to bear Horo’s glance, Lawrence turned his face away. Unsure of what to say, he pulled at the chair, having decided to set it back down first, and quite unexpectedly, Horo loosened her grip on the chair obediently. Horo had apparently transferred all her anger to the chair. The moment she loosened her hands, her petite body seemed to lose every ounce of strength. “……You big…..,” Horo said softly, her gaze drifting downward, and the tears dripped to the floor simultaneously. “Softy……” Thud! At the same moment as the sound of the chair being set down was heard came Horo’s remark. “Sof…..ty? Lawrence could not help asking in response, because Horo’s remark was too much contrary to his expectation.

Her wrist still within Lawrence’s tight grip, Horo nodded her head like a child. “Is not….that….so? It was because you brought me along, that you were unable to borrow any money….but you….but you still……” “Didn’t I slap your hand aside? I did get angry. But, I shouldn’t have,” said Lawrence. Horo shook her head, and pounded Lawrence’s chest once with her free right hand. Horo’s expression looked as if she wanted very much to be angry but had forgotten how to do so. “It….it was my own stubbornness that led me to go with you. Since my stubbornness ended up causing the opposite effect, it is only natural that I be blamed. But, I had not expected to have my hand slapped aside like that, so I wanted to get angry. I had originally wanted very much to get angry.” Hearing Horo speak to this point, Lawrence finally understood what she meant. “How could I possibly get angry, seeing that expression on your face?” Using the right hand that was free, Horo wiped her tears once more and said: “And that is why I am all the more angry inside…..” Horo had felt angry when her hand was slapped aside, but had immediately noticed the expression of regret on Lawrence’s face, which made it impossible for her to blow up on him. This was probably what Horo meant. He must have revealed a very unmanly expression back then, Lawrence thought to himself. However, the wrath Horo harbored within her heart must not have died as a result, because the anger of having her hand slapped aside was not so easily pacified. Wanting to lose her temper and yet not being able to do so, which had only ended up leading to greater anger. The fact that Horo had not been listening to what Lawrence was saying when he returned to the inn was perhaps because she herself did not know what to do. Horo’s reaction speed was many times greater than that of Lawrence. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that she did not know where to direct her anger. And then, Lawrence had misunderstood the reason for her anger and left the inn, leaving behind the leather sack containing the three precious Rumiones.

The action would surely have just been adding oil to fire. Horo had already been angry over not being able to get angry, only to see Lawrence leave behind such precious money, which just made it even more difficult for her to get angry, and the flames of wrath had consequently burned fiercer and fiercer. “Sorry….no that’s not it. When I slapped your hand aside, I truly believed that I had done something irreparable, perhaps beyond repair no matter how many times I apologized,” Lawrence said slowly. Horo, hearing this, gazed at Lawrence with eyes that appeared fatigued from anger. In fact, Horo probably was tired. Whatever she encountered, Horo had always been able to resolve the situation with a fast brain and outstanding eloquence, but even such a she had been angered to the point of wanting to throw a chair. If she had been in her original wolf form, she would most surely have been able to endure lengthy durations of wrathful emotion, but it was obviously too much for her current small body to bear. “And that’s why I felt that I had do my best to fix things. If my doing so ended up having the opposite effect….uhm, sorry.” Lawrence could not help cursing his lack of vocabulary. But Horo, hearing this, only responded by softly pounding Lawrence’s chest once more with her raised right hand. “……You,” said Horo. “Hmm?” “Answer me a question.” Watching Horo, whose right hand went straight to grabbing his shirt at the chest, Lawrence naturally had no reason to refuse, and thus nodded his head. Yet, Horo did not immediately open her mouth to speak, but stuttered for quite some time before finally managing to say: “You….why are you…...” In an instant, Horo’s gaze had moved to Lawrence. “Such a softy?” Having thus spoken, Horo immediately turned away her gaze, as if trying to evade something.

Yet despite having turned away her gaze and put on an appearance of cold indifference, her attention was in fact entirely centered on Lawrence. It was as if she was expecting something. The wolf ears that had been drooped down but moments ago were slightly erect, and the tail swayed softly as well. The moonlight flowed in through the window, illuminating Horo’s slight body. If he were to reply honestly, the fact that Lawrence had been so shocked after slapping aside Horo’s hand, and desperately gone about gathering money in hopes of leaving her some spending money was entirely because Horo was a special existence. This was surely the answer Horo was hoping to hear as well. Lawrence lowered his head to look at Horo, and prepared to give her his reply. At that very moment, Lawrence saw that Horo was looking at him with a sad gaze. By the time he noticed, his mouth had already uttered a different answer. “Personality I guess.” Lawrence was afraid that revealing the truth would have brought about an effect beyond his expectations. If he had chosen a direct frontal assault, surely even Horo who was so hard to conquer would have surrendered right then. Lawrence was unwilling to do that, hence his having answered thus, because he felt that it would have been too sly of him to do so. Doing such a thing was no different from taking advantage of her in her vulnerable state. And yet— “You, you……” Lawrence had just noticed that Horo’s hand was trembling softly when, in the next instant, Horo freed the hand that had been in his grip and threw a punch toward his heart with all of her might, crying out: “Big fool!”

Horo’s punch was heavier than Lawrence had anticipated, and his body leaned back as a result. However, Horo grasped Lawrence’s clothing, staring straight at him as if to say, “You are not getting away.” “P...personality? Personality you say? Even if you had to lie, it should have been something like you fell in love with the person. Is not that the kind of vigorous behavior a male should put on? You big fool!” Lawrence covered his eyes unconsciously, because he knew it was only natural that Horo was able to perceive his true sentiments. “S…sorry. Actually I…..” Lawrence did not continue speaking. That was because he saw that Horo had revealed a smile, her hand still gripping his chest. “You, there are always times when one would wish to hear another speak even if it were a lie, as well as times when, having heard the other person speak a moment too late, one would want nothing more than to give that person a good beating. Guess which kind describes the present.” Though completely paralyzed by Horo’s smile that was not really a smile at all, Lawrence still managed with great effort to reply, “The latter.” In the end, upon hearing this, Horo gave a sigh with an incredulous look on her face, and let go of Lawrence. The wolf ears and tail swayed back and forth in displeasure. However, such a reaction made it readily apparent that Horo was angry. “You truly are a rare-to-the-extreme softy! Under such circumstances, what other male in the world would not say it was because he loved the other person, or that she was important, or any other such honeyed words that make the female tipsy with joy? I have a perfect grasp of what you are thinking in your heart you know. How utterly unbelievable! You amazingly unbelievable softy!” The look in Horo’s eyes was no longer one of disbelief, but of disdain. Yet Lawrence did not feel angered. Because he knew that Horo’s having such a reaction indicated that she desired to hear such words from him. “Although, thinking about it, perhaps it is because you are such a softy that I have been able to travel in such leisure. Perhaps it would be a bit too greedy to want to have everything.”

Despite being criticized to such an extent, Lawrence was unab unable to retort. The thing that occupied his mind was with what kind of emotions Horo wished for him to speak such words. Did she simply want to be spoiled? Or was it…..? Just as Lawrence was pondering these matters, Horo suddenly reached out her arms and slid gently into his bosom. Suspecting whether Horo might have been scheming something, Lawrence immediately became alert. However, Horo immediately revealed her purpose: “Even so, I still wish to hear you speak it. Therefore, let us try it one more time time.” .” Give me a break,, Lawrence murmured in his heart, but he knew that if he had honestly said this out loud, Horo would surely have blown up in rage. After clearing her throat once, Horo looked toward Lawrence, her eyes seeming to say that she was ready. Perceiving this, Lawrence took a deep breath, and made up his mind. Horo’s voice came forth with her gaze. She did not appear to be acting. “You…..why are you such a softy?” Horo’s moist eyes revealed a sorrowful llook, ook, and her lips quivered slightly as she lifted her face to look at Lawrence. The appearance was much more serious than it had been before.

Aware that all the blood in his body was rushing toward his face, Lawrence made up his mind and said briefly: “Because you are a special existence (note: I wanted to translate this as “Because you are special,” but in the end I decided to stay faithful to the original text. Pick the one you like best!).” Hearing this, Horo instantly revealed a joyful expression that did not appear to be faked. Lowering her gaze, she rested her forehead against Lawrence’ chest. Having witnessed an expression beyond expectation, Lawrence’s heartbeat quickened. At that moment, Horo suddenly lifted her face again, revealing a look of displeasure. She then grabbed Lawrence’s arms and circled them around her back. Horo seemed to be saying, “Hold me tighter.” Lawrence froze for an instant, because Horo’s action felt so absurd. But on the other hand, he also found it cute. The moment Lawrence embraced Horo’s slender body, her tail swayed once in satisfaction. The action felt pleasing to Lawrence, and he tightened his embrace of Horo. Although the time was probably extremely brief, Lawrence felt as if the two were locked in their embrace for a very long time. Lawrence felt Horo’s slender back shaking and consequently came back to his senses, and discovered that Horo was laughing within his bosom. “Ahahahaha, seriously, what in the world are we doing?” “Weren’t you the one who wanted me to play along?” Lawrence said, loosening his arms. “Hehe. However, this also allowed you a chance to rehearse, is not that right?” Horo said, smiling mischievously. Hearing this, Lawrence did not bother giving her a serious reply. Seeing Lawrence shrug his shoulders, Horo burst into laughter once more. “But, you.” Lawrence had expected Horo to say something else to tease him, but in the end Horo only revealed a tranquil expression and resumed the earlier topic:

“Starting next time, allow me to lose my temper, will you not? You are always so considerate of me, and I am very glad. But sometimes a problem will be resolved quicker if we just get angry and yell at each other.” Even though Horo’s suggestion was quite extraordinary, Lawrence felt that it sounded more or less logical. Lawrence himself would never have come up with such an idea. However, the idea felt quite fresh to Lawrence, as well as warm. “Then, you. What is the sum that I can tell just by looking at your face how you managed to gather?” “Three-and-two-seventh Rumiones,” replied Lawrence. Horo moved her ears for a moment, and laid her forehead against Lawrence’s chest once more. Lawrence felt ready to push Horo away if she was planning to wipe her snot, but he discovered that Horo was simply wiping away her tears, and allowed her to continue resting against him. When Horo finally lifted her head, she had already returned to her usual self. And then, smiling with a face full of pride, she opened her mouth to speak: “That you held hopes in my wisdom was the correct decision. How should I put it, I have come up with a good plan.” “Wh…..what kind of plan?” Feeling both surprised and expectant, Lawrence unconsciously leaned his body forward. Revealing an expression of loathing, Horo pushed him away and said: “Do not be overly hopeful. If it ends up not working, I cannot bear the responsibility…..” Horo said this at the very beginning, and then revealed her suggested plan in a single sentence that could not have been any briefer. “Simple and straightforward” would have described her plan very fittingly. Precisely because this was so much the case, Lawrence’s eyes almost fell out of their sockets. “How is it? Will it work?” asked Horo.

“No, surely many people have come up with similar ideas in the past, but the fact is that it wouldn’t really work, right? I’m quite certain there are also people who have tried it in the past and gotten arrested.” “Is it not only because those people would seek help from all kinds of people to accomplish the task that they were discovered? Surely they must have been discovered as soon as the first checkpoint.” Horo’s suggestion was to smuggle gold, and doing so with a method that was both simple and straightforward. Yet, Lawrence did not think that Sage Wolf Horo would so casually suggest such a dangerous plan if it had little chance of success. Just as Lawrence had expected, Horo went on to explain the basis on which she believed that the plan could succeed. “I can swear by these ears and tail that I have a candidate in mind who might be able to realize this plan. The way I see it, I may even be able to say with great certainty that this person would be able to do it. But to be honest, to ask help from this person is not my original intention….after all, I could easily jump over the walls of this city with my own strength. However, you being in the plight that you are in, I suppose I cannot ask for too much.” Of course, Lawrence immediately knew who the candidate Horo referred to was. The fact that Horo had said what she did was surely because she was not pleased with the idea of having to rely on that person’s ability. Yet, smuggling gold involved more than simply getting past the inspection point. Since one would most certainly not have been able to escape harsh punishment if exposed, it was necessary to pay the person assisting in the job beforehand and inform him of the risks involved with smuggling. If a relationship of trust to the point of being able to place one’s life in the hands of the other could not be established between the two parties, the plan would surely have failed. The problems did not end there. Just trying to convince the other party to move the gold would have been very mentally tasking. No matter how great the reward, the fact remained that the person would have had to put his life on the line. Even so, if the possibility of successfully smuggling gold truly existed, given the state he was in, Lawrence naturally could not have afforded to ignore the opportunity. He had no choice but to consider the possibility.

“If this person is willing to help, there would be a chance of successfully smuggling the gold, right?” “As long as there are no accidents, it should not be a problem.” “I see…..” In that instant, Lawrence began contemplating the necessary considerations when smuggling gold. If one wished to smuggle gold, he would have had to pay the person responsible for transporting the gold a sum large enough for him to voluntarily take the risk, as well as a fee for his silence. Such being the case, the three Rumiones Lawrence had on hand would not even have been enough to smuggle the gold from another town. If he paid the other party for assistance, it was possible that the money made through the smuggling would have ended up going down the drain. Moreover, even minus the reward to the other party, smuggling just three Rumiones’ worth of gold was certainly not enough to clear his debt. Therefore, it would have been necessary to obtain a fund from somewhere. Horo herself was easily capable of leaping over the inspection area on the inside of the city wall, but had specially brought up the idea of seeking another’s help in smuggling, so surely she must have realized this. The situation was the same no matter whom they sought out to provide the fund. Just trying to explain the method for smuggling would have been very troublesome. Moreover, besides confirming that the provider of the fund was indeed willing to assist in the smuggling, they also had to trust the other party not to betray them. Even then, there were still other problems, the biggest of which was the lack of time. Just as Lawrence was carefully contemplating these matters, he suddenly felt a tug on his hand, and snapped back to reality. Lawrence immediately noticed. What his hand had felt was not a tug, but Horo releasing the hand that had been interlocked with his. “Then, you think about the details yourself. I am going to sleep.” Horo let out a soft yawn, swayed her tail once as if sighing, and walked slowly toward the bed. “What, you’re going to sleep?” Having originally planned to borrow Horo’s wisdom, Lawrence asked thus. Lying down in bed, Horo pulled the crude blanket toward her, and poking her head out to look at Lawrence, said: “It is not as if I am familiar with the details of the city. Besides the possibility of smuggling gold, I probably would not be able to tell you any more than I already have no matter how hard I thought.”

Indeed, Lawrence thought to himself. Horo continued with a smile: “Or is it that you would rather have me beside you?” Lawrence remembered what she had said about rehearsing, and said perfectly calmly: “Aye, I wish you to be beside me.” “It is too cold. I refuse,” Horo immediately answered, and drew the blanket over her head. The tail she had left outside the covers, which appeared even warmer than the blanket itself, swayed happily back and forth. Thinking of the fact that he would definitely not have been able to enjoy such amusement if he had been traveling alone, Lawrence could not help revealing a smile, and taking a deep breath. The next day, in the period between daybreak and sunset, if he was unable to take some sort of action, Lawrence would have had to take this bit of amusement as a parting gift to meet his maker. However, there was still a chance. The only thing that could have been done right then was to take the opportunity and sew it as a seed, and wait for the flowers of success to bloom from it. Sitting in the chair that had been lifted up by Horo’s slender arms moments ago, Lawrence picked up the leather sack that had fallen on the floor. Clink! The familiar coins made contact with one another, sounding quietly within the still room.

Clop, clop, clop. The horse-drawn carts proceeded along the stone-paved road. Looking down from the window, it could be seen that the carts were filled with vegetables, probably merchants who had to head to the marketplace first thing in the morning. Besides carts, pedestrians had also begun appearing here and there walking through the streets. Just as Lawrence was thinking that it was about time for the Church’s morning bell to ring, the sound of the Great Temple’s bell rang across the white heavens. Even in spite of the fact that the Great Temple was a fair distance away from the inn, the heavy toll of the bell was still loud and clear.

Next, before the sound of the Great Temple bell had even ceased, the smaller churches scattered throughout the city began to follow suit, ringing their bells as well. This clamor was a routine part of every morning. To a resident of the city, this was perhaps simply a normal part of everyday life, but to a traveling merchant who usually heard nothing but singing birds in the morning, these sounds could not but have been a bit unpleasant to the ears. Thus, to a wolf possessing an acuteness of hearing well beyond that of any human, this appeared all the more to be the case. After uttering a dissatisfied groan, Horo sat up slowly. “…….” “Morning.” Horo said nothing, but simply nodded with an expression of displeasure. “Hungry.” The first thing that came out of her mouth was this. “The vendors should be out at the plaza around now,” said Lawrence. “Mm.” After stretching out her body like a cat, Horo brushed aside with her hands the long hair that was still silky and smooth despite her just having woken up. “So, what is the conclusion you have come to after a whole night’s thinking?” “It works.” Horo had just finished grooming her hair, and was just about to start grooming the tail that was of true importance to her. When she heard Lawrence reply with such certainty, she looked to Lawrence with an astonished look and said: “It sure is rare of you to speak in such direct terms.” “What are you trying to say?” Seeing Horo turn her face away on purpose, Lawrence paid no further attention to her and continued to speak: “However, there are two difficulties that need to be overcome.”

“Two?” “Besides having to persuade the person who will be responsible for transporting the gold, we also need persuade the party who will be providing the fund for purchasing the gold. With the mere three Rumiones I have on hand, I won’t have enough to pay the transporter.” After thinking for a moment, Horo looked to Lawrence, a question mark written on her face, and said: “You seem to have omitted one other difficulty. You only have today left, is not that right? Would it be possible for us to smuggle gold from somewhere nearby?” As expected of the self-referred sage wolf, Horo’s mind moved at an amazing pace. However, after spending an entire night in thought, it was naturally possible to come up with something even the sage wolf had not thought of. “I have considered that problem as well, of course, and also believe that it is the greatest difficulty. However, whether by miracle or accident, I have come up with a plan that can successfully resolve the problem.” “Oh~?” Seeing Horo reveal a smile like that of a master testing his apprentice, Lawrence gave a proud smile as well. “We just need to have the Remario Company provide the fund,” he said. Horo tilted her head slightly. Like Lawrence, the Remario Company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Even so, given the scale of the Remario Company, Lawrence did not think that the company would have allowed itself to end up completely penniless. For the sake of making a huge resurrecting reversal, the Remario Company must surely have still possessed a certain amount of money that it refused to use until the last critical juncture. Lawrence’s plan was to persuade the Remario Company to use this precious fortune to smuggle gold. The Remario Company was itself stuck in the predicament of imminent bankruptcy. If, at such a point, Lawrence was to propose to it a clever plan for successfully smuggling gold, for the sake of resolving its plight, the Remario Company would surely have boarded the boat willingly. Most importantly, what was most greatly feared when smuggling gold was an information leak. In other words, the moment the Remario Company accepted the proposal and joined in on the plan to smuggle gold, if Lawrence were to have walked onto the path of bankruptcy ahead of time, it would surely have been quite troubling for the company as well. One who was about to

walk the path of death would never exercise restraint. If Lawrence exposed the Remario Company’s plan to smuggle gold, it would have lost its chance at redemption forever. Therefore, the Remario Company would have had to temporarily postpone the deadline for Lawrence’s payment. To prevent the possibility of betrayal, the Remario Company would have had no choice but to make Lawrence an accomplice. This was the conclusion Lawrence had come to after an entire night of thinking. “However, whatever action we decide to take now, we still have to consider the problem of time,” he said. The greatest difficulty right then was time. “Mm. If that is the case, let us make our move immediately after breakfast.” “Breakfast?” “One would not have the strength to fight on an empty stomach, is not that so?” Hearing Horo’s words, Lawrence realized that he had not had anything to eat since the previous noon. Yet, whether it was due to his having stayed up all night or the heaviness at heart instilled by thoughts of the ensuing operation, Lawrence did not have much of an appetite. Even so, Horo climbed out of bed, tied her robe around her waist as a skirt, put on the triangular headscarf with swift motions, and said in high spirits: “I want to eat meat.” Hearing Horo proposing to eat meat when it was only morning, even if Lawrence’s body had been in perfect condition at that moment, he would surely have revealed a disgusted expression all the same.

After having breakfast at a vending stand, Lawrence and Horo headed straight for the Remario Company once more. However, this time they did not go by cart, but by foot, and thus entered through the front entrance.

Because the front entrance was situated on a large street, the storefront appeared no different than usual. Opening the door on which neither “In Preparation” nor “Open for Business” was written, Lawrence entered the company. The air inside gave off a scent unique to companies suffering from difficulties in business, which pricked at Lawrence’s nostrils. This air was obviously contrary to the morning air that was supposed to be filled with hope. An atmosphere of despair could be felt vaguely, and the air was saturated with a hunger-like sense of panic, as well as the heat that such panic gave off. The difference was but one between having and not having money, but what a wonder it was that such a change could have brought about such a deterioration of the atmosphere. “Uhm—if I may inquire, who might you be?” A few of the company’s workers watched the unexpected morning guest with stiff expressions. Among them, a middle-aged man who appeared a bit calmer than the rest addressed Lawrence politely. The man appeared a bit too skinny, probably a characteristic that he had been born with. “I am Lawrence who came to visit yesterday. There is something I would like to discuss with Mr. Remario.” “I see. Please proceed this way then….ah, pardon me, your companion is…? “She is my apprentice. For the sake of convenience, I had her dress up to appear like a city girl. Given her talent, I am sure that she will become a female merchant known near and far before long. In order to let her learn as much as she can, I wish for her to be allowed to accompany me.” Lawrence told a big lie without the slightest alteration of facial expression, and the man, hearing this, seemed to accept it as the truth as well. Although female merchants were rare, those who resolved to become female merchants were not few in number either. “Please proceed this way then.” Lawrence followed the man further into the company, and Horo followed behind him. Every worker in the first floor office had black rings around his bloodshot eyes. Most likely, the workers had been up all night trying to come up with a way of obtaining the necessary funds just as Lawrence had been doing the previous day. “Please wait here for a moment.” The man led the two to a room situated on the third floor, most likely one that was normally used for negotiating expensive products such as gems and spices. The seat Lawrence had bent

down to sit upon was not merely a hard chair with some cloth attached to it, but a soft, cottonfilled sofa padded with leather. “You are Mr. Lawrence, correct? May I inquire as to what business you have?” “Please pass this message to Mr. Remario: I wish to discuss with him a method of clearing my debt with your company which, depending on the circumstances, may even allow your company to clear its debt as well.” Without the slightest hint of fear on his face, Lawrence looked directly into the man’s eyes and spoke thus. Hearing this, as if struck by lightning, the man straightened his back, and his eyes gaped wide. The man then suddenly turned to Lawrence with a suspicious gaze, probably taking Lawrence for the kind of thief who would barge into a crisis-ridden company and take everything, leaving not a bone behind. “It is only natural for you to be suspicious. That is why I wish to have a good discussion with Mr. Remario.” Hearing this, apparently because Lawrence had seen through his thoughts, the man appeared embarrassed. Lowering his head in haste, the man quickly uttered a “I will inform the boss right now” and exited the room. There was a very good chance that Remario would take the bait, because what Lawrence had said was the truth. Visitors at a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy were usually merchants who wished to seize a portion of the spoils. These merchants, who would gather at the company like hungry demons, wanted to do everything in their ability to retrieve the money stored in the sinking ship. Under such circumstances, if someone had been able to bring up an opportunity for a great reversal and wave it around before the company, it would have been impossible for the company not to take the bait. Regarding the possibility of smuggling gold that Horo had suggested, it would have been able to generate enough profit to clear not only Lawrence’s debt, but the debt of astronomical proportions that the Remario Company carried on its shoulder. However, the plan Horo had come up with would not have been able to succeed unless the Remario Company took the bait first. Moreover, if the crime were exposed, the death penalty would surely have followed. Especially when it came down to Remario’s relatives, they would probably not have been able to continue living in the city. These were all risks. Even so, if they simply awaited their terrible fate, the result would not have been much better. Such being the case, the Remario Company would definitely have been willing to stake

everything on this one bet, and that being so, besides repaying the debt he owed the Remario Company, Lawrence would have been doing the other party a great favor as well. The more severe the crisis, the greater the profit that could be earned when the situation had turned around. It was just like back in Poroson, when the owner of the Radoperon Company’s trick was exposed, leaving him no choice but to accept Lawrence’s forceful deal. Remembering this incident, Lawrence could not help revealing a strained smile, but told himself to forget the past and only look forward. No matter what, he had to try to persuade the Remario Company to participate in this bet. This was the first difficulty that had to be overcome. After taking a deep breath and straightening his back, Lawrence felt a gaze focused on the side of his face, and looked toward it. It was none other than Horo, of course. “Fear not, for I am here.” Horo raised a corner of her mouth to reveal a sharp fang. That was the invincible smile that was totally dependable. “Aye.” And so Lawrence replied thus briefly, because he understood that the level of trust was directly proportional to the number of brief utterances. If the relationship that existed between two parties was close enough, a long and detailed contract would not have been necessary, and a simple handshake would have done. And then, the sound of knocking was heard. When the door opened, Hans Remario, who looked every bit as fatigued as Lawrence, was standing before the door. “What important business do you have?” The first step of the plan was thus initiated.

Chapter 5 There was no need to think up any unnecessary tricks. The first thing to do was to clearly convey the purpose.

Exactly as Lawrence had anticipated, Remario was astonished, his eyes staring in amazement like little beans as he said: “Impossible.” “It is possible.” Yet after hearing Lawrence speak thus, Remario at last revealed an expression suited to a merchant who owned a company in Rubinhaigen. Displaying a disdainful smile that seemed to say, “How utterly foolish,” he leaned against the back of the chair. “I understand your feelings in desperately wanting to repay your debt, but that is no justification for spouting out such nonsense.” As if to say, “What a big waste of my time,” Remario got ready to stand up. Perceiving this, Lawrence opened his mouth to stop him. “There must have been people who have tried smuggling with the same method in the past, correct? And in the end, they were all arrested, right?” “If you understand that too, that makes communication much easier. Those who are on the verge of bankruptcy often mistake foolhardy plans for perfect ones.” Surely Remario’s remark was half directed at himself. Refusing to be daunted, however, Lawrence continued: “But what if we were to hire someone with formidable skill to transport the gold?” Staring hard at Lawrence, Remario reseated himself in the chair. “Your proposed plan cannot possibly succeed, because the ones you refer to as having ‘formidable skill’ can make plenty of money without going out of their way to smuggle gold, and would therefore not be willing to assist in the venture. If you are planning to enlist the help of an outsider, I would suggest you drop the idea. Since people have frequently used this method of smuggling in the past, anyone not registered in the city has to receive very strict examination.” That Remario would refute in such a manner meant that he held some expectation. “What if there were a candidate, someone of formidable skill yet cannot make much money?” said Lawrence. “A person possessing great skill does not need to worry about not being able to find a job in Rubinhaigen, because their line of work is always short on people.” Remario leaned his back against the chair, waiting for Lawrence to reply.

His expression was a bit similar to Horo’s from the previous night. Countering, but at the same time waiting for the other party to counter him back. Wanting to give up, but unable to do so. Lawrence took a deep breath. “How about a candidate who possesses great skill and holds a job in the city, but is paid very little and has a great demand for money? More importantly, this person feels dissatisfied toward her employer. This person I know is employed by the Church, and smuggling gold is an act of defiance against the Church. If we fan the flames in this person, telling her that smuggling gold would not only allow her to make money, but be an opportunity to give the Church some payback as well, she would surely take the bait. Moreover, the possibility of her betraying us is very low, because she holds a degree of contempt for the Church.” “How…..how could there be something so convenient?” said Remario. “That is usually the case when you make money in business, isn’t it?” Being the only person to have managed to purchase some crops during a poor harvest, or believing oneself to have bought a decorative item that had already gone out of fashion, only to be surprised when this particular item creates a huge fashion trend in another town. Accidental fortune usually resulted from coincidences that would normally never occur. Remario’s face became contorted. His expression indicated that he wanted very much to believe, but was unable to do so completely. “If I simply tell you the name of this person, I believe you will understand,” Lawrence continued. “If…if that is the case, you could have done the smuggling on your own. To come to me and bring up such a suggestion knowing that it would reduce your share of the money, isn’t that a bit too odd?” The fact that the content of Remario’s speech had departed from the subject of the smuggling itself meant that he was temporarily withholding his judgment on the possibility of a successful smuggling. “There are two reasons preventing us from smuggling independently: the first reason is that the deadline for the repayment of my debt to your company is today, and when the sun sets, the foreign firm that will have to repay the debt in my place will come and take me away for sure. The other reason is that the money I have on hand is only this much.”

Setting down the leather sack containing the precious cash, Lawrence undid the string and poured out its contents. What spilled out was a mixture of gold and silver coins amounting to three Rumiones. Seeing the money, a glimmer flashed across the eyes of Remario, who, like Lawrence, was threatened with the fate of imminent bankruptcy. “There are three Rumiones here. If you simply inquire of the other companies, you will immediately know how I managed to gather this money.” Hearing this, Remario took a deep breath. Surely a person of Remario’s position could have immediately guessed the means by which the money was gathered. “This is truly everything I have. By the sum I have laid down here, I beseech you to trust my words. In addition……” Extending his body forward, Lawrence said, looking Remario directly in the eyes: “I beseech you to temporarily suspend your pursuit of my debt, and ask your company to provide the funds necessary for carrying out the smuggling.” The wrinkles on the worn-out Remario’s chin tightened, and oily perspiration seeped forth from his face. That Remario did not refuse on the spot meant that he still possessed enough money to fund the smuggling. Moreover, the expectation he held in the gold smuggling had also stirred up a desire within him to make the investment. Should he push him a bit more? And yet, being too forceful would have incurred unnecessary suspicion from him. Although an immense profit could be gained from smuggling gold, it was accompanied by huge risks. Besides, suggesting the current Remario Company to make an investment could have been suspected as an act of fraud. Surely there had already been many good-for-nothings who had visited the Remario Company, planning to hasten this stumbling boat’s sinking into the sea and take the opportunity to snatch a bit of profit. That Remario had become paranoid was only a normal response.

Therefore, Lawrence selected his words carefully, and prepared to speak. In that very instant“Mr.” Horo opened her mouth first. Remario looked to Horo in surprise, his eyes blinking repeatedly, as if he had noticed for the first time that someone was standing there. Lawrence looked to Horo as well, and Horo on her part said, looking at the floorboards: “Do you still have time to hesitate Mr.?” “Wha……” Hearing Horo’s words, which sounded like a threat and also like a provocation, Remario pressed his lips together tightly. Such a move was perhaps effective in certain situations, but was sure to bring about the opposite effect in this situation. Feeling that the situation was going to take a bad turn, Lawrence prepared to stop Horo. Yet…… “I believe another person has just left this place. Is it really alright for you to be dragging around like this, Mr.?” “Mm, Mm~~” “My ears are particularly sharp, and can hear any secret with perfect clarity. Do you wish me to tell you the content of the discussion among those people in the room downstairs, who are planning to abandon you and escape on their own?” “Uh……” “Ah, another one has left. If this goes on, it will only be a matter of time before this store-” “Don’t say any more!” Remario cried, clutching his head. Horo gazed expressionlessly at Remario. Her face appeared to be completely still. In his heart, Lawrence sympathized somewhat with Remario. A company was like a ship. When a large hole formed at the bottom of the ship and the crew knew that it could not be repaired, they would probably flee for their lives regardless of the captain’s orders.

However, Lawrence knew that Horo had intentionally attacked Remario on this point. Concerning the term “loneliness”, Horo was more sensitive than anyone else. Therefore, she definitely understood Remario’s frustrations. “Mr. Remario.” Although he understood Horo’s inner feelings, upon discovering Horo’s plan, Lawrence found an opportunity to say in a level tone: “I am laying down the three Rumiones I have staked all that I have to gather, and propose to you this deal of purchasing gold. I have in mind a candidate who will be able to complete this job. As long as a sufficient reward is paid, this person is definitely worth our trust. Moreover, I believe your company possesses the connections necessary for getting the gold off our hands. What do you say? If you are willing to postpone the deadline for my repayment and give me a reasonable share of the profit, I am willing to smuggle gold with your company on terms that will definitely be favorable to you.” Lawrence made an intentional pause“What do you say?” Still clutching his head, Remario hung his head low. The content of Lawrence’s speech was a temptation even more intense than wine, and had surely passed through Remario’s ears and into his heart. Even so, Remario was still unwilling to lift his head. Time slipped by quietly. The place was so still it seemed as if every single person in the company was holding his breath, waiting for Remario to take action. “Mr. Remario.” The instant Lawrence was about to call Remario’s name one more time“I understand…..” The emaciated face was lifted, a gleam coming from the pair of eyes. “Let us stake everything in this one bet!” Unconsciously, Lawrence stood up from his chair, and reached out a hand.

The two men with the word “bankruptcy” hanging over their heads shook each other’s hand. “May God show us grace!”