“..”
Her eyes finally opened, staring at him. As he was wondering whether he’d misspoken, she gazed back up at the sky and spoke.
“But that’s so far away..”
Relief washed over him, hearing that.
“A lie that can’t be proven false might as well be the truth. It’s far enough away that we’ll be alright.”
She nodded, but didn’t avert her gaze from the stars.
“Is there where your base is?”
Base? What an odd choice of words.. did Lawrence look like a thief or a mercenary?
“I was a peddler in the south, when Holo hopped into my wagon one day. She..”
He paused to look back at Holo, who was still drinking on the log. Only Cole seemed to be paying attention to them, so he turned back and completed his sentence.
“..She told me she wanted to travel north and asked me to take her. As for Cole, we met him on the Roam river on our way to Gerube. He just kind of fell into our laps.”
It was obvious that Fran was listening closely, even if she was just lying there with her eyes closed. At length, she spoke again.
“Then why do you want a map of the north?”
She looked over at him, with the stars reflecting in her eyes. Lawrence had always heard that stubborn people were always kinder in the end, but he didn’t try to take advantage of that fact. He simply chose his words carefully for best effect.
“Well, because the only memory she has of her home in the north is the name ‘Yoitsu.”’
Fran didn’t look away.
“I see.”
Her eyes finally closed and she turned away, sighing. She was probably hoping to sleep, judging from how casually she was ending their conversation. She was proving to be a tough egg to crack, but in a typical manner. If she was just being stubborn as an affectation, then it wouldn’t make sense to get upset by her actions. With that thought, he turned to quietly leave, and heard her once more.
“Then I’ll leave things up to you tomorrow.”
He nodded; it seemed she had her own expectations of him. She still fell asleep quickly though.
Chapter 3
All of a sudden, the wagon swerved violently. That probably woke Holo up.
“Are we there yet?”
She turned to face him with a yawn. The mountains were much more prominent now. The snow was thicker as well. Even in the winter, the trees were still green here. The meadow, despite looking flat, was actually a very gentle slope, and looking back they could see just how high up they’d climbed. Off the road, the snow was even higher, and it was noticeably colder here than in Gerube.
“From what I heard, after the next turn we’ll be there after a straight jaunt.”
The grass grew up to their knees on this golden path, and it extended far off to the east. If they weren’t taking the next turn, they would head back down past the foot of the mountains. But they stopped before that, to confirm their roles and plans for when they entered Tarsig.
Holo hadn’t been interested the previous evening, but it was just her acting stubborn. In fact, once she’d heard the details from start to finish, her tail waved quite happily under her cloak. Fran was too impatient to go over this again, so she’d continued riding ahead of them.
“By the way, I forgot to ask, but that wasn’t you in the myths, was it?”
Lawrence asked her suddenly because they were quite distant from Fran. Holo who was eating dried meat replied without interest.
“Unfortunately, as far as birds go, the only one I know of is that girl we met before, and I do not have feathers growing from my back.”
“Then you don’t have any idea?”
Holo shook her head, and sighed.
“I should have forced that bratty girl to just draw us the map.”
She proceeded to turn her face away as if to apologize. It was obviously an act, but if he didn’t fall for it she’d get angry. Lawrence expected Cole would cheer her on, but he only smiled at them.
“If all goes well, how will we fill the time while we wait for her?”
Holo smiled and looked up while holding Cole’s hand. Given her young maiden figure, they looked almost like siblings. She couldn’t fool them by pretending it wasn’t an act, but on some level she did seem to want it to be true. They spoke while gazing at smoke off in the distance, probably from a chimney or furnace.
Just a short while later they arrived at the village entrance. Seeing the size of the village, Holo spoke bluntly.
“We shan’t be eating much white bread, shall we?”
This village hiding under the mountains did indeed seem unlikely to have anything so posh as white bread. The cheap fences would barely keep out animals, despite being half built on the foot of the mountain. The very moment they passed by the fence they saw signs of the Church: wards for staving off evil.
Anyone unfamiliar with the witch would be amazed; normally such wards would be facing the dark mountain forests, not the plains. It was quite something to see this; like travelers watching for wolves in front of them while forgetting the thieves behind them.
And yet, it was still not as bad as Lawrence had imagined. Children laughed, goats were grazing lazily, and it otherwise looked quite normal. It brought to mind the old quote that arguments were born of misunderstandings. He jumped off the wagon and shot Fran a look, who replied softly.
“Please, go on.”
Lawrence led her horse with his left hand, and held the reins of the wagon with his right. They proceeded into the village slowly, eyeing the large piece of wood near the entrance. An old man sat there, who noticed them a moment later.
“Well, it’s time to start.”
He now wore the mask of a merchant.
“Oh my, oh my.. are you travelers?”
The man seemed to be an animal-herder; a shepherd, judging from his staff.
“Hello, I am a traveling merchant. My name is Kraft Lawrence.”
“Oh, a merchant?”
The man frowned as he studied Lawrence. The first question that would have popped into his mind was “why would you come to such a far-off village.” The children noticed them a moment later, followed by adults wondering about their unusual guests. Some watched them through their windows, others from their doorways. They all had their eyes fixed on Lawrence.
“We come from Ruvinheigen in the far south.”
“Ruvin..”
“Ruvinheigen.”
The man just stared at Lawrence, without so much as a nod. He looked more like a clumsy doll made of bark than a man.
“The City of Churches.”
The old man moved. He looked at Fran on the horse. Then he looked at Holo and Cole. Suddenly he sighed. As his eyes met Lawrence’s again they were full of worry.
“Why are people from the Church.. coming to our village?”
Lawrence revealed an expression that could calm a crying child and replied.
“Hmm? There is a rumor that an angel once visited this place. Being loyal servants of God, we were hoping you could tell us more?”
There was no reaction, so Lawrence decided to break the ice with a joke.
“Don’t tell me the angel’s still here now?”
“No! How would that even be possible?!”
Hearing the old man’s sudden shout shocked not only Lawrence, but the animals around them cried out. Even the flightless chickens beat their wings furiously in an attempt to flee. The old man stared him right in the eyes, so Lawrence tried to calm him down.
“Actually, we’re just passing by and wanted some directions.. that’s all. It’s really not related to that at all.”
The old man was so grim that it made Lawrence nervous, but thankfully the man seemed to be restraining his anger now.
“Just passing by? Not related?”
“Y-yes.. so please don’t over-react..“
The old man wasn’t saying anything else, prompting Lawrence to raise his hands in surrender. The man’s breaths w
ere short and raspy, and his lips were quivering with emotional turmoil. He badly seemed to want to tell Lawrence off, but his over-reaction was supremely confusing.
Just then, several men started walking out from the village. Lawrence heard clothes rustle behind him.. probably Cole’s. He seemed to notice, as well as Holo, that the men were carrying weapons. Only Fran sat on her horse, looking down at the ground without moving. Lawrence turned around to calm Cole and Holo, in case they mistook the gesture.
Had they been brazenly walking up with weapons, Lawrence would have fled. The reason he didn’t was the same reason Fran wasn’t nervous - their hands were bloody, and they seemed troubled rather than wrathful. They were likely butchering an animal, and theirs was not the look of someone with a killing intent.
“You’re travelers?”
The stoutest of the men questioned them as the old man frantically tried to speak to him.
“It’s alright, elder. Don’t panic.”
The elder’s mouth opened and closed as if unable to speak any further. It seemed the villagers were troubled just as much by the elder as they were by Lawrence and company.
“Saka!”
A woman rushed out of a house at the stout man’s shout. He pointed at the elder, and she nodded. Saka immediately ran to the elder, rubbing his back after receiving him from the stout man, who then turned back to Lawrence.
“Our apologies, everyone. Are you alright?”
He sheathed his knife and casually rubbed the blood and entrails off his hands on his trousers. Town residents always seemed to somehow know who the leader of a band was, and Lawrence was surprised that this was also true for villagers who spent their lives in the mountains. He had to hand it those who survived without a care for wealth or status.
“We’re fine.. have you all heard something terrible? He seemed pretty rattled by what I said..”
As Lawrence tested the waters, the villager facing him forced himself to smile amidst the tension.
“Disasters always come in from the outside.”
He seemed to be well aware of things.. perhaps he was the village representative. Lawrence decided paying him his respects was the logical thing to do.
“Kraft Lawrence, traveling merchant, at your service.”
Lawrence held his right hand out, and the man stared at him, then his own hand for a moment. Ultimately, however, he shook Lawrence’s hand.
“Uru Miura. In any case, the elder only reacts that way for three reasons: it’s just that time, the tax collector’s arrived, or someone asks about the village’s bad rumors.”
Mountain villages had to be hunters rather than farmers. Miura had twice the build Lawrence did, and seemed full of energy. His face wasn’t that of an enemy’s, but steam was still wisping off of him. Clearly he had been busily working just now. But if Lawrence lied now, it would only confirm that they had come with malicious intent.
“We’re actually here to hear the myth of the angel.”
“The angel?”
Miura frowned and stared at the rest of Lawrence’s party. He soon nodded as though he’d just remembered something.
“Oh, I see! You’re asking about that.”
“Could you tell us?”
Lawrence acted humbly, and Miura replied with a unique smile blending that of a farmer’s with that of a hunter’s.
“Haha, now there’s no need to be so polite. You’ve clearly heard about us in other towns. They’re always quick to judge people like us as superstitious fools. Of course, there are villages like that, but not us. We’ll be happy to share that story.“
If people could trust each other, they could live without fear of being cheated or thieved. But here, at least, it didn’t seem like the villagers were terribly suspicious. Besides, even if they fooled Lawrence they couldn’t pull the wool over Holo’s ears.
“..uh, Mr. Lawrence, was it? Have you all eaten lunch?”
As a lonely traveler he wouldn’t have refused a meal invitation even if he was full. But now he turned back to Fran and confirmed with his eyes. She seemed to agree with his assessment.
“No, we haven’t.”
“Then come join us, and enjoy the deer we’ve just slaughtered.”
He swept his eyes across the village as he spoke, perhaps hoping someone would agree to host Lawrence and company.
“Vino! We need to tan the hide.. how about we borrow your hearth?”
“Well, if that’s the will of God!”
Vino played along, obviously knowing how much work it took to tan hides. Few would invest that kind of effort when it was so much simpler to just welcome some guests for a glass of wine and some meat around the hearth. But Miura frowned.
“I won’t let you off the hook that easily.”
Miura wasn’t just tall, but also old enough to be taken seriously. Vino only shrugged; clearly they were just joking around.
“Alright then.. and lay off the wine, will you?”
It felt like such a peaceful place that Lawrence was taken in and smiled happily. He also caught a look of nostalgia in Fran’s eyes, making him wonder why someone who grew up in a wealthy family would miss something like that.. maybe from her many trips? As he wondered, Vino suddenly called out to him, and Fran’s smile quickly vanished.
“Please come with me.”
* * *
They followed Vino to a rather typical farming village home. It was surrounded by a typical farming village field, with typical farming village goats and chickens grazing lazily within it. In the doorway sat a woman with a baby on her back and a shawl covering her head, determinedly grinding flour.
Vino greeted her casually and kissed the baby, revealing their relationship. The woman then stood and wiped her hands on her apron, at first surprised to see Lawrence and company, then nodding seriously like a diplomat.
“I shall fetch some wood and light a fire. Please go inside and have a seat.”
Lawrence nodded to Vino and walked inside onto the tamped-soil floor. A hanging stove was fixed to the ceiling, with several holes in the roof as its vent. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see mischievous birds nesting up there. Raincoats and straw baskets were in one corner of the home, making it look all the more typical. Just the sight of the almost-dead fire, barely flickering on the hearth, was enough to make one feel even colder.
Fran seemed quite comfortable to play the guest; she sat next to the hearth without hesitation. As Cole and Holo both pawed at the strings of onions hanging from the rafters, Vino returned with an armload of wood.
“You guys grind flour with your bare hands?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, kinda. Just set your things off to the side somewhere. I’ll get the fire going again, so we can cook up some meat.”
He indeed got the fire going again, with such skill that it was raging as he blew into it in no time. He took a moment to nod in satisfaction before rushing back out nervously.
“So, what was that all about?”
“Hmm?”
Holo didn’t even turn to ask Lawrence, she just continued staring out the window, presumably wondering why he’d asked about the flour.
“Nothing much, I just find it odd to grind flour by hand when there’s a river nearby.”
Vino’s wife was milling by hand with two large stones. Grinding it that way should be provide enough for a single family, though the quality might be a bit rough. Of course, if they used a watermill they’d be able to grind far more.
Since bread needed to be baked daily, villages next to rivers would normally build a watermill. It wasn’t free of course; the landlord would usually commission it, and then tax the residents for its use. Thus, if they ground their flour by hand, the landlord wouldn’t be collecting taxes.. it made Lawrence a bit suspicious. Holo nodded, though he wasn’t sure if she felt the same way.. in fact, she seemed to have lost interest already.
Lawrence sat across the hearth from Fran, with Holo and Cole now joining them. Lawrence gave Holo a nudge, pointing at Fran so she woul
d sit next to her. Holo seemed unwilling, but sat down anyhow. For her part, Fran hadn’t moved since she’d sat down, but Lawrence had caught her peeking at him as he mentioned watermills. He decided he might as well ask Holo about it later.
Not long afterward, Vino returned with a large pile of meat. He grabbed a pan hanging from a hook, tossed in some vegetables, garlic, and few cow kidneys, and set down a huge plate of venison next to it. Holo was fidgeting already, despite having stuffed herself full of bread earlier.
Since it wasn’t polite to just eat all of their food, Lawrence had brought them a gift. It wasn’t dried meat or cheese, but salt. Given the surprise of Vino and his wife, it was clear that there was a shortage here, like in many villages. Even though they could catch this much venison, salt to preserve it was hard to come by. Of course, Holo would probably brush him off if he tried to point out that this could be a new business opportunity.
“It should be alright now.”
Hearing Vino say this, his wife added venison into the pan she had been stirring. Holo would be upset at a meatless hot pot, but the smell of cooking meat seemed to calm her. Soon, Vino’s wife was placing the cooked meat onto the plates of Cole, Lawrence and Holo, in order of who was nearest to her. But when she finally reached the quiet Fran, there came a solemn response.
“I.. cannot eat meat.”
Vino’s wife gasped in shock, not knowing how to react. A village without a church like this probably wasn’t aware that nuns abstained from eating meat. She turned to Holo nervously, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, with a look on her face saying “you mean I have to go without?”
Vino quickly smoothed things over.
“Ah, that’s right.. I’ve heard that God ordains that you must go without.. but you can have vegetables, yes?”
Holo nodded, so he continued.
“This deer only ate grass since the day it was born, so it might as well be a plant. As such..”
He grabbed the pan of venison from his wife and piled another 5 pieces onto Holo’s plate. Despite reaching over to put some on Fran’s plate, she smilingly refused. Lawrence suspected he would put it on her plate anyhow, but ultimately she ended up with a bowl full of vegetable soup.