Spice & Wolf XI (DWT)

  If the map was accurate then the forest was a long, thin strip with the road cutting a horizontal path through it. In fact the road crossed the narrowest section of the forest, making it the shortest and most convenient route across.

  But such roads commonly differed from the routes set down on maps, so it came as no surprise when this one sharply veered to the right after quite a while heading straight ahead like the map foretold. It didn’t seem like an attempt to bypass an obstacle, but just the natural course of the road.

  However, in spite of this deviation from the map’s route, the road didn’t branch so Lawrence drove on without fear.

  “..Speaking of forests in the winter..”

  Holo broke their silence.

  “T’would have been better for us to come early in the morning.”

  Indeed, they didn’t have a very clear view of the path. But if they stopped then their wheels might settle into the mud or get stuck between roots, so Lawrence had no desire to turn around just for that. But judging from her tone, Holo was already quite drunk.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well, what few leaves this forest does shed will still accumulate on the ground, yes? Unable to bear the cold moisture of the night, those leaves will grow damp with dew, which will then evaporate into a white mist when the sun shines down upon them. If we were to breathe in deeply at that point..”

  “..It would be wonderfully refreshing for our lungs to take in that moist air, after having grown

  accustomed to the dry air of winter.”

  Holo nodded in satisfaction of how he ended her sentence.

  “If there were an ideal season to visit a forest in the afternoon, ’twould have to be summer. On a

  summer’s day the beams of sunlight shoot through gaps in the branches and tickle one’s cheeks like feathers.”

  “There’re too many bugs in the summer, though.”

  Being a traveling merchant meant that he knew all of the positives and negatives of forests in the different seasons. As expected, Holo laughed awkwardly. Lawrence could picture her flinging off bugs in annoyance under those same sun-soaked trees on a fine summer’s day.

  “But forests are lovely places, as opposed to the plains we have been.. uuaaaahhh.. traveling about often of late.”

  It sounded like it was time for her to take a nap. After that half-yawned statement, he heard shuffling. She was probably setting out a blanket or some-such. Given their distance from the meadows, she seemed content to return to sleep. Such boldness from his traveling companion made Lawrence speak up in protest.

  “It’s not just forests.. there’s fun to be had on plains and such if you know how to go about it.”

  “Hmm?”

  “..such as chatting with your companion.”

  In good weather it would be even more of a test of one’s patience to travel on such monotonous plains. But even compared to that monotony, it was worse to have to keep his grip on the reins while Holo napped leisurely behind him in the wagon, hence his intentional remark.

  She was of course clever enough to know what he was playing at, and sure enough her chin suddenly came to a rest on the back of his seat, her eyes flashing him a devious look.

  “I am a wolf after all. Sadly I have no interest in such inane chatter.”

  It was a rather mild attack, so he sidestepped it to fire a mild one of his own.

  “In that case, we’d be better off engaging in a hot debate over tonight’s dinner menu.”

  Her lips pouted slightly.

  “I would rather hear something more.. spicy from you.”

  Her eyes were half-closed as she played up her drunken act by rubbing her ears into his arms. She had a wicked mastery of acting drunk enough to lull others into a false sense of security, so Lawrence pretended it was nothing more than her response to an itch at the base of her ears.

  “Spicy? As in, the kind of topic that makes one blush involuntarily?”

  “Mm. Aye.”

  Were she a mere cat or dog, he could just stroke her head roughly and toss her a treat to pry her off of him. Unfortunately for him, she was a wolf that could eat him whole the moment he let his guard down. He slowly pulled his arm up and balanced his elbow on her head, making her growl in dissatisfaction before she shot him a serious glare.

  “Just thinking about how much you’ve had to drink is enough to make my face red.”

  “..I did not drink that much.”

  Holo’s face never betrayed how drunk she really was. In fact it barely changed at all when she drank. But that didn’t mean she enjoyed being laughed at indirectly, so she shoved his elbow off of her head and rubbed her face hard.

  “Remember to save some for later, so we have something to enjoy on those sunny meadows.”

  “I said I did not drink that much.”

  With that brusque reply, she retreated to the wagon-bed and plopped herself back down. She seemed genuinely upset. Lawrence figured that meant she had taken care to drink only her share. Of course, she knew he wasn’t blaming her, but it was only natural for her to be displeased at being the target of suspicion.

  With that thought Lawrence turned around to apologize, and ran smack into her mischievous smile.. which was enough to make him sigh. Everything from the verbal exchange to the concerned look he gave her as he turned to apologize was by her design.

  “However, in all honesty I do enjoy dull conversations as well. Especially..”

  “..The kind where you get to toy with the pathetic merchant?”

  “Hmm? Well.. yes, that is fun too, I suppose.”

  The path they were on seemed to be leading them nowhere fast. Surely they should have spotted the meadows by now. Just then, he noticed another path parallel to theirs, which seemed to intersect up ahead. He shrugged and pulled out the map to see what was going on.

  “Then what kind of conversation do you like?”

  He spoke while looking at the map and road ahead of them, then peering into the woods to try to see around the trees. They definitely weren’t on the only road through the forest. It seemed that all the paths here overlapped like an intricate maze, and it was really in their best interests to leave before they got lost.

  Just as that idea surfaced in his mind, Lawrence felt someone’s eyes burning holes into his back and looked behind him.

  “..Not this present conversation, at least, of that you can be certain.”

  Her tail swayed slowly from side to side in dissatisfaction. His mind simply went blank, but only for an instant. Boring conversations were a lot like perfunctory ones, and yet there were differences. Lawrence had never had to pay attention to those differences before, which was the reason he was so careless now. So he openly apologized.

  “..sorry. What kind of conversation do you like, really?”

  When he posed his question a second time, her expression became incredulous.

  “Am I but a child to you?”

  “What?”

  “Are conversations not meant to follow some logical course of topics? Did you believe that by simply posing your question a second time, I would forget everything else we have said just to obediently reply?”

  Just as she finished, the wagon’s wheels got caught between some roots and shuddered violently. Lawrence spun around in haste, then immediately turned back. He saw that Holo was sprawled over their baggage, having been getting ready to go to sleep. She wasn’t looking at him.

  “..”

  He was beyond embarrassed. All he could do was turn away and put his hand to his forehead. He’d never encountered anything like this in the days when he had the habit of talking to himself, with only his horse to listen.

  He contemplated how he could apologize for this, but realized he’d only dig himself deeper if he tried to cover up his fault. Having finished preparing himself, he apologized.

  “Sorry.”

  It was just what he’d said a moment ago. But a conversation was supposed to follow a logical flow of topics.

>   “Hmph.”

  Her unpleasant half-snorting noise meant she had forgiven him.

  “So.. when will we finally leave this forest?”

  She must have sipped from the leather wineskin as she spoke. Ultimately, she still hadn’t revealed what kind of foolish conversations she enjoyed.

  “I’ve heard that forest spirits can conjure up new paths.. does the Wisewolf Holo conveniently have such an ability?”

  “In fields of wheat, it would not be impossible.”

  “Oh, really? That I’d like to see.”

  “If we ever get the chance.”

  She answered coldly, but if he voiced a complaint he’d only spring her trap and give her an excuse to seek recompense. He swallowed his words at the last possible second.

  “But really, this forest is pretty odd.”

  Their wagon rattled as they crossed an intersection.

  “Odd?”

  “There are so many paths in this forest. Too many, even if they were made for transporting lumber.”

  He wondered whether it was best to just turn back right then and there, before they truly became lost. It was almost noon, and the moment the sun passed overhead the shadows in the forest would change directions. He hadn’t forgotten his way, but once the shadows reversed it was easy to become all turned around.

  “..”

  “What?”

  Lawrence fell into thought, and Holo addressed him.

  “My, are we getting lost?”

  Sure enough, that evil smirk was on her face again. That would anger any traveling merchant, even if he knew it was a friendly joke told for his own sake.

  “We’ve come all this way, and I still remember the route we took.. we’re fine.”

  He knew he was letting his emotions get the better of him. Perhaps realizing that, she slowly and silently wagged her tail, then let her half-erect body fall down hard upon their baggage.

  “Aye.. you have spent your life traveling after all.”

  The way she took her comment back made it feel like she was apologizing for meddling in his business.

  * * *

  The carriage continued rattling along on its way. The paths continued criss-crossing, heading every which way except for out of the woods. Time slipped away little by little in this manner, until they finally came to a 5-way intersection. One would have long broken down, praying to the heavens for mercy, had this been a regular journey.

  Lawrence stopped the wagon and looked up at the sky. It was just after noon.. the best time to lie down in the meadows. At this point, making it to the meadows would be less and less worthwhile. That was doubly true if he took the time needed for their return trip into account.

  On the other hand, they had already come this far. Turning back without at least getting a glimpse of the meadow’s magnificence was ridiculous. That, and he had no desire to prove Holo right having brushed off her snide comment.

  “..”

  They just sat there as he pondered what to do in the driver’s box, not even thinking to drive the horse onward.

  It was all too obvious that the rational thing to do was turn around instead of plodding ahead like this. But if he revealed that this was all they would get after coming all this way, what would Holo say? He knew it was just his stubborn pride, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to accept the truth.

  All the while her tail wagged like she was hearing his internal debate. She was clearly provoking him, but as he finally raised the reins to spur the horse, it finally hit him: if they got completely lost all because of his stubbornness, what then?

  “..”

  With that, he finally decided. Turning back was the best choice. A moment later-

  “My.. you truly are adorable.”

  Having finally broken the silence, she propped her face up on her elbows on the edge of the driver’s box.

  “Would you also like a pair of ears and a tail like mine?”

  “What.. what are you talking about..”

  She ignored his stiff tone.

  “What I mean is that I have never seen a more transparent male.”

  “What?”

  She heard the hint of impatience in his reply and sat up, drawing her face next to his. He leaned away, noticing how her smiled had changed.

  “You brushed off my warning, so now you find it difficult to accept. And yet, venturing forward may be even riskier.. whatever shall you do?”

  She was right on the nose, and only pressed closer to his face as he turned away instinctively, still wearing the same smile.

  “You are clearly being reckless over a trivial matter.”

  This creature who had lived for centuries, who called herself the Wisewolf, was now so close that he felt her breath on his face. He wanted desperately to escape, but he was as far back on the seemingly-tiny driver’s seat as he could get. Her amber eyes - like those of a mind-reader - were right in front of his.

  “And yet..”

  Her tone was suddenly gentle, almost disappointingly so. She had drawn so close to him that she could swallow him whole, only to abruptly lean away again. Lawrence was unable to follow her sudden change in attitude, and could only stared dimly at her as she sat on the back of the driver’s box.

  “And yet, there is no way I can be angry.. not when I consider your motivations.”

  She was gazing down on him, being seated on the raised platform behind him, their usual positions reversed. It was difficult to bear without anger, given her dignified appearance.

  “You wish to have the advantage, even if you have to act tough, no? That is so childish a notion that I cannot muster any anger.”

  Were she looking at him in mockery, he might have had a chance to counter her. But he knew there was no way to refute her when he was acting like a little boy, especially when she made no secret of having no interest in competing and smiled down on him like a benevolent older sister instead.

  He was completely helpless in the face of such an attitude. And worse, she’d read his thoughts precisely, so it was clear he couldn’t hide them from her even if he wanted to.

  “Your problem is..”

  As she spoke she hopped down into the driver’s box and sat beside him. She was now looking up at him again, their usual positions reinstated.

  “..That you base your every decision on the scales.”

  “..Scales?”

  “Mm. Which way they tilt, who has the upper hand. Your failure directly results from this mindset.. although from a merchant’s perspective, this may be the best attitude to assume.”

  She spoke while dragging the blanket off the wagon bed and onto her lap, causing a wave of rustling. Then she smacked his hand lightly (which was still holding the reins) and continued.

  “Just how long do you intend to hold those?”

  “..Huh? How long? Shouldn’t we start heading back now?”

  He asked in surprise, completely missing her point, and an incredulous look immediately surfaced on her face.

  “Honestly.. have you already forgotten what I said? You utterly lack any ability to see where a conversation is heading.”

  He recalled her saying something like that, but what was she getting at? What did it have to do with him letting go of the reins? Was she trying to snare him in some complex trap again? Just as his thoughts turned to that, he finally understood.

  “Oh!!!”

  “Jeez, took you long enough.”

  He was at a complete loss for words. It was so obvious, now that he thought about it. All he had to do was recall their discussion before they went into the forest: what did he say they would do if they ran into trouble getting through the forest?

  “You should have done that from the very start, but you just had to force your way deeper and deeper into the mire. It is not my cleverness that leads you into traps, but your own stupidity.”

  She gently tugged at him, making his fists open and ball back up, letting loose the reins as he flinched. Now that she said it, it sank in jus
t how many obvious chances he’d had to realize it before.

  “You see now that you need not struggle to some meadows to make me happy, yes?”

  She flapped open the blanket with a swish and effortlessly wrapped it around Lawrence. His stubborn insistence on reaching the meadows was also caused by him being unable to follow their earlier conversation. What had she said she enjoyed doing during a trip?

  “You mean your preferred topic from all the boring ones?”

  “Mm. If you had but confirmed that, you might have put me in a great mood without even forcing yourself to take me to some meadow.”

  Her voice sounded quite happy. And she probably was happy, seeing him receive wave after wave of her attacks.

  “Then, just what kind of conversation do you enjoy most?”

  His eyes opened wide just as he finished asking his question. She replied not with surprise, not with anger. She neither laughed at him nor berated him. She actually seemed embarrassed.

  “Hehe.. to tell you the truth, I am only able to say this out loud since the conversation has come to such a point..”

  She giggled and shrugged, looking extremely embarrassed. If her favorite kind of conversation was this embarrassing, then this probably was the only way she could admit it. After all, she had a towering advantage over him right now; he could only listen.

  “This is the kind of conversation I like the most, the kind I can drift off to sleep on. The boring kind I can listen to, the kind with topics that make one’s ears itch..”

  She turned away after saying that, looking genuinely embarrassed for once. It was true; nodding off to another’s words wasn’t much different from enjoying a lullaby. And now that he thought about it, she did always fall asleep while they talked.

  He’d always guessed she did it on purpose, but apparently it was just another of her quirks. He stole a glance at her still-turned-away face. It was quite red; she truly did seem embarrassed.

  “What do you think? Rather foolish, is it not?”

  “..As much as it pains me to say so, I’m afraid it is.”

  She turned to face him once again with resentful eyes, knocking her head against his.

  “But who is it that has the advantage now?”

  It went without saying that he was the foolish one, and that if he’d only asked her earlier the present advantage would have been his.