“You see it now, don’t you? Diva’s executives suddenly made up their minds to help the barons make a power grab, even though the barons were really the ones pulling the strings. They’ve committed to some really stupid decisions.”
Holo stared at Lawrence while he spoke, then replied.
“..so they should reap what they have sown.”
“I agree, but this is our best chance to stop them.”
Holo wasn’t happy to hear that.
“Oh really? By organizing this little rebellion?”
“Yeah. Diva treated the barons like idiots in order to gain power, and quite a few of them knew how that would end-”
“So the moment they see a chance to retake their company, they will also take action?”
Holo’s lips twisted like she was biting into the cheapest rye bread. It really must be that distasteful for her to hear Lawrence make such an assumption, but it wasn’t Lawrence’s plan to begin with. It was Hildir’s, and he was an insider who wouldn’t make such assumptions.
“That’s Hildir’s idea, not mine. It’s not likely to be too optimistic, since everyone fights these battles their own way. It’s almost guaranteed that some of them will try fighting from the inside, thinking it’s their best shot at saving their company from these idiots.”
“..”
Holo knew it would be true, but she wouldn’t just agree until Lawrence asked her what she wanted to do. And yet, she cut him off before he could do so.
“And you believe those who lead the company are among them?”
Such people would normally fight back, but merchants were far too greedy, and the more power they had the greedier they were. Lawrence had even heard of merchants who would kneel and pretend to switch allegiances when the tables turned. Especially when they stood to lose everything.
Besides, Mr. Diva himself could hardly be killed. Without him and Hildir, the company would probably never return to its original glory when the dust settled.
“Yes, I do. Otherwise this plan wouldn’t exist.”
Holo stared at Lawrence, mystified. Ultimately she sighed, looking at the forest behind them. Perhaps seeing trees calmed her down.
“Merchants are a horrible lot.”
Evidently, she had come to accept the situation. In a way the situation was actually in her favor; she would never have left Myuri and his men behind, or indeed even Hildir. After all, she had gone to fetch the book precisely because it could possibly avert disaster for her homeland.
That wasn’t even considering the fact that Myuri and his men probably wouldn’t be in this mess if Lawrence and Holo weren’t there to get them caught up in it. She couldn’t help but want to make sure this story had a happy ending, and with this planned rebellion it was still possible.
She knew that she had to accept the situation even if she didn’t want to. She wouldn’t have even thought of running away in the first place, she just needed an excuse to accept everything. Lawrence finally had a chance to ask the question he knew would apply that pressure on her.
“What would you do, if you were one of those horrible merchants?”
“Hmm?”
She gazed at him, unsure how to reply. That adorable expression on her face always instinctively made him want to tease her.
“What’s this? Are you trying to lull me into a false sense of security again with your cute little reactions?”
“Are you acting proudly so that I will remind you how I feel about proud males?”
With that she leaned on him with no trace of deviousness.
“Is this what you want?”
She grabbed his arm.
“Ah, yes.. just like that.”
He smiled as he looked back at her.
“Hmph.”
She turned away, and they walked back down to the road just like that. The fight was taking place to their right, and Sovereign lay in the opposite direction. The wagon-sleds had been sent ahead, along with the non-combatants.
“By the way..”
As they turned to the right, Lawrence asked a question.
“What did you do while you were in Lesco two days ago?”
Hildir had told his flying friend Louis that he would go to Sovereign in a pinch, so why had it taken that bird so long to find them? Holo simply shrugged.
“That town was snapped up as tightly as a clam. I judged that the rabbit must be in trouble, but I had no way to know what was happening. He had not so much as left me a note, after all.”
Lawrence could say nothing to that, unless he wanted to risk her wrath.
“Ah, then you were investigating things?”
“Well, all of Louis’s friends were hidden, so he had to assume human form. He was so brave to search around like that.. what a pity that he is a bird.”
Lawrence was already surprised enough that she referred to Louis by name, but it was doubly rare for her to openly appreciate someone like that. He couldn’t say anything without her calling him out on his jealousy, so he had to play along. And yet, the moment he realized what he was doing, it was too late. She was already smiling.
“..so he’s that impressive, huh?”
Lawrence might as well preempt her.
“Quite. Like a heroic adventurer.”
“Oh?”
“He returned after flying non stop for days, only to have to search for his hidden friends. That is hardly an easy task for one man, especially without someone to encourage and guide them. And so, I..”
She paused for a while.
“..I find him impressive.”
She turned her face away from Lawrence, though he knew she wore a puzzled smile. Women found such men hard to resist, after all. So many dramatic stories were about that very premise. If that was true, then.. if a man and a wolf could work, then why not a wolf and a bird?
Lawrence wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Holo’s heart had swayed, since she would have already made that clear by now. But he still had a tough time maintaining his composure, especially when she smiled at his struggle.
“Y-you, you..”
She was hugging him tightly before he could even find a response. She took a deep breath, smelling his clothes, and by the time she exhaled and released him she was so happy there were tears in her eyes.
“Are you still afraid that I might not love you? Fool.”
He did know. He really did. After all, she only went out of her way to tease him like this when no one else was around. She just wanted to see him say nothing and scratch his head, like he was doing right now.
“But you know, Louis did exactly the same thing; he ran from that disaster area.”
Lawrence felt the stinging itch in his head disappear.
“Really?”
“Well, setting aside your decisions, they are powerful foes. They may become even stronger after this battle. But it is still true: in then end, Louis’ courage was how we got this pouch.”
“No matter what, do not let anyone else have this pouch. It must be given to the rabbit - that was what Louis’ master told us.”
Based on Holo’s serious expression she wasn’t joking in the slightest. Lawrence’s eyes fell back on the pouch slung over his shoulder.
“Still, with all those enemies in town it was a difficult burden to bear, so the one who gave it to us was brave as well. Surely that is a good enough reason?”
She was obviously poking fun at him, but if that was why she was held up in Lesco then it made sense she would remember and appreciate the names of those involved. But what was in the bag? The ’one’ who gave it to her was obviously Mr. Diva himself, so it stood to reason that it contained cash, letters, or maybe even the seal of authority of Diva company.
Those were very important secrets. A company’s reputation came down to its credit; once that was gone, it was over. The owner might even wind up dead, or alive but completely shamed.
“Then you already took a peek inside?”
Holo’s face became grim, and it then we
nt flying off outside his field of vision. As he fell, he realized it was because she had tripped him.
“Fool.”
He looked up at her and shook his head at her over-reaction to his joke.
* * *
The battle was still raging when they returned. There were four men in Myuri’s tent, each with bruises on their face and hands colored a dark purple. It wasn’t make-up, but the men had a relaxed look that made it clear how little they feared for their lives. They looked more like people who had just run a race.
“We’re back.”
Lawrence announced their presence to Myuri, who gave them a silent nod and looked over at Moid.
“It’s almost over.”
In turn, Lawrence nodded at them and took Holo’s hand to hide. They had a complete view of this ”battle” from their vantage point. Despite the heavy snow and strong wind, everyone was working hard. It turned out that using dull weapons only improved their act, since they could knock a man out without killing him. The worst of it was a few broken bones and people passing out, so far.
Things were going according to plan, with Myuri slowly losing the one-sided battle but not giving up for a second. They were selling the fact that they knew they were all doomed if they didn’t fight extra hard to survive. Their dedication made the farce seem like it was real, and revealed just how much they loved the thrill of warfare.
It didn’t matter how stupid their goal was, or that they were just fighting selfishly for their own desires, Lawrence couldn’t help but be inspired by them. He wished he could be there with them, even if he’d never handled a sword or spear in his life.
“You admire them.”
Holo was so blunt that Lawrence touched his face to check if he’d been smiling.
“I fail to see what is so great about this?”
She shrugged after uttering that surprising statement, but Lawrence had no way to give her a proper answer. The mercenaries themselves probably couldn’t either; there was just something about the momentary thrill of such a fight that only seemed to strike the male heart.
“If being a mercenary was my calling, I doubt I’d ever have met you.”
Holo smiled at him like an older sister.
“Knowing you, you would be just as miserable as a mercenary. You would probably be dead long before you got the chance to meet me.”
Her bluntness was disarming, but also quite accurate.. though it didn’t stop Lawrence’s mind from wandering. He could have lived a life of violence, becoming a powerful hero who could wield sword and spear. Had he met Holo, they would have run together to Yoitsu, and woe to whomever came between them and their goal.
She would be the same person, but rather than a merchant she would have a mercenary at her side. Someone who would fearlessly look up at her true form, and be worthy of sitting upon her with a spear in hand. She could run with her fangs bared, and he could smite their enemies from her back. Between him and the legendary wolf, who wouldn’t run away in terror?
“And yet..”
Holo seemed to realize how embarrassed he would be if she called him out on what he was imagining right now. She squinted and stared at the battlefield.
“I am happy to have you with me regardless of your occupation.”
As she turned, he realized that he couldn’t stand up to that smile on her face. Even if he had been a mercenary who could kill with reckless abandon, she would make him lose that edge just as easily with her behavior. It was all just idle speculation, but it made him feel pathetic to realize that nonetheless. Holo, however, smiled even more happily and returned her gaze to the fight, a trail of white air leaving her mouth.
“I believe there is such a thing as destiny.”
Her words snapped him out of it, making him remember how lucky he was to have even met her. He’d pushed quite hard ever since they met, so if there was such a thing as destiny then the mercenary version of himself would have probably pushed so hard he would been killed for her sake.
“I tire of the sighs and confusion, and of having to run until I am so sore that all I feel is my hunger. It is something I never believed I would do as a Wisewolf. I had never imagined it until now. And so, I must call it destiny, to ease my mind.”
She was far beyond him and she knew it, even if she felt like leaning on him. He knew that he couldn’t catch up to her, no matter how much she slowed down for him, no matter if she was just a few steps away from him now and turning back to face him.
“That is why I thought about other things as I ran.”
“..Such as?”
It was such a strange thing for Holo to say that he was bewildered.
“What we ought to name your shop.”
“What?!”
He was so delighted that he dashed forward to hug her, but froze when he heard an enormous sound behind them. He couldn’t believe that he was hearing the sound of trees snapping, but what else could it be?
“Avalanche!!”
Lawrence instinctively turned to spot who it was that shouted that, and noticed that the fighting had stopped. Everyone was staring at the same location, like they had spotted a bear. They couldn’t survive something like this, no matter how strong they were. A natural disaster was just that powerful, even if it was snow slowly sliding down through a forest like an enormous wave. The mountain had collapsed, and the valley was being flooded.
“Retreat!!!”
Myuri bellowed, and Reginald did the same, but they didn’t have to. Their men were already rushing from the onslaught like ants from a rainstorm. The snow was overwhelming, and covered everything in the valley like a solid cloud of smoke. It was over just as suddenly as it began, but it had changed everything. The battle was over.
“Grab our wounded and fall back! God is on our side!”
Myuri rushed forward and quickly barked his orders as if to spite Reginald, the captain of Diva’s forces. They pulled their comrades from under the snow and scurried up the slope, as Holo and Lawrence marvelled at their luck. Reginald, however, was not impressed.
“Are you running, you cowards!?”
He angrily hurled an arrow at them, and although it flew an amazing distance and struck the area where Myuri’s men were gathered, it hit no one. Reginald roared at the emptying valley, and for a moment his anger felt genuine.
* * *
When Lawrence and Holo made it to their camp, they were greeted with warm soup. Even knowing it was a charade, Lawrence was stunned by the turn of events. He was quite eager to make sure everyone was alright after the avalanche, to the point where his expression made it obvious. After their reports, however, it turned out that things were still going according to plan. Fifteen of their men were present, and Moid was talking to Myuri.
“Our lancers were caught by the snow, but they’ll be fine.”
“Besides, it wasn’t a proper avalanche, just smoke and mirrors. Not like we wanted anyone to die.”
He smiled a crafty smile.
“Just hang on, we’ll be contacted soon. We still have to finish what we started.”
Lawrence nodded at Moid’s instructions. It made sense in hindsight; even if they fled to Sovereign they’d still have to deal with Diva sooner or later. Myuri surveyed their injured and confirmed their captives, then congratulated the men who had created the ‘avalanche.’ A mercenary captain wasn’t able to get away with being haughty, and had to show his men the proper respect.
“Well done, everyone!”
He spoke again when everyone settled down.
“We can still say that we’ve never lost to the renowned Hugo mercenaries! Sadly we haven’t won, either, but we’ll get another chance someday!”
Hildir smiled, pleased with his employees.
“I’d love to say ’let’s all get some rest’ but we’re still not finished yet! It’s our job to run after the avalanche, so run we shall! What say you?”
He swept his eyes across the tent, but only got back the looks of approval everyone expected. They
were all smiling at how fun this was.
“Then let’s pack up and get a move on!”
Their role was to run as fast as they could to Sovereign, but they were still calmly sharing anecdotes about the fight they’d just waged. Hugo would be out looking for them already, expecting to find only fifteen ’survivors.’ In this sham, the Hugo Mercenaries had to have an absolute advantage to fool the idiots running Diva.
“What will their next move be?”
Holo questioned Lawrence as they packed. She watched him hang their goods on his horse, but remained silent on the topic of the wagon. She was too tactful to darken the mood.
“What do you think? I was surprised when they told me.”
She thought it over, but shrugged.
“I have no idea.”
“A hostage negotiation. Fifteen of us are captured, and we’re not in a good position. They won’t be expecting us to try to negotiate, so it’ll get the Diva representative worked up for sure.”
“..and then we free our friends and flee?”
“That way Hugo can blame it all on the representative, since they did everything he asked.”
Holo hummed in obvious boredom.
“More acting.”
“Still impressive though, huh?”
“Is that all it takes to impress you?”
Lawrence wasn’t angered by her jab because he’d be disappointed too if he was in her place.
“Well, impressive enough that you had to ask about it.”
“I suppose it is more impressive than the useless guy in front of me right now.”
Lawrence wasn’t about to really argue, so he let Holo win this round with a satisfied sigh.
“Too true. It’s a good thing there aren’t more people like me to screw things up.”
“Hmm?”
She leaned into him and murmured.
“Is that what has you down?”
There was a look of scorn in her eyes.
“The rabbit is the star this time. In fact, they are guarding him so closely that I cannot even give him that.”
With her chin, she pointed at the pouch Lawrence had slung over the horse. They were already hauling enough secrets; three hundred Lumione, and a book the Church wanted to burn. Now they also had a pouch that the head of the Diva company wanted to give to Hildir. In fact, if Hildir knew what was in the pouch, he would laugh. It was such a twist that Lawrence was proud his horse was the one carrying that destiny.