“Well, if the Wisewolf says so, it must be true.”
She seemed stunned for a moment, but then grinned in delight.
* * *
“I wonder if we shall find them in Lesco?”
Holo was murmuring as she washed her bowl and spoon in the river. Maybe she’d been staring at the fire too long, and couldn’t see that the river was flowing in front of her. Time was always like that too, and wisdom meant putting up a bridge to make it easier to cross.
“Even if we don’t, it’ll be fun to keep up the hunt.”
Lawrence knew he had to get back to business as soon as possible, and that his time was short. The truth was that if they missed Myuri in Lesco or on their way back to Yoitsu, it was practically impossible for them to keep up the hunt. Holo also knew that, but hearing him say that still made her happy. Her head shifted as she poked at a stone in the fire, and he saw her smile.
“Indeed. The more fun, the better.”
“Well I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ll find them.”
Holo was the Wisewolf, so she knew better. Being comforted like this didn’t really suit her. Her smile was quickly replaced by a wistful one, as though she regretted tarnishing her image in this way. She began poking the large stones they left in the fire to provide warmth for them at night.
“So when I storm off in anger, will you have fun hunting for me?”
She scraped the ashes off the stones and wrapped them in three layers of cloth. It was cotton, so she carefully handled it and tied it. Watching her made Lawrence feel like it was a noose being tied around his neck. But he wasn’t in any position to pretend she hadn’t asked that question.
“It’d be fun, but probably not that hard. You’d be crying in hunger most of the time.”
Her ears flipped up, but it wasn’t the kind of joke that would make her angry. Instead she laughed menacingly, as if to darken the night sky around them.
The two of them then lay down in the wagon, with the stones warming their bellies and their backs pressed against one another. All they could hear was each other’s breathing, until they became so groggy they couldn’t tell whose breath was whose anymore and finally fell asleep. In three days, they would arrive in Lesco. Soon after that, they would be in Yoitsu. But at least they could sleep tonight without any worries.
* * *
The plains were coated in a thin layer of snow. They saw more and more footprints as they approached Lesco. Finally they began to see other travelers as well. Most people wore thick fur coats, their faces were all dark as if dusty or burned by the snow.
It didn’t look like they were city-dwellers, but rather the cargo haulers necessary for daily life up north. However that didn’t mean there weren’t any regular merchants. In fact there was a convoy that seemed fairly well-to-do. They weren’t using wagons or closed carriages, just mules, implying that they probably took some dangerous paths.
They had heard that it wasn’t just mercenaries in Lesco, and they even had a governor who visited them regularly. Still, Lawrence was rather surprised that the atmosphere was not as hostile as he expected. The road was firm and well-kept, clearly not hastily built for some war. Lawrence expected he’d have to rely on Holo’s keen senses, but things seemed quite stable in the end.
It was actually a lively atmosphere just under the surface. It felt more like a road people took to earn money, which stirred his merchant’s heart. All this for some remote northern town? Was Lesco really that important?
“I don’t know why, but everyone seems pretty energetic.”
In contrast, Holo looked like she was half-asleep. She hadn’t slept much on the trip, presumably because she was anxious about meeting Myuri. She spoke softly in response.
“’Tis quite the opposite of what we expected.”
They presumed that since the Diva company, owner of mines, occupied the north, that other merchants wouldn’t dare come here and risk war. In reality, there were a lot of merchants on the road.
“Well, at any rate, we’ll see why when we get there.”
There was nothing else they could do, so Lawrence just gripped the reins and let his horse gallop freely. The worried Holo could only nod. She was so terribly anxious about meeting the friend she hadn’t seen in centuries that all Lawrence could do for her was keep himself in a good mood so it would lift hers.
He had been debating how to do just that. Perhaps a tall tale or two to distract her? Everything he came up with seemed far too deliberate, and in the end he was unsure whether he could even act naturally enough to pull it off. All he knew was business, after all. He was just a dull peasant with little wit when it came to conversation.
In the end he decided that all he all he could was take action, rather than clumsily blurt something out. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and took her gloved hand in his. He held it tightly to indicate that she didn’t have to worry on her own. As expected, she was stunned. She stared at him, then their joined hands.
Lawrence had braced himself for a beating and was staring ahead, prepared to die. But she didn’t make a move. It felt like time itself was freezing, but when she finally looked up at him again it was with a gentle and helpless smile. She seemed to be laughing at herself for being so anxious that she made him worry. But she didn’t let go of his hand.
* * *
They were now closer than ever to the Diva company, the mining firm. Even Keeman, the manager of the Rowen Trade Guild branch of Gerube, warned them to stay away from here. Lesco was at the end of the road they had taken. And now, smack dab in the middle of that road and shocked, was Lawrence.
He wasn’t exactly darting his eyes back and forth like a curious child, but he was looking around a lot more than he usually did. Why wasn’t there a wall around town? He barely even noticed that they were actually in the middle of Lesco. He suspected it was built at the foot of the mountains like a mining town would be, a place where people worked to make their fortunes. But it seemed he was wrong yet again.
Despite being near the mountains, Lesco was nothing like a mining town. It wasn’t a depressing and miserable place, and it was far from small. In fact it was spread out quite impressively. There were many nice buildings, and they had even paved the roads with stones despite the ground being far from rocky.
It seemed this was simply done to make an impression so people would hear travelers walking through town. It would have taken several years to pave these roads, not to mention being expensive to maintain. How could they afford such a thing if they didn’t even have a wall to help them tax the populace? Was it simply because the businesses along the road pitched in?
Even the side roads were beautiful, despite being less crowded. Far from being a tense place where war might break out at any moment, everyone seemed enthusiastic. It looked like they had beaten the odds magnificently.
“Hey, are you sure this is the right place?”
Holo was just as surprised as he was. Everything they’d heard pointed to a place the northern landowners were making a mess of with a lot of terrible mining operations. What was going on here? The shops were full of goods and customers, and musicians and poets were performing everywhere. All kinds of people were here.
Of course there were seedier types as well, but they weren’t walking around with spears; they were playing cards in the pubs that were open this time of day. Even priests could be seen here and there talking, looking well-dressed instead of hard-pressed to spread their faith. What was this? Lawrence stopped their wagon off to the side for a moment to recover.
“Why is everyone so happy here?”
Holo was muttering to herself.
“Now I look like a fool after being so nervous.”
Lawrence wouldn’t agree with her, of course, but it was the truth. Were they just seeing the pleasant surface of a place that was rotten at the core?
“What will we do now?”
Lawrence snapped out of it when he heard Holo ask her question.
“Well
we can’t just sit around wasting time, so let’s just do what we came here to do.”
It might have been his sudden enthusiasm, but Holo’s eyes opened roundly in surprise. She smiled and nodded. The Delink company and Flynn had given them a letter having dealt with mercenaries regularly, so Lawrence pulled it out and checked which inn they were supposed to head to.
According to Delink, Myuri’s mercenary band stayed at a particular inn to avoid being attacked by other bands or armies. Only their trading partners knew which one it was, and if they wanted to keep doing business they wouldn’t betray it to just anyone. After all, mercenaries were much worse as enemies than as political or financial allies.
Not to mention that slave traders like Delink would benefit most from good ties with mercenary bands. There was no reason for them to give up such an address unless it was for mutually-beneficial business. Mercenary bands had to make the most of each and every opportunity they came across, and so their leaders were ultimately not that different from merchants.
Lesco was such a large and lively place, with no walls and full of prosperous-looking buildings, that Lawrence had to keep asking for directions to find the right inn. There was a manger outside that was large enough to accommodate groups of mercenaries, and it wasn’t just big: it had glass windows that made it possible to see what was inside.
A worker came out when he saw Lawrence approaching, and reached out to take the reins. He did so so casually that it was clear this was just a regular routine around here. Lawrence was so beside himself that he didn’t even know if he ought to hand the boy the reins. But he didn’t want to add to Holo’s concerns, so he quickly composed himself and hopped down, then smacked the side of the wagon.
“I will take good care of it, sir.”
The boy wasn’t that much older than Cole, but his voice and smile seemed quite slimy. Lawrence could tell from his hair and eye color that he wasn’t local, but from somewhere in the south.
Lawrence preferred observing a new town on his first visit, especially when it proved so counter to his expectations.. but right now it was most important to find the Myuri mercenaries. Of course, they might just be using that name coincidentally, perhaps having heard a story about the real Myuri and wishing to coast off his legend.
Still, mercenaries and normal merchants were natural enemies. Even Flynn, a grocer who always dealt with mercenaries, was wary of them. Lawrence took a deep breath to calm himself, and noticed that Holo had her right hand pressed against her chest.
“Shall we?”
He couldn’t help but ask, seeing how stiffly Holo was acting.
“After you.”
Fair enough. If they were just going to be thrown out, he might as well go first. He triple-checked the letter and his own appearance, then gently pushed the door. A bell rang as it opened, and it seemed that the first floor was a bar with many round tables and three people inside. Their sleeves weren’t rolled up, and they didn’t have scars on their faces, so it wasn’t clear whether they were mercenaries.
None of the three stared at Lawrence, though one of them quickly glanced at him before returning his attention to their conversation. There was another man standing around who looked like a merchant.
“Can I help you?”
He seemed as young and normal as Lawrence, except for his muscular arms. He might very well be a battle field supplier. He eyed Lawrence as though evaluating a competitor.
“I was told that the Myuri mercenary band are here.”
The moment he mentioned their name, everyone turned around. They stopped chatting and playing around for a bit, but soon resumed. Holo’s head was cast downward as though her nerves had failed her.
“Makes sense.. I take it you’re here to sell something?”
He was looking at Holo, obviously wondering why Lawrence brought a girl like her to a den of mercenaries.
“Actually.. no, the Delink company of Lenos asked me to speak with them.”
He took the letter out of his pocket just long enough to display the red seal on it. It was a gesture meant to make it clear that he was supposed to speak with someone in charge. The corner of the man’s mouth rose up, and everyone’s eyes were on Lawrence the moment he mentioned Delink company.
“Is the captain here?”
The man stared at Lawrence before turning to ask someone. He heard a voice reply that the staff sergeant was on the second floor. The man’s head was turned away, but his eyes turned back to Lawrence.
“Doesn’t seem like the captain’s in, but you can go see the staff sergeant.”
The rule was that an organization like this had specific people to deal with outsiders. It was obvious that Lawrence would be coming to talk to the captain, but wasn’t going to be given that honor. He hesitated, but knew that if he acted tough now Holo might miss her chance to learn about how the group related to her friend. This was the only way he could do that much, so he nodded.
“This way please.”
The young man nodded and turned, but at that moment everyone looked up.
“Uh..”
Lawrence wasn’t sure if it was the man who made that noise, but his mouth did move. Just before Lawrence’s eyes turned to follow everyone’s stares, they all rose to their feet. The bell was ringing again, and Lawrence saw the young man stand up straight and put on the same expression as the others. He turned around and saw another young man, somewhere between teenagehood and adolescence, who was quite short and had trimmed hair and sharp eyes.
“Hmm? What happened?”
His voice was a bit hoarse, as though he needed to clear his throat. His clothes were the same as the others, but seemed to indicate a higher rank. In a way, he looked a bit more like a nobleman than a mercenary with his fur coat almost touching the ground like a cape.
“Oh, a merchant? And what.. a nun?”
He smiled like a wild animal, in a dangerous-looking yet charming manner. He held Holo’s chin and raised her face. It seemed he was used to acting that way. It made Lawrence harden himself and become a merchant again.
“We’ve come to meet the captain of the Myuri mercenary band.”
Lawrence bowed and put on an incredible smile. If weapons were what mercenaries fought with, then such smiles and letters of introduction were what merchants fought with.
“Oh, really.. what’s this? Delink company?”
Holo’s chin was still in his hand, but when he saw the seal on the letter he realized he was acting improperly. He nervously pulled his hand away and suddenly turned into an innocent-looking boy.
“Ah, pardon me. I thought you came to sell her. But indeed her face is too lovely to be a prostitute.”
His manner was rude, but his smile seemed genuine. It felt like an attempt to make up for his rudeness, like a man unused to being in finer company. He seemed a bit suspicious of Holo’s lack of a reaction, but that smile indicated that he was as accustomed to mental wars as he was physical ones. He turned to face Lawrence.
“Well then. I am Myuri Ruward of the Myuri Mercenaries.”
He removed his coat as he reported his name, and with his hand against his hip like that he looked like a proper mercenary again. He stood with a prestigious pose, but Lawrence sensed that he was only as old as he appeared to be. Holo seemed to have noticed the same thing; the Myuri in front of her was really just a human. Otherwise he would have reacted differently to Holo.
All of a sudden, however, they heard the sound of water drops hitting the floor. Myuri raised his palm up to the roof, wondering if the ceiling was leaking, but Lawrence immediately looked at Holo’s face. She still wore her poker face, but had been unable to hold back her tears.
“That.. claw..”
She ignored all the eyes upon her and simply spoke those words. Lawrence followed her eyes to Myuri’s chest, and realized that the black object there wasn’t an ox’s horn. He had thought it was just some token of a mercenary’s courage, or a charm to pray for victory, but Holo’s reaction was compl
etely different and Myuri’s expression quickly melted into one of surprise.
“You know this is a claw?”
Holo nodded, and immediately began sobbing. They were the tears of a young maiden, but they weren’t tears of happiness. Lawrence instantly moved between them and held her in his arms, but when he opened his mouth to explain things, Myuri stopped him.
“Come with me.”
He tossed those words out and pushed the puzzled young man aside to lead Lawrence and Holo upstairs. But Lawrence and Holo remained still, so Myuri turned back on the stairs and continued.
“There’s something you need to know.”
They felt out of place, but had no way to deny him. The top brass in these organizations were normally like the leaders of noble families; they were the elders who had survived several generations. But the Myuri mercenary band was different. Their staff sergeant was a man with impressive silvery spikes of hair. His beard was equally impressive.
“You want me to leave too?”
He was planning to report something to Myuri, who had just returned. And yet, he was surprisingly being ordered away by Myuri like some low-ranking petty officer.
“Yes. No one else is authorized to be on this floor right now. Take the others with you.”
Myuri’s tone made it clear he wasn’t to be questioned. It was proud, but spirited, and reminded Lawrence of the stories of mercenary bands who ended up dead because they couldn’t respect their leader’s orders. The sergeant seemed upset, but contrary to his facial expression he immediately stood up straight.
“Aye sir!”
He then left the room and loudly order the others to go downstairs.
The room they were in was full of trinkets, making it clear that this was indeed a proper base for the band. Most of the items were equipment for traveling, but some were tokens for dealing with different noble rulers. Books and scrolls were everywhere and, even more surprising, several novels about knights. Lawrence never expected that a mercenary would read something like that. Myuri seemed to notice and sat down laughing.