“The northerners may be trying to buy the Narwhale..”
“Hmm..”
“But if it were that simple, Keeman wouldn’t be panicking and Eve wouldn’t risk coming here. Something beyond their expectations has to have happened for them to do so.”
Hearing that, Holo took Lawrence’s hand and began pulling him forward before replying.
“This town seems quite poor. It cannot have much wealth.”
“Right, and I’ve also heard that Reynolds is the central figure behind this.”
Reynolds could use trickery with crates to earn a little coin, but it wouldn’t be enough for him to purchase the Narwhale.
“He would have to loan the money.”
“Indeed, if he really means to buy the Narwhale, he would have to collect capital from somewhere. Aha! So that’s why Keeman and Eve would react that way..”
Lawrence finally caught a glimpse of Holo’s eyes. She was squinting with displeasure. If she had seen everything that happened after Lawrence landed in the south end of town, including his run-in with Eve and Keeman, her eyes had probably been squinting this entire time. He told himself that after this was over he would have to do something to make her smile, like she did for Cole.
“Money and power are interlinked. If this trade is related to someone wealthy and powerful, then it is surely a complicated matter. Understood?”
That is how things were since time immemorial. Holo pouted, as if warning him not to test her.
“..one requests a refund if their meal never arrives.”
Her mind was quick indeed. He recalled the manner in which Eve was dragged away, all because things could no longer be settled by numbers in a ledger.
“It’s their style to demand a refund with money.. or blood. If you’re correct then there’s only one place Keeman would take Eve.”
Fight power with power. Reynolds suggested buying the Narwhale to Eve because he guessed the secret contract Keeman had formed with her. That made it tough to gauge just how much power was ready to crush Keeman; keeping a couple of gangs in the area would backfire and worsen the situation.
Lawrence put more power into his grip on Holo’s hand and steered them in the opposite direction. Holo had to have set a place to reunite with Cole, and if Lawrence was correct then it was the place they should be going now. They pushed their way through the crowd and arrived quickly, only to see an increased number of guards there. It was like they were preparing for the worst.
“The Church?”
Holo murmured, but then her eyes were drawn to something: the surprised face of Cole.
“What? Why are you here?”
Cole had covered himself with a ratty coat to play a beggar. Lawrence was now confident that his guesses were correct.
“Keeman’s in there, isn’t he? In any case, to save Eve I’ll have to see him face to face. How should I attack?”
Holo smiled, revealing her fangs.
* * *
“Who goes there?”
As they walked up to the entrance of the Church, two spears criss-crossed to block them. Lawrence had brought Holo and Cole, who had changed clothes beforehand. He spoke to the guards with a smile.
“We are looking for Mr. Lud Keeman from the Rowen Guild.”
Those magic words were a god-given gift, but it wasn’t always the same god that sat upon the throne. Unlike the day before, one of the stone-faced soldiers walked in to check while the other kept his spear pointed at Lawrence. Holo’s strategy was straightforward, and the only detail that surprised Lawrence was that Cole, and not her, would follow him into the Church.
“..Go on in.”
The returning soldier’s reply was abrupt. Lawrence first smiled at the soldiers in thanks for withdrawing their spears, then walked between them through the narrowly-opened door. Once Cole had passed in after him, it was immediately shut and they were silently greeted by more spears.
“..”
It was a signal for them to move forward. Lawrence took big steps down the corridor with the spears pointed at his back. It was quiet inside; he could swear he could even hear the torches’ flames. The ceiling was high and the sculptures ornate, but they looked like other-worldly demons. It was a bad omen.
When they arrived at a door in the middle of the corridor, the soldiers halted them. The room seemed to sometimes be used as a depot. A soldier knocked on the normal-looking door and it opened. It was Keeman’s messenger who greeted them. His displeased look made it clear that Lawrence was not welcome.
“I wish to speak with Mr. Keeman.”
Lawrence flashed him his best smile. He knew the man looked down on him as just a merchant, so it should be easy to offend him. This way, Holo’s simple tactic would be most effective.
“Didn’t you understand that you were deliberately left alone for your own sake?”
Threats were only effective if the victim wasn’t prepared for them, like being surprised by a snake in a meadow.. Lawrence, however, was prepared and already had a counter-attack.
“Merchants are all about taking chestnuts from the fire.”
Hearing this, the man lost his composure and tried to grab Lawrence by his lapels. But anticipating that’s what he’d do, Lawrence stepped back and grabbed him by the lapels. He pulled the man out into the corridor.
“Don’t you understand that I’m here expressly to negotiate?”
Lawrence’s smile remained unchanged. The soldier panicked and moved between them to try to separate them, just as a voice rang out.
“What’s the problem?”
Lawrence and the man released each other at once. Keeman’s calm and elegant voice was annoyingly well-suited for the Church, unlike his hair which was a complete mess.
“I want to talk with my ’friend.”’
“How direct.. did you think that I would permit that?”
The messenger stood next to Keeman, staring at Lawrence. Cole matched him and stood tall; seeing that made Lawrence feel braver.
“Oh, I don’t expect it will be easy.”
“Then how about this? We don’t have time to waste on you. But we do have several rooms here..”
He regarded Lawrence with cold eyes. But if he was trying to impress Lawrence with their superior numbers, then that just meant they were already out of options.
“Of course, but I’m hurt that you thought I‘d come unprepared.”
“Oh ho?”
“No.. how should I put this? I believe the reason you let me go was because if you took me as well, it would be problematic.”
Keeman seemed displeased. Lawrence pressed on.
“Ms. Eve tried everything to win me over. She even helped me secure my own safety. For example-”
He coughed intentionally.
“For example, she sold me certain papers with your signature on them.”
Keeman’s messenger was about to jump him, but Keeman halted him. The corners of his lips rose, but it wasn’t a smile; it was a strange snarl-like expression.
“I notice that girl isn’t with you now.”
“She’s a quick one, and it’s only a few papers.. even a young girl could easily smuggle them out of town.”
“..”
Keeman would be the one to suffer if his dealings with Eve were exposed. Regardless of his preparations, if things got any more out of hand he would have to think twice about going ahead with his plan. He had to avoid further complications, and letting Lawrence meet Eve wasn’t much of a risk.
“I see.”
His messenger looked up at Keeman after hearing that.
“Bring them in.”
The messenger didn’t want to carry out that order, but he nodded. Such praiseworthy loyalty. He shot Lawrence a bitter look of hatred, but Lawrence didn’t fear a dog trained to bark as much as a stray with no master.
“If you have anything that holds my interest, I’ll pay a fair price.”
Keeman was still a merchant. Lawrence turned to him and nodded with a s
mile.
“This way.”
They were directed down a staircase along the corridor, into what was possibly a treasure vault, or perhaps a jail used to interrogate heathens. At the bottom of that damp and dark stairwell was an iron door. The messenger knocked on it with an obvious pattern, and a lock was heard unlatching. He then turned to Lawrence before opening the door.
“Don’t even think of trying to break her out.”
“I won’t.”
Lawrence answered politely, which seemed to anger him even more. The door opened and Lawrence walked in. By the time it closed after Cole, the others in the room seemed to have grasped what was happening.
Eve was seated upon hay in the flickering candlelight, like some captured princess. She grinned as if she had just heard the world’s funniest joke. As she did, the rest of her body seemed to calm down. That grin was probably her sly attempt to cover up her nervousness and embarrassment.
“I come with a question.”
“What kind of joke.. would you like to hear?”
Lawrence handed his dagger to the guard, and he and Cole were checked for concealed weapons. In the meantime, he looked around. This was indeed an underground cellar, and there were supplies here and there. The floor was covered with blankets and hay. There was food and water, but Eve’s hands were bound. Lawrence had expected worse, so this eased his mind. She seemed to be alright. But whips and sticks weren’t the only things used in interrogations.
“All merchants gather information when they visit a new town.”
“I see.. I’m surprised he let you pass...oh, only the boy is with you.. of course..”
Eve’s mind was still sharp. She quickly pieced together how Lawrence made it this far.
“Flowers won’t be enough for that girl you left behind on her own.”
“..last time already earned me a punch to the face.”
“Haha.. She does seem rather strong-willed.”
If this was a chat in an outside shop in the sunshine, then it would have been an enjoyable day off. But unfortunately, the guard was watching them with a half-drawn longsword, and on the other side of the door his messenger (and perhaps Keeman himself) was listening in.
“In any case, it’s a relief you haven’t been reduced to having to eat bread by tearing it into small pieces.”
“Hmph. Keeman doesn’t have the balls to hurt me. Reynolds is too poor, so he must have found a rich supporter in the north. Rich people are few in numbers in this area, and Keeman doesn’t have a clue how I fit into this. They’re barely man enough to scold me.”
Her sarcasm was clearly also directed at the longsword-carrying guard. But based on her personality, she wouldn’t even bother laughing at someone if they weren’t somehow valuable to her, so he was probably the one who brought her food and water.
“I’ve told Keeman all of this. But Reynold’s letter stole the ladders from under both our feet. If he’s using my contract with Keeman as a means to control me.. well, I guess I’m just that useful.”
The tone of the conversation had changed, even if her tone of voice hadn’t. The room had gone so silent they even heard Cole gulping.
“Then he really does have powerful and wealthy backers?”
“Keeman suspects it. But Reynolds is running the most profitable business in the north, so we can’t figure out who’d be rich and willing to support him. Of course he might also just be placing an order without the funds to back it, taking advantage of somebody’s wisdom.”
“And his aim?”
Eve smiled.
“To take money from those who want the Narwhale, including us.”
Lawrence smiled. Eve was, after all, the one who had taught him that there were people who would approach problems in unconventional ways.
“You mean, by saying, ‘If you don’t want your painstakingly-made once-in-a-lifetime bet disrupted, then pay up.”’
“The northerners are fighting a losing battle. It wouldn’t be strange for someone to suggest a way to grab the remaining profit. There must be many people doing that, since although it’ll take a lot for such a plan to be convincing, someone seems willing to pay for it.. Although we should be the only ones daring enough to suggest a plan like this to sell the Narwhale.”
Given that Keeman had ready access to the Church, and could thus imprison Eve, Lawrence could tell that this daring plan had been carefully thought out. A lot of money must have been spent for this. Keeman would rather cancel the deal and let Reynolds get some of the profits then risk his investment being a total loss.
“But since Keeman has me here, that means Reynolds must have money to work with. Keeman fears I’ll betray him to the northerners, so he must be keeping me here because he realized how likely it is that someone’s backing Reynolds. I.. I came to you because I was concerned about that.”
Eve was an ex-noble of Winfield, the Kingdom across the channel that took half a day to cross. If someone made a diagram of the powerful elites connected to her, it would be a tangled web filling an entire page. Such elites couldn’t act without a good reason, but once they had one they could do anything. It would be easy for them to arrange a secret agreement for the Narwhale.
On top of that, they could earn more if they made Eve their scapegoat. They’d kill two birds with one stone. No one would know her ultimate fate, whether she survived or didn’t even resemble a human anymore. Giving the Narwhale to the southerners was probably Eve’s greatest wish right now.
“I didn’t expect this.”
She spoke softly, before rolling up the blanket and moving toward Lawrence.
“If you know this much, you’ll only need to watch the city for a few more days to figure it all out. But whether Reynolds has the money, or can get the money somewhere, this will be our final meeting.”
The slightly relieved tension in the air seemed to have made her talkative, but now she was staring at the ground and yawning. She’d either said enough or was simply exhausted. Even her noble spirit was wavering. She would have seemed divine to Lawrence, if not for what she said next.
“The ones here are the skilled ones.. I’m grateful that I can die without pain.”
Cole cried out, and hearing this, Eve looked upon him with a smile.
“So they’re going to destroy the evidence?”
“Of course.. I do have a mouth, after all.”
She shrugged and spoke in a relaxed tone. How many people in the world could shrug their shoulders while saying such things? Lawrence was about to speak up, but she smiled like a young girl before his mouth had opened.
“Even in my final moments, you’re still willing to listen to my childish rambling. I’m so happy for that.”
She turned away and stared off into space. She had a beautiful face.
“After all, even if the feast has been terrible, we should be thankful if the final dish is delicious.”
Lawrence’s heart beat painfully, but not because he pitied her. Indeed, he’d decided to continue traveling for similar reasons – just to keep smiling together with Holo. But if that was truly enough for him, he wouldn’t be standing here right now.
“Is there anything I can do to save you?”
The guard was shocked to hear Lawrence ask this, and so was Eve.. even more so.
“Is he serious?”
Eve looked up as she replied. She wasn’t looking at Lawrence, but the guard.
“..sorry, I can’t tell. I’m no merchant, unfortunately.”
If things got serious, one of them would be holding the axe and the other would be having her head chopped off. And yet they were chatting like friends.
“But I can say this-”
“You don’t have to say that, he already knows it.”
Eve interrupted the guard’s statement to Lawrence. The man watched Eve in silence for a moment before closing his mouth. Lawrence understood. Complete despair could bring a sense of calm.. but while a glimmer of hope existed, the pain was unbearable.
“If there’s any chance for my salvation, it’s this..”
Her expression was even calm now, but it wasn’t because she had a heart of iron.
“That Reynolds has prepared enough money on his own.”
Her eyes closed.
“But I’m so tired.. I haven’t slept for two days.”
It’s said that fortune comes to us even while we sleep, but the next time she woke up might be her last. Yet here she was, still willing to sleep. She probably didn’t want to talk anymore. Indeed, Lawrence also felt that he’d heard enough, so he called the guard. He had no idea if the man was only hired to watch over her or if he had already been working for Keeman.
Cole stared at Lawrence questioningly as he received back his dagger. The discussion either disagreed with him, or he hadn’t understood. Lawrence silently placed his hand on the boy’s head, then spoke as he left the room.
“Sweet dreams.”
She raised her hand elegantly in response.
Lawrence and Cole were greeted by the messenger’s glare as they began to walk back up the stairs. He’d likely report everything they just said to Keeman, but Lawrence was sure it was all useless. Lawrence and Eve were merchants, and nothing was less trustworthy than the words a merchant spoke. They engaged in genuine conversation by other means.
“Did you have a productive discussion?”
They noticed ink on Keeman’s face as they entered the room. He was preoccupied with a letter, and spoke to them without raising his face.
“Yes. She’s quite the talker.”
Keeman quickly signed the letter, handed it to his assistant, then began reading the next letter in front of him. The contents of those letters would be varied: negotiations, threats, even treaties. The larger something became the more difficult it was to juggle its power, as the energy required to manage it also grew.
“Is the deal I was mediating going to be canceled?”
Keeman stopped writing his response to the letter he’d just finished reading. It seemed he needed to think about Lawrence’s question before answering.
“Consider this a theoretical problem. Even if I lock the baker in my own shop, I can still go to his bakery and buy bread, right?”