Spice & Wolf IX (DWT)

  It was a building made of large pieces of hewn stone, with a psalm from the scriptures carved in its entrance. A merciful angel gazed gently down upon those who passed within. Anyone would stand in awe of this place.

  If one ventured deep into the forests and mountains, at times it was possible to see great trees reaching up to the heavens. Most were the residences of local gods or spirits, and being in their midst was awe-inspiring.

  However, what they saw in front of them now was not some tree growing tall by some unknown power in some unknown place.. it was a church built by humans, in Gerube, with their own hands, on their own land. And what resided in that church was no god with sharp fangs and claws to eat them, but a merciful god in their own form.

  By comparison, the pagans praying to waterfalls and springs, worshiping toads, and interpreting the cries of beasts as messages from spirits seemed barbaric.. the type of people one shouldn’t associate with.

  Even with Holo beside him, Lawrence couldn’t help but think this way. If his ear wasn’t violently pulled by her in her fury, he would have stood there, forever caught in its atmosphere.

  “Come on, let’s go in.”Many had indeed gathered in front of the church. Lawrence listened carefully, but heard nothing but talk of the Narwhale. It was said that nothing could stop the flow of information.. someone must have already leaked news of the Narwhale.Still, there were soldiers armed with spears posted at the church entrance to hold back the crowd. No one would be able to see the Narwhale. Holo dragged Lawrence through the crowd, then up the stairs up to the doors, before they were stopped by those spears.“The Church is busy. No one may attend.”Power is an amazing thing.“We come from the Rowen guild, under the authority of Mr. Keeman.”The two guards exchanged glances, understanding the trouble they would be in if they turned Lawrence away. They dutifully lowered their spears and asked them to pass by quickly. “Our thanks.”Lawrence smiled at the men, then grabbed Holo, who was still angry. The three of them entered, with Cole nervously clutching Holo’s sleeve.

  “It’s so quiet..”

  It was called a church, but it was large enough to be a castle. And not some castle in the middle of nowhere, a dark and narrow place crawling with pigs and sheep.. a castle in the middle of a city.

  Past the entrance they saw a round and colorful ceiling with a biblical scene painted on it, as well as strange creatures of myth to demonstrate that this place was not ordinary carved in the columns and beams. The few windows necessitated many candles; expensive beeswax candles, no less, to prevent the paintings from being stained black.

  The three of them turned around, and saw the crowd of people trying to get past the guards. Indeed, if they received special treatment like this all the time, then it was easy to see why religious leaders and the elite were so stuck up.

  “It should be deeper inside.”

  Holo should be correct. Even a church this grand shared the same fundamental layout as any other. If they continued along this corridor, they should enter it’s sanctuary. Any holy relics should be on or beneath the altar.

  Holo pressed on, not waiting for Lawrence. It almost seemed as though she was being beckoning by something. As her hand reached out to the grandly-decorated door-

  “Who’s there?!”

  A sharp voice suddenly shocked her. It wasn’t like her to be that careless. She must have been preoccupied by thoughts of the legendary Narwhale, of it’s life-extending flesh, and the fact that what she had been dreaming of was nearly within her grasp.

  “Who are you?! Guards!”

  It was a thin man with a crooked back and a large nose, dressed in white robes. His careworn face revealed him to be a clergyman, despite having a voice like a dying chicken.

  “Apologies. We come referred by Mr. Keeman of the Rowen Trading Guild.”

  Lawrence intentionally reported Keeman’s name before introducing himself. He didn’t wait for a reply before continuing.

  “It seems you weren’t informed.”

  No-one enjoyed ritualistic discipline and formalities more than the Church. But social bonds were even stronger than written rules.

  “What? From Rowen? Oh, please pardon my impoliteness.”

  The man instantly calmed himself and waved away the guards who were en route. They reacted as if they had already forgotten the disturbance – they were probably accustomed to such things.

  “Hmph. I am Sean Natalley, assistant priest of this church.”

  “I am Kraft Lawrence of the Rowen Guild, and there are my partners..”

  “Holo.”

  “Todd Cole.”

  A merchant, a nun-like girl, and a boy in ragged clothes.. an amazing group to behold. But to someone living in a church their entire lives, just about everything from the outside world should be a surprise. And yet somehow, he wasn’t surprised.

  “I see. You have come to pray?”

  No one spoke more transparently than clergymen. Lawrence coughed.

  “No, we’re here to see the Narwhale.”

  “Oh..”

  The assistant priest eyed him.. probably judging just how much of a donation he could offer.

  “Will you not tell me your aim?”

  He didn’t wait for a reply, but continued.

  “It is yet to be determined whether that thing back there is good or ill. All things are made by the Lord, of course, but this one is very strange, so much so that the priest is praying for the Lord’s counsel. So even if you come referred by Mr. Keeman....”

  Holo was accustomed to long conversations, but her patience was at its limit. With no other choice, Lawrence smiled and walked to Natalley. He placed one hand inside his jacket and spoke.

  “Well, actually, Mr. Keeman sent me bring words of greeting to you, Mr. Natalley.”

  His free hand then took Mr. Natalley’s, as though paying him reverence.

  “Your words have been received.”

  Natalley shook it off easily, and coughed.

  “Though that thing is being identified, I can bend the rules and permit you to see it, should you truly wish.”

  “Our sincere thanks.”

  Lawrence gave exaggerated thanks, to which Natalley happily nodded while walking to the door Holo was still in front of. He then pushed that door open.

  “I’ll attend to my studies, since I’m prohibited from looking upon it directly”

  He was either too nervous to gaze upon the Narwhale, or too shamed to walk into the sanctuary having been bribed. Regardless of which it was, Lawrence smiled at Holo.. not for having charmed the priest, but so she would continue into the sanctuary. While the door had been closed, she was impatient to enter.. and yet now she retreated.

  “Quickly now.”

  Lawrence whispered to her while pushing her in. Holo once wanted to find the Narwhale so that someone could eat it. Was it the friend she mentioned in Pasloe village, where she had lived for centuries, or another friend she had journeyed with before that?

  Sadly, she had failed, and that person must have perished. Had she returned in time to witness their dying breath? Or had they died along the journey? In any case, based on the expression she now wore, Holo hadn’t smiled when they said goodbye, but perhaps her friend had.

  “What the..”

  Cole murmured to himself. There was a path of stone plates extending past hundreds of wooden benches. A carpet of washed-out color lay upon it like a road to the heavens. At its far end was an image of the Lord formed with colorful pieces of glass on a high wall. Angels also adorned that wall, as if singing their praises to the Lord.

  Beneath that sight there lay an altar, and beneath that a large coffin. They were still far away, but could still partly see the monstrous form within. The coffin was filled with water, and the legendary creature thrashed and splashed about inside it. The knocking sounds they heard might be it’s horn striking the coffin walls.

  “It’s real..”

  All three of them paused at the same time. It was said that curiosity
killed the cat, and now it seemed that merchant curiosity could even kill the gods. But none of them moved closer. Eating its flesh would grant unending life.. they could now understand how such a myth might come to be.

  “Wanna get closer?”

  Lawrence placed his hand on Holo’s shoulder. She shivered in shock and turned her face to his.

  “..”

  She then quietly shook her head and turned back. She watched the Narwhale solemnly, as if saying goodbye to her past.

  “Is.. is it a god?”

  Cole quietly asked his question, still holding Holo’s sleeve, and now also unconsciously holding Lawrence’s jacket.

  “Who knows.. what do you think?”

  Lawrence answered by passing the question to Holo, who seemed displeased. She probably hadn’t wanted to be asked, but there wasn’t anyone else who could answer.

  “At the very least it is natural. Things living outside the circle of life have a distinct smell. It does not.”

  Holo turned to face them as they listened. Her expression was almost painfully lonely. Cole took her meaning and nervously tried to find something to say to lift her spirits, but she put her hand on his head.

  “I jest.”

  Her face made it obvious that she wasn’t jesting, however, especially when she turned away.

  “Well, given its size and the number of guards..”

  She spoke softly as she gazed around wistfully. In retrospect, it was clear why she suggested to barge in and take the Narwhale when she was encouraging Lawrence.

  “I thought this was only a hypothetical plan?”

  Holo smiled maliciously at his question and tilted her head.

  “If your fear only applied to hypothetical situations, my life would be easier.”

  “..”

  Indeed, there was nothing wrong with knowing they could steal the Narwhale at any time.

  “The problem is knowing where to strike.”

  “Won’t the main entrance do?”

  “If the door was closed, they might become suspicious.”

  He recalled that the doors were reinforced with metal bands bolted onto them. A church actually stored many valuable items, and in times of war it would be the first place attacked and the last place in which the defenders could make a stand.

  The front entrance must have been built to withstand siege equipment.. it could be a daunting task even for Holo.

  “How about going through there?”

  Cole pointed to the stained-glass window looming above the Narwhale. It was designed to let in light, and seemed about large enough for Holo’s substantial wolf form.

  “We’ll be cursed.”

  Holo purred as he spoke, as if she found the idea funny.

  “Ho, ho.. but breaking that and jumping in? Surely that would feel fantastic.”

  What was even more awful was the fact it didn’t sound like she was joking. But thinking it over, Lawrence still found risks.

  “It seems to be our only option.. but the glass wasn’t designed under consideration that it might be broken. If we’re not careful it could end badly.”

  “Hm?”

  Despite chuckling, Holo and Cole turned to face him as he explained.

  “This place is so huge they couldn’t build it out of stone.. it would have collapsed under it’s own weight. So they made it out of glass.. look, you can see the iron poles that support the upper structure.. if we break in that way the entire roof might collapse.”

  All large churches had grand ceilings of stained glass.. but if people learned that was the real reason why, they would all be disappointed. Even the Lord’s palace had to follow the rules of reality.

  “We will figure that out when we must.”

  She paused and sighed.

  “If you worked harder, I would not have to take all of the risk.”

  It was absolutely true.. and so disgraceful that Lawrence could only turn away. Cole smiled as if to tell him “she’ll be fine” before she continued.

  “Alright, we should leave before the priests begin to suspect us.”

  “Mhm.”

  “Okay.”

  They answered simultaneously.

  But Lawrence was still concerned.

  “Are you sure you don’t want a closer look?”

  Cole seemed frightened and said “I’m fine.”

  Holo looked troubled but said “I care not.”

  In any case, they both seemed fearful; even Lawrence felt a strange aura coming from the horned creature which made it difficult to approach. That was likely why Natalley had excused himself. They had only heard of the Narwhale in myths, where it was said that eating it’s flesh granted eternal life and drinking its powered horn in a potion could cure any disease. But it was real.. and clearly grand enough to suit its myth.

  And so, they had one more decision to make. They had explored how Holo could invade this place – now they had to decide when. Lawrence thanked Natalley as he closed the doors to the sanctuary.

  “Its appearance is fit for its myth.. it must surely capture people’s hearts.”

  Natalley turned and faced him with a fearful expression.

  “Horrible, isn’t it?”

  The church would also be in danger since the Narwhale was here. They claimed to be under their Lord’s protection so people wouldn’t attack them, but there were many with no respect for their Lord. To monetize a living myth like the Narwhale, and treat it like any other commodity.. they had such nerve that it wasn’t an understatement to consider them otherworldly.

  When they were back on the road outside, Lawrence finally took a deep breath.

  “But..”

  He stood tall and looked directly at Holo, whose eyes gazed at him innocently.

  “I do have you as my prisoner.”

  Holo couldn’t really read minds, since she couldn’t detect topic changes. But the Wisewolf still caught his main point after a moment. Cole, however, was surprised at the confession, even if Holo just smiled at them.

  “There is nothing to fear anymore, is there?”

  As she spoke she moved her body in closer as they passed through the crowd. She then snuck her hand into his, as indeed there was nothing more frightening than that.

  “Well, looks like the Wisewolf got it right again.”

  Cole nodded, alternated his gaze between them, then nodded again.

  * * *

  By the time Keeman came knocking on their door, it was evening and they had just settled down for dinner. The meal was fantastic, making Holo very happy. Cole nearly died from eating too quickly and having food go down the wrong pipe.

  The fact that Keeman opted to disturb them during dinner time showed that he perhaps didn’t consider them fools. Since, if he wanted to take them by surprise, he would have disturbed them when they just woke up, or when they were groggy after a meal.

  “Care to join us?”

  Lawrence asked, as he brushed off the breadcrumbs off his hands, and Keeman laughed before lifting his own hand up and replying.

  “No thank you. But would you join me outside for a moment, Mr. Lawrence?”

  Lawrence had no plans to disagree. After signaling to Holo and Cole with his eyes, he rose and followed Keeman. He felt relieved that Cole was there to keep Holo company; it really helped. He wondered how shocked she would be to learn that.

  “I’ll just cut to the chase.”

  Keeman spoke directly to Lawrence after they entered another room in the inn. Lawrence wondered if it was a storage room, but perhaps it was a place Keeman had set aside for deliberations. Many crates and maps littered the room under the weak candlelight. All of the maps were in a language Lawrence was unfamiliar with.

  “We want you, Mr. Lawrence, to act as our messenger.”

  Was he saying “we” just to scare Lawrence, or was there someone else? Lawrence decided to stand tall to reply, like a proper merchant.

  “May I know why?”

  “Of course. Frankly, we had another
person in mind.”

  Of course.

  “We had considered D’Jean’s Company.. you’ve heard of them before, correct? Ted Reynolds was to be our messenger, but the reason we didn’t choose him was that-”

  “He wanted to escape the exploitation of the northerners.”

  Keeman nodded before continuing.

  “He wanted to establish contact with us, and using him would give us access to the copper trade, so he was our first choice. He even had a good relationship with the Boland family. You know the copper trade down the Roam river is under his control.. that’s possibly due to his ties with that wolf.”

  Lawrence recalled his run-in with Eve over salt. If D’Jean was shipping coins to the Winfield Kingdom, it wasn’t odd for him to ship salt statues for them on the way back. In that case, it was possible there was another reason for his visit last night.

  Reynolds had his own plans; he must have been scheming for a long time about how to maximize his profits. He had expected Keeman and his allies to come to him, but that didn’t happen. He must have then realized that they had found a better candidate. Having planned to profit from this feud between the North and the South, it wouldn’t be strange if his unseemly behavior was part of his strategy. The pitiful appearance of his back perhaps revealed how pathetic he found himself for stooping to such things.

  “We wish to gain sole ownership of the northern lands by using the Narwhale.”

  “But it would require great care to make sure they don’t use this situation to grab control of the whole city.”

  Keeman nodded. He was on the same page as Eve. That wasn’t to say that Eve was ahead of him, or that he had a weaker imagination. When one’s opponent wasn’t trustworthy, but had to sit across the same table at a discussion, it was most logical for things to follow that path. Lawrence finally understood why Eve had tried to find him.

  In this situation, it was a major concern if anyone involved didn’t know what linked the north and south together. They could only be on equal footing because they were in the same situation, where their mediator could equally betray both of them. This was, as it turned out, a battle to win over their mediator.