“I plan on departing as soon as tonight, perhaps tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Cole gasped out in surprise, and tried to turn his head. But he seemed to realize that would only bring him face to face with her, so he opted to stop. She smiled softly and continued.
“Of course, the two of you will be departing with me. We shall return to that port town, Yiku or whatever it was, eat our fill of good food and drink, and go to sleep. You two should get some good sleep now, because it shall take us three days to return in this snow.”
Cole seemed to notice something odd about her declaration. But despite him showing a look of great confusion, Lawrence wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He’d vaguely expected such an outcome, and had no objections if this is what she wanted to do.
“Having drunk too much, you two will sleep in until noon. And when you rise, all will be as it always has been. The three of us will share a meal together while leisurely discussing whether or not to return back over the ocean. And why will we do that?”
She coughed to keep herself from bursting into soft laughter, then wiped her mouth and continued.
“Because even if some terrible event happened two days prior at some distant monastery – an assault by a giant wolf, for instance – you two would be completely uninvolved. It is not as if anyone would connect you to such an incident, regardless. All you have to do is quietly and leisurely pass the time, with no danger ever crossing your path.”
She finally directed her gaze at Lawrence. He watched her, wondering when she’d finally reveal a smile and ask, “What say you?” She’d decided on a course action that meant no risk to him, but of course she wasn’t willing to leave empty-handed. As such, hers was the most logical and convenient method. It was just that simple.
“If that’s what you’ve decided, then I have nothing to say. You’ve already heard that I won’t mind.”
“Indeed. And since I have already confirmed your feelings, doubting you would mean that I am the one who is foolish.”
She would have looked cute if she’d said that with a shy smile on her face, but sadly it was a mischievous one. And yet it wouldn’t have been her standing there if she’d reacted that way. A Holo without that edge would have been like a piece of jerky without its seasoning.
“I am Holo, the Wisewolf of Yoitsu. Those who behold me fear and serve me. That would all be for naught if I too showed fear.”
Even if her purpose for reverting to her true form was to protect someone, even the ones she was protecting might instinctively recoil in fear of her majesty. It didn’t bear mentioning how fearsome she would seem when she acted for her own sake.
Naturally, Lawrence understood her concerns. But he still wished that she’d show some faith in him every once in a while.
“It would seem too suspicious for us to leave tonight. We should wait ’till tomorrow, or maybe the next day.”
“What say you, young Cole?”
She would only direct this question at Cole to tease him or hide her embarrassment. But he jumped in surprise, caught entirely off-guard by her question, before he hastily expressed his agreement.
“Then it is decided. Though this means you must forfeit your chance to make a profit, and I know not how to apologize.”
She placed her chin on Cole’s shoulder as she said this. That attitude naturally disinclined him from giving her a sincere response. Of course he could manipulate the legend of the wolf-deity’s bones to earn himself some profit, but tragedy often struck those who tried to profit more than their wallets could hold. A wallet was like a stomach: if one was too greedy, they could burst it and wind up dead.
“If you’re really feeling so sorry, then just apologize.”
Since her flippant question had been given a frivolous answer, she revealed a gleeful smile.
“Please forgive me, will you not?”
The ridiculousness of it all made him burst into laughter. He shook his head with a sigh, thinking “what a peaceful day.” At the same time, however, he let his tongue slip in response.
“Just forget it. Being tricked like this every once in a while isn’t that bad.”
It was a clear and bright afternoon. There no longer seemed to be a need for the stove to provide any warmth.
Chapter 4
One had to be fully willing and mentally prepared before they set out into the snow. That was why merchants often lodged at inns in various towns for weeks on end every winter. Even familiar paths seemed like obscure foreign alleys when it snowed. Even worse, dangerous areas and harmless plains would become indistinguishable under a layer of snow.
Traveling in the winter required a guide, a sturdy horse undeterred by a bit of snow, and a prearranged lodge or cabin to travel to for the night. For longer journeys one also had to take care to prepare enough food and drinking water.
The one thing worth celebrating was that as long as demand existed, there would be a supplier. And this merchant-filled branch of the Brondel Monastery harbored travelers in every corner. Lawrence approached Pisky in the evening to arrange for the driver who had helped them come to the monastery.
A hint of surprise momentarily flashed across the still-writing Pisky’s face upon hearing Lawrence’s intention to leave. But it was quite natural for people to be more resolute about their departure times in the winter, and Lawrence had generously compensated him for his services as a guide, so Pisky quickly agreed.
He probably understood as well as anyone how quickly one would depart when a search for information yielded no results. After all, moving on to the next lead was infinitely preferable to wasting one’s time moping around in disappointment.
Merchants always smilingly shook hands in welcome, even when they first met. And when the time came to bid farewell, they would likewise reveal a casual smile and wave goodbye. It was a rather forlorn way of doing things, but in a way it could also be comforting as well.
“With this, all the arrangements should be complete.”
“We’re in your debt.”
“You’re still being too polite. I wasn’t of much help at all.”
The two of them didn’t forget to exchange the usual meaningless, yet satisfying mercantile platitudes. But the handshake that followed their politeness did hold some meaning. A man’s complexion hinted at his aptitude and bearing, and his hands hinted at the life he led.
Lawrence always decided how long he wanted to remember another’s face based on the feeling of their handshake when bidding them farewell. As the two of them clasped their hands firmly, he made sure to remember Pisky’s face well. He hoped Pisky would remember his as well, if possible.
“I think we should be able to depart as early as tomorrow morning. But..”
“But?”
“A delivery from Winfield just arrived from the west, and apparently the weather there is extremely bad. Not only that, but the messenger who was supposed to arrive today hasn’t made it yet either. It seems likely that a blizzard will strike us soon.”
Adding powerful winds to snow ensured that the entire landscape would be quickly painted white. Even the most skilled horse driver had his limits.
“Obviously we won’t forcefully head out into a blizzard. Everyone knows there are three things never to pick a fight with: the Church, babies, and the weather.”
Pisky chuckled and nodded.
“If we’re lucky it’ll stray north. The shepherds will be back soon anyway, so I’ll ask them when they’re here. They know best what the situation is like outside.. oh, right, I almost forgot you’re lodging in the shepherds’ dormitory.”
“Indeed! We’re in the most opportune place to gather information.”
Lawrence thanked Pisky again after his joke, then left the inn. Once outside, he noticed that the desolate dusk was indeed accentuated with more clouds than before, and every now and then a gust of wind would blow in his direction.
The merchants in the streets seemed to be quickening their pace, and it probably w
asn’t from the prospect of earning money, but from the desire for a hot meal. Since Lawrence had to abide by his own deal to prepare dinner for Huskins, and knew Holo was waiting there, he quickened his own pace back to the dormitory and began preparing dinner.
“A blizzard?”
Having watched the fire cook up the ingredients he tossed into the pot, Lawrence handed the ladle to Cole and spoke with Holo as she groomed her tail on the bed.
“Yeah, I just heard the weather’s getting worse. If so then we’ll be stuck here a little longer. Maybe two or three days..”
“Mm. Now that you mention it, it seems to be true. I have been surrounded by sheep lately, after all, so it seems that my nose has dulled.”
She sniffed the air a couple times before sneezing. Even humans who were accustomed to travel sometimes became able to forecast the weather by smell.
“Ah, I suppose that departing a few days later will not make much difference at this point, will it?”
She bit the front tip of her tail and revealed her usual mischievous smile. Lawrence responded with his usual shoulder shrug. She giggled, stroked her tail one last time, and rose out of bed.
“Is dinner ready yet?”
“Not yet. Besides, we can’t eat before Mr. Huskins gets back.”
As usual, she skillfully concealed her fluffy tail under her robes with every step she took, but her hood wasn’t pulled over her head right now. Lawrence trailed behind her as she coarsely reached her hand out snatch a piece of dried mutton, then pulled her hood over her ears for her.
“Mph.. so when.. mph.. is that fellow coming back?”
“Should be anytime now. The moon’s not out tonight, and it’s really cold.”
In fact it was so cold that Cole had wrapped himself in a blanket as he stirred their dinner pot, and their words were accompanied by white wisps of air even inside the room. The outside wind was getting more and more intense, and all signs were indicating that there would indeed be a blizzard.
“Grr.. I am hungry.”
“Mr. Huskins is out there tending to the sheep you will be eating, so you should probably pay him some reverence.”
“Indeed, but when have you paid me any reverence?”
Lawrence wanted very badly to refute her with a “When have I ever been in your care?” But regretfully he wasn’t in a position to be able to.
“Jeez..”
A low-key expression of his displeasure was the best he could do. At that point her gaze suddenly turned to the door. That could only mean they had company, but given her alertness it definitely wasn’t Huskins.
Could it be Pisky? As Lawrence wondered if it was, he heard knocking at the door. Cole was so accustomed to doing the mundane tasks that he instinctively opened the door to reveal a shepherd leaning on a cane.
“Oh˜ smells delicious.. Looks like Huskins took in some really nice travelers.”
The shepherd seemed to recognize Cole, and patted him on the head before continuing with a cough.
“Pardon my intrusion. Huskins seems to plan on spending the night out in the farmhouse. It’s already snowing hard outside, and my two companions and I barely managed to make it back in time.”
“I see.. thank you for going out of your way to tell us.”
“You’re welcome. It’s extremely tedious waiting for someone, not knowing when he’ll return.”
Those words carried more weight coming from the mouth of a shepherd making his living in this snowy land. Indeed, one often couldn’t even tell if his companions were dead or alive. When snow and darkness descended from the heavens, all people could do was huddle around a fire and wait.
“Besides, having to wait around with such fine food ready to eat would be unbearable.”
The shepherd roared in laughter after saying this, then raised a hand in farewell.
“That’s all I came to say.”
He then walked off. A merchant would have taken the chance to request a bowl of hot soup, but it seemed that shepherds weren’t as petty. All they had to rely on in those expansive fields of grass was their staff and their dog. Such solitude surely accounted for their immense sense of pride. In fact, their attitude was a bit similar to a wolf’s. If Holo knew he was thinking that, she’d surely be enraged.
“Well, if that’s how it is we’re stuck waiting until the day after tomorrow. Hopefully the harbor won’t have frozen over, at least..”
Lawrence closed the door as he spoke, then turned around to see Holo snatching the ladle from Cole’s hand.
“Aye. I hope this pot of soup does not freeze over either.”
Judging by how pleased she seemed now, she wasn’t very fond of Huskins. But her joy was probably due in large part to having one less person to share the meat with.
“That hasn’t even properly cooked through yet, has it?”
Lawrence added some not-so-inexpensive firewood to the stove as he asked.
* * *
That night, Cole had long been asleep when Holo finally began to snore. The wind blew intensely against their shuttered window. It wasn’t only their window, all the windows in the building were clattering endlessly. The occasional bark from a sheepdog mixed in; it seemed the dogs had sensed the frightening atmosphere.
It was a typical night before a blizzard. On such nights in the past, Lawrence had trouble sleeping no matter how tightly he clung to his covers. But tonight was different. It was downright hot being under the covers. It was in part due to the fact that he had Holo’s tail for warmth, but more importantly he also had another person’s body warmth - the best defense against the cold.
Her body temperature was usually already a bit on the high side, like a child’s, and it was only further increased by the liquor she ingested. And so, even if a bone-chilling cold would bite his face if he popped it out from under the covers, it was warm as spring underneath them.
Despite this he still couldn’t sleep, but there was a good reason for that. This adventure had made him realize that his power alone wasn’t enough to solve all of Holo’s problems. And more importantly, he was frustrated over how to plan the future.
If Holo reverted to her wolf form, this incident would end whether the bones existed or not. If they did then this adventure would naturally be over, but it might end even if they weren’t. No monk could lie if Holo’s jaws were around his head demanding to know where the bones were. But if they answered that the monastery hadn’t bought them, or had already resold them, would they be able to continue chasing after the bones?
What if the bones were back in the south? Traveling there wasn’t difficult, but it would mean not only spending even more of his savings, but also giving up on the business opportunities he’d spent so long working into his routine, one by one. If he put his business on hold for too long it would be a massive inconvenience for them to even buy everyday necessities, and he would also lose the reputation he’d worked so hard to build.
Even if he wanted to keep detouring, there were limits to how far he could actually go. As much as he wanted to keep up this dramatic, thrilling, risky journey with Holo, he was just like this monastery: he couldn’t escape the financial realities necessary for him to keep on living. He could only accompany Holo as long as his abilities permitted him to do so.
Of course she understood his circumstances, but as soon as the idea of taking no further detours and going straight to Yoitsu surfaced in his mind, he lost any chance of being able to sleep. If they headed directly there, how much longer could he spend with Holo? He counted the time off on his fingers as he stared up at the ceiling.
The real question was what they would do once they reached Yoitsu. Like dough with yeast in it, their evasion of that question had only made it loom larger and larger. He didn’t know her thoughts on the issue, but he could at least confidently say that Holo harbored positive feelings for him.
Alas, neither of them were children. They understood that not everything would play out according to their desires. They had to make some
kind of decision sooner or later. Even if they were both human, a love that crossed social classes was already bad enough to cause an outrage. But she was the Wisewolf of Yoitsu and he was just an ordinary traveling merchant.. how great would their determination have to be?
He rested a hand on her beautiful flaxen hair as she slept next to him. Once she fell asleep from alcohol, she wouldn’t wake up even if her cheeks were pinched. Besides, he made the effort to carry her to bed, so he’d earned at least this much in reward.
“..”
Her hair slowly slipped through his fingers like strands of silk. He was madly in love with her. If possible, he wished to be beside her until they had to part, no matter how much humiliation he had to suffer or how foolish he appeared.
He knew how reckless that was, but he still planned on doing it. And yet, mere moments after the thought crossed his mind a calm voice in his head spoke, asking “Are you fully prepared to make such a commitment?”
He sighed, and stopped stroking her head. It was such a difficult question that he wanted to consult the Wisewolf for an answer, despite knowing it was something he had to figure out on his own. He resisted the urge to foolishly shout “Damn it,” and looked at her once more. The look on his face had to be pitiful beyond belief. He was about to use that as an excuse to bury his face in her hair when-
“!”
He froze in his tracks, but not because Holo had stopped snoring or was laughing at him under the covers. He thought he heard a noise, like something was being dragged around.
“..?”
Holo continued sleeping soundly with her face obscured by the blanket and a defenseless snore rising up from underneath. He listened intently for a while, but only heard the shutters flapping around and the wind outside.
Just as he relaxed, thinking it was just snow sliding off the roof, he heard the noise again. It definitely wasn’t his imagination. He lifted his head and listened, and as he turned his head to the side he heard the noise yet again. The sound was real.
He slowly breathed in, letting the frigid air flow into him. He then immediately hopped out of bed, set both feet on the creaking floorboards, and stood up in the freezing cold which cut him like knives. He unsheathed his knife and clenched his right first repeatedly.