Spice & Wolf VIII (DWT) Read online

  “So you feel Cole can work independently but I cannot? Am I just some pathetic girl who cannot even gather information!?”

  Her eyes narrowed menacingly; the red of her irises deepened. He could see the pier beyond her, and it was even more crowded than the one for boats heading to the north.

  “Well no..”

  “Then what is it?”

  His concerns were really just excuses, so of course she had cause to be angry.

  “Sorry.”

  She punched his chest just as he apologized.

  “Foolish mule.”

  “..?”

  She shot him an even angrier stare before turning away. There was nothing for him to do except massage his chest. A few moments passed before she turned back to him.

  “You truly are stupid when it comes to politics.”

  “P- politics?”

  “Truly, so very stupid.”

  Once again, he was on the receiving end of her criticism. He could only scratch his head.

  “I simply do not understand why you would prevent me from acting on my own in this situation.”

  Lawrence was still puzzled.

  “Well, it’s just that if anything happens-”

  “Even Cole could suffer an accident. You are truly.. ah, argh!!”

  After voicing her frustration, she straightened her back. Her face revealed that she was about to say something embarrassing. She turned her eyes from the river back to Lawrence. She seemed to be scolding him.. but when he searched his memories he realized that she was doing so to cover up her own embarrassment.

  “As our captain, you are the one waiting for information; Cole and I are your soldiers. As such, letting us compete with each other means you will be the one holding the reigns, does it not?”

  As the ferry approached its destination, Lawrence looked out at the other boats on the water. He was finally beginning to understand Holo’s perspective.

  “Because you both want to complete your job and be rewarded, huh?”

  He was right; Holo turned away from him in embarrassment. The truth was, if she did better than Cole, Lawrence would reward her. If she didn’t, he would comfort her. But if he helped her, he would be robbing her of those possibilities and both would go to Cole.

  It made sense, but something was missing.. why didn’t she put on an act? Why would she reveal this to him, even if it was so embarrassing?

  The ferry had finally arrived at it’s pier, but they would have to wait – the pier was simply too crowded. Because of the crowds, Holo would have to closely control her ears and tail, so she spoke in an even tone to calm down.

  “If you are to open your own shop, you must learn how to manage others.”

  “Oh!!”

  Lawrence hastily covered his mouth after his reaction. She was right.. he had to learn how to be the boss. Be it honestly or manipulatively, he would have to sway their hearts. He would need to win their loyalty. He was used to doing that on a one-on-one basis, but not when there were more people involved.

  “With your current lack of skill, you cannot even handle me.”

  Holo put one hand on her waist, tilting her head in a demeaning gesture as if he was nothing. He glanced around before counter-attacking.

  “But that’s what you find attractive, isn’t it?”

  He kept a straight face, but her own expression didn’t soften; she stood her ground.

  “Maybe a little.”

  * * *

  “Alright, then I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Your face betrays how worried you truly are.. but I shall listen to your words instead.”

  They were at the next pier, the one that would lead Holo off the delta, and onto the southern district of Gerube. Lawrence made a deal with the ferry operator, and paid Holo’s fees in advance.

  “I want to eat white bread tonight.”

  “If you do a good job.”

  She smiled in response, then jumped aboard the ferry to cross the last leg of the river. The Church never came to the north side, revealing that it was considered pagan territory, while the south side was entirely ruled by the Church.

  Historically, the reason for this was that religious merchants had come from southern regions and bought the land of the south side of the city. The two districts were totally different.. some people even called Gerube a miniature model of the world. Of course, that was an exaggeration.

  Building heights and road widths varied on the north side, but they were strictly regulated on the south side. He wouldn’t find any mules yawning lazily in the loading areas here like D’Jean Company.

  It hadn’t been clearly visible from the north, but Lawrence could now see the large bell of the church. It was a display of opulence intended to convey the lesson that only those who were generous would be able to pass the gates of heaven. It sat atop the highest tower – the place nearest to God.

  Holo would act like a nun who wished to return to her hometown in the north, but was concerned that it was still under pagan influence. Under this pretense she could pry for information. Lawrence had warned her not to pry too recklessly, but even if he hadn’t done so he was confident that her keen mind would have no trouble completing her task.

  Now that they were acting as a team, gathering information and making sense of it, he felt strange to leave her on her own. He knew it was something he would have to grow accustomed to, if he wanted to operate his own shop.. but it only made him wonder if Holo would still be with him when that time came.

  “..”

  He scratched his head and sighed. Holo would surely chastise him for worrying about this, and say “I just cannot leave you, can I?” He smiled as he watched her melt into the crowd aboard the ferry. He then spun around and began his trek to the Rowen Trading Guild branch that was on the delta.

  He hadn’t planned on joining Holo to the south side; he didn’t know anyone in that district anyhow. But the delta market was a key trading hub connecting the north and the south – each company had a branch there to collect information.

  Because of the restricted space to build on, they couldn’t just construct more buildings to expand their influence like they could in other towns. Still, they made sure their buildings were distinct to help people know who they were dealing with. Lawrence was even experienced enough to distinguish which company ultimately owned which building.

  Each company had tens, even hundreds of competing merchants in their employ. It dazzled Lawrence to consider that no matter how many kinds of businesses he had come across, there were so many more that he had yet to discover.

  He knocked lightly on a door that looked similar to the kind one would find on the cabin of a large ship.

  “Oh? Who’s this unfamiliar face?”

  Several people were on the first floor, all dressed in traveling grab.

  “Long time no see, Mr. Keeman.”

  Typically, the owner of a company sat behind the bar on the first floor, facing the building entrance. A man named Keeman occupied that spot here, displaying his beautiful golden hair. He was the son of a trader from an important city of commerce.

  Lawrence had heard that his father was a top-tier merchant, and that because of his father’s reputation Keeman was able to have seen any goods imaginable without leaving town. Lawrence had no idea whether to take this as good-natured humor, sarcasm or hatred.

  Instead, Keeman was actually as thin as a bard. Unlike the other merchants gathered on the first floor to exchange news, his face wasn’t frostbitten. A person from a wealthy family would usually be despised by merchants, but Keeman was deeply trusted.

  He might be two years younger than Lawrence, but unlike Lawrence he knew the ins and outs of every kind of business taking place in Gerube. City merchants in guilds didn’t need skills like walking days on end or speaking other languages to make deals with foreigners. Keeman was the type who was trusted by traveling merchants to care for their home while they were gone.

  “Long time no see indeed,
Mr. Kraft Lawrence. I take it you’ve arrived by land this time?”

  There weren’t any ships coming in from the sea for the past few days.

  “No, actually.. I arrived on a boat, but it wasn’t by sea, it was down the river.”

  Keeman scratched his chin with the quill pen in response as his eyes lolled around. This man’s brain stored thousands of maps with it, so he could probably guess the part Lawrence took to do his trade.. even if they had only met twice.

  “I didn’t take a normal route, you see. I had other business to take care in Lenos.”

  “Ah, I see..”

  Keeman’s smile was even more subtly nuanced than Holo’s. Town merchants lived in one place for decades. They knew each other well, but still mentally sparred with one another. They were far more cunning than a traveling merchant, and such a young branch manager was bound to have all kinds of hidden talents.

  Lawrence was struggling to stay calm, so he pulled out the silver coins he planned to donate to the Rowen Trading Guild.

  “By the way, I just watched a fine play at the Stream of Gold.”

  “Ho ho.. a fine play, huh? Mr. Lawrence, you’re quite the merchant. Not many would see through that.”

  Keeman didn’t even look at the coins. He was smiling like a kid exchanging secrets.

  “Even obvious actions can be poisonous. And the manager of the branch, Mr. Gideon, is out right now, probably working to protect our wallets.”

  Lawrence had only ever heard of Gideon, who oversaw the various branches of the Rowen Trading Guild in Gerube. He could even be one of the merchants who was using Eve.

  This implied that, since she arrived in Gerube, the guildless Eve was up against them all on her own. And Lawrence would have to fend for himself.

  Any man would grow excited by the story of a young knight’s battle with a giant. But Lawrence wouldn’t make his admiration obvious.. Keeman was simply too exceptional to trust like Eve.

  “Poison, you say? I thought all the landowners in the north were fish without water.”

  “Correct. Several decades ago they were washed ashore, and now they’ve dried out. And this year’s northern expedition was canceled, so they have even less capital available to them. They’ll do anything to solve their problems.”

  Landowners had only one way to earn money; they had to levy a fee somehow, either by rent, or by some kind of market tax. With fewer people flowing through the market, there was less capital and tax revenues would decrease.

  But since days long past, moneylenders were the ones who earned, while the borrowers were the ones who ended up bankrupt. A lender would always earn interest on whatever the borrower earned.

  “By being generous now, they might earn a higher return later.. that’s what a casual observer would be thinking, right?”

  Keeman emotionlessly received Lawrence’s donation, pulling out a ledger and recording the amount inside. When Lawrence visited his guild branch in Ruvinheigen, Jakob the branch manager would always be delighted when he received a donation.. Lawrence really enjoyed such reactions.

  “No.. we might indeed get a higher return as you say, but our opponents are the sons of people who paid interest right up until they died and who paid interest since they were born. And a decade ago, there was a war in the Winfield Channel so they couldn’t make their interest payments for several years. Us southerners feel they’ve paid enough, so we offered to forgive the outstanding balance if they expanded the market.”

  The golden-haired young trader was even able to control the type of laughter he was using. His bright smile seemed to hide venomous snakes behind it. He continued.

  “But the landowners stood firm?”

  “As you say. They said they want to honor the loan and repay it fully. It would be easy for us to make even more money if they expand the market. And they know that, so they’re standing firm and telling us that they can’t just stand by while we earn more and more profit.”

  Keeman shrugged, obviously not knowing what else to say. Lawrence was taken aback.. if this was true then Eve was in a really bad situation. Even if she was from a declined line of nobles, and was influential along the Roam river, she was giving it all up to go to the south. It was that bad. She must have borrowed as much as she could from the powerful figures in town, and now she couldn’t even gradually pay them back.

  “If they could be convinced to be reasonable, things wouldn’t be so bad. All of this has made it tough for people to move between the north and south sides of town.. they can’t even marry someone from the other district.”

  Keeman revealed these things to Lawrence, but it wasn’t a gesture of friendship. He must have assumed that Lawrence, a guild member, had just casually mentioned the meeting at the Stream of Gold to make conversation.. but if Lawrence abused his status as a guild member to collect information or spread rumors, it could spell trouble for them all.

  As such, Keeman was also implicitly warning him that if he went against the guild’s interests, he would be punished. Those who didn’t understand the motivation behind such warnings would feel threatened, as if they were being kept on a leash. But eventually they’d realize that the guild was acting in their mutual interest as well; a guild looked out for it’s members, after all.

  “I see. Then I guess that rumor I heard wasn’t just hearsay?”

  “Which rumor?”

  To Keeman, information was of paramount importance.. so Lawrence found himself smiling when Keeman struck a pose that revealed how much more interesting this was to him than the five coins Lawrence had donated. Such a gesture would have been hilarious if Keeman were just another traveling merchant.

  “Well, the one that D’Jean Company is being used as bait by the northern rulers.”

  Lawrence was only guessing, but that changed to conviction when Keeman’s expression didn’t change.

  “What? Sorry, but who told you something like that?”

  It seemed that Keeman realized that Lawrence saw through his act. It was time to chose words carefully; Lawrence decided to throw a large rock in the pond.

  “Actually, there’s this guy I traded with in Lenos.. this strange merchant who called himself a noble-”

  Lawrence was cut off by Keeman tugging his sleeve. Though his face stared at Lawrence as if he was telling a joke, the rest of his body was saying something else entirely.

  “Mr. Lawrence, you seem kinda tired. Why not take a break in my office?”

  Obviously, this was a loaded sentence. Lawrence had unexpectedly landed a big fish.

  “That would be nice.”

  Lawrence flashed him an honest smile.

  * * *

  They made their way to Keeman’s office in the back of the guild, passing by a number of other important-looking offices. As they entered, someone came in and handed them each a bowl of fish soup. When it wasn’t the time for alcohol, it was customary in Gerube to offer visitors a bowl of fish soup. As Lawrence sipped on the soup, the taste made him a bit nostalgic for the herring he always ate in the past.

  “So? Tell me what relationship you have with the leader of the Boland family.”

  It wasn’t a question.. this was an interrogation. Keeman didn’t so much as touch his bowl of soup. Lawrence even had a passing suspicion that the soup might have be poisoned.

  “I’m a traveling peddler. Of course I’m not her dance partner in ballrooms.”

  “The riot in Lenos was over the fur situation, correct?”

  News of the riot should have just arrived today, unless someone quickly rode in on a fast horse the previous night. Lawrence nodded and coughed.

  “We struck a rather large deal, but she flew the coop at the last minute. That’s why I came here.. I’m vexed, and I want to lodge a complaint against her.”

  “Pull the other one.”

  Keeman was used to facetiousness, so he saw right through it.

  “Well, I’m not joking about the deal. I’m chasing Ms. Eve down the river right now.. but my real
goal is to consult her on a certain matter.”

  “Something related to business?”

  Lawrence shook his head.

  “I’ve learned something.. inconceivable.. which has put my business on hold. I’ve come to investigate it.”

  “Something.. inconceivable?”

  “Correct.”

  Keeman’s eyes darted back and forth as though he processed this information.

  “About the bones of the wolf-god?”

  “Yes. Given how quickly you came to that conclusion, should I assume it’s a popular topic in these parts?”

  “Well, in a manner of speaking. Do you believe that rumor?”

  Keeman wasn’t shocked, but he was definitely surprised. He was surely wondering why Lawrence would be investigating that.

  “Huh.. everyone’s so surprised when I bring this up..”

  “No no, I’m not..”

  Keeman realized that pretending otherwise would be pointless.

  “Sorry, I guess it’s that obvious, huh? Yes, I’m truly surprised.”

  “My companion’s from the north, you see. When she learned such a rumor about her homeland, she grew obsessed with learning the truth at any cost.”

  In an important town that mediated between the north and south, such conflicts between pagans and the Church would be common.. even popular. Such things were surely more intense in a place like Gerube.

  “I see.. but it’s not your desire to investigate it that surprises me..”

  His response started off in much the same way that Mr. Reynolds’ had, but it continued differently.

  “..it’s that despite knowing Ms. Eve, you’re using your connection with her to follow a lead like you’re grasping at a cloud.”

  Lawrence paused in consideration. Keeman’s surprise made logical sense.

  “In other words, if I take advantage of Eve, there are other, more important leads to follow?”

  Keeman nodded in response.

  “I brought you to my office because her name is very influential in town.”

  “What do you mean?”

  If her name held that much sway in Gerube, then there must be a very good reason. Lawrence felt there was only a fifty-fifty shot that Keeman would tell him why, but he won that gamble. Keeman coughed.