Spice & Wolf ~Versión Española~: V04 Cap 01
Esta traducción ha sido realizada a partir de la versión inglesa de esta misma página (enlace) realizada por Judgment26.
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Traducido comenzada por Clead DE. HeavenHell 13:33 01/12/08
Traducción al 12%
Capítulo 1
Viajando durante 6 días enteros en el frío invierno, sintió como si su cuerpo estuviera a punto de alcanzar su límite.
Aunque gracias al hecho de que aún no se hubieran encontrado con ninguna nevada podrían considerarse afortunados, eso no implicaba que hiciera menos frío.
Las baratas mantas que habían sido compradas aún siendo una decente cantidad no parecían para nada mantas, sino de hecho eran más como blandas tablas de madera. Cualquier cosa que pudiera calentar lo más mínimo se había amontonado bajo las mantas.
Lo cosa más agradable de todas por supuesto sería un ser vivo de carne y hueso. Si tuviera pelaje, entonces sería incluso mejor.
Aunque, si fuera un ser que pudiera hablar, eso demostraría ser de alguna forma problemático.
"Siento que siempre soy yo la persona que se queda con el palillo más corto." (NdT: Se refiere a un juego para decidir quien se lleva la peor parte en el que cada persona selecciona un palillo, y aquel con el más corto es el que pierde)
Para entonces, el cielo comenzaba a gradualmente mostrar rayos de claridad. La última oleada de frío invernal de esa noche rozó sus caras, como si no quisiera marcharse.
Incluso habiendo estado despierto por el fuerte frío, no tenía ninguna intención de salirse fuera de las mantas en este momento. Por eso, aunque normalmente se quedara tumbado dentro de las mantas durante bastante tiempo, observando como el cielo gradualmente se iluminaba; hoy, su calentita compañera que dormía bajo las mismas mantas estaba de un terrible humor.
"Ya dije que tengo la culpa."
"Si debiera decirse quien tiene la culpa, seguramente serías tú. Por supuesto, si pudiera hacerte sentir menos frío, yo sin dudarlo estaría más que dispuesta. Y por eso es por lo que no he sido tan caprichosa, y no he dicho nada sobre que deseara cobrarte dinero por hacerlo."
El joven recostado boca arriba que estaba recibiendo un flujo sinfín de quejas - Craft Lawrence, se giró hacia su izquierda, escapando de las quejas.
Contando los años, 7 años habían pasado desde que Lawrence comenzó su trabajo como mercader cuando tenía 18 años. En la mayoría de los casos, incluso al encontrarse con una persona con la que no pudiera llegar a un acuerdo, tendría la confianza para ganar con palabras al grupo contrario.
Aún así, Lawrence era incapaz de responderle avispadamente a su compañera de viaje recostada boca arriba a su derecha, que le estaba lanzando sin descanso una mirada molesta junto con sus quejas.
El nombre de esta compañera, que poseía un par de ojos color ámbar y un precioso y largo pelo del color del lino, era Horo. Aunque su constitución pareciera un poco demasiado delgada, no le faltaba en lo más mínimo el delicado cuerpo propio de una mujer.
Aunque su compañera poseyera un nombre muy llamativo, no era la única cosa llamativa que tenía.
Después de todo, no sólo tenía esta compañera un par de orejas como de animal en su cabeza, sino que también una excepcionalmente bella cola de lobo salía de su cintura.
"Aunque, vos. Hay cosas que pueden hacerse, y otras que no, ¿no es verdad?"
Si hubiera sido algo tan fácil de comprender como que Lawrence estando medio dormido e incapaz de controlar sus ganas de avalanzarse sobre la profundamente durmiente Horo, quizás no hubiera estado tan enfadada.
No sólo eso, Horo habría ridiculizado a Lawrence hasta que éste fuera incapaz de responder, y terminado la discusión con una alegre risotada.
Pero, la razón por la que Horo había estado quejándose sin parar desde hacía un rato era porque Lawrence había hecho algo que ella era incapaz de soportar.
¿Qué había hecho Lawrence? Ya que estaba congelado, mientras dormía, inconscientemente había usado de cojín para sus pies la cola de Horo. Lo que era incluso peor, accidentalmente había pisado con fuerza al largo pelaje mientras se giraba en sueños.
La centenaria Horo, que normalmente se llamaba a sí misma Sabia Loba y que incluso otros se habían referido a ella por Diosa, había dejado escapar un chillido propio de las doncellas. Era obvio, con eso, cuanto dolor había sentido.
Aún así, Lawrence no podía evitar pensar que no era correcto culpar a alguien que había estado profundamente dormido.
Además, incluso aunque ahora Horo estuviera solamente quejándose sin parar, en el momento en el que el pie de Lawrence había pisado accidentalmente el pelaje haciendo una especie de giro rodando sobre su cola, había recibido dos fuertes puñetazos en su cara.
Lawrence creía que merecía ser perdonado tras haber recibido semejante castigo.
"Incluso cuando las personas están totalmente despiertas, pueden pisar el pie de alguien al andar, así que imagínate mientras están durmiendo. Aunque, esta cola es mi orgullo, y la única prueba irrefutable de quién soy."
Aunque la cola sobre la que había rodado su pierna no sufrió daños, varios pelo se habían desprendido.
Comparado con el dolor, el hecho de que un poco de pelo se le hubiera caído parecía la verdadera razón por la que Horo estaba tan enfadada.
Además, parecía que antes de que la situación llegara a este punto, Lawrence había dormido con la cola aplasta por su pie por un buen rato, por lo que el pelaje de su cola se había aplanado.
Tan pronto como Horo, que había estado ocupada mirando su cola, se dio cuenta de que Lawrence avergonzado estaba intentando salir de las mantas, tiró con fuerza de él para que volviera usando su peso, y siguió quejándose incesantemente bajo las mismas mantas.
Cuando una persona se enfadaba, normalmente o actuaba de manera indiferente o proponía un duelo. Pero, ninguna de estas era tan insoportable como las formas en las que Horo se vengaba.
Porque había estado muy calentito durmiendo con Horo bajo las mismas mantas, y era justo antes del amanecer, sumado al hecho de que su cuerpo estaba totalmente exhausto debido al viaje en pleno frío invernal.
Si a uno le estuvieran lanzando quejas sin fin y aún así fuera incapaz de volver a ese momento, no sería extraño que quisiera volver a dormir.
Pero por supuesto, si llegara a mostrarle una cara totalmente adormilada, Horo seguramente le atacaría con fiereza.
Esto no era para nada distinto de un interrogatorio con torturas.
Seguramente Horo podría llegar a ser un excepcional agente de la ley. (NdT: Law Enforcer... eso fue lo k mejor se me ocurrio)
"Ahora que lo pienso....."
Semejante interrogatorio descabellado no cesaba ni por un simple momento hasta que Horo empezó a cansarse debido a sus continuos ataques y mostró signos de soñolencia.
Por supuesto Lawrence, que seguía llevando el carro, sabía que la ira de Horo era algo terrible. Pero tras la discusión, también llegó a comprender que existían muchas clases de terror, aunque no tenía intención alguna de conocerlas.
Mientras que Horo, que estaba cansada tras descargar su furia y había empezado a cansarse, le había quitado todas las mantas de Lawrence y se había quedado profundamente dormida, contrajo su cuerpo con las rodillas en el pecho como si estuviera en una crisálida.
Pero, Horo no estaba durmiendo sobre la zona de carga del carro, sino que estaba recostada de lado en el asiento del conductor, con su cabeza apoyada en los muslos de Lawrence.
Aunque tan sólo mirando la cara durmiente de Horo, la hacía parecer preciosa y adorable, la acción que estaba realizando también mostraba cuan terroríficamente manipuladora era.
Si Horo fuera a mostrarle sus afilados caninos y montar un escándalo, Lawrence podía alguna excusa para defenderse de sus ataques. Si decidiera aparentar una actitud indiferente hacia él, Lawrence podía también responder como viera apropiado.
Pero usar forzosamente los muslos de Lawrence como almohada para dormir sólo conseguía que la posición de Lawrence se debilitara más y más.
Lawrence no podía enfadarse, no podía ignorar a Horo, y no podía tratarla con indiferencia. No sólo eso, si Horo fuera a armar un escándalo porque quisiera algo de comer, no podía negárselo tampoco.
Porque por como actuaba, la acción de Horo representaba un deseo de reconciliación.
Aunque a esta hora, el sol ya estaba muy elevado en el cielo, y aunque el aire matinal ya no era tan helador, el aire que escapó de la boca de Lawrence en forma de suspiro era considerablemente pesado.
Aún diciéndose a sí mismo que necesitaba tener incluso más cuidado en el futuro para así no pisar accidentalmente la cola de Horo nuevamente, el calor que la cola proveía seguía constituyendo una irresistible tentación al acampar fuera durante el duro invierno.
Si hubiera realmente un Dios en los cielos, Lawrence verdaderamente quería preguntarle: "¿Qué debería hacer?"
El viaje matinal que estaba bañado por semejante humor llegó a su fin antes de lo esperado.
Ya que no se habían cruzado con nadie en el camino, Lawrence tenía la impresión de que todavía quedaba un largo camino por delante. Pero terminando de subir una pequeña ladera, vio una ciudad aparecer más adelante.
Lawrence nunca había venido a esta región con anterioridad, y no tenía conocimiento alguno sobre la situación de esta zona.
La situación aproximada de este lugar era un poco al Este del centro del vasto reino en el que paganos y miembros de la Iglesia Ortodoxa convivían entre sí- Puroanie. Lawrence desconocía el valor estratégico de esta región, pero sabía que no poseía zonas importantes donde hacer negocio.
El hecho de que Lawrence viniera aquí incluso sabiendo esto era por supuesto por el bien de Horo, que seguía durmiendo profundamente sobre sus muslos como una diablilla.
Ya que la razón original para que viajara con Horo, era llevar a Horo de vuelta a su pueblo natal.
Yet, it had already been several centuries since Horo left her hometown. Within her memory, the path leading back to her hometown and its location had already become blurred by time. Moreover, such a long period was enough to cause everything in the world to go through dramatic changes. Thus, Horo was unwilling to miss any discussion or evidence related to her hometown.
Even being aware of the legend that her hometown Yoitsu had long since been destroyed did not change this fact.
Thus, in the pagan town of Kumerson from which the two had departed six days before, they had become acquainted with the cenobite Deanna, whose passion was collecting ancient legends, and asked her for information concerning Yoitsu. Moreover, Deanna had introduced to them a monk who specialized in gathering legends of the various pagan deities.
According to her, this monk served in a monastery in a remote region, and only the church priest who lived in the town of Tereo knew the location of the monastery.
But because the path to Tereo was not widely known, the two had to head first to the town known as Enberl and ask for directions there.
Presently, the two had finally arrived at Enberl.
“I wish to eat sweet bread.”
And then, that was the first thing that came out of Horo’s mouth as she slowly got up before the entry outpost.
“I said I wished for sweet bread, but I want the kind that is made from wheat.”
What she asked for was something considerably expensive, as usual.
Yet, Lawrence did not have the right to refuse.
Moreover, because Lawrence did not know the product needs of this region, he had bought some wheat flour in Kumerson before traveling north from the wheat merchant Mark, from whom he had received much help. But during the trip, he had chosen the black and bitter-tasting rye bread as food. Such a stingy choice had also caused him to become the target of Horo’s constant nagging during the course of the journey.
The moment he thought of the kind of high-quality, finely-expanded wheat bread Horo would be fussing about buying, Lawrence’s mood became bleak.
“We have to sell off our products first before we can buy any though.”
“Fine, a request of such a magnitude is yet acceptable.”
Logically speaking, Horo had been the one who originally begged Lawrence to take her with him in his travels, but somehow Lawrence seemed like her attendant now.
Horo seemed to detect Lawrence’s thoughts. Rubbing at the tail beneath her long robe, she said mischievously:
“My lovely tail has been trampled under your feet. If I do not have you trampled under my feet as well, what a loss I would have suffered.”
Lawrence had originally expected Horo to complain on and on for a while, but having heard this, he figured that her anger had more or less subsided.
Giving a silent sigh of relief that this was so, Lawrence drove the cart in the direction of the flour store.
Even though Enberl was located in a remote region, it seemed to be the area’s generally-acknowledged trade center, and thus it was quite bustling within the town.
Apparently it had simply been a coincidence that the two had encountered so few people on the way.
All over Enberl’s town centre could be seen grain, vegetables, and animals transported there from various neighboring villages. Buyers and sellers crowded the area to such an extent that not even a drop of water could trickle through.
The large church built facing the main square had its doors wide open, an indicator that it received a constant stream of visitors. People who had come to pray or attend service entered and exited the church at a great frequency.
The feeling Enberl gave off was much like that of rural towns found in various regions.
Having asked for information at the entry outpost, Lawrence discovered that Enberl’s largest flour store was the Riendo Company.
Although it was really just a flour store, it had been given the name “Company” for the sake of boosting its reputation. Lawrence could not help thinking that this was indeed just like something country bumpkins would do.
Yet, situated in the northern part of the square, to the right of the neat and clean main street, the Riendo Company possessed a wide storefront and an impressive unloading bay, which made the attitude of wishing to maintain a fancy reputation not so difficult to understand.
The wheat Lawrence had purchased in Kumerson was worth approximately three hundred Trenni silver coins.
Among this quantity, the ratio of wheat that had already been carefully ground into flour and wheat that had simply gone through a grain-removal process (note: the removed grains are kept, and the rest thrown away) was about one-to-one.
Since wheat was difficult to grow in cold regions, the farther north one went, the higher its value.
However, if one were to be so unfortunate as to encounter several days straight of rain in the transporting process, the wheat would quickly rot. More importantly, wheat was too expensive to form a regular daily diet, so it was very difficult to find buyers.
That Lawrence had set out with a cartful of wheat was due to the stingy notion unique to merchants that “It’s no good dragging around an empty cart while traveling.”
On the other hand, it was also because Lawrence, having made a large profit in Kumerson, had decided not to be so greedy with his money.
Besides, Lawrence figured that in a town of Enberl’s scale, there were bound to be rich nobles or members of the Church residing, so in all likelihood, the flour store would be willing to buy from him.
That was Lawrence’s plan.
“Hey, is that wheat?”
Because the one approaching was a visitor whose cart was loaded with wheat, Riendo, the owner of the company, came out to greet Lawrence in person. Possessing a fat appearance much more like that of a meat shop owner than the owner of a flour store, Riendo addressed Lawrence, wearing a somewhat troubled expression.
“Yes, half of it is flour and the other half grains. The quality is guaranteed.”
“I see. If the flour there is thoroughly kneaded and then baked, some very tasty bread should come out. But as you can see, there has been a bountiful harvest of rye this year, so we do not have any energy to spare on preparing wheat, which is not a necessity.”
Within the company’s unloading bay could indeed be seen mountainous piles of sacks containing rye, and along the wall to the side was suspended a long row of boards on which the targets of delivery were written in chalk.
“However, to us, wheat holds a good return after all. If possible, we would of course wish to purchase from you. It’s just that we have insufficient funds on hand......”
Compared to wheat, whose success of sales depended upon the mood of rich customers, rye, whose sales were guaranteed from the moment it was brought in, had to be regarded with greater importance. Surely this was what owner was thinking.
Especially due to the fact that this was a remote region, people placed much importance on interpersonal relationships. Even from the standpoint of preventing other merchants from stealing scattered business opportunities, one could not ignore the various villages that brought in rye every year.
“Come to think of it, I’m guessing you are a traveling merchant. Have you come here to establish a new sales route?” asked Riendo.
“No, I am just doing a bit of small business as I travel.”
“I see. May I ask what your destination is?”
“I plan to head to Renose. But before that, I wish to first pay a visit to a place nearby.”
Hearing this, Riendo blinked continuously.
Although Renose was a town located even farther north than this place, and regardless of the fact that Riendo was merely the owner of a flour store, possessing a store fit to be called a business company, it was impossible for him not to know about Renose.
“You are planning on traveling to such a faraway place huh....that’s odd......”
As Lawrence had expected, the owner seemed to want to say, “Usually, the only place of interest to merchants who came to this region was Enberl.”
“My plan as of right now is to head to Tereo.”
Having heard such a response from Lawrence, the owner revealed an expression of obvious surprise.
“Why would you want to go to a small place like Tereo? Your purpose is?”
“I have some business that requires me to pay a visit to the church in Tereo. Oh yes, besides talking business, I also wished to ask whether you knew how to get to Tereo.”
Riendo’s expression looked as if he had just been asked for the price of the first piece of merchandise he had ever bought or sold. His gaze lingered in the air for a moment before he made reply:
“There is a road that leads directly to Tereo, so you do not have to worry about getting lost. The distance is about half a day if you are going by cart, though the road is not in the best condition.”
Perhaps Riendo had truly been caught off guard. From this point, it was apparent that Tereo was a rural village where the hens didn’t lay eggs.
“Uhn~~” After that, Riendo uttered a groan and said, turning his gaze toward Lawrence’s cart:
“Will you be passing by here again on your return trip?”
“I’m terribly sorry, but I will be taking a different path during my return trip.”
Surely the owner was contemplating the possibility of buying on credit if Lawrence was planning to pass by again on his return.
Yet, Lawrence was not planning on adding this region to his business route.
“I see....in that case, although I deeply regret it, I shall not have the pleasure of doing business with you this time.....”
Although Riendo distorted his face, as if he were troubled from the bottom of his heart, he was probably half-lying.
Purchasing the highly-priced wheat from a traveling visitor whom one had only just met for the first time was considered a very risky gamble.
It was possible for the flour to consist of a mixture of different types of wheat, and it was also possible that the flour would be discovered to be of terrible quality only after it had been baked into bread, in spite of its fine appearance.
If it could be purchased on credit, so that the payment was put off to a later date, even if the quality was indeed bad, it could easily be gotten rid of by tricking some remote country noble or through various other methods.
However, Lawrence did not absolutely need to sell off the wheat right away.
Since circumstances had not allowed for a successful deal, Lawrence shook hands with Riendo and bid him farewell.
“Compared to selling wheat, baking it into bread first and then selling it is the fastest way to get rid of it after all,” said Lawrence.
Whether the quality was good or bad could instantly be determined by taking a bite from a piece of bread. Even if one were to passionately describe in words how high-quality the flour was, it could not reverse the fact that tasting was much more effective than listening.
“Hahaha, we merchants all think so. This often becomes a reason for arguing with bread stores,” replied Riendo.
“Are the bread stores here so hardheaded as well?”
“Of course. If places besides bread stores start baking bread, they will go on a rampage with stone-made rolling pins.”
Business was conducted by merchants, and bread was made by bread stores. No matter which town one went to, such a division of labor could be seen, and people frequently made jokes on the topic as well.
However, if a merchant were truly to take over the entire process, from purchasing wheat to making bread, that would indeed be a highly-profiting business.
Because the sequence of events from the beginning of the wheat harvest to the baking of bread required the participation of a huge number of people.
“Then, may God lead us to meet again,” said Lawrence.
“Indeed, when that time comes, we shall look forward to your patronage.”
After responding to Riendo with a smile and a nod, Lawrence and Horo took their leave of the company.
Although Lawrence was a bit regretful over not having been able to sell off the wheat, what concerned him even more was the fact that Horo had remained silent the entire time.
“You didn’t interrupt to say anything this time,”
Lawrence said in a casual tone. After uttering an absent-minded response, Horo opened her mouth to speak: “You.”
“That owner mentioned that Tereo is only a half-day’s distance away, correct?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“If we set off now, we would be able to arrive before evening, is it not so?”
Horo’s tone sounded somewhat willful. Hearing this, Lawrence leaned back his body and nodded as he said:
“But, isn’t it better to get some rest? You’re tired yourself, aren’t you?”
“If it is rest, we can do that once we arrive in Tereo too. If we can make it there today, I would prefer to set off sooner.”
Hearing such a willful tone which he had never before heard from Horo, Lawrence finally realized her true intentions.
Even though Horo had rarely ever exhibited it through her attitude or spoken it, it seemed that she only wished she could immediately meet the monk who collected legends of the various pagan deities.
Horo always had a tendency to act out of rash passion, and she always displayed particularly-strong pride over certain details.
Surely Horo felt it thoroughly embarrassing to be hurrying Lawrence like a little child.
Yet, the fact that their destination was only a short distance away had lighted up the fire of passion that had until then been suppressed within the depths of her heart.
In fact, Horo was probably already very tired. Even so, that she would still express such a desire was a clear indicator of just how desperate she was.
“Fine. How about this, let’s have something hot to eat and then set off. Is that alright?”
And so, Lawrence spoke thus. Horo, hearing this, suddenly revealed an astounded expression and said:
“Was asking that even necessary?”
Needless to say, a strained smile surfaced on Lawrence’s face.
As if the scene of endless plains had finally come to an end, the scenery before them began to take on a bit of heaven’s adornments.
The undulating terrain piled upon itself over the ground in layers, like a lump of dough that had been dropped to the floor. A river flowed through its crevices, and a number of lush forests were present as well.
The cart on which the two were seated produced little bumping sounds as it proceeded forth on the road paved alongside the small river.
Lawrence gazed at Horo, who was yet sound asleep, and felt that perhaps he should have forced her to get some rest when they had been in Enberl.
During such a cold winter journey, one would always be awakened by the cold, then fall asleep only to wake again over and over again in the time between late night and dawn. Although Horo was originally a wolf whose abilities far surpassed those of humans and who could move around freely within the wilderness, it seemed that when she maintained maiden form, she only possessed the physical condition of a maiden as well.
If this were really true, this journey could not but be a harsh experience for Horo.
The way Horo appeared as she leaned on Lawrence and slept also gave the impression that she was indeed entirely exhausted.
Lawrence considered requesting permission to stay for some time as soon as they arrived at the monastery.
However, that would mean having to live a plain life, which Horo might have objections to. Just as Lawrence was pondering these matters, he noticed that the small river was gradually widening.
Because the river wound around a slope to their right-hand side, the front part of it was not visible. But the river was indeed becoming wider and wider, and soon after it could clearly be seen that the speed of the water flow had slowed down.
And then, a faint but unique sound reached their ears.
In an instant, Lawrence understood what lay ahead.
Even in her sleep, Horo, who possessed a wolf’s acute sense of hearing, seemed also to perceive the sound that came from what laid in the road ahead. After slowly rubbing her face with her hands, she peered out from under her hood.
It seemed that the town of Tereo was not far off.
As the river flow came to a stop, forming a small pool, a small yet well-equipped waterwheel mill appeared in the path ahead.
“Since a waterwheel has already appeared, we should be just about there,” said Lawrence.
In regions where the supply of water was limited, people would first store water, and then use the difference in water levels to stimulate the turning of the waterwheel.
Because the supply of water in this area was originally quite scarce, the power to move the waterwheel using such a method was limited. But during this time of year when the harvest season was already long passed, one would obviously not see a long line of people waiting in front of the mill. If the time was right after the end of the harvest period, there would be loads of people waiting in line to grind their wheat (or rye or barley) into flour.
But at the present moment, the slightly-blackened, waterweed-colored mill stood solitarily, appearing very much forlorn.
When Lawrence’s cart came to a point from which even the wood patterns on the wall of the mill could be clearly seen, a figure suddenly rushed out from within the mill.
Hastily, he pulled hard on the reins. Whinnying in displeasure, the horse swayed its head left and right before coming to a stop.
The one who had suddenly rushed out was a young man. In such bitterly cold weather, his sleeves were folded up, and his arms from the palms to the elbows were as white as snow with flour.
“Whoah, sorry, sorry! Hmm, you’re a traveler, aren’t you?”
And then, before Lawrence had even gotten a chance to express his own displeasure after the horse, the young man made his way to the front of the cart and said.
“.....I am indeed a traveler. And you?” Lawrence responded.
Although the person before him was a young man, he was completely different from Amati, with whom Lawrence had battled in the marketplace about a week before. In spite of his slender appearance, the young man possessed a balanced physique befitting one accustomed to labor, and he was about Lawrence’s height as well. He also had black hair and black eyes frequently seen in northern regions. His strong appearance seemed much more suited to wielding an axe than a bow. However, because his hair was stained with flour, it had taken on a rather odd color.
Seeing someone stained white with flour emerging from a mill and asking who he was was equivalent to standing before a vending stand loaded with bread and asking what was being sold.
“Haha, as you can see, I’m a wheat grinder. So, where have you come from? You’re not from Enberl, are you?”
Seeing the young man’s carefree, smiling face, Lawrence could not help thinking that the face appeared quite childish.
As he silently guessed the young man’s age to be six or seven years his junior, Lawrence thought with a wary heart,” Don’t tell me this is going to involve Horo again and end up developing into something troublesome.”
“It is as you say. I might as well ask you in passing, how long will it take to get to the town of Tereo from here?”
“The town....of Tereo?”
Hearing Lawrence’s words, the young man looked puzzled for a moment, and then opened his mouth into a grin as he said:
“If Tereo can be called a town, then Enberl would be a kingdom city. I don’t know what business you have in Tereo, but Tereo is just a pitifully-small village. You can tell just by looking at this mill, right?”
Although Lawrence was somewhat taken aback by the young man’s words, he remembered that like Horo, Deanna, who had provided information about Tereo, had lived for hundreds of years, which was something that could not be true of humans.
Even if it were in fact referred to as a village now, sometime in the distant past, this village might have been the largest town in the region. Something like this was not unusual at all.
Lawrence gave a nod and asked once more: “So, how long will it take?”
“It’s just up ahead. Although, Tereo doesn’t have any grand walls surrounding it, so technically it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that you’re already in Tereo.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Lawrence felt that if he did not put an end to the conversation, the young man would probably end up going on and on.
And thus, after making such a brief response, Lawrence began to drive the cart around the young man. At this point, the young man quickly stopped him.
“Please...please wait. Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, traveler, what do you say?”
With the young man’s outspread arms blocking the way, there was no way Lawrence could maneuver around him in the not-so-wide road.
If Lawrence were to force his way through, it would probably not be much of a problem, but if the young man were to become injured as a result, it would probably leave a bad first impression on the residents of Tereo.
With a sigh, Lawrence said: “What is it?”
“Hmm—uhm....what is it huh....oh, ye...yes, that’s quite a beauty you’ve brought along with you.”
Although Horo, who kept her head low in silence under her hood, did not giggle out loud, her tail wagged once under the covers.
To Lawrence, compared to the sense of superiority that came with having Horo as a traveling companion, his worries over whether or not it would bring about even more unnecessary trouble were even greater, causing him to feel particularly annoyed.
“She is a nun on a pilgrimage. Alright, is that good enough? The only thing that can prevent a merchant from moving forward is a tax collector.”
“Nu...nun?
And then, having heard an unexpected word, the young man revealed an expression of surprise.
Because the town centre of Enberl held a church of considerable scale, it was quite unlikely that the “small village of Tereo” the young man referred to was a wholly pagan village. This was because even within the northern part of Puroanie, as long as there was a town in the region that contained a church of considerable size, any surrounding village that wished to maintain a pagan identity would require a significant amount of military power.
Moreover, there should be a church in Tereo. So why was the young man surprised?
Having thought to this point, Lawrence’s expression instantly changed to one of contemplation, and the young man’s sharp eyes quickly noticed this reaction.
From the looks of it, the young man was more concerned with Lawrence than with Horo.
“Alright traveler, I won’t hold you up any longer. But, I hope you’ll listen to my advice. You’d best not bring a nun to Tereo.”
“Oh....”
In Lawrence’s eyes, it did not seem like the young man was speaking nonsense.
Just to be safe, Lawrence kicked Horo’s foot gently under the blanket for confirmation, and perceived a nod from Horo under the hood.
“What is the reason? We have come to pay a visit to the church in Tereo in order to take care of some business. If there is a church, there should be no reason why a nun should not be able to go. Or is it—”
“No, no, there is a church here. Reason? The reason is.....how should I put it, the church is currently involved in an argument. The other party just happens to be the nasty fellas from the church of Enberl.”
The young man suddenly put on a solemn expression, his sharp gaze like that of a newly-trained soldier.
The young man’s sudden display of hostility took Lawrence by surprise, but he instantly remembered that the young man was just a wheat grinder.
“So, that’s the way things are. How should I put it, if a nun were to go there now, it could cause things to become a bit complicated. That’s why I said it would be best for the two of you not to go.”
As soon as the young man put away his hostility, he became all-of-a-sudden warm and likeable once again. Yet, there was something odd about his advice.
Even so, it seemed that the young man had not said what he did to the two out of malevolence, so Lawrence did not question him further.
“Is that so? Alright, I shall be careful. I don’t suppose we’ll be thrown out as soon as we set foot there?” he said.
“I guess....it wouldn’t be quite so extreme....”
“Still, thank you, and I shall remember your advice. As long as she is dressed in a way that makes it impossible to tell she is a nun, there would not be a problem then, right?”
The young man loosened up visibly, and revealing an innocent expression nodded his head to say:
“If you’re willing to do that, I guess I won’t have to worry.”
Unconsciously, the young man’s warning to Lawrence had become a plea. Surely these were truly the young man’s heartfelt words.
“But, what is it that you two want with the church?” he asked.
“We have come to ask for directions?”
“Ask for directions?”
The young man scratched his cheek, his face full of surprise.
“Hmm~ what, so you haven’t come to do business? You’re a traveling merchant, aren’t you?”
“You’re a wheat grinder, right?”
The young man gave a laugh with an expression that looked as if someone had flicked him in the nose with a fingertip. He then let his shoulders drop with a deeply regretful appearance.
“Aie, I was thinking that if you had come to do business, perhaps I could be of help.”
“I will tell you if the need arises. May I go now?”
Although it appeared as if the young man still wished to say something, it seemed that he was unable to find the appropriate words to continue the conversation, and thus with a light nod, he moved out of the way.
And then, the young man threw a glance at Lawrence that looked as if it was begging for something.
However, Lawrence understood that the young man was not asking for an information fee.
He loosened his grip on the reins and extended a hand. And then, looking directly into the young man’s eyes, he did his best to speak in a relaxed pace:
“My name is Craft Lawrence. And you?”
A resplendent smile instantly surfaced on the young man’s face. Rushing toward the driver’s seat, he said:
“Ivan! Jiyom Ivan!”
“Ivan. Got it. I shall remember the name.”
“Aye! Be sure to do that!”
Having said this in a volume loud enough to cause a horse, which was afraid of loud noises, to instantly go out of control, Ivan gripped Lawrence’s hand tightly.
“Please be sure to drop by here again on your return trip!”
Ivan was still saying loudly after moving far off from the horse and returning to the front of the mill.
The young man, stained snow-white by flour, stood before the door of the dark waterwheel mill.
His appearance as he reluctantly watched the two’s departure looked somewhat lonely.
And then, just as Lawrence had expected, Horo turned around and waved her little hand at Ivan. Perceiving this, Ivan first shrugged his shoulders in amazement, and then, laughing loudly, waved both arms with large movements.
Rather than appearing like a youngster overjoyed over the fact that a beautiful maiden had waved goodbye to him, his appearance was more like that of a young man who was overjoyed over having found a compatible friend.
Since the path ahead curved gradually to the right, Ivan’s mill was soon out of sight. And so Horo turned back toward the front and sat upright.
And then, she opened her mouth to speak in a deeply vexed tone:
“Hmph, that person looked at you even more times than he looked at me.”
Seeing Horo utter this in an annoyed manner, Lawrence smiled briefly, and taking a deep breath, gave a sigh as he spoke:
“He’s a wheat grinder, and probably leads a tough life.”
Horo looked at Lawrence with an incredulous expression, and then tilted her head slightly.
There had to be a reason why Ivan had not paid any more attention to Horo, who was ever so suited to such a cute action, but longed to shake hands with Lawrence the traveling merchant.
However, if one were to ask whether it was a happy reason, the answer would most likely be negative.
“It’s just like being a shepherd. Even though they’re both necessary jobs, the people who hold such jobs are often looked down upon by their fellow townspeople or villagers,” said Lawrence.
Of course, depending on the area, this was not always the case. Even so, no matter how Lawrence looked at it, the waterwheel mill did not seem like it received the love and respect of the villagers of Tereo.
“For instance....the pouch hanging from your neck contains wheat, right?”
Suspended about Horo was a pouch containing wheat within which she herself dwelt, although the pouch was currently hidden beneath several layers of clothing.
"If the wheat grains in that pouch were to be removed and ground with a stone mortar, how much flour do you suppose could be produced? "
Hearing this, Horo gazed down at her chest for quite some time.
Even Horo, who could control the harvest of wheat as well as its quality, seemed incapable of determining how much flour could be produced after the wheat was ground.
“Suppose there are this many grains.”
Lawrence loosened his grip on the reins, and traced the outline of a small hill on his left palm with a finger.
“Removing the grains from so much wheat and grounding them would turn out this much flour at best.”
This time, Lawrence did not trace a small hill with his finger to represent the amount, but formed a tiny circle with his thumb and index finger.
Once wheat was ground with a mortar, the quantity yielded was incredibly small.
That being the case, what would a farmer think, after spending day after day in the wheat fields, sweating profusely as he tilled the fields and never forgetting to pray to the god (or goddess) of harvest before finally being able to harvest the wheat and have it ground into flour, if the quantity that came out was so little?
Hearing such a question from Lawrence, Horo uttered an “Mm” in a low voice.
“It is said that wheat grinders working in waterwheel mills have six fingers. One of these grows from the palm, and is used to steal the people’s flour. In addition, the waterwheel is usually the property of the feudal lord. Even though a tax is required each time any flour is ground, it’s not possible for the feudal lord to stand by the mill in surveillance all the time. As such, who do you think is responsible for collecting the tax in his place?”
“Logically speaking, it should be the wheat grinder,” Horo responded.
Lawrence nodded his head and continued:
“No one would be happy about paying taxes. Yet, it is necessary to collect taxes. So, who do you suppose would be the one getting all the resentment?”
Despite not being human, Horo possessed an understanding of the ways of the world deeper than that of any person.
Naturally, she immediately knew the answer.
“So that is how it is. In that case, the reason that boy was wagging his tail so hard at you rather than me was—”
“Aye, that’s right,”
Lawrence nodded and said with a sigh. At that moment, some of Tereo’s houses began appearing up ahead.
“He only wishes he could immediately leave the village.”
Wheat grinding was an important job that someone needed to handle.
But those who took on the job often became the targets of suspicion, resentment, and ingratitude.
Especially the fact that wheat (note: I need to stress that in Chinese, there is a collective term referring to all types of wheat-like crops, so “wheat” here can refer to actual wheat, rye, or barley etc.) required careful grinding in order for the bread made from it to expand successfully during the baking process.
Yet, the more carefully it was ground, the smaller the yielded quantity.
Taking some particular action purely for the sake of doing a good job, yet incurring the resentment of the people.
This was almost exactly the same as a tale Lawrence had heard from someplace. As for Horo, she turned toward the front with an expression on her face that seemed to say, “If only I had known, I would not have asked.”
“However, this is a necessary occupation, so there are still people who are grateful.”
Before reaching out his hands to take the reins, Lawrence stroked Horo’s head, and Horo nodded her head lightly under his palm.
Although Ivan had described Tereo as “pitifully-small,” the truth was actually not quite so exaggerated.
The difference between a town and a village was merely the presence or absence of a city wall. There were quite a number of so-called “towns” whose walls simply consisted of crude wooden palings. Compared to such places, Tereo was actually a village of considerable scale.
Indeed, like other villages, Tereo was not densely-packed with buildings; they were scattered all about. But among these could also be seen buildings built out of stone. At the very center of the village, in the area that could be said to be the core district, the buildings were numerous and highly-concentrated. Though the streets in the core district were not paved with stone blocks, their surfaces were flat and smooth, and not at all bumpy. The church that Lawrence and Horo had been looking for was large and conspicuous, and complete with a bell tower. Even from a distance, it was clearly visible.
Lawrence felt that if only a wall were built around it, Tereo would be fit to be called a town.
Bearing Ivan’s warning in mind, Horo took off her long robe, and pulled Lawrence’s overcoat over her head, tying a string around the neck region to keep the garment fastened much like the manner in which one would wear a raincoat. The reason for dressing in such a manner was that her usual city-girl appearance was a bit too lively-looking and thus rather conspicuous.
Whatever the case, Horo was already conspicuous enough without dressing up in any special fashion.
Once Horo had finished changing, Lawrence drove the cart toward the side of the street on which buildings had begun appearing.
The absence of a city wall meant that there was no city gate, which in turn meant that travelers would not be taxed.
Here, no one would prevent a traveler’s cart from entering the village. As he proceeded forth in the cart, Lawrence nodded a greeting to a man who was tying up a bundle of wheatgrass and gazing unabashedly in his direction.
The entire village felt as it were covered in a layer of dust. Besides the main paths, the street surfaces lining all the other areas were filled with bumps and holes. Here, whether made of stone or wood, the buildings were all quite spaciously-structured and featured very low roofs. Many of the residences here also possessed large courtyards, a rare sight within a typical town.
All over the roadside could be seen large piles of wheatgrass, representing the conclusion of a harvest season, and mixed in among these piles were stacks of firewood that had been prepared for the cold winter season.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, perhaps even fewer than the number of chickens and pigs bred on open ground.
However, the only thing this place had in common with other places in the countryside was that, as soon as the people noticed Lawrence and Horo, they continued to stare continuously in their direction.
On this point, the atmosphere this place gave off was indeed unlike that of a town and more like that of a village.
Lawrence deeply sensed the fact that he was an outsider, a feeling he had not experienced in a very long time.
Because Lawrence had also grown up in a poor and desolate village, he was fully aware that the number of available pastimes in a village was pitifully-limited, and that a traveler was the perfect victim for the villagers’ entertainment.
Lawrence continued to ponder this as he drove the cart forward. After going on like this for some time, he came to a public square in which was placed an enormous rock.
This was apparently the village’s core district; numerous buildings were built centered around the square.
It could be seen from the metal signs hanging from the eaves that the area held inns, bread shops and bars, along with workplaces for the weaving of wool products. Among the different structures were also buildings with more widely-structured facades, which were most likely the common workplaces for removing the grains from harvested crops or sifting flour.
The other buildings, among which the church was included, appeared to be the dwelling places of Tereo’s powerful and influential figures
This was indeed the core district; all around could be seen pedestrians gathering together in conversation, and children at play. The two visitors also attracted the curious glances of the multitudes.
“What a large piece of rock. Does it serve any purpose?”
Yet, Horo asked thus, seeming quite indifferent to the extra attention.
“It might be used in some kind of festival ritual, a dance, or when calling a meeting, something along those lines,” Lawrence replied.
The rock was about up to Lawrence’s waist in height, and possessed a smooth surface. Judging from the fact that a wooden ladder was set up against it, the rock had probably not simply been placed in the square as a landmark.
Of course, the only way to know what its real purpose was would be to ask a villager. And so Horo nodded uncertainly, and allowed her body to rest firmly against the driver’s seat, readjusting her sitting position to an upright one.
After that, Lawrence drove the cart around the rock and proceeded in the direction of the church.
Although the villagers continued to shoot curious glances in their direction, this place was certainly not some undeveloped village deep within the mountains.
As the cart came to a stop before the church, the villagers seemed to guess that the two had come to pray for a safe journey, and the number of curious glances went down dramatically.
“Feels almost as if we’re just about to hear voices crying out, ‘aie yai yai,’”
Lawrence said to Horo after stopping the cart and coming down from the driver’s seat. Horo revealed a smile much like the kind children have when sharing secrets.
The church before them was a dignified-looking stone structure. The large, wooden front door was framed with steel.
The building probably had a long history; the corners of its stone walls had collapsed due to erosion. The metal knocker on the door also appeared as if it was rarely ever touched.
Moreover, unlike a typical monastery, whose front door was usually always open unless a service ritual was taking place, the front door here was tightly shut.
Put simply, the atmosphere this church gave off seemed to imply that it did not receive the love and support of the villagers.
Even so, Lawrence felt it useless to over-think things, and thus picked up the knocker and rapped lightly on the door a couple of times.
Knock! Knock! The rapping stirred up a wave of echoes within the square, making it sound particularly loud and clear.
After waiting for quite some time, no response could be heard from within. A second after Lawrence began wondering whether the members of the church had gone out, a loud creaking came from the front door, and a small crack was revealed.
“Who is it?”
And then, a woman’s voice came through the small crack of the partially-opened door. The voice did not sound particularly friendly.
“Terribly sorry for taking the liberty to visit without early notice. I am Lawrence, a traveling merchant,”
Lawrence said wearing the smile that was required whenever paying sudden visits to customers. The woman on the other side of door, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and revealed a surprised expression as she said:
“You are a merchant?”
“Yes, I have come from Kumerson.”
A church that displayed such deliberate caution was quite a rare sight.
“.....And she is?”
The woman’s gaze shifted toward Horo, who was next to Lawrence.
“She is a companion traveling with me due to circumstance.”
Having heard Lawrence’s simple explanation, the woman glanced first at Lawrence, then at Horo, and gave a sigh before finally opening the entire door slowly.
Surprisingly, a young woman dressed in a long priest’s gown appeared on the other side of the door.
“What important business do you have here?” she inquired.
Although Lawrence believed that he had successfully concealed his surprised emotion, the tone of the young woman in the priest’s gown still sounded very much dissatisfied, and her displeased expression did not soften in the least. The young woman’s brown hair was bound tightly, and her honey-colored eyes gave off a challenging gleam.
Putting aside the woman’s attitude, this was the first time Lawrence had ever been asked the question, “What important business do you have here?” upon coming to a church.
“Yes, I wish to pay a visit to the priest in your church.”
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for a woman to become a priest(ess), because the Church organization was a completely male society.
Lawrence had said this bearing such an idea in mind, but somehow his words seemed only to cause a deepening in the frown on the woman’s face.
Moreover, the woman gave an intentional glance at the clothes she had on before redirecting her gaze at Lawrence and saying:
“Although I am not formally a priestess yet, I am the one in charge of this church, Elsa Shootingheim.”
Not only a woman, but such a young priestess too.
The truth of this was even more startling than the discovery that the strong and capable owner of a large company was in fact a young woman.
Yet, the young woman who referred to herself as Elsa seemed to have long become accustomed to receiving such a reaction. Once more, she coolly threw out the question: “So, what important business do you have here?”
“Ah...uhm....we wish to ask for directions.”
“Ask for directions?”
“Yes, we wish to ask you how to get to a certain monastery. The name of the monastery is Diendoran, and the head of the monastery is Louis Lana Shootinghilton.”
As he said this, Lawrence silently thought that the head of Diendoran Monastery’s last name was somewhat similar to Elsa’s. Hearing this, Elsa revealed an expression that made her surprise instantly discernible.
Before Lawrence could even get the chance to ask, “What is it,” Elsa immediately put away her surprised expression and opened her mouth to speak:
“I am not familiar with it.”
Even though her choice of words was polite, Elsa’s face was still full of antagonism as she said this. In the end, she even planned to shut the door without awaiting Lawrence’s reply.
How could a merchant possibly allow the other party to close the door so easily?
Lawrence quickly placed a foot within the crack, and said wearing a smile:
“I have heard there is a priest in your church by the name of Francis.”
Elsa stared resentfully at the foot Lawrence had stuck into the crack. Then, staring directly at Lawrence, she said:
“The father passed away in the summer.”
“Huh?”
And then, in the instant that Lawrence felt surprise, Elsa’s voice covered his as she spoke:
“Are you satisfied yet? I do not know the location of any monastery, and I am very busy.”
Lawrence felt that if he persisted any further and Elsa were to scream out for help, things would become quite troublesome.
He thus retracted his foot, and in the next moment, Elsa closed the door, leaving behind a wrathful sigh.
“.......”
“You sure are annoying,” said Horo.
“Maybe it’s because I didn’t donate any money.”
Lawrence shrugged his shoulders and said, looking toward Horo beside him:
“Is it true about the death of Father Francis?”
“It does not seem like a lie. However—”
“Not knowing the location of the monastery was a lie, right?”
Elsa had appeared so obviously surprised that one would be able to tell she was lying blindfolded.
However, was it really true that Elsa was in charge of the church? If she had been joking, that certainly would have been a very dangerous move.
Perhaps Elsa was the daughter of Father Francis. Even if she was not his blood-related daughter, at least it was still possible that she was an adopted one.
“What now?”
Horo replied immediately:
“We certainly cannot force our way in. Let us find an inn first.”
Bathed within the wondering glances of the villagers, the two took a seat in the horse-drawn cart.
“Mm~ how very nostalgic......”
As soon as Horo stepped into the inn room, she immediately leaped onto the bed and said, stretching out her entire body.
“Although this bed is a bit better than the cart’s cargo deck, there may be insects, so you’d best be careful.”
Because the bed here did not consist of a wooden bed frame covered with fabric or cotton, but of a mattress made by binding tightly a bundle of wheatgrass, it was likely for there to be large numbers of insects hidden within hibernating for the winter in wait for the summer breeding season.
Lawrence understood in his heart that even if he wished for Horo to be careful, it would probably be impossible for her, considering that her densely-furry tail was just the perfect breeding ground for insects.
“Careful about what? I already have a terrible bug following me.”
Horo smiled mischievously, her hands supporting her cheek. Her appearance looked indeed as if it would attract a load of insects, causing Lawrence to let out an involuntary sigh.
“This is a very small village, so try not to cause a commotion.”
“That would have to depend on your attitude.”
Lawrence stared at Horo with a bitter expression. Turning her face away, Horo wagged her tail left and right as she lay prostrate in bed. Letting out a big yawn, she said:
“I am somewhat sleepy. May I sleep for a bit?”
“What would you do if I were to say no?”
Hearing Lawrence ask this with a laugh, Horo turned her head around and, narrowing her eyes coquettishly, said:
“I would take a nap by your side.”
Lawrence pictured such a scene, and though he felt feckless, he could not but admit that he did not consider it at all unpleasant.
Lawrence avoided Horo’s eyes, which seemed to be saying, “I saw right through you from the very beginning,” and decided not to resist. Feigning a cough, he spoke:
“But, you really are tired, aren’t you? If you get some good rest before you break yourself, as your traveling companion, I’d be able to rest more easily.”
“Mm, then I shall not hold back.”
Horo did not continue her offensive, but simply closed her eyes.
With a swoosh, the tail that had been wagging left and right came to a rest as well. It felt almost as if her snoring would be heard imminently.
“Take off your hood first, and take off the robe tied around your waist, then fold neatly my coat, which you’ve simply thrown to the side, and lastly, pull up the covers before you sleep, you hear me?”
Lawrence could not help thinking that the capricious noblewoman who appeared in comedies was probably someone just like Horo.
Even with Lawrence’s warning, Horo was unwilling even to lift her head.
“If the clothes haven’t been folded by the time I come back, I won’t treat you to a nice dinner.”
Lawrence said this with a state of mind similar to that of a parent scolding a child, and likewise, Horo gave Lawrence a quick glance and said like a disagreeable child:
“You are very gentle and kind, so you would not do such a thing.”
“.....I say you, one of these days, I’m going to get you good.”
“If you can manage to. Forget that, where are you going now?”
Seeing Horo, whose eyes were already beginning to glaze over with sleepiness despite moving her lips in speech, Lawrence walked over, looking as if he did not know what to do with her anymore, and pulling up the covers for her said:
“It wouldn’t matter so much if we were simply passing through, but from the looks of it, we’ll probably be staying here for a few days, so I’m going to go pay my respects to the village Elder. Besides, he might even know the location of the monastery.”
“.....Really.”
“That’s just how it is, so you just be good and sleep.”
Horo pulled the covers close to her mouth and nodded.
“However, there won’t be a souvenir,” Lawrence added.
“.....It matters not.”
Horo opened her eyes slightly and, as if she would drift off to dreamland in the next second, said in a half-asleep voice:
“As long as you are able to return safely......”
Despite being perfectly aware that this was a trap Horo had set up, unexpectedly hearing such an utterance still caused Lawrence to lose his bearings.
Horo’s ears moved in apparent delight.
Even if there would be no souvenir, at least she had been able to see Lawrence’s dumb look.
“I am going to sleep, good night.”
Having said this, Horo slowly withdrew into the covers. In a surrendering manner, Lawrence replied to her: “Go ahead.”
After placing some of the wheat from his cargo deck into appropriately-sized bags, Lawrence asked the innkeeper for the location of the village Elder’s residence and left the inn.
The fact that there would be a visitor during such a cold season seemed to be a matter of great concern to the village children. As soon as the children gathered before the inn saw Lawrence open the front door, they all scattered off in an instant.
According to the innkeeper, during the fall and spring seasons when the harvest and seedling transplant festivals were held, respectively, the village would attract quite a large number of visitors. However, this particular section deviated from the streets after all, so the number of travelers who passed by was very limited. The only people lodging at the inn at the present moment were Lawrence and Horo.
The residence of Tereo’s village Elder was built right next to the public square, and was the largest building in the area. With its foundation and first floor made from stone, and its second and third floors structured out of wood, it was quite a stately building.
The front door of the Elder’s residence also possessed steel framing similar to that of the church, and the frame itself even featured intricate ornamental designs.
On the door was installed a knocker shaped like a snake or lizard, which truly could not be said to be of good taste.
However, the shape of the knocker was probably in imitation of a god worshipped by the natives, because the number of snake and frog deities in existence was surprisingly high.
“Pardon me, is anyone in?”
Lawrence contemplated all of this as he rapped on the door with the knocker and said. After some time, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman who had on a powder-stained apron and whose hands were stained a snowy white appeared before his eyes.
“Coming, coming! Who is it?”
“Pardon my intrusion. I am Craft Lawrence, a traveling merchant－”
“Oh my, Elder~! The one everyone’s been talking about is here.”
Although Lawrence was somewhat stunned over having been cut off mid-sentence, the woman seemed completely oblivious to this as she called out, “Elder~” and walked further into the house.
Having been left behind and all alone by the woman, and in spite of the knowledge that no one was paying attention to him, Lawrence coughed once in order to renew his spirits.
And then, after waiting thus alone for some time, the woman from a moment ago accompanied a little old man with a walking stick back to the front door.
“Look! This is the person, right?” She said.
“Mrs. Kemp, that’s very impolite to the guest.”
Although every last bit of the dialogue between the two passed into Lawrence’s ears, he was of course not so narrow-minded as to become angered as a result.
Besides, when doing business, no one was of more help than a lively and cheerful country wife.
Having taken this into account, Lawrence revealed a most resplendent smile as he stood before the two people.
“Sorry, sorry, that was very impolite of us. I am Semu, the one in charge of Tereo,” said the old man.
“Pleasure to meet you. I am Craft Lawrence, a traveling merchant.”
“Alright, Mrs. Kemp, why don’t you hurry off to the back and continue working along with everyone else.....sorry, please pardon me. To have a traveler come here in this cold winter is such a rare thing that it has become a topic of conversation for the wives who are bored out of their minds.”
“I do hope they aren’t speaking ill of me.”
With a laugh, Semu said: “Let’s have a seat inside,” and led the way for Lawrence.
Upon entering the front door, a hallway stretching straight forward could be seen. Laughter could be heard coming from within a large room at the innermost section of the house.
As he walked along, the powder scattered in the air caused a wave of itchiness to Lawrence’s nose. The women were most likely chatting and laughing as they kneaded the flour ground from the harvested wheat to prepare it for baking into bread.
This was a sight frequently seen in rural areas.
“If you go the room farthest in, you’ll end up being stained white all over with flour. Please come in here.”
Having said this, Semu came to a large room and, opening the door, allowed Lawrence to enter first before entering himself.
The moment he entered the room, Lawrence was dumbstruck.
Next to the wall, he saw a huge snake coiled around a cabinet.
“Hahaha, please rest assured, it’s dead.”
Hearing this, Lawrence focused his eyes for a closer look, and discovered that the scales which gave off a black gleam appeared to be dry, and the body of the snake contained many wrinkles. Most likely, this was made from snakeskin that had been dried in the sun, filled with stuffing and then sewed together.
This village indeed worshipped a snake deity, Lawrence thought to himself, remembering the knocker on the front door.
As he took a seat according to Semu’s suggestion, he made plans to tell Horo about this once he returned to the inn.
“So, what business brings you to this particular place?” asked Semu.
“Ah, the first thing is that, since we are passing through here, I have come to pay my respects to you. Here is some wheat I’m using for my business.”
Lawrence handed forth the bags of wheat that he had filled in advance. Perceiving this, Semu blinked continuously in surprise.
“This sure is hard to come by. Traveling merchants as of late are always talking business from the moment they open their mouths.”
Because not long before, this would have been just like Lawrence, he could not help feeling that Semu’s words were a bit harsh to the ears.
“So, your second purpose would be?”
“Aye. Actually, we are looking for a monastery, and wish to ask whether you know the location.”
“Monastery?”
“Yes. We went and inquired at the church just earlier, but unfortunately, the people at the church don’t know either.”
As he feigned a troubled expression, Lawrence naturally did not forget to capture Semu’s expression with his sharp merchant eyes.
He perceived an instant in which Semu’s gaze drifted once.
“I see.....Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of any monastery around here either. Where did you hear such information?”
Lawrence’s intuition told him that Semu actually knew the whereabouts of the monastery.
However, if Lawrence were to make up some lie about where he had gotten the information, it would probably cause problems for him later on. And so he decided to reply honestly:
“From Kumerson. It was a female cenobite who told me.”
The mustache beneath Semu’s nose twitched momentarily.
He was definitely hiding something.
No, Lawrence discovered that—
No matter who it was, Semu or Elsa, not only did he or she know the location of the monastery, he or she probably even knew what the monastery held.
Within the monastery Lawrence was searching for lived a monk who specialized in gathering legends of the various pagan deities, whom Deanna had brought to his knowledge.
Supposing that Semu and Elsa both knew about this, perhaps they were feigning ignorance in order not to have any involvement in the matter.
Whatever the case, Father Francis, the one whom Deanna had told Lawrence to ask about the location of the monastery had already received the calling of the Lord.
For the people left behind to take the opportunity to seal off this dangerous taboo was nothing to be surprised about.
“The cenobite in Kumerson told me that I could find out the location of the monastery simply by asking Father Francis, whose home is here,” said Lawrence.
“I see.....but since the summer, Father Francis has already.....”
“I’ve heard.”
“For many years, Father Francis put in so much hard effort for the sake of Tereo. Our village has lost a very important figure.”
Semu’s sorrowful appearance did not seem to be an act, but to say his behavior was a display of respect for the Church would not be quite accurate either.
This gave Lawrence a sense of disharmony.
“So now Miss Elsa is taking his place?”
“Yes. She is very young. I’m sure you were quite startled?”
“Yes, very surprised. Oh yes—”
Just as Lawrence was planning to continue speaking, the sound of someone banging vigorously on the door was heard, followed by a voice crying out, “Elder!”
Even though the thing he wished to inquire about surged up in his throat like a torrent, it would have brought about no advantage to be hasty at that moment.
Besides, he had basically already paid his respects. Lawrence thus decided to leave.
“You seem to have a visitor. Since I’m also a bit worried about my companion, I shall take my leave now,” he said.
“Oh? Then it would be best for you to hurry back. I’m terribly sorry for not being able to give you a good reception.”
It was probably a villager that was banging so rigorously on the door, and the woman who had opened the door for Lawrence earlier, Mrs. Kemp was answering it.
“Hope it’s good news.....”
Lawrence listened to this murmuring from Semu as he walked out of the room. At that moment, a man in traveling garments who, in spite of such bitterly cold weather, was red-faced and perspiring all over pushed him aside and made his way toward Semu.
“Elder, I have brought this back with me,” the man said.
Although Semu only expressed an apology to Lawrence with his eyes, Lawrence still wore a smile as he departed from the Elder’s residence.
For a traveling merchant, this was probably enough to leave a good impression on Semu, Lawrence thought to himself.
From then on, it would probably be easier to move about during his stay in the village.
Come to think of it, just what had the man who barged into the house brought back with him?
As soon as Lawrence exited the Elder’s residence, a horse whose entire body was giving off heat immediately appeared before his eyes. The horse had been carelessly left there without being tied to any spot, and a group of children were watching it from a distance.
It was apparent from the horse’s equipment that it had probably come from afar. Moreover, the man who barged into the house had also been dressed in traveling garments.
Although Lawrence wondered for a moment exactly what had happened that had required a villager to travel so far, he finally remembered that he had not come here to do business.
The most pressing matter at the moment was to figure out some way of obtaining the location of the monastery from Semu or Elsa.
What was the best course of action?
Lawrence pondered this as he made his way back to the inn.
Because he saw Horo’s soundly-sleeping appearance, Lawrence lay down in bed with the idea of taking a brief nap, but unconsciously sank into a deep slumber as well.
By the time Lawrence woke up, the interior of the room had already become somewhat dark.
“I heard someone say that there would be no delicious dinner if the clothes are not folded and the blanket covered properly.”
And then, as soon as he sat up, he discovered that, unbeknownst to him, a blanket had been pulled over his body.
“You are very kind and gentle, so you would not do such a thing.”
With a yawn, Lawrence replied directly with Horo’s own words. Hearing this, Horo let out a giggle as she groomed her tail.
“I seem to have slept for a long time....aren’t you hungry?” said Lawrence.
“Even if I were unbearably hungry, I would be unwilling to wake you. Do you understand such considerateness?”
“Doesn’t that give you the perfect opportunity to steal some money from my pouch?”
Horo did not become angered, but simply revealed her sharp canines in a grin. Such a reaction was indeed just like something she would do.
Getting out of bed, Lawrence opened one side of the wooden window slightly and peered out, leaning his head from side to side and cracking his bones as he did so.
“Seems like night arrives sooner in the countryside as well. The time is still early, but there isn’t a single person in sight in the public square.”
“There are no vending stands either. Is there a place to eat?”
Horo suddenly revealed an anxious expression and said to Lawrence, who was sitting on the window frame.
“We should be able to get something to eat by simply going to a bar. It’s not like this place doesn’t get any travelers all year round.”
“Mm, let us hurry then.”
“But I just woke up.....alright, alright.”
Shrugging his shoulders at the staring Horo, Lawrence stood up from the window frame, but in that same moment, he noticed something outside the window.
“That’s?”
Lawrence saw a figure run rapidly across the empty square, which appeared dim under the lighting of the setting sun.
Focusing his eyes, he realized that the figure was the wheat grinder Ivan.
“Oh?”
(Heh!)
Lawrence almost cried out, because Horo’s feet suddenly appeared before his eyes.
“Don’t jump out all of a sudden will you? Scared the crap out of me!”
“You sure are a coward. Forget that, is something the matter with that person?”
Appearing so suddenly without any sound of footsteps or rustling of clothes would cause anyone to jump, but Lawrence certainly did not possess the spare energy to deal with every instance of Horo’s teasing.
“Nothing. I was just wondering where he was headed,” he replied.
“He seems to be heading toward the church.”
It was necessary for a wheat grinder to be even more honest than those holding every other occupation.
In the Church city of Rubinhagen, even under the Church’s harsh working conditions and treatment and in spite of the suspicious glances of the regular citizens, the shepherdess Nora would still quietly attend the church services.
Perhaps Ivan attended service just as frequently.
“How suspicious.”
“Aren’t we even more suspicious?”
As Lawrence and Horo went back and forth in this manner, Ivan knocked lightly on the church door. The way he knocked was very unusual, perhaps a signal signifying the identity of the visitor.
Yet, even though the way Ivan knocked lightly on the door and appeared as if he feared that someone would see him would cause one to feel suspicious, as soon as one recalled his occupation, it would not feel all that strange anymore.
Besides, it seemed that the Church did not possess much status in Tereo.
Just as Lawrence relaxed, thinking that there probably wasn’t anything suspicious, and prepared to leave the window side, Horo suddenly tugged hard on a corner of his clothes.
“What?”
Horo pointed a finger out the window to substitute for a reply.
Lawrence figured that the direction in which Horo was pointing was surely the church, so he looked unhesitatingly toward the church.
And then, he was somewhat taken aback by the sight that reached his eyes.
“Heh, so that is how things are,”
Horo murmured, appearing particularly cheerful, tossing her tail about as if sweeping the floor.
Involuntarily, Lawrence became entranced by the sight before his eyes, but quickly snapped out of it and closed the window.
As soon as the window was shut, Horo immediately threw a displeased glance in his direction.
“Only a god has the right to spy on people’s lives.”
“......Mm.”
Horo was unable to say a word, and glanced every now and then at the window with a look of disappointment.
After the knocking of the church door, the one who opened the door had naturally been Elsa.
However, as soon as Ivan saw Elsa open the door, he had embraced her tightly as if holding onto a precious item.
From the way Elsa had appeared as she leaned in Ivan’s bosom, one would have had a hard time convincing himself that that was merely a particularly-warm way of greeting.
“Are you not concerned?” asked Horo.
“If they were secretly discussing business, I would be.”
“Perhaps that is just the case. With my ears, I should be able to hear them, what do you say?”
Horo grinned, revealing only the sharp canine on one side of her mouth, and narrowed her eyes.
“I didn’t think you’d be interested in such pointless chatter,”
Lawrence gave a sigh as he said in an extremely incredulous tone. Rage emanating from her narrowed eyes, Horo slipped out from between Lawrence and the window, sat up and said:
“Is there anything wrong with being interested?”
“At least it’s not something to be praised about.”
If it were pressing one’s ears to the wall for three days and three nights in order to eavesdrop on a secret business discussion, one may perhaps be praised as the paragon of a merchant, but nothing was more philistine than eavesdropping on someone’s private intimate conversation.
“Hmph, it is not like I am interested due to curiosity.”
Slowly, Horo folded her arms before her chest, inclined her head slightly and closed her eyes. The appearance seemed as if she was trying to remember something.
Besides curiosity, what other reason could there be? As he thought this, Lawrence actually began looking forward to hearing what kind of excuse Horo would come up to explain herself.
After maintaining such a posture for some time without moving at all, Horo finally opened her mouth to speak:
“Mm. If I had to give a reason, it would be to learn.”
“To learn?”
Having heard an unexpectedly-normal answer, Lawrence could not help feeling a bit disappointed.
Besides, with Horo’s ability, there was surely no need to learn anymore about such things.
Unless she had plans to swindle some country’s king, or something along those lines.
If the swindling were truly to succeed, he may as well demand various tax exemption rights from the king; as such an unrealistic idea surfaced in his mind, Lawrence reached his hand toward the water jug, planning to get a drink of water. At that moment, Horo continued:
“Mm, it is to learn indeed. I am learning how you and I would appear from an observer’s perspective.”
Lawrence’s fingers hit the metal jug with a clang. In a flurry, he tried to grasp the tottering jug, but failed.
“Hey, you. One always has to assume an observer’s perspective in order to truly understand, is it not so? Did you hear me?”
Lawrence knew that Horo was giggling with her throat. Not only that, even with his back to Horo, he knew perfectly well what kind of expression was on her face.
Fortunately, there had not been much water in the jug, so a disaster had not resulted, though Lawrence himself was a disaster from the teasing.
“So that is how I am treated by you from an observer’s perspective....,”
Horo said, appearing as if she were experiencing a deep stirring of emotions. Hearing this, Lawrence decided to shut his ears and make no further response. And so he began to wipe up the water that had been spilled.
No, it would have been more appropriate to say that even he himself did not know what he was being angry about.
Perhaps he was angry over having accidentally displayed such obvious signs of being moved.
“Heh. In any case, we are probably in no way inferior to those two.”
If he made a response right then, Lawrence did not know what kind of trap he would once again fall into.
After wiping dry the water and setting the jug back in its original position, Lawrence finished the little water that remained in the jug in one gulp.
If possible, Lawrence wished he could have been drinking strong liquor.
“You,”
Horo called out to him briefly.
Lawrence figured that if he ignored her, Horo would surely become a bit upset. If they were to get into an argument, Horo would most certainly get the upper hand.
Letting out a sigh, Lawrence stopped resisting and turned his head around to look at Horo.
“I am hungry,”
Horo said with a smile.
She was indeed far superior to Lawrence after all.
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