Difference between revisions of "Spice & Wolf ~Versión Española~: V03 Cap 04"

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== Capítulo 4 ==
  
== Capítulo 4 ==
   
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After stepping onto the street, Lawrence discovered that there wasn’t any place for him to be.
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The developments of the festival after sunset were completely opposite from the day’s activities, being completely devoid of the latter’s happy atmosphere.
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Not to mention the makeup-wearing paraders, even the puppets made of wheat or wood were each armed with weapons and battling non-stop. As for the giant puppets that could not be armed with weapons, they were brought into the fight as weapons themselves.
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As angry cries sounded, the giant wheat puppets crashed into one another. Every time debris flew out, the sound of cheers would follow. The instruments surrounding the site played turbulently, not losing at all to the wild atmosphere of the battle, and the black-clad people were given the responsibility of singing a chilling battle hymn.
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Lawrence avoided the crowds and headed north. The clamor turned over and over in his head, which he could hardly bear.
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Despite walking continuously along the long street, the clamorous atmosphere was still present, giving Lawrence the impression that the din would never cease. Lawrence continued to endure the torture of the noise, his spirits being gnawed away slowly as if under a witch’s curse, and at the same moment, the series of interactions with Horo that had occurred just before surfaced in his mind. Lawrence saw himself standing before Horo, and the sight of himself being so hopelessly useless made him want to scream out in agony, but he held it in forcefully.
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Because Lawrence still retained some reason at least, he told himself that if he possessed the energy to scream, why not put that energy and strength into improving the situation.
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Yet, after a rational analysis, Lawrence found that the current situation yielded no possibilities whatsoever.
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Given Horo’s current state, perhaps she just might accept Amati’s proposal.
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Because in this battle where effortless gains could be made through the rising prices, Amati might have been the first merchant to become involved, so he had most likely already made a considerable amount of profit.
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If Lawrence did not think of something fast, perhaps Amati would not even wait till sunset the next day to bring out all his money and declare the contract complete.
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When Lawrence made such a claim he knew he was not being overly pessimistic.
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“........”
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Lawrence felt as if his stomach had been seized by a sense of anxiety, and could not suppress a sound similar to a whimper.
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He gazed upward at the dark sky, and covered his eyes.
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If Lawrence could not stop Amati from continuing to make huge profits, he could only return to the inn and try to make up with Horo.
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Yet, it was clear to see that making up with Horo right now was even more difficult than stopping Amati from making a huge profit.
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''What am I to you?'' Horo’s question had inevitably caused Lawrence to sink into contemplation on the spot.
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Even now, after quite some time had passed, Lawrence still could not answer this question.
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Lawrence indeed wished very much to be able to travel with Horo, and the idea that Horo would really marry Amati filled his heart with anxiety.
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Yet, after regurgitating all that had come to pass just now like a cow, what emerged from his heart was a sour feeling even more intense than stomach acid, causing his face to contort involuntarily.
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Within his heart, Lawrence seriously saw Horo as an important existence, but on being asked what kind of existence that was, he could not give a clear answer.
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Lawrence massaged his cheeks, trying to forcefully loosen his stiffened face.
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How could something like this have happened?
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Thinking back on it now, the joyous and bustling festival atmosphere seemed but a dream. Surely even the almighty God could not have anticipated such a reversal in the course of a just a few short hours (note: I have to disagree...but whatever).
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Ahead and within his line of sight, Lawrence could see a procession of paraders sword dancing as they moved along the street. The totally changed parading procession gave off a savage and ominous air, completely devoid of the reveling atmosphere during the day. Lawrence felt that this was just like his current relationship with Horo, and could not help turning away and quickening his pace.
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Lawrence regretted having left the letter on the desk. He felt as if all of this would never have happened if he had not left the letter behind. If he had found a good opportunity to explain everything to her, surely the quick-witted Horo would not have lost her senses like that.
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Moreover, Horo’s words had pointed out Lawrence’s selfishness and lack of resolve. Even if he were to return to Horo in a nonchalant manner, Lawrence did not feel that he would be able to have a good talk with her.
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Yet in the end, Lawrence was still unable to come up with a good solution. Unconsciously, he had made his way to Kumerson’s lonely northern district.
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Because he had been walking very slowly, it took him a considerable amount of time to arrive here, but he had not noticed at all.
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Even though the town’s atmosphere gave one the impression that every corner was stuffed with people, this was, after all, the northern district. Even on the main streets, the pedestrians were few in number. The marching processions did not seem to come by these parts.
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Within such stillness, Lawrence was finally able to calm down and take a few good deep breaths.
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He turned around, and once again set his mind to thinking as he walked slowly on.
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First off-
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At this point, it was impossible to get Horo to calm down and listen to him through mere sincerity. Besides, even he didn’t possess the confidence to be able to look Horo in the eye.
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As such, putting aside whether or not he would be able to make up with Horo, at least he could not allow her to have a good reason to leave and throw herself into Amati’s embrace.
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As long as Amati could not come up with the thousand silver coins, Horo would still be tied down by the fetters of debt. Although he still could not say whether Horo would be willing to listen to him and stay by his side, at least he could use debt as a means to justify his reasoning.
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Having thought of this, Lawrence felt that it was still necessary to plan towards preventing Amati from completing the contract.
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Under the peculiar atmosphere of the festival, it could be said that the price of pyrite was exhibiting an abnormal increase. According to Mark’s prediction, the price would continue to go up. Although Lawrence did not know how much pyrite Amati had on hand or how much money he had made, he had heard that current value of pyrite was several times to several tens of times greater than its import price, so if Amati had invested enough money in the trade, he might have already made a thousand silver coins by now.
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However, on this point, the fortunate thing was that pyrite was not a mineral that was mined in large quantities.[[Image:Okami03 197.jpg|thumb|]]
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Even if the profit were several times or even several tens of times greater than the import price, not much money could be made if the invested sum was too low.
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Of course, Amati did not necessarily need to rely on pyrite to make the one thousand silver coins, but such an idea was simply self-consolation (note: if that doesn’t seem to make much sense, then you and I are in agreement. This is possibly an error in the Chinese translation. The way I interpret it is that Lawrence is still considering the very unlikely possibility that Amati isn’t taking advantage of the rising pyrite prices to make money, though at the same time he realizes that this is nearly impossible.)(DissmalScientist: It sounds to me like Lawrence is pointing out that Amati has other sources of income).
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Whatever the case, it was absolutely necessary to prevent Amati from continuing to make huge profits. Perhaps it would be even more appropriate to say it was necessary to cause him to suffer losses, because if Amati were to bring out his entire fortune along with the resolve to complete the contract regardless of whether or not it would affect his future business, then it was quite possible for him to gather the thousand silver coins.
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However, if it was difficult to prevent Amati from making further profit, it was even more important to make him suffer losses.
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Dealing with Amati with a frontal assault was absolutely impossible. As a result of the rising price of pyrite, Amati was clearly able to make huge gains, so there was no need for him to pretend anything.
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If there were no reason for him to pretend, then he would not fall for some petty trick.
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What was to be done then...?
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After turning these thoughts over and over in his head countless times, Lawrence still ran into the same problem. Suddenly he looked to the side and said:
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“Aie, Ho-”
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Even though Lawrence was able to stop himself before saying “ro,” alleviating his situation somewhat, ultimately he was unable to avoid the odd glance of a man dressed like a craftsman who was just passing by.
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Once again Lawrence could feel just how enormous the little figure who was always by his side wearing an arrogant smile had come to be.
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He could not help wondering how he had ever managed to pass so many years alone in the past.
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If it were Horo, perhaps she would help come up with a good solution. Even if she did not come up with a good plan, she would probably be able to provide some kind of hint at least.
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Lawrence realized that, since some time unbeknownst to him, he had built up such a dependency on Horo.
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''What am I to you?''
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Seeing himself like this, Lawrence could not give a confident reply to that question at all.
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In that case, Lawrence should be asking:
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“If it were Horo, how would she think about this?”
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Of course, Lawrence did not think that he could copy Horo’s incredible logical thinking perfectly.
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Even so, Lawrence was still a merchant after all.
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As soon as a merchant came upon some unfamiliar formulation, it was his job to make the formulation his own by the very next day, in order to continue surpassing his competitors.
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The essence of Horo’s thinking was seeing every little detail of a whole situation.
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Moreover, faced with a situation like the present one, Horo would not make any divisions,but rather analyze the situation from every possible angle without omitting a single detail.
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This kind of thinking appeared simple, but was actually very difficult in practice. Sometimes an idea that appeared to have come straight out of the blue in fact possessed a very natural quality (note: natural as in “of course, why didn’t I think of that before?”).
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Amati was able to make a profit out of the increasing price of pyrite. What way was there to make him suffer a big loss?
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Of all the possible methods, what was the simplest and most difficult one to conceive?
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Lawrence began to think.
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He contemplated with a mind unrestrained by a merchant’s common sense.
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With that, there was only one answer that he could think of.
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“All that’s needed is for the value of pyrite to depreciate.”
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After saying this out loud, Lawrence laughed with an extremely foolish look on his face.
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He was making fun of himself for only being able to come so far in trying to imitate Horo.
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If it were really possible for the price of pyrite to depreciate, that would of course be good reason for him to shout for joy.
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Yet, the market value of pyrite was rising steadily, showing no signs at all of falling. In any case, the rise in pyrite value was already beyond the realm of ten times or twenty times. The value of pyrite would continue to climb up, and-
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“And?”
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Lawrence paused in his tracks, having realized something important.
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“Ten times? Twenty times? In that case… thirty times would come next? And what about after that?”
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Lawrence felt as if he could see Horo laughing at him through her nose.
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The price of pyrite could not possibly rise indefinitely. There was a rule in this kind of popular business, and the rule was that the moment of collapse would come sooner or later.
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Lawrence almost let out a whimper-like cry, hastily covering his mouth and swallowing the sound back in.
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If that were true, then there were two points that needed to be considered.
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The first was when this moment of collapse would arrive, and the second, whether it was possible to cause Amati to fall in.
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Lawrence, who still had a hand over his mouth, contemplated this as he continued to walk.
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Even if the price of pyrite were to crash, would Amati really fall into the storm of collapse and allow himself to suffer such great losses so carelessly, without taking any kind of action? Lawrence did not think so, because that would be gravely underestimating Amati.
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What this meant was, Lawrence needed to do a bit of work in that area. As long as he was able to substantiate the problem, Lawrence believed that his intellect did not lose to Horo’s.
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The ideal deal (note: not the most graceful use of language I admit…><) began to surface in Lawrence’s mind, and a cold and heavy feeling settled at the bottom of his heart, a familiar feeling that Lawrence had experienced many times before. This feeling was not based on reason, but was rather an instinct that foretold of the coming decisive battle.
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Lawrence took a deep breath, and began contemplating the most important point, which was at what point the crash would occur.
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It needn’t be said that the market value of pyrite would not go on increasing abnormally forever, but the question was, when would it start to drop? Moreover, Lawrence had no idea whether it was possible for the drop to occur before the contract deadline arranged between him and Amati, in other words, before sunset the next day.
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Even a fortuneteller would probably be unable to foretell the moment of the crash. Besides the almighty God, no one could predict that.
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However, an image formed before Lawrence’s eyes, the image of villagers of a large wheat-producing region attempting to use the power of humans to complete a task that had long been controlled by the gods.
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Rather than wait around anxiously for the gods to determine the moment of the crash, why not make a decision for them instead?
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Just as this wildly arrogant idea surfaced in Lawrence’s mind, the sound of cheers came from the distance, and he lifted his gaze.
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Unconsciously, Lawrence had already walked a great distance, arriving once again at the intersection at the center of town.
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The wheat puppets at the intersection crashed into one another along with the sound of angry roars. With every collision, pieces of wheat broken off during the crash would fly out and fall to the ground, arousing a wave of cheers. The sight was almost like a real battlefield.
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Overwhelmed by such a spirit, Lawrence could not help throwing aside the plan that he had been turning over in his head to watch the festival for quite some time. He suddenly noticed something, and returned to his senses.
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In that moment, Lawrence could even feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
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Amati.
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The figure of Amati appeared before his eyes.
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To run into Amati so coincidentally among such a huge crowd of people, could this possibly be a joke from God? Lawrence immediately threw away such an idea, realizing that this must have some kind of significance, even if it were in fact a coincidence.
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Lawrence was standing right in the center of Kumerson.
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That was the intersection of the main streets leading north, south, east, and west.
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Amati was walking with his back to the inn where Horo was.
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Then, Amati stopped in his tracks, and gradually turned his head.
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For a moment, Lawrence thought Amati was looking in his direction, but Amati did not notice him at all.
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Lawrence immediately followed the direction of Amati’s gaze with his own eyes.
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He of course knew where Amati’s gaze was directed.
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However, he simply had to know what Amati saw.
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The place Amati had turned back and looked towards after walking off slowly.
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At the second-floor window of the inn facing the main street, the sight of Horo with the scarf wound about her neck appeared.
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Lawrence felt a wave of anxiety like an abdominal pain, a fretfulness nearing anger surround his stomach, giving him a feeling of particular bitterness.
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As if it gave her much warmth, Horo moved her mouth close to the scarf, and nodded her head lightly.
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On the other hand, Amati pressed a hand to his chest, like a religious knight bearing absolute faith in his goddess.
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Lawrence did not know whether Horo had invited Amati into her room, or Amati had shamelessly barged in.
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However, based on the ways things looked right now, Lawrence did not have much optimistic evidence to overrule his heart’s suspicions.
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After that, Amati immediately turned about and made off with his back to the inn. Seeing Amati leaving hurriedly with his body leaning forward slightly as if running away from something, Lawrence’s suspicions only grew deeper.
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In the blink of an eye, Amati’s form had disappeared amongst the crowds, and Lawrence shifted his gaze back toward the inn room.
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And then, he inhaled sharply.
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Because he was sure that Horo was looking in his direction.
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Since even Lawrence was able to discover Amati amongst the crowd, there was no reason to believe that the sharp-sighted Horo would not be able to discover Lawrence within the same crowd.
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Yet, Horo did not turn away immediately. Of course, she did not smile either, but simply gazed at Lawrence.
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After an uncertain amount of time had gone by, just as Lawrence was about to let out the breath he had inhaled, Horo suddenly moved away from the window.
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If Horo had simply closed the window then, Lawrence would perhaps have lost his motivation.
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Yet, even though Horo had left the window side, she did not close the window, but left it wide open instead.
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The wooden window seemed to possess an attraction that pulled on Lawrence’s feet, causing him to walk in the direction of the inn.
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Lawrence was of course not so naïve as to believe that Horo and Amati had simply talked through the window.
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Due to the fact that Horo was not a simple city girl, and because Amati’s feelings for Horo were just then in a state that was anything but level-headed, Lawrence of course had good reason to believe that the two must have discussed something within the room.
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Even so, Horo had not appeared flustered or surprised, but had only gazed quietly at Lawrence. This was because Horo had not done anything that Lawrence could not know about.
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What this meant, then, was that Horo was intentionally provoking Lawrence.
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And what man was there in this world who could remain perfectly unmoved when provoked?
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Lawrence recalled the conversation he had had with Horo in Rubinhagen. He felt that Horo would definitely understand if he simply revealed his honest thoughts.
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Lawrence made his resolve from the bottom of his heart as he moved towards the inn.
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----
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As soon as Lawrence opened the front door of the inn, the cheerful scene of a feast met his eyes.
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Each table was filled with all sorts of different foods. The people there conversed or sang as they indulged in drink.
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The thought that he and Horo should have been sitting happily at one of these tables caused Lawrence to sigh involuntarily despite being a merchant who took pride in not having the word “regret” in his dictionary.
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However, there must have been a chance to reverse the situation. If Horo held a completely rejecting attitude, she should have closed the window.
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Lawrence held such a confidence as he stepped onto the staircase leading to the second floor next to the bar counter.
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The moment Lawrence stepped onto the staircase, someone called out to him.
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“Mr. Lawrence.”
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Lawrence, who was not particularly calm inside to begin with, looked back in surprise, and the one who had spoken appeared startled as well.
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The innkeeper who had called Lawrence, was leaning out slightly from the bar counter and blinking continually.
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“...Sorry. What is it?” asked Lawrence.
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“Ah, it’s like this, I have been asked to pass this letter on to you, Mr. Lawrence.”
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Hearing the word “letter,” Lawrence could not help feeling a wave of apprehension in his chest. He coughed once to calm himself back down.
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Lawrence walked down the steps, approached the counter and received the letter from the innkeeper’s hand.
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“Who was this letter sent by?”
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“It was your companion, delivered just now.”
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Lawrence’s expression did not change one bit, which made him want to praise himself.
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It went without saying that the man, as innkeeper, had knowledge of all the guests staying at the inn as well as anyone entering or leaving.
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After Lawrence had gone out alone leaving Horo at the inn, Amati had paid her a visit in his absence, and Horo who had received the visit chose not to speak directly to Lawrence, but passed the message to Lawrence via letter instead.
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If the innkeeper, seeing such an interaction between the two, did not suspect anything odd at all, that would truly be remarkable.
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Yet, the innkeeper was looking at Lawrence with an expression that seemed to say he knew nothing at all.
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Town merchants possessed deep lateral connections.
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Lawrence felt that rumors would be sure to spread immediately if he did not behave in a somewhat dignified manner.
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“May I borrow some light?”
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Lawrence did his very best to speak with a calm tone. Hearing this, the innkeeper nodded lightly and took a silver candle stand from behind him.
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Not using animal fat, Lawrence could not help worrying that the apprehensive spirit hidden under his outer mask would be revealed under the intense light of the candle.
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In his heart, Lawrence laughed coldly at himself for having such thoughts. Pulling out the knife sheathed at his waist, he carefully peeled away the wax on the letter.
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Although the innkeeper moved quite some distance away as if to indicate that he would not peek rudely at the letter’s contents, Lawrence still felt the innkeeper glance in his direction every now and then.
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Lawrence gave a light cough before opening the letter and taking out its contents.
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The envelope contained a piece of sheepskin paper, along with a normal sheet of paper.
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Lawrence could feel his heart beating hard, but if he hesitated now, it would mean that he distrusted Horo.
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Concerning the possibilities, it would not be surprising even if the letter’s contents called for reconciliation.
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Slowly, Lawrence opened the folded paper, and a few grains of sand fell from the paper as he did so.
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Lawrence guessed that the grains of sand were used to quickly dry off the ink, which also led him to the conclusion that Horo had just finished writing the letter not long before.
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Was it a breakup letter, or a reconciliatory one?
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The words on the letter jumped out at Lawrence’s eyes.
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''Two hundred silver coins in cash, approximately three hundred silver coins worth of pyrite on hand. Property that can be sold off...''
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Seeing such a direct description with no introductory words whatsoever, Lawrence lifted his head in amazement.
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Cash? Pyrite?
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Lawrence had originally expected words that would seemingly allow him to hear Horo’s voice speaking written in the letter, but what was actually there was merely a cold, unsympathetic sequence of words.
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Even so, Lawrence directed his sights to the paper once again. Its content caused him to grit his teeth involuntarily.
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''...Three hundred silver coins worth of pyrite on hand. Property that can be sold off worth approximately two hundred silver coins.''
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There was no need for Lawrence to rack his brains to know that this was a list of Amati’s fortunes.
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Just like a solid piece of bread that had been sprinkled with hot water, Lawrence felt all the strength in his body drain away slowly.
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Horo had invited Amati into the room in order to obtain this information from his own mouth.
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If this were really true, Horo must have done so for Lawrence’s sake.
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This was roundabout reconciliatory letter from Horo.
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Even though a smile surfaced involuntarily on his face, Lawrence had not the slightest intention of hiding it.
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In addition, the line ''The above was written in my place by someone else'' was written at the very end of the verbal description.
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There were many who could read yet could not write. After obtaining this information, Horo must have used going to the washroom as an excuse to leave the room, and then requested a passing merchant’s help in writing down these contents. Because Lawrence had seen Amati’s writing on the contract, he was sure that this handwriting did not belong to Amati.
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Lawrence carefully refolded the letter hiding a value well beyond a thousand gold pieces and placed it back in his bosom. He then picked up the sheet of sheepskin paper.
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Perhaps Horo had used some kind of trick to deceive Amati into signing a contract of startling content, Lawrence thought to himself.
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In his mind, the image of the proud and satisfied figure of Amati who had just met privately with Horo surfaced.
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—Horo ''does'' want to travel with me—
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Lawrence was intoxicated with such a sense of security and superiority as he unfolded the sheepskin paper without the least bit of hesitation.
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''In the name of God...''
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The handwriting on the sheepskin paper had a powerful, dignified appearance. No doubt about it, this was Amati’s handwriting.
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Lawrence did the best he could to keep his anxious mood in check, and continued reading.
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His gaze followed the first line, the second line, the third line...
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And then—
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''The two, under the above declaration, will become formally married.''
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The moment Lawrence finished reading the entire sentence, he felt as if the world had begun to spin.
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“.....Huh?”
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Lawrence murmured. The utterance felt like it had come from a great distance.
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Despite having closed his eyes, he could still clearly see the contents of the document he had just read.
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A marriage certificate.
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On the marriage certificate declared with God as witness was written the names of fishmonger Fermi Amati and Horo.
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The spot for the signature of Horo’s custodian remained blank.
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However, as soon as the name of the custodian was filled in the blank spot and the document stamped and sent to any town church, Amati and Horo would be able to become formally wed.
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Horo’s name was written in an ugly hand.
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One could tell in a single glance that the words were written by someone who knew not how to write but was simply imitating.
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Before Lawrence’s eyes, the image of Horo watching Amati setting down the words as she clumsily signed her own name on the certificate appeared.
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Lawrence took out the letter with a hidden value greater than a thousand gold pieces that he had tucked into his bosom, unfolded the paper and reread its contents.
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What was written on the letter was surely a list of Amati’s property, because the numbers indicated were not unrealistic amounts, but sums that Amati quite possibly possessed.
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However, Horo asking for the sum of money that the property amounted to was not in order to help Lawrence, but to inform him of just how harsh the current situation was.
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Why would Horo do such a thing? Lawrence felt foolish for even having such a question.
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Viewed along with the marriage certificate, the answer was readily apparent.
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Amati was only a step away from completing his contract with Lawrence, and Horo was planning on leaving Lawrence.
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Lawrence and Horo had originally come together by chance.
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Despite being young, reckless, straightforward but successful and totally in love with himself, perhaps Horo considered such an Amati to be a suitable new companion.
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Lawrence could not find any evidence that could overturn such an argument.
  +
  +
Even if Lawrence were to clutch the certificate tightly, run to the second floor and ask Horo not to marry, surely he would be easily repelled by Horo, whose skill was top-notch.
  +
  +
In that case, Lawrence had no choice but to persevere in his resolve.
  +
  +
The fact that Horo would reveal Amati’s list of property was undoubtedly to indicate to Lawrence that if could successfully defeat Amati, she would be willing to listen to his explanation. On the other hand, it also meant that if he could not manage to do so, there would be no room for discussion.
  +
  +
There is indeed a way to defeat Amati. Relax, there is hope yet.
  +
  +
Telling himself this, Lawrence quickly put away the letter and marriage certificate, and looking toward the innkeeper said:
  +
  +
“Please take out all the cash I have stored up here.”
  +
  +
From Lawrence’s point of view, traveling with Horo was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.
  +
  +
  +
----
  +
  +
  +
  +
It was possible to render Amati penniless without breaking the law.
  +
  +
However, the problem was whether Amati would be willing to accept a deal that held such a possibility.
  +
  +
According to Lawrence’s prediction, it was very possible that Amati was not familiar with the type of deal he was planning to propose. This was not because Lawrence looked down on Amati, but because Amati would not encounter such a deal in his line of business.
  +
  +
Faced with an unfamiliar deal, it was natural that no one would accept.
  +
  +
Plus there was the fact that the one proposing the deal was Lawrence, fit to be called Amati’s nemesis.
  +
  +
As such, the odds of Amati accepting the deal were one to nine at best. Even if it were through methods of incitement or provocation, Lawrence needed to get Amati to accept the deal somehow.
  +
  +
Moreover, even if it appeared to be a normal deal on the surface, Amati was sure to notice that the contents of the proposed deal were completely antagonistic.
  +
  +
That being the case, Lawrence could appropriately employ a provoking attitude when facing Amati.
  +
This was not a business talk, because Lawrence was not thinking of making money at all.
  +
  +
When a merchant began considering things other than the profits and losses of business, it already counted as a loss. However, Lawrence had long since thrown away such a rational idea.
  +
  +
After inquiring from the innkeeper of the possible bars at which Amati could be spending time, Lawrence began searching them one by one, finally finding Amati in the fourth. In spite of the fervent festival atmosphere that filled the streets outside, Amati drank alone in the quiet bar.
  +
  +
Amati’s face appeared somewhat fatigued, perhaps because his tenseness had dissipated after accomplishing the fortunate and important mission of signing the marriage certificate with Horo, or perhaps because he had not yet gathered all of the thousand silver coins.
  +
  +
However, Lawrence did not care one bit about Amati’s inner state.
  +
  +
A deal could not always be conducted under circumstances of perfect preparedness. During such times, in order to allow the deal to proceed smoothly, the merchant had to depend on his own ability.
  +
  +
Besides, Lawrence was unwilling to wait until the next day, lest negotiations became even more difficult.
  +
  +
Because the deal Lawrence planned to propose just happened to be the type that absolutely did not permit delay.
  +
  +
After taking a deep breath, Lawrence walked into Amati’s scope of vision before Amati noticed him.
  +
  +
“Ah....”
  +
  +
“Good evening,” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
Amati did not seem to believe naively that meeting the disagreeable Lawrence here was a matter of sheer coincidence.
  +
  +
Although Amati was stunned speechless, he had recovered his fishmonger expression after just a few seconds.
  +
  +
“You need not be so on guard. I am here to talk business.”
  +
  +
The fact that Lawrence was able to reveal a light smile on his face surprised even himself. Yet Amati, hearing this, replied with a very un-amused expression:
  +
  +
“If you are here to talk business, then that is all the more reason to be on guard.”
  +
  +
“Ha ha, indeed. Then, would you mind sparing a moment?”
  +
  +
Amati nodded his head, and Lawrence sat down at the same table. To the somewhat annoyed-looking bar owner who had come to take his order, Lawrence only uttered a simple, “Wine.”
  +
  +
In spite of having a maiden-like, slender body, the opponent sitting face to face with him was a fishmonger who had left his household and come to this place alone, and whose success was within sight. Lawrence reminded himself not to be fooled by his youngster-like appearance, and not to drop his guard.
  +
  +
At the same time, it was even more important not to allow the opponent to keep his guard up.
  +
  +
Lawrence cleared his throat once, very naturally, and looked around a bit before opening his mouth to speak:
  +
  +
“It is quiet here. This is a good place.”
  +
  +
“You cannot drink quietly in any of the other bars. This place is hard to come by.”
  +
  +
Hearing this, Lawrence could not help but wonder if “Now my peace has been disturbed by this disagreeable guy” was implied within Amati’s words.
  +
  +
Yet, even Lawrence wanted to finish the discussion as quickly as possible.
  +
  +
“So, you must be quite surprised that I would suddenly bring up the subject of business with you. However, you have surprised me yourself in your own way, so that makes us even.”
  +
  +
Lawrence did not know what kind of sweet talk Amati had spoken to Horo to win her favor and get her to sign the marriage certificate. No matter how impulsive Horo was, Lawrence did not believe that she would have had the desire to sign the certificate.
  +
  +
If that were the case, it meant that Horo must have done so under Amati’s instigation.
  +
  +
However, Lawrence did not have any right to blame Horo.
  +
  +
The one who had allowed Amati into the room was Horo, and the one who had caused such a situation in the first place was Lawrence.
  +
  +
Although Lawrence did not know how Amati had successfully persuaded Horo, he raised his right hand and stopped Amati, who was just then preparing to open his mouth to explain this very incident.
  +
  +
“No, I am not here to discuss that incident. However, that incident indeed forms the reason for my coming here to bring up business with you. I do not plan to pursue that matter any further. After all, what decision to make concerning all this is all Horo’s own free will.”
  +
  +
Amati stared at Lawrence, a hint of anger showing up on his face, then nodded his head lightly.
  +
  +
Although Amati’s eyes revealed that he still held suspicions toward Lawrence’s words, Lawrence did not plan to make any further explanation to undo his doubts.
  +
  +
That was because what Lawrence needed to say next was even more a cause for suspicion.
  +
  +
“However, it was that incident after all that caused me to think of this business, so I dare not say that this can constitute a normal deal,” he said.
  +
  +
“What exactly are you planning?”
  +
  +
Amati cut straight to the point.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence did not cower at all, but continued:
  +
  +
“I’ll just cut to the chase. I wish to sell you pyrite.”
  +
  +
In that moment, Amati’s blue eyes, which had been fixed on Lawrence, trailed off toward some unknown direction in the distance.
  +
  +
“Huh?”
  +
  +
“I wish to sell you pyrite. According to the current market value, approximately five hundred Trenni silver coins’ worth of pyrite.”
  +
  +
Amati, whose mouth was half agape, brought his eyes’ focus back from afar, laughed lightly and said with a sigh:
  +
  +
“Please do not joke around.”
  +
  +
“I am not joking.”
  +
  +
Amati instantly retracted his smile, looking at Lawrence with eyes almost wrathful.
  +
  +
“You should be aware that I have made a considerable amount of money reselling pyrite. Knowing this, you say you wish to sell me pyrite? The larger the amount on hand, the more money to be made, I simply cannot believe that you would do such a thing. Or is it that—”
  +
  +
Amati paused momentarily, then spoke, his eyes truly emanating a wrathful emotion:
  +
  +
“Rumor has it that as long as you can get back the owed amount, you would not care in the least how Miss Horo ends up, could this be true?”
  +
  +
Amati’s utterance made it instantly clear to Lawrence what Horo had said, as well as what Amati was thinking.
  +
  +
From Amati emanated the bold nature of a knight, somewhat irritating for Lawrence to behold.
  +
  +
“No. To me, Horo is a very important existence,” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
“In that case, how could—”
  +
  +
“Of course, I will not sell it to you so simply.”
  +
  +
If it were an auction in which malevolent words were thrown around among opponents, perhaps Amati would be more proficient in handling the situation, but in a one-on-one business talk, Lawrence was fully confident that he did not lose to Amati.
  +
  +
Lawrence had grasped the pace of Amati’s talk, and was controlling the conversation so as to turn the situation in his own favor.
  +
  +
Lawrence spoke his premeditated lines in an extremely cool voice:
  +
  +
“I wish to sell on credit.”
  +
  +
Possibly due to having heard an unfamiliar term, Amati asked in response:
  +
  +
“Selling.....on credit?”
  +
  +
“Precisely.”
  +
  +
“What exactly is.....”
  +
  +
“What I mean is, I wish to sell you five hundred Trenni silver coins’ worth of pyrite tomorrow evening according to its current market value.”
  +
  +
Whenever Horo bragged about her sharp sense of hearing, she would always say that she could even hear the sound produced during a frown (note: referring to the sound of the furrowing brow), and now Lawrence felt as if he were able to hear that very sound.
  +
  +
  +
It was apparent, then, that Amati’s expression clearly expressed how confused he was by all this.
  +
  +
“In that case, just talk to me about this tomorrow evening...” He said.
  +
  +
“No, I wish to receive the payment right now.”
  +
  +
Amati’s expression grew even more bewildered.
  +
  +
Unless Amati possessed acting skills on par with Horo’s, it was clear that he had no knowledge concerning the act of selling on credit.
  +
  +
If a merchant lacked information, it was like going onto a battlefield blindfolded.
  +
  +
Lawrence stretched the bowstring tight and prepared to shoot off the arrow.
  +
  +
“In other words, I will accept five hundred silver coins from you, Mr. Amati, here and now, and give you tomorrow evening the amount of pyrite equivalent to five hundred silver coins at this moment in time.”
  +
  +
Amati thought hard on this. On the surface, selling on credit was not a difficult concept to understand.
  +
  +
Not long had passed before Amati seemed to have come to an understanding about the way selling on credit worked.
  +
  +
“What this means is that, when tomorrow evening arrives, even if the market value of pyrite is higher than its current value, I will still be able to receive the amount of pyrite calculated according to the current value, correct?” He said.
  +
  +
“Precisely. For instance, if I were to sell you a piece of pyrite worth 1200 Iredo on credit, I would collect the 1200 Iredo from you right now. When tomorrow evening arrives, even if its value has risen to two thousand Iredo, I would still have to give you the piece of pyrite.”
  +
  +
“.....On the other hand, even if the value has dropped to only two hundred Iredo by tomorrow evening, I would still only be able to receive one piece of pyrite, correct?”
  +
  +
“It is just as you said.”
  +
  +
Amati’s reaction speed was indeed quick.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence still worried whether Amati would be able to discover the meaning of this deal.
  +
  +
Thinking about it in a simple manner, selling on credit was no different from selling off the product on hand on the spot.
  +
  +
Once the product on hand had been sold, if the product’s value were to increase, it would cause regret over having sold too early, and if its value were to drop, it would bring relief over having already sold it.
  +
  +
Yet, the difference in time between the money transaction and the product transaction was a decisive one.
  +
  +
This difference was exactly what Lawrence wished Amati to realize.
  +
  +
If Amati were not able to realize this, the odds of his refusing the deal would be extremely high.
  +
  +
Amati opened his mouth:
  +
  +
“This really isn’t any different from a regular business deal, is it?”
  +
  +
Amati did not get it.
  +
  +
Lawrence controlled his vexed emotion. In order to get Amati to understand, he prepared to deliver a guiding explanation.
  +
  +
At that moment, Amati stopped him short.
  +
  +
“No, there should be a difference.”
  +
  +
Amati smiled in satisfaction. His youngster-like face transformed into that of a merchant, which responded only to profits and losses.
  +
  +
“You are still hoping to gain some profit from this business in which you have become involved a step late, am I right?”
  +
  +
It appeared that Lawrence did not need to make any further explanation.
  +
  +
A merchant would not make a meaningless deal. If, at a glance, a deal appeared to be meaningless, it meant that the observer lacked a full understanding.
  +
  +
“If buying on credit is a way of obtaining a product without the appropriate funds on hand, then this selling on credit is a way of selling a product and obtaining cash without actually having the product on hand. If buying on credit yields profit when some product on hand rises in price, then when one is selling on credit, if the value of cash were to rise, a profit would be made. In other words, a drop in the price of the item sold would bring a profit,” Amati continued.
  +
  +
Moreover, when conducting the deal, not having the product in question on hand did not constitute a problem at all.
  +
  +
Because this was a deal conducted under the promise of delivering the product at a later point in time.
  +
  +
“Ha ha, this is something new. Being just involved in fish-related deals has rendered me ignorant of just how large the world is. You chose me as the target for this deal because… no, the reason seems obvious without anything said concerning the matter. If I purchase an additional five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite from you, as the price rises, my profit will of course increase accordingly, but when the price drops, my losses will increase as well. When the time comes for you to earn a profit, that is also the time when I will be suffering losses.”
  +
  +
Amati thrust out his chest, his expression full of confidence.
  +
  +
Lawrence, on the other hand, could feel his own face becoming completely devoid of expression.
  +
  +
The hand pulling on the bowstring trembled tensely.
  +
  +
Amati continued to speak:
  +
  +
“What this means is.....”
  +
  +
Lawrence was a step ahead, releasing the arrow:
  +
  +
“Mr. Amati, I am challenging you to a battle.”
  +
  +
The corners of the fishmonger’s mouth curled upward.
  +
  +
That smile was certainly one befitting a merchant.
  +
  +
“This cannot really count as a battle can it?”
  +
  +
Yet, the words that came out of the merchant’s mouth were such.
  +
  +
“A so-called ‘battle’ is supposed to proceed under the condition that both sides possess equal odds, and this deal is not equal at all. I do not suppose that you, Mr. Lawrence, are saying that this selling on credit has meaning only between you and me?”
  +
  +
“What do you mean?”
  +
  +
“You do not plan to conduct the deal without signing a certificate do you? What I mean is, can this certificate be passed on to someone else?”
  +
  +
Except in very remote areas, deals related to debt and crediting rights were commonly conducted.
  +
  +
Of course, certificates for selling on credit were no exception.
  +
  +
“If I were to propose a deal with such limited freedom, surely you would not be willing to accept? Would not the risk be too great then?” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
“Indeed. Even if the price of pyrite were really to drop tomorrow evening as you, Mr. Lawrence have predicted, as long as its value reaches the amount I need sometime during the day, I will sell the pyrite. If I were to be restricted from selling at that time, I would have doubts over whether or not to accept the deal. However, if you are willing to accept this point, then this would not count as a deal in which the odds are equally favorable.”
  +
  +
Lawrence listened in silence. Amati continued to speak:
  +
  +
“That would be too unfair to you, Mr. Lawrence, since only a slight increase in the price is required for me to reach my goal. However, in order to protect my own interests, I would also not be willing to accept a deal that is in your favor.”
  +
  +
In other words, regardless of the conditions, Amati was not willing to accept the deal.
  +
  +
Yet, a merchant would not simply give up on a deal over a single refusal.
  +
  +
Lawrence said steadily:
  +
  +
“If you were to look only at this deal, what you have said is perhaps correct. However, if you were to widen your perspective a little, such a level of unfairness is actually just right.”
  +
  +
“.....Your meaning is…?
  +
  +
“What I mean is, it is quite possible for Horo to tear up the marriage certificate. You have a copy as well right?”
  +
  +
Amati looked at Lawrence in stupefaction.
  +
  +
“Even if you were to pay me the thousand silver coins’ worth of debt, you still cannot avoid the risk of Horo shaking her head in refusal and consequently achieving nothing at all. Compared to the risk you face, the little bit of unfairness I face is insignificant,” Lawrence continued.
  +
  +
Even so, a smile immediately crossed Amati’s face, and he countered with a puff of his nose:
  +
  +
“Ha! I doubt you need to worry about that. I heard the two of you had a huge fight.”
  +
  +
Lawrence could feel the heat swelling up from his body, as if his back had been punctured by a red-hot iron rod. Even so, he summoned up all his strength and experience as a merchant, counter-attacking before the churning emotions could show up on his face:
  +
  +
“During our travels, Horo has cried three times in my arms.”
  +
  +
Lawrence having said this, Amati became the first to show emotion on his face.
  +
  +
Amati’s face, which was carrying a faint smile, froze on the spot. Slowly, he began making the sound of long and thin, deep breaths.
  +
  +
“Although Horo is very cute when she is crying, it is a shame that her personality is so stubborn and unyielding. She often takes actions that are contrary to her true feelings. In other words—”
  +
  +
“I accept the deal!”
  +
  +
Amati forcefully cut off Lawrence’s speech, his expression like that of a knight who had accepted a challenge.
  +
  +
“I accept your proposed deal!”
  +
  +
“Is that really alright?”
  +
  +
“Say no more, I accept! I was... I was worrying that if I were to take away everything from you, that would be overly harsh, hence what I said before. However, since you yourself have pushed so hard, I accept. In fact, I will also take away your fortune and everything you have.”
  +
  +
Amati’s face was crimson with fury.
  +
  +
How could Lawrence not smile at such a time?
  +
  +
Lawrence revealed a smile like that of a hunter reaching into his trap to pick up his captive prey, then reached out his right hand and said:
  +
  +
“Do you wish to accept the deal?”
  +
  +
“Do not doubt it!”
  +
  +
The hands that clutched each other tightly were each a hand intending to steal away the other’s treasure.
  +
  +
“Then let us proceed to signing the contract right away.”
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence judged with a cool head and concluded thus.
  +
  +
With regard to the present place and time of this deal, it could be said that both parties were on equal terms. Perhaps it would even be appropriate to say that Amati was at a slight disadvantage.
  +
  +
Had Amati realized this? No, it was most likely because he had not noticed that he was willing to accept the deal.
  +
  +
However, even if Amati were to realize it now, it would already be too late.
  +
  +
The two borrowed pen and paper from the barkeeper, and signed the contract then and there.
  +
  +
However, because Amati had trouble producing five hundred silver coins in cash, Lawrence agreed to let him substitute the remaining two hundred silver coins he lacked with the three horses he had in possession. The two arranged to have the cash payment take place at the toll of the bell signaling the opening of the marketplace the following morning, and the payment of horses in the evening.
  +
  +
If the information supplied by Horo was reliable, Amati should have two hundred silver coins in cash, a supply of pyrite worth three hundred silver coins, along with two hundred silver coins’ worth of re-sellable property.
  +
  +
Although, doing a comparison now, the amount of cash Amati had on hand was a hundred silver coins greater, the fact that he used three horses to replace the two hundred silver coins he lacked probably indicated that these three horses constituted the re-sellable property he possessed.
  +
  +
That being the case, Amati possessed the equivalent of eight hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite. This meant that if the price of pyrite were to increase by an additional 25 percent, he would be able to gather one thousand silver coins. If the actual sum were greater than what was indicated by Horo’s information, then an even lesser increase would be sufficient.
  +
  +
Even so, Lawrence did not feel that he was at a disadvantage.
  +
  +
“Let us settle this tomorrow evening then,”
  +
  +
Amati lifted his head and uttered excitedly as the seal was stamped. Lawrence gave a sturdy nod in response.
  +
  +
Lawrence’s mention of Horo crying in his arms seemed to have a great effect.
  +
  +
It seemed that a merchant would become useless the moment he became involved with things unrelated to business.
  +
  +
“I shall take my leave then, and disturb you no further in your enjoyment of wine,”
  +
  +
Lawrence said after completing the contract, and left the bar.
  +
  +
The arrow Lawrence shot out had scored a direct hit on Amati’s heart. Although Lawrence felt that Amati himself must have realized that he had been struck, there was one other thing that Lawrence had purposely failed to mention.
  +
  +
And that was the fact that this arrowhead had been painted with a slow-acting poison familiar only to people knowledgeable about deals involving selling on credit.
  +
  +
Merchants did their hunting between the lines of honesty and deceit.
  +
  +
There was no need at all to explain everything.
  +
  +
Because all merchants were naturally insidious.
  +
  +
  +
----
  +
  +
  +
  +
After signing the selling pyrite on credit contract with Amati, Lawrence proceeded directly to the marketplace.
  +
  +
Though it was already long past working hours, the marketplace atmosphere was as bustling as it had been during the day. Merchants held feasts under the lighting of the moon, and even the night guards became involved in the endless commotion.
  +
  +
Upon arriving at Mark’s stand, Lawrence discovered that Mark was there after all, and not at home.
  +
  +
Mark was not drinking with anyone, but simply drank alone, accompanied only by the bustling atmosphere. The sight revealed the fact that he was once a traveling merchant.
  +
  +
“Hmm? What’s the matter? Don’t you need to keep the princess company?”
  +
  +
Mark spoke thus upon perceiving Lawrence’s approach. Lawrence shrugged his shoulders, revealing a strained smile.
  +
  +
With a smile, Mark said, “Have a drink first,” and poured some beer from a clay bottle into a beer mug.
  +
  +
“Am I disturbing you?” asked Lawrence.
  +
  +
“Haha. You would be if you continue to remain sober. You won’t be if you’re drunk.”
  +
  +
After sitting down in the chair consisting of a sawed-short log, Lawrence set down the gunnysack containing gold and silver coins, and began drinking the beer Mark had poured out for him. As he held a mouthful of froth-filled beer in his mouth, the sweet taste spread out instantly, and the numbing, bitter taste trickled down his throat.
  +
  +
This was an indication that the hops (note: the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.) within the beer had taken effect.
  +
  +
As expected of a wheat merchant, distinguishing between good and bad beer seemed no trouble to him either.
  +
  +
“This is good beer,” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
“That’s because the harvest this year has been good for all types of wheat. During times when the harvest is bad, even the barley used to make beer would be used to make bread instead, so we have to be thankful to the god of harvest.”
  +
  +
“Haha, indeed. However....”
  +
  +
Lawrence said as he set the beer mug on the discussion table.
  +
  +
“There’s something I want to tell you, although this may not be the ideal topic for livening up a feast.”
  +
  +
“Aye....geh. Is it something good for making money?”
  +
  +
“No, it’s hard to say. Depending on how things develop, perhaps a profit could be made, but that’s not my aim.”
  +
  +
Mark picked up a piece of salted fish and delivered it into his mouth, opening his mouth to speak as he continued chewing, making a crunching sound as he chewed on the salt:
  +
  +
“Aren’t you being a bit too honest? You should’ve said it’s profiting, then I’d be more than happy to help you out.”
  +
  +
“Of course I’ll be paying you a service fee. Moreover, depending on the way things develop, perhaps it’ll bring you a profit.”
  +
  +
“How so?”
  +
  +
Lawrence wiped away the froth stuck to the corners of his mouth, then opened his mouth and spoke:
  +
  +
“When the festival is over, all the wheat will be gathered up to be bought and sold right?”
  +
  +
“That’s right.”
  +
  +
“When that time comes, I want you to help me spread a rumor.”
  +
  +
Mark revealed the kind of expression one would show when determining the quality of flour.
  +
  +
“I’m not going to do anything dangerous,” he said.
  +
  +
“If you were to say it yourself, that might be dangerous, but if the boy were to say it, it shouldn’t be a problem then right?”
  +
  +
In fact, Lawrence only wished to spread a little rumor.
  +
  +
However, rumors possessed a fearsome power.
  +
  +
It was said that long ago, there was a large country that walked onto the path of destruction merely because a young man from some town had said that the king seemed to have fallen ill. The young man’s words were passed around, eventually spreading to various neighboring countries, finally resulting in a disintegration of alliances, and the invasion and cutting up of the large country’s lands.
  +
  +
The number of conversation topics people had was in fact quite limited.
  +
  +
And their ears existed for the exact purpose of listening to such little rumors in order to spread them about wantonly.
  +
  +
Mark thrust out his chin, beckoning Lawrence to continue.
  +
  +
“When I give the signal, I wish someone to help me say at a certain place—that it’s about time for the price of wheat to be rising.”
  +
  +
The instant Mark heard this, his movements ceased, as if time had frozen, and his gaze was directed at some far-off place. Mark was contemplating the implications of Lawrence’s words.
  +
  +
Soon after, Mark revealed an incredulous smile, and pulled his eyes back into focus.
  +
  +
“You intend to purposely lower the price of that mineral?”
  +
  +
“That’s about right.”
  +
  +
Lawrence guessed that those who bought and sold pyrite were mostly people who had come to town to sell off their merchandise and purchase some products to take with them as they left.
  +
  +
As these people left, the product they purchased the most of was certainly wheat.
  +
  +
When wheat was gathered to be sold and purchased, if there was word that the price of wheat would be rising, everyone would surely sell off the pyrite they had bought to make some additional money, and immediately purchase what they had originally set as their target merchandise.
  +
  +
In such a situation, the price of pyrite would no doubt begin to drop.
  +
  +
Moreover, once the price began to drop, as soon as a certain critical point was reached, it would nosedive the rest of the way.
  +
  +
The wheat merchant took a big gulp of beer before saying coolly:
  +
  +
“I didn’t expect you to be such a simple-minded person.”
  +
  +
“If I were to tell you I was planning to simultaneously sell off a considerable-sum’s worth of pyrite, would you still think so?”
  +
  +
Mark’s eyelid twitched once. After pondering this for a moment, he asked Lawrence the question: “How much?”
  +
  +
“One thousand Trenni silver coins.”
  +
  +
“Wha.....one thousand? Are you a fool? Do you have any idea how much loss you would cause by doing that?”
  +
  +
“No matter how much the price falls, it doesn’t matter to me.”
  +
  +
Mark revealed an infinitely bitter expression, stroking his chin repeatedly and causing a rustling of his beard. His gaze drifted back and forth, and a groan came from his mouth. From his appearance, it seemed that he could not understand what Lawrence was thinking.
  +
  +
“As long as I can manage to buy another five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite, whether its price rises or falls in the end, my money pouch would be unaffected.”
  +
  +
It was Amati who was at a disadvantage in the deal proposed by Lawrence.
  +
  +
The reason was precisely this.
  +
  +
“Damn, selling by credit huh,” said Mark.
  +
  +
If the price of the product on hand were to rise, of course one’s money pouch would be unhurt, but the special case in which even a drop in the price would not hurt one’s money pouch was rare.
  +
  +
If the price of the product sold were to fall, all that needed to be done was to re-purchase the product at the lowered rate and hand it to the other party. If, on the other hand, the price of the product on hand were to rise, it would bring a direct profit; as long as the selling on credit of the former was paired with the regular deal of the latter, a situation would be created in which Lawrence’s money would neither increase nor decrease whether the value of pyrite rose or dropped.
  +
  +
Moreover, Lawrence’s most decisive advantage lay in the fact that once the product was sold in bulk quantities, its price would inevitably fall, plus the fact that Amati had to get the price of pyrite to rise because he needed to gain a profit no matter what.
  +
  +
In other words, Lawrence’s plan was to use the five hundred silver coins collected from Amati by selling on credit, along with the rest of the cash he had on hand to go around buying pyrite, and then sell off the pyrite all at once in order to cause a great crash in its price.
  +
  +
It was possible to do such a thing as soon as one was able to throw away the idea of profit.
  +
  +
As a former traveling merchant, Mark immediately detected Lawrence’s plan.
  +
  +
Of course, he also detected who Lawrence’s opponent was.
  +
  +
“The poor fishmonger who’s been tricked out of ignorance sure stirs one’s sympathies.”
  +
  +
Lawrence’s shrugged his shoulders in response to Mark.
  +
  +
Yet, the plan which at a glance appeared to hold such a great advantage also had one point that unsettled Lawrence.
  +
  +
There was truly no such thing as a perfect plan in this world.
  +
  +
“That guy seems like he should be aware of just how dangerous it is to participate in an unfamiliar deal though,” said Mark.
  +
  +
“Aye, he should be aware of the risks, yet he still accepted the deal. I wouldn’t have failed to remind him of even this.”
  +
  +
Mark uttered a light laugh from his throat, then finished the remaining beer and said with a change in expression:
  +
  +
“So, is that all you wanted to ask of me?”
  +
  +
“There’s one other thing.”
  +
  +
“Go on.”
  +
  +
“Help me seek out and buy pyrite.”
  +
  +
Hearing this, Mark simply stared at Lawrence with a look of unexpectedness.
  +
  +
“You signed the deal without first getting a hold on the pyrite sources?” he asked.
  +
  +
“Unfortunately, I don’t have that much time. Can you help me?”
  +
  +
This was the reason why Lawrence could not steady his mind.
  +
  +
No matter how perfect the plan, nothing could be done unless all of the necessary conditions were met.
  +
  +
Moreover, the condition that Lawrence lacked was very difficult to come by.
  +
  +
Of course, Lawrence could also wait till daybreak to purchase pyrite in the marketplace. However, if he were to buy several hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite in the marketplace, a sudden jump in the price of pyrite would inevitably result.
  +
  +
Lawrence needed to work in the shadows, and purchase pyrite in a manner that would not affects its market value.
  +
  +
In order to achieve this end, the best way was to gather a large quantity of pyrite by making a number of small purchases through the connections of town merchants.
  +
  +
“The payment condition is cash only. Price doesn’t matter, even if it’s above the market value. If the quantity is relatively large, the price can be paid directly in Rumiones,” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
If a Trenni silver coin were a sharp sword, then a Rumione gold coin would be the equivalent of a forest of spears lined up densely beside one another. When purchasing a high-value product, the Rumione gold coin could be said to be the most powerful weapon in the world.
  +
  +
Yet, although Lawrence possessed cash, he did not have connections, and besides Mark, he did not have any friends to help him.
  +
  +
If Mark were to refuse him, Lawrence would have to rely on his own strength to gather the pyrite.
  +
  +
In this town to which he only came a few days each year to do business, it was only imaginable just how difficult it would be for Lawrence to gather a large quantity of pyrite in a proper manner.
  +
  +
Yet, Mark simply gazed in some unknown direction, his body completely motionless.
  +
  +
“I’ll repay my gratitude. It won’t be a small sum either.”
  +
  +
What Lawrence meant was that he would not be paying only a service charge.
  +
  +
Hearing this, Mark glanced at Lawrence momentarily.
  +
  +
Mark was, after all, a merchant. It was only natural that he would not be willing to do fruitless labor.
  +
  +
And then, Mark said briefly:
  +
  +
“Can’t do it.”
  +
  +
“Alright, then....huh?”
  +
  +
“Can’t do it.”
  +
  +
This time Mark was looking Lawrence in the eye as he said this.
  +
  +
“Wha—”
  +
  +
“I can’t help you on this one,”
  +
  +
Mark said in completely serious expression and tone. Lawrence extended his body forward and said with emphasis:
  +
  +
“I’ll thank you for it. I won’t be so stingy as to only pay you a service charge. You won’t have anything to lose. The condition is pretty good isn’t it?”
  +
  +
“Won’t have anything to lose?”
  +
  +
With his beard trimmed so that his face appeared square-shaped, the moment he frowned, Mark’s face became like a solid piece of rock.
  +
  +
“Isn’t it so? I’m asking you to help me look for and buy pyrite, not to make any sort of investment. Besides, you’ll be paying in cash. What could you possibly have to lose?”
  +
  +
“Lawrence.”
  +
  +
Mark’s utterance was more powerful than any kind of stop signal in cutting off Lawrence’s words.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence could not figure out what was going through Mark’s head. It was impossible for a merchant to refuse when met with a deal that promised a reasonable reward and involved absolutely no risk.
  +
  +
Why then did Mark say he couldn’t do it?
  +
  +
Could it be that Mark only saw Lawrence for his flaws? Having thought to this point, an emotion nearing wrathful suspicion boiled up within Lawrence’s heart.
  +
  +
At that moment, Mark continued to speak:
  +
  +
“The sum you can pay me is what, ten Rumione at best?”
  +
  +
“Considering it’s just making some purchases for me, such a reward is more than sufficient isn’t it? It’s not like I’m asking you to take up the burden of an entire business team’s purchases, and to scale mountains and return within a day.”
  +
  +
“What you mean is that you want me to go throughout the marketplace to help you look for and buy pyrite right? That’s the same thing.”
  +
  +
“Just how exactly.....!”
  +
  +
The log-made chair in which Lawrence was seated fell over on the ground with a knock. Lawrence extended himself in a frightening manner, and was a step away from seizing mark when he regained his composure.
  +
  +
Yet, Mark was not moved in the least.
  +
  +
The merchant’s expression that Mark wore on his face did not change one bit.
  +
  +
“Erh.....just how exactly are they the same thing? I’m not asking you to spend the entire night going back and forth in the marketplace, carry around heavy merchandise, much less head toward some precipitous mountain path where you might be exposed to danger or accidents. All I’m saying is I wish you to help me buy some pyrite through your connections.”
  +
  +
“What I mean is that they’re the same thing, Lawrence,”
  +
  +
Mark said slowly.
  +
  +
“You’re a traveling merchant who comes and goes in the wilderness, and I’m a merchant whose battlefield is this marketplace. The dangers you perceive are all those which a traveling merchant would meet with.”
  +
  +
“Ah.....”
  +
  +
Lawrence swallowed back the sound, and Mark also furrowed his brows deeply as if he had swallowed something bitter.
  +
  +
“From a town merchant’s perspective, showing no hesitation in jumping on the first available opportunity to make money certainly cannot be called a virtue. Compared to making big money through side jobs, making an honest living through one’s main business is what defines a truly prestigious town merchant. Although I’m the owner of this vending stand, the reputation this stand involves is not just my own name. This vending stand is connected with the reputations of myself, my wife, all of my blood relations, as well as all of those who have dealings here. If it’s just making a bit of side profit, even if the source is unclear, it’s certainly not a bad thing to act as quickly as possible...”
  +
  +
Having said to this point, Mark poured some more beer into his mug and drank a mouthful. Although his brows were still deeply locked, it was probably not due to the beer being too bitter.
  +
  +
“...but helping you look for and purchase the five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite you seek is another matter entirely. How do you think the people around me would view me? Surely they would think of me as a good-for-nothing whose heart isn’t with his main business and who seeks to become rich through ill-gotten gains. Are you capable of paying me a sum proportional to such a risk? Because I used to be a traveling merchant myself, I daresay the amount of money a town merchant regularly handles is such that a traveling merchant who only makes small sums cannot begin to compare with.”
  +
  +
Lawrence could not make any sort of dispute, and was completely speechless.
  +
  +
Mark threw out the final statement:
  +
  +
“This shop of mine may appear small, but its name (note: literally the shop’s signboard. In Chinese culture, a shop’s sign is often equated with its name/reputation in a metaphorical sense. Hence, sign and name can be used interchangeably) possesses a surprisingly high value. If the name were to be damaged, the amount needed to repair the damage would go well beyond ten or twenty gold coins.”
  +
  +
The decisive statement.
  +
  +
Lawrence could not utter a word, and his gaze dropped to the table surface.
  +
  +
“That’s how it is.”
  +
  +
Mark did not see Lawrence only for his flaws, nor was it his intention to make Lawrence unhappy.
  +
  +
What Mark had said was exactly right.
  +
  +
But then, this just led Lawrence to understand more clearly that although they were both merchants, he and Mark lived in totally different worlds.
  +
  +
“I’m sorry.”
  +
  +
Even hearing this from Mark, Lawrence could not find any words with which to respond.
  +
  +
The number of people remaining whom Lawrence could go to for help could easily be counted on five fingers.
  +
  +
“No....it’s alright, sorry for causing such awkwardness,” he responded.
  +
  +
If there was anyone left to turn to, the only one Lawrence could think of was Bartose.
  +
  +
Since it was already certain that he would not be receiving any assistance from Mark, Lawrence could only place all of his hopes on Bartose.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence recalled that when Bartose was hinting him about Amati’s method of gathering money, he had mentioned that Amati was employing not-so-proper means.
  +
  +
To Bartose, who carried heavy rocks while traversing precipitous mountain paths, receiving pyrite in one hand and immediately selling it off from the other hand for immense profits was surely a disgraceful act.
  +
  +
Having though to this point, Lawrence could not help thinking that the chances of Bartose helping him were quite small, but he had no choice but to set aside his doubts and try paying him a visit.
  +
  +
Lawrence made up his mind, made an exertion with his chest and lifted his head.
  +
  +
The moment he lifted his head, Mark spoke:
  +
  +
“So even someone as laid-back as you can get like this huh?”
  +
  +
Mark’s look was neither incredulous nor mocking. He simply spoke with a slightly surprised expression.
  +
  +
“Ah, sorry, don’t get mad. I’m just a bit surprised.”
  +
  +
Seeing Mark hurrying to explain, Lawrence was of course not angered. Even Lawrence himself felt somewhat surprised.
  +
  +
“Although, encountering a companion like yours, no wonder you’d become like this. Even if you don’t put so much effort into trying to stop Amati, your companion wouldn’t submit to him so easily would she? Even someone like me who’s only seen her standing beside you once thinks so, so have a bit of confidence.”
  +
  +
At this point, Mark finally revealed a smile. Lawrence, on the other hand, was expressionless as he replied:
  +
  +
“She’s handed me a signed marriage certificate. The other party is Amati of course.”
  +
  +
Mark’s eyes widened, then began stroking his chin so that his beard rustled, looking as if he had accidentally stepped on a landmine (note: not that there would have been landmines during that period, but that’s the word the book uses, so that’s how I translated it).
  +
  +
Seeing Mark’s appearance, Lawrence involuntarily loosened the strength in his shoulders.
  +
  +
“If nothing had happened, I would of course be confident. But, something really happened....,” he said.
  +
  +
“It happened after you came here and went back? A single step’s difference in life can be hell.....even so, you still need to have hope, and that’s why you’re working so hard trying to come up with a solution, right?”
  +
  +
Perceiving a nod from Lawrence in response, Mark thrust his chin out, then said with a sigh:
  +
  +
“Though I can tell that companion of yours is no simple character, I didn’t think she’d do something so bold….is there anyone else you can find to help you?”
  +
  +
“Well, I’ll try asking Mr. Bartose for starters.”
  +
  +
“Mr. Bartose huh. I see. You intend to have him ask that woman for you?”
  +
  +
Hearing Mark say this in a low voice, Lawrence asked in turn:
  +
  +
“.....That woman?”
  +
  +
“Huh? You’re not planning on having him ask that woman for you? You know, the chronicler. Didn’t you meet her already?”
  +
  +
“If you’re referring to Miss Deanna, I have met her already, but I don’t quite understand what you’re getting at.”
  +
  +
“If you don’t mind the trouble it might cause you later on, I think you can try consulting with that woman.”
  +
  +
“What exactly are you saying?”
  +
  +
Lawrence asked. After looking about for a moment, Mark lowered his voice a bit and spoke:
  +
  +
“That woman is someone who has control over the northern regions. She can even be said to be the window of correspondence among the alchemists. From our point of view, it’s all because of the presence of that woman that the alchemists, who are vulnerable to attack for various reasons, are able to gather in one spot. Of course, the truth could only be known by the town’s aristocrats and the elders of the town council. And also....”
  +
  +
Mark took a drink of his beer and continued:
  +
  +
“Any citizen here would immediately think, ‘The alchemists should all possess pyrite.’ However, in order not to stir up any trouble and be able to do business in peace, it’s necessary not to associate with those people. For Mr. Bartose, it’s also because he has dealings with the alchemists that he rarely does business with anyone else. Although, it’s probably more appropriate to say he ''can’t'' do business with anyone else. If you’re not afraid of causing trouble for yourself, having Mr. Bartose ask that woman for you is also a possible solution.”
  +
  +
Faced with the sudden revelation, Lawrence could not immediately tell whether it was true or not, but he figured that Mark had nothing to gain from lying.
  +
  +
“Depending on the situation, it may be worth a try. Aren’t the flames already burning quite close to you (note: in case the meaning didn’t quite get through, “Isn’t your situation already pretty desperate?”)?” said Mark.
  +
  +
Although Lawrence felt pretty useless, he could not deny that Mark’s surprising refusal had caused his situation to become rather dangerous.
  +
  +
“I’m truly happy that you’d come to me for help here. But, all I can do is give you suggestions.”
  +
  +
“No, you’ve already done a great deal for me. I almost missed such a big opportunity.”
  +
  +
Besides, Lawrence himself felt that Mark’s reason for refusing him was completely justified.
  +
  +
Mark was a town merchant, and Lawrence was a traveling merchant. When the standpoints were different, there would naturally be a great difference between the things that could and could not be done.
  +
  +
“It might be strange for someone who just refused to help you to say this....but, I will pray for your success,” said Mark.
  +
  +
This time it was Lawrence who revealed a smile.
  +
  +
“You’ve given me a good lesson. That in itself is worthwhile,”
  +
  +
Lawrence said without the slightest bit of sarcasm or hidden intentions. In the future when Lawrence was to have dealings with town merchants, he would be sure to take this day’s experience into consideration. Lawrence was not lying in saying that he had learned a lesson.
  +
  +
Yet, having heard Lawrence’s words, Mark began stroking his chin back and forth so that his beard made rustling sounds.
  +
  +
Then, Mark furrowed his brow deeply and looked off in another direction as he said:
  +
  +
“I may not be able to take action openly, but if it’s just whispering the amount of money someone has in his money pouch, that wouldn’t really be any trouble.”
  +
  +
Perceiving Lawrence’s surprised expression, Mark closed his eyes as he continued to speak:
  +
  +
“Come back over later. I’ll tell you whom you can buy stuff from. I can do this much for you at least.”
  +
  +
“.....Thank you.”
  +
  +
Seeing Lawrence utter this from the bottom of his heart, Mark suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had given up something.
  +
  +
“Seeing that expression on your face, I say it’s no wonder the little miss would do something so bold,” he said.
  +
  +
“.....What do you mean?”
  +
  +
“Nothing. A merchant need only focus on how to do business.”
  +
  +
Even though Lawrence was tempted to ask the laughing Mark to clarify, his mind had long since drifted toward Bartose and Deanna.
  +
  +
“Anyway, good luck,” said Mark.
  +
  +
“Ah...oh.”
  +
  +
Although Lawrence still felt a knot in his heart, he also felt that there was no time to lose, and it was better to begin negotiations as soon as possible.
  +
  +
Lawrence expressed a brief thanks to Mark, and left the vending stand.
  +
  +
However, as he walked along, Lawrence thought to himself: perhaps the common saying that traveling merchants could not make any friends was wrong.
  +
  +
  +
----
  +
  +
  +
  +
First, Lawrence headed directly to the foreign firm.
  +
  +
He had two goals. The first was to inquire of Bartose whether he had a stock of pyrite, and whether he had any other connections he could introduce to Lawrence. The other was to request Bartose to take him to see Deanna once more.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence remembered Bartose had said that Amati’s means of buying and selling pyrite was not entirely decent.
  +
  +
Bartose was a merchant who carried precious stones and metals from the mining regions through dangerous paths. Perhaps in his eyes, such opportunistic pyrite dealing was a disgraceful act.
  +
  +
Even so, even though he knew he was really pushing it, Lawrence still had to pay Bartose a visit.
  +
  +
Lawrence completely disregarded the festival, which had continued into late night and whose atmosphere bordered on riotous, making his way through small alleys as he headed toward the foreign firm.
  +
  +
When Lawrence had finally arrived at the main street before the firm, densely lined with buildings on each side, he saw that each foreign firm had lighted lanterns, and large groups of people were dancing in circular formations. Every now and then he would see people from the firms, long sword in hand and practicing with one another in unseasoned manner. This kind of party activity was perhaps an extension of the festival itself.
  +
  +
Lawrence approached the Rowen Business Guild building, pushing his way through the crowded street. He slipped right into the building without greeting the guild members who were gathered near the wide-open front door, drinking.
  +
  +
Those who wanted to drink and relax within the building and those who wanted to revel outside the building seemed to have clearly demarcated their own separate territories. Under the lighting of the suspended fish oil lamps, which gave off a unique scent, the entire main hall was suffused with soft chatting and laughter.
  +
  +
Though a few people in the hall noticed Lawrence and shot him curious glances, the greater majority seemed completely wrapped up within the joyous feasting atmosphere.
  +
  +
Among these people, Lawrence located his target person, then approached the man.
  +
  +
The man was seated at a table where a group of older merchants were gathered. Under the dim lighting of the lamps, he appeared very much like a hermit.
  +
  +
The man was Joey Bartose.
  +
  +
“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt your drinking,”
  +
  +
Lawrence said in a voice even lower than the surrounding chitchat. The seasoned merchants seemed to perceive at once the purpose of Lawrence’s visit.
  +
  +
Each person continued to drink quietly, giving Bartose a brief glance.
  +
  +
The watched Bartose revealed a warm smile and spoke:
  +
  +
“Hey, Mr. Lawrence, what can I do for you?”
  +
  +
“Sorry for thus intruding, but there is something I wish to discuss with you.”
  +
  +
“Is it something to do with business?”
  +
  +
Lawrence hesitated for a moment, and nodded his head.
  +
  +
“Then let’s talk over there. We couldn’t possibly allow others to overhear an opportunity to get rich now could we?”
  +
  +
The other merchants at the table laughed, raising their mugs slightly as if to say, “We’ll continue to drink happily in your absence.”
  +
  +
Lawrence nodded his head lightly and caught up with Bartose, who was already moving further into the firm.
  +
  +
As a contrast to the main hall, suffused with the scent of liquor and sounds of talk and laughter, proceeding further along the corridor within the firm, the surrounding atmosphere became akin to that of the alleys. In the turn of an eye, the two had come to an unlighted spot, and the clamor became as remote as a fire on the opposite shore.
  +
  +
At that moment, Bartose stopped in his tracks, turning around to speak:
  +
  +
“What’s the matter?”
  +
  +
Lawrence figured that beating around the bush would not get him anywhere, so he cut straight to the point:
  +
  +
“Yes. To be honest, I wish to purchase some pyrite, and am currently searching for someone with a large stockpile. Mr. Bartose, I’m sure you must have connections.”
  +
  +
“Pyrite?”
  +
  +
“Yes.”
  +
  +
Bartose’s dark blue, almost black eyes appeared gray under the red lighting with a faint trace of yellow.
  +
  +
And such a pair of eyes was gazing directly at Lawrence.
  +
  +
“Do you have any connections?”
  +
  +
Hearing Lawrence repeat his question, Bartose gave a sigh, and rubbed his eyes as he spoke:
  +
  +
“Mr. Lawrence.”
  +
  +
“Yes.”
  +
  +
“Don’t you remember what I said when I was hinting you on Amati’s means of gathering money?”
  +
  +
Lawrence immediately nodded his head. Of course he remembered.
  +
  +
“Not only do I remember what you said, I also remember that Miss Deanna seems to dislike people discussing business with her,” he said.
  +
  +
Bartose pulled his hand away from the corner of his eye and let it remain suspended in midair. At that moment, he finally showed a merchant-like gaze.
  +
  +
It was a gaze that belonged to a traveling merchant devoted to a business full of hardships, who cared not for the means of making more money, but only how to transport goods safely.
  +
  +
Perhaps it was his mind playing games with him, but Lawrence felt that such a gaze was similar to a wolf’s.
  +
  +
“You have your mind set on the alchemists’ stockpile?” asked Bartose.
  +
  +
“You certainly are easy to communicate with. However, I heard they are not allowed to conduct business without obtaining Miss Deanna’s permission. Therefore, I wish to seek your help.”
  +
  +
Lawrence recalled the days when he had first become a traveling merchant, when, needing to increase his customers but having no connections, he would give visits without notice and negotiate forcefully.
  +
  +
Bartose widened his eyes, somewhat surprised, then with some difficulty squeezed out his voice to say:
  +
  +
“Knowing that much, you still wish to deal with them. Could it be because pyrite is really that profiting?”
  +
  +
“No, it’s not like that.”
  +
  +
“Then....it’s because of what’s been said in the rumors, you wish to know your fortune, or use it to cure illnesses?”
  +
  +
Bartose smiled as he said this, in a way that seemed as if he were playing around with his grandson. This was probably Bartose’s unique way of poking fun of someone.
  +
  +
Even so, Lawrence of course did not get angry, nor did he get impatient.
  +
  +
For the sake of his own profit, a merchant wouldn’t hesitate even to spend an entire night doing nothing but staring at a slowly-swinging scale.
  +
  +
“I am taking action for the sake of my own benefit. I do not plan to deny the fact,” said Lawrence.
  +
  +
Bartose’s body did not make the slightest movement. He simply stared, wide-eyed.
  +
  +
If Lawrence were to meet with refusal from Bartose here, it was extremely likely that his hopes of gathering a stockpile of pyrite would vanish.
  +
  +
The current Lawrence was not so leisurely as to be able to allow such a thing to happen.
  +
  +
“However, I do not intend to make a profit out of the value of pyrite that is growing uncontrollably like swelling bubbles. I am working for a….a more basic purpose.”
  +
  +
Bartose did not interrupt him to speak. Lawrence took this as a signal beckoning him to continue speaking, and so he continued:
  +
  +
“Mr. Bartose, you are also a traveling merchant after all, so you have probably had numerous experiences in which the goods carried upon your shoulders almost fell into a deep gorge?”
  +
  +
Bartose remained silent.
  +
  +
“When our horse-drawn cart sinks into mud and cannot budge, we weigh the choices of abandoning the cart and doing whatever it takes to pull the cart out of the mud on a scale. The value of the merchandise on board, profit, the amount of cash on hand, the route of travel, along with the sum needed to pay for someone’s help. Also, the danger of encountering bandits that may result from lingering around in panic and despair. We take such things into account when deciding whether or not to abandon our cargo.”
  +
  +
Bartose opened his mouth slowly and spoke:
  +
  +
“You mean to say that you’re in such a situation?”
  +
  +
“It is so.”
  +
  +
Bartose’s eyes looked as if they could clearly see what lay ahead even on a poorly-lit road.
  +
  +
He had been traveling along the same route for decades, and sought out Deanna to hear about ancient legends in order to make up for the things he could not see along that route.
  +
  +
Under such a gaze, a merchant’s lies would undoubtedly be seen through immediately.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence did not back down.
  +
  +
Because he was not telling a lie.
  +
  +
“I do not wish to abandon my cargo. As long as I can load the cargo back into the cart, I don’t care about the trouble it might cause.”
  +
  +
Surely it was impossible for Bartose not to have realized what the cargo was that Lawrence was referring to, as well as the situation he was in.
  +
  +
Even so, Bartose still closed his eyes slowly and remained silent.
  +
  +
Was there something that should be said? Should he take advantage of the moment and push further?
  +
  +
The talk and laughter that came from the main hall behind the two men sounded mocking.
  +
  +
The limited amount of time was slipping away little by little.
  +
  +
Lawrence prepared to speak.
  +
  +
Then, at the very last moment, he changed his mind.
  +
  +
Lawrence remembered his master had said that the golden rule when begging someone’s favor was to wait.
  +
  +
“That was exactly the response I was waiting for,”
  +
  +
Bartose said with a light smile at the moment Lawrence recalled his master’s words.
  +
  +
“Because even when time is limited, if there are no alternatives, all that can be done is to wait patiently. That is how a truly prosperous merchant acts.”
  +
  +
The moment Lawrence discovered that he had just been put through a test, he felt a large amount of cold perspiration pour forth from his back.
  +
  +
“On the other hand, back when I was in a similar situation, my attitude was even tougher than yours,” Bartose continued.
  +
  +
“Erh.....”
  +
  +
“Oh, I don’t have any pyrite on hand. However, I do believe the alchemists do.”
  +
  +
“Then.....”
  +
  +
Bartose nodded lightly and spoke:
  +
  +
“All you have to say is, ‘I’ve come to buy a crate of white feathers.’ What happens after that all depends on your own effort. Please think of a good way to persuade big sis. I don’t think anyone has gone there to purchase pyrite yet.”
  +
  +
“Thank you. I will be sure to repay—”
  +
  +
“As long as you can share an ancient legend with me, that would be good enough. How’s that? Do I sound as impressive as big sis saying this?”
  +
  +
Bartose revealed a childlike smile, and Lawrence could not help but laugh.
  +
  +
“With someone like big sis, you never really know when she goes to sleep, so it should be fine for you to go and see her now. If you’re going to go, you’d better go soon, because time is money,”
  +
  +
Bartose pointed to the back of the firm as he said this.
  +
  +
“If you take the back door, you can leave without having to speak to anyone.”
  +
  +
After expressing his thanks, Lawrence proceeded down the corridor. Looking back on the way, he saw Bartose, still wearing a smile.
  +
  +
The form of Bartose, with his back to the light of the main hall, looked a bit like his master’s.
  +
  +
  +
----
  +
  +
  +
  +
Not long after leaving the foreign firm and sprinting north, Lawrence arrived at the stone wall.
  +
  +
Because he had not been fortunate enough to arrive directly at the entrance to the stone wall, Lawrence ran along the wall until he finally located it and, prying open the somewhat broken gate latch with considerable force, slipped through.
  +
  +
There were, of course, no lights in the area. However, his eyes gradually became accustomed to the dark as he ran. Besides, to a traveling merchant, who frequently camped out in the wilderness, a bit of darkness was no big deal.
  +
  +
It was just that, within the darkness of night, the bits of light that suddenly shot out from the cracks beneath the crooked doorframes, or the cat cries and beating of bird wings that came from unknown sources all caused the hair to stand on one’s back, and were much more unsettling than during the day.
  +
  +
As long as he had visited a place once, he would be able to locate its position from any starting point. If he did not possess this unique ability of traveling merchants, perhaps Lawrence would be running away in fear due to getting lost.
  +
  +
After finally arriving before the door to Deanna’s home, Lawrence felt himself loosen up tangibly.
  +
  +
The feeling was akin to the sense of relief one would get upon arriving before a familiar woodcutter’s residence after passing through a forest of forboding atmosphere.
  +
  +
Yet on the other side of the door before his eyes did not dwell a close friend willing to unconditionally welcome his visit.
  +
  +
Although he had obtained the secret password from Bartose, reflecting upon past interactions with Deanna, Lawrence could not help but feel that she truly hated any mention of business.
  +
  +
Would he really be able to purchase pyrite so smoothly?
  +
  +
A sense of anxiety grew little by little within his heart. Lawrence quickly took a deep breath, pushing all his feelings of insecurity down toward his belly.
  +
  +
He must succeed in the purchase.
  +
  +
Because he wished to continue traveling with Horo in the future.
  +
  +
“Is anyone home?”
  +
  +
Lawrence intentionally lowered his voice and inquired after knocking lightly on the door.
  +
  +
The silence of someone choosing to remain quiet had a perceivably different quality from the silence that resulted from absence.
  +
  +
When the air was suffused with a sense of the former kind of silence, one would always avoid making any kind of sound.
  +
  +
Yet, there was no response at all on the other side of the door.
  +
  +
Because some light could be seen peering forth from the crack under the door, Deanna was probably at home.
  +
  +
Though, according to town law, those who went to sleep without extinguishing their lights would face serious punishment, it was quite unlikely that anyone would dare to venture as far as to patrol in this area.
  +
  +
Just as Lawrence raised his hand to knock once more, he noticed that there seemed to be movement within.
  +
  +
“Who is it?”
  +
  +
The voice that came from the other side carried a hint of sleepiness, sounding somewhat lazy.
  +
  +
“Sorry to disturb you at such an hour. I am Lawrence, the one who came with Mr. Bartose to visit you yesterday.”
  +
  +
It was only a little while after Lawrence had announced his name that a rustling of clothes was heard on the other side, followed by a gradual opening of the door.
  +
  +
As soon as the door was open, the light poured forth from within, along with the air inside Deanna’s home.
  +
  +
Deanna’s eyes looked somewhat displeased, and carried signs of sleepiness as well.
  +
  +
Like when Lawrence had visited her the day before, she was dressed in a long robe. Because Deanna used to be a nun, it was quite likely that she was so dressed throughout the year regardless of time, so it was impossible for Lawrence to tell whether or not she had been asleep a moment ago.
  +
  +
Putting aside whether or not she had been asleep, it was extremely impolite behavior to visit a woman living alone in the middle of the night to begin with. Although Lawrence was fully aware of his impoliteness, he did not flinch as he opened his mouth to speak:
  +
  +
“I know this is very impolite of me, but I simply had to see you.”
  +
  +
Lawrence continued:
  +
  +
“I’ve come to buy a crate of white feathers.”
  +
  +
The instant Lawrence uttered the password provided by Bartose, Deanna narrowed her eyes, then moved aside silently and urged with her hand for him to hurry inside.
  +
  +
The interior of Deanna’s home, which was free of the scent of sulfur, appeared even messier than during the day before.
  +
  +
The books on the shelf which had retained a trace of organization were almost all taken down. One of these lay open, facing the ceiling in such a messy state.
  +
  +
Moreover, there was an even greater number of huge feather pens scattered all over the floor.
  +
  +
The beautiful, almost brand new white feathers scattered on the floor gave off an air that bordered on uncanny.
  +
  +
“How very peculiar, to have several guests come to visit within a single day. The festival indeed brings to this place an unusual popularity,”
  +
  +
Deanna said to herself as she sat down in a chair within the messy environment, not inviting Lawrence to sit down as usual.
  +
  +
Lawrence was just about to sit down in a chair with nothing piled upon it when he suddenly realized something.
  +
  +
Several visitors in a row had paid visits?
  +
  +
That meant that someone had already been here before Lawrence’s arrival.
  +
  +
“So, I’m assuming it was Mr. Bartose who told you the phrase, ‘come to buy a crate of white feathers?’”
  +
  +
Lawrence, who was wondering anxiously about the intent of the previous guest’s visit, snapped back to reality and said with a nod:
  +
  +
“Y..yes. I begged him stubbornly to meet with you, Miss Deanna.”
  +
  +
“Oh, is that so? I don’t think he’s the type of person that would agree to someone’s request simply because of stubborn begging.”
  +
  +
Seeing Deanna utter this with a cheerful laugh, Lawrence was unable to say any more.
  +
  +
Although the nature was different, speaking with Deanna gave Lawrence a feeling similar to that when he was dealing with Horo.
  +
  +
“What kind of business is so important that you’d go as far as to persuade that old stubborn mule?” asked Deanna.
  +
  +
A great number of people with various standpoints desired to obtain the potions created by the alchemists or the skills they possessed for all sorts of different reasons.
  +
  +
Deanna’s existence was surely like a dam preventing such desires from getting out of control.
  +
  +
Although Lawrence did not know what reason Deanna had for doing this, from his point of view, Deanna, who had been gazing straight at him ever since she sat down, was just like a huge bird guarding her eggs with iron feathers.
  +
  +
“I wish to obtain your permission to buy pyrite,”
  +
  +
Lawrence replied, even though he was nearly overcome by Deanna’s imposing manner.
  +
  +
Deanna stroked her face with her fair-skinned hand as she said:
  +
  +
“I heard the price has been rising.”
  +
  +
“But—”
  +
  +
“Of course, I understand Mr. Bartose would never have provided his help over a simple profiting business, so there’s some other reason isn’t there?”
  +
  +
Lawrence felt like Deanna was a step ahead in everything. Deanna’s reaction was always a bit faster than Lawrence’s, and Deanna fully intended to show off her advantage.
  +
  +
Even so, Lawrence told himself not to get upset. Deanna must be testing him.
  +
  +
Lawrence nodded and replied:
  +
  +
“It’s not because of business, but in order to settle a battle that I need pyrite.”
  +
  +
“A battle with whom?”
  +
  +
“It is......”
  +
  +
Lawrence hesitated over whether or not to mention Amati, but not because he felt it inappropriate to bring up Amati’s name.
  +
  +
Lawrence was considering whether the opponent he was battling against was really Amati.
  +
  +
Amati was merely the river surrounding and guarding a fortress. There was more that needed to be conquered within the fortress.
  +
  +
Lawrence answered a “No,” and said as he shifted his gaze toward Deanna once more:
  +
  +
“It is the cargo.”
  +
  +
“Cargo?”
  +
  +
“Regardless of time, a traveling merchant’s enemy is always his own cargo. Estimating the value of the cargo, making careful plans about how to transport the cargo, and then carefully considering whom to deliver it to. If an error in judgment occurs in even one of these steps, a traveling merchant will lose. Right now I am struggling to load a piece of cargo that has fallen off my cart back into it. Because after re-evaluating the value, means of transport and target of delivery, the conclusion I have reached is that I absolutely cannot afford to allow this piece of cargo to fall from my cart.”
  +
  +
Deanna’s fringe (note: not sure if I’m using the correct terminology here. What I’m referring to is the hair that comes down from the top and partially or completely covers a woman’s forehead) was blown aside slightly, and for a moment Lawrence thought a wave of wind had swept across.
  +
  +
It was not the wind, however, but air exhaled from Deanna’s lips.
  +
  +
After smiling lightly, Deanna picked up a feather pen beside her foot.
  +
  +
“‘Buying a crate of white feathers’ is just an exaggerated password. What it really means is that it’s alright as long as I’m able to receive a bit of pleasure. Doesn’t a bird drop feathers when it beats its wings in excitement? Besides, the people I give the password to pick and choose my visitors carefully for me, so I simply observe the little details of my guests. I don’t suppose it would be a problem, so I’ll make an exception and allow you to buy pyrite.”
  +
  +
Hearing this, Lawrence involuntarily stood up from his chair and said:
  +
  +
“Thank—”
  +
  +
“However—”
  +
  +
Deanna interrupted from the side. A bad feeling emerged in Lawrence’s heart once more.
  +
  +
Several visitors in the course of a single day, the empty chair with nothing piled upon it—
  +
  +
The dark words, “Could it be” surfaced in Lawrence’s mind.
  +
  +
Deanna’s face changed into an apologetic one as she continued:
  +
  +
“Someone has already come to make a purchase.”
  +
  +
Lawrence’s fear had become a reality.
  +
  +
He said the words that one would naturally say as a merchant.
  +
  +
“How large was the quantity bought? How much was it sold for?”
  +
  +
“Please be calm. The other customer purchased on credit, and did not take away the items. To put it plainly, it was no different from making an order. Personally, I don’t mind giving the items to you instead, Mr. Lawrence. So, let me try negotiating with that customer first. One more thing, I recall that the amount purchased came to about 16,000 Iredo by today’s market value.”
  +
  +
That was equivalent to four hundred Trenni silver coins. If he could only obtain such an amount, it would be a huge step in carrying out his plan.
  +
  +
“I understand. Uhm, the name of the customer is....?”
  +
  +
If Deanna were to say Amati’s name, Lawrence’s plan to save his situation would be obliterated.
  +
  +
Yet, Deanna shook her head lightly, and said in a steady tone:
  +
  +
“I will take the responsibility of negotiating with the other party. For safety reasons, we do not allow those dealing with alchemists to know who their opponents are.”
  +
  +
“B..but....”
  +
  +
“You have any objections?”
  +
  +
A smile that completely lacked the feeling of a smile.
  +
  +
Lawrence, from the standpoint of one requesting help, could only remain silent.
  +
  +
“You call it a battle, which indicates that this isn’t something ordinary, so I’ll do all that I can to help you, and tell you the results of the negotiation as soon as possible. Where would one definitely be able to find you tomorrow?”
  +
  +
“Ah, uhm.....in the marketplace, before the mineral merchant’s vending stand. I should be there at all times before and after the marketplace’s opening time. Or you can contact the wheat merchant Mark. The location of his stand is....”
  +
  +
“I know the spot. I understand. I’ll send someone to inform you as soon as possible.”
  +
  +
“I’m counting on you.”
  +
  +
Lawrence could say no more, so he said only that.
  +
  +
Yet, depending on the results of the negotiation, it was possible that Lawrence would not be able to purchase any pyrite. If he really could not manage to buy any, the consequences would be catastrophic and beyond repair.
  +
  +
Even so, the things Lawrence could say were limited.
  +
  +
“I won’t be stingy about paying a lot of money. Please tell the other party that, as long as he does not make an unreasonable demand, such as two times the market value, I am willing to pay a considerably-large sum.”
  +
  +
After nodding with a smile, Deanna stood up from her chair.
  +
  +
Lawrence understood that it was time for him to take his leave. To suddenly show up uninvited at such a time without meeting with refusal could already be considered a miracle, Lawrence thought to himself.
  +
  +
“I am terribly sorry for coming uninvited at such a late hour,” he said.
  +
  +
“Not at all. I don’t distinguish between night and day.”
  +
  +
Lawrence did not feel like Deanna was joking, but this caused him to loosen up and smile.
  +
  +
“Besides, as long as you can provide an interesting story, it wouldn’t matter even if you stayed the entire night.”
  +
  +
Although Deanna’s words seemed to carry a sense of seduction, Lawrence was sure they had come from the heart.
  +
  +
However, Lawrence had long since told the interesting story he knew.
  +
  +
Instead, a question Lawrence wished to ask suddenly flashed through his mind.
  +
  +
“Is something the matter?” Deanna inquired.
  +
  +
The thought that flashed through his head caused Lawrence to halt in surprise.
  +
  +
He quickly responded with an “It’s nothing” before heading toward the front door.
  +
  +
The question that flashed through his head was so utterly ridiculous it was startling.
  +
  +
“Deliberately acting mysterious on leaving a woman’s home, careful you don’t bring divine retribution upon yourself.”
  +
  +
The words Deanna shot out sounded like those of a prank-loving maiden. Seeing the cheerfully-smiling Deanna, Lawrence could not help but feel that no matter what kind of question he asked, she would reply seriously.
  +
  +
Moreover, this was probably also a question that only Deanna could answer.
  +
  +
Lawrence reached his hand out for the door, and simultaneously turned around to speak:
  +
  +
“I wish to ask you a question.”
  +
  +
“By all means, ask.”
  +
  +
Hearing Deanna’s unhesitant answer, Lawrence cleared his throat once, and asked his question:
  +
  +
“Pagan deities and humans...uh....are there legends of any becoming a pair?”
  +
  +
If Deanna were to ask why he brought up this question, Lawrence would be completely unable to reply.
  +
  +
Even so, Lawrence still wished to ask it, ignoring the risks.
  +
  +
When Horo said in tears that she had become alone, she had mentioned that if she were to have a child, that would make two people.
  +
  +
If something like this could possibly happen, Lawrence wished to pass the information to Horo, so that she could continue to hope.
  +
  +
Hearing such a random, out-of-the-blue question, Deanna appeared somewhat caught off guard. However, she immediately resumed a serious expression.
  +
  +
And replied slowly:
  +
  +
“There are many.”
  +
  +
“Really?”
  +
  +
Lawrence could not help asking jubilantly.
  +
  +
“For instance—ah, are you in a hurry?”
  +
  +
“Ah, y..yes. But, next time....would you be willing to share with me in detail?”
  +
  +
“Of course.”
  +
  +
Luckily, Deanna did not ask the reason for bringing up the question.
  +
  +
Lawrence expressed many earnest thanks, and prepared to leave Deanna’s residence.
  +
  +
In the instant the front door was about to be closed, Deanna seemed to give a soft, brief utterance:
  +
  +
“Good luck.”
  +
  +
Just as Lawrence was getting ready to question, the door was already closed.
  +
  +
Was Deanna aware of the offensive and defensive battle between Lawrence and Amati?
  +
  +
Though Lawrence felt like something was off, he did not have any more time to waste on thinking about it.
  +
  +
What he needed to do next was return to Mark’s vending stand, and then proceed to seeking out others who might be in possession of large quantities of pyrite.
  +
  +
Not only was Lawrence short on time, what was even worse was that he basically had no pyrite on hand.
  +
  +
If this continued, he would not even stand a chance, and would only be able to pray for help from above.
  +
  +
Lawrence thought that even if he had to be forceful, he had to squeeze out the names of people who might possess pyrite from Mark. Then, even if it meant having to provide extra benefits, he needed to purchase the pyrite.
  +
  +
But did running about busily at night on the streets like this really mean he could get a bit closer to Horo? As Lawrence posed himself this question, the answer that surfaced in his mind was filled with uncertainty. [[Image:Okami03_262.jpg|thumb]]
  +
  +
  +
----
  +
  +
  +
  +
Upon arriving back at Mark’s vending stand, Lawrence found Mark drinking at the same table as before, and the boy beside him nibbling on a piece of bread.
  +
  +
Just as Lawrence was thinking, “What a rare sight, having a meal at such an hour,” Mark noticed Lawrence’s arrival, and directed his gaze and words toward him:
  +
  +
“How’d it go?”
  +
  +
“You should be able to tell just by looking at me.”
  +
  +
Lawrence shook both hands lightly, then looked Mark straight in the eye and said:
  +
  +
“I brought it up with Miss Deanna. But, someone’s beaten me to it. I don’t know how things will turn out.”
  +
  +
“Someone beat you to it?”
  +
  +
“As a result, I can only place my hopes on what you told me.”
  +
  +
Because Deanna had expressed her willingness to help, Lawrence predicted that the chances of obtaining the pyrite were about seventy percent.
  +
  +
However, Lawrence felt that acting as if he had nowhere left to turn before Mark would probably carry a greater effect.
  +
  +
In the previous conversation with Mark, Lawrence had already learned that, from a town merchant’s point of view, his request was an unreasonable one.
  +
  +
That being the case, he could only try appealing to Mark’s emotions.
  +
  +
Yet, hearing Lawrence’s words, Mark did not make any response.
  +
  +
“Oh.....about that.”
  +
  +
Such were the words that came out of Mark’s mouth, and Lawrence could clearly hear the blood draining away within his body.
  +
  +
However, Mark immediately gave the boy, who was still chewing on bread, a knock on the head, and thrusting forth his chin said:
  +
  +
“Hurry up and report the results!”
  +
  +
The boy who had just received a knock on the head quickly swallowed the bread and, standing up from the chair made from a leftover piece of log said:
  +
  +
“If it’s to be paid in Trenni silver coins, it’s 370 coins’ worth of...uh...py—”
  +
  +
“You trying to let the whole world know!? That’s how it is.”
  +
  +
Mark quickly surveyed his surroundings once as he covered the boy’s mouth with a thickset palm. If this discussion were accidentally overheard by someone nearby, surely it would cause quite a bit of trouble for Mark.
  +
  +
Yet, Lawrence couldn’t suppress a puzzled expression.
  +
  +
“Paying in Trenni silver coins? Worth 370 coins?” he questioned.
  +
  +
“Haha. Seeing that expression on your face, even I can’t help feeling happy. It’s like this, after you left, I did a bit of thinking.”
  +
  +
Mark removed his hand from the boy’s mouth, and reached directly for the liquor-filled mug. He then said cheerfully:
  +
  +
“Even I would refuse to help you for the sake of upholding my reputation, so I’m assuming the same applies to the other guys. But even I have bought some of that product with the idea of making some side profits, and so of course, the same goes for everyone else. However, the reason I’m able to keep it at the scale of simply making some small side profits is that I don’t have any cash on hand. Theoretically, the value of wheat should be dropping because the people purchasing goods for their return trips haven’t been buying wheat. Even with the price dropping, those who’ve come to peddle wheat are still doing so without any hesitation, which is why I’ve already spent all the cash I had on hand. That being the case.....”
  +
  +
Mark gulped down some liquor, belched in a seemingly comfortable manner, and at the same time continued:
  +
  +
“That being the case, what would those who do have cash on hand do? I simply can’t believe they’d be able resist the urge to make a move. Most likely, they have been buying large quantities quietly, while remaining in the shadows. But to talk about this, I need to bring up the reason I mentioned to you before for not being able to help you. These people are not loners like traveling merchants. Each is a merchant with his own standpoint and bearing on his back the reputation of his store. Naturally, they would’ve been happy about successfully purchasing the merchandise, but now that the price has grown way too high, they’re frustrated over wanting to yet not being able to get rid of the merchandise. Even if they are to sell off a very slight quantity, it would bring a startling amount of profit. To the particularly nervous type, this would probably be even more a matter of concern. I’m sure you who are so intelligent can easily figure out what would follow after that?”
  +
  +
Mark threw out such a question at the end. It wasn’t until a few moments later that Lawrence nodded his head.
  +
  +
Mark must have had the boy run all over the place, spreading the rumor.
  +
  +
“There’s a traveling merchant obsessed with making money who said he was willing to purchase pyrite with cash. What do you think? Why not take advantage of the moment to help him get rid of the pyrite whose price has risen too high and which he has trouble now getting rid of himself,” Mark proposed.
  +
  +
Anyone who heard such a suggestion would undoubtedly consider it a timely rain.
  +
  +
Of course, it was without a doubt that Mark had signed a contract with these people promising a service charge paid to him during a subtle exchange of cash for pyrite.
  +
  +
Making an exchange for pyrite under the pretext of doing the other party a favor, it was the ideal plan.
  +
  +
Yet, to have been able to purchase a quantity worth 370 silver coins using this trick, this meant that there existed within the market a considerably large pressure to sell.
  +
  +
“That’s the way it is. If you’re willing, I’ll send the boy off to take care of it right away,” Mark concluded.
  +
  +
Lawrence had no reason to refuse.
  +
  +
He immediately untied the gunnysack he had been carrying on his back.
  +
  +
“But....”
  +
  +
Lawrence suddenly ceased the movement of his hands.
  +
  +
Mark looked toward Lawrence with a surprised expression.
  +
  +
Lawrence shifted back to reality, and quickly took out a bag of silver coins from the gunnysack, placing it upon the table.
  +
  +
Then, he murmured:
  +
  +
“Sorry.”
  +
  +
Hearing this, Mark sighed with an expression that seemed to say he didn’t know what to do with Lawrence, and said:
  +
  +
“You should be thanking me at such a time, right?”
  +
  +
“Huh? Ah, right. Sor....no.”
  +
  +
Lawrence felt as if he was speaking to Horo. He opened his mouth once more to speak:
  +
  +
“Thank you.”
  +
  +
“Gahahahaha, I didn’t think you were such an interesting guy. Hmm? No, that’s not it.”
  +
  +
Mark received the bag of silver coins from Lawrence’s hands. After confirming the contents with his own eyes, he unfastened the string and passed the bag to the boy. The boy stacked up the coins swiftly, and began counting them.
  +
  +
“I believe you’ve changed,” said Mark.
  +
  +
“....Really?”
  +
  +
“Aye. Rather than being an exceptional merchant, it would probably be more appropriate to say you used to be a totally transparent merchant. Tell the truth, you never did consider me a friend did you?”
  +
  +
Because Mark had successfully read his mind, Lawrence was for a moment completely unable to speak.
  +
  +
Yet, Mark simply laughed cheerfully and continued:
  +
  +
“What about now? In your heart, am I still just a target for a deal, a merchant who’s easy to communicate with?”
  +
  +
Faced with such a direct inquiry from Mark, there was no way Lawrence could nod his head.
  +
  +
Even so, Lawrence felt as if he had been caught within an amazing illusion. He shook his head in such a state of emotion.
  +
  +
“This is precisely the reason why I just can’t quite get used to the life of a town merchant after having spent so much time as a traveling merchant. But there’s one other thing that’s even more interesting.”
  +
  +
Lawrence was uncertain whether it was because he had been drinking or some other reason, but Mark truly appeared to be very happy.
  +
  +
Even though Mark, who was still talking, had trimmed his facial hair into a rectangular shape, his face at that moment appeared as round as a chestnut.
  +
  +
“Let me ask you something. If you were faced with the possibility of having to part with me, would you be running about Kumerson so frantically?” said Mark.
  +
  +
The boy, who lived daily under the power and influence of his master Mark, lifted his head and looked towards the two men one at a time.
  +
  +
Lawrence thought it completely amazing.
  +
  +
Although he already viewed Mark as a friend, if he were to be completely honest in answering the question, he simply could not respond with a nod.
  +
  +
“Hahahaha. That’s alright, I can still hope on the future. Although…”
  +
  +
Mark paused suddenly mid-sentence, then said in a steady tone:
  +
  +
“You’re putting in so much effort for the sake of your companion.”
  +
  +
The instant he heard this, Lawrence felt a burning sensation pass through his throat and slide down into his stomach.
  +
  +
Mark shifted his gaze toward the boy, and said in a somewhat mocking tone:
  +
  +
“This is what a man who’s completely infatuated with a woman looks like. But then again, a branch that’s not flexible enough would not be able to withstand strong winds.”
  +
  +
A year passed alone was not as long as two people passing half a year together (note: I don’t quite agree, but then again I’m just translating what the book says...xD).
  +
  +
That being the case, just how much older was Mark compared to Lawrence?
  +
  +
“You and I are the same. You must be under the traveling merchant’s curse,” said Mark.
  +
  +
“Cu...curse?”
  +
  +
“The fact that you’ve become such an interesting person is probably because the curse is almost broken. Don’t you understand? Did you not end up traveling with your companion out of sheer luck?”
  +
  +
Driving a horse-drawn cart carrying wheat while passing through a village, Horo had hidden herself within that same wheat by chance.
  +
  +
Lawrence felt that his being able to become so close with Horo was nothing less than a fortunate gift from heaven.
  +
  +
“Huhahahaha, I seem to be looking at myself when I first met Adele. You’re under the curse alright, the traveling merchant’s curse.”
  +
  +
Lawrence felt like he finally understood.
  +
  +
Although he felt that Horo was an important existence, he had always tried coolly to maintain a certain distance.
  +
  +
Moreover, as a result of this, Lawrence had ended up not realizing just how much he had become blind to his surroundings because of Horo.
  +
  +
Such a condition was way too disharmonious.
  +
  +
Lawrence had at last discovered the reason.
  +
  +
“The curse you’re referring to is....the infamous ‘traveling merchant’s complaint’ right?” he said.
  +
  +
Mark laughed even harder. Knocking on the head of the boy, who had stopped what he was doing, he said:
  +
  +
“The poet says that money cannot buy love, and the missionary says that there are things more important than money in this world. In that case, why do you suppose that after working our asses off making money, we’re still able to obtain something more important than money?”
  +
  +
The reason Lawrence had sunk into contemplation as he thought about what kind of existence Horo was to him was because she had always been beside him seemingly as a matter of course.
  +
  +
If it were something that Lawrence had obtained after extensive effort and hardship, he would surely not feel so irresolute.
  +
  +
Moreover, Lawrence had always thought that anything “important” must necessarily be obtained through such a difficult process.
  +
  +
''What am I to you?'' Lawrence felt that he could answer that question now.
  +
  +
“Mm, I haven’t said something so moving in a long time. Plus helping you gather information on the northern regions, only collecting ten Rumione from you seems too little,” said Mark.
  +
  +
“If all you just said had been made up on the spot, that would be nothing less than an extortionate profit.”
  +
  +
Hearing Lawrence utter this in an indignant manner, Mark opened his mouth in a silent, tooth-revealing grin. Lawrence responded with a smile.
  +
  +
“I just hope your plan will be able to succeed.”
  +
  +
Lawrence nodded his head. His mood at that moment seemed as clear as a cloudless night sky.
  +
  +
“Although, whoever turns out victorious, how things actually end up will still ultimately depend on your performance…,” Mark added.
  +
  +
“Huh?”
  +
  +
“Nothing,”
  +
  +
said Mark, shaking his head. He gave a signal to the boy, who had finished counting the coins and, like a loyal, model servant, the boy went swiftly to making preparations. Within a few seconds, the boy was already set to leave.
  +
  +
“Alright! Go now.”
  +
  +
Sending off the boy in this manner, Mark turned back to Lawrence and spoke:
  +
  +
“So, where do you plan to sleep tonight?”
  +
  +
“I haven’t decided yet.”
  +
  +
“In that case....”
  +
  +
“No, I’ve decided. May I sleep here tonight?”
  +
  +
His face full of amazement, Mark asked in return:
  +
  +
“Sleep here?”
  +
  +
“Aye. You have gunnysacks for carrying wheat here right? Lend me some.”
  +
  +
“Of course, I can lend you as many as you need. But….come over to my house, I won’t charge you any money.”
  +
  +
“It may bring good luck to do this.”
  +
  +
This was something that many traveling merchants did.
  +
  +
Hearing this, Mark seemed to give up on continuing his invitation.
  +
  +
“Then, I’ll see you here tomorrow at daybreak.”
  +
  +
Lawrence nodded in response, and Mark raised his mug to say:
  +
  +
“How about toasting a prayer for a dream come true?”
  +
  +
Of course, Lawrence had no reason to refuse.
   
   

Revision as of 22:20, 22 September 2008

Esta traducción ha sido realizada a partir de la versión inglesa de esta misma página (enlace) realizada por Judgment26.

Estado

Empezado por Clead DE. HeavenHell 20:04 22/09/08

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Capítulo 4

After stepping onto the street, Lawrence discovered that there wasn’t any place for him to be.

The developments of the festival after sunset were completely opposite from the day’s activities, being completely devoid of the latter’s happy atmosphere.

Not to mention the makeup-wearing paraders, even the puppets made of wheat or wood were each armed with weapons and battling non-stop. As for the giant puppets that could not be armed with weapons, they were brought into the fight as weapons themselves.

As angry cries sounded, the giant wheat puppets crashed into one another. Every time debris flew out, the sound of cheers would follow. The instruments surrounding the site played turbulently, not losing at all to the wild atmosphere of the battle, and the black-clad people were given the responsibility of singing a chilling battle hymn.

Lawrence avoided the crowds and headed north. The clamor turned over and over in his head, which he could hardly bear.

Despite walking continuously along the long street, the clamorous atmosphere was still present, giving Lawrence the impression that the din would never cease. Lawrence continued to endure the torture of the noise, his spirits being gnawed away slowly as if under a witch’s curse, and at the same moment, the series of interactions with Horo that had occurred just before surfaced in his mind. Lawrence saw himself standing before Horo, and the sight of himself being so hopelessly useless made him want to scream out in agony, but he held it in forcefully.

Because Lawrence still retained some reason at least, he told himself that if he possessed the energy to scream, why not put that energy and strength into improving the situation.

Yet, after a rational analysis, Lawrence found that the current situation yielded no possibilities whatsoever.

Given Horo’s current state, perhaps she just might accept Amati’s proposal. Because in this battle where effortless gains could be made through the rising prices, Amati might have been the first merchant to become involved, so he had most likely already made a considerable amount of profit.

If Lawrence did not think of something fast, perhaps Amati would not even wait till sunset the next day to bring out all his money and declare the contract complete.

When Lawrence made such a claim he knew he was not being overly pessimistic.

“........”

Lawrence felt as if his stomach had been seized by a sense of anxiety, and could not suppress a sound similar to a whimper.

He gazed upward at the dark sky, and covered his eyes.

If Lawrence could not stop Amati from continuing to make huge profits, he could only return to the inn and try to make up with Horo.

Yet, it was clear to see that making up with Horo right now was even more difficult than stopping Amati from making a huge profit.

What am I to you? Horo’s question had inevitably caused Lawrence to sink into contemplation on the spot.

Even now, after quite some time had passed, Lawrence still could not answer this question.

Lawrence indeed wished very much to be able to travel with Horo, and the idea that Horo would really marry Amati filled his heart with anxiety.

Yet, after regurgitating all that had come to pass just now like a cow, what emerged from his heart was a sour feeling even more intense than stomach acid, causing his face to contort involuntarily.

Within his heart, Lawrence seriously saw Horo as an important existence, but on being asked what kind of existence that was, he could not give a clear answer.

Lawrence massaged his cheeks, trying to forcefully loosen his stiffened face.

How could something like this have happened?

Thinking back on it now, the joyous and bustling festival atmosphere seemed but a dream. Surely even the almighty God could not have anticipated such a reversal in the course of a just a few short hours (note: I have to disagree...but whatever).

Ahead and within his line of sight, Lawrence could see a procession of paraders sword dancing as they moved along the street. The totally changed parading procession gave off a savage and ominous air, completely devoid of the reveling atmosphere during the day. Lawrence felt that this was just like his current relationship with Horo, and could not help turning away and quickening his pace.

Lawrence regretted having left the letter on the desk. He felt as if all of this would never have happened if he had not left the letter behind. If he had found a good opportunity to explain everything to her, surely the quick-witted Horo would not have lost her senses like that.

Moreover, Horo’s words had pointed out Lawrence’s selfishness and lack of resolve. Even if he were to return to Horo in a nonchalant manner, Lawrence did not feel that he would be able to have a good talk with her.

Yet in the end, Lawrence was still unable to come up with a good solution. Unconsciously, he had made his way to Kumerson’s lonely northern district.

Because he had been walking very slowly, it took him a considerable amount of time to arrive here, but he had not noticed at all.

Even though the town’s atmosphere gave one the impression that every corner was stuffed with people, this was, after all, the northern district. Even on the main streets, the pedestrians were few in number. The marching processions did not seem to come by these parts.

Within such stillness, Lawrence was finally able to calm down and take a few good deep breaths. He turned around, and once again set his mind to thinking as he walked slowly on. First off-

At this point, it was impossible to get Horo to calm down and listen to him through mere sincerity. Besides, even he didn’t possess the confidence to be able to look Horo in the eye.

As such, putting aside whether or not he would be able to make up with Horo, at least he could not allow her to have a good reason to leave and throw herself into Amati’s embrace.

As long as Amati could not come up with the thousand silver coins, Horo would still be tied down by the fetters of debt. Although he still could not say whether Horo would be willing to listen to him and stay by his side, at least he could use debt as a means to justify his reasoning.

Having thought of this, Lawrence felt that it was still necessary to plan towards preventing Amati from completing the contract.

Under the peculiar atmosphere of the festival, it could be said that the price of pyrite was exhibiting an abnormal increase. According to Mark’s prediction, the price would continue to go up. Although Lawrence did not know how much pyrite Amati had on hand or how much money he had made, he had heard that current value of pyrite was several times to several tens of times greater than its import price, so if Amati had invested enough money in the trade, he might have already made a thousand silver coins by now.

However, on this point, the fortunate thing was that pyrite was not a mineral that was mined in large quantities.

Okami03 197.jpg

Even if the profit were several times or even several tens of times greater than the import price, not much money could be made if the invested sum was too low.

Of course, Amati did not necessarily need to rely on pyrite to make the one thousand silver coins, but such an idea was simply self-consolation (note: if that doesn’t seem to make much sense, then you and I are in agreement. This is possibly an error in the Chinese translation. The way I interpret it is that Lawrence is still considering the very unlikely possibility that Amati isn’t taking advantage of the rising pyrite prices to make money, though at the same time he realizes that this is nearly impossible.)(DissmalScientist: It sounds to me like Lawrence is pointing out that Amati has other sources of income).

Whatever the case, it was absolutely necessary to prevent Amati from continuing to make huge profits. Perhaps it would be even more appropriate to say it was necessary to cause him to suffer losses, because if Amati were to bring out his entire fortune along with the resolve to complete the contract regardless of whether or not it would affect his future business, then it was quite possible for him to gather the thousand silver coins.

However, if it was difficult to prevent Amati from making further profit, it was even more important to make him suffer losses.

Dealing with Amati with a frontal assault was absolutely impossible. As a result of the rising price of pyrite, Amati was clearly able to make huge gains, so there was no need for him to pretend anything.

If there were no reason for him to pretend, then he would not fall for some petty trick.

What was to be done then...?

After turning these thoughts over and over in his head countless times, Lawrence still ran into the same problem. Suddenly he looked to the side and said:

“Aie, Ho-”

Even though Lawrence was able to stop himself before saying “ro,” alleviating his situation somewhat, ultimately he was unable to avoid the odd glance of a man dressed like a craftsman who was just passing by.

Once again Lawrence could feel just how enormous the little figure who was always by his side wearing an arrogant smile had come to be.

He could not help wondering how he had ever managed to pass so many years alone in the past.

If it were Horo, perhaps she would help come up with a good solution. Even if she did not come up with a good plan, she would probably be able to provide some kind of hint at least.

Lawrence realized that, since some time unbeknownst to him, he had built up such a dependency on Horo.

What am I to you?

Seeing himself like this, Lawrence could not give a confident reply to that question at all.

In that case, Lawrence should be asking:

“If it were Horo, how would she think about this?”

Of course, Lawrence did not think that he could copy Horo’s incredible logical thinking perfectly.

Even so, Lawrence was still a merchant after all.

As soon as a merchant came upon some unfamiliar formulation, it was his job to make the formulation his own by the very next day, in order to continue surpassing his competitors.

The essence of Horo’s thinking was seeing every little detail of a whole situation.

Moreover, faced with a situation like the present one, Horo would not make any divisions,but rather analyze the situation from every possible angle without omitting a single detail.

This kind of thinking appeared simple, but was actually very difficult in practice. Sometimes an idea that appeared to have come straight out of the blue in fact possessed a very natural quality (note: natural as in “of course, why didn’t I think of that before?”).

Amati was able to make a profit out of the increasing price of pyrite. What way was there to make him suffer a big loss?

Of all the possible methods, what was the simplest and most difficult one to conceive?

Lawrence began to think.

He contemplated with a mind unrestrained by a merchant’s common sense.

With that, there was only one answer that he could think of.

“All that’s needed is for the value of pyrite to depreciate.”

After saying this out loud, Lawrence laughed with an extremely foolish look on his face.

He was making fun of himself for only being able to come so far in trying to imitate Horo.

If it were really possible for the price of pyrite to depreciate, that would of course be good reason for him to shout for joy.

Yet, the market value of pyrite was rising steadily, showing no signs at all of falling. In any case, the rise in pyrite value was already beyond the realm of ten times or twenty times. The value of pyrite would continue to climb up, and-

“And?”

Lawrence paused in his tracks, having realized something important.

“Ten times? Twenty times? In that case… thirty times would come next? And what about after that?”

Lawrence felt as if he could see Horo laughing at him through her nose.

The price of pyrite could not possibly rise indefinitely. There was a rule in this kind of popular business, and the rule was that the moment of collapse would come sooner or later.

Lawrence almost let out a whimper-like cry, hastily covering his mouth and swallowing the sound back in.

If that were true, then there were two points that needed to be considered.

The first was when this moment of collapse would arrive, and the second, whether it was possible to cause Amati to fall in.

Lawrence, who still had a hand over his mouth, contemplated this as he continued to walk.

Even if the price of pyrite were to crash, would Amati really fall into the storm of collapse and allow himself to suffer such great losses so carelessly, without taking any kind of action? Lawrence did not think so, because that would be gravely underestimating Amati.

What this meant was, Lawrence needed to do a bit of work in that area. As long as he was able to substantiate the problem, Lawrence believed that his intellect did not lose to Horo’s.

The ideal deal (note: not the most graceful use of language I admit…><) began to surface in Lawrence’s mind, and a cold and heavy feeling settled at the bottom of his heart, a familiar feeling that Lawrence had experienced many times before. This feeling was not based on reason, but was rather an instinct that foretold of the coming decisive battle.

Lawrence took a deep breath, and began contemplating the most important point, which was at what point the crash would occur.

It needn’t be said that the market value of pyrite would not go on increasing abnormally forever, but the question was, when would it start to drop? Moreover, Lawrence had no idea whether it was possible for the drop to occur before the contract deadline arranged between him and Amati, in other words, before sunset the next day.

Even a fortuneteller would probably be unable to foretell the moment of the crash. Besides the almighty God, no one could predict that.

However, an image formed before Lawrence’s eyes, the image of villagers of a large wheat-producing region attempting to use the power of humans to complete a task that had long been controlled by the gods.

Rather than wait around anxiously for the gods to determine the moment of the crash, why not make a decision for them instead?

Just as this wildly arrogant idea surfaced in Lawrence’s mind, the sound of cheers came from the distance, and he lifted his gaze.

Unconsciously, Lawrence had already walked a great distance, arriving once again at the intersection at the center of town.

The wheat puppets at the intersection crashed into one another along with the sound of angry roars. With every collision, pieces of wheat broken off during the crash would fly out and fall to the ground, arousing a wave of cheers. The sight was almost like a real battlefield.

Overwhelmed by such a spirit, Lawrence could not help throwing aside the plan that he had been turning over in his head to watch the festival for quite some time. He suddenly noticed something, and returned to his senses.

In that moment, Lawrence could even feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Amati.

The figure of Amati appeared before his eyes.

To run into Amati so coincidentally among such a huge crowd of people, could this possibly be a joke from God? Lawrence immediately threw away such an idea, realizing that this must have some kind of significance, even if it were in fact a coincidence.

Lawrence was standing right in the center of Kumerson.

That was the intersection of the main streets leading north, south, east, and west.

Amati was walking with his back to the inn where Horo was.

Then, Amati stopped in his tracks, and gradually turned his head.

For a moment, Lawrence thought Amati was looking in his direction, but Amati did not notice him at all.

Lawrence immediately followed the direction of Amati’s gaze with his own eyes.

He of course knew where Amati’s gaze was directed.

However, he simply had to know what Amati saw.

The place Amati had turned back and looked towards after walking off slowly.

At the second-floor window of the inn facing the main street, the sight of Horo with the scarf wound about her neck appeared.

Lawrence felt a wave of anxiety like an abdominal pain, a fretfulness nearing anger surround his stomach, giving him a feeling of particular bitterness.

As if it gave her much warmth, Horo moved her mouth close to the scarf, and nodded her head lightly.

On the other hand, Amati pressed a hand to his chest, like a religious knight bearing absolute faith in his goddess.

Lawrence did not know whether Horo had invited Amati into her room, or Amati had shamelessly barged in.

However, based on the ways things looked right now, Lawrence did not have much optimistic evidence to overrule his heart’s suspicions.

After that, Amati immediately turned about and made off with his back to the inn. Seeing Amati leaving hurriedly with his body leaning forward slightly as if running away from something, Lawrence’s suspicions only grew deeper.

In the blink of an eye, Amati’s form had disappeared amongst the crowds, and Lawrence shifted his gaze back toward the inn room.

And then, he inhaled sharply.

Because he was sure that Horo was looking in his direction.

Since even Lawrence was able to discover Amati amongst the crowd, there was no reason to believe that the sharp-sighted Horo would not be able to discover Lawrence within the same crowd.

Yet, Horo did not turn away immediately. Of course, she did not smile either, but simply gazed at Lawrence.

After an uncertain amount of time had gone by, just as Lawrence was about to let out the breath he had inhaled, Horo suddenly moved away from the window.

If Horo had simply closed the window then, Lawrence would perhaps have lost his motivation.

Yet, even though Horo had left the window side, she did not close the window, but left it wide open instead.

The wooden window seemed to possess an attraction that pulled on Lawrence’s feet, causing him to walk in the direction of the inn.

Lawrence was of course not so naïve as to believe that Horo and Amati had simply talked through the window.

Due to the fact that Horo was not a simple city girl, and because Amati’s feelings for Horo were just then in a state that was anything but level-headed, Lawrence of course had good reason to believe that the two must have discussed something within the room.

Even so, Horo had not appeared flustered or surprised, but had only gazed quietly at Lawrence. This was because Horo had not done anything that Lawrence could not know about.

What this meant, then, was that Horo was intentionally provoking Lawrence.

And what man was there in this world who could remain perfectly unmoved when provoked?

Lawrence recalled the conversation he had had with Horo in Rubinhagen. He felt that Horo would definitely understand if he simply revealed his honest thoughts.

Lawrence made his resolve from the bottom of his heart as he moved towards the inn.



As soon as Lawrence opened the front door of the inn, the cheerful scene of a feast met his eyes.

Each table was filled with all sorts of different foods. The people there conversed or sang as they indulged in drink.

The thought that he and Horo should have been sitting happily at one of these tables caused Lawrence to sigh involuntarily despite being a merchant who took pride in not having the word “regret” in his dictionary.

However, there must have been a chance to reverse the situation. If Horo held a completely rejecting attitude, she should have closed the window.

Lawrence held such a confidence as he stepped onto the staircase leading to the second floor next to the bar counter.

The moment Lawrence stepped onto the staircase, someone called out to him.

“Mr. Lawrence.”

Lawrence, who was not particularly calm inside to begin with, looked back in surprise, and the one who had spoken appeared startled as well.

The innkeeper who had called Lawrence, was leaning out slightly from the bar counter and blinking continually.

“...Sorry. What is it?” asked Lawrence.

“Ah, it’s like this, I have been asked to pass this letter on to you, Mr. Lawrence.”

Hearing the word “letter,” Lawrence could not help feeling a wave of apprehension in his chest. He coughed once to calm himself back down.

Lawrence walked down the steps, approached the counter and received the letter from the innkeeper’s hand.

“Who was this letter sent by?”

“It was your companion, delivered just now.”

Lawrence’s expression did not change one bit, which made him want to praise himself.

It went without saying that the man, as innkeeper, had knowledge of all the guests staying at the inn as well as anyone entering or leaving.

After Lawrence had gone out alone leaving Horo at the inn, Amati had paid her a visit in his absence, and Horo who had received the visit chose not to speak directly to Lawrence, but passed the message to Lawrence via letter instead.

If the innkeeper, seeing such an interaction between the two, did not suspect anything odd at all, that would truly be remarkable.

Yet, the innkeeper was looking at Lawrence with an expression that seemed to say he knew nothing at all.

Town merchants possessed deep lateral connections.

Lawrence felt that rumors would be sure to spread immediately if he did not behave in a somewhat dignified manner.

“May I borrow some light?”

Lawrence did his very best to speak with a calm tone. Hearing this, the innkeeper nodded lightly and took a silver candle stand from behind him.

Not using animal fat, Lawrence could not help worrying that the apprehensive spirit hidden under his outer mask would be revealed under the intense light of the candle.

In his heart, Lawrence laughed coldly at himself for having such thoughts. Pulling out the knife sheathed at his waist, he carefully peeled away the wax on the letter.

Although the innkeeper moved quite some distance away as if to indicate that he would not peek rudely at the letter’s contents, Lawrence still felt the innkeeper glance in his direction every now and then.

Lawrence gave a light cough before opening the letter and taking out its contents.

The envelope contained a piece of sheepskin paper, along with a normal sheet of paper.

Lawrence could feel his heart beating hard, but if he hesitated now, it would mean that he distrusted Horo.

Concerning the possibilities, it would not be surprising even if the letter’s contents called for reconciliation.

Slowly, Lawrence opened the folded paper, and a few grains of sand fell from the paper as he did so.

Lawrence guessed that the grains of sand were used to quickly dry off the ink, which also led him to the conclusion that Horo had just finished writing the letter not long before.

Was it a breakup letter, or a reconciliatory one?

The words on the letter jumped out at Lawrence’s eyes.

Two hundred silver coins in cash, approximately three hundred silver coins worth of pyrite on hand. Property that can be sold off...

Seeing such a direct description with no introductory words whatsoever, Lawrence lifted his head in amazement.

Cash? Pyrite?

Lawrence had originally expected words that would seemingly allow him to hear Horo’s voice speaking written in the letter, but what was actually there was merely a cold, unsympathetic sequence of words.

Even so, Lawrence directed his sights to the paper once again. Its content caused him to grit his teeth involuntarily.

...Three hundred silver coins worth of pyrite on hand. Property that can be sold off worth approximately two hundred silver coins.

There was no need for Lawrence to rack his brains to know that this was a list of Amati’s fortunes.

Just like a solid piece of bread that had been sprinkled with hot water, Lawrence felt all the strength in his body drain away slowly.

Horo had invited Amati into the room in order to obtain this information from his own mouth.

If this were really true, Horo must have done so for Lawrence’s sake.

This was roundabout reconciliatory letter from Horo.

Even though a smile surfaced involuntarily on his face, Lawrence had not the slightest intention of hiding it.

In addition, the line The above was written in my place by someone else was written at the very end of the verbal description.

There were many who could read yet could not write. After obtaining this information, Horo must have used going to the washroom as an excuse to leave the room, and then requested a passing merchant’s help in writing down these contents. Because Lawrence had seen Amati’s writing on the contract, he was sure that this handwriting did not belong to Amati.

Lawrence carefully refolded the letter hiding a value well beyond a thousand gold pieces and placed it back in his bosom. He then picked up the sheet of sheepskin paper.

Perhaps Horo had used some kind of trick to deceive Amati into signing a contract of startling content, Lawrence thought to himself.

In his mind, the image of the proud and satisfied figure of Amati who had just met privately with Horo surfaced.

—Horo does want to travel with me—

Lawrence was intoxicated with such a sense of security and superiority as he unfolded the sheepskin paper without the least bit of hesitation.

In the name of God...

The handwriting on the sheepskin paper had a powerful, dignified appearance. No doubt about it, this was Amati’s handwriting.

Lawrence did the best he could to keep his anxious mood in check, and continued reading.

His gaze followed the first line, the second line, the third line...

And then—

The two, under the above declaration, will become formally married.

The moment Lawrence finished reading the entire sentence, he felt as if the world had begun to spin.

“.....Huh?”

Lawrence murmured. The utterance felt like it had come from a great distance.

Despite having closed his eyes, he could still clearly see the contents of the document he had just read.

A marriage certificate.

On the marriage certificate declared with God as witness was written the names of fishmonger Fermi Amati and Horo.

The spot for the signature of Horo’s custodian remained blank.

However, as soon as the name of the custodian was filled in the blank spot and the document stamped and sent to any town church, Amati and Horo would be able to become formally wed.

Horo’s name was written in an ugly hand.

One could tell in a single glance that the words were written by someone who knew not how to write but was simply imitating.

Before Lawrence’s eyes, the image of Horo watching Amati setting down the words as she clumsily signed her own name on the certificate appeared.

Lawrence took out the letter with a hidden value greater than a thousand gold pieces that he had tucked into his bosom, unfolded the paper and reread its contents.

What was written on the letter was surely a list of Amati’s property, because the numbers indicated were not unrealistic amounts, but sums that Amati quite possibly possessed.

However, Horo asking for the sum of money that the property amounted to was not in order to help Lawrence, but to inform him of just how harsh the current situation was.

Why would Horo do such a thing? Lawrence felt foolish for even having such a question.

Viewed along with the marriage certificate, the answer was readily apparent.

Amati was only a step away from completing his contract with Lawrence, and Horo was planning on leaving Lawrence.

Lawrence and Horo had originally come together by chance.

Despite being young, reckless, straightforward but successful and totally in love with himself, perhaps Horo considered such an Amati to be a suitable new companion.

Lawrence could not find any evidence that could overturn such an argument.

Even if Lawrence were to clutch the certificate tightly, run to the second floor and ask Horo not to marry, surely he would be easily repelled by Horo, whose skill was top-notch.

In that case, Lawrence had no choice but to persevere in his resolve.

The fact that Horo would reveal Amati’s list of property was undoubtedly to indicate to Lawrence that if could successfully defeat Amati, she would be willing to listen to his explanation. On the other hand, it also meant that if he could not manage to do so, there would be no room for discussion.

There is indeed a way to defeat Amati. Relax, there is hope yet.

Telling himself this, Lawrence quickly put away the letter and marriage certificate, and looking toward the innkeeper said:

“Please take out all the cash I have stored up here.”

From Lawrence’s point of view, traveling with Horo was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.



It was possible to render Amati penniless without breaking the law.

However, the problem was whether Amati would be willing to accept a deal that held such a possibility.

According to Lawrence’s prediction, it was very possible that Amati was not familiar with the type of deal he was planning to propose. This was not because Lawrence looked down on Amati, but because Amati would not encounter such a deal in his line of business.

Faced with an unfamiliar deal, it was natural that no one would accept.

Plus there was the fact that the one proposing the deal was Lawrence, fit to be called Amati’s nemesis.

As such, the odds of Amati accepting the deal were one to nine at best. Even if it were through methods of incitement or provocation, Lawrence needed to get Amati to accept the deal somehow.

Moreover, even if it appeared to be a normal deal on the surface, Amati was sure to notice that the contents of the proposed deal were completely antagonistic.

That being the case, Lawrence could appropriately employ a provoking attitude when facing Amati. This was not a business talk, because Lawrence was not thinking of making money at all.

When a merchant began considering things other than the profits and losses of business, it already counted as a loss. However, Lawrence had long since thrown away such a rational idea.

After inquiring from the innkeeper of the possible bars at which Amati could be spending time, Lawrence began searching them one by one, finally finding Amati in the fourth. In spite of the fervent festival atmosphere that filled the streets outside, Amati drank alone in the quiet bar.

Amati’s face appeared somewhat fatigued, perhaps because his tenseness had dissipated after accomplishing the fortunate and important mission of signing the marriage certificate with Horo, or perhaps because he had not yet gathered all of the thousand silver coins.

However, Lawrence did not care one bit about Amati’s inner state.

A deal could not always be conducted under circumstances of perfect preparedness. During such times, in order to allow the deal to proceed smoothly, the merchant had to depend on his own ability.

Besides, Lawrence was unwilling to wait until the next day, lest negotiations became even more difficult.

Because the deal Lawrence planned to propose just happened to be the type that absolutely did not permit delay.

After taking a deep breath, Lawrence walked into Amati’s scope of vision before Amati noticed him.

“Ah....”

“Good evening,” said Lawrence.

Amati did not seem to believe naively that meeting the disagreeable Lawrence here was a matter of sheer coincidence.

Although Amati was stunned speechless, he had recovered his fishmonger expression after just a few seconds.

“You need not be so on guard. I am here to talk business.”

The fact that Lawrence was able to reveal a light smile on his face surprised even himself. Yet Amati, hearing this, replied with a very un-amused expression:

“If you are here to talk business, then that is all the more reason to be on guard.”

“Ha ha, indeed. Then, would you mind sparing a moment?”

Amati nodded his head, and Lawrence sat down at the same table. To the somewhat annoyed-looking bar owner who had come to take his order, Lawrence only uttered a simple, “Wine.”

In spite of having a maiden-like, slender body, the opponent sitting face to face with him was a fishmonger who had left his household and come to this place alone, and whose success was within sight. Lawrence reminded himself not to be fooled by his youngster-like appearance, and not to drop his guard.

At the same time, it was even more important not to allow the opponent to keep his guard up.

Lawrence cleared his throat once, very naturally, and looked around a bit before opening his mouth to speak:

“It is quiet here. This is a good place.”

“You cannot drink quietly in any of the other bars. This place is hard to come by.”

Hearing this, Lawrence could not help but wonder if “Now my peace has been disturbed by this disagreeable guy” was implied within Amati’s words.

Yet, even Lawrence wanted to finish the discussion as quickly as possible.

“So, you must be quite surprised that I would suddenly bring up the subject of business with you. However, you have surprised me yourself in your own way, so that makes us even.”

Lawrence did not know what kind of sweet talk Amati had spoken to Horo to win her favor and get her to sign the marriage certificate. No matter how impulsive Horo was, Lawrence did not believe that she would have had the desire to sign the certificate.

If that were the case, it meant that Horo must have done so under Amati’s instigation.

However, Lawrence did not have any right to blame Horo.

The one who had allowed Amati into the room was Horo, and the one who had caused such a situation in the first place was Lawrence.

Although Lawrence did not know how Amati had successfully persuaded Horo, he raised his right hand and stopped Amati, who was just then preparing to open his mouth to explain this very incident.

“No, I am not here to discuss that incident. However, that incident indeed forms the reason for my coming here to bring up business with you. I do not plan to pursue that matter any further. After all, what decision to make concerning all this is all Horo’s own free will.”

Amati stared at Lawrence, a hint of anger showing up on his face, then nodded his head lightly.

Although Amati’s eyes revealed that he still held suspicions toward Lawrence’s words, Lawrence did not plan to make any further explanation to undo his doubts.

That was because what Lawrence needed to say next was even more a cause for suspicion.

“However, it was that incident after all that caused me to think of this business, so I dare not say that this can constitute a normal deal,” he said.

“What exactly are you planning?”

Amati cut straight to the point.

Yet, Lawrence did not cower at all, but continued:

“I’ll just cut to the chase. I wish to sell you pyrite.”

In that moment, Amati’s blue eyes, which had been fixed on Lawrence, trailed off toward some unknown direction in the distance.

“Huh?”

“I wish to sell you pyrite. According to the current market value, approximately five hundred Trenni silver coins’ worth of pyrite.”

Amati, whose mouth was half agape, brought his eyes’ focus back from afar, laughed lightly and said with a sigh:

“Please do not joke around.”

“I am not joking.”

Amati instantly retracted his smile, looking at Lawrence with eyes almost wrathful.

“You should be aware that I have made a considerable amount of money reselling pyrite. Knowing this, you say you wish to sell me pyrite? The larger the amount on hand, the more money to be made, I simply cannot believe that you would do such a thing. Or is it that—”

Amati paused momentarily, then spoke, his eyes truly emanating a wrathful emotion:

“Rumor has it that as long as you can get back the owed amount, you would not care in the least how Miss Horo ends up, could this be true?”

Amati’s utterance made it instantly clear to Lawrence what Horo had said, as well as what Amati was thinking.

From Amati emanated the bold nature of a knight, somewhat irritating for Lawrence to behold.

“No. To me, Horo is a very important existence,” said Lawrence.

“In that case, how could—”

“Of course, I will not sell it to you so simply.”

If it were an auction in which malevolent words were thrown around among opponents, perhaps Amati would be more proficient in handling the situation, but in a one-on-one business talk, Lawrence was fully confident that he did not lose to Amati.

Lawrence had grasped the pace of Amati’s talk, and was controlling the conversation so as to turn the situation in his own favor.

Lawrence spoke his premeditated lines in an extremely cool voice:

“I wish to sell on credit.”

Possibly due to having heard an unfamiliar term, Amati asked in response:

“Selling.....on credit?”

“Precisely.”

“What exactly is.....”

“What I mean is, I wish to sell you five hundred Trenni silver coins’ worth of pyrite tomorrow evening according to its current market value.”

Whenever Horo bragged about her sharp sense of hearing, she would always say that she could even hear the sound produced during a frown (note: referring to the sound of the furrowing brow), and now Lawrence felt as if he were able to hear that very sound.


It was apparent, then, that Amati’s expression clearly expressed how confused he was by all this.

“In that case, just talk to me about this tomorrow evening...” He said.

“No, I wish to receive the payment right now.”

Amati’s expression grew even more bewildered.

Unless Amati possessed acting skills on par with Horo’s, it was clear that he had no knowledge concerning the act of selling on credit.

If a merchant lacked information, it was like going onto a battlefield blindfolded.

Lawrence stretched the bowstring tight and prepared to shoot off the arrow.

“In other words, I will accept five hundred silver coins from you, Mr. Amati, here and now, and give you tomorrow evening the amount of pyrite equivalent to five hundred silver coins at this moment in time.”

Amati thought hard on this. On the surface, selling on credit was not a difficult concept to understand.

Not long had passed before Amati seemed to have come to an understanding about the way selling on credit worked.

“What this means is that, when tomorrow evening arrives, even if the market value of pyrite is higher than its current value, I will still be able to receive the amount of pyrite calculated according to the current value, correct?” He said.

“Precisely. For instance, if I were to sell you a piece of pyrite worth 1200 Iredo on credit, I would collect the 1200 Iredo from you right now. When tomorrow evening arrives, even if its value has risen to two thousand Iredo, I would still have to give you the piece of pyrite.”

“.....On the other hand, even if the value has dropped to only two hundred Iredo by tomorrow evening, I would still only be able to receive one piece of pyrite, correct?”

“It is just as you said.”

Amati’s reaction speed was indeed quick.

Yet, Lawrence still worried whether Amati would be able to discover the meaning of this deal.

Thinking about it in a simple manner, selling on credit was no different from selling off the product on hand on the spot.

Once the product on hand had been sold, if the product’s value were to increase, it would cause regret over having sold too early, and if its value were to drop, it would bring relief over having already sold it.

Yet, the difference in time between the money transaction and the product transaction was a decisive one.

This difference was exactly what Lawrence wished Amati to realize.

If Amati were not able to realize this, the odds of his refusing the deal would be extremely high.

Amati opened his mouth:

“This really isn’t any different from a regular business deal, is it?”

Amati did not get it.

Lawrence controlled his vexed emotion. In order to get Amati to understand, he prepared to deliver a guiding explanation.

At that moment, Amati stopped him short.

“No, there should be a difference.”

Amati smiled in satisfaction. His youngster-like face transformed into that of a merchant, which responded only to profits and losses.

“You are still hoping to gain some profit from this business in which you have become involved a step late, am I right?”

It appeared that Lawrence did not need to make any further explanation.

A merchant would not make a meaningless deal. If, at a glance, a deal appeared to be meaningless, it meant that the observer lacked a full understanding.

“If buying on credit is a way of obtaining a product without the appropriate funds on hand, then this selling on credit is a way of selling a product and obtaining cash without actually having the product on hand. If buying on credit yields profit when some product on hand rises in price, then when one is selling on credit, if the value of cash were to rise, a profit would be made. In other words, a drop in the price of the item sold would bring a profit,” Amati continued.

Moreover, when conducting the deal, not having the product in question on hand did not constitute a problem at all.

Because this was a deal conducted under the promise of delivering the product at a later point in time.

“Ha ha, this is something new. Being just involved in fish-related deals has rendered me ignorant of just how large the world is. You chose me as the target for this deal because… no, the reason seems obvious without anything said concerning the matter. If I purchase an additional five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite from you, as the price rises, my profit will of course increase accordingly, but when the price drops, my losses will increase as well. When the time comes for you to earn a profit, that is also the time when I will be suffering losses.”

Amati thrust out his chest, his expression full of confidence.

Lawrence, on the other hand, could feel his own face becoming completely devoid of expression.

The hand pulling on the bowstring trembled tensely.

Amati continued to speak:

“What this means is.....”

Lawrence was a step ahead, releasing the arrow:

“Mr. Amati, I am challenging you to a battle.”

The corners of the fishmonger’s mouth curled upward.

That smile was certainly one befitting a merchant.

“This cannot really count as a battle can it?”

Yet, the words that came out of the merchant’s mouth were such.

“A so-called ‘battle’ is supposed to proceed under the condition that both sides possess equal odds, and this deal is not equal at all. I do not suppose that you, Mr. Lawrence, are saying that this selling on credit has meaning only between you and me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You do not plan to conduct the deal without signing a certificate do you? What I mean is, can this certificate be passed on to someone else?”

Except in very remote areas, deals related to debt and crediting rights were commonly conducted.

Of course, certificates for selling on credit were no exception.

“If I were to propose a deal with such limited freedom, surely you would not be willing to accept? Would not the risk be too great then?” said Lawrence.

“Indeed. Even if the price of pyrite were really to drop tomorrow evening as you, Mr. Lawrence have predicted, as long as its value reaches the amount I need sometime during the day, I will sell the pyrite. If I were to be restricted from selling at that time, I would have doubts over whether or not to accept the deal. However, if you are willing to accept this point, then this would not count as a deal in which the odds are equally favorable.”

Lawrence listened in silence. Amati continued to speak:

“That would be too unfair to you, Mr. Lawrence, since only a slight increase in the price is required for me to reach my goal. However, in order to protect my own interests, I would also not be willing to accept a deal that is in your favor.”

In other words, regardless of the conditions, Amati was not willing to accept the deal.

Yet, a merchant would not simply give up on a deal over a single refusal.

Lawrence said steadily:

“If you were to look only at this deal, what you have said is perhaps correct. However, if you were to widen your perspective a little, such a level of unfairness is actually just right.”

“.....Your meaning is…?

“What I mean is, it is quite possible for Horo to tear up the marriage certificate. You have a copy as well right?”

Amati looked at Lawrence in stupefaction.

“Even if you were to pay me the thousand silver coins’ worth of debt, you still cannot avoid the risk of Horo shaking her head in refusal and consequently achieving nothing at all. Compared to the risk you face, the little bit of unfairness I face is insignificant,” Lawrence continued.

Even so, a smile immediately crossed Amati’s face, and he countered with a puff of his nose:

“Ha! I doubt you need to worry about that. I heard the two of you had a huge fight.”

Lawrence could feel the heat swelling up from his body, as if his back had been punctured by a red-hot iron rod. Even so, he summoned up all his strength and experience as a merchant, counter-attacking before the churning emotions could show up on his face:

“During our travels, Horo has cried three times in my arms.”

Lawrence having said this, Amati became the first to show emotion on his face.

Amati’s face, which was carrying a faint smile, froze on the spot. Slowly, he began making the sound of long and thin, deep breaths.

“Although Horo is very cute when she is crying, it is a shame that her personality is so stubborn and unyielding. She often takes actions that are contrary to her true feelings. In other words—”

“I accept the deal!”

Amati forcefully cut off Lawrence’s speech, his expression like that of a knight who had accepted a challenge.

“I accept your proposed deal!”

“Is that really alright?”

“Say no more, I accept! I was... I was worrying that if I were to take away everything from you, that would be overly harsh, hence what I said before. However, since you yourself have pushed so hard, I accept. In fact, I will also take away your fortune and everything you have.”

Amati’s face was crimson with fury.

How could Lawrence not smile at such a time?

Lawrence revealed a smile like that of a hunter reaching into his trap to pick up his captive prey, then reached out his right hand and said:

“Do you wish to accept the deal?”

“Do not doubt it!”

The hands that clutched each other tightly were each a hand intending to steal away the other’s treasure.

“Then let us proceed to signing the contract right away.”

Yet, Lawrence judged with a cool head and concluded thus.

With regard to the present place and time of this deal, it could be said that both parties were on equal terms. Perhaps it would even be appropriate to say that Amati was at a slight disadvantage.

Had Amati realized this? No, it was most likely because he had not noticed that he was willing to accept the deal.

However, even if Amati were to realize it now, it would already be too late.

The two borrowed pen and paper from the barkeeper, and signed the contract then and there.

However, because Amati had trouble producing five hundred silver coins in cash, Lawrence agreed to let him substitute the remaining two hundred silver coins he lacked with the three horses he had in possession. The two arranged to have the cash payment take place at the toll of the bell signaling the opening of the marketplace the following morning, and the payment of horses in the evening.

If the information supplied by Horo was reliable, Amati should have two hundred silver coins in cash, a supply of pyrite worth three hundred silver coins, along with two hundred silver coins’ worth of re-sellable property.

Although, doing a comparison now, the amount of cash Amati had on hand was a hundred silver coins greater, the fact that he used three horses to replace the two hundred silver coins he lacked probably indicated that these three horses constituted the re-sellable property he possessed.

That being the case, Amati possessed the equivalent of eight hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite. This meant that if the price of pyrite were to increase by an additional 25 percent, he would be able to gather one thousand silver coins. If the actual sum were greater than what was indicated by Horo’s information, then an even lesser increase would be sufficient.

Even so, Lawrence did not feel that he was at a disadvantage.

“Let us settle this tomorrow evening then,”

Amati lifted his head and uttered excitedly as the seal was stamped. Lawrence gave a sturdy nod in response.

Lawrence’s mention of Horo crying in his arms seemed to have a great effect.

It seemed that a merchant would become useless the moment he became involved with things unrelated to business.

“I shall take my leave then, and disturb you no further in your enjoyment of wine,”

Lawrence said after completing the contract, and left the bar.

The arrow Lawrence shot out had scored a direct hit on Amati’s heart. Although Lawrence felt that Amati himself must have realized that he had been struck, there was one other thing that Lawrence had purposely failed to mention.

And that was the fact that this arrowhead had been painted with a slow-acting poison familiar only to people knowledgeable about deals involving selling on credit.

Merchants did their hunting between the lines of honesty and deceit.

There was no need at all to explain everything.

Because all merchants were naturally insidious.



After signing the selling pyrite on credit contract with Amati, Lawrence proceeded directly to the marketplace.

Though it was already long past working hours, the marketplace atmosphere was as bustling as it had been during the day. Merchants held feasts under the lighting of the moon, and even the night guards became involved in the endless commotion.

Upon arriving at Mark’s stand, Lawrence discovered that Mark was there after all, and not at home.

Mark was not drinking with anyone, but simply drank alone, accompanied only by the bustling atmosphere. The sight revealed the fact that he was once a traveling merchant.

“Hmm? What’s the matter? Don’t you need to keep the princess company?”

Mark spoke thus upon perceiving Lawrence’s approach. Lawrence shrugged his shoulders, revealing a strained smile.

With a smile, Mark said, “Have a drink first,” and poured some beer from a clay bottle into a beer mug.

“Am I disturbing you?” asked Lawrence.

“Haha. You would be if you continue to remain sober. You won’t be if you’re drunk.”

After sitting down in the chair consisting of a sawed-short log, Lawrence set down the gunnysack containing gold and silver coins, and began drinking the beer Mark had poured out for him. As he held a mouthful of froth-filled beer in his mouth, the sweet taste spread out instantly, and the numbing, bitter taste trickled down his throat.

This was an indication that the hops (note: the dried ripe cones of the female flowers of this plant, used in brewing, medicine, etc.) within the beer had taken effect.

As expected of a wheat merchant, distinguishing between good and bad beer seemed no trouble to him either.

“This is good beer,” said Lawrence.

“That’s because the harvest this year has been good for all types of wheat. During times when the harvest is bad, even the barley used to make beer would be used to make bread instead, so we have to be thankful to the god of harvest.”

“Haha, indeed. However....”

Lawrence said as he set the beer mug on the discussion table.

“There’s something I want to tell you, although this may not be the ideal topic for livening up a feast.”

“Aye....geh. Is it something good for making money?”

“No, it’s hard to say. Depending on how things develop, perhaps a profit could be made, but that’s not my aim.”

Mark picked up a piece of salted fish and delivered it into his mouth, opening his mouth to speak as he continued chewing, making a crunching sound as he chewed on the salt:

“Aren’t you being a bit too honest? You should’ve said it’s profiting, then I’d be more than happy to help you out.”

“Of course I’ll be paying you a service fee. Moreover, depending on the way things develop, perhaps it’ll bring you a profit.”

“How so?”

Lawrence wiped away the froth stuck to the corners of his mouth, then opened his mouth and spoke:

“When the festival is over, all the wheat will be gathered up to be bought and sold right?”

“That’s right.”

“When that time comes, I want you to help me spread a rumor.”

Mark revealed the kind of expression one would show when determining the quality of flour.

“I’m not going to do anything dangerous,” he said.

“If you were to say it yourself, that might be dangerous, but if the boy were to say it, it shouldn’t be a problem then right?”

In fact, Lawrence only wished to spread a little rumor.

However, rumors possessed a fearsome power.

It was said that long ago, there was a large country that walked onto the path of destruction merely because a young man from some town had said that the king seemed to have fallen ill. The young man’s words were passed around, eventually spreading to various neighboring countries, finally resulting in a disintegration of alliances, and the invasion and cutting up of the large country’s lands.

The number of conversation topics people had was in fact quite limited.

And their ears existed for the exact purpose of listening to such little rumors in order to spread them about wantonly.

Mark thrust out his chin, beckoning Lawrence to continue.

“When I give the signal, I wish someone to help me say at a certain place—that it’s about time for the price of wheat to be rising.”

The instant Mark heard this, his movements ceased, as if time had frozen, and his gaze was directed at some far-off place. Mark was contemplating the implications of Lawrence’s words.

Soon after, Mark revealed an incredulous smile, and pulled his eyes back into focus.

“You intend to purposely lower the price of that mineral?”

“That’s about right.”

Lawrence guessed that those who bought and sold pyrite were mostly people who had come to town to sell off their merchandise and purchase some products to take with them as they left.

As these people left, the product they purchased the most of was certainly wheat.

When wheat was gathered to be sold and purchased, if there was word that the price of wheat would be rising, everyone would surely sell off the pyrite they had bought to make some additional money, and immediately purchase what they had originally set as their target merchandise.

In such a situation, the price of pyrite would no doubt begin to drop.

Moreover, once the price began to drop, as soon as a certain critical point was reached, it would nosedive the rest of the way.

The wheat merchant took a big gulp of beer before saying coolly:

“I didn’t expect you to be such a simple-minded person.”

“If I were to tell you I was planning to simultaneously sell off a considerable-sum’s worth of pyrite, would you still think so?”

Mark’s eyelid twitched once. After pondering this for a moment, he asked Lawrence the question: “How much?”

“One thousand Trenni silver coins.”

“Wha.....one thousand? Are you a fool? Do you have any idea how much loss you would cause by doing that?”

“No matter how much the price falls, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Mark revealed an infinitely bitter expression, stroking his chin repeatedly and causing a rustling of his beard. His gaze drifted back and forth, and a groan came from his mouth. From his appearance, it seemed that he could not understand what Lawrence was thinking.

“As long as I can manage to buy another five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite, whether its price rises or falls in the end, my money pouch would be unaffected.”

It was Amati who was at a disadvantage in the deal proposed by Lawrence.

The reason was precisely this.

“Damn, selling by credit huh,” said Mark.

If the price of the product on hand were to rise, of course one’s money pouch would be unhurt, but the special case in which even a drop in the price would not hurt one’s money pouch was rare.

If the price of the product sold were to fall, all that needed to be done was to re-purchase the product at the lowered rate and hand it to the other party. If, on the other hand, the price of the product on hand were to rise, it would bring a direct profit; as long as the selling on credit of the former was paired with the regular deal of the latter, a situation would be created in which Lawrence’s money would neither increase nor decrease whether the value of pyrite rose or dropped.

Moreover, Lawrence’s most decisive advantage lay in the fact that once the product was sold in bulk quantities, its price would inevitably fall, plus the fact that Amati had to get the price of pyrite to rise because he needed to gain a profit no matter what.

In other words, Lawrence’s plan was to use the five hundred silver coins collected from Amati by selling on credit, along with the rest of the cash he had on hand to go around buying pyrite, and then sell off the pyrite all at once in order to cause a great crash in its price.

It was possible to do such a thing as soon as one was able to throw away the idea of profit.

As a former traveling merchant, Mark immediately detected Lawrence’s plan.

Of course, he also detected who Lawrence’s opponent was.

“The poor fishmonger who’s been tricked out of ignorance sure stirs one’s sympathies.”

Lawrence’s shrugged his shoulders in response to Mark.

Yet, the plan which at a glance appeared to hold such a great advantage also had one point that unsettled Lawrence.

There was truly no such thing as a perfect plan in this world.

“That guy seems like he should be aware of just how dangerous it is to participate in an unfamiliar deal though,” said Mark.

“Aye, he should be aware of the risks, yet he still accepted the deal. I wouldn’t have failed to remind him of even this.”

Mark uttered a light laugh from his throat, then finished the remaining beer and said with a change in expression:

“So, is that all you wanted to ask of me?”

“There’s one other thing.”

“Go on.”

“Help me seek out and buy pyrite.”

Hearing this, Mark simply stared at Lawrence with a look of unexpectedness.

“You signed the deal without first getting a hold on the pyrite sources?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that much time. Can you help me?”

This was the reason why Lawrence could not steady his mind.

No matter how perfect the plan, nothing could be done unless all of the necessary conditions were met.

Moreover, the condition that Lawrence lacked was very difficult to come by.

Of course, Lawrence could also wait till daybreak to purchase pyrite in the marketplace. However, if he were to buy several hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite in the marketplace, a sudden jump in the price of pyrite would inevitably result.

Lawrence needed to work in the shadows, and purchase pyrite in a manner that would not affects its market value.

In order to achieve this end, the best way was to gather a large quantity of pyrite by making a number of small purchases through the connections of town merchants.

“The payment condition is cash only. Price doesn’t matter, even if it’s above the market value. If the quantity is relatively large, the price can be paid directly in Rumiones,” said Lawrence.

If a Trenni silver coin were a sharp sword, then a Rumione gold coin would be the equivalent of a forest of spears lined up densely beside one another. When purchasing a high-value product, the Rumione gold coin could be said to be the most powerful weapon in the world.

Yet, although Lawrence possessed cash, he did not have connections, and besides Mark, he did not have any friends to help him.

If Mark were to refuse him, Lawrence would have to rely on his own strength to gather the pyrite.

In this town to which he only came a few days each year to do business, it was only imaginable just how difficult it would be for Lawrence to gather a large quantity of pyrite in a proper manner.

Yet, Mark simply gazed in some unknown direction, his body completely motionless.

“I’ll repay my gratitude. It won’t be a small sum either.”

What Lawrence meant was that he would not be paying only a service charge.

Hearing this, Mark glanced at Lawrence momentarily.

Mark was, after all, a merchant. It was only natural that he would not be willing to do fruitless labor.

And then, Mark said briefly:

“Can’t do it.”

“Alright, then....huh?”

“Can’t do it.”

This time Mark was looking Lawrence in the eye as he said this.

“Wha—”

“I can’t help you on this one,”

Mark said in completely serious expression and tone. Lawrence extended his body forward and said with emphasis:

“I’ll thank you for it. I won’t be so stingy as to only pay you a service charge. You won’t have anything to lose. The condition is pretty good isn’t it?”

“Won’t have anything to lose?”

With his beard trimmed so that his face appeared square-shaped, the moment he frowned, Mark’s face became like a solid piece of rock.

“Isn’t it so? I’m asking you to help me look for and buy pyrite, not to make any sort of investment. Besides, you’ll be paying in cash. What could you possibly have to lose?”

“Lawrence.”

Mark’s utterance was more powerful than any kind of stop signal in cutting off Lawrence’s words.

Yet, Lawrence could not figure out what was going through Mark’s head. It was impossible for a merchant to refuse when met with a deal that promised a reasonable reward and involved absolutely no risk.

Why then did Mark say he couldn’t do it?

Could it be that Mark only saw Lawrence for his flaws? Having thought to this point, an emotion nearing wrathful suspicion boiled up within Lawrence’s heart.

At that moment, Mark continued to speak:

“The sum you can pay me is what, ten Rumione at best?”

“Considering it’s just making some purchases for me, such a reward is more than sufficient isn’t it? It’s not like I’m asking you to take up the burden of an entire business team’s purchases, and to scale mountains and return within a day.”

“What you mean is that you want me to go throughout the marketplace to help you look for and buy pyrite right? That’s the same thing.”

“Just how exactly.....!”

The log-made chair in which Lawrence was seated fell over on the ground with a knock. Lawrence extended himself in a frightening manner, and was a step away from seizing mark when he regained his composure.

Yet, Mark was not moved in the least.

The merchant’s expression that Mark wore on his face did not change one bit.

“Erh.....just how exactly are they the same thing? I’m not asking you to spend the entire night going back and forth in the marketplace, carry around heavy merchandise, much less head toward some precipitous mountain path where you might be exposed to danger or accidents. All I’m saying is I wish you to help me buy some pyrite through your connections.”

“What I mean is that they’re the same thing, Lawrence,”

Mark said slowly.

“You’re a traveling merchant who comes and goes in the wilderness, and I’m a merchant whose battlefield is this marketplace. The dangers you perceive are all those which a traveling merchant would meet with.”

“Ah.....”

Lawrence swallowed back the sound, and Mark also furrowed his brows deeply as if he had swallowed something bitter.

“From a town merchant’s perspective, showing no hesitation in jumping on the first available opportunity to make money certainly cannot be called a virtue. Compared to making big money through side jobs, making an honest living through one’s main business is what defines a truly prestigious town merchant. Although I’m the owner of this vending stand, the reputation this stand involves is not just my own name. This vending stand is connected with the reputations of myself, my wife, all of my blood relations, as well as all of those who have dealings here. If it’s just making a bit of side profit, even if the source is unclear, it’s certainly not a bad thing to act as quickly as possible...”

Having said to this point, Mark poured some more beer into his mug and drank a mouthful. Although his brows were still deeply locked, it was probably not due to the beer being too bitter.

“...but helping you look for and purchase the five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite you seek is another matter entirely. How do you think the people around me would view me? Surely they would think of me as a good-for-nothing whose heart isn’t with his main business and who seeks to become rich through ill-gotten gains. Are you capable of paying me a sum proportional to such a risk? Because I used to be a traveling merchant myself, I daresay the amount of money a town merchant regularly handles is such that a traveling merchant who only makes small sums cannot begin to compare with.”

Lawrence could not make any sort of dispute, and was completely speechless.

Mark threw out the final statement:

“This shop of mine may appear small, but its name (note: literally the shop’s signboard. In Chinese culture, a shop’s sign is often equated with its name/reputation in a metaphorical sense. Hence, sign and name can be used interchangeably) possesses a surprisingly high value. If the name were to be damaged, the amount needed to repair the damage would go well beyond ten or twenty gold coins.”

The decisive statement.

Lawrence could not utter a word, and his gaze dropped to the table surface.

“That’s how it is.”

Mark did not see Lawrence only for his flaws, nor was it his intention to make Lawrence unhappy.

What Mark had said was exactly right.

But then, this just led Lawrence to understand more clearly that although they were both merchants, he and Mark lived in totally different worlds.

“I’m sorry.”

Even hearing this from Mark, Lawrence could not find any words with which to respond.

The number of people remaining whom Lawrence could go to for help could easily be counted on five fingers.

“No....it’s alright, sorry for causing such awkwardness,” he responded.

If there was anyone left to turn to, the only one Lawrence could think of was Bartose.

Since it was already certain that he would not be receiving any assistance from Mark, Lawrence could only place all of his hopes on Bartose.

Yet, Lawrence recalled that when Bartose was hinting him about Amati’s method of gathering money, he had mentioned that Amati was employing not-so-proper means.

To Bartose, who carried heavy rocks while traversing precipitous mountain paths, receiving pyrite in one hand and immediately selling it off from the other hand for immense profits was surely a disgraceful act.

Having though to this point, Lawrence could not help thinking that the chances of Bartose helping him were quite small, but he had no choice but to set aside his doubts and try paying him a visit.

Lawrence made up his mind, made an exertion with his chest and lifted his head.

The moment he lifted his head, Mark spoke:

“So even someone as laid-back as you can get like this huh?”

Mark’s look was neither incredulous nor mocking. He simply spoke with a slightly surprised expression.

“Ah, sorry, don’t get mad. I’m just a bit surprised.”

Seeing Mark hurrying to explain, Lawrence was of course not angered. Even Lawrence himself felt somewhat surprised.

“Although, encountering a companion like yours, no wonder you’d become like this. Even if you don’t put so much effort into trying to stop Amati, your companion wouldn’t submit to him so easily would she? Even someone like me who’s only seen her standing beside you once thinks so, so have a bit of confidence.”

At this point, Mark finally revealed a smile. Lawrence, on the other hand, was expressionless as he replied:

“She’s handed me a signed marriage certificate. The other party is Amati of course.”

Mark’s eyes widened, then began stroking his chin so that his beard rustled, looking as if he had accidentally stepped on a landmine (note: not that there would have been landmines during that period, but that’s the word the book uses, so that’s how I translated it).

Seeing Mark’s appearance, Lawrence involuntarily loosened the strength in his shoulders.

“If nothing had happened, I would of course be confident. But, something really happened....,” he said.

“It happened after you came here and went back? A single step’s difference in life can be hell.....even so, you still need to have hope, and that’s why you’re working so hard trying to come up with a solution, right?”

Perceiving a nod from Lawrence in response, Mark thrust his chin out, then said with a sigh:

“Though I can tell that companion of yours is no simple character, I didn’t think she’d do something so bold….is there anyone else you can find to help you?”

“Well, I’ll try asking Mr. Bartose for starters.”

“Mr. Bartose huh. I see. You intend to have him ask that woman for you?”

Hearing Mark say this in a low voice, Lawrence asked in turn:

“.....That woman?”

“Huh? You’re not planning on having him ask that woman for you? You know, the chronicler. Didn’t you meet her already?”

“If you’re referring to Miss Deanna, I have met her already, but I don’t quite understand what you’re getting at.”

“If you don’t mind the trouble it might cause you later on, I think you can try consulting with that woman.”

“What exactly are you saying?”

Lawrence asked. After looking about for a moment, Mark lowered his voice a bit and spoke:

“That woman is someone who has control over the northern regions. She can even be said to be the window of correspondence among the alchemists. From our point of view, it’s all because of the presence of that woman that the alchemists, who are vulnerable to attack for various reasons, are able to gather in one spot. Of course, the truth could only be known by the town’s aristocrats and the elders of the town council. And also....”

Mark took a drink of his beer and continued:

“Any citizen here would immediately think, ‘The alchemists should all possess pyrite.’ However, in order not to stir up any trouble and be able to do business in peace, it’s necessary not to associate with those people. For Mr. Bartose, it’s also because he has dealings with the alchemists that he rarely does business with anyone else. Although, it’s probably more appropriate to say he can’t do business with anyone else. If you’re not afraid of causing trouble for yourself, having Mr. Bartose ask that woman for you is also a possible solution.”

Faced with the sudden revelation, Lawrence could not immediately tell whether it was true or not, but he figured that Mark had nothing to gain from lying.

“Depending on the situation, it may be worth a try. Aren’t the flames already burning quite close to you (note: in case the meaning didn’t quite get through, “Isn’t your situation already pretty desperate?”)?” said Mark.

Although Lawrence felt pretty useless, he could not deny that Mark’s surprising refusal had caused his situation to become rather dangerous.

“I’m truly happy that you’d come to me for help here. But, all I can do is give you suggestions.”

“No, you’ve already done a great deal for me. I almost missed such a big opportunity.”

Besides, Lawrence himself felt that Mark’s reason for refusing him was completely justified.

Mark was a town merchant, and Lawrence was a traveling merchant. When the standpoints were different, there would naturally be a great difference between the things that could and could not be done.

“It might be strange for someone who just refused to help you to say this....but, I will pray for your success,” said Mark.

This time it was Lawrence who revealed a smile.

“You’ve given me a good lesson. That in itself is worthwhile,”

Lawrence said without the slightest bit of sarcasm or hidden intentions. In the future when Lawrence was to have dealings with town merchants, he would be sure to take this day’s experience into consideration. Lawrence was not lying in saying that he had learned a lesson.

Yet, having heard Lawrence’s words, Mark began stroking his chin back and forth so that his beard made rustling sounds.

Then, Mark furrowed his brow deeply and looked off in another direction as he said:

“I may not be able to take action openly, but if it’s just whispering the amount of money someone has in his money pouch, that wouldn’t really be any trouble.”

Perceiving Lawrence’s surprised expression, Mark closed his eyes as he continued to speak:

“Come back over later. I’ll tell you whom you can buy stuff from. I can do this much for you at least.”

“.....Thank you.”

Seeing Lawrence utter this from the bottom of his heart, Mark suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had given up something.

“Seeing that expression on your face, I say it’s no wonder the little miss would do something so bold,” he said.

“.....What do you mean?”

“Nothing. A merchant need only focus on how to do business.”

Even though Lawrence was tempted to ask the laughing Mark to clarify, his mind had long since drifted toward Bartose and Deanna.

“Anyway, good luck,” said Mark.

“Ah...oh.”

Although Lawrence still felt a knot in his heart, he also felt that there was no time to lose, and it was better to begin negotiations as soon as possible.

Lawrence expressed a brief thanks to Mark, and left the vending stand.

However, as he walked along, Lawrence thought to himself: perhaps the common saying that traveling merchants could not make any friends was wrong.



First, Lawrence headed directly to the foreign firm.

He had two goals. The first was to inquire of Bartose whether he had a stock of pyrite, and whether he had any other connections he could introduce to Lawrence. The other was to request Bartose to take him to see Deanna once more.

Yet, Lawrence remembered Bartose had said that Amati’s means of buying and selling pyrite was not entirely decent.

Bartose was a merchant who carried precious stones and metals from the mining regions through dangerous paths. Perhaps in his eyes, such opportunistic pyrite dealing was a disgraceful act.

Even so, even though he knew he was really pushing it, Lawrence still had to pay Bartose a visit.

Lawrence completely disregarded the festival, which had continued into late night and whose atmosphere bordered on riotous, making his way through small alleys as he headed toward the foreign firm.

When Lawrence had finally arrived at the main street before the firm, densely lined with buildings on each side, he saw that each foreign firm had lighted lanterns, and large groups of people were dancing in circular formations. Every now and then he would see people from the firms, long sword in hand and practicing with one another in unseasoned manner. This kind of party activity was perhaps an extension of the festival itself.

Lawrence approached the Rowen Business Guild building, pushing his way through the crowded street. He slipped right into the building without greeting the guild members who were gathered near the wide-open front door, drinking.

Those who wanted to drink and relax within the building and those who wanted to revel outside the building seemed to have clearly demarcated their own separate territories. Under the lighting of the suspended fish oil lamps, which gave off a unique scent, the entire main hall was suffused with soft chatting and laughter.

Though a few people in the hall noticed Lawrence and shot him curious glances, the greater majority seemed completely wrapped up within the joyous feasting atmosphere.

Among these people, Lawrence located his target person, then approached the man.

The man was seated at a table where a group of older merchants were gathered. Under the dim lighting of the lamps, he appeared very much like a hermit.

The man was Joey Bartose.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt your drinking,”

Lawrence said in a voice even lower than the surrounding chitchat. The seasoned merchants seemed to perceive at once the purpose of Lawrence’s visit.

Each person continued to drink quietly, giving Bartose a brief glance.

The watched Bartose revealed a warm smile and spoke:

“Hey, Mr. Lawrence, what can I do for you?”

“Sorry for thus intruding, but there is something I wish to discuss with you.”

“Is it something to do with business?”

Lawrence hesitated for a moment, and nodded his head.

“Then let’s talk over there. We couldn’t possibly allow others to overhear an opportunity to get rich now could we?”

The other merchants at the table laughed, raising their mugs slightly as if to say, “We’ll continue to drink happily in your absence.”

Lawrence nodded his head lightly and caught up with Bartose, who was already moving further into the firm.

As a contrast to the main hall, suffused with the scent of liquor and sounds of talk and laughter, proceeding further along the corridor within the firm, the surrounding atmosphere became akin to that of the alleys. In the turn of an eye, the two had come to an unlighted spot, and the clamor became as remote as a fire on the opposite shore.

At that moment, Bartose stopped in his tracks, turning around to speak:

“What’s the matter?”

Lawrence figured that beating around the bush would not get him anywhere, so he cut straight to the point:

“Yes. To be honest, I wish to purchase some pyrite, and am currently searching for someone with a large stockpile. Mr. Bartose, I’m sure you must have connections.”

“Pyrite?”

“Yes.”

Bartose’s dark blue, almost black eyes appeared gray under the red lighting with a faint trace of yellow.

And such a pair of eyes was gazing directly at Lawrence.

“Do you have any connections?”

Hearing Lawrence repeat his question, Bartose gave a sigh, and rubbed his eyes as he spoke:

“Mr. Lawrence.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you remember what I said when I was hinting you on Amati’s means of gathering money?”

Lawrence immediately nodded his head. Of course he remembered.

“Not only do I remember what you said, I also remember that Miss Deanna seems to dislike people discussing business with her,” he said.

Bartose pulled his hand away from the corner of his eye and let it remain suspended in midair. At that moment, he finally showed a merchant-like gaze.

It was a gaze that belonged to a traveling merchant devoted to a business full of hardships, who cared not for the means of making more money, but only how to transport goods safely.

Perhaps it was his mind playing games with him, but Lawrence felt that such a gaze was similar to a wolf’s.

“You have your mind set on the alchemists’ stockpile?” asked Bartose.

“You certainly are easy to communicate with. However, I heard they are not allowed to conduct business without obtaining Miss Deanna’s permission. Therefore, I wish to seek your help.”

Lawrence recalled the days when he had first become a traveling merchant, when, needing to increase his customers but having no connections, he would give visits without notice and negotiate forcefully.

Bartose widened his eyes, somewhat surprised, then with some difficulty squeezed out his voice to say:

“Knowing that much, you still wish to deal with them. Could it be because pyrite is really that profiting?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Then....it’s because of what’s been said in the rumors, you wish to know your fortune, or use it to cure illnesses?”

Bartose smiled as he said this, in a way that seemed as if he were playing around with his grandson. This was probably Bartose’s unique way of poking fun of someone.

Even so, Lawrence of course did not get angry, nor did he get impatient.

For the sake of his own profit, a merchant wouldn’t hesitate even to spend an entire night doing nothing but staring at a slowly-swinging scale.

“I am taking action for the sake of my own benefit. I do not plan to deny the fact,” said Lawrence.

Bartose’s body did not make the slightest movement. He simply stared, wide-eyed.

If Lawrence were to meet with refusal from Bartose here, it was extremely likely that his hopes of gathering a stockpile of pyrite would vanish.

The current Lawrence was not so leisurely as to be able to allow such a thing to happen.

“However, I do not intend to make a profit out of the value of pyrite that is growing uncontrollably like swelling bubbles. I am working for a….a more basic purpose.”

Bartose did not interrupt him to speak. Lawrence took this as a signal beckoning him to continue speaking, and so he continued:

“Mr. Bartose, you are also a traveling merchant after all, so you have probably had numerous experiences in which the goods carried upon your shoulders almost fell into a deep gorge?”

Bartose remained silent.

“When our horse-drawn cart sinks into mud and cannot budge, we weigh the choices of abandoning the cart and doing whatever it takes to pull the cart out of the mud on a scale. The value of the merchandise on board, profit, the amount of cash on hand, the route of travel, along with the sum needed to pay for someone’s help. Also, the danger of encountering bandits that may result from lingering around in panic and despair. We take such things into account when deciding whether or not to abandon our cargo.”

Bartose opened his mouth slowly and spoke:

“You mean to say that you’re in such a situation?”

“It is so.”

Bartose’s eyes looked as if they could clearly see what lay ahead even on a poorly-lit road.

He had been traveling along the same route for decades, and sought out Deanna to hear about ancient legends in order to make up for the things he could not see along that route.

Under such a gaze, a merchant’s lies would undoubtedly be seen through immediately.

Yet, Lawrence did not back down.

Because he was not telling a lie.

“I do not wish to abandon my cargo. As long as I can load the cargo back into the cart, I don’t care about the trouble it might cause.”

Surely it was impossible for Bartose not to have realized what the cargo was that Lawrence was referring to, as well as the situation he was in.

Even so, Bartose still closed his eyes slowly and remained silent.

Was there something that should be said? Should he take advantage of the moment and push further?

The talk and laughter that came from the main hall behind the two men sounded mocking.

The limited amount of time was slipping away little by little.

Lawrence prepared to speak.

Then, at the very last moment, he changed his mind.

Lawrence remembered his master had said that the golden rule when begging someone’s favor was to wait.

“That was exactly the response I was waiting for,”

Bartose said with a light smile at the moment Lawrence recalled his master’s words.

“Because even when time is limited, if there are no alternatives, all that can be done is to wait patiently. That is how a truly prosperous merchant acts.”

The moment Lawrence discovered that he had just been put through a test, he felt a large amount of cold perspiration pour forth from his back.

“On the other hand, back when I was in a similar situation, my attitude was even tougher than yours,” Bartose continued.

“Erh.....”

“Oh, I don’t have any pyrite on hand. However, I do believe the alchemists do.”

“Then.....”

Bartose nodded lightly and spoke:

“All you have to say is, ‘I’ve come to buy a crate of white feathers.’ What happens after that all depends on your own effort. Please think of a good way to persuade big sis. I don’t think anyone has gone there to purchase pyrite yet.”

“Thank you. I will be sure to repay—”

“As long as you can share an ancient legend with me, that would be good enough. How’s that? Do I sound as impressive as big sis saying this?”

Bartose revealed a childlike smile, and Lawrence could not help but laugh.

“With someone like big sis, you never really know when she goes to sleep, so it should be fine for you to go and see her now. If you’re going to go, you’d better go soon, because time is money,”

Bartose pointed to the back of the firm as he said this.

“If you take the back door, you can leave without having to speak to anyone.”

After expressing his thanks, Lawrence proceeded down the corridor. Looking back on the way, he saw Bartose, still wearing a smile.

The form of Bartose, with his back to the light of the main hall, looked a bit like his master’s.



Not long after leaving the foreign firm and sprinting north, Lawrence arrived at the stone wall.

Because he had not been fortunate enough to arrive directly at the entrance to the stone wall, Lawrence ran along the wall until he finally located it and, prying open the somewhat broken gate latch with considerable force, slipped through.

There were, of course, no lights in the area. However, his eyes gradually became accustomed to the dark as he ran. Besides, to a traveling merchant, who frequently camped out in the wilderness, a bit of darkness was no big deal.

It was just that, within the darkness of night, the bits of light that suddenly shot out from the cracks beneath the crooked doorframes, or the cat cries and beating of bird wings that came from unknown sources all caused the hair to stand on one’s back, and were much more unsettling than during the day.

As long as he had visited a place once, he would be able to locate its position from any starting point. If he did not possess this unique ability of traveling merchants, perhaps Lawrence would be running away in fear due to getting lost.

After finally arriving before the door to Deanna’s home, Lawrence felt himself loosen up tangibly.

The feeling was akin to the sense of relief one would get upon arriving before a familiar woodcutter’s residence after passing through a forest of forboding atmosphere.

Yet on the other side of the door before his eyes did not dwell a close friend willing to unconditionally welcome his visit.

Although he had obtained the secret password from Bartose, reflecting upon past interactions with Deanna, Lawrence could not help but feel that she truly hated any mention of business.

Would he really be able to purchase pyrite so smoothly?

A sense of anxiety grew little by little within his heart. Lawrence quickly took a deep breath, pushing all his feelings of insecurity down toward his belly.

He must succeed in the purchase.

Because he wished to continue traveling with Horo in the future.

“Is anyone home?”

Lawrence intentionally lowered his voice and inquired after knocking lightly on the door.

The silence of someone choosing to remain quiet had a perceivably different quality from the silence that resulted from absence.

When the air was suffused with a sense of the former kind of silence, one would always avoid making any kind of sound.

Yet, there was no response at all on the other side of the door.

Because some light could be seen peering forth from the crack under the door, Deanna was probably at home.

Though, according to town law, those who went to sleep without extinguishing their lights would face serious punishment, it was quite unlikely that anyone would dare to venture as far as to patrol in this area.

Just as Lawrence raised his hand to knock once more, he noticed that there seemed to be movement within.

“Who is it?”

The voice that came from the other side carried a hint of sleepiness, sounding somewhat lazy.

“Sorry to disturb you at such an hour. I am Lawrence, the one who came with Mr. Bartose to visit you yesterday.”

It was only a little while after Lawrence had announced his name that a rustling of clothes was heard on the other side, followed by a gradual opening of the door.

As soon as the door was open, the light poured forth from within, along with the air inside Deanna’s home.

Deanna’s eyes looked somewhat displeased, and carried signs of sleepiness as well.

Like when Lawrence had visited her the day before, she was dressed in a long robe. Because Deanna used to be a nun, it was quite likely that she was so dressed throughout the year regardless of time, so it was impossible for Lawrence to tell whether or not she had been asleep a moment ago.

Putting aside whether or not she had been asleep, it was extremely impolite behavior to visit a woman living alone in the middle of the night to begin with. Although Lawrence was fully aware of his impoliteness, he did not flinch as he opened his mouth to speak:

“I know this is very impolite of me, but I simply had to see you.”

Lawrence continued:

“I’ve come to buy a crate of white feathers.”

The instant Lawrence uttered the password provided by Bartose, Deanna narrowed her eyes, then moved aside silently and urged with her hand for him to hurry inside.

The interior of Deanna’s home, which was free of the scent of sulfur, appeared even messier than during the day before.

The books on the shelf which had retained a trace of organization were almost all taken down. One of these lay open, facing the ceiling in such a messy state.

Moreover, there was an even greater number of huge feather pens scattered all over the floor.

The beautiful, almost brand new white feathers scattered on the floor gave off an air that bordered on uncanny.

“How very peculiar, to have several guests come to visit within a single day. The festival indeed brings to this place an unusual popularity,”

Deanna said to herself as she sat down in a chair within the messy environment, not inviting Lawrence to sit down as usual.

Lawrence was just about to sit down in a chair with nothing piled upon it when he suddenly realized something.

Several visitors in a row had paid visits?

That meant that someone had already been here before Lawrence’s arrival.

“So, I’m assuming it was Mr. Bartose who told you the phrase, ‘come to buy a crate of white feathers?’”

Lawrence, who was wondering anxiously about the intent of the previous guest’s visit, snapped back to reality and said with a nod:

“Y..yes. I begged him stubbornly to meet with you, Miss Deanna.”

“Oh, is that so? I don’t think he’s the type of person that would agree to someone’s request simply because of stubborn begging.”

Seeing Deanna utter this with a cheerful laugh, Lawrence was unable to say any more.

Although the nature was different, speaking with Deanna gave Lawrence a feeling similar to that when he was dealing with Horo.

“What kind of business is so important that you’d go as far as to persuade that old stubborn mule?” asked Deanna.

A great number of people with various standpoints desired to obtain the potions created by the alchemists or the skills they possessed for all sorts of different reasons.

Deanna’s existence was surely like a dam preventing such desires from getting out of control.

Although Lawrence did not know what reason Deanna had for doing this, from his point of view, Deanna, who had been gazing straight at him ever since she sat down, was just like a huge bird guarding her eggs with iron feathers.

“I wish to obtain your permission to buy pyrite,”

Lawrence replied, even though he was nearly overcome by Deanna’s imposing manner.

Deanna stroked her face with her fair-skinned hand as she said:

“I heard the price has been rising.”

“But—”

“Of course, I understand Mr. Bartose would never have provided his help over a simple profiting business, so there’s some other reason isn’t there?”

Lawrence felt like Deanna was a step ahead in everything. Deanna’s reaction was always a bit faster than Lawrence’s, and Deanna fully intended to show off her advantage.

Even so, Lawrence told himself not to get upset. Deanna must be testing him.

Lawrence nodded and replied:

“It’s not because of business, but in order to settle a battle that I need pyrite.”

“A battle with whom?”

“It is......”

Lawrence hesitated over whether or not to mention Amati, but not because he felt it inappropriate to bring up Amati’s name.

Lawrence was considering whether the opponent he was battling against was really Amati.

Amati was merely the river surrounding and guarding a fortress. There was more that needed to be conquered within the fortress.

Lawrence answered a “No,” and said as he shifted his gaze toward Deanna once more:

“It is the cargo.”

“Cargo?”

“Regardless of time, a traveling merchant’s enemy is always his own cargo. Estimating the value of the cargo, making careful plans about how to transport the cargo, and then carefully considering whom to deliver it to. If an error in judgment occurs in even one of these steps, a traveling merchant will lose. Right now I am struggling to load a piece of cargo that has fallen off my cart back into it. Because after re-evaluating the value, means of transport and target of delivery, the conclusion I have reached is that I absolutely cannot afford to allow this piece of cargo to fall from my cart.”

Deanna’s fringe (note: not sure if I’m using the correct terminology here. What I’m referring to is the hair that comes down from the top and partially or completely covers a woman’s forehead) was blown aside slightly, and for a moment Lawrence thought a wave of wind had swept across.

It was not the wind, however, but air exhaled from Deanna’s lips.

After smiling lightly, Deanna picked up a feather pen beside her foot.

“‘Buying a crate of white feathers’ is just an exaggerated password. What it really means is that it’s alright as long as I’m able to receive a bit of pleasure. Doesn’t a bird drop feathers when it beats its wings in excitement? Besides, the people I give the password to pick and choose my visitors carefully for me, so I simply observe the little details of my guests. I don’t suppose it would be a problem, so I’ll make an exception and allow you to buy pyrite.”

Hearing this, Lawrence involuntarily stood up from his chair and said:

“Thank—”

“However—”

Deanna interrupted from the side. A bad feeling emerged in Lawrence’s heart once more.

Several visitors in the course of a single day, the empty chair with nothing piled upon it—

The dark words, “Could it be” surfaced in Lawrence’s mind.

Deanna’s face changed into an apologetic one as she continued:

“Someone has already come to make a purchase.”

Lawrence’s fear had become a reality.

He said the words that one would naturally say as a merchant.

“How large was the quantity bought? How much was it sold for?”

“Please be calm. The other customer purchased on credit, and did not take away the items. To put it plainly, it was no different from making an order. Personally, I don’t mind giving the items to you instead, Mr. Lawrence. So, let me try negotiating with that customer first. One more thing, I recall that the amount purchased came to about 16,000 Iredo by today’s market value.”

That was equivalent to four hundred Trenni silver coins. If he could only obtain such an amount, it would be a huge step in carrying out his plan.

“I understand. Uhm, the name of the customer is....?”

If Deanna were to say Amati’s name, Lawrence’s plan to save his situation would be obliterated.

Yet, Deanna shook her head lightly, and said in a steady tone:

“I will take the responsibility of negotiating with the other party. For safety reasons, we do not allow those dealing with alchemists to know who their opponents are.”

“B..but....”

“You have any objections?”

A smile that completely lacked the feeling of a smile.

Lawrence, from the standpoint of one requesting help, could only remain silent.

“You call it a battle, which indicates that this isn’t something ordinary, so I’ll do all that I can to help you, and tell you the results of the negotiation as soon as possible. Where would one definitely be able to find you tomorrow?”

“Ah, uhm.....in the marketplace, before the mineral merchant’s vending stand. I should be there at all times before and after the marketplace’s opening time. Or you can contact the wheat merchant Mark. The location of his stand is....”

“I know the spot. I understand. I’ll send someone to inform you as soon as possible.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Lawrence could say no more, so he said only that.

Yet, depending on the results of the negotiation, it was possible that Lawrence would not be able to purchase any pyrite. If he really could not manage to buy any, the consequences would be catastrophic and beyond repair.

Even so, the things Lawrence could say were limited.

“I won’t be stingy about paying a lot of money. Please tell the other party that, as long as he does not make an unreasonable demand, such as two times the market value, I am willing to pay a considerably-large sum.”

After nodding with a smile, Deanna stood up from her chair.

Lawrence understood that it was time for him to take his leave. To suddenly show up uninvited at such a time without meeting with refusal could already be considered a miracle, Lawrence thought to himself.

“I am terribly sorry for coming uninvited at such a late hour,” he said.

“Not at all. I don’t distinguish between night and day.”

Lawrence did not feel like Deanna was joking, but this caused him to loosen up and smile.

“Besides, as long as you can provide an interesting story, it wouldn’t matter even if you stayed the entire night.”

Although Deanna’s words seemed to carry a sense of seduction, Lawrence was sure they had come from the heart.

However, Lawrence had long since told the interesting story he knew.

Instead, a question Lawrence wished to ask suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Is something the matter?” Deanna inquired.

The thought that flashed through his head caused Lawrence to halt in surprise.

He quickly responded with an “It’s nothing” before heading toward the front door.

The question that flashed through his head was so utterly ridiculous it was startling.

“Deliberately acting mysterious on leaving a woman’s home, careful you don’t bring divine retribution upon yourself.”

The words Deanna shot out sounded like those of a prank-loving maiden. Seeing the cheerfully-smiling Deanna, Lawrence could not help but feel that no matter what kind of question he asked, she would reply seriously.

Moreover, this was probably also a question that only Deanna could answer.

Lawrence reached his hand out for the door, and simultaneously turned around to speak:

“I wish to ask you a question.”

“By all means, ask.”

Hearing Deanna’s unhesitant answer, Lawrence cleared his throat once, and asked his question:

“Pagan deities and humans...uh....are there legends of any becoming a pair?”

If Deanna were to ask why he brought up this question, Lawrence would be completely unable to reply.

Even so, Lawrence still wished to ask it, ignoring the risks.

When Horo said in tears that she had become alone, she had mentioned that if she were to have a child, that would make two people.

If something like this could possibly happen, Lawrence wished to pass the information to Horo, so that she could continue to hope.

Hearing such a random, out-of-the-blue question, Deanna appeared somewhat caught off guard. However, she immediately resumed a serious expression.

And replied slowly:

“There are many.”

“Really?”

Lawrence could not help asking jubilantly.

“For instance—ah, are you in a hurry?”

“Ah, y..yes. But, next time....would you be willing to share with me in detail?”

“Of course.”

Luckily, Deanna did not ask the reason for bringing up the question.

Lawrence expressed many earnest thanks, and prepared to leave Deanna’s residence.

In the instant the front door was about to be closed, Deanna seemed to give a soft, brief utterance:

“Good luck.”

Just as Lawrence was getting ready to question, the door was already closed.

Was Deanna aware of the offensive and defensive battle between Lawrence and Amati?

Though Lawrence felt like something was off, he did not have any more time to waste on thinking about it.

What he needed to do next was return to Mark’s vending stand, and then proceed to seeking out others who might be in possession of large quantities of pyrite.

Not only was Lawrence short on time, what was even worse was that he basically had no pyrite on hand.

If this continued, he would not even stand a chance, and would only be able to pray for help from above.

Lawrence thought that even if he had to be forceful, he had to squeeze out the names of people who might possess pyrite from Mark. Then, even if it meant having to provide extra benefits, he needed to purchase the pyrite.

But did running about busily at night on the streets like this really mean he could get a bit closer to Horo? As Lawrence posed himself this question, the answer that surfaced in his mind was filled with uncertainty.

Okami03 262.jpg



Upon arriving back at Mark’s vending stand, Lawrence found Mark drinking at the same table as before, and the boy beside him nibbling on a piece of bread.

Just as Lawrence was thinking, “What a rare sight, having a meal at such an hour,” Mark noticed Lawrence’s arrival, and directed his gaze and words toward him:

“How’d it go?”

“You should be able to tell just by looking at me.”

Lawrence shook both hands lightly, then looked Mark straight in the eye and said:

“I brought it up with Miss Deanna. But, someone’s beaten me to it. I don’t know how things will turn out.”

“Someone beat you to it?”

“As a result, I can only place my hopes on what you told me.”

Because Deanna had expressed her willingness to help, Lawrence predicted that the chances of obtaining the pyrite were about seventy percent.

However, Lawrence felt that acting as if he had nowhere left to turn before Mark would probably carry a greater effect.

In the previous conversation with Mark, Lawrence had already learned that, from a town merchant’s point of view, his request was an unreasonable one.

That being the case, he could only try appealing to Mark’s emotions.

Yet, hearing Lawrence’s words, Mark did not make any response.

“Oh.....about that.”

Such were the words that came out of Mark’s mouth, and Lawrence could clearly hear the blood draining away within his body.

However, Mark immediately gave the boy, who was still chewing on bread, a knock on the head, and thrusting forth his chin said:

“Hurry up and report the results!”

The boy who had just received a knock on the head quickly swallowed the bread and, standing up from the chair made from a leftover piece of log said:

“If it’s to be paid in Trenni silver coins, it’s 370 coins’ worth of...uh...py—”

“You trying to let the whole world know!? That’s how it is.”

Mark quickly surveyed his surroundings once as he covered the boy’s mouth with a thickset palm. If this discussion were accidentally overheard by someone nearby, surely it would cause quite a bit of trouble for Mark.

Yet, Lawrence couldn’t suppress a puzzled expression.

“Paying in Trenni silver coins? Worth 370 coins?” he questioned.

“Haha. Seeing that expression on your face, even I can’t help feeling happy. It’s like this, after you left, I did a bit of thinking.”

Mark removed his hand from the boy’s mouth, and reached directly for the liquor-filled mug. He then said cheerfully:

“Even I would refuse to help you for the sake of upholding my reputation, so I’m assuming the same applies to the other guys. But even I have bought some of that product with the idea of making some side profits, and so of course, the same goes for everyone else. However, the reason I’m able to keep it at the scale of simply making some small side profits is that I don’t have any cash on hand. Theoretically, the value of wheat should be dropping because the people purchasing goods for their return trips haven’t been buying wheat. Even with the price dropping, those who’ve come to peddle wheat are still doing so without any hesitation, which is why I’ve already spent all the cash I had on hand. That being the case.....”

Mark gulped down some liquor, belched in a seemingly comfortable manner, and at the same time continued:

“That being the case, what would those who do have cash on hand do? I simply can’t believe they’d be able resist the urge to make a move. Most likely, they have been buying large quantities quietly, while remaining in the shadows. But to talk about this, I need to bring up the reason I mentioned to you before for not being able to help you. These people are not loners like traveling merchants. Each is a merchant with his own standpoint and bearing on his back the reputation of his store. Naturally, they would’ve been happy about successfully purchasing the merchandise, but now that the price has grown way too high, they’re frustrated over wanting to yet not being able to get rid of the merchandise. Even if they are to sell off a very slight quantity, it would bring a startling amount of profit. To the particularly nervous type, this would probably be even more a matter of concern. I’m sure you who are so intelligent can easily figure out what would follow after that?”

Mark threw out such a question at the end. It wasn’t until a few moments later that Lawrence nodded his head.

Mark must have had the boy run all over the place, spreading the rumor.

“There’s a traveling merchant obsessed with making money who said he was willing to purchase pyrite with cash. What do you think? Why not take advantage of the moment to help him get rid of the pyrite whose price has risen too high and which he has trouble now getting rid of himself,” Mark proposed.

Anyone who heard such a suggestion would undoubtedly consider it a timely rain.

Of course, it was without a doubt that Mark had signed a contract with these people promising a service charge paid to him during a subtle exchange of cash for pyrite.

Making an exchange for pyrite under the pretext of doing the other party a favor, it was the ideal plan.

Yet, to have been able to purchase a quantity worth 370 silver coins using this trick, this meant that there existed within the market a considerably large pressure to sell.

“That’s the way it is. If you’re willing, I’ll send the boy off to take care of it right away,” Mark concluded.

Lawrence had no reason to refuse.

He immediately untied the gunnysack he had been carrying on his back.

“But....”

Lawrence suddenly ceased the movement of his hands.

Mark looked toward Lawrence with a surprised expression.

Lawrence shifted back to reality, and quickly took out a bag of silver coins from the gunnysack, placing it upon the table.

Then, he murmured:

“Sorry.”

Hearing this, Mark sighed with an expression that seemed to say he didn’t know what to do with Lawrence, and said:

“You should be thanking me at such a time, right?”

“Huh? Ah, right. Sor....no.”

Lawrence felt as if he was speaking to Horo. He opened his mouth once more to speak:

“Thank you.”

“Gahahahaha, I didn’t think you were such an interesting guy. Hmm? No, that’s not it.”

Mark received the bag of silver coins from Lawrence’s hands. After confirming the contents with his own eyes, he unfastened the string and passed the bag to the boy. The boy stacked up the coins swiftly, and began counting them.

“I believe you’ve changed,” said Mark.

“....Really?”

“Aye. Rather than being an exceptional merchant, it would probably be more appropriate to say you used to be a totally transparent merchant. Tell the truth, you never did consider me a friend did you?”

Because Mark had successfully read his mind, Lawrence was for a moment completely unable to speak.

Yet, Mark simply laughed cheerfully and continued:

“What about now? In your heart, am I still just a target for a deal, a merchant who’s easy to communicate with?”

Faced with such a direct inquiry from Mark, there was no way Lawrence could nod his head.

Even so, Lawrence felt as if he had been caught within an amazing illusion. He shook his head in such a state of emotion.

“This is precisely the reason why I just can’t quite get used to the life of a town merchant after having spent so much time as a traveling merchant. But there’s one other thing that’s even more interesting.”

Lawrence was uncertain whether it was because he had been drinking or some other reason, but Mark truly appeared to be very happy.

Even though Mark, who was still talking, had trimmed his facial hair into a rectangular shape, his face at that moment appeared as round as a chestnut.

“Let me ask you something. If you were faced with the possibility of having to part with me, would you be running about Kumerson so frantically?” said Mark.

The boy, who lived daily under the power and influence of his master Mark, lifted his head and looked towards the two men one at a time.

Lawrence thought it completely amazing.

Although he already viewed Mark as a friend, if he were to be completely honest in answering the question, he simply could not respond with a nod.

“Hahahaha. That’s alright, I can still hope on the future. Although…”

Mark paused suddenly mid-sentence, then said in a steady tone:

“You’re putting in so much effort for the sake of your companion.”

The instant he heard this, Lawrence felt a burning sensation pass through his throat and slide down into his stomach.

Mark shifted his gaze toward the boy, and said in a somewhat mocking tone:

“This is what a man who’s completely infatuated with a woman looks like. But then again, a branch that’s not flexible enough would not be able to withstand strong winds.”

A year passed alone was not as long as two people passing half a year together (note: I don’t quite agree, but then again I’m just translating what the book says...xD).

That being the case, just how much older was Mark compared to Lawrence?

“You and I are the same. You must be under the traveling merchant’s curse,” said Mark.

“Cu...curse?”

“The fact that you’ve become such an interesting person is probably because the curse is almost broken. Don’t you understand? Did you not end up traveling with your companion out of sheer luck?”

Driving a horse-drawn cart carrying wheat while passing through a village, Horo had hidden herself within that same wheat by chance.

Lawrence felt that his being able to become so close with Horo was nothing less than a fortunate gift from heaven.

“Huhahahaha, I seem to be looking at myself when I first met Adele. You’re under the curse alright, the traveling merchant’s curse.”

Lawrence felt like he finally understood.

Although he felt that Horo was an important existence, he had always tried coolly to maintain a certain distance.

Moreover, as a result of this, Lawrence had ended up not realizing just how much he had become blind to his surroundings because of Horo.

Such a condition was way too disharmonious.

Lawrence had at last discovered the reason.

“The curse you’re referring to is....the infamous ‘traveling merchant’s complaint’ right?” he said.

Mark laughed even harder. Knocking on the head of the boy, who had stopped what he was doing, he said:

“The poet says that money cannot buy love, and the missionary says that there are things more important than money in this world. In that case, why do you suppose that after working our asses off making money, we’re still able to obtain something more important than money?”

The reason Lawrence had sunk into contemplation as he thought about what kind of existence Horo was to him was because she had always been beside him seemingly as a matter of course.

If it were something that Lawrence had obtained after extensive effort and hardship, he would surely not feel so irresolute.

Moreover, Lawrence had always thought that anything “important” must necessarily be obtained through such a difficult process.

What am I to you? Lawrence felt that he could answer that question now.

“Mm, I haven’t said something so moving in a long time. Plus helping you gather information on the northern regions, only collecting ten Rumione from you seems too little,” said Mark.

“If all you just said had been made up on the spot, that would be nothing less than an extortionate profit.”

Hearing Lawrence utter this in an indignant manner, Mark opened his mouth in a silent, tooth-revealing grin. Lawrence responded with a smile.

“I just hope your plan will be able to succeed.”

Lawrence nodded his head. His mood at that moment seemed as clear as a cloudless night sky.

“Although, whoever turns out victorious, how things actually end up will still ultimately depend on your performance…,” Mark added.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,”

said Mark, shaking his head. He gave a signal to the boy, who had finished counting the coins and, like a loyal, model servant, the boy went swiftly to making preparations. Within a few seconds, the boy was already set to leave.

“Alright! Go now.”

Sending off the boy in this manner, Mark turned back to Lawrence and spoke:

“So, where do you plan to sleep tonight?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“In that case....”

“No, I’ve decided. May I sleep here tonight?”

His face full of amazement, Mark asked in return:

“Sleep here?”

“Aye. You have gunnysacks for carrying wheat here right? Lend me some.”

“Of course, I can lend you as many as you need. But….come over to my house, I won’t charge you any money.”

“It may bring good luck to do this.”

This was something that many traveling merchants did.

Hearing this, Mark seemed to give up on continuing his invitation.

“Then, I’ll see you here tomorrow at daybreak.”

Lawrence nodded in response, and Mark raised his mug to say:

“How about toasting a prayer for a dream come true?”

Of course, Lawrence had no reason to refuse.



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