She looked like a furnace, fed air with a bellows.
Reason finally returned to her eyes.
“Others?”
As he asked once more, Holo put a hand to her eyes, as if dizzy from waking up too quickly, and taking a deep breath, she looked around the area.
“I do not know. Gone most likely. Still.” Holo’s fangs shone under her lips. “It would not matter how many there are.”
Convincing her otherwise was impossible. Having instantly judged it to be so, Lawrence nodded.
He put what they owed the shopkeeper on top of the table, rose, and came alongside Holo as she walked.
“Let’s be certain. Is this really Col’s?”
At Lawrence’s question, Holo rustled the sack.
It was a familiar object, and indeed when Holo disturbed the sack, it smelled faintly of Col.
Holo’s nose would not mistake the scent surely.
Also, when he looked into the cord-drawn sack, he recognized the contents within: a few scraps of wrapped cloth, the deeds that had been used to swindle Col out of everything he owned, and a small amount of coin.
This was clearly no simple robbery, for there was no profit whatsoever in taking these things.
And whoever had taken Col knew about Holo.
“Can you follow them?”
Lawrence’s question actually brought a smile to Holo’s face.
“Had the land no end I’d still not let them escape.”
Holo walked down the busy street, full of confidence, as if making for a landmark. Though it was the dead of night, the town’s bustle remained in force.
However, the atmosphere had changed from good cheer to something sticky and lingering. Those wandering about were slurred in their speech, swaying as they laughed, swilling liquor that was hard to tell from horse piss.
Lawrence recalled the contents of a book written by a clergyman led on a visit to hell by an ancient saint. The people on the road leading to hell had given themselves over to the seven deadly sins as they sung the praises of this world’s false springtime. There were flowers of lava blooming, with prostitutes’ bodies as ripe as the fruit of the pomegranate, not even aware that they had died.
Lesko, the town governed by the Debau Company, had no nosy guilds spreading their regulations about. Anywhere else, the echoes of degenerate laughter and singing in this and that corner of the streets would have been considered criminal.
Now, even the stars and moon of the winter sky, once beautiful enough to make one’s breath catch, were concealed.
No doubt, someone looking down at the town from a distance would see it as though at the bottom of a boiling cauldron of crimson flames. Though the town had seemed full of hope and ambition just a short time ago, to Lawrence’s eyes, the atmosphere had now taken a turn. It was as if the tossing of Col’s sack onto the table had broken the spell.
Lawrence grasped Holo’s hand, walking past the drunks as if threading a needle.
The Debau Company had constructed this town with meticulous preparation, bottomless courage, and peerless sagacity and wit. The splendor of it had filled Lawrence with a feeling of pride as a fellow merchant. But this was plainly a constructed town. Picturing what was happening behind the scenes of such a great monolith, the employment of such vast amounts of financial profit and privilege, frightened him.
Holo gave a snort as she stopped in front of an alley.
They could see nothing, even as they peered in, for the bonfires made the alley’s darkness thicker than usual. It was an ideal place to set a trap.
“All the more convenient for makeshift measures.” As Holo spoke, she pulled out from her breast the pouch of wheat she wore about her neck, turning her head and cracking her neck. Evidently restraint would not be necessary.
Lawrence could only go along with her. He followed after Holo, carrying Col’s bag over his shoulder.
The alley demonstrated the growth of the town very clearly in that moment. Lacking even footpaths, the street had half-constructed houses on both sides, with construction materials piled up, apparently having been used for work until a short time earlier but now left exposed to the elements.
If viewed in the light of day, no doubt Lawrence would have thought this was the foundation of the town’s lively sense of hope.
However, viewing the scene in the dead of night, with snow remaining in various places, he felt like he was being shown the truth behind the curtains of that dazzling world.
As Lawrence held his breath, he went with Holo, who had no trouble walking in darkness. The street emptied into a small square. The square was surrounded by buildings with a well in the center. If the buildings had been sold and occupied, it would surely have been a very relaxing place in broad daylight.
However, right now, the piles of building materials and half-finished houses looked like the aftermath of a war.
And there was something unexpected on the lid of the well: a lone hare.
For a moment, Lawrence thought it must have escaped from a store somewhere, but the hare made no effort to run or hide.
Lawrence finally realized the hare’s eyes were filled with a look of intelligence, fully suited to comprehending human speech.
Holo took a very deep breath, barely managing to keep herself from flying at it in a rage.
“I apologize for saddening the bag’s owner.” So spoke the hare. In accordance with Lawrence’s initial impression, its speech was refined and articulate. “However, I have done him no harm. I would very much like to avoid such a circumstance.”
It would be better to let Holo judge the truth or falsity of that statement. What Lawrence needed to do was to remain as calm as possible and observe the entire situation.
“What is your objective?” Lawrence asked.
This could not be a simple play for money.
The other party was a talking hare, after all, and he knew about Holo.
“My comrades saw you prowling about Lenos. I had them discover what the intentions were of such a strange pair as a merchant and a wolf.”
“And what have you learned?”
At Lawrence’s courteous question, the hare’s ears immediately pricked. “We have need of a forbidden book – a technological manual.”
The wind of surprise only lightly patted his cheek. With the hare having gone out of his way to show Col’s bag to Lawrence and Holo, and their activities in Lenos having been observed, this declaration was entirely understandable.
“… For what purpose?”
“Not for any purpose hostile to the two of you, at the very least.”
Though that was no answer to Lawrence’s question and the words may have been meant to hold Holo at bay.
Holo seemed ready to pounce on the hare at the slightest provocation. Her small hand continued to clench the wheat pouch at her breast.
The hare gazed at Lawrence and Holo and spoke. “The northlands are in unprecedented peril.”
Lawrence took a sharp breath.
If his own judgment was correct, the forbidden book’s existence could be the spark to plunge the northlands into upheaval; he thought it highly unlikely it could save the land from peril.
“If we have the forbidden book, we may be able to avert this peril.”
The hare’s manner of speaking was logical. His pronunciation was correct and seemed appropriate to an individual of distinction.
However, the drawstring of Col’s sack had been sliced open. Lawrence did not think this was a conversation or a negotiation. It was intimidation, as if to say, What you may find atop the next table might well be his head.
“Just who are you?” Lawrence asked.
The words coming out of the hare’s mouth made Lawrence unwittingly lift his chin.
“Hilde Schnau. Treasurer of the Debau Company.”
In any trading company, the treasurer was the owner’s right-hand man. In the Debau Company, surely that meant someone of quite formidable status. A company of such large scale, an organiz
ation able to even issue its own currency, could without exaggeration be called a small country in its own right.
In other words, he was the right-hand man of a king.
Or was it all a lie?
As Lawrence shifted his gaze to Holo, Holo stood still right where she was.
It seemed that the hare calling himself Hilde spoke truly.
Lawrence swallowed his saliva a little. He then deliberately took three breaths.
One, two, three.
The contents of his head switched completely over to business.
“And why does Mr. Hilde require the forbidden book?”
“It is natural that you have suspicions. We are not ignorant of your objective, after all.”
If they had cast their net over Lenos, they may well have discovered that much. In particular, the Debau Company had dealings with numerous mercenaries. If mercenaries associated with the company were trailing Lawrence and Holo in the town of Lenos, it was far from unthinkable.
“However, having considered the various possibilities, the tale of the forbidden book is all that we have left to cling to.”
Lawrence did not know if a merchant of Hilde’s caliber, and the treasurer of the Debau Company no less, speaking in such a serious, urgent manner made his words worthier of trust.
But he did not think the hare’s words were a complete lie.
After all, Hilde was not asking Lawrence to lend his abilities as a traveling merchant, let alone asking Holo to lend her fangs. He merely needed a forbidden book.
Furthermore, bringing Col’s bag out before Holo meant he was prepared to stare death in the face.
The life of the Debau Company’s treasurer was too weighty to risk on a roll of the dice.
Perhaps they really had exhausted every other option before coming to this point.
So Lawrence asked one more question.
“May I ask what is going on?”
For a moment, Hilde held his breath, as if not wanting to speak of unpalatable truths, but then spoke. “Currently, the Debau Company is internally split in two parts. And my part is in the worse position.”
“… And?” Lawrence asked back as instantly as he could manage, but he could not hide his shock.
The Debau Company split.
That was not good news.
“I presume you know of our deciding to issue currency?”
“Yes, I thought it a marvelous thing. By that I also mean the profit from minting it, of course.”
“It is indeed as you say.”
Of course, the tumult on the main streets did not reach this place deep in the alleyways, However, when Lawrence lifted his face, he could see the flickering red sparks of the fires against the pitch-black sky.
“However, to put it bluntly, we profited too much.”
Profited too much – said the treasurer of the Debau Company.
Lawrence repeated the words as if they were the only ones he knew.
“Profited too much…?”
“Yes. The moment we decided to issue the currency, the profit was vast. In addition, the money changers have already driven up the price of the new currency.”
So they had already begun speculating in a currency yet to exist.
Most people believed that it would indeed have an unbelievably high purity level and would maintain that level thereafter.
Even if the price went up somewhat, there would surely be many people who would want to take some home; taking advantage of that, there were surely many money changers speculating that the price would rise.
“Originally, the rise in the currency’s price made us very pleased as well. However, it seems that there is little that has a good influence on people when in excess – in particular, nobles dividing the new currency between themselves in advance. This is a windfall surpassing any seen in the history of their houses. When they realized this, what they suggested was exceedingly simple.”
“To issue even more currency?”
The hare nodded and made what seemed like an exasperated sigh.
“Increasing the currency issued increases the issuance fee, which in turn increases the profit.”
“But why does this mean unprecedented peril for the northlands?”
As Lawrence pressed his question, Hilde momentarily averted his eyes.
Was he polishing up a scheme? While Lawrence entertained such doubts, the gaze aimed at the sky grew desolate. He seemed to be cursing as he gazed at the sky, for though he had ears that were like feathers, he could not fly.
Hilde’s gaze returned to Lawrence. If it was an act, Lawrence was well and truly fooled.
“Issuing currency requires raw metal. The current orders from the money changers are for such an amount that our reserves are already stretched to their limit. We cannot issue any more right away. However, as selling when the opportunity exists is a fundamental of trade, you are aware of a simple method of resolving the problem, are you not?”
A disagreeable taste spread throughout Lawrence’s mouth. He saw where this was heading.
“Plunder the raw metal or coins of other currencies to melt down for the new.”
“That is correct. Even in the northlands where trade is meager, there are still places rich in supplies. Those with covetous eyes are now fervently urging that we attack these supply-rich places. In fact, there are a number of rulers and towns that have closed their gates in opposition to our plans. On our side, rulers that covet those very territories are advocating that as well.”
Hilde surely spoke in a scornful tone because he was indeed scornful.
Such overly simplistic urgings did not suit the Debau Company’s image. Surely what got under his skin was the rulers acting as parasites on the Debau Company, scheming as if to leech away the profits for themselves.
However, Lawrence did not think that just because the rulers advocated something in no way meant that the men of the Debau Company had to grudgingly obey. After all, the Debau Company had made it this far by using such men as their marionettes.
There was only one possibility he could think of.
“So there are people within the Debau Company itself that support these barbaric notions?”
“Yes. And to diminish their fervor, we require the forbidden book that contains techniques for excavating mines.”
The feeling that swirled about Lawrence’s head was much like nausea.
The story itself was not complicated. However, that the virtues and drawbacks were so artistically combined he could only think of this as some sort of divine prank.
Hilde spoke quietly, as if watching a festival of demons. “Those urging aggression are thinking rationally, in a sense. They are not simply advocating taking that which they lack. They are hedging against the possibility of our current mines running dry.”
Rationalization was a merchant’s best friend.
“In other words, given the possibility of mines running dry in the near future, they seek to delay the day of reckoning as long as possible, either by mining more slowly or by developing new mines. And even in normal times, developing a mine is a difficult political problem. However, with so much vigor behind the company right now, why not simply obtain lands rich in are deposits? Is it not logical to obtain them right now while we still can?And does not robbing the treasure chests of the towns and rulers we bring down kill two birds with one stone? Or so they advocate.”
Raging avarice, desire for profits, and the obstacles to eliminate to get them were all lined up in a row. Lawrence did not think anyone could oppose the Debau Company in the present circumstances. Luward had declared they should be able to invade and crush any territory they wanted to.
After all, the Debau Company had money, and in the end, war is a contest of coin.
Furthermore, if the Debau Company won, it would obtain the rich ore deposits in that land, and also, by restricting the use of currency and issuing a great deal of its own, it would reap even greater profits.
The more enemies it attack
ed and absorbed, the stronger it would become, like a wild snake god out of ancient mythology.
Would it perish in the end, just like the snake in that myth?
The snake god’s stomach had a limit, but the number of coins one could issue was effectively unlimited.
“However, if we had the forbidden book, we could at least disrupt the mine-depletion argument. After all, even if we cannot perform new excavations, we would be able to make fresh excavations at mines already closed. With mines that were once closed, surely we could sell money to the majority of rulers without objection. Please think about what that means. No doubt you chased after the book because you did not think the northlands sinking into ruin to be a good thing.”
As mining techniques advanced, many mines once thought depleted had been reopened. That meant reducing, even by a little, the need for new land. Beyond that, if obtaining it was something that could be resolved with money, there was no concern about sparking a war.
To Lawrence and Holo, there was no need to even ask what meaning this held.
“We are able to resolve many things through money; we believe many more should be. We must end the age of swinging swords and shedding blood. Surely the Moon-Hunting Bear showed us centuries ago that the age of size and power is coming to an end!”
Hilde’s body leaned forward as he spoke; when he closed his mouth, he held his breath.
Holo stared at him.
In her place, Lawrence asked the most important question. “Are you the only one advocating for this?”
Was this small hare fighting a battle within the Debau Company all alone? If that was the case, entrusting the forbidden book to him would be like pouring oil onto an open flame. As a logical merchant, Lawrence could only advise against such a risky course of action.
However, Hilde firmly replied, “I am not. Our company owner, Hilbert von Debau, shares the same thoughts.”
He might have been the Debau Company’s owner, but his position in his own company was imperiled.
Though it sounded absurd, Lawrence was not so surprised. A huge company was impossible to administer single-handedly; authority had to be delegated left and right. One often heard of owners forced out by empowered subordinates. For the same reason, one sometimes heard of even the owner of a large company behaving in a pompous manner having been removed out of necessity.
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