Instead of doing things like that, even as Mr. Lawrence and Miss Holo gave each other the cold shoulder, they were able to talk to others with smiling faces right away. Judging from their faces, you would think there had been nothing but fun times since getting up that morning.
After that, as if each’s existence had been exiled from the other’s head, they were able to completely ignore the other as if it was truly second nature. Even if Mr. Lawrence broke down first during the ignore-the-other contest that followed, calling out to Miss Holo over and over, it was all for nothing if her mood had not improved. Her tone, posture, and eye movements were completely natural as she joked with me and ignored Mr. Lawrence.
At first, how they were both exceptionally adept at making composed smiles even while angry looked a little creepy to me.
Even so, when looking at the big picture, it all looked so childish that I did not really understand either of them.
After we ate, by the time I put into order the utensils we had borrowed from the inn, went to return them to the kitchen, and came back, Mr. Lawrence was coming out to refill a pitcher of water.
I simply could not hold it in anymore and told him about Miss Holo.
Once I did so, Mr. Lawrence made a surprised expression, indeed acting as if there had been no argument whatsoever.
“Mm? Holo did?”
“Yes… Er, I felt that it really wasn’t good for me to keep quiet about it…”
The Church teaches us that God sees all our actions, so it is futile to try and hide what we do. However, as we do not possess eyes like those of God, the truth remains hidden from a great many people.
In my village, lies were punished by having one’s rump smacked with a supple bow.
It was literally beaten into you that when holed up by snow in the middle of winter, when bears and wolves roamed the mountains, even the smallest lie or concealed thing could bring about nigh-unimaginable disaster.
I have encountered many lies and concealed things since descending from the mountains, but I still believe such things must be rectified.
All the more so because I had eaten the slice of dried meat that Miss Holo pushed onto me.
“Yeah, I know.”
But with a smile, that was what Mr. Lawrence said to me.
“Ah? But Mr. Lawrence, you…”
“Certainly if you insist on my providing proof, I have none, but we’re down four pieces of dried meat. Perhaps Holo ate three and you ate the other one?”
As he beat me to it, I brought my fingertip up to my forehead.
Mr. Lawrence, who was well versed in dense passages from scripture, seemed able to recall exactly what he had of everything.
“… I’m sorry.”
After speaking, I hung my head.
In my village, if you stole food, they even made you stand naked outside of the house.
But Mr. Lawrence made a wry smile and placed the pitcher in his hand on top of my head.
“Holo made you eat it, didn’t she?”
That was exactly what happened, but the fact this was what Mr. Lawrence believed actually made me a little concerned.
“Am I wrong?”
Quickly lowering my upturned eyes, I made a small shake of my head.
“I trust you, and that’s why I don’t doubt what you said.”
When I lifted my head, Mr. Lawrence had a smiling face very typical of him.
“Besides, even Holo must vaguely realize that I count the slices of dry meat.”
“Ah?”
Mr. Lawrence removed the pitcher from my head and spoke as he walked.
As I spoke back in surprise, I followed right behind Mr. Lawrence, awaiting his reply.
“It’s not as if I thought I was putting her on trial and determining her guilt or innocence. I’m not that hard up for money.”
Mr. Lawrence opened the door that led to the courtyard and went outside.
It was a moonlit night, seemingly blotting out the oil lantern in his hand with ease.
“But on a journey, if you let your guard down over and over, that can lead to disaster someday. For example, in a critical situation, you might have to give up on something because you’re just a little short on money or something similar.
“You understand, don’t you?”
As I nodded, Mr. Lawrence nodded back.
I thought that these were very important words.
But after Mr. Lawrence made a satisfied face at my reaction, he turned gloomy.
“But she’s extremely narrow-minded about some things you see. I have no objection to simple childishness, but she’ll probably get hardheaded if I prove impropriety to her face.”
I wondered if that was really true for Miss Holo, a wolf so sublime as to be called wisewolf.
Though that was what I thought, Mr. Lawrence sighed and slumped his shoulders and, drawing close to my face, said this:
“If I back her into a corner and say, ‘You swiped the food, didn’t you?’ she’d acknowledge it, yes. And after, when taking the slightest break and offered food, there’s no doubt in my mind she’d say, ‘Is this not swiping food?’ Moreover, she’d go, ‘Is it all right to eat this?’ or something, and even ‘This, my boy, this is a trap,’ wouldn’t she?”
Mr. Lawrence looked like he dreaded it from the bottom of his heart as he mimicked Miss Holo’s manner of speech.
I could not say with confidence, “No, she would never do that”; they certainly did seem like things Miss Holo might say.
Overwhelmed by Mr. Lawrence that I was, I found it mysterious that, however great the dread on Mr. Lawrence’s face, I did not see a single shred of dislike for Miss Holo upon it.
“That’s why I don’t need to back her that far into a corner and drive the fact I count all the food in like it’s a nail. Holo’s no idiot. If I gently point it out, even she’ll stop swiping food after a while; a few cross words to me doesn’t mean any genuine conflict. Besides…”
Lawrence drew the bucket out of the well and poured cold water into the pitcher.
“It makes it a little harder for her to beg for food and wine when the going gets a little rough, doesn’t it?”
I nodded in admiration.
It was definitely so, I thought, for Miss Holo was indeed stubborn about certain things.
“Goodness. She should know exactly what happens when you’re not prepared and trouble strikes… She really is quite troublesome.”
Holding the pitcher, nearly full to the brim, Mr. Lawrence made a heavy sigh.
“Where would she be if I wasn’t the one traveling with her?”
In the corridor, someone was passing through who was apparently a merchant who knew Mr. Lawrence, so I took the pitcher and returned to the room in his place.
When I arrived back, Miss Holo was glugging down her wine as if still holding a grudge as she sat on the bed, grooming her tail.
“Mm. Water?”
“Would you like some?”
As I inquired, Miss Holo nodded. Beginning to drink water apparently meant she was done drinking wine for that day.
Drinking wine alone made you thirsty, but treating it by drinking more wine would not put a stop to that. “Even fools treat thirst with water,” she would always say.
Just as I was looking around the room for a small container to open, Miss Holo reached her hand out to me. Then, she took the pitcher, put it to her lips, and began to drink. Even though she drank the water as heartily as any wine, she did not spill even a single drop.
I thought to myself that she was not very drunk today, for I had often seen Mr. Lawrence hurrying to wipe water dripping from the corner of her mouth.
“Phew. ’Tis nothing quite like cold water.”
Making a burp that greatly resembled a hiccup, she cackled as she tendered the pitcher.
I took it and put it on top of the table.
It seemed Miss Holo’s mood was not terribly foul at present.
“So, what of that fool?”
�
��Mr. Lawrence, you mean? He seems to be speaking to a merchant he’s acquaintances with downstairs…”
Do you want me to call him? I nearly asked, but I stopped myself.
I had learned a thing or two about how Miss Holo operated, too.
“Hmph. ’Tis good if he does not stick his neck into strange schemes again…”
Her eyes fell upon her fluffy tail; seeming to see some hair that was about to shed, she pulled it out with a light tug and blew it away with her breath. Then, she made a great yawn, raising her arms in a stretch that looked like it felt good from where I stood.
“… Ah. So, did you tell him about me, lad?”
As she examined the sandals sitting on a chair, Miss Holo launched one of her usual ambushes.
I could not feign innocence like Mr. Lawrence could.
Taken back by surprise, I looked toward Miss Holo.
“Heh-heh. I am not upset.”
There were times you could do naught but trust the smile on Miss Holo’s face.
Even now, there were times when I guessed wrong, but I thought today’s was genuine.
“Did he say something, then?”
Miss Holo put the tankard with wine in it onto the floor and pushed it into the corner.
Usually, this was a signal she was going right to sleep.
But she crossed her legs and sat on top of the bed, putting her elbows on top of her knees and resting her chin upon her palms with a bored look.
“Er… ah, that’s…”
Of course I remembered, since it was only moments before, but if I told her all of it there would probably be another argument.
Since I am quite poor at telling lies, I was as economical with the truth as I could be.
“Well, he said he can’t provide any proof, but he does know you ate it…”
After gazing straight at me, scrutinizing every word, Miss Holo went “Hmph!” and turned aside.
“Goodness, he truly is a fool.”
Then, she made a large sigh.
“He does not understand in the slightest why I swiped the food.”
“… Ah?”
“Mm? Could it be that even you think all I was doing was having a snack?”
Miss Holo’s ears were fearsome ears that could pick up anything.
I nodded, venturing no excuse, tilting my head a bit as I looked at Miss Holo.
“My word, these males are just…” Miss Holo rocked forward, grimacing as if enduring a headache.
She fell from the bed, but my worry was of course needless; she deftly put a hand to the floor, reached her other hand out to the wine, taking it in her hand as she rose up in one swoop.
“I am certainly aware of his side. ’Tis not good to swipe food and waste it, it might cost us when in a real pinch, and so forth?”
It being exactly as she said, I nodded as if wondering if she was angry with me.
“Of course I understand that. But I do not think ’tis necessary to be so narrow-minded about each and every little thing. I did not steal food that we have but a limited supply. A few slices of dried meat shall hardly be missed.”
Miss Holo had a valid point as well, I thought.
Mr. Lawrence’s preparedness was important, but to always be that way was stifling.
Even in my village, it was said good hunters must keep their guard up at all times, but when night falls, the good hunters are the hunters who sleep well.
Even the Church teaches that excessive austerity is no virtue.
“I think it a good thing if that fool lightens up a little. When I first met that fool, he was so greedy that he would not overlook even a nail fallen upon the road. He did not even eat properly, focusing everything on making money, neglecting even his own life. If you do such things long enough, your mind shall split and you shall make a terrible mistake.”
As Miss Holo finished the last part, she guzzled down some wine.
Though she had a great love of wine, it did not look so tasty when she drank it alone.
“Human life is short. Those who do not enjoy themselves when it is time to do so die with scowls on their faces.”
Then she muttered, “Goodness,” as she drank the seemingly bitter wine.
I looked at Miss Holo as if I was admiring her.
No, I really was admiring her.
Miss Holo lived a very long time. She had no doubt watched the lives of many souls.
I thought she had likely seen some who prepared for any future eventuality, yet had not lived long lives as a result. If that was so, they had likely never had the time to use any of what they had piled higher and higher, dying without ever enjoying themselves.
Certainly, Mr. Lawrence always made a pained face at Miss Holo’s propensity to eat and drink her fill until she could no longer move. But in the end, he was greatly enjoying having Miss Holo with him. “It can’t be helped,” “Might as well enjoy it after having come this far,” and so on.
Apparently Miss Holo was not behaving like this out of self-indulgence; she truly believed Mr. Lawrence’s obstinate aspects ought to be mended.
I reflected upon the fact that I had not noticed this whatsoever.
“Well, if I said this to his face, he’d no doubt think he is the wise one. He’d likely say, no, you’re the one who’s mistaken. That is why I must very slightly play the fool, loosening him up whether he likes it or not. Yet even though this wisewolf is doing so much for him, truly that fool is…”
As I thought to myself, I feel like I’ve heard something like this before, Miss Holo made a large burp and said this:
“What would happen to that fool if I was not traveling with him?”
Miss Holo was already up when I awoke the next morning.
She had opened the inn’s shutters and placed bread crumbs from last night on the windowsill that attracted small birds.
Even though her true form was a huge wolf that seemed like it could swallow a cow whole, and even in her current human form had incredible intensity when angry, she watched the little birds peck at the bread crumbs on the windowsill with her chin on her palms, looking very gentle.
Besides, I knew that Miss Holo truly was very kind. She was considerate to me about all kinds of things; sometimes she even told Mr. Lawrence things in my place that I found very difficult to say.
She was mean to me just as much, but since Miss Holo always seemed to be having fun from the bottom of her heart, she probably did not think it was mean. After all, she did not tease even Mr. Lawrence all the time.
As I got up out of bed, I saw that Mr. Lawrence was sound asleep in the adjacent bed. Even though Mr. Lawrence was in the middle of sleep, his forelocks were in perfect order. Miss Holo, with her chin on her palms at the window, most likely knew why they were like that.
“What, ’tis the lad who awoke first?”
As Miss Holo noticed me and said that, she seemed a little sleepy.
Those words seemed to make the little birds pecking at the bread crumbs realize that Miss Holo was right beside them. With shrill cries, they hopped up and flew off.
Miss Holo lazily watched the heartless little birds as they departed; it felt like she was saying “My, my” as she rose from her seat.
“Now then… slap the fool awake and get breakfast, perhaps?”
She cracked her wrists, finally making a sigh and a snort.
Though her face lacked expression, she seemed somehow amused; no doubt she enjoyed waking Mr. Lawrence up.
I pretended not to notice the eager sway of her tail as she drank cold water out of a pitcher.
In short order, Mr. Lawrence was waking up with a start while Miss Holo made a cackling laugh.
“–nsherned you shay?”
It was a little before noon when Mr. Lawrence entered the room and Miss Holo parroted the words back at him.
Her strange way of speaking was because she still had dried meat in her mouth.
In spite of that, his composure did not waver an inch.
However,
perhaps I might say, that is Mr. Lawrence for you. After all, the dried meat Holo was gnawing on was broken out from Miss Holo’s personal supply.
When I heard Miss Holo rummaging around and saw her taking out the dried meat and gnawing on it, I exclaimed, “Ah!” but Miss Holo made a conspiratorial laugh and explained it to me.
She seemed to have done it with the intent of Mr. Lawrence seeing that and admonishing her, with her answer to give her great bragging rights.
Miss Holo’s tail wiggled all around when Mr. Lawrence failed to fall into her trap.
“Yesterday I ran into an old acquaintance of a merchant in the corridor, and he asked me to help with something.”
“Then should you not do it?”
As Miss Holo spoke those words, she returned to her every-day tail grooming.
Since she combed it several times a day, it was a comely tail indeed.
However, Miss Holo was being uncooperative beyond reason, like a princess withdrawing from a conversation.
“You’re free, aren’t you?”
Immediately one of Miss Holo’s sharp ears stood straight up. It was as if to say, “Aye, try saying that again,” but Mr. Lawrence simply slumped his shoulders.
“Um, can I do it?”
I was not doing anything in particular, and since they were both taking such good care of me, I wanted to help where I could.
I did not mind physical labor; it was the simple, boring chores that made you stronger.
“Mm? Ah yes, you’d be plenty of help, Col. Can I count on you?”
“Yes!”
Since I did not have many opportunities to be useful, I leaped up at this one.
As Mr. Lawrence beckoned with his hand, I tossed on my overcoat and hurried to the doorway.
“What will I be doing?”
As I asked, Mr. Lawrence spoke rather casually. “It’s merely counting some gold coins. There’s a fair amount, but you’re strong in math so I’m not at all concerned.”
I knew that this was high praise coming from Mr. Lawrence, but such considerate words were ticklish. Before meeting Mr. Lawrence and Miss Holo, I would have wondered if I was being mocked, deceived, or perhaps both.
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