Spice and Wolf, Vol. 3

by Isuna Hasekura

  The letter indeed contained information of great importance to a merchant.

  Yet, as Lawrence finished reading the second letter and confirmed that its contents were identical to those of the first, he first let out a sigh, then smiled lightly.

  "What do they say?" asked Horo.

  "Guess." Perhaps because of being asked something else in response to her own question, Horo looked a bit angry, and let her gaze circle once in the air before responding: "At least they do not look like love letters.”

  Receiving love letters in such messy handwriting would probably cause a love of a hundred years to go cold, Lawrence thought.

  Lawrence handed Horo the letters, and smiled again as he spoke: "Needed information always arrives when you no longer need it.” “Mm.”

  "They sent these letters out of kindness, so I at least need to repay my gratitude. But, do you think I should be crying or laughing at seeing this?”

  Either she was already full, or she had finished all the bread, Horo licked her fingers as she held the letters in her other hand and swept through the words with her eyes.

  Then, she handed the letters back to Lawrence with a look of displeasure. "I cannot read words," she said.

  "Huh? Really?”

  Lawrence was a bit surprised as he took back the letters. Horo narrowed her eyes and said: "If you are saying that intentionally, all I can say is that your skill is getting better and better.” “No. Sorry, I really didn't know.”

  In order to determine the truthfulness of his answer, Horo looked hard at Lawrence. She then turned away her face and said with a sigh: "Basically, the types of words that must be remembered are far too many. Also, there are too many inexplicable combinations. Though humans will often say that all it takes is to follow the rules of speech when writing, that is obviously a lie.”

  From the looks of it, it seemed as if Horo had once intended to remember the words. "You mean consonant markers and such?" asked Lawrence.

  "I do not know what to call them. In short, a very complex system of rules. If humans like you were superior to us wolves in some respect, it would be in your ability to use such inexplicable words.”

  "Other wolves don't know how to write either?" Lawrence almost blurted out, but swallowed the words he had almost uttered and expressed agreement.

  "Even so, no one should be able to remember the words easily. It took me a lot of effort as well, and every time I got something wrong, my master would hit me on the head. I even used to worry that my head would become deformed.”

  Horo looked at Lawrence with a suspicious glance. Her expression seemed to say that if Lawrence was simply making a polite lie, she would immediately lose her temper.

  "You should be able to tell that I'm not lying.”

  Hearing Lawrence say this, Horo at last removed her suspicious gaze.

  "So, what is written in them?" she asked once again.

  "Oh. It's written that due to this year's Northern military expedition being canceled, I should exercise caution when buying battle equipment,”

  Lawrence said as he tossed aside the letters. Horo appeared stunned at first, and then gave a strained smile. "If you had received this letter earlier, then certainly you would not have ended up as you did," she said. "Exactly.but, in the end, these two people had been willing to spend money relaying this information to me. Just knowing that is a gain in itself. From now on these two will be worth my trust.”

  "Yea. However, seeing the letter and not seeing the letter certainly make the difference between heaven and hell.”

  "Although that's not funny at all, what you've said is exactly right. The information contained within one letter really can mark a turning point in destiny. If a merchant lacked information, it would be like going onto a battlefield blindfolded.”

  "If it is covering up your own embarrassment, you sure are used to it.”

  The moment Lawrence heard this, his hands froze in the motion of putting a letter back in its envelope. "Shit," he thought silently.

  "Hooah. Even teasing you does not wave away my sleepiness.”

  Horo yawned as she got off the desk and made her way back to her bed. Lawrence watched Horo with a bitter expression. At that moment, Horo suddenly spun around to face him and said: "Oh yes, you (note: I should've mentioned this earlier, but this is how Horo calls Lawrence. It's the same as in the anime when Horo says, "nushi." I use "you" in my translation for lack of a better word, but that's literally what it means). We can go see the festival now, can we not?”

  Horo reached out her hand and picked up the robe she had taken off and placed on the bed, her spirited eyes seemingly about to shoot out rays of light. Seeing Horo like this, Lawrence was tempted to take her out, but unfortunately, he still has some unfinished business.

  "Sorry, not ye-”

  The reason Lawrence was unable to finish his sentence was because in that instant, he saw that Horo's expression had changed, looking like she was about to cry and clutching her robe tightly.

  "Please, even if you're just joking, could you not be like that?" said Lawrence. "You are weak against this kind of thing after all. I must remember that well.”

  Even having seen through Horo's acting, Lawrence could find no words to refute what she had said.

  Lawrence thought warily that Horo had discovered another one of his weaknesses as he turned again to face the desk.

  "Mm…but you, can I not go into the streets by myself?" asked Horo. "Even if I said no, you'd still go right?”

  "Mm, that is true. But…”

  Lawrence placed the letters back in their envelopes, and turned back to Horo. He saw that Horo was holding her robe with an embarrassed look.

  "Right after what was just said, she's already using this move?" Lawrence thought a bit incredulously, but he immediately understood.

  Going to see the festival without a penny would mean only being able to stare at the rows of vending stands which, to Horo, would be as torturous as a living death.

  The point was, Horo wanted some "battle funds," except that she hadn't sunken so low as to be able to open her mouth easily about it.

  "I happen to not have any small change…you better not overspend.”

  Lawrence stood up, took out an Iredo silver coin from the leather pouch tied to his waist, and walked over to hand it to Horo.

  On the Iredo silver coin was engraved a portrait of the seventh aristocratic ruler of Kumerson.

  "This silver coin isn't worth as much as a Trenni silver coin, so you won't receive a sour look if you use it to buy a piece of bread from a vendor. The owner will be willing to give you change," Lawrence explained.

  "Mm…”

  Even having received the silver coin, Horo was a bit clumsy in her reply. The next thought that surfaced in Lawrence's mind was whether Horo could possibly still want more funds.

  However, if Horo detected his wariness, she would no doubt shrewdly attack him for it. Thus, Lawrence did his best to feign coolness, and asked: "What is it?” “Mm? Mm….”

  One had to be very careful when Horo was behaving so pitiably. Lawrence allowed his mind to enter a business state.

  "I am thinking, even if I were to go alone, it would not be any fun," said Horo. In that instant, Lawrence's mind went idle.

  "What business do you still need to take care of? If you can take me with you, I will give you back your silver coin," Horo continued.

  "Huh? Ah, no, about that, I've arranged to meet with someone…”

  "I am just going out for a stroll anyway. If it would be inconvenient for me to stand beside you, I could stand farther away. Therefore, will you take me with you?”

  Neither being particularly coquettish nor behaving pitiably, Horo seemed to be simply making a normal request to take her out.

  If she had tilted her head slightly and asked, "Take me with you, will you not?" one might have suspected her of putting up an act.

  Yet, even though Horo's manner of request seemed very normal this time, it g
ave a sense of being particularly feeble.

  If this was really a part of her act, it would certainly be worth falling for.

  Besides, if she really wasn't acting, suspecting Horo like this would surely hurt her feelings.

  "I'm really sorry. Just for today, can you find some way to pass time on your own? I will be meeting with someone later, and through that person's introduction, I may need to go directly somewhere else. If you came with me, you'd have to wait for me outside almost the entire time," said Lawrence.

  "Mm…”

  "I'll take care of all trivial matters today, and starting tomorrow we'll be able have a good time at the fair. So, just for today, could you be patient for a bit?”

  Seeing Horo standing still beside the bed with such a fragile appearance, Lawrence inadvertently spoke to her in a tone one would use in persuading a little girl of less than ten years.

  Lawrence seemed also to understand Horo's feelings.

  It was precisely because he didn't want to attend the festival that was held in junction with the winter town fair alone that he only came to Kumerson during summertime.

  The more he shuttled back and forth among crowds so large that he would come into contact with the people around him, the more deeply the loneliness of being by himself felt.

  That feeling was as lonesome as being the only person to return to a traveler's inn while a feast was being held at the foreign firm.

  Although he wanted very much to bring Horo along with him, the matter he had to attend to soon was one that required her absence.

  Because he would be meeting with a town chronicler through the introduction of Guy Bartose. The manager of the foreign firm seemed to be familiar with the chronicler as well, so Lawrence had taken the time to gather some information when he was collecting his mail. As expected, it was said that this chronicler not only possessed historical documents relating to the region of Proania, but also gathered pagan tales from regions north of Proania and compiled them into books.

  It would be bad if Horo was brought there and found out about the ancient legend concerning Yoitsu. According to the legend he had once heard, Yoitsu had long been destroyed by a demon bear. As such, it was doubtful that Lawrence would end up finding out that Yoitsu was still a prosperous town.

  Although he well understood that he could not keep this from Horo forever, at least he needed to find a more appropriate time to tell Horo about it. This was, after all, too sensitive a topic.

  The silence between Lawrence and Horo lasted a good while.

  "Yea. How should I say it, it would not be good to always get in the way of your work. Besides, I do not wish to have my hand slapped away again.”

  Horo's particularly-sorrowful tone was most likely part of her acting.

  Even so, the memory of having unintentionally slapped away Horo's hand back in Rubinhaigen still brought a subtle pain to Lawrence's chest. Surely the extremely perceptive sage wolf had mentioned this on purpose, knowing this fact. Because Lawrence had not given in to Horo's willful request, she was using this opportunity to get in a bit of revenge.

  "I'll buy something for you when I get back, just be patient for a bit," said Lawrence. "…You are trying to deceive me with gifts again.”

  Even as Horo's eyes gave a blaming look, her tail was wagging with anticipation. "Then, would you prefer to hear some sweet talk?”

  "Hmph. The things you say are rough, sour, and not at all pleasing to the ear. Please do not say anything.”

  In spite of her venomous words, Horo revealed a smile and no longer looked gloomy, so Lawrence shook his hands in surrender.

  "Anyway, I will be strolling all around alone.” “Sorry," said Lawrence.

  Having heard this, Horo seemed to remember something and said: "Oh yes, when you come back, if you find that there are two people in the room, though it may be a bit troubling for you, could you stay away for a little while?”

  Hearing this, for a moment Lawrence couldn't understand what Horo was trying to say, but immediately realized that Horo was pointing out the possibility of picking up a guy on the street.

  With Horo's narrow-mindedness, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine her doing something like this. Yet, having heard this, Lawrence could not decide what expression to make.

  Should he be angry? Should he laugh? No, ignoring Horo was the best way. Just as Lawrence had arrived at this conclusion, he saw Horo laughing happily from the bottom of her heart as she said: "To be able to see such a cute expression on your face, I should have no problem passing the rest of the day alone.”

  Seeing Horo laughing this happily, Lawrence could do no more than sigh. This wolf could really make one angry.

  "Anyway, as of right now, it is still most comfortable to be by your side. Therefore, just be at ease." Lawrence was still unable to say anything.

  This wolf could really, really make one so angry.

  Because the time was already past noon, entering the foreign firm, Lawrence discovered that the number of people inside was indeed much greater than it had been in the morning.

  Among Kumerson's town merchants and traveling merchants whose businesses centered around Kumerson, many seemed to have temporarily ceased business in order to participate in the festival. During the day, these people drank and made merry in the firm, and the entire space was filled with laughter.

  The person who would be introducing the chronicler, Guy Bartose seemed not to be passed out with drunkenness in the firm as Mark had depicted. Lawrence had heard when he came by the firm in the morning that Bartose had gone out of town to do business.

  Questioning the owner of the firm, Lawrence learned that he had not yet returned. However, having to meet someone later on, now was not the time to be drinking. So what could be done now to kill time?

  Although there were several other merchants in the same situation in the firm, they had all succumbed to the temptation of the bar-like atmosphere within the firm and were completely focused on the card gambling match before them, so trying to casually strike up conversation with them was out of the question.

  In the end there was no choice but to converse with the firm owner, who was also drinking but could not allow himself to become drunk. As they continued to chat, the door to the firm swung open and another person walked in.

  Because the firm owner's seat was directly across from the entrance, he immediately saw who had just come in. Rather than saying the person who had just walked in was a merchant, perhaps it would have been more appropriate to describe him as a young aristocrat. The person was Amati.

  "Mr. Lawrence.”

  Amati had also immediately noticed Lawrence's presence. He addressed Lawrence right after greeting the merchants who were drinking near the entrance.

  "Hello. Thank you for helping us arrange for the inn," said Lawrence.

  "Not at all. I should be the one thanking you two for ordering so many fish dishes.”

  "My companion, who is particularly picky when it comes to eating, was giving praises without end. She said that you are very talented at picking out good fish.”

  Lawrence figured that, rather than saying he himself enjoyed the fish cuisine, it would be more effective to use Horo's name. The outcome was exactly as he had predicted.

  Amati's expression was not like that of a merchant, but shining like a youngster.

  "Haha, I am greatly pleased at receiving such praise. If you desire any other fish, please do not hesitate to ask. I will be purchasing fish of the finest quality tomorrow.”

  "My companion had said that the carp was especially delicious," Lawrence replied.

  "Is that so…I understand, then I will go back and pick out some more fish that she can delightfully enjoy." The fact that Amati had not once inquired as to what kind of fish he liked caused Lawrence to smile a strained inward smile. Amati probably hadn't noticed this at all, he thought. "Ah, yes, Mr. Lawrence, do you have any plans later on?" asked Amati.

  "I am killing time, waiting for Mr. Bartose's retur
n.” “Is that so…”

  "What is it?”

  A layer of shadow suddenly formed on Amati's face, and his speech became a bit clumsy. Nevertheless, he immediately put on the behavior befitting a merchant who battled within the fish market day after day, and made the decision to speak: "Yes. Actually, I was thinking that perhaps I could lead you two on a tour around town. I believe it must have been due to the guidance of God that I encountered you on my way back from a purchase. Besides, being able to hear more from a traveling merchant would no doubt be a good opportunity for me to expand the boundaries of my knowledge.”

  Even with Amati's very humble behavior, Lawrence of course knew that his goal was Horo. If Amati had a tail just like Horo did, it would not be difficult to picture him wagging it robustly and restlessly.

  At this moment, Lawrence came up with a nice plan.

  "You have made such a nice proposal, it is quite a shame. My companion has been fussing since morning about going out to wander around in the streets, so this would have been a great chance. However…”

  Amati answered this with a change in expression: "If you do not mind me doing so, I could take just Miss Horo out for a walk. To be honest, I have no more work left to tend to for the day, and really have not much to do.”

  "Would it not be too much trouble?”

  Although Lawrence was unsure whether he had succeeded in making a surprised expression, he figured that Amati probably hadn't noticed the fine changes in his expression anyway. Amati's eyes could probably only see the image of Horo.

  "Not at all. If I were to go about town on my own, I worry that all the money I have made will be spent on drinking. To put it more bluntly, I will be able to have a companion this way. Please allow me to take Miss Horo out for a walk," he replied.

  "Is that really alright? Even so, that girl is not the type that would simply stay put at the inn when told to do so. Therefore, I cannot be certain that she is still there.”

  "Haha. It just so happens that I need to discuss a purchase with that inn. I will show up there and inquire about her while I am at it. If Miss Horo is there, I will invite her.”