What would make the people of this land happy seemed to be, without a doubt, fishing tools. It would become the pillar that would support their daily lives.
It is written in the scripture that to help others with ulterior motives was hypocrisy, but Autumn had shown them that virtuously doing nothing carried no weight on these islands.
Such a thing may become a seed of deceitful faith, but one could also nip it in the bud if there was a chance it would bloom. At the very least, it was much better than the misshapen rigidity of the current Church.
Col had to recognize that simple prayer would be of no help in reality.
And as he thought about all this, walking around the town, he realized that it was not quiet because of the hard times but simply because it was the snowy, cold season. Yosef’s trading house, too, just happened to be uneventful during the middle of the quiet season.
What made him notice this was that when they occasionally passed someone on the path, they would stare up at him, eyes wide. It was as though they could not believe someone was walking there.
In truth, he had almost had it with the cold. They should return to the church.
They had just returned to the path along the dead river.
“It’s different from Nyohhira, isn’t it?”
He had not felt like opening his mouth in the cold, and it was his first time speaking since the canteen.
“Have you been someplace like this before?”
“When I sailed to the Kingdom of Winfiel, it was a bit livelier than this. And I traveled mostly in areas where it didn’t snow in the winter.”
“Places where it doesn’t snow in the winter, huh? I can’t imagine anything like that.”
Myuri gazed out to the sea, her breath white. As they stood still, the snow piled higher and higher on them, as though urging them to return to their room.
“Let’s go one day. The color of the sea is completely different; it’s an incredibly exhilarating sight.”
“The color of the sea can change?”
“There are some waters that aren’t blue, but I’ve never seen such a bright green before today.”
“If you’ve seen it before, then it can’t be a color that you’ve never seen.”
Myuri turned around and revealed the mischievous grin on her face.
“Now is not the time for jokes. Let’s head back to the church.”
“Okay,” she replied obediently and followed behind him.
Then she suddenly stopped walking and looked out to sea again.
“Is something wrong?”
“I thought I was imagining things but…I wasn’t. A ship is coming.”
“A ship? I suppose there are still people who go out fishing on snowy days like this,” he said, but he only noticed it when he turned to look at the port.
It was quiet, and even the smallest of boats had been pulled up on land and turned over. Maybe it was not a fishing boat.
Then Myuri continued.
“I think I saw that ship in Atiph.”
“Are there differences in ships?”
He did not really think before asking, and Myuri met him with a cool stare.
“Every shipwright has its own style. Duh, that’s so obvious!”
She knew odd bits of information as she had experience working as an errand boy unloading cargo in the Atiph port for the Debau Company.
He took her word for granted, but he did not think it particularly strange that a ship from Atiph would be coming to this port.
“It must be a trade ship. That’s how we came here, remember?”
“Yeah, but…Yep, I knew it.”
Myuri spoke as she created a visor with her hands to keep the fluttering snow out of her eyes and stared out across the water.
“It’s a company boat.”
“From the Debau Company?”
That was certainly odd.
The ship that Hyland had arranged for them had belonged to a different company. That was why Yosef had not known they would be coming. The reason they had not used a ship from the Debau Company was simply because there were none scheduled to travel to this region then.
But when Col stood next to Myuri and looked out over the water, he could see another ship behind it.
Though it was far and just barely visible over the horizon, they could tell how large it was even from where they stood.
It made it seem like the one in front was being chased, fleeing in their direction.
And it really did seem strange that a whole two ships would arrive together on such a snowy day.
He realized that fishermen had emerged from their houses in the port to stare out over the water.
“I wonder why?” Myuri asked quietly.
She spoke as though she had just watched her prey in the mountains act strangely.
“Aren’t you cold?” he asked because, before he knew it, the snow on Myuri’s hood and shoulders had piled up into quite a thick layer.
When he reached out to brush it off, white clumps fell from his own body.
Though he was clearing the debris from her, she did not even glance at him. Her attention was focused at the port.
The ship from the Debau Company hurriedly slipped into the docks, ignoring the island fishermen as they watched on in astonishment. Soon, a ramp was placed onto the pier.
Down from the deck came a man wearing plenty of clothes, his figure perfectly round.
The hand brushing Myuri came to a stop.
At the same time, she sucked in air through her clenched teeth.
“I’m not cold.” She smiled fearlessly. “I’m excited.”
The one who had alighted from the ship was Yosef. As he propelled his pudgy body forward at an unsteady run, he kept glancing out over the water. With displeasure, he swiped off the snow that clung to his frame while he ran straight toward them. But it did not seem like he noticed they were there. He had not raised his head once, concentrating only on running along the path.
Even when he was close enough that they could hear his heavy breathing, Yosef still had not sensed their presence. When he finally did look up all of a sudden, he was dangerously close to running into them.
“O-oh?!”
Yosef, flustered, stopped in his tracks, his expression plainly saying, “What are you doing here?”
Of course, that was what Col wanted to ask as well.
“Is something the matter?”
Yosef, completely out of breath, opened his mouth twice but could only bring himself to cough instead of speak. After placing his hands on his knees and taking several deep breaths, he stood up.
“Th-this must be the will of God. I have an urgent message for you.”
White billowing clouds came forth as he kept panting.
Nervousness raised a shiver that ran through Col’s body—did something happen to Hyland?
“A message came from Atiph for me. Then I came as fast as I could in my ship, but I was mainly concentrated on staying ahead of that thing behind me.”
He made it clear that both vessels arriving at the same time was no coincidence.
“And what was the news from Atiph?”
Yosef coughed painfully once more, then managed to string some words together.
“I don’t know from what country, but a high-ranking clergyman from the south is bringing a very important merchant with him to the north.”
“High-ranking? With an important merchant?”
Col could not quite grasp the situation.
Then, behind the coughing Yosef, the giant ship’s silhouette was becoming clearer.
The men gathered at the port all began clamoring incoherently, pointing. It was a bit of an exaggeration to say that he could not believe his eyes.
“It’s…huge…” Myuri murmured in a low voice.
The ship looked like a mountain gliding over the water.
It would not be surprising if there were five or even six decks. From each side of its giant hull sprouted a surprising amo
unt of oars extending into the water. Befitting for a giant, they slowly steered the ship across the water with great force. The sight of it evoked images of God’s own ship, soaring across the sky.
But if this were a divine vessel, then there must have been a religious conversion of some sort. On the sail fluttering above the giant ship was a painted crest that Col knew very well.
“The Ruvik Alliance?”
They were the world’s largest mercantile group. Due to a focus on conducting long-distance trade, they controlled the largest number of seafaring vessels by far. The Ruvik Alliance was somewhat legendary among merchants. It was often said they once went to war with a king for disputed special privileges and emerged as the overwhelming victors.
In the northlands, most people thought the spectacular rise of the Debau Company had lessened the Ruvik Alliance’s power, but Col knew people only entertained that sort of talk in the north.
The giant vessel that had appeared in the port town of Caeson possessed an overwhelming, coercive force.
“They’re not here for trade,” Yosef continued to explain. “That ship did not stop off at any port on the way here. They must have enough crew for full shifts and enough food on board. Such a big ship can’t sail in the narrow passages between islands, so they must have taken quite the long way around, but our boat still struggled to keep ahead of it on the sea routes.”
The ship was too large to dock in Caeson, so it dropped anchor off the coast. Smaller boats were lowered from the side of the ship, and the men from the port sent out their boats, too. They were likely going to ask what their purpose was.
“Oh, the guard dogs have arrived.”
Among it all, Myuri pointed out to the water. There was the pirate ship.
“I wonder what will happen?”
It was eerie enough that such a giant ship would stop at such a small port town.
Col understood for the first time that authority could be visible.
“I don’t know…However, if those oars coming out from the side of that massive ship so much as hit the pirate’s vessel, they will undoubtedly sink. The Ruvik Alliance has a reason behind this display, why they brought out that ship. If they’re planning to trade, then the hold will have to be filled with mountains of gold and silver in order to pay. We merchants would never embark on any pointless ventures.”
Col understood the reasoning from traveling with a respectable merchant. It was clear the travelers had come to this land in order to obtain something, but what?
What could they hope to trade for in this land of ice, where everything had been swallowed by poverty?
“Oh God, please protect us.”
Yosef prayed, then pulled out a small bundle from his bosom.
“Oh, Holy Mother, please give us protection.”
Snow continued to fall.
The painted crest of the Ruvik Alliance flying eerily above them, visible amid the drifting specks of white.
CHAPTER FOUR
As a rule, outsiders who stepped foot on the island stayed at the church.
The visitors from the Ruvik Alliance were not excepted from this rule.
They proceeded toward the fortresslike church in a showy manner, as though it were a royal visit.
The people who disembarked from the gigantic vessel matched the information that Yosef had passed on to Col.
In the lead were four flag bearers, each hoisting up the banner of the Church. Walking along the path they left in the snow were four knights of the Church carrying a palanquin, where a majestic, kingly man was seated.
A drape embroidered with gold thread hung around his shoulders, rings with jewels the size of eyeballs decorated his fingers, and on his head sat the pointed hat that symbolized the pedestal of the pope. Col did not know where he was from, but he came from a church in a town that was host to a cathedral, where he held the position of archbishop.
As someone who wished to become a clergyman, Col had no choice but to show the utmost respect. He bowed his head when they entered the courtyard, but when he stole a glance at the seat of the palanquin, there he saw an energetic man in the prime of his life, rather young for his rank. Col surmised there was something extraordinary that made up for his age. Perhaps it was the ambition that the man could not completely keep from showing on his face.
A great number of knights followed in after, but in this cold, with metal armor wrapping their bodies, the single piece of cloth draped over their shoulders was a token defense. Snow immediately blew over them, and soon they began to look like the snowmen on the side of the road after a while. Their faces were strained not for the sake of their dignity but because they were worried about frostbite.
“That’s a lot of boxes of gold.”
Horse-drawn carriages followed behind. Yosef whispered his comment to Col, almost unintentionally. There were four of the sturdy draft animals, lowering their heads out of necessity as they pulled their burdens along.
Behind that was another guest on a separate palanquin whose outfit made him look like a ball of fur. He must have been the merchant from the Ruvik Alliance. His subordinates followed in droves, clerical staff carefully carrying packages that likely contained parchment, as well as hired mercenaries bringing up the rear.
Reicher was the one who came out to greet the procession. His face was twitching, but it probably wasn’t an affliction of his usual drunken state. Undoubtedly, he was sober at the moment.
It was as though a wolf had suddenly appeared among the rabbits.
“What do you think? The letter said to return immediately if there might be any danger to you two. With signatures from Master Stefan in Atiph, as well as a Lord Hyland. A noble of the kingdom?”
No matter how anyone looked at it, the only conceivable reason this many people would come calling during this time of year was the fight between the kingdom and the pope. Hyland’s fears were not groundless.
Hyland had only told him to investigate the situation. Nothing more.
On the other hand, it would be unthinkable to leave the island before learning what the other party’s goal was.
Col had hesitated momentarily, but after finally making up his mind, he began to speak.
“We are to find land for a monastery, but we also have one other goal as well.”
Yosef blinked in surprise, then showed him a troubled smile.
“Of course you do. That’s to be expected if Master Stefan personally takes to pen and paper. I am aware of the situation.”
He shrugged his own big shoulders before placing his hand on Col’s.
“Please let me know if I can do anything to help.”
Col wavered for a moment on whether he could trust this man but decided to do so in the end. He could not imagine that Yosef had run so earnestly to greet them after they came from the boat if he was insincere. Just in case, he looked toward Myuri, a literal wolf among men. When she noticed his pointed stare, she grinned back. Her instincts also indicated it was safe.
“I wish to know what they want.”
Yosef gave him the thoughtful gaze that those who lived in harsh environments shared.
He peered into Col’s eyes for a few moments. Perhaps he saw something there, because he slowly closed his eyes, then placed his hand over his chest in a salute.
At the same time, the regal archbishop descended from his palanquin and folded Reicher into an exaggerated embrace. While that was happening, the assistant priests stood at the front of the procession, raising their voices, doing their best to make the way for the honored guests.
“We might be chased out of our room at this rate.”
They had been given a private room far beyond their means, but that had been because the hall was empty.
“My relatives have a house here. Why not stay with them? The other townspeople don’t think too highly of them, but they may not say anything in this situation.”
The people here were mostly of the opinion that nothing good could come of having deep ties w
ith merchants from the south who came to do business. This alone was a clear indication of the disparity in power.
The Ruvik Alliance and the archbishop who came by ship certainly knew about this, so Col suspected that they were deliberately displaying their position of strength. Whatever their purpose may be, it definitely involved driving a wedge into the region because of the anticipated war with the Kingdom of Winfiel. Those boxes of gold, piled as high as the mountains, were none other than flexed muscle.
This region was certainly wanting for money. If they had enough gold and silver coins, there were any number of unfortunate hardships they could avoid. Even Col had considered offering them money to win them over.
There were several strange things about all this, however.
These islands were lands the Church tried to win over many times but had always failed to in the end. Going on that, he thought such obvious tactics would only bring resistance. And he could think of even worse things than that.
For example, if the islanders used the money they received to arm themselves and build new ships, it would actually become more difficult to control them with the threat of force. The Ruvik Alliance was a mercantile coalition that was mainly based in areas even farther south than the Debau Company. No matter how many massive vessels they owned, it would be virtually impossible to indefinitely deter the northern islands from betrayal. It was inconceivable for anyone to deploy an armada for surveillance when there was a war to fight.
If the islanders acted rationally, then the inner circle of the pirates, including the island of Caeson, would first wring money from the Ruvik Alliance, and after straightening out their systemic issues, they would send words of friendship to the Kingdom of Winfiel. Or perhaps they would threaten to intervene during the war itself. By constantly adjusting the scales of who they sided with at the moment, they would be able to have their cake and eat it, too. It was possible they could continue to squeeze out money from both parties. Autumn had no reason not to refrain from such an opportunity.
Wolf & Parchment, Volume 2 Page 17