“And it does not seem like Miss Sharon’s anger belongs only to her.”
“What do you mean?” Myuri asked, and Col slowly inhaled before answering.
“All the tax collectors have come together, right? Not only that, there’s this orphanage here. Miss Sharon is not the kind of person who can ignore those who have fallen on hard times. That is why the land in the west does weigh on her mind, but she must chase it from her thoughts.”
“…”
Myuri seemed dissatisfied, probably because she was still slightly angry at being called a dog, but she did not deny that was true.
Sharon had looked at the line of children as they went for food and said she did not like children.
Yet, the sharp-eyed Myuri could not have noticed that softened expression when that happened.
“I obviously agree with the reasons why that chicken is angry.”
She started calling her a chicken again, but Col instead felt a closeness between them when she did, and he could not help the smile on his face.
“…Why are you smiling?”
“It’s nothing.”
As an older brother, he was pleased that Myuri had grown into a kind girl.
“But anyway, now I know who it is we need to drag over the coals,” she said.
He agreed heartily with that.
“While there is distance between Miss Sharon and us, we are still headed in the same direction.”
It was still good enough that they learned that Sharon and the tax collectors were not Heir Klevend’s vanguard for bringing chaos to the Kingdom and throwing it into a civil war. Consequently, there was no reason to see them as an enemy, and it was not reason enough for them not to work together. And even if the reason they were fighting was because of anger, he took that as a reason to demonstrate the possibility of reconciliation.
“But, Brother?”
“Yes?”
It was just after he asked in return.
Myuri leaped to him, almost knocking him backward off the crate he was sitting on.
“Wh-what is it?”
He wondered what it might be when he saw her wolf ears standing on edge under her hood and the fur on her tail standing on end under her robe.
“You’re not going to throw me out, are you, Brother?”
His breath hitched for a second.
He was confident he would never do that, and he was relieved to see that there was still a weak juvenility to Myuri, even though she acted so bold all the time.
He rubbed her slim back as she buried her face in his chest, and he said, “If your tricks and rambunctiousness get to be too much, then I might.”
“Hey!”
Myuri looked up at him, and he returned her gaze with a smile.
“But you are a well-behaved girl, so there’s no need to worry about that, is there?”
She immediately huffed and buried herself in his chest again.
Her tail wagged about in displeasure, and she suddenly stopped.
And then she whispered.
“We’ll burn the damn Church.”
Myuri knew what justice was.
The tension in his cheeks dissipated and he kissed the top of her head, her face still buried in his chest.
“Young ladies don’t say words like that.”
Her tail then immediately began to swish about, and she groaned in protest. She was cuter than any noble girl if she stayed quiet, but it was times like this she was a rambunctious girl from the mountains.
Yet, she was angry on Sharon’s behalf. He knew she was just as high-minded as any noble girl.
“Come now, if Miss Sharon sees us again, she’ll make more comments.”
He lightly patted her back, and Myuri swished her tail about and then grumpily lifted her head.
She then glared at him with wide eyes.
“Hug me again.”
With a tired sigh, he did exactly as the princess commanded.
It was truly a big scoop to learn that Sharon and the tax collectors were not after money and not even Heir Klevend’s vanguard but that they were working off their own pretext.
It was an earnest fight regarding their past, which had nothing to do with the principles of faith, but they were working in the same direction in the sense of righting the Church’s evil practices, and Col believed it was also God’s will that their pain be soothed. How could he loudly celebrate what was correct faith without supporting them?
They needed to cut the Church off from the merchants, avoid a situation where they would take advantage of the Kingdom falling into confusion due to a lack of supplies, and also take a stand against the Church, no matter what.
And they absolutely needed to right the wrongs of the Church.
“I guess the merchants are our priority here.”
If they could only find out why they seemed so oddly cohesive, then they might be able to alienate them from the Church by driving a wedge between them. They would then lose their weapons that were the merchants and then perhaps hesitate in looking for a chance to start a war with the Kingdom.
However, while Col was rather confident when it came to complicated questions of theology, he was completely unfamiliar with trade. Not to mention the smoky, phantasmagoric hearts of merchants—there was no way he could ever understand those.
He grew nervous, wondering if he would be able to see through them, but when he looked at Myuri beside him, his feelings changed a little. That was because they had journeyed thus far, even though it was practically impossible. He was not the only one fighting here.
After leaving the orphanage, he and Myuri, his most dependable partner, talked about how they could deal with the merchants.
Myuri liked shortcuts, so she insisted she should dress up as an errand boy so a company would hire her, and then she could look into things, but in contrast, Col proposed that perhaps they should call over Myuri’s father, Lawrence, if things started to get dicey.
Lawrence was once a talented traveling merchant, someone who had changed the entire economic landscape of the northlands practically overnight. Col doubted there was anyone else so reliable when it came to mercantile problems, but Myuri immediately responded with a frown.
Col did not think there was any need for her to be so coldhearted, but Myuri gave her reasons why.
“If Father comes, then that means Mother’s coming, too.”
Myuri loved to do things on her own terms, but her mother was the only one she could never disobey. And what others around them probably thought of as a loving relationship between husband and wife, Myuri, as their daughter, saw as painful.
Those sorts of feelings of hers were purely like that of a child, but they should be held in the highest regard, and Col personally wanted to leave calling Lawrence and Holo the wisewolf as their very last resort. He could not say he was independent if he would so readily rely on them.
“Hmm…Either way, it is true we lack manpower on our own. We could send a letter…Or perhaps we could ask Mr. Hilde…I’m sure Heir Hyland hasn’t heard from Mr. Hilde directly…”
As he hemmed and hawed, Myuri said something that made him go numb.
“That’s exactly why I should sneak into the companies here in this city like a spy.”
“Um, you know this isn’t a game, right?”
“What?! Did you forget how much I’ve done so far?!”
It was not the Golden Fern they were headed to as they chatted. Not even Myuri was insolent enough to go smacking her lips over mutton after listening to Sharon’s story and seeing the children in the orphanage. Though it was not much, Col had even quietly put some money into the donation box.
So after they had a bite to eat at the outdoor stalls, they made their way over to the manor Hyland was renting, but before they reached the gates, something caught Myuri’s attention and she sniffed the air.
“…Something smells good, something I’ve never smelled before.”
“Myuri, girls your age mustn’t be so immode
st. And did you not just eat?”
Col spoke with exasperation, and Myuri made a hurt expression that she did not often make.
“Brother, you dummy! I’m not talking about food!”
“Is that so?”
“All you ever do is treat me like a kid! It’s totally different, okay? It’s like a really strong smell of flowers.”
He wondered if it might be candied petals, but a strong smell of flowers might mean perfume.
He thought about that as the servant opened the gate for them and they made their way onto the manor grounds, and under the open archway was a magnificent four-horse carriage.
“Heir Hyland has a guest. That probably explains the residual scent of perfume.”
“Perfume? Oh, that thing that smells really good but you can’t eat.”
He was a little relieved her appetite was more for food than anything else.
“And what a wonderful carriage. It must be a noble.”
“Where’d they come from? I smell so many good things I’ve never smelled before.”
The carriage was tall, wide, and could easily fit six to eight adults inside. There were elegant engravings on the lacquered body, and the subtle gold ornaments on key spots gave it a mysterious dignity.
The windows were also made of panes of polished glass, which could be an asset all on their own.
“Come now—let’s go.”
Myuri might end up crawling into the carriage should he leave her alone, so he pulled her by the hand into the manor.
If Hyland had a guest, that meant they would report on Sharon only once it was nighttime. He wanted to give his report on her and the tax collectors and then start seriously discussing how they might expose the ties between the Church and the merchants as soon as possible…but once he started thinking about that, they happened upon a maidservant who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Just as Col decided to greet her, then ask how Hyland was doing, she spoke first.
“Sir Col, it is good to see you. Heir Hyland and the others are waiting for you.”
“Huh?” he asked in response and looked over to Myuri beside him. Myuri also wore a strange expression, and she tilted her head.
“Could it be Mother and Father?”
He doubted it at first, but he could not think of anyone else who could have come all the way here to wait for them. There were very few people who knew they were here in the first place—Ilenia the sheep or perhaps even Autumn the whale. Either way, they were keeping whoever it was waiting, so they needed to go see them.
“Then, we will go to our room to change and then head over straightaway.”
Just as he said that to the maid, Myuri interjected.
“I think this is way better than our usual, boring clothes, though.”
Col was stubborn, since his usual attire was that of an aspiring priest, so having those be called “boring” was a compliment, but the maid said, “You have on some lovely apparel; it won’t be rude of you at all,” so he gave up.
“Then, I guess we’ll go straight there.”
The maid led them to the reception room. They passed from room to room, and it was after they passed about four austere portraits on the wall—two people wearing exotic clothing stood before a closed door.
“I have brought Sir Col.”
The maid gave an elegant bow to the two at the door.
Both wore long swords decorated in gold at their hips, which meant they were probably this guest’s personal guard. They had shapely noses, and their tanned skin and dark hair and eyebrows gave off the air of people who hailed from a foreign land; the clothes they wore were embroidered with gold and silver thread, closely resembling the actors he and Myuri saw in Nyohhira.
They were dressed exactly like the actors who portrayed tales of the desert that were so popular in the cold northlands of Nyohhira.
Col glanced over at Myuri, and just as he thought, her eyes were twinkling with curiosity. He was almost worried that her ears and tail might pop out.
“Come inside.”
One of the two spoke quietly, knocked on the door, placed his ear on it to listen for a response, then slowly pushed it open.
Then wafting toward them was the comfortable smell of flowers, strong enough for even Col’s nose to make out.
“Oh, Col, perfect timing. I was about to go send someone to get you.”
Hyland the royal went out of her way to stand from her chair and greet them.
It was an honor for her to do that for them, but just as he was wondering if that would not be rude to her guest, she graciously motioned for them to come into the room, and for a moment, he saw a serious expression pass over her face.
Myuri, of course, noticed as well. Her own expression, giddy with curiosity, immediately returned to normal.
Evidently, the person who had come to visit was a treacherous one.
“It seems the Twilight Cardinal has returned, honored guest.”
Col looked at the person sitting right in the middle of the long side of the banquet table in the long, narrow room and could not help his eyes widening. That was because this person was making the attendant girl hold an open umbrella overhead, despite being indoors.
And that umbrella was a bright, eye-popping red, animals and plants depicted on it with gold thread, with silver thread woven into the edges and hanging down along the sides like tassels, which was enough for both himself and Myuri to stare at it slack-jawed.
The only word he could think of for the umbrella was luxurious, and the attending girl was more beautiful than anyone Col had ever seen before. Her thick, luscious hair was decorated with slim gold ornamentation all over, and beneath it, she smiled at him with almond-shaped eyes.
But it was only then he realized the girl’s clothes looked exactly like the kind he’d seen the dancer girls in Nyohhira wearing, and the animals depicted on the umbrella were creatures that looked like horses with lumps on their backs.
And the guest sitting there so elegantly, face obscured by the umbrella, wore an extravagant robe that looked like a priest’s garb but had delicate patterns embroidered into it, and they wore a unique green jewel around their neck. It was a jewel sung about in the epics of the far, far south; a land where the light of the sun was much too strong, where the people loved the moon more.
A desert dweller.
But even though Col might know stories about the desert, he had never been there, so of course he had no acquaintances there.
Right when he was wondering who it might be—
“Been a while, Col.”
Col was perplexed when he heard the voice from beneath the umbrella.
That was not because whoever it was knew his name. It was because he knew that voice.
“No…way…”
Indeed—there was one other person in the world who knew he was here.
The person beneath the umbrella waved their hand, and the attending girl respectfully moved the umbrella to the side.
What appeared was a face he had not seen in quite a long time.
“Miss Eve!”
When Col was about Myuri’s age, he stuck fast to Lawrence and Holo while spending days with them that he could only call adventurous. He had met many people and experienced many things. If he had been told to list all the people from that time he could never forget, the name right at the top would probably be Eve Bolan.
She was a merchant of a different breed than Lawrence, a woman who was like a starving wolf that kept even the wisewolf Holo on guard. Hyland was right to be cautious.
However, Eve was often misunderstood because of her demeanor, because on the inside, she was not a bad person. Col knew she had achieved great success in the south, and it seemed she had accumulated even more wealth in the past decade.
“I haven’t seen you in ages, Miss Eve!”
Eve had always looked out for him, but since she was based in the distant south, the most they could do was communicate by letter.
Col was s
imply happy to be seeing her again, and he unwittingly rushed to her.
“I got a letter from that Ilenia. I had to come see you, so I arranged for a boat and here I am.”
“I see. But you’ve traveled quite a distance…”
“Well, I have my reasons…Heh, so that’s her kid? She looks just like her.”
Eve had also come to Lawrence and Holo’s wedding, so she of course knew Holo had a child. When Eve turned to look at Myuri, Myuri’s expression obviously tensed.
Suddenly, a wicked grin crept onto Eve’s face. Then, like a queen would to her retainer, she raised one of her hands and turned the back of it to him.
“Col, isn’t there a proper way to greet a lady older than you?”
He did not for a second think she was being arrogant. Eve loved theatrics like this, so Col fell to one knee like a retainer would, touched the back of her hand to his forehead, then gave it a light kiss. It was etiquette that a knight would use with a noble lady.
It seemed like both Hyland and Myuri had been holding their breath, but when Col looked up, Eve wore a carefree, delighted smile on her face, one that most would never expect a powerful multimillionaire to show.
“I taught you a knight’s etiquette for fun over ten years ago, and yet, you still remember it.”
“That’s because you taught me so much, Miss Eve. You also taught me there are people who are perfectly fine with putting their lives on the line for money.”
Eve’s smile silently grew and then demonstrated a merchantlike caution.
“My apologies, Lord Hyland. I got carried away with this long-awaited reunion.”
“Oh, it’s all right…”
Eve was a former noble of the Winfiel Kingdom who became a great merchant after losing her status. So of course she had an easy elegance that was as graceful as Hyland, who was a member of royalty, or perhaps even more so.
“I see you know each other.”
Hyland sounded baffled, and Col responded with a shy smile.
“Yes, ever since I was about Myuri’s age. Miss Eve also employs Miss Ilenia, who helped us not too long ago in Desarev.”
Hyland nodded in understanding, then turned to face Eve again.
“But why would the owner of the Bolan Company go out of her way to renew old friendships?” she asked as she offered Myuri a place to sit before she sat down herself, demonstrating she was a different sort of noble than Eve was. Or perhaps because she intended to stand on the same front as Myuri.
Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf, Vol. 4 Page 11