Spice & Wolf X (DWT) Page 18

  Maybe Pisky was angry for having said so much. Maybe he was upset that Lawrence had wasted his time. Maybe he was simply angry for having higher expectations of Lawrence. Lawrence silently repositioned himself in his chair and wrung his hands together. An awkward atmosphere descended upon the room.

  “It’s just a baseless rumor.”

  With a disdainful tone, Pisky had finally said those words. Lawrence jumped at the chance.

  “And what if it’s not?”

  Lawrence’s acting skills would have been god-awful if he wasn’t smiling as he said that. He dropped his chin and stared upward with a satisfied smile on his face.

  “..Don’t joke around.”

  Pisky remained silent for several seconds. He was exerting quite an effort to look composed, but Lawrence hadn’t missed his reaction – he had wrung his hands, trying to act casual.

  “You can decide for yourself if I’m joking or not.”

  “That’s not what I meant, Mr. Lawrence, please don’t act like that. If I was rude, I apologize. But this is something we’ve really put our minds together and thought about for a long time, so holding back my emotions isn’t easy. That’s why-”

  “You wish I wouldn’t make you lose your cool by saying such reckless things, huh?”

  The shutters continued clattering, with the sound of snowflakes striking them each time a gust of wind blew by. Just as Lawrence was struck by how similar the sound was to waves hitting the bow a ship, Pisky revealed an expression as if he was seasick. Pale and wide-eyed, he bit his lower lip.

  “1500 coins.”

  “What?”

  “Do you know how many crates are required to ship 1500 Lumione gold coins?”

  The image was still fresh in Lawrence’s mind of D’Jean Company proudly piling of a mountain of crates at the church in Gerube. A stiff smile formed on Pisky’s face.

  “M.. Mr. Lawrence..”

  Beads of sweat were rolling from his temples down his face. Facial expression, vocal intonation, tears.. these could all be acted. But sweat was another matter entirely.

  “What say you, Mr. Pisky?”

  Lawrence leaned forward in his chair, bringing his face up close enough to Pisky’s to tell what he had eaten for last night’s dinner. This was the moment of truth. If Lawrence couldn’t snare Pisky now, he wouldn’t be able to catch his ultimate prey.

  “Through you I’d like to stay in constant contact with the alliance.”

  It was impossible for Pisky to misunderstand what he meant. He stared at Lawrence with fear, like a pilgrim with a knife at his throat.

  “We’ll break this critical stalemate, and you’ll be the one to make it happen. Not a bad proposal, wouldn’t you say?”

  “B-But..”

  When Pisky finally managed to squeeze out his next words, they came with the smell of high-quality wine.

  “But.. do you have any proof?”

  “Trust is always something invisible to the eye, no matter what age we live in.”

  Lawrence smiled and pull back his face. Despite the sorry look on Pisky’s face, which looked like it was about to turn red, Lawrence continued.

  “Naturally, the monastery isn’t so stupid as to clearly write ’wolf bones’ in their records. They’d use another name. But as the old saying goes, ’all that is hidden shall be revealed.’ If you read the records without expecting to find anything, you won’t find anything. But if you read them while expecting to find a disguised item, you’ll probably get different results. What do you say?”

  Pisky didn’t respond. In fact he seemed incapable of responding.

  “Truth be told, I do have something to lend credibility to the legend of the wolf bones.. but to be blunt, the scope of this is much too big for a traveling merchant like me. If I said this to the officials of the alliance, I doubt they’ll believe me. So I need someone to put in a few good words for me.”

  Lawrence had learned this from pushing the sales of goods hauled over long distances in villages and towns on his own. Even if the pitch was the same, just having a friend corroborate it would significantly impact the resulting sales.

  Lawrence might be a nice guy, but wasn’t so naďve as to think that just saying the truth would win over his audience. One person would have difficulty selling even a top-quality item, but two could even make poor-quality items sell well. It was real, it was the secret to doing business.

  “But..”

  “Just think about it. I managed to win Mr. Deutschmann’s trust at that port town. Me, a poor traveling merchant.”

  Pisky looked surprised, then closed his eyes as if he was in pain. Lawrence heard that saying originated in a city in the southern empire, which grew a powerful and authoritative business network over several decades. That network now extended practically everywhere. Lawrence had never been to that city, but the profoundness of their saying wasn’t lost in him. Trust wasn’t something one could see. Despite that, it also wasn’t something that could be overlooked.

  “Mr. Pisky..”

  Pisky shivered when he heard Lawrence call out to him, and a few beads of sweat fell from his chin. If the legend of the wolf bones wasn’t a baseless rumor, then helping Lawrence would be his ticket to a promotion. But if it was just the ravings of a traveling madman, that trust would cast him into an abyss of destruction.

  It was either heaven or hell for Pisky. If the consequences of their alliance summed to zero, then such a gamble might at least pay off for the thrill factor. But faced with a decision where failure could be his ruin, if time wasn’t a factor, anyone would hesitate. And hesitation meant fear.

  “..This is.. I still can’t..”

  Despite wanting to believe Lawrence, Pisky’s face distorted in pain and he could only force out those words. His prey was trying to escape! Lawrence had no choice but to cut him off from his escape route.

  “The King..”

  He spoke with a voice as sharp as a needle, pausing just long enough to take a breath. If Lawrence said what he was about to say, there would be no turning back. But he swallowed, and continued.

  “What if I told you that the King’s already made his move?”

  “Wha.. Huh? What kind of move?”

  “A tax decree.”

  Lawrence said the words after all. Pisky’s expression collapsed and his eyes fixed on Lawrence. But unlike his expressionless face, his mind was probably turning at an incredible speed. He rose to his feet, his chair falling to the floor with a thud. But Lawrence wouldn’t let him escape.

  “What good will it do to spread the news now?”

  Pisky desperately tried to shake off the hand Lawrence was holding him with. Pisky’s intent was all too obvious. Any man who felt he belonged to an organization, no matter what it was, would act like a loyal hound. It was only natural that he wanted to immediately reveal this horrible news to the alliance.

  “What good will it do..? Of course I have to inform the alliance immediately..!”

  “And after you inform them, what then? Discuss some kind of plan?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with you!”

  “You guys are already out of options, and yet you’re still being so stubborn?”

  “!”

  Pisky stopped struggling. The pained look in his eyes made it clear that he was still able to think rationally.

  “Please calm down. Even if you tell the alliance right away, you’ll still only be able to do nothing but fret over it. When the tax decree arrives, the monastery will go broke. And when that happens, they’ll either have to kneel and beg the King’s mercy, or perish courageously. But if someone pointed out that they had the wolf’s bones at this critical juncture, what do you think the monastery would do?”

  The monastery had no way to escape the land they were on, and that land had no way to hide them from worldly authority. If they had to pay the tax and openly asked the Ruvik Alliance for help - who just happened to want to intervene in the nation’s politics - what would follow? The king would l
ikely charge the monastery with treason and send his army there.

  But even if it got to that point, the monastery was still affiliated with the Church, and so they still had a glimmer of hope. But if someone were to reveal the truth that they had the wolf’s bones at that point, it would shatter that last hope. If they had to say who the scarier foe was, the King or the Pope, the Church would surely reply “the Pope.” And the alliance only had this one gamble to stake their bets on.

  “Mr. Pisky, we’ve precious little time left, and only one chance. Before this place falls into chaos we must propose this foolish, but attractive idea to those who have both power and time on their side. Even if they don’t immediately agree, we’ll at least gain their attention, so that when chaos does descend they’ll be more likely to reach out to us. After all, one whose drowning always reaches out for the nearest hand. I can be optimistic about this, because-”

  Lawrence moved around the table and stood next to Pisky.

  “I can say with certainty that the wolf’s bones truly exist.”

  Pisky looked at Lawrence with a blank face. He didn’t seem to be staring at him, but seemed more like he was drawn by something. His breathing became short and raspy, and his shoulders rose and fell in large motions.

  “Mr. Pisky..”

  Pisky closed his eyes. It was the same look one might use to surrender, but as his eyes closed his mouth opened to speak.

  “And you have proof of this tax decree?”

  His prey had taken the bait, but wasn’t completely hook. Lawrence replied slowly, suppressing his inner desire to leap into the air.

  “I’m living with the shepherds, so of course I’ll be the first to discover when something’s been dropped outside.”

  Pisky’s lips shut tightly and he drew in a powerful breath as if he was clearing his mind. It was proof that Lawrence’s words had reached through to him.

  “When did it happen?”

  “Late last night. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t sleep.”

  Pisky’s teeth were gnashed so forcefully that Lawrence was sure he’d hear them grinding soon. If a tax really was being decreed and the news became public, then this place truly would descend into chaos like a beehive under attack. When that happened, all proposals would be rejected. After all, the alliance couldn’t be moved by just one person.

  Pisky was wise enough to understand all of this. Anticipating this, Lawrence stopped talking. As long as it was for his own profit, a proper merchant would be willing to sit all night for the scales to tip in their favor. Only time flowed in this serene atmosphere unique to snowy days. Beads of sweat formed on Pisky’s forehead, and then his eyes slowly opened.

  “1500.”

  “Hmm?”

  “How many crates are required to ship 1500 Lumione gold coins?”

  Lawrence couldn’t help but relax his facial muscles, but it wasn’t because of Pisky’s silly question. He just knew that it was the indication that they’d established a contract.

  “I promise you won’t regret this.”

  Pisky burst into laughter when he heard that. He clamped his hands together, leaned back in his chair, and then wiped the sweat roughly from his face.

  “Even if it’s only once, I would die to see what 1500 Lumione gold coins look like.”

  Lawrence could only stretch out his hand.

  “If all goes well, you’ll find out for sure.”

  “Let’s hope so!”

  With that, Lawrence successfully passed the first difficult hurdle.

  Chapter 5

  After they shook hands to establish their contract, Pisky jumped into action in a flash. He was, after all, the man whose job it was to bring small bands of disparate people together to establish new towns and villages. It was quite likely that he had a better understanding than Lawrence did of how to motivate a group, being a member of one.

  Pisky didn’t immediately head off to inform the alliance big shots that the wolf’s bones might be authentic, excited and without a plan. He believed their best course of action was to first gather allies.

  “It should be someone curious but who can keep a secret, has good foresight, and has time to spare. The kind of person anyone would want on their side, not just someone forming a band of top-tier merchants. And maybe God’s on our side, because there’s a lot of outstanding people like that gathered here.”

  In truth, if they didn’t first conduct a thorough investigation about the wolf’s bones before they informed the powerful members of the alliance, it would only lead to questions about their sanity and solve nothing. And such an investigation required like-minded allies.

  “Then can I count on you to make those arrangements?”

  “Won’t be a problem. I’ll take a day or two to look through the financial records. As long as we find traces of evidence that indicate the monastery’s hiding something, fabricating the rest won’t be a challenge for us.”

  Pisky smiled proudly, the kind of smile making him seem entirely dependable.

  “I stand assured.”

  “I hope to finish preparing before the storm ends, if possible. We can only ask them to listen to our input when they have free time. What remains is.. having solid evidence to persuade them.”

  If Lawrence’s wasn’t here, Pisky wouldn’t be able to push the idea that the wolf’s bones really existed. After all, if there were any anomalies in the financial records that pointed to the wolf’s bones being there, Pisky would have surely found them by now.

  “I won’t disappoint you on that end. Please rest assured and leave that part to me.”

  Pisky nodded his head and spoke.

  “Oh yes..”

  “Hmm?”

  “Aren’t you planning on discussing how we’ll split the profits?

  A merchant’s goal was always to profit. If he made no mention of how profits were to be divided, it implied he had ulterior motives. Pisky watched Lawrence with a piercing stare. Lawrence looked in another direction as he replied.

  “I just don’t worry that our profits will be so meager as to warrant that kind of discussion.”

  “..”

  Pisky looked at him in agreement as if to say, “Sorry to have doubted you” and nodded.

  “Sometimes I get to wondering whether it wouldn’t suit me better to be in the simpler business of buying and selling goods.”

  A merchant who always suspected his opponents as if they were walking on thin ice would only be that way because the business he was normally involved in was complicated. Lawrence replied to Pisky’s self-deprecating comment.

  “I also sometimes wish I could do business purely for my own sake.”

  “Would that be a good thing, or a bad thing?”

  Lawrence pulled up the collar of his coat as Pisky opened the door, then reflexively looked around to check if Holo was listening in.

  “At least I wouldn’t be so tired all the time.”

  Pisky smiled and wondered about that for a moment, then sighed to indicate that he’d experienced the same thing.

  “Too true. Tiredness is the true source of disaster.”

  Were they at a banquet, that would have been the moment they would have patted each other on the shoulder. Merchants were a bit more composed than that, however, so the two of them only exchanged a quick glance.

  “We will arm ourselves with parchment and ink. What about you, Mr. Lawrence?”

  “A testimony.. and parchment as well.”

  Telling them he possessed physical evidence was dangerous, given that he was on his own at the moment in this isolated place. It was very likely they would attempt to steal physical evidence by force. But looking at things from Pisky’s perspective, Lawrence felt a simple testimony wasn’t enough. That’s why he said what he did, the way he did. Given how Pisky visibly relaxed when he heard that, it was the right call.

  “In any case, I’m betting it all on you, Mr. Lawrence.”

  “I realize the graveness of the situation.”

>   “Then I’ll go and find our allies right away. What about you?”

  “I’ve got to head back to our quarters and discuss things with my companions. This is a tricky situation, after all, and compared to what one with ink-stained hands might say, the words of one whose hands lie concealed under robes may prove to be more convincing.”

  Pisky nodded his head and pushed the door open.

  “May this blizzard continue raging a while longer. As it stands right now, our time may be quite limited.”

  If they couldn’t negotiate before the alliance or monastery caught wind of the tax decree, Lawrence’s plan would be difficult to enact. Having exited the building, Lawrence found that the snow had let up somewhat. From the sky’s appearance, the storm wasn’t ending anytime soon. But a messenger might just be willing to risk this weather to carry a King’s letter in his bosom.

  “Please come directly to the reference room next time. Would it be convenient for me.. to visit you at your quarters?”

  “But of course. I’m counting on you, then.”

  That was it. They shook hands and went their separate ways.

  Once again, Lawrence trudged into the snow drifts and followed the path of his own faded footprints back to the shepherds’ dormitory. Whenever he did something for someone else, that achievement would fade in time as quickly as his footprints in the snow. Even Holo’s massive footprints would likewise quickly fade with the passage of time.

  Even those hometowns that friends liked to quip would never vanish weren’t eternal places. Yet, even after all the footprints vanished all one needed to do was keep walking. That was also true for hometowns.

  Lawrence was willing to help Huskins because he could use this as an example for Holo, that building a new home wasn’t just talk. Someone would lend a helping hand when one was in danger. This wasn’t a world devoid of sympathy, nor one filled with despair.

  When he re-entered the dormitory, he found Holo and Huskins softly talking with the stove between them. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Huskins was relating his life’s experiences to her bit by bit while she silently listened.