Spice & Wolf XIV (DWT) Read online

  It had been quite a long time since he was left to his own devices when he went shopping. He felt so at ease and so happy that he could only chalk it up to the morning air being so pleasantly fresh. He knew the sun would inevitably set just as it had risen, of course, and that personal space was only important when it was being invaded, but right now he could breathe the same white breaths of air and walk just as merrily as the other bright people on the streets.

  The market was downright crowded; both in the buildings and out on the streets. Mules and horses carried goods on their backs, and people also carried yokes with buckets of vinegar that choked them. Some guards were keeping watch around a wagon loaded with salt, and wily children followed closely to snatch up whatever dripped off the wagon. They could make some coin for it, and the guards really had no reason to complain; they had a job partly because of those kids. Everybody won.

  Lawrence’s thoughts turned to Eve, who was on her way south with a boatload of furs. He wasn’t thinking of her in admiration, of course, it was merely business respect, but when he caught himself doing so he snorted and decided it was time to start shopping. There were so many people to buy from that he was sure to fetch a good price for what he needed if he took his time.

  He was splashed as he walked by the fishmongers, and hit by the pungent smell of cheese soon after. Cheese didn’t spoil easily, and filled the stomach well, so it was already good even without his trick of melting it and using it as a dip for stale bread.

  He was far from the first person to do that, of course, it was common practice down south. But here in the cold north, it was even more of a guilty pleasure. Especially since he got to watch Cole and Holo nervously trying to eat it as soon as possible without burning their tongues. With that in mind, he entered the shop and quickly spotted the owner pushing a crate. He rubbed his face to wipe the stupid grin off of it before shouting to the man.

  “Pardon me, how much for a wheel of cheese?”

  This shop didn’t seem to bother with price tags. Maybe they just had too many visitors speaking foreign languages to cater to. At first the shepherd-like merchant seemed confused by Lawrence’s question.

  “I mean like that one right there.”

  Lawrence pointed at the wheel about to be weighed, as the man’s young apprenticed struggled to keep it steady with a red face.

  “Oh.. did you just arrive in the last day or two?”

  He eventually replied like an elderly man with poor hearing might, before signalling to the young lad to let the cheese go. The scales in a cheese shop were as large as the ones in bakeries, but the support beams were even thicker. The chain was plain enough to make it clear that it saw plenty of use and needed no decoration. The scale plunged as the cheese hit the balance, and as it did Lawrence made his reply.

  “Yes, I arrived two days ago. I’m just stopping here before I head up north.”

  The shopkeeper left before Lawrence even finished, grabbing a branding rod. Lawrence paused and waited for him, getting a good look at the brand etched onto the rod. The man placed that end into a metal bucket, obviously filled with heated charcoal, and then lifted it up to finish his task.

  “I see. That’s unfortunate.”

  The smell of burning cheese hit Lawrence’s nose.

  “You see, it’s not that I’m too lazy to put price tags on these, they’re all purchased already.”

  “What?”

  Again, the man preempted Lawrence before he could even voice his exasperation.

  “This one, all of those, and even everything else coming in today is already accounted-for. It’s nice to have a rush like this, but it’s almost too much for me. Especially when I have to turn away so many sad-faced customers.”

  Lawrence put on a twisted forced smile, but it wasn’t out of embarrassment.

  “Well, at least business is good again.”

  Mere weeks ago, all the merchants in town were wringing their hands in worry about the fur situation and the cancellation of the Great Northern March.. not to mention the heavy taxes being levied at the time.

  “Yeah.. business is so good all of a sudden. It’s like we’ve been hit by good weather, given how wide everyone’s suddenly willing to open their wallets. Weird, huh?”

  Some cheese aged well, and it seemed like this shopkeeper was the same way. He was relaxed even as he worked. It made Lawrence hope that he would be so easy going when he got that old.

  “Yeah, it sure is.. hey, does that mean that even tomorrow’s cheese - and the day after’s - are already accounted-for?”

  The man gave a heavy nod. Incredible.. Lawrence might be in more trouble than he realized. He knocked his head, until the shopkeeper spoke up.

  “But hey, our cheese goes good with wine, so you’ll probably find a lot of it in the local taverns.”

  “Wha-?”

  Lawrence’s expression of surprise was ignored; the man was too busy barking orders at his apprentice. But it was all too obvious that he was suggesting that Lawrence try buying some from the local taverns.. something he really shouldn’t be saying out loud.

  Cheese merchants sold cheese, taverns sold dinner and wine. What would taverners say if they caught this shop selling people dinner? It just wasn’t the kind of thing one said out loud. Clearly, the man was going out of his way for his customers, by giving such advice out loud.

  “Thanks.. I’ll go there tonight.”

  “Hmm, your call. Oh, by the way.. you’ll probably have trouble getting much of anything, unless you hop over to the docks.”

  The man then disappeared the moment Lawrence nodded in understanding. It was another bit of strangely-loud advice, and it implied that that everyone was running low on stock, and only scraps were left. Plus, prices must not be rising if the man felt comfortable saying something like that, so maybe the riot over the fur situation in Lenos was having strange side-effects after all.

  A market this lively was hell for a merchant like Lawrence. He ducked into an alley the second he left the cheese shop, having decided to head straight to the Beast and Fish Tail. When he got there, he spotted a wagon parked outside, with several buckets and crates already on it.

  There was also a familiar waitress, busily counting those buckets and crates with a tinge of annoyance on her face. What a hard-working girl. Lawrence patiently let her count, as the kid next to her happily kept apologizing. She wore a bewitching smile on her face, but quickly wiped it off the moment she saw him walk up to her, like she had read his mind.

  “Oh, you’re early today.”

  She was cool as a cucumber, like she’d already forgotten her last customer. Or maybe she was being tough because she’d lost to Holo the last time?

  “Better than being late, I’ll wager.”

  She carved something onto a wooden plaque as they spoke, but sighed and looked at him like she was getting stiffed by a drunk.

  “So what business are you here to discuss this time?”

  She sounded clearly annoyed, but Lawrence still put on a smile.

  “Discuss? Well, I’d like to buy some things.”

  The look on her face was exactly what you’d see if you looked at the picture next to the definition of the word “surprise” in a dictionary. Even her eyebrow was raised.

  “Pubs aren’t shops. You know that. Hop on down to the market, we’re busy.”

  Having finished counting, she tucked the wooden plaque under her arm and barked at someone in the shop. There were a lot of crates here, and she couldn’t move them all herself. She was probably calling for the owner’s assistance.

  “No kidding, you must be if you’re cooking all of this.”

  Her back faced him and the road, and he could swear that if she had a rabbit’s tail it would be bobbing up and down impatiently right now. She stared at him with clear displeasure in her eyes.

  “These are emergency supplies.”

  “But of course.”

  He smiled as she turned away and scratched her head, not knowing
what to say.

  “I have cash. I can pay in gold coins, or..”

  He didn’t usually start with gold.

  “Smaller change, if you prefer?”

  She heaved a great sigh.

  “Alright, alright, I get it. As soon as you figure things out, you hop on over here. I just can’t figure you out.”

  She stared at the sky like she was at her wit’s end. Her exaggerated manner was rather hilarious; Lawrence fancied she could easily make a living as a dancer if the pub were to close someday.

  “Cash talks louder than anyone.”

  The girl nodded.

  “Still, these are just emergency supplies.”

  Just then, the owner came bounding out the door, just in time to catch Lawrence repeating himself.

  “But of course.”

  Lenos had been a total mess not too long ago, and even if everyone was getting used to it, things were different now. So different that even the way people did business was twisted. Lawrence remembered how it was the last time he was here with Holo, and the strange situation he was swept into by Eve, a brilliant fallen noble who wanted to trade in fur. It was still fresh on his mind.

  The town council of Lenos had then made the decision that traveling merchants could only buy fur with cash. Raw furs were cheap, but once processed into clothing they became highly lucrative. But if they tried to simply ban the sale of furs to traveling merchants, there would be an armed revolt. Their only recourse to please the Church was to force traveling merchants to pay in cash.

  Of course, traveling merchants didn’t travel with much cash, so it was an obvious ploy. The furs were sitting there right in front of them, but they couldn’t pay for them as they always had. It seemed a watertight plan, but it was no secret that the Church was the only party that would have a lot of cash on hand, given how much they made in donations.

  The Church was obviously in cahoots with the town council on this one. Everyone else was enraged, and a riot broke out. The only way to quell it was for the furs to be sold out, and of course that meant that all the cash in town would be pooled in the hands of a few fur dealers. In a situation like that, the value of hard cash would quickly skyrocket.

  “Ever since that riot, cash is nowhere to be found. It’s like its vanished. We can trade goods to buy things, of course, but what’ll we do without change for our customers! It’s a disaster.”

  The girl vented her frustrations as they entered the pub’s cellar. Sure enough, they were well-stocked with goods fresh from the market.

  “Even coins go up in price when they get scarce.”

  “They’re all in the greedy paws of the fur merchants now. But that’s not even the worst of it. Even the fur merchants don’t have much small change. Even the dullest copper coin seems as shiny as gold right now.”

  At a time like this, it was the common folk who won. They could only save up small change, and they were far too practical to invest. As soon as they got the chance, they ran out and bought everything in sight before the coins depreciated in value. Of course that was why no one had anything in stock anymore.

  “And who better than a pub to seize the profit from just such an occasion, huh?”

  Lawrence scribbled his offer on a piece of wood and handed it to the waitress. But she immediately frowned and altered his offer for him.

  “Jeez.. why don’t you just rob me while you’re at it.”

  “You’re free to just head on down to the market like everyone else.”

  Who better than a pub waitress to know how to deal with merchants, after bargaining with their drunk carcasses every night? It wasn’t as though they needed to sell to Lawrence, after all. This was all regular stock for a pub, and they could just as easily sell them at high profit during normal business hours.

  “Sure, but for this price you’d better be giving me the very best of your stock.”

  “Hmm, then I suppose we can still come to a deal.”

  Her look of satisfaction made it painfully clear just how cheaply they had bought all of these goods. A crafty, daring, and rich opponent was the worst kind.

  “But even so, this is way beyond my expectations.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The girl was closing the door behind them, so Lawrence ended up asking her back.

  “I really didn’t expect you to come on your own.”

  “I always do business alone.”

  Her index finger rested against her chin as she murmured to herself.

  “That’s right, you do..”

  “A certain companion of mine once said that’s the only reason some uncut gems are discovered.”

  The girl’s smile was as bright as a polished gem when she heard this.

  “Alright, so I’ll have these sent to you over the next few days.”

  “Very good. Thanks.”

  “But it’ll be just before noon, okay? We’re a pub, so we can’t be seen doing business too early.”

  She was clearly painting a specific picture for Lawrence; after all, what could keep a morning person like her in bed until noon?

  “Right, we can’t be too early or late, can we?”

  “We certainly can’t have bad timing.”

  Hearing someone else mention bad timing made Lawrence remember the other question he wanted to ask.

  “Oh right, has that letter I mentioned arrived yet?”

  “Speaking of bad timing, no, I’m afraid not. Though since you want it that badly, I’ll have it sent the moment it arrives, okay?”

  “I appreciate it.”

  And that was that. There were no sad eyes following his back as he left. The girl didn’t even look at him, she just waved the wooden plate in her hand. Farewells were even more frequent for waitresses than they were for traveling merchants. It was a big world, after all.

  “Well, what’s next?”

  He was talking to himself, still surprised it had taken so long to buy provisions. He’d wanted to visit the stables afterward, but knew better than to leave Holo sitting in their room with a grumbling stomach. With a sigh, he decided to run back and check up on her.

  He rushed into an alley off the crowded road, and had to slam into a wall to avoid some ladies carrying baskets on their heads. He received no thanks, but at least won a smile. Maybe that waitress wasn’t bewitching anyone after all; such smiles might just be a Lenos custom. He made his way through the alley wondering about that, until he finally came to the next open road.

  This time he didn’t stop because he saw a wagon, but rather a familiar building.

  “Yup.. It’s definitely closed..”

  It was the inn Lawrence had stayed at on several occasions, the one previously owned by Arold before he left on his “pilgrimage to the south.” It had in fact been a leatherwork factory once, until Arold turned it into an inn. What had previously been a factory floor was now a vast storehouse rented out to others, and what were once living quarters for factory workers were now rooms for travelers.

  The rights had been transferred to Delink Company, in exchange for Holo’s freedom, but Lawrence couldn’t imagine Delink running an inn. He figured they must have resold the deed, and the once-again-empty building would be repurposed for something else altogether. Lawrence couldn’t tell what just yet, but knowing Delink it was probably better that he didn’t know.

  He smiled and wondered what kind of shop he might have turned it into if he had stayed in Lenos. It wouldn’t be quite as notorious as Flynn’s grocery store, but Lawrence was sure he could have turned it into a nice depot for traveling merchants like himself. With a good woman to share that fortune with, he could have been happy.

  “..as if.”

  He sighed in self-mockery and turned away. He probably wasn’t the only one sighing to himself like that, now that their trip was nearly over. Holo was just as good at keeping her thoughts to herself, after all.

  But now that his thoughts had returned to her, he’d better get a move on before Holo got upset with his dall
ying. Besides, he couldn’t hope to fool her nose so he had to keep clean. He kicked his wistfulness to the curb and tried to lift his spirits. But that was before he noticed who was coming out of the closed inn.

  “Oh?”

  That someone was looking straight at him now, keeping their jaw from dropping. At least, that’s how it seemed to Lawrence, who was just as surprised. It was the proprietor of Delink Company, Luz Eringin himself, the man who had accepted Holo as collateral for a loan.

  “You think it’ll be alright?”

  His voice certainly hadn’t changed; it was still as oily as a snake’s skin. But at least it wasn’t directed at Lawrence just yet. He turned to face the other man who was also leaving the old inn with him.

  “Yes, although there’s still the leftovers to take care of.”

  “The previous owner said we could do what we wished with those.”

  “So he’s transferred the risk to us, has he? They’re probably smuggled. We should have them checked first.”

  The other man was likely one of the town guards, who were liable to transfer the rights to seized or unclaimed goods to companies like Delink.

  “You’re heading back to the firm, then? You’re always welcome to visit my place, I just got ahold of a nice vintage..”

  Everyone wanted to befriend the guards, but they only wanted to make friends with influential men like Eringin. Watching this exchange made it clear to Lawrence just how influential Delink was in Lenos.. even if the man was refused.

  “No thanks. I really have to get back, I have urgent business to attend to today. Sorry.”

  Lawrence wondered if he was talking about him. The guard seemed to as well, at least at first. But he lost interest quickly, and headed off. As he disappeared around a corner, Eringin finally spoke up.

  “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Kraft Lawrence. I never thought I’d see you again so soon.”

  “To be honest I never suspected I’d see you again at all. Guess life had other plans.”

  Eve might have the heart to deal with a man like him again, but not Lawrence.

  “Guess not everyone has ambition to match their success.”

  “I’d be happy enough with just the success part.”