Chapter 105

CHAPTER THREE Col and Myuri briefly returned to the inn to find Le Roi waiting out front for their return, worried. They gave him a brief recap of the incident, then informed him that they did, indeed, meet the Wise Wolf. They mentioned how she told them to meet her at the Green Gourd while skimming over the details, and Le Roi told them furriers from the north typically gathered at that inn. Col wondered if they should head over there right away, but the state Myuri was in told him it was likely best to give her a night. Myuri was so particular about her wolf blood, even more so than Col had ever thought when they were in Nyohhira. She had so many things she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted to talk about after coming face-to-face with her kind, and he knew she needed time to get her thoughts in order. And so the night passed. Despite how Col assumed she would be lacking in appetite, Myuri scarfed down more bread and meat than she normally did at breakfast. She strode through Aquent with long steps—not a single shadow of last night’s unrest apparent in any facet of the city—and stood boldly when they reached the Green Gourd. “…No fighting,” Col could not help but say, getting the sense she might challenge the other girl to a duel. Myuri, however, ignored him and pushed open the shuttered door. “The tavern’s open after the noon bell,” came the innkeeper’s voice, thinking she was an overeager customer. His tone was strained from a hangover. “Is that wolf girl here?” The innkeeper could tell this was no ordinary guest—he looked at them dubiously. “Are you—?” “A friend,” Myuri cut him off. The innkeeper glanced at Col in bewilderment. Col found himself offering him a polite nod, and he gave a little sigh. “She’s on the third floor.” Either he decided they were not the sort to cause trouble, or their obvious lack of refinement typical of northerners had earned them his trust. There were stairs on the far side of the tavern. When they reached the second floor, they found poor-looking boys sitting in the corridor. They were all fervently studying with wax-coated wooden boards and spared neither of them so much as a glance. Though Myuri recoiled at the sight, she made her way up to the third floor, skipping steps on the way. There were older people milling about the third floor—some had books open for copying, and some were doing scrivener work. The door at the far end of the hall was open, with people busily going in and out. And inside was the girl they saw yesterday. “So you’ve come.” She must have been aware of their arrival long before they saw her. She spoke quietly before either of them could greet her, and she stood from her chair. “We’ll be on the fourth floor. Leave us in peace,” Lutia said to the boys, then brushed past Col and Myuri to head up the stairs. Seeing her in proper lighting showed she was relatively small. She was only about one half of a fist taller than Myuri; if they were to compare heights, the rambunctious silver wolf would surely insist that she was taller. Lutia wore the same robe she had the day prior, but with a rustic sash keeping it shut and a dagger tucked into it, she looked more like a priestess who wandered the deep mountains of the north and less like a nun. If her clothes had perhaps been a bit more pedestrian, she might have looked like the only daughter of a village mayor who was expertly doing business despite her young age. Trailing after her, they came to a room at the far end of the fourth-floor hallway. “This is our vault,” she said as she stuck a key into the door’s large lock. The door swung open, and they were greeted by a familiar, musty scent. “Are these books used as textbooks?” “Yeah. These are the seeds that keep us alive in this city.” The books were indeed seeds—they were not used for one-time purchases, but were instead copied, drilled into the minds of students, then passed down to subsequent generations of new students. As Lutia spoke, she opened the shuttered windows. Once the room filled with fresh air, she turned to look at them. “I was shocked yesterday.” Only one corner of her mouth tugged upward, either in bemusement or to hide her bashfulness. The next thing Col knew, Lutia had large, triangular wolf ears the same color as her hair and a fluffy tail out and visible. “I’ve been searching for my kin for a long time.” Col glanced at Myuri. Despite how eager she had been earlier, to the point that Col had to warn her not to pick a fight, she was silent, and her head was drooped. Her ears and tail were still put away; perhaps now that she stood before one of her own, she did not know what to do with herself. “I am sorry. She was rather eager earlier.” Lutia smiled and turned to Col. “I know how that feels. If I hadn’t had the boys around me yesterday, I probably would’ve fallen apart.” Lutia had clearly been shocked in the moment; it was hard to know if she was only saying that to make Myuri feel better. “Either way, it’s good to actually meet you. I’m Lutia.” She held out her hand. Her movements were sharp and collected; it was her job to lead people. Col grasped her hand to shake it in turn—it was a lot like Myuri’s own slender hand—and wondered if he should use the fake name he chose before arriving in Aquent. There would doubtlessly be trouble if word got out that the Twilight Cardinal was here in the city. But here he stood between two nonhumans who were otherwise very elusive characters. And so, he decided to use his real name. “I am Tote Col.” Lutia only gave a polite smile—it seemed she did not realize he was the Twilight Cardinal. Though he was relieved, he was a bit astonished at how disappointed he felt. Lutia naturally extended her hand to Myuri next. “Come on, Myuri.” Col patted her back—she was unusually meek today—and she finally found the resolve to move again. “Myuri.” She gave her name. There was an odd antagonism in her voice, and Col had a feeling it was not his imagination. “…Why the Wise Wolf?” Myuri’s mother was also known as the wisewolf. Lutia smiled shyly. “I didn’t think that would be your first question. What, didn’t you hear what the guys from the south said? They called themselves the southern eagles first and tried to rule over all the students in the city.” “And is that why you called yourselves the northern wolves?” The boys clad in pots and armed with rolling pins had said as much. “I doubt pigeons and sheep can win against eagles, after all,” Lutia said with a shrug. “That, and I’d heard a rumor.” “Hmm?” Myuri’s gaze flicked up to Lutia. “That there is a great kin of ours far, far to the north also called the wisewolf.” Myuri’s triangular ears popped out of her head at the unexpected statement. “And she apparently has a great territory of her own within land ruled by humans, and she lives boldly within a village. I mean, I have a feeling that’s a story that’s been exaggerated at some point, but I happened to hear about her from a deer spirit passing through Aquent just after I arrived in the city. Even if it is just a rumor, hearing that one of our kin has found her footing in the human world was reassuring to me after all I’d been put through in the city. Ever since then, I’ve been calling myself the Wise Wolf after her. Kind of like how weak little human hunters call themselves wolves and bears when they’re out in the forest.” “………” Myuri’s attitude had suggested to Col that she had been wondering if Lutia was a fake, deceptively using the title of wisewolf. But Lutia was not trying to dress herself up as something greater than she was; all they found here was an innocent, bashful smile. Myuri stared at Lutia for a moment before quietly breathing a sigh of relief. Had she really been using the title for nefarious purposes, then there was a chance Myuri would have insisted on fighting for her mother’s honor. The most surprising thing, though, was that Myuri did not immediately reveal her origins. Because the person Lutia was talking about was very obviously Myuri’s mother. Col had assumed she would be happy to brag, but things were complicated at her age, and perhaps she was not too keen on boasting about her parents. Especially as the tired daughter of a couple who were still in their honeymoon phase. “Then I hope you don’t mind me asking you a question in return,” Lutia began. “What is your relationship?” Col could tell that this was not a serious question, but more of a warm-up from the way the faint wisps of a smile remained on her face. But the reason he hesitated was because he felt like no matter what answer he gave, Myuri would be angry with him. “He’s my brother.” Myuri’s reply was blunt. She did not boldly proclaim they were in a romantic relationship, of course, but he had a feeling there must have been a reason why she did not call herself a knight. Perhaps she felt that if she were to say it without thinking beforehand, that word would limit their relationship. Though it was unlikely Lutia noticed that complicated swirl of motivations, it was probably quite obvious to her that they were not simply blood-related brother and sister. She nodded with worldly understanding, yet wore a pessimistic smile on her face. It was as though she had seen relationships like theirs countless times in her life, in a world where nonhumans like themselves could not live freely. “Then my next question I ask you as the Wise Wolf of Aquent. You’re staying in the Steel and Sheep, right? That’s an inn for booksellers—does that make you one of them? That round companion of yours has been going around to scribe workshops and the papermakers. And sniffing me out, too, for that matter. And all of you have been going to every bookshop you can stick your nose in.” She knew Le Roi was with them and the extent of their activities—that meant she likely had students working for her throughout the city. There was a cautious light in her eyes; she was just as determined to protect everyone in this inn as she was delighted to meet another one of her kin in this wide, wide world of humans. Because those who dealt in the book market in this city always cast ominous shadows. “Our traveling companion is indeed a bookseller, but we have not come here for the book trade. We are not booksellers—we have a different objective. We had been looking into you, Miss Lutia, as a part of that objective.” Lutia gave a jerk of her chin, encouraging Col to continue. He glanced to Myuri, just in case, because in order to elaborate, he needed to pull back the veil of their secret. Myuri seemed as though she had no remaining concerns at this point, judging by how she had her fluffy tail out in the open, casually whipping it back and forth. So she instead spoke for her worrywart brother. “You know about the fight between the kingdom and the Church, right?” “The kingdom…? You mean the Winfiel Kingdom? I guess I do.” Lutia had been caught off guard, the conversation heading in a direction she had not expected. She turned her gaze to Col, bewildered, but he knew that hiding their objectives from her in order to earn her cooperation was not the optimal strategy here, and he made his decision. “We have come to Aquent for that fight.” Lutia regarded him curiously, before she suddenly murmured his name again. In the moment immediately following, the hair on her ears and tail stood on end, just like Myuri’s sometimes did. “The Twilight Cardinal?!” A torrent of people came and went through academic cities, and spirited theologians and Church scholars were a dime a dozen. News about the conflict between the kingdom and the Church likely reached this city at a rate that was rivaled only by Rausbourne. “No way… Are you kidding me…?” Speechless, Lutia ran a hand over her twitching, uneasy ears as if that was supposed to help her get a handle on them. Col felt more awkward the harder she stared at him, but when he averted his gaze to Myuri, he found her looking somewhat proud. “Hmm? No, wait, but—but hold on,” Lutia, still at a loss for words, put her hand to her forehead, collecting her thoughts. “I’ve heard of a nation of sheep within the kingdom. Does that mean you’re—?” “Oh, are you talking about old man Huskins? No, we’re not affiliated.” Huskins was the golden sheep who had helped establish the Kingdom of Winfiel and fought alongside the first king. The old man used a monastery with wide-open fields within the vast kingdom as cover for him and his fellow sheep, creating a home for themselves. “Wait, really? No, but, if you’re fighting on behalf of the kingdom, then…does that mean the kingdom is on the nonhuman side? Is that why they’re fighting the Church?!” The Twilight Cardinal sided with the Kingdom of Winfiel. And if he was traveling around with a wolf, then normal logic would lead most people to the same conclusion. “Uhhh, that is a little complicated,” Col said, wondering how to answer. That’s when Myuri cut in with a sigh and explained. “My stupid brother, always reading books and going on and on about faith, said one day that his precious Church had become evil and that he was going on a journey to fix it. And since I knew it was going to be dangerous, I couldn’t let him go alone, so I tagged along. I’m hiding my ears and tail as we travel, though.” There were a lot of little points Col wanted to argue, but he had enough composure to instead turn to Lutia’s shocked expression and nod reluctantly. “I…I think I see now. But, right… I guess that’s one way for a pack to be.” Lutia swallowed a large chunk of bread and suddenly flashed an awkward smile. Col knew why by the way she huffed. “Brother and sister, hmm?” The reason he felt so uncomfortable under her gaze was because her wolf’s nose could tell exactly how Myuri clung to him every night when they slept. The expression Lutia wore on her face was as though she had bitten into perfectly roasted meat that melted in her mouth—affectionate, embarrassed, and astonished. “I really wish he’d make me his wife, though,” Myuri said, however, with no shame whatsoever, and gave an unsatisfied shrug. “You need patience when hunting.” Myuri glanced at Lutia and grinned back. They were essentially the same height—it made them look like lifelong partners-in-crime. “Ahem! Myuri aside, as a part of our fight against the Church, we came here to accomplish several objectives.” Col interrupted the wolves’ snickering, and Lutia turned to look at him. “First, we are hoping to distribute copies of the vernacular translation of the scripture, so the people can know exactly how far the Church has strayed from God’s teachings. And for that, we came here to secure paper. Another reason is to find professors in ecclesiastical law or theology who will join our cause. And another reason is—” “—To find someone who knows stories about the new continent and the desert!” Lutia looked between Myuri, who had absolutely no interest in the first two reasons, and Col, who was annoyed by Myuri’s easygoing attitude, and she gave a cautious nod of understanding. “The vernacular scripture and professors for allies… That I understand. People have been talking about the translation project and the conflict with the Church plenty out here. But…” Lutia’s tail twitched side to side. “A new continent and the desert?” “Yes, exactly! We’re going to find the new continent and make a country just for ourselves!” Myuri’s ears and tail flicked in excitement. In her shock, Lutia only gave a lopsided smile. Col had a feeling she might get the wrong idea hearing Myuri’s big dreams alone, so he added his own explanation. “The new continent may prove to be the key in the conflict between the kingdom and the Church.” “It…will?” “Both the kingdom and the Church fight for their own reasons. However, the problem has grown more complicated than we’ve anticipated, and it’s come to the point that further escalation in the conflict will prove to be a benefit to no one. And even though both sides understand this, they still need a proper justification to lower their fists.” “And it’s a lot more fun if they both reached out for a treasure across the sea instead of bringing those fists down on each other’s heads, right?” Myuri chimed in. “And that’s why we’re going to join in and make a country for ourselves.” She was speaking as though Ilenia’s plan was her own, but the fellow wolf spirit seemed to understand the situation with surprising ease. “Aha… So you’re killing two birds with one stone. But I don’t see how the desert fits into all this. Don’t tell me this new continent’s at the end of the river of spices?” An ancient erudite sage once said that spices such as pepper and nutmeg flowed in from a river that ran through the desert. They understood this was a ridiculous statement in the modern day, of course, now that long-distance trade flourished, so Lutia had likely brought it up as a metaphor. But Myuri, who was earnest and loved adventure, took it as fact. She was shocked. “There’s a river of spices?!” Col decided to explain it to the girl later—she was acting like a puppy being given a bone—and neatly summarized all the information they had for Lutia. “Tell of a new continent seems to originate in the time of the ancient empire. But considering the Church’s influence, we decided it would be more fruitful to search for any information that would’ve been from that time period within the desert nations.” A new light appeared in Lutia’s eyes, as though the final stone had been laid in the path before her. “Which means…I see. I’m the perfect person for the job, then.” She giggled. “What do you know? I think we were supposed to meet.” “Huh?” It was not just Col who replied in shock—Myuri did, too. “It wasn’t a whim that I decided to learn the language of the desert. I had my own reasons, and that’s… Well, I guess it’s a lot like Myuri’s ridiculous story.” The moment she heard her name, Myuri made a face as though water had been splashed over it. Perhaps having her name spoken by a wolf that was not her blood relative was that fresh of an experience for her. She flicked her ears and tail, as though shaking the water from them, and then said with a smile, “I want to know your story, too, Lutia!” Myuri was determined to say her name in return. Lutia gave a small, calm smile in response, much like the kind an older sister might make. She sat down lightly on a worn desk, glanced out the window as a breeze danced in, then spoke. “I lived for a very, very long time in the woods. I had no name. I was alone. I knew there was something different about me compared with the other animals around me, but my life was a happy one. One day, though, I found a lord who had gotten lost in the woods and was on the brink of death. When I saved him, he gave me a pretty name: Lutia. He brought me to his castle, and his wife took a liking to me, too. And that’s when my next life began, one where I’d have my hair brushed in front of the fire.” It sounded like a fairy tale, but Col could picture her easily taking to life in a castle after life in the woods. “Living with them suited my personality, but…it only made me realize how lonely I was as a wolf. I’d made irreplaceable human friends, but they weren’t wolves. Even though it had never bothered me before, it started to hurt when I never received a howl in response.” Lutia smiled, self-deprecating. Her gaze was fixed on Myuri’s sash. It was as though she was talking about her past to the wolf embroidered on it. “And so the lord helped me search the entire world for other wolves, but we couldn’t find any. And that was when I learned about wolf crests from a very old book. I believed families who inherited those crests must have known about people like us or had wolf bloodlines themselves.” Myuri looked at the wolf crest embroidered on her sash, then looked to Col’s sash. She, too, had come to the conclusion that most families who used wolf crests were old lineages that could trace their origins back to the ancient empire. If the wolves were to search for their kin in this day and age, the only real leads they had were these wolf crests. And to earnestly follow those paths would naturally lead them to the ancient empire. “That means you beat us to it,” Myuri said after glancing at Col. She turned to Lutia again. “Did you come to this city to learn the language of the desert?” “Er, well… I guess you could say that was more like an extracurricular.” Lutia gave a small, troubled smile. Myuri mouthed the word extracurricular, then turned to Col. “It’s something that someone does that is separate from their primary discipline, but not necessarily to the point that it would be considered another full subject of study.” Myuri nodded. She then looked back to Lutia, her eyes brimming with curiosity and the obvious questions. “I came to this city to study ecclesiastical law.” Myuri’s eyes rounded. “Wait, does that mean you’re…on the Church’s side?” Lutia gave a troubled smile when she saw how bewildered Myuri was. The moment Col found himself shocked at the thought they might be on opposing sides, another idea came to him. “You did it to protect those you care about… Am I correct?” Though it was not as intense as it was last night when she saw Myuri, the look of surprise on Lutia’s face was still obvious. “How…did you know?” “I thought the very same when I was young. I knew I had to use the Church’s power in order to save my village from their aggression—we’d been deemed heretics. And so I came to this city alone.” Lutia looked to Col in astonishment. And once his words sunk in, she gave a surprised smile. “I see… Everything you had told me thus far didn’t answer one question I had: Why you had been there last night.” “Of course. My younger self could have been the very one who broke and ran through the streets last night.” Lutia chuckled softly, planted her hands on her hips, and sighed deeply. “Yeah. The lord and lady didn’t have children. And the lady was a dilettante who chose to marry the weirdo who thought it was funny that a wolf avatar saved him from certain death in the forest and brought her home. Both of them adored me. Adored me to the point that my mind went numb.” Her lowered gaze and ears were due to memories of life in the castle, one she had long left behind. “Time passed, and the lord died from illness. Since the lady had no children, she found herself troubled by the question of who would inherit their land. Nobles from far away who I’d never seen before were working with the local church, and they were licking their lips with their eyes on the fresh prize. Had their plan gone as they wanted, the lady would have been chased from her home full of memories and probably exiled to a remote nunnery with just a bit of pocket change until she died. I had a duty to repay the kindness her pack had showed me on my honor as a wolf, but…” She turned to Col with a precocious look. “These aren’t much use in this day and age, are they?” She pulled open her mouth with her finger to show off her sharpened canines. If Lutia looked like more of an adult than Myuri did, it was not solely because she was taller. “If I could learn how the human world worked, then I could find weapons that would be of use in the human world. And ecclesiastical law is one of the greatest weapons.” The shape of the world was generally set in stone; were anyone to cast water over any point, it tended to run and pool together. There were several odd coincidences to Lutia’s situation; she was like a combination of Col and Myuri. “But there are a lot of people who want to learn ecclesiastical law for that very reason, and those who have the things that everyone wants keeps all those benefits to themselves.” With that, Col recalled why they came to see Lutia in the first place.