Elsa could picture the smug look on Lawrence’s face, and she could just as easily see the mixture of exasperation, vexation, and even joy on Holo’s.
She could just scarcely hear Holo’s tail, fluffed in displeasure, swishing back and forth.
“And I think this out-of-place tower was meant to serve as a lookout for smugglers who used the old river. Remember how Miss Tanya said that she heard merchants complaining about the snake that made it impossible to sell any metal from the mines? All the smuggling had likely caused control to become so strict that it affected legal trade.”
Elsa understood—and it was because the Hero Voragine resolved this problem that he was awarded with tariff rights and a title of nobility out of it.
“That’s more or less the myth of the great serpent of the Salonia plain.”
When Elsa would stay the night at an inn while she was on the road, she had often encountered travelers sitting around the hearth in the great hall, ale in hand, sharing interesting stories of things they had encountered on their travels.
Lawrence had surely done the same almost every night when he was traveling with Holo.
When his familiar storytelling cadence came to an end, Holo had calmed significantly after being led so ruthlessly by the nose.
“You are honestly—”
“—Amazing, I know.”
He had told the story in an amusing yet confident manner.
And, of course, it was not as though Holo genuinely thought Lawrence to be a foolish sheep.
It was because she could occasionally corner him in an argument, as he did to her, that Holo the wolf could not tear herself away from Lawrence.
“I suppose so, yes. Then what are you going to do?”
Elsa thought about how indifferent Holo sounded for only a brief moment.
She could tell from the footsteps above that Holo had drawn closer to Lawrence, perhaps holding his hand.
“Do you intend to obtain this field for yourself and then present it to me? The truth of this situation must be quite delicate for the Church.”
She sounded like a wolf playfully nuzzling and nipping at her prey.
“If all know the truth, but none choose to divulge, it becomes impossible to pick a side.”
She was right. If Lawrence were to side with the Church and obtain tariff and lordship rights and maintain high tariffs on the lumber merchants, then they would have to acknowledge that they were being punished for the wrongdoings of the past and may even be forced to admit the truth of the great serpent, that the legend fabricated by the church was exactly that—fabricated.
Lawrence replied in an almost casual tone, “Aww. I just have to be just friendly enough with both sides, don’t I?”
“…Hrm?”
“I’ll tell the lumber merchants that because of the wrongdoing their predecessors caused, they have no hope of ever having tariffs significantly lowered. But I’ll tell the church that this myth they’ve been spreading is an outright lie, and that the people who were engaging in all the smuggling went to their graves years ago, and then propose they find a compromise with the merchants.”
“…Mm.”
“All I need from the lumber merchants is a little thank-you. And we can drink all we want with that money.”
Holo’s tail was probably already swishing when she heard of such an obvious reward.
“But…what of the field? Will you be giving up on it?”
Despite how hesitant she had been when Lawrence first brought it up, she seemed sad now that it was about to vanish from her grasp. Lawrence did not reply to her question right away.
Though he seemed foolish at a glance, the man was prudent; it was as though he was gently gifting her a treasure.
“Instead of thanks from the Church, I’m going to ask they send a set amount of wheat to Nyohhira each year.”
“…You what?”
“Then, every year, when we bake our bread using that wheat, we’ll remember what happened today.”
Ale had no value once consumed, and coins were little more than useless baubles.
But receiving wheat every year, harvested from land rich with memories, was a different story.
Holo spent her days writing every detail of her activities down. She had been frightened when she saw her partner’s face illuminated by the light of an inn that was not her bathhouse, her home. Each new line served as a reminder that time flowed differently for the two of them. Even the mightiest of rivers would eventually run dry.
One day, her words might also dry up.
But wheat, with its myriad flavors and aromas, could create fresh memories.
“If the wheat’s not good, then just have Myuri come check up on things. Or you can come yourself. Might not be a bad way to spend your time, you know, coming down here a—”
Elsa decided not to think about why Lawrence did not finish his sentence.
Tanya strained her ears curiously and she even began to crane her neck in an attempt to see them, but even the straitlaced Elsa knew that lingering here any longer would be tactless of them. She placed her hand on Tanya’s shoulder and pointed down the stairs with a smile.
Elsa’s heart was full as they made their way down the stairs.
From Tereo, she had walked to church after church, hoping to be of some use to the clergy as it floundered in the torrent of the ages. What she had seen over and over again were the devout acting in ways unbefitting servants of God, though there may have not been any malice behind their actions.
Anything truly genuine was a rare find in this world. People often painted things in brighter hues; they often dressed them up to seem greater than they were.
But at times, she did come across things like this.
Once they exited the narrow tower staircase and came to the open garden, Tanya heaved a deep sigh.
Elsa turned her gaze up to the top of the tower and could not help the smile tugging at her lips.
The smile was not just because of the deep affection the couple had for each other, but because of the way she herself felt.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt homesick.”
Her home was full of noise, with things constantly happening, and her memories consisted almost entirely of her yelling.
But that was where she truly belonged.
Perhaps it was nowhere near as saccharine as Lawrence and Holo’s relationship, but her family was still precious to her—blankets had to be readjusted after being kicked off in the night.
“…”
But that was when she noticed how still Tanya stood next to her. Though she would not point it out herself, Elsa saw envy, and a pronounced sadness, in Tanya’s expression.
This squirrel spirit had spent many years alone in the mountains. Once, she had grown close to a traveler who had been passing through the area and ended up spending some time with them. She was still awaiting their return.
When she finally realized Elsa was staring at her, a guilty look crossed her face. So, without a word, Elsa pulled Tanya in for a hug, and they remained there for a long while before Elsa finally spoke up.
“My home is a bit far from here, but would you like to come with me?”
Tanya blinked, her lips mouthing words that never came.
The corner of Elsa’s mouth turned upward in a teasing smile, and she pointed to the top of the tower.
“I believe you have the right to follow that happy-go-lucky couple, too, if you wanted to.”
Tanya followed suit and also looked up, and by the time she looked back at Elsa, a warm look had crossed her face.
“Yes! I would love to go with you!”
There was no reason for Tanya to be left by herself on her mountain.
Elsa nodded, smiling, and added after a moment of hesitation, “Perhaps you may meet someone nice along the way.”
Tanya’s eyes widened and her face went red; she brought both her hands up to her cheeks. “But, the master…”
She was talking about the alchemist, the one who was likely dead by now. She might have had an inkling of what had become of him, but it was best not to dwell on it.
“But the master is too good for me, so I could never… So then, umm…”
She was clearly enjoying this.
Elsa smiled, gave a short laugh and said, “I, too, am still a child for enjoying talk of romance.”
It was what it was.
Tanya beamed.
“There’s so much I want to talk about!”
“Of course.”
Elsa wondered if it was worth extending the conversation invite to the wolf.
She was likely the happiest girl in this world, and would have many unbelievable stories to share.
“We’re going back to town!” Elsa called up to the top of the tower, planting her hands on her hips.
She would go home, too.
And when she pictured herself turning down any further work from that greedy bishop, she felt quite refreshed.