Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
He realized his body felt much lighter, but he couldn't get up.
Neither could he close his mouth, and with what felt more like unbearable disorienting pressure all over his body, he couldn't even raise his voice. Yet somehow, using his elbow, Lawrence managed to roll over and get into a crawling position. He couldn't move any more than that, and he looked at the drops of blood that pattered to the floor through his tear-blurred eyes.
His ears could still sort out the sounds around him, so he knew that Eve had left the storehouse.
She had probably taken the money.
That thought filtered like pleasantly cool water through his swimming head.
He didn't know how long he was in there before some random guest of the inn entered and rushed to his side, helping him sit up.
He was a large, round man with clothes fringed in fur from all over. It had to be the old fur trader from the north Arold had mentioned.
"Are—are you all right?"
Lawrence laughed at the clichéd phrase in spite of himself, then managed a "sorry," and nodded.
"Was it a robber?"
Finding a person collapsed in a storehouse naturally suggested as much.
But Lawrence shook his head in the negative.
"A broken deal, then?"
There were only so many types of misfortune that could befall a merchant.
"Oh, what's this...," said the man, and when Lawrence saw what he had picked up, he forgot all about his painful face and laughed.
"What's wrong?"
Evidently the fat man couldn't read because he only cocked his head curiously at the paper, and when Lawrence reached for it, he handed it over, puzzlement written all over his face.
Lawrence looked down at the paper once again.
He really wasn't misunderstanding.
Apparently Eve couldn't quite bring herself to toss Lawrence entirely aside.
"Obsession maybe?" Lawrence murmured to himself, swallowing blood.
But that didn't seem quite right.
Immediately after she had struck Lawrence with the haft of her cleaver, he'd caught the merest glimpse of Eve's face.
It was neither obsessed nor avaricious.
"Hey, are you all right?" The man hastily tried to help Lawrence up when he started to stand, but Lawrence merely nodded and declined.
Eve had left him Arold's deed to the inn.
As a fellow merchant, he could hardly fail to understand what she meant by this.
Having gotten to his feet, Lawrence began to walk, albeit unsteadily.
He tottered out of the storehouse and into the stable.
"She needs to see, does she?"
Eve had taken all his money.
There was only one place for Lawrence to go.
"She needs to see."
He laughed again, then spat blood.
***
There were so many people in the streets that it was impossible to pass near the town square to get to the docks, owing to the fight between those trying to make the council's decision public and those who opposed that decision.
Angry shouts and bellows were exchanged, and tensions were high.
Not a one of them noticed Lawrence's terrible state. That was how bad the riot was.
As long as the sun or moon was out, he could navigate a complicated city with nothing but the date and the direction. He ran through the streets, heading for the Delink Company.
Eve had probably gone directly to buy fur.
It didn't seem like Lawrence was going to make staggering amounts of money, but he felt he didn't mind.
Leaving behind the letter that proved Arold was surrendering the inn was probably Eve's last concession, but for Lawrence it was enough.
The letter of guarantee he held was probably worth just shy of the amount he had borrowed from the Delink Company. At the very least, the merchants wanted to curry favor with Eve, who was nobility, a goal they would be able to accomplish. Whether or not they would be able to quickly collect the money from Lawrence was a secondary concern, and they would probably be willing to wait a bit on however much he came up short.
The problem was Holo.
What sort of face would she make once she found out Lawrence had let the deal that would have given him his dream slip away?
She would be enraged surely.

Output:
When he asked where Holo was being kept, they led him to a single room within the building.
However, once he put his hand on the door, they stopped him with their eyes.
"Don't lay a hand on the collateral," they seemed to say.
Lawrence produced the deed that Eve had given him and handed it over to the Delink Company. They did the profit-loss computation so fast it put a traveling merchant to shame.
Eringin smoothly put the deed into his breast pocket and smiled—genuinely for once—before withdrawing.
Lawrence put his hand to the door and opened it.
"I said no one may enter—!" cried Holo, then cut herself off.
He had hoped she might cry, but evidently he didn't give Holo enough credit.
Nonetheless, she was clearly shocked, her face a mask of anger.
"Why, you...you..." Her trembling lips seemed to make it difficult to articulate words.
Lawrence nonchalantly closed the door behind him and sat on the chair in the middle of the room.
"You fool!"
Holo flew at him. Surely those words were made to describe exactly what happened this moment.
He had expected it and so managed to avoid being thrown from the chair.
"Don't—don't tell me—don't tell me you called off the deal!"
"I certainly didn't. It was stolen right out from under me."
Holo's surprise was like that of a maiden whose favorite dress has been stained, and she grabbed Lawrence by his lapels using all of her strength.
"Was that not your dream?!"
"It was my dream. No. It still is."
"Then why—why?"
"Why am I so calm, you mean?"
Holo looked on the verge of tears, her lips trembling violently.
Lawrence had been certain that regardless of the outcome of the deal, he would be separating from Holo in this town.
Holo felt the same way.
"We merchants worked a few things out, so I was left enough to buy you back from this company."
At a loss for words...Lawrence wanted to label and frame Holo's face as it was just then.
"Do—do you not remember why I was so frightened?"
"It's too embarrassing. I can't bring myself to speak of it."
Holo struck him in the face, right where Eve had hit him with the haft of the cleaver, and the pain was enough to make him collapse.
Holo then mercilessly hauled him back up.
"And then you came traipsing back, even knowing that, to appear before me, the Wisewolf of Yoitsu? What do you wish for? What do you desire? Tell me! Just tell me, damn you!"
Lawrence remembered when he had seen her like this before.
Back then, too, Lawrence had been beaten, had lost all his assets, and faced death.
Holo had pitched in to help bail him out that time.
What about now?
He had been robbed, injured, yet had managed to get away while somehow safeguarding Holo's life...Would she not see it that way?
If not, the words Holo expected were obvious.
She wanted to part ways from him here in this town, smiling all the way.
"Your...wolf form."
Holo nodded, baring her fangs. "Leave it to me. You'll become a full-fledged merchant thanks to meeting me. We can end the story with a smile. It must be so!" she said, producing the pouch that held the wheat grains about her neck.
Lawrence watched her, smiling.
"What's the m—"
She never got to finish the word.
"Did you think I was going to ask you to use your wolf form to get the money back?"
Lawrence pulled Holo's body into his embrace. Immediately the sound of something scattering could be heard, no doubt the wheat grains upon the floor.
Perhaps among them were some tears, but he dismissed that as wishful thinking.
"Eve is pursuing a deal tantamount to suicide. If the Church learns of it, our lives will be in danger, too. We should leave this town before the disturbance is over."
***
Holo tried to twist away, but Lawrence stopped her and continued speaking as coolly as he could manage.
"I didn't see Eve's true nature. She is obsessed with money. She thinks nothing of throwing her life away for it. But no number of lives will satisfy a deal like that."


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
When he asked where Holo was being kept, they led him to a single room within the building.
However, once he put his hand on the door, they stopped him with their eyes.
"Don't lay a hand on the collateral," they seemed to say.
Lawrence produced the deed that Eve had given him and handed it over to the Delink Company. They did the profit-loss computation so fast it put a traveling merchant to shame.
Eringin smoothly put the deed into his breast pocket and smiled—genuinely for once—before withdrawing.
Lawrence put his hand to the door and opened it.
"I said no one may enter—!" cried Holo, then cut herself off.
He had hoped she might cry, but evidently he didn't give Holo enough credit.
Nonetheless, she was clearly shocked, her face a mask of anger.
"Why, you...you..." Her trembling lips seemed to make it difficult to articulate words.
Lawrence nonchalantly closed the door behind him and sat on the chair in the middle of the room.
"You fool!"
Holo flew at him. Surely those words were made to describe exactly what happened this moment.
He had expected it and so managed to avoid being thrown from the chair.
"Don't—don't tell me—don't tell me you called off the deal!"
"I certainly didn't. It was stolen right out from under me."
Holo's surprise was like that of a maiden whose favorite dress has been stained, and she grabbed Lawrence by his lapels using all of her strength.
"Was that not your dream?!"
"It was my dream. No. It still is."
"Then why—why?"
"Why am I so calm, you mean?"
Holo looked on the verge of tears, her lips trembling violently.
Lawrence had been certain that regardless of the outcome of the deal, he would be separating from Holo in this town.
Holo felt the same way.
"We merchants worked a few things out, so I was left enough to buy you back from this company."
At a loss for words...Lawrence wanted to label and frame Holo's face as it was just then.
"Do—do you not remember why I was so frightened?"
"It's too embarrassing. I can't bring myself to speak of it."
Holo struck him in the face, right where Eve had hit him with the haft of the cleaver, and the pain was enough to make him collapse.
Holo then mercilessly hauled him back up.
"And then you came traipsing back, even knowing that, to appear before me, the Wisewolf of Yoitsu? What do you wish for? What do you desire? Tell me! Just tell me, damn you!"
Lawrence remembered when he had seen her like this before.
Back then, too, Lawrence had been beaten, had lost all his assets, and faced death.
Holo had pitched in to help bail him out that time.
What about now?
He had been robbed, injured, yet had managed to get away while somehow safeguarding Holo's life...Would she not see it that way?
If not, the words Holo expected were obvious.
She wanted to part ways from him here in this town, smiling all the way.
"Your...wolf form."
Holo nodded, baring her fangs. "Leave it to me. You'll become a full-fledged merchant thanks to meeting me. We can end the story with a smile. It must be so!" she said, producing the pouch that held the wheat grains about her neck.
Lawrence watched her, smiling.
"What's the m—"
She never got to finish the word.
"Did you think I was going to ask you to use your wolf form to get the money back?"
Lawrence pulled Holo's body into his embrace. Immediately the sound of something scattering could be heard, no doubt the wheat grains upon the floor.
Perhaps among them were some tears, but he dismissed that as wishful thinking.
"Eve is pursuing a deal tantamount to suicide. If the Church learns of it, our lives will be in danger, too. We should leave this town before the disturbance is over."
***
Holo tried to twist away, but Lawrence stopped her and continued speaking as coolly as he could manage.
"I didn't see Eve's true nature. She is obsessed with money. She thinks nothing of throwing her life away for it. But no number of lives will satisfy a deal like that."

Output:
"When crossing a dangerous bridge, once is enough."
***
Back when Lawrence had visited the village of Pasloe, there had been no particular reason for Holo, hiding in his wagon bed, to travel with him. She could have stolen his clothes and taken the wheat, and she would have been just fine on her own.
If she had truly believed that becoming close to another led only and always to despair, if she genuinely feared that, no matter how much she longed for company, she would never have spoken to him.
A dog that burns itself on the fireplace will always be wary.
Those who approach the fireplace are the ones who think that within it smolder roasted chestnuts and are unable to forget that sweet taste.
Even if he could see what hardships lay ahead or even if at the end there would be nothing at all, Lawrence had to reach out. He had to.
He needed to see.
He needed to see what was at the end of all of this.
When Eve had struck Lawrence, he had laughed from the humiliation of it. He'd laughed like a girl.
Lawrence was a bit too young to turn into an enlightened recluse.
He put his hand around the back of Holo's head, and she flinched.
Becoming closer than they already were couldn't possibly be the right decision. Holo's view of the matter was the right one, he supposed.
The end would surely come, and so staying like this was not the wisest course.
And yet Lawrence embraced Holo. And then—
"I like you."
He kissed her right cheek ever so lightly.
Holo froze, then looked Lawrence straight in the eyes, so close that their foreheads nearly touched. Her expression shifted slowly to rage.
"What do you even know about me?"
"I don't know much. I don't know if the decision your centuries of life has led you to is correct. But I do know one thing."
He felt as if he might melt into her red-brown pupils.
There was no doubt that he would die before her, and the fact of his again meant that his values would be quicker to change.
Surely Lawrence would be the one for whom delight would fade first.
And yet, he didn't let her go.
"Wishing for you to be mine might not make it so. But if I don't wish it, you'll never be mine."
Holo looked down, then wrenched herself away violently, finally succeeding in pulling herself free.
Her tail bristled and her ears pricked up with her overwhelming anger.
But she did not change to her wolf form. She remained human, glaring at him.
"Eve chases profit, even though it puts her life in danger. Even though the moment she gets what she wants, it fades. There's a lesson to be learned there as a merchant. Call it a mirror. I thought I should try to be more like that," finished Lawrence without any embarrassment, clearing his throat once.
He then stooped to gather up the wheat grains that had been spilled beneath the chair.
Holo stood there stock-still.
She stood there without looking at anything in particular.
When droplets began to hit the floor where Lawrence gathered up the wheat, he looked up.
"You fool...," said Holo, wiping her tears with one hand. They welled up one after another, but she wiped them anyway.
Lawrence offered the now-refilled wheat pouch up toward Holo's free hand, whereupon she grabbed it.
"You'll take proper responsibility, won't you?" Her smile was not deliberate.
"When the times comes, we'll part ways with smiles and leave it at that. There's no such thing as a journey that doesn't end. But—"
Tears continued to fall, but by now it seemed Holo was crying more at her own pathetic visage than anything else.
Even a human girl rarely looked so unsightly.
Lawrence smiled. "But as it is, I don't think we could part with smiles right now. That's all."
Holo nodded at Lawrence's words as she wiped her tears.
"Anyway, why are you so pessimistic?" he asked.
There had to be a reason.
There was no question that the many years she had weathered contained within them reasons enough for her timidity.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"When crossing a dangerous bridge, once is enough."
***
Back when Lawrence had visited the village of Pasloe, there had been no particular reason for Holo, hiding in his wagon bed, to travel with him. She could have stolen his clothes and taken the wheat, and she would have been just fine on her own.
If she had truly believed that becoming close to another led only and always to despair, if she genuinely feared that, no matter how much she longed for company, she would never have spoken to him.
A dog that burns itself on the fireplace will always be wary.
Those who approach the fireplace are the ones who think that within it smolder roasted chestnuts and are unable to forget that sweet taste.
Even if he could see what hardships lay ahead or even if at the end there would be nothing at all, Lawrence had to reach out. He had to.
He needed to see.
He needed to see what was at the end of all of this.
When Eve had struck Lawrence, he had laughed from the humiliation of it. He'd laughed like a girl.
Lawrence was a bit too young to turn into an enlightened recluse.
He put his hand around the back of Holo's head, and she flinched.
Becoming closer than they already were couldn't possibly be the right decision. Holo's view of the matter was the right one, he supposed.
The end would surely come, and so staying like this was not the wisest course.
And yet Lawrence embraced Holo. And then—
"I like you."
He kissed her right cheek ever so lightly.
Holo froze, then looked Lawrence straight in the eyes, so close that their foreheads nearly touched. Her expression shifted slowly to rage.
"What do you even know about me?"
"I don't know much. I don't know if the decision your centuries of life has led you to is correct. But I do know one thing."
He felt as if he might melt into her red-brown pupils.
There was no doubt that he would die before her, and the fact of his again meant that his values would be quicker to change.
Surely Lawrence would be the one for whom delight would fade first.
And yet, he didn't let her go.
"Wishing for you to be mine might not make it so. But if I don't wish it, you'll never be mine."
Holo looked down, then wrenched herself away violently, finally succeeding in pulling herself free.
Her tail bristled and her ears pricked up with her overwhelming anger.
But she did not change to her wolf form. She remained human, glaring at him.
"Eve chases profit, even though it puts her life in danger. Even though the moment she gets what she wants, it fades. There's a lesson to be learned there as a merchant. Call it a mirror. I thought I should try to be more like that," finished Lawrence without any embarrassment, clearing his throat once.
He then stooped to gather up the wheat grains that had been spilled beneath the chair.
Holo stood there stock-still.
She stood there without looking at anything in particular.
When droplets began to hit the floor where Lawrence gathered up the wheat, he looked up.
"You fool...," said Holo, wiping her tears with one hand. They welled up one after another, but she wiped them anyway.
Lawrence offered the now-refilled wheat pouch up toward Holo's free hand, whereupon she grabbed it.
"You'll take proper responsibility, won't you?" Her smile was not deliberate.
"When the times comes, we'll part ways with smiles and leave it at that. There's no such thing as a journey that doesn't end. But—"
Tears continued to fall, but by now it seemed Holo was crying more at her own pathetic visage than anything else.
Even a human girl rarely looked so unsightly.
Lawrence smiled. "But as it is, I don't think we could part with smiles right now. That's all."
Holo nodded at Lawrence's words as she wiped her tears.
"Anyway, why are you so pessimistic?" he asked.
There had to be a reason.
There was no question that the many years she had weathered contained within them reasons enough for her timidity.

Output:
The conclusion that in order to achieve happiness one must wish for nothing was inadmissible.
Even Holo, having lived so many centuries, could not have forgotten the innocence of her youth.
Eventually she looked up at the ceiling, sniffing loudly.
A moment passed.
"You wish to know why I am pessimistic?" she asked, looking back at Lawrence. "Don't you prefer me tearful and sobbing?"
Lawrence could only laugh at the unexpected attack.
He did not stand but sat there as he took Holo's hand in his own and kissed it, as a knight kisses a maiden's hand.
She was Holo the Wisewolf. When she spoke next, it was in a tone that befit the situation, as though she was handing down a pronouncement from on high.
"You've rejected my notion, so you had best be prepared to take responsibility for what may come."
"...I will," answered Lawrence.
Holo was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"You took my foolishness seriously—seriously enough to lose all your profit. So I—"
She stopped herself, shook her head, then continued.
"I'll go along with your foolish plan. However!"
"However?"
No sooner had Lawrence spoken than Holo kicked him hard on his shoulder, then looked down on him as a person looks down on an insect.
"I can't have a worthless merchant for my companion. Don't tell me you'll let your deal be stolen, then turn tail and run."
Given that this was what passed for kindness from Holo, Lawrence had but one thing to say.
He took her hand and got to his feet, then wiped what remained of the tears from her face. "Your kindness is quite frightening as well."
Lawrence could not be sure whether or not she would call him a fool for this.
As to why, surely Holo would not be spoken of in the tales that were passed down through eternity.
There were only a handful of things that would stop her from speaking her mind.
"...So, how will you get the money back?" Holo's eyes were cool and piercing, as if to say that he had no choice.
And yet Lawrence felt like making a joke.
Those eyes of hers hid her embarrassment, after all.
"Forget the profit. I'd rather have you give me back my initiative."
"Fool," declared Holo flatly, slapping his swollen cheek and pulling away. "Do you think I would ever allow such a thing?"
Lawrence wanted to double over in pain, but her tone suggested she was totally unconcerned with that.
She spun around as if to show him the magnificent tail of Holo, the Wisewolf of Yoitsu, then put a hand on her hip and looked at him over her shoulder. "I'd be in trouble if I fell for you."
Lawrence would never forget her mischievous smile.
Holo giggled, causing her chestnut fall of hair to shake.
It was a foolish conversation.
It really is, he thought.
"I suppose you would be," he said.
"Mm."
Lawrence and Holo left the room.
They held hands, and though neither of them had initiated it, their fingers were intertwined.
Isuna Hasekura
Born December 27, 1982, winner of the twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize Silver Medal. Despite studying physics in college, when deadlines approach he subscribes to the psychological theory of "I can do it if I just work hard," then agonizes about whether, as a man of science, he should instead be thinking, "This is physically impossible."
Works from Dengeki Bunko:
Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf II
Spice and Wolf III
Spice and Wolf IV
Spice and Wolf V
Illustrations: Jyuu Ayakura
Born 1981. Birthplace: Kyoto. Blood type: AB. Currently living a free, spartan life in Tokyo. Lately he's been thinking of moving, but the rent within the twenty-three wards has left him in despair.
***
Holo's strides were long and quick.
She walked as though she meant to punch holes in the cobblestones with her heels, and although Lawrence usually found himself slowing his walking pace to let her keep up, suddenly the tables were turned.
The town was still chaotic; the clamor of the waves of humanity was violent as they crossed the harbor. Lawrence found himself pulled toward the water's edge by Holo, as she took his hand and led the way.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
The conclusion that in order to achieve happiness one must wish for nothing was inadmissible.
Even Holo, having lived so many centuries, could not have forgotten the innocence of her youth.
Eventually she looked up at the ceiling, sniffing loudly.
A moment passed.
"You wish to know why I am pessimistic?" she asked, looking back at Lawrence. "Don't you prefer me tearful and sobbing?"
Lawrence could only laugh at the unexpected attack.
He did not stand but sat there as he took Holo's hand in his own and kissed it, as a knight kisses a maiden's hand.
She was Holo the Wisewolf. When she spoke next, it was in a tone that befit the situation, as though she was handing down a pronouncement from on high.
"You've rejected my notion, so you had best be prepared to take responsibility for what may come."
"...I will," answered Lawrence.
Holo was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"You took my foolishness seriously—seriously enough to lose all your profit. So I—"
She stopped herself, shook her head, then continued.
"I'll go along with your foolish plan. However!"
"However?"
No sooner had Lawrence spoken than Holo kicked him hard on his shoulder, then looked down on him as a person looks down on an insect.
"I can't have a worthless merchant for my companion. Don't tell me you'll let your deal be stolen, then turn tail and run."
Given that this was what passed for kindness from Holo, Lawrence had but one thing to say.
He took her hand and got to his feet, then wiped what remained of the tears from her face. "Your kindness is quite frightening as well."
Lawrence could not be sure whether or not she would call him a fool for this.
As to why, surely Holo would not be spoken of in the tales that were passed down through eternity.
There were only a handful of things that would stop her from speaking her mind.
"...So, how will you get the money back?" Holo's eyes were cool and piercing, as if to say that he had no choice.
And yet Lawrence felt like making a joke.
Those eyes of hers hid her embarrassment, after all.
"Forget the profit. I'd rather have you give me back my initiative."
"Fool," declared Holo flatly, slapping his swollen cheek and pulling away. "Do you think I would ever allow such a thing?"
Lawrence wanted to double over in pain, but her tone suggested she was totally unconcerned with that.
She spun around as if to show him the magnificent tail of Holo, the Wisewolf of Yoitsu, then put a hand on her hip and looked at him over her shoulder. "I'd be in trouble if I fell for you."
Lawrence would never forget her mischievous smile.
Holo giggled, causing her chestnut fall of hair to shake.
It was a foolish conversation.
It really is, he thought.
"I suppose you would be," he said.
"Mm."
Lawrence and Holo left the room.
They held hands, and though neither of them had initiated it, their fingers were intertwined.
Isuna Hasekura
Born December 27, 1982, winner of the twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize Silver Medal. Despite studying physics in college, when deadlines approach he subscribes to the psychological theory of "I can do it if I just work hard," then agonizes about whether, as a man of science, he should instead be thinking, "This is physically impossible."
Works from Dengeki Bunko:
Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf II
Spice and Wolf III
Spice and Wolf IV
Spice and Wolf V
Illustrations: Jyuu Ayakura
Born 1981. Birthplace: Kyoto. Blood type: AB. Currently living a free, spartan life in Tokyo. Lately he's been thinking of moving, but the rent within the twenty-three wards has left him in despair.
***
Holo's strides were long and quick.
She walked as though she meant to punch holes in the cobblestones with her heels, and although Lawrence usually found himself slowing his walking pace to let her keep up, suddenly the tables were turned.
The town was still chaotic; the clamor of the waves of humanity was violent as they crossed the harbor. Lawrence found himself pulled toward the water's edge by Holo, as she took his hand and led the way.

Output:
But in reality, there was nothing kindhearted about her.
After all, just a short time ago, she had struck a forceful blow to the already-swelled-up right side of his head.
"Come, can you not walk a bit faster?!"
Holo showed not a shred of kindness now, pulling hard on his hand and scolding him roundly if he slowed even a little, her expression sharp, as though she had been about to eat some honey-drizzled raspberry tarts but had dropped them on the floor.
But Lawrence said nothing.
That her expression did not seem to accuse him made her actions difficult to criticize.
Lawrence was well aware of the fact that she was angry at herself.
That said, here in the town of Lenos, he had worked up a scheme to sell furs with Eve that had put his life on the line and even wound up injuring him, only to then have a dizzyingly difficult exchange with Holo.
A bit of a rest would have been nice.
"Can we walk a bit slower? Just for a little while."
It wasn't as though Lawrence had lost a significant amount of blood, but the earlier scuffle involving knives and cleavers had left him more than usually tired. His feet were leaden, and his arms felt like those of a wood-carved mannequin.
And in any case, hurrying was pointless.
Lawrence tried to convince Holo of as much, but she looked back at him with a glare as hot as boiling oil.
"Walk? Walk, you say? So did you walk when you came to meet me then?"
The town of Lenos was on the edge of chaos; no one turned to look at Holo when she shouted.
"N-no! I ran. I ran!"
Holo looked ahead again without bothering to voice her reply—then a bit more running will hardly kill you—and continued to walk with large strides. Because she was still gripping his hand so tightly, he had no choice but to keep up.
He was just as he had been when going to the Delink Company, pressuring them into giving up Holo, then convincing Holo not to go through with her plan of ending their journey right then and there, instead resuming their business together.
Holo's slender fingers intertwined tightly with his. She was not so much holding his hand as their hands were joined.
And so Lawrence had no choice but to be pulled along. If Holo moved forward, so did he. If he stopped, his fingers would be yanked painfully, and the only solution was to catch up with her.
The forced march brought them shortly to Arold's inn.
"Out of my way!" cried Holo to the crowd of merchants that had gathered there to exchange information on the upheaval in the town.
Despite being well used to being yelled at, the merchants gave way to Holo's threatening stance.
Their eyes followed her in, peering closely at Lawrence as he trailed behind her.
Lawrence felt a bit oppressed, already anticipating the things that would be said about him when next he returned to this town to do business.
"Where is the old man?" Holo demanded.
Upon entering the inn, instead of finding Arold in his usual place, there were two men who looked like traveling craftsmen sitting in front of the charcoal brazier and drinking mulled wine.
"Th-the old man?"
"The old man with the beard! The master of this shop. Where is he?"
Going by their outwardly apparent ages, the two craftsmen would have been three times Holo's age, but they were so cowed by her threatening attitude that they looked to each other hastily before one spoke. "Er, he just asked us to look after the place while he was gone, but we don't know where..."
"Rrrrrr," growled Holo; it was enough to make even Lawrence flinch, to say nothing of the two craftsmen.
Her sharp canines might well have been visible, and little was as intimidating as an angry woman baring her fangs.
That would have been Lawrence's answer, he guessed, had anybody said anything to him.
"He must have gone off with that fox...Perhaps they think to make fools of us. Come, you! Let us go!" shouted Holo, pulling again on Lawrence's hand and leading him farther into the inn and up the stairs.
The two craftsmen watched them go.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
But in reality, there was nothing kindhearted about her.
After all, just a short time ago, she had struck a forceful blow to the already-swelled-up right side of his head.
"Come, can you not walk a bit faster?!"
Holo showed not a shred of kindness now, pulling hard on his hand and scolding him roundly if he slowed even a little, her expression sharp, as though she had been about to eat some honey-drizzled raspberry tarts but had dropped them on the floor.
But Lawrence said nothing.
That her expression did not seem to accuse him made her actions difficult to criticize.
Lawrence was well aware of the fact that she was angry at herself.
That said, here in the town of Lenos, he had worked up a scheme to sell furs with Eve that had put his life on the line and even wound up injuring him, only to then have a dizzyingly difficult exchange with Holo.
A bit of a rest would have been nice.
"Can we walk a bit slower? Just for a little while."
It wasn't as though Lawrence had lost a significant amount of blood, but the earlier scuffle involving knives and cleavers had left him more than usually tired. His feet were leaden, and his arms felt like those of a wood-carved mannequin.
And in any case, hurrying was pointless.
Lawrence tried to convince Holo of as much, but she looked back at him with a glare as hot as boiling oil.
"Walk? Walk, you say? So did you walk when you came to meet me then?"
The town of Lenos was on the edge of chaos; no one turned to look at Holo when she shouted.
"N-no! I ran. I ran!"
Holo looked ahead again without bothering to voice her reply—then a bit more running will hardly kill you—and continued to walk with large strides. Because she was still gripping his hand so tightly, he had no choice but to keep up.
He was just as he had been when going to the Delink Company, pressuring them into giving up Holo, then convincing Holo not to go through with her plan of ending their journey right then and there, instead resuming their business together.
Holo's slender fingers intertwined tightly with his. She was not so much holding his hand as their hands were joined.
And so Lawrence had no choice but to be pulled along. If Holo moved forward, so did he. If he stopped, his fingers would be yanked painfully, and the only solution was to catch up with her.
The forced march brought them shortly to Arold's inn.
"Out of my way!" cried Holo to the crowd of merchants that had gathered there to exchange information on the upheaval in the town.
Despite being well used to being yelled at, the merchants gave way to Holo's threatening stance.
Their eyes followed her in, peering closely at Lawrence as he trailed behind her.
Lawrence felt a bit oppressed, already anticipating the things that would be said about him when next he returned to this town to do business.
"Where is the old man?" Holo demanded.
Upon entering the inn, instead of finding Arold in his usual place, there were two men who looked like traveling craftsmen sitting in front of the charcoal brazier and drinking mulled wine.
"Th-the old man?"
"The old man with the beard! The master of this shop. Where is he?"
Going by their outwardly apparent ages, the two craftsmen would have been three times Holo's age, but they were so cowed by her threatening attitude that they looked to each other hastily before one spoke. "Er, he just asked us to look after the place while he was gone, but we don't know where..."
"Rrrrrr," growled Holo; it was enough to make even Lawrence flinch, to say nothing of the two craftsmen.
Her sharp canines might well have been visible, and little was as intimidating as an angry woman baring her fangs.
That would have been Lawrence's answer, he guessed, had anybody said anything to him.
"He must have gone off with that fox...Perhaps they think to make fools of us. Come, you! Let us go!" shouted Holo, pulling again on Lawrence's hand and leading him farther into the inn and up the stairs.
The two craftsmen watched them go.

Output:
For Arold, the master of this inn, to do something like leaving these two craftsmen to watch over his place while he was out, Lawrence could think of only one possibility: It had to be because of Eve, whose plan for fur trading was so dangerous that not even Lawrence could be party to it. Arold must have headed downriver with her. While Eve's goal was the port town of Kerube, Arold was probably taking his pilgrimage south.
Arold had never talked about himself very much, so Lawrence didn't know exactly what it was that could spur him to such action. Eve seemed quite familiar with him, so perhaps there was something in their shared past that led them to a mutual understanding.
In the same way that one had nostalgia for one's hometown, no place was so comforting as a house one had become used to living in.
The inn was darkened with age, and the sediment of passing time had accumulated within its walls, which had once contained the leather strap tannery where Arold had worked as master.
It would take something significant indeed to make him abandon all that and head south on pilgrimage.
Would he count on Eve to handle traveling expenses and to act as a guide for the difficult journey?
Just as Holo had lived for many years and experienced much, Arold's life had not been a short one.
What someone valued, and how he or she conducted his or her judgments, varied from person to person.
Weighing that value on the balance of the world and testing which way the scales tipped was life itself—and so Lawrence had gone to see Holo at the Delink Company.
Having let Holo pull him bodily into and out of the room, he now pulled back. Holo turned to face him.
"There's something I'd like to ask you," he said.
Holo had not been expecting Lawrence to pull away, and as she looked at him, her expression was so simple it was funny—her earlier fierceness had peeled away, revealing her true feelings.
She seemed both upset and strangely resolute.
In a word, she was lost.
As to what it was that had her so confused, Lawrence could hazard a guess.
"What do you plan to do next?" he asked.
But that was that. As soon as Lawrence voiced his question, Holo, who was also called the wisewolf, regained her composure.
"What shall I do, you ask?"
Her tone was such that Lawrence would have been hardly surprised to hear her follow up by saying, I'll rip your throat out for asking, that's what I'll do.
Yet Lawrence didn't flinch, instead bringing up his hand—which still held Holo's—and brushing a red speck from the corner of her mouth with his knuckle.
No doubt it was a fleck of dried blood from Lawrence's own face.
Her expression seemed angry, but even at a glance, it was clear that her mask was slipping.
She was angry at herself.
Her own feelings were too much for her to handle.
"Even if we're leaving the town," said Lawrence, "we'll need a travel plan."
"A-a travel plan, you say?!" Her expression was complicated; it seemed Holo was less and less certain of exactly why she was yelling at Lawrence.
"It wouldn't be good to charge out of town on some vague notion."
"Some...vague notion? Do you not wish to recover our profit from that vixen?" Holo's face was suddenly very close to Lawrence's as she confronted him, but because of the height difference, she was unavoidably looking up.
It would be easy to think she was drawing near him for an embrace, but Lawrence was sure that if he suggested as much, he'd be hurled from the window.
"The vixen—ah, you mean Eve. And the profit—"
"We must get it back! She swindled you and made off with the coin! We must get our due!"
"As in the gold before?" said Lawrence, at which Holo nodded.
After nodding, she looked down, no doubt because her mask of anger was slipping and needed to be replaced.
Previously Lawrence had been completely and utterly betrayed.
But this time things were not so clear.
True, Eve had lured Lawrence into a trap, but part of the blame for that lay with Lawrence for not realizing it sooner.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
For Arold, the master of this inn, to do something like leaving these two craftsmen to watch over his place while he was out, Lawrence could think of only one possibility: It had to be because of Eve, whose plan for fur trading was so dangerous that not even Lawrence could be party to it. Arold must have headed downriver with her. While Eve's goal was the port town of Kerube, Arold was probably taking his pilgrimage south.
Arold had never talked about himself very much, so Lawrence didn't know exactly what it was that could spur him to such action. Eve seemed quite familiar with him, so perhaps there was something in their shared past that led them to a mutual understanding.
In the same way that one had nostalgia for one's hometown, no place was so comforting as a house one had become used to living in.
The inn was darkened with age, and the sediment of passing time had accumulated within its walls, which had once contained the leather strap tannery where Arold had worked as master.
It would take something significant indeed to make him abandon all that and head south on pilgrimage.
Would he count on Eve to handle traveling expenses and to act as a guide for the difficult journey?
Just as Holo had lived for many years and experienced much, Arold's life had not been a short one.
What someone valued, and how he or she conducted his or her judgments, varied from person to person.
Weighing that value on the balance of the world and testing which way the scales tipped was life itself—and so Lawrence had gone to see Holo at the Delink Company.
Having let Holo pull him bodily into and out of the room, he now pulled back. Holo turned to face him.
"There's something I'd like to ask you," he said.
Holo had not been expecting Lawrence to pull away, and as she looked at him, her expression was so simple it was funny—her earlier fierceness had peeled away, revealing her true feelings.
She seemed both upset and strangely resolute.
In a word, she was lost.
As to what it was that had her so confused, Lawrence could hazard a guess.
"What do you plan to do next?" he asked.
But that was that. As soon as Lawrence voiced his question, Holo, who was also called the wisewolf, regained her composure.
"What shall I do, you ask?"
Her tone was such that Lawrence would have been hardly surprised to hear her follow up by saying, I'll rip your throat out for asking, that's what I'll do.
Yet Lawrence didn't flinch, instead bringing up his hand—which still held Holo's—and brushing a red speck from the corner of her mouth with his knuckle.
No doubt it was a fleck of dried blood from Lawrence's own face.
Her expression seemed angry, but even at a glance, it was clear that her mask was slipping.
She was angry at herself.
Her own feelings were too much for her to handle.
"Even if we're leaving the town," said Lawrence, "we'll need a travel plan."
"A-a travel plan, you say?!" Her expression was complicated; it seemed Holo was less and less certain of exactly why she was yelling at Lawrence.
"It wouldn't be good to charge out of town on some vague notion."
"Some...vague notion? Do you not wish to recover our profit from that vixen?" Holo's face was suddenly very close to Lawrence's as she confronted him, but because of the height difference, she was unavoidably looking up.
It would be easy to think she was drawing near him for an embrace, but Lawrence was sure that if he suggested as much, he'd be hurled from the window.
"The vixen—ah, you mean Eve. And the profit—"
"We must get it back! She swindled you and made off with the coin! We must get our due!"
"As in the gold before?" said Lawrence, at which Holo nodded.
After nodding, she looked down, no doubt because her mask of anger was slipping and needed to be replaced.
Previously Lawrence had been completely and utterly betrayed.
But this time things were not so clear.
True, Eve had lured Lawrence into a trap, but part of the blame for that lay with Lawrence for not realizing it sooner.

Output:
In reality, Lawrence had backed out of Eve's suicidally dangerous plan.
She was going up against the town's church, and Lawrence highly doubted that the church would choose to overlook the offense—though at the moment, Lenos's church surely had its hands full, trying to gain control over a more violent uprising than it could ever have expected.
And Eve would not be the only one taking furs downriver for her own profit. The briefest glance at the port made that much obvious.
Things had not gone as the church had planned, and it could not easily do as it pleased with Eve. The church was no doubt thinking to leave her be, instead dealing with the affair in Lenos.
Thus it was hard to imagine that it would try to capture her or her accomplice in fur trading—that is to say, Lawrence.
All this meant that Eve's gamble had paid off. She had won.
Lawrence now wondered if he had the right to claim a share of the profit.
He'd pulled out his support and reclaimed Holo. It didn't make any sense for him to then go and demand a cut of the gain.
The ever-wise Holo must have also long since realized this—yet she still spoke of reclaiming their share.
Moreover, Holo was angry at herself—angry at her own selfishness.
Whence came that selfishness? Lawrence asked himself.
The answer was obvious, and it made Lawrence very happy.
"I-I mean, are you not frustrated? She's gotten away from us!" Holo said quickly to change the subject, knowing full well that if pressed, she would be at a loss for words.
Lawrence turned his head askance and nodded.
He tried his best to make it look as though he was giving in to Holo's insistence.
"That is true, yes. But in terms of practical problems that face us, there is a significant one."
"...What do you mean?"
He couldn't voice his true thoughts, but drawing a veil of lies over the exchange wouldn't help either of them trust each other, either.
Both of them were stubborn, so this would have to do: "Eve surely constructed her plan with care. Mere happenstance would never have let her find a ship so quickly. She must have made arrangements in advance. Given that, I highly doubt we can immediately set off after her. Even if we wanted to follow her on horseback, the stables will be as chaotic as the rest of the town is."
"What of your horse, then?"
"Him? He's strong, to be sure, but there's no telling how well he'd do if we made him run over a long distance. Horses bred for speed are nothing like draft horses," said Lawrence. Holo looked down, evidently deep in thought.
Lawrence, of course, did not point out the obvious—which was that just as Holo had suggested back at the Delink Company, if she assumed her wolf form, they could travel faster than anything else.
"What's more, Eve spoke as though she had already arranged a buyer downriver in Kerube. Eve was discussing plans with the assumption that the church would give chase, so she no doubt already has an escape plan prepared."
None of this was exaggeration.
Plausible escape paths could be divided into transoceanic routes and overland routes. If she fled by sea rather than land, there would be no way to catch her.
Depending on the destination and given favorable weather, sea travel could be as much as five times faster than land.
It would be difficult to catch her, even for Holo.
"P-perhaps that is so, but I still cannot accept it. I'll not be satisfied unless we give chase," insisted Holo, despite her flagging enthusiasm.
Even if half of Holo's fixation on following Eve was based on a grudge she carried, the other half was certainly not.
And that was why she was so angry with herself.
Holo had said she wanted to end her travels with Lawrence.
Her reasoning was that they got along too well, that she was afraid of the joy they shared weathering and crumbling away.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
In reality, Lawrence had backed out of Eve's suicidally dangerous plan.
She was going up against the town's church, and Lawrence highly doubted that the church would choose to overlook the offense—though at the moment, Lenos's church surely had its hands full, trying to gain control over a more violent uprising than it could ever have expected.
And Eve would not be the only one taking furs downriver for her own profit. The briefest glance at the port made that much obvious.
Things had not gone as the church had planned, and it could not easily do as it pleased with Eve. The church was no doubt thinking to leave her be, instead dealing with the affair in Lenos.
Thus it was hard to imagine that it would try to capture her or her accomplice in fur trading—that is to say, Lawrence.
All this meant that Eve's gamble had paid off. She had won.
Lawrence now wondered if he had the right to claim a share of the profit.
He'd pulled out his support and reclaimed Holo. It didn't make any sense for him to then go and demand a cut of the gain.
The ever-wise Holo must have also long since realized this—yet she still spoke of reclaiming their share.
Moreover, Holo was angry at herself—angry at her own selfishness.
Whence came that selfishness? Lawrence asked himself.
The answer was obvious, and it made Lawrence very happy.
"I-I mean, are you not frustrated? She's gotten away from us!" Holo said quickly to change the subject, knowing full well that if pressed, she would be at a loss for words.
Lawrence turned his head askance and nodded.
He tried his best to make it look as though he was giving in to Holo's insistence.
"That is true, yes. But in terms of practical problems that face us, there is a significant one."
"...What do you mean?"
He couldn't voice his true thoughts, but drawing a veil of lies over the exchange wouldn't help either of them trust each other, either.
Both of them were stubborn, so this would have to do: "Eve surely constructed her plan with care. Mere happenstance would never have let her find a ship so quickly. She must have made arrangements in advance. Given that, I highly doubt we can immediately set off after her. Even if we wanted to follow her on horseback, the stables will be as chaotic as the rest of the town is."
"What of your horse, then?"
"Him? He's strong, to be sure, but there's no telling how well he'd do if we made him run over a long distance. Horses bred for speed are nothing like draft horses," said Lawrence. Holo looked down, evidently deep in thought.
Lawrence, of course, did not point out the obvious—which was that just as Holo had suggested back at the Delink Company, if she assumed her wolf form, they could travel faster than anything else.
"What's more, Eve spoke as though she had already arranged a buyer downriver in Kerube. Eve was discussing plans with the assumption that the church would give chase, so she no doubt already has an escape plan prepared."
None of this was exaggeration.
Plausible escape paths could be divided into transoceanic routes and overland routes. If she fled by sea rather than land, there would be no way to catch her.
Depending on the destination and given favorable weather, sea travel could be as much as five times faster than land.
It would be difficult to catch her, even for Holo.
"P-perhaps that is so, but I still cannot accept it. I'll not be satisfied unless we give chase," insisted Holo, despite her flagging enthusiasm.
Even if half of Holo's fixation on following Eve was based on a grudge she carried, the other half was certainly not.
And that was why she was so angry with herself.
Holo had said she wanted to end her travels with Lawrence.
Her reasoning was that they got along too well, that she was afraid of the joy they shared weathering and crumbling away.

Output:
Naturally there was always that temptation to keep prolonging their travels, even knowing it would come to naught in the end—just as Lawrence sometimes drank too much, despite knowing he would regret it the next morning. And in such a case, he found himself unable to deny the possibility that Holo's fears would come true.
But at the very least, he wanted to go with Holo as far as her homeland—so he had gone back to the Delink Company to fetch her.
And now, having said all that, despite what they might wish, there was one obvious thing that remained unsaid between them.
This was a detour that would extend their time together.
"I understand why you wouldn't be satisfied by that..."
"I'm right, am I not?" Holo's face was at once angry and pleased.
Lawrence found himself impressed that such an expression existed.
"And it's true that this is a net loss so far..."
When Eve decided she had to terminate her agreement with Lawrence, she'd left behind the deed to the inn in which he and Holo now stood. When Lawrence had used Holo as collateral to borrow money, the amount he borrowed was very nearly equivalent to the value of the inn.
But it had come a little short.
The Delink Company's original goal had been to strengthen their relationship with the noble Eve, and having accomplished that, Lawrence doubted they would quibble over the minor discrepancy—and he was right.
Yet when would that lingering debt be called in—and where and how? It made doing business frightening.
Even if it took some time, Lawrence wanted to repay what debt remained.
Which meant he was right now in the red.
Of course, the debt was not outside the realm of what could be forgiven, and when Holo heard this, she perked up, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Aye. And she drew blood from you, do not forget! I'll make her understand that when one harms my companion, they harm me!"
It was only with effort that Lawrence restrained himself from asking her just who it was who had struck him hard in the face in a fit of passion earlier.
"So it's pursuit, is it?"
"Aye. My first hunt in quite some time," Holo said with a grin.
Her smile lacked its usual grim quality, perhaps because both of them were trying their best to smooth things over so they could extend their travels with a detour.
After the affair in the wheat village of Tereo, both Holo and Lawrence had confessed to wishing their journey would continue.
Now that he thought about it, it was a rather naive wish—but that was all in the past now.
People's hearts change.
The only thing that didn't change was the ever-dishonest repartee he shared with Holo.
"Don't forget, though—," began Lawrence, at which Holo looked up at him, her expression serious. "—I am a merchant. I have my pride and my honor, but I'm not some knight who earns money only to bring himself fame. If it seems as though this will only worsen my losses, we'll pursue her no further. Do you understand?"
If it would lengthen his travels with Holo, Lawrence would put off doing business until the summer of next year, but if it took any longer than that, problems would start popping up. Business was conducted in the service of mutual gain between parties, so if Lawrence alone was the only one ready to deal, nothing would come of it.
Of course, it would be a different story if only Holo would say that she wanted to travel with him forever.
"I do this only for you," said Holo. "So long as you are satisfied...aye. It cannot be helped."
Her words were strange, but Lawrence nodded. "I appreciate it," he said by way of thanks to an oddly considerate Holo.
Holo's ears flicked up beneath her hood, either because of the ridiculousness of the exchange or out of happiness at having fought the good fight in service of drawing out their travels a little longer.
Actually it was probably both.
"Well then, how shall we go about this pursuit?" said Lawrence.
"How? Will we not go by wagon?" asked Holo.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
Naturally there was always that temptation to keep prolonging their travels, even knowing it would come to naught in the end—just as Lawrence sometimes drank too much, despite knowing he would regret it the next morning. And in such a case, he found himself unable to deny the possibility that Holo's fears would come true.
But at the very least, he wanted to go with Holo as far as her homeland—so he had gone back to the Delink Company to fetch her.
And now, having said all that, despite what they might wish, there was one obvious thing that remained unsaid between them.
This was a detour that would extend their time together.
"I understand why you wouldn't be satisfied by that..."
"I'm right, am I not?" Holo's face was at once angry and pleased.
Lawrence found himself impressed that such an expression existed.
"And it's true that this is a net loss so far..."
When Eve decided she had to terminate her agreement with Lawrence, she'd left behind the deed to the inn in which he and Holo now stood. When Lawrence had used Holo as collateral to borrow money, the amount he borrowed was very nearly equivalent to the value of the inn.
But it had come a little short.
The Delink Company's original goal had been to strengthen their relationship with the noble Eve, and having accomplished that, Lawrence doubted they would quibble over the minor discrepancy—and he was right.
Yet when would that lingering debt be called in—and where and how? It made doing business frightening.
Even if it took some time, Lawrence wanted to repay what debt remained.
Which meant he was right now in the red.
Of course, the debt was not outside the realm of what could be forgiven, and when Holo heard this, she perked up, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Aye. And she drew blood from you, do not forget! I'll make her understand that when one harms my companion, they harm me!"
It was only with effort that Lawrence restrained himself from asking her just who it was who had struck him hard in the face in a fit of passion earlier.
"So it's pursuit, is it?"
"Aye. My first hunt in quite some time," Holo said with a grin.
Her smile lacked its usual grim quality, perhaps because both of them were trying their best to smooth things over so they could extend their travels with a detour.
After the affair in the wheat village of Tereo, both Holo and Lawrence had confessed to wishing their journey would continue.
Now that he thought about it, it was a rather naive wish—but that was all in the past now.
People's hearts change.
The only thing that didn't change was the ever-dishonest repartee he shared with Holo.
"Don't forget, though—," began Lawrence, at which Holo looked up at him, her expression serious. "—I am a merchant. I have my pride and my honor, but I'm not some knight who earns money only to bring himself fame. If it seems as though this will only worsen my losses, we'll pursue her no further. Do you understand?"
If it would lengthen his travels with Holo, Lawrence would put off doing business until the summer of next year, but if it took any longer than that, problems would start popping up. Business was conducted in the service of mutual gain between parties, so if Lawrence alone was the only one ready to deal, nothing would come of it.
Of course, it would be a different story if only Holo would say that she wanted to travel with him forever.
"I do this only for you," said Holo. "So long as you are satisfied...aye. It cannot be helped."
Her words were strange, but Lawrence nodded. "I appreciate it," he said by way of thanks to an oddly considerate Holo.
Holo's ears flicked up beneath her hood, either because of the ridiculousness of the exchange or out of happiness at having fought the good fight in service of drawing out their travels a little longer.
Actually it was probably both.
"Well then, how shall we go about this pursuit?" said Lawrence.
"How? Will we not go by wagon?" asked Holo.

Output:
When they'd finally arrived in this town, Holo had been so tired from travel that it made her unpleasant to be around.
Embarking again on a long, frigid journey would be exhausting, and Lawrence himself did not find the prospect appealing.
Unsurprisingly, Holo's face immediately darkened. "Ugh...five days on the wagon..."
"There are a scattering of villages between here and there—and inns, too, but they're far from luxurious."
Churches would have made the most attractive places to stay on a trip like this, but unfortunately this was one region where churches were hard to find.
The only options would be meager inns or homes and shops that took boarders as a sideline.
Lawrence did not relish the prospect of sleeping in a dusty, grimy inn next to a man that might well be a brigand or bandit.
"W-well, if that's so, then what of the river?"
"The river?"
"Aye. If that vixen escaped by the river, we ought follow her. 'Tis the most obvious course."
That meant taking a ship. Lawrence cocked his head as he remembered the state of the docks as Holo had dragged him past them.
Would it be possible for a couple of travelers to easily board a ship heading downriver?
"Well, that depends on whether there's a ship—," began Lawrence honestly, but Holo waved her hand (which still held Lawrence's) impatiently.
"Not 'whether'! We will find one!"
Lawrence stared at Holo as if to say, "Don't be unreasonable," but her eyes only glittered strangely.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Lawrence tried to escape.
But Holo only cornered him again. "Or is my plan...too much trouble?"
This time she really was looking up at him imploringly.
"If 'tis too much of a bother, do please say so. 'Tis only for your sake that I wish to track down that vixen, but...I know that from time to time, I do act a bit rashly. Come now," said Holo, taking Lawrence's hand and clasping it to her breast.
He was glad she was back to her usual self, but it made her all the more formidable.
After all, she had acquired a new weapon.
"I was so happy, you see," said Holo, her tone suddenly soft and her eyes now downcast.
Alas! thought Lawrence to himself as he gazed at her terrifying mien.
"I was so happy, yes—happy that you said you loved me. So please—"
"Fine, fine! We'll find a boat and head downriver! Will that be enough?"
Holo wore an expression of exaggerated surprise, then smiled broadly.
She brought his hand from her breast to her lips, as if to kiss it, but then her sharp teeth glinted from behind those lips.
Lawrence had lost this contest, it was safe to say.
It was no exaggeration to call this an unavoidably desperate strategy, but there is always a reward for those willing to put such a desperate strategy into action.
And so it was.
He had spoken plainly to Holo.
It was precisely because he had been so honest that opposing her was now impossible.
It was as though he had handed her a completely unsecured contract sealed in blood.
With that in hand as she grinned, all she needed to do was pretend at using it to defeat him, and Lawrence could only flinch away.
After all, what was written on that contract was the truth.
"Well then, shall we hurry and pack our things?" Holo asked, lowering her hand.
"...What?" Lawrence asked back.
"We are going to the trouble of traveling by ship," replied Holo, her face serious. "Do you not wish to eat some wheaten bread first?"
Lawrence flatly rejected the notion.
Holo protested violently, but Lawrence was unmoved.
She might have a grip upon his reins, but his purse strings were still his own. "Did I not just explain that we've taken a loss?"
"All the more reason, then! If we're already in the red, we may as well drive the figure up!"
"What sort of reasoning is that?!" said Lawrence.
Holo's lip curled as she sneered. "I thought you loved me."
Even the strongest weapon, if overused, could be defended against.
"Aye, that's true. But I also love money," replied Lawrence seriously.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
When they'd finally arrived in this town, Holo had been so tired from travel that it made her unpleasant to be around.
Embarking again on a long, frigid journey would be exhausting, and Lawrence himself did not find the prospect appealing.
Unsurprisingly, Holo's face immediately darkened. "Ugh...five days on the wagon..."
"There are a scattering of villages between here and there—and inns, too, but they're far from luxurious."
Churches would have made the most attractive places to stay on a trip like this, but unfortunately this was one region where churches were hard to find.
The only options would be meager inns or homes and shops that took boarders as a sideline.
Lawrence did not relish the prospect of sleeping in a dusty, grimy inn next to a man that might well be a brigand or bandit.
"W-well, if that's so, then what of the river?"
"The river?"
"Aye. If that vixen escaped by the river, we ought follow her. 'Tis the most obvious course."
That meant taking a ship. Lawrence cocked his head as he remembered the state of the docks as Holo had dragged him past them.
Would it be possible for a couple of travelers to easily board a ship heading downriver?
"Well, that depends on whether there's a ship—," began Lawrence honestly, but Holo waved her hand (which still held Lawrence's) impatiently.
"Not 'whether'! We will find one!"
Lawrence stared at Holo as if to say, "Don't be unreasonable," but her eyes only glittered strangely.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Lawrence tried to escape.
But Holo only cornered him again. "Or is my plan...too much trouble?"
This time she really was looking up at him imploringly.
"If 'tis too much of a bother, do please say so. 'Tis only for your sake that I wish to track down that vixen, but...I know that from time to time, I do act a bit rashly. Come now," said Holo, taking Lawrence's hand and clasping it to her breast.
He was glad she was back to her usual self, but it made her all the more formidable.
After all, she had acquired a new weapon.
"I was so happy, you see," said Holo, her tone suddenly soft and her eyes now downcast.
Alas! thought Lawrence to himself as he gazed at her terrifying mien.
"I was so happy, yes—happy that you said you loved me. So please—"
"Fine, fine! We'll find a boat and head downriver! Will that be enough?"
Holo wore an expression of exaggerated surprise, then smiled broadly.
She brought his hand from her breast to her lips, as if to kiss it, but then her sharp teeth glinted from behind those lips.
Lawrence had lost this contest, it was safe to say.
It was no exaggeration to call this an unavoidably desperate strategy, but there is always a reward for those willing to put such a desperate strategy into action.
And so it was.
He had spoken plainly to Holo.
It was precisely because he had been so honest that opposing her was now impossible.
It was as though he had handed her a completely unsecured contract sealed in blood.
With that in hand as she grinned, all she needed to do was pretend at using it to defeat him, and Lawrence could only flinch away.
After all, what was written on that contract was the truth.
"Well then, shall we hurry and pack our things?" Holo asked, lowering her hand.
"...What?" Lawrence asked back.
"We are going to the trouble of traveling by ship," replied Holo, her face serious. "Do you not wish to eat some wheaten bread first?"
Lawrence flatly rejected the notion.
Holo protested violently, but Lawrence was unmoved.
She might have a grip upon his reins, but his purse strings were still his own. "Did I not just explain that we've taken a loss?"
"All the more reason, then! If we're already in the red, we may as well drive the figure up!"
"What sort of reasoning is that?!" said Lawrence.
Holo's lip curled as she sneered. "I thought you loved me."
Even the strongest weapon, if overused, could be defended against.
"Aye, that's true. But I also love money," replied Lawrence seriously.

Output:
***
Ahoy there, you fool! Pull in that prow! I'm carrying silver from Imidra!"
"What's that? We were here first! You pull in your prow!"
Angry shouts echoed constantly across the water as hulls collided and sent sprays of water into the air.
Lenos's harbor buzzed like an angry beehive. Lawrence heard a shout that might have been a war cry or might have been a death howl, followed by the sound of something splashing into the water.
The normally calm surface of the water was constantly disturbed by waves.
And there amid the angry cries of horses and men, ships fought to leave the harbor ahead of one another, each no doubt loaded heavy with furs. Any boat that could normally take a single rower was being hired out as a special express.
It was easy to understand, though—in any business, the biggest profits were always realized by the first to arrive.
But Lawrence regarded their struggles with cold eyes.
The first to arrive would be a certain fallen noblewoman bearing thousands of silver pieces' worth of furs.
"Come, do not stand there gawping—we must find a ship!"
"I suppose it's a bit late to ask, but are you quite all right aboard a ship?"
Given the situation, it would take some luck to find a vessel that was willing to take on a couple of casual passengers. The line of ships waiting to exit the harbor was like an ant trail.
"You were the one who said the wagon would take too much time and be too much trouble."
"Well, yes, but..."
Lawrence couldn't see anything, but loud voices seemed to be coming from the place where the harbor exited to the river.
It seemed likely that those who wanted to stop the flow of furs from the town were trying to seal off the port.
***
"What?" Lawrence asked.
"You're in no hurry to board."
"No, that's not it."
Even a child could tell he was lying. Holo raised one eyebrow as she glared at him. "Well, then let us find a vessel."
Since it had been quickly apparent that finding a craft that could take a horse downriver would be difficult, Lawrence had left his horse at a vacant stable whose beasts had all been rented out. The wagon he rented out at the docks through a connection of the stable master's.
Like it or not, they would no longer be traveling by wagon.
And as the port town of Kerube would be crawling with merchants passing the winter there, he might well be able to do some business there.
Oh well, Lawrence murmured inwardly. "Fine, fine. I'll go find a boat. You go pick up some food from that stall over there. Three days' worth should be enough. And wine—the stronger the better."
He handed Holo two glimmering silver pieces from his coin purse.
"And what of wheat bread?"
Holo had a good grasp of the market and knew that the amount she'd been given wouldn't buy wheat bread.
"Bread needs yeast to make it rise. So, too, does money to buy that bread."
***
Wheat bread had been out of the question after the conversation in the inn.
Though Holo gave a frustrated nod, her frustration was not especially deep.
She quickly looked up again. "Why then the strong liquor?"
Evidently she had figured out that Lawrence generally preferred wine that was easy to drink. It made him happy that she was remembering his likes and dislikes and not only at the tailors' and cobblers' shops.
His reply, though, was brief; he did not let his pleasure show. "You'll understand soon enough."
Holo stared at him blankly for a moment, then seemed pleased as she smacked his arm. Surely she had misunderstood. "I'll haggle them down and be sure to load up on the good stuff, then, eh?"
"We don't need it in volume."
"Aye. Shall we meet back up somewhere around there?"
"Yes...ouch—!" Lawrence nodded, but the movement caused the swelling where Eve had struck him to suddenly throb with pain.
He was just agonizing over whether he should have a medicine or salve mixed for it when he noticed Holo's expression and thought better of it.
She was worried about him—perhaps it was better that way.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
***
Ahoy there, you fool! Pull in that prow! I'm carrying silver from Imidra!"
"What's that? We were here first! You pull in your prow!"
Angry shouts echoed constantly across the water as hulls collided and sent sprays of water into the air.
Lenos's harbor buzzed like an angry beehive. Lawrence heard a shout that might have been a war cry or might have been a death howl, followed by the sound of something splashing into the water.
The normally calm surface of the water was constantly disturbed by waves.
And there amid the angry cries of horses and men, ships fought to leave the harbor ahead of one another, each no doubt loaded heavy with furs. Any boat that could normally take a single rower was being hired out as a special express.
It was easy to understand, though—in any business, the biggest profits were always realized by the first to arrive.
But Lawrence regarded their struggles with cold eyes.
The first to arrive would be a certain fallen noblewoman bearing thousands of silver pieces' worth of furs.
"Come, do not stand there gawping—we must find a ship!"
"I suppose it's a bit late to ask, but are you quite all right aboard a ship?"
Given the situation, it would take some luck to find a vessel that was willing to take on a couple of casual passengers. The line of ships waiting to exit the harbor was like an ant trail.
"You were the one who said the wagon would take too much time and be too much trouble."
"Well, yes, but..."
Lawrence couldn't see anything, but loud voices seemed to be coming from the place where the harbor exited to the river.
It seemed likely that those who wanted to stop the flow of furs from the town were trying to seal off the port.
***
"What?" Lawrence asked.
"You're in no hurry to board."
"No, that's not it."
Even a child could tell he was lying. Holo raised one eyebrow as she glared at him. "Well, then let us find a vessel."
Since it had been quickly apparent that finding a craft that could take a horse downriver would be difficult, Lawrence had left his horse at a vacant stable whose beasts had all been rented out. The wagon he rented out at the docks through a connection of the stable master's.
Like it or not, they would no longer be traveling by wagon.
And as the port town of Kerube would be crawling with merchants passing the winter there, he might well be able to do some business there.
Oh well, Lawrence murmured inwardly. "Fine, fine. I'll go find a boat. You go pick up some food from that stall over there. Three days' worth should be enough. And wine—the stronger the better."
He handed Holo two glimmering silver pieces from his coin purse.
"And what of wheat bread?"
Holo had a good grasp of the market and knew that the amount she'd been given wouldn't buy wheat bread.
"Bread needs yeast to make it rise. So, too, does money to buy that bread."
***
Wheat bread had been out of the question after the conversation in the inn.
Though Holo gave a frustrated nod, her frustration was not especially deep.
She quickly looked up again. "Why then the strong liquor?"
Evidently she had figured out that Lawrence generally preferred wine that was easy to drink. It made him happy that she was remembering his likes and dislikes and not only at the tailors' and cobblers' shops.
His reply, though, was brief; he did not let his pleasure show. "You'll understand soon enough."
Holo stared at him blankly for a moment, then seemed pleased as she smacked his arm. Surely she had misunderstood. "I'll haggle them down and be sure to load up on the good stuff, then, eh?"
"We don't need it in volume."
"Aye. Shall we meet back up somewhere around there?"
"Yes...ouch—!" Lawrence nodded, but the movement caused the swelling where Eve had struck him to suddenly throb with pain.
He was just agonizing over whether he should have a medicine or salve mixed for it when he noticed Holo's expression and thought better of it.
She was worried about him—perhaps it was better that way.

Output:
"I was taught as a child that honesty is a virtue."
"And do you really think so?" Holo gave him a bright, guileless smile and cocked her head.
"I suppose my master also taught me that honesty is a fool's errand."
Holo chuckled through her nose, then teased, "So much so that I can't help making fun of you." She spun about with a dancer's grace, then walked off into the crowd.
Lawrence slumped and sighed, scratching his head.
A smile rose to his lips; these tête-à-têtes were a joy, it was true.
And yet, he thought, will I never regain the upper hand, I wonder?
He was confident he could at least get back the deed that had been swindled away, but that seemed like sour grapes.
I love you.
It had been only a short while ago, yet already the moment when he'd faced Holo and spoken those words seemed like the distant past. Thinking back on it, Lawrence was tormented by some nameless feeling.
The strange emotion made his face twitch and his breathing labored.
And yet—it was not a bad feeling.
The elusive thing had a definite sense of calmness, of peace about it.
It was only a bit—no, a good bit—embarrassing; the bit of regret he felt probably came from having lost the contest.
"What contest?" he asked himself with a derisive smile, looking in the direction in which Holo had disappeared.
He shrugged and sighed, then walked in the direction of the pier.
Lawrence soon found a ship, which was possibly fortunate and certainly unexpected.
Though the port was jammed with people desperate to send out a vessel, when Lawrence calmed himself and looked more closely, he saw that there were many ships loading up cargo per the usual routine, and when he called out to one, he received a ready reply. With every ship being so busy, Lawrence expected the fares to be exorbitant, but they were actually quite reasonable.
Lawrence pretended not to notice the tension melt away from the aged captain's face when he mentioned his female companion.
He understood why Eve went to such efforts to hide her face and her sex when doing business.
"Still, what business could you have in Kerube? No respectable boat will be headed there in this season."
The captain had the unfamiliar name of Ibn Ragusa and explained that he was from a poor, chilly village at the northern end of the western coastline.
By repute, people from the far north were lean and snow tanned, taciturn and keen eyed, but Ragusa was round and effusive with a complexion more ruddy than tan.
"Unsurprisingly, it has to do with the fur trade."
"Oh?" Ragusa looked Lawrence up and down skeptically, cocking his head, his neck imperceptible between beefy shoulders. "You don't look like you have any cargo."
"My onetime business partner made off with it." Lawrence pointed to the still-swollen part of his face. Ragusa laughed with gusto, his face looking for all the world like a puffer fish.
He slapped Lawrence's shoulder as if to say such things happen, then asked, "So, where is this companion of yours?"
"Ah, she's off buying rations—," Lawrence began, turning in the direction of the row of venders—but then he felt a presence at his side.
There was Holo, standing as though she had been there for years.
"—And here she is."
"Oh ho! Such a fine cargo!" boomed Ragusa with a clap of his hands, so loudly that Holo's shoulders flinched.
Sailors, as a rule, were a loud-voiced lot.
Too loud, no doubt, for Holo, whose hearing was so keen she could hear the sound of someone furrowing his brow.
"By the by, what's her name?"
Perhaps thinking they were a married couple, Ragusa asked Lawrence rather than inquiring of Holo directly.
In any case, he was nothing like the moneychanger that had once tried to seduce Holo immediately upon meeting her.
A bag holding bread or the like hung from Holo's shoulder, and under an arm, she carried a small cask. Looking every inch the apprentice nun returning from an errand, she looked up at Lawrence.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"I was taught as a child that honesty is a virtue."
"And do you really think so?" Holo gave him a bright, guileless smile and cocked her head.
"I suppose my master also taught me that honesty is a fool's errand."
Holo chuckled through her nose, then teased, "So much so that I can't help making fun of you." She spun about with a dancer's grace, then walked off into the crowd.
Lawrence slumped and sighed, scratching his head.
A smile rose to his lips; these tête-à-têtes were a joy, it was true.
And yet, he thought, will I never regain the upper hand, I wonder?
He was confident he could at least get back the deed that had been swindled away, but that seemed like sour grapes.
I love you.
It had been only a short while ago, yet already the moment when he'd faced Holo and spoken those words seemed like the distant past. Thinking back on it, Lawrence was tormented by some nameless feeling.
The strange emotion made his face twitch and his breathing labored.
And yet—it was not a bad feeling.
The elusive thing had a definite sense of calmness, of peace about it.
It was only a bit—no, a good bit—embarrassing; the bit of regret he felt probably came from having lost the contest.
"What contest?" he asked himself with a derisive smile, looking in the direction in which Holo had disappeared.
He shrugged and sighed, then walked in the direction of the pier.
Lawrence soon found a ship, which was possibly fortunate and certainly unexpected.
Though the port was jammed with people desperate to send out a vessel, when Lawrence calmed himself and looked more closely, he saw that there were many ships loading up cargo per the usual routine, and when he called out to one, he received a ready reply. With every ship being so busy, Lawrence expected the fares to be exorbitant, but they were actually quite reasonable.
Lawrence pretended not to notice the tension melt away from the aged captain's face when he mentioned his female companion.
He understood why Eve went to such efforts to hide her face and her sex when doing business.
"Still, what business could you have in Kerube? No respectable boat will be headed there in this season."
The captain had the unfamiliar name of Ibn Ragusa and explained that he was from a poor, chilly village at the northern end of the western coastline.
By repute, people from the far north were lean and snow tanned, taciturn and keen eyed, but Ragusa was round and effusive with a complexion more ruddy than tan.
"Unsurprisingly, it has to do with the fur trade."
"Oh?" Ragusa looked Lawrence up and down skeptically, cocking his head, his neck imperceptible between beefy shoulders. "You don't look like you have any cargo."
"My onetime business partner made off with it." Lawrence pointed to the still-swollen part of his face. Ragusa laughed with gusto, his face looking for all the world like a puffer fish.
He slapped Lawrence's shoulder as if to say such things happen, then asked, "So, where is this companion of yours?"
"Ah, she's off buying rations—," Lawrence began, turning in the direction of the row of venders—but then he felt a presence at his side.
There was Holo, standing as though she had been there for years.
"—And here she is."
"Oh ho! Such a fine cargo!" boomed Ragusa with a clap of his hands, so loudly that Holo's shoulders flinched.
Sailors, as a rule, were a loud-voiced lot.
Too loud, no doubt, for Holo, whose hearing was so keen she could hear the sound of someone furrowing his brow.
"By the by, what's her name?"
Perhaps thinking they were a married couple, Ragusa asked Lawrence rather than inquiring of Holo directly.
In any case, he was nothing like the moneychanger that had once tried to seduce Holo immediately upon meeting her.
A bag holding bread or the like hung from Holo's shoulder, and under an arm, she carried a small cask. Looking every inch the apprentice nun returning from an errand, she looked up at Lawrence.

Output:
"It's Holo."
"Ho! A fine name! Pleased to meet you. I'm Ragusa, master of the Roam River!"
Any man would be eager to boast in front of such a comely maiden.
Ragusa spoke as though it was the most obvious thing in the world for such a girl to be traveling with Lawrence, and he extended his meaty, calloused hand out in greeting. "But this means we'll be sure to make the passage downriver safely, too!"
"Meaning...?"
Ragusa grinned and guffawed, patting Holo's slender shoulder. "The market's declared that it should be a beautiful maiden that's fitted to a ship's prow to pray for her safety!"
It was true that the prows of long-distance trading ships were generally decorated with a carving of a female figure.
Sometimes they represented a pagan goddess; other times, they were of a sainted woman from the Church's history. (Lawrence did have the sense that it was always a woman that watched over a ship, and ships were often given female names as well.)
Still, he felt like Holo was a bit out of her depth in this capacity—she was a wolf, better suited to hearing prayers for safe overland travel than any sort of waterborne voyage.
The image of Holo dog-paddling through the water came to mind; Lawrence couldn't help but smile slightly to himself.
"So, are you ready? We're not scheming to move fur like everybody else is, but we do have some cargo that needs to be hurried," said Ragusa.
"Ah, er, yes. Were you able to procure food?" Lawrence asked of Holo, who nodded.
Given that she was a wolf, Holo was awfully good at playing the innocent little lamb.
"Then go ahead and sit anywhere that's free. You'll pay up when we get there."
The custom of paying upon arrival was only tenable for water vessels—being surrounded by water made riding for free difficult.
"Just pretend you're riding on a great ship," finished Ragusa with a great laugh, every inch the sailor.
Among the vessels that plied the river, carrying cargo up and down it, Ragusa's was a bit on the small side.
It had no sails, and the bottom was flat—but despite that, the boat was rather slender and long. Had it been any narrower, it would have been easy for an inexperienced captain to accidentally capsize it.
Directly in the middle of the boat was a waist-high pile of burlap sacks, each of which was easily big enough to fit Holo inside. From their overflowing mouths, Lawrence could tell they were filled with wheat and legumes.
Directly astern of that pile were several wooden crates.
Since Lawrence could hardly open them up and peek inside, he couldn't say for sure what their contents were, but given the seals or crests that had been branded upon the crates—which were all of a similar size—he assumed they were relatively valuable. This was certainly the cargo that needed to be hurried. Like any merchant, Lawrence found himself curious about what they contained.
If the crates had been brought from farther upriver, they could contain ore out of a silver or copper mine or perhaps small-value coins minted near an iron mine and destined for export. Tin or iron wouldn't have been so carefully crated, and it would be equally strange to transport gemstones without so much as a single guard.
Owing to the low level of the river, the amount of cargo aboard the vessel was quite small relative to its capacity.
There was little rainfall during this season, and thanks to heavy snowfall in the mountains, the river's headwaters were frozen over. This caused the water level to drop and made it easier for a heavily laden boat to run aground. Just as a wagon's wheels could be easily mired in a muddy road on a rainy day, a boat running aground was a fact of life. In the worst of such cases, cargo would have to be thrown overboard, and worst of all, it was an obstruction to other shipping traffic, which could damage the reputation of the ship-master responsible.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"It's Holo."
"Ho! A fine name! Pleased to meet you. I'm Ragusa, master of the Roam River!"
Any man would be eager to boast in front of such a comely maiden.
Ragusa spoke as though it was the most obvious thing in the world for such a girl to be traveling with Lawrence, and he extended his meaty, calloused hand out in greeting. "But this means we'll be sure to make the passage downriver safely, too!"
"Meaning...?"
Ragusa grinned and guffawed, patting Holo's slender shoulder. "The market's declared that it should be a beautiful maiden that's fitted to a ship's prow to pray for her safety!"
It was true that the prows of long-distance trading ships were generally decorated with a carving of a female figure.
Sometimes they represented a pagan goddess; other times, they were of a sainted woman from the Church's history. (Lawrence did have the sense that it was always a woman that watched over a ship, and ships were often given female names as well.)
Still, he felt like Holo was a bit out of her depth in this capacity—she was a wolf, better suited to hearing prayers for safe overland travel than any sort of waterborne voyage.
The image of Holo dog-paddling through the water came to mind; Lawrence couldn't help but smile slightly to himself.
"So, are you ready? We're not scheming to move fur like everybody else is, but we do have some cargo that needs to be hurried," said Ragusa.
"Ah, er, yes. Were you able to procure food?" Lawrence asked of Holo, who nodded.
Given that she was a wolf, Holo was awfully good at playing the innocent little lamb.
"Then go ahead and sit anywhere that's free. You'll pay up when we get there."
The custom of paying upon arrival was only tenable for water vessels—being surrounded by water made riding for free difficult.
"Just pretend you're riding on a great ship," finished Ragusa with a great laugh, every inch the sailor.
Among the vessels that plied the river, carrying cargo up and down it, Ragusa's was a bit on the small side.
It had no sails, and the bottom was flat—but despite that, the boat was rather slender and long. Had it been any narrower, it would have been easy for an inexperienced captain to accidentally capsize it.
Directly in the middle of the boat was a waist-high pile of burlap sacks, each of which was easily big enough to fit Holo inside. From their overflowing mouths, Lawrence could tell they were filled with wheat and legumes.
Directly astern of that pile were several wooden crates.
Since Lawrence could hardly open them up and peek inside, he couldn't say for sure what their contents were, but given the seals or crests that had been branded upon the crates—which were all of a similar size—he assumed they were relatively valuable. This was certainly the cargo that needed to be hurried. Like any merchant, Lawrence found himself curious about what they contained.
If the crates had been brought from farther upriver, they could contain ore out of a silver or copper mine or perhaps small-value coins minted near an iron mine and destined for export. Tin or iron wouldn't have been so carefully crated, and it would be equally strange to transport gemstones without so much as a single guard.
Owing to the low level of the river, the amount of cargo aboard the vessel was quite small relative to its capacity.
There was little rainfall during this season, and thanks to heavy snowfall in the mountains, the river's headwaters were frozen over. This caused the water level to drop and made it easier for a heavily laden boat to run aground. Just as a wagon's wheels could be easily mired in a muddy road on a rainy day, a boat running aground was a fact of life. In the worst of such cases, cargo would have to be thrown overboard, and worst of all, it was an obstruction to other shipping traffic, which could damage the reputation of the ship-master responsible.

Output:
So what of Ragusa?
Lawrence thought it over as he took a seat in an open space near the boat's prow, setting down the blankets and supplies he carried.
The surface of the water in the harbor sloshed drunkenly, and the boat's rocking was slight but constant. Lawrence hadn't felt the sensation in some time, and it made him nostalgic; he smiled ruefully. The first time he had ridden in a boat, he had been so afraid that it would flip that he had held tight to the vessel's edge.
Now it seemed as though he had not been exceptionally nervous.
He had to smile when he saw Holo edge ever so carefully up beside him to sit. She set down the cask of wine under her arm, unslung the bag of delicious-smelling food from her shoulder, then finally noticed Lawrence's gaze. She glared back at him.
"What's so funny?" she asked. Her low voice was no act.
"I was just thinking I used to be as nervous as you are."
"Mmph...I've no particular fear of water, but 'tis unsettling indeed when the craft rocks."
It was strange for her to so readily admit to being afraid.
She curled her lip, irritated at his obvious surprise. "It is because I trust you that I would admit weakness."
"I can see your teeth behind that sneer."
Once Lawrence had pointed it out, Holo quickly stifled her sneer, then smiled unpleasantly. It was certainly true that she had been scared, but admitting to that fear was pure calculation.
Lawrence didn't know if she was actually being agreeable or not.
The next instant, Holo straightened suddenly. "This won't do. I cannot start getting along with you now," she said, turning her head aside sadly. She had said before that no matter how enjoyable her time with Lawrence was, she was afraid of eventually tiring of it. Lawrence felt a shock, as though he had touched something very hot.
He soon corrected himself—Holo was not being so serious at this moment.
Even without bothering to ask, he knew what it was that they had to avoid. Knowing there were traps ahead but not knowing exactly where would make it hard to walk—but if one knew where the cliff's edge was, skirting along it was easy enough.
Venturing to say as much was neither cause for Holo to admonish herself, nor was it reason for Lawrence to be on guard.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
They would end their travels with a smile. Having promised each other that much, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Lawrence calmed himself and answered, "That sounds like a line out of a stage play."
He didn't say the rest of what he was thinking, which was that it sounded like a line out of a stage play about forbidden love.
In response, Holo—perhaps irritated at Lawrence's failure to be properly flustered—looked his way quickly. "Could you not just play along?"
"Not so long as your face is so malicious."
Holo's upturned eyes had given her face a desolate cast, but then she sniggered and clicked her tongue.
Lawrence smiled, at a loss—this wolf's expression could change awfully quickly.
Not a moment later, Ragusa came running down the pier, his footsteps banging loudly as he shouted in his characteristically booming voice, "Well then, let us be off!"
He quickly untied the boat from its mooring, then tossed the rope aboard, following it himself with a leap like a boy jumping into a river—no mean feat. Ragusa could hardly be called thin, even as rank flattery, and the boat heaved beneath the sudden weight, listing so far to one side that it seemed like it might capsize.
Even Lawrence was alarmed—to say nothing of Holo, whose body stiffened as her face turned serious.
Her hands gripped Lawrence's clothes tightly, and this was surely no joke.
"Watch the finest ship handling in three kingdoms!" said Ragusa mightily, thrusting a long pole into the water and heaving down on it, his ruddy face turning even redder.
At first the boat seemed not to respond to Ragusa's cry, but soon its stern slowly drew away from the wharf. Ragusa lightly raised the pole and, adjusting its direction, pushed down again.