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

Input:
They all stood and shook hands, and thus sealed the new agreement.
For the men of the Delink Company, the shaking of hands came before the signing of the contract—for truly, their business was closer to Philon's world than to anything else.
"Now then, may God grant us success." With those words, the meeting was closed.
Le Roi looked to Lawrence, a strained smile on his face. "We've really done it now," he seemed to say.
Lawrence found himself wanting to echo the sentiment. With this, he no longer had to go to Kieschen, and Le Roi alone would take on the role of the villain.
And the price would have to be paid.
"About the fee you promised," said Lawrence as they exited the room into a hallway so quiet it seemed to swallow sound.
"Oh, please, please, not now."
"Later, then."
"No, that's not—that's not what I mean," said Le Roi, taking a quick look around. Eringin was still conferring with his colleagues in the meeting room and had yet to emerge. A short distance away there was a single smart-looking boy standing next to the door he had just closed.
"But—"
"We can talk about that once everything else is finished, can't we?" said Le Roi, looking up at Lawrence mischievously. "I will be playing the villain here, but we know they're going to surrender immediately. I could never content myself if I skipped paying the introduction fee on such an outrageous scheme. And more than anything else, I may not be Mr. Philon," Le Roi said, smiling an innocent, boyish smile. "But I want you to owe me a bit of a favor, eh? Are you truly a traveling merchant? I'm having a hard time believing it."
Back when he had spent his days with his eyes on the ground hoping to spot a single copper coin, Lawrence had longed to hear such words. It was a bitter irony that now that he had discovered something he valued above gold, he was hearing it all the time.
Before he answered, he glanced at Holo, who seemed to be keeping a bit of a distance, perhaps to avoid interfering with their conversation. "I'm quite a failure as a traveling merchant, I should say. So you're not wrong about that."
Le Roi grinned, but there was not so much as a trace of a smile from Holo. Perhaps that was because her own plan had been so quickly kicked aside, or perhaps it was the revelation of Lawrence's jealousy of her pack mate in Yoitsu.
But she did not seem angry so much as utterly at a loss. He was certain that if he asked her if this was so, he would receive an affirmative answer via her thrown fist.
"But still, Mr. Lawrence. Worry yourself not. Forcing people to do something they loathe with a smile on my face is my nature," said Le Roi.
Frustratingly, it was these words that Holo finally smiled at under her hood.
Le Roi had been doing just that when they had first met him at Philon's shop. Prick an opponent's conscience, and one could make them do whatever they wished.
"So this sort of thing is right in my wheelhouse. And the bigger the prey, the greater the feeling of accomplishment, eh?"
Elsa had been exactly right about Le Roi. His avarice made him trustworthy.
Lawrence nodded. "I look forward to seeing your results," he replied, and left it at that.
***
When they returned to Philon's shop, there were piles of eel roasted and waiting for them. When informed of this, Philon was even more overjoyed than Holo—and he had a suggestion.
"We'll need some strong wine, then! The eels from the river here go best with a good strong wine. And we have to celebrate the execution—or amendment, I suppose—of our contract!"
Lawrence answered Le Roi's joke with a wry smile. "Mr. Philon and the others will be there as well. We'll need enough for..."
"Oh, I'll buy. But in exchange, pitch in something nice from your wagon bed, eh?" Le Roi seemed to have given up trying to buy anything in Lenos.
Lawrence had no intention of turning it into a bargaining point, but he decided to let himself go along with Le Roi's suggestion. "I'll leave it to you, then."

Output:
Even given the noisy, boisterous streets, it felt suddenly quieter. Call it "presence" or what one might, there was no denying that Le Roi was a loud man.
Lawrence and Holo, too, began to walk, and it was Holo who suddenly spoke up. "Well, now we're rid of all our nuisances, eh?"
This came with no small amount of sarcasm, but Lawrence's expression remained steadfastly calm, since he felt her words perfectly described the series of encounters they had just had.
"It's an ironclad rule for all traveling merchants, you know—when going on a journey, travel as light as possible."
"Hmph." Holo sniffed and made an irritated face.
But when Lawrence took her hand, she did not shake it off. This was undoubtedly her lingering frustration with Lawrence's earlier defiance.
Lawrence looked up at the church steeple. It was visible from anywhere in the town.
He told himself that despite it all, he would have God's forgiveness.
It was just then that Holo pointed down an alleyway. "This way is shorter, is it not? And I've had my fill of crowds."
Lawrence agreed.
Though one might well drink wine to warm up, too much would only make one feel worse.
The moment they left the throng for the alleyway, they entered a silence quite different from the one that had pervaded at the Delink Company, and Lawrence felt as though his body became palpably lighter.
Holo seemed to feel similarly, and she exhaled a small sigh.
The alleyway was narrow but well kept and somehow comforting.
While it was not the case that Lawrence had entirely lost interest in the sort of business that took place only on wide, crowded avenues, it was not only such things that he would pursue now. He would go to Yoitsu with Holo and put his surely foolish fears about Holo's reunion with Myuri to rest, and there his journey with Holo would end.
After that, he would return to his old travels.
Holo had once jokingly said that she could laugh at a single memory for fifty years, and Lawrence felt that he himself would be doing much the same thing. That would be enough to keep him looking to whatever reunion they might possibly have.
That would be enough, surely. At the very least, he would have the satisfaction of knowing he had done everything he could.
It was just as Lawrence was musing on this that Holo spoke up.
"Hey," she said casually.
"Hm?" Lawrence replied and saw that under her hood Holo had a somehow troubled expression on her face.
"There's something I want to ask."
What could Holo possibly need to know? "What is it?" asked Lawrence with honest curiosity.
"Mm. Why is it...that you're so set on going to Yoitsu with me?" Her expression made it seem as though she had asked a question that must not be asked.
And once it was put to him, Lawrence himself realized that it had indeed been a forbidden question.
"N-no, come now, do not make such a face. 'Tis strange to me. You're no fool, truly. You've brains enough to understand reason. So why was my notion to go alone so hateful to you? Jealousy of Myuri, aye, I could believe that once you'd heard of him, but that was a later addition, was it not? You still wanted to go with me, even before you'd heard about the mercenaries. And as for why, I simply cannot..."
Holo was so overwhelmed that she trailed off, her words becoming indistinct. Such a thing was a rare event.
It must have been his expression. Lawrence hastily put his hands to his face, trying to compose himself. "Is it so strange?"
He was not, of course, referring to his face.
Holo was well aware of that. But she hesitated for a moment, her face averted, before she nodded. "It seems so to me."
***
Lawrence did not know how to explain his own feelings in that moment. "Despondency" would come close, perhaps.
He had been so sure that if he showed some fight, Holo would be pleased, even if she was irritated. But instead, this.


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

Input:
Even given the noisy, boisterous streets, it felt suddenly quieter. Call it "presence" or what one might, there was no denying that Le Roi was a loud man.
Lawrence and Holo, too, began to walk, and it was Holo who suddenly spoke up. "Well, now we're rid of all our nuisances, eh?"
This came with no small amount of sarcasm, but Lawrence's expression remained steadfastly calm, since he felt her words perfectly described the series of encounters they had just had.
"It's an ironclad rule for all traveling merchants, you know—when going on a journey, travel as light as possible."
"Hmph." Holo sniffed and made an irritated face.
But when Lawrence took her hand, she did not shake it off. This was undoubtedly her lingering frustration with Lawrence's earlier defiance.
Lawrence looked up at the church steeple. It was visible from anywhere in the town.
He told himself that despite it all, he would have God's forgiveness.
It was just then that Holo pointed down an alleyway. "This way is shorter, is it not? And I've had my fill of crowds."
Lawrence agreed.
Though one might well drink wine to warm up, too much would only make one feel worse.
The moment they left the throng for the alleyway, they entered a silence quite different from the one that had pervaded at the Delink Company, and Lawrence felt as though his body became palpably lighter.
Holo seemed to feel similarly, and she exhaled a small sigh.
The alleyway was narrow but well kept and somehow comforting.
While it was not the case that Lawrence had entirely lost interest in the sort of business that took place only on wide, crowded avenues, it was not only such things that he would pursue now. He would go to Yoitsu with Holo and put his surely foolish fears about Holo's reunion with Myuri to rest, and there his journey with Holo would end.
After that, he would return to his old travels.
Holo had once jokingly said that she could laugh at a single memory for fifty years, and Lawrence felt that he himself would be doing much the same thing. That would be enough to keep him looking to whatever reunion they might possibly have.
That would be enough, surely. At the very least, he would have the satisfaction of knowing he had done everything he could.
It was just as Lawrence was musing on this that Holo spoke up.
"Hey," she said casually.
"Hm?" Lawrence replied and saw that under her hood Holo had a somehow troubled expression on her face.
"There's something I want to ask."
What could Holo possibly need to know? "What is it?" asked Lawrence with honest curiosity.
"Mm. Why is it...that you're so set on going to Yoitsu with me?" Her expression made it seem as though she had asked a question that must not be asked.
And once it was put to him, Lawrence himself realized that it had indeed been a forbidden question.
"N-no, come now, do not make such a face. 'Tis strange to me. You're no fool, truly. You've brains enough to understand reason. So why was my notion to go alone so hateful to you? Jealousy of Myuri, aye, I could believe that once you'd heard of him, but that was a later addition, was it not? You still wanted to go with me, even before you'd heard about the mercenaries. And as for why, I simply cannot..."
Holo was so overwhelmed that she trailed off, her words becoming indistinct. Such a thing was a rare event.
It must have been his expression. Lawrence hastily put his hands to his face, trying to compose himself. "Is it so strange?"
He was not, of course, referring to his face.
Holo was well aware of that. But she hesitated for a moment, her face averted, before she nodded. "It seems so to me."
***
Lawrence did not know how to explain his own feelings in that moment. "Despondency" would come close, perhaps.
He had been so sure that if he showed some fight, Holo would be pleased, even if she was irritated. But instead, this.

Output:
"Truly, you said it yourself many times over, did you not? That if we were to separate, it was not a final parting? That it was not death?"
Lawrence was among those in the world who ought to be happy simply walking down a narrow street, holding the hand of a girl as beautiful as Holo.
But as he looked at Holo, his body leaning and unsteady, he simply could not accept it.
It was not a final parting. He knew that. As a merchant, going a year or two years without seeing a friend was a matter of course. It was hardly unendurable.
So he himself could not understand the reason why it was unendurable, in the case of Holo. Did he love her so much? Was it because he was a human and she a wolf?
Those were the only reasons he could think of, and in that moment, they seemed true enough to Lawrence.
But he could find nothing to answer her with. So it was Holo who opened her mouth and continued speaking.
"I do believe I'm the one with the right to anger here. You're saying you don't trust me, are you not?"
She was right. He loved her, and he thought she felt the same way about him. He wanted to believe that.
But as Elsa had so angrily pointed out, he could not just admit it. He did not know why. Was it because he was a merchant, who deep in his heart trusted nothing? Who doubted people and goods alike?
"I don't much want to say this, but I trust you'll forgive me if it hurts to hear. But I...I've no intention of simply saying good-bye once we part. Must I explain absolutely everything to you?"
Lawrence looked at Holo with shock at her words.
"Wh-what?"
"What did you just say?"
"Must I explain everything?" She had said it as though she had been hiding some great secret, but Lawrence could not fathom what that could possibly be. Some crucial, bone-deep something.
Lawrence thought—he thought more seriously and deeply even than he had thought when trying to find a way to avoid going to Kieschen—and all the while, Holo's hand remained in his.
Holo, too, thought, while looking up at Lawrence, her brow furrowed.
"Ah!" they said simultaneously, and it was surely no coincidence.
"Come now, surely you did not—"
"Er, no, I—!"
Holo, still shocked, looked at Lawrence, who clapped his hand over his mouth and averted his gaze. Could something so absurd be true?
Lawrence put the question to himself, but it was the only thing he could think of. Once the thought had come to him, he could imagine no other possibility.
Despite the cold, his cheeks burned. And Holo's gaze upon him was still hotter.
"Heh-heh...so that's how it is, eh?" He had not heard her use this appraising tone in a while, as though considering precisely how to grind him up.
Lawrence flinched away like a child, and despite feeling as though he had seen something terrifying, he could not help but look back at her.
In her handsome face, her red-tinged amber eyes glittered with strange light. "Aye, well, I suppose I must admit I've done likewise." She chuckled. It sounded, somehow, like she was smacking her lips.
Lawrence closed his eyes in resignation.
The first time they had come to this town, when Holo had suggested they end their journey, Lawrence had taken her hand and said this:
"I love you."
But what had Holo said in reply to that? Had she even said anything at all?
"Ho, ho, you truly are a fool," said Holo, not even bothering to disguise her malicious tone.
Lawrence prepared himself to receive a killing blow, a blow worthy of any dragon slayer in any tale. And then—
"Hmph." Holo sighed an exasperated sigh, and then into the breast of Lawrence, she snuggled herself. "Did you suppose I would tease you?"
"...Huh?" Lawrence opened one eye and looked at Holo.
"Fool."
Lawrence had hunched himself over, so that when Holo stood on tiptoes, her eyes were even with his. Pathetically, he had no idea how much time they spent like that.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Holo right in front of him, a bashful smile on her face.


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

Input:
"Truly, you said it yourself many times over, did you not? That if we were to separate, it was not a final parting? That it was not death?"
Lawrence was among those in the world who ought to be happy simply walking down a narrow street, holding the hand of a girl as beautiful as Holo.
But as he looked at Holo, his body leaning and unsteady, he simply could not accept it.
It was not a final parting. He knew that. As a merchant, going a year or two years without seeing a friend was a matter of course. It was hardly unendurable.
So he himself could not understand the reason why it was unendurable, in the case of Holo. Did he love her so much? Was it because he was a human and she a wolf?
Those were the only reasons he could think of, and in that moment, they seemed true enough to Lawrence.
But he could find nothing to answer her with. So it was Holo who opened her mouth and continued speaking.
"I do believe I'm the one with the right to anger here. You're saying you don't trust me, are you not?"
She was right. He loved her, and he thought she felt the same way about him. He wanted to believe that.
But as Elsa had so angrily pointed out, he could not just admit it. He did not know why. Was it because he was a merchant, who deep in his heart trusted nothing? Who doubted people and goods alike?
"I don't much want to say this, but I trust you'll forgive me if it hurts to hear. But I...I've no intention of simply saying good-bye once we part. Must I explain absolutely everything to you?"
Lawrence looked at Holo with shock at her words.
"Wh-what?"
"What did you just say?"
"Must I explain everything?" She had said it as though she had been hiding some great secret, but Lawrence could not fathom what that could possibly be. Some crucial, bone-deep something.
Lawrence thought—he thought more seriously and deeply even than he had thought when trying to find a way to avoid going to Kieschen—and all the while, Holo's hand remained in his.
Holo, too, thought, while looking up at Lawrence, her brow furrowed.
"Ah!" they said simultaneously, and it was surely no coincidence.
"Come now, surely you did not—"
"Er, no, I—!"
Holo, still shocked, looked at Lawrence, who clapped his hand over his mouth and averted his gaze. Could something so absurd be true?
Lawrence put the question to himself, but it was the only thing he could think of. Once the thought had come to him, he could imagine no other possibility.
Despite the cold, his cheeks burned. And Holo's gaze upon him was still hotter.
"Heh-heh...so that's how it is, eh?" He had not heard her use this appraising tone in a while, as though considering precisely how to grind him up.
Lawrence flinched away like a child, and despite feeling as though he had seen something terrifying, he could not help but look back at her.
In her handsome face, her red-tinged amber eyes glittered with strange light. "Aye, well, I suppose I must admit I've done likewise." She chuckled. It sounded, somehow, like she was smacking her lips.
Lawrence closed his eyes in resignation.
The first time they had come to this town, when Holo had suggested they end their journey, Lawrence had taken her hand and said this:
"I love you."
But what had Holo said in reply to that? Had she even said anything at all?
"Ho, ho, you truly are a fool," said Holo, not even bothering to disguise her malicious tone.
Lawrence prepared himself to receive a killing blow, a blow worthy of any dragon slayer in any tale. And then—
"Hmph." Holo sighed an exasperated sigh, and then into the breast of Lawrence, she snuggled herself. "Did you suppose I would tease you?"
"...Huh?" Lawrence opened one eye and looked at Holo.
"Fool."
Lawrence had hunched himself over, so that when Holo stood on tiptoes, her eyes were even with his. Pathetically, he had no idea how much time they spent like that.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Holo right in front of him, a bashful smile on her face.

Output:
"And anyway, did you yourself not urge me to fight myself? You had the nerve to do that, and now look at you!"
"?" Lawrence looked at Holo, befuddled, at which Holo was momentarily shocked. She sucked her cheeks in.
"Do not tell me that all you meant by that was that I should fight over Col with that stone-headed girl? Was that all you meant by that?"
What else was there to mean? Lawrence looked into Holo's redly glittering eyes, his mind spinning futilely.
"Ah...O-oh, I see..."
"Why, you fool...!" said Holo, discontented tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him.
You don't have to play the wisewolf.
Lawrence had meant the words from the bottom of his heart.
But if Holo had taken that statement to its utter extreme, it meant that any and all un-wisewolf-like behavior would be accepted. And what would be the perfect example of that? It hardly needed saying.
Even as Holo herself had found it pathetic, she had wanted to meet Lawrence again after they parted, and the thought had been tormenting her all this time.
No wonder he had found Holo's frustration at losing Col, and her venting of that frustration upon him, so unusual and amusing. He had only been seeing the surface of those actions. The true reason for the displeasure behind her actions was the regret she felt at their rapidly approaching separation. She had been trying to rid herself of those feelings.
She had been taking out her frustration on him, but the frustration had been this: It's your fault I'm feeling this pain.
"You truly think only of yourself, don't you?"
Expect nothing. Dream of nothing. Cut your losses to nothing. It was the nature of the merchant. But perhaps it was nothing more than cowardice.
"Especially when it comes to me."
Her cheeks puffed up angrily, and she grabbed his ear, forcing him down even lower. Now that it had come to this, Lawrence could not help but want to find a retort.
"Well, you're no better," he said.
"Mm?"
He had not planned to use it, but Lawrence now pulled the other envelope from his jacket. It was the letter from Hugues that had come from Kerube, along with the map.
"I wasn't going to show you this," he began and extricated the letter from the envelope, even as Holo continued to hold his ear.
It was a two-page letter, the handwriting neat and fine—hard to imagine coming from a man as large as Hugues. The letter captured Holo's attention, and she seemed to forget that she still held Lawrence's ear.
The first page began thus: Regarding the methods we not of Men have used to do business among them in their towns—
"I didn't see any reason to irritate you. But that I've wished for this so terribly it's foolish..."
...Surely you could have guessed that much? he wanted to finish, but he did not.
Still holding Lawrence's ear and staring dumbly at the letter, a single crystalline tear tumbled from Holo's right eye. Time seemed to stop, and her movement made no sound.
Holo looked back to Lawrence, her voice quivering from her happy tears. "Aye, 'tis what I hate about you." She bared her fangs, the very picture of utter fearlessness. "But you fool, you stupid fool, I...I do love you so."
In that moment, nothing mattered. Not Kieschen, not Yoitsu. Not Myuri or Col. With those words, every letter of scripture ever written had been rendered meaningless.
He had handed Holo a blank contract with his named already signed hugely on the bottom. And all he had wanted on it were the words that Holo had just given him.
"...Honestly. In all my centuries in the wheat fields, I saw many pairs of males and females, but I never once saw a male as foolish as—"
But Lawrence did not let her say any more. Still hunched over, his ear still in her hand, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
Holo seemed a bit surprised by this but rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt her sigh an exasperated sigh.


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

Input:
"And anyway, did you yourself not urge me to fight myself? You had the nerve to do that, and now look at you!"
"?" Lawrence looked at Holo, befuddled, at which Holo was momentarily shocked. She sucked her cheeks in.
"Do not tell me that all you meant by that was that I should fight over Col with that stone-headed girl? Was that all you meant by that?"
What else was there to mean? Lawrence looked into Holo's redly glittering eyes, his mind spinning futilely.
"Ah...O-oh, I see..."
"Why, you fool...!" said Holo, discontented tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him.
You don't have to play the wisewolf.
Lawrence had meant the words from the bottom of his heart.
But if Holo had taken that statement to its utter extreme, it meant that any and all un-wisewolf-like behavior would be accepted. And what would be the perfect example of that? It hardly needed saying.
Even as Holo herself had found it pathetic, she had wanted to meet Lawrence again after they parted, and the thought had been tormenting her all this time.
No wonder he had found Holo's frustration at losing Col, and her venting of that frustration upon him, so unusual and amusing. He had only been seeing the surface of those actions. The true reason for the displeasure behind her actions was the regret she felt at their rapidly approaching separation. She had been trying to rid herself of those feelings.
She had been taking out her frustration on him, but the frustration had been this: It's your fault I'm feeling this pain.
"You truly think only of yourself, don't you?"
Expect nothing. Dream of nothing. Cut your losses to nothing. It was the nature of the merchant. But perhaps it was nothing more than cowardice.
"Especially when it comes to me."
Her cheeks puffed up angrily, and she grabbed his ear, forcing him down even lower. Now that it had come to this, Lawrence could not help but want to find a retort.
"Well, you're no better," he said.
"Mm?"
He had not planned to use it, but Lawrence now pulled the other envelope from his jacket. It was the letter from Hugues that had come from Kerube, along with the map.
"I wasn't going to show you this," he began and extricated the letter from the envelope, even as Holo continued to hold his ear.
It was a two-page letter, the handwriting neat and fine—hard to imagine coming from a man as large as Hugues. The letter captured Holo's attention, and she seemed to forget that she still held Lawrence's ear.
The first page began thus: Regarding the methods we not of Men have used to do business among them in their towns—
"I didn't see any reason to irritate you. But that I've wished for this so terribly it's foolish..."
...Surely you could have guessed that much? he wanted to finish, but he did not.
Still holding Lawrence's ear and staring dumbly at the letter, a single crystalline tear tumbled from Holo's right eye. Time seemed to stop, and her movement made no sound.
Holo looked back to Lawrence, her voice quivering from her happy tears. "Aye, 'tis what I hate about you." She bared her fangs, the very picture of utter fearlessness. "But you fool, you stupid fool, I...I do love you so."
In that moment, nothing mattered. Not Kieschen, not Yoitsu. Not Myuri or Col. With those words, every letter of scripture ever written had been rendered meaningless.
He had handed Holo a blank contract with his named already signed hugely on the bottom. And all he had wanted on it were the words that Holo had just given him.
"...Honestly. In all my centuries in the wheat fields, I saw many pairs of males and females, but I never once saw a male as foolish as—"
But Lawrence did not let her say any more. Still hunched over, his ear still in her hand, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
Holo seemed a bit surprised by this but rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt her sigh an exasperated sigh.

Output:
Holo tried to pull away from Lawrence, but he strengthened his embrace and did not let her go.
"Mm, come now," she chuckled, but sounded a bit irritated as she pushed against Lawrence's chest.
As she moved, he caught her freshly bathed scent, like a fall of spring rain.
Holo's sweet, fragrant scent.
Lawrence put his lips to her neck.
"Come, you, that's quite enough..."
Her words stripped him of his restraint. Here in the narrow alley, the tumult of the avenue did not reach them. Neither could the church steeple see them here. God could not see them here.
"Uh—come, you. H-hey. You're not going to—"
If it came to strength, she was no match for him. Lawrence held her tighter, then pushed her against the wall. Then—
"Not...not here...!" Holo tried to push Lawrence back, with earnest strength this time. "You...foo—
"You fool," she said, but in the end, the words did not reach Lawrence's ears.
When they arrived at Philon's shop, the interior was deserted, with happy voices emanating from the courtyard farther inside. Evidently the midday meal had already begun.
Lawrence and Holo went through the door to the courtyard, side by side. Elsa and Col were the first to notice them, and their eyes went instantly wide. Philon was next, followed by Le Roi, who spat his ale out in surprise.
But Holo was completely unconcerned, smiling as she pulled Lawrence along behind her.
Philon broke the brief but awkward silence. "Ah, looks like we'll need more eel!" he said, heading back into the shop.
"Ah, I'll help!" added Le Roi.
Col watched the two adults go and was just about to say something to Lawrence before Elsa pulled him bodily into the shop as well.
Left behind were only Lawrence and Holo.
"I wonder what got into them?" Holo said with purposeful obliviousness, a smile still on her face.
Lawrence, though, said nothing. It was not that he had nothing to say—his cheek still hurt too much for him to open his mouth.
The blow had briefly stricken sight and sound from his five senses and had additionally made a mess of his sense of balance.
"Oh ho, seems our eel is good and cooked, eh?"
The oil that had been drizzled over them sizzled away in the stove, a sign that the eel was nearly perfectly ready.
Holo found a knife and plate and adroitly made ready a bit of eel for Lawrence. On top of it all, she had the nerve to bring it to his mouth. "Come, open wide!"
Lawrence kept his mouth resolutely shut. It was not that he was embarrassed—he simply wanted her to know that his cheek still hurt too much to open his mouth.
"You'd refuse food from my hand?"
At such chiding words, his mouth opened nearly reflexively. And as soon as it did, pain shot through his body. At this, Holo's satisfied smile remained so.
Lawrence fought back the pain, closing his mouth over the bite and chewing.
The eel was fragrant and tasty.
He could tell that it was a bit overcooked, though, and there were places that were bitter and burned.
Lawrence stared off into the air as he chewed the eel. Beside him, Holo stuffed her cheeks, making happy little noises.
He could see the church steeple at the end of his gaze, as though it were quietly looking down on him, amused, chin in its hands.
***
It's been a while. Isuna Hasekura here, with Volume 14. We've just passed four years since my debut, but somehow it feels like I just wrote an afterword about how three years had passed since my debut. Time flies like an arrow!
By the time this book comes out, the year will have already changed, but at the time of this writing it's still December. Thus, as I take a quick look back on the year, it makes me realize that...wow, I really had a lot of fun this year. I went to Hong Kong (for work, though!), I went skiing in Hokkaido in the winter, and in the summer I went again just to sightsee. I went to Okinawa and Kyoto, and I even got my driver's license.


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

Input:
Holo tried to pull away from Lawrence, but he strengthened his embrace and did not let her go.
"Mm, come now," she chuckled, but sounded a bit irritated as she pushed against Lawrence's chest.
As she moved, he caught her freshly bathed scent, like a fall of spring rain.
Holo's sweet, fragrant scent.
Lawrence put his lips to her neck.
"Come, you, that's quite enough..."
Her words stripped him of his restraint. Here in the narrow alley, the tumult of the avenue did not reach them. Neither could the church steeple see them here. God could not see them here.
"Uh—come, you. H-hey. You're not going to—"
If it came to strength, she was no match for him. Lawrence held her tighter, then pushed her against the wall. Then—
"Not...not here...!" Holo tried to push Lawrence back, with earnest strength this time. "You...foo—
"You fool," she said, but in the end, the words did not reach Lawrence's ears.
When they arrived at Philon's shop, the interior was deserted, with happy voices emanating from the courtyard farther inside. Evidently the midday meal had already begun.
Lawrence and Holo went through the door to the courtyard, side by side. Elsa and Col were the first to notice them, and their eyes went instantly wide. Philon was next, followed by Le Roi, who spat his ale out in surprise.
But Holo was completely unconcerned, smiling as she pulled Lawrence along behind her.
Philon broke the brief but awkward silence. "Ah, looks like we'll need more eel!" he said, heading back into the shop.
"Ah, I'll help!" added Le Roi.
Col watched the two adults go and was just about to say something to Lawrence before Elsa pulled him bodily into the shop as well.
Left behind were only Lawrence and Holo.
"I wonder what got into them?" Holo said with purposeful obliviousness, a smile still on her face.
Lawrence, though, said nothing. It was not that he had nothing to say—his cheek still hurt too much for him to open his mouth.
The blow had briefly stricken sight and sound from his five senses and had additionally made a mess of his sense of balance.
"Oh ho, seems our eel is good and cooked, eh?"
The oil that had been drizzled over them sizzled away in the stove, a sign that the eel was nearly perfectly ready.
Holo found a knife and plate and adroitly made ready a bit of eel for Lawrence. On top of it all, she had the nerve to bring it to his mouth. "Come, open wide!"
Lawrence kept his mouth resolutely shut. It was not that he was embarrassed—he simply wanted her to know that his cheek still hurt too much to open his mouth.
"You'd refuse food from my hand?"
At such chiding words, his mouth opened nearly reflexively. And as soon as it did, pain shot through his body. At this, Holo's satisfied smile remained so.
Lawrence fought back the pain, closing his mouth over the bite and chewing.
The eel was fragrant and tasty.
He could tell that it was a bit overcooked, though, and there were places that were bitter and burned.
Lawrence stared off into the air as he chewed the eel. Beside him, Holo stuffed her cheeks, making happy little noises.
He could see the church steeple at the end of his gaze, as though it were quietly looking down on him, amused, chin in its hands.
***
It's been a while. Isuna Hasekura here, with Volume 14. We've just passed four years since my debut, but somehow it feels like I just wrote an afterword about how three years had passed since my debut. Time flies like an arrow!
By the time this book comes out, the year will have already changed, but at the time of this writing it's still December. Thus, as I take a quick look back on the year, it makes me realize that...wow, I really had a lot of fun this year. I went to Hong Kong (for work, though!), I went skiing in Hokkaido in the winter, and in the summer I went again just to sightsee. I went to Okinawa and Kyoto, and I even got my driver's license.

Output:
Given that, I resolve to play hard again this coming year! Although there is some small chance I've misunderstood the causal relationship between having fun and making progress on my manuscripts...
Nonetheless, when this book comes out, I'll be starting my fifth year since being published, which feels like a bit of a turning point. It makes me want to work harder, start new things, and accomplish everything I can.
That said, as the number of years since my debut advances, so does my actual age. Just recently, and also a month ago, I got invited to the weddings of college friends. This was the first time I'd been thus invited, and I found myself shocked with the realization: Augh! I'm getting to be that age, too!
Incidentally, I didn't own a suit, nor did I know how to tie a tie. So I headed to the department store and got a suit, then hastily taught myself how to put on a tie—grrk! And after all that, when it came to wearing a suit like a normal member of society...it made me think about how there are tough guys out there in the world who get invited to weddings every month, who must be the product of intense training on how to appear calm. If you went to a wedding every month, the wedding present costs would really stack up.
By the way, in reading books about medieval Europe, it seems that wedding traditions back then were rather violent. For example...whoops, if I say anything more I might spoil the surprise!
And now having written this much, I find I've filled my pages.
This is going to be a pivotal year for the series.
Let us meet again in the next volume!
Isuna Hasekura
Copyright
SPICE AND WOLF, Volume 15: The Coin of the Sun I
***
Cover art by Jyuu Ayakura
Translation by Jeremiah Bourque
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
***
Farewells were too brief. Lawrence's feelings on the matter came from experience.
No matter how anguished the moment, the actual act of farewell was over in but an instant. Like drawing the arrow of a bow, there was greater peril in gradually prolonging it out of fear. Hold your breath and go. Everyone knows how it will end.
That said, this was not so clear that Lawrence could make himself understand it. Besides, that was likely the logic of a merchant living a traveler's life—it was always someone bidding you farewell.
Lawrence thought of such things as he slipped past the town wall inspectors, giving them a regretful wave before bidding farewell to Col and the others as they headed down the road. It occurred to him that it was quite a rarity for him to be seeing others off.
Or perhaps it was the expression worn by Holo right beside him as she waved her small hand toward Col, having seen so much travel herself. Even though there was a faint smile on her face, she seemed somehow resigned.
He realized this was the face of one who had seen humans off again and again and was entirely sick of it. A moment later, Holo stopped waving, and with a small "Mm" sound she stretched her arms to the sky.
"Now then, perhaps some wine."
Holo spoke to no one in particular. She did this enough when she was giving Lawrence the cold shoulder, but also when she was simply feeling lonely.
There was a practical reason for entrusting Col to Le Roi the book merchant and having both of them travel with Elsa. And since he had a very practical reason, the wisewolf could only come to the logical conclusion and prepare to see Col off.
It had been Lawrence's duty to teach Col practical things: where to send a letter if he wanted to get in touch, whom to ask for help should be find himself troubled, and so on, but Holo had been the one who conversed with him.


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

Input:
Given that, I resolve to play hard again this coming year! Although there is some small chance I've misunderstood the causal relationship between having fun and making progress on my manuscripts...
Nonetheless, when this book comes out, I'll be starting my fifth year since being published, which feels like a bit of a turning point. It makes me want to work harder, start new things, and accomplish everything I can.
That said, as the number of years since my debut advances, so does my actual age. Just recently, and also a month ago, I got invited to the weddings of college friends. This was the first time I'd been thus invited, and I found myself shocked with the realization: Augh! I'm getting to be that age, too!
Incidentally, I didn't own a suit, nor did I know how to tie a tie. So I headed to the department store and got a suit, then hastily taught myself how to put on a tie—grrk! And after all that, when it came to wearing a suit like a normal member of society...it made me think about how there are tough guys out there in the world who get invited to weddings every month, who must be the product of intense training on how to appear calm. If you went to a wedding every month, the wedding present costs would really stack up.
By the way, in reading books about medieval Europe, it seems that wedding traditions back then were rather violent. For example...whoops, if I say anything more I might spoil the surprise!
And now having written this much, I find I've filled my pages.
This is going to be a pivotal year for the series.
Let us meet again in the next volume!
Isuna Hasekura
Copyright
SPICE AND WOLF, Volume 15: The Coin of the Sun I
***
Cover art by Jyuu Ayakura
Translation by Jeremiah Bourque
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
***
Farewells were too brief. Lawrence's feelings on the matter came from experience.
No matter how anguished the moment, the actual act of farewell was over in but an instant. Like drawing the arrow of a bow, there was greater peril in gradually prolonging it out of fear. Hold your breath and go. Everyone knows how it will end.
That said, this was not so clear that Lawrence could make himself understand it. Besides, that was likely the logic of a merchant living a traveler's life—it was always someone bidding you farewell.
Lawrence thought of such things as he slipped past the town wall inspectors, giving them a regretful wave before bidding farewell to Col and the others as they headed down the road. It occurred to him that it was quite a rarity for him to be seeing others off.
Or perhaps it was the expression worn by Holo right beside him as she waved her small hand toward Col, having seen so much travel herself. Even though there was a faint smile on her face, she seemed somehow resigned.
He realized this was the face of one who had seen humans off again and again and was entirely sick of it. A moment later, Holo stopped waving, and with a small "Mm" sound she stretched her arms to the sky.
"Now then, perhaps some wine."
Holo spoke to no one in particular. She did this enough when she was giving Lawrence the cold shoulder, but also when she was simply feeling lonely.
There was a practical reason for entrusting Col to Le Roi the book merchant and having both of them travel with Elsa. And since he had a very practical reason, the wisewolf could only come to the logical conclusion and prepare to see Col off.
It had been Lawrence's duty to teach Col practical things: where to send a letter if he wanted to get in touch, whom to ask for help should be find himself troubled, and so on, but Holo had been the one who conversed with him.

Output:
They had slept together the night before, too. Or perhaps not so much together, as he had slept embracing her tightly as though she were a stuffed doll. Holo's body temperature ran hot like that of a child, and she even had a fluffy tail; Col had always seemed a bit fond of that. He'd been covered in sweat when waking up the next morning. Perhaps he had dreamed of being eaten by Holo.
In the middle of their journey, they had traveled with others for trivial reasons and had separated for reasons no less trivial. Col was yet another.
It was just that his still-small body hid an ambition within it that would make many adults laugh.
That was why Lawrence could understand him wanting to be with them to confirm Holo's homeland was safe; he could also understand wanting to help them if push came to shove. But Lawrence believed those on a journey must faithfully walk forward toward their own objectives. It was one of the few things Lawrence could say with real pride.
When one traveled alone on a deserted trade route, they felt like they were alone in the world. However, as they crossed others on the road, one felt the world becoming a wider, more complex, more changing place.
Furthermore, the purpose of one's journey was precious indeed.
The complexities of the world became reasons to have traveling companions so as not to stray from one's path, or perhaps, to continue to stay together with someone they were soon to part with.
Lawrence and Holo's journey, too, had a single objective.
That was the nature of a journey—that and also that someday surely it would end.
***
The air was dry and cold, but the sun's rays were warm as they poured down. Put another way, it was weather for having a blanket to snuggle into.
Furthermore, the cradle sway of a wagon was surely the best lullaby of all.
And still, Lawrence sighed with cheer—for he could not simply pull a blanket over himself and nod off.
The deer-hide gloves he had made were very warm; the knitted wool blanket over his lap was bulky but light. The well-fed horse cheerfully flicked its pale tail about; the road was very pretty and made for easy progress. Under normal circumstances one could hardly complain about such a journey, but unfortunately he did not travel alone.
He was traveling together with a partner from a village called Pasloe, far to the south of where his wagon now advanced. Worshipped by villagers for centuries as a god who governed whether a harvest was poor or bountiful, her true form was a giant wolf that could swallow a man whole. Her fur was the color of flax, long like an aristocrat's, very soft; her thin body was all one might call the fly in the ointment.
And where was Holo at this moment? Atop the wagon's cargo, wrapped in a blanket, sleeping without a care. He heard pff and khh, sounds straddling the line between the sounds of sleeping and of snoring.
As she would firmly deny that she snored, they must have been the sounds of sleeping. Quite.
Lawrence had been edging toward parting ways with her here in the town of Lenos, before reaching Yoitsu, but had somehow managed to evade that possibility.
It all had to do with a forbidden script hitherto buried in darkness apparently containing a technique for excavating mines with a higher rate of success. This "mine development" meant shearing off mountaintops, using a great many chemicals for refining, and clear-cutting forests to fuel the required fires. Fouling the water, stripping the mountains, and leaving nothing but wasteland behind, it would be a tragic state of affairs. For Holo, who hailed from Yoitsu, deep in the forests of the northlands, a technique yielding such results was something that must never be permitted to set foot into the world. For Lawrence and Holo to hand it over to a company specializing in mining was nothing short of a nightmare for her.
For that reason, they had sent the script off with Le Roi, the book trader, at the town of Lenos.


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

Input:
They had slept together the night before, too. Or perhaps not so much together, as he had slept embracing her tightly as though she were a stuffed doll. Holo's body temperature ran hot like that of a child, and she even had a fluffy tail; Col had always seemed a bit fond of that. He'd been covered in sweat when waking up the next morning. Perhaps he had dreamed of being eaten by Holo.
In the middle of their journey, they had traveled with others for trivial reasons and had separated for reasons no less trivial. Col was yet another.
It was just that his still-small body hid an ambition within it that would make many adults laugh.
That was why Lawrence could understand him wanting to be with them to confirm Holo's homeland was safe; he could also understand wanting to help them if push came to shove. But Lawrence believed those on a journey must faithfully walk forward toward their own objectives. It was one of the few things Lawrence could say with real pride.
When one traveled alone on a deserted trade route, they felt like they were alone in the world. However, as they crossed others on the road, one felt the world becoming a wider, more complex, more changing place.
Furthermore, the purpose of one's journey was precious indeed.
The complexities of the world became reasons to have traveling companions so as not to stray from one's path, or perhaps, to continue to stay together with someone they were soon to part with.
Lawrence and Holo's journey, too, had a single objective.
That was the nature of a journey—that and also that someday surely it would end.
***
The air was dry and cold, but the sun's rays were warm as they poured down. Put another way, it was weather for having a blanket to snuggle into.
Furthermore, the cradle sway of a wagon was surely the best lullaby of all.
And still, Lawrence sighed with cheer—for he could not simply pull a blanket over himself and nod off.
The deer-hide gloves he had made were very warm; the knitted wool blanket over his lap was bulky but light. The well-fed horse cheerfully flicked its pale tail about; the road was very pretty and made for easy progress. Under normal circumstances one could hardly complain about such a journey, but unfortunately he did not travel alone.
He was traveling together with a partner from a village called Pasloe, far to the south of where his wagon now advanced. Worshipped by villagers for centuries as a god who governed whether a harvest was poor or bountiful, her true form was a giant wolf that could swallow a man whole. Her fur was the color of flax, long like an aristocrat's, very soft; her thin body was all one might call the fly in the ointment.
And where was Holo at this moment? Atop the wagon's cargo, wrapped in a blanket, sleeping without a care. He heard pff and khh, sounds straddling the line between the sounds of sleeping and of snoring.
As she would firmly deny that she snored, they must have been the sounds of sleeping. Quite.
Lawrence had been edging toward parting ways with her here in the town of Lenos, before reaching Yoitsu, but had somehow managed to evade that possibility.
It all had to do with a forbidden script hitherto buried in darkness apparently containing a technique for excavating mines with a higher rate of success. This "mine development" meant shearing off mountaintops, using a great many chemicals for refining, and clear-cutting forests to fuel the required fires. Fouling the water, stripping the mountains, and leaving nothing but wasteland behind, it would be a tragic state of affairs. For Holo, who hailed from Yoitsu, deep in the forests of the northlands, a technique yielding such results was something that must never be permitted to set foot into the world. For Lawrence and Holo to hand it over to a company specializing in mining was nothing short of a nightmare for her.
For that reason, they had sent the script off with Le Roi, the book trader, at the town of Lenos.

Output:
For many years, the Debau Company that ran it had enjoyed sole control of a large, prominent mining belt and aimed to be the preeminent mineral trader of the age. It was said the Debau Company intended to start a great war in the northlands in pursuit of that objective, conquering the northlands so that it could open even more mines.
As a merchant, since meeting Holo, he had been wrapped up in absurdly large business deals involving thousands or even tens of thousands of trenni silver pieces. He knew how dreadful such things could be; he had experienced firsthand how cheap human life was in the face of such large quantities of coin.
But even so, Lawrence had turned his wagon toward Lesko, for they had heard of a mercenary group quartered there that bore the name of one of Holo's pack mates from her homeland.
—The name she had sometimes cried out in dreams, not long after Lawrence had first met her.
As they had obtained a map showing the way to Yoitsu, they could have headed there first. Even so, since one never knew when a mercenary group might vanish from the world like so much mist, they set out to meet the mercenaries while their whereabouts were still known.
At any rate, why a mercenary group bearing the name of Holo's pack mate was associating itself with the Debau Company, supposedly assembling military might from across the northlands, was of particularly great concern. Just thinking about what they might be planning brought up all sorts of things to worry about. If they missed this opportunity, it would not only be more difficult to learn about such important matters, but also what had happened during the centuries Holo spent at Pasloe.
But though they had stopped at a great many places for reasons such as these, this particular stopover came with a little too much tension.
The reason was that ever since Col had left during their preparations to head to Lesko, Holo had spoken very little, barely setting foot out of their room at the inn.
There was the fact that he simply did not know what the right thing to say was.
But another greater reason lay elsewhere.
"Achoo."
He heard a small sneeze, followed by a moaning voice: "Hnng—."
At times, even while asleep, Holo would notice the approach of her enemies, even if they were veteran soldiers not making the smallest sound. But for the most part, she was nearer to a domesticated dog.
Right now, she shivered, yawning and stretching while curled up in the wool blanket that enveloped her. If she was not moving, she would just fall back asleep, but if she was tossing and turning, it was apparently a sign she was inclined to wake up. After rustling about for a while, she did indeed pop her head out from under the blankets.
"Water."
As the freshly awoken princess mumbled with a disheveled face, Lawrence the manservant passed her his waterskin.
"Still more of...this scenery for a time, eh..."
He had heard that there was nothing but flat land the whole way, with no difficulties whatsoever. If there was going to be a problem, it was that since the town was at the open entrance to a mountain range, there was a high probability of snowfall. But as there was little snow at this time of year, even if some fell there ought to be no great difficulty.
"Ah...yes."
The reason Lawrence hesitated a bit as he replied was absolutely not because the answer was uncertain. Nor was it because Holo was right behind the driver's seat, elbows on the edge of the wagon bed as she leisurely gazed at the scenery, taking the waterskin while he replied.
It was because, when he had turned, Holo's face bore a blank, unreadable expression.
In truth, Lawrence had not been able to get a read on Holo for the last several days. Was she angry? Was she not angry? It was very hard to tell the difference.
The memory of the harsh blow he had gotten in the town of Lenos was still fresh in his mind. As a man, he regretted deeply that there was nothing he could do here on this back road with not a soul in sight.


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

Input:
For many years, the Debau Company that ran it had enjoyed sole control of a large, prominent mining belt and aimed to be the preeminent mineral trader of the age. It was said the Debau Company intended to start a great war in the northlands in pursuit of that objective, conquering the northlands so that it could open even more mines.
As a merchant, since meeting Holo, he had been wrapped up in absurdly large business deals involving thousands or even tens of thousands of trenni silver pieces. He knew how dreadful such things could be; he had experienced firsthand how cheap human life was in the face of such large quantities of coin.
But even so, Lawrence had turned his wagon toward Lesko, for they had heard of a mercenary group quartered there that bore the name of one of Holo's pack mates from her homeland.
—The name she had sometimes cried out in dreams, not long after Lawrence had first met her.
As they had obtained a map showing the way to Yoitsu, they could have headed there first. Even so, since one never knew when a mercenary group might vanish from the world like so much mist, they set out to meet the mercenaries while their whereabouts were still known.
At any rate, why a mercenary group bearing the name of Holo's pack mate was associating itself with the Debau Company, supposedly assembling military might from across the northlands, was of particularly great concern. Just thinking about what they might be planning brought up all sorts of things to worry about. If they missed this opportunity, it would not only be more difficult to learn about such important matters, but also what had happened during the centuries Holo spent at Pasloe.
But though they had stopped at a great many places for reasons such as these, this particular stopover came with a little too much tension.
The reason was that ever since Col had left during their preparations to head to Lesko, Holo had spoken very little, barely setting foot out of their room at the inn.
There was the fact that he simply did not know what the right thing to say was.
But another greater reason lay elsewhere.
"Achoo."
He heard a small sneeze, followed by a moaning voice: "Hnng—."
At times, even while asleep, Holo would notice the approach of her enemies, even if they were veteran soldiers not making the smallest sound. But for the most part, she was nearer to a domesticated dog.
Right now, she shivered, yawning and stretching while curled up in the wool blanket that enveloped her. If she was not moving, she would just fall back asleep, but if she was tossing and turning, it was apparently a sign she was inclined to wake up. After rustling about for a while, she did indeed pop her head out from under the blankets.
"Water."
As the freshly awoken princess mumbled with a disheveled face, Lawrence the manservant passed her his waterskin.
"Still more of...this scenery for a time, eh..."
He had heard that there was nothing but flat land the whole way, with no difficulties whatsoever. If there was going to be a problem, it was that since the town was at the open entrance to a mountain range, there was a high probability of snowfall. But as there was little snow at this time of year, even if some fell there ought to be no great difficulty.
"Ah...yes."
The reason Lawrence hesitated a bit as he replied was absolutely not because the answer was uncertain. Nor was it because Holo was right behind the driver's seat, elbows on the edge of the wagon bed as she leisurely gazed at the scenery, taking the waterskin while he replied.
It was because, when he had turned, Holo's face bore a blank, unreadable expression.
In truth, Lawrence had not been able to get a read on Holo for the last several days. Was she angry? Was she not angry? It was very hard to tell the difference.
The memory of the harsh blow he had gotten in the town of Lenos was still fresh in his mind. As a man, he regretted deeply that there was nothing he could do here on this back road with not a soul in sight.

Output:
Which was all the more reason why Lawrence could not accept this treatment.
If they both knew they liked each other, why then was she rejecting him?
It was Holo who had first said that if someone were to approach them she would know ahead of time, and with both of them in human form, there was nothing they could not do. They had not even had anything that could be called a quarrel.
Nothing was logically the matter—so what could it be?
And yet Holo had been in a particularly good mood after Lawrence had received his smacking. That he could not understand what that meant whatsoever was rather ominous. Then, Holo seemed to be keeping her distance, never showing any expression worthy of the term, as if she was wearing a mask.
For some reason, he picked up the sullen atmosphere Holo was giving off that very moment as she gazed at the scenery.
Lawrence had no idea what he should do.
"So how long will this take?"
This time he was late in his reply because he was so lost in his thoughts.
"Eh? Ah, er, about six days at the most."
There had been no villages or towns along the way. For Holo, who found the sight of human beings something that made things more bearable, this had been a long road indeed.
With the steppe scenery continuing on and on, he could understand why she would sigh and stick her tongue out in displeasure.
"I wonder if the town will be lively."
This was a very important matter to Holo. The livelier a town, the tastier its food and wine. The simple foods of a village were little better than rations on the road.
Given his preexisting concerns about the Debau Company, Lawrence had already tried to discover what he could about the town of Lesko, where the company held sway, to find out what kind of town it was.
But the more he tried to investigate, the more walls he slammed into. As there were few people who had gone as far as Lesko, he could not inquire as to the state of the town in any detail.
Even Philon, who ran a general goods store catering to mercenaries and thus made it his business to know which mercenaries were going where, had no grasp of the state of the town to which they were heading. He had heard it was lively, but that was the most he could share. He had spoken to a number of travelers and boatmen who went up and down the river, always getting the same story: It was indeed a large and lively town. When he asked how it was lively, the boatmen replied that unfortunately, their job was to haul cargo, not to check out the state of a town like Lawrence would. Those engaged in trade in Lenos said that they did not have a firm idea of what people in Lesko did.
No doubt the Debau Company saw to it that its daily needs were fulfilled via trade across the northlands. Furthermore, as precious metals were its main stock in trade, they were not limited either in variety or scale in what they could sell to ordinary merchants off the street.
"Out of sight, out of mind" went the saying; to ordinary townspeople, a town that required a journey of six to seven days by wagon to reach might as well have been at the very ends of the earth.
What stuck in his mind was that of those who had visited Lesko, every single one had praised it.
The mightier and more ruthless the king, the more the fearful townspeople sung their praises.
He felt that in a town set up by the Debau Company, which even sought to purchase the bones of an ancient being such as Holo in its quest to subdue the northlands, truly anything could be happening.
"I've heard it's lively, but...that might mean by northlands standards," Lawrence answered discreetly.
Perhaps because she did not appreciate the discretion, he heard Holo make a sound like she was raising one eyebrow, seeming dubious as she asked in return, "What do you mean?"


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

Input:
Which was all the more reason why Lawrence could not accept this treatment.
If they both knew they liked each other, why then was she rejecting him?
It was Holo who had first said that if someone were to approach them she would know ahead of time, and with both of them in human form, there was nothing they could not do. They had not even had anything that could be called a quarrel.
Nothing was logically the matter—so what could it be?
And yet Holo had been in a particularly good mood after Lawrence had received his smacking. That he could not understand what that meant whatsoever was rather ominous. Then, Holo seemed to be keeping her distance, never showing any expression worthy of the term, as if she was wearing a mask.
For some reason, he picked up the sullen atmosphere Holo was giving off that very moment as she gazed at the scenery.
Lawrence had no idea what he should do.
"So how long will this take?"
This time he was late in his reply because he was so lost in his thoughts.
"Eh? Ah, er, about six days at the most."
There had been no villages or towns along the way. For Holo, who found the sight of human beings something that made things more bearable, this had been a long road indeed.
With the steppe scenery continuing on and on, he could understand why she would sigh and stick her tongue out in displeasure.
"I wonder if the town will be lively."
This was a very important matter to Holo. The livelier a town, the tastier its food and wine. The simple foods of a village were little better than rations on the road.
Given his preexisting concerns about the Debau Company, Lawrence had already tried to discover what he could about the town of Lesko, where the company held sway, to find out what kind of town it was.
But the more he tried to investigate, the more walls he slammed into. As there were few people who had gone as far as Lesko, he could not inquire as to the state of the town in any detail.
Even Philon, who ran a general goods store catering to mercenaries and thus made it his business to know which mercenaries were going where, had no grasp of the state of the town to which they were heading. He had heard it was lively, but that was the most he could share. He had spoken to a number of travelers and boatmen who went up and down the river, always getting the same story: It was indeed a large and lively town. When he asked how it was lively, the boatmen replied that unfortunately, their job was to haul cargo, not to check out the state of a town like Lawrence would. Those engaged in trade in Lenos said that they did not have a firm idea of what people in Lesko did.
No doubt the Debau Company saw to it that its daily needs were fulfilled via trade across the northlands. Furthermore, as precious metals were its main stock in trade, they were not limited either in variety or scale in what they could sell to ordinary merchants off the street.
"Out of sight, out of mind" went the saying; to ordinary townspeople, a town that required a journey of six to seven days by wagon to reach might as well have been at the very ends of the earth.
What stuck in his mind was that of those who had visited Lesko, every single one had praised it.
The mightier and more ruthless the king, the more the fearful townspeople sung their praises.
He felt that in a town set up by the Debau Company, which even sought to purchase the bones of an ancient being such as Holo in its quest to subdue the northlands, truly anything could be happening.
"I've heard it's lively, but...that might mean by northlands standards," Lawrence answered discreetly.
Perhaps because she did not appreciate the discretion, he heard Holo make a sound like she was raising one eyebrow, seeming dubious as she asked in return, "What do you mean?"

Output:
He pulled out fourteen coins that had been packed inside the pouch. When bored with time to spare at inns, Holo had taken them out, gazed at them, and played with them, flicking them with her fingers.
"These are the fourteen main coins in circulation that I got from the money changer. This is because political power in the northlands is chopped up and divided all over the place. So, you can't get by with just one kind."
From his wallet, he pulled a trenni silver piece, which could be used in pretty much any town, and showed it to Holo.
"With so many coins about, people don't accept any coins they haven't seen before, which means a lot of time spent at the money changer's, which makes it hard to do business. Since it's hard to do business, there aren't very many merchants. That means few guests, and it also means little entertainment. People often say more currencies equals more headaches. Even in this batch I traded for, there are a number of coins I don't recognize. I don't know exactly what value they should be exchanged for. If it's so uncertain and troublesome, you'd want to conduct trade somewhere else, yes?"
Holo made a nod as though she understood Lawrence's words.
This was the sort of conversation Lawrence could really get into. Money had no bias, after all, and furthermore was easy to use.
"Well, certainly simpler 'tis better," Holo said curtly and huddled under her woolen blanket once more.
He had the feeling she had meant something more by that, but poking the thicket might bring out the snake.
Lawrence faced forward again, unconsciously rubbing the cheek that Holo had slapped so many times.
For a while since they left the town of Lenos, things had definitely grown cooler between him and Holo.
It was the fourth day since this state of affairs had taken shape.
Naturally, nothing could be resolved between them if they were not speaking to each other.
It was simply that when one was sick of traveling, it was difficult to care about the small things.
The night of the fourth day, on some kind of cue, her gaze met Lawrence's, along with a sour look and a long sigh.
She had probably simply thought it was too much trouble staying this stubborn. Or, at the very least, that it was highly unlikely Lawrence would be the first to break the ice.
A wise decision from the wisewolf.
That was why, when it was time for supper, she pulled back a fair bit of her obstinacy and, for the first time in a while, told him, "Hand me more meat!" When Lawrence put plenty on her plate, her ears twitched happily, even as her face remained sullen.
But she seemed to remain a bit conflicted about her compromise.
Around the time that clumsy small talk between them started to dry up, with the occasional sprinkle of snow accompanying the wind, Holo gently broke the ice.
Lawrence softly echoed her words back, as if trying not to frighten a wild rabbit that had drawn near.
"The Myuri mercenaries, you ask?"
"...Aye."
Holo gazed at the bonfire while she gnawed on a wooden spoon.
No doubt Holo had wanted to ask him about this earlier, but thanks to the strange atmosphere between her and Lawrence, she had not managed to get the words out.
Lawrence cleared his throat and strived to answer per usual.
"I wasn't able to gather all that much."
Holo made no reply to Lawrence's words, save a faint nod.
"At most it numbers about forty people, making it a quite small mercenary company. According to the guild in Delink, they expected to deploy at the fringes of Yoitsu. By historical standards, the current captain is still very young. Also, its flag is a wolf howling toward the sky."
"Aye."
Holo nodded as if thinking of something.
Lawrence chewed on some rice gruel with chicken broth mixed into it.
This was completely different from hearing the name of her old pack mate from her homeland again in some old book or half-forgotten legend. It was a name remaining with those who lived, who could be seen and touched.
Surely she had more worries and doubts than hopes.


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

Input:
He pulled out fourteen coins that had been packed inside the pouch. When bored with time to spare at inns, Holo had taken them out, gazed at them, and played with them, flicking them with her fingers.
"These are the fourteen main coins in circulation that I got from the money changer. This is because political power in the northlands is chopped up and divided all over the place. So, you can't get by with just one kind."
From his wallet, he pulled a trenni silver piece, which could be used in pretty much any town, and showed it to Holo.
"With so many coins about, people don't accept any coins they haven't seen before, which means a lot of time spent at the money changer's, which makes it hard to do business. Since it's hard to do business, there aren't very many merchants. That means few guests, and it also means little entertainment. People often say more currencies equals more headaches. Even in this batch I traded for, there are a number of coins I don't recognize. I don't know exactly what value they should be exchanged for. If it's so uncertain and troublesome, you'd want to conduct trade somewhere else, yes?"
Holo made a nod as though she understood Lawrence's words.
This was the sort of conversation Lawrence could really get into. Money had no bias, after all, and furthermore was easy to use.
"Well, certainly simpler 'tis better," Holo said curtly and huddled under her woolen blanket once more.
He had the feeling she had meant something more by that, but poking the thicket might bring out the snake.
Lawrence faced forward again, unconsciously rubbing the cheek that Holo had slapped so many times.
For a while since they left the town of Lenos, things had definitely grown cooler between him and Holo.
It was the fourth day since this state of affairs had taken shape.
Naturally, nothing could be resolved between them if they were not speaking to each other.
It was simply that when one was sick of traveling, it was difficult to care about the small things.
The night of the fourth day, on some kind of cue, her gaze met Lawrence's, along with a sour look and a long sigh.
She had probably simply thought it was too much trouble staying this stubborn. Or, at the very least, that it was highly unlikely Lawrence would be the first to break the ice.
A wise decision from the wisewolf.
That was why, when it was time for supper, she pulled back a fair bit of her obstinacy and, for the first time in a while, told him, "Hand me more meat!" When Lawrence put plenty on her plate, her ears twitched happily, even as her face remained sullen.
But she seemed to remain a bit conflicted about her compromise.
Around the time that clumsy small talk between them started to dry up, with the occasional sprinkle of snow accompanying the wind, Holo gently broke the ice.
Lawrence softly echoed her words back, as if trying not to frighten a wild rabbit that had drawn near.
"The Myuri mercenaries, you ask?"
"...Aye."
Holo gazed at the bonfire while she gnawed on a wooden spoon.
No doubt Holo had wanted to ask him about this earlier, but thanks to the strange atmosphere between her and Lawrence, she had not managed to get the words out.
Lawrence cleared his throat and strived to answer per usual.
"I wasn't able to gather all that much."
Holo made no reply to Lawrence's words, save a faint nod.
"At most it numbers about forty people, making it a quite small mercenary company. According to the guild in Delink, they expected to deploy at the fringes of Yoitsu. By historical standards, the current captain is still very young. Also, its flag is a wolf howling toward the sky."
"Aye."
Holo nodded as if thinking of something.
Lawrence chewed on some rice gruel with chicken broth mixed into it.
This was completely different from hearing the name of her old pack mate from her homeland again in some old book or half-forgotten legend. It was a name remaining with those who lived, who could be seen and touched.
Surely she had more worries and doubts than hopes.

Output:
Lawrence would have conveyed a number of things to her if he could, but he could not tell her what he did not know. Even so, he had a responsibility to cheer up a traveling companion sitting and eating in silence.
As she crunched something hard like cartilage and washed it down, Lawrence spoke.
"Ah, and also."
"Aye?" Holo raised her face from her bowl, looking up at Lawrence somewhat expectantly.
"It seems the captain is particularly skilled and daring."
He thought that anyone would want someone bearing the name of a pack mate from her homeland to hear that.
However, one did not have to be Holo to see through the transparent flattery all too clearly.
A seemingly grateful smile began to form on Holo's face but settled into a bittersweet one.
Then Lawrence added this immediately afterward: "And he would seem to be as handsome as I am."
As if on purpose, he rubbed his chin as he spoke. Rather than a flat-out lie, this was actually a joke Eringin of the Delink Company had made.
Holo's eating hand came to a stop as she looked at Lawrence once again. It was plain on her face that she did not know what to say to that.
However, as her shock waned, what remained were vaguely happy-looking ears and a swaying tail. As Holo watched Lawrence playing the fool, she shifted her gaze away every so often, thinking something over.
Finally, Holo gave a large sigh while scratching the base of her ear, making a seemingly exhausted smile as she spoke.
"Hmph. Fear not. Myuri had the plainer looks of the two of you."
"Good to know."
She had replied, but all she was doing was answering his words. Perhaps this would not work.
As if on purpose, Lawrence's smile seemed to conceal uncertainty as Holo continued to speak.
"What, did you think I would choose based on appearance alone?"
She had bit.
Lawrence replied immediately.
"Not at all."
"Were I to, I would choose Col before the likes of you."
She spoke with a blunt expression on her face as she sipped her rice gruel. However, she did not cut off her words there.
"If not him, then...who was that young man in that town who had his heart set on me again?"
"...Amati, eh...?"
"Aye. That is the one. I would choose him, then."
Now that she had climbed aboard an obvious joke, he of course did not know just how serious she was being.
But, he thought, she was at least somewhat serious. Rummaging through his own memories, Lawrence could not recall a single time she had praised his looks.
Even so, when he was a penniless mud-covered beginner, he had been at his happiest when his trading partner disregarded his dirty outside appearance, properly trusting what was on the inside, and furthermore, sending work in his direction. That was the kind of person whose trust he most wanted to repay, whose expectations he most wished to respond to.
That is why Lawrence was happy at Holo's words.
And making oneself and the other party happy was the foundation of trade.
"Well, I wouldn't choose you for your face ei...th..."
Holo looked at Lawrence with a broad grin.
Lawrence closed his mouth before finishing the thought.
"None can claim I am anything but fetching."
Certainly, just from looking at her face, one would think she was an angel.
But that was not what Lawrence had wished to say. Surely that had not slipped past Holo, and she had said what she did knowing that full well.
Even if Lawrence thought it underhanded, he was happy to see Holo looking like herself after so long. "I suppose that's true," he said.
Holo made a look of astonishment, which changed to a pleasant smile as she chuckled.
"So, shall we truly meet them in Lesko, I wonder?"
Holo was muttering as she used a basin to wash herself with water scooped out of a river, just as the sun was setting. Thanks to the bonfire, one could not even squint to see the flow of the river at the moment, but the river was certainly full and flowing.
People had many such rivers flowing inside them. The wise laid down bridges before their feet were swept away.


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

Input:
Lawrence would have conveyed a number of things to her if he could, but he could not tell her what he did not know. Even so, he had a responsibility to cheer up a traveling companion sitting and eating in silence.
As she crunched something hard like cartilage and washed it down, Lawrence spoke.
"Ah, and also."
"Aye?" Holo raised her face from her bowl, looking up at Lawrence somewhat expectantly.
"It seems the captain is particularly skilled and daring."
He thought that anyone would want someone bearing the name of a pack mate from her homeland to hear that.
However, one did not have to be Holo to see through the transparent flattery all too clearly.
A seemingly grateful smile began to form on Holo's face but settled into a bittersweet one.
Then Lawrence added this immediately afterward: "And he would seem to be as handsome as I am."
As if on purpose, he rubbed his chin as he spoke. Rather than a flat-out lie, this was actually a joke Eringin of the Delink Company had made.
Holo's eating hand came to a stop as she looked at Lawrence once again. It was plain on her face that she did not know what to say to that.
However, as her shock waned, what remained were vaguely happy-looking ears and a swaying tail. As Holo watched Lawrence playing the fool, she shifted her gaze away every so often, thinking something over.
Finally, Holo gave a large sigh while scratching the base of her ear, making a seemingly exhausted smile as she spoke.
"Hmph. Fear not. Myuri had the plainer looks of the two of you."
"Good to know."
She had replied, but all she was doing was answering his words. Perhaps this would not work.
As if on purpose, Lawrence's smile seemed to conceal uncertainty as Holo continued to speak.
"What, did you think I would choose based on appearance alone?"
She had bit.
Lawrence replied immediately.
"Not at all."
"Were I to, I would choose Col before the likes of you."
She spoke with a blunt expression on her face as she sipped her rice gruel. However, she did not cut off her words there.
"If not him, then...who was that young man in that town who had his heart set on me again?"
"...Amati, eh...?"
"Aye. That is the one. I would choose him, then."
Now that she had climbed aboard an obvious joke, he of course did not know just how serious she was being.
But, he thought, she was at least somewhat serious. Rummaging through his own memories, Lawrence could not recall a single time she had praised his looks.
Even so, when he was a penniless mud-covered beginner, he had been at his happiest when his trading partner disregarded his dirty outside appearance, properly trusting what was on the inside, and furthermore, sending work in his direction. That was the kind of person whose trust he most wanted to repay, whose expectations he most wished to respond to.
That is why Lawrence was happy at Holo's words.
And making oneself and the other party happy was the foundation of trade.
"Well, I wouldn't choose you for your face ei...th..."
Holo looked at Lawrence with a broad grin.
Lawrence closed his mouth before finishing the thought.
"None can claim I am anything but fetching."
Certainly, just from looking at her face, one would think she was an angel.
But that was not what Lawrence had wished to say. Surely that had not slipped past Holo, and she had said what she did knowing that full well.
Even if Lawrence thought it underhanded, he was happy to see Holo looking like herself after so long. "I suppose that's true," he said.
Holo made a look of astonishment, which changed to a pleasant smile as she chuckled.
"So, shall we truly meet them in Lesko, I wonder?"
Holo was muttering as she used a basin to wash herself with water scooped out of a river, just as the sun was setting. Thanks to the bonfire, one could not even squint to see the flow of the river at the moment, but the river was certainly full and flowing.
People had many such rivers flowing inside them. The wise laid down bridges before their feet were swept away.

Output:
Lawrence had to return to his trade route and thus had very little time remaining to him. If they were unable to find the mercenaries in either Lesko or, failing that, midway along the way to Yoitsu, another journey to search for them was virtually impossible.
Holo knew all this. Even so, Lawrence's words seemed to tickle her ears. Holo arched her neck back, using a stick to dig hot embers out of the bonfire, smiling as she spoke.
"Aye. The more fun the better."
"Well, chances are we'll meet them without any trouble."
He said it like that was something any wisewolf should understand.
Holo glanced at him and smiled with the chagrin that he had gotten her this time.
She separated the largest embers from the others for replacing the spent ones in the pocket heater.
"Just think of all the fun you would have if I became angry and ran off and you went searching for me."
She scattered the ashes, stuffed the embers into triple-woven hemp sacks, and pulled the openings shut.
Watching her do so as if strangling his own neck wiped the smile off Lawrence's face. Even so, he could not just let her have the last word.
"I'm sure it would be fun. I'd find you driven to tears by an empty stomach, after all."
Her ears reacted with a twitch, but Holo was not foolish enough to let herself become angry at that point.
As one chuckled and the other laughed, neither giving an inch, the night grew late.
Atop the wagon's baggage, both held their ember-filled sacks to their bellies, facing away from each other as they went to sleep.
However, even with their backs turned to each other, their breathing matched perfectly.
He thought it had probably been harder to sleep when their breathing had not been thus synchronized.
It would be less than three days until they reached Lesko, where the Debau Company was. He wondered how long it would take them to reach Yoitsu after that.
At the very least, he knew that this night, spent fearlessly hurling insults at each other, had been the most carefree night of all.
He knew they were getting close to Lesko, even without relying on the number of footprints left in the snow on the white-dyed steppe. A stronger indicator was the sudden increase in the number of merchants on the road.
Many of them enveloped themselves in coarse wool, their faces darkened beyond recognition from grime and snow burn. From the manner of their appearance, these were not the ones doing business in a lively town, but rather those who transported the bare necessities of life to the harshest of climes.
Of course, there were also merchants who seemed to be engaged in more profitable commerce, in single file, cargo loaded to the brim. However, even they were not using horse-drawn wagons, accustomed as they were to navigating treacherous paths; they employed tough-hided mules, each loaded down with a mountain of baggage.
Lesko seemed to be summoning mercenary groups and was even gathering noblemen from all over the northlands. Given this, Lawrence had been certain the path would have a more foreboding atmosphere. But there was no such impression given. The road seemed to have been recently constructed, and while sturdy, it did not have the feel of a road rushed for the advance of an army. He had been prepared to count on Holo's ears and intuition if he must, but the highway had no trace of an atmosphere of unrest.
If it was full of something, it was a liveliness just under the surface.
The road gave off the sense that it led to a town with profitable trade where money could be made, and Lawrence, being a merchant, drank it up.
A rural town in the north where some unrest was arising—that was what he had expected from the town of Lesko. And yet.
"'Twould seem they are high in spirits." Perhaps because she anticipated possibly meeting Myuri, Holo had tossed and turned more than slept over the last few days; her voice was a little off-key as she spoke. "And in a different direction than expected at that."


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

Input:
Lawrence had to return to his trade route and thus had very little time remaining to him. If they were unable to find the mercenaries in either Lesko or, failing that, midway along the way to Yoitsu, another journey to search for them was virtually impossible.
Holo knew all this. Even so, Lawrence's words seemed to tickle her ears. Holo arched her neck back, using a stick to dig hot embers out of the bonfire, smiling as she spoke.
"Aye. The more fun the better."
"Well, chances are we'll meet them without any trouble."
He said it like that was something any wisewolf should understand.
Holo glanced at him and smiled with the chagrin that he had gotten her this time.
She separated the largest embers from the others for replacing the spent ones in the pocket heater.
"Just think of all the fun you would have if I became angry and ran off and you went searching for me."
She scattered the ashes, stuffed the embers into triple-woven hemp sacks, and pulled the openings shut.
Watching her do so as if strangling his own neck wiped the smile off Lawrence's face. Even so, he could not just let her have the last word.
"I'm sure it would be fun. I'd find you driven to tears by an empty stomach, after all."
Her ears reacted with a twitch, but Holo was not foolish enough to let herself become angry at that point.
As one chuckled and the other laughed, neither giving an inch, the night grew late.
Atop the wagon's baggage, both held their ember-filled sacks to their bellies, facing away from each other as they went to sleep.
However, even with their backs turned to each other, their breathing matched perfectly.
He thought it had probably been harder to sleep when their breathing had not been thus synchronized.
It would be less than three days until they reached Lesko, where the Debau Company was. He wondered how long it would take them to reach Yoitsu after that.
At the very least, he knew that this night, spent fearlessly hurling insults at each other, had been the most carefree night of all.
He knew they were getting close to Lesko, even without relying on the number of footprints left in the snow on the white-dyed steppe. A stronger indicator was the sudden increase in the number of merchants on the road.
Many of them enveloped themselves in coarse wool, their faces darkened beyond recognition from grime and snow burn. From the manner of their appearance, these were not the ones doing business in a lively town, but rather those who transported the bare necessities of life to the harshest of climes.
Of course, there were also merchants who seemed to be engaged in more profitable commerce, in single file, cargo loaded to the brim. However, even they were not using horse-drawn wagons, accustomed as they were to navigating treacherous paths; they employed tough-hided mules, each loaded down with a mountain of baggage.
Lesko seemed to be summoning mercenary groups and was even gathering noblemen from all over the northlands. Given this, Lawrence had been certain the path would have a more foreboding atmosphere. But there was no such impression given. The road seemed to have been recently constructed, and while sturdy, it did not have the feel of a road rushed for the advance of an army. He had been prepared to count on Holo's ears and intuition if he must, but the highway had no trace of an atmosphere of unrest.
If it was full of something, it was a liveliness just under the surface.
The road gave off the sense that it led to a town with profitable trade where money could be made, and Lawrence, being a merchant, drank it up.
A rural town in the north where some unrest was arising—that was what he had expected from the town of Lesko. And yet.
"'Twould seem they are high in spirits." Perhaps because she anticipated possibly meeting Myuri, Holo had tossed and turned more than slept over the last few days; her voice was a little off-key as she spoke. "And in a different direction than expected at that."

Output:
"Mmm, we'll find out when we get there soon enough."
Having come this far, that was all he could say. He gripped the reins, urging the horse to trot faster than usual.
Beside him, Holo nodded, looking unable to calm down.
Whatever the case with him, Holo was feeling stress at the possibility of meeting a comrade she had not seen in centuries. It was at times like these that he had to keep himself together.
Thinking this, Lawrence wondered what he could do about it, what words he could say to her, what small talk he could use to distract her.
But as his intention would be all too clear either way, he could not think of anything good to say.
He was well aware that outside of commerce, his way of speaking was simple and rustic.
That was why, even with the incident in Lenos in the back of his mind, Lawrence did what he could.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out beside him with his gloved hand and took Holo's hand. He held it as if to say, "Don't worry." Of course, Holo looked at him as if startled, and then gave her hand a good, long look as Lawrence held it. For his part, Lawrence desperately kept his gaze ahead, half expecting to be slugged at any moment.
However, Holo did not move. They spent a while like this, which was very awkward and difficult for him.
Perhaps he was simply projecting his own insecurities onto Holo. She was not the weak girl her appearance would suggest, after all.
Even so, Holo grasped Lawrence's hand back.
This was the belly of the Debau Company's vast mining belt holdings.
Even Kieman, branch manager of the Rowen Trade Guild in Kerube, had told Lawrence not to meddle with the giant company.
Down the road, the town of Lesko came into sight.
Here inside the town, in the middle of the street, Lawrence was in complete shock.
No matter what he said, no matter how many times he looked around, it was true.
In the first place, there were no walls. While thinking they were not quite there yet, he had somehow found himself inside the town.
Furthermore, he had convinced himself that this being a mining company, there must be mines nearby, but he had been mistaken. Certainly the mountains were but a short distance away, but Lesko bore no sign of the cramped, boisterous atmosphere that all mining towns shared.
And finally, the town was certainly not small. If anything, it was huge.
There were numerous grand buildings, and it seemed like half the surface of the ground had been sliced away only to have paving stones inserted in its place. Thanks to this, people and wagons made peculiar sounds as they came and went. It must have taken years of work to plant and maintain whole trees on the side of the road like this. How did they raise money for such expenses without walls? And all the roads were well maintained, even the little-trafficked inner streets.
Furthermore, the residents' faces were full of life, without one shred of thought that a war was about to break out. Or that if one was, it was already won.
"Are we truly in the right place...?"
He understood quite well the feeling that made Holo ask him this.
Amalgamating all the stories they had heard so far, this was a mining town steeped in sin where the greedy among the northlands huddled together in secret, avarice-filled conferences, scheming as to how to plunge the land into fear and mayhem.
But was that really the case?
The sales booths that lined the streets were overflowing with customers; alongside them were musicians, bards, clowns, and other attractions, drawing many people all around them.
There were more dangerous sorts as well. However, rather than uniformly bearing crude pikes and so forth, they spent their daylight hours playing cards, drinking wine, and so forth at taverns catering to travelers. There were clergymen loitering about as well, but as they all seemed rather well dressed, they gave off no sense of launching some sort of austere religious mission.
What was going on here?