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

Input:
"Miss Tanya being here must mean...you three were looking into the origins of the tariffs, weren't you?"
Tanya, who had been sitting by her lonesome, not quite a part of the conversation, immediately perked up.
"A portion of the goods in this city have oddly high tariffs," Lawrence explained. "They say that stems from the Hero Voragine's work."
"He's the one who defeated the great serpent." Tanya gave her friendly smile, since she understood this conversation.
Lawrence smiled in response and continued, "That was a long time ago. And you know what they say—don't pour new wine into an old wineskin."
"...Do you mean that people doubt these origins?"
"No one likes taxes. Any strong allegation needs an equally strong excuse. Persuading people with a figure of myth who may or may not have actually existed can only go so far."
The shrewd bishop may have sensed that a shadow was being cast over the authority of an old tale.
He then set his mind into motion, trying to figure out a way to keep earning the same amount of money despite anticipating the lowered tariffs in the future.
And just as he had forced church work upon Elsa, he was dressing up a dying candle and trying to pass it off to Lawrence, assuring the merchant that the candle was all his, so long as it kept illuminating the church.
"With solid grounds for the tariffs, then I believe accepting the offer would not be a bad idea. But if it is indeed an entirely made-up story, then there is a very good chance that you would be losing out here, especially since the tariffs will indeed come down one day."
If tariff income went down despite having made the promise to pay a fixed fee each year, then whoever owned those interests would suffer huge losses. The deal offered to Lawrence was not without its disadvantages.
"'Tis as though we are meant to find this great serpent," Holo said to Lawrence with a disappointed look, her elbows planted firmly on the table either because she was drunk or vexed.
Lawrence then smiled at Holo before turning to Elsa.
"And God must have had a hand in this today, because there so happens to be a native from a village with a serpent myth right here."
Lawrence had mostly seen through the bishop's scheme.
And on top of that, he knew he had a lot of resources within his reach.
Hidden beneath their courteous smiles was a battle of wits between Lawrence and the bishop.
The winner would profit greatly, of course, but for Lawrence, it came with the extra prize of showing off to Holo.
Elsa turned to meet Holo's gaze, and she shrugged.
Holo threw back her wine cup to drown out her utterance, "You lot are unbelievable."
***
If the myth about the great serpent turned out to be true and they could provide solid proof of such, then it would be a powerful reason for them to keep tariffs as they were. But conversely, if the myth turned out to be nothing but a tall tale, then it would be very difficult for the town to maintain the historically high tariffs. That was the gist of the situation, but Elsa still had something she wanted to ask Lawrence.
The day after their conversation at the square, Salonia's grand market and the future festival were both entering their final stages. Their festival did not have venerable origins, unlike most other places, and instead was simply meant to celebrate the year's harvest, to have one last big party before the bleak winter, and to venerate a saint that had been retroactively created to fit the celebration, so it was essentially a big, ordinary feast.
Since Holo was the one who helped select the alcohol that would be served at the final ceremony, the townsfolk had roped her into helping prepare for the festival bright and early in the morning. She went to practice a quick ceremonial exchange and have adjustments made to the costume she would wear on the day.
The bishop, too, was in charge of running the festival, so he was absent from tariff meetings that day.

Output:
"What do you think of the tariffs?" she asked.
"What do I think, hmm?"
Lawrence gave her a very mercantile-like expression of feigned ignorance, then dropped his hammer on a walnut. They sat together in a corner of the church on the flagstone floor, splitting the walnuts Tanya had brought from her mountain as a souvenir.
"As a matter of justice," she elaborated.
"What do you mean?"
The walnut shells, after being roasted to the point where they just barely cracked open, were easily split with the hammers.
Lawrence picked out the inside of his walnut with delight, as though justice or truth itself had been hidden inside it.
"Tariffs pay for road repairs, waterwheels, city governance, and the guards who keep order. But not every coin collected by those tariffs goes toward those things," she said.
"Sometimes they also fill another's coffers. Like a botfly gorging itself on blood, right?"
Elsa brought down her hammer, cracking a walnut.
"This church does not need any more money. And cheaper lumber prices means that people can live in houses for less."
"And winter is coming up soon. People will need to light their hearths."
"And thus, justice."
Lawrence was not a completely heartless merchant, but that did not mean he was completely altruistic, either.
"I understand what you mean, Miss Elsa, but in the coming months without any farmwork, the villagers who dig up peat may want lumber prices to remain high."
Just as it was the farmers' job to carry the lumber to the peat-diggers' villages, the lumber trade belonged to the affluent merchants.
Once he brought up the line of thought that tariffs were on the people's side, then it was difficult to say which was which.
"But did you not say that the tariffs here are too high?"
Lawrence watched Tanya, who sat apart from them splitting walnuts with some of the other town girls, even as he did the same. The girls, seemingly bored of the task, were instead combing Tanya's fluffy hair, braiding it, and pulling it up as they pleased with giggles.
"It is, yes. Unnaturally so."
Elsa, who had lived in a small village and had worried a lot about the tax problem, considered taxes as something that made people suffer. Watching Lawrence work to preserve such high tariffs left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
"Don't you think we should lower them, then?"
Unlike Holo, Lawrence was not the type to break from Elsa's gaze if the situation did not suit him. He stared back at her, then gave a slight smile.
"This town has its own history. This isn't something an outsider can so easily fiddle with."
He must have sensed the anger wafting from her—How dare you look me in the eye and spout sophistry—because he finally looked away.
"...Which is why I think we should learn their history."
He glanced over at Tanya and the girls before gazing up at the church's high ceiling. The women who then entered from outside brought them freshly baked bread. A delicious aroma filled the air; the women left the bread there, took some of the walnuts, then left. They had been baking bread since before sunup all to prepare for the festival the following day. While acorn bread was not something Elsa would willingly eat, she suspected bread with walnuts was rather nice.
"Do you believe that the great serpent actually exists?"
Lawrence's wife was a wolf.
When Elsa asked him that, instead of his merchant's smile, he offered her a real one.
"I actually want to rely on you because I think you'd be eager to help me out."
Tereo's guardian spirit had, in fact, been a snake.
"I serve the Church's god."
"Right."
Elsa was, of course, disappointed when he brushed her off with an emotionless response.
Though he seemed like nothing more than a boneheaded sheep when he was with Holo, he was much more like a slippery merchant when she dealt with him one-on-one like this.
"Miss Holo seems anxious that you're in such high spirits."


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

Input:
"What do you think of the tariffs?" she asked.
"What do I think, hmm?"
Lawrence gave her a very mercantile-like expression of feigned ignorance, then dropped his hammer on a walnut. They sat together in a corner of the church on the flagstone floor, splitting the walnuts Tanya had brought from her mountain as a souvenir.
"As a matter of justice," she elaborated.
"What do you mean?"
The walnut shells, after being roasted to the point where they just barely cracked open, were easily split with the hammers.
Lawrence picked out the inside of his walnut with delight, as though justice or truth itself had been hidden inside it.
"Tariffs pay for road repairs, waterwheels, city governance, and the guards who keep order. But not every coin collected by those tariffs goes toward those things," she said.
"Sometimes they also fill another's coffers. Like a botfly gorging itself on blood, right?"
Elsa brought down her hammer, cracking a walnut.
"This church does not need any more money. And cheaper lumber prices means that people can live in houses for less."
"And winter is coming up soon. People will need to light their hearths."
"And thus, justice."
Lawrence was not a completely heartless merchant, but that did not mean he was completely altruistic, either.
"I understand what you mean, Miss Elsa, but in the coming months without any farmwork, the villagers who dig up peat may want lumber prices to remain high."
Just as it was the farmers' job to carry the lumber to the peat-diggers' villages, the lumber trade belonged to the affluent merchants.
Once he brought up the line of thought that tariffs were on the people's side, then it was difficult to say which was which.
"But did you not say that the tariffs here are too high?"
Lawrence watched Tanya, who sat apart from them splitting walnuts with some of the other town girls, even as he did the same. The girls, seemingly bored of the task, were instead combing Tanya's fluffy hair, braiding it, and pulling it up as they pleased with giggles.
"It is, yes. Unnaturally so."
Elsa, who had lived in a small village and had worried a lot about the tax problem, considered taxes as something that made people suffer. Watching Lawrence work to preserve such high tariffs left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
"Don't you think we should lower them, then?"
Unlike Holo, Lawrence was not the type to break from Elsa's gaze if the situation did not suit him. He stared back at her, then gave a slight smile.
"This town has its own history. This isn't something an outsider can so easily fiddle with."
He must have sensed the anger wafting from her—How dare you look me in the eye and spout sophistry—because he finally looked away.
"...Which is why I think we should learn their history."
He glanced over at Tanya and the girls before gazing up at the church's high ceiling. The women who then entered from outside brought them freshly baked bread. A delicious aroma filled the air; the women left the bread there, took some of the walnuts, then left. They had been baking bread since before sunup all to prepare for the festival the following day. While acorn bread was not something Elsa would willingly eat, she suspected bread with walnuts was rather nice.
"Do you believe that the great serpent actually exists?"
Lawrence's wife was a wolf.
When Elsa asked him that, instead of his merchant's smile, he offered her a real one.
"I actually want to rely on you because I think you'd be eager to help me out."
Tereo's guardian spirit had, in fact, been a snake.
"I serve the Church's god."
"Right."
Elsa was, of course, disappointed when he brushed her off with an emotionless response.
Though he seemed like nothing more than a boneheaded sheep when he was with Holo, he was much more like a slippery merchant when she dealt with him one-on-one like this.
"Miss Holo seems anxious that you're in such high spirits."

Output:
Elsa could not tell either way through his merchant's demeanor, but at the very least, he could not deny what she said.
"I...can't deny that I'm in high spirits, no. This is a reward beyond my wildest dreams, you see."
He did not sound as though he was lying, and that frankly shocked Elsa.
"I did not know you wanted such things, too."
She could hardly picture him taking up the mantle of landlord, but Lawrence himself gave a bashful smile.
"I think you will find this silly, too, Miss Elsa."
"...How so?"
Lawrence cracked the walnut and picked out the insides.
"The Voragine family privileges come with considerable influence over land. That is what I'm after, if anything."
"...I don't understand."
Elsa could tell that he was not deliberately trying to obfuscate what he was saying, and that it was simply difficult to explain, but she still could not imagine what he meant. As she sat thinking, Lawrence continued, as though trying to divert the topic.
"Well, it's an overly optimistic calculation at this point, but you know what they say—the goddess of luck only has bangs."
"You must take the opportunity that presents itself?"
"Yes."
Lawrence tossed the walnut shell into the waste sack and wiped his hands.
As Elsa watched him, she could not help but ask, "But you said you are relying on me. Do you think I have special eyes that can see great serpents?"
Lawrence flashed a self-deprecating smile in response.
"Holo is very cranky. That's why I need your help to get things moving, Miss Elsa."
"Hmm?"
For a moment, Elsa did not know what Lawrence meant. Yet she noticed Lawrence's mischievous attitude, and finally understood what he was trying to tell her.
"If I am to help you, then does that mean Miss Holo must come along as well?"
"Wolves are very picky about territory, you see."
She could not believe this man.
He was desperate to show off to Holo, yet he was anxious that if he were to pursue the topic any further, she would get genuinely angry with him. Yet the only reason he could not bear to give up on his chase was not because he wanted to make a name for himself, but because he wanted to please his beloved wife.
As a member of the clergy, part of whose job was to preach love, she found it difficult to admonish him.
"You two have not changed one bit."
They were never direct; always thinking of each other in a roundabout way.
"I will take that as a compliment."
The way Lawrence said that brought a smile to Elsa's face as she brought down her hammer on the walnut with even more force.
Preparations for the festival must have ended in the morning as Holo came to the church a little after noon. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely because she had been treated to alcohol, but the reason her eyes seemed glassy was more likely that there had been trouble between her and Lawrence the night before.
Lawrence, who had tempered his merchant's audacity, easily pretended not to notice something was wrong with his wife and asked Elsa if she would be willing to accompany them to look into the legend of the serpent.
He made an exaggerated glance at Elsa and gave her a slight wink; Elsa emitted a sigh and agreed. Holo insisted she would go along as well, as though not wanting her own prey to be snatched away from her. Holo knew she was being roped into something.
In Elsa's eyes, their interaction was a clash of wily expectations, a childish stubbornness that used absolute faith in each other as a shield, and there was nothing noble about it.
And so, Elsa had been roped into their playful back-and-forth, yet she agreed to go along with it all because she felt responsible for being witness to their love.
Tanya came along, too, and they all hopped on a cart to the old Voragine territory in the Salonia area.
"It would make things much easier if they had the skull of the great serpent on display," Lawrence said, reins in hand.


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

Input:
Elsa could not tell either way through his merchant's demeanor, but at the very least, he could not deny what she said.
"I...can't deny that I'm in high spirits, no. This is a reward beyond my wildest dreams, you see."
He did not sound as though he was lying, and that frankly shocked Elsa.
"I did not know you wanted such things, too."
She could hardly picture him taking up the mantle of landlord, but Lawrence himself gave a bashful smile.
"I think you will find this silly, too, Miss Elsa."
"...How so?"
Lawrence cracked the walnut and picked out the insides.
"The Voragine family privileges come with considerable influence over land. That is what I'm after, if anything."
"...I don't understand."
Elsa could tell that he was not deliberately trying to obfuscate what he was saying, and that it was simply difficult to explain, but she still could not imagine what he meant. As she sat thinking, Lawrence continued, as though trying to divert the topic.
"Well, it's an overly optimistic calculation at this point, but you know what they say—the goddess of luck only has bangs."
"You must take the opportunity that presents itself?"
"Yes."
Lawrence tossed the walnut shell into the waste sack and wiped his hands.
As Elsa watched him, she could not help but ask, "But you said you are relying on me. Do you think I have special eyes that can see great serpents?"
Lawrence flashed a self-deprecating smile in response.
"Holo is very cranky. That's why I need your help to get things moving, Miss Elsa."
"Hmm?"
For a moment, Elsa did not know what Lawrence meant. Yet she noticed Lawrence's mischievous attitude, and finally understood what he was trying to tell her.
"If I am to help you, then does that mean Miss Holo must come along as well?"
"Wolves are very picky about territory, you see."
She could not believe this man.
He was desperate to show off to Holo, yet he was anxious that if he were to pursue the topic any further, she would get genuinely angry with him. Yet the only reason he could not bear to give up on his chase was not because he wanted to make a name for himself, but because he wanted to please his beloved wife.
As a member of the clergy, part of whose job was to preach love, she found it difficult to admonish him.
"You two have not changed one bit."
They were never direct; always thinking of each other in a roundabout way.
"I will take that as a compliment."
The way Lawrence said that brought a smile to Elsa's face as she brought down her hammer on the walnut with even more force.
Preparations for the festival must have ended in the morning as Holo came to the church a little after noon. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely because she had been treated to alcohol, but the reason her eyes seemed glassy was more likely that there had been trouble between her and Lawrence the night before.
Lawrence, who had tempered his merchant's audacity, easily pretended not to notice something was wrong with his wife and asked Elsa if she would be willing to accompany them to look into the legend of the serpent.
He made an exaggerated glance at Elsa and gave her a slight wink; Elsa emitted a sigh and agreed. Holo insisted she would go along as well, as though not wanting her own prey to be snatched away from her. Holo knew she was being roped into something.
In Elsa's eyes, their interaction was a clash of wily expectations, a childish stubbornness that used absolute faith in each other as a shield, and there was nothing noble about it.
And so, Elsa had been roped into their playful back-and-forth, yet she agreed to go along with it all because she felt responsible for being witness to their love.
Tanya came along, too, and they all hopped on a cart to the old Voragine territory in the Salonia area.
"It would make things much easier if they had the skull of the great serpent on display," Lawrence said, reins in hand.

Output:
"I read over the annals again," Elsa interjected from her spot in the cart bed with Tanya, saying, "and the way it was written could be interpreted that it was chased away, not so much killed."
It would be much more effective for the Church if they simply announced outright that they had killed it. Even if it had just been chased away.
But one could also look at it with a cynical eye and say that the true reason was because if such a claim spread far and wide, then people would begin to clamor for proof.
"Did it not escape to the mountain you live on?"
Holo glanced back at Tanya. The squirrel avatar, who had been playing with the braids the village girls had woven into her hair, sat up straight in surprise.
"N-no. I would have known if a large snake lived nearby."
The mountain in the Vallan Bishopric at the time had been rendered completely bare due to the mining operations, so everyone doubtlessly had a very good view of the area.
"Can such a beast be vanquished with human spears and swords anyway?" Holo mused.
If it was indeed a giant snake, then its scales must have been as hard as steel. It was hard to imagine that anything could have cut or pierced them.
Elsa pictured the script written in the annals, translated it into vernacular in her head, and said, "'The Hero Voragine brandished his blade and plunged it into the snake's neck. The snake raised its great head and gave a final cry. The plains of Salonia have known peace ever since...'"
Once she was finished with her little story, Holo scoffed.
"Perhaps it awoke from a nap because there was a tickle on its neck, and it simply yawned."
Elsa could easily imagine the same.
"If the snake had any ill will to begin with, Salonia would have been in grave danger. Nothing in the annals mentioned any damage to the city."
"There were likely horses and sheep tastier than humans here, and it was unlikely it missed a town in an area with such good visibility."
"There are many stories of pagan snake gods who adore alcohol in particular."
The priest who raised Elsa had been in the habit of collecting stories on the pagan gods. Elsa had collected similar stories of her own when she left home to travel and mentioned it as she flipped through her memory.
"Then does that mean 'tis not a made-up story?"
Holo knew that the bishop had carefully calculated this entire situation, so she was hesitant to allow her husband to get too deeply involved with it, which of course meant she was likely hoping that the story of the serpent was but a tall tale.
She turned a pointed gaze on Lawrence, but he only shrugged.
"A regular old warrior became a landowning noble overnight, and even gained the right to levy tariffs in a town that was still developing. It shouldn't be all that shallow. I think taking down a serpent of that caliber would certainly earn a reward that great, and conversely, I can't think of anything else that would explain what happened here."
Elsa nodded to herself in agreement. Lawrence was not simply elated by a prospect too good to be true; he was carefully evaluating what he had seen and heard, so that perhaps he could find the treasure if he chipped away at it.
But that was precisely why Elsa thought it strange.
Did Lawrence genuinely believe that the great serpent existed?
Considering his partner was a legendary wolf spirit, it was not odd to think that he would be more likely to believe in the possibility than most. On the flip side, however, that meant he was trying to obtain privileges that came about all because this great serpent, one of the old pagan gods, had been killed. Elsa thought him a bit insensitive as someone who made a wolf spirit his wife, given that she was not all that different from the serpent.
One could claim that wolves and snakes were not very similar, but there was something that did not sit right with her.


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

Input:
"I read over the annals again," Elsa interjected from her spot in the cart bed with Tanya, saying, "and the way it was written could be interpreted that it was chased away, not so much killed."
It would be much more effective for the Church if they simply announced outright that they had killed it. Even if it had just been chased away.
But one could also look at it with a cynical eye and say that the true reason was because if such a claim spread far and wide, then people would begin to clamor for proof.
"Did it not escape to the mountain you live on?"
Holo glanced back at Tanya. The squirrel avatar, who had been playing with the braids the village girls had woven into her hair, sat up straight in surprise.
"N-no. I would have known if a large snake lived nearby."
The mountain in the Vallan Bishopric at the time had been rendered completely bare due to the mining operations, so everyone doubtlessly had a very good view of the area.
"Can such a beast be vanquished with human spears and swords anyway?" Holo mused.
If it was indeed a giant snake, then its scales must have been as hard as steel. It was hard to imagine that anything could have cut or pierced them.
Elsa pictured the script written in the annals, translated it into vernacular in her head, and said, "'The Hero Voragine brandished his blade and plunged it into the snake's neck. The snake raised its great head and gave a final cry. The plains of Salonia have known peace ever since...'"
Once she was finished with her little story, Holo scoffed.
"Perhaps it awoke from a nap because there was a tickle on its neck, and it simply yawned."
Elsa could easily imagine the same.
"If the snake had any ill will to begin with, Salonia would have been in grave danger. Nothing in the annals mentioned any damage to the city."
"There were likely horses and sheep tastier than humans here, and it was unlikely it missed a town in an area with such good visibility."
"There are many stories of pagan snake gods who adore alcohol in particular."
The priest who raised Elsa had been in the habit of collecting stories on the pagan gods. Elsa had collected similar stories of her own when she left home to travel and mentioned it as she flipped through her memory.
"Then does that mean 'tis not a made-up story?"
Holo knew that the bishop had carefully calculated this entire situation, so she was hesitant to allow her husband to get too deeply involved with it, which of course meant she was likely hoping that the story of the serpent was but a tall tale.
She turned a pointed gaze on Lawrence, but he only shrugged.
"A regular old warrior became a landowning noble overnight, and even gained the right to levy tariffs in a town that was still developing. It shouldn't be all that shallow. I think taking down a serpent of that caliber would certainly earn a reward that great, and conversely, I can't think of anything else that would explain what happened here."
Elsa nodded to herself in agreement. Lawrence was not simply elated by a prospect too good to be true; he was carefully evaluating what he had seen and heard, so that perhaps he could find the treasure if he chipped away at it.
But that was precisely why Elsa thought it strange.
Did Lawrence genuinely believe that the great serpent existed?
Considering his partner was a legendary wolf spirit, it was not odd to think that he would be more likely to believe in the possibility than most. On the flip side, however, that meant he was trying to obtain privileges that came about all because this great serpent, one of the old pagan gods, had been killed. Elsa thought him a bit insensitive as someone who made a wolf spirit his wife, given that she was not all that different from the serpent.
One could claim that wolves and snakes were not very similar, but there was something that did not sit right with her.

Output:
"What is this?" Holo asked, surprised. Perhaps she had never seen something like this before.
"A pontoon bridge," Lawrence explained. "Have you never been on one before?"
There were no proper bridges over the river to the east of Salonia. Instead there were several boats that spanned the water, wooden planks laid on top to connect one side to the other.
"Are we to cross here? There are boats beneath it! Why do they not build a bridge?!"
"I believe it's because the water levels change drastically across the seasons, such as when the snow melts," Elsa explained. "This is a far better idea than building a bridge."
Building a bridge that can withstand any water level took a considerable amount of time and money. With the constant threat of it being swept away due to seasonal changes, it made much more sense to build a pontoon bridge, which could be easily set up and dismantled. Elsa's own village had an unbelievable number of arguments over rebuilding the smallest bridges, too.
Those thoughts crossed Elsa's mind as she directed her gaze upstream, where she spotted a waterwheel attached to a boat in very much the same manner. Even if the water levels changed, the waterwheel on the ship could maintain the same distance from the water's surface, which made it more reliable. To a region that relied on threshed and milled wheat, a reliable waterwheel was a matter of life and death.
"Humans come up with the strangest things..."
Though despite this being a pontoon bridge, it had a lot of traffic, so it was much wider and preferrable to a wooden bridge over a small stream that seemed on the verge of collapse. Merchants and villagers were presently crossing the very same pontoon bridge with full carts and no fear whatsoever.
But it was still over boats. The faint wobble of the water was likely a shock to the wolf within Holo.
Tanya the squirrel, who could easily clamber across trees, was more excited about crossing the river, and after Lawrence paid the crossing fare and glanced back at them, she took the initiative to walk ahead.
"We should go as well," Elsa said to Holo before adding, "I hope your steps are not unsteady from drinking."
"Fool!"
The wisewolf gingerly took a step forward, slowly walking down the middle of the pontoon bridge.
The river was rather wide, and plenty of other ships were coming and going.
But with the pontoon bridge blocking the way, that meant a canal had to be built beyond the sandbank where the bridge ended so that the ships could freely come and go.
"This is a nice river port."
"I've heard that this is where tariffs are collected for goods going downstream."
Lawrence, who had crossed the bridge slightly later than the rest, finally caught up and told them what he'd learned.
"And when there's a lot of snowmelt right before spring, they completely dismantle the bridge and send a lot of lumber downstream. It's apparently a safe place, so you don't get swept away by the lumber or the turbulent water."
"And so, no bridges."
It was not realistic for humans to carry heavy items like logs. The reason most large cities were by the river was because it was easier to bring in construction materials that way. And when bundles of massive logs, big enough for multiple people to ride on at once, came constantly rushing down the river in snowmelt, even the sturdiest of bridges would have a difficult time surviving.
They discussed this as they crossed the sandbanks, passed through a little hut where an official was stationed, then approached a small wooden bridge built over the canal. The river wall was fitted with a wooden frame, and small boats packed with grains were moored there. The opposite bank was lined with buildings—storehouses, taverns, and what looked like inns for sailors.
There were also several stalls plotted alongside the road that stretched out onto the plain, and delicious-smelling smoke wafted their way.


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

Input:
"What is this?" Holo asked, surprised. Perhaps she had never seen something like this before.
"A pontoon bridge," Lawrence explained. "Have you never been on one before?"
There were no proper bridges over the river to the east of Salonia. Instead there were several boats that spanned the water, wooden planks laid on top to connect one side to the other.
"Are we to cross here? There are boats beneath it! Why do they not build a bridge?!"
"I believe it's because the water levels change drastically across the seasons, such as when the snow melts," Elsa explained. "This is a far better idea than building a bridge."
Building a bridge that can withstand any water level took a considerable amount of time and money. With the constant threat of it being swept away due to seasonal changes, it made much more sense to build a pontoon bridge, which could be easily set up and dismantled. Elsa's own village had an unbelievable number of arguments over rebuilding the smallest bridges, too.
Those thoughts crossed Elsa's mind as she directed her gaze upstream, where she spotted a waterwheel attached to a boat in very much the same manner. Even if the water levels changed, the waterwheel on the ship could maintain the same distance from the water's surface, which made it more reliable. To a region that relied on threshed and milled wheat, a reliable waterwheel was a matter of life and death.
"Humans come up with the strangest things..."
Though despite this being a pontoon bridge, it had a lot of traffic, so it was much wider and preferrable to a wooden bridge over a small stream that seemed on the verge of collapse. Merchants and villagers were presently crossing the very same pontoon bridge with full carts and no fear whatsoever.
But it was still over boats. The faint wobble of the water was likely a shock to the wolf within Holo.
Tanya the squirrel, who could easily clamber across trees, was more excited about crossing the river, and after Lawrence paid the crossing fare and glanced back at them, she took the initiative to walk ahead.
"We should go as well," Elsa said to Holo before adding, "I hope your steps are not unsteady from drinking."
"Fool!"
The wisewolf gingerly took a step forward, slowly walking down the middle of the pontoon bridge.
The river was rather wide, and plenty of other ships were coming and going.
But with the pontoon bridge blocking the way, that meant a canal had to be built beyond the sandbank where the bridge ended so that the ships could freely come and go.
"This is a nice river port."
"I've heard that this is where tariffs are collected for goods going downstream."
Lawrence, who had crossed the bridge slightly later than the rest, finally caught up and told them what he'd learned.
"And when there's a lot of snowmelt right before spring, they completely dismantle the bridge and send a lot of lumber downstream. It's apparently a safe place, so you don't get swept away by the lumber or the turbulent water."
"And so, no bridges."
It was not realistic for humans to carry heavy items like logs. The reason most large cities were by the river was because it was easier to bring in construction materials that way. And when bundles of massive logs, big enough for multiple people to ride on at once, came constantly rushing down the river in snowmelt, even the sturdiest of bridges would have a difficult time surviving.
They discussed this as they crossed the sandbanks, passed through a little hut where an official was stationed, then approached a small wooden bridge built over the canal. The river wall was fitted with a wooden frame, and small boats packed with grains were moored there. The opposite bank was lined with buildings—storehouses, taverns, and what looked like inns for sailors.
There were also several stalls plotted alongside the road that stretched out onto the plain, and delicious-smelling smoke wafted their way.

Output:
Lawrence gave a defeated smile, and his gaze met Elsa's, who offered a small smile in return. She helped Tanya up onto the cart bed as she struggled, and quickly followed suit.
"There are no trees here. It's so sad," Tanya suddenly remarked as they left the lively river bank.
"The fields are like sheared sheep at the end of the harvest."
The area around Salonia served as the city's breadbasket, with fields extending in every direction as far as the eye could see. The shrubs that divided the fields and lessened the severity of the wind that blew over them were scattered throughout, but that only made the scenery seem all the emptier.
Sacks of wheat that filled the ships on the river and the town's markets all came from these massive fields.
"I do not dislike the sight," Holo said as she sat on the driver's perch, a sleepy look crossing her face. It was in the middle of the harvest for these fields; there were girls with long, braided hair who were hacking away at the wheat with large scythes. Holo gazed upon the villages, delighting in their harvest with a kind eye.
As they proceeded forth along the gentle, unchanging road, Tanya started nodding off, and Elsa started to stifle her yawns.
Lawrence reached out to Holo, who had fallen asleep against him, and said, "Look, we can see it now."
His statement drew Elsa's gaze toward the front of the cart. And she could faintly make out a building sitting atop a small hill far ahead of them.
"That's the old Voragine castle. I heard they use it to store grain and as an assembly hall now, though."
"Yaaawn... Hff."
Holo huffed—either because her nap had been interrupted, or because the topic itself displeased her—but Lawrence did not flinch.
"It seems to be a lovely stone building."
It even had a tower, which suggested that it may have even served as a fort in its heyday.
"I highly doubt that entire hill will serve as the snake's grave."
Things would go much quicker if the serpent was still sleeping there, and Elsa even considered asking it where Tereo's guardian might have gone if it were.
"...You could take it down, couldn't you, Lady Holo?"
Tanya sat huddled in her spot with great anxiety, but Holo gave a dauntless smile.
"Even if we cannot win, we simply need to run whilst it feasts on this foolish sheep."
Said foolish sheep guiding the horses drew his lips tight in a dry smile as he pressed them forward.
The wheat in this area had yet to be reaped; great, mature ears of the crop danced in the wind.
With a quiet, fond look, Holo gazed out over the waves of gold from atop her perch, and Elsa saw the kindness in Lawrence's eyes as he stole a look at her.
She needed nothing else to understand.
When she had asked him in the church as they split walnuts why he was so intent on pursuing this opportunity, Lawrence had faltered in his explanation.
He had looked so bashful when he did.
After a long series of twists and turns, the couple sitting on the driver's perch had made a home for themselves far to the north and opened a bathhouse. To Elsa, who had been born and raised in the plains, the place was so absurdly remote that she did not even think that "deep in the mountains" was an appropriate descriptor for the location.
While Holo had originally lived in a similar mountainous region, she had one day headed south on a journey south and found herself in a village where she governed the wheat harvest for centuries—a place that had wheat fields for as far as the eye could see, completely unlike the looming mountains of Nyohhira.
However, Elsa was convinced that Lawrence did not have the slightest intention of selling the bathhouse in Nyohhira, which Holo had been afraid of.
That was because this man was not unlike a gentleman in waiting who made every effort to make sure his princess was in the best of moods at a booze-filled get-together. And now he was trying to feed her sweet, sweet dessert after serving her fill of salty food.
"We're here," he said.


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

Input:
Lawrence gave a defeated smile, and his gaze met Elsa's, who offered a small smile in return. She helped Tanya up onto the cart bed as she struggled, and quickly followed suit.
"There are no trees here. It's so sad," Tanya suddenly remarked as they left the lively river bank.
"The fields are like sheared sheep at the end of the harvest."
The area around Salonia served as the city's breadbasket, with fields extending in every direction as far as the eye could see. The shrubs that divided the fields and lessened the severity of the wind that blew over them were scattered throughout, but that only made the scenery seem all the emptier.
Sacks of wheat that filled the ships on the river and the town's markets all came from these massive fields.
"I do not dislike the sight," Holo said as she sat on the driver's perch, a sleepy look crossing her face. It was in the middle of the harvest for these fields; there were girls with long, braided hair who were hacking away at the wheat with large scythes. Holo gazed upon the villages, delighting in their harvest with a kind eye.
As they proceeded forth along the gentle, unchanging road, Tanya started nodding off, and Elsa started to stifle her yawns.
Lawrence reached out to Holo, who had fallen asleep against him, and said, "Look, we can see it now."
His statement drew Elsa's gaze toward the front of the cart. And she could faintly make out a building sitting atop a small hill far ahead of them.
"That's the old Voragine castle. I heard they use it to store grain and as an assembly hall now, though."
"Yaaawn... Hff."
Holo huffed—either because her nap had been interrupted, or because the topic itself displeased her—but Lawrence did not flinch.
"It seems to be a lovely stone building."
It even had a tower, which suggested that it may have even served as a fort in its heyday.
"I highly doubt that entire hill will serve as the snake's grave."
Things would go much quicker if the serpent was still sleeping there, and Elsa even considered asking it where Tereo's guardian might have gone if it were.
"...You could take it down, couldn't you, Lady Holo?"
Tanya sat huddled in her spot with great anxiety, but Holo gave a dauntless smile.
"Even if we cannot win, we simply need to run whilst it feasts on this foolish sheep."
Said foolish sheep guiding the horses drew his lips tight in a dry smile as he pressed them forward.
The wheat in this area had yet to be reaped; great, mature ears of the crop danced in the wind.
With a quiet, fond look, Holo gazed out over the waves of gold from atop her perch, and Elsa saw the kindness in Lawrence's eyes as he stole a look at her.
She needed nothing else to understand.
When she had asked him in the church as they split walnuts why he was so intent on pursuing this opportunity, Lawrence had faltered in his explanation.
He had looked so bashful when he did.
After a long series of twists and turns, the couple sitting on the driver's perch had made a home for themselves far to the north and opened a bathhouse. To Elsa, who had been born and raised in the plains, the place was so absurdly remote that she did not even think that "deep in the mountains" was an appropriate descriptor for the location.
While Holo had originally lived in a similar mountainous region, she had one day headed south on a journey south and found herself in a village where she governed the wheat harvest for centuries—a place that had wheat fields for as far as the eye could see, completely unlike the looming mountains of Nyohhira.
However, Elsa was convinced that Lawrence did not have the slightest intention of selling the bathhouse in Nyohhira, which Holo had been afraid of.
That was because this man was not unlike a gentleman in waiting who made every effort to make sure his princess was in the best of moods at a booze-filled get-together. And now he was trying to feed her sweet, sweet dessert after serving her fill of salty food.
"We're here," he said.

Output:
There was no way for Elsa to know. But Holo leaped lightly from the driver's perch, took in a lungful of the wheat's sweet scent, and her thick-haired tail rustled beneath her clothes.
They could not see Salonia from atop the small hill.
Perhaps it would be visible from atop the tower, but one would pay no mind to it in daily life.
Living here, in a vantage point that gave clear view across one's entire realm, could certainly offer a taste of what it was like to rule.
"Oh? Miss Elsa?"
After knocking on the old Voragine gates, out came a familiar face—one of the assistant priests from Salonia's church. Though Elsa was technically a priest with no qualifiers in any manner, her position was still temporary, which meant that even the assistant priests in a church as big as Salonia's technically ranked above her in status. He had a mustache growing on his upper lip to give himself a more dignified, older appearance because he was hoping to climb the Church's ladder. This assistant priest, who would most certainly look very young without the notable facial hair, was surprised by their visit, yet welcomed them with open arms.
"Ah-ha, so you're mediating the tariff dispute."
The old Voragine castle looked like a giant stone box from far away, but after passing through the gates, they found a wide garden and the building itself set rather far back. There was an open wooden gazebo on the garden grounds, likely serving as a place for threshing wheat or storing it at the end of a harvest.
There was a quiet air about it, and no signs that anyone used this estate as their regular home.
As they cut across the garden, giving their reasons for visiting, the assistant priest gave an astonished laugh. "Well, that certainly sounds like something the bishop would come up with. Managing the fields and the hamlets is hard work. He must think he can push all of those responsibilities onto someone else."
Though the facade was made of stone, the inside of the first floor of the main house was made of packed dirt and was filled with the familiar scent of dust.
The main hall, where the lord would have situated himself, was now filled with a jumbled mix of bales of hay and farming tools; a thin dog, either belonging to the estate or simply a stray that had found its way inside, wandered about, gazed up at Holo with servile eyes.
The assistant priest guided them to a long table by the hearth and poured them all wine, which had been warmed too much after being left by the fire and had lost all its alcoholic content.
"Does wheat not turn much of a profit?"
The bishop seemed to mainly want to preserve the income that came from levying tariffs, and whatever other profits the fief generated would go straight into Lawrence's pocket. That meant the bishop had placed all the troubles that came with managing the land as well as the danger that tariff income would fall in the coming years on the scales, and ultimately decided that simply keeping the tariff income alone was the most beneficial move for him.
"I would say so. It's not a problem during years like this, when the harvest is good, but unfortunately, it comes in waves."
"Still, it isn't as though you can adjust wasted everyday expenses."
One of the responsibilities Elsa had been saddled with was to manage the Salonia church's ledgers. She had fought with numbers that could only be described as irresponsible, sloppy, incoherent—so when she interjected sharply, a grimace crossed the assistant priest's face.
"Precisely. Our expenses are the same as every year, yet it is relatively often that our income drops drastically, and it causes much confusion. Like three years ago—there was a fungal outbreak."
Elsa noticed that as Holo sipped her wine—which was decidedly not very good—her ears twitched under her kerchief, and she turned her gaze toward the assistant priest.


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

Input:
There was no way for Elsa to know. But Holo leaped lightly from the driver's perch, took in a lungful of the wheat's sweet scent, and her thick-haired tail rustled beneath her clothes.
They could not see Salonia from atop the small hill.
Perhaps it would be visible from atop the tower, but one would pay no mind to it in daily life.
Living here, in a vantage point that gave clear view across one's entire realm, could certainly offer a taste of what it was like to rule.
"Oh? Miss Elsa?"
After knocking on the old Voragine gates, out came a familiar face—one of the assistant priests from Salonia's church. Though Elsa was technically a priest with no qualifiers in any manner, her position was still temporary, which meant that even the assistant priests in a church as big as Salonia's technically ranked above her in status. He had a mustache growing on his upper lip to give himself a more dignified, older appearance because he was hoping to climb the Church's ladder. This assistant priest, who would most certainly look very young without the notable facial hair, was surprised by their visit, yet welcomed them with open arms.
"Ah-ha, so you're mediating the tariff dispute."
The old Voragine castle looked like a giant stone box from far away, but after passing through the gates, they found a wide garden and the building itself set rather far back. There was an open wooden gazebo on the garden grounds, likely serving as a place for threshing wheat or storing it at the end of a harvest.
There was a quiet air about it, and no signs that anyone used this estate as their regular home.
As they cut across the garden, giving their reasons for visiting, the assistant priest gave an astonished laugh. "Well, that certainly sounds like something the bishop would come up with. Managing the fields and the hamlets is hard work. He must think he can push all of those responsibilities onto someone else."
Though the facade was made of stone, the inside of the first floor of the main house was made of packed dirt and was filled with the familiar scent of dust.
The main hall, where the lord would have situated himself, was now filled with a jumbled mix of bales of hay and farming tools; a thin dog, either belonging to the estate or simply a stray that had found its way inside, wandered about, gazed up at Holo with servile eyes.
The assistant priest guided them to a long table by the hearth and poured them all wine, which had been warmed too much after being left by the fire and had lost all its alcoholic content.
"Does wheat not turn much of a profit?"
The bishop seemed to mainly want to preserve the income that came from levying tariffs, and whatever other profits the fief generated would go straight into Lawrence's pocket. That meant the bishop had placed all the troubles that came with managing the land as well as the danger that tariff income would fall in the coming years on the scales, and ultimately decided that simply keeping the tariff income alone was the most beneficial move for him.
"I would say so. It's not a problem during years like this, when the harvest is good, but unfortunately, it comes in waves."
"Still, it isn't as though you can adjust wasted everyday expenses."
One of the responsibilities Elsa had been saddled with was to manage the Salonia church's ledgers. She had fought with numbers that could only be described as irresponsible, sloppy, incoherent—so when she interjected sharply, a grimace crossed the assistant priest's face.
"Precisely. Our expenses are the same as every year, yet it is relatively often that our income drops drastically, and it causes much confusion. Like three years ago—there was a fungal outbreak."
Elsa noticed that as Holo sipped her wine—which was decidedly not very good—her ears twitched under her kerchief, and she turned her gaze toward the assistant priest.

Output:
Once even a small portion of the field started showing signs of disease, the entire field had to be put to the torch, and even the slightest rumor meant the land's entire harvest would sell poorly.
"That must have been horrible."
"Indeed, it was a trying time. Just remembering how the people swarmed us, asking for God's help brings pain to my heart."
It was the clergy's job to help alleviate the people's suffering, yet there was little doubt that the bishop had saddled his assistants with all of that responsibility, and he was hoping to avoid similar problems that might arise in the future by doing the same.
"And if not, then we were overwhelmed every day by other complications, such as maintaining the waterwheels for the mills, or land division. I suppose giving up the wheat income is a cheap price to pay if it means off-loading all of that onto someone else." The assistant priest laughed dryly; it was very likely he had been sent here by the bishop for the exact same reasons.
Even the most pastoral-looking farming villages were not so perfect on the inside.
"But in that case, there is still one question among all the nice things the tariff rights have to offer," Lawrence spoke, and everyone turned to look at him. "How did House Voragine end up with these tariff rights?"
The assistant priest sighed, his whiskers shuddering under his breath, and he shrugged. "The bishop summoned you because the lumber merchants were pressing him for answers on the same matter, didn't he?"
The Hero Voragine was said to have fought with a great serpent right in this area many years ago, after it had brought chaos to the region.
"Is the story of the great serpent being vanquished true?" Lawrence asked, feigning ignorance.
The assistant priest frowned, then said stiffly, "You must know of God."
Though he might not personally believe it to be real, if he mentioned that aloud, then the tariffs the church collected under the Voragine name would turn out to be a scam. He was not in a position to say precisely what he believed, so just as a clergyman from a big city would often do, he deftly avoided answering the question.
"Is there anything here that could still serve as proof?" Elsa asked.
The assistant priest immediately gave a shake of the head. It did not seem any great serpent skulls were left conveniently lying about.
"Would you mind if we took a look around the castle and the surrounding area?" Lawrence asked.
The assistant priest blinked, but could not think of any reason to say no. "Not at all. All documents regarding the territory rights and privileges have been moved to the Salonia church for safekeeping, but more complex records from the past should still be in the cellar. Ah, yes. Village mayors, other important individuals, and traveling merchants will be gathering here later. We will be talking about reaping and transporting the wheat, so it might be a nice opportunity to listen to what the locals have to say."
If Lawrence were to own this land, then this assistant priest would have no need to come all this way and mind the wheat, and he would undoubtedly start a longstanding relationship with the Salonia church. The assistant priest had made a sound judgment—if he were to assist Lawrence now and have Lawrence in his debt, then it would surely be an asset for when he climbed up the Church ladder in the future.
That was the first natural thought that came to Elsa's mind; when she realized that, she gave a quick shake of her head. Ever since leaving Tereo, she had taken on a much shrewder perspective of the clergy.
It was not uncommon for someone who was once honest and docile while living within their remote village to become much more distrustful and suspicious after returning from the city.
To make matters worse, that scared her; she rubbed her face with both hands and let out a tired sigh.
As the conversation entered a natural lull, the assistant priest stood up.


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

Input:
Once even a small portion of the field started showing signs of disease, the entire field had to be put to the torch, and even the slightest rumor meant the land's entire harvest would sell poorly.
"That must have been horrible."
"Indeed, it was a trying time. Just remembering how the people swarmed us, asking for God's help brings pain to my heart."
It was the clergy's job to help alleviate the people's suffering, yet there was little doubt that the bishop had saddled his assistants with all of that responsibility, and he was hoping to avoid similar problems that might arise in the future by doing the same.
"And if not, then we were overwhelmed every day by other complications, such as maintaining the waterwheels for the mills, or land division. I suppose giving up the wheat income is a cheap price to pay if it means off-loading all of that onto someone else." The assistant priest laughed dryly; it was very likely he had been sent here by the bishop for the exact same reasons.
Even the most pastoral-looking farming villages were not so perfect on the inside.
"But in that case, there is still one question among all the nice things the tariff rights have to offer," Lawrence spoke, and everyone turned to look at him. "How did House Voragine end up with these tariff rights?"
The assistant priest sighed, his whiskers shuddering under his breath, and he shrugged. "The bishop summoned you because the lumber merchants were pressing him for answers on the same matter, didn't he?"
The Hero Voragine was said to have fought with a great serpent right in this area many years ago, after it had brought chaos to the region.
"Is the story of the great serpent being vanquished true?" Lawrence asked, feigning ignorance.
The assistant priest frowned, then said stiffly, "You must know of God."
Though he might not personally believe it to be real, if he mentioned that aloud, then the tariffs the church collected under the Voragine name would turn out to be a scam. He was not in a position to say precisely what he believed, so just as a clergyman from a big city would often do, he deftly avoided answering the question.
"Is there anything here that could still serve as proof?" Elsa asked.
The assistant priest immediately gave a shake of the head. It did not seem any great serpent skulls were left conveniently lying about.
"Would you mind if we took a look around the castle and the surrounding area?" Lawrence asked.
The assistant priest blinked, but could not think of any reason to say no. "Not at all. All documents regarding the territory rights and privileges have been moved to the Salonia church for safekeeping, but more complex records from the past should still be in the cellar. Ah, yes. Village mayors, other important individuals, and traveling merchants will be gathering here later. We will be talking about reaping and transporting the wheat, so it might be a nice opportunity to listen to what the locals have to say."
If Lawrence were to own this land, then this assistant priest would have no need to come all this way and mind the wheat, and he would undoubtedly start a longstanding relationship with the Salonia church. The assistant priest had made a sound judgment—if he were to assist Lawrence now and have Lawrence in his debt, then it would surely be an asset for when he climbed up the Church ladder in the future.
That was the first natural thought that came to Elsa's mind; when she realized that, she gave a quick shake of her head. Ever since leaving Tereo, she had taken on a much shrewder perspective of the clergy.
It was not uncommon for someone who was once honest and docile while living within their remote village to become much more distrustful and suspicious after returning from the city.
To make matters worse, that scared her; she rubbed her face with both hands and let out a tired sigh.
As the conversation entered a natural lull, the assistant priest stood up.

Output:
"Thank you."
The assistant priest bowed and vanished into another room.
"Well," Lawrence began, "I guess I'll go fight with the mold and the dust in the cellar."
"Hmph," Holo snorted and looked away. She was not upset by the situation; she simply did not like dust.
"She and I will look around to make sure the snake is not buried beneath us," Holo said while pointing meaningfully at Tanya. The squirrel stared blankly for a moment before nodding happily.
"Then Miss Elsa, could you look around the building and keep an eye out for anything that might speak to its history?"
It seemed obvious to Elsa that she would end up going into the cellar with Lawrence, but it was Lawrence himself who suggested this to her. Perhaps he did not want to subject her to the stench of mold and the layers of dust. Elsa was impressed by how considerate the merchant was when it came to these things.
At the same time, that only brought her an endless list of questions—why such a considerate man looked a fool whenever he stood next to Holo, for example.
"I hope to find something."
She looked between the easygoing duo, and all she could do was let her shoulders fall.
Holo took Tanya outside, and Lawrence rolled up his sleeves and ventured down the stairs. Elsa, not particularly enthused, began to take a look around the old fortress.
History was typically recorded on parchment, but it was at times painted onto the walls of buildings. That was how it been done at the chapel in the Vallan Bishopric, and as indecipherable as it seemed, the truth had lay hidden in there somewhere. Or perhaps there was a hidden shrine somewhere that worshipped the great serpent—that would speed things along quite nicely.
With those thoughts in mind, Elsa began to roam the building. All she found herself doing was confirming the existence of the vestiges of a familiar farming village life.
There was no furniture since no one lived here; heaps of straw sat idly in the corners of unused rooms. Carved candelabras, placed sporadically across the walls, had sat unused for a very long time; they were blanketed thick with dust.
The sights did not change very much as she moved up to the second and third floors. The only thing of note was the occasional large pot, much too big for family use; it had likely been used for festivals or other gatherings.
When she pried open the wooden shutters on a window, all she found was the view of the stone wall that encircled the garden. It did not offer a very good view.
Perhaps this place had once been subject to the fires of war if it served as a battlefield in the fight against the pagans.
Elsa pictured the massive serpent slithering about, acting as though the battle between humans was none of its concern, and she chuckled.
"Hero Voragine, did you truly vanquish the serpent?"
Trade had stagnated because of the serpent.
The building was firmly enclosed on all sides by stones and sharp angles, but if the serpent matched Holo's true size, then it could easily have destroyed the building by rubbing itself against the structure when it molted.
According to Church records, the hero had brandished his sword and plunged it into the serpent's neck.
Even if Hero Voragine was powerful enough to vanquish one of the pagan gods, Elsa knew, as someone who was familiar with a wolf known as the wisewolf, with a squirrel who tirelessly planted trees on a naked mountain, that there was more he could have done before stabbing it.
After all, it wasn't as though they were beings who couldn't be reasoned with.
She drew the window shut, and as she made her way down the stairs, an idea suddenly came to her.
"Perhaps...they were the same as this wolf couple."
When the possibility dawned on her, she found herself rather surprised. If the snake spirit and Hero Voragine reached an intimate understanding, then creating miracles was an easy ask.
"I believe Mister Lawrence anticipated this."


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

Input:
"Thank you."
The assistant priest bowed and vanished into another room.
"Well," Lawrence began, "I guess I'll go fight with the mold and the dust in the cellar."
"Hmph," Holo snorted and looked away. She was not upset by the situation; she simply did not like dust.
"She and I will look around to make sure the snake is not buried beneath us," Holo said while pointing meaningfully at Tanya. The squirrel stared blankly for a moment before nodding happily.
"Then Miss Elsa, could you look around the building and keep an eye out for anything that might speak to its history?"
It seemed obvious to Elsa that she would end up going into the cellar with Lawrence, but it was Lawrence himself who suggested this to her. Perhaps he did not want to subject her to the stench of mold and the layers of dust. Elsa was impressed by how considerate the merchant was when it came to these things.
At the same time, that only brought her an endless list of questions—why such a considerate man looked a fool whenever he stood next to Holo, for example.
"I hope to find something."
She looked between the easygoing duo, and all she could do was let her shoulders fall.
Holo took Tanya outside, and Lawrence rolled up his sleeves and ventured down the stairs. Elsa, not particularly enthused, began to take a look around the old fortress.
History was typically recorded on parchment, but it was at times painted onto the walls of buildings. That was how it been done at the chapel in the Vallan Bishopric, and as indecipherable as it seemed, the truth had lay hidden in there somewhere. Or perhaps there was a hidden shrine somewhere that worshipped the great serpent—that would speed things along quite nicely.
With those thoughts in mind, Elsa began to roam the building. All she found herself doing was confirming the existence of the vestiges of a familiar farming village life.
There was no furniture since no one lived here; heaps of straw sat idly in the corners of unused rooms. Carved candelabras, placed sporadically across the walls, had sat unused for a very long time; they were blanketed thick with dust.
The sights did not change very much as she moved up to the second and third floors. The only thing of note was the occasional large pot, much too big for family use; it had likely been used for festivals or other gatherings.
When she pried open the wooden shutters on a window, all she found was the view of the stone wall that encircled the garden. It did not offer a very good view.
Perhaps this place had once been subject to the fires of war if it served as a battlefield in the fight against the pagans.
Elsa pictured the massive serpent slithering about, acting as though the battle between humans was none of its concern, and she chuckled.
"Hero Voragine, did you truly vanquish the serpent?"
Trade had stagnated because of the serpent.
The building was firmly enclosed on all sides by stones and sharp angles, but if the serpent matched Holo's true size, then it could easily have destroyed the building by rubbing itself against the structure when it molted.
According to Church records, the hero had brandished his sword and plunged it into the serpent's neck.
Even if Hero Voragine was powerful enough to vanquish one of the pagan gods, Elsa knew, as someone who was familiar with a wolf known as the wisewolf, with a squirrel who tirelessly planted trees on a naked mountain, that there was more he could have done before stabbing it.
After all, it wasn't as though they were beings who couldn't be reasoned with.
She drew the window shut, and as she made her way down the stairs, an idea suddenly came to her.
"Perhaps...they were the same as this wolf couple."
When the possibility dawned on her, she found herself rather surprised. If the snake spirit and Hero Voragine reached an intimate understanding, then creating miracles was an easy ask.
"I believe Mister Lawrence anticipated this."

Output:
Coming up with the sort of situation that would lead to the highest probability of such a thing happening was not difficult.
The great serpent and the Hero Voragine were either lovers or friends, and thus the myth of this land was born.
"...I believe it's entirely possible we've heard a similar story in town before."
The man only seemed a fool when he was with his beloved wife—in any other setting, he was quite sharp.
And if the story of the Hero Voragine vanquishing the serpent was indeed a made-up one, then it made perfect sense why Lawrence would look into obtaining land privileges with a straight face.
In fact, if he could show Holo that there were others like them, then it would be good news for the gloomy wolf.
"But..." As Elsa exited into the garden she crossed her arms, walking beneath the sky as it took on the bright colors of sunset. "Mister Lawrence and the others confirming this fact and talking down the lumber merchants are two separate matters entirely. I wonder how he plans on approaching the regular townsfolk."
The problem was that their realization of the truth would not be enough. They would have to tell the lumber merchants of the serpent myth, and then convince them that the tariffs were just. And if something easy to comprehend, like a skull, was a simple matter to obtain, then the bishop would have already placated the merchants on his own.
That meant Lawrence would have to find some other decisive piece of evidence, but it was almost impossible to imagine what that could be, and the man himself showed no sign of knowing what it was, either.
What could Lawrence be chasing?
Or perhaps he had only convinced himself that he already had it?
"He does not have Miss Holo helping him, so it's unlikely he's using any special methods."
Elsa was the type of person who loved it when the logic involved was straightforward, when the lines of reasoning were perfectly straight, so she always found herself bothered when things were not perfectly and easily explainable.
As she walked around, she kept her eyes fixed on her feet while her head swam in thought; and eventually, she found herself outside the fortress.
Back in Tereo, whenever she looked up after doing that, she always found her husband with their children in tow, looking at her with a tired smile.
But in the Salonia plains, far from her village, all she found was a lone girl, sitting by herself in the autumn grasses.
Elsa approached Holo, recalling what it was like to hold a child's warm hand in her own.
"How are the wheat fields here?"
Holo did not even glance in Elsa's direction, though she stood right next to her, but her wolf ears, now out in the open due to the lack of people, flicked in response.
"I believe Mister Lawrence wanted you to see this view."
Stretching out endlessly before them was a sea of gold.
Elsa, who had been born on the plains, loved places like this far more than the cramped mountains of Nyohhira.
"Why not show him your appreciation?" she asked, and only refrained from adding, in an innocent manner, because she knew it might only sound contrary.
"Fool," Holo said curtly, but there was no force in her words.
Even the way her tail thumped against the grass was limp.
As Elsa stood beside her in silence, Holo eventually gave a big sigh.
"I am delighted he is trying to leave me things to remember him by," she said, resting her chin on her propped knee. She looked like a sulking child as she gazed out across the wheat fields. "But there are too many."
For a moment, Elsa thought about how privileged she was to have such a problem, but she recalled what the assistant priest said.
"Because it would be too much to handle them all, is that right?"
"Indeed. What a fool he is." She dropped her knees and folded her legs under her. "Perhaps he thinks I can create a good crop of wheat with a single flick of my tail."
"Can you not?" Elsa asked.
Holo finally turned to look up at her with a glare. "Of course I can."


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

Input:
Coming up with the sort of situation that would lead to the highest probability of such a thing happening was not difficult.
The great serpent and the Hero Voragine were either lovers or friends, and thus the myth of this land was born.
"...I believe it's entirely possible we've heard a similar story in town before."
The man only seemed a fool when he was with his beloved wife—in any other setting, he was quite sharp.
And if the story of the Hero Voragine vanquishing the serpent was indeed a made-up one, then it made perfect sense why Lawrence would look into obtaining land privileges with a straight face.
In fact, if he could show Holo that there were others like them, then it would be good news for the gloomy wolf.
"But..." As Elsa exited into the garden she crossed her arms, walking beneath the sky as it took on the bright colors of sunset. "Mister Lawrence and the others confirming this fact and talking down the lumber merchants are two separate matters entirely. I wonder how he plans on approaching the regular townsfolk."
The problem was that their realization of the truth would not be enough. They would have to tell the lumber merchants of the serpent myth, and then convince them that the tariffs were just. And if something easy to comprehend, like a skull, was a simple matter to obtain, then the bishop would have already placated the merchants on his own.
That meant Lawrence would have to find some other decisive piece of evidence, but it was almost impossible to imagine what that could be, and the man himself showed no sign of knowing what it was, either.
What could Lawrence be chasing?
Or perhaps he had only convinced himself that he already had it?
"He does not have Miss Holo helping him, so it's unlikely he's using any special methods."
Elsa was the type of person who loved it when the logic involved was straightforward, when the lines of reasoning were perfectly straight, so she always found herself bothered when things were not perfectly and easily explainable.
As she walked around, she kept her eyes fixed on her feet while her head swam in thought; and eventually, she found herself outside the fortress.
Back in Tereo, whenever she looked up after doing that, she always found her husband with their children in tow, looking at her with a tired smile.
But in the Salonia plains, far from her village, all she found was a lone girl, sitting by herself in the autumn grasses.
Elsa approached Holo, recalling what it was like to hold a child's warm hand in her own.
"How are the wheat fields here?"
Holo did not even glance in Elsa's direction, though she stood right next to her, but her wolf ears, now out in the open due to the lack of people, flicked in response.
"I believe Mister Lawrence wanted you to see this view."
Stretching out endlessly before them was a sea of gold.
Elsa, who had been born on the plains, loved places like this far more than the cramped mountains of Nyohhira.
"Why not show him your appreciation?" she asked, and only refrained from adding, in an innocent manner, because she knew it might only sound contrary.
"Fool," Holo said curtly, but there was no force in her words.
Even the way her tail thumped against the grass was limp.
As Elsa stood beside her in silence, Holo eventually gave a big sigh.
"I am delighted he is trying to leave me things to remember him by," she said, resting her chin on her propped knee. She looked like a sulking child as she gazed out across the wheat fields. "But there are too many."
For a moment, Elsa thought about how privileged she was to have such a problem, but she recalled what the assistant priest said.
"Because it would be too much to handle them all, is that right?"
"Indeed. What a fool he is." She dropped her knees and folded her legs under her. "Perhaps he thinks I can create a good crop of wheat with a single flick of my tail."
"Can you not?" Elsa asked.
Holo finally turned to look up at her with a glare. "Of course I can."

Output:
In the decades to come, this young girl would see to the harvest, and then return home to her fortress to find herself alone. A good harvest would not bring her companion back.
While that was what Elsa was thinking, the words that actually came out of Holo's mouth were much more realistic than that.
"The care for wheat does not stop at its harvest. Like how humans grow tired from running, the ground, too, grows tired from growing. The fertile earth runs from the soil after a heavy rain, and canals often break. Those things are out of my control. Droughts, especially. And I am absolutely powerless once the wheat has been harvested. I cannot handle everything—I cannot ensure that the wheat will be sold at a proper price. I cannot promise that I will not be taken advantage of by blackhearted merchants. Human society is complicated, and quite a bother altogether."
The wisewolf understood that growing the wheat and managing a field were two entirely separate matters.
"We cannot leave our bathhouse empty. I am loathe to admit that I am much like my unworthy daughter—complicated matters, such as running a bathhouse, are beyond me."
People were calling their only daughter, Myuri, a saint, but it seemed that she was different from what the rumors said of her. What sort of girl was the daughter of Lawrence and Holo like?
When Elsa tried to picture her, she caught herself smiling. Surely, she was a dazzling, carefree girl.
And so, Elsa decided to speak her mind.
"It's a wonderful thing to be worried about..." She could feel Holo's dubious gaze on her, but she looked out to the fields with a smile before finally turning to face her. "...Am I wrong?"
Holo's hair, so close in color to the wheat that Elsa would surely lose sight of her if she waded through the fields, swayed in the wind as she pouted.
"No," she sighed deeply. "'Tis like alcohol and a hangover."
"All things in moderation."
"Precisely!" she cried, throwing herself onto the ground. "'Tis painful to be loved too much."
She showed no bashfulness nor any affectation—Elsa believed that she truly was loved too much.
And that was what made her smile just by being close to them.
"Would things not proceed more favorably if you left them in Miss Tanya's hands? No..." Elsa suggested, but quickly corrected herself. "She is much too kind. I doubt it would go over well."
"Aye. She is most suited to deal with trees in the mountains. Look how nervous she is when she is in an open space."
Holo sat up and jerked her chin in a direction; there was Tanya, taking small, uncertain steps, not unlike a lost child.
When she realized Holo and Elsa were watching her, her face lit up and she waved to them with both hands.
"I suppose that means the serpent is not here," Elsa said as she waved in return.
"No. I doubt it is no different from the distant past."
Tanya the squirrel rushed over to them and started shaking her head before either of the other two could ask. Holo praised her as she lent a hand to help the wolf stand.
"What on earth could that fool be plotting?"
They all knew that it would be very difficult for Lawrence to find any superhuman clues without Holo's eager help. And even if she did lend him a hand, it was unlikely the merchants could be convinced without hard evidence.
And since Holo herself knew that well, she had come to the same question as Elsa—though the chances of the snake existing were slim, if it had indeed lived, then how were they going to prove such a thing?
"We may learn something if we ask the locals."
"Mm..." Holo placed her kerchief back over her head and hid her tail under her clothes. "The fool's fervor aside, 'tis a disgrace for the wisewolf not to see through his intentions."
To Elsa, this sounded less like a competition and more like a grievance that she was unable to see the same sights as he did, even though she was right next to him.


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

Input:
In the decades to come, this young girl would see to the harvest, and then return home to her fortress to find herself alone. A good harvest would not bring her companion back.
While that was what Elsa was thinking, the words that actually came out of Holo's mouth were much more realistic than that.
"The care for wheat does not stop at its harvest. Like how humans grow tired from running, the ground, too, grows tired from growing. The fertile earth runs from the soil after a heavy rain, and canals often break. Those things are out of my control. Droughts, especially. And I am absolutely powerless once the wheat has been harvested. I cannot handle everything—I cannot ensure that the wheat will be sold at a proper price. I cannot promise that I will not be taken advantage of by blackhearted merchants. Human society is complicated, and quite a bother altogether."
The wisewolf understood that growing the wheat and managing a field were two entirely separate matters.
"We cannot leave our bathhouse empty. I am loathe to admit that I am much like my unworthy daughter—complicated matters, such as running a bathhouse, are beyond me."
People were calling their only daughter, Myuri, a saint, but it seemed that she was different from what the rumors said of her. What sort of girl was the daughter of Lawrence and Holo like?
When Elsa tried to picture her, she caught herself smiling. Surely, she was a dazzling, carefree girl.
And so, Elsa decided to speak her mind.
"It's a wonderful thing to be worried about..." She could feel Holo's dubious gaze on her, but she looked out to the fields with a smile before finally turning to face her. "...Am I wrong?"
Holo's hair, so close in color to the wheat that Elsa would surely lose sight of her if she waded through the fields, swayed in the wind as she pouted.
"No," she sighed deeply. "'Tis like alcohol and a hangover."
"All things in moderation."
"Precisely!" she cried, throwing herself onto the ground. "'Tis painful to be loved too much."
She showed no bashfulness nor any affectation—Elsa believed that she truly was loved too much.
And that was what made her smile just by being close to them.
"Would things not proceed more favorably if you left them in Miss Tanya's hands? No..." Elsa suggested, but quickly corrected herself. "She is much too kind. I doubt it would go over well."
"Aye. She is most suited to deal with trees in the mountains. Look how nervous she is when she is in an open space."
Holo sat up and jerked her chin in a direction; there was Tanya, taking small, uncertain steps, not unlike a lost child.
When she realized Holo and Elsa were watching her, her face lit up and she waved to them with both hands.
"I suppose that means the serpent is not here," Elsa said as she waved in return.
"No. I doubt it is no different from the distant past."
Tanya the squirrel rushed over to them and started shaking her head before either of the other two could ask. Holo praised her as she lent a hand to help the wolf stand.
"What on earth could that fool be plotting?"
They all knew that it would be very difficult for Lawrence to find any superhuman clues without Holo's eager help. And even if she did lend him a hand, it was unlikely the merchants could be convinced without hard evidence.
And since Holo herself knew that well, she had come to the same question as Elsa—though the chances of the snake existing were slim, if it had indeed lived, then how were they going to prove such a thing?
"We may learn something if we ask the locals."
"Mm..." Holo placed her kerchief back over her head and hid her tail under her clothes. "The fool's fervor aside, 'tis a disgrace for the wisewolf not to see through his intentions."
To Elsa, this sounded less like a competition and more like a grievance that she was unable to see the same sights as he did, even though she was right next to him.

Output:
It was hard to imagine that the sharp Lawrence had not noticed such a thing, but in truth, they had fallen out of step with each other.
Holo turned to Tanya to pick out the hay from her fluffy hair like a disgruntled sister. The amiable Tanya was simply happy to let her do so.
As Elsa watched, she felt like she had been brought back to a time when she was a younger girl, when she first met Holo and Lawrence.
Though it struck her as odd to think about it after all these years, she mused about how Holo had this odd aura about her that could create such an innocent atmosphere.
Elsa gave a small sigh with a self-deprecating smile, and she, too, reached for Tanya's hair. She undid the messy braids the girls from the church had put in her hair and re-braided them in a much neater fashion.
Holo was impressed by her skill, and Tanya stood there, delighted.
As Elsa indulged in feeling like a young girl again, Holo suddenly lifted her head and stared into space.
"Hmm?"
Holo's eyes darted across the scenery, eventually settling on the fortress entrance.
A frown immediately crossed her face.
"Why that face...?"
The spite in her tone was perhaps brought on by the sudden appearance of a boorish man among the three girls. Lawrence was waving at them, a piece of paper in his hand, and a terribly gleeful smile on his face.
From the perspective of the one who decided to make him her life partner, all she saw was a boyish innocence that would force her to be the adult in the situation, and sigh with unease.
Holo stood at the front with Elsa and Tanya behind her and they all made their way to Lawrence. The former merchant, who had often been called a foolish sheep, held a sheet of paper aloft with pride.
"I found our evidence."
***
Holo gave no response and instead snatched the paper from his hand.
Both Tanya and Elsa peered over opposite shoulders to see that it was a rather old map.
"What is this? Do you mean to say you found a map revealing where the snake went?"
It was just an old map, and even if there was any writing to suggest the serpent had passed through any particular area, the only ones who would believe it were small children who enjoyed fantasy.
Despite the doubtful looks of three women, he gave a bold nod without so much as a flinch.
"I'm going to show you proof."
"Hmm? D-dear, you—"
Holo grew flustered because she stumbled as Lawrence grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
She remained bewildered as he led her, glancing back at Elsa and Tanya. Holo looked just like a flustered girl who had been gossiping about someone she liked, only for the person in question to come along and suddenly drag her away.
"...What should we do?" Tanya asked, lacing her fingers together in thought. The look on her face showed that she was not so much worried about Holo but was desperately curious to see what was going to happen.
Elsa did not have any close female friends her age back in Tereo, so all she had was her imagination—and she believed that regular girls, in this situation, would follow after them.
"Let's go."
Tanya nodded with delight, and Elsa led the way.
She, of course, was genuinely curious as to what it was that Lawrence discovered. In all honesty, however, she was more curious to know what sort of sentimental sight he was going to show Holo, considering the elation on his face as he dragged behind him the bewildered wisewolf.
That, too, made her a lot like a young girl wanting to see her friend's romance play out.
"O-oh, my. What should we do?" Tanya, who had been running like she was chasing acorns as they rolled down the mountainside, suddenly came to a stop, pressing her hand over her mouth as she spoke. "Is this their new den?"
For a moment, Elsa did not understand what she meant, but she eventually recalled that Tanya was a squirrel.
Lawrence had dragged Holo into the stone tower.
Perhaps the tower looked like a nest to the avatar of a tree squirrel.


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

Input:
It was hard to imagine that the sharp Lawrence had not noticed such a thing, but in truth, they had fallen out of step with each other.
Holo turned to Tanya to pick out the hay from her fluffy hair like a disgruntled sister. The amiable Tanya was simply happy to let her do so.
As Elsa watched, she felt like she had been brought back to a time when she was a younger girl, when she first met Holo and Lawrence.
Though it struck her as odd to think about it after all these years, she mused about how Holo had this odd aura about her that could create such an innocent atmosphere.
Elsa gave a small sigh with a self-deprecating smile, and she, too, reached for Tanya's hair. She undid the messy braids the girls from the church had put in her hair and re-braided them in a much neater fashion.
Holo was impressed by her skill, and Tanya stood there, delighted.
As Elsa indulged in feeling like a young girl again, Holo suddenly lifted her head and stared into space.
"Hmm?"
Holo's eyes darted across the scenery, eventually settling on the fortress entrance.
A frown immediately crossed her face.
"Why that face...?"
The spite in her tone was perhaps brought on by the sudden appearance of a boorish man among the three girls. Lawrence was waving at them, a piece of paper in his hand, and a terribly gleeful smile on his face.
From the perspective of the one who decided to make him her life partner, all she saw was a boyish innocence that would force her to be the adult in the situation, and sigh with unease.
Holo stood at the front with Elsa and Tanya behind her and they all made their way to Lawrence. The former merchant, who had often been called a foolish sheep, held a sheet of paper aloft with pride.
"I found our evidence."
***
Holo gave no response and instead snatched the paper from his hand.
Both Tanya and Elsa peered over opposite shoulders to see that it was a rather old map.
"What is this? Do you mean to say you found a map revealing where the snake went?"
It was just an old map, and even if there was any writing to suggest the serpent had passed through any particular area, the only ones who would believe it were small children who enjoyed fantasy.
Despite the doubtful looks of three women, he gave a bold nod without so much as a flinch.
"I'm going to show you proof."
"Hmm? D-dear, you—"
Holo grew flustered because she stumbled as Lawrence grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
She remained bewildered as he led her, glancing back at Elsa and Tanya. Holo looked just like a flustered girl who had been gossiping about someone she liked, only for the person in question to come along and suddenly drag her away.
"...What should we do?" Tanya asked, lacing her fingers together in thought. The look on her face showed that she was not so much worried about Holo but was desperately curious to see what was going to happen.
Elsa did not have any close female friends her age back in Tereo, so all she had was her imagination—and she believed that regular girls, in this situation, would follow after them.
"Let's go."
Tanya nodded with delight, and Elsa led the way.
She, of course, was genuinely curious as to what it was that Lawrence discovered. In all honesty, however, she was more curious to know what sort of sentimental sight he was going to show Holo, considering the elation on his face as he dragged behind him the bewildered wisewolf.
That, too, made her a lot like a young girl wanting to see her friend's romance play out.
"O-oh, my. What should we do?" Tanya, who had been running like she was chasing acorns as they rolled down the mountainside, suddenly came to a stop, pressing her hand over her mouth as she spoke. "Is this their new den?"
For a moment, Elsa did not understand what she meant, but she eventually recalled that Tanya was a squirrel.
Lawrence had dragged Holo into the stone tower.
Perhaps the tower looked like a nest to the avatar of a tree squirrel.

Output:
Tanya blinked her big, round eyes, then finally gave a carefree smile. "Of course!"
Elsa mused at how Tanya was a surprisingly naughty person as she opened the door Lawrence and Holo passed through not moments earlier and stepped inside the tower.
A spiral staircase led upward, and it was rather obvious that it had been built for greater reasons than for nobility to show off. Though when Elsa thought about how it would have been used in times of war, something about it struck her as strange. How useful would a single tower like this be in war if it sat alone in the middle of such extensive plains?
She found herself thinking about the pontoon bridge near Salonia. Things took on their forms for one reason or another, and the view at the top of a hill was enough to make anyone feel like they were a sovereign gazing out over their land.
Or perhaps there was something for which they had been keeping watch that required an even higher vantage point?
Or perhaps that was the snake?
Various thoughts crossed Elsa's mind as she climbed the stairs after Tanya.
With all those possibilities in her mind, she saw how the scenery out of the little windows in the wall grew more and more distant. She glanced around, hoping to find a painting that might detail the history somewhere; as they passed the third-floor window that looked down over the garden, they at last began to see the rooves of the buildings.
That was when she spotted the assistant priest walking through the courtyard with others. They seemed so small, like they belonged in a distant world.
The tower stairs continued upward.
Tanya's steps grew heavy as she ran out of breath, so Elsa encouraged her as they went up.
And just as she started to get dizzy, they exited out onto a place higher than the stone wall.
Another full round up the spiral staircase would take them to the top of the tower.
Elsa stopped not because Tanya was exhausted, or because they would run into Lawrence and Holo at the top of the tower.
It was because her eyes were fixed on the sight that greeted her beyond the window in the wall.
"No... Could this be...?"
She could not help but voice her thoughts; she gulped between ragged breaths and stared hard at what she saw.
As a servant of God, she told people of the divine miracles detailed in the scripture to cultivate their faith. On the other hand, she had taken in her father's footsteps to collect her own stories about the pagan gods. And then, the miraculous pair of the traveling merchant and the girl came to her town.
In her eyes, they lived in a fantastic world, and they showed her a side of the world she had not thought of before. And once again, they were doing the same thing.
Here they were showing her inviolable proof of a myth out of time.
"What? What?! Are those snake tracks?!"
Tanya came up right beside Elsa to peek through the hole in the wall and raised her own voice in shock.
There was no mistaking the sight—anyone would look at it and think the same thing.
Before them, in the golden fields of wheat as the grains bowed in the wind, illuminated in the autumn afternoon sun, was a distinct trail that could have only been left by a giant serpent.
"B-but, this..."
Elsa felt terribly confused by what she saw before her.
The easiest thing to confirm was with Tanya.
"Miss Tanya. Didn't you say there was no snake?"
Tanya gasped at the question. "O-oh, yes, you're right. But...huh? Then why...?"
Elsa doubted that Holo with her wolf's nose would have missed the presence of a snake. Or perhaps the serpent that left the tracks on the field was a being even greater than the likes of Holo or Tanya.
Something that could not be seen or sensed, but left trails like this on the wheat fields only.
Impossible, Elsa thought. And just as she did, a similar sentiment came from above.
"H-how could I have missed this?! 'Tis impossible!"