Spice and Wolf, Vol. 22: Spring Log V by Isuna Hasekura and Jyuu Ayakura

Author:Isuna Hasekura and Jyuu Ayakura [Hasekura, Isuna and Ayakura, Jyuu]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yen On
Published: 2021-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

They reached the inn the artisan’s apprentice told them about and found the tavern on the first floor packed with people. A good handful of people even sat on the ground just outside the inn, drinks in hand. It seemed a little shady at first, except it turned out they were not ruffians but merchants waiting to trade. Some of them immediately held their tongues and hid their drinks behind them when they saw Elsa.

Lawrence understood the reaction, because if a priest saw someone drinking during the day, they would certainly give them a scolding. They ducked their heads down to shrink themselves, and with a small sigh, Elsa simply said, “Be careful not to drink too much,” and continued past them.

But the reaction of those who saw her was noticeably strange. The inside of the tavern also suddenly went still, and a hard silence fell over the place. It seemed like people might even hesitate to cough.

When Holo and Lawrence saw the scene while still seated on the cart outside, they turned to look at each other.

“You were joking when you said her face was scary, right?”

“…You fool.”

Holo had been the one who made the joke earlier but even she seemed bewildered by all this.

They circled around to the back of the inn to drop off the cart before entering the building, only to find the merchants inside whispering quietly to one another. At the very back, Elsa was surrounded by several people.

“Miss Elsa,” Lawrence called, and everyone surrounding her turned to look at him.

There were three men dressed in plain clothes who seemed to be members of the clergy, while the other two were dressed in well-tailored outfits, but the lack of refinement made it clear they had come to the city as village representatives. All of them were a couple of decades older than Lawrence.

“Who are these gentlemen?”

“These are old acquaintances of mine, Mr. Lawrence and Miss Holo.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Each one accepted Lawrence’s extended hand with caution. One of them named himself the village’s head priest. He had forgotten after dealing with familiar guests all the time at the bathhouse, but whenever he traveled somewhere new in the past, this was the norm.

“First, let us guide you to the room.”

They headed up the stairs and ran into two of the younger villagers, perhaps left behind to watch the group’s belongings, though they were currently sitting in the hall outside of the room playing cards. They hurriedly put away their cards and led them through a large suite of rooms.

“The mood is not all that pleasant,” Elsa remarked, and the faces of all the elders clouded over in shame.

“Several of the villagers are on duty at the Laud Company, but it’s hard to say that the situation seems favorable in any way…”

“The entire city is full of life, but it only seems peaceful on the outside. Lady Elsa, did anyone say anything to you when you came into the city dressed like that?”

Lawrence was rather surprised to hear one of the clergymen use an honorific title with Elsa.

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