Spice and Wolf, Vol. 3 by Isuna Hasekura and Jyuu Ayakura

Author:Isuna Hasekura and Jyuu Ayakura [HASEKURA, ISUNA / AYAKURA, JYUU]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yen On
Published: 2017-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

“I must say, for someone asking a favor, you don’t seem too worried.”

“Apologies.”

Lawrence had debated going straight to Mark’s home but decided the man was probably still at his marketplace stall, which turned out to be correct.

Among the stands scattered here and there in the marketplace, people toasted each other’s health in the moonlight, and even many of the guards responsible for watching over their masters’ goods had succumbed to their desires and were drinking.

“Though I suppose I’ve time to spare aplenty during the festival,” Mark admitted.

“Oh?”

“Oh, indeed. No one wants to lug heavy goods about while they take in the sights, do they? Especially something as bulky as wheat, which I sell before the festival begins and buy once it ends. Of course, the night festival is a different matter, though.”

The night festival was held after the two-day festival finished, and it amounted to a great feast, Lawrence had heard. It was not as though he didn’t understand the desire to use the festival as an excuse to drink and revel.

“And anyway, I’ve already turned a bit of a profit thanks to your information, so I suppose I’ll let you off the hook this time.” Mark’s smiling face was every inch the pleased merchant.

Evidently he’d taken advantage of whatever it was Amati was up to.

“So you’re on board, eh? What’s his trick?”

“You’re going to like this. I don’t mean the trick is just clever—I mean it’s like picking up gold off the street.”

“I’m all ears,” said Lawrence, sitting down in a conveniently close split-log chair.

Mark grinned at what this implied. “I hear tell the knight Haschmidt is quite a dancer. If he keeps making merry like this, he may have to take the thousand silver and lose the lovely maid.”

“You’re certainly welcome to bet your whole fortune on Amati—it makes not a whit of difference to me.”

Mark blocked Lawrence’s attack not with his shield, but his sword. “That Philip the Third has been saying some interesting things about you.”

“Oh?”

“That you keep the poor girl in debt simply so you can take her wherever you please, that you treat her cruelly and feed her nothing but cold porridge—and so on.”

Mark was obviously amused, as though it were a grand joke, but Lawrence could only listen and smile uncomfortably.

Amati was obviously spreading rumors about Lawrence as a way to justify his own actions. Lawrence’s cheek twitched, more from the annoyance of this mosquito buzzing around his face than from the damage done to his reputation.

A traveling merchant was no sword-wielding mercenary—he couldn’t simply foist debt off on any girl he wished, forcing her to travel with him. Even if a note of debt was written in a city where the merchant had some pull, it would be meaningless as soon as they were on the road.

Likewise, anyone used to long journeys would know there was nothing surprising about the meager food one ate during travel. Any merchant who’d tried to maximize profit knew that there were times one went without food.

So Amati’s slander of Lawrence would not be taken seriously.

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