Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF

-Now, that's how you drink! -You're quite the drinker, huh?

Well, well...

She can do it.

Come on.

Be a man, and don't let your companion beat you like that.

-Drink up! Come on! -Why, thank you.

Wow, this beer is amazing.

Isn't it? The lady who owns this bar, Iima Ranel,

is famous around here.

She has the power of three men and the appetite of five men!

Stop feeding the traveler such lies!

Here's your fried lamb and garlic.

I was just about to praise you.

Which means what you said right now was the opposite of praise!

You know,

she used to travel alone, carrying a brew kettle on her back.

-What? No way... -Yes, I did.

That was back when I was even younger and more beautiful than now.

I was born in a coastal town to the west of here.

But in places like that, you're destined to be swept away by the waves.

The waves? You mean pirates?

That's right. When I ran for my life, the only things I took with me

were the brew kettle I carried on my back and a bag of barley.

I don't know what I was thinking.

-Have a drink with us! -Oh, thanks.

That's why I started brewing beer with my kettle, barley,

and river water.

And who else would pass by her but the count and company,

who were checking up on the battlefront against the pirates?!

The count told me that

he wanted me to travel with them and brew beer for them.

Realizing that this was her chance, the young and ambitious maiden,

Iima, followed after the count!

So, did you become his personal brewer?

Oh, of course not!

The only reward I received

was the right to sell my beer as "certified by the count."

And that's the beginning of the bizarre tale of the beer-selling lady.

Call it "the wandering maiden brewer"!

In order to sell as many as I could,

I never drank my own beer myself.

But when I came to this village, I drank it for the first time.

Then I got completely wasted and fell for my now husband.

But this village is a nice place too.

-Enjoy your time here. -Thank you.

This sure is a wonderful bar.

It'd be hard to find one this nice even in Endima.

-I know, right? -You have good taste!

And the beer is good too.

This village must really be blessed by God.

-Oh, pardon me. -No, it's not your fault.

It's true that this village owes a lot to the late Father Franz.

-But still... -In the end, we can't.

-We still can't defy Lord Truyeo. -That's right!

Lord Truyeo?

This village's guardian deity.

He's a god of harvest and the reason why our village is named Tereo.

I see. A god of harvest, huh?

-Then I'm guessing he is a wolf? -A wolf?

Don't be ridiculous!

Wolves are the devil's servants. They can't be gods.

-Tell me more... -Lord Truyeo is a snake.

-He's a snake deity. -A snake?

They say the weather at his head is different from at his tail.

It is also said that he swallows the sun for breakfast and the moon for dinner.

He's on a completely different level than others.

By the outskirts of the village,

the hole that Lord Truyeo dug to hibernate in is still preserved.

A hole?

Legend has it that whoever enters it gets cursed.

Even Father Franz was scared of it and told us to never enter the hole.

It's on the slope of a hill. Did you not see it on your way here?

Now that you mention it...

You know there's a town nearby called Enberch, right?

For generations, the people at that big church have been so irritating.

Right now, someone called Mendes is in charge.

Enberch was originally under the protection of Lord Truyeo like us.

But the missionaries talked them into

siding with the church!

-One more! -Then more people started coming in,

roads were paved, and it turned into a big town.

The church is very powerful, after all.

That's right!

And since they've become more powerful, they've been trying to convert us.

At first, they said they'd leave us alone if we built a church in the village.

But they started making us pay heavy taxes in exchange for

turning a blind eye to Lord Truyeo.

Heavy taxes, you say?

But then about 30 or 40 years ago, Father Franz came around.

But right now, Ms. Elsa is in charge, right?

Yeah, that's the thing...

I went there to have someone pray for my safe journey,

and I was so surprised to meet a young lady wearing a cassock.

I don't blame you. It just doesn't make sense.

Father Franz took Elsa in over ten years ago.

But she doesn't have to take over as priest just because of that, you know?

-You're a merchant from a distant land. -Y... Yes.

Then don't you know anybody with power within the church?

Someone with power?

That's right! Somebody who can do it.

-Stick it to those guys in Enberch... -Hey!

What in the world are you telling the traveler!

My bad.

Sorry about that.

But as someone who travels, you understand, right?

-Each village has its own problems. -I understand.

We want travelers to enjoy the village's food and drinks.

And when you move on, we want you to tell others that this village was a nice place.

Yes, I agree.

Well then, you guys' final task of the day is to

drink and liven up the mood!

Or so I wanted to say...

But it seems your companion is passed out.

She had a little too much fun.

I'll take her back to the inn before she embarrasses herself.

After all, she's technically still a maiden.

-Thanks for the meal! -See you!

ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA

You overindulged yourself.

That was my job, wasn't it?

Of course, I know that. But I also know

you intentionally ordered all the expensive dishes.

You're a stingy male, you know that?

But more importantly, I want to lie down. I can't breathe...

Hey, we're almost there. Don't fall asleep!

What happened to your companion?

She's just drunk, that's all.

Oh, that reminds me. Take this.

Wh... What's wrong?

-What is this? -I got it from the innkeeper.

It apparently works for hangovers.

I'm sure this would wake me up even if I was drunk for 100 years.

This village is quite laid-back.

-Stores probably won't open until later. -In that case...

Staying awake will only make me cold and hungry.

We only need to sleep once a day. That's how God created our bodies.

Well, I'm a wolf.

Jokes aside, something feels off.

-What? -Well.

-I'm curious about the villagers' income. -What do you mean?

Normally, a farming village can't relax just because they're done harvesting.

Even more so, if they are taxed heavily by Enberch as they say.

So, why...?

It must be a miraculous village.

"Miraculous"? Even though the villagers have no interest in the church?

-How ironic. -What? Ironic?

-Oh, you said that word without knowing? -What makes it ironic?

I see.

Well then, let me teach you about the church's definition of miracles.

I don't like how condescending you sound, but I'll hear you out.

The term "miracle" has a special meaning within the church.

They believe miracles are

superhuman phenomena that are caused by

God's holy spirit.

If the church approves of your miracle, you are called a saint

and you become an object of worship.

Do they really have to get the church's approval?

The church decides whether or not they are telling the truth and whether

it is a work of God and not the Devil.

So, what kinds are there, specifically?

I've heard of people calming a storm,

instantly healing the sick,

turning water into wine...

-Wine? -Don't just react to alcohol!

Anyway, the church calls phenomena

that are impossible for humans and can only be acts of God, "miracles."

I was also called a god, you know.

The amount you eat and drink sure is god-level.

You fool. I have also shown humans "miracles" just for fun.

Interesting.

Well, most of the miracles performed by the church are rigged.

Compared to the real miracles that you do...

I guess I know where I'm going today.

I might be able to get some info about the abbey.

But why am I working harder than you, when it's your homeland we're looking for?

You won't be able to move around as freely when I'm with you, right?

In such a small village like this, there are eyes everywhere.

I would like to act on my own, if I was allowed to.

After all, I want to go to the abbey and get information as soon as possible.

All right. I'll be back around noon at the latest.

Remember to bring back gifts.