Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF

The knight in shining armor is here!

Make way for him!

I declare

to pay off the debt that is weighing down on

the frail shoulders of the traveling nun.

And once she is set free,

I will manifest my sincere love

for Holo, the traveling nun,

and ask for her hand in marriage!

Ms. Holo has told me about her plight

and how she is being treated.

I wish to use my status and assets

to give her back her wings of freedom.

Even if you settle her debt, there's no guarantee

that she is going to quit traveling with me.

Of course.

But I have confidence.

She may not seem it, but Holo is still a traveling nun.

-Marriage is... -I already know.

Ms. Holo is not affiliated with any religious order.

That means she is not forbidden from getting married.

I see.

According to Kumersun's law,

when a woman has a debt,

her creditor is considered her guardian.

You will accept this contract knife, won't you?

Mr. Lawrence.

I am not careless enough to enter into a contract without reading it.

You have a point.

A thousand silver Trenni coins?

That is the correct amount for Ms. Holo's debt, right?

The deadline will be sunset tomorrow.

I promise to have it ready by then.

A thousand silver Trenni coins in cash.

I will not accept any kind of negotiation for prices or installments.

-Understood? -That is fine.

I accept.

We shall meet again here, tomorrow.

Sorry for the commotion.

Well, I'm sure my companion will not be swayed just because

he paid off her debt.

The odds are 2.00 for Lawrence and 4.00 for Amati.

Place your bets!

Ten Ireid coins on Lawrence!

-I'll bet on Lawrence too! -Me too!

Twenty on Lawrence!

ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA

I see you've found yourself in a predicament.

Mr. Batos.

I'm sorry you had to witness that.

I'm pretty sure Mr. Amati has a way of collecting the funds.

It doesn't seem to be a very admirable method though.

I won't go into detail.

After all, I'd feel bad for Mr. Amati

if I took your side too much.

-I just wanted to give you a heads up. -Why?

No matter what the reason is,

it's nice to have someone to travel with.

As a traveling merchant, having that taken away from you would be just too cruel.

And so, you agreed to that contract?

Yeah.

-You know... -What?

What are you going to do if that boy gives you 1,000 silver coins?

Let's see...

After I use it to settle your account,

-I'll give the rest to you. -Don't test me.

It'd be unfair if I was the only one being tested all the time.

If Amati fulfills his side of the contract,

I will do so too.

Of course, that means you will be free.

You can do what you want.

You sure have confidence.

It's not confidence.

I just trust in you, that's all.

Jeez!

You're much cuter when you're flustered.

I, myself, can tell how much I've matured.

You think you're an adult just by acting calm?

Am I wrong?

If you're only calm because you know it's a gamble you can win,

that just makes you a smart alec.

That doesn't make you an adult.

For example,

not accepting Amati's contract would have been a commendable alternative.

No, that...

I bet you just looked around the room

and chose not to humiliate yourself.

Imagine that our roles were reversed.

I would

never even think about accepting such a contract.

I want to be with Lawrence forever.

Even something like a debt

is a bond that connects us together.

I can't possibly sever that bond.

Even if I were to be humiliated here,

I could never sign that contract!

You see? How was that?

If someone said that to me,

my heart would be overflowing with joy.

Yes, that may have been a manly thing to do.

But being manly and being an adult is different.

That's true. It may be a little too reckless and youthful.

I'd be happy to hear such words, but it might be a little too much.

You see?

If you think about it, being a good male and being a good adult

may be two conflicting ideas.

Good males are rather childish.

Good adults are cowardly.

What will Holo the Wisewolf,

who is a good woman and a good adult, do then?

Naturally, I'd accept it with a smile.

And of course, I'd return to the inn after signing the contract

and walk over to you, without saying a word...

and hang my head.

Well, you are a somewhat capable merchant.

I'm sure you will

discreetly pull strings and ensure that everything goes well.

You want me to take you to the festival?

You're a merchant who would willingly use bribes to

win a contract, aren't you?

Are you okay to walk around with the beauty in question?

If I keep her locked up in the inn,

it'll seem like I really am oppressing her with debt.

Well, that's Lawrence's side of the story. What is the truth?

What do you mean by "truth"?

I am chained down by an enormous debt.

With these chains, I have no future.

They are so heavy, I cannot escape from them.

If you remove these chains for me,

I will willingly work for you and become covered in wheat flour.

I can see why Amati fell for you.

By the looks of it, the one who is chained is probably Lawrence.

I'm done investigating!

Good work. How was it?

Yes, um...

So, how was it?

Right! According to his tax ledger, he paid 200 Ireid in taxes.

Which means, Amati's assets must amount to about 800 silver Trenni coins.

I'm sure he has some hidden assets and accounts receivable too though.

What do people gamble on here?

Cards, dice, rabbit chasing... That's about it.

And there's an upper limit for betting.

Gambling isn't an option, then.

Oh, that reminds me.

People are betting on the outcome of your contract with Amati

as well as what'll happen afterwards.

"Afterwards"?

In the event that Amati fulfills the contract,

what will happen after that?

For now, you've got the advantage. But the odds are 1.2.

It's a close game.

I'd better demand a cut from the bookmaker.

So, honestly, what's the deal?

In this world, there are many questions that

cannot be answered so easily, even if you do know the answer.

Like questions about your wheat flour mixture, for example.

Do you still want to ask me about what I will do once

my debt is paid off?

Oh, no! Of course not!

I guess we have no choice but to monitor his movements.

What an underhanded tactic.

Call it a battle behind the scenes.

I'm sure he has someone taking note of my every move as well.

Well, I don't know about that.

Amati looks down on the use of connections between merchants

and views it as a cowardly move.

Really?

He was born into a wealthy family in the south,

but he ran away from home because he didn't want to be his brothers' pawn.

From there, he rose through the ranks and now earns as much as he does.

So he has a strong ego.

I see. On top of that, he's young.

That's right. The only thing he trusts is his good judgement of fish,

his way with words,

and God's blessing.

But I have absolutely no hesitation in using my connections with merchants.

It's not like we're knights.

In a battle between merchants, there is no room for complaints.

I agree with you on that.