Read Online Spice & Wolf II by Hasekura Isuna - Free Book Online Page B

wagon. The shepherd girl’s mouth quirked in a smile. Her hood still obscured much of her face, so it was difficult to be sure, but based on what was visible, she was a beauty.
    Even as he remained gentlemanly, Lawrence was filled with curiosity.
    Female merchants were rare, but shepherdesses were rarer still. Given that she was also a fetching young lass, a curious merchant could hardly fail to be interested.
    However, merchants are completely hopeless at anything outside of the mercantile world.
    Lawrence was a fine example of this. Unable to find a topic of conversation beyond their encounter on the road, he suppressed his curiosity and stuck only to the most standard of greetings.
    “Having met you by the grace of God, I would have you pray for our safe travels, shepherdess.”
    “With pleasure.”
    At the sound of the girl’s voice, calm as a grazing sheep, Lawrence’s curiosity grew larger than a summer cloud. He didn’t show it, but it was only with effort that he kept his inquisitiveness hidden. It was not his nature to ask shamelessly personal questions—nor did his nature grant him any gift for smooth talk. As he approached the shepherdess to receive her prayer, he thought of Weiz, the money changer in Pazzio, and envied him his easy way with women.
    Added to that was Holo sitting in the wagon—Holo who hated all shepherds.
    Somehow, that last fact was the weightiest reason for stifling his curiosity.

 

As Lawrence considered this, the shepherdess held her staff high to give the prayer for safe travel that had been requested of her. “ Palti, mis, tuero. Le, spinzio, tiratto, cul. ”
    The ancient words from scripture, used by shepherds in every country no matter what the language, retained their mysterious quality no matter how many times Lawrence heard them.
    Shepherds did not know the true meaning of the words, but when praying for safe travels, they always used the same ones as if by some ancient agreement.
    The way in which the shepherdess lowered her staff and blew a long note on her horn was also thus.
    Lawrence gave his thanks for the prayer of safety and produced a brown copper coin. Copper, rather than gold or silver, was customary as a token of thanks for a shepherd, and it was also traditional for the shepherd not to refuse the token. The girl extended her hand, just slightly larger than
    Holo’s, and Lawrence thanked her again as he placed the coin in her palm.
    Unable to find any reason to continue his conversation with her, Lawrence reluctantly gave up.
    “Well, then,” he said, taking his leave—though his feet were slow to move as he tried to return to the wagon.
    Unexpectedly, it was the shepherdess who spoke next.
    “Er, are you perchance bound for Ruvinheigen?”
    Her clear voice was different from Holo’s, and it was hard to imagine that she could be counted among those who chose the harsh life of the shepherd. Lawrence glanced over his shoulder at Holo, who looked off in a different direction. She seemed quite bored.
    “Yes, we’re on our way there from Poroson.”
    “How did you come to hear of this path?”
    “It’s the pilgrimage road of Saint Metrogius. We heard of it just the other day.”
    “I see...Er, have you heard about the wolves, then?”
    With these words, Lawrence understood why the girl had gone to the trouble of starting a conversation.
    She no doubt took Lawrence for a simple merchant who had chosen this route without any information.
    "I have indeed,” he replied. “But I’m in a hurry, so I decided to take the risk.”
    There was no need to explain about Holo. For enough profit, any merchant would risk a wolf-infested road so there was no reason for suspicion.
    But the shepherdess’s reaction was strange.
    She seemed almost disappointed.
    “I see...” she muttered quietly, her shoulders slumping. She had clearly been hoping for something—but what?
    Lawrence mulled the conversation over—there were not many possibilities.
    Either she had hoped