ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
-A chronicler? -Yeah. Does this town have one?
You mean those people who get paid by nobles and the church
to write diaries about the town?
They're recording history, not writing diaries.
It's the same thing.
All they do is sit in a chair and write all day, and they want money for that.
I don't like it at all.
-So, are there none? -I believe there was one.
But apparently this person ran away from some abbey
after being accused of heresy.
I just want to ask them a few things.
I want to know more about folktales and legends from the north.
What a strange thing to be interested in.
I don't want to visit them out of the blue.
Do you know anyone who can act as a middleman?
-You'd prefer someone from Rowen, right? -Yeah.
There's a merchant named Gi Batos who's an old-timer at the guild.
He's one brave guy.
He does business with people nobody in this town wants to be involved with.
So I'm pretty sure he's well-acquainted with that chronicler too.
-I'll tell him about you. -That'll be great.
Also, I'm planning on going to Nyohhira.
So can you ask customers from the north about the roads and the land?
That's no problem at all.
-I'll ask them for you. -I owe you one.
I know better than to expect a return for something this small.
Then can I ask for one more favor?
Huh? What now?
I'm looking for some good bread.
Will you tell me where you deliver your wheat?
Something smells amazing...
How are you feeling?
I'm hungry.
I thought you'd say that, so I splurged and bought wheat bread.
You're not going to eat?
I'm fine. I tasted some beforehand.
Oh yeah?
-Hey... -Huh?
We can go to the festival now, right?
Sorry, but not yet.
Will you please stop doing that, even if it's just for fun?
This act works on you, just as I thought.
-I'll keep that in mind. -Come on...
Hey, can't I go to town on my own?
Even if I say "no," you're going to go anyways.
Well yeah, but...
Oh, that's right.
I don't have any small change right now but...
Don't splurge on anything crazy.
What's wrong?
I just thought, maybe it's not worth going by myself.
What is it that you have to do?
If you can take me with you, I'll give this back.
Oh, well...
The thing is, I'm going to meet some people.
If it's not a good idea for us to be together, I will keep my distance.
So will you take me with you?
I'm really sorry,
but I might have to go somewhere else afterward.
I'll probably have to make you wait the entire time.
Everything should be settled by tomorrow.
So can you bear with it and be on your own today?
Well, I guess I don't want to get in your way.
All right, I'll walk around on my own.
-Sorry about that. -Oh, by the way.
If I come back with someone else, will you leave this room for me?
Now that I got to see that cute face you just made,
I'll be able to manage on my own for today.
Come on...
Well, for now, nothing else beats being in your arms.
-So don't worry. -Okay...
The town was worshipping a pagan wolf god...
And this town, Yoitsu, was apparently destroyed
by a monstrous bear.
Who knows if it's even true.
Oh, you'll know once you see him.
He's a huge guy who looks like a flattened coffin.
Mr. Lawrence?
Thank you for the inn.
No worries.
I heard you ordered a lot of fish. Thank you very much.
My companion, who's very picky about food, was praising you
for having a good eye for fish.
I'm so happy to hear that!
I promise to find more things that you can enjoy.
By the way, do you have any plans after this?
I want to meet Mr. Batos and ask him a few things.
-I see. -Is something wrong?
Yes... Well, I was hoping to show you around town.
-Show me around? -Yes.
It must be God's will that we met here.
And I'm sure talking to a traveling merchant
will help broaden my knowledge.
That reminds me, my companion, Holo,
was making a fuss about wanting to see around town this morning.
Even if you can't come, I can still show Ms. Holo around!
Oh, I don't want to make you do that.
To tell you the truth, I'm already done with work and out of things to do.
When I'm alone, I end up spending all my earnings on drinks anyway.
So I'd love to take her sightseeing!
Really? But the thing is, she's not the type to stay put
when I tell her to stay at the inn. So I don't know if she'll still be there.
I needed to talk to that inn about purchasing anyway.
So I'll visit them, and if she's there, I'll ask her.
-Thank you. -No problem.
Next time, let me show you around too.
Are you Mr. Kraft Lawrence?
-You are... -I'm Gi Batos.
I heard that you are searching for a chronicler
because you wanted to hear folktales from the north.
Yes, that's right.
That's a very interesting thing to be curious about.
Do you plan to use it for business or something?
No, that's not the case.
It's just for fun.
I see.
You have good taste, for a young person.
I just recently became interested in things like folktales.
After decades of going around the same places for business,
one day, I thought...
The world that I know is very small.
But even within that small world,
people have come and gone for centuries.
And of course, I do not know what happened during that time.
That's why, even if they're just stories, I wanted to learn about
the world that I wasn't able to see
and events from long, long ago
that God has mischievously hidden from us.
I kind of understand that feeling.
When I was young,
I was only thinking about how to make a profit.
If I had the maturity to think that way back then,
my life may have ended up very differently.
I envy you for having such interests this early in life.
I'm just doing it for fun.
Um, the people living here...
Yes, this area is where people who are running from the church live.
Alchemists...
Yes.
"They may not be criminals in this town,
but in places like Ruvinheigen, they'd be hanged instantly."
That's what everyone thinks.
But the people here are all very nice.
Is this sulfur?
Oh, do you deal with healing stones too?
No, I just know about them.
Well, knowledge is a merchant's weapon.
You're too kind.
There are a lot of birds, huh?
Not all poisonous air has a bad smell.
If the birds die all of a sudden, you'd better watch out.
Mr. Batos, is doing business with alchemists profitable?
It seems like it comes with a lot of risks.
Aside from the obvious gold, silver, and copper,
they even buy things like iron, lead, tin, mercury,
sulfur, and phosphorus.
Iron and lead, huh?
That's more normal than I thought.
People tend to think alchemists are like sorcerers,
but they're really not that different from goldsmiths.
Although, it's true that some of them do study sorcery as well.
Okay...
But I've only heard about those people through rumors.
I see...
You don't have to be so nervous. They're very nice.
Okay.
Hello.
Oh, it's you, Mr. Batos?
Good to see you again. I'm glad you seem to be doing well.
I should be saying that to you.
I can't believe you're okay after wandering the mountains of Hyoram.
God must really take a liking to you.
Oh, what a handsome man.
But by the look on your face, you must think I'm a witch.
No, not at all!
He is a traveling merchant...
My name is Kraft Lawrence.
I came to see Mr. Dian Rubens today.
Is he home?
Oh, you didn't tell him, Mr. Batos?
-I'm Dian Rubens. -Huh?
It sounds like a man's name, doesn't it?
Please call me Diana.
First of all, please forgive me for visiting so suddenly.
No, don't worry about it.
-Actually, Ms. Rubens... -It's Diana.
P... Pardon me.
Actually, Ms. Diana,
I wanted to ask you about folktales from the northern region.
-The north? -Yes.
I assumed you were here to discuss business.
Don't be silly.
You would've kicked us out if we were here for business.
But I don't know if I have the information you want.
I wanted to ask you about
folktales regarding a town called Yoitsu.
Oh, Yoitsu?
The town that was said to be destroyed by
the moon-hunting bear.
The moon-hunting bear...
I believe it's pronounced "Irawa Weir Muheddhunde."
They're pretty old,
but I have a few stories regarding that bear.
More than the bear,
I want to know about the town Yoitsu.
-About the town? -Yes.
Due to certain reasons, I'm trying to locate where Yoitsu is.
Locate where, huh?
Where...
-Where... -Do you know?
I remember now.
By the headwaters of the Roam River, even more north than Ploania,
there is a town called Lenos.
Isn't that the town famous for lumber and fur?
If you know about that, that'll save us some time.
There's a folktale that's told there.
"Long, long, ago,
a lone wolf appeared in the village.
It said its name was "Holou of Yoitsu"
and its body was so large, we had to crane our necks to see it.
At first, we thought it came to punish the village.
But Holou revealed to us that it had come from the forest
deep inside the eastern mountains and was on its way to the south.
It liked to drink and would sometimes take the form of a girl
and dance with other girls in the village.
She appeared beautiful and young,
but possessed a tail which was not that of a human.
After frolicking for some time, she blessed the village's harvest
and headed down south.
From that year on, every harvest was bountiful,
and we named the wolf, 'Wheat-tailed Holou.'"
Was that useful?
Ah, yes!
I can narrow things down to the mountains east of Lenos now.
That's a helpful clue.
I'm glad.
I will return this favor as soon as possible...
As you can see,
even if I have to run from the church,
I can't stop loving folktales from pagan lands.
Folktales that are true to legend
and have not been twisted by the church.
As someone who travels as a merchant,
I'm sure you know a good story or two.
All right.
Well then, let me share a very special story.
There was a certain land known for wheat.
There, they worshipped a wolf who blessed them with bountiful harvests.
It's been a long time since
I last talked so passionately about legendary dragons and cities of gold.
It took me back
to when I dreamed of traveling as a knight with nothing but my sword.
-Thank you for today. -My pleasure.
Whenever I visit her on my own,
everyone starts gossiping. So you gave me an excuse to visit.
Plus, I was able to listen to interesting stories.
-Please ask me along again. -Yes, of course!
Oh, Mr. Lawrence! Long time no see.
It's been a while.
Hey, lover boy!
-Drink up. -Thanks.
I know I asked you to get information this morning...
Hey! You're pouring too much.
Jeez...
So, what about that?
I've changed my destination. You know the town, Lenos, right?
Oh, what? I'd already gathered some info about the Nyohhira area.
Sorry about that. My situation changed a bit.
Really? So the rumor about you having a fall-out are true.
-About you and your companion -Excuse me?
I know all about it, lover boy!
Everybody knows that you're staying at a fancy inn
with an extremely beautiful nun.
I must say, you have no fear of God!
Our relationship isn't the kind that would serve as entertainment.
But what do you mean by "falling-out"?
A little earlier,
I heard through the grapevine that your companion
and a young one from our guild were walking together.
Oh, you mean Amati... Mr. Amati?
Oh, you've already given up hope, huh?
Unfortunately, it's not what you think.
I had things to do all day today
and I couldn't hang out with her.
And Mr. Amati had time on his hands and offered to show her around town.
That's all.
Are you not satisfied?
I'm warning you, as someone who was a traveling merchant like you.
Don't underestimate Amati.
Do you know how much fish he handles at that young age?
I know. I saw with my own eyes.
But there's nothing to worry about.
My companion isn't that fickle.
You must have a lot of confidence!
If I heard that Adele was walking together with Amati,
I would give up right then and there.
What about me and Mr. Amati?
My love for you knows no bounds!
The flames of jealousy would burn my flesh from inside!
That's what I said.
Go and burn all you want.
Then I'll use your flames to bake a pie.
-A delicious one for Mr. Amati. -A... Adele.
I'm sorry. Let me help you close up shop.
I'm stuffed...
What's with that scarf?
Hey...
Help me up, will you?
How much did you binge?
You made him buy you something this expensive?
Good night...
Hey, what else did he buy you?
This is...
What a high-quality fur pelt!
Although, it doesn't beat my tail.
Now that you received such an expensive gift,
we have to give something in return.
Jeez...
I thought I could get you in a good mood for free, but now I'm in debt.
Did he ask you about our relationship?
I'd like to know why you want to know about that.
We have to keep our stories consistent, or he'll become suspicious.
Very well...
I told him that I am
a traveling nun and you saved me from
bad guys who were trying to sell me off.
But although you saved me,
I ended up falling deep into debt.
I can't possibly pay it all off,
so I am currently returning it by praying to God for your safety on the road.
That is my pitiful predicament.
Sniff, sniff... That's what I said, in a sad tone.
That makes it sound like I'm the bad guy.
-So, what's this? -Oh, that?
A fortune-teller was using that.
Apparently, it's a die that can foretell your future.
Isn't the shape impressive?
How they made it like that is beyond me!
It'll no doubt sell for a high price.
You fool.
-You seriously think this will sell? -Excuse me?
This is a natural mineral called pyrite.
They're already shaped like that when they're mined.
-There's no way. -I'm not lying. You can tell, can't you?
They're usually only sold as souvenirs
or used by swindlers to replicate gold.
Nobody else was buying it, were they?
-A lot of people were. -Huh? Seriously?
The fortune-teller said that anybody could foretell the future with this die.
They apparently also heal sicknesses and ward off evil spirits.
Everybody wanted one.
You believed that rubbish?
The fortune-teller was quite skilled.
It was enough to even impress me!
Amati won the bid on this one.
Bid? It was that popular?
Everyone was getting fired up about it.
It was my first time seeing people bid, but it was quite something.
They used the festival's excitement to their advantage, huh?
What a smart business idea.
I'm sorry to bother you early in the morning!
I have a message from my... master...
And what is the message?
Oh, right! Actually...
Mr. Lawrence!
Next time, "The Night of the Festival and the Wheels That Fell Off."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita