A shoemaker in Enberch died after eating bread.
That bread was made from wheat from this village.
Ridelius' Hellfire, huh?
Ride... what?
It's poisonous wheat that's infected by disease.
The poison is undetectable, so nobody notices until someone eats it.
An official messenger will arrive soon.
But Enberch is trying to send the wheat back to our village.
If they're sending it back, does that mean...
Yes, we will have to return their money.
Elder, what should we do?
We already bought pigs and chickens
and repaired our scythes and spades with the money.
That's not all.
This year was a bountiful harvest.
So I procured the finest food and drinks for my bar.
And you all used your money on that too.
It's a much bigger problem.
The most terrifying part about it is that it doesn't just end with a death.
So long as you don't know where the poison is hiding,
all of the wheat that was harvested this year cannot be consumed.
Our village's wheat reserve is empty already.
What are we going to do?
We can bear being poor, but not being hungry!
That's exactly right. However...
They're the ones who mixed in the poisonous wheat!
He said he brought wheat into the village!
That's right! You went to the water mill to make flour!
I bet you're in cahoots with the miller and trying to destroy our village!
Yeah, where did that liar go?
I'll tie them up and make them tell us which wheat they poisoned!
-Wait, please! -This is no place for a woman!
-Get back! -What did you just say?
Evan is in the church.
What we have to focus on right now is the wheat that's going to be returned
and how we are going to pay back the money.
What can we do? We don't have the money.
They'll have to wait until next year.
-If only it was that simple. -What do you mean?
Enberch might use this opportunity to
revert our relationship with them back to what it was.
What are you saying!
This village is off limits!
Isn't that what Father Franz did for us?
I told you Elsa wasn't cut out for it!
-Of course they look down on her! -That's right!
She's cooped up in the church all day and doesn't work on the field!
This year's wheat harvest was bountiful thanks to Lord Truyeo!
-The church girl did nothing... -That's enough.
All of you, check how much money you have left from the harvest
and how much provisions you've reserved for winter.
At the earliest, the messenger from Enberch will arrive around dawn.
Everyone is dismissed for now.
Elsa, I know it must be hard, but please bear with it for now.
Ms. Iima, stay with Elsa in the church.
Some hot‐blooded people might come barging in.
You can count on me.
Mr. Lawrence, like the other villagers, I am also suspicious of you.
But I hope you don't think I am foolish enough to jump to conclusions.
If I was in your position, I would say the same thing.
For your own safety,
and in order to prevent incurring any further suspicion,
please come over to my house.
ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
Everything seems too timely.
No matter how you look at it, this is nothing but Enberch's plot
-to regain control over Tereo. -I agree.
However, Elsa's patron will no doubt take action against such an obvious trap.
That's why Enberch needed someone else to take the blame.
And that's when we waltzed in.
They're probably going to make an offer like this to the village:
"If you hand over the culprit who poisoned the wheat, we can delay your payment."
Are you going to let them do that?
Of course not. However...
If we run, we will be admitting that we did poison it.
A wanted poster will go out for you...
And that will be the end of my career as a merchant.
What about asking your guild for help?
My guild? If I can do that...
Oh, that's right.
If I ride on your back, can we get to another town quicker than on horseback?
Of course.
It'll be a huge problem if word gets out that a merchant used poisonous wheat.
So the guild will no doubt defend me by all means.
If that happens, the people who are trying to frame us
might just give up.
But who will take the blame then?
It'll be Evan, who is already viewed as untrustworthy
and had the opportunity to add in the poisonous wheat.
Then I'll carry him too.
But then...
If that girl is in danger too, I'll carry her as well.
You are a foolish little softy, after all.
-My goodness, you're such a pain. -Sorry, but I appreciate it.
Well then, who in the world are you two?
I have already told you.
You did, indeed. And I believe you told me the truth.
You two were looking for Diendran Abbey.
What business do you have there?
A person we met in Kumersun told us about the abbot there.
So, you two weren't sent here by Enberch?
We did, indeed, stop by Enberch.
But it was just a stop along the way.
We were looking for Diendran Abbey
strictly for personal reasons only.
D... Don't lie!
We have nothing to do with the dispute between Enberch and this village.
Everything I know about the dispute is based on
what I saw and heard in this village
and what I deduced through my experience.
So you really... You really have nothing to do with it?
-I don't. -If that's the case...
If that's the case,
will you lend us your wisdom and money?
I can lend you my wisdom. However...
I'm not asking for it for free.
It will be in exchange for your safety.
-Are you threatening us? -The only reason why I don't have you
bound up is because you came to greet me with a bag of wheat.
All right, fine. I guess I have no other choice.
However,
in the event that we are able to conquer this situation,
I will request a reasonable reward.
Understood.
All right. Let me start off by saying
that this whole ordeal is a plot written by Enberch.
-Please continue. -Okay.
Enberch's plan is most likely this...
The village is not able to return the money for the returned wheat.
So what they're going to do is buy up next year's wheat
and tell you to deduct that from the amount you owe them.
What does that mean...
It means setting a price now and buying wheat that will be harvested next year.
But that involves paying money for something that doesn't exist yet.
So they'll beat the price down.
You'll have to make up for the difference with next next year's harvest.
That cycle will keep repeating and it'll get harder year after year.
And ultimately, they will take advantage
of your weakened state and pressure you into revoking Father Franz's contract.
All I wanted was for them to stop taxing our village.
That is why I did what I could to protect everything Father Franz left us.
But who knew they'd use Ridelius' Hellfire...
Let me ask you, just to be sure... Is there really no way
that poisonous wheat got in there accidentally?
That cursed wheat is dark and sticky.
Everybody in the village can recognize it.
I can't imagine that a lethal amount of it would get mixed in by accident.
I had a little chat with Elsa earlier,
and she apparently suspected Enberch right away.
How pathetic of me.
I thought we could live peacefully, as long as we could sell our wheat.
I never thought anything else could happen.
Who knew they would use such methods to get back at us.
I would like to speak with Ms. Elsa.
You want to see Elsa?
Elder Sem promised us our safety in exchange for borrowing
my wisdom and assets.
And so, I want to speak with Ms. Elsa to get more accurate information.
Elsa... Elsa!
-What's wrong? -I'm here to speak with you.
Will you be okay?
I can't vouch for their character, but they've proved to be reliable.
After all, these two know how to pray, at least.
All right.
Come in.
You stay outside.
-Why?! -Please.
-Fine... -Evan.
Losing their coin purse would make any merchant cry.
Hold onto mine as proof of trust.
I can't believe Enberch would use such tactics.
My patrons are only backing me up for the sake of my father.
If I ask them for more, they will probably cut ties with me.
I think so too.
What do you think will happen to us now, Ms. Elsa?
You're asking me?
You and Ms. Iima are probably the only ones who can
predict the outcome of this theatrical play that Enberch wrote.
Aside from the two of you, right?
We are thinking about escaping.
Even if you have a horse,
I doubt that you two can manage to escape.
That would be true, if my companion was just a normal girl.
Then why haven't you escaped already?
First, we haven't finished reading
the books in this church.
Second, we know who is going to be
next in line to take the blame once we're gone.
Are you confident enough to escape along with Evan?
Not just him, but you too.
At this point, I have no reason to refuse you regarding the books.
But will you have time?
There is just one book that we need to look at.
I hid it under the altar. As long as I can read that one...
In these circumstances, I'm not going to ask for more.
-Jeez... -Oh...
Apparently, there's a book under the altar, so bring that to me.
Okay!
I will neither stop nor encourage your escape.
But until you do, will you please lend me your wisdom regarding business?
I can't promise that I'll give you satisfactory answers, though.
Merchants sure like to use that phrase.
We tend to be cautious.
I brought the book! But isn't this one of
the pagan folktales that the priest...
Whoa!
Please excuse me, Ms. Elsa.
Hey, if I rip the book apart in anger,
will you apologize to her for me?
I don't mind apologizing, but just don't rip the pages to wipe your tears.
Well, you would buy
my tears for a good price, wouldn't you?
It'd be a waste if I didn't cry in front of you.
As with gems, I have to make sure it's not fake.
Give me some time to read it on my own.
Tell me about it later.
No matter what happens, I'll be with you.
There's nothing to be worried about!
If you want, I can go somewhere else.
So, how can I help you with my knowledge and experience?
According to Elder Sem,
we would need to pay more than 70 Limar coins if they return the wheat.
Seventy Limar coins? That's quite a fortune.
That's not the only thing we need.
The wheat we had stored cannot be eaten anymore.
So we need money to buy food too.
I didn't think we'd have to worry about these things
as long as we were under my father's contract.
You weren't wrong for thinking that.
It's just that the villagers completely lacked appreciation for that provision.
My father had told me that
in other villages, people devote themselves to side jobs
even during the winter, when they're not on the field.
In order to make enough money
to protect their village's land.
-But look at us... -That's right.
However, now is not the time to be lamenting about that.
You're right.
If he saw me crying about this now, my father...
Father Franz would scold...
Ms. Elsa?
-Elsa! Elsa! -Ms. Elsa!
Hey, Mr. Lawrence,
the villagers think that you and I did it, right?
-That's right. -Of course they do.
I was eavesdropping
and heard you say that you could escape...
You heard, huh? Yes, we can escape.
This is just my selfish desire, but I'd like to take you two with us.
That's not selfish at all!
I don't want to die here.
I know Elsa wants to get out of this village too.
The villagers say that Mr. Franz saved them,
but they've never really appreciated him!
They have no intention of listening to a priest.
They offer a mountain of tribute to the village's ancient deity,
but they don't offer a single crumb to the church.
If it wasn't for Elder Sem and Ms. Iima, we would've starved to death by now.
The outside world is not an easy place to live either,
but it might be better than this village.
-Ms. Iima... -You, there. Um...
My name is Lawrence.
Mr. Lawrence, if you are able to escape with them two,
I think that would be best.
Actually, I want you to escape with them.
Then I'll have to persuade Elsa.
This might be a little late,
but how are you planning on escaping anyway?
If there are
people out there who've come across a maiden brewing beer in the mountains,
then chances are that other people have met equally mysterious beings as well.
Did you come across a fairy or what?
You could say that.
-Is everyone in agreement? -More or less.
I've already achieved my goal.
Oh yeah?
-If you're curious, go ahead and read it. -Okay.
"The gods of that land fled as fast as they could.
Within the time it takes for a fruit to drop from a tree branch,
Yoitsu was torn apart by the bear's claws."
This is it?
I have a feeling you're looking at me in a way that would annoy me.
-Or is it just my imagination? -I am not!
All right, I was. I'm sorry, okay?
Don't get so mad.
I'm satisfied just by knowing that my old friends escaped safely.
That is all there is to it.
The world never goes the way you want it to, does it?
Tell me about it.
So, what are we going to do?
If we're escaping, you'd better make your decision fast.
Of course, we're going to escape.
This time, you're going to suffer quite the loss.
I have no choice. It's not like we can take the wheat with us.
If only it were something portable and valuable,
we would be able to do something about it.
Something like the pepper you bought a while back?
But there is something that weighs less than spices
and is valuable yet portable.
It's trust.
Then if I gain enough trust from you, I'd better sell it off.
Did you know that I've started
doubting everything because you tease me so much?
Then let me win your trust again.
Don't you get it? I've become this way because you do things like this.
Lies undermine trust, you know?
Still, you never blamed me even once.
I'm genuinely happy about that.
If I didn't say that I wanted to come here,
you wouldn't have suffered a loss.
Then you'd better cut back on how much you eat and drink to make up for that loss.
You really don't hold back nowadays, do you?
Bring out the merchant and his companion!
We know it's their fault!
The miller better come out too!
Come on!
Come out!
Hey!
Come out!
Don't come this way! Stay in the back!
But...
-I will go out and persuade them. -Don't be stupid!
But!
You'll only be adding fuel to the fire.
After all, they know you're chummy with Evan.
They might report you as a heretic
just to get on Enberch's good side.
Listen, there's no use in staying in this village anymore.
If life is tough anywhere you go,
might as well start a new life with someone you can trust.
You may have to leave behind many things,
but you will surely obtain just as many new things.
No matter what kind of journey it is,
you must be decisive when choosing your path.
I agree.
I want to escape.
You can count on me. But I have one condition.
No matter what you see from here on, think of it as nothing but a dream.
I'm a beer fairy, after all.
I'm drunk and won't remember anything.
Then you can count on me. However...
I can easily hop over the people outside, even while carrying all of you,
but I don't know if all of you can withstand that.
Does this church have a backdoor?
Father Franz said that there is a pathway deep inside the basement.
Let's use that.
Ms. Elsa and Evan, quickly get ready to leave.
-Okay. -Cheer up.
At least you get some time to prepare for your departure.
It's not like your hometown is going to disappear tomorrow.
At least yours exists still.
Oh, the fairy doesn't have one either?
Don't lump me in with those frail little fairies.
I'll get ready right away.
All right, go on!
I have to admit, she has a more dignified appearance than me.
Don't worry.
This is the only human form I can transform into.
That's too bad.
I prefer a more curvaceous figure, after all.
Ouch! What?
Hurry up and open up the basement.
All right, are you ready?
-Yeah. -Yes.
Next time, "The Snake God's Path and Wisewolf's Answer."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita