Six days had passed since our departure from the ecclesiastical city of Reubenhagen.As the days passed, the weather became colder and colder. Coupled with the cloudy sky, the slow breeze blowing during the day made people shiver. Especially after coming to the riverside road, the wind blows the coldness of the river, which is even more freezing. The muddy river water, which seems to have melted the dark clouds into the river, looks extremely cold. Although I was wearing several second-hand warm clothes bought when I left Lubinhegen, I couldn't beat the biting cold weather. However, thinking back to the days when I had no extra money to buy second-hand warm clothes in order to prioritize the purchase of goods, I could only tremble in the cold while heading north, and I couldn't help but put a wry smile on my face.This feeling of nostalgia also makes people forget the cold to some extent.

After seven years, the traveling merchant who started out at the beginning seems to be a bit decent. Moreover, in addition to the cold protection equipment this winter, there is also an existence that can make people forget the cold. Lawrence, a traveling merchant who started his own business at the age of eighteen and will welcome his seventh winter this year, turned his eyes to the person sitting beside him in the driver's seat. Usually no matter whether you look to the right or to the left, there is no one to accompany you. Even if you occasionally run into traveling companions with the same destination, you hardly ever sit in the driver's seat together.

Not to mention covering the legs with a piece of cloth for covering the cargo with people to keep warm. "What's the matter?" The diction is somewhat of an archaic grammatical companion. The passenger looks about fifteen years old, she is a girl with white teeth and bright eyes, she has beautiful long flaxen hair that nobles are envious of. However, it wasn't the beautiful long flaxen hair that Lawrence envied, nor was it the fine robes the girl was wearing. It was the animal tail that the girl put on the leg cloth and combed carefully. The tail was brown all over, with white hair on the tip: the thick hair looked very warm.If it is made into a scarf, I believe it will be a top-notch item that ladies want to own even if they spend a lot of money; it is a pity that the tail is not for sale.

"Quickly comb the tail and put it under the legcloth." The girl wearing a long robe and carefully combing the animal's tail with a comb looks a lot like a poor nun doing odd jobs. However, after hearing Lawrence's words, the girl quickly narrowed her reddish amber eyes, then opened her lips that were not damaged by the dry cold wind, and bared her fangs and said displeasedly: "Don't use our tail as a bosom." Saying that, the tail in the girl's hand moved. Although the traveling merchants or travelers who pass by will always guess what kind of animal's fur it is when they see the tail, but in fact, the tail still grows on the owner's body.

It belonged to the girl who carefully combed the animal's tail with a comb.Moreover, the girl not only has a tail, but also hides animal ears that are not owned by humans under her hat. Of course, a person with animal ears and a tail cannot be a normal person. In the world, although there are demon possessed persons who are possessed by goblins or demons at birth and have a non-human appearance, girls do not belong to this category. The girl's real appearance is a giant wolf that lives in the wheat and is so holy that people fear it. Its name is Joyz's Worthy Wolf Holo.For Orthodox Christians with common sense, Holo is revered as a pagan god, a frightening and terrifying existence.However, Lawrence's fear of Holo was over.

Now Lawrence is not only able to easily joke about Holo's always proud tail, but also often uses her tail as a bosom furnace. "After all, the hair on your tail is so thick and neat, just put it under the leg cloth, it's as warm as if covered with a mountain of thick fur." Just as Lawrence planned, after Holo snorted triumphantly, she put her tail under the quilt with a look of "I really don't care about you". "By the way, the town hasn't arrived yet? Will it arrive today?" "Just go up this river and you'll be there in no time."

"Finally we can eat hot rice. We don't want to eat cold porridge in this cold weather. Anyway, it's too boring." Even Lawrence, who was confident that he was more accustomed to eating bad food than Holo, agreed with Holo's words. Although the only joy of traveling is eating, but in winter, I am afraid it is not fun. Because in the freezing cold weather, you can only choose to bite the hard and bitter rye bread directly, or the porridge made from rye bread and water, and the only dish that goes with it is jerky without any salty taste. , or representatives of storage-resistant vegetables-onions and garlic.

Because Holo was originally a wolf, she didn't dare to eat onions and garlic with a strong taste, and she also hated bitter rye bread, so she could only quickly swallow rye porridge boiled with water. For the gluttonous Holo, this was no different from torture. "Well, the town we are going to is holding a big market, there should be a lot of food, you can look forward to it." "Oh, but you, can your purse handle more shopping?" A week ago in the church city of Reubenhagen, Lawrence fell into the trap of a business firm because of greed. At that time, he even thought that he would go bankrupt.

After many twists and turns, although Lawrence was finally saved from bankruptcy, he failed to make any profit and even lost money. As for the equipment that caused the storm, Lawrence considered that it would be too difficult to transport in winter, and that the further north he went, the greater the impact of the price drop, so he finally sold it at a price that was almost free in Rubenhagen. Although Holo was always clamoring for things to buy, she would worry about the purse for Lawrence. He is a guy who usually speaks bad words and has an arrogant attitude, but he is actually very kind in nature.

"If you just buy food for you, it's still within the allowable range. There's nothing to worry about." However, Holo still looked worried and said, "Hmm..." "Besides, in the end I still didn't buy honey pickled peaches for you in Rubenheim. You just need to think of it as compensation." "That's right...but nah." "how?" "Although half of us are worried about your wallet, the other half are worried about ourselves. If we spend money on food, will we have to stay in a hotel that is worse?" Lawrence thought, "I see," and replied with a smile, "I plan to stay in a hotel of a certain standard. Do you want to say that there is no heater in the room, so you can't stay?"

"We didn't intend to ask for that much. But, we don't want to hear you use the food we bought as an excuse..." "Excuse?" In order to pull back the horse that was slightly off the road, Lawrence turned his eyes forward, and Holo leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "We don't want to hear you choose a room with only one bed because you don't have enough money. .We sometimes want to sleep comfortably alone.” Lawrence couldn't help tugging on the rein too hard, and the horse hissed discontentedly. However, the more Lawrence was teased by Holo all day long, the easier it was for him to cheer up. Lawrence tried his best to pretend to be calm, and looked at Holo with indifferent eyes and said, "A person who can snore so little has the nerve to say so." Lawrence's cheering up and counterattack seemed to surprise Holo, she pouted in a bored manner, and moved away. Lawrence wondered how he could give up this opportunity to pursue the victory, so he continued to attack. "Besides, you're not my type." Holo has ears that can tell when a human is lying. What Lawrence had just said was barely a lie. Holo seemed to understand the fact, and she froze with a surprised expression. "You should know I'm not lying, right?" So Lawrence delivered the final blow. Although Holo was stunned for a while, her mouth was still moving, trying to fight back; after a while, she seemed to find such a reaction to say the fact that she was defeated. Holo's ears drooped visibly under her hat, and she looked down in frustration. Lawrence won a long-awaited victory. However, this is not a real victory. While it's not a lie to say that Holo isn't Lawrence's type, it's not entirely true either. Just tell Holo so, and Lawrence, who is always played by Holo, can complete his revenge drama. Whether it was Holo who fell asleep defenselessly, or Holo who was smiling all the time, Lawrence loved it. And her downcast look too. That is to say... "You like us like this, don't you?" Lawrence's eyes accidentally met Holo's looking up, and he couldn't control his blushing. "Big ass. The more stupid a male is, the more he likes a weak female. He doesn't even realize that the real weakness is your male's head." Holo, who bared both sides of her fangs and smiled mockingly, turned the tables and gained the upper hand in an instant. "If you expect us to play the role of a weak princess, then you must also be a strong knight. But what is the actual situation?" Holo pointed at Lawrence, who was speechless. Lawrence thought of all kinds of images that made him feel painfully that he was not a chosen knight, but a traveling merchant. Seeing Lawrence's reaction, Holo sighed in satisfaction, then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she put her index finger against her chin and said, "Yes. But in retrospect, it seems that you once became a knight. " Lawrence tried to open the memory drawer on the spot, but he couldn't help asking himself had he ever acted so manly? "What, I forgot. Didn't you stand in front of us and protect us? We were in the sewer when we fell into a difficult dispute over silver coins." "...Oh, that." Although Holo brought back Lawrence's memory, he really couldn't think that it was the performance of a knight.Because at that time, Lawrence was dressed in rags, and his body was still shaking when he barely stood up. "It's not that having a strong wrist is the performance of a knight. However, this is the first time we have been protected by someone." Holo smiled shyly, then leaned closer to Lawrence.Holo's mood shifted so quickly that it still terrified Lawrence.Facing Holo like this, even a businessman who would suddenly change his attitude because of profits and losses would run away in fright. However, Lawrence had nowhere to run. "In the future, you will still love us well?" The wolf in front of him was like a kitten, showing a gentle and innocent smile.It was a smiling face that I had never seen in my business alone for decades. However, that is a false smiley face.Holo was mad at Lawrence for saying he wasn't his type, and must have been terribly mad. Lawrence felt Holo's anger deeply. "……Feel sorry." So, as if by magic, Lawrence's apology made Holo smile sincerely, sit up straight, and let out a giggle from deep in her throat. "We just like your personality." Such teasing and bantering interactions, like two puppies playing. In the final analysis, this distance is still the most suitable for two people. "It doesn't matter if you choose a room with only one bed. However, you must have two meals." "I know, I know." Although the weather was not hot, Lawrence was sweating; he said while wiping off the annoying sweat.Holo laughed again. "Then, is there anything delicious around here?" "Are you talking about a famous product? It's not a famous product, but around here..." "Fish, right?" Holo surprised him a little by saying the answer Lawrence was about to answer. "It's a shame that you will know. If you go west from here, you will come across a lake. The fish dishes brought from there are considered famous. Also, you can also catch all kinds of fish dishes from the rivers that flow through that area. All kinds of fish. But how do you know that?" Although Holo can easily read the voices of human beings, it is impossible for her to really read what people are thinking. "Well, the smell has been blowing along the wind since just now. Look!" Holo said, pointing in the opposite direction of the river with her right hand. "The wagon convoy is transporting fish." After hearing this, Lawrence saw the carriage convoy appear from behind the hill at the first distance he noticed.With Lawrence's eyesight, he could at most count how many carriages there were, but he couldn't see what was on the freight platform at all.From the direction the convoy was heading, it seemed that they were parallel to this road, but they should meet somewhere. "When we heard fish dishes, we really couldn't imagine what kind of dishes there would be. Is it like the eel we ate in Rubinghagen?" "The eel is just deep-fried. If it is a fish dish that takes a lot of effort, it will be steamed with vegetables or meat, or grilled with herbs. There are many cooking methods. There is another ingredient, which will be later. The ingredients can only be found in the town that I will soon arrive in.” "Oh," Holo's eyes blazed brightly, and the tail that had been placed under the legcloth in place of the bodice flicked excitedly. "I'll tell you what the ingredients are when we arrive in the town, so look forward to it." Hearing Lawrence's teasing, Holo puffed up her cheeks a little, but of course teasing to such a degree would not make her angry. "Then if there is a good fish in the carriage, how about buying it for dinner?" "I'm not good at distinguishing good fish from bad ones. I haven't dared to touch fish since I lost money before." "There's nothing to worry about, we have our eyes and nose." "Can you tell the difference between good and bad fish?" "Otherwise, do you want us to judge whether you are good or bad?" Holo said with a mischievous smile that Lawrence could only surrender obediently. "Please forgive me. However, if there is a good fish, buy it and treat it to the store. It will be more cost-effective." "Well, leave it to us." Although Lawrence did not know where he would meet the convoy, which might have been carrying fish, he saw the convoy getting closer and let the horses follow the road. Lawrence squinted at Holo, who was staring at the carriage in the distance, and thought—after all, what Holo said about judging by eyes and nose should be referring to judging by appearance and taste. If Holo could tell good fish from bad, maybe she could really tell good from bad humans. Although Lawrence immediately found that his thoughts were ridiculous, he couldn't help laughing alone, but he still cared a little bit in his heart. Lawrence put his nose close to his right shoulder and sniffed nonchalantly.He thought to himself that although he lived a life of traveling, it shouldn't be too smelly; besides, Holo hadn't changed her clothes either. When Lawrence thought this as if he was looking for an excuse, he felt a gaze cast on his left cheek. Although Lawrence didn't want to meet that gaze, he turned to see Holo laughing silently. "Really. You are so cute, where should we save our face?" Holo said in disbelief, but Lawrence couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal. The river flows slowly, and at first glance it seems to be standing still.People began to appear by the river to let the horses rest and drink water, or to re-stack the goods, and there was also a rare figure of a traveling knife sharpener.The knife sharpener put the long sword aside to replace the signboard, and yawned with his chin resting on the knife sharpening table in boredom. In addition, a barge with a flat bottom is moored by the pier, and the owner of the barge and the knight leading the horse are seen arguing on the barge.Judging from the simple equipment of the knights, they might be messengers preparing to go to a certain fortress.Probably because the number of horses is insufficient, the owner of the ship is unwilling to send the ship, so the knight is arguing with him. Because Lawrence also had the experience of being in a hurry and losing his temper at the captain who was unwilling to sail, he couldn't help smiling wryly when he saw such a scene. The originally stretching, seemingly endless wasteland has gradually turned into cultivated fields, and sporadic figures of plowing people can be seen in front of our eyes. Lawrence never tires of watching such changes in the scenery that begin to reveal the breath of people's lives. At this time, they finally rendezvoused with the wagon convoy carrying fish that they had just seen. The convoy consisted of three carriages lined up, each drawn by two horses.The carriage did not have a driver's seat, and a young man dressed in noble clothes sat on the freight platform of the last carriage. Three men who should be hired workers walked while controlling the horses. At first Lawrence thought that a carriage drawn by two horses would be considered a show, but on closer inspection he saw that it was not for style. Buckets and wooden boxes that can fully accommodate a person are placed on the cargo table, and several of the buckets are filled with water to allow fish to swim in the water. No matter what kind of fish it is, as long as it is not salted, it is considered high-end: live fish is even more so. Although the scene of transporting live fish was indeed rare, another thing surprised Lawrence even more. What surprised Lawrence was that the owner who transported such high-end goods in three carriages seemed to be a businessman younger than himself. "Do you want to buy fish?" The man seated on the cargo bed of the last wagon wore the greased leather coat usually worn by the big fishmongers.After Lawrence spoke to the man first, the man said so in a boyish voice from under the hat. "Yes. Can you sell some fish to me?" Asked Lawrence who switched seats with Holo.After hearing this, the young merchant immediately replied, "I'm very sorry, the fish we sell have already allocated the quantity." Lawrence was a little surprised by such an unexpected answer.Sensing Lawrence's reaction, the young man removed his hat to reveal his face. Under the hat was a boy's face that matched his voice.It might be an exaggeration to say that the man was a teenager, but that face did not look like he was twenty years old.Moreover, most of the big fish sellers are rough men, but the figure of the man in front of him is rare and slender.His blond hair blowing in the wind even gave people a sense of elegance. However, since the man can transport three carriages of fresh fish at a time, he is a businessman that cannot be underestimated. "Excuse me, are you a traveling merchant?" Although Lawrence couldn't tell whether the man's amiable smiling face was born with him or the smiling face of a businessman, he thought he could answer with a smiling face whether it was the former or the latter. "Yes, I just came from Rubenhagen." "I see. If that's the case, just walk back along the road we came for about half a day, and you will come across a lake. You just need to discuss with the fishermen, and you should be able to buy fish; the quality of carp caught this season is very good. .” "Oh, that, I don't want to buy, I just want to ask you to cut a few fish for dinner tonight." The smiling face of the young businessman suddenly changed to one of surprise, perhaps because it was the first time he had heard such a request. If you are a fish merchant who transports salted equipment for a long distance, you will often be asked to do so during the delivery; but if you are only a fish merchant who travels to and from nearby lakes and towns, you may not be used to encountering such things. However, the surprised expression of the young businessman immediately turned to a pensive expression. Presumably that expression is because the situation encountered is different from his own business common sense, so he is thinking about whether it can be treated as a new business. "You really love doing business." Lawrence said.After hearing this, the young businessman came back to his senses with an "ah" and smiled embarrassedly. "What a faux pas. By the way, you want to buy fish for dinner, does that mean you'll be staying in Camelson tonight?" "Yes, I'm here to visit the Great Winter Fair and Festival." Camelson was the name of the town Lawrence was planning to go to, where the big market was being held every year in summer and winter. In addition, to coincide with the winter market, a festival is also held at the same time. Although Lawrence didn't know the details of the festival, he had heard that it was a pagan festival that people of the church would faint after seeing. Starting from Rubenhagen, which is still the supply base of the northern pagan crusade and is also a church city, after six days of marching north, the relationship between Orthodox and pagans may not be as simple as that of the southern countries. . The vast area extending northwards of Rubenhagen was ruled by a nation called Proiani, where the majority of the royal family was pagan.It is quite natural for Orthodox Christians and pagans to live in the same town. Camelson is a town owned by the powerful nobles of Projani. It is a large town built for the purpose of keeping away from complicated religious issues as much as possible and promoting economic prosperity.Therefore, there are no Orthodox churches in Carmelson, and Orthodox Christians are prohibited from carrying out missionary activities.The festival held there is the most taboo to be asked whether it belongs to the orthodox or pagan festival, and it is usually explained by the traditional festival belonging to Camelson. Because the festival itself is quite rare, and pagans can also come here with peace of mind, it seems that this festival called La Zola Festival will attract an astonishingly large number of people every year. Because Lawrence only came to Camelson in the summer, he had never seen this festival. Lawrence made a special plan to arrive in Camelson early based on the festival topics he heard.However, he seems to be thinking too naively. "Excuse me, have you booked a hotel yet?" The young businessman asked with a worried look on his face. "The festival won't start until the day after tomorrow. Could it be that we can't book a hotel?" "exactly." Holo on the side moved slightly, maybe she was worried that she wouldn't be able to book a hotel. Although what would happen to Holo who looked like a wolf, if she was Holo who looked like a human, she would be afraid of the cold just like a human.She must not be able to bear the camping life in such a cold season. However, if this is the case, Lawrence also has other plans. "In this case, it seems that the foreign company will arrange hotels for members in conjunction with the annual big market. I will ask the foreign company to help." If you ask the foreign firm for help, you may be asked about your relationship with Holo, so Lawrence doesn't want to do this, but it's the only choice so far. "Ah, so you are a merchant of the guild. Excuse me, which guild do you belong to?" "The company of the Ron Merchant Guild in Camelson." The moment the young businessman heard it, his expression suddenly became cheerful. "What a wonderful coincidence, I also belong to the Ron Guild." "Oh, this must be God's guidance... Oops, these two are the most taboo to say such things, right?" "Ahaha, it's okay, I'm also an Orthodox Christian from a southern country." The young businessman smiled, then coughed lightly and said, "Well, let me introduce myself first. I am Femi Amati, a fish dealer in Camelson. In business, I use the name Amati Self-proclaimed." "I am the traveling merchant Claf Lawrence. I also call myself Lawrence." Although both of them stated their names on the carriage, because they were within arm's reach of each other, they shook hands directly. So Lawrence had to introduce Holo next. "This is my traveling companion, Holo. We travel together for a reason, but we're not husband and wife." Lawrence said with a smile, Holo listened, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Amati with a smile. When Holo was quiet and sweet, she was quite charming. Although Amati introduced himself again in a panic, his cheeks were flushed. "Is Miss Holo a nun?" "Basically a pilgrimage nun." Not only men who have faith in their hearts will embark on a pilgrimage, women who are citizens generally also go on pilgrimage. Moreover, most women call themselves pilgrimage nuns when they are on pilgrimage.Rather than answering as a citizen on a pilgrimage, calling herself a pilgrimage nun can avoid all kinds of troubles. However, entering Camelson will cause problems because people dressed as people who are clearly related to the church at a glance: so when people dressed in this way enter the city, it is customary to pin three feathers somewhere on their clothes.And Holo had three shabby-looking brown chicken feathers pinned to her hat. Although Amati, who claimed to be from a southern country, was young, he seemed to understand the truth immediately. Amati didn't ask much, presumably he understood that there must be some reason why the traveling merchant would travel with the young woman. "Then, the more or less difficulties you will encounter during the journey can be regarded as a test given by God. I say this because if you only need to ask about the room, I can still arrange it, but unfortunately, if you want to arrange it With two rooms, it’s a bit difficult.” Amati's proposal surprised Lawrence.Seeing this, Amati smiled and continued, "We belong to the same guild. This is God's guidance. As long as you ask a hotel with business contacts to help, the other party should be able to make a room for you. If you bring a female travel companion Please ask the foreign company to help arrange the hotel, some old faces will be very talkative.” "Yes, what you said is absolutely right. But, can I trouble you like this?" "Of course. After all, I am also a businessman. I proposed this for business. In other words, I hope that you can enjoy a lot of delicious fresh fish in the hotel where you are staying." Amati was able to own the fish trading volume of three carriages at a young age, so she was not an ordinary person. The so-called smooth and thoughtful refers to this kind of thing. Lawrence replied with half regret and half gratitude: "You really have a business mind. Can you help arrange it?" "Okay, please leave it to me." Amati said with a smile, only for a moment, his eyes were taken away from Lawrence. Although Lawrence pretended not to notice, he knew that the gaze must be on Holo. Lawrence thought that perhaps Amati proposed this not to do more business, but to show a good side in front of Holo. Seeing such a situation, Lawrence, who was traveling with Holo, couldn't help feeling a little superior.However, he knew that Holo would definitely make fun of him if he kept thinking about such superfluous things.