Spice & Wolf II Read Free Page A

Ruvinheigen’s backside. He was rather lean and far from tasty.”
    Holo sniffed proudly as she related the gallant tale. The surprised Lawrence had no response.
    In the holy city of Ruvinheigen, there were records of Saint Ruvinheigen having red hair and the city itself having originally been a fortress that fought against pagan gods.
    However, in his battles against the heathen deities, Saint Ruvinheigen was said to have lost his left arm. That is why on the great mural in the city cathedral he was pictured with no left arm, his ragged clothing smeared with blood, resolutely ordering his crusaders forward against the pagans, the protection of God at their backs.
    Perhaps the reason Saint Ruvinheigen was always pictured in clothes so ragged he might as well be nude was because Holo had shredded them.
    Her true form was that of a massive wolf, after all. It was easy to imagine her bloodying someone after a bit of sport.
    I f what Holo said was true, Saint Ruvinheigen had probably been ashamed of being bitten on his rear and had omitted that bit from the story. In that case, the tale of the saint losing his left arm was pure fabrication.
    Had Holo bitten the real Saint Ruvinheigen?
    Hearing the story behind the history, Lawrence chuckled.
    “Oh, but wait a moment—,” said Holo.
    “Hm?”
    “I only bit him, I’ll have you know. I did not kill him,” said Holo quickly, anticipating Lawrence’s reaction.
    For a moment, Lawrence didn’t understand what she was getting at, but soon he realized.
    She must have assumed he would be angry if she killed one of his fellow humans.
    “You’re considerate at the strangest of times,” said Lawrence.
    “’Tis important,” said Holo, her face serious enough that Lawrence capitulated without any further teasing.
    “Anyway, this surely is a tedious city. The middle of the forest is livelier than this.”
    “I’ll unload my pepper, pick up a new commodity, and we’ll be on our way to Ruvinheigen, so just bear it until then.”
    “Is it a big town?”
    “Bigger even than Pazzio—more properly a city than a town really. It’s crowded, and there are lots of shops.”
    Holo’s face lit up. “With apples even?”
    “Hard to say if they’ll be fresh. With winter coming, I’d think they’d be preserved.”
    “...Preserved?” said Holo, dubious. In the northlands, salt was the only method of preservation, so she assumed preserved apples would also use salt.
    “They use honey,” said Lawrence.
    Pop ! went Holo’s ears, flicking rapidly under the hood she wore.
    “Pear preserves are good, too. Also, hmm, they’re a bit rare, but I’ve seen preserved peaches. Now those are fine goods. They slice the peaches thin, pack them in a cask with the odd layer of almonds or figs, then fill up the spaces with honey, and seal it shut. Takes about two months for it to be ready to eat. I’ve only had it once, but it was so sweet the Church was considering banning the stuff...Hey, you’re drooling.”
    Holo snapped her mouth shut as Lawrence pointed it out.
    She took a nervous glance around, then looked back at Lawrence dubiously. “You...you’re toying with me, though.”
    “Can’t you tell if I’m lying or not?”
    Holo set her jaw, perhaps at a loss for words.
    “I’m not lying, but there’s no telling whether they’ll actually have the preserves. They’re mostly for rich nobles, anyway. The stuff isn’t just lined up in a shop.”
    “But if it is?”
    Swish, swish —Holo’s tail was switching back and forth beneath her robe so rapidly it almost seemed like a separate animal altogether. Her eyes were moist and blurred with overflowing anticipation.
    Holo’s face was so close to Lawrence that she rested her head on his shoulder.
    Her eyes were desperately serious.
    “Fine, fine! I’ll buy you some!”
    Holo gripped Lawrence’s arm tightly. “You have to!”
    He felt that if he looked sideways at her, he’d be bitten on the spot.
    “A little, though. Just a