The capture of a narwhal and the ensuing power struggle between the northern and southern districts of Kerube has Lawrence caught in the middle! Backed into a corner by his own trade guild, can the merchant find a way to extricate himself from this delicate situation? And what of the wolf bone from Holo's pack? Can the Wisewolf of Yoitsu manage to keep her rage and frustration in check? Isuna Hasekura's debut novel, SPICE AND WOLF, earned the Silver Prize in the 2005 Dengeki Novel Prize with the series going on to total seventeen novels and both manga and anime adaptations. Spice and Wolf, Vol. 9 The Town of Strife II By Isuna Hasekura Orbit Copyright © 2013 Isuna Hasekura All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-316-24548-7 CHAPTER 1 "We must leave this place," Lawrence said bluntly. "And quickly, too." He entered the room with long strides. On the table were the coins, the puzzleof which Col had solved, and Lawrence gathered them into his coin purse asthough he were making a sandpile on a beach. The travelers' life was one of casting off needless things. Everything they needed was already packed in a burlap bag in the room's corner,and if flight was necessary, they could simply cinch the bag up, shoulder it,and run—it was far from rare to be attacked during the night, after all. "Come, you." Lawrence looked up at the voice. It was the surprised face of his traveling companion, Holo. "What's this, then?" In her hand was a letter written on a single piece of parchment. Inscribed on it was a statement in curt, undecorated letters, along with abloodred wax seal in the bottom-right corner. It was addressed to none other than Lawrence, and the sender was the Rowen TradeGuild. For a traveling merchant like Lawrence, whose livelihood was everuncertain, the group of comrade merchants was most encouraging. Its seal was a powerful shield in any town and could be a powerful weapon aswell. And the guild had sent Lawrence a letter at the inn where he stayed on the northside of Kerube. "'We seek now a brave merchant who fears neither witch nor alchemist. Inconsideration of both the wealth and progress of the guild, by all means, please... signed, Lud Kieman.'" Holo read the letter's contents aloud smoothly and then looked to Lawrencecuriously. Next to Holo, their other travel companion, Col, peered at the document in herhands. The letter was from Lud Kieman, chief trader of the Kerube branch of the RowenTrade Guild, and its meaning was clear—there was no doubt that he wastrying to get Lawrence's cooperation, just as Eve said he would. He wanted to deliver the narwhal to Eve and to receive in return the titles forthe land on the north side of the river, thereby transforming the balance ofpower in the town. The narwhal was a creature so valuable that it made suchthings possible. But neither Kieman nor Eve could trust the other. Each of them was far toohypocritical to shake hands over a contract. They needed someone to act as amiddleman, a go-between. And if possible, someone whom they could each easilycontrol. In the midst of heated competition over such vast profits, a merchant's life wasworth no more than a single grain of wheat. Lawrence could hear the crunch, crunch of creaking bones. Col and Holo's lack of concern only further aggravated his nervousness. "Don'tyou see? This is a summons from my guild," he said by way of explanation, tyingthe burlap sack tightly closed. "Your guild?" came Holo's reply, which made Lawrence stand and shake his head. "The name on the letter, there—that's Lud Kieman, the manager of the localbranch of my guild. Even if I don't owe Kieman any favors directly, I owe myallegiance to the Rowen Trade Guild, whose delta house he manages. Do youunderstand what I'm saying? Kieman is using the reins of my obligation to theguild in order to put me in a terrible position!" Traders as powerless as traveling merchants can safely move from town to townonly because of their guild attachments. Because the guild works tirelessly toacquire various rights and privileges in each town, its merchants could visitthose towns and conduct business without worry. But being able to dine on the fruits plucked by the guild's claws and teethmeant that when a merchant's cooperation was asked, a member could not refuseit. Because no matter how absurd the request, the many privileges the merchant hadso far enjoyed came at the cost of the hard labor of his comrades. Yet there was a limit to how obligated one could be. Kieman was scheming in service of his own self-interest and trying to pullLawrence into those machinations. He would claim it was in the interests of the guild, and as long as hispreparations were thorough, Lawrence would be unable to refuse lest he bebranded a traitor by the guild. And there was another reason for Lawrence to beworried—the person with whom he'd only recently conversed in anotherbuilding. If Kieman was the head of a great giant composed of an army of merchants, thenhis enemy was a w