E23 - Orchestrated Catastrophe and Appropriate Retribution

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:04] Sem
    A shoemaker living in Enberch
    died after eating some bread.
[00:08] Sem
    The wheat that was used to
    make that bread was from this village.
[00:15] Lawrence
    Ridelius' Hellfire...
[00:17] Holo
    Ride... what now?
[00:19] Lawrence
    It's wheat that's been poisoned by disease.
[00:22] Lawrence
    You can't tell if it's poisoned a wheat field
    until someone dies from eating it.
[00:27] Sem
    An official representative will be coming soon.
[00:30] Sem
    Enberch plans to return
    all of the wheat from our village.
[00:33] Baker
    R-Return all the wheat? That means...
[00:36] Sem
    That's right. We have to return the money.
[00:39] Villager A
    Village Head, what should we do?
[00:41] Villager B
    We've already used the money
[00:43] Villager B
    to buy pigs and chickens,
    as well as mend our sickles and spades!
[00:45] Iima
    That's not all.
[00:47] Iima
    We had a bumper harvest this year.
[00:50] Iima
    The quality of food and alcohol
    went up at my place.
[00:54] Iima
    Your money's been spent there, too.
[00:57] Iima
    And there's another problem...
[00:58] Lawrence
    The scary thing about this is that it
    doesn't end with just a few deaths.
[01:03] Lawrence
    There's no telling if other stalks
    have snuck their way in,
[01:06] Lawrence
    so the entire harvest can no longer be eaten.
[01:10] Sem
    We have no stores of wheat in the village.
[01:13] Baker
    What are we going to do?!
[01:14] Villager A
    We can bear being poor, but we can't starve!
[01:16] Sem
    Exactly, however...
[01:19] Villager B
    These two mixed poisonous
    wheat into our harvest!
[01:22] Villager B
    I heard they brought wheat to this village!
[01:24] Baker
    That's right!
[01:24] Baker
    Didn't you go to the waterwheel
    and grind your wheat into flour?!
[01:27] Villager A
    You conspired with the miller
    boy to destroy this village!
[01:30] Villager B
    That's right! Where'd that liar go?!
[01:32] Baker
    Tie them both up and make them confess
    which batches of wheat they poisoned!
[01:35] Elsa
    Please hold on!
[01:37] Baker
    Stay out of this, woman!
[01:39] Iima
    Excuse me?
[01:42] Elsa
    Evan is in the church.
[01:44] Sem
    What matters most right now
[01:46] Sem
    is that the wheat will be returned
     and how we can pay them back.
[01:50] Baker
    We can't pay back money we don't have.
[01:53] Baker
    We'll have to ask them
    to wait until next year...
[01:55] Sem
    I hope things will be that simple.
[01:57] Villager A
    What do you mean?
[01:58] Sem
    Enberch might use this as an excuse to
    change our relationship back to how it was...
[02:03] Villager B
    Wh-What are you saying?!
[02:04] Baker
    Those guys shouldn't be able
    to lay their hands on us.
[02:06] Villager C
    Didn't Father Franz set it up that way?
[02:09] Villager A
    It was impossible for Elsa from the start!
[02:11] Villager A
    Of course they'd look down on her!
[02:13] Baker
    That's right! She stays in the church all day
    and never comes out to help in the fields!
[02:17] Villager B
    The wheat harvest this year
    was all thanks to Lord Truyeo!
[02:20] Villager A
    A church girl like her is completely useless!
[02:22] Sem
    That's enough.
[02:24] Sem
    Every villager needs to check how much money
    they have left after selling the harvest
[02:28] Sem
    and how many provisions
    they already have prepared.
[02:30] Sem
    At the earliest, the messenger
    will reach our village by daybreak.
[02:34] Sem
    Let's disperse for now.
[02:43] Sem
    Elsa.
[02:45] Sem
    I'm sure this is painful for you,
    but please endure it for now.
[02:49] Sem
    Ms. Iima, please go to the church with Elsa.
[02:52] Sem
    Some of the hot-blooded villagers
    may come pounding on the door.
[02:55] Iima
    Leave it to me.
[02:56] Sem
    Mr. Lawrence, I'm just as suspicious
    of you as the villagers are.
[03:02] Sem
    Even so, please don't think that I'm foolish
    enough to immediately believe that as truth.
[03:06] Lawrence
    I would say the exact same thing
    if I were in your place, Village Head Sem.
[03:10] Sem
    In order to ensure your safety
    and prevent further suspicion,
[03:16] Sem
    I'd like the two of you to come to my home.
SIGN    Spice and Wolf
SIGN    Episode 23
    Orchestrated Catastrophe
    and Appropriate Retribution
[04:54] Lawrence
    The situation seems to be
    too much of a coincidence.
[04:57] Lawrence
    The more I think about it, the more
    I feel like Enberch orchestrated all of this
[05:00] Lawrence
    in order to control Tereo.
[05:02] Holo
    I agree.
[05:03] Lawrence
    Even so, Elsa's backer wouldn't stay
    silent if the village gets trapped like that.
[05:08] Lawrence
    That's why they needed a scapegoat.
[05:11] Lawrence
    Then we happened by,
     giving them the perfect opportunity.
[05:14] Lawrence
    They'll surely offer the village this deal.
[05:17] Lawrence
    "We'll delay the return payment for
    the wheat if you hand over the culprits to us."
[05:22] Holo
    Are you going to allow that?
[05:24] Lawrence
    Of course not.
[05:25] Lawrence
    However...
[05:27] Holo
    Yes. If we run, it would be like
    admitting we poisoned the wheat.
[05:30] Holo
    Your image would be posted everywhere and...
[05:32] Lawrence
    My life as a merchant would be over.
[05:38] Holo
    Could we seek help
    from that association of yours?
[05:41] Lawrence
    The association, huh? If only...
[05:45] Lawrence
    Oh, that's right.
[05:49] Lawrence
    If I rode on your back,
[05:51] Lawrence
    we could flee to another
     town faster than on horseback.
[05:53] Holo
    Of course.
[05:54] Lawrence
    It would be a huge problem if news got out
    that a merchant poisoned some wheat.
[05:58] Lawrence
    The association would
    fervently deny such accusations.
[06:00] Holo
    If that is the case, the ones
    trying to entrap us may give up.
[06:06] Lawrence
    But then, who would take the blame instead?
[06:09] Lawrence
    They'd blame Evan, since he could
     poison the wheat at any time
[06:12] Lawrence
    and the villagers have
    always been suspicious of him.
[06:15] Holo
    Then, I shall carry him on my back as well.
[06:17] Lawrence
    But then...
[06:19] Holo
    If that girl is in danger,
    I shall carry her as well.
[06:22] Holo
    You are foolishly good-natured, after all.
[06:25] Holo
    Goodness, how troublesome...
[06:27] Lawrence
    I'm sorry. Thank you.
[06:29] Sem
    Well, then.
[06:31] Sem
    Please tell me who in the world
    the two of you are.
[06:34] Lawrence
    I have already told you.
[06:36] Sem
    Yes, you have.
[06:39] Sem
    And you probably speak the truth.
[06:41] Sem
    However, the two of you were seeking
    Diendran Abbey. For what reason?
[06:47] Lawrence
    A person I met in Kumerson
    introduced me to the abbot of that abbey.
[06:51] Sem
    So, you didn't come here at
    the request of the town of Enberch?
[06:56] Lawrence
    It's true that we stopped by the town
    of Enberch, but we only passed through.
[07:00] Lawrence
    We came in search of Diendran Abbey
    only for our own selves.
[07:05] Sem
    Y-You're lying!
[07:09] Lawrence
    We have absolutely nothing to do with
    the feud between Enberch and this village.
[07:14] Lawrence
    I only found out about the feud
    after coming to this village
[07:18] Lawrence
    and I used my own experience
    to deduce the situation.
[07:21] Sem
    You absolutely, truly,
    have nothing to do with any of this?
[07:24] Lawrence
    Yes.
[07:25] Sem
    If that's truly the case...
[07:28] Sem
    If that's truly the case, can you lend us
    some wisdom and perhaps some money?
[07:32] Lawrence
    I can lend you my wisdom, however...
[07:35] Sem
    I won't ask you to lend it to us
    free of charge.
[07:37] Sem
    In exchange, I can guarantee your safety.
[07:40] Lawrence
    Is that a threat?
[07:42] Sem
    The only reason I did not simply
    tie you up as the culprit was
[07:45] Sem
    because you brought wheat as a gift
    when you came to greet me.
[07:50] Lawrence
    It looks like I have no choice but to agree.
[07:54] Lawrence
    However.
[07:55] Lawrence
    I will ask for appropriate compensation
    if I'm able to turn this situation around.
[08:01] Sem
    I understand.
[08:04] Lawrence
    Then, let me say this first.
[08:07] Lawrence
    This commotion was all orchestrated
    by the town of Enberch itself.
[08:11] Sem
    Please continue.
[08:12] Lawrence
    Yes.
[08:13] Lawrence
    This is what I expect Enberch's plan to be.
[08:15] Lawrence
    You will not be able to pay back
    the money for all the wheat.
[08:19] Lawrence
    So, they will demand you credit them
    towards the wheat you harvest next year.
[08:25] Sem
    What does that mean?
[08:26] Lawrence
    They will negotiate the price of next year's
    wheat and buy it at that price now.
[08:31] Lawrence
    However, since they're buying
    something that doesn't exist yet,
[08:35] Lawrence
    they'll haggle down the price.
[08:38] Lawrence
    You'll be forced to make up the difference
     with the following year's wheat.
[08:42] Lawrence
    Repeating this cycle will become
     increasingly difficult for your village.
[08:45] Lawrence
    In the end, they will probably
    take advantage of your weakness
[08:48] Lawrence
    to end the contract made with Father Franz.
[08:53] Sem
    We only wished to avoid
    heavy taxation in our village.
[08:56] Sem
    Thinking that, we desperately
    protected what Father Franz left us.
[09:01] Sem
    I can't believe they used
    Ridelius' Hellfire against us...
[09:04] Lawrence
    Is there really no chance the poisonous
     wheat made it into your harvest?
[09:09] Sem
    That cursed wheat is black and sticky.
[09:13] Sem
    Everyone in the village can recognize it.
[09:15] Sem
    It's unlikely that enough to kill someone
     was carelessly mixed into our harvest.
[09:22] Sem
    I spoke with Elsa a bit, and she
    immediately suspected Enberch.
[09:30] Sem
    I am so pathetic.
[09:32] Sem
    I thought our livelihood would be secure
    as long as we had someone to buy our wheat,
[09:35] Sem
    so I didn't consider anything else.
[09:39] Sem
    I can't believe they'd
    attack us in such a way...
[09:42] Lawrence
    I'd like to speak with Ms. Elsa.
[09:53] Iima
    You want to meet with Elsa?
[09:54] Lawrence
    Village Head Sem has promised our safety
    in exchange for my wisdom and money.
[10:00] Lawrence
    I need to speak with Miss Elsa
    to gain some accurate information.
[10:05] Iima
    Elsa! Elsa!
[10:08] Elsa
    What is it?
[10:10] Lawrence
    I've come to talk with you.
[10:12] Iima
    You all right?
[10:14] Elsa
    We cannot depend on them,
    but we can trust them.
[10:17] Elsa
    At the very least, the two of them
    know the proper method of prayer.
[10:22] Iima
    Got it.
[10:26] Elsa
    Please come in.
[10:29] Elsa
    Please stay outside.
[10:30] Evan
    Wh-Why?
[10:31] Elsa
    Please.
[10:33] Evan
    Fine...
[10:34] Lawrence
    Evan.
[10:37] Lawrence
    Any merchant would cry
     if they dropped this purse.
[10:42] Lawrence
    Think of it as proof that you can trust me.
[10:52] Elsa
    I can't believe Enberch
    would use such underhanded tricks...
[10:55] Elsa
    My backer is merely supporting me
    because of my father.
[11:00] Elsa
    If I ask for much more,
    I risk losing my backer completely...
[11:03] Lawrence
    As expected...
[11:05] Lawrence
    So, what do you think will happen
    to us after this, Ms. Elsa?
[11:10] Elsa
    You're asking me?
[11:11] Lawrence
    I think only you, and perhaps Ms. Iima,
[11:14] Lawrence
    are able to tell how Enberch
    plans to play this out.
[11:17] Elsa
    As well as the two of you, right?
[11:24] Lawrence
    We are thinking of running.
[11:26] Elsa
    I cannot believe you'd be able to escape,
    even with a horse.
[11:31] Lawrence
    That would be the case if my companion
    was a mere girl like she seems.
[11:38] Elsa
    Then, why haven't you fled?
[11:41] Lawrence
    First, we haven't finished reading
    through the books in this church.
[11:45] Lawrence
    The next reason is that we know
    who will be blamed if we disappear.
[11:53] Elsa
    Are you confident
    you'll be able to escape with Evan?
[11:55] Lawrence
    Not just him, but you as well.
[12:00] Elsa
    There is no reason for me to refuse
    your request to read the books.
[12:03] Elsa
    But there isn't much time...
[12:04] Lawrence
    There is only one book
    we'd like to read, no matter what.
[12:09] Holo
    It has been hidden under the altar.
[12:11] Holo
    As long as I can read that book...
[12:13] Holo
    Well, considering the current
    predicament, I will not wish for more.
[12:24] Elsa
    Goodness.
[12:26] Elsa
    There should be a book
    under the alter. Go get it.
[12:31] Evan
    Y-Yeah.
[12:34] Elsa
    I will neither encourage
    nor discourage you from escaping.
[12:37] Elsa
    However, will you lend me your
    merchant's wisdom until that time?
[12:43] Lawrence
    I'm not sure if I can
    give you a satisfactory answer.
[12:46] Elsa
    It seems merchants really like that phrase.
[12:49] Lawrence
    We are a cautious lot.
[12:52] Evan
    I brought the book.
[12:54] Evan
    But this...
[12:56] Evan
    Isn't this one of Father Franz's
    books on pagan legends?
[12:58] Evan
    Whoa!
[13:01] Lawrence
    Ms. Elsa, please excuse me.
[13:11] Holo
    Hey.
[13:12] Holo
    If I tear this book apart in anger,
    will you apologize on my behalf?
[13:17] Lawrence
    I don't mind apologizing, but don't tear
    the book apart just to wipe your tears.
[13:22] Holo
    You would happily buy my tears at a high price.
[13:27] Holo
    It would be a waste not to cry before you.
[13:29] Lawrence
    Such expensive gems,
    I'll have to make sure they're not fake.
[13:36] Holo
    I would like to read alone.
[13:38] Lawrence
    Tell me your thoughts after you finish.
[13:40] Holo
    Yes...
[13:46] Lawrence
    Oh.
[13:57] Evan
    I'll be by your side no matter what happens...
[13:59] Evan
    There's no need for you to worry, Elsa!
[14:02] Elsa
    Yeah...
[14:08] Evan
    If I shouldn't be here, I'll step out.
[14:12] Lawrence
    So, what can my knowledge
    and experience help you with?
[14:17] Elsa
    According to Village Head Sem,
[14:19] Elsa
    we'll be seventy Rimmer coins short
    if they return all the wheat to us.
[14:22] Lawrence
    Seventy Rimmer. That's a lot.
[14:25] Elsa
    That's not all.
[14:28] Elsa
    Since the wheat we stored can no longer
    be used, we'll also need money for food...
[14:33] Elsa
    I thought things wouldn't come to this
    as long as we still had father's contract.
[14:38] Lawrence
    That way of thinking isn't wrong.
[14:40] Lawrence
    However, the villagers never understood
    the greatness of that blessing.
[14:45] Elsa
    I heard from my father that
    farmers in other villages work hard
[14:50] Elsa
    doing odd jobs throughout the winter.
[14:52] Elsa
    They try to earn as much money as possible,
    so their land isn't taken from them.
[14:57] Elsa
    But here...
[14:58] Lawrence
    That's right. However,
    nothing will change if we just grieve.
[15:02] Elsa
    Yes, you're right.
[15:04] Elsa
    If I merely grieve, my father...
    Father Franz will get angry with me...
[15:09] Lawrence
    Ms. Elsa!
[15:10] Evan
    Elsa! Elsa!
[15:11] Lawrence
    Ms. Elsa!
[15:20] Evan
    Hey, Mr. Lawrence.
[15:21] Evan
    Everyone in the village
    suspects the two of us, don't they?
[15:24] Lawrence
    That's right.
[15:25] Evan
    Of course they do...
[15:27] Evan
    I eavesdropped, but... you said you can escape?
[15:32] Lawrence
    That?
[15:33] Lawrence
    Yeah, we can.
[15:35] Lawrence
    I'd like to selfishly
    take the two of you with me, too.
[15:38] Evan
    That's not selfish at all.
[15:40] Evan
    I don't want to die
    in a place like this. Elsa, too.
[15:42] Evan
    I'm sure she wants to leave this village, too.
[15:45] Evan
    Everyone says Mr. Franz is their benefactor,
[15:47] Evan
    but no one in the village
    really appreciates it...
[15:52] Evan
    They never listen to his teachings.
[15:55] Evan
    They've always given
    their god a ton of offerings
[15:58] Evan
    but have never offered a single
    piece of bread to the church.
[16:00] Evan
    Without the village head or Ms. Iima, we
    would have starved to death a long time ago.
[16:05] Iima
    It's true that the outside world isn't easy,
[16:08] Iima
    but it might be easier than this village.
[16:10] Evan
    Ms. Iima...
[16:11] Iima
    You're, um...
[16:12] Lawrence
    My name is Lawrence.
[16:14] Iima
    Mr. Lawrence, if you want to escape
    with the two of them, I think you should.
[16:21] Iima
    No, I hope you do.
[16:23] Evan
    Yeah.
[16:24] Evan
    Then, I'll need to convince Elsa.
[16:31] Iima
    I know what I said, but how do
    you all plan on escaping?
[16:36] Lawrence
    If a man can come across a maiden
     brewing beer in the mountains,
[16:41] Lawrence
    it wouldn't be odd for another man
    to encounter something else equally strange.
[16:47] Iima
    Did you meet a fairy or something?
[16:49] Lawrence
    Something like that.
[16:59] Holo
    Have you finished talking?
[17:01] Lawrence
    More or less.
[17:03] Holo
    I have already accomplished my goal.
[17:05] Lawrence
    I see.
[17:08] Holo
    If you are curious, you should read it as well.
[17:10] Lawrence
    Yeah.
[17:15] Lawrence
    "The gods of the land all fled in terror."
[17:18] Lawrence
    "In the time it took for nuts
    of a tree to fall,
[17:20] Lawrence
    Yoitsu was shredded apart by the bear's claws."
[17:25] Lawrence
    That's all there is?
[17:32] Holo
    I sense an infuriating gaze on me.
    Is it my imagination?
[17:37] Lawrence
    I'm not...
[17:39] Lawrence
    No, I am. You're right. I'm sorry.
[17:42] Lawrence
    Don't get so angry.
[17:45] Holo
    I am satisfied to hear that my old
    friends seemed to have gotten away.
[17:49] Holo
    There was nothing else.
[17:51] Lawrence
    Nothing in the world ever goes as one wishes.
[17:55] Holo
    I cannot agree more.
[17:56] Holo
    So, what are we going to do?
[17:58] Holo
    We should escape quickly,
     if we plan to do so.
[18:01] Lawrence
    Of course, we'll escape.
[18:05] Holo
    You are taking a great loss this time.
[18:07] Lawrence
    It can't be helped.
[18:08] Lawrence
    We can't take the wheat with us.
[18:11] Lawrence
    If the goods were expensive and
     more portable, we'd have options.
[18:16] Holo
    Are you speaking of the pepper
    you sold once before?
[18:18] Lawrence
    There is something more valuable
    and easier to carry than spices.
[18:23] Holo
    Oh?
[18:25] Lawrence
    Trust.
[18:26] Holo
    It seems I will have to sell your trust
    once it grows higher in value.
[18:29] Lawrence
    Do you know how paranoid of you I've
    become now that you've teased me so much?
[18:36] Holo
    Then, I'll just have to regain that trust.
[18:39] Lawrence
    This is the very reason
    I'm always suspicious of you!
[18:42] Holo
    Lies will only lower the value of your trust.
[18:45] Lawrence
    Well, you have never once blamed me
    for the trouble we are in.
[18:49] Lawrence
    I am honestly grateful for that.
[18:51] Lawrence
    Huh?
[18:52] Holo
    You would not have taken a loss
    if I had not wished to come here.
[18:56] Lawrence
    Then, it looks like we'll have to tighten your
    food and drinking budget to make up for it.
[19:00] Holo
    You have grown quite unrestrained lately.
[19:05] Villagers
    Hand over that merchant!
[19:07] Villagers
    This is definitely their fault!
[19:09] Villagers
    Hand over the miller, too!
[19:17] Iima
    Don't come over. Go deeper inside.
[19:20] Lawrence
    But...
[19:21] Elsa
    I'll go out and persuade them.
[19:22] Iima
    Don't be stupid.
[19:24] Elsa
    But...
[19:29] Iima
    You'll just add oil to the fire.
[19:32] Iima
    You're close with Evan.
[19:35] Iima
    They might hand you over to Enberch
    as a heretic to get on the town's good side.
[19:40] Iima
    Listen to me.
[19:41] Iima
    The two of you can't stay
    in this village any longer.
[19:45] Iima
    If it's hard to make a living everywhere,
[19:47] Iima
    but it's better to look for a new life
    out there with someone you trust.
[19:53] Iima
    You might have to give up a lot of things,
[19:55] Iima
    but there should be a lot
    of things you'll gain on the way.
[19:58] Iima
    No matter the journey,
[20:01] Iima
    choosing your path at a fork
     takes only an instant.
[20:03] Lawrence
    I couldn't agree more.
[20:11] Elsa
    I'd like to run.
[20:14] Evan
    Yeah.
[20:19] Holo
    I have one condition,
    if you'd like to leave it to me.
[20:26] Holo
    Think of everything that happens
    after this as a dream before the dawn.
[20:32] Iima
    I'm a fairy that brews beer, after all.
    I'm so drunk I won't remember a thing.
[20:37] Holo
    Then, leave it all to me.
[20:39] Holo
    Just...
[20:40] Holo
    I can easily jump over the crowd
    with all of you on my back,
[20:45] Holo
    but I am not sure if you can
    withstand such a thing.
[20:48] Lawrence
    Is there a back door in this church?
[20:51] Elsa
    I heard from Father Franz that there was
    an underground passage in the basement...
[20:55] Lawrence
    Let's use that.
[20:56] Lawrence
    Ms. Elsa and Evan should prepare
    to leave immediately.
[20:59] Elsa
    Y-Yes.
[21:01] Iima
    Well, it's lucky enough to be able to make
    some preparations for your escape.
[21:05] Holo
    It is not as though your hometown will
    disappear tomorrow. Be glad it still exists.
[21:09] Iima
    Oh? You, too, Ms. Fairy?
[21:12] Holo
    Do not lump me together
    with such weak creatures.
[21:16] Elsa
    We will prepare immediately.
[21:19] Iima
    All right, then. Off you go!
[21:22] Holo
    Even I have lost to her
    strong sense of presence.
[21:27] Holo
    Do not worry.
[21:29] Holo
    This is the only human form I can take.
[21:32] Lawrence
    That's unfortunate.
[21:34] Lawrence
    I prefer a woman with a more ample figure.
[21:39] Lawrence
    Ouch!
[21:41] Holo
    Hurry up and open the door to the basement.
[22:04] Lawrence
    Then, are you ready?
[22:06] Evan
    Y-Yeah.
[22:08] Elsa
    Yes.
SIGN    Episode 24
SIGN    Path of the Snake God and Answer of the Wise Wolf
[23:45] Holo
    Next Episode: Path of the Snake God
    and Answer of the Wise Wolf