Hey, what is tonight's story?
How about the story of when I went to the big salty pond?
I already heard that one.
Then how about the story of when I bit an arrogant fool in the butt?
I already heard that too. Enough of those childish stories.
Don't you have any stories that I've never heard of before?
Then how about a slightly old story
that starts in a village far, far away?
In a land that is far to the south of here,
there was a wolf who protected the village's abundant harvest.
A wolf?
The wolf made a promise to a youth from that village.
It promised to make the wheat harvest abundant.
And the wolf kept that promise.
For a very long time.
In time, in that village,
whenever the bountiful ears of wheat would sway with the wind,
they would say, "The wolf is running."
When the wind would knock over the wheat, they would say,
"The wolf stepped on it."
When the harvest was poor, they would say, "The wolf ate it."
The village treasured that wolf, huh?
Yeah... they did.
And they lived happily ever after?
Is that the end of the story?
No.
After who-knows-how-many years,
nobody who knew about the promise with the wolf was left.
Stories of the wolf which were passed down with fondness and respect
turned into nothing but old folk tales.
Wheat was seen as something humans planted, grew, and harvested.
Nobody believed that it was a blessing from the wolf anymore.
So what did that wolf do?
Well, around that time, the village...
‪ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
Looks like the weather will hold up until tonight.
You don't want it to rain either, right?
A merchant?
If you travel half a day to the east, there's a small village in the mountains.
I'm on my way back from selling salt there.
What about your cargo?
They're fur pelts.
I see.
-What about that? -I got this sheaf of wheat at the village.
It's supposedly a variety that's resilient to cold weather and bugs.
What is going on?
I usually don't see knights stationed around here.
Well, we heard that a village nearby is holding a pagan festival.
Pagan?
I'm talking about people who
don't worship the one and only God who created this world.
This isn't the north for crying out loud. I can't believe they still exist here.
Do you know anything?
No idea.
A village of pagans, huh?
Hello! Long time no see!
Oh, you are...
Um...
I'm Kraft Lawrence, the merchant.
Seems like another great harvest this year.
You bet! Take a look at this!
I'm here to see Yarei.
Where is he?
Yarei's in the field over there.
Thank you.
You'd better hurry or you won't be able to see him.
What?
The workers in that field are young and not efficient.
I bet someone from that field will be Holo this year.
Holo...
The wolf is here! The wolf is here!
The wolf is lying down there!
It's the last sheaf!
Don't reap too much.
Holo runs away from greedy hands!
Who is the last one to catch the wolf?
Huh?
It's Yarei! It's Yarei!
-Holo has appeared! -Yarei...
Holo has appeared!
Catch him!
Gotcha!
Huh?
We caught Holo!
Hold him down!
Don't let him escape!
Lock him up!
Lawrence! See you!
What do you mean, "see you"?
Lock him up!
You can't get out of there for a week.
-Let's go that way. -Give me one more.
Higher.
I see this year's wheat is abundant as well.
Yes, it is all thanks to Count Erhendott.
This is now his jurisdiction, huh?
The days of praying to an ancient deity are over, are they?
The wolf causes a poor harvest when it's upset,
but that doesn't happen with the farming methods the count taught us.
Wow! I never thought I'd see so many silver Trenni coins in this region.
This is all thanks to the count.
Has the negotiator been doing his job well?
Yarei has been doing an amazing job.
He is always talking about how he learned about business from you.
It's the fruits of his own hard work.
Yarei was excited to see you again too but...
It's too bad.
Why don't you spend the night here?
Thank you.
But it's almost the payment deadline for the goods I acquired.
Maybe next time.
I'm just a lonely outsider anyway.
Do you like the fresh veggies?
I should go to sleep.
Hey!
Wake up! Hey, you!
What are you doing in my wagon?
Hey! Huh?
Ears?
The moon is beautiful. Do you have any alcohol?
-No, I don't! Firstly, what are you...? -Then...
What about food?
Oh, is that dried meat?
What a waste.
Are you possessed by a demon?
How ungrateful of you to point a sword at me.
Excuse me?
Oh, right. You aren't from the village, are you?
Sorry, I forgot about that.
I got on this wagon because I wanted to leave the village.
I guess we already did.
My name is Holo.
It's been a while since I used this form,
but it turned out pretty well.
-Holo? -Yes.
Holo. Isn't it a nice name?
What a coincidence.
I know another that goes by that name.
Interesting. I don't know anybody who goes by Holo other than me.
Who are you talking about?
It's the name of the god of harvest in this region.
Are you a god?
I have been called a god and bound to this land for a while now.
But I'm nothing important like a god.
I am just "Holo." Nothing more, nothing less.
You must think I'm some crazy girl who has been locked up in her house
all her life.
I wasn't born here.
I'm from a land way up north.
North?
Yes. Where summer is short and winter is long.
A snow-covered land.
My homeland is Yoitsu.
Holo the Wisewolf of Yoitsu. That's my name.
Have you been there before?
Yoitsu? No.
I've never heard of it.
Anything else?
I don't mind this human form, but it's just so cold.
-Hey! -Huh?
If you really are Holo the Wisewolf, prove it to me.
My ears and tail are not enough?
You want me to show you my wolf form as well?
Yes.
I don't want to.
Why?
I'd like to ask you!
If you're a human, I'll turn you over to the church.
Those who are possessed by demons bring calamity.
I hate the church.
Then I'll return to the village and tell the village head...
I don't want that either.
But if you really are Holo, the god of harvest, I can reconsider.
-Really? -Really.
If you really are Holo the Wisewolf,
it may bring me good luck, after all.
-You really want to see? -Yes.
-You insist? -I insist.
Any kind of incarnation requires a price to be paid in order to transform.
In my case, it can be fresh blood...
or a little bit of wheat.
I'll do wheat.
Hey, are you okay?
Oh, Mr. Lawrence.
I'm sorry, but may I spend the night here?
That's not a problem.
But what happened?
Yarei?
We meet again, Lawrence.
The bed is there and you can put your luggage there.
Thank you very much.
All right, please watch the house while I'm gone.
What a feast!
It's the offerings for Holo.
It's a waste to just give it to a wolf.
So I brought them here. Want to eat?
An outsider shouldn't eat the offerings.
First of all, you're supposed to stay in the storehouse for a week
to capture Holo, who manifested in you when you reaped the last wheat.
That's a superstition.
There is no wolf who lives inside the wheat fields.
The villagers only use it as an excuse to have a festival.
This one is on me.
Drink up. To an old friend.
Celebrating my reunion with Lawrence, the big-time merchant.
-To an old friend. -To the future of Pasloe!
The village head showed me the silver coins.
Seems like you're doing a good job as the negotiator.
You taught me everything.
Did I?
Yes, you did!
How long has it been
since that time I bought this village's wheat?
Let's see...
That was before Count Erhendott became our lord.
The previous lord only cared about bleeding us dry with taxes.
Our wheat was pricy because of the taxes and nobody wanted to buy it.
But you came to our village to buy our wheat.
This was the only village who would do business with a newbie merchant.
The village and I have matured a lot since then.
Can you believe?
Now businesses from big towns come to our village to buy from us.
I'm negotiating prices with those people, you know?
I can believe it.
I want to negotiate the price of wheat with you again, like old times.
Yeah...
I do too, Yarei.
Next year, and the year after that,
this village will have a great harvest!
Yeah, hopefully Holo stays in a good mood.
The wolf is irrelevant!
-It doesn't even exist. -Huh?
We don't need an old deity.
This isn't the time to go against the church.
We don't need Holo anymore!
"We don't need Holo anymore," huh?
What about me?
You don't have to be that scared.
You...
This form really gets cold.
I knew you'd be in the village.
Where were you hiding?
To be precise, I'm inside the wheat.
During harvest season, I'm inside the last sheaf of wheat
and I can't escape that easily.
But there's an exception.
If there is a sheaf of wheat larger than that nearby,
I can transport into that wheat without being seen.
So, I guess,
you can say that you are my savior in a way.
Are you scared of me?
I...
I'm the one who forced you to show me...
and yet I became fearful of you.
That's why I thought you disappeared
from my sight.
People always tremble with fear
when they see my true form.
Only a handful of people were different.
One such oddball lived in this village.
I made a promise with that fellow.
They asked me to bless this village's wheat harvest.
That's why I've been keeping that promise. However...
Producing an abundant harvest takes a toll on the land.
At times, I must produce a poor harvest.
But the villagers say that I'm being fickle.
It's been getting worse these past few years.
I'm sure this village will produce
an abundant harvest without me next year and the year after that.
Nobody needs me anymore.
Let's say I believe your story...
-You're so skeptical. -You leave the village.
So, do you have a place to go?
To the north...
I want to return to the north.
All clear.
Finally!
It's so dark and cramped, I can barely get changed!
Hey!
What do you think? Do I look good?
Wait, that's mine!
I see that.
I spent ten years building that outfit.
The fabric is good and well-tailored. Just what I deserve.
You seem to be quite a good merchant.
Those are my clothes!
But you are a kind male.
You wouldn't tell me to take it off, right?
I want to travel with you.
Can I?
Fine.
This must be fate.
I'll be in your care, um...
Lawrence. Kraft Lawrence.
Okay, Lawrence!
I will make sure your name
and legend is passed down for eternity.
This business isn't easy.
You better earn your keep.
I'm not shameless enough to sit back and mooch off of people.
I am Holo the Wisewolf, and I have pride.
-By the way... -Huh?
This is a bit small for two people to sit.
Seriously?
Whoa! Hey!
Don't come so close!
A male should be happy to touch me.
I am not!
Are you blushing?
Next time, "The Mischievous Wolf and a Joke in Poor Taste."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita