By the blessing of God in the heavens,
by the protection of the spirits of the land,
the wind carries the message of God
and the sheep feed off of the love of the spirits, as if feeding off of grass.
The sheep are led by the shepherd
and the shepherd is led by God.
Under God's direction, the shepherd follows the path of righteousness.
ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
Please forgive me for doubting you.
You are no doubt a good shepherd.
It must be God's will that I met a shepherd here.
Will you pray for a safe journey on our behalf?
I'd love to.
Thank you very much.
No, thank you.
Well then...
Um, are you going to Ruvinheigen?
Yes, we're on our way there from Poroson.
Why are you taking this road? Um...
Did you not hear about the wolves?
I did. But we're in a hurry.
I see.
Is something wrong?
Huh? No...
Um...
Don't be shy. Or are you in need of anything?
Um, would you
hire me, please?
Well, as you can see, I'm a merchant.
I don't make a living off of sheep.
I appreciate the offer, but...
No, that's not what I mean.
I'm a shepherd.
So, other than raising sheep, I can also fend off wolves.
If you hire me,
I can protect you from wolves during your journey.
Um, what do you think?
What do you think about that shepherdess?
I'm cuter.
-No, I'm asking about her skills. -Skills?
Can you tell how good of a shepherdess she is?
You were listening, right?
But you have me.
I know that, of course.
But this might lead to new business opportunities.
No, I am not charmed by her looks.
You're cuter, after all.
Fine, you pass. But just barely.
So, how are her skills?
I'd be able to hunt her sheep.
But regular wolves wouldn't stand a chance even if they banded together.
She is highly skilled in handling her dog.
Troublesome shepherds are those who have smart dogs
and work in perfect harmony with their dogs.
For being young, she has frightening skills.
While I have the chance, I should...
All right! Thank you.
-Hey, you. -Huh?
Are you really going to hire her?
Do you hate shepherds that much?
It's true that I hate them. But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm asking whether it's okay with you.
About what?
If you hire her, that means we're going to travel together.
You have no problem with that?
It takes about two days to get to Ruvinheigen. You don't want to?
I'm not saying that I don't want to.
Sorry, but can you endure it for a little bit?
What is there for me to "endure"?
Huh? Well... I'm honestly only
going to test how good she is at warding off wolves.
Two days isn't so bad, right?
It's fine, but that's not the issue here.
Right...
If we travel with other people,
they might find out about me.
-Huh? -Interesting.
I get it now...
What you wanted me to say was...
"I want to travel alone with you."
You fool.
No, well...
Jeez...
Well, I guess we can keep a secret for two days.
Sorry for the wait.
Not at all. Um...
How about 40 Trie?
If we're attacked by wolves, I'll pay an additional fee.
-Thank you. -My pleasure.
May I ask for your name?
Oh, sorry.
I'm Norah Arendt.
Enek.
Have you been a shepherdess for long?
It's only been about four years.
Did you raise your sheepdog... I mean, Enek, yourself?
No, I found him.
I became a shepherdess after I found Enek.
And before that?
I was living in an almshouse.
I see.
But I had always wanted to make my own living.
I'm lucky to have met Enek.
When I found him, he was tattered and covered in wounds.
From wolves?
No, I think it was from bandits or mercenaries.
He was curled up under
a little cliff in the hills with this staff in his mouth.
I see.
I must say, I've never had a shepherd offer to be a bodyguard before.
Shepherds don't really do this normally, do they?
Um, well...
I wanted someone to talk to.
I understand that feeling.
And plus...
I want to become a tailor.
You need funds to join a guild?
I see. You probably earn
more from escorting merchants than caring for sheep.
Fighting over the land must be difficult too.
Yeah...
All the safe areas are taken by other shepherds already.
The only place left was an area full of wolves, huh?
Yes.
Wolves are troublesome, aren't they?
And they're sly and devious too.
I don't like to talk bad about them since they might be listening.
That's true.
Um, I'm sorry, but it's about time...
Oh, that's right. It's time for shepherds to rest.
Yes. In order to watch over the sheep at night,
I have to get some sleep now.
Then let's camp out here tonight.
I would expect someone
with your skill to be entrusted with more sheep.
No, I'm grateful for having any job at all.
Wanting more sheep is asking for too much.
Your employer must not be a good judge of character.
Why don't you try changing employers?
Change?
I would never be able to do that.
I'm sorry. As a merchant, I can't help
but analyze things based on profit and loss.
It's fine.
-Um... -Yes?
Is it common for people to change
their employers?
Excuse me, but are you employed by the church?
Yes.
With the church, you don't have to worry about unemployment, right?
Yes. I was really lucky.
They entrust their sheep to me
and really take care of me in many ways.
I see.
In that case, I don't think you have to change employers.
You think so?
Yes. Your wage may be on the lower side,
but as long as God doesn't abandon us,
the church will always exist.
Then you will never be out of a job,
and you won't go hungry.
That's true.
Well, anyway, I will tell my merchant friends
in Ruvinheigen about you.
God doesn't forbid us from having a side job, after all.
Thank you!
That's a hard job.
It's important to maintain your tail every day.
Oh, were you talking about that girl?
Her name is Norah Arendt, apparently.
Hey, wait!
I asked for your permission, didn't I?
I can't even groom my tail in peace.
You can't do it in the wagon?
If I do it in the wagon...
What?
It seems like you two had a nice conversation.
She wanted to talk. There's no reason to turn her down.
Plus, I haven't talked to a normal girl in ages.
You didn't even notice
that she didn't want to talk to you?
What?
Well, that's not bad either.
If I charm her too quickly,
I can't enjoy the process of slowly getting her to like me.
I can be a smooth talker too, can't I?
It's so out of character!
Come on...
It's not that funny. Jeez!
I laughed so hard...
Are you done?
Yes. You had quite the ace up your sleeve.
Well, whatever puts you in a good mood.
What? My mood?
You were in a bad mood.
Because you couldn't groom your tail.
Oh...
I was, wasn't I? There's no point in being mad, anyway.
After laughing at your "ace,"
it all seems so silly.
I agree. Let's get the fire ready...
Hey, you...
Wh... What?
I feel like eating raw mutton is nice once in a while.
What do you think?
If you're going to joke, at least make it funny.
There it is.
Here's 40 Trie, as promised.
But if you exchange this currency, it'll be worth more.
It's an investment.
Investment?
If I become acquainted with a skilled shepherd, I may be able
to get involved in profitable wool transactions.
Thank you very much.
So you're able to escort people down the path we just took?
I can go to Kaslata and Poroson too.
Oh, also to Lamtra.
Lamtra?
You have to pass through a dangerous forest
or take a really long detour to get to that town.
I'm able to take people through
the forest route, not the detour.
That's amazing.
It's a dangerous area that even intimidates knights.
If you can go to Lamtra, you might get regular customers.
Thank you.
All right, we'll enter from that gate then.
Well then, let's see how honey-pickled peaches taste.
I'm so excited.
You remembered that?
You're not going to say that you won't buy them, right?
I can't buy them if they're not selling them.
Of course.
-Your permit. -Here.
From Poroson, huh? What's your cargo?
Ten suits of armor.
Armor? From Poroson?
Yes. I purchased them from Latparron Trading Company.
Is something wrong?
They do look like armor from there.
So, do you want to pay your taxes in cash or in kind?
In kind.
I would too, if I were you.
Go over there and hand them one suit of armor.
Is it rare to see armaments from Poroson?
No. This place is always in need of armaments.
They must get a lot imported from Poroson too.
Here you go.
-Is there something wrong? -No, everything looks fine.
Government workers are such jerks.
They probably just don't like
the fact that a mere traveling merchant is trying to get rich.
Well, whatever.
We just need to sell these off and make a fortune.
That's right.
By the way...
-What? -I am hungry.
That's tasty!
I need a refill!
Coming up!
Here's your beer!
The beer is good and it's also lively. What a nice town!
At the same time, you can't let your guard down.
Don't get into a fight with any knights or mercenaries.
Don't you worry.
Where are we going?
To a trading firm.
Hey, you have something on your mouth.
Jeez!
You'll pay for that.
Hey,
why do I have to go there too?
I want to drink some more at the town square.
It's dangerous to leave you alone.
I am cute, after all.
It's dangerous to leave me by myself.
No matter how cute you are, you can't deceive the church's soldiers and knights.
If you get drunk and show your ears and tail, it'll be the end.
It's fine. If that happens, there's nothing to lose.
I'll just grab you by my teeth and run out of town.
I heard your daughter was cured of her sickness.
Yeah, I'm sure it's all thanks to God.
My husband isn't doing very well these days.
Oh no!
You have to have the priest pray for him as soon as you can.
The church is our only hope.
So, what is this trading firm?
A lot of dangers and accidents are inevitable when running a business.
Knights are protected by armor and helmets, but merchants are protected
by their connections.
That's what trade guilds are for.
I'm in a guild made up of merchants from my hometown.
This is a branch of that guild.
To me, it's kind of like my home.
Okay, wait here for a second.
What?
You're not going to show me off to your fellow countrymen?
That is if we're getting married.
Wedding celebrations in my hometown are intense, but do you want to go in?
It won't take long. If you can wait, I'll buy you sweet bread.
Don't treat me like a child!
-You don't want any? -I do.
Well, you must be a failure of a merchant.
Seeing that you're roaming around a trading firm at this hour,
you must not have any intention of making money.
Truly impressive merchants make money
without getting any dirt on their shoes.
They only get their fingers dirty with a little bit of ink.
Only third-rate merchants run around the market all day.
Am I wrong?
My, my... You've become quite the smooth talker.
It's good to see you again, my son.
Come on, don't call me "son" anymore.
What are you saying!
All in the Rowen Trade Guild
are my sons and daughters.
Plus, I even know how you used to wet your bed
from time to time when you camped outside.
Or should I talk about the time you and your friends stole from
the proceeds and went to a brothel while trembling?
Fine, fine!
I am the son of the great Jakob Tarantino,
Kraft Lawrence.
Kraft!
It's been a year since you've returned to your home in Ruvinheigen. Welcome back!
Is this the Remelio Company?
Yes.
How can I help you?
Has a merchant named Lawrence come by?
As you can tell,
nobody has come by today, including any merchants.
Well, if he comes, tell him...
Latparron Trading Company from Poroson sent a notice saying...
Next time, "Sweet Honey and Bitter Armor."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita