Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf Episode 22 finally gives some hints about the quest to find Holo and Lawrence. Let's recap what happened in episode 22.
Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf Episode 21 Summary
In this episode, Lawrence and Holo visit the local tavern, where they enjoy a drink and chat with the townspeople. Through these interactions, they learn that, despite having a church in the village, they secretly pray to a snake god, who is believed to be their true protector. This secret worship has created tension between the village and the church, especially with the church in Enberch.
Tensions grew when the authorities in Enberch attempted to impose a tax on the village of Tereo, essentially forcing them to pay for the right to worship their snake god. However, Father Franz intervened, earning the villagers' respect, although his beliefs were not widely accepted.
Meanwhile, the current head of the church, Elsa, refuses to assist Lawrence and Holo in their quest. Even the village chief, who knows about Father Franz's interest in pagan stories, feigns ignorance, making Lawrence suspicious. To find out more, Lawrence decides to talk to the miller, who is said to have close ties to Elsa.
As the episode progresses, Lawrence questions Holo about her motives, questioning why she is so determined to find someone who knows her distant homeland when she may never find someone from her past again.
Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf Episode 22 Review and Recap
Today, we have another exciting episode, with a lot of content covered here. Lawrence once again approaches Elsa, the current head of the church, under the guise of praying to the gods before they set off on their journey. Naturally, ELsa cannot refuse them and even agrees to listen to his confession. But this is where things get interesting when Lawrence finally tells her about his true intentions and his knowledge of Father Franz.
You see, Father Franz is a man who has been collecting stories about pagan gods, even though he believes in a separate god. This is big news, and the entire town could be executed if this information gets out, especially to Enberch. Not only that, but Holo reveals himself to be a pagan god, and Elsa almost faints from the revelation. But she eventually calms down and decides to help Holo with some books that Father Franz wrote about pagan stories.
This episode covers a lot of ground and it does so with great charm. The question of faith comes up as Elsa and Lawrence discuss the existence of God, their reality, and Franz’s intentions behind his research, even if he serves a different religion. Also, the question of what our couple’s fate will be when Holo finally finds Yoitsu comes up. But they both decide it’s too early to dwell on sad endings and focus on their research again.
The parallel relationship between Elsa and Evans is beautifully portrayed with the relationship between Lawrence and Holo. Both couples cannot be together because society would shun them, but they plan to overcome it anyway.
Verdict
This episode was really interesting as it discussed many interesting aspects. The episode never felt boring, even the romance was well-arranged and executed. The ending ended with a sense of impending doom and I hope all goes well for our main characters.
Also read: Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf Episode 21 Review: The Mysteries of Tereo
