Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf – Season 1 Episode 20 Recap & Review

Church Girl and Miller Boy

Episode 20 of Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf begins with Lawrence and Holo sleeping in a carriage together. Lawrence moves around and clenches Holo’s tail, causing Holo to panic. The two argue about Holo’s tale at night. After that, Lawrence and Holo continue their journey to a new town. 

Lawrence tells Holo Diana told him that an abbot lives in this town. He says this abbot collects stories of pagan gods. Lawrence says the abbot is in a secluded place and the only one who knows its whereabouts is the priest who lives in Tereo Village. He says they’re going to Enberch Town to get directions on how to reach Tereo.

The two arrive at Enberch. Lawrence wants to sell the wheat flour he bought from Marc in Kumerson. Holo tells Lawrence she wants sweet bread. Lawrence refuses to buy her some but Holo argues it’d be in good faith for him to buy her some. Lawrence and Holo visit a buyer in Enberch and Lawrence tells him he and Holo plan to travel to Lenos. 

Lawrence tells the man he wants to visit Tereo first though. The buyer understands and tells Lawrence how to reach Tereo. Lawrence and Holo depart from Enberch and traverse the path the buyer told them about. They stumble upon a building with a waterwheel attached to it. A miller exits the building and chats with Lawrence. 

Lawrence introduces Holo as a nun and the miller tells him not to bring her to Tereo. He says there’s an argument going down between the Church of Enberch. Lawrence understands. He plans to have Holo change her attire. The miller says if Holo heads to Tereo in non-nun attire, Lawrence and her will have a better experience there. 

The miller introduces himself as Evan and bids farewell to Lawrence and Holo. As Lawrence and Holo head to Tereo, they discuss Evan. Lawrence knows millers aren’t viewed highly. He argues Evan wants to find a way to flee his village. Lawrence and Holo arrive at Tereo and meet a female priest named Elsa. 

Lawrence asks Elsa if she knows a way to reach Diendram Abbey. He says the abbot, Louis, should be looking after that abbey. Elsa attempts to close the door, but Lawrence stops her. He asks Elsa what happened to Father Franz, the former priest. Elsa says Franz passed away last summer. 

Lawrence and Holo discuss Elsa’s rude behavior. He argues Elsa is lying about not having intel on the abbey. Lawrence and Holo visit a resting area. Holo plans to rest up. Lawrence, on the other hand, plans to meet the village head and ask him about the abbey. He departs to a shop and meets the Tereo’s head, Sem. 

Lawrence and Sem enter an undisclosed area. The former offers the latter wheat flour and asks him about the abbey and Franz’s whereabouts. Sem says he doesn’t know anything about the abbey and confirms Franz’s death. Then, someone interrupts Lawrence and Sem’s discussion.

Lawrence reads the room and returns to Holo’s side. He falls asleep. Lawrence wakes up hours later and sees Holo folding his clothes. Holo wants to ensure she’ll receive a great dinner from Lawrence. Lawrence and Holo spot Evan running toward the Tereo church. Evan meets and hugs Elsa. Lawrence shuts the window and Holo yells at him for ruining her studying session. 

Holo wanted to observe those two more to see if she could imitate something similar to Lawrence. Lawrence responds strangely to Holo’s reply. Holo tells Lawrence she’s hungry and Lawrence argues they should get some food. After that, Lawrence brings up Elsa and Sem. He argues they may know something about the abbey but are lying about not knowing anything. 

The episode ends with Lawrence telling Holo he plans to discover why Elsa and Sem refuse to share details about the abbey.

The Episode Review

With Lawrence and Holo’s Kumerson days behind them, we see our duo tackling new tasks that’ll hopefully assist them in reaching Yoitsu. This episode was tame from beginning to end. It didn’t delve deep into Lawrence’s economic shenanigans or the romance brewing between him and Holo. 

While this chapter was okay, it leaves fans with questions worth discussing and speculating about. Some examples include Elsa and Sem’s questionable knowledge about the abbey and Evan’s affiliation with Elsa. While the latter situation isn’t as thought-provoking as the former set piece, both story segments will entice folks to discuss. 

Moreover, fans will enjoy the occasional banter between Lawrence and Holo. From Holo’s sweet bread desires to her teasing Lawrence about their future romance, it’ll be hard for folks not to find those developments mesmerizing and amusing. Unfortunately, this episode suffers from not introducing matters properly at the beginning. 

Lawrence’s discussion with Elsa could’ve been easier to comprehend. The author should’ve name-dropped Diendrum Abbey and Louis during Lawrence and Holo’s carriage ride discussion. That way, audiences won’t be puzzled by the route Lawrence and Elsa’s conversation goes. That aside though, fans will walk away from this episode entertained.