Published at 18th of January 2020 2:26 pm

Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Young Man Heads Out (a Full Account)

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“Latina’s so cute that I just don’t want to go to work!” “Are you still saying that, you moron?”

As Dale uttered his typical line with a terribly serious look on his face, Rita gave her normal, casual response back.

“I don’t waaaaaaanna! I won’t make it back tonight, and I don’t even know how many days I’ll be gone! How am I supposed to handle leaving Latina so I can go deal with those demonic old geezers?!”

He was slumped across the counter, and the sound of his fists pounding on it grew louder and louder. Needless to say, when he started stomping his feet as well, he looked just like a spoiled brat throwing a fit. That just went to show how stressful he found the situation.

“If it bugs you that much, then why don’t you take Latina with you to the capital?”

“Well y’see, if I let those bastards in the capital take care of Latina, who knows what could happen... I can’t imagine anything but trouble coming from that.”

Dale snapped back to his senses in an instant, then fell limp across the counter again.

“I get it... It’s for work, so I’ve gotta do it. And knowing that Latina’s waiting for me, that’ll motivate me more than ever. Plus, Latina seems to have made some friends, so that should help keep her distracted while she’s holding down the fort... So I get it, already!”

He clenched his fists tightly and his knuckles turned white, as if to show how deep the emotions driving the action were.

“But still, I just don’t wanna!” Ah, he really was pathetic.

In response to Dale’s outpouring, Rita looked at him as if to say he was a hopeless case.

“If you get that there’s nothing you can do about it, then how about bringing Latina back a souvenir that you think she’ll like from the capital?” As Dale turned to face Rita, he looked as if a light had gone off in his head.

“You have to worry about sizes when it comes to clothes, and it wouldn’t be long before she’d outgrow them, so don’t go with that. Oh right, she’s really fond of sweets, so how about taking a look at some famous shops in the capital?”

“Souvenirs... Souvenirs, huh...?”

Dale went to the capital for work so often that he hadn’t even considered the idea of buying souvenirs. The closest he got was when Kenneth occasionally asked him to pick up things that were hard to get in Kreuz while he was there.

Latina would be all smiles when she saw the latest popular sweets from the capital, and she’d definitely say, “Thank you!” in that cute voice of hers. Definitely. There was no doubt. She may even throw in an “I love you, Dale!” What should he do? She was just too cute! He may even be able to survive on that cuteness alone.

“I think I may be able to give it my all.”

“Yeah, right. Good for you,” said Rita, who had already returned to work and was no longer looking at him.

On the morning of the day that Dale was heading to the capital, Latina got up early to see him off. The morning sun hadn’t completely risen yet, and it was long before she would normally wake up.

“Don’t push yourself. How about just going back to sleep?” Dale told her, but she shook her head and crawled out of bed.

And yet, she was still pretty sleepy. It would be rather dangerous to let her try to go down the stairs like this, even more so considering their room was in the attic and reached via ladder.

Dale lifted her up with a strained smile.

Even though not too much time had passed since they first met, he could tell that she’d managed to regain a relieving amount of weight.

Latina was currently still half-asleep and kept nodding off, then forcing herself back awake.

“I’m sorry, Latina... You’re going to be holding down the fort for a bit. Do you think you can handle it?”

Feeling Dale’s palm on her back, her eyes shot open, and she responded with a serious look of determination on her face. “Latina will give it her all. She’ll be here with Rita and Kenneth. So please, come back.”

“Right, and I’ll bring a souvenir back with me. So take care, and watch the place for me.”

He gave her one last, firm hug and set her down. When they reached the entrance to the shop, Kenneth took charge of Latina.

“Take care of Latina, alright?”

“Yeah. And you be sure not to push yourself too hard.” He’d never seen Dale respond with a smile like that before. “Right, I’m off.”

“Dale, take care. Be careful on your work!”

While thoroughly savoring those words from Latina, Dale set off from the town of Kreuz.

...Right, I’ll give it my all.

†

The trip from Kreuz to Ausblick, the capital of the nation of Laband, was three days by horse or one week by carriage. The road was well-maintained, as it was an important route for the country and a great number of merchants and travelers came and went along it.

However, Dale was heading in the direction of the woods on the outskirts of town, rather than towards this grand highway.

In an open meadow outside of Kreuz, there was a large beast resting its wings—a flying dragon. Flying dragons were considered small for a subspecies of dragons, which were classified as magical beasts. In addition, they possessed the ability to fly, which other dragons did not have.

Even for a flying dragon, the specimen in this field was rather tiny, and from the scarlet equipment attached to its body, it was obvious even from a distance that it was in the service of the country of Laband.

By its side was a young man pacing back and forth, unable to calm his nerves. The man’s clothes were the same scarlet color the dragon was wearing. That uniform and his simple, jet-black armor identified him as a dragon knight, with the ability to control a flying dragon using the rare magical attribute of “Center.”

“Ugh, what should I do, Titi? He’s supposed to be really hard to deal with...” the man grumbled to his partner next to him.

The gentle-natured female dragon responded with a cry of “Coo?”

As the pair wasn’t cut out for combat, their main duty was transporting goods and people, and because flying dragons weren’t suited for traveling in the dark, they had spent the night waiting here for their passenger, who wanted to go to the capital.

“Apparently, he’s an adventurer who has a contract with the duke. I hear the knight I replaced offended him and got demoted to a frontier post... We finally got a high-paying job in the capital, but... Ugh, are we gonna be alright...?”

His current mission was to escort that adventurer to the capital. Despite the adventurer’s young age, he’d already racked up some impressive achievements and possessed a great deal of influence, as he held the favor of the duke who served as the prime minister, the right-hand man of the King of Laband. Even though he was ultimately just an adventurer favored by the duke, if the knight upset him, the duke would hear about it right away. Normally, the nation’s leading authorities would pay no heed to the words of a mere adventurer, but apparently this adventurer was an exception.

Rumor had it that the previous dragon knight had made light of this adventurer because of how young he was, and that had earned the knight the wrath of his superiors. He’d been sent off to the frontier by order of the duke himself.

The duke had dispatched a flying dragon just for this man who lived in Kreuz, so it was abundantly clear how much he was favored.

“...! Titi, he’s here!”

Worrying for her master, the dragon gave a “Coo” to show that she understood.

A young man in a long black leather coat approached as the morning sun shone behind him. The dull, metallic sparkle coming from his left arm must have been his gauntlet-shaped magical device. He also wore a longsword at his waist, making him a perfect fit for the description that the dragon knight had been given.

This young adventurer was skilled enough that he could cut down even the knight’s partner, Titi, with a single swing of his sword. Even if Titi naturally wasn’t overly aggressive, she was still a dragon, so normal adventurers would have needed to come at her as a team.

“Under order of His Excellency, Duke Eldstedt, I have come here to meet you!”

“Right. I’m Dale Reki,” responded the young man to the knight’s low, quiet voice, perfectly relaxed as he looked over him and his partner. Feeling an aura he couldn’t hope to match coming off the adventurer, who looked even younger than he was, the dragon knight gulped.

“Please, come this way.”

After guiding him to the saddle on Titi’s back, the knight took the luggage the man had brought and tied it down securely. Though the saddle on a flying dragon was far, far higher up than it would be on a horse, the young man easily pulled himself up without losing his balance. As he fastened his belt to finish preparing for flight, it was clear that he was used to the process.

The dragon knight hurried to his own saddle and grasped the reins. These reins were made from a special material that could easily transmit his mana. By grasping them, the knight could give detailed instructions to his dragon, and they also conveyed the dragon’s thoughts back to him. It was a dragon knight’s most important and precious piece of equipment.

“Let’s go, Titi,” he said, delivering the short command with his mana. Following his instruction, the dragon spread out her wings, let out a peculiar cry of “Coo-loo-loo,” and gathered up the wind mana from the area. Using both the wind mana that enveloped her and the traits she possessed as a natural-born flier, the dragon lifted her giant frame off the ground with a single flap of her wings. With a second flap, she soared high into the heavens, and with a third, she began moving towards the capital.

At a flying dragon’s speed, the journey to the capital wouldn’t take more than half a day. That was one of the reasons those capable of serving as dragon knights were paid a high salary. Methods for flying through the air were extremely limited. It was impossible to accomplish with magic alone, and so it was a special privilege limited to those who were born to fly through the heavens.

As a result, it was considered a talent of particular military significance and was strictly regulated. When it came to flying dragons, the nation held a great deal of authority over things like breeding laws and the maintenance of specialized tools, such as their reins. There were no such things as privatized flying dragon rides. In order to fly a dragon, you had no choice but to act in service of the country.

Ugh, this is awkward...

Titi called out “Coo?” apparently worried about her rider, who wasn’t acting like himself. It was entirely calm on the back of the flying dragon, despite the whirl of wind mana whipping through the surrounding sky. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane.

And yet, the knight deplored that now. If there were at least a gentle breeze, then that would feel good on his sweat-drenched brow.

Are we really going to go the whole way without talking? This is so awkward...

The knight had no confidence that he’d be able to withstand nearly half a day of this silent pressure. Feeling the presence of the man behind him, his throat went bone-dry.

He reached underneath his own saddle and took something out. As he’d grown accustomed to doing so, he was able to skillfully remove the contents with a single hand and pop one into his mouth. There was no deep meaning to his actions when he kept on going and offered the container to the man behind him. In fact, in his current state, the dragon knight was unable to consider the deep meaning of anything at all.

“Would you care to try some, sir?” “...Candy?”

Completely petrified, he cried out in a quiet voice, I’m done foooooooor!! The greatest taboo when it came to Dale Reki was treating him like a child.

The dragon knight forced a nervous smile, not realizing that the man behind him couldn’t see his face, and kept on talking, hoping to turn the situation around.

“These are the talk of the capital nowadays! They all have different flavors based on what color they are. And they come in all sorts of truly vibrant colors! They’re like beautiful jewels, making them popular with everyone from commoners to nobles!”

With that, the bottle was snatched from his hands.

It seemed he had managed to grab the adventurer’s interest, at least for the time being. Glimpsing a possible way out, the dragon knight decided to press further.

“The bottle is a work of art too, isn’t it? The detailed design extends even to the lid. And apparently, it’s become popular with women and children to use the empty bottle to hold small items! Furthermore, since it comes in small, medium, and large sizes, it makes for a great gift that can be tailored to suit your budget and needs. They’re perfect for any type of consumer!” As the dragon knight desperately spouted off lines that made him sound like a candy salesman, he wondered what he would see if he turned around.

Thinking about it, I’ve actually never bought candy for Latina before. If she put one in her mouth, her little cheeks would puff out, right? And the colors are pretty, which seems like the sort of thing that’d make a girl happy. When I bought Latina hair accessories, she was fixated on the sparkly ones. Even if she’s tiny, she’s still a girl, so I’m sure she’d like them. Oh right, one of Latina’s friends is a girl, too. I’ll need to get some for her as well. Latina would probably be happy if she and her friend got the same thing. And then...

At the very least, the dragon knight would’ve realized he was far more on- edge than he needed to be in regards to Dale during this trip to the capital.

There’s no doubt that if Dale was still his old self, what the dragon knight had done would’ve been like stepping right on a landmine. But to Dale now, the offense was slight enough that it wasn’t even worth thinking about. The adventurer just didn’t have enough space in his mind for such things nowadays.

Though no one would ever know it, Latina had helped save the future of a single young man with great promise.

†

When they at last arrived at Laband’s capital, Ausblick, the flying dragon began its descent. After the dragon knight communicated with a soldier on the ground using the light from magical devices, they landed on a dedicated platform. As you could be shot down if you approached the capital carelessly, it was necessary to follow the proper procedures.

Once he set foot on the ground, Dale approached the carriage that was waiting for him as always, not even bothering to so much as glance back at the dragon or the knight. The driver opened the carriage door for him without needing to ask who he was.

Though it wasn’t overly flashy, there wasn’t anyone in the capital who wouldn’t recognize the family crest that was affixed to this luxurious coach. The Ducal House Eldstedt were descendants of the king who founded the nation, and they had married into the royal family many times in the past, making them a line of foremost pedigree in Laband. They weren’t overly haughty, despite being famous for producing talented heirs one after another, with the present duke serving as the current prime minister.

It would be no exaggeration to say that they were the second-greatest authority in the nation. It was precisely because the king and the duke were able to focus on governing together rather than pandering to one another that the country was so unwaveringly powerful.

In a district where noble mansions stood in a row, one castle had a clearly different feel to it and stood out from the rest of the luxurious buildings. While it was beautiful and possessed vast grounds, it was also built to be solid and practical. This was the castle of the Eldstedt family.

The carriage Dale was taking rolled onto the grounds of that residence and glided to a gentle stop in front of the entrance. As if they knew the precise time he would arrive, the servants who had been awaiting him opened the doors and greeted him.

As he descended from the carriage, Dale’s expression didn’t change in the least. That calm and collected look told of his skill as a first-rate adventurer and left a deep impression on those who saw it.

In one room of the residence:

“Long time no see, Gregor. So, you gonna introduce me to your fiancée?” “Hmph, very well, Dale. So you wish me to cut you down, then?”

With that reprehensible exchange, the elegant atmosphere evaporated. Right now, they were in Gregor’s personal chamber. As if reflecting its owner’s personality, the high quality of the first-class furnishings was almost palpable, but the interior design was utterly lacking in splendor. Gregor was the third son of the duke and was his youngest child.

However, unlike his siblings, he was the son of the duke’s second wife, and because she was a foreigner from a remote Eastern nation, his backing within the country was rather weak. The first son, who was noticeably older than him, had already married and had a child. Considering the circumstances, Gregor’s chances of becoming his father’s successor had quickly evaporated.

Thanks to the strong influence of his mother’s blood, Gregor was a fearless-looking young man with straight black hair (currently tied up in a ponytail), and he had a strong foreign feel to his appearance. He was half a head taller than Dale, and today his slender body was dressed in high-class clothing befitting a noble, which was unusual for him.

While Gregor diligently studied his own nation, he also polished his foreign sword techniques, and he had his eye on possibly using his sword skills to become an adventurer in the near future. As he wasn’t particularly attached to his position as a noble, he felt no need to force himself to become part of some other household.

It was thanks to those circumstances that he had become close to a mere adventurer like Dale. It also helped that they were the same age and recognized one another’s strengths, even if their specialties were different.

“Rose isn’t even my fiancée to begin with.”

“So about souvenirs... I want to find something that’d make a little girl happy. You don’t know any young women besides that fiancée of yours, right?”

“Alright, stand up. I’ll cut you down with a stroke of my blade.” The “fiancée” Dale was teasing him about was not someone he was actually engaged to. Gregor and Rose had loved one another since they were both young, but there were a great number of issues that stood in the way of them becoming officially engaged.

While she was renowned as a beauty without peer, she hadn’t yet been used as a pawn in a political marriage and rarely appeared in high society. Instead, she silently spent her time in the depths of the estate.

She was most definitely one of the reasons that Gregor couldn’t simply discard his position as a noble.

“What sort of souvenir do you think would be good?”

“Souvenirs...? You just arrived, but you’re already plotting to leave?” “If it’s okay for me to go, then I’m outta here.”

“A little girl, you said? Did the couple running the place you’re renting have a child?”

“No, she’s mine.”

Gregor froze, but Dale didn’t realize it in the least. His thoughts were solely on the vision of Latina’s smile.

“She’s a great kid, and she’s just way, way, waaaaaaay too cute. And she’s super admirable, too. She’s bravely watching the place back home right now. She told me to ‘Take care’ as she waved her tiny little hand. I feel like

I’m gonna cry just remembering it. Ugh, I wanna hurry on back to her. Is she lonely right now? What’ll I do if I’ve made her cry? Plus, she’s still growing. She’s learning new things each and every day. Will she learn to do even more things while I’m gone? What should I do? It’s utter torture, missing out on Latina growing up. Yeah, I’m heading back. I’ll leave right now. Hey, Gregor, what’s the job this time around? Let’s head out right away. I can leave if I wipe everything out immediately, yeah?”

“What the hell’s happened to you?”

Gregor’s reaction was totally natural, after all. The last time he’d seen Dale, he wasn’t like this. Just what in the world had happened to bring him to such a deplorable state? The cause seemed to be the child who had come up all throughout the current conversation. Just where had she come from?

When Gregor carelessly asked those questions, he lost any chance he had of stopping his friend from gleefully talking away. He was completely bewildered and hadn’t the slightest idea as to how he should react.

And just when would he stop bragging about his kid? “So... you took in a devil child with one horn?”

After he’d heard the story of how Dale adopted Latina and all the details of what had happened up until now, Gregor had lost track of just how many times the word “cute” had been used. Although he realized early in the conversation that it was prudent to just take the whole thing in stride, he had a dumbfounded look on his face as he listened to the unexpected tale. But Dale didn’t seem to be paying attention to his listener’s reaction. As he was now, discussing Latina’s cuteness to his heart’s content was a matter of great importance.

“I’d like to have you meet Latina, too, but... I couldn’t handle it if the royal family found out how cute she is and set their sights on her. Yeah. There’s no way, then. If you want to meet her, then you’ve gotta come to our place. Think about it,” said Dale arrogantly while he completely fawned over the girl.

Who the hell are you? muttered Gregor mentally, wondering who to blame for his friend’s change.

“Even though we tried investigating Latina with the Akhdar’s Message Board, we couldn’t find any information about her. Devil villages don’t interact with the outside much, and I guess that’s the sort of place she came from... It’s real likely that she doesn’t have a single relative left to look for her.”

“Well, not much is known about devil culture, after all.”

“I couldn’t find anything on her father’s body that’d hint at where they were from, so I can’t go looking for her home village. The ‘crime’ that got her branded with a broken horn must’ve been something out of her control. But that’s no reason for someone from a different race like me to neglect her.”

Gregor understood that reasoning. What he didn’t understand was Dale’s transformation. Just how strongly had that devil girl tugged at his heartstrings?

“Even if Latina’s a devil, it’s not like she sees everyone else as enemies. There’s no problem with us living together.”

“No problem, huh...? In that case, I suppose she doesn’t know that you’ve slaughtered members of her race, yes?” Gregor whispered. Dale sat in silence for a while.

“...I’ve cut down humans for work, too. It hasn’t just been devils.” “Well, that’s true.”

That’s what it meant to live by the sword. Magical beasts weren’t the only things that hurt people. It certainly wasn’t rare for human nations to clash with other races, and out of all those races, devils had the deepest ties with the demon lords.

Across the world there were seven demon lords, and they were ranked as “First Demon Lord,” “Second Demon Lord,” and so on. Their abilities and the way they ran things varied, but they all had one thing in common: all demon lords had horns, just like devils.

Furthermore, all demon lords led a household of “demons.” No one was born a demon. Instead, they became one upon entering a demon lord’s house and gaining power far exceeding what they would naturally possess. And those demons were not necessarily just “people.” They also included mythical beasts—beings that possessed high intelligence despite being considered animals.

But it was without a doubt the devils that made up the vast majority of the demons, and for that reason, demon lords were also called the “Kings of the Devils.”

“We’ve confirmed the presence of someone who appears to be a subordinate of the Seventh Demon Lord.”

“A demon, you mean? Or just a plain old servant?” Their power would vary greatly depending on if they were a demon or not. In fact, the difference in the threat they represented couldn’t even be compared.

“I still don’t know for certain. That’s why I called for you,” Gregor said, meeting Dale’s gaze.

“I’ll tag along,” Dale said with a sigh.

“If you’re there, then I guess it’ll be fine...”

They were so deeply confident in each other’s skills that they each trusted the other to watch their back.

Dale stood up. The time for his audience with the duke was drawing near. Going in his usual leather coat would be inappropriate for such an event, so he needed to put on a more proper outfit. That was why he’d stopped here before heading to meet the duke in his office at the palace. It wasn’t just so he could have this chat with his friend.

“At any rate, be sure to keep yourself together and act a bit more dignified in front of my father.”

“I know, I know.” Dale waved and headed for the room that had been prepared for him.

This time, the young man who exited the Eldstedt family carriage was clad all in black. It was clear from the wild feel to him that he was no noble, and despite his age, he had the aura of a warrior who’d lived through many battles. When the palace guards realized who he was, they stood up straight. The glance he gave the soldier who bowed and stepped forward to guide him was incredibly cool and composed as well. This was a first-rate warrior, who without question wielded his magic and blade mercilessly. He was a prospective hero who was even now achieving great things, and might one day become a legend.

That was the sort of man he was rumored to be, and from the impression that he gave, that was no exaggeration.

While feeling the somewhat jealous gazes of the soldiers, Gregor felt conflicted—somehow relieved and somehow not—seeing the “usual” Dale next to him.

This was the man named Dale Reki.

When someone first met him, they’d say he was charming and calm, but if they were to meet him on the field of battle, they’d find a cool-headed, yet unforgiving warrior.

It was said that perhaps the young Dale had needed to become that way in order to succeed at such work. The best way to calmly deal with what he saw was to kill off his own emotions. That was how he seemed to the soldier who guided him through the palace with his back still perfectly straight.

After all, to Dale, this palace was yet another battlefield.

†

In Kreuz, several days after Dale left for the capital:

It was readily apparent that Latina was miserable. Rather than just feeling down, she was full-on wallowing in sorrow. It was like her whole body was screaming out that she was lonely.

“Latina... are you alright?” No matter how Kenneth looked at it, she clearly wasn’t, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say to her.

“Latina’s alright... She’s holding down the fort, after all,” Latina responded as she sat quietly next to Kenneth while he was doing his usual preparations. Her voice sounded like it was about to vanish.

She was always like that. Even though Latina’s expression and body language told otherwise, her response was that of an anxious honor student. Kenneth let out a sigh and looked at her. “Yeah, that’s right. You’re holding down the fort. And Dale will definitely come back, because you’re waiting for him.”

Latina looked up at Kenneth and tilted her head a little, and Kenneth responded with a smile. If an adult like him looked glum too, then that would only make Latina more uneasy.

“Before you came, Dale just saw this as a place to leave his things. But now it’s a ‘home’ for him to return to.” Kenneth knew Dale very well. After all, Kenneth was the one who had taught him the basics of being an adventurer back when Dale was still a mere boy who’d only just left his village. Kenneth had brought him into his party and freely taught him everything from traveling basics to how to accept jobs, as well as all sorts of techniques for dealing with magical beasts. As his guide, Kenneth knew how much having a “big bro” to rely on could help give strength to someone setting out on their own, without any friends to support them.

“Dale always tells you ‘I’m home,’ right, Latina? That’s proof that this is home for him now.”

“Dale always tells Latina ‘I’m home’?”

“That’s right. But he never said that before you came. You’re someone very special to him.”

Dale most likely thought of Kenneth’s place like a bird would think of a tree where it could rest its wings, but that didn’t even come close to how important a “home” was. To Dale, this girl was that important. And so, as his “big bro,” it was up to Kenneth to protect her while he was away.

“Latina is special to Dale?” “Yeah, you are.”

Latina’s expression was strained, like she was just barely holding back her tears, and she tightly gripped her skirt above her knees.

“Kenneth...” “What is it?”

“Is it alright for Latina to stay with Dale forever...?”

“If you disappeared, then Dale would run around frantically looking for you.”

“Frantically?” questioned Latina, tilting her head upon hearing a word she didn’t know.

“It means he’d be desperately worried.” Latina searched for words again.

“Latina... she got driven out of where she was born because she was bad. Even though Latina was the only one they threw out, Rag went with her, and then he died.”

Kenneth continued on with his work nonchalantly, trying his hardest to make sure she didn’t see him falter. She really did understand that she was exiled from her village, after all.

“Who was Rag?”

“Latina’s parent. He was sick, but he went with Latina. Only Latina’s family said she wasn’t bad. When Rag died, Latina thought that she really was a bad girl, after all,” said Latina, once more casting her gaze downwards. “Dale was the first who said Latina was a good girl... He was the first to say it who wasn’t her family.” And in a tiny voice, like she was telling him a secret, she continued, “Dale is special to Latina, too.”

“...Is that so?” said Kenneth, feeling that he was a terribly pathetic adult, since he was unable to come up with any sort of decent response. Just how much had this little girl locked away in her tiny body?

“Why didn’t you tell Dale any of this stuff about yourself, Latina?” He’d heard that when Dale asked her before, she hadn’t seemed like she wanted to talk. So why was she opening up to Kenneth like this?

In response to his question, Latina said, “If Dale knew Latina was bad, he’d hate her. Latina’s... scared of Dale hating her...”

“I see. So you couldn’t talk to Dale because he’s so important to you, huh?” said Kenneth, and Latina nodded. Even though Dale had already guessed what she had just told him, he wanted this young girl to stay by his side.

However, Latina didn’t know that, and she was even scared of him knowing and wanted to hide it desperately.

Still, Latina ended up talking to me about herself like this... Just what would happen if Dale found out...?

He’d be a real pain, and it certainly wouldn’t be fun to see. Dale really needed to learn from this girl’s concern for others, even if only just a bit.

“Hey, Latina, do you want to try learning something before Dale gets back?”

“...Learning?”

Kenneth suddenly suggested this because he was worried that otherwise, she’d just stay depressed and wilting away until Dale returned. It would be better to give her something else to focus on. Of course, the greatest possible motivation for Latina was Dale.

“Dale’s definitely going to be starving when he comes back. It takes a while to make it from the capital to Kreuz, after all. You said that you wanted to learn how to make a meal for him, right? This is a good opportunity, so I’ll help you practice. Dale’ll be totally shocked and happy when he hears that you made it.”

“...Latina can do it?”

“It’d still be a bit much for you to do everything, but there are parts that you can handle. How about it? Wanna give it a try?”

Seeing Latina brighten up a bit, Kenneth felt relieved to the bottom of his heart. For better or worse, it was clear that Dale was immensely important to this little girl.

“Latina wants to do it. Kenneth, please teach Latina.”

Even though he wasn’t that doting idiot Dale, he still wanted to do something for this girl after hearing her say “please.” She was just too cute.

†

Not long afterwards:

“Here, it’s a shepherd’s pie. I’ll give you a discount, so eat it.”

“So you’ve finally started using high-pressure sales techniques here, huh?”

Kenneth stood dauntingly before the bearded adventurer who was a regular, holding a plate with an item he hadn’t ordered. He remained unshaken, even with the regular’s astonished response.

“And why is it so misshapen? And aren’t the insides leaking out?” “Hey, she’s still practicing. It’s to be expected.”

“Practicing?” repeated the bearded adventurer, who then realized who’d be “practicing” in this shop. There was only one possibility, after all. Only one little girl lived at this inn, so... “The little lady made it, huh?”

“Right, it’s a work in progress from Latina.” “Alright, then. Leave it here.”

Such exchanges occurred many times over the course of that day.

After thinking about what Latina could currently handle, Kenneth ended up settling on having her make a shepherd’s pie. In order to have her improve as quickly as possible, it was best to have her make as many as possible. There was a limit to how many meals they needed for lodgers, but this shop was also a gathering for men who were unrefined and didn’t fuss over things like how beautifully their meals were plated, so it made for the perfect testing ground.

Shepherd’s pie is a dish made by spreading mashed potatoes on top of a meat sauce and then baking it. Though it has pie in its name, it uses no pie crust, nor is it a pastry.

Latina’s job was to make the mashed potatoes, spread them on a plate with the meat sauce Kenneth made, and finally, sprinkle cheese on top. Kenneth put it into and took it out of the oven, but Latina kept track of how long it baked with a serious look on her face.

Since Kenneth was the one who made the meat sauce, which was the main flavor, there weren’t any huge failures. But still, the results were slightly awkward at the start, with sauce dripping out the sides, or the potatoes coming out lumpy. But as the days went by, Latina continued to improve.

After the first day, the regulars all readied themselves to help with

Latina’s practice without a single word from Kenneth. After all, this dish came with the bonus of a tiny waitress carrying it out. Latina had wanted to help wait the tables for a while now, but the Ocelot had customers pay their bill when they got their food, so it wasn’t like they could have a young girl like her handle it. But this shepherd’s pie campaign was limited to just the regulars. This meant it only involved people who were trusted enough to settle their bills at the end, so Latina was able to do the job without needing to handle the money.

As a result, the Dancing Ocelot underwent an unprecedented shepherd’s pie boom.

“Thanks for waiting!”

It certainly wasn’t a bad thing to see Latina enthusiastically give this her all, especially considering how she’d been hanging her head in sadness since Dale left. Whenever she was feeling lonely, an aura of depression hung over the Dancing Ocelot.

There was a rather nice-looking shepherd’s pie on top of the tray that Latina was carefully carrying out. It was still just a little bit sloppy, but it would be no problem to serve it on the menu at this point.

“It’s hot, so be careful, please.”

—This young girl may have waited on customers more politely than anyone else at this shop.

Take your time, said the regulars in unison deep in their hearts, as Latina wore a smile on her face and hugged the now-empty tray.

The gruff men who made up the regulars were clearly perplexed at first as to how they should interact with a young girl like Latina, who would shoot even them a lovely smile. Normally a child would break out in tears if they came into contact with people like them, so they’d never really had such a charming girl smile at them the way that Latina did.

Occasionally, she’d come across someone foolish enough to act rudely towards her, perhaps because they were in a bad mood. When it came to adventurers, guys like that would be considered less than second-rate. But Latina’s big eyes would just go wide in surprise, and she’d distance herself from them. Then she’d observe them from far away, like she’d found some sort of large, strange creature.

“Welcome! Thanks for waiting!”

Latina’s special shepherd’s pie was in great demand at the Dancing Ocelot again today.

†

Nearly half a month after Dale had departed from Kreuz, a shout of “I can finally leave!” rang out through the Eldstedt residence.

“I’m leaving right now! Get a flying dragon here ASAP! Latina’s waiting for me!”

“For the time being, you at least need to still attend this evening’s party. It’s part of your job...”

“I don’t waaaaaanna! I wanna go hooooome!”

“You need to look over the souvenir list the maids prepared, do you not? It’s full of things that have been popular in the capital as of late, but it means nothing if you don’t choose one yourself, yes?”

“That’s right! Will Latina be happy, I wonder?”

Dale’s expression shifted suddenly and completely, but Gregor wasn’t particularly surprised. Over the past half a month, he’d grown used to it. In fact, he’d come to accept all sorts of things, since he’d had no choice but to do so.

During this half a month, an elite group that included Dale and Gregor had headed into the mountains on the outskirts of Ausblick in order to take down members of the Seventh Demon Lord’s household. It was only just the other day that they had completed their mission and returned to the capital. The work that Dale primarily received from Duke Eldstedt, which were jobs involving a contract from the country of Laband, involved fighting against demon lords and their households.

There was a reason only an elite few were sent on such jobs. By primarily employing adventurers, the country could avoid having to mobilize the army. If Laband used its armed forces, it would be like a declaration of war on the demon lord. The powers of a demon lord were vast, and with their household alongside them, they possessed enough strength to prove a threat to a nation on their own. If a country were to oppose them in an official capacity, a demon lord would choose to fight back alongside his house.

The seven demon lords were all independent, and they wouldn’t choose to form alliances. But even so, war with a single demon lord was more than enough to shake an entire nation down to its core.

In order to hold back the threat of a demon lord with the least amount of risk, it was best to use a small group of unspecified alliance to launch a surprise attack. In other words: assassination.

Gregor was part of a ducal household, but because he wasn’t officially in the employ of the military and was at least partly thought of as an adventurer publicly at this point, the mission had come his way.

When Dale arrived from Kreuz half a month ago and after they’d finished their preparations, Dale and Gregor had headed to their destination alongside the others who were to join them on this mission. All of the members of the party were adventurers who were known to possess extraordinary skills. In addition, because they were being directly contracted by the nation of Laband, they were considered every bit as trustworthy as they were skilled. They were no saints, but at the very least there were no worries about any of them becoming a traitor and stabbing their allies in the back. A reconnaissance party from the army disguised as adventurers accompanied them as well.

When they at last arrived at a forest deep in the mountains, they were able to confirm that several dragons had made a nest there, just as the scouts had reported. As it was a land awash in the blessing of Ahmar, Ausblick was a geothermal hotspot and also an area dragons frequently used during breeding season.

“...Those are definitely dragons that serve the Seventh Demon Lord.” Especially fond of war and mayhem, the Seventh Demon Lord liked to employ dragons as a symbol of his great power. Devils had a high number of those with an affinity for Center magic, including tamers who could manipulate dragons as if they were an extension of themselves.

By confirming those dragons were targets, they also confirmed the presence of a tamer. There was one woman in a black robe, as well as a number of warriors. Each and every one of them had horns on their heads. Devil warrior helmets were specially made, so as not to conceal the horns that they were so proud of; while they covered the wearer’s head, their horns remained on full display. The most dangerous one in the group, though, was the robed woman.

“...There’s no mistaking it. That woman’s a demon,” Dale quietly warned his allies. Knowing his skill, they immediately accepted what he’d said rather than bothering with unnecessary questions.

From there on out, they didn’t bother with any pointless conversation. As a group that had taken on dangerous missions together numerous times, they had naturally prepared a number of hand signals in advance.

It was Dale’s magic that kicked off the battle.

“Oh earth and the spirits dwelling within you, by my name of Dale Reki I order you, shift your form according to my wishes, and swallow up all around you. 〈〈Ground Transfiguration〉〉”

The mana called forth by this chant vastly eclipsed that of a basic spell. A thunderous roar filled the air, and the ground beneath his target collapsed. The demon woman and warriors realized the attack was coming in time to get out of the way, but the heavy dragons were caught up in the thick of it. If Dale were a normal magic user, it wouldn’t have been strange for this attack to exhaust him completely, but he didn’t show even a hint of fatigue. In fact, he had smoothly unsheathed his blade, and cut his way into the midst of his confused enemies.

With that signal, Gregor, holding a scarlet, Eastern longsword in his grasp, leaped into action as well. The blade had been enhanced with magic to strengthen its sharpness, and the shine coming off of it danced through the air. When it came to pure sword technique, Gregor was on a whole other level compared to Dale.

“Oh earth, by my name, I order you to strike my foes. 〈〈Stone Spears〉〉”

In the instant that all attention had gathered on Gregor, Dale chanted this close-range attack spell. This sort of coordination was only possible because they both knew intimately how the other fought.

Sharp spears made of stone rose from the ground with such precision that it was hard to believe that this spell was the result of such a simple chant. Having been thrown off-balance, the devil warriors were then cut down by Gregor.

“Protect me!” yelled the demon woman, scolding her underlings. Pushing through the rubble, a dragon came forward to defend her. Shortly afterwards, fireballs came flying and hit the dragon in its head, scattering a great deal of heat through the surroundings.

But that wasn’t the end of the magical assault. Next up, an electrical shock came running across the ground. At this point, the woman’s primary goal would be to stop this wave of attacks coming from multiple magic users.

The demon woman nervously realized that the soldiers under her command had been defeated so quickly by just two humans, and the rest of her dragons were still in the depths of that unbelievably deep hole. The one by her side now had only managed to crawl out by climbing over its brethren. She wouldn’t get the rest of them back so easily.

“Kill them!” she yelled, having no other options left. Even though she knew it was a poor move, the woman gave that order to the sole underling she had left. Her plan was to buy the time needed to escape on her own.

She ordered the dragon to create an escape route in the magic users’ blind spot... or at least, that was her intention. But before she knew it, the warrior in the black leather coat was closing in on her. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she saw her dragon stopped by the other adventurers.

The woman was shocked to realize that this man had been aiming for her alone from the very start. It was the unfaltering move of a man who had absolute faith that his allies could handle a dragon without him.

Even so, the woman pulled out a dagger in an instant, and swung it down at Dale in a blow far quicker than that of the warriors. Dale didn’t falter in the slightest, stopping her attack with his left arm. A dull, metallic sound resounded from his gauntlet, and the knife slid across its surface without leaving so much as a scratch. Without even stopping to look at the despair in the woman’s eyes, Dale slashed his sword to the side.

That was how it went. Both in tense situations and in battle, Dale did nothing that would shame his reputation as a first-rate adventurer. There were no issues with the way he handled his work, either. But in between all of that...

“Maaaaan, I have a serious Latina deficiency! Latinaaaaaaaaa!” “...What is it that you’re lacking?”

“Latina, I said. I’ve had way too little Latina lately....” Dale said in a strange voice as he suddenly flailed.

“I wanna see Latina... How is she doing...?” he asked when he was gazing up at the sky, tears streaming down his face.

“Latina...” he muttered when he was stirring a campfire. To sum it up, he was emotionally unstable.

The others grew distant from him as a result. After all, these attacks generally came as fits, and anyone who was dragged into them found it nothing but uncomfortable.

He was just blowing off steam, or at least that’s what Gregor decided, choosing the most favorable explanation possible for his friend’s actions. That was his small bit of pity towards the poor man.

And now, Gregor’s greatest task was to stop Dale before he amassed a mountain of souvenirs so huge that it would be too much for a flying dragon to carry.

†

“Latina!!” Dale screamed out in joy as he flung open the door to the Dancing Ocelot. In his other hand he held his luggage, which had clearly increased since when he’d left.

“That’s the first thing that comes out of your mouth?” Rita responded, disgusted that that was all he’d have to say upon seeing her for the first time in half a month. He’d clearly gotten worse in that span of time, in pretty much every way.

“Oh, it’s you, Rita. Where’s Latina?” “Latina’s with Kenneth,” she answered.

Just then, apparently hearing the ruckus, the person in question suddenly poked her tiny head out from inside the shop. Latina broke out in a brilliant smile and came running to his side.

“Dale, welcome back!!”

Compared to how she’d looked half a month prior, Latina had filled back out to a size closer to an average child, and now she appeared even more adorable than Dale remembered.

“I’m home, Latina! You did a great job holding down the fort. Were you lonely? I’m so sorry. I was super lonely, too!”

“Latina was lonely, but she’s happy that you made it home safely. Welcome back!” Latina said with a smile as Dale hugged her tight.

“Ah, you really do bring me solace, Latina...” Dale muttered in response, awash in a flood of emotions.

I gave it my all, and it was so very worth it. “Actually, Latina, I got you souvenirs...” “Hold on, Dale.”

Dale had been excitedly preparing to give her the souvenirs, only for Latina to now quickly push away, leaving him in shock. As he saw her hurry with fast, little footsteps to Kenneth in the kitchen, his face showed that he was clearly stricken with grief. His eyes lost all focus, and he hollowly murmured, “H-Half a month was too long, huh...? Hehehe... If I wipe all the demons from the face of the earth, then maybe I won’t need to leave her ever again...”

“You seem pretty worn out.” Realizing that he was showing this much fatigue even when he was indulging in his eccentricities, Rita couldn’t help but sympathize. “Latina really did give it her all. I told her she could stay with us in our room ’til you got back, thinking she’d feel too lonely if she was in that attic all by herself. But she just said, ‘Latina wants to stay in Dale’s room.’ She said she was fine sleeping alone too, because ‘Dale’s scent makes Latina feel relaxed.’”

“Latina was alright? Everything went fine?”

“Well, she did seem lonely. Still, she had something to strive towards, so she managed to more or less pull herself together.”

As Rita told him about how Latina had been and what had happened in Kreuz while he was away, the little girl returned from the kitchen. In her hands she firmly held a tray, on top of which there was a piping-hot shepherd’s pie and a brightly colored, jiggling gelatin desert filled with cut- up fruit.

“Dale, Latina made this. She worked hard so you could eat it.” “Y-You made it, Latina?”

“She gave it her all.”

As Dale’s trembling hands took the tray from Latina, who had a proud smile on her face, he was overcome with emotion.

“I can’t eat it! That’d be such a waste!” he yelled.

“No, you’ve gotta eat it.” Rita’s comebacks remained firm even after half a month.

“By the way, Dale, we figured out something important while you were away.”

“Huh?”

Kenneth suddenly cut into the conversation just as Dale was in the midst of enjoying the fruits of Latina’s hard work, with the girl herself seated smiling on his lap. Ignoring Dale’s reaction, Kenneth continued.

“Just the other day, Latina’s friend Chloe told Latina that they were going to school starting this fall, and asked if she’d come, too.”

“What?”

“Chloe, and Marcel, and all of them are going, because they’re the same age,” said Latina, looking up at Dale from his lap. Looking back at her, he thought back on her friends. He’d figured they were a bit older than Latina and thought of the young girl as someone to dote on.

“She asked if Latina wants to go too, because she’s also the same age.” It took Dale a bit of time to digest those words.

“...What?”

“Apparently, it’s true,” said Kenneth with a nod as Dale looked towards him for an explanation.

“Latina, your birthday’s next month, right?” asked Dale. “Yeah.”

“Is that right? I’ll need get some presents ready, then!”

“Go ahead and tell Dale how old you’ll be,” said Kenneth encouragingly. “Hmm? Latina will be eight,” she replied, tilting her head as if to say she didn’t know why she was being asked.

For a moment, Dale was frozen stiff and at a loss for words. Seeing that reaction, Kenneth nodded his head.

“...So you’re seven right now, Latina?” continued Kenneth. “Hmm? Yes, Latina is seven.”

“You’re so little, Latina...” Dale commented. Kenneth agreed. “Yeah, she is.”

“Latina is little?”

All of the adults had thought she was five or six. Latina was just that small. Still, now that Dale thought about it, Latina’s words and actions had been surprisingly sharp, considering the age they’d thought she was. The way she spoke made her seem young, but she had only just picked up the language, so it was a result of a lack of grammar and vocabulary skills.

She’d be eight soon. When children were that young, age differences of a year or two had a huge effect.

The adults realized that they’d been wrong due to their own preconceptions.

“Is she growing slower because she’s a devil?” Dale asked.

“I thought that too, and tried asking the regulars, but apparently devil kids grow at roughly the same rate as human children. Everything slows down once they reach maturity, and they spend a long time as adults.”

“Latina... is little?”

“You’re just small,” commented Dale. “Hmm?”

Seemingly truly confused by the adults all looking at her so seriously, Latina once more tilted her head.

Share