Published at 18th of January 2020 4:49 pm

Volume 2, Chapter 3: The Young Girl Visits a Port Town

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

After departing from Haase, Dale and Latina camped out several times and passed through a number of other post towns before finally arriving at the port town of Qualle. The appearance of Qualle differed from the towns that they’d visited up until now. While the roofs were still a brilliant red, the walls of the buildings were plastered white and had a vivid blue design drawn on them. This was because the people here sought the protection of not just the principal god of Laband, Ahmar, but also the god who governed business and the sea, Azraq. In addition to this peculiarity, the salt water-scented town of Qualle was known for its beautiful, vibrant, and unique scenery, which drew many tourists.

“It’s the ocean!” Latina yelled out joyfully, the sea entering her view as soon as they came into Qualle. “Dale, Dale! It’s the ocean! Can we go?!”

“Calm down, Latina. We need to rent a room first to drop off our luggage,” Dale said with a strained laugh. He then pointed at their trip companion, who was currently at Latina’s side.

“We need to let this guy rest, too.”

“That’s true... Sorry, Blau,” said Latina, stroking the tip of the horse’s nose. Apparently, she had named the horse without Dale knowing it. The plan had been to part with it when the trip was over, but Dale suddenly realized that Latina could end up getting attached before then. What would he do if she ended up crying?

Dale ended up settling on a slightly more expensive inn than what they’d stayed in up until now. In exchange for that higher fee, the inn offered an additional layer of security. Each room used a magical device key, so it was well known as an inn that prided itself on safety. Unlike the other places they had stayed, this meant they had a guarantee that their luggage would be relatively secure if they left it there as they went out and about.

The plan was to stay in Qualle for three days.

This was around the point when their exhaustion would start to show. After Qualle, they’d be traveling mountain trails, so their journey would get steadily harsher. Because of that, Dale wanted to let Latina completely recharge. And since they were on a trip, he wanted to let her do some sightseeing, too. Those reasons were why he made his decision to stay that long.

Dale dumped the luggage in the room and removed his gauntlet. He left his coat and longsword as they were, though. When he looked at Latina, he saw that she had removed her rucksack and knife. Thanks to her methodical nature, she was sure to leave them in the corner, out of the way.

“Hey, Dale, can Latina send a letter to Kreuz from here?” “There’s regular service to and from here, so it should be fine.”

“Then later on, Latina will write letters to Chloe and Rita,” Latina cheerfully declared, and Dale mischievously grinned in return.

“We’ll have to explore Qualle so you can write about it, then.” “Right!”

It had been quite some time since Dale had gone sightseeing himself. He went on trips fairly frequently, but that was generally for work. It was refreshing to get to travel for pleasure. But most importantly, with Latina by his side and completely overjoyed by being on this journey, Dale was, of course, in high spirits, too.

The pair hurriedly headed out for a stroll around town. They’d walked quite a bit on their way to Qualle, but Latina didn’t seem tired in the least. She had a greater stamina than her slender build would imply, so she didn’t complain at all about being tired or her legs hurting, though Dale was admittedly walking slower to match her stride.

The scenery in Qualle was rather unique, and that wasn’t just due to its buildings. As a portal to foreign nations, the town had the atmosphere of being somewhere outside of Laband.

Its uniqueness was even also apparent from looking at the people walking about town. Every now and again, Dale and Latina would pass by someone whose looks, speech, and even attire differed from those of this nation. Dale silently watched over Latina as she stared at such people. Sometimes, she stopped and even turned around completely.

They passed through the center of Qualle and arrived at the port itself. “Woooow...” Latina exclaimed with her mouth hanging wide open.

Dale blissfully watched her. He felt so glad to see her react this way; it was truly worth having brought her. He almost wanted to openly pat himself on the back.

As the sunlight glittering on the horizon reflected in Latina’s sparkling eyes, a merchant ship entered the port.

“It’s amazing, Dale! Where did that ship come from?”

“Hmm... You see the flag hanging there? That’s the crest of...”

The country that Dale mentioned was a large one to the west. It seemed Latina had heard of it, as she nodded her head in understanding.

“That’s a far-off country, isn’t it?” “Yeah, that’s right.”

“It’s amazing! It’s all so new to Latina!”

As Latina leaned out to better view the ship, Dale gently supported her so she wouldn’t fall. From the way he took such care, it was clear that he was already a splendid father.

Latina seemed like she’d never grow tired of looking at the ship, but at lunchtime, she accepted that it was time to move on.

At Latina’s request, they headed towards the marketplace, where the rows of shops had their competing wares lined up under large overhangs. Lively voices calling out filled the air, and as one would expect from a port town, it was the abundant seafood that stood out most.

Fish from the ocean were also sold in Kreuz, but because of the associated shipping fees, they were so expensive that your average citizen rarely ever got to taste them. The variety on display here was so vast that Kreuz couldn’t compare, and it made for quite a spectacle to see the seafood lined up like it was.

“There are a lot of fish!” Latina exclaimed, her eyes open wide as she walked by and looked at everything for sale. There were an abundance of different shapes when it came to sea creatures. When she came across a massive, flat fish laid out on the ground, Latina leaped up in surprise, but a moment later, she was hurrying over to the next shop.

“Wooow... How do you eat this?” Latina asked with a tilted head, looking at a sea urchin covered in hard spikes.

“You eat the insides.” “Ooh...”

Apparently, the urchin was still alive, as the spikes were slowly moving. Latina nodded along, completely captivated by it.

As she looked into the bucket next to it, she stopped moving entirely. Curious, Dale looked in himself and found that it was filled with a large number of bivalves. Latina watched as some them stuck out their siphons. She moved to stick her hand into the bucket, but since the creatures were being sold, she thought better of it and decided not to, instead settling for putting her hands on its rim. When the bivalves started shooting out water from their siphons with a pshew pshew, Dale prepared himself to be here for quite some time.

It was a little later than they had planned, but they ended up settling on a restaurant for lunch. They had no choice but to eat at a shop in the marketplace, since they couldn’t help but want to have some seafood after seeing so much on display.

“Dale gave Latina a fish when she first met him.”

Latina was clearly enjoying herself as she grilled up a variety of seafood and skillfully salted it at the personal grill at their table.

“That’s right.”

Even when she flipped the fish over with tongs, they showed no sign of falling apart, and they looked truly savory and delicious. Dale smiled as he watched over Latina carefully paying attention to how the heat was being applied.

“Today, Latina will give Dale fish that she grilled. Eat up, alright?”

“Yeah. Go ahead and keep on grilling them. If you’re the one preparing them, then I’m going to want to eat a ton!” He was clearly his normal self today, as always.

Having eaten their fill at the restaurant, they resumed their stroll through the marketplace.

As you moved away from the port, the number of shops focusing on seafood decreased. In exchange, there were more shops full of all sorts of goods from other countries. Amongst the shops, was one showing off fabrics lined up like a pallet of various spices, all with designs clearly different from the sensibilities of what you’d see in Laband. If you looked into a shop selling bowls, you’d find ones with unique and vivid designs carefully painted on them.

In a way, all of these jumbled and assorted pieces made this town a “foreign nation” overflowing with goods from various other countries. Travelers, foreigners, and merchants all came and went here, and the peculiar atmosphere made for a truly extraordinary world all its own.

All throughout their stroll, Latina’s eyes were absolutely gleaming. The curious and energetic girl couldn’t help but have her attention captured by each and every thing here.

With a smile on his face, Dale called out, “Latina.” “What is it?”

“There’s a lot of people about, and I don’t want you to get lost. Give me your hand.”

Latina held out her tiny hand, and Dale grasped it firmly. She was a bit surprised at first, but once she got over that, she looked up at Dale with a smile.

The two continued their walk about the town, holding hands and occasionally exchanging a happy glance at one another.

Once they were done looking around, they returned to the inn. They pulled their nice clothes out of their luggage and got changed. While the place they were going for dinner may not have been a five-star restaurant, it was still clearly a grade higher than the cheap eateries they usually visited. It had been recommended to them by employees of the inn when they had asked around. Set up so you could enjoy fresh seafood while listening to their in-house band perform, the restaurant gave you a special dining experience beyond what their prices would imply, and their seafood dishes were good enough to satisfy even residents of a port town like this.

As always, Latina wore her cape because the night air was too cold for her, but underneath she wore a pink dress she was fond of. She’d been sticking to shorts that were easy to move around in for a while, so right now, she looked even cuter than usual. Furthermore, she had her hair done up in her beloved lace ribbons. It was clear that her expectations were high.

She normally wore her pouch with the ocelot design on her belt, but now she had it across her chest with a long string and was using it like a purse.

As Latina spun about taking in the whole of the hotel room, her skirt and hair spun out in an arc along with her.

“Don’t get too worked up, Latina.”

“Right. Latina’s just excited about the restaurant.”

Dale was dressed up more than usual as well, wearing a neatly pressed shirt and pants. He did have a knife at his hip, but that was because it would be dangerous to go out completely unarmed. This knife, which he always had on him while on trips and work, saw more use for odd jobs than actual combat.

“It’d be terrible if you got kidnapped, so don’t leave my side, no matter what!” Dale said as he opened the door to the inn, looking back at Latina behind him.

No matter how Dale looked at her, Latina was just so cute that he just couldn’t help but worry. Dale could even see an otherwise upright citizen succumbing to temptation if they saw such an adorable girl. He was terribly concerned about such things.

On the off chance that Latina got kidnapped, Dale would find her, even if he had to look under each and every blade of grass the world over to do so. And if he leveled a town or two in the process, that’d make it all the easier to search.

The culprit, of course, wouldn’t get off lightly, either. Dale would make anyone who laid a hand on Latina experience the very depths of hell itself.

He found himself lost in thoughts like that. That’s just how concerned he was.

“Um, Dale... is it alright if we hold hands, then?” Latina quietly requested. Dale responded immediately. As he grasped her hand with his own, Latina cheerfully smiled. The sun had finished setting, and the pair walked side by side, awash in the darkness of night. In such dim light, the town of Qualle felt even more unusual than it had at noon. The vivid red of the roofs were dulled by the darkness, and the white walls looked pale blue. The patterns that were spread across the walls throughout town were now so dark that they almost appeared black. Here and there, though, the colors regained their original hues in the light leaking from the houses. But the edges were a pale haze before melting once more into the blue world of the night. It was almost as if the town had sunk into the depths of the ocean, like some underwater city out of a fairytale. It was a truly fantastical scene.

“They say that Qualle looks its most beautiful right after the sun sets.” “Amazing...”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the wonderful sight, Latina almost whispered those words. It was as if she was worried this ephemeral world would crumble away if she spoke too loudly. She stood silently in admiration, her eyes sparkling, and just then, the flow of people passing stopped, allowing the pair the luxury of having this beautiful scenery all to themselves for a little while.

After passing through the quiet, blue town, they arrived at the restaurant, the Silent Seagull, whose theme differed entirely from its name.

It felt like yet another completely separate world unto itself. The moment Dale and Latina opened the door, they were awash in such dazzling light that it almost made them forget it was night. It was packed with people, both customers enjoying the food as well as uniform-clad employees clad bustling about. On a raised stage in the center of it all, there were musicians playing a gentle, brilliant melody.

“Woooow...” said Latina, temporarily enraptured by the enthusiasm of the people inside and the flow of music. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were sparkling. While she was holding back her urge to start hopping all about for now, Dale could tell how excited she was as he stood by her side. He could hardly keep from smiling himself.

Apparently, the little princess wanted to act gracefully to match how dressed up she was. While being led to the table, she was even better behaved than usual, not even letting her gaze dart all about like she normally would. As she sat down and acted just a bit prim, she looked even cuter. She was just so charming that Dale couldn’t help but go slack jawed. Perhaps he didn’t quite meet the qualifications to serve as a lady’s escort.

At the cheap restaurants that Dale and Latina usually frequented, all of the food was usually served together on one big plate. But here at the Silent Seagull, each dish was arranged in a gorgeous, tasteful manner and served on its own platter, which excited Latina greatly.

Latina gazed at the péla placed before her, enthusiastically trying to decide how to approach it. The young girl couldn’t eat a large amount of food, so she’d made her choices from the menu very carefully. If she could, she’d like to try all sorts of different hors d’oeuvres and main dishes. She was even interested in the food in front of Dale, too. But she understood that if she ate too much now, she wouldn’t make it to dessert.

The scales were fried up with the pale pink skin still attached, making for a truly interesting texture. Just what was the flavor of the orange-colored sauce, which seemed to be made from citrus?

As Dale put his fork into the fish, which had been cooked to be nice and flakey, Latina was paying even more careful attention than usual. Dale came and went from the duke’s estate because of his job, so he’d picked up basic manners. When he wanted to, he could conduct himself properly when dining, thanks to having at least a little worldly wisdom. Having never seen him act this way before, Latina seemed to have realized that this was a precious chance to observe proper dining etiquette, even though Dale wasn’t explaining anything to her. While glancing intermittently at Dale, she mimicked his movements.

Dale, of course, realized what she was doing, so he took deliberate care to make sure he served as a proper model. Due to his pride as her father, however, he made sure not to let it show on his face that he was putting in such effort.

Once Latina finished her soup filled with the flavors of the ocean and her whitefish péla, a dessert that was also exquisitely presented was carried out before her. The plate had several pieces of cake on it, adorned with carefully cut slices of fruit and sauces of the same colors.

“Wooooow...” Latina let out happily while taking care to make sure she wasn’t too loud. She was absolutely spellbound, and she gazed at the various pieces atop the plate with the tip of her fork wavering slightly, uncertain where to start. As she settled on her first bite, sliced it off, and put it in her mouth, she looked overjoyed. Meanwhile, Dale stuck with a simple flavored ice. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that he disliked such things, but he didn’t eat anything really sweet very often. Honestly, the look on Latina’s face was the true dessert here for him. Seeing her so blissful soothed his soul. She was just too cute. That alone was more than worth the cost of the dinner. He’d have to be sure to thank the workers at the inn who had recommended this shop again.

Just then, the music suddenly shifted. The big change in melody made Dale turn his attention towards the stage. A single female musician was strumming a stringed instrument he’d never seen before. She had a purple cloth with an exotic air to it wrapped about her head, and the golden decorations hanging from it swayed back and forth with her movements. The flowing dress she wore over her slender body was also of a sort you didn’t often see in Laband. She wore a necklace of large beads on a golden string around her neck.

This foreign-looking woman was playing a foreign-sounding melody. The quiet tune almost seemed to invite homesickness, and it blended in perfectly with the feel of some far-off nation that the town of Qualle had to it.

“Hey, Dale...”

Seeing him looking at the stage, Latina’s attention was drawn that way as well, and she tilted her head a bit.

“What is it?”

“Is that woman a devil?” “Why do you think that?”

The musician had the purple cloth wrapped about her head, so it was impossible to tell if she had horns, which were the devils’ most identifying trait. Dale was unable to say one way or another.

Latina pointed and said, “That woman’s bracelet is just like Latina’s.” Looking at the musician once more, he saw that the woman had a silver bracelet on her upper left arm. There was a shine coming off of the simple metal ornament, but it blended into her outfit so naturally that he didn’t even notice it until Latina said something.

“You’re right... It does look a lot like your bracelet.”

Was there some deep meaning to that? Humans as a whole didn’t know much about devils, so it was no surprise that he had no idea.

“Latina wonders what that bracelet is for...” Latina murmured with a sigh. “Rag told Latina to keep it with her. There’s something written on the inside, too.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, but Latina doesn’t know what it says. She left where she was born before she learned letters...”

Seeing her somewhat lonely smile, Dale made an immediate decision. He called over the waiter, and along with a tip, he also handed over a message for the musician. It told the name of the inn where they were staying and said that he’d like to meet up with her if she had the time. If she was open to it, then they may be able to hear about the devil race and perhaps even some information related to Latina herself.

Even though Dale had wanted to leave her with good memories of a delicious meal, shop, Latina looked to be sinking into depression as they left the restaurant. Holding hands, they took a detour on the way back to the inn and went for a nighttime walk, which Latina didn’t often get to do. Just as Dale had hoped, the novelty swept the gloom away from the young girl’s face.

Dale sighed in relief.

I want Latina to smile... thought Dale, a gentle smile on his own face. Thus, their first day in Qualle came to a close.

†

The next morning, Dale awoke to the sound of rain. That may have actually been for the better, as it made for a good chance to have Latina rest up properly rather than running all about town. While eating breakfast down on the first floor, Dale told Latina they wouldn’t be going out today, and she accepted it without putting up a fight.

The rain could be heard from their room, but it wasn’t too much of a downpour, so Latina opened the window and looked out at the town of Qualle, which was now a hazy, light-grey color. Occasionally, she’d lean out a bit, seeming to have spotted something; at such times she’d stop and stare carefully at a single spot. She was quietly, calmly enjoying the day in her own way.

Dale took advantage of this chance to carry out a careful inspection of their luggage. It was essential that he not just examine their food supplies, but also made sure their tools were still in good working condition. He’d been putting it off when they camped out and had single-night stays at inns, so this was an important opportunity.

The pair didn’t talk much, but they spent this calm, gentle, yet still plenty enjoyable time together in the same place, and after a simple lunch, they took a drowsy nap together, drifting off to the sound of the rain instead of a lullaby.

An answer to Dale’s message arrived from the Silent Seagull after their nap, around when Latina was sitting with stationery in front of her and groaning a bit. There was too much she wanted to write, and she couldn’t possibly fit it all on the paper; she didn’t know what to do.

After checking the card he was handed, Dale gave the messenger both a tip and a reply. “Well then, please tell her that we’ll meet tomorrow afternoon, alright?”

“Very well.”

After the messenger departed, Dale noticed Latina was by his side, looking up at him.

“Was that person from the restaurant yesterday?”

“Yeah. They delivered a message from that musician. She said could make time to see us tomorrow night before work starts. Looks like we’ll be able to talk to her.”

“Is she really a devil, then?”

“I didn’t ask all that just yet. I just told her we wanted to talk about her silver bracelet, and she agreed. At the very least, we’ll probably be able to hear something about any traditions that might be related to it.”

Latina thought for a moment. “There’s a lot that Latina doesn’t know. She doesn’t know anything about devils... Will she know by the time she’s an adult?”

“I don’t know anything, either. So we can learn together, right?” “We’ll both be learning?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The pair exchanged a smile.

But internally, Dale was thinking, I’ve gotta make sure I know more than Latina... I can’t slip up on that... He broke out in a sweat, secretly worried that if he wasn’t careful, this sharp girl would end up passing him by. As her father, he couldn’t let her get disillusioned, at least for a while longer. For a little more, at least.

Is this how Kenneth feels...? Now he really understood how his “big bro” felt struggling to come up with new recipes day in and day out.

After dinner on the first floor of the inn, Dale and Latina hurried to bed. At some point, the sound of raindrops ceased.

The next morning, the sky was still cloudy.

When they were preparing to head out to buy food and other perishables for their trip, Latina’s eyes absolutely sparkled. She looked up at Dale, clearly filled to the brim with anticipation.

“Dale, Dale! Um, Latina wants to get fish.”

“We can’t take fresh fish with us, though.”

“No, dried fish! There aren’t many in Kreuz, but there are lots here! And Kenneth taught her how to prepare them!”

Normally a kid around her age would be interested in souvenirs and sundries, but he felt this was a very fitting declaration for Latina.

Well, I guess it’s fine. Latina seems excited, after all.

Such concerns about what “normal” children liked were trivial when Dale saw Latina skip along joyfully as they walked.

Going around the marketplace, they stocked up on medicine and similar items. Because both Dale and Latina could use healing magic, they didn’t need much for dealing with wounds, but such spells wouldn’t work on illnesses. They needed to keep medicine for that on hand.

Just like Latina wanted, they ended up adding dried fish to their stock of rations. From now on, they’d be heading deeper and deeper into the mountains— truly inconvenient terrain. They wouldn’t be able to restock their food as often as they had up until now, so it was crucial that they choose things that would last for quite some time.

Carrying what they’d purchased, they entered a cheap restaurant filled with locals for lunch. The bread and hearty seafood stew would have been plenty of food, but when they smelled the fried fish over on the next table, they made a last-minute addition to their order.

When Latina cut through the light breading, steam wafted up from the tender, white flesh. She wanted to eat it while it was still warm, so she stuffed her cheeks full of the piping-hot fish and had to puff the hot air out of her mouth over and over again.

“Looks like it’s tasty!” “It is!”

Latina was always eager to learn more about food, so after they were halfway through, Dale squeezed a lemon over the fish. If he’d done it at the beginning, it would have been too hard for her to tell the flavor of the dish itself.

After finishing their meal, they returned to the inn to drop off their bags. If they left now, they’d make it right on time.

When they arrived at the Silent Seagull once more, the lunch rush was over and there weren’t many customers. The musician from the day before yesterday was seated in the corner. Rather than being showy or flashy, the woman gave off a cool, relaxed vibe. Unlike her stage attire, she was wearing an extremely ordinary shirt and long skirt. She had a round hat on her head, so it was impossible to tell if she had horns or not.

She may have been on guard if Dale had come alone, but he’d brought Latina with him. The adorable little girl was a bit nervous, so she was half-hiding behind Dale, which was quite charming. The woman smiled when she saw her, and when she gestured, they sat down.

“Thanks so much for making time to talk to us. I’m Dale Reki.” “Oh, not at all. So, you have something you want to ask me?”

“Yeah. It’s about that bracelet you’ve got on...” Dale said, looking straight at the silver bangle on her upper left arm.

With a gentle smile, the woman tilted her head. “It’s nothing so unusual, is it?”

“Someone I know has something very similar, so I’d like to ask about where it came from—”

“Um....” Latina spoke up, cutting Dale off. “Latina’s horns are broken, but she’s a devil.” “Latina...” “Oh, my...”

Both Dale and the woman looked at Latina with surprise. She parted her hair and showed the remains of her horns.

“But Latina’s still just a kid, so there’s a lot she doesn’t know, and she’d like to learn.”

Latina understood that Dale was trying to hide the truth because he was thinking of her wellbeing. But that’s precisely why she felt the need to say it herself.

That truth was both disadvantageous and dangerous for Latina. She was afraid that if the woman before her really was a devil, she may realize that Latina was marked as a criminal, which would earn her distaste. Dale had wanted to avoid that if he could, but it wasn’t possible at this point, so he steeled himself for the worst.

“But why...? You’re so young...”

“I don’t know the specifics either.” It was Dale’s turn to speak up. “I found her after her father died, and I’ve been taking care of her ever since. She was even younger then, and the only thing she had on her was a bracelet that looked like yours.”

“This is...” she muttered quietly, putting her hand on her hat. The shape was rather different than Latina’s, but she did indeed have horns growing vertically from each temple. “This bracelet was something fathers gave their children back where I came from... the only country belonging to the devil race. It describes the owner’s heritage.”

Sure enough, this woman was a devil. She gave her name as Glaros. Rather than being exiled like Latina, she left on her own on a journey to see the world, met and married a human man, and ended up settling down in this town.

“Can I ask you something?” said Glaros. Dale nodded. “Yeah.”

“How much do you two know about devils?”

“Pretty much nothing, I’d say. She was just too young, so she apparently left her village before she learned much of anything,” Dale responded, and the woman nodded in understanding.

“I see... We devils don’t grow differently than humans when we’re children, so she’s about as young as she looks. I’ve never heard of someone having their horns broken at such a young age,” she said with a pained voice. It would seem that Latina’s circumstances were strange, even to a devil like Glaros. “I come from a country far to the southwest of here called Vassilios, which is ruled by the First Demon Lord. My hometown was on the outskirts of that nation, which is the greatest territory of the devils. Devils have villages spread the world over, but with a proper government ruling over it, Vassilios is the only one that can be called a country.”

“So demon lords really are the kings of the devils?”

“No. The First Demon Lord is the only one with a ‘kingdom’ like you humans have. The others don’t govern any nations,” Glaros replied. “In Vassilios, children are raised by their mothers. Unlike humans, devils don’t have any custom of men and women marrying and living together.”

This was the first time Dale had heard such a thing. He’d faced off against demon lords and the demons serving under them many times for work, but he’d never had a chance to learn about their lifestyles.

He looked Latina. It was hard to tell just what she was thinking, but she was clearly surprised.

“Still, it’s difficult for devils to have a child, so of course fathers want to celebrate the birth of their child as well. When that time comes, they give their child a bracelet with their name engraved on it along with a blessing.”

Glaros took off her bracelet and showed them the reverse side. Dale had never seen the symbols that were engraved there before.

“This is devil script... It’s pretty different compared to human letters, right? It says here, ‘My name is Korydallos, and I gift this to my beloved child Glaros. I pray that much happiness comes her way.’ Korydallos is my father’s name, and then this is my name, Glaros. And this part is the blessing,” she explained, pointing to the letters as she read them.

Latina stared intently, trying to take it all in. Dale called over an employee of the Silent Seagull and borrowed a pen and paper. With a serious expression on her face, Latina copied down the writing off of the bracelet.

“Is what’s written on the bracelets all the same?” the girl asked as paused in her writing.

“Well, the blessing may vary a bit regionally. But there shouldn’t be too much of a difference.”

“Latina sees,” said the young girl with a nod, before comparing what she’d transcribed to the bracelet itself. After a bit, she started writing on the corner of the paper, a worried look on her face.

“Latina, what’s that?”

“Latina thinks that what was written on her bracelet was like this. Maybe it’s Rag’s name...”

“Could I see?”

After staring at the paper Latina handed her and thinking for a bit, Glaros wrote down something next to Latina’s writing.

“Was it like this, perhaps? This is ‘Smaragdi,’ which is a word meaning a ‘green stone.’”

“Smaragdi... is that Rag’s name?” Latina asked, tilting her head at the word she hadn’t heard before.

“Probably,” replied Glaros with a nod.

“Devils sometimes have their kids refer to them by shortened versions of their names. That may have been the case with your father, too.”

“So Latina was born in Vassilios, the country of the First Demon Lord, then?”

“That may be so. I’ve heard of big communities under the Third and Sixth Demon Lords, but they shouldn’t have any such customs. I only know what I heard from my mother, though.”

“The Third and Sixth Demon Lords?”

Latina was confused, so Dale provided a supplementary explanation.

“The Third Demon Lord is also known the ‘Demon Lord of the Sea.’ That’s apparently because he’s built up a symbiotic relationship with the merfolk out on the eastern frontier. The Sixth Demon Lord, meanwhile, is the ‘Demon Lord of the Giants.’ I hear he was part of a clan of especially large devils, and he has members of that same clan serving under him; he never settles down and always wanders all over instead.”

“Hmm...”

“That’s right. And outside of that, there are just small villages dotted all about. Even as a devil, I don’t know much about those,” Glaros said.

“So... there’s a First Demon Lord around, then?” Latina asked suddenly, jumping into the conversation.

“Huh? Well, if it’s the ‘country of the First Demon Lord,’ then... there must be, right?”

“Really? But the Second Demon Lord killed the First Demon Lord, didn’t he?” Latina said, tilting her head and looking confused. Dale looked over at

Glaros, who gave a nod with a shocked look on her face.

“I’m amazed you knew that, when you’re so young,” she said, sighing in admiration before continuing. “It happened before I left my village. The First Demon Lord was murdered by the Second Demon Lord, causing Vassilios to fall more or less into ruin, which gave me a good excuse to leave. That happened quite some time ago, though. Ever since, up through the present day, the First Demon Lord’s remaining demons and the temples have been maintaining government rule in his absence.”

“So then... Vassilios doesn’t have a demon lord right now?”

“Right. Unlike with human kings, demon lord isn’t a hereditary position.” “*****, ********, ‘***’ ***” Latina muttered after hearing Glaros’s words.

She spoke too quickly for Dale to pick up what she’d said, but Glaros gave a big nod.

“That’s right. It’s like how those called ‘heroes,’ who are beloved by the gods and overturn fate, appear for the other races. For us, when those who are chosen and protected by the gods appear, we call them demon lords.”

“So a new First Demon Lord...”

“If the gods judge that the time has come, we devils will crown a new king.” After listening thus far, Dale let out a big sigh. “Humans really don’t know a thing about devils... To us, demon lords are just something to be feared.” Glaros pointed a smile Dale’s way. “I suppose there’s no helping that.

Vassilios is a closed-off country that doesn’t interact with other nations very often. But the Demon Lords of Calamity, on the other hand, get directly involved with those outside countries.”

“Demon Lords of Calamity?”

“I suppose you don’t hear that term much over here... That’s what we devils call the demon lords who have nothing but ill will and malice towards others.”

“So the Demon Lord of War, the Seventh Demon Lord, would be one?” “Right. And then... there’s the Second Demon Lord, the king of death who loves annihilation and slaughter. The Fourth Demon Lord, an incarnation of disease and plague, is one as well. Even devils fear them and consider them dangerous.”

It was starting to get quite active around them, and they realized the Silent Seagull’s evening rush was fast approaching. More time seemed to have passed while they were talking than Dale thought.

“Oh my, it’s already this late? I’m terribly sorry, but I need to start getting ready for work soon.”

“Not at all, we really appreciate it. You told us even more than we could have hoped for,” Dale said, standing up from his seat and prompting Latina to as well. The young girl gave a small curtsy, and Glaros smiled back and gently pat her head. Latina’s gaze remained fixed on the devil woman.

“Come on, Latina, we’re going.” “Right!”

Halfway through catching up to Dale as he headed for the Silent Seagull’s exit, Latina suddenly stopped, turned around, and returned to Glaros.

“Um... um... what happened to your husband...?”

Glaros stood silently for a moment and, after thinking on the young girl’s words, she realized what exactly she was asking.

In a quiet voice, she told the truth. “He lived a long time for a human, and... I stayed with him until the very end.”

Latina’s breath caught, but she seemed to have been expecting that answer, so she managed to suppress her emotions. Latina threw out another question. “Did you have children...?”

“Unfortunately, devils aren’t granted children often, and... when it’s with members of another race, it becomes all the rarer,” Glaros responded, once more patting the head of the young girl who was also living amongst humans. The woman knew full well that being a devil living amongst humans meant facing more hardships than just differing customs and appearances.

“Um, then... are you glad you met your husband?”

“...Yes,” Glaros responded with a smile. That was precisely why she was still here in this port town, where she’d lived together with her husband, and why she still played the song he had loved so much. “I was definitely happy.”

“Then that’s good.”

Latina put a smile on her face, clearly holding back her tears, and Glaros hugged her tight. Perhaps if she’d managed to have a child with her husband, she would have been able to hug them like this.

On their way back to the inn, Dale stared at Latina as she walked by his side. He didn’t know what she had asked Glaros at the end of their visit, but she was gripping his hand tightly like it was a lifeline. It was as if she feared that if she let go, she’d end up lost. Her face was pointed down, and she wasn’t taking in the sights of the town in the least.

And so Dale...

“Wah!” When she found herself suddenly looking in the opposite direction, Latina yelped in surprise and blinked her big grey eyes. Feeling like she was floating, she called out, “Dale?” “Hmm?”

Dale had lifted Latina up and was holding her. “Latina isn’t a baby. She can walk by herself.”

“You’ve gotten heavy...” He’d done this every day when she was younger, but it had been quite a while since he’d last done it. “You may not be a baby, but you should let me spoil you a bit more. You’re my cute, adorable, precious girl, after all.”

They kept on walking like that, Dale gently stroking Latina’s head all the while. Latina soon docilely placed her arm around Dale’s neck and clung to him. She really was accustomed to doing this.

Just by being lifted up like this, the scenery looked completely different to

Latina, and when she looked down, the ground was farther away than it normally was, and she could only see the tips of her feet.

“Dale...” “Hmm?”

Latina whispered quietly into his ear, her voice full of emotion. “Thank you for everything... Latina loves you.”

Just then, the first star of the night began twinkling through a gap in the clouds.

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