Published at 18th of January 2020 5:02 pm

Volume 2, Chapter 6: The Young Girl Revels in Country Living

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Their stay in Tislow was scheduled to be roughly two months. Latina obviously couldn’t just sit still for that long, so a few days after they arrived, she was already helping out Dale’s mother, Magda. As a result, she was waking up quite early in the morning these days. She would occasionally sleep in when she stayed up late the night before or was feeling especially tired, but she did quite well for a child her age. Even Magda, who managed things in the mansion, thought the young girl had the basics of housework down enough that she considered Latina a plenty capable helper.

“You don’t eat much bread in Tislow, do you?” Latina said, moving about to watch Magda from different angles as the woman mixed oil and eggs with flour, then used a rolling pin to spread the dough out to an even thickness.

“So you prefer the sort of food you see in town after all, Latina?” “No, Latina enjoys eating all sorts of food from different places.” Magda wrapped the stretched dough around meat and potherbs. Today’s breakfast was a soup filled with these dumplings, which was a staple of Tislow’s menu. Compared to Magda’s smooth, quick motions, Latina’s hands moved awkwardly. She did seem to properly remember the steps, though.

“Latina wants to learn a lot from you, Mrs. Magda, and then she’ll cook for Dale back in Kreuz.”

“Oh, my. Then I’ll have to teach you how to make all of Dale’s favorites.” “Yeah!”

“Our men are simple folk. As long as you keep their stomachs filled, it’s easy to get them to listen.”

“Huh?”

“How old are you, Latina?” “Hmm? Latina will be ten soon.” “Ten, huh? I see, I see...” “Huh?”

“Kids grow up so fast.” “Hmm?”

As Magda nodded to herself, Latina tilted her head while putting the finished pasta into a pot.

After eating breakfast and seeing the men off as they left for work, Latina kept helping Magda. Dale helped out his dad and brother and also lent a hand to those who went out hunting, so he spent most of the day out of the house. But in exchange, he and Latina spent the long country nights together.

As his house was the head household, they didn’t make a living by farming, but they did at least have enough of a field to provide the vegetables for their personal use. It fell to Magda to take care of that vegetable garden, leading to Latina’s first experience working a field. She stared in wonder at the soft buds on the crops.

“Wow, they’re so small!”

“It’s still too soon to eat those,” Magda said with a laugh, plucking bugs off of them as she spoke. Seeing that, Latina started doing the same. She wasn’t timid even around magical beasts, so she wasn’t scared at all of bugs, and there was no hesitation to her movements.

“It’s wiggling all around...” observed Latina, flipping an insect over and then looking satisfied. She reached out for another bug.

“Ah, you’ll get itchy if you touch that one.”

Latina quickly jerked back her hand in surprise. “Really? Got it, Latina will be careful.” She gave a serious nod.

After she was through helping Magda, Latina went to study under Master Cornelio. He was a scholar who had moved here because he was interested in the Tislow clan. From him, she learned all sorts of things she wouldn’t have learned at the school in Kreuz, like about Tislow and the capital.

Cornelio was also knowledgeable about the other races, so this was a chance for her to learn about her own devil race.

“It’s almost noon.” “So it seems.”

And so Latina headed back.

Occasionally, Clarissa would treat her to lunch and she’d spend the afternoon reading. After all, Latina was fond of passing the time that way. She’d also sometimes borrow a book from the Cacace household. When she did, she’d read in Granny Wen’s room, where she’d often lose a battle to the nice warmth of the sunlight and end up nodding off. The thick rugs spread out on the floors of the houses throughout Tislow made it very easy to nap anywhere, making for a terrible temptation.

When Latina didn’t spend the afternoon reading, she’d go out for walks with

Granny Wen. Though Wendelgard was quite old, she didn’t spend all day and night shut up in the house. Rather, the clan thought of her as some sort of phantom, appearing in unexpected places at random times. She knew the village better than anyone else and could pop up anywhere.

According to the young men who went out hunting, they’d seen Granny Wen bring down a bird in the mountains and then roast it with a bottle of alcohol by her side.

According to the women, when the children’s pranks started getting a bit too complex, it meant Granny Wen had helped.

According to the old folks, Granny Wen had once singlehandedly almost wiped out a pack of magical beasts charging the village.

There was no end to such anecdotes about her.

When Latina joined Granny Wen, they didn’t take normal walks, but rather, Wen taught the young girl “paths that weren’t paths” throughout the village.

It was Granny Wen who took Latina to the workplace of those with the job of “Suna.”

“Dogs!”

“That’s right. There are a lot of magical beasts and other animals here in the mountains, so we have these guys help us out.”

Latina’s eyes absolutely sparkled when she saw the countless fluffy dogs inside the hut.

“We use them for hunting, too. The Suna train and take care of them.” “They don’t use Center magic?”

“There are plenty of people in our clan with the Earth attribute, but there’s no guarantee anyone with a Center affinity will be born, so we need a way to use them that doesn’t rely on magic.”

Latina nodded along to Granny Wen’s explanation. Also called the Control attribute, Center-attribute magic allowed one to communicate their intentions to the target as well as manipulate the target’s senses. Those who made their living as tamers primarily had Center affinity.

“Can I pet them?”

“Well... what do you think, Zabine?” Granny Wen asked the Suna woman, who brought back a single puppy.

“You can pet this little guy.”

“Wow, he’s so cute!” Latina said, happily scooping up the brown-furred pup. He looked up curiously at Latina with his big, round eyes.

“He’d like it if you brush him.”

“Understood,” said Latina, a serious expression on her face. And so, Zabine taught her the proper technique for brushing.

Less than ten days later, all of the dogs in the village were putty in Latina’s hands.

Having mastered this skill that was legendary in Tislow, the Godhand, there were no longer any beasts the world over that could resist her.

...That might be going a bit too far, but Latina had grown quite skilled at petting and brushing.

Part of the reason for her success was that it was the time of year when dogs shed their winter undercoats. To the dogs, Latina was someone who could skillfully scratch their itchy spots.

Even so...

This strange sight was enough to make Granny Wen mutter, “This is amazing...” It was half in admiration and half in amazement.

The girl was beaming. “They’ve gotten attached to Latina!” “That’s for sure... There’s no other way to put it...”

Holding the brush she’d been given after coming to the dog hut several times in her hand, Latina wore an expression of pride and satisfaction. Stretched-out, relaxed, and looking happy in front of her was a big black dog, the leader of the hut.

“This dog took the longest to warm up to Latina!”

It was no easy task for just anyone to get this dog to wag its tail. And it wasn’t the only dog with its belly pointed up into the air. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that right now, all the dogs in the hut had been completely and utterly defeated, which a number of them apparently found so pleasant that they were drifting off into sleep.

“Latina, you’re amazing...”

“Latina’s amazing? That’s embarrassing...”

Unable to do anything but praise her, Granny Wen patted her on the head, and Latina blushed.

Hearing of this incident, the other Suna started seriously considering recruiting Latina... and as a result, Dale ended up hearing all about it later.

†

While Latina was reveling in the country living of Tislow, Dale was also enjoying being back home after so long. It was far more relaxed here than it was back in town. This place where he was born and raised was the only place where he could talk with old, trusted friends.

Today, Dale was lending a hand for the hunt. For the first time in quite a while, he drew a bow with his own hand, aimed carefully, and let loose a single arrow.

“Alright!” Dale let slip in satisfaction, confident that he’d hit his target the moment he released the string. Seeing his arrow strike down a mountain bird, the men accompanying him all offered praise, saying things like, “Looks like you haven’t lost your touch, Dale!”

No one person in Tislow specialized in hunting; the duty of felling wild animals and magical beasts, which provided precious food and materials, was shared by the entire clan. Nearly every day a group made up of several young folks, an experienced older person, and the Suna who handled the hunting dogs was sent out, and their outings also served the purpose of keeping an eye on the area around the village. If they encountered a powerful magical beast while on a hunt, they’d request reinforcements from the village and then have several groups attack in waves in order to easily finish it off.

In a way, their whole clan was an excellent group of hunters. And the one in charge of that important task was the next head of the clan.

“Wouldn’t it go a lot smoother if you took command, big bro?” Yorck muttered, watching from the rear.

“Don’t be stupid. That’s your job, right?” Dale replied in exasperation. Before he’d left the village, it had been Dale’s job to take charge on hunts.

That much was true. He’d been young, so he still needed assistance from his elders, but it was an important chance for him to study how to lead others as the future head of the clan. But things were only that way up until when he was given the role of Reki and left the village.

“You’re the one who will carry on as head of the clan.”

Yorck sank into silence, feeling complex emotions at Dale’s words. Not getting a clear response back from his younger brother, Dale could only break out in a smile filled with his own complex feelings.

The mountains around Tislow were an abundant land, able to support a great variety of wildlife; it wasn’t at all difficult to find prey. The people of the village were indeed excellent hunters, but for them, that was the norm. They didn’t think that they were especially skilled at all. Having gone out into the world, though, Dale knew how good they were. He’d been proud of his skills with a bow, which were enough to earn him the praise of his elders in the clan, but he became properly aware of his talent when he left the village.

The clan was focused on such a narrow area that the name of “Reki” was given to one fighter who was sent out into the world in order to protect Tislow from the outside.

The hunt proved plenty successful. Seeing Latina smack her lips at the sight of the bird he’d caught being grilled up, Dale looked incredibly pleased, and the young girl didn’t seem to mind his gaze at all.

Dale visited his father’s study while waiting for night to come.

As the effective head of the clan, Randolph’s work involved everything from odd-jobs around the village to negotiations with outside merchants. It wasn’t rare at all for him to work until past sunset. The head of the Tislow clan didn’t rule over everyone, but rather maintained the clan, managing things so they could prosper.

“Does Yorck still feel indebted to me?” Dale asked.

“So even you figured it out, huh?” Randolph responded with a strained smile. “Yeah. Even him getting married is a result of me pushing things off onto him,” Dale replied with an expression much like his father’s.

“You guys and everyone else figured it was obvious that you’d be the successor as head of the clan.”

“Yeah.”

“Everyone questioned it when you were given the role of Reki by order of the village chief,” Randolph said, looking at his son. “We figured if there was going to be a Reki, it would be Yorck.”

“That would’ve been fine, if it was a normal Reki. We wouldn’t have been able to make use of the chance to form a connection with the duke without my rare ability, though. Granny made the right choice,” Dale said with a bitter smile, full of sympathy for Yorck and from remembering what had happened. It was the expression of an elder brother who had completely accepted his role and swept away all of his doubts.

His father thought in the depths of his heart that Dale had truly matured over these last few years. He wasn’t uncouth enough to voice those feelings, though.

“I hear the duke appreciates your work, too. The Reki from all over have been reporting that it’s become something of an open secret amongst the influential folks that Tislow has the backing of the royal family, even if unofficially.”

“Right...? I’ve just been doing my work. Yorck just needs to accept that, too...” Realizing that the state he’d been in had distressed his younger brother, Dale once more broke out in a bitter smile. “I’m fine now...”

“So that little lady saved you, huh?”

Dale smiled at his father’s words. Whenever he thought of the young girl, he was filled with warm feelings, and of course that overflowed into his expression as well.

“Latina helps to heal me. She always says what I need to hear.”

When he returned to his room, he found Latina reading back through her notebook. Nights in Tislow were chilly, so she was wearing a fluffy cardigan she’d borrowed. The sleeves were long, so only the tips of her fingers were poking out. The dress she had on as loungewear was something Granny Wen had hurriedly prepared for her. Granny Wen had taken the initiative and prepared all the things that Latina would need for her roughly two-month stay before Dale could. That was somehow frustrating.

“Hey, Latina...” “Hmm?”

“Are you happy?”

“Dale?” Latina questioned with a blank stare. It may have been too sudden of a question. While Dale was wondering how to explain, Latina broke out in a smile.

“Latina’s happy. She’s together with Dale, after all.”

He wouldn’t trade that trust-filled gaze and her overwhelmingly positive words for the world, but she didn’t know that.

“Are you happy, Dale?”

“...Yeah. As long as you’re happy, then I’m super happy.” Dale’s response made Latina’s smile grow even brighter.

It was this young girl who supported him and let him be himself. In no time at all, she’d become absolutely irreplaceable to him.

“You’re always looking at that notebook, Latina... It’s a diary, right?” “Yeah,” she responded, holding it to her chest with care. “Latina’s really happy right now, so she wants to write things down so she doesn’t forget.” She wore a mature, farsighted expression, which she could only do because she’d accepted her own fate.

“Even if Latina is parted from Dale and everyone, and even if you come to hate her... Latina’s really happy right now. She doesn’t want to ever forget that.” Understanding the meaning of those words but not wanting to affirm them, Dale was unable to speak for a moment. But there was no point in denying that absolute fact that their lifespans differed.

“I don’t think I could ever come to hate you, Latina.”

“You don’t know how Latina will be when she’s an adult, though,” Latina said, her voice just a bit pained. “And if Latina is bad when she grows up, she wants you to properly scold her, Dale.”

She really was growing up, bit by bit. She could even admit her “crime” to Dale and was now able to face it head-on and accept it.

“Latina will know that you’re doing it for her sake, Dale.” “I may not be as grown up as you think, Latina...”

After letting that timidly slip out, he hurriedly searched for something to say to smooth things over. But even so, Latina accepted even those words of his.

“Still, Dale is the most important person to Latina.”

He really did want her to be happy, not for anyone’s sake but his own. Protecting her happiness helped prop him up and gave him most of the power he needed to keep going.

“You’re more amazing than I am, Latina...” Because of his modest pride as her parent, he muttered it quietly so he wouldn’t be heard, but he needed to whisper it nonetheless out of respect for his beloved young daughter.

†

Having come to the Suna hut once again today, Latina was diligently putting everything she had into brushing the dogs.

Seeing this, Granny Wen said, “You really love dogs, don’t you, Latina?” “Yeah! They’re so cute!” Latina replied with a nice smile, wiping the sweat

off her brow while doing so. There wasn’t even a hint of doubt to those words. “Do you like other animals, too?”

“There aren’t a lot of animals in Kreuz, and not many people have dogs in the part where Latina lives. She likes cats. And mice ‘should be eliminated from shops that serve food, like the Ocelot.’” Her master, Kenneth, had taught her that.

“These fellows seem to have grown quite attached to you too, Latina...” Wendelgard muttered to herself, contemplating something. “Well then, shall I take you tomorrow to see someone I think you’d like?”

“Someone Latina would like?”

“Yeah. But you’ve got to keep it a secret from everyone else.” “Even Dale...?”

“If he finds out, then he may tell you not to go.” “Is it a dangerous place?”

“I’d never expose my cute little Latina to danger.” “You really are just like Dale, Granny.”

That was the impression that Latina got.

Just as she’d said, in addition to bringing lunch, Granny Wen took Latina on an outing the next day. And considering how Tislow was surrounded by them, that outing was of course into the mountains. Magical beasts may have lived there, but none were enough to worry Granny Wen.

From then on out, Latina started sneaking around and going out alone, trying to avoid being noticed. Granny Wen soon realized what she was doing, but simply smirked and didn’t say a word. Dale was generally out during the day, though, so he didn’t realize what Latina was doing. As a result, the first one to find Latina’s actions suspicious was Dale’s mother, Magda.

“Dale.” “What is it?”

“About Latina. Lately...” started Magda, tilting her head. “It seems she’s been eating snacks with Granny lately, but I think she’s also occasionally taking some jerky, too.”

“Jerky?” Dale asked, tilting his head as well. Latina wasn’t a very picky eater, but thanks to her small build, she also didn’t eat all that much. She may have liked sweets, but she never overate when snacking. It was hard to imagine her sneaking food.

“She’s been coming and going to the Suna place, right? Maybe she’s giving it to the dogs or something.”

“But the dogs there are raised not to take food from anyone who isn’t a Suna.”

“That’s true...”

The mother and son tilted their heads at a similar angle. They didn’t have the option of asking Granny Wen, since the old woman wouldn’t fess up to anything if she found it amusing. And if it were something dangerous, she would’ve already taken action. She was worthy of at least that much trust and respect.

“I’ll check it out,” Dale said, now ready to take action.

Latina was busy with work and her studies during the morning. Dale figured that if she was up to something, it’d have to be in the afternoon, so he secretly lined up his lunchtime with hers and headed home. He then kept watch outside the mansion, not going inside. He knew a number of places to hide from when he played as a child and was now in one such spot.

“Hide-and-seek” in Tislow was a little different than it was elsewhere. It was guided by the adults and used proper techniques for hiding. It was technically a “game,” but it was effectively the start of training for hunting in the mountains and guarding the village. Even Latina’s sharp senses would have a hard time finding Dale when he got serious.

Before long, Latina came out of the mansion. She was glancing about and paying more attention to her surroundings than necessary, seemingly feeling guilty about something. The pink stole on her back bulged out, likely because she had on her rucksack. On top of that, she was also holding a bag in one hand, perhaps containing jerky. After taking one more look back at the mansion, she started walking. Maintaining a fair amount of distance between them, Dale started to follow her.

She kept confidently walking onward, occasionally stopping to look at a small flower or a bug. After a while, she turned onto a path into the mountains. She couldn’t be...?

Realizing that Latina was going off to play alone in the mountains, Dale turned pale. He was well aware of Latina’s ability to sense danger, having experienced it himself firsthand. But even so, it wasn’t foolproof. If she got lost out in the mountains, her life would be in danger.

I’m going to have to give her a talking to about this... Dale thought, continuing to trail her. If he called out to her now, he wouldn’t know where she’d been heading.

Even in the mountains, Latina showed no sign of being lost. She continued down narrow animal trails, paying careful attention to her surroundings. Following after her, Dale found cleverly hidden marks at the spots she stopped and checked.

So it was Granny! With this evidence, Dale was now confident. All of the marks were new, so they must have been placed there for Latina’s sake. That grandmother of his was even more of a “blessed child of the land” than Dale was, so she’d never end up losing her way in the mountains.

Latina kept on going in a direction Dale wasn’t familiar with. It wasn’t all that far from the village, but it was an area that was off-limits. It was an unwritten rule that you weren’t supposed to go there. In actuality, for some reason, magical beasts and animals never appeared here, so there was no need to hunt or patrol in the area. On top of the area being banned, there was no point for those who went to gather the fruits of the land to risk the danger of traversing such unknown paths and terrain. There was plenty to be gathered elsewhere in such a bountiful region, after all. From the time a villager was a child on, they took it as a given that you didn’t come here. That was the sort of place Latina had gone.

After a short while, Latina stopped.

There was a bush amongst the short undergrowth in a bit of a clearing. Latina walked around it, seemingly looking for something in the brush. Dale thought he heard her call for someone. As if in response, the bush started rustling vigorously, and something popped out from the undergrowth. Before Dale could see what it was, Latina went running to it, hiding it in the shadow of her body. But from her following joyful shout, it was clear that this was what she had come for.

“Latina brought dried meat today, too. Do you want some?”

After rustling around the bag a bit, she pulled out its contents, which she offered as she squatted down and happily stared at her companion.

“Is it tasty? That’s great! Do you want more?”

After offering more of what was in the bag, she seemed to start petting her companion. It was clear to Dale that she was engrossed in what she was doing, even just seeing her from behind. Normally Dale would mutter to himself about how cute it was to see Latina like that, but he wasn’t in the state of mind for that right now.

“Latina!” Dale yelled out, standing up from his hiding place. Seemingly feeling guilty after all, Latina sprung up with her back still facing him, actually leaping up into the air a bit. It was rather charming to see.

“You shouldn’t feed wild animals. We can’t take it back with us to Kreuz, so it’s better for it as well to not make it more used to people than necessary.”

“Dale...” Confused, Latina stood up and turned to face him, holding the animal in her arms.

“Wild animals carry illnesses sometimes too, so you shouldn’t carelessly touch--“

“Not ’nimal.”

Dale’s lecture was interrupted by a voice he didn’t recognize. “Huh...?” “Angry, angry!”

That steaming-mad voice came from the “animal” in Latina’s arms. It looked like a medium-sized dog and had fluffy fur and a tail. Depending on the viewing angle, it had the feel of a lion to it. On its back were wings. It stared unwaveringly at Dale with its intelligent-looking, golden eyes.

“A mythical beast...?” Dale muttered, dumbfounded, and Latina responded with a clear, “Yeah.”

The biggest difference between animals and magical beasts was whether or not they could use mana. Animals that had gained that ability over generations in turn gained great power. Some could trigger Wind magic with their unusual roars. Some could use mana to boost their physical abilities. And some used it to support bodies far larger than those of normal animals. Even if those feats weren’t all explicitly magic, such phenomena were all caused by mana, so the animals came to be called “magical beasts.” That designation was given not just to animals, but to all living creatures, such as bugs and the like as well. Undead monsters, like ghosts and moving corpses, and other inorganic beings that used mana to move were referred to as “magical beings.”

Mythical beasts could be thought of as the top rank of magical beasts, standing above the rest. They possessed not just mana, but also a high level of intelligence. It was said that they had a language, culture, and unique society all their own. And amongst them were those who understood the language of man. Dale had interacted with mythical beasts before in the past. With their high intelligence, they were able to become demons. They weren’t enslaved, instead serving as proper subordinates of a demon lord. Their abilities were even greater than those of magical beasts of the same type.

With a mythical beast in front of him, Dale unconsciously reached for the sword at his hip. It apparently recognized Dale’s reaction, and its fur suddenly stood on-end to intimidate him. The two stared one another down, a tense air between them...

“Squish-squish?” Latina buried her face into puffed-up fur, instantly destroying that tension. “What’s wrong? Are you angry? Did Dale do something? Sorry.”

“Not... angry.” The creature’s fur sank back down and it stopped trying to act threatening. The tension dispersed.

By the way, all of this occurred with the mythical beast still in Latina’s arms. “Latina...?”

“Latina’s sorry for coming to play without asking... Granny said that this place was a secret, but Latina wanted to come. She wasn’t able to control herself, so... sorry...” Downhearted, Latina looked at the ground, and the mythical beast wagged its tail in seeming displeasure.

“Bullying? Beat the hell up?”

“Dale’s just worried about Latina. He’s not bullying her.”

“So this really was Granny’s doing, huh...?” Dale let out a deep sigh and looked at the mythical beast in Latina’s arms once more. “Still, to think there was a mythical beast this close to the village...”

“Is that odd?” Latina asked, tilting her head.

“Normally, mythical beasts don’t come close to human settlements...” “Really?” Latina tilted her head even further in confusion.

The environments suited for mythical beasts and people differed, and mythical beasts found getting involved with humans to bring unnecessary trouble, so they didn’t like doing so. They were intelligent enough that they also understood the danger presented by the races of man, who used tools and magic. As a result, mythical beasts generally avoided living in places inhabited by people.

In other words, Latina’s following statement was outlandish and absolutely absurd.

“This one’s family lives near here too, though.”

“What?!” Dale couldn’t help but be left speechless. He yelled out angrily in his mind, of course at his grandmother.

After Dale suppressed his inner turmoil, he asked Latina what had happened and learned that Granny Wen had led her to the mythical beasts’ den.

“They’re called ‘soaring wolves.’ They live in packs,” Latina explained what Granny Wen had told her as she walked alongside Dale. The wolf cub was a few steps ahead of them, looking like a well-trained dog.

“So there was a pack a mythical beasts living this close to the village...?” “Granny said that it’s a secret kept by the heads of the clan, and that Papa

Randolph knows, too.” “Dad...”

“Mr. Yorck is still just the apprentice of the clan head’s apprentice, so he hasn’t been told.”

From the rest of what Latina had to say, Dale got a grasp on the situation. Apparently the successive Tislow clan heads had an understanding with the soaring wolves and agreed to live symbiotically. The most important part of that agreement was that neither would invade the territory of the other. The soaring wolves wouldn’t come into the village or attack its people, and the people of Tislow wouldn’t enter the soaring wolves’ domain in the mountains. The soaring wolves captured and ate animals and other magical beasts, so such an abundant area could support many of them. With the existence of such predators, naturally the number of such creatures declined. For Tislow, this was a good method for preventing magical-beast attacks.

The soaring wolf Dale was looking at how confirmed his conjecture. Latina had called the previous creature a cub, and apparently that was the right way to refer to it.

The massive frame of the soaring wolf before Dale was stretched out comfortably on the ground. Thanks to the aura coming off of this huge carnivore, the weak of heart wouldn’t have been able to even stand before it. It was a lithe yet strong animal, like a lion or a tiger. Just how large would it appear if it spread out its folded wings?

“That’s correct. We soaring wolves have had a contract with Tislow since the distant past. As long as neither side violates its terms, it shall remain valid.” With a solemn, majestic voice, it smoothly spoke the words of man.

Just what sort of negotiations had the people of Tislow done in the past? Dale felt complex emotions while trying to imagine what his ancestors had been thinking. He’d never heard of anyone negotiating a contract with mythical beasts to live alongside them. It wasn’t just this fact that had Dale lost in thought and wanting to turn a blind eye to reality.

“Here?” “Uh-huh.” “Here?”

“I see, not bad.”

The massive, powerful, rare mythical beast—a soaring wolf—was loose, relaxed, defenseless, and showing its stomach. At the start, it was of course on guard seeing Dale for the first time and wouldn’t possibly have taken such a position. But when Latina took her brush out of her rucksack and started brushing the soaring wolf all over, it naturally shifted to that posture.

Huh? Mythical beasts usually don’t let others even touch them in the first place! This is bizarre! Dale held that quip back and kept it in his mind. Perhaps because they were a type of wolf, which were canines, they happily wagged their tails, seemingly unable to withstand Latina’s grooming, and would occasionally shift to make it easier for the brush to reach them.

Hell had frozen over.

Soaring wolves wagging their tails... Soaring wolves showing their stomachs...

There was an air of absolute submission to the scene. Latina herself seemed entirely unaware of that, though. And furthermore, she had accomplished all of this without any Center magic. She’d managed it all with her own skill alone.

“Latina, you’re... amazing...” Dale whispered.

“Hmm?” Latina looked confused, her brow shining with sweat. The soaring wolf they were speaking with right now and which she had tamed so thoroughly was apparently their leader. In no time at all, this young girl had made powerful enough allies that she could likely take control of an entire town if she wanted to.

Having finished brushing the alpha soaring wolf, Latina held the cub in her arms. “This cub gets along with Latina best.” She was beaming. Seeing her like that, Dale wasn’t able to say anything. This cub, the first soaring wolf Dale had seen, was the child of the leader. Aside from the black mixed into the tips of its ears, tail, and paws, its fur was the exact same grey as the leader.

“Um, his stomach is the fluffiest part.” With the cub still in her arms, she came running to Dale to show off the stomach fur of the massive carnivore, defenselessly and without hesitation. The leader of the pack gave his complete approval to the bold, daring actions of the small girl. In fact, he even seemed happy about it. Dale’s reaction—escaping from reality with a far-off gaze—may have been the perfectly normal one to have. Easily imagining his grandmother having a hearty laugh at Latina exceeding even her expectations when she set this up, Dale cursed her in his mind.

“Latina likes animals, but she doesn’t get along too well with cats,” Latina said, looking up at Dale on their way back to the village. “She wants to, so she approaches them, but they run away.”

“I see...”

“Latina likes petting, and fluffy fur feels good.” “...I see...”

It should’ve been absolutely heartwarming to see her frolic with animals, but he couldn’t earnestly feel that way because of how abnormal it was. Still half- lost in escapism, Dale thought to himself that nothing was good in excess.

“She gets along with all the dogs in Tislow, too.” “...I see.”

He had listened to what she’d said up until now, but perhaps because the situation was so different than he’d expected, he let out a big sigh.

Latina’s still growing...

It would seem that Latina’s potential for growth had exceeded his expectations.

Share