Published at 18th of January 2020 7:35 pm

Volume 3, Chapter 5: The Platinum-haired Maiden’s Everyday Life

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

The first thing Latina did after waking up in the morning was tie up her hair. Her hair, which she had grown out long, was a secret point of pride for her. She never neglected to take care of it, using her favorite pomade. But it was necessary to tie it up tightly so it wouldn’t get in her way while working.

While hearing Dale’s regular breathing as he slept, Latina quickly changed behind a partition screen, as she’d grown used to doing, then went down the stairs, taking care to be quiet. After making it downstairs, she first headed to the rear of the shop. She washed her face at the washing station there, then did the laundry for her and Dale. Since she made sure to take care of things before they piled up, it didn’t take too long. She then skillfully snapped the wrinkles out of the laundry, making a satisfying sound. For some reason, it made her feel good when she made a clear, crisp snap.

When she returned to the kitchen, she found Kenneth carrying buckets of vegetables out of the pantry.

“Good morning.” “Yeah, morning.”

After exchanging greetings, they sat down in front of their respective buckets. They’d done this same sort of work day in and day out for years now, so there was no need for unnecessary conversation. She still wasn’t as quick as her master, Kenneth, but she was able to properly carry out the work at a rate that wasn’t at all slow.

Latina was now fourteen years old.

She had worked at the Dancing Ocelot ever since she was young, and she now officially served as Kenneth’s right-hand woman. She was placed in charge of part of the cooking, and beside Kenneth, who was preparing a large quantity of food for the shop, she skillfully started making their own meals.

She admired that Kenneth could skillfully handle eggs in a single hand. Perhaps because her hands were small, so she couldn’t do it quite as well, so her shoulders drooped a bit.

After adding some light seasoning, she cooked them with butter until they were soft and fluffy. It had taken quite some time for her to reach this point, where she could whistle and make an omelet in the shape she wanted without worrying about screwing up.

When she heard footsteps approaching as she was preparing the accompanying hearty soup and toast, she broke out in a smile.

“Morning, Latina.” “Good morning, Dale!”

After seeing Dale go to wash his face, she ran off to call for Rita on the second floor. The woman already had her hands plenty full taking care of the three-year old-Theodore, and she had a second baby in her belly, so Latina thought that she really had it rough.

“Good morning Rita, Theo. It’s time for breakfast.”

“Good morning, Latina,” Rita responded with a smile while dragging a grumpy Theo out of bed. At first, Latina was surprised to see such rough interactions between the mother and son, but after observing it each and every day, she had grown used to it.

She swiftly turned around and hurried back down the stairs, wanting to spend as much of the precious time she had together with Dale before he left for work as she could. Sometimes Dale wouldn’t make it back until late at night, so if she missed him during breakfast, they wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation that day.

“Are you exterminating magical beasts in the forest again today?” “Yeah. I don’t have to head in too deep, so I might be back pretty early.” They weren’t exactly wanting for money, and Dale was actually rather well off, but he continued to frequently accept work and head into the forest as a form of training, so his combat senses and skills wouldn’t dull.

It was only just recently that Dale had started to talk to her about such matters. She knew that he excelled at combat and magic, but she still held a worry in her heart. She swallowed down her emotions and forced a smile.

“Don’t push yourself, and take care.” “I’ll be fine.”

While enjoying the smile he shot back, Latina chomped into a piece of toast with plenty of jam. She figured it was better to have a proper source of energy to make it through the busy period coming up, so she went a little heavy on it.

By the time Rita had come down the stairs, Dale and Latina had already finished breakfast. Latina took Dale’s silverware and dishes along with her own and went to rinse them off.

“Where should I start, Kenneth?”

“I’m done preparing the soup. Right now, I’ve got the potatoes simmering.” “Got it.”

After that brief exchange with Kenneth, Latina took over work for him. The young Theo’s parents found it extremely difficult to watch after him while eating, so they took turns taking care of him during meals. And during that time, all three of them sat happily together at the same dinner table. They were able to spend such time together because they had a trustworthy girl like Latina around to take care of the morning work.

Latina peeked inside the pot and grasped how far it the cooking had progressed. In the back of her mind, she figured out how much time was left until the potatoes would be done cooking and started working away at what she could get done before then. The large pile of onions she started chopping up were meant to be added to the scrambled eggs. As she still wasn’t fully accustomed to that task, she occasionally had to wipe away her tears as she rhythmically chopped away with her knife. Around when the bowl became filled with a mountain of finely chopped onions, the potatoes at last finished.

“Oh darkness and shadows, I order you by my name, cut loose the bonds to the celestial bodies. 〈〈Gravity reduction〉〉” She chanted the simple spell like she was humming a tune.

Latina easily picked up the big pot and emptied the contents into a colander. Enough steam shot up that her field of vision went pure white for moment. She then cut off the water, transferred the potatoes into a bowl, and started mashing them while they were still hot. She added butter partway through, mixing it in while mashing it further. With Latina’s slender arms, it was rather difficult labor. This did worry Kenneth, but the young girl insisted that it wouldn’t be “work” if she avoided all the difficult jobs.

She added milk to soften it up and then seasoned it. After checking the flavor, she carried out some of the finished mashed potatoes on a small plate to Kenneth, who had finished eating breakfast. Kenneth tasted it and then gave a single nod. She had passed. This was an everyday ritual for them, but Latina still breathed a sigh of relief.

Theo reached out towards the small plate in Kenneth’s hand. Their exchange had made the potatoes seem somehow special to the toddler, so he wanted them. Latina had expected this, so she had put more than Kenneth needed to get a taste onto the plate.

A smile naturally appeared on Latina’s face as she watched Theo mimic his father and eat the potatoes with a solemn expression. She tried to play along with the serious boy, but she wasn’t able to keep a straight face.

Latina had watched over Theo every day since he was a baby, so he was like a younger brother to her. She couldn’t help but find him cute, even when he was throwing a fit.

Is this how Dale felt when he raised me?

She was well aware that Dale had given her plenty of affection.

The current her was the result of the influences of these precious people, this place, and that person whom she adored above all else.

As customers started streaming into the shop, Kenneth gave his full attention to the kitchen, while Latina took charge of manning the floor. She couldn’t carry out multiple big platters at once like Kenneth could, but in exchange, she was able to squeeze through the narrow spaces between customers.

“Sorry for the wait!”

“Hey there, little lady. Looks like you’re doing well today, too.” “You too, Mr. Syl.”

She had a smile on her face during this exchange with the regular, and then she turned towards the neighboring table with the same expression.

“Is it alright if I take this?” “Yeah, I don’t mind.” “Excuse me.”

As she was placing the empty plates on her tray, Rita called out to her. “Excuse me, Latina! Could you go grab our stock of salves?” “Right, got it.”

After returning to the kitchen and washing off the plates, she called to Kenneth, “I’m heading to the attic for a bit to grab some medicine.”

“Got it.”

She climbed up the steps with a light pitter-patter.

This was the general sort of scene that repeated each day. Latina was always busy, but that also made it worth doing.

Once they passed the morning peak, Latina looked out into the shop’s back yard.

“Theo,” Latina called out.

“Sis,” Theo, who had been playing, stopped and looked at her. Being called “Sis” was embarrassing, but it made her happy. When she had some free time she’d spend it hugging Theo tight and reading him a picture book or singing him a song. She’d steadily grown used to acting like a big sister.

“Thanks, Vint.”

Latina’s precious “friend” had been taking care of Theo. The races of man weren’t able to pronounce his true name, so when he suddenly popped up at the Dancing Ocelot a year ago, he had been given that nickname.

“Woof,” he replied, wagging his black tail.

Kenneth poked his head out. “Latina, could I have you go out shopping?” “Yeah!”

As Latina had grown up, Kenneth had also started entrusting more of the shopping to her. Fresh ingredients had market prices that fluctuated daily and could be negotiated, so she only purchased those when Kenneth was with her, but it wasn’t rare at all for her to pick up items with relatively stable prices on her own.

It was like an extended errand, but even so, being counted on helped boost her confidence, and just plain made her happy.

Kenneth caught his son and scooped him up before he could cling to Latina, and Vint approached the girl’s side.

“Are you coming with me today as well?” “Woof.”

“Thank you.”

After petting Vint’s fluffy fur, she took off her apron and slipped on a coat. “Well then, Kenneth, we’re off!” Latina yelled out, and then started walking off with her light footsteps. “Right. Take care.”

As he saw her off, Kenneth rocked his son back and forth as the boy squirmed in his arms. The child had always listened earnestly to the gentle, patient Latina, but that wasn’t the case for Kenneth, his father.

Accompanying Latina was a big grey “dog” with black on the tip of his wagging tail. The familiar sight of this animal wearing the outfit Latina had made for him had become somewhat famous in the area.

Kenneth thought back on how much of a hassle it had been when this “dog” first showed up in Kreuz nearly a year ago.

The beast had suddenly showed up without notice at the Dancing Ocelot one day when few customers were around. He looked like a wolf with wings. There were a number of folks in the Ocelot who would immediately realize just what he was, so it could easily erupt into a disturbance. You didn’t run into mythical beasts very often to begin with, so nobody would’ve imagined finding one strolling through town.

Wondering how the gatekeepers and lookouts had missed him, Dale looked into it later and found out that the wolf cub had apparently found a small crack to squeeze through in the town wall. If he were full-grown, it wouldn’t have been a possible entrance. This was a big oversight caused by the way that the repair had been put off because of the cost, since there hadn’t been any serious incidents as of late. Dale obviously urgently pressed the matter so it could be addressed.

Following a scent, the cub had gotten all the way to the Ocelot without getting lost. It was early morning, so he hadn’t been spotted and it didn’t turn into a panic. That made it all of a more surprise for those inside the shop.

“What’s it doing in a place like this?”

Paying no heed to the regulars who were on guard, Latina bent down, scooped up the grey-furred animal, and tilted her head.

“Get away from it, little lady!” Sylvester shouted bitterly. As a skilled veteran adventurer, he was intimately familiar with the mythical beasts known as soaring wolves.

With the grey animal still in her arms, Latina tilted her head at the sight of the customers all putting their hands on their weapons and said, “Um, he’s my friend. He probably came here to see me.”

“Y-Your friend, little lady...?” “Latina, smell, came.”

The customers were already surprised by Latina’s statement, and when the mythical beast uttered her name, that shock only grew.

“So you came from the mountains? I’d imagine everyone must be worried if you came without asking. Is it alright?”

Despite being the center of attention, Latina continued the conversation at her own pace. The regulars all just barely managed to hold back a retort of, “No, that’s not really the problem here.”

“Fine. Go, Latina. Told okay.” “I see. Then I guess it’s alright.”

Dripping sweat, the large men thought, No it’s not! in their hearts, but Latina didn’t notice. With a grim look, Sylvester faced Kenneth, who had at last poked his face out of the kitchen, and said, “Kenneth, that’s...”

“Ah, Dale mentioned that to me before. He said that Latina had tamed a pack of soaring wolves living near his home village...”

“The little lady did what?!”

Even an experienced veteran like him was left dumbfounded. His voice even shot up a pitch.

“Still, a soaring wolf is a little...” “Yeah, that’s a problem.”

Sylvester and Kenneth nodded to one another.

Soaring wolves were mythical beasts that lived in packs, with a strong sense of camaraderie. It wouldn’t be hard to deal with this single cub, but if they made a poor move, then the whole of the pack could end up coming after them for revenge. The possibility of that certainly wasn’t slim. After all, the cub had informed them of where it was heading before coming to this town. It said it had followed Latina’s scent here, which sounded ridiculous, but it was possible that the other soaring wolves could use the same method.

“It was a long way here though, right?” “Croots wasn’t far. Slept once, arrived.”

Traveling by land like Dale and Latina had once done required a big detour, so it took close to a month. But for a soaring wolf that could fly through the skies, it could apparently be done in two days and one night. And he was still just a cub. It was hard to imagine just how quickly a full-grown adult could make the trip.

The scent he’d followed wasn’t the one left on the road. He didn’t follow the path Latina had taken, so he’d tracked her smell through the air. It may have been one of the magical abilities of this mythical beast.

Kenneth and Sylvester looked at one another once more and contemplated. “It seems he really is attached to the little lady...”

As the mythical beast wagged his tail and snuggled his head up against Latina, he looked just like a well-tamed dog.

“We’ll have to consult with Dale... but letting Latina keep him may be the safest option.”

Sylvester’s expression grew even more strained at Kenneth’s words, but he wasn’t able to deny them.

Let sleeping dogs, etc. And besides, Latina wasn’t the sort to abuse having a mythical beast around.

“I’ll have a word with him...” Sylvester wrung out after a long silence. “We’re having an emergency meeting! Spread the word!” Sylvester loudly ordered to the adventurers by his side, and seemingly understanding the meaning, several of them left the Ocelot. Apparently those words were meant to be conveyed to someone elsewhere.

Kenneth figured he shouldn’t butt in and ask just what sort of meeting that was.

When Dale finally returned home from work, he found his adorable adopted daughter standing beside a single animal wearing clothes.

“Welcome home, Dale.” “Woof.”

Latina’s smile was cute, but what was with that unnatural, forced-sounding “Woof”?

“L-Latina...?” “Hmm?” “That’s...”

“Um, he’s a dog. Don’t worry about it, he’s just a dog!” “Woof.”

“U-Um...”

With a troubled look on his face, Dale glanced to Kenneth for help, only for his big bro to also give a firm nod.

“She says he’s a dog, so he’s a dog.” “Woof.”

“Hey...”

“It’s not strange at all to have a pet dog in town. So he’s a dog.”

Turning away from the reality of the situation, the “dog” wondered in the back of his mind just why being called an animal had made him angry, but he didn’t seem to mind getting called a dog at all.

People tended to grow used to things once they heard the circumstances and got past the initial confusion. Over time, even the extraordinary tends to blend into the ordinary, everyday scenery.

The title of “mythical beast” wasn’t just for show, as he was an extremely clever animal, so he didn’t require any “training.” Latina taught him many rules, and he remembered them all without any trouble. Latina handled his bedding and food, but he didn’t require any help outside of that, and Latina was happy for the physical contact of brushing and petting.

On top of all that, he also helped out with watching Theo. Perhaps because he’d grown up in a pack, he was good at taking care of small creatures.

Vint’s greatest job, though, was guarding Latina.

†

She’d been cute ever since she was little, and as she had grown, that adorableness had only grown more and more polished. Her young body still looked a little more childish when compared to other girls her age. However, that only added to her growing beauty, giving her a charm that adults couldn’t match.

Her grown-out hair reached down to her hips, with part of it braided to hide her broken horns, and it gave off a brilliant, platinum shine. Her face now also looked a bit more adult, so she appeared not just cute, but beautiful as well.

In Laband, one came of age when they turned eighteen. That didn’t mean that was the precise age they became an “adult,” but generally by that point, they were employed and were thought of as being of marriageable age. Depending on one’s position, however, their circumstances could be rather different. In Dale’s village, you came of age at fifteen, and out in the country it wasn’t rare to hear of girls that age becoming brides. It was also completely normal in noble society for girls who still hadn’t fully matured to get forced into political marriages. And though people in towns like Kreuz tended to get married later, it wasn’t like such things never happened.

As a result, Latina was already plenty old enough to be looked at in “that way.” However, she wasn’t very aware of the danger that she faced because of it.

Being such a doting idiot, Dale was desperate to protect her, like he was wrapping her up in multiple layers of silk cushioning. And in the Dancing Ocelot, her master, Kenneth, always kept a close eye on her, alongside scowling adventurers and elite guardsmen. Obviously, nobody was foolish enough to make a move on her under such circumstances, and as a result, she didn’t think of herself as a beauty.

She’d say with a smile, “I mean, Dale always says that I’m cute.” She’d been told that too often, so she didn’t think of it as an honest evaluation.

“I’ve talked with my friends about boys... you know, dating and confessions and stuff. But I’ve never gotten along with boys like that... We’re just friends, right?”

Latina was something of an airhead. And amongst those who were interested in her, even young adventurers were intimidated by the guardians behind her, so the best they could manage with her was awkward idle chatter. Latina had never had a member of the other sex openly express interest in her.

When it came to those who were popular with the other sex and those who weren’t, Latina was in the latter. She was like an untouchable flower on a high pedestal, so they didn’t even think of approaching her. As a result of these circumstances, Latina came to think of herself as a girl who wasn’t popular with the boys.

The influence of her “guardians” covered nearly all of Kreuz, but it wasn’t perfect. The people around her couldn’t help but worry that at some point, she’d be placed in some sort of danger.

That was especially true of a particular doting idiot.

“On the off chance that something were to happen to Latina, some lukewarm punishment like death wouldn’t be enough.”

It had become part of Dale’s daily routine as of late to threaten young adventurers visiting the Ocelot while wearing a smile on his face. That still wasn’t enough for him, though.

“I mean, Latina’s just so, so, so, soooo cute! I’m just so terribly worried that some insect or vermin will approach her!”

Normally Rita would just brush off Dale when he was like that, but she agreed on that point.

“That’s for sure. Latina’s just too gentle and tends to let her guard down, so I worry about her.”

“Right?! But that’s part of what makes her cute, too!” Apparently the “puppy” felt the same way as Latina’s guardians. “Latina, together, go.”

“Really? Thanks for always helping out.”

He’d carry bags and the like in addition to walking with her, so Latina thought of him as always just helping out. But everyone else saw him as clearly being her bodyguard and chaperone.

Accompanied by that “chaperone,” Latina headed for the commercial sector, the eastern district. They went around to several shops where they were already familiar faces and picked up what Kenneth requested.

Afterwards, they headed towards the crafting district. Right now, it wasn’t too busy of a period for the Ocelot. Kenneth had expected them to take a bit of a detour when he sent Latina out shopping.

Now that all of her friends had their own separate lifestyles, they spent much less time together compared to when they all commuted to school at the temple of Asfar. But it wasn’t as if they never hung out. Latina occasionally imposed on Kenneth’s kindness and visited her friends’ homes like this.

Following after her mother, Chloe now tailored for her family business. She still wasn’t as skilled as her mom, but she was now talented enough to sew a garment by herself from start to finish.

“Chloe, about our next day off...”

Latina had come to see Chloe, tea cakes in hand. More than being a gift, these snacks were just something she wanted to eat. Realizing that, Chloe placed her work tools off to the side and created a space for drinking tea. Latina then calmly opened up the bundle she had brought.

“Is it alright? Weren’t you worried just the other day that you’ve gotten a little fatter?”

Latina pouted a bit in response to Chloe’s teasing. “It’s fine. I won’t overeat, and I’ll be moving around a lot after this.”

She rubbed her upper arm while she said that, perhaps because she really was worried about it. From Chloe’s point of view, Latina didn’t have any unnecessary fat on her body, but the girl was still quite sensitive.

As Latina sat with the plate of cookies she had brought in front of her, complex feelings were written on her face. Unable to stand it any longer, Chloe blurted out, “It’d be good for you to put on a little more weight, don’t you think? Those parts you’re so worried about won’t get bigger if you keep acting like that.”

“I’m just growing up slower than everyone.”

Her friends had now reached the age when they were starting to gradually gain some more grown-up curves to their bodies. In comparison, while Latina may have grown taller, she still had a flat, young-looking appearance, which was a present source of concern for her.

“I’ve started to get bigger, at least a little!”

In spite of her desperate assertion, it was impossible to confirm any such growth, at least from what could be seen through her clothing. Knowing full well that if they continued on this topic Latina would end up in tears, Chloe quickly decided to shift the discussion.

“So, what was that about our next day off?”

“Ah, that’s right. Sylvia said she’ll be able to take off, too.”

“You may work at the Ocelot, but... isn’t it a problem for Sylvia to use the message board to contact you?”

“I don’t know... Sylvia said, ‘If they won’t let me do that much, then I can’t keep on staying here!’ but... It must be rough, serving at the temple.”

The duty of priests at the temple of Akhdar, where Sylvia served, was to gather information, which greatly affected those who possessed the divine protection of Akhdar, the guardian deity of travelers, and were naturally strongly drawn to seek out unknown places and information.

It was the job of those who served the temple to manage the information they gathered and spread it the world over depending on the circumstances. The temples also shouldered the task of training those priests who wished to gather information by traveling. As one such trainee, Sylvia spent her days studying and practicing.

The Dancing Ocelot was equipped with a terminal known as an Akhdar’s message board, making it a temple branch office in a way. Because it had deep ties to the temple, occasionally priests would come visit. And so, Latina was able to hear about Sylvia, who was an apprentice priestess, through the grapevine.

But that wasn’t all. Latina had no idea how she was doing it, but Sylvia used the Akhdar message board to send her personal messages. Sylvia’s divine protection wasn’t overly strong, nor was it specialized, but it seemed she was quite resourceful.

Thinking back on their old friend from their school days, Latina and Chloe exchanged awkward smiles.

“I’m really looking forward to the Ahmar night festival!” Latina said excitedly to her friend.

In Kreuz, there were festivals and events held all throughout the year. There were some sponsored by the local lord and by the industry and commercial committee of the eastern district, but the greatest of them all was the night festival held by the temple dedicated to the principal god of Laband, Ahmar.

Other events like the harvest festival held by the temple of Quirmizi and the mass held by the temple of Niili were also important for the people of the city, but they couldn’t hope to compete in terms of scale.

Latina had gone to see the festival with Dale each year, but this was the first time she was given permission to go with her friends. But the doting idiot was apparently still worried about having given the okay, as he butted in when Latina and her friends were making plans enough that mere “nagging” didn’t cover it.

He’d say that she definitely shouldn’t do anything on her own. That they shouldn’t go down roads where there aren’t many people around. That she shouldn’t get too excited while walking around and eating and wreck her stomach. That she shouldn’t let her guard down when men she didn’t know approached her. Actually, he wouldn’t mind if she used attack magic to drive them away. After all, victory goes to the one who makes the first move. See strange men, and ones who aren’t strange too, as enemies, and attack them all! Got it?! And so on.

“I think the guards would get mad if I did that, Dale,” Latina objected, staring straight at Dale with her grey eyes.

“No, you see, survival of the fittest is the way of the world. You need to be prepared for that,” Dale responded, without even a shred of hesitation.

From his overly extreme reaction, Latina figured Dale was worrying too much.

And those around them figured that Dale was going too far, but also that it was only natural that he was worried.

Her lack of awareness only stirred up Dale’s worries further, so his reaction towards Latina naturally grew more and more extreme. As a result, Latina tended to not pay serious attention to what he was saying at such times, creating a spiral.

While enjoying the cookies topped with caramelized nuts, Latina looked over at the clothing that Chloe was in the middle of sewing. “What do you think? Will it suit me?”

“You’ve given it a look plenty of times since back when I was still picking out fabrics, haven’t you?”

“Still, I’m looking forward to when it’s finished,” she said with a shy giggle, as she was the one who had ordered it.

It was only natural for a girl to want to have new clothes to wear for the night festival she was anticipating so much.

“I’m letting you make all the choices, so it’s different than usual. My heart’s all aflutter.”

“So you’re nervous with me making the decisions?” Chloe forced a sulky expression. Latina knew that she didn’t mean it, though.

“I mean, I wouldn’t pick this sort of color...”

“You’re too focused on the extremes! You like childish, frilly stuff, but then when you want to wear something more grown-up, you aim for something sexy that doesn’t suit you,” Chloe said with both hands on her hips, mixing in a sigh.

“But...”

“No buts! You need to wear something that suits you! You should wear more clothing with a chic color and cut like this.”

It was no surprise that Chloe wanted to sigh. As someone that made a living creating clothes, she was sensitive to the current trends and designs. Much of her work did involve sewing goods that were ordered in the main shop, but it was also a harsh business where she ended up often making pieces that couldn’t be sold. Chloe felt that her friend was absurdly beautiful, and if she’d just dress up, it’d make both her and the clothes to truly shine.

And yet, Latina preferred to stick to the same loose, flowing outfits she always wore. Well, that was fine. That sort of clothing did indeed suit her friend. The problem, though, was when Latina wanted to rebel against her own childish tastes and sought out more mature clothing. That wasn’t a bad thing in and of itself. But for whatever reason, at such times, Latina would reach for sexy clothing of the sort that only even a select few adults could pull off. Latina had a childish figure even amongst girls her own age, so such clothes didn’t suit her at all. Perhaps several years in the future she’d have the sort of womanly form she wanted and it’d be a different story, but at least for now, it just didn’t work.

As someone who made a living in the world of clothing, Chloe couldn’t overlook something like that. And so, Chloe took supervision in the creation of these new clothes for Latina. She went with a flowing cut with some ornamentation, but she kept the design simple so that wouldn’t be overwhelming. So the lace wouldn’t appear too childish, she used high-quality black material, and she matched it with a chic color so Latina’s platinum hair would stand out better. It may not have been an “adult” outfit, but it was a design that suited Latina’s current age splendidly. Chloe had quite a bit of confidence in her choice. She was certain that her best friend wouldn’t lose out to any young ladies from the western district, nor the princesses from the northern district.

“Hopefully the person you want to show it to most will be surprised.” With that single sentence, Chloe made Latina turn red all the way to her earlobes. She’d known of her friend’s crush ever since they were young, so Chloe gave the job her all.

After enjoying some time together with her friend, Latina stood up from her seat and said farewell to Chloe. As she went to leave the house, she found Vint lying on his stomach to the side of the entryway, his eyes closed. He shot awake and looked up at her.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

He responded back by wagging his tail.

Shortly after the two of them started walking, Latina noticed a young woman. What drew her eyes was her attire, which looked to be that of a traveler. You didn’t see travelers very often in this part of town. This may have been part of the commercial eastern district, but everyone but townsfolk and some of the adventurers tended to utilize the main shops.

“Are you lost?” “Woof?”

Latina whispered because she had once gotten lost in that area and remembered how terribly helpless she’d felt. The layout of the streets was so complex that it was practically a labyrinth. It was understandable.

The woman had stopped in place and was glancing all around. From her actions, Latina figured she had guessed correctly. “Um... do you need help?”

“Huh?”

The woman’s dark chestnut-colored hair swayed as she turned her head in response to Latina’s words. The second she saw her face, Latina’s mouth shot wide open.

Wow... She’s so pretty...

The woman seemed surprised by something as well, but Latina didn’t notice that and instead thought, Hmm...? Have I seen her somewhere before...?

While lost in thought, she happened to see the woman’s dark, deep-blue eyes. In that moment, she remembered.

“The Rose...”

“Oh, my! You’re the Fairy Princess, aren’t you?!”

Latina couldn’t help but jump up a bit at being called that by someone she was meeting for the first time.

“Gwah?!”

After letting out that pathetic cry, she looked over the woman before her. She was a bit older than Latina and was very pretty, with a gentle-looking face. The indigo-blue eyes underneath her long eyelashes sparkled mischievously. She had a slender, delicate, and dainty appearance, but she didn’t give off the impression of some sheltered noble.

That’s right. She was the daughter of a noble family.

Her signature hair color was different from when Latina had last seen the woman, but that was most likely because she was hiding it. Looking at her again with that in mind, Latina saw that her chestnut hair looked unnatural, but she recognized her face and the color of her eyes.

What sort of joke was it, for a noble to be calling a commoner like her a “princess”?

As the woman brought her pale, slender hands to her chest and smiled, Latina was awash in confusion. As if that unrest had been conveyed to the woman, her smile only grew wider with Latina’s bewilderment. Her gentle eyes only left more and more of an impression.

“It’s embarrassing, so... could you please not call me that...?” Latina managed to squeeze out.

“Ah, I’m sorry for being so rude. It’s just that you were even more adorable than the rumors said, so I unthinkingly—”

“Ah! D-Dale... He spread that elsewhere...?” Latina clasped both hands to her cheeks and felt a clear warmth rising through them.

She knew that the regulars who doted on her gave her the nickname of “Fairy Princess.” She was still just considered a “squirt” around the shop. So she understood how she got called “little lady” or “princess” there.

Dale had indeed said that this woman was an acquaintance of his friend. So that meant he must have used that nickname while talking with that friend. Just what had he said? Whatever it was, it was surely embarrassing.

“You’re the Rose Princess, right...?” “Oh, my... you know of me?”

Since she responded with a smile, it would seem that Latina hadn’t been wrong. After deciding that, Latina looked over her surroundings a few times, not seeing anyone accompanying the woman.

“I saw you once before. Are you all alone...?”

The woman silently stared back in response to Latina’s question. Looking into her gentle eyes that were like a portal to the depths of her heart, it was clear she was unnerved.

“Yes. I’m unfamiliar with this town, and I seem to have taken the wrong gate. It would be quickest to ask you, I’d say. Could you please lead me to where Sir Dale Reki is?”

Latina soon realized that something was off. She got the feeling that Rose was here because something terrible had happened. But with that said, she couldn’t think of any reason to refuse. After a few seconds of silence, Latina forced a smile.

“Dale should be out for work right now. For the time being, I’ll show you to the shop he’s based out of, alright?”

“Thank you very much.”

While smiling back at the grinning Rose Princess, Latina bent over. She quietly whispered to Vint at her side, saying, “Vint, tell Kenneth about this. I’ll be alright.”

“Woof?”

“After that, could you look for Dale? He should be in the forest to the south.” “Woof.”

Before heading out, Vint rubbed his tail up against Latina, as if to say that he’d take care of it properly, causing the girl to break out in a slightly awkward smile.

The forest to the south of Kreuz was pretty much a playground to Vint. He’d occasionally slip out of the town and head there to play around. Because the pup was rather mischievous when he played, Dale earnestly warned Vint early on that adventurers could end up finding out and trying to exterminate him. Because he added “If that happened, Latina would break down in tears,” Vint abided by his warning and played deep in the forest, far from town.

She didn’t know exactly where Dale was in the forest, so it was quickest to ask Vint to handle it, with his powerful sense of smell.

“What a strange animal.” “He’s a really clever one.”

As she responded, Latina looked at their surroundings again. She was looking for something different this time around, worrying about the possibility of someone watching them. For now, though, it seemed they were safe.

“I think it was a good thing that you entered through the eastern gate. There are a lot of unscrupulous people around the southern gate. Shall we take the main street there...? Or would you prefer to avoid being seen?”

“Oh, my...” the woman said in surprise, and then broke out in a gentle smile once more.

“I gave my pursuers the slip, so I think it should be fine, but it’s probably best to avoid being seen by too many people.”

It seemed that something bad really had happened.

With the smile plastered on Latina’s face growing a bit stiff, she guided the Rose Princess and headed back.

Kenneth was waiting for them in front of the Ocelot, looking astounded. “You sure came back from your errands with an unexpected souvenir...” It was clear that Vint had carried out his duty and told Kenneth in advance. “Did Vint head out?”

“Yeah. He never listens to anyone but you, so it’s a good thing you told him to do that.”

Kenneth apparently also thought it was the right choice to call Dale back, which affirmed Latina’s decision.

“For now, come inside. It’s empty right now.” “I understand. This way, please...”

“Thank you.”

As the Rose Princess said that with a smile, she showed no sign of displeasure at stepping into a shop like the Dancing Ocelot, which decidedly didn’t have the atmosphere of a first-rate establishment.

She looked beautiful as she sat up straight in a hard wooden chair, but it wasn’t fitting to the image of a noble lady.

“I should tell you about myself before Sir Dale Reki returns, yes? My apologies for being so late in offering my name. I am Rose Cornelius. The house of Cornelius possesses both territory and rank in the court, but my personal position is that of a priestess of Niili, so please do not worry about formalities.” Rose said that with a smile, and it was clear that she was a friendly, gentle woman. The temple of Niili opened its doors to the folks about town, also treating the sick and injured. Rose’s approachable, affectionate nature, which was entirely unlike that of other nobles, may have been a result of having worked there.

“I’ve heard of you. You’re famed for being a priestess with an extraordinarily high level of divine protection.”

“It’s nothing so amazing. I was just born with something unusual, so I stand out, for better or worse,” she said, touching her dark-chestnut hair. It was apparently a wig. “In exchange, though, no one will recognize me as long as I hide that,” she said with a mischievous giggle.

“What business do you have with Dale...?”

“I want to entrust him with a message, since I am not acquainted with the count who is the lord of this town.”

Though Latina was a bundle of wariness, Rose didn’t show any discomfort as she responded. She was calm and composed beyond her years.

“Why Dale in particular? For starters, you’re not exactly in a position to be gallivanting about on your own.” There was wariness in Kenneth’s voice as well as he said that. Accepting that as only natural, Rose quietly responded, “I was with the Second Demon Lord just the other day.”

With those words, it wasn’t just Latina, but also Kenneth who was left unable to speak. The Second Demon Lord was infamous for being even more brutal and dangerous than the other six.

However, Rose didn’t explain any further and remained silent. And considering the circumstances, Kenneth didn’t try to draw any more information out of her. Since a demon lord was involved, it made sense to leave things up to Dale. So Kenneth put a close on the topic and asked Latina to prepare some tea.

Having been visibly shaken, it took Latina longer than she needed to finish preparing the tea, despite it being something she had done many times before and was quite accustomed to. She remained silent when she brought out the tea set before Rose and poured out a cup, an aromatic steam rising off of it. This awkward silence continued on for a while, until Dale and Vint returned together.

As soon as Dale saw Rose quietly sipping away at a cup of tea in the back of the Dancing Ocelot, he let out a hysterical “Rose...?!” That reaction was only natural, as Vint hadn’t told him the details. Vint paid Dale no mind and continued on in at his own pace, then rubbed his head up against Latina. He seemed to want to be praised.

“Thank you, Vint. Welcome back, Dale. Um, I’m still not clear on the details, but I ended up running into Lady Rose...”

“That explanation doesn’t really tell me anything...”

Latina was crouched down and petting Vint as she looked up at Dale. She tilted her head a bit.

Unsure as to act towards Dale, Rose stood up and gave him an informal bow. It was just a casual gesture, but there was a polish to it. She was dressed in dusty traveling clothes, but it was clear that she was a part of the upper echelons of society.

“It’s been a long time, Sir Dale.”

The two knew each other through the ducal Eldstedt family. When Latina and Dale were returning home from their trip and passed by her in the port town, Rose had been on her way to the duke’s estate. When Dale had gone to the capital for work afterwards, he ran into her there. He had lost a chance to tease his friend, but in exchange got to see the normally straight-faced man act terribly embarrassed in front of her.

“Right... What are you doing here?”

“Despite appearances, I am in trouble... Allow me to get straight to the point. I was kidnapped just the other day.”

It was an explosive statement.

“Huh? Bwah?!” Dale let out a strange exclamation. Latina, meanwhile, was too shocked to make a sound. Vint kept on wagging his tail, doing his own thing.

“B-By the Second Demon Lord...?” Latina whispered the name that Rose had uttered, but the woman shook her head in response.

“No. It was another group that kidnapped me, but it will be difficult to investigate who they were at this point. The Second Demon Lord killed them all.”

“How... are you alright, Lady Rose?” Latina asked, her voice stiff. Ever since she was young, this was how she acted when the topic of the

Second Demon Lord came up. To those who lived in Vassilios, the country of the

First Demon Lord, the Second Demon Lord was a hated enemy who had killed their king. Dale figured that may have been why.

“A whim, it would seem. I have a mana trait... and the Second Demon Lord found that amusing.”

“And you were released after that, with nothing done to you?”

“A close aide of the Second Demon Lord let me go. I know nothing of the specifics... but it seemed that she did not have much loyalty towards her master...”

“The Second Demon Lord’s demons are ruled by fear. They’re slaves, and toys. It’s not like the First Demon Lord, who welcomed the people who helped him out as his demons and lived together with them...” Latina responded in monotone with a sigh, wearing a stiff expression.

“Latina?”

“The Second Demon Lord is scary. When she killed the First Demon Lord a long time ago, it was just because she thought it was interesting to kill someone who wouldn’t die so easily.”

“Why do you know that...?”

Latina blinked once in response to Dale’s question, and her expression returned to normal. She looked up at him and appeared just a bit sad.

“I was told it a while back, where I was born. They said the Second Demon Lord was really scary, so I had to be careful. That if I ran into her I may be killed, so I needed to make sure to hide.”

“Did your father tell you that...?”

“It wasn’t just Rag. When it came to talking about the demon lord... my mother actually told me more.”

“The person who let me go said something similar,” Rose said, then looked at Dale once more. “Because of the circumstances, I could not carelessly let my own whereabouts become publicly known. I thought of you and made it to this town, Sir Dale, but I did not know exactly where you were, so I was troubled. But then, the Fairy Princess showed up and helped me.”

“Dale...”

Hearing Rose use that nickname again, Latina glared straight at Dale. Breaking out in a bit of a cold sweat, he averted his gaze.

Lately, when he’d shout out loudly about how cute his daughter was, Latina would react like she was annoyed. It may just be that she’d grown up, but it still made him feel somehow lonely. As a result, he’d lately been bragging about Latina when she wasn’t around, along with his usual intimidation and threats. He had absolutely no intention of restraining himself, though. He didn’t feel like mending his ways at all.

Rose had no way of knowing what Dale was thinking and kept on talking as before.

“I still do not know who was behind the people who kidnapped me, so I did not know who to turn to... so I came to you, Sir Dale.”

“R-Right. If that’s the case, then he must be worried out of his mind... Even if you send a letter right away, it’ll still take a number of days until a response comes, right? What’ll you do till then?”

“If you could recommend a place to me, then I will head there. There should be quite a few inns that serve travelers in this town, yes?”

“I’m not all that familiar with any high-class sort of places I could recommend to you...”

Dale personally only ever used the Dancing Ocelot, so he had no need to know all that much about the other inns in Kreuz.

“Oh, my. I don’t have much on me, so a cheap inn would actually be a big help. Those are the sort of places I stayed in on my way here,” Rose said, letting loose that preposterous statement with a smile.

“Rose...” Dale said with a sigh.

“Wow...” Latina said, so thrown for a loop that she was unable to hold back her usual utterance. It seemed Latina was trying to correct that childish habit lately, but despite her efforts, it still slipped out when she was shaken, so it was hard to see much change.

That’s fine. It’s cute, after all, Dale thought.

“I can’t imagine what he’d do if you did something rash...”

“Well, I was kidnapped, so I obviously did not have the money on hand. I mimicked what you adventurers do and earned some traveling expenses, but that was not steady...”

“W-Wait... Rose?! What did you do?”

“I took on jobs in the towns along the way. You know, exterminating magical beasts and then selling their remains. That is how I got the money to make it here. Is that so odd?”

“U-Um... Dale?” Latina cut in, no longer able to hold back. She was visibly perplexed. “Lady Rose is... a princess, right...?”

“Well, she’s the daughter of a noble...”

“What is it?” Rose asked with an innocent smile. From her appearance and demeanor, her nickname “princess” seemed totally fitting. But underneath that, it seemed she was rather different.

“You didn’t run into any trouble along the way?” “Do not worry, Sir Dale. I silenced all those ruffians.” That utterance caused nothing but worry.

“The general opinion is that magic users can’t handle close-range combat, but when you have as much excess mana as I do, you can chain together simple chants to get by.”

Dale also didn’t have to worry about his available mana when casting magic, thanks to his divine protection, so he understood what she was saying. He could also pump a great deal of mana into simple spells to raise their effectiveness, which would normally be terribly inefficient, allowing him to use their quick activation speed to bulldoze through his foes.

Even so, it felt quite unfitting to hear such a statement from a frail-looking woman.

Rose was an acquaintance of Dale’s, but it was only through his friend, so they weren’t all that close. He didn’t think she was a woman of such decisive action. It was just too much of a betrayal of her outward appearance.

I knew she was an outstanding magic user, but... he thought, along with a sigh.

“In that case, since you’re here, you should stay at the Ocelot... That’s fine, right, Kenneth?”

“I should be able to get her a room, but I can’t do anything about the customers around her.”

“It’s better than letting her go to some other inn... And if he heard I took my eyes off of her, he’d totally kill me...”

Even Dale recognized his friend’s skill. He’d prefer to avoid angering him and ending up in a quarrel.

“Do I have enough money to cover it?” “I can at least cover that much...”

The Rose Princess with a commoner’s view on money broke out in a brilliant smile suiting her nickname.

After all of that, Rose ended up staying in a room at the Ocelot. She hardly ever left the room, likely because she understood the position she was in. When she did occasionally leave, she always wore her chestnut-colored wig.

She couldn’t use a public bathhouse thanks to the circumstances, so she instead made use of the simple bath in the rear of the Ocelot. Under Latina’s orders, Vint kept a close watch, so Rose felt safe and secure, not fearing any reprehensible men approaching.

Despite how restricted and restrained she was, Rose didn’t complain at all. However, she found putting her wig on over her wet hair unpleasant and wasn’t able to accept that. As a result, her long, brilliant, rose-pink hair was on full display as she dried it. When she did so, though, she made sure she was in a place where people wouldn’t see. Her hair stood out far too much; it was where her nickname came from, after all.

At first she’d do this in the back of the kitchen, but she soon moved instead to Dale’s room in the attic in order to teach Latina, as the woman was an excellent magic user. It seemed Rose had grown bored of spending day after day shut away in her room. As Latina took everything she was taught seriously, Rose grew more and more passionate about teaching her.

Putting it another way, though, Rose was an unexpectedly intense teacher. Up until now, Latina had only studied under more relaxed teaching methods. It was that way back when she went to school, and when Dale taught her magic, and when she learned from Master Cornelio in Tislow.

Rose, however, was harsh. She wasn’t unreasonably strict, but she demanded discipline from both herself and others when it came to wielding the great power known as magic.

Currently, Latina was sitting up straight as Rose read over the report the girl had written for the homework she assigned yesterday.

“I see. It seems you really do not have any problem when it comes to the basic theories, Latina.”

Normally Rose had a calm, gentle air about her, but when she was offering critique, the person receiving it couldn’t help but correct their posture. That was proof of just how serious Rose was when it came to teaching magic.

“Even if you are a devil, you were driven out of your village when you were still very young, yes, Latina? Your comprehension of complex words seems quite high, considering that.”

“Really? Maybe... it’s because the adults around me were very strict when it came to words...?” Latina was much less formal towards Rose than she had been at first. Latina’s friendly personality was the main reason for that, and Rose didn’t have any issue with her doing so. More than friends, they felt like sisters, with Rose gladly helping to look after Latina.

The decisive difference between Dale and Rose was that she was openly strict when she needed to be.

In summary, Latina and Rose generally got along well.

“In comparison, you do not seem to know many attack magic techniques.” “Right. Dale said they were dangerous and I didn’t need to know them, so he didn’t teach me.”

“For people like us, who cannot match up to others in terms of physical strength, magic is an important means of self-defense. It is true that it can be dangerous if you use it wrong, but that only makes it all the more important that you have a deep understanding of it and know how to use it properly.”

The fact that Rose and Latina both shared the same affinities for Holy and Dark magic was also a big reason that Rose was such a perfect teacher for the girl, as the magic they could use was the same. Because Dale’s affinities were for Earth, Water, and Dark, he didn’t have anything but basic knowledge of Holy magic or Holy and Dark combination magic.

“Your specialty is mana control, so I think that increasing the number of spells you have to choose from depending on the situation may actually lower the danger.”

Latina’s mana control stood out even to a magic expert like Rose. “Right!” responded Latina with a stern expression, looking overly serious.

Perhaps thanks to her nature, though, she still looked adorable. “Lady Rose, Purification magic is Holy magic, right?”

“That is correct. You can use Dark magic to deal with undead creatures too, but...”

“I’d be grateful if you’d teach me... I don’t think I can handle that Dark magic...”

Latina had made the request because ever since she was young, she hated undead creatures. She had bad memories of an encounter with undead monsters when she was little, which had developed into a bit of trauma.

It was Holy and Dark magic that could be used against the undead. Dale only had access to Dark magic, so his anti-undead method was to combine that with physical attacks. That meant it required getting up close and personal to undead monsters and striking them. Latina wanted to know how to deal with them because she found them frightening, so that method was just too difficult to handle.

“I think you could manage expanding the range enough to take out several at once.”

“Really?! I’ll try my best to learn it!”

Latina strived hard at the magic training in order to overcome her trauma. Seeing Latina so happily have that magic training driven into her, Dale felt

the need to ask her a question one day at dinner. “Hey, Latina...”

“What is it?”

“You’re striving so hard to learn that magic, but... you’re not planning on becoming an adventurer in the future, right?”

He was nervous. He wouldn’t say she was a first-rate magic user just yet, but her skills were certainly above average from what he could tell. She would be plenty capable of handling being an adventurer if she wanted to, but he didn’t want her doing such a worrying, dangerous job. As a parent, that was only natural.

“Huh? Umm... I think that I’d like to run a restaurant like the Ocelot. But I’d also like to go on a journey again, to see towns and places I’ve never seen before... and I’d like to see Granny and Maya again, too.”

Dale breathed a sigh of relief.

“In the past, I used to think that I’d like to join you on your work, Dale...” Latina said, wearing a slightly troubled and lonely smile.

“Huh?” Dale was taken aback.

“I hated being left behind... so I thought, if I could just go with you on your work, I wouldn’t have to worry about that, right?” said Latina with a laugh. Knowing that he had made her endure all that since she was young, Dale looked troubled.

“I’m sorry...”

“Not at all. I don’t want to trouble you.” After giggling and making a smile to glaze over the matter, her expression suddenly grew serious. “But now that I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize that isn’t possible for me.”

“Huh?”

“If I did accompany you on your work... I’d just be in the way. So I decided I’d hold down the fort instead.”

“I’d say you’re pretty skilled as a magic user, Latina. You don’t need to put yourself down like that...”

Though he didn’t want her to be an adventurer, he spoke out against what she’d said because he didn’t want her self-image to be so bad. More than anything else, he wanted her to consider herself valuable.

“No, I’ve come to really understand just how amazing you are, Dale. I don’t have all that much mana, or any great power to protect you with. And if things got really dangerous, I know that you’d worry more about me than yourself.”

“Of course I would!” Dale immediately responded. Latina smiled at her guardian’s expected reaction.

“See? That’s why I can’t help out with your work.”

Dale knew that he made her put up with a lot and feel lonely. But Latina had been so understanding and clever even when she was young that she’d been shielding him from that.

“I’m sure you understand, Latina...” “Hmm?”

“Hearing you greet me with a ‘Welcome home’ makes me so very happy.” After her shock at Dale’s words faded, a gentle smile crossed Latina’s face.

“Yeah... that’s right. A place where someone tells you ‘Welcome home’ is precious.”

“Yup. So you are my source of power...”

While he felt relieved by Latina’s bright expression, in the depths of his heart he thought, She really has been paying attention to all sorts of things...

He let out a slightly worried sigh, wondering why there was still so much she was blind to about herself.

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