4: A Certain Tale of the Little Girl From Around the Story’s Start

Ever since Latina was little, she had shown a great fascination with food.

The state of her birth country of Vassilios was actually a big reason for that. It was an arid region unsuited for farming, and was still heavily influenced by the conservative rule of the previous demon lord. As it had shut itself off from other nations and wasn’t involved in trade, that had left it lacking severely in culinary tradition.

Thanks to all of that, the food she had known ultimately prioritized providing the nutrition needed to live above all else.

Latina didn’t learn what delicious food really was until she first came to Kreuz.

She couldn’t help feeling that, while she had been cruelly exiled from her home nation and had met with great misfortune, she had at least been fortunate when it came to food. And she felt blessed to have gained Kenneth as a mentor, too. He may have run a bar in the rough part of town, but the level of skill he showed off at the Dancing Ocelot was far greater than one may expect from that fact. He could likely get hired at a high-class restaurant if he wished, but instead he preferred to use his skills as he pleased, as a doting husband.

Adding to that the harmonious nature of the place, it really may have been the perfect environment for the young Latina to be raised in.

By nature Latina was a bundle of curiosity, but also quite serious and a hard worker. And when she first ate Kenneth’s cooking, it left an impression so powerful it could be referred to as culture shock. So it really was no surprise that she ended up so fixated on the matter.

One day when Latina was not yet nine years old, Kenneth asked her a question.

“Do you have any interest in the animal farm where I get supplies from?”

“Farm...?”

She may have been smart, but she was still so young that it was no surprise that there was lots out there she didn’t know.

And so, Kenneth maintained his polite manner as he kept talking to his little disciple.

“To be precise, it’s actually a farm that has a contract with the butcher I use. But it’s a place where the livestock who become meat are raised.”

“Meat,” she repeated with a nod, absorbing what he had said. Since she had a different mother tongue, Latina often took some time to understand and reply, but she sure looked like an adorable little animal all the while.

“Meat is yummy,” she firmly stated while clenching her little fists, which was a bit different than the reaction Kenneth had expected.

“Do you know what sorts of animals live on a farm?”

“Cows, pigs, chickens... And sheep and goats...” she replied, counting out on her fingers as she named them. When he had heard enough, Kenneth went ahead and tapped her second and third little folded fingers.

“Do you want to go see where pigs and chickens are kept? Does that sound interesting?”

“Animals!” Latina exclaimed, her eyes sparkling now that she understood the proposal.

Kreuz was a town, so pretty much the only animals around were those kept as pets and the like. And so, in her everyday life Latina generally only got to see dogs and cats, as well as the horses and donkeys used for transport. However, as she was quite fond of reading picture books and the like, she was familiar with many more types of animals than other children her age.

And so, her strong curiosity meshed together with her love of all sorts of creatures.

“Latina wants to see animals!”

Perhaps because she understood her position as a young child, Latina tended to politely hold herself back, so it was a nice change to see her openly expressing her desires.

As that thought ran through Kenneth’s head, he also carefully thought out his words so they would be easy for the girl to understand.

“It’s important to properly understand where the things we eat each and every day come from. Do you get that?”

“Hmm. Studying the important steps before cooking?”

“So that’s what you’re thinking, huh? Well, that’s not wrong either.”

The fact that she was able to think up such an answer despite her youth showed that she had a promising future ahead of her. Sensing that, Kenneth smiled and patted his young disciple on the head.

However, though Latina showed clear interest in Kenneth’s proposal, the young man who acted as her guardian disapproved.

“Isn’t Latina still a little young for that...?”

Surprisingly, the reason Dale was knitting his brows actually wasn’t because it would mean Latina enjoying herself somewhere where he wasn’t around.

Dale took his eyes off of Kenneth, who had just finished explaining, and turned around. There, he found Latina with a picture book spread out atop the shop’s counter. Naturally, it was one containing portraits of animals. It seemed she was getting in a quick study session to prepare. After that glance at the young girl greatly enjoying herself, Dale turned back towards Kenneth.

“Latina’s a big animal lover. But it’s not like farm animals are kept because they’re cute. I was born and raised out in the countryside, so I was always used to the sight of what happens to game and livestock, but that’s not the case for kids who grow up in town.”

He didn’t want to see Latina’s pure, gentle heart get hurt.

As always, Dale’s doting upon his foster child showed clearly in his every action and word, causing Kenneth to give an awkward chuckle. Dale was certainly overprotective, but that clearly came from genuine concern for the girl. And honestly, this wasn’t a completely misdirected worry for a guardian to have.

“Still, Latina really does have her act together, so I decided she should be able to handle it. Plus, my go-between got me permission to come observe, but they have their own schedule to worry about too, so there’s no telling when the next opportunity may be.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Dale could understand Kenneth’s points, so his expression softened a bit. Because he was such a doting idiot, he could tell that the proposal would be a good opportunity for Latina to learn.

“Ziege isn’t that far from Kreuz by carriage. In fact, it’s a rare opportunity to head out of town, and it’s close enough to be just a day trip.”

“Right. Ziege, huh?” Dale said with a slight understanding nod, repeating the name Kenneth had mentioned.

Ziege was a neighboring town to Kreuz. It was a land where agriculture thrived, and alongside Haase to the north, it supplied food to Kreuz. And since it was closer than Haase, it provided the majority of vegetables that passed through the town.

Thanks to the flow of goods, the highway between the two places was also well maintained. As long as they rode in a carriage, there would be no issue taking the young Latina on such a trip.

“Normally I’d want to go introduce myself to them to start with, so I came up with the proposal of bringing Latina along while I was heading there. I’ll take responsibility and watch out for—”

“I’m going too.”

“Ah, but it’s close, and it was such a sudden decision. You don’t have to trouble yourself to—”

“No, I’m telling you I’m going too, so it’s fine. I’ll watch out for Latina.”

Dale worked diligently as an adventurer, taking on jobs pretty much every day. That was why Kenneth had intended to take charge of Latina as long as he got permission, but Dale firmly rejected that consideration.

“It’s Latina’s first big outing.” He had expected such a statement. However, Dale then drew closer with a deadly serious expression on his face, not showing even a hint of a smile. “Heading out of Kreuz will be a fresh experience for her. Something that she’ll remember for years to come. As if I’d let something like that happen without me around. I could never accept such a thing.”

His gaze was fixed.

However, Kenneth had certainly foreseen this possibility, so it didn’t exactly come as a surprise.

When Dale was a pain, he was really a pain. And since he would probably be the same way when they got there, Kenneth had been hoping he could take charge of the outing on his own.

And so, Kenneth went ahead and chose to hurriedly distract Dale’s attention.

“About Latina’s outfit for the outing... It’ll be important to choose something easy to move in that can get dirty, right?”

Even he thought that shift in conversation was way too much of a stretch. And yet, Dale stopped and seriously thought about it, going so far as to deeply furrow his brow and cross his arms. All the while, he stared at Latina, who was enjoying her picture book so much that she had moved on to drawing pigs and sheep and the like on a big sheet of paper.

After not moving for a bit, Dale muttered in a low voice, “A dress with an apron...!”

Not that Kenneth cared in the least.

“We haven’t had lamb for a while, so how about we go with that for dinner tonight?”

The sheep Latina had drawn was extremely round and looked like it must have had wonderful meat.

In addition to stocking up, he would also have to visit the butcher to ask them to inquire about what time and date would be most convenient. And so, he would pick up some lamb meat then. With that thought in his head, Kenneth stood up and prepared to head out.

Latina must have been quite fond of the lamb meat roasted in breadcrumbs and herbs and served on the bone, as she normally was a small eater, but this time around she asked for seconds.

The gentle rays of sunlight streamed warmth down upon them. Combined with the peaceful clopping sound of hooves and the gentle swaying of the carriage, it really did invite tiredness. The effect was so great that Latina had gone rapidly from jumping up and down with excitement to now wobbling unsteadily.

“If you’re tired, then you can just go ahead and sleep.”

“No...” Latina replied with a shake of her head, turning down Dale’s proposal even though she was nodding off.

Dale broke out in a bit of a strained smile, as he knew the reason she was so tired was because she got so excited for this outing that she couldn’t sleep properly last night.

For Latina, even this bit of transport was something she had been looking forward to. And so, she surely saw it as a waste to just go to sleep.

The one-horse carriage they had rented for today was a small one, having only two adult-sized seats in addition to the one for the driver. However, Kenneth sat up front and took the reins, so that meant there was enough space for both Dale and Latina to sit. And Latina was so small that there was plenty of room to spare. However, on the other hand, Dale brought along a lot of cushions. He had done so out of consideration for if Latina got sleepy along the way, but apparently she had no interest in such things.

Still, the tranquil sight of the bright blue sky and low vegetation stretching out around the highway was enough to incite drowsiness in anyone, not just Latina.

I could sleep, too, but... I just can’t get enough of watching Latina! So I’ve got no time for that.

Kenneth didn’t seem to be having any issues up in the driver’s seat.

Dale wouldn’t have minded a quick nap if he had the time, but he ultimately didn’t linger on that thought. After all, it would be one thing if he was resting alongside Latina, but as her guardian, he couldn’t miss out on the adorable sight of her desperately trying to stay awake.

“I don’t think she needs to be pushing herself, but I also want to applaud how she’s giving her all. It’s a tough one...” Dale muttered to himself.

“Hmm...?”

“You may be awake, but you’re talking like you’re half asleep,” Kenneth quipped from the driver’s seat.

They still weren’t far from Kreuz, but the scenery kept growing more and more tranquil. The seeds for the season must have only just been sown, as the rows of black soil stretching on for some distance looked incredibly soft. Past that was a field with buds and sprouts, and even further out were vegetables that were almost in season, just waiting for the harvest.

There didn’t seem to be a lot of land devoted to growing grain. However, since she had been taught it was the main ingredient in the bread she ate each and every day, Latina watched with great interest as budding stalks swayed along, not yet having turned golden.

As he watched over her, Dale felt like he understood why Kenneth had gone out of his way to bring Latina out of town.

Ziege wasn’t exactly remote enough to call completely out in the country. It wasn’t all that far from the large town of Kreuz, and a lot of people traveled there for both business and pleasure.

And so, the appearance of the town was carefully designed.

The outer walls of many of the town’s buildings were made from bright brown bricks. And the roofs were colored a slightly murky red, which gave the whole town a unified, bright aesthetic.

On the way there, they passed a great number of wagons. The fruits and vegetables heaped into them would surely show up at market in Kreuz soon enough.

“Latina, even if something catches your interest, don’t go running off on your own into the other fields.”

“Because they’ll think Latina is a thief?”

“That’s not all there is to worry about. But well, even with Kenneth, if a stranger suddenly wandered into the shop’s kitchen, he’d throw them out even if they weren’t doing anything.”

“For farmers, fields are where they work...” she said in understanding, giving an adorable little nod.

There were a number of reasons to be concerned about such matters, but as a young child, Latina didn’t need to understand all that. She wasn’t the sort to pull pranks, but she was still a little bundle of curiosity. So Dale was still concerned about what she may do, even if she wasn’t really trying to cause trouble.

Before long, Kenneth stopped the carriage outside a house on the outskirts of town.

The buildings in Ziege were spaced out a great deal more than the ones in Kreuz. And their destination had not only a main house, but also other structures like sheds for livestock and storage. For Latina, this was all brand new to her.

“Wah...”

Unable to contain herself, Latina hopped on out of the carriage as soon as it stopped and she saw Kenneth get down from the driver’s seat. As she did so, her green checkered skirt and frilly apron fluttered vibrantly in the wind.

The justification for the outfit was that it was alright to get dirty, but ultimately Dale was more finding excuses to dress Latina in cute clothing than anything. And it most certainly accomplished that goal.

Latina followed hot on Kenneth’s heels as he hurried along, but sure enough her attention was darting all across her surroundings as they went. That included farm equipment that looked like it was in the middle of being used, a wheelbarrow full of feed, and even the unique smell coming from the livestock shed. Latina wanted to take her time and really take in each and every thing she noticed along the way. She looked genuinely torn between her desire to investigate and her attempt to keep up with Kenneth.

Dale, meanwhile, trailed along at the end of the line. That was because he wanted to both keep an eye on Latina to make sure she didn’t get lost, and watch her enjoying herself.

Out in front of the main house, there was a little home garden full of various plants that likely weren’t meant for sale. That certainly caught Latina’s attention, but she closely followed Dale’s warning and didn’t try to touch anything or even get unnecessarily close.

When he saw that, Dale couldn’t help but break out in a bit of a smile.

Before Dale could act on his desire to hug Latina tight and praise her, there was a response to Kenneth’s knocking. The door to the main house opened wide, and Latina’s attention turned that way. In Kenneth’s mind, that really had been just in the nick of time.

The house’s owner was a quiet man who looked to be older than Kenneth. His rough, rugged fingers and tanned appearance were proof of a life of hard labor. The clothing he wore certainly wasn’t extravagant, but it also showed no signs of being patched up. It may have been meant specifically for greeting guests, but still, that outfit alone was evidence of the house’s wealth.

The butcher had gotten in contact in advance, but Kenneth and the man who introduced himself as Yang shared a brief, ordinary greeting. Afterwards, Kenneth turned around and called out, “Latina.”

“Latina thanks you for this opportunity today,” she stated clearly and politely after taking a step forward, despite being a bit nervous about meeting this new person for the first time.

Upon seeing that, Yang shot her back a bit of a smile.

“For now, step inside and have some tea.”

“Ah, no, I already feel bad for taking up so much of your time.”

After that brief exchange, Kenneth asked if they could be shown around first. He had told Rita that she could go ahead and close the shop down for the night, but he still wanted to get back before it got dark.

Yang didn’t seem to mind at all, and took off walking at the head of the group after giving a slight nod in agreement.

Meanwhile, at the back of the line, Dale questioned why Kenneth had suddenly thrown out this opportunity to fulfill Latina’s curiosity about food production, but his uncertainty was short-lived.

“I see, so you mix that into the feed...”

“Dale, what is ‘feed’?”

“It’s food for farm animals.”

Kenneth was actually listening a lot more intently than Dale had expected as they were shown around the livestock shed. Apparently bringing Latina along had just been an extra bonus alongside his real objective.

“The distribution seems different compared to normal feed, too.”

“I’ve found through trial and error that the pigs end up nice and fatty this way.”

It seemed like Kenneth’s passion was contagious, as Yang had started out rather quiet, but was now clearly getting more and more into it.

“The piggies get a different dinner than elsewhere?”

“Ah, Latina... I’m actually not that knowledgeable, myself... Sorry...”

The young disciple seemed to have inherited some of her mentor’s passion, so she tried asking her guardian to explain as she didn’t understand all the words. Unsurprisingly, though, animal husbandry wasn’t Dale’s field of expertise.

Of course, Dale had seen farmers raising animals and tending fields back in his home village, as the land was well-suited to it. But as he’d been training to be the next clan head, he hadn’t personally done such work.

“I only ever helped out when things got really busy...”

“Hmm.”

Latina didn’t know why, but she felt satisfied with that answer.

She didn’t appear at all discouraged, but Dale still felt down about it. After all, he earnestly wanted her to see him as a reliable guardian who knew anything and everything.

“The piggies are really big.”

“Yeah.”

Honestly, Dale felt relieved to see her express such childish interests. After all, he had been afraid that, deep down, Latina’s previous question had been driven by the same kind of professional curiosity that Kenneth had been displaying.

Latina stared at the pigs with their noses shoved in the feeding trough, chowing away, then she looked up at Dale with a big smile and said, “They’re really cute.”

“Yeah, but you’re even cuter,” Dale replied in very much his usual manner.

Immediately afterwards, Latina seemed to realize something and ran over to the neighboring fence, her eyes positively sparkling with glee.

“Piglets...”

Inside the fence was a grown mother pig surrounded by a number of clearly smaller ones. And those little ones all had faces that seemed somehow charming and innocent.

“Baby piggies... They’re so adorable...!”

Upon seeing her like that, Dale’s initial concern came boiling back up. Since he had known the man for many years now, Dale sensed that Kenneth would surely ask to see where the animals were dissected next. Of course, Dale couldn’t imagine even him showing animals getting slaughtered to such a young girl, but if she saw animals like the ones she just called adorable getting turned into chunks of meat, that could definitely leave some trauma.

How should he broach the subject, though?

As he worried to himself, Latina was leaning in so close she could practically touch them as she admired the piglets.

“Latina...” Dale called out.

“What is it?”

“So the piggies are cute?”

“Yeah!”

“Then it’s a good thing you got to see them.”

“Yeah!”

He wasn’t exactly getting any closer to the question at hand.

After all, what he was trying to ask her wasn’t exactly nice. And even if it was ultimately for her sake, it was a question that carried a risk of making her upset with him, so he didn’t want to go throwing it out there lightly.

“It all started with me trying something with stuff that was set aside for disposal...”

“Right. Now that I think of it, I’d heard there was a pretty big harvest that year. So those were local specialties from around here, huh?”

It seemed Kenneth and Yang’s conversation was still going strong. Dale had absolutely no idea what they were getting so worked up about though.

There was still time. Still, he couldn’t use that as an excuse to keep avoiding it. After all, this was also his duty as her guardian.

“Hey, Latina...” he called out, firming up his resolve.

“Hmm?”

“Those cute animals you’re looking at now are where the meat we eat each night comes from...” He didn’t quite manage to pick his words properly, so he ended up hitting on the matter rather directly. But he couldn’t take it back and he didn’t have time to regret it, so instead he continued on. “Will you be able to keep on eating meat after seeing them alive like this, Latina?”

Dale was getting this nervous and taking such care because he knew how extremely kindhearted of a girl she was.

Living meant devouring other lives. That was true for all creatures, but Dale still didn’t want to say something that would cause her gentle heart to suffer.

However, Latina’s reaction wasn’t what Dale had expected.

“Um, Dale...” she said before stopping for a bit to think, and then she voiced her opinion. “Being cute and tasty are different matters.”

“Huh...?”

It was just way too unexpected of a statement.

“They’re cute, but tasty too, so there’s no helping it. Food is important. If you don’t eat, you’ll die.”

Latina was always so cheerful, so it was hard to imagine such a dark statement coming from her. Even her gray eyes that normally sparkled with curiosity had darkened like she was staring into an abyss.

Ultimately, this showcased a side of Latina that Dale had forgotten, but Kenneth had firmly grasped.

In a way, Dale’s reaction was understandable because Latina spent each and every day overflowing with joy, but she had almost died once from lack of food. If Dale had been even a bit later in finding her wandering around the forest after her father passed away, she could have been in real danger. Everyone who gathered in the Ocelot understood that. That was just how weak and malnourished Latina had been when she was brought to the shop.

Devils were a naturally hardy race, so once she was given proper nutrition and a place to rest, she recovered quickly. It likely also helped that Kenneth was in charge of cooking, as he was able to employ his sizeable knowledge to make sure she got suitable meals.

Latina had become so fixated on food not just as a result of culture shock, but also as a result of having been so food-deprived during the time she was alone and trying to survive.

Taking all that into account, her harsh and overly grounded reaction made sense.

“Even things that look strange are fine, as long as there’s no poison,” she muttered, sounding far too serious.

“Eh? Hold on, Latina...?”

“And if you’re starving, you can eat grass. It’s bitter, but it’s fine if there’s no poison.”

“So the only thing that matters in determining if it’s edible or not is if it’s poisonous?!”

By the way, Latina was able to tell clearly whether or not a plant or animal was poisonous thanks to a sort of sixth sense she’d been born with. That power was also what had saved her when she entered the forest with her father, Rag, and had helped her survive after he passed away.

Dale had no idea she possessed that skill, though, so he came to the conclusion that she had done things to survive that most people never considered. Honestly, he felt compelled to try lightening the mood with a joke or something.

But then, Latina started talking again, her eyes still looking like she was peering into an abyss.

“Even if it’s not tasty, you need to eat or you’ll die.”

“U-Um...”

“And so, there’s no helping it when something’s yummy.”

“Umm... yeah, I feel like I somehow have something I have to apologize for...”

Dale didn’t know what to say to a child that had been forced to acknowledge such harsh realities at such a young age.

Meanwhile, as Dale was learning about this new side of his adorable adopted daughter, Kenneth had apparently satisfied his curiosity.

The reason Kenneth had come all the way out here to Kreuz was because he noticed just a portion of the meat on offer at his usual butcher was clearly of a different quality. And according to the shop’s owner, all of it had come from the same farm.

“I figured there had to be some clear difference in how they were raised or fed. That’s why I wanted to come see in person.”

“Wah...”

“So you didn’t notice, Latina? I’ll have to prepare a meal where you can taste and compare them sometime.”

“Yeah!”

Latina looked incredibly cute as she responded, however Dale still had a bit of an awkward look on his face due to what she had said earlier.

When they were led to the chicken coop next, Latina once again looked to be really enjoying herself.

The birds were raised free range in a rather large open space, and they seemed rather wild even to an adventurer like Dale. And yet, Latina unsurprisingly showed no fear at all.

Yang then rather daringly grabbed a newborn baby chick and placed it into Latina’s hands.

“Waaaaaaaah...!”

She could clearly feel the tiny bird’s fluffiness and warmth.

Latina was obviously moved by the feeling of the tiny life atop her hands, but she didn’t seem to know how to move, as she hadn’t shifted in the least since the chick was handed to her.

It was Yang’s first time meeting the girl, yet even he seemed to be quite charmed by the chain of events. She was polite, and didn’t try to pull any pranks or tricks. In addition, she also appeared truly interested in everything that she was seeing for the first time. She may have been quite young, but it was clear that she truly wished to learn.

And so, Yang decided to have Latina help feed the chickens.

Normally it would be impolite to put visitors to work, but Latina was just so overflowing with curiosity about the livestock that he wanted to give her more of a chance to interact with them. However, Latina was a natural workaholic. And so, she took to it far more diligently than Yang had expected when he made the suggestion.

He only had to explain once about things like the type and amount of feed, location of tools and the like, and how to use everything and she would immediately understand.

And she certainly seemed happy as she got to observe the chickens up close throughout their large enclosure. She darted all about, working so quickly that you would think she had done the job countless times before.

She was just such a quick learner that everyone felt oddly willing to let her work to her heart’s content.

That was likely the cause.

“Dale.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Now that I think of it, lately you’ve been...”

The question wasn’t anything important. And yet, thanks to Kenneth calling out to Dale, all of the adults present had taken their eyes off of Latina.

It couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes in total.

She wasn’t trying to do anything wrong, but Latina happened to exit the shed as if she’d been waiting for that very moment. It was just that she had run out of feed, so she was going to get some more. She had already done so several times, so she hadn’t expected anyone to object.

However, something unexpected happened: Latina spied something moving out of the corner of her eye.

“Hmm?” she muttered, tilting her head.

Her assumption was that one of the chicks must have gotten loose. She had taken care when coming and going, but nothing was ever absolutely certain. Thanks to her quick-witted nature, she thought much more in terms of risk management than other children her age, causing her to hurriedly approach.

She peered into the grass. However, whatever it was that was moving seemed to be bigger than a chick. That at least caused her to feel relieved for the moment. At the same time, that meant that the tension drained from her body. And as that happened, she caught sight of the creature in question.

“A bunny...”

It was a small wild rabbit.

Latina was unable to hold back her excitement, and her expression positively sparkled.

Rabbits had such a cute appearance that they frequently were the subject of fairy tales the world over. And as an avid reader, Latina was familiar with many such tales and picture books. She had seen them many times in illustrations or as anthropomorphized characters, and they always looked so incredibly fluffy.

However, this was her first time ever seeing a rabbit in person.

“Bunny...!”

Even the way that it hopped away was just like she had seen in picture books. And so, it was only natural that Latina was feeling excited.

As a result, Latina ended up fixated on chasing the fleeing hare. Any thoughts of Dale or Kenneth objecting had completely vanished from her mind. Right now, her top priority was just not losing sight of the rabbit in front of her eyes.

“Light brown... Is it growing new fur...? The picture books said they make homes when raising their babies, so maybe Latina will be able to see little bunnies?”

The piglets she had seen just a bit ago were so very cute. And fluffy baby rabbits were sure to be even cuter.

Her head was full of such thoughts about rabbits.

Latina may have been a clever girl, but she was still young. And so, it was no surprise that she would act so carelessly due to something catching her interest. In a way, this was the downside to being such a bundle of curiosity.

And so, Latina ended up running in a completely different direction than the chicken coop, the plentiful frills on her apron fluttering as she went.

Meanwhile, Dale ended up being the first one to notice Latina’s absence. However, he didn’t have any concerns about that at the start. After all, he had already seen her leaving and returning with both hands full of chicken feed multiple times.

Naturally, he had decided not to interfere as she gave her all, simply watching over her instead.

A bit of time passed. However, Latina didn’t return, and Dale started to have doubts.

She was such a serious young girl that he couldn’t imagine her shirking work to go off and play somewhere. The only time she got distracted was when she saw a cat off to the side of the street or something. No, something was off here.

That was the conclusion that Dale reached at the time.

It was a rabbit rather than a cat, but he had more or less called it. And that miscalculation was born of the fact that he spent each and every day not only doting on Latina, but also carefully observing her. When it came to acting as a guardian, he had his act together to a surprising degree.

“Kenneth, Latina’s not coming back.”

“Hmm? Now that you mention it, you’re right... How long has it been?”

“2.8 times longer than what’s been average up till now. Something may have happened.” He was rather shockingly precise on that time estimate. “I’m going to have a bit of a look around.”

With that, Dale exited the chicken coop, then broke into a bit of a jog as he circled the surrounding area. After confirming that she wasn’t there, he then returned to check the feed storage she had been making trips back and forth from.

“She’s not here...”

His expression growing a bit more serious, Dale then returned once again to the chicken coop. This was Yang’s property. And so, he would need to get the owner’s permission in order to search for Latina.

Fortunately, Yang seemed to understand that Latina wasn’t the sort of kid to just run off and play, so he understood Dale’s concern. It likely helped that unlike the regulars of the Ocelot, he didn’t know of Dale’s usual sickeningly sweet doting idiot mode, so it just seemed like a natural concern for a guardian to have.

“Latina!” he yelled out as he searched the surroundings. There was no response, so he yelled it again.

As that cycle kept on repeating, his unease started growing deeper and deeper.

Latina was an incredibly adorable young girl. So much so that he couldn’t simply dismiss his fear that some unsavory folk had taken notice of her.

However, it would be difficult for anyone to lay a hand on her in Kreuz. It was already known throughout town that Dale, a famed adventurer, had an adopted child that he doted on. Plus Latina was also fairly visible as the idol of the Ocelot, and doing anything to her would mean making an enemy of that shop’s regulars. And the regulars’ eyes reached every nook and cranny of Kreuz.

It wasn’t good to be overconfident, but lots of people in Kreuz were watching out for her.

They weren’t in Kreuz now, though.

And so, Dale felt a need to reevaluate the situation, considering even the off chance that things had taken a turn for the worst.

Still, jumping to the conclusion, nothing criminal had occurred. Latina had simply not been thinking as she chased after the rabbit, and ended up arriving at a storage shed that didn’t get used very often. And the rabbit must have made frequent use of this convenient hiding place, as it slid right on through a gap in the door.

Naturally, Latina followed after it. Thanks to her small size she was able to just barely make it through the gap, though she did get stuck a couple of times.

When she finally caught up to the rabbit and slowly closed the distance between them, the creature just stared back at her with a questioning expression.

Normally a wild rabbit would be on guard and easily frightened, but this one was showing no signs of trying to run. Something about Latina made it surprisingly easy for some animals to warm up to her, and apparently that skill also worked on herbivores.

“Wah...” she whispered, taking care not to raise her voice and scare it as she gently reached out her hand. The bunny’s nose was twitching, and it looked to be observing Latina. “You’re so cute!” Latina said with a delighted smile, but then she suddenly came back to her senses. Perhaps the reason that happened at that exact moment was because something subconsciously felt off, as there was no one around to say the usual line of, “Yeah, but you’re even cuter!”

Latina hurriedly looked over her surroundings. She had been in a daze, and now she was in a place she didn’t recognize. It clearly wasn’t where she had been taught and given permission to come and go.

As soon as she realized her mistake, she hurried back to the door. However, something must have been jamming it, as she couldn’t move it at all.

Rattling the door in a panic also turned out to be a mistake. She managed to budge it just a bit, but rather than opening the door, she only managed to wedge it further shut.

“What should Latina do...?” she muttered to herself, sinking into despair.

Since she had gotten in that way, she should have logically been able to make it back through the gap. However, now it was so narrow that even someone as small as Latina couldn’t squeeze through.

Her brow sunk pitifully with regret upon realizing her mistake, but Latina didn’t start crying. She didn’t yell or flail around either, instead choosing to sit atop a dusty wooden box.

Crying and yelling would just waste energy without doing anything to improve her situation.

That was one of the survival strategies she had already come to understand back when she was merely seven years old.

Her absolute trust in her guardians could be seen in her choosing that method, too. She was certain that if she just waited patiently, they would come find her. There was no doubt of that in her mind, thanks to the year or so she had spent living together with Dale and Kenneth.

“Latina will have to apologize for not helping properly...”

Her shoulders slumped when she realized how careless she had been when she got all excited. And so, as she sat there all alone, her thoughts started heading in a worse direction.

But just when Latina started beating herself up, a cute little ball of fuzz hopped up onto her lap, and all those negative thoughts went flying away.

Unbelievably, the rabbit had gone and approached her. And with that, her desire to touch and pet the fluffy creature sprung back to mind. And yet, she didn’t want it to get upset and run away, so she was at a loss as to how to proceed.

Her brain wasn’t able to catch up with this unexpected turn of events, and as a result, Latina was left frozen as the bunny sat atop her lap.

Still, just being able to look at the fluffy little critter up so close and personal was enough to fill her with joy. She couldn’t move, but she was happy. The warmth of the rabbit’s body was heating up her lap. And yeah, she couldn’t move. It was snuggly, but she couldn’t budge in the least. Fluffy... and snuggly...

In the midst of that internal conflict, Latina ended up drifting off. The culprit was undoubtedly her lack of sleep the night prior.

Dale’s voice surely would have reached that place as he ran around searching for her, but sadly Latina was unable to hear him in her slumber.

A little bit later, Yang found that a farming tool had fallen over and blocked the entrance to the storage shed, and inside he found Latina sleeping away, surrounded by three wild rabbits. Apparently the number of bunnies had multiplied at some point, but sadly Latina wasn’t aware of that fact as she dreamed away.

And so ultimately, Yang was the one to find Latina in the midst of her midday nap.

As for what Dale was up to in the midst of his search for Latina... He was in the middle of rehabilitating a so-called gang of troublemakers who were somewhat infamous around Ziege, an experience sure to leave them a bit traumatized in the future.

There was nothing inherently wrong with Dale considering the worst when Latina disappeared. Considering her adorable looks, it was certainly possible she could have been targeted by a real nasty person. Plus her attire made it readily apparent that she had a well-off guardian who doted on her. After all, Dale spared no expense when it came to buying her clothing. And so, both the frilly apron and green dress she had on were far nicer than what you would expect a common townsperson to be wearing.

That meant he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she had been kidnapped for money.

And unfortunately for that gang of troublemakers, Yang happened to remember that they used a nearby dilapidated house as their hideout when Dale brought up the thought.

The gang drank, acted rowdy, and damaged property, so they certainly were a nuisance, but Yang hadn’t ever felt afraid of them. But he was well aware that their hideout was nearby, as they had caused plenty of damage around his farm.

That was why Yang had brought them up as potential suspects.

Of course, even Dale hadn’t decided they must be the culprits based on that alone. He just decided to leave the search of the area to Yang as he and Kenneth went to go ask them some questions.

However, Dale specialized in wiping out his enemies. Perhaps that was a harsh way to phrase it, but that was the nature of most of his demon lord-related work.

“If there wasn’t a chance Latina was inside, it’d be quicker to just bury the whole place.”

It was a completely and utterly coldblooded statement. And yet, that was what he muttered to himself as he approached the dilapidated house. The road leading up to the place was definitely rough, but it wasn’t overgrown enough to make walking it a problem. That was proof that a decent number of people frequented the place.

The pair split up before entering, with Kenneth circling around the back. As such, Dale walked slowly to give him time to make it around.

Before long, the targets came into view: the gang of troublemakers had gathered out in front of the entrance. However, they seemed to have noticed Dale too. At first their faces showed doubt, and then they shifted to clear displeasure.

Dale most definitely wasn’t the sort to meet hostility with a smile. And so, there was a seriously intense air about him as he stated, “There are a number of things I want to ask you.”

“Eh?”

“The heck? Just shut up and get outta here.”

Unsurprisingly, they had no intention of being friendly towards Dale, either.

One of the men who made the gruff comment carelessly reached out towards Dale’s chest. That was actually a pretty novel reaction from Dale’s point of view. In Kreuz his black coat and the gauntlet on his left arm were his trademarks, and he was well known as a skilled adventurer, so it was quite rare for a punk to go picking a fight with him.

He doesn’t seem all that smart, seeing how he was telling me to leave, but now he’s trying to pull me in closer.

Dale’s body moved almost subconsciously as that thought ran through his head. He swatted away the incoming hand, and when his opponent faltered just a little, he swept his legs out from under him. Now that he’d already gotten started, he coldly noted that even if he took out one or two of them, there’d still be someone left to interrogate.

Dale’s conclusion was prompted by the rage the other thugs had flown into, after seeing what Dale did to their friend. And so, they collectively rushed Dale despite how ineffectual it would end up being. They likely didn’t understand how thoroughly outclassed they were because ultimately, they came from a small town where they’d only ever encountered people weaker than them.

When someone resorts to violence, all you can do is reply in kind.

To begin with, both Dale and those around him recognized that he was a doting idiot when it came to Latina. And so, there was no way he would be able to keep his cool when he didn’t know where she was. He couldn’t help being quick to anger and prone to rash decisions. In short, “irritated” was quite understating his current mood.

A blow from his gauntlet could prove fatal, depending on where it landed. And so, Dale took care with the angle of approach and held back so that he was only using enough force to pulverize a jaw.

As for his opponents’ punches, they were sluggish enough for him to dodge purely on reflex. He stooped down, closed the distance, and then sent one of them flying. The man who’d been tripped back at the start was struggling to his feet, but was promptly bowled back over by the body of his friend.

Though his number of allies had dwindled in an instant, the last man standing pulled out a weapon. The fact that he hadn’t lost his will to fight may have been less praiseworthy and more merely a case of him still not yet being willing to face the reality of the situation.

Dale squared off with the man, not even bothering to dodge the knife being thrust his way.

“Wha...?”

The man was left utterly dumbfounded, as his deadly weapon didn’t even come close to carrying out its task, instead failing to leave so much as a scratch on the leather coat.

Dale’s black coat was no ordinary garment, as it was made out of magical beast leather and was a defensive magical device. There was no way the blade of some punk could ever prove a threat to it.

As he stood there looking utterly baffled, Dale landed a blow on him in the next instant that left him in an unconscious heap.

There were still a good number of men in the dilapidated house, but the sounds of fighting, and how abruptly they’d gone quiet, had left the men in a state of panic.

Of course, they were all aware of how bad their behavior had been. And so, they came to the conclusion that one of the townsfolk must have brought in someone to deal with them. Plus, the man in front of them was far too dangerous. With that in mind, their decision to flee through the rear exit wasn’t wrong in the least.

However, they soon found a large man barring their way.

As they looked at his face, they hesitated. And apparently, they came to the decision that it would be easier to deal with the young guy out front than this intimidating mountain of a man.

In actuality, since Kenneth had retired he certainly wasn’t as big of a threat as the still-active Dale, but it seemed their powers of observation weren’t keen enough to figure that out.

It took Dale no time at all to crush the fresh group that came flying out of the half-collapsed old house. However, that wasn’t the end of their terrifying ordeal.

Dale lifted up one of the trembling men, then chanted healing magic in a low voice.

“I believe I said I had some things to ask. Now behave yourself and answer.”

The man had no will left to fight and had been completely and utterly defanged, so of course he nodded in response. With that, Dale went ahead and finally set about taking care of what he had come here to do.

“Do you know anything about an unbelievably, overwhelmingly adorable little girl?”

It was around then that Yang found Latina in the middle of a midday nap, but the man had no way of knowing that. Still, they had gone and resorted to violence first, so it’s not exactly like they were being unjustly punished, either.

The (likely) victim had finally realized at last the overwhelming power difference between him and Dale, then been healed only to be seriously asked about some little girl. Unsurprisingly, he had no idea whatsoever what was going on. If this guy had just declared he was an adventurer who had come to deal with them, this whole thing would make a lot more sense.

“Answer clearly whether you know her or not. She’s a super cute, well-behaved little girl who looks adorable no matter what she’s saying or doing.”

His totally serious expression drew even closer.

The man didn’t feel like he would be believed if he honestly answered that he didn’t know. And he had no idea what the intention was behind the question, either. Nor did he have any clue what the excess of modifiers was about.

Plus, it was frightening how he couldn’t read the guy’s expression.

In general, things that you can’t understand are seen as frightening. In that way, Dale was absolutely terrifying at the moment.

Kenneth had circled around from the back and observed the situation, and apparently decided it was best to just stay out of it completely. And so when he ultimately came and released the man Dale had strung up, he wept like a child with relief.

Dale looked astounded, but honestly, Kenneth sympathized with the group a bit.

“Geez, so they didn’t know anything? They should’ve said that from the start then,” Dale complained with a click of his tongue as he employed Earth attribute healing magic. Thanks to his divine protection he was able to cast it endlessly without using up mana, and to the country youths, it really was so incomprehensible that it seemed quite literally like magic.

Even though he healed all the wounds on their bodies, he couldn’t do that for the trauma carved into their hearts.

As a result, the vast majority of Ziege’s gang of troublemakers mended their ways and started walking the straight and narrow. And even those who couldn’t calm their rebellious spirits seemed to not act as awful as before, as if they were afraid of something.

Then, when they grew up and became parents, they all told their children the tale that if you cause trouble for others, a demon lord garbed in black will come for you. For better or worse, they never happened to see the champion called the Platinum Hero who conquered the demon lords, so they never had their image of the national savior crumble as they found out he was the “demon lord” they remembered.

When Dale and Kenneth returned to report that they hadn’t found out anything, they learned that Yang had found Latina. She had unsurprisingly woken up by now, but even to an outsider like Yang it was clear how depressed she was feeling, so he gave an awkward smile.

“Dale, Kenneth... Latina’s sorry for worrying you...”

“Latina!”

For the time being, Kenneth managed to hold Dale back as the younger man tried to go and hug Latina tight now that she had apologized and looked so sad.

“Do you understand what you did?”

“Latina didn’t help out properly... She went somewhere that wasn’t where she was told all on her own... And went into someone’s place without permission...”

Yang was shocked to hear how readily she listed off her own faults, while Kenneth joined him in giving an awkward grin.

It was important to scold children when they did something wrong, but she was already aware of her mistakes and regretted them, so there wasn’t much left to say.

“Mr. Yang, you went and let Latina help you out, but she just caused trouble. Latina is so sorry.”

“All that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you’re alright, Latina.”

“Latina screwed up, and did bad things... You can’t say that doesn’t matter, Dale,” she replied, going so far as to reprimand her overly doting guardian.

Kenneth didn’t feel up to scolding her any further now that it had come to that point. And so after giving Latina’s hair a bit of a rough tussle, he turned towards Yang.

“I really am sorry. You were kind enough to offer your time, and yet we caused all this trouble.”

Latina looked surprised at first to hear Kenneth apologize, but she then gave a firm bow, too.

“Ah, no, it was just a kid being a kid. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m really grateful to hear you say that,” Kenneth replied, then rustled Latina’s hair again. “What we discussed today was real useful and taught me a lot. And I hope to keep doing business in the future with you.”

Seeing that, Latina realized that she shouldn’t just be apologizing right now. And so, she lifted her head, faced Yang, and clearly stated, “Thank you so much for today.”

In the end, Latina’s memories of her first outing were just a bit bitter, as they contained her failures as well.

On the carriage ride home, Latina sat silently atop Dale’s lap.

Latina had said he should scold her, but Kenneth had already done that. And so, he decided it should be fine to just pamper her.

That wasn’t solely because he was a doting idiot, as it was also important to divide up roles. After all, if all the adults around her all scolded her, she would be left feeling cornered. And that was something that Dale wanted to avoid.

“Like I said, I’m just glad that you’re alright, Latina.”

“Dale... Latina is sorry.”

“I’m sorry for taking so long to find you, too.”

Then, he stopped and thought on what to say next. Dale didn’t want to have the outing Latina had been so looking forward to end with her looking so sad.

“Was it fun seeing all the animals...?”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t really see them in Kreuz, after all. What about the town of Ziege? It had a pretty different feel than Kreuz, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. It felt more easygoing than Kreuz, somehow.”

“I see. I’d like to go enjoy some other towns with you someday, Latina. You know, my home village is in the mountains.”

“Mountains?”

“That’s right.”

He had been attempting to shift the conversation in a direction that would interest her, and it certainly seemed to have worked. Dale went ahead and kept on talking, feeling relieved about that. After all, it would be a shame if she came away with just memories of her mistakes after all the enjoyable things that happened.

Kenneth could hear Dale’s intention as their voices leaked through to the driver’s seat, and he broke out in a faint smile as a result.

By the way, Latina still hadn’t yet firmly answered why she had entered the storage shed. That was because she knew she was at fault and it was essential to apologize, so she didn’t want to slip up and sound like she was trying to make an excuse.

And so, Dale only just now learned why Latina had lost control of herself back then.

“So there was a rabbit, huh?”

“Yeah. It was so fluffy and little. It was really cute.”

“Yeah, but you’re even cuter,” Dale replied with the expected line.

“Latina wanted to see it closer, so she chased it.”

“You really are an animal lover, Latina.”

It had been a rabbit rather than the cat that Dale had been thinking, but still, he could certainly understand how it happened now.

Latina rarely ever made mistakes, but she had gone and shown a side of herself that was very fitting for her age. She was admittedly a bit uncontrollable when it came to dealing with cats and the like, but considering how she acted normally, she was sure to grow up just fine.

“It’d be nice if you could see a bunny again, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll have to tell Rita all about it when we get back.”

“Latina will draw a picture. And write about it in her diary, too.”

“I see. Make sure to write a lot, alright?”

The rhythmic swaying of the carriage invited just as much drowsiness now as it did on the way there. However, unlike the trip out, Latina wasn’t feeling as sleepy. It seemed her midday nap really proved effective there.

The setting sun was dyeing the scenery a pale yellow, just on the verge of giving way to a red.

Kreuz was surrounded by walls and full of densely packed buildings, so you couldn’t easily see the sun setting in such a vast, open sky there. And so, it really was nice that they were getting a chance to do so now.

By the time you’re grown, the little mistakes from childhood become nothing but amusing memories. That thought was running through Dale’s head as he smiled and pointed down the path.

The town walls made for a splendid structure, with a strange sort of majesty to them. Latina always saw them from the inside, but she rarely got a chance to see them from the other side like this. And as soon as she recognized them, her expression lit up.

Big outings like this were able to be so enjoyable because she had such a place to return home to.

Latina’s first big trip ended as such, full of mistakes and discoveries, as well as new experiences and growth.

And of course, Latina was able to safely make it back to the Ocelot in order to say, “Latina’s home.”