by CHIROLU
“Yes.”
That wasn’t the whole of Dale’s exploits.
The Demon Lords of Calamity were considered dangerous by nations the world over.
Dale became famed as the “Platinum Hero” through his furious efforts fighting alongside the allied nations in the war against the Seventh Demon Lord, where he fought under the banner of the fairy princess while clad in platinum armor and accompanied by a mythical beast. Rose informed Latina that his fame had now spread throughout the world.
When she furthermore heard that Dale had defeated the Second Demon Lord with the assistance of a “Purple Oracle,” Latina collapsed atop the bed. She was now convinced that Dale was the reason for the terrible state of the space containing the thrones.
I had a feeling... but it really was Dale...
And at the same time, Latina also realized the most important power that Dale possessed.
Latina lay collapsed on the bed for a while, having been completely and utterly overwhelmed by the flow of new information. Though she felt like her eyes were spinning, she finally managed to somehow sit up.
Facing Rose, who wore a look of concern on her face, Latina uttered earnest words of apology. “I’m sorry, Lady Rose... I was just so surprised...”
“It would seem that Sir Dale truly did not inform you that he possessed the power of a hero... Sir Dale’s work for Uncle involved demon lords and their retainers, so I had been certain that you were aware.”
“Dale never told me about his work... He said it came from someone important in the nation, so I thought that maybe it involved confidential matters that couldn’t be allowed to be leaked...”
Latina didn’t even know that Dale’s employer was Duke Eldstedt, the prime minister of Laband, until Dale collapsed from illness and she went to the capital. Latina also didn’t know Gregor’s lineage until that time, so she readily accepted the introduction he had given when they’d previously met.
Her reasoning was also influenced by the effects she had seen her parents’ positions leave on them as a child. Her mother, Mov, was the highest-ranking priestess in the nation (in Vassilios, priests and priestesses also oversaw the country’s administration). Her father, Smaragdi, was responsible for educating a great many young priests, leaving him in a very influential position as well.
Latina hardly viewed things in the same manner as a typical girl living around town.
“So Dale... defeated the Demon Lords of Calamity, right...?”
“Sir Dale’s exploits have become famous the world over. Currently, the matter surrounding the Second Demon Lord is known only to Uncle and the nation of Vassilios, but the news that Sir Dale was central to the defeat of the Fourth and Seventh Demon Lords has spread abroad to other countries.”
“I’m glad... Dale is alright...”
While muttering that, Latina realized that because she was sealed by the demon lords who were part of the natural order rather than killed, her “divine protection” remained with Dale. If the fragment of the gods’ miraculous power that was granted to man was called divine protection, then the same should also be true of the power the lower-ranking beings called demon lords granted to their retainers.
Latina had granted Dale something akin to a wish. She wanted him to return safely. Latina was always thinking that she wanted him to be protected from anything and everything, even if it took all of her power. Realizing that she had given him power that was on a whole other level from what demon lords normally granted their retainers, making him into an especially powerful demon, Latina hoped that it was of at least a little help to him, and gave a sigh.
But from the state of those thrones... did Dale defeat demon lords other than the Calamities...?
If Dale was a hero, then he must have soon realized that it wasn’t the power of a hero that had harmed her, a demon lord. And she herself was the one who had told Dale that the only one outside of a hero who could harm a demon lord was another of their kind.
Was the reason my seal loosened because it had been shaken by the power of a hero...?
Looking back on her own hazy memories, Latina recalled that by the time she regained consciousness, three of the thrones were already without a master. In all likelihood, the effectiveness of the seal had lessened thanks to nearly half of the demon lords having been defeated.
To start with, the sealing ceremony had been hurriedly carried out with the shared goal of sealing the Eighth Demon Lord. The efforts of an irregular being such as a hero who was also a demon had surely no small effect on it weakening.
“So the Demon Lords of Calamity suddenly grew active?” While still thinking things through, Latina gave voice to her concerns.
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
Rose, without a sign of frustration, gently explained. “No. However, the Demon Lords of Calamity have always caused harm to those around them, acting according to their own thinking alone. Many explain it as being something akin to a child’s tantrum, in which you cannot seek a reason behind their actions.”
Hearing Rose’s words didn’t clear away the gloom on Latina’s face.
Was it my fault...? I can’t imagine why Dale and Chrysos would not want me to know so badly otherwise...
It was precisely because she had such kind people thinking of her as someone precious that Latina’s thoughts wrenched at her heart.
“There were... a lot of victims of the Demon Lords of Calamity... right...?”
And that’s not all... Because of me, the demon lords other than the Calamities were also... They didn’t do anything, but because of me...
Seeing how terribly pale Latina had grown, Rose gently stroked her back. Latina jumped up with a start, and looked like a child about to break out in tears.
Rose gently took Latina’s hand in her own. It was as if the warmth of Rose’s heart was gradually being conveyed along with that of her hand. Her kind blue eyes looked at Latina from up close.
“I do not know why you are blaming yourself so much, Latina. Would you like to talk about it?”
Latina opened her mouth a sliver, only to instead hold her tongue and shake her head side to side. Having accepted that reaction as a possibility, Rose broke out in a slightly strained smile and gripped Latina’s hand a bit tighter.
“If you cannot discuss it with me, then how about talking with Sir Dale or Her Majesty, the First Demon Lord? They both surely would like for you to rely on them.”
“Lady Rose...” Latina said in a hoarse voice, breaking out in tears at the same time.
Afterwards, Latina indulged in Rose’s kindness of not asking anything further, and simply kept on crying.
I’m sure... that just like the prophecy said... I brought a lot of people misfortune...
Latina’s feelings of remorse, that she was a sinner and deserved to be treated as such, were so great that the pressure crushing her made it so she couldn’t even breathe. Because of such thoughts, in a way, Latina may have actually wanted someone to blame her.
As Latina continued weeping like a child, she realized that someone was looking at her with a terribly quiet gaze. She found herself suddenly stricken by something akin to dread, and began to tremble, her teary eyes turning toward the silent presence.
“Ms. Helmine...” she called out in a hoarse, tiny voice, echoing her own fright.
Rose hadn’t brought a single lady-in-waiting with her to Vassilios, so Helmine served that role. Rose wasn’t from an especially elite lineage, and she was able to take care of herself in her day to day life, but she was still a noble officially visiting this foreign nation as a representative of Laband. And as Helmine was also serving as her bodyguard, she was always waiting on Rose, at her side.
As a result, there was no reason for Latina to find fault with Helmine quietly waiting in the corner of this royal villa that served as Latina’s private room. Even so, though, Latina’s cheeks were dyed red with embarrassment at letting Helmine see her sob like a child.
Latina
was currently in a weakened state both physically and emotionally, but faced with this person she was so bad at dealing with looking all calm and composed, her natural pride flared back up.
She wiped away the tears reflexively streaming down her face with both hands. Her strong competitive spirit reared its head, not wanting to let this person see her in such a pathetic state.
Helmine looked at Latina with a terribly calm, composed gaze.
Latina just wasn’t any good at dealing with this woman.
She was an older woman with an air of composure about her. She was a beauty, with a great many things Latina lacked back when she still hadn’t yet become an adult.
Faced with her, Latina felt like she was having the things she was lacking thrust in her face. No matter how much she was aware of that, having those things shoved in front of her caused Latina’s heart to feel heavy. And above all else, Helmine knew a side of Dale that Latina didn’t.
Helmine was the one person Latina didn’t want to lose to.
With that single-minded purpose, Latina lifted her face and found Helmine wearing a smile that looked somehow cruel.
Rose soon realized the atmosphere crackling between the two of them. Latina wore her feelings on her sleeve, so it was very easy to understand what was going on when she suddenly started acting differently, paying more attention than was necessary to Helmine’s gaze.
But Rose didn’t say anything, instead deciding to watch over the situation.
Latina was being crushed by her feelings of guilt just moments ago, but now she was no longer even hanging her head, instead meeting Helmine’s gaze head-on. Disregarding the reason, it had a large effect on bringing back Latina’s liveliness.
“I’d thought that you’d grown quite a bit, but it would still seem you’re still just a little lady, huh?”
Those words of Helmine’s brought a serious frown to Latina’s face, but the girl couldn’t deny what she’d said.
“You don’t care to rebuke me for talking to the sister of her highness, the king of Vassilios, in that manner?”
“...I don’t have any authority in this country. As long as you don’t make light of the wishes of the Golden King, then I don’t mind whatever you may say to me personally.”
Latina was aware that she was more precious to Chrysos than anyone else. And she also understood that as this country’s king, Chrysos’s intentions were to be respected. But at the same time, she reminded herself that she lacked any authority here, and didn’t find it right that she was overly pampered thanks to Chrysos’s influence.
And so, Latina had no intention of using Chrysos’s name now, no matter how much Helmine’s words may hurt.
Hearing Latina’s response, Helmine broke out in a faint smile. It was impossible to tell what she thought of Latina from that expression alone.
“Due to the encroachment by the Fourth Demon Lord, the south of Laband suffered great damage. Until that damage is recovered from, it will also impact the power of the nation significantly. Apparently the neighboring nations see this as a chance to cause unrest.”
Helmine’s words were information that, in theory, Latina had wanted to hear. Even so, hearing what had occurred was even more painful than she had expected.
“It seems that a number of the small nations to the east of Laband were driven to ruin by the Seventh Demon Lord. It was enough of a disaster that saying losses were great doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
Helmine looked at Latina, the girl’s face pale and her hands gripped so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. The faint smile still remained on her face.
“Even so, that shouldn’t be any reason for you to break down in tears, right? Or do you have a reason significant enough to make you cry?”
Even breathing felt painful to Latina. She was unable to even raise a rebuttal, and realized that she herself had sought to hear what Helmine was saying.
“Even if you do have a reason, to be able to do nothing about it but cry... Well, you’re still just a little lady, so maybe there’s no helping that,” Helmine said, her smile shifting into an outright sneer.
Latina silently scolded herself for starting to avert her eyes, lifting her face back up properly.
“I’m...” Latina started in a pained, hoarse voice, her gaze fixed straight on Helmine. “Certainly still immature. It’s true... that I’m not able to do anything.”
Helmine’s blue eyes opened a little wider.
“It’s a fact that I’m still inexperienced, unable to do anything but cry... But, even so...” She firmly wiped away her tears, and steadily put more strength behind her voice. “I’m properly reflecting on it all. About what I’ve done, and about what I should have done... And about what I can do now.”
Latina’s eyes, now full of determination, looked straight at Helmine as she said that.
Helmine gave a giggle at that sight, and then said as if in challenge, “I see. Well then, go ahead and try, ‘little lady.’”
Seeing this break in the conversation and the air between the two of them, Rose decided to excuse herself from this place. As Rose’s bodyguard, Helmine wouldn’t be permitted to leave the room on her own, and she judged that Latina’s spirits may have recovered, but she still needed time to sort through her feelings.
“Well then, Latina, I will be returning to my own room, but... I will still be staying in Vassilios for a while yet. If you need anything, then do not hesitate to ask,” Rose said, the gentle smile still on her face.
“Right... Thank you, Lady Rose,” Latina said, a good bit of vigor having returned to her expression.
Rose left the villa, that kind expression still on her face. She once more opened her mouth when they were a good distance from that place, turning around towards the person behind her and saying in a reproachful tone, “Please do not act so spitefully.”
Helmine smiled and shrugged her shoulders a bit in response to Rose’s words.
“I just had the urge to pick on her a bit.”
“It may be only natural to call Latina ‘young,’ based on her age.”
“That’s for sure,” Helmine said with a giggle, looking somewhat like she was gazing off into the distance.
“However, children mature quicker than you think, don’t they? The last time I met her, she was just a little lady who was like a kitten, snapping at anything and everything.”
Helmine thought back on how that young girl had shot back an “I’m not little!” to everything she did and said. Unable to look at things objectively, rather seeing and reacting to everything based on her own personal feelings, she had been a young girl in every way.
“She’s grown up enough to acknowledge her own immaturity, hasn’t she?” Helmine said with a smirk.
Rose gave a sigh as she stared at this woman, who had lived for a great deal longer than she had.
Rose had no intention of being overly soft on Latina, the way that Dale and Chrysos were. But even so, Latina was an adorable “little sister” who adored Rose. She wasn’t particularly fond of seeing the girl get one-sidedly talked down.
“I believe it isn’t especially mature to tease someone, either.”
“That’s true. I still have a ways to go myself,” Helmine said with a giggle, then smiled, unperturbed by Rose’s words. “Ever since seeing Dale’s face like that, I just got the urge to tease someone.”
Those words of Helmine’s had a slightly different emotion behind them than before, depriving Rose of her need to object.
“That child really did seem to be driven into a corner. I hadn’t seen him in that state in some time, so I couldn’t help myself... I really do have a way to go myself.”
Before accompanying Rose to Vassilios, Helmine had happened to see Dale at the Eldstedt estate.
He had cast aside his trademark black magical beast leather coat for shining armor, and as he replied to the cheers for the “Platinum Hero,” he didn’t seem to be worked up in the least. He seemed like a shining hero, his expression f
itting his newly acquired nickname.
But to Helmine, he had the look of his younger self about him... that look of the young man who had learned what it felt like to kill another person through his role as a hero, and suffered his own anguish as a result.
At that time, Helmine didn’t know what had him so up against the wall, but when she saw him again, she became certain. He was hugging Latina, doting on her so heavily that he seemed almost dependent on her. The sight of Dale clinging to her so desperately (as if he never wanted lose her again, and if he did, he would lose himself in turn) was more than enough that even if she didn’t know the details, she could tell that Latina was the reason Dale had been driven to his breaking point.
Seeing that old, familiar face made her want to tease them a little.
She wasn’t sure what Latina was grieving and moaning about, and she didn’t feel the need to be. She also didn’t know what Latina had done, or why that caused Dale to suffer so much. And so, she didn’t intend to preach to her, or drive her into a corner with logic. Instead, it was ultimately just “teasing” of her own volition, based on her own emotions. It was a bit of revenge, as if Helmine was saying, “Look at how much your actions caused Dale to suffer.”
That prideful girl would be able to withstand someone she “hated” so much judging her immaturity and faults. But because Helmine recognized that, she needed to raise her opinion of the girl. Perhaps she was now just a step away from the point where she couldn’t call her “little lady” anymore.
Musing on that, Helmine once more muttered to herself, “Kids really do grow up fast, don’t they?”
Meanwhile, after seeing Helmine and Rose off, Latina sat with her arms wrapped around her knees for a while atop the bed. She then rolled about back and forth, as if turning in her sleep. She paid no heed to how disheveled her clothing was, with the hem of her skirt turned up and her legs suggestively exposed.
“...Haa.” She let out a sigh. Because there was nobody else around to hear, she muttered to herself, “...I just keep messing up. I just can’t grow up, can I...?”
Helmine had said all that, but Latina honestly still didn’t know what to do.
