by CHIROLU
“I’m home, Latina! You did a great job holding down the fort. Were you lonely? I’m so sorry. I was super lonely, too!”
“Latina was lonely, but she’s happy that you made it home safely. Welcome back!” Latina said with a smile as Dale hugged her tight.
“Ah, you really do bring me solace, Latina...” Dale muttered in response, awash in a flood of emotions.
I gave it my all, and it was so very worth it.
“Actually, Latina, I got you souvenirs...”
“Hold on, Dale.”
Dale had been excitedly preparing to give her the souvenirs, only for Latina to now quickly push away, leaving him in shock. As he saw her hurry with fast, little footsteps to Kenneth in the kitchen, his face showed that he was clearly stricken with grief. His eyes lost all focus, and he hollowly murmured, “H-Half a month was too long, huh...? Hehehe... If I wipe all the demons from the face of the earth, then maybe I won’t need to leave her ever again...”
“You seem pretty worn out.” Realizing that he was showing this much fatigue even when he was indulging in his eccentricities, Rita couldn’t help but sympathize. “Latina really did give it her all. I told her she could stay with us in our room ’til you got back, thinking she’d feel too lonely if she was in that attic all by herself. But she just said, ‘Latina wants to stay in Dale’s room.’ She said she was fine sleeping alone too, because ‘Dale’s scent makes Latina feel relaxed.’”
“Latina was alright? Everything went fine?”
“Well, she did seem lonely. Still, she had something to strive towards, so she managed to more or less pull herself together.”
As Rita told him about how Latina had been and what had happened in Kreuz while he was away, the little girl returned from the kitchen. In her hands she firmly held a tray, on top of which there was a piping-hot shepherd’s pie and a brightly colored, jiggling gelatin desert filled with cut-up fruit.
“Dale, Latina made this. She worked hard so you could eat it.”
“Y-You made it, Latina?”
“She gave it her all.”
As Dale’s trembling hands took the tray from Latina, who had a proud smile on her face, he was overcome with emotion.
“I can’t eat it! That’d be such a waste!” he yelled.
“No, you’ve gotta eat it.” Rita’s comebacks remained firm even after half a month.
“By the way, Dale, we figured out something important while you were away.”
“Huh?”
Kenneth suddenly cut into the conversation just as Dale was in the midst of enjoying the fruits of Latina’s hard work, with the girl herself seated smiling on his lap. Ignoring Dale’s reaction, Kenneth continued.
“Just the other day, Latina’s friend Chloe told Latina that they were going to school starting this fall, and asked if she’d come, too.”
“What?”
“Chloe, and Marcel, and all of them are going, because they’re the same age,” said Latina, looking up at Dale from his lap. Looking back at her, he thought back on her friends. He’d figured they were a bit older than Latina and thought of the young girl as someone to dote on.
“She asked if Latina wants to go too, because she’s also the same age.”
It took Dale a bit of time to digest those words.
“...What?”
“Apparently, it’s true,” said Kenneth with a nod as Dale looked towards him for an explanation.
“Latina, your birthday’s next month, right?” asked Dale.
“Yeah.”
“Is that right? I’ll need get some presents ready, then!”
“Go ahead and tell Dale how old you’ll be,” said Kenneth encouragingly.
“Hmm? Latina will be eight,” she replied, tilting her head as if to say she didn’t know why she was being asked.
For a moment, Dale was frozen stiff and at a loss for words. Seeing that reaction, Kenneth nodded his head.
“...So you’re seven right now, Latina?” continued Kenneth.
“Hmm? Yes, Latina is seven.”
“You’re so little, Latina...” Dale commented.
Kenneth agreed. “Yeah, she is.”
“Latina is little?”
All of the adults had thought she was five or six. Latina was just that small. Still, now that Dale thought about it, Latina’s words and actions had been surprisingly sharp, considering the age they’d thought she was. The way she spoke made her seem young, but she had only just picked up the language, so it was a result of a lack of grammar and vocabulary skills.
She’d be eight soon. When children were that young, age differences of a year or two had a huge effect.
The adults realized that they’d been wrong due to their own preconceptions.
“Is she growing slower because she’s a devil?” Dale asked.
“I thought that too, and tried asking the regulars, but apparently devil kids grow at roughly the same rate as human children. Everything slows down once they reach maturity, and they spend a long time as adults.”
“Latina... is little?”
“You’re just small,” commented Dale.
“Hmm?”
Seemingly truly confused by the adults all looking at her so seriously, Latina once more tilted her head.
5: The Little Girl’s Everyday Life, Full of Friends and Magic
Even just from seeing her skip along, it was obvious that the young girl was enjoying herself. Her beautiful platinum hair, which was tied up in brilliant blue ribbons, swayed side to side along with her movements, occasionally shining in the light. She seemed to have grown quite fond of her light-blue, plaid dress as of late, and sure enough, she picked it out of the small white wicker basket to wear again today.
Her expression brightened further when she saw her friends playing in the plaza.
“Chloe!” yelled Latina, vigorously waving and running towards the girl.
The southern district of Kreuz, where Latina lived, was both a rougher neighborhood where commoners lived, as well as a location for shops that served adventurers and travelers. For the most part, it wasn’t a suitable place for children to play. There were affordable inns that served people with no questions asked, as well as bars where adventurers who failed to get work would drink themselves into a stupor from the middle of the day on, and even shops that stank of cheap perfumes used to satisfy the desires of men. Those were the sorts of businesses that surrounded the Dancing Ocelot.
As a result, Latina was only allowed to go out alone on the southern district’s main street and the path from the Dancing Ocelot that led there. Fortunately, the Dancing Ocelot was positioned close to the center of the southern district. There were a great number of shops aimed at adventurers and travelers near the entrance to town, and stores that offered lower prices in exchange for lower quality were especially prevalent. The Dancing Ocelot’s owners chose its location to separate itself from all that.
Until just recently, Latina had been forbidden from going out alone, but since she was old enough that she’d be going to school soon, there was a limit to how much longer that ban could last. This was something she’d absolutely need to get used to as she grew older.
There was a plaza in the center of town, and lately, one of Latina’s favorite things was meeting there with her friends from the eastern district and playing together. There was usually a market at the center of the plaza, so although the area was good for walking around and looking at goods, it wasn’t a suitable place to play.
There was a park a short distance away, so that was where the children headed. The townsfolk also used it as a place to relax. As Kreuz was a city, it was, of course, rather lacking in greenery, so even though the park was a man-made mix of grass, trees, and flowerbeds, it was always full of people enjoying a stroll, or the shouts of children having fun.
There were quite a few children playing in the plaza that Latina didn’t recognize. As she slipped past them and found her way to her friends, she lit up in a brilliant smile.
&
nbsp; “What’s up, Latina? You look happy.”
“Did something good happen?”
In response to Chloe and Marcel’s questions, Latina happily reported, “Dale came back!”
“That so?”
“Good for you, Latina.”
Latina’s friends had seen how deeply depressed she was when her dad was away. These were honest words of congratulations at seeing their tiny friend finally able to smile from the depths of her heart again.
“Dale said these are souvenirs for everyone. Wanna have a snack?”
Latina smiled and held out a basket packed with sweets. Rudy realized it was food and stared gleefully at it, which made Anthony give a sarcastic laugh.
“Wow, those look expensive! Can I eat all of them?”
“Watch out, Latina. Rudy really will gobble them all down if you let him.”
These four were Latina’s primary playmates. The one who stood at the head of the group and acted as leader was the only girl, Chloe. She and Latina already got along well enough to be called best friends. For Latina, Chloe was someone she respected. She firmly and resolutely held the position of power even amongst a group of boys, so Latina found her to be truly amazing. And Chloe, in turn, thought of Latina as a smart girl who knew many things that she didn’t. Each saw the other as their equal, as someone who had what they lacked. That was why they were able to become so close so quickly, despite their entirely different personalities. Or perhaps it should be said that those differences were what actually drew them to one another. Rather than feeling jealous, they respected one another instead.
Latina had also quickly grown close to the boy known as Marcel, who had a gentle personality and a round face that was just a tad on the plump side. As he was always kind to Latina and was careful not to frighten her, he was the girl’s second favorite, after Chloe.
If asked about the slender, brown-haired boy named Anthony, Latina would say that she didn’t know him all that well. But it at least seemed that she didn’t dislike him. He was the sort of kid that Chloe would call shrewd, while adults would say he had his head on straight.
And then finally, there was the tallest boy in the group. Latina wasn’t overly fond of Rudy (his real name was Rudolf, but his friends called him by this nickname). Their first meeting had left a poor impression, and even afterwards, he kept picking on the devil girl and playing tricks on her. This was always followed by a harsh counterattack from Chloe, but he showed no sign of learning his lesson whatsoever. Having not had much interaction with kids her own age, Latina didn’t quite know how to deal with Rudy, who was easily the most childish one in the group.
Having been born and raised in Kreuz, the four children were well known around town, so as long as Latina was following after them, she was easily accepted, even into groups of kids she’d never met. And so, Latina was able to play together with friends for the first time ever.
“What should we play today?”
“We were gonna play a game of octopus tag.”
“It’ll be with those kids over there. You wanna come along too, Latina?”
“Yeah!”
The four taught Latina how to play. It was a variant on normal tag where you’d join hands with whoever was “it” when they caught you, and then chase after the others together. It was best enjoyed as a large group.
With Latina having joined them, the group of five rushed over to where the other children were playing in the park.
It was a sign of Kreuz’s prosperity and wholesome nature that children were able to run about while joyfully shouting like this in its streets. There was nothing to really endanger the children here in the middle of the day, despite the heavy flow of travelers through town. Part of that was because the plaza was near the lord’s manor, where the local government was run.
Kreuz did have slums, though to be precise they were actually outside the walls and clustered up against them. There were children in the town itself who lived rather poorly as well, being forced to work from a young age, but even so, the overwhelming majority of children there were able to have fun, play, and just enjoy their childhood, perhaps more so than any other town in Laband.
After playing numerous games of octopus tag and running around to the point of exhaustion, the children naturally dispersed. After saying goodbye to the other kids, Latina and her friends sat down off to the side in the grass, where they pulled out the contents of the basket. After such hearty exercise, they’d worked up quite an appetite, so it was time for a snack.
The brownies wrapped in thin paper looked truly tasty, but as Latina handed them out to her friends, she didn’t look at all like someone excited to dig into some sweets. She had her cheeks puffed out, showing her displeasure. She was trying her hardest to show how she felt, but instead it made her look like a cute little animal.
“Cheer up, Latina.”
“These sweets are delicious.”
Anthony and Marcel tried to cheer Latina up with comments like that as they devoured their snacks. And yet, Latina’s puffed-up cheeks did not deflate.
“Why did Rudy always go after Latina?” she asked unhappily.
“Hmm? Because you’re so small and slow.”
Completely unmoved by Latina’s complaints, Rudy kept wolfing down the brownies he was holding in each hand.
These were high-class goods from famous shops frequented by the nobles of the capital, but to the children, the only thing that mattered was that they were rich and delicious sweets.
“There were kids smaller than Latina.”
“But even if they were littler, they were still faster than you.”
“Latina isn’t slow!” said Latina, her cheeks swelling up like balloons again. She was clearly displeased; Rudy had greatly injured her pride.
“It’s because Rudy always chases after Latina the most!” Latina asserted, causing Anthony to laugh awkwardly, while Chloe knitted her brows. Marcel casually threw in a “That’s right” as well. It was hard to gauge what Marcel’s reaction meant, but Rudy himself remained indifferent, and unwrapped yet another brownie.
“Isn’t it weird that he doesn’t notice it himself?” whispered Chloe.
“Rudy’s still a kid, after all,” Anthony replied, whispering as well.
They may have still been young, but Rudy’s actions were easy to see right through. In fact, they were almost embarrassed to see their old friend act so blatantly.
The other topic of this conversation, Latina, bit into a brownie as well, and her expression suddenly brightened, as if she no longer cared about Rudy at all.
Ever since their first meeting, Chloe and the others saw Latina as someone special. The girl had brilliant, sparkling platinum hair and wore beautiful ribbons the likes of which commoner children could only hope to wear for festivals. At first, she had been all skin and bones, but now that she had filled back out, she was incredibly cute and charming. She was like a princess from a fairytale. She was born in a far-off nation, so the way she spoke was a little awkward, but she could use magic. She had no birth parents, but she lived with her adoptive father in a shop where adventurers gathered. Any one of these aspects would seem extraordinary to the children, and all of them were true of Latina.
All four of the children also knew about her horns. In fact, it was Latina herself who had shown them the little black horn hidden behind her ribbon. Latina had even let Chloe touch it, and she thought it felt smooth to the touch, with a faint bit of warmth to it. From the sad look on Latina’s face, the children could tell that they shouldn’t ask about her broken left horn. Even Rudy, who seemed to be entirely lacking in tact, understood that much.
With a sort of flexibility that adults lacked, the children easily accepted that devils were slightly different from them, but they were still people.
At first they had indeed been drawn to how unique she was, but now their tiny, loveable friend Latina was someone very precious to them. And because she knew that, they were very precious to Latina as well.
Her friends had known that Latina could use magic since they first met her, but Dale hadn’t. To start with, he never would’ve guessed that it was even possible for a kid that young in the first place. He never even considered it.
When the topic happened to come up during dinner, he was so surprised that he unconsciously dropped his fork.
“Huh? You can use magic, Latina?”
“Yeah. But only one basic healing spell.”
Ever since this conversation, Dale had been left wondering whether or not he should give her proper magic training. In particular, he was worried about attack magic.
Hmm... attack magic is dangerous, but I also kind of want to have her learn it for self-defense...
The only thing that he’d worried over more was her broken horn. After all, she was such a cute little girl. He couldn’t help but be concerned that some people with ill intentions would set their sights on her at some point. As long as she had the power to use magic, then he should teach her the skills she’d need to protect herself.
Knowing Latina, it’s not like she’d use it carelessly and end up hurting someone...
Thus, he arrived at the decision to teach her magic, even knowing the risk it posed as a weapon.
On a different day, in the early afternoon:
Dale pulled out the textbook he’d once used to learn magic, and he called for Latina.
“Latina, what element is the recovery magic you can use?”
“Umm... shining.”
“‘Holy,’ huh...? Well then, do you know if you have opposing or adjacent elements?”
“No, Latina doesn’t know.”
As Latina shook her head, Dale started pondering.
The ability to use mana to cause all sorts of phenomena was called magic. The amount varied, but the power source known as mana existed in all things. Because of that, someone not having mana at all was extremely unlikely. But when it came to magic, that was a different story entirely. To start with, you could only use magic corresponding to the elements you had an affinity for.
