by CHIROLU
Being the capital of such a country, Ausblick was of course overflowing with first-rate weapons and armor, as well as magical devices. The rows of shops had everything from stores with goods at entirely reasonable prices to ones that handled specialized items so costly that commoners couldn’t even dream of purchasing them. It was one such shop that Dale visited, accompanied by Helmine.
Apparently, out of the shops in Ausblick that primarily sold robes and the like, this was the one Helmine recommended most. Even though Dale wasn’t overly familiar with the sorts of equipment magic users employed, he could still tell that the wares on display here had particularly elegant designs.
As they generally lacked the strength required to wear heavy armor, magic users usually preferred magic robes, which were enchanted with mana to increase their defense and evasion. That made them the optimal sort of gear for a young girl like Latina.
“Dale? Those sizes you’re looking at seem awfully small.”
“...One of my acquaintances asked me to buy something for his kid. I already said that, right?”
“Yeah, you did. But still, you seem to be really getting into it.”
Helmine’s high-pitched laugh made Dale’s smile twitch.
He only knew this because he’d heard it from Kenneth and Gregor, but apparently lately, when he was thinking about Latina, his sheer bliss tended to show on his face. She was currently his greatest “weakness.” He was doing his utmost to get through this without the vixen before him figuring that out.
Still, I just can’t help it! This robe isn’t bad, but I think this cape would look even cuter on Latina!
He was picking out items for Latina, so naturally, he kept imagining her wearing them. Right, imagining such things was unavoidable. As he thought about how Latina was so cute that anything would suit her, Dale’s expression grew more and more obvious.
I’d thought about it before coming, but sure enough, it’s different seeing them in person... This looks easier to move in, so I think it’d be much better... Hmm...
“That’s not bad, but if it’s for a kid, then this is what I’d recommend. The price is a little high, but it’s a high-quality item, and more importantly, it’s made so it’s hard to tell that it’s a magical device.”
Though Dale had been lost in his thoughts, Helmine’s voice brought him back to his senses. Looking her way, he saw that she was holding a cape simpler-looking than the one he held in his hands. Taking a look at it, he saw that the protective spell seemed to be etched into the lining. The material had a color that wasn’t unusual for a cloak, and it gave a somewhat subdued impression. But in exchange, the tone of the lining was vibrant, with the sort of design that seemed like what young girls would like.
“Giving a kid a magic robe to wear is like having them say, ‘Please kidnap me!’ It shows that they come from a rich family, after all. That’s why they have robes made like this, where you can’t tell what they are.”
“I see...”
“On the other hand, there are also ones that make it perfectly clear that they’re magical robes. Ones like that made for kids are usually worn by rich noble children. They’re like a declaration to everyone who sees them. ‘They’re still young, but this child has the ability to use magic,’ or, ‘Our family can afford to have even our children wear such luxurious items,’ things like that,” she said jokingly with a refined laugh, but there was also some bite behind it, speaking to her personality.
“You’re shopping for a young girl, right?”
“Why are you asking me that, all of the sudden...?” he asked back, carefully doing his best not to let his shock at the unexpected question show. But paying no heed to Dale’s efforts, Helmine simply gave him amused smile.
“Well, you took what I just handed you without questioning it. If it were for a boy, then you’d want to avoid such a cute lining, right?”
She’d easily tricked the information out of him. A cold sweat dripped down Dale’s back.
By the time he had Helmine help pick out a rod for a magic user, he would likely have leaked all sorts of information, aside from, perhaps, Latina’s name.
Helmine hadn’t said that herself, and Dale didn’t ask her. But he couldn’t help but think that was the case.
Dale was a little reluctant when it came to purchasing a rod.
The rods that magic users often used weren’t for casting magic itself, but instead aided in controlling mana and designating an area of effect, both of which were crucial to casting spells. When it came to magic, it was important to try to cast it over only the range that was necessary; doing that maximized mana consumption efficiency. Therefore, these rods and rings, which were pricey, were important weapons for those like Helmine who made their living as magic users.
When it came to rods that came in children’s sizes, though, only ones meant for training were available. Compared to those meant for full-fledged magic users, they were noticeably weaker when it came to correcting control. Otherwise, Dale wouldn’t have needed a custom-made item, and unfortunately, he had no time to place such an order.
Wanting to get the best for Latina, Dale rather reluctantly compromised and decided to buy the cutest, most expensive training rod.
With that, the shopping was at an end.
“See you later, Dale. Next time we meet, you’ll have to introduce me to this cute little magic user who has you so out of sorts, alright? As a fellow magic user, I’m definitely interested in a girl that young who can manage to cast magic.”
Seeing off Helmine as she left with a wave, Dale couldn’t help but question himself. He’d certainly been able to carry out his shopping better than he would have on his own, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite bring himself to say that he’d made the right decision in asking Helmine to help. He felt a sort of sense of defeat as well.
Having received permission from the duke for his trip to his home village, Dale got on his horse once more and returned to Kreuz. Because he pushed the horse so hard, he ended up paying the owner extra.
The horse Dale had gotten for the trip was grazing behind the Dancing Ocelot. Since Latina loved animals, it seemed that she had been taking care of it while Dale was away. Dale had chosen a small one because that was enough to carry their luggage and because he didn’t want anything serious to happen if Latina fell off, since she wasn’t used to riding horses.
The morning of their departure, Latina was happily twirling about the Dancing Ocelot, showing off her traveling clothes. Her camel-colored cape was a high-class item enchanted with mana. Kenneth sighed when he saw that Dale had bought her such a thing, since it was so high-quality that it would have made a novice adventurer cry bitter tears if they saw it.
Dale had been worried about purchasing the rod, but when Latina gave it a try, he saw that there was no issue. Latina had an excellent talent for mana control to begin with. Since she could manage even without a tool, the low amount of assistance provided by a training rod was plenty for her. Because it was ultimately for self-defense rather than proper combat, it made sense to go with a child-sized one that was easy to handle.
She’d ordered the leather boots on her feet as soon as the trip was decided, and she’d been wearing them ever since, so she had already worn them in.
She had the bare necessities in the rucksack on her back, and at the back of her waist, she wore a red leather scabbard with her knife inside. Holding her magic rod with a tiny glittering stone atop it, Latina stood proudly, completely ready to go.
Rudy’s father had thrown in the scabbard for the knife she’d bought for free. The white-threaded embroidery on the red leather had a somewhat cute design to it. It seemed he’d made it with what a young girl like Latina would like in mind.
She was in shorts, which was unusual for her, but they maximized ease of movement and didn’t hurt her cuteness in the least.
Awash with excitement, she looked up at Kenneth and gave him a report.
“Dale packed magical devices in the lugg
age. There’s one in the canteen, and there’s a magical device for starting fires, too!”
“...Just how much did you spend?”
“It’s fine! It’s no exaggeration to call water and fire magical devices essentials when you’re going on a trip,” Dale retorted, but the expression on his face was a little strained. He was aware that he’d gone overboard spoiling Latina.
“Latina, magical devices are expensive. You shouldn’t show them off to others too much, since that can be dangerous.”
Hearing Kenneth’s warning, Latina immediately nodded.
“Latina knows. She’ll put them back away.”
“Also, you should at least, at the bare minimum, keep the food and medicine in your rucksack. You can keep the rest of the luggage on the horse, but you need that stuff on your person in case something happens.”
“Right. Latina understands.”
“By the way, Latina, are you taking any money with you?”
“She has it in the bottom of her bag. Just a bit, though,” she said, pointing to the small pouch attached to her belt. Latina had sewed it herself to use on the trip. She used thick, high-quality cloth and colored thread to make the girlish piece. As she’d become more skilled, Latina had grown fond of embroidering the accessories she’d made, but she went with just a small ocelot design on this pouch. Along with the small amount of money, she also put a comb and some candy inside as. Even the contents were quite girlish.
“Rita told her to, so Latina stitched it into the inside of her clothes as well.”
Without needing to be told, Latina had her rucksack under her cape. That was the right thing to do when it came to guarding against pickpockets.
Dale and Kenneth exchanged a glance, both thinking how level-headed the young girl was.
“Take care, Dale. There are all sorts of things to watch out for with Latina along.”
Kenneth felt the need to voice this concern because her charming outfit and accessories only served to accentuate the girl’s natural cuteness. Even putting aside the fact that she was a devil with broken horns, it wouldn’t be strange at all for some low-lifes to set their sights on her. There was just that much danger surrounding the young girl.
“Latina really is cute, after all,” Dale responded. It almost seemed like he was bragging. He wasn’t wrong, but that somehow still got on Kenneth’s nerves.
“Latina, you be careful, okay? And Dale, you make it back safe, too. Don’t do anything that’d make Latina cry,” Rita said as she pat the young girl’s head. Dale agreed, finding that much obvious.
“Well, yeah! If anything happens to me, then I can’t protect Latina,” responded Dale, without even a hint of hesitation.
“Well then, we’re off!”
“Take care!”
As Rita and Kenneth saw them go with smiles on their faces, the devil girl set off, waving her hand vigorously.
It was a calm and tranquil spring day when Dale and Latina set off on their journey.
†
Kreuz’s eastern district was connected to the highway. If you followed that north, you’d pass a large river and eventually arrive at a port. If you instead traveled south down the highway, you’d reach the capital. That was why Kreuz had become such an important distribution point.
Before they left, Dale told Latina that their first destination was the ocean. However, Dale headed for the southern gate and then proceeded southwest. The ocean was in a completely different direction. Realizing that, Latina looked up at Dale with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Dale? Why are we going this way?”
“I’ve got no clue when I’m going to take you out of town next... so do you want to go visit his grave? If that’s too much for you, then we don’t have to.”
With those words, Latina realized what was in this direction.
“The forest where Latina first met Dale is this way?”
“That’s right. There are lots of magical beasts, so it’s dangerous, but... I’ve checked it out countless times since then, and I found the shortest route there from outside the forest. I’ll be sure to keep you safe, too.”
As soon as Dale said that, Latina gripped his hand tightly. “Thank you, Dale.”
“Hmm?” Dale was clearly puzzled as to why he was suddenly being thanked.
“Dale went to Rag’s grave a lot of times, right? Latina knew that she needed to go, so thank you.”
There was no pain or sadness in Latina’s expression. She just pointed a gentle, tiny smile Dale’s way.
“Latina will go to the grave. She needs to tell Rag how happy she is now.”
“I see...”
Relieved by Latina’s calm expression, Dale smiled as well.
The forest the two were heading towards was to the southwest of Kreuz. Apparently, it did have an official name, but the people who lived in town just called it things like “the evil forest” or “the forest of darkness.” It was the only forest near Kreuz, so they didn’t need to worry about being really specific. People called the forest things like that because it was inhabited by a great many magical beasts, making it the domain of creatures other than man. There were a great number of animals there as well, so it could be thought of as an abundant area capable of supporting many creatures.
“Magical beasts” was a general term for creatures with an abundance of mana, and it included things like bugs and lizards, as well. Non-biological entities were classified as “magical beings” instead. Outside of mana, magical beasts’ ways of life had many points in common with normal animals, so places with many animals were also places with many magical beasts.
Dale didn’t enter the forest right away, but instead circled around it. Occasionally, he noticed the presence of animals, but none of them attacked.
“Hmm, I think it was around here...” Dale grumbled to himself before rattling off a quick spell. As Earth magic was his specialty, he never lost his bearings.
While pulling on the reins of the horse, he gestured Latina over to his side.
“We’re entering the forest now. I know you’re aware that there are all sorts of dangerous creatures like magical beasts in there, but be sure to be careful, alright?”
“Alright. Latina won’t leave Dale’s side.” She gave a nod and seemed pretty fired up, a serious expression on her face.
That was when Dale learned of Latina’s ability to sense things that would do her harm.
After walking for a while, Latina suddenly stopped, and her gaze darted about their surroundings. With her wariness showing openly on her face, her line of sight fixed onto a single spot. She had attached her rod to her rucksack so it wouldn’t get in the way while walking, but now she held it firmly in both hands and was standing at the ready.
“What is it, Lati—” Dale abruptly stopped talking. He also sensed it. There were several presences moving about, far beyond where she was looking.
More than that, though, it was the fact that Latina had realized it first that shocked him. They were so far away that even Dale, a first-rate adventurer, had only noticed because his attention was pointed in that direction. Normally, he wouldn’t have even picked up on it.
“You knew there were magical beasts that way...?”
“Yeah.” Latina nodded without hesitation. “Latina knows that it’s ‘dangerous.’ When she was here before, at times like this, she’d run and hide right away.”
“That’s amazing. How do you know?”
“Latina doesn’t understand it. She just does. Rag often said that Latina is ‘protected by fate.’”
Is it divine protection...? But I don’t sense that from Latina at all... as he thought that, he focused on the situation at hand. Right now, he needed to leverage this advantage by taking the initiative. Switching gears, he swung out his left arm with practiced ease. The sound of a stopper releasing resounded from his gauntlet-shaped magical device, and it unfolded. In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a small-scale crossbow.
Dale’s gauntlet
was a magical device that served as a weapon, using mana to heighten its abilities. It was able to make arrows out of mana and fire them. There was no need to worry about running out of arrows, it took no time to reload, and unlike magic, it didn’t require the time needed to recite a spell. Of course, each firing of the weapon used up mana, and unlike magic, its power couldn’t be freely adjusted. It wasn’t an all-purpose tool, but as long-range attacks had been a weakness for Dale because of his magical attributes, the bow had become his indispensible partner.
Dale wore a sword and was quite skilled at using it, and because of that, people tended to think of him as a fighter who specialized in close-range battle, but his true specialty was archery. His skills shined best when he was handling a long-range weapon.
He took in a single breath and held it, and in the next instant, he fired off a volley of mana arrows. Two of the rapidly fired arrows moved precisely through the gaps between the trees and pierced the still rather far-off magical beasts, which were big-cat types out hunting prey. The mana arrows may have been small, but they packed more of a punch than you may expect. Having been struck between the eyes, one of the beasts collapsed deep in the dense greenery. The other arrow pierced the creature by its side. It seemed to have missed the beast’s vitals, so it thrashed about in anguish. When they saw their allies felled by an attack, the rest of the pack grew agitated, and from their movements, Dale was able to figure out the number remaining as well as their positions. From there, his task was simple.
It would be nearly impossible for the beasts to close the gap between them and dodge Dale’s volleys all the while. The enemy may have had the advantage in terms of numbers, but the outcome of this battle had effectively been determined before it even began.
Even though it was their first time fighting together, it was clear that Latina’s ability was a good match for Dale. By making the first move from such a great distance, Dale was able to put the archery attacks that were his true specialty to great use.
