If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord: Volume 9

by CHIROLU

  He strained his senses, searching carefully for any presences out in the darkness, or anything out of place among the smell of plants and earth. Any time he was struck by even the slightest sense that something was out of place, he immediately hunted down the reason behind that.

  It was truly a frightening display of concentration and skill.

  Even before becoming a demon, Dale had specialized in exploring forests. But he remained fully focused, as being too used to a job could cause you to let your guard down.

  “A burn mark...?”

  As Dale stopped and checked the damage, he knitted his brow. The scar was relatively fresh, with the bark melted and burnt. On the other hand, though, there weren’t any signs of fire showing on the surrounding grass. Even considering spontaneous combustion, it was just too unnatural.

  Dale contemplated, and started theorizing about the cause of what he was seeing. Several thoughts came to mind, but the chances of any of them seemed exceptionally low. Still, working through such possibilities was an essential step in coming to a firm conclusion.

  Naturally, upon hearing that there was serious danger due to a magical beast being the cause, he left Latina at the inn and was acting on his own, in a way due to his own deplorable nature.

  When he was tackling a serious job, he acted in such a way that would bring no shame to his fame as a hero. He had a sharp gaze, a serious expression betraying not a hint of fear, and an overall appearance that marked him as an experienced adventurer.

  Latina knew nothing of that side of him, though.

  If she saw the gallant look in Dale’s eyes now, she would probably directly praise him by saying how cool he looked. She would likely even blush at seeing that unknown side of him.

  However, this side of Dale could also only be seen because Latina wasn’t around. When she was by his side his tension would naturally all loosen, and he would dote on her full force without fail. No matter how serious his expression and the air about him may be, that would be crushed by an even greater doting mood.

  Thanks to all that, Latina had never seen Dale’s more heroic side. And it seemed pretty unlikely that she would get that chance anytime soon, either.

  If that wasn’t worthy of being called deplorable, then what was?

  Even as the morning sun rose and it got brighter out, his field of sight didn’t quite clear up.

  There was a thick fog hanging about. Perhaps this land got a lot of fog because it was close to the sea. But it wasn’t a type of weather that could occur all the time, considering temperature and season.

  If this was caused by the magical beast too, though, he could see why this one area was closed down. This white, murky field of vision must have made it difficult even for locals familiar with the area to search about. And so, they must have closed it down to guard against accidents, too.

  “Still, that fog sure was pure white,” Dale grumbled, looking utterly exhausted as he reported that to Latina while they ate breakfast.

  “Wah... I wish I could see that, too. But maybe I’d end up getting lost...”

  “I would never lose sight of you, though, so it would be fine.”

  “Split apart,” Vint interjected while wagging his tail and sitting politely at Latina’s feet.

  “This inn’s breakfast sure is tasty.”

  “Yeah.”

  It was breakfast time when Dale returned to the inn like nothing had happened, and sat down across from Latina to eat.

  To Dale, the main focus was making sure Latina enjoyed her trip, while the magical beast search was nothing but an aside. Their routine was to eat breakfast each morning, and he could see no reason to neglect that daily blessing.

  “I was thinking I would have the inn’s owner introduce me to someone who knows the details, so I can ask why they determined a magical beast was the cause for these circumstances. And if it matches up with what I was thinking, then I should really wrap this up as soon as possible.”

  “Right...”

  Dale said it so lightly that Latina was unable to tell whether or not to be worried about him. Just from looking at him, it seemed like it would be an incredibly simple matter.

  But we heard the stationed soldiers couldn’t deal with it, right...?

  “You can go ahead and take a walk around town with Vint in the meantime, but just make sure you take care.”

  He was actually worrying about her instead.

  Latina obediently nodded along, but mentally she was tilting her head again.

  Dale had the air about him like he was just going for an after-meal walk. Was it really alright to take a magical beast extermination so lightly?

  Ultimately, Dale remained lighthearted till she saw him off while enjoying her post-meal tea.

  But for the time being, she decided that there was no point in getting fixated on something she wouldn’t know no matter how much she thought about it.

  Since she had the day open, she was thinking about touring around the general stores. She got the feeling that she may find some interesting stuff by looking around some shops other than the one she visited yesterday. Ah, and she should try to go to a big bath again, too. As one thought after another came to mind, she started filling up the day’s schedule.

  “It would be nice if you could get in a hot spring too, Vint,” she muttered, wishing that her accompanying pup could share in the enjoyment since he also came all this way.

  “Woof?”

  “They do let beastmen in, though... So I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

  Naturally, Dale had no idea that the lovey-dovey mixed bathing date he had so desired was becoming a reality for a certain pup while he was out.

  There existed a type of magical being called a slime.

  It was thought to be a simple organism that multiplied by splitting apart, but many aspects of it were shrouded in mystery. As a result, though normally the naming of “magical beast” was given to biological entities, it instead was classified as a magical being, which was normally meant for non-biological creatures.

  The high amount of mana they possessed was one of the key reasons for that. That led to the hypothesis that slimes were originally man-made biological organisms, and the ones seen today had simply gone feral.

  They also had the unique feature of varying depending on their environment. And as a result, it became known as a type of magical being with all sorts of subspecies.

  “Just like I thought...” Dale muttered, seeing a pool of limpid water filled to the brim near the spring source.

  Underneath the water’s surface, there was a strange wriggling. Unlike the ripples on the water’s surface caused by the wind, the thing underneath looked dense and was quaking heavily.

  As slimes relied on liquid to make up most of their body composition, they were fond of waterside areas. On top of that, they could also use their large stores of mana to magically increase the moisture concentration in the surrounding area. The fog from the morning must have been the aftermath of that.

  “You weren’t at the hot spring source, so it seems like you aren’t so good with heat.”

  That was definitely something of a silver lining here. The amount of damage would have been unfathomable if it had entered the town of Affe through the spring source and hot springs.

  And more than all that, Latina would have been endangered if that had happened.

  He could never just overlook something like that. And so, he really did feel grateful that he found it before the flexible slime could manage to adapt to warmer temperatures.

  Physical attacks weren’t effective on slimes.

  What looked at a glance like a single being was actually more like an aggregation of many tiny slimes. Thanks to that, the whole hardly took any damage at all when whacked with a sword or club or the like. And since it had such a simple makeup, it didn’t feel pain. That meant it wasn’t possible to use pain in order to restrict its movements, either.

  The liquid inside its body was a strongly acidic comp
ound capable of digesting its prey. And so, interacting with it carelessly could lead to your weapons being corroded or even your skin getting burnt.

  For that reason, Dale decided to employ magic without even a hint of hesitation. He kneaded his mana, chanted a long spell, and finally proclaimed the spell name.

  “<>”

  With that different spell than his usual <>, a crystal rose from the depths of the spring as Dale had desired. Like with real gemstones, it was the kind of spell that was quite rare to see as it required high amounts of mana and affinity, though that wasn’t necessarily the case in places with abundant resources. The cage of quartz formed in a shape that would be impossible in nature, separating the slime from the outside world. Based on what he knew about them, it was clear to Dale that this slime was far larger than average.

  It must have realized what was happening, as a portion of the slime exploded. That self-destruction was an attack performed by sacrificing a portion of itself for the sake of the whole. With that, fluid came pouring out, seeping into the surroundings.

  Seeing that, Dale continued on chanting.

  The walls of quartz grew even thicker. Having more or less lost any place to go, the little bit of acid that had leaked out now swayed atop the slime’s body.

  The slime had been trapped in what looked like a distorted pestle made of quartz, and when it started probing around for a way out, Dale muttered, “It sure is a big one... If Latina was here she’d probably find it super interesting, but that’d be dangerous...”

  He really didn’t sway in his convictions.

  “Maybe I should’ve brought Vint along with me. After all, Hagel’s Fire magic was really useful when I was traveling around dealing with the demon lords.”

  He couldn’t help but think to himself with a strained smile that having things too easy really ruined people.

  Even so, Dale focused in order to cast another round of magic. Quirmizi’s blessing didn’t affect anything but the Earth magic he specialized in, so other types used up mana. However, when Dale was strengthened by becoming a demon, that applied to the amount of mana he possessed, too. Plus, since his opponent had been sealed from escaping, he could even chant off a long spell without any problem. Thanks to that, all the typical drawbacks of casting a big spell had been cleared away.

  When the magic finally activated, it had an overwhelming effect.

  The maelstrom of cold it whipped up froze the slime’s liquid body thoroughly, attacking each and every cell. And as the murky transparent white of the slime’s liquid body froze over, there was a slight high-pitched cracking sound.

  Standing in front of the now completely frozen icicle, Dale gave a single sigh.

  “Before I clean this up, I better make sure there aren’t any more around the area.”

  Surely there wouldn’t be any more this big. But there was still a chance there could be some little ones lurking around.

  “It’d be nice if I could find those mushrooms Latina wanted, too,” Dale muttered, adding a mushroom hunt to his search for any remnants as he pushed his way through the forest.

  “And so, this is a dried out slime,” Dale had stated lightheartedly after returning to the inn like he was just continuing on from breakfast, pulling out a scraggly, semi-transparent lump.

  “Slime?” Vint questioned, sniffing the substance with great interest.

  It was a great deal different from how Latina imagined a slime to be.

  “It’s not all bouncy and jelly-like?”

  “I mean, I wouldn’t go that far...”

  “It’s so hard.”

  “Ah, that’s just because it’s dried up.”

  Afterwards, Dale had gathered up several small slimes and froze them, then used magic to suck all the moisture out of them. The reason he dried them all out was because it allowed him to have some proof that they were dealt with to deliver to the proper location.

  “There may still be some left, so I was planning on telling them to hunt them down across the mountain when I handed this over. Slimes have a lot of subspecies, but they’re easy to figure out how to deal with if you can peg what type it is.”

  “Hmm...”

  The fact that Dale headed out and returned in the evening so nonchalantly made it hard for Latina to grasp the seriousness of what had occurred. And in the first place, she had grown up in Kreuz with Dale heading out daily to exterminate magical beasts, so she didn’t see how amazing he really was.

  “Are slimes edible?”

  “It’s like a bundle of acid, so I’d say no,” Dale replied, only for an unexpected comment to come from Vint at his side, who had reached a conclusion after thorough sniffing.

  “This thing, really gross, so no way.”

  “You’ve eaten one before?”

  “Orange-colored ones, a bit sour. Easy to catch. Like a little snack.”

  “So you’ve eaten them...?”

  Apparently soaring wolf cubs treated an orange subspecies of slimes as snacks. Dale could actually see how they could look kind of tasty depending on how they were colored.

  Still, it would be a problem if Latina ended up getting any more interested in the subject.

  “Ah, Latina,” Dale called out to intentionally change the flow of the conversation, forcefully driving it away from what they had just been discussing. “I found the mushrooms you wanted to eat. I handed them over to the inn’s chef, so I think they’ll probably be used for tonight’s dinner.”

  That had an immediate effect, as Latina broke out in a wide smile as her head was filled with thoughts of that night’s dinner. She just looked so happy that Dale couldn’t help but grin too, feeling that today’s mushroom hunt really had been worth it.

  And when Latina finally got to eat the mushrooms she had so desired, her joy was even greater.

  They were lightly roasted over deep mountain apricot wood and just had a bit of salt for seasoning. And biting into them turned out to be an honestly moving experience. The savory taste it overflowed with made it feel like a waste to simply swallow it, as chewing it was so enjoyable.

  “Amazing... This is delicious...”

  Dale, of course, was fully satisfied by the dish, but he enjoyed taking in Latina’s smile even more than he did the food.

  †

  There was also one more reason Dale had felt the need to take care of this extermination job.

  Seeing the source of the hot springs with Latina was one of the reasons Dale had decided they should visit Affe in the first place.

  It wasn’t as if it’d been reopened right away, but the original reason for the closure had been resolved, and there was nothing further to fear from it.

  And so, this is pretty much the perfect opportunity!

  Dale shot Latina a wide grin, not even hiding his thoughts. She simply viewed this as a pleasant stroll, though, and smiled back without any hesitation.

  Latina stopped in the shade of the forest’s trees and stared up at the clear blue sky.

  She had been raised in the city of Kreuz, so the sight and smell of such dense greenery was apparently quite novel to her. Her expression was full of emotion, eloquently displaying what she was feeling.

  Even when she started moving again, she showed no hesitation walking through this unfamiliar location.

  Since he could see how much Latina trusted him through her actions, Dale was also wearing a blissful grin.

  Even Vint’s tail was happily wagging along as he walked ahead of them.

  The small dirt path through the woods had tree roots jutting out into it, making for rather poor footing. But apparently, Latina even found joy in the path being so unkempt, as she hopped along while avoiding the hazards. Just when Dale began worrying about her tripping, she suddenly lost her balance, but she was fortunately able to catch herself on her way down.

  Latina looked embarrassed by her own clumsiness, causing Dale to break out in a strained smile and completely forget to scold her.<
br />
  A unique smell then filled the air, signaling to Dale that their destination was nearby. The accompanying loud sound of water also informed Latina of where exactly they were heading.

  “I thought it would be a river, but it’s not...?”

  “Yeah,” Dale lightly replied as they started heading downhill.

  Occasionally Dale offered Latina a hand so that she wouldn’t slip. And since the footing was so bad Vint decided to fly instead, which he was rather skilled at.

  “Wah...” Latina exclaimed in wonder as she looked up, seeing an impressive waterfall. A large amount of water was flowing ceaselessly from the rock face, making for quite the display. “It’s amazing...”

  “The waterfall’s really something, but it’s not the only amazing thing around here.”

  “Huh?” Latina questioned while tilting her head.

  As they approached the waterfall, it became clear that the basin had been carved out rather deep and looked like a fountain. When Latina dipped her hand in she immediately looked shocked, and then after a moment she turned to Dale.

  “It’s warm?”

  “Up above the spring source joins with the river and then they fall down together. Thanks to that, this whole waterfall is a hot spring.”

  “Wow! That’s so amazingly wonderful!”

  Apparently she hadn’t expected this at all. With her eyes positively sparkling, she put her hand back in the waterfall basin and started excitedly stirring it around.

  Seeing Latina like that, Vint apparently decided that meant it was time to play in the water, so he leapt into the waterfall basin. And as it turned out, he was a far better swimmer than Dale had expected.

  “It’ll be like getting in a really big bath, right?”

  “It’s pretty famous among adventurers. Lots of folks use it, and it’s known for providing a different experience from the bath house in town.”

  “I see.”

  Dale nonchalantly explained all that, but he also had an ulterior motive in coming here.

  Latina was incredibly shy. Several years had passed between their engagement and their marriage, but she hadn’t really changed in that regard over that period.