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

by CHIROLU

  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.”r />
  “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 sickening
ly 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!”