by CHIROLU
Latina rarely ever made mistakes, but she had gone and shown a side of herself that was very fitting for her age. She was admittedly a bit uncontrollable when it came to dealing with cats and the like, but considering how she acted normally, she was sure to grow up just fine.
“It’d be nice if you could see a bunny again, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll have to tell Rita all about it when we get back.”
“Latina will draw a picture. And write about it in her diary, too.”
“I see. Make sure to write a lot, alright?”
The rhythmic swaying of the carriage invited just as much drowsiness now as it did on the way there. However, unlike the trip out, Latina wasn’t feeling as sleepy. It seemed her midday nap really proved effective there.
The setting sun was dyeing the scenery a pale yellow, just on the verge of giving way to a red.
Kreuz was surrounded by walls and full of densely packed buildings, so you couldn’t easily see the sun setting in such a vast, open sky there. And so, it really was nice that they were getting a chance to do so now.
By the time you’re grown, the little mistakes from childhood become nothing but amusing memories. That thought was running through Dale’s head as he smiled and pointed down the path.
The town walls made for a splendid structure, with a strange sort of majesty to them. Latina always saw them from the inside, but she rarely got a chance to see them from the other side like this. And as soon as she recognized them, her expression lit up.
Big outings like this were able to be so enjoyable because she had such a place to return home to.
Latina’s first big trip ended as such, full of mistakes and discoveries, as well as new experiences and growth.
And of course, Latina was able to safely make it back to the Ocelot in order to say, “Latina’s home.”
5: A Certain Small Epilogue, After the Story’s End
In Kreuz, said to be the second most prominent town in all of Laband, there was a combination bar and inn known as the Dancing Ocelot. Kreuz was very welcoming to travelers and adventurers, so a lot of outsiders tended to visit each and every day.
The green flag of a winged horse hanging by the entrance indicated the shop acted as a branch of the temple of Akhdar, the god who watched over travelers seeking to gather information. That made it a place where you could get ahold of a great deal of the information held by the temple, making it a facility used by many.
With all that said, that wasn’t the only reason so many customers visited the Dancing Ocelot. The prices were cheap, and the food was also so good it was hard to imagine it was from a bar in the rougher part of town.
The owner who showed off his skills was rumored to have been an axe-wielding adventurer in his youth, and his physique certainly seemed to support that claim. The shop’s chief clientele were hotblooded adventurers, but even after they’d had too much to drink, the proprietor was able to keep them in line.
“The food for the counter seat’s ready.”
“On it!”
The girl who had answered in that cheery voice and come carrying out plates moved every bit as briskly as you would expect of such a busy shop’s waitress. She was carrying far more food and mugs than it looked like her slender arms could possibly handle, and she smoothly swayed through the complex maze of customers as she went.
“You’re a real beauty, there!” a drunken customer called out along with a leer and an outstretched hand, which she smoothly dodged in a way that showed how much she was used to such things. She had been raised in this shop since a young age, so she was plenty accustomed to handling drunks.
Most of the regulars recognized from the sight that the customer was a newcomer and broke out in wicked grins.
All of the regulars who had been around for a long time knew there was always someone truly frightening keeping an eye on her. He had been busy lately and hadn’t had as many chances as usual to show up around the shop, but if he learned someone caused her even the slightest harm he would hunt them down all the way to the ends of the earth. He was so frightening that the regulars thought calling him a great demon lord would be fitting, as he was scarier than any of the regular ones, but he was known to the world at large as a champion.
“Latina, the next plate is up.”
“Right!”
As she came back into the kitchen holding a stack of dirty plates, the platinum ponytail she wore bounced along behind her back.
Kreuz was a big town, but not just anyone could go out walking at night. There were only limited lights along the streets, so it was generally quite dark out in the town at that time of day. That had an effect on how safe it was, and also meant that even bars were limited in how long they could stay open. The Dancing Ocelot was also an inn, of course, but it still closed up before it got too dark out and the customers all headed for wherever they would be spending the night.
Latina gave a single sigh, but then she set to work on her next task. She skillfully wiped off the dirtied tables and got the floor nice and clean. It made sense to clean carefully during the times of day when there weren’t customers around, but if she took too long it could eat into her sleep time and have an effect on her work the following day. But the movements were so drilled into her body and efficient by now that it didn’t take all that long till she finished her work and gave a satisfied glance over the store.
“Are you already done cleaning the kitchen? I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time.”
“That’s nothing to apologize for.”
To be honest, she seemed to feel more disappointed than troubled. The man had known Latina for so long that he could sense that, so he broke out in a strained grin.
“Is Dale still gonna be a while?”
“Yeah. It looks like it’ll take a good while this time around. He complained a whole lot about how he didn’t like playing at being a noble, but he also couldn’t ask anyone else to handle it,” Latina said with a smile. Dale may not have been by her side, but that expression showed a clear trust in him. Their relationship really hadn’t changed in the least.
She looked incredibly happy as she held a cup in both hands. It was cream-colored and made of porcelain, and she had purchased it because she was fond of its slightly rounded shape. She had bought a similarly shaped dark brown cup along with it for Dale, and they fit together just perfectly, which had amused her.
“Dale’s cup slipped while I was washing it and I dropped it...”
“You were all depressed after that for a while.”
“Dale just smiled and said not to worry about it, though...”
“That’s because you were the one to crack it. If I had done it, he never would’ve stopped grumbling about it,” he added, thinking back on that time. Latina let out a little giggle in response.
He smiled again, as she really hadn’t changed at all from how he remembered. However, that smile couldn’t help but look ever so slightly pained.
That was what happened when a fact known since childhood was thrust in front of you.
“You were always playing pranks, and Dale always got angry.”
“Don’t you think it’s just down to Dale being immature?”
“Maybe so,” Latina replied with a big grin, then she looked him over with a gentle gaze. The smile on her face was almost like that of a mother as she stared at the man who was now in the prime of his life and far taller than her.
“You know, you can still call me ‘big sis’ like you used to, Theo.”
Theodore looked more and more troubled upon hearing that. His “big sis” hadn’t changed at all since he was little, still looking like a young woman.
Theodore had inherited his father’s large frame, and when he was young he worked as an adventurer for a time. That was so he could be well informed about the job for when he took over the family business, and his big sis was more worried about him back then than even his own parents. The visual difference in their ages had long sinc
e reversed, but apparently she still saw him as someone she needed to watch out for.
“It’d confuse the customers who don’t know the circumstances, though.”
In terms of appearances, it wouldn’t be strange at all to think he was her father. And apparently Latina realized that too, as she smiled and nodded, then replied, “That’s true.”
“Plus, you’re technically a local lord’s wife, so that’s no way to be referring to you.”
“I mean, it’s just a tiny little town. Honestly, it just feels like running one big shop to me...”
The land Dale had been granted for his accomplishments was still being cleared away, and amounted to nothing but a town on the nation’s outskirts. There was so much to do and they were so removed from everyone else that the two spent their days enjoying a totally different lifestyle than your average local lord and his wife. As for Dale, he mingled in with the laborers and worked hard to clear the land. His argument for doing so essentially came down to the fact that the Earth magic he specialized in was well suited to such tasks.
“Dale and I both feel better working alongside everyone else rather than just giving orders...”
That statement also went to show that she was just the same as she used to be.
When Dale said he was going to the capital to go play at being a noble, Latina decided to come to this familiar old shop until he was done. “I decided I wanted to enjoy my time off to the fullest,” she had told Theodore, only to start helping out in the kitchen and on the floor again like it was only natural.
He couldn’t help but question how this counted as “time off,” but Theodore also felt it was just like her, so he broke out in a strained smile.
Besides, Theodore always had a weakness for his beautiful, kind big sis. Ever since he was little, he had positively adored her.
He had long since passed his rebellious period, so he was now well aware that it didn’t help out to get overly bashful or awkwardly hold himself back. There was no point at all to refraining from showing gentle affection for your family.
She really didn’t look like she had changed in the least. That would probably stay the same in the future, too. After he grew old, and even further on after that.
In all things, his time was limited. And so, all he could do was meet her affection in kind, and make her smile as much as he could.
As her “little brother,” that was his response to that precious girl, who had also been his first love.
†
After a few days’ stay, Latina packed all her things in a large bag and exited the Ocelot before the morning’s preparations started. As she said farewell to Theodore out front, it was like she was just heading out into the neighborhood.
“Well then, Theo, I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah,” Theodore lightly shot back. “You should go see Emma sometime, too.”
“Right.”
Theodore didn’t see his little sister very often nowadays either, as she had gotten married and was living in a neighboring town. But most folks rarely ever left town to begin with. His big sis was quick on her feet, though, so she had more chances despite living further away.
When Latina turned to leave, Theodore gave a sigh and then added, “Dale too...”
“Hmm?”
“Tell Dale he should show his face around here occasionally, too. He won’t just come out and say it, but I know my old man’s always worrying about him.”
“Right... I’ll tell him,” Latina replied with a smile. With that, she gave a wave farewell with her tiny hand and got going.
As Theodore watched her leave, it was just like when he had seen her off on a distant journey when he was little.
When Latina exited Kreuz, she found a young man in a black leather coat leaning against the wall and staring her way. It was a very familiar sight for her, but it was actually rare lately for him to travel in that outfit.
“Sorry, did I make you wait?”
“No, I just got here early.”
“Did you get proper rest...?”
Dale averted his gaze, seemingly not wanting to answer the question. He didn’t want to lie to her, so he was just openly avoiding the matter. It was incredibly childish, but such mannerisms had long since become part of his usual habits.
After accepting her pack, Dale ultimately dodged the question entirely and asked his own instead.
“Should I call for Vint to take us back?”
“No. I want to check how the road’s coming along, so let’s walk instead.”
“As soon as we get back, we’ll be throwing ourselves right back into work, huh?” Dale said with a chuckle, walking alongside Latina.
“Theo looked like he was doing well.”
“That so?”
“He said you should come see them sometime too. And that Kenneth was worrying about you.”
“Yeah... Right.”
At some point, Dale had started to avoid entering Kreuz.
When Latina realized that, she actually started taking more time to visit their old acquaintances. And so lately, she’d been going around visiting the people important to her enough to make up for how they couldn’t see Dale.
She felt like that was something that she had to do.
“I think you’d definitely regret not going to see him, so it’d be better to do it. I’m sure of that.”
“That may be so...”
Even so, there was a feeling that Latina tormented herself with, too. That Dale was holding onto his pain in a form of selfishness. And so, she wanted to save him from those feelings, even if only just a little.
“Don’t go making a face like that, Latina. I’m fine,” Dale said with a bright smile, clearly seeing Latina’s worries on her face. He grabbed Latina’s hand and pulled her in closer, then gently stroked her hair. “To be honest, it’s complicated. But even so, I really am glad that this isn’t something you have to face all on your own.”
“Dale...”
“And so, I’m fine,” Dale repeated with a smile. Latina looked up, staring straight at his face rather than averting her gaze.
And then, Latina smiled back. From her reflection in his black eyes, she could tell that she seemed to be managing it properly.
She knew the fear of being left behind by the passage of time more than anyone.
He was trying his best to shoulder some of that burden for her, and so for that, she felt thankful.
“Thank you so much for choosing to stay with me, Dale,” she said, her feelings overflowing from her words.
She would keep on telling him, never forgetting.
She wouldn’t forget that this joyous time together wasn’t something that just came naturally. It was important that she never forgot that.
And so rather than apologizing, she told him how happy she was. It was what she could do, and felt she had to do, but of course it could never possibly be enough to make up for the precious gift of him sharing her load.
“Right. And we’ll keep on staying together, too.”
As he replied, Dale gripped her hand tight, and they exchanged gentle smiles.
Then, they started walking back. One day, they would surely be able to call it their new home town. And it would surely become that for a great number of people, too.
It would certainly be nice if it could be a kind, gentle place where everyone could simply live their everyday lives, treating that as only natural. That was the sort of place they hoped to create.
And so, that was where the pair set off towards, walking hand in hand.
Afterword
I’ve said in the past that you can never predict what any event may bring, but when I said such a thing, I certainly never imagined anything leading to something this big.
For most of you, this is probably our first time meeting. I’m CHIROLU, and I’d like to sincerely thank you for picking up this work, the ninth volume of If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord.
As I mentioned last time around,
this volume of short stories came about due to my responsibilities as an adult. Are any of you viewing this work now after seeing the anime? I’d be very grateful if that was the case.
Even now, I can’t help but feel, “What happened here?” at the fact that so many people have now seen this series that started as something I typed out one-handed on my smartphone and posted to a corner of the net as just a hobby. It’s become a series of novels, manga, drama CDs, gone overseas, and even turned into an anime. I feel truly honored and blessed at the fact that my work has been able to be seen in so many different mediums.
It’s all thanks to the great many people who have joined me on this journey. Thank you so very much.
Back when I went to that sports day, I certainly hadn’t the foggiest shred of an idea that this future would be waiting for me. And now, I can’t help but wonder what event will help shape my life next.
This will be the last time, but thank you for always responding to my requests with more wonderful illustrations than I could ever have imagined, Kei. And to Truffle, who drew her so adorably as a young girl. To my editor, N, who likely worked even more passionately on this series than me. And of course, I give my sincerest thanks to the great many other people who helped make this series a reality.
And more than anything else, to those of you who chose this book out of so many options, you have my deepest gratitude.
As long as this series brought you at least a little joy, then I’ll feel truly blessed.
August 2019,
CHIROLU
Bonus Short Stories
An Imaginary Story: Little Girl Version
*This is an imaginary story of what would have occurred if Dale had learned of the cat-eared hood in spite of Sylvia’s wishes.
“You sure do love animals, don’t you, Latina?”
“Yeah!” Latina replied with a smile.
In response, Dale also broke out in a grin. It was already a well known fact among his acquaintances that he doted heavily on his adopted daughter, plainly evident in that he bought her far more than was necessary.
