If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord: Volume 7

by CHIROLU

  On top of that, the only real visual identifier of a demon was the “name” that their master branded them with. That name served as a symbol of their ownership and obedience, so it was always placed in a vital position like above their heart or on their forehead. In other words, on a body part they could never get rid of, no matter how much they came to despise the brand.

  Dale’s divine protection that allowed him to tell them apart was an exception, as differentiating them was nearly impossible for most people. As a result, it wasn’t at all rare for humans who were only vaguely familiar with demon lords and their demons to lump devils in as the same lot.

  “One purpose of this visit of mine was to help to correct such misconceptions. I have found, though, that there are indeed some with truly unpleasant manners of thinking.”

  “Well, I can’t deny that...”

  Humans had the greatest population amongst the seven races by a long shot. That meant that depending on the circumstances, they could live their whole lives never interacting with a member of another race. Or sometimes, it even led to apprehension towards anyone who looked different. So-called human supremacy was blatant discrimination, but it was also hard to say such feelings were rare amongst humans as a whole.

  “Such groups do not think fondly of my visit, yes? Some may even try to harm me directly.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “Therefore, I have left a double of myself with the envoys and headed off for this town on my own.”

  “Right. That definitely is strange,” Dale interjected without even thinking, only for Kenneth and the regulars to nod along.

  “That’s right, Chrysos. Even though demon lords can’t be hurt by anyone but heroes, to go off on your own...” A good portion of those present found it strange to see Latina being the one to interject. “And you can’t really take care of yourself on your own, can you...?”

  “If you are able to do so, Platina, then I can as well.”

  “It’s true that Labandese clothing is easier to wear than the outfits from Vassilios, but... that’s not all there is to it.”

  Latina’s interjection strayed off course somewhere along the way, it seemed. And Chrysos’s response also felt unusual somehow.

  It was then that Dale suddenly had a thought.

  Back in Vassilios, Chrysos’s appearance had been suitable for the ruler of a nation. There had been no doubting that she fit the role. But when she was removed from her position and placed in an unfamiliar nation, all that was left was an airheaded girl who had grown up secluded from the outside world.

  “You two really are a lot alike...”

  “Wah?”

  “There is no helping the fact that we resemble one another.”

  Dale sensed that Latina’s identical twin may have been even more lacking in common sense than she was.

  Amidst all this, the other airheaded twin bluntly blurted out, “But still... I don’t think there’s anything we can do now that she’s here, honestly.”

  This wasn’t really the sort of thing that could be written off so easily.

  Her comment had shocked not just Dale, but also everybody else around.

  Latina then continued on with a slightly troubled look on her face, “And there was also something else that had me a little worried...”

  “Huh?”

  “The food in Vassilios is completely different from the stuff we have here in Laband.”

  Latina’s concern was rooted in the truly deplorable culinary state of her sister’s country. It wasn’t particularly surprising just how deeply that had shaken her.

  “Latina...”

  “Um, so for people coming from Vassilios, the food in Laband should all be completely unfamiliar.”

  “Right...”

  Unlike Dale, who looked just plain astounded, Kenneth appeared to be thinking things over in response. “So you’re saying the reception for the envoys from Vassilios could end up being a problem, Latina?”

  “Yeah. Chrysos had heard from Sylvia that the culinary standards here were different, but... At this rate, manners may not be the only thing that ends up being an issue.”

  “I see,” Kenneth nodded in understanding. The others around the two of them weren’t quite as worked up about the matter, though. It wasn’t just Dale, but also Sylvester and Rita, who looked a little astounded at the cooking-obsessed pair.

  However, Kenneth shot them back an exceedingly serious look.

  “At this rate, it’ll be difficult to welcome the envoys from Vassilios if we don’t handle things real carefully. Right, Latina?”

  “Yeah... They don’t have bread in Vassilios. None of them will have ever even seen it before. And when the envoys arrive, regardless of it’s in Kreuz or the capital, there’s sure to be a welcome banquet, right? So will someone have to explain each and every dish to them...?”

  “That’d be tough to do in and of itself. They don’t even have a lot of the base ingredients there, do they?”

  “They should understand concepts like ‘grain’ and ‘meat’... Put another way, though, that may be all they’ll get.”

  “Is it really all that tricky of a thing?” Dale asked, tilting his head.

  “There was a country I went to before where bugs were a staple food, and a common source of protein. To them, that wasn’t strange in the least, so they brought it on out like normal when entertaining. I didn’t get all worked up over it because I knew of plenty of places where people sometimes eat insects, but it still definitely left a strong impact on me,” Kenneth said, offering a rather blunt example.

  If the insect was a large magical beast then there would be many portions that would be considered edible, so it wasn’t all that unheard of. Still, Kenneth preferred to avoid using such ingredients for aesthetic reasons, if nothing else.

  “The Akhdar priests with me apparently found the novelty amusing, but still...”

  Priests of that god, Latina’s friend included, were rather unflappable due to their personal interest in the unknown.

  “You couldn’t say everybody would react that way, right?”

  “If you know in advance then you can mentally prepare yourself, though. And I mean, it takes a good bit of guts to head off and dine in a country when you don’t have any idea what the food there will be like. Plus, that’s not even the only cultural difference here.”

  Latina looked to be thinking on Kenneth’s words.

  “Hey, Chrysos. I remember hearing Rag say that Mov ate more modest meals than the townspeople, but was that really true?”

  “Hmm? Mov believed that was the way that a leader should be. I hold the same belief.”

  Hearing that reply, Latina turned to Dale with a troubled look on her face.

  “Latina?”

  “Um... In Laband, a banquet is when you lay out a whole lot of unique, tasty food in front of people, right?”

  “Well yeah, that’s just hospitality.”

  “In Vassilios... you’re not supposed to lay out so much food that it couldn’t possibly all be eaten...” Latina said, looking at Chrysos.

  The young ruler seemed to have finally grown bored of just watching, as she was now chewing on the nuts as she nodded along.

  “It is a sin.”

  “Is it really that bad?” Dale asked, looking surprised.

  “Vassilios is not suited to farming, so we have many problems related to food. If the privileged class were to monopolize the food in order to indulge themselves, the people would starve. That must not be allowed to occur,” Chrysos bluntly responded.

  “And also, devils may be alright eating much less than humans... but someone needs still to regulate supplies, right...?”

  For a while, silence fell over the Ocelot.

  It was an unexpectedly direct example of the issues with intercultural communication.

  The one to finally break the silence was Kenneth.

  “We’re talking about the duke, so I’m sure he’s received a report and made preparation
s... But still, it may be a good idea to let him know about Latina’s concerns.”

  “Yeah...” Dale replied with a sigh, looking like he just wanted to bury his head in his hands.

  Meanwhile, Latina seemed to have shifted moods as she turned to her twin and asked, “So you plan to meet up with the envoys here in Kreuz?”

  “That is my intent.”

  The information that the envoys would be heading to Kreuz after departing from Vassilios had only just arrived. The procession was to cross the desert that surrounded their nation, and then would have to travel by foot through that magical beast-filled forest. That meant it would still be quite some time before they arrived in Kreuz.

  “So where are you going to stay until then?”

  “You need not worry about that. There is a manor in this town which I had prepared previously, as a base to use during my search for you.”

  “...Huh?”

  Latina assumed that the “manor” Chrysos mentioned was the one in the western section of town, where they had been reunited not-so-terribly long ago.

  “Even now, it serves as a place used by contacts between this country and my homeland, so it has been maintained. It should not have fallen into disrepair.”

  “Um, but, Chrysos... you came alone, didn’t you?”

  “Indeed.”

  “So how do you plan to take care of yourself...?” Latina asked in a trembling voice.

  “If you are able to handle such matters, Platina, then the same must be true for me,” Chrysos responded, overflowing with confidence.

  “Kenneth, Mr. Syl, what’ll we do?! Do I need to live there with her for a while?!”

  “Calm down, little lady.”

  “If you make a careless move, then it’ll attract unnecessary attention.”

  Latina hadn’t asked Dale the same question because she knew exactly how he’d react. He’d either adamantly protest to Latina going to live with her sister even for just a little while, or insist that he also be allowed to come along. And if she heard that he was coming along, Chrysos was sure to end up looking utterly disgusted. That reaction would be completely understandable, though, seeing how the couple would surely be all over one another day and night.

  Latina was able to calmly assess the situation so well precisely because she knew just what sort of personalities they had.

  Kenneth’s concern certainly wasn’t unfounded. Latina’s fame in parts of Kreuz easily exceeded that of even the town’s ruler. If she were to do something out of the ordinary, it would draw no small amount of attention.

  “We could get some tight-lipped folks to keep watch over the area...”

  “The trick is going to be who we’ll get for inside the manor, possibly to take care of her depending on how things go.”

  It made for a strange sight for a bar on the outskirts of town, seeing a discussion being held about the details of how to guard a VIP from a foreign nation. But there were just that many powerful people who gathered in this specific bar, hence the current chaotic state of affairs.

  “In that case, I think it might be good to have someone who doesn’t know Chrysos’s background. Her being a devil should be enough to explain how she doesn’t know about Laband... And if they’re not so worried about formalities, then they’ll probably stand out less...”

  Everyone was in the midst of that noisy debate when Rita called out, “Ah, welcome.”

  The room went silent as everyone turned to look at the entrance.

  “Are you in the middle of something?”

  Adelina and the other girls seemed displeased to find everyone staring at them.

  “...If they’re around my age, they wouldn’t stand out as much when walking around town and stuff, right...?”

  “Is that a preamble to her wandering about town?” Kenneth asked.

  “Latina’s a bundle of curiosity and they’re sisters... And I mean, if she wasn’t the sort to wander around, she never would’ve done something like this to start with, right?” Dale replied with a defeated look.

  “Well, I guess that’s true.”

  And so, without them even being given a chance to object, it was decided that the three girls were to be offered up to the aloof demon lord.

  †

  The characteristic aroma of butter being heated wafted through the air. Latina then nimbly added bread that had soaked in egg yolk to the metal pan. The flame was low, so it cooked slowly.

  “Sweets burn easily, so it’s important to manage your flame,” Latina said while using the time it took to heat to quickly prepare plates. She laid them out on top of the table and then placed cups alongside them. Her timing had been spaced out perfectly so that the bread was done cooking just as the pot full of boiling hot water and tea leaves began letting off steam.

  When the time was just right, she flipped over the bread, revealing a perfectly grilled surface. It was mouth-watering just to look at, which seemed to make Latina earnestly happy.

  “Children tend to like sweets, right? They say that’s because sweetness is the easiest taste for us to comprehend. Bitterness and sourness can bring to mind the flavor of spoiled food, so I think they tend to be more of an acquired taste.”

  “Is that how it works...?”

  “So I think it’s best to become accustomed to new food by starting with something sweet. I mean, back when I was a kid Kenneth started out by giving me nutritious dishes that were only ever lightly seasoned.”

  Latina carried the pan containing the now-finished french toast to the table as she conversed with Dale. The egg had soaked all the way through, leaving the bread sweet and fluffy. It had been one of her favorites ever since she was a child.

  “Here’s Emma’s portion. And this is for you, Theo,” she said, leaving a plate in front of each of the siblings. Both of them were now completely attached to her, so they broke out in wide grins at the sight of Latina’s homemade cooking.

  “And here’s yours, Chrysos.”

  “Alright.”

  It looked as if the number of children had suddenly grown by one.

  Dale looked at the sight with a lukewarm gaze.

  Latina poured out tea from the pot into the cups. There was no plate in front of Dale because he wasn’t all that fond of sweets, but Latina had been sure to prepare a cup for him. But unfortunately, before he could even take a single sip of it, his gaze was stolen away by Latina. She looked happier than anyone else there as she sat down at the table.

  “And this is my share.”

  “You really do look happy eating that, Latina...”

  “It’s out of necessity. If I’m eating it, then Chrysos can eat it too without worrying...” Latina said, sounding like she was grasping for an excuse.

  “Indeed,” Chrysos agreed with a nod.

  The synchronized way they moved their forks really did bring to mind the fact that they were twins.

  “Even if it is something which I have never seen before, if Platina places it before me, there is no way that it could cause me harm.”

  “You never change, do you?” Dale quipped, ignoring the fact that he wasn’t really one to talk.

  “Still, I thought that if Chrysos felt that way, we may as well use that to our advantage.”

  “I guess... I suppose if their ruler is eating away without any hesitation, her subordinates won’t exactly be able to refuse.”

  In Vassilios, the demon lord held not only held absolute authority in the political realm, but the religious one as well. If she ordered the envoys to eat blindfolded or even chow down on poison, they would clear their plates with smiles on their faces.

  There was no consideration for the rights of the individual when it came to stuff like that.

  That having been said, Chrysos’s deep concern for her retainers was well known, so they would know she wasn’t forcing them to do anything unreasonable. She wouldn’t be met with any great opposition.

  “And so, my plan is to introduce Chrysos to as many different dishes as I can.�
�

  As Dale and Latina were having that conversation, a plate was thrust in between them by a boy who didn’t know how to read the situation.

  “Sis, seconds please.”

  “If you eat too much now then you’ll spoil your meal, Theo.”

  “Indeed.”

  “You need to be careful not to overeat and make yourself sick too, Chrysos.”

  Chrysos had been holding her plate out just like the young boy, and had received the same sort of response back from Latina.

  “It really is just like we’ve got more kids hanging around the place...”

  Dale looked exasperated and gave a sigh as he refilled Emma’s cup with tea. The little girl was happily chewing away at her snack all the while.

  “By the way, what ended up happening with Adelina and the others?”

  “They’re taking a break in the shop right now,” Latina responded.

  Hearing that, Dale moved from the kitchen out into the shop and found Adelina, Paula, and Elvira looking completely and utterly exhausted.

  “Um... are you alright...?”

  “...Huh? ...Oh... Mr. Dale... Thanks for all the hard work always...”

  “Yeah...”

  “No matter how I look at it, I’d say you all have been working way harder than I have, actually...”

  Dale couldn’t help but give a strained smile at the way that they remained limp while greeting someone who was standing up straight.

  “Um, anyway... yeah... Sorry for all the trouble Chrysos is causing you...”

  Dale came to the conclusion that since Latina was his fiancee, that made Chrysos a relative. As such, he felt the need to apologize for the source of all their exhaustion.

  The three of them looked up at Dale with pitiful looks on their faces.

  “I never imagined guard jobs would be this rough...”

  “...I think this is probably a whole different beast compared to your average guard job...”

  It wasn’t exactly everyday that the ruler of a foreign nation snuck in for a visit, not bringing along even a single servant.

  “I mean, with the way she keeps on acting, it’s hard to tell if she has any common sense or not...”