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

by CHIROLU

  “There seem to be housekeepers who come around and handle housework, but we’ve got no clue as to when they even show up...”

  Oh, so there are technically people around from the Vassilios side of things, huh?

  Dale couldn’t reveal Chrysos’s background, so he was hesitant to explain that those “housekeepers” may have really been intelligence operatives. However, as the girls were ignorant of the circumstances, it must have seemed truly bizarre to find the housework getting done without them even knowing it.

  A single drop of cold sweat ran down Dale’s back. He truly pitied the girls.

  “And she seems to act like she finds it totally natural to have people guarding her, only to then wander off on her own without paying us any heed...”

  “Last time she suddenly disappeared and we had to hunt her down, we found her crouching down in front of a stray cat... I almost shouted out ‘What’re you, a kid?!’ without even thinking.”

  Ah, Latina does that too.

  Dale always had to hold Latina’s hand when they were out walking around town so that the bundle of curiosity wouldn’t wander off and get lost at the first sight of something that caught her attention.

  “And yet she keeps wanting to go to the less organized, rougher parts of town...”

  “We thought we had lost her when we took her to the eastern district, only to find that she had wandered into a workshop and was drinking tea with the owner...”

  Their exhaustion was no surprise, all things considered.

  Dale had guessed things would turn out like this with Chrysos, prompting an awkward laugh from him. After all, she had behaved much the same way even on her short trip from the Ocelot to that manor where she was now staying.

  †

  Adelina and the others had been half-forced into having to take care of Chrysos, but the ruler herself didn’t appear to give any real thought to the matter.

  After all, as the king of Vassilios, it wasn’t as if she knew each of her servants on a first-name basis. Owing to her position, she was simply accustomed to being waited upon by relative strangers.

  Meanwhile, the girls also didn’t seem to have any serious questions about Chrysos’s background. Everything she wore was high-class and expensive. That alone was enough to tell them that she had come from an affluent household. Most importantly, though, she was the spitting image of their friend Latina. The fact that the two of them were twin sisters hardly needed pointing out.

  “Chrysos, when I saw the place before, I got the impression that it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned... Do you need any more help?”

  “That was because circumstances at the time demanded I move quickly. It was not even originally planned that I would go myself. Therefore, it was reported to me that only the places that would be used were taken care of. That is not the case in this instance, though.”

  The way that Latina and Chrysos were happily chatting away in front of the group of three served to further support the assumption that they were related.

  “Um... I believe it was this way.”

  Worryingly, Chrysos didn’t seem to remember exactly where the manor was located in the western district. When Dale pointed that out, Chrysos’s cheeks puffed up a little, just like Latina’s did when she was upset.

  “Would it not be unusual for one to accurately remember the layout of a town that they have visited but once? And I also continuously had guides alongside me at that time.”

  As a result, Latina was the one currently leading their party. Following behind were the group of three girls, and even farther back were Dale and Vint. Dale felt strangely confident that even if Latina became uncertain as to where to go, the exceptionally skilled pup would get them through it somehow.

  “I think... it should be around here.”

  “Hmm... Platina, should we not take that path over there?”

  “Ah... Right, this is the way.”

  The twin sisters made their way past the high-end residences of the western district in this way, by supplementing each others’ memories. At any rate, Dale noticed that the three girls, being mere common citizens, looked like they were feeling terribly ill-at-ease surrounded by so many extravagant manors. The place just had a totally different feel to it compared to the southern and eastern districts where commoners lived.

  Before long Latina stopped in front of one of the residences, looking relieved.

  “Thank goodness we were able to remember...”

  “Indeed,” Chrysos agreed with a composed nod, and then entered through the gate to the manor without any hesitation. She pulled an elegant key out of thin air and inserted it into the door’s lock. And then, she tilted her head.

  “...Hmm?”

  “Um, you have to turn keys to use them,” Latina gently pointed out, quickly realizing her sister’s mistake.

  Structures in Vassilios were rarely built with doors, so Chrysos had no experience with locks in her everyday life. Latina had offered advice because she was aware of that, but hearing that caused the expressions of the three girls behind her to freeze. They seemed to take it as a sign that Chrysos was even more ignorant of the ways of the world than they had expected.

  As the heavy single door swung open, the stuffy air characteristic of closed-off rooms came rushing out. It wasn’t dusty in the least, though, causing Latina to breathe a sigh of relief.

  “So it was true... In that case, I suppose it won’t need much cleaning after all.”

  It seemed she still hadn’t entirely discarded the possibility of her doing some cleaning.

  “The room that I shall use is on the upper floor, in the center. The parlor and kitchen meant for guests, as well as the rooms for servants, are on the first floor. You all may use them as you please,” Chrysos briefly instructed the three girls while giving them a fleeting glance. They were guards rather than visitors, so the guest rooms weren’t open to them. And besides, they were terrified of the thought of getting even a single scratch on the furnishings in a ritzy place like this. The absence of such an offer actually left them relieved rather than disappointed.

  “Do you intend to stay the night, Latina?”

  “If I do, then I’ll miss out on work tonight and tomorrow morning.” Latina’s workaholic nature led to a prompt rejection of her sister’s proposal.

  Latina wandered around, looking at everything with great interest. Before long, she turned around and called out to Chrysos, unable to hold back any longer.

  “Hey, Chrysos, is it alright if I look at the other rooms.”

  “Do as you wish.”

  “Adelina, do you all want to come with me...? Since you can’t take your eyes off your client, you need to know the whole layout of the house in order to do a proper job, right?”

  Hearing that, the three girls hurriedly stood up. After seeing them off, Dale called out to Chrysos while watching Vint make himself at home.

  “The plan is to have some trustworthy folks keep an eye on the area surrounding this manor, so feel free to ask for help if anything happens. In fact, they’ll lend you a hand even with simple things like directions or finding somewhere to buy food, not just stuff strictly related to security...”

  “Hmph.”

  “On the off chance that something happens to you, Latina would be sad. And I’d like to avoid the blow that’d deal to relations with Vassilios, too.”

  “There is no way that I would do something that would upset Platina,” Chrysos said, puffing up her slight chest with pride, causing Dale to break out in a strained smile.

  On that single point, Chrysos and Dale were in complete agreement. The reception room they were in was furnished with luxurious furniture, and was completely in the Labandese style. Chrysos sat down on the sofa there just as naturally as she did in Vassilios.

  The way that she didn’t even so much as offer him a seat was the norm, so Dale paid that fact no heed and simply stood there quietly as he waited.

  Before too terribly long, Latina returned. The o
ther three girls were apparently still wandering about figuring out the layout of the place. Latina had come back alone, and was tilting her head a bit.

  “Latina?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What’s up?”

  “It’s nothing...”

  She stood there for a while longer with her head tilted, and then decided to tell Dale what she had realized.

  “There’s also the matter of the cleaning, but... it looks like people have been coming and going here.”

  “Well, yeah, but... Why do you think that?”

  “We went to go check out the kitchen, for example, and even little things like soap were properly prepared. Chrysos would never pay attention to stuff like that herself. And also...” Latina stopped for a second, looking like she was finding it hard to say. “In the kitchen... there was food... from Vassilios... and it looked to be fresh...”

  “Hey, don’t make that face... I mean, food from back home is best... Or, well, even if it’s not the best, you’re at least used to it, right?”

  He spotted a pained look in her expression that he never wanted to see, and wasn’t able to hold himself back from making a strained smile.

  Latina suddenly regained her composure and turned to face her sister, who was still relaxing on the sofa.

  “Chrysos, come to the Ocelot for a meal whenever you want, alright?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I always make Dale’s portion, and I’ll do the same for you... So let’s eat together,” Latina said, desperately trying to persuade her sister.

  “Right,” Chrysos responded, none too concerned in comparison to her twin.

  There was a reason behind Latina’s desperation. Latina would never accomplish her goal of getting her sister accustomed to Labandese food if Chrysos just kept on eating Vassilios-style meals even after coming all this way.

  And Latina also had a further wish beyond that: For the exchange between Vassilios and Laband to lead to the improvement of her old home’s culinary culture. Since her sister was the nation’s ruler, this visit made for an unparalleled opportunity to advance that goal.

  As someone who had grown up in a foreign nation and gained a different point of view as a result, Latina found the state of cuisine in her old home country bad enough to make her want to cry.

  “Let’s eat all kinds of tasty foods together, alright?!”

  “Hmm?”

  Latina was filled with determination to at least make sure her precious other half was exposed to deliciousness while she was here in this country.

  And so, that was how Chrysos’s stay in Laband started.

  That was how things went immediately after her arrival, setting a level of expectations for how things would proceed.

  As Latina was unreserved around her sister and Dale was also his usual deplorable self with Chrysos, there was nobody around to really call her out for her actions. In addition, she had no real self-restraint in the first place. To top it all off, sadly, Adelina and the others just weren’t experienced enough to handle the task of reigning her in.

  “Ah... Well, at least when she’s in the shop, I’ll take care of her... So go ahead and rest up properly now, alright?”

  “We’ll take you up on that...”

  “Yeah, we will...”

  “Yup...”

  As Dale looked at the three dead-tired girls, he thought to himself that they seemed more like babysitters than bodyguards.

  Chrysos took a fleeting glance at Dale as he returned to the kitchen, and then said without any hesitation, “I wish to use this opportunity to see things that I would normally not, as one who was invited as a guest of the nation.”

  “...How has that been working out?”

  “I have seen many interesting things, from your technology to your culture. Everything I see is so very amusing. At the same time it is also a useful opportunity, to determine what things exist only in my own nation.”

  Latina tilted her head a bit.

  “The magic techniques really are amazing, aren’t they? Rag always seemed to do everything so easily back then...”

  “Platina... Rag was a foremost user of magic amongst those of our nation.”

  Dale figured from that response that Latina’s “common sense” really didn’t match up with that of Vassilios at large after all.

  “With that said, it appears to be true that our nation is superior in terms of magical theory. We also appear to possess unique techniques in terms of processing ores and minerals.”

  “I’ve actually got some interest in that myself.”

  “That is how one begins trading, yes?” Chrysos said with a smile. The look on her face really was that of the ruler of a nation, one who stood above others.

  But well, that was indeed what she was.

  “Still, you should try not to overwork the girls too much.”

  “They have been of great use as guides. I am unfamiliar with the layout of this town, after all. Though to speak earnestly, I would prefer those who were more familiar with economics and distribution...”

  “You should invite some scholars for that when you come as an official guest of the nation.”

  “Neither Chrysos nor I face any great threat from anyone but a hero, now... There aren’t any other demon lords right now, after all. And I mean, you may complain about Chrysos an awful lot, but I can’t imagine you’d ever harm her, right?”

  Latina looked at Dale with pure trust in her eyes, and though he felt embarrassed, he couldn’t deny what she had said.

  “Ugh...”

  “So normally, there wouldn’t be any need for either of us to have bodyguards...”

  “Um, Latina, you should think a little bit more about the influence you possess,” Dale interjected with a sigh.

  “Huh?” Latina tilted her head, looking confused.

  It was true that their lives wouldn’t be endangered.

  Even ignoring the fact that Chrysos was a demon lord, nobody in this town would ever lay a hand on someone with such a clear connection to the Fairy Princess. That was in a large part due to how many members of a certain organization there were scattered about town.

  Even now, there was something akin to bloodlust emanating from the regulars seated in the Ocelot while they stared into the kitchen. That was where their beloved Fairy Princess and her identical twin currently were. And because they were aware of Chrysos’s background, they knew that if they let this chance slip them by, they may well never be able to gaze upon this lovely, precious sight of the two twins together.

  Besides, since she had the same face as his adorable Latina, Dale was also ready in the depths of his heart to forgive anything she did. In that matter, he truly was beyond redemption.

  As for the “bloodlust” from the regulars, it was directed at Dale for hoarding the twins all to himself. The easy-going twins were completely oblivious, though, prompting another sigh from Dale.

  “We’re talking about Sis though, so no helping that...” Theo said with a knowing look.

  “No helpin’?”

  Theo nodded back at his sister.

  †

  Once she had more or less had her fill of sightseeing in Kreuz, Chrysos expressed interest in visiting her father’s grave (though there was still time before the envoys arrived).

  “Well, I’d expected that this was coming...”

  “I’ll go along, too. There’s some things I want to tell Rag, after all,” Latina said. Chrysos’s own expression displayed no surprise.

  “Should Paula and the girls... stay behind?”

  “Maybe Chrysos and I should just talk in the devil language... but I’d feel like we were keeping secrets from you, Dale.”

  “That would be a little miserable.”

  In the end, it was decided that the group of three girls would be left behind in Kreuz.

  They couldn’t reveal Chrysos’s background, and Dale had no confidence that he’d be able to cover properly for their inattentiveness. There was also the risk t
hat in front of their father’s grave, the twins would reminisce even more than usual and let some secrets slip.

  That... may have actually been one of the reasons Chrysos came alone...

  Dale recalled that back when she was in Vassilios being waited upon by her ladies-in-waiting, the First Demon Lord always remained a professional. Perhaps she wanted to be able to simply reminisce with Latina about their father without any reservations, sister to sister.

  Well, still... Most folks wouldn’t actually come on their own...

  As he thought to himself, Dale set about checking his equipment. Though with that said, he was just clad in his usual attire of a black magic beast leather coat with a gauntlet on his left hand and a sword at his hip. He had none of the sort of camping gear he had brought the other day.

  When he went downstairs and headed into the shop, he found Latina and Chrysos having a friendly chat over some tea.

  Latina was wearing sturdy boots on her feet and, unusually for her, had on long pants. She had on a shoulder bag in order to keep her hands free, and a knife held in a red leather scabbard at her hip. Combined with the way that her hair was done up, she was giving off a rather outdoorsy impression.

  Meanwhile, Chrysos had on the crimson bolero, hat, and dress that she had been wearing when she first came to the Ocelot. It was an appealing outfit, but it didn’t give off the full-on femininity of Latina’s usual fashion. She also had a long walking stick on her, perhaps in place of the scepter she usually carried around in Vassilios.

  The old-timers watching the proceedings seemed to enjoy seeing the identical sisters sporting such a different look from usual. Meanwhile, Vint was standing at their feet, wagging his tail.

  Kenneth spotted Dale and called out in a half-astounded voice, “There may not be any need to worry, but... Still, don’t let your guard down.”

  “Honestly, I may not even have anything to do...”

  Dale alone was more than enough to handle any combat situation. And then on top of that, there were the two sisters with their own specialties as magic users. Latina excelled in fine mana control, while Chrysos was born with a great deal of mana and possessed the skill needed to wield it. Finally, they had a mythical beast capable of carrying his own weight as a member of their party.