by CHIROLU
1: The Young Girl Returns to Kreuz
After departing from the village of Tislow, Dale and Latina made it back to Kreuz right on schedule, when it was shifting from the start of summer into summer proper.
The instant the Dancing Ocelot came into view, Latina handed Blau’s reins to Dale and went running. She was all smiles as she passed through the entrance to the shop and shouted, loudly and clearly, “We’re back!”
Rita, who was handling paperwork in her usual spot, suddenly stopped and looked up. After confirming the source of the voice, she broke out in a smile of both joy and surprise.
“Latina.”
“We’re back, Rita!”
“Welcome home.”
When Latina heard those words, she looked even happier. Apparently, there was still a level above being “all smiles.”
“Um, um, we brought back lots of souvenirs.”
“That’s certainly exciting. By the way, where’s Dale?”
“Huh...?”
Calming down a little when she heard Rita’s question, Latina tilted her head and then turned back around. He should’ve been right behind her, but he wasn’t there. “Huh?”
“What’s this about me?” Perhaps having heard their exchange, Dale responded from the kitchen on the other side of the counter. Since he couldn’t take Blau into the shop, he had circled around back.
Terribly flustered, Latina hurried into the kitchen. Kenneth was there, preparing food like always. He had been talking to Dale, but when he noticed Latina, he pointed a smile her way. “So you’re back, huh? Welcome home!”
“Ah!” With two quick hops, she faced Kenneth, looking slightly disappointed, and said, “I’m back, Kenneth.”
Kenneth couldn’t help but tilt his head at this. He couldn’t figure out why she’d feel dejected. “What’s wrong?”
“Latina thought she’d be the first one to say ‘We’re back’ to Rita and Kenneth, but Dale got to you first...”
“How thoughtless of him.”
“So I’m in the wrong?”
“Are you saying Latina is, then?”
“Of course the responsibility is fully on me, for having stolen away Latina’s enjoyment.”
“You never change, do you?”
Seeing Dale acting the same as always, Kenneth broke out in an awkward smile and took a break from his work. He then patted Latina on her head like he frequently did, noting that her hair was done up with a ribbon that had a rather elaborate design.
“I’m just glad to see you’re safe. Welcome home, Latina.”
Hearing those words repeated, Latina regained her smile.
After returning to the shop front, Latina stopped and stared at Rita in amazement. “Rita, your stomach’s so big!”
It was hard to tell when she was sitting on the other side of the counter like she always did, but Rita now had an obvious, big belly compared to when they left on the trip and it had just barely started showing.
“You can feel the baby moving around in there, now.”
“Wow, the baby... it’s amazing!”
Latina excitedly, gently touched Rita’s stomach, then looked up with a serious expression on her face, seemingly having realized something. “If your belly’s this big, then... isn’t it heavy?”
“It is. My hips and my back and stuff hurt, and it’s awful.”
“Should Latina cast healing magic?”
“Now that you’re back, I can ask you to do that, huh?”
It wouldn’t make sense to call on a professional magic user to cast healing magic just to deal with hip and back pain. But fortunately, it was easy to ask this kind young girl to do so, even if it was hard to request the same of an adult.
“Did you have fun on your trip?”
“Yeah! A lot happened that Latina couldn’t write in her letters.”
Dale faced Latina, who was about to launch into tales of their travels, and with an uneasy smile, butted into the conversation. “How about changing first, Latina? And we need to dump our luggage, too.”
“Right.”
The adults watched with peaceful expressions as Latina turned around and headed through the kitchen.
“Latina sure is energetic, isn’t she?”
“She’s all worked up. It was her first long trip.”
“I’m just relieved we made it through without any big injuries or illnesses.” The relief in Dale’s voice as he reported their safe return was palpable. “You seem to be doing alright, Rita.”
“It’s our first, so there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“Her dad’s been helping handle the Akhdar’s Message Board. It’d be hard for me to manage that at the same time as the kitchen.”
When Rita got married, her parents entrusted the shop to the newly married couple and went into retirement in the residential part of the southern district. But when it came to the work in the Dancing Ocelot, there were only a limited number of people who could use the Akhdar’s Message Board, since doing so required the temple’s permission. It could be said that it required a license, in a way. As a result, they also couldn’t just hire a temporary employee. That’s why the previous shop owner, Rita’s father, had started diligently helping out for the sake of his daughter and grandchild.
“Have you been alright, Kenneth?”
“I’m a perfectly capable adult, so I’ve been fine. I’ve wished that Latina was here plenty of times, though.”
The adorable young girl’s ability to calm those around her was already something of a special skill. Kenneth may have been recognized by Rita’s father as the husband of his only daughter, but it wasn’t as if the relationship between the two of them was perfect. There wasn’t active discord between them, but they did end up clashing when they were together. That was also part of why her parents had gone into retirement.
“Is my dad really that scary?”
“...”
“He’s not scary to me. To me, at least...”
The man had run a shop for rowdy adventurers for many years, never budging an inch. Kenneth and Dale couldn’t help but exchange an awkward glance.
With the pitter-patter of her light yet hurried footsteps, they realized that Latina had returned. In no time at all, she popped on in, having changed out her traveling gear for one of her usual dresses.
“Dale, Latina will handle the laundry, so just leave your clothes out.”
“Right.”
One could surmise from the natural flow of this conversation that it had been completely established that Latina was now handling most of the housework. She had been a hard worker even before the trip, but after these few months of studying under Dale’s mother Magda while staying in Tislow, she’d thoroughly polished her skills. That was the exact opposite of Dale, who had distanced himself from such chores while back in his old home. Thanks to how things had proceeded from then on, Dale still hadn’t realized that he was depending on Latina for the majority of the housework.
“Seems like you’ve gotten even more reliable, Latina...” Rita muttered without thinking.
Latina was now cheerfully laying out bags on the counter in front of Rita and Kenneth. She went ahead and did this because she knew this was a slow time for the Ocelot.
“This is a souvenir for you, Rita,” Latina said, pulling an amulet that was the right size to be held in one of her hands out of her bag. It was made of a complex weave of string, but had a simple feel to it.
“Is that... an amulet of Quirmizi?”
“Oh, my. Thank you, Latina.”
Quirmizi was the god of the harvest and also the one you p
rayed to for safe births and the prosperity of your descendents. Pregnant women and the people around them often sought such amulets.
“Did you make this...?” Kenneth asked Dale with a sigh, only for him to look away in embarrassment.
“Latina said she wanted to give Rita an amulet, and I am technically a priest, so...”
“I see.” Kenneth kept his response short and his expression gentle, knowing Dale wasn’t overly fond of his divine protection.
†
This occurred when Dale and Latina were halfway through their stay in Tislow.
“Right! There’s a baby in Rita’s belly,” Latina said to Granny Wen, telling her about things back in Kreuz while reading a book she had borrowed from Master Cornelio.
“I see. Then perhaps you should create an amulet of Quirmizi for her.”
“An amulet? You mean a charm? Latina can make one?”
“Only priests, those with divine protection, can make them. But you can create the decorative part that surrounds it. Just leave the inside to that stupid grandson of mine.”
“Dale?”
“Right. Even he can manage that much of a priestly task.”
As Dale didn’t normally have even a shred of priestliness to him, Latina tilted her head at this statement. Seeing this, Granny Wen let out a hearty laugh. Dale wasn’t overly fond of his divine protection, so he tended not to mention it too often. Even so, he’d had enough techniques beaten into him to handle basic priestly tasks. And it was none other than Wendelgard herself, the current highest-ranking priest in Tislow, who had trained him.
The land of Tislow was blessed so deeply by the gods that the whole of the village could be called a temple. The culture and customs they inherited from their ancestors were based in a deep faith. In this land, where so many people were born with divine protection, the basic practices of the temple weren’t treated as anything special, and were instead made a part of everyday customs.
Latina knew nothing of those unique circumstances surrounding Tislow, but she was an obedient young girl, so that night she talked to Dale about making an amulet when they were all alone in their room, just as Granny Wen had told her to do.
“Granny said that?”
“Yeah. Latina wants to make a charm for Rita. Could you help her, Dale?” asked Latina, her request also written on her face. She had no awareness of it herself, but as she tilted her head a bit with slightly upturned eyes, her cuteness would be plenty potent even if she weren’t so young. It was enough to make his heart stop beating and knock him unconscious. As she kept on growing, this girl would undoubtedly cause countless men to cry.
However, Latina wouldn’t ever show that expression to someone else. Having Latina make a request was a special privilege reserved for Dale alone, and he had absolutely no intention of yielding his following right to being told “thank you” and “I love you.” He wouldn’t let anyone steal that away from him.
“Well, I guess we do have the materials...”
There wasn’t anything particularly rare used in making an amulet. They were made using plants, fruits of the earth that were thought to be especially close to Quirmizi. Rather than using flowers themselves, though, amulets were made with plant fibers that were in turn dyed with flowers. The amulets from temples in town would have complex patterns woven into luxurious fabrics, but the ones from Tislow were simpler, decorated only with woven cords.
“I’ll create the blessing that goes inside, so can you create the bag to put it in, Latina?”
“Yeah!”
The materials Dale had prepared were a bundle of cords in a surprising variety of colors. He pulled out a few and started skillfully weaving them together in front of Latina.
“Dale, you’re amazing!”
“I had to help out with this a lot when I was a kid.”
Children were also recruited when it came to producing decorations for important occasions. In that way, the means of making them were handed down from generation to generation.
“I’ll do it slowly, so watch carefully.”
“Right!”
Just as his parents had once done for him, Dale took the young girl’s hands and taught her the unique method behind weaving together the cords.
†
Despite how handy Latina was, the amulet she had created was still somewhat sloppy. Even so, it had far more care put into it than one from a temple. Rita held it to her chest with a joyful, motherly smile.
“Thank you so much, Latina.” She then turned to Dale, showing him a smile as well, which she never did. “You too, Dale.”
Dale was clearly shaken, having received such straightforward praise from Rita without any joking or teasing. Seeing Rita so happy, Latina looked completely satisfied as well. Latina had given her all to picking out each and every souvenir, so seeing someone happily receive one made her overjoyed.
“For Kenneth, we bought fish and spices from Qualle,” she said, handing him a carefully packed bundle.
Kenneth checked the contents of the package and looked surprised. “Raw fish? Not dried?”
It wasn’t completely fresh, but there was no sign of the big fish in its box of ice having spoiled.
“We have dried fish left, too,” said a confused Latina, offering Kenneth a different package. Inside of it was the leftover dried fish from their journey.
“No, that’s not what I mean...”
“Latina asked me how to transport seafood from the port to Kreuz,” Dale stated, a bit of exasperation visible on his face.
“It’s like the magical device you use in the shop, right? Latina can’t use Water magic, so she asked Dale, and he helped her out!”
Kenneth and Rita were left speechless, and Dale shook his head with a strained facial expression. “It would’ve been impossible if it was just me, and it wasn’t something just any magic user could do. Latina preserved the ice I made all the way from Qualle to Kreuz.”
“But Latina had to have you remake the ice a ton of times, right?” Latina said with a tilted head. She apparently had no idea how out of the ordinary what she’d done was. As always, her magic control proved to be absolutely outstanding.
“Normally, you’d use a magical device to preserve it...”
Continuing to apply a power over a fixed area required a high level of concentration and technique, and yet this young girl was apparently able to casually pull it off.
“All the food we ate in Qualle was delicious, but Latina wants to try fish Kenneth cooks, too.”
“Well then, shall we use this for dinner tonight?”
There was a lot he had to say, but seeing her hopeful expression, as her “master,” he had to go all out. Looking at the fish frozen in the ice, he immediately started thinking about what to make. Meanwhile, Latina started searching through the bag again.
“Also, we brought back boar meat.”
“Boar?”
“...Boar?”
Seeing the bundle of both cured meats and dried meats that Latina pulled out of her bag, Rita stared at them curiously, while Kenneth raised his eyebrows a bit. There were no mountains around Kreuz, and while there may have been large magical beasts in the forest, they were limited to types of animals that’d normally be found there.
“Dale, this is boar meat?”
“Yeah, but it was a ‘monster boar.’ It’s a type of magical beast that shows up a lot in the area around my home village.”
Kenneth’s face had been one of suspicion towards the large bundle of meat, but with that, it changed to one of understanding. It was too big of a piece to have come from a normal boar.
“We got it from Joseph’s place.”
“Um... He’s that relative of yours, the beastman mix, right?”
“Yeah.”
When Kenneth was still an active adventurer, he’d sometimes taken on guard jobs for merchant caravans visiting Tislow. That was how Granny Wen ended up requesting that he look after Dale when he was first starting out and how Kenneth knew there
was a beastman village on the way there.
“Latina got along really well with Maya. She was super cute!”
“That’s great.”
“And she was really fluffy, too!”
While Latina may have reported that with a smile, there was a bit of an awkward expression on Dale’s face as he sat and listened by her side.
“Did something happen...?”
“No... As long as Latina had fun, then it’s fine...”
Staring off into the distance, Dale thought back to what happened at the beastman village.
†
The pair retraced the same path on their way back from Tislow, so they ended up staying at the beastman village once again. On their way there, Latina was in an exceptionally good mood.
“Latina wonders if Maya has forgotten her. Hopefully it’ll be fine,” Latina said, suddenly stopping and looking up at Dale with a worried expression.
“Hmm... I’m sure she’ll remember before long. You became friends so quickly, after all.”
“That’s true.”
Latina took a cheerful skip, causing her ribbon with its elaborate flower design to sway. That ribbon, which she had received from Granny Wen, was her current favorite.
It had been early spring during their stay in Tislow, and even though it was now early summer, it didn’t feel overly hot here in the lush foliage of the beastman village. The pair weaved their way through the trees now covered in deep, dark-green leaves. Before long, the simple village came into view, and Latina shouted, “There it is!”
“Don’t run,” Dale said, successfully putting a stop to Latina just as she was about to break out into a sprint, and the pair walked into the beastman village together. Without showing any hint of being lost, Latina headed straight for the Bündte home. Stopping before the door to the small house, Latina clenched her fist to knock and then looked up at Dale, seemingly nervous. She must have been worried, just as she’d said earlier. Dale patted her once on the head with an awkward smile and then knocked in her place.
A moment later, Joseph opened the door. The sign of his bliss—his ample belly—hadn’t changed at all from last time, and it wobbled along with him. He didn’t seem surprised at all to see Dale and Latina. They’d indicated they’d probably come again when they stayed here last time, after all.