by CHIROLU
“Do you like other animals, too?”
“There aren’t a lot of animals in Kreuz, and not many people have dogs in the part where Latina lives. She likes cats. And mice ‘should be eliminated from shops that serve food, like the Ocelot.’” Her master, Kenneth, had taught her that.
“These fellows seem to have grown quite attached to you too, Latina...” Wendelgard muttered to herself, contemplating something. “Well then, shall I take you tomorrow to see someone I think you’d like?”
“Someone Latina would like?”
“Yeah. But you’ve got to keep it a secret from everyone else.”
“Even Dale...?”
“If he finds out, then he may tell you not to go.”
“Is it a dangerous place?”
“I’d never expose my cute little Latina to danger.”
“You really are just like Dale, Granny.”
That was the impression that Latina got.
Just as she’d said, in addition to bringing lunch, Granny Wen took Latina on an outing the next day. And considering how Tislow was surrounded by them, that outing was of course into the mountains. Magical beasts may have lived there, but none were enough to worry Granny Wen.
From then on out, Latina started sneaking around and going out alone, trying to avoid being noticed. Granny Wen soon realized what she was doing, but simply smirked and didn’t say a word. Dale was generally out during the day, though, so he didn’t realize what Latina was doing. As a result, the first one to find Latina’s actions suspicious was Dale’s mother, Magda.
“Dale.”
“What is it?”
“About Latina. Lately...” started Magda, tilting her head. “It seems she’s been eating snacks with Granny lately, but I think she’s also occasionally taking some jerky, too.”
“Jerky?” Dale asked, tilting his head as well. Latina wasn’t a very picky eater, but thanks to her small build, she also didn’t eat all that much. She may have liked sweets, but she never overate when snacking. It was hard to imagine her sneaking food.
“She’s been coming and going to the Suna place, right? Maybe she’s giving it to the dogs or something.”
“But the dogs there are raised not to take food from anyone who isn’t a Suna.”
“That’s true...”
The mother and son tilted their heads at a similar angle. They didn’t have the option of asking Granny Wen, since the old woman wouldn’t fess up to anything if she found it amusing. And if it were something dangerous, she would’ve already taken action. She was worthy of at least that much trust and respect.
“I’ll check it out,” Dale said, now ready to take action.
Latina was busy with work and her studies during the morning. Dale figured that if she was up to something, it’d have to be in the afternoon, so he secretly lined up his lunchtime with hers and headed home. He then kept watch outside the mansion, not going inside. He knew a number of places to hide from when he played as a child and was now in one such spot.
“Hide-and-seek” in Tislow was a little different than it was elsewhere. It was guided by the adults and used proper techniques for hiding. It was technically a “game,” but it was effectively the start of training for hunting in the mountains and guarding the village. Even Latina’s sharp senses would have a hard time finding Dale when he got serious.
Before long, Latina came out of the mansion. She was glancing about and paying more attention to her surroundings than necessary, seemingly feeling guilty about something. The pink stole on her back bulged out, likely because she had on her rucksack. On top of that, she was also holding a bag in one hand, perhaps containing jerky. After taking one more look back at the mansion, she started walking. Maintaining a fair amount of distance between them, Dale started to follow her.
She kept confidently walking onward, occasionally stopping to look at a small flower or a bug. After a while, she turned onto a path into the mountains.
She couldn’t be...?
Realizing that Latina was going off to play alone in the mountains, Dale turned pale. He was well aware of Latina’s ability to sense danger, having experienced it himself firsthand. But even so, it wasn’t foolproof. If she got lost out in the mountains, her life would be in danger.
I’m going to have to give her a talking to about this... Dale thought, continuing to trail her. If he called out to her now, he wouldn’t know where she’d been heading.
Even in the mountains, Latina showed no sign of being lost. She continued down narrow animal trails, paying careful attention to her surroundings. Following after her, Dale found cleverly hidden marks at the spots she stopped and checked.
So it was Granny! With this evidence, Dale was now confident. All of the marks were new, so they must have been placed there for Latina’s sake. That grandmother of his was even more of a “blessed child of the land” than Dale was, so she’d never end up losing her way in the mountains.
Latina kept on going in a direction Dale wasn’t familiar with. It wasn’t all that far from the village, but it was an area that was off-limits. It was an unwritten rule that you weren’t supposed to go there. In actuality, for some reason, magical beasts and animals never appeared here, so there was no need to hunt or patrol in the area. On top of the area being banned, there was no point for those who went to gather the fruits of the land to risk the danger of traversing such unknown paths and terrain. There was plenty to be gathered elsewhere in such a bountiful region, after all. From the time a villager was a child on, they took it as a given that you didn’t come here. That was the sort of place Latina had gone.
After a short while, Latina stopped.
There was a bush amongst the short undergrowth in a bit of a clearing. Latina walked around it, seemingly looking for something in the brush. Dale thought he heard her call for someone. As if in response, the bush started rustling vigorously, and something popped out from the undergrowth. Before Dale could see what it was, Latina went running to it, hiding it in the shadow of her body. But from her following joyful shout, it was clear that this was what she had come for.
“Latina brought dried meat today, too. Do you want some?”
After rustling around the bag a bit, she pulled out its contents, which she offered as she squatted down and happily stared at her companion.
“Is it tasty? That’s great! Do you want more?”
After offering more of what was in the bag, she seemed to start petting her companion. It was clear to Dale that she was engrossed in what she was doing, even just seeing her from behind. Normally Dale would mutter to himself about how cute it was to see Latina like that, but he wasn’t in the state of mind for that right now.
“Latina!” Dale yelled out, standing up from his hiding place. Seemingly feeling guilty after all, Latina sprung up with her back still facing him, actually leaping up into the air a bit. It was rather charming to see.
“You shouldn’t feed wild animals. We can’t take it back with us to Kreuz, so it’s better for it as well to not make it more used to people than necessary.”
“Dale...” Confused, Latina stood up and turned to face him, holding the animal in her arms.
“Wild animals carry illnesses sometimes too, so you shouldn’t carelessly touch--“
“Not ’nimal.”
Dale’s lecture was interrupted by a voice he didn’t recognize. “Huh...?”
“Angry, angry!”
That steaming-mad voice came from the “animal” in Latina’s arms. It looked like a medium-sized dog and had fluffy fur and a tail. Depending on the viewing angle, it had the feel of a lion to it. On its back were wings. It stared unwaveringly at Dale with its intelligent-looking, golden eyes.
“A mythical beast...?” Dale muttered, dumbfounded, and Latina responded with a clear, “Yeah.”
The biggest difference between animals and magical beasts was whether or not they could use mana. Animals that had gained that ability over generations in turn gained great power. Some could trigger Wi
nd magic with their unusual roars. Some could use mana to boost their physical abilities. And some used it to support bodies far larger than those of normal animals. Even if those feats weren’t all explicitly magic, such phenomena were all caused by mana, so the animals came to be called “magical beasts.” That designation was given not just to animals, but to all living creatures, such as bugs and the like as well. Undead monsters, like ghosts and moving corpses, and other inorganic beings that used mana to move were referred to as “magical beings.”
Mythical beasts could be thought of as the top rank of magical beasts, standing above the rest. They possessed not just mana, but also a high level of intelligence. It was said that they had a language, culture, and unique society all their own. And amongst them were those who understood the language of man.
Dale had interacted with mythical beasts before in the past. With their high intelligence, they were able to become demons. They weren’t enslaved, instead serving as proper subordinates of a demon lord. Their abilities were even greater than those of magical beasts of the same type.
With a mythical beast in front of him, Dale unconsciously reached for the sword at his hip. It apparently recognized Dale’s reaction, and its fur suddenly stood on-end to intimidate him. The two stared one another down, a tense air between them...
“Squish-squish?” Latina buried her face into puffed-up fur, instantly destroying that tension. “What’s wrong? Are you angry? Did Dale do something? Sorry.”
“Not... angry.” The creature’s fur sank back down and it stopped trying to act threatening. The tension dispersed.
By the way, all of this occurred with the mythical beast still in Latina’s arms.
“Latina...?”
“Latina’s sorry for coming to play without asking... Granny said that this place was a secret, but Latina wanted to come. She wasn’t able to control herself, so... sorry...” Downhearted, Latina looked at the ground, and the mythical beast wagged its tail in seeming displeasure.
“Bullying? Beat the hell up?”
“Dale’s just worried about Latina. He’s not bullying her.”
“So this really was Granny’s doing, huh...?” Dale let out a deep sigh and looked at the mythical beast in Latina’s arms once more. “Still, to think there was a mythical beast this close to the village...”
“Is that odd?” Latina asked, tilting her head.
“Normally, mythical beasts don’t come close to human settlements...”
“Really?” Latina tilted her head even further in confusion.
The environments suited for mythical beasts and people differed, and mythical beasts found getting involved with humans to bring unnecessary trouble, so they didn’t like doing so. They were intelligent enough that they also understood the danger presented by the races of man, who used tools and magic. As a result, mythical beasts generally avoided living in places inhabited by people.
In other words, Latina’s following statement was outlandish and absolutely absurd.
“This one’s family lives near here too, though.”
“What?!” Dale couldn’t help but be left speechless. He yelled out angrily in his mind, of course at his grandmother.
After Dale suppressed his inner turmoil, he asked Latina what had happened and learned that Granny Wen had led her to the mythical beasts’ den.
“They’re called ‘soaring wolves.’ They live in packs,” Latina explained what Granny Wen had told her as she walked alongside Dale. The wolf cub was a few steps ahead of them, looking like a well-trained dog.
“So there was a pack a mythical beasts living this close to the village...?”
“Granny said that it’s a secret kept by the heads of the clan, and that Papa Randolph knows, too.”
“Dad...”
“Mr. Yorck is still just the apprentice of the clan head’s apprentice, so he hasn’t been told.”
From the rest of what Latina had to say, Dale got a grasp on the situation. Apparently the successive Tislow clan heads had an understanding with the soaring wolves and agreed to live symbiotically. The most important part of that agreement was that neither would invade the territory of the other. The soaring wolves wouldn’t come into the village or attack its people, and the people of Tislow wouldn’t enter the soaring wolves’ domain in the mountains. The soaring wolves captured and ate animals and other magical beasts, so such an abundant area could support many of them. With the existence of such predators, naturally the number of such creatures declined. For Tislow, this was a good method for preventing magical-beast attacks.
The soaring wolf Dale was looking at how confirmed his conjecture. Latina had called the previous creature a cub, and apparently that was the right way to refer to it.
The massive frame of the soaring wolf before Dale was stretched out comfortably on the ground. Thanks to the aura coming off of this huge carnivore, the weak of heart wouldn’t have been able to even stand before it. It was a lithe yet strong animal, like a lion or a tiger. Just how large would it appear if it spread out its folded wings?
“That’s correct. We soaring wolves have had a contract with Tislow since the distant past. As long as neither side violates its terms, it shall remain valid.” With a solemn, majestic voice, it smoothly spoke the words of man.
Just what sort of negotiations had the people of Tislow done in the past? Dale felt complex emotions while trying to imagine what his ancestors had been thinking. He’d never heard of anyone negotiating a contract with mythical beasts to live alongside them. It wasn’t just this fact that had Dale lost in thought and wanting to turn a blind eye to reality.
“Here?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Here?”
“I see, not bad.”
The massive, powerful, rare mythical beast—a soaring wolf—was loose, relaxed, defenseless, and showing its stomach. At the start, it was of course on guard seeing Dale for the first time and wouldn’t possibly have taken such a position. But when Latina took her brush out of her rucksack and started brushing the soaring wolf all over, it naturally shifted to that posture.
Huh? Mythical beasts usually don’t let others even touch them in the first place! This is bizarre! Dale held that quip back and kept it in his mind. Perhaps because they were a type of wolf, which were canines, they happily wagged their tails, seemingly unable to withstand Latina’s grooming, and would occasionally shift to make it easier for the brush to reach them.
Hell had frozen over.
Soaring wolves wagging their tails... Soaring wolves showing their stomachs...
There was an air of absolute submission to the scene. Latina herself seemed entirely unaware of that, though. And furthermore, she had accomplished all of this without any Center magic. She’d managed it all with her own skill alone.
“Latina, you’re... amazing...” Dale whispered.
“Hmm?” Latina looked confused, her brow shining with sweat. The soaring wolf they were speaking with right now and which she had tamed so thoroughly was apparently their leader. In no time at all, this young girl had made powerful enough allies that she could likely take control of an entire town if she wanted to.
Having finished brushing the alpha soaring wolf, Latina held the cub in her arms. “This cub gets along with Latina best.” She was beaming. Seeing her like that, Dale wasn’t able to say anything. This cub, the first soaring wolf Dale had seen, was the child of the leader. Aside from the black mixed into the tips of its ears, tail, and paws, its fur was the exact same grey as the leader.
“Um, his stomach is the fluffiest part.” With the cub still in her arms, she came running to Dale to show off the stomach fur of the massive carnivore, defenselessly and without hesitation. The leader of the pack gave his complete approval to the bold, daring actions of the small girl. In fact, he even seemed happy about it. Dale’s reaction—escaping from reality with a far-off gaze—may have been the perfectly normal one to have. Easily imagining his grandmother having a hearty laugh at Latina exceeding even
her expectations when she set this up, Dale cursed her in his mind.
“Latina likes animals, but she doesn’t get along too well with cats,” Latina said, looking up at Dale on their way back to the village. “She wants to, so she approaches them, but they run away.”
“I see...”
“Latina likes petting, and fluffy fur feels good.”
“...I see...”
It should’ve been absolutely heartwarming to see her frolic with animals, but he couldn’t earnestly feel that way because of how abnormal it was. Still half-lost in escapism, Dale thought to himself that nothing was good in excess.
“She gets along with all the dogs in Tislow, too.”
“...I see.”
He had listened to what she’d said up until now, but perhaps because the situation was so different than he’d expected, he let out a big sigh.
Latina’s still growing...
It would seem that Latina’s potential for growth had exceeded his expectations.
7: The Young Man Attends His Brother’s Wedding with the Young Girl
As Dale’s brother Yorck’s wedding approached, the whole of Tislow grew restless. Out in the country, entertainment was limited. Such a big event of course made for a special occasion for the villagers, and this time around, the leading man was part of the main household. It would obviously be a grand event. Their expectations were through the roof.
Every house in the village was airing out their Sunday best and preparing gifts, and the whole village was filled with a lively air.
Latina’s outfit came from Dale’s family, adjusted to fit her. Rather than needing to frequently be remade, it was made to be tweaked it bit by bit to fit the wearer as they grew. The blouse required careful adjustment, but everything else could simply be shortened to fit the young girl.
Latina was absorbed in her needlework as she sat in Granny Wen’s room again today. At night, she’d either be in the room with Dale or the living room, while she generally spent the day in the kitchen and this room. By the way, Latina was now able to properly sleep in a different room than Dale. Her general pattern was to stay in Dale’s room until she got sleepy, say goodnight, and then move to the room next door, get in bed, and fall asleep within three seconds.