If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord: Volume 2

by CHIROLU

  “Done!”

  “Let me see...”

  Having finished sewing the skirt, Latina held it out to Granny Wen with a sunny expression on her face. After checking the seams, Granny Wen gave her approval.

  “Not bad.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Who taught you? It wasn’t my idiot grandson, right?”

  “A friend’s mom did.”

  Latina wore a proud smile as her hair was ruffled. Granny Wen was affectionate towards Latina and liked to pamper her. In a way, she was even more generous than Dale. But even so, she did know when to be strict. In Dale’s case, he’d always energetically praise Latina, no matter what. That did make her happy, but to a girl like Latina overflowing with a desire to improve herself, she felt even happier to receive a passing grade from someone strict like Kenneth or Granny Wen. Rather than being arrogant, she was able to properly accept cold, harsh judgments as well.

  “How will the bride be coming?”

  “After she arrives from the village down the way, she’ll stay in a house near the entrance to take care of preparations. We have our own way of doing things. And since she’ll be joining our clan, she’ll have to do things our way.”

  “Latina sees. She saw a wedding in Kreuz at the temple of Quirmizi before.”

  Ahmar was the principal god of Laband, but in addition presiding over the harvest, Quirmizi was also the god you prayed to for the prosperity of your descendants. Following that logic, Quirmizi also oversaw weddings. Even if they didn’t have a proper priest with divine protection, nearly every town and village had a place dedicated to the worship of Quirmizi for that very reason, as it also served as a facility to hold a wedding.

  “Our way of doing things may be a tad different than the way they do things in town.”

  “Latina’s looking forward to it!” said Latina happily, holding her successful skirt to her chest.

  Tislow had a culture all its own. That applied not just to the customs, but to the attire as well. The thick skirt had ribbons attached to its embroidered hem. Outside of formal occasions, people would often wear an apron overtop. Both men and women wore vests over their shirts and blouses, and a subtly embroidered sash completed the outfit. As they were a people who served the god of the earth, the embroidery on their formal clothes was always designed to look like flowers. These took no short amount of time to make and were the result of detailed handwork. They were handed down through a household, and mothers took quite some time making them for their children.

  Latina was greatly looking forward to wearing such unfamiliar clothes. She was a girl, so of course she was interested in fashion.

  “Does it look alright on Latina? It doesn’t look strange?”

  “You’re a charming girl, Latina. It suits you well.”

  “You really are cute, Latina,” added Dale, his comment not much different from his grandmother’s.

  “Right.”

  “Our clan’s clothing looks totally fresh on you, Latina.”

  “Right.”

  “You look like you belong in the spotlight more than the bride!”

  “Right.”

  “Hey, you idiot brother! And you too, Granny! Cut it out!”

  It was the day of the wedding itself when Yorck played the straight man to this grandson and grandmother pair.

  Latina had put on her outfit entirely consisting of clothes from Tislow and was spinning about in front of Dale, unable to calm down. Following tradition, she also had a large, jeweled broach attached to her chest. As a clan of craftsmen, the people of Tislow were quite familiar with jewelry. Latina was obviously just borrowing it, but it was a truly splendid piece, fitting of the main household.

  Unmarried men and women also had fresh flowers as part of their outfit. Women wore them in their hair, while the men tucked them into their hats. The difference between those who were married and those who weren’t was also shown on the designs on their sashes, with those who were unmarried having flowers, and those who were married having fruit. Though he was the leading man of the day, Yorck’s outfit wasn’t different from that of the other men. He had a jeweled ornament pinned onto his stole and a knife at his waist, but that was the norm for Tislow. The only thing that marked him as different was the design on his sash: only the groom’s had both flower and fruit embroidery.

  “So you’ve still got the flowers, huh? Looks like your little brother is going to pass you by,” those offering their congratulations told Dale, the brother of the leading man.

  Latina looked even cuter than usual today, to such a degree that Dale couldn’t help but want to break out in doting exclamations. The vivid flower in her platinum hair looked absolutely beautiful. It was the same old attire Tislow women wore, but it looked shockingly fresh on her.

  “You look cool, Dale.”

  “It’s pathetic that I’ve still got flowers, though.”

  This sort of light banter continued until the start of the ceremony, when a bell rang out from far away and the atmosphere grew somehow tense. It was the relatives of the bride who rang that bell to tell of their coming as they walked. They weren’t used to Tislow’s way of doing things, so they were terribly nervous and rang the bell awkwardly, but in response, the people of Tislow greeted them by scattering flower petals about their path.

  Except for when deep snow prevented them in winter, marriage ceremonies were held all throughout the year, but spring was definitely when they were at their most beautiful. This time in particular, when they were coming into spring, there were many varieties of flowers in full bloom, and plenty of petals to scatter with the villagers’ blessings.

  When that advanced party reached the groom’s house, the sound of bells grew even louder. It was then that the groom’s family came outside. Latina came out alongside them, and her eyes shot wide open at the brilliant colors painting the path through the village. Yellow, red, pink, white... Adding in the shades, there were so many colors that it was difficult to express them all. The flower petals danced through the air, bringing a fragrance along with them.

  “So pretty...” Latina said in admiration, her gaze drawn to a single point. Tislow men held up poles supporting a chair, and seated in it was the bride, dressed in a brilliant outfit. Her beautiful dress used elaborate, complex embroidery, and she wore elegant jewelry as well, topping off the outfit with an orange hat, the color of Quirmizi. It was also abundantly decorated with fresh flowers.

  The palanquin the bride rode in continued slowly down the flowered path. Several people wearing outfits different than those of Tislow, the bride’s relatives, followed behind.

  “The bride is beautiful...”

  Latina’s cheeks were absolutely rosy as she stared in admiration. As for Dale, he casually put himself in the shoes of the bride’s father, who may have been happy for this auspicious marriage into the Tislow clan as a village chief, but couldn’t hide his complex feelings on the matter.

  Just what would he do if Latina wanted to be a bride herself? If she brought back some spineless guy and said she was going to marry him, then he may end up making him literally spineless... Dale may not be able to use Fire magic, but he’d surely want to burn him to ashes. Well, if nothing else, he wouldn’t accept anyone who wasn’t at least his equal. Someone weaker than him was out of the question from the very start. But Latina might end up hating him if he opposed her, right? What should he do? He felt like he was going to break out in tears.

  “Why are you making a face like that?” Randolph’s quip may have been on point, but it fell short and failed to reach his son.

  Randolph took a bell from the advanced party, he and the man bowed to one another. With the gate left wide open, the palanquin the bride was riding was ushered inside by the groom’s family. As she stepped down into the mansion with her cloth shoes, she didn’t leave behind even a speck of dirt or grime. To Tislow, the earth itself was a god worthy of awe. This ceremony held the meaning of delivering the bride to the house of the groom wi
thout allowing that god to steal her away.

  After that, the celebratory banquet began. A constant flow of villagers came up to the new bride and groom, who were standing up on a tiered platform, to offer their blessings. The adults also brought gifts, but everyone offered them a single flower. Latina also came up and shyly greeted them, holding a light pink flower to her chest.

  “Congratulations.”

  The bride accepted the flower from Latina with a nervous smile and placed it on the table set up behind her. The mountain overflowing on top of it showed just how many people had already come to see them

  Finally, they offered these flowers, the proof of the blessing of the people around them, up to Quirmizi, bringing the ceremony to a close. The culture of Tislow attached great importance to flowers.

  After the ceremony was over, the banquet turned into a true party. Men and women of all ages smacked their lips at the mountain of food, and just for this occasion, the clan head broke out her cherished liquor. Magda and several of the other women were already wearing aprons and hurriedly moving about.

  Amongst the lively crowd, Latina was sitting meekly by Granny Wendelgard’s side, chewing on her slice of river-fish pie, only to realize that Dale wasn’t around. Looking to her right, she saw Granny Wen biting off a chunk of herb-roasted meat and then gulping down a cup of liquor. Further along, she saw Yorck caring for his new bride Frida, who looked to have gotten drunk.

  Looking to her left, Latina saw Randolph arguing passionately with the villagers, who were being spurred on by the alcohol. It was a stupid debate over whether it’d be better for Randolph’s first grandchild to be a boy or a girl.

  Looking straight ahead, she saw a large number of people enjoying the banquet. Latina had helped make the large platter of food Magda had carried out. She was overjoyed to see people enjoying what she had made.

  “Dale...?”

  Not seeing him anywhere, though, she felt extremely lonely. Granny Wen soon realized why Latina’s gaze was darting all about.

  “Latina.”

  “Hmm?”

  “My idiot grandson went outside. If you’re going after him, be sure to wear something warm,” Granny Wen said, handing her a nearby stole. After thinking for a bit, Latina gave a deep bow, put on the stole, weaved through the crowd, and went outside.

  As she stepped out of the mansion and away from the warmth coming off the people inside, a pleasant night breeze hit her face. The silence out here almost made the bustle inside seem unreal.

  There he stood. Latina was relieved and approached him, but then felt bewildered, as he seemed somewhat different than normal.

  “Dale...?”

  Hearing her whisper, Dale looked up with the same smile on his face as always.

  “What’s wrong, Latina? It’s cold out here, so you should go back inside.”

  “You taught me that when you don’t want to smile, it’s alright not to, right?”

  After his surprise passed, Dale’s smile gained some bitterness. “I’m alright, Latina... Sorry for worrying you.”

  “Dale... are you lonely?”

  “Today’s a celebration, so of course I’m not,” Dale said in denial, only for Latina to hug him tight.

  If Latina were more grown up, then could she help Dale out more? Feeling a little sad, Latina blinked her moist eyes. She wanted to help him out in some way, like he always did for her. She thought if she was more of an adult, she’d surely not have to see such a pained smile on his face.

  Wanting to “save him” like he had done to her, she hugged him tightly. “Latina... should hurry up and grow up...”

  As she muttered that, Dale broke out in his usual strained smile. “You can take your time growing up, Latina, don’t you think? You don’t need to push yourself.”

  As he reached out to pat her head like he always did, he realized she was about to break out in tears. He gently shifted his hand from her hair down to her cheek. “You really are a kind girl, Latina...”

  He didn’t expect Latina to see through him like this. When she asked if he was lonely, he became aware that his feelings were indeed something like that.

  His younger brother’s wedding. The crowd of villagers offering their congratulations one after another. The calls for even further prosperity for the clan. And he wasn’t the one in the center of all of it. Everyone had spent so much time talking together without him. Time had kept on flowing while he wasn’t around. And it would keep on flowing without him in the future. That much was obvious. Though he should’ve accepted that, a lonely feeling filled his heart.

  For as long as he could remember, he thought he’d be the one to become the head of the clan. Everyone around him thought so as well, and they’d treated him as such. He never regretted the idea of living for the sake of the clan. It had been his foundation, that he’d carry on protecting the clan as the successive village heads before him had done, including his father and grandmother. He yielded that seat of clan head to his younger brother for the sake of the clan, too.

  To protect Tislow, his clan, he ended up leaving. He chose the path of taking on the name of Reki and leaving his village in order to protect it.

  Even so, he occasionally thought about it. That if he hadn’t been born with divine protection, then maybe he could’ve stayed here forever. And that he should’ve been the one to be the village chief.

  “I think I’m a little drunk... I guess I’ll take a walk until I sober up a bit. Care to join me?”

  “Yeah.”

  Walking while holding hands like this had become something perfectly normal for the pair. And it meant more to him than anything else in the world, that it was now a given for this young girl to be at his side.

  †

  Tislow had long since been disliked by the local lord of the area. The clan possessed their own unique culture and rules. Essentially, they weren’t a part of the nation of Laband. Even so, it was solely because of their high level of skill in unique fields that they weren’t treated as rebels, subjugated, and eliminated.

  There were settlements called “Tislow” outside of Laband as well. In the past, those in power sought those other places out. The Tislow there chose to resist, only to retreat from the village in a single night in the end, leaving behind an empty husk. To the clan, the clan itself came above all else. In order to protect that, they had no qualms about abandoning their land.

  When the Tislow clan left a land, it lost its abundant divine protection as well. And so even peerlessly productive land would soon turn back to normal, once more becoming a simple, inconvenient, remote area. After a war of attrition to break through the firm defenses leveraging the terrain manned by the excellent warrior magic users of the Tislow clan, they gained only a single abandoned village. It didn’t especially pay off.

  The people of Tislow didn’t mind abandoning their land because it wasn’t hard for them to move to a new location, cultivate a new land, and rebuild the village. That was largely thanks to the power of the earth, which was synonymous with their clan. And no matter where they went, the goods they produced with their skills carried a high price. Their unique skill for producing magical devices was truly the goose that laid the golden egg.

  Here in Laband too, the local lord ruling the domain was not fond of Tislow. They wisely used their abundant land to build up a stockpile of food reserves to such a degree that they could manage to support the surrounding villages even while fending off a siege. They had a great many magic users, and their specialty, Earth magic, had the ability to heal. This clan of the earth was also intimately familiar with medicinal plants. As a result, they possessed medical abilities far beyond what you’d expect so far out in the country.

  Though they were adjacent to the land the local lord ruled, they were a powerful, separate zone that didn’t answer to his authority. It was obvious that someone in such a position of power would despise them. It was also readily apparent that in the remote parts of his domain, where he held less influence, the pe
ople living there trusted Tislow more than they did their own lord.

  To the country of Laband itself, however, Tislow was worthy of being granted an exception and given autonomy. They wanted to avoid having them leave the nation above all else. If they lost such precious craftsmen it would lead to a shortage of magical devices throughout the country and have an effect on national policy. The profits that Tislow’s magical devices brought to Laband couldn’t be ignored, either. Their loss would greatly impact both the distribution and flow of money. Furthermore, if Tislow left and moved to another nation, that country would naturally gain those benefits.

  And so, taking all of that into account, the influential people at the core of the nation found it best to maintain the current situation.

  This relationship between Tislow, Laband, and the local lord had been maintained for quite some time, but when the local lord changed and sought to govern over the region, not even trying to hide his opposition to Tislow, that balance had started to crumble.

  It was the head of the Tislow clan, Wendelgard, who had made the first move. She used the Reki spread out through the land to invite Cornelio Cacace, a high-ranking Asfarian priest, to the village. He was an authority in the field of cultural anthropology, so Wendelgard extended the invitation after hearing that he was interested in the unique culture of Tislow.

  Normally, Tislow wouldn’t allow outsiders in. When it came to welcoming someone as a new member of the clan, there was no issue, but they wouldn’t just let someone move into the village. And so, this decision was an unusual one.

  Cornelio was an influential voice even in the central temple in the capital, so Wendelgard used him and the temple of Asfar as a means of forming a contact with Duke Eldstedt, the most influential man in Laband. At that time, Tislow presented the eldest son of the head household, Dale. He was used as a tool for political negotiations. Said to be favored by the gods, he possessed the divine protection of not just one god, but several, which was very rare.