by CHIROLU
Both the portrait itself and reproductions of it were treated as precious, and spread throughout the nation alongside poetic words that compared the lively twins to blossoming flowers.
And that trend wasn’t limited to just the nobles, as it soon started spreading throughout the cities, too.
It went without saying that it also made it to a certain corner of Kreuz, and Dale then heard the poetic words that had been spread: “Vassilios holds a great fortune. Two flowers, akin to the sun and the moon. These twin blooms are revered as the most valuable of all treasures.”
“Yeah, but one of them wasn’t even in that country, though...” Dale couldn’t help but quip.
With that said, the “flower” in that nation undoubtedly held the “flower” elsewhere as the most precious treasure imaginable.
And though the matter had already spread on such a large scale, Dale ultimately decided not to inform Latina about it. Hiding it wouldn’t overturn the reality of the matter, but for the sake of the girl and her commoner mindset, he chose not to make a big deal out of it.
Dale was denying reality a bit himself too, but well, there was no helping that.
†
Having completed their schedule and learned of Labandese culture, the envoys had become forerunners towards future friendly relations between the nations and safely completed their mission.
And so, the procession was to head back down the highway, then return to Vassilios by way of Kreuz. Unlike the trip there, though, the Golden King would really be among them.
The beautiful magical beast-led carriage was stopped on the highway outside of Kreuz. The envoys received a warm welcome from Count Kleinmifel and plentiful attention from the residents when they arrived on their return trip, but that quieted down once they were outside of town. Meanwhile, Chrysos insisted on staying holed up inside the carriage, surrounded by soldiers acting as guards.
“Chrysos...” Dale muttered quietly outside of the vehicle as the Golden King glared at him. With both of her arms, she was hugging her twin tight. She was clearly resisting because she realized that if she let go, they would be separated once again.
“I’m sorry, Chrysos...” Latina practically whispered to her sister.
“...There is nothing to be done about the fact that you do not wish to return to Vassilios, Platina,” Chrysos replied, understanding what her sister’s words had meant.
For Latina, her old home of Vassilios was not a place that she wanted to return to. Her kind parents were already gone, and since she was raised in secret in the depths of the temple, there weren’t any acquaintances there that she could have a friendly conversation with.
Her memories of being unreasonably exiled and losing everything were far stronger than any happy ones of the place.
That was precisely why Chrysos wanted so badly to change the country that she ruled. But at the same time, she also understood that it would take time to do so.
“I will make it into a place that shall accept you with open arms, without fail.”
“Um, Chrysos... I’m sure I’ll come visit you eventually. I think it would probably be easier for Dale and I that way, after all...”
The lifespans of demon lords and their demons were incomparably longer than those of humans. Surely it would be a lot more convenient in a number of ways to live in a country of devils, who had long lifespans to begin with. Or at least, that was what Latina thought.
“So I don’t consider this a true goodbye.”
“I understand. And if I wish to see you, I simply need to head out once again.”
“Hey, Chrysos, is it really alright for a king to be leaving her country so lightly?” Latina asked with a serious look.
Yeah, no way, Dale thought to himself, but he kept the quip inside out of consideration for the sisters saying farewell.
“As long as you cannot return to Vassilios, that is the only method that we may spend even a brief time together.
“I see... Sorry, Chrysos...”
Don’t go accepting that so easily, Dale quipped inside.
She really was just way too earnest for her own good.
“Just make sure to let us know beforehand next time, alright?”
“My movement is highly classified, so that shall be difficult.”
“It’s a given that you should do that much...” Dale muttered, no longer able to hold back. However, nobody seemed to notice.
Up until the bitter end, the twins paid no heed to the fact that in spite of how she got there, there was a problem with a nation’s ruler staying in a bar on the outskirts of town.
Latina and Chrysos held each other’s hands tight, then brought their faces so close that their foreheads were almost touching. Their flowing platinum hair intertwined, such that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”
“And I do not wish to hear of you ending up in anything but the best of health, Platina.”
“That goes for you too, Chrysos.”
Both thinking of one another, they broke out in slight smiles at the same time.
“＊＊＊＊＊”
“＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
After that secret exchange, they slowly released their grasps, reluctant to part.
As Latina reached the side of the waiting Dale, she looked at him as if she felt she had done something wrong. Before she could say anything, though, he ruffled her hair, just a bit roughly.
Realizing that he was doting on her as always and showing that her feelings could go unspoken, Latina smiled at Dale with tears in her eyes. Dale, meanwhile, responded with his own strained smile.
The magical beast started walking, and the wheels started slowly, heavily turning as the vehicle finally got moving.
Chrysos wore the same exact expression as Latina as she moved further and further away, until she was no longer visible. But even so, Latina kept on standing there, seeing the procession off. There was a sorrow that could be spied about her from behind that words alone couldn’t express, so Dale put his arms around her shoulders and gently embraced her.
“Shall we go back?”
“Yeah...”
As if spurred on by the sad smile on Latina’s face, Dale held her tighter and smiled back.
With that, they turned around and headed back towards Kreuz, to return to their normal everyday lives. In order to spend their days awash in as much happiness as possible, they headed back.
With that said, it wouldn’t be too much longer until a certain demon lord really did become a regular at a bar on the outskirts of town, just as she had claimed she would.
2: Sequel: The Platinum Maiden, Her Best Friend, and a Changing “Everyday”
It had been a turbulent time with Chrysos’s sudden visit and the way that she ended up getting wrapped up in all that “princess” stuff, but things were finally calming down again for Latina.
She flawlessly carried out her daily work at the Ocelot, and also acted as a big sister to Theo and Emma.
It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t admired the princesses she’d seen in the picture books she read every day as a child, and the romance novels that resonated with her after she came of age. But now, Latina couldn’t help feeling like she’d have preferred those stay fairy tales. She was undoubtedly of royal birth and also the fiancee of a man considered a champion the world over, as well as the heroine of an epic admired by a great many young maidens, but that hadn’t all really sunk in until now.
And if she was being honest, employing recipes Kenneth had come up with using the grain that made up Vassilios’s primary diet (which she had received from the envoys) was far more important to her.
“I think it should be something akin to wheat, so...”
“Amazing... It’s edible...”
“You said you tried lightly baking it, right? So I tried kneading in fat and then baking it. And it may not be a bad garnish for some sort of stew...”
&nbs
p; The batter had been thicker than the type used for crepes, and it had a sweet aroma despite how lightly baked it was. It was also both soft and exceptionally moist. This was the result of more than just simple baking. Latina could tell that much from just a single bite.
Kenneth had made it sound easy, but he must have tried out all sorts of things before arriving at this flavor. Latina felt even greater respect for her master, and then started to cry, realizing that even the ingredients from her old country could be made edible with enough effort.
The tears fell so plentifully that Kenneth actually backed away for a moment.
“It really is different when you cook it properly... They had the concept of cooking, but that was all...”
“Is Vassilios really going to be alright?”
“I’d like it if delicious food spread further there, but to do so it would be necessary to increase the rate of import and self-production of food, to increase the amount overall in circulation. If people started monopolizing delicious meals, lots of others would starve to death.”
“That’s... The food being bad may have been slowing down the rate it was being used, huh? That’s a real desperate measure, but I guess it’s something they’ve had in place for years...”
That evening, Latina secretly gave Kenneth’s carefully prepared, lightly baked bread made out of Vassilios grain to Dale for dinner. Dale seemed to have noticed it was something different, but he never managed to guess at its identity. And Latina didn’t ever tell him what it was, either.
That sort of everyday life was only natural to them.
An everyday life where no real changes stood out brought its own sort of happiness for them.
Just when Latina thought that such days had returned, she left to enjoy the first nice, relaxing visit with her best friend in a while, only to let out a shrill, hysteric, “Huh?!”
Chloe had welcomed Latina into her room, which didn’t seem to have changed a bit. And now she was just sipping tea as Latina sat there frozen in shock. Seeming a bit bored, almost, she started meaninglessly fidgeting with her bed cover with her finger.
“Huh? Huh? Chloe? What do you mean?”
Latina’s brain had apparently managed to snap out of its torpor, and immediately she began a flurry of questions.
“Even if you ask me that, all I can think to say is that I meant what I said...” As her gaze wandered a bit, Chloe then repeated the words that had caused her friend to freeze, “I’m getting married.”
“Just when did that happen?!” Latina screamed, so loudly that it must have reached outside.
She had thought things were back to normal, but apparently the world had no intention of settling down.
Latina and Chloe had known each other for quite some time now. To Latina, Chloe was the first friend she had ever made.
Back when she lived in Vassilios, she hadn’t had anyone she could call a friend. The only ones around were her parents, adults related to them, and chamberlains. She hadn’t felt lonely, though, because her other half had always been around to play with her.
But then she was exiled from her home, torn away from her other half, and lost her parents. She had lost everything once, and so everything she had gained here in Kreuz since Dale picked her up was utterly irreplaceable to her.
And her best friend, who accepted her without any discrimination or condescension, even when she could only speak awkward Western Continental at best, was at the top of that list. It was Chloe who brought her into the group with the other children, and taught her how to play around and get into mischief. All of her happy childhood memories were shared with Chloe.
Chloe was also the one Latina had discussed her romance with.
Latina had feelings for Dale ever since she was young, and she felt no need to hide that fact from her best friend. And besides, it was only natural for a maiden in love to want to boast about her sweetheart.
But with that said, it had only ever been one-sided, with Latina always being the one to talk.
Chloe hardly ever talked about romance, and all discussions on such matters never involved her.
And so, Latina was unable to hide her shock at her friend’s sudden engagement.
“Huh? Did you get set up with someone or something?” Latina asked, voicing the first reason that came to mind for this sudden development.
“No... That’s not it...” Chloe protested awkwardly.
She looked bashful, as if she was embarrassed. It would seem that she was fully aware how out of character it was for her to partake in this sort of romantic gossip.
“Then just who are you marrying, Chloe...?!”
There was a reason Latina was steadily growing more and more hasty.
Latina had cared for Dale ever since she was little, and ever since her feelings reached him and they were engaged, he had positively smothered her with affection. And both of her late parents had raised her, which was rare in Vassilios, plus they had a gentle, harmonious relationship. Then there were Kenneth and Rita, who got along so well as they ran the Ocelot, day in and day out.
In part due to that upbringing, Latina was a fairly strong proponent of love for love’s sake.
So naturally, there was no way she wouldn’t be interested in hearing more about this sudden development.
“No, well you see, Rudy’s...”
“Rudy?”
“No, not Rudy!”
“Right. I figured there was no way he could be the one.”
That was a rather awful thing to say when he wasn’t even around to defend himself.
“He’s one of Rudy’s colleagues...”
“Then... he’s a guard?” Latina asked, tilting her head. There were quite a few members of the guards amongst the Ocelot’s regulars. Latina thought them over as she recalled each and every one of their faces.
“No, not one of the customers from the Ocelot. He says a lot of the elites frequent that place, so it’s hard for him to work up the nerve to go there.”
The regulars included the captain of the guard, as well as a number of highly skilled elites amongst the guards. And so, it would be no surprise for any normal member of the group to not feel up to visiting all that often. Though with that said, there was also no shortage of young folks who weighed that against the charm of the adorable waitress who worked there and ended up deciding to go in the end.
“I see...” Latina stated in understanding, then turned to face Chloe once again. “But still, just when did that happen? And also...” Latina started, then suddenly paused, a look of dejection on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me...?”
She thought that she would be the first one to hear of her friend’s romance. She had no basis for that, but they were best friends, so that was what she thought. But maybe she was the only one thinking that, and perhaps Chloe no longer considered her a best friend.
It was a bad habit of Latina’s to immediately jump to pessimistic conclusions like that, but Chloe had been her best friend for years, so she was well aware of that.
And so, Chloe thrust out a plain and simple explanation.
“Now just who was it who went missing when I wanted to discuss this, I wonder...?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...!”
She remembered all too clearly.
Dale and Latina had gotten engaged when she was still a little young for marriage by Labandese standards. But now, several years had passed, and she was old enough that it wouldn’t be remotely strange for her to be married.
And Latina was well aware that she was at fault for not being by her best friend’s side during that period.
“But still, just how did it happen?”
“...Well, at first I was to be set up with someone from a textile wholesaler who I knew through work... And we happened to see each other now and again, and he told me not to do it...” Chloe explained after looking at Latina with a teasing expression as the girl apologized in a fluster. But as she talked about her fiance, her expression softened and s
he felt at ease inside.
Chloe and her fiance had started to grow close because Latina had gone missing. Up until then, she didn’t see him as a possible romantic partner, and he was just someone she saw now and again and made small talk with.
When Latina went missing and then Dale disappeared too, the regulars of the Dancing Ocelot started giving their all to look into what had happened.
Amongst them was their childhood friend Rudolph, who ran all around Kreuz and discovered the key clue that there existed a girl who looked identical to Latina, mainly via testimony from the gatekeepers.
Another of their friends, Sylvia, left not only Kreuz but all of Laband in search of Latina.
But Chloe was just an ordinary person living in town, and she wasn’t able to do a thing.
She really hated herself, not being able to do anything for her precious best friend she had known since childhood. It was so very hard.
Thanks to the Demon Lords of Calamity the world was teetering on the brink, and the guards and adventurers were volunteering to maintain order at the risk of their lives.
And yet, there was nothing she could do. If only there was at least some way she could help.
As those thoughts ran through her head, her legs ended up taking her to the temple.
This temple for Ahmar, patron god of Laband, was where the night festival was held, and also where people came to pray for the safety of those who took up the sword to fight for their own sense of justice. Her friend’s beloved had made a name for himself as a champion, so she prayed that he would be successful and they would come back safely.
She had also frequently visited the temple of Akhdar along with her friends, and was quite familiar with it. She prayed that her friend who was running all around would be safe. And above all else, she prayed to the god who watched over travellers for news of her best friend’s whereabouts to arrive even a moment sooner.
She rarely ever visited the temples, but now she went to as many as she could and prayed, as if she depended on it.