by CHIROLU
“You must be tired, right, Latina? Are you alright?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I see.”
After comforting his bride as such, Dale scooped her up in his arms once again.
“Keep your mouth shut nice and tight so you don’t bite your tongue.”
“Hmm?”
Latina tilted her head, unable to understand what Dale had meant. Before she had time to figure it out, though, Dale stood atop the saddle on Hagel’s back.
“Well then, you have my thanks once again.”
“Indeed,” Hagel briefly replied, as they had known each other for a good while now.
And with that, Dale kicked off into the air with Latina in his arms, not showing even the tiniest bit of hesitation.
“...?!”
Latina had been earnestly listening to Dale’s words, so she didn’t manage to properly make a sound, but even so her voiceless scream trailed off into the evening glow of the sky.
The long sleeves of the wedding dress and the delicate veil fluttered violently in the wind.
Hagel regretted a bit that he had taken the promise so seriously and chosen not to enter the village.
When they journeyed about exterminating demon lords Dale had learned how to launch an assault by throwing himself from Hagel’s back while in mid-air, but such things came as a complete surprise to a girl like Latina.
It was like a sudden bungee jump without a cord.
Latina was known to be rather bold by nature, but faced with this unexpectedly terrifying experience, her soul nearly escaped from her body.
Naturally, when Randolph and Granny Wen met Dale, who had gone and done something so unexpected and was now holding his dazed bride in his arms, they couldn’t help but skip over any greetings to instead whack him one upside the head.
It was then that Dale realized just what he had done, so he just obediently stood there and took it.
It could be said that the one big effect of the whole thing was that Latina was now too stunned to be nervous about meeting Dale’s family for the first time in a while and being welcomed as his bride.
“Wah... S-S-Sorry... I-It’s... I-It’s been a...” Latina started, trying to greet everyone despite being so unsteady that her very sense of equilibrium was in question, and her eyes were spinning.
“Ah, don’t force yourself. You went and got dressed up as such a beautiful bride, and then my son had to go and be such an idiot...” Dale’s mother Magda interjected.
Latina was an incredibly serious person by nature.
Even so, she somehow managed to get her thoughts back in order, and then changed into her Tislow wedding attire. That traditional attire had an entirely different feel to it than the flashy wedding dress she had been wearing, and when Latina slid her arms through the sleeves, deep emotions welled up inside of her.
She removed the veil from her head and put on an orange hat.
Around then, Dale also finished changing into his outfit. He was quite accustomed to such attire from his clan, but it felt incredibly fresh seeing it on Latina, prompting a bashful smile from him.
There wasn’t so much as a speck of dirt on the shoes Latina had worn from Kreuz. The cloth shoes were pure white while the outfit from Tislow was black, but they didn’t feel out of place to her in the least. Apparently she had put a good deal of thought into how the design would work once she changed outfits, too.
Latina took Dale’s outstretched hand with a wide smile on her face.
From here, she was to be unveiled to the clan, and then they would have a banquet.
While Latina was getting ready, Dale picked up the flowers from the people back in Kreuz outside of the village. After all, those needed to be offered before the god, too.
Their wedding ceremony would continue on for a while yet.
In Tislow weddings, before the banquet, flowers were offered to the shrine dedicated to Quirmizi.
Normally only the bride and groom would head to the shrine, but Dale and Latina had received far more flowers than was typical. There were just far too many for them to carry, so Dale’s younger brother Yorck was tasked with assisting them.
The candlestick for the bride to hold was decorated with elaborate craftsmanship. It was created as a ritualistic tool for ceremonies, and the flickering light of a candle leaked out between the engraved designs all over it.
The groom, meanwhile, carried a tray with the flowers from the Tislow clan riding on top.
Together, the pair walked side by side to the waterfalls that served as a shrine, not speaking a word. Thanks to the solemn air of the ceremony, they felt unable to talk even if they wanted to.
The bride’s candlestick alone would be a bit unreliable for walking the mountain path as twilight was spreading, but fortunately there were magical devices placed at intervals to provide light, so there was no need for concern. With that said, though, the footing was poor, so they still had to proceed slowly.
And yet, slowly, calmly taking their time didn’t feel all that bad.
Occasionally, the two shared a glance. And that alone seemed to be enough for them to each understand what the other was feeling.
Their destination for the ceremony was a small shrine dedicated to Quirmizi in a semi-circular area with waterfalls. The thin waterfalls flowing forth from the surrounding bedrock flowed into a basin, making a refreshing sound. And the splashing of the water created a fine mist, making the area feel rather cool. That also certainly wasn’t unrelated to the overall sacred feeling about the space.
Lanterns had been set up there in advance, and the bride transferred the flame from her candle into them. She bent over carefully by each of them, and before long the light was reflecting off the water in the basin, surrounding the area with whimsical flickering flames.
Once all the lanterns were lit, the groom placed the tray he had carried in front of the shrine. And for this particular ceremony, a large basket was also placed beside it.
And then, the bride and groom stood side by side and offered a prayer. In this place, they didn’t need ritualistic words or a priest’s blessing. No, all they needed was a pure, simple prayer.
The clan carried deep favor from the god and lived with faith as part of their everyday lives, so they valued prayers of pure gratitude and belief.
Once their prayer was finished, the new couple looked into one another’s eyes. In perfect sync, they both broke out in smiles, then held each other’s hands, stood up, and looked around their surroundings.
“It’s beautiful...”
“Yeah.”
“And... I’m really happy, being able to see this sight again like this.”
When his young bride said that, Dale turned and smiled at her. He couldn’t help but find it strange to be standing here again with her like this, with her having grown so truly beautiful.
“I’ll strive my hardest... So that you can keep on saying that you’re happy.”
“I will too.”
The two snuggled close together, thinking of the future. They happily smiled at one another, realizing that today wasn’t the final destination, but rather only the beginning.
His elder brother and his bride were completely in their own world now, and though it would feel boorish to interject, Yorick felt incredibly awkward as they seemed to have completely forgotten he was there.
They may have been just wed, but still, the extreme sugaryness of their sweet talk was enough to give him heartburn just from watching.
And because he was dealing with his brother, he found it hard to say anything. He figured he could head back ahead of them since he had finished carrying their luggage, but he still felt a bit bad about it.
Latina smiled throughout the whole banquet with the clan, too.
Normally she would have liked to been part of the group that made the food for the guests, too, but she just didn’t have time for that. And so instead, she decided to focus purely on enjoying tasting the food.
Latina sa
t beside Dale in front of the large crowd of guests, and as she received her portion of the meal and ate it bit by bit, she smiled even brighter with each bite.
Dale occasionally glanced over at his smiling bride and broke out in a grin himself. Of course in his case, he gave a pathetically sloppy smile, but still, he definitely looked happy.
“Looks like you’ve already completely lost your backbone, huh?” his childhood friends and relatives teased, pointing out that deplorable expression on his face, but Dale showed no sign of feeling any shame.
“What’s so odd about that when I’m faced with such a beautiful bride?” he quipped back without a hint of hesitation.
The one one who had brought it up in the first place ultimately ended up seeming at a loss as to how to respond.
“Dale...” Latina chimed in as well, her face red. As she had a more conventional sense of shame, having him go on and on about her like that in front of so many people was naturally embarrassing.
Each time a guest came up to congratulate them Dale’s beer glass was filled up, but he kept on draining it at a consistent pace. He was good at holding his liquor to begin with, so it was hard to judge whether or not this was the result of his capabilities having been strengthened by becoming a demon.
Still, Latina liked to believe he was at least a little drunk. After all, she didn’t want to believe he was completely sober when he was saying these things to one guest after another.
“Latina’s always adorable, but her beauty’s on a whole other level today, so there’s no helping it.”
“Dale... I appreciate that, but you shouldn’t say such things in front of so many people...”
“Then it’s fine if we’re all alone?” Dale asked, sounding as if he had given up any and all self restraint.
“Even if it’s just the two of us, it’s still embarrassing...”
“My parents both have been saying how they’d like to see their grandkids, so there’s no need to worry.”
“You really are drunk, aren’t you, Dale?”
It wasn’t rare at all for him to rub his cheek up against hers like that, and he was usually that close and clingy with her, but the way he wasn’t paying any attention to who was watching and the alcohol on his breath lead Latina to that conclusion.
Maybe the fact that only his relatives were around was a problem, too. After all, it was a real shame having nobody like the couple who ran the Ocelot around to quip back at him.
As Latina went red from embarrassment, Dale leered at her slightly with upturned eyes. From today on she was his wife, so she should be firm with him here in this instance.
Contrary to Latina’s determination, though, the members of the Tislow clan welcoming the bride as one of them with this banquet saw her as something akin to an adorable little animal being doted on by her groom.
It would seem the path till she became the sort of dauntless adult woman she wanted to be was still quite long indeed.
And the greatest obstacle of all for that was Dale, who had finally gotten her to sit on his lap as he hugged her. It was no surprise that everyone around was shooting them such lukewarm gazes. Yes, no surprise at all...
5: Sequel: The Platinum Maiden, the Pup, and the Fluffiness
And so, the wedding ended in Tislow, and the time had come for Dale and Latina to decide on what they would do next.
“We borrowed Hagel’s aid on the way here, but do you want to take a relaxed walk back?”
“Yeah.”
The plan was to use their return to Kreuz as an opportunity to take a short trip.
Thanks to not just his work but also his world-spanning journey to eliminate the demon lords, travel was nothing novel for Dale. However, Latina had very few opportunities to leave town in general. Recently she did get to visit the capital and the surrounding towns, so she had technically been out and about, but that was ultimately just thanks to her position as princess, and so she didn’t really get to enjoy it.
Dale couldn’t say for certain just how things would go from here on out.
Surely, Latina wished to keep on working as a waitress at the Ocelot, enjoying the comforting bustle of everyday life. And Dale certainly wanted to grant her that wish. However, there was also no changing the fact that Latina was the princess of the neighboring country of Vassilios. And with this latest trip to the capital, the Labandese lords learned of her existence.
Surely someday, it would be asked of her to take up a fitting position. And when that time came, Dale and Latina’s lives would clearly change.
With that said, though, that wouldn’t happen in a day or two. And so, Dale figured it was fine to take advantage of this brief reprieve for a nice relaxed trip.
When they had traveled together before, Dale had prepared a horse for carrying their luggage, but this time he just carried it all in a large knapsack. Right now that much weight wouldn’t cause Dale any trouble, and as long as that faithful pup Vint was around, he could deal with any sudden instances of combat. And now that Latina was grown, she could use all sorts of magic for both offense and defense.
Thanks to all that, even if the luggage hindered Dale, they should still have all sorts of options for handling matters.
Dale was wearing much the same thing as always, but Latina’s preparations had primarily been taken care of by Granny Wendelgard, so she looked rather different from usual.
The ribbon with soaring wolf fur woven into it was a present she had received in the past, but this time around it was attached to a hat. The big bow was designed to flow down the back of her head, which was adorable but not overly childish. She also had on a tunic tailored in traditional Tislow designs, long pants and boots, making it clear that she was prepared to trek through the mountains. And the pale-hued overcoat she had on was meant more for warding off the sun than the cold. All in all, it was a well coordinated outfit that worked to accentuate her natural cuteness.
Dale couldn’t help but smile with a degree of frustration at the product of his grandmother’s fashion sense. But when Latina turned around with a joyous expression on her face and her long hair swaying, the tone of Dale’s smile became more natural and gentle.
“It’s a bit sad that we couldn’t take our time in Tislow... But if we did, then we wouldn’t be able to in the other towns, which’d be sad, too... It’s kind of a tricky dilemma, isn’t it?”
“With Hagel’s help, we can get back to my home village pretty quickly. And I think it’d be fine to just pop in now and again in the future... After all, there’s family there for you now, too.”
“...Yeah.”
The summer sun shone down on thick, verdant trees, casting tessellated shadows across the forest floor. Dale slowly walked along the path as a refreshing breeze blew on by, and Latina looked at him with a slightly embarrassed looking smile.
On this trip, there was one place that Latina absolutely wanted to visit, no matter what.
“With that said, a number of years have passed since then, so she might have forgotten me...” Latina muttered as they walked the thin forest path. Vint was walking a bit ahead of them, and something seemed to have caught his attention, as he was sniffing at his surroundings.
“That’s true... It’s especially difficult to remember back to when you were an infant...” Dale agreed. It was rare for Dale to say something like that to Latina when he normally doted heavily on the girl, but he decided it was better to say something that would let her down a bit now rather than foolishly getting her hopes up only for her to be seriously disappointed later. In other words, he was still staying true to his usual doting nature.
Before long, the forest opened up.
A small village came into view, made up of little houses with stone walls and roofs the color of trees all huddled close together.
This was where Latina wanted to go, and what had been weighing on her mind: Her second visit to this beastman village.
“I’m sure... that Maya’s gotten bigger, right?”
�
�It’s been years since then, after all. I suppose she’s probably about the same age that you were back then.”
Dale couldn’t help but give a strained smile at Latina’s statement as he walked into the village. After all, Latina had no room to talk about someone having “gotten bigger,” considering how much she had grown herself since then.
While those thoughts ran through his head, Dale made sure to keep an eye on the pup sniffing all around more than usual, so that he wouldn’t do anything he shouldn’t. Vint was just so on edge and unpredictable right now that Dale sort of wished he could just put a leash on him.
Soon enough, they stood before a familiar small house.
Latina had a bit of a troubled look on her face, so Dale knocked on the door in her place. And when they got a response and the door opened...
Dale froze, completely taken aback.
The fuzzballs... had multiplied.
Joseph was a relative of Dale’s, though a distant one, which meant those kids were related to him, too. That made it pretty awful for him to say it, but as a human, Dale had a hard time telling even the sex of pure beastmen just from looking at them.
There were three beastman children running excitedly around the room. On top of that, all three of them were black-furred. There were some slight differences in size, but it was hard to even tell the differences in their ages.
“Oh, so Maya has two little brothers now, huh? Their faces sure are a lot alike. Is one a bit older than Emma, and the other about her age?”
Dale thought it had to be some sort of special skill that Latina possessed for her to be able to determine all that so quickly. You really couldn’t go underestimating the devil race.
And as Dale stood there looking troubled at having suddenly gained more relatives, the situation only grew more chaotic.