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Silver-haired Maiden, With the gray fluff ball.
After he had asked Latina to go shopping, Kenneth started to sway side to side, trying to soothe his son, who was kicking and struggling about in his arms.
Since when Theo was a baby, he had always obediently listened to Latina, who was like a patient, kind 『big sister』 figure to him, and this made Kenneth, as the father, to feel slightly odd.
By Latina’s feet, a 『big gray dog』 was swinging its black tipped tail, following her. It, wearing the clothes Latina had made for it, had already become something famous around these parts, and everyone had already gotten used to it.
Close to a year ago, when this 『dog』 appeared in Kroix, it had caused a groundbreaking fuss.
— A Mythical Beast had appeared in a city. Of course there’ll be a fuss.
When the gatekeepers and guards were investigating how that had happened the next day, it seems that it had crawled in from a tiny crevice in the city walls. It would probably have been impossible for an adult beast. Although it wasn’t a huge deal, the payment for the postponed repairs, had been decided. They had no other choice than to hold an emergency meeting.
Although the cub arrived in the early morning when there were fewer people, it didn’t get lost by following a smell, and managed to arrive at the 『Dancing Ocelot』 without even causing a huge commotion outside. And, it had showed up all a sudden, during a time when there were fewer customers in the store.
“What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
Without caring for the caution that the adventurers were exerting, Latina went to embrace the gray beast and asked as she tilted her head.
“Girly! Get away!”
An outstandingly powerful figure even amongst the regulars, the veteran, Gilbester shouted in agony, but Latina shook her head at the customers who had weapons in their hands.
“Um, you see. This child, is my friend, nano. He probably came here to see me.”
“F…..friend, you say, girly…..”
“Latina, followed, smell”
Hearing the Mythical beast say the 『Poster girl’s』 name, the regulars were startled.
“Chased the smell. Arrived, here.”
“Did you come from the mountains? If you came here all by yourself, won’t they be worried? Is it alright?”
— I don’t think that’s the problem here though.
The customers stopped themselves from commenting on Latina, who was talking at her own pace with all their eyes gathered upon her, watching over her as they swallowed down their spit.
“No problem. Coming to Latina. Okay, they said.”
“I see. In that case, maybe it’ll be alright?”
— I highly doubt that it will be though!
Latina didn’t notice the large men, who were dripping with sweat. With a grim face, Gilbester turned to Kenneth, who had finally come out from the kitchen.
“Kenneth, that….”
“Oh yeah, I heard about this from Dale before, that Latina had tamed the pack of 『Heavenly Soaring Wolves』 that were living close to his hometown….”
“What the heck did you say the girly do!?”
As expected, even an expert adventurer who has been through hundreds of battles, would be knocked silly. His voice croaked quite a bit.
“In any case, those are Heaven Soaring Wolves…..”
“Yeah. It’s not good.”
Gilbester and Kenneth nod at each other.
『Heaven Soaring Wolves』 live in packs, and were beings with a strong sense of comradery. If it’s just this one cub then, it’s nothing worth mentioning. However, if this was handled poorly then, they couldn’t deny the possibility that the entire pack might come out for revenge.
Furthermore, it seems that this cub had properly told them 『where he was headed』. It was also saying something as ridiculous as following Latina’s scent, but that meant that there was a possibility that the other 『Heaven Soaring Wolves』 were capable of the same.
“But, it was pretty far, coming all the way to Kroix, right?”
“Kroix, not far. One sleep, arrive.”
— It seems it wasn’t far.
The distance for those who had to travel on land, took close to a month considering the enormous detour they had to take, however for species with an innate ability of『Sky』, such as the 『Heavenly Soaring Wolves』 who were capable of flight, it seems the shortest direct distance took two days and a night.
Furthermore, this was a cub. The time it an adult beast would take is unfathomable.
On top of that, if we were to believe those words, there was no way that the 『scent』 that it had followed, was one that was attached to some sort of path. It may be one of the abilities of the Magically orientated Mythical beast.
Kenneth and Gilbester once again look at each other, and contemplated.
“….It seems that it really is, completely infatuated with the girly.”
The sight of it swinging its tail, puff puff, and having its head scratched by Latina looked no different to the dogs that they often tamed.
“I’ll go ask Dale as well but…. It may be most harmless 『in the custody of Latina』.”
Hearing Kenneth’s words, Gilbester’s expression turned even more bitter, but he couldn’t refute them.
If it ain’t broke… you know. Furthermore, if it was Latina then, she probably wouldn’t misuse the Mythical beasts as 『threats』.
“….I’ll go talk to the others about it.”
After a little while, that was what Gilbester seemed to squeeze out of his mouth.
“We’re holding an emergency 『meeting』! Relay this!”
Gilbester shouts out to the group of adventurers by his side, and it seems a few people understood his meaning. The few people who left the 『shop』, did so to tell these words to the appropriate people somewhere.
Just what sort of 『meeting』 would it be. Maybe I shouldn’t comment on that. Was what Kenneth thought.
With all this and that happening, lined up in front of Dale who had finished work and come home, was a beast wearing clothes, and his cute foster child.
“Welcome home, Dale.”
‘Wan.”
Latina’s smile was cute, but what’s with that “Wan” that sounded so forced.
“La-Latina….?”
“Hm?”
“That….”
“Um, well, you see, it’s a 『Dog』. There’s some adult circumstances going on, so that’s why it’s a 『Dog』!”
“Wan.”
“Hah? What….”
With a troubled face, Dale looked over to Kenneth as if he was looking for some support, but his 『Older brother-like figure』 nodded strongly.
“That turned into a 『Dog』. It’s a 『Dog』.”
“Wan.”
“…..Oi”
“If it’s a 『Dog』, it wouldn’t be weird even if it was raised in the city. Which is why, it’s a 『Dog』.”
In this corner, where they seemed to be averting their eyes from reality, Dale thought, ‘So even though you’re mad when it was “Called a beast”, you’re fine with it when it’s “Called a dog”?’
Although there was havoc when it was just starting to settle down, once it did settle down, everyone got used to it.
On top of that, the title of 『Mythical beast』 was not meaningless, as it was an extremely clever beast.
There was no need for there to be any 『training』. Once Latina taught it the several 『rules』 in place, it remembered them immediately. Apart from where it was sleeping and its food being handled by Latina, there wasn’t really anything else that she needed to do for it. Rather, when it came to physical stuff like brushing or petting it, Latina would be happy to do it.
Not just that, it would even look after the baby, Theo. It seems that since it was an animal that lived in packs, it was very helpful towards 『Small things』.
And it’s most important 『duty』 above all else, was as Latina’s 『bodyguard』.
Latina had turned fourteen.
She was a young girl who has been cute since she was young, but that has been continued even further.
Her still immature body, when lined up with girls her own age, was still a little childlike.
And perhaps this is exactly why, but she had an appearance befitting the expression 『Beautiful girl』. It’s precisely because she didn’t look like an adult, that she could have such charm.
Her facial expressions became slightly more mature, and her beauty now was not limited to only 『cute』, but was approaching 『Beautiful』.
An 『adult』 in Raband, was when one reaches eighteen. However, amongst nobles, or places out in the countryside, it wasn’t rare for young girls passed the age of fifteen to get married.
In a city like Kroix, the marriageable age for both men and women is a little later, but this wasn’t the case for everybody.
Which meant that Latina was already at that age where she would be looked at 『like that』.
However, this young girl wasn’t very aware of the danger that she faces.
She would be protected by her 『Doting parent』, Dale, as if he was wrapping silk. Rolling her up in protection. Even in the 『Dancing Ocelot』 where she normally stays at, similar to Kenneth, who would be keeping a watchful eye out, the adventurers and big figures of the military would also exercise their authority for her.
If someone was to try 『make advances』 on her in this kind of situation, they definitely did not know the meaning of life.
Because of that, it’s come to a situation where, she didn’t think of herself as a 『Beautiful girl』.
“After all, Dale always says that 『I’m cute』.”
She would laugh it off like that. Since it’s just came up too much in their daily conversations, she didn’t realise that it was actually the truth.
“My friends would talk about boys sure, but I’ve never really been close to any boys in that sort of sense. We’re just friends, you know?”
She was an airhead, and pure. And when the young adventurers try to make their advances, interest for Latina plastered on their face, they would end up being way too terrified by 『all her guardians』stopping them in the background, and just be satisfied being able to awkwardly chat a little.
So it really was true that she’s never truly had someone of the opposite sex court her.
If we were to classify who was 『Popular』 and who 『Was not popular』, she would be 『Not popular』 with the other sex.
Without realising that it was because she was seen as an unattainable flower, Latina who had only looked at the results, thought of herself as a 『Girl unpopular with the other sex』.
Her 『guardians’』 divine powers cover almost the entire city of Kroix, but it wasn’t perfect. So it couldn’t be helped that they would constantly be worried about what sort of danger she might encounter at all times.
Especially her 『doting parent』.
“If anything happens to Latina, I’ll make you feel that even dying would be nothing special, and I won’t just end it there….”
Dale’s daily routine had been threatening the young adventurers who recently come to the 『Ocelot』 by saying that with a smile. However, there was no way that that was enough.
“I mean, seriously, Latina is so, soooOO, soooooOOOOOoo damn cute! I just worry so much about some bad worm or pest approaching her from out of the blue!”
Even Rita who normally ignored such a Dale agreed.
“That’s true. Latina is somewhat…. Rather than saying she’s not bright, she’s had a quiet side to her, so I do worry.”
“RIght!!? Although that side of hers is cute as wel!!”
It seems that her 『guardians』, as well a one 『beast』, all felt the same in that respect.
“Latina, go, together.”
“Really? Thanks for always coming with me.”
Since he was helping with the groceries and such, Latina herself thought of 『him』 as an assistant.
However, to everyone else other than Latina, 『he』 was a lookout, her bodyguard.