Uchi no Musume no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai Chapter 2

To be acknowledged as a criminal, the child in front of him was way too young.

The ‘Demon race’ compared to a person of a ‘Human race’ like Dale, was a race that had long lives. Dale couldn’t even guess the ages of the ‘Human race’ are but,  from the face peeking out of the thicket, he could see that she was around 5-6 years old.
It wasn’t an age where there was a lot of difference.

Noticing that the kid who had been watching him motionlessly had her eyes on the fish next to the camp-fire, Dale remembered its existence. He quickly took it off the skewer. It was a little burnt.

“….Hmm…”

Somehow it seems that this was also something that became quite noticeable.

It would be awkward if i just started eating in front of the kid like i was flaunting.
Working with that kind of mentality, he called out to her with a an almost uninterested voice. At the same time he grumbles out a startling soliloquy, what the heck did i just say.

From his voice the kid once again turned her gaze towards his face, her neck leaning slightly forward.

“Hn? Oh…?”

He couldn’t catch her words fast enough but, he remembered that it was a language that he had heard somewhere before.

A while back about the demon race, he recalled some memories from a fellow adventurer who he had learnt some words from.

I hit my hands together as i think ‘I got it’.

“Hmm…, so…[Here, come, need, this?]”

However, in a language that i understand, the kid’s face was quite obviously relieved. She climbed over the thicket with a rustle, coming closer to Dale’s side.

He called her over but, Dale was once again dazed.

The kid had become extremely thin.

It was a questionable figure, and you could see that there were signs of malnutrition with just a glance.
To kill this kid, you wouldn’t even need something as extravagant as a sword. If i just grip her far too thin neck with my hands, it would probably snap not too soon after.

The demon race were isolated, however they were at the same time recognised as a race with strong camaraderie. That’s why being ‘exiled’ was only for extreme crimes.

Children to the demon race were, treasures.
This kid, even if she became a criminal, the possibility of her being left out here in this terrible condition, Dale didn’t even think that.

“Give… eat….Ahh, what the hell am i saying…”

That’s the reason that Dale was holding out the skewer but, the kid kept staring at the fish, before finally looking up at Dale.

“It’s fine, just eat it”

She ate with tiny bites, a little bit at a time.
He thought she was just like a small animal as he was left with nothing in his hand.

After waiting for the kid to finish her fish, Dale once again chose his words.

It’s not like its been decided that her guardian isn’t here. The kid who was just asked kept looking up, had already been replying to Dale’s awkwardly phrased words since some time ago.

“Hmm,… together, exist, negative? …beast, refused…?”
Dale could only piece together a few words, but the kids expression was clearly depressed. So that the kid could think for a bit, Dale took hold of her little hand with his arms.

Chasing after the kid who was advancing through the forest with small steps, Dale thinks to himself.

The kid suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing Dale to look up.

The kid pointed in front of her, shaking her head.

“More beasts? …That shouldn’t be it, right?”
While Dale was thinking about it, something step out of where the kid was pointing.

“Che!”

Even for Dale who swung his sword for a living, he hesitated to look at it in the eyes, “something that was once a person” was lying there.

(…This is, most likely, the demon race. Judging from the shape of the horn… male…)

The injuries were too severe.

I don’t know if he was attacked or messed up after he died but, it was probably for that reason.

I wonder if it’s right to feel like i should help that.

I thought back to the words the kid said earlier.

—You mustn’t stay by my corpse. In that time the beasts would probably gathered around. If that happens, then the kid wouldn’t even get the slightest chance to protect herself.– or something of the such.

“Ahh… damn it. If i see this kinda thing, then there’s no way i can just leave the kid…”

He had been given the father’s final wish.
Furthermore, even though she followed the command until she was no where by his side, she quietly survived in the same forest and discovered his body.

[“By the origins of my name, followers of Gaia I commandeth, change into what this one desire <>”]

The kid approached Dale at some point, looking up at him timidly, most likely due to the spell.

“Let’s bury him, at the very least. …I wonder if she understood? Hmm… [Entomb, Dirt, Death, Person]…”

For a minute, Dale was troubled if he should show her the corpse in it’s horrible condition but, it seems like the kid had already accepted this some time ago. He shifted the gaze back to the ‘father’ once again staring intently as a final farewell.
Perhaps, it might be something that should be visited every now and then.

After placing the corpse into the hole, Dale covers the hole back up with his magic and watched over the kid silently.

“Was that Thanks? Don’t worry about it.”

With earth magic, he summoned a giant pure white stone to place on it.
He couldn’t carve a name on it but, for an improvisation this is probably a pretty good grave.

“… Sigh…, well, i guess this is also fate”

[“This one’s name, “Dale”, Thou, Name is?”]

“Latina”

“Latina… huh.    Latina, [This one, Together, Thou, Go?]”

(Author’s note: Finally Latina’s name is revealed.
Regarding the spell chants, to the people who don’t understand their meanings, it’s just a list of sounds. You can think of it as a  completely different language. The ‘spells’ in this story are chanted with that kind of meaning, or that’s how it’s being represented anyway.)

Chapter end