Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai – 08

「青年、故郷に着く。」 (Seinen, furusato ni tsuku.)
“The Young Man Arrives at His Home Village.”

We’ve hit the point where I’m entering uncharted territories, since we’re caught up to the manga translations. I never could have guessed that the furry creature from the end of last episode would be… Dale’s cousin. Who could have thunk that? Also, he’s married to a wolf woman, and they have a baby wolfing called Maya who’s even cuter than Latina (don’t tell Dale I said that!). What can I say? Not to shame anyone out there, but different strokes for different folks.

As it turns out, thanks to the empathetic sensitivity of Maya, we discover that Latina was forced out of her village due to a prophecy. No wonder she tensed up and seemed uneasy at first mention of the god of prophecy. Still being a little girl, it’s natural that she feels scared about the greater element out there that’s far beyond her comprehension, which also had a massive part to play in imposing misfortunes upon her life. Fortunately, Dale’s there for her. If I had to guess, based off the title of the series, it might have had something to do with attracting the attention or wrath of a demon lord. Though he might be strong and definitely has the cojones when it comes to Latina, I’m not quite sure if Dale has what it takes to defeat one at this point in time.

For the second half of the episode, it looked pretty serious to me how Dale and Latina were ambushed and attacked. I never could have imagined that this was actually a setup by Dale’s family, and they pretty much carried it out as a practical joke, knowing how strong Dale was as well as wanting to keep him sharp. He seems to have a really fun family too, and there’s definitely a resemblance going on, with his grandmother’s fiery temperament and his signature phrases that he happens to share with his parents. Seeing them interact with Latina as well as taking to her was heartwarming, and for me, the highlight of their visit was when she scolded both Dale and his grandmother for bickering with each other. Additionally, what interested me was the hint that Dale used to be in a bad place emotionally, prior to meeting Latina. That’s an implication that I find fascinating, because it certainly implies much more depth, beyond the two faces of ruthless, cold-blooded killer and daughter doting idiot. I hope that the series goes into further exploration of his character, because that would help Dale become a more compelling character.

Unfortunately, I’ve begun to feel somewhat mixed about Latina’s dependence on Dale, in addition to her worries about him getting married. It’s cute for the most part. While it’s natural for a daughter to depend on her father, when it’s a pre-pubescent kid who seems to be exhibiting attraction to her father figure… yeah, that’s when things start to get worrying for me. But her concern about him getting married is normal, you might say. Any kid in that position would feel anxious about the potential partner that their parent is getting married to, and whether they will still have their place in a new family unit. That I understand. And that’s what I’d like to believe. However, I’m beginning to get different vibes – especially with the way Latina blushes around him and that Dale’s parents were joking around about how young girls were his type. At the moment, I do not get the feeling that Dale is attracted to Latina. But since this was originally a light novel, I’m starting to get the impression that this is just a case of dense protagonist who will eventually reciprocate because let’s put it this way, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading my post and see you next week for Dale’s brother’s wedding!