Uchi no Ko no Tame naraba, Ore wa Moshikashitara Maou mo Taoseru kamo Shirenai – 09

「青年、弟の結婚式と幼い少女と。」 (Seinen, otouto no kekkonshiki to osanai shoujo to.)
“The Young Man Attends His Brother’s Wedding with the Young Girl.”

There was surprisingly little focus on Yorck and Frida, considering that their wedding took place this episode. However, it’s natural that Dale and Latina would remain the focus of this series, and I really liked how the episode also took its time to flesh out the rest of Teathrow and its residents beyond Dale’s immediate family. The priest seemed like a person in the regional vicinity who happened to know magic, to an extent where he could assist in teaching and developing Dale. But as it turns out, he was actually invited by Dale’s grandmother who was seeking to forge a diplomatic relationship with the Duke, as a way of protecting Teathrow’s sovereignty from ill-intentioned neighbours. The Sunas train dogs to help out in hunts, and it is said that the dogs only answer to them. Only for Latina to quickly win over every single dog in the kennel. I’m a bit surprised this didn’t work on the wolves just outside of Kreuz when they departed for Teahtrow, but it’s pretty obvious by now that Latina has quite an affinity for animals. And grandma packed the biggest surprise, because nobody could have guessed that Teathrow’s ancestors had made a mutually beneficial pact with phantasmic beasts. If grandma readily revealed this to Latina, despite it being a secret that is only passed down between village chiefs, this indicates to me that she’s hoping for the little girl to eventually take over the village. It is widely known that demons have a considerably longer lifespan than humans, so it isn’t inconceivable that she will easily outlive the relatively young Yorck and take up the mantle after he dies. Of course, not everyone is a fan of having such formidable beasts as neighbours, especially if they’re acutely aware of the threat they can potentially pose. I did think Dale was too overprotective of Latina, when he drew his sword on what could easily be seen as a harmless baby animal – even if it was a phantasmic beast. That said, it really says a lot about the kind of life he’s been leading, where danger exists around most corners, meaning he’s rarely able to have a proper moment of rest.

They didn’t delve as deeply into Dale’s story as much as I would have liked, with the bulk of it remaining implied. Nevertheless, I understand that there’s only so much a series can do within 13 episodes. Concessions have to be made for the wider picture. And at least the most important point was conveyed, namely that Dale had fully expected to become the leader of his family and had never expected to become steeped in a life of perpetual killing. Again, a result of his grandmother’s attempt to forge a diplomatic relationship with the Duke, by offering his natural talents for said Duke’s services. It would explain why he seems like such a ruthless and emotionless killer, because he’s actually reeling and trying to bury it deep down. Dale never wanted to kill anyone, yet he has to actively repress any misgivings so that he can carry out his duties. You can’t help feeling bad for him, though at least he now has Latina for comfort and soul-healing. When Latina picked up on his mood, I couldn’t tell if Dale’s sadness stemmed from the emotional burden of killing for the sake of protecting Teathrow from external threats, or whether it came from his morose realisation that Latina will eventually leave him to be married off. Maybe both at once. Either ways, it is overwhelmingly clear he truly cares about Latina who has essentially become his raison d’etre, enabling him to strive forwards to a new day in the face of difficulty, and it’s heartwarming to see that this sentiment is very much reciprocated by her as well. Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading my post and see you next week, for what I assume to be wrapping off merriments as Latina and Dale prepare for their return to Kreuz!