Dale is an eighteen-year-old adventurer, and while most hired mercenaries bring home proof of their kills, treasure, or something, he instead brings home…a devil child! Latina is in such poor shape that Dale wasn’t even sure the child he found was a girl or boy. Plus, one of the demon child’s horns is broken, so that means she’s been ostracized by her clan. So Dale, kind of on a lark, takes her to the place he’s been staying, an inn/bar (the Dancing Ocelot) run by his friends Kenneth and Rita. In short, the three — but especially Dale — become smitten with the girl they assume is about five or six, and Latina quickly loves her new life in return.
Fantasy and slice-of-life are not genres that typically go hand-in-hand. Despite being set in a land with magic, devils, and monster frogs, the biggest themes are family and acceptance. Readers learn all about the different races and magical elements, and we even check in with one of Dale’s missions. But most of the story is set at the Dancing Ocelot, with Latina learning human language and Dale becoming a doting parent.
It does seem odd that someone so young would become so attached to a young child. Yes, he’s been an adult for at least three years and is a famous (or infamous) adventurer, but he immediately jumps into a role as a father instead of starting off as, say, a guardian or big brother. It’s even more odd considering that there’s a married couple with a stable job who could ostensibly take her in as an apprentice or even as their own child. (They kind of do anyway.)
Don’t get me wrong: it’s admirable that Dale would take her in, but if you want to see them slowly adjusting to their new lives, you’re going to be disappointed. On the bright side, I don’t think this is going to go down the Bunny Drop path. And that’s basically the whole light novel — a Full House-like experience where it’s mostly sugar and sweetness. There’s still a bit to unravel, like why Latina was chased out of her village in the first place, but If It’s For My Daughter is mostly cute.
Even the art — which I found myself liking than more than the average light novel illustrations — helps emphasize this. When you see Latina’s eyes sparkling as she’s eating a tasty treat, it’s hard not to be like Dale and want to give her a great big hug.
As for the translation, I did notice a couple of typos (including “desert” for “dessert”). The novel itself is a bit on the wordy side, with sentence-length spells and often going into long detail on how the world works. I know the series continues on for quite a while, so I’d imagine that future volumes will be more fast-paced without having to explain so much about Dale’s position and how magic works.
One of the facts we do learn about is what a demon lord is, so perhaps we will someday see Dale take one down in order to protect his daughter. Or maybe he’ll only be fighting off the boys crushing on Latina as she grows up. Either way, for those who want to read non-romantic fluff, this should be on your reading list.