Extra Story: Kaoru’s Splendid Life

Several months had passed since the peace talks had ended.

“Miss Kaoru, the Aligot Empire sent you an invitation to celebrate the construction of their first ship.”

“Pass!” I immediately turned down the invitation when Francette told me about it.

The ship in question was based on a model I had given them: a carrack, a ship from the early Age of Sail, meant to traverse the open seas. It was a bit smaller than most of the carracks you’d find back on Earth, but it should be good enough for their first prototype. So long as it wasn’t hit by a sudden storm or anything, it should be plenty to get them to the island to the west.

I understood why the brass in Aligot wanted to invite me out there, but if I was going to be honest here, I just didn’t want to go. I knew it was because they felt like they owed me a debt of gratitude for telling them about the island and empowering them with the knowledge about boats to get there. They probably invited me as a way of deepening our friendship and to ask me for more technical advice on shipbuilding, and I wasn’t against that.

Still, so many had died in that battle. I bet there were just as many people who held a grudge against me as who were grateful for my efforts. They’d lost sons, husbands, and fathers in that war, and they weren’t just going to forget all that and welcome me with open arms because I helped out their country just a little.

But it’d be a devastating blow for them if I was to suddenly disappear or turn my back on Aligot, so I doubted they’d try and harm me. That said, I also doubted that sort of deep-seated hatred would disappear so easily. That was why I thought it best for me to not go there, at least for now. They might never be able to bring themselves to forgive me, but their anger might at least fade over time. The passage of time could be cruel, but it could also end up being a blessing in disguise.

“Then for the next order of business, you’ve been invited to a party with a group of delegates from Aligot...”

“Oh, maybe I’ll go to that one, actually. I’m sure those guys have their own standing to worry about, after all.”

Even if it’d only been half a year, I still had experience working as an office lady. Also, as someone who was once a working adult, I knew a little something about what it meant to have “standing” in society. Their reputation back home could get much worse if they didn’t meet with me before going back home, and I’d just feel bad for them if that happened. I’m actually a pretty considerate person, you see.

No, seriously, I mean it!

“You’ve also received an invitation to the crown prince of Aseed’s birthday celebration...”

“Pass! I’ve got a bad feeling about that one. Wouldn’t the king just say no to it, anyway?”

“Oh, well...yes, probably.”

I’m sure the king would end up putting a stop to it himself, in the end, but I’d like to think that this was his way of consulting with me first before rejecting the invitation on my behalf... Or maybe he just didn’t have the guts to do it, because he was afraid I’d find out he rejected it in my name.

“You’ve also received this message from the crown prince of Brancott—”

I swiped the letter from her hand and tore it to shreds on the spot.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” Francette exclaimed, panicking over the fact that I’d ripped up a letter from a royal without even reading it.

I don’t care how many problems this causes, I’m gonna live the way I want to! There’s no place for him in my new life here!

Francette’s shoulders slumped as she watched me stomp on the scraps of paper I’d thrown on the ground. I had already talked all about the prince and his antics with Francette, so it should be fine.

“Next is something from a Mr. Elretz from the Republic of Leleyda...”

“Who? And wait, where?”

Gonna be honest here, I’ve never heard of those names before.

When Francette finally left, after passing on all the latest happenings from the palace, I finally had a chance to catch my breath. Ever since Lolotte had taken over my duties at the Maillart Workshop, I’d moved back into the house that the children lived in and made sure to take care of them. Well, I say “take care of,” but Lucy was in charge of cooking after inheriting the position from Lolotte. If I did everything for them and ended up disappearing one day, it’d be hard for them to suddenly have to take care of themselves, otherwise.

I’d just help out every once in a while as their guardian, while the kids would do pretty much everything on their own. Other than that, they were completely independent.

They’d split up the cooking, cleaning, and laundry and did it all themselves, which was why I wasn’t really doing anything at all. I just ended up lazing around the house when I came back home.

“Lunch is ready, Miss Kaoru!”

Yeah, not too shabby.

Wait...am I just a mooch now?

I only made enough money to support my own lifestyle, and they didn’t even try to take a single copper coin from me... I wasn’t just a mooch, but a NEET, too!

No! I was actually working! I was saving up money by selling my potions and producing new products alongside the Abili Trade Company, and I’d even had meetings with representatives from other countries... But that didn’t matter, since I wasn’t putting any of that money into our finances at home! I was just like those losers who put all their money into booze and gambling, without giving any to their families...

...Dang, now I’m depressed. Maybe I’ll go out shopping, for a change...

I left the house and had just started walking to the shopping district when...

“Long time no see, Miss Kaoru!”

“Ah, Merliton...”

It was the engineer in charge of building ships for Aligot.

“Sorry to bother you, but there was something I wanted to ask you regarding the boats...”

Yeah, I should be able to help out with something like that. I’d told people not to come to me with their demands and requests before, but I was referring to my goddess powers. I didn’t really mind helping people out with what I could do as the human Kaoru. There may not be much I could offer by way of help, but I’d gladly do what I could.

So long as it wasn’t anything evil, anyway.

“So, who are those two?”

“Ah, pardon the late introductions:. This is Harsoth, an artist, and this is Garecles, a sculptor. We all came here together with the delegation sent to visit Balmore.”

After exchanging greetings with my two new acquaintances, I headed over with them to the inn they were staying at, so we could talk things over. The delegates were being put up in guest rooms at the palace, of course, but the craftspeople that had come with them were staying at the inn. It made sense, since they weren’t the guests of honor.

But I did wonder how the delegates felt when the craftsmen they had just so happened to bring along could meet with me this easily...

The craftsmen from the empire would stop by often to come and visit me. It seemed they took a liking to me after the peace talks, when I provided them with what they needed to build their boats (especially when I gave them the models for the ships and explained what they would need to fit them with), as well as giving them all that advice on farming and fishing and the like. They had to come to me since I wasn’t going to Aligot myself, but I did kinda want to be around to see the ceremonial launch of their first prototype ship.

They might not even have that sort of tradition here, but I could make it a thing if I was there for it. They should totally get into it if I said it was some sort of ceremony to “give the ship the blessing of the Goddess” or something.

Merliton and the others had taken notes on questions from other Aligot professionals, and we all had a good time talking it over as they scribbled down my replies. It was a long trip back to Aligot, and it wasn’t like it was completely free of danger, either. It was the least I could do for them, since they had come all this way to see me.

At the time, I didn’t realize why Merliton had gone out of his way to bring an artist and a sculptor just to meet me. I didn’t even notice the sparkling in their eyes as they looked at me...

It wasn’t until much, much later that I heard rumors that the figureheads on the fronts of the Aligot Empire’s fleet of ships all had the harshest looks in their eyes...

After saying my goodbyes to the people who’d come from the Aligot Empire, I was on my way back to town, when...

“Miss Kaoru!”

“Oh boy...”

The messenger from the crown prince of Brancott had made his appearance yet again. No matter how many times I told him to beat it, he just kept coming back...

“Please, we would be honored to have you visit our country! The prince is very much looking forward to seeing you!”

Well, I’m not...

If things ended up going south, I could end up stuck in Brancott for good. If they steered the conversation and began cross-examining me, I felt like I’d let slip who I really was pretty easily. So, you know. Discretion was the better part of valor, and all that.

“I don’t have any plans on going to a country I know nothing about. I don’t know what could happen to me there, and frankly, I don’t wanna know. Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible if the king here ordered me to do it...”

“B-But then you’d claim the king didn’t have the right to give you any orders...”

Exactly.

I’d sworn to the Goddess that I’d never listen to what the important bigwigs or the royal family had to say. Which was why I’d just flat-out refuse any sort of order from the king, if he ever tried to give me one. So even if the king demanded that I go, then I’d use that as the very reason not to. It was a pretty funny catch-22 that actually worked in my favor.

Maybe I’d ask the king to try and order me to do something when I got the chance. I said I might think about it, if the king gave the order, but I didn’t say anything about actually going. I’d just tell them that I wouldn’t attend after thinking it over, that was all. See? That way, I wouldn’t be lying.

Wait, that’s it! If the king orders me to go meet with the prince of Brancott, then I wouldn’t have to see him ever again, since it’d break the oath I made to the Goddess... Maybe I will actually try asking him to do that, next time I see him.

After I chased the messenger away and headed into town...

“Miss Kaoru!”

Really?

“We would be honored to have you come visit Brancott...”

Seemed this guy was here for something different than the last one.

Apparently, he was a messenger from the crown prince’s brother, Ghislain. He’d heard I was avoiding his big brother, and that maybe this could be his chance to shack up with the angel of the goddess and take Fernand’s place as next in line for the throne.

...Ugh, my head hurts.

This guy had to have heard about me at the palace, right? Then he should already know I had no interest whatsoever in royalty. And besides, the prince was basically conspiring to usurp the throne, which was something that’d only come back to bite him in the end, and hard. I didn’t want any part of that, thank you very much.

“I have no plans to help him usurp the throne. If you try talking to me again about this, I’m gonna take it up with the crown prince himself and tell him that I’m too scared to come to Brancott because the second prince’s messenger is harassing me.”

I wasn’t going to complain to the little brother—but Fernand himself.

The messenger could only stand there, their mouth opening and closing, with no words coming out.

Well, yeah. He’d be as good as dead if I really did that, after all.

After driving away both of the messengers, I was finally on my way to the shopping district when...

“Miss Kaoru!”

Gah!

“Are you heading out? Then I’ll come with you, too!”

“Oh, it’s you, Lilil...”

She was the daughter of Johann, the guy who ran the Abili Trade Company, and the girl whose illness I cured using a potion a while back. For some reason, I ended up bumping into her pretty often whenever I went out.

...Like, really often. She’s not keeping tabs on what I’m doing and waiting for me, right...? Nah, that can’t be right.

I was probably just overthinking things... Probably.

“Ah, Kaoru!”

Agh, the local kids! They were my worthy rivals whenever we played marbles together. So much so that I’d actually lost more than I’d won against them.

“Are you going out, Kaol?”

Oho, she brought her little sister today! Man, little Latori is such a cutie...

“You going shopping, Kaoru?”

“Where are you going, Carol?”

“Oh, Miss Kaoru!”

“Kaoru!”

“Lady Kaoru!”

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I can’t get through to the shopping district with all you people in the way! Just gimme a break already...

But, you know... It might not be so bad to keep this lifestyle up for a little while longer...