Isekai Nonbiri Nouka
Chapter 960: The Third Princess of the Gozlan Kingdom

よろしく.

TN: Yoroshiku – I usually translate it to “Please take care of me from now on” or “Regards” but I’ll leave it as it is for the sake of Tiselle’s letter.

-0-

That was all that was written in Tiselle’s letter, which had been sealed with three layers.

It wasn’t invisible ink.

Even when soaked in water, no words appeared.

I suspected there might be some kind of mechanism hidden in the seal itself, but there was nothing.

The only other possibility might be a magical reaction…

No, maybe it’s a code.

These four characters must carry a deeper meaning!

In other words, the “Yo” in “Yoroshiku” must mean… “Yoroshiku.”

And the “Ro” in “Yoroshiku”…

「Village Chief. Give it up. That’s really all it says」

No, but still.

That’s just too little.

I feel bad for the princess and her party who delivered this letter.

「N-no, let’s think of it in a positive light. Maybe the letter ended up so short because it was hastily written as a pretense to help the princess and her party escape to Village Five.」

I-I see.

「It’s possible, right?」

Yeah, that makes sense.

Then what if we look at it from the negative side?

「Like… maybe she didn’t have time to write anything else?」

Even though it’s sealed three times?

Even though she had enough time to seal the letter, wrap it in another, seal it again, and then repeat the process once more?

「…M-maybe she kept it short so she wouldn’t get scolded for writing something unnecessary…?」

Which possibility do you think is more likely?

「…Th-the same one as you, Village Chief」

I see.

As her father, I’d like to believe it was just short because she had to write it in a hurry.

-0-

For now, I had a light meal with Youko and did a bit of other work before requesting a meeting with the princess.

It was to discuss what would happen to them going forward.

I made the request after being told the princess and her party had finished eating and were relaxing, but I didn’t expect them to agree right away.

Youko was prepared to be made to wait several days, possibly as a form of subtle revenge.

However, the reply from the princess and her party was that they were willing to meet immediately, and the meeting was promptly arranged.

The location was a small conference room that happened to be available.

From our side, it was just me and Youko.

On their side were the same three who had attended the audience.

Ah yes, that audience chamber.

Apparently, that room had been a conference room quickly renovated just for the meeting with this princess and her party.

No wonder I hadn’t recognized it.

-0-

「Thank you for arranging this opportunity to speak with us」

The princess arrived and offered her thanks as soon as she took her seat.

Just like during the audience, I thought again how mature she was for someone so young.

But still, she was just a child.

I couldn’t let her overexert herself.

Better to avoid unnecessary talk and go straight to the point.

Youko picked up on my intention and moved the conversation forward.

「We’ve heard of your country… the Gozlan Kingdom. And we also know that you are being pursued by the Jidoen Kingdom」

It seemed that the Jidoen Kingdom was the one that destroyed the Gozlan Kingdom.

「What do you intend to do now? It’s not just because you brought Tiselle’s letter, but since you went through the trouble to come here, we’d like to offer as much help as we can」

The princess remained composed, but the two with her showed signs of relief and happiness.

If I could read it so easily, I had to say they were being a little careless.

Still, that worked in our favor for now.

At least it didn’t seem like they would reject our help outright.

Good.

「If you want to find a safe place to live, we’ll help you search. If you wish to return to your homeland, we’ll help you get back. If you want to stay in Village Five, we’ll help you settle here.」

Yes, we would help however we could.

「That said, I don’t expect you to give an answer right away. It’s fine to talk it over with those who came here with you before deciding…」

「We want to live in Village Five, so please take care of us!」

……

The princess answered before we even finished speaking.

The two with her… nodded emphatically.

「A-are you sure? If you’re going to live here, you’ll need to make an effort to fit in with the people of Village Five」

That was a reasonable condition.

「Of course! It’s just… we have no one to rely on, and we don’t even have daily living expenses…」

As the princess spoke with passion, the two with her gently stopped her.

「Princess, your tears! You must cry now!」

「This is the crucial moment!」

Ah, no.

They weren’t stopping her.

「A-all right. Calm down. Um… what kind of help do you need?」

Youko asked directly.

「Living expenses for now! A place to live, and help finding work!」

The princess answered without hesitation.

She wasn’t holding back.

But considering she was carrying the burden of fifty people’s lives, it was only natural.

Holding back would only lead to hardship.

「Very well. However, when it comes to housing… it’ll be difficult to place all fifty people in one building」

「As long as we’re close by, that’s fine!」

「R-right. Then we’ll arrange it that way. It may take a little time, so until then, please stay at the lodgings we’ve prepared for you」

「Thank you so much!」

「Village chief will provide your initial living expenses」

Would about a hundred silver coins be enough?

「Thank you!!」

Ah, no need for that loyalty pose.

It’s a bit much.

「As for work… we’ll need to ask each person what they can do」

「I’d like to work selling cakes」

That’s what the princess said, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about having such a young child working.

The two with her… one wanted to be a swan race trainer, and the other a ramen shop worker.

Well, just because they stated their wishes doesn’t mean they’ll be granted automatically.

They’d need to put in the proper effort.

The real question was whether they were prepared for that.

「We’ll send someone who specializes in job placement. You can discuss your preferences with them」

「Understood. Truly, thank you」

「Good. Ah, do you need information on the Jidoen Kingdom, the Gozlan Kingdom, or other members of the royal family? If we get anything, we can pass it along」

「We don’t need it!」

That was a firm refusal.

Really?

This concerns your homeland and family, doesn’t it?

「Understood. Welcome to Village Five」

With those words, Youko brought the meeting with the princess to a close.

-0-

Youko and I returned to her office.

「That last question was to see if they were planning to rebuild the Gozlan Kingdom using Village Five as a base」

Ah, so that’s what she meant.

And the fact that they refused so strongly…

「It means that, at least while they’re under our care in Village Five, they have no such intention」

I see.

Did we push a strange kind of resolve onto such a young child?

「No, no. She’s saying she has no plans for restoration and wants as much help as possible. Fufufu. She’s sharp. I’d love to see her become a civil servant of Village Five in the future」

That’s true.

We’re always short on civil servants.

Anyone with talent would be more than welcome.

Maybe we should recommend a school once she’s a bit older?

「If that’s what she wants. But when the time comes, I hope she’ll attend a school within Village Five」

Right.

If she studies elsewhere, there’s a chance she won’t come back.

「Exactly. No need to show promising talent to outsiders」

Well, that depends on what she wants.

We shouldn’t force her.

「I know, I know. I wouldn’t do anything that pushy. Don’t worry」

Hahaha, I trust you.

-0-

Village Chief: 「This is… compressed language!」

Youko: 「Village Chief! This isn’t a prompt for an acrostic poem! Unfortunately, it’s a letter from Tiselle」

Tier: 「I think she did her best」

Ruincia: 「I remember getting the exact same letter… (crying)」

-0-

Princess’s Companion A: 「The scale of the economy is just too different」

Princess’s Companion B: 「Even if you tell us to help with domestic affairs here…」

Princess’s Companion C: 「We’ll have to study, study, and study! Let’s do our best!」

-0-

Village Chief: 「Maybe we should send her to an academy」

Youko: 「If we do, then let it be an academy within Village Five」

Village Chief: 「We’re not trying to cage her in」

Youko: 「But I was the one who spotted her first」