Bonus Short Stories
The Hero of Roses and the Priestess of Fate
Presently, I was in the Temple of Time. "So you will be returning to Roses."
"Right. But you knew that before I even opened my mouth."
"Well, I am the Priestess of the Goddess of Fate," said Estelle with a
hmph, puffing her flat chest up.
I'd thought it would be proper to give our farewells before we left Cameron, but she'd just seen through me anyway.
"Thank you for your help," I said with a bow. Honestly, considering all the hassle we'd been through with the ghost ship, it was actually me that had given her the help...but I decided to be the bigger man. Roses was a small country after all—a little kissing up couldn't hurt!
"Oh...you think I should be thanking you?" Estelle asked accusingly. "That's certainly something to say."
"What?"
"It's written all over your face."
Nonono! On my face?! Calm Mind should prevent any of that...
"I can see right through you!" she declared, pointing at me.
That's kinda rich, coming from someone that can't see my future.
"Th-That's Noah's fault, not mine!"
Is she really not reading my mind?! I think she's got the skill...
"W-Well, regardless, let's move on. I would rather not leave a debt unpaid. Come on, tell me what you want," she demanded.
"Hm, I mean, if you participate in the Northern Front—"
Estelle cut me off. "That's a given since we're both part of the Six Nation Alliance. Do you have no personal desires?"
"Not really..."
She pouted at me before seeming to come up with an idea. "Right! Then I'll read your fortune!"
"My fortune...?" What does she mean?
"It's a divination of your luck," she explained. "And I'll tell you now— fortune telling from me costs quite a bit!"
"But, you can see the future, right? So what's the point?"
"How could you say that?" she asked in disbelief. "When I peer into the future, I only see the path that the next few years will take.
However, people want to know about their lives over a longer time- frame, and whether they'll succeed or fall to tragedy. That's what I'll foretell!"
"Couldn't you just look into the future and tell them?" I asked
Estelle paused for a long moment. "Looking decades into the future is the domain of the gods. You need to be a goddess in heaven to do that."
"Huh..." I was finding out all sorts of things today.
"Now then, I'll tell your fortune. Let's see..." Estelle put her hand on my cheek as she spoke, and it kinda tickled. "As for your future...
Oh!" She giggled. "I can see it, 'I can see time!'"
She seemed...excited. And somehow, that line sounded familiar... "Now... You'll marry—"
"Hey! Don't just foretell that kind of thing out of nowhere!" I hurriedly backed away from her. It felt like anything she said would end up as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"It's just fortune telling, not precognition, so it hardly matters, does it?"
"I feel like your 'fortune telling' is more misses than hits, so I'll pass."
"Hmph." She pouted again. "People see it as an honor, though... Well, fine, I suppose."
Estelle's mood seemed to lift as she watched me panic. She was far from the nicest, huh?
"What was that?" she snapped.
"You're definitely reading my mind now!" I exclaimed. "Oops."
There was no point in her hiding it now. Oh well, I should probably head out before I end up thinking something rude.
"It's rather too late for that."
"You didn't need to say it. Goodbye, priestess." "Indeed. Take care on the way back to Roses." I gave a small nod and left her room.
So...the person I'd marry? She hadn't said a name, but now I was kind of curious. I was somewhat restless about it for the rest of the day.
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An Afternoon with the Princess and Her Knight
◇ Furiae's Perspective ◇
We were going to be leaving for Roses tonight, so this was our last day in Cameron. I was spacing out in the lobby when my knight walked up—he'd finished checking us out of our lodging.
"Eh? What's wrong, Noah?" he muttered into the air. "Ahhh...right, right, fine."
He was (probably) speaking to that goddess he followed. My knight was a believer in the Wicked Deity Noah; apparently, he could not only hear her voice, but see her as well. I found that last part hard to believe.
Just then, the red-headed mage and the fluttery-clothed warrior walked up.
"Makoto, let's go shopping for gear!" "Let's go to a café!"
"Oof!"
The two of them caught him in a tackle hug. Since he was pretty weak, it ended up pushing him to the floor...
There are so many people in the lobby—what are you two playing at?
"Me first," the mage protested. "After all, I did ask first."
"Only by a second!" argued the warrior. "We should settle it with rock-paper-scissors!"
"No way! You just change what you use once you see what I pick!" "W-Well...who knows."
"I knew it! You were cheating!"
"Come on, both of you..." My knight tried to mediate as the two of them started arguing on top of him. From the outside, it looked like a real catfight. The staff eventually warned them about the ruckus, and the three of them got to their feet and bowed.
Those three...
I walked over to them.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Oh, Princess," my knight greeted before turning back to the other two. He was adjusting his schedule—or, more like negotiating it—to try and grant both of their demands. He tried splitting the day into morning and afternoon, but both of them wanted the afternoon, and so they started arguing again. Eventually, they decided to just go around together.
Uh, and what about me? You're supposed to be my guardian knight.
"Say...my knight, it seems like you're neglecting me somewhat..." I pointed out.
"What?! N-No, I'm not, really..." "Really?"
"Okay, then... You come with us too." "I suppose..."
And that was how the four of us ended up walking around town together. There were so many places to go—shops lined with cute clothes, places to eat, and so on. The mage and warrior browsed
them all, but I didn't have the stamina. I looked at my knight and saw that he was just practicing his water magic.
"Are you sure you should leave the two of them?" I asked. "Hmm, they're having fun, right? It'll be fine."
"If you say so."
He was surprisingly practical about this kind of thing. After a while, the mage and the warrior came back out of the shops.
"What do you think?" the mage asked, modeling a new dress. "It shows too much," I replied.
"Aww!"
"Takatsuki!" exclaimed the warrior. "I bought crepes. Here you go!" She held one out to him.
"W-Well, we already ate..."
"Just take it already!" She grabbed him and stuffed the crepe into his mouth.
"Mgh!"
As he chewed it down, the water butterflies he'd conjured fluttered all around us. Some children on the street thought they were some kind of performance and started clapping.
My knight...really takes things at his own pace. As I gazed at those three, I came to understand that they were just selfish.
I let out a sigh, sank down onto a nearby bench, and watched the
people passing by on the street. I'd been doing this sort of thing a lot lately.
I never could back in Laphroaig. "Here, Princess."
I startled, jumping slightly. "What?"
My knight had sat down next to me. He held out a cup to me, filled with some kind of beverage. As I looked closer, I saw that it was chilled fruit juice with pulp.
I took a sip. Tasty...
I glanced back at him, but it seemed like he'd already lost interest and had gone back to his practice.
So peaceful...
Life was just so calm...and almost boring at times. I never would've been able to imagine it just a few months ago.
I wanted things to continue like this forever.
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Chat with a Goddess (Volume 5) "Makoto! It's awful!" Noah exclaimed. "What is?"
I was in Noah's space in my dreams. My physical body was currently fast asleep on Fujiyan's airship, traveling back to Roses from Cameron.
"We're only on volume five! If we keep up at this rate, we'll run out of topics!"
"Do you think the fourth wall can stand up to that kind of abuse...?" Discussing this didn't strike me as the best idea.
"That's why I've invited a guest this time! Eir, come on down!"
"Hiii!" gushed Eir. "Call my name, and I shall appear! I, guardian goddess of Roses, the lovely Eir!" She popped out of nowhere, flashing a sideways peace sign.
For goddesses, these two are way too easygoing... "Now, let's chat!" Noah cried, raising a finger to the air. "Yayyy!" Eir cheered, adding a smattering of applause.
What's with this skit? Something was bothering me more than the sketch, though.
"Um... Don't you two get along a little too well...? Especially for being a Titanea and a Sacred Deity?" After all, the legends said that these two races of gods had fought a war against one another.
The two of them stared at me blankly.
"Oh, right, Titanomachia..." Noah said suddenly. "I mean, it was
fifteen million years ago..."
"It was our parents that actually waged the war," explained Eir. "Our generation was uninvolved... I think maybe Althena and Noah are the only ones who are old enough."
"I was only there right at the end, so we practically never fought." "Huh... Hang on. Noah's the older one of you two?" I asked.
I'd sorta seen Eir as the "older sister" in their relationship.
"You shouldn't ask a woman her age, Makoto. You lose points for that." chided Noah.
"I'm about ten thousand years younger, Mako."
"Oh, trying to play the young angle? That's irresponsible rounding!"
R-Rounding...? The goddesses really are beyond human comprehension.
We spent the next little while talking about "the old days." I'd read about these historical events, but the details sounded a bit different coming from people who'd actually been involved. Still...the goddess I followed had lost in the war. That much was a fact. Therefore, I knew what I had to do...
"So, once I've broken you out of the Seafloor Temple, I need to start a divine war to reinstate the Titanea, right?" I asked.
Both of their faces immediately turned deadly serious.
Uh...?
"Makoto..."
"Mako..."
They were both speaking in unison. It was honestly kinda scary. "Y-Yeah?" I stammered.
"The first thing's all you need to do."
"You shouldn't talk about starting a divine war, even as a joke." I could only nod. Uh...why shouldn't I, though?
"You just shouldn't!"
"It's beyond the scope of humans!"
I just sighed, defeated. Still, I was the one who decided on my own goals.
"I'm telling you no!" Noah yelled, bracing me in an arm lock.
Oh... She's nice and soft...
Still in that dreamy state of mind, I woke up.
The Hero of Roses and the Guild Receptionist
"Welcome home, Makoto!"
As I walked into the guild, Mary greeted me with a flying hug. "It's good to be back," I told her.
"I was so lonely..."
"It hasn't even been a week."
"I was still lonely! Come on, tell me about Cameron." She pulled me over to a food stall near the entrance. "Here." That word was accompanied by the massive thud of a huge tankard slamming onto the table.
"Um...what?" She's still on duty, right?
"I'm in charge of you, so entertaining is part of my job," she said with a wink. It was cute, but she'd already chugged half of her ale.
Drinking while on duty was... Oh, the guild master was letting it go.
Really?
"Um, well first, I had a meeting with the priestess..." I began. "Mmhmm, mhmm. And then?"
"Then I met up with Princess Noelle and Sak—the Hero of Light." "What?! Tell me everything!"
Surprisingly, she was actually pretty serious about getting a full report.
◇
"Now that you've relayed the report, it's time to have some fun!" "Don't you still have to work this afternoon?" I asked.
"I took time off." "Well...okay then."
She pulled me out of the guild and dragged me around town. If I'd been new to the town (like Furiae was) then it wouldn't have seemed so strange, but I'd lived in Macallan for quite a while now, so I certainly knew my way around.
"Where are we going?" I asked. "Any preferences?"
"Hmm, I'd like to take it easy. Cameron was hectic."
"Something relaxing, then... What about that?" she asked, pointing. It was a place hiring out boats for the canals.
◇
"Need a rower?" the attendant asked. "No, we'll be fine on our own."
"Sure. It'll be a thousand for the day. Bring it back here when you're done."
"Got it."
I paid and then offered a hand to Mary as we got in. As soon as we were on board, the boat set off.
"H-Huh...? It's moving on its own?" "I'm using water magic," I explained.
"Oh, wow! Won't that get tiring, though?"
"I could do this all day," I assured her. "Actually, this doesn't even count as training. Let's up the ante a bit."
"What? H-Hold on!"
And Mary did exactly that as she panicked, grabbing on to me. "Water Magic: Flow."
Instantly, the boat sped up by a lot.
"Ahhhhhh!" Mary screamed as it skipped along the water like a speed boat.
◇
"Ma. Ko. Tooooo."
"Sorry," I murmured. I'd had too much fun and now she was angry.
The twists and turns had made her seasick, so she was currently curled up with her head in my lap. We were now on Lake Chimay, near the town. There wasn't any wind, and the atmosphere was peaceful, so we just talked for a while.
"It's tough keeping up with you..." she admitted eventually. "Really? I actually had a lot of fun."
At that, she giggled. "I did too. Should we head back now?"
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, she sat up and quickly brought her lips to mine for a brief kiss.
Dumbfounded, I asked, "Mary?"
"This counts as entertainment for work too." "I'm pretty sure it doesn't."
"Anyway...let's go." She paused for a moment, then said, "Oh?"
It looked like she'd seen something in the distance, so I glanced in the same direction. Floating through the air was a giant bird made entirely of fire.
Was that? Well, there wasn't anyone else who'd cast that spell... "Lucy and Aya are glaring at us," Mary informed me. "Then...let's not go back just yet."
"Nope!" exclaimed Mary. "Come on, back to the guild!"
That was the end of our date...and the rest of the night was spent under heavy interrogation by Lucy and Sasa.