The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 21

Lord Kaito stood tall and composed before the spirit on the verge of collapse.

“Hmm, I see. It was forcibly sublimated, wasn’t it? That would explain the enormous magical power it’s holding and why it’s so unstable.

You’re quite unfortunate as well. Just give me a moment.

I’ll help you now.”

Just as Lord Kaito reached out his hand toward the spirit—

The spirit, in a frenzied state, attempted to cast a blooming field of flowers meant to afflict Lord Kaito with a debilitating condition.

“Lord Kaito!!”

I cried out in concern for his safety—but it turned out to be needless worry.

After all, Lord Kaito is a being on par with the gods.

With a thunderous boom, the field of flowers was instantly crushed under the weight of immense gravity.

“An ultra-high-density gravity spell… Is there even a single type of magic Lord Kaito can’t use?”

A nearby mage murmured in awe, clearly entranced by Lord Kaito’s magic.

“I’ve been taught a lot, so ideally I’d have liked to handle this in a more technical way, but since we’ve broken through so many barriers already, I can’t afford to linger too long.

So I went with a more forceful method to subdue it.”

Speaking as if it were nothing, Lord Kaito began interfering with the spirit’s condition.

His overwhelming power quickly restored the spirit to what must have been its original, beautiful form.

“That should do it. I won’t revert the parts where it’s grown… Hm? Ah—very well. If that’s your wish, I’ll help.”

Perhaps he had some form of communication with the spirit—Lord Kaito resumed his interference.

In the next moment, the spirit transformed into a single, exquisitely beautiful flower.

He gently took it in his hand and returned to us.

“Ahhh, sorry I’m late. Wait—your right eye’s gone blind?! I’m so sorry! I’ll fix that right now. Heal.”

At his command, a healing spell restored light to my right eye.

“There we go—healed.”

He let out a breath of relief and took a step back to look at us all.

“I can tell a lot has happened. I’m sorry you got dragged into all this in the end.”

Lord Kaito began to bow toward us, but we all, myself included, rushed to stop him.

Every one of us knew—he had been acting for our sake all along.

This incident must have had a purpose. We were certain of that. And even during it all, Lord Kaito did everything he could for us.

In fact, during that fierce battle, there were many times when his casual remarks had taught us things—ideas that ended up saving lives.

“Uh, well… If everyone’s okay with that, then… I guess I won’t press the matter.”

He looked confused at our refusal to accept his apology.

Lord Kaito is an extraordinarily kind man.

There must have been deep reasons behind his actions—reasons we couldn’t even begin to imagine. And even then, he still felt guilty for involving us.

“In any case, I’ll make sure to offer compensation in some form. I’ll try to meet your requests as best I can, so think about what you’d like.

Also, this is something you earned.”

Saying that, he handed me the flower he held.

“This is…”

“It’s called a ‘Tear of the Spirit.’ It has various effects, but you can think of it as something that will protect you.

The spirit you fought was simply in a state of rage. In truth, she was one of the most gentle and high-ranking spirits.

She wanted to thank you—for fighting until the very end, stopping her, and doing so without anyone losing their life.”

“Thank you… But this achievement isn’t mine alone. Would it be possible to share this with the others?”

It was true that I might have played a significant role, but I only had the capability to do so. Everyone had risked their lives in battle.

Surely they deserved a reward just as much as I did.

“I understand how you feel, but… the Tear of the Spirit can’t be divided. Ideally, I’d thank everyone in a different way—but even the fact that I was here at all is… problematic.

Even now, I’m using illusion magic to keep myself invisible to anyone besides you.”

He spoke with a troubled expression.

This incident had occurred outside the domain of the Mitsurugi Clan.

As the next heir to the clan, Lord Kaito was not someone who could freely move about as he pleased.

“That’s why all I can do is ask this as a personal favor.”

With that, Lord Kaito turned to the court official who had accompanied us.

“I’m sorry to burden you, but could I ask you to reward those who fought as best as you can—and also help keep this information concealed?”

“If it is my lord’s wish, I could never refuse. I shall see it done without fail.

And… thank you for giving me the rare experience of participating in an auction for a high-ranking spirit.”

Gone was the usual sharp tongue. The court official now acted the part of a perfect retainer, loyal and composed.

“An auction for a high-ranking spirit… W-Well, if it turned out to be a positive experience for you, then that’s fine, I guess.

Also, thank you for indulging my selfishness. You’ve helped me countless times.”

“Please, don’t mention it. When I think of all you’ve done for me, this is the least I can do.”

At those words, Lord Kaito gave a slightly troubled smile, then responded kindly:

“I’ve told you time and again—I didn’t do all that much.

So don’t be overly fixated on it. Cherish who you are now and live accordingly.

If things get difficult with this matter, you can always pass it back to me. I’ll take care of it.”

“…My lord, you truly are too kind.”

The court official murmured, just barely loud enough for no one else to hear.

“Ah, it’s time. Then… until we meet again.”

With those words, Lord Kaito took his leave.

“I was able to obtain the Tear of the Spirit—and with it, I saved my beloved daughter’s life.”

Tears welled in the florist’s eyes, yet her gaze was steady, filled with unwavering determination.

“From the very moment we met, Lord Kaito was working behind the scenes so I could win that Tear, so my daughter could be saved.

And that alone would have been more than enough. But Lord Kaito went even further—he made arrangements so that even after being saved, my daughter would be free to live her life.

Normally, to obtain the miracle known as the Tear of the Spirit, one must pay many prices—endure countless burdens and lingering ties of fate.

Had things gone as they usually would, even after being saved, my daughter would have been haunted by those bindings.

But Lord Kaito—he made it seem like I was simply caught up in his request. He carried all those burdens and ties of fate in my place, without anyone ever realizing it, and made it look like I naturally came into possession of the Tear!

And that’s not all—he even made sure to conceal the fact that I had obtained the Tear, claiming it was to hide his own involvement, so that greedy people wouldn’t come after me.

When I realized everything he had done, I couldn’t stay silent—I had to express my gratitude to Lord Kaito.”

“And then, do you know what Lord Kaito said to me?”

At the shopkeeper’s question, I reflected on all the things my master had done until now.

From everything that had happened, I was sure he wouldn’t have asked for anything in return. But exactly how he responded—I couldn’t quite guess.

“…Did he say something like, ‘I only did what anyone would’?”

“If only that were the case. But no, he said this instead—”

**‘No, no! I didn’t do anything at all. That was something you worked hard to earn, so there’s no need to thank me.

So instead of bowing your head to someone like me, just be happy that your daughter was saved. And from now on, live your life cheerfully—smiling as you always do, without worry—so that I can keep dropping by to slack off now and then. Take care of yourself, that’s all I ask.’**

“Even until the very end, Lord Kaito was kind, wishing only that we could live for our own sake.”

As the shopkeeper spoke through her tears, I could not only understand her feelings, but also feel overwhelmed by the nobility of someone so far beyond me.

“If Lord Kaito hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have just abandoned my flowers—I would’ve lost my beloved daughter to them. I would’ve grieved with my wife, and despaired at the entire world.

Even imagining it is terrifying.

But Lord Kaito went out of his way to prevent that tragic future. He acted behind the scenes, pretending to slack off, so that we could continue living for ourselves—hiding everything he did.

I wanted to do something, anything to ease that burden, even a little. But with someone like him, moving in realms I couldn’t even imagine, there was nothing I could do.

Still, I couldn’t give up. I kept working, hoping that someday I might be of help to him. And then I heard—Lord Kaito was looking for a place to visit as part of an inspection.”

“Lord Kaito himself?”

I leaned in slightly, eager to hear more.

If this related to what my master had done for me, perhaps I could learn what he truly wished for.

“Yes. This time, Lord Kaito seemed particularly cautious about the inspection. Normally, he’d have some pretext, like looking for an excuse to skip out on work. But this time—this time he was officially acting in that capacity.”

(So it’s different from usual… Master is moving carefully. Then, it’s not simply to trap me in some scheme… He must be seeing something far greater.)

Something far beyond a royal inspection—something I couldn’t yet grasp.

“I don’t know what Lord Kaito hopes to achieve, but I thought I might be of help with the inspection arrangements. So I volunteered. But I got ahead of myself… and made a huge mistake that troubled him deeply.”

“A huge mistake?”

What could it be?

Everything I had seen so far seemed like a success. I couldn’t begin to guess what had happened.

The shopkeeper seemed deeply regretful, hesitating to speak. An awkward silence began to settle between us.

That was when—

“He spent all our savings on that fresh flower arrangement—leaving just enough for us to survive! That idiot husband of mine!”

A woman appeared from the back of the shop, holding a small girl in her arms, and spoke in his stead.

She had called him her husband—so she must be his wife.

Still, to spend their entire savings… That was no small thing.

“I… I really am sorry…”

“I understand how much you wanted to do something for Lord Kaito. But you know as well as anyone that he’s not the type to be pleased by someone sacrificing themselves for his sake.”

“Yes… I know. I truly am sorry…”

“Haha…”

Though she sighed in exasperation, her voice held no trace of anger.

“Please forgive him. Other than flowers—and me—he’s hopeless. I hope he hasn’t caused you any trouble?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m grateful for everything he’s shared with me. But if I may ask, why spend everything on that particular arrangement?”

“Well… First and foremost, I wanted to be of use to Lord Kaito. And I wanted him to see the beauty of this town. But there was something else he said—that he often caused hardship for the royal family, so he hoped we could offer as warm a welcome as possible.”

“…”

(Why… Why does Lord Kaito go so far for others…?)

All I could do was silently offer my gratitude.

“If I may ask… Is it truly alright to be sharing this much with someone like me?”

They might think I was one of Lord Kaito’s personal maids, but even so—this felt like too much to say to someone who had only just arrived.

“You’re right. Perhaps I’ve said a bit too much. But I wanted you to know—someone who could serve Lord Kaito even more faithfully than we ever could—what kind of man he truly is.

And if possible… I hope you’ll help us make him into what we’ve always wished he could become: a carefree, peaceful, hopeless slacker.”

“A hopeless slacker…?”

That was the nickname I’d read in the reports before coming here—how others referred to my master.

From what I’d heard so far, I had expected them to resent such a title. Yet neither of their expressions held any distaste.

I found myself wondering why—until the shopkeeper spoke again, and his words etched themselves into my heart forever.

“Yes. Some dislike that title. But to me… it means everything.

It means that the Lord Kaito who moves tirelessly for our sake can, one day, rest in peace—without ever having to face a tragic future again.

That’s what I want most of all: for him to live so peacefully that everyone thinks of him as nothing more than a cheerful, idle fool.”