pared to the past, Fate had bee capable of taking some interest in other people as well, at least towards those connected with Kaito, and she remembered them reasonably well.
However, naturally, people she had never met or even seen before were another matter entirely.
[……Hmm, yeah, I really don’t recognize you.]
[……………..]
As Fate peered closely at Cornelia’s face, Cornelia stood perfectly upright, cold sweat pouring down her forehead, unable to decide how she should react.
Her counterpart was the Supreme God. Without even obtaining permission, there was no way Cornelia could carelessly address her first, much less introduce herself.
Moreover, Fate’s words just now were little more than muttering to herself, not directed at Cornelia in particular. Under those circumstances…… Cornelia had no way of making a move herself.
Naturally, Eris couldn’t intervene either. Although Eris had met Fate before, she had only just introduced herself, and they weren’t close enough to justify stepping in.
Which meant that, of course, the only one who could save Cornelia in this situation was Kaito. But even so, another major problem that Eris and Cornelia had experienced many times in the past stood in the way.
That was, Kaito tended to introduce Eris and Cornelia, both noble daughters, to even highly ranked individuals with remarkable casualness. It was a sign of the trust he had in them, but for nobles, for whom connections and relationships were of utmost importance, such things carried tremendous significance.
[Ahhh, this is Cornelia-san, one of my friends. We met after the birthday party, so it’s only natural that Fate-san wouldn’t know her.]
[Ahh, I see, that’s how it is. Since she’s with Eririn, is she a noble?]
[Yes, she’s from the Sharon County. She’s been helping me out a lot lately, and she’s even acmodated some rather sudden requests.]
[Heh~~ If Kai-chan says that…… she must be a very capable girl.]
Cornelia felt as though her breathing was about to stop. There was nothing wrong with Kaito’s words themselves. It was true that she had helped him with things like arranging the special brush and that she had indeed been assisting him.
However, the way he put it was catastrophically bad. What Kaito had just said made it sound as though he relied on Cornelia immensely, and, in fact, Fate now looked quite impressed.
(Kaito-sama! Kaito-sama!? Those words are going to create a terrible, terrible misunderstanding! P- Please, have mercy……)
Her stomach hurt, but she still couldn’t open her mouth. Interrupting Kaito and Fate’s conversation was absolutely out of the question.
After hearing Kaito’s explanation about Cornelia, Fate turned toward her once more.
[If you’re a friend Kai-chan relies on, then I should make sure to remember you properly. I’m Fate, you probably already know that, but nice to meet you~~]
[Y- Yes. My name is Cornelia Sharon. I- It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well.]
[Konekone huh? Nice to meet you~~]
[Konekone!?]
It was a relief that Fate speaking to her had finally given her a chance to respond, but all Cornelia managed was the bare minimum of a self-introduction, and the misunderstanding remained pletely unresolved.
[So Konekone and Eririn are nobles that Kai-chan gets along with?]
[Yes. As is the case with Cornelia-san, among the nobles of the Archlesia Empire, Eris-san is probably the person I talk to the most besides Chris-san. I think Fate-san saw it at the birthday party too, but she’s amazing, so I rely on her a lot, especially when it es to noble-related matters.]
[……Ahh~~ e to think of it, she ranked near the top in the quiz contest and even made it to the finals of the game tournament…… Eririn’s amazing huh.]
At those casually spoken words, Eris’s eyes lost all life. She had always been aware that Kaito’s opinion of her was unusually high, but hearing him praise her to a Supreme God herself would only raise her reputation even further.
She was already struggling with the balance of power among the nobility, and this unexpected follow-up attack sent a dull pain through her stomach. Meanwhile, Lilia looked at Eris and Cornelia with genuine sympathy.
[……Ahh, that reminds me. Eririn has a strong blessing…… hmm, probably from God of Life? So you know God of Life too?]
[Y- Yes. I am honored beyond measure to have received Her favor.]
[Hehh~~ As for Konekone…… I’m not really sure because it’s weaker, but is that the blessing of the God of merce? Did you receive it in the Hydra Kingdom instead of the Archlesia Empire?]
[It’s as you had inferred. At the beginning of the year, I received a blessing from the God of merce. The Sharon County places great emphasis on our trading pany, so……]
Just as Fate had said, Cornelia traveled every year to the temple of the God of merce in the Hydra Kingdom to receive the Provisional Blessing for the new year.
[Cornelia-san’s family owns the Sharon Trading pany, a fairly large magic tool dealer, and through that connection she introduced me to the Victor Trading pany before. Their family is really focused on merce, so I guess that’s why they receive the God of merce’s Blessing.]
[I see. But a Provisional Blessing from a Low-ranking God has rather weak effects, doesn’t it? Ahh, right. I happened to have brought “God of Fortune” with me, so you should have her give you a Provisional Blessing.]
[ ! ? ! ? ! ? ]
The words had been delivered so casually, like ordinary small talk, that the shock nearly made Cornelia’s eyes roll back into her head. It seemed that peace would not be ing to the stomachs of the two girls anytime soon.
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