Baron Ritch and Marie, having arrived at the Temple of Fertility, were guided by the priest toward the main hall where Elune awaited. Baron Ritch, having visited several tis before, remained composed, but Marie, visiting the main hall for the first ti, seed sowhat unsettled, her gaze moving around nervously under the solemn atmosphere.
After walking for a while, they reached a grand door, where the priest bowed toward them and then spoke.
[……I have brought them here.]
[Please allow them to enter.]
[Understood. You two, please step inside.]
Hearing Elune’s voice, the priest bowed and opened the doors, gesturing for Baron Ritch and Marie to enter. Once he confird that they had stepped inside, the priest closed the doors without entering himself.
At the far end of the spacious room, dotted with nurous trees, stood the God of Fertility, Elune. Baron Ritch and Marie approached to a suitable distance and assud a posture of prayer.
[You may make yourselves comfortable. Please, take a seat here…… I apologize for calling you here on such short notice today.]
[N- No, it’s an honor to et the Goddess of Fertility.]
[Y- Yes.]
Though both Baron Ritch and Marie were extrely tense, Elune was fundantally gentle and calm, smiling warmly as she invited them to sit and placed tea in front of each of them.
[Baron Ritch, we have t a few tis during the New Year’s Blessing, but this would be our first eting, right, Marie Ritch-san?]
[Y- Y- Y- Yes! I am Marie Ritch.]
[Pleased to et you. Generally, Gods do not reveal their nas except in special circumstances…… but you are a friend of Miyama-san, correct? In that case, it would be rude not to introduce myself…… I am Elune, God of Fertility. May today’s eting lead to a positive relationship going forward.]
[Y- Yesh!?]
For the Gods, a na is an extrely important thing, granted to them by Shallow Vernal along with their Authority. It is normally only revealed to those who have received their True Blessing or are of great importance to the God Realm.
For Elune to reveal her na here was essentially a declaration that Marie’s existence was recognized as significant to the God Realm.
(We only t once and spoke though!? N- No, we were called friends, and we exchanged letters but…… b- being a friend of Kaito-sama could really lead to sothing like this……?)
Marie could not hide her genuine shock, yet Elune smiled calmly, paying it no particular mind, and sat down at the seat opposite them.
[Now that the brief introductions are over, let us move to the main topic, which I’m sure you are curious about. That is, the reason I called you both here. I believe you can sowhat guess, but it concerns Miyama-san. To confirm, Marie-san, you did indeed give Ritch Barony's ripples to Miyama-san, correct?]
[Y- Yes. I gave them…… Ah, u- um, did I perhaps make so mistake……?]
[No, we are not reproaching you. On the contrary, Miyama-san held your ripples in high regard, and my superior, God of Life-sama, also received so of them from Miyama-san.]
[Hiieek……]
This was truly a bolt from the blue. Marie felt as if her breath had montarily stopped. She had indeed sent extra ripples, and it was expected that Kaito might share them with his acquaintances.
But she could never have imagined that…… they would be shared with a Supre God, and the thought left her mind in turmoil.
[God of Life-sama was pleased that Miyama-san liked the Archlesia Empire's ripples, but also had so concerns. Naly, that Miyama-san’s influence might cause the demand for the Ritch Barony’s ripples to rise excessively…… You both have likely noticed similar signs, haven’t you?]
[Y- Yes, we did receive letters from unexpected people…… but we didn't really think it would be that bad……]
Listening to Elune, Baron Ritch finally began to connect the letters from the Lord Trading Company and the Death King's subordinate into a single line in his mind. Indeed, the letters Marie received ntioned that the Death King’s subordinate intended to purchase ripples, but the movents of the Lord Trading Company had been a mystery.
However, from Elune’s explanation…… he concluded that the increase in demand for the Ritch family’s ripples had prompted the great Lord Trading Company, to act as well.
Yes, unfortunately, Baron Ritch had little connection with rchants and was not aware of their movents, so he simply assud that the Lord Trading Company was also aiming to buy ripples. He could never have imagined it was about creating a transfer gate, and he would have been completely flabbergasted if he had actually heard it, but at this mont, he had no room to realize that mistake.
[Anticipating this increase in demand, and taking Miyama-san’s friend into consideration…… the conclusion reached by the Gods, including God of Life-sama, is to strengthen the Divine Protection over the Ritch Barony’s territory.]
[ [ ………………. ] ]
[This ti, we have called you here to discuss the finer details of that scope and the timing.]
Elune is kind and gentle, but she also possesses the Godly traits typical of a subordinate of Life. The reason she called Baron Ritch and Marie was not to make a "proposal", but to "inform them of the decision". Once Life made the decision, the strengthening of the Divine Protection was already set in stone, and they were summoned only to coordinate the details.
Of course, Baron Ritch and Marie, who had not even imagined such a thing, were left gaping in stunned astonishnt……
Serious-senpai : [But looking at it this way, the differences in experience among the noble families are striking. Eris and Marquis Hamilton, despite getting stomachaches, still manage to swiftly handle counterasures and etings each ti. Cornelia and Count Sharon can keep up with Eris and the others to a certain extent, but beyond a certain point, they're having it rough. Baron Ritch and Marie, on the other hand, are completely unable to cope and just get swept away by the torrent.]
? ? ? : [Well, in any pattern, it all ends up as a stomachache anyway, so it doesn’t really change much, I guess.]
Serious-senpai : [That’s just too cruel.]
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