In the Arclesia Empire, the Temple of Fertility was a landmark known to almost everyone. Due to the nature of its soil, Arclesia had long struggled to grow crops compared to nations like the Kingdom of Sinfonia or the Hydra Kingdom; before the temples were established, the empire’s food self-sufficiency had been dismally low.
That changed when Shallow Vernal dispatched Erne, the God of Fertility, to Arclesia. Once she established her temple, her annual empire-wide blessing ensured stable harvests year after year. To the people of Arclesia, Erne was an indispensable figure, held in the highest regard by the faithful.
Even before the White God Festival, Erne had been relatively amicable toward humankind, often appearing at domestic events as a guest of honor. However, while she participated in formal ceremonies, she pointedly avoided social gatherings like parties, maintaining a careful distance. Life, the Goddess of Life, had praised her for this, calling her the perfect model for a deity stationed in the human realm—balanced precisely between being present and being remote.
Following the White God Festival, Erne had begun appearing in public more frequently to align with the divine realm's new direction. Nevertheless, for her to personally summon an individual was an utterly unprecedented event.
It was this extraordinary summons that had Baron Rich and his daughter, Marie, trembling as they traveled toward the Temple of Fertility.
“To begin with,” Marie stammered, “this is actually my first time even setting foot in the Main Temple.”
“You’ve never received the New Year’s blessing, after all,” her father replied. “Given the distance between our lands and the capital, that’s only natural.”
While most nobles sought divine favor, not every member of a household received a direct blessing from a god. A personal blessing from even a low-ranking deity carried a steep price—one gold coin. For a family like the Riches, who were notoriously impoverished, such an expense for a fourth daughter like Marie was an impossible luxury.
The fee itself was only the beginning. Traveling from the Rich barony to the capital required a long carriage ride, fees for teleportation gates, and more carriage rentals upon arrival. The total cost of the journey was staggering.
The family typically visited the temple in the capital once a year, but children like Marie were usually relegated to the Worship Hall for a standard blessing from a priest. Only four members of the household actually entered the Main Temple to receive a blessing from Erne herself: the Baron and his wife, their eldest son and heir, and Marie’s eldest sister, who served as the Head of the Farm.
Because of this, it was Marie's first time even meeting Erne, and she was considerably nervous.
“I had to borrow my sister’s clothes again,” Marie sighed. “I don’t own anything that wouldn’t be an insult to the Goddess. I’m terrified I’ll get them dirty.”
“We’ll have to buy you some proper attire,” the Baron said. “We couldn’t do it before this meeting, but you’ll need to look the part for the upcoming negotiations with the Lord Trading Company and the Death King’s subordinates. Since we’re already in the capital, we’ll visit a shop on our way home.”
“Haha... Normally, the idea of shopping in the capital would be a dream come true, but right now my stomach is in knots.”
“I know the feeling,” the Baron admitted. “I have no idea what’s happening or why. I’d love to take Marquis Hamilton up on his offer and ask for his advice, but we can’t keep a Goddess waiting.”
The Baron lacked the experience for this. Raised in a remote territory far from the schemes of the high nobility, he was drowning in the face of this anomaly. He desperately wanted guidance from someone far more clever.
“The capital is so beautiful,” Marie said, looking out the window as they approached the temple. “If we were only here for sightseeing, it would be so much fun.”
“Perhaps you should register the location in your teleportation tool,” her father suggested. “It will make returning easier.”
“Even if I register it, we can’t afford to shop here,” she muttered with a faint, weary smile. She was clutching at straws to keep her mind off the looming meeting. Her heart held only one prayer: that somehow, this would all end without disaster.
It was a prayer that would go unanswered.
Serious-senpai: "Merciless Narration..."