Guided by a priest, Baron Rich and Marie made their way through the Temple of Fertility toward the main sanctum where Erne awaited. While the Baron had visited the temple several times before and maintained his composure, Marie was visibly overwhelmed by the solemn, hallowed atmosphere of the inner grounds. Her eyes darted about restlessly, unable to settle on any one of the grand sights around her.
After a short walk, they reached a pair of magnificent, ornate doors. The priest stopped, bowed deeply toward the entrance, and announced their arrival.
"I have brought them, my lady."
"Please, let them in."
"By your will. You two, please step inside."
At the sound of Erne’s voice, the priest bowed once more and pulled the doors open, ushering Baron Rich and Marie into the room. Once he confirmed both had entered, he pulled the doors shut behind them, remaining outside.
The interior was vast and filled with various lush trees. Deep within this indoor grove stood the God of Fertility, Erne. Baron Rich and Marie approached to a respectful distance and immediately took a posture of prayer.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. Do take a seat... I apologize for summoning you so suddenly today."
"N-No, not at all! It is a profound honor to be in the presence of the Goddess of Fertility."
"Y-Yes, what he said!"
Despite the pair being clearly wound tight with nerves, Erne remained fundamentally mild-mannered and serene. Wearing a gentle smile, she gestured for them to sit and prepared black tea for both of them.
"Baron Rich, we have met several times in the past during the New Year's Blessing, but I believe this is my first time meeting you, Marie Rich-san."
"H-Ha-ha, yes! My name is Marie Rich!"
"It is a pleasure. Generally, the Gods do not introduce themselves by name except in special circumstances... however, as you are a friend of Miyama-san, it would be quite rude of me to remain anonymous. I am the God of Fertility, Erne. I hope our meeting today leads to a fruitful relationship in the future."
"H-Haphie!?"
For the God race, names were sacred things bestowed by Shallow Vernal along with their Authority. Traditionally, a deity would only reveal their name to those they had granted a True Blessing or to individuals of extreme importance to the God Realm.
By introducing herself here, she was essentially declaring to the world that she recognized Marie as a figure of great significance to the heavens.
(We only met and talked that one time!? I mean, he did call me a friend, and we've exchanged a few letters... b-but is being Kaito-sama’s friend really enough to trigger something like this!?)
Marie could not even begin to hide her look of utter bewilderment. Erne, however, didn't seem to mind. She simply maintained her smile and took the seat opposite them.
"Now then, since we have finished the brief introductions, let us move on to the main topic—the one I’m sure you’re both curious about. Specifically, why I called you here today. I suspect you have some inkling already, as it concerns Miyama-san. To confirm, Marie-san, is it correct that you gifted Riples from the Rich Baron House to Miyama-san?"
"Y-Yes. I sent them... Ah, u-um... did I do something wrong?"
"No, quite the opposite. Miyama-san evaluated those Riples very highly. In fact, my superior, the God of Life-sama, even received a portion of them from Miyama-san."
"Hie... hieee..."
It was a literal bolt from the blue. For a fleeting moment, Marie actually forgot to breathe. She had certainly sent a generous amount of Riples, and she had expected Kaito might share them with a few acquaintances.
However, she could never have imagined that he would share them with a Supreme God. The sheer weight of the situation swirled in her mind, leaving her reeling at how out of hand things had become.
"The God of Life-sama expressed her delight that Miyama-san enjoyed the Arclesia Empire’s Riples, but she also harbored a concern. Namely, that Miyama-san's influence might cause the demand for the Rich Baron House’s Riples to skyrocket beyond your capacity to manage. Have the two of you not felt such signs as well?"
"T-To be sure, we have received letters from quite unexpected sources... but surely, to think it was because of that..."
Hearing Erne's explanation, the dots finally connected in Baron Rich’s head. The abnormal arrival of letters from the Lord Trading Company and the subordinates of the Death King finally made sense. Marie's letter had mentioned that the Death King's faction wanted to buy fruit, but the Lord Trading Company's motives had remained a mystery until now.
He concluded that the massive Lord Trading Company had moved because they, too, anticipated the surge in demand for Riples.
Unfortunately, the Baron had few ties to the mercantile world and didn't truly grasp the scale of current events. He assumed the Lord Trading Company simply wanted to buy fruit; he hadn't even dreamed they were planning to build a Teleport Gate. When he eventually heard the truth, he would likely collapse on the spot, but for now, he was blissfully unaware of his error.
"Predicting that demand will rise in this way, and out of consideration for Miyama-san's friend... the God race, including the God of Life-sama, has reached a conclusion. We shall strengthen the blessing on the Rich Baron territory."
"......"
"I have asked you here today to discuss the fine details of the scope of this blessing and the timeline for its implementation."
Erne was kind and gentle, but she was still a deity and a subordinate of Life. She hadn't called the Baron and Marie here to make a "proposal"—she was "notifying them of a decision." The moment Life had given the word, the strengthening of the blessing was a settled matter. She had summoned them merely to work out the logistics.
Of course, Baron Rich and Marie, who hadn't even begun to fathom such a development, could only sit there with their mouths hanging open in a daze.
Serious-senpai: "Looking at it this way, the difference in experience between the various noble houses is really obvious. Eris and Marquis Hamilton get stomach pain, but they still move quickly every time to come up with counters and keep discussions moving. Cornelia and Count Sharon are like them up to a point, but they hit a wall once things cross a certain line. And then you have Baron Rich and Marie, who are just completely unable to keep up and are getting swept away by the torrent."
???: "Well, no matter the pattern, the result always converges on stomach pain, so it’s all the same in the end, isn't it?"
Serious-senpai: "Too merciless."