Fertility Goddess Erne had arrived at Life’s temple in the God Realm, having been summoned on extremely short notice.
"Thank you for coming, Erne. I apologize for the suddenness of the request."
"Eh? No, Goddess of Life, you are usually... well, quite sudden with most things..."
"Pardon?"
"Hieee?! N-No, it’s nothing at all!"
Erne hurriedly shook her head, having nearly put her foot in her mouth. Life looked slightly suspicious for a moment, but deciding there were more pressing matters to attend to, she moved on to the main topic.
Life placed a Riple she had received from Kaito on the desk and looked toward Erne.
"Are you familiar with a noble family known as the Rich Baron House?"
"Baron Rich... Ah, yes. The family with a territory in the remote western frontier. They are a noble house with a rather long history, but their land lacks any notable strengths, and they are quite poor at business. Even within the Arclesia Empire, they are ranked among the very bottom in terms of power and wealth."
"I see. I heard from Kaito himself that a daughter of that house, Marie Rich, is a friend of his."
"A friend? That is news to me. To begin with, Miyama-san hasn't had much involvement with the Arclesia nobility... Ah, wait. I heard that Elis of the Hamilton Marquis House recently hosted a tea party and invited him. Perhaps they met there. If I recall correctly, the Rich Baron House belongs to the Hamilton faction."
As the deity responsible for the Arclesia Empire, Erne was well-versed in the nation's internal affairs. She had already gathered information regarding Elis's tea party and correctly surmised that Kaito and Marie had crossed paths on that occasion.
"It seems Kaito holds the Riples produced by the Rich family in very high regard."
"Ah, the Rich family's Riples do indeed have a good reputation. They aren't famous because they only distribute to nearby cities, but they are considered something of a hidden gem. But I see... Miyama-san is interested, is he..."
In most matters, Erne possessed a fairly common sensibility. However, when it came to divine priorities, she was a subordinate of Life and shared her superior's outlook. Specifically, she believed that Kaito, as the recipient of Shallow Vernal’s supreme blessing, was a being to be prioritized above all else. This conviction was reflected in her next words.
"Shall we reinforce the blessing on the Rich territory?"
"Indeed. It is a prudent measure to ensure that Miyama-san never encounters a situation where he cannot obtain the fruit he enjoys. It would be a bit much if I were to grant the blessing personally, so..."
"True. The blessing I have placed over the Arclesia Empire is broad but diluted. I shall place a separate, specialized blessing on the barony. That should significantly increase the harvest volume and likely lead to even higher quality."
"Then I leave it in your hands."
"Understood. If you wish for even more potent results, a blessing from the God of Harvest or the God of Agriculture—who serves the God of Space-Time—might also be effective."
"Yes, that may be necessary eventually. For now, however, we shall monitor the situation with your reinforced blessing. Speak with Marie Rich of the Rich Baron House first, and then implement the change."
"I shall do as you command."
Thus, with no one present to offer a voice of reason, the decision was made to grant a reinforcement of divine power to a single plot of land—a move that was practically unprecedented in its scale.
Six days had passed since the tea party hosted by Elis. At the Rich Baron House’s mansion in the western reaches of the Arclesia Empire, Marie was humming a light tune as she brewed tea. She was dressed in clothes that were modest, even for a noblewoman.
Despite her title, Marie was the fourth daughter of a threadbare barony. She had no personal maid or servants to attend to her. While the Baron, his wife, the heir, and the eldest daughter who managed the farm were assigned personal maids who doubled as guards, the family lacked the financial resources to provide such luxuries for the younger children.
Consequently, the younger siblings of the Rich family lived by the rule of self-sufficiency. Marie brewed her own tea, just as she handled most of her daily needs.
As the tea finished steeping, Marie smiled, reaching for the whimsical animal-shaped sugar cubes Kaito had given her as a return gift.
"They really are adorable. Looking at them makes me feel so much better. What a wonderful gift... but that is only to be expected of Miyama Kaito-sama."
Marie was enjoying a moment of profound peace... until a maid with a deathly pale face burst into the room.
"Lady Marie?! I-I-It’s a disaster! A total disaster!"
"W-What is it? Calm down. Is it a storm? An earthquake? If it’s a disaster, you should be reporting to my older sister, not me..."
"No! I don't even know where to begin! F-First, a return gift from Miyama Kaito-sama has arrived!"
"A return gift? Oh, for the Riples? Honestly, I feel terrible that he went to such trouble..."
Marie was bewildered by the frantic behavior of the usually composed maid, but she assumed a simple gift wouldn't be a problem. That assumption was shattered by the maid's next words.
"That’s not all! Formal letters have arrived from Satania Darklord, the President of the Lord Trading Company, and Rasal Marfik, a Death King's Executive! They are both requesting audiences with the Baron and Lady Marie! And as if that wasn't enough, a summons has arrived from the Temple of the Fertility Goddess! They are requesting that the Baron and Lady Marie visit the temple at your earliest convenience!"
"..."
In that heartbeat, Marie’s mind simply stopped. The teacup slipped from her fingers, shattering against the floor and staining the rug, but neither Marie nor the maid had the presence of mind to notice.
Her head went completely blank. She understood the words, but her brain refused to process the reality behind them. Then, like a physical blow, a sharp pain shot through her stomach. It felt as though her internal organs were being crushed, shriveling to half their size under the weight of the news.
"................................Why?"
A single, desperate word was all she could manage to whisper. Tragically, there was no one present who could give her an answer.
For Marie Rich, the fourth daughter of a minor barony, the era of upheaval, rapid advancement, and chronic stomach pain had officially begun.