I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

In one of the rooms of the Ritch Barony’s mansion, larger than the others and more suited for discussions, the Baron and his wife, who had returned swiftly via Teleportation Magic, were left speechless after hearing Marie’s report.

This was truly what it meant to be at a loss for words. The dumbfounded Baron Ritch froze in shock, and it took him quite some time to reboot.

[……The Lord Trading Company, one of the Death King’s Executives, Goddess of Fertility-sama…… and on top of that, a state-of-the-art teleportation magic tool as a return gift for the ripples…… N- No good. I’m getting dizzy……]

[……Me too. Honestly, I just want to pretend I never heard this and go lie down in the bedroom.]

The Baron muttered with a pale face, and his wife, pressing her head as if in pain, forced out her words. What was truly terrifying was that everyone who wanted to talk with them was, from the perspective of the Ritch family, overwhelmingly superior in rank.

The Lord Trading Company, one of the Five Major Trading Companies, possessing immense wealth and terrifying influence within Archlesia Empire. An Executive under the command of Death King Isis, one of the Six Kings. And the Goddess seated in the Temple of Fertility, one of the most crucial institutions to the Empire itself…… By rights, Baron Ritch, whose rank was so low he was practically at the bottom of the nobility, should never have any connection with such people.

[U- U- U- Umm, Father…… t- this means I myself also have to participate…… right?]

[Since you were directly named, Marie, you’ll have no choice but to attend. Given how overwhelmingly superior their positions are, it would be best for only the two of us, myself and you, as specified, to meet with them. The only one whose purpose is clear is Rasal Marfik-sama of the Death King’s camp huh……]

[Yes. That was written in Miyama Kaito-sama’s letter. They want to purchase a certain number of ripples in bulk, so I don’t think that will be a problem…… as long as we don’t commit any blunders…… um, but, I’ve only had the bare minimum of education, so I- I’m not very confident……]

[Don’t worry, Marie…… I’m the same. These aren’t people a poor Baron from the frontier should be talking to. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do either.]

For now, it had been specified that only the Baron and Marie would attend, and only they would respond to the talks. Naturally, the other parties were far too high-ranked to refuse, so not meeting was never an option.

Still, the fact that most of the intentions behind the meetings were completely unknown filled them with an indescribable unease.

[……Just what business could the Lord Trading Company have……? All our domain really has are ripples.]

[And what’s more, it isn’t just a subordinate who’s coming, but Satania Darklord-sama herself, isn’t it? Since my name was specified, I assume it’s connected to Miyama Kaito-sama, but I can’t think of any reason at all……]

There was no way the Ritch Barony could have imagined that, after hearing about the ripples from Razelia, Satania would be coming to propose a land sale contract for the construction of a teleportation gate in their Barony. All they could do was tilt their heads in confusion.

[The Goddess of Fertility wrote that we could come by on whatever day is convenient for us, so we could even visit as soon as tomorrow.]

[Indeed. We don’t know her purpose either, but we can’t keep her waiting. We’ll need to go as soon as possible. As for Rasal Marfik-sama and Satania Darklord-sama, I’ll write replies to their letters and arrange the dates. Most likely, we’ll need to set the earliest possible schedule, so Marie, prepare yourself for that.]

[Y- Yes, I understand.]

There were still many circumstances they’re puzzled about, but now that Baron Ritch himself, the one who held decision-making authority in the household, had joined the discussion, the immediate plans began to take shape.

Both the Baroness and Marie were already suffering stomachaches and had quickly taken the medicine Eris had given them, but at least, they thought the course of action was now decided…… until the very next moment, when a flustered maid came rushing into the room.

[Forgive me for interrupting your discussion! There’s something urgent that I need you to confirm……]

[W- What happened?]

[Please look at this magazine. It’s my personal copy, but it’s a fairly popular publication. I bought the newest issue today, and when I was reading it, I found this page……]

[ [ [ ! ? ! ? ] ] ]

The maid placed the magazine on the table and opened to a page. The eyes of the Baron, his wife, and Marie widened in shock as they looked.

“Hot Topic! The Rapidly Rising Fame of Ritch Barony’s ripples”

Marie and the others stared at the headline as if it were something unbelievable. And of course, that was natural. The ripples of the Ritch Barony were indeed of good quality, but they were only distributed to nearby cities and were by no means famous.

At best, they might have been called a “hidden gem”, but not anything exceptionally outstanding. There were plenty of ripples of equal or even superior quality produced elsewhere.

At the very least…… it should not have been the kind of product that warranted being written about in an article like this.

“Right now, what’s rapidly spreading in popularity, particularly in the Demon Realm, is the Ritch Barony’s ripples. The reason is unclear, but we’ve learned that the owner of the Fairy Grand Farm, authorities of the Seditch Magic Tools Company, and even Executives under the Six Kings such as one of the Seven Princesses, the Fairy Princess Tirtania-sama have all been talking about their ripples. The rumors are still fresh and no detailed information has been obtained yet, so further developments will be worth watching. According to hearsay, a person named Marie seems to be involved in this matter, but we are still in the process of gathering information.”

Reading the article, written in a slightly gossipy tone, the faces of the Baron, his wife, and Marie turned pale as sheets. Yes, what they didn’t know was that after Kaito had casually asked Razelia and Tirtania “If you don’t mind, could you recommend them to your acquaintances?”, both had gone out of their way to introduce the ripples to others…… which was now leading to the stirrings of a small boom.

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<Afterword>

Stomachache Devil : [Trap Card, activate! Pursuit!!!]

Serious-senpai : [Don’t you…… have a heart?]